Having his dominance challenged by her position standing above him grated on his nerves and instincts, but Mateer forced himself to remain seated. She wasn’t going to react well to his looming over her if he stood. “Of course, doctor, and I’m grateful to you for intervening to keep me alive. I believed you’d want to know what I suspect Lampergg may be attempting. I’m not saying that’s his only game right now. And I give you my word I’d never force myself on you, or any woman.”
She studied his face while he had the unaccustomed urge to hold his breath in anticipation of what she might say, as if much depended on the answer. Finally, she sat. “I accept your promise. We can be allies at least.” Reaching out, she tapped her fingernails on the black bracelet he wore. “What is this thing? A kind of tracking device?”
“It can be used for establishing location, but the primary purpose is control. Using the bracelet, they can subject a Badari to increasing levels of pain or paralyze us completely. When Jill took the one off my arm that I’d worn all my life, I swore I’d never be controlled again.” Disgust making a burning pit in his gut, he rubbed his hand across the new bracelet. “Yet here I am.” His focus was Megan, standing next to him, but in his mind’s eye he saw a long string of tragic incidents where he and the others had been tortured, some packmates wracked with pain to the point of death by their inhumane captors. “You can’t imagine what it was like, to be free after a lifetime of Khagrish control.” He took a deep breath, shaking his head. “Now to be in thrall again.”
She laid her hand on his arm, patting gently as if to offer comfort. “You’re right, I can’t imagine, but you have my sympathy. You’re a brave man, to risk coming into the Khagrish facility on whatever mission brought you here originally, whether it was to save me or for another purpose.”
“We didn’t know for sure you were here,” he admitted. “This lab received the largest transfer of humans, so we had hopes of finding you. I was here to reconnoiter—”
Holding up one hand, she interrupted him. “I won’t ask for any details. Jill lectured me enough times about keeping secrets and why she couldn’t break operational security to tell Lily and me much about her deployments. I am curious about something else though—what effect does the bracelet have on a human? The same as with a Badari, like you, or worse, or?”
Mateer leaned close. “In the beginning the Khagrish had it set too low, and Jill was completely unaffected. Even when Gahzhing altered the settings, she said she had only a tolerable level of pain, no paralysis, although she faked the reaction to lull Gahzhing’s suspicions. Eventually, whatever bionic elements the device contains died from exposure to her. The bracelet broke apart.”
“Really?” Megan’s eyes went wide. “So if we wait long enough, these will fall off? Maybe then we can escape.”
“Keep the possibility strictly to yourself. And for all I know, the Khagrish learned from their experience with Jill. Fatal to underestimate them.” Now he had a question. “We were told there were seventy-five of you at this lab and if there are only twenty here, what’s Lampergg doing with the others?”
Her face crumpled as if she was about to cry, and she looked tired and defeated. He wished he could offer comfort. “We’ve had deaths already. And four people were taken away before he sent us on this camping trip in hell. I feel so helpless but, without any equipment or medicine, there’s not much I can do. I had no idea Lampergg had so many more humans in stasis. What can we do? How can we escape?”
Mateer wasn’t about to share his thoughts on the questions she posed, not even with her. His secrets had to stay in his head, where he could guard them. He hoped MARL had been able to hack into the lab’s AI system, and his pack and their allies were even now planning a rescue operation. He’d kept his mind receptive to any incoming telepathic signals from a fellow Badari but so far nothing. He needed to keep Megan and himself alive until the rescue came, whatever it took. He’d do his best for the other humans, but she was his priority.
And not just because she was related to Jill.
Since her alien warrior patient was obviously recovered, Megan slept with the rest of the humans, close to the fire. If Mateer was harboring any ideas of trying to make the Khagrish experiment work out, despite his promise, she didn’t want to be subjected to them. The thoughts chasing themselves through her mind made it hard to go to sleep, and she watched the fire for a long time, pondering what he’d shared about Jill and Lily. It was especially hard to believe Jill of all people had fallen into insta-love with an alien warrior. Megan chuckled at the mere idea. Although the one Badari I’ve met so far is pretty fascinating. Remembering what Mateer had said about Lampergg’s ‘experiment’ featuring the two of them, she reprimanded herself for being swayed by her fascination with the big warrior.
