Бесплатный фрагмент - Tyrant

PART V. Tyrant

Chapter 1. CEO

The Company.

A worldwide conglomerate that grew into a pure force of administration that crept into every single niche of life of Terrans. United in a single planetary human race, people have long forgotten their squabbles about their territorial and otherwise based wars and disagreements. The Company united them all into a single unit of a gigantic conglomerate-governed people.

At first, of course, there were still government officials, but as their debts to the Company grew — so did the Company’s influence in the everyday life.

What it meant over the course of time was that the rich people grew even richer and the poor ones fell deeper into debt. The only way to try and repay any debts — for healthcare, education and otherwise — was to start working for the Company in one way or another.

He was fortunate enough to have been born into one of the families that were in the top administration. To him it was rather a bother — as he was raised from the early age to become one of the CEO’s that were at the helm, making sure the Company continued working properly and making profits all over Terra and the Solar System.

At 35 years of age he was the youngest CEO ever appointed, when his father stepped back from his position, allowing his son to take over.

Now, almost 40 years later, Elijah Winchester was as powerful as the CEO’s that sat longer on the board. And even though every single higher-up in the Company always used genetic rejuvenation, he was one of those fortunate enough to have the best self-care possible in his position.

He never looked even remotely older than 30.

Refined, well-educated and intelligent, this man was sought by many influential families to become an ally through marriage. But he preferred to be a bachelor, basking in the free life of a single man, who could easily enjoy his vacations, living without a single scandal. And if there ever was any hint of one — his men took care of it, eradicating the threat swiftly.

The man stepped up to the mirror, combed his thick, dark brown hair and took a thorough look at his expensive suit. The old, classic style of business attire was still considered to be the best choice for any meeting or work day.

To Elijah it meant something greater.

He loved the feel of power that surrounded him whenever he wore the suits. And the sense of safety that came with them was too — a welcome thought. The fabric wasn’t usual by any means — woven into it were the thin bullet-proof threads that could protect him from most shots and knives.

«Meeting in ten minutes, boss.» one of his bodyguards said, checking the time.

«I know, John.» lazily replied Elijah. «Any news on my little… stalker?»

«No. Terrence hadn’t checked in yet. He’s taking his time.»

«I’m sure he’s just organising everything to the best of his ability.» Elijah chuckled.

He didn’t mind the stalling — he knew that Terrence will do everything the way he’s supposed to. It was his job after all — to seek out every threat Elijah had and take care of it all. By whatever means possible.

Elijah glanced at John — the big, muscular man towered over him, but always kept cool and collected. Trustworthy and strong, he was a perfect bodyguard, who stayed by his side all the time — wherever Elijah went. His most interesting trait wasn’t in his muscles or height, it was in the rare eye implants that allowed him to see much more than usual people did.

The eyes, shimmering with silver and bloody red circles for irises, always scanned the surroundings, seeing through clothes to find any hint of weapon being concealed. Even more — those very eyes recorded the day, each evening submitted to a special server that was accessible only with a special code.

«How do I look?» Elijah brushed his sleeves and checked his cufflinks.

«Dashing, as always.» John replied calmly.

Elijah knew this wasn’t a genuine answer — the man was working for him, after all, but still, hearing someone else note his sense of style always made him feel better.

«While I’ll be busy with these old bags of bones, organise a passage to Essara.» Elijah headed out.

«How long will we be gone?» John immediately took a miniature information tablet, to note all the information.

«A month. I need a vacation. We leave tonight. Tomorrow morning at the latest. We’ll see how this meeting goes.»

«Done.» John looked up at his employer’s back. «Company for the flight?»

«Not this time. I grew bored from all the whores money can buy.» Elijah scowled, but so slightly that no one even noticed.

Or, perhaps, his co-workers simply didn’t look up, allowing him to walk past.

Elijah tried not to look at the people he loathed. All he could think about is leaving this place and going elsewhere. It’s been too long since he took a proper vacation — a luxury he could have at any time he wanted. However, the latest projects he has been involved in took up so much of his time that he forgot all about any rest at all.

He hated boredom — and after finishing up the most relevant projects he found himself bored. And even though he was summoned to attend a typical meeting of the higher-ups in his region, he knew — he won’t hear anything new. It will be all the same again — profit quota, numbers and schedules that he’s heard and seen time and time again.

Sometimes he wished he could forget all about this company life and live like one of his private enforcers. Those, at least, saw some semblance of excitement that could soothe any deep-driven rage.

And that Elijah had tonnes.

On first glance he was a collected and calm man, but deep inside there was a void that he couldn’t fill by any means — not the whores or luxurious dinners, not the new addition to his vast collection of art, not a new ancient weapon bought from the less legitimate procurers.

Even his everyday training that he spent in the private ring weren’t as exhilarating as they used to. It kept his mind under control, but there wasn’t any real danger he could face in the controlled square with his opponents — however skilful they were.

But he knew he wouldn’t be able to enter a real match — his family could easily disown him for falling so low in terms of self-respect.

Walking into the massive conference room, he noted all the people gathered there — every man and woman of high status that always looked like they’ve been chewing lemons every single moment of their pitiful lives — and greeted them with polite nods as he passed them to his place.

For the next few hours he had to force himself to play by the Company rules and listen to the continuous babbling of his fellow administration with a semblance of respect for them and interest in what they have done for the Company.

By the time the meeting ended and all the etiquette chatter was done with, Elijah walked out, shedding the mask and becoming as bored and indifferent, as he was before he stepped inside that room.

John met him with a nod and they both headed off to the top floors of the skyscraper, where his space jet was already waiting for his departure.

Once in the comfortable seats of the jet, Elijah shared a drink with his bodyguard, enjoying the silence of the flight towards a place he could try and find some solace in the entertainment Essara offered. He looked at the Company motto that was embedded into the wall of his private space jet and couldn’t help it, scowling.

For the benefit of the Company. For the glory of mankind.

Chapter 2. Shores

Serena basked in the sun, enjoying the fine weather this vacation planet called Essara offered.

This place they went to was a perfect location to relax, recuperate after the hard work they’ve done and have some much needed rest before going after whoever next the Empress will order to investigate. Fortunately, they had enough time while the Empress’ men will be able to study everything they were supplied with — Falana’s ship that Serena’s crew delivered to them was a treasure of information and some prototypes that the criminal had produced in her travels.

So Serena and her crew could rest until they would be called upon or until they would get tired of being without anything to do. And that was exactly what the Captain was doing — lying in the sun and trying to enjoy her day.

Her thoughts, however, were far from being calm, still fixated on her irrational fear of Falana, when they engaged her on Helvette. Serena couldn’t forgive herself for falling prey to that fear, sparked by the fact that Falana wasn’t looking to fight the woman without the use of her multiple experimental devices and weapons. Perhaps, this fear threw Serena into a frenzy, forcing her to use Shimmer in a fight that could have been finished without the use of any stimulants at all.

«Ew!» a sudden disgusted voice sounded next to her and someone’s shadow closed her from the sun.

Serena opened her eye — her left one still covered by an eyepatch — and saw a bulky older woman that clutched a beach towel to her voluptuous breasts that were barely covered by what was supposed to be a swimming suit.

«Good day to you too, stranger.» Serena smirked.

«I swear! People nowadays take any lazy vagabond to work around here!» the woman scowled.

Serena twitched her brow — she was resting on the beach that was supposed to be their own little safe haven from all other guests in the area. After all, they paid a very high price for such privacy.

«I beg your pardon? Have you lost your way?» Serena asked the woman instead of the rude comment that was urging its way up.

«You are in MY spot!» the woman scoffed. «Get your pathetic ass off my beach and go do your job!»

«I’m on vacation, lady. This is my job. I am renting the mansion behind me and this beach. So get off my beach and find someone else to bother!» Serena sat up, getting annoyed.

Only now she noticed a whole group of children that were running off into the water.

«You have some nerve lying to me like that!» the strange woman raised her tone. «Never have I ever heard someone being so rude to a paying customer!»

«Lady, I rented this plot. You’re trespassing on my vacation spot. So leave now, before I throw you out without even calling for security!»

«Like I can believe a ruffian like you can afford such a mansion to stay in! You can’t even afford to get your disgusting eye fixed!»

«Is everything all right?» Hunter’s voice sounded behind them.

The strange woman gasped and ran up to the cyborg, immediately grabbing onto his arm:

«Ah! There you are! Escort this trash off my vacation plot!»

Hunter frowned and glanced at Serena, who sat silent with a smile on her face.

«Excuse me?» he turned and looked at the strange woman who somehow got into their rented plot.

«This trash! I want her out! She’s interfering with my family’s retreat! We’ve been here since last night!» the woman explained.

«I don’t know who you are, lady, but we’ve been renting this plot for the past three days.» Hunter unclasped her hands from his arm. «And I suggest you gather those little troublemakers you call your kids and get out of here before we have you arrested for trespassing.»

«Preposterous! How dare you! Do you even know who I am?»

