Fighting Chance

by Paulette Oakes

  “Okay, that’s a little creepy. Anyway, the performers that play the parts are called actors and actresses. That’s what Jessica does. However, some of the storylines may call for dangerous action sequences or fight scenes which many of the actors are not trained for, so they call in a stunt double. That’s me. I have the training and experience to perform the risky stunts and fight scenes, and then they use camera tricks and special effects to replace my face with that of the actor in the finished product,” she explained as simply as she could.

  A displeased look crossed his face. “It is dishonorable to take credit for actions not of your own making. If these actors do not have the skill to perform the stunts, then they should receive training until they are capable of doing it themselves.”

  Mahoney rolled her eyes in annoyance. “God, you sound just like Jessica. It’s too complicated to explain it right now.”

  “I begin to like this Jessica already. She seems a rational and intelligent woman.” With a sly look her way, he added, “Perhaps you can explain more about this subject over dinner with me in my quarters?”

  An immediate refusal almost jumped to her lips, but she hesitated. She had so many questions of her own, not to mention her main goal of finding out why they took Jessica, that it would be foolish to toss away this opportunity simply out of spite and fear of her body’s reaction to his own. Making up her mind, she answered, “Fine, I will join you for dinner, but I have questions of my own and I expect answers. And I fully expect you to keep your hands to yourself!”

  His laughter echoed down the empty hallway as they came to a halt in front of a closed door. “I will answer your questions to the extent that I am allowed. As for keeping my hands to myself, I make no promises.”

  The door opened, and he ushered her inside. “Until later, my little warrior,” he whispered with a gleam in his eyes and the door shut in her face to leave her steaming at the smug alien.

  Chapter Eight

  “Mahoney!” Jessica’s desperate cry roused her attention. “Thank God you’re okay!”

  Mahoney turned just in time to intercept Jessica’s body flying into arms. Tears were streaming down the young woman’s face and her body trembled within Mahoney’s embrace. “Shhh…calm down, now,” Mahoney crooned, rubbing circles on her friend’s back. “Everything is going to be okay.”

  Jessica pulled her head back to stare at her friend incredulously. “Is it, Mahoney? How can you say that? We’ve been abducted by aliens, and God only knows where we are in space. How will we get home? Why did they take us?”

  Mahoney stared at her friend in shock. “Wait, how did you know we were on a space craft?”

  Jessica pulled back and began to pace around the room. “It’s the only explanation that fits. The strange physical appearance of the men, my altered body, this hi-tech room. Not to mention the talking computer who only seems to know the words ‘access denied.’ Asshole,” she seethed, glaring up at the ceiling as she furiously scrubbed her face of tears.

  Mahoney felt a new respect blossom for her friend. It had only taken Jess a matter of minutes to figure out the score, where Mahoney had required proof before she would even consider the notion of aliens and flying through space. Jessica had stalked back over to the replicator and was pushing buttons without a care of the consequences just to see what would happen.

  Mahoney shook her head to clear the cobwebs. “Okay, the first order of business is to make you comfortable and then I will tell you all I know. And stop pushing those buttons! I’ll show you how it works in a moment.”

  Jessica dropped her hands and nodded her agreement. “Where’s the bathroom? I’m about to pee all over myself,” her friend asked, crossing her legs in urgency.

  The door panel slid open to reveal the hidden washroom and Jessica rushed in without hesitation. When Mahoney heard her exhale of relief, she called out, “There’s no toilet paper. Just sit still and you’ll feel a warm-“

  “Aaaah! What the hell was that?!” her friend squalled from the other room.

  She couldn’t help it. Mahoney laughed until tears ran down her face. All the tension, stress, and anxiety of the last day, coupled with the worry she had endured about her friend’s safety, all coalesced into hysterical laughter as Jessica reappeared with a rattled expression.

  “Ha ha ha. Laugh it up, Mahoney,” she grouched, striding across the room with her lean, pale legs lightly bouncing across the springy flooring. “Where do I get some clothes so my ass isn’t hanging out in the breeze?”

