Xeno Sapiens Read online

  “They continue to fly around.”

  “Testing the boundaries.” She shrugged. “I’d expect nothing less.”

  Just then, a small shoot of light glimmered and then dropped down, dissipating into an umbrella shape.

  “Oops,” she said drolly. “One got too close.”

  “What if they all hit at the same time?” One of the men asked.

  “Then they all explode at the same time. The bio-dome is constructed to deflect, so any firing or physical trauma bounces back. Besides which, they don’t know where to fire. They can’t see through the dome, yet we can see out.”

  She opened another window. The internet was abuzz with the news, wondering if the entire feed had been real. That seemed to be the government’s defense, calling the feed a prank. Fortunately, her alternate name—Eve—was enough to lend credence. She’d always been considered a bit of a superhero to the underground communities.

  “Will we live here?” One of the females asked.

  She paused in her perusal to look up. Tempest. Beyond her grim expression, there was hope. And worry. “No, Tempest. This is a temporary home. I have set up a permanent home among civilization. This one is safe for now, but it will need to be rigged to explode. It’s the only way to destroy all the DNA samples that may have been hidden without our knowledge. We wouldn’t want them to recreate the experiment some day without anyone knowing.”

  “I thought you had all the records of where they stored samples?” Steele asked.

  “I did. But that’s not to say that someone stored them without updating the government. Perhaps Crested Ute intended to break away some day and hid them here.”

  The faces of the Xeno Sapiens looked crestfallen. The same woman spoke again, her eyes on the feed. “I see how different we look from humans. There is no way to blend. We’ll be stared at wherever we go. Here, it’s nice because they can’t really see us. There’s safety underneath the dome.” She twisted her hands, but even that small movement showed her differences.

  Her heart-shaped face looked like that of any other human. Her hair was a rich, shiny, chestnut brown. Her eyes were a clear, dark green. But from the chin down, she was a completely different skin color, predominantly purple with swirls of green and pink mixed in. Her fingernails were a darker purple stain, blackened around the edges.

  Her body was bad-ass. She was the one able to break her own bones, sending them shooting through her skin to be used as weapons, and then regenerate bone growth.

  She was beautiful.

  “Hey,” Robyn said gently. “I’m going to take care of everything. They won’t be able to bomb us out of existence on the outside. I’m setting you up as a protected species. There will be laws in place. We’ll have a safe place to live, one that is self-supporting so we wouldn’t have to leave if we didn’t want to. It has its own water supply and farmlands. It will take work, but we don’t ever have to depend on a huge entity—like the Global Government—again. Instead, they’ll be dependent on us. Their existence depends on whether or not we push a button.”

  She smiled, trying to alleviate the other woman’s fears. Tempest’s brow cleared, and she nodded.

  Robyn got to work, tapping into several sites. Working to set the plans that she’d made into action. Finally she closed the laptop, noticing Steele had never left her side. “Systems secure. Also, a bit of curiosity appeased for the land dwellers. I flipped on the cam for a bit of live streaming of some of our people,” she said to Steele. “It will keep too much speculation from brewing and also will keep some prejudice from ignorance away. As people grow more familiar with your species, they will become more comfortable, and our presence in society will not be as shocking.”

  “Good. Would you like to walk with me?”

  He stretched his hand out to her. She studied his hand—the four fingers from his Zetan heritage. The smooth gray skin that shimmered silver by mixing with his human half. His glassy, large black eyes. Other than that, the rest of his features were human. He was an anomaly in itself. Zetans were known to reproduce by cloning. Steele was produced by merging his DNA with that of humans. Not technically a Zetan race any longer, but humans would refer to him as such in their ignorance. And that was okay.

  If Zetans ever landed on Earth, they would probably scorn him for not being pure. Zetans were the original white supremacists but from another planet. In keeping their bloodlines pure, they’d evolved to cloning. They had no clue that they needed to introduce new genetic material to their species.

  She slipped her hand in his, twining her fingers through his. But this time, when they walked, she didn’t let him go.

  “We are tied for life now,” he said softly. “You require my hormones to combat the Quinteah trying to overproduce in your bloodstream.”

  “I know.”

  “We should figure out where we go from here. Perhaps you’ll meet someone.” His cheeks flushed darker. “If that happens, I will step to the side. I will let him know I am just there for your survival, that—“

  Her burst of laughter stopped him in midsentence.

  “You laugh?” He looked adorably confused.

  “Wholeheartedly,” she assured him. “Steele, I was attracted to you when you were a patient in lockdown. What makes you think I’m not attracted to you now that you’re free?”

  “I just don’t want you to think you have to be with me because of your need.”

  “I have to be with you because of my need, alright. But it’s not the same need you’re meaning.” She stepped in closer to him, watching his nostrils flare slightly. They were so close, but other than their linked hands, not touching. His chest moved up and down with the deep breaths he was taking.

  “You saved my life. You didn’t have to. Nobody knew you and Renegade had figured out that sharing your body fluids would inhibit the production of Quinteah.”

  “I couldn’t let you die.”

