Captive Omega

by Riley Carver

Alone for the first time in my chamber, I sit up quickly. All the blood rushes to my head. It’s been too long since I ate, I guess. And I’m still weak from the toll going into heat took on my body. I grab the burger I wasn’t interested in before and peel off the top part of the bun. It’s stale, but I appreciate the familiar taste of Earth food.

  I bite down to hold it in my mouth as I pull my hair back into a messy bun. Then I take a long, hard look at my room. The L-shaped desk has storage underneath it. I never noticed that before. I pull and press on the corners of the panels, trying to get into the cabinets. Nothing happens.

  I squat down and take a closer look. There has to be a way in. For a second, I feel unsteady on my feet. I pitch forward, and I catch myself on the underside of the cabinet. My finger catches on a switch, and all of a sudden, the first panel under the desk springs open.

  I hook my arms on the lip of the open panel and pull myself into the cabinet like a mechanic sliding under a car. The cabinets are much roomier than they look from the outside. It seems like they jut back into the adjoining room.

  I get on my hands and knees and crawl through. There’s nothing stored here, so I keep crawling until I hit the bend. Jackpot. At the farthest end, there’s a small jumble of stuff. I take my shirt off and wrap it all up in a little bundle. I want to see everything in the bright light of my room, and it doesn’t look like there’s any other way out.

  I start to wonder how much time I have before Peggy comes back. I decide I’ll wait to look at all this stuff and take this opportunity to see if I can get into the adjoining room somehow. I’m moving fast now. I squirrel my treasures under a pile of uniforms Peggy gave me and then dive back in through the open panel.

  I lightly tap on the back wall. It doesn’t sound hollow until I get to the bend in the L-shape. This is the point of weakness in the room. This is where I’ll try to escape. I don’t even care that there’s nowhere to escape to. I’m not going to make anything easy for my captors.

  Drax

  I’m in the officers’ lounge when the Omega’s attendant sneaks in behind an Alpha officer who swiped his pass at the door.

  She pushes through the crowd, jostling drinks and drawing the ire of everyone here. Amiran grabs the back of her shirt and starts to haul her away. “Wait,” I instruct him. “What is it that’s so important?” I ask her.

  The Beta smooths out her shirt and scowls at Amiran before speaking. “I’m worried about the Omega, sir, and no one is taking me seriously.”

  I set my drink down heavily on the clear Lucite bar. “Tell me more,” I say, turning to give her my full attention.

  “The Omega has not eaten in three days. She’s refusing to get out of bed. The staff at the med bay say that she’ll eat when she’s hungry enough, but they don’t know how stubborn she is. We need to do something to make her happy.”

  “I see,” I say, leaning back in my chair and waving off the security guards who are edging closer to the Beta. “And you have something in mind?”

  “I think we should give the Omega access to more of the ship,” the Beta says. It’s clear she knows what a breach of protocol this would be—she’s staring at the floor and squeaking out her request.

  I can appreciate the grit it took for the Beta to speak to me so boldly. I cock my head to the side and urge her to continue.

  “She should get to use the shower bay every other day. We can seal it off during set hours and post guards so that the Omega has it all to herself. It wouldn’t be that difficult, and it wouldn’t be a burden to the crew.”

  The Beta is on a roll now, and her theories about what is best for the Omega start pouring out of her.

  “I think the Omega should get to take some meals in the food bay too. I’d like to give her a tour of the ship. She’s taken an interest in Fysian technology, and it would give her some mental stimulation. She’s not interested in anything right now. We have to do something to cheer Kira up.”

  “Kira?” I say, taking the opportunity to try the sound of her name.

  “That’s the Omega’s Earthborn name, sir. She doesn’t respond to being called Omega. She doesn’t believe that Omega’s hold an esteemed position; she doesn’t see it as an honorific.”

  All of a sudden, I see it clearly. The Beta has given me the means to get what I want most. If the Omega is in the shower bay alone some days, it will be easy for me to dismiss her guards and slip into the shower with her.

  No one will have to know—it’s not like I’m going to pair bond with her, and it’s unlikely anyone will believe the Beta attendant if she accuses me of having the Omega. I tell myself that even if I am caught, someone of my rank would be unlikely to be sentenced to more than a high fine and a slight demotion. From the way the Omega behaved the other day, I’m guessing she’ll like this plan too. Sometimes I swear I can still feel her rubbing herself on my cock.

  “The Omega may have regular showers,” I say, keeping my voice totally neutral. “But meals outside her chamber and touring the ship are unnecessary breaches of protocol. You are dismissed. And Beta? Don’t ever disturb me here again.”

  When she scurries away, I’m left alone with my lewd fantasies of what will happen when I get the Omega all to myself.

  Kira

  Peggy practically tumbles through the door. She’s talking so fast, I have no idea what she’s saying. After a minute of her meaningless, excited chatter, I cut her off.

  “Peggy! Stop! If you’re trying to tell me something important, you need to go slower.”

