by Nick Braker
“I gave you a little more time, Magnus. That’s all I will do. If my queen finds-”
“She will not find out,” Magnus finished.
Carena tapped the metal chest, it rose an inch and followed her out. His cell door slid shut and he heard the locking mechanism engage.
Magnus reflected on the conversation. Tia was still an unknown but one he would treat as an enemy. Carena had given him pause. Was she a doctor because she loved helping others? A Xeno-biologist made sense. She wanted to be a doctor that could treat several different species and she was here to keep him alive during an interrogation so traumatic it could kill. Clearly, she hated what she was about to do and she had demonstrated her compassion to the point she deceived her queen. The look on her face was also clear - Carena was deathly afraid of Katerra.
They wanted information. What information? Who were they and why not use their Omarii on him? An epiphany hit him. They couldn’t, just as he had suspected. The Aliri had altered him to prevent it. The rest of his team were not augmented and if Tia could be believed, they were fortunate enough to still be unconscious. He had to break out, find his team and figure out how to destroy them. Carena would not help him kill her own people but she might be willing to help him get home.
His arms and legs were still secured to the floor. He craned his neck, examining the bonds. Metal shackles held his wrists and were connected by a single metal loop. A second metal loop connected the shackles to the floor.
That’s strange. The width of the metal loops looks... small.
Magnus pulled against the bonds trying to snap either loop holding his arms. He grimaced, putting his strength into it. He grunted with the effort but the loops held. He tried again, even harder.
Damn it. What would Grep do?
Grep would determine the type of metal holding him based on several factors, he’d then select the strongest metal in his educated list, estimate the tensile strength of it, compute the amount of force needed to break either loop and conclude it couldn’t be done. Magnus laughed inside. He missed Grep and worried for him. Magnus couldn’t even find it in himself to say goodbye. He hadn’t spoken to him since Brock’s death. Magnus pushed the thoughts to the side, he had to focus on the here and now.
For months, he wanted to find a way to reach his enemy and was incapable of doing so... now, he was here and still unable to do anything about it. What a twist of fate.
Wait... twist?
Magnus shifted his body, straining to get on his stomach. The position was tenuous and awkward but he managed to get his arms and legs crossed, letting him rest on his front. He twisted the shackles with his arms. His eyes grew wide and a grin formed on his face as the metal loop bent. He twisted more and the loop twisted with him. He reversed his body and twisted the loop the other way. It snapped.
Hell yeah, they’re fucked now.
His prison door slid open. Magnus rolled over, putting his arms back in place as if he were still chained. He closed his eyes. His trap was set.
“It’s okay, Magnus,” Carena said. “Tia is not within the facility. She returned to Citron.”
He opened his eyes. She had returned with a tray with several items on it. The four-drawer chest still followed her.
“I wanted to play the part so as not to raise any suspicion against you,” he said.
Magnus gave her a weak smile. She smiled back at him but then turned to face the chest, the tray still in her hands.
“Affix,” she ordered it. The chest lowered, resting on the floor. “I wish things could be different, Magnus, but I must report that you have regained consciousness. I cannot delay it any longer.”
“I understand. I really do,” he said, keeping his wrists over the floor plate. “Would you do me one small favor. May I have a drink of water?”
“I... of course.”
She knelt, setting the tray down on the floor next to him. The tray contained several clear bags. They were marked in characters completely foreign to him. Several needles, a plastic tube and other devices he didn’t recognize were arrayed on the metal tray. She turned back to the chest. It opened at her touch and she pulled out a small, metallic cup. Carena walked to the opposite side of the room and pressed a panel on the wall. It slid open and she set the cup inside. It filled with water and she returned, kneeling beside him.
“Here,” she said, lifting his head up.
He kept his eyes on hers.
“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me and I want you to know, I’m sorry,” Magnus said.
“Sorry?”
Magnus snapped his arms up, looping them around Carena. The shackles still held his wrists together and he pulled her tightly into him. He head-butted her and her eyes rolled back. Magnus shifted her weight hard to his right. He used her momentum and went with her. He twisted his legs, snapping the loop that held his ankles. His feet were free of the floor and no longer shackled together. He squeezed her with everything he had. Magnus wanted to suffocate her into unconsciousness.
Her eyes focused on him again. Carena’s brows furrowed and her face turned red. He tried to head-butt her a second time. She shifted her head to the side, dodging the blow. When she turned back, her face had changed. It was elongated and her eyes were almost completely black.
“Shit,” he screamed. His grip loosened in surprise.
What the fuck?
Carena growled. Her body lengthened under him and Magnus was launched over her head, landing on his back. She had wriggle herself clear of his grip. They both rolled over, getting on their feet. Magnus stumbled but recovered. The gravity was lighter here. They faced one another, shifting around in a circle, each looking for an opening.
Carena stood four inches taller than before. Her arms were leaner, more defined and muscled. Her face was slightly elongated but she didn’t look that much different.
Holy hell. What is she? She just morphed.
