Nemesis Games

Naturally, Cindi would just have to come with them. Miss Fox might protest, but honestly, family was family and Adam needed them both. In fact, he might invite along Cindi's friends, just to keep them all company.

Adam was most of the way to the hangar, when he realized just how insane those thoughts of 'his' were. Cindi come with them? They were marked for **** already. And her friends? That would turn out so well. He'd been a fool to think of the Instinct as just some voice you could ignore. It was a part of him. And clearly it knew ways to subtly manipulate him this whole time. Jesus, he just fucked his baby sister half to **** and he thought he was in control? He needed that BB and Miss Fox. She was the only one he could trust anymore. He sprinted into the Invader, calling for his partner. Fucking idiot. 'Maybe being like this wasn't so bad?' Maybe he should get castrated before he made things worse. Where the hell was she? Adam was just about to run out and check the station when a piece of flimsy by the pinned to the door caught his eye.

Adam,

I loved you for a long time, in my own way. It was never enough though was it? Not for either of us. Gegis wasn't all bad. Got us dancing on the same beat. About bloody time. You're my family. I should have said that years ago. And I'm sorry you've been stuck with me. You were the best family I ever had. Plenty of folks have cut and run on me, but you never left me behind. I'm not as strong as you. I'm so sorry. I have to leave you.

You probably hate me right now, and if you wanted to stop reading and toss the flimsy out the airlock, I wouldn't blame you. All those years we ran the Rim, I never cared if I died. Not once. Now I do one stupid thing and my whole world's gone topsy turvy. I know I'm not making sense. Bloody sorry for that too. These last few years, they were like something out of someone else's life. Something I didn't even think I deserved. Only, you made me think I did deserve it. And now I've gone and mucked it up, like I always do. It's not your fault, its mine. I've seen where your path is leading and for once I can't follow you. I CAN'T. You don't even see the danger of what you're doing.

Only, he did. Now that it was too late, he could see what Fox was scared of all along. Adam had been losing himself this whole time._ He brushed a stray bit of wetness out of his eye and kept going.
_

I left you the nanotech. It's safe. I swear it on my life. Maybe it can help. Maybe you can find a way to stop this. I just hope you still want to. I pray my family is still inside you, and that you'll find yourself again. I promise...Those sodding rules, huh? No.5, No promises. You came up with that one. We were both shit at it though. No promises except this, if you come to the Periphery, I'll find you. I swear I'll explain everything.

Yours always,

V

She...left. The fear had always been in the back of Adam's mind that she would. Miss Fox was watching him change into a monster a little bit each day. Her, McKenzie and now even Cindy. He bent them to his desires, he'd USED them, lost in his own base urges. And worse still, with his pheromones, he'd taken away their ability to say refuse. It must have been horrifying, losing control of your body like that. He didn't blame Fox for wanting out. He understood running. Only now she had run from him, and Adam was truly, alone.

---

Cindi was having a VERY good dream. Her sexy brother was giving her a massage on the beach and it just turned naughty, and like all good dreams, it was cut short prematurely. She couldn't see anything in the pitch black room, but she was sticky and sore everywhere. My god, Adam really did a number on her. She sat straight up, the thin blanket tumbled to her waist. MY GOD, Cindi had sex with her brother! Nope, not ready to process that. Nope. Nope. Nope. Cindi checked her pad, tossed carelessly beside her bed earlier, only a couple hours until guests arrived. Whatever had happened between them, she'd wasn't ready to face it and the party would be the perfect distraction.

Cindi made her way to the shower, and the hot water was painful at first, then soothing over her aching body. She left the doors open, tried to keep the place from fogging up, steam billowed out into the hall as she scrubbed herself. What could she wear that covered hickies on her arms, legs, neck butt and stomach? Maybe she had a Burka somewhere from her Halal Halloween a few years back? She tried to put Adam out of her mind, but even the shower turned sexy when every bruise or sensitive area sent a tingle down her spine, it proved impossible. She'd only had sex once and already she couldn't even touch herself without thinking of her brother! She banished the thoughts again. Ugh. She had to wash her hair.

