Enhanced

  “Shh, should you really be saying that to me?” Tess asked in a whisper. “Is this a secure line? Could someone be listening in?”

  “Oh, I didn’t think about that.” Becca looked suddenly worried.

  “I did. You’d better be careful.” Years of living with an abusive, paranoid man had made Tess extremely cautious. Of course now she was with Garron but the habits she’d built of looking around every corner and watching what she said were still in place.

  “Let’s talk about something else completely,” Becca said. “Did you know that Kat finally had her babies?”

  “No, of course I didn’t know! Oh my God, I wish I could have been there!” Tess sighed. She didn’t know the girls aboard the Mother Ship nearly as well as Becca but she liked them very much and wished them well. “Did they look like their fathers? One light and one dark?” she asked eagerly.

  Becca’s smile slipped a little. “Well…two of them do.”

  “Two of them? What are you talking about? Are they all right? She had twins, right?”

  “She had triplets actually,” Becca said. “But that’s not what the Kindred call it. There’s one light twin, one dark twin…and one shadow twin.”

  “What? What does that even mean?” Tess shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

  “I don’t either to be honest, although it’s got me really freaked out since I’m mated to Twin Kindred too.” Becca looked troubled. “What it seems to mean is that two of the babies look normal—one has dark hair and eyes and the other has light hair and eyes. But the third one…”

  “Is he okay? Does he have…” Tess’s voice dropped. “Some kind of birth defect?”

  “Not that you can see but he looks kind of…unusual. He has this shock of bright silvery-white hair and his eyes are silver too. But a darker silver—almost a platinum or a pewter. I don’t know, it’s hard to describe.” Becca sighed. “Anyway, he’s got a beautiful little face but when he looks at you with those eyes…well, you’d swear he was staring right into your soul.” She shivered. “It’s kind of disconcerting.”

  “How are Kat and her guys taking it?”

  “Not so well. Apparently having a shadow twin is supposed to be really unlucky. But as far as I can figure out, that’s because he’ll be all alone with no one to bond with.”

  “What—can’t he bond with his brothers like regular Twin Kindred?” Tess asked.

  Becca shook her head. “No, and it’s obvious even now. The light and dark twins are already thick as thieves. They cry if you take one away from the other and Kat says they’ll lie there for hours just staring at each other being as good as gold. But the other little guy—they don’t even seem to notice him.”

  “Well, but I mean, how could they? They’re all only a few days old, right?”

  “I know it’s hard to believe but you can seriously already see the light and dark twin bonding and the shadow twin being left out. It breaks your heart, really. Mine, anyway and especially Far’s. He remembers growing up on Twin Moons with no twin and he really feels for the little guy. I think Truth feels bad about it too, but he’s not quite as willing to talk about his emotions.”

  “Speaking of emotionally stunted people, have you heard anything else from Mei-Li—the girl who got claimed by Six, the Dark Kindred?” Tess asked. “Now that was a guy who was never going to feel anything for anyone.”

  Becca shook her head. “No, but I understand there have been some communications between the Mother Ship and Zeaga Four so maybe they’re trying to negotiate.”

  “Maybe Six will bring her back early,” Tess said. “I mean, after he realizes how pointless it was to take her in the first place. It’s not like he could bond with her—not with one of those emotion dampers implanted in his neck.”

  “I wish he would bring her back! Maybe we could stop this stupid war before it starts if her father could see she’s all right,” Becca said passionately.

  “Do you think she is?” Tess asked doubtfully. “All right, I mean?”

  “I don’t know,” Becca said soberly. “All we can do is say a prayer for her and hope she’ll be okay and come home soon.” She pointed a finger at Tess. “I’m praying for you and Garron, too. I may have given up on being a nun but I can still light a candle and say a rosary with the best of them. Take care of yourself, Tess.”

  “I will.” Tess smiled at her friend. “Garron is motioning to me—I think I’d better go. Give Kat my love and kiss the new babies for me—all three of them.”

