Hers, Untamed

by Anna Adler

  “Silenia cares for its citizens.”

  A slot on her right opened with a hiss, revealing a bowl full of porridge, her standard meal. Alyssa ignored it. She wasn’t hungry. Inactivity had resulted in a loss of appetite. At first, she did New Yoga whenever she was awake, but by now, she moved less and slept more. Activity only increased her frustration, making her claustrophobia worse, resulting in the urge to scream and cry and beat the walls of her cell. Alyssa pushed herself up and went to lean her face against the unbreakable glass.

  So I ended up in prison, after all.

  She gave a soft, humorless chuckle. They had brought her here directly from the spaceport and put her in this cell. The interrogation was conducted over the loudspeaker…there was no trial, really. They projected security footage from the spaceport on the walls of her cell and Alyssa confessