MicroLena Read online

  The protective shell remained intact as she walked the expanse of the plateau, her gauntlet measured city centre if the city was normal sized and she placed the box on the ground.

  It sat on the stone and did nothing.

  "Why won't you expose the city, stupid box?" Lena squatted next to the box and ran her bare hand along the edges, looking for a lever or opening.

  A sharp spike tore into her finger and as blood ran over the box, the city became visible once again.

  "Blood? It takes blood to open your little case?" She hissed and stuck the pierced finger in her mouth. Grumbling and irritated, she put her boot tips at the edge of the city and did a half-shrink. She moved forward and shrank again. She continued shrinking by halves, moving to take up the slack so that she would not end up the equivalent of miles away from her goal.

  As the city grew in her sight, she gauged her height, relative to her surroundings. When she felt she was the correct height to greet the inhabitants, she walked toward the huge dome. It repelled her first attempt to enter so she stuck her bleeding finger into the energy field and watched as it dissolved into nothing.

  "That worked out better than anticipated." She stepped from the plateau and toward the city of Cina, noting idly that there were men approaching her. Lena kept her hand from her blade, but continued walking down the path toward the bustling mini-metropolis.

  "Explain yourself, stranger." The male at the head of the dozen approaching her stopped in his tracks and held a stunner at her.

  Lena thought that it was a stunner she was staring at, but she was rather distracted by the man holding it. His dark skin was the mirror to her own and the wave of black hair tied neatly in a tail down his spine let her know that she had met her first Nyvil.

  "I am Lena Sinclair, Coalition maintenance officer. I have been asked to retrieve your enlarging mechanism and to restore your city to its normal size." She stood with her arms calmly at her sides and stared into his midnight eyes.

  That was the main difference between them. His eyes were entirely black where hers wore the more noticeable marks of humanity, white orbs with brown irises.

  "Captain Balfor Nivven, at your service. I work with the security force to keep the peace in Cina. I will take you to the elders and they can listen to your request." He offered her his arm.

  Blinking in surprise, she took the offered arm and nodded politely to the other security guards who surrounded them on the way back to the city.

  Lena enjoyed the feel of his arm under her fingers. There was strength and warmth in his body and her body was trying frantically to tell her that she had met the man for her. Her palms were clammy, her pulse quick, she was also quite sure that the heat in her face was translating into a darkening colour.

  "How have you managed to get to us here on the micro level?"

  Balfor's tone was conversational, but his arm was rigid as folk stopped in their daily tasks and stared at her. The security officers went on the alert and Lena started to realize that the folk of Cina might not be friendly to a newcomer.

  "It is something I would rather only explain once. I am sure that you understand."

  He nodded. "How much time has passed since we disappeared from the Coalition?"

  "Centuries. It has taken the faithful a while to work out a system by which they can restore you."

  He nodded and she admired the set of his jaw. His finely chiseled lips were pressed in a grim line as he kept his black-eyed gaze on the surrounding population.

  They walked as a tense group for the rest of the way into the city. It took almost an hour to reach the city centre and by the time they entered the large building in the centre of the main square, they had a crowd of two hundred following them.

  Lena turned to look at those assembled and an uneasy thread of sensation ran down her spine. With five exceptions, all of the faces she saw were male. Something was not right in the city of Cina.

  "Agent, why are you here?" A council of eight men and one woman faced her in a semi-circle.

  "I am Lena Sinclair and I have been sent to return Cina to its former size."

  One of the men glanced over her from head to toe. "Are there other cities returned to the Coalition yet?"

  She stood at ease with her hands behind her back and raised her chin. "No. You will be the first. I have placed the city on a plateau with a rock base, water nearby and it isn't in any migratory paths. The planet is unoccupied by other sentient species and is ready for your arrival, authorized and allocated."

  She took a deep breath, "All we need is your reversal tech to return you to size."

  The councillors turned and spoke rapidly to each other behind a glittering sonic screen.

  Lena was impressed, the technology was advanced, but that followed with what she had learned about the Nyvil. The skewed population was a bit of a surprise. There had no mention of uneven birth records in the histories.

  Balfor's voice washed over her in a low murmur. "They are discussing the likelihood of your tale being truth. There are several factors in your favour, they know you have had access to Nyvil DNA, and you obviously were able to use Nyvil tech to shrink yourself. That is a positive sign."

  She jerked in surprise as she realized that they didn't seem to realize that she was the Nyvil technology.

  The councillors spoke at length and the woman turned to her with a clipboard full of questions. "Before we make a decision, we need to know a little more about the worlds we will be re-entering."

  "I will answer to the best of my ability."

  "Thank you, Agent Sinclair. We would like to know how many races are currently in the Coalition?"

  "One hundred and seventy-three. The Crozvere are no longer a threat to your people."

  The folk in the council hall muttered as a wave of understanding blew through them.

  "I see. How did you find out about this city?"

  "I was given it by one of the Feshlin faithful. He dropped me here and told me that I needed to get you and your people to come out of hiding."

  She inclined her head. "So, you simply took the city like you were carrying a tray?"

