The Captive Mate

by C. R Corbin

  "Freeze!" I heard and they take her inside, I turned and glared at them.

  "You can take me if you want but leave her for now. She's sick." I remarked.

  "What reason do we have to believe you?" the lead soldier asked me, holding his pistol up to my face, his jagged teeth rubbing his lips while I frowned and pointed at her sickly, pale form, he nods and lowers his pistol, his helmet recedes and I stare into his orange eyes, his grey skin shining in the artificial light of the outpost.

  "What's the diagnosis doctor?" the soldier asked.

  "High fever and swelling in the stomach, likely a Gregar virus, native to Setopolis and extremely rare outside of it. Likely she got this from staying in one of those infamous slums." he said and I scowled.

  "How long should it take to fix her up?" the soldier asked.

  "Let me give her an inhibitor injection, after that I can give her some medication that needs to be taken daily for a couple of days, then she should be fine, she needs some rest for now." the doctor said.

  Just then I felt a sharp pain in my chest and fell back, the soldier had shot me and was now threatening the doctor. I remain in place, playing dead and decreasing my heart rate, years of missions had given me extraordinary control over my body.

  "Give her the injection now and give me the medication. We don't have time for rest." he said as the hum of his laser pistol filled the small office.

  "Yes, yes!" the doctor panicked, running into the back room while she laid there on the desk, the pain in my chest was unimaginable, I felt like I was going to pass out at any moment but I needed to hold on for any details, anything at all.

  "Where are we taking her boss?" one of his men asked.

  "Back to Jumo's, although I guess he is making that trip to Setopolis right now to negotiate with Tursia right? We'll take the human back there." the soldier said.

  "And what about him?" one of them asked and pointed at me.

  "Not our problem. Dead Jzarian never hurt anybody." the soldier said.

  They don't say much after, they just waited a few moments for the doctor to come out with the vials and pills before taking them and grabbing the girl. They dragged her off and shot the doctor a warning glance and I hear the sound of their boots get farther and farther before I shut my eyes and relax.

  Moments later I am back in the realm of the living.

  "Thank god, I thought you were dead. Bastard just barely missed your heart, guess that's what you get when you're a cocky soldier on an outpost in the middle of nowhere. Desperate to show off your skill hehe." the doctor laughed nervously while I sat up, rubbing my chest, the pistol burnt a hole there and med gel was currently working on it but I didn't have time.

  "I need to go, she's waiting for me." I began and fell off the bed he laid me on, falling onto the floor and panting while he gripped my shoulders and pulled me back up.

  "Your friend is gone. Jumo's guards have her halfway to Setopolis as we speak where she'll be more heavily guarded than any other person in the solar system. Heal and move on with your life, there's some things you just can't fight." he said.

  "I thought so too, but she taught me to fight and i'm not going to give up if she's still breathing." I grunted and get to my feet, struggling to stand.

  "The least I can do is give you pain killers. It should take a couple of days to reach Setopolis from here but that wound is severe. It needs at least a week." he said.

  "Give them to me. I’ll need a ship as well since they likely have my old one sequestered, although I don't think you'll be so co-" I began but he handed me a set of keys.

  "Take these. A fellow came in looking for treatment and died on the table while I was operating. Left behind a cruiser and some goodies on it." he said.

  "Why are you so eager to help?" I asked.

  "Any chance I get to spit on Jumo or Kaiso I take it. They've been terrorizing my clinic ever since it opened, day in and day out soldier's requesting free treatment and barging in to kill my patients, it's been a nightmare ever since I opened." he said. I studied his face, there were scars that I assumed were from interrogations or abuse from soldier's. The wrinkles on his face indicated his advanced age, it wasn't impossible to believe that they had made this man's life a personal hell.

  I nod and begin to limp out of the office, I kick open the door and the secretary backs away as I make my way for the front door. I leaned against it and turned around to ask him if they all left, he said that there would be a couple doing patrols outside but nowhere near the amount that there was before. Apparently, Jumo knew the value of security when it came to protecting a human and sent most of his soldiers with her.

  "Alright, here goes." I muttered and slipped the needle into my chest, the pain begins to dull and I sprint out, shutting my eyes and letting the adrenaline take over.

  I had to find the red ship beside his building. I run over the black asphalt and see it out of the corner of my eye, my old ship was in the distance, a variety of guards were sifting through it and searching for any other passengers. I run up to the red ship and press the button on the keys, letting it roar to life before the back hatch opened and I jumped in. I wasn't noticed, they probably all thought I was dead and left me be, they were likely on the other side of the moon by now, doing god knows what.

  "Alright, come on, come on." I muttered and slipped my hands over the panel, I scanned the key against the computer and the ship roars to life as I feel my hands begin to quiver around the throttle.

  I shoot off into the night without much fanfare, the traffic controllers notice me and send some ships after as well as fire some missiles my way but I maneuver my way around the blasts. The ships had taken too long to launch and once they were in the air they were too far to catch up with me. I relax in my seat and grasp my chest as the dull pain rocks through me, I hum softly and stare at the stars, knowing that she was out there, I would not fail her like I did with Kagi and Koros. She was my mate, I was sworn to protect her by Jzarian customs and by heaven or hell I would.

