Chapter 7: Unwanted Advances

Brianna was standing off to the side of the teleport pads, waiting for Calix’s and Heather’s return. The pads were in the center of a large hex-shaped area, separated from the rest of the base with three-meter-tall walls or dividers painted an unnerving shade of gray.

She sighed as she looked up into the fading darkness of oblivion. She could see the walls of the cavern above her, but it faded into darkness before her eyes could make out the roof. She was a little disappointed at being made to wait for last, but Calix had explained he wanted to get the little kids first.

It made sense to her. Brianna’s sisters were older and weren’t going anywhere. The other two children were younger, and it was possible they’d be moved.

Of all of the women accompanying Calix, she thought she was the most prepared. Well, Sophia might be more prepared – she had no family left, evidently – but the others really had no idea what was happening now. They had no idea what to expect.

Brianna did. So did her sisters. The shock of losing their parents had taken some time to get through – they’d never really gotten over it, and she sincerely doubted they ever truly would – but they’d survived by doing their best to understand the process.

First, she’d watched and re-watched the ‘Average Joes’ specials along with her sisters. Then, they’d read every single article they could find about the Confederacy and the Sa’arm and pickups and colonies. It was difficult to find such content in Detroit but there were places where they could go, methods they could use. In a pinch, the Dark Web was always available if you knew how and where to look – and Kayleigh had proven herself equal to the task.

They’d also visited the testing center in Bloomfield Hills – the only one she knew of in the state of Michigan – several times. They were constantly asking questions, digging for clues or answers. It had gotten to the point the staff knew them by sight.

So, she’d expected most of what had happened so far. There had been a few surprises. For example, she hadn’t expected to be on a moon base. Nor had she understood all of the ramifications and harsh realities of being a sex slave. For the most part, though, she’d been prepared.

Of course, preparing mentally and going through it were a bit different – but she’d picked the right man to go through it with.

Calix was a force of nature. He was – there weren’t words to adequately describe him. It was as if he commanded the reality in his vicinity. As if, by sheer force of will, he ordered his environment.

She’d never seen it. Not at first when they’d just been lab mates in their Chemistry class. She’d been attracted to him, even if he did look like a fat, frumpy wallflower, but she’d never experienced the force of his personality.

She chuckled as she realized he’d never let her see the real him. He’d never let anyone see the real him.

He would protect her. He would protect her sisters. And she loved him. And he loved her. It was all she could ask – though there was something more she hoped for. Something Kayleigh, Siobhan and she had discussed – but such thoughts and plans would come later. After things were more ... settled.

As Calix disappeared with Alicia – the bitch! – Lieutenant Capstan – Octavia – had stood waiting with her. The older woman was horrible at small talk, though. She just didn’t seem comfortable with it. Maybe it was the differences in their station - sponsor versus someone else’s concubine.

Or maybe it was because the older woman knew she would have to compete with her for Calix’s affections.

Whatever the reason, the older woman had wandered off when Calix had returned holding the cutest little girl she’d ever seen. Ostensibly, Octavia had used the excuse of walking Alicia and Amelia back to the others. Maybe the excuse was part of the reason, but Brianna knew it was more about her discomfort than getting the bitch and her daughter back. After all, the AI could do the task just as well.

She had shaken her head as she watched the older woman constantly touching Calix. Brianna was many things but stupid wasn’t one of them. She knew the Lieutenant was infatuated – and perhaps something more – with Calix. It was evident in the looks she gave the young man when she thought no one was looking. It was evident in the way she seemed to constantly find reasons to touch the younger man lightly. It was obvious in the way she flirted with him.

Strangely, Brianna didn’t find herself as jealous as she had expected. Oh, there was a bit of jealousy there but when you already had to share the man you loved with someone else – much less seven someone elses – it didn’t leave much room for jealousy. Instead, she found she didn’t mind the woman’s advances. What was one more, after all? Besides, Octavia was a sponsor so it was unlikely she would monopolize Cal.

