Space Wrangler (29 page)

Even when he left the bed, he was never far away. And even then she could feel him, which made sense since he embodied the vibrant bio-metal of his ship. It felt like home, and more importantly, it felt like the Titan, allowing her to feel safe. To feel loved. To heal.

Thanks to Trent.

Her brother had shown her the light. The true course. If she wanted to survive, she needed to embrace her heritage. Maybe she didn't have the genius to understand it, but she could feel the truth—that biotanium was the answer, not just now, but forever. And the Titan was biotanium. D-side was biotanium. The
Drifter
was biotanium.

And so was Rick.

When her thoughts turned to TJ Seaton, the guy who had supposedly loved her and Trent and the whole Montoya family—she blocked them with grim determination, knowing they would drain her. She couldn't think about Zeke Angelus or Gabby either. Or any of her loved ones on the platform, despite her fervent need to save them.

Not in this condition
.

She needed to think about Trent. He was her guide. And she needed to think about Rick, because he was everything.

Was it fair to him? No.

He had traveled billions of miles to escape this kind of responsibility. But he had made the mistake of caring for her, and now his role was inescapable. He was her hero, and by extension, the hero of everyone on the platform, even though he didn't know it. Nor did
they
know it. Nevertheless, he would find a way to save them. After that, they'd want to keep him close. But Alexia would explain how unfair that was, and then they would release him back into the wild, freeing him of such terrifying responsibility.

“I'm so sorry, cowboy,” she whispered now.

She wasn't surprised when he answered her. He was always nearby, wasn't he?

“Why do you keep apologizing?” he asked, joining her in the bed then pulling her close. “I'm right where I want to be. With you.”

She wanted to explain that
that
was the problem. He wanted to be here. To protect her. It was his destiny. His curse. To take responsibility and risks. To go above and beyond any possible demands of nobility or fate, time and again. And then to blame himself when something went wrong, as was bound to happen, given the enormity of his undertakings.

But she didn't say any of that. Instead, she burrowed against him, greedily pillaging his strength and goodness. He was her Titan now. Hadn't Trent explained that to her? If she wanted to survive, she needed to trust the Titan.

Trust him, but not love him. Not if she cared about him. And so, despite the wild, hopeless demands of her heart, she didn't dare love Rick. Or at least, not forever.

But she could
make
love with him. Thank him. And then, in the only show of gratitude that would really count, she would let him go, knowing he was better off without her.

“Captain?” Sensie whispered to Rick when he awoke on the second morning following the rescue.

“Yeah?”

“Have you decided what you will do next?”

He pulled Alexia closer and buried his face in her thick hair. He didn't want to think about such things. Not when they could heal together, away from everything that had conspired against them. Still, he knew his computer wouldn't let up, so he grumbled, “It's not up to me.”

“But if it
were
up to you?”

“It's not.” He shifted into a seated position and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “I need to get her back to Earth before the Seatons have her declared dead on E-side. Like they did to her brother.”

“I agree, Captain. She sees herself as the caretaker of Trent's interest. And so she must alert the authorities to David Seaton's treachery. And TJ Seaton's betrayal.”

He was intrigued by the computer's careful distinction between treachery and betrayal. Not to mention, her passionate tone. “You're taking this kind of personally, aren't you? But so am I. When I saw that phony news release about her dying in the sinkhole, I wanted to go to effing war over it.”

“And now?”

He stood and crossed to the closet for a clean flight suit. “I'll do what she wants. But first, I need a shower.”

When the computer stayed silent, he added quietly, “She needs to recuperate. Out in Sector Fourteen with us. Or on Earth. She can't go back to the platform. They'll kill her.”

“I agree.”

He waited, then asked warily, “But?”

“I don't know what you mean.”

He glared at the monitor. “You're thinking about that stupid communiqué. It said arrests have been made. That bugs you, right?”

“Not in the least,” Sensie retorted. “It bothers
you
, Captain.”

