Found (13 page)

“Polluted? What are you talking about?”
Lauren frowned at him.

It was Slk who answered. “Scourge genes have
traditionally been labeled as inferior stock. They have, ahh,
unpardonable genetic traits which cannot be bred out of them. And
in addition, I am afraid they are not considered to be very
physically appealing.”

“That’s not true,” Lauren said, frowning. “I
find Xairn extremely physically appealing.”

“You do?” Xairn gave her a startled look.

“In fact, she does.” Slk nodded. “I can read
it in her thoughts. She finds you a most compelling specimen. Hmm,
most compelling indeed.”

Lauren felt her cheeks getting hot but she
didn’t want embarrassment to stand in the way of what sounded like
a perfect solution. She squeezed Xairn’s fingers and looked at him
pleadingly. “Come on, Xairn—I’d rather have some of your DNA than
any of the other, uh,
things
he mentioned.”

“And I could use
her
DNA to alter
you
as well. Ahh, hmmm. A most elegant and economical
solution,” Slk said. “That way you have only to pay for the
alteration itself and not the genetic material.”

Xairn looked undecided for a moment, then he
sighed heavily. “Very well. But I don’t want Lauren’s physical
appearance altered if you can help it. She is perfect just as she
is.”

It was Lauren’s turn to give him a startled
look. Did Xairn really think that? He was so stand-offish sometimes
it was hard to tell
how
he felt about her.

“It is difficult to know how Xairn feels
about you because he himself is unsure,” Slk said, obviously
answering her thought. “He desires you greatly but he fears to hurt
you. His Scourge nature wars with his better intentions.”

“Scourge nature?” Lauren looked up at the big
warrior who was glaring at Slk.

“We are here for an alteration of our DNA,
Slk—
not
an in-depth analysis of our emotions. Kindly keep
your remarks relevant to the matter at hand. As I was saying, I do
not
wish Lauren’s appearance to be changed.”

“Very well.” Slk nodded. “I will endeavor to
make the change as minimal as possible. But what of you, Xairn? Do
you mind if your appearance is altered? I cannot promise it will
not be as I have never worked with this breed of exotic
before.”

“Change me if you like,” Xairn said stonily.
“I have forsworn my heritage and my race. I no longer care if I
appear Scourge or not.”

“As you wish. Well then.” Slk rubbed all
eight of his hands together. “Let us get to work. First we’ll need
to collect some samples.”

“Samples?” Lauren shrank back. “Uh, you mean
like chopping off one of our fingers?”

Slk made a burbling sound and after a moment
she realized it was laughter. “Nothing so barbaric, my dear, I
assure you. I am an artist—not like those crude butchers who roam
the tunnels looking for fresh meat to splice. They need so much
tissue because they make so many errors. A vial of blood from each
of you is all that I truly require.”

“Oh, well I can do that. No problem.” Lauren
started to step forward and hold out her arm but Xairn held her
back.

“Before we begin, let’s agree on a price,” he
said, frowning at Slk. “I don’t want to be surprised by any hidden
charges after the alteration is complete and it’s too late.”

“Most wise.” Slk rubbed his hands together
again—they made a dry, papery sound that got on Lauren’s nerves.
“Very well. What have you to offer?”

“Some valuable food cubes containing a rare
delicacy—
grieza
worms all the way from Twin Moons.”

Xairn pulled them out of his pocket but Slk
shook his head, his eyes blinking. “I agree that they are indeed
tasty but I have
grieza
worm DNA in my stock—I can
synthesize a batch of them whenever I desire. No, what I really
want from you is something quite different, my friend.”

All three of his vertical eyes were fixed on
Lauren as he spoke and she felt a cold shiver go down her spine.
Immediately, Xairn pushed her behind him.

“You can’t have Lauren or any part of her. So
forget it.”

Slk’s eyes opened wide. “Not even a single
extra vial of her blood for seed cloning? For that is truly all I
desire.”

Lauren frowned. “Seed cloning? What’s
that?”

“Seed clones are mindless, expendable clones
made mostly for pleasure or brief service,” Slk explained smoothly.
“They live only a few days and are never fully cognizant of their
surroundings.”

