Stolen by the Alien Raider: A Novel of the Silent Empire

by Chase, Leslie

  Of course it would be me that had to introduce her to her new place in life. A glance at Athazar told me it was probably for the best, though. He bristled with envy, and I knew that if it were him, he wouldn't be gentle.

  At least I won't hurt her more than I have to, I thought. As though I hadn't done her enough harm by capturing her in the first place.

  6

  Amy

  This was crazy. It couldn't be happening. It just couldn't.

  It was one thing to think I'd been abducted by aliens. It was quite another to see them, to know I'd been right. Staring through the window at the figures outside, I tried to come up with another explanation that made sense. Nothing worked. Nothing apart from the obvious, simple, impossible answer.

  Two aliens stared at me through the window like I was some piece of meat. Or an animal in a trap, which wasn't too far from the truth. Whatever that beam of light had been, it felt like it had dragged me through half the forest on my way here, and most of it was still stuck in my hair. I must look a mess.

  That didn't seem to be putting either of them off, though. Picking up a stone I threw it, hard as I could. It had no more effect than the branch had. Didn't even bounce off the 'glass,' just stopped dead and then fell to the floor with a disappointing little clink.

  One of the watchers smiled, baring teeth that looked like they were made for tearing out throats. I shuddered, trying not to think about that. It wasn't easy, though. His deep red skin was covered in scars everywhere I could see, and there was something decidedly predatory about the way he looked at me. He looked like he'd enjoy seeing me suffer.

  The other ought to have been just as frightening. Deep dark blue skin that looked tough enough to turn a knife blade, clawed fingers, a hard mouth and an angry gaze. He looked like he was made of weapons and fury. But there was something about his eyes, about the way he looked at me, that made me less afraid of him. Perhaps it was just that I needed to think of one of them as friendly, and Red definitely wasn't.

  Behind them stood another alien, far enough back that I couldn't see him clearly. But my attention was focused on the closest two — they were the ones staring at me as though I was their lunch. I just hoped that wasn't literal.

  When they spoke I could hear them clearly, but their words sounded like nothing on Earth. That made sense, but it was still frustrating. Are you talking about me? You'd better not be deciding what a delicious meal I'll make. Or how you're going to probe me!

  I might not have much to defend myself with, but I was damned if I was going to let them do whatever the hell they wanted without a fight. Hefting my branch, I looked around in case a way to escape had magically opened up in the last few seconds.

  Nope. Still alone, still in a metal box, still locked in. It was half-way a relief that no one else was here. Hopefully that meant that Kelly and Abigail had gotten away, though God knew what they'd tell anyone about what had happened.

  I'll get back soon enough and clear it up, I promised myself. Not that anyone will believe me. I guess I get to be Crazy Amy, the girl with the story about being abducted by aliens.

  Thinking about my friends mocking me was strangely relaxing. If they were making fun of my story, at least that would mean that I got to be home and tell them about it.

  The hatch beside the window slid open without warning, breaking my train of thought. Through it stepped the blue skinned alien, holding some kind of device in his hand. A weapon? I had no idea, and I didn't want to find out the hard way. Scrambling back, I waved my improvised club in his direction. There wasn't much space to retreat into, and I found myself backing into a corner.

  "You stay away, Blue, or so help me, I will break your hands off and feed them to you." Could he even understand me? His expression didn't change as he advanced on me. Now that we were in the same room I got an impression of just how tall he was. Well over six feet, and bulky with it, he still moved with a smooth grace that would have been a lot more impressive if it hadn't been so menacing.

  Behind him, Red called out something unintelligible. I didn't need to understand the words to recognize the crude tone, and my hands gripped the club harder.

  Blue tensed up as well. It didn't look like he was a fan of his friend's attitude either, but it didn't stop his advance.

  Pleasant surprise, I guess. Maybe he doesn't want to do anything too horrible to me? I wasn't keen to find out if I was reading his body language correctly, though. That would be a hell of a thing to bet my life on.

