Chaos Theory (38 page)

There was a low murmur of conversation over her bed when she
first stirred, but it was quiet now.

The Hybrids and Humans were asleep after crashing hard. It had
been one hell of a rescue from the snatches of conversation she’d
captured. After drawing straws for sentry duty – poor Igor – they’d
all run to their beds.

She was glad in away. It meant time to adjust and to be alone
with her thoughts.

Kali struggled to believe Blue found her.

She kept experiencing a disturbing jolting as she dozed. The
quivering sensation rocked her to the bone, and had all her senses
going on alert as if she was falling. She woke gasping for air
before realising she lay in bed thrashing for no reason.

Despite her happiness tears seeped out and soaked her
pillow.

What if she was still in that tank and this was just another
dream?

Choking back her sobs, she bit the pillow to keep quiet. Blue
had already held her for most of the day, whispering reassurances
to her as she cried. He was exhausted and needed sleep. Kali
ignored the white gauze on her wrists as she blotted her cheeks
with the edge of the blanket.

Kenshin had been worn out too, and had promised as soon as he
woke he’d perform a skin grafting. Kali didn’t know if she wanted
the war wounds to scar or not, so had said nothing against the
painless procedure. Was it okay to scrub away the physical evidence
of what she’d endured? The emotional and psychological scars would
remain. Why should she be scarred inside but unscathed on the
outside?

She took comfort in Blue, grabbing his arm to pull it over her
waist, determined to enjoy each moment even if it was a trick of
the mind.

Satisfied with her lot, she closed her eyes.

Waking what felt like a heartbeat later, Kali shivered,
chilled, again. She wriggled seeking the warmth of Blue’s heavy
body.

He was gone.

His side of the bed was cold.

Reality was a cruel slap across the face.

Kali bolted upright and gripped the bedcovers in a
white-knuckled grip.

At the foot of the bed stood scantily dressed Lara, her pink
hair kinky from being un-braided, and mussed from asleep. Red sheet
marks ran all down her arm and the side of her neck and face. Her
tank and shorts showed signs of being slept in too. Kali had never
seen such muscle definition on a woman. Lean limbs with strong,
curving lines that physically represented the Hybrid’s mental
power.

“
I don’t know what to do,” she said bitterly. She paced, her
bare feet silent on the stone floor. “I want to hate you. The
cosmos knows I hated replica you. Then you go and pull a stunt like
this. When I think about what you achieved, the strength of mind it
took to reach out when you were held by what I fear most I feel
admiration, respect, even affection.” She spat the word and
glowered fiercely. “I’m mollified that you are one of us. I knew a
Human could never surpass the skills of the Omicron.”

Kali may have had mush for brains in the morning, but Lara’s
non-existent regard for the Human race was not wholly lost on her.
Why fight her Creator if she felt that way? It was a puzzle for
another time, one where Kali had a mountain of dumplings in
reach.

Sensing no immediate threat to her health from the somewhat
vicious Hybrid, Kali rubbed her eyes, blearily focusing. “I’m not a
morning person.”

“
It’s night time.”

“
Whatever.”

“
If that weak and whiny replica is how you honestly see
yourself, I will hate you. Again. I despise modest people and hold
nothing but contempt for the weak. You’ve been warned.”

With that said, Lara stormed away.

“
Um, bye?”

Puzzled, and still chilled, Kali leaned against the wall
pulling the covers under her chin. She wasn’t alone with her
confused thoughts for long.

Push shuffled into the room and stared at her from the far
corner. Kali had met a StarChild before, a dignitary at one of the
rarer functions her ‘odd’ family had been invited to.

Much like a bug under a microscope, Kali stared to
squirm.

A whirlwind of noise and joie de vivre blew into the room.
Christabella’s ceaseless chattering rubbed Kali the wrong way so
soon after waking, especially when she launched herself onto Kali’s
lap mid-conversation, her lush hair spilling everywhere, skin
luminous with health, just pissing Kali off even more.

