Thank you all for reading this far! I hope you're enjoying this labor of
love.
Anna
Chapter 4
"There!" Harper cried triumphantly as he connected what he hoped was the last wire. He straightened, sat back and scrubbed his palms over his sweaty face, leaving faint black smears on his unshaven cheeks. He said a quick prayer to the Divine that this would work and he could finally get some sleep.
Holding his breath, he flipped the switch. The Extrapolator hummed. The air in the workshop sparkled and a hologram appeared near the wall across the room. It wasn't Sophie, but that was okay; all he needed was his foot in the door. He turned the volume off and punched codes that would start a search pattern in the Extrapolator. The coding would instruct the machine to sift through previously played material for a specific performer.
He sat, rocking back and forth, staring at the hologram. Finally, he expelled his breath loudly. It echoed from the metal walls. He stood. He paced. He glared. The machine hummed. Slowly working. Slowly. Slowly. "Sheesh!" he exclaimed to the walls. "How many bands did Beka surf through?"
Eventually, the Extrapolator beeped. Harper whirled, hands clasped together before him as if in prayer. Protons spun in the open air and coalesced into the form of a petite woman with just beyond shoulder-length chestnut hair and enormous green eyes. She held a six string acoustic guitar. His mouth fell open in relief. His heart raced in his chest.
Sophie was everything he wished for.
~~
Beka punched the bag again, determined to rid herself of the errant hormones that raced like fire through her veins. She couldn't figure out why she seemed to feel everything so deeply of late. She had lived her entire life on board a starship. She should not be going stir-crazy. She hit the bag until her hand ached, her heart did a wild dance in her chest and she had to gasp for air. Maybe she felt like she was on fire because the last time she'd had real fun or a real date had been over six months earlier. And, maybe the book "The Sword of Desire" had something to do with it. It was very provocative, stirring up fantasies she normally suppressed. She beat the bag in time to her mental conversation; ignoring the sweat dripping into her eyes and making them sting.
Her life was good now. Stable and predictable. But that was the problem. She loved danger, a little spice in her life. She needed to live in interesting ... personally interesting times. Dylan's crusade was captivating at times but incredibly dull most of the time. Every mission was nearly the same lately; find another planet to woo into the Restored Commonwealth and kiss their butts even if they said, 'No.'
She didn't hear the door to the gym open. She didn't notice Dylan stroll in with the basketball in his hands. She didn't see him nearly trip over his feet when he saw her or see him stare at her for a very long moment before dribbling the ball and shooting a basket.
The sound of the ball hitting the backboard jarred her from her thoughts. She whirled, furious that someone would interfere with her introspection. Her blond hair spun away from her in clumps, shooting sweat out in every direction. As she stopped, it slapped against her face, partially covering her eyes and nose. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him. Crap, first Tyr in a towel and now this! Damn him for coming in here wearing only a tiny tank top and formfitting bike shorts. She closed her eyes and took a long deep breath, swiping nervously at the wet hair covering her face.
"Beka," Dylan said pleasantly, turning with a grin to shoot another basket.
Her eyes flew open.
"You okay? You look like you overdid it." He dribbled the ball casually in front of him. Its report echoed too loudly from the walls.
She shook her head quickly, trying desperately to keep her gaze only on his face. She smoothed her hair back and wiped her damp hands on her pants. "No, no, well...yeah, maybe. Okay, yes. I..." Her gaze darted around wildly. "I gotta go." She ignored the strange look he gave her as she dashed past him, brushing his arm accidentally. In the corridor, she stopped, pressed her back against the wall and cursed whatever illness had obviously befallen her. "It's the idiot's disease," she muttered. Her skin thrummed with energy. The skin of her arm that had brushed his burned and itched. She rubbed it unconsciously. She could almost still feel Dylan's proximity; the energy waves emanating from his skin...his well muscled toned...she dug her nails into her hair. Hearing a noise from inside the gym, she bolted down the hall.
