2 comments/ 13304 views/ 12 favorites Touched Ch. 01 By: starscape On the anniversary marking the thirty-first year of my emergence into this world, I felt the bare skin of another human being for the first time in memory. Amelia always said I'd come to bad ends. How I ended up in her clutch, considering I had no genetic relationship with the others, remains a mystery. The story, as she tells it, is that four months after their arrival, she put three infants to bed in their pods and the next morning, without explanation, a fourth child was delivered into her care. When she picked me up to examine her newest addition, she said, the first thing I did was reach out my tiny hand and touch her cheek. "I nearly dropped you then and there, I was so frightened," my caretaker told me. "I knew about defectives, of course, even had my suspicions about a few individuals over the years, but I never imagined I might have to raise one. My duty was to report you, return you to the Center for treatment. Perhaps if I had, you might have had a chance to turn out normal. I don't know why, but I rushed both of us to the decontaminator instead. I knew then you'd be nothing but trouble." She was right; my abnormality proved vexing on a regular basis. Again and again she found me hiding with my gloves peeled off, touching everything in sight, including myself. And every time she marched me into the decontamination chamber, filling it with a mist of disinfectant so pungent I can still taste it, years after I learned to hold my breath, refusing to inhale though it made my head swim, until she relented, satisfied I was clean enough. "I could, no, should, have you hospitalized. Few caretakers are as tolerant, nor patient, as I," she reminded me on many occasions. "The world is even less so, Astrid. Don't you understand barehanded touching only leads to even more...perverse behavior?" When I was eighteen I finally understood the great risk my caretaker was taking, allowing me to roam free when I belonged in a hospital. It didn't stop me from touching myself or anything else I dared—despite my best efforts to abstain, the compulsion continued to seize me—but eventually I learned to be far more discreet. I was born this way. I never wanted to be a defective, a deviant; I wanted to be normal, like my pod-brother and -sisters, like Amelia. Like everyone else around me. Yet nothing exhilarated me more than the sensation of my fingertips stroking my skin. And even though I knew it was wrong, I fantasized about meeting someone like me, someone I could talk to, who knew what it was like to struggle with a tactile addiction. What's worse, in the darkest recesses of my corrupt mind lurked even more shameful desires—to touch, and be touched by, another. Touched Ch. 01 I groaned. "Proceed." Safe word confirmed. Thank you for choosing the Pleasure Center. We hope you have a pleasurable experience. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and waited for the program to continue. At this time, please relax and clear your mind. Somehow, being told to clear my mind on demand only made it more difficult to comply. But after having my reservation expire a dozen times or more before achieving release—satisfaction was not guaranteed—I learned focusing on my breathing brought on the necessary state. As a veil of mist drifted into my mind's eye, the first tingles of sensation rippled outward from my core. A growing warmth in my pelvic region followed, very similar to what I experienced whenever I broke down and engaged in a forbidden exploration of my body. My breathing grew ragged and I moaned softly as long, warm waves rocked through me. "Mmmph!" I clenched my jaw, trying to suppress the volume of my moans when the waves shortened into ever-quickening pulses. I didn't have to be quiet here—this was the one place an individual could cry out in pleasure without fear of recrimination—but years of hiding my self-stimulation sessions taught me to control how loudly I responded to physical pleasure. An image of Grant's face, his dark eyes penetrating mine, flashed into view. "No no no." I tried in vain to banish him from my thoughts, fearful the program might be capable of detecting them. But instead of fading away, the image solidified and took on a life of its own. In slow motion, Grant's hand reached out. It was then I realized he was barehanded. I sighed when his fingertips made contact with my face. My eyes rolled upward and I surrendered to the sensation. Strong hands traced my features and I shivered, my limbs straining against their bonds. "Yesss...oh please please please," I murmured as he drew me so close I could feel his breath caressing my skin. Our lips made contact, and I exploded with pleasure like never before. "Don't stop," I whispered, hips undulating while my body throbbed. "Please don't—" A blinding light shocked me back into reality. Safe word acknowledged. Program terminated. "No!" I protested. "I didn't want... I meant..." All at once, the restraints opened with a click. Please proceed carefully to the decontamination chamber on your right. Thank you for visiting the Pleasure Center. We hope your experience was a pleasurable one. With a sigh I disengaged my limbs and stood on legs still shaky from the intensity of my release. It was the most powerful response I'd ever had while using the SxTC, and I wondered if thinking about Grant instead of blanking out my mind was what made it is so different this time. I staggered toward the adjoining room and stripped off my boots and clothing. After placing them inside the sanitizing container just inside the entrance, I stepped into the dimly lit chamber. Decontamination commencing in five, four, three,... I took one last deep breath. Despite the Ministry of Health's assurances that inhaling the mist was innocuous, I couldn't get past the urge to hold my breath until the cycle ended. The taste of disinfectant coating my oral and nasal cavities lingered for days and I did whatever I could to minimize the experience. The doors slid shut and as mist filled the enclosure, I noticed tiny, irregular aftershocks still pulsing through my groin. I gritted my teeth and fought the urge to reach between my legs, to slide my fingers through the slickness experience taught me would be there. It was one thing to caress myself in the privacy of my bed; I dared not risk doing so here, despite assurances that such facilities were unmonitored. My lungs began to burn from lack of oxygen. Just a little longer, just a little longer, I chanted in my head until at last the lights raised and the mist subsided. Please retrieve your garments from the sanitizer. A chime sounded and the lid slid back into the wall. I grabbed my suit and pulled it on before sliding into my boots. My elbow-length gloves came last. I quickly pulled my hair, tied back tightly into a ponytail, out of the high neck of my long-sleeved shirt and stepped out of the room into a long corridor. I made my way down the hall and out through the reception area. "Thank you for visiting the Pleasure Center," the man behind the counter droned as I passed. "We hope you had a pleasurable experience." The SxTC provided the only safe means, the only authorized means of releasing libidinal pressure. We'd managed to minimize most of our more dangerous qualities through careful selection of desirable traits coupled with eighteen years of intensive behavioral conditioning. Still, controlling our most primitive drives required constant vigilance. I knew my desires were perverse, a threat to public safety. I'd just had my urges satisfied, yet I couldn't wait to get home, where at long last I could touch myself, imagining it was Grant's hands instead of my own. Without turning on the lights when I arrived at my quarters a half hour later, I tore off my gloves and slipped out of my boots. Relieved to finally be free of their constraints, I peeled off my close-fitting tan shirt and matching pants. Slipping into bed, I lay in the dark, reliving the unexpected, extraordinary day I experienced. I pressed my palm against the place where our cheeks met. It still tingled, clinging to the memory of that all-too-brief moment of contact. Stroking my body, skin still sensitive from the session with the SxTC, I closed my eyes and smiled. When at last my searching fingers encountered a familiar wetness, I let out a tiny gasp. A few minutes later, with one hand clamped over my mouth to muffle my cries, I bucked hard, hips grinding against my rubbing fingers. Touched Ch. 02 Although nearly every unoccupied moment was consumed with thoughts of Grant, after our last encounter I couldn't bring myself to contact him, even after he left two messages on my communicator. I couldn't trust myself to be around him. My desires overwhelmed me, the urge to touch him too strong. For days, upon waking