by Maia Starr
"Lily Retron, director of the Earth counsel. It is an honor to have you with us. My name is Yiri,” he said to me in a regal manner. I was already familiar with the name as it was the other Corillion’s second in command. He had spoke of him and his methods of getting answers, which I knew meant torture. Goosebumps appeared all over my body as I realized that he was here to harm me to get those answers.
"What is it?” I said to him.
"I want to show you something. Come with me,” he said as he gestured with his arm toward the door. I was scared to follow him. Was I being led to a torture chamber? I imagined chains and hooks with small dirty tools to carve me with. I did not move.
"Unless you want to stay locked up in here? It is your choice," he said.
I realized that this was an opportunity. Wherever he was taking me, it would give me a chance to scope out my surroundings and gather information. Perhaps I could figure out a way to get communication back to Earth. I had to take the chance. I nodded to him and walked out the door into a brightly lit hallway.
"This way,” he said to me. I followed him down the hall and looked to the left and right, taking it all in. It was a long narrow hall with doors all the way down it, but they all looked like my door. It seemed we were in the hallway of living quarters like mine. I needed something else. I needed a communication floor or technologically advanced area of the ship. Even the landing port would be great because I could possibly get onto a ship and use the communications, but the landing port was crawling with Corillion warriors. A quiet room where I could lock myself in and send a transmission would be best and that's what I was keeping a look out for.
"I suppose that my superior has told you why you are here,” he said to me.
"Your superior?” I said, pretending that I did not know who he was speaking of, simply as a tactic. Now he was going to tell me the name of the Corillion that had taken me.
"Yes, Zian Crace, my superior. I am his second in command,” he said to me.
"Yes, of course, Zian. He did tell me,” I said to him. It worked. I now had the name of the Corillion that had abducted me.
"And are you ready to hand that information over to me?” He said in a very polite way that scared me. It was always the most menacing torturers that used a pleasant tone and smile. It was almost worse than if they were yelling and being mean. It only showed that they were completely psychotic, and Yiri had a good set of crazy eyes to match his eerie smile.
"I won't hand it over. I have already told Zian that," I said to him as we turned down another hallway and into an elevator. I watched him push the buttons in an attempt to learn everything that I could. Then the elevator moved and I could feel that we were going down.
"I understand your reluctance to give me the information. But I must encourage you to give it peacefully,” he said looking at me.
"Or what? You are going to torture me until I give it over? Do it. I am ready to die for it,” I said to him.
He laughed. His laugh was very boisterous like a madman. It just made me more nervous. The elevator doors opened and we walked out into a hallway. This was more like it. The walls were covered in electronics, flashing buttons, and more. There were doors that led to various rooms and a few of them were open. As I peeked inside the doors as we walked I could see that they were rooms with technology. It was possibly what I needed to communicate with Earth. I would have to remember everything about how we got here and how to do it quietly.
"I thought you might say something like that. I admire that. It is always you diplomat types that are so regal, abstinent and defiant. You are not the first one that I have come across that would rather die than betray their kind. Please, this way,” he said as he opened a door to a room.
I walked in and was surprised at what I saw. I was not in a torture room at all. In fact, it was a quite comfortable room with a seating area and a large screen communication device. It was perfect. It was exactly what I had hoped I would come across. This would be a way to contact Earth. I now knew exactly what I needed to do. I needed to somehow come back to this room secretly in order to contact Earth. Or, I could find some way to knock out this Corillion warrior named Yiri and do it now. As I walked toward the long bench I searched the room for something heavy to hit him on the head with, even though I knew that would not be an easy thing since he was about 8 feet tall, as all Corillion were.
"Please sit down,” he said, pointing to a couch. I sat down, hoping that he would do the same. At least he would be a lot lower if he sat and I could figure out how to knock him out. But instead of sitting down, he went to the communication device.
"As I said, I have come across many like you, the martyrs. The ones that are willing to die for their cause. It has always been a tricky situation for me, since trying to get answers out of someone that is not afraid of death is not easy. Trying to get answers out of someone that is not afraid of pain is not easy. But then again, I do love a challenge,” he said with that menacing smile again.
"You consider my loyalty a challenge?” I questioned.
"I do, I really do. But I enjoy my work, and like I said before, you are not the first that I have come across like this. So, I already have a system in place to deal with humans like you. So far, this system has always given me results. I know that it will work on you as well. You are not really a challenge, and I am just going through the motions at this point.” he said as he crossed his arms and legs at the ankles and leaned against the console of the communication device.
