PRIME (26 page)

“It’s a bit like having a butler isn’t it?” Cale grinned.

“I feel like I’m at some five star hotel,” Zero agreed. He flopped down onto the well worn couch. “I mean aside from the lousy furnishings.”

“And no electricity,” Cale added.

“You two are horrible.” Alice shook her head and sat down on the couch beside Zero, finding it comfortable despite what he said.

“I figure we each take a list and start scanning for the names from the recording, Maya or Jim. Maya will be the less common I’m sure.” Cale handed Zero and Alice each a report and sat in the arm-chair. They focused their flashlights on the paper in front of them and began to scan the lists.

After an hour, Zero paused. He sat blinking and squeezing the bridge of his nose. A splitting headache had been building over the hour and now had a hold of him in a painful way. He looked over at Cale. He too had put aside his list. Cale motioned for him to look at Alice, and Zero smiled. Alice leaned the arm of the couch, sleeping soundly. The papers hung half off her lap. Zero carefully set them on the coffee table without disturbing her. He put his own papers beside them and stood to stretch.

Cale followed suit, giving a wide yawn and moving past Zero to pull Alice’s legs up onto the couch. Alice muttered and rolled over, but didn’t wake up as Zero spread a throw blanket over her. He grinned at Cale when she curled into a tight ball. Softly, Zero tucked a stray piece of hair away from her face and resisted the urge to kiss her forehead. Quietly, they headed down the hall, finding two bedrooms and falling into bed. Within minutes, they were both asleep.

24

Coda Base

Alice woke to a weight settling on the couch beside her. For a moment, she didn’t remember where she was, or why she had such a crick in her neck, but then it came back to her.

“Zero?” Alice asked groggily. She tried to sit up so Zero could have room on the couch.

Before she had gotten far, the blanket was pulled from her and someone was on top of her. It was a far more crushing and less welcome weight than Zero. The man who lay on top of her was easily twice the size of Zero or Cale. He began to kiss her roughly, grinding against her. His mouth tasted like alcohol.

“Ummphaa!” she tried to scream, but his mouth covered hers. As soon as he moved his mouth away, he covered hers with his hand. She tasted sweat.

“It’s okay, Alice. Sweetie, it’s just me. Calm down.” Alice recognized the voice, but it took her a moment to process it. He was kissing her again before it came to her. Jake.

She began to buck her hips, trying in vain to throw him off her. It was no use; he weighed too much. When she stopped, lying exhausted, she could feel she had only made him more excited.

He backed off slightly, still kissing her. He fumbled between them, trying to undo his pants as well as hers. She slapped at him, scratching at his exposed skin until he took her hands, holding them roughly over her head. As he began to push his pants down, she bit down on his lips as hard as she could, letting go only when she tasted blood and he pulled away.

“You little bitch,” he cursed softly, holding his mouth. For a moment she lay terrified, unable to understand why he looked so surprised that she had bitten him. Then he moved for her again, snapping her out of her daze.

“Cale, Zero,” Alice screamed with all her might. “Help!” Jake back handed her, making her head ring and her vision blur. She was too weak to fight as he continued his assault.

Zero woke with a start, sure that he had heard something. He sat up in the twin bed and listened. “Help!” That time he heard it for sure. He jumped from the bed, not bothering to pull on his shirt or shoes.

In the hall he almost ran into Cale, and they both sprinted to the living room. On the couch, a large man’s back was visible, while small hands slapped at him repeatedly. Zero looked around the room. With nothing better in sight, he grabbed a chair from the kitchen table. In one motion he ran to Alice’s side and slammed the chair down on the man. Together, he and Cale pulled the stunned man from on top of her.

Alice hurriedly pulled herself into a ball on the end of the couch. She watched, wide-eyed in the pale moonlight, as they flipped the man over. Zero recognized him immediately, but Cale stared at him a moment in slack-jawed disbelief.

“Jake?” Cale asked.

“You son of a bitch,” Zero hissed. He wanted to spit on the man.

“She wanted it,” Jake sputtered as he began to pull up his pants, muttering softly to himself.

“Oh, yeah right.” Zero kicked the man hard in the stomach. Jake went down again, holding his stomach and moaning. “Are you alright Alice? Did he?”

“I’m fine,” Alice said with a sniff and a slight nod. “He didn’t get anywhere.” She wiped her mouth.

“She’s fine.” Jake said, managing to get his pants up to his waist, but not buttoned before Zero kicked him hard in the groin. He felt little remorse when the man began to cry.

“Come on.” Cale took one of the man’s arms, and Zero took the other. They hauled him up and began to half-drag, half-walk him toward the door. Behind them, Alice followed quietly.

They crossed the small hall to the apartment Grace and Quigley were sharing. Jake began to struggle against their hold, but they didn’t let go. Soon he gave up and shuffled between them with his head down.

“Knock on the door, Alice,” Cale ordered.

Alice stepped forward, giving three sharp raps on the door before stepping back. She glared at Jake; he wouldn’t meet her eye. A minute later, the door swung open. Grace stood looking at them with a half-asleep look of confusion.

