Chains of Freedom

by Selina Rosen

  "Can you believe that Levits?" Sandra asked with a laugh, and it was only then that RJ realized that she was sitting beside her. Not that she minded. She trusted Sandra. In a strange way she trusted Sandra more than she trusted anyone else.

  "He certainly has a very active imagination," RJ said with a chuckle. She looked at Sandra, who was staring into the fire. Something was obviously bothering her. "He certainly thinks a lot of you."

  "I know," Sandra said, as if the words were dragged from her.

  "Is that a problem?" RJ asked.

  "He's OK . . ." Sandra looked up from the fire and her eyes landed fleetingly on David, who stood a few feet away talking to Mickey.

  RJ didn't have to be empathic to know what the look on Sandra's face meant. "Oh, no." RJ groaned as if in pain. "Not David, Sandy."

  Sandra looked at RJ and saw remembered pain. "You? Were you . . ."

  "No, we weren't," RJ smiled, "but it wasn't my fault."

  "Did you love him?" Sandra asked.

  RJ shrugged. "I don't really know now, but at one time I was sure. I certainly thought I did."

  Sandra laughed."That doesn't make any sense."

  RJ smiled and shrugged then got serious. "Don't set your sights on David, Sandy."

  "Why not?"

  "Because David is an idiot. At least he is when it comes to women. Remember, always remember, that he is a work unit, not a soldier. They have very primitive needs and desires. David, God help him, wants a woman he has to take care of. You know, a bimbo."

  They both laughed.

  "On the other hand, Levits likes his women to be able to take care of themselves."

  Sandra looked at David. Who knew him better than RJ? Nobody. But it didn't change the way she felt. "I've still gotta give it a try."

  Just then Mickey, who walked up and sat next to RJ, joined them. "Be there in morning?" he asked.

  "Be there in evening," RJ mocked.

  Mickey just smiled broadly.

  Sandra doubted there was anything that RJ could have said that the little man would have taken offense at. In Mickey's eyes, RJ was a god to be obeyed and worshipped.

  Whitey and Levits returned from a 'walk in the woods.' Whitey sat down behind RJ wrapping his arms tightly around her.

  Across the fire Alexi frowned deeply.

  Whitey untucked RJ's shirt, then he started to rub his hands on her bare stomach. He kissed her neck. RJ suddenly turned to face him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him back in a way that promised that soon she would give him all he'd ever desired.

  Alexi got to his feet and stomped into the woods.

  "What's with him?" Sandra asked.

  "Who knows with Alexi?" Levits shrugged and sat down close to Sandra.

  "I don't like him," Mickey stated matter-of-factly.

  "Something tells me that that's not why he left," Levits laughed. "Maybe he just needs to be alone."

  Suddenly, RJ was pulling Whitey towards the woods opposite the point where Alexi had disappeared. Whitey was trying to be discreet, but RJ was past the point of caring.

  The others contained their laughter until the couple was out of sight. Then they all started laughing at once. "Did you see who had the hot pants tonight?" Levits laughed. "First time I ever saw her show her true Argy colors . . . except for that time she tried to have her way with you in the middle of the floor," Levits said as David walked up to join them at the fire.

  David's face grew flushed with remembered passion and embarrassment.

  "They say they can crush a human lover to death with the force of their orgasm," Levits said then laughed. "What a way to go."

  "Whitey's a lucky man," Mickey said, taking offense at the way they were talking about RJ.

  "I don't know," David said thoughtfully. "It couldn't be easy to love RJ. I imagine she's a wonderful lover, but being in love with her . . . That's a different story all together."

  "Why do you say that?" Sandra asked.

  "Because RJ's a legend—bigger than life. What man wants to live in the shadow of a woman?" David said.

  "Work units," Levits mumbled, looking at Sandra who smiled and nodded her head in agreement.

  "What?" David asked.

  Levits looked at Sandra, and they both started laughing.

  "What?!" David demanded.

  Alexi wouldn't have found any of it funny. He looked up at the full moon. Hateful bitch! She'd done that on purpose. Like twisting a knife after your victim is dead. But her time was coming. All he had to do was prove to everyone that she was a freak. Of course, he first had to prove it to himself. He was almost sure that she was, but he still lacked any hard evidence.

  Sooner or later she'd slip up, he'd catch her, and then he'd bring her to her knees. Then he could claim her as his own. Make her love him . . . But somewhere in his mind he knew that was only a dream. He was never going to hold her. It was all madness. Desire was madness.

  He wanted to tell her how he felt, but he knew it would change nothing.

  He's been walking rapidly, blindly circling the camp. Suddenly he heard something in the brush, and his soldier's training took over. He stopped dead, crouched low, and drew his knife, listening intently for a repetition of the sound. When he was sure of the direction, he crept silently toward the source of the disturbance.

  He saw them silhouetted in the moonlight. Two unclothed bodies twisted together on the forest floor. Hungry mouths locked together, probing, searching. Their bodies moving together rhythmically. Rushing to fulfill each other's desires. Hands running carelessly over bare flesh. Her cries of ecstasy were carried on the night breezes to Alexi's tortured ears.

