Page 16 of LeX

Chapter Ten

LEX

ThemomentIhave the area re-situated and cleaned to suit me,Iturn to check on my own mate.Allthis time she’s laid peacefully in bed with no knowledge of the chaos that is going on around her.Theholo pad sits on the edge of the bed whereIleft it, but even thoughIlong to reconnect with her,Ineed to get some real rest as my adrenaline drops and the lethargy hits me hard after all that’s happened.

Turningthe lights down,Iglance up at the screens above her bed, hoping to see any changes, only to be disappointed when there aren’t any.Strippingoff the bloody sanitary suit,Iput it in the incinerator and walk over to the ionic cleanser.Steppingin,Ibarely feel the steam surround me asIpractically doze off standing up.

Onceagain,Istumble to the cot theDestroyerwas hesitant about adding to the med chamber andIam asleep before my head hits the pillow.

Asmall figure pops up,hovering aboveMasterLeX, her arms crossed when she realizes once again he has not taken the time to cover his sleeping form.Withthe click of her holographic fingers, a med bot appears with a light covering.Shesupervises it draping the covering over him gently before activating its guard program.Adjustingthe room’s temperature so that it is more to his comfort, she floats out of the lab and into the main room, looking at the female and her intriguing form.Takingthe time to log the differences between this human and all the others she has records of,Destinyalters her appearance again as she mimics this female’s appearance.Sheplays with several different hairstyles and colors before settling on this new shape.Satisfiedthat she has done all she can for one of her favorite organics,Destiny, akaDestroyer, hides her new form from the organics once again before floating off to check on the rest of her crew while they make their way back toFalcor, and regretfully further away from herANDI.

Layinghere for a moment,Istare up at the ceiling of the med bay with my thoughts on what’s next.Ihave been so consumed with wakingRylieup from her coma thatIhaven’t taken a moment to think about what happens when she does.Willshe be scared of me?Wanta place of her own?Whatis her story?

WhenIstart to swing my legs off the cot,Ifind myself tangled up in a blanket.Ishake my head asIuncurl myself, realizingImust have been so tiredIsimply didn’t remember grabbing it.Lookingaround, allIsee is a med bot in the corner, but it seems to be simply recharging.Thenit hits me.I’mnot sure how she did it, but there is only one being onboard constantly concerned about my welfare.

Groggily,Ipush myself up, grabbing a clean set of garments that theDestroyermust have acquired for me whileIwas resting. “Destroyer, how long haveIbeen out?”

“Justa single darkness, it’s still early.”

“HowisEmber?”

“Thestasis chamber’s reports have not changed since she was put under.”

“ViNand the youngling?”

“Theyare still at rest.AlthoughIwill say, the fetus is fascinating to watch.Sensorshave been placed all around their quarters, their sole purpose is to record her every move.Initially,Idid that for my own pleasure, asI’mcaptivated by the miracle of birth, but if anyone asks,Ican truthfully tell them that we need to record this for future generations.”

Ican’t help but smile at her open innocence.Destroyer,Iunderstand completely.Willyou arrange for sustenance to be delivered here?I’meager to refocus my attention on my mate.

“Itwill arrive shortly,MedicLeX.”

“Oh, and thanks for the covering last darkness.”

“Youare most welcome.”

Ieat while reviewing all the scans over the last rotation.Rylieactually moved her entire hand multiple times throughout the rotation and that is such good news.Ihave the med bots come in and exercise her muscles so that when she awakens, her body won’t feel as sluggish.Ihave no idea if she has lost weight or muscle during her trip here as the pod’s medical records were not even for her.Thepod was originally set up for a male.

Resettingthe sensory scanner,Ilower it back to her head while adjusting my own.Assoon asIsee the lights turn green,Istart reading to her once again.

Fromthe moment she landed in my hands, allIcan think of is how to keep her.I’ma freak; what the heck doIthinkI’mgonna do with a three-inch fairy?Imean yeah!Sheis beautiful, almost in a fake way.Butshe’s a fairy, andI’mhuman.Thesize difference is a little overwhelming.Ifinally just get up.Thestupid stuff running through my head is driving me crazy.

WhenIgo into the bathroom to brush my teeth,IswearIhear a small jet engine in the other room.Irun out of the bathroom with my toothbrush still in my mouth, butIstop right at the door.Thereis a hummingbird flying aroundPetal.Tagonis watching from the windowsill.Thelittle bird lands softly on the fabric close to the bloom and leans in towardPetal.Istart to rush over and shoo it away whenIhear a voice in my head.

“Randy, she is fine.Flutteris only bringing her breakfast.”ItisTagon’svoiceI’mhearing.Holycrap,Ican hear him in my head now.

Onceagain, my vision blurs, andIfind myself somewhere else.

Chapter Eleven

RYLIE

Sittingunder my tree looking around at everything and nothing, a sudden buzzing noise has me looking up.Swarmingaround all of the flowers are hundreds of hummingbirds.Theirlittle wings beat furiously as they fly in and out of the many buds.

Smilingat the sight above me,Ilean back soIcan enjoy watching their movements and colors better.Ihave no idea howIknow, but suddenlyI’mnot alone anymore.Icatch the shadow appearing out of the corner of my eye, butIdon’t acknowledge him immediately.ThenIwonder howIknow it’s a guy.Avoice whispers in my mind, but once again it’s hard to make out the words, that is untilIaddress him directly. “Youhave been gone for much longer this time.”

“Forgiveme,Ididn’t want to leave you at all.Areyou enjoying it here?”

“That’san odd question.WhywouldInot be, is this not whereIshould be?”

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