by Alexa Kim
A nice guy! Is she for real? Eight percent predator DNA says he’s definitely not a nice guy.
She gets up. “I’ll explain more on the way, especially the things you have to mind while around a Trooper.”
I’m back to staring at her. This is a nightmare! All this just can’t be happening!
We have left the research compound. Doctors and other staff of the lab have merely spared me a glance before resuming their work; all men and women in white bodysuits. I’m not important… just a part of the research project who doesn’t get asked if she wants to participate willingly.
The Life Tree lab building is made of shiny mirrored glass, surrounded by a high electrical fence. Two Master Troopers in their cargo pants stand to guard the gate, controlling who comes and who goes. They nod towards Dr. Barner, and let us pass through.
We climb into an electro car; Dr. Barner is driving herself. She doesn’t seem to be afraid of the hulk-like soldiers. I wonder about the heat and vegetation of the planet. The road we take is framed by jungle. There used to be places on Earth that looked like this. Today, there are barely any trees left… only in a number of nature and climate parks. People on Earth wouldn’t survive without artificial oxygen plants.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Dr. Barner asks with a smile, guessing my thoughts correctly. “We brought saplings from Earth to plant our own vegetation. Now we don’t need oxygen plants anymore.”
“You mean… the planet is alive?”
She nods. “Terra Alpha is a self-sustaining ecosystem. Like Earth used to be.”
I see a cluster of houses on our left. Bungalows surrounded by a garden. It almost looks like a holiday resort.
“We’re almost there.” Dr. Barner sighs. “The Troopers are in the field for four months, then two months on vacation. Those chosen for program INBREED are staying in these bungalows and are given a partner during that time. The rest are taking their vacation time in Sector B.”
“Sector B?”
She shakes her head. “Not important. We don’t have much time… You need to listen carefully, Larona.”
I nod because I don’t have another option. Everything she tells me could be vital. “This isn’t Torn’s first time with INBREED. However, you should not agitate him. In stressful situations… Troopers tend to have non-human reactions.”
“Stressful situations?” I inquire fearfully.
“Sexual arousal… Defiance… They are men with a part of very primal DNA, after all. They dominate their partners.” She gives me a pointed look. “That’s why we tested you in the shuttle, do you understand? We want to avoid any kind of stress.”
Shit! Why didn’t I kick and scream while I still had the chance?
The electro car stops in front of a bungalow, and Dr. Barner motions for me to get out. “I’ll show you around the house, and then you’ll meet Torn.”
“Torn?”
“That’s the name of the Trooper we paired you up with.”
I don’t have time to contemplate the strange name, and I have more pressing matters to worry about anyway. The bungalow is surrounded by a wall, but it’s not particularly high. Obviously no one is concerned about any attempts at escape. I’m not surprised… Where would I be escaping to, anyway? I’m surprised to see a swimming pool, though.
“We try to have things as normal as possible,” Dr. Barner mentions.
“No stress,” I mumble.
“Exactly. We know the situation isn’t… easy.”
A pleasant cool surrounds me as we enter the house. Apparently the bungalows have air conditioning. I’m glad I’m no longer in the hospital gown. Dr. Barner gave me a pastel yellow bodysuit.
“There’s normal clothes for you to wear in the house. However, when you leave the house, you have to wear the bodysuit. The colors are a distinguishing mark, so every other Trooper will know you are Torn’s partner, and accept that.”
“And that’s necessary?” I ask carefully.
Dr. Barner smiles reassuringly. “It’s just to be safe. Nothing has happened so far, but rules keep us civilized.”
Civilized! Don’t make me laugh. They throw me in with a monster for mating, and call it civilized! I don’t get Dr. Barner. She talks about this… rape as if it was something totally normal. How can any woman do this kind of job? Back in the examination room at Life Tree, I thought she was on my side. But she’s not. She’s nice, but somehow cold… as if she won’t allow any of this to affect her.
“This is your room,” Dr. Barner briefs me when we are inside.