"I do not know what you are getting at. If you are going to kill me then just do it already. If you're going to torture me then just do it already. You will get nothing out of me.” I wanted to egg him on, hoping that he would try to something on me because I might be able to hit him over the head with something in the struggle. Then that would give me enough time to contact Earth.
He chuckled. ”You are a fiery human female. I can see why you are the director of the Earth counsel. You are tough. Too bad you are not a Corillion warrior, because you would be a great one, maybe even greater than Zian Crace, ruler of all Corillion.” he said as he turned his back to me and begin to push buttons. I processed what he had just said. Did he say that Zian was the ruler of all Corillion? How could that be? I knew that the Corillion were ruled by the High Council, but I had never heard of an all ruling leader. How could we not know of this? And furthermore, how could it possibly be the same Zian that had pinned me against the wall? That Corillion was nothing but a brute and not a wise and old Corillion, worthy of ruling an entire race and galaxy. I was so caught up in this thought that I did not see what Yiri was up to until he turned to me and said,
"I am not going to get on with killing you or torturing you as you requested to go ahead and get it on with. In fact, I am not going to harm you at all... physically."
"What is that supposed to mean?” I said, getting annoyed by his strange ways.
"As I said before, I have dealt with your kind and the only way to get you to cooperate is not to hurt you, but to hurt someone that you love,” he said as he began to type on the communication device.
My heart fell to my stomach and I hoped that he was not going to do what I knew in the pit of my stomach that he was going to do. The screen on the wall was black and then suddenly a video image appeared. It was Earth as though from the satellite and zoomed down closer and closer into the capital city. Then suddenly it was on a very familiar building.
"No, no, please don't,” I pleaded.
"I won't. As long as you give me what we are asking you for,” he said as he turned and looked at me with a smile. Behind him on the screen the image zoomed into a very specific spot and a photo headshot came up of my sister Adelaine. That was her building and her apartment and her photo. Next to it was a lot of data, just like the report they had on me.
"Your sister Adelaine is going to suffer for your lack of cooperation. If you do not tell us what we know that you know, then we will kill her. We will kill her slowly and she
will suffer. Her life is in your hands, Director."
"You are evil,” I said to him as tears begin to form in my eyes. Adelaine was my baby sister and I took care of her and looked after her. I would do anything to keep her safe, and they knew that as they knew everything about me. Fuck. I was going to have to tell them. I would not put her life on the line the way that I was comfortable putting mine on the line.
"As I said before, I am used to dealing with your kind. This is the system I have in place and it has never failed me. The martyr types are always willing to die for their cause, but they are never willing to make someone else die for their own cause. It works every time,” he said smugly and very proud of himself.
"Fine. It has worked on me as you said. But I will tell Zian directly and no one else,” I said to him, knowing that this would at least buy me some time so that I could think of a plan.
He shrugged his shoulders and said, “That can easily be arranged. Now let's get you back to your room, where there will be a pleasant meal coming to you," he said with all the happiness of a cruise director, although it only came off as very creepy coming from him. I stared at the photo of my sister. I missed her already. It was possible that I would never see her again. But I wanted her to live a long and happy life and I sure as hell wasn't going to allow her to die by the hands of the Corillion, not after what happened to our father, not again. I stood up from my chair and started to walk toward her photo wanting to memorize every feature in line to burn it into my memory knowing that it could be the last time I looked at her face. But as I stepped forward staring at her photo I was doing something else, I was looking at the buttons that Yiri was pushing. I was trying to learn how to use this communication device. Then the screen went black and he turned to me and said,” Let's get you back. Zian will be pleased to hear my report that you want to speak with him and have a gift for him,” he said as he pointed toward the door.
I narrowed my eyes at him with hate and turned toward the door. When we walked down the hallway I counted every single door to remember which one we were in, the sixth door on the right from the elevator. That would be easy to remember. In the elevator we went up three floors. Once I was back in my prison living quarters a tray of food was brought to me, but I was too nervous to eat. I had to think of a plan and I had to think of something fast. I looked down at the food and it was unfamiliar to me. I was scared to eat it because it would probably make me sick. I could not be sick, as I had too much to do and too much to figure out.
"No, that is it. Maybe I do want to be sick. Zian said I was too important and they needed me alive. I had the information they wanted. They needed to keep me alive and well," I said to myself as I moved over the tray of food. I began to eat and drink and it was actually very good. I didn't think that it was really going to make me sick, I am sure they were used to feeding humans. But that would not stop me from pretending to be sick. It was the perfect plan.
An hour later the door unlocked and opened. Zian walked inside.
"What the hell?!” He said as he ran over to me. I was lying on the floor against the wall in a fetal position. I was wet with my damp hair sticking to my head from sweat. My face was flushed and I was very, very, hot.
