by Liz Paffel
She was eager to get back to trying to fix it so she could get off this hellish planet.
Sasha moved to set the pod in the incubator when Ee-naa cried out again, straining hard and bearing down.
“Another?”
“Yes!”
“Shit, you’re kidding.”
She carefully placed the pod onto the mat and got into position to catch the second. It slipped out into Sasha’s arms. Ee-naa shuddered and slumped against the chair.
Suddenly, the door burst open and one of them rushed in.
Sasha stiffened and held the pod protectively against her chest. She should be used to the aliens by now, but there was no way to really get acclimated to a blob covered in body armor. They were rotund and wore armored body suits with black face masks that hid their features. She’d never seen a single inch of the creature behind the armor. Even their hands were covered by thick gloves. Yet, she had the impression that out of the suit, their body mass would spread like gelatin in the hot sun.
The alien--she’d come to silently call them Douchecanoes--flipped the pod front and back, inspecting it as if looking for defects. He grunted something at her, but Sasha didn’t understand. The translator had never worked to decipher their words. Maybe that was intentional, yet they always acted frustrated when she didn’t understand. She’d learned quickly to acknowledge them in some way, even though she hadn’t a clue what was being said to her, or she’d get the back of their hand.
Despite looking like the Pillsbury Doughboy, the douchecanoe’s had enough strength to launch her onto her ass.
She shrugged while keeping her eyes on the pod. Even though the thing didn’t resemble a baby in the least, Sasha couldn’t help but have some protective instincts over it. It was her job, after all. She helped new life into the world. Granted, she’d never expected to be delivering something so… other.
Ee-naa suddenly crouched with a low moan and gripped her abdomen. It was time for the afterbirth. Moving to her patient, Sasha tried to keep one eye on the douchecanoe and pods, and another on Ee-naa as she worked to deliver the placentas. He gathered the pods, one under each arm.
The door banged open and another douchecanoe burst inside. He began speaking in angry tones, his fist punctuating the air. He stepped aside as a third alien burst in, pulling a trio of chained women behind him. He shoved them into Sasha’s full view.
Her heart slammed against her breastbone. They were human!
The three aliens began yelling frantically at one another. The human in the front of the group crouched and covered her head, looking up as if she expected the building to begin falling in on itself.
Just then, a hard rumble went through the building, shaking the ground and vibrating the walls. Ee-naa tumbled onto her bottom, pulling Sasha down with her. The other women crouched next to the first and covered their heads. The douchecanoes ran from the room, slamming the door behind them.
Panic unfurled inside Sasha’s gut. She looked up and cringed when she spied the rack holding metal boxes on the left side of the wall. She couldn’t risk getting injured. Even when the douchecanoes struck her, she prepared for the blow as best she could by turning inward to lessen the impact. There was no one to help her if she got injured and dying in this hellhole wasn’t high on her list.
The rim of brilliant white runner lights at the ceiling flickered. Sasha caught the eyes of a brown-haired woman who covered her head like her life depended on it.
“Here it comes,” she muttered.
A giant boom shook the building right before the lights went out.
Chapter Three
“Stay calm,” one of the women whispered. “Let’s wait a minute and see if the lights come back on.”
“Screw that. It will take hours.” Sasha stood and paused to make sure the ground was done moving. Shuffling to the left and feeling her way by memory, she reached a thin counter and dug around in a box on top for the skinny pen light she had stashed inside. It turned on with the touch of her hand, the beam amazingly bright for a tool so small. Careful to keep the light out of everyone’s eyes, she scanned the room. She made an extra sweep over the women to give them a sense of comfort from the beam.
“The lights go off all the time lately. It could be what I consider morning before they come back on.”
“Do you have more flashlights?”
She scoffed. “I had to steal this one and hide it in a different spot each day, so they didn’t find it.”
All three women got to their feet, the sound of chains reminding Sasha that they were still bound.
“What do you mean, what you consider morning?”
She glanced at the thin blonde who had spoken.
“I’m contained to four rooms and none of them have a view of the outside. I’ve been relying on my instincts to keep track of day and night. I don’t know. My circadian rhythm is all messed up.”
“What is that thing?” The blonde spoke cautiously.
Sasha paused. “What thing?”
“The thing on the floor?”
Sasha tucked the light beneath her arm and rolled the warmer cart to the side of the room. “Her name is Ee-naa. And she can understand you.”
The blonde sunk back. “Sorry.”
Sasha helped Ee-naa to her feet and onto a wheeled cot where she turned onto her side and pulled up her knees. Then she turned to the shackles the women wore. Not unlike human handcuffs, they required a key of some sort for removal. Anger fluttered inside her. The douchecanoes hadn’t given her anything to remove the cuffs with. Why had they tossed the women at her feet, yet didn’t want them to be free?
“You’re human. Right? You’re human and not some sort of alien in disguise?”
A petite redhead with deep lines in her forehead and around her eyes regarded her with marked caution. Despite her size that gave her a touch of youth, it was obvious the woman was older than the others. She had the look of someone who spent a lot of years outdoors. Her skin was tanned, and what Sasha could see of her hands, work hardened.