“So…sex dolls?” Lauren said, feeling a little
sick. “You want to make a bunch of sex dolls that look like
me?”

“Essentially, yes.” Slk nodded. “An exotic
like yourself would make the most exceptional seed clones, I’m
certain.”

“But…to make them just to
use
them,”
Lauren protested. “That doesn’t seem right.”

“Seed clones are mindless, my dear. They can
do and say only what they are programmed to and they do not
experience pain or pleasure or emotion as we do.”

“Xairn?” She looked up at him for
guidance.

“I don’t like it,” he growled, glaring at
Slk. “But it will have to be your decision, Lauren. It is your
DNA.”

“Why don’t you like it?” she asked, wanting
to get a more in depth answer. “Do you think it’s morally wrong
or—?”

“Xairn cannot bear the thought of you with
another male. Not even a seed clone which only bears your
appearance,” Slk answered before Xairn could speak.

Wow.
Lauren looked up at the big
warrior and saw a muscle clenching over and over in his jaw. This
was turning out to be a most informative session!

“I know you are upset with me for stating
your thoughts aloud,” Slk went on, addressing Xairn. “But my time
is valuable. And I find that things go so much more quickly when
everyone involved knows exactly where they stand.”

“I’ll do it,” Lauren said, making a decision.
The thought of a bunch of living sex dolls that looked just like
her creeped her our something fierce, but there didn’t seem to be
any other way to get what they needed done. She dropped Xairn’s
hand and held out her arm. “Go ahead and take our blood. How long
will it take to get the, uh, alteration done?”

“Not long at all, my dear.” Slk was already
bustling forward with an exotic looking blood collection kit in his
many hands. “I have only to feed your data and genetic material
into my instruments and manipulate the genes—that I do myself of
course. It takes finesse and an artist’s skill to correctly mix
DNA. Once I am finished I will inject you both with the finished
product.”

“And will we see immediate results?” Lauren
winced as the alien needle pierced the vein in the crook of her
elbow. The vials of blood Slk was drawing seemed awfully large but
she supposed she really couldn’t complain.

“No, the new sequence needs time to merge
with your existing DNA. You will probably see the final results
tomorrow morning. In fact…” He looked up at Lauren as he withdrew
the needle. “I’ll be happy to offer you overnight accommodations. I
have a guest suite for just this purpose.”

“And what will
that
cost us?” Xairn
growled, holding out his arm as Slk finished with Lauren and moved
on to him.

“No extra charge.” Slk’s three eyes blinked
slowly. “I merely wish to keep you both close until your
transformations are complete.”

“Why? Do you expect complications?” Lauren
couldn’t quite keep the nervousness out of her voice.

“No, but it’s best to be prepared just in
case,” Slk said smoothly. He finished with Xairn and withdrew the
needle. “Now then, I will combine your respective DNAs in the way
that will suit each of you best. I’ll only be a moment.”

Lauren frowned.
A moment? He’s messing
with our genes, making permanent changes in us and it’s only going
to take a
moment?

“You forget, my dear, I am a skilled
artisan,” Slk said. Taking the vials of blood to one of the tables,
he fed two of them into a slot on the side of a complicated looking
machine and then peered at the attached screen. At once a series of
colored blocks appeared. “And, not to insult you, but you both have
extremely primitive DNA. I could do this alteration with my hands
tied behind my back.”

“I see,” Lauren murmured. She watched in
fascination as all eight of the aforementioned hands flew over a
touch-pad, changing the colored blocks until they were a rainbow
blur on the screen.

“Ahh, hmmm.” Slk nodded and sat back at last.
“There we have it.” He pressed a button and two new vials popped
out of the slot he’d deposited the blood in moments before. “Xairn
first,” he said beckoning.

Xairn came forward and held out his arm
stoically while Slk injected the contents of the first vial into
his arm with a needle roughly the size of a harpoon. Lauren
watched, biting her lip. She didn’t have a problem with needles in
general but this thing was
huge.
Why did it have to be so
much bigger than the one he’d used to draw their blood in the first
place?

“I know what you’re thinking, my dear,” Slk
said, finishing with Xairn and motioning her to come forward. “But
I must use a larger needle this time. The size of the altered
molecules makes this liquid much more viscous and difficult to
inject.”

