Code Name: EVE

A/N: Wow, it’s been over a month. I’m sorry, I’ve been taking this creative writing class, and it (plus school in general) is sapping a lot of my writing energy/time. That and this story is getting longer than I expected, so… well, chapter 2-3 is going to be based purely around a sex scene I couldn’t make myself scrap, and then we’ll get back to some higher action stuff. It could be more polished than it is, but like I said, I don’t have much energy and I couldn’t stand to let another fic grind to a halt… Enjoy, it could be a while before the next update, too.

NOTE: I decided to make Jack smarter than people might give him credit for so that he’s not some two-dimensional muscle-head. If you don’t like it… well… either deal with it or leave, I suppose…

All right, panty shot… Jack had caught the girl as she dropped to her hands and knees to fish her shoes out from under the bed, seemingly oblivious to the bit of white sticking out from under the green hem. And just as oblivious that she had an audience. He was pretty good at moving quietly, especially when barefoot. As she straightened up, he snuck up behind her and goosed her. Ashley jumped and turned around. “I was wondering when I’d get to see that skirt again.”

A short, bashful laugh escaped in a breath. “Thanks… I think…” He was still wearing the undershirt, but there was a gray hoodie tied around his waist and he’d changed back into beaten up camo pants. Well… they were still probably less noticeable than the shorts…

As he plopped down on an opposite mattress to put on his boots, a thought struck him. Barely looking at her, he casually asked, “Can you get the bracelet and… the spinel out of the locker, princess?”

Thinking little of it, Ashley started to comply, but stopped—kneeling and half bent at the waist—when she felt him watching her. She turned to face him, and scowled, “You pervert.”

He just grinned and returned to his shoe laces. “Can’t blame a guy for trying. But seriously, we need something to pawn, so…”

Even though he wasn’t looking at her, she was still careful not to turn her back to him again. Nothing until she got tested… and even then, depending the results… She wasn’t sure how to feel. The bracelet was pretty, gold with small pearls. “Can’t we sell the necklace first? I kind of like the bracelet.” All she got from him was a shrug, but she took it as an affirmative.

XXX

He’d always been strangely adept at reading people, and he was just as adept at interacting with them. This was handy, because Ari could never seem to resist trying to help if he sensed a problem. The tension in the air around Cassie and Frank was just too tempting. Not an insidious tension. Ari wasn’t stupid when it came to steering around actual danger, but… He felt like one or both of them needed some kind of guidance. He hoped to use this outing as an opportunity to get to know them both better.

Once they reached the city, Jack watched the buildings they passed very carefully. “What was it you were looking for?” He asked.

“You noticed that one of the washing machines is leaking? I was supposed to get a part to fix it, and the man at the store told me the wrong thing. Heather sent me back out with more specific directions,” Ari answered.

“That’s an interesting balance,” Jack smirked.

“I know, we’re an unusual pair, but I’ve got what she’s missing, and she’s got what I’m missing. She’s like my other half. The differences are what make it so perfect.” There was a beat, and then Ari laughed. “I’m sorry. I’m a hopeless sap.” At least, that’s what Heather affectionately called him. “Where was it that you needed to go?”

Could he tell him? There wasn’t really any way around it. He could have Ari just drop them off somewhere and come back in an hour, but he had no idea if this city even had a pawnshop, much less how to get to it. How much could he say about where the necklace came from, though, if it got that far? But, the little blonde started talking first.

“I guess a pawnshop first. Then a drugstore or a place to get clothes.” She’d been thinking about an answer to a question like that all night. A drugstore could mean anything like tooth brushes or shampoo or whatever. It didn’t have to mean a pregnancy test.

Suddenly interested, Ari asked, “What are you selling?”

Ashley saw Jack shoot her a look and realized she’d been so focused on covering up the pregnancy test, she hadn’t thought that Jack might object to mentioning the trinkets. What was there to say? There’s a village that used to be full of brain controlling parasites out there, but they’re all dead now, so we robbed the castle? But she couldn’t think of anything to say, so she came back with a sheepish expression.

While he’d tried to ignore the incessant need to instigate conflict, he hadn’t otherwise tried to pretend his personality was any different. That’s why he felt he could get away with grunting, “Why all the excitement?”

