Earth-Ground (Genetically Altered Humans, #2)

by Rena Marks

  “Pax? How are you feeling, honey?”

  “I feel all right. I’m getting used to this slightly euphoric feeling I have at being disrupted.”

  “Explain the disruption. What does it feel like?”

  “Each shard of me takes a certain portion of my personality. Anger, courage, brainy, exhaustion, calm, and lazy are spread out over the premises. I am keeping them separate so the media doesn’t notice them together. If they wonder if they’ve already seen me, we can say I am a twin or even a triplet if necessary. Six of them would be difficult to explain, however.”

  “Good thinking. So which one are you?”

  He smiled. “I am the original, Robyn. I thought I’d see Amanda and wait for the media to leave before trying to recall the fragments.”

  “So as the original, which personality do you have? Are you minus the others, or are they extended versions of certain emotions?”

  He tilted his head as he thought. “I feel happy, I guess. There’s no anger, no exhaustion, no tumultuous thought processes. I just feel basic.”

  “Any ideas as to what triggered your disruption?”

  “No. I mean I was a little stressed about the upcoming media tour but no more so than anyone else.”

  “Maybe—like Blaze—you’ll just need to release regularly so they don’t spill forth on their own.”

  “I’ll try that. In the meantime, Amanda insists on seeing me right away while we’re still separate. She’d also like to see my fragments if we don’t re-merge by then. But it’s risky to get them here with the media on the premises.”

  “She’s smart. Don’t worry. I’m sure it’ll be fine, Pax. The abilities are a part of you.”

  “Thank you, Robyn. I was worried that the others might be under scrutiny if the secret was out to the humans that we might have additional abilities. Especially after what happened with Blaze being on display.”

  “If that happens, we’ll deal with it. Just like we deal with everything else. I can think of worse things to happen than having extra Pax’s around.”

  He smiled. She could tell he felt better just by being reassured. He didn’t want to be a bother and admit he needed reassurance. But all in all, he was still human enough to need it. He sat across from her. “Amanda is in her wing at the opposite end of the building. We’re supposed to be pretending this is a normal day for us. That is hard to accomplish.”

  “It makes me anxious.” She smiled.

  “It feels odd in this building since a lot of our Xeno Sapiens are not wandering the halls.”

  Robyn sighed. “Yes. It’s so hard to pretend when the day is obviously not normal. But we didn’t want to show where they tend to congregate. Let the outside world think we’re spread out over the entire premises.”

  “I can’t believe it’s been three months since we’ve been free.”

  “It’s gone by in the blink of an eye. We’ve accomplished a lot, Pax.”

  “Especially you.” His gaze landed on her belly. “You’ve created a miracle.”

  She rubbed her slight bump. “You know, technically I shouldn’t really be showing much. It’s my first pregnancy, and a lot of women don’t show until at least their fourth month. I don’t think it’ll be a problem if I’m seen, but again, my anxiety over it won’t settle.”

  “No, it shouldn’t raise concerns. But because you are the one having a relationship with Steele, and the media has focused on that, you think they’ll be looking for any little body change.”

  She sighed. “Yes, that’s the source of my anxiety. It’s best that I do stay behind the desk, just in case.”

  “You can still stand. The monitors block the view of your midsection if we move them like this.” He reached down, adjusting the organizers of her desk into a wraparound shape.

  “Brilliant! Why the hell didn’t I think of that?” She had pregnancy brain just like when she hadn’t thought to test the binocular spectacles.

  “You are too close to the situation and focused on more important stuff.” His eyes went blank for a few seconds. “Renegade is now free and heading for the west wing. Steele is returning this way.” His smile was sweet. “I’ll see you later.”

  It was just a few more minutes before Steele returned. Robyn knew he waited long enough for Pax to arrive at Amanda’s office, staying in the bend of the hallway where he could watch both areas.

  “How’s it going on that side?” she asked.

  “Great. The doctors are all fussing over Pax, hoping he stays separate long enough for them to examine the multiples when the media leaves.”

  Robyn was focused on staring out the window. “They’ve been here a long time. I didn’t really prepare for how long a tour would take.”

  “It’s getting dark outside,” Steele said. “Even with the transportation, it takes a while to show Xenia. The plot of land is huge.”

  “I should have remembered that. It wasn’t that long ago that you and I were out exploring it.”

  “Robyn, it’ll be fine.”

  “So I shouldn’t be worried?”

  “That we didn’t plan for the media to be here while it got dark? No. You can’t plan everything.”

  “But that’s what I do,” Robyn reminded him. “It’s up to me to think ahead for these details to catch.”

  “You didn’t plan on your strength failing during our escape. You didn’t plan on the lab aides returning and breaking into the facility. You had to wing it, remember?”

  “You’re right,” she sighed.

  “Relax, my love. I’m here with you now. It’s almost over, and then we can go back to acting normally.” He came around the side of her desk, pulling her into his arms. Her head fell naturally onto his chest, and her arms wrapped around his waist.

  “It’s you and me against the world,” she smiled against his chest, the strong beat of his heart beneath her ear. “Do you know how much I love you?”