“All right.” Taking a deep breath, Lauren
moved forward. Slk hovered over her arm with the giant needle for a
moment and then looked up at Xairn. “Hold her while I do this. She
needs comfort.”

“Hold her?” Xairn sounded uncertain but he
came forward willingly enough. Awkwardly, he put an arm around
Lauren’s shoulders. “Like this?”

“No, like this.” Lauren leaned against him,
glad of the warmth of his big body at her back. Then she reached up
to wrap his other arm around her waist. “There.” Tilting her head,
she looked up to give him a smile.

Xairn looked back at her quizzically. “And
this makes you feel…better?”

“Yes.” She squeezed his arm. “Much.” Then she
held out her arm to Slk. “Okay—hit me.”

“Very well,” Slk murmured, leaning over her
arm again.

At the last moment Lauren squeezed her eyes
shut and pressed back hard against Xairn. She felt him shift
uneasily but then the giant needle bit into her arm and all she
could think of was how much it hurt. Not just the sharp hollow tip
of the needle but the liquid being injected—it was cold. So cold it
burned, sending a line of ice and fire shooting up her arm.

Though she tried not to make a noise, a
little squeak of pain escaped Lauren’s lips. Behind her, she felt
Xairn’s big body stiffen instantly and his arm tightened
protectively around her waist.

“Are you all right?” His deep voice in her
ear was filled with concern.

“Fine,” Lauren managed to say. “It…it just
stings a little. That’s all.”

“It is over now.” Slk withdrew the needle as
he spoke, which hurt almost as much as when he’d stuck it in.
Lauren muffled another moan and was relieved to feel Slk using some
kind of glue to close the wound. So at least she wouldn’t bleed out
from the gaping hole.

She sighed with relief. “I’m so glad that’s
over.” Turning in Xairn’s arms, she gave him a brief, impulsive
hug. “Thanks.”

He frowned. “No thanks are necessary. I did
nothing—I could not even alleviate your pain.”

“But you helped me get through it.” Lauren
smiled up into his red-on-black eyes. Really, when you got over
their color they were quite striking. Xairn was extremely
attractive in his own exotic, alien way.

“I would prefer it if you performed your
mating rituals in the guest quarters,” Slk said dryly.

Xairn frowned and stepped away from her. “I
think you misunderstand the situation. Lauren and I are not
carnally involved, nor do we plan to become so at any time in the
future.”

Slk made the burbling laughter again. “You
had better inform your female of that. She is feeling arousal for
you at this moment.”

“She is?” Xairn’s eyes widened.

This was too much for Lauren. “Hey, I thought
you could only read thoughts—not emotions.”

“I read and understand many things,” Slk said
mysteriously. “But as amusing as this is, I do have work to do. If
the two of you would please follow the lighted trail to your room,
I would be forever grateful.”

“What lighted trail?” Lauren said but even as
she spoke a series of brilliant white spots appeared on the
purple-brown flagstones as her feet. They curved around to include
Xairn and led out of the throne room/laboratory in a different
direction from the one they’d come in.

“Come.” Xairn nodded stiffly at her but
Lauren noticed that he didn’t take her hand. Feeling hurt, she
crossed her arms over her chest and followed him.

“Good night and thank you,” she told Slk as
they left.

“No thanks necessary, my dear. This is an
excellent bargain for me. I already have buyers.” Smiling, he held
up the extra tube of her blood and nodded. “Please enjoy the guest
accommodations. Evening comestibles will be sent to your room and I
will see you both in the morning.”

Xairn fumed as he stalked down the long
hallway the trail of lights led them to. Slk had no right to speak
as he did. Broadcasting the thoughts and emotions of others was
wrong and offensive. Especially when there was no way they could be
true.

What kind of game is Slk playing?
he
wondered, taking a sharp right as the lights dictated and finding
himself in front of a large green door.
How could Lauren find a
Scourge compelling or attractive? We are not known for our physical
beauty.
No, they certainly were not. Xairn was well aware that
the grey skin and red-on-black eyes he had inherited from his
father looked monstrous next to Lauren’s own smooth, warm brown
skin tones and lovely amber eyes. What would people see if they
were placed side by side?
A beast next to a beauty. That is what
they would see.