“My grandmother told me that a long time ago a village grew around mining semi-precious stones in some area along the river you were talking about. She used to say that if anyone went up there and looked hard enough, they could find all kinds of treasures. I don’t know how much of it was true, but it used to be good for business. Then she told me that in the sixties, several disappearances chased people out of the area. They said that the inhabitants went mad. Sounds like a bad horror movie, hm? Anyway, I was never certain about the existence of a colony out there, but since you came from that way and said that some people attacked you…”

And now he had some idea of how much of the story to tell. “We did find an old settlement, but there were only three people left and the place was falling apart. And like we said, they attacked us then disappeared as quickly as they’d shown up. Anyway, we found this at the tree line…” He dug in his pocket and produced the red stone. “It doesn’t look like much, but it’s all we got, so I figured it couldn’t hurt.”

The Spaniard nodded. “I don’t know about a pawnshop, but there is a jeweler you might be able to talk to. It’s about a block away from the hardware store.”

“I don’t want to make you wait. How about you drop me off near it and I’ll meet up with you later?”

It would be nice to take the chance to get to know Cassie one on one. As long as Frank was around to be a buffer, it seemed she was content to stay withdrawn. They decided on a time and place to meet, and Frank got out of the car. Considering the temperature, Ari couldn’t help but notice the large man hiding in the shadow of the gray hoodie, but he assumed that Frank didn’t like being stared at.

The scars did make it hard to blend in if anyone was looking for him. It had been more than a month and the island had exploded, but the President could still have people prowling around searching for his daughter. For those reasons, he’d worn the hoodie. Other than that, displaying the scars was often the best way to make people ignore him. His errand was blessedly uneventful, though.

When they met up later and went to the drugstore, Ashley felt like everyone was staring at her. She knew they couldn’t be, but… She glanced at Ari. He was so nice, but it was still too embarrassing to pick a test up in front of him. Jack kept him busy while she snuck off to palm one, but that was only half the battle. She couldn’t imagine herself being able to look the cashier in the eye. Then Jack took her by the arm and whispered in her ear.

“Keep him busy. I’ll go pay.”

As she watched him walk away, she smiled at tiny bit. Most of the time he was only nice for his own purposes, but it still made her feel fuzzy inside.

XXX

“A thrift store?” Ashley whispered, her distaste plain in the crinkle of her nose.

Jack turned to look at her. “I thought we were done with the rich brat routine,” he whispered back.

Pouting, she crossed her arms. “I’ll quit being a brat when you quit being an asshole.” She was expecting the amused grin, but she wasn’t expecting him to kiss her bottom lip. Her scowl immediately melted.

“I don’t think a few months are going to kill you.”

“We don’t know that anything I get today will fit in a few months.”

“All the more reason to get it here, so suck it up.”

He had a point there, and it would be pointless to protest being told to suck it up, so she wandered off to the women’s section. She was able to talk him into letting her get an old portable CD player, but only because he was buying an old digital alarm clock. When she asked him why, he only told her that he needed something to do.

XXX

Negative….

As soon as she’d gotten back to the hostel, she’d showered, changed, and locked herself in a bathroom stall. She wasn’t sure she could handle waiting with Jack. Time had never seemed to pass so slowly, but the test had finally come back negative. At first she had been elated, but worry had quickly wormed back into place. If she wasn’t pregnant, what was wrong with her? Her plaga… What kind of freak was she going to be? She… She wanted her mate…

XXX

They didn’t get any time alone until late in the evening. Jack and Heather had gone up to the roof shortly after they’d returned. Ashley had brought food up to them at lunch time, but they couldn’t talk in front of Heather. Ari had been explaining how they ran the place when the other pair came down, and Jack had gone straight to the shower, so she’d missed him that time. After he’d gotten out, it was too close to dinner, and Ari was teaching her about the food preparation. It was only in their room on their way to bed that the plaga couple found peace.

“So what’s the verdict?” Jack asked. She hadn’t exactly been bubbly tonight, either, but that could mean anything.

She sat on the edge of the bed, studying her lap. “It was negative…”

Oh, thank god. His heart leaped, but he suppressed the grin, because she still looked upset. “With the way you were talking, I’m surprised you’re not bouncing off the walls.”

