by Melody Adams
Sudden noise startled us.
“What the hell?” Rage spewed angrily. “Jessie! Put on some clothes, quick!”
I rolled away from him and hastily gathered my things. Then I heard the door burst open and all hell broke loose. Several soldiers stormed into the house. Rage roared and attacked them. I was standing in the corner, half dressed, screaming. Rage lived up to his name. One soldier after the other went down, but there were just too many. One of them managed to knock a bat over Rage’s head several times, and Rage went down.
“Noooooooooooo!” I shouted, and threw myself into the crowd.
I saw Rage lying on the ground, lifeless and bleeding. Two arms grabbed me from behind, preventing me from getting to Rage. I screamed and fought back with all my might. I thought Rage was dead. Tears ran down my face. I was completely beside myself.
“Bastards! Sons of bitches. I hope you all die in hell and your miserable cocks rot. I'm going to kill you all. Damn bastards!”
I saw them pick up Rage and carry him out of the house. The soldier was still holding on to me with an iron grip. I would certainly be bruised tomorrow. But I didn’t care about that. I still kept on like a lunatic.
“What is this? God damn it!” I shouted. “He saved my life. Without him, I’d still be out there in the wild. Why did you do that? You assholes! Motherfuckers! Sons of bitches! Fucking assholes! Let go of me, you spawn of hell!”
“Shall I help you with the Doc?” asked another soldier.
“Yes”, grumbled the man who was holding on to me. “Let’s get her to Doctor Forster. Let him give her something to calm the fuck down. She’s crazy!”
“I don’t like this”, said another soldier whose wound I had recently treated. “Doctor Colby was always so friendly. She is a good woman!”
“Who asked you for your opinion?” the man behind me yelled at him. “You are a soldier and have orders to obey. The governor clearly told us what to do. If you had doubts, you should never have become a soldier!”
The men dragged me to the military vehicle waiting in front of the house. My kidnapper tied my hands behind my back. Then they drove me to Andreas’ house. I still resisted and uttered foul curses. When we arrived at Andreas house, he stormed out of the house. With disapproval he sparkled at the soldiers.
“What are you doing? What are you doing with Doctor Colby?”
“We have our orders, Doctor. We don’t have to answer to you. Join us on our way to the clinic. You have to give her something to keep her quiet.”
“The hell I’m going to do”, Andreas said grimly. “I will file a complaint against you!”
“I’m going to ask you one last time to cooperate, Doctor Forster.”
Andreas shook his head grimly.
“You are making a huge mistake!” he warned. “This will have consequences!”
“Doctor Forster is under arrest”, said the soldier. “Take him in!”
Four soldiers grabbed Andreas and took him into the vehicle as well. He gave me a worried look. I had quieted down and was at the end of my strength. Physically and emotionally. Tears ran down my cheeks.
“What happened?” he asked.
“These sons of bitches broke into Rage’s house. Rage still tried to stop them. They clubbed him and carried him away. I think he is dead”, I reported sobbing.
“Shut the fuck up!” the soldier who had tied me up yelled at me.
“You have no manners”, Andreas said disapprovingly. “Do you treat a lady like this? I’m sure your mothers would be ashamed of you. You ...” He suddenly fell silent when a soldier rammed his elbow into his stomach.
“Goddamn motherfuckers!” I shouted and earned myself a slap in the face. This had to be a nightmare. That didn’t really happen! What was going on here?
Rage
My head hurt like hell when I regained consciousness. I was lying on the cold floor. Naked. What had happened? I raised one hand to my buzzing head and felt sticky blood. I blinked. Everything was blurry, but I recognized metal rods when I had them in front of me. I was in another cell. And suddenly all my memories came back. Jessie! Where was she? What had happened to her? I wanted to jump up, but I had no strength. The only time I felt weaker than now was when I had been lying in my own blood after the pigs from DMI were done with me and had left me to die. The fact that I was lying here naked on the cold floor, and that my injuries had obviously not been taken care of, led me to suspect that they would also leave me here to die. But I had survived worse, and now I really had a reason to live. Jessie! I had to go find her, no matter the cost. I tried to stand up again, but I barely managed to lift my head a few inches off the ground before it fell down and I lost consciousness again.
