It was probably nerves. She still could see the canyon walls when she blinked. The images were burned in behind her eyelids, and Maia only made the memories more potent. The ikthian’s presence got her blood pumping, as if she should expect a squad of seekers to break in at any moment and finish her off. But now, with Maia lying on the bed, Taylor could not feel the same overwhelming sense of panic from before. Something about the sleeping ikthian looked so peaceful, and the furrowed crease in her forehead made her look almost human.
As if she knew Taylor was watching, Maia groaned and rolled onto her back, limbs splaying over the covers as her head tossed back. The light streaming through the window highlighted her softened features. Often, Taylor had wondered what ikthians felt, if they ever did. The look on Maia’s face was one of pure exhaustion. It was just as readable as any human’s expression. Taylor felt her throat tighten, unsettled by the similarities.
Maia groaned and stretched an arm out, her hand clutching a fistful of bedsheets before relaxing once more. Her body shifted so that the light fell across an extended arm. The soft light highlighted the color of her skin once more. Taylor had the sudden urge to touch, much like she had wanted to when Maia first appeared in the bedroom. Morbid curiosity, whispered a voice in her head. Despite all the warning signals going off in her mind, Taylor reached out with one hand, trailing her fingers along Maia's bare arm. Her flesh was incredibly soft despite its slightly scaled texture, and also temptingly warm. It was difficult to believe that such beautiful skin could be so deadly. At least she was safe as long as Maia kept her collar on.
Even as her mind warned her to stop, Taylor continued her exploration, sliding her fingers down and brushing the crease of Maia's elbow. She stirred, but did not wake up. Gently, Taylor took Maia's hand in hers, running her thumb over the center of the ikthian's palm. Maia had five fingers, just like her. Even her nails were similar.
Taylor lowered Maia's arm again when she began to stir, her blue eyes fluttering open. She was embarrassed that she remembered the color so easily. For a moment, Maia's peaceful expression remained, but her face fell as she realized where she was. She blinked rapidly when she noticed Taylor standing near her, but did not pull away or start.
"I brought some food for you," Taylor said.
Maia sat up, staring around for the promised nourishment. Her stomach growled. "Where?" she asked. Taylor suddenly realized that the ikthian's voice was lovely. Even if she was mostly hearing the translation that the chip in her ear sent to her brain, the sound had a certain lyrical quality to it.
"Living room," Taylor replied. She walked out of the bedroom and let Maia follow her to the low table where the stack of boxes waited for them. She sat down on the nearby couch and gestured for Maia to do the same. When Taylor offered her one of the boxes, she took it.
"Eat as much as you want," Taylor said, watching as she opened the package. "I know you must be hungry. You haven't eaten since I took charge of you."
Maia peered into the box, and her eyes widened with surprise. The first thing she picked up was a sandwich. "What is this?" she asked, holding it up and inspecting it with a doubtful look on her face.
"It’s a sandwich," said Taylor. "You know, meat, cheese, lettuce…not ringing any bells?"
Maia shook her head. "There is no sound of bells. But this should be fine for me to eat."
Taylor laughed and opened her own box. Apparently, even a translator could not help Maia identify human idioms. She took out her own sandwich and wasted no time devouring it. When Maia finally took a bite from her food, Taylor paused in chewing and asked, "Is it good?"
Maia swallowed before answering. "Why do you care what I think?" she asked, her tone harsher than Taylor had expected.
It threw her off for a moment, but she recovered and explained, "Well, I want to make sure you can eat it. I wouldn’t want you to starve on my watch. My superiors would kill me." For some reason, the mistrust in Maia’s voice had upset her. Taylor had not been able to hurt her on Amaren. Didn’t that signal she was a compassionate person?
Maia did not respond. Instead, she peeled apart the bread in her sandwich to take a closer look at what she had just taken a bite from. After picking at the lettuce and tomatoes to make sure they were edible, she took a second bite. Once she was apparently satisfied that the sandwich was safe to eat, she began chewing rapidly. Finally, after she had eaten half the sandwich, she paused long enough to give Taylor her opinion. "It's good," she said quietly, staring down at the sandwich. After a pause, she added, "I was hungry."
