Blood of Brekkon (The Complex Book 0) Page 2

  “Yes.” I turned to my younger sister and saw that her face was red and sweaty. “Are you okay?” I asked, touching her forehead. She definitely felt feverish.

  “Hotter than Hell, but I can handle the heat. It’s the scales that are driving me nuts. They’re so damn itchy,” she replied miserably. Like me, she also wore a cloak, but it was to hide the calamity that was beginning to creep up her neck. The scales were already on her arms, stomach, and thighs. Although we’d kept her condition a secret, fearing that she’d be quarantined or banned from entering the Complex, they’d soon be noticeable.

  “Don’t scratch them,” I reminded her, pulling out the salve I’d made to help ease some of the discomfort. Unfortunately, the relief only lasted a couple of hours and our supply was limited. “You’ll start bleeding again.”

  Not listening to me, she reached under her cloak and began to scratch. “Why is it taking so long, Natalya?” she asked, looking toward the enormous silver dome ahead of us.

  I stared at my sister, wishing I could do more. She reminded me so much of our mother, Ava, who’d been killed during the early war (P-Extinction) between Humans and Metas. Like her, Ria was a kind and gentle soul who never wished harm on anyone. Now, here she was, trying to be brave when we both knew our last hope was standing less than fifty yards away.

  “It shouldn’t be too much longer. Here,” I said, handing her the salve.

  She took it and discreetly applied the ointment to her arms. “I’m so hot, my clothes are sticking to me.”

  “Mine are, too.”

  “I wish I could take the cloak off.”

  “You know that’s not possible,” I whispered.

  She let out a frustrated sigh. “Yes. I know. What irony, though, huh?” she mumbled, handing it back to me.

  “What do you mean?”

  Ria smiled grimly. “I’m a Healer and I can’t even cure myself of this loathsome disease,” she replied.

  “Nor can I,” I reminded her, “but we will. Soon.”

  “What if it doesn’t work?”

  “It will,” I replied, although even I knew there were no guarantees. I’d never used the stuff or knew of another Healer who had.

  She glanced toward the Dragon-shifters. “I don’t see why we can’t just ask them directly for the blood,” she said softly. “They look nice enough.”

  “There you go again,” I said, knowing I sounded cynical but not caring. “Thinking that everyone is decent and good. If we were to ask them point-blank for a sample of their blood, they would either laugh in our faces or demand something of great value in return.”

  I’d heard that Dragons were selfish, egotistical, and frowned upon anyone outside of their species. The fact that the one male was flirting with Cleo was actually quite surprising.

  Ria’s eyes widened. “You mean they might ask to lay with us?” she asked, with a slight blush.

  “That’s not what I was thinking. Something of monetary value. I don’t think we’re their type,” I said dryly.

  She smiled. “Are we that ugly?”

  “Maybe to them. You especially, you troll,” I teased.

  Although she knew I was joking, Ria’s smile fell. “I’m going to look absolutely beastly if this disease keeps progressing.”

  “We’ll take care of it. Don’t worry. Anyway, I doubt anything could mar your looks, little sister.”

  Ria, with her jet-black hair, blue eyes, and full lips had already caught enough attention in our village, especially now that her beauty had fully bloomed. One older man had even proposed to her, which she’d declined. Interestingly enough, I was a complete contrast to Ria, having inherited my looks from our mother. With my blonde hair, green eyes, and pale skin, one would never know that we were sisters. Just like my sister, I knew I wasn’t too horrible to look at either. It was why we carried daggers and wore cloaks in such stifling heat. In our current situation, beauty was a liability, especially in Lorn.

  “Those two might appreciate the scales,” she replied, tilting her head as she studied the Dragon-shifters. “Maybe they’d think I was one of them?”

  I snorted. “I doubt it.”

  “Still, I think we should try being honest about this. I have a bad feeling that something is going to go horribly wrong.”

