REBELS AND SAVIORS

Palindrome

“Michael, we’ve cleared the sensor array.”

Michael was too stunned to respond to Max’s voice. Staring at Maria, he wasn’t sure what to say. Her bedmate. That meant sleep with her...in her bed...mate.

Maria released the hatch and powered down her ship. Sitting up, she quickly got out and looked at him, still lying there stunned.

“You don’t have to answer right away. But I’m really in need here, and you fit my requirements.”

“Requirements?” Michael could believe his voice actually squeaked. What the hell? Anterraans had requirements?

“Yes. I think you’d be perfect, and I know that I don’t have much to offer, and I’m asking for a tremendous favor, but...”

“You seem very...um,” Michael cursed under his breath. He could feel the heat of embarrassment rising up his neck, and now she had him stuttering. “I just mean you seem to have quite a bit to offer.”

Maria smiled at that. “I was hoping you would think so! I mean...I know you share a room with Max, but my rooms are larger I gather, so you’ll be trading up for more space. I noticed my bed is much larger than the standard bunk, so the room factor added in as well should be a bonus.” Maria reached over and slapped his chest lightly. “And...and there’s an online replicator!”

Michael just nodded. All those were definite benefits, but she was missing the most obvious one. Sleeping with her. Michael had never had a steady bedmate or relationship before, so he remained silent. Part of him didn’t want her to know how inexperienced he was at this, and her forthright attitude made him believe that this was a common occurrence among her kind.

Maria jumped down and waited for Michael to join her. After he closed the hatch, they headed out of the landing bay. Michael was quiet and Maria kept looking at him as he walked her back to her quarters.

Maria frowned. “Look, you don’t have to say yes, or even agree right away. I mean, I’m being a fool thinking that you don’t want to continue to share quarters with Max.” Maria placed her hand on the pad to open her door, and moving to stand in the open doorway, she was silent. “Just think about it.”

Michael nodded and started to leave. He heard her sigh. He reached out and pulled her close. Looking down in her wary eyes, he quickly moved in and pressed a kiss against Maria's mouth, tongue searching, exploring then tasting her tongue against his. The passion began to burn, building up to a roaring inferno. Michael was starting to be rough, more than he wanted to be, but something drove him to it. He held Maria pinned to him, devouring her with his mouth. She took it, seeming to thrive on it just as he did, almost lost in the moment, until just as suddenly as he started kissing her, he stopped.

“Yes,” he said, and walked away leaving Maria holding onto the side of her door for support with her other hand touching her mouth.

“Yes?” Her voice actually breathed a little in whispers. “Um, Michael? Yes?” He was gone.

