Last Call (Stranded in the Stars Book 1) (11 page)

But during her last visit to the ship she had been looking for supplies that she may have missed from previous scavenging sessions and that she may have overlooked.

She had been deep within the confines of the wreckage when she had heard a faint scratching noise behind her. When she had turned to look at what may have caused it, there was nothing there and the scratching had stopped.

At the time she had thought little of it– attributing it to critters or even the ship itself. But as she continued searching the rubble, the light, long scratches followed her. The longer she stayed in one area, the louder and closer it got.

Allie shivered from the memory.

She had stopped looking for materials at that point to in turn to listen to the scratches, trying to make sense of them. Testing them, they followed her from room to room.

The moment when her curiosity turned to terror with the realization that the noises were not from this world– that they were following her deliberately nearly broke her mind. As a breathless wail rose up behind her.

Her friend’s face appeared before her, moving from the shadows as if it was drenched in sludge. She had been screaming and crying. Her long black hair losing itself in the ominous haze behind her, looming over her shoulders.

Allie ran.

She ran and hadn’t stopped for days. She didn’t stop until she stumbled past the crags and into the desert where she found her cave; staying there ever since.

Now she was going back and Allie couldn’t decide if it was her need for companionship, her need to face her nightmares and make sense of them, or the thought of leaving Jack to face the ruins of the ship alone that had brought her on this path. Maybe it was all three.

Still, every step closer scared her. She glanced at Jack behind her and she knew she wouldn’t let him go alone.

At that moment he lifted his eyes and looked back at her. The day was half over now and if they kept walking they would reach their destination sometime after nightfall.

Allie couldn’t face that place in the dark especially when it would be at its most powerful.

They looked at each other silently for a moment and she could tell he was assessing her. She had only been in his presence for several days but she was already used to the assessments. When his Cyborg self came out and his human side receded into the background.

She still felt uneasy but now oddly reassured that he was there with her and that neither of them would have to face the darkness alone.

Still watching his eyes, it looked as if he was about to speak but stopped when she walked over to him and burrowed into his chest. She liked that he smelled of sweat and of heated metal but also the very human scent of soap. She couldn’t name the scent, she only knew that she liked it.

***

Jack hadn’t been expecting Allie’s sudden change in mood. He instinctively put his arms around her, unsure of what else he could do. She was rigid in his arms.

As the day had gone on, he knew that something was up with her. Her demeanor had noticeably withered the closer they got to the wreckage. She must be afraid of the memories that it was dredging up. That was natural after all– going through something traumatic and having to be reminded of it in such a harsh way would be difficult for even the bravest of men.

He tightened his hold on her, lifting her up slightly from the ground. “Allie, lift your legs up and hook them around my waist.” He was going to carry her for now, she needed comfort and he was willing to oblige. She wrapped her legs around him with little hesitation.

With her in his arms, he set about looking for a place for them to camp for the night. It was still early in the evening but they had walked all day without stop and had made good time.

It wasn’t long before he found a small alcove, that resembled a shallow cave. The entrance was partially obscured by a large rock, leaving them with protection from every side but the opening. There was enough space inside to accommodate their sleeping forms, a fire, and still have room to spare. He was pleased.

The girl hadn’t lifted her head from the crook of his neck the entire time he scouted, trusting him to take care of her– or maybe she was so out of sorts that she didn’t care.

Jack liked her there and he didn’t want to disturb her; she was as much a comfort to him as he was to her at the moment. He gingerly shouldered off his pack to drop on the ground of their camp while holding her up with one arm. Once it was off, he sat with her against the wall, her legs straddling him. He synchronized his breathing to match hers.

They stayed like that for a short time. He took the much needed break to run his fingers through her long hair, enjoying the feel of the silky strands, like water gliding over his skin.

She smelled like fear now, adding to her already enticing scent of woman, sweat, and sex. She perfumed the air around them and he couldn’t get enough of it. He grabbed a handful of her hair and buried his face into it.

It was then that she looked up at him. “Jack. I’m afraid.” She said, letting out a long breath.

“I know. You have been most of the day.”

“Will you stay with me tomorrow?” She asked.

“I won't leave your side but... I need to retrieve the parts. It means you’ll have to enter the place. Unless you would like to stay here, I’ll go ahead alone.” He suggested, nuzzling her hair.

She shook her head, leaning back into him. “I know. I knew from the beginning I would have to go back there and enter. With you, I won't be alone, and neither will you.”

“Gonna protect me from the ghosts?” He asked, trying to keep the amusement from his voice.

“You don’t believe they exist. Hopefully you’re right and I’m just crazy.” She sighed.

“I’ll give you this, there is something strange with the wreckage. I have been monitoring it throughout the day and I have yet to get an accurate reading on it. I can’t even tell the mechanical makeup of the vessel.” He continued, “you may not understand but that is very odd and rather unsettling for me. I can connect to machines, cybernetic engines, robotic networks and I cannot connect to this one, whatever it is.”

“You’ll see for yourself tomorrow.” She trailed off.

“I will.”

They sat there for a short time lost in their separate thoughts. Jack knew now how hard tomorrow would be for her and he would be with her through all of it and he wasn’t going to lie to himself, the fact that he couldn’t read the place troubled him. Every time he came close, it would slip away and the more he tried, the more frustrated he became.

The ship was, after all, a dead machine and even the dead could be read.

There was a point when a machine died, much like organic, biological life. When the wires, circuits, and connectors couldn’t hold nor support a current. When the pieces rusted away, eroding with time or wear until nothing was left. And because he was a Cyborg, seeing that unnatural, mechanical death, a slow, sad burn death always left him feeling uneasy.