“The fridge is stocked with basic provisions any time you need something,” Taylor said. She pointed to a storage unit in the corner of the room. “I won’t always be around to feed you, so you should get used to taking meals from there as you need.” She passed another object to Maia, a bottle filled with water. "Here. You'll probably need something to wash your food down."
Maia took the bottle from her and undid the top. Hesitantly, she drank, and then let out a heavy sigh. She downed half of the bottle without pausing for breath, and Taylor remembered what Roberts had said about ikthians and water. She would have to make sure that Maia had access to plenty of it.
Once Maia had finished her sandwich and water, she handed back the empty bottle and wrapper. Taylor set them on the surface of the table before settling back against the couch. The silence that followed made her shift uncomfortably in her seat. She tried to think of a conversation starter, but there was really nothing she could discuss with Maia. Being around the ikthian caused a clash of emotions that she did not know how to deal with, and she spoke without thinking. "You know, I never thought I would be spending time like this with an ikthian. Before, they always just tried to kill me."
"Why would all ikthians try to kill you?"
Taylor frowned at the question. The war made them enemies. It was a simple concept. "The ones I’ve met kill. Cruelly and mercilessly. Every single one of them. I’ve heard that they're taught destruction from birth."
A hurt look crossed Maia's face, and Taylor began to regret the harshness of her statement. Maia had never acted violently toward anyone since her capture. Perhaps it was not fair to lump her in with the seekers. "And have you killed many ikthians?" Maia asked before she could apologize.
"The Dominion invaded our solar system and demanded that we submit. What else would you expect us to do?"
A crease formed on Maia's brow. "I suppose if another alien species was trying to take control of my home planet, I would fight," she finally said. "But I am only a scientist. Not a soldier."
"If you're a scientist, what were you doing in a battle zone?" That was probably what intrigued Taylor the most about Maia. The comment Roberts had made in his office interested her more, and if anything had come up in the interrogation, none of the generals had seen fit to inform her.
"Research," Maia answered vaguely, and Taylor instantly knew that there was more that the ikthian was not telling her. Perhaps she would mention it to Roberts the next time Maia taken for interrogation. Despite her curiosity, it was not her job to question the ikthian. She only had to guard her.
***
After a few minutes of awkward silence, Taylor stood up and set the rest of the boxes beside Maia. "I'm going to take a shower." Without waiting for a response, she headed toward the shower. Maia’s eyes lingered on her back as she walked away, watching the muscles shift with every movement.
Once Taylor was gone, Maia stood up and stretched. She was still extremely tired, even after the short nap she had stolen while Taylor was gone. She wandered back into the bedroom and looked around. Taylor had never finished their conversation about the bed. That probably meant she wanted to sleep on it.
Maia picked up one of the many pillows and clutched it to her chest, wandering back into the living room. The couch they had sat on to eat did not look like it would make a particularly comfortable sleeping place, but she was not in a position to be choosy. She left her newly claimed pillow behind
and returned to the bedroom to grab the top sheet from the bed as well.
After a few moments, she had fashioned herself a passable bed on the couch. As she expected, it was not very comfortable, definitely meant for sitting rather than lying down. She tucked herself in the sheet, wrapping it around her body like a protective cocoon. The sound of running water drifted in from the washroom, reminding her of rain. She sighed and buried her face in the pillow, blocking out some of the light. The room was not damp enough either, though it was certainly better than the prison cell.
She wished that this was all a dream. That she had never submitted that final report to the Dominion. That she had never been forced to run for her life. That she had not been captured and interrogated by humans. And then there was Taylor. She was endlessly confusing, and Maia had no idea what to make of her strange behavior. Perhaps all humans were equally strange. She had very little experience with them. For now, all she could do was try and appease her captors, particularly Taylor. Escape seemed impossible. Her only hope was to stay alive and pray that the negotiations were unsuccessful. Maybe she would be held indefinitely as a war asset. At least the humans were not trying to kill her because of her research.
