Evanescent Read online

  “There are over two-thousand prisoners here. It must be a large gym.”

  “It is large, but they are given set times, and can only go in groups of thirty at a time. The female prisoners and males are separated of course. We always have ten guards on duty in the gym during their exercise periods. The most dangerous criminals can only go alone and are given one hour a week.”

  Three pings sounded over the com.

  “Ah, the dinner gong. Come, my dear, let me escort you to the mess hall.” He offered her his arm.

  Rachel felt like cringing, but she took his arm. He moved in close, and she stiffened. Man alive, I think the guy’s coming on to me. I have no experience in that area. It’s fast. And escorting me to dinner again? What are the sergeants going to think? Schultz told me to socialize, smile, be nice, to flirt, but Kyle gives me the heebie-jeebies. Fuck! I hate this assignment!

  As soon as they entered the mess hall and approached the table, she noticed the raised eyebrows of several of the men. Others didn’t bat an eye and acted like this was normal behavior. As if! She chuckled inwardly as she visualized Kyle escorting a male to the table this way. Or maybe he had? It had to get pretty lonely on this godforsaken planet without any women.

  She sat on her chair and made an attempt at conversation.

  “Why do all the male inmates have beards?”

  Kyle answered her. “They’re not allowed any shaving materials.”

  “It looks disgusting and dirty. They should be allowed to trim them or be shaven clean. Especially the staff in the kitchen. And their hair cut. Don’t you have a barber on staff? And what about showers? Do you realize how unsanitary it is to allow them to prepare food? The inmates smell so bad it turns my stomach, and I almost hesitate to eat my meal. How long have you all worked here?” she asked looking around the table.

  Kyle again was the one that responded. “The staff are assigned two-year terms. Most of them have families at home and choose to return after their assignment is over.”

  “What about you?” she looked directly at Kyle.

  “I’ve been here forever.” He chuckled. “Seems like it at least. Six and a half years now. I like the pay.”

  “You have no family?”

  “He’s got a wife and a kid,” Blom growled before Kyle could answer.

  “Do you take time off to go and see them?” she probed.

  Kyle seemed uncomfortable with her line of questions.

  Snyders jumped into the conversation. “He and the missus don’t see eye to eye.”

  “I don’t think my marital affairs are any of your business,” Kyle snapped. “I’ll thank you to keep your mouths shut.”

  Rachel felt the men had jumped in with the information because they wanted her to know Kyle was married. The anger radiating from Kyle made Rachel uncomfortable. “If you all don’t mind, I’ll take my leave now.” She nodded at the men and left the table. She didn’t care that the prisoners were still eating their dinner.

  She strode down the aisle through the inmates dining area and ignored the wolf whistles that followed her. She wasn’t afraid of the prisoners. Each table had armed guards stationed around it, and she was armed and trained as an assassin. What the hell could possibly happen?

  She had not counted on Kyle catching up to her just as she was about to exit the mess hall.

  “You’re not supposed to leave before the prisoners.”

  He’d grabbed her by the arm. She shook him loose. “Sorry. Won’t happen again, but the conversation was becoming far too personal.”

  “I apologize. My wife and I are separated. Divorce is on the horizon. The men know that.”

  “Your personal life is not my business.”

  “I apologize again. Still friends? Let me show you to the gym now.”

  She hesitated, but only for a moment. Though he had made her uncomfortable, she’d like nothing more than a good workout. Besides, the closer she got to Kyle, the sooner she could complete her mission. One way or another she was going to get the hell off this planet... Alive. “Okay.”

  Chapter Five

  The gyms were side by side. The doors to the prisoners’ gym stood open, and the walls were made of glass. She heard a commotion inside and stopped. A group of prisoners occupied the room, some on machines, others lifting weights, but three or four of them were in a brawl on the floor, punching, yelling, shouting. Some guards stood around doing nothing. They seemed to be enjoying the fight.

  “Aren’t you going to stop it?” She cocked her head and looked at Kyle.

  “As long as they don’t have weapons, there’s not much damage they can do. The guards will jump in if it gets too savage.”

