Sierra Lives

When Jarok's shoulder finally slammed through the door to Sierra's apartment, the crash reverberated through the hallway. The remains of the door swung sharply back nearly knocking Gerra off her feet. The spry Keplarian lept aside just in time.

Jarok skidded to a halt in Sierra's apartment amid dust and splinters. He ignored the sounds of neighbor doors opening and murmurs from the hallway as his frantic glance found a seemingly peaceful, sleeping Sierra curled up on the couch. For a moment, Jarok wondered if Gerra had been right and breaking in had been fool-hearty and unreasonable. As he knelt down and gently brushed strands of Sierra's hair from her forehead, he noticed the dark circles under Sierra's eyes and was that dried blood on her lip? He felt for a pulse on Sierra's slender wrist. The throb of blood was steady, but worryingly slow.

"She's alive, but something's wrong," Jarok said, not taking his eyes off of Sierra's unconscious face.

"Yep, you were right on this one," Gerra voice was grim as she stalked about the room, her eyes scanning. "Even I couldn't sleep through the racket you made." She narrowed her eyes spying the large, white box spilling over with sweet smelling, earth flowers.

~

Lord V's eyes adjusted to the darkness of the morning, and he knew. He could feel the difference. He calmly ordered preparations for covert travel. Lord V sighed and pinched his eyes closed while rubbing his neck with his cool, long fingers. It was going to be difficult to concentrate with the images flooding from Sierra's unconscious mind into his own sentient thoughts. His small smile was grim, but little thrills of euphoric anticipation tingled through him.

~

Sierra didn't want to wake from the heavy malaise of dreams, dreams of his pale, alien hands, his wicked mouth. Sierra dreamed of being suffocated by desire and then released, falling to land softly into oblivion. She was allowed a senseless moment's peace and contentment before the craving and buzz of desperation would ignite once more.

Sometimes the sandbags of heaviness on Sierra's eyelids would lift and warm light would flicker and resolve into faces and figures: the stern concerned face of General Lilith Conrad, the beautiful face of Jarok, his golden eyes full of misery, the pacing blur of a short, dark-haired woman. The faces would gasp and draw near and then Sierra would tumble back into the swarming darkness and only one creature would fill her senses.

~

"Report," General Conrad bit out while raising tired eyes from the documents in her hands.

"I've never seen anything like it. She has been altered at a genetic level. The blood her body is producing is some sort of alien human hybrid," the senior medic replied. "Otherwise, she is unresponsive, but stable."

Lilith Conrad pursed her lips and scrunched up her nose. "Ingentian asshole," Conrad hissed.

The medic ignored the General's ire and studiously continued, "We cannot determine the origin of the alien substances intermingling with the patient's processes. It could have Ingentian origins, but as you know, we've had such limited contact that I doubt there's a sample of Ingentian organic material in our entire sector. All I can safely say is that it isn't human nor related to any intergalactic species we have on file."

"Can we transfuse the stuff out of her? What can be done?" General Conrad asked evenly, regaining some composure.

"It would be unwise to attempt to correct what we don't understand without further tests. A human blood transfusion could kill her even if it was the blood type we have on file for her. Her physiology has fundamentally changed. We don't even understand why she has weakened. It may have nothing to do with these anomalies" the medic concluded.

General Conrad tapped her manicured fingers irritably on her desk before a chime interrupted her brooding, and a clipped, efficient voice spoke through the comm, "General Conrad, you are being hailed by an Ingentian vessel. The communiqué says it's urgent."

The beautiful General locked her jaw. There's only one Ingentian vessel that has ever been even near to Earth. "Patch Lord V of Ingentia into the command annex immediately."

~

Sierra felt herself near surfacing again. She could hear distorted, angry voices. The voices began to clear, but she still could not make out what they were saying. Then one voice, that both filled her with dread and desire, cut through the chaos in her mind.

"It doesn't matter if you believe me or not," his deep, imperious voice spat, "she will die without it, and I will not be submitted to any of your earth 'medical' interference."

Sierra's eyes flickered open and her weary head tilted to the side. "Master?" she whimpered. There was a sharp intake of breath to Sierra's side.

"You see for yourself," the man's voice rumbled, "she calls for me."

General Conroy let out an exasperated sound as her heels clicked across the hospital room floor. Sierra felt a cool, woman's hand on her brow. "Sierra, this is Lilith Conroy. Can you hear me?"

"mmm, yes, General," murmured Sierra, "but I can't quite see, everything is blurry. My mind is blurry, it's so hot. Too warm..." and Sierra closed her eyes again falling back into the pillows.

"Yes, it's okay Sierra, just rest. We may have something to help you." General Conroy turned to look up at the tall Ingentian who was flanked by earth security at the door. "Fine," she barked, "heal her, but I am watching you."

Lord V ignored the hatred glittering in the eyes of the striking earth General as he pushed through to Sierra's side.

"You can't let him near her!" growled Jarok.

"Guard, see that the smuggler doesn't interfere," General Conroy bit out and the earth security forces now split their guard between Jarok and Lord V who was now leaning over Sierra's hospital bed.

Sierra looked up dazedly at the dark, robed figure of Lord V and tried to shake the sleep from her eyes. Lord V reached a hand out to brush away Sierra's sweaty hair from her forehead, only to hear the click of a phase-rifle being powered up at his back. Lord V scowled, but did not turn around. Instead he brought his long, graceful finger up to his mouth and pierced his fingertip with a lengthening incisor. A drop of very dark blood beaded on his skin. Quickly, with one hand, he pinched Sierra's mouth open then traced his blood along her plump lips. Sierra moaned, and in answer, Lord V gently shoved his bleeding finger in her mouth.

Sierra tasted something sweet and wet in her mouth. Something both hard and soft played with her tongue, and she sucked at it greedily. A shock of arousal flooded her senses. Sounds outside her body faded and all zeroed in on the steady thrum of a pulsating heartbeat. His voice in her mind said, "Take it. Take all you can, my pet. This is for you. We are one."

~

Lord V was having trouble maintaining his mask of stoicism while his pet suckled his finger. It seemed the intimacy of feeding her his blood sent a jolt of heat directly to his groin. With difficulty, he tore his gaze from Sierra's beautiful face.

Turning to the earth General who was looking from him to Sierra and back again with narrowed eyes, Lord V explained, "This will only be a temporary fix. She will be back in this condition in a few days time without the full antidote."

Now he had General Conrad's full attention as she turned on her heels to stare daggers at the tall Ingentian, "What do you mean? What are you saying?" Conrad's voice was tight with anger.

Lord V smiled his chilling, little smile, "Well, to heal her, of course, she must be brought to Ingentia Prime."