in the morning and before falling to sleep, I brought myself to release, his likeness burned into my mind. One night I discovered that if I kept going, it was possible to crest again and again, until I was too sensitive to continue. Never had I been so obsessed with my own body. At work I grew absentminded, irritating Oliver more than ever. "You're not paid to daydream," he snapped one day after I was forced to call him because I had forgotten what errand he wanted me to run. My friends noticed the change in me as well. "I think you need to see a doctor," Xen insisted. "I know I would be a wreck if I had been trapped in a lift with a stranger." Errol agreed. "You've been...off balance ever since your emergence day." Even as I promised my supervisor that I would pull it together and assured my friends all was well, I knew I was anything but fine. Before long, even sleep offered little reprieve as Grant crept into my dreams. I feared I was losing my mind, and nearly contacted Amelia out of desperation. But what, exactly, was I going to tell the woman who raised me? That she had been right about me all along, that my refusal to stop touching everything barehanded all these years had transformed into a full-blown obsession? That I was consumed by a terrifying compulsion to touch a man I barely knew, to press my naked skin against his? I could speak of it to no one. Growing up I heard whispers of defectives disappearing and never coming back. I didn't know what might happen to me if I were exposed, and I didn't want to find out. Touched Ch. 02 "But I've only just gotten back; what about my duties here?" I protested. "You've gotten more done in the last four days than you did in the two weeks prior to that," my supervisor pointed out. "And the truth is, I don't anticipate having a lot for you to do for the next several days. The archeology team is set to return next week, and Grant needs help making room for storage. You remember him, don't you? He was the young man you were stuck with in the lift." "Yes, I remember," I said, biting the inside of my lip. "Is this a problem? Do you have some physical problem preventing you from completing the task?" "No, sir. I'm...I'm happy to help." My initial reluctance was soon replaced by anticipation, and after dropping off the last package I began the long walk to the museum. The closer I got, the quicker my steps until finally I had to restrain myself from running the rest of the way. Just as the museum came into view, however, I reminded myself to keep things in perspective. I hadn't spoken to him in weeks and never responded to his messages, even though I played them repeatedly just to see his face and hear his low, smooth voice speak my name. Yes, we had a connection, but it was manufactured by unusual circumstances. This time, I resolved, would be different. I would keep my wits about me, not allow myself to get lost in fantasies shaped by my own abnormal desires. Now more than ever, I needed to exercise discipline and show restraint. All of it crumbled away like brittle leaves underfoot the moment I saw him. Touched Ch. 03 Grant and I stood at one end of a huge room stacked high with tower after tower of storage containers. "Where do we start?" I asked, overwhelmed by the scope of the task before us. "Let's move this section over here first." He walked over to one pile and handed me a wide, shallow container. We worked in silence, slowly clearing the space in front of us. I'd longed to see him for nearly three weeks, but now that I was here, seeing him was not enough. There was so much I wanted to say, so much I couldn't. Though I could barely stand it, the tension between us palatable, I said nothing, fearful to start down a path from which there would be no turning back. Grant was first to breech the quiet. "I was disappointed you didn't return my messages." "I, I'm sorry," I responded, my back facing him as I fiddled with the container in front of me, my cheeks burning. "I, I've been really busy lately." "I didn't know if maybe I had done something to offend you." "Not at all. I intended to contact you, but I...I haven't been feeling well and only just returned to work." I hesitated. "I was really surprised Oliver agreed to send me here so soon after I got back." "He owed me a favor." I turned around to face him. "So you asked Oliver to send me here?" Grant nodded. "I didn't know how else to get you to talk to me about what happened." I felt my palms sweating under my gloves and my heart rise to my throat. "I don't know what you're—" "When we touched in the lift." I froze, incredulous that he would, that he could, dare to speak the words. "I, I, I d-don't kn-know what..." "I sealed the entrance behind us and before you got here scanned every cubic millimeter of this room; there are no monitoring devices. We can speak openly." "Are you sure?" I asked in a hoarse whisper. "I promise." I pressed my hand to my chest to quell my thumping heart and with wobbly legs lowered myself to the floor, too overwhelmed to speak. Grant knelt beside me. "Are you okay?" I nodded, staring ahead with unseeing eyes. "I know you're afraid," he began softly, "and I wish you could see inside my head right now, so you'd know you can trust me." He took a deep breath. "Ever since...we touched, I have replayed that moment in my mind more times than I can count. I'm filled with thoughts of touching you. I know it's wrong, but I can't escape these thoughts, not even in my dreams. I...was afraid I would lose my mind if I didn't see you again, talk to you, to see if...to see if you were similarly affected." I turned my head. Grant's face was pale, his mouth and brow tight. I saw fear behind his eyes, as if he dreaded my response. I lifted my hand and touched it to my cheek. My eyes flitted as I remembered the sensation of his rough skin against my face. "It's...it's been overwhelming," I admitted at last. "After we met, and then there was the walk in the arboretum...I wanted to touch you again so badly I started to..." I gulped, swallowing the words. I couldn't do it, couldn't say aloud what I'd spent a lifetime denying to the entire world. "Touch yourself?" he whispered. My body trembled as I looked down, hands wringing in my lap. "It's all right, Astrid," Grant reassured, his voice gentle. "I do it." Heart pounding, I dared to lift my eyes and found his gazing at me. His face was kind. "I...I touch myself. Do you?" I let out a sigh of relief, not realizing until that moment I had been holding my breath. "Yes," I confessed, choking out the word. His body relaxed. We sat for several minutes, looking at each other, our eyes speaking without words. Once again he was first to break the silence. "I'd really like to hear the rest of your story, if you'll share it with me. You were talking about what happened after our walk in the arboretum." I nodded and took a deep breath. "After that I became preoccupied with what happened...when we touched. Obsessed, really," I admitted. "The only thing that seemed to help was...touching myself. I, I know how to induce the same kind of feelings as the SxTC, only when I do it, it feels even better." "You masturbate?" "Masturbate?" "It's the word for self-stimulation, to give yourself pleasure." I gasped. I had no idea there was a word for what I did. "I know when I masturbate, it feels a lot better than using the SxTC," Grant divulged. "You touch yourself too?" He smiled and settled in beside me. "Every day. I find it relieves tension, and has made it easier to behave normally in public. Doesn't it do the same for you?" "I guess I...never thought about it in that way before, but I suppose it does. Or at least it did until recently. Instead of experiencing relief, my urges grew stronger and stronger. Soon I was...masturbating twice a day, every day. Even though I wanted to stop, I couldn't. I became distracted, forgetful, had trouble sleeping. One of my friends even reported me to the Ministry of Health. I thought I was losing my mind, and afraid of what I might do if I saw you again." Grant peeled the glove off his right hand. "I'm dying to touch you again, Astrid," he said, his voice low and hoarse, the discarded glove clenched in his bare hand as it lay tense in his lap. I pulled off my glove and reached out, hand trembling, until my fingertips made their first tentative contact with his skin. His fingers uncurled, dropping the glove, accepting my hand in its place. In unison, we shivered and sucked in our breaths. A revelation of warmth and strength, his hand dwarfed mine, his fingers long and sensual with curves and lines so much like my own. A surge of energy shot up my arm and streaked through the rest of my body in a flash, followed by a flood of euphoria. I drew away and removed my other glove. He followed suit and our hands reunited. Fingers interlaced, we slid them