Page 12 of Darken
Gina smiled and nodded at him.
ChapterSeven
There were minutes to spare after they had dressed and packed up the tarp, so Darken and Gina walked over to where the wolves were keeping watch. Darken spoke to them, apparently in their language. That in itself was amazing, but Gina found it more amazing they answered him.
It made her just a little nervous when the pack moved in to sniff them while some made whining sounds. With Darken at her side, his arm around her shoulders, she could project acceptance. After paying homage to Darken as their alpha, they trotted off one by one.
“What did you say to them?”
“That we have to leave and they should go with their alphas and that we will see them again one day. While I would love to spend more time with them, I have a mission… After we have some time to bond.” As the wolves trotted back the way they came, he took Gina fully into his arms for a slow, sweet kiss.
The drone flyer landed nearby just a few minutes later.
“Where are we going?” she asked as they walked to it.
“To my… now our home. I haven’t even been there since I got to Earth. My first mission was to get you back from Devlin White.”
“I never even finished packing,” she said. “I’m wearing the only clothes I have with me.” The flyer door lifted like a second wing, and Darken gestured for her to enter, climbing in after her.
“Not that you will need other clothes right away, but I had them send three changes of the standard issue for us both. My clothes burned with the hovercycle.”
“Can we go back and get my things at some point?”
“Of course,” he replied, putting an arm over the back of her bucket seat. “I need to replace my hat and the ranger patches on my shirts, then pick up a pack of com-tablets to distribute as I make contact in the communities.”
“My com-tablet was in the house when they grabbed me,” Gina said, frowning as she looked out over the desolate landscape below. Not even a house or ranch was in view, and no village either.
They landed by a rockface mountainside a few minutes later, not a dwelling in sight. As Darken helped her from the flyer, the rockface faded, revealing a house cut into the rockface with a stone porch across the front of it.
“Impressive,” said Gina. “But we are in the middle of nowhere. What am I going to do while you are out doing your job? The nearest neighbor must be miles and miles away, and they might not even be friendly.”
“When I chose this place, I didn’t know about you. I picked this as the most secure location. We expect that not everyone will appreciate the Enclave annexing this territory.” Darken put his arm around her and walked her to the front door.
Gina was stunned as they walked inside. She wasn’t sure what she expected, but what she saw wasn’t it. The floor was polished stone tile, and some of the walls were stone or wood, polished and unpolished. The entrance brought them into the dining room, dominated by an oblong polished granite table flanked by rustic wooden chairs.
The light came on immediately when they walked inside. They stepped into a large sitting room with normal, padded furniture arranged in front of a holovid stage to the left. Shelves and padded benches were cut into the stone.
“This is beautiful. When you said it was cut into a mountain, I thought it would be more cave-like. But this looks like art that I’ve only ever seen in vids,” she said. “How did they ever find this place for you?”
“It was the home of one of the scientists who perfected the computer interface for cyborgs. He left it to the Enclave.”
“Because it’s way out in the middle of nowhere?”
“I believe so. Before the war, the scientist worked remotely from here. But after the massive destruction by the Mesaarkans knocked out communications and infrastructure, they moved them all to the base south of New Chicago. They offered me a choice of three different locations.”
“I think it suits you,” she told him as she studied each section. The living room, dining area, and kitchen were one big chamber divided into three sections.
“Will it suit you?”
“I like it. I’m just wondering what I will do while you are out making your rounds. My job and all my friends are up at the Enclave. Down here, I just have you.”
“Am I not enough?” He faced her and rested his hands on her shoulders, frowning.
Gina sighed and slid her arms around his waist. “That didn’t come out right. From what I heard about the Cyborg Rangers, I understood you would be traveling around your district most of the time.I took that to mean you would be away a lot, and I would be home alone. I am not afraid to be alone; I’m just used to living in a village among neighbors and friends. I would miss you a lot.”
“I don’t like that idea either. You will come with me, and we will train between trips, so you will know how to back me up.”
“Great!” she smiled up at him. “How about the rest of the house? I assume there is a bedroom and bathroom.”