“No, I am glad. It’s just…” She clenched her fists. “What’s wrong with me, then? At least a baby would have been… I don’t know, something normal. What do I do now?”

He shrugged, sat beside her, and put an arm around her shoulders. “Nothing.”

Leaning into him suddenly, she hugged his waist. “If I turn into one of those freaks,” she murmured against his shoulder, “I don’t want to be alone.”

Well, she didn’t have to worry about that. He’d claimed her, and no one was going to break up his colony. Even though those other two had tried, they were too weak. “If we’re gonna be freaks, we’re gonna be freaks together,” he promised. “And besides, the changes haven’t been bad yet, have they?”

Sighing, the girl gazed up at him. “You never worry about the future, do you?” Some how his confidence—which she’d used to call arrogance—made her feel really… good. Warm. Something like that.

There was no way of telling if or when you were going to get a curve ball. If he’d learned anything, he’d learned that. What was the point in dwelling on it? He could spend the rest of his life dreading a hypothetical day when he transformed and couldn’t transform back, or he could spend the tranquil times enjoying what he had in the present. “For all I know, there won’t be a future, so what’s the point?”

That… actually sounded kind of philosophical… And it was a very interesting point, if not a rather depressing one. She never would have expected something like that from someone like him. “That was deep,” she giggled. “Guess you’re smarter than you look.”

“All right, come here, smartass.” He hauled the squealing girl into his lap, pinned her hands to her chest with one arm, and tickled her ribs with his free hand. Squirming, she managed to twist sideways so that her stomach was against his. That, however, left her backside open to assault, and he gave her a whack on the butt. She yelped, but she was still laughing.

“Not fair, you’re too strong,” she gasped. Her sides were aching from the laughter and it made it hard to breathe.

“I think you like it,” he teased and swatted her again. Ashley protested and tried to wiggle onto her back, but he hooked his arm under her leg and brought it up by his shoulder. “I bet pussy’s gonna say otherwise.”

The girl squealed as he let go of her upper body, but she didn’t struggle too much. Hanging diagonally across his lap like this, she was worried she’d fall on her head if he let go of her leg. Besides, the rough hand slipping into the back of her underwear and sliding over her rear to her crotch was hardly unpleasant.

His middle and ring fingers glided easily into her sex. “Feels pretty pleased with herself to me.”

“You horny bastard, put me down!” But she couldn’t sound serious about it. She was still grinning. He spanked her a third time and she lurched against him. It didn’t actually hurt, not through two layers of fabric, and there was warmth in the aftermath of the slaps. All the same, she liked playing. A hard twist and she was able to arch back under his lap, grab his ankle, and worm out of his grip. With a thump that didn’t hurt, she landed on her side behind his legs and tried to crawl to freedom. However, her legs were tangled in her pajama pants, which had come off in his hand, so she didn’t get far. Strong arms closed around her waist from behind, plucked her off the floor, and then pulled her to the mattress.

Of course he was careful not to actually hurt her, but she was tougher than she looked nowadays. Wrapping his legs around hers, he rolled part way on top of her. “Let’s see you contort your way out of this.” The half naked blonde squirmed under him, unwittingly bucking that firm ass against his crotch. “Or maybe you don’t want to escape.” Pinning her wrists with one hand, he let the other make the journey between her thighs. As she sighed and let him draw her in, he loosened his hold on her wrists. “Don’t turn around,” he rasped in her ear when he felt her trying to roll over.

Ashley wanted to embrace him and feel his weight on her as he devoured her mouth, like they’d done in the past, but it was always best to humor him. Besides, he was licking and kissing the back of her neck and shoulder, nibbling her ear and murmuring things about her being his good little mate, and it made her plaga very happy. There was one thing she was certain he couldn’t object to, though. She reached back to caress his hardening member through his shorts. The girl always enjoyed the sound of his excited breathing, and the warm air from his lungs tickled the back of her neck. Though it never seemed to make much difference to him, she felt worlds sexier now that she was scrubbed and shaved.

Her juices were leaking through her panties. He knew what he wanted, and he didn’t know how much longer he could wait for her to be on the same page. Tonight he’d make another stab at it. Taking a wrist in each hand, he rolled her onto her stomach and made sure she could feel his heat pressing against her ass. “You wanna get fucked, princess?” Jack hissed in her ear.