  “That’s just your conscience. Don’t even think about approaching them,” I warned. “If they refused, we’d never get close enough again. Just let Cleo work her magic.”

  “But, it’s deceptive and wrong.”

  I agreed, but I couldn’t see any other choice.

  “Relax. You’re not deceiving them, little sister. Cleo is and she’s getting paid handsomely to do so.”

  “How is Cleo going to collect the blood?”

  I shrugged. “A syringe, I imagine. She told me she had it covered and that’s good enough for me.”

  “Let’s hope she knows what she’s doing.”

  Hope was all either of us had at that point.

  ***

  An hour later we were in the building being questioned and scanned by an Intra officer named Simon. He was a twenty-something, good-looking male Human with soft, brown eyes and a smile that I didn’t quite trust.

  “I’ll need to check your bags,” he said.

  I opened up mine first. We were only allowed one satchel each, since most of what we required at the Complex would be given to us inside. Including our clothing. I didn’t have much, just healing crystals, some books, and pictures of our mother.

  “What is this?” After asking me about my healing crystals, he held up the ointment I’d made for Ria. Before I could say anything, my sister cleared her throat and took over.

  “It’s for me, actually,” she said, smiling nervously. “My lips get very chapped.”

  He stared at her mouth. “It seems to be working well. They look very soft and supple.”

  “Well, that’s about it for my bag,” I said in a loud voice, shoving my items back inside. I didn’t like the way he was looking at my sister. If he looked too hard, he might notice the scales creeping up her neck.

  Simon gave me a funny smile and then proceeded to look through Ria’s bag. Like me, there wasn’t much. Just a picture of us with our parents before they were killed, and some crystals.

  “For females, you certainly travel light,” he remarked.

  “We were told not to bring much, so we’re only following directions,” I replied.

  “If only more of you would follow directions. Anyway, here,” he said, handing us both some kind of electronic tablets.

  “What are these?” asked Ria.

  He explained that they were translucent readers, called mini-tabs, which provided all of the information we needed, including the district we were assigned to, our apartment numbers, and job information.

  “It looks like we’re both working in the medical facility at the Forest District,” I said, relieved.

  “Yes,” she replied with a smirk. “Healers. Wow, big surprise.”

  “You’ll be invaluable there. Healers are rare,” said Simon.

  “So is peace, apparently,” she said as we noticed a group of Intra offices race outside. “It’s sad.”

  My sister, always the bleeding heart.

  I sighed. “Yes. Especially here. I hope the government knows what they’re doing.”

  “It will take much effort on everyone’s part to get along, Meta and Human alike. Anyway, I imagine the Forest infirmary is going to be especially busy with you two working there,” said Simon. “You really are sisters, huh?”

  “Yes,” I replied, wary of the way he was staring at Ria. Fortunately, the scanner hadn’t picked up on her skin condition, although I imagined it had to do with checking for weapons and drugs, and not so much ailments. Thankfully, our daggers were safely hidden inside of enchanted sheaths, so the scanner hadn’t picked up on those either. “Um, so… where to now?”

  He pointed to a large doorway. “Go through the big breach doors to enter Main City. From
there, you can take one of the zippers to your district.”

  “Thank you,” I said, relieved that we had passed inspection.

  “Yes, thank you,” said Ria, picking up her satchel.

  “Sure thing. If either of you need anything, my name is Simon. Simon Curtis,” he said, pointedly staring at Ria. “You can reach me through your microchip. Whatever time you might need assistance, don’t hesitate to call me. Day or night.” He winked. “And I do make house calls.”

  They’d implanted chips into our right palms and, apparently, we were able to contact anyone we needed in the Complex by simply pressing against them.

  “How very kind of you,” said Ria, smiling warmly.

  “Yes. How sweet,” I said, pulling her away. She obviously hadn’t gotten the message, but I had. Men, no matter what species, were horny bastards.

  Chapter 3

  Brekkon

  “Waste management?” growled Javich, staring down at his mini-tab angrily. “Is this a joke?”