  “Sorry, Kira! I just talked to Drax, and they’re going to let you have regular access to the shower bay. Isn’t that great news?”

  I’m feeling more cheerful. It has nothing to do with washing my hair and everything to do with my escape plan, but Peggy doesn’t need to know that.

  “Umm, yeah, that’s awesome. Thank you, Peggy.”

  Peggy beams. This seems like as good a time as any to enact phase one of my plan.

  “Hey, so, I was looking around my chamber, and I found this weird bottle,” I say, pointing to the wavy glass bottle filled with bright green liquid that I’ve put on top of the desk.

  Peggy looks confused. “Where did you get that?” she says. “I haven’t seen a bottle of Atraxia in years. They stopped making it because it’s so potent that people kept flying their ships straight into the mountains on Fysi after only one drink.”

  “It was behind the stack of uniforms,” I lie.

  Peggy thinks for a minute. “It couldn’t have been. I prepared your chamber myself, and I didn’t see it.”

  I cringe. I don’t want Peggy to know I’ve gotten access to the cabinet. Luckily, she shrugs it off.

  “Oh well,” she says. “I must have missed it. I can dispose of it now.”

  “No!” I say, a little too loudly. When I looked through the junk I had pulled out, the bottle was the only useful thing. There’s a length of rope and a book I can’t read, and a cube that’s maybe a decoration. I opened the bottle, and I could smell its high alcohol content right away. It doesn’t matter what planet you’re on. Liquor smells like liquor.

  “I mean, uh, I was really hoping that you might have a drink with me. One drink before we get rid of it wouldn’t hurt, would it?”

  Peggy bites her lip and twists a lock of her hair. Today she has a high bun with tendrils falling loose around her face.

  “We really shouldn’t, but you sound so much happier than you’ve been. I guess one drink won’t hurt anything. But hold on; I’ll be right back!”

  Peggy comes back into the room cradling two glasses and a two-liter bottle of soda. She grins. “When I was studying the customs of Earthborns, I was always curious about mixing drinks with this. That’s what you do, right?”

  It’s hard not to smile at her. “Yeah, it’s really good,” I say, even though I seriously doubt this Fysian paint thinner will taste anything but terrible. “Let me make our drinks.”

  I reach out and take the glasses and soda and bring e
verything over to the desk. I turn my back, and I pour a glass of plain soda for myself and the strongest drink I’ve ever made for Peggy.

  “Just a little for me,” she says. “I’m on duty.”

  “Of course,” I say, hoping my shaky voice doesn’t give me away. I had been planning to pretend to sip my drink before spilling it or something. Having the chance to drink plain soda is so much better. I need a clear head to interrogate Peggy.

  Chapter 7

  Kira

  Peggy is lying on her side in front of the door. She has her hand on her hip like she’s posing for a fashion shoot. Really, she’s trying to keep her eyes focused on me while she talks. And boy is she in the mood to share.

  “No one listens to me,” she slurs. “Out of everyone, I know you best. You’d think they’d ask my opinion. But noooooo. I’m just a Beta, so I’d better fall in line behind the Alphas.”

  I’ve been letting Peggy get all her Alpha resentment off her chest for the past ten minutes. I think it’s time to get what I want out of her.

  “Yeah, the Alphas aren’t my favorite, either,” I say. “You should get to make plans for me because of how much time we’ve spent together.”

  “Exactly! I went through Omega preparation training the same as the Alphas. It’s not like I don’t know what I’m doing.”

  “Oh, really?” I say, cocking my head to the side. “What’s the training like?”

  “It’s—it’s,” she pauses to hiccup before continuing. “It’s involved: learning Earthborn languages and customs, making contact online, making sure that the Omega gets on the ship without damaging her…”

  “You did all that stuff for me?”

  “Of course.” She knits her eyebrows together, and I can’t tell if she’s confused or mad. “You sound like the rest of them. I’m qualified to be here.”

  Ahh, she’s mad. I’d better smooth things over quick.

  “No! I didn’t mean it. I just want to hear all about the hard work you did to train.”

  Peggy rolls onto her back and looks up at the ceiling.

  “My favorite part was talking to you online,” she says.

  “What?”

  “My favorite part was starting the Believers group. I liked checking to see if I had new messages. It was exciting to have so many Earthborns to talk to at once. I checked in all the time. But then it got depressing when I realized no one was going to listen.

  “We tried so hard to prepare the Earthborns. You didn’t want to hear it! No one on Fysi expected that. We wanted to ease you into the idea we were coming. That way, there wouldn’t be a panic. When Earthborns panic, Omegas can get hurt. Well, everyone can get hurt, but Omegas are all that matters.”

  I remember talking to believe_or_perish online. The way she used the same phrasing as Peggy and the way that she predicted exactly what would happen. I feel gross. The entire Believers group was a ploy to kidnap me and the other Omegas easier.

  Giving Peggy a few drinks was a bad idea. I don’t want to know the things she’s telling me. It’s only going to make it harder for me to be around these aliens. But it’s too late; she won’t stop talking.

