Chapter Two
"Sleep.." Renee murmured as she kept working at her computer doggedly. It was very late but she kept pushing herself even though the screen came in and out of focus at times. She was on the trail of another lead on the possibility of yet another plant being used to mass produce hybrid chambers. She should have known that the explosion at Tanzer had only slowed their progress down and that Sandoval would have had a back up plan.
"Give it up already, Renee.." Renee jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was of course, Street.
"I'm nearly there." Renee said with a slight tired smile.
"You said that an hour ago." Street smirked as she crossed her arms.
"But I really am." Renee insisted.
"Yeah, right." Street swiveled Renee's chair around away from the screen. "Look at you. You're practically falling asleep on the keyboard."
"That doesn't matter." Renee shook her head. "I need to work on this."
"You need to get some sleep. You're not good to anyone like this."
Renee sighed. Maybe she was right. Her mind felt like it was getting fuzzy, going over the same things over and over again without any result.
"I guess you're right." Renee wearily got up and moved her hair out of her eyes.
"I know I'm right. Now get some sleep." Street propelled her along.
"Yeah, thanks. Good night, Street.."
"'Night.." Street said. "Don't let the Atavus bite."
"That wasn't even remotely funny, Street." Renee frowned.
Street laughed. "You need to lighten up, Renee, or you'll lose it. Now go to bed."
****
When her head finally hit the pillow, Renee could already feel the heavy presence of sleep lower her eyelids and she smiled gratefully. Too many nights she had had difficulty getting to sleep, but not tonight anyway. Tomorrow she'd be fresh and she would work on the leads and get her answers.
"Renee.." She felt a hand upon her shoulder and she turned.
"You." She said flatly, instinctively drawing away.
Howlyn smiled, his eyes glittering. "Yes, it is I. Are you not glad to see me?" He reached out a hand to brush against her cheek.
"If you really think my answer is yes then you're delusional." Renee shrugged her shoulders.
Howlyn chuckled softly. "Ever defiant. I like that."
"What do you want, Howlyn?" Renee felt an unwanted warmth rush into her cheeks.
"Isn't it obvious?" Howlyn's pale face seemed to glow in the darkness. "Surely you know."
Renee refused to give the obvious answer. She would not give the Atavus the satisfaction. He circled her like a predator around it's prey and his eyes sparkled in amusement at her anger.
"Do you remember that time on the mothership?" Howlyn said casually - almost too casually. "You and I were alone, no others.." She felt a breeze in her hair and realized it was Howlyn's breath upon her neck. It made her shiver.
"And here we are again - alone." Howlyn smiled as he grazed his lips against the side of her neck, with Renee wondering how he had gotten there.
Where in the hell was her gun? Something - anything to get away from Howlyn's closeness.
"Where's your pet, Sandoval?" Renee taunted.
Howlyn chuckled. "He awaits my bidding, as you will do soon enough."
This time it was Renee's turn to laugh. "You ARE delusional, Howlyn."
"Really?" Howlyn asked as his hands slipped around Renee's waist, moving across the black tank top that she invariably wore. Howlyn was a bit too cool - at least that was what Renee thought.
"I know your desires, Renee.." Howlyn did not wait for any answer from Renee at all. "I know them as well as I know my own."
"You don't know ME, Howlyn and you never will." Renee snapped at the Atavus but found herself unable or perhaps it was unwilling to pull away.
"I will know you fully, Renee. In every way possible." Howlyn was suddenly in front of her now and had pulled her close.
"You'll never - " Renee felt the heat rise from her and it alarmed her considerably. "Know me."
"I shall know enough to break through your wall of resistance." Howlyn smiled. "And once that is broken, you shall be mine completely."
"I will NEVER be yours!" Renee pushed him away. "And Earth will never fall to your kind!"
"Saving your Earth is only a pallid excuse!" Howlyn sneered. "It was YOU who released me and my kind, don't forget that!" Howlyn's smile was a feral one.
"I have NEVER forgotten that, bastard!" Tears fell from Renee's face. Howlyn laughed at the sudden tears - something that he never had seen before.
Renee wanted nothing more than to kill the Atavus standing before her. Howlyn seemed to sense that, for his eyes kindled with an inner fire.
"You are like me.." Suddenly Howlyn was holding her close, tracing the track of a tear down her cheek with a fingernail very gently.
"I am not - like you." Renee whispered, ducking her head and not understanding why her tears came so freely. What was wrong with her?
And then they were impossibly kissing, Howlyn holding her head in place although Renee was not struggling against him. The kiss stirred Renee and made her weak in the knees, for they threatened to buckle under her. Incredibly enough it was Howlyn who broke the kiss and as Renee stared at him, he backed away, a knowing smile upon his alien face.
It was then that Renee woke up with a start, her eyes wide in the darkness of her room. When she went back to sleep, she slept dreamlessly and when her alarm went off, she did not remember the dream.
