by Christy,Dena
He finally pressed the button concealed under his desk, and the door ahead of her buzzed as it unlocked. “Have a good day, Citizen Reynaud.”
She threw a smile at him over her shoulder, pulled open the door and tucked her purse under her arm. Her heels clicked on the industrial floor as she made her way to her desk outside her boss’ office. His door was closed, so at least she would be spared an immediate reprimand for being late. If she got lucky, he wouldn’t check the logs to see what time she got in.
She shrugged off her raincoat and hung it up on the hook behind her desk. She tugged at the hem of her skirt. It was tighter then she was used to and hugged her hips. The only reason she’d let Collette talk her into a new wardrobe was because her friend said she needed to look like the twenty six she was, not the eighty she aspired to be.
She should have stuck to her guns and kept at least one or two more comfortable work outfits. There was nothing wrong with the clothes Collette picked out, but they skimmed a little too close to her figure for her liking.
She sat down and logged onto her computer. A shadow fell across her desk and she looked up. Neil stood in front of her.
“Citizen Reynaud, you are late.” He plunked his ass on the edge of her desk as he made his voice sound exactly like their boss, Dr. Avery.
“I’m know that.” She waved her hand at him, but he didn’t get the hint. His ass was firmly welded to her desk, and now she risked Dr. Avery seeing him loitering there.
“Too bad. You’re missing all the excitement.” He leaned a little closer, and she rolled her eyes at him.
She’d gone out on one date with him, and even though she told him it was best if they remained just friends, he’d taken her words a little too seriously. He seemed determined to chat with her every day, and while he never said or did anything untoward, he was getting to be a nuisance. Collette had told her that she would regret going out with him. According to her, it was better not to shit where you eat. Miranda wished she’d told her that before she’d gone out with him.
“I don’t have time for excitement Neil. I’m late remember?”
“You don’t know what you’re missing. I can’t tell you what it is, but it’s huge. Could be the scientific discovery of the century and we are getting in on the ground floor.” He gave a quick glance at Dr. Avery’s door, which remained firmly shut. “If the old man wasn’t here I’d show you.”
“Well he is here. If he wants me involved, I’m sure he’ll let me know. You should get back to work so you don’t get in trouble.”
She turned back to her computer, hoping that would be the end of it, but he didn’t move.
“Do you ever tire of being a good little citizen?”
“Go back to work Neil.”
Dr. Avery’s office door opened, and he stepped out.
“Is there something you wanted, Dr. Stuart?”
Miranda pressed her lips together when she saw how fast Dr. Avery’s voice got Neil’s ass off her desk.
“No, Dr. Avery.” Neil straightened his lab coat and tie, but it did little to repair his perpetually disheveled appearance.
“Then perhaps you would be better served by doing the job you are paid to do, rather than harassing Citizen Reynaud.” Dr. Avery stared at him, and Miranda looked back and forth between them. Dr. Avery’s presence did what all her hinting and out right telling him to do hadn’t. Neil quickly turned on his heel and walked down the corridor toward his work station.
When she turned her eyes back to him, Dr. Avery had turned his stare to her. He looked the same as he always did, and the contrast between him and Neil was striking. His silvery brown hair wasn’t out of place, and his clothes were neat and tidy. He kept himself in good shape, and some women might even find him attractive, but something about the way he looked at her bothered her. She couldn’t put her finger on it since he was always professional. He looked at her with an intensity that had an uneasy feeling settling in her gut.
“I hope Dr. Stuart didn’t say anything untoward.” He took a step forward, which brought him directly in front of him. She hated it when he loomed over her desk, and she had to tilt her head back to look up at him.
“No, sir.” There was no point in telling him that Neil had been babbling about scientific discoveries and what not. It was probably something boring anyway since the men around here seem to get excited about the most uninteresting things. “Is there something I can do for you?”
The silence stretched out as he continued to stare. She broke eye contact with him and shifted in her seat. He cleared his throat and took a step back.
“I need you to clear my schedule for this morning. Anything non urgent can be moved to next week.”
Grateful to have something to do so she wouldn’t have to look at him, she tapped a few keys on her computer and brought up his schedule on the touch screen facing her. It didn’t take more than a few swipes and slides to rearrange his morning. There was one appointment though that she wasn’t sure about.
“What would you like me to do about your conference with Commander Clancy? His assistant says he doesn’t like his schedule rearranged at the last minute.”
“Is that today?”
“Yes sir.” What is with him? The conference call happened at the same time every week. Something big must be happening around here if he’d forgotten it.
“It can’t be helped. Move it to this afternoon and send a message to his assistant. There is something here that needs my attention, and he’ll have to understand that.”
Miranda scanned through the rest of his day, trying to see if there was a free space in his calendar, but there wasn’t. Unfortunately Commander Clancy would like it even less if his appointment was shifted to another day.
“The only time you have available is during your exercise time, sir.”
“Then schedule it for then. I have my job to do Citizen Reynaud, I don’t need to do yours too.”
