Sentients in the Maze: Symbiont Wars Book II (Symbiont Wars Universe 2) Read online

  “You should finish that bottle,” Tiana said. “You’re getting dehydrated.”

  “Yeah, well, I voted for installing the window unit up here.”

  “I outvoted you. You need to sweat to help with your detox. Besides, you’re adapting. You need to use your body’s cooling system so it can optimize.” She tapped the tablet and placed it on the other side of the computer stand.

  “We can erase that wall now,” she said.

  They both turned to look at the other wall, still filled with diagrams, lists, brainstorming notes and occasional doodles that Jonah had made while considering Tiana’s questions.

  “Are you ready for lunch?”

  “Starving,” Jonah said. “But I want to rinse off first.”

  “Okay, I’ll get something ready and I won’t heat up the kitchen. I promise.”

  “You spoil me. I’m not sure I even remember how to make my own meals anymore.”

  “Hmm,” Tiana said.

  She turned, preceding him downstairs.

  Jonah smiled, though his chest felt heavy. He liked following her, the way she moved and how light played across her patterned skin when she did. With regret, he turned towards the bathroom and the shower rather than continuing behind her.

  In the shower, he thought about the last six days they'd spent together. It was odd; he realized she used pheromones to excite him when she needed to, but he didn’t think that was why he’d accepted her so soon. To him, she wasn’t an alien, just a person—though she came from another world. But, since the event that had cross-wired their minds for ten hours, leaking some of her life memories into his own, she had changed, becoming more serious. He missed the playful side of her. Also, he was afraid he’d never see her again when their contract ended.

  The thought made his chest hurt, and the sensation was familiar. Years of a bad marriage and an ugly divorce had made emotional pain a constant condition. He’d only started recovery.

  Now it was back. Same pain, different wound. He sighed and let the water wash over his face.

  Don’t cry; you’ll get dehydrated.

  He tried to fight the sadness with the joke, but it didn’t help much.

  Maybe she can make you forget her when she goes.

  When he entered the kitchen, a salad and a tall, iced smoothie were at his place. The smoothie, of course, would be delicious and full of exactly what his body needed. Tiana drank her own blend of iced tea and her place held a cold soup that would most likely poison him. Jonah took the chair across from her.

  Tiana lifted her glass. He responded, touching his glass to hers with a musical chime that filled the room.

  “I’d like to ask a favor,” Tiana said, “but first I want to thank you for how much you’ve done for me; the computer, the cell phone, for helping in so many ways.”

  She held up a hand as Jonah started to speak. “No, you’re going to play it down, but it is important and more than I could’ve expected as a stranger. I’m sorry I botched things in my part of the bargain. I may not be your species, but I took the Hippocratic oath long ago and I don’t believe I’ve lived up to the do no harm part.”

  Tiana touched his arm. “I somehow caused changes in your body that made you different from your kind, and I don’t know where it’s going or how to fix it. I hoped to offer a partnership so we could keep working together.” She dropped her eyes to the table. “I’ll understand if you have reservations, but will you let me stay until I can fix this?”

  “Okay. Let me make sure I understand,” Jonah said. “You feel guilty because you accidentally made women want me?”

  “Well, yes, causing the pheromones you’ve been producing. I haven’t been able to trace why it’s happening. There’s also the matter of the shared memories. I’m . . . concerned about that.”

  Jonah shook his head. “We’ve already discussed how I could’ve been responsible for that. But, for the rest, other than complicating my work life, the side-effects are manageable so far. I won’t stress about it. I feel fine. So, unless you discover that it’s going to get worse—.”

  As though shooing a fly away, Jonah waved his hand. “Hell, there are lots of men who’d choose the sexy cologne over an intelligence boost. But let’s put that aside for a bit.”

  He took a sip of the smoothie. “Can you tell me why you've asked me not to aim for your pleasure nexus when we’re connected? I understand that it would be distracting for you while you’re working, but why never?”

