Human Legion: Marine Cadet Part 52

She squirmed and gasped in playful protest, any resistance only part of her fun.

When they were naked together, his fingertips traced lazy circles up the softness of her inner thigh.

That didn't get the reaction Arun was after. She went rigid.

He'd pushed too far!

But then she leaned back on folded arms and released a long, long sigh - one of tension released rather than erotic pa.s.sion.

"That's it, twinkle eyes," she whispered. "Keep doing that, and never stop..."

"I have to go," said Arun about an hour later, with as much relish as the condemned walking to their place of execution.

Xin leaned over and looked him in the eye. "Stay."

"I can't be AWOL. Not even for you."

"Stay till the end, Arun. h.e.l.lenstein was on his way to see Del-Marie Sandure. So your unit will know. They'll understand that you should be here."

"It's not my crew who bother me. Sergeant Gupta and Corporal Majanita-"

"Will understand."

Arun sighed. "It's time. You need to explain."

Xin spent several seconds searching for the right words. She looked up at the roof, ignoring Arun. "Bolt Squad will embark on the transport shuttle leaving Docking Bay 2 at 05:30. Destination: fleet transport Themistocles."

"What is your role on Themistocles?" he said carefully, dreading the answer.

"The G-year and G-1 year companies of 8th depot battalion have been detached to form the 87th field battalion. My cadet years are already over, Arun. We've all graduated. All my life I've wanted to earn my place out in the stars as a Marine. I want to go but... only when I was ready. I was having a blast back in Detroit."

He kissed her sad eyes. "Scared?" he asked "A little. It's whatever threat is making them rush us out when we're not ready. No one is saying what that is, but it can't be good."

Arun gave her a nod, as if he understood what she was going through. He embraced her against his chest and held her there.

Jimmy h.e.l.lenstein and the rest of Xin's section returned soon after. They made a show of ignoring Arun and Xin.

Xin tapped Arun on the head. "Don't mind them," she said. "Will you stay with me until I embark?"

Arun nearly said she ought to be spending the time with her comrades. Then he remembered she'd been transferred because of Pedro's interference. Her friends were still back on Detroit. She knew Arun better than anyone else on this little world.

From along the dorm warren, a boisterous group of newly minted Marines launched into song.

"Of course," he said. "Let's join in the fun."

* Chapter 69 *

Early the next morning, Arun accompanied Xin as far as the broad transit corridor that zigzagged its way to the embarkation point for Xin and the other Bolter Marines. Waving Xin off at the shuttle airlock, like a distraught parent, would hardly help her settle into her new role. So he hung back at the junction, applying a gentle pressure to her shoulder.

She came to a halt, turning around but not able to meet his eyes.

Xin needed him. Arun knew that. But however hard he tried to find words that would boost her morale, everything that reached the threshold of his lips sounded too trite to speak.

Eventually it fell to Xin to squeeze his hand and break the silence. "Things happen around you, McEwan. I like that about you. And you are kind of cute. But there's another reason why I want to stay close to you.

"Shush!" He pressed a finger hard against her full lips. "You and I are special. You know that, right? Well, so do I."

Xin's eyes went wide. He had to stifle laughter because she looked farcical with wide eyes and his finger still on her lips.

Then she gave a curt nod of understanding. How much did she really understand? Had she too talked with the Night Hummer?

"No need for us to brag about it," he said, withdrawing his finger.

"We'll be each other's little secret," she breathed acting the part of an impa.s.sioned secret lover. "Fate is about to separate us. But we must do everything we can to let each other know where we are. One day, I believe, we will be reunited. Our destinies are entwined."

Then something happened that Arun would never forget but neither could he ever explain how it came about. Maybe Xin's words were too close to revealing the truth and he needed to shut her up. Perhaps he wanted to test how much of her lover's act was rooted in truth. Whatever the reason, he found he had swept his lips against hers and she was responding and kissing him greedily. She slid one hand around his neck, resting the other on the small of his back. Arun was barely conscious of his hands, and cared less about the Marines flowing around them on their way to the shuttle; his attention was limited to the brush of her lips, the warmth of her mouth When, eventually, they broke, it was only to take a quarter step back so that Xin could rest her gaze in Arun's.

Arun chose to believe Xin's feelings were genuine.

They stood there in silence - for how long, even Arun's time counters couldn't tell - until they were disturbed by the rattle of an ore-laden truck coming along the hover-rail out in the main corridor. With blinking eyes (was that a tear?) Xin mournfully cast down her gaze and walked away with head high, and kitbag over her shoulder.

She didn't look back.

Arun didn't look away. Not until Xin had disappeared around a turn in the tunnel.

Sighing, he made his way back to his comrades. Keeping Xin as an impossible fantasy lover would have been so much simpler.

He shrugged, managing a grin.

Simplicity was overrated.

* Chapter 70 *

With over an hour to go before reveille, Arun's section should have been asleep, but when Arun slunk back into his dorm chamber, he was surprised to be greeted by a ragged cheer.