  “I memorized the handbook, you know! Page 750, ‘Tell the Omega her planet will be destroyed. This will motivate her to board the ship without a struggle.’”

  Wait, what? “Peggy, did Drax lie about Earth being destroyed by the other aliens?”

  Peggy hiccups again and starts to close her eyes.

  “Peggy! Tell me!”

  “Drax followed protocol, like he always does. He’s going to be on the Upper Council one day, you know,” she says in a petty voice.

  “But the explosion I saw…”

  “A simulation,” she says before falling asleep.

  My family is alive. My family is alive, and I’m in the farthest corner of the universe, stolen. My hands are shaking. Before I mount my escape, I’m going to find a way to make Drax wish he was never born.

  Drax

  Amiran’s off tending to a problem with our propulsion core, and an officer named Kyr is sitting next to me in Amiran’s chair. Earlier, our detection system flagged an abnormality. It’s impossible to tell if it was a ship or a false positive. Detection systems aren’t perfect, but we’re on high alert nonetheless.

  I look around the control room. Eight crew members sit in two rows. Every face is squinting at a screen. I can tell everyone’s future as I take stock of the crew here. It’s not hard in Fysian culture.

  Of the eight of us in the room, four are Alphas. Of those Alphas, two excelled at the children’s center and later the officer’s academy, Kyr and I. The other Alphas, Zan and Cres, were passable students. They would have done better if they weren’t always getting into minor trouble. Once we get back home with the Omega, they’ll likely be placed at the head of their own units.

  Kyr and I can expect to be named to the Upper Council within five years. This mission is important enough to fast track us to the highest posts in Fysi. Then, of course, there’s one more Alpha roaming the ship: Amiran. His future is impossible to see. He’s a diehard believer in the Fysian Compact, but he never seems to think that everyday rules apply to him. How far he gets will all be up to who he knows.

  Aside from the soldiers in the control room, there are thousands of soldiers on the ship, but they’re all Betas who’ve been primed to die for Fysi since they were born. Only exceptional Betas get higher postings. On the ship, there are the four Betas in the control room, the doctor in the med bay, and the Omega’s attendant. All proved their worth at the children’s center. But this is the end of the road for their careers. They’ve achieved as much as a Beta can.

  Sometimes I wonder what that would feel like. To be able to stop striving. It’s such a foreign concept to me. I’ve spent my whole life training and preparing for the work I’m doing now.

  Zan interrupts my thoughts. “Sir, the systems have detected no abnormalities for the past five hours. We are ready to downgrade from high alert with your order, sir.”

  I nod my head and everyone in the control room leans back from their monitors in relief. As they stretch and shuffle around, I switch my video feed to the Omega’s room. It’s finally empty.

  Kira

  Peggy is so hungover that I can smell the alcohol coming out of her every pore as she leads me to the shower bay. We’ve been on the ship for ten days now, and I haven’t showered the whole time. Still, Peggy needs a shower worse than me. I think about suggesting it, but I see the misery in her huge eyes.

  I feel a little guilty. She’s in pain, and it’s my fault. If there had been another way to get her to open up, I would have done that instead. But there wasn’t. And the information I learned proves I can’t really trust any of the Fysians—including Peggy.

  I breathe a huge sigh of relief when we leave my room. It’s nice to finally see something new. I try to pay attention to the labyrinthine hallway so that I can make a mental map of the ship. It’s a struggle to focus.

  My eyes are drawn to the walls. Most of them are see-through and filled with circuits and blinking blue and green lights. The floor is a metal grate, and I can see down to the level below and up to the level above.

  It doesn’t seem to matter that I haven’t been able to keep tabs on our route. It turns out the shower bay is basically down the hall from my room. Peggy hands me a towel and a large pink pellet.

  “It’s shampoo and body soap,” she explains when she sees my confused face. She takes a spot next to the row of guards at the entrance to the room. Unlike them, she leans against the wall to stay upright.

  “We’ll be right here,” she says soothingly. “No one will bother you.”

  I enter the shower bay, and I’m immediately disappointed. I had been expecting something more complex than I could imagine. Instead, it looks a lot like any other locker room.

  I take my time getting undressed, and I fold my shirt and place it on a bench. I’m in my underwear standing on one foot and pulling off my sock
when I catch sight of the Alpha coming toward me.

  I give a little yelp and back away with my hands in front of my face.

  “It’s me,” the voice calls gently.

  When I lower my hands, I’m shocked to see Drax. My fear evaporates. A surge of desire pulses through me, but I won’t give into it. This is my chance to give him a piece of my mind.

  “I thought another pack of Alphas was coming to attack me,” I say.

  “No, that will never happen again. I will always protect you.” Drax speaks in low tones.

  Am I imagining it, or is his voice full of emotion?

  “That’s nice,” I say sarcastically. “It’s good to only be attacked by hulking aliens once in your life. After they lie to you and steal you, of course.”