Christmas in Zonei

© Copyright jvaughn, 2014, 2015. All rights reserved. Copyright violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Author's Note: I am so sorry for the long delay between postings. Life got pretty crazy for a while. I'll post the rest of this first novel by Christmas. However, it's clear to me now that there will need to be a sequel. LOL! Everything ends up longer than I expect.

Hope you enjoy it. Please leave a comment, and don't forget to vote.

--Jay

*****

Chapter Seventeen

Something was buzzing around in Kim's belly and he wasn't sure why. They were out of danger—at least immediate danger. Who knew what the future would hold, but they had an entire eleven days to themselves before they were due back at CorpSci headquarters for more questions and testing. He should be happy, excited, and starting to relax now, but his mind was a blur of scary images and memories from the past several days. His body was still on high alert and he couldn't identify the source of his anxiety.

Christmas was on Friday this year. CorpSci always shut down the entire week between Christmas and New Years and was closed on Monday this year too. Kim had never had so much time off in his life: eleven glorious days to spend with Raeden in an apartment in Zonesee!

And then they would discover that he could read minds and who knew what would happen to him?

He glanced up at Raeden. The big man was grinning ear-to-ear as he met Kim's eye. "It's Christmas Eve, Kim. You have plenty of time to worry about the future later. Let it go."

Kim smiled back.

You're right. I ... just ... there is so much to take in.

Raeden's huge hand was wrapped around his, warm and comforting. Kim hurried to keep up with the giant's long strides. The pace seemed a leisurely stroll for Raeden.

Raeden pulled him to a stop in front of a store window. Stylish men's clothing was on display. Kim did a double take before he realized the mannequins weren't real, just extremely lifelike. They were wearing cashmere sweaters in red or cream and dark wool slacks. One of them had a tie loosened about his neck that featured reindeer. They were posed in such a way that they looked like they were at a party ... relaxed, laughing, chatting. Myriad candles glowed on the mantle of what appeared to be a brick fireplace, complete with logs and real flames. An elegantly decorated tree added to the holiday motif.

"Too bad they're not still open," Raeden said, "We need to go shopping soon and buy you some new clothes."

"Me?" Kim teased, eyeing the flip-flops and sweatpants that Raeden still wore. "What about you?"

"I wouldn't mind buying a few things for myself, but Michelle said Randy had my stuff moved from storage into our new unit, so hopefully I'll have a change of clothes waiting for me when we get there."

"It's a damn good thing that this is all enclosed," Kim said, "otherwise you'd be freezing running around outside without shoes."

Raeden shrugged. "The cold doesn't bother me. But I suppose it would attract attention."

Kim scoffed. "It's well below zero out there and you just barely got over frostbite."

Raeden grinned at him.

Thanks for worrying about me.

They started moving down the street again.

It wasn't a street as such, more like a very wide hallway. Raeden had told him that in Zonesee you didn't need to go outside unless you wanted to. There was an enormous network of internal passages that connected all of the buildings. They had already crossed two sky bridges—glass-enclosed pedestrian walkways that ran between skyscrapers. Scooters and personal mobility devices (PMDs) were allowed on the pedestrian "streets." Raeden had told him that taxi services were available at street level and flyers could also be hired on many of the rooftops to take you anywhere you wanted to go.

The stark difference between Zonesee and Zonei had Kim goggling at everything he saw. He had thought Zonee, where he'd worked, was luxurious. It wasn't even close to the opulence of Zonesee.

The street they were on was relatively empty, most of the shops having closed early for Christmas. The passageway was as wide as a two-lane street, with thirty-foot ceilings—appearing to be a cloudy, slate-gray sky—overhead. Kim noticed that the light, which appeared to come from the ceiling, had dimmed slightly as they walked, and now the old-fashioned street lamps came on, glowing with what looked like real gas-fueled flames. The area had a fairytale feel to it. It appeared as if they were walking through one of London's wealthiest shopping districts, circa 1750. Modern clothing and the occasional scooter or PMD zipping by were the only hints that they hadn't stepped through a time machine.

The amount of high-quality goods in the window displays was staggering. The street had been tastefully decorated for the season, with garlands of holly wrapping each of the street lamps and baskets full of poinsettias and other seasonal flowers that Kim didn't recognize hanging at regular intervals along the brick walls.