  “Relax,” I told him, trying to keep a straight face. “Someone needs to take care of the trash. Hate to say it, but it’s probably one of the only things you’re qualified to handle here.”

  “Very funny. How about I handle kicking your ass?” he replied, only half-joking. Javich was getting hangry, as was I. As Dragons, we needed to keep eating or our blood sugar would drop dramatically, causing a whole slew of problems, mostly for those around us. When we were hungry, even friends began to look edible.

  “Think about it,” I said. “What other skills do you have, besides womanizing and drinking spirits, that would be considered an asset here at the Complex? I mean, they are paying us for these jobs.”

  “Okay, smartass,” Javich looked down toward my reader. “What does yours say?”

  “It looks like I’ve been assigned to…” my smile fell as I read the screen. “Farm-hand duty.”

  The Intra officer who’d check us in, a Human named Simon, commented that every job was important for the success of the Complex.

  “Right,” I mumbled, imagining myself shoveling hay and animal dung. “This must be some kind of mistake, however. You know, I’d listed on my application that I was also a craftsman.”

  “A craftsman?” repeated Javich, staring at me in disbelief.

  I ignored him. “Yes. I can build things with my hands. You know… like furniture.”

  “Oh, here we go. Are you sure you didn’t put crapsman?” said Javich with a smirk. “Because you’re a whiz at dishing that shit out.”

  I gave him a dirty look.

  “If you’re not happy with your job assignment, you’ll have to take it up with someone higher-up,” said Simon.

  I mulled it over and decided that it wasn’t worth the hassle. Especially knowing that Javich would be furious if I ended up with a better job than him. Besides, I’d only made a few things with my Human hands. Okay, maybe one thing. A stool. But it was a damn good stool.

  “No, it’s fine,” I replied.

  “If the AS knew you had more profitable skills, they’d probably upgrade you. Then you wouldn’t be stuck with a shitty maintenance job,” said Simon.

  Javich’s face darkened. “I thought you just said every job was important in the Complex?”

  “Every job is, but the more skills you have, the more valuable you are to the community. No offense,” Simon replied.

  The muscles in Javich’s jaw tightened. “Let’s go,” he said, picking up his bag. He walked around me toward the breach doors. “I’m hungry and if I don’t get a bite to eat soon, I’m going to show him some skills that might get me arrested.”

  “What was that?” said Simon.

  “He said ‘thank you’,” I lied, not wanting Javich arrested before he walked through the breach doors. Something told me I’d never make it through the next couple of years without him by my side.

  “No problem,” replied Simon. “Oh, one more thing—you won’t be able to shift into Dragons while you are here.”

  “So, we’ve been warned,” I muttered. “The force-fields.”

  “Of course, if you can stay below fifty feet, you’ll be fine,” he replied.

  Considering that in our natural state, Javich and I were both over three-hundred feet tall, it didn’t help. Fortunately, we had the ability to make ourselves shrink if needed. Besides, there was no way I could spend the next two-and-a-half years fulltime as a Human. The Dragon inside of me needed to get out and fly once in a while.

  I caught up to Javich and we entered Main City. Like the outside of the Complex, everything gleamed like silver, which I appreciated.

  “Check that out,” said Javich, pointing above us.

  I looked up and saw a large, black, circular craft hovering at the top of the city.

  “It’s the ‘eye-in-the-sky’”, said Cleo dryly, coming up behind us. “Where the presidents gather to watch their big experiment.”

  “How do you know about that?” I asked.

  She smirked. “I have friends, with other friends, in high places.”

  It didn’t surprise me in the least. The Meta obviously got around.

  “What job did they assign you?” asked Javich.

  “Massage therapist,” she replied with a little smile.

  “Really? How much does that pay?” he asked.

  “Quite well; I’m good with my hands and they know it. What about you?” she replied with a twinkle in her eyes. “What job were you assigned?”

