AZU-1: Lifehack (26 page)

“
Mmmmm, no....” Kris made a
fake little giggle, the type that men seemed to like to hearing.
“She doesn’t like girls. I think I know what she needs...” Her
touch became a bit more suggestive.

“
What the hell?”

It wasn’t quite the reaction Kris was
hoping for. “Come on... she’s hot, isn’t she? She could probably
use the attention of a man...”

Parker’s stomach turned at Kris’s
implied vulgarity. “She’s my commander!”

“
She’s a wommmmmannnn....”
Kris gasped.

“
What? No! Why do you want
me with her? I thought we were doing ok right here, you and
me.”

Oh great, he’s grown attached or
something. Press on.. “Yeah, we’re doin’ ok, but you and Alisia...
think of it.. she’s so strong on the job, so commanding.. then off
duty, she’s so... demure.. so... mmmm.... wouldn’t you like to get
deep into her- head,... and see what makes her... makes her...
tick?”

Parker leaned back and widened his
eyes. “You’re after Regan..!”

“
What?!” Fuck, that was an
unexpected and unwelcome jump of logic.

“
You want Regan but you need
to get Alisia away from her, and you want me to do it! Well too
bad.” Parker was now rather insulted. Feeling regret and disgust
crawling up on him, he sat up and started looking for his
clothes.

Kris gave up on the seductive bit. “If
I wanted a girl, there’s billions of em out there. Regan’s not
special!” Kris spoke with notable spite.

Parker fumbled into his shirt. “She is
so! You and her were an item right? You wouldn’t want to get back
with her at all?”

Kris’s eyes narrowed behind her
glasses, and they flashed of hate for just a moment. “No.” She
started getting dressed, intending to leave.

Parker was a little startled. Then it
hit him, and he spoke before considering it. “You just want to hurt
her.”

Motion and sound stopped.

Kris turned, half dressed, to look at
Parker. Her eyes told no tales, but her jaw trembled. “Shut the
fuck up. Where the hell’s my bra?” Her voice was quiet and eerily
calm.

“
You didn’t bring one.”
Parker replied. His flat tone demanded a response to his prior
accusation, but Kris ignored him. “She rejected you, didn’t she?
You didn’t dump her, it was the other way around.” Parker’s tone
was softened now, but only a little. Kris stared into him with an
expression which refused to reveal anything. Parker pushed his
luck. “Don’t tell me you loved her.. you, the evil, evil
slut?”

“
I thought I told you to
shut up. Love is a crutch.”

Parker tried to read her tone, or her
voice, but she had practiced them too well. “Yes, love is support.
It was meant that way. It keeps people together.”

“
I’m going to be sick.” Kris
snapped away and left, stumbling on the doorframe. Parker
considered giving chase... but no, not now.

Kris was still putting herself together
after she got to her room, still angry, when her comm popped
on.

“
Kris?” It was Alisia. “I
supplied some co-ordinates to the ‘limb. I could use a drop-off,
then we’re on leave for a couple days.”

“
Fine.” Kris snapped. What
she was feeling was “Fine, what the fuck ever.” Fucking Parker. She
could feel him just down the hall. She could feel him judging her.
For the first time in a long time, the phrase ‘evil slut’ hurt her.
She stepped out of her door, doing her damnedest to rip the door
off its tracks as she opened it. She stormed around the corner and
almost ran over Alisia.

“
Woah, Captain, slow down.”
Alisia seemed to be in ‘non-business’ mode, although she was still
in full uniform.

“
.... sorry Sir. If you’ll
excuse me, I’ll get us airborne. Where the heck are we
going?”

“
I don’t know the details.
Some resort Regan picked out.”

