After the Second Fall Pt. 03.2

"What was it that you were hoping to see?" Rachel asked curiously.

"Anything!" exclaimed the doctor, now beginning to pace. "He dismantled our entire program by himself and there's nothing substantively different about him. It just shouldn't be possible." She stopped abruptly. "I'm sorry, Pip -- I hope I didn't offend you. You've been wonderfully accommodating; it's just that I thought there would be something to explain how you can be so successful -- something I can duplicate."

Shrugging, Pip replied, "I understand. Our doctors can't explain it, either."

She walked up to the table and tapped his knee, urging him to shift over, then sat up on the edge while staring off into the ether.

"Should we go?" Rachel asked with a smile.

"What? Oh, no, no. I just have a hard time disengaging my mind sometimes. I wish I could talk with your geneticists -- it would be fascinating."

"Sorry, I don't think we can help you there," replied Rachel as she hopped on the table next to the exasperated woman. "Are there other questions we can answer?"

Marsha started to say something and then stopped, her face reddening.

"Go ahead, ask," Rachel encouraged.

"Well, I have the blood sample, which is what I really need, but I would love a semen sample as well," the doctor said quietly, eyes pointedly looking elsewhere.

Glancing back at Pip, who smiled, Rachel dropped to the floor and began running her fingers up and down Pip's naked thigh.

"What are you doing?" gasped the doctor.

"Helping. Unless you want to do it all yourself?"

"What? No!" exclaimed the flustered woman. "Well, I didn't mean... I..."

"If you change your mind, just let me know. In the meantime, you might want to grab a container of something to collect it, unless you had in mind something more... personal."

Marsha squeaked and hustled across the clinic to get what she needed.

"Are you enjoying teasing her?" Pip asked.

'A little,' Rachel signed, pausing her touching. 'It does not seem so because she is easily flustered, but that is a cold, emotionally detached woman. She wants your semen so she can solve a mystery, nothing more. This conversation is probably the first time she has ever talked with a giant in a meaningful way. Maybe some personal attention will change her world view. That is what you had in mind when you pointed at her, right?'

Marsha was back before Pip could answer, so he just shrugged and closed his eyes, smiling as Rachel resumed her rubbing.

It wasn't a hundred beats before Marsha laid her hand on Pip's ankle, absentmindedly stroking the skin while Rachel did the same further North. With a series of gestures, Rachel soon had Marsha standing on the opposite side of the table, observing closely. Pip deliberately kept his eyes shut, heightening the experience and not worrying about what Marsha was or wasn't doing.

The pace of the attention remained relaxed until a hand tentatively grasped his shaft. There was an exclamation of breath from his left, then the situation accelerated. Given the continued timidity of the woman pleasuring him, there was no mystery as to her identity, but Pip enjoyed it nonetheless, especially as a mouth made contact with his sensitive skin.

The novelty of the situation combined with a lack of intimacy for the previous three days led Pip to reach his climax quickly, and his hips bucked with the release. As the ringing in his ears cleared, he heard Marsha laughing self-consciously and finally opened his eyes. Blinking against the bright lights, he saw that he had apparently caught her unprepared, covering her shirt and cheek; the collection container sat empty on the table between his knees. Rachel looked satisfied with the result and winked at him when they made eye contact.

"Well, I messed that up," Marsha said to nobody as she tried to wipe the loose semen into the container.

"Could be worse," suggested Rachel, but she was laughing as she said it.

After shooting the brunette a skeptical look, the doctor closed the container and set it aside, then wiped off her face with a clean spot on her shirt. She looked to Rachel, then to Pip. "Thank you for your time. I really appreciate how forthcoming you've been with information." Dr. Brass picked up the container, and with a final awkward wave, stepped out of the clinic.

"You warned me, but even so, that felt pretty cold."

Rachel nodded and looked back to Pip and sighed, having watched the woman disappear. "For just a moment there, I thought we had made some sort of connection."

"Too bad," Pip responded as he sat up. "The people here, and this place overall... it's depressing." After receiving a look that indicated he was stating the obvious, Pip continued. "More than the bars and the walls, I mean. Of course there's the whole Arena thing and fighters dying, but I'm thinking about something different. It's like there's something missing, like they're all just stepping through some sort of routine."

"I think John sheltered you from it," Rachel replied, hopping onto the table again. "The Complex felt like this, too, up until we started going to he Vale. It's freer now, but for most of the people, it's still just a job: the way they get food and water and a place to live. And for the Adams, it's just life."

