Broken Protocols 1-3 Read online

  “I’m sick,” Dani whispered, bending over and trying to take deep breaths. “Where is Levi?”

  “They’re almost done. If you throw up in my office, I’m charging Levi for the damages.”

  “It wouldn’t be in your office if you hadn’t shoved me in here.” Dani snapped with as much backbone as she could muster, helping regain her equilibrium. “Take me back to Levi.”

  Lina shook her head. “I don’t get it. He actually married you? I can see partying for a day or two, but marriage?” She turned on her heel and opened her comp. “John, I have Dani at the office.”

  She clicked off her comp. “Sit down for heaven’s sake. They should be here soon.”

  Shudders rippled down Dani’s spine. She cast a quick glance around the gleaming iridescent room. There had to be something to sit on – just not something she recognized as a chair. “I’ll stand,” she said quietly.

  That only earned her another disgusted look. “Whatever.” Lina walked out of the room, leaving Dani alone.

  Thank God.

  A window was open on the far side. Not trusting that she was truly alone or that she wasn’t being recorded in some way, she walked over to the window, schooled her features, and looked out. Another traffic scene. This time she was able to look at the vehicles and the pattern of controlled pandemonium. She didn’t think she’d ever drive in this lifetime. The sheer speed of the chaos outside the window shook her. That she didn’t know the rules of the road was one thing, but she didn’t think there’d ever come a time when she’d be comfortable enough to follow whatever passed for rules here.

  This place was just too…out there for her.

  And where the hell were Levi and Milo? They shouldn’t have left her alone. At least not for this long. She understood on one level, but on another…how was she to know about the Lina’s of his world or the weird circles on the floor and the non-existent furniture she was supposed to sit on? She hadn’t had a chance to do or see or learn anything. She’d been concerned with healing enough to just be able to walk.

  There was an odd whoosh in the center of the room.

  She spun around, her hand going to her chest. Now what?

  *

  Levi turned in a slow circle, his gaze darting from side to side. “Come on, Dani, where are you?”

  Milo stared at him. “What did you say?”

  “Where’s Dani?” Levi muttered softly.

  Milo’s gaze widened in horror and he spun around. And continued to spin in a slow movement as he searched the room a second time.

  “Maybe she had to go to the washroom,” he suggested.

  John approached the two of them. “I’ll file a motion when I get back to the office to have any further Council meetings done by comp. It’s ridiculous that we have to continue to show up in person to answer a few questions.”

  Levi pulled his attention back to look at John. “Good. Please do that. And thanks for your help there.” He watched as his lawyer walked away, the blue of his suit shimmering in the brilliant colored crowd.

  As soon as he was out of sight, Levi spun to find Milo on his comp. “Tell me you found her.”

  “There’s no sign of her anywhere.” Milo swore under his breath before sucking it in sharply. “Wait. Incoming.”

  Where the hell could Dani have gone? Levi lifted his shoulders. “Incoming what?”

  Milo gasped then choked. “Incoming message. From Charmin Marvin?”

  Levi turned so he could see Charmin’s feline face over Milo’s shoulder. “Dani is in trouble. Tracking…now on.”

  “What the hell?” His words, even voiced low, caught the attention of curious passerbys. Damn. The place was crowded. Still, their curiosity was a good reminder that anything they did and said was likely being recorded.

  “Yeah, he’s good.” Milo clicked a few more buttons. “Got her. She’s at John’s office.”

  “How the hell…” Levi raced to the ports.

  “Lina took her there,” Milo called, running behind him.

  He stepped into the port and appeared at Lina’s office, Milo right behind him.

  And there was Dani.

  She stared at him in shock. When she realized he was there in person, she raced toward him. He caught her in his arms and hugged her tightly. “It’s okay,” he murmured. “I’m here.”

  She couldn’t stop shaking or burrowing closer. Her arms locked around his waist and wouldn’t let go. He held her close and continued to whisper comforting things in her ear.