  Now all that was left was to save her.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Helen

  When I woke up I did not feel his presence, I couldn't feel his warmth next to me. I couldn't detect the breath on my neck or the flutter of his long blue fingers as they dashed over my arms, all I could feel was cold.

  The coldness of this prison.

  All I remembered was a feeling of intense weakness before I fell asleep on the ship, the darkness closing in on me, the heat of the room increasing and then an....intense chill. That was all that was felt, how I came to be here was a mystery, a nondescript metal room all around me. I looked up and saw a set of cameras gazing at me from opposite corners, at the front of the room was a single metal door, no hatches, no holes to look through, nothing.

  And then I felt it.

  I looked down at my arms after waking up and getting my bearings. I looked at my wrists and I was chained up, locked in place with the chains attached to the floor, I couldn't move far and I began to realize that something must have happened. We must have been captured.

  "Osorn!" I cried out for him but it quickly became apparent that he was nowhere to be seen.

  "Be quiet human!" said a voice over the speaker.

  "Tell me where he is! What did you do with him?!" I hollered out in an intense fury.

  "He's dead." another voice spoke and I heard laughing in the background, I felt my heart sink and the tears began to drip out.

  "That....that can't be." I muttered.

  The man who saved me from a terrible fate was dead. My hero was gone, the man that I had formed a mating bond with, the man who could fight off entire armies in my name was now dead. I could scarcely believe it, I could scarcely believe that they had hunted us down and killed him. The reality of the situation began to settle in and I laid on the floor, groaning and shaking, screaming even.

  "NO!" I cried.

  "Should we sedate her?" a voice aske
d.

  "If it will shut her up then yes." said another voice over the intercom, they all sounded so grizzled, so rough, like they would kill me without a second thought if it weren't for my blood.

  "LET ME GO!" I cried out, I had no hope now, I would never return home, I would never see the only person I cared for in this entire world. I would never see him again, I was in hell and all I could do was scream hopelessly.

  The darkness begins to creep through my corneas once more and my lips quiver. I can barely muster the ability to blink, I try to scream and all that comes out is some faded remnant of my effort. I shake my chains and call out to him, I wish he was here with me, I wish he sat beside me and waited, at least then I would feel some semblance of safety.

  Something.

  #

  "Wake up girl." I heard a voice say, now I wasn't even tied down to the floor, I was on a bed with my entire body bound so that I couldn't move. My curves pressed against the bindings and I looked up at him, he sits there next to me and smiles.

  If I could describe him I would say that he was sophisticated but primal, a man of a blue-blooded background that loved to feed his animalistic side whatever it wanted.

  He glances me over with those orange eyes, his dark grey skin shining in the dim fluorescent light. I look to my right side and I see the city, Setopolis. All the way back here after all that we had to do to get out. I growl and try to shake but they had bound me well, the way the bindings pressed into my curvy flesh was painful. I wouldn't be surprised if that was their intention. I glance him over and he only smiles at me.

  "Thought you could get away huh? Not after the match I had to have with Kaiso to get you, although I suppose that doesn't matter much now. Tursia already made her move, now it's her and I." he said.

  "What the fuck are you talking about?!" I asked him.

  "The man who originally had you imprisoned is dead, assassinated by one of Tursia's soldiers, a woman i'm sure you've met before. I heard you gave her a sample of blood and that she is hard at work reproducing it, no matter, I have a lifetime supply right here. I doubt that she will succeed where many others have not." he said and I grimaced once more.

  "Like hell! I'd rather bite off my own tongue!" I yelled at him and moved to do so before he gripped my jaw and held it open.

  "I was honestly not expecting you to be so feisty my dear. That is good, it only makes your blood all the more sweeter for our customers." he said, when it became clear that I couldn't talk he continued.

  "You know, I didn't think the Jzarian had it in him. I didn't know much about their race, I didn't know that they were gutsy enough to defy orders like that. I wonder why?" he asked me and runs his finger over my cheek.

  "MMPH!" I groaned into the palm of his hand.

  "I know it's not because of your lovely conversation skills so....I think I know why. Tell me, did you love him human? I've heard of interspecies breeding before, it's not unheard of but rarely does it drive a man to do such things for the woman he loves, too bad, he was such an incredible warrior." he remarked and I try to resist the urge to bite his palm. I knew that it would likely lead to me being punished even more harshly but I do it anyway, causing him to holler in pain as I tugged on his flesh with my teeth, blue blood spurting onto my lips.

  "Son of a bitch!" he exclaims and punches me on the side of the head, I merely continued to glare at him.

  He growls as if he's going to hit me again but stops himself, didn't want to damage his precious product after all. He shuts his eyes and opens a jar on the table beside me and slathers some of it onto his palm. He sighs and sat back down, calling in a nurse to tie my mouth open so that I wouldn't do such a thing again.

  "You should be grateful for me human. If I did nothing you would still be in the care of Kaiso and god knows he doesn't treat his product the way he should." the man snarled, if I can remember rightly Osorn told me that his name was Jumo.

