Code Name: EVE

A/N: Wow. Okay, I know I said I was a slow writer, but my muse has been more generous to me lately than she has been in a year. However, I'm still afraid that she'll lock up when I get into Chapter 2, so I'm not going to post everything I have written this instant. Let me just say that I have a really good feeling about chapter sections 4 and 5... Oh, and if you ever see an edit to The Plagas and the Bees, it's just me getting around to fixing two typos I found later.



Inside the building, Ashley immediately crossed to a small table and rested the weight of the pack on it while she fiddled with the harness. The knot came loose under her fingers and she slipped out of it. Knowing that Jack was busy digging through cabinets, she cupped her sore breasts lightly. She was definitely going to need some kind of support if she was going to be running after him through the woods. Her hands dropped back to her sides, and she asked, “Can I got upstairs?”



“Not yet,” Krauser responded without looking at her.



“I swear I’m not going run away. What do I have to do to convince you?” The intense—and rather suggestive—look he responded with made her wrinkle her nose and she crossed her arms. “I’m serious.”



“How do you know I’m not?” He leaned one hand on top of the cabinet he’d just been rummaging through and put his other hand on his hip. “We both know you’ve been thinking about it too.”



“I just want to go home,” she reiterated. “Why are you being such an asshole? I’ve never done anything to you.” Then she yelped and jerked back against the table. It had happened very suddenly. One second he’d been on the other side of the room, and the next he was right up in her face. She would have slipped away, but his palms were on the table to either side of her.



“I can smell it,” he murmured to her. “Even from the other side of the room. What are you so afraid of?”



The young woman could remember how futile pleading had been in the past, but she couldn’t think of anything else to do. His plaga was obviously further along than hers. Maybe using his name would appeal to his more human side… if he had one… “Look… Jack… I already don’t have a choice. You don’t have to keep trying to intimidate me like…”



“I’m not just trying to intimidate you. You’re teasing me, and I don’t like being teased.”



“It’s not me,” she protested. “The plaga… and… How do you know it’s not just your plaga too?” It was a really weak argument, but she was looking for any opening to try to steer him away from his current train of thought.



“Aw, don’t sell yourself short, princess. You’re a very pretty girl.” A hand left the table and a finger traced the curve of her ear. “Despite these.” They weren’t really that bad, but he enjoyed making her mad. Perhaps it was challenging her to do something besides roll over and take it, or maybe it was simply savoring the way she just rolled over and took it.



She flinched away from his touch. “Please don’t…”



“Admit that you were thinking about me and you can go.”



“I can’t…” Ashley protested, trying to slide away.



His arm moved to block her exit once more and he pressed in closer. “Admit it and you can go.”



Adrenaline and hormones. Not good. But she had nowhere to back away to. “I’m not going to give you a blank check to do whatever the hell you want.”



“Princess, I don’t need a blank check to do whatever the hell I want.”



She wanted to smack that smug expression right off his face, but she couldn’t. Her plaga wouldn’t let her… He’d probably slug her back… “Jack, I can’t…” she repeated plaintively, fighting the heat creeping up her face.



Krauser’s eyes narrowed and his lip lifted in a snarl. For an instant, he shoved the length of his entire body aggressively up against her, jarring the table. So close that their foreheads almost collided with the motion. Then he stepped aside. “Fine. Go.”



No way was she going to risk him changing his mind. While she tried not to run—never run from a growling dog—she ascended the stairs hastily. So confused, and he wasn’t helping at all. The truth was if she wasn’t so damn scared of him, she probably would think he was hot. But he was such an asshole! And what kind of sick freak would she have to be to find her rapist attractive? No. No, it wasn’t her fault. Her plaga was just messing with her. All she had to do was follow him for a few days and then it would all be over, but man were those days going to suck. At least he’d let her come up here alone, but she didn’t know how long it would be before he decided to join her. She’d have to be fast. Unfortunately, the entire village was frozen in time, even the women’s undergarments. She didn’t know how much support she could get from a breast band, but if wrapping them up could keep them from jiggling too much, it was better than nothing. She shot a look back downstairs before tugging her shirt over her head. As long as Jack didn’t come upstairs in the middle of the process, she figured she could handle it.



Across the way, the observer now stood behind the second floor window. Through the streaky glass, he could see the young woman as she peeled off the brown and white sweater. Her tits stuck perkily out from her slim profile, but the grimy window obscured much of anything else. Not that the observer cared. All he was thinking about was burying an axe between those fleshy mounds.



There. It had taken a while to do it on herself, but she’d found a way that would work. The strip of cloth wrapped around her chest horizontally a couple of times, and upwards and back down diagonally in a rather halter top like fashion that crossed between her breasts. She didn’t like how it pulled at her neck, but before she could take it off to try something else, she heard familiar footfalls on the stairs. Dammit. She’d barely gotten the loose end tucked in and secure before Jack appeared. However, though she saw the grin flash on his face, he didn’t accost her as she had feared.



