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  He left the shuttle ahead of her, and she saw Tyanni standing next to a huge male that had the same physique as Leko. It was as if they had been chosen for their type.

  The crowd gathered was shouting and cheering, but when they saw her, they fell silent.

  Lynni didn’t care about the guys right now. She squealed and ran to her sister, hugging her and spinning her around before Ty did the same in return.

  “Oh my lord, you look gorgeous, Ly. I had no idea that you would look so stunning when you were finished.”

  “It is good to see you with some muscle mass, Ty. I was terrified that I would find you being hauled around by Brex for the rest of your life.”

  The girls giggled and hugged again. Ly felt like she was a teenager with her sister once again.

  Ty started to lead her away from the shuttle, but Leko stopped them.

  “Bride Tyanni, I know that you have missed your sibling and she has missed you, but we need to get her to medical for a check.”

  Tyanni scowled at his metal face. “Fine, Familiar Leko. Take care of her.”

  “It is my duty and my will.”

  Lynni had a hard time not laughing.

  She gave Ty another hug and grinned. “I will see you later, Bride Tyanni.”

  “Right back at you, Bride Lynni.”

  Ly rolled her eyes but followed her Familiar to a weird kind of motorbike-shaped thing on a platform.

  “What is this?” She straddled the seat, and he climbed on after her.

  His arms easily reached around her. “It is called a Riot Runner. They are used for quick entrances and exits and have a number of capabilities.”

  He lifted off, and they flew across the city.

  “Where are we going?”

  “We are going to see the elders and then medical.”

  “Why are we going in that order?”

  “Because the elders want to see you.”

  She looked at her hands. “Of course they do.”

  “Your voice changed.”

  “I am just becoming used to the idea of being a freak.”

  “You are not a freak. You are a spectacular anomaly. We are delighted that you are one of us. The doctors will tell you the same.”

  She nodded and swallowed. She was in for it now. This was the actual alien world with the actual aliens... and she was one of them.

  The council of elders stared at her before looking at each other.

  “Lynni Nikkelson of Terra, Lrrko bloodline?” One of the men asked her at last.

  She made a face. “Yes. Tyanni is my sister.”

  They looked to Leko. The man asked again, “Is that correct?”

  He nodded. “I saw them together at the Terran medical base. They are siblings. The dramatic colouration that you see here was a result of our genetic enhancement.”

  The elder scowled. “We did that?”

  Lynni held up her hand. “On Terra, it is called a chimera. I was initially two infants that merged into one. Oddly enough, in my case, I was apparently split down the centre.”

  She gestured to her face and shrugged.

  “What caused the discolouration?”

  She repeated what she had read on the screens before Leko could. “Because the dose was keyed to my pale side, my dark side was a close but inexact match. It caused the pigmentation change.”

  Leko stepped to her side. “I am sure that medical will provide you with a full report.”

  The elder nodded. “That will be for the best. Bride Tyanni has created a supplemental contract between the Terrans and the Lrrko that will be more beneficial for you. It will be sent to your quarters.”

  Lynni grinned. “Yeah, that sounds like Ty. I am amazed she didn’t take your shirts in the bargain.”

  The elder she was looking at blinked and shouted a laugh. “There is the resemblance that she said we would see.”

  Leko sighed. “Please come with me, Bride Lynni. I will take you to medical.”

  She smirked at the formality but let him escort her out of the elders’ council room.

  Once outside, she asked him, “Do they just sit in that room all day?”

  He paused and shook his head. “I really need my body now. That required a belly laugh, and I really need my body to enjoy it.”

  “Sorry. It was a legitimate question.”

  “They have other duties, but when they know that they are needed or when they have demanded someone show themselves, they will be there.”

  “Oh good. So, now I have a medical appointment?”

  “Indeed. You will be assessed, and they will try and gauge when the harvesting of tissue can be commenced.”

  Lynni frowned. “How much tissue?”

  “We will discuss it with the medics. Come on.”

  They returned to the runner and whisked through the sky once again.

  Once they were inside the medical centre, she asked, “Do all medical bays around the universe smell the same?”

  He let out another huff. “It is possible. I haven’t been in them all. Lrrko are not usually welcome.”

  “Ouch. Fair enough.”

  Medic Alveck looked a lot like the live-tissue version of Brex that had been next to Ty. He hadn’t spoken when they landed, but his features were burned into her mind. His focus on Ty had meant only one thing to Lynni—he was her sister’s lover. Talk about Familiar.

  “You are related to Bride Tyanni?” Medic Alveck looked a little surprised.

  “I get the feeling I am going to have to answer that question a lot. Yes. We are sisters, born less than a year apart.”

  He looked a little embarrassed. “Pardon me. We don’t get a lot of natural siblings here.”

  “It is not a problem. Now, tell me what I need to do, and I will do it so that I can look around. This is my first time on a new world, and I am intensely curious.”

  “Right. Well, come with me and we will put you into a gown that won’t interfere with our scanners.”