  He was tall, although still shorter than Osorn. He stood at about 6'2 and wore this red suit with a black scarf around his neck. The suit was much like the ones on earth, a jacket and pants. He had his grey hair combed back, his orange eyes shining in the sea of grey skin, his long, frail figure situated on a cheap plastic chair. He takes something out of his pocket, a pipe perhaps and lights it up, I begin to wonder why he was even here.

  "Boss!" I heard someone call down the hallway, he exhales and the smoke washed over my face, his incredibly angular jaw jutting out and his high cheekbones furrowing as he smiled at me, it made me want to vomit.

  "BOSS!" I heard the voice call again, this time much closer.

  "What is it?" Jumo asked, turning his head.

  "It's Tursia. She's here." the man said

  Jumo sighed.

  "Fine, fine, let's go. I'll deal with you later girl." he snarled at me and got to his feet, his dress shoes sliding against marble before he walked off and scampered down the stairs, leaving me here in this hospital room, hoping that somehow a miracle would free me at this point.

  #

  Osorn

  I can see the megastructure now, the sun shone behind it, the lovely incandescence sparking out over the black skeleton of Setopolis. I rub my chest, it was still incredibly sore and the wound was still festering but I didn't have time to heal, I had to catch up to her while I still could. I go to the back of the ship directly behind the pilot seats and open up a trunk to see the weaponry that this man had. An assault rifle and a plasma pistol, standard but all that was needed right now.

  Now it was time to catch up to her, I tried to remember the section of the city we landed in before, Tursia was likely there along with Jumo so I started to type in the coordinates. It would be tough getting through the traffic control without being noticed if I was relying on time so....I would have to make a break for it. Although since traffic control was run by the gangs and judging by the details that Tursia was now in control I might be able to get in and out without much effort. If Jumo was running the show, however, that would make this mission a bit harder.

  I remembered a mission like this actually, it was desperate as the entire base was incredibly fortified, no way in or out. The only way I had was to autopilot the ship to drop me off in midair and hoped that I could swoop into the building using a rudimentary flight suit that was made for gliding. It worked, for the most part at least, getting out was the tricky part, I would have to worry about that later, my chances were slim but the very least I could do if it came down to it would be to kill us both to spare her the terrible fate she would suffer under him, that was the last resort though. There would also be the issue of having to deal with Jumo in general, I knew it was better if he died than if I left him alive but I wasn't sure that I had the strength to kill him at this point.

  "He'll likely die by Tursia's hand if what she said was true, but he is likely somewhere in the building, couldn't hurt to seek him out, but I still needed to protect her. I could just have the ship pick her up while I went to kill him, if I survive I would have to find a way to rendezvous with her though.

  "I'll have the ship drive her out of the solar system to Jzar, i'll leave a recording on here. If I perish then they should send her back home, according to custom at least. If I survived then I would be there to fetch her..." I ruminate and nodded to myself.

  This was a suicide mission, no doubt about it, but to save my mate I would do anything

  #

  Helen

  I laid there for minutes that seemed like hours. I at least got a view of the city, the view of dull grey buildings letting long lines of steam and mist rush into the sky while I languished here. There was no way out, I couldn't even bite my tongue, I could do nothing but wait and hope that I died of a heart attack or some other sudden occurrence.

  In the clouds I see him, I think back to his red eyes and his blue skin, somewhere in the artificial daylight of this planet could see him. I could hear his voice as if he was still alive, something in me told
me that he was still out there and that he was coming for me. Perhaps this was the gravity of the mating bond, I could sense him and he could sense me.

  And then I see it.

  There was a ship headed directly for the building, at least it seemed like it. The energy was streaking through the air, it was a small ship, not excessively massive but it was still enough to do a number on the building I was kept in. I wondered if this was an enemy ship that was sent here on autopilot to blow up a building but then at the last minute it steers upwards, I don't see much after that.

  I hear a scuffle in the background upstairs, there were people yelling, shots being fired, explosions sounding off. I could see a litany of soldiers running outside of my room, desperately trying to contain whatever it was that had intruded. I wished that this person was sent to rescue me, or at the very least to kill me. I hear them stumbling over, their breathing heavy and ragged, I wonder if this was one of Tursia's men. Perhaps they couldn't duplicate my blood after all and needed me back.

  And then I see him after a few moments.

  He was covered in ash and blood, although most of it wasn't his. He was clutching his chest and smiling at me, his hand on the doorway and his head poking through while I laid there in front of him. My jaw hangs open and I glance him over. His body turns slightly and he stumbles over to the bed, his faceplate slipped back and he looks at me. I nearly faint once more but I could see it in his eyes that this is the greatest moment of his life. A moment that will never be matched ever again by anyone.

  "Osorn." I said.

  "Hey, let's get you out of here. We have to go." he said and stumbled over to cut my bindings, he slipped out his knife and slipped it over my bindings, I am soon set free and get to my feet. My knees were a bit weak but I could manage, the blond hair blows over my cheeks and the sunlight dripped over my back while he glances me over.