It took them another half an hour to get to the cave he had spotted. By the time they arrived, it had started snowing, and the skies were as dark as they could get.
Shuddering a bit, she ran from the vehicle into the cave and waited for Bretdon to join her. He was unloading the food for that night as well as the blankets and the self-inflating mattress. It was nice traveling with some comfort.
Sandra and her people had provided them with all they could possibly need.
“This is a lot more comfortable than what we had last time,” she pointed out, with a grin.
“I guess we became part of their group,” he replied, winking.
“Or the purpose of our journey is more important to them,” she stated, with a hint of cynicism.
He chuckled. “Yes, I’m sure there’s some of that too,” he nodded.
He arranged things for her as she grabbed a flashlight and entered deeper into the cave. Like he had said, there was a stream running through it, probably from a spring located inside the mountain.
“How’s the water?” Bretdon’s voice sounded right next to her.
She was kneeling near the stream with her hand in the water. “Very cold, as expected,” she replied, tilting her head to look at him. “Look, there’s even a small pool you’ll be able to enjoy,” she added, pointing at the pool, just a few yards away from where she was.
Bretdon smiled and walked straight to the pool. It was deep enough for him to stand into it and have the water at the height of his chest. “Are you sure you don’t want to join me in here?” he asked, as he started to take off his clothes, revealing a very hard shaft.
“Oh, yes, I’m quite sure, thank you,” she replied, shaking her head. “I would freeze to death.”
He jumped into the water, without even flinching. She knew he was able to control his body temperature, but it still amazed her.
“I’ll keep you warm,” he promised.
She chuckled. “Thank you, but I’ll pass.”
“I’ll warm the water for you,” he insisted.
“How the hell would you do that?” she asked, surprised.
“By raising my body temperature. The water won’t be hot, but it will be warm enough,” he explained.
“Wouldn’t that be dangerous to you?” she asked, getting up and closing the distance between them.
“No, of course not. Come, I want you with me,” he asked again, stretching out his hand.
She let out a deep sigh. “I’m sure I’ll regret this,” she mumbled, as she shed her clothes.
By the time she finished undressing, the water was at the right temperature, and he helped her in.
She shuddered a bit as the cool water covered her body, but like he promised he quickly warmed her up, with his kisses and caresses.
After he stole her breath with a few kisses, he pulled her up and captured her hard nipples with his mouth. Playing with them for a while, he kissed, licked and nibbled, while she moaned and squirmed in his arms, each caress dragging her closer to the edge.
At some point, he slid his hand between them, right until he found her throbbing clit and started playing with it, rubbing and pulling until she was sobbing and begging for more.
But he didn’t stop, he wanted her to come, so he increased his pace, and after a few moments he had her screaming out his name, as waves of pleasure rushed through her.
Pleased, he made her lean over the edge of the pool, looking away before he leaned over her.
His hot body pressed against hers and she was able to feel his hard shaft poking her buttocks. She let out a moan, still lingering in the waves of pleasure he had conjured for her.
He slid his hands underneath her arms and cupped her breasts, clamping her still hard nipples.
“Are you ready for me, sweet girl?” he murmured in her ear, biting her earlobe and ripping a small cry from her lips.
“I’m always ready for you,” she managed to say, while she felt his cock brushing her entrance.
He slid one of his hands back to her pussy, and guided his shaft inside her, sliding it slowly, relishing on the way she stretched to welcome him.
Soon, her walls were clenching around him, eager for more and he didn’t waste any more time and started to thrust in and out of her. They were so aroused, the passion burning inside them was so intense, it only took them a few moments to fly up to the splended world of paradise. Wild waves of pleasure washed through them tirelessly, until they came with a loud roar.
As always, Bretdon’s essence pushed Ophelia again and again over the edge until she was completely drained, in the arms of her lover.
When the waves subsided, Bretdon helped her wash and carried her out of the pool and right to where he had installed the mattress and lit a fire.
“Was it worth it?” he murmured, as he helped her get dressed.
“It certainly was,” she replied, giggling at his efforts to put her sweater on.
He kissed the tip of her nose and covered her with the blanket. “I’m glad to hear that.”
Stepping aside from the mattress, he walked to where he had left the food he had brought into the cave for their evening meal.
“Do you need any help?” she asked, leaning her head on her hand, to watch him walk around the place, still naked.
Though he had some scars here and there, his body was a walking work of art, and she didn’t get tired of looking at it.
“No, I can do it. Just stay there, I’ll make you dinner.”
She smiled and snuggled up in the blanket he had covered her up with.
Now that there was nothing else in her mind, her doubts about the future returned. Would he take her with him when he left the planet? She knew he didn’t have to take her with him anymore. She also knew she would be in trouble if he decided he no longer wanted her once they were on another world. But she wasn’t ready to see him leave.