  “As you can see, she’s fine,” Lina snapped. “Lord, all this fuss over nothing.”

  It was Milo who came to Dani’s rescue. “Really? You remove someone from the Council offices without anyone’s permission, including that of the woman you kidnapped, and you say it’s nothing?”

  At the word kidnapping, Lina gasped and Dani burrowed deeper into Levi’s embrace. “I did no such thing.” Lina stormed closer. “Dani was attracting attention. What did you expect me to do?”

  “In what way was she attracting attention?” Levi asked.

  “She sat so damn still. So perfect. Like a statue,” Lina snorted. “She didn’t move, no comp, no nothing. Just an oddness that stood out.” She shrugged. “Then her ID started to flash. It was too close to the Missing Person’s Alert. Like really.” Lina rolled her eyes. “I had to stop her from making a spectacle of herself.”

  “So because she wasn’t you – you figured she was odd.” Milo mimicked her voice so perfectly that Levi had to bite back a grin. “And there’s any number of reasons for her ID to flash.”

  “It wasn’t so much that it flashed, it was the look of shock, horror, and confusion on her face that was so ridiculous.” Lina glared at them. “She was fine when I first saw her. So I left her alone. It was only after I returned that I realized she was causing such a commotion.”

  Milo narrowed his eyes. “And you couldn’t leave it alone. Not because she was garnering attention, but because you weren’t. For some reason, he married her, not you. She had him, you didn’t. It was all about jealousy, wasn’t it?” Milo snapped forward from his sixteen-year-old self with a wisdom beyond his years. “Levi partied with you and you wanted more. He didn’t. Next thing you know, he shows up with this natural girl and is married to her.”

  Lina’s voice turned cutting. “Go back to bed, Milo. It’s a little late for you to be up, isn’t it?”

  Dani lifted her head from against his chest and in low tones, said, “Can we go home now?”

  He hugged her gently. To the others, he said, “You two can stay and fight if you want. I’m taking her back. She’s been sick and needs rest.”

  “She could get that fixed. Playing on your sympathies, you know.” Lina threw up her hands. “Whatever.” And she strode out of the room again.

  Milo glared at her receding back. “Bitch.”

  Dani giggled. “Glad to hear that word is still used nowadays.”

  “Especially nowadays,” Milo said with a smile. “Let’s go home.”

  “Yes, please. By the way,” she said, “how did you know I was here? She left a message on John’s comp or whatever that thing is, but I didn’t see her call you two.”

  “That’s because she didn’t,” Levi said, loosening his arms and turning her gently.

  Milo bounced on his heels to his toes. “You aren’t going to believe what did happen.”

  She twisted slightly to look him in the face. Levi kept her walking forward. “Why? What happened?” She looked up at Levi. “Not John?”

  Milo shook his head, almost dancing with glee now.

  Levi gave a low deep rumble of a laugh. “Charmin Marvin told us.”

  She stared at him. “What? Really?”

  They both nodded.

  Her sense of humor kicked in and she giggled.

  Levi grabbed her up in his arms for a hug, stepped into the same circle Dani had popped out of earlier and led her out into the Council anteroom within seconds. Her joy was a light in his life.
She had to be feeling rough enough without feeling the cutting edge of Lina’s tongue, but it hadn’t gotten her down. She was a survivor.

  Lina had been a mistake years ago. He should never have hooked up with her. After she’d joined his lawyer’s firm, their first business meeting have been slightly uncomfortable, but then he’d promptly forgotten about her and the weekend party. An easy thing to do.

  To think she’d gone after Dani, regardless of her motives, concerned him. She’d said it was to protect him, to protect Dani, but there’d been no need to remove Dani from where he’d left her. And if she’d said something to John, why hadn’t his lawyer said something to him?

  Levi mulled it over, not liking where the information was taking him. Innocent miscommunication? Or something more sinister?

