SharedObjectives (14 page)

He was quiet for a second before saying, “Ask your questions
and I’ll answer what I can.”

“How many models are there?”

“There are six types.”

That went easier than anticipated. “What makes them
different from each other?”

“They each have their own special skill sets.”

“Which would be?”

“I can’t tell you that.” He turned and looked at Harlow.
“Which number was on her stasis chamber?”

She contemplated telling him she hadn’t noticed but the
number four popped into her head and escaped her lips before she could think
better of it.

He turned to look at the men who had taken them. “Is that
correct?”

“No idea,” one of them said gruffly. “Wasn’t part of the job
description to find out, either.”

“You’re no better than trained monkeys. No initiative in the
bunch of you. You won’t do anything you aren’t getting paid specifically for.”
Antihway growled as he walked over to Harlow. “Is that true? Are you a four?”
Harlow whimpered and cowered in front of the man, which seemed to be the
reaction he was looking for as he immediately stopped. “Maybe…” He took another
step toward her and studied her closely. “It’s so damn hard to tell. I knew I
should’ve tattooed serial numbers on them.”

As Harlow started to fidget, Lisa decided it was time to get
Antihway’s focus back on her. “I’m done with my list.”

He starred at Harlow for a second longer but then turned and
walked back to Lisa. After he’d glanced over her list, he nodded. “I can have
most of this prepped in an hour. I’ll have the men show you to your quarters.
I’ll send for you when everything is ready.”

“She goes with me.” That bit was nonnegotiable. Though she
wasn’t really sure she had the leverage to press it.

“Why?”

“She’s my incentive. Remember?”

He cackled as if she’d told some great joke and then
dismissed them with a wave of his hand. “Of course. We wouldn’t want you to
lose your incentive, now, would we?” He laughed again. “Show them to their
quarters.”

The guards nodded and then gestured toward the door. They
surrounded her and Harlow as they stood in front of the opening and then
escorted them to what could only be considered a cell—and a small cell at that.
The walls were bare metal and there was only one cot, a toilet and a sink in
the room. At least it had four walls and a solid door. It might not be much but
it offered more privacy than bars would have. “Not much of a host, is he?” she
asked after giving the room a once-over.

“I don’t think he gets much company.” The guards stood at
the doorway, not taking a step inside the room. “Not of the voluntary sort, at
least. The door will lock after we leave but there’s a comm on that wall under
a panel if you need anything.” He pointed to one of the walls.

“Good to know.”

“See you in an hour.” The door slid shut abruptly, leaving
her and Harlow alone.

Don’t talk to me. I’m not sure if he has the room
monitored.

Probably a smart move on the telepath’s part.

He thinks I’m a four. They’re empaths. As far as we go,
they’re the least threatening.
Harlow moved to sit on the cot.

How had the woman figured out so much in such a short time?

Since he doesn’t know I’m a one, he wasn’t guarding his
thoughts.

That explained it.
So what now?

When we go back, we’ll have to find a three. They have a
form of technokinesis.

Apparently Harlow hadn’t had a hard time navigating the
madman’s thoughts.
I’m not sure that’s going to help much. As soon as I show
him the procedure, I’m dead.

No. He’s going to want to make sure he can replicate your
procedure before he terminates you.

Lisa started running her hands over the walls as if she were
looking for a weak spot or a catch. If they were being monitored, she didn’t
want the guards to wonder why she and Harlow were just sitting around staring
at each other.
Comforting thought.

It should be. It’s the only chance we’ve got.

And technokinesis will give us a chance?

He’ll be able to talk to the computers the same way I
talk to you.

That did sound rather useful. She went over to the cot and
sat next to Harlow.
He could get us the security codes.

You’re missing the point. He won’t need them. And neither
would we if we’re with him. He can just tell the door to open and it will.
We’ll follow him out of here.

It sounded too good to be true. She wanted to critique the
plan until she found its flaw, but what would be the point? It was the best
shot they had at this point. And Harlow had already proven she had a better
grasp on their circumstances than Lisa could ever hope to have.
Okay, a
three it is.

Harlow stood and began pacing around the small room.
Rest.
You’re going to need it.

Lisa stretched out on the cot but couldn’t force herself to
fall asleep. Her mind kept racing through scenarios. And unfortunately each of
those scenarios ended in her untimely death.