As Calix turned from the door after watching Octavia, Alicia and Amelia depart, he waved at her with a small smile even as he moved to Heather and helped her onto the teleport pad. Like Alicia, the woman was moving a little awkwardly with an eight months pregnant belly slowing her down.

Brianna sighed again as she watched Calix and Heather vanish. She hoped they would hurry. Now that the time had come, she was eager to get her sisters and get on with her life. There was nothing left on Earth for her. There was nothing left on Earth for any of the O’Bannon sisters. They had no living grandparents and their Aunts and Uncles were scattered all over the country. When their parents had left, a few had looked to take them in but Brianna would have none of it. Her parents had left her in charge and she wasn’t going to abdicate that role.

As she considered what her role might be moving forward – a slight blush flushing against her cheeks – she couldn’t help but smile. Her future had finally come. Their future had finally come.

“Our discussion was interrupted last time.” Brianna heard the deep, rough voice on her right, and it pulled her mind out of her thoughts. She turned and felt a small flutter of fear surge through her. She gulped as she let her eyes wander over the older man’s features. He was smiling but – the smile didn’t look happy. It looked predatory. Only recently had she learned the difference.

The guy raised his hands in supplication at her worried glare. “I know – I know. You’re spoken for. It just – well, to me, it seems a shame. I mean, you’re one of – what? Eight? Ten? More?” The man shook his head sadly. “You deserve so much better. You deserve to be cherished. To be placed on a pedestal. You should be given some lucky man’s undivided attention – not one of many.”

It was the rude guy who’d been talking to them at the restaurant, the one Octavia had put down. She looked him in the eyes, her own narrowed shrewdly. She could see the calculating look in those eyes. She could see he was trying to be seductive, to charm her – but all he was doing was coming off as smarmy. She’d seen men like him before – hell, she’d gone out with men like him more than once. She knew the trap he represented, and she wasn’t going to fall for it again – not ever again. She belonged to Calix and she was content – if not downright ecstatic – to be with him.

She was about to say something in anger but there was a look in his eye that stopped her. The look and the way his face seemed just a bit too severe brought her up short. She took a step back as she swallowed, trying to find her voice. Up close, she could see the man was a few inches shorter than Calix but where Calix normally wore big, bulky clothing, this guy wore a skin-tight shirt and was just plain bulky all over. Heck, even his muscles had their own muscles! While not as bulging as the Marines walking around, he was still pretty damn impressive.

The man gave her a snarky, little smirk and raised his eyebrows even as he stepped closer, forcing her to take another step back.

Damn it. He’d seen her looking him over and had viewed it as an invitation.

“There’s no need to be frightened, red. I know you’re with – well, that kid. I just can’t figure out why. Why would you humble yourself for someone like him when you could have someone like me worshipping you? It just doesn’t make sense to me. You deserve so much more. You deserve someone who will cater to your every whim, who will worship the ground you walk on. Someone like me, who doesn’t see you as one of many – but just as one person. One incredibly beautiful, incredibly sexy person.”

On one level, Brianna was flattered. She’d always been looked down on because of her diminutive stature and having this man pursue her was good for her ego. Especially because he was ruggedly handsome. He sported short, light-brown hair and soulful brown eyes which held court over a long Roman nose and firm, square chin. She’d never had a man pay this much attention to her before.

Except Calix, she corrected herself. Calix had been slow, spending almost an entire school year as her lab partner before showing interest in her but then he’d saved her from getting raped by that creep, Doug Henshaw and his band of misfits. Of course, immediately after he’d gotten into a fight with the Cholos and then been hospitalized...

She almost chuckled at the thought. He had been REALLY slow. In the past few months, though, he’d made up for it. He always showed her how special he thought she was – and she’d agreed to be his concubine at the restaurant. Hell, she’d been waiting with frustrated anticipation for him to ask her.

Besides, there was something – off – about this guy. When Calix looked at her, she felt warm and safe. When this guy looked at her, she felt like a gazelle addressing a lion. Sure, there was some natural attraction, some slight tremor of desire over the ‘bad boy’ in front of her. Mostly, though, she just felt terrified.