  Tiana’s head jerked up to meet his gaze. “We were both unconscious for hours, vulnerable. I told you how I came out of hibernation seven days ago. I don’t know what happened to my other branch. I have enemies that I followed to this world. It’s possible— likely—they killed my other branch. So, I worry about you … us, being killed or captured while I’m helpless. Also . . . both our societies have taboos against sexual relations outside our species. I’m… conflicted about it.”

  “I would argue that it shouldn’t apply to sentient races. Why would your people frown on it? Why forbid mutualism when it comes to sexual pleasure? Shouldn’t I be able to do for you what you do for me? Does that make sense? You can’t tell me you didn’t enjoy it when you asked me to bring your milk down.”

  “That’s true enough, but that alone isn’t considered sexual for us, any more than when humans nurse their young. Neither is simply connecting at the hips. The arousal is to help your transition, and it’s an easy way to feed.”

  She jabbed her salad with the fork. “It would also interfere with your life. How can you have a normal relationship with a woman if we bond sexually?”

  “Normal relationship? You mean marriage, family? Tiana, been there, done that, burned the T-shirt. I’ve been fruitful and multiplied all I intend to. But let’s back up a minute. You and Edward lived together, and he was unmarried, right?”

  “Yes, I was his majordomo and had my own apartments in the house. He had . . . dalliances.”

  “And under a permanent contract we would live together?”

  “Yes, that would be necessary,” Tiana said.

  “In today’s world, a person with my income does not have a majordomo. Most people wouldn’t even know what one was. Everyone will believe we are together—sexually intimate. If I were looking to remarry, a female roommate would be a problem, particularly one with a tail. But, what about you, Tiana? Any nii, suitors knocking on the door?”

  “Are you making this a condition for me to stay?”

  “God no!”

  Jonah took a breath and held it for a moment. “Let me be clear. I want you to stay with me on your terms, whether friend-with-benefits or just friends, but I want to see the Tiana who is confident and eager to tackle challenges again. Even if you never make me smell normal, even if I grow a tail and my skin turns stripy, I want you in my life. Permanent contract accepted.” Jonah held out his hand, waiting.

  Tiana stared at him and shook her head. “I know I missed the entire twentieth century, but I doubt I would have met anyone like you, Jonah Brandyr. You may be the most unusual sentient I ever met. It’s a pleasure to know you.”

  She put her hand in his and left it there while they finished lunch.

  Chapter 7 (Home and Time’s River)

  The sound of Jonah’s alarm always surprised him in the morning. He rolled over, tapped the screen on his phone to dismiss it and levered himself to a sitting position. After a moment taking inventory, he decided he felt good. That was a novelty for him first thing in the morning.

  Tiana wasn’t in bed. She’d been catching up, no doubt. He snorted. Tiana was already so far ahead of everyone else he knew on all subjects that, for her, catching up must meant something far beyond his imagination.

  It was Thursday and he’d spent the last few days at home catching up on work. It was refreshing how the grimy office politics had faded from his concerns.

  From the floor below, the opening chords of Claire de Lune drifted up the stairwell. Jonah rose and followed the haun
ting notes that painted the air with color that blended joy and loss with heart-stopping tension. He halted outside the dining room.

  At his piano, Tiana wove the song into rain, clouds, moon and stars—all pouring from the piano as her fingers drifted over the keys. She held the final chord, letting it ring long after Jonah lost track of the sound; he didn’t dare move until she raised her fingers from the keys.

  “He changed it,” she said, running her fingers over the sheet music. “So, so beautiful; surpassing my expectations. I wonder if he changed it for me because of how I interpreted it. Another friend left behind—I wonder if he missed me. Was the change a message? Did anyone else leave one?”

  She turned to him. “Are you going to call in sick?”

  It took Jonah a few moments to change subjects. He was still working through his reaction to the music—and what she had been saying about the composer. He cleared his throat, still scratchy from sleep.

  “I’m working from home today again. In fact, for the rest of my tenure at General Financial. With video conferencing, I can do anything my job requires from home. And I have a valid reason—a glandular problem that would disrupt the workplace. It’s a disability. They’re required to accommodate that.”