Rest!
Was it her imagination or did Harlow’s thoughts
sound irritated?
You’re giving me a headache.
Yep. She was irritated all
right.

Sorry.
Lisa might not be able to sleep, but she
decided that resting might be achievable. She closed her eyes and took deep,
measured breaths as she cleared her mind. The next thing she was aware of was
the sound of the door opening. She’d managed to fall asleep after all.

She sat up and stretched as their guards waited for them. “I
take it, it’s time.” The words were mumbled around a yawn but the guard still
seemed to understand her as he nodded in answer. “Good. Let’s get this over
with.”

She got off the cot and then followed them back to the lab.
Dr. Antihway was waiting for them as the door slid open. And next to the table
where the reptile-man had died there was a stasis chamber. “Let’s see what
you’ve got, Dr. Colt.”

She faltered for a second but then caught herself before her
stumble became apparent. She should’ve guessed the megalomaniac wouldn’t allow
her to pick which life form they woke up. She made a show of examining the
chamber but her real goal was to get to the number at the end of it. She nearly
cursed when she read the simple six etched into the chamber. What abilities did
a six have?

Virtually indestructible.

Oh joy. So the mad scientist had created a superhero
throwback from the industrial age. That sounded fun.

We can still use him.

If we can reason with him
, Lisa pointed out.

Leave that to me. You focus on fixing him.

“Everything okay, Dr. Colt?”

“Everything is fine, Dr. Antihway.” She punched in the code
to open the chamber but paused before entering it. “Just getting my bearings.
Everything has to be ready to go as soon as I open the chamber.”

“Of course.”

“Will you be assisting me?”

“There’s no better way to learn.” He was at her side,
waiting for her to slide open the hatch.

“Then let’s get this over with.” She said a silent prayer to
anyone who might be listening and then entered the sequence.

The chamber slid open with a hiss and for one moment Lisa
was powerless to do anything other than stare at the man in the chamber.
Virtually indestructible seemed like a lie when presented with the sleeping
life form. He was so vulnerable. His life relied on her. That thought pushed
her into gear.

“Genome scanner.”

As he handed Lisa the tool, Harlow took a couple steps
toward the chamber. Thankfully Dr. Antihway either didn’t notice or didn’t
care. “The problem is in the OXTR gene.” When she’d first discovered the
oxytocin receptors were the problem, she’d had a hard time believing it. Such a
simple problem with such a simple fix causing such a catastrophic failure. But
sometimes the simple things were the easiest to overlook in her field.

“They’re weapons. Buyers don’t want their weapons to be warm
and fuzzy.”

She typed the sequence that would rewrite the receptor into
the scanner. “No. I could see where optimism and good social skills would be a
problem for weapons.” She ran the scanner over the life form to reprogram his
receptor variant. “But these are life forms. They’re people. And people need to
feel hope and love.” She gave the being a shot of mood stabilizer to hold him
over until his body could adapt to her changes. “Otherwise, there’s no point in
living.”

“One simple miscalculation? That’s all that was wrong?”

“There’s so much wrong here, I don’t know where to start.”
The man had started to wake and one quick glance told her that Harlow currently
focused exclusively on him. What she could be telling him was a complete
mystery but Lisa hoped it would be enough to get the guy on their side. A
large, virtually indestructible male would make for a formidable enemy and she
already had enough enemies of that type.

“Guard.” The men were at attention immediately. “Open fire
on the weapon.”

Lisa tried to dive in front of the man but just as she
leapt, something crashed into her and kept her pinned to the floor as the sound
of laser bursts buzzed through the lab.
He’s indestructible. You are not.

It wasn’t until the lab fell into silence that Harlow let
her up again. Only, as Lisa looked around, the people weren’t staring at the
man who was not only still alive but also appeared to be completely unsinged.
No, they were staring at her.

“This is an interesting development.” Dr. Antihway walked
over to them. “How did you know she was going to throw herself in front of the
weapon?” He stared at Harlow as he asked the question. “I mean, I deemed it
probable. She’s a rather idealistic scientist. But you’re an empath. You
should’ve been paralyzed by her anger and fear.”

Shit. They were blown. And Harlow didn’t even seem to care.
Her focus had returned to the indestructible man. He seemed to be becoming more
and more cognizant of his surroundings with each passing second.

“Unless you aren’t an empath.” He stepped between Harlow and
the man. “Are you attempting to communicate with him?”