“Calix worships me,” Brianna said as her back made contact with the wall. She hated her voice in that moment. She hated the way it sounded so scared or, worse, even the tiniest bit unsure. The truth, however, was she was scared. The guy was a sponsor and she was just a concubine – a slave – what could she do against him? Where was Calix when she needed him?

She tried to look around the muscular man, but there was no one near to help her. She thought briefly about screaming – but he’d done nothing so far. Even if she did scream, would anyone care? She had no rights. Would anyone even bother to help her?

“That wasn’t a no,” Leo smirked, putting his hands on the wall above the girl and pinning her to the hard surface with his hips. “Let me show you. Surely he can’t blame you for walking on the wild side a little bit. And if he does, so what? Tell him I was a Sponsor and there was nothing you could do. It’s almost the truth, isn’t it? He doesn’t need to know how much you want me. Let me show you how I can cherish you – how I can love you so much better than any other man ever could. Let me show you what a real man can do for you. By the time I’m done, you won’t even remember that faggot’s name.”

“No,” Brianna said firmly, trying to keep the fear out of her voice. She tried to edge to the side, but Leo had her pinned too completely against the wall. He moved his arm down to cut off her escape. “Leave me alone!”

Leo could feel his teeth clenching dangerously. Didn’t she understand? She was going to be his. Maybe she was just scared of what the little puke would say – but Leo knew he could butter the pants off the little fire pussy. She was going to be his – she just didn’t know it yet.

Leo moved his hand down to cup a nice, firm titty. He squeezed it a bit, feeling the dense flesh. It was just a handful, just like he liked ‘em. “You say no, but your body – oh your body is saying yes, baby. We should do it right here.” He reached down and started to unzip his jeans.

This was definitely fortuitous. He’d been stewing over having to wait for that little prick – second to his ass yet again! – when he saw the opportunity to show this bitch what she was missing. “Get it out of the way so you can see what a real man can offer you. Don’t worry – he won’t ever find out. Even if he does, you can just say you had no choice – that you couldn’t say no to another Sponsor. He never needs to know how badly you want me. He doesn’t ever have to find out how badly you want my cock in your pretty, little cunt.”

Calix was helping Heather off the teleport pad. Something, some little voice in the back of his mind, trilled a word of warning. He looked quickly at Heather and Dylan but he saw nothing. Still, he’d learned over the years to listen to his gut. His subconscious was often better at sniffing out danger than his conscious mind.

Immediately, his body tightened, and his breath quickened. His mind grew sharp, his eyes flickering here and there.

Heather noticed the change in him. She noticed his entire body tense and she noticed how he suddenly widened his stance and his arms lifted from his sides. Her eyes widened in alarm. He looked like a tiger she had seen once on one of those animal shows, tensing himself, preparing to pounce.

Calix looked around, trying to catch up to his subconscious. What was wrong? Heather was here and she seemed safe. Dylan, too, though the boy was distracted looking at all of the different things on the space station. The boy was babbling, talking a mile a minute, distracting Heather – but he tuned the boy out.

The danger wasn’t there. It wasn’t something to do with Heather or Dylan. It was...

Where was Brianna? His eyes darted back and forth, starting where he’d last seen her and, when she wasn’t there, scanning the room around the teleport pads. His eyes didn’t light on her at first but – there - what was over there? There was a man - facing a wall.

He wasn’t sure if it was a bob of red or if he recognized the man from the pickup or maybe just the suspicious way he was standing, but something told him this was the danger. Something told him this was not right. His instincts screamed one of his was in jeopardy.

Calix jumped off the pad, silently grinding his teeth at the less than ideal stretch in the fabric of his clothing. He’d need to make allowances. His eyes narrowed dangerously as he ran towards where the man had Brianna against the wall.

“Just what do you think you’re doing?” he called harshly as he ran towards the two.

