Mercenaries

by Anne Kane

  Something about the man’s eyes reminded Wren of a reptile. Cold. Emotionless. Raising her chin, she held the man’s gaze until he looked away, a mirthless smile on his face. Given her current predicament she didn’t really feel good about anything at the moment, but she had a particularly bad feeling about this guy.

  “Good call, Baxter. We could use some new bloodlines to strengthen the stock. We’ll have her vetted by the Doc, and run her through basics of course, but if everything checks out she’ll make a nice addition to our stable. I’ll make sure you get a commendation for your initiative in procuring her.”

  “Sir. Thank you, sir.” The guard saluted crisply, a grin curving the corner of his mouth as the other man moved over to the desk and began to fill out some forms. After a moment’s hesitation he cleared his throat loudly.

  The older man looked up. “Is there something else?”

  The guard nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  Silence reigned for a moment. “Well?”

  The guard shuffled his feet, looking suddenly nervous. “I haven’t been assigned a female of my own yet and I know I scored well on the aptitude tests. I just thought… well… since I found her…” His voice trailed off, but Wren had the sickening suspicion she knew exactly what he was asking for.

  The older man glanced over at her speculatively, and Wren had to fight not to shrink into a corner of the cage and hide from his too-knowing gaze. What the hell had she gotten herself into?

  “Find the little bitch attractive, do you, son?”

  The guard mumbled a reply.

  The major nodded. “You’re a good lad, and you’re right. You captured her so you deserve first crack at her. I’ll put a good word in for you with the Doc. If everything checks out, you just might have your own bitch to train.”

  “Thank you, Major, sir! You won’t be disappointed.” The guard saluted again, turning to devour her with his gaze before marching smartly to the door and departing.

  Probably going to see if there were any other innocent women wandering the streets that he could kidnap.

  The major signed the bottom of the paper with a flourish and put the pen down. Straightening up, he strolled back over to the cage. He looked like career military rather than mercenary, although Wren doubted that this facility was on any of the government’s official plans. His hair was cut short, his uniform wrinkle free and his boots polished to a high shine. He produced an instant camera and pointed it at her. The flash damn near blinded her, and by the time her vision cleared the man was clipping a small photo of her to the corner of the papers he’d been writing on.

  Something about the uniform teased the edge of her memory although she couldn’t quite place her finger on it. Palace guard? Alliance Special Forces? Maybe some kind of elite offshoot of the regular troops? Those stripes did indicate a major’s rank, not that his rank made any difference to her. As soon as he left the room she intended to get out of this cage and make a break for it. Snake had one hell of a lot of explaining to do when she got back home.

  She jumped at the sound of his voice. “Ready for your physical? The Doc will be happy to see a new recruit. Been awhile since we added a bitch to the program.”

  The most terrifying thing about that question was the total lack of innuendo in the major’s voice. He might as well have been discussing the weather, or what was for supper. Still, she had no intention of giving in to whatever new type of hell she’d put herself in line for. Maybe a little bravado was called for.

  “I want out. Now. Those men had no reason to grab me. I’m a citizen and I demand you release me.”

  Something that vaguely resembled mirth appeared in the major’s eyes. “Feisty little thing. I like that. I’ll enjoy following your training, but first we need to get you into the system.” Raising his wrist to his face, he keyed a wrist-mounted com-unit and barked out a series of commands in a language she couldn’t quite follow. Russian maybe? Or Chinese? Who the hell were these guys?

  The reply was just as indecipherable, but it obviously wasn’t what he’d wanted to hear. Turning on his heels he stomped out of the room without another word.

  Good.

  Slipping her wrists free, Wren squatted down to inspect the lock on her cage. Lucky for her, lock picking had been a required skill when she and her sister had been living on the streets. She just hoped this one was susceptible to the assortment of pins she used to adorn her hair. With any luck she’d be out of here in minutes!

  She froze at the sound of footsteps echoing in the corridor outside. Cursing softly, she hurried to replace the pins and slip her wrists back into the cable tie before she backed away to the far side of the cage.

  She felt like a cornered rat, watching the door in dread as the footsteps came closer.

  Chapter Three

  The door burst open with a high-pitched squeal of hinges. The major was back, along with yet another couple of burly guards wheeling a medical gurney between them. There seemed to be an endless supply of muscular young men in this place, and unfortunately none of them were on her side.

  One of the new arrivals strode up to the cage, and as she turned to keep her attention on the new threat, she felt a pinprick in her butt.

  Her eyes widened at the knowing look on the face of the man facing her. Seriously? Tranquilizer darts? Did they have an aversion to handling a conscious woman? If she ever managed to get herself free, she’d give them a reason for that aversion. Her vision started to blur. Great. Here we go again.

  “Damn.” By the time the word left her mouth she was already sinking to the floor, the tranquilizer in the dart flooding through her body with ruthless efficiency.

  The man facing her unlocked the cage door and the two of them lifted her limp form onto the gurney. She wasn’t sure what was worse, the fact that she was still conscious enough to know what was going on or the fact that she was powerless to stop it.