  My hands were slippery on the branch and my heart pounded in my chest. I was out of space to retreat — the metal wall was right there, and in a moment I would be pinned against it. Okay then. Time to try this. I'm not giving in without a fight.

  Screaming, I swung the club with all my strength. The branch whistled through the air and I threw all my weight behind it in a sharp arc towards the alien's head.

  Blue swayed backward, and the branch missed by less than an inch. The force of my blow took sent me stumbling past him, and before I could recover he was behind me. A powerful arm wrapped around me, pinning my arms to my torso and lifting me off my feet. He was faster than I could have imagined, and stronger too.

  "Let me go," I shouted, struggling futilely in his grip. I might as well have been trying to move a truck. He spoke, words sharp and rough but tone calm and soothing. It sounded like he was trying to calm an angry cat, and I gritted my teeth at the condescending tone.

  His free hand came up to my neck, pressing something cold to it, and I froze. Was this it? Was he going to cut my throat?

  Something jabbed me, and I felt an icy chill spread through me. An injection? What the hell were these bastards doing to me? Images of alien medical experiments shot through my mind as he dropped me.

  "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" I shouted at him, swinging the club again wildly. He stepped back, a precise movement that took him out of the way of my attack, but I wasn't giving up. Charging forward, I swung again with all my anger and frustration behind it.

  Instead of dodging, he caught my hand in his. The impact stung, and his strength was easily enough to stop me. His hand dwarfed mine, enveloping it, and I suddenly felt small and fragile.

  With his other hand, he plucked the branch from my grip, and this time I didn't try to fight. The reality of how helpless I was started to crash in on me, and I trembled with fear. He could do whatever he wanted to me, and I'd just pissed him off.

  "Do not do that again," Blue said, quietly and urgently. I blinked in surprise as the words sank in. "The others here are not as forgiving as I am. Do you understand?"

  He wasn't speaking English, but somehow I understood him as well as if he had been. I stared at him, eyes wide, and tried to speak. No words came out.

  "Do you understand?" As though for emphasis, he snapped the branch. It might as well have been a twig.

  I nodded quickly. Yes. Yes, I understand, don't hurt me.

  Behind him Red laughed and said something but it didn't sink in. My full attention was on the alien who held me, who towered over me. There was something about him, despite the threats, that made me want to trust him.

  Maybe it's just the fact that he could snap me in two if I don't do as he says? Yeah, that's probably it.

  "I understand." I choked out the words, and Blue nodded seriously. We were so close to one another that I could feel the heat of his body, and when he spoke again it was quietly enough that no one else would be able to hear.

  "Good. You must be more careful if you want to survive here."

  Then he released my hand and stepped away. I collapsed to the deck, catching my breath and glaring up at him. Was that a threat, I wondered, or a warning? It sounded as though he was trying to keep me safe, but perhaps I was just kidding myself. I desperately wanted someone to be on my side here. Wherever 'here' turned out to be.

  Blue towered over me and I tried to keep still as he raised another device towards me. It took everything I had not to flinch from him,
but I didn't want to give him an excuse to be angry with me.

  "Do not fear, this will not harm you," he said, so quiet it was almost a whisper. I didn't know whether to trust him, but I didn't exactly have a choice either. He pressed the device to my hand and I yelped as it stung me. A tiny pinprick, that was all, but whatever the device was, it lit up with green glowing lights. Blue stared at it, and I thought he looked relieved as he turned and held it up to the window.

  He walked away without looking back, and I had a moment's mad urge to grab my broken branch and try to hit him with it. Not a good idea, not with his friends right outside — even if I managed to take him down, what good would it do me? So I just watched as he left through the hatch he'd entered through. The wall closed up behind him silently, and through the window I saw the aliens laughing. Amused by my fear, perhaps. My suffering was just a joke to them.

  Let them laugh. I'm not going to take this lying down. I didn't know what else I could do, but damn it there had to be something.