  “No more than I could let you. That’s why I took the injection straight to the brain. I knew the effects would be fast. But it enabled you to live, to truly live, for the first time in your life. Out of captivity. I want that for you.”

  “Why?”

  His question baffled her. “What do you mean?”

  “Why do you want me to live? Without you, my life is meaningless.”

  She laughed again. “You fool, that’s what I’m trying to tell you! I love you, Steele. I always have. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

  “Robyn,” he groaned. “I love you, too. I’d forgotten…for a while. It made me distrusting. I didn’t know why I was drawn to you so strongly when I didn’t know you. But I remember everything now. Every conversation we ever had. Every laugh. Every touch we shared. Every kiss.”

  “You do?”

  He nodded. “Since they remotely accessed our brains.”

  His hand reached out to clasp the back of her neck, tilting her head and pulling her toward him. His head lowered. She felt her eyelids flutter shut as his mouth captured her lips. She was aware of everything, the strength of his palm cupping her neck, the feel of his lips, the erotic dance of his tongue. Rising up to her toes, she dropped his hand to slip both of hers through his thick, black hair. He devoured her mouth, sinking in for a long taste. With every stroke of his tongue, her heart pounded against her ribs. His kiss was hot and perfect and consuming—just like Steele.

  “I dreamed of this. Of having you back. When we did the revival, and you were all brain damaged, I didn’t think I could live.”

  “But you were smart. You figured out a way to re-generate our brain growth. You’ve figured out so much—how to smooth over the next phase of our lives.”

  “I figured out half a life. The one with just you in it. Now, you figured out how we can be together.”

  “And now I’ll never let you go. Not for one moment will you be out of my sight. Not here, not on this Earth-ground you speak of where we’ll live.”

  She tightened her arms around his neck, and broug
ht her lips back up to him.

  “Robyn, it looks like you finally shared your secret with the world.”

  Behind her, Beast’s voice sounded droll. She turned slightly so she and Steele could watch his approach as he escorted Sunny. They made a striking couple, with his ebony skin streaked with gold stripes of color and her solid gold skin to match.

  “I was the only one she confided to,” Beast whispered to Sunny. “Her girly crush on Steele reduced her to a stuttering, quivery mess. I had to cover quite a few times.”

  “Beast, you’re back.” The relief in her voice was apparent when Robyn threw her arms around him. She’d missed the original personalities of the Xeno Sapiens.

  He rubbed her back gently. “I am. So are Renegade and Pax. And Pax had the coolest thing manifest…he can split his body. Two other Pax’s came out and all three of them were able to help Renegade wake Amanda. Then the other two were just sucked back into his body, and he became whole. Can you imagine? Three of the brainy, studious Pax persons, all watching you and studying your every movement? Creepy, I tell you.” But he was smiling as he said it.

  “I knew there was more to him than met the eye.”

  “Did you come out here to pull Robyn from my arms?” Even as he spoke, Steele gave her a tug, tucking her back into him, and resting his chin on the top of her head.

  Beast’s blue eyes sparkled like gemstones. “I got distracted by watching the tongues slime around. I came to tell you Amanda is up and running, checking out every Xeno Sapien out here. We’re all whole—and together—again.”

  The four of them wandered back to the lab. Several were seated on the front porch in chairs. Amanda was using an otoscope to peer inside Eclipse’s ear when they approached. She turned with a bright smile, barely noticing Steele’s arm around Robyn’s shoulders. She gave her a hug, with a little squeeze.

  “God, you look so much better. You were literally at death’s door the last time I saw you. I can’t believe we pulled this off.”

  “It feels surreal,” Robyn said.

  “What happens now?”

  “We take a mini vacation and live it up. We have two weeks on the island to plot and plan the next phase of our lives. We’ll continue to feed information to the public, and we’ll barter with the government to make them appear to be the good guys.”

  “Why? They were at the root of this.”

  “I know. But now we have them in the palm of our hand. And if we overthrow them, the planet may be worse off without law and order.”

  Amanda nodded. “Much as I hate it, it makes sense. Well, since we’re on vacation, we’ll have to show everyone how to do a luau. We have more than enough guys here to dig a pit while one of our best hunters goes out and captures a pig.”

  Both Amanda and Robyn turned their heads and said, “Beast.”

  He flexed his muscles at them, though he mostly seemed to be impressing Sunny. Renegade dragged a couple of chairs from inside the lab across the dirt. “Only if you two sit and relax. Your only jobs are to tell us what to do.”

  “Oh, but we have to explain how to make skirts out of grass for the ladies. We’ll also need to teach them the dance.”

  “Isn’t it funny how some traditions carried through from old earth?” Robyn asked her. “I mean, it’s mostly costume parties now, but still.”

  “I know. Too bad we don’t have Hawaiian print shirts for the guys.”

  “They’ll look better shirtless.”

  Steele eased her down into the chair while Renegade helped Amanda to sit.

  “Okay, heads up. Tempest, you’re in charge of gathering the grass for the skirts. Beast, you take a team to go hunt. The rest of us will be in charge of the fire and pit.”