  “Clothing can be replicated according the user’s specifications,” the computer answered her question.

  Jessica jumped in surprise before she shot an angry look at the ceiling and shook her fist. “That scares me every single time,” she complained, her normally sunny disposition continuing to sour.

  Mahoney wiped her eyes and sucked in deep breaths in order to calm herself. “You just have to give it commands. I told him to shut up unless I said the name ‘Jarvis.’ It seems to work really well.”

  Jessica nodded in understanding before calling out, “Hey, computer! I don’t want to hear from you unless I call you by the name ‘Kitt.’”

  “Command accepted,” came the dry reply.

  “Knight Rider reference. Nice,” Mahoney agreed. “Let’s go replicate you some clothes.”

  Mahoney showed her how to operate the replicator in order to create whatever she needed. Jessica wasn’t happy with any of the clothing selections, and called out, “Hey, Kitt! Can you access the Earth internet?”

  “Access to the foreign international database is restricted for Jessica MacGregor and Katsuko Mahoney,” he replied.

  She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Of course it is,” she muttered, thinking hard. A look of concentration came over her face, before she tried again. “Kitt, I need you to access the foreign database and locate the following: True Religion skinny jeans size 23, Burberry Brit cotton v-neck tee size small, Victoria’s Secret push-up bra size 36C and matching bikini-cut underwear in size small, and Converse Chuck sneakers in women’s size 6 ½. Send the specifications for these items to the replicator, please.”

  “Request approved by Commander R’Varsel. Accessing foreign international database. Item specifications sent to replicator,” Kitt replied.

  Mahoney stared at her friend with her jaw dropped. “You clever little minx! I never even thought of doing that! It took me over half an hour just to come up with this,” she indicated with a sweep of her hand down her body.

  “It was worth a shot,” Jessica shrugged, and took Mahoney’s instruction on how to operate the replicator.

  When Jessica was fully dressed and they were sitting at the table while Jess chowed down on a replicated cheeseburger and fries, Mahoney began to fill her in on all she had learned over the last several hours. With some help from their annoying computer friend, Mahoney was able to explain about Commander Mikael R’Varsel, the planet of T’Kala, and the small bits of information she had been able to glean from her interactions with the commander, doing her best to gloss over their more physical moments.

  Jessica’s eyes were dancing with merriment when she asked, “So, you have been claimed by the big one with green eyes? Are you his looooove slave now?”

  Mahoney’s face lit up with flushed embarrassment. “Absolutely not. I am only playing along with him until I find out what his mission is and where he is taking you.”

  That sobered her for a moment, but she giggled again and exclaimed, “Mahoney is gonna get her some alien strange! Just think about it. If his dick is as big as the rest of him…” she trailed off, eyebrows waggling.

  Mahoney looked everywhere but at her friend. Finally, she cleared her throat, and admitted, “It is.”

  Both women burst out laughing. Mahoney finally caught her breath and shook her head to clear it. With a deep sigh, she admitted, “I don’t know how the hell we’re going to get out of this, Jess, but I will not rest until we are returned home again.”


  Jessica nodded in agreement. “I know you will, Mahoney, and I will do anything I can to help. However, in the meantime, I would say that we have plenty of time for you to begin my lessons. Even with the commander’s assurance that we will not be harmed, it would still be good to have a few tricks up my sleeve.”

  Mahoney brightened, her canted eyes smiling. “That’s a great idea, Jess. There’s no time like the present. We’ll start with some basics first and work on breaking different holds.”

  Jessica popped out of her seat, eager to get started. Both women stretched and limbered their muscles while Mahoney outlined the moves they would be working on. For the next hour and a half, she put Jessica through her paces by initiating different attack holds that were most frequently used on women and how to effectively break them. Her friend was a determined learner and refused to move on to the next one until she had practiced each one over and over again.

  They were right in the middle of a lesson with Mahoney straddling Jessica who was prone on the floor when they both looked up at the sound of the door opening. Mikael stood there, arms crossed over his wide chest, and his lips pulled up in an appreciative grin.