  Milo’s com beeped again. The three were back in the Council room where Dani had originally been waiting for them. They exited through security. On the other side, Milo stopped and tugged Dani toward him. “Could you please look into my com?”

  She shot him a startled look. “What?’

  He held out his arm and the tiny screen flashed in front of her. Obediently, she stared into the com. Immediately, it flashed. Then the screen cleared and Charmin’s flat face filled the screen. He gave her a huge cat grin.

  She gasped in joy. “Oh, please, let’s go home?”

  “Right now.” Levi stepped into the elevator tube with the other two crowding close. The trip back was fast and efficient. Dani appeared to have relaxed about their travelling system, and that was good. It was just one of many things she’d have to learn to do on her own. Just as he had other things to learn. Like how to deal with a cat who could send an alarm about Dani. What Levi didn’t understand was how Charmin knew there was a problem in the first place.

  It would be the first thing he’d ask the talking feline.

  Chapter 3

  “Her vitals had gone off the wall,” Charmin explained in between licking the nutrient-rich cream off the plate, his tongue making little snick, snick sounds. “There was a flashing button labeled SCAN, so I pressed it and didn’t like the results.” He shrugged. “It was obvious she was upset. As there were too many variables to pinpoint the reason, I figured you should be the one to deal with it.”

  Charmin lifted his head, pink cream dotting the fluff of orange fur sticking out in a high cloud around his face, and asked Dani, “What was the problem anyway?”

  “Oh, nothing,” she said tiredly. “Just an old girlfriend of Levi’s who decided to kidnap me.”

  Charmin spluttered, sending pink cream all over the table. “What?” He lifted his head to stare at her, shock widening his gaze.

  Relieved to be home, her fear slowly subsiding now that she was safe and back with Levi, she gestured in Levi’s direction. “He’ll give you the details.”

  Charmin turned to face Levi. When Levi didn’t jump in with an explanation, Charmin stalked across the table closest to where Levi stood and glared at him. “Levi, explain.”

  The look on Levi’s face made Dani choke back a giggle. He looked like he’d swallowed a sour candy.

  “What’s the matter, Levi? Not used to having to explain yourself, especially to a cat?” she murmured as she walked past him to stare out the window. He gave a snort but she ignored him, choosing to study the outside world again, this time with a jaundiced eye.

  Behind her, she heard Levi explain about the short relationship he’d had with Lina a long time ago before she worked for his lawyer. Damn, she knew that whatever happened in Levi’s life before her arrival should have nothing to do with her. But somehow her rules didn’t sound like they’d apply in this case. Lina wouldn’t let them.

  “Why would she do this to Dani?” Charmin asked.

  “I don’t know,” Levi admitted. “It makes no sense.”

  “Yes, it does,” Milo piped up, adding, “She’s jealous. She heard about your marriage just this morning and reacted badly. Opportunity presented itself and she snatched it.”

  Dani winced. That woman’s damn superior tone had said more about Lina than Dani cared to know. She was a bitch. If she’d dated Levi that was one thing, but according to Milo, he’d had an affair with her. At least that’s what she thought partied meant. Like really? That was what he considered his type?

  If the other women of this century were the same as the barracuda lawyer, no wonder Levi hadn’t hooked up with anyone permanently yet. She wouldn’t have either. Maybe Milo had done Levi a favor in bringing Dani here.

  “But she didn’t do anything other than take Dani to her office,” said Levi, his frustration and temper starting to show in his voice. “It’s not as if she hurt her or demanded money. It’s more like she wanted to check Dani out for some reason.”

  “She kept calling me natural or something like that.” Dani spun around to look at the men. “What does that mean?”

  “Ha.” Milo laughed. “Everyone is improved these days. Babies are born with the preferred genetic markers so there is no illness anymore…or very little. Brain power can be chosen. Looks. Things like that. But that’s the parent’s choice. When the child grows up, they can also choose their own enhancements. Similar to cosmetic surgery from your day,” Milo added. “Every society has fringe groups. Naturals are one of ours. People who eschew any non-natural improvements.”