  “Won’t you need a doctor’s confirmation?”

  “Yes, but it won’t be a problem. My cousin Jerry is an internist. We can drive to Charleston tomorrow, and I’ll convince him I shouldn’t be working in an office setting.”

  Tiana grinned. “How will you do that?”

  “I’ll take him to the produce section.”

  “That should do it.” She tapped her leg, a thoughtful expression on her face. “If you’re working from home, we’ll need more bandwidth.”

  “I’ll call the cable company and upgrade the service.”

  Tiana shook her head. She stood, picked up a sheet of paper and handed it to him. Jonah looked down at a printout of a real estate brochure.

  A beautifully restored brick and stone Queen Anne Victorian mansion with Eastlake influences completed in 1881—$650,000

  Jonah looked at Tiana, baffled. “What is this?”

  “Our new house.”

  “Ah?”

  “Yes, the fiber optic cable runs right by it.”

  “The mortgage and taxes on that house would be around $4,000 per month. That’s almost every dollar I take home. . . . The fiber optic cable?”

  “Yes, right by it.”

  “I won’t even clear anything on this place, if I could even sell it. I mortgaged it to support my family when I went back to school and then the market tanked. You may have read about that.”

  “Oh, sure. Corporate greed. Mortgaged-backed securities, credit default swaps, boom and bust, Dutch tulip bulb craze, self-reinforcing feedback loops. We’ve been through the math.” Tiana grinned at him. “You’re a clever lad. You’ll come up with something. Can you go look at it with me during your lunch?”

  Jonah had to struggle to keep his mouth from falling open. “Sure, sounds like fun. Why this house though?”

  “It’s mine and I... Want. It. Back.” Tiana replied with a soft, emphasis that made Jonah catch his breath.

  “I hope you did a good job on that IQ boost,” he said. “To figure this out, I’ll need it—every bit.”

  ~~~{Tiana}~~~

  Tiana stood with Jonah outside the beautifully restored brick and stone Queen Anne Victorian, watching the real estate agent gather things from her electric-blue, Hyundai sedan.

  “Now let me make sure I’m clear on how this works,” Tiana said. “We didn’t call the agent who has the house listed, but we got another one to act as our agent.”

  “Right, Gloria will act as a buyer’s agent.”

  “And the seller's agent pays her if we buy.”

  Jonah nodded.

  “And nobody pays her if we don’t buy.”

  “It’s a risk she runs.”

  “I wouldn’t set up a consulting agency that way,” Tiana said. She straightened her half-finger, black-lace gloves and checked her makeup with her phone camera.

  “Neither would I. It’s the real estate agent’s dilemma. If she doesn’t, others will then she’ll get nothing—a low-risk nothing.”

  “I would never have thought to research this. I’m lucky to have you around to educate me on the nonsensical side of life in the 21st century.” She patted his arm.

  Gloria Scaliano, their buyer’s agent, opened her car door, slung her briefcase strap over her shoulder and hurried toward them with brisk, athletic steps. “Sorry, I’m late,” she said. With one hand she pushed her long blond hair back behind her shoulder and extended the other hand to Jonah. “It’s so good to see you again, Jonah. My gosh! It’s hot today.”

  Jonah shook her hand. “Thanks for coming on such short notice, Gloria. This is my friend, Tiana.”

  Gloria released Jonah’s hand and extended her hand to Tiana. “Nice to meet you, Tiana,” her tone was laced with forced southern politeness.

  Tiana took her hand. “Charmed,” she said. “Jonah, would you check the drainage around the foundation? I want to talk to Gloria about buyer agency; didn’t you say there was a disclosure we had to sign?”

  “Sure. Just let me sign it first so Gloria has everything she needs.” Gloria handed him her clipboard, and Jonah dashed off his signature and walked across the street to the house.

  Tiana waited a few moments while Gloria watched Jonah walk across the street then spoke in a confidential tone. “Jonah and I are partners and friends, but it’s not romantic with us. I wouldn’t get in your way.”

  Gloria turned, her face flushing. “Oh, you must think I’m just awful,” she said. “You know, I never thought about it before, but . . . he is a dish isn’t he?”

  “Oh, I understand the attraction,” Tiana said. “He’s just not my type… exactly.”

  Gloria smiled, untangled her left hand from her hair and slid the engagement ring off her finger, “Your loss.”

  “Good luck.” Tiana signed the disclosure form with an illegible but decorative flair and handed the clipboard back to Gloria who took it and marched off in pursuit of Jonah.

  Tiana’s lips twitched in a smile.