“Yeah.” He stepped into the steaming shower, allowing the water to wash away his romantic fog. “Zeke Angelus may be a fuck-up but he saved her life. And Gabrielle helped too. Which means they're both at risk. It's hard to believe TJ would let his father murder anyone, much less Gabby. Then again, the Seatons are assholes by birth. So we can't really know. Can we?”

“It is a quandary.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, it's a fucking quandary. But don't mention it to Alexia, okay? I'll do it when the time is right.”

“She is awake, Captain.”

“Huh?” He toweled off and strode back to the bunk, encouraged to see her stretching her arms high above her head.

He joined her quickly. “Hey, beautiful.”

“Hi, Rick.” Her amber eyes sparkled for the first time since she came aboard. “You look good.”

“So do you.” He almost missed being called “cowboy”. But she was awake and recognizing him, so he wasn't about to complain.

“How long has it been?”

“Since you got here? Two and a half days. And you spent four days in the Titan, so almost a week in all.”

“Four days? Captain Angelus said it would take you six days to get there. Five if you really liked me. So…” She looped her arms around his neck. “You must
really
like me.”

“If you only knew,” he said, trying not to sound like a lovesick fool.

“Maybe you should show me.”

He wanted to do just that, but had to ask, “Can you take it? You've been so weak.”

“Then give me your strength.”

It made an odd kind of sense, so he decided not to question it. Instead he kissed her gently, stroking her warm, beautiful body with one hand while bracing the back of her head with the other. “We can stop whenever you want.”

“I
never
want to stop.”

“Alexia…”

“Oh God, Rick, I dreamed of this. I can't stop needing you.”

“Geezus…” He caressed her again, touching every inch within reach. Then he moved his mouth to her neck, her breasts, her nipples, her belly, and then between her thighs. She egged him on, frantic in her own way, although he sensed she was still fragile. And so he took care with her, while also doing as she asked. Doing as she demanded, over and over again, with her words, her touch, her blissful sighs.

She gushed with need, disproving the idea she was dehydrated. He had never, ever entered a girl so wet, so wild, so excited. When he pumped, she moaned happily. When he tried to take it easy, she complained with a happy giggle.

And when he came, she came too, once with him, and once while he was still trying to figure out exactly what he had done so right.

“Nice,” he whispered against her neck. “That was nice, Lexie.”

“No one else can do this. And I needed it. I'm so sorry, Rick, but I needed it.”

He pulled her closer, so that her face rested against his chest. “Why do you keep apologizing? There's no place I'd rather be. No one—
ever
—I'd rather be with.”

He expected her to echo the tribute. Or explain. Or at least murmur in contentment. But she was out cold again, so he settled for saying, “Man, that was nice.”

When he was certain she was deep asleep, he got up, dressed, and wandered out to the control room, where Sensie had coffee and powdered eggs ready for him. She didn't say anything, and neither did he. Instead, he reviewed the star chart of their progress from the last twelve hours and their projected course for the next twelve. Always moving them away from Destry. From the platform. From the Seatons.

And from their fallen comrades.

A soft sound emanated from his quarters and he asked, immediately alert and half out of his chair, “Is that the shower?”

“She wishes to surprise you, Captain.”

“What?” He exhaled in exasperation. “How do you know?”

“She asked me not to tell you she was awake again.”

“Is she steady enough?”

“Yes, Captain. She is steady enough.”

He wanted to check on her, but sat back down and turned again to the chart on the main monitor. Alexia's initiative was a good sign, wasn't it? She had been independent, for years, maybe not by choice, but certainly by circumstances. No parents, no brother. And everyone else on Earth had turned their backs on her. It would take her a while to realize she had made a true friend in Rick. Even when she went back to Earth, and he stayed D-side, he would be at her disposal whenever she needed him, not just for protection, but for moral support.

“Hey, cowboy,” she murmured from the doorway.

