She stands and removes her hand from my arm. I immediately try to grab for it, but I am again stopped by the restraints.
“I think that’s enough for now.” Riley takes a step backward. “Like I said, I don’t want you overwhelmed. I want you to rest. You are going to need a significant amount of sleep during the first round of tests. That will pass in time, and eventually you will need very little sleep to get by.”
“I don’t understand.” My arms and legs are tensing up, straining against the bands around my body. I want her touching me again. Frustration grows in my chest, and it feels as if someone has just placed an anvil on top of my ribcage.
“Relax.” She touches my arm again.
I sigh and close my eyes. I feel the sharp prick of a needle in my hand and cool fluid entering my vein.
“I’ll be right here when you wake.”
I try to nod, but I’m not entirely sure I manage to make the gesture. I feel heavy, and the thin mattress on the bed seems deeper than it did before. I’m content with the information Riley has provided, but there’s the niggling terror still present deep inside of me.
This isn’t right. None of this is right.
Chapter 2
“Specimen seventy-two of eighty-nine: Caucasian male, one hundred and eighty-three centimeters, weighing eighty-nine kilograms. Vital signs normal—temperature thirty-six degrees centigrade, blood pressure one-twenty over seventy-six.”
I feel a cold fluid run up my arm.
“Administering first round of FOG.”
My head is still swimming from sleep or the drugs. I’m not sure which. I blink slowly at the bright light over my head. The light doesn’t bother my eyes at all. They adjust almost instantly.
Riley is next to me. I can only see the arm of her lab coat, but I know it’s her. I can tell by the way she stands, the way she holds the tablet, and how she moves.
I can smell her.
She smells distinctly sweet but not flowery. I can’t find a word to describe the fragrance.
“TST levels are in the specified range. Specimen is responding well to the altered dose. No further indication of abnormalities, and we should be able to start training based on the current timeline.”
I try to concentrate on her words, but most of them don’t make any sense to me. I take a deep breath and turn my head to get a better look at her.
Her hair is still up in a bun, and her face is still devoid of makeup. I watch her eyes as they shift around to read whatever is on the tablet. She taps at the screen and then sets it on the table beside the bed before turning to me.
Our eyes meet, and I am filled with the warmth of her gaze. She smiles down at me, and my skin tingles. My dick hardens, and images of her pinned beneath me as I slam into her fill my head.
“Good morning,” she says brightly. “How do you feel?”
Horny.
“Fine,” I respond automatically.
“How are you really feeling?” Her smile is tight-lipped.
“A little dizzy,” I say after thinking about it for a moment. With my eyes, I follow the curve of her neck to her shoulder and lick my lips. “Confused.”
Why am I so drawn to her?
“I need to finish my report, but afterward we’ll talk, and I’ll try to answer your questions. Maybe then we can consider getting those restraints off of you.”
If my hands were freed, I could touch her.
I twist my wrists and clench my hands as I nod. Being able to move would be good though I don’t feel the same sense of panic and need to escape I had when I first awoke. I’m filled with anticipation instead.
Riley takes the tablet over to the computer table and sets it down. I tilt my head up to get a better look at her, but end up looking down my own body instead. My erection is clearly visible under the sheets, but I don’t feel any embarrassment by this. On the contrary, I wish she’d take a better look, maybe pull back the sheet, take my dick in her hand, and stroke it for a while.
The mirror wall. Someone may be watching.
I’m not sure I care.
The images in my head are doing nothing to help the condition of my cock. I close my eyes and try to empty my mind, but the thoughts persist. I should try to think about sports or kittens or maybe farming.
Farming?
“Do you have any specific questions for me?” Riley is next to me on the rolling chair.
“Where am I?” I ask as I try to direct my mind toward her words.
“You are in one of the Mills Conglomerate medical facilities,” she says.
“Mills Conglomerate?”
“The preeminent corporation in this hemisphere. The Mills Conglomerate is dedicated to the health of its people and is responsible for the safety of all the families in its occupied territories. The corporation protects its citizens and maintains the peace.”
“Protects them from what?”
Riley rubs her lower lip with her teeth and takes in a large breath. She leans back against the chair, crosses her legs, and locks her fingers together around her knee. I imagine my own fingers taking a hold of that same knee and pulling her leg back over my shoulder. I wonder if she tastes as sweet as she smells.
“Let me back up a little. Do you have any memories of the war?”
I blink and glance back to her face, concentrating on her question. I try to search my head for any information about a war, but I remember nothing.
“None.”
“We’ll start with a history lesson, then.” Her eyes lock with mine, and though my erection has subsided, my skin still feels like it’s vibrating when she looks at me. I can’t take my eyes off of her. “Thirty years ago, the four major corporations of the world were divided by specific tasks—health and safety, advancement of technology, education and job assignment, and agriculture and food production. Everything was balanced, resources were plentiful, and there was little need for disputes because everyone had what they needed. Trade flourished. People were happy and prosperous, but that all changed.”
A chill runs through me as she continues.