"Sleep.." Renee murmured as she kept working at her computer doggedly. It was very late but she kept pushing herself even though the screen came in and out of focus at times. She was on the trail of another lead on the possibility of yet another plant being used to mass produce hybrid chambers. She should have known that the explosion at Tanzer had only slowed their progress down and that Sandoval would have had a back up plan.
"Give it up already, Renee.." Renee jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was of course, Street.
"I'm nearly there." Renee said with a slight tired smile.
"You said that an hour ago." Street smirked as she crossed her arms.
"But I really am." Renee insisted.
"Yeah, right." Street swiveled Renee's chair around away from the screen. "Look at you. You're practically falling asleep on the keyboard."
"That doesn't matter." Renee shook her head. "I need to work on this."
"You need to get some sleep. You're not good to anyone like this."
Renee sighed. Maybe she was right. Her mind felt like it was getting fuzzy, going over the same things over and over again without any result.
"I guess you're right." Renee wearily got up and moved her hair out of her eyes.
"I know I'm right. Now get some sleep." Street propelled her along.
"Yeah, thanks. Good night, Street.."
"'Night.." Street said. "Don't let the Atavus bite."
"That wasn't even remotely funny, Street." Renee frowned.
Street laughed. "You need to lighten up, Renee, or you'll lose it. Now go to bed."
****
When her head finally hit the pillow, Renee could already feel the heavy presence of sleep lower her eyelids and she smiled gratefully. Too many nights she had had difficulty getting to sleep, but not tonight anyway. Tomorrow she'd be fresh and she would work on the leads and get her answers.
"Renee.." She felt a hand upon her shoulder and she turned.
"You." She said flatly, instinctively drawing away.
Howlyn smiled, his eyes glittering. "Yes, it is I. Are you not glad to see me?" He reached out a hand to brush against her cheek.
"If you really think my answer is yes then you're delusional." Renee shrugged her shoulders.
Howlyn chuckled softly. "Ever defiant. I like that."
"What do you want, Howlyn?" Renee felt an unwanted warmth rush into her cheeks.
"Isn't it obvious?" Howlyn's pale face seemed to glow in the darkness. "Surely you know."
Renee refused to give the obvious answer. She would not give the Atavus the satisfaction. He circled her like a predator around it's prey and his eyes sparkled in amusement at her anger.
"Do you remember that time on the mothership?" Howlyn said casually - almost too casually. "You and I were alone, no others.." She felt a breeze in her hair and realized it was Howlyn's breath upon her neck. It made her shiver.
"And here we are again - alone." Howlyn smiled as he grazed his lips against the side of her neck, with Renee wondering how he had gotten there.
Where in the hell was her gun? Something - anything to get away from Howlyn's closeness.
"Where's your pet, Sandoval?" Renee taunted.
Howlyn chuckled. "He awaits my bidding, as you will do soon enough."
This time it was Renee's turn to laugh. "You ARE delusional, Howlyn."
"Really?" Howlyn asked as his hands slipped around Renee's waist, moving across the black tank top that she invariably wore. Howlyn was a bit too cool - at least that was what Renee thought.
"I know your desires, Renee.." Howlyn did not wait for any answer from Renee at all. "I know them as well as I know my own."
"You don't know ME, Howlyn and you never will." Renee snapped at the Atavus but found herself unable or perhaps it was unwilling to pull away.
"I will know you fully, Renee. In every way possible." Howlyn was suddenly in front of her now and had pulled her close.
"You'll never - " Renee felt the heat rise from her and it alarmed her considerably. "Know me."
"I shall know enough to break through your wall of resistance." Howlyn smiled. "And once that is broken, you shall be mine completely."
"I will NEVER be yours!" Renee pushed him away. "And Earth will never fall to your kind!"
"Saving your Earth is only a pallid excuse!" Howlyn sneered. "It was YOU who released me and my kind, don't forget that!" Howlyn's smile was a feral one.
"I have NEVER forgotten that, bastard!" Tears fell from Renee's face. Howlyn laughed at the sudden tears - something that he never had seen before.
Renee wanted nothing more than to kill the Atavus standing before her. Howlyn seemed to sense that, for his eyes kindled with an inner fire.
"You are like me.." Suddenly Howlyn was holding her close, tracing the track of a tear down her cheek with a fingernail very gently.
"I am not - like you." Renee whispered, ducking her head and not understanding why her tears came so freely. What was wrong with her?
And then they were impossibly kissing, Howlyn holding her head in place although Renee was not struggling against him. The kiss stirred Renee and made her weak in the knees, for they threatened to buckle under her. Incredibly enough it was Howlyn who broke the kiss and as Renee stared at him, he backed away, a knowing smile upon his alien face.
It was then that Renee woke up with a start, her eyes wide in the darkness of her room. When she went back to sleep, she slept dreamlessly and when her alarm went off, she did not remember the dream.