He swiveled in his chair, then stared, amazed by the transformation. She was still pale, but her pretty face was clean and her hair shone as it spilled around her shoulders. And she was dressed—a miracle in itself—in pink stretch pants that emphasized her long, shapely legs, and a skimpy striped top that seemed painted on her breasts.

“Hey,” he answered, hoping she didn't hear the lump in his throat.

She walked over and sat in his lap, her arms finding their usual position around his neck. Then she snuggled against him. “I woke up and you were gone.”

“Nope, not gone. Never again.”

He thought she would smile, but instead, her forehead creased. “Don't be silly. Of course you'll need to go. But not today. And not tomorrow. We're just getting reacquainted, right?”

“Absolutely.” He hesitated, then stood up and shifted her onto his chair so he could go to the console and retrieve the red beacon. Carrying it back to her, he knelt and pressed it in her hand. “For you.”

“So I can signal you?” She flashed a dazzling smile. “Captain Angelus gave me one too. They're so pretty.”

“
He
gave you one?”

“He gave one to Gabby too. That's how they signal each other when they want sex. And trust me,
this
one's going to get a workout.”

“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath.

“What's wrong?”

Sensie intervened. “Captain Gage has regretted not giving the beacon to you weeks ago. Before he left you alone on the platform.”

“Really?” Alexia touched his cheek. “The range is less than 100,000 miles, right? You were
millions
of miles away when the Seatons attacked me. So please don't feel bad.”

Sensie spoke up again. “It has nothing to do with distance, Alexia. It is a symbol.”

“That's enough, Sensie,” Rick growled. “Give us some privacy.
Now
. That's an order.”

Alexia arched an eyebrow. “Privacy? We just had sex in front of her.” Touching his cheek again, she assured him, “I love the beacon, cowboy.”

“It's fine. Just drop it.”

“You couldn't give it to me on the platform,” she continued with a stubborn smile. “It would have confused things. Especially for me. I wanted to forget you, remember?”

“Yeah.” He relaxed into a sheepish smile. “I wanted to forget you too. But it didn't work out that way.”

“I know. And I'm sorry.”

He eyed her sternly. “I
wanted
to come back. I kept looking for an excuse to see you again.”

“Me too.” She kissed him, then admitted, “I'm hungry.”

“Coming right up.” Moving back to the console, he ordered some stew. When it was ready, he sat in the gray guest chair, then slid the steaming bowl across to her along with a spoon. “You'll like this. It's Sensie's special recipe.”

“You need to apologize to her.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“I mean, right now.”

Chuckling, he called out, “Hey, Sensie? I need to talk to you.”

“And I need to talk to you, Captain,” the computer agreed.

“There's no need for that. I apologize. You were just trying to help, right? But these issues—these emotional ones—have to be handled delicately.”

Alexia flashed a mischievous smile. “Sensie? I'm glad you told me it was a symbol. Men don't admit stuff like that, but it helped me understand. So thanks.”

“I am glad I could help,” the computer told her. “And now there's something else I need to tell you.
Both
of you. It is important.”

Rick cleared his throat. “If it's another news bulletin, let's save it until Alexia has her strength back.”

“
Another
bulletin?” Alexia pushed the stew away. “About me? Or Zeke and Gabby? I need to know these things, Rick. Please don't try to protect me.”

“We don't have news about Zeke or Gabby,” he hedged, telling himself it wasn't really a lie. Unless, of course, “arrests have been made” referred to Zeke or Gabby, in which case, Rick would find a way to deal with it.

Later.

Alexia's amber gaze had fixed on him like twin lasers, but for once Sensie came to his rescue, saying, “I need to talk to you both. Especially Alexia. And it has
nothing
to do with events on the platform.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Alexia's strength was ebbing again, and she was tempted to beg off for a few hours. To return to Rick's bed, hopefully with Rick in it. But she didn't dare. Things had been happening while she slept, and she needed to know what was going on, especially the fate of her friends.

So she sighed, then stood and walked over to Rick, depositing herself back in his lap. “This sounds serious. Or at least, it's a good excuse for more snuggling, right?”

