by Layla Stone
Sasha’s mom began to plead for her. “It was all my fault, punish me.”
The madame’s neon blue eyes zeroed in on Joan. “Oh, I intend to. Why do you think I brought your little imp back? To punish you by making you watch.”
Her mom cried as Allure pulled her down to the ground and secured her there with the cuffs and chains bolted to the cement floor. Allure yelled, “Donil!” And a thin male walked in, wearing a black spiked leather collar.
With a whip in hand, he moved towards Sasha and tapped the tip of the handle against her knee, then up her thigh, over her hip, on her right breast, and then under her chin. He forced her face up to him. “I’ve waited for this.”
Her mother was on the ground next to her. She hated Allure for making her mother watch…whatever he was going to do to her.
Donil moved back down by her feet and flicked the whip until it cracked. The sound turned her blood to ice. Sasha knew she was in for pain, and she just hoped she lived through it. But the sounds of the whip caused her to flinch. Her emotions bubbled over, urging her to run, to break free, to find a safe place, to save her mother…all things she couldn’t do.
Allure leaned in and whispered, “This is my favorite part. There is something so…exciting about watching someone getting their first whipping.” To Sasha’s disgust, the madame rubbed her lips as if she were getting hot and bothered by the idea of it.
With a slight moan, Allure stopped to whisper, “It’s going to be so good that I’m going to have to re-watch it over and over later tonight.” With a wink, she held up her finger and quietly said, “Begin, Donil.”
Sasha felt her stomach drop, her mind screamed out in fear right before an explosion of heat and pain ripped across her right thigh.
“Again.” Allure said with a slow moan as if the sight of Sasha’s blood and the screams of both her and her mother were, in fact, giving the madame physical pleasure.
Again, heat and pain, then Sasha’s mind vibrating with fear, confusion, and terror.
“Again.”
Unrelenting, Madame Allure continued to have Donil assault Sasha, despite her cries for help.
Words faded, but the pain never did. It was not a mercy when it stopped. It was not merciful at all. And then, slowly, the pain eased a bit, and she could breathe easier. She took deep breaths and opened her eyes to see Allure holding a medscope over her skin, her breath coming in pants.
“I could go another round. What about you?” She bit her lower lip and smiled. “Oh, I could definitely go another round with you, little imp.”
Sasha was in a new hell, and she had to endure it all…again.
***
Sasha was sure she would rather be dead a thousand times over. Her mother was crying, not speaking because her voice was hoarse. Probably severely damaged with all the screaming. Sasha had not fully healed, left to feel the stinging pain overnight because Allure was tired and needed to think of something more entertaining for future torture sessions.
“Mom, I want you to know that I love you.”
Her mom said something, but Sasha couldn’t understand the words.
“No matter what, I want you to know it was worth it to get out. I got to pilot, and I met someone. His name is Sci. He’s amazing, Mom. I wish you could have met him.” Then Sasha spent time telling her mother about Sci. She just wanted to tell someone about him, making her memories of him live on. She didn’t know if she would survive whatever the madame had in store for her.
Her mom nodded and mouthed, “I love you.”
“I know.” And because she needed to know, she asked, “Have you seen Jandy since I left?”
Her mother shook her head then made an up and down motion with her hand. Sasha had no idea what she was saying. “The air current?”
Her mother mouthed, “Sold.”
“Someone bought her? Who?”
“Sold,” her mom mouthed again. “Taken off planet.”
It took a second for Sasha to put it together. “Jandy was sold to a visitor?”
Nodding her head, Joan held up her fingers and rubbed them together.
Money.
“Do you know who she was sold to?” Sasha had to find her.
Her mother shrugged her shoulders.
“Damn.” Sasha winced at the sad smile her mom held. It mirrored her own feelings at this point.
“Your father,” her mom said in a harsh voice, gaining Sasha’s attention. “He was just like you.”
“My father was a Kooyon, wasn’t he?”
