Specimen (12 page)

I’m relentless.  Even after I feel her come on me, hear her cry out in ecstasy, I don’t slow down.  I lower myself over her back, still holding her down by the neck, and reach around to grab one of her tits.  I mold it with my hand, grasping the nipple and pinching it as she thrashes beneath me.

Shifting the hand gripping her neck to one side, I extend my thumb far enough to press it against her lips, and she opens her mouth, sucking and biting on my thumb.  Remembering her on her knees with my cock in her, I begin to lose control.

“Fuck, Riley!  Fuck!  I’m going to come!”

“Don’t you fucking dare!” she growls around my thumb.  “I want more, and you’re going to give it to me.”

I hold my breath.  My gut tightens, and I have to force the feeling down.   Flashes in my head scream at me to obey her, and I tilt my head up to stare at the bare bulb on the ceiling until the sensation wanes.

I slow my pace a little, but one dark look from Riley and I move faster again.

“That’s it,” she purrs.  “Give it all to me.”

“Jesus, Riley!  You’re killing me!”

“Hush.”

I swallow hard and lean my forehead between her shoulder blades.  I’m nearly out of breath.  Despite my inclinations to do what she says, my self-restraint may not be able to comply.

The pressure inside of me is so intense, I can hardly stand it.  It doesn’t matter that I came in her mouth not as much as thirty minutes ago—I still need the release.

“Please, Riley…I can’t hold out…”

“Almost…”  She grunts the word.  “Almost…there…”

She tightens around my shaft, pulling me inside of her.

“Oh…oh, yeah!  Oh God, Riley!”

“Yes!  Yes!  Oh fuck, Sten!  Harder!”  Riley screams again and again as I rock into her as fast as I can.  Her fingers dig into the sheets to the point where they just might rip under her grasp.  I close my eyes and join her cries as I fill her with hot cum.

We both fall in a heap on the bed.  My dick slips out of her immediately, but I can’t even push myself off of her.  My arms and legs feel like they’re supporting ten-ton weights.

“What the fuck was that?”  I can barely breathe.

“More data collection,” Riley says.  She wiggles out from under me, leaving me flat on my stomach.  She reaches over and runs her hand over my shoulders and down my back.  She stops at my ass, squeezing it a little.  “Now, let’s see how many more times you can go.”

This continues for hours.

I fuck her on the bed, over the top of the short dresser, and in the shower.  She’s completely different—wild in her abandon and driving me wild with her dirty mouth.  By the time we finish, we’re both exhausted.  We lie on our backs on the bed, our fingers entwined.

Once she’s caught her breath, Riley rolls over and wraps her arm around my chest.  I work my arm around her back and hug her to me.

“All better now?” I ask.

“Worn out,” Riley replies.  “I’m still worried.”

“I’ll be all right,” I tell her for the hundredth time.  I reach over and touch her cheek.

She closes her eyes and leans against my palm.

“This will be so different from training,” she says.  “We try to anticipate every possible circumstance you may run into, but dealing with actual human beings as adversaries…it’s just not the same thing.  I wanted you better prepared.  I was working on some other scenarios that we haven’t had a chance to program into the virtual center.  I wanted time to run you through that before you were really out on your own.”

“I won’t be on my own.  Isaac and Pike will be there, and you’re always right in my ear.  I won’t be alone.”

“Isaac and Pike rely on you.”  Riley sighs.  “If something happens to you, I don’t even know what I’ll do.”

If I don’t come back from this mission, Riley will have to begin again with a brand new specimen.  She’ll probably have to fight to be able to use her alternate treatments, and Dr. McCall will be all up her ass about it.

“I promise I’ll be careful,” I tell her.  “I don’t want you to have to start all over again.”

“Is that what you think this is about?”  Riley scowls at me.

“Isn’t it?”  I narrow my eyes, confused.  “Finding the right lab rat can’t be easy.”

Riley sits straight up in the bed and turns around to face me.

“You are not a lab rat!” she yells.  “Not at all!”

“I am.”  I shrug and prop myself up on my elbows.  “It’s all right though—as long as I’m your lab rat.”

“Don’t call yourself that,” Riley says with a scowl.  “I don’t want to hear anyone, least of all you, talking like that.”

“Yes, ma’am.”  I receive another glare, but it quickly fades.

Riley lies back down next to me, and I roll to one side to hold her.