The water shut off, and Maia waited with the sheet clutched around her. A few moments later, as she had suspected, Taylor peeked into the living room, obviously looking for her. "If you're going to sleep out here, I'll turn off the light for you," she said, tapping a pressure pad beside the door.
Maia had hoped the dark would make it easier for her to sleep, but the couch still remained too uncomfortable. Her neck already hurt, despite the leverage the pillow gave her. She tried rolling over, sleeping on the opposite end, curled up on one cushion, but nothing worked. Two hours later, she gave up and stood from the couch with a sigh. Reluctantly, she crept into the bedroom.
Taylor did not seem to notice. The human slept peacefully, unmoving beneath the covers. Carefully, Maia pushed the sheets aside and sat down at the edge of the bed. She lay down with her own sheet and pillow, keeping as far away from Taylor as possible as she tried to get comfortable. Once her fear of waking the human faded, she was able to fall into a fitful sleep that eventually turned into a deep, dreamless slumber.
Chapter Nine
Taylor woke up the next morning with someone soft and warm lying in her arms. She groaned and pulled the body closer, placing a gentle kiss on the woman’s shoulder. Her hand stroked lazy circles over her bed-partner’s back, trying to remember whom she could have possibly fallen asleep with. Whoever it was, she had the softest breasts. She would have to give them some attention later.
Her eyes fluttered open, and as Maia's familiar, pale form came into focus, her memories of the previous day came flooding back to her. Her body immediately stiffened, and Maia released a soft moan. Heat crawled into Taylor's cheeks as the ikthian blinked and looked up at her. For a second, they just stared at one another in confusion. Then, they scrambled apart.
Maia turned in her arms, pulling away and tugging the sheet up to her chin. "I…I am sorry," she stammered. "The couch was uncomfortable, and you did say I could use the bed if I wanted..."
"You’re welcome to it whenever you want," Taylor said, standing up and looking away. She wanted to give Maia some privacy even though the ikthian had fallen asleep in her over-sized clothes. "Just let me know. I…I’ll take the couch."
Taylor went in search of new clothes without saying another word. She had left some of them scattered across the floor, but they were mostly used, so she tossed them in the laundry chute and went rummaging around for a fresh change of pants and a shirt in her duffel bag. Sometime today, she would need to unpack properly. That could be accomplished after she established some space between herself and Maia. Waking up with the ikthian draped over her had been the last thing Taylor expected, but what upset the most was her own reaction. Instead of feeling concerned for her own safety or angry at Maia, she felt embarrassed for getting into the situation in the first place. She should have insisted on taking the couch.
As she peeled off her shirt and pulled a new one over her head, Taylor wondered what her fellow soldiers would say if they had witnessed her awkward display this morning. It was often the standby joke to tease soldiers about charming exotic women into their beds. Commander Roberts got the worst of it by far, considering how many missions he worked in cooperation with the naledai military. It was even worse with ikthians. Their reputation as sirens was already firmly established, and with the pheromones they released, there was some truth behind it.
Thinking about Roberts made Taylor remember that she had not bothered to check her datapad since the night before. She had been too busy to read her messages. She hurried over to her dresser where the tablet still sat and activated it, frowning when she noticed several missed calls and even more messages. She read the first one, and her stomach sank when she saw that it was from Commander Roberts.
'Report with the prisoner to interrogation at 0700. Building D-05, floor 2.'
Taylor checked the time, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that they still had an hour to prepare. If she hurried, they would not be late. "Get up," she said, her attention returning to Maia. "We have to be somewhere this morni…" Her voice cut off as Maia stood up, letting the sheet fall from her body. It was a distracting sight, even though she still wore the clothes that Taylor had given her the day before. Taylor shook her head and turned away. "I’ll leave you to prepare." She walked out of the bedroom and waited for Maia to join her in the living room.
