Chapter Eight

BinjaOB

True to her word, Tanner didn't take more than a few moments to dress and pack a few items in a bag she fastened around her shoulders.

He hid several airtight containers of food along with her stash of water jugs. The green robe was in her pack. It was too hot to wear until she needed it.

Binja found himself getting distracted. Watching her. Becoming lost in her beauty, in all the colors of her hair. She fiddled with the cascading length for several moments. "What are you doing with your hair?"

She grinned, quickly moving her fingers through the strands until the shimmering mass lay tight to her head. He'd never seen hair like hers—a flowing mix of sunlight and shadow in thin strips of multi-colored light—and all the shades of brown to black. It was amazing. He wanted his hands sifting through the colors and playing with the soft silk.

"This is a French braid." It took her only moments to secure her hair.

He must have looked puzzled because she added, "This is how I fasten my hair anytime I might need to fight."

Ah. Binja understood exactly why she needed to do this thing. Down, someone could grab the shimmering mass. Hold it in a manner that would make it difficult for her to escape. In this braid, the long length skimmed her scalp, ending in a tight bun at the nape. It couldn't be used to control her in a fight.

Just those few words told him that his woman was a warrior. The revelation eased his conscience and made Binja hope Tanner had been created just for him. He nodded and pointed to the laser rifle. "Is that what you used to shoot Jacanas?"

"That is the Andaran's name?"

Nodding, he moved out of the shelter.

"No one ever calls him that. And no, the rifle is for a long-range shot. I was too close and used this pistol. Normally, I would have practiced with them. I've never fired a laser gun. I couldn't practice because I don't have a way to charge them." She looked over. Her amazing light green eyes flitted over him and then to the nearby meadow.

"No one calls him that now. When he first came to Viant, he used the name, then after gaining power he forbid anyone to use it. We have been trying to figure out why? Is there some mystic reason or is he just being mysterious?" He shrugged.

Tanner filed that bit of information away. It might be useful. She was pleased she didn't

He reached out his hand for the pistol. Turning it over, he showed her where the solar panel was located. Pushing the dull metal to one side, it exposed the shiny bit. "The guns are solar-powered. You simply expose the panel and set it in the sun. The pistol will charge within an hour while the rifle takes most of the day. A fully charged pistol will allow you to take about fifty shots, the rifle several hundred."

Once again, she hadn't needed to explain why she'd done what she did. The weapons were unknown to her, so she preserved their charge. Binja realized she had refused to practice with the guns, taking a chance on a single shot. She tilted her head. "That answers several questions. Thank you."

He watched as she slung the rifle strap over her head and positioned the gun, obviously comfortable with the weapon. She may not know how the laser guns worked, but they didn't scare her.

She looked down, skimming the rifle with her fingers to find the dull metal protector. Sliding it to one side, she exposed the solar panel. Tanny left the panel exposed on the pistol as well. She shook her head. "Great. At least I lived to learn that lesson. They'll both get a bit of a charge as we're making our way to the market." She shoved the pistol into the waistband of the dark pants she wore. Her shirt was a bright green, close to the color of the trees. With her hair braided, it didn't provide the bright beacon he feared.

BinjaOB motioned for his woman to lead the way.

She didn't hesitate, skirting around the meadow, not through it. Keeping to cover. They walked in silence for a few minutes, getting their bearings, and listening to the rhythm of the forest to ensure they hadn't missed something.

Concentrating on the background hum of insects and birds, Binja watched his mate. Noting Tanny was tall, only a few inches shorter than his six feet. She was strong, and he would say this woman was used to walking in the woods. As they neared another meadow, she looked over at Binja. "Across or around?"

Binja stopped long enough to close his eyes and check with Eita. The Ahnok wasn't close enough to see or hear them. "Across," he said. "We're safe for the next hour or so. Direct is best for a while."

She didn't argue. Simply started across. Halfway through, she turned to him and demanded, "Explain the bird."

The day was warm. Which was a good thing, as he only had on a loincloth. He would have liked to bathe in the stream beside Tanny's shelter, but they needed to stay in front of the men who searched for them. They walked through the trees, keeping to the shadows while they followed a very faint path. He noticed his mate moved lightly over the ground. Keeping away from the dirt and plants that would mark their passing.

Tracking was one of the things Binja did best. Without the help of Eita, tracking Tanner would be difficult.

He had been waiting for this moment. For his mate to ask questions. Binja wanted to tell her everything about himself and learn everything about her. He wanted to share… everything with her. Yet, he was afraid. What if… so many things? What if she didn't like clones? Many planets outlawed clones, putting them to death. He and his brothers were careful to avoid the worlds that persecuted his kind. What if she didn't want a mate with his abilities? The camouflage scared her in the beginning. She was not happy with Eita. What if…

Binja was making himself crazy. He could only be what he was. "Before I explain Eita, I must first tell you other things about me," he said.

Tanner shrugged. "Okay. I want to know it all, anyway. Start wherever you want to."

Taking the statement that she wanted to know it all anyway —as a positive—BinjaOB started with his brothers. "I am one of twenty clone brothers. We all look alike. We are all six feet two inches tall. Every one of us is strong, muscular. Our bodies look the same. Each of us has dark brown hair and eyes. Most of us wear our hair long. Some down to their ass, most past our shoulders, as mine is. Some have shorter hair." He looked over at her. "Many of us use a piece of fabric or leather to tie back our hair, keeping it out of our face. I would like to learn to braid mine, as you have done. This… French braid. I believe it would be hard for an enemy to grab hold of my hair if I fixed it this way."

