Date: Sat, 23 Aug 2003 20:46:09 -0700 (PDT) From: Auby Haley Subject: Union of Two Species - Chapter One Obligatory warnings and legal disclaimers: If you are under the age of 21 or the age of majority in your area, offended by male/male material, or it is illegal to view such materials in your country, state, county, or municipality, you should leave now. This is a story of bonding and sex. Only time will tell which direction it will take. Do not archive, copy or email this story without permission of the author. This story has been copyrighted. ­­­­ Main Characters (Major characters will be added as the story unfolds.): Jas Murdock Computer Minor Character (Minor characters will be added as the story unfolds.): Union Chapter One Jas' Trial Red taillights of hovars glistened off the wet pavement after the rain had stopped. The air was heavy with moisture and the sweet aroma of ozone after the latest thunderstorm. The only sounds that echoed through the air was the hiss of water being thrown into the air by the hovcars racing down the avenue and his own footstep as Jas hurried along the pathwalk on his way home. He admonished himself first for going to the local bar on a night like this and not waiting for the first public pribubble that would deliver him home. Now he had to hurry before it started to rain again. It was never a good idea to travel on foot at night. Not safe to be alone. Even though the full moons were trying to protrude though the broken storm clouds more violent storms were predicted after midnight. He felt lucky to have left the bar between storms but he feared that it would still be a long lonely night ahead of him. Hesitating, Jas stopped at the alley he often used as a short cut during day hours. He internally debated whether to continue along Broad Avenue or cut down the alley saving him perhaps five minutes. Those five minutes could be the difference being safe or losing his life. The war for independence had intensified over the last few weeks. The forces of Vega seemed never to be able to rid Vega City of the marauding bands of loyalist. It was widely accepted that some of the generals of Vega Prime worked both sides of the conflict. He didn't fear the loyalist. It was the Goths that set Jas on edge. The Goths were the indigenous life forms of Vega Prime. Though small in number, when active could wipe out half the planets human population within a months time. An attack by the Goths, rarely happen since the planets defense system was installed. Still the Goth threat was not to be taken lightly. While the planet was relatively safe from them the defense system didn't help against those that still supported the U.N. Planetary Council. The defense system was designed to protect humans from alien life forms not from other humans. He never ventured down an alley after dark let alone after midnight. In the darkness unknown dangers lay hidden. Loyalist, Goths or other alien life forms that would be more than happy to feed on his helpless body if he fell into a trap. A burst of pale red lightening followed by booming thunder spurred his decision. Tonight would be different. He entered the alley as another clap of thunder boomed overhead rattling the glass set in the windowpanes of the buildings that lined the alley. The storm was much closer than he had estimated. The rolling thunder coming from the northern part of the city convinced him that the alley was the best route home. Knowing danger could be waiting for him he didn't want to be caught in a downpour. Jas pushed caution aside and hurried into the darkness. Glancing up to the night sky the moons were again obscured by clouds. He would be denied even their meager light to find his way. He laugh thinking that a trip of a thousand light years begins with a single footstep he continued his lonely trek. The only light given him was the occasional flash of lightening overhead which allowed him to see anything that might hinder his way. Perhaps it was Jas' heighten sense of awareness of his surroundings or his vivid imagination for he was very aware of his quickened footsteps echoing off the walls of the buildings. Occasionally the sounds of his own shoes would be quieted by a roll of thunder that reverberated in the alley around him. It was as if the thunder was haunting him. Or was it hunting him, he thought. He quickened his pace wanting to get through the two blocks to his rooms at the back of Patty's Candy store. As Jas approached the end of the alley where it spilled onto Eld Street he could feel the hair on his head straighten as electricity began to pulse around him. Through his plazsuit his skin began feeling the tickle of the building electrical charge all around him. Suddenly a blinding flash of lightening occurred and was momentarily blinded. He closed his eyes and shook his head in an attempt to refocus his vision while slowing his pace to a stop. When he opened them he saw what appeared to be a young man in a long black trench plazcoat standing in the center of the alley about 15 feet in front of him at the entrance to Eld Street. The man was casually standing there facing him, his legs wide apart rooted in place. Jas wasn't sure that he actually saw someone. It was part of the characteristics of the lightning on Vega Prime to cause hallucinations, to cause disorientation, leading novice inhabitants to lethal mistakes. Jas closed his eyes waiting the proscribed three ticks before reopening them. When he looked again there was no one there. Jas looked around and listened but heard nothing. The image of the lone man