by Liza Probz
Jeffrey rolled his head around and then his shoulders, working out the stiffness caused from being hit by electricity. Boy, that lady really packs a punch.
He had noticed her right away after being brought aboard. She stood out from the others, and not just because she was dressed differently.
When he'd caught sight of her, he'd immediately been struck by her appearance. This is the most exotic female I've ever laid eyes on. She was tall, his own height, and he was considered tall for a male of his species at 6'5". The Zantharian males were even taller.
Her eyes were almond shaped, pitch black with the most enchanting golden ring around the pupils. Her hair, or what passed for it, had been pulled back behind her head in a severe bun, serving to highlight the strong bone structure of her face. High cheekbones, perfectly arched brows, and lips that looked plumper than pillows.
And her skin, by God, her skin was a revelation. It was a beautiful light green and looked smoother than goose down. His hands had itched to touch her.
And yet, she'd been the one doing the touching. And striking me down with her damn bioelectricity.
Jeffrey shook his head. He couldn't let the fact that he was severely attracted to the alien female get in the way. They had to figure out some way to make contact with the Earhart and Captain Brooklyn.
Suddenly the membrane to their cell opened and the Zantharian female entered, flanked by two male guards.
Think of the Devil, and the Devil appears, Jeffrey thought with a wry smile.
She made eye contact with him, and he tried not to feel the tingle that set fire to his skin. Well, he tried, but the tingle still ran through him.
He stood there, expressionless, while the alien female took his measure. Then she turned to her guards. "The male has withstood my energy blast, but the females have yet to be tested. Make sure they're not Hareema."
Jeffrey watched energy waves start to ripple over the guards' skins. "Now, just hold onto your horses, missy." He positioned himself in front of his fellow crewmembers. "I'm not gonna let you do to them what you did to me on the bridge, so call off your goons."
She turned back to face him. One of her perfectly-shaped eyebrows arched. "There is no cause for concern. The charge will be weaker than the one I sent through you."
Oh, so I deserve special treatment?
Jeffrey shook his head. "No."
The alien female's lips pursed slightly. It was the only reaction he received.
"I'm the ranking officer here," he continued. "It is my job to protect my crew. And that means no zaps on my watch."
"Our scanners detected traces of Hareema DNA on your vessel. Any member of your crew could have been replaced by the enemy. These energy exchanges ensure that you are who you say you are."
"What happened to being hospitable?" he asked. "You guys just met us. Instead of a friendly handshake, you've been badgering us from the moment you locked down our ship. Now we're supposed to thank you for electrocuting us? I don't think so."
"Step aside," the alien female said, her voice like steel.
"Make me," he growled, going toe to toe with his captor.
One corner of her lips curled up, and he watched as energy began to ripple up her own beautiful skin. "Once wasn't enough for you?"
Jeffrey tensed, anticipating another charge. But he relaxed slightly when Dr. Tan put a hand on his shoulder. "Settle down, Lieutenant Cheerful. You withstood the charge, and so did Captain Brooklyn back on the Earhart. I think Chao and I can take it."
He turned to look down into her face. "On our ship, you said it could cause damage. Why change your tune now?"
Tan shrugged. "What choice have we got? Sure, I can't say I wouldn't enjoy watching you breakdance to her electric touch again, but there's no point."
The doctor looked over at the alien female. "Do you give us your word that your test will not permanently damage me or my crewmate?" Tan asked her.
The female nodded. "We are familiar with human physiology. While the charge will be quite uncomfortable, there will be no lasting damage. And we’ll immediately be able to determine whether you've been replaced by the enemy."
"Let's do it, then," Chao said, stepping up to one of the guards and holding out her arm. "Let me have it."
Jeffrey shook his head. "Now wait-" but before he could interfere, the guard grabbed hold of Chao's arm and sent a charge through her.
Chao yelled and went to her knees, gritting her teeth. "Goddamn, that hurts," she said, wrapping her arms around her middle.