The girl had been through an invasion, weren’t split ends and
acne a guarantee?

“
Bella?”

Ingenuous blue eyes thickly ringed with honey-blonde lashes
blinked up at her. “Hmm?”

“
Go away now.”

“
Too much of me too soon?” She laughed and bounced up. “We’ll
talk later.” Christabella sashayed to the door before spinning on
her petite heel and smiling prettily. “I’m glad you’re not sand
anymore.”

She wiggled her fingers in a cutesy wave, turned to leave the
room, and collided with Igor’s chest. Paling then flushing cerise
she babbled about washing her hair then bolted, leaving the big
Hybrid peering after her in confusion.

Igor’s head just cleared the doorframe, and his shoulders were
as wide. The cold and smell of nature clung to his skin. He
hesitated then pulled down his snood to uncover his shadowed
features. Kali thought he had the prettiest eyes, even if one was
swollen from the speckled rash discolouring the side of his strong
face.

Zeke, handsomely rugged in his worn battle-fatigues, and
Valiant, expression cockily confident, and slumming it in a
tattered jumper and frayed cut-offs, followed close
behind.

The three large males stared down at her.

Adjusting the dupatta on her shoulder, Push leaned to the
side, keeping Kali in her line of sight, her owlish eyes blinking
slowly.

The FetchMes wandered in. They panted softly and their sharp
claws clicked on the hard floor.

It was getting congested, but post isolation, Kali liked it.
“Is there something in particular you all want?” she asked
nonchalantly.

Valiant clicked his fingers. “Let me get this straight,” he
said to no on in particular. “You’re saying this little lady made a
clone of herself, and we’re talking an actual human being by
thinking real hard?”

“
Correct,” answered Igor proudly. He smiled winningly at Kali
revealing scary pointed teeth before his face fell into an
intimidating non-expression. “We have not been formally
introduced.”

“
I know you,” Kali said with a smile she hoped was welcoming.
“Igor, right?”

“
How much of the replica’s memory do you possess?” Kenshin
asked, stepping into the room, arms loaded with medical
supplies.

His arrival meant painful fluids on the holes from the tubes.
Kali was so not into it, but if she tried to give the Hybrid any
excuses he’d just give her that ‘I am a doctor do as I say or I’ll
tell on you,’ look. She shifted on the bed to make room whilst Ken
navigated her visitors. The FetchMes lounging around the bed made
for entertaining obstacles. He made it in one piece to her side and
gave her a questioning look after nodding his head to those in the
room.

She shrugged, having no idea why they were all there, but not
prepared to do anything to kick them out.

“
I mainly have flashes of memory,” she replied. “The replica
was meant to be a way for me to find help, but she resisted my
astral projection. She fought the whole time, thinking I was an
effect of stress or trauma.” Kali could smile about it now, but at
the time, she’d been pissed. “She only figured out what she was
designed for at the end.”

“
Fake you used to space out a lot,” Zeke said. He leaned
against the wall, hands tucked into his armpits. “Was that
you?”

“
Yes. She only gave up control for a nanosec a time. By the
time I realised I was in control, she snatched it away from me
again. She was stronger than I intended. Truth is she wasn’t fake
at all. She was a person, me.”

Igor cocked his head. “What would you have done with her if
she survived?”

“
I wonder that too,” Kenshin confessed as he passed the hand
held FixMe over her skin and applied fresh gauze. “Was it difficult
to maintain her?”

“
Forming the thought to create her was the most difficult thing
I’ve ever done. It took days, and it was pure luck that when I
finished Blue was looking for me in my domicile.”

Igor and Kenshin gasped.

“
We were there,” Igor breathed. “The moment of her creation. We
were looking for you, and found Max and Christabella.”

