by Annalise
“That day, you said something that really stayed with me. You said I had something no other man had. You didn’t know what it was. An invisible chemical that I gave off and only your sensors could pick up. You said whatever it was, it was like a leash from you to me. And all I had to do was tug the leash and you’d come to me.”
Without thought, she walked along the corridor again.
Tug the leash, Link. Speak to me.
The sound of a lift door swishing open filled her ear. It came from the other end of the floor. She stepped up to the table with its fabulous urn of roses and bent her head over the data pad. The voices of the two women who exited the lift sounded clearly through her headset.
“There’s no need to be nervous. He doesn’t bite.”
A woman’s tinkling laugh grated through Evans’s head.
“I’m paying enough. He’d better not.” The guest’s voice was peevish. “This had better last longer than the last ride I bought. I’m not a green young girl, you know.”
“I can guarantee it. The Palace delivers on its promises.” The first woman’s voice became soothing.
The sound of a door closing cut off the guest’s reply.
Evans stepped back into the center of the corridor and strode anxiously from door to door.
Where are you, Link? Show me.
The door in front of her opened.
Evans froze.
The woman in the doorway did the same. Not just any woman. Miller. Her eyes registered recognition, and fear.
Evans recovered first, pushing the med-aide back into the room.
It wasn’t a room, it was another corridor. There were two doors on the left wall, and then another hallway branched off.
“Where is he?” Evans said near Miller’s ear.
“Come,” Miller whispered. She opened one of the doors and pulled Evans through after her. This was an empty chamber, with a single padded chair and a small cot.
The woman’s fingers danced over a comm pad by the door.
“Now we can talk freely. I thought you’d escaped.”
“It’s a long story. I did, but my partner wasn’t so lucky. I came back for him.”
“What makes you think he’s still here?”
“I know it. I can feel him.” The words sounded insane, but Miller only nodded.
Evans stood with her back against the wall by the door, weapon ready, most of her attention focused on the med-aide. The corridor behind them was quiet. She turned down the volume on her headset, so she could converse without being deafened in that ear.
“Relax. I coded this room as being occupied with an on-going medical exam, so we won’t be bothered.” Miller leaned on the back of the chair. “Is your partner tall, dark, and handsome? Allergic to sperm suppressors?”
“Absolutely. You know where he is?”
“One door behind you,” Miller whispered. “I’m amazed you came back, under the circumstances. You know, the chance of you finding this one –”
Evans whirled, ready to retrace her steps and rescue Link. The woman caught her by the arm. “Take me with you. I’ve had enough of this place.”
Evans eyed her for a moment, her thoughts racing. A plan formed. This just might work, with Miller’s help. They just might get out alive. All of them.
“Fine. If you don’t mind a little acting.” Evans placed her gun against Miller’s temple. “Do what I say, and I’ll get you out with us. Now, talk. What condition is he in?”
* * * * *
Link sighed behind his mask. He ignored the repetitive compliments on the size of his erect cock and his gorgeous body. This patron couldn’t stop gasping and touching. The silver nymph smiled and guided her on a tour of the Taylor attractions.
By the time the nymph got down to serious licking and touching, the patron was shoving her aside to climb on. She was tight. Her hot grip almost undid him as she guided him in.
He’d be done in an instant at the rate this woman was riding up and down his shaft. Much longer, and he’d be screaming inside. For the first time, he thanked The Palace for giving him the opaque mask. None of them would ever see the flush of humiliation on his face. Some mercies were small. The mask also prevented the client or this succubus from kissing him. He could disassociate himself from the traitorous appendage between his legs, but a kiss on the mouth would be too much.
The nympho glided in her fragrant cloud up to his chest and bent over him, teasing his nipple with hers. He closed his eyes to it and conjured Sara. He tried to place her on his cock, imagine her hand reaching back to squeeze his testicles.
He even thought he could hear her voice.
“That’s enough. Climb down. Now.”
Sweet Sol, he thought as he opened his eyes. Evans.
The client leapt off him as if he had burst into flames.
Evans stood in the doorway, a thoroughly deadly dart gun in her hand. He tried to grin, but couldn’t manage it. He settled for a mental cheer.
Evans’s gaze swept over the nymph and settled on his groin. “I see we’ve been a naughty boy while I’ve been gone.”
The nymph sidled along the edge of the room.
“Move,” Evans said, “And I’ll blow your fake boobs to kingdom come.”
Silver Girl froze. He wondered for a moment why the all-seeing eyes didn’t send someone to grab Evans.
Then he thought it might be that The Palace had nothing to do with this little side business. This room might not be hooked up to their surveillance system.
When Evans stepped forward, he saw the woman behind her. The kind med-aide who’d changed his bedding this morning, the one who saw him to sleep each night.
He strained, trying to warn Evans of the danger. No sounds came out.
Evans put her hand on his chest and winked at him. “What is this? Are you hiding from me?”
The med-aide said, “He can hear and see behind that mask, but cannot move.”
Silver Girl grinned. “You’ll never get him out of here.”
“I’ll be the judge of that. You keep your mouth shut, or I’ll splatter this other nympho’s brains all over the wall.” Evans held the weapon on the client.