  "No, there was a shielding on it. I had to remove the case before I could enter the city. I am guessing that you have day-to-night lighting in here."

  The councillors flicked their screen on and talked rapidly again. When they dropped the screen, the woman stared into Lena's eyes with intensity. "How did you open the casing?"

  Lena slowly moved her right hand and exposed her pierced finger. "I pricked my finger and my blood dissolved the case."

  The roar of shock and forward surge of the crowd had the guards around her snapping into a protective circle.

  She yelped as Balfor swung her up into his arms and bounded out of the council hall. Three leaps and they cleared the crowd, two more and they were on a balcony.

  Balfor clicked a communicator on his belt twice. "They know you are safe. No one was expecting someone like you to have been created."

  She straightened her uniform, their semi-flight had ruffled her nerves more than she would admit. "I am getting that idea. Where are we?"

  He grinned and opened a door to a light and airy interior. "My place. There is no better fortified building in all of Cina. All of the guards and peacekeepers are quartered here. We may get some trouble from them, but not anywhere near the problem we would have with the general population."

  "Why would my existence cause a fuss?"

  Lena trailed after him into the building and she took a seat at the small table near his kitchen.

  He poured two glasses of wine and brought one to her. "Our people did not simply remove themselves from view for defensive reasons. We are dying. The last experiments before the reduction had a side effect that no one had intended. Female children became a one-in-ten event. Our population is one tenth of its original level. Any girl child born is immediately betrothed to a suitable male and as long as that male becomes the best example of the Nyvil species that he can be.
If he falls short in any way, he loses the prospect of a bride."

  "So, that surge in the council hall was because…"

  "You are unattached and they might have done you injury trying to press their suits." He sipped at his wine and she mimicked him.

  The flavours were bright and unfamiliar. A warmth spread through her. Bright spirals of sensation curled through her. "What kind of wine is this?"

  "Red berry. They grow very well in the hydroponic farms." Balfor finished his and fetched the bottle from the cooler. He topped up her glass before she said a word.

  "So, what species are you blended with?"

  "Human. Earth human. Why?"

  "We were looking for a race to assist us in restocking our species. It is a good thing to know that there is a compatible set of genes out there somewhere."

  She sipped at her wine and shifted uncomfortably as the heat started in her settled low in her belly.

  "Are you sure that this is only berries?" She frowned at the glass. The last time she had felt anything close to this she had been watching a vid that had taken an erotic turn.

  "It is said to arouse the senses, but to me it just tastes nice. Can I get you something to eat? The councillors will reconvene tomorrow in a more private setting."

  Lena cocked her head and stared at him, the warmth in her system turning into an aroused slickness beneath her suit. "How do you know that?"

  "Communications implant."

  "Ah, well, you Nyvil are the masters of technology." She smiled brightly and tried to ignore the tingling in her limbs.

  "And to prove it, two sandwiches coming up." He rose from his seat at the table and she wistfully watched his backside as he wandered into the kitchen.

  He had just finished assembling the food when a knock sounded at the door.

  She flexed her hand and got to her feet, ready to pull her sword if needed. Balfor raised his hand to tell her to stay in place and he went to the door.

  Low masculine voices erupted in an argument and she took a few cautious steps to put the doorway within her field of vision.

  There were three men waiting outside the door, each with something in their hands. Nothing looked like weaponry, but Balfor's posture was hostile and defensive.

  The simmering in Lena's blood cooled as she tried to figure out what the men were doing and what the hell was going on the moment that Balfor let the men into his apartment, locking up behind them.

  "Agent Sinclair, this is Norkos, Evendil and Krindar. They are here to see if they can court you." Balfor leaned against the kitchen counter and scowled at the men who wore the same uniform he did.

  The men surged forward and then formed a semi-circle around her. They were each holding a gift for her from what she could see. Two of the offerings put her on guard immediately. From what Balfor had told her, there was no way for those men to have been this prepared unless they had the fastest reflexes on history.

  Norkos smiled and stepped forward. "Greetings, Agent Sinclair. I offer you the brightest perfume created in Cina, guaranteed to enflame the senses."

  She smiled and extended her hand, wincing as he sprayed the interior of her wrist before raising her arm to his face. He inhaled the scent of her body mixed with the flowery scent and a shudder ran through him.

  She nodded and jerked her wrist back, punching him in the stomach. "You don't give a gift for your own enjoyment on the first meeting, ass hat."

  She glared at Evendil and his flowers before smiling brightly. "As long as those flowers don't have any kind of scent-sedation, you are safe."

  He quickly dropped the flowers and backed off.

  Krindar was a little nervous, but he offered her a box and smiled at her. "Agent Sinclair, you are the first available female I have met. I offer you my mother's earrings."

  She smiled sadly and opened the box. Nestled on dark fabric were two gems and silvery settings. They were lovely, but she could not accept them. "They are truly beautiful, but I cannot accept them. They are for a woman that you truly love. You haven't even met me. I may have horrible habits and my wearing the earrings would be a betrayal of your mother's memory."

  He swallowed and nodded, backing away. "I understand."

