“I would have never believed he was alive, unless I saw it with my own eyes. Guess you were right.”
Wroth turned slightly, with a devilishly playful gleam in his eyes.
“By the way, I like to be tea bagged when I get my dick sucked.”
“What are you…ugh? Goddamn, you’re a fucking pig, Wroth.”
He went back to the porta-doc with a snort, initiating the casualty evaluation sequence.
“This doesn’t make sense it all. It’s like he’s in a comma, but the Doc says he’s not. According to this he’s sleeping but his vitals are way off, it’s like he’s… holy shit, Snake, the Colonel’s in stasis!”
“Your shitting me, he would have to…”
“… still be augmented, I know. I can’t get a clean scan on him either. The Doc’s being jammed.”
“Damn… how did he manage that one? They yanked my shit out so fast it made my head spin. Must be nice to have money, the prick probably paid the medical team off or something.”
“I doubt he would be able to pay anyone off to keep his combat enhancements, not after what those guys from the 512
th
pulled on Wiemer. Remember that mess? They had to call in active duty to take them down; the tactical arm of the cops got chopped to pieces. Help me get this suit off; he isn’t as bad as he looks.”
Snake eased her way past Wroth, kneeling on the other side of Burke.
“The Nanites have been taking care of him just fine, he’ll be okay in a few days. Oh, And by the way, not a word about this to anyone. If the Reclamation Board found out he still had his combat gear they would be all over him like stink on shit.”
“I remember the Wiemer incident. Guess that explains why the fucking jerk is still alive though.”
Wroth looked up at her scowling. “Why do you hate him so much? What did he do, kick your fucking cat or something?”
“That’s really none of your damn business is it, so why don’t you just take a flying fuck of a cliff and shut the hell up for a change?”
“You know what your problem is, Snake? You really need to get laid, bad. When was the last time you had the plumbing cleaned out?”
“Yeah, well maybe I do, but you sure as hell aren’t going to be the one to do it.”
Wroth shook his head in disgust, pulling the stinking, blood filled suit the rest of the way off, tossing it heavily in a corner.
“I don’t get you, I never have. You could have been a great Marine and you pissed it away every chance you got. Every time someone tried to do something good for you, you turned around and kicked ‘em in the balls. Did you know Fleet PR wanted to do an article on you at one time? You know how many awards the Colonel tried to put you in for and command turned them all down? It was all because of your piss poor attitude and record of insubordination.”
“Would you just shut up! I’m tired of hearing about it. I know what he did for me; Burke was the only one who…”
“Come on; help me get him into a bunk. There’s nothing else we can do for him right now, and with the Doc being jammed it’s pretty much worthless.”
Together they carried Burke’s naked body into a nearby compartment, laying him on one of the two small bunks that folded down from the wall. Snake grimaced, wrinkling her nose as she wiped her gore-stained hands on the sheets trying to clean them as best she could.
“God he stinks. For that matter the whole ship stinks. I don’t think we’re going to get our deposit back on this one.”
“You know what you need?”
“I need a lot of things, but what? Please say you’re going to drop dead.”
“How does a soothing, hot shower sound?”
“Speak for yourself, you smell like a fresh pile of shit. Besides, it’s broke along with everything else on this piece of crap, or I would have taken one by now.”
“What if I fixed it? Will you lighten up a bit and relax for a change?”
“You can do that?”
“Of course, I can. All I did was deactivate a sequencer on the control board just after liftoff. I’ll fix the environmental system along with it.”
“You did what? You mean I’ve been sweating my ass and smelling yours for the three days, and it’s your fault? You fucking asshole! What the hell is your problem?”
Wroth was grinning all over himself at this point.
“Guess I have this thing for sweaty women, it turns me on. There’s nothing like smelling a ripe, young woman in heat, brewing in her own juices.”
“You sick old bastard! Ugh… goddamn, you piss me off. I should knock your teeth down your throat for pulling some stupid crap like that.”
“Do want a shower or not?”
“Yes!”
“Well then, why don’t you go set a course for station PT-51 and I’ll get right to work on it.”
“Why PT-51, why not back to Tallin? It’s closer.”
“Maybe so, but Fleet’s looking for the Colonel and I’m not about to hand deliver him to those dumbasses on a silver platter. Besides, I have friends there.”
“Whatever, just let me know when you get the shower working. I’ll be in the cockpit.” Snake stormed off, shaking her head as she flopped heavily into the pilot’s seat.
“Goddamn that man pisses me off,” she breathed out loudly. “I can’t believe he disabled it on purpose.”
“I heard that Snake,” Wroth’s voice echoed from the rear of the shuttle. “Best be nice if you want your shower.”
“Shove it up your ass!” Distant laughter answered her.
Somehow that old pervert knew she was menstruating. Could he really smell it? Snake knew she smelled bad, but damn! Guys must have some kind of built in radar for detecting that, or something.
She changed course and the small shuttle made its way lazily back to the system jump point. Ten minutes later Wroth was standing behind her.
“All fixed, good as new. Got rid of the suit too, the thing was trashed, completely fubar. I couldn’t even call up a self test on it.”
“You’re really a piece of work, you know that? How many times have you been married, anyway – two, three?”
Snake stood up, inching her way past him in the cockpit doorway. A hard lump brushed against her hip in the process and she pretended to ignore it.
“Four times, actually. I guess they could never see my hidden charm.”
“Doesn’t surprise me, I don’t see it either. I’m going to take a shower. The course has already been plotted and we’ll hit the jump point in a little over twenty six hours.”
Snake made her way back to the small shower cubical stripping off her sweat-soaked pants and blouse. She sat down on the small bench beside the shower and unhooked the clasp of her damp bra, letting it join the other discarded clothing on the floor. A few moments of massaging her sweaty, pear shaped breasts after being cooped up so long, felt like a welcome treat. In the process of pulling off her boots, with one leg cocked up at an angle, Snake got a good whiff of the sharp, musky odor between her legs.
