| Phase 44 � Kris, what are you doing up?� I turned. My clothes were dry, so I�d put them back on. The shirts and vest I�d been wearing before had gone on over the suit, so I was still warm. And moving around kept me from getting stiff. � I�m all right.� Sig made a concerned noise and hugged me. � You really should be resting.� [You really should.] I glared at Axyl. � You be quiet. You�re almost worse than S.� That prompted her to turn to the stall beside hers. [You don�t think I�m antiquated, do you?] Brigandier jerked back as he turned to look at her. The question Axyl had just asked was as bad as the �Do I look fat in these pants?� one that human women like to pose to their unwitting spouse. Also, similarly, the �Do you think I�m too old?� inquiry. The Gear, at a loss for words, remained silent for a long while. When Axyl didn�t drop the subject, he finally said, [I prefer to call it �matured�.] Axyl huffed angrily (don�t know why--she would�ve accused him of lying if he�d said she wasn�t) and lifted her arm, then brought it down. The whip shot from its compartment and slapped Brigandier soundly. [Ow!] [Serves you right.] I flew over to Brigandier and landed on the Gear�s shoulder. I walked over to his face and brushed my hand over the tiny dent as I cooed. � Don�t worry about it. There was no right answer.� To Axyl, I shouted, � That was mean! There�s no way you can pose that question to someone and expect the answer you want!� [He said I was old!] � Well you are! You�re five-hundred years old, Axyl! Get over it! You still function just fine! What�re you worried about?!� She huffed again, but didn�t try to hit me. I was still brushing over the dent on Brigandier�s face and the Gear was leaning into my hand. [Mm~m. That feels nice. I like that. Don�t stop.] I ran my hand up over the steel and patted the large cheek. � If she ever asks anything like that, you don�t have to answer, okay?� [Okay.] I gave the cold metal a kiss and then flew to Axyl and hovered in front of her. � I can�t believe you�d do that! How immature are you?!� Axyl refrained from answering, but when Brigandier started to laugh at my chastising, her wings flared and she snapped, [Shut up! Why do you have to be so basic? Upgrade, for once!] He ignored her initially, but then stopped suddenly. [Uh . . . Do the rest of you feel that?] Axyl�s wings lowered. [No. What does it feel like?] [It feels like a hob-gob�s chewing on my circuits.] Then he abruptly disappeared. Axyl let out an odd mixture of a scream and an enraged roar and leapt clear of her stall, landing in Brigandier�s. She examined the area, but turned up with nothing. Sig shook his head. � This is not good.� � What?� He gestured at Brigandier�s empty stall. � That.� � Why? What does it mean?� He just looked at me. � Besides that Bart will have a panic attack.� He shrugged. � I don�t know.� I rolled my eyes. � I suppose I better go tell him, then.� So I went back to Bart�s room and touched his shoulder. � Bart?� � Hm?� was the sleepy question. � . . . Brig�s gone.� He sat bolt upright. � What?!� � He disappeared,� I repeated. � Right out of the bay. Sig and I saw it.� � Where did he go?!� � Hell if I know.� He dropped his head into his hands. � Oh man . . .� *>*<* Sigurd entered his room and was surprised by what he saw. Analore was laying on his bed, stretched across it in a very inviting manner. He stepped over quietly and placed his hand lightly on her stomach. She stirred at his touch and woke, opening her eyes slowly. � ? Sigurd? What are you doing in here?� Of course. He should�ve known. She�d sleepwalked again. That habit was going to get her killed. � This is my room, Ana.� She lifted her head and glanced around, but didn�t seem at all bothered by it. � So it is.� He sat down on the edge of the bed and cupped her face in his hand. � You are going to stay, aren�t you?� � Stay?� Analore sat up and looked at him curiously. � . . . I don�t know. Why do you ask?� � I want you to stay with me,� he said quietly. � I need you here.� She shook her head. � You don�t need me. I can see that you have everything here that you dreamed of those years ago.� His head fell a little and his eyes closed as his head shook a bit. � No. I thought I had everything I wanted, but . . . I realized that the one thing I wanted most wasn�t here.� Analore opened her mouth to speak, but shut it and hugged him instead. � I never wanted you to leave,� she whispered in his ear. � I knew that I couldn�t go if you did and prayed that you wouldn�t. When you did . . . I cried.� He was quite surprised by this admission of weakness and twisted to kiss her temple. � I�m sorry,� he whispered in return. � I�m sorry.� They stayed in the embrace for a long while. Then she fell back, pulling him with her and down onto the mattress beside her. � Ana, what---� � Stay with me,� she murmured softly. � Please.� He couldn�t say no. *>*<* I checked on Bart, who was doing much better. Once I was sure he would be all right by himself I returned to my room and went to bed. Almost right away, I found myself with my arms and legs held down. A man was leaning over me, a cruel grin on his face. He took a knife and cut my clothes off, then returned his attention to me. � You�re gonna love this, girlie.� A searing pain tore through me and I let out a short cry. The man let out a surprised yet pleased moan and told his friends, � She�s a virgin!