Sunlight

by Amanda Ashley

  “Lainey? Lainey, can you hear me?”

  Her eyelids fluttered open. Her beautiful brown eyes were glazed with pain.

  “Micah?”

  “I’m here.”

  “I can’t see you.”

  His arms tightened around her. “I’m here, cominza.”

  “I’m dying, aren’t I?”

  “No!”

  She tried to lift her hand so she could touch him, but she didn’t have the strength. A single tear rolled down her cheek. “We’ll never… get married…now.”

  “We will, Lainey, I promise.”

  “Love…you…”

  “Lainey!” He shook her slightly as her eyelids fluttered down. “Lainey! Don’t leave me.” Ah, Great God, don’t let her die, please don’t let her die.

  He sat there through the night, holding her body close to his, heedless of the cold, of the damp ground, of the monotonous throbbing of his wounds. He thought of nothing but Lainey, of what she had come to mean to him, of how much he had grown to love her in such a short time. He could not lose her now.

  Time and again, he glanced skyward, willing Pergith’s ship to appear. Xanthia possessed remarkable medical technology, but even their doctors couldn’t restore life once it was gone.

  He placed his hand on her brow, feeling the heat radiating from her skin, the chills that racked her body. She’d lost so much blood. How much could a human lose and still live?

  The minutes passed slowly, each one seeming like an eternity, and then, in the darkest hour before the dawn, he heard the faint whir of a ship.

  Looking up, he saw Pergith’s spacecraft break through the clouds to hover directly overhead. The bottom hatch opened; a moment later, a transporter beam carried Micah and Lainey up into the ship.

  “Zermicazyne!” Pergith entered the transporter room, his arms outstretched in welcome, until he saw Micah’s burden. “Tjete,” he swore softly, “who have you got there?”

  “Her name is Lainey St. John, and she’s badly hurt.”

  “It is against regulations to bring an Earthling on board an exploratory vessel,” Pergith said. “I could lose my commission.”

  “Your commission be damned,” Micah said curtly, and before Pergith could argue or ask any more questions, Micah swept past him, carrying Lainey down to the hospital deck.

  A doctor and two medic assistants, both dressed in light gray jumpsuits, looked up as he burst into the room and placed Lainey on one of the examining tables.

  “She’s dying,” he said, choking on the words. “Do something.”

  “You do not look so good yourself,” Pergith remarked, entering the room behind Micah. “Maybe you should climb up on the other table?”

  “Lainey first,” Micah insisted.

  “We will take care of her,” the doctor said, pulling on a pair of sterile gloves. His gaze swept over Micah, noting the dried blood on his left arm and right shoulder. “Do not worry, Commander. Rathe, take Commander Zermicazyne into the other room and look after his injuries.”

  “I am all right,” Micah said, not wanting to leave Lainey’s side.

  “I am the commander of this ship,” Pergith said firmly, “and you will do as Doctor Corda has ordered.” Clasping his hands behind his back, Pergith fixed his gaze on the doctor’s face. “I want him to have a complete examination.”

  “Pergith!”

  “Head to foot,” Pergith said. He glanced back at Micah. “I will be in my quarters when you are through, Commander.”

  Micah glared at his old friend, but there was nothing to do but obey. He wasn’t on Earth now. Technically, he was on Xanthian soil, and Pergith was in command.

  He glanced over his shoulder as he followed the medic out of the room. Lainey’s face was as pale as the thin white cloth that had been placed over her. Her hair, as black as the crystals of Maddorriah, only emphasized her lack of color. But it was the dark crimson stain on her chest that held his gaze. She had been badly hurt, and it was all his fault.

  Following the medic into the next room, Micah stripped off his clothing and stretched out on the exam table, feeling its built-in warmth relax him until he was hardly conscious of the dull ache in his arm and shoulder.

  He closed his eyes as the medic quickly and expertly washed the wounds with warm water laced with a soothing antiseptic, sprayed his arm and shoulder with a pungent disinfectant, and neatly stitched the wounds. When that was done, the medic applied the laserpad, which would accelerate healing and eliminate scarring.

