Part 13: Synonymous Hearts
Nobody discovered the truth about Mandy's blood who didn't come from the Dämon-Mörder base. Somehow Sam managed to keep them calm and quiet, so she had free reign of the run-down Lyrobian palace. There wasn't much to do, but it felt good to be able to stretch her legs and be treated like a human being again. Even the small pleasure of wearing clothes was a treat after being held out in the freezing cold like a dangerous animal.
Not that the cold was a problem here. Lyrobia was a desert anyway, and the planet wide depletion of the ozone layer that had gripped the planet turned it into a sweltering, almost uninhabitable sandbox. Only a fool would stand out in sunlight strong enough to sear the flesh in just a matter of minutes. Each grain of sand on the ground was hotter than a burning coal. The temperatures inside the palace were controlled by coolers that the WOOHP army had brought in when they first decided to use it as a base.
Strangely though, the sun didn't bother Mandy. She knelt down on top of one of the highest turrets with the sun high in the sky, staring out across the endless sea of sand that made the world seem peaceful. Mirages in the distance amused her for a while, and she kept looking around trying to see what new ones would appear before her eyes.
"You know, someone's gonna get suspicious if you stay up there too much." Clover's voice reminded her. Mandy looked down from the turret to see her blonde friend standing underneath her with a parasol held above her to block out the sun. She was wearing a thin tank-top that didn't do much to hide her body, but making someone wear full fatigues out here would be a death sentence. Even with these precautions, she was sweating furiously in the scorching heat of the desert.
"I kinda like it. It feels great after being stuck in that frozen Hell." Mandy replied. Still, she slid off the turret and let herself drop to the sand beside Clover, landing on all fours before climbing to her feet. She'd trained a lot toward the end of the war against the Reverend, giving her a pretty impressive physique, but more and more she was discovering that she now could do things that made that seem like child's play.
This display of acrobatic strength seemed to make Clover uncomfortable. "Yeah well, try to keep it down. Too much of that and people could catch on that you're not quite... y'know."
"Yeah, I know. Not quite human." Mandy finished for her. Clover coughed into her hand, twirling her parasol nervously in the other. "Alright, I'll come inside if it'll make you feel better." She marched past Clover toward the palace entrance. Clover hesitated a moment, then followed her inside. Honestly, Mandy had no clue what they were supposed to be. Friends? Buddies? Partners? More than all of those?
"Captain Taylor! Captain Armande!" Clover and Mandy whirled when they heard a soldier running down the palace hallway toward them. "We've received a transmission, and General Simpson is calling for all officers to come to the dining room immediately." He informed them. The two women exchanged a curious glance.
"We're on our way." Clover told him. The soldier left and both women turned to make their way quickly toward the dining room. It was packed with the base personnel, and Sam was standing on top of the table, looking around at them all with a grim look on her face. Clover and Mandy exchanged a worried glance, but stayed silent as Sam raised her hands.
"We've received a transmission from a military base in Moscow..." Sam said quickly. Gasps and murmurs erupted, Moscow was a place of near-legend, but Sam silenced them quickly with a wave of her arms. "After careful consideration, I've decided to display it and let you all decide how to act on it. We can't afford to be split anymore... so we all need to decide as one, democratically." She turned to the side and nodded.
Drapes covered the windows, making the room dark enough for a projector to display an image across the far wall. It showed a field in mid-morning, littered with the bodies of dead Zardexians, torn into pieces and lying limp on the purple-stained grass. This caused an immediate murmur of surprise to spread through the crowd.
"This is General Pamela Reynolds." A voice unfamiliar to Mandy stated over the images. It seemed to get a reaction from Clover though. "As you can all see... this is not a one-sided war anymore. Victory is within our grasp... but only if we all come together and stop hiding." The image of a somewhat older woman with black hair stepped onto the body-strewn field. "We need soldiers to stand alongside us..."
"With your aid, this war will eventually end in our favor. But upon arrival, all new soldiers will be tested to make sure they're truly human... we haven't forgotten that this all started with a single imposter." Pam's face hardened and she stood up straighter. "This is a time for all of humanity to fight as one... we need each and every one of you. We'll be waiting." The transmission cut suddenly, displaying only a black screen.