Harlow looked up at Dr. Antihway and smiled. If Lisa didn’t
trust the woman implicitly, the malice expressed in the simple gesture would’ve
made her shudder. “I’m catching him up. Making sure he knows who he owes his
life and his allegiance to.”

“A type one.” The scientist seemed so stunned by his own
revelation that he didn’t appear to understand what Harlow had just said. “You
and the type fives were the most theoretical. Your development hinged on pop
psychology and pseudoscience.”

“I assure you, there is nothing pseudo about me.” She took
one step closer to Lisa before a loud roar filled the room. “And your weapon
just came online, doctor. I’d suggest you run.”

The blood drained from Antihway’s face as he seemed to
remember the man in the chamber for the first time. “No. You wouldn’t. I’m your
father.”

“You must be mistaken. I was created, not born.” Her words
contained so much hate that Lisa worried for the first time about what she’d
just unleashed on the galaxy. But then there wasn’t time to do anything but
dodge lest she become collateral damage.

Ben watched Dixie lead his group of men down the corridor
and out of sight. He wished he could go with Dixie more than anything else
right now. He didn’t have enhanced warrior genes. He didn’t long for the
battle. But he craved Lisa. He needed to know she was okay and hold her in his
arms. His responsibilities required him to hack into the computer system and
download as much evidence as possible though.

Getting into the system from inside the compound wasn’t much
of a challenge. After he emulated a trusted network node and hacked into a
vetted account with his reader, he was in. That was when the real challenge
started. He discovered that the file names appeared to be randomized symbol
strings and most of the data was encrypted. Ben would be able to break it, but
it would require more time than he currently had. He would have to transfer as
many files as possible and take them back to the Coalition base in order to
decipher them.

He started with the most recent files and began working his
way backward though the system. He’d managed to get one-third of the way
through before the sounds of a battle started echoing down the corridor in
front of him.

“Sounds as if the fight’s coming to us, men.” Ben looked at
the three guards Dixie had left with him to make sure they were hearing the
same thing he was. All of them had their weapons in hand and had widened their
stances to brace for whatever was coming their way.

Ben selected the next group of files and began the data
transfer before he pulled out his gun and joined them. As adrenaline began to
course through his system, his hands trembled ever so slightly and little beads
of sweat dampened his brow. But he fought through the nervous energy. “Wait
until you have a visual. Remember, our men are out there too.” The guards gave
a slight nod to let him know he’d been heard and understood but didn’t break
formation. They were there to protect him and whatever data he managed to
download.

His reader beeped, telling him that the most current files
had been saved, but before he could start the next batch a group of men burst
into the corridor. There were only six soldiers and they were obviously fleeing
from something or someone but whoever chased them was still too far down the
corridor to be seen. Not that Ben needed to see who chased. All he needed was
to see the glint of metal on one of the men’s wrists to know what to do.

The space around him came into sharp focus as time stretched
to accommodate him. He took aim and then pulled the trigger once. Commander
Wallace faltered and then fell to the floor. The men with Ben took that as
their sign. They opened fire on the remaining commandos. Being trapped between
the two forces, Wallace’s men had nowhere to go. They had become the proverbial
lambs led to slaughter. But Ben felt no misguided guilt for his role in the
bloodshed. The traitors in front of him had picked their side when they’d taken
Lisa. And he wanted each and every one of them to pay the price for that
decision.

As the last man fell, the group who’d been giving chase came
into view. Or, rather, the man who had been giving chase came into view. He was
a large man, but Ben still couldn’t believe he’d been singlehandedly chasing a
group of super solders.

Ben held his weapon at the ready and kept the man in its
sights, but he didn’t fire. Ben was willing to give him the benefit of the
doubt. It was a benefit he wasn’t prepared to return to Ben however. The first
blast of the laser barely missed Ben’s head. It might have missed by inches but
it made an impact. Ben wasn’t going to waste any more time. He returned fire.

Three bursts of laser fire hit the man squarely in his chest
but the man didn’t stop. He didn’t even slow. And suddenly Ben knew why a group
of super-soldiers were fleeing one man. If his men didn’t come up with
something soon, they’d meet a similar fate.

“Wait!” From behind the man, a small woman danced into view.
“If I tell him to stop, he will.”

“Then tell him to stop,” Ben yelled back.

