Enhanced: Brides of the Kindred 12 (The Brides of the Kindred) (32 page)

“Indeed. Though the inside of an implant
goes bad long before the outside does.”

“Does it?” Mei-Li asked. “And what are the
symptoms?”

“A rush of emotions, mainly. Feelings,
both good and bad flood the system. For any male not grown in a tube, they will
experience all the emotions they were having just before the implant was put in
but at three times the intensity.”

“They will? But what if what they were
feeling at the time they got the implant was bad?” Mei-Li asked.

Malak shrugged. “Then it will feel three
times as bad. It is not a pleasant prospect but such is the price for emotional
freedom.”

“I guess I can see why they would want to
keep their implants in good working order in some cases, then,” Mei-Li said,
thinking again of Six. What emotions would he have to deal with times three if
his implant failed? Judging from the way he’d reacted to her looking at even
his happy memories, she was certain they wouldn’t be good.

“Actually, that is very rare. Most of us
are grown in tubes. But those of us with pure Kindred DNA often choose not to
have our implants replaced or fixed when they go bad. Of course, we cannot get
our other enhancements fixed either if they break.” He nodded at his own
cracked ocular scope.

“Oh, because if you go up to the medical
barges they’ll see that your implants are broken and want to fix those too,”
Mei-Li said, understanding.

He nodded. “Of course, what we would
like
to do is get them removed completely. No male with an emotion damper
implanted—even a broken one—can bond with a female, which is what we all wish
for.”

“But…there aren’t any females here, I
thought,” Mei-Li said.

“No. But if we could rid ourselves of our
implants, we could take a ship and chart a course to another planet—one with
females to care for and bond with.” Malak sighed wistfully. “Ahh, it is only a
dream. The Tollegs would probably help us—they are a sympathetic and feeling
race. But the Collective would never allow it.”

“So…does the Collective
know
that
this happens? That the implants go bad?”

“They have an idea,” Malak said grimly.
“Why do you think they told the Tollegs to stop mixing pure Kindred DNA some
years back? And why else would they have the Purge Squads?”

“Purge squads?” She knew she’d heard that
before.

“Teams that go around to find people
committing Feel-crime.” He looked suddenly worried. “My lady, you will not tell
Twelve…I mean Six, the details of our conversation, will you? I fear my tongue
has been much loosened by your beauty and I spoke too freely.”

“Don’t worry,” Mei-Li said quickly. “Your
secret is safe with me. I think everyone should have a right to their own
feelings. I know I wouldn’t want to give mine up!”

“Oh, thank you, my lady.” Malak looked
relieved. “It used to be that longer hair was all one needed to hide a bad
implant and the fact that one was having emotions or “committing Feel-crime” as
the Collective and their agents call it. Now, of course they have other methods
of finding us. They have the sniffers.”

Mei-Li frowned. “I’ve heard that term
several times. What are ‘sniffers?’”

“Mechanoids with special sensors that
smell pheromones—the chemical scents one’s body emits. They grow stronger with
strong emotions,” Malak explained.

“I met a man on the medical barge that
claimed to be able to smell those too,” Mei-Li exclaimed. “He had the most
awful, metal…” Her voice trailed off as something just past Malak’s broad
shoulder caught her eye.

Standing there, not ten feet away, was the
man with the metal teeth she had met on board the medical barge. He was dressed
in the same long, black leather coat that buttoned at his boney throat and went
down to his ankles. At his feet were two things that looked to Mei-Li like some
kind of weird robot Doberman pinschers. He was looking away from her at the
moment, with his head raised high in the air as if he was sniffing for
something.

“Oh my God,” she whispered softly. “That’s
him.”

“What is it, my lady?” Malak turned his head
to look at what she was staring at and turned back, his faded blue eye wide.
“That’s Two, my lady—the Eyes of the Collective. He is on the Purge Squad and
he has sniffers with him!” He took her by the arm. “Come, we must get away
before he sees us!”