Her silly heart insisted she would never find someone like him, and it had nothing to do with the fact he was a cyborg. Kirkcal was a cyborg too, the blueish tone of his skin was more faded than Bretdon’s, but he didn’t inspire any feelings in her, other than friendship.
Her dark thoughts changed the expression on her face, completely and Bretdon soon noticed it.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, with a frown. “Are you feeling alright? You look as if you were in pain.”
And she was, in a lot of pain, but she couldn’t simply talk to him about it. The last thing she wanted was to scare him away before time.
She shook her head and gave him a faint smile. “I’m alright. Just a bit worried about mom, that’s all,” she lied, blatantly.
He walked towards her with their food and took a seat next to her. “We’ll get her out of that place, I promise you.”
“I know you will, I just wished they had never taken her in the first place,” she replied, sighing.
He handed her the plate. “I know, but in the end, everything will be alright.” He paused. “I guess you’ve regretted meeting me a million times,” he said, in a low tone.
Startled, she turned to look at him. “No, why do you think that? I know things haven’t been exactly easy ever since we met, but I’ve never regretted it.” She chuckled. “You brought adventure to my extremely boring life. I’m not happy that my mother was dragged into this situation when she had nothing to do with it, but that’s all.”
He looked at her with his eyebrows furrowed, as if he was having trouble believing her words.
“I really didn’t think when I decided to stop you that this would go so far.” He rubbed his face. “All I was able to think was finding a way to free myself, no matter what.”
She nodded. “That’s understandable. I guess I would feel the same way if I was in your place.”
He leaned towards her and kissed her cheek.
That night, they slept in each other’s arms, and when the sun started showing its face on the horizon, they continued their journey. It took them four days to reach the rendezvous place.
But when they got close, Bretdon realized they couldn’t finish their trip. The place was taken by soldiers.
“They must have found out it was a meeting point for cyborgs,” she said, worried.
“Yes, most probably. More and more cyborgs are escaping, and I guess they are getting worried.”
“But they’re not doing anything to prevent it.”
“Exactly. They would never admit they are treating us wrongly,” he agreed, with some resentment.
“What will we do now?” she asked, looking around, worried they could be under surveillance.
“We’ll go straight to the Taucet colony and see what we can find there. I could face the soldiers at the meeting place, but I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
She shook her head, dreading the idea. “No, we don’t need any more conflicts. With luck, we’ll find something we can use to get you in touch with the other cyborgs.”
“Yes, that’s what I’m hoping.” He turned around the vehicle and headed towards the colony.
“I’m sorry you weren’t able to leave your friends a message,” she said, patting his shoulder.
But she wasn’t. In fact, she was quite relieved. That meant we would stay with her more time than planned and she couldn’t help feeling happy for it.
“It’s alright, we’ll find a way,” he said with a smile.
“Of course, we will.”
The journey towards the colony was a bit shorter, and a couple of days later, they were arriving at the ruins of the colony.
The place was a total wreck, but Bretdon was determined to find anything they could use underneath all the debris left behind.
“We’re not in a hurry, so we’ll go through this place thoroughly. The Taucets’ technology is a lot more advanced than ours, which is a bit incomprehensible since they aren’t the smartest guys I’ve met,” he said, scowling.
“Perhaps, they bought it. Their invasion proves beyond a doubt there is life out there, and probably much more than we can even imagine,” she suggested.
He nodded. “You’re probably right.”
“The guys I was following when I left the colony were coming out some sort of underground level,” he muttered, looking around. “I don’t remember seeing any underground construction, and yet, there was no doubt they were coming out of it.”
“Perhaps, they had some sort of shield that prevented it from being scanned, similar to what the people in the cave use,” she suggested.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I was thinking; come, I believe it was this way,” he grabbed her hand and pulled her along with him.
After a few minutes of looking, he finally found the place he was looking for, but there was no sign of underground construction.
“I know it’s here. We’ll just have to dig to get to it,” he said, determined to find it.
“Just be careful. There could be Taucets hiding there for all we know,” she said, with a frown. She didn’t like the fact the place was so well hidden.
The last thing she wanted was an unexpected attack.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure they were all exterminated that day,” he assured her, as he looked for something he could use as a shovel.
After a few minutes digging, he finally reached a metallic surface. With a victorious grunt, he continued until he found the control system that gave access to the underground construction.
“I could blast this lock, but I’m not sure that would grant us access,” he said, as he looked at the electronic lock.
“Don’t. If it has a security system and you blow the lock, we’ll never be able to enter,” she warned him, as she approached the lock and took a good look at it.
“Yes, the metal they use is harder than any other one we have here, on Earth. It’s very hard to destroy it, and I surely don’t have what we would need for it.”
“I’m sure we can decipher how this thing works,” she said after she managed to take the control out of the wall.
They worked on it for over an hour, studying the wires and circuits in the control, until they were able to make it work.