"What happened?” He said as he knelt down beside me.
"Food… I ate the food… sick,” I said as I groaned and faked a sharp stomach cramp as I yelled out.
"Shit!” He said as he scooped me up off the ground and ran me out of the room. “Call a medic and tell them I am on my way with a very sick human that needs immediate attention! She is very important! Food poisoning!” he shouted at the guard as he ran past them.
"Sir yes sir,” the guard yelled back as he ran to a panel on the wall.
"Just hang in there. We're going to get you some help,” he said to me quietly.
I faked another stomach cramp as I moaned loudly and began to gag as though I was going to throw up. Good, it was working. My plan was working and I would soon be in a medic room where it should be much easier to escape than a locked living quarters. I was being moved into a busier part of the ship where I could disappear down to the communication device and get a message to Earth. It was my only hope.
Chapter 4
ZIAN CRACE – CORILLION LEADER
After reporting to the High Council that I had the director of the Earth counsel, I set about getting ready to put my plan into action. Once we had the code to the archive it would be a simple mission and one that would change Earth forever. I smiled to myself knowing that everything was working to my advantage now. If I had left things to the High Council it would have taken forever for them to get to this point. I was glad that I had taken matters into my own hands. It would be quick, easy, and would require very few casualties. Now that I had set things in motion it was time for me to check on my prisoner; the key to everything. I had given her enough time to come around a bit. Now that the shock of being taken prisoner would have had time to wear off she should be more logical.
I made my way to her locked holding quarters, eager to see what she was going to give me. I had to admit that I had been thinking about the moment where I pressed my body against hers. I had experienced many human female mates in my time. I was given the advantage of having as many as I wanted as the sole leader of the Corillion galaxy, but I had never met one so passionate and defiant as this one. When the human females were brought to me they were docile and obedient. They took pleasure in serving their purpose to me and I had many offspring up to this point. But I somehow wanted this one more than the others, perhaps simply because she had told me that I could not have her.
As I opened the door I was preparing for another battle of words with her, anticipating that I would find great pleasure in it. Perhaps she would even slap me again, which I enjoyed. When I opened the door I was not expecting to see the strong human female lying on the floor. She looked terrible and was very sick. I picked her up in my arms and ran to the medic floor of the ship.
"I do not know why she is ill. She did not eat anything that many humans before her had not eaten. Have the tray of food brought up to this room,” I said to the doctor as I lay Lily on the exam table. She moaned and I was full of fear. She could not die. She was too important. We needed that code. I did not know how this could've happened. Unless…
"You are going to be all right. Just hold on,” I said to her as I put my hand on her arm. Then I walked over to the wall panel and pressed on the communication device directly to Yiri.
"Yiri, come to the medic station. Come now and do not delay,” I said to him.
"On my way,” he responded.
This seemed like the work of Yiri and I hoped that it was not. I had not given him any instructions at all to go forth with any action concerning the director. We were in a holding pattern and I was going to handle the matter myself. If he had poisoned her as some sort of torture device he was going to be punished for it. It would not be the first time that he stepped over me and done what he wanted. He was dangerous, but effective. But lately, since being on the mothership, he had grown more brazen.
"I need her conscious. I need her alive and healthy,” I said to the doctor, as I moved back over to her. I did not like seeing her like this. She looked very sick and was wet from being sweaty. Her red hair stuck to her face and I pushed a few strands off of it. She gave me a confused look.
"You wish to see me, sir?” Yiri said as he entered the room. He looked at Lily and then at me.
I grabbed his arm and pulled him over to the side of the room. “Did you do this? Is this your handiwork?” I said quietly, but with a lot of anger.
"What is it? What is wrong with her?” He asked.
I grabbed him and pushed him against the wall, holding my hand around his neck. He sneered at me. His eyes narrowed and he was pissed, but so was I. “Don't lie to me, Yiri! Did you poison the director?” I shouted at him.
"No. I did not,” he said in a calm stern voice.
"Good, because if I find out that y
ou did that you will not live,” I said as I gave him a jerk and then let him go. He pulled himself off the wall and was very angry.
"Why would I need to poison her when she has already agreed to give you the code?" He said.
"What? What do you mean?” I said looking at him.
"I had a little talk with the director and she is ready to give you the code. Did she give it to you or not?” he said. As soon as he said that I filled with rage once more. Here he was overstepping his bounds again. “I did not give you permission nor did I give you any orders to have a talk with the director. You disobeyed me!” I shouted at him.
"I did my job!” He shouted back.
"Your job is to follow orders! Your job is not to do as you please! When will you learn?” I bellowed at him.
