Assessing Survival Read online

  The world was getting warm and blurry again. She listed to one side before she jerked upright.

  “Stitch, we should get you to bed.”

  She chuckled. “It is nearly dawn. I will have to be up in two hours to check the communications.”

  “I will help.”

  She swayed again, and he sighed. “Executive decision.”

  She figured out what it meant when he lifted her and carried her out of the dining hall with fifteen aliens walking behind them. To her surprise, he didn’t take her to her quarters; he brought her to the med lab and put her in the machine.

  “We use this before we go on a mission. It helps keep us awake without doing any damage.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Recalibrate it for me.”

  He laughed. “I know how to set it.”

  She lay back and watched the machine as it whirred, but instead of needles and scalpels, she saw light. Her mind relaxed and her body went boneless for a moment.

  Her skin was tingling when the machine opened again. She felt bright, refreshed and ready to tackle the day.

  Nikolai smiled when she swung her legs out of the machine. He put his hands on her waist. “Better?”

  She pulled his head down and kissed him with a portion of the energy ripping through her.

  His hands contracted on her waist, and he pulled her in close. She wrapped her thighs around him, and he cupped her buttocks as they ravished each other, tongues sliding and hearts pounding.

  He moved his hand up her spine, and she shivered. When he gripped the back of her head, her hair came loose again and he groaned.

  She pulled away and smiled at him. “So, you want to help me work off this energy?”

  “In front of your guests?”

  She looked past him to the group of aliens who were watching with amused fascination.

  Stitch didn’t even think before she said, “That wouldn’t bother me, but this lab isn’t really comfortable. Perhaps something a little more horizontal?”

  Liakon smiled. “We will explore the exercise facility and determine what we can do with our new limbs.”

  Stitch frowned. “Take it easy. It will take a few more hours until the integration is complete.”

  “Yes, Major. We will follow your dictates.”

  She looked at Nikolai as the aliens filed out. “You could take a lesson from them.”

  He started to walk with her still wrapped around him. She smirked at him the whole way.

  When they were inside her quarters, he whispered in her ear and said, “I will fulfill all your requests and try to entice you into a few demands you didn’t even know you wanted.”

  “Fine, remove my uniform.”

  The moment he knelt in front of her, she knew they were off to an excellent start.

  Chapter Eight

  Her throaty order for him to remove his own clothing was lost in the rustling and occasional tearing of fabric. It wasn’t until he leaned down and unlaced his boots that she had time to focus on what was going on. Naked and settled on one side while she looked at him, she focused on why he was there at all.

  If he had imprinted on her because she kept him sane in those moments before his surgery, she was going to be braced for his eventual coming to his senses. Her heart would break, but in the meantime, she could fill it with memories. When they got back to Earth, if they got back to Earth, they would go their separate ways. She was pretty sure that Nikolai could do better than a damaged organizational freak.

  “What are you thinking about? It can’t be good.”

  He was taking off his pants and skimming out of his underwear in one move. His skin was dotted with silver patches that indicated internal reinforcement, but it didn’t deter from his beauty.

  The nanites had been designed for folks who wanted the vanity of physical alteration without the worry of rejecting the implants. It was a fad that had led to their ability to defend themselves a century later.

  “I was thinking about how we ended up here.”

  He stalked toward her. “That is a very heavy subject, Stitch. I think you need a distraction.”

  She watched his approach, and she smiled. “I think you are right. I won’t say that often.”

  He crawled over her and lowered his lips to hers. “Mission Distract Stitch is commencing.”

  She smiled against his mouth. “Thanks for the warning.”

  The kiss started out soft and grew deeper and more savage with every passing second. She turned her hips to invite his thighs to move between hers.

  The smooth feel of his hands on her skin spurred her analytical side, but when he broke their kiss and cupped her breasts, the analysis of the texture of his adjustment disappeared.

  She sighed as he sucked at her breast and tugged her nipple between his teeth. She could feel her folds getting wet with each tensing pull on her skin.

  Stitch gripped his shoulders then cupped his head, directing him from one breast to the other.

  She squirmed against him and wished his hair were longer. As it was, she had to use her strength to put his head where she wanted it. A low chuckle let her know that he didn’t mind.

  When he started working lower, she squeaked and tried to pull him up, but the sneaky bugger held her hands down and crept backward, kissing and sucking his way between her thighs.

  He tongued her folds apart and lapped at her. The flat expanse of his tongue delved into her, drinking her as her body put out its slick invitation.

  She clenched her fingers around his as he held her to the bed. The top of his head was moving in time to his tonguing, and when she screeched, he released her hands, pulled up and fitted his cock to her, working inside as her muscles clenched and drew him inside.

  He shuddered, and sweat broke out on his skin.

  Stitch wrapped her hand around the back of his neck and pulled him toward her as he started a slow thrust that undulated him against her.

  Nikolai caressed her tongue with his as he rocked into her with a steady beat.