  * * *

  I watched the aliens through the window, and they watched me. Red and Blue were joined by another alien, a tall slender creature who looked more like an upright lizard than a human. If a lizard wore ridiculously frilly clothes, anyway.

  Under other circumstances it would have been comical. Where the other two wore functional, simple clothes, this one had a long pastel-blue coat with silver braid and golden frills. And a red shirt so light it was almost pink underneath it. It was hard to take him seriously in that getup, but the cold calculating look in his eyes when he looked my way was enough to stop me laughing.

  That and the gun belt at his waist. This wasn't someone to take lightly. I shivered and curled up as far from the aliens as I could get in the small room, wondering what the hell I'd blundered into. And why the three aliens I'd seen were all from different species. Did that mean something? Or was that normal?

  It was a stupid question. How could I possibly know what was normal here? But thinking about it was better than letting myself panic about things I couldn't control.

  I watched the trio leave their little observation room, looking pleased with themselves. Part of me was sorry to see them go: once I was alone, my mind started to spin out of control again.

  Come on Amy, distract yourself with something practical. Like how to get out of this damned cell before they come back for you. I've got to get out of here.

  Where I would run to was a question that could wait until I'd gotten out. If I was lucky, I was still on Earth and all I needed to do was escape whatever place this was. If I was really lucky, maybe Abigail or Kelly had just slipped me some acid and they were watching me hallucinate. Okay, that would be a shitty thing for my friends to do to me, but it would be better than having to accept I was some kind of slave. Or meat animal. Or whatever the aliens had planned for me.

  I couldn't believe it, though. This was too real, too solid to be a hallucination. It was actually happening, and I needed to stop hoping I'd wake up and actually do something about it.

  I looked at the hatch in the wall, but there was no sign it could be opened from the inside. Why would there be? This was clearly intended to hold prisoners. The 'window' was no better. Maybe if it had been glass I could have smashed my way out, but whatever it was made of I couldn't make the slightest impression on it.

  Curious, I reached out to touch the window. Energy crackled and I yelped in pain, pulling my fingers back and cursing. That hurt, badly enough that I didn't want to test it any further.

  "Okay, Amy, you're not getting out that way," I told myself, speaking out loud just so that I'd have something to listen to. "So, what's next?"

  I looked around, unwilling to give up. I could feel the tears building inside me, and I knew that if I stopped moving I'd collapse. As long as I was doing something, as long as I was active, I could keep ahead of my panic.

  But I had no idea where to start.

  "The drains, idiot," I told myself, trying to sound confident. "If water gets out of here, maybe you can too."

  It didn't seem likely: why would the drains be large enough for someone to fit down? But all the aliens I'd seen had all been bigger than humans — it was possible that their prisons weren't built to stop someone my size from escaping. Unlikely, sure, but it gave me another thing to try.

  Picking up the broken branch, I found that I could insert the splintered end into the drain grill and use it as a lever. Straining against it, I thought that the branch would snap but at the last moment, the grill popped up instead.

  Finally, something was going right. My heart pounding, I looked into the opening I'd made.

  "Fuck."

  The drain led to a pipe that was all of 3" wide. No exit there.

  I threw the branch against the wall and wrapped my arms around myself. It looked like I was stuck here until we reached our destination, wherever that was.

  7

  Kadran

  Athazar grinned at me as we retreated to our bunkroom. "So you like our catch, hey?"

  I shrugged, uncomfortable talking about it, and turned to open my locker. We didn't have much space to ourselves, and in the cramped quarters it wasn't easy to avoid facing him. He was content to wait until I turned back to toward him, and I saw a spark of amusement in his eyes.

  "There's nothing to be ashamed of," he said. "Humans can be pretty appealing, and this time she's at our mercy rather than the other way around."