  Five minutes later, she was pattering around after Medic Alveck with Leko right behind her, watching the medic’s every move.

  “So, if you could settle and scoot upward on this platform that would be good.” Alveck smiled softly.

  She wiggled into position on the wide exam bed that was designed for creatures far larger than she was. The scanner was a thick band that moved over her from head to toe, and she tried not to tense as her body felt the urge to escape the small confinement.

  “Well, you are not in cycle as your sister was, which is better for your adaptation, but it looks like you are a week away. The additional ovaries are completely fine. Your body is tolerating the additions just fine.”

  He was using the word fine a lot.

  She leaned up on her elbows. “Did you say additional ovaries?”

  “I did. You now have a total of four ovaries that will provide us with a harvest of eggs to use for our clone production. Of course, as your Familiar, Leko’s child will be the first that is grown to gestation.”

  “Oh, I was wondering how he got paid to hang out with a pain in the ass like myself.”

  Leko crossed his arms, and she could feel the scowl he couldn’t express. “It was an honour to be chosen to be your Familiar, Lynni.”

  She grinned. “Tell me that when you have your skin on and we are doing evasive training again.”

  Alveck helped her sit up, and he said, “You are extremely fit and in excellent health all around. With you being a splice, I can say honestly that we are looking forward to your first harvest.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “So, after Leko, who gets to have at my eggs?”

  “The strongest genetic partners. If I can take some samples now, we can begin creating a roster of the most likely candidates. The elders will have final say, but I believe that your sister included a clause in the new contract for that. You may have a vote on who gets to start with one of your eggs.”

  She
rubbed her forehead. “That sounds so weird. Where are the babies... um... grown?”

  Leko answered. “In the same building as the council of elders. Why?”

  “I would like to see what the future of my eggs holds.”

  He nodded. “We can go there next. You have the clearance.”

  Alveck blinked. “She does?”

  Leko nodded. “She does. Actually, instead of going there next, I will show her to her quarters and change, and then, I will take her to the gestation hall.”

  Alveck blinked. “Right. Well, I will just take the blood and tissue samples, and she can be on her way.”

  “Excellent. We have an agenda to take care of. She needs to greet her new world.”

  Alveck nodded, and he got the equipment he needed, drawing the blood and taking a scraping from the inside of her cheek.

  When he was done, Lynni smirked. “Now, do the other side.”

  He blinked. “What?”

  “Two different genomes, remember?”

  Alveck appeared very out of sorts. “Oh. Right. Of course.”

  Lynni tapped him on the arm and waited until he made eye contact. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes. I mean. I have never met a splice before, and it is so fascinating that I am terrified they will remove you from my care before I have even begun to learn how such a thing is not only possible, but how you are so very... normal. We have been told that the splices were mad.”

  “I get irritated now and then, but I have never been insane if that is what you are getting at.”

  Alveck blinked. “How do you know?”

  She kept her voice dry. “I am fairly sure that my sister would tell me, she doesn’t hold much back.”

  Alveck paused for a moment, and then, he grinned. “I am sure you are correct. Lady Tyanni is definitely a woman who will speak her mind.”

  “Right. So draw the blood, scrape the cheek and let me go visit my new quarters.”

  He quickly got the second set of vials and labelled them for the second side. When he had what he needed, she was dismissed with a smile.

  She slid her hand around Leko’s metal bicep as they left. “So, you knew he would think I was crazy?”

  “It was a possibility. To balance the two genetic patterns in not only your body but your brain takes a tremendous amount of luck.”

  “I feel that luck every time I look at my sister. She is all the luck that I need.”

  There had been months, weeks, when she was unbalanced, when her mind was split in two and two impulses had fought for supremacy, but Tyanni had gotten her through it. No puberty had ever been as dramatic in her entire family line.

  “Damn. I forgot to get my bag from the ship.”

  “The security team will have brought it to your quarters. They had to go through it anyway.”

  “Right. Well, I need to see where I am going to be living. Shall we?”

  “Yes, Bride Lynni.” He inclined his head.

  She snorted and got on the runner, waiting for him to take her to her new home.

  Chapter Five

  While she looked around her new quarters, Leko set himself in the charging unit.

  She opened her bag and unpacked her few garments. The bodysuits were all the same. Sleeveless and form fitting, she looked like a superhero with built-in makeup. She just didn’t have the powers.

  In the silence, a yawn snuck up on her. Looking over at Leko in his charging station, she headed to bed for a quick nap.

  It usually took him over an hour to charge, so she had time to recover from the stresses of the day.

  Tyanni was fine. Lynni’s expression was a smile as she curled into a ball on the huge bed.

  It was the stuff that dreams were made of.

  * * * *

  Leko sat up and removed the life support. The medic on duty rushed to his side and sealed the small ports for nutrients and sedation.

  “Sir, you are awake early. I didn’t realize you had arrived.”

  “This afternoon. My Bride was aware that I was not a bot, so there is no reason to remain separated.”

  “You do not fear for her physical self?”

