Discovered (A Galactic Battle Series Book 2) Read online

  Alyssa’s large green eyes never left him as she waited for his reply.

  With a heavy sigh he answered, “I’m Brock.”

  “Nice to meet ya, Brock. How long were you deployed?” Alyssa placed her hand on her hip and Brock couldn’t help but allow his gaze to follow the movement.

  “Er, I was there for… twenty years?” Brock hoped that was in the timeline for how long the Developers had snitches in the Renegade. When Alyssa’s eyes widened, and her mouth formed an O, he knew he was in trouble.

  “Well... I guess not everyone had a long servitude; you must have been with the last installment.”

  Brock quickly blinked away his surprise. “Er, yeah. Nice to meet you, Alyssa. Uh... thanks for the arm.” Honestly, he wasn’t sure how he felt about the new appendage quite yet. He missed his old one, as primitive as it might have been.

  “Oh sure, that’s the newest model. Super pricey. Totally cool. I was thinking of getting myself one, but now I’m thinking about doing a leg. What are you going to get done next?” Alyssa trailed her hand over his cyborg arm. Her closeness had his body tightening. What the hell was wrong with him? Women never affected him like this.

  “Um, I haven’t given it much thought.”

  “I’ll show you some of the other advancements. Take your time deciding. I understand. You can get attached to your flesh body if you have it for too long. Let me show you to your quarters.” Turning on her heel, Alyssa strutted from the room, waving her hand for Brock to follow. With a heavy sigh, Brock walked after her, his eyes never leaving the sway of her hips.

  3

  Alyssa walked ahead of Brock, still gabbing at him. What about, the gods only knew. He tried to keep up with her one-sided conversation, but kept zoning out. Was Lily and the team okay? Had they gotten away from the Developers?

  “So, what do you think?” Alyssa halted and turned to face him with one hand on her hip.

  Brock nearly ran into her. “I think whatever you decide for your first advancement will be just fine.”

  Alyssa arched a thin eyebrow. “Oh gee, I’m not talking about my advancements. I was asking if you wanted to go with me to the debriefing tonight.”

  “Uh, sure,” Brock responded with a roll of his eyes. Maybe if she didn’t ramble so much he could keep track of their conversation. First, she was bragging about how she is the best bio-mechanic on the ship and how rare it was that someone without any enhancements had the same precision as an advanced mechanic. She then babbled on about how he was some type of hero, then about her annoying roommate, and then her upcoming birthday. It was too much for one man to handle. He could actually see Gloria, his team’s linguist, and Alyssa getting along, but he didn’t dare imagine what their conversation would be like; he already had a headache.

  When he tuned back in, Alyssa was still gabbing. “They’ll go over Ulrick’s location and the next steps in the plan. It’s almost time,” she finished with a squeal.

  Brock’s heart sped up and he hoped the rapid beat could not be seen beneath his skintight jumpsuit. “Ulrick... Do they know where they are? Didn’t they TIP?”

  “Of course they TIPed, but it’s an old model, we can easily track it.”

  Brocks blood froze in his veins. “Where are they?” His words came out much too quickly, but he didn’t care. He had to warn his friends.

  “You have to wait for the meeting to find that out. I don’t know. You worried about them or somethin’?”

  Brock quickly shook his head and forced the muscles in his face to relax. “No, of course not,” he scoffed. “Just curious.”

  Scrunching that sweet little mouth of hers, Alyssa didn’t miss a beat. “It’s understandable if you are. If you were with them for twenty years in your primitive form, it’s common to develop emotional attachments. It’s another folly of having your flesh form.” At Brock’s silence, she continued, “It can easily be fixed with an upgrade. I suggest you make that next. If the big boys find out you have emotion, they will terminate you. Now, where was I?” She touched her finger to her lip. “Ah yes!” she exclaimed, raising her still-pointed finger into the air. “Let me take you to your room. You can rest before the debriefing.” Alyssa spun on her heel and pranced down the hallway.