Ophelia let out a loud cry of excitement when a huge panel slid open revealing a staircase.
Bretdon kissed her and picked up his gun. “I want you to go back to the vehicle and stay alert for any kind of trouble. If there are problems, I want you to run out of here and go back to the caves for help. The vehicle is set to take you there as fast as possible.”
She shook her head. “No, I’m staying with you…” she protested, but he didn’t let her finish.
He cupped her face and lifted it. “If we’re both caught, no one will come rescue us, Ophelia. I need you to stay on watch and go get help if I need it.”
She sobbed and nodded, hating the idea of leaving him all alone and possibly in great danger.
“Very well, just be careful, please, if there’s any sign of Taucets inside, run back, and we’ll go get reinforcements.”
“I will don’t worry. Now, go.” He ordered, and she ran back to where they had left their vehicle, hopping into the driver’s seat and starting the engine, getting ready to escape, in case she needed.
The minutes that went by felt like centuries, and Ophelia used the time to pray to all gods and powerful entities of the universe to protect Bretdon.
They must have heard her because soon, he was coming out of the underground construction with a pleased smile.
Sobbing, Ophelia turned off the engine and jumped out of the vehicle, and ran to his open arms. “The place is empty. I didn’t search it completely, but I’m sure we’ll find a few things to take back to the caves.”
She kissed him, excited. “Wonderful. Now, let’s take a look at it.”
He chuckled but didn’t try to stop her. She knew better than him what they were looking for, so her help in this search was essential.
The place was bigger than she expected. Once inside it, Bretdon scanned it so they wouldn’t get lost in the maze of corridors that led to all sorts of chambers.
“This is clearly where the Taucets lived,” she said, with a frown.
“Yes, I’m starting to think the same. That means we didn’t kill all of them when we attacked the colony,” he agreed.
“Yes, I believe you’re right. Either way, they abandoned this place, for all we can see,” she said, pointing at the open closets and drawers, evidence of a rushed departure.
“You’re probably right. They are supposed to have females and children with them, here on Earth, but we have never seen either,” he told her, thoughtful.
“Perhaps, these were their chambers,” she suggested, looking around.
“It’s quite possible.”
They continued their search, taking with them all the electronic devices they found. Hoping they would teach them a lot about the aliens’ technology.
“Look at this, Ophelia,” he called out to her when they were in some sort of meeting room. “Could this be what we are looking for?” he asked, showing her a small device.
She crossed the room to meet him and picked the device from his hands, examining it thoroughly. “It looks like some sort of communication device. What I can’t tell is its range,” she said, returning it to Bretdon for him to put in the bag they were filling. “Let’s see if we can find others like that one.”
At the end of their exploration, they had found several devices she was sure would be very useful, but she had no idea if they would be able to use any of them for intergalactic communication.
They spent the night in the Taucets’underground facility, relishing at having a warm place and soft bed to sleep on. They even found food in the place they didn’t let go to waste.
“We should look near the vessel wreckages. If we can find their communication system, we might be able to fix it with all the devices we have here,” she suggested the following morning, while they were having breakfast.
“That’s a good idea. Those should be able to transmit into the outer space.”
“Yes, exactly what I was thinking of.”
“We’ll look for it today and leave tomorrow in the morning back to the caves.”
“That should be enough time to go through the wreckage,” she agreed and looked around the place. “This place could be a perfect hideout if it wasn’t known by everybody,” she said, chuckling.
He smiled. “Yes, but it’s too dangerous to stay here more than a short period. We have no way of telling who’s watching this place.”
“I know.”
They spent the day looking around and fortunately, they managed to find the communication systems on two of the vessels. They were damaged, but Ophelia was sure she would be able to fix them with the rest of the engineers back at the caves.
After another cozy night at the hideout, they left the place before the sun was up. Although Bretdon hadn't been able to detect the presence of drones or any other surveillance equipment, he wanted to ensure their presence in the area remained unnoticed.
They hadn't encountered anyone on their trip around the Rocky Mountains since people avoided travel, afraid of being caught by the Taucets. It gave her the sense of being alone in the world, and that wasn’t a very comfortable feeling.
It took them four days to get back to the cave. They had been out a bit more than a week, but it was nice to come back to a place with familiar faces.
They met with Sandra and her people to tell her about their findings and to hear the news on the camp where her mother had been imprisoned.
“I’m sorry you weren’t able to reach the meeting point,” Sandra said after they told her about the presence of the soldiers in the place. “But I’m glad you didn’t try to face them. We all know they didn’t stand a chance against you and after all, they were only following orders.”
“I know, that’s why I decided to head to the Taucet colony instead,” he told them all about what they had found there, and soon Sandra had the engineers looking at what they had brought back.
News from the camp wasn’t very good, though. In all that time, the presence of soldiers on it hadn't diminished.