  He knew that he should look away. Leave.

  But he couldn't.

  As much as he hated to see Whitey touch her, he couldn't make himself leave. This was it. This was as close as he was ever going to get to making love to her. In his mind he became Whitey. It was Alexi's hand that searched out her breast and held it tightly. It was his name that she called out. His hips that her hands rested on, his tongue that probed the sweet softness of her willing mouth. It was his swollen cock that filled her.

  Alexi felt his hands undoing his pants, and told himself to stop, but he didn't. It was to meet him that her hips thrust upwards, then pulled back only to repeat the process. Faster and faster, harder and harder until they were both consumed. Willing slaves to their lovemaking. When she came, it was for him. It was he who was bathed in the juices of her ecstasy. When it happened again a few minutes later, that was for him as well. When he ejaculated, his sperm filled her, and damn if she didn't come again!

  Alexi came to himself as if waking from a dream, and saw the couple on the forest floor. They held each other tightly, bathed in the afterglow of their love. Becoming all too aware of his hand, he looked at the pool on the ground in front of him, and felt shame. He quickly did up his pants. He wanted to run. To get as far away from here as fast as he could. He wanted to leave his shame here on the ground, but he was suddenly terrified of detection. If he stood still, he probably wouldn't be noticed.

  He looked at her again in spite of himself, then quickly looked away from the rapture on her face. He hadn't done that. For her, the only person in the world right now was Whitey Baldor. He couldn't hear what they were saying to each other, but he was sure that it was the sort of thing that could make a strong man puke.

  The guilt he felt at what he'd done quickly turned into anger. He had never been a pervert before. She had driven him to this. Is this what he had been saved for? He had been the only survivor of that life-consuming fire, and what for? So that he could hide in the woods and beat off while he watched Whitey Baldor screw the only woman he'd ever loved?

  Why was she doing this to him? Didn't she know how he felt? Why didn't she care?

  He stared at her. It was her fault. God, how he hated her! He hated her almost as much as he hated himself. Bitch freak!

  Her head jerked up as if he had yelled it out loud. Alexi took
a deep breath and frantically thought of nothing. For a second he had forgotten what she was.

  "What's wrong?" Whitey asked.

  "I don't know. I felt . . . something."

  "I bet you did," Whitey said with a stupid grin.

  RJ laughed, and Alexi allowed himself to breathe again.

  Knowing what he'd done was bad enough. He couldn't stand to be caught. For one thing, Whitey would probably kill him. He was going to have to control his thoughts. One more mental outburst like that one, and he was going to cue RJ to his presence for sure.

  He watched with relief as they started to dress, but he didn't start to move till he knew they were almost back to camp.

  When he was sure it was safe, he left that spot as quickly as possible. His self-esteem was spilled upon the ground. He could deal with his shattered pride. He could deal with his guilt. He could even deal with his very mixed emotions towards RJ. What he couldn't deal with was how good it had felt, and he knew that if the opportunity were to present itself again, he would do the same damn thing.

  The morning air was crisp and fresh. The one good thing the Reliance had done—quite by accident—was to save the Earth from death by pollution. The Reliance had turned the Earth into a huge farming community, concerned only with the production of organic materials. Clean air and water were a natural by-product of nearly five hundred years of agrarian living and a relatively small population.

  To say the group was wired would have been an understatement. Till now, they had only slapped the Reliance in the face. Today, they were going to pull down its pants, slap it on its bare ass, and bite its dick. After today, there would be no going back. The Reliance wouldn't be able to ignore them anymore.

  They broke up into three groups. RJ, Poley and David made up the first group. Whitey, Levits and Mickey were the second group. Alexi and Sandra brought up the rear.

  They sat in position waiting for the signal—a signal which would be heard by every one of their units across Zone 2-A.

  "Come on!" David whispered impatiently to RJ.

  "Shh!" RJ ordered.

  "What the hell are we waiting for?" David demanded. He was starting to lose his cool.

  "For you to calm down a little," RJ said with a smile.

  David tensed a moment, then grinned and relaxed, shaking his head.

  "That was a direct hit," he chuckled.

  "Are you calming down now?" RJ asked.

  "Yes," David answered, pushing her playfully. "Can we go now?"

  "Are you calm yet?" RJ asked, still grinning.

  "Yes," he said, hanging on to calm with grim determination.

  "Then let's dance!" She raised the communicator to her lips.

  "Now."

  One word, spoken slowly and calmly, and the war began.

  As soon as the first report came in, Jessica knew where RJ was going to get her army, and she felt a chill go up her spine at the simplistic genius of it.

  Jessica was sitting in her office with Right when her secretary came running in with the report.

  "Prison break in installation 7-G!"

  The words had barely left his mouth when Jessica bolted out of her chair and started pacing the floor.

  Right looked at her warily. Lately, Jessica had taken to drastic and irrational bouts of ill temper. Whatever she might be, he knew one thing—she was more than capable of killing him and probably half of Capitol before they could stop her.