Serena sighed and stood up, getting tired of this absurd exchange:

«I don’t give a flying fuck who you are. Or who you’re married to. Or whichever people are unfortunate enough to call themselves your parents or siblings. We are renting this place. You are trespassing. I am offering you one last chance to leave peacefully!» she said, her tone, though seemingly calm, hiding a low rumble of warning in it.

«But you are trespassing on MY spot!» the stranger screeched.

A security bot flew up, slowing down and circling everyone around to scan everyone on the beach, before descending to the heated exchange:

«Trespassers located. You have five minutes to leave of your free will.» the drone reported.

«See? Even the robot knows I am right!» the strange woman held her head high.

«You are mistaken.» the bot replied. «You and your family are trespassing on a privately rented plot. Leave now, or I will have to escort you out by force and ban you from this region for ten years.»

The stranger turned and saw more people coming towards Serena and Hunter. The intimidating look on the four men and a young woman with a girl skipping by her side made her shut her mouth.

«This isn’t over!» she hissed to Serena, glanced to her kids and whistled.

The children she was with turned to her and froze for a second, before their joyful faces turned sour and they slouched, quickly gathering their towels and other stuff, and walking back from the beach to their mother — the older children hurrying their younger siblings.

The drone followed the trespassers until they left the property line and Serena lay back down with a heavy sigh.

«Sorry.» Laneth said. «I heard the commotion and decided to call in the security drone.»

«It’s fine.» Serena closed her eye again. «Although, it might have made for some good fun beating her ass all over this beach…»

«Not the place to do that, Serena.» Lindon shook his head. «There are many powerful people resting here all the time. You don’t want to get on their bad side.»

«Yeah, like I haven’t gotten on that ladies bad side for being where I’m supposed to be.» Serena stretched. «I regret not paying for the additional security…»

«We can still order it if you like…» Wolfin walked past, heading towards the water. «But for the time being, I suggest we have some fun.»

«Race you!» Kayla screamed happily and ran off, leaving Laneth giggling behind.

The girl caught up to Wolfin and got ahead, as the man ran off behind her — only a step behind, giving her the advantage. Serena watched this and smiled, remembering how she used to «race’ Wolfin when she was a child.

Hunter watched how everybody else ran off towards the ocean, and sat down next to Serena, but not onto one of the deck-chair, deciding to sit straight on the white sand of the beach.

«Are you alright?» he asked Serena, watching Wolfin playing with Kayla and thinking what a wonderful father and mentor the Veluthian was.

«Irritated by the encounter and wished Laneth hadn’t called in security.» the woman replied. «I was about to have some fun.»

Hunter glanced at her, seeing her lying under the sun with her eyes closed.

«Not sure if that would be fun, Serena.» the man said. «That… uh… woman wasn’t very fit to be an interesting opponent in a fight.»

Serena sighed and turned her head to look at him:

«True.» she smirked.

«Can I make an observation?»

«Sure.»

«You seem like you aren’t very used to having a… vacation.» Hunter waved towards their friends having fun in the ocean waters.

Serena glanced that way and smirked:

«That is also true.» she said, stretching again. «I guess… I’m used to being busy.»

The cyborg looked to their friends and wondered if he could ask her something else.

«What’s on your mind?» Serena asked him, seeing his thoughtful expression.

He looked down, seeing his metal hands and shook his head:

«I was just wondering… when you all thought I was dead… Lindon said you ran to Daruta to fight in one of the cages there…»

«M… I did. So what’s your question then?» Serena sat up, hugging her knees and looking at him.

«Wolfin said they found you drinking and fighting… They said you barely slept.»

«I tried to keep myself busy. Because every time I stopped, I went up to the roof and sat there hours on end, contemplating if my life was worth living anymore.» Serena took a deep breath. «Is that what you wanted to ask me about?»

Hunter glanced at her and saw her looking down, her face saddened by the memories.

«Why?» he asked, his voice cracking. «I was ready to give my life for you, and you…»

He fell silent, when she raised her eyes to meet his gaze.

«It was my fault you got torn by that beast. If you hadn’t jumped to it to shield me, I’d be able to grow back my limbs…»

«It’s not your fault, Serena. It was never your fault. I was ready to die for you then, and I am ready to die for you now. There’s nothing you can say or do to make me change my mind about that.»

Serena shook her head with a sigh:

«It’s a pity we never found the chimera that…» she gritted her teeth.

«You won’t be able to.» Hunter sighed. «Because I killed it.»

The woman met his gaze again and frowned:

«I thought you couldn’t remember what happened after we lost you to Falana…»

Hunter took a deep breath, before answering:

«After the memory extraction you ran… When you found out that Falana… used me…» he gritted his teeth, shaking his head. «I started remembering. Bits and pieces, but… I remember fighting this chimera at Falana’s order. I tore it limb from limb.»

«And… everything else?» Serena’s voice grew quiet.

«I remember how I beat you… how I tried to kill you… I’m so sorry, Serena.» he looked at his hands. «I can’t even offer you anything more than an apology for those heinous acts that I’ve done… I know you won’t be able to look at me the same anymore. It hurts me, but I understand.»

Serena stood from the chair and leaned in, staying silent until he raised his face to her again. When he looked up, he saw her smiling.

«You say that, but I can’t believe you really believe that, Hunter.» she said with a smile. «You’re the one who caught me on Helvette and surrounded me with your metal body to protect me from the storm when I was knocked out. If it weren’t for you, I could have died. You weren’t thinking about yourself, even though I was under Shimmer and probably would have tried to kill you then if it weren’t for the bay doors being open.»

«I’d do that again, Serena. A thousand times over.» Hunter said truthfully.

«I know. So stop saying I will never see you in the same light I used to see you when you were a… human.» Serena looked at his body. «You might have new limbs and a much sturdier body, but inside… you’re the same Hunter I fell in love with. The same man, who was always so protective of me, whenever I needed it most. The same man I mourned for so long…»

She reached out her hand to him. Hunter hesitated for a moment and took her palm in his, rising to his feet. Serena smiled to him and shook her head:

«Now… tell me…» her smile grew wider. «Does that metal body of yours swim? Or will you sink to the ocean floor?»

Hunter saw her teasing glance and couldn’t help himself, stepping closer and gently embracing her:

«I love you, Serena. I hope you can believe that, at least.»

She didn’t recoil, didn’t tense up in his arms, and for a few long moments he felt happy to have her there by his side — almost like he used to when he was human.

«You still scare me.» Serena whispered, making Hunter immediately lean back, freeing her from his arms, but when she didn’t let go, he froze. «I still have issues to work through. Be patient. I started seeing you as the friend you were before. Perhaps, when I can get past the nightmares you embedded into my mind, we can share our bed again.»

«I’m not going to push you, Serena. I’ve hurt you too much and understand it. If you can’t have me as your man, then at least have me as a friend and part of your crew. I didn’t lie to you when I gave you that oath. I will remain loyal to you. In all matters…»

Serena lowered her eyes to his metal-covered chest and stepped up, pressing against it and closing her eyes:

«I’m beginning to like this new scent of yours….» she said quietly. «You smell like a…»

«A piece of scrap metal.» Hunter sighed.

«A Veluthian.» Serena smirked and leaned back, patting his chest with her palm. «Though, unlike one, you didn’t answer my question.»

The man twitched his brow, seeing her eyes lighting up with tease again, when she met his gaze.

«About..?» he asked.

«Do you swim? Or will you sink?» she chuckled, stepping towards the others. «Will you join us, or will you sulk all alone on the sands?»

Hunter looked down at his body. He knew he was heavy, but Laneth told him that, technically, he should be able to swim without issue.

«I mean… I don’t know.» he replied a moment later. «Laneth said it’s possible that I could swim, I just…»

«Do you want to try it out?» Serena nodded to the ocean. «Or are you scared?»

Hunter hesitated for a moment and looked at his hands again:

«You might say that…»

«Don’t worry, if you sink, we’ll fish you out.» Serena chuckled, heading to the water. «If I can overcome my fear of you… you can overcome fear of drowning.»

Hunter felt a smile appearing on his lips and followed the woman.

The next few hours they all enjoyed the cool waters of an Essarian ocean — even Hunter, who could, in fact, stay afloat and swim without having to fight against the water.

As the day continued, and Kayla got a bit tired of all the running and swimming, Serena and Laneth kept her company when she was resting on the shore, watching the men relaxing and discussing something in the water.

«Captain?» Kayla glanced at the woman. «Can we have a girls night out? Just us girls?»

«Girls night out?» Serena frowned.

«Kayla proposed to go out and see if the Entertainment Centre is as good as advertised.» Laneth giggled. «Our men agreed that you could use a bit of… a breather.»

«Even Hunter?»

«Hunter, Lindon, Wolfin, Cipher, Pher and Taliesin — all of them agreed with me!» Kayla grinned widely. «Why wouldn’t they? I’m smart!»

«And what will they do while we’re out?» Serena tilted her head.

«Who cares?»

«I think they said something about teaching Hunter and all the others the Veluthian poker?» Laneth shrugged.

Serena sighed heavily. That wasn’t a game she would prefer Hunter knowing how to play. Especially with his new body — he could easily leave a couple of broken bones with a single punch. And Veluthian poker was exactly that — punches thrown when someone lost. The winner was supposed to be not only good at cards and placing bets, but also receiving punches and staying clearheaded afterwards.