“Why do you think is that?” Ophelia asked, worried.
“They’re still waiting for you to try contacting your mother, somehow,” the older woman explained. “We need to be patient, or the attack on the camp would quickly become a bloodbath, and that’s not how we work. We try to cause the fewest casualties possible, getting in and out of the camps as fast as we can.”
“Of course, I just wish I could do more than sit and wait,” she replied, oozing her frustration.
“Oh, sweetheart, you’re doing much more than that, believe me. With all you’ve brought back we’ll be able to establish communications with outer space and with luck, Arcadia,” the woman assured her.
Ophelia nodded and leaned her head on Bretdon’s shoulder, sitting right next to her. “Yes, I’m sure we’ll be able to put them to work. Though their circuits and wiring are quite different from ours, I’m sure we’ll be able to decipher how to put the transmitters back together.”
“You’ll be joining the team, now that you’re back?” Jonathan asked, with a hopeful smile.
“Try to keep me away,” she teased him, with a smile.
“Oh, no, I would never do it. You’re more than welcome,” he assured her.
Bretdon cleared his throat and got up. “As you can imagine, it was a very long trip for us. We need some rest,” he said gruffly.
Something had displeased him, but Ophelia couldn’t think of anything. Slowly, she got up and nodded. “Yes, I can’t wait to get a warm shower.”
“Of course, we’ll continue this tomorrow,” Sandra accepted with a smile.
They’d had dinner while they talked, so they said goodnight and left the cave they had been using ever since they had arrived there.
The minute they closed the curtain behind them, Bretdon pulled her into his arms and kissed her, only pausing to take his clothes off. His kisses showed hunger and a hint of possessiveness and Ophelia understood his gruff behavior at the table. He didn’t like the attention Jonathan gave her each time they met.
Pleased, Ophelia moaned against his lips, and surrendered completely to him, inebriated by his touch, and his taste. There was no doubt, she was growing addicted to the tickling sensation his kisses conjured in her, but she couldn’t care less.
Without stopping the kissing, he slowly helped her out of her clothes, exposing her beautiful, round breasts to his eyes and hands. Sliding his hands down her shoulders, he cupped her breasts. He kneaded them a few times, alternating rough caresses with the gentlest ones, driving her insane with the jolts of pleasure sent throughout her body.
Then, with a growl of lust and arousal, he pushed her back against the wall nearby too eager to walk the few steps that would take them to bed. He wanted her, and he wasn’t waiting for another second to have her.
His hands kneaded her breasts and played with her hard nipples, pulling them closer to his mouth, so that he could kiss and nibble them at will.
His hips pressed her stomach, and she could feel the bulge of his hard cock poking her. Driven by her own passion, she allowed her hands to slide down his perfect body, right where his shaft pressed against her. She stroked him a few times, relishing in the way it grew harder underneath her touch.
Moaning under her touch, he reached for her wet pussy, slightly forcing her legs apart, making way for his fingers. Teasingly, he rubbed her lips and her aching clit, before he pushed a finger inside her, relishing in the moans coming out of her lips.
Growling, he shoved a second finger inside her and worked on her spreading her for him and taking her a step closer to paradise.
"I want you, right now and right here," he whispered in her ear, pressing both his fingers against her sensitive spot, while his thumb rubbed her clit.
She gasped and whimpered as shudders of sheer pleasure rushed through her whole body. "Oh, yes, please,” she moaned. He rubbed harder and applied a little more pressure harder until she was sobbing of sheer need in his arms. "Oh god, yes, yes, take me, please."
He took her hands away from his cock, and raising one of her legs up, he thrust his cock all the way in her tight pussy, stretching her walls, even more, opening a passage for him. He would never get tired of the incredible feeling of her walls stretching to welcome him.
He drew his shaft almost completely out just to thrust it back in, hard, before he started to plunge in and out of her, going faster and deeper each time. He buried his face in her neck, kissing and nibbling the soft skin, loving the way she moaned.
Lost in the pleasure he was giving her, she took hold of his head, and pulled him closer to her, her fingers running aimlessly around his hair, neck, and shoulders.
Her moans were now so high, her breath so fast, that her mind was quickly falling into a turmoil of sensations. The tickling sensation seemed to spread to her whole body, enhancing her pleasure a million times and soon she was coming hard, grasped around him.
Her body shuddered so much she almost lost consciousness of the world around her. The only real thing seemed to be him, and she didn’t hesitate to cling to him.
With a few more thrusts he jumped over the edge, right after her, as his teeth were driven into the tender flesh of her neck, marking her as his and his alone.
The orgasm that washed over them was so powerful they were drenched in sweat and gasping for air when the waves finally subsided.
With one last kiss on her luscious lips, he carried her to the bathroom, where they stood under the warm stream for a while, before they were able to bathe.