together and apart, again and again, exploring the sensation. My heart overflowed with joy and without warning, the urge to giggle bubbled up inside me. Pulling away one of my hands, I covered my mouth just before they erupted. Our eyes met and Grant, too, began to laugh, and we sat facing each other, hidden among the towers of storage containers, shaking and shuddering with suppressed laughter. Touched Ch. 03 "It's a box." He gave me a mysterious smile and handed it to me for closer examination. "But it has no lid," I protested, turning it carefully in my hands. Each surface was as exquisite as the one before, but I saw no latch, no seams indicating where a lid might be located. "How can it be a box without a lid?" "I found this two years ago when I inventoried the storage areas," Grant began, without answering my question. "The data file cataloging the contents of the storage rooms had been corrupted, irretrievable. I was assigned the task of going through everything in order to rebuild the record. "The container it was in was here, in a far corner, under many others and one of the last I opened. When I removed the contents I found this buried at the bottom, just where you saw me remove it. "Because of the numerous intricate designs covering its surface, I thought at first that it was a sculpture of some sort, a piece of art. It was so beautiful I had to examine it, if only to feel the texture of a rare wooden object. If you look closely you will see that the designs are created entirely out of wood of different types and colors." My mouth dropped open. He was right; the triangles, the squares and all of the other shapes were painstakingly cut and arranged into designs fitting together so perfectly it looked like they had been imprinted. "As I was marveling over the workmanship, by chance my thumb pressed against one the edges in just the right place." Grant reached over and placed his finger on one of the panels. "And to my shock a section of it slid forward." "Oooh!" I gasped, stunned as I saw a thin strip of wood slide away from the other panels, revealing a plain, honey-colored surface beneath. He took the box from my hand. "As I looked at it more closely, I realized the intricate designs and panels obscured a number of seams. By that point I was intrigued, curious to see if other pieces could be moved as well." I watched in astonished silence as he carefully removed panel after panel, skipping from one face to another before coming back again. "That's when I discovered it was actually a puzzle," he concluded, rotating the final piece, "and the lid to a secret box." Touched Ch. 04 Grant removed a fabric-covered bundle from the small wooden box. Unfolding the soft cloth, he revealed a palm-sized device which looked like an earlier incarnation of a communication pad, a data chip and a pair of small objects I didn't recognize. He picked up the chip and inserted it into a slot on the side of the pad. "Are the images you talked about, of people touching, stored on that chip?" I asked. "Yes." Grant picked up the pad and began tapping its screen. When he found what he was looking for he handed me the device. I peered into the small screen and widened my eyes. It was a black and white picture of a man and woman kissing in the middle of a city street with a number of smiling people in the background. The woman, dressed in a loose white knee-length tunic, was bent backwards, held in the arms of a man wearing a dark uniform and a white hat. The words V-J Day in Times Square photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt appeared under it. "Oh Grant, this is so beautiful. They are actually kissing in public, in front of other people, and everyone around them is smiling! Looking at it makes me feel so happy." He smiled. "This is one of my favorites. It perfectly captured a moment in history, a time when people like us were everywhere, when touching was not only permitted, but celebrated." We sat gazing at the picture for a long time. As I admired it I thought about all of the people shown. They had been dead for centuries, yet I couldn't help but feel connected to them. With the exception of Grant, in some ways I had more in common with these humans than I did the people of my own time. "Are there other pictures of people touching?" I asked. He nodded. After showing me how to use the pad, we sat side by side and looked at image after image of humans engaged in various forms of physical contact. We saw smiling family units with caretakers cradling children in their arms, opposite- and same-gendered couples in intimate embraces, groups of people laughing, their arms draped around waists and shoulders. All of these records of human closeness reminded us that we, too, were not alone. Putting down the pad, we reached for each other, kissing and stroking hands and hair and faces. Touched Ch. 04 When at last our lips parted, Grant knelt, drawing me down and easing me to the floor onto my back. Although the cool, hard surface felt good against my burning flesh, I smiled when he picked up his garments and folded them, tucking the makeshift pillow under my head. He paused to stroke my hair. "Do you mind if I let your hair down?" he asked. I shook my head without a word, closing my eyes as his hands slid the band down my ponytail. He slipped his fingers into my hair, teasing it forward and down around my shoulders. Propping himself up on an elbow, he stroked its length, playing with the strands. All at once he dove in, burying his face into my neck. I turned my head and stretched to give him greater access, sighing with delight at the gentle hum of his lips against my feverish skin. "Oh, Grant," I moaned when the caresses turned into nibbles working their way up to my jaw. I felt the heat of his breath, and cried out softly when he drew my earlobe into his mouth. Reaching for his hand, I drew it my chest. Without needing further encouragement, he cupped my breast, holding it for a moment before exploring with his fingers. I moaned as he stroked its curved surface, my nipple hardening under his palm. "Yes, pleeease...keep touching me like that," I begged when his circling fingers found my nipple. Grant kissed me as he manipulated the tip between his fingers. After a few minutes he paused to lower his body and began rubbing his lips all over my other breast. I sucked in my breath when, without warning, he took the nipple into his mouth. "Ohhh yesss." I arched my back as my hands closed over his head. Pressing my head into the thick fabric cradling my neck, I savored the sensation with closed eyes while Grant rumbled with pleasure against my flesh. I slid my hands over his shoulders, coaxing him back up so I could kiss him. "I think I could play with your breasts for hours," he shared when we finished kissing, his breath shallow as his fingers toyed with my nipple. "And I think I would let you," I answered with a coy smile, sliding my hand down his torso. I stroked his hip and felt the power of his backside before reaching tentatively for his penis. He groaned when my searching fingers closed over it. "Uhhh... Astrid, that feels really good." He shuddered as I explored the heated length. A few moments later he reached down and closed his hand over mine. "Try this," he suggested, tightening the grip while he guided my hand up and down. When I got the hang of it, he let go and returned his hand to my breast. "Does it feel good? Am I doing it right?" I asked anxiously before noticing his eyelids had fluttered closed and that his mouth was hanging open. "Mmm...hmmm," he murmured. I smiled, pleased that my efforts were giving him pleasure. I enjoyed the contrasting sensations of soft skin slipping under my fist while stroking a rock-hard shaft. A short time later, to my surprise, I thought I felt his penis grow stiffer. Grant's stomach rippled and, yelping for me to stop, he reached down and took my hand away. "What's wrong?" I frowned. "Wasn't I doing it right?" "No—yes," he groaned. "I mean, you were doing it too right." I lay on his chest for a minute, confused, listening to his heart thudding against my ear. After catching his breath, Grant lifted my chin. "You almost sent me over the edge," he explained, "but I want to know what it feels like to be inside your body before I orgasm." "Orgasm? Is that the same thing as finding release?" "You are such a funny woman," he laughed, kissing me. "Yes. Another word for it is 'come'." "I remember 'come'; it was in that story you showed me. Come. Orgasm," I repeated, considering both words. "I like them." I gave him a kiss. "I want to feel your penis inside my vagina, too, when I...orgasm." "You mean you want my cock to fuck your pussy?" he asked, his voice raw as he reached between my legs. I whimpered when his fingers found my hot, swollen flesh. "Yes," I whispered, barely able