Link wished he could speak. He’d tell her the nympho probably didn’t care about the client’s fate.
But Silver Girl did care. “Please.” She held her hands up. “There’s no need for any violence. I’ll be good. Don’t do anything hasty. Please.”
The med-aide stepped around Evans and looked down at him. She took his pulse before she and Evans locked gazes.
“I can get him moving, but not well and not that fast,” she said. She reached toward his ear and yanked something out.
Link howled with pain but made no audible sound. Shit! The restraint. The old doc had told him removing it would hurt, not that it would feel like she’d pulled out part of his tongue through his ear.
While he felt beads of sweat form on his forehead, the med-aide opened a panel and pulled a couple of items from a cupboard in the wall. Where was Evans? Why wasn’t she helping him?
Evans had disappeared. He heard the door click. Had Evans left? The med-aide blocked his view.
Come back, Evans! Don’t leave me! A flash of fear shot through him. What if she didn’t come back? He worked to control his panic.
Moments later, the med-aide sprayed something over his mask. He felt the webbing grow warm and soften. Just when he thought it would smother him as it relaxed against his nose and mouth, she peeled it off.
“Lovely,” the nymph whispered as Link’s face was revealed.
“Shut up,” Evans snapped, stepping back into his line of vision, dragging an unconscious man wearing a guard’s uniform.
The med-aide wiped off the residue of Link’s opaque mask and spritzed something cold up his nostrils. He didn’t flinch. His fingers didn’t even twitch. “This will take a while,” she said.
Evans pulled the guard’s feet inside the room and eased the door shut.
The woman wh
o’d been sitting on Link’s cock cowered against the wall. She wrapped her arms around her knees and whimpered.
“Put on your robe,” Evans ordered, using her weapon to wave the woman in the proper direction. “Then help Big Boobs here to strip this guard.”
Link’s gaze followed Evans around the room. Was he still dreaming? Was she really here?
She came to stand by him, picking up his hand. She looked tough. Ready to use her gun if anyone dared not cooperate. But she leaned over and whispered a kiss across his brow. He breathed in her scent.
She wasn’t a dream.
Chapter 23
Evans held her gun on the women. With her other hand, she held his in a tight grip. He fought to return the hold, and felt his fingers tremble.
She dropped her gaze to his and squeezed his fingers. “Good boy,” she said softly. “How long till he can stand?” she asked the med-aide.
“A few moments, but he hasn’t been out of the bed in a few days. He’ll be weak.”
“The instant he’s able, I want him on his feet. Can you put that mask on that guard?”
“Sure.”
“Someone will come,” Silver Girl said. “They’ll catch you.”
“Shut up or you’ll be looking at your double Ds splattered across the room,” Evans said.
A muscle in Link’s thigh jumped. He felt a combination of burning and needles and pins sweep from his chest down his body.
Evans held the weapon on the two women and watched them strip the guard while the med-aide massaged Link’s limbs. Finally, they helped him to sit.
The instant his back was off the bed, Evans signaled the women. “Lay him out,” she gestured at the unconscious guard.
As soon as the guard was settled in Link’s former pose, the med-aide shoved the restraint into the man’s ear and sprayed something up his nose.
“He’ll be as immobile as your partner was in about fifteen minutes.”
Evans watched Miller place the soft mask, still hauntingly in the shape of Link’s face, over the guard’s. The woman sprayed it and molded it and within moments, his features were obliterated, as Link’s had been.
“Will he be able to breathe?” Evans asked Miller.
“Indeed. It’s completely porous. It just conceals the features, doesn’t affect his breathing or vision.”
The minutes ticked by with agonizing slowness to Evans as Link sat on the edge of the bed, naked, barely upright. She squeezed his hand and was gratified when he squeezed back. He looked equally pleased though he said nothing.
“Ready or not, Link,” she said.
Miller helped her get Link into the guard’s uniform. It was not nearly large enough across the shoulders and chest, nor long enough in the arms or legs, but it would have to do.
He stumbled as he straightened, standing up for the first time without help.
The client cowered back as he loomed over her.
“Now, you women have a choice,” Evans said, pointing her gun at first at the attendant, then at the client. “Nympho, you probably want to keep your job, right?”
The silver-haired woman grimaced, but nodded.
“Good. Then just pretend you came in here to do whatever it is you do and found this man instead. You could even give the guy a treat and pretend you didn’t notice the difference.”
Link made a noise in his throat.
Evans grinned. “Okay, so anyone would notice the difference. You’ll think of something. If you don’t, I promise you I’ll be back to tear your implants out through your ass. Is that clear?”
The attendant nodded so hard, her breasts shook.
“As for you,” Evans touched her weapon to the chest of the client. “You’ll have to leave sometime, won’t you? If you make trouble, someone will be outside waiting to make your life miserable. They’ll know who you are because I’m wearing a transmitter.” Without emotion, she gave a very detailed description of the client as if someone was listening to record the details.
Of course, no one was outside. No one to hear. That made little difference, because she was the only one who knew.