I’m surprised. “I have my own room?”
She arches an eyebrow. “Of course, Larona. You’re not supposed to marry him, after all.”
All of this is absurd. And the more I learn about it, the more absurd it becomes. The bungalow has a kitchen, two bedrooms, a living room, and a gym. Everything is modern and very clean, the kitchen is all whites, with a solar induction cooker, a fridge… How can everything look so fucking normal… as if a happy couple is staying here?
“This is the bathroom, and there’s a special feature in here,” Dr. Barner says, pulling me from my thoughts. She shows me a screen on the wall. “See this red circle?”
I nod.
“Put your finger on it.”
I do. As soon as my finger hits the red circle, a tiny needle shoots out and pricks my finger.
“Ouch!” I cry out and pull my finger back. A drop of blood oozes out.
Screening negative, a female computer voice sounds from the screen.
“Do that every Saturday morning. The screening data is sent to the lab automatically.”
I give her a puzzled look.
“It’s a pregnancy test, Larona,” Dr. Barner explains.
“And… if it’s positive?”
She smiles, but only for a moment. “Then there’s no reason for you to stay here anymore.”
I nod. At least that’s something. Maybe it’ll happen fast… Although I don’t even want to think about carrying a child from one of these monsters.
When we get back to the kitchen, I freeze.
“Oh, hello Torn. I was wondering what was keeping you. I heard your mission in the outer zone was very successful. This is Larona, your new partner.”
She pushes me into the kitchen, straight towards the bulky giant. His eyes stare at me, and I feel myself shrinking into a whimpering mess under his headed gaze. That guy is six and a half feet tall, with arms as thick as other men’s thighs. He’s still wearing the Troopers’ field attire I know from the shuttle – cargo pants and black shirt. He has short brown hair, a masculine chiseled jaw, and sharp features. He could pass as handsome – if you’re into huge monster-like guys with predator genes, that is. At least he lost the utility belt with all the weapons, but that doesn’t mean he looks any less threatening. His hands are huge, and I think of them grabbing me, throwing me onto the bed and…
“Hi, Dr. Barner,” his deep voice interrupts my panicked thoughts. “The mission in the outer zone was successful. We got at least twenty of the Crawlers that tried getting into Sector B.”
Dr. Barner nods, but I can tell she wants to change the subject, and fast. For a moment, I wonder what Crawlers are exactly, but when the Trooper’s gaze lands back on me, all my thoughts are melted down into a tight knot of fear again. I don’t want to be alone with him… I don’t want Dr. Barner to leave!
“Good,” she replies, and I can feel that she’s in a hurry. “Be nice to your new partner, Torn.”
“Always am, Doc,” he replies without taking his eyes off me.
I feel my eyes watering and my bottom lip quivering. Right now, he’s probably thinking about what he’s going to do with me in a moment – just as soon as Dr. Barner is gone.
She shoots me a reassuring smile. In that moment, I again get the feeling that she’s on my side. “We’ll meet again, Larona.”
“Dr. Barner, I–”
“Yes?” she asks, and the words get stuck in my throat as the massive Troo
per shoots me a pointed glare. He wants me to stay quiet. Never agitate a Master Trooper, I recall Dr. Barner’s lesson.
“N-nothing,” I stammer.
She gives me another smile, and then I’m left alone in the kitchen with the giant.
“I–I’m Larona,” I squeeze out in a tiny voice. I notice his arm muscles flex at my words, as if simply me opening my mouth is already pissing him off.
“I know,” he replies decidedly unfriendly in his deep voice, before slamming the fridge door close so hard the entire kitchen shakes.
I flinch. Oh God! What did I do? I’d love to crawl into a corner right now. What if he grabs me and violates me right here on the floor? Instead of coming onto me, the monster turns away and leaves me standing there, staring at his back, ready to lose my shit.
“I need to train… and I want it quiet in my gym, so don’t come in there.”