The projector was turned off and the blinds of the windows moved as Sam looked around again. "We know from a bit of our own reconnaissance that this victory was achieved through use of the last WOOHP Leviathan... and the original Ear Bleeder." She stated. "And I believe, from personal experience, that Pamela Reynolds is completely one hundred percent insane... but, it wouldn't be right for me alone to make this decision. So we'll have a show of hands."
"All in favor of joining General Reynolds' army against the Zardexians..." Sam paused, as if knowing just what the outcome would be, but unable to stop it. "Raise your hand." Almost every hand in the room shot straight up into the air. Sam sighed and clasped her hands behind her back. "Very well... we'll leave tonight, after the sun goes down." Sam's eyes found Mandy's and locked there as she spoke again. "And remember to prepare for these 'tests'..."
Instantly Mandy turned to march out of the dining room. She knew what Sam was saying... she didn't have human blood, she couldn't pass those tests. There was no way she could go with them... perhaps she could just vanish into the desert and pretend she'd never come back.
"We'll find a way." Clover rushed up behind her in the hall and grabbed both of her shoulders from behind, leaning against her back. "There has to be one... the Reverend was in hiding for years before we took him down... you can't tell me he never bled once in all that time. There must be a way for Zardexians to have human blood..." Mandy looked back at her. She was right of course... but...
"But I don't know how." Mandy stated.
"It's your body... you have to know. Just try to think." Clover rubbed her shoulders. "I let you suffer enough... I'm not letting circumstances push you away from me again." She stated.
"I'll... try." Mandy gulped and closed her eyes; trying to search for answers she barely knew the question to. Her mind was blank, but she could feel the inner workings of her body... pulsing, moving, giving her life. "I can feel my own body... but I still don't know..."
"Keep thinking!" Clover demanded in her ear. "You can find it! Come on!" She squeezed her shoulders tightly. Mandy squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her fists, willing... forcing the answers to come to her. Finally, she felt the way her body worked... she could see it clearly in her mind.
"It... it's like oil..." Mandy opened her eyes slowly. "Replace one liquid with the other... in order to have human blood I have to... take it from a human..." Mandy turned to look back at Clover. Clover stared at her wide-eyed, then grew thoughtful and put her hand on her chin. "I'd have to eat someone... well I'm not about to..."
"Come here." Clover grabbed her hand and pulled her further down the hall. The palace was empty, with the rest of the soldiers still in the dining room talking about laughing amongst themselves about the turning tide of the war. Clover pulled her into one of the large bedrooms and pulled the sliding door lock closed behind them. Mandy blinked curiously.
"What are you doing?" Mandy asked.
"You need blood..." Clover turned back to her. "Ever hear the one about the blonde and the vampire?"
Mandy's eyes widened. "Drink your blood!? No! I'm not gonna do that!" She shouted.
"We don't have much of a choice! If we don't you'll have to disappear, and we both know even a Zardexian couldn't survive THAT long alone in the middle of this two hundred and sixty degree heat!"
"I could accidentally kill you!" Mandy retorted.
"Then it's either me or you, and this time, I'd prefer it be me!" Clover reached up and pulled the strap of her tank top off her shoulder, displaying her bare neck. "Now come on, do it!" Clover glared at her, holding her neck to the side and breathing heavily. Mandy stared back, at once repulsed by the idea and grateful... Clover was willing to offer her life. Could she really refuse?
Mandy walked up to her slowly, reaching up to grip her bare shoulders tightly. Clover closed her eyes and gulped, but didn't even begin to flinch. Mandy looked down, noting that the lowered strap had revealed the curve of Clover's breast, which glinted with sweat under the thin tank top. Mandy looked up at her neck again and moved closer, holding Clover's shoulders tightly.
She felt Clover tense as she lowered her lips to her throat, but all she did was plant a soft kiss against the tender flesh of her neck. Clover's body relaxed under her hold as she slid her lips up and down her throat, planting soft kisses everywhere she could reach. Mandy continued this for a few moments, then felt Clover's arms wrap around her back, one hand sliding up to hold the back of her head.
Finally Mandy readied herself and bit into the soft flesh. Clover's supple body tensed against hers and she let out a pained gasp, but she didn't even begin to move away. The blood flowed into Mandy's mouth, the sickening metallic taste triggering a gag reflex that she refused to obey. She wouldn't waste a single drop of this precious gift.