But it was too late. Even as he spoke, the
man with the metal teeth turned his head. When he spotted Mei-Li, that wide,
frightening grin she remembered so well spread across his mouth showing every
single one of his steel teeth.

She was trapped.

Chapter
Twenty-three

Six strode back to his domicile with a
swift, steady pace. After a day of work, his mind felt calm and clear and the
sensations he had been troubled with earlier were all but eradicated. He was
well prepared to deal with Mei-Li now, he thought to himself and his strategy
was simple. He would simply keep his distance as he had the night before. He
would eat with her, as the Claiming Contract demanded but he would not sleep in
the
sousa
with her. He wouldn’t technically be sleeping at all—he would
be spending his night in his recharging station. Six felt this neatly
sidestepped the issue of sleeping every night in the same bed. If one of them
wasn’t sleeping, the contract technically had not been violated.

He wasn’t sure how he would deal with the Tasting
Week, which would begin tomorrow evening. Part of him—a part he had endeavored
to bury—still longed desperately to part Mei-Li’s lovely thighs and taste her
pussy. That part thirsted for her sweet honey, longed to feel her pull his hair
and call his name as he made her come again and again with his tongue and
fingers…

But Six feared the sensations such an act
might cause. Once he had thought he could touch her and still remain cold and
unmoved. Mei-Li had proved that he was wrong about that the moment she showed
him the meaning of a kiss. An act she had refused to repeat no matter how often
he had asked for it. If only he could taste her sweet lips and feel her body
pressed to his once more…

No!
Six shook his head.
Enough of such thoughts. Now he was wiser. He knew that he needed to keep his
hands off her—to keep as much distance between them as possible—if he didn’t
wish to experience the troubling sensations that his emotion damper had so much
trouble handling.

Though he didn’t like to admit it, even to
himself, Six knew he was in dangerous territory here. The small, seemingly
helpless Earth girl he had claimed was like a bomb—one which would trigger an
emotional explosion in him if handled incorrectly. Or no, maybe she was more
like acid—eating away at his self-control and restraint, making him want her
even when he knew she was the one thing he should never have.

Well, either way he was determined to
leave her alone. And he would deal with the problem of the Tasting Week when it
came. Thankfully even though he was tempted, he
couldn't
taste her tonight—it was against the rules of the contract
to do any of the proscribed erotic activities early unless the female
specifically consented to them and agreed to bonding sex. In fact, forcing
early contact of any kind before the contract allowed it was grounds for
immediate termination of the Claiming Period.

It would have been an easy way out of
their contract and Six might seriously have considered such a thing but he
couldn’t bring himself to actually hurt Mei-Li, no matter how…disturbed he had
been by her actions the night before. Also, One wanted the Claiming Period to
run its normal course for some still undisclosed reason which he had promised
to divulge soon.

Six would have liked to disclose some of
the difficulties the claiming was causing him—in a very understated and careful
way, of course—but One and the five males highest in the rubric were very busy
just now. Six wasn’t sure, but he thought there might be a conquest on the
wind—some small nearby planet with natural resources the Collective wished to
harvest. Probably One would be more communicative when it was accomplished.

Musing on this, he opened the door to his
domicile and went in, expecting to see Mei-Li using the nature emulator. She
wasn’t in the living area, however. Walking further into the domicile, he
looked for her in the food prep area. She wasn’t there either, though the bag
of
tresh
was over half gone and a large pile of strange garments was
sitting on the counter. She was also absent from the sleeping room and his
recharging area. Though he searched and called her name, Mei-Li was nowhere to
be found—not even the fresher.

She’s gone.

A strange sensation started in the pit of
Six’s stomach. A burning, clenching feeling that made his entire body tight.
Where could she be? Had she run away? But how would she manage out on the
streets of a strange, alien city all by herself? A city filled with males who
were all bigger than she was? She might get crushed by a wheeler or mangled if
she got too close to the gears of a grinder or—

“Ter,” he called, trying to keep his voice
steady. “Where is Mei-Li?”

