Chapter 10 – MRin
I'd seen H'Nue and Carmen coming in from the field. She'd looked a lot more relaxed, and I hope that H'Nue manages to convince her to eat soon.
It's a very welcome surprise to see them at my doorway a few minutes later.
“Carmen, H'Nue. Come in.”
“Sorry to interrupt–”
“Not at all. Is everything okay?”
I glance at both of them, and Carmen nods, even as H'Nue says, “Yes, much improved, I think. Carmen wanted to have lunch with you.” She shoots him a glance, so I'm sure that's not quite how things played out, but she doesn't protest.
“Of course,” I agree, thrilled that Carmen feels like eating, and at the idea of sharing a meal with her. The fact that she might not be as keen as H'Nue is implying puts only a small damper on my spirits. “I don't have any supplements up here, but that's probably not–”
“Not a problem. Serve up, and I'll duck down and get some.” He leaves before I have the chance to agree, and Carmen doesn't protest. I'm surprised, but very pleased, that Carmen is willing to have food supplements.
I'm alone with Carmen for the first time after the very sexual morning. I work hard to act normally, and not as if she has only recently witnessed me coming like a storm to the mere smell of her in my nostrils and the memory of her in my arms.
I also carefully don't think about what she had looked like splayed over the same bench I had just found release on myself. I don't think about the image of her being pumped full of my semen, then induced to draw it deep into her body. Or the fact that I'd had to leave halfway through, because my cock had started hardening again, and if I'd stayed, I'd have had trouble not pushing H'Nue out of the way and mounting her myself. I definitely don't dwell on those things.
It's fortunate my instincts have relegated H'Nue to an asexual status, since it had made it possible to leave them together this morning. Nor was it aggravating to see them being friendly out in the field today. Instead, it made me happy.
“I'm so glad you're feeling better,” I say, to break the silence.
She smiles and nods, then gestures to the room, cocking her head.
“Of course, look around,” I respond, guessing at her meaning.
I must be correct, because she wanders off to my bookshelf and stares at the books avidly. She glances back at me again. “Go ahead,” I say.
She takes a breeding journal off the shelf and leafs through it. I make a mental note to find some reading primers. She might be interested.
I have three bowls of food set out on the low table by the time H'Nue returns. Carmen has made it all the way around my office, and waits with strained patience as H'Nue adds the supplements to her food.
She eats heartily, and it eases something tight and worried in me to see it. She even allows H'Nue to give her a transformation injection.
Over lunch we don't talk about what has been concerning Carmen. H'Nue doesn't bring it up, and I figure he probably has a reason for avoiding the topic.
We do talk about a recent news article H'Nue read to Carmen about the government's decision to make permanent alterations to the school curriculum–specifically regarding the addition of hus to our culture. We all agree that it is thoroughly time to do so, because even if Bovarian to Bovarian fertility improves, it would only be possible thanks to the genetic legacy of hus. As it is, almost every Bovarian under the age of fifty is the product of a Bovarian-hu pairing–Bovarian genetics are so dominant, that the offspring cannot be defined as hybrids–so the hus' importance to our society cannot be denied. They were, and continue to be, our saviours.
H'Nue observes, “We should contact the minister about developing an educational plan for cognisant hus, too.”
“We should,” I agree, making another mental note.
“I'm going to see if I can find some reading primers, or something similar, for Carmen.”
“I'd had the same thought.”
H'Nue smiles. “Of course you did.”
“Carmen was looking at my books earlier,” I gesture to a bookshelf with my chin and then turn to Carmen, “and it occurred to me that we really don't know anything about your level of education.”
“We really don't know anything much of substance about any of our hus, but it hasn't been possible to glean much more than their basic preferences until now.”
“Mmm, true. But now we have Carmen, and hopefully will have more cognisant hus in the future. I want us to be ready to support and meet their needs on every level.”
Carmen smiles and reaches out her nose. I meet her halfway, my heart singing at the voluntary gesture of affection.
“Were you educated back on Earth? Higher levels of education, I mean?” H'Nue asks.
Carmen looks over at him and nods. He huffs out a breath.