� They laughed and shouted approval. I could feel the tears well up and tried to hold them back, but was completely unsuccessful. I didn�t beg; they wouldn�t let me go. The man shoved against me and I let out another, weaker, cry. I had resigned myself to this fate. I had known it would happen one day. They all had their turn. Each got progressively rougher and more brutal. It felt like all my insides had been torn apart. The last one was the worst. He cared only about his own pleasure, like the rest, and when he was done I did the only thing that made sense to me right then. I sat up and screamed bloody murder. *>*<* Bart woke with start and looked over at the opposing wall, where Kris� room was. When the noise registered in his head, he leapt up along with the dragons and ran down to her room. He entered as Sigurd and Analore caught up to him. The room was empty. � Kris?� Hearing a sniffle from the closet, he went over and opened it, kneeling to peer into the darkness behind the few outfits there. � Kris?� He opened his arms and the next moment, Kris had thrown herself against him and was sobbing violently, her body shaking horribly. � Kris, what happened?� he asked gently. The door opened and several more people came in. � What�s going on?� Fei asked. � We heard screaming.� Elly stepped out from the back and knelt beside Bart. She carefully took Kris from him and made shooing motions. � Go on. All of you get out.� She looked over the rest of them as they left and was surprised to see Analore. � Kiree, you stay.� It immediately became obvious to the others that this was only going to be handled by women. And not wanting to get them--especially Kris--any more upset, they left the room as ordered and leaned against the walls around the door, waiting impatiently for an explanation. After nearly twenty minutes, Analore and Elly stepped out of the room. They were beset with rapid-fire questions, but wouldn�t speak until the interrogation had ceased. Elly shook her head. � She just had a bad dream, that�s all.� � A simple bad dream doesn�t make her scream and cry like that,� Bart snapped angrily. Analore growled. � Shut up! What do you know?!� � A lot more than you! Now let me in there!� Elly joined Analore for the swift reply. � No!� Bart snarled. � Damn it! I want to talk to her!� � No!� � What the hell is wrong with you?! You won�t tell me what was going on and you won�t let me in to see Kris . . . Do you expect me to just go back to bed and fall into an easy sleep?!� The two women looked at each other and realized that they couldn�t keep this a secret and still explain everything to a satisfactory degree. They sighed and Elly began quietly, � It was a nightmare. She said . . .� When she couldn�t say it, Analore continued. � She said she dreamed she was raped by five different men. She couldn�t see their faces, but she didn�t recognize their voices, either.� In a half panic, Bart shoved past them and went into Kris� room. Everyone followed to try to pull him back out, but he had already reached Kris. He knelt on the bed with her and held her against him as she cried. � Shh,� he soothed gently, stroking her hair. � It�s all right. It�s all right.� She nuzzled against him, blindly seeking the shelter of his jacket. Unfortunately, it wasn�t there. He saw this and pulled her covers up, wrapping them around himself and her. Now in darkness that she deemed secure, Kris� sobs died to small sniffles and then into the deep breaths of sleep. Fei stepped forward and Bart moved the sheets and blanket aside so he could touch his sister�s cheek lightly with the backs of his fingers. One by one, all the others did something similar. � Will she be all right?� Billy asked in a soft whisper. Bart nodded once. � She�ll be fine by tomorrow. But none of you better mention it. She�ll get upset all over again. And if I hear about it . . .� Letting the rest of the warning hang unfinished, he returned his attention to Kris and wrapped her in the covers again. � I�m staying here with her.� No one argued. They filed out slowly; Fei and Sigurd paused to look back at Kris and Elly and Analore gave their hands gentle tugs, speaking in low soothing tones. Reluctantly, the two men turned their backs on Kris and returned to bed. Analore laid with Sigurd and played with his hair. � She�ll be all right. Don�t worry about her so. She�s a big girl.� � . . . Yes, but . . . five men?� � What�s wrong?� � I�m just afraid . . . I�m afraid this will re-enforce her fear of men. One would have been bad enough. I mean . . . it took us so long to gain her trust before . . . I don�t want to have to do that again.� � She�ll be all right,� Analore repeated. � She knows that no one here would do that to her, especially with so many people of whom she trusts nearby.� Sigurd was not convinced. � It was distressing, watching her cower like she did. It was so unlike the Kris I remembered. I had sworn to her before they put that damn Chip in her head that I wouldn�t let anyone hurt her. Then they locked me in a box and let me watch them peel her open and put that piece of shit in her. And as if that wasn�t enough, I find her a year later, maimed and half dead. My promise has gone completely down the drain.� � She doesn�t remember it.� � But I do!� He sighed heavily and put his hand over his face. � And it�s driving me crazy! I haven�t done what I promised! I haven�t even gotten close!� � Don�t go that far.� � Oh yeah? What have I done to protect her?� � You�ve let her stay here on the ship. That�s kept her from getting beaten by even more men.� He snorted derisively. � One little thing that will never make up for any of the rest.� She rolled her eyes. � You�re just too pessimistic.� <--Phase 43 Phase 45--> |