TBC in ch 5.
Anna
Chapter 4
"There!" Harper cried triumphantly as he connected what he hoped was the last wire. He straightened, sat back and scrubbed his palms over his sweaty face, leaving faint black smears on his unshaven cheeks. He said a quick prayer to the Divine that this would work and he could finally get some sleep.
Holding his breath, he flipped the switch. The Extrapolator hummed. The air in the workshop sparkled and a hologram appeared near the wall across the room. It wasn't Sophie, but that was okay; all he needed was his foot in the door. He turned the volume off and punched codes that would start a search pattern in the Extrapolator. The coding would instruct the machine to sift through previously played material for a specific performer.
He sat, rocking back and forth, staring at the hologram. Finally, he expelled his breath loudly. It echoed from the metal walls. He stood. He paced. He glared. The machine hummed. Slowly working. Slowly. Slowly. "Sheesh!" he exclaimed to the walls. "How many bands did Beka surf through?"
Eventually, the Extrapolator beeped. Harper whirled, hands clasped together before him as if in prayer. Protons spun in the open air and coalesced into the form of a petite woman with just beyond shoulder-length chestnut hair and enormous green eyes. She held a six string acoustic guitar. His mouth fell open in relief. His heart raced in his chest.
Sophie was everything he wished for.
~~
Beka punched the bag again, determined to rid herself of the errant hormones that raced like fire through her veins. She couldn't figure out why she seemed to feel everything so deeply of late. She had lived her entire life on board a starship. She should not be going stir-crazy. She hit the bag until her hand ached, her heart did a wild dance in her chest and she had to gasp for air. Maybe she felt like she was on fire because the last time she'd had real fun or a real date had been over six months earlier. And, maybe the book "The Sword of Desire" had something to do with it. It was very provocative, stirring up fantasies she normally suppressed. She beat the bag in time to her mental conversation; ignoring the sweat dripping into her eyes and making them sting.
Her life was good now. Stable and predictable. But that was the problem. She loved danger, a little spice in her life. She needed to live in interesting ... personally interesting times. Dylan's crusade was captivating at times but incredibly dull most of the time. Every mission was nearly the same lately; find another planet to woo into the Restored Commonwealth and kiss their butts even if they said, 'No.'
She didn't hear the door to the gym open. She didn't notice Dylan stroll in with the basketball in his hands. She didn't see him nearly trip over his feet when he saw her or see him stare at her for a very long moment before dribbling the ball and shooting a basket.
The sound of the ball hitting the backboard jarred her from her thoughts. She whirled, furious that someone would interfere with her introspection. Her blond hair spun away from her in clumps, shooting sweat out in every direction. As she stopped, it slapped against her face, partially covering her eyes and nose. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him. Crap, first Tyr in a towel and now this! Damn him for coming in here wearing only a tiny tank top and formfitting bike shorts. She closed her eyes and took a long deep breath, swiping nervously at the wet hair covering her face.
"Beka," Dylan said pleasantly, turning with a grin to shoot another basket.
Her eyes flew open.
"You okay? You look like you overdid it." He dribbled the ball casually in front of him. Its report echoed too loudly from the walls.
She shook her head quickly, trying desperately to keep her gaze only on his face. She smoothed her hair back and wiped her damp hands on her pants. "No, no, well...yeah, maybe. Okay, yes. I..." Her gaze darted around wildly. "I gotta go." She ignored the strange look he gave her as she dashed past him, brushing his arm accidentally. In the corridor, she stopped, pressed her back against the wall and cursed whatever illness had obviously befallen her. "It's the idiot's disease," she muttered. Her skin thrummed with energy. The skin of her arm that had brushed his burned and itched. She rubbed it unconsciously. She could almost still feel Dylan's proximity; the energy waves emanating from his skin...his well muscled toned...she dug her nails into her hair. Hearing a noise from inside the gym, she bolted down the hall.
TBC in ch 5.