by Rena Marks
I jump back, startled.
The aliens also jump and start jabbering back and forth.
“She's got it. It works. She may be too stupid to speak the input, but she can transfer.”
“Shall we awaken this one and see if it took?”
“Yes. Get the idiot out of the way.”
Another alien jerks my tie and I step back, leaving the three of them in front. Slowly I move toward the girl's feet.
“If this works, we'll be able to up the price for the human females. They won't be sold as cattle only. The ones who can converse with other species will be slaves. Imagine the possibilities. Some species may even want hybrid children. Slaves for sex! Endless possibilities.”
One of the aliens grins. “So much better than just breeding him with them for hybrid work slaves. Sex will always fetch a higher price than a workhorse.”
Well, now we know what Drakar was for.
One of them pulls a syringe from the drawer and injects the naked girl. A giant lamp comes down from the ceiling and is maneuvered over her body. The orange heat slowly warms her. Soon the internal glow in her skin begins to dissipate, leaving her more normal colored, like me.
“That's enough.”
One of them lifts the lamp and her skin is now faintly pink. Poor thing. I can’t help it, I feel bad for her so I reach out and rub her leg.
The lip-licking alien I think of as Lech watches me curiously. “What is she doing?”
“I don't know. Let her.” The bossy one says.
I rub her legs briskly, bringing circulation back to her limbs. I move up to one arm, rubbing harder.
Bossy continues to watch me. “Of course. They have one heart. They rub the extremities to encourage blood flow. Do as she does.”
When the aliens move to rub her, I notice they have two long, fat fingers instead of five. Like lobster claws.
It doesn't take long for the girl to whimper. “Wha—? Where am I? What happened?” But it's not English she speaks, it’s French. I can't talk to her. If I do, the aliens will know I understand another language from the beam, because I sure as hell never understood French before.
She squints and takes a good look at them. Alarm dawns on her pale face.
“If she screams, you can have her.” The bossy alien is unemotional. Lech, standing next to him, shows his big, stupid grin as he practically pants in his eagerness.
I quickly rub her shoulder to get her attention. “Shush,” I console. “Shh.” My voice is quick, snappy, distracting her from her impending scream.
She turns toward me, and finds comfort in my familiar human features. Then her eyes roll up in her head and she passes out.
The alien on the side of her turns her face to him, lifting her eyelids. “What happened?” he asks.
The one next to him shrugs. “They're weak. Perhaps she's going to expire also.”
“We can't afford to keep losing them,” the bossy one snaps. “At this rate, we may as well sell the rest as cattle and at least make something.”
Suddenly the room tilts. I lose my balance as the lights flicker on and off, and the ship shakes up and down like an earthquake hit. Everything bolted to the floor stays put. Then the room falls dark.
“Get to the main deck,” the bossy alien yells. “Lock idiot up.”
Someone grabs my arm, slices the tie at the chair, and thrusts me back inside the cage. Drakar catches me this time. The door opens and closes as they leave, and I'm left in the dark with him.
“What happened?” Drakar says in my ear. “What did they say?”
“I'm not sure. They didn't say anything when they ran out except get to the main deck.”
“What’s going on with the girl?”
“It works. I figured out how to transfer languages. They said I have to focus in my mind, and a laser beams jumps from my eyes into another person's. When that happens, we can communicate.”
“You're cold again,” he says and pulls me closer to his warmth.
He's right. I'm back to shivering, my teeth chattering uncontrollably. “It must take a lot of energy to transmit a language. I’m tired and I have a headache from it.”
“Do you know what language you sent to her?”
“No idea. It was the first time I did it. I wasn't even sure how to do it.”
In the dark, the girl whimpers.
“Tell her not to speak in English,” Drakar says quickly.
“I can hear you,” she says out loud. “Where am I?”
“We've been abducted. We’re on board an alien spaceship. The aliens understand English, so you have to be careful when you speak because they can overhear,” I say quickly.
“Uh, I think I know what language you stuck into her brain,” Drakar says. “I'm not speaking English. I spoke my own language and she understands.”
“Can you understand what she says?” I ask.
“No. Not in her native tongue when she first awoke. It's different from yours.”
“I speak French and English,” she says from the table.
“That makes sense. I'm Niki and this is Drakar. If they come back, don't scream,” I say. “No matter what. The leader doesn't like it and will give you over to the lecherous alien for his form of pervy discipline.”
“Okay,” she whispers. “I’m Lucie. How many of you are there?”
“I'm the only other living female from Earth. The third one they awoke. You're number four. With me in the cage is Drakar. He was the first abductee, but they don't test him like they do us.”
“Why not?”
“I don't know. Maybe they just want to learn about females. Also, they don't know I can understand them. I pretended not to when they downloaded me. Play along so I can spy on what they say.”
Emergency lights come on, lining the door in a pale amber tone, but the rest of our room is dark.
“They're coming,” Drakar says.
“How can you tell?” I whisper.
“My hearing is obviously better than yours,” he says dryly.
There's silence as we all strain to listen. Eventually I hear the footsteps approaching down the hallway before the door slides open.