  They rolled her on her side and snipped the cable ties holding her hands so that they could lay her on the gurney more efficiently, fastening her hands to the sides of the cold metal tray. She could only hope they were as sloppy with restraints as the first guard had been.

  The taller of the two spoke over top of her, as if she weren’t there. Or worse, as if she didn’t matter. “The Doc said he’s got an opening now so he’ll examine her shortly.”

  “Good.” The major nodded. “I’ll come watch. I promised Baxter I’d put in a good word for him when the time came to assign a trainer for her.”

  The other medic grinned. “Baxter’s been itching to get a bitch for a while now. He’d do a good job on her, maybe even get her qualified for mission duty.”

  The first medic guffawed, and the sound sent a chill down Wren’s paralyzed spine. “I’m betting she’ll be breeding long before that happens. You know the Doc wants some young ones to work with, and this one looks prime for the breeding program.”

  “True.” The major casually reached over and ran a too-familiar hand down her hips. “She’s young and strong, good wide hips. Probably be able to drop a youngster and be back in the field the next day. Just what we need for this program -- females who can breed and fight at the same time. Get her up to medical, and tell the Doc to go ahead with an exam. I’m late for the evening rotation with my squadron, or I’d talk to him myself. Tell him I’ll contact him later to discuss the results.”

  “Yes, sir.” The medic grasped the lead edge of the gurney and maneuvered it out the door. “The Doc will want to do a thorough work-up on her if she’s going into the breeding program. We can get the blood work out of the way while we’re waiting for him.”

  * * *

  Snake slid around the corner of the hallway, listening intently. The conversation between the two men in the room sent a chill right through him. He’d love to think that it wasn’t Wren they were discussing but he wasn’t that naïve. He still wasn’t sure what the place was, but he knew he didn’t want her here, now or ever.

  He’d been captivated by the tiny be
auty ever since they’d rescued her from the fighting rings in Loden province. Being the younger sister of Sergeant’s gal though, meant she was off limits to a guy like him. She was sweet and naïve and deserved better, but that didn’t stop his cock from being in a semi-permanent state of arousal ever since he’d set eyes on her. She was everything he wanted and could never have. Young, sweet, with dusky skin and long blonde hair, she made him wish he were a better man, the kind of man who got married and had kids. The kind of man who raised a family and went on Sunday picnics in the park.

  Hell, he’d never been that kind of guy. Raised on the wrong side of the gyro on the outer rim of Jupiter, he’d always known he was what the gentler folk called space trash. With no father and a mother who spent most of her time in a drug-induced fog that she paid for with her body, he’d practically raised himself. He’d learned early on how to make himself as invisible as he could in order to steal enough food to stave off the ever present hunger pangs.

  When he was around twelve, he’d tried to lift a raft of meat from the locker of a merchant vessel inbound for Earth. Lucky for him, that vessel belonged to Kaeden. The Sarge had a soft spot for misfits and he’d given him a choice. Get sent to juvenile lock up, or join the ship’s crew as cabin boy and work off his debt.

  He’d been part of the group ever since, having earned their respect in countless ways over the last decade and a half. He’d never forgotten that he owed his life to the Sarge though, and there was no way he’d repay him by taking advantage of Kaeden’s little sister-in-law.

  No way. Not even if this huge, rock solid, ever present hard-on killed him.

  The sound of a door opening signaled the end of the conversation. Apparently the door in front of him wasn’t the only way in and out of that room. He waited a few precious seconds, hearing nothing but a resounding silence. Moving slowly, he turned the doorknob and slid into the room. An empty metal cage dominated the center of the room. The door to the cage stood open but he knew deep down in his gut that Wren had been in that cage until moments ago. Damn!

  Assessing the sparse furniture in the room, he crossed to the battered oak desk in the corner. The form on top caught his immediate attention. A picture of Wren in the cage was paper-clipped to the upper corner and a rather crass description of her physical attributes filled the page. Yup, she was here all right, but why? He had the sickening feeling that this was somehow his fault, but even if it wasn’t, it was up to him to get her out. And fast. He still had no proof of what this facility was but he was sure it wasn’t good news.

  He crossed to the door on the far side of the room, silently peering out. It opened onto what appeared to be a large reception area, with men busily crisscrossing it from all directions. Some of them had females with them, although it was obvious that the men were in charge. The women all stayed a step behind the men, their focus completely on the man in front of them. At least half of the women were at some stage of pregnancy, which seemed incredibly odd for a military facility.

  The conversation he’d overheard had mentioned taking her to a medical facility, so he needed to find that. His ability to blend in without being noticed was going to be tested to its limits today. Taking a deep breath, he strode out into the large hall.

  Keep walking. Look like you belong. Don’t slow down long enough to be noticed. All the old adages came back easily as he unobtrusively scanned the many doors leading out of the hall. Sticking close to the edges of the hall he submerged himself in the flow of people. They all seemed to be on their way to somewhere important, totally ignoring the stranger in their midst. Then again, maybe they were used to strangers coming and going.

  He hit pay dirt on the north side of the hall when a young cadet opened a door to what appeared to be the infirmary. He caught a glimpse of a hospital type room, with a large metal table in the middle, and sprawled across that table was Wren.