He had to weigh at least two hundred pounds, but as long as he didn’t rest his entire bulk on her, that sturdiness was a turn on. The girl squirmed. “Not… not like that…” A soft--very sexy--chuckle rumbled in her ear.

“All you have to do is let me in, it doesn’t matter which hole.”

Dirty talk still made her blush and she knew he did it on purpose. Anal was out before any consideration took place. He wasn’t gentle enough for that. “What if there’s an accident?”

“If we’re gonna be mates, you’ll have to trust me more than that. You tell me to pull out, I’ll pull out. You want me to shoot you full, I’ll do that too.”

It wasn’t the first time she’d reminisced on how that throbbing pole felt pounding into her, and it wasn’t the first time it made her misty. It had been confusing at first, but he’d been taking care of her since she’d woken up in the boat. She nodded her acquiescence into the pillow. He turned her head with a hand under her jaw and gave her a kiss before she felt his weight lift. When she tried to see what he was doing, she was pressed back onto her stomach.

As he pealed back her underwear, he couldn’t help wishing that he could cut what was left of her clothing off. Unfortunately, that kind of thing could only be done so many times. He was ready to drop the shorts and ram into her on the spot, but a devious thought struck him first. Holding her waist, he pulled her back onto her knees and drew up the front of her tank top. He stopped her when she started to raise her arms, earning a confused backwards glance, but she complied. Once more, he tugged on her shirt, bringing it up over her head and then down over her arms. The tube of fabric held them behind her back. He gathered the hem into his fist and then twisted it into a knot, so it wouldn’t be too easy to pull her arms apart.

Ashley struggled briefly, but it was only a test. If she really wanted to, she could bring her arms closer together and the shirt would slip right off. Then again, that trick would only work with gravity’s help, and he was guiding her back into her original position. What was the kinky bastard up to? Peering around her shoulder, she smiled as she watched him undress. Then he climbed onto the bed and mostly out of her line of sight. She sensed him looming over her, propped up on both arms. Didn’t have to be told what he wanted. She lifted her hips to grant him easier access, and then arched harder as he drove his pulsing length into her dripping depths. The angle hit something deep that made her melt.

That was fantastic. That was exactly what he’d been waiting for. He didn’t take time to warm up, going straight to pounding her hard and fast. From the position he held, gravity lent extra strength to the downward strokes of his already well muscled abdomen, and she whimpered every time he hit her back wall. It encouraged him to fuck her harder, to make them grow into small cries. He watched her arms shift in the makeshift binding as she clenched and unclenched her fists. Krauser knew she was the squirmy sort, and he wondered what she’d do if he deprived her of that ability. After all, when he ate her out, she seemed to come harder when he prevented her from bucking her hips.

So frustrating, being restrained. That and it was difficult to find a comfortable position where the pillow wasn’t at least partially obstructing her breathing. It didn’t help that he was apparently only fractions of an inch too big to fit inside her comfortably. Every thrust sent white hot bolts of pleasure screaming through sensitive internal nerves. Her swollen clit was crying for more attention as well. Her hips writhed. She was going to pay for this in the morning.

Wrapping one arm around her waist, he pulled her against him and rolled his weight onto one side. From the new angle, he couldn’t ride her as hard but she couldn’t spread her legs as wide, either. Not that she hadn’t been a nice tight fit already, but… One arm was trapped under her side, but his other hand was free to roam where it willed. And roam it did, around her side, over her breasts, finally stopping at her neck. Closing her eyes, Ashley tilted her head to expose her throat to his caresses. Finger tips continued to explore until they found that stroking from behind her ear and around under her jaw made her purr.

The harder she tightened around his cock, the sharper the sensation deep in her sex became. Ecstasy blossomed from the depths of her gut, dissolving her inhibitions. She didn’t care about consequences anymore. It was too wonderful, feeling her mate in her again. A series of smaller orgasms made her tremble and pant, but she couldn’t quite finish. She needed… something…

Her breasts rose and fell rapidly with her heavy breathing. Her pussy had him in a grip that tugged slightly with each slow withdrawal and resisted just as subtly with each inward jab. Jack groaned and gasped into her hair. He could see the edge, something bright and explosive, and he didn’t want to stop. But would it be worth listening to her complain if… “I’m gonna come, princess,” he breathed in her ear.