Kim paused to stare through a shop window at a miniature train that was chugging merrily along a track. An entire tiny village had been set up, complete with people and dogs.

"Oh, Raeden, look! There's even a miniature manger scene."

Raeden smiled. The warm glow from the lights in the window illuminated the masculine planes of his face and seemed to bring out a twinkle in his eye.

It's magical, isn't it?

But Kim wasn't watching the train anymore. He was transfixed by Raeden's beauty.

It certainly is.

Raeden must have caught some of his thought, because his eyes shifted from the little train to Kim and widened slightly. The gleam in his eye became predatory and Kim felt lust roll off of him.

He thinks I'm sexy?

Kim was startled by that idea. He'd never thought of himself as sexy. He was too small and too thin to be sexy. But clearly Raeden was attracted to him. He could feel it.

He didn't have time for any more thoughts, because Raeden cupped his chin, leaned over, and took his mouth in a possessive and passionate kiss. The world around them dropped away and there was only Raeden, warm and strong and dominating. Raeden's tongue invaded, tasting of pizza and beer and mountain spring water—or like Kim imagined mountain spring water would taste, clean and slightly mineral.

Raeden's tongue pushed past all of Kim's defenses, pulling a deep groan from his throat. Kim's tongue seemed to have a mind of it's own, dueling deliciously with Raeden's. Kim's hands tangled in Raeden's hair as he sought to get closer even; they were already somehow chest-to-chest. Kim was helpless to stop the moan of desire that came out of his mouth. Raeden took a quick gasping breath and plunged back in, ravishing him with a fierce hunger.

Just when Kim thought he was about to pass out, Raeden pulled his mouth away, but kept his face close, resting his forehead against Kim's. They both panted for air. Kim realized that Raeden had picked him up at some point during the kiss. His back was against a brick wall, his legs were wrapped around Raeden's toned torso, and his arms had entwined themselves around Raeden's neck.

God, Little One, what you do to me!

Raeden opened his mind to Kim and he felt the other man's insane desire. Raeden's cock felt too tight—hot and heavy and ready to burst. Shivers of blazing need thrummed through his body every few seconds. Kim felt Raeden trembling slightly under his hands and realized how hard the big man was fighting to maintain control. Kim himself had never experienced such intense cravings.

He suddenly became aware of his own cock, pressing urgently against the zipper of his slacks. His underwear was already soaked with drool. He bit his lip to keep a whimper from escaping as his cock throbbed with yearning.

I guess we'd better take this home, huh?

Raeden chuckled into his hair.

Kim pulled his face away from Raeden's, glancing apprehensively up and down the street. It was nearly deserted. A couple walked along the other side, laden with packages, chatting happily with each other, ignoring them. A young man zipped by on a hover board. The scene was so different from Zonei, Kim felt like he'd been transported to another world. Even if Raeden hadn't been with him, he might have felt almost safe. There were no quents or derelicts or crazies. He supposed they must have crime, even in the upper zones.

"Is there even any crime here?" he asked.

"It's rare," Raeden said. "Crimes of passion, sometimes." Grinning, he waggled his eyebrows at Kim.

"I'm serious," Kim said, smiling. "It just seems so peaceful."

"It's usually busier here, but most of the stores are closed now. Speaking of which, there's a little deli around the corner that I'm hoping is still open. Maybe we can pick up something for dinner." Raeden gave Kim one more quick peck before he swung him down and set him on his feet.

Kim looked down at himself. His cock was still a half-hard bulge—not too visible in his loose slacks—but a growing wetness on the fabric near the head gave him away. He quickly shifted his coat that he was carrying in front of himself to conceal his indiscretion.

Raeden smiled sheepishly down at his own crotch. His cock was still tenting his sweats and they were also wet with precum. "Not much I can do about myself," he said with a grin. Michelle—or more like, Randy—had not provided Raeden with underwear. The T-shirt that had been found for him was too small, hugging his chest and arms, showing off every exquisitely-defined muscle and riding up when Raeden moved to show a small strip of smooth skin at his waist. Kim had noticed that Raeden's scale pattern was no longer visible and assumed he was hiding it.