  “She can take care of herself. She is a true Lrrko. In fact, she might be two of us.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Leko chuckled, and the younger male looked surprised. “You will understand soon enough. It is hard to keep a straight face with Bride Lynni around. She has this way of looking at things.”

  The tech looked a little uneasy. “I have heard things about her.”

  Leko started to walk to the showers. “Yes?”

  The other man trotted behind him. “I have heard that her skin is different.”

  “It definitely is. She is a splice. A naturally born splice.”

  “How can Bride Tyanni be her sister?”

  Leko snorted. “Apparently, that is the joy of natural selection.”

  He took a solar shower and went to his locker. His standard Selector clothing had been replaced with the uniform of the Familiar. The rich blue sleeveless tunic with the silver piping on the edges fit him like a second skin. Feeling the clothing on his skin once again was a blessed relief.

  Splitting consciousness was a skill that all off-world operatives were taught. He had gone through the training when he was a child, just as all of his class had. He never expected to use that skill. He had been trained to analyze the actions of others.

  With his boots and trousers in place, gloves on and the standard weapons of his new position strapped to his thighs, he was ready to meet Bride Lynni face to face. He pulled on a cloak and left the med centre, walking through the streets of the city.

  It felt good to be on his own feet again. He didn’t know how the agents and officers managed to lock into their bot bodies and stay in them for months.

  Leko felt odd walking up to the Bride house. He checked himself through security and ended up striding through the halls that only Brex was privy to until this moment.

  He walked up the stairs and headed to Lynni’s quarters. The door opened silently at his approach, and he slipped into the quiet space, looking toward the bed. There was a curled lump under the covers, but he couldn’t see breathing. His senses went on alert as he looked for Lynni in the shadows.

  He should have been looking in the light.

  * * * *

  Lynni felt him coming up the hall. The vibe coming from him was definitely Leko. She slipped out of the bed and mounded up the pillows into her normal curve under the sheets.

  Hiding in the shadows was possible, but she chose the other option. She stood against the wall, in the beam of light, and her skin did a weird thing. It reflected the light and made her invisible. She couldn’t see her own hand, but her right side was still hot pink.

  She was partially invisible.

  She watched through narrowed eyes as the door opened and the figure in the cloak entered. The door closed behind him.

  She saw him look toward the bed, and she could feel the change in him as he realized she wasn’t in it. His hood turned toward the shadows, and she remained relaxed as his gaze searched for her. When he stepped in and his back was toward her, she moved with the techniques that he had taught her. She kicked the back of his knee, and when he went down, she wrapped an arm around his throat. “You didn’t knock.”

  He bent forward, and she went over his head, landing in a deep crouch. She whirled to face him, and he pulled his hood back.

  She had to comment on his new appearance. “Wow. You are... more colourful than I thought.”

  His hair was a deep blood red, and his eyes were a vivid blue. The mahogany of his skin was a strange contrast to his bright eyes. It was nearly creepy, but she was fascinated instead of repelled.

  “You are naked. It is cool in here.”

  She didn’t need to glance down. She could feel her nipples tightening.

  She didn’t turn her back to him but
stood and backed away, sliding her bodysuit off the edge of the bed and into her hand.

  Keeping eye contact, she squirmed into her clothing and closed it.

  “That was fascinating to watch. May I say, it is nice to see you with my own eyes.” He smiled slightly.

  It was a crooked smile and a welcoming one. She took a step toward him and then another, finally ending up in his arms with his heart beating under her ear.

  She held him tight, the warmth of his muscles flexed under her hands. She felt tears run down her cheeks, and she carefully blinked them away. She didn’t want to sniffle all over him.

  “Hello, Leko.”

  “Hello, Lynni.”

  She chuckled, and a small sniffle came out. She held him in silence until he began to stroke her spine like he did after their workouts.

  “So, can we go to where the little Lrrko are spawned?” She tried to change the subject from the strange intimacy with his flesh-and-blood body.

  He chuckled, and she heard it in her bones. “Yes. We can definitely go and look at the younglings.”

  She smiled brightly and looked him over. “Do I get a neat cape like that?”

  “There is one for you in the wardrobe. I trust you can take care of yourself, so don’t forget to put the knives on.”

  She reluctantly released him, and he went to the wardrobe. He pulled out a harness with sticks and a dark mass of fabric.

  Lynni stood in place as he wrapped the leather around her hips and thighs. When he slid the shock sticks into place, she looked at him with a grin. “Most guys wouldn’t give a girl weapons on their first day out.”

  “I am not most guys. I am your Familiar, and your safety always comes first. Your work on the ship was excellent, and you have a knack for the moves that you need to defend yourself.”

  She smiled. “That I do.”

  He nodded. “So, how did you hide from me when I entered the room?”

  “I honestly have no idea. I just got the idea to hide in the light, and my body did the rest.”

  “Can you show me?”

  “Later. Now, I want to see how the Lrrko come into the world.”

  He nodded. “Right. I don’t know if there is a decanting today, but we can see the canisters.”