"Ggh..." Clover grunted and held onto Mandy tightly as she drank. Her hand clutched the back of her head, holding her lips against the opening in her throat. She could feel the blood flowing down her throat, spreading throughout her body instead of settling in the stomach. It mingled with her violet blood... and replaced it. She could feel it happening, she could feel every small detail in her body.
She could also feel Clover beginning to go limp in her arms. She moved her lips away from the wound and grabbed a nearby washcloth, pressing it over Clover's neck in an attempt to stem the blood flow. Clover leaned limply against her, her face looking pretty pale. "Geeze, Clover, come on." Mandy carried her over to the large bed in the middle of the room and laid her down, holding the rag over her neck.
"You'll be okay... just rest a while." Mandy told her. She pulled off her own tank top and slipped it around Clover's neck, tying it off to hold the rag in place, but not tight enough to strangle her. Clover looked tired... conscious, but tired. "I think I can feel it working."
"Glad ta hear it..." Clover gulped. Her face was drained of color, but her eyes still shone with the old rebellious fire. She wasn't about to die from something like blood loss; it would take a hundred Zardexian attacks to finally send her to the grave. Mandy reached up and slid her palm over Clover's forehead, staring into her deep blue eyes.
"Clover... thank you..." Mandy told her softly. Sure, Mandy had been like this off and on for the last few years. But that was when she was confused... struggling to recover the identity she lost at the heel of the Attitude Correction Corp. Now she was her again... Amanda Victoria Delaroyale, speaking gently down at the woman who'd once been her enemy. Now Clover seemed more like a guardian angel... the only person who'd spoken for her since her return.
"Don't sweat it." Clover replied with a tired smile. "I owed you for blowing yourself up for me... now we're even." She said. Mandy smiled slightly and looked down, seeing that in her struggle to get her to the bed Clover's tank top had slid down, revealing her right breast. Mandy reached up to pull her tank top back up... but her hand moved past the cloth until her palm rested against the soft flesh of her breast.
Clover stared up at her steadily, not moving to take her hand away. Mandy stared back, leaning over her and stroking the bottom of her breast with her entire palm. Clover took a shuddering breath, her chest heaving up and down as she kept her gaze on Mandy. Clover's breast moved under her palm with each light breath. Mandy gulped, entranced by the sight under her.
Mandy leaned down slowly toward Clover, who just stared back under half-closed eyes. Their lips met, and she was a bit surprised to find that Clover was kissing her back despite the blood that still flecked Mandy's lips. The kiss lasted for several minutes, a soft, gentle touch that nonetheless had its effect on them both.
Mandy pulled back slightly, keeping her face inches away from Clover's. "And thy stare, deep into mine soul, so long yet so far. With longing and reluctance... promises and fears... mine heart doth break to seek thine heart, so elusive and yet, desirable..." She whispered slightly.
"I've never heard that one before..." Clover told her.
Mandy stared at her blankly. "Neither have I..." They stared at each other for a few moments, then Mandy reached down and touched the bandage on Clover's neck. Her bite hadn't pierced any veins, and it looked like the blood flow had already ceased. But it would take Clover time to regain the lost blood.
Clover reached up and grabbed the hand over her neck, squeezing it tightly. She flashed Mandy a weak smile. "I'd give you the rest if I had to..." She said softly.
"Good thing you don't have to..." Mandy leaned down and kissed her again, her hand still lying against Clover's breast. Clover reached up to stroke her back tenderly, closing her eyes and deepening the kiss. The taste of Clover's blood still lingered in Mandy's mouth, but the blonde woman didn't seem to care.
Mandy pulled Clover's tank top down around her waist, exposing her breasts so her hand could run over them both. Clover's breathing grew more ragged and a soft moan escaped her lips. Mandy slid her hand down Clover's body, down to the pair of shorts she'd taken to wearing to combat the desert heat. Clover didn't protest, staring at her with those deep, shining blue eyes, so Mandy pushed her shorts down her legs and off her body.
They had no practical use for undergarments, so Clover lay on the bed, stripped bare except for the tank top still curled around her waist and the cloth wrapped around her neck. Mandy remembered this dream... it was one she'd thought had died long ago, on the island where Clover had discovered that she was a lesbian... or was it the night Clover stole the title of Homecoming Queen by sleeping with one of the officials? Either way, it now came back in full force, back from the past when she would look at her in locker rooms and showers... sneaking glances when she could and then picking fights to hide her true feelings.