Magnus worked his shackles on his wrists, twisting them back and forth as fast as he could. The metal ring bent with his movements but did not break. The room shifted in front of him and he felt dizzy. She sprung, leaping at him. Magnus ducked, rolling forward. She sailed over the spot where he’d just been standing.
Magnus shook his head trying to clear the dizziness. His blood pulsed in his ears and his breathing increased.
What the hell is wrong with me? It feels like the night outside the Carlyle.
Magnus backed away as Carena, now crouched, stalked him. He was her prey. She licked her lips and pulled her arm back, leaping at him. She swung at him, shredding his shirt with her claws.
Claws?
Carena’s hands had grown claws. They were just over an inch long and apparently sharp. He backed up again, circling around the room. He pulled his shirt off, wrapping it around his right hand. He needed something to help shield against those claws. She grinned at him, licking her lips again.
“Carena,” he yelled.
She leapt at him a third time. He dove to the side but she managed to hit him with her left arm, knocking him into the metal wall. The impact dazed him. Carena stepped in front of him, slipping the upper part of her clawed hand into his pants and lifting Magnus off the floor. Using both hands, she flipped him over her and slammed him into the floor. He landed on his back, stunned again. Carena held on and then ripped her claws out, shredding the last of his clothing. She pulled them off, straddling him.
The stun wore off and he opened his eyes. She had her clawed hand wrapped around his neck. He grabbed her arm with both hands trying to free himself but her claws cut into his neck. She used her other hand to cut into her clothing. She ripped her top off, exposing her breasts. She expertly cut her pants along the seam and pulled them off, too.
What the hell? The Carlyle. Warren. Angelina Wolf. Her beauty. The pheromones. What did Grep say? Subtle mental control? I can’t think straight. I want her.
“I will mate with you,” she said.
Carena leaned in and bit his neck. Her bare s
kin pressed against his. The contact was euphoric and it aroused him. The dizziness grew stronger and Magnus’ desire took control. He wanted her and nothing else mattered. The urge was too strong. Hadn’t Warren said he didn’t have control and that he’d do anything? Carena was beautiful and sexy. She said she wanted to mate with him. Why not? It was a win, win.
Wait, ‘I will mate with you’, where have I heard that before? Amanda! Ah hell...
Chapter 12
RYIKODA
Kron - Prison complex just outside Citron
Minutes later
Magnus
Magnus lay on his back, holding Carena by her hips. The dizziness slowly faded and his breathing returned to normal. Carena straddled him, semi-conscious. She teetered several times before bracing herself on his chest with both arms. Her eyes were closed and her gyrations slowed as the last of her passion burned out. Her smile faded and her head slowly tilted forward to stare down at him. Her mouth opened wide. A long moment of silence filled the space between them as her eyes filled with tears. Carena rolled off Magnus, covering her mouth. Tears poured down her cheeks as she lay on her back, still nude. Her torso, legs and arms shrunk in length but grew a bit wider as her body morphed and she returned to her original form.
What the hell? How does she do that?
“Carena, I’m-”
“No,” she said, managing to speak between her sobbing, “don’t say... anything. What we’ve done is-”
“No one need know,” he said.
“-is punishable by death, but worse is the shame I will bear until that point.”
She cried out, turning away from Magnus. Carena continued to weep, pulling her knees up to her chest. Magnus wanted to help her but now that his lust was gone, his senses were returning. She was the enemy and he had to use her to get himself and his team home. Carena didn’t deserve the manipulation but humanity’s survival was at stake. It was Earth or Kron. He couldn’t afford to feel anything toward her regardless of how well she had treated him earlier. It was war and...
Carena said something but it was too low for him to hear.
“What?” he asked.
“Kill me,” she said.
“I-”
“Kill me, please.”
“Carena-”
“Don’t think,” she whispered, pleading with him. “Just do it. I beg you.”
Carena had her back to him and her body shook slightly as she continued to cry, holding herself.
“Magnus, you don’t understand. My people-”
Time slowed down for him and in a flash the memory of Beth appeared in front of him. She smiled, her face angelic and serene, floated above him. He could see nothing but love for him in Beth’s eyes. Was she there? He didn’t care. He reached for her and her last words came to him, like they always did.
Forget me?
Never, he had told her.
Beth wasn’t like the other women he’d known. She loved, laughed and lived each day. She was different and she deserved his love. He couldn’t help but love her. Was she the only woman alive that deserved love like that?
No.
Did all the others deserve less?
No.
Did Carena deserve to be treated this way?
No.
Beth nodded at him. Magnus made up his mind. From the time of Beth’s death, people died around him. Someone always did. People he cared for were stuck in a war they never wanted. Magnus knew he couldn’t save everyone but he wasn’t going to stop trying. He nodded back at Beth.
“Fuck your people,” he said, grabbing Carena by her arm and lifting her up.
“Stop,” she said, trying to jerk away from him.
Magnus forced her to stand but she turned away from him, covering herself. Her eyes avoided his.
“We need to find some clothes for you,” Magnus said. “You can explain mine.”
“What good will-”
He grabbed her shoulders, making her face him. “Are you Kron?”
“What? Of course, I-”
“Do your people give up?”