  I couldn't tell if he was mocking me or trying to be reassuring. Either way, I wanted to punch him. After our shared experiences as slaves to Princess Tlaxanna, that was nothing to joke about. I shivered at the memories of our time as her slave-soldiers. Where Athazar wore the scars of that time on his skin, I bore mine in my soul.

  Breathe in peace. Breathe out anger. I repeated the mantra in my mind, letting it carry away my anger. It wasn't perfect, but it let me tone down my response to a point that wouldn't leave us fighting to the death.

  "It is nothing," I said through gritted teeth. "Do not concern yourself."

  Athazar nearly laughed, but caught himself in time. I had to give him that, he knew where the boundaries that he shouldn't cross were. Few of the rest of the crew had that level of self-control.

  "Come on, don't be like that," he said, lying back in his bunk and folding his hands behind his head. "The captain might have missed it, but I saw how you looked at her. She's a prize catch, right?"

  I growled, baring my teeth at him. Making himself that vulnerable to me was either very smart or very dumb, and it was hard to tell which. Was he blindly confident I wouldn't attack him, or was he taking a calculated risk? I had too much honor to attack someone who was helpless without good cause... but if he pushed me too far, I might lose control.

  The wary glance he gave me out of the corner of his eye told me that he knew the danger he'd put himself in. A clever stratagem, then, counting on our friendship and my honor to keep him safe. I sighed. The worst thing about it was that it looked like he was trying to help.

  "Fine. Yes, she is a good looking female," I admitted. The connection I felt between me and the human went deeper than that, but there was no way I could tell Athazar that. "That doesn't mean I'm going to do anything about it. You of all people know my history with humans."

  He nodded, relaxing ever so slightly. "I do. And I know that we both have reasons to take our vengeance. Is this going to be difficult for you, Kadran? She's going to market once we get to the end of our trip, you know that."

  "It's only one slave," I replied, trying to keep the distaste out of my voice. I was usually better at hiding it — I'd never have gotten this far otherwise. Hopefully Athazar would take it as distaste for the human, not for slavery.

  He raised his head and looked at me, arching an eyebrow. Obviously I was more transparent than I'd hoped. Damn it, get a grip. I'm nearly done with the mission, all I need is the contact at the far end. Don't mess it up over one slave, and a human at that.

  "You're good soldi
er, Kadran, and great on the sensors," he said slowly. "But don't think that I didn't notice what happened today. You pulled us out for no reason."

  "There was a—"

  "There was nothing." Athazar interrupted me calmly. "Don't worry, I'm not going to tell the captain, but I want to know why. We're friends, comrades, and I'll back you whatever it is. We didn't escape Tlaxanna's clutches together to hold out on one another."

  That made it worse. If Athazar was speaking out of genuine friendship, I had to answer with something or he'd be suspicious. And beyond that, he was right — after all that Athazar and I had been through together, I owed him something.

  Especially since I'd used that connection to infiltrate this ship in the first place.

  Remember who he is, I told myself, turning away to my locker so he couldn't watch my face. An old comrade and friend, yes, but he's still a slaver. Still someone who traffics in the misery of others.

  No matter what, I couldn't tell him the whole truth. If he knew I was working for the ASP I couldn't predict how he'd react but I doubted that it would be good. Any hint of that secret getting back to the captain and I was a dead man.

  "What will happen to her?" I asked, playing for time. Athazar sighed.

  "She's a special order, that's all I know. Someone's paying the captain a lot of money for a feral human meeting the requirements we scanned for. A pity we only got one of them, or maybe you'd be able to buy her."

  I tensed. That idea hadn't occurred to me, and now that it had I felt guilty for my reaction. But paying for a slave, even if I could, even if it was to free her? No. I couldn't be part of that.

  Not that it mattered. With only one human to sell there was no way the captain would give her up, even if I'd been willing to pay. He wouldn't last long as captain if he broke his contracts.

  And once we got her to market there was no way to tell if I'd have a chance to grab her. It was all down to who she was sold to, and where the sale took place.