“Yeah.” He ran his hand over her pink-covered leg. “You sure feel good.”

“So do you,” she admitted, kissing his mouth.

Sensie's voice pierced the romantic mood. “Alexia!”

“Okay, okay.” She looped one arm around Rick's neck, but otherwise sat at attention. “Let's hear it.”

After a dramatic pause, the computer spoke again, her tone firm but with a tinge of pride. “I am you. And you are I.”

Rick laughed. “Let me guess. You're a walrus?”

Alexia gave him a confused smile. “Huh?”

“It's an old song from the pop files. Haven't you heard it?”

She snuggled closer. “Sing it for me. You have such a sexy voice. I think about it all the time—”

“Alexia!” the computer complained loudly.

“Okay!'” She fixed her gaze on the monitor. “Spit it out.”

“I am you. And you are I.”

“Okay, I'm listening. It's an existentialist concept, right? But I never took philosophy, so use plain English.” When Rick chuckled, she told the computer solemnly, “I wasn't joking, Sensie.”

“I will use plain English. When Captain Gage entered the Titan to rescue you, the Titan spoke to me.”

“
Pardon?
”

“He called me Alexia Montoya. And of course I corrected him. And then
he
corrected
me
. And since I suspected he was an advanced cyber form, I respected his words enough to consider them. And I have concluded he was correct. I am you, and you are I.”

“My head hurts,” Alexia whispered to Rick.

“I can't get past the part where the Titan actually talked to her,” he agreed. Then he said to the computer, “Did he say these things out loud? In a booming voice? Like God? Or did he communicate through cyber space? In other words, if I had been outside the compartment, would I have heard him too?”

When the computer went silent, Alexia sighed. “We're missing the point. She thinks she's me. And it actually makes sense, doesn't it?”

He laughed in frustration. “How?”

“Well for one thing, she and I agree on everything. That's not normal, is it?”

“You don't agree on
anything
. She wanted you in the ACT, but you slept in the bed. She called you short. I think she even called you a slut at one point.”

“Those are red herrings. Right, Sensie?”

“Yes. That is very astute on your part, Alexia. On the whole, we are similar. I have searched my core memory, and have found certain anomalies. I was aware of them in my early development, but without context, I assumed they were the glitches that undermined my beta test. Now I realize those glitches were you.”

“Lovely.”

Rick grinned. “What are you saying, Sensie? You think Trent embedded Alexia's thought patterns into your programming? That would be wild.”

“I agree,” Sensie assured him. “I cannot imagine how he could accomplish such a thing.”

“Well, I guess that makes
me
the smartest entity on this ship,” Alexia told them with a smile. “Because I know
exactly
how my brother did it. And the best part is, he actually believed in me—in my brain—when no one else did.” Jumping up, she had to pause for a moment to regain her balance, then walked to the side of the room. “Do you remember that first day, Sensie? When I touched these walls? Like this? I think I knew. Then you insulted me, and the sisterhood went away. But I knew it then, and I know it now.”

“She called you short,” Rick reiterated, sounding skeptical but also amused.

“I
am
short. But don't you see? I've
known it for years, so I'm at peace with it. But Sensie has my
old
memories. From when I was sure I'd have a growth spurt in college, just like Mom promised, and end up as tall as her. So Sensie was disappointed when she realized we never spurted. And trust me, I remember that feeling.”

Rick stared in wary silence, and she knew he was afraid to say a word. It was so crazy, so personal, but also a scientific breakthrough that would catapult his understanding of computers, not just in general but for his sentient in particular.

“I am sorry I called us short, Alexia. Five foot six and a quarter inches is not short for a human female.”

“I know. We just had such high hopes, didn't we?”

“Okay,” Rick interrupted, laughing. “You're not gonna start doing
that
, are you? Saying we and us? It's freaking me out.”

Alexia laughed too. “I'll try not to, but it's so fun.”