Kali smiled. And Blue tried to argue there was no such thing
as fate. “There would have been no choice if she survived. I guess
it would have been like having a twin. Once she was formed, I
didn’t need to do anything but keep a lock on her mind.” Kali
thought of how best to describe it to them when at times she barely
knew how she had done it herself. “It was like I attached a string
to her. I had to be careful because I was scared the Novan would
know what I’d done. I realised quickly you were Hybrids, and were
helping me find my family. I didn’t want to jeopardise that, but I
wanted to be rescued too.” She felt a pang of shame. If the Novan
had known what she was doing it could have used her tie to the
replica to find their hideaway. “I didn’t let the risk of them
finding you stop me. I’m sorry for putting you all in danger, but I
was so scared.”

“
Don’t feel guilty,” Igor said. “Blue would sacrifice all for
you. We don’t blame either of you for it. To feel so deeply must be
wondrous.”

“
Blue and the replica, um, they weren’t–”

“
Romantically entangled?” offered Igor.

“
Sleeping together?” asked Zeke.

“
Bumping uglies,” Valiant cheered. At Kali’s expression he
backpedalled. “I don’t know the story here, but if you’re looking
for a bunk mate pick me.” Valiant let his gaze sweep over her
figure under the blanket and waggled his eyebrows at her. “You’re
brave. Solar-hot too.”

Zeke cleared his throat. “Erm, Val, she’s the
Omicron’s.”

“
Theyousaidwhatnow?”

“
Blue is our Omicron,” Igor clarified.

Valiant was flabbergasted and scowled his displeasure.
“Something is damn wrong. I’ve been shot down twice in one day.”
His face brightened. “Pink hair is real pretty.”

Zeke grinned evilly. “Let me be there when you hit on Lara.
Please? Promise me?”

Valiant rubbed his hands together. “Sure thing. I love a
challenge.”

Kali gaped at them all. “Cosy. The word I was going to say was
cosy.”

“
It was painfully awkward,” Zeke assured her. “Difficult to
look at. It was kind of like a shuttle wreck at times. I hear the
reveal of Caesar was–” Zeke coughed loudly.

Caesar walked in holding Madeleine’s hand. She had her thumb
stuck firmly in her mouth, her large eyes blinking at the people in
the room with consummate trust.

Kali stared at the miniature version of Blue and felt her
blood pressure spike.

Between crying jags, Blue had filled her in on the things she
had missed. The replica’s meeting of Caesar was one of them. Blue
had explained in detail what had happened when he was younger, an
emotionless tryst that had created life, and tried to put into
words what he felt for his son. He had been younger than her when
Caesar had been left at his door with a note from the mother. Kali
had seen the pride in his face when he spoke of the boy. When she
thought about the child, she got conflicted. A child was so far
outside the realm of what she had expected to deal with. An
invasion and finding out she was part alien wasn’t something she
expected to have to deal with either, but she was.

Caesar was wound tight, his heart-shaped face edgy. He
courageously braced himself to deal with her emotional outbreak,
and that made her feel bad.

“
I hear you’re a genius,” she said thoughtfully. He nodded
hesitantly. He looked so grave it made her want to cuddle him.
Caesar reminded her of Blue, so how could Kali not adore him? “So
am I. We already have quarks in common.” She winked. “Are you okay
around blood? Will you sit with me and hold my hand while Ken deals
with the rest of my wounds?”

Blinking in shock, Caesar studied her as if she would become a
Venus flytrap and bite his head off. He shrugged and crawled onto
the edge of the bed. He sat Madeleine on his lap and took Kali’s
hand, the one Kenshin had already redressed. Hypatia flew into the
room and landed on his shoulder, crowing loudly.

They all watched as Ken cleaned and redressed Kali’s wounds,
wincing each time she did.

“
Anybody know where my father is?” she asked.

Kali had pushed them out of her mind because when she did
think of her parents she found it impossible to breathe. She wanted
to wail in pain, so she danced around it as much as she could. The
need to know Creighton was okay forced her to face the
pain.