  Increasing his pace, he managed to slip through the door before it closed and ghosted himself behind a curtain used to cordon off an exam cubicle. He could hear several men talking on the far side of the room, and when he peered out he could see them bent over a desk littered with paperwork.

  “We don’t know where she came from, or why. We should just terminate her and dispose of the remains.”

  “Not so fast.” An older man, with a mop of grey hair and a commanding voice picked up a metal clipboard. “She appears to be young and healthy, and we need more breeding bitches to bring us up to the desired quota. If her physical and blood work are good, I think we should put her into training and see how she works out. No point in wasting a perfectly good specimen. It’s not like we can just let her go at this point.”

  “And if someone comes looking for her?”

  He shrugged. “We can deal with that if it happens, and why would they come looking here? We’re a training facility for off-world medics. We’re not open to the public.”

  The younger man shook his head, looking far from convinced. “Personally, I think it’s too risky, but let’s do the physical and blood work. We already have a soldier willing to take her on as a trainee.” He picked up another clipboard and flipped over the pages. “Private Baxter. I remember the lad, young but enthusiastic. The major speaks very highly of him. He scored excellent on the last round of tests, just the right combination of loyalty to the cause, and good solid genetics. He’ll make an excellent sperm donor, and be proud as punch to have offspring in the enhancement program.”

  Snake definitely didn’t like the sound of that. Sperm donor? He needed to get Wren out of here ASAP. Moving silently, he brushed the side of the curtain, moving it enough that he could see into the main room.

  Wren lay motionless on the metal table. Her arms and legs sprawled at awkward angles as if they’d tossed her there without a care as to her comfort. Snake clenched his teeth, making a physical effort not to barge in and wring the two men’s necks. Somehow it seemed a million times worse when the woman being mistreated was his.

  He gave his head a mental shake. She wasn’t his. She could never be his, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t protect her to his dying breath.

  The older of the two men handed the clipboard to the other and moved to stand beside the table, talking all the while. The bastard must have a mic on him, recording the session.

  “Subject appears to be in her twenties. Good bone structure. No obvious flaws. Muscle development on arms and legs indicate a healthy regime. I surmise a high probability of her being able to withstand training.” He ran his hands impersonally over her body, and Snake once again had to restrain himself. Only the impersonal nature of the inspection saved the damned doctor from immediately becoming intimately acquainted with whatever deity he believed in.

  “No evidence of exposure to radiation or any prior injuries that might jeopardize the intended use of the specimen. We will now take blood and tissues and have them analyzed to confirm health and fertility.”

  The second doctor handed him a syringe and several small vials. After extracting half a dozen vials of blood, the doctor pulled a thin cotton sheet over the unconscious woman. Handing over the clipboard, he addressed his colleague. “That’s it for now. Take her down to a holding room until she recovers consciousness. The test results should be back in a couple of hours, and depending on the results we can make a final recommendation.”

  “Don’t you want to do an internal exam as well?” The younger doctor’s brow furrowed.

  Snake held his breath. If that asshole dared to do something as intimate as an internal exam while Wren lay there unable to defend herself, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to contain himself.

  Wisely, the doctor shook his head. “No need at this point, and I’m already late for my staff meeting. I’ll be back to check on the results of the blood test before mess call tonight. If everything checks out, we can do an internal at that point.”

  The younger man nodded. “Very well, sir.”

  Snake let the curtain drop and held his breath as the doctor st
rode out of the room. He could hear the other man fiddling in the main part of the room, opening and closing drawers. The sound of a door closing preceded an eerie quiet.

  What the hell? He should be able to see anyone exiting the room.

  Carefully lifting the corner of the curtain he looked into the main room. Empty. Wren was gone. He took two strides into the room before he saw the door on the far wall. A second exit! Shit! He’d thought that was a closet.

  Now he needed to find her all over again!

  Schooling his features into an expressionless glare that he’d found made most people hesitate to approach, much less question him, he yanked the second door open and strode through.

  A long corridor stretched out in front of him, broken up every ten feet or so by a closed door. Must be the administrative section. Hopefully no one would question him in here. It might be harder to explain his presence.

  He tried each door in turn, finding them all locked. The hallway ended in a small conclave, with an elevator and a door leading to a staircase. Obviously stairs would be the best option, but which way? Up or down? He considered the options. Holding cells would most likely be on a lower level, and if he took the stairs he could check out each level as he came to it. Opening the stairwell doorway he headed down, taking the stairs two at a time.

  * * *

  He could hear activity on the first floor down before he was even halfway there. A rifle range, no doubt. The sound of muffled gunfire was as familiar as the back of his hand. There was little chance that they’d locate holding cells by a rifle range -- too much chance of someone being hit by a stray bullet, or distracting a shooter at a vital time. He calculated the odds of Wren being on that floor as miniscule, and didn’t even pause at the entrance, continuing on down into the bowels of the building.

  How convenient. The next level was labeled “Holding and Processing.” He ignored the part that advised only authorized personnel were to enter.