| |
SOLAN SEETHED. IT WASN’T right to take his anger out on Lena, he knew that. But she was sitting right beside him on the long ride out of Osais. It could have been worse. If he didn’t have the influence of his family name to back him up, they might have been dismissed on the spot or faced criminal consequences for injuring the suspect. He knew the world wasn’t fair and he didn’t like to take advantage, but this time he would.
He could count his past mission failures on one hand and still have fingers to spare. And two of those failures had been at Lena’s side. He couldn’t control the fact that she wasn’t ready, and he felt like he was being punished for her shortcomings. Unfair. But he had to clamp his mouth shut until his jaw hurt to keep from saying anything. They were about to spend up to two months together and he didn’t want to start them off with resentment.
Stypon would resent him as it was. Luckily, Micia had agreed to watch the trott, but he would have felt better if he could say farewell himself. He was still adjusting to life back home and he wanted to spend his time with his pet, not hide away in the middle of nowhere.
Lena tried to start a conversation after an hour and a half or so, but Solan wasn’t in a talking mood. Another hour went by in silence. And then another. Aorsa wasn’t that big; if they traveled much farther they’d reach the end of the continent. He hoped they weren’t going to find a boat at the end of this road.
He got lucky. A small village was the first sign of life for miles, a collection of a few houses and apartments and a main street full of shops. Not much, a few thousand residents at most, but it was civilization. And hopefully a sign that they’d reached their destination.
Their vehicle took them through the town and then down a narrow, pitted road that ended at a small house. Well, small by Solan’s standard. At least four of the structure could fit into his home.
Lena leaned forward to get a better look. “Isn’t there supposed to be a training facility? A trainer?” she asked.
“This is the facility.” He said it with more certainty than he felt. But it had to be. He didn’t know much about these places, but he knew they were designed not to draw attention to themselves. The Synnr military didn’t like to advertise their shortcomings.
“And the trainer?”
When had he become the authority on the subject? He snapped the question back before he could make things even more tense between them. The day had already dragged on too long and Solan was ready to collapse into bed. He had no idea what time it was and he didn’t care. He was done.
The palm scan lock at the door read his hand and let them inside. The door opened into a sitting room with a small sofa and a few chairs facing an entertainment center, just like any other house. Down a long hallway he spotted an open door that must have led to the kitchen and another one that led to the bedroom.
The single bedroom.
Thankfully there were two beds.
Solan pulled out his communicator and put it on the small table beside one of the beds before shrugging off his jacket and laying it on the blanket. There was nothing special about the room. Each bed was big enough to hold two people if they squeezed tight, but that wouldn’t be an issue for them. There was a bedside table beside each bed and a larger table in the middle of the room with a full basket sitting on top of it.
“What the actual fuck?” He watched as Lena picked up a slim tube and then put it back as if it burned her. Then she picked up another item, her eyes got wide, and she threw it back down.
He stepped up to her to get a better look. Sexual lubricant and a few toys. Items some Matched units might need. “I suppose they don’t want anyone leaving for... supplies.” It was expected that Matches would be sexually active; he didn’t see why she was so surprised. Perhaps they did things differently on Earth.
She stared at the basket for several moments before swallowing hard, her cheeks tinged red. “Well, that’s one team building activity we know is off the table.”
Solan had his own trouble looking away. There was no reason to find it strange or alluring. Adults had sex. Matches often had sex. There was nothing prurient to providing assistance to that end. It was healthy. But his cock was getting thick and he wondered how he could put the toys to use with Lena.
“I’m going to get food.” She spun away from the basket and faced the door. “I’m starving. I guess maybe the trainer is coming later? Or tomorrow?” She didn’t seem to be talking to him so much as trying to fill the space with noise to ignore the sex basket.
“Maybe.” But he couldn’t be sure. Something felt off about this entire setup. Whatever it was, they’d figure it out soon enough.
***
THEY HADN’T HANDED out sex toys in Kuwait. Though given how horny some of the assholes she’d been stationed with had been, it probably wouldn’t have been a bad idea. But she couldn’t get the image of that dildo out of her mind no matter how many times she blinked, and she didn’t trust herself to remain in that room for another minute. Best case scenario? Juvenile jokes and tossing the thing at Solan’s head. Worst case? Well... no use daydreaming.
It was another reminder of how different her new home was from everything she was used to. Fraternization was supposed to be frowned upon, not encouraged. Though the rules had to be different when the people were soulmates. Matches. Whatever.
How long was this damn hallway?
Lena’s mind might have been a whirlwind, but it should have only taken a couple of steps to go from the bedroom to the kitchen, and she’d definitely been moving longer than that. She could feel eyes on her, watching her from the shadows. And why was it so shadowy? It hadn’t been when they’d walked in, and the sun never went down. It should have been bright inside.