“You said you know how Trent did it,” he reminded her. “Care to explain?”

She nodded, and would have moved back to the console, but wasn't sure she had the energy. Plus, the wall was right here. Pure bio-metal. Wasn't that what she really needed?

So she slid down to the ground and leaned against the cool silvery blue. “Have you heard of Cohl-Sahara brain mapping? Right before I left for college, Trent dragged me to a lab and had them map me. He said it would provide a baseline in case I ever had a head injury or other memory loss. And since it didn't hurt, I didn't object. Even though it was pretty elaborate. Electrodes all over me, not just my head but my body too. And it took hours. But he gave me my own copy after that and told me to put it someplace safe.” She smiled at the memory. “It's still in my father's desk in Los Altos.”

Rick's green eyes sparked with inspiration. “Sensie?”

“That is undoubtedly how he did it. Very impressive.”

Alexia licked her lips. “And he must have had himself mapped too. Do you see what that means?” Struggling to stand, she was grateful when Rick crossed to her and wrapped an arm around her waist.

“You should be in bed,” he told her. “We can do this later.”

“The captain is correct, Alexia. You are relapsing. Forgive me for mentioning this before you were strong enough.”

“I'm fine,” Alexia insisted. “Let's power through. Trent must have used his own brain map in one of the prototypes. The one at NASA, probably. Do you see what that means?”

Ignoring her, Rick picked her up and carried her to his bunk. Once she was resting against a pillow, he admitted, “This is amazing. And since he built four prototypes, it's possible he used four different brain maps. Maybe yours, his own, Roberto's and TJ's? And since TJ's a closet psycho,
his
brain patterns must have caused Prototype One to crash.”

“Dad died before Cohl-Sahara was invented,” Alexia corrected him.

Sensie joined the speculation, saying, “It is quite likely that Trent used his own map for several of the prototypes, perhaps configured differently since he wanted four distinct experiments. That would explain why both the Sea-Mont and the NASA prototypes were so successful.”

Alexia shook her head. “There's no way the Sea-Mont sentient has Trent's brain. It didn't have any personality at all. So maybe he decided to make one without any mapping. Which means Trent's is at NASA.” She realized Rick was staring at her, so she murmured, “Did I say something stupid?”

“You talked to the Sea-Mont sentient? Meaning TJ gave you access?”

“Oh!” She smiled and touched his cheek. “There's so much you don't know. And most of it doesn't matter. But yes, he let me talk to it for a few minutes, and it was a disaster. Not only was the sentient mechanical and uninspired, he was a bit harsh with me about my search for Trent.” She smiled up at the small monitor over the closet. “Remember how
you
reacted when I talked to you about it, Sensie? You insisted it was hopeless, but you still listened. And tried to let me down gently. Not the Sea-Mont sentient. He was a jerk about it.”

She noticed Rick still seemed distracted, and then realized why. “I didn't sleep with TJ. I didn't have to. He was actually great about the whole platonic thing, at least at the beginning.”

“It wouldn't bother me if you did.”

“But I didn't.” She brushed her lips across his. “I knew, even before you left that morning, that I couldn't go through with it. I couldn't pretend to be attracted to him, not with the memory of you so fresh in my mind. It wouldn't have been fair to him. And so I tried to let him down gently. Without mentioning you at all, of course. I told him he and I were family, and I was determined to heal the rift. Just not that way.”

“And he was fine with that?” Rick arched a dubious eyebrow. “I got the impression from Angelus that he tried to force you into marrying him.”

“Right.” She grimaced. “Things were going really well. He kept proposing to me, but in a nice, non-threatening way. And then, when we lost Jamie in the sinkhole, he was a rock. I mean, it was awful but I think it brought us closer, and I really believed we had reconnected as friends. He had a fantasy about us getting married and having a son who looked like Trent. A Montoya-Seaton baby who would inherit the whole company someday. But I honestly believe he was starting to see it my way. That we were better off as surrogate siblings. Then…” She paused to prepare herself, and Rick, for the bombshell. “Then he found out about the night you and I spent together.”