  With the injuries taken care of, the medic subjected Micah to an in-depth physical examination, pronouncing him in remarkably good health in spite of the blood he had lost.

  “I will make my report to Commander Pergith,” the medic said. “You should report here for a recheck when the stitches disappear.”

  Micah nodded as he hopped off the table, his only thought to see how Lainey was.

  “You will find a clean uniform in the closet,” the medic said as he took his leave.

  Minutes later, dressed in a regulation Fleet uniform, Micah returned to the main operating room. Fear coiled around his heart as he entered the compartment, which was ominously silent. Lainey rested on a long white table, covered by a dark green temperature-controlled blanket. The doctor stood beside the table, his face grave as he listened to her heartbeat. He glanced up as Micah entered the room.

  “How is she?”

  “Not good,” the doctor replied. “There has been considerable blood lost. The wound itself is not fatal, but…” The doctor shook his head. “Her prospects for survival are not favorable at this time.”

  “What does that mean, exactly?”

  “She needs blood. Human blood, but of course, we have none on board.”

  “Take mine.”

  The doctor shook his head. “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “We have never mixed our blood with this species.”

  “Just do it.”

  “Very well, but I will not be responsible for the consequences to the Earthling, or to you, Commander.”

  Micah nodded impatiently. “Just get on with it.”

  “This is most irregular,” the doctor muttered, but he quickly performed the necessary preliminaries and in a matter of minutes, Micah’s blood was mingling with Lainey’s.

  He stared at the narrow tube that carried the blood from his veins to hers. On Earth, his blood had appeared to be brown, but now it was again a dark, dark red.

  Please, just let her live. The silent prayer repeated itself in his mind over and over again as he watched the life-giving force trickle into Lainey’s veins. But would it be life-giving, he wondered, or would his own blood poison her system, robbing her of the last breath of life?

  He was lightheaded when the procedure was finished, but he refused to leave her again.

  The doctor cleared his throat. “I believe Commander Pergith expects you in his quarters.”

  “He can wait.”

  The doctor and the medic exchanged disproving glances. To disobey one’s superior on board ship was akin to mutiny.

  Exasperated and obviously confused by Micah’s devotion to an Earth woman, or perhaps to any woman, the doctor brought Micah a chair, insisting that he sit down before he fell down.

  With a sigh, Micah did as he was told. For the first time in his life, he didn’t care about obeying orders, didn’t care about the rules and regulations that had always governed his life. He wasn’t leaving Lainey’s side until…he swallowed the lump in his throat…until he knew she was better or dead.

  Time passed unnoticed as he sat beside her, her hand, so cold and limp, clutched in his, his gaze locked on her face. Gradually, the color returned to her cheeks, her hand grew warm, and then, with a sigh, she opened her eyes.

  “Lainey?”

  She turned toward the sound of his voice. And then a faint smile touched her lips.

  “Micah,” she murmured drowsily, “I had the strangest dream…” She frowned, her words taper
ing off as she took in her surroundings. “Where are we?”

  His hand squeezed hers. “We’re on board a spacecraft.”

  “A flying saucer?”

  Micah nodded. “Pergith came for me.”

  “But…” She lifted a hand to her chest, felt the slight bulge of a bandage beneath the sheet. “I was shot.” She stared at him, alarmed. “You were shot. I don’t understand…”

  “Everything is all right, Lainey.” He stood up and kissed her cheek. “Rest now.”

  She grabbed his forearm. “Where are you going?”

  “I have to go see Pergith.”

  “Don’t leave me.”

  “You’ll be all right,” he said reassuringly. “I won’t be gone long.”

  “Promise?”

  “I promise. Try to get some sleep.”

  She nodded, but of course sleep was out of the question. She was on a spaceship! The table beneath her was warm, pulsing as though it were alive. The walls and ceiling were a clear, soft white. She peered over the edge of the table; the floor was green and glowed faintly.