  Brock followed, his mind once again reeling. He had already learned that showing emotions was a big fat no-no. He had to find out how he should act before he came into contact with another Developer. They may not be as ignorant to body language as Alyssa seemed to be. Also, were all the Developers as animated as her? It didn’t seem in their character. Then again, serial killers came in all shapes and sizes.

  Alyssa glanced over her shoulder at him. “What are ya looking at?”

  Brock decided to leave the real item that held his gaze off the table. “Nothin’, I was just wondering what the Developers were planning. Why did they destroy Aray?”

  “Everyone who was undercover was kept out of the loop, just in case they were discovered. That’s why everything is still a bit confusing for you. Everything will make sense after the meeting.”

  “I heard that the Developers are aligned with the Renegade.”

  Alyssa threw her head back and gave a sharp laugh. “Oh please! Never! The Renegade actually did prove themselves useful, fending off Golan for us, but that useless team can’t even stop a Harvest.”

  “The Renegade isn’t very big; they focused on doing what they could, saving civilizations. They wouldn’t stand a chance against Golan if they took him head on.”

  “Ain’t that the truth? The Renegade couldn’t fight off a small army of K’lors.”

  Brock clenched his teeth. “Maybe they could have done more if they were given updated technology, but the Developers don’t share anything. Strange, since they were the ones who gave Golan the technology to Harvest Synthnic.”

  “That’s true, a sore spot, by the way, so you shouldn’t bring that up to anyone. And, of course, we couldn’t give the Renegade the technology. Made that mistake once; hence the previous example.”

  “Then why did the Developers work with the Hilians?”

  “You know.” Alyssa turned to face him. “You ask a lot of questions.”

  “Uh, as you said, things are still a bit mixed up for me.”

  “Hmm, I wonder if I did something wrong.”

  “Did something wrong?”

  Alyssa studied him for a moment. “Well, your advancement should be working by now.”

  Brock held the image of a gun in his mind and his arm seamlessly transformed into a machine gun. “It’s working very well.”

  Alyssa shook her head. “It doesn’t seem to be calibrating right. If it doesn’t in the next few hours, I’ll take another look at it.”

  Brock’s brow furrowed. He wasn’t sure what she was talking about and while he wanted to know, he needed to focus on finding out more about his team. “Well, are you going to answer me?”

  “Just hold on a sec; only those with advancements are given the full details, so I don’t know. It will be easiest for you to just wait until the meeting. Things should clear up then.”

  “When is the meeting?”

  “Oh gosh, I already told you, it’s tonight. You sure are impatient, aren’t you?”

  Brock’s temper boiled. Who was this woman to think she could talk to him like this? He took a step forward, his frame towering over Alyssa’s slim form. She didn’t take a step back but the mischievous twinkle in her eye was replaced with uncertainty.

  “Listen here, sweetheart,” he snarled. “I would have thought someone would have taught you how to respect a decorated soldier—someone who fought for the cause, who gave up their dream of becoming perfection and had to live with uncivilized, unevolved idiots.” His eyes narrowed. “I now see that I will have to teach you what happens when you disrespect someone of my caliber.”

  Brock took another step forward. Alyssa scurried back. “No please, I’m super sorry. My mentor always told me I cross the line. I was just having a little f
un, there aren’t many around here that still have their flesh form. I was just messing around. Please don’t report me. I would never reach perfection for a crime like this.” Alyssa’s wide eyes pleaded with him.

  Brock’s temper quickly dissolved. Something was up with her and something had her scared and, as cruel as it sounded, he could use this to his advantage. “I won’t report you, but you have to work for it.”

  Alyssa’s eyes brightened. Fisting both hands in the air she exclaimed, “My pleasure. Just tell me what my job is, Mr. Boss.”

  Brock wondered if she realized just how much emotion she showed and if it had gotten her in trouble yet. “I want you to tell me about my people. It has been so long since I have been around them, I feel like an entirely different person.” Brock allowed his face to soften.