“
Regan?” Kris bitterly
applauded Regan in her mind. Sneaky little bitch. “I see.” Kris
walked off towards the operations room. She walked with such a
spiteful stride that Alisia was surprised that her heels didn’t
leave dents in the plate metal floor. Alisia had never seen her so
mad before... Kris was always so smooth and aloof. The aloof side
was unnerving, but this one was outright frightening. A part of
Alisia hoped that Kris would do something stupid and give her an
excuse to transfer her out as Regan wanted.

~~~~~

Chapter 37: Trapped

~~~~~

Alisia opened the bay door and felt
tropical warmth flood in. The shore of an island could be seen
ahead. It grew closer. At least Regan had taste. The airlimb slowed
to a stop thirty meters from shore, three meters above the sea. The
engines revved down to a quiet hover. Alisia could now hear the
sea, gently singing its ancient song.

Regan approached. She was rolling her
giant palette of cargo along. It dwarfed Alisia’s overnight bag.
Regan was already in the spirit of things. Her usual skimpy outfit
had been replaced with a different skimpy outfit. A racy swimsuit
under her usual leather jacket.

“
You’re taking that whole
thing?” Alisia asked, pointing at Regan’s cargo.

“
Yeah, I bought most of it
just for this trip!” She gazed out to the island shore. “It’s
amazing. The satellite photos don’t do it justice.”

“
Sate....? What? Where are
we?”

Regan smirked. “It’s unnamed. There’s
no tourist trade here. I found it by pouring over satellite photos
and this looked ideal.”

Alisia had to admit, it looked amazing.
Soft white sand, cerulean water, and seemingly untouched jungle
farther up the beach. “Uh.. wait a sec. Are you telling me there’s
no civilization on this island?”

“
Correct! A private little
spot to spend a weekend! That’s why all the luggage! This is also a
camping weekend!” Regan spread her arms as if to embrace her little
island. Previously unnoticed, Kris chose that moment to shove Regan
out the door. Alisia gasped and reached out to Regan in vain. Regan
formed a fist for Kris in reflex just before hitting the
water.

Kris laughed in delight.

Alisia watched Regan flounder amidst
various curses. “... You realize she’s just gonna kick your
ass.”

Kris kept watching Regan, and quietly
responded “.......yeah.”

“
Was it worth
it?”

“
..... yeah.”

Regan finally stabilized, and shouted
up at Kris. “What the hell?!”

Kris waved coyly. “That’s your fee. I
fly you out here and pick you up, and I get to make you
wet!”

Regan muttered something. Alisia
guessed that it was something about ‘evil slut’.

“
Alright smartass!” Regan
yelled up, “Get onto the beach and unload the gear!” Regan turned
and started swimming to shore. Kris headed back for the operations
room.

Alisia looked at Regan and thought. “Aw
hell, that’s not nice.” She stripped her boots and fatigues and
tossed them on the luggage heap, revealing her own swimsuit.
Looking at it now, she wished she had something a little more
frumpy, but what the hell. The airlimb started to float towards
shore accelerating, but Alisia jumped out landing a few meters in
front of Regan.

She righted herself and found Regan
looking at her with curiosity.

“
I couldn’t let you swim to
shore all alone and sad,” Alisia said cheerfully, “It’s your
freakin’ birthday. We’re here to have fun, right?”

Regan smiled the most carefree,
innocent smile Alisia had ever seen on her. Regan swam over and
hugged Alisia. “That’s the spirit, ‘leesha!”

Alisia knew there was nothing sexual
about the hug, but she couldn’t help being very aware at how
scantily clad they both were and how much skin contact was being
made. “Let go, stupid, I need to swim!”

They met the airlimb on shore. Parker
had already unloaded the gear, and he was trying to not look like
he was watching as Alisia and Regan came out of the water. After
some goodbyes, the airlimb lifted off.

Alisia watched it as the engines grew
quieter in the distance. That’s when it all sunk in.

She was alone.

With Regan.

On an uninhabited tropical
island.

For the whole weekend.

Nowhere to run.

She turned around slowly, expecting to
see Regan with an evil, evil grin, possibly in some suggestive
pose. Thankfully, Regan was simply digging through the luggage for
a towel. She tossed one at Alisia, too.

“
Thanks.” She did a quick
job of drying off and noticed Regan watching her a bit. A whole
weekend of this. What were they going to do? She dreaded to think
what Regan was planning. As if Regan read her mind, she spoke
up.

