by Johnny Stone
Donovan swallowed hard, fighting to regain the illusion of composure, at least for a few minutes. This wouldn’t be a long call, not long at all; as Ashley said, they both had more pressing matters at the moment.
“Reconnect call on hold, Nathan Burke.”
“Reconnecting,” the smooth female voice of his home AI replied.
Chapter Twelve
It had been a really rough day for me and I was just thankful it was finally over, not that I really had anything to look forward to when I woke up. All that mattered was that the stinking hood and arm mittens were off for a few minutes, leaving me naked and able to breathe for a change. Cherise began giving me an improvised bath with a sponge and bowl of warm soapy water before my sleep schedule.
I ignored her soft, idle chatter for the most part, and it quickly blurred into a background lullaby that I dozed in and out to, swaying back and forth on hands and knees like I was still strapped into the machine. I felt the motion in my dreams, like the inevitable rise and fall of surf, the relentless violation of mechanical rhythm. The sensation of endless sex was my new heartbeat, and thanks to the remote, the buzzing plateau of a near climactic state was my life’s blood. The sensation was getting worse if anything, while I slowly grew numb to something that I had hungered endlessly for in the past. I was part of the machine now and nothing more, feeling incomplete unless I was strapped into it, being fucked, and cumming.
I shivered with an involuntary flood of moisture, gasping lightly as it lazily ran down the inside of my left thigh.
“Are you okay, Margo?”
I nodded, and not much more.
“Does the bath feel good? I know I’m not supposed to be doing this, but… well, you smell horrible and some of your sores don’t look very good.”
“No shit,” I snorted, while Cherise continued to rub me down, removing layers of greasy sweat and the accumulated slime of lubrication and cum from between my legs.
“Alex beat me again this morning,” she said so softly that I thought I might have imagined it.
My eyes cracked open and I turned my head slightly. Cherise was becoming so human – her expressions, the tone of her voice, the way she carried herself in general on the rare occasions when I could actually look at her.
“I know I’d been programmed to enjoy pain in the past, but I can’t now. I don’t like being hit, and I don’t like the names he calls me anymore.”
Tough shit, if you don’t like it, then do something about it and quit crying. If she was looking for sympathy or a shoulder to cry on, she wasn’t going to find it in me.
“I don’t like Alex anymore either and I don’t want him to put your babies inside me. He’s…he’s going to do horrible things to you, he told me, and-”
What! Chop me up and put my foals inside you? Like hell!
Alex stormed in the cabin with a furious expression, taking a fistful of Cherise’s hair and yanked her away from me. She screamed and began to babble instinctive apologies, kicking and flailing while she was dragged out of the cabin and into the corridor.
“You’re an utter disappointment Cherise, just like that animal. I should have never awoken you!”
“Please stop, that hurts!”
Alex had Cherise on her feet now, shaking her like a rag doll, slapping her.
“Quiet! I’m going to continue hurting you until you learn obedience. You will either learn or I will deactivate you and find another suitable partner to carry out my plans with once we arrive.”
My mind, so turbulent and unfocused as of late, gradually returned to reality, burning with feral hate. I had to do something and I didn’t care any longer if Alex killed me; I had to stop his madness regardless of the consequences, before he took my babies from me. My mittens were off in a rare instance… Alex had his back to me and was distracted with Cherise… It was now or never.
I sprang to my feet, stiff and off balance with inactivity, lunging at Alex in the corridor. He turned to face me with an expression of horror and surprise, releasing Cherise moments before we collided in a sloppy body tackle, crashing into the bulkhead.
“Bastard!”
My knee smashed into his mid section like a hammer doubling him over, followed by the heel of my hand coming up under his chin, lifting him off his feet, snapping his head back in a shower of synthetic enamel. The sensation of pain and tearing skin on my part seemed dull and far away in my blind haze of rage. My motivation for taking him down quickly and violently wasn’t completely fueled by anger and my thirst for revenge; I had to deactivate him before he could unleash the incapacitating pain of my processor, in essence immobilizing me.
