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Here you'll find
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Mount Robillard
9. A Display of TrustLancer couldn't stop smiling. His whole body was buzzing quietly with satisfaction, and he didn't have to look into the bathroom mirror to know that his face was glowing. Hadn't Turner teased him about that often enough? Afterglow alert, Elfkin's had some last night!He wrapped the violet scarf around his head, noted absently that it was turning into something of a trademark for him, and stepped back into the small room. Slim arms slipped around his waist from behind and pulled him back against a wiry body, making him gasp with surprise. "You are very beautiful, Lancer!" Scott was nuzzling his way through the long hair to reach the skin of the neck beneath. "And I am hungry." "Do those two things have some kind of a connection?" Lancer twisted around and put his arms on Scott's shoulders, enjoying the way their bodies fit together. Ever since they'd woken up, Scott hadn't wanted to let go of him for more than a few moments, behaving like someone who had been truly starving of human contact. Perhaps that was exactly it, Lancer mused. Scott had wanted it, not rightly even knowing what it was, but all his life he'd been forced to battle between his own impulses and his fear of the Code. No wonder he had been 'stalling' for such a long time. Scott pressed even closer and rubbed a warm nose against his forehead. "I think they do. I find you very beautiful, especially when you smile like that. It makes me want to hold you very close, like this..." Scott squeezed Lancer so that their groins pressed together. "And you were right, making love must be extremely energy-consuming, because I feel much hungrier than I have felt for a long time!" Lancer laughed, a little out of breath, and looked up into Scott's eyes. "But are you quite sure you want to do it? I mean, so soon?" Scott cocked his head. "Yes. Please, Lancer. I know it is not like on the videos, but " "Shit!" Lancer jerked out of Scott's arms as if he'd been stung with a particularly large needle. "Scott, I've forgotten something I mean, there's something I've got to do first... I'm all right, and I promise, Iswear that I'll be back very soon but... oh, just wait here, I won't make you wait long!" He dashed out of the room, leaving a very wide-eyed Scott standing in the middle of it. The door had barely closed after him when Lancer whirled around and hit the inconspicuous switch next to the blank monitor. The small reddish numbers that had been running in the lower left corner of the screen, stopped to read '10:42:39'. "Oh shit shit damn fuck..." Lancer pressed his forehead against the wall and closed his eyes, the floor swaying slightly under his feet. Of course the thing had still been on. He'd switched it on himself before entering the room the previous evening. Who'd have switched it off? He was the only one who came here, and besides, nobody meddled with his meetings with Scott. Which meant that everything had been recorded. Their discussion. The thoroughly embarrassing discovery of his blunder with the videos. Them having sex. Several hours of deep sleep. Them having sex for a second time, in the morning. Them cuddling for a good while afterwards, before dragging their bones to have a shower. Lancer groaned. What the hell was he going to do? He did the only thing he could think of: he fled to the solitude of his room, plopped on the bed and tried to think. All right, the beginning of the film was important, relevant, essential. Definitely something the Commanders and Rori should see. Unfortunately, Lancer had no idea how soon things had started to heat up, though he was willing to bet it didn't take very long. That left maybe about ten hours of film that contained sequences ranging from downright boring (two people sleeping) to action-packed (the same two people having passionate sex). And, since he frankly didn't know at which point they'd got started, he'd have to view the recording. No choice. Cheeks burning, Lancer crawled on the bed and grabbed the remote. About twenty minutes later he keyed the recording to a stop and buried his brightly burning face in his arms, trying not to think of what seeing it had done to him. Oh god but Scott was beautiful, especially like that, hair tousled and eyes very bright, dark brows drawn slightly together in confusion at the strength of his own emotions... Lancer rolled on his back and resolutely refused to acknowledge his own arousal. Instead he concentrated on what he had just seen, and tried to decide what had given him the feeling of something being wrong. Something was off with the scene, very slightly and yet enough to disturb him. He sighed and turned around once more. He'd watch it again, maybe that'd help. A second time through only strengthened the feeling, and Lancer sat up in deep thought. He chewed his lip, looked at the frozen picture showing Scott who was just about to climb on top of him, and his eyes widened. He skipped to the last few minutes of the recording, then stopped it and stared incredulously at the image. No, there