Stronger amber lights in the hallways light our small room with a soft glow. They grab Lucie and she begins to struggle, but to her credit, she doesn't scream. They drag her away, her legs flailing on the glossy floor.
As soon as the room empties, I throw myself at Drakar. I can’t even imagine what horrors she may go through. Without a word, he's right there, wrapping me in his big, strong arms. I run my hand up his bicep, and he’s just hugely muscled. I can’t imagine the skinny, long-armed aliens abducting him. But somehow they did.
I relax against his strength for a minute and when things are quiet and calm, he says, “Come.”
“Huh?”
“Come. In the dark, I placed a stopper at the edge of the gate. When they threw you in the cell, I kicked the stopper into it. When they left, they did not realize the latch didn't catch. We can explore the outer office.”
“You can see in the dark?”
“Yes. Apparently much better than the aliens.”
Which was funny, considering he was an alien, too. Come to think of it, I would be an alien to him. We're all stinking aliens. I let him pull me to my feet and hear the slight creaking of the cage as he pushes it open. His hand is at the small of my back. I feel some hope. We're in this escape plan together.
He leads me with one hand in mine and the other still at my back. The only glow is the lights outlining the door, but that's not where we're headed. He takes me to the right side of the room, around the table where I first woke.
“Somewhere on this back wall is a device they use to communicate with each other when they are in separate rooms,” he says. “It is a box-like device and is amplified. I must assume they can hear us also, so you need to be silent when I switch it on.”
Chapter Two
I hear rustling as Drakar fumbles around and then pushes a button.
�
�Report.” It’s the bossy alien's voice. I've heard him speak enough to pick up on the subtle nuances of his speech patterns.
“We locked specimen three into the cage with the barbarian. Specimen four has been returned to her tube. All are locked and safe for the night.”
“Good. Leave them in the dark so we can sustain the emergency lighting for other areas of the ship.”
“Yes, sir. Where are Sleaslorik, Achktcha, and Aeoritic?”
“I sent them outside to explore the planet.”
“But…they are our mechanics. What if something happens to them?”
“Don't be stupid. Of course they will take care. I need them to survey the damage we sustained outside the ship when we crashed, and I need them to seek supplies to fix it.”
The secondary alien is immediately contrite. “I am sorry, Captain. I only worry because of this planet. It is one of the most barbaric out there. I don't know how the barbarians like him survive.” Him? I realize I’m still holding Drakar's hand. I give him a little squeeze. This was his planet. We’ve crashed on his planet. Yay for him.
“They’re used to the dangers. And since we will stay here until we can find the materials to fix the ship, we will need to get used to the dangers also. Which is why I sent them instead of us.”
“They’re returning.” A different voice spoke. Lech.
There was a series of noises, like doors sliding open and closed.
“Report.” Bossy alien barks.
“Significant damage to the rudder. We cannot stabilize direction without it.”
“Are there any materials we can use on this damn planet to repair it?”
“Unknown. Dark approaches and without lights, we cannot be sure what is out there.”
Bossy sighs. “Very well. You three will report straight out come daylight.” Fingers tap, as if he strums his lobster claws on the edge of the seat he sits in. “How are we on rations?”
“We have a week's supply left. We did not have extra to account for the awakened specimens. Especially the barbarian.”
More finger tapping. “It's his planet. We'll have him hunt.”
Someone gasps. “He'll escape.”
“Don't be foolish. I want you to explain to specimen three that she is to mate with him. Use the bracelets. Once she is his, he will not wish her to come to harm, not with those barbaric standards they live by. Then we will tether their ankles with the living straps we found before on Blaedonia. The painful end will be on her ankle, because he would merely cut it off himself. However, he would not be able to harm his own mate, so he will refuse to cut it from her since he can’t explain to her what she’ll be going through. Once they’re tied, we’ll send him out to hunt. He will not be able to stray far from the ship without her falling to harm. He will return to feed her and we will take the kill, then send him out for more. As many times as necessary.”
“How will we explain to him how to mate her?”
“We strip her of her clothing and toss her in the cage to him.” There was silence for a minute. “I want you to do it. If he harms her, this will not work. The barbarian may reject her if she smells of another. They’re so primitive.”
“Understood.” It’s not Lech's voice.
Lech speaks next. “How will we know if they mate?”
“In the morning, we will check to see if she is filled with his semen. If so, the plan is in action. If not, kill her. She will be our food for the week until we get the ship back on course.”
“I will go take care of it,” the second alien says.
I reach out and press the soft glow of button that turns off the speaker, and then say quickly to Drakar. “They're coming. Hurry. Get back in the cage.”
We race back and close the door, locking it this time. As usual, Drakar moves to the far end, leaving me huddled and trying to control my erratic breathing near the gate.
The room door slides open. The alien has a flashlight this time as he unlocks the door to the cage manually and gestures for me to come. I approach warily, as if I have no idea of his intentions. He reaches out and grabs me, yanking my thin gown over my head, and I hear the sound of ripping. He shines the light on my naked form and grunts to Drakar. Then, he grabs my hips and mimics thrusting into me.