«Yeah, who cares about card games?» Kayla slapped her palms together. «Come on! Let’s go! I really want us girls to spend some time together.»

Serena exchanged glances with Laneth and sighed heavily again:

«Fine. I guess you’re right. I could use a bit of… entertainment.»

«Yay!» Kayla jumped up, happy to hear the Captain agree to her little plan. «Can we go shopping first? Laneth said we can buy some new clothes!»

Serena shrugged, smiling at the girl. Buying some new clothes could be useful and relaxing. Perhaps, she’d be able to find herself something interesting. Or, maybe, she’ll get her crew something as well — as a thank you for all the hard work they’ve done while they were chasing Falana.

Chapter 3. Entertainment

Elijah was bored.

Even though he owned Essara and had the best spots to have his vacation, there was nothing that excited him there any longer. He grew bored with the women that hung themselves onto him. He felt the drinks becoming sour. He no longer wanted to bask in the sun or gamble his money away in the casinos around the planet.

It was, of course, a great investment, but not a single establishment offered the necessary excitement any more.

Elijah wandered the streets of the Entertainment Centre — the city he build especially for the people on vacation, so that they could find every possible way to spend their money and lift their spirits before returning to whatever dull lives they had outside of their vacations.

He glanced back at the couple of bodyguards following him inconspicuously, but closely, and thought if he could ever escape them to find some kind of excitement in the simple attempt to keep them elsewhere.

The man sighed, realising that he couldn’t do that — the tracking chip, implanted into his body, would signal them his location.

A couple of beautiful women passed him and Elijah suddenly froze in awe — he was looking at a strange sight in this expensive place. It was a woman — a beautiful silver-haired young woman, who was wearing an eyepatch. He studied her lean, well-trained body and wandered who she was and what she was doing on Essara.

She was obviously on vacation — with her friend, or partner, and a child walking by her side — but he never thought someone, who could afford a vacation on Essara, wouldn’t be able to afford a cybernetic eye or a specially grown replacement.

Intrigued, Elijah slipped into the crowd, following the woman and feeling his heart filling with excitement for the first time in a long time.

He followed them from one establishment to another, watching them purchasing things with ease, as if they didn’t have to bother themselves about money, and this made him even more intrigued to see them there — something didn’t add up.

When Elijah saw the amount they spent in one of the clothes shops, he was beginning to feel himself a hunter out on a prowl. He watched the women and the child, and at some point began to question his first impression about the trio. The women did not, in fact, act like a couple. Instead, they seemed to be good friends — at least, that’s how it looked from his perspective.

Even stranger was the girl — if before Elijah thought the women adopted her, now his thoughts turned to them being either her nannies or, perhaps, distant relatives?

Elijah had too many questions and so little answers.

And then he began noticing some details that made him shiver from excitement even more.

The white-silver haired woman kept glancing around — inconspicuously, but definitely for a reason. And though she was smiling, he knew — she was attentive to her surroundings.

She acted like she was a bodyguard of sorts.

But she definitely didn’t earn like the bodyguards he ever encountered — even his own.

Even more intriguing was the patch that covered her eye — if she had so much money to spend, why hadn’t she acquired services of a surgeon to grow herself a new eye? Or make a cybernetic implant she could definitely afford?

When the women sat down at an open-space cafeteria to enjoy some drinks, Elijah was already eager to approach them. He spent a bit of time contemplating how to do that without raising suspicion.

Finally, he ran his fingers through his neatly-styled hair and walked up, watching them all closely, noting how cheerful the little girl was. The man caught himself on a thought that in her age he was already denied being a child and was forced to be a young man, who was always taught and never allowed to be carefree.

«I am so sorry to intrude, ladies…» Elijah bowed gracefully to the trio. «But I couldn’t help it. Allow me to introduce myself. Elijah Winchester.»

«Good day to you sir. What brings you to our little table?» Serena twitched her brow, noting the expensive fabric of his clothes and a few tastefully chosen pieces of jewellery that adorned this handsome man.

«I beg your pardon, miss, for the rude inquiry… But I couldn’t help notice your eye…» Elijah touched his left cheekbone. «Can I ask what happened?»

«A job related injury.» Serena smirked.

«If you are looking to fix it, allow me to recommend a medical facility right here on Essara. The doctors there can take care of it within a day, I promise you.»

«Thank you, but we’re fine.» Kayla answered instead.

The man glanced at the girl, then looked at the silent, but attentive olive-skinned woman, and returned his eyes to Serena.

«I’m sorry if I overstepped.» he said.

«Don’t worry, Mister Winchester. My eye will be fine in just a couple of days. Nothing to worry about.» Serena smirked again and sent a very harsh gaze to Kayla.

«Please, call me Elijah.» the man bowed again. «I am sorry, if I only knew how to call you…»

«Serena.»

«Captain Serena to you!» Kayla said.

Serena glanced her way again, tilting her head.

«Captain? Are you, by any chance, a captain of a space ship?» Elijah asked.

«What of it? I’m on vacation with my crew.» Serena replied, meeting the man’s gaze again.

«Can I ask what kind of a captain are you? Of a passenger ship?»

«We’re mercenaries.» Kayla intruded again.

Laneth grabbed the girl’s wrist and hissed at her. Serena took a very deep breath:

«I am terribly sorry, Mister Winchester. We are here on vacation.»

«Please, Serena, I must ask you…» Elijah stepped closer. «Would you be willing to take a contract? Not immediately, by any means, have your vacation and start after you’ve done resting. If you are mercenaries and can afford Essara, then you must be good mercenaries. I am looking for someone trustworthy to take a contract to find someone. I will pay handsomely for this job.»

Serena slowly stood from her seat, crossing her arms on her chest:

«I don’t like discussing business on vacation, Mister Winchester.» she said.

«I assure you, it will be worth your while.» Elijah said with a charming smile. «I own this vacation planet. I can pay handsomely for your time and skills.»

Serena scoffed:

«Then as an owner you’ll be able to find where I’m staying on the planet and send me a proper invitation with the time and place where we could meet to discuss business. But for the moment, farewell, Mister Winchester.» she turned to Laneth and Kayla and nodded aside. «We’re leaving, girls.»

Both stood and hurried after the woman as she headed elsewhere.

Elijah smiled. Finally, he met someone intriguing and worth his time.

Perhaps, his vacation won’t be as dull and boring as he thought. Plus, if Serena really was a mercenary — and a good one at that! — he’ll be able to kill two birds with one stone.

Chapter 4. Business

When they returned to the rented mansion, Kayla kept quiet, seeing how tense Serena was. Laneth scolded the girl for speaking too much, and they both knew that Serena could reprimand her as well — the woman looked very dissatisfied by the girl’s behaviour. However, she was silent all the way back to the mansion.

The men were still deep in their poker game — with Cipher, Pher and Taliesin joined in the fun, although playing a simpler kind of poker, being humans and not capable of withstanding punches of Veluthian men and a cyborg. Instead, the three were heavily drunk — as each time they stayed in game they received a hefty shot of alcohol instead of a punch.

Laneth took Kayla to her room and stayed with her to have a serious talk, while Serena headed to cool off on the beach, sitting on one of the seats there.

Only an hour passed before one of the helper bots flew up to the woman and reported that there was a visitor at the door asking for her. Serena scowled and went to see who it was, wondering if the setting sun would help make this interaction as brief as possible.

But when she approached and opened the door, she saw a handsome, tall, muscular and intimidating-looking man with cybernetic eyes aimed at her. She already saw him once before — when Elijah approached them earlier in the Entertainment Centre, he was lingering behind the man. She studied his kind expression and the honey-blond short hair, and then lowered her gaze, noting his well-trained body.

«Miss Serena, Mister Elijah Winchester is inviting you to a business meeting.» the man stepped aside, half-turning and gesturing to a hover vehicle waiting at the road.

«Right now?» Serena frowned.

«If you need to change, you can, but I would advise you not to make Mister Winchester wait.»

Taking a deep breath, Serena realised that if she were to get rid of the man, she would need to do it face to face. Looking down at her simple trousers and cropped top, she sighed and shook her head:

«Give me five minutes to change into something more appropriate.»

«Of course.» the man replied with a polite smile.

She closed the door and went to her room, where she had a couple of clothing options at the ready, including her usual Captain’s outfit that she kept there just because she was always ready to leave the place at any moment. It took her less than five minutes to get ready.

But as she was passing her crew, who still played cards, Hunter noticed her attire and stopped her:

«Is anything wrong?»

«It’s fine. I have a… business meeting, I guess. A man was inquiring if we could take a job after our vacation.» Serena answered calmly. «It won’t take long, don’t worry.»

«Do you want any of us to come with you?» Lindon asked, seeing how tense the woman was.

«Nah, enjoy your evening. I’ll be back soon.»

She walked off, leaving them a little puzzled to her composure.

When she walked out of the mansion, she noted the man bowing slightly, his eyes sliding down her body, and gesturing to the vehicle again. They approached the car that opened its doors, welcoming the two passengers. Once airborne, Serena glanced at her companion:

«So Mister Winchester is really the owner of this planet?»

