Emil was entirely alone for a few days after that. It was, he had to admit, lonely as hell. He didn't exactly regret killing those technicians, but it turned out that solitary confinement was actually worse than taking tests. Even a chocolate bar would have been a nice change from the bland meals they lowered down to him.
"It's not that I dislike chocolate," he commented to one of the more obvious cameras. "It's just a bit weak as a bribe, don't you think? Chocolate bars and a few DVDs, when I'm probably never going to see the sky again."
He wondered who was on the other end of it. Probably that shrink he'd told the general he'd kill.
"I'd prefer someone with big tits, but it's not a must," he added.
He wondered what was going on above his head. Were they waiting for him to break down and take back his threat? Were they trying to talk someone with the appropriate security clearance into lying back and thinking of America?
He found that he didn't actually like that idea much. Better if they found him a whore and then got her a security clearance. He didn't particularly like to imagine forcing himself on someone's terrified attache.
The idea bothered him a lot, actually. More than thinking of the people he'd killed. Killing was part of being a soldier, but rape...well, historically, maybe, but it had never been for him. He'd run a good, clean unit, too. His boys kept their hands to themselves or they were out.
He would look weak if he tried to clarify that now. He decided to wait and see who they sent him.
How would he look if they sent him someone and he sent her back unfucked? He smiled to himself. He would look like he was a better person than they were, that was what. That should really drive them nuts. And as long as they sent him someone, they were giving in to his demand. Acknowledging his power. He could afford to be magnanimous.
He'd definitely prefer not to have to do that, though. He wanted to be touched by someone who wasn't holding a syringe and a clipboard.
It felt like forever, but he really only went a little more than a week without any human contact. He was sitting in front of the telly in sweatpants and a t-shirt when he heard the fan turn off and Doc's voice filter down.
"A? We're sending someone down. Like you asked."
He jumped to his feet, suddenly feeling absurdly nervous. He'd showered recently, but he didn't have a mirror down in his cave. He knew that his face was covered in stubble, his hair was long and unruly, and...god, did he still look like he had after that last injection but before the radiation? Like a bony corpse?
He got his hair into what felt like some semblance of order, then turned to examine the woman who was currently descending the ladder. She was having some trouble with it, which was sort of reassuring; she wasn't military. He couldn't see much from his position other than a big, round ass in tight jeans.
That was promising.
When she got to the bottom of the ladder, she approached him with a nervous smile and held out her hand.
"Hi. I'm Valerie. They, uh, wouldn't tell me your name. What should I call you?"
"Call me Emil," he said, shaking her hand. She was cute and busty, about his height and a bit on the chubby side, with short brown hair and dark brown eyes behind businesslike glasses. Her low-cut shirt was much less businesslike, though. "Pleased to meet you."
"They didn't tell me you were British, either," she said, her smile becoming slightly more stable. It was a nice smile. He could imagine all sorts of better uses for that mouth, but the smile was a good start.
"What did they tell you?" he asked, releasing her hand and moving back to sit on the couch.
"Not a lot," she said, sitting beside him. "They said I'm only supposed to stay for an hour, but that I can come back for another hour tonight if you take some sort of test first. And they said that there are cameras that'll be watching us the whole time."
He nodded. "Anything about me?"
"You're dangerous, but you have no history of intimate partner violence. You have no STDs, but I'll have to take anti-radiation drugs each time I see you. You like big boobs." The corner of her mouth curved up into a smile.
"They told you that?" he asked, laughing. This was the most personable conversation he'd had in months. He hadn't realized how good it would feel. "Or did you ask?"
"I asked about the intimate partner violence and whether they knew anything about your preferences." She chuckled. "I thought that stiff-necked military guy was going to die when he had to tell me you 'prefer large breasts.' They also said that you're stronger than you look, and you could hurt me accidentally, but probably not badly. I don't mind a little pain."
"Did they tell you why I'm in here?" She didn't mind a little pain. That was good. He'd always been a fan of the rough stuff, and with his new strength, that could get extreme.
"I assume it has something to do with why I need to take anti-radiation drugs," she said, her smile fading.
"Something," he agreed. "And you're feeling alright with this?"
"Yes, I am," she said, looking into his eyes seriously. "I appreciate you asking."
"Well, then come sit on my lap, darlin'," he said with a grin, patting his thigh.
She smiled and raised an eyebrow, then turned on the couch, sliding one of her legs over his until she was straddling him.
"Like this?" she asked, reaching a hand up to play with the hair at the nape of his neck. The heat of her fingers, her solid weight on his legs, felt more real than anything had since that first injection.
"That's about what I had in mind," he agreed. "But that can't be comfortable in jeans. Get up and strip for me, lovely."
She stood up and glanced nervously at the ceiling. They both knew there were people watching, although he knew it was more likely that they were peering through the camera in the base of the telly.
"Ignore them," he told her. "Just you and me here."
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, she gave him a seductive smile that sent bolts of electricity through his nerves. He needed this. He needed her.
Some time later, Emil collapsed against Valerie on the bed, spasming erratically as he returned to lucidity. She stroked his back and the back of his head soothingly.
"Good God," he murmured, his lips still pressed against her neck.
"You're telling me," she said, kissing his temple. "Can you let me move my legs, please?"
He rolled off her. With a twinge of guilt, he took in the red marks on her shoulders and wrists and the way she winced when she moved her legs down to a more natural position.
"That was incredible," she said with a happy sigh. She nestled against him like it was the most natural thing in the world, and he gathered her into his arms, pressing his face into her hair. Her softness welcomed him.
"You have a clock down here?" she murmured. "They told me they want me back up top by 1400." She emphasized the military time like it was a novelty.
"Yeah," he said, craning his neck to get a look. "Looks like it's 1340." He tightened his arms around her. Twenty minutes was too short a time.
"Will you want me to come back tonight, if you finish your tests?"
"Yes." He immediately wished he'd tried to feign indifference. They were listening, they would have heard his automatic eagerness. The first truly friendly face he'd seen and the first non-intrusive touch he'd felt in months. The first woman he'd been with in even longer. She was his weak point now. They could threaten to take her away from him.
They could threaten to tell her what he really was, and then send her back to him, scared and unwilling.
"You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into, do you?" he asked.
"Other than amazing sex? Not really," she admitted. "But they're paying me a boatload of money."
"Good. You earned it."
She kissed him gently on the lips.