“What in the hell is going on?”

“Jake here just tried to rape Alice,” Cale told her. He pushed Jake toward the door.

“Is that true?” Grace asked, looking at Alice. She nodded.

“Oh, Jake,” Quigley said. He stepped up beside Grace. “I should have known something like this would happen.”

“What?” Alice asked. “You should have known?”

“You had an inkling of this and didn’t say anything?” Zero fumed.

“I should have,” Quigley agreed. “He’s been a little obsessed with Alice, but I didn’t think it would come to this.”

“Well it did,” Cale snapped. “You better take care of it.”

“We will.” Grace reached out and pulled Jake in. He didn’t try to fight. “I am so sorry Alice,” Grace said as Jake stepped into the apartment. Alice nodded and turned back to their apartment.

“Take care of it,” Cale reiterated, before he followed Zero and Alice back to the other apartment.

“Are you really alright?” Cale asked. Alice nodded, not looking up from the kitchen table. She sat with Zero’s arm across her tense shoulders.

“I never would have thought he was capable of something like that,” her voice sounded hollow. It hurt Cale to hear.

“People change in times like these.” Cale sighed. He sat on the other side of her and took her hand. Alice looked his way, eyes red and haunted looking.

“That’s not an excuse.” Alice shook her head.

“I know,” Cale said. “There is no excuse.”

“They better shoot that bastard,” Zero seethed. Cale had never seen the man so upset. It was so far from his usual laid back attitude that Cale was thrown by it.

“No.” Alice took a deep breath. “That won’t change anything.”

“You’d feel safer,” Zero pointed out.

“Did you figure out which base you are going to?” Alice asked, catching both men off guard.

“Uh, not yet.” Zero raised an eyebrow at Cale. He shrugged.

“I’m coming with you.” Alice nodded to herself. “That’s the only way I’ll feel safe.”

“Alright,” Cale agreed easily. He would feel better with her close as well.

“You know we wanted you to come along anyhow,” Zero added with a small smile.

“We all need to get some sleep,” Cale said.

Zero stood and helped Alice to her feet. He led her back to the bedroom he had been sleeping in and helped her into the queen sized bed.

“You both are great.” Alice smiled up at the two men as they stood beside the bed, their faces barely visible in the shifting moonlight filtering through the window.

“We like you alright too.” Zero smiled and squeezed her hand.

“Get some sleep.” Cale reached over Alice and took the other pillow to lie on the floor. Without a word Zero left the room, returning momentarily with another pillow and two blankets. He handed one blanket to Cale and made a bed for himself on the floor with the other one.

“You two don’t need to sleep right there,” Alice said, blushing. In truth, she was glad for the company.

“Yeah we do,” Cale said.

Alice didn’t argue. Instead, she snuggled down deeper into the bed, enjoying the feel of a proper bed for the first time in weeks. Hospital beds just couldn’t compare.

25

Coda Base

Alice woke to sunlight streaming in through the windows, making the room cozy and comfortable. For a moment, she let herself savor the feeling. She rolled on her side, and when she didn’t see Cale or Zero, she figured she ought to get up. Still, the bed was especially comfy. She stretched happily, only to kick something at the end of the bed. Memories from the night before filled her head violently and she sat, pulling up her feet. Before panic could grip her, she saw Zero. He lay across the end of the bed, one leg drawn up and the other hanging off the bed.

Alice smiled as he rubbed sleep from his eyes. “Mmm, morning.” He looked at her through half squinted eyes.

“Why are you sleeping on the foot of the bed?” Alice asked with a small laugh, happy to see him, even if his position was strange.

“Cale went into the other room, but one of us had to stay in here.” He crawled up the bed and flopped down beside her. He smelled warm.

“You could have slept beside me.” Alice turned to face him. “I trust you.” She snuggled back down into the covers, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks. Zero smiled softly. He reached to push away a piece of hair that fell lazily on her face.

“Well, now I know that. I thought it would have been awfully presumptuous at five AM. Besides, the end of the bed is just as soft as this bit.”

Alice laughed, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it. “You two are such gentlemen.”

“Someone’s gotta be.” Zero swallowed, distracted by how soft her hand felt in his. She gave his hand another squeeze and pulled away. Abruptly, she got out of the bed, leaving him stranded.

“We should get started on those lists.” She ran her fingers through her hair. What she wouldn’t give for some clean clothes. “I’ll wake Cale.”

“Alright.” Zero nodded, confused by her mood, but not about to pry. After the night before, he supposed a girl was allowed to be moody. Alice turned to leave before Zero was out of the bed. She paused at the door, holding it half-open and turning back to Zero.

“Thanks for last night. You both really came through.”

“Of course.” Zero smiled, his eyes bright in the morning sun. “Nothing else we could have done.” Alice nodded and left while Zero pulled on his boots.

Cale stuck his head through the door as Zero stood. “We’re starting on the lists. Would you mind running over to the cafeteria for some breakfast? Alice doesn’t feel much like seeing people right now.” Cale explained with a shrug and a kind of ‘you get it’ look. “Maybe you can see what happened with Jake as well.”