  Rachel shook her head. “Look, they’re bleeding.”

  “They’ll mend. It’s best to let them get it out of their system.” He nudged her. “Come on. Don’t worry about this ruckus.”

  The staff’s gym didn’t have glass walls. It was quite private. When Kyle opened the door, Rachel was thrilled to see a large swimming pool. She loved to swim but had not been allowed in the water for any length of time because of her cybernetic arm. It didn’t react well to chlorine. The new one had been designed to withstand the chemicals used in pools. Twenty-four had trained for hours in water even though she was what the doctors had called a cyborg. Both legs, an arm, and a portion of her face had been constructed of cybernetic material.

  Beyond the pool was a large area filled with exercise machines of all types. “I could spend hours here,” she murmured.

  “You have your evenings, and you get two days a week off. Usually Saturdays and Sundays.”

  “For good behavior?” She cocked her chin at him.

  He laughed. “I normally go for a swim after working out. You’ll find changing cubicles over there.”

  Damn. All she had on under the suit was her skimpy outfit. It would have to do. It had never bothered her in the Institute, but she thought it would display too much skin to Kyle. He might get the wrong idea, but it couldn’t be helped. She could hardly order a t-shirt and a pair of shorts here, and she wasn’t about to miss out on the opportunity to work out. Sitting idle in front of those monitors had left her restless.

  Kyle walked to a row of lockers. “This is where we keep our gear. Don’t worry about your weapons. The door locks when you punch in your personal key.” He handed her a card with a code on it.

  Rachel went to a cubicle and took off her gun belt and then her suit. She gazed in the mirror for a moment. The red and black outfit was extremely revealing, the bottom was merely a G-string, exposing her buttocks completely. At least her breasts were covered by the bra. The top and the G-string were attached to each other by a web of black satin ribbon fortified with metal. Good thing, too, or the bra portion would fall down since there were no shoulder straps. After grabbing a towel off the shelf, she picked up her suit and weapons and put them inside a locker, punched in her code and memorized it.

  She hurried to the machines and chose the treadmill to start. Kyle sauntered in from the lockers wearing what looked like a pair of tiny tight black underwear that left little to the imagination. He stopped short when he saw her on the treadmill and leaned against the wall to watch her.

  Feeling completely uncomfortable now, she slowed down. Unease crawled across her skin when she saw his erection poke above his tight underwear. He didn’t move a muscle, just stood in place watching her with a stupid grin on his face.

  She finally stopped and, turning her back, to him chose a bike. He walked up next to her as she started peddling.

  “Woman, you are drop-dead gorgeous. I love your tattoos.” He placed a hand over hers where she gripped the handles.

  “Thank you. Please let me exercise?” she uttered. He left her then and disappeared through a door. Maybe a toilet? When he came out his crotch was back to normal. Thank God for that.

  He didn’t bother her anymore and focused on his workout. Though the man was annoying
and there was something very off-putting about him, she couldn’t help but admire his physique. He was well-built, very muscular and toned. She suddenly realized how she could glean information from him, but she wasn’t practiced in the art of flirtation or seduction, nor did she know how to interact in such a way with men.

  She’d read about romance, kissing, and knew about coupling, but to put it into practice? No way did she want to have sex with the man, especially her first time. But she needed to find out what was going on behind the scenes.

  And then what? You’ll eliminate the guilty ones? The guards would throw you in jail in a nanosecond for murder. I can activate the implant if that happens. But I don’t want to die. I want to live. But there is no escape from this place. Is there? Especially after I’ve killed one or more traitors. The rest of the staff wouldn’t know why I had gone on a killing spree. Sure, I could tell them, but I highly doubt they’d believe me. And I couldn’t tell them about the Institute, that’d be high treason. Schultz and Schmidt would send an eliminator after me to make sure I’m dead. I’m not under guard. I know when the ships come and go. Maybe I can find a way to sneak onto one of them? Who cares if these guys are stealing gold? I don’t give a damn. It’s strange they didn’t tell me to eliminate Ethan. Maybe Kyle had reported him dead? Wish I could talk to the guy.