“How am I to know that?” the mechanical
voice said stiffly. “She does not speak to me except to issue commands.”

“Well, did she command you to give her
directions anywhere? To let her communicate with anyone?” Six demanded.

“Negative. As I indicated, she did not
talk to me at all this solar day. After you left, she sat in the living area
and moisture leaked from her eyes for some time. She made small sounds of pain
at this time but no words.”

Six felt a twinge. “That was…crying,” he
said hoarsely. “She was crying after I left?”

“Yes,” Ter affirmed. “After that she wiped
her eyes and went into the food prep area. There she used much of your
tresh
i
n failed attempts at new clothing.”

“I told her she could use the simulator to
make whatever she wanted,” Six said. “But where would she go afterwards?”

“She muttered something to herself that my
sensors barely caught,” Ter said. “Shall I play it back for you?”

“Yes—at once,” Six snapped.

“Very well. Here it is.” Suddenly Mei-Li’s
soft, high voice came from the speaker. “Damn it, I’ll never get to the spice
market at this rate. By the time I finally make something decent to wear, the
whole damn place will be closed!”

“The spice market? She went to Serlix
Market on her own?” Six exclaimed. “Ter, why did you not play this for me
earlier? It’s a clear indication of where she went.”

“How was I to know you would wish to hear such
a thing?” Ter countered. “I cannot anticipate your every desire, Six. I am only
an Artificial Intelligence, not a mind-reading machine.”

“Fine," Six growled. He was wasting
time berating Ter, anyway. He had to get to Serlix Market and find her before something
happened. In fact, hadn’t One said something about Two and the rest of the
Purge Squad taking a tour through the area where the market was located this
evening?

The Purge Squad and
all of Two’s Goddessdamned sniffers…
Surely
they wouldn’t hurt or purge Mei-Li though—she had a dispensation. But still…
the idea of Two and his squad finding her made the burning, tight sensation in
his chest grow exponentially. There was another sensation too—a feeling of
protective possessiveness that seemed to fill his entire body when he thought
of Mei-Li. A need to be with her, to hold her within the circle of his arms and
know that she was safe. That no other male could touch or hurt her.

The thought of Two and his ruthless grin
rose before his mind’s eyes again. Six felt the burning in his chest which he
now knew was panic. He had to get to her before it was too late!

Turning, he bolted out the door.

* * * * *

“Well, well, my dear—so here you are at
last! I was wondering when I might see you again.” Mr. Metal Teeth, whom Malak
had called Two, came strolling over with his two robotic dogs sniffing at his
heels. Actually, the closer they got, the less they looked like dogs to Mei-Li.
Though they had sharply pointed ears and snouts, their bodies were more low
slung and their mechanical paws ended in knife-like claws that would have been
better suited to a mountain lion. Their teeth were a nightmare—gleaming silver
daggers which would have made a shark shudder.
Ugh
.

It was too late to run so Mei-Li decided
to brave it out.

“Hello,” she said pleasantly, stepping
forward. “It’s nice to see you again. Do you live in this area?”

“As a matter of fact, I
do.
It is
my job to search out and eradicate those committing Feel-crime and as there are
so
many offenders in this area, I like to stay close. It makes a very
short commute to work, you know.”
He grinned at her, showing all those
horrible metal teeth, as though it was a big joke.

“I…see.” Mei-Li nodded. “Well, I was just
sightseeing myself but I should probably go now. Six will be wondering where I
am.”

“As a matter of fact,” Two continued, as
though she hadn’t even spoken. “I do believe that I smell some Feel-crime
happening
right here.”
He lifted his head, inhaled deeply, and then
looked directly at Malak. “Have a faulty emo-damper do we? They can fix that on
the medical barges, you know—
if
you go of your own volition and ask. But
I’m afraid letting an implant lapse without seeking help is a purging offense.
Such a
shame.”
He nodded at his sniffers. “Go on—dispatch.”