Mandy leaned down to kiss her again, running her hand up the bare flesh of Clover's side. She felt Clover's arms wrap around her body, sliding up and down the back of her shirt as she returned the deep, heartfelt kiss. Mandy wasn't sure when her own clothes were removed, and Clover's shirt was pushed the rest of the way off her body, but soon she found herself on top of the blonde woman. Their flesh pressed together with their hearts almost touching through their chests, after a while, beginning to synchronize with each other.
The large, satin bed was quickly soaked in their sweat. The heat of the desert combined with their shared body heat to make it extremely hot. But the slicker with sweat they became, the more excited Mandy got. She pawed and grasped at Clover's body eagerly, her lips and tongue seeking Clover's as if they were ambrosia itself.
Blinding, raw passion took hold, a passion built up over years of watching, faking, and yearning... and then having it be suppressed by the ACC. Finally it was allowed to be released, and Mandy couldn't have stopped for anything in the world. The feel of Clover's smooth, damp flesh against her own, the smell of Clover's sweat, Clover's ragged, quick breaths brushing against her cheek and throat, the sound of passionate moans from deep inside Clover's chest... it all came together as one to push her beyond her dreams.
Soon however, the dream faded into a memory that left Mandy lying half on the bed, half on top of her new lover. They were both breathing deeply, and Mandy couldn't help but watch Clover's breasts rise and fall, glinting with sweat in the light that shone through the window high up on the wall. The sun was disappearing toward the horizon... they'd been at it a while. It was almost time to depart for Moscow.
"How long have you been waiting for that...?" Clover asked with a sly smirk on her face. Mandy looked up at her eyes, resting her cheek against Clover's shoulder as she thought about it.
"Eleven years, I think." Mandy replied. Clover quirked one eyebrow, but didn't say anything else. She turned to look up at the ceiling, stroking Mandy's shoulder with one arm. "In thine arms is the golden truth... the desire met and the choice cemented as destiny rolls toward the inevitable... that thing which some fear, and others hold oh so dear..." She muttered softly.
"What?" Clover asked curiously.
"I... don't know." Mandy replied again. She had no idea where this stuff she spouted came from... she was never much for Shakespeare even in school and she certainly hadn't seen any of his plays after the Imperium of Christ took over. Perhaps they were coming from the three missing months after the explosion that took out the Rev.
"I think we should get going. Sam will want to leave soon." Clover said. Mandy nodded.
"Here, let me make sure you're healed enough first." Mandy moved over Clover's body to reach the rag pressed against the other side of her neck. Upon pulling it out, she saw some fairly nasty looking wounds that would probably scar, but it wasn't bleeding anymore. Clover still looked somewhat pale, and the exertions of sex probably didn't help much.
"I feel fine enough." Clover lied obviously, as her arms shook just from the effort of sitting up.
"Here, I'll help." Mandy set about helping Clover get dressed and ready for their trip. She still wasn't completely sure that the blood in her body would fool General Reynolds into thinking she was human... they weren't even sure what kind of test it was. But a blood test had thus far been the most reliable one they found... so it was her best bet.
When they were both dressed and ready Mandy sat down on the edge of the bed, staring at Clover with a blank look on her face. "Mandy, are you okay?" Clover asked curiously.
"I'm fine... just a little scared..." Mandy replied softly. "If I don't pass that test, I mean... I'll be sitting in the middle of a military base that's successfully slaughtered squads of hostile Zardexians. I'd be flattened in an instant."
"Well then you'll just have to pass." Clover nodded as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "And even if you don't, I'll help get you out of there the instant they so much as become suspicious."
"How?" Mandy asked.
"I'll clear that hurdle if we come to it." Clover walked up to her and grabbed both of her hands, pulling her up from the bed.
"It's funny... I remember thinking that you could never be a lesbian no matter what..." Mandy reminded.
"Time and hindsight have a way of changing things..." Clover replied. "Don't get me wrong, I still couldn't be a lesbian... but like Alex said months ago in North Dakota... I think I COULD be with you." Mandy smiled broadly and wrapped her up in a tight hug.
"Let's go then... we can be together some more once we get to Moscow with Sam and the others... and we take the fight to the enemy at last." They both smiled and clasped hands as they turned to leave the large bedroom, toward an uncertain future under an apparently psychotic leader. But Mandy's heart was lifted by Clover's newfound acceptance... and love. She didn't really care what she was now. She was content to be whatever she had become.