  With everyone watching, Steele dropped down to his knees in front of Robyn. “You stay here, and don’t leave this spot,” he growled, pulling her to him. She threw her arms around him for a big kiss, knowing his need to show everyone their relationship.

  She’d never hide it again.

  Public transmission

  Visual Communication for the Ninth Floating City:

  “Good morning, population of Iota Nine! Everyone’s been following the story released from the underground feeds about the Genetically Altered Human program. Official news from the Global Government is that Crested Utilitarian Laboratories has been disbanded and fined. Several top officials are awaiting sentencing, though those in direct contact with Drs. Robyn Saraven and Amanda Becker have been reported missing.

  “In the meantime, construction is underway for the new shelter located on earth-ground. Neighboring residents are of mixed feelings, with the majority leaning toward not wanting the extra attention the additional species of subhuman will bring. However, the Global Government has issued military security to secure the perimeters of the base before any Xeno Sapiens arrive. Of course, the world wonders if the government is making up for past indiscretions, while the spokesman to the President assures us that the Global Government is not. They here to take responsibility for all humans, even the subspecies.

  “In other news, there is talk to provide a museum on the island where the Xeno Sapiens currently reside. The company who owns the land, purchased through an auction of Crested Ute assets, are hoping to have treasure hunts to find any possible hidden data or artifacts regarding the construction of the genetically modified humans. Construction of the museum and resort center will begin as soon as the Xeno Sapiens vacate the premises. Welcome home, Xeno Sapiens!

  “To wrap our segment, enjoy exclusive video of the newest members of society, brought to you from the underground network.”

  End of transmission

  Author’s note:

  I believe there will be many more Xeno Sapien stories. We need to find out about what they remember from their early creation. A story needs to be told of their joining the Earth-ground existence. A story of the love blossoming with the other characters. Stories of the tribulations of getting along with humans, and the fears and prejudices it rakes up. Stay tuned for more and enjoy!

  Alien Stolen

  Rena Marks

  Our world is different from anything we’ve ever known. Years ago, aliens came to live among us. They claim to be the good guys, and yet every day, humans go missing—never to be heard from again.

  Sian and her family resist the leadership of the new regime, along with dozens of other factions across the world. However, without electricity, they’re at a loss as to how to communicate with each other to band together for strength in numbers. For that reason, they fight alone. When her father and best friend are captured by the military, she pretends to be a pleasure worker to infiltrate the base. Unbeknownst to her, a pleasure worker has been summoned to service a new breed of alien—one with a known weakness. Sex drains his strength.

  None of the militia realizes that when a Nisibian comes across his mate, he doesn’t lose his power…but instead transfers it to her.

  Drunk on the power of being a female Rambo, Sian decides to steal the massive alien for herself. This much power at her fingertips could tip the scales in the resistance fight for humans.

  Abducted

  Book 1 in the Blue Barbarian series.

  Alien abductions are real.

  I was the third female awakened aboard the spacecraft that specialized in kidnapping females. Their mission? To sell us to other galaxies.

  Human female Numbers One and Two didn’t make it, but I was lucky. I was able to comprehend the instruction from Drakar, a caged abductee from the planet Blaedonia. I live only because of his warning to me not to fight the aliens who have me on the table. Together, we formulate a plan for escape for both us and the ten other unawakened Earthlings.

  Lucky for Drakar, the spaceship crash-lands back on his planet. Unlucky for the Earthlings, we’ll never be able to travel back home.

  We’ll have to learn to adapt.

  Space Babies

  Book 1 of the Purple People Series

  Rena Marks


  An antiquated ship, rotating through the galaxy of a deserted planet, bears immediate investigation.

  Helian Six boards the abandoned vessel to find the long-lost inhabitants in a state of stasis. But the systems are failing, and half a dozen have woken up. The planet below shows long dead bodies, poisoned by the scum of space, a species known as Gorgians.

  Strangely, the few who have awakened are much smaller than their planetary predecessors. And not very intelligent. Determined to believe the cute, tiny beings are not pets, the crew of Helian Six decide to train the small warriors to defend the planet. They become the laughingstock of patrol, however, after they commit and realize it will take twenty-two cycles to “rear” the inhabitants.

  So they do what any intelligent males would do. Kidnap teachers. And if the females can’t manage to avert their eyes from their buff physiques, well, score!

  Artificial Intelligence

  Rena Marks

  The Sirian galaxy has blown itself up during a war that mimicked that of the destruction of her own planet, Terra. No stranger to slavery, Arian has escaped from the planet Zeta where she’s been raised to breed royalty.

  The Artificial Intelligence is a collective unit from the Sirian Planet B. They’d warned the leaders that a civil war would destroy the galaxy to no avail. In order to escape being destroyed along with the rest, they inserted their intelligence into the computer system.

  Imagine Arian’s surprise when she encounters a huge piece of chipped planet, which her computer claims to have ancient Sirian artifacts buried in its hollowed core.

  Nothing can possibly be alive. The contamination gases from the nuclear war have destroyed everything in sight. But Arian is a scavenger, and these are ancient artifacts…