Laura Jo Phillips (2 page)
Authors: The Katres' Summer: Book 3 of the Soul-Linked Saga
A high, insistent beeping sounded from somewhere behind Summer. An expression of irritation crossed the man’s face. He walked away, presumably to answer the beeping noise. Summer could not see him, but she had no trouble hearing him.
“Yes,” he said coolly.
“I’m sorry to bother you Mr. Perry,” said a male voice speaking quickly. “You asked me to remind you about the meeting this afternoon.”
“So I did. Inform the board that I will be there soon and I expect them to wait.”
“Yes Sir, Mr. Perry,” the man replied at once.
Summer heard a soft click, indicating he had closed the connection, then the sound of footsteps as the man returned to stand in front of her again.
“I’m afraid I have business to attend to now,” he said. “However, you are not due to be shipped out until tomorrow evening, so I will at least have a few hours to enjoy your company tonight.”
He smiled that nasty smile again and Summer knew that no matter what, she had to find a way to escape this office before he returned from his meeting.
“Controller, follow,” he said abruptly. The Controller immediately obeyed, moving Summer’s body across the large office to a screened area in the far corner. As Summer stepped around the screen and into the small alcove beyond, she was again glad that the Controller was in charge. Otherwise, she wasn’t sure how she would have reacted to the sight that greeted her.
Standing in the corner was a woman with shiny silver skin. She was dressed in a tiny bra top and short skirt made of some type of shiny black material, and torturously high, shiny black shoes. The woman was standing on one foot with one leg held straight out in front of her at hip height, both arms held straight out at her sides, wavering slightly as the Controller continually adjusted her balance on the skinny heel of the shoe. The expression on the woman’s face was one of utter joy, but the tears of pain streaming down her silver face to drip onto the shiny black fabric of her top belied the fixed smile.
Summer had never seen a more horrific sight in her life. The worst thing about it was the knowledge that this woman was, like herself, still aware inside of that parody of herself.
“Summer Whitney, meet my toy, once called Darleen Flowers,” the man said genially as though introducing the two women at a party. “Toy, this is Summer Whitney.” The man laughed, a high, cold sound. “Rather, her name
now
is Summer Whitney. Who knows what her new owner may wish to call her?”
The man paused as though awaiting some type of response, but as neither Summer nor the silver woman, Darleen, could possibly reply, the silence stretched out for several moments. Finally the man sighed.
“Controller, over here,” he said, pointing to a spot on the floor directly opposite Darleen. Summer’s body obediently moved to the spot indicated, facing Darleen Flowers.
“Now ladies, you two get acquainted won’t you?” he said with a chuckle. “I have a meeting to attend, but when I return, we will, I think, have us some fun.”
The man left the alcove, laughing at his own sick humor. Summer listened carefully to the sounds he made as he opened a drawer in his desk, riffled some papers around and then closed something that sounded like a briefcase. Then she heard the door open and close softly before the metallic rattle of a lock being engaged.
Summer wasted no time. She immediately sent a deactivation order to her Controller and took a deep breath as her body relaxed. She then reached out with her mind to examine the nano-bots in the other woman’s brain, and was excited to discover that the man had not lied. She did indeed have the same Controller that Summer had.
She stepped closer to the woman and raised one finger to her lips in a warning to be quiet, shocked anew at this closer look of her. Hoping Darleen would obey her request for quiet, she gave the Controller a soft order.
“Controller, fully release subject,” she said, then held her breath as she waited to see if it would work.
During the months she had been held captive she had observed that new Keepers had to use the word “Controller” a few times when first giving orders to each woman’s Controller. After that, the Controllers appeared to recognize their voice and respond to their commands without them having to say “Controller” first. Since none of the women with the other type of Controller were able to speak, there was never any danger of them commanding their own Controller, or that of a fellow prisoner.
She was relieved when Darleen’s body immediately complied with the order and the woman’s face relaxed, her leg lowered slowly to the floor, and her arms went down to her sides. She looked at Summer, her eyes wide with surprise and hope.
“How?” she asked. Then she shook her head. “Never mind that, get us out of here before he comes back.”
“Do you have any idea how long he will be gone?” Summer asked as the woman slowly bent to remove the horrible shoes from her feet before carefully straightening her ankles so that her feet were flat on the floor, her face a mask of pain.
“No, not really,” the woman replied with a breathless gasp as she stood up and tried to stretch her aching muscles. “Could be an hour, could be five. I never know when he will come or go, and I’m never able to predict it.”
“Is your name really Darleen?” Summer asked.
“Yes,” the woman replied. “Darleen Flowers. Are you really Summer Whitney?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve heard your name before,” Darleen said.
“You have?”
“Yes, I’ve heard Lio say your name a few times when talking on the vox or the vid. He always refers to you as a
berezi
, though I don’t know what that means.”
“Neither do I, but I think I better find out,” Summer replied. “Are you ready to get out of here now?”
Darleen took one step, then another, moving slowly due to the pain in her joints that had become a constant part of her life over the previous year. “Yes, I think so,” she said. “But I think it would be better to call for help first. If anyone sees us, they will probably bring us straight back here.”
“I agree, but I don’t want to risk using the vid terminal. There might be security protocols installed. A vox would be safer,” Summer said.
Darleen pointed to an end table next to a big cushy arm chair where Lio liked to sit while he ordered the Controller to put her body through painful contortions. He found her pain and humiliation endlessly amusing.
Summer hurried across the small, screened-in alcove, her heart suddenly racing at how close she was to escape. She snatched up the vox and slapped it to her ear just as she heard the door lock rattle.
