Missed Your Lips

Chapter 4 – Adaptation





The loft was spacious. Each wall was encased in glass, giving an almost 360-degree view of the city. We weren’t at the top of the structure, but we were high enough to see stars through the smog. The lights of the strip below could never compare to the real thing above.



After taking detours and running through crowds of tourists, we had finally ended up at Blitz’s apartment. We were able to relax only after he had secured the two chain locks and four deadbolts. I might as well call myself his prisoner because I wasn’t getting through the door in any hurry, and the only other way out was down.



The tour had been brief. I was in awe as soon as we came in; the majority of the loft was surrounded in windows. And just as there were no walls separating us from the outside world, there were also no walls through most of the loft. There was only one major wall cutting through the middle of the open space, built specifically to keep the structure sound as opposed to any aesthetic function. Even the bathroom was simply plumbing fixtures affixed to that foundation wall, and then surrounded on the other three sides by huge panels of fabric hanging from the metal rafters. The kitchen area shared the opposite side of the same wall, keeping all of the water pipes centrally located.



For all of the spacious opportunities, this man was a minimalist. There was very little furniture to decorate the space. It seemed his only real indulgence was books. Instead of curtains to keep out any invading light, most of the eastern line of windows was covered in ceiling-to-floor bookshelves. I figured if I were stuck here long enough, at least I would have something to occupy my time.



“There’s a bed on this side. You can take it tonight,” he said, moving toward a futon on the same side of the room.



I looked down at myself. Had I known this was going to be a sleepover, I’d have brought something more practical than a white tank top and black leather pants to sleep in. Since most of my body was false, I could very comfortably sleep nude in most normal climates. However, this wasn’t my home, so I thought it might be rude to sleep naked in a complete stranger’s bed, regardless of recent developments.



Blitz must have seen my previous puzzlement because he pointed toward a dresser by the bed. “There’s clothes in there,” he said, flopping onto the futon and kicking off his boots.



After a few moments of searching, I settled for a pair of boxers and an oversized t-shirt that I had to tie around my waist to keep it from draping to my knees. I promptly moved to the bathroom to remove the remnants of the evening. Unfortunately, my only washing option was bar soap. Yeah, my face was going to pay for that. There was no mirror for me to examine my appearance in, but I did manage to find a lone rubber band to tie my hair back with.



As I turned to leave, I ran square into a very broad and very bare chest. “I’m sorry,” I whispered as I bounced off of him. Mildly embarrassed, I looked up at the man who wore an expression of confusion. “What?”



The only answer I got was another shake of his head as he moved past me to the toilet. I huffed, and left him to his personal business. Since I wasn’t really tired, I decided to pick through the rows of books. You know, for me, a mental escape is just as fulfilling as a physical one.



As I crossed back to the other side, I almost lost my breath. Though the lights in the loft were out, the windows were awash with the multi-colored lights from the strip, reflected in the sheen of rain that now coated the windows. Sparkles of pink, orange, and blue scattered across the hardwood floor. I stood at the window’s edge, and peered down at the street scene below.



“You’re an odd one,” said the man behind me.



I continued to gaze through the glistening window, completely oblivious to the fact that an ex-mercenary (whom I had just met) had the audacity to call me ‘odd’.



“Lights out. Time for bed,” he said, this time in a more commanding voice.



Never one to give in to commands, I said, “I’m not tired.”



“Well, I am. I’ve had enough action for one night.”



“Good for you, good night!” I said in my favorite sarcastic tone.



I continued to gaze out the window until I felt a hand rest on my lower back. “I’m not going to ask you twice.”



“You have yet to ask me once,” I said, spinning around to face him. “Look, I don’t get this mentality that both you and Vince seem to have, but I am not your hostage, so stop treating me like one.”



In one swift motion, Blitz bent down and tossed me over his shoulder. Now I was enhanced quite a few points more than the average cybergirl. However that made no difference. I fought with my entire body, and I still couldn’t break his one-armed hold on me.



