by Zoey Indiana
Except he wasn't in the house. Panic seized her as she realized he was nowhere to be found. Again. What if the women had followed them? She bolted out the door and looked around. He was leaning against the side of the house. Relief flooded her at the sight of him. When had he become so important to her?
"I didn't want to wake you." He closed the book and set it on the ground next to him. She sat down but made sure to leave a little space between them.
"Thank you." The words felt weird as she said them for the first time. There was a long silence before he spoke again.
"I should be thanking you. You saved me, what, three times now?" He shook his head and smiled. "It was stupid to go back, I see that now. While I hid behind the tree and listened to you fight, I decided I need to learn how."
"It's a good idea, especially if women keep trying to collect you." He looked at her as she spoke. The last thing he needed right now was her berating him for going back. Like him, she knew how crazy Post Traumatic Stress Disorder could make someone.
"What about you? Are you going to keep me here?"
"You're not my prisoner. You're free to leave at any moment." She paused to think about it. "That's not exactly true. My mission is to keep you safe until Nova comes." Saying it out loud made her feel empty.
"What does that mean?"
"Just as it sounds, I have to keep you safe until the Resistance comes to get you."
"No, not going to happen, I refuse." Bash abruptly stood up and went inside the house, slamming the door behind him. Clearly, she'd missed something. She took off after him and found him in his room. He was collecting his few belongings and putting them in a pack.
"Where are you going?" The last thing she'd intended to do was upset him.
"I don't know but I'm not going to another camp. I just survived one, the last thing I'm going to do is let myself willingly go to another one to do the same thing."
"It won't be the same. This is a real group from the Resistance not an imposter like the one you came from. I've been to a couple of them, and they're a lot different. They will keep you safe and let you live your life freely."
"What happens if I refuse. Will they force me to go? Will you force me to go?" His eyes glittered with an emotion she didn't understand. Why was he so upset about this? Part of her wanted to keep him here forever, hidden away from all the women who'd want him. While the other side of her wanted him to go with Nova so she could go back to Lay'ata Base and return to her vengeance. But the thought of him leaving upset her, even though she knew it would be impossible for him to remain here, a little part of her wanted to try.
"What do you want to do?" She wished she could read his mind to hear what he was thinking, but all she heard was static.
"There's only one thing I've wanted my entire life, to be free and to live as I want." He zipped up the bag and tossed it on the bed.
"So if you left here, where would you go? How would you find a safe place to live where you wouldn't be found by the Resistance or the Sovereign?" He wasn't being logical.
"I don't know, but that doesn't matter. I can figure it out as I go." He picked up the bag and headed to the front door.
"Did you know they had cameras in your cabin?"
"No."
"There were cameras I picked up on. The signal indicated they were transmitting to another location. They alone would have given off some electromagnetic radiation. Not to mention, when I performed a scan, your cabin was at the same base level of radiation as your neighbors. I'm not sure what their reasoning for telling you lies, but something else is going on."
Bash stopped walking but didn't look back at her.
"Also, I got a hold of Nova. There are no Resistance camps in this sector of wilderness."
"Just more lies, that's all I hear." He started toward the door again.
Not sure what to say, she reached out and grabbed his shoulder to stop him. He flinched away and spun on her.
"Don't touch me. You don't own me, and you will not control me." Fury lit up his eyes and it made her pause.
"I'm sorry, I don't want you to leave." The words slipped out before she could stop herself.
Bash stood there a long time glaring at her. It was incredibly awkward to have him stare at her for so long. Finally, he went to the couch and plopped down, dropping his bag on the floor next to him.
"I need to know why you want me to stay." The desperation in his voice made some emotion flutter in her chest, but she couldn't find the right words. She joined him on the couch, making sure to give him plenty of space.
"There are a lot of things I know. Like how to infiltrate any building, every procedure and protocol within ARI, and how to kill someone fifteen different ways without touching them." She let out a sigh at the admission she had to make. "What I have no clue about is how to handle someone I don't need to kill."
Safe House: Bash
Her words struck him hard in the chest. Out of the two of them, he wasn't sure who was less prepared to deal with this kind of situation. By her own admission, all she had been her entire life was a specimen and tool. His own past had left plenty of emotional wounds that made him unsure of how to handle a situation like this. Not to mention how awkward the timing of this conversation was. Despite the three hours it'd been since he drank the tea, he was still so hard it hurt. He'd tried to take care of himself several times and it just kept standing.
"Maybe we should just say what it is we want." The words were out before he could think it through. "What I mean is, what we want from each other. Neither of us know what is expected in this situation. So, let's just be transparent. What do you want right now?"
"I want you to stay here." She looked down at her hands.
"Why do you want me to stay here?" When she didn't answer, he stood up and started to walk away.
She looked up from wringing her hands. "Because when I think about you leaving, it makes my chest hurt. I don't understand why, and it doesn't make sense when I consider what is anatomically causing the pain. But somehow I know if you stay, then my chest won't hurt anymore."
He couldn't breathe as she spoke. She wanted him here because she cared for him, not because he was the solution to humanity. It was what he wanted but never expected. Her eyes welled up and tears started to flow.