«And some others.» the man replied. «He’s a very wealthy businessman and leads a number of profitable locations.»

«Interesting. When I met him, he didn’t seem like it…»

«He’s…» the man frowned, looking for a proper word. «Not as uptight as other people in similar position in the Company.»

Serena tensed up. She didn’t know the Company purchased Essara.

For the remainder of their short trip she stayed silent, watching the road they took.

«You’re remembering the way?» the man smirked. «Is that because you don’t trust me?»

«That, and a matter of habit. Being a mercenary, you tend to keep your eyes open and be ready for anything.» Serena replied, seeing the vehicle descending onto a private landing pod on top of a skyscraper.

«Don’t worry, you’ll be transported back when your meeting will be over.» the man smiled. «I will make sure of it personally, as per Mister Winchester’s orders.»

Serena smirked:

«Got a name, big guy? Or should I just call you Eyes for those awesome implants you have?»

The man chuckled, opening the doors:

«John. Call me John.»

«Nice to meet you, John.» Serena stepped out of the hover car and saw Elijah waiting by the doors that led inside the building.

The man was dressed just as fine as before, only this time his trousers were black and the shirt he was wearing was made of black silk and half-unbuttoned, showing a fairly muscular chest and a simple orichum chain that seemed to change colours in the light. The metal was extremely rare and expensive, and one such trinket could easily buy a spacious house in most places of the Human Universe.

«Mister Winchester.» Serena bowed slightly to the man.

«Miss Serena.» he replied with a bow and smiling wide. «I am so happy to see you again.»

He gestured her inside and the woman followed him, while John stayed back at the vehicle.

«Straight to business?» Serena asked. «Or are you one of those who prefer to chat before discussing matters?»

«I would prefer a drink first. And a bit of conversation won’t hurt as well, as I am quite intrigued to a Veluthian woman being on this lowly vacation planet.»

Serena twitched her brow, entering a lavishly decorated hall, adorned with all kinds of areas that could be used for several types of things. There was a bar in the corner and a large empty space that could be used as a dance floor — with a small stage on one side and some tables on the other. A rounded sofa big enough for at least fifteen people stood in the middle of the hall, and around it were scattered several nooks and crannies with instruments, statues, trinkets and memorabilia that seemed though tastefully combined with the overall look of the hall, not very welcoming and spoke extremely little about the owner of these rooms.

«What’s your poison?» Elijah asked, stepping behind the bar and gesturing to the wide variety of alcoholic beverages he had. «I have almost every drink in the Human Universe. Including those Veluthians have on their home planet.»

Serena leaned over the bar and squinted:

«And if I would ask you what would you prefer yourself?»

The man smirked and leaned down, opening a small refrigeration unit and taking out two chilled bottles of beer. He offered one to Serena and she took it, glancing at the label.

«Stargaze…» she read. «Never had one of these yet.»

She flicked the cap off and took a sip, immediately surprised by the thick and pleasant taste this beverage offered.

«A nostalgic drink. Guilty pleasure.» Elijah smiled, raising his bottle before taking a sip. «I grew up where it’s made. I take it… you grew up on Velutha?»

«Yes. Though, I am still wondering how you got any of this information…» Serena tilted her head.

«Ah, that would be because the Company’s reach is far beyond our borders. We collect information. Even on the far parts of the Human Universe. Your name has come up a number of times in some of the reports. Daughter of a prominent family, excellent warrior, great captain, very reliable mercenary…» Elijah squinted. «And all that together with having been imprisoned on your own planet… I would love to know what happened.»

«I got sucked into some… unsavoury business I had to deal with. My imprisonment was short lived and I was acquitted of all charges. That’s all I can and willing to say.» the woman took a sip of beer.

«Perhaps… you would be willing to share some information about the mercenary group that took contract for your head and never returned?»

«Are you asking me if I was the one to kill Latch and his gang?»

Elijah smiled wider, already understanding her answer:

«Ah, so it was you. It was a pity when I heard they were… no longer available. But I was wondering who disposed of them. I always search out people with potential.»

«Veluthians make better mercenaries, Mister Winchester.» Serena smirked. «Latch and his gang were… mad dogs, to say the least.»

Elijah chuckled at such a remark, noting how the woman kept herself around him.

«Still, he was the best in his field of work… for the time being.» he said with a pleased smile. «I guess he was happy to go out by the hand of such a… beautiful woman such as yourself.»

«I don’t mix business and pleasure, Mister Winchester.» Serena forced a smile on her face. «So please, don’t use that charm of yours, trying to get me into your bed. You won’t be able to.»

«Am I that obvious?» Elijah chuckled.

«Yes.» the woman smirked. «No offence.»

«None taken.»

«So about that contract… what is it you wanted me to help you with? Who are you looking for?»

«A woman.» Elijah smirked.

«I’m not a pimp, Mister Winchester. Don’t play games with me.»

«Not that kind of woman.» Elijah chuckled again. «We’ve been doing business. She disappeared after getting a significant advance and never delivered her part of the deal.»

«Ah! Now that is more my type of game.» Serena smiled. «How much do you know for us to start with?»

«I’ll have John download everything we know. If you agree to take the contract that is.»

«Mister Winchester…»

«Please, call me Elijah. Mister Winchester sounds so… formal.» Elijah winced. «Never liked that.»

«Fine…» Serena took a sip of beer, finishing her bottle. «Elijah, I would need to know some more details about this job. For instance… would you like her captured? Killed? We do both. Each instance costs differently. Though, circumstances sometimes make it extremely difficult to capture the target… unscathed. But we are well versed in all sorts of jobs. If you need your advance retrieved, then I would need to know the full sum and some documents to have as proof of this amount. However, if you need us to find whatever it is she was to deliver… we need details — the more, the better.»

«I love it when a woman knows exactly what to ask for.» the man smiled wide. «I’ve dealt with male mercenaries less versed in all the intricacies of this sort of work.»

«Then you have never dealt with a true professional. We pride ourselves in our work.»

«One more drink, Serena?»

The woman glanced at the empty bottle and weighed her options, then leaned onto the bar, meeting his gaze:

«Thanks, but I’d rather discuss payment for the job you offered.»

Elijah chuckled and tilted his head:

«Let’s make a deal…» he said. «Meet me again, and I will provide you with all the information that we know, and prepare a contract and an appropriate advance for you and your team.»

«You’re in no rush, I see.»

«Why would I be? You’ve rented one of our mansions for two weeks with a possibility to lengthen your stay. I don’t want to force you to cut your vacation short.» Elijah set aside his bottle. «See me again. I’d love to discuss more business with you. And I would also like to offer you a separate invitation to get some drinks at any time. I’d love to know a bit more about your people.»

«Don’t push your luck, Elijah.» Serena smiled back at him.

«It’s a friendly invitation, Serena. Not a sexual one.» the man twisted his brow. «Please, at least consider it possible.»

«Alright.» the woman smirked. «So how do I contact you then? Or should I wait for you to call?»

Elijah walked around the bar and approached her. Looking into her eyes and smiling, he connected their watches and pressed something on his.

«There. You now have access to my direct number. Call me any time.» he said. «Any time at all.»

«Of course.» Serena nodded.

«I’ll walk you to the car. John will take you back.»

«Interesting bodyguard, by the way. I’ve never seen eyes like that.» Serena walked beside the man, feeling relaxed, even though at first he invoked some tension in her. «Custom order?»

«He’s got them since an injury he received in one of the hot spots on Terra. His eyes were burnt out and the doctors were unable to help him restore vision by usual means. So I offered to have his eyes upgraded if he would work for me. He’s quite the capable man. I spared no expense in giving him eyes that fit his new position.»

«A business proposal he couldn’t refuse, huh?»

«I mean… he’s safer being my bodyguard and enjoys a life of luxury by simply being my babysitter. Who would refuse? I pay handsomely to everyone who works for me.»

«What about the other guy? The one who was with you two when you approached me with my friends?»

«Ah, so you’ve noticed.»

«I have keen eyes, Elijah. A matter of habit.»

«That was Fisk. He’s John’s brother, actually. Both served in the same regiment, so I offered him the job as well, as they performed better when paired.»

Serena stepped out in the chilly evening air and saw John straightening by the hover car, gesturing to the doors that opened.

«It was a pleasure, Serena.» Elijah bowed slightly. «Until next time.»

«Good night, Elijah.» the woman returned the polite bow and headed to John.

Elijah watched the woman leaving and felt a deep hunger. Something dark rose up and he grunted, walking back into the apartment. He stopped at the inconspicuous looking wardrobe and opened the doors, looking at the robot standing there and charging.

«I hate that I have to do this… but you will suffice today…» he said, snapping his fingers.

The robot came alive and looked at him — a perfect copy of Serena, the sex bot was ready for use and at the man’s disposal for whatever lowly wishes he had on his mind.

Chapter 5. Suspicions

«Heading out again?» Lindon saw Serena walking to the door.

«Just want to get a bit of fresh air before going to sleep. I won’t be long.» the woman shrugged.

The Veluthian man caught her wrist when she was walking by:

«Why go alone? Is Laneth busy or something?»