“We really have to convince the minster,” he continues, “there are other cognisant hus out there, and not all of them live in our kind of accommodations. Plus, every breeding facility is now aiming to obtain and then produce cognisant hus, and new generations won't have the benefit of an Earth education.”
It's a very real problem, and one that we must get ahead of as fast as possible. I have visited a lot of other facilities, and most of them are very basic. Not intolerable, but basic. Which–while not ideal–is okay for the hus that seem to care little for their surrounds, but would be nightmarish for any that are cognisant. And H'Nue is right; every breeder desires cognisant hus these days, since increased cognition has now been shown to have a direct correlation with increased fertility. It is a significant discovery in regards to the future prospects of our race, but we must ensure that every cognisant hu is provided with everything that they need to flourish and be happy.
We talk for quite a while, including Carmen where we can, but eventually I have to get back to work.
Carmen seems reluctant to leave, which causes my heart to squeeze.
“Perhaps we can have lunch together again tomorrow?” I suggest, and I barely finish before she nods.
Her cheek is warm against mine as I press them together and try to get my foolishly happy expression under control.
It is a lot later when I get a call from H'Nue.
“H'Nue, it's late. What are you doing still at work? Is Carmen okay?”
“I'm just finishing up a couple of things, and I wanted to keep Carmen company while I did so. She's restless. Do you think you could stay with her again tonight?”
“Of course, but she's okay?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“Okay, I'll be down there soon.”
I finish up what I'm working on, lock up my office, and make my way to Carmen's apartment.
I consider hauling in a bigger pillow, or more pillows, but selfishly decide not to. I'd really liked having Carmen tucked so close to me last night, and she'd slept well, too, so my choice isn't completely self-centred.
Carmen does seem agitated when I arrive, but she comes over to greet me affectionately, tucks herself against my side, and stays there, much calmer. It satisfies something primal deep inside me to have this effect on her. It could just be hormones, but oh, I really hope it is something more, too.
“Ah, yep, that's definitely what she wanted,” H'Nue observes in an amused voice.
“Thank you for calling and for staying with her. Make sure you log the overtime.”
“I'll do that, thanks. Goodnight, sir. Goodnight, Carmen.”
She makes a humming noise in reply, to which H'Nue grins, but I stare in astonishment. That noise is new to me.
“Have you had dinner?'
She nods then walks over to her sleeping pillows before glancing back at me. Her meaning is abundantly clear.
“Let me get ready, and I'll be there.”
Carmen sleeps soundly in my arms, and I sleep well too, with the exception of rousing when she shifts in her sleep, and when M'Rinna enters the room again. My sister and I don't talk this time, but I resolve to ask her why she is on nightshift after spending all day at work. Somehow, we didn't have the chance to talk properly yesterday.
The next day M'Rinna tells me she is still worried about Carmen, particularly since her season still hasn't started.
I placate her and suggest that she doesn't need to be pulling double shifts, since I'll be watching over Carmen at night. That doesn't seem to comfort or please her as much as I thought it would.
Then she starts talking about scans, tests, and extra injections for Carmen, to investigate the delay and/or bring on her season. I brush all of those off, as I really don't think Carmen will react well to them. Firstly, Carmen seems to have an issue with my twin, and secondly, we have only just managed to get her back to a sustainable regime, and I don't want to risk proposing anything that is likely to make her anxiety worse.
Because I can tell she is still anxious about something. It's clear that she wants either me or H'Nue around at all times, and despite her hearty appetite yesterday, she's still picky about her food. At this point I'm just pleased that she is eating properly as long as we cater to her needs.
H'Nue has me providing fresh measures for every dosing session, although Carmen doesn't seem to need to watch the process anymore, which is both a relief and a pity. I really don't know what that is about–clearly something is still bugging her about the automated system–but since she is accepting everything she needs for her transformation, I am unwilling to upset the balance.
A week later, Carmen's season still hasn't started, even though her treatment and environment have been stable and consistent since that awful day. Her restlessness has increased, but that's it.
M'Rinna is almost relentless in her requests to do tests, but so far I've denied her. I'm contemplating the ramifications of giving her permission, when H'Nue knocks on my door.