to force out the word. "You're so wet," he marveled, fingering my folds. My eyes rolled upward, body trembling from his touch. We both groaned when he dipped a finger inside. "Astrid... You feel really, really good, so slick and warm." "Yes, there!" I squeaked when a few moments later his wandering digits encountered what I now knew was my clitoris. Grant took my hand and laid it on top of his. "Show me, Astrid. Show me how you like it." Guiding his fingers with mine, we circled my clitoris, slow at first, then faster. "Uhhh... Ahhh... Yes, yes, like that. Just...like...that... Mmmph!" I cried out, covering my mouth just in time as my body stiffened, my wet flesh throbbing under his hand. Grant smiled broadly. Looking down at me in amazement, he continued tickling my clitoris while I gasped, trying to recover. I took a long, choppy breath. "That was, that was... I didn't expect it to be quite so... Thank you." He leaned over and kissed me. "You're welcome. Thank you for showing me how to pleasure you. It was very arousing to see you have an orgasm." He paused. "Are you still willing...to have sexual intercourse with me?" "Oh yes," I breathed, nodding. "I want to, very, very much." "Good," he responded, staring into my eyes with a sudden intensity that took me aback. "Wh-what position should we do it in?" I asked, a little nervous. "This one." Grant opened my legs and shifted on top of me. As he took his penis in his hand, I recalled how big he was. "Go slowly," I begged. He kissed me for a long time. "I'll be gentle," he promised, coaxing my legs further apart. Rubbing his penis along my slit, lubricating it with my slippery liquid, Grant placed the head at the center of my opening. He looked at me and I nodded. "Do it," I told him. Pressing forward, he began a slow, careful entry. I felt my entrance stretching, farther than ever before, more than I thought possible. Gritting his teeth, he continued on, groaning as his organ started to breech the boundary of my tight opening. I yelped when all at once, I felt a sharp pain as the barrier tore. "Are you okay?" Grant asked, pausing even as his eyes told me it was taking every last bit of self-control to hold back. "I'm fine," I gasped. "Keep going. I think it should be a little easier now." It was easier, though not by much, and before long he had eased himself all the way inside. "Guhhh... You are so tight." I was never stretched so far in my life, so filled. I thought I could I feel him twitching inside me. "Fuck me, Grant. Fuck me with your big cock," I urged, shocked by what came out of my mouth. His eyes widened with surprise for a brief moment. He then responded with a thrust that forced a groan from both our lips. Grant pressed his face against my cheek, grunting as he found his rhythm. "Uhhh... Guhhh, Astrid." I pushed back, trying to take all of him, whimpering as each deep stroke stimulated my clitoris. I wrapped my legs around his waist and lifted my lips to his ear. "Ohhh yes... Do it, do it," I begged, "do it like that... More, Grant, more..." Grabbing my face, he kissed me hard, his chest and throat reverberating with muffled moans. The speed and power of his thrusts increased, plunging into me until I thought I couldn't bear it. Reaching down, he took hold of one my breasts, pinching the nipple. The sensation tipped me over the edge. I pulled my face away and buried it into his neck to smother my cries while I shook beneath him. A few seconds later he joined me, shuddering as he lost control. Driving into me one last time, Grant's eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed with a groan, his face crammed against my shoulder. Touched Ch. 05 "You stink." I turned my head to see the man beside me in the lift take another step away, as far as he could go without making contact with the wall. "Excuse me?" I responded, returning his glare. His thick eyebrows joined into one as he wrinkled his bulbous nose. "When was the last time you decontaminated?" "Not that it's any of your business, but I am on my way to do so right now." "It's a public health hazard, you know, to go too long between cleanings." "I'm aware of that. I had a physical task to perform today and haven't had the opportunity to decontaminate. I'm sorry if my sweat offends you." "It's more than sweat. I don't know what it is, but now I have to go straight to the decontaminator myself, just to get your stink off me," he sneered, stepping out of the lift. Relieved he was finally gone, I let out a deep breath. I hoped I'd handled the situation satisfactorily, not aroused suspicion. I knew I stank, and that it wasn't from sweat. At least, not entirely. When Grant and I were in the storage room, we hadn't noticed that we smelled any differently. But the moment we stepped out into the corridor, we detected an odor at once, and it was coming from us. We smelled of each other, a combination of sweat, body fluids and our own personal fragrances. It was similar to what my body released when I secretly masturbated in the privacy of my bunk, only amplified. I'd never had to worry about the smell before; I always decontaminated before leaving home. The lingering scent of Grant's body mixed with mine aroused my senses, not offended them. It was heady and penetrating, a potent reminder of our sexual intercourse. Still, we understood we had to decontaminate as quickly as possible, lest someone notice our aroma, thereby arousing suspicions as to its source. We decided separating and visiting chambers on different floors would be safer than being seen together, both of us sharing the same unusual odor, even if the risk of one of us encountering another person might be greater. If we were alone when confronted, it could be explained away more easily. My personal preference would have been to go home and crawl into bed, masturbate, then fall to sleep with the scent of our union filling my lungs. But I dared not indulge in such fantasies. With relief and regret I arrived at the decontaminator and stepped inside. Touched Ch. 05 Our sweat mingled with our moans as we rose higher and higher. The end upon us, I grabbed his face in both hands, smothering my cries against his open mouth. His lips crushing mine, Grant's chest rumbled as he erupted, the weight of his shuddering body trapping me suspended above the floor. "You're late," Oliver snapped when at last we emerged from the chamber, clean and dressed. "It wasn't very considerate leaving me with so much work to do less than an hour before the other guests arrive." Grant smiled, a wide smile of affection and contentment. "Well, I guess I'll just have to owe you two big favors." "Two?" The older man snorted. "Yeah, right." Touched Ch. 06 "I said, hold her down!" "Let go of me!" "I'm trying, but she's fighting me like a wild animal." "What did you do to him? Grant!" "Three cc's Kalmital, stat." "Get off me, you fuck!" "She's too small for such a high dose." "Where's Grant? "Gahhh! She spit on me!" "WHERE IS HE?" "That filthy little pervert spit on me!" "Get that damn sedative before she tears my arm off!" "No! No! Don't touch me! GRAAANT!" Touched Ch. 06 "A friend." "Why are you helping me?" "That's not important." "But—" "Look." The young woman drew as close as she dared without making physical contact. "There isn't time for all this. Do you want to get out of this place?" "Yes." "Then shut up and do what I say. Now let's go." To my surprise she reached out and caught me by the arm when my wobbly legs swayed under me as I tried to stand. "If this is going to work you must be able to run; can you do that?" I braced myself, willing my shaky limbs to hold my weight. "Yes." "Good," she replied, wiping her gloved hands on her pant legs. "Let's go find your friend." Touched Ch. 07 "Grant!" I threw myself into his arms, just to make sure he was real. "Oh, what have they done to you?" I asked, reaching out to touch his battered face. "I'm fine. What about you? Are you okay?" he whispered, his voice cracking as he squeezed me against his chest. "Yes, I'm fine," I told him, clinging to his shoulders, "but I've missed you so much. I was afraid I'd never see you again." The stranger fidgeted, grimacing. "Get control of yourselves. Jebus ryste; what is it with you people?" she hissed through clenched teeth. "We're not out of this yet. Come on; this way." "Why are you helping us?" Grant asked as the three of us scurried down the abandoned corridor. "I don't have to explain myself to you." "Well, whatever the reason, thank you for freeing us," he murmured. Reaching the end of the hall, the woman stopped and looked in both directions, making sure the coast was clear. "Don't thank me yet," she said, spiriting us into a darkened room as the sound of footsteps approached from a neighboring corridor. After the footsteps receded, the woman turned and looked at us both, brow