And to be fair, Jill and this Aydarr could have spent quite a bit of time together after all. Megan reminded herself she’d been in stasis so more than a few days had passed since she went to sleep in her own bed at the colony.
There had to be a lot more to the story, not only about Jill and her new relationship, but about the Khagrish and the labs as well. Mateer had no reason to trust any of the humans too far, not even her. Rolling over and gazing at the unfamiliar star field, she had to admit Mateer was attractive in an overwhelming way and not just physically, although all those muscles on his massive frame certainly added up to a good looking man. He made her feel safe, even though they were all prisoners here and he’d been the object of the Khagrish’s worst intentions. He intrigued her on various levels and she wished she had more insight to what made him tick as a person.
But if there’s one thing I’m not and never will be, it’s an unwilling mate to some muscle bound alien warrior. Other than being prisoners of the Khagrish, we’ve nothing in common. Admonishing herself so strictly seemed like the right thing to do, but then why did she have flickers of regret about keeping Mateer at arms’ length?
“Oh go to sleep,” she muttered, closing her eyes firmly and focusing on remembering every detail of the most boring anatomy vid she’d had to study for med school. If the drudgery of rote and repetition didn’t quiet her racing mind, nothing would.
In the morning she woke as the camp stirred at dawn and immediately checked the spot where her patient should have been. He was gone, and disappointment colored her mood. Of course, why would he stay? He could obviously take care of himself and since she’d rebuffed him so thoroughly—not that he’d made any actual advances. He didn’t have to tell me what Lampergg wants. Annoyed with herself, she rose and visited the secluded spot chosen for the latrine, then rejoined Harker and Walt at the fire.
The two men were debating what to do next.
“I don’t see the point in wandering around out here,” the deputy was saying. “This is a good spot—grassy, shady, nice stream nearby. We can’t escape—Lampergg made that clear.”
“I’m just saying we should test his assertion for ourselves.” Walt stirred the fire with a stick, bringing the embers to renewed life. “For all we know he was lying, and this is our one chance to get away.”
“Lampergg wasn’t lying in this case.” Mateer stood there. “But you can’t stay here either.”
He moves with amazing speed and silence for such a large man. Megan put a hand on her belly as if to physically repress the flutter of pleasure in his return.
Dropping a makeshift sack made from large leaves like palm fronds woven together, Mateer fished something from the depths of the bag and extended his hand to her. “This fruit is edible and sustaining.”
“Thank you.” Her cheeks heated as she accepted the reddish-purple globe with a shiny skin.
“There are berries in the Preserve, and a form of tuber suitable for baking in the coals—you people have no need to starve.” Mateer directed his attention to the two men. “Tomorrow I’m going to run down a faleker or two, with any luck. Horned and hooved, good eating.”
“We have no knives or weapons of any kind,” Walt po
“I do.” Mateer flashed huge black talons on his hands and Megan recoiled in shock at the lethal display. “But there are also stands of pompratat, which can be fashioned into spears. You’ll have to eat with your hands instead of utensils.”
“We’re more used to pulse rifles, caveman.” Harker’s lip curled as he appeared to be trying to intimidate Mateer. “We’re a civilized people.”
Mateer took the deputy’s measure, in a slow scan from head to toe, and as she nibbled the fruit, Megan noticed the tips of the Badari’s talons reappearing. “I’m used to modern armament as well, but since the Khagrish didn’t see fit to give us any, we have to make do.” His next question was for her. “Did Lampergg say how long you were to be out here in the preserve?”
Her memory uncertain on the point, she shook her head, mouth full of the delicious, juicy fruit pulp.
“Lampergg told us fourteen days. I was thinking we could attempt to disassemble the antigrav litter, use the pieces for something, spears maybe,” Walt said. “Now you clearly don’t need it and the power pack died.”
