Panacea Read online

  A medical procedure makes her compatible with an alien race while her own body shows the two genomes in her body that make her essential.

  In human terms, Lynni is a chimera. She carries two strands of DNA in her body. She is unaware of what this means until she joins her sister at the Lunar Base and goes in for enhancement into the species of one of her ancestors.

  Her genes are split down the centre, and since the techs weren’t aware of them, her enhancement goes wrong.

  Leko is the Familiar assigned to Lynni, and he spots the problems in her transformation before the medics notice, saving her life. His duty is to watch her and keep her healthy and safe. He feels that she is calm, quiet and ladylike. He believes it until she is out of medical and able to voice her opinion.

  Once she starts, she doesn’t stop.

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  Panacea

  Copyright © 2015 Viola Grace

  ISBN: 978-1-4874-0529-8

  Cover art by Martine Jardin

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by eXtasy Books Inc or

  Devine Destinies, an imprint of eXtasy Books Inc

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  Panacea

  Terran Times Second Wave

  By

  Viola Grace

  Chapter One

  Lynni watched the nurse check her sister’s vitals, and she kept a pleasant expression on her face as her sis took the prodding without complaint.

  If anyone had a right to complain, it was Ty, but she kept her head up and her spirits high. It was terrifying and inspiring at the same time.

  When the check and sampling was complete, Lynni Nikkelson entered the room with her sterile scrubs and mask in place. It was time to let Ty know about what their genetics had exposed.

  After the recruiter left, Lynni spoke softly to Ty. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “Yes. One chance.” Ty gave her a thumbs-up again.

  “Okay, but if they try to set us up with our Familiars, I will cause a fuss.”

  “Clones, Ly. Don’t worry about it.”

  With her sister’s eyes determined, Ly relaxed until the day the med techs came to transport them. Ty was put in a large cocoon filled with a supportive gel. Lynni did her best, but she could see Ty trying not to scream as they left Earth’s gravity.

  “Almost there, sweetie. So, what do you think the Familiars will look like? I am betting that they are tiny and fluffy... like kittens with itty-bitty lab coats.”

  Ty’s eyes were rolling with pain, but she chuckled. “I am going to hold onto that image for at least ten minutes.”

  “Good. We should be at Lunar Base by then. I am sure that you will be delighted to be in that tank they are dropping you in.”

  Ty coughed a laugh. “Sounds restful.”

  “I think it will be. You and your fabulous body on display as you regrow some skin. I can hardly wait to mock you again. It has been difficult in your weakened condition.”

  Ty displayed her middle finger though the viewing window in the pod, and Lynni felt a little better. Riling her sister up used to be a sport, now it was a matter of Ty’s survival.

  Seeing her sister’s true face again nearly broke her heart, but the joy she felt overwhelmed her. Ty’s features were nearly clear of the marks of the acid attack when Lynni was taken aside by the medical administrator.

  The male with the crab-like features was the first obvious alien that Lynni had met, and he sat her down for a chat.

  “The Lrrko are arriving soon, and they wish you and the others with the Lrrko genome to be enhanced to reinforce the strength of your genetic traits.”

  She frowned. “When?”

  “The tanks are being readied, and the last of the Lrrko descendants are on their way. You will all begin treatment tomorrow.”

  “If I refuse?”

  He gave her a sound that passed for a chuckle. “You have signed away rights to your own genetics. We are allowed to do whatever will be necessary to fulfill the contract.”

  Lynni had every intention of complying, but she wanted to know if she had any choices. Apparently, the answer was no.

  “Fine. Can I wear a swimsuit?”

  “No, the inserts will cover all that you need to worry about and provide you with nutrients.”

  “I have to let Tyanni know.”

  “Of course. Try not to alarm her. She is still recovering.”

  “I know what to say and what not to say. So, the Lrrko are arriving tomorrow?”

  “Yes, your Familiar will introduce himself once you are in the tank.”

  “So, all the Familiars are male?”

  “Nearly all, if not all, the Lrrko are male. They clone their own species and adjust the genetic templates enough to keep from having reproduction errors.”

  “Printer glitches. Copy fade.”

  “Precisely. You and yours are the key to breaking that cycle, and they are desperate for you to join them and contribute your genetic material for the restarting of their species.”

  “Thanks. It is nice to know where we stand.”

  “Every effort will be made to ensure your security and comfort.”

  Lynni nodded and got to her feet. “I am sure it will be. As long as my sister has a full recovery, we are all good.”

  “She will. Her alteration protocols have already begun.”

  Lynni nodded. “Well, since she seems to be fine, I will say you are doing an excellent job. See you tomorrow.”