“Yep, he can smell it alright. Damn this shower is going to feel good.”
She sat quietly in her panties for a few moments, slumped over with her eyes closed, letting the tension of the last few days drain away, simply thinking. She couldn’t ignore it any longer; being in close proximity with Wroth the last week had been agonizing in a lot of ways. It was like he could read her mind, knowing exactly how to push all her buttons, and some of those buttons hadn’t been touched in a very long time. He didn’t take shit from anyone either, not even her, he never had. She had come to respect him for it in a weird sort of way. Besides, there was something about that old pervert she could not quite put her finger on… Something that made her tingle. Something that made her feel clean and innocent again.
She’d fought against the urge for so long, like a lifetime of forced isolation. She didn’t count the drunken one-night stand six years ago, she didn’t even know his name, and before that… she shook her head, clearing that foggy trace of something contained behind a cold and emotionless, steel exterior.
“Fucking hormones,” she cursed.
Wroth would do. He really wasn’t that bad of a guy, and he happened to be more than willing at the moment, the persistent bulge in his pants attested to that. The fact that he desired her at all, even if for nothing but a single time of no strings attached sex, made her feel things she’d forced into remission for more than fifteen years.
Snake stood suddenly growing slightly anxious and a little nervous as she slipped her panties down and off a pair of boyish hips. Her eyes narrowed, noticing the dark red stain in the crotch – she’d leaked through.
“Goddammit!”
“What’s wrong?” Wroth’s voice sounded faintly from the cockpit.
“Nothing…just mind your own damn business.”
In the rush to leave Tallin, she had forgotten to bring her flow inhibiting pills and as luck would have it; this was the last one of her archaic tampons she still used on rare occasions. She’d just have to wash her panties out in the basin from now on.
Snake took one last deep breath, having second thoughts, still not sure if she should or could go through with it or not. It had been so long… Did she even remember how to do it?
“Hell with it.” It’s just sex, and what did she have to lose? Satisfy the urge then let it go, and him.
“Hey Wroth?”
“Yeah?”
“Come here.”
“What do you want? I’m busy.”
Snake growled, he wasn’t making this easy for her.
“Just get your stinking ass back here; I have to ask you something.”
“Goddamn, Snake, you’re worse than my second wife, not a moment’s peace and she…”
Wroth’s voice trailed off becoming a grumbling drone of profanity. A few moments later he rounded the corner, coming to a sudden halt in the shower doorway. His gaze roamed over her slim athletic body, openly appraising it with a sly grin. He always had liked the small ones with broad shoulders, and the muscle tone of a side of prime cut beef.
“Well that answers one of the questions that have been nagging at me for years; the carpet does match the drapes.”
Snake scowled, and she crossed her arms about her chest in embarrassment.
“You’re unbelievable, you know that? No wonder you can’t keep a woman around for very long.”
“Just curious, was all. You never took showers with the rest of us. For that matter, you didn’t associate with anyone in the Regiment. Look, what do you want? You’ve succeeded in giving me another hard-on, thank you very much, but I still have some work to do on the environmental system and I’m beat.”
The bags under his blood shot eyes seemed even more pronounced, giving his face a hound dog like appearance.
“I was just wondering since you did get the shower working and… I was wondering if maybe…”
“What? Spit it out already. You sound like a slack jawed...”
“Look, asshole, I’m trying to ask you if you want to take a shower with me.”
Wroth’s eyes narrowed skeptically.
“Why? Since when did you become the sociable type? I don’t have time to play games, and I don’t care for a prick tease at the moment. The shower cubicle isn’t big enough for the both of us and you know it.”
“I’m not playing games, I’m serious.”
“You know we’re going to be bumping cheeks in there, don’t you?”
“I know that.”
She licked her lips nervously, pulse racing.
“And at some point were going to the touching one another, maybe even helping each other wash?”
Snake’s voice changed, becoming deep and hungry, thick with her distinctive brogue.
“Yeah… that might happen too.”
“Intimate areas?”
At least he was asking first, spelling it out to make sure that was what she wanted in fact. Maybe there actually was a gentleman under all that filth?
“Yeah.”
Wroth’s pursed his lips, shaking his head, staring down at his feet, deep in thought.
“I don’t know, Snake, you kind of hurt my feeling earlier. I’m a sensitive guy deep down inside.”
“Oh give me a break! Do you want to have sex or not?”
“Well, since you asked so politely, how can I say no?”
“You’re a fucking nut job, Wroth, just get in here before I change my mind.”
He looked up with a relaxed smile, beginning to unsnap his shirt.
“Call me James.”
***
I’d been a fool to think that I knew what slavery was until now, the normal rules of the game no longer applied to me, as I quickly discovered. The Holloway Company, Master Michael, or any of the Landowners on Slave World for that matter, were outright amateurs when compared to Alex’s cold and emotionally vindictive views. Actually, I was less than a slave to him – I was an animal, a tool, a primitive sub-human freak. The newly awoken primal aspect of my nature happily slipped into my new role.
My relationship with Master Michael and being a slave pony had been a close second, but I still had stolen moments of respite with that sissy-boy Nathan where I felt almost human, and at times on equal terms. A slave on equal terms with their Master… what a ridiculous concept. In a sense I was still free then, at least spiritually, and with Master Michael I had value as a slave, and a sense of cherished purpose, it’s what I’d been created and trained for, but it was nothing like this, not even close. It should come as no surprise, that in time I began to think like a simple beast, becoming my namesake, I was already heading down that path long before Alex sunk his claws into my hairy ass.