  “Enough to give me a son,” he rumbled. “I’m humbled by your gift.”

  “Humbled? Your gift was brought about by my pure, uncontrollable lust for you. Every time you speak, those low, husky tones talk to my female parts and my ovaries pant.”

  His chest vibrated as he laughed. “I was so naïve. I thought it was showering in front of you that got your attention.”

  “Oh, it did,” she agreed. “Any time you want to shower in front of me is appreciated.”

  The unusual quiet of the normally bustling building made her aware of the shuttle coming around the bend of the front door. She pulled away from Steele, knowing he had been distracting her.

  “They’re here,” she said, unnecessarily.

  “Yes. We’re almost done.”

  She sat back in her chair and took a deep, calming breath. Steele moved to the window, looking out.

  Down the hallway, she could hear the footsteps shuffling, and the hum of voices.

  “And lastly, this is Dr. Robyn’s office,” Jason said, escorting the media into the room. Most of them focused on Steele standing near the window.

  “Good afternoon.” From her seated position behind the desk, Robyn smiled, drawing the attention away from him.

  The camera bulbs flashed as still pictures were collected. In addition, the cameraman recorded the episode.

  One of the men, obviously designated as the spokesman, spoke up. “Dr. Saraven! Pleased to make your acquaintance. I’m Leonardo Lucias. We’re honored to be allowed to view Xenia for the outside world.”

  “It’s our pleasure to show you around. I trust the tour was to your liking?”

  “We received quite a bit of footage. Honestly, we expected a bit of a more perfunctory tour though we were pleased with anything, of course. The quality and time spent on this one was phenomenal.”

  “That’s because our head of security is the best,” Robyn said.

  The cameraman rolled the footage to Steele.

  “Meet my bodyguard, Steele,” Robyn said drily. “Dr. Amanda Becker and I have bodyguards at all times
. Our new doctors also have bodyguards during any excursions to or from the outside. This visit counts as an excursion.”

  “Steele is also your lover, is he not?” One of the men asked.

  “He is. If that will be all, gentlemen? I do have work to get to.”

  “I’m sorry,” Leonardo said quickly. “Geno didn’t mean to sound rude. He was just excited to get a bit of personal news.”

  “Perhaps next time, we can begin with this building then. Unfortunately, I have quite a bit of work to do before Steele and I can go home.”

  “Of course! Again, thank you for the tour. We hope to be on good terms with Xenia in the future and will be kept in consideration for future relations.”

  I’ll bet you do. Robyn smiled noncommittally, and then winced as a loud blast of siren blew through the building. The doors to her office closed automatically, trapping the men in her room. The blinds came down, leaving them all in the dark.

  The sirens and automatic lockdown could only mean one thing. A breach of Xenia.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Her small city was under attack.

  “Turn off the inner building sirens,” Jason yelled into his communicator.

  The piercing shrieks stopped immediately, but everyone was left with a continuous ringing in their ears. Robyn gripped the edge of her remote tablet, dimming it to the emergency status where light barely showed. She squinted, focusing as several glowing red dots tagged as intruders made their way closer toward the main hub.

  “Amanda, protocol three.” Her tone came out huskier than normal as she tried to keep her voice quiet while speaking into her wristwatch. But she and Amanda had prepared for this. Protocol three meant that Robyn needed a blackout on her end, and Amanda would have to be prepared with Robyn’s backup emergency computer in her office, ready to assist Robyn with prepared computer directives in an emergency.

  The media lifted the cameras from their necks and began to take pictures as if this was a pre-planned game for their amusement. The bright flashes from the cameras looked like rapid fire as they focused left and right.

  “Keep those off,” Steele snarled. “You’ll give away our location.”

  Not another flash emitted. Instead, through the dim lighting, all the men looked back and forth at each other in a confused stare as if it was barely dawning on them that this was a real attack.

  Steele went around the room, closing the slats of the blinds that had lowered more tightly to keep the glow of Robyn’s equipment under wraps.

  “Amanda,” Robyn hissed into her communicator. “Hook me up to the outer ground loudspeakers.”

  The intruders were on her side of the building and wouldn’t be able to see Amanda’s equipment with full lighted capacity.

  “Done,” was the whispered reply.

  “Attention, intruders.” Over the speakers, her voice rang. “You are in violation of Xenia neutrality. Drop your weapons and leave the premises immediately by turning yourself in at the gates. This is your last warning.”

  “Fuck you,” someone yelled from outside. A Molotov cocktail was thrown into the window of the main room, which was instantly diffused with a blast of air before the ceiling grate lowered into the shape of a box, covering the bottle against any further possible explosion.

  Robyn was thankful she had a wall of glass windows in her office.

  Outside, the same person screamed when he was picked out by the cameras and tasered.

  “Shit!” someone yelled.

  Robyn brought up a dim hologram of the outside perimeter. Each person outside was outlined in a separate glow of color, now that the computer had pegged each separately. They scattered into different directions, abandoning their fallen friend who twitched on the ground.

  “Shawn, two in coordinates AJ-4. One in BT-33. One in AS-3. One in LS-5. One in TR-4,” Jason said, looking over her shoulder.