furrowed, her face tight with worry. "Look, deviants, I have no great love for your kind. Frankly, your primitive nature disgusts me. If you insist upon indulging your need for...tactile stimulation, do so someplace where I don't have to see it." She paused. "Someone I trust believes it's imperative you escape, that your freedom benefits a greater good. That's why, despite my personal misgivings, I'm helping you. Understand?" We nodded, though her response raised more questions than answers. "On the count of three, we need to exit the room. Run down the corridor and take the fourth door to your left. Got it?" "Yes." "Good. One, two,..." Touched Ch. 07 "I'm sorry, but we can't wait any longer. The patrol is not far behind, and we have to get you to the tunnel before they catch up with us." Her face softened. "It's not much longer; I promise." "Okay," I responded, forcing myself to stand up straight. "All right. You're going to cut through these bushes and head straight down the hill till you come to an abandoned road. Hang left and run for approximately one kilometer. After that you'll see an old collapsed tunnel, or at least one which appears to be collapsed. "The first hundred meters or so will be difficult to pass, so watch carefully for your openings and make sure you don't knock any rocks loose. The last thing you need is for the whole thing to come down on you. Once you make it through that first section, the way should be much easier going. I doubt even the patrol will follow you into the ruins." "What about you?" Grant asked. "Aren't you coming with us?" Caley shook her head. "Someone needs to create a diversion, buy you time. Besides, the thought of being surrounded by a population of deviants makes my skin crawl." "But you might get caught!" I protested. "And so might you if I don't draw their attention away. Face it, you're a wreck and need all the help you can get." The young woman smiled at us for the first time since we'd met. "Look, just get that message delivered, all right? Raja is...we're all counting on you." "We'll do our best. Thank you, Caley," Grant said. "And good luck." "Don't thank me yet, deviant," she replied. "Now get out of here, while you still can." Touched Ch. 08 "Have we lost them?" I gasped, leaning against the damp stone wall for support. Grant crept to the corner and peered around the other side. "No." He took my arm and helped me navigate the pile of loose rubble. "Caley said they wouldn't follow us into the ruins," I protested after we reached the bottom of the hill. "Why are they doing this?" "I don't know," he replied, holding me up as we broke into a run, "but it's clear they want us back as badly as Raja wanted us to escape." We fled in silence with only our heaving breaths and the crumbly streets crunching beneath our feet giving away our location. Heart thudding in my ears, I strained to listen for signs of our pursuers. Without fail, just as I started to grow certain our would-be captors had given up the chase, I would hear shouts or the scrape of feet sliding down loose ground. Shortly after the sun rose we reached the border of a woodland with enormous trees. The mixed wood forest reminded me of the arboretum but on a denser, more massive scale. Never had I seen so many trees in person. Beautiful though it was, the thought of passing under its quiet canopy filled me with more than a little dread. I knew Grant must have been of the same mind when he hesitated and turned to face me. He gave a nervous laugh. "I know there's no such thing as forest-dwelling mutants..." "But it's hard to forget scary childhood stories in a moment like this," I admitted. He reached out and took me into his arms. "Well, at least I have you to keep me safe," he murmured, lifting my chin. We held each other and kissed. "Over there! By the trees!" "Let's hope those same stories give them pause as well," Grant said, taking my hand. With one last deep breath we began to run, disappearing into the soft green light of the forest. The woodland floor crackled with the thunder of broken twigs and branches as we rushed headlong between the trees. I hoped we would finally evade them here, but the vegetation, slick from the previous night's rain, slowed our progress. The popping and snapping of wood underfoot echoed around us, converging on our location, and I knew they were close, closer than ever. "Left," Grant gasped, steering us toward a clump of bushes. A bright flash lit up the air just right of his shoulder and exploded, smashing the bark off the nearest tree. I cried out and dove for the ground, with Grant throwing himself on top of me. Thwing. Thwack. The air buzzed overhead with high-pitched zings followed, one after the other, by shouts and screams cut unceremoniously short until there were none. We cowered together in the dirt, too terrified to move. Then, without warning, a single twig cracked right beside our heads. Grant stirred above me, ready, I was certain, to face our fate. Steeling my quivering body, I eased up and lifted my eyes. A man squatted beside us. He had long brown plaited hair and a thick beard of the same color. It was the first time I'd seen a person with facial hair in real life; no one in the city would ever tolerate such an unkempt appearance. He wore soiled, calf-length pants and crude ankle-high boots. The upper half of his body was covered by a brown tunic made of raw fabric. "Who are you?" the man asked, his blue eyes penetrating my skull. Grant sat up slowly, keeping a protective arm around my chest as he drew me with him. "My name is Grant, and this is Astrid. We come from—" "We know where you come from, City Dweller. We're not blind. We've been aware of your presence ever since you first trespassed on our land. Dressed like that—" He snorted, waving a derisive hand at our clothing. "you're not hard to miss." Several people began to laugh. I jerked my head around, silently counting the party surrounding us. I could see three other men, and a woman, all of them dressed in the same rough outfits. "Why were you being pursued by your own kind?" Grant hesitated. "It's difficult to explain." The man stood up and gestured for us to do the same. "Try." I gasped when without warning he began running his hands all over my body. "Don't touch her!" Grant shouted, straining to break free of the two men holding his arms. "Relax, City Dweller. I'm only checking your woman for weapons. Besides, I think she likes what I'm doing, hmm?" The man grinned as his large hand paused between my legs. A shiver ran up my spine. "No. I don't," I replied through clenched teeth, fighting the urge to squirm. He smirked and resumed his search. "If you say so." Finding me clean, he nodded to the woman. "Nissa, give our male guest the same treatment. We wouldn't want him feeling left out of the fun." I watched as the woman slid both hands the entire length of Grant's body. "I don't know, Taran, this one seems to have a pretty formidable weapon," she reported, cupping her hand over the crotch of his pants. The men threw back their heads and laughed while Grant's face flushed crimson. "Perhaps later you will have the opportunity to discharge it," Taran told her while the others snickered. "Kuri, search their bag." He looked at Grant. "Now, you were about to tell us why you were running from your people." "Our...our lives were in danger." "That much seems apparent. But why were your lives in danger? Are you criminals?" I spoke up. "N-no, not exactly. I-I mean, some people might...see us as criminals, but most would consider us...deviants." "Really?" The man cocked his head. "For what reason?" "Because we can't control...we don't have the ability to suppress...we have the need to touch and be touched." "And?" "And...we were caught...kissing in public," I disclosed. "Oh no! Kissing? How scandalous!" Taran gasped, covering his mouth with his hand before once again busting out into raucous laughter along with the others. A few minutes later he wiped the tears from his eyes. "I'm sorry," he apologized, still chuckling. "I know where you come from that is indeed a serious infraction. So were they coming to imprison you?" "To return us to the hospital," Grant clarified. "We escaped late last night, during the storm." "And how did you manage that?" We told them about Caley and the others. "But why trespass on our land? Surely there are places where you can hide from the authorities within the city." "Not really," I objected. "There are very few unwatched places." "From the looks of your supplies," Taran commented, gesturing at the opened knapsack, its contents spread about the ground, "this must have been a last-minute decision. You're hardly prepared for survival, even in the short term. You don't even have any tools, other than that pad, and it's not going to provide shelter, or help gather food." He pointed