  There were a number of strange-looking objects on a low shelf.

  She felt a moment of apprehension as a man clad in a pale green shirt and pants walked into view. He was tall and slender, with short, wavy yellow-gold hair and hazel eyes fringed with pale lashes. His ears were very small, smaller even, than Micah’s. There was webbing on his hands.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked in a well-modulated voice.

  “Fine, thank you.” She couldn’t help staring. Or grinning, when she saw that the doctor was staring, too.

  “I am Doctor Corda,” he said. “Forgive me for staring, but you are the first Earthling I have observed up close. I had been told our people were very similar, but this is the first chance I have had to see for myself.”

  “Am I going to be all right?”

  “I believe so.” He brushed the hair from her brow, frowning thoughtfully as he bent down to look at her left ear more closely. “Do you mind?” he asked politely, and then he lifted her hands, first one, then another, turning them over carefully. “Interesting,” he murmured. “Most interesting.”

  He smiled apologetically. “Forgive me. You need to rest. Zermicazyne will no doubt return shortly.”

  With a brief nod, the doctor left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

  Lainey stared after him, wondering if she was home in bed dreaming the wildest dream of her life.

  “If this is a dream, Lainey St. John,” she muttered with a shake of her head, “you’ve outdone yourself this time.”

  Suddenly overcome with weariness, she closed her eyes and tumbled down, down, into darkness.

  * * * * *

  “Have you lost your sanity?” Pergith demanded. “Bringing an Earthling on board my ship?”

  “I could not let her die.”

  “Her fate is not your concern. You should have contacted us immediately after your ship crashed. What have you been doing down there for so long?”

  Micah stared up at his friend. He had grown up with Pergith. They had been raised in the same nursery home. Gone to the same school. Trained together. But now Pergith seemed like a stranger. Had he always been this rigid, this disciplined, this devoted to obeying every nuance of the law?

  Micah gave himself a mental shake. Pergith hadn’t changed. He had.

  “My transmitter was not working. I could not contact you, and I did not signal you because there were Earthlings who knew a ship had crashed in the area. These people know of us, Pergith. They have captured some of us, studied us.”

  “How do you know this?”

  “I know,” Micah replied wearily. Feeling as though he hadn’t slept for years, he stood up, swaying slightly. “I am going to go check on Lainey, and then I am going to get something to eat and go to bed.”

  “I will have Stacha bring you a tray.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Rest well, my friend.”

  Micah nodded, then left the commander’s quarters.

  He went immediately to check on Lainey. She was sleeping soundly, one hand tucked beneath her cheek, her lashes making dark crescents against her skin.

  Suddenly overcome by weariness, Micah sank down in the chair beside the examining table and closed his eyes.

  Lainey was going to be all right, and that was all that mattered.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Pergith stared at his friend, unable to believe what he was hearing. Zermicazyne had fallen in love with an Earthling, and if that wasn’t bad enough, he wanted to return to Earth and live with the woman.

  “Live with her?” Pergith queried. “Cohabitate? In the same dwelling? Together?”

  “Yes.”

  “You cannot be serious. Do you mean to sacrifice your career and leave Xanthia forever for this female, this Earth woman?” Pergith shook his head. “Think what you would be giving up. Earth is a primitive planet. What would you do there?”

  “I have made up my mind, Pergith. When you take Lainey back to Earth, I am going with her.”

  “I think not.”

  Micah stood up. Bracing his hands on the commander’s desk, he leaned forward. “I am going with her. You may be the commander of this vessel, but you are not in command of my life.”

  “You cannot walk away from the fleet, or from your responsibilities,” Pergith said, his voice suddenly cold. “You have an obligation. To our People. To Adana. To yourself. If you cannot think rationally enough to realize that what you’re doing is wrong, then I shall take whatever steps I deem necessary for your own good.”

  Micah’s eyes narrowed ominously. “That sounds dangerously like a threat.”