“You should change,” he commented as she snatched up her sweater. “That little getup of yours isn’t going to cut it out in the woods.”



She scowled at him. “And what about you, Mr. Run-around-shirtless?” Okay, so it was a lame comeback, but it was the only thing she could pull out of the air that fast.



At first, he didn’t say anything, only crossed the room and opened the drawer. Then he dug through it for a moment and pulled out a shirt. “I didn’t come up here just to see your pretty face.”



Well, he did have a point, and she would love to go back to hiding under something baggy. She slunk around him, watching with one eye and clutching her own shirt to her chest. Thankfully, he stepped away from her, even though he held eye contact. Ashley broke it first, pulling out a large shirt that she slipped over her own head. That wasn’t a problem. The problem came from being able to secure her self in a pair of the villagers’ slacks. The women hadn’t worn them, apparently, and the men’s were too big for her. Again, she found Jack helping her, using the knife to make an extra hole in the belt so she could secure it around her hips. It wouldn’t have been so awful, needing help, but she had this nagging feeling that she had to prove something to Jack. She’d never had that feeling with Leon, but Leon had never treated her like she was some nuisance he was obligated to tolerate. To make matters worse, she was very tired. If it was Leon, she would have just requested a rest, but she was certain Jack—even if he said okay—would give her that stupid, arrogant smirk.



The brightening sky reminded Krauser that he was hungry again. What little he’d eaten at the castle had been hours ago. While he still had concerns regarding leaving the president’s daughter alone, one look at the slouched line of her shoulders showed him she was too tired to run very far. In fact, if he left her alone long enough, he was sure she’d pass out. Eh. Better to let her sleep now so they could cover more ground later. “You hungry, princess?”



She was more tired than hungry, but because Jack didn’t look tired, she only nodded.



“I’ll be back, then. Don’t you dare go anywhere.”



It was a bit surprising that he was leaving her alone up here after the previous fusses he’d made about such things. But she wanted to be alone, so she sat down on the edge of the bed to wait. Ten minutes passed and she flopped onto her back with her arms out and her feet still dangling over the edge of the bed. It felt a lot longer, sitting with nothing to do, and she wondered what he was up to. Her eyes drooped and she shook her head hard to clear the fog descending over her brain. The moment of clarity only lasted for an instant, though. Her eyelids dragged instantly back down and before she’d been alone for twenty minutes, she was drifting away on clouds of unconsciousness.



****



Golden light spilled through the window to create a puddle of heat on the bed. Ashley lay curled in that puddle, dozing like a contented kitten. Her sleep was deep enough that she didn’t hear the heavy footfalls returning. The angle of the sun didn’t even allow for a shadow to fall across her as Jack stood over the bed staring at her. Her hair glowed in the warm light, a soft halo around her head. The soldier reached out to brush some of it away from her face, but she didn’t stir. Tilting his head, he took hold of her shoulder and carefully rolled her onto her back.



His eyes followed the line of buttons down her chest and between her hips. The shirt was a tent, twisted and bunched around her slight figure. Watching her face carefully, he reached out to put a hand on her stomach. As it moved up toward her chest, it took the shirt with it, revealing silky skin. Somewhere underneath that was a slowly maturing plaga. Jack placed his hand flat over her abdomen, as though he might feel something inside there.



And yet she still hadn’t moved. Her chest rose and fell with each breath, but she remained asleep. It was the hypnotic rhythm of respiration that lured his fingers to the button at her throat. Each one was undone with great care, and then each side was carefully peeled away. The make-shift bra proved to be a more challenging barrier than one might expect, but he managed to work it up under her arm pits without waking her. Jack squeezed one of the fleshy orbs, again watching her face for a reaction. Nothing. He gently rolled one of her angelic pink nubs between his thumb and forefinger. It hardened under his touch, and she made a sighing noise, but her eyes remained closed, her face serene.



Jack grinned. He carefully pulled her legs out straight and undid the buckle of her belt. After that, he didn’t even have to undo the fly to work them off her legs. Parting her thighs, he climbed up on the bed with her and touched her experimentally through her panties. She sucked in sharply as his probing fingers pressed harder, her juices gradually beginning to leak through the fabric. His fingers pried in around the edge, pushing deep, and her breath came faster. Something building… building…



Ashley’s eyes flew open and she jerked upright with a small cry. The room was empty. A frantic groping of herself told her that the cloth around her breasts was undisturbed, but she still clawed open the buttons to double check. Nothing. The only thing from the dream that had apparently been real was the dull throb of arousal between her legs. She groaned and curled into a ball with her face in her hands. Was she out of her fucking mind?



Gradually, she managed to get her wits about her enough to uncoil. The sun was high above the village, so she must have been out for hours. Where was Jack? Had he come back and left again? Or maybe… Her heart jumped. Maybe he’d taken her refusal to participate in his latest game as a reason to abandon her here! But… but he’d told her to change, right? And it wouldn’t be fair to leave her here just because she was refusing his advances. Then again, he’d been willing to deprive her of food and water for just that reason before, so who knew what was beyond his ability. Ashley flew to the window, fully expecting to see him and his backpack disappearing into the tree line. Of course she didn’t, but that didn’t mean… A flash of movement in an opposite window drew her eyes up. So he was still here. Perhaps he’d just decided to let her sleep… or more likely he just wasn’t finished with his investigations yet. She was strangely relieved. Something about this place just smelled… Bad.