I was lying on the floor. The metallic taste of blood irritated my sensitive taste buds. I heard a shrill laugh. The laugh of a woman. I blinked and saw a figure in a white coat standing in front of my cell. It was blurry, but I recognized the blond hair. Smooth, blond hair. Her beautiful but cold face, which I could only see faintly now, yet it was her! How could I have forgotten her?
I startled from my dream and a tortured gasp came over my lips. All those years I had hated the wrong woman. It had not been Jessie who wanted me dead, who had gloated over my misery. It was my own mother! The woman who had carried me, to whom I owed much of my DNA. A woman who had only given birth to me in order to put me in the hands of her unscrupulous colleagues. I had seen her only a few times after my fifth birthday, but it was her. Against my will, tears came streaming from my eyes as I remembered the day when she had handed me over to the cold hands of her colleague.
“I don’t want to stay here, Mama!” I pleaded and looked up at the relentless face of the woman who was my mother.
“You’re going to be a good boy now and stay here, AB943G3” was her emotionless answer. She had always been cold as long as I could remember, but at least I had a small room with a real bed. Now I was standing in a tiled cell with iron rods and a thin mattress on the floor in front of the wall. There was a wet cell and a toilet. That was it.
“Please, Mama”, I begged. “I’ll do anything you say. I’ll be a good boy and I won’t cause you any trouble, but please take me with you again!”
“I spent five years of my life taking care of your useless ass”, she said coldly. “Now you’re old enough to finally be of some use.”
I wanted to cling to her, but she hit me in the face harshly, then two men in uniform grabbed me and threw me on the mattress. After that, they abandoned me. I was ashamed of the tears rolling down my cheeks, but I felt so alone. So terribly abandoned. And so hopeless.
Just like then, I was ashamed that I was crying. For the first time in so many years, tears ran down my cheeks and I couldn’t do anything about it. I had to see Jessie. I had to ask her for her forgiveness. How could I ever confuse her with that heartless person who had cold-bloodedly put me in the hands of inhuman monsters?
“Jessie”, I whispered hoarsely. “Where are you?”
Chapter 7
January 13, 2033 / 09:14 p.m. local time
Jessie
I had been released yesterday, but I could not concentrate on my work. I knew that Rage was still alive. Andreas had finally been allowed to see him yesterday and he had treated Rage’s head injury. Andreas assured me that Rage literally had a thick skull and would recover. But Rage had been furious with anger and worry, despite the fact that they had tried to sedate him with drugs. He had only calmed down a little when Andreas assured him that I was fine. I was not allowed to see Rage. In addition to Rage they had arrested Sturdy, Happy, Star, Speed, Pain and Darkness. The remaining Alien Breeds secretly planned an uprising. I hoped that they would be successful. Governor Whites was planning to sentence the detainees under military law, which would likely result in an execution.
“Jessie! Jessie!” I heard an excited voice, then the door was ripped open, and Snowflake burst into my office.
“What’s going on? Another emergency?”
> “The President”, the little Alien Breed woman shouted. “A shuttle has just landed. Hunter is back, and with him the president and his daughter. Perhaps they can help us. The President could ensure that the men are acquitted if we tell them everything that has happened.”
It took me a while to process the news. Hunter had been on Earth to find the President’s kidnapped daughter, which had obviously been successful. And if the President was sympathetic to us, then he might be our salvation.
I hugged Snowflake and laughed happily.
“You’re right! That might save them! Such good news. I hope Governor Whites gets what he deserves for his actions!”