“Ben?” This time Lisa ran out in front of the man. “What are
you doing here?”

Ben’s heart stopped as he watched her run toward him.
Lowering his weapon, he ran to meet her. At that moment he didn’t care that he
was in the middle of two forces, both armed. He didn’t care who the man was or
why their lasers were ineffective against him. The only thing that mattered was
the feel of her body pressed against his as he pulled her into his arms. “We
came for you.”

“But how did you find me?”

The woman with Lisa had stopped and was staring at them
openly, but Ben didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was she’d managed to
keep her word. The man had indeed stopped attacking Ben’s men.

“Dixie is an inventive man when properly motivated.” And
getting Lisa back had properly motivated the man. “Dr. Antihway’s assistant
knew more than he’d originally let on. Dixie just had to find the right way to
ask.” He guessed she’d have more questions and he’d happily answer them. Later.
Now he needed to taste her. He needed assurance that she was real. Dropping his
mouth to hers, he kissed her.

The world around them faded into unimportance as her soft
lips parted under his. She moaned and her hands swept up his back in a light
caress. It was enough to drive him over the edge. Days of not knowing where she
was or how she was being treated had left him with a light grasp on his control
and her willing surrender to his possession shattered what was left.

His tongue swept past her lips to tease hers. He poured
every promise and desire into the kiss that he’d ever felt toward her. He
hadn’t let her know how much she meant to him before she was taken. And that
was his biggest mistake. A mistake he’d never repeat.

She pressed her body more tightly against his in answer and
then wiggled her hips seductively. Her fingers twined through his hair as she
kept her other arm wrapped around his back, as if she’d need to hold him to her
to keep him there. It was a ridiculous idea. He’d stay for an eternity if that
was what she wanted.

All too soon, though, she relaxed her grip and backed away
from him. Only a breath of space separated them but it was too much as far as
he was concerned. “You came for me.” She ran her fingers down the side of his
face lightly.

“We always will.” He smiled as he looked down at her. “But
it looks as if you had things pretty well under control before we showed up.”

She smiled back even as her eyes shone with unshed tears.
“We?” She looked around expectantly. “Where’s Dixie?”

“His men went looking for Dr. Antihway.” Ben kept her pinned
to his side as he walked back to his reader. “I should probably let him know we
found you.”

“Actually I found you.”

“Noted.” He typed in the message and then started to
download the remaining folders. “I see you made a couple of new friends.” He
nodded at the two people who were now standing with his men. “Next time,
though, try to find some who play nice.”

“He just woke up. He’s a little confused,” she said softly.
“Besides, they saved my ass. That’s nice enough for me. Her name is Harlow, by
the way. He hasn’t picked one yet.”

He nodded and then said, “Thank you for keeping her safe.
You have no idea how much it means to me.” Emotion choked the words and made it
hard to speak.

“She’s my friend.” Harlow smiled softly. “I’m told that’s
what friends do.”

It only took a minute for Dixie to reply back. Dr. Antihway
had used the chaos to escape. It would take more than their resources to track
him down. And now that they had Lisa and the evidence, Dixie didn’t appear
inclined to even make an attempt. He and his men were heading to Ben’s
coordinates.

His reader beeped for the final time just before Dixie and
his men emerged from an adjoining corridor. Lisa ran to Dixie and threw herself
into the man’s arms. And, if Ben had any doubts as to his ability to share the
woman, they disappeared in that moment. As he watched Lisa passionately kiss
Dixie, there was no jealousy. Instead he felt complete. It didn’t even bother
him when he saw a couple of men nudging each other and casting questioning
glances toward him out of the corner of his eye.

He turned to face the soldiers. “Is there a problem?”

One man had the decency to blush and squirm uncomfortably.
The other, however, had no problem voicing his issue. “I was just wondering how
many men she welcomes that way. And how one goes about signing up.”

Dixie moved so fast Ben barely had time to get between the
men. “Not a smart move, man,” Ben said to the soldier. “Not only are you
talking about the mother of my child, she also happens to be my world. And
Dixie’s life.” He tossed a glance over his shoulder to make sure Lisa was
listening. “As soon as we get back to Ontesys she’ll be our wife. If she’ll
have us.” There. It was out in the open. Now everyone knew how deeply he and
Dixie cared for Lisa.

“Are you serious?” Her voice was soft but Ben thought he
heard hope in her words. “Both of you?”