"Actually," Raeden continued on the topic of crime as they started walking down the street once more, "there are cameras everywhere here." He gestured upward toward the ceiling. "If anyone so much as puts a toe out of line, CorpSec is here immediately to haul them away."

"Really?" Kim looked apprehensively up at the fake-sky ceiling which now showed the last vestiges of a pink "sunset" in what Kim assumed was the west. A shudder ran through him. "I think I'd rather have the dangers and anonymity of living in Zonei than be watched all the time."

Raeden shrugged. "As long as you don't do anything illegal, there's nothing to worry about."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Kim said. He had the feeling that CorpSec didn't pay too much attention to the strict letter of the law when it came to detaining citizens that they deemed to be inconvenient. The presence of those cameras and the possibility that there were microphones around too to pick up their conversation kept him from voicing that thought.

"Oh, good! It's still open," Raeden said. He led the way to the door of a small store that had a staggering display of meats, cheeses, and wines in the window. "They have great stuff here."

A chime tinkled as they stepped through the doorway. Raeden grabbed a wicker shopping basket from a stack and held it in front of his crotch.

The proprietor of the store looked up from where he was wiping down the counter. His smile froze on his face as he took them in, replaced by a look of dark suspicion. With no effort on his part to read the man, Kim felt wariness and distrust emanating from him.

Kim glanced up at Raeden and saw him from the shopkeeper's viewpoint. The giant appeared unkempt. His blonde hair was too short to be disheveled, but it was dirty. He had several days' growth of beard shadowing his chin and dark circles under his eyes. Together with his ridiculously small clothes and flip-flops, Kim was sure he was way below the normal standard for patrons of that store.

Kim glanced ruefully down at himself. His clothes were of poor quality and starting to show their wear. His boots in particular were disgraceful: he had duct-taped one of the toes a few days earlier because the sole was separating from the faux-leather and he couldn't afford a new pair yet. His beard didn't grow at the rate that Raeden's did, but he imagined, with his messy hair flying around his face, he looked just as scruffy.

Raeden gave the shopkeeper a dazzling smile. "Hi Mr. Sanders. I'm really glad you're still open. "

The shopkeeper's dark looked was replaced by one of shock. "Mr. Dearborn! I haven't seen you since..." His surprised expression changed abruptly to one of discomfort. "I heard about your wife. I'm so sorry."

Kim was hit with a wave of sadness that rolled off of Raeden and just about knocked him off his feet. He drew in a deep, gasping breath. The emptiness and the grief that Raeden felt was unbearable.

Such pain! How could he live with such pain?

Instinctively, he reached out and ran a comforting hand down Raeden's arm.

Raeden was looking at the floor, his expression unreadable. Now he glanced up at him and Kim felt his loneliness fade a bit. Kim smiled at him, a small, supportive smile.

The corners of Raeden's mouth pulled up a bit. He looked up at the shop owner and simply said, "Thank you."

The shopkeeper looked between the two of them, still obviously uncomfortable. "Well, it's great to have you back. What can I help you with today?"

Raeden set the proprietor to work slicing prosciutto and coppa while he and Kim browsed through the rest of the store. Kim had never seen the likes of most of the food there. He'd had no idea that all of this stuff even existed.

When they stopped in front of a shelf of fine chocolates, Kim picked up a bar and caught his breath.

Oh my God, Raeden! You're not seriously going to buy one of these chocolate bars are you? The price is outrageous.

It was more than Kim usually spent on a whole day's worth of food.

Raeden shrugged.

We have money, Kim.

"Have you ever tried one of those with the coconut in them?" He nodded at the bar Kim still held in his hand.

Of course not. I've never tried anything like any of these.

"No."

"Well then, we have to get it, of course." Raeden took the bar out of Kim's hand and tossed it into the basket.

By the time they were ready to checkout, Kim was having a difficult time keeping the incredulity off his face. He was sure his eyes were huge. The basket was filled with chocolates, fresh exotic fruits, a huge gourmet frozen lasagna, a large fresh salad, an assortment of odds and ends that Raeden had plucked off the shelves, several bottles of fine Italian wine and a bottle of something called prosecco.

Meanwhile, the shopkeeper had assembled a vast array of Italian meats and cheeses, pickled vegetables, olives, and several loaves of fresh bread. As he was ringing them up Raeden placed a beautifully wrapped package onto the pile. It was labeled "Panettone."