“
So, I brought a lot of
stuff. There’s an inflatable raft if we wanted to do that, I have a
portable terminal in here somewhere, a tent, all kinds of food, you
name it.” She grabbed a couple beach blankets and laid them out.
Alisia spotted a large beach umbrella in the heap and set it
up.

Soon, they were both sitting, enjoying
the sun, the sounds of the surf, and a couple sweet, colourful
drinks.

“
Not a bad birthday party
you’ve thrown yourself here, Regan. I feel a bit silly.”

“
Why?”

“
Because this kind of thing
is supposed to be set up by your friends, not yourself.”

“
Would you have done
this?”

True. Alisia was planning a cake, and
maybe a short pub visit. That would have probably been preferable,
but she did promise. Why was that, again?

Regan rolled over and wiggled like an
anxious little kid. She let out a giggle then rolled off onto the
sand, and kept going.

Alisia watched, waiting for it to make
sense, but Regan just kept rolling around, throwing up sand.
“Alright you toddler, what the hell are you doing?”

Regan halted and faced Alisia with a
big grin. She looked like a puppy who’d just heard its name called.
“Our own beach! No tourists! No fat, sweaty men in speedos! It’s
all ours!”

Alisia smiled a softly amused
giggle.

Regan ran over to the terminal and
started up some music. “Let’s go for another swim!” She whipped out
a couple meter and a half foam pole pool toys from the luggage and
tossed one at Alisia. “Come on!” Regan started running for the
water.

Alisia stood, holding the foam pole
like a quarterstaff. It was amazing how alive Regan seemed here. It
was nice to see for a change. Alisia started running after Regan
after being coaxed some more. Alisia loved the water. The feel of
it, the weightlessness. She was soon in up to her shoulders. Regan
was nearby doing underwater flips, rotating around her pool toy. Oh
god. Toys. Did Regan have any other ‘toys’ in the luggage? Fear
spread through Alisia. What the hell was she doing here?! At that
moment, Regan’s foam pole descended on Alisia’s head.
Fap!

“
Pow!” Regan yelled. No,
this was not the same Regan that made sexual innuendos and brash
attempts at seduction. She did, however, deserve retaliation.
Alisia started to lift her foam pole out of the water, but not in
time to block the next strike. Alisia used the pole to send a large
wave at Regan, which made her recoil for a bit. Alisia chose her
actions very carefully.

Playful, fine, but she wasn’t going to
be dragged into some wet, tropical ‘pillow fight’.

While Regan was in a minor retreat,
Alisia flipped back and floated onto her back, gently kicking away.
It served to end the little fight before it got too physical.
Alisia felt very proud of the flexibility of her heavily trained
tactical mind, but there was one effect she hadn’t thought
about.

Regan stood there, half-floating, water
lapping just below her nose. In the sudden quiet with only the sea,
and distant music, she watched in awe as Alisia swam slowly
away.

It was art. No, it was something
greater than that. Alisia lifted her arm slowly and reached back,
to stroke the water again. Regan just watched silently as her
goddess floated along. Time was meaningless.

Alisia was suddenly aware that it was
too quiet. Worried that Regan might not be okay, or worse, that she
was sneaking up on her, Alisia rose to an upright position and
looked at Regan. She was now several meters away. Regan’s eyes were
wide, but the expression told little.

“
You okay?” Alisia said
quietly.

Regan took a moment to realize that her
goddess was addressing her. “.... uh, hi.” She said, momentarily
rising her mouth above the water.

Alisia suddenly looked very worried.
“Hi. Are you okay, Regan?”

Regan sighed and closed her eyes,
unable to endure the goddess’s gaze any further. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
She said, wondering if her voice was convincing. She felt the water
move her around, and listened to its sounds. Regan imagined the
vision right in front of her that she could not bear to actually
look at.

Alisia treaded over to Regan. The sound
it made became all Regan could think of. She listened to Alisia’s
body getting closer and closer. Less than a meter now? Close enough
to touch, for sure. Alisia let out a tiny sigh, a music beyond
beauty to Regan’s ears.