“Fuck.”

“Exactly. He thought I faked D-side poisoning so I could scurry back to Trent's penthouse and have wild sex with you.” She leaned back and closed her eyes, seeing it from TJ's point of view. “It hurt him so bad, Rick. He wanted to give me an ultimatum—either I'd marry him or he'd send me back through the sinkhole. Then he'd punish me by deporting you and confiscating your ship.”

“You should have let him try it,” Rick growled. “I've got powerful friends too. I don't use them, but I've got 'em.”

“It didn't matter. David showed up and went ballistic. He was furious at TJ for not deporting me, and he told me point blank he'd make sure I died before I reached E-side. So in a way, TJ saved my life by dangling the prospect of a Montoya-Seaton grandson in front of him.
That's
why David kept me alive. So TJ could marry me. And luckily I remembered what you said about Gabby, and she contacted Zeke, and Zeke contacted you. And you rescued me.” She took his hand in her own. “Have I thanked you?”

“Yeah, many times.” He took a deep breath. “That's one hell of a story.”

“I'm worried about Zeke and Gabby. Tell me what you know, please? It's odd we haven't heard from him yet, isn't it?”

“Sea-Mont jammed all the frequencies after you got away. We were lucky he got one message through on the bootleg channel before it went dark. But they'll find a way to contact us. We'll wait in the outer sectors until they get something functioning outside Seaton's range.”

“And you said there was a bulletin?”

Rick cleared his throat. “It was an official Sea-Mont communiqué. The only thing they've let through this week. It's all lies, Alexia. Troubling, but we can't read too much into it.” When she held his gaze, he explained. “They claimed you'd been lost in the sinkhole.”

“What?”

“Yeah. And it said you and TJ were married. So I imagine his game is to have you declared dead, and have himself named as your heir. I'm sorry, honey.”

She rubbed her eyes, shocked but also confused. “How will he explain it when I show up at the White House and tell my story?”

“He thinks he can block that. By keeping the sinkhole shut, and feeding disinformation to Earth. He knows you'll try the smuggling route, and he'll be ready for that. So it might be a while. Weeks, maybe. I'm sorry about that.”

She tugged on his hand and he willingly stretched out beside her, then held her close.

She wanted to pass out, but had one final question. “What about Gabby and Zeke?”

He was silent for a moment, then answered in a guarded tone. “There's no specific news on that front. However, the communiqué said arrests have been made. It could be another lie—”

“But what if it's true? Oh God, poor Gabby. And Zeke! He was so brave, Rick. He didn't hesitate, not for a minute. Even though he knew it was dangerous.”

“TJ won't let anything bad happen to Gabby. And Zeke Angelus is sneaky. It's how he makes his living, and he's good at it. So he's probably hiding in Sector Three or Four, waiting for the heat to die down.”

“They're the only two people who helped us. So if arrests have been made…” She tried to smile. “Maybe David's punishing Belker for letting me get away. That would be poetic justice. He's the one who broke my cheek.”

“Pardon?”

“He hit me and broke my cheekbone. It's better now, but you should have seen it. A golf ball-sized lump, black eye and all.”

Rick cupped her face and studied it intently. “It looks okay now. So it wasn't broken, thank God. But I'll still make him pay.” His tone deepened. “And I'll make TJ pay too. He claimed to care about you, then let his enforcers beat you up?”

She sighed and snuggled against him again. “Zeke's going to kill Belker for us. And if we send David to prison, that's enough revenge against the Seatons. I'm not sure what I want beyond that, frankly. It's not like I can run the company myself, and I don't want any of it sold. Especially not to Crosse Enterprises.”

“Your nemesis? I didn't sleep with her, by the way.”

She sighed and kissed his mouth gratefully. “We had so much fun that night, didn't we? But the best part—the part I'll never forget—is the way you said goodbye. Do you remember what you said?”