If it had been Lech, he would have undid his pants and done it for real.
Drakar makes a growling noise and rustles around. The alien flings me back into the cage, but Drakar catches me as I fall.
The alien shines his flashlight on us after locking the cage. Apparently satisfied that I cling to Drakar, he motions for me to come closer.
I refuse to come, and he gestures for my hands as he holds something out. Hesitantly, I reach for the shiny object he holds, and he snaps it around my wrist.
Drakar growls, but the alien ignores him. He grabs my other hand and clasps it into the strange metal bracelet, then hooks them to the bars over my head. I grip the metal, and I'm sure my fingers are white-knuckled, but the alien does nothing else. He turns and leaves.
Suddenly the shackles begin to warm. It shoots a strange tingle down my forearms, like a drug that’s running through my veins.
“What are those?” Drakar says.
I shrug.
I'm shivering again, and my heart pounds. I twist around to make sure the gray alien is really gone. He is, and Drakar moves his large body to cover me. I’m grateful.
“You feel good,” I say. “It's so cold.” Even as I say it, I know the sudden temperature drop is to force us to huddle together. It’s not obvious blowing like air conditioning, but within minutes the room is noticeably colder.
The need to huddle works, and Drakar rubs his large hands over me, trying his best to warm me.
“I think we're back on your planet. They called it the barbarian's. Blah—Blaedonia?”
He grunts.
“They'd been watching your people for information about your culture. If I heard things correctly, they have a crew of six on board. Three are mechanics. We crash-landed, and there's damage to a rudder. The mechanics went out to survey the damage to the ship, but they need material to fix it. They were going to look, but it got dark and they returned to the ship instead.”
“Too bad,” Drakar says. “If we are on my planet, you cannot stay outside in the darkness. Night is when predators hunt. They wouldn't last an hour.”
“It's good that they don't know that. Maybe they'll rig some lamps or something and will get taken out tonight. We'll be three down and have three to go.”
“Did you hear anything about Lucie?”
“They've returned her to her tube for tonight. The original plan was to experiment, see how many languages took during our transfer. But they're hesitant to wake the others because we're low on food. They have a plan for that, too.”
I didn't imagine things. As I mention the food supply, Drakar's arms tighten. “They're going to send you out to hunt.”
He exhales and his voice rings with excitement. “Good. I will contact my people. We will take over their ship and free you and Lucie.”
“But we don't know how far away you are from your home. We could have crashed on the opposite end of your planet for all we know. Plus, they have a plan to make sure you don't run.”
“What plan?”
“They're going to tether us together and I'll be tied to the ship. They figure you'll feed me, and they'll grab the kill that you return, and send you out again until there's enough for all of us.”
He pauses. “Tether us?”
“I'm not sure what the tie is. They got it from this planet. It’s called a live tether.”
His hand is busy rubbing comforting circles across my belly. It’s kind of a turn on, and I suddenly feel ashamed. Why the hell am I getting aroused with the strange situation we’re in?
“If it is what I think, it is a parasite that attaches to our nerves. Cutting the tether tricks your mind into believing you just cut off one of your limbs. It must be cut within a day, or the parasite’s
tendrils entwine permanently and you will not survive the separation.”
“And then we’ll be bound together forever?”
“Yes. Unless one of us endures the pain of removing a limb so the other may live. I will do that.”
I suck in a breath, somewhat shocked. “They say your kind is unable to harm a mate, so they’re attaching the painful end to me. That's why they stripped me naked. If we don't mate tonight as insurance, the plan is off and I become the week's supply of food.”
I could feel his growl as it rumbles in his chest, vibrating against my back.
“They cannot force me to take you,” he says. “You will be safe, Niki.”
“They can,” I whisper. “They're checking me for semen in the morning. If none is present, I'll be slaughtered at first light.”
He’s quiet. Talk about awkward. We're discussing having sex, as ludicrous as it sounds.
His head drops to my shoulder, his mouth moves against my flesh. “Then I'll be gentle.”
“I know, Drakar.”
I turn in his arms, trying my best to peer in the dark. “It's just that I can't even see you, you know?” I know there are crowds that are into the thrill of not knowing who you screw, but it feels kind of weird to me.
Suddenly my shackles tingle, the sensation shooting down my arms like a spark of electricity. But it doesn’t hurt, or feel uncomfortable. It feels kind of…nice. In a strange way.
“I can see you though, little human. I have night vision that your species does not.”
I lick my lips. It doesn't seem fair that I've never seen Drakar, but then he blows warm breath on my neck, and suddenly it no longer matters.
“How do you like to be touched?” His fingers skim across my lower abdomen.
Goosebumps race across my skin and it’s not from cold. It’s instantaneous and it’s weird, but it's sexy. Either he’s a master seducer, or the shackles on my wrists are doing something strange to my libido.
I writhe. “Drakar.”
“Niki.”
“These bracelets are doing something to me.”
“I know. I feel it, too.” His voice exudes sex. “I want you.”
“What’s happening?”
He groans. “Your arousal seduces me.” His breath is heated, and his body temperature feels suddenly warmer.
