Broken Protocols (9 page)

He opened his comp and dialed a number that was likely to be popular over the next few days.

When a computerized voice answered, he read off a series of numbers he’d memorized. When a voice came on the other end, he stated, “I need an ID for one young female.”

Silence.

He held his breath. There was no guarantee that he’d get his request fulfilled, but he didn’t know where else to go. Dani needed a solid ID to go anywhere. And she needed to be tagged. Thankfully, he and Milo made a lot of money. Because taking care of Dani was starting to become a major expense.

“Anything else.”

“Yes.” He winced. It was from here that things could get dicey. “I need a tagging completed.”

The person on the other end sucked in his breath. But when he spoke, his voice was calm. “That is an expensive process.”

“I know.”

“You have the funds.”

“I have the funds.” There was no point in elaborating. They either believed him or they didn’t. And he’d pay the price, regardless. He had no choice.

Silence. He waited. If this person refused, it would be one person more who would know his secret. And such a secret would be dangerous, especially for Dani.

“When?”

“As fast as possible.” Then he reconsidered. Maybe not so fast. Dani was still healing. He didn’t want these people to know why she had no ID or tags. And they might if they saw her now. If it could be in a few days, that would give her longer to heal. He had no idea how long it would take, but she needed every day. He’d have to take her out of his place soon. But she needed to be strong enough to handle everything that was coming.

His world was not for the faint of heart.

“Tomorrow morning. No food or water for 12 hours prior.”

And the voice rang off.

Levi stared down at the comp in his hand. “That went well.” Maybe. They didn’t give him a price. They didn’t ask for his address. They didn’t ask any medical details about who was being tagged. Were they going to contact him again or just show up on his doorstep?

He walked back over to where Dani slept in the pod. She’d taken to the pod as if it were the answer to her prayers, and given the fact that it was easing her pain, it probably was. Stunningly beautiful in sleep, Dani was both a problem and a gift. He stood, enjoying the sleeping beauty when he realized he really didn’t want to leave. That more than anything sent him bolting from the room.

Back in the kitchen, he came face to face with Milo.

Milo, dark overtones in his young voice, asked, “Did I just hear you correctly?”

Levi’s stomach sank. Milo would need to know eventually, but Levi didn’t feel up to a fight now. “What did you hear?”

Milo looked around furtively. Levi rolled his eyes. “We’re in our home, stealth is on. No one can hear us.”

“You can’t be sure of that,” Milo cried. “What if someone has this place bugged?” He reached up to grab his hair with both hands.

Levi stared at his brother in disgust. “You care now?”

Round glazed eyes stared back at him. “You don’t understand. I can’t have people knowing about her.”

Levi narrowed his gaze. “Why?” he asked, his tone ominous.

Milo shifted uneasily. Not quite a bounce, but neither was he standing steady. And that wasn’t good. “Milo, what are you talking about?”

He leaned forward. “It’s my technology. My design. My invention.”

“And?”

“And if people find out, they will steal it.” He wrung his hands.

“Damn it, Milo, this isn’t about keeping your code secret. This is about a young woman whose life you destroyed. You do realize she could die, don’t you?”

Milo stared in the direction of the healing pod. That he seemed to be considering the pros and cons of Dani’s death pissed Levi off. His brother was naive and simple-minded over some things, but he was also incredibly focused on his stuff.

“No,” Levi snapped. “That is not a good outcome.”

Milo slid him a sidelong glance. “I wasn’t going to suggest we kill her for God’s sake, but if she should happen to die…”

“Which I’m trying my hardest to avoid happening, if you hadn’t noticed.” Levi strode over to the liquor cabinet sunk into the wall. He couldn’t believe the bizarre turn of the conversation. He poured himself a hefty whiskey and threw it back. He shuddered as the fire water coated his throat and prepared to do battle in his stomach. He had been doing this a lot lately.

“You really shouldn’t drink that stuff. It’s bad for you.”

Levi choked. “You’re worried about my health while you talk hopefully about Dani’s death?”

Throwing his hands in the air, Milo snapped, “I’m just saying that now that I know it works, she’s the proof. If she dies, I’ll still know that it works but we won’t have to deal with the evidence.” He shrugged. “No biggie.”

Levi poured a second shot and took a sip while he stared at his brother. Forced to question his kid brother’s ethics…his morals. His conscience. And that was an alarming step. He swirled the golden liquid in his glass. While Levi had been bending over backwards to keep Dani safe and make her as comfortable as possible, his brother was contemplating the advantage of his experiment dying.

How did that work? In his world, not very well.

“Milo,” he said, in a deep hard voice, “I don’t ever want this discussion to come up again.”

His brother pouted. That was the only description Levi could come up with. His brother was actually pouting. Again reminding him that for all his genius, Milo essentially had the mind of a sixteen-year-old male trapped in a twenty-two-year-old body. Maybe one day the two would match up, but he hadn’t seen any sign of the gap closing in years. Milo had hit sixteen with such enthusiasm, it was as if he’d found a way to not age again.

That concept startled him. If Milo had found a way to haul in some poor woman from a couple centuries ago, had he also found a way to slow or stop the aging process?

If so, if anyone found out, neither of them would ever be safe again.

W
hispered conversation slipped
under the edge of the pod’s hum, disturbing her rest. Something about her dying? Really? Worriedly, her hand automatically searched for Charmin, reassured to find the warm body snuggled up against her. He was still alive. She waited for his chest to rise with his next breath then relaxed. Was she close to death? Or was that a hypothetical statement if the pod didn’t do its job?