Covering her face with her hands, her mother started crying again. When she was able to speak again, she said in a hoarse whisper, “I thought he didn’t love me. He always wanted to go somewhere and do something. I thought he was bored of me. When I found out I was pregnant, I took a space pod off Lotus Adaama and came here.”
“You said you were from Earth. America.”
“Born there, raised on Lotus Adaama.” Another port planet. “But when you were born, I knew I’d made a mistake. You had so much energy, needed to constantly stay busy. I realized that you were not bored of me, you loved me, which is why you always left and came back as if you needed to make sure I was still there. Your father did that.”
The pain from the whipping hurt, but not as much as hearing her mother speak of her father, a man that might have been a great dad to her. Sasha wondered if that’s what she would look like when talking about Sci if she ever lived through this. “What was his name?”
With watery eyes, her mother answered, “Johill.”
***
“Oh, little imp. I have come up with the best idea ever.” Allure was in a new outfit, her eyes no longer neon blue but yellow. Her lips had changed from blue to bright orange. The sadist was positively glowing with excitement. Sasha’s heart dropped when Allure brought over the medscope and healed the large gashes and welts on Sasha’s body. She heard her mother start to cry and shout with her broken voice. All Sasha could do was choke on her own cries. She didn’t want to weep, she didn’t even think she had tears left to cry, but her body found some and pushed them out.
Sasha felt a hand on her leg. Donil. He was moving his hand in circles then moved farther up her leg, circling his thumb all over her naked, exposed skin. It felt like an ugly violation, just like everything else he had done to her. Sasha struggled, jerking her body away from his touch and whimpering.
“Oh, that’s my favorite sound in all the world.” Allure’s giddy voice filtered into her ears.
Sasha heard Allure say, “Bite her, Donil, and do it hard.” She felt his mouth by her neck right before his teeth chomped down on her skin. The pressure was horrible, combined with the fact that it was a stranger’s mouth! Sasha shook her head to stop him, the pain and the sting shot from her neck into her head.
“Let go, Donil.” Suddenly, his mouth was gone.
She felt a cold tap from Allure’s fingers on her belly. “Right here.” Donil licked his lips, opened his mouth, and did it again.
This pain was different in that it didn’t come as quickly as the whip, but the bite lasted longer. Hours longer between healings.
“Please, stop,” Sasha pleaded in a whisper.
“Sure, we can stop. I’m already bored anyway.” Then Allure held up a metal bucket with a pair of pink oven mittens. “How do you feel about hot oil?”
Sasha quickly learned the meaning of hell.
The oil covered her body, and the burns blistered. The heat from the oil died down, but the searing sting of the blisters radiated on. Sasha hated Allure, loathed Donil, and especially hated having to hear her mother’s broken cries. It merely added to the misery she felt.
The madame had Donil put Sasha in a large tube standing at least ten feet tall. It was transparent and filled with green water that tasted horrible. Once inside, Allure tapped the glass with her long fingernail. “Now, sweetie, I’m going to need you to do me a favor and not drown. Can you do that for me? If
you live through the night, I promise to let you out.” And then she smiled widely, her orange lips looking like melted plastic. Sasha’s stomach churned at the darkening color of the madame’s eyes. She felt queasy at the idea that Madame Allure was aroused by and enjoying the torture.
“If your daughter dies tonight, Joan, it will be because she chose it. Not me. Nighty-night.” The door shut, taking the light with it. If Sasha did survive, she doubted Allure would let her free. She was just going to put her through another round of hell in another way.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Deniability
Sci sat in his cabin, staring at the empty cot that both he and Sasha had shared. He had been acquitted of the charges. The courts had decided to send him home. He knew he should be grateful not to be in prison or even dead, but he wasn’t. His eyes felt like they had dirt inside them. Sleeping was out of the question. He had only one goal: save Sasha.