  “Dispatched.” Came his cool reply.

  “You can tell where everyone’s run?” One of the media asked in a whisper.

  “Robyn has trackers placed everywhere. We know exactly where everyone is. That’s why it’s easier to blind everyone with darkness. Then it’s just a matter of hide-and-seek,” Steele said.

  “TR-4 is running this way,” she whispered to Jason. “I can taser him again, but I’d like to keep him conscious for questioning.”

  Steele stood, stealthily approaching the side of the room where the Molotov cocktail had broken the window.

  “Steele will handle that one.” Jason’s drawl came with a smile.

  No one could see Steele as he left the small glow of the hologram Robyn used. There wasn’t a sound, not a tinkle of glass, not a bellow.

  Suddenly glass broke and there was a thump as something was thrown into the room. Another smaller thump sounded as if someone jumped, and then Steele began dragging the body across the room.

  Robyn grabbed her laptop and entered a few codes. A small box of light glowed in the center of the room for a moment, and then an entire wall disappeared. Steele tossed him in before Robyn sealed the last wall of light bars around him.

  “AJ-4 captured.” Someone called out faintly through Jason’s communicator.

  “TR-4 locked down at Systems,” Robyn said, her voice at normal volume again.

  A different voice came over the tablet. “BT-33 captured.”

  “Hold them until all are captured,” Jason instructed. “We’ll bring them into Systems for securement at the same time.”

  “LS-5 captured.”

  “How many more are we looking for, Robyn?”

  “Six breached the premises. One changed his or her mind and fled by my first warning. Four are captured, one is left.”

  “AS-33 captured.” Came the last voice.

  The lights of the compound flickered on. Bemused by the sudden light, everyone blinked before leaving her office for the main area where Steele had the prisoner. After a few minutes, a light rap sounded at the door of the main center. Robyn released the lock with the touch of a button and the guards came in, hauling more struggling intruders between them.

  “Fucking freaks!” One spat out.

  “Collars?” Robyn queried. “I really don’t want to hear them.”

  Someone went to a cabinet and retrieved five metal contraptions. One by one, they were snapped onto their necks.

  A look of confusion passed between the media, who huddled together.

  “It presses on their voice box...much like a dog collar would. An electrical current zaps the source of the voice, growing more and more painful. Eventually, it will fry their vocal cords if they continue to speak.”

  A gasp came from someone.

  Robyn shrugged. “It is their choice as to whether they destroy their speaking capabilities. They can choose not to speak. Like I said in the loudspeaker warning, they were well aware of violating Xenia neutrality.” She moved to the front of the captured men. “As you are all aware from the various warnings I called out, you are now the property of the Xeno Sapiens and subject to our own law.”

  One of the prisoners spat at her.

  From behind her, an enraged Steele snarled. At an inhumane speed, he jumped at the man. His large hand reached out and covered the man’s face, pushing him back until the man’s legs quivered, and one of his buddies had to hold him up by allowing him to rest against his chest.

  The human screamed, and it was abruptly cut off by the collar.

  The rest of the humans stared in terror, afraid to say a word. An enraged Steele was a sight to behold. His eyes flashed, and his teeth elongated, sharp and deadly. Even the media shook, not even remembering to record footage.

  “As I was saying, it is our court of law here. Pray that we’ll be lenient.”

  Jason nodded to his men, who led the prisoners to the laser unit that held the unconscious first man Steele had dragged through the window.

  “Steele is more than enough muscle here. I’m going to make sure everything outside is secure,” Jason said, nodding as he
and two men on the security detail left.

  The rest of his team surrounded the lightbox, not that there was any danger of the box-like prison holding firm.

  Robyn released one bar, and one by one, the prisoners were shoved in, yelping as they came into contact with the lighted bars on the opposite end before their yelps were abruptly silenced by the collars. By the time they were all standing shoulder to shoulder, Robyn sealed the box. With the sealing, it muted the sizzling volume inside produced by the bars. The benefit was the prisoners would not be able to hear their discussions either.

  Amanda’s voice came over the intercom. “All Xeno Sapiens accounted for.”

  “Even the teens?” Robyn asked out loud. “They’re in two separate locations.”

  “According to the computer counts,” Amanda said. “Three are in bunker six. Four are in bunker twelve.”

  “Everything’s good.”

  Robyn turned back to the media, whose cameras were rolling again. “Who’s up to finishing the tour?”

  “Stop.” Jason’s voice came over the communicator. “Where’s Lily?”

  “What do you mean where’s Lily?” Amanda’s voice was sharp.

  “How many teens are in bunker twelve?”

  “Four,” Amanda answered.

  “No, there’s not. There are three kids in here. Mellow, Trace, and Blu. Shawn, who do you have in bunker six?”

  “I have Willow, Zeb, and Maxxon. No Lily.”

  “Jason, your bunker is showing four DNA samples. Turn the place over. She’s there someplace.”

  There was silence for several minutes.

  “No, she’s not,” Jason said finally. “But guess what is here? The needle from the nose piercing.”

  Robyn sucked in her breath. Dammit. Somehow Meade had figured out how to warm the DNA sample to trick the computer count into believing it was a living body.