Dammit. Maria went inside and sat down, to quickly stand up again and pace. What the hell was that kiss about?

~~~

Alex wandered around in his dark rooms. The nausea had become worse since they passed the sensor array. Kyle had barely started a full diagnostic physical on him when he was alerted to the approaching array. He had rushed back to his quarters to make sure that both Lonnie and Isabel were safe.

Alex’s hand hit the wall in a loud smack as dizziness and nausea hit him again. Rushing into the bathroom vomited again. Sitting on the floor he rested for a short time trying to get his stomach under control.

“Alex?”

Alex just groaned as his sister Lonnie came through the door and found him. Rushing to his side, she crouched down beside him.

“Alex, oh god...are you okay?”

Wincing, Alex stood on shaky legs. “Yeah, just a little unsteady.”

Lonnie helped him to his bed. Watching him roll over and place an arm over his eyes, she rushed back into the bathroom and rinsed out a cloth with cool water. Sitting on the side of his bed, she slowly washed his face.

“You’ve been sick a lot these last few weeks. Iz and I are concerned.” Lonnie frowned. Her relationship with her brother had been strained since she had accused Kathleen of betraying them. Learning that Pierce had actually been the betrayer had been a bitter pill to swallow. At best, she and Alex had been civil around each other.

“I went to see Kyle earlier, but was interrupted.”

“The alert?” Alex just nodded. Lonnie reached down and took the covers and pulled them over him. Kissing his cheek, she left him to sleep. It wasn’t a surprise that Isabel was standing in the door watching them.

“Sick again?”

Lonnie nodded. Looking at her sister, she suddenly looked down at the floor.

“I’m a terrible person, Iz.”

“No you’re not.”

“Yes...yes I am. I hated her. Kathleen, I mean. I hated her because she was one of them...everything. And when I learned it was Pierce and not Kathleen who told Khivar about us, it was like another slap in the face.”

Isabel pulled her sister into the other room and sat with her on the sofa. “Lonnie, god, you don’t want to be like them...like Alex. Look at how lonely his life is. He loved Kathleen for almost twenty years, and they could never be together. They stole his life, his love and his future. He wants children so badly and that's the one thing he will never have. They stole that from him too. They let him see her, his child, just long enough to love her, and then he had to watch her die.”

“I know.” Lonnie just looked at the dark bedroom. “I guess part of me felt that if I was ‘more’ that Pierce would have loved me more, or at least enough not to betray me, us.”

“I know. But don’t wish to be Alex. Since the day the elders realized he had that extra chromosome, his life changed. They altered his genome, who he was and made him someone else. His life stopped being his that day, and he sacrificed everything when he realized that we had the same anomaly.” Isabel grabbed her twins hands. “Don’t make his sacrifice be for nothing.”

Lonnie wiped away tears from her cheek. “I’m just angry. Angry that we’re hunted. First they wanted to kill us, then they wanted to rape us of our genome, and now they want to make us into what Alex is. It’s just been so long since I’ve been anything or anyone. We’ve lived in fear all our lives, and now with Alex sick...who will protect us if he dies?”

Isabel took Lonnie’s shoulders and shook her. “He’s not dying!”

“Since Kathleen died, it’s as if...” Lonnie stopped herself. No. Isabel had to be right. “You’re damn right. He’s not dying.” Lonnie stood up, and wiped her face again.

“God, Lonnie. What are you going to do?” Isabel wringed her hands together. Her brother and sister were tiring. Lonnie might be her twin, but she was more like Alex.

“I’m going to go find this Kyle person, and you’re going to stay with Alex.”

“You can’t go out! Alex will be upset, and he’s already not feeling well...”

“I don’t care. What if he dies? What then?” Lonnie hesitated for just a moment, and then headed for the door. “He’s all we’ve got left, Iz. If we lose him, then we’re all alone.”

“Lonnie!” Isabel watched the door shut behind her sister.

Maria heard the scream and came to look outside the door. She saw the tall blond woman leave Alex’s quarters across from her own. Frowning and uncertain what to do, Maria did what she always did - she barged into a situation that had nothing to do with her.

“Can I help you?”

Lonnie turned to look at the small, more delicate blond standing in the doorway. She was like a perfect picture of delicate bones and features offset by startling green eyes. Lonnie just shrugged.

“If you know a doctor named Kyle, then yes, you may help me.”

“Then you are in luck, because I very much know a doctor named Kyle.” Maria smile faded. “Are you sick?”

“No. Not me.”

“Then your sister or Alex?”

Lonnie straightened to her full height and looked at the doll-like creature down her nose, imitating her sister’s most haughty of looks.

“You know of us?”

“Of course. Alex promised to introduce me to his twin sisters. So you’d be either Lonnie or Isabel.”

“Vilandra.”

Maria smiled and held out her hand. “Vilandra. And I’m Maria.”

“I need to find this Kyle person...fast.”

Maria took the woman’s arm and led her into Alex’s quarters. When they entered, Isabel stood. Maria just muttered under her breath. "Yea, though I walk in the Valley of tall amazons, I’ll not let them eat my rations..."

Maria hit the com system. “Kyle?”

“Maria? Another headache?” Maria smiled at his voice.

“No. I’m in Alex’s quarters. One of his sisters insists you come immediately.”

Maria looked at Lonnie and gestured to the com.

“It’s my brother, Alex. He is sick. Very sick.” The woman shared a look with her sister. “I think he’s dying.”

Kyle swore. “I’m on my way.”

Maria rushed into the darkened room and searched for Alex on the bed. Placing her hand on his forehead she was concerned at the clamminess of his skin. He was sound asleep and didn’t seem to know she was there.

“Maria.” Maria stood when Kyle called her name.

“He’s asleep.”

Kyle approached the bed with caution. He was reading the sleeping Alex, and the tiredness and nausea was overwhelming. The headache was like a mini explosion in the back of his head moving forward. Maria quickly stood and grabbed Kyle before he fell.

“Kyle?”

He just shook his head to clear it, and quickly put up a mental shield from Alex’s emotions. It was wrong. Alex was normally impenetrable, too hard to read, but his emotions were all over the place. Confused.

“Maria, could you...” Kyle gestured for her to leave him with his patient.

“Of course.” Maria started to leave, looking back in concern. “I’ll just...go. You know, I think I’ll take his sisters to the mess and threaten them with food poisoning, giving you some time with Alex.”

“Thanks.”

Kyle waited until Maria left the room before injecting Alex with something for nausea and his headache. He then woke the man.

“Kyle?” Alex slowly opened his eyes.

“Hey. So I take it that we need to finish looking at you.”

Alex sat up a little feeling a little better. “What? How?”

“Your sisters and Maria. I guess one of your sisters took off out of here to find me, but found Maria instead, who returned them to your rooms and called me.”

“Lonnie. It had to be Lonnie.”

Kyle just shrugged. One sister looked like the other on the outside, but given a little time to talk to them, Kyle would easily tell them apart.

“Perhaps. Anyway, let's get you to Sickbay for that physical.”

“My sisters...”

“Maria has them. She’ll show them a good time to keep them from worrying, and bring them back safe and sound.”

“They are outside?” Alex sat up in alarm, pushing himself off the bed.

“Whoa, calm down! You didn’t think you were going to keep them hidden away forever? They’re with Maria. She’ll keep them protected.”

“But...”

“No buts about it, let's get to Sickbay before the medicine for nausea wears off.” Alex stood up and weaved on his feet as Kyle steadied him. Kyle was right. His empathy must have alerted him to the fact that Alex’s body was already clearing the drug.