She stared up at him, her eyes still wet with tears.
“We do not-”
“It’s not over for you, Carena,” Magnus said. “You’re coming with me. If you can’t go back to your people, then there is another choice for you.”
“I mated with you,” she said, shaking her head. “Don’t you understand?” Magnus held her there, waiting for her to continue. “My people hate all races because of the Aliri and the Cortians. Hundreds of years of hatred, taught to each generation. What you and I did, they will never forgive. I’ll be executed.”
Magnus dragged her to the door. She didn’t resist.
“Open it,” he ordered. “We’re getting out of here.” She hesitated. “I’ll get you out of here.”
“Helping others is a weakness of yours and it will mean all our deaths,” Carena told him.
“It’s also your weakness.”
Carena stared at him for several seconds. Her eyes closed and she took a deep breath, nodding at him.
“I’m dead either way,” she said. “At least I can help you and your people.”
The door opened. Magnus stepped into the corridor first, still holding on to Carena.
“Left,” Carena said.
He didn’t hesitate. She would help him. They moved quietly through the corridor, heading towards a security door a hundred feet away.
“Your friends are in cells in the adjacent hallways.”
“Where are the guards?” he asked.
“There are none,” Carena answered.
He glared at her.
“Why didn’t-”
“I am the only Kron here. Tia returned to Citron, as I mentioned earlier. Magnus, this prison is isolated and remote. Citron, our capital, is the closest city but to reach it we have to travel outside-”
“-and your atmosphere is lethal,” Magnus said. “Yeah, Alara told me. We’d die if exposed?”
She nodded.
“Who is Alara?” she asked.
“Another person that works with me on Earth. Look, how did you and Tia get here then?”
“Yes,” she said, addressing his previous question, “you would die if exposed. The bacteria can enter the body in numerous ways - breathing, tissue membranes, wounds on the skin-”
He half rolled his eyes.
“I got it,” he said. “How...?”
“Environmental suits and our surface rover,” she said, finally answering his question.
“Help me get my crew off this planet,” he told her. “Let’s find Ruth first.”
“This way,” she said.
Carena led him past other prison cells on each side of the hallway to a door at the end. The door was solid metal and slid to the side as Carena placed her hand upon the security panel. The room inside was hexagonal. Each of the six walls had another door facing outward like the one he had entered. A control center made of thick glass faced outward from the center of the room into each hallway. Magnus finally formed a picture of the prison in his mind. The central hub acted as a security barrier and granted access to each of the six sections of the prison complex. Each spoke of the prison was isolated from the rest and this room connected them.
“Where are they?” he asked.
“We have your crew isolated from one another in different sections of the prison. This way.”
Magnus followed her to another security door. She placed her hand on the panel, repeating the process from earlier. The door opened. The lights inside came to life, revealing an identical hallway to the one he had been in. Carena led him to the first prison cell door on the right.
“She’s inside,” Carena said, pointing to the metal door.
Carena touched the security panel. As Ruth’s cell door slid open, Magnus slipped through it. Lights flickered on as a double fisted shot smacked him square in the face. It came from an attacker on his right side. The blow stunned him. His instincts and training forced his arm
s up into a blocking motion. He shifted left hoping to move away from his attacker. The blocking motion failed as a knee hit him in the gut. Magnus managed to get his arms around his opponent, forcing them closer. He squeezed. His senses returned as the stun faded.
“Ruth,” he yelled, “stop.”
Ruth shielded her eyes from the light trying to see him. She must have heard their approach. The lights had blinded her and she had attacked the first person entering the room.
“Magnus?” Ruth asked, squinting her eyes.
“Clearly,” he said, nodding.
“Magnus,” she said, hugging him. Ruth held him there, enjoying their closeness and the fact he was still alive. She released him. “Dear God, what happened?”
“I’ll explain as we go,” Magnus said, turning to leave. “We need to get the rest of the team and escape from here.”
“Magnus...” Ruth said, following him out.
“Yeah?”
“Why are you naked?”
He looked down, remembering he wore no clothes. His shoulders slumped and he half-rolled his eyes.
Oh, boy, this is not going to go well.
“I’ll need to explain that, too, I guess.”
“Were you tortured?” she asked, following him out to the hallway. “Your back is bleeding and—” Ruth’s eyes landed on Carena who was also nude.
“Are you serious?” Ruth asked, turning to Magnus.
Oh, shit.
Magnus put a hand on Ruth’s shoulder.
“This is Carena. She’s with us,” he said.
“Obviously, Ruth said, folding her arms across her chest. “And she is?”
“Our jailer...”
Kron - Prison complex just outside Citron
One hour later
Magnus
Magnus, Ruth, Giselle, and Joannah huddled closely in the small room of the prison’s central security hub. Carena sat facing them on the other side of the small room, her back to the console. The monitors above the stations showed all areas throughout the prison except for one. It was tuned to a camera outside the facility. Kron’s sun could be seen as a small, light patch of gray in the sky. Black ash rained down from above, floating softly to the ground, covering some places in blackness but dissipating entirely in others. Soot coated the ground, leaving nothing untouched.