Jeffrey raced to her side, helping her to stand. "You okay?"
Chao nodded. "Hurts like a bitch, but I'm all right."
"Now me," Tan said, moving toward the other guard.
"Doc, are you sure about this?"
She turned back to him and gave him a nod. "I want to prove that I'm human. It's the first step to establishing real relations with these creatures."
He glanced at the alien female and noticed that her forehead wrinkled. Someone doesn't like being referred to as a ‘creature.’
The remaining guard put a hand on Tan and the doctor shook under the onslaught of the charge. As she fell, Jeffrey grabbed her, getting a residual shock that caused his jaw to lock. Tan's eyes closed and her breathing was rough, but after a moment her eyes reopened.
"I'm okay," she said, and Jeffrey helped her back onto her feet, steadying her.
"Happy now?" he grunted, his attention back on the alien female.
"Ecstatic," she replied with a straight face.
She's made of ice. He furrowed his brows. What kind of monsters are we dealing with?
"Well, now that the unpleasantness is out of the way and we've all proved we're human, how about you let us get back to our ship?"
"You've proved you're human, yes," the alien female replied, "but that doesn't mean you aren't in league with the Hareema. We need to find out exactly what's happening on that little ship of yours."
"Our captain already told your commander what's happening. There's no need to keep us prisoner here."
"That remains to be seen," she said. "I've been ordered to find out what you know."
"The only thing we know is that we've been boarded by hostile life forms, and I'm not talking about these alleged shapeshifters."
"The lieutenant is right," Dr. Tan said. "We don't have any information to give you."
The female ignored her. "You," she said, stepping closer. "You're the ranking officer, as you said. Follow me."
"No thank you," Jeffrey bristled at her commanding tone. "I'd prefer to keep an eye on my crew."
"Unfortunately your preferences don't take precedence over my orders. You will come with me."
The energy waves rolling over her skin seemed to grow stronger. She was ready to back up her words with force, it seemed.
"Go," Tan said softly. "Maybe once they realize we have no information for them, they'll leave us alone."
Jeffrey opened his mouth, ready to respond that he didn't have to take orders from some alien creature. That the entire situation was ridiculous and that they should stick together and stand up for themselves.
The barely-checked fear in the doctor's eyes caused the words to dry up on his tongue, unsaid. His crew needed him calm and collected, not going off half-cocked. His crewmates didn't seem to be in any danger, having proved they were not the enemy.
He looked the alien female up and down. Maybe I'm going about this the wrong way. Grandmama always said you catch more flies with honey. Besides, no female can stand up to my charm for long.
"Time to move, human," the Ice Queen said.
Jeffrey gave her his easiest smile. "Don't get your panties in a bunch, sweetheart. You'll have me all to yourself soon enough."
For a moment, the cool green of her skin was mottled with light yellow spots. Her face tightened, and the energy waves picked up their pace.
Just as suddenly her skin evened out, back to green, and her face relaxed. "Guard the females," she said to her co
mpanions, then walked back to the membrane, sliding a finger along it to open it.
Jeffrey looked back at his crewmates and gave them a wink. "Don't worry," he said with a roguish grin. "No woman, human or otherwise, can resist my charisma."
The laughter of Dr. Tan and Chao followed him into the corridor.
Chapter 3
Kat'Chinna pretended to ignore the male at her side, all the while watching him out of the corner of her eye. He was making a strange noise by somehow pushing air through his pursed lips. It could have been entertaining, perhaps, under the right circumstances, but at the moment it was making her nerves stand on end.
Not that I'll ever let him know that he unnerves me.
The first rule when interrogating a prisoner was to never seem rattled. She would project calm assurance. Even if his nearness was causing a curious reaction in her body.
She'd felt attraction to many males in her lifetime. Her current crush on Major Ontarii had existed since she'd first laid eyes on the handsome major. But this, this was something else entirely.
It's almost like I can't catch my breath around him. And when he challenged her command, she was annoyed sure, but also a strange thrill that had caught her off guard.