TO BE CONTINUED
Nobody discovered the truth about Mandy's blood who didn't come from the Dämon-Mörder base. Somehow Sam managed to keep them calm and quiet, so she had free reign of the run-down Lyrobian palace. There wasn't much to do, but it felt good to be able to stretch her legs and be treated like a human being again. Even the small pleasure of wearing clothes was a treat after being held out in the freezing cold like a dangerous animal.
Not that the cold was a problem here. Lyrobia was a desert anyway, and the planet wide depletion of the ozone layer that had gripped the planet turned it into a sweltering, almost uninhabitable sandbox. Only a fool would stand out in sunlight strong enough to sear the flesh in just a matter of minutes. Each grain of sand on the ground was hotter than a burning coal. The temperatures inside the palace were controlled by coolers that the WOOHP army had brought in when they first decided to use it as a base.
Strangely though, the sun didn't bother Mandy. She knelt down on top of one of the highest turrets with the sun high in the sky, staring out across the endless sea of sand that made the world seem peaceful. Mirages in the distance amused her for a while, and she kept looking around trying to see what new ones would appear before her eyes.
"You know, someone's gonna get suspicious if you stay up there too much." Clover's voice reminded her. Mandy looked down from the turret to see her blonde friend standing underneath her with a parasol held above her to block out the sun. She was wearing a thin tank-top that didn't do much to hide her body, but making someone wear full fatigues out here would be a death sentence. Even with these precautions, she was sweating furiously in the scorching heat of the desert.
"I kinda like it. It feels great after being stuck in that frozen Hell." Mandy replied. Still, she slid off the turret and let herself drop to the sand beside Clover, landing on all fours before climbing to her feet. She'd trained a lot toward the end of the war against the Reverend, giving her a pretty impressive physique, but more and more she was discovering that she now could do things that made that seem like child's play.
This display of acrobatic strength seemed to make Clover uncomfortable. "Yeah well, try to keep it down. Too much of that and people could catch on that you're not quite... y'know."
"Yeah, I know. Not quite human." Mandy finished for her. Clover coughed into her hand, twirling her parasol nervously in the other. "Alright, I'll come inside if it'll make you feel better." She marched past Clover toward the palace entrance. Clover hesitated a moment, then followed her inside. Honestly, Mandy had no clue what they were supposed to be. Friends? Buddies? Partners? More than all of those?
"Captain Taylor! Captain Armande!" Clover and Mandy whirled when they heard a soldier running down the palace hallway toward them. "We've received a transmission, and General Simpson is calling for all officers to come to the dining room immediately." He informed them. The two women exchanged a curious glance.
"We're on our way." Clover told him. The soldier left and both women turned to make their way quickly toward the dining room. It was packed with the base personnel, and Sam was standing on top of the table, looking around at them all with a grim look on her face. Clover and Mandy exchanged a worried glance, but stayed silent as Sam raised her hands.
"We've received a transmission from a military base in Moscow..." Sam said quickly. Gasps and murmurs erupted, Moscow was a place of near-legend, but Sam silenced them quickly with a wave of her arms. "After careful consideration, I've decided to display it and let you all decide how to act on it. We can't afford to be split anymore... so we all need to decide as one, democratically." She turned to the side and nodded.
Drapes covered the windows, making the room dark enough for a projector to display an image across the far wall. It showed a field in mid-morning, littered with the bodies of dead Zardexians, torn into pieces and lying limp on the purple-stained grass. This caused an immediate murmur of surprise to spread through the crowd.
"This is General Pamela Reynolds." A voice unfamiliar to Mandy stated over the images. It seemed to get a reaction from Clover though. "As you can all see... this is not a one-sided war anymore. Victory is within our grasp... but only if we all come together and stop hiding." The image of a somewhat older woman with black hair stepped onto the body-strewn field. "We need soldiers to stand alongside us..."
"With your aid, this war will eventually end in our favor. But upon arrival, all new soldiers will be tested to make sure they're truly human... we haven't forgotten that this all started with a single imposter." Pam's face hardened and she stood up straighter. "This is a time for all of humanity to fight as one... we need each and every one of you. We'll be waiting." The transmission cut suddenly, displaying only a black screen.