"But things are changing," Pip responded definitively, and just a little defiantly.

"They are, and they will here, too, but it's clear there hasn't been a push in that direction yet."

Nodding, Pip pulled Rachel up onto his chest and laid back, rubbing her back gently. "So you don't think we should leave."

Rachel didn't respond and Pip sighed heavily.

The sound of the door opening woke them both and Pip reacted instinctively, shifting to shield Rachel with his body while slowing time's passage to imperceptibility. Marsha had returned and was in the process of stopping, her eyes gradually widening in surprise. Behind her, following behind the much smaller doctor, was a nude woman Annora's size.

Pip relaxed and moved his arm off of Rachel, then helped her sit up. "Hello, again, Marsha," Rachel said easily as she dropped to the floor. "Who is your friend?"

The woman's mouth worked for half a dozen beats before she found her voice. "My... friend is Ebba," she stated unconvincingly. "I thought that she and Pip might want to..." Marsha trailed off and looked away.

Rachel looked at Pip who flicked his head toward the open door. 'There are at least two people just outside,' Pip signed. She followed his eyes, but didn't see anybody, so she turned back with a confused expression. 'Shadows,' he offered, and when she looked again, she could make out subtle shifts in the diffuse light of the hallway.

The doctor had recovered her composure and was watching the silent exchange, fascinated by the quick, deliberate movements. "You were communicating," she stated unnecessarily, having already forgotten both her guest and associated discomfort.

Instead of responding, Rachel looked to the bigger woman, whose eyes were locked on Pip. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

The contrast between Ebba and Annora was quite striking. Instead of thin, Ebba was lean, with wavy brown hair that just reached her shoulders and almond colored eyes. The most obvious difference, however, was the woman's carriage. Ebba held her shoulders back and her chin was proud, clearly indicating personal confidence to any who might see her. Without taking her eyes off of the still prone Adam, she glided around the doctor and up to the table, completely ignoring Rachel.

"You're the Reaper," she stated definitively, her voice coming out as a purr simultaneously sultry and demure.

There was an extended moment where the two giants' eyes locked. "Most of the time, I'm just Pip," said the Adam. Ebba seemed confused, especially when Pip turned and slid off the table to the opposite side. Gathering Rachel in his arms, he continued out the door without a look back.

As expected, Harryx and Craxon were just outside the room. "Is something wrong?" stuttered the latter.

"She's not my type," he responded easily as he walked back to the training yard.

"Well done," Rachel whispered encouragingly into his ear. "I didn't like that Eve."

"Jealous?" he asked softly, for which he received a pinch on his ear.

"Maybe. She was definitely beautiful."

He nodded. "And arrogant. Even more, though, I don't want to follow their script."

Rachel smiled. "You have something in mind?" He nodded as they stepped back through the archway into the late afternoon sun.

Looking around the yard, Pip took in the remaining occupants. There were still almost two dozen people his size, about half of which were women. After a couple dozen beats, one in particular grabbed his attention and he strode purposefully to the far corner of the open space, Rachel still held in his arms.

Sitting in the dirt against a corner made by two stone walls was an Eve, slighter and shorter than Ebba. Her knees were pulled up to her chest, wrapped by thin arms, with her chin resting on top. Her face was smudged and hair dirty, but the brownish tresses were brushed out and fell easily down her pale freckled back.

With a smile and an encouraging squeeze, Rachel urged Pip to set her down, then sat with her legs crossed in front of the much larger woman. "This is Pip," she said casually, her voice as soothing as she could make it. "He saw you sitting over here by yourself and wanted to introduce himself." Behind her, Pip nodded.

The Eve's eyes flicked to Pip and back to Rachel. "Leave me alone."

Smiling just a little wider, Rachel nodded. "Of course, but can we talk for just a little while first?"

For half a dozen beats the woman's indecision kept her silent. "So you won't leave me be?"

"He's stubborn like that," Rachel offered, which earned her a disapproving look from the Eve.

"He's stubborn?"

"Definitely," answered Rachel with mock seriousness.

"And you?"

"Not a bit," came the immediate response, but Rachel was grinning.

"What is it you want?" asked the Eve after another pause. "I really just want to be left alone."

Rachel dropped her friendly facade and moved to sit against the wall, next to the larger woman while Pip squatted down to be closer to eye level. "Do you know Annora?"