I nod – which is stupid since he has his back to me and can’t possible see me. Suddenly, he turns around and barks, “Did you understand me?”
“Yes,” I squeak in reply. I think I hear him growl in approval, then he disappears behind the gym door.
2.
Torn
When the door to the gym falls shut behind me, I lean against the wall and close my eyes. I’m screwed! And it’s my own fault. When I saw the little one on the shuttle, this tiny doll with her blonde hair and blue eyes… something zapped. I wanted her, right then and there, no two ways about it. I knew I could only get her if she was chosen for program INBREED, so I told her to stay calm… and she did. Out of fear! She fears me more than death itself, I can smell it. I could back then in the shuttle, and again in the kitchen just now.
Dammit! The chances of her being taken to me after being chosen for INBREED were still relatively slim. The little one could’ve just as well ended up with Strike, or my brother-in-arms Crow. Come to think of it, what would I have done if they had brought her to Crow? Killed him to stake my claim? Fuck! This shouldn’t have happened. The little one triggers dangerous things inside me… dangerous for her, and for myself.
My gaze drops to the bulge in my pants. I’m rock-hard. I wanted to ravish her, right there in the kitchen. The smell of her skin, so clean… not even a trace of another man on her. Sadly, her intoxicating scent was blanketed by the smell of her fear. Heavens! The little one thinks I’m the worst monster she’s ever encountered, and I can’t blame her.
Even if I didn’t hurt her – which would be quite the accomplishment with how tightly I’m strung – I’d still destroy her eventually. I destroy every female, just like Crow, or Strike, or any of us. First, their bodies are exploited for INBREED… and then they end up in Sector B. No matter which way I look at it, the little one doesn’t stand a chance.
Maybe it would be better if I went to her right now to relieve some stress. She doesn’t have a chance anyway... and it’s not like she’s on Terra Alpha because she’s innocent. The women who are brought here don’t deserve our sympathies. But damn… what could a scared one like her have possibly done to end up here? Damn it, stop imagining things. You only think that because your brain is in your dick right now. I need to get my head back on straight before anyone notices that something’s off.
Go to her… give it her good and hard… right now, a voice in my head urges me. Instead of complying, I go over into the corner and start beating a heavy bag. First with my hands, then with my feet. I keep going until I’m sweating out of every pore. Somewhere in between, I pull my shirt off, then it’s back to beating the heavy bag – until it rips open, and sand is slowly trickling out. I’m deadly… I know that… and dangerous. I can’t possibly go to her like this. I’d only hurt her.
With a sigh, I open my pants and free my painfully throbbing dick. I hope I was intimidating enough when I told her not to come into the gym. I don’t want her to see this. But who am I kidding? She wouldn’t want to be in the same room as me, not even for a second.
My dick’s about to burst, and my nuts are strung so tight it hurts. I haven’t been with a woman for four months. But I’m used to that. Usually, I’m good at switching between being on the job and time off. It’s just… there’s nothing usual about this situation.
I begin stroking myself. Although I’m trying to think of something else, pictures of her crowd my mind: the little one’s petite body beneath me… her legs wrapped around my waist as I thrust into her hard… The images are so strong that I’m coming with only a few strokes of my hand. My cum splatters on the ground at my feet. I have to lock my jaw to keep from moaning out loud.
Finally, I lean against the wall, panting. I feel empty, but not satisfied. I know my desire for her won’t go away with a simple hand job. I want her so bad! At the same time, there’s that completely irrational feeling I haven’t felt towards another female before – the strong urge to protect her. Totally absurd… If the little one needs protection from anything, it’s from me, first and foremost.
Larona
I have locked myself into the bathroom. It’s the only room with a lock. After emptying my bursting bladder, I just sit on the toilet seat and think hard. I can’t go out there! I can’t… with that monster…
A dry sob escapes my throat. I have to stay calm and consider my options. I can’t get away from here… and no one is on my side… no one will help me. My family and my friends on Earth all think I’m on Mars. For them, I’m lost. They continued on to live their lives without me, even if it hurts them… And even if they knew where I am, they couldn’t help me.