was no doubt about it: they were standing there face to face, holding each other, he looking into Scott's eyes, chin slightly raised. That was it. Scott had undergone a thorough examination upon his arrival at the base, and that had included determining his height and body weight. According to that data the two of them were the same height, within a couple of millimeters, but Scott was even skinnier than Lancer. Yet on the video Scott stood slightly but visibly taller, maybe two-three centimeters. This definitely called for investigation! Lancer jumped on his feet, then sank back on the bed. Damn, Scott was waiting for him, by now probably starving. And the Commanders were waiting for his report. And he still needed to decide what he was going to do with the recording in the first place. Less than an hour later, two hands moved at the same time and hit upon each other on the stop button. A stunned silence followed. "I don't believe it," Osip mouthed. "Sorry, but I just have to view that last bit again." When blond hair pooled once more on the pillow and Lancer looked up at a fervent Scott, gasping for breath, the two men reached so hastily for the remote that they nearly banged their heads together. Arria could feel that his face had reached an unprecedented shade of red, and a quick glance at his fellow Commander's expression showed that only Osip's dark complexion prevented him from blushing equally deep. "Did you see the same as I did?" Osip asked, wide-eyed. "Scott. It was Scott who was calling the shots. Scott took the initiative." "No mistaking about that." Arria nodded. "It's impossible, but that's what happened... and now I understand why Lancer was so embarrassed when he told me that this recording is waiting for us!" Osip chuckled quietly. "Didn't he say something about not knowing how to release only part of it?" "Oh, so you actually heard what he said!" Arria grinned. "I could only make out the keyword... So, is your guess the same as mine? That what we've seen actually ended up with them having sex?" Osip nodded and then grimaced. "Ouch. Now there's a nice start for a day realizing that you've just starred in a piece of adult entertainment." "That matches with the times, anyway," said Arria who was checking the background data on the recording. "Yes, the recording's been stopped not long before we saw him. All right, maybe he doesn't know how to do it, but I do!" "Do what?" "I'm deleting the rest of this recording right now!" Arria hit a key to confirm the command. "There's no way I'm going to leave it lurking anywhere and take the risk that anyone might get to ogle their most intimate moments, accidentally or otherwise. But the beginning, until that kiss, is definitely of interest and mind you, not only for dirty old Commanders gaping at two comely young men getting passionate!" Osip raised a challenging eyebrow and Arria shook his head. "No, it's extremely significant. It shows Scott all of a sudden behaving in a totally new way. And of course that's exactly why Lancer decided not keep this from us, however humiliated he must've felt to give us access to something so private." "And it also shows how far he trusts us," Osip realized in some awe. "I'm not at all sure I could've done the same, had I been in his shoes." "Me neither." Arria stood up and stretched. "Let's take a look inside the canteen, I think this might be around the time when Rori usually goes to have breakfast. And I think he ought to see this as soon as possible!" "Hmm... and while we're there I might have a second round..." Osip mused aloud. Arria rolled his eyes, and Osip laughed. "Hey, just kidding, Commander!" "When you're talking about food, one can never be sure," Arria muttered stepping into the large and yet somehow comfortable canteen area. "Well, looks like we're not lucky here..." "I wouldn't be so sure about that." Osip's voice sounded odd. Arria followed his gaze that had locked upon a round table in the corner, and he froze in his steps. Lancer was sitting by the table, a half-empty tray of food in front of him. However, instead of the hulking twosome that habitually flanked him, he was accompanied by a lithe, dark-haired creature that was nervously eyeing the room around him, a mug cradled in his hands. "Impossible," Arria muttered. "That is impossible." Scott's eyes kept flickering from one cluster of people to another. The sight surrounding him was overwhelming. It wasn't the room itself, its roominess or lack thereof, or anything like that. He was used to the large dormitories, enormous hangars, and spacious halls of the Union base, as well as its narrow corridors and underground facilities. Nor was it actually the people. He was also used to being a tiny cog in an enormous system, always in a group, a squadron, a wing, a fleet, whatever, never alone; and Lancer's steady presence over the past weeks had worn out the deep-rooted aversion to breaching the Code. No, it was the sheer variety. What he saw was not the reassuring sameness of other clones. These were the products of random gene combinations and looked every inch like it. The range of heights, ages, hair and skin colors coupled with the