at the puzzle box. "What's that?" "It's a gift for Astrid. I...had intended to give it to her during the solstice celebration." The man tipped back his head, studying Grant's face. "How did you know where to find us?" he said at last. "We didn't. We were sent here by one of the individuals who helped us escape, Raja Das. She said our people resided in the ruins outside the city, and provided us with coordinates on that pad, but we never had a chance to even look at it. Running into all of you was completely accidental." The dark-skinned man picked up the pad and turned it on. "He's right, Taran," he confirmed, handing the tall man the device. Taran furrowed his brow. "Who is this Raja Das? And where did she get these coordinates?" "W-we don't know," I told him. "We only just met her last night, and spoke with her for only a few minutes. She said she worked for the Ministry of Science, Center of Reproduction. She told us to 'find our people' outside the city—until last night we didn't even know anyone lived in the ruins, let alone that we are supposedly from here. She mentioned a man named Zarek; she said it was imperative we speak to him." "Did she now?" The man exchanged a look with his companions. "About what?" "We don't know. She gave us a data chip. Do you...do you know him?" I asked. "I think it's time you come with us," Taran announced, ignoring my question. "I'm afraid we'll have to blindfold you. Considering the company you keep—" He tipped his head toward the bodies of our pursuers. "I'm sure you understand our concern." "Jacob, Roy, Nissa; stay here and take care of the bodies. Then double back, sweep the perimeter; make sure we didn't miss any stragglers. We'll meet you back at the camp. Kuri, take their bag; you're with me." Touched Ch. 08 "I can see why you protected this secret so dearly," Taran said, clearing his throat after the piece ended. "We have music, much of it very beautiful—my sister plays the mandolin—but none of it is quite like that," Jacob told us. "I would love to hear some of your music," I replied. "We also have music in the city, but all of it sounds very similar. It's intended to inspire loyalty to the government, but I find it more frightening than inspiring." "I think we would all be in favor of listening to more of this music," Taran acknowledged, "but first, please show us what other kinds of information is contained in this device." Grant flipped through a sample of artwork, photography and written passages. Some appeared to inspire awe, while others made our companions grin and snicker with amusement. "There's an awful lot in here about sex," Nissa observed, winking at Grant as she shifted her body to accentuate her breasts. He blushed and looked away. "I bet the two of you learned everything you know from looking at these files." "Present company excepted, as far as I know your people don't have sex, do they?" Taran asked, looking at me with a smile behind his eyes. "No. People avoid touching at all, but when they must it is with gloved hands." "How exactly do you reproduce if you don't have sex?" Roy wanted to know. "They use artificial wombs," Taran told him. "Isn't that right?" "Yes," I confirmed. "On the eighteenth anniversary of our emergence we report to the Center of Reproduction. They perform a procedure to obtain a genetic sample." "What sort of procedure?" Roy asked. "I don't know; they give us anesthesia. A few hours after I woke they sent me home." I went on. "Everyone's samples are kept on file but only those with the most desirable traits are used for reproductive purposes. Usually two to four fetuses are brought to term, where they are then transferred into the custody of a caretaker who is responsible for their growth, development and training for the next eighteen years." "Do you have any way of knowing if your sample has been chosen?" "No," Grant answered, "but very few are selected. It's strange; there are far fewer pods today than when I was a boy. The government says they're trying to prevent a population explosion since people are living longer, but we've had negative growth for as long as I can remember." "How...how do you reproduce?" I asked. "Don't you use artificial wombs?" "No. We have sex, and then the woman becomes pregnant and has a baby nine months later," Kuri replied. I gasped and stared at Grant, my eyes and mouth wide. "You mean I'm going to have a baby in three months?" "I don't know; are you pregnant? You don't look like it," Roy observed. "I started having sexual intercourse with Grant six months ago. I must be." "It's...not that simple," Nissa assured me. "You don't get pregnant every time you have sex. Otherwise women would be pregnant all of the time. It only happens sometimes, when a man and a woman have sex at just the right time of the month." "When is that?" I asked, alarmed as ever. "It-it's different for everyone. It depends on where you are during your menstrual cycle." "Menstrual cycle? Is that the same thing as menses?" "Yes." "Oh." I sighed with relief. "Grant and I never have sexual intercourse during my menses. I must be safe then." "Uhh." Nissa looked at her companions. "Come on, help me out here." She and the others answered my many questions one by one. When we finished, I turned to Grant, who had remained strangely quiet during the entire discussion. "Did you know about all this? Did you know I might get pregnant if we had sexual intercourse?" Grant swallowed. "Not exactly. I mean, I knew that people used to—well, apparently still do—reproduce like that. I've never seen a pregnant woman in my lifetime, and since we use artificial wombs now I...I guess I assumed our reproductive organs were like...appendixes and no longer served their original purpose." "That is so wrong." Jacob shook his head, chuckling. "How can you compare your cock to an appendix?" I sat wringing my hands in my lap. "Grant, I was really hoping to have sexual intercourse with you tonight but now I don't think that we should." The others coughed. "You know, Astrid," Taran commented, clearing his throat, "it's possible your scientists have found a way to switch off normal reproductive processes for your people." "But we don't know that for sure." "True. But there are plenty of other things you can do where the risk of pregnancy is little to none." "Like pleasuring each other with our hands and mouths?" He smiled. "That's right. Among other things." "Like what?" The hunters chuckled, then proceeded to educate us about the wonders of anal intercourse. The description of the act triggered in me a lifetime of indoctrination on the dangers of contamination, but Grant seemed to find the idea intriguing and asked more questions than I. "I might consider it, if Grant is interested in trying," I conceded. The glint in his eye when he smiled at me confirmed that he was. "It makes me sad, though, to think of not feeling his penis inside my vagina. It feels so good when we join bodies. I feel complete, like we were made to fit together." Grant lifted my chin, and for the first time he openly kissed me in front of other people. I felt self-conscious at first, embarrassed even. But when the kiss ended and I realized the others were smiling back at us, I glowed with the warmth of happiness. These people were strange, rough, even crude, but in a few short hours I felt more accepted by them than I had with anyone other than Grant. Even Oliver, much as I loved him dearly, had a gruffness which made it difficult to get too close. "You don't have to give up sexual intercourse," Nissa said. "One of our doctors could test you to make sure you aren't pregnant, and if you're not she can give one or both of you some medicine that will allow you to have sex any day you want, without worrying about getting pregnant." "Really?" Grant and I replied in unison, leaning forward. "Nissa may have spoken too hastily," Taran cut in, giving the young woman a harsh look. "It's clear you aren't like other City Dwellers. But the fact of the matter is our people forbid outsiders from entering our settlement, or even knowing of its location." I slumped, crestfallen. Then I remembered something. "But the coordinates Raja provided. Didn't Roy say they were correct?" The dark-skinned man shook his head. "No. I meant only that you were telling the truth about coordinates being provided to you. The location she gave you was not of our settlement, but of the place where your people came this summer, to dig up artifacts on the outskirts of the city." Grant sat up. "The archeology team." "That's right. They come once a year, digging around in the ruins for a few weeks. They keep to themselves and don't venture far, so we've been inclined to leave them be." "We may not like your kind," Kuri said, "but we do try to avoid open conflict. We're aware very few know of our existence, and we'd prefer to keep