Perfect (4 page)

“Well, did you want to check on your body before you go?”

Brex chuckled. “Since I am here, certainly. Bring me her clothing, and when she is dressed, I will head down to see myself.”

“You are going to dress her?”

“I am her Familiar. I take care of her needs. It is in the job description.” Brex chuckled.

Alveck brought in the clothing while the rest of the medics went over the small tray with bits of Ty in it.

Brex hoped that they found what they were looking for. If they found seeds of a new genetic line, Ty could have her natural heir with him as the father. She might not be enthusiastic about being with him, but he was her Familiar. He guarded her with his life, and no one would take that position from him.

* * * *

Brex was holding her, and Ty opened her eyes in time to see the body in cryo suspension in front of them. The face was just as beautiful as the others she had seen, but there was something familiar about it.

She whispered, “He looks a little like Alveck.”

Brex jolted. “You woke up early than I thought.’

“My body doesn’t like to sleep. It got enough of that at home. Who is this?”

“A... friend. He is on an astral assignment, and his body is being kept here for safekeeping.”

“Astral assignment?”

“Of course. We don’t do all of our assassination work in the flesh. It would not be practical. The Lrrko can send themselves into bots and carry out their contracts from there.”

“So, he is an assassin?”

“All of the men here have done their time in service to Mistress Death.”

Ty blinked. “Mistress Death?”

“Of course. Death is the great equalizer. Since our births are predetermined, it is only our death that is a point that can be altered. We do not worship her, but we respect that Mistress Death will come for us all. She is our true Bride.”

Ty could understand that philosophy. She had spent time on the edge with death as her companion. It was always there waiting for her. She had been content to let death wait, though she had imagined conversations with her.

“I always thought of her as more of a companion.” Ty said it before she realised it was out of her mouth.

Brex turned his back on the man in the tube, and he walked out with her, returning to the riot runner.

“Did you dress me?” Ty looked down at her red-clad body.

“I did.”

She nodded, opened her suit and adjusted her breasts up so that the suit wasn’t squashing them flat.

Brex seemed locked up again. “I apologize for not doing whatever that just was.”

Ty grinned. “It is just more comfortable to not have my boobs folded flat.”

He settled them onto the runner and started it up, taking to the skies with her in his lap. “I will try to remember that.”

She sealed her suit and watched his hands on the controls. “Can you show me how to fly this?”

“Of course, but first, you will have to learn to defend yourself. If you are on your own on this vehicle, you are vulnerable.”

“Why would I be alone?”

Brex made the snorting sound that took the place of laughter. “Because you would sneak out. You have that attitude around you.”

Ty couldn’t deny it. “Where are we going next?”

“To the Secure Quarters. The Honour Guard are posted over it, and no one will let anyone that isn’t a Mistress or her Familiar through.”

“What is that area about?”

“Keeping you safe and entertained. You need to learn, you need access to more clothing, and you need to be helped to learn the Lrrko diet. All these things can be managed here in a secure environment.”

“So, I am not going to be able to mix with any members of the population?”

“Once I have verified your survival capabilities, you will be allowed to mix with others at public events. Eventually, you will mix with the other females.”

She glanced back at him as they landed. “I thought there were no other females.”

“They don’t pass on Lrrko genes. They are companions and sexual relief, only.”

Ty made a face. “At least you put the word companion first.” She had a thought. “Who raises the children?”

“They are raised in creches until they are mobile, and then, we go to schools until we are ready for our first assignment. From there, we leave the world as necessary and return as soon as we can.”

She waited until he set her on her feet before she backed up a little. “That is messed up.”

He dismounted and stood. “It is what we know. You will have input as to the education of your daughters.”

“They will all be daughters?”

Brex nodded and put his hand in the centre of her back again. “There will be two generations of daughters before an attempt will be made to integrate them into the general population. They will be grown in the building that the elders inhabit, and when they are decanted, they will come here.”

“And there will be teachers and caretakers?”

“Of course.”

She mentally exhaled. The thought of having a dozen infants at the same time had made her rethink this entire thing. To heck with saving a species, that was too many diapers.

He walked her in and showed her to her quarters. The room was large, spacious and had a crib in the corner.

“What is that for?” She was a little leery.

“You are entitled to a natural heir.”

She blinked. “What?”

“One child born of your body to a mate of the elder’s choosing.”

She got nervous. “When do they choose?”

“You have just been harvested, so you have some time before it becomes an issue.”

“What a polite term for that.” She snorted and looked around. When she opened her wardrobe, her clothing was neatly arranged on hangars and her spare boots were set in the bottom. “When did this happen?”

“During your first visit to medical.”

He took a few steps and opened another panel on the wall. He stepped back and clicked into it.

“What are you doing, Brex?”

“I am charging. I can answer your questions, but you have whatever privacy you wish. Now that you are no longer in active danger, you will be gaining more freedom.”

“You didn’t have to charge before.”

“I did, I just did it while you were resting and kept my scanning systems on.”

She watched him power down, but the faint glow of his purple lenses was still there.

Ty looked around her and found a vid screen, a food dispenser, a bathroom with a tub surprisingly large enough for four and a view of the city. There was a tint to the plexi that hopefully blocked the view from the outside. From the inside, it was like being inside an open space that overlooked everything below.

The tub called to her. She hadn’t had a serious soak in years that wasn’t medically necessary. She wanted warm water, not body temperature. She actually wanted to explore the new skin she had grown, and since no one was looking, she was going to.

A few tries got the water flowing, and she pried open her suit, pushing it down to her hips while she sat on the edge of the tub to pry her boots off.

When she was naked, she eased herself into the water and sighed happily at the feeling she thought was lost forever.

