Broken Protocols 1-3 Read online

  And would having an unregistered unit get them into more trouble?

  Then again, if they were found with a non-registered person…she couldn’t imagine having to explain her presence. Hell, she had no answers, she’d have to tell the truth of what she did know. And likely end up in a psych ward.

  Who’d believe her?

  Who could?

  At least they could have brought her clothes with her. Then again, as she stared down at Charmin, they had brought the most important part of her life. Presumably because she’d been holding onto him at the time. And, as she thought about it, when she was whooshed away from her apartment, she’d been wishing he could talk. Coincidence?

  What had happened to her old life? Had anyone reported her missing? Did she just disappear forever? Was she a missing person in the history books? Or did the apartment blow up and Milo’s little time travel trick cause the deaths of a couple of hundred people? Could she find out? Would she be able to do a search on the Internet and find herself? Did they even have Internet here?

  And if they did, would her search be reported to someone that she was researching this person in history? Did the government keep that close an eye on its citizens?

  If they kept that close an eye on everyone’s health – maybe.

  She had a lot of questions and no answers. The biggest one was still unanswered – was this really a one-way trip?

  *

  Levi worked in the kitchen, quietly and competently at a counter. She needed food. It would be these mundane details that would keep him focused. Maybe while doing the mundane, he’d come up with a solution for everything else. He glanced up at the screen on the wall. Still a half hour until the pod was delivered.

  He didn’t want anyone else to see it. He’d asked for a call when the delivery left the warehouse so he could put on the special effects. Special effects he’d set up after Milo’s genius started to show. And the lines he started to cross.

  Innocently of course. Yeah, right.

  Just as he took the scrambled eggs off the heat, his comp buzzed.

  He checked the message. The pod was en route. Good. “Milo, engage the privacy mode setting out front.”

  “Woohoo.” Milo jumped up from the table and raced over to the control unit. “I never get to do this.”

  “Well, this time, it’s necessary.” He checked the digital readout on the screen. “Good, it’s all working.” He set the plate on a tray. “Take this to Dani. I have to go and accept the delivery.”

  Milo looked at him. “Are you sure about this?”

  Levi stopped, the plate in his hand, then laid it down on the tray. “It’s a little late to be asking, isn’t it?”

  Milo’s lively features twisted in regret. “I’m just realizing that this is all my fault.”

  Levi stared at him. “Really, just now?” He leaned on the counter to stare at him. “You really don’t get it, do you? This isn’t some game. This isn’t a rush to beat the technology. This isn’t something you can just do then forget about.” His temper fired as he thought about all he had to deal with. “You have damaged lives – in ways we can’t begin to know about. And you have ruined Dani’s.”

  “I haven’t ruined Dani’s at all. Don’t you see this is beautiful? She has a great life waiting for her here. We’ll make it great.”

  “But you didn’t give her any choice. You did this to her. You made her a victim of your mechanisms. And that’s just wrong. She should never have been brought into our world. You didn’t ask her if she wanted this. You didn’t care.”

  He stopped and stared, wondering what it would take to get through his head. “What you did was wrong. On so many levels. And you’ve left me to deal with your mess again.”

  “She’s not a mess. She’s a miracle.” Milo stepped in front of Levi. “Look, I’m sorry for the problems right now. I’m sorry for any that might still come, but damn it, Levi, I did something that no one else has done.” His eyes glittered with excitement. “Can’t you see the greatness here?”

  Levi choked. “And that’s all this means to you, isn’t it?” Would Milo ever see what he’d done? “And what about Dani? Do you think she’s going to consider this greatness?”

  A buzzer sounded.

  “Damn it. They’re early. I hadn’t expected them so fast.” Levi raced to the door, leaving the food behind on the plate. He opened the door to see his delivery.

  “Bring it in here.” He stood by as the pod was floated toward him. He led the way to where it would stay. He’d planned on getting one a year ago but had a hard time with the registration requirements. “Thanks.”

  “No problem. You’ll pay through the nose for this, but hey, it’s worthwhile.”

  “I hope so,” he muttered. He took the paperwork, glanced at the bottom line, and said, “So we’re good?”

  “We are. As long as I get that software, we’re done.”

  “It’s already in progress.” And it was. Levi smiled at the man who would prefer to not be named. He knew him vaguely. He’d had to go to a friend of a friend to make this happen as it was. So he’d taken his first step to the wild side. Then again, Milo had pushed them all over there already.

  But Dani needed healing. He couldn’t leave her like she was.

  Speaking of which, he went through the simple process to open the pod and check it over. “Dani,” he called out loudly, “Do you think you can walk over to me?”

  He didn’t hear an answer. He walked back over to her room to see her struggling to get out of bed. Just that much effort had her sweating. Damn Milo.

  And she still wasn’t fully dressed. He cursed himself for looking. As she struggled to tug the blanket around her shoulders, he cursed himself again for not taking a better look while he could.

  He raced over. “Here, let me help.”

  She gasped from the effort. “I thought I’d be fine. I got up on my own this morning.” Her face flushed then paled.