An hour later, a hearing was held in the main hall on the first floor. The President had been briefed about the events, and he had immediately scheduled a hearing. The room was filled to capacity. Some had to stand in the corridors between the rows of chairs. At the head of the hall, the president, along with his daughter and Hunter, sat behind a desk. He took a hammer and knocked loudly three times to get the attention of the audience.
“I ask for order!” he shouted, and all conversations ceased.
My heart was beating loudly in own ears. The inmates were still in an adjoining room. I had not yet seen Rage and was terribly excited.
“We are gathered here to discuss the events of the last few days that led to the arrest of seven Alien Breeds. We will uncover the truth, I promise. First, I ask Governor Whites to step forward and describe what happened.”
Governor Whites rose from the bench where he had been seated and stepped in front of the desk.
“Well, Governor, can you tell me how these incidents occurred?”
“It all started when I was told that an Alien Breed named Rage had raped Doctor Colby and injured her.”
I wanted to say something, but Andreas, sitting next to me, nudged me and quietly said, “You’ll get a chance to talk later. But you can’t interrupt them now. That is forbidden and will only hurt Rage and the others instead of helping them.”
I nodded grimly.
“Who told you that?” President Jackson wanted to know.
“It was Lieutenant Green, Mr. President. A reliable man.”
I exchanged a doubting look with Andreas. I didn’t expect that.
“And did the allegation correspond to the facts? Did you question the alleged victim?” President Jackson wanted to know.
“I had appointments in the East Colony, and I had to postpone the interview”, Governor Whites replied. “But it turned out later that Doctor Colby was actually having an affair with this Rage. As if any decent young woman would give herself up to a half-bred animal. Only a whore ...”
“Governor!” the President interrupted sharply. “Are you saying that you think that a woman who sleeps with an Alien Breed is a whore?”
“It is what it is!” the governor confirmed complacently.
“Stupid, stupid, put your foot right in it”, I whispered with satisfaction as I saw the President turn red with fury. I had been able to talk to Pearl briefly before the hearing, and she told me she was dating Hunter.
“Then you obviously think my daughter is a whore as well”, President Jackson asked, and Whites turned pale.
“But no! Why ...”, he stammered, then his gaze fell on Hunter, who had possessively put an arm around Pearl’s shoulders, and was producing a deep threatening growl.
“I think I’ve heard enough”, the president decided, repulsed and angry. “Take Mr. Whites away. He has been removed from his office with immediate effect, and will be remain in custody for the time being. He will answer to a court on Earth. Now I would like to hear Doctor Colby.”
His gaze wandered to me and I stood up with trembling knees to walk down the aisle to the desk.
“Could someone please bring a chair for the doctor”, the president asked, and one of the soldiers quickly complied. Grateful, I took a seat in the chair. My legs were actually quite wobbly, and I was happy to be able to sit down.
“Well, Doctor Colby. Please tell me your version of what happened.”
“It’s true that Rage and I are together”, I began. “I spent the night with him and the next day, while I was on duty, Rage was arrested. I learned about it just before the end of the day, right before seven, and wanted to talk to the governor to exonerate Rage. But the governor was already gone. He had flown to the East Colony for several days and had simply left a man whose guilt had not been proven imprisoned. I, as the alleged victim, had not even been heard, they had not even informed me of anything. Happy and me flew out on a supply glider that crashed on the way. The pilot was killed. Happy was injured, but we were both able to leave the wreck and head for East Colony. The recon glider sent by Governor Whites couldn’t find us because it was nighttime and the glider wasn’t equipped with the necessary technology for a nocturnal search. The Alien Breeds therefore decided to search for us on their own. They freed Rage because he could track me down best. Then they hijacked a glider and flew to the scene of the accident. From there Rage and the others pursued our trail, found us and brought us back here. Shortly before dawn, soldiers broke into Rage’s house on behalf of the governor and beat Rage down. I was also arrested. They tried to force Doctor Forster to shut me up, which he refused to do. That’s why we were both imprisoned. Only yesterday Andreas, I mean Doctor Forster, was allowed to see Rage, who had a severe head injury and who had been lying naked and untreated on the floor inside of a cell.” I had trouble controlling my anger when I recounted the terrible events. “I was not allowed to see him. Governor Whites planned to charge and convict all detainees in a military trial. Then the news of your arrival reached me.”