The projector was turned off and the blinds of the windows moved as Sam looked around again. "We know from a bit of our own reconnaissance that this victory was achieved through use of the last WOOHP Leviathan... and the original Ear Bleeder." She stated. "And I believe, from personal experience, that Pamela Reynolds is completely one hundred percent insane... but, it wouldn't be right for me alone to make this decision. So we'll have a show of hands."
"All in favor of joining General Reynolds' army against the Zardexians..." Sam paused, as if knowing just what the outcome would be, but unable to stop it. "Raise your hand." Almost every hand in the room shot straight up into the air. Sam sighed and clasped her hands behind her back. "Very well... we'll leave tonight, after the sun goes down." Sam's eyes found Mandy's and locked there as she spoke again. "And remember to prepare for these 'tests'..."
Instantly Mandy turned to march out of the dining room. She knew what Sam was saying... she didn't have human blood, she couldn't pass those tests. There was no way she could go with them... perhaps she could just vanish into the desert and pretend she'd never come back.
"We'll find a way." Clover rushed up behind her in the hall and grabbed both of her shoulders from behind, leaning against her back. "There has to be one... the Reverend was in hiding for years before we took him down... you can't tell me he never bled once in all that time. There must be a way for Zardexians to have human blood..." Mandy looked back at her. She was right of course... but...
"But I don't know how." Mandy stated.
"It's your body... you have to know. Just try to think." Clover rubbed her shoulders. "I let you suffer enough... I'm not letting circumstances push you away from me again." She stated.
"I'll... try." Mandy gulped and closed her eyes; trying to search for answers she barely knew the question to. Her mind was blank, but she could feel the inner workings of her body... pulsing, moving, giving her life. "I can feel my own body... but I still don't know..."
"Keep thinking!" Clover demanded in her ear. "You can find it! Come on!" She squeezed her shoulders tightly. Mandy squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her fists, willing... forcing the answers to come to her. Finally, she felt the way her body worked... she could see it clearly in her mind.
"It... it's like oil..." Mandy opened her eyes slowly. "Replace one liquid with the other... in order to have human blood I have to... take it from a human..." Mandy turned to look back at Clover. Clover stared at her wide-eyed, then grew thoughtful and put her hand on her chin. "I'd have to eat someone... well I'm not about to..."
"Come here." Clover grabbed her hand and pulled her further down the hall. The palace was empty, with the rest of the soldiers still in the dining room talking about laughing amongst themselves about the turning tide of the war. Clover pulled her into one of the large bedrooms and pulled the sliding door lock closed behind them. Mandy blinked curiously.
"What are you doing?" Mandy asked.
"You need blood..." Clover turned back to her. "Ever hear the one about the blonde and the vampire?"
Mandy's eyes widened. "Drink your blood!? No! I'm not gonna do that!" She shouted.
"We don't have much of a choice! If we don't you'll have to disappear, and we both know even a Zardexian couldn't survive THAT long alone in the middle of this two hundred and sixty degree heat!"
"I could accidentally kill you!" Mandy retorted.
"Then it's either me or you, and this time, I'd prefer it be me!" Clover reached up and pulled the strap of her tank top off her shoulder, displaying her bare neck. "Now come on, do it!" Clover glared at her, holding her neck to the side and breathing heavily. Mandy stared back, at once repulsed by the idea and grateful... Clover was willing to offer her life. Could she really refuse?
Mandy walked up to her slowly, reaching up to grip her bare shoulders tightly. Clover closed her eyes and gulped, but didn't even begin to flinch. Mandy looked down, noting that the lowered strap had revealed the curve of Clover's breast, which glinted with sweat under the thin tank top. Mandy looked up at her neck again and moved closer, holding Clover's shoulders tightly.
She felt Clover tense as she lowered her lips to her throat, but all she did was plant a soft kiss against the tender flesh of her neck. Clover's body relaxed under her hold as she slid her lips up and down her throat, planting soft kisses everywhere she could reach. Mandy continued this for a few moments, then felt Clover's arms wrap around her back, one hand sliding up to hold the back of her head.
Finally Mandy readied herself and bit into the soft flesh. Clover's supple body tensed against hers and she let out a pained gasp, but she didn't even begin to move away. The blood flowed into Mandy's mouth, the sickening metallic taste triggering a gag reflex that she refused to obey. She wouldn't waste a single drop of this precious gift.
"Ggh..." Clover grunted and held onto Mandy tightly as she drank. Her hand clutched the back of her head, holding her lips against the opening in her throat. She could feel the blood flowing down her throat, spreading throughout her body instead of settling in the stomach. It mingled with her violet blood... and replaced it. She could feel it happening, she could feel every small detail in her body.