  “Of course I will.” Becca smiled. “And I’ll try to get back in touch as soon as I can.” She blew Tess a kiss and the viewscreen went dark.

  Tess stood there for a moment, staring at it. She was thinking about Six…and about Mei-Li who she didn’t even know but felt sorry for all the same.

  She must be so frightened right now—so unhappy. Poor thing!

  Then Garron called her name again and she came back to reality with a start. Things were about to start getting really sticky for the Kindred or anyone associated with them down here on Earth.

  It was time to prepare.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Mei-Li didn’t know the last time she’d been so miserable. Six had spent the entire night in his recharging area—the same, forbidding room she had always seen him in during their Dream Sharing. She hadn’t even dared to put her head in and talk to him—it was obvious he wanted to be alone. He’d been up early that morning and had barely spoken a word to her while he ate the garn she had made for breakfast.

  Mei-Li had been excited that the simulator was now attuned to her brain waves and she was able to use it to fix food. She had been hoping to share some of that excitement with Six. But the big Kindred had simply stared right through her as she talked about getting the machine to work. He had eaten his bowl of gluey paste silently and quickly, as though he couldn’t wait to get breakfast over with and get away from her. Then he had risen from the table, looking absolutely huge in his exoskeleton.

  “I must go to work—I have much to do today. Apologies for leaving you alone but you know all of your entertainment and recreational options.”

  “Yes, I know,” Mei-Li had said humbly. “And please don’t worry—I won’t look at anything I’m not supposed to.”

  “I have no concerns about that. Ter has triple locked all restricted materials. Even if your irrational, emotional nature tempts you to try and access them, you will be unable.”

  In the past, Mei-Li might have gotten angry at him for calling her irrational and emotional but she understood that he was still hurt and upset—though no one hearing him talk would think he was anything but an emotionless robot. Still, she felt that under his icy façade there was something else lurking—a boiling cauldron of repressed feelings that was ready to blow sky high if he was pushed.

  “I understand,” she’d said quietly. “But you didn’t have to lock everything away. Now that I know how you feel about it, I will never invade your privacy again. You can trust me on that.”

  “As I keep reminding you, I have no feelings,” Six had replied coolly. “Though even if I did have them, I do not believe that ‘trust’ is one I would extend to you.”

  “Six, please…” Mei-Li felt tears welling up in her eyes. She tried to hold them back, but they just kept coming. “Please, I said I was sorry. Why can’t you forgive me? We had such a good day yesterday. I almost felt like…like there was something between us. Something good.”

  “There is nothing holding us together here but the Claiming Contract,” he’d replied shortly. “And even that will be over soon.” He nodded at the blinking yellow numbers on her arm. “Though not soon enough to suit me.”

  With that, he had left the house and Mei-Li had sat down and cried.

  Stupid, stupid, stupid, she told herself, wiping away more tears. Stop crying over the big jerk! If he can’t forgive one stupid little mistake, he’s not worth having. And it wasn’t like she would have been able to “have” him anyway. As soon
as their time was up, she was going straight back home to Earth—which was where she wished she was right now. Anywhere would have been better than here, stuck on an alien planet light years from home with a man who now hated her, though he wouldn’t admit it, even to himself.

  She could almost hear Claudia’s voice in her head. “Mmm-mm, girl—that man is repressed. You need to get away from him now.”

  Mei-Li sighed. Yup, that would definitely be her best friend’s advice. Too bad she couldn’t take it.

  Well, you can at least get out of the house, she told herself. There’s no point in staying cooped up in here feeling miserable—go get some fresh air! Or what passes for fresh air on Z4, anyway.

  It was good advice and Mei-Li decided to take it. Taking a deep breath, she sat up straight and wiped her eyes. She would go out. But where?