The state of perfection a distant memory.

He never wanted to experience that burn out. Losing your body was one thing, a Cyborg could upload his consciousness to the network but to be denied that opportunity because your cybernetics died or they were no longer able to sustain you; was like ceasing to exist. Once he and his brethren entered the world they were meant to be there forever until otherwise killed or dismantled.

He watched as the sun began to set, the light striking the ground with an array of gold and bronze, reflecting off the little crystals of sand. There was no green on this planet but the royal performance of the sun and sand more than made up for the lack of color. After his rather depressing thoughts, the sunset brought him back to the present, it made the situation raw but hopeful.

Jack pulled his fingers away from the girl’s hair and instead lifted her face to look at him. Her eyes were at half-mast and haunted. He ran the back of his index finger along her cheek. “Are you hungry?” He asked.

“No. I don’t think I could eat even if I wanted to.” She answered.

“Are you cold?” He asked her next.

“Not with your arms around me.”

She was still covered up in her dingy rags; the cloak all but forgotten in his pack. He felt himself hardening.

“We’ll set up camp for the night then.” He said more as a statement and not a question. The least he could do was get her out of her head for a while, relieving his own pent up frustration to connect with her in the process.

She watched him as he reached over and pulled out her cloak and the two blankets from his pack, laying them out, overlapping them for extra padding from the stone ground. Once he was done he began setting about to start a small fire on the opposite side of the alcove; conscious of keeping their exit open and unblocked.

While he was setting up their camp for the night, he watched Allie go over to the pack and rummage through his supplies. Amused, he watched her pick things up, look at them and then either place them back in the pack or on the ground. She looked excited by a small hair comb she found in one of the pockets, putting it aside for later no doubt.

Jack would have killed nearly anyone else who deemed it was within their right to mess with his things. “What are you looking for?” He got up to crouch next to her.

“The cleaning cloth from earlier. I liked how it made me feel and I wanted to use it again before resting tonight.” She said as she dug through the bag.

Jack laughed, apparently she was looking forward to spending time with him tonight as much as he was. Her optimism was refreshing. “Here let me get it.” He reached in and retrieved the cloth and what he packed of the healing salve he had made her previously.

“Let me.” He said, using this as a reason to touch her. He took her hand and ran the cloth along her skin, watching the sweat and dirt disappear. He would have to clean himself up too.

With deliberate slowness he swiped the fabric up and down her sun kissed arms. He took the time to caress it over each finger tip, moving up to the sensitive point between her fingers and ended with slow, soothing circles over her palms. She sat as still as stone and watched his every move.

When he let go of her hands, she took the chance to swipe her now soft tips over his brow, pushing his unruly hair to the side.

“Your eyes are always intense.” She said.

“They often reflect my emotions, which are intense.”

She smiled at him as she moved her hand away. He had wiped the cloth over her collarbone several times now, at a loss on what course of action he should take next.

Chapter Nine:

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A
llie reached up and tugged the cloth out of his grip and he let it slip into her hand without resistance. She liked how he didn't seem so fierce when it was quiet and dark and just the two of them. She watched as he sat back on his heels and opened a disc of medicinal salve, similar to the one still in her pouch.

She unceremoniously wiped her face down, feeling instantly better. The magical cloth was a wonder of nature, looking down at it.

“The cloth is soaked in a mixture of nanoparticles that have attached itself with salicylic acid, it helps remove the outer layer of your skin. The particles act as a catalyst and vaporizes the dirt and any toxins. It’s something you can’t see happening.” He continued, “the cloth only has so many uses before its effectiveness wears off. It’s great as a temporary fix or for medical purposes but overuse will dry out your skin.” He finished.

“You don’t mind that I’m using it?” She had been hoping for a more magical explanation.

“Not at all. That one will last for quite some time and I have a replicator back on my ship that could create more. They’re great to have on hand when you’re doing unconventional work.” He smiled.

“Thank you.” She said as she watched him unclip his armor, running his fingers over the buckles on his shoulder plates and biceps. They dropped off softly until all that was left was the under armor padding and mesh.

He was ripped with muscle but he wasn’t large, instead tall and lean, like a man who could run for days, climb mountains, swim across large bodies of water. He resembled nothing like the Warlord; whose body reminded her of the large boulders scattered about them.

Where the Warlord was meaty with muscle– an outcry to everyone within his presence of his strength; Jack was a nuance of danger, a harsh whisper, powerful and deadly. His body built for performance and endurance. She had a hard time not staring at his chest.

He had been kind to her, provided for her, and even dealt with her emotional downpour earlier with patience. The few men she had encountered growing up at the colony were nothing like this man. Allie wanted him to touch her, to feel his hands glide all over her body and she wanted to touch him back.

She moved toward him until she was a hairsbreadth away.

The way he was positioned, his back was mostly turned away from the fire and the light ejected long shadows across his face. It distorted his features just enough that she was unable to read his reaction clearly– if he had a reaction at all.

The sunlight had now dimmed to darkness and the temperature was dropping but she barely noticed for once that their camp was warm and that she was warm after nightfall.

With the fabric in one hand she linked his fingers with hers with the other and with care she began to clean him like he had done with her. Starting with his fingertips, over the palm, circling his large wrists and over his long corded muscles.

He kept himself still and silent as she finished up with one arm and moved to the other, ending at his neck and hairline. When all of his exposed skin was clean, he reached down and pulled the under armor suit over his head, tousling his wayward dark locks in the process.

The deep shadows accentuated his body, sculpting and defining him as much as she was planning to. Taking his action as approval to continue, she began running the cloth over his chest. His skin was heated to the touch. She paid special attention to his scars, outlining them with just a whisper of a touch.