She hurried back to the spot Lio had placed her in, and brushed her hair behind her shoulders the way it had been when Lio left. She started to reactivate the nano-bots in her brain when she realized that Darleen was not back in her place. Instead, she was standing near the edge of the screen where it opened into a doorway, holding a carved statuette over her head.
Summer’s heart seemed to stop beating as she realized what Darleen meant to do and, at the same time, that it was too late to stop her. Even now she could hear the door swing shut, then a soft thunk as Lio put something heavy on his desk.
“Where the hell is that damn vox?” he muttered amidst the sound of papers shuffling and desk drawers opening and closing.
It’s in my ear
, Summer thought with growing fear and horror. Just as she began to slip over the edge into full panic, she asked herself,
What would Father do?
Hell,
Summer thought,
that’s easy. Father would fight.
Summer looked around the enclosure for something she could use as a weapon. All she saw was a thick, black rod leaning against the wall in a corner so she rushed across the alcove for it. The moment she picked it up she realized that it was a Maarkezi Pain Baton.
She had never actually seen one outside of a book, but because of her
eidetic
memory, she recognized it instantly for what it was. The Maarkezi Pain Baton caused every nerve ending in the body to produce instant pain. The level of pain was controlled by the dial, but even at its lowest setting it was said to be excruciating. The most insidious thing about it was that it artificially stimulated the nerve endings without causing any real damage, which prevented the victim from escaping the pain by passing out. The Maarkezi Pain Baton was outlawed on almost every planet in the Thousand Worlds, and for good reason.
Summer turned the object in her hand slightly, noting that the dial was set at ten, the highest setting. She looked up and saw that Darleen’s eyes were glued to the baton, an expression of mingled fear and hatred on her silver face. Summer started to dial the baton down, but changed her mind and left it where it was. She had no idea how strong Lio was, but even though he was a small man, he was still bigger than either of them, and they would not have more than one chance at surprising him.
She hurried over to where Darleen stood, her ears straining for sounds from beyond the screen. It was hard to hear over the thundering of her own heart, but she thought she heard his footsteps against the marble floor as he crossed the large office toward them. Summer tightened her grip on the baton and set her feet. She had never performed a violent act in all of her life, but she meant to walk out of this room a free woman, and she would do whatever she had to in order to make that happen.
Mara had to lean hard against the top of the suitcase before she could get it to close. “There,” she said softly to herself as the catches snapped into place. “Now, what next?”
She looked around the big bedroom that she had once shared with her male-set, feeling a momentary sense of loss. It just seemed to sneak up on her now and then, and when it did, it always surprised her. She shook her head, determined to ignore it. She did not have time for maudlin sentimentalities right now.
She headed for the kitchen, deliberately focusing on the food she planned to take with her on this trip. There was never enough of the delicacies that she liked when she visited the new base on the Dracons’ ranch. It was bad enough she had to keep going there, this time she intended to have a little comfort food with her.
Just as she reached the kitchen the soft beep of the vid sounded, causing Mara’s heart to skip a beat. It was Winkie. She just knew it.
Mara did not possess any psychic ability, but she had been half expecting this call for days now. Which was why she was preparing to make another trip. She considered ignoring the call. She could always say she had already left when the call came in. But no, if Winkie caught her in the lie he would not be pleased.
Mara shuddered at the thought. If she had realized just how much her baby brother had changed over the past few centuries she might not have gone to him in the first place. But she had gone to him. He had been her only hope. No use whining about it now, she thought as she turned and headed for the vid terminal in the living room.
Her hand shook only a little as she reached for the button to accept the incoming call.
As she expected, the newly familiar face of her younger brother filled the screen. She was always amazed at how much his face had changed over the years. He barely looked like the brother she had once known so well.
“Hello Mara,” he said, his deep, resonant voice causing a ripple of fear to race down her spine.
“Hello Winkie,” she said, pleased at the calm sound of her own voice. “How are you?”
“I am not happy, Mara,” Winkie said. “It has been many months since we made our bargain, and you have yet to fulfill your end of it.”
“I know, Winkie, and I’m sorry,” Mara replied, using her best wheedling voice. “I’ve been trying, you know that. In fact, I’m packing right now to go back and try again.”
“This is your last chance Mara,” Winkie said, his voice neither angry nor threatening. The very coldness of it frightened Mara far more than it would have if he’d been yelling at her. But this Winkie never yelled.
“Are you going to kill me, Winkie?” she asked, her voice trembling now. She didn’t care. She had to know.
“Of course not,” Winkie replied. “How can you complete your task if you are dead?” Mara sighed with relief. “Your sons, however, are another matter. I believe there are three remaining.”
“I
will
do it Winkie,” Mara said earnestly. “There’s just so much security there now.”
“Do not bore me with your excuses Mara,” Winkie interrupted. “Get it done.”
Mara opened her mouth to speak further, but the screen went abruptly dark as Winkie closed the connection.
“Damn,” Mara swore softly as she turned around and headed back to the kitchen. Winkie had never had much patience and the changes that had come over him during the past several hundred years had done nothing to improve that trait. She stood at the kitchen counter for a long moment, staring blankly at the stacks and piles of food she intended to take with her.
It had been difficult for her to learn to live alone after centuries of living with three men, but she had managed. It had been more difficult to accept the loss of her youngest sons, but she had gotten through that as well. Now she faced losing her three remaining sons and for a few moments she wondered if she would be able to live through that.