Miranda looked up at him. He’d never talked to her like that before, and she didn't like his tone. She wasn’t stupid, and she wouldn’t have brought up cancelling his gym appointment if she thought he would get pissy about it. Her cheeks grew hot, and she looked away from him and focused on his schedule and making the adjustment.
“Miranda…I…”
“Will that be everything, sir?” Now he was calling her by her first name? The sooner he went back into his office the better. He’d never called her by her first name before and she didn’t want to encourage him to do it again. Being more familiar with this man then necessary was not on her list of things to do. She schooled her features into a professional mask and looked up at him.
Red stained his cheekbones, and for the first time since she started here, he looked flustered. He cleared his throat and seemed obsessed with straightening his tie.
“Sir?” This was just getting more uncomfortable by the second. He seemed to come back to himself, and he stood up straight and his familiar bland expression dropped back on his face.
“That’s everything for now, Citizen Reynaud. I’ll be in the observation lab if anything requires my attention.”
He turned and rushed away from her. She watched him as he made his way down the corridor toward the observation lab. As soon as he was out of sight, she blew out her breath, and turned back to her computer. She shut down his schedule and turned her attention to other things. Today had taken a turn for the weird. Whatever was going on, it had done something to Dr. Avery.
She took another glance toward where he’d been and shook her head. It was like he’d crossed some interior line, but she couldn’t for the life of her figure out what it was.
Chapter Two
Something sharp pricked Synn in the back, and no matter how he shifted he couldn’t get comfortable. What happened?
He fought through the layers of cobwebs in his head. The last thing he remembered was hitting his head in his pod and then nothing. He moved at little, and whatever he was laying on was hard and unyielding.
It hurt just as much as the first time he’d done it, but he powered through the pain and blinked several times. The bright lights overhead shone down on him, and he turned his head hoping to find relief from the pain they caused. The light reflected off the stark white walls and left nothing in shadows. What was this place? Cold arid wafted over his skin, and goosebumps raised up along his body. His naked body.
A tiny trickle dread unfurled in his stomach and he shifted into a sitting position. His body felt a hundred years old as he sat up. The surface he was on was a metal table, and it was warm where he’d lay. How long had he been in here like this? He raised his hand up to touch the side of his head that had hit the wall of the shuttle, and he ran his fingertips over the hard crust of a scab. That explained why his head hurt, but it didn’t explain what was wrong with his back.
He reached around, and he traced the edges of a smooth pad reacting against his skin. As he tried to feel more of it, he fingers felt something that felt smooth and metallic, almost like a bolt of some sort buried in his skin. That explained why he felt like there were sharp spikes in his back because there were sharp spikes in his back.
He looked up and noticed the big window along the side of the room. Several beings stood on the other side, their features similar to his own, but their skin tones ranged from pink to brown. Why were they staring at him? They all appeared to be male, and he shifted on the table. How long had they looked at him laying there naked? He moved his arms, so they casually covered his privates, and notice that his skin was its natural color, which wasn’t pink or brown.
So much for coming onto the planet undetected. Fuck, he’d had a bad feeling about this when Cynric said they were going to go to the planet. He was naked in a room being watched by strangers, and he doubted they wanted to engage in friendly banter.
He shoved himself off the table, and he wobbled beside it. Clutching the side of the table, he waited until his legs were strong enough to carry his weight. There was no way to make himself look stronger than an infant at the moment. The last thing he wanted to do was show weakness, but it was too late for that.
He caught his reflection in the glass, and he looked like shit. He was wearing some nice bruises, but what he was sure was drawing their attention was the tattoo on his shoulder and arm, which along with his eyes, was an electric blue. They must have worn gloves or something when they removed him from his pod and stripped him of his clothes. Otherwise his skin should look just like theirs.
He couldn’t stand here staring at them. Think of a way to get out. Worry about clothes, and somewhere to go later. He had to get out of this place before they did more to him then stare at his body.
His eyes tracked one man who broke away from the rest and approached the door. Synn rolled his shoulders as he turned to face the door. The man was smaller and it wouldn’t take much to barrel through him. He’d worry about the others once he got past that one. He had to get out of this room, and he’d slam through this man to do it.
The man stepped into the room, and a growl rumbled out of Synn’s chest. He lowered his head, squared his shoulders and charged.
Bolts of pain stabbed through his back, and his growl turned into a scream as pure agony slammed into him from the pad strapped to his back. His body stopped dead, and his limbs went stiff. The floor rushed up to meet him, but nothing compared to the electrifying torture jabbing through him.
The pain stopped, and he trembled on the floor. What…had…they…done? The world faded for a second, and he forced his eyes to stay open. He wanted more than anything to go back to sleep, but he would not do that, laying on the floor, naked in front of them.
He pulled air into his lungs. Just breathe. He closed his eyes and focused his mind on his breath. His shaking stop, and the press of the cold floor penetrated his awareness.
