Locked together they collapsed onto the sofa, with Morton on top. He fumbled desperately at his shirt, trying to get it off over his head. Mellanie wriggled her skirt down her legs. Then he was inside her, fucking her brains out with deep savage thrusts. Both of them cried out, competing to be the loudest, the most joyful, clutching frantically at each other as their bodies thrashed about in ecstasy.
An uncertain time later Morton recovered enough to focus on the ceiling he was staring up at. He was slumped against the base of the sofa, panting heavily and sweating profusely in contrast to the euphoria he felt. Mellanie giggled contentedly beside him, and propped herself up on an elbow. She’d lost the black cap at some point, allowing her hair to tumble out wildly. Her bra was still attached, twisted around her abdomen.
He smiled at her and gave her a soft kiss before finally finding the bra’s clasp and removing it. That was when he noticed his own shirt was wrapped around his arm. Laughing, she unwound it for him.
“You really do look magnificent,” he said admiringly. His hand stroked along her arm, crossing over to her belly before dipping inquisitively to massage her thigh. “This age suits you.”
“You haven’t changed.”
“Is that good?”
Mellanie gasped in surprise at what his hand did. She’d forgotten how very well he knew her body. “I like some things to stay the same,” she hissed in delight.
“Did you miss me?”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
She bowed her head, letting the damp tassels of hair brush his chest. “This much.” Her lips and fingers began their delicate caresses. “This much.” She moved slowly down his belly to where his cock was beginning to stiffen again. “This much,” she growled impatiently.
Morton was convinced he’d never be able to move again, every limb ached in the most disgraceful fashion. They lay side by side on the floor, arms around each other as the light faded from the desert sky outside. For the first time since the trial he began to have regrets about what he’d lost.
“Have you managed all right, since…?” he asked quietly.
“I do okay.”
“I’m sorry; it can’t have been easy for you. I should have made some kind of provision, put some money aside, some cash. I just never considered…”
“I said I’m all right, Morty.”
“Yeah. Jeeze, you look fucking amazing. I mean it.”
She smiled, running her hand back through her hair, combing it away from her face. “Thanks. I really missed you.”
Even now, all he could think of was screwing her again. “So have you…got anyone?”
“No,” she said, a little too quickly. “Nobody special. Not like you. Things have been kinda strange for me. Especially since the Prime attack.”
“I’ll bet. What’s with this job you’ve got? You mentioned Michelangelo.”
“Oh, yeah. I work for his show now. I’m one of their reporters.”
“Congratulations. That must have been a tough gig to grab.”
“I have a good agent.”
“What the hell. It got you in to see me. That’s all I care.”
She rested a hand on his chest, stroking affectionately. “It wasn’t an excuse, Morty. I could have come to see you anytime. You’re allowed visitors.”
“Right.” He didn’t understand.
“The offer is genuine. It took me a little time to put it together, and the show’s lawyers had to convince the navy to agree. But it’s all sorted.”
“You want me to report back from Elan?”
“Yes, basically. You’re entitled to a short personal communications burst at each contact time. That’s part of your service agreement.”
“I never read the small print,” he muttered.
“The lawyers made the navy agree that you could use the burst to send us a report. Michelangelo will pay. It’s a good fee. That’ll mean you’ll have money when this is all over. You can use it to start again.”
“Fine. Whatever. Do I get to see you again? That’s all I’m interested in.”
“It’ll be difficult. I won’t get many chances. And it can’t be long before the navy begins the fight back.”
“Will you come back to see me here?” he asked insistently.
“Yes, Morty, I’ll come back.”
“Good.” He started to kiss her again.
“There’s something I want to show you,” she murmured.
“Something you’ve learned?” His tongue licked eagerly along her neck.
“Something a bad girl would do?”
She took both his hands and held them firmly. He grinned in anticipation. His e-butler told him the OCtattoos on his palms and fingers were interfacing. “What—”
Morton was suddenly standing at the bottom of a white sphere. Faint lines of gray script flowed across the surface, too quick for him to focus on. They reminded him of his virtual vision’s basic standby mode graphics.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” Mellanie said.
Morton turned around to see her standing behind him. She was wearing simple white coveralls. He looked down at himself to see he was wearing an identical garment.
“What the hell happened?” he asked. “Where are we?”
“It’s a simulated environment. Basically, we’re inside your inserts.”
“How the fuck did you do that?”
“The SI gave me some fairly sophisticated OCtattoos while you were in suspension. I’m just starting to learn how to use a few of them for myself.”
“The SI?”
“We have an arrangement. I supply it with unusual information, and it acts as my agent. I’m not sure how much I can trust it, though.”
“You supply it with information?” Morton wished he could string together a sentence that wasn’t a question. He was coming across like a petulant ignoramus.
“Yes.” Mellanie sounded mildly annoyed at the implication.
“Oh, right.”
“We’re linked like this because it’s completely private. There’s no sensor the navy can use to overhear what I have to tell you.”
“What’s that?” he asked cautiously.
“You remember the Guardians of Selfhood?”
“Some kind of cult? They were always shotgunning the unisphere. Didn’t they attack the Second Chance? They believed an alien was running the government. Crap like that.”
“They were right.”
“Oh, come on.”
“It’s called the Starflyer. It might have triggered the war.”
“No, Mellanie.”
“Morty, I’ve been lied to. I’ve been shot at. Its agents tried to kidnap me. Even Paula Myo thinks it’s real.”
“The Investigator?” he asked in amazement.
“She’s not an investigator anymore. The Starflyer got her fired, but she has political connections. I don’t understand it all, but she’s working for another government department now, I think. She won’t tell me anything. She doesn’t trust me. Morty, this is frightening the hell out of me. I don’t know anyone else I can turn to but you. I know you’re safe; you’ve been in suspension while all this has happened. Please, Morty, at least consider the possibility. The Guardians must have started with some kind of reason. Mustn’t they? Every legend starts with a grain of truth.”
“I don’t know. I grant you they have been going an unusually long time, but that doesn’t mean they’re right. In any case, what has all this got to do with me? I’m off to war any day now. I can’t protect you, Mellanie. Even if I snuck off base, the navy has all the activation codes for my wetwired armament systems. They can switch them on and off anytime they want.”