"He'll find me here. Falyn stared up at the white ceiling, a
brown square of fabric clutched in her hands. He will.
The Federation scientists had originally wanted her to work
in a heavily guarded future–bender complex
on–world. They'd utilized techniques ranging from
luxurious fruit baths to painful electrical shocks to force
her to comply. Knowing it'd be impossible for her destined
mate to free her from that complex, Falyn had resisted the
Federation's efforts and had refused to work. Eventually,
the Federation gave up and they had moved her to her present
station, a station orbiting nowhere.
Falyn laid the fabric over her face and breathed in,
smelling engine lubricant and stale perspiration mixed with
a hint of musk. She closed her eyes.
Darkness. Nothing. There was no image of the mate this
Federation mechanic was destined to love for a lifetime.
"Failure," the automated voice chirped.
"Fuck." Falyn tossed the cloth across the chamber, disgusted
with herself for the three failures in a row.
John caught the square in one hand. "You have two more
assignments to complete." There was no sympathy on his
scarred face. "Complete this cycle and you won't have to
report in until the next cycle."
Buying us more time. "Fine." Falyn settled back on the
support. "Verify connection." She touched the sensors
attached to her forehead, the machine reading her
brainwaves, recording any predictive images she saw.
"Connection verified," the female voice confirmed, her
robotic tone carefully calibrated by her Federation handlers
to increase productivity.
Once, she'd had a human assistant, a nurturing female she'd
called Mom. When Falyn reached maturity, Mom had been
dismissed, her presence deemed a distraction. Also
eliminated were windows and communicators and any other
unnecessary contact with the outside.
She was a prisoner, caged in a world of monotony, trapped
due to the powers she'd been born with. Her only company was
machines and John, the companion android the Federation had
begrudgingly given her to burn off her distracting sexual needs.
Soon, I'll be free. He'll come for me. Falyn forced herself
to relax.
John passed her another square and Falyn plopped the red
fabric on her face, discouraged by her failures and
expecting nothing from this new assignment.
A woman looked up, her singular blue eye sparkling, and she
smiled, displaying a cute gap between her front teeth.
Freckles dotted her skin, visual proof that, unlike Falyn,
she'd recently seen the sun. Her nails were neatly trimmed
and short and her smock was splattered with bright colors. A
caregiver...children. The mystery female's happiness layered
over her, the emotion as alien as she was.
"Identification successful."
"Lucky her." Falyn sat up and lobbed the cloth to John. He
was dressed in the black leather he also wore, the man she'd
seen for herself, the rescuer she impatiently waited for.
"Status?"
"You'll know when he arrives." John pressed his lips
together, expressing his displeasure, her android programmed
to not appreciate her questions, his intolerance preparing
Falyn for her future life with him.
While Falyn had merely guessed at her destined love's
personality based on the snippets of him she'd seen, she
knew John's appearance was identical. His black hair was cut
ruthlessly short. A deep scar sliced his left eyebrow in
half and continued down his tanned cheek, his missing brown
eye replaced with a technologically enhanced orb. More scars
circled his neck, remnants of a prison stay. His shoulders
were broad, his waist narrow and his big body rippled with
muscle.
"One more assignment," John ordered.
"One more." I have to be strong to earn his love. Falyn fell
back on the support, every cell in her exhausted body
screaming a protest. "Verify connection."
"Connection verified."
The decadent fabric smelled of expensive cologne. A
bureaucrat. Falyn's top lip curled with distaste. One of the
villains who locked me up.
A male immediately dominated her thoughts. He was small and
refined with a cold false smile plastered on his
aristocratic face. His icy eyes narrowed. He sniffed with
disdain and turned away, showing her his slender shoulder.
"Identification successful."
"Unlucky him." Falyn ripped the connectors from her
forehead, wincing at the sting. "I never promise the love
will be returned." The machinery retracted into the wall.
"The Federation makes them believe the love will be
returned." John towered over her. "Get up." He grasped her
hand, his palm solid and rough, and he pulled her upright,
the tiled floor cool against her bare feet.
"Yes, and they tell me I'm a guest." She rolled her
shoulders back and her joints popped, her muscles sore from
hours spent working. "The Federation lies. Guest implies I'm
free to leave."
John directed her into their sparsely decorated sleeping
chamber, the Federation deeming that personal effects
interfered with her productivity. "We will leave." He yanked
at the flimsy straps of her gown and the fabric fluttered to
the tile, revealing her body, naked other than the collar
around her neck. Her nipples tightened, stimulated by the
cold air and his rough treatment. "On the bed. Assume the
position."
Punishment. A frisson of trepidation crept up Falyn's spine.
She climbed onto the bed and knelt, lowering her torso,
stretching her arms on the bed and tucking her legs under
her ass. "What did I do wrong?"
"You complained and you questioned." John pushed her hair
over her shoulders and placed a metallic tab on the back of
her neck below her collar. "Does he look like a man who
tolerates either?"
"No." She closed her eyes, both dreading and welcoming the
pain, the training necessary to prepare her for their
escape. "I deserve level five, twenty counts."
"Count."
An electric pulse zinged through her body, emulating the
pain Falyn felt every time she dared to leave her quarters,
and she spasmed with agony. "One," she cried out. A second
pulse followed. "Two." She curled her fingers into fists. I
can do this. "Three." Tears rolled down her cheeks.
"No emotion," John reminded her."
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