“I don’t want to lose
you
, Sten.”

I stare at her.  My throat feels tight as I try to understand what she’s saying.

“You can always get another specimen, Riley.  It would suck, but it wouldn’t take as long as it did with me.  You already know a lot more than you did before, and it’s always easier to duplicate something after you’ve done it once.”

“That’s not it at all!”

“Well what, then?”

“It’s you!  If something happened to you, I’m not even sure I could continue with the project!”

I remember how I felt this morning when Riley was so late.  After being away from her for a little more than half a day, I was about to go insane.  I know the reason for that—I’ve been conditioned to need her in order to maintain the necessary level of obedience.  Did it work both ways?

“You mean the stuff you inject yourself with—the stuff that makes me want you—it impacts you, too?”

“The pheromones.  No, Sten, they don’t.”

“I don’t understand.”

She closes her eyes and huffs a breath out of her nose.

“You mean a lot to me,” she says quietly.  “I don’t want to work with another specimen.  I can’t even think about it.  I want it to always be you.  Not because of any drugs.  I just…I want to be with you.”

As I begin to realize what she’s trying to say, my heart begins to beat faster.  I feel warmth spreading through my limbs, and I look down at her with a grin.

“Are you saying you like me?”

Her blush and shy smile are breathtaking.

“Yes, Sten.  I like you.”

She likes me.

My face is starting to hurt a little from smiling, but I can’t stop.  I pull her against me and press my mouth to hers.  She parts her lips, and I take the invitation.  Surprisingly enough, I’m hard again.

I roll on top of her and press her to the mattress.  I kiss her gently, stroking her sides and arms as my lips make a trail between her breasts.  I slide into her slowly, reveling in her soft gasps.  I keep the unhurried pace until I lose myself inside of her and then roll us to our sides, facing each other.

I hold her tightly until she falls asleep.

My ass hurts.  I feel like I spent an entire day doing squats, but I think I’m in better shape than Riley.  She’s walking a little strangely.  I grin at her, unable to control the smile on my face as she goes over one last check of my gear.

It’s early morning, and we’re nearly ready to head out.  Isaac and Pike are with their doctors going over some last minute details.  Dr. Rahul has an interface chip pressed to Isaac’s head, and he’s staring intently at her as she works.  I watch him reach out and cup her face as she works on him.  Pike is grinning at Dr. McCall.  He keeps reaching out to grab her and pull her closer to him, but she pushes his hand away each time.

I have the feeling we all engaged in similar evening activities.

“I think that’s everything,” Riley says.  Her voice is soft, but the look in her eyes is hard.  She’s still not happy about this mission.

“I’ll be fine.”  I briefly press my lips to hers, and Riley hugs me quickly before stepping back and pointing a finger at me.

“You better be,” she says.

“Now that I know the kind of dirty talk that comes out of your mouth, there’s nothing that can keep me from coming back.”

She smiles and looks to the ground as red colors her cheeks.

“I’m going to come up with something extra special for you when you get back,” she says with a promise.

“This could be the fastest mission in history.”  I rub my thumb against her cheek, kiss her one last time, and go to join my comrades.  We head for the breach in the wall, which is opened only briefly to allow our passage before it is closed tightly behind us.  The forest is only a few hundred yards away, and we sprint east into the woods.  We keep up the pace until we reach the bank of the river.

The trees offer plenty of cover as we wait.  Timing is going to be crucial to our success, and I am determined to prove to Riley that we’re ready to do this or anything else they throw at us.  I don’t want her to worry about me.  I want her to be proud.

“Nine minutes,” Pike says quickly and quietly.

“Confirmed,” Isaac responds.

“We’ll move in four,” I tell them both.  “Sixty seconds through the water, four minutes to the road, and then we move against the caravan.”

“Acknowledged,” they both respond.

I count in my head.

“Move!” I command.

We all dive into the river, swimming as quickly as we can against the current to make sure we land at the correct point on the opposite bank.  Our timing is perfect, and a minute later, we’re running through the woods.

The underbrush begins to thin out, and I can see an opening through the trees and the roadway beyond.  We slow as we get to the edge of the forest and halt.  The convoy is coming around a steep curve—right on schedule.

I watch the first of the trucks approach.  I recognize the trucks loaded with grain, a refueling truck, a medical van, and a transport vehicle.  In addition to the trucks, there are four smaller vehicles with passengers.  Spat is supposed to be in the second car, not the transport.