Dry-eyed, she studied the running green light shifting along the edge of the pod. Was she so badly damaged by Milo’s experiment that she wouldn’t survive? Assessing her own situation, she realized that outside of a deep permeating fatigue, she didn’t feel bad. Walking was a problem though. As if every step required too much effort, like she weighed hundreds of pounds more than she had before her time travel trip.

That had to be due to the change in atmosphere – as if she were living on the moon.

Only she wasn’t. But time had obviously changed the atmosphere in the future. Or her body felt it had. And maybe the why didn’t matter. If she couldn’t go back, she had no choice but to go forward. If she could ever get up.

She shifted her legs tentatively. They didn’t ache the same as they had. So maybe the pod was doing its job. Her arms worked fine, her mind was clearer. She didn’t know if she was supposed to live in here until she was fully healed – if such a thing was possible – or if there was a day to day booster thing going on.

She wasn’t opposed to coming in here daily. She did feel better in the pod. Maybe it was a weaning off thing. As she strengthened, she’d need it less. She was truly grateful they had such technology. Too bad she couldn’t take a unit back home. The people there could use this technology.

And this time period needed better food. Her stomach growled again. It had been getting worse since she first woke up. She’d lost track of time and didn’t know if it was day or night, and her stomach didn’t care. It needed sustenance.

She glanced at the partially closed door. Were they still talking about her impending death? More likely she’d die from starvation at this rate. Should she search for food herself? And would she recognize it if she saw it? Or did the cupboards hold mostly shakes and booster like Milo had threatened?

That sent her stomach careening to almost heaving. Almost immediately, the racing lights warmed and slowed. Probably in response to her discomfort. She closed her eyes. In truth, she didn’t want to leave the pod. She was warm and comfortable and pain free. But very hungry.

“Levi?”

No answer. She called out louder. “Levi?”

Still no answer. Damn it.

She tried to push the top of the pod open and found it wouldn’t budge. Shit. Was she locked in here?

And if so, how was she going to get out?

“It won’t open unless it is done with its work.” Levi stopped at the doorway, “Or if you need to go to the bathroom or another physical discomfort. It’s set to automatically shut off when the patient has other needs that supersede the healing.” He frowned. “But I can adjust the settings so you can open the lid just by pushing on it.”

She stared over at him. “The only body function that is paramount at the moment is my appetite. I’m incredibly hungry.”

He approached the pod and pressed some buttons on the console. After a moment, he glanced down at her and said, “I raised the height of the lid so you can lie sideways easier.” He stared at her. “I guess you didn’t get anything to eat yet?”

“No.” She gave him a tentative smile. “And if possible, I’d really like to change that.”

For the first time all day, a real smile lit his face. “I can do that.” He winked at her in a surprise move that left her doubting what she’d seen.

She watched him leave, feeling happier than she remembered in a while. The resemblance was only a passing glimpse now to Lawrence. Levi was a different person. She no longer felt any animosity towards him. He wasn’t responsible for this. She understood he was trying to help.

He was his own person and was starting to be someone she really wanted to know better. He’d been nothing but kind to her and patient with his brother. There was something so very attractive about that kind of caring.

Being pampered like this was addictive.

But Milo…now him she wasn’t so sure about.

As she came to terms with her new reality, she felt better emotionally. Sure, she’d lost so much, but maybe, just maybe, she’d also gained something.

According to Milo, her life as she’d known it hadn’t ended up too special. As in she’d never married, never had children, and she’d never had a major career that he could find.

That was quite depressing. She’d just been approved for a special Internet Security program at the company she’d worked for. It had taken her years to get there. In more ways than one.

If she could return to her own time, she’d try harder to make something of her life there. But if that was no longer a possibility, she wanted to make the best of whatever life she had here.

Maybe she could make a success of it.

She didn’t know how society worked here, but with Milo and Levi around to help, maybe she could make a difference.

She’d overheard Levi say something about tagging. She didn’t know what that meant, but if it allowed her to be one of them with proper ID – she was all for it.

She was so busy making plans, it was Charmin that let her know something was different.

He pushed himself up on his front paws, yelling, “Food!”

Dani struggled to get out of the pod. It seemed to resist her efforts at first, then all of a sudden the lock released and it opened. She really didn’t want the two men rushing in here to find Charmin screaming like he was. But the poor thing did need a square meal. So did she.

When she stood on her feet, a chill settled in. Already? How did that work? She cast another glance at the pod. Charmin had collapsed on the top of the blanket, and the most god-awful sound was coming out of his mouth.

“Food. Fooooooood,” he moaned and rolled over sideways in a dramatic movement. He was proving to be a major prima donna.

“I’ll go and see what I can find.” She tugged the blanket from the pod and wrapped it around her shoulders before she stumbled forward, her gait unsteady. She leaned against the wall and made her way to the unusual doorway. Tall, almost to the ceiling, the doorways were narrower than she was used to. Maybe the people were skinnier today than in her time. Lord knows that would be an improvement.

She staggered into the next room, trying to sort out the layout. How had she gotten into this place? And where the heck was the kitchen? Her stomach growled loud enough that if anyone was in the apartment, they’d hear her coming.

Good. She slipped her hand over the wall, but there was no light switch. “Of course. That would be too easy.”

With one hand on the wall, she kept moving forward. The hallway opened up into a large spacious room. Something along the lines of a living room. “A big ass living room,” she muttered. For some reason, she’d thought the apartment was tiny. She hadn’t seen much of the apartment since she’d been here, but where was the damn bathroom again? Then she needed food. And so did Charmin.