Her hair was up, and she soaked happily while her body still ached from the medical procedure. Even Brex’s care couldn’t erase the pain, but it had helped.

Brex stretched and flexed his fingers, getting used to the feedback of his own limbs not cycled through the processing system.

Alveck checked him over. “It was only four weeks; you seem fine.”

“I feel fine.”

“You are still dividing your consciousness.”

“She is bathing. I do not wish to leave her unattended.” Brex pulled on his uniform while he was examined from head to toe.

“Elevated hormone levels, but otherwise, you are fully normal.”

Brex had been given more views of his charge than he had been prepared for. He was lucky that spontaneous combustion had not ensued.

“Will she know who you are when she sees you?”

Brex sealed his blue sleeveless shirt and adjusted the flat collar. “She suspects already. I can see it when she looks at me.”

“Well, officially, welcome home. Blue appears to be your colour.”

He laughed at his gene-brother’s tone. “I wasn’t sure of it before I left, but now, I am. She recognized our resemblance, by the way.”

Alveck paused. “Truly? That shows a little more intelligence than I gave her credit for.”

“Have you gotten any more information on the Terrans?” Brex slid his weapons into the loops on his belt and fastened his cloak.

Alveck shrugged. “They appear to be a seeded world. They adapt to their environments in a few generations. It is interesting. There is a chance that they could contribute to the Lrrko population, but it would have to be under strictly monitored circumstances. I will put it to the elders, but they are waiting to see what the first samples are like.”

Brex didn’t like Alveck referring to anything to do with Ty that way, but it was the way it was. She was here to stop the stagnation of their people.

An assistant ran in with an excited expression. Brex turned with his hand raised, the blaster on his wrist trained at the intruder.

The young man screeched to a halt. “Medic Alveck, we have a result.”

Brex lowered his arm. “What?”

“Using extracted DNA from the blood and tissue samples, we have thirteen viable female embryos. They will be prepped for storage immediately.”

Brex scowled. “I thought we were going to use a genetic lottery.”

Alveck waved the assistant off. When the young man was gone, Alveck spoke, “The elders decided that having a genetic backup was wise in case her attempt to have a natural heir was not successful. If she dies at any point, we want a fallback position.”

Brex shook his head. “Nothing will happen to her.”

“You cannot guarantee that. Women are delicate creatures. The females that I have treated here are no match for a Lrrko, but our males keep trying.”

Brex curled his hands into fists. “I know how to take care of her, but you are underestimating her. Read her full medical file again and tell me what you think of her delicacy. In the meantime, I am going to attend to my charge.”

“Good luck, Brex. I will see Tyanni back here in five days.”

“You will see us both.”

Alveck nodded, and Brex headed for the main entrance. He walked through the streets he had grown up on, and in an hour, he was standing at the main door of the Bride stronghold.

His DNA got him entrance past the guards in their deep-blue tunics. Two looked at him with something nearing envy as he walked inside.

The Bride Guard had only been reinstated when they got the notice from Terra. The moment that the five certain descendants had been identified, a call for volunteers had gone out. From those volunteers, five Familiars had been chosen, and Brex counted himself lucky to have been in that first batch. The thought of anyone else touching Ty made him furious.

He walked up the five flights of steps to Ty’s quarters, and his palm opened the door. He moved in silently and stood in front of his bot. The final reclamation made him shiver, but when the last of his mind was back in his body, he felt whole.

“Okay, who are you, and what are you doing with Brex?”

He turned slowly to see Ty glaring at him, wearing a towel and holding a chair she should not have been able to lift. There was no waver in her arms. It was easy to see she was willing to brain him.

“I am Brex, Ty. The bot body was necessary for your security. Now that we are home, it is more comfortable for me to resume my skin.”

Ty blinked and frowned, her skin was pink and pale at the same time. She was stressed, and it had been too long since she had eaten.

“You need a meal, Ty. Sit, and I will get it for you. Put down the chair when you are ready.”

It went against all his instincts to turn his back to her, but he heard the chair thud to the floor a moment after he ordered her a meal from the dispenser.

“Why was it needed for security?”

“We didn’t know that you would be as injured as you were. We were sent out for collection. The bots were to keep you from bonding onto any particular Familiar that wasn’t your own. We also needed to be able to get acquainted with your bodies without a sexual component being introduced.”

He moved around and prepared a tray for her, keeping his senses trained on her at all times.

“If you are Brex, what was the first thing you said to me?”

He smiled and turned to see her behind him. He held up his right hand, palm toward her.

She pressed her hand to his, and he fought his reaction to the contact. The use of bots was now crystal clear.

He hadn’t felt this impatient since he was an apprentice, but focusing on her body, he saw that she still wasn’t ready for any physical interaction. With a deep sigh, he shifted his hand so that he was holding her small appendage in his. He pressed a kiss to her palm and smiled. “Come on. You need to eat.”

He registered her change in body temperature and smiled. Her face was hot, and the rest of her was flushed.

It wasn’t a bad start.

* * * *

Ty’s heart pounded in her chest. It was the first true caress that she had felt, skin to skin, since the day of the attack.

Brex’s living body was the same size as his bot body, but he still moved like a dancer. His features were elegant and appeared to be a strange blend of human species. The high cheekbones and slick black hair were Asian, but his eyes were wide and a hot mauve. It was the same colour as his bot lenses.
Cute.

She sat at the table, still wearing nothing but her towel. Nudity around Brex had become second nature, but now, she was going to have to re-evaluate that habit.

The food was familiar. It was the same stuff that she had started eating at Lunar Base. She nibbled, and to her surprise, he joined her with his own plate. Right, he was flesh and blood again.

“So, two suns and four moons?”

“Yes, we have violent tides here, so most of the training centres are inland.” He smiled, and the clear curve of his lips caught her eye.