variety of clothing took his breath away. The people kept a respectful distance and Lancer flashed a grateful smile to two pilots who came in, stared at them for a while, and then casually went to sit at another table. Everybody looked curious enough, but they could also see how nervous Scott was, and kept their distance. Lancer, afraid that Scott might be too upset to eat anything, couldn't help grinning when the clone picked a piece of brown tofu from a plate, examined it for a couple of seconds and then chomped on it. "I have not tasted this kind before," he said and took another greedy bite. "This tastes good!" "I like it, too." Lancer secured a couple of chunks for himself. "I'm real proud of you, you know!" Scott beamed back to him across the table. "This does not feel very bad. But it is so strange everyone is so different that it is quite hard for me to comprehend." Another piece of tofu silenced him for a while, he gulped from his mug and continued: "I believe that I will get used to it, though. After all, I want to be like the others here, so I cannot stay in my room all the time, is that not right? And I also want to sleep with you every night, and you said my bed is too small for both of us..." Lancer blushed but didn't look away, wondering how those dark eyes could suddenly look so playful. Scott's smile deepened and he took another sip from the mug in his hand, then his gaze fell on something at the door and he choked on his drink. "MC's!" he spluttered. "Those are MC's! Lancer, I thought you told me you do not have other clones here?" Lancer turned around, bewildered. His four best buddies had just come in and were marching with a purpose towards the serving area. "What are you talking about, Scott? There are no other clones here." "But those are MC's, M-clones, those two!" Scott pointed towards the men and Lancer understood at least a little better. "Scott, remember the one film you watched, the one that explained embryogenesis and that stuff? It also mentioned that sometimes cell division quite spontaneously produces two offspring that are genetically identical. That's what they are. Twins." "Oh yes. Accidentals." Scott nodded but his brow was still creased. "But are you sure that they are not M-clones? They look like them." "I am sure... Oh, wait a second!" Lancer jumped on his feet. The guys had loaded the trays and were heading towards their table, eyes widening in surprise and curiosity. He had to stop them before Scott freaked out completely. "Lancer, they are your friends, are they not?" Scott's voice was timid but he held his ground. So far. Lancer hesitated and looked down at him, unwilling to move further away. Mercifully the approaching foursome noticed that something was amiss, and stopped. "Look, Lancer, we'll go sit elsewhere, right?" Fonzo turned to choose another table but didn't have time to take one step before Scott spoke up. "Please sit down with Lancer and me, will you?" "Are you sure?" Lancer and Corinn asked in unison. Scott looked at Lancer and nodded. "All right..." Lancer decided to draw Scott's attention away from the actual closeness of the men, so he kept talking and introduced everybody while they were setting down at the table. Oddly enough, Scott seemed much less intimidated by the twins than their two companions, and fixed them with an inquisitive look. "Are you sure you are not M-clones?" he asked. Baris and Merez shared a round-eyed glance. "Not that we know of!" Baris said cheerily. "Well, I mean, in a way we are " "Accidental clones, I know," Scott said. "But you look very much like M1's." Lancer immediately seized the opportunity: "What are M1's?" "They perform all equipment maintenance and service operations at the base. And they look very much like these accidentals do." Scott nodded towards the identical twins, who tried not to choke on their breakfast sandwiches. "So there are then other MC's, too?" Fonzo ventured. "Yes, M2's. They are the base maintenance staff. I believe that means they are responsible for catering and other such menial tasks. They are usually seen around the dormitories and eating areas. They are somewhat shorter than the M1's and their hair is not as dark, and it is also curlier." Lancer carefully filed this piece of information in his mind. So they had indeed been right in assuming that clones didn't come in only one shape and size! He glanced at Scott who looked like he was actually beginning to relax, and sighed inwardly. If only they'd been able to even guess that Scott might react to the M-clone lookalikes in this way... "But this is a real surprise," Corinn said thoughtfully and smiled to Scott, who turned to look at him. "You know, Scott, from what Lancer had told us, we thought it'd take a long time before we could even hope to see you in person. And yet here you are, having breakfast with us in the canteen!" Scott smiled a little. "It has been very difficult for me to overcome the negative feelings that my desire to become like the people here has caused in me. Even though I have always been subject to selfish impulses and feelings, and occasionally have even acted on them, yet it has been hard to consciously