“Stop it,” he said. He managed to get through the curtains and toss me onto the plush bed before I could grab any flesh with my fingernails.



“But…”



“No.”



“I haven’t even…”



“No.”



I sighed and started to say something else when he placed a finger on my lips. Yes, it was a gesture to silence me, but through the silence I heard, Must you always argue with me?



“Excuse me? Since when do we argue?”



Blitz broke the connection, placing the same finger to his own lips. Then he turned and disappeared through the draped walls. I listened to his feet pad across the hard floor until they stopped. I heard the sound of a body collapsing onto a mattress before I dared to speak again.



“What do you mean I’m odd?”



“Security?” he yelled.



“Available, what is your command?” radiated an automated voice.



“Level 3 security, window and floor sensors on.”



“Affirmative, level 3 security, window and floor sensors activated.”



“Hey!” I yelled. “What happens if I need to get up?’’



“Then you get electrocuted.”



I threw myself backward into the pile of pillows. “It’s still too light in here,” I muttered.



“Security? Windows, darken to level Nightshade.”



“Level Nightshade, affirmative.”



The room that was once lit by streetlights immediately darkened to the blackest night.



“Pfft, call me odd. Who else would darken their windows in the middle of the night…”



~*~*~



I sensed movement. I could hear voices. But no matter how much I tried, my body would not respond to me. No words would pass through my mouth.



I was lying prone, facing upward at a cloth ceiling, a tent maybe. I don’t know how I got here, only that when I first opened my eyes, there were two men in lab coats moving back and forth.



More voices now, coming closer, men talking and laughing loudly. More movement, the two lab coats are back. I feel a crippling fear as they throw a white sheet over me, blocking my view. Voices are closer now.



“Is this what we bargained for?”



“Yes sir, she has been engineered to your specifications. All we need is your approval after the test run.”



The sheet was removed. Four men stood above me. Two were the lab coats, the other was my father, decked out in his full uniform. The other was another uniform, this one with more bars and stars than my father. But why was I here?



I was straining against my body, trying to claw my way out. The decorated man placed his hand against my cheek.



“She’s cold,” he stated, a hint of disappointment in his tone.



A lab coat came closer. “All she requires is your activation. Once she registers your body signature, she will do whatever you please.”



The man looked back to my father and gave him a curt nod. With one final pained glance my way, my father saluted and left my visual field. The two lab coats followed closely behind him.



More touching…I look back to the man I could only surmise to be a general. He smirked at me. Slowly, he started to unhook the buttons of his jacket.



“So, you can see me. Are you aware of why you’re here?” he asked, removing his jacket and placing it over a chair.



Fear was building…”I see, you can hear me, but you can’t move to respond, is that it?” he asked, bending over, out of my sight. I could hear heavy items hitting the floor. As he stood upright again, he began unhooking his belt.



“Well now, we can’t leave you like this forever, can we?” he said, letting his pants fall to the floor. “I need to see what you’re made of…”



~*~*~



Blitz was roused from his sleep by what sounded like whimpering. He reached up to massage his eyes, trying to listen more carefully to the sounds coming from his own bed.



“Security?” he said, in a low voice. “Floor sensors off, windows to dusk.”



Without an audible response, the windows reduced the darkness to allow the lights from the strip to penetrate the area with the hues of pink and blue again. Morning had not arrived yet, and the rain had not let up.



Setting his feet on the cold floor, Blitz looked around, trying to adjust to the thin light. His pants had fallen off the edge of the futon, out of sight. As he stood up to get them, the whimpering grew to fearful cries. Forgetting the formalities, Blitz moved quietly to the bed. Slipping through the curtains, he could see the woman wrapped tightly in the comforter. She was fighting a nightmare. It wasn’t her first; he had witnessed many in the past. But he was unsure how she would respond to him after their years apart.



As he approached the bedside, she stopped thrashing, and for a moment he thought she sensed his presence and woke up. Blitz turned to leave, but was stopped by her pleading voice.



