Page 7 of Stalker
“Yeah, oh…. Wow,” she murmured, staring into his midnight blue eyes.
“I’ve been waiting my whole life to do that,” he said, smiling. “I want to do that again, but we should leave before we’re discovered.”
Neely unwrapped her legs from around him, and he lowered her until her feet were on the ground again.
“Where are we going?”
“I need to get back to California. That’s my assigned territory.”
“That’s far, isn’t it?”
“Yes, and this sky cycle isn’t that fast. It will take about six hours.”
“Did you fly all that way in one trip?” she wondered.
“Yes, and I am planning to fly back in one trip,” he said. “Is there a problem?”
“All I have are the clothes I am wearing. Not that I have a lot more at my flat in Starport City.” He already knew why she couldn’t go back there.
“Don’t worry. We can stop in New Chicago and get some things you will need.”
“I don’t need much… a couple of outfits, a jacket, and grooming supplies.” She took a step back to put some distance between them to give her a chance to recover her control. “You can take it out of my pay.”
“That’s not necessary….”
“For me, it is. I will take the job but don’t think this means I will be your mate. …Not that you are unattractive. Circumstances put me in a tough spot. I’d rather take my chances with you than Alexander Berke and his gangers.”
“But you want me.” He gave her a sexy smirk as he said it.
“Don’t get too cocky. We don’t always get what we want.” She gave him a meaningful look and then made the mistake of glancing at the prominent bulge at his crotch.And we don’t always want what’s good for us.
Neely turned abruptly and strode back to Stalker’s sky cycle. Stalker followed, smiling to himself. With Neely already seated, Stalker swung his leg up over the steering bar and sat in front of her.
He hit a switch that extended the wings and cockpit cover as he started the engine, morphing the sky cycle into a two-person flyer for high-speed travel.
They arrived in Chicago about two hours later. New Chicago was smaller than the original. None of the original buildings were salvageable. The first cyborgs that returned to Earth spent months leveling tattered buildings and clearing the land so they could rebuild. Before they could do that, they had to evacuate the people living in the ruins.
Stalker had landed at the shuttle port from the ship that had brought them from Phantom, the cyborg planet. After meeting with Commander Dark, he’d taken off for California on his newly refurbished sky cycle. While en route, he checked the AI net for where they could get Neely outfitted.
True to her word, she only chose a few pairs of black cargo pants and khaki green t-shirts, socks, and a black jacket like those the cyborgs wore. Stalker would have gotten her anything she wanted, but somehow, he knew that would not impress her. She was an independent woman, used to taking care of things herself.
Neely didn’t want to depend on him or any other male to get the things she needed or to protect her. He didn’t delude himself into believing she accepted his offer because she wanted to be with him. She was clearly attracted to him, but she took his deal because it gave her a way out of her dilemma. She only balked when he took her to be measured for body armor like the cyborgs used.
“Why do I need that?” she asked.
“Because where we’re going is dangerous. The cities are like a warzone. I’ve spent most of my time checking on the rural communities. They started shooting within minutes of my arrival in Los Angeles.”
“You are only one man. Granted, you’re a cyborg, but how will you fight that all by yourself?”
“Do you know how to use a gun?”
“I’m pretty good with a blaster, but mine blew up with my flyer.”
“I have weapons. How about an ion rifle?”
“Not my first choice in close quarters. So, I don’t have much experience with them. I can fire one, but I didn’t hit the target often enough to be useful.”
“What about a physical fight?”