  Stitch moved her hands down his body, dragging her fingers down his sides and finding where metal and man became one. She bit at his lips as they kissed and stroked the deep groove in his spine, coaxing him into a faster beat.

  She pulled at him and hooked her right leg around him.

  He broke the kiss and lifted up, staying inside her as he pushed her legs back until her knees were nearly to her chest.

  He slid in deeper, and the breath left her lungs. She wanted to call him a cheater, but instead, she moaned.

  He thrust into her with fervent determination. His teeth were clenched, and the veins on his neck were distended as he fought for control.

  She reached between them and took her new hand for a spin, moving in rapid circles around her clit until she was caught in a whirlwind of bright sparks behind her eyes.

  Nikolai grunted hoarsely and let out a low growl as he spilled into her. He jerked his hips sharply against her, and he finally stopped holding her legs in the tucked position.

  After he pulled out, he dropped to the bed beside her. “Well, I can cross that off my list.”

  She nodded. “Me too.”

  He put his hand on her stomach. “I didn’t mean it to sound like that. It has just been a fantasy of mine for a very long time.”

  Stitch looked at him, and there was a very concerned expression on his face.

  She nodded. “I am sure that after my face gets put on one of the sex bots in the rec centre, you will get over it.”

  “Do you think that this is just a lark for me?” He scowled.

  “No, but I am also cognizant of the fact that I am the only woman on this base and that guys race to see who can get in the lady’s pants first.”

  “This isn’t like that. None of the other guys would dare get into your bed. They don’t think of you like that.”

  She snorted. “Great to know.”

  He sighed and pressed
his forehead to hers. “I am making a hash of it.”

  “A little bit.”

  He sighed.

  She took pity on him and turned toward him, facing him.

  “Let’s start again, Nikolai. Neither of us was at our best when we met.”

  He sighed. “Call me Nik or Niko.”

  “Call me Stitch.” She reached toward him and took his left hand with her right. “I am a recent cyborg and OCD administrator. There isn’t a military bone in my body... well, not since you pulled out.”

  He quivered with laughter. “I have been a cyborg for three years, in charge of the base for eighteen months and have hated the paperwork the whole time.”

  “I started working in assessment back on Earth and volunteered to come out to help the war effort even after I knew it would mean mandatory sterilization.”

  His fingers squeezed hers. “I had nightmares when my brother told me he was enlisting.”

  She smiled sadly. “I cried when I had to work with my first wounded fighter, but I waited until he was headed to surgery before I let go.”

  “I was scared stiff when I was thawed out for enhancement until an angel walked me through the procedure and promised to let me watch her eat a hot dog if I survived. I never did get to collect on that.”

  She chuckled. “Your eyes were so pretty. Still are actually. It hurt to go through assessment and the team manipulation, never seeing the men again. Being here has been nice when I see some of my men again.”

  “Am I included in the wounded assessment?”

  He squeezed her hand.

  “Every inch of that initial repair to you was my design. I chose the pieces one by one that would make you better able to survive the next fight. It looks like I did a good job, but I never thought of any of the guys as wounded, not after the first. You were all just on your way to be stronger. It was a fiction I maintained until I had time on my own.”

  “How many?”

  She knew what he was asking. “One thousand nine hundred and thirty-four, including your brother.”

  He quirked his lips. “So, you have done me and my brother. That may cause issues.”

  She snorted and squeezed his hand again. “Funny.”

  He grinned.

  “Who did you leave behind?”

  He sobered. “My parents and I thought I had left Keenan behind. He proved me wrong.”

  She chuckled. “He is alive, and if the Earth will let us come home when this is over, he has a chance at a family.”

  “You don’t?”

  “Well, they froze my ovaries, but it isn’t like they can be put back in. The nanites would seek out any genetic intruders and destroy them. My sister said she would try and have a daughter for me if I came back.”

  He frowned. “I didn’t know that. I thought that they altered the programming to allow for children. That is what we were taught.”

  She sighed and held up her silvered hand. “The would-be mothers don’t have to support an artificial skeletal structure. The introduction of the implants changes the entire situation.”

  “So, they removed your ovaries.”

  “Yup, and put them into cold storage.”

  He smiled. “Well, they sterilized us before we left, after taking a working sample, so I hope that one day my popsicles can meet your popsicles.”

  She laughed. “If my sister gets pregnant, it would be the weirdest three-way ever.”

  He grinned and leaned toward her for a short kiss. “She means nothing to me.”

  “Her husband will be delighted to hear it.”

  She sighed and ran her hand down his chest. The silver skin had better senses than her other hand. Her left hand only felt the strength and heat of him and was currently wedged under her so had no opinion of his body’s texture.

  “I was afraid that you wouldn’t want to touch me.” His confession came out against her lips.

  “And I was worried that you would get nervous when I did this.” She trailed a hand down his chest, over the cobblestone abs, and she gripped his cock.

  He tensed. “Oh. That.”