  Looking down at her own half-eaten bowl of gluey, bland garn, the answer came back at once—the spice market. It was within easy walking distance of Six’s domicile so she wouldn’t have to go far or risk getting lost. She still had the cred-chip and maybe she would have better luck getting some spices to season the garn with if Six wasn’t with her. The big Kindred seemed to scare everyone they met nearly to death—not that she blamed them. He could be really terrifying when he wanted to.

  The fact that he’s so frightening is probably why no one bothered you yesterday, whispered a little voice in her head. Going out on your own without him for protection is taking a risk.

  Well, then I’ll just have to go incognito. Can’t do that in these. Mei-Li looked down at the tight, shrink wrap clothes Six had made her with a frown. She stuck out like a sore thumb in all this white.

  But now that she knew how to use the simulator, she could make herself something new. The prospect cheered her up at once. Since all she had to do was imagine what she wanted to wear, making herself a new outfit should be a snap and the sky was the limit! She could make anything she wanted.

  Simming herself new clothes turned out to be more complicated than she’d first imagined, however. Several hours later she had used up over half the bag of white, sand-like tresh and the kitchen area was littered with failed attempts.

  Some of the clothes she made came out too big when she used too much tresh and some were way too small when she didn’t use enough. Some looked all right but were tight in odd places like under the arms or across the crotch. Zippers wouldn’t zip and buttons wouldn’t line up. Collars were crooked and hems were ragged—it was a nightmare.

  It soon became apparent to Mei-Li that she would need to have much more than a good imagination to whip herself up a new wardrobe from thin air. In fact, it probably would have been helpful to have a working knowledge of dress making—or at least be able to sew. Unfortunately, she had ditched home ec to take chemistry in high school—to her adopted mother’s horror. She had felt smart and superior at the time—now she wished she would have taken her mom’s advice.

  “Damn it,” she muttered under her breath. “I’ll never get to the spice market at this rate. By the time I finally make something decent to wear, the whole damn place will be closed!”

  Still, she refused to give up. Finally, she was able to make a simple wrap dress by picturing one she had at home that was just like it. Pressing the interface pad to her temple, she closed her eyes and saw it in exacting detail in her mind. Every fold, every line, every stitch—that she could remember, anyway.

  To her delight, when she opened the delivery slot door on the microwave-like simulator, she found she had finally gotten it right. Well, sort of, anyway. The dress fit just right, tying on either side with long ribbons but it was a deep, pure shade of crimson instead of the inconspicuous black or gray she had been going for. Still, it fit so nicely and Mei-Li felt so pretty in it, she decided to keep it on.

  Going back to the simulator, she tried one last thing. Pouring in a generous amount of tresh, which was running low—she hoped it wasn’t expensive—she pictured a long black cloak with a hood.

  Either she was getting better at simming clothes or the simulator was just getting more attuned to her. For whatever reason, the cloak was a success too. Mei-Li put it on, drawing the hood over her head to shield her features and pulled the flowing sides closed around herself to hide the red dress.

  There. Now unless someone looked closely into her hood, they couldn’t tell what or who she was—or that she was a female. She could be any of the faceless crowd strolling down the busy city streets. Smaller than most, perhaps, but nothing to look twice at.

  Feeling satisfied, Mei-Li pocketed the cred-chip and went out the door and into the teeming city.

  It took a little while and a few wrong turns to find her way back to the Serlix market. At one point she was sure she was lost and almost panicked. But she kept her head and retraced her steps and soon, she was stepping back into the covered stone square once again.

  All the sellers and buyers were back, some noisily hawking their wares, some giving demonstrations and samples of different products. This time Mei-Li wandered silently among them, keeping her head low and observing. She was surprised to see some obvious similarities between both buyers and sellers.

  They were all male, of course and for the most part, they seemed to be middle aged or older males. Also, almost all of them had long hair that came down past the back of their necks. But there was something else about them that seemed strange—almost all of them had broken or non-functional enhancements. Mei-Li saw scopes with cracked lenses, burned out lights, and metal parts that had rusted through. Why didn’t they get them fixed? Wasn’t maintenance free and easy to get, on the medical barges?