«She’s babysitting Kayla. They’re playing some game with Wolfin, and I don’t want to intrude.» Serena shook her head.

«I can go, if you want…» the man frowned a bit.

Serena took a deep breath, but then stepped up to him, watching his eyes and smiled a bit:

«I’m going out alone for a reason, Lindon. I need some solitude for a bit. Don’t worry about me right now. Essara is just about the safest vacation planet there is.»

Lindon cupped her cheek, studying her eyes for a few long moments, and sighed:

«If you must…» he whispered. «Just…»

«I know you’re here for me, Lindon. You’ve made it crystal clear.» Serena smiled to the man, patting his chest. «If I’ll feel like I need company, you’ll be the first one I will call, deal?»

«Stay safe, Serena.»

The woman leaned closer to him, landing a very soft, yet short kiss to his lips:

«Deal.» she said with a smile, stepping towards the door.

Lindon watched her leaving and felt like it wasn’t at all a good idea to let her go out on her own, but trusted in her words and that nothing would happen to her. He also hoped she would return in a couple of hours or, at most — by morning.

He knew that this could have been caused by her meeting the mysterious client that wanted them to take some job, but Serena spoke very little about what sort of a contract he was offering. Lindon found it suspicious that she was acting so secretive and had little to say about this. For some reason he thought that she might be wary to take the contract at all. Something didn’t add up and it made him worry for the woman. He didn’t want to see her running-off again.

Watching through the window nearby, he saw her jump into a hover car that she must have ordered ahead of time and took off, leaving the man all alone with his thoughts.

As for Serena, she wasn’t really sure where to go to have some time to herself. At first she was driving aimlessly all around the massive resort, taking in the beautiful architecture and the various themed villages that this region offered for the people that stayed there.

Seeing the late night partygoers and the groups of drunken people all around, she couldn’t help and think that humans and Veluthians weren’t very different when it came to taking time to recharge and rest after whatever work they had back where they came from.

Though, she definitely missed the typical Veluthian occurrence — the duels, which were quite common on any Laithorian vacation resorts. She didn’t mind their absence, but would be happy to see her people engaging in such a fun and exhilarating activity.

But, choosing Essara, she was thinking of her human part of the crew most of all — she wanted them to enjoy the vacation just as the others, so this planet was a perfect fit for them all to enjoy some time off.

Finally, she decided to head to the Entertainment Centre, where she could wander around and think things over or head to one of the multiple various establishments to get her mind off things.

Leaving the hover car on one of the parking lots, she started her stroll, lazily stepping through the chilly evening air and thinking about the contract she’s been offered by Elijah. The man was definitely not what he tried to seem, and this made her wary, but the fact that she could easily fulfil his contract and see who exactly he was looking for, was intriguing.

She wondered why he needed a Veluthian mercenary on a relatively easy search that will take at most a couple of weeks. Any Terran or human from the Terran colonies who was a good enough mercenary would be able to do this sort of work.

These questions were on her mind, when she stepped into one of the restaurants to have a late night meal and have a drink, before choosing where to go next.

As she received her food, she already hated the place — of all the clients in the establishments, she caught eyes of most of the men there — even those on dates with women or having dinner with their wives. She realised that eating alone was a bad idea, but still stayed until she finished her meal and drink, before exiting the restaurant — already approached by a couple of men, who wished to join her.

Some of those turned around as soon as she shot them a bored, uninterested glance, others tried to coax her with charm and smiles, hoping that their small talk would make her interested in them. But every single one left, denied.

One, though, tried to follow her out, but as soon as he grabbed her wrist, wishing to stop her, the woman whipped around, catching his clothes and shoving him against the wall — hard enough to prove a point, but not as heavy as she could, too cautious not to leave the man injured, which could cause her and her crew problems.

«No means no.» she said to the man, squinting angrily into his eyes, filled with shock and fear.

As she let him go, he almost slipped down, but caught himself upright, cleared his throat and hurried away, straightening his clothes.

Serena thought why the men were so into her — she wasn’t at all giving them any reason to count her an easy target for anything at all. And even more puzzling was their interest since she had an eyepatch covering her left eye, which shouldn’t be such an attractive thing — at least, as far as she knew.

Veluthian men could easily be turned on by a battle injury that was healing, but Terrans were so caught up in their vanity that this little detail should be making her unattractive, and not the other way around.

Serena stopped next to a fountain, suddenly thinking about Lindon.

Was he so attentive towards her because he had loved her for so long? Or because he found her attractive while her eye was regenerating?

She sighed, feeling the strange mix of emotions drowning her.

On one hand, she thought, she wanted to make up with Hunter, but on the other — she loved Lindon as well, though her love towards both men was a little different.

Being a free mercenary that she was — she could have easily shared them both if they were open to the idea. And if Lindon was used to that, being a Veluthian, Hunter would never accept her having another man if she were to be with him.

The woman watched the water running down the beautiful composition of statues and lights that danced on the streams, and wondered if Lindon will really wait for her as long as it takes. If Hunter will be with her again like they used to — will that make Lindon jealous? Or will he be just as courteous and respectful towards them both?

Knowing how long he waited for her ever since they met for the first time, Serena realised that, in fact, he was quite the man to keep his word. Even after he thought she was dead he wasn’t really into any women at all, taking up one or another for a little while, but never engaging in a more serious relationship at all.

The time they spent altogether on MSS Lyssandra definitely brought them closer and they reconnected so easily, that she felt he would really be the greatest pick if it ever came to marriage.

Serena took a deep breath, her thoughts returning to Hunter.

«Fuck…» she sighed, realising that this was a very hard topic, and her mind was already flooded by everything that had happened.

She glanced up from the fountain and saw an advertisement of a night club not far from the place she was at. Feeling the urge to clear her head, she headed to the address, hoping that a bit of dancing would help her settle her thoughts.

And even though the music was loud and the people there were inebriated and caught in their own fun, Serena found herself slowly falling into the pleasant melodies that the local DJ was offering, exciting the visitors with an energy-filling playlist.

Unlike most dancers Serena could easily avoid clingy drunkards and overly interested men and women that wanted to become friends — or something else she didn’t really care about — and slipped away, quickly hiding in the crowd without even breaking her dance.

A few hours into this mindless fun, she decided to step away from the dance floor and head towards the bar to have a drink before returning back to the mansion.

Fortunately, she caught a spot at the very end of the bar, where no one would disturb her, and settled down drinking in solitude.

«Serena! What a pleasant surprise!» she suddenly hear Elijah’s voice, when she was about to finish her second drink and order another one.

The woman turned and saw the man approaching her with a charming smile on his lips.

«Elijah.» she nodded to him politely, even though she wanted nothing to do with him at that moment and thought it suspicious him being there at all.

«Why are you drinking all alone?» Elijah glanced around. «Aren’t you here with your crew? Where are they? I’d love to meet them.»

Serena pushed a polite smile to her lips:

«I’m here alone, just grabbing a few drinks before going back to the mansion.»

«Oh, then, maybe, I could join you?»

Serena felt someone bumping into her, splashing a drink onto her arm.

«Terribly sorry!» the stranger retreated so fast that all Serena could catch was that it was a curvy woman.

Shaking off the alcohol from her arm, she sighed:

«Fucking drunkards…»

Elijah caught the bartenders attention and the worker quickly supplied them with a clean towel to wipe off the drink. Fortunately, none of the liquid got onto Serena’s clothes.

«Perhaps, we should get out of here, before someone decided to spill their drink on you again?» Elijah chuckled as Serena returned the towel to the bartender with a smile.

«I wanted… I…» Serena suddenly frowned, feeling her thoughts becoming slow and unresponsive. «Fuck…»

Elijah saw this sudden change and caught her arm, when she slipped off the chair and swayed:

«Serena? What’s wrong? How many drinks have you had?»

«Just two…» the woman felt her body becoming numb. «Shit… This…»

Elijah leaned in and looked into her eye and saw the pupil becoming wider.

«Oh. I think someone might have dropped something into your drink…» he whispered. «Come on, I’ll get you out of here before that someone decides to take advantage of you.»

«No…» Serena felt him grasping her waist, but no matter how hard she tried to make her body answer her commands, it barely even stepped by Elijah’s side.

«I’m not that kind of man, Serena. I just want you safe.» he said to her.

She didn’t remember how he took her to his place.

But when she woke up the next morning, the first thing she realised was that she wasn’t at all in the mansion she rented for her crew to enjoy. She lay on a lavish bed, fully clothed and as if left there to sleep off a heavy intoxication.

Not recognising the room around, she got up and, ignoring the bathroom where she could freshen up, went straight out of the bedroom, finding herself in a huge apartment of sorts, decorated to the brim with extremely expensive things.

Hearing voices, she headed towards them, trying to feel if her body was experiencing any leftover effects of whatever she was given at night.

Stepping into the open-planned kitchen and dining area, she saw John and Elijah leaning above a screen, watching something.

«See? This woman, though she was fast in the club…» John pointed at the screen. «…was caught in miss Serena’s mansion a couple of days ago with her children.»

«So why is the system giving us two different names?» Elijah growled.