Evans continued. “If I don’t get out and you do, you’ll regret it. If you’re smart, you’ll ride this guy’s rocket and then leave like nothing is wrong.”
The client bobbed her head with enthusiasm and embraced the silver-haired boob princess. Evans suspected they’d be hugging and kissing each other minutes after the door closed. Sheesh, she knew all about how captives could bond to each other, but after only half an hour?
“Where are we going?” Miller asked.
“Out through the trash processing facility. There’s an alley and access to two streets. Keeps our options open. Remember, Link,” Evans said. “That’s where we left when you bought me.”
He nodded.
“What do you want me to do?” Miller asked.
“You’ll be walking in front of us. If you ever wanted to act in a vid, now’s your chance. You get to star in our little drama in real life.”
Link made it halfway down the corridor before stumbling against the wall. The med-aide slid an arm under his and he did a creditable job of walking on his own with her assistance.
Evans followed, dart gun trained them, praying each step of the way.
“This is too easy,” Link said, his voice raspy.
“Agreed,” she said, pushing her weapon more realistically into Miller’s back should anyone be watching through the all-seeing eyes.
Instinct raised the hair on the back of Evans’s neck as she pushed the button to call the lift. Nothing happened. Even with the headset volume all the way up, she heard nothing to indicate machinery moved behind the lift doors.
“It’s not coming,” Link said, his voice sounding a touch stronger and booming through her earpiece. One of his hands had a tremor and a muscle beneath his eye twitched.
She herded Link and Miller away. Miller took the lead, letting it appear as though Evans still called the shots. The only good thing about the delay was that it gave Link a little more time to recover his mobility.
Miller led them down stairs and through corridors, moving swiftly and surely. Twice, as they approached very efficient—and deserted—desks, Miller stopped to check the readouts on the comm units before changing direction.
They didn’t risk speaking.
They turned a corner and suddenly Evans knew where they were. The next move took them into a part of the clinic she knew well. Once they were shut in the tiny exam room, she let herself relax. When she lowered the dart gun, her hand shook.
The med-aide tapped a complicated code into the comm panel and said, “We can talk freely now.”
Link collapsed into a chair. “How do we get out of here?” His speech was thick and slow.
“They know you’re here,” Miller said. “Whatever you did to the lift operations shut down a few sections of the internal surveillance network. They don’t know exactly where you are at the moment, but they’re looking. We need a diversion, or we’ll never get out the doors.” She looked squarely at Evans. “I think I can do it, if you can get to ground level where you came in.”
Evans narrowed her eyes. After all of Miller’s help, leaving her behind was not an option. “What are you planning?”
“I’ll start several fires in the other side of the building. Just small ones, but it will be enough to get their attention away from you two.”
“No. You’re coming with us. I won’t leave you to their wrath.”
Link croaked something unintelligible. The med-aide opened a panel, filled a glass with water and handed it to him. They watched him clear his throat and waited.
“Patch the signals from one corridor to another,” he finally said.
“How?” Evans asked.
“What do you mean, how?”
“How as in, I don’t know how to do that.”
He frowned and took her hand. His grip was stronger. For one heartbeat, they stood that way, her hand in his, then he stood up.<
br />
“If the powers that be haven’t shut our friend here out of the system, we might be able to do a little dance on their codes.”
He swayed a bit as he walked to the communication console and sat gingerly before it. They went to his side.
“You’re in no shape to dance,” Evans said.
Link glared at her. “Since you can’t do this, someone has to.” He turned to Miller. “I’ll need your security codes.”
Miller leaned past him and tapped a few keys.
The speed with which Link processed information, with only a few terse questions for Miller, made Evans’s eyes cross. No way could she have conjured this magic.
But Link could. He worked efficiently, checking his progress with Miller who guided him with a few codes, letting him access what he needed to get to. The two had their heads together for almost half an hour.
Sweat began to prickle Evans skin. Whatever they were doing, it was a start and stop, try and try again process. Then Link stretched his back and smiled grimly. “We won’t need any diversions, and we should all get out in one piece.”
“What did you do?” she asked, wanting to wrap her arms around him and just hold him.
“I scrambled the signals from the surveillance cameras. The signals from each floor will be randomly assigned to other floors, changing every ten minutes.” He stood up and for the first time, his movements were easy. “I picked up a few stills of our progress so far to throw into the mix, along with some of the menus, active chamber feeds, and guest preference files. Tantalizing glimpses of us will have them running in circles. The surveillance equipment on the route we’re taking to the trash compacting area has been disabled. Very destructive, these rogue AIs, don’t you know? They cost business billions of credits every year.”
“Let’s get moving.” Evans herded them out the door. “You know where we’re going, so you can lead. I’ll cover our ‘hostage’ here, just in case.”
She turned toward the end of the corridor, but her earpiece came alive. Someone was coming. Shit. All the preparations in the world didn’t matter if your opponent was lucky. She hoped it was one of the medical staff but instinct told her it wasn’t.
Evans made instead for the door that she suspected hid the stairs. They’d have to scramble, but going down was much quicker than climbing up. When she jerked open the door, relief flooded through her at the sight of the steps.