go against everything the Code says." He eyed the attentive faces around him. "But this morning I felt that I am ready to start doing things, not only think about doing them." The men nodded. "And I guess you've also been a little put off by the knowledge that we're all so different?" Fonzo suggested. "Yes. That is the most difficult thing right now." Scott peeked at the twins and clearly looked relieved. "But of course I have been prepared for the experience by all the material that Lancer has given me to view." "Yeah, I'm sure that has helped." Corinn sipped his drink. "But it's one thing to imagine something, and another matter to actually experience it." "That is true!" Scott nodded emphatically. "It is a relief that most of the people are not very close to us at the moment. I find it hard to focus in the presence of such a number of different-looking people." "So, what are you used to? Only other clones?" Fonzo asked. "Mostly. Other S's of course, my own group, and the M1's that took care of our planes. A few Union masters, the ones who were our wardens. Yes, and occasionally the M2's as well." "So there are three types of clones?" Corinn tried to imagine it and failed. "There are the T's, too." Scott shuddered a little and looked scared. "But they were kept separate," he continued quickly. "We didn't associate with them, only saw them a few times." Clearly this was a topic he didn't want to dwell on. "Oh boy a few dozen Scotts!" Fonzo shook his head. "Did you all look the same? Could you tell each other apart?" "Sure!" Scott seemed astonished at the implied doubt. "Easily. And not only the F's from M's!" He noticed that everybody around him frowned, and clarified: "Females from males, that is." "Females and males?" Baris croaked. "You mean there were females as well? What in the world for?" "I would not know," Scott said. "But there were both. In my group, too." "I understand less and less," Corinn sighed and raked a hand through his short hair. "I mean, first they make male and female clones. Put them all together. Then they impose this Code thing to keep them under control. If the purpose is not reproduction, and that it very clearly isn't, I just don't get the point. To start with, why not have only one sex?" "Reproduction?" Scott sounded as baffled as he looked. "When a male and a female are eh put together, they can reproduce. Have children," Merez explained. "And all right, you may be clones but you're human clones. I bet that if it wasn't for this Code, saying that you must keep your distance from each other, at least some of you might have found out about... certain things. So I'd have thought making only, say, male clones would've been so much simpler." "Oh!" Scott thought about it for a while and then giggled. "But even if there were only M's, that would not solve anything. Two males can make love, too." "Hmm... and how do you know that?" Fonzo grinned. "Makes me wonder exactly what kind of films our Lancer baby has given you to watch?" "That was not on the film, it had a man and a woman," Scott said indignantly. "I know it because Lancer and I made love last night and this morning." Lancer made the mistake of trying to say something to interrupt Scott, and almost inhaled the piece of sandwich he'd been chewing. When he finally stopped coughing, tears were running down his face and Scott was holding his hand, eyes large and frightened. "Thanks," Lancer wheezed and handed the glass of water back to Fonzo. "I'm all right, Scott, honest!" "Seeing that, I think I'm after all going to believe what I just heard!" Lancer looked at Corinn, then at his own hand that was soothingly cupping Scott's cheek, and blushed. Again. That was definitely becoming a very bad habit. Merez grinned suggestively at Corinn who waggled a dark eyebrow, while Baris pretended to be scandalized by the whole thing. Fonzo scowled at their antics. "Cool down, guys!" he growled. "I think we'd all do well to remember that Scott's here for the very first time and he's not used to great many things we take for granted." "Did I do something wrong?" Scott was a living question mark. "No you didn't," Fonzo assured. "It's just that, well, for one thing we don't usually talk about se... I mean, making love that openly." "I cannot see why," Scott said brightly, "as enjoyable as it is." Astonishingly, even the twins succeeded in keeping their faces rather neutral. Lancer quickly emptied his mug and stood up. "Scott, do you still want to eat something? I think we might go to your room before it gets too crowded around here. Besides, there are still some things I need to do this morning." "No, I have eaten enough! And I think I might want to rest a little now." Scott followed him and granted the men a little smile in parting. "It was nice to meet you." Several curious pairs of eyes followed them as they walked out of the canteen, hand in hand. "Corinn, what was it you said back when we found him in the forest?" Baris asked. "Huh?" "You said he's Lancer's catch. Looks like you were more right than you knew." Corinn shook his head. "No shit. Sometimes I amaze even myself."
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