I tense, ready to move as soon as the second car passes the checkpoint.

I look to Isaac and Pike.  Their eyes are on me, waiting for the command.  Just as I am about to give it, the convoy stops.

Isaac’s eyes narrow.

“What’s happening, Sten?” Riley asks.

“The convoy stopped,” I tell her.  “When is the next scheduled refueling?”

“Not for another hour,” she says.  “What are they doing?”

“Not sure.  Checking.”

“Use caution.”  She’s trying to conceal the emotion in her voice, but she isn’t completely successful.

“Acknowledged.”

Pike, Isaac, and I confer for a moment, and I decide to move closer to see what is happening with the trucks farther back.  I use the tree line to keep myself hidden well enough to get a better look.  I pass the gas truck and catch a glimpse of the second car.  If Errol Spat is in there, he’s driving.  There are no other passengers to be seen.

That’s unexpected.

As I get to the bend in the road and can see down the rest of the caravan, I know something isn’t right.  There are three transport trucks, not one as was reported to us, and they’re not carrying civilians.

A steady stream of soldiers jumps from the back of the transports, armed and ready.  They’re heading right for me.

They knew we were coming.

“We’ve been compromised!”

“Clarify!”  Riley’s voice calls into my head.

“Large group of soldiers, three platoons, minimum.”

“Get back to the group,” Riley says.  “Now.”

“Acknowledged.”  I start to retreat, but rifle fire erupts all around me.  I return fire as I retreat, racing back to the cover of the trees and my companions.

How did they know we would be here?

Bullets riddle the trees around me, throwing chucks of wood through the air.  The shots don’t come close to me at all, but I continue to dodge back and forth defensively.

“Moving to better cover,” I hear Isaac call out.

“On my way,” I reply.

I glance over my shoulder.  There are thirty-four soldiers running behind me.  They can’t keep up with my pace, and I continue to put more distance between us as I dive into the trees.  I make my way west, deeper into the forest, until the shots behind me stop.  I move south and east, following the sounds of gunfire.

As I reach the edge of the trees again, four soldiers jump out from behind one of the smaller vehicles.  They rush me, but don’t fire.  I drop all four of them before they get within twenty feet of me, but another group of four moves out of the trees on my left, and a third group from the right.

“Are you back with the others?” Riley asks, but I can’t answer her now.

I’ve been flanked.  My mind spins, delivering all available maneuvering possibilities to get myself into a better position.  I focus on one group, knowing it will take me longer to kill them all than it will for the opposite group to reach me but willing to take the chance.

Just as I finish off the one group, I feel a sharp sting on the back of my neck.  Before I can reach up and feel what it is, I’m tackled by two men.  They are no match for my strength, and I quickly throw them off of me, rolling to a crouch and then jumping back to my feet.  A third soldier grabs me from behind and tries to wrench my arms back.  I flip him over my head and stomp in the center of his chest.

Riley’s voice continues in my brain, demanding my status, but something in my head overrides her command and keeps me on task.

Grabbing the assailant’s arm, I pull him to the ground and drop my knee to his chest.  I fire twice, eliminating the first men who jumped me, then turn my gun to his face.  Blood spatters over my chest, but I ignore it.  I look to the last attacker, but he’s fleeing.

I duck back into the trees and make my way toward Isaac and Pike.  I can see the group of soldiers engaging them, but I’m half a minute away from their location.  I fire into the mayhem, and several men drop.

“Pike’s down!” I hear Isaac yell from the trees.

I glance over to the spot where Pike had been standing.  He’s on the ground, still firing his weapon at the nearest group of soldiers.  They continue forward.  Even as the ones in the front drop to the ground, the rest of the group goes on.  I can see Pike jerking with every hit, but I’m too far away to do anything about it but shoot into the group.  There are so many of them.  For every one I take out, another jumps from one of the transport trucks.

Finally, I break through the gunfire and reach Isaac and Pike.  Pike isn’t moving, and there’s blood pooling on the ground beneath him.

Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Isaac, we drop soldiers left and right until they break off and run back to their vehicles.  Some of them circle around and join another group dressed in black technical gear but not uniforms.  They concern me, but Riley’s voice takes precedence.

“Sten, give me a status update now!”

“I’m with Isaac,” I tell her.  “The rest are retreating.”