  The maneuver seemed to work and Alyssa patted his humanoid arm. A curious look passed over her face before she snatched her hand away. “Oh no! I’m so sorry! I sometimes do stuff like that when I’m not supposed to. Rule number one, you are never supposed to touch someone, unless of course you are operating on them. Oh gosh.” She threw her head back, exposing her long, silky neck. “I have got to stop doing that.” After a moment of public self-loathing, she looked back at him with a smile. “Of course I accept your deal. First, let me get you to your room.”

  Turning on her heel, Alyssa once again displayed her delicious rear end as she continued down the hallway.

  Brock allowed his breath, which he hadn’t even realized he was holding, to exit. He wasn’t sure Alyssa was the best person to take advice from but she didn’t seem to be like the other Developers. She may not realize it, but she was closer to her human form and to emotions than she thought.

  Allowing his gaze to fixate on her petite ass, he imagined what it would be like to squeeze her perfectly squeezable rear end.

  Brock cursed as the floor beneath him opened and swallowed him whole. “Motherfucker.”

  4

  Alyssa didn’t know what a mother was or why someone had engaged in coitus with one, but she was horrified. Physical displays, especially ones of affection, were strictly forbidden! Even she, with her multiple emotion violations, realized that. The fine was so hefty—immediate termination—that she had never even considered allowing herself even the simplest of touch.

  “Who?” Alyssa asked as she stood over Brock, who was still lying on the floor, crying about his back.

  “It’s just a phrase,” Brock groaned. He twisted onto his side and pulled himself to his feet, his hand on his lower back the entire time. “Dammit, woman, what the hell did you do? Where are we?”

  Alyssa crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. Hmmm, this was strike three—at least. He had lied to her about being undercover, his name was not one of the ones given as a possibility, he was acting with emotion, and he didn’t remember where he was or what he was doing. And why wasn’t his arm syncing up? With the new advancement he should have been given all the information he needed. She didn’t think he was a Developer, but then who was he?

  After going through the possibilities, she decided she needed to keep him believing that she was oblivious. She still needed some information and who knew, he may be her way out of being eliminated.

  “We are in your room, of course. Are you okay? You didn’t land on your feet.”

  “How was I supposed to land on my feet? I wasn’t expecting the floor to fucking open up.” Brock straightened and stretched his hands over his head; his fingers brushed the ceiling above him.

  Alyssa clenched her teeth. He certainly was rude. But he had her backed into a corner and she couldn’t afford to get reported again, especially when she was being questioned later today. “You don’t even remember the lissdrop? Wow, you’re a little worse off than I thought. That’s how we always get to the bedrooms.”

  Brock glanced up at the ceiling and scratched the hair on his face. “All right, how do we get out then?”

  “The same way, silly.” With the press of a button she re-activated the lissdrop, or lisspull as it was called when going up.

  Her body launched into the air and her hair whipped over her face. She suppressed a giggle as the magnet released her and she dropped to her feet. Brock landed with a bang and a grunt. Twisting to look at him, she found him on his hands and knees, a plethora of animated language leaving his lips.

  “It’s a little easier for you than it is for me. The lisspull works off of magnets. Since you have an enhancement you are easier to lift. Eventually, as you near perfection, you won’t have to wear this suit,” she said with a spread of her arms. “It would be indecent to walk around without it right now, since you’re still flesh, but once you’re advanced you won’t need the metal in the suits for the lisspull to activate.”

  Brock’s thick black eyebrows furrowed. “Sure,” he mumbled, then he pulled himself back to his feet.

  “All right, now back to your room.” Alyssa pressed the button and they were once again dropped into Brock’s sleeping quarters.

  “For the love of…” Brock hissed as he briefly managed to land on his feet but, ultimately, toppled onto his chest. Looking up at her from the floor, he quickly pushed himself into a plank and did a few pushups, then hopped to his feet.

  “Sorry, missed my workout this morning,” Brock said with a wink and a flex of his left arm.

  Alyssa’s face heated when she realized she was staring at him.

  Brock flexed his arms and winked. “Don’t be embarrassed, sweetheart; it’s not every day you see perfection.”