  Maybe they don’t want to go up on the medical barges. Maybe it’s not safe for them there, a little voice in her head whispered darkly. But why not? And what was going on in the market that made Six call it an “undesirable” part of town? All Mei-Li could see was innocent commerce.

  “Oh, my lady—I thought that might be you. I hoped that you would return.”

  Mei-Li whirled around to see the same older Kindred who had kissed her fingers the day before bowing to her in a charming and courtly way. He had a broken scope over one eye and long, gray hair which was brushed back from his forehead

  “Oh, uh…hi.” She nodded at him nervously, instinctively drawing her fingers into the long folds of her cloak.

  “Worry not, fair lady,” he said, straightening up. “I will endeavor to contain myself in your presence. I was simply overcome at seeing the fulfillment of the prophesy yesterday, which was why I was so effusive.”

  “What prophesy?” Mei-Li demanded. “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m talking about the end of the Collective.” The man’s one normal eye flashed. “The end of emotional repression—the freedom to live again—to feel again—which so many of us with pure Kindred DNA long for.”

  “You do?” Mei-Li looked at him with interest. “I was under the impression that everyone on Z4 liked ditching their emotions.” She thought of how Six had stored away his memories and repressed his feelings. “I mean, I thought nobody wanted to feel anything.”

  “That isn’t true and hasn’t been for years,” the old Kindred told her. “I am Malak, by the way. And you are…?”

  “Mei-Li,” she said. “But you have a name instead of a number?”

  He nodded his graying head. “I am nowhere near high enough on the Collective’s rubric to rate a number—which is just the way I like it.”

  “So you and your friends…” Mei-Li looked around the marketplace at all the other men who looked like Malak. “Don’t want to live in an emotionless society anymore?”

  “No. We want to feel, my lady! And we want the freedom to feel without fearing that we may be purged for our emotions. That has been my dream for years—and it was why I was so excited to see you here yesterday.”

  “I think you may have a mistaken idea about me,” Mei-Li said gently. “I’m not a freedom fighter here to lead a revolution or anything. I wa
s just claimed by one of the Dark Kindred, that’s all. And I’m not even staying. I’m leaving very soon.” Not soon enough to suit me. Six’s words echoed in her head and she winced at the memory.

  “Oh no, my lady—we do not believe that you are here to overthrow the Collective yourself,” Malak said quickly. “But your very presence denotes the beginning of the end. You are simply a harbinger of their doom—the sign that freedom is near.”

  “Oh, well…” Mei-Li wasn’t sure how comfortable she was being the harbinger of anyone’s doom—even if she didn’t have anything to do with it. “Thank you, I guess,” she said at last. “I’m, uh, glad I gave you hope.”

  “You have, my lady. For very soon, another will come. One who will overthrow the Collective and free of us all from the yoke of emotionless tyranny.”

  Mei-Li had a thought. “But how are all of you feeling in the first place? I thought everyone had to have an emotion-damper implant. Isn’t it standard issue—something you get even before you come out of the, uh, incubation tube thing they grow you in?”

  Malak nodded. “Indeed it is. But those of us with pure or nearly pure Kindred DNA have found that our implants fail over time. And when they do, the world of emotion is opened up…and we simply never get them fixed. See?”

  He turned and lifted his long, graying hair to show the small silver and black button implanted just where Six’s was, at the nape of his neck. But on closer inspection, she saw that the silver had tarnished and the black was more of a dark, rusty brown.

  “That’s what they look like when they go bad?” she asked as he turned back around.

  “Indeed. Though the inside of an implant goes bad long before the outside does.”

  “Does it?” Mei-Li asked. “And what are the symptoms?”

  “A rush of emotions, mainly. Feelings, both good and bad flood the system. For any male not grown in a tube, they will experience all the emotions they were having just before the implant was put in but at three times the intensity.”