Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

“Yes, I will be there as quickly as I can,” Rykker said, stepping away from the small comms screen projected in mid-air as it dissolved away. He gathered his things and hurriedly donned his clothes, fresh and clean, courtesy of the AI.

Olivia rolled over in her bed, watching his sexy body disappear into his garments. “Walking out on me like that?” she quipped.

He paused, turning to take in her nude form on the bed, his erection springing to life of its own accord. “I would stay with you the entire day if I could. But I have been summoned. The overseer requested my presence at once. I apologize, but I must go immediately.”

Olivia didn’t like having what she’d hoped to be a nice morning of slow fucking snatched away from her like that, but Zoldana had offered her the utmost hospitality, and she could in no way fault Rykker for performing his duties. She gave a little shrug.

“No worries. Don’t sweat it.”

“I am not sweating, though perhaps we both will later this evening,” he replied with a smoldering look.

Olivia felt her whole body tingle, the new runes inked into her flesh a little itchy as something about this man triggered them. “I’d like that.”

Rykker, ever the gentleman, leaned down and kissed her gently, then pointed to a small tray of food on the nearby table surface. “I took the liberty of directing your domicile unit to prepare you a few of our most popular breakfast specialties. I hope you enjoy them.”

She slid out of bed, pressing her nude body firmly against his clothed mass, his heat radiating right through the material, making the rune on her chest ache in a delightful but unusual way. More than that, his smell was utterly intoxicating. Far more than the prior night, and that was saying something. As she breathed him in, her Infala rune tingled even stronger, her vulva swelling with want.

It would have to wait.

“I must go,” he said reluctantly. “But I very much look forward to later.”

“Not nearly as much as I do. And I owe you one, Mister.”

He flashed a grin and stepped out into the morning light, leaving her to ponder their unexpected but incredible tryst of the prior night.

“Holy hell, that was hot,” she mused, picking through the food he’d arranged for her and sampling the tasty delights.

Her body jolted with odd sensations, the flavors intense and wonderful. It seemed whatever they had done to her was still setting in, and enhanced taste was just one of her newfound gifts. She wondered what else she could do. Her body felt amazing. Strong. Flexible. Unbreakable, though she doubted it would be a wise idea to test that last one.

“Well, I suppose I should clean this place up a bit,” she said with a sigh.

“ I have already cleaned. ”

“Why, thank you.”

“ It is my pleasure. Is there anything else I can help you with? ”

Olivia thought on it a moment. It wasn’t like she had any roadmap for life in a mega-advanced alien city with her own personal AI assistant, but she had at least figured out a few things so far. One was the device’s fascinating scanning capability.

“Hey, can you do that body scan thing again and show me any changes since last time?”

She felt the waves quickly flash over her body. “ Done ,” the device announced, projecting the results in front of her on a 3D hologram, or whatever the alien equivalent was. “ Prior scans are in violet and yellow, current images are in green. I can change the colors if you prefer. ”

“That’s fine,” Olivia said as she leaned in close, studying the overlapped images. What she saw was fascinating.

The new pigments had indeed spread a bit, deepening their bond to her flesh while solidifying their connections across her entire body. It almost looked like an electrical grid network or something, the way they ran everywhere, fine lines linking her runes into one interconnected whole. But more than that, there were other areas that had changed.

Her tongue, she noted, was now faintly colored in the image. “I guess that explains the enhanced taste,” she mused.

“ And smell ,” the device added, the line running from her tongue up the back of her throat into her sinuses becoming slightly brighter to show her more clearly.

“What is that? It’s going all the way from my tongue up my throat and through my nose.”

“ A very unusual presentation. I have heard of this but never seen it firsthand. For whatever reason, it seems pigment diverted to an unmarked area, namely, your sinuses. From there, it spread in an interesting manner, even trickling into your brain. ”

Olivia felt a flare of panic. “What do you mean, my brain?”

“ Nothing to fear. The pigment is benign and symbiotic. It will never cause you harm. But, for whatever reason, it appears to have taken up residence in a few areas of your brain. Perhaps because it is unfamiliar with your species. I cannot say. Regardless, you are unharmed by it, so I would recommend not becoming distressed over it. ”

“Easy for you to say,” she replied, uncomfortably aware of the distinct lack of any new sensation in her head. Maybe the AI was right. Whatever was going on seemed to be harmless. But that didn’t make it any less freaky.

“ I see your Infala is growing as well. Another anomaly. ”

Olivia looked at the rune design on her chest, comparing the two projections. Indeed, the rune on her chest had grown and changed a bit. That would explain the weird tingle and itch it sometimes felt. She took a deep breath, focusing her calm as best she could.

“Nothing I can do about any of this now. I’m gonna go for a walk. Is there a park nearby?”

“ I have just generated a guidance unit into your new attire. Merely request the city map and it will display for you. ”

“Wow, you can do that? Cool. Uh, map on .”

A small projection appeared in front of her, showing her current location as well as the layout of the city.

“Hey, why didn’t you give me this earlier?” she asked.

