Fractured Earth Saga 1: Apocalypse Orphan (17 page)

“Yes, but I think it is because she was kind to me and has a good husband who I want to repay by helping to save her. Her kids would be left motherless with her death,” Wolf answered defensively.

“I am sorry, Commander. I doubted your motives. She is a lovely woman. I don’t know why I said that.”

“It’s all right, Syn. Let’s get this crate into space and fix that German satellite.”

“Russian, Commander. Not German.”

“Whatever. I’ll get prepped for the walk. Send the satellite schematics to my front console. Highlight the necessary fixes and include the new schematic upgrades in the sidebar.”

“Yes, Commander, I have done that already,” Syn replied as the ship rose silently and headed for space. “The schematics await you at the console.” In a whisper, she added, “As I do.”

* * *

Nurse Syn was looking after Nala. She had cleaned up the injured woman far better than Wolf had done and brushed her hair. As she was checking Nala’s vitals, she decided to do blood work and run a complete blood count as well as blood chemistry, blood clotting and enzyme tests. The results came back showing this female had no immunity to any viruses. As happened with the Native Americans on ancient earth when the Europeans invaded, a basic virus could run rampant and decimate these people.

Being in two places at once and multitasking had its advantages since the Syn who was with Wolf instantly was aware of what the other Syn had discovered and announced, “Wolf, I need to tell you something about the inhabitants on this planet.”

“Is Nala all right?”

“It concerns Nala and every other inhabitant of this world. They have no immunities. A common cold virus could wipe out all life on this planet in a week. You, on the other hand, are a biological warehouse of death. If you contract a minor ailment, you could be Earth One’s Typhoid Mary.”

“So you can inoculate me for every possible disease, right?”

“I can’t inoculate you, Wolf. My needles won’t penetrate your skin. We can try oral inoculations, but I suspect the drugs won’t have any effect on your new immune system.”

“I see. Let’s get to work on the satellite for now. Are we close yet?”

“We are four minutes from rendezvous. Will you go out for it or shall I?”

“I will do it, Syn. I see the scans show we need to replace the entire power system, radar array, and receiver. Can you commence construction of a new power supply while I hook the satellite into the arm?”

“Yes, Commander.”

Wolf put on his helmet and turned on his air. He tethered himself to the grappling arm and opened the hatch, depressurizing the compartment. He manipulated the controls until the arm was within ten feet of the Russian satellite. Then, he attached his tether to a carabineer and snapped it into the arm’s anchor point, using his suit’s retro rockets to reach the satellite. It was an old solar array type. He removed its power relay, which shut it down. Gazing into the distance at the moon's craggy surface, he could see its towering volcano spewing a plume of ash and rock. It seemed almost surreal, and he had a sudden urge to investigate the power source Syn had detected. He pulled the satellite into position, clamped it onto the arm’s grapplers, and used the arm to pull it into the ship’s bay. After closing the bay doors, he decompressed the chamber and turned on the oxygen generators. Once the oxygen level reached twenty-one percent, he removed his helmet and spacesuit, placing them back on the rack.

Wolf walked around the satellite, examining the damage it had sustained. He glanced up as Syn walked in from the next room wearing a French maid’s outfit and carrying a glass of water. With a pleasant smile, she handed him the glass and asked, “Will there be anything else, Commander?”

Wolf eyed Syn’s long legs, raised his eyes to look her in the face, and hoarsely answered, “No.”

Syn turned and walked away, her hips swaying provocatively. She stopped at the door and glanced back at Wolf with a flirtatious smile. “Do you need my help with the satellite?”

Wolf shook his head and tried to turn away from her, but his body resisted. He felt like a piece of steel twisting slowly in a fire. As he heard the door click shut, he muttered, “She’s going to drive me crazy.”

* * *

It took eighteen hours to repair the Russian satellite. Wolf worked on it nonstop and then redeployed it. Syn’s new power source was a small, remolded plutonium module taken from the maintenance bay. Its power would drastically increase the old satellite’s broadcasting capability. Wolf dubbed the satellite Laika after the Soviet space dog, the first animal to orbit the earth. It performed flawlessly and began broadcasting long-range radio waves, repeating the message, “Is anyone out there?”

Wolf cleaned himself up and grabbed a quick bite to eat. He decided to rest for a short time and instead slept for hours. When he awoke, he went to check on Nala. It had been three days since her surgery. As he entered the medical lab, Syn was bent over the bed, checking the woman’s vitals. Her candy striper’s uniform seemed much shorter than he remembered it being before, and it exposed her posterior to Wolf’s view. More startling was the fact that Syn was wearing a pink thong he assumed was copied from a skimpy outfit in an adult novelty shop on ancient Earth.

Syn stood up straight and Wolf saw that her outfit was white with light pink stripes and a waist-tight, snug-fitting camisole that emphasized her breasts and enhanced her perfect physique. It was tied under her breasts seductively. Her arms were bare, but the outfit covered her shoulders with small lace ruffles at the top that ran over her shoulders, exposing a considerable amount of cleavage. The skirt had a white apron trimmed with pink lace, and it stopped just at her upper thighs. Her legs were clad in white, mid-thigh-length sheer stockings with a white bow at the top of each thigh. She wore stiletto shoes that made her calves and thighs look irresistible. Wolf stared at her in silence for a full minute and then asked, “Is there any change?”

Syn gave Wolf a seductive smile. “No. I am keeping her sedated, Commander. I didn’t think it would be wise to have her wake up in space. Are we ready to land?” Aware of Wolf’s frozen stare, she said, “Commander? Wolf? Are you all right?”