  ~~~Jonah~~~

  As they toured the house, Jonah noticed Tiana kept a distance from Gloria, but the tension had vanished, maybe because Gloria’s focus was on him.

  “I’d just love to wake up in this master bedroom,” Gloria said, overloading the remark with eye contact.

  He could have sworn Tiana smirked, but,—when he cut his eyes to her face—her expression was bland and innocent.

  When they’d seen every floor, Tiana said, “Gloria, can I walk through the house by myself so I can register the vibrations from this place? You and Jonah could discuss market value. I know you haven’t had a chance yet, but Jonah’s phone can act as a WIFI hot spot. You two could put your heads together and look at some comparable sales.”

  Jonah’s mouth twisted. Evidently, Tiana had caught up on real estate sales practices more than she let on. He knew she could smell Gloria’s racing hormones even without all the flirting.

  Put your heads together, indeed.

  “That’s a great idea.” Gloria beamed and grabbed his elbow. “Come on Jonah. Let’s give Tiana some time alone.

  After twenty minutes with Gloria in the air-conditioned back seat as she danced through appropriate, don’t-be-desperate, seduction, Tiana walked out the front door.

  “I need to see what she thinks,” Jonah said, opening the door and walking across the street.

  “Honestly, Jonah,” whispered Tiana, “how did you manage to steam up the car windows in this weather?”

  Jonah managed to keep himself from glancing at the windows as Gloria got out of the car. “I’m sure it’s just condensation from the air-conditioner, but you already knew that,” he whispered back.

  Tiana winked at him and walked around the car to meet Gloria.

  “Gloria, thanks so much for your ti
me. I wish we could stay longer, but Jonah needs to get back to work. Can you call us tonight so we can set up a time to discuss what you come up with for comparable sales?”

  Gloria nodded, smiling. “Sure, not a problem.” She exchanged hugs with Tiana. Jonah saw them exchange quick whispers then Gloria marched over to hug him too. And, God help him, he enjoyed every second. His hormones were no doubt racing as much as hers; she didn’t let go until he’d felt every inch of her toned body pressed against him. When he turned and hurried to the car, he didn’t know if he was running from his own reaction or her. He shut the door, put his head back against the seat and took a deep calming breath.

  “She’s nice,” Tiana said. “I can see why you wanted to call her.”

  “Oh yeah, she is as hot as a firecracker, but I called her because I thought she was getting married and I assumed it would be safe.”

  “Well, don’t worry,” Tiana said. “Tomorrow she’ll only have a foggy memory of the last two hours. I’m sure the wedding plans won’t change.”

  She turned, looking up the street. “Okay, let’s go. Turn left on 12th street and take the first left on Madison. Go about fifty feet then let me out.”

  “Got it,” Jonah said as he pulled up to the 12th street stop sign. He turned left twice and stopped.

  Tiana glanced up 11th street. “Wait ten minutes then pick me up at that alley,” she said pointing with her chin. “Open the trunk for me when I come back.” She walked around the corner and disappeared into an alleyway filled with overgrown bushes. When his phone said ten minutes were up, he pulled around the corner, stopping when Tiana stepped out of the bushes carrying a large canvas bag. Jonah hit the button for the trunk; the suspension bucked when she loaded the bag. The trunk door slammed and Tiana slipped into the passenger seat.