Umarov had activated his nuclear-powered snore, oblivious to the universe, but the others were drifting in a place between light slumber and quiet contemplation. Not Del-Marie, though. He looked drained of blood.

Of course. Jim had been here, to say his farewells to Del.

"How was it?" Madge asked Arun.

Arun frowned unsure of the answer himself. "Not at all what I expected," he replied. "Intense. Painful."

Madge nodded back. "Tough luck, brother. I envy you. Can you believe that?"

"I'm not sure I can, corporal."

"You only had a brief time with her, Arun, but... You've come away with a powerful memory you can treasure forever. Of all of us here, only Del can claim to have experienced anything like that."

"I hope you aren't including me in your a.s.sessment!"

Arun span around. "Springer!"

There she was, framed in the doorway. Other than a walking stick, her outline looked the same as ever. A grin split her face from ear to ear. Those wild brown curls and violet eyes gleaming from her playful face were still there, despite the burns. But the dimples when she smiled had gone.

"h.e.l.lo, Arun." She swung her kit bag onto the nearest rack. "Anyone miss me?"

Arun hung back while the others mobbed Springer with high-fives. Even Del planted a lingering kiss on her head.

The others gave them s.p.a.ce, Arun and Springer facing each other an arm's length apart.

"I crept back in so as not to wake you all," Springer said. "I should have guessed you'd still be up, discussing Xin. Nothing changes, eh?"

"Just pa.s.sing the time till you came back," Arun said, feeling more awkward than he believed was possible.

She gave him a look that said she didn't believe that.

Arun tried again. "She was lonely. She just wanted someone to hold her on her last night."

"Dear Arun, there's more to it than that. They brought me in early on the same shuttle that's transferring Xin's squad to the troopship. By the look on her face, when I pa.s.sed by, I could tell she was leaving something precious behind. Surprise, surprise! That turns out to be you."

There was an acidic edge to her words, but the teasing glint in her eye was vintage Springer.

It was enough.

He closed the gap, trying not to look at her burn-damaged face, and kissed her.

Her lips felt as cold as stone, and her flesh didn't move quite as it should.

He hated himself for noticing these details when all that mattered was that she was alive and back with him.

He embraced her. She should fit perfectly into the snug of his shoulder as if they were built for each other, but her stance was wooden, her weight in the wrong place.

No matter. He would hold her in his arms for as long as it took until she could feel the love that permeated his embrace reach through her injuries and touch her heart.

He wanted to let her know how s.e.xy she was too, but... but Springer could see through any lie. She was damaged and he hadn't gotten used to that yet. But he would. They had plenty of time.

Del-Marie rescued him. "Still getting used to your new leg, Springer? I noticed you limping."

Springer drew back, winking at Arun as she did.

"I'm getting there, lance corporal," she said. She walked over to the rack she'd claimed. Del was right: she limped, the soft plastic tip of her stick going tap... tap... tap...

"Is that permanent?" Arun asked. "I mean the new leg."

"Yeah."

"But you can't walk properly."

"So?" She shrugged. "It's powered. My new leg works well inside armor. Better than your flesh one."

Springer sounded genuine. But that was horrendous.

She must have caught Arun's look because she asked him: "Do you remember when we were novices running through the fields near Alabama? The instructors were in our face all the frakking time, telling us what pathetic weaklings we were every step of the way?"

Arun laughed. "It was easy to believe we were hopeless. We'd be gasping but they never seemed to even break sweat. The countryside was beautiful, but I used to hate those runs."

"Good, because none of that matters now. None of us will ever run through those fields again, nor anywhere else. Not in the flesh. The next time we run will be in armor."

"No," said Arun. "The Trogs can build tunnels so quickly it scares me. Even stuck here on this moon, we'll get things settled down and have miles of tunnels to run through before breakfast. Just like the old days."

Springer swung her legs over so she could lie back on her rack. "Today was Xin's turn to go to war. I expect tomorrow it will be ours. The rest of our lives will be spent either in cryo, zero-g or combat armor. No, I don't miss my leg. Now someone turn the volume down on Umarov, 'cause I want to grab some kip while I can."

Arun moved to Umarov's rack to roll him over, but stopped when he saw Springer was already asleep.

"Do you think she's right, corporal," he asked Madge. "Will we be called up tomorrow?"

Zug laughed, a sound Arun hadn't heard for a long while. "She was speaking figuratively," he said.

"True," Madge agreed with a fleeting smile, "but to answer your question, McEwan. When was the last time Springer was wrong about anything? Now, everyone, get some sleep!"

Arun tried, but he wasn't like Umarov or Springer. The room could be shaking with the retort of field artillery, the levels above collapsing under an orbital bombardment of kinetic torpedoes, but those two would sleep right through.

But when Arun closed his eyes, his mind only filled with the rhythmic tap... tap... tap... of Springer's walking stick.

It sounded like a countdown.