Kat'Chinna arrived at the entrance to the interrogation room and slid her finger up the membrane to open the chamber. She gestured for the prisoner to precede her and with a lopsided grin and a short bow, he walked into the room.
As the membrane closed behind her, Kat'Chinna took a deep breath. She knew the interrogation before her would be a challenge, and the pressure was on not to disappoint her commander.
Just get the information, she told herself, and get back into Major Ontarii's good graces. Her nerves steady, she walked to the seat on one side of the small table and motioned for the human to claim the lone seat across from her.
"Now," she started, interlocking her fingers tightly and placing her hands on the table's smooth surface, "let's begin."
The standard opening tactic, according to the Zantharian handbook on prisoner interrogation, was to start with the facts. Sometimes when confronted with a rational argument of the evidence against him, a prisoner would cave and confess.
"Your ship was found in a zone marked for interplanetary commercial shipping, patrolled by the Zantharian fleet. As we do with every ship who enters this zone, you were scanned for signs of Hareema DNA. We detected traces of that DNA on your vessel."
The human male leaned back in his chair and stared at her. She paused, leaving the room at the mercy of a near-deafening silence. Oftentimes a criminal would become anxious at the yawning silence and would begin volunteering information.
The human, unfortunately, was not subject to such anxiety. He gave a shrug and continued to stare at her.
Kat'Chinna wanted to frown, but kept her expression carefully schooled. I don't know why I thought the rational approach would work. Humans are clearly irrational creatures.
Time to try out Zantharian interrogation tactic number two.
"My commander is a man of little patience," she said with a soft sigh. "He trusts his crew and his equipment. The scan was checked and double-checked. There is Hareema DNA on your vessel."
Kat'Chinna loosened her fingers and set her hands down flat on the table. "I know this situation must be difficult for you and your crew to accept. However, your captain did ask that you cooperate with us. Just tell me what you know, and I'll see what I can do to help you."
The lieutenant cocked an eyebrow at her. Despite the insolent expression, Kat'Chinna couldn't help but appreciate the fine details of his face.
His skin was smooth and pleasing, it's color the lightest brown. Unlike the ever-changing skin of her fellow Zantharians, the human's skin had a consistency that was somehow pleasing in its exoticness. Combined with the contrast of his clear and clever blue eyes, she didn't think he could be called anything other than handsome, bordering on beautiful.
His nose was straight, its slight rounding an excellent complement to the sharpness of his cheekbones. The angles of his face were strong, more than a match for the strength of his well-muscled physique.
One could get lost in those eyes, she thought as she continued her appraisal. Their light lured her in, like the trapfish of her planet who displayed a light right above a mouth of razor-sharp teeth. Before its hapless prey realized the danger, they were ripped apart.
A lesson to remember.
Kat'Chinna brought her mind back to the task, continuing her tactic at drawing out information.
"I'm afraid Major Ontarii won't be pleased if I don't return with the information he wants. He's not a man one likes to upset. I want to help you and your crew. And the only way I can do that is if you talk."
Still no response from the human. Painting a sympathetic expression on her face, she continued. "If you don't talk, I can't ensure your safety or the safety of your crew. So please, help me to help you."
Suddenly there was a burst of noise from the prisoner. It almost startled Kat'Chinna into jumping up from her seat. Then she realized what the noise was.
Laughter.
"You find something amusing in this?" she said, unable to still her emotions properly so that little striations of yellow found their way into her pale green skin.
The human continued laughing. "Yes," he said after swallowing a gulp of air. "It's good to know that Good Cop/Bad Cop is literally universal."
Good Cop/Bad Cop? Kat'Chinna gave the expression some thought, then realized what he meant. Although the Zantharians called the tactic 'Punisher and Savior,' the method must be similar to this Good Cop/Bad Cop of Earth.