So overpowering them was out of the question. And now he knew the purpose behind the pad on his back. He opened his eyes and looked at the prick who’d done that to him. He held a small, flat, square object in his hand. That must be what controlled the pad. He looked at the pad and back at the man. Could he get it away from him before he could use it again?
His chances were slim, especially since the man’s friends joined him. There was no way he was going to lie down on the floor like an animal in front of them, so he rolled over onto his stomach. Using his arms to pull his still useless legs along the floor, he inched away from them. He grabbed the table leg and used it to pull his body slowly and painfully up inch by inch until he was leaning against the table top.
He wouldn't do that again, no matter how bad he wanted out. That was something Ryce would do since he was always going off half cocked. He needed to be smarter then that.
A voice came from the door, and Synn had no idea what it said. The thread of authority was unmistakable, and he turned his head to see what was going on. He hung onto the table for now since his jelly legs still wouldn’t support him.
An older man, with a full head of greying brown hair walked in, and the other men in the room immediately backed off. He must be the boss, and Synn didn’t take his eyes off him.
He held out his hand, and the torturer gave the device to him, and he shoved it in his pocket. Synn stared at the pocket. Could he charge him quickly enough to get that thing away from him before he could use it? The weakness in his legs said no. There were still too many of them in the room to help subdue him. The older man waved at the others, and as a unit they turned and trooped out the door. They didn’t go far and crowded outside the window.
The man walked toward him, and Synn straightened up. He kept his grip on the table to stay up right and his eyes darted down to the pocket again. He towered over the man in the white coat, and he was bigger too. It wouldn’t take much to knock him down and grab the device. He slid his hand off the table and blew out a breath. At least he wouldn't collapse in a heap.
The man spoke and gestured at him. Synn still didn’t understand what he said, but from the way he waved at the table behind him, maybe he wanted Synn to sit on it? Synn frowned, and the man waved more.
Synn stared at him. He was staying on his feet, and no amount of arm waving was going to get him back on that table. The man’s hand darted into his pocket and he brought out that dreaded piece of equipment. Synn may not be able to understand him when he spoke, but the message was now very clear. Get up on the table, or be tortured again. Synn got up on the table.
Would the little man be daring enough to touch him? With a single touch the old man’s language and a few of his thoughts would be his. It would also give Synn the ability to turn into a clone of him if he wanted, but he’d keep that gift to himself.
The older man stepped closer and spoke again. He waved his hand again, his movements swift. If only the stupid man would touch him, then he’d know what the hell he said. He stabbed his finger at the table top behind Synn. Did he want him to lie down? Synn clenched his jaw, but did as he was told. He kept his body still, and the cold metal bit into his skin. The bolts holding the torture pad in place stabbed into his back, but he resisted the urge to move. The man had to touch him, and he wouldn’t do it if Synn wriggled around like a fish about to be gutted.
The man stepped closer and grasped the bottom of Synn’s jaw and turned his head left and his fingers probed the scab. Synn pressed his lips together to keep the wince off his face, and by now he knew the doctor’s language and his body would have changed so that he looked like he belonged to the man’s species. The man let go of his face and Synn turned his head. The man named Dr. Avery, looked at Synn’s skin. Synn glanced down at his body, and his skin was now a tan color and his tattoo black.
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��Fascinating.” Dr. Avery’s eyes roved over him, and he took a small step back. He put the device back in his pocket, and it drew Synn’s eyes. Now was his chance. If he moved quick enough, he could take advantage of the doctor’s fascination and be on him before he could blink. They wouldn’t be able to stop him from charging through them if they couldn’t drop him like a stone.
He jackknifed up into a sitting position and in one smooth movement rolled off the table. His hand shot out, aimed at the pocket. A startled noise came out of the doctor and he jumped back just as Synn’s finger tips brushed the edge of the pocket.
Dr. Avery jammed his hand in his pocket, moving faster than Synn expected. Electric pain coursed through his back and he hit the floor just as fast as he had the last time.
“Stupid creature. We wouldn’t have to go through this if you would learn your lesson the first time. You aren’t getting out of here.”
The pain stopped but his shaking didn’t. The doctor stepped over him, and Synn stayed where he was. He melted into the floor and focused on breathing. The sound of the door opening and closing came to him, but he didn’t even open his eyes. The doctor was right. He hadn’t learned his lesson the first time. But he would learn it this time. Despite what the good doctor said, he was getting out of here. But he needed to be a lot smarter about then he’d been so far.
* * *
The alien had the sort of musculature that he would never have, no matter how many hours he spent in the gym. In his nudity, the alien’s body had the perfection that would get him any woman he wanted.
John Avery turned away. It didn’t matter. He was a respected scientist, much smarter and far superior to the creature trembling on the floor of the observation lab. What did he have to be envious of?
The junior scientist, of which that slacker Neil Stuart was one, all looked to him for instruction as he walked out the door of the observation room. He pulled the remote for the electro pad screwed into the alien’s back from his pocket and put it on the table outside the observation window.