«Uh…» Serena cleared her throat. «Where am I? And why am I here?»

«Ah, you’re up!» Elijah smiled, straightening and meeting her gaze. «How are you feeling?»

Serena glanced at John and felt suspicion rising:

«What am I doing here?»

«You’ve had a…» Elijah sighed, not really knowing how to explain what happened.

«You’ve been drugged at the club.» John helped out. «Elijah was graceful enough to get you out of there before some asshole could use the situation to his advantage.»

«I hope my guestroom was comfortable?»

Serena glanced at her crumpled clothes:

«Quite…» she said. «Why didn’t you take me back to my place?»

«Mine was closer. Plus, I have all the necessary medical equipment to help straight away.» the man smiled again. «Breakfast? I can offer some fresh coffee…»

Serena tried to straighten her clothes, still not very trusting of the whole situation:

«I think I’d rather head back.»

«Please. Have some coffee at least. Freshen up. Then we’ll take you to your place. We found who did this to you, so if you want, I can take care of the person…»

Serena glanced at John, who was watching her calmly and decided that it was better not to argue for the moment:

«Fine. A coffee would be appreciated. Black.»

She saw Elijah’s face light up with a very pleased smile.

Chapter 6. Misunderstandings

«Where is Serena?» Hunter asked Lindon as soon as he saw him.

«She went out last night, and I didn’t hear her returning yet. Why?»

«I… uh… I wanted to talk to her about something.»

«How are things between you two?» Lindon tilted his head. «I noticed you have been spending more time together again…»

«I… I’m not sure.»

«Well, you certainly seem like everything is coming back to how it used to be before… this.» Lindon gestured to Hunter’s cybernetic body.

«I hope so, Lindon…»

The men heard steps approaching the front door and stepped that way. When the door opened, they saw Serena and greeted her with smiles on their faces:

«There you are!» Lindon frowned suddenly, seeing her clothes a bit crumpled.

«Hunter, Lindon, meet Elijah Winchester. Our potential client.» the woman half-turned, gesturing to the handsome man that accompanied her to the mansion.

Hunter gritted his teeth, seeing a very pleased grin on the stranger’s face.

«A pleasure.» Elijah bowed and Lindon glanced at his face, noting the glance he gave Serena, when she walked inside.

«You’re welcome to get acquainted, but please excuse me, I need to go change my clothes.» Serena headed off, leaving the men.

Hunter stepped up to the man and studied him with his eyes:

«And… how is it that you’ve taken it upon yourself to accompany Serena home?»

Elijah immediately understood why Hunter was so tense, and leaned in, twitching his brow:

«Serena, yes… It was the least I could do, after all… she was a great fuck.» he said quietly.

Hunter squeezed his hands in fists, gritting his teeth in fury:

«What the fuck did you just say?»

Elijah smirked and flicked his multi-purpose watch on his left wrist. The screen on the nearest wall came alive and the man flipped through a couple of files, then poked one, making the device connected to the screen. Hunter saw Serena on her knees before this man, offering him the pleasure he enjoyed with a wide smile on his face, leaning with his back over the luxurious couch.

«See? She sucked me dry…» Elijah gloated. «I barely slept last night.»

Hunter flinched towards the man, but Lindon jumped in, standing in between them.

«That is not Serena.» Lindon said, his tone low and harsh. «Hunter might not see it, but I do. Your sex bot is flawed.»

«That is no sex bot, little man.» Elijah smiled, enjoying the situation. «That’s Serena. And she was a wonderful time spent.»

Hunter looked at the screen again and saw the man grabbing Serena by the throat and throwing her onto the floor. He grabbed her wrists, pressing them down with one hand and his second one squeezed her throat, as the man took her, harshly biting her neck and breasts.

«You need to leave.» Hunter growled, forcing his anger down. «Before Serena sees this.»

«Tell her I look forward to seeing her again.» Elijah cackled, switching off the recording and walking out.

Lindon glanced at Hunter, and saw him scowling, watching Elijah getting into his car and flying off.

«Hunter…» the Veluthian called out.

«Fuck off!» Hunter replied, growling, and walked off, heading towards the beach.

Lindon sighed, understanding that to an untrained eye the sex bot he saw on the screen would really look like Serena. But he knew — whatever Elijah showed them wasn’t at all what happened.

He also thought that it would be best to speak to Serena later to try and find out what really happened during the time she was absent. The Veluthian hoped that when they find out the truth, Hunter will calm down.

«Just don’t do anything stupid, brother…» Lindon sighed, shaking his head.

The Veluthian didn’t know what to do, but decided that it was better not to bother either of the two for a bit, because Serena might be stressed enough as she is, and Hunter seemed to be even more distraught than he was able to admit.

He didn’t know that only a little over an hour later Hunter headed to confront Serena, too deep in the whirlwind of the thoughts and assumptions that drowned him after what he saw on the screen.

When he saw her walking towards the gym, he immediately approached her:

«Serena, we need to talk!» Hunter said harshly.

«What about?» the woman tilted her head, seeing an extremely strange expression in his eyes. «What’s wrong?»

«Elijah. You spent the night with him?»

«What? No!» Serena frowned. «Whatever gave you that idea?»

«Please, tell me the truth…» something in the way he looked at her made the woman frown.

«I am! I didn’t sleep with the guy if that’s what you’re implying!»

«Tell me the truth!» Hunter stepped up, leaning in, his eyes becoming angry.

«I am telling the truth!» Serena leaned back, surprized to see such a reaction. «What the fuck do you want from me?»

«I want to hear the truth!» Hunter growled.

«But you have! I didn’t sleep with him! He was kind enough to let me use his guest room for the night, but that’s it!»

«I don’t believe that was what happened, Serena!»

«Well, I can’t help make you believe it, unless we get back to Lyssa!» Serena frowned in anger. «And if you don’t want to believe it, then don’t!»

She turned to walk away.

«Just tell me the truth, Serena!» Hunter shouted, catching her by the throat to stop her from leaving.

«I didn’t sleep with him! Let me go, asshole!» Serena curled up and kicked him in the face, panicking.

For a moment the cyborg felt his fury taking over again. But then he suddenly remembered. His hand relaxed and Serena fell to the floor, immediately running off.

Hunter took a shaky breath, frozen in place.

She would have never allowed anyone to grab her throat like that — not after what she endured in Veluthian prison. Not after he tried to choke her while under Falana’s control.

He fucked up. Again.

Chapter 7. Drinks

Serena slipped out unnoticed, glad to have run off from whatever shit storm Hunter has stirred up. She didn’t care why he was so certain she slept with Elijah, and couldn’t simply shake off the feeling of aching and anger towards the cyborg.

After all that she’s been through — he added to her torment by not listening to the truth and assaulting her.

She pressed her palm to the neck and swallowed hard, remembering the cold metal fingers that grasped her. This brought back the terrible memory of him trying to kill her.

All they’ve worked through up until that moment was for nothing.

Serena felt like screaming, and beating someone to pulp.

Walking off into the distance, she spent the next half an hour trying hard to calm her nerves and stop the heavy waves of shudder running through her body. When she felt calmer, she accessed the smart watch that was given by the resort administration when they arrived to call for a rental hover car.

It didn’t take long for one to pick her up and take her to the Entertainment Centre, where she got out at one of the bars she deemed worthy to spend some time at.

Walking inside, she winced at the happy and cheerful expressions of partygoers that were having fun, even though it wasn’t even evening yet, and headed towards the bar. However, passing by some booths, she noticed a couple of familiar faces and was surprized to see Cipher and his crew relaxing with a couple of women by their side.

She hurried past, hoping they didn’t see her there.

«Hey!» Serena heard a familiar voice and turned to see Pher smiling to her from the corner, waving to her. «Serena! Come! Join us!»

The woman gritted her teeth and slowly shook her head, stepping away. She noticed how the man’s smile faded and he frowned, seeing her walking off.

Serena headed towards the bar and hoped her crewmembers won’t bother her. But as soon as she ordered a drink, she felt someone approaching her and glanced that way only to see Cipher standing there with a very concerned look on his face.

«I declined the invitation to your table, Cipher. Go, have fun.» the woman said to him as calmly as she could.

The Captain of SS Growler frowned even more and leaned in, squinting his boyish eyes in suspicion:

«Did something happen?» he asked quietly.

«It doesn’t concern you. Go back to your company and have fun. Don’t worry about me.»

«Is it Hunter?»

Serena gritted her teeth and straightened:

«Cipher…» she growled.

The man immediately understood he struck a chord and sighed, slapping her shoulder:

«Fine. Just…» he nodded to where his team was sitting. «If you need, we’re here. We can ditch our entertainment at any moment to be there for you.»

Serena felt her anger surfacing, but forced it down, nodding in reply:

«I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you.»

«Anything at all, even if all you need is to just sulk with a drink in your hand.» Cipher tilted his head. «Alright?»

Serena nodded again.

Cipher leaned in closer, saying to her ear:

«And I see Hunter did something. I’ll beat his ass for you first thing we get back.» he slapped her shoulder again and walked off, leaving the woman alone.