Just then she felt a firm hand tracing the lines of her back. Blinded from the shampoo, but relieved he hadn't run away Cindi called back without looking. "Adam."

The hand froze, then resumed its travels, only now it was more insistent, forceful even, coming around to cup her left breast. "Adam?" She blinked and wiped furiously at the blurry shape in front of her.

Keith Martell had an ugly smile on his face. "Not quite, sweetheart." Then he punched her in the face.

---

The Core was the heart of human civilization, stretching nearly half the space of the Alliance upspiral, with a smaller section reaching rimward into the Gagarin Republic and the Confederation. It was a mass of human civilization, from a time when the species was united in one purpose, one vision, under the Earth Union Alliance. Many hundreds of settled worlds called the Core home, but they were an afterthought. Suburbs to modern megopopolises. The Core was the Old Worlds, planets that had been colonized not for decades, but centuries. Terraformed, and studded with towering arcologies and sky-hook cities, each one a jewel that sought to usurp mother Earth as the shiniest in humanities crown. Belladonia was the the northern jewel, home to some of the greatest corporations in human space. The Venix Corporation had a tower just overlooking the bay, everyone agreed the view was incredible, even if it wasn't worth the extra taxes. Not that Venix paid taxes. Taxes were inefficient, they were money paid for nothing in return, at least nothing for Venix. That was a bad investment. Venix and its executives preferred to invest in people. People like Alliance Naval widows fund, and Senator O'Rourke's campaign PAC. And once many years ago, even a local civic Legionnaire who was first on the scene to a rather fatal crash involving a young Phella Nichols, daughter of the famous scientist. People made such good investments.

Deep within their HQ, the Automated Intelligence Virgil was processing thousands reports and quarterly reviews in mere picoseconds. But it came to pause when multiple reports flagged Top Secret, and Executive Clearance only, landed in front of its buzzing processors. Virgil wasn't capable of distress, but if it had been, it would have felt more than a small amount of dismay at the bad news filtering in.

Virgil didn't have eyes, it didn't even have a body, what it did have were twenty three different updates regarding project Adonis. If Virgil did have eyes, they might have been wide at the catastrophic failures rapidly compounding, its nonexistent arms might begun to quake at the looming possibility of a breach that the crisis team couldn't contain. But it didn't. Virgil was contained to a series of ones and zeros in a box somewhere. Its entire existence was a flat line. Being turned on wasn't life. Being shut off would not be ****. Virgil was the perfect employee to handle this.

As fresh disastrous reports came in off long range wave-comm transmitters, AI reviewed past memos flagged as relevant, not because it needed to, it was simply Venix corporate policy.

VENIX CORPORATION AUTOMATED INTERNAL MEMO 8331-E - NOMA FACILITY REPORTS TOTAL VIABILITY FAILURE. SUBJECT ALPHA-02 DID NOT SURVIVE GESTATION.

RESPONSE: FRESH SAMPLE DISPATCHED. PROCEED WITH SECOND ATTEMPT

VENIX CORPORATION AUTOMATED INTERNAL MEMO 8331-X NOMA FACILITY COMPROMISED. GESTATION INTERRUPTED MID CYCLE BY CIVIC LEGION INTERFERENCE. INTERNAL SECURITY BREACH SUSPECTED. POSSIBLE CANDIDATES FOR FAILURE OF SUBJECT ALPHA-02 COMPILED. GREENLIGHT FOR CLEANSWEEP SAFEGUARD. FACILITY RENDERED INERT.

RESPONSE: CRISIS TEAM ACTIVATED AND DISPATCHED. ALL CANDIDATES RENDERED INERT. EMP DEPLOYED. LOCAL MEDIA COVERAGE DISRUPTED. NOMA FACILITY DISCONTINUED.