Mateer nodded. “Good idea. Put your weakest person in it today, however, and carry them physically. We need to move fast.”
Harker shook his head. “Just a moment there, caveman, cool your jets. I may decide we stay here today. I’m not hiking all over hell and gone to amuse Dr. Lampergg.”
“I’m guessing you know a material fact we don’t.” Walt squinted at Mateer, who kept the sun behind him. Megan assumed it was a defensive tactic, to keep any opponent from seeing him clearly.
“Have you eaten?” she asked, getting ready to divide up the pile of fruit.
“Yes.” Mateer smacked his lips. “Fresh caught fish. But I don’t object to eating it raw, and the local parasites don’t affect me.” He slapped his outrageously well-muscled abdomen. “I have a high performing metabolism.”
She wondered what else of his was high performing and blushed again. It’s because of that ridiculous mate talk last night, directed my mind to all the wrong topics.
Continuing the previous discussion, Mateer said to Harker, “But you can’t stay here because this planet has sudden and severe storms. All the signs point to one brewing, and you won’t survive in the open.”
Raising his eyebrows, the deputy scanned the clear sky, not a cloud in sight anywhere. “You got a private weather satellite hookup? No indications of a storm coming I can see.”
“There was a ring around the moons last night, all three of them. By tonight the rain and high winds will be punishing, and there’s ferocious lightning. You have to be in a safer place.” Mateer was uncompromising. He raised his voice to address the other humans, listening to the discussion from a safe distance. “You can stay here if you want, but anyone who wishes to live needs to come with me. I’ll be leaving in a few minutes.”
“Headed where?” Walt asked.
“Based on my exploration this morning, this Preserve for all intents and purposes appears to be set up exactly like the one at my original lab. It’s entirely bounded by a force field, like the cell entrances.” Mateer shook his head. “No escape. Don’t let Lampergg play mind games with you. Don’t waste your time trying to find the boundaries. Getting back to the discussion of your destination, when they built the place, the Khagrish erected a series of fake caves inside the Preserve.”
“Why?” Megan was puzzled. Did the Khagrish subject all their captives to forced wilderness hikes?
His face set in a bland expression, Mateer said, “At the lab where I was held, we were given time in the Preserve after each combat mission. I’m taking you to the nearest cave complex. It’ll be crowded, but it’ll do for tonight. But we have to move fast.”
“Good enough for me.” Walt rose and dusted off his pants before holding out his hand to Megan. “I assume you’re coming?”
“Absolutely.” She clasped her fingers around his and let him help her to her feet. She tried to ignore the frown on Mateer’s face, but he clearly didn’t like whatever he was thinking about her and Walt. Biting her tongue, she fought the instinct to explain to Mateer how she barely knew the man. It was none of his business.
Mateer set a hard pace once the hike began. He gave Walt the heading and went off on his own, circling back fairly frequently to check on the column. He slowed his pace to walk with Megan for a few moments each time, ostensibly checking on her fatigue and thirst.
The sky gradually clouded over as the day wore on, and then the first fat drops pelted down.
Mateer appeared out of nowhere and jogged the length of the column, giving encouragement. “Not too far now, the rain will increase intensity gradually, but there’s no time to waste.” He made sure to speak to each individual then he came to her. Again Megan had the flutter of nerves in her gut, eagerness to talk with him, coupled with the bitter knowledge of Lampergg’s plot. And how complicit in this idea is Mateer? After all, he didn’t have to tell her about the scheme. Surely if he expected to benefit from it in some way—easier treatment for himself, other rewards—he’d have kept the theory to himself.
He leaned close to her. “We have to move faster. I’m going to get you to safety then return to assist the others as best I can.”
Before she could say anything, he’d whisked her off her feet and was sprinting ahead of the column, carrying her as easily as if she were a feather.
“Put me down,” she said, giving his chest a shove. Her palm ached as if she’d slapped a stone wall. Mateer was warm, hard muscle everywhere. “This is embarrassing. Grown women don’t get picked up without their permission and carried off in real life. People will want to know why you did this.”
