CollectiveMemory (2 page)

“We’re searching for a dangerous being.”

“More.”

“My world is dedicated to contemplation and the search for
knowledge. We but rarely allow outsiders in and then only when they show a need
to learn and have something to contribute. Harken was brought into our
community almost two Earth years ago. No one noticed the greed that encompassed
him. A short time ago he left our world and is taking the knowledge that he found
there to gain power.”

“And that’s a bad thing?” Power hungry despots appeared
every couple of years in the universe. There was always someone to take them
down. The IPC and Earth in general tended to stay out of the conflicts. Unless
they directly threatened the planet or humans in general.

“Think of it. One man controlling all the known universes.
His knowledge expansive enough to fill those universes. No weaknesses.”

Her stomach did a little flip-flop. That didn’t sound good.
“One guy can’t be that smart,” she pointed out.

“No, but an entire world can. Our world has a collective
memory. When one being learns something, we all share in that knowledge. It has
allowed us to progress deep into the mysteries of science, mathematics,
physics.” Cayl started to pace, his body taking on the stress of his worries.
“Harken is using our considerable knowledge to gain universal power and he’s
using Earth as his home base. We believe he will first take over Earth since it
will be a relatively easy target.” Devin tried not to glare. “The inhabitants
being so primitive they are unlikely to resist.”

“We’re not just going to let some alien asshole take us over
without a fight.”

Cayl raised his eyebrows and looked thoughtful. “Humans
have, in the past, shown themselves more than willing to follow a charismatic
leader. To the point of almost destroying your world. This would be no
different.”

Devin winced. He had a point.

“We believe Harken’s plan is to take over Earth, use the
resources and launch the rest of his domination from here. Since Earth is such
an insignificant planet it is unlikely that other worlds will rise up when it
is taken over.”

Devin sighed and pressed her lips together. She was getting
a bit tired of Cayl denigrating humans but she let it pass.

“What will you do when you find him?”

“I will destroy him.”

“Oh goody.” That sort of thing just screamed “paperwork!”
“If the last guy hadn’t been able to find him, how are you going to?”

“Our beings don’t spend much time on Earth. There is little
to be gained. You have no expert knowledge in anything except sensory
perception, which can be fooled. We find no advancement from taking on a human
form and the human mind hasn’t advanced nearly to the point that it should. All
that—”

Devin held up her hand to stop his tirade. “I get it. Earth
is worthless and we’re nothing but naked apes. Get back to the point. How are
you going to find him?”

“One thing our previous operative learned before Harken
killed him was that his being leaves trace elements here. He was able to track
Harken to this location. I can track him through those but the trail only
lingers for so long. That is why this delay is so dangerous.”

“I’ll get you inside as soon as I can.” She glanced at her
watch. “Just a few more minutes.”

Cayl continued his pacing. He tugged on the sleeve of his
jacket and brushed his hair away from his face. He shuddered and muttered
something under his breath. He didn’t seem to be adapting to the human form
well.

She might have given him a few hints on staying calm, on
ignoring human senses but he hadn’t been inclined to listen before. And he
needed to learn to deal with sensory input.

They waited in silence with only the occasional sigh from
Cayl to convey his irritation. Hmm, that sound must be biological. He hadn’t
been on earth long enough to learn it from a teenage girl.

A sleek black car pulled up behind her Subaru Outback. On
alert, she spun around. She hadn’t brought a weapon. Hell, she wasn’t in the
field anymore and suddenly felt naked without her FlintLock. It was one of the
few weapons that worked on just about any being from any world.

But this particular creature happened to be human.
Fascinatingly human.

Mace pushed open his door and eased the long, lean body out
of the front seat. Devin’s throat tightened as it did the previous two times
they’d met. The only possibility she’d had of carrying on a conversation that
didn’t sound like a junior high school girl with a mad crush was alcohol and
that wasn’t readily available and truly, being as she was working it was best
not to indulge—but she really wanted a drink.

She swallowed, trying to clear the lump from her throat, and
forced her lips into a smile.

Mace looked about as confused as she imagined someone like
him ever looked. Really, he had that confidence and demeanor that made him seem
invincible, no matter how strange the situation might appear.