"There's really nothing to laugh about," she said, her voice showing her annoyance at her ploy being so easily exposed. "Let's be realistic about your situation. You're a prisoner here on the Zantharian flagship, the most powerful ship in our fleet with a crew of nearly 100 and weapons you earth dwellers couldn't even dream of.""You're trapped," she continued, "outgunned and outmanned. And a very real threat right now resides on your ship. If you don't cooperate, we have to assume that you're in league with the enemy. That makes you our adversary, and we do not take Hareema co-conspirators lightly."
"I may be trapped," the human said at last, not making eye contact but rather seeming to pick a piece of lint off his gray flight suit, "but the way I see it, you guys are the enemy. You refuse to confirm that Dr. Cohen is alive and safe, other than spouting off some nonsense about her being on your planet with your Supreme Leader. You've taken us prisoner, captured our ship and are now trying to force me to talk with the threat of violence to my crew. So excuse me if I don't jump to do your bidding."
He looked up at her then, a smile gracing his face. "I'm sorry sister, but you're barking up the wrong tree with your threats. Us humans don't rattle that easily."
Barking up a tree? Rattle? Damn his penchant for colloquialisms!
Kat'Chinna stared at him, trying to think. His wide white smile made it difficult for her to stay on task.
Why does he affect me like this? A primitive human, one who might be conspiring with the enemy? The Hareema had already infiltrated Zanthar, and if they didn't figure out what the enemy's plan was soon, her entire planet could be enslaved by the dreaded shapeshifters. This was no time to be distracted by a pair of pretty eyes and a nice smile.
So why does my body feel like this? Why am I so mysteriously drawn to him? I've never had a reaction like this to another male in my life, but five minutes after meeting this one, I'm wondering what his body looks like under that flight suit. Wondering whether we might be compatible in a certain way...
One deep breath wasn't enough to quiet her emotions, so she took several more. She stared down at the table and realized her hands, which had been flat, were now balled tightly into fists. If she didn't get a hold of herself soon, she could lead to the downfall of an entire planet.
And no male, no matter how sexy, was worth the sacrifice of an entire planet.
"What's the m
atter, little lady," the human said, causing Kat'Chinna to at last look up at him. "Cat got your tongue?"
"My tongue is none of your business," she shot back before she could stop herself.
"Ah," he said, the corner of his mouth quirking up, "so there is some fire beneath that cool facade. I was beginning to think you were made of ice."
Kat'Chinna stared at him and tried to remember her training. Methods one and two had failed. She went through the list of other possible interrogation tactics, quickly discarding all but one.
This human male was a difficult subject, and she didn't have time to waste in trying to crack his shell. So she would try one more method, one that followed on the remark he'd just made.
For a moment she didn't want to. This tactic, it wasn't like the others she'd tried. There were no bare facts, and no threats or intimidation. This tactic was a last resort for Kat'Chinna, and in fact, she'd never tried it on any other of the species she'd questioned in this room.
She loathed to try it now, but the clock was ticking and she really didn't have much of a choice. Still, she sensed the danger of it, the possibility that it might reveal feelings that she wanted to keep hidden from her prisoner at all costs.
Have courage, she told herself. If he thinks it's something other than it is, you can set him straight soon enough. He'll realize it was just another tactic to pry information from him. And then he'll feel like the fool.
She hoped the thought of him realizing his mistake afterwards would make her feel better, but it didn't. All she felt was anxiety over the gambit she was about to try.
At least it won't be hard, she told herself. He really was the perfect subject. Perhaps it would be a safe way to get out these feelings, to lay them on the table and make herself realize how stupid they were.
Her mind made up, Kat'Chinna slowly let an inviting grin spread over her face. She leaned forward, instilling interest in her dark eyes and batting her lashes a few times.
She saw the human swallow and sit up straighter in his seat.
Good. I'm already getting a reaction.
This will be a piece of cake. She remembered the human expression. She'd always liked that particular turn of phrase because cake, or at least the Zantharian version of the dessert, was one of her favorite foods.