She could also feel Clover beginning to go limp in her arms. She moved her lips away from the wound and grabbed a nearby washcloth, pressing it over Clover's neck in an attempt to stem the blood flow. Clover leaned limply against her, her face looking pretty pale. "Geeze, Clover, come on." Mandy carried her over to the large bed in the middle of the room and laid her down, holding the rag over her neck.
"You'll be okay... just rest a while." Mandy told her. She pulled off her own tank top and slipped it around Clover's neck, tying it off to hold the rag in place, but not tight enough to strangle her. Clover looked tired... conscious, but tired. "I think I can feel it working."
"Glad ta hear it..." Clover gulped. Her face was drained of color, but her eyes still shone with the old rebellious fire. She wasn't about to die from something like blood loss; it would take a hundred Zardexian attacks to finally send her to the grave. Mandy reached up and slid her palm over Clover's forehead, staring into her deep blue eyes.
"Clover... thank you..." Mandy told her softly. Sure, Mandy had been like this off and on for the last few years. But that was when she was confused... struggling to recover the identity she lost at the heel of the Attitude Correction Corp. Now she was her again... Amanda Victoria Delaroyale, speaking gently down at the woman who'd once been her enemy. Now Clover seemed more like a guardian angel... the only person who'd spoken for her since her return.
"Don't sweat it." Clover replied with a tired smile. "I owed you for blowing yourself up for me... now we're even." She said. Mandy smiled slightly and looked down, seeing that in her struggle to get her to the bed Clover's tank top had slid down, revealing her right breast. Mandy reached up to pull her tank top back up... but her hand moved past the cloth until her palm rested against the soft flesh of her breast.
Clover stared up at her steadily, not moving to take her hand away. Mandy stared back, leaning over her and stroking the bottom of her breast with her entire palm. Clover took a shuddering breath, her chest heaving up and down as she kept her gaze on Mandy. Clover's breast moved under her palm with each light breath. Mandy gulped, entranced by the sight under her.
Mandy leaned down slowly toward Clover, who just stared back under half-closed eyes. Their lips met, and she was a bit surprised to find that Clover was kissing her back despite the blood that still flecked Mandy's lips. The kiss lasted for several minutes, a soft, gentle touch that nonetheless had its effect on them both.
Mandy pulled back slightly, keeping her face inches away from Clover's. "And thy stare, deep into mine soul, so long yet so far. With longing and reluctance... promises and fears... mine heart doth break to seek thine heart, so elusive and yet, desirable..." She whispered slightly.
"I've never heard that one before..." Clover told her.
Mandy stared at her blankly. "Neither have I..." They stared at each other for a few moments, then Mandy reached down and touched the bandage on Clover's neck. Her bite hadn't pierced any veins, and it looked like the blood flow had already ceased. But it would take Clover time to regain the lost blood.
Clover reached up and grabbed the hand over her neck, squeezing it tightly. She flashed Mandy a weak smile. "I'd give you the rest if I had to..." She said softly.
"Good thing you don't have to..." Mandy leaned down and kissed her again, her hand still lying against Clover's breast. Clover reached up to stroke her back tenderly, closing her eyes and deepening the kiss. The taste of Clover's blood still lingered in Mandy's mouth, but the blonde woman didn't seem to care.
Mandy pulled Clover's tank top down around her waist, exposing her breasts so her hand could run over them both. Clover's breathing grew more ragged and a soft moan escaped her lips. Mandy slid her hand down Clover's body, down to the pair of shorts she'd taken to wearing to combat the desert heat. Clover didn't protest, staring at her with those deep, shining blue eyes, so Mandy pushed her shorts down her legs and off her body.
They had no practical use for undergarments, so Clover lay on the bed, stripped bare except for the tank top still curled around her waist and the cloth wrapped around her neck. Mandy remembered this dream... it was one she'd thought had died long ago, on the island where Clover had discovered that she was a lesbian... or was it the night Clover stole the title of Homecoming Queen by sleeping with one of the officials? Either way, it now came back in full force, back from the past when she would look at her in locker rooms and showers... sneaking glances when she could and then picking fights to hide her true feelings.