  “So because I don’t have any enhancements, I’m natural looking so that’s something to laugh at?” Dani asked. “Really?”

  Charmin snorted. “Some of us don’t need enhancements.”

  Levi smiled and reached out to scratch Charmin under the neck. Charmin’s eyes crossed with pleasure.

  “Not all enhancements work or are an improvement. Many times the person looked better before the enhancement. But there will always be those that have to push the edge.”

  “And Milo?” Dani asked, “Are you one of those genetically chosen brains?”

  He smirked. “I am that and so much more. Something different happened with me, and I ended up with more than expected.”

  “Meaning he was likely a genius naturally,” Levi said, “By genetically choosing more intelligence, our parents had no idea they’d get someone at the far end of that spectrum.”

  “Did they understand his nature before they passed away?”

  Levi nodded. “Yes, they did. Milo could read before his second birthday and do calculus before his fourth. He hasn’t stopped since.”

  “And you,” Dani said gently, “How do you feel knowing that your parents gave Milo all those brains but they didn’t give them to you? Presumably it was an option.”

  “One can ask for genetic markers to be enhanced, but no one can guarantee the results. They chose different markers for me.” He shrugged. “And I’m happy with who I am.”

  He didn’t mention what the other genetic markers were and left Dani trying to guess. There was nothing obvious to say either way. He’d tell her when he was ready.

  She turned back to the window. What kind of world could already determine what their children would be like before they were even born?

  “Where is Mother Nature in all of this?” she murmured. “Does she still have a role to play?”

  “That’s the thing about Milo. If you take ten different fetuses with all the same genetic markers like his, you won’t get ten Milos. Mother Nature still rules.”

  That made her feel better. She hated to think that everyone was now preordained to be a specific way.

  And she refused to believe this was an improvement over the rules of her old society. She couldn’t argue that there were some things she’d love to be better at. Speed reading was an example. She’d wanted to go back to school, had just been accepted into an IT Security program before Milo so rudely yanked her out of her life. Now that little training program would be laughable to what she’d need to learn for a successful life here.

  She stopped in her tracks. Was it possible? She turned slowly, realizing even Charmin was better suited to life here, due
in part to his enhancements. Were there some enhancements that would help her to adapt – learn what she needed to know to thrive here?

  “Is there something you can do to enhance me, too?” she asked slowly, studying their faces. “Some way for me to learn what I need to know about your society? About how to live here safely. About your government. Your monetary system. There’s so much I don’t know. Is it possible to get some kind of…I don’t know…microchip downloaded to my brain or something?”

  Milo stared at her in fascination. “Wow. That would be so cool.”

  And she realized there wasn’t. She sighed. “Damn. If I could speed read or something, I could whip through all the schooling of your times until I caught up with my age group. Surely I’ll be able to understand how this time period functions by the end of that.”

  “That’s not a bad idea,” Levi looked at her in surprise. “Milo, you can set her up with a VR system that will walk her through the lower learning levels.”

  “No one does grade school anymore,” Milo said in surprise. “What good will that do?”

  “It’s going to be the little things that trip me up.” Dani explained. “Things that every child will know.”

  “But they are born with most of that knowledge. Or they already have it by the age of 5.”

  “So how can I get the same knowledge then? You didn’t enhance me – you enhanced my cat.”

  “Hey, how was I to know you’d bring a critter with you?” Milo protested. “I’m not taking the blame for that.”

  “No one is blaming you,” Charmin said with a sniff. “Personally, I like it.”

  “You would,” muttered Dani. She wanted to run back into the pod and forget about this place. Maybe she’d wake up in the morning and this nightmare would be over. But she’d asked for that before and it hadn’t happened yet.

  “I think Milo can help you,” Levi said calmly. “We do have virtual reality learning models. He also has boosters to help you learn faster and retain what you learn. It won’t be so bad. We can get you through most of the basics in a few weeks.”