  Alyssa found herself slowly looking over his smooth, dark brown skin from his curly black hair to his overgrown, slightly unruly beard, his kind brown eyes and broad shoulders. Defined muscles, a trim waist, and thick thighs were evident beneath the slender suit. Her face flushed. I’m only examining him… because I’m a mechanic. She glanced up at Brock and found a smug grin stretching his lips. If she hated one thing it was the male ego…

  “Well…” she started, placing one hand on her hip and touching a finger to her lips in thought. “I suppose your height-to-fat ratio would indicate a flesh form that is in nearly perfect health. But, from my understanding, in order to have a truly perfect form it is advised to have a more proportionate figure. For example…” She paused briefly when she noticed a twitch in Brock’s eye and she almost couldn’t hide her smile. Serves him right.

  She could have stopped there, but she was having too much fun pushing his buttons. “Your chest, arms, and shoulders are large compared to your waist and your biceps are excessive for your frame. Your calves are disproportionate to your thighs, which, if you look, are also excessive for your frame. Next—”

  Brock sighed and held up a hand. “All right, all right, that’s enough.”

  Alyssa cocked her head to the side and gave him a slight smile. Throwing her long black hair over her shoulder, she dropped another quick gaze over his body. “Don’t feel bad, I don’t have a flesh body that’s considered perfection either.”

  A sideways grin played over Brock’s face as his gaze dropped to slowly look up the length of her. Alyssa fidgeted beneath his scrutiny. No one had ever looked at her like that, or, really, looked at her at all; she was usually ignored or treated as an inconvenience. Instead of setting off a blaring red warning light, it made her feel… strange… appreciated… like she fit in.

  “It’s pretty damn perfect if you ask me, darling,” he said with a wink.

  Alyssa thought she was going to faint with embarrassment, but she held up a finger instead. “Okay, rule number two. Never allow anyone to see how obsessed you are with the flesh form. They will think you are beyond help and will recycle you.”

  Brock looked around the room. “We got anywhere we can sit? Or, do we not do that either?”

  Alyssa had forgotten to activate the furniture upon their arrival, so they stood in the empty base room with nothing other than the steel floor and silver walls. Pressing a button on her RAB, she activated a table with two ch
airs. A metal slab sprung up from the floor followed by two round disks, each hovering in their designated spots.

  Brock sat on one of the floating platforms. It dipped slightly with his weight. Alyssa sat across from him, crossing her legs beneath her.

  “All right, what is this recycle thing you keep talking about? I know that we start advancements when we are nineteen, which is why you don’t have any yet, but what happens if we don’t?”

  Alyssa’s heart pounded in her chest as Brock reignited the guilt of her lie. The truth was that the Collective was unsure of her stability. She was a huge disgrace. She didn’t know why, but she felt even more out of control around Brock.

  ***

  A spread of emotion crossed Alyssa’s face. Before Brock could ponder what was wrong, she looked up at him with a forced smile, twirled her chair around, and then slammed her hands on the table, stopping herself with a dramatic bang.

  “Being recycled is the only way to ensure that faulty material, genes, are demolished.” Alyssa continued in a hushed tone, as though just speaking about it was grounds for detainment. “If the Collective finds you guilty, they throw you into the planet’s core. Even the most advanced can’t survive.”

  “Who’s the Collective?” Brock leaned forward, his gaze searching hers. She didn’t appear to be lying.

  “Do you remember anything—the Kaidellen… the supreme ruler… anything?” She looked at him with questioning eyes. When he shook his head, she continued, “Only he is truly perfection. He and his court make up the Collective. They rule all things, including deciding the fate of those unfit.”

  Alyssa’s hushed words made the hair on Brock’s arm stand and he rubbed his arms to ease the chill.

  “Anyway, don’t show emotion and don’t be like...” Her eyes dropped as she searched for the words. “Well, just follow my lead.”

  Brock rested his elbows on the table and furrowed his brow. “I was assigned to Lily’s team in the Renegade; I didn’t get a lot of communication. It was too risky. How did they find out about Golan and the ambush?”