Mandy leaned down to kiss her again, running her hand up the bare flesh of Clover's side. She felt Clover's arms wrap around her body, sliding up and down the back of her shirt as she returned the deep, heartfelt kiss. Mandy wasn't sure when her own clothes were removed, and Clover's shirt was pushed the rest of the way off her body, but soon she found herself on top of the blonde woman. Their flesh pressed together with their hearts almost touching through their chests, after a while, beginning to synchronize with each other.
The large, satin bed was quickly soaked in their sweat. The heat of the desert combined with their shared body heat to make it extremely hot. But the slicker with sweat they became, the more excited Mandy got. She pawed and grasped at Clover's body eagerly, her lips and tongue seeking Clover's as if they were ambrosia itself.
Blinding, raw passion took hold, a passion built up over years of watching, faking, and yearning... and then having it be suppressed by the ACC. Finally it was allowed to be released, and Mandy couldn't have stopped for anything in the world. The feel of Clover's smooth, damp flesh against her own, the smell of Clover's sweat, Clover's ragged, quick breaths brushing against her cheek and throat, the sound of passionate moans from deep inside Clover's chest... it all came together as one to push her beyond her dreams.
Soon however, the dream faded into a memory that left Mandy lying half on the bed, half on top of her new lover. They were both breathing deeply, and Mandy couldn't help but watch Clover's breasts rise and fall, glinting with sweat in the light that shone through the window high up on the wall. The sun was disappearing toward the horizon... they'd been at it a while. It was almost time to depart for Moscow.
"How long have you been waiting for that...?" Clover asked with a sly smirk on her face. Mandy looked up at her eyes, resting her cheek against Clover's shoulder as she thought about it.
"Eleven years, I think." Mandy replied. Clover quirked one eyebrow, but didn't say anything else. She turned to look up at the ceiling, stroking Mandy's shoulder with one arm. "In thine arms is the golden truth... the desire met and the choice cemented as destiny rolls toward the inevitable... that thing which some fear, and others hold oh so dear..." She muttered softly.
"What?" Clover asked curiously.
"I... don't know." Mandy replied again. She had no idea where this stuff she spouted came from... she was never much for Shakespeare even in school and she certainly hadn't seen any of his plays after the Imperium of Christ took over. Perhaps they were coming from the three missing months after the explosion that took out the Rev.
"I think we should get going. Sam will want to leave soon." Clover said. Mandy nodded.
"Here, let me make sure you're healed enough first." Mandy moved over Clover's body to reach the rag pressed against the other side of her neck. Upon pulling it out, she saw some fairly nasty looking wounds that would probably scar, but it wasn't bleeding anymore. Clover still looked somewhat pale, and the exertions of sex probably didn't help much.
"I feel fine enough." Clover lied obviously, as her arms shook just from the effort of sitting up.
"Here, I'll help." Mandy set about helping Clover get dressed and ready for their trip. She still wasn't completely sure that the blood in her body would fool General Reynolds into thinking she was human... they weren't even sure what kind of test it was. But a blood test had thus far been the most reliable one they found... so it was her best bet.
When they were both dressed and ready Mandy sat down on the edge of the bed, staring at Clover with a blank look on her face. "Mandy, are you okay?" Clover asked curiously.
"I'm fine... just a little scared..." Mandy replied softly. "If I don't pass that test, I mean... I'll be sitting in the middle of a military base that's successfully slaughtered squads of hostile Zardexians. I'd be flattened in an instant."
"Well then you'll just have to pass." Clover nodded as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "And even if you don't, I'll help get you out of there the instant they so much as become suspicious."
"How?" Mandy asked.
"I'll clear that hurdle if we come to it." Clover walked up to her and grabbed both of her hands, pulling her up from the bed.
"It's funny... I remember thinking that you could never be a lesbian no matter what..." Mandy reminded.
"Time and hindsight have a way of changing things..." Clover replied. "Don't get me wrong, I still couldn't be a lesbian... but like Alex said months ago in North Dakota... I think I COULD be with you." Mandy smiled broadly and wrapped her up in a tight hug.
"Let's go then... we can be together some more once we get to Moscow with Sam and the others... and we take the fight to the enemy at last." They both smiled and clasped hands as they turned to leave the large bedroom, toward an uncertain future under an apparently psychotic leader. But Mandy's heart was lifted by Clover's newfound acceptance... and love. She didn't really care what she was now. She was content to be whatever she had become.
TO BE CONTINUED