The two robotic dogs advanced on the old
Kindred, growling low in their throats. The buzzing, artificial noise they made
and the way their glowing red eyes glared at their intended target was enough
to make Mei-Li’s blood run cold.

“Wait!” She stepped out in front of Malak,
her heart beating in her throat. She had never liked big dogs and robot
dog-lion-things with shark teeth were even worse. But she didn’t want the old
Kindred to get hurt.

“Heel,” Two told the sniffers. They
stopped at once and sat at his feet, staring up at her with eyes like hot
coals. Their menacing silence and intent gaze was very unnerving but still
Mei-Li held her ground.

“I…” She licked her lips which were
suddenly very dry. “I…you can’t…”

“I can’t what?
Do
continue,” Two
said, raising an eyebrow at her.

“I’m certain the only feelings, er,
pheromones, you’re smelling are coming from
me,”
she said firmly as she
finally found her voice. “And as you remember, I have a dispensation to have
emotions here on Z4.”

“Ah yes, a dispensation. Where is it, may
I ask?” Two inquired.

“It’s right here.” She gestured to her
forearm and started to pull up the sleeve of her robe to show him.

However, Two stopped her. “Ah, so you have
it covered. How unfortunate.”

Mei-Li felt a cold shiver go down her
spine. “Unfortunate? Why?”

“Why
because
, my dear, a
dispensation for emotions must be displayed prominently at all times. If it is
covered up, hidden, or obscured in
any way,
it shall be considered null
and void. Which makes
you
guilty of Feel-crime. Very guilty, indeed.”

“What? But that’s ridiculous!” Mei-Li
objected. She was beginning to get a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach,
the same feeling she’d gotten when her father had called and told her there was
a problem at the hospital. A feeling of abject fear and disbelief.
Surely
this can’t be happening…
But it was.

“I assure you, it is not ridiculous at
all. It is the
law.
Didn’t Six explain it to you?” Two shook his head
and made a
tsking
noise. “What a pity! I’m sure he’ll be most put out
when I tell him that the little female he claimed had to be purged because he
forgot to go over the rules before letting her off the leash.”

“Why you…you wouldn’t dare!” Mei-Li felt
like all the blood was draining from her face. He wouldn’t really sic those
awful dogs on her, would he?

“You won’t hurt the lady of the prophesy—I
won’t let you!” Suddenly Malak jumped in front of her, crouched in a fighting
stance.

“Really? This is how you wish to end your
days? Very well—dispatch,” Two said to the sniffers, pointing at Malak.

They sprang forward like two sleek
missiles made of death. Before the old Kindred could move, one of them had
clamped onto his right arm and the other had him by the throat.

“Oh God…oh my God!” Mei-Li gasped as the
low, mechanical growls buzzed through their long, silver bodies. The noises
they made were loud but not loud enough to cover the sound of tearing flesh and
the old Kindred’s choked cries of pain.

Malak was gasping for breath and trying
with no success to get them off him. He might have stood a chance if he was
twenty years younger or if there hadn’t been two sniffers at once but as it was
he was clearly losing the battle.

“No—let him go! Let him g—” But before
Mei-Li could finish her sentence, there was a low ripping sound and a gout of
bright red arterial blood spurted from the old man’s neck. She gasped as it
sprayed outward, coating Two’s long black leather coat and spraying his thin,
cadaverous face in a patina of crimson droplets.

Malak gave a choked gurgle and fell to his
knees. Mei-Li watched in horror as the old Kindred’s single faded blue eye
rolled up into his head…and then he slumped over on his side. A pool of dark
red blood which looked black against the gray metal pavement spread around him.

Mei-Li stared down at him in horror. The
old Kindred who had been so excited to see her was dead.

“You…” She looked up at Two, her voice
shaking. “You…killed him! Or let your dogs kill him. You
monster.”