  He frowned, hating that she was hurting. “And you will be fine again. Let’s get you into the pod. That will help.”

  He half-carried her to where the machine waited then helped her lie down inside. While he watched, the pod fired up and started taking her statistics. That stage could take awhile. He glanced down at her, wondering what he’d forgotten. Mentally, he went through the process from the previous night and brightened. “Right. The critter.”

  He ran back to her bedroom and winced. The cat didn’t look very good at all. It only opened its eyes and stared at him, huge chocolate eyes wells of deep dark pain. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. He scooped him up and carried him over to Dani. She lay with her eyes closed, never moving as he approached.

  Carefully, he lay the critter down on her stomach.

  Her eyes flew open, saw her pet, then her gaze shot up to stare at him in surprise. He shrugged sheepishly. “He looked to be suffering too.”

  “He is,” she whispered, her gaze gentling. She studied his face and then smiled. A real smile, no sarcasm, no anger, just a slow blossoming movement that he couldn’t tear his gaze away from. And then the smile hit her eyes.

  He was enthralled.

  She might be mad sometimes, and she might be sarcastic, but now that she was smiling at him, he realized how honest she was. There was no artifice with her.

  She was who she was, and to hell with what anyone thought of that.

  He realized how unique she was. And how much he was falling for her – damn it. Milo had been right. He was interested.

  Chapter 8

  Dani soaked up the warm healing rays. This pod was amazing. She needed one of her own. She’d skip the bed and sleep in this every night. She wanted to sleep now but at the same time, she didn’t want to be unconscious and miss this experience.

  Charmin snoozed beside her. She wondered if he was worse off with this time travel thing than she was.

  At least she could talk and walk. Charmin was more or less flat out. She reached down and scratched the back of his head
. He was definitely more laid back right now. No nagging for attention. No nagging for food. And speaking of food – the pod had arrived before they could eat.

  Her heartstrings tugged at the thought of losing her best friend. She had nothing left of her old life but him. He’d been with her for four years and was a major part of her life. To see him hurting like this…

  Charmin raised his head and gave her a pitiful look. “Food?”

  She smiled in relief. “There will be food soon.”

  He groaned. A long slow guttural sigh that made her laugh.

  “I’m glad to hear you are feeling better.”

  “Feel awful,” he whispered in a low throaty voice.

  “I love how you can talk now.” She tilted her head in thought and added, “It must be a side effect of the time travel.”

  “I love how you can talk now, too.” Charmin mimicked. “It must be a side effect of the time travel.”

  She gasped, then laughed and laughed. And maybe he was right. Maybe she’d been the one to learn to talk cat and not the other way around.

  She relaxed, her hand resting on his ruff, letting the hum of the pod do its thing. Whatever that was. The lights were a soothing blue and there was no computer voice to disturb her peace and quiet. Food and more coffee would be good, but barring that miracle, for the moment she was doing just fine.

  She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

  *

  Levi walked into the newly designated pod room and smiled. Both guests were sound asleep. The pod would work better, faster if they stayed that way. At least until it was done doing its job. Getting her healthy was just the first stage of this process. Time to work on the second.

  He opened his comp and dialed a number that was likely to be popular over the next few days.

  When a computerized voice answered, he read off a series of numbers he’d memorized. When a voice came on the other end, he stated, “I need an ID for one young female.”

  Silence.

  He held his breath. There was no guarantee that he’d get his request fulfilled, but he didn’t know where else to go. Dani needed a solid ID to go anywhere. And she needed to be tagged. Thankfully, he and Milo made a lot of money. Because taking care of Dani was starting to become a major expense.

  “Anything else.”

  “Yes.” He winced. It was from here that things could get dicey. “I need a tagging completed.”

  The person on the other end sucked in his breath. But when he spoke, his voice was calm. “That is an expensive process.”

  “I know.”

  “You have the funds.”

  “I have the funds.” There was no point in elaborating. They either believed him or they didn’t. And he’d pay the price, regardless. He had no choice.

  Silence. He waited. If this person refused, it would be one person more who would know his secret. And such a secret would be dangerous, especially for Dani.

  “When?”

  “As fast as possible.” Then he reconsidered. Maybe not so fast. Dani was still healing. He didn’t want these people to know why she had no ID or tags. And they might if they saw her now. If it could be in a few days, that would give her longer to heal. He had no idea how long it would take, but she needed every day. He’d have to take her out of his place soon. But she needed to be strong enough to handle everything that was coming.

  His world was not for the faint of heart.

  “Tomorrow morning. No food or water for 12 hours prior.”

  And the voice rang off.

  Levi stared down at the comp in his hand. “That went well.” Maybe. They didn’t give him a price. They didn’t ask for his address. They didn’t ask any medical details about who was being tagged. Were they going to contact him again or just show up on his doorstep?

  He walked back over to where Dani slept in the pod. She’d taken to the pod as if it were the answer to her prayers, and given the fact that it was easing her pain, it probably was. Stunningly beautiful in sleep, Dani was both a problem and a gift. He stood, enjoying the sleeping beauty when he realized he really didn’t want to leave. That more than anything sent him bolting from the room.