“This really isn’t the time or place,” Dixie answered as he
threw one last glare at the soldier in front of Ben. “But we need you. We love
you.”

Ben’s heart echoed painfully in his ears as he waited for
her answer. If she said no, could they just continue on as they had been or had
he just ruined everything?

“Feel free to give an answer as soon as you have one.” Dixie
sounded every bit as nervous as Ben felt. It was comforting to know.

“Of course I’ll marry you. I love you.” She beamed as she
looked between the two men. “Both of you.”

Ben’s whole body sagged as he released his breath. He hadn’t
realized how tense he’d become waiting until the moment she said she’d marry
them. That she declared her love in front of everyone only topped it. She was
theirs officially now.

“Thank god.” Dixie pulled Ben into a warm embrace of
celebration. The move probably sparked another round of pointed looks and
squirming amongst their men but for the first time in his life Ben didn’t care.
The only thing that mattered to him was his family. “Then let’s get off this
cursed rock. It gives me the creeps.”

“But the life forms—” Lisa started.

“Are safe. And they’ll stay that way until the proper
authorities have been contacted.”

“They’ll use them. Turn them into weapons. Strip them of
their rights.”

Ben had seen this coming. “We might not be able to protect
them from everything. But we’ll do our best to make sure they avoid the worst
of it.”

“How?” Her gaze slid over to Harlow and the unnamed man and
Ben could almost feel her protectiveness toward the two.

“We’ll make sure we tell the right authorities.” He turned
his attention to Harlow. “We only want what’s best for Lisa and she wants
what’s best for you. Will you trust us?”

Harlow studied him for a moment and Ben could’ve sworn he
felt something brush against his mind. Then she nodded. “Yes.”

* * * * *

Ben walked down the passageway with Lisa and Dixie. The
stress of the last month pulsated around them but in a few minutes it’d all be
over. They’d be able to make good on their marriage proposal and start their
new life. They just had to make sure they honored their word to Harlow first. And
that had proven to be a challenge.

It’d taken weeks to decipher the data Ben had downloaded in
Dr. Antihway’s lab and then another couple of weeks for him to convince Michael
the story would make and not destroy his career. With some of the experiments
they’d discovered in the mad scientist’s notes, Michael had cause to worry.
Funding the creation of soldiers was bad enough. But some of the things Dr.
Antihway did with government funding were worth killing to keep hidden.

Thankfully he’d been able to convince Michael that they’d
all be safest once it was out in the open. The doctor’s secrets only had value
if they remained secrets. Michael had finally conceded. And soon this would all
be in the past for them. Then they’d make everything official. They’d marry
Lisa and Dixie would adopt Nate. Ben couldn’t imagine a better ending.

When they reached the conference room, Ben pressed his hand
against the biometric reader and the door opened with a hiss. Inside he found
Michael, the representative Jasper Lee, and the unmistakable Ahnal Lee waiting
for them.

“A representative?” Lisa hissed in question. “Here? In a
Coalition base?”

“You must be Dr. Colt.” Jasper stood and then held his hand
out to her. “You certainly do know how to cause a stir.”

She held her hand out but then pulled it back. “I didn’t
cause any of this, Mr. Lee.”

He looked momentarily shocked and then smiled. “I mean no
ill will, Doctor. You have nothing but my respect and admiration after
everything you’ve endured in the name of the truth. But your adventure has been
well documented.” He still held his hand out patiently and Ben was relieved
when Lisa finally reached out to take it. When Jasper released her hand, he,
Dixie and Lisa took that as a cue to sit down. “Your name has reached so far
that even my wife has heard it. She was green with envy when I told her she
couldn’t come with me today.”

Ahnal chuckled under his breath but then did his best to
cover it with a cough.

“You find Kat’s displeasure amusing, Father?” Jasper turned
to look at the man.

Ben stared at Jasper in confusion as Jasper sank once more
into his chair. Sure, he’d recognized that they had the same last name but he’d
never heard they were related. A representative and a Coalition advocate in
league together? That would make for an interesting alliance.

“I love Kat in sunshine and in storms,” Ahnal said.
“Especially when it’s not me she’s blustering at.”

“I’ll be sure to convey the message,” Jasper said dryly.
“Now, to the business at hand. I’ve been told you’ve recovered evidence that
incriminates several government officials?”