VENIX CORPORATION AUTOMATED INTERNAL MEMO 8472-D - GORGO FACILITY COMPROMISED. PROJECT DEEMED BEYOND ACCEPTABLE SAFEGUARDS. PROJECT LEAD ALEXANDRA KOVACS AND PRIMARY STAFF EVACUATED. SECONDARY STAFF TERMINATED. SUBJECT ALPHA-05 ALIVE, BUT UNTETHERED.

RESPONSE: CRISIS TEAM ACTIVATED AND DISPATCHED.

VENIX CORPORATION AUTOMATED INTERNAL MEMO 8528-G - TORIAN FACILITY COMPROMISED. PROJECT DEEMED BEYOND ACCEPTABLE SAFEGUARDS. PRIMARY STAFF TERMINATED. SECONDARY STAFF TERMINATED. SUBJECT ALPHA-03 ALIVE, BUT UNTETHERED.

RESPONSE: CRISIS TEAM ACTIVATED AND DISPATCHED.

VENIX CORPORATION AUTOMATED INTERNAL MEMO 8778-A - THIIDIAN FACILITY REPORTS SUCCESSFUL TETHER. SUBJECT ALPHA-01 ABILITY TO BE CONTROLLED IS UNKNOWN, BUT VIABLE.

RESPONSE: PROCEED WITH PHASE 3

VENIX CORPORATION AUTOMATED INTERNAL MEMO 8778-C - THIIDIAN FACILITY COMPROMISED. PROJECT DEEMED BEYOND ACCEPTABLE SAFEGUARDS. PRIMARY STAFF TERMINATED. SECONDARY STAFF TERMINATED. SUBJECT ALPHA-01 ALIVE, BUT UNTETHERED.

RESPONSE: CRISIS TEAM ACTIVATED AND DISPATCHED.

VENIX CORPORATION AUTOMATED INTERNAL MEMO 8472-F - PROJECT LEAD ALEXANDRA KOVACS STATUS: INFECTED.

RESPONSE: INTERCEPT AND CONTAIN. MONITOR STATUS. HARVEST SAMPLE AT VIABILITY. RENDER REMAINING GORGO PRIMARY STAFF INERT.

VENIX CORPORATION AUTOMATED INTERNAL MEMO 8472-G - PROJECT LEAD ALEXANDRA KOVACS REFUSED TO COMPLY WITH HARVEST PROTOCOLS. STATUS: RENDERED INERT

VENIX CORPORATION AUTOMATED INTERNAL MEMO 8472-H - GORGO FACILITY COMPROMISED BY UNKNOWN INTRUDER BEFORE CRISIS TEAM ARRIVAL. SUBJECT ALPHA-05 RENDERED INERT. UNAUTHORIZED CLEANSWEEP SAFEGUARD ENGAGED.

RESPONSE: REDIRECT CRISIS TEAM TO INTERCEPT 'ROUNDABOUT'. LOCATE INTRUDERS.

RENDER INERT.

---

"Heeeeeeeeey."

Viola greeted Adam at the bottom of the Invader's ramp. But he found it all too easy to ignore the Xized up little slut now. Even the Instinct seemed shocked at Miss Fox's departure. Get used to it bud. People just leave, galaxy keeps on spinning.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaduuuuuuuuum."

He ignored her. How did Fox even get off the station, anyway?

"Aaaaaaaaaduuuuuuuuuum."

"What!" He snapped back at Viola. She was dancing topless now, giggling and wild.

She flounced closer and leaned in a stage whisper. "I wanna play with you!"

Adam shoved her harder than he needed to. In any other circumstances he might have cared about watching Viola Vasquez backward summersault into a belly flop with an 'oooof'. Not right now though.

Somethings wrong.

Yeah, no shit. Fox had disappeared into the god damn aether and Adam on the run from the worst criminal syndicate in the galaxy.

Cindi.

Something icy trickled down Adam's spine. What about her?