Serena called over the barman and inquired if she could purchase a whole bottle of Belunian Vodka. After getting a surprized look and a price, she nodded to the man and received the drink, finishing her shot, and, after paying for the drink, headed out of the bar, trying hard to be lost among the people so that the crew of SS Growler won’t notice her leaving.

As she walked the streets, drinking vodka, she tried not to think about anything, basking in the buzz of alcohol in her head. If it weren’t for the groups of drunkards, the stroll would have been even more pleasant for her. But the constant catcalling she ignored and the futile attempts of people to come up and be friends made her irritated, so she headed off to the beach to cool off and enjoy some tranquillity of the waves crashing upon the shore.

And even though some people were on the beach — some partying, others — having an early evening swim — Serena didn’t mind, as there was definitely more solitude in this place than the streets of the city.

She spent hours wandering through the sands and waves, washing over her feet, before finishing her drink and heading back to the roads, where she could either catch a rental hover car, or walk back to the mansion. The woman decided to walk, and, fortunately, there weren’t too much people outside by that time, so her stroll was uninterrupted.

By the time she approached the mansion, she was feeling the faint aching again — the thoughts about Hunter returning to her barely settled mind.

Walking inside and hearing the heavy silence, she hoped everyone was sleeping.

She stopped by the minibar, stocked to the brim with all kinds of alcohol and took herself another bottle, before stepping out into the chilly air of their private beach. Lying down onto one of the lounge chairs, she spent the next hour there, watching the skies that glimmered with the stars and moons that floated through space.

Finishing the bottle, Serena sighed, realising she would have to go back inside for another one.

As she walked in, though, she immediately saw Hunter standing by the stairs — he was definitely looking for her and could have noticed her on the beach before coming down to talk to her.

Seeing him, she felt anger returning to her heart, and she gritted her teeth:

«I’m not in the mood to speak to you, Hunter.»

The cyborg swallowed hard, but approached her:

«Serena, please. I wanted to say I’m sorry…»

«No, Hunter. Sorry isn’t going to cut it.» Serena said harshly. «You asked if I slept with Elijah. Well, maybe I should! Or maybe I already have! You wouldn’t be able to know now, would you? Because whatever I say you will not believe me!»

«Serena, I am sorry…» Hunter felt his heart aching. «Please…»

He reached out to touch her, but she stepped back.

«Don’t!» she hissed. «Grab me like you did, and I will tear your arms off. Be sure of it! Because from now on, I am going to carry with me at all times my armour and some Shimmer to be sure that if you do, I’ll be strong enough to go through with my threat!»

«Serena…» the man couldn’t hold back his tears.

The woman scowled and walked off, heading back to the front door. Seeing Lindon and Wolfin there, she shoved them aside and went out. The Veluthians exchanged glances and looked at Hunter, who now slipped to the floor, grasping at his hair and crying.

Chapter 8. Surprise

Elijah took a sip and glanced towards the sex bot charging station, wondering if he should indulge himself again. He was about to step towards it, but suddenly heard his watch chirp with a notification.

The man tapped onto the tiny screen, accepting the call, and a small holograph appeared, showing Serena’s face.

«Serena! What a pleasant surprise!» he greeted her, smiling with pleasure.

«I… uh…» she glanced aside. «Is your invitation still open?»

Elijah felt a wide smile coming to his face:

«Why of course!» he said, extremely pleased. «Let me come get you. Where are you?»

«Let me get a drink, and you can pick me up…»

«No-no-no, my dear!» he didn’t even let her finish. «Don’t bother yourself with whatever watered down alcohol any of the bars or clubs offer! Let me come and get you and you can have the best alcohol you can find in the Human Universe!»

Serena sighed and shook her head:

«Fine. You can find me…» she glanced ahead and saw a tall statue depicting some partygoers. «On the statue near the mansion we’re renting.»

Elijah frowned in surprise and tilted his head:

«ON the statue?» he asked. «The Night Party?»

«Yeah…» Serena saw the name of the statue, etched in stone at its base and glanced up at the perfect grips she could use to get up to the tallest point of it somewhere on one of the dancing people’s heads. «I don’t want to hang around down on the street. Drunk men around. I’m not in the mood for a brawl. I might send them packing.»

The man chuckled:

«Very well. I’ll be there shortly. Just… don’t fall.»

«I won’t. And you can help out and tell your security bots not to bother me.»

«Done. See you soon.»

«Uh-huh.» Serena jumped to the lowest grip and pulled herself up, beginning her climb.

The statue was so easy to climb that Serena got to the top long before Elijah got there. The woman watched the surrounding lands from atop and basked in the evening air, trying to calm her nerves down. She didn’t even know why she called Elijah — the man still made her feel strange and somewhat uncomfortable. But, perhaps, she just didn’t want to be around Hunter for the moment. Or anyone else from her team for that matter.

When the hover car approached her, she saw the amused face of Elijah Winchester through the windshield and waved to him, though still feeling dark and heavy inside. He stopped the vehicle near the head of the statue and Serena easily jumped in, taking the passenger seat.

«Daredevil.» Elijah chuckled as the door closed.

«I’m a mercenary. I’m used to doing things like this.» Serena shrugged. «So… where are you taking me? Your place again?»

«Yes and no. I thought that you would appreciate some privacy, away from anyone on the mainland, so…» Elijah tapped the screen of the car and it showed the local map. «I have a private island not far from here. It’s calm and protected, so… no one will bother us. Seems like you want to get away, so… we can take time there to just relax and have all the time we need while we’ll be discussing the contract details.»

«Yeah… getting away is something I’d like right now. Together with a strong drink…» Serena flicked her earpiece off, denying any communication, because she grew tired of switching it off every time someone from her crew reached out to her.

«You’ll have all the strong drinks you want, I promise you. Besides, John will come only later, because there’s been a slight development. So we have some new data to give you.»

The speed of the hover car calmed Serena quickly, offering the slight buzz of adrenaline rush in her body, while she was watching the vast stretch of water that shimmered under the stars.

«Good.» the woman sighed. «The more details I know, the better.»

«Care to tell me what happened? You look and sound… distraught.»

«A disagreement with my crew. Don’t worry about it. We settle them quickly, I just need a bit of time to cool off. One of those assholes got on my nerves.»

«Ah. Unfortunately, that is common when people are stuck together for long periods of time.» Elijah smiled to her. «That’s why I prefer to rest alone and away from my co-workers. Helps recharge.»

Serena glanced at the man and felt she had nothing to say to that. Because if she were to start talking about everything that’s been going on in her life for the past few years, Elijah might as well turn his car around to get rid of her. Plus, he really didn’t need to know all that, since he was nothing more, but an employer.

The uneasy silence that followed was broken only by the soft humming of the car’s engines that carried them towards a relatively large island with a beautiful mansion built on a side of the mountain that was covered with snow.

Serena looked at the picturesque horizon shimmering under the moons and stars before her eyes and thought if she would have been able to purchase an island like that with the funds she had.

«What are you thinking about?» Elijah suddenly asked, slowing the car down to ready it for descent onto the parking square next to the mansion.

«I’m trying not to think about anything right now.» Serena replied truthfully.

In fact, she tried her best not to think about Hunter and her crew that were left way back on the mainland in their rented mansion. And even if she would be able to do that — she wouldn’t know what was happening there.

Because however guilty Hunter felt, his main concern was that of Serena’s safety. And knowing that she was all alone somewhere, not willing to accept their calls, was driving him insane.

Wolfin and Lindon added to him feeling guilty for causing Serena’s anger — both Veluthians scolded him for being so rash in approaching Serena with a question he didn’t even want to listen an answer to. Wolfin spent a good half an hour growling at the cyborg that Veuthians prefer to tell the truth, however harsh it may be. The only lies they ever told — were that of their well-being, as they hid their injuries and pain in front of others. Lindon kept trying to contact Serena all that time, growing angrier at Hunter, because the woman kept dropping his calls.

Finally, Hunter exited the mansion to the beach in a failing attempt not to break down and start destroying everything in his path. For a bit the chilly air helped him regain some semblance of composure, but the more time passed, the deeper he fell into self-loathing for the terrible mistake he had made.

He shouldn’t have let his jealousy take over. He should have known better. He should have trusted Serena.

Hunter fell down to the sands and sat there, trying to come up with a single way to plead for forgiveness. He raised his eyes to the dark skies and watched the stars glimmering above his head, until he heard engines humming.

The man didn’t get the chance to be surprised by a trespasser flying by, when the hover car slowed down and Hunter saw a body flung out of it. The car took a sharp turn and disappeared into the night. In a split second Hunter recognised the tattooed arms and white silver hair being flung about in the air.

«Serena!!!» a desperate scream flew out of him, as he darted towards the falling woman.

He wasn’t fast enough — the body crashed into the rocky formations that half-circled their private little beach and bay. But the cyborg didn’t stop, running towards the woman he loved — and wronged — so much.

Gasping for air he reached her, lying mangled on the rocks, her arms and legs twisted at impossible angles, head turned aside.

«Serena!» landing near her, Hunter couldn’t really see her face under the silver hair that covered it.

He was too afraid to touch her, too afraid to cause pain if she was even alive.