“Thank you, Doctor Colby”, said the president. “That was very enlightening. You can sit down now.”
“Thank you”, I said and got up to return to Andreas’ side. He gave me a “thumbs up” and grinned.
President Jackson got up, and everyone looked at him in awe.
“I am truly shocked by what has happened”, he began. “I had no idea that I assigned a man, who was obviously guided by prejudices against the very people he was supposed to represent to run this colony. I promise all present that we will investigate the case thoroughly and that Mr. Whites will be adequately punished. As most may have noticed, my daughter Pearl was in the hands of unscrupulous terrorists, and Hunter, thank God, was able to free her from the hands of her kidnappers.” His gaze wandered to the couple and a smile appeared on his face. “Hunter has presented me with a proposal, and I have negotiated an agreement with him that may interest you. I know that there is a desire for the Alien Breeds to manage the colony themselves. I have discussed how best to do this with Hunter for a long time. The Alien Breeds will discuss together what they will call their community, who will represent them, and what the governance structure will be. Until the Alien Breeds can manage everything on their own, your elected leader will be assigned a capable man who will arrive here tomorrow. Michael McLead had something urgent to attend to today, but he will arrive here tomorrow at noon, and will have a meeting with him and the Alien Breeds to discuss the next steps. Unfortunately I have to fly out again in an hour, but my daughter will remain here and is available for questions until Mr. McLead arrives. And now I ask you to let the detained Alien Breeds in the room. All the accusations against them are hereby lifted, and I hope that you can all quickly forget the terrible incidents. That will be all. Thank you!”
The Alien Breeds and some of the employees like Andreas and I had jumped up and applauded. The soldiers looked less than happy, but none of them dared to say anything. The president had clearly taken the side of the Alien Breeds.
The door opened, and the seven acquitted Alien Breeds came into the room, first Rage, whose wild look searched the hall until he found me. Then nothing held me back anymore. I sprinted along the corridor. Rage ran towards me and he pulled me against his chest so hard that he took my breath away for a moment. Tears ran down my cheeks and I was laughing and cryi
ng at the same time. All hell broke loose around us. Everyone was talking wildly and embraced each other. The Alien Breeds would be allowed to govern themselves. Now they really had the freedom they deserved so much.
Epilogue
January 29, 2033 / 13:09 p.m. local time
Jessie
“I can’t believe it yet”, Pearl said, grinning from ear to ear. “How about you?”
I grinned back and shook my head.
“Look at our men”, I said, and we looked at the table where some of the male wedding guests were arm wrestling. “Like little children!”
Pearl giggled. Then her eyes shifted down and a dreamy expression appeared on her face. I watched her intently.
“Have you been hiding something from me?” I asked, and nudged her slightly with my elbow. She blushed.
“I’ve only known since the day before yesterday. I went to see Doctor George. He confirmed it. Hunter and I will have a baby. It’s the first mixed baby and we don’t know what to expect yet. The Alien Breeds women who have children were all pregnant for around thirty-six weeks.”
“I am so happy for you”, I said sincerely.
“Thank you”, Pearl replied with a smile. Her glance was dreamy. Then she turned to me and looked at me thoughtfully. “Do you know that you are to blame for my happiness?”
“Me?” I asked perplexed.
“Yes, you! If you hadn’t taken the photos of Rage back then and turned them over to the press, there wouldn’t have been a free Alien Breeds, and Hunter wouldn’t have saved me. We wouldn’t have fallen in love, I wouldn’t have celebrated a double wedding with you today, and I wouldn’t be pregnant!”
I laughed.