He didn’t slacken his pace or agree to her demand, only held her tighter. “Why do you care what others think? This is between you and me. My highest priority, according to my alpha and his mate, is to ensure your safety. No one here has authority to overrule those orders. None has authority over you—I know humans don’t live in a pack structure. Time is of the essence for getting you into a secure shelter. The storm may become more violent without warning. It’s been known to happen, including swirling high winds sweeping even the most massive trees out of the ground before them.”
“That’s not what you told Harker and Walt.” She closed her eyes and gasped as he leaped across a crevasse and kept going. “Did you lie to them?”
“I don’t owe the full truth to anyone outside my pack and allies with whom we have a treaty. Your group has yet to earn the Badari trust.”
“Some code of ethics you’ve got there.”
“You have no idea what the Badari endured at the hands of the Khagrish. We have our pack rules for a reason.” His voice was steel but matter of fact. “And I’m obeying specific orders to keep you safe. Your sister is a soldier so you ought to understand the situation.
She could see his jaw was clenched and decided not to push the topic further. Besides, the rain was indeed coming down harder, and she clung to him as closely as she could. “You will go and help the others though, won’t you? A few of them are still sick from the stasis syndrome and I’m their only doctor. I never would have left them, given the choice.”
While not giving an inch or apologizing, Megan was relieved to hear Mateer show concern for the others in his next remark. “It’s my responsibility to protect those weaker than the Badari, after I’ve carried out my orders relating to you.”
A few minutes later, they arrived at a towering rock formation jutting incongruously from the grasslands. Megan thought she’d have known it was artificial even if Mateer hadn’t told her the Khagrish built it. Taking care not to bump her head or elbows on the rocks, Mateer ducked into the entrance of a cave. A fire was already blazing in a fire pit in the center of the large room and, as soon as he set her on her own feet, she instinctively drew closer to the warmth and light.
Intending to thank Mateer, she swallowed hard and forgot what she’d planned to say as she observed the way his soaked jumpsuit was plastered to his body, outlining all those muscles and his generous endowments clearly. Megan realized she must be in a similar state, if a bit drier since he’d shielded her. Closing her eyes for a second, she asked, “Will you guide the others to safety here now?”
“Yes.” He hesitated. “You’ll be safe from the storm, and no predators will be out in this weather. I’ll only be gone as long as it takes to escort your friends here.”
“I understand. Go ahead, do what you need to do to help my people.”
A tremendous crash of thunder, sounding as if it was directly overhead, made her jump and cry out.
Mateer had her in his arms again, rubbing her back and whispering in her ear. “There’s no danger, the lightning won’t strike this cave. Stay by the fire and be warm.”
“I know, I just—it took me by surprise, and I’ve always been scared of thunder, since I was a kid.” She allowed herself to stay in the shelter of his embrace for a few moments then pulled away. “I’ll be fine—you go ahead. The others might get lost in the worsening storm without you to guide them.”
He studied her face as if trying to decide how calm she was under the surface façade she was maintaining, but then he left the cave, although not without taking one more glance at her as he crossed the threshold. Megan made herself smile with confidence and give him a tiny wave. Anything to set his mind at rest and get him on his way to help the others.
She sank cross-legged onto the dirt floor next to the fire pit and rubbed her arms, hoping he wasn’t going to be too long. More thunder crashed, and she was grateful he’d insisted on the humans trekking to this shelter instead of camping out as Harker had intended. I wish he’d given them a proper storm warning, I wish he’d consulted me before swooping down and carting me off to this cave like a fair maiden in an old story. My patients need to come first. After this crisis passed, she’d have to try talking to him in more detail about a doctor’s sworn oath and responsibilities. Surely the two of them could find a compromise between his orders from his alpha and her medical duties. Jill would never expect her to prioritize her own safety and comfort before that of her patients. At the very least there needed to be better communication between Mateer and herself in advance of his making decisions concerning her. How did Jill make these kinds of issues work with her Badari?
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