  “Please,” he addressed them, his pale green eyes crinkling with mirth, “Don’t stop on my account. I am enjoying the view.”

  The women scrambled to their feet and straightened their clothes. “Men,” Mahoney huffed. “They’re all the same, even the alien ones.” Stepping to the side, she indicated her friend and made the introductions. “Commander Mikael R’Varsel, meet Jessica MacGregor, famous actress and my friend.”

  Jessica waved timidly, momentarily cowed by his intimidating stature. He smiled in a friendly manner and said, “It is a pleasure to meet you, Jessica. It is my wish for you to be comfortable here and I give you my word that no harm will come to either of you while under my command.”

  Jessica’s eyes narrowed at his words, and she found her backbone. “You can sprinkle sugar on a turd and call it a candy bar, but that doesn’t change the facts. The truth of the matter is that we are being held here against our will, you are our jailer, and we are prisoners. No matter how plush the accommodations, this is still a cell.”

  Mikael’s face darkened at her words, and his words were stiff when he answered, “It is a shame you feel that way. I was just coming to offer you both a tour of the ship, but since you feel you are a prisoner, I will leave you to your cell.”

  He started to pivot and leave, but Jessica called, “Wait! Don’t go, Commander. We would love to have a tour of the ship. Please don’t leave us cooped up in these rooms with only Kitt as company.”

  He shot a confused look to Mahoney and she clarified, “Jarvis. The annoying computer guy.”

  He chuckled, his previous good humor restored, and motioned them to follow him. “Come, then. Let me show you around my ship.”

  Chapter Nine

  They followed him willingly out the door, and Mahoney didn’t waste the opportunity to ogle Mikael’s firm backside that was so deliciously outlined by the gray jumpsuit he wore. Her friend, noticing where her eyes were focused, elbowed her in the ribs with a huge grin and mouthed the words “Dat ass, though!”

  Their tour wended its way through the living quarters which took up an entire floor in order to house all the warriors and support crew for his ship, which he explained was named The Ax’Sandre. When Mahoney asked what kind of name that was, he just mumbled that it had been named by his father, the previous commander, and refused to elaborate. They continued their tour by going down in a lift that arrived in another hallway. They stopped in the communications room where several T’Kalans were moving their fingers over touchscreen panels as if they were concert pianists playing a piano. One of the officers was an unusual being that had the women gaping like fish. The woman appeared to be a human/cat hybrid with silky-looking calico fur, pointed ears that swung back and forth to pick up sounds, paws that flashed wicked-looking claws, and a long tail that swished back and forth where it stuck out of the back of her chair.

  “Who is that?” Mahoney asked the commander, just barely saving herself from saying “what” instead.

  Instead of answering directly, he called out, “Officer Felonia, report.”

  The cat woman pressed a few more buttons, then stood gracefully from her chair. She slunk across the communications room until she stood in front of the small group, her back rigid and arms at her sides. Her gaze roamed over the humans, obviously as curious as they were, but she never broke form until he gave her leave.

  “At ease, officer,” he commanded. She immediately dropped her rigid stance and smiled, flashing small white fangs. “I would like to introduce you to our… guests. This is Katsuko Mahoney and Jessica MacGregor.” To the humans, he addressed, “Ladies, this my chief communications officer, Felonia Tarharra.”

  “Pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” Mahoney nodded her head.

  Jessica stuck her hand out. “You are so pretty,” she blurted, then blushed. “I mean, it’s nice to meet you.”

  Felonia cocked her head at Jessica’s outstretched hand before she hesitantly placed her paw in the human’s hand. Her glowing yellow cat eyes widened when Jessica pumped her paw up and down.

  “That’s how we greet new acquaintances in the country I’m from,” Jessica explained helpfully.

  The feline woman grinned, flashing her pointy canines. “I am also pleased to meet you both. I admit I have been curious since I heard there were humans on board. I have heard many things and seen pictures, but I have never met one before. Shall I show you how my people, the Harani, greet each other?”