The Eve nodded slowly. "Not very well, but we all know each other. Why?"

"She told us about what life was like here and I wanted to see it for myself." He paused. "I don't like this place, and I don't like the people in charge. They lie and they manipulate, but I'm sure you already know that." In response, Pip received a shrug, but the Eve avoided eye contact, which gave him even more confidence that his statement was accurate.

After a pause, Rachel added, "In order to convince them to let us visit, we may have suggested that Pip would... contribute to the population."

"Cora or Ebba?" the woman asked, entirely unsurprised.

"Ebba," replied Pip. "How did you know?"

"Deonna is pregnant right now and Maxine is still recovering, so it's either Cora or Ebba. Those four are the prime breeders."

"What about you?" Rachel asked.

At this, the Eve's eyes shot wide and she looked to Pip, almost terrified. "I... I can't. I don't want to. I..."

Rachel tried to sooth her by placing a hand on the bigger woman's knee, but this only startled her more. The Eve's legs shot out reflexively, one of which connected with Pip's shin, toppling him to the ground. Pip could have stopped the kick -- probably -- maybe -- but he wasn't expecting it and the woman's heel glanced off his shin. From his new position on the ground, he rubbed his leg theatrically. "That's harder than I've been hit in my last four Arena matches."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." the woman said as she looked away.

"Don't mind him: he's a big tough Adam," Rachel said teasingly. "Will you tell us your name?"

After a deep breath, she said quietly, "My name is Alexis, but they call me Red."

"Why?"

The question, so simply asked, made Rachel snort. "Her hair, Pip."

Embarrassed, Pip darkened slightly, then shot Rachel a dirty look. "May I?" he asked Alexis, pointing at her hair. After yet another pause, she nodded and he took a lock in his hand, finding a burnished copper color in the sun's waning light. "I'm a little slow sometimes.

"It's a beautiful color -- why is it so dirty?" The question earned him a kick from Rachel, but it was feeble compared to the one from Alexis. "What?"

"It's fine," Alexis replied before Rachel could answer. "It is dirty, and the reason is because it doesn't matter. I'm not a fighter or a breeder. I'm the smallest here, and it would have been me in the Arena instead of Annora if I wasn't useful to them."

Pip started to ask a question, then looked at Rachel, who chuckled. "Go ahead, Pip."

"So... how are you useful?" he asked tentatively, looking to Rachel again for approval.

"I would have asked, 'What do you do for them?' but close enough."

Alexis looked back and forth between the strangers. "Are you always like this?"

"We might be embellishing a little," Rachel admitted. "We are just trying to put you at ease."

"Don't bother," the Eve replied, putting her chin back on her knees. "Why won't you leave me alone?"

Making a show of scooting closer to Alexis, Pip moved forward until his knees were just in front of hers. "You didn't answer my question," he said seriously.

"And you didn't answer mine," she shot back without raising her voice.

"Fair enough. I want to learn about this place and how it works."

"That's it?"

"No, but the rest depends on you."

"What do you mean?" Alexis asked suspiciously, but Pip shook his head.

"Nope, now it's your turn. What does Craxon have you do here?"

Alexis pursed her lips together and narrowed her eyes, so Pip just stared back neutrally. A dozen beats passed and Alexis deflated. "They have me watch the fighters train."

"I don't understand," Rachel said.

"I think I do," Pip replied, still looking at Alexis. He turned to Rachel and began signing. 'I believe she is fast like me. Maybe she can absorb details that others miss and then explain how they can improve.'

'Why?'

'I was not joking about that kick. The only other person that moved that fast was L-O-R-E-N.' Rachel's eyebrows raised in surprise and Pip nodded.

While Pip and Rachel were signing, Alexis' eyes were active, still taking in her interrogators. "We need to talk more," he said aloud, albeit softly, turning back to the Eve. "If I ask for you to come back to the city with us, will you do it?"

Alexis' eyes widened in surprise and obvious fear and she shook her head slightly. "Only to the city," Pip soothed, "and only to talk. There are some things you need to know, but I don't want to discuss them here." Finally, she nodded, which Pip returned. Putting on another theatrical smile, which caused Alexis to inadvertently grin herself, he popped to his feet and turned to greet Harryx and Craxon, who had been slowly moving up behind the trio.

"I've made up my mind: I think this one will do nicely. Please have her cleaned up and brought to the accommodations in the city you mentioned earlier."