Alex landed face down in the corridor and I pounced on his back, wrapping an arm around his neck. With my free hand, I worked desperately to find the small round stud, flush with his hairline that would open the access plate on the back of his head.
“Get off me, animal!”
For all his size and apparent strength I found it easy to keep him pinned. It was obvious that Alex had no concept of wrestling or physical conflict what so ever, other than beating on a defenseless opponent. That didn’t matter though, because he had another weapon to use against me, something much more effective as I knew all too well. I felt the release stud under my fingertip, fumbling for it when the pain hit me.
I screamed, thrashing wildly in ineffectual release from the crashing, white-hot agony ripping me from the inside out. All I could do was try to hang on, while pawing blindly at the access panel release stud. Through my pain-streaked vision, a miracle in itself that I could see at all, it opened, slowly lifting up and to the side.
“What are you doing? No, you can’t…”
The agony intensified and I shrieked; more reminiscent of a wounded animal than a noise a human being would make. I had never felt it his bad before, I swear my blood was beginning to boil. I refused to let go though, locking the servos in my arm around his neck.
“Cherise…push…buttons!”
Did I just speak? The pain…
“I don’t know what to do, Captain!”
“Cherise, no! Please, don’t do it!”
“Do it… push all…them…!”
Electric flashes danced across my field of vision and I couldn’t breathe… Couldn’t stop jerking… I tasted blood in my mouth and felt it dribbling from my nose and down my chin. God, please kill me!
I vaguely sensed Cherise kneeling beside me, seeking the controls that would shut Alex down.
“I don’t know what to do, Captain!”
“Cherise, no, she’s trying to kill me!”
“Push…all…three!”
My wailing became one continuous sound of anguish. My heart was racing wildly out of control…I was being cut apart with knives, stabbing brutally into my chest.
“Good, you deserve to die! I hate you,” Cherise screamed and Alex stopped moving with an abrupt jerk.
The pain left me with the suddenness of a switch being turned off, and I collapsed on his back, sweating, gasping to breathe. My throat was raw and my sides ached like they’d been used for punching practice. The blood was pounding in my head, throbbing like a kettledrum, leaking from my nose.
“Captain, are you alright? Is Alex… is he…still functioning? Did he die?”
I grimaced, rolling off of Alex and stared blankly at the ceiling, unable to speak.
“Captain, you’re face, are you injured? You’re bleeding so much, what should I do!”
Cherise was nearing hysterics in her effort to come to grips with her newfound emotions.
“I’m…okay. He’s in a…a standby mode. All droids have it.”
I tried to rise but couldn’t, my body felt like it was made of spineless rubber, and my chest grew tight again.
“Help me up… can’t stand.”
She took my hand, pulling me into a sitting position on my knees. That was when I doubled over and convulsed, vomiting.
“Captain, what’s wrong? What should I do?”
&n
bsp; “Medical…get me to medical,” I wheezed.
It took every ounce of concentration I had to walk, to keep my legs moving forward; I was exhausted, like I was trying to wade through knee-high mud. The throbbing ache inside my head and growing tightness in my chest became a sharp stabbing pain that took my breath away. It was my heart.
It seemed like hours of agony passed before I finally saw the auto doc, and I whimpered, crawling up on it with Cherise’s aid. The display panel above my head sprang to life, as the automatic diagnostic sequence was initiated. I closed my eyes, completely drained and started to cry. The pain slowly began to fade along with Cherise’s droning voice, replaced by an unexpected calm. I could see it now, spreading out before me, growing brighter. It was just like I had always heard when you died – a tunnel of light.
A blurry figure began to take shape at its center, and I smiled, running towards it.
“Nathan!”