Sci was a dark mess. His body was numb from sitting so long. His mind was quiet. Ansel, Pax, and Sands were gone, following the male who had taken Sasha.
Sci didn’t understand the tether in his mind, but it obviously had something to do with Sasha. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it had been non-existent ever since Sasha left.
Rannn had reconnected his blocker after the court session, grateful that his crew had gotten out without raising any alarms.
He promised to remain calm unless Rannn had more information on Sasha.
The door slid open, and the captain walked in. “We were able to track the sloop, it’s headed back to Lotus Nexis.”
Headed back to that slave planet. Sci cringed at the possibilities that Ansel has thought about earlier. “I can’t sit here any longer.”
Rannn bowed his head for a moment. His voice slightly softer, he said, “I know exactly how you feel. I felt that every second of every day while my crew was being slaughtered. But this is different. This is the Federation. Not some savage desert planet with gladiator mentalities. Keep it together for me, for yourself and for Sasha.”
Sci didn’t want to keep it together. He wanted to do something. Anything. It felt wrong to wait and trust someone else.
“Hold it together and trust me.”
Sci wasn’t sure what there was to trust. If Sasha didn’t come back, it was over. For everyone who had helped hurt her. While Rannn wasn’t one of those people, Rannn couldn’t stop Sci either. The captain had it backwards. Rannn should be trusting Sci not to seek revenge for the loss of his…love.
Slowly, Sci stood up, remembering all the horrible rumors that had run across Sasha’s mind. “I’m going to Lotus Nexis.”
Rannn didn’t move, but he did hold up his hands. “Pax will save her. He’s smart and he is a reliable he’s a tactical and weapons officer.”
Sci wanted to be there to help with the rescue.
Rannn spoke with confidence. Sci decided that the male was trying to give him hope. He could understand that, but he wasn’t going to grasp it. Not yet.
Rannn moved from the doorway and punched his code into the screen. “I know that look, Sci. And I respect it. But before you jump to do this, know that if you’re caught, I won’t be able to protect you.”
Sci faced the captain. “Are you truly afraid I will get caught? Or how this might affect you?”
“Are you trying to piss me off? Because last time I checked, I was helping you.”
No, the captain was strongly urging Sci to stay and wait around. That wasn’t going to happen. “I need to be there for her. I can protect her better than anyone you know.”
Rannn tilted his head and stared at Sci. “Are you sure about that?”
“My abilities, the ones you’ve seen, have been kept in check. You have not seen what I can do when I have no limitations.”
Rannn looked pleased. “I help you, I get you out, you owe me.”
“You get me there, to where Sasha is, I’ll owe you. Anything.”
Rannn exhaled hard. “This is probably going to backfire in my face, but at least I’ll have a favor due from a Cerebral.” Then Rannn moved out of the cabin and scanned the long, round hallways. “Do not let anyone see us.” The words hinted at Sci hit their mark. Sci pushed out both of his tele-abilities.
The first Yunkin was not paying attention. He was watching his Minky pad as he walked. Sci quickly jerked the male’s ankle, making him fall. Then, using his telekinesis, he made sure he fell so hard, his head cracked on the metal floor, knocking him out.
“You didn’t break his neck, did you?” Rannn whispered.
“You should trust me not to kill your Federation crew.”
They moved past the body before Rannn added, “Technically, they are not my crew. My crew consists of Pax, Yon, Ansel, and Sands…officially.”
Near the stairs, Sci walked through first. Two Yunkins were making their way up when Sci broke the cerebral blocker of the one on the right. Recognizing the male from his training, Sci looked in the Yunkin’s conscious mind and realized that he was sneaking off to be with his friend. To detour them, he sent the male images of his superior looking for him. Sci continued to send him images until the male stopped. “I can’t do this. I need to go back. If I get caught leaving my station, I will get sent back home.”
Rannn was standing silently next to Sci, watching the situation unfold. Once the two had returned to the upper decks, Rannn asked, “What was that? What did you do?”
