by Keri Kruspe
Lora smiled at her friend who joined her mammoth companion. “Bye, Chloe. I hope to see you soon.” She gave a little wave that the other woman returned.
“Count on it!” Chloe gave a small, victory punch in the air before releasing her fingers to give the male an open-handed smack on his forearm. “Let’s go, Gargantuan Man.” She walked ahead of him in the twilight. The dust from the barren soil stirred with each step. “Our work here is done and we’s got places ta go!”
Lora laughed as the large male rolled his bright eyes before turning to follow his much-smaller colleague.
“Where to, JR11?” Lora tied the leather thong around her neck.
“Make a slight turn to the left and keep walking,” her small bot told her in her soft voice. “Elemi is over that rise.”
“Elemi?” Lora’s mind was on where she walked in the rocky dirt, careful not to step on anything sharp with her bare feet.
“Yes, that is the name of the ship we are going to.”
“Um, okay,” She peered around. It was hard to see in the ever-darkening landscape. It’d be nice if a moon would peek out to help light the way. “JR11, I’m afraid I can’t see very well. Will you keep an eye out for the ship and let me know when I get close?”
“Of course, Miss Lora,” came the calm reply. “The ship blends into the landscape so they didn’t land too far from the facility. We are almost there.”
They moved at a slow pace, which was okay with her. The nasty green alien hadn’t hurt her, but he did inject her with something that burned. Her body throbbed with fires of pain that pulsated from her head to her toes. Let’s not forget the several open cuts and bruises he’d given her with his less-than-stellar treatment. She sighed. All she wanted to do was take a bath, eat, and sleep for a month. She was sore and tired and her hair hurt.
She released a small snort of laughter…her hair did hurt. Probably part of the whole “TrueBond” thing-a-bopper she shared with D’zia. Speaking of D’zia, her body tightened with the memory of their time together. Yeah, that’s what a girl needed…sweaty, pounding sex with her man. God, the vision of his sexy face above her when he came had her heart thundering for more.
“Here we are, Miss Lora.” JR11’s light feminine voice penetrated her daydream.
Lora stared in confusion at the darkness. All around her were dirt, rocks, and two small hilly mounds with tiny pathetic plants clustered in the sparse landscape.
“Huh? I don’t see anything.” She gripped the end of Chloe’s rock that was hanging between her breasts as she squinted in the dusky light. As if that would help her see any better.
“Elemi?” JR11 crooned. “Please transport us on board.”
A sharp tingle zapped through Lora’s body as a quick feeling of discomfort engulfed her. One minute she stood on the dusty planet floor, and the next she was in a dark, cool enclosure.
“Where are we? I can’t see anything!”
Don’t panic…do not panic.
“Oh, I am so sorry.” A bored, feminine sigh bounced around. “Please forgive my inability to anticipate your inexhaustible human limitations.” Lights came on, slow at first until it was bright enough so Lora could see two feet in front of her.
Wait…was that some dig at her being a human?
She pressed her lips together in irritation. “Oh yeah? And who might you be?” She glanced up and down the small interior, expecting to see someone…or something. She stood in a sparse metallic room with blinking orange lights on the floor. Hard to tell who or what she was talking to.
“I am, of course, Elemi,” the voice stated in a droll tone. “And who do you think you are?”
Think she was? What kind of stupid question was that?
Before Lora gave a well-deserved retort, JR11 answered for her. “This is Miss Lora, D’zia’s TrueBond.” She came out of the nape of Lora’s neck to rest on her shoulder. “JR10 respectfully requests you to interface with me to update your parameters.”
“Humph. As if I hadn’t already done so before I brought you on board.” The sniff of disdain was unmistakable. “I was asking the human to tell me who she was.”
Even though Lora couldn’t see anyone, it’d be best to keep her temper under control. For now. “My name is Lora Callahan from Earth. And who might you be?”
“I believe I have already introduced myself,” came the condescending reply.
A moment of silence.
“And where are you, Elemi?” Lora looked around again.