  Back in the kitchen, he came face to face with Milo.

  Milo, dark overtones in his young voice, asked, “Did I just hear you correctly?”

  Levi’s stomach sank. Milo would need to know eventually, but Levi didn’t feel up to a fight now. “What did you hear?”

  Milo looked around furtively. Levi rolled his eyes. “We’re in our home, stealth is on. No one can hear us.”

  “You can’t be sure of that,” Milo cried. “What if someone has this place bugged?” He reached up to grab his hair with both hands.

  Levi stared at his brother in disgust. “You care now?”

  Round glazed eyes stared back at him. “You don’t understand. I can’t have people knowing about her.”

  Levi narrowed his gaze. “Why?” he asked, his tone ominous.

  Milo shifted uneasily. Not quite a bounce, but neither was he standing steady. And that wasn’t good. “Milo, what are you talking about?”

  He leaned forward. “It’s my technology. My design. My invention.”

  “And?”

  “And if people find out, they will steal it.” He wrung his hands.

  “Damn it, Milo, this isn’t about keeping your code secret. This is about a young woman whose life you destroyed. You do realize she could die, don’t you?”

  Milo stared in the direction of the healing pod. That he seemed to be considering the pros and cons of Dani’s death pissed Levi off. His brother was naive and simple-minded over some things, but he was also incredibly focused on his stuff.

  “No,” Levi snapped. “That is not a good outcome.”

  Milo slid him a sidelong glance. “I wasn’t going to suggest we kill her for God’s sake, but if she should happen to die…”

  “Which I’m trying my hardest to avoid happening, if you hadn’t noticed.” Levi strode over to the liquor cabinet sunk into the wall. He couldn’t believe the bizarre turn of the conversation. He poured himself a hefty whiskey and threw it back. He shuddered as the fire water coated his throat and prepared to do battle in his stomach. He had been doing this a lot lately.

  “You really shouldn’t drink that stuff. It’s bad for you.”

  Levi choked. “You’re worried about my health while you talk hopefully about Dani’s death?”

  Throwing his hands in the air, Milo snapped, “I’m just saying that now that I know it works, she’s the proof. If she dies, I’ll still know that it works but we won’t have to deal with the evidence.” He shrugged. “No biggie.”

  Levi poured a second shot and took a sip while he stared at his brother. Forced to question his kid brother’s ethics…his morals. His conscience. And that was an alarming step. He swirled the golden liquid in his glass. While Levi had been bending over backwards to keep Dani safe and make her as comfortable as possible, his brother was contemplating the advantage of his experiment dying.

  How did that work? In his world, not very well.

  “Milo,” he said, in a deep hard voice, “I don’t ever want this discussion to come up again.”

  His brother pouted. That was the only description Levi could come up with. His brother was actually pouting. Again reminding him that for all his genius, Milo essentially had the mind of a sixteen-year-old male trapped in a twenty-two-year-old body. Maybe one day the two would match up, but he hadn’t seen any sign of the gap closing in years. Milo had hit sixteen with such enthusiasm, it was as if he’d found a way to not age again.

  That concept startled him. If Milo had found a way to haul in some poor woman from a couple centuries ago, had he also found a way to slow or stop the aging process?

  If so, if anyone found out, neither of them would ever be safe again.

  Chapter 9

  Whispered conversation slipped under the edge of the pod’s hum, disturbing her rest. Something about her dying? Really? Worriedly
, her hand automatically searched for Charmin, reassured to find the warm body snuggled up against her. He was still alive. She waited for his chest to rise with his next breath then relaxed. Was she close to death? Or was that a hypothetical statement if the pod didn’t do its job?

  Dry-eyed, she studied the running green light shifting along the edge of the pod. Was she so badly damaged by Milo’s experiment that she wouldn’t survive? Assessing her own situation, she realized that outside of a deep permeating fatigue, she didn’t feel bad. Walking was a problem though. As if every step required too much effort, like she weighed hundreds of pounds more than she had before her time travel trip.

  That had to be due to the change in atmosphere – as if she were living on the moon.

  Only she wasn’t. But time had obviously changed the atmosphere in the future. Or her body felt it had. And maybe the why didn’t matter. If she couldn’t go back, she had no choice but to go forward. If she could ever get up.

  She shifted her legs tentatively. They didn’t ache the same as they had. So maybe the pod was doing its job. Her arms worked fine, her mind was clearer. She didn’t know if she was supposed to live in here until she was fully healed – if such a thing was possible – or if there was a day to day booster thing going on.

  She wasn’t opposed to coming in here daily. She did feel better in the pod. Maybe it was a weaning off thing. As she strengthened, she’d need it less. She was truly grateful they had such technology. Too bad she couldn’t take a unit back home. The people there could use this technology.

  And this time period needed better food. Her stomach growled again. It had been getting worse since she first woke up. She’d lost track of time and didn’t know if it was day or night, and her stomach didn’t care. It needed sustenance.