Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

Siroc

" H ow long has she been at this?" Urix and I stood on the other side of one-way glass, watching Jane run on a revolving tread of black plastoid . The humans called them "treadmills" and utilized them for exercise while sweating and, sometimes, cursing. But Jane ran steadily at a fast pace without signs of exertion.

"For nearly two standard galactic hours." Urix crossed his arms and frowned. "And that's not all." He pressed a pad beside the window and said, "Jane, I'm increasing the speed."

She nodded and he touched the interface on his handheld screen. The tread revolutions increased in speed and so did Jane's pace. She adjusted seamlessly, legs pumping even faster. So fast, I could barely see them. They were a blur.

"Humans are not supposed to be able to do this," I said, understanding what Urix was showing me.

"No. They are not. That's why I called you here to meet with me during her daily session. I wanted to have enough data and be sure of the situation first." He watched Jane, not with admiration, but with concern. "Warlord, I have not yet found the end of her endurance. In the five standard galactic weeks since she's been under your protection, she's only gotten stronger." He touched the pad on the wall again. "Jane, I'm slowing the tread, then stopping it."

He did so, and she stepped off it as if nothing had happened.

"What does this mean?" I asked him.

"Her vitals are perfect," he replied. "Her bodily systems simply adjust to the exertion and increase energy to the muscles required for the task at hand. And her body uses energy with extreme efficiency. It's remarkable. I've never seen a human—or Mitran—function like this." He turned to me, his expression urgent. "I know we should report this to the Earth government, but they will want her back immediately, and the rest of her life will be spent in a lab while they try to recreate this."

I rubbed my chin, disliking the dilemma before me. Urix was correct—this was information regarding one of their own that was unique, but they would demand Jane back and we would be compelled to comply in accordance with the rules of the program that allowed human females to come to Mitra. To Urix's second point, he was likely right there too. Jane's life would be essentially over. Humans, although somewhat evolved, were opportunistic and ambitious enough to prioritize obtaining the ability to drastically upgrade the human body over Jane's quality of life. They could even see fit to kill her after studying her, to keep the secrets her body holds out of the "wrong" hands. The implications were bigger than I liked.

"We keep it to ourselves," I said, watching Jane wander to the window. Her hair had grown, giving her a short, spiky look that was beginning to disguise the scars on her head. Her eyebrows and eyelashes had returned, adding more expression to her beautiful face.

I couldn't imagine not having her by my side, let alone sending her back to Earth. Unless she demanded to return, I would never let her go. She had no idea how much I needed her. How, during the past five weeks, I'd begun to see her as a part of me.

I craved her company. Our conversations were lively and effortless and thoughtful. We talked all the time, but especially when we were alone in our quarters. Many nights, we sat up eating "snacks," as she called them, and talking about everything from Mitran arts and culture to the merits of chocolate (a human favorite). My gaze sought her out whenever she was near. I kept my promise, however, and didn't touch her, no matter how hard it was not to.

Urix let out a breath. "I was hoping you'd say that, Warlord."

"Keep any reports you send basic and routine." I turned my gaze to Urix. "Does she know of her abilities?"

The healer opened his mouth to reply, but Jane rapped her knuckles on the glass. "I can hear everything you're saying," she said. "And yes, Urix told me."

The male shrugged. "She heard me taking voice notes one day, so I now share all my data with her. Apparently enhanced hearing is another of her gifts. We decided together to wait to present this information to you."

"My vision would be better, too," Jane said, "but Urix removed the optical implants. If he hadn't, I could've seen right through this mirror."

"They were slowly degrading your optic nerves," Urix said. "They had to go. You would have gone blind, otherwise."

Jane nodded and crossed her arms. "Can I come in there?"

"Do you want to show the warlord how much weight you can lift?" Urix asked her.

"I can lift seven hundred and fifty tekagrams ," she said, sounding bored. "Do I have to demonstrate?"

"No," I replied, reeling from this. "That is remarkable. When did you begin strength and endurance testing?"

"Only last week," Urix said. "After I was satisfied that her body had recovered from malnutrition and I had taken out all the implants I could."

"All this in only one week?" I rubbed a hand over my face. "Sweet Skrah ."

"I had no idea." Jane's brow creased. "I don't want to go back to Earth. If you'd wanted to send me back, I was prepared to beg you to let me stay."