  She left him alone and headed for her quarters. If she was going into the tank the following day, she was going to have to prepare herself. Time for a big dinner. They could pump her stomach when she was dropped in place.

  A lady had to have her priorities after all.

  Her last monologue with her sister rang in her mind as the leads were initiated under her skin.

  Tyanni was better. That was all that mattered. She held onto the hands of the med techs as they lowered her into the tank and the body-temperature fluid closed around her.

  Breathing the liquid was the hardest thing she had ever done. She braced her hands on the tank, and the techs held her head under when she would have shot upward for air.

  The first breath caused panic, and she saw the monitors going wild. They continued to hold her under as she gasped again and again with heavy jerks of her jaw.

  The world looked strange through the thick plexi of the tank and the liquid. Everything was larger and warped.

  The doctor gave her a thumbs-up, and they started the therapy.

  Six hours later, a rhythmic thudding entered the base.

  They weren’t at Lunar Base itself, they were at a medical base that had been created for other species to foot the bill to alter agreeable humans for their own purposes.

  The Nik
kelson sisters were just the tip of the iceberg. The alien races were beginning to notice the Terrans’ malleable DNA and wanted to incorporate a little fresh blood into ancient races.

  Of course, not all races were fans of the new species, so the Terrans were within their rights to request alterations for their own protection. Fangs were popular, as were metallic implants that overlaid the fingernails.

  Lynni had done her research while her sister had healed in the tank. She could only find out the most basic of information about the Lrrko. There weren’t even any images of them in the Alliance database.

  The thudding causing the liquid in her tank to tremble came closer. It seemed softer than it had when she first sensed it.

  The seven-foot robot in a form-fitting tunic and snug trousers walked into her medical bay, and it stood in front of her tank.

  Four cameras moved and took her in.

  The doctor in charge of her care gave him a briefing on her status.

  The bot nodded, and it stood in front of her, a few inches from the tank.

  It pressed a hand to the tank, and she heard a voice all around her. “My name is Leko. I am your Familiar, Lynni Nikkelson of Terra.”

  She pressed a hand to the interior of the tank. She nodded.

  He watched her silently, and she closed her eyes. The silent stare was a little much, even from lenses.

  * * * *

  Three hours after he arrived, Leko noted a fluctuation in Lynni’s bio signs. He sent an alert to her physician and kept his gaze on her as her heartbeat spiked and her temperature steadily climbed.

  The medical team swarmed over the tank and checked her supplements a moment before she started thrashing.

  “What is going on, Doctor?” He asked it, but the colour changes in her body were holding all of the physician’s attention.

  “I don’t know. I designed the treatment to match her genetic pattern. This shouldn’t be happening.”

  “What is your plan?”

  “I am running genetic breakdowns to determine what is going on in her body. Both the area affected and the other are going to be compared.”

  Leko felt a surge of helplessness as his charge continued her seizures and her fever climbed.

  One of the techs called the doctor over, and he looked at the results. “This is impossible.”

  Leko would have frowned if he had a mobile face. “What is it?”

  “Two separate genomes. She is carrying two completely separate genetic patterns. Her body is a mix of two different genomes that fused into one functioning form. I have heard of this but have never seen it before.”

  Leko nodded. “We call them splices. They cannot be detected in normal day-to-day scans. Usually only part of the body is affected. Can you make the necessary alterations to the treatment?”

  “Yes. I will have to stall her current treatment until we complete this. We will delay the conclusion of the processing until we have a treatment that will work with the duality of her form. Unfortunately, the pigmentation might be permanent. I wrote a very binding design for her treatment, and it seems to have locked half of her in that odd shade of pink.”

  Lynni was slowly calming in the tank, and her body’s colouring was split down the centre. Half of her was a rich pink and the other half was pearly white. Her hair was bleaching white at the roots.

  Leko watched her floating as the techs scrambled to recode her treatment.

  She was slight, curvy and definitely not like any woman he had seen in his career. She was a Lrrko, and she could provide his people with the new genetic material they desperately needed. They were nearing the final possibilities of recombining genes. The women descended from the lost Bride ship would give added materials that would help them to start over. Five women on Terra had been identified with the genetic markers of the Lrrko. Now, it appeared that there would be six different genetic donations.

  Her eyes opened, and she stared at him with a glazed look. She pressed her hand to the inside of the tank, and he responded with his own gloved hand.

  She smiled slightly, tensing occasionally as she went through muscle spasms and waves of pain.

  Leko watched her, helpless to do anything other than offer silent comfort and the occasional murmur of solicitude.

  She was in for a rough ride.