“Are you sure she’s D’zia’s TrueBond, JR11? She’s obviously not very intelligent.” Another snooty sniff.
“Oh, dear,” JR11 whispered.
“Well, if you’re going to be a bitch about it, you should put on your big girl panties and come out and face me,” Lora demanded. She folded her arms across her chest and tapped her foot in irritation.
A short humorous laugh echoed around her. “I am facing you, you dense creature. I am the ship you are currently in.”
Great, now spaceships were insulting her. Cross that one off her bucket list.
“Ladies, please let’s concentrate on what’s important. Okay?” JR11’s soothing voice of reason interrupted their inane conversation. “Elemi, are you able to communicate with JR10 and D’zia? I’m afraid they are out of my range.”
A fake, metallic sigh hissed around them. “Yes, you are certainly correct, JR11. Regardless of my opinion of this human, I will do my duty to you and her in accordance with D’zia’s wishes. I believe it is best I show you where to rest as we wait.” The small orange lights flashed on the floor. It reminded Lora of landing lights on an airport runway. “Follow the lights to a waiting room I’ve made for passengers. I’ve included a replicator unit to program any food or drink you might need. I’ve also incorporated a sleeping pad. Please feel free to pass out any time.”
“But, what about D’zia? Can you communicate with him?” Lora followed the blinking lights. “Is he okay? Will he be here soon?” It didn’t take long to reach a small room with everything in it Elemi described. She went to the replicator and programmed a glass of water as she took off Chloe’s communication rock and placed it on a nearby shelf. The invigorating liquid had a refreshing hint of lemon. What she wouldn’t give to have crushed ice to munch on, but apparently frozen water to put in a drink was a foreign idea for aliens. Who knew you couldn’t get ice in space?
“Unfortunately, I am unable to connect with JR10 to verify their status. But I am capable of monitoring D’zia’s life signs as well as the Merkaba female’s. Currently, they are within the Erkek laboratories with no signs of duress.” Elemi’s voice had become more mechanical.
JR11 settled on Lora’s shoulder, and she appreciated the comfort the small bot gave her. Especially with her head splitting. Holy shamoka, she wished the person whacking a hatchet into her skull would stop already. She sat on a small couch, enjoyed the body-hugging warmth, and closed her eyes. Might as well tip her head back and ignore the cold attitude of the bitchzilla ship. All she could do now was settle in and wait for D’zia to come back. She put her feet up on the nearby cot.
She wished he’d hurry. Maybe he’d know where to get some aspirin.
* * *
D’ZIA
Staying behind in the crazy Erkek’s lab to capture the alien was without a doubt one of the stupidest things he’d ever done. But, the best way to discover what Knum’Nz was up to was to grab his bony ass and haul him before the Imperial Forces. They’d do a better job of uncovering what was going on than D’zia could.
His mouth twisted into a sardonic smile as he envisioned holding the disgusting Erkek by the neck. He’d twist the villain’s head until the ugly alien turned orange from lack of oxygen. Yeah, he’d much rather torture the vile creature than do anything noble like question him.
He jerked back to reality as he followed the Merkaba female leading farther into the dark interior. Thankfully, the loud klaxon had stopped. Now he had a chance to think.
Shysutá t
alked in a quiet tone into her ear communicator. “Where is he? Okay, how many guards does he have left? Really? Perfect. We’ll be in and out in a couple of nanoclicks. Yeah, you too.”
She faced him. “Good news, there are only two guards left. I’ll get them and you grab the Erkek.”
Well, that was good news. “Sounds good, do you know where we’re going?”
“Yes, through this hallway and to the right. His guards are outside the door, so we can’t miss them.” The corner of the female’s mouth curled. Anticipation lit her face as she pulled out dual disintegration blasters along with one of her katana swords and slunk ahead of him.
D’zia followed, holding the one weapon she’d given him. With each step, he had to remind himself not to blow the asshole’s head off. Just grab and subdue him. He’d swallow his pride and take the Erkek back to Qay. When the authorities were done with him, then he’d demand retribution for the Erkek daring to touch his female.