He didn’t even hear the others running up.

Lindon leaned over first, carefully reaching for her neck. A moment passed and he frowned, but then reached for the locks that covered her face.

«Is she…» Hunter forced out of himself, already crying over the woman.

«Shit.» Lindon cursed. «It’s not Serena.»

Hunter raised his eyes to the Veluthian and saw his tense, collected expression, and his eyes darting about the body lying on the rocks.

«What?» was all the cyborg could say.

«This isn’t Serena!» Lindon growled. «It’s a fucking sex bot!»

Hunter lowered his gaze at the mangled body, not understanding what he just heard. He saw the eyepatch dislodged and a perfectly fine eye looking wide at him. Lindon picked up the arm and showed the torn artificial skin and the metallic insides of a robot.

«Who would…» Wolfin fell silent for a moment, remembering what Lindon told him about the visit Elijah made before Serena and Hunter had a fight. «Fuck!»

«We all know who could do this.» Lindon hissed, meeting the Veluthian’s angry gaze. «The question is — why?»

Hunter slowly started to see that the body before him wasn’t really Serena, but a perfect copy of her — in all ways considered… except for the eye that she was still healing. That and the fact that the woman wasn’t at all a robot…

Chapter 9. Games

Elijah watched Serena slowly relaxing. Though they drank equally, the woman remained clear headed and composed, while the man, on the contrary, fell prey to the heavy intoxication. Still, he acted respectfully towards the woman, offering her an interesting conversation as they walked through his estate and he showed her every piece of art and weaponry he loved to brag about.

When they finally settled in the dining hall, Elijah switched some light music to help them forget all about the troubles that existed elsewhere. And then he finally saw how Serena began slowly dancing, following the pleasant melodies that emanated from somewhere in the walls around them.

For a bit he watched her enjoying the music, but then he approached her, catching her mid-step and joining in.

«Nice try, Elijah.» she said with a teasing smile. «I am drunk, but not that drunk…»

«I’m not joining to get you into my bed, Serena.» the man retorted. «I just wanted to share some fun. Nothing more…»

He glanced aside, noting John and his brother Fisk walking in and silently standing by the door. Elijah twitched his brow and saw John nod slightly.

«News?» Serena asked, allowing Elijah to swirl her around, catching her closer.

«Updates are here. But let’s forget about that tonight. I just want some rest from everything.» the man replied, adjusting his steps to match the slowing pace of the music that turned softer. «I hadn’t danced in quite a while. I forgot that it’s so pleasant. Especially with a dancing partner who feels the rhythm so well. And moves so…»

Elijah gasped when Serena brushed against his body with hers.

«If you say seductively — we will have to step away from each other.» the woman chuckled. «I don’t mix business with pleasure, remember?»

«Allow me to ask… Veluthians don’t really have fidelity. Your people usually have multiple lovers… so why are you so… uptight?»

Serena chuckled again:

«We have fidelity, when we give our partners an oath to be with them and them alone.» she leaned in, following his lead, feeling him tensing up from her proximity.

«So you gave an oath?»

She smirked, not replying, and stepped away, moving to the melody, but kept at arm’s length from her dancing partner.

«Aren’t you nosy…» she said instead a few moments later.

Elijah swirled her close to him again, capturing her in a very tight embrace:

«I am learning about your people. Is it that bad?»

«My people know restraint. If you want to learn more about us, you have to learn about keeping yourself in check.» She glanced down and twitched her brow, meeting his gaze again. «And your manhood has a mind of its own right now.»

«Can you blame it?» Elijah smirked. «A beautiful woman right here… And…»

«And one that can teach you a thing or two about restraint, if you like.» she pulled back, easily freeing herself from his arms. «If you’re sure you’re up for the task?»

«I’m a good student. I learn quickly.»

Serena glanced aside — to the large windows and glass doors that led outside, where a dimly lit and heated pool stood under the stars, spilling light steam in the chilly air.

«Alright… then let’s go and breathe some fresh air. I’ll give you a lesson. But… you have to obey the rules.» she said.

«I’m good at obeying rules.» Elijah watched her stepping towards the pool area and followed her, forcing his lust down.

As they walked out, the woman turned to him and chuckled:

«First rule. We always bathe without any clothes. We respect each other, regardless of gender. There’s no sex in seeing naked bodies.» She met his intrigued gaze. «Strip.»

Elijah cackled, beginning to take off his clothes. Serena watched him with a very calm, teasing gaze, and the man hoped she liked what she saw — after all, even having a tight schedule he trained almost every single day.

He stepped to her, feeling his skin chilled by the faint wind.

«Good?» he asked.

«In the pool.» she nodded towards the water.

«What about you?»

«Respect, remember? And obey the rules. Pool. Now.»

The man smirked, stepped to the edge and dove into the water. When he swam up and turned, he saw Serena stripping. He couldn’t deny — her body was beautiful, and seeing her diving into the pool he felt his lust rising again. He wanted her badly. But he knew that with her he should be more careful.

She dove out dangerously close to him and he chuckled.

Even the eyepatch didn’t make her any uglier — on the contrary, it added a quirk he actually enjoyed seeing.

«Now…» Serena wiped her face. «We talk. No sex. No touch, no nothing. Just… talk.»

«It’s kind of…» Elijah glanced down at her body. «Hard to concentrate.»

«Practice makes perfect.» she smiled, moving aside to the edge and leaning with her back onto the pool wall. «What shall we talk about?»

«Uh…» the man closed his eyes, shaking off the feeling of being teased extremely hard. «You’re doing this on purpose.»

«Fine. I’ll start. Tell me about your work. What do you actually do?»

Elijah took a deep breath.

«I’m CEO…» he exhaled.

«Eyes on me. We don’t hide our eyes, as it is a sign of disrespect and possible lies.»

He forced himself to look at her:

«CEO, head of a regional department of the Company.»

«What is your usual day like?»

«Boring. Meetings, calls, reports, numbers.» he caught himself on a thought he was really getting distracted from her body and becoming more collected.

«So if you’re doing such a boring job, then why have bodyguards?» Serena glanced to the two brothers and saw them avoiding looking at her, quietly talking about something.

«My family. We’re not simple people. We have lots of enemies.»

«Dangerous enemies?»

«I’ve had a number of assassination attempts, Serena.»

The woman chuckled:

«Ah. That I can understand.»

«I take it, you have been subjected to this as well?»

«More than enough.» Serena shrugged. «Though, unlike you, I deal with my attempted murderers myself.»

«What if you’re sleeping when they come?»

«Veluthians sleep lightly. We’re taught to be on guard all the time since early childhood, Elijah.»

«You talk like all you do is war…»

«Exactly. That’s what we’re famous for. You didn’t know this?»

«What about fun? Games? Entertainment?» Elijah moved in closer, but leaned over the wall next to her, genuinely intrigued by her upbringing.

«We have fun. We have games. We entertain ourselves. Only, ours are… dangerous to a usual human.»

«What’s your favourite game?»

«Dharna Nole. A variety of «Catch the Flag’, but each match you can easily die falling from a hover bike. Or if you get hit exceptionally hard by your opponents.»

«I’d have to see what this Dharna Nole is. Sounds exciting.»

«It’s a sport for the bold. Not everyone can play it.» Serena smiled with a shrug.

«Any other games I could be interested in?»

«Hmm… I’m afraid most of our games would need you to have the same stamina and strength of a Veluthian.»

«I’m well-trained. Try me.»

«Alright… How about… an easy one. Who can hold his breath longer?» Serena tilted her head.

Elijah chuckled:

«I’m actually good at that. I swim in these parts quite often. I love diving in the sea by the reefs to watch fish.»

«Good.» Serena nodded. «Then you won’t mind proving yourself? On one…»

She raised her hand, counting down with her fingers. When she put down the last of the three fingers she raised, they inhaled and dove under water, watching each other closely. Elijah watched her closely, feeling relaxed and confident.

But then a minute passed, and she still seemed unfazed by being under water.

Another minute passed and Elijah frowned. Three minutes passed, then five, and the man felt his lungs beginning to burn. He forced through, trying hard not to show her the slight panic that started washing over him, but then couldn’t help it, swimming up and gasping for air.

Once he caught his breath, noticing his bodyguards standing at the edge of the pool, he looked down and saw Serena smile wide and wave to the men. She lowered deeper and began swimming under water effortlessly, showing off that she didn’t need as much air as the Terrans did.

«Helvette!» Fisk cursed, glancing at his watch. «Thirteen minutes!»

Elijah watched Serena enjoying herself, as if she was a creature of the sea, until she finally dove out — her breath even and calm.

«I can stay down more.» she said, wiping her face. «Don’t want to shame you anymore, though.»

«Damn!» Elijah breathed out.

«You lost. Too bad we didn’t bet anything.» the woman chuckled.

«Are all your games like this? Pushing limits of the physical?»

«I mean… we are people of war. We test our skills and strength every time we get the chance. Even our dances are a testament of our military prowess.» Serena shrugged. «We do everything to see how strong our game partners are. It helps us find life partners as well. Many of our marriages are formed between strong families after engaging in games like this.»