He glanced at Cayl then turned to Devin, raising his
eyebrows in silent question. The edge of his mouth pulled up like he was
fighting a smile.
Great. He’s laughing at me.
Her own confidence
plummeted even as her irritation rose. She pushed her shoulders back and
straightened her spine.

“Nice night,” he drawled as he approached.

“Right.”

His eyes twinkled at her sarcasm. Or it could have been
because he liked to make her uncomfortable.

He looked at her, waiting, not asking, just silently
commanding her to tell him what’s going on.

“My friend…” She started to call him John but he just didn’t
look like a John. “Cayl would like to see the inside of Switch. He’s into
that
lifestyle
.”

Mace’s eyebrows kicked up and she didn’t know if that was
because Cayl didn’t quite fit the profile of a Switch member or because of her
added emphasis on “that lifestyle”. It wasn’t that she didn’t approve. She
didn’t really understand it and knew it wasn’t for her. It was for the perfect
people like Mace.

“Is he really?” Mace folded his arms on his chest and cocked
his head to the side as he looked at her. Devin lifted her chin and held her
ground. “There are other clubs besides Switch. And I’m not—”

“This is wasting valuable time.” Cayl left his position near
the front of her car and stalked over, stopping between them. He looked at
Devin. “You trust this man? He is a competent escort?”

“Well, yes, but we really shouldn’t—”
Tell the world
you’re an alien
. She never got a chance to say those last words.

“My world has sent me to apprehend and destroy a dangerous
killer. He was last seen at this location.” Cayl pointed to the building. “We
require your assistance to gain access to this facility. We can provide
monetary compensation if you so require it.”

“Monetary compensation?” The edges of Mace’s eyes crimped
down into deep lines. “You want to pay me to take you inside?” He actually
looked offended.

“It is imperative that we access the building as soon as
possible and Agent Denning tells me we cannot do so without an escort. It is
understood by the known universe that humans will do nothing without some sort
of compensation. Tell me what you require and let us go.”

“Humans? What are you? An alien?”

“I’m certainly not of this world.”

“Wait!” Devin’s snapped command seemed to catch Cayl unaware
and he jerked to a stop. “You need to just chill for a second.”

“Chill, I do not under—”

Devin held up her hand and that was clearly a universal sign
of “shut up” because he sputtered to a stop.

She spun around and faced Mace, meeting his stare and not
letting her fears take over.

“Listen, Mace, we can’t really explain why we need to get
inside but we do. It’s critical. Would you please just get us in? Then you can
jet if you want.” She glanced at Cayl, the thunderous glare on his face getting
darker by the moment. She returned the glare with one of her own. “We’ll do our
best not to embarrass you.” Her voice hummed with warning but she didn’t think
Cayl understood the message.

She turned back to Mace. “Please.”

There was no laughter in his eyes when he nodded. The grim
set of his mouth was unusual compared to the arrogance she usually saw there.
“Okay. Let’s go.” He stepped back and looked at Cayl and Devin, his stare turning
to assessment. “You’ll do,” he said with a chin lift to Cayl. “But you…” He
looked at Devin and shook his head.

She folded her arms across her chest, trying to hide,
feeling once again like a junior high school girl. She’d developed early and
big and had learned the fine art of crossing her arms over her breasts in a
weak attempt to hide them.

But she wasn’t that girl anymore. “Sorry but you’re going to
have to live with it. There’s no way I’m becoming tall and slim in the next
five minutes. You’re stuck with my body as it is.”

Mace shook his head. “Your body’s fine. Hell, your body’s
great…” Heat filled his eyes and he paused and for one moment Devin thought he
might be imagining all the things he could do to her body. Even if it wasn’t
true, the idea made her nipples tighten and when she shifted her arms across
her breasts, a bright shimmer zipped into her core. He blinked and the hunger
disappeared from his stare. “But you look like you just walked out of the
office after a long, drab day.”

“Which I did.”

“Maybe but you can’t really walk into Switch looking like
that.”

“I fail to see why her raiment is an issue. We are chasing a
killer.”