“Please,” she whispered. “Don’t touch me. Don’t touch me…”



He remembered those dreams. They were always the worst, psychologically speaking. Blitz returned to the bedside. He bent over and touched her face. He could smell the saltiness of her tears, and the fear in her sweat. She may be cybernetic, but she still retained some of her basic functions as a reminder that she was still human. Gently, he reached out and stroked her arm.



“Come on, baby,” he said softly. “Come back to me.”



He could feel the faint buzz of their resonating bond as he traced his fingers up her arms, moving to wipe the tear from her cheek. Suddenly, she had a sharp intake of breath, and immediately slid across the bed. She scooted so far that she fell off of the bed, her fall cushioned by the covers that toppled over with her.



“Don’t touch me!” she said, scrambling to find her footing. She shed the blanket and ran out of the curtained room.



Blitz gave chase. If she didn’t know where she was, she could very easily hurt herself in her state of panic. Rounding the wall, he found her wandering aimlessly toward the windows. Quietly, he sneaked up behind her.



“I’m not going to hurt you, Synna,” he said.



Startled, she screamed, and turned around and threw her arms in the air as if fending off an attack. But as she tried to back away, she tripped on the edge of the Persian rug. Blitz reached out to help her, but instead ended up going down to the floor with her. He managed to catch himself with his arms before he crushed her with his body.



“Get away from me!” she yelled while trying to pull her way out of the cage of his arms.



But this time, Blitz didn’t let her get away. As he fell onto his side, he used his free arm to grab around her waist, yanking her body back to him. Swiftly he wrapped her up within his arms and legs to keep her from flailing. And just like in the past, it had the desired effect. She stopped fighting almost instantly, her body calmly settling into the crooks of his body. It took only moments for her breathing to slow, and she returned to her deep slumber.



~*~*~



I wasn’t sure what time it was when I woke up; the curtains diffused much of the invading daylight. I caught flashes of morning light as the drapes billowed with the air that circulated through the loft. My head rested on the mattress, I could see the pillow propped at the edge of the bed, shoved aside in the middle of the night. As I reached down to pull the discarded covers up, I grabbed a man’s leg instead. I slowly turned my head to find Blitz behind me, his eyes wide open and watching me. His face looked worn and tired, as if sleep did not come easily to him last night. I looked down at his arm draped over my waist.



“Hello,” I said, unsure of the proper response. “Um, did we…”



“No.”



“Oh,” I said, not sure if I should sound relieved or disappointed. Honestly, I’d never woken up in another man’s bed before, at least, not as far as I knew. “So, do you often climb into bed with your guests?”



“No,” he said, yawning.



I could only roll over, giving him my back again. Yup, I didn’t think this could become a more awkward situation. But he didn’t seem stressed about sharing his bed with me, and I found that lying against his body was kind of comforting.



“What do you normally do for guests?” I asked, stretching my body while still trapped under his arm.



“I don’t know, never had guests before.”



“Yeah, I’ve never been to a sleepover before either,” I laughed. “Do you care if I get up?”



Blitz let go of me, his expression still blank. This man was a complete enigma to me. I thought he was uncaring, but then I wake up with him watching over me. Did I do something in my sleep? Or maybe…



I stood up and stretched again, this time towards the ceiling, awakening my muscles from my fingers to my toes. “Blitz, was I dreaming last night?”



I heard the creak behind me, the bed letting me know that it was relieved of its additional weight. I turned and looked at him. His hair was loose, reaching to the middle of his back. His steely eyes were weary from a lack of sleep. It was then I realized that he was wearing only boxers, and his body was rippled with muscles under his skin. It must be a prerequisite to be a mercenary because Vince was built very similar. But where Vince was stocky, Blitz was more lean muscle, his physique was built more for endurance than strength. He came over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. It was a considerate move on his part, and very uncharacteristic. Apparently mercenaries were required to be nice to women as well.



“I’ll put on a pot of coffee,” he said, gripping my shoulder again before retreating from the room. “We need to talk.”