All too soon, Shysutá stopped and waved him back with her fingers still clutching her blasters. They’d come to the end of the hallway as it branched to the right and left. She peered around the corner before she snapped her head back.
“They’re standing on the right-hand side. The door is open, so that’s in our favor,” she whispered. “I’ll take care of the guards so you can go in and do your thing.”
The smile crossing his face was not a pleasant one. “Yeah, I’ll be right back.” He clicked the stun setting on the disintegration blaster to avoid a kill shot. He glanced back at Shysutá and nodded his readiness. “Okay, let’s go.”
With a loud whoop of a warrior’s yell, the Merkaba sprinted ahead and fired off her blasters. Ignoring the melee, D’zia ran through as a guard dissolved from her direct shot. She either missed the other one or did so on purpose to have fun before she killed him. It was hard to tell with her bloodthirsty species.
D’zia ran in and shot his blaster at the Erkek’s exposed back. He snorted, only an idiot would have his back to an open door on this planet. Knum’Nz’s mistake would cost the Erkek doctor his freedom.
D’zia had miscalculated the other male’s reflexes. He’d turned around and simultaneously thrown a metallic object at D’zia. Straight for his forehead. Only quick reflexes allowed him to dodge the sharp metal disk. It missed him dead-on but still grazed his temple before it landed with a light clink behind him. Before Knum’Nz could fling another weapon, D’zia shot him.
Two quick blasts hit the Erkek square in the chest and caused him to freeze before he dropped to the floor with a hard thud.
Satisfied, D’zia straightened and pulled his shoulders back with pride. Yep, he hadn’t lost it. He was still one of the best sharpshooters in the business. The sound of footsteps behind him had him glancing at Shysutá as she walked up to stand next to him.
“That him?” She gestured with one of her empty hands. With the top of her steel-toed boot, she gave the prone Erkek a slight kick.
“Yep, and I can tell you he’s not getting up any time soon,” D’zia boasted as he shoved his blaster in the back waistband of his pants. He would not offer it back.
“Did you kill him?” She leaned down to press two fingers to the side of Knum’Nz temple, a pulse point for an Erkek. “No, he’s fine.” She straightened. “Now what?”
“Well, I’ve got to get him to my ship so I can take him back to Zerin.” He surveyed the room for something he could use to bind the alien.
“Here, let’s put these on him.” She pulled out a pair of metallic ties from her belt. They were delicate metal links made from a dense alloy a herd of eztli couldn’t break.
“Okay.” He hesitated before he took them from her. No telling how much this rescue would end up costing him.
She smirked, an amused twinkle in her violet, pulsating eyes. “Don’t worry, Zerin. We will be more than adequately compensated for helping you.”
Time was of the essence, so D’zia just nodded. He’d solve the price mystery later. It was more important to get the crazy doctor back to Zerin. Not only that, but he didn’t like leaving Lora alone. No telling what the Erkek scientist had done to her.
“You’re bleeding.” Shysutá motioned to his right temple.
“Huh?” He reached up and touched where she indicated. He pulled back to see a light pool of blood covering his three fingers. There was a square piece of cloth on a nearby table, so he grabbed it and made a quick swipe across his forehead before he dropped it on the floor. “All better. Let’s go.” He reached down, pulled the limp Erkek up, and slung him over his shoulder. The madman was heavy, but nothing D’zia couldn’t handle for the short trek to his ship.
It didn’t take long to leave the lab and face a dark, dusty landscape. The wind had picked up and swirls of dirt whooshed around them. His body broke out in a sweat in the humid air.
“You got this?” She motioned to the heavy weight on his shoulder. “Do you need me to follow you to your ship?”
Experience taught him when faced with an unknown, caution was best. He didn’t want Shysutá and her crew to know anything about Elemi, unless JR10 had told them. He couldn’t take the chance, so for now he’d distance himself.
“I’m okay.” He gave a truthful answer and shifted his heavy burden to settle on his shoulders. “I guess I’ll see you around.” He turned to leave, but her voice stopped him.