"I don't understand why I can ignore all my emotions until you come around." She dropped her face into her hands and dug her fingers into her scalp. "When you are around, everything I was trained to do or think is messed up." He hated that she was so upset. Returning to her side, he sat next to her. Putting a hand on her back, he tried to soothe her.
"I have a similar feeling. This is the first time a woman hasn't used me to get her pregnant. Everything I was taught growing up related to re-populating the planet. I was the most important person while at the same time I didn't matter." She leaned into his chest with a pained expression and he wrapped his arm around her. "We are a mess, aren't we?"
She nodded then clutched on to him. "Nova will be here soon to take you to a more secure location. I want you here with me, but that's impossible."
Freya felt amazing. He could hold her all day like this, but it reminded him how hard he was. Suddenly, she jumped up from the couch and held a hand out to him. Oh yeah, she had the right idea. Sex would definitely help with the erection from hell. He grabbed her hand and followed her, until she got to the front door. They were going to do it outside? If that's what she wanted, then he was up for it. She stopped a few meters from the house and pulled off her grey vest. As she tossed it to the side, he held back a groan. Even though the vest was form fitting, the shirt of her black bodysuit showed every curve. His mouth went dry thinking about her breasts. Taking her nipples into his mouth while she moaned his name—
He was ripped from his day dream when he felt a punch to his arm. Looking around, Freya was a meter in front of him in a battle stance. Wait, what was happening here? Sex didn't usually start this way. By the time he figured it out, she was alr
eady mid strike. The best he could do was throw up his arm to block the attack. He didn't see the second attack and there was a burst of pain on his left bicep. For such a small woman, she packed a lot of power.
A quick jump back saved him from a third strike. "You know, when I said learn how to—“ He deflected another hit and dodged to the left. "fight, I thought it would go a little differently."
"Best way to learn is to do. Most everything you need to know in regards to fighting isn't something you can read." Her foot came within inches of his face.
"Can we talk about this for a minute?" A fist landed in his gut making it hard to breathe. At least she missed his erection.
"Talking is only a distraction." His feet came out from underneath him and he hit the ground hard. She straddled his chest and stared down at him. "You never want to be on the ground during a fight. Always avoid getting there. If you end up on the ground, the first thing you want to do is get back on your feet."
Part of him wanted to escape so she wasn't pinning him down. The other side of him wanted to take this to the next level. It felt like she was trying to make a point by sitting on his chest, but she wasn't actually pinning him down. Her hands weren't pushing, slapping, or scratching him. It was strange, he felt like he was okay with this. He made the effort to stay in the moment instead of going back to his past. If he wanted to replace all those ugly memories with new ones of Freya, he had to stay in the present.
When he looked up into her purple eyes, he could see her desire. Slowly he reached up and cupped her face. When she leaned into his hand, he knew his soul was hers. She gasped as his hands slipped underneath her bra. In a quick moment, he freed her breasts and then leaned up and took a nipple into his mouth. The sounds she made alone were all he needed. He paused just long enough to wrap an arm around her then got up and carried her inside. She let out a soft chuckle as he made his was through the house and tossed her on the bed.
Slowly, he removed all her clothing, taking time to kiss every inch of her. When she laid back on the bed naked, he took a moment to memorize her before he quickly got undressed and joined her for a long night of fun.
Lay'ata Base: O'Paka
Even though Freya returned, she was kept secluded. O'Paka had tried to get to her several times, but none of them worked. Then she’d disappeared again. Something was happening, she just couldn't figure it out. For some reason, Freya had been nice to her. Without her here, she became invisible. Until Sha'Rah returned. Now that she was back, O'Paka had to be careful. She wasn't deluded enough to think Rectification Treatment would do anything but make Sha'Rah worse.
She returned to her squad quarters. Because so many had died during that battle, several new recruits were added. Which put her at a higher standing within the squad, acting captain until a new one was promoted. Now that Sha'Rah had returned, she'd taken over as captain again. She sat on her bunk and listened as Sha'Rah began a squad meeting.
"Hello Kaun'az Squad!" Sha'Rah put her hands on her hips. "I would like to take a moment to welcome all the new team members. As you know, I wasn't around to meet you personally since I was on an undercover mission."
Oh, so that's how she was hiding it..
"I hated to take time away," she put her hands over her heart and made a pained face. O'Paka resisted the urge to roll her eyes, "but this mission was of the utmost importance. You see, we have a traitor in our midst."
Her heart thudded as she waited for words that would seal her fate.
"Freya El'Sandsa is a member of this squad. She has admitted that she is an undercover spy for the Resistance. Even at this moment, she is away on special assignment so she can attempt to topple the Sovereign we love so much." Sha'Rah shook her head and gave a slight pout. "It breaks my heart that someone from my squad defaulted while I was away."
That was the biggest lie O'Paka had heard. This was going to get worse before the meeting was over.
"It has also come to my attention that we have a second spy that is helping her. She's able to hide Freya so she can't be brought to justice." There was a murmur among the new recruits. "I know this is the last thing you expected, but just like the brigadier general told us in our assignment Mony. If you let down your team, then you let down your base. This will bring shame on us unless we work to correct it. We must reveal both the spies and bring honor to Kaun'az Squad."