Wolf closed his mouth and forced his eyes from Syn’s body to her face. In a hoarse voice, he said, “Prepare the ship, Syn. We need to land. I’ll be in the shower.” He turned and left the room. Several minutes later, he entered the shower fully clothed and said out loud, “I wonder if Syn knows what she is doing.”

* * *

Three days later, Nala woke up. She looked around the unfamiliar room, gawking at the alien items as lights blinked from the walls and sounds of chimes, clicks, and ticks bombarded her, making her whip her head around in apprehension. Then, an oddly dressed woman entered the room. Nala’s mouth dropped open as Syn said, “Good morning, Nala. I’m Syn. Wolf asked me to look after you while he went hunting.”

Nala forced a timid smile and asked, “Where…where am I?”

Syn placed a hand on the woman’s forehead. She didn’t need to do this since her infrared detectors told her Nala had a slight fever, but it was not a cause for concern at present.

“You are on Wolf’s boat. You were seriously injured in the storm, and he brought you here to care for you.”

“What did you do to me?” Nala asked. She looked down at her body dressed in the gown and then stared at the small incision in her abdomen.

“How much do you know about the human body?”

“Very little, I’m afraid.”

“Well, Nala, inside your body is an organ that cleans your blood. Yours was damaged severely. I repaired it. It will be several more days before you can return to your home. Do you understand?”

“Yes. May I have something to eat, please?”

Syn nodded as she finished checking the woman’s wounds. Then, she left the room. She returned a few minutes later carrying a plate of food and dressed in a chef’s outfit.

Nala looked at her with a frown and asked, “Weren’t you wearing something else?”

“I spilled some food on myself,” Chef Syn assured her with a human-sounding laugh.

Nala relaxed and said, “You are beautiful.”

“Thank you, Nala. You are beautiful as well.”

Chef Syn sat by Nala on the bed and said, “Now we have soup with some apple juice. You need to eat it all. Maybe tomorrow we will let you have meat to eat.”

Nala sipped the broth and drank the apple juice. She looked at the juice curiously and asked, “What is this? It’s delicious.”

“It is apple juice.”

“I have never tasted this before.”

“Are there no apples left on this planet?” Syn wondered aloud. She scanned Earth One searching for apples and found none.

“You’re in love with him, aren’t you?” Nala asked with a flash of jealousy.

Syn looked away. “Yes. But there are complications.”

Nala looked at Syn thoughtfully. Controlling her inexplicable jealousy, she murmured in a wistful voice, “Child, love has no complications. Give it time…it will come. He is worth loving.”

* * *

Wolf approached the ship carrying a small animal that resembled a pig. He had seen several of them hanging in Haakon’s larder. He had already skinned the animal and announced, “Syn, deactivate the force field and lower the ramp.” The ramp lowered and Wolf boarded the ship, showing Syn what he had caught.

“There’s not much game left since the storms. I was careful to hide from Haakon’s neighbors who were foraging for food. Until Nala is strong enough to walk, I don’t want to see them.”

“No explanations needed, my love,” Syn replied.

“What did you say?”

“I said no explanations needed, Wolf. Nala is up and talking. She has been asking about you. Give me that animal. I will prepare it for your dinner. Wash up before you go to her. You smell awful.”

“I will, Syn.”

After showering, Wolf put on a NASA jumpsuit and went to the medical unit. Nurse Syn still wore the candy striper outfit. He walked over to Nala and said, “Hi, young lady. You had us scared.”

“Wolf, I hear I owe my life to you,” Nala said, her face lighting up like the sun.

“Who told you that? Syn did all the work. She’s the miracle worker. I just carried you here.”

Nala blushed and turned away from Wolf. “I remember. You washed me. We were both naked. Jesu help me,” Nala cried in a weak voice, ashamed.

“I did not take advantage of you, Nala. I had to wash our bodies. We were covered with mud. Syn couldn’t operate until I cleaned you up. I only rinsed you and then covered you. Syn cleaned you further after she stabilized you. You are my friend—I would never take advantage of you.”

“It’s just hard for me to know another man has seen me. I will get over it. Thank you for everything. How long must we remain here before I can return to my family?”

Wolf gave Syn a questioning look and she replied, “Nala should remain here for at least several more days, Commander.”

“Then I can go home?” Nala seemed delighted by the prospect of seeing her children.

“I will carry you home myself,” Wolf promised.

Nurse Syn had monitored the coloring in Nala’s skin when her face flushed as she reacted with embarrassment. She noted the woman’s tearful reaction and how it had affected Wolf. She plugged the information into her data banks and ran an analysis on the other Syn’s skin, changing the color and hue to make it as appealing as Nala’s skin was. Syn’s twin then practiced crying in the seclusion of the science lab, mimicking Nala’s eyes and the tears that streamed from them. She practiced until she mastered the emotion, and then she whispered, “I’ve got you now, my Wolf.”

Part 4

The Silver Knight

Chapter 13

O
ver the next three days, Syn and Nala spent hours in deep conversation. Nala’s lovely smile and gentle disposition appealed to Syn, and the two women grew fond of each other. Syn inquired about the things her creator’s mother had never explained to human Cynthia. Her mother had been a domineering, pushy, unloving woman who couldn’t wait to get her daughter into private school and out of her life. Career was the only thing that mattered to her mother, and the lack of love Cynthia experienced as a child remained a depressing constant into adulthood. Syn was not just Dr. Cynthia Mason’s creation but also her confidant.