“I’m human. My name is Sasha. I’m actually a nurse. A nurse midwife.”
The women looked at each other. “Midwife? What the hell are you doing here?”
Aware that the women were seconds from panic-induced meltdown, Sasha made a calming gesture with her hands. “I was abducted, too. We all have to stay calm. If you get riled, the aliens get aggressive.” She peered over the small group, fully expecting to see one in the doorway. “What are your names?”
“They’re gone.” The brunette shook her head. She had dried blood on the left side of her face and matted in her hair.
“What do you mean, they’re gone?”
“That loud boom that shook the whole building? It was from their ship taking off. I’ve… heard it many times before.”
Though the woman’s voice was strong, Sasha felt a blip of anxiety. “I’ve heard that noise to a lesser extent. I figured it was them coming and going.”
“Probably a single seat travel craft. What you just heard was one of the big ones.”
“How do you know the difference?”
The redhead ran her bound hands over her face. “She’s been a captive of those assholes for months. Forced to live in the cargo hold.”
“You’re fucking kidding me.” Sasha’s face tingled.
“I’m not fucking kidding you. It’s true. They call themselves Lork and from what I can tell, they’re scavengers and traders. Black market stuff, like… selling humans. Babies. Body and mind-altering substances. Typical human crime, but with an alien twist.”
“Yeah, let’s save the life stories for later.” The redhead stepped forward and extended a work-hardened hand. “I’m Fran. The blonde is Angel, and the experienced captive is Blume.”
Sasha sighed and tried to knit together the next steps. “I’m going to take Ee-naa back to her room for some rest. Then, we’ll get each of you to the sick room so I can look you over. Blume, I really should check out your head injury.”
“Did she just deliver a baby?” Fran’s upper lip curled.
Ee-naa made a small, dismissive sound.
“Not quite. Honestly, I’m not sure what these females have delivered, but they’re not babies.”
“Jesus,” Fran rushed. She winced as she looked at Ee-naa. “Sorry.”
“Not my offspring,” Ee-naa said in a thick voice. “Not from my mate.”
A pang of despair flicked Sasha’s heart. She would never fully know what the alien women had gone through in this place. Just as some human mothers had gone through major trials, so had these non-human females.
Shit, she’d been through enough herself. Enough for everyone in this room and then some. She could feel sorry for everyone later. Right now, they were in survival mode.
“Just assume that this is the set of one fucked up science fiction movie and nothing will surprise you after a while.” Handing Fran the light, she went to Ee-naa’s bed and unlocked the rolling wheels. “You all stay here. I’ll be right back.”
She made quick work of taking Ee-naa to her room, knowing the way in the dark from the many times she’d traversed this way and back. She settled her in next to her roommate, a female of a different species who had yet to deliver.
Heading back to the humans, she cursed the lack of light as she went. She wasn’t quite there when the sound of hard footsteps on the metal floor caused a chill to race over her. Thinking perhaps the humans had come looking for her, she half expected to see a glow from the light. The footfalls grew closer, yet nothing illuminated its path.
Flattening herself against the wall, she held her breath and waited. If the aliens were all gone, what the hell was coming down the hall?
Her breath stung as she pulled it in through her nose, her chest aching with each tempered inhale and exhale. The lights had been going out often and she’d become accustomed to navigating her way through the familiar halls in the dark. The aliens normally didn’t bother her, maybe checked in once or twice per day. Whatever was making these foot noises sounded different. She knew what the alien’s clunky boots sounded like on the metal floor, and this wasn’t it.
Catching the barest glimpse of a shape from the corner of her eye, she held her breath. Three small beams of light populated at head level. The alien came into view. He was thinner than his counterparts, his suit silver gray instead of black. She recognized him immediately as her original captor. The one who’d approached her while she’d been snowshoeing in her field. His lack of body mass made his footfall lighter.
The face shield of his helmet rose, revealing cat-like eyes with a startling shade of green. They were filled with distaste, as if looking at her was a great affront. Sasha did a double take. This was the first time she’d seen any part of these aliens beneath their suit.
“What do you want?” She grimaced at the waver in her voice. It was silly to speak to them. They never understood each other anyway, and any attempts she made at communication were met with a physical blow. Preparing to be struck, she braced herself, then opened one eye when the strike didn’t come.
The alien tilted its head as if studying her. The malice in his eyes deepened. “You are sworn to protect the lives of human spawn.”
Sasha was so shocked to be able to understand him, that it took a second to realize he was asking her a question. “Y-yes. That is correct.”
His eyes narrowed with lash-less lids. “Your work is not done. You will protect the human spawn. We will be back for it soon.”
Her lips parted, but she held back from a hasty reaction. She had to frame her words carefully to reduce the risk of being struck. “What human spawn are you speaking of? We have none in this compound… do we?”
With unexpected swiftness, he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her arm tight. Sasha yelped and grabbed his hold on her. He raised a fist. Sasha brought her arm up in front of her face and ducked. Suddenly, the building began to shake again. Thin streams of sand filtered in from cracks in the walls above her head and trickled over her shoulder. This was all happening so fast; she’d barely had time to react and protect herself.