Jack was taking some time to reorganize their packs. When Ashley came downstairs, he had everything they’d managed to scrape together spread out on the dining room table, taking inventory. “Well, well, look who’s finally awake.”



She stopped in the doorway, staring at him. “You’re here…”



“Of course I am. You weren’t thinking of trying anything, were you?” But this last part wasn’t said with any serious anger.



“No,” Ashley shook her head. “No, I just… I saw something in one of the other windows just now and I thought it was you.”



Any hint of joviality in his demeanor evaporated. He’d thought something smelled wrong while he’d been out exploring, but he’d half dismissed it as his plaga’s reaction to the traces of its dead brethren. Maybe there actually was an immediate threat. “What did you see?”



His sudden seriousness didn’t bode well. “Just movement. I mean, it could have been someone moving around, but it also could have been a reflection or…”



The soldier went back to his sorting and packing, but he was doing it much faster now. Borrowing some speed from his plaga. “If you’re going to eat, do it fast. We’re leaving as soon as I’m done here.”



Ganados. “Do you think there might be a lot of them?” Ashley asked nervously, picking something edible from the table almost completely at random.



“I don’t know. I’ve been to a couple other houses and didn’t see anybody, so there can’t be too many. They probably would have attacked by now if they were going to, but I don’t want to take any chances.”



A period of silence followed while she nibbled away, thinking about their situation. She suddenly asked, “Can I have a knife or something?”



He looked up toward the kitchen. There were knives in there, but… He snorted. “I’d let you have a weapon if I thought you could handle it,” he replied as he flipped a hood over what had previously been a neck hole.



She gave him an indignant look. “What’s that supposed to mean?”



“A knife can be difficult for a beginner, because you have to get so close to use it. And I doubt your marksmanship is up to par, so I’m keeping the gun.”



“What if we get attacked?”



“If you have a weapon you can’t use properly, and your attacker gets it away from you, you’d be better off without one.” Here he looked up at her. “Get your stuff from upstairs. I don’t want to leave a trail if I can help it.”



She’d never needed a weapon with Leon, because she trusted him to keep her safe. But Jack had already threatened to leave her behind once. And truth be told, he could still be keeping her unarmed so he could attack her later himself. Instead of obeying she crossed her arms and scowled at him. “I want something to defend myself.”



“Would you quit being such a brat and just do what you’re told?”



“I want something to defend myself,” she repeated icily.



“Were you a pain in the ass for Leon, too?” Krauser grumbled as he disappeared into the kitchen. Anything that would make her shut up and get moving, though. When he came back, he slammed the knife down on the table. “There. You can have a fucking knife. Now grab your shit and lets go.”



She snatched it up with a mental smirk. That was two confrontations she’d come out on top of now. With that taken care of, she ran upstairs to retrieve her skirt and top, and then returned to stuff them both in the top of her pack. This time, she didn’t give Jack the chance to help her into it, making sure it was adjusted the way she wanted. The young woman was glad when he didn’t take off at his usual pace. He opened the door and glanced around carefully before gesturing at her to follow him outside. Once there, she joined him in watching each window, door, and alley they passed. While he didn’t stop to duck and hide, he ushered her from shadow until they reached the dense coverage of the forest.



The area still didn’t sit well on his senses, but the feeling of immediate danger had faded. Paralleling the path, but remaining in the shelter of the bushes, he picked up the pace. If they could get across the rope bridge, he could cut it down. Then they wouldn’t have to worry about anyone following for a while. If the Ganados ever did find a way across the ravine, he and Ashley would have a significant head start. Possibly even be long gone. After all, there weren’t any other crossings or shallow spots for miles in either direction. The advantages he was listing in his head, however, turned around to bite him on the ass as he actually approached the cliff edge.



Ashley had been too busy focusing on not tripping and too worried about being attacked from either side to pay a lot of attention to what the soldier was doing. When he stopped abruptly, she very nearly ran into him.



“Shit,” Krauser muttered as he leaned toward the pit and peered into the mist on the left.



“What?” Ashley asked, stepping up beside him.



“The bridge is out.”



She followed his gaze and spotted it. A ladder of rope and unstable looking planks dangling down the wall of the cliff. There was no bank below, and the water was frothing with currents. “So what now?”



He finally decided it was too far to risk jumping over as well. “We’ll just have to follow the stream. It’s bound to come out somewhere.” As he spoke, Jack turned and started off in the direction the water was running. He’d expected a straight shot along the road. Not only was this going to take longer than he’d anticipated, but now there was the added threat of enemy plagas hunting them through the woods. Not great, but he’d lived through much worse.