“Twenty-seven years ago, a giant comet passed through our solar system. The technology division, a corporation called Danuk, discovered what was coming three years before, but there was little they could do. They launched robotic probes to try to nudge if off course. The probes worked to a degree, altering the course enough to keep it from hitting the planet, but it wouldn’t be enough. We didn’t know exactly what kind of impact it would have, only that it would pass close enough to Earth to have devastating effects.
“When the comet passed by, chunks of it broke off and fell to the planet, some as large as a kilometer across. Massive impacts devastated equatorial landmasses and sent enough debris into the atmosphere to cool the entire planet. Crops died. Rainfall nearly ceased around the globe, and supplies of fresh water surpassed grain on the value market, which shifted the economy overnight. We had to rely on stored food for a decade as we tried to counter the devastation.
“Allied Agriculture had been the second highest corporation on the value market with Mills being first. People began to divide into two factions—those that sought to repair the ecosystems and those who believed the population wouldn’t survive long enough to achieve that goal. We believed that technology would better serve the future.”
She stops for a moment and smiles.
“My family was in the medical division, and my father, Robert Grace, worked directly for Mills. He had already been working on alternate food sources when the comet was discovered. He knew it was our only chance, but he had colleagues that disagreed. Some of them defected and went to the Carson Administration—the education sector. As more and more people began to switch sides, ideologies became further divided. Education sided with agriculture, and technology sided with health.
“In the end, Mills absorbed Danuk, and Carson joined with Allied Agriculture, forming the Carson Alliance. Graham Mills, the president of the Mills Conglomerate, had the foresight to und
erstand my father’s position and the need for synthetic nourishment. He focused the technology division on that goal. The Carson Alliance perceived this as a direct threat to their profitability, believing the technical resources should be devoted to improving agriculture and replenishing resources.”
Riley stops for a moment and collects herself.
“It started with raids of the tech facilities. Many of the people with the most brilliant technical minds were kidnapped and forced to work for the Carson Alliance. Mills eventually had no choice but to mobilize the military and declare martial law in its territories. CA rebelled. They refused to supply the Mills-controlled hemisphere with food and clean water. Everyone suffered as the stored food began to be rationed, and fresh water became the most expensive merchandise for any given household. Families fleeing from the CA territories were employed by Mills to raise crops, but the land was far too devastated. CA’s refusal to fulfill their contract under the Articles of Life was essentially an act of war. Eventually, Mills responded in kind.”
She stops again and looks away. I can see her jaw clench.
“When I was a girl, my father spent years traveling from city to city, giving talks on synthetic food. He was a direct threat to CA’s profits. On one of his tours, he was assassinated.”
A mixture of emotions flows over me as I witness moisture forming in the corner of her eye. Sympathy and compassion come first, but then an overwhelming anger follows. I clench my hands into fists as rage takes over.
“Who did it?” I ask through clenched teeth. I’ll find who is responsible. I’ll tear whoever it is apart with my bare hands until there is nothing but strips of flesh and shards of bone.
“Calm,” she says quietly as her fingers stroke my left forearm. My body responds to her words like a command, and the tension flees from my muscles. The transition is so abrupt, I can’t help but question it. I don’t know this woman. I don’t know any women. A moment ago, I was ready to kill for her. Now, I am completely relaxed.
“What was that?” I whisper. I stare up at her, needing answers. “What just happened to me?”
“We’re jumping a little ahead,” she responds. “You are still very new. There is so much to explain, but it’s a lot to comprehend all at once. I know it feels a little strange, but you will get used to it. Forget about it for now.”
I nod, accepting her words. I blink a few times and can barely remember what I was asking her about. I focus on her again with narrowed eyes. I had just asked her something—something important. What was it? What were we talking about?
A war.
“The war is still going on?” I ask.
“Yes,” Riley says, “but the conditions are very different now than they were in the beginning. Using their stolen technical resources, CA militarized their agriculture machines. They decided their ideology was the only way to save the planet, and all those who didn’t conform to their point of view were their enemies. When CA’s aircraft appeared in the sky, relentlessly bombing Mills-controlled major cities and the small areas of land we had begun to cultivate, chaos ensued. Milton, the capital city where we are now, was practically left in ruins. Our people began to starve. As the Mills military forces tried to mobilize, we knew a new breed of soldier would be necessary—one that could withstand the elements and fight without fear. Our soldiers would need to be stronger and faster than the average human. They would be the only chance of infiltrating CA’s defenses and bringing the war to an end. Project Mindstorm was born.”
She reaches out and touches my shoulder. My body stills in response to her touch as my skin tingles.
“That’s where you come in.”
“I…I volunteered?”
“You and the others like you, yes,” Riley says. “CA has the advantage with their war machines. We need the ability to move in behind the machines and destroy the control centers. They outnumber us in people and machines. An all-out assault is too easy to counter. The need for a super-solider became apparent.”
“Was I part of the Mills Corporation?”
“Very likely, yes,” she says.