it that way. There are far more of you than us." "Wait," Nissa interrupted. "Didn't you say that woman who helped you escape gave you something; a data chip?" Grant picked up the tiny chip still lying with the rest of the bundle from the secret box. "This chip, we were told, contains a message from Raja. She wanted us to give it to Zarek and to him alone, but she didn't tell us why. She didn't tell us the content of the message either, only that it was important we deliver it." "She did mention something about there being 'only a few days before the solstice'," I added. The blue-eyed man wrinkled his brow. "Please, play it." Grant inserted it into the pad and clicked on the file. Hello. My name is Raja Das. I work for the Ministry of Science, Center of Reproduction. I direct this message to Zarek Wolfe. He holds the key to unlocking the heart of its contents. In the hope that you will deliver this chip, I provide, as a gesture of good will, the following information about the identities and whereabouts of some of the children who were stolen from your people. The seven of us listened, dumbfounded as the black-haired woman revealed her secret. My heart pounded so hard I feared it would burst from the strain. I clung to Grant, and he to me, his face pale, hands as cold as mine. "Gather your things, quickly," Taran instructed, rising to his feet once the message had ended. "We must get back to the settlement at once." Touched Ch. 09 My short legs struggled to keep up with Taran's strides as he led us through kilometers of dense forest. He had not paused to rest nor even speak for hours, and the rest of us filed behind, honoring the silence. Without warning the tall blue-eyed hunter came to a stop. "We're almost there," he told Grant and me, his breath heavy from exertion. "I must warn you, our people will react strongly to your presence, especially because of the way you're dressed. As I mentioned before, City Dwellers are forbidden from entering the settlement. Just allow me to speak, and don't take any action which might be interpreted as hostile." "Will they try to hurt us?" I asked, exchanging a worried look with Grant. "We'll make sure that they don't," Taran pledged. He paused, then said to the others, "I was thinking, perhaps it would be best to send ahead a runner, alert them we are coming." "That won't be necessary," an unfamiliar voice responded. I jumped and clutched Grant's arm. I saw at least a dozen men and women surrounding our group and drawing closer, each of their bows and arrows poised and ready to spring, pointed at Grant and me. "Why have you brought strangers here, Taran?" a large woman with fierce eyes demanded. "You know outsiders are forbidden." "Don't shoot!" the hunter cried, holding out his arms. He, Kuri and the others formed a protective circle around us, all of them shouting, waving the others down. "Please, don't shoot. They aren't outsiders. They're two of the stolen children!" A middle-aged man with wavy, shoulder-length hair lowered his bow and stepped forward. He studied Grant and me for a long moment, lingering on our faces. He lifted his chin. "What are your names?" "My name is Grant, and this is Astrid." "How old are you?" "I'm thirty-one, and he is thirty-four years," I answered, pressing against Grant as the group broke out into agitated chatter. "Everyone, please, lower your weapons." The man looked at Taran. "I assume you have proof of their claim." "Yes. They escaped with the help of strangers, one of whom gave them a data chip which she requested be delivered to Zarek." The air stirred with murmurs of speculation. "Have you viewed the contents of this chip?" "Part of it," Taran answered. "Most of the message is encrypted; the woman on the recording said Zarek 'holds the key' to unlocking it. That's why I decided to break protocol and bring them here." William turned to a couple of young people in the crowd. "Find Zarek. Tell him to meet me in my dwelling immediately." He looked at the hunters and us. "Come." Touched Ch. 09 We watched as the black-haired woman on the tiny screen stopped to take a deep breath, blinking back tears as she struggled to maintain her composure. She then revealed their intention to infiltrate the utility grid in the early morning hours of the solstice, introducing the substance into the disinfectant supply lines. Because of the holiday, coupled with the accepted practice of decontaminating upon rising, they predicted an exposure rate of greater than ninety-five percent by midmorning. She indicated that during these first hours, when the drug's effect was still building to peak levels, they planned to expose the truth over public communication channels. Zarek, we know the action we are about to take is both highly dangerous and morally tenuous. For more than a year we debated the ethics of intentionally drugging the populace, even if it's for, we believe, a greater good. But our people are dying, Zarek. If things don't change, now, we have no future. After everything both you and the Outliers have lost at the hands of our people, we know we have no right to ask you for help. But we're concerned about the psychological effect of this event on the children. While we've modified U4EA to affect only the adult population, this will include the caretakers. We're asking for your people's assistance in helping these individuals manage their emotions during this period. With the information we've provided regarding the location of your offspring, we invite you to take this opportunity to reunite with your loved ones as well. Raja directed us to a sub-file containing nearly two hundred names, all those she managed to identify over the past decade and a half as individuals born to the Outliers. She also provided maps and other information detailing the finer points of their plan. Silence fell over the group as the message ended. William looked at each of us in turn before he spoke. "Taran, I wish to speak with Zarek in private. Will you take Astrid and Grant to your dwelling, find them something to eat and allow them to rest if they wish?" The hunter nodded. The older man turned to Grant and I. "Would you like to bathe—wash yourselves with hot water—and change into fresh clothing as well?" "Yes; thank you," I answered. "Good. Taran can attend to that as well. I must ask all of you to say nothing at this time about what we have heard on this chip." "We'll do as you say, William," the hunter replied, "but keep in mind that there is probably not a single individual in this settlement who isn't aware of their arrival or hasn't heard that they came bearing a message." The older man nodded. "I understand. I don't intend to keep this information secret for long, but first I must meet with the Council tonight to discuss it." He looked at us. "I'm not asking you to remain silent about your lives in the city or even how you escaped. If you wish to discuss such matters with others, you may do so. I only request that you refrain from revealing Raja's plan and her request to us. This is something I must share with our people myself." Grant and I exchanged a glance and nodded. "We understand," he told him. "We will honor your request." "Thank you. I may call for you to appear in front of the Council later this evening, so remain nearby." He addressed the hunter. "Speak with your friends about organizing a gathering for tomorrow evening." "Is that when you plan to reveal the City Dweller's request?" "Yes. But there's no reason we cannot celebrate Grant and Astrid's return as well. Plan on an informal gathering to coincide with the evening meal, followed by a formal gathering at eight o'clock." Touched Ch. 09 The tall bearded hunter leapt from his seat and bounded over to his friend. My mouth dropped open as I watched Taran wrap his thick bulging arms around Kuri, hugging him with such force I thought he might squeeze the breath out of him. "Aww," he teased, releasing the man with a hard slap on the back. "You feeling underappreciated? Well, thank you, man. Thank you so much for sparing us the unforgettable taste of my cooking." "Oh gai," Roy groaned, holding his stomach. "Just thinking about Taran's last 'surprise casserole' is giving me cramps." Grant and I glanced at each other while laughter rang out into the room. It was going to take getting used to, being around these people who touched with such effortless exuberance. "Yeah, yeah," Kuri responded, giving the blue-eyed man a shove. "Come on, Astrid, Grant. Food's getting col—" Knock knock knock. Taran went to the front door and opened it. My eyes widened and I gasped to see a crowd of people clustered around the entrance, asking to see Grant and me. Touched Ch. 10 I jumped at the sound of yet another knock on the door. "It's open," the hunters called in unison, none of them bothering to greet the latest arrivals. Grant