~~~

“Alex isn’t going to like this.” Isabel protested, looking around in interest despite herself.

Maria chuckled as the woman put on her disdainful look and appeared unaffected by being out of her quarters for the first time in over six months. Lonnie...Vilandra... was the opposite. She was all over the place, looking at everything and asking many questions.

Maria watched them talk to the mess crew and get food, before she put a call through to Max.

Max’s no-nonsense voice over the com actually made Maria smile.

“Go.”

“Max, it’s Maria.”

There was a moment of silence. “You're not coming back to my Bridge, are you?” Max asked cautiously.

Maria swallowed her immediate indignant retort and instead, responded to the humor of the situation.

“Not immediately, no.” His sigh of relief had her eyes narrowing. Those twins might not look alike, but in so many ways Michael and Max were the same.

“Did you need something?”

Maria decided not to take offense until later. “Actually, this is just a call for your edification. I’ve got the Eminent twins and I refuse to give them back.”

Max frowned at his com and then looked at his brother. The woman was a loon. “What?”

Maria just laughed. “I just wanted to let you know that Alex’s twin sisters are with me in the dining room, and outside their normal protected quarters.”

“Understood.” Max rubbed his face and fingered his scar. “Where is Alex?”

“With Kyle. He’s sick.”

That made Max stand up and take notice. “I’ll check on the situation. Thanks for the information.”

“No problem.”

Max looked at his brother and frowned. Michael? A normal Michael reaction would’ve been to immediately insisting on rushing to the crew mess to stand guard over Alex’s sisters just in case of trouble. Instead, his horndog brother seemed preoccupied and lost in his own thoughts.

“Michael?” Max frowned deepened when his brother had to force himself to pay attention.

“What?” Michael's distracted voice was bothering Max.

“Let's go check out the situation.”

Michael nodded and followed his brother from the Bridge. “What situation?”

Max stopped. “Okay, what’s going on?”

Michael just grimaced and shrugged. “Nothing. Why?”

“Why?” Max laughed at that. “First, Alex’s sisters are out and about on the ship, and you aren’t there, Mr. Johnny on the Spot, to check them out. Then Alex is sick, and you’re not your usual...space herpies...it has to be. Instead you’re distracted, I’d even say daydreaming.”

“Daydreaming? I don’t daydream!” Michael and Max continued walking. They took the lift to Sickbay. Michael stopped his brother outside the door. “I’m moving out of our quarters.”