Looking up to meet his gaze, Tanner grinned. "That is exactly why I do it. When we stop to rest and eat, I'll braid it for you. Teaching you how will take too long today, but I'll do it later. Where are your brothers?"

He smiled back and relaxed a bit. She would braid his hair, Binja thought he would like that. "My brothers are all on this planet. We all have facial hair of some sort, from just stubble to full beards and mustaches. Many have the same style of beard that I have, but some have longer beards." He used his hands in a circle around his face to show a long, full beard.

They had crossed the meadow and were now walking in what appeared to be a dry riverbed. Binja was careful where he stepped, not wanting to leave a trail.

"Is that how you tell each other apart, by your facial hair?" she frowned.

Binja shook his head. "No. Each one of us has a different skin color. I am the only silver brother. Our Captain BaOBy is a dark green, Brode is what the Earthers call mint green. Some are shades of red, pink, or purple. There are twenty different colors—one for each brother."

Tanner giggled and slapped her hand over her mouth. "Sorry. I just had a vision of all the brothers standing together like a box of crayons."

He loved how her skin turned pink. She was blushing.

Binja laughed. "The translator tells me that a crayon is a stick of pigmented wax that is used for writing or drawing. I was shown a visual of the crayons loaded in a box. It makes me wonder if the Father saw a box of crayons before he created us."

"The Father? Created?" Tanner frowned. "Do I have a translator?"

Binja sighed. That was perhaps more than he wanted to go through.

Tanner reached out and took his arm. "Tell me if I have a translator. For the rest, we have lots of time, but you can give me the short version now. I'll save my questions until later."

He pulled her close to him and felt behind her ears. "You definitely have a translator. Otherwise you wouldn't understand me, or I you. And yes, here, behind your right ear, you can feel the scar. Later, we will make sure it is one of the better ones and has been updated."

Immediately, she lifted her hand and touched the scar. She opened her mouth as if to say something, and then, sighing, she turned and walked away from him.

He knew she had to have questions about what her kidnappers had done to her. He couldn't answer those, but he could take her mind off them. "The Father created us in his image. We look like him. Except for the range of colors, the facial hair, and our marking tattoo. But I will tell you more about that soon. The Father is always clean shaven, his flesh is just a little darker than yours. Clones must be given what governing bodies consider an unnatural color pigment in their skin. Clones must be easily identifiable. Most creators choose a single color for their clones. Wanting them to look interchangeable. Father wanted us to be unique. As much as possible, he gave us individual abilities, personalities, as well as likes and dislikes. Many traits we developed over time, on our own."

Tanner held up her arm, elbow bent and her hand in a tight fist. He stopped. It was interesting that his mate knew one of the hand signals often used in combat. He knew many armies used the signal to freeze while on patrol. It seems Earth did as well. Binja's mate was comfortable with weapons, could move over the land without leaving a trail, camped outside rather than hiding in an abandoned building… and knew something about patrolling. He wouldn't be surprised if she'd been part of her country's military force.

She ducked behind a tree before moving slowly forward. Whispering, "There is an underground tunnel up ahead. It would keep us out of sight and would take us within a few miles of the market, but we need to make sure no one is in there. Can you have your bird check on the location of the three men?"

Binja sat on the ground beside her. "I can easily see through Eita's eyes, but when I want clarity, it works better if I sit." Closing his eyelids, he concentrated on his bird. "Eita is flying high overhead in order to monitor more than one man at a time. The one going through what I would call the bottom of the forest is nearing the desert. He remains covered by the robe. I can't see any detail that indicates what species the alien is. Or sex. The searcher might be female. I'll let Eita know to let them go for now. To stop monitoring this one. The small creature is getting tired. I'll have to call it back to my body soon."

For a moment, he was silent, waiting for Eita to fly a little closer to the ground. To show him the Ahnok. The alien should be close to Tanner's shelter by now. And there he was. Binja smiled. "The Ahnok passed your shelter. He has gone far in the opposite direction from us. He is no longer a threat."

Tanner sighed, and he could see her body relax a bit. "One more," she breathed.

Binja sat there calmly. Keeping his eyes closed, waiting for Eita to locate the last man. There . Far from them, but close to where they wanted to be at the end of the day. "The local is only a few miles from town. Close to the market. He's in one of the taller trees, hidden by enough branches he wouldn't be visible from the ground. He can't see us. We're too far away."

"On Earth, we have binoculars or scopes. Goggles. They increase a soldier's ability to see… much farther than he would on his own. Some can identify a heat signature, and some work only in the dark. Night vision goggles. Could he have something like that?"

Binja frowned. On many planets within the Galactic Alliance there were goggles such as what Tanner mentioned. He'd never had to use them, but some of his brothers did. Urging Eita to fly a little closer and concentrate on the man's face, he realized that yes… the man wore something over his eyes. Goggles . If he had some to use during the day, it made sense he'd have something to use when the sun went down..

He called Eita to him and looked up at Tanner. "He is wearing some type of goggle. I didn't have Eita get close enough to see what kind. You said the tunnel will take us closer. We are out of his line of sight now—it will become an issue when we reach the other side."

Tanner grinned and patted her rifle. "Maybe not a huge issue, but we'll have to do something. Several months ago, I stashed water and food inside. I hope it's still there. Make sure that bird, Eita, is back on your arm. There are lots of cats living in the tunnel. At home, cats will kill birds if they get a chance."

Binja sighed and stood. "My translator tells me that a cat in your language is a pimat in mine, and yes, they would try to kill Eita here as well. We need to wait until the bird rejoins my marking bands."