"You shall never beg to me," I said, disgusted by the idea. "This is your home for as long as you wish it to be." She had no idea that sending her away was unthinkable to me. I'd never do that, no matter how much the Elders continued to pressure me to do so.

She gave me a small smile. "Thank you, Warlord."

"Of course, Jane."

"I'm going to change," she said, gesturing toward the washroom. "Be right back."

I inclined my head, which she returned with a bow, and she exited the infirmary's exercise room.

This was how it was between us. Polite and friendly. Warm, but not too warm. We talked all the time. We were comfortable in each other's presence, as long as we avoided physical contact or talk of our connection. On the rare chance that we accidentally touched—brushing arms, or an errant gesture that put skin against skin, the moment turned electric, charged, and saturated with sharp hunger that took long moments to dissipate. It was as if we lived together in a maze that we knew very, very well, but avoided the exit at all costs. The exit was the choice that would have to be made—acknowledge the connection and choose to pursue it, or part ways permanently.

So, round and round we went. Even I knew we couldn't stay in the maze forever.

Urix looked between her and me with an annoyingly knowing expression. He had a human mate whom he adored, and a child on the way. Surely he sensed my interest in her, but I was certain he would not approve of me pursuing Jane. She still had no more memories of her past than she had when she first awoke. We didn't know who'd taken her or why.

"I have one more bit of news," said Urix, rocking back on his heels with a pleased expression. "My techs have been examining all the bits of implants that I removed from Jane's body, and we found something of interest."

"What?" I asked. "An insignia?"

"Perhaps," he replied. "Under intense magnification, several symbols were spotted. They were carved in a tiny piece of metal alloy. They don't match anything in our database. No one recognizes them as a language or identifier. I'd like to send them to It-tellan for analysis."

I winced. "The species that lives on the Urrak space station? I thought they didn't associate with ‘lesser beings' like us?"

"They might not, but they like to flaunt their knowledge, and if we send along a bar of refined beria -alloy, they might help us."

I nodded, even though I disliked the thought of parting with a bar of the precious alloy. "Do it. We need answers. I agree that the It-tellan people, though insufferably superior, have a vast knowledge base that exceeds ours."

Urix nodded. "Excellent. I'll send a courier straightaway."

"Keep it secret." I narrowed my eyes with a sudden bitter thought. "The Elders must not know. I fear that their seer may try sabotage."

Urix's lips thinned. "Elnok has been busy."

Jane returned, wearing a body-skimming tunic that came down to her mid-thigh in a shade of green that nearly matched the shade of her eyes. Underneath, tight pants in a darker shade showcased her strong legs. Her arms were bare. Her body, now that it had ample food and nutrients, had filled out. Her full breasts were lush and high.

I dragged my gaze away from her and back to Urix. "They have made quite the campaign of putting Jane in the role of a hidden villain."

"At least Paige is still my friend," she said. "She visits several times a week."

"Good," said Urix. "Not everyone sees the seer as a divine conduit to the universe." He shook his head. "The Elders' dalliance with that fool has gone too far."

"I agree, but I cannot banish him right now," I said.

"No." Jane's face hardened. "People will think for sure that I bewitched you."

"Bewitched," Urix said with a smile. "What an interesting human word. We don't have witches on Mitra. Well, perhaps Elnok qualifies as one."

"I'd say he does," she said. "And not one of the good witches. Definitely an evil one."

"There are good ones?" Urix asked. "Interesting. I'm trying to learn more about human culture, so I have knowledge of my child's human ancestry."

"Maybe I am a witch," mused Jane. "I certainly qualify. I can perform superhuman feats and I'm feared by most of the populace." She smiled tightly. "We don't yet know if I'm good or evil."

"You're not evil," I said.

She met my gaze. "I hope not, Pal-Siroc. I don't want to be, but until we know what all the implants in my brain do, we don't know."

There were some implants that seemed dormant and their purpose was unclear. Urix speculated that they could be activated, but he'd been unable to do so. There was still so much about Jane's alterations that we didn't know, which made her statement unarguable. "I don't think you're evil, Jane." I let myself get lost in her eyes for a moment— just a moment—before forcing my gaze away. "Come. I will take you back to our quarters."

Urix gave me a hard look that said, be careful , and I knew that there was a shard of worry lodged in his mind. He was not sure what Jane was. He was not sure she was harmless. And I, the warlord of Thrail Praxan, was falling for a female who could potentially destroy us all.