He and Carmen enter when I call him in, and I glance at the time in confusion; I didn't think it was lunchtime already. It's not. Carmen is usually outside at this hour.
“What's up?” My relationship with H'Nue has relaxed a lot, thanks to our almost constant contact these days.
“I have news that is both bad and good.”
I lean back on my desk stool. “Tell me.”
“I know what made Carmen anxious, and what is still causing her stress. I have proof of the validity of her concerns, but it involves wrongdoing on your sister's part.”
My heart rises at the same time as it sinks. “Go on.”
“When Carmen arrived, M'Rinna started dosing her with a soporific in addition to initiating her transformation. Carmen lost the ability to remember, think, and talk. When M'Rinna went on season-leave, she left behind a fortnights worth of doctored injections and doses; she couldn't doctor Carmen's food at that time without impacting other hus. But shortly after she left we had that storage incident, and the prepared medications had to be discarded. Everything was prepared again from scratch, so naturally Carmen was no longer being dosed with soporifics. She started to regain her cognition and some of her memories. As you know, it was stressful at times. Especially distressing was the fact that her ability to talk remained compromised.”
I sit, stunned, as H'Nue pauses for a moment. Carmen's bright green eyes regard me steadily from his side.
“When M'Rinna returned, she re-initiated the soporifics, but only via Carmen's food as she hadn't had the opportunity to tamper with the other delivery methods at that point. That, as you will remember, was the day Carmen's cognition crashed.” He pauses to glance at Carmen and touch his nose to her cheek. “She only ate half her lunch, then threw up most of that, so by dinnertime she'd regained enough cognition to realise what had happened. She didn't know what methods M'Rinna was using to drug her, so she refused it all. Since then, M'Rinna has tried to resume drugging her multiple times, in multiple ways.”
I don't know what to think. That M'Rinna would abuse another being in such a way is too horrific to contemplate. But that is what I'm being told happened.
“Carmen?”
She nods firmly, leaning into H'Nue's side, as if needing his support. It hasn't escaped me that she didn't come over and greet me like she usually does. Is she worried about my reaction?
I don't know how to react.
“You said you have proof?”
“I do. First, I got an outline of what happened from Carmen.” I raise my eyebrows. “It involved a lot of questions.” Carmen gives an exasperated huff, and H'Nue chuckles. “It wasn't the most pleasant way to spend a few hours.
“Then I obtained video proof.” He lays a disc on my desk. “And physical evidence.” He places a dosing syringe, a transformation injector, and a bag of food next to the disc. “When I had more to go on, I asked further questions and was able to get a clearer picture from Carmen.”
I don't need to see the videos or the test results–I will view them, of course–but I don't need them to believe H'Nue and Carmen. Something has been off with M'Rinna for a long while now. I assumed it was stress over the lack of an heir for the facility. But for her to abuse a hu, to tamper with–to taint –my semen, the very thing that is supposed to bind Carmen and me together... It makes me sick to think about.
“Why? Why did she do it? She has been so eager to get a cognisant hucow in the facility. Why would she jeopardise that?”
“That, I don't know. Carmen doesn't either, except for the impression that it has something to do with her human past.”
“Rut.” I rub my hands over my face.
When I drop them, I see H'Nue and Carmen watching me worriedly.
“I'm so sorry this happened to you, Carmen. And that it was done by my own sister. My twin. It's inexcusable.” I stand and walk around my desk, but don't approach her until she takes a hesitant step towards me. Then I close the distance and hold her tightly.
“Thank you,” I say to H'Nue, not letting Carmen go. “Thank you for seeing the problem, protecting Carmen, investigating so thoroughly, and bringing this to me.”
H'Nue relaxes a little. “You're welcome. I only want what is best for our hus, you know that. And Carmen's pretty special, but you know that, too.”
“I do.” I grin briefly before nuzzling into her again.
“So what now?” H'Nue asks after a lengthy pause.
“Now we quietly alert the authorities, then when they are in place, confront M'Rinna and see what she has to say for herself. I really want to know why.”