  Chapter Two

  Lynni looked down at her sister and grinned. Her hair was back, in a glorious length, and her figure was exaggerated into that of a pinup. Ty was in as good a shape as she could be and better than she had been in years.

  The fact that she had to be carried by her own Familiar was immaterial. Ty looked great.

  She pointed at Ty and gave her a smiling nod.

  Ty chuckled and pressed her hand to the glass. Lynni did the same.

  Ty spoke and Lynni read her lips. “I know; I look great, right? You, on the other hand, look like you are caught between blush and mortification. What happened?”

  Lynni tried to explain but nothing came out.

  She tried to stamp her foot, but she wasn’t standing on the bottom of the tank. So nothing happened.

  Leko explained the situation about her having the split colouration because of the genetic anomaly.

  Ly tapped her chest and smirked. She couldn’t speak, but she was definitely eye catching.

  Ty scowled. “No, Ly, it was not your turn for funny skin. It looks surprisingly good. Your hair got paler.”

  Ly grinned and fluttered her fingers down her body.

  “Yeah, they managed to grow my hair out as well. Well, you get some rest. I am going to do the same.”

  Ly watched her sister leave, and she heaved a silent sigh. She hated to see her go, but it was for the best. She was going to be taking quite a bit longer to settle into her new situation. Her period had started while she was in the tank, and they had had to make emergency measures to compensate for that. It seemed her body wanted to test them at every turn.

  She didn’t really mind. She could wrestle with the difficulties and anything else that came along. Now that Ty was healed, she was lovely once again, and her face matched her soul.

  Whatever happened to Lynni, she already had what she wanted. Her sister was healthy and in good spirits. Who could ask for more?

  The duality of her skin tones was taking some getting used to. Right and left had always been an issue for her, but now, she had built-in help. Looking on the bright side was always work for her. Having to direct it to herself was quite the twist.

  “You appear upset, Lynni.” Leko’s voice boomed through the liquid around her.

  She looked at him and cocked her head. She tried to find a way to mime that she needed something to read. It involved miming a book but that just confused him. Finally, she saw a tech with a data pad, and she pointed toward him.

  Leko nodded, grabbed the man and hauled him to her tank. He pressed one hand to the curved surface. “What do you want from him?”

  She pointed down to the data pad, and the tech looked relieved.

  Leko moved his cameras. “You wish to read?”

  She nodded in relief.

  He pulled his hand away and spoke to the tech before releasing him. The other man scrambled away, and Lynni was left bobbing away in the tank while she waited.

  It took about ten minutes for a data pad, sealed in a membrane, to be lowered into the tank with her. A hooked rest was arranged so that she could rest the tablet instead of hold it. With a few fumbled attempts, she was soon reading up on alien languages.

  There was nothing on the Lrrko. She scowled and tapped on the inside of the glass.

  Leko put his hand against it again, and he tilted his robotic head.

  She pointed at him and then at her mouth.

  “I am sorry, Lynni, I do not understand what you are asking for.”

  She typed in the words Lrrko Language on the pad and showed it to him.

  “Ah. You want that now?”

  Sh
e nodded.

  Leko cocked his head and nodded. “Very well.”

  She watched her tablet record a download, and when it was complete, a large button appeared in the centre of the screen. She pressed it and light flashed around her. She kept her eyes open as the information was downloaded into her mind.

  She got language, history, details that she would never have guessed at and knowledge of what she had just committed herself to.

  Assassins. A long history of killing others for a price. It was enough to make her uneasy about what she had gotten herself into.

  It wasn’t enough to upset her. She was floating across from a seven-foot robot with the physique of a body builder in a paramilitary uniform with bare silvery arms. It seemed to be a design intent on actually taming the frightening aspects of his size and features. The shine of the metal made it easy to see him, and the cameras kept his features from giving away any hostile intent. She was both comforted and fixated by his appearance.

  She really needed to get herself out of the tank.

  Sighing and releasing bubbles, she set her tablet back on the stand and continued reading with the new language circling in her mind. She couldn’t practice her pronunciation and that itself vexed her. She really wanted to try out the words and concepts in her mind.

  Lynni would never have thought that being unable to speak would have been the most difficult part of her current situation. She had just confirmed that she was a chimera by human standards, and it did explain a lot. When Ty had been injured, she had been unable to donate blood because she wasn’t a match. It was weird because their family medical records indicated that she should have been. It was only an overzealous tech’s devotion to Ty’s survival that had led her to running the type. To their shock, Lynni did not match her sister. At least not out of the right arm.

  Lynni was conflicted by the urge to learn and the urge to move. She didn’t know if it was the days in the tank or the changes in her system, but she felt stronger than she had before.