A quick memory sliced through her mind. Darren’s face above her, his lips slashed into a brutal grin as he held a knife to her neck.
No! She fought the memory, but it came at a price, as always. Panic swirled and wavered deep in her belly, slithering higher, looking for a place to root. The alien’s fist raised higher.
“I control you. Keep the child alive, or you become ripped to pieces.” He mimicked a stabbing and tearing motion. The building began to shake as if he’d really detonated something. The alien’s eyes flashed in fear right before he lowered his face shield and tossed something at her.
A key.
Another alien raced back, yelling at his counterpart. Sasha only caught every few words around the sound of creaking metal.
Sinking. Storm worsening. Enough Estral to sell.
With a growl, the douchecanoe turned to her. “We will return for our prize.”
They were gone.
Pushing away from the wall, she ran back to the women, pushed the doors open and she slid to a stop. It clicked, what the alien had said. Nausea rose in her throat. Grabbing the light from Fran, she highlighted the women.
“Which one of you is pregnant?”
Another wretched boom rattled the walls as another spacecraft took off. Fran swore and wiped her hands quickly over her face. Jesus, they’d all left. They were completely alone. But… why? They’d never taken the big ships.
“Lady, what’s going on?”
Angel was quietly sobbing with Blume’s arms around her, while Fran held herself with tight control. She eyed Sasha and made a questioning gesture with her hands.
Steadying herself, Sasha went to them and motioned taking off the cuffs. “I don’t know what’s going on. I never know. There were two of those assholes in the hall and one actually spoke to me. Something about a human baby.”
She held up the key and Fran offered her wrists first.
“What is this place?” Fran rubbed her wrists as the cuffs popped free.
“It’s a breeding facility, the best I can tell. The females were already here when I arrived. You’re the first newbies I’ve seen.”
Fran snorted. “Dumb assholes. I’m forty and I don’t have a uterus. They really didn’t think things through when they grabbed me, huh?”
“They’re cowards,” Blume said bitterly. “The Lork run from everything. If we’d just fought harder, they probably would have left us alone.”
Sasha tempered her breathing, willing the last bits of panic to tuck away into the box where she forced it to live. Her mind wanted to sink into past memories, but she couldn’t. She’d worked so damn hard to put all of it behind her. Being abducted by aliens sure wasn’t on her therapist’s treatment plan.
“There’s no reason to play the ‘what if’ game. Not right now, okay? We have bigger problems. Like, rationing our food and water until they get back.”
“They won’t come back. Do you know how many times they’ve packed up and fled? We’ve never once gone back.” Blume wrapped her arms tighter around Angel. “We’re stranded.”
“What do you think they’re running from?” Sasha ran a hand through her mass of tangled, unruly hair. It used to be blonde and thick and shiny. She hadn’t seen her own reflection in so long. Probably a good thing.
Blume scoffed. “Their shadow. Who the fudge knows.”
Angel sniffed quietly, followed by another sob. “They’re going to take my baby, aren’t they?”
Blume was quick to console her. “No. I said that they’re never coming back. They’re cowards, Ang. Trust me.”
Sasha clenched her eyes, her heart softening. Angel was so young, so tender. She couldn’t be more than twenty, with an innocence that she wore like a second skin. “How far along are you, Angel?”
The young woman wiped at her eyes. “Twenty-four weeks.”
Rubbing at her arm, she thought quickl
y about what to do next. No matter what was going on around her, she’d always been good at putting chaos aside and breaking things down one by one. She ushered the women toward the door. Blume was last to follow.
“Let’s get you all to my quarters where you can eat, clean up a little. I’m going to check on the alien women one more time. I found some kind of communications device, but it appears to be broken. I’ve been trying to send an SOS for a while now, but I’m not sure if it’s working. I’ll work on it more tonight. If the Lork really are gone, maybe we can bust into their side of the compound and find something better.”
Blume perked up. “I’m happy to take a look. I’m a… I was a Signal Officer for the U.S. Army. Beyond that, I tinker with amateur communications. Ham radios, that kind of thing.”
For the first time in weeks, Sasha had a flicker of hope. “You’re kidding me.”
Blume smiled. “Nope. There’s pretty much nothing I can’t fix. Show me to the unit and I’ll see if I still have the magic touch.”
“Excellent. I’m so glad that… Blume, what’s wrong?”
The young woman’s face was twisted with barely controlled panic. Her rigid posture screamed that something was wrong. “Everyone is in front of me, right?”
Sasha looked around to make sure everyone was accounted for. The other women, herself included, were standing by the door. “Yes.”
“Then what’s breathing on my neck?”
Sasha’s scalp prickled as she redirected her light to shiny on Blume. Her mouth went dry, her heart jumping into her throat.
“Oh my God. Blume, hold very, very still.”
Chapter Four
Hahn sat on the ground of his father’s cell, his back against the wall. There was one stool and he’d insisted his father take it.
They stared at each other; all the important words having been said. Hahn picked up the plate next to him and held it out. “Are you going to try it now?”
Metetto shook his head and looked away. “How do you expect me to eat after what you’ve revealed to me?”