  “Management,” he answered.

  “Management? What kind?” she asked.

  Knowing that she’d probably find out eventually, I tried answering for him. “Wa—“

  Javich talked over me. “Wait. He’s trying to say that they’re making us wait. They haven’t clarified anything yet,” he said, giving me a warning look.

  “Interesting,” she said as the three of us headed toward the transport area.

  “There was some kind of mix-up, apparently,” Javich continued, not looking at me. “Anyway, where’s your apartment?”

  As we stepped into line to wait for an available zipper, Cleo checked her mini-tab. “It looks like I am in the Aquatic Zone. Where are you?”

  “Ours is in the Forest Zone,” he replied. “Our apartments are right next to each other.”

  “That’s convenient. Oh, you didn’t get one of the better suites,” she stated, looking down at his mini-tab. “Too bad.”

  I grunted. “Let me guess, you were upgraded to a nicer apartment?”

  Her eyes twinkled. “Yes. It pays to have a lot of friends. ”

  “Apparently,” I replied dryly.

  “We have room for one more,” called out one of the Intra, standing next to a zipper.

  “Me!” called Cleo, waving her hand.

  “Come on, then,” he answered.

  “So, are we still on for later?” asked Javich as she began walking away.

  “Of course,” Cleo said, looking back at him over her shoulder. “I’ll get in touch within a couple of hours, if that’s okay?”

  “Sounds good to me,” he said.

  “I can’t believe you’re going to have sex with her,” I said, as she got into the zipper and began typing in her destination code.

  “She wants me and she’s very attractive.”

  “So are a lot of other females here,” I replied, noticing the blonde female who’d been staring me earlier laughing with another girl. The hood of her cloak had fallen away, exposing the kind of beauty that made one do a double-take. “This will be your first. You should be more selective.”

  “She threatened us,” he reminded me, setting his satchel down.

  “That should turn you off, not on,” I replied. Her threats had made want to slap the smirk right off of her face.

  “You’d think, but her wickedness actually makes me want her more,” Javich said. “I can only imagine what she’s like in bed.”

  I shook my head, glancing over at the blonde again. Pale skin, high cheekbones, an
d a curve of her lips that tugged at something inside of me. Still smiling at the other female, she turned and our eyes met.

  “Brekkon,” said Javich, picking up his bag, “Let’s go, there’s a zipper available.”

  The young woman’s cheeks turned pink. She looked away.

  “Hey, are you coming?”

  “Sorry,” I replied and followed Javich into the zipper. He typed in the code for the Forest Zone and we both sat down to wait for the hover cab to fill. Two Humans sat near us and they stunk so badly, that the other passengers began to complain.

  “You don’t smell like roses either,” one of them muttered, glaring back at everyone. “So, don’t go pointing fingers.”

  He was right, of course. There was a mix of different smells coming from the group and it was enough to almost make me lose my appetite.

  “Two-thousand S-Co,” said Javich, as we were leaving the loading area.

  I looked at him. “What are you talking about?”

  He smirked. “That’s how much I’m betting that you’ll eat your words.”

  “What words?”

  “About not bedding anyone other than a Dragon. I saw you checking out the blonde female back at the loading dock.”

  “Whatever,” I mumbled. “I was just looking around.”

  He grunted. “Friend, we’ve known each other all of our lives and I saw you checking her out.”

  “I was merely curious. I noticed her looking at me earlier.”

  “Right,” he said dryly. “Brekkon, you’re not leaving the Complex without getting laid at least once. Dragon or not, two-and-a-half years is too long to be celibate.”

  “I’ll bet you ten-thousand S-Co that you’re wrong,” I replied, never one to back away from a bet.

  He held out his hand. “It’s your money.”

  I shook it. “I know and I’ve just doubled it.”

  Javich smiled. “We’ll see.”

  Chapter 4

  Natalya

  The Dragon-shifter had been watching me again. I wondered if he was onto us.