Viola bounced up in a rage. "What the hell is your problem?"

She launched herself at him, like only a Xiz junkie could, all fury and blinding speed. It would have been dangerous if he wasn't twice her size. Right at the moment it felt dangerously distracting. He shoved her again.

FIND CINDI!

Viola was back on her feet, and screaming in his face. His roar deafened her screams and she threw herself to the floor, cowering.

Adam ran as faster than he had in his whole life.

---

Keith had almost dragged his prize to the hangar when he heard the roar. First that little shit Adam steals his rightful possession- he'd been waiting, six damn years! -then that little junkie slut he'd found in the hanger must have taken the Falcon for a joyride. And now this. He looked down at the bloodied face of Cindi Carter.

"You get a Kaga lizard for your party, sweetheart?"

She stared back at him hatefully, face still marked from the last lesson he taught her. Time for another one. His backhand fixed her attitude, but he added a second slap so she wouldn't forget. Her face crumpled in to fear again. Better.

He grabbed her arm to drag her along, but the hallway had been blocked by something. No, not something. Someone. A monster of a man. Two meters tall, his broad shoulders blocked the bright lights of the hangar beyond. Pound after pound of thick, ropy muscle clung to his frame like armor. His eyes glowed blue in the flickering lights of the corridor.

"Adam." Cindi breathed, before Keith tugged on her hair and brought her to her tiptoes. So this was the prodigal son, all grown up. He was bigger than Keith, bigger than his daddy two. But a thousand years ago, Sam Colt had made all men equal. And Keith wasn't packing a revolver.

"Well look what we have here." Keith felt a shit eating grin cross his face. "Aren't you all grow'd up, boy." Keith had called started calling Adam boy when he was just eight years old. He'd hated it, naturally, that only made Keith keep it up. "Been hittin' the Tomian juice, eh? Be careful, that stuff will make your pecker rot."

Adam took a step forward, his eyes full of fury at the state of his little sister.

"Too late to play the innocent now, boy. Half these bruises are from you. Now I don't much care what you kids get up to, perils of youth and all that; but Cindi, she's mine Adam. My property. And where I come from, you take another man's property, there are consequences." He gave her hair another tug for emphasis. Cindi squealed.

"Don't you fucking touch her." Adam tensed and Keith's lasgun found a home in little sister's temple. "ah da da da da. Let's not be too hasty here."

"Cindi, look at me. Its gonna be ok."

"It will be. If you two do exactly what I say." Keith could see Adam clearer now, no longer backlit by the hangar. The boy had made a really stupid mistake.

"Your daddy had a saying, Adam. Beware of shiny things. Well I'm just about the most shiny SOB in the galaxy." Adam took another step closer. Come on you big bastard. "I had my own saying though."

"Uh huh. What was that?" Did this kid really think he could outrace a laspistol? Keith drilled the barrel deeper into the little sluts head. He really ought to just fry them both and be done with it. But if he couldn't have his prize, he'd get some payback.

"Stay strapped or get clapped." Keith said flatly, and then everything happened all at once. Adam moved, faster than anything that big should be able to, he hurled himself at Keith, arms outstretched, teeth bared, he was a fighter, that boy. Keith's first shot drilled through Adam's left knee. Incredibly, it Adam didn't even seem to feel it, he barely slowed, the one he put in the right knee packed more punch. Adam crashed to the floor, sliding from his speed. His useless legs dragging behind him.

Cindi was screaming again, he was really going to enjoy beating that trait out of her. For now, he contented himself with shooting Adam a few more times. Gut shots, Keith didn't want the boy to bleed before miss the show he had planned for Cindi. Just a little appetizer before he shot her into deep space like the trash she had become.

Keith hauled the nearly **** brute into a sitting position. Adam's eyes were glazed over, his hand kept reaching for his left sleeve. A pad? "Thanks Adam." Keith ripped it off and tossed it away. The boy had the faint smell of copper, some new cologne? Smelled nice. Too bad. Keith liked it.