“Fuck off, faggot, unless you want to get hurt,” Leo snarled turning his head. All of the charm and reasonability dropping from his face like the charade it was. Calix saw him flexing, his muscles bulging. “She’d rather be with a real man like me.”

For a moment, Calix hesitated. The words moved through him and, though he desperately wanted them to be false, for a moment he had to wonder. It was a fear he’d harbored deep inside, the fear the women with him weren’t there by choice. Maybe Brianna would rather not be just one woman in so many...

“Calix,” he heard Brianna’s scared mewl as she looked around the bulging blonde man. “Please. Please help me.”

Calix often thought there were two pieces to his soul. He always felt there were two people living within him. There was the gentleman - the man Calix wanted to be. The man who could take apart alien tech, analyze it and then figure new ways to put it to use. The gentleman was a scientist and a listener and a lover.

Then, there was the other part. The part Calix called the savage. The part Calix was all too often forced to be. It was a caged animal, waiting to be let loose upon the world.

The savage was the man Calix became when he had to fight. It was what Calix became when he had to kill. It was what he kept inside of him for when his family was in danger. The savage was power and rage and destruction. It was the implacable force that refused to stop, refused to grant mercy, refused to give up until every threat was demolished into little pieces – the tinier, the better. The savage was a throwback to an older time, a more primal time. He was the man everyone feared, the man no one wanted to meet in an alley – dark or otherwise.

The savage howled as Calix moved, threatening to break from the cage in which he was imprisoned. Calix would not allow this to stand. No one threatened his family. No one would hurt those he loved.

Calix turned the key and threw open the cage, letting the savage beast within him loose.

In the back of his mind, Calix realized this was the distraction he needed. The encounter with Bristol had been unsatisfying. He’d been painted into a mediating role he wasn’t certain suited him. Then, when he’d heard the gunshot and known he hadn’t made the difference he’d hoped for, that Bristol had taken his own life, it had rankled Calix, setting him on edge. He felt like he had failed – and he hated the feeling.

He’d pushed the feeling down, struggling to compartmentalize it so he could be strong for Heather, whose sobs and tears indicated she knew what had happened just as well as Calix. He pushed the feelings aside for Dylan, who would need someone strong right then and going forward, even though the small boy had no clue what was really going on.

The boy’s situation hit a soft spot in Calix. It struck an unresolved space where he kept his pain and misery at the loss of his father and stepmother. Reminded of his own losses, he vowed to be strong for the little guy.

Now, there was no holding back. Oh, he wouldn’t kill the poor idiot. At least, unless he was pushed to do so. He had enough control over the savage to keep death at a minimum. He just planned to make the man aware of the danger of touching his family.

“She said no,” Calix snarled, his teeth bared in a ferocious grimace of primal anger. His right hand shot forward before Leo could even move, snaking around the older man’s throat. With a snarl of rage, Calix turned to his left, pivoting on his left foot, allowing his right leg to shoot out and hook just below the man’s right knee. At the same time, he used the twisting of his body to pull back on Leo’s neck with all his might.

The result was Leo being thrown hard to the ground, his breath whooshing out of him.

Without conscious thought, Calix leapt up and came down hard, his knees landing painfully on Leo’s stomach. The short breath the man had been drawing in from landing hard on his back whooshed right back out in a scream of pain.

Calix didn’t notice, the gentleman barely in control of the savage.

The man needed to learn this lesson, needed to know there were dire consequences to fucking with Calix’s family. He bent forward, digging his knees into the man’s stomach even as his left hand shot forward, his large hand encircling the front of the man’s throat. With a feral smile, Calix lifted his right hand and kept it poised for just a moment, letting Leo’s wild eyes stare into his own for the briefest of moments. Then, Calix let the hammer fall.

Again and again his right arm rose and fell, his hand curled into a massive fist. He managed three, maybe four good punches to Leo’s face before the Marine he’d left on the pad dragged him off the prone man. It was difficult to turn off the savage, to push him back into the cage Calix kept him in. For a moment, Calix struggled, twisting out of the Marine’s grasp and taking a single step back towards the coughing, bleeding man.