She shivered. It wasn’t cold, but there was something off about this place.
She wished she had her blaster, but it had been taken from her shortly after the fuck up of a mission. She considered letting out her wings, but clearly she wasn’t in any danger. And she didn’t want Solan to see it and think... she didn’t know what he would think. Some people kept their wings out almost all the time while others kept them hidden. It seemed to be a personal choice, like wearing long hair up or down.
“You don’t need to follow me,” she called back, expecting to find Solan two paces behind her. But she was alone in the too long hallway.
Was that door supposed to be there?
When they’d walked in she’d seen the door to the bedroom and the kitchen, but now there was another one and she didn’t know where it led. She tested the latch, but it was locked. She could try to force it, but something told her she didn’t want to find out what was inside. She left it for the moment and continued to the kitchen. This time she counted her steps rather than let her thoughts get caught on anything.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
And she was through the door. As soon as she let go, the door slid shut and Lena practically jumped out of her skin. She took a calming breath, but she was on edge. She already hated this house and hoped training didn’t last long.
Out of the corner of her eye she caught a flash of green and looked up to see a light above the door lit with the color.
“The kitchen is currently a safe area. No challenges will be given while the light is green,” said a computerized voice.
Lena narrowed her eyes and stared at the light as if it could give her answers. She knew there was no one else in the kitchen with her, but she didn’t see a speaker where the voice could be coming from. “Safe? Challenges? What’s going on?” It felt natural to talk back to the voice, but the voice didn’t immediately respond. Lena was getting used to Synnr voice commands and she wasn’t going to let it slide. “Computer lady, tell me what’s going on.” That should work. Just like Simon Says.
The voice came back. “This is a Class Five facility, fully automated to ensure optimal conditions for remedial Match training.”
Fucking remedial! She didn’t say it out loud, but it grated to know she and Solan were failing so badly.
“Each area of the house is fitted with indicator lights. When they are green, you will not be challenged. If they are unlit, you may expect a challenge at any moment. If the light turns red, a challenge is imminent or already underway. Challenges are recorded by the house and judged by your trainer at a safe facility. You are only being recorded when the lights are red.”
They were being recorded? What the hell? Lena hadn’t signed up for any of this and she didn’t want to live in the Big Brother house.
The voice kept going. “In the event of a serious injury or other reason, you may command me to halt the challenge. Any such halting will be judged and evaluated by your trainers.”
Fucking great. When had her life become some terrible reality show? Already she felt twitchy, knowing cameras were all around her. Sure, the voice said they weren’t recording, but she had no way to prove that.
“You may not remove food from the kitchen or bring in supplies from the village. All of your needs will be seen to. There are medkits in every room and hallway and I am equipped to provide instruction for certain medical procedures.”
“Are we prisoners?” It sounded that way. Matching with Solan had seemed like the simplest solution ever. Now she was wondering if it was the biggest mistake she’d ever made.
“You will be given at least one day of leave per every ten days spent here. On such days you are permitted to leave the facility and do as you please, provided you arrive back at the assigned time.”
“Okay.” Not exactly prisoners, but not free either. Sure, the house probably wouldn’t actually lock them inside, but there would be consequences if they left without leave.
“Do you have more questions?” the voice asked.
“Not right now.” She’d probably have a hundred later, but she couldn’t make sense of anything yet. “Will I be able to ask questions later?”
“Yes.”
Satisfied, Lena stopped trying to come up with anything else to ask. Instead, she looked through the cabinets until she found something to eat and scarfed it down. She’d had a vague plan to bring something back for Solan, but that was against the rules, so he’d have to fend for himself.
Hunger sated, she stared at the green light above the door. What kind of challenges would the house throw at them? How much danger were they really in? If they could stop the simulations because of injuries, that had to mean that injuries were possible, maybe even expected. Did people die in these houses? She opened her mouth to ask but snapped it shut. It was better not to know.
She couldn’t stay in the kitchen all night. Well, she could, but that would leave Solan in the dark. She didn’t know if the computer lady had informed him of the rules and she didn’t want him to face a challenge without knowing what was going on. But it still took another minute to convince herself to get up and abandon the safety of the kitchen.
There was no green light in the hall. She didn’t know where the indicator was located, but she didn’t see red either, so it was safe enough for the moment.
Still, she felt eyes on her. Probably the computer lady.
She walked quickly, counting her steps to keep track of the distance. She’d only made it four paces when the hallway plunged into darkness and a red light lit up behind her, above the kitchen.
Lena froze in place, tense and ready for whatever was about to be thrown her way.
Despite the second of warning, she wasn’t ready when something grabbed for her and she screamed.