“Broke his blocker, found out he was sneaking away on a break, so I sent him images of his superior looking for him.”
“That’s why he turned around. Clever.”
Rannn took the lead and descended the stairs, exiting into the hallway first. “Okay, we just have to make it past the guards.”
Sci didn’t have to be inside Rannn’s mind to know that the captain was enjoying seeing this side of Sci’s abilities. The guards stationed next to the armory were huddled together. Sci couldn’t attack their minds or them outright, but…he saw a pipe near the entryway.
Delicately, Sci plucked off one of the Yunkins metal rank pins from his shoulder and used it to ram the pipe—as hard and as fast as he could—breaking it open. The hiss and gas shocked everyone, including Rannn.
Grabbing his arm, Rannn pulled him through the melee. “Can you repair that?”
“Yes.”
“Make sure you do before you leave.”
“I have to be looking at it. Don’t you have mechanics on this floating innertube?”
Rannn chuffed. “I’d rather not destroy the station. It would look bad on my record.” They stopped by an ejection door. On the floor was a tube. Rannn opened it up. “Get in.”
Sci did.
Before Rannn lowered the thick, metal lid, he said, “This has a tracker but Pax and Sands will be able to lock on to your signal. I’ll send the transmission to Pax and tell him to turn around and pick you up.” Rannn pointed at Sci’s face. “You told me you were the best option. You better be. I will not lose my crew.”
Before Sci could agree to bring everyone back, the lid shut, and Sci was back in the dark. Then he heard three bangs on the metal, and he was ejected. The g-force was enough to make breathing hard. The padding around him inflated around his body, keeping his blood flowing, and keeping him awake.
This is it.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
We Are A Team
Sci felt his heart stop again, or at least he thought it did when the torpedo went left the ship and traveled at a ridiculous speed his entire body felt as if it were being pulled apart, and the air, blood, and organs were being ripped out.
The small tube he was in jerked left and right then bounced hard on the ground. Not being able to see his surroundings, Sci had to trust wherever the torpedo took him.
When the tube finally stopped, Sci broke open the lid and looked around, seeing silver walls of the spaceship’s cargo bay.
Pax jerked his chin at the ground, “How did that feel?�
��
Sci rubbed his chest. Sands grinned knowingly. “You’ll live.”
***
One week later they landed on Lotus Nexis taking the long way around the asteroid fields because neither Pax nor Sands could pilot safely through the rocks. Taking the extra days grated on Sci’s nerves, but he had no other choice but to endure.
Sci used his telepathy to find any nearby threats, scanning as far as he could. “I don’t detect any other beings within my bandwidth.”
Pax nodded but didn’t respond to the notification. “All right, here’s what’s going to happen.” Pax pointed at Sci. “I’ve seen you in the training rooms, and you’re going to be my front line. You’re going to go in first and subdue the guards. And since we have no idea how many this Allure person has, I expect you to do what you can and keep us up to date via Ansel.”
Sci didn’t like the plan at all. He wanted to be the one to get Sasha.
Pax snapped his fingers in front of Sci. “Hey! You want to go in by yourself halfcocked, get your girl while fighting all the guards yourself? How long are you gonna last? A few minutes? Five tops. Then, she gets recaptured, and so do you, and now I have to rescue both of you.”
Sci folded his arms over his chest, refusing to comment.
Pax rolled his eyes. “That’s what I thought. Now, here’s what I need you to do. Get close to the main house and see if you can sense Sasha. Find out where she is and any security that might be guarding her. You tell Ansel everything you see. Ansel and I will go in while this guy,”—he jerked his thumb towards Sands—“works over the security ships and makes them impossible to follow if everything goes to crap and we need to make a hasty exit.” Pax used his fingers to look like legs running across the air. “We do a little nab-and-grab while you keep the guards busy or knock them unconscious. Whichever you prefer, but let’s try not to alert the whole city. Can you do that?”