“What?” Max stared at his brother as he entered Sickbay.

~~~

Kyle ran the full scan twice while Alex tried to resist the nausea. He failed.

“Oh god! I am sorry.” Kyle patted his friend on the shoulder and handed him an emesis basin.

“Don’t worry about it. We get a little of everything in this place.” Kyle caught one of his assistant’s eyes and they acknowledged his need for a cleaning crew.

“I do not remember the last time I was sick. Maybe when I was a small boy, before the change?” Alex laid back and put his arm over his eyes. “I do not remember it being this miserable.”

After the mess was cleaned, Kyle stood beside his friend and watched him with a slight apprehension. This wasn’t going to be easy.

“Alex, tell me what happened the last time you saw Kathleen, before she died.”

Alex closed his eyes as if remembering. “I tracked her down when I felt a disturbance. She was sick. Dying from poison. I think she might have been able to hold off the effects for a long time, but she had another purpose.”

“Purpose? What purpose?”

Alex sighed, almost as if he was in pain and resigned to it. “When one of us dies, our energy...our essence seeks out the remaining members of our kind. Leena knew she was poisoned and that one of her murderers was Pierce, the only remaining Eminent other than myself. She released her life early, and melded her essence into me, so Pierce would not benefit for his treason.”

Kyle moved his mouth around in thought and crossed his arms in front of him. “So instead of holding fifty percent off all the essence of the Eminents, you hold two-thirds?”

“Yes.”

“How did she transfer her power?”

“Kyle...”

“Alex, just tell me.”

Alex closed his eyes. “We made love. During, well more during the end...”

“When you reached completion, during the orgasm?”

“Right. During that time, there was this burning, almost searing pain. And I could feel her moving into me, almost like being too full, to the point of having my skin peel. It was unsettling, but then it evened out and dispersed.”

“What was the point of contact?”

Alex snorted. “I told you, we were in the middle of it. Pretty much every part of our bodies that could be in contact was.”

“No. The searing pain. At what point did it emanate?”

“My stomach...low.”

Kyle lifted Alex’s shirt. His stomach was flat and there was little to no indication that Kathleen’s power entered him there, except for...

“Alex, you have the ability to sense things. Place your hands on your stomach and tell me what you feel.”

Alex complied. In a rush of sensation he felt her, his wife. Leena was in him, all concentrated in his lower stomach.

“It is Leena. But I have felt her every day since she died, and dreamt about her every night.”

Kyle sighed and sat next to Alex. There was no easy way to tell him, no way to take away the shock.

“It’s not Leena, Alex.”

“It is. It is her essence.”

“No, Alex. No.” Kyle placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “It’s an embryo. A baby.”

Alex just shook his head.

“You’re pregnant.”

“What?” Both Alex and Kyle turned to look at Max and Michael when Max’s astounded outcry rang through the Sickbay.

Kyle looked around and quickly dismissed his staff for a short break.

“That is impossible, Kyle. I am not equipped to carry a child and nurture it to maturity. And I do not have a womb.”

Kyle rubbed his neck. “I know. The embryo is so small, almost like a cyst beneath your skin, actually beneath a subcutaneous fat layer.”

Michael and Max just stood there silently, neither knowing what to say. The first pregnant male that they knew of, or that they knew of that didn’t naturally carry their young.

“I do not understand how this can happen.”

“That short period of time you were together,” Kyle ignored Alex's reaction to the word ‘short’. It was more like a full night. They had lost time. It took him a while to realize that they had lost about six hours during the time they were making love. “She must’ve transferred the fertilized embryo when she transferred her power.”

“She said it was a gift for me from her.” Alex couldn’t grasp the concept. He was pregnant, to be a father again. Reaching his hands over his lower stomach he felt it again, and this time he looked for more. Kyle was right. It wasn’t just Leena, but himself as well.

“You’re right though. You aren’t equipped to carry this child. Already an outer cystic layer is forming around the child, almost like a placental protective unit with an incredible increase in innervations and vascular activity. The release of embryonic hormones into your blood stream explains your illness, nausea and vertigo.”

“What can be done?” Max asked quietly.

“Alex can carry it for a little while, but we need to find a surrogate mother soon.”

Alex sat up and moved to sit on the side of the bed. Rubbing his face, he tried to take in everything Kyle was saying.

“I cannot do it again, Kyle.” Alex saw the three men stare at him. “I cannot watch another child of mine die.”

“Alex, I think this could be different.”

Alex just shook his head. All he could see was his small daughter, crushed and tortured during her short life.

“How? How can this be different?”

“Khivar engineered your last child. He did the insemination artificially, correct?” Alex nodded. “But this time it was natural.” Kyle ignored Alex’s snort of derision. Okay, Kathleen transporting her child into Alex wasn’t quite natural, but still... “I mean the impregnation was natural. The burst of Eminent energy and power might make the difference.”

“You do not know that.”

“No, no I don’t. But Alex, are you asking me to remove the baby and let it die now rather than take the chance?”

Alex shook his head, horrified. He could never willfully destroy his own child, a life he had created with Leena.

“No.”

Kyle didn’t think so. “Okay, so you get to be pregnant until we find a surrogate mother.”

Michael looked at Alex’s flat stomach and frowned. “So you’re going to surgically transfer the baby to another?”

Kyle shook his head no. “I think Alex can do it like Leena did. That would be best for the baby.” Alex listened attentively. He had to agree with Kyle on all matters concerning the baby. Alex moved his hand over his stomach again. Oh god.

Max listened quietly. “How about one of his sisters?”

Alex shook his head no. “That is not a possibility. They have my genetics, and would be perfect under an ideal situation. But, not now. Khivar is actively looking for them. He knows they exist. I can’t take a chance that they will be discovered while carrying my child.”