in the alley remained in his mind. Jas' brain told him that what he saw had been there. No human sentient could move that fast. There had been no bulletins warning of Goths in the city. No one trusted the bulletins. The Goths were everywhere. If it had been a Goth the wristband he wore didn't trigger the chime that would have brought a response from the authorities. Precaution during nightick was more important than during daytick. At night it was fair easier to disappear never to be heard from again. The Goths weren't active during daytick. Finally he decided that Prime was playing with his mind causing his imagination by electrical infiltration altering his consciousness. As he began moving he realized he hadn't seen a shadow normally cast by the meager lamp at the entrance of the alley were it spilled into the street. Was it possible that a Goth was in the city? No, the wristband would have altered him. It had to be the storm. But, if it was a Goth, his wristband was malfunctioning. He could be in danger without knowing it. A faulty wristband alerts the Authority. Should they not respond meant they had failed their directive. One wristband not working meant Vega City security had failed with its bureaucrats safe in padded cells. They would escape the slaughter. Jas quickened his forward movement and tried to put the vision out of his mind. He wasn't that far from home and felt secure in his ability to ward off an attack should there be a Goth on the prowl. When Jas reach Eld Street he suppressed the urge to dash across the street. He looked both ways seeing only a tazdog rummaging through an orange plasbag looking for food. As he crossed the street he noticed that the wind had picked up. It was swirling dirt and debris in the air as it moved down Eld. The last leg of his journey leading home was a short trek and he quickened his pace when felt the sting of the acid rain on his exposed skin and the mental conveyance of his mental defenses start to happen. Jas neared the single space where Patty parked his hovar when it started to drizzle. Just enough rain promising that a downpour would soon happen. He stepped into the parking area and Jas looked to his left over his shoulder from the direction he had come. What he saw made him stop. Again he saw the young man. Dress in black wearing a long black coat. The young man's long blond hair was whipping in the wind just as violently as the plazcoat he wore. He was standing there looking at Jas making no provocative moves. A Goth. Jas was sure it was a Goth even though his wristband failed to activate. He knew that he had to make it to safety inside his rooms at Patty's or stand and fight. Safety was just a few feet away but he couldn't move. The Goth and Jas stood staring at each other. Jas could feel the tension rising in his body as he began to feel the magnetic attraction to go towards the man. He fought against it. GET SAFE. SAFE. His mind was screaming as his mind defenses fully kicked in. He couldn't move even knowing that he only had to make three steps to the safbubble that surrounded the candy shop. Still he couldn't move. Fighting the urge to go to the man he could feel another sensation within his body. It caught him off guard. He could feel himself becoming hard. This Goth was hungry for more than a blood fest. Feeling the sexual attraction made it harder to free himself from the gaze of the Goth. The Goth's dark green eyes glowed so bright that the drizzling rain reflected it in a slow dance around the head of the Goth as Jas resisted the urge to surrender his life. The tension in the air combined with the urges within his mind had made Jas forget the rain. It was coming down harder and his plazsuit was soaked with nitric acid and his skin was beginning to burn. Suddenly he screamed his mind defenses taught to him by his master teacher crumbled. He phased as his mind briefly shut out reality. When he refocused his eyes the Goth was gone and he was shaking so hard that his teeth were dancing together. He stood looking towards Eld while his mind reclaimed his body. After the mind battle Jas knew that the Goth was as phased as he was and was no threat. Had the mind battle lasted a few more ticks he would have lost, forfeiting his life. As his senses returned he could feel his skin burning from the rain. Turning he ran the few steps to the safbubble and as it enclosed him he heard the familiar tick as the computer scanned his code from the identity chip implanted under the skin of his forehead and the door hissed open. Stepping inside Jas quickly stripped out of his cloths dropping them on the floor as he jumped into the shower and hot water began flowing over his body washing away the acid burning his skin. When the computer sensors inside the showers registered that the acid had been removed the water stopped and the shower suction quickly dried Jas' body. The environmental computer of his room was efficient nothing was wasted. Water, electricity, heat, food, even the air he breathed. Everything needed to survive was provided. Everything was recycled. Even normal everyday dust was sucked up by vacuum and recycled. The central processing unit was responsible for his life, for his safety. The only thing it couldn't supply was the one thing that he wanted the most. A companion. Jas was still shaking violently as he sat down in front of the computer screen. It came to life and the virtual keyboard shimmered in front of him. He could either text or speak, it didn't matter which. For several ticks he sat in front of the screen willing his body