“What did you do to me?” I’m not sure I want to know.
“Through a combination of cybernetic enhancements and drug treatment, you are now faster, stronger, and smarter than the average human. You have almost complete control over the muscles in your body. You can move and manipulate them at will. You can access the information that has been stored in your primary implant, calculate tactical advantages, and determine the best course of action in any given situation. There are…drawbacks. The first trials were ultimately unsuccessful, but I believe we have rectified these issues with your group and found the solution.”
“What was the solution?”
“Enough for now,” she says as she stands. “Do you feel like you are ready to get out of that bed? I want to see how well the physical modifications have taken hold, and I’ll need to take you to one of the testing rooms for that.”
“Yeah.” Leaving this bed suddenly seems like the best idea ever. I want to get up. I want the restraints off of me. I need to touch her skin with my hands.
Riley glances up at the mirror on the back wall and nods. A moment later, the door opens and three men in military uniforms step just inside. They’re good-sized guys armed with long rifles, but they’re not like me. I know they aren’t.
The one in the middle is the greatest threat. I’d have to take him out first. Move fast, under the computer table before they have the opportunity to aim. Take out his legs; get his weapon. The other two would fall quickly afterward.
Riley begins to unbuckle the strap over my chest. The backs of her fingers graze my nipple through the hospital gown as she slides the strap to the side. I close my eyes as the sensation travels to my cock. I swallow hard and focus on her fingers as she removes the remaining restraints one at a time until I can sit up on the edge of the bed.
I’m free.
When I had broken the restraints before, all thoughts had been on escape. Now, all I can think about is touching Riley.
I reach out and grab her forearm. Gripping her with my fingers, I feel her body tense under my touch, and I try to ease my grip. I’m somewhat successful, and I run my fingers over her skin until I reach her hand.
She looks at me tentatively. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see the uniformed guards at attention, and I am sure they would open fire if directed to do so. They would kill me if she felt threatened.
I don’t blame them. I would kill for her, too.
I force myself to move slowly as I grip her hand in both of mine. I stroke her palm with my thumb. Her hand is cool compared to my fingers, and her skin is soft compared to my rough and calloused hands. I tilt my head to look into her eyes as I breathe through my mouth. Her scent is strong. I can taste it.
“Sten?” It takes me a moment to realize she’s addressing me. “Let go of my hand, and no touching right now. We have some work to do.”
I don’t want to let go, but I have to. It has nothing to do with the threat of the guards on the other side of the room—it’s simply because she told me to do so. Reluctantly, I release her and stand. The top of her head barely reaches my shoulder as I stand beside her.
My muscles are slightly stiff, but as soon as I stretch for a moment, the stiffness is gone.
“Let’s get you into some more appropriate attire,” Riley says.
She turns and walks to the cabinet near the sink on the far side of the room and crouches. There’s a small drawer at the bottom, but it barely registers in my brain. All I can see is her rounded ass displayed in front of me. My fingers twitch, wanting to grab her hips and pull her ass to my cock, but she’s just told me not to touch her.
She stands and returns to my side, holding a pair of black shorts in her hand.
“Turn around.” I do as she says, and feel her fingers at my neck, untying the string of the gown. It falls to my feet, and I stand there, naked and semi-erect, as she pulls the shorts up over
my legs. I close my eyes as her fingers glide up my thighs.
“Are you ready?”
I take in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“I guess so.”
Riley leads me to the door, and the armed men step to the side as we go through the doorway and into the hall. The lights are nearly as bright and the walls just as white and bare. I glance up and down the hall, noticing doors identical to the one we came from lining the corridor.
At the end of the hallway, we turn to the left and enter a set of double doors. Inside, there is a treadmill and more medical equipment. Riley instructs me to get on the treadmill as she places small disks on my chest, forehead, biceps, and thighs. She turns on the machine, bringing me to a fast walk and then a run. She monitors the equipment as I run faster and faster.
For the first time since I woke, a sense of familiarity comes over me. My bare feet slam down rhythmically as I run with long strides, and my arms pump at my sides with practiced agility.
I’ve done this before.
There is no clock in the room, but I still have a good sense of time. I run without slowing for well over an hour and a half. I’m sweating, but I feel no fatigue, no thirst, no hunger. When Riley looks up and our eyes meet, I want to run faster—to show her I can do more. I want her impressed with me, proud of me. When the test is over, she smiles, and my heart pounds faster than it had when I was running.
“You did very well, Sten.”
She checks my pulse, blood pressure, and temperature. I notice the red display on the tablet states my temperature is higher than I would expect, and I ask her if I’m sick.
“No, that’s normal for all the specimens. Most of your body functions are faster than the average person, and the increase in body temperature helps to compensate for the effects on your endocrine system.”
We return, along with the armed guards, to the lab where we started, and I’m given water and another thick liquid that tastes sweet. It’s the first I can recall eating or drinking anything. I consume them quickly, and Riley leads me over to the sink and the cabinet, which contains towels and toiletries.