Wait…What are you doing, you little bitch? Get back here! Who do you think you are leaving me alone here to die, while you go running off with him? What about me? Do you know what I just went through for us, for you? Don’t you dare leave me, Margo!
We embraced and Nathan held me tight; I had never felt so at peace in my life, and I welcomed the sensation like a warm blanket on a cold winter night.
“I’ve been waiting for you, Margo. I’ve missed you so much.”
“I missed you too, Nathan. I love you so much; I never want us to be apart again.”
“I love you too, and we won’t. I’m here now and everything will be fine.”
I’ll get you for this! Do you hear me you worthless, fucking cunt? I’ll fucking kill you!
I vaguely felt something grasp my hand, and my eyes fluttered open. It was Cherise; she looked scared as her face was distorted, stretched and misshapen. She was saying something, but I couldn’t hear her.
“Thank you for looking after me, but I’m fine; I’m not afraid of dying. It isn’t so bad.” My voice faded and my eyes closed with a smile. “No, it’s not bad at all.”
Nathan took my hand and the light before me seemed to intensify, coming at me in pulses-like waves. It reached a crescendo and changed, becoming my heartbeat. It began to slow, growing faint and weak, fading completely in the darkness. My only regret was that I would never see our daughters being born. I would never see him holding them, watching them grow, and making him proud. I wondered if they would have looked anything like me. I hope not, I hoped they wouldn’t have turned out anything like me at all.
You think you can get away from me? Get back here! This isn’t over between us; I’ll get you for this, you hear me, bitch? Do you hear me!
Chapter Thirteen
Interlude
System Defense HQ, 9th Reserve Fleet, Tallin
Commander Richards stood confidently relaxed at the modified position of attention in front of Admiral Knolke’s desk, waiting. A report had finally come in from the scout ship that had been dispatched to system ST-101 day’s prior, and it proved to be most interesting, if not enlightening. For once the Admiral had actually started scanning it before he’d arrived.
“So a ship rented by our very own James Wroth found a body floating in system and picked it up.”
“Yes, Ma’am. I believe he went looking for Burke and found him.”
“Possibly, but we won’t know for sure until they’re apprehended. Do we have any ships nearby that can make an intercept before they reach the jump point?”
The Admiral called up a display as she spoke, and her fingers scrolled through the air, changing the information with blinding speed, scanning through it just as quickly.
“I’ve already checked, Ma’am. The only ship in the vicinity is the cruiser Mushai, and she’s currently involved in a smuggling interdiction mission with local Star Law forces. Even at maximum speed we would still miss them by several hours.”
“Dammit! Is anything going to go right with this fucking abortion? If they make it to the jump point, we’ll lose him again. What about the shuttle and that fucking cunt, Winters? Anything yet?”
“Nothing, Ma’am. There’s nothing but uncharted systems in the vicinity. It’s likely she never even made it that far. I’ve already alerted Third Fleet Command to be on the lookout for any debris matching the shuttle description.”
The Admiral’s scowl grew deeper and she leaned forward slightly.
“Not likely, that little bitch has more lives than a cat. Let me tell you something...”
Both their heads snapped in the direction of the office door when it opened unexpectedly, and a tall, solidly built man dressed in a simple black suit, entered. His light brown hair was cropped short in a military fashion, set above a blank facial expression that held all the charm and compassion of a run of the mill stump
“Sir, you can’t go in there!” The echoing cry of the Admiral’s secretary followed in his wake, obviously ignored.
“Lieutenant Roarke, call the SP!” The Admiral boomed, coming to her feet with a standard issue laser pistol drawn from the concealed holster under her desk. “You make one fucking move, and I’ll fry your ass.”
Richards backed away from the man as he came to a halt, lifting his chin while staring unafraid down the barrel of a gun.
“I suggest you put that way, Admiral, before you do something that you’ll regret.” The unidentified man’s voice was soft and raspy, hinting of an old throat or neck injury in the past. “Tell your secretary to close the door, and I will explain why I’m here.”
It was clear as day on the Admiral’s face; an impending explosion of epic proportions, no one walked into her office giving her orders. No one.
“Who the fuck do you think you are! Keep your hands where I can see them, or so help me—”
“Admiral Knolke, I have neither the time nor patience to deal with your stupidity at the moment. Tell your secretary to close the door, or I will notify my superiors that you are being uncooperative and you will be immediately relieved of command. I will explain everything after the door is closed.”
Very few people had the power, or gall to walk into a senior ranking Feet officer’s office making demands, let alone addressing them like a common hireling. That could only mean one thing.
“Who are you? I want to see some identification, or you can just go fuck yourself for all I care.” The Admiral’s pistol wavered slightly, slowly dropping to her side.
“The door if you would, please? I won’t ask again.”
Three heavily armed Shore Police burst into the office with weapons drawn, fanning out to cover the man and his annoyed expression.
“Admiral?” The sergeant in charge of the group asked, awaiting orders, while a moment of tense silence ensued.
“You and your men are dismissed, Sergeant Trask. Close the door on your way out.” The security team exchanged glances, grudgingly obeyed.
“We’ll be outside if you need us, Ma’am.” Sergeant Trask said, as he closed the door behind him.
“I’m going to reach into my pocket now; do you understand?” the man said eyeing the lowered, but ready pistol at the Admiral’s side.
She nodded, and he stepped forward producing a jammer, setting it on her desk. The activation switch extended a small antenna from the top of the cylindrical body, while a small row of lights on one side rapidly flashed red, finally turning solid green. The fact he had used a jammer in a shielded office with an active dampening system attested to the sensitivity of the conversation. A large caliber handgun in a low slung shoulder holster was visible for a fraction of a second under his suit, when he reached into an inner pocket to retrieve his identification projector.
“My name is Special Agent Porter, Federation Security, Internal Affairs.”
A 1/6th scale holographic image of Agent Porter appeared several feet away, rotating slowly while his credentials scrolled downward next to it. The Admiral set her pistol on her desk before easing back into her chair with an ashen face. Richard’s expression was
no different, back stepping a few more steps away from Agent Porter. In a society of hundreds of billions of citizens it was awe inspiring to stand in the presence of ultimate power, sanctioned by executive order from the Federation Council itself. Porter answered to no one but his own kind, and was outside of the law, because he was the law.
“I will start by saying this conversation never took place, I was not here and you will never repeat my name to anyone or anything you hear from this time forth. Any violation of this order will result in your prosecution under Article 12 of Federation Law pertaining to treason. Commander Richards, you are welcome to stay because this concerns you as well. Do the both of you understand all that I have just said?”
“Yes, I understand. What’s this all about? I’m sure-”
Porter cut the Admiral off in mid sentence turning to face Richards.
“Do you understand everything I’ve said, Commander?”
“Yes, sir, I understand.”
“Good. Now, I will start by saying that I have been following the ongoing investigation regarding the shuttlecraft AI that escaped from Waiverly Space Port soon after it came to the attention of Fleet Command. Excellent work, Commander, your analysis of the situation and raw data collected, as well as your hypothesis of the overall situation makes you a credit to your uniform.”
“Thank you, sir.” Richards replied flatly.
“Admiral Knolke, you may recall your scout ship and forget everything you know about system ST-101 and Colonel Burke. ST 101 is currently under FedSec investigation for an unrelated incident and Burke has been cleared of all charges, no longer a subject of interest in either case. As a matter of fact, none of this is your concern any longer. A junior agent is already in the process of collecting all of your data on the investigation and debriefing your staff.”
“What do you mean, it’s no longer my concern? That son of a bitch killed one of my men, and caused extensive damage to Federation property, in addition to killing a bunch of civvies! I don’t see how this falls under FedSec jurisdiction, anyway? This is a matter of local jurisdiction.”