  "Quit cringing, Right," Jessica ordered angrily. She started out of the room. "Well, are you coming?"

  Right followed reluctantly. There was a computer in her office; there was no need to go anywhere to get all the information that she would need.

  "I should have known. Where else would a rabble-rouser find such ready followers?"

  Right finally understood what was going on. "Among other malcontents." He added, "Among the prison population . . . But surely, one prison . . . ."

  "Oh, I doubt very seriously that we are talking about one prison," Jessica answered.

  As if to prove her right, another messenger met them in the hall before they could get to the war room.

  "Senator, there's been another prison break. Installation 6-H."

  Before they made it to their destination, they had been stopped a dozen times. Jessica got on the command link immediately.

  "All units, this is Senator Kirk speaking. Move at once towards the correctional installation in your immediate area. Kill all non-military personnel. Repeat, all non-military personnel." After a few moments, she added. "You are also to kill anyone in Reliance military issue who does not immediately and satisfactorily identify themselves. Repeat, kill anyone who appears to be suspect."

  "That should stop them," Right said, gleefully.

  One of the men running one of the stations called his superior over. After a hurried consultation, he called Jessica over.

  "Senator, there seems to be a problem."

  Jessica walked over, looked at the screen and scowled. "What does that mean?" she asked with a hiss.

  "Someone is scrambling our signal," he answered, unable to hide his cringing. "It's going to take us a while to descramble it."

  "Then I suggest that you get on it, dunderhead!" Jessica thundered.

  It took only fifteen minutes to clear the lines, and Jessica's message went out, but she knew it was too late. By the first rays of the morning sun, RJ would have her army.

  There were two guards at the front gate. Neither one knew what hit him. RJ grabbed one and killed him instantly with a quick twist of his head. Simultaneously, David grabbed the other and drew a knife across his throat. As the blood gushed, strangling the man's death scream, David pulled him out of sight behind a bush, oblivious to the blood that covered his shirt, pants, and hands. It had been a long time since he had killed his first man. The guilt he'd felt then was a dim memory. The smell of fresh blood no longer sickened him. It was part of the game. He heard a voice in the back of his head saying, How can you expect to win a war if you don't kill the enemy?

  RJ had disposed of the other body. Poley joined them, and they opened the gates and hurried in.

  Whitey, Levits, and Mickey came in on the west side of the complex, just moments before RJ, David and Poley. They cut a hole in the fence and stealthily made their way towards the guards' barracks. As they started placing the plastic explosives, Mickey saw a sleepy man stumble from the guardhouse. He flattened himself against the ground and drew his laser. If the guy took one more step, he was going to see Whitey. If he shot the guard, that might blow everything. He crossed his fingers and hoped the guard wasn't the only one who would hear him.

  "Psst, Whitey!" he hissed in a loud whisper. He wiped the sweat from his forehead as he saw the guard turn away from Whitey's position. Problem was that now he was headed straight for Mickey. He held his breath. A few more steps and the guy would be standing on his head. Where the hell is Whitey? Maybe he hadn't heard him. Maybe this was where it all ended. His pitiful little life. He held his breath, buried his face in his arms, and tried to wish himself even smaller.

  Then he heard that wonderful sound, the sound he'd learned to associate with Whitey's fist making violent contact with someone's skull. He looked up just in time to see the guy pitch onto the ground beside him. He looked up at Whitey's grinning face.

  "What took you so long, you big asshole?"

  Sandra and Alexi went over the wall. They moved towards the huddled group of prisoners sleeping on the ground in the open. As Sandra started to leave cover and move on, Alexi grabbed her arm. She looked back at him in irritation. He pointed to the guard tower—it still held two men. Sandra took a deep breath.

  "Thanks."

  "We'll have to wait our turn," Alexi said with a smile. "No matter what RJ says, I'm really not such a bad guy. Don't dislike me just because your girlfriend does."

  Sandra smiled broadly.

  "What's funny?" He was perturbed because he thought she was laughing at him.

  "It's j
ust that I never thought of RJ as a girlfriend. I mean a girlfriend is someone you share makeup and fashion tips and go shopping with. Not someone you plan the overthrow of the Reliance with. You know, someone you share clothes with, not sidearms."

  Alexi nodded his understanding. "Get ready; there she goes."

  Sandra looked at the guard tower. RJ was on the move.

  David and Poley stood at the base of the tower and kept watch as RJ climbed. David occasionally turned to look at RJ. It never ceased to amaze him how she could move. She didn't take the stairs. She went up the framework as quickly and as quietly as if she did it every day. David saw her removing the chain as she moved. Not because it was necessary; she was going to use the chain because it was more personal, because she liked to use the chain. David cringed. Beautiful and deadly. A confusing combination. She moved with such grace, but she moved like that because she was going to kill someone. David saw her go over the rail and steeled himself for the sound he would hear as the chain met flesh. It was an awful sound. Like someone hitting a soaking-blanket-wrapped gong with a dead cat. A dull, hollow and yet ringing, splashing sound which defied a proper description, and put a lump in David's throat no matter how many times he heard it.