But… but she needed… “Please… don’t stop…” she panted. He liked begging. She was aware enough to remember that. “Please… in me… I want…”

With a lusty growl, the soldier shifted farther on top of her. Now that he didn’t have to be careful, he didn’t have to try to delay his orgasm. Which meant he could pound her as hard or as fast as he wanted. Finally, a primitive grunt and a groan marked his release.

“Ah… Ah!” Ashley cried. Warm liquid spread inside, making her muscles quiver like jell-o. The girl let out a happy sob as she arched under him, and then fell limp. Her face was hot, her heart was fluttering, and her skin felt damp. It was strange, she reflected foggily, that she didn’t mind his sweat when it was sex induced. She felt him pull out and expected that to be it. However, he turned her over without bothering to release her arms and mounted her again. She gazed up into his eyes and recognized the dull red light that marked the infected. Did hers look like that, too?

He stroked her cheek with the backs of his fingers. Leaning into it, she turned her head to nuzzle and kiss his palm. Krauser grinned and bent to nip at her bottom lip. The nip evolved into a hungry kiss and he ground his pelvis between her legs, making her moan. His dick stiffened as it slid between her labia and over her clit.

Not ten minutes later, her legs were on his shoulders and he was slamming back into her over-stimulated sex. He started off slow this time, and his thrusts rocked her on her trapped arms. She still groaned in distress, laughing weakly, “I won’t be able to walk tomorrow…”

“Sure you will,” he grinned, using his body and bulk to push her knees to her shoulders.

Ashley tried to protest again, but he silenced her with his mouth. It didn’t matter. Before long, he had her climbing another mountain of ecstasy, anyway.

XXX

When she began the return to consciousness, the first thing she felt was a dull throb from the intense… activity last night. It wasn’t as bad as she’d feared. The next thing she realized was that she was still naked, and the third thing was that she was alone in the bed. Golden eyes opened a slit and she stretched languidly as she rolled onto her back. Jack was sitting on the bed closest to the window. Her eyes were still foggy with sleep, but from what her plaga showed her it looked like he was doing something with a small screwdriver.

Again with the barely sleeping at all. He’d drifted off quickly after their second coupling, but it hadn’t lasted long enough. For a while he’d just watched the colorless angel sleep, hoping unconsciousness would claim him again. It didn’t. Not wanting to wake her, he’d pulled on some jeans, stripped the bed he now sat on, and cracked the curtains for light. No use in losing small pieces in the sheet. The screw driver was one of the tools he’d requested permission to borrow the other day when he and Heather had come in from the roof. Now he was quietly dismembering the old alarm clock. It wasn’t the first digital clock he’d explored the guts of, but one couldn’t be picky in a thrift store.

“What’re you doing?” Ashley mumbled, hugging the blanket to her chest and sitting up. He answered by way of holding up something she eventually recognized as part of the clock’s case. “Why?”

A shrug. “’Cause I can.”

Wrapping herself in the sheet, she came to stand over the bed and watch. “You like breaking things?”

That made him smile at her. He kind of did, but that was only secondary. “Ever hear of Make magazine?” The girl just shook her head. Jack looked back at what he was doing. “Well, I’ve been an on and off insomniac for the last nine years, give or take.” That was no big deal. Lots of people knew that. Only Jack and his long time ex-therapist had any inkling why, and the soldier had every intention of taking it to his grave. “I saw an article about junkbots in Make magazine and started playing around with kits and parts.”

That would explain why he always managed to wake up first. Folding her legs under her, Ashley settled in behind him, kissed his shoulder, and then rested her chin on it. “Looks like you spent a lot of that time at the gym, too.”

He nuzzled a cheek against her hair, but didn’t answer. Yes. He’d definitely felt the need to exercise until he ached all over on more than one occasion. Self punishment for something he wouldn’t recall but couldn’t forget. It was less destructive than drowning it with alcohol, but it had the same problem. Every time, it took more and more to achieve the desired affect. More that he didn’t always have time for. And then he’d have to resort to extremes to get the rush he needed… But there was no reason to dwell on it now. Right now, he was something approaching content, with his soft little mate against his back and his hands busy.

A/N: It was so long I forgot about this. Yes, the names did originate from the Silent Hill series.