While the two men spluttered, Pip scooped up Rachel and walked over to finally retrieve his clothes.

Chapter 14

'So she is like you?'

'Maybe not,' Pip responded silently. 'That explanation feels too simple.'

'Did she just catch you unprepared?' Rachel asked.

'Yes, but there is more. Had I seen it coming, I am not certain I could have moved in time. It was strange, like her foot was moving faster than it should have been, but she pulled back at the last moment, as if she was afraid to hurt me.'

Rachel grinned. 'That must be one of the funniest things you have ever said, R-E-A-P-E-R."

"Yeah, well..." Pip chuckled. 'So what do we do when we get back to the city?'

Shrugging, Rachel nodded to Alexis, who was seated in the bed of the transport truck with them. 'Talk with her. See what she knows.'

He nodded. They had time at the moment, but with the noise and dust, talking with Alexis wasn't practical. Seeing that he had been looking at her, the Eve tapped his shoulder and pointed to his hands, then at his chest. Pip made a puzzled face, so she tried again. After a hundred beats filled with futile gestures, she sat back and folded her arms, frustrated. Pip looked to Rachel, who was clutching her stomach and laughing, the sound just audible above the noise of the wind.

When she had finally composed herself, Rachel wiped her eyes. 'I believe she is interested in how we speak silently.' Pip closed his eyes and sighed. 'I am sorry,' he signed to Alexis, who shot a grateful look to Rachel, then repeated the signs exactly.

Pip signed several other phrases of increasing complexity, all of which Alexis mirrored. Getting right up against the Eve's ear, he yelled, "How are you doing that?"

"Good memory," she yelled back, which Pip relayed to Rachel.

By the time they arrived in the city half a bell later, Alexis knew the signs for Pip and Rachel, the alphabet, and a couple dozen nouns corresponding to objects present in the truck. She had also adapted a sign to represent her own name, which seemed to make her happier than anything to that point.

"I can't believe it," Pip said aloud as the vehicle pulled to a stop. "It took me months to learn the basics. You'll be signing with us in a day or two."

Alexis blushed and looked down, peeked up through a curtain of hair, then quickly looked down again.

"Do you remember everything you see?" Rachel asked the larger woman, but Harryx stepped up before an answer could be given. "It's okay, we'll talk later, once we all get washed up."

Alexis nodded, signed her name one more time, then flashed a smile as she was led away.

Back at the vehicle, Pip was silent, still trying to process what he had just experienced. Looking down to Rachel, he saw that she was also deep in thought. "Are you alright?"

She nodded and started signing quickly. 'You were right that she is exceptional. We cannot leave here without her,' she communicated, finishing with a chop to indicate there would be no argument.

Pip nodded and exhaled a deep breath, then pulled Rachel up into his arms and indicated to the waiting guard that they were ready.

A bell later and they were in a spacious room with ceilings almost tall enough for Pip to stand upright. Even though it was obviously some sort of meeting space rather than an actual apartment or room for let, the accommodations were significantly better than they had been afforded at the Mayor's residence, and included several mattresses pushed together in one corner of the space.

Across the room, Pip was reclining lengthwise on a too-small couch with Rachel snuggled into his chest while he ran a large finger through her hair. A knock sounded on the door and Rachel made to sit up, but Pip held her tight and shook his head with a grin. "Come in," he called.

Harryx strode in confidently, but his smile faltered when he saw the couple, unsure how to proceed.

"Hello, Mayor Harryx," Rachel said casually. "Thank you for providing such a nice place for us to stay."

"Yes, well..." he replied, feigning his usual poise. "You are our guests, of course."

Of course," responded Pip dryly.

"Right, yes," Harryx started again. "And... I'm pleased to present your company for the night, Alexis and Ebba." With the mention of their names, the Eves entered. On the couch, Pip slowed time as much as he could to let his mind catch up: the Mayor had caught him well off-guard.

The two women were standing shoulder to shoulder just inside the door, with Ebba a quarter step ahead. It was obvious that the taller of the two was being presented as the primary candidate for Pip's affections.

The woman was objectively beautiful, with strong cheekbones, a thin nose, and just a touch of applied color highlighting her eyes, which were staring intensely at Pip. Her posture was less confident than it had been earlier in the day while also being more aggressive, like a predator that had been hungry too long, and unlike their first meeting, Ebba was dressed, wearing a layered silver wrap that covered one shoulder, both breasts, and part of one leg.