  “Are you going for a swim?” Kyle interrupted her troubled thoughts. “We’ve been here for two hours.”

  She stood and wiped her face on the towel. “Yes, I’ve worked up quite a sweat.”

  “Let’s go then. I’ve got refreshments waiting for us in my quarters.” He ran to the pool.

  She dove in, swam a few laps, then climbed out and went to the shower room. After closing the door, she took off her skimpy outfit and examined her limb. Her fake arm had stood up well in the pool. The showers were sonic, like the one in her room. A warm breeze followed the shower. She held her arms up and closed her eyes, allowing the air to stroke her body.

  The opening and closing of the door caused her to open her eyes. Damn, I forgot. Since there were no women among the staff, there would be no separate showers for men or women. Kyle came in, stripped off his underwear and stood on the opposite side. He grinned at her as he started the shower.

  His nakedness embarrassed her, especially with his legs spread and arms held up. He almost resembled a statue the way he posed. Or was it for her benefit? He closed his eyes and turned slowly in a circle several times, then faced her again. Now that his eyes were closed, she gazed at his cock and ball sack. She’d seen pictures of naked men but never seen one in the flesh. For some odd reason, she felt like touching it, examining those curious pieces of flesh.

  Girl, you’re out of your mind. What are you thinking? Then again, wasn’t it natural for men and women to copulate? To touch? To feel? But she felt nothing. None of the romantic feelings she’d read about invaded her body. No throbbing. No butterflies. Nothing. Maybe Schultz, Schmidt, and the teachers were right. Copulation was only for making babies. She sighed. And those I can never have. The bastards stopped that when I began my cycle. But what about all that other stuff? Like kissing? According to some of the allowed books she’d read, the hero and heroine enjoyed the practice.

  Kyle’s eyes opened, and his gaze grazed her from head to toe and back again, resting on her breasts, then her pubic area.

  “You’ve got no pubic hair,” he stated.

  “I have no hair anywhere on my body, as opposed to you.” He had a lot of reddish body hair, on his chest, his arms, legs, and even on his back. It reminded her of pictures of monkeys and gorillas she’d seen.

  “You had it all removed? Electrolysis?”

  “Eh... yes.”

  “I love the rose just above your clit.”

  Oh damn, his thing is growing again. And it’s jumping at his abdomen. Is it supposed to do that? She tried to imagine it inside her body. Would it move like that inside me?

  “Clit?”

  “Your clitoris. Haven’t you heard it called that? Are you that naïve?”

  “I’ve never... I mean...”

  He laughed softly. “You’re priceless. Next, you’ll be telling me you’re still a virgin.”

  Oh, good God. I’m in a dangerous situation here. He’s naked. I’m naked. What the hell do I do? I can’t afford to alienate him. “Yes. It’s really no business of yours, but I’ve never been with a man in such a manner.”

  “Oh my. You’re becoming defensive and all official on me. Trying to cool me off, are you? No such luck, girl.”

  He turned the shower off, then stepped toward her. Rachel placed her hands against the wall behind her. She hadn’t realized that the shower was still sending a warm breeze around her body. He reached and jabbed at the panel, turning it off, then placed his hands on either side of her against the wall, pinning her between his arms.

  “Now what are you going to do?” he murmured close to her face.

  Nothing. I can’t do anything. Yes, I could lift my leg and knee you in the groin, but that will be the end of me. His breath smelled faintly of garlic—they’d had garlic bread with dinner. “You smell of garlic. You need to brush your teeth.”

  He burst out laughing. “How romantic can one be, but, honey, you didn’t cool me off at all. Don’t worry. I’m not going to force myself on you. I’m not a beast like the inmates would be if they got hold of you.”

  “You’re kidding. They can’t get near me.”

  “Even if they could, they can’t get it up anymore. Once a year, they’re all fed medication in their gruel that stops any sexual desires. Now, how about a kiss? Surely you can give me that much after teasing me with that gorgeous body?”