In spite of the fact that everything in the store, with the exception of some of the packaging on the foodstuffs, looked authentic to 1750's London, the checkout system was state-of-the-art. Kim watched with interest as the shopkeeper pressed a hidden button and a sleek panel slid out of a recess in the polished wooden counter. He waved a small device over each item and its price registered on the panel.

Kim steeled himself for the cost but couldn't help the gasp that came out of his mouth when the shopkeeper stated it. The total was more than he normally made in two weeks of work.

Raeden! We ... we can't spend this much money!

He protested, glad for the ability to communicate without speaking aloud.

Raeden smirked.

Watch me.

He moved his intel over the panel and nothing happened. Frowning he repeated the movement, with like results. After several tries he pulled his wrist up to his face to inspect the device.

"It's a temporary intel," he explained to the shopkeeper. "I ran into some trouble and my old one was destroyed. Because it's Christmas Eve, I was unable to obtain a new one. I hope this loaner one's not defective." The temporary intel was attached to his wrist with a thick elastic strap. It was most unusual, but because of Raeden's shifting abilities, he needed a device that could expand to accommodate his growth. He had told Kim that his old intel was built to shift in size when he did. He was unable to use a standard-issue intel and thus the need for a loaner device until CorpSci was back from vacation and able to fit him with a new specialized unit.

Now he polished the sensor plate with a corner of his t-shirt, adjusted the positioning of the device on his wrist, and tried again. After several more passes a chime sounded indicating that the charge had gone through. Kim sighed in relief and the shopkeeper's smile returned.

Several minutes later, laden with sturdy cloth bags containing their purchases, they continued on their way down the street. Raeden seemed buoyant, happiness radiating off of him. Kim couldn't help but feel some of Raeden's joy, although there was still an undercurrent of unease running through him. Unwilling to examine the source too closely, he put it down to being unfamiliar with his surroundings.

Presently they left the shopping district behind, taking a cleverly hidden elevator up to a higher floor. When the doors opened, Kim felt as if he'd stepped into the future. The hallway was as wide and tall as the one they'd just left, but there the similarities ended. The street was made out of some sleek, shiny material that reflected the lights around them. Purple and blue neon outlined the edges of the street as well as the doorways and windows of the buildings on either side. The ceiling overhead was black as pitch. The buildings appeared to be made of newsteel in shades of lilac and periwinkle, but Kim thought perhaps the steel was just picking up the colors from the lighting.

Neon signs proclaimed the businesses that lined the street. They passed a drugstore, an insurance agency, a law firm, a bar, and some sort of office center before Raeden stopped in front of a set of doublewide doors.

They were imposing: solid, dull black and with no handles of any kind. Raeden ran his intel in front a panel several times, muttering under his breath when nothing happened. He adjusted the strap and held it in place while he tried again and the doors slid silently open. After they stepped through, the doors immediately closed behind them and they were in a small room with another set of doors before them.

A female voice with an Australian accent welcomed them politely and requested that they look at the flatscreen display above the door in front of them. It appeared to be showing a typical government propaganda video. As they watched, it changed abruptly to a live feed of the two of them taken from the front. Kim had a deer-in-the-headlights expression and Raeden displayed his typical cocky grin.

They are doing a retinal scan as well as picking up the signals from our intels. Their computer system will also compare our images, heat signatures, heart rates, and so on with the ones on file for us. It will only take a few seconds,

Raeden explained.

Heavy security,

Kim commented.

It's because we are entering the mod area. Once we're on the other side, I won't have to hide my abilities.

"Welcome back, Mr. Dearborn. Welcome, Mr. Takemoto. We at CorpSec wish you a pleasant and relaxing holiday season," the female voice intoned dispassionately as the doors in front of them slid open.

Yeah, right,

Kim thought sarcastically.

CorpSec doesn't give a shit about our holiday.

Raeden led the way through the doors into a large, modern lobby. Colorful abstract art adorned the walls. There were several seating areas and what looked to be a coffee bar that was currently closed. A huge Christmas tree, decorated in silver, blue, and turquoise, took up one end of the lobby. Raeden led the way to a bank of elevators and pressed the button.