and mind return to normal. The old masticate had taught him well he thought. The flashing clock on the screen read 14.07.58 ticks counting. The mind battle had lasted close to two hundred ticks. Since he hadn't act in response the computer began a virtual scan. Registering any anomalies that might be present in the rooms and in Jas. The gentle tick of the computer carried on while Jas sat staring at the screen not conscious of what it was doing. The longer he sat not responding to the computer the louder the tick became until it was loud enough to bring his mind back into his body. Wirily Jas finally said, "Computer?" "Yes, Jas? Welcome home," the mainframe replied in its emotionless tone. He shook his head, clearing the last fragments of the mind attack. "Computer, did you run body scan?" "Yes, Jas." "Verbalize, and send scan to physician." It was his habit to speak to the Computer in the same emotionless tone. Even though he would like the mainframe to have a persona. It would be easier to relate to it. "Yes, Jas. Internal room environment are nominal. External are sensors nominal. Occupant, Jas Octavos, age 23. Weight 162 height 5'11. 2 percent body fat. Blood pressure is elevated, 220 over 125. Pulse elevated 130. Breath rate is 60 per minute. Body temperature is within normal range. Body respiration slightly elevated 29/20. Psychic output shows extreme elevation 379psi. Minor skin lesions due to indirect contact of Vega rain nitric concentration 9 percent. Minor laceration of the hippocampus .039 decrease. Increased neural output medulla at 32 percent. Cerebrum function decreased 2 percent. Most recent memory indicates major psychic incursion with increased libido running above normal. No damage or issues to any other organs. "Diagnosis: Recent contact with native sentient. Contact indicates that native was a blood drinker with high psychic ability. Conclusion Vegan is a Mix Species. Age..." "Computer hold. Explain `Mix Species.'" "Mix Species. From the Vega New English. Native Vegan. Of Vega. Native that requires blood and psychic energy to sustain life. Rare. Extremely dangerous. Survivability of contact less than one percent." The computer halted waiting for instructions. Damn. I bested a Goth and one of mix species. I'm either very psychic or just very lucky. "Continue at diagnosis, computer." "Age of Vegan is approximately 23. 6'1, weight 183. Muscular build defined waist with less than one percent body fat. Long blond hair worn freely below shoulders and has dark emerald eyes. Last feed approximately 4 months. Last wearing black over black. No indication of skin lesions due to recent weather patterns further indicates the individual was native. Mind photo available. Would you like to view mind photo, Jas?" "Yes." Jas thought it amazing what the computer could read from his body and mind. Only one tick of the computer before the mind photo was on the screen in front of him. The photo was taken directly out of his long-term memory. As Jas looked at it he felt the sexual urge within his body. Adrenalin began rushing to his brain and could feel his mind defenses begin to slide into place as the photo disappeared from the screen. "Computer? Why did you do that?" "Indication, viewing mind photo engaging internal defense system leading to further damage to hippocampus. Massive ejaculation is probable. External scan of area indicates when mind photo viewed individual appeared ten ticks from safbubble. The Authority has been notified with description and mind photo. Response time is less than 7 ticks." Jas wasn't concerned that the Goth was just outside. There was no way that it/he could get into his rooms. The Psychic Control of the safbubble was beyond the abilities of all native Vegans. "Is there a file on this native," Jas asked. The computer ticked, "Native is unknown." Jas thought that that was strange. The government had files of all Vegans. How could they miss one out of 200? Unless. Could the Vegans have another population center on the planet? But the entire planet had been mapped when the last conflict with them had ended 20 years ago. Again the tick of the computer became louder. Jas told it to hold. Jas recalled the picture of the Goth to his mind. This time he didn't feel the intensity of his defenses. So the Goth was no longer near and since he wasn't the Authority would have returned to base. They wouldn't bother him. They could get whatever they needed from his computer. Thinking of the Goth for a moment Jas thought he had seen him earlier. Where he wasn't sure. Perhaps it was at the diner that he had his burger and fries. No, the only other people there at that time were the regulars that were always there on a Sunday night. It had to have been at the bar. But he couldn't place the man there either. Jas continued to think but was unable to come up with a solution to his dilemma. Did he remember the Goth from a much earlier time? He sat up looking at the screen and asked. "Computer is my wristband functioning properly?" There was a one-tick pause before the computer replied that the band was functioning properly. "Computer, are you functioning properly?" "Yes, Jas." "Then, explain why my wristband did not notify the authorities of the Vegan at first contact. And why my defenses failed." Several ticks went by. Jas waited patiently. After several more ticks Jas asked, "Computer?" "I'm working, Jas. Just a few more ticks." Jas waited. "Diagnostic complete. Individual is not native to Vega Prime." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- E-mail at daxue12000@yahoo.com