  She grabbed his hand and pulled him back to her, Lena went up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Out of the three of you, you came closest, Krindar. Once you are back to standard size, I am sure there will be a woman worthy of your attentions."

  He shivered and she noted a distinct bulge in his trousers. "Are you sure?"

  "I am sure. I don't know if breeding with my other species is possible, but you will certainly have fun trying." She patted his cheek.

  Turning to the others, she said, "Now, you have to leave. I was just about to have a sandwich. Tell any of the others who are going to try that I am only interested in completing my mission and Balfor. Yes, I am fairly sure that I am interested in Balfor."

  Balfor came away from the counter in a second, forcibly escorting them out the door and slamming the locks behind them. He entered something into a keypad and Lena was fairly sure that it was a repulsion field. The Nyvil specialty.

  He was in front of her in an instant, "Are you sure you are interested in me?"

  She grinned. "No, but I am willing to try anything to keep the others at bay. Besides, you are the only one I have met that arouses me with or without the aphrodisiac wine."

  He carefully placed his hands on her waist, moving them slightly. She could feel him unhooking her sword belt. "You caught on to the wine?"

  "After one sip."

  "You still drank it."

  "It has been a very long time since I felt anything like that. I was enjoying it." She smiled up at him, losing her thoughts in his black-on-black gaze. Eyes like that should have been cold, but a pulsing heat ran through them and into her.

  "I am all about enjoyment. Would you care to have the sandwiches or something more experimental?" He hung her sword over the back of the chair and returned his hands to her waist.

  "Experimentation first as long as those sandwiches are put back into the cooler."

  She barely finished her sentence before he was in the kitchen and then back at her side. It was as if he was afraid she would change her mind.

  "I am guessing that with your population, you don't have much exposure to women."

  "We have simulators. If we didn't we would probably go insane."

  He worked at the closures of her suit and then tugged off the gauntlet before starting to slide her uniform from her shoulders.

  She sighed as his fingers caressed the smooth expanse of her shoulder, trailed across her clavicle and up her neck. When he pressed his lips to hers, she went up on her toes to increase the pressure.

  When he leaned back, surprised at her intensity, she smiled. "I don't have simulators."

  Laughing, he let her push him back onto his bed and jump on top of him. Together they rolled on the large mattress, pulling and tugging until they were skin-to-skin.

  By the time they were naked, flesh-to-flesh, Lena's arousal had climbed to ridiculous heights. She writhed against his hands when he held her arms above her head while his mouth woke every nerve between her ribcage and jaw line. Her hips pumped against his torso, begging for more than the lightest of touches.

  A repeating mantra of, "More, please, more," came from her throat. His teeth taunted her engorged nipple and as the pain and pleasure blended in a firestorm, she broke.

  Sweat beaded his forehead and his expression was fierce as he positioned himself between her thighs. The hard length of his cock prodded and pressed in a slick repetition. He inched into her with single-minded determination.

  Lena cried out as her maidenhead gave way beneath the intense pressure. A burning heat filled her as she fought to gain control over the pain. Balfor finally was seated fully inside her and she squirmed against the discomfort of the heated rod touching her cervix. He backed out slightly and the sudden easing of the unbearable pressure broug
ht a return of pleasure.

  "Lena, look at me."

  She opened her eyes, not realizing that she had closed them, and met his onyx gaze as he began to thrust and retreat with a steady rhythm.

  Her body hesitantly followed his lead, her hips lifting and pressing to his as he surged and retreated. As she responded, his movements took on a leashed violence that was reflected in the fierce look in his eyes.

  The visual contact as their bodies struggled intensified her feelings and her body shook as she cried out again. Her body trembled and twisted while skewered on his, a second wave overtook her as he bared his teeth and snarled as his cock jetted into her, the sharp jerks within her giving her another shiver of sensation.

  He rolled quickly to one side, curling her against him. She sighed in repletion, enjoying the flutter of her channel in aftershocks. The coppery scent of blood was in the air, but she wasn't in a hurry to jump in the shower. Wonder still had a tight grip on her.

  Balfor pressed a kiss to the nape of her neck and left the bed. He brought several warm washcloths back with him and he wiped the traces of blood and semen from her thighs.

  She yawned and stretched, clean and replete. He disappeared for a moment again and then brought in a tray with the sandwiches, the wine, and some napkins.

  "You look exhausted."

  She laughed. "You could have mentioned that before we…uh…"

  He grinned, his teeth white against the deep mahogany of his skin. "No, I couldn't have."

  She snickered and took the proffered sandwich and sipped delicately at the wine. Her body warmed, but not with the desperation she had felt earlier. Her body's repletion was bone deep.

  When she finished her meal, he put the tray aside and cuddled her against him, engaging an invisible thermal blanket over them both.

  Warm, replete and physically satisfied on all levels, Lena snuggled back against Balfor's nude form and fell asleep.

  "Agent Sinclair!" The councillor cleared her throat.

  Lena darkened with embarrassment, her thoughts trapped on the previous night and the several times in the darkness with Balfor. He stood at her side with an implacable look, but the tiny curve to his lips belied his indifference.