  Mahoney and Jessica both agreed, so Felonia stepped forward and placed a paw on each of Jessica’s shoulders. Leaning forward slowly, she rubbed the side of her whiskered, furry face along each of Jessica’s cheeks. At Mahoney’s nod of acceptance, the cat woman stepped forward and performed the same ritual with her.

  “That’s actually not that different from how some of the humans in other countries greet each other, but they do it with a kiss on each cheek instead,” Mahoney explained. “In my mother’s culture, it is considered great respect to bow at the waist,” she continued, before executing a deep bow with her hands braced on her thighs and fingertips touching.

  Felonia made a chirping noise and then returned the bow, obviously pleased with her new friends. With Mikael’s permission, she promised to seek them out during her time off and spend some time getting to know them.

  As they left the room, Jessica whispered to Mahoney, “OMG, your Japanese cousins would pee down both legs if they could see her.”

  “Is it wrong that I want to rub her behind the ears?” she shot back, only half joking.

  Mikael laughed, his chest straining at the cloth of his jumpsuit. “I wouldn’t suggest it unless you wish to make a sexual pass at her,” he cautioned with humor in his tone.

  The tour continued on and they met many more of the crew and three new species of aliens, but none of them appealed to their curiosity like Felonia. He showed them the cafeteria, where many of the big warriors were eating and shooting obvious looks of appreciation their way. Jessica, well-used to being the center of attention, smiled and waved like she was on the red carpet while Mahoney just rolled her eyes. He took them to the bridge, which was of the most interest to Mahoney, but her hope of escape via hijacking the ship was dashed when she saw the thousands of lights, touchscreens, and unusual symbols that took a crew of almost 20 to operate flawlessly. After a few more stops at offices belonging to the lieutenants and ship secretary general, he brought the tour to an end outside a large door.

  “Our final stop is the room I have most wanted to show you,” he announced, his icy hot gaze glued to Mahoney.

  Her heart began beating a fast tattoo, and heat flushed through her body. Before she could stop it, the words came tumbling out, “Your bedroom?”

  His nostrils flared and a look of absolute hunger took over his face. “That is a tour for you and I alone, Katsuko,” he g
rowled with a promise.

  A long, tense moment stretched out between them until Jessica cleared her throat loudly and reminded them, “Ahem! I’m still here, you two.”

  Mahoney looked away quickly, embarrassment causing a rare blush to crawl up the tanned skin of her graceful neck. Mikael couldn’t suppress the smug grin that transformed his severe expression into roguishly handsome face with the hint of a dimple in his cheeks.

  “I think you will enjoy this as much,” he continued, as if the moment had never happened. “This is our training room.”

  Chapter Ten

  Mahoney’s eyes lit up with excitement. She was a naturally athletic woman and craved the rush that she got whenever she performed crazy stunts or stepped into the ring. What with all of the wildly swinging emotions and the intense sexual tension between her and her captor, she was more than ready to burn off some energy. She almost bounced as they followed behind him through the door.

  The room was large and open, much like a small school gymnasium. The floor was firm, but made of the same springy material of her bedroom, and it felt good under her restless feet. The noises of grunts, metal clanging against metal, and the smell of testosterone-laden sweat had her jazzed up and she couldn’t wait to see what kind of training equipment they used. Mikael came to a stop a few yards inside the door and surveyed the scene in front of them while the women flanked him on each side.

  “Oh, my,” breathed Jessica, her hand fluttering at her throat.

  “Oh, yeah,” Mahoney added, her body eager for a challenge.

  The scene could have come from the set of any of their movies that they’d seen or worked on. At least a dozen warriors, all of them shirtless, bronzed, and bursting with muscle, were sparring with each other or with life-like, white plastic androids. Some of them brawled with their big fists, and others were dripping blood from slashes received during a fight with wickedly curved swords. Some of the men were distracted, much to their physical detriment, by the sight of two beautiful humans and their commander. It didn’t take long for each warrior to come to a standstill and stare at their audience.