  He didn’t wait for an answer, and his lips crashed to hers. Rachel stood frozen. He forced her lips open, then kissed her. His tongue poked inside her mouth, licking her teeth, the inside of her mouth, and then he sucked her tongue into his mouth. She had no clue what to do except stand there. So this is kissing? A way to spread disease, give someone else your germs. I don’t like it. It’s sloppy, and I feel like he’s slobbering all over me and I can taste his garlic.

  “Rachel, come on, girl. Give me some love,” he said softly.

  She felt his hand between their bodies, touching her breasts, her nipples, then he parted her legs with his knee and rubbed her between her legs.

  “So soft. So smooth, like a baby’s bottom,” he whispered while he stroked the area where she should have had pubic hair.

  He stepped back suddenly, and his eyes had a wild expression in them. Rachel held her breath. Now what?

  “Keep your legs spread, and just let me look at you,” he said in a husky voice.

  She felt plastered against the wall and wished she could go through it to get away from him. He reached for her breast with one hand and kneaded it, while his other hand began pumping his erection. She watched, unwillingly fascinated by his actions, as suddenly a stream of milky white liquid jetted from the slit on the top, like a snake spitting its venom. Slowly, his penis shrank until it lay nestled on the bed of dark pubic hair and his ball sack.

  He let out a huge breath. “Now I need another shower.”

  Rachel was glad when he turned on the shower. She felt unclean and was relieved when the sonic waves cleansed her a second time.

  He left her to get dressed, thankfully. She grabbed her black and red outfit, then hurried to get her suit out of the locker. She had just finished putting it on when several of the sergeants entered the gym. Good grief. I thought the door was locked?

  Kyle joined her. “Fairhouse, Browning. Gonna work out, are you?”

  “Yes, I see you just did the same. In more ways than one,” the one called Fairhouse said looking at her G-string suit in her hand and winked.

  Kyle took her arm and hustled her out of the gym. She was sure those men thought she and Kyle had copulated. Oh well, who cares what they think. It came damn close though. Little does he know if he’d re
ally tried to put that thing in me, I would have retaliated. It would have gone badly for him. And probably for me, too, because I would have hurt him, and he’d have hated me after that and made my life hell, or worse.

  “Let’s go and have those refreshments I ordered,” Kyle said.

  “Kyle, I really don’t think—”

  “Nonsense. I don’t like to see good food go to waste. Come.”

  There was no food waiting in his suite. He turned on the intercom and barked an order to the kitchen. “Where is the food I ordered? I want it here. Now!”

  He poured her a glass of wine. She sipped it, grateful to get the taste of him out of her mouth.

  Ten minutes had gone by before someone knocked on the door. Kyle opened it, and a guard ushered in an inmate who carried a large tray. It was Ethan.

  She blinked rapidly while sipping the wine. Ethan, I need to talk to you.

  Yes, me, too. I don’t know how yet. Be careful of Kyle. He is not to be trusted.

  “Stop dawdling and set the food on the table,” Kyle ordered.

  I’ll be careful. You were here to spy on them. Did you find out who’s stealing gold?

  Yes. Kyle is involved and several others.

  He’d no sooner set the platter down when the guard roughly pushed him toward the door.

  Who are the others?

  Blom and...

  They were gone, and so was her communication with Ethan. Damn. Something blocks our telepathic communication. She would have to find a way to speak with Ethan without interference.

  Kyle removed the lid from the platter of food and offered one of the tidbits to Rachel. The scent made her mouth water. Rachel had no idea what they were, but she popped it into her mouth and savored the small morsel. She wiped her mouth with a napkin, then took a sip of wine. “Do the prisoners work late hours?”

  “Yes. From six in the morning until midnight. They work eighteen-hour shifts.” He downed his wine and poured another glass.

  “Even in the kitchen?”

  “Yes, they prepare a lot of food for the next day. There is even a kitchen nightshift that starts at three.” Kyle finished the bottle of wine and filled another glass with an amber liquid. It looked like the whiskey Rachel had seen Schultz drink. He set the bottle on the table.