  “It is, in fact, a promise,” Pergith retorted. “Being on Earth so long has warped your thinking. Even your manner of speech is altered.”

  Without taking his gaze off Micah, Pergith switched on the intercom on his desk. “Security, report to the commander’s cabin.”

  Micah stared at Pergith in disbelief. “Are you having me arrested?”

  “Of course not. I simply intend to have you confined until the Earth woman has been returned to her own planet.”

  “No! Damn you, Pergith, you cannot do this!”

  “I can.” Pergith glanced past Micah as the door to his cabin swung open. Pergith signaled for Jerva, the chief security officer, to enter. Achaia waited in the companionway, his weapon at the ready.

  “Jerva, I want Commander Zermicazyne confined to his quarters until the Earth woman is returned to the planet.”

  “Yes, Commander.” Jerva approached Micah, his hand on the stunner at his side. “Will you come peacefully, Commander?”

  “Pergith, I beg you, do not do this.”

  “You will thank me when it is over.”

  “Don’t count on it.”

  Pergith saw the rage glittering in Zermicazyne’s eyes as he glanced at Jerva, and then at Achaia. The commander took a deep breath, fearing he was about to destroy a lifelong friendship, yet certain that he was only doing what needed to be done.

  “You had best put him in restraints until you reach his quarters,” Pergith suggested. He looked at Micah and shook his head. “I am sorry, my friend.”

  A muscle twitched in Micah’s jaw as Jerva fastened the restraints around his wrists. They were a remarkable piece of work; lightweight yet virtually unbreakable, they were infused with a substance that reacted to violent emotion and movement. Should a prisoner become hysterical, try to escape, or become violent, the sudden accelerated change in heart rate and body temperature immediately caused the restraints to inject a drug into the bloodstream that rendered the prisoner unconscious within seconds.

  Micah stared at the restraints, and then at Pergith. “Let me go to her and explain what is happening.”

  Seeing the refusal in Pergith’s eyes, Micah took a deep breath, hating his old friend for making him beg. “Please, Pergith, at least let me tell her goodbye.”

  Pergith glanced do
wn at the medical report on his desk, wondering how much Zermicazyne knew, and then he shook his head.

  “I think not.”

  Micah took a step forward, his hands curled into tight fists. “Damn you, why are you doing this?”

  “I think perhaps being so long on Earth has warped your thinking,” Pergith replied. “We will return the woman to Earth when it is dark, and then set course for Xanthia. You will feel better about everything once you are home again.”

  Micah glared at Pergith. For one brief, irrational moment, he thought of unleashing his power, of destroying his friend and anyone else who dared stand in his way. He could incinerate Pergith and perhaps the other two before the restraints rendered him unconscious…

  He swore softly, appalled that the thought had even crossed his mind. With a last accusing glance at Pergith, he followed Jerva out of the room.

  * * * * *

  Lainey paced the floor of her quarters, wondering where Micah was. She had no idea of how much time had passed since she’d seen him last, but she was sure it had been at least twelve hours. Where was he?

  Tired of pacing, she sat down on the edge of the narrow bed and gazed at her surroundings. The room was small and round, with a domed ceiling, white walls, and a white floor. The chair beside the bed felt like it was made of plastic, yet she knew it wasn’t plastic at all. She stared at the ceiling curiously. There were no lights visible, yet the room was as bright as day unless she sat on the bed, at which time the light grew dim; when she laid down, the light went out altogether.

  There was a low table on the far side of the bed, made of the same substance as the chair. A tall blue vase holding a trio of bright-red flowers of a kind Lainey had never seen before stood on the table. It was the only splash of color in the room.

  Where was Micah? She tapped her fingertips on the tabletop, the quiet of the room and the strain of not knowing what was going on making her more nervous by the minute. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep in some sort of examining room. When she’d awakened, she’d been here, in bed.

  An alien dressed in some sort of dark-green uniform had brought her something to eat an hour or so ago. A short time later, he had returned, her clothes, neatly washed, mended, and folded, in his arms.