I get up and stand in front of the bathroom mirror. There is no escape. There is one… only one final…
I flinch at my own thoughts, but then they don’t seem all that bad anymore.
With shaking fingers, I press the sensor on the bathroom cabinet, and it opens. I can’t find a razor to cut open my veins, but I do find some tubes with pills in them. I take a closer look: Alexol, Phremat, Satophin… I don’t know any of those substances, but I trust their combined effects will be enough to kill me. Is that what I really want? I look at myself in the mirror… and can only see fear and desperation in my eyes.
I’d prefer living… to be back on Earth with my family… I wish I had never met Trake! But I can’t change that. The only choice I have now is whether or not I’m going to let this animal mount me.
Impulsively, I open the first tube and put it to my mouth. I drown the pills, and go right on to the second tube before I can change my mind. And on to the last one…
It’s done… Now I only have to wait.
Whatever was in those pills, I wish I hadn’t taken it. Maybe it had been naïve to think I’d just fall asleep and not feel how the stuff was poisoning my body. No such luck…
My pulse is racing, I’m sweating and shaking uncontrollably. I feel like my heart is going to explode any second, and I panic. Out… Get out… I get up, wanting to go to the bathroom door. Yet my legs aren’t obeying, and neither are my arms. I collapse on the tile floor, but I manage to grab the towel rail that clatters to the floor with much noise. My legs cramp, my arms… even my jaw. I can’t move. So that’s what it’s like… death… and it’s anything but gentle with me.
All of a sudden, the bathroom door flies off its hinges with a loud bang, and my tormentor is standing in the doorway. He’s in his cargo pants, but lost his shirt. With a naked torso, he strikes me as even more menacing. He assesses the situation with one glance and moves toward me. Although I’m already scared to death, his presence scares me even more.
“What did you take?” he asks calmly in his deep voice.
I would actually answer him, but I can’t. I hope he finds the empty pill tubes in the sink.
Indeed, he moves to the sink. I hear him curse. “Fuck! Did you take all of these?”
I want to nod, but instead my eyes are rolling back and forth uncontrollably. A moment later, he picks me up, his hold adamant. He slings an arm around my waist and pushes my head down over the sink with hand of the other. Abr
uptly, he presses harder on my stomach. I can’t breathe for a second, but nothing else happens.
“Damn it,” I hear him growl, and then he forces my mouth open to push a finger so far in that I have to throw up. I vomit all over his hand, but he doesn’t seem to care. He keeps irritating my throat until I’m done and left to dry heave. Finally, he pulls back his finger.
I’m gasping for breath. I feel better, actually. The cramps are letting up and I can speak again… albeit only with a shaky voice. My heart is still racing like a shuttle engine, though.
“Better?” he asks without loosening his hold around my waist, and I manage a nod.
Suddenly he’s pulling at my bodysuit. With a single movement, he rips apart the thin fabric in the back. I start thrashing around, fighting him. He’s going to do it now… and he doesn1’t give a shit that I’m half dead!
“Calm down!” he barks at me. “Your heart is racing, that’s dangerous. What the hell were you thinking, gulping down a mix of uppers that would knock a damn Crawler on its ass?”
I shiver because he’s sounding pissed off again. Plus, he has peeled away the scraps that were my bodysuit, so that I’m left standing here in my bra and panties.
“Please… don’t… don’t hurt me,” I whimper.
Immediately, his hold around my waist loosens a fraction. “You just drowned a cocktail that would knock even me out… yet you’re afraid that I am going to hurt you?”
He lifts me effortlessly and puts me down again in the shower. He pushes the sensor with one hand, while the other arm keeps holding me close. I’m still shaking and barely able to stand on my own. The warm water cascading down my face and body gradually slows down my pulse.
“Breathe. In and out,” he instructs me.