The AI, quite surprisingly, chuckled. “ I thought you would enjoy the thrill of exploration without it. At least for your first few outings. ”

She had to admit, the unit hadn’t been wrong. Olivia slid into the new clothes provided for her. They fit perfectly. More than that, she realized with pleasant surprise, they made her ass look amazing.

“Well, thanks for this. Now I can really wander and still find my way back.”

“ You are in no risk of being lost. Any citizen will gladly show you the way. ”

“Yeah, but I do like my self-sufficiency.”

“ Of course. Is there anything else I can do for you? ”

“Nope. I’m just going to get my walk on for a bit. Loosen up the body, if you know what I mean.”

“ Not having a body, I do not. At least, not from personal experience. But I do understand your desire. Enjoy your outing. ”

“Thanks. I’ll be back in a bit.”

Olivia headed out, refreshed, clear-headed, and in excellent spirits. She also had a renewed sense of urgency burning in the back of her mind. Harper was still out there, and feeling as good as she did, there was no way Zoldana could argue she wasn’t ready to help them go rescue her. Little did she know, the overseer was of the same mind as she was.

A familiar face was waiting at her door when she returned a few hours later. It was Lithos, the Skrizzit’s assistant.

“Ah, you are back,” the young man said with clear relief.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yes, yes. But Overseer Zoldana wished to see you. She sent a message to your domicile, but you were out.”

“Damn. I really need a phone.”

“A what?”

“Phone. So people can talk anywhere.”

“You mean a comms link. You have one built into your clothing, but apparently you left before your domicile unit activated it. A mistake it should not have made.”

“Don’t be mad at it. I did leave a bit abruptly.”

“I would not be mad at it. Merely disappointed. In any case, if you do not need to gather anything from inside, would you please accompany me to see Zoldana?”

“Sure thing. Do you know what this is about?”

“Only that she and Nijello were conferring and requested your presence. Beyond that, I’m afraid I do not know.”

“Well, that’s good enough for me. Lead the way.”

Of course, she didn’t need him to lead now that she had her own map built into her clothing. It was a pretty remarkable bit of tech, she had to admit. A wearable and personal display that only she would see when she called it up. It certainly beat the stooped-over phone zombies back home, always with their eyes glued to their devices. This allowed one to walk upright, looking ahead and not tweaking their neck or back.

Interestingly, however, it didn’t seem like the people on the street were actively using their devices for the most part. Maybe this world was free of social media. Or perhaps they’d evolved past it. Whatever the case, people made eye contact as they walked, greeting one another and actually taking in their surroundings. It was a little jarring at first, but Olivia quickly became quite fond of the change.

Lithos was walking quickly, his desire to complete his task clear in his hurried steps. Olivia stayed close, her newly rune-enhanced legs actually enjoying the faster pace without any signs of tiring. In no time they were at Zoldana’s chambers. When she entered, however, things were not quite what she’d expected.

Zoldana was there, of course, as was Nijello the Skrizzit. They had a modest spread laid out before them on a force table and were snacking comfortably. That wasn’t the surprising part though. The two men seated with them were.

She smelled them the instant she entered the room, both distinct in their primally powerful pheromones, the mixing of the two making her nipples ache and her clit positively throb with want.

Rykker and Arkness sat quietly on either side of Zoldana, each of them summoned as well, now sitting quietly, watching the new arrival with great intensity.

Rykker, for his part, played it cool, not letting on what had gone down between them. Or, more accurately, who had gone down. Arkness was also controlled, but the want was clear in his eyes. And smelling just how much more powerful his scent was compared to before actually made Olivia’s attentions falter from the man she’d been with just the night prior.

It was all terribly confusing.

Then it hit her.

“My nose,” she said quietly, thinking back to the image her AI had shown her.

“What was that?” Nijello asked, rising to greet her as the other two males had done.

“Nothing. Just that everything smells really good. Better than usual. I guess your work enhanced that, somehow.”

The Skrizzit grinned proudly. “Ah, you are already experiencing enhancements? How marvelous. It was fortunate we were able to properly purge your system before the process. If not, who knows what scents might have been lingering in there, eh? Sometimes the pigments show a reaction to such things, and then you may very well have developed a sensitivity to dirt or weeds,” he said with a chuckle.

“Lingering?”

“Yes. It is rare, but some can be reactive when receiving the runes if not fully purged.”

“Ah, gotcha,” she said calmly, but inside her mind was racing.

She’d been with Arkness just before getting her runes. Rykker too. Could that have triggered whatever was happening with her now? It was a revelation, but one that would have to wait.

Zoldana motioned for her to come sit. “Nijello has received the updated scans from your domicile unit and has declared you healed enough to begin.”

“Begin? Begin what?”

“What you had asked for upon arrival, of course,” the woman replied. “What we had discussed just the other day. You are to travel on one of our scouting craft to the region in which you were found. When you arrive, you are to retrieve your friend. And as the two highest ranking companions in all of the city, it is the duty of Arkness and Rykker to be your escorts.”

Olivia swallowed hard, her gaze flashing back and forth between the two stunningly attractive men. She was to be in close quarters with both of them.

At the same time.

Olivia honestly wondered if her poor senses could handle it.

She was suddenly acutely aware of her heart beating harder in her chest.

Oh boy.