“Oh, you’re not getting away that easy, Duke. When you get to Zerin, JR10 will reach out to me and we’ll conclude our business.” She gave him a slight smile and a saluted him with a two-finger wave from the side of her head. She turned and her swaying form vanished into the shadowy light of FiPan.
“JR10?” The little bot was still with D’zia, settled at the nape of his neck as he walked at a brisk pace toward the waiting ship. “How did they know we were in trouble?”
His little helper gave a snort.
A pain throbbed at the base of his skull. “Don’t tell me you asked them to come and rescue us.” No idea why that should surprise him. “What could you possibly say to them to make sure they’d came?”
“Um, well, I told her she could name her price.”
D’zia heard the hesitation. Great, he just knew he wasn’t going to like what JR10 said next. The pain in his head pounded harder. “And…what was their price?”
JR10’s timid answer almost made D’zia drop the Erkek in shock. “Well, danka shit! Why didn’t you offer them half of Zerin while you were at it?”
“Bro, what was I supposed to do? We were in a jam and fresh out of options. Dude, it was your idea first.” JR10’s voice was incredulous. “Besides, they were close and willing to charge right in, no questions asked.”
Well, nothing he could do about it now. He’d let Qay sort it out later. Damn Erkek had better be worth it. He stopped where the ship should have been. “Am I in the right place? Isn’t Elemi here?” The minute the words left his mouth, his body tingled as the transportation activated and brought him in the ship. He dumped the Erkek on the hard floor when the first thing he saw was Lora unconscious on a small lounger.
“Lora, gariad.” He placed his palms on her cheeks. “JR10, is JR11 here? Can she tell us what’s wrong with her?”
Her breathing was shallow and rapid. Her eyes twitched under her closed lids while her face and body beaded in sweat on her flushed skin.
The little purple AI crawled over Lora’s shoulder to tilt her bulbous eyes at him. “She passed out 10.82 nanoclicks ago and has not awakened. Her blood pressure is high and she is suffering from a fever while her body is flooded with chills.”
That can’t be good. “Is her life in danger?” His breath hitched as he waited for her answer.
“I do not know,” came the soft reply. “I think we should take her to a professional healer.”
A groan sounded behind him, diverting his attention.
“Uh-oh.” JR10 whistled next to his ear. “Lucky you, your guest is starting to wake up.”
Torn between dealing wi
th the prisoner and his ailing TrueBond, D’zia was frantic before Lora’s slave collar caught his eye. It gave him an idea.
“JR10, can you interface with the slave collar around her neck and open it?”
“Sure, no problemo,” JR10 replied.
The metallic choker opened, leaving the front of her throat exposed. Now the bruises showed where the device had bitten into her delicate skin.
He ran a gentle finger over the discolorations and watched her skin pebble under his touch. “Do you have the ability to regulate it?” No telling where the control box was, and without it, the collar would be next to useless.
“Yeah, again not a problem. You gonna put it on your guest over there?”
“Unless you’ve got a better idea.”
“Nope, sounds good to me,” the bot replied. “Oh hey, I almost forgot. Elemi can manufacture a small cell for your friend here. Why not ask her to take care of it for you?”
“Elemi?” D’zia asked after he clicked the collar around the Erkek’s skinny neck. “Would you do that for us?”
A moment of silence before the AI ship answered. “I would do anything for you, D’zia dear. Do you want me to transport him there for you?”
“No, not yet.” D’zia slapped the Erkek across the cheek. “Wake up, you sick bastard and tell me what you did to my TrueBond.” He squatted next to his prisoner and slapped him again.
The Erkek opened his black eyes, the diamond-shaped orange pupils dilated. He closed them before reopening to give D’zia a glare. “I don’t have to tell you anything.”
His smug answer made D’zia’s fingers itch to choke a better response from the vile alien. “I wouldn’t be so sure of that, my friend.” D’zia leaned in close enough so the Erkek could feel his breath. He had to ignore the vile aroma coming from Knum’Nz. “JR10, please give our little friend here an incentive to be cooperative.”