Once both of them were up, they still had time to spare, so Taylor dug up some of the food from yesterday and prepared a quick breakfast. Finally, thirty minutes before Taylor had to be in the interrogation block, they left the officers’ quarters. She had to cuff Maia’s hands, though she knew it was a somewhat excessive precaution. Without the use of her toxins, the ikthian would be dead before she escaped the base, and even if she did, it would only take moments to find her on the planet. Maia was the only ikthian on Earth as far as Taylor knew.
The military base was not necessarily quiet early in the morning, but the people who were up had a destination in mind. Still, Taylor could not help noticing how most eyes lingered on Maia when people walked by. They stared at her openly, as if she were an anomaly, which Taylor supposed she was.
The soldiers also whispered as they passed. They leaned in close to one another and muttered things too quietly for Taylor to hear, but every one of them always glanced away when their gaze met hers. Most of them seemed to keep their distance out of instinct. Taylor gripped the handle of her pistol tighter, although she did not aim it directly at Maia. The ikthian had not shown any aggression since her capture. The gun was mostly for show.
Taylor was so focused on Maia that she hardly noticed a group of soldiers walking straight toward her. The only reason she stopped was that Maia came to a halt. She glanced up to see that the wall of muscle in front of her was actually Andrew. "Hey, Lieutenant," he said with a grin. "Sergeant Bower here was interested in seeing the ikthian." Andrew nodded to one of the men standing at his side.
Bower was another rather muscular soldier, but unlike Andrew, he tended to leer at women in a way that made Taylor’s skin crawl. He looked over Maia’s body with little reservation. "Just like a human," he muttered. "That’s what the rumor is, anyway." He reached out to touch Maia, but she flinched away.
"Stand down, Sergeant. I need to take her to Building D," Taylor said, trying to brush aside his advances without causing a scene. The last thing she needed was to file an incident report.
"Building D is close enough," Bower said. "And besides, I haven’t gotten to satisfy my curiosity yet."
"Uh…maybe we should get going," Andrew said, though the Sergeant did not seem to be paying attention.
"Not yet." Bower finally stopped staring at Maia long enough to cast a brief look at Andrew. "Come on, it's not every day you get to see an alien up close and personal, especially an ikthian. I
hear they’ll breed with any species at all, even animals."
Taylor had heard similar slurs before, but hearing Bower say them to Maia caused her fists to clench. She glanced at Maia briefly to make sure she was all right and noticed that her eyes had narrowed at the soldier. She did not want either Maia or Bower to cause a scene, though she doubted the ikthian would try anything. Her behavior had been anything but threatening thus far. "Not this one, Sergeant," she said firmly, taking a step forward to position herself between Maia and Bower. "And from the way she's behaving, she obviously doesn't consider you an option."
"Have you gotten a chance to test her out yet?" Bower asked. He stepped to the side so that Taylor was no longer obstructing his view. "Those pheromones must be good if you're this possessive already." He made the mistake of reaching out for Maia again.
Before Bower could touch her, Taylor seized his wrist in a firm grip, clutching down harder than necessary. "Drop it, Bower," she snapped. "She's a prisoner, not some curiosity for you to gawk at with a hard-on."
Bower took a step back, but he kept grinning at Taylor. "You had me for a minute there. Come on, Lieutenant. It’s just an ikthian. Didn’t they wipe out your squad or something? It doesn’t deserve your charity." He pushed her aside and grabbed Maia by the collar of her shirt. "I think it needs to be knocked down a few pegs, actually." Something wild flashed in his eyes. He raised a fist, and Maia flinched.
Before Taylor could register what was happening, her hand shot out and stopped the blow. She gripped his fist with crushing pressure while her other hand went to his throat. "Just try and touch her again," Taylor growled, "and I will do worse than pull rank on you."
A gurgling noise escaped the man’s mouth. Taylor knew she had found a weak point, but she was not about to let him go. She increased the pressure.
Dark Horizons Page 5