and I exchanged a nervous glance from opposite sides of the room. Somehow, over the course of the evening, we had become separated as wave upon wave of visitors swarmed over us. So many people now filled the living area I started to worry whether the dwelling could withstand the weight. Wiping my sweaty palms on my pants, I took a deep breath and tried to banish the thought of the tree trunk supporting the house giving way, plunging us twenty meters to our deaths. "Oh wow; it's crowded in here," a woman exclaimed, squeezing past the others. "Where are they?" a male voice boomed. "Where are the children?" "There they are—there and there. See, they've changed into normal clothes." The couple split from their two companions, who headed straight for Grant while they made their way to where I stood, crammed virtually shoulder-to-shoulder, surrounded by chattering strangers. I flinched when, without preamble, the woman began stroking my hair. "Let me take a look at you. Well, aren't you just the prettiest thing?" She took hold of my chin and turned my head to one side and then the other, examining my features. "Bradley, I think she could be our Melinda's girl. Don't you, don't you think she has your father's eyes?" The big man peered at me for a long moment, his pursed lips cocked to one side. I'd seen this look before, ever since people started streaming into the hunters' home, each of them hoping to recognize something of themselves in Grant or me, each of them reacting in one of three ways. The first, and most common, was disappointment. Despite his companion's insistence, I knew the man saw in me no resemblance to his kin. It broke my heart to watch the hopeful light leave yet another person's eyes, shoulders slumping when they realized we weren't who they wanted us to be. The second, and rarest, was quiet restraint. The way their eyes widened when they looked at us, I sensed these individuals saw something familiar in our faces or bearing, but were not certain enough to make a claim. I wondered if they were trying to spare themselves the disappointment of discovering later they were wrong. The woman pawing me displayed the characteristics of the third group—those who claimed we had their father's eyes or their grandmother's chin or any other single feature on which they could pin their hopes. I suspected, though, they knew deep down that we weren't one of their own; they just couldn't bring themselves to admit it. "I'm sorry, Bev," the man said slowly, shaking his head, "but I don't see it." "How can you say that?" she protested, her voice shrill and tight. She turned my face sideways. "See that profile? That's Melinda's forehead." He reached out and touched her arm. "I wanted it to be Cassandra, too. But I think we both know she doesn't look anything li—" "Don't touch me!" she shouted, swatting his hand away. Grabbing my shoulders, the woman hunched over and stood so close our noses almost touched. "You see it, don't you?" she asked me, squeezing my shoulders, her hazel eyes filled with desperation. "I...I don't know," I replied, struggling to maintain eye contact. "Bev, stop it. Can't you see you're upsetting her?" "I'm not upsetting her. I could be her grandmother, for crite's sake." She looked at me again, her lips trembling. "How old are you?" "I'm thirty-one years." My head swam, and I felt hot and cold at the same time. "The same age as our Cassandra." The woman gave the man a triumphant look. "I could very well be your nana; isn't that right?" "I...I don't know," I repeated. My chest tightened as the walls of the house closed in on me. "We've, we've met so many people tonight...and they all want to believe we're...someone they've lost." "Astrid," a voice said from very far away. "Are you alright?" "I...don't feel so well," I heard myself mumble just before everything went black. Touched Ch. 10 "Why not?" I covered my face with my hands. "Well, we need to see Dr. Reynaldo for starters, not to mention Zarek and William." He peeled my fingers from my face and gave me a kiss. "Today's a big day." "I...I know," I admitted. "But I don't think I'll be able to look them in the eye ever again. And what if they tell the others? Oh, jebus..." "Come on, Astrid," Grant said, putting his arm around me. "These people accept us. So what if they laugh and tease us a little? Besides, we laughed about it last night, too. Remember?" "That was different." "In what way?" "I...I don't know. It just was. It seemed funny at the moment, but now that I've had time to think about it—" "Think about this," he interrupted. "If we'd been found like that in the city, would anyone have laughed?" Grant's question startled me. I looked into his sober face for a long time before answering. "You're right; I'm being ridiculous." "I wouldn't say that. We've spent our entire lives hiding who we are; it's not easy being exposed. Still, it's important to keep things in perspective." He gave me a hug. "Now let's get dressed and go have breakfast; I'm starving." Taking my face in his hand, Grant kissed me. I found myself responding to his gentle kiss with urgency, and he groaned with surprise when I thrust my tongue into his mouth and reached between his legs. He broke the kiss and shuddered as my fingers wrapped around his hardening cock. "I suppose breakfast can wait a bit longer," he conceded with a lascivious smile. My hand released its grip and I got up and sat on his lap, facing him, my legs folded under, straddling his thighs. I leaned in and licked his neck before working my way up to his ear. "I wish I could feel you inside of me," I sighed, rubbing my stiff nipples against his skin. I slipped my hand between my own legs, parted my lips and began to grind myself along the length of his cock. "Do you think we'll have time to sneak back here sometime today to have sexual intercourse? Nissa said at least one of the medications Dr. Reynaldo can give us is effective almost immediately." Grant's arms wrapped around my back. Pressing my body against his, he groaned. "I think we can make the time." I ran my lips along his jaw and up his chin before they reached their destination. "I was hoping you'd say that," I murmured, giving him a naughty smile after the kiss ended. Pushing him back onto the bed, I sat up and resumed rubbing my wet pussy against his penis. I soon discovered that if I leaned forward at just the right angle, I could stimulate my clitoris at the same time. His hands reached up and cupped my breasts just as my arms came down on either side of his torso, bracing my position. Grant played with my nipples, squeezing them, and we moaned in unison as I found my rhythm, humping my hips faster and faster, grinding my clitoris up and down the length of his engorged organ. The heat of our friction swelled, spreading up my body and out my limbs, making my fingers tingle and my toes curl. "Grant, I'm going to..." I cried out, body bucking as the orgasm took hold of me. Arms quaking, he shook under me and I felt his cock jerking against my throbbing groin. "Guhhh...fuck!" I collapsed on top of him, and we panted together, trying to recover while our bodies continued to spasm with the aftershocks of our release. A few minutes later, Grant stroked my cheek with the back of his hand before tucking a strand of hair, clinging to my sweaty skin, behind my ear. He kissed me and grinned broadly. "Who am I kidding? We'll definitely make the time." Laughing with delight, I slid my face against his, tickling the tiny dimple at the corner of his mouth with the tip of my tongue. Touched Ch. 10 "But this scanner can't be more than fifteen years old." "The first City Dwellers we came into contact with were archeologists. They lived among us for many years, and died in the first raid, trying to defend our people. Even though their government forbade them from telling others about us, they secretly confided in a very few trusted associates. After they were killed, their colleagues approached us, stating they wanted to continue with the relationship their friends had established, albeit surreptitiously. "As the decades pass, the faces change, but these individuals have remained trustworthy allies. Although we don't always have direct contact with them—we no longer allow City Dwellers to enter or know the location of our settlement, so any contact must be initiated by us—every year when they come for a dig they leave us medical supplies and outdated, but still useful technology that would otherwise be discarded. We provide them with information such as historical data and artifacts we've collected over the year. There are a few standard hiding places we've used for decades to make these exchanges." "So it is fair to say this continued association has benefitted your people?" Grant asked. Dr. Reynaldo nodded. "It has made certain aspects of our lives easier, yes."