  She stroked her fingers under his shaft and caressed his balls while he shivered. She kept her touch gentle, but he groaned when she finished cupping his balls and wrapped her fingers around his shaft.

  “You see, there aren’t a lot of men on this base who would let me take my cybernetic hand and wrap it around his cock, let alone do this.”

  She massaged him, tugging carefully as his erection grew again under her touch.

  “I have always had less of a self-preservation instinct than I should have.” His eyes closed. “It has always worked out for the best.”

  She laughed and continued to stroke him as she squirmed around until her lips were inches from the angry head of his cock.

  Stitch took him into her mouth and sucked on him, pulling back and then moving forward, breathing in through her nose on the stroke toward him.

  He muttered, and she felt his hands in her hair. She continued sucking at him until his fingers started to tighten. The moment he pushed down on her head, she pulled away and replaced her mouth with her hand.

  There was some resistance to her backing away, but she pulled away with insistence.

  She kept jerking him off while she shifted until they were face to face again. “The next time you are in the commissary, jam a whole cucumber down your throat, and then, we can discuss pushing my head down on your dick.”

  He blushed and then grunted as he came. The cum struck her belly, and she sighed. Time for a shower.

  Stitch patted his shoulder. “I am heading for a shower. You are welcome to join me.”

  He looked at her with dazed eyes. “I think that would be a good idea.”

  She crawled over him and dropped to the floor before straightening and walking to the bathroom. She fired up the shower and stepped under the hot spray, washing away the cum and easing the ache between her thighs. She was out of practice even before her two-year cold sleep.

  He slipped in behind her and got his hands into the shampoo dispenser, lathering up her hair before she could even turn around. The scalp massage was worth any previous gaffes. He definitely had a skill when it came to rubbing her scalp.

  “What is this?” He paused as his fingers pressed the new jack she had requested.

  “Oh, that is my booster kit. If I ever have to go out in the field, I want to be able to fight, so it is an education jack that lets me learn combat very quickly. Or surgery or medical treatment. I already got the med library. I am just letting it settle.”

  She turned and faced him; the water slowly rinsed her hair. With the flick of a lever, she started up the second showerhead, and he was pelted from behind.

  “Wow. You got the fancy shower.”

  “It matches mine on the old base. I wonder how it is doing?”

  He wiggled to get the heat on his back and groaned. “It is still in operation, but it has been attacked twice by the Splice.”

  “What do the Splice look for when they attack? How does the fighting go?”

  “They come at us in a rush of stunners and blades. They cut us to bleed us, and their numbers are such that they drag off our wounded before we can stop them.”

  She soaped her breasts and then between her thighs while he watched. “And is there a log or record of the attacks that I can see?”

  “We archive all of the footage. Our battle suits all have a link to the battleship we arrive on, and it uploads to the base when we arrive.”

  “What happens to the recording if they are captured?”

  “The units are usually destroyed as soon as they are removed. Our men are kept naked to avoid hidden weapons.”

  “Do they have a language?” She finished lathering between her thighs, and she turned to wash away the soap.

  “They do, but we can’t understand it.”

  He scrubbed her back and kissed her shoulder. “You sho
uldn’t think about it.”

  “I have to. There has to be a way to end this. We have been at it for twelve years, and Earth is dumb enough to think that they can survive behind that shield. One crack in it and they are toast.”

  He chuckled and paid attention to his own shower while she finished her scrubbing and headed out.

  The wrap absorbed a lot of water, and when her hair was towelled dry, Stitch returned to her room to get dressed.

  She had attack patterns to look into and an alien race to learn about. At least Niko hadn’t fought her for power.

  She needed all the support she could get.

  Chapter Nine

  After a long, late night and early morning of looking at horrific battle vids, she understood a little more about the Splice. What she understood was that their ships’ systems were linked, and they could find out a lot about the Splice if they could just get into their computers.

  Stitch needed a workout. The adjustments that she had installed needed to be tested.

  She headed off to the gym and saw the aliens working out, in awe of their new body parts. George was wandering around and helping them with the equipment. It seemed that some of the military were all right with the newcomers.

  She found an empty machine, strapped weights to her legs and started doing pullups.

  When she finished with the pullups, she went to the bench press and dialled up what she figured she could move comfortably.

  The two hundred pounds was too easy, so she went to the controls and turned the weight up to two-fifty then three hundred, three-fifty, and no matter what she was lifting, she could always lift more.

  “Fuck.” She got out of the machine and went to the pressure station. She put her hands and feet in the slots, lowering the plate to her height to gradually take the weight.

  “George, can you give me a reading?”

  “Sure thing, Stitch.” He left the man he had been talking to and wandered over to watch as the pressure built on her hands and body.

  She pressed upward and triggered the machine. The wide plate above her began to bear down on her, so she simply had to push back.

  “Four hundred, four-fifty, five, five-fifty, six, six-fifty, seven, seven-fifty... close, so close. Come on, Stitch. You can do it.”