Mace didn’t look at Cayl. He kept his stare trained on
Devin. “Trust me. This is a place you want to blend.” His lips squished
together. “Take off the jacket first.”

Devin almost protested but realized Mace was right. She
dragged off her suit jacket and stood there, waiting for the next instruction.

“Can you pull up your skirt? Maybe tuck it into the
waistband?”

The skirt hung to the tops of her knees and that was as much
as anyone had seen of her legs in several years. Thankfully, her monthly wax
appointment had been last week so she at least wouldn’t be hairy. Sighing to
hide the whimper that threatened, she tugged her skirt up, folding the
waistband over and pulling the hem up an inch.

“Oh, come on, babe, let’s see some leg.” The laughter in
Mace’s voice made her jaw clench. She flashed him a glare and dragged the skirt
higher, almost to mid-thigh, and stopped.

“That’s it. No more.”

“That’s perfect.” The teasing was gone. His voice had
dropped to a low, sexual murmur.

Gathering her courage, Devin lifted her gaze and looked at
Mace. His eyes were locked on her thighs. He stared and licked his lips, as if
imagining his tongue skimming up her thighs. A rush of moisture flowed into her
pussy and she pressed her knees together. That only made the sensation worse.

Her movement seemed to jolt Mace and he looked up. “Okay
better.” The gruff tone made her want to smile. Was she really making tall,
strong and studly, hot? Just by pulling up her skirt?

“Now untuck your shirt.”

She dragged the tails out. The wrinkled ends and too-big
shirt hung down like a sack.

“No.” He considered her for another moment. “Here.” He
grabbed her jacket off the roof of the car. “Take off the shirt and the bra and
put this on.”

“Are you crazy? I can’t walk around without a shirt.” And
certainly not without her bra. She hadn’t left her house without a bra on since
she’d been thirteen. Her breasts were in good shape and didn’t sag, much, but
they were big.

“Trust me. Wearing this jacket you’ll still be one of the
most covered women in there.”

He said it so matter-of-fact that she started to wonder if
she’d dreamed the hunger in his eyes. Probably.

She hesitated then finally sighed. “Fine.” She looked
around. They were on the street. It was fairly quiet but there were buildings
around.

“Cayl,” Mace called. “Come here and let’s cover her while
she changes.”

Cayl didn’t look happy but he followed Mace’s instructions,
the two large males turning their backs and building a wall around her to the
car. Taking a deep breath, she whipped off the white shirt, undid the clasp of
her bra and dropped it on the ground. She dragged the jacket up and over her
shoulders. The whole process took less than thirty seconds she was sure.

She did up the single button and straightened the collar,
tugging on the edges to cover more of her chest. Wasn’t happening. She normally
wore the jacket open because it was a bit snug. Almost half of each breast was
showing through the gap and every breath she took pulled the edges even wider.

“This isn’t going to work,” she muttered. Mace obviously
took that as clearance that he could turn around. Cayl followed suit.

“Damn.” Mace’s whisper sounded almost reverent.
Asshole.
She knew she needed to lose a little weight. The bastard didn’t have to mock
her.

She dropped her hands, exasperated. “See. Let me have my
shirt.”

Mace bent down and snatched it off the ground before she
could reach for it.

Her jaw ached from clenching her teeth. She lifted her gaze,
feeling the burn of tears stinging her eyes.

But once again, Mace didn’t meet her gaze. His stare was
locked on her chest and there was no mistaking the desire this time. She took a
breath, waiting for him to speak. The movement skimmed her nipples across the
cool satin lining of her jacket.

“Mace?”

“Hmm?” He made the noise but he didn’t look away.

“Mace.” She added some snap to her voice that time and
seemed to be enough to get his attention.

He looked up and smiled. “I’d apologize but damn, babe.” His
voice sounded deep, rough, almost reverent.

Cayl leaned in and looked at her chest. “Interesting.” He
peered at her open jacket, turning his head to the side, bending forward for a
closer inspection. Devin held herself still and finally he straightened. “It is
strangely appealing.” He looked at Mace as if he could answer his questions. “I
do not understand why I find it so fascinating.”