Adam wasn't going to last long. He could barely move, but his eyes glittered with animal rage.

Keith sighed wistfully. "You have your daddies fire Adam. He was a hothead too. Always more worried about doing the right thing, instead of the smart thing. I miss him, you know. Sometimes I wish I hadn't told the Alliance all about his past."

He watched the boys eyes widen with realization. His jaw working sluggishly, what was he going to do, bite him? He tried, but with his body basically dead weight, he couldn't even come close. Keith let him struggle for a bit, teeth snapping just inches away. Those huge hands of his, weren't so strong now.

"I'm gonna fuck your sister. Then I'm gonna kill her." Keith felt his thoughts drift. "I think I'll go give Charlotte a new daughter after that. Would you like to watch?"

Adam spit in his face. The slimy wad oozed down Keith's cheek. He scooped it up and licked it off. "Tasty."

Keith felt the slightest bit of uncertainty, when Adam smiled. Whatever, kid was a pervert anyway, fucking his own sister. Speaking of...

Cindi was hunched over her brother's pad. Her fingers working furiously. When she noticed Keith looking at her, she started crawling, fingers still flying. He kicked her in the ribs. Stupid little bitch.

"What do you think you're doing? There's a jamming field up, courtesy of your smuggler brother. You can't call the Corsairs." The girl tossed the pad away, trying to hid what she was working on. God his blood felt like it was on fire. He couldn't wait to hear her scream.

"Wait, I'll give you a blowjob. I'll do anything! Just don't hurt me anymore!" She cried.

Keith had to admit, a blowjob sounded about perfect, right now. Something about this place, he had never really gotten off on pure ****, but maybe he'd been missing out. His cock was rock hard. Only he could still smell that weird coppery cologne, maybe even taste it. Was it in the air?

Cindi had gone to work. The girl certainly was eager. Maybe he'd keep her around for a bit longer, if she could prove she wasn't completely ruined yet. God, his cock was bigger than he'd ever seen it. Cindi grabbed the base and started pumping gently. He slapped her head. Yeah. ****.

God this little whore knew how to work it, she squeezed and pumped like her lift depended on it. "Enough foreplay. Where's my blowjob?" He looked back at her half dead brother. "You don't want to miss this, Adam."

Cindi grimaced and took the whole head, he helped her take the rest, his thick cock bulging in her mouth. It felt incredible.

And then her eyes shot open and she bit down as hard as she could and tried to crush his balls. Keith screamed, and punched her in the head. But she was already moving, her hand slapped his lasgun free, and then both dove, he after the lasgun, her trying to escape again. He couldn't even look down, he knew it was bad. His fist closed on the lasgun and he leveled it at her head.

"That was for my dad!" But it was her mother's fury that he saw in Cindi's eyes, and in her hand was that pad again.

"Stupid little bitch. You CAN'T call for help." He looked at her goon of a brother, then back. Shook his head. "I thought you were supposed to be smart?"

"I am smart." She smashed her palm into the pad. There was the briefest moment of pure weightlessness, before the antigravity reversed and ceiling come rocketing towards Keith's face.

---

Adam felt like he was floating. No wait, he was floating. His legs were twitching. That was good, he could feel them again. Cindy was carrying him. God she floated like a golden angel, covered in blood, hair sprayed around her like a halo, bouncing from surface to surface on her way to the Invader.

"Cindi." He still couldn't speak, his diaphragm was shredded. Breathing was just a wheeze.

She looked down at him, her face swollen and bloody and she looked worried. "Just. Hold on."

The next thing Adam knew, they were in the medbay of the Invader. Cindi dashed off to the bridge and by the time she returned, Adam could almost move again. His sister stared down at him, incredulous. His wounds stitching together before her very eyes.

"Get the BB." Adam whispered. "My pocket."

Cindi didn't hesitate, he held it up to the light for inspection.

"What do you want me to do with this, Adam?"