I reach down and press my finger to Pike’s neck.  I already know he’s dead—I can feel the lost connection inside my head.

Isaac crouches next to me.

“We have to carry him back,” he says.  “We can’t leave him here for someone to find.”

Isaac lifts Pike’s body over his shoulder, and we begin our retreat.

“They knew we were coming.”  I look over to Isaac, and he nods.

“The intel on the defector must have been planted.”

“Who would do that?”

“No idea, but if I ever find out,” Isaac says, “there’s going to be hell to pay.”

“Status!”  Riley’s voice sounds even more desperate.

“Pike is down,” I tell her.  “We’re bringing him back.  Mission aborted.”

“I understand,” Riley says.  “Make your way back as quickly as possible.”

“Acknowledged.”  For the first time, I’m not looking forward to seeing her.  We’d failed miserably and lost a man in the process.

We make our way back to the riverbank.  I’m trying to keep my focus on completion of the journey, but the mission’s failure is weighing on me.  Everyone believed the information was sound, but we’d been led into a trap.

My neck throbs, and I reach back to the place where I’d felt something sting me earlier.  I feel something stuck in my skin, and pull it out.  It’s a tiny sliver of metal, but I can’t determine its function.

Poison?

Inside my head, there’s a rush of information regarding chemicals in my bloodstream, but nothing comes back as an anomaly.

There has to be a reason for it.

I look behind me, watching for signs of anyone following us through the trees but see nothing.  I don’t hear anything, either.  Isaac is ahead of me with Pike on his back.

“Do you hear anything?” I ask him.

“Nothing,” he says after a brief pause.  “You think we got a tail?”

I shake my head, uncertain.  I just know something isn’t right.

I glance back and forth between the trees behind us.  I see no movement, but I’m sure someone is out there.  We reach the riverbank, and Isaac pauses for a moment by a group of rocks to get a better grip on Pike’s body.

“Sten?  You taking lead?”

“No.”  I stare back into the woods, listening carefully.

“What is it?”

“Not sure.”

“Animal?”  Isaac cocks his head to the side, trying to hear what I heard.  He takes a step away from the riverbank.

“Keep moving,” I tell Isaac.  “Get back to the base.  I’m going to make sure no one is following.”

He nods and heads into the water as I slip back into the trees.  I know I heard something back here that was too big to be a common forest animal.

I step slowly through the underbrush, watching my footing carefully to keep silent.  I listen for further sounds but hear nothing.  I can still feel someone out there—someone watching me.

Pausing, I bring my rifle to my shoulder and scan the area.  I’m missing something—I can feel it.  Concentrating, I try to pull together the data being fed through my eyes and ears to figure out what I should be noticing, but it’s not working.  It feels like something is spinning in a circle inside my head, and I can’t make heads or tails of the information.

I reach up and rub my neck.  The spot where the needle struck still throbs.

“Now!”

I turn toward the voice, weapon aimed.  Movement from above catches my eye just before a large net falls over my head.  I struggle against it for only a moment before my body jerks backward, and electricity flows through the net’s webbing.

Gloved hands cover me, pushing me down.  I try to push against the invaders, but my body isn’t responding to my commands.

I’ve been hit with electrical charges before as part of training, but it’s nothing like this.  I can hear and feel a slow, deliberate throbbing as the impulses hit.  Every hit goes right to my head.  I feel no burns on my body—I could have forced myself to ignore those.  Whatever is happening now is all in my head, focusing on the right temporal lobe where my primary implant is located.

“Sten, status!  Sten!”

I can hear her words in my head, but I can’t respond.  The next jolt drops me to my knees, and I am completely surrounded by the gloved hands.  For a moment, the impulses stop.  I grab through the net’s webbing for the nearest person and slam the heel of my hand into his nose, sending bone into his brain.  He drops as I feel another intense shock through my head.

They’re all over me.  Between pulses, I swing and kick.  I know I kill several of them, but for every one that drops, two more take his place.  I feel myself being lifted into the air.

“Sten!”  Riley’s voice is muffled, full of static.

“Give it up, Superman.”

I wrench my shoulders back and forth as I’m strapped to a flat platform—a stretcher of some sort—still wrapped in the net.  My vision is failing, but I feel someone unwrapping the net around my legs and trying to strap me to the platform,  I kick out at those trying to hold my legs, but I can’t seem to make contact with them.