This was it, her team would turn on her and rip her limb from limb. She failed so badly that she couldn't make it anywhere, not even in ARI. In a few minutes she would be dead, and all because she wanted to express herself freely.
"Who is the other spy?" One recruit spoke up.
"The second spy is not a member of our squad." O'Paka let out the breath she held. Wait, if it wasn't her, then who else could it be? "It pains me to say it, but the other spy is actually someone in a position of power. So we will have to handle this carefully. If Base Major Tas'Ki finds out we know she is the one helping Freya, we will all be sent for Rectification."
Chapter 10
Safe House: Freya
She slipped out while Bash slept. Time was running out. If she could get to the clearing, she might be able to get a message to Nova before she arrived. If Nova showed up after what happened tonight, he would freak. Distressing him made her anxious. She didn't like all these new emotions. Frantically, she disabled the security features and passed through. Once clear, she re-enabled them. Her heart raced as she sprinted to the clearing.
Halfway there, her hands shook so violently she dropped the handheld. Taking a deep breath, she regained control of herself. Nova could not show up. Scooping up the link, she typed an encrypted message to Nova and paused before hitting send. Despite not wanting to hurt Bash, she couldn't bring herself to hit the send button. Confused, she sat on the ground and leaned against a tree. Pain stabbed in her temple as her anti-emotion chip engaged.
She thought about all the changes lately. There was a rogue Resistance camp. Her cover with ARI was only intact because her base major was also an undercover agent. To top it all off, she'd fallen in love with a man. An icy chill shot through her. No, it couldn't be love. They'd only known each other for a short time. Besides, she wasn't capable of love or any emotion. The scientists had made sure of that. No one would want her, even if someone did want her, she could never return the affection. Angry at herself for trying to believe in a delusion, she got up and walked back to the safe house. Her mission should be her focus and Bash needed to be secondary.
Once she was back inside and the security set up, she collapsed on the couch. Emotions were exhausting. They made her feel desperate to do things she wouldn't normally do. New plan; she would wait for Nova and defer to her. Pain throbbed through her brain as her emotions hit the next threshold. She couldn't be emotionally compromised if she wasn't making the decisions.
By the time Nova arrived two hours later, Bash was waking up. Freya showed her in. There were several women with her Freya didn't recognize, and they sat at the table while Nova led Freya to the couch.
"So it's true? There is a group pretending to be part of the resistance?"
Freya nodded and went over to the hidden wall safe. Pressing her hand against the wall made it open. She retrieved the footage taken from the camp, locked up the safe, and handed it over to Nova. They both sat on the couch and watched it.
"This is absurd, do you have any idea what their main goal was?"
"Based on what Bash says and the way they set the camp up, I believe it was a breeding camp. The women sought him out, relentlessly. They treated him less than human." Freya looked towards the bedroom then back to Nova. "He doesn't say it, but I can feel it."
"What about his thoughts?"
In response, Freya shook her head.
"What do you mean no?" Nova leaned closer and dropped her voice.
"I mean, there's nothing." Even at this point, she didn't know if she wanted to read him. It was an invasion of privacy, especially for someone who never had any before.
&n
bsp; "What happens when you try?"
"There is static." Freya sighed and leaned back. "When I am around him, I get feelings."
"Ha, I thought no one could make you feel anything." Nova laughed and slapped her knee.
"What I mean is, I get a feeling about him; he wants to say more, he isn't telling the whole truth, or he doesn't want to talk about something. I've picked up some horrible things have happened."
"How awful, was it because of the breeding?"
"I believe so, he keeps saying wants to be his own person and in charge of his life." She looked over to his bedroom, checking he hadn't come out yet. "He tried to go back, and they put a slave collar on him."
Nova gaped, then her mouth closed and opened again three more times before she could speak. "How inhumane! What was the reasoning?"
"From what I read, the women did it to make him docile so they could force breeding, like someone might do to an animal." Just thinking about what they put him through made her throat feel a little scratchy and her eyes itched as liquid built up.
"I can't imagine what he went through." Nova tapped her bottom lip. "What does he think about my arrival?" She nodded to the room where Bash was moving around.
"Like I said, I can't read him. I don't know what he is thinking, but based on the events of yesterday, nothing good. He threatened to leave and attempt life completely alone in the wilderness. My feeling is he would die before he let women subjugate him again." Freya ran her hands down her thighs. "On that note, what is your plan?"
Nova was silent for a long time before she spoke. "Keep him safe and see if there are any alternatives for breeding him."
Breeding him, she didn't like the way Nova said it. Bash being with another woman upset her more than she wanted to admit. Humanity needed this to correct what the Sovereign had done. She wanted to tell Nova it was wrong. Humans weren't bread like animals, but it showed how much fear the Sovereign had put into the people. Even the groups who claimed to fix the wrongs were committing just as many. She needed to step up and make Bash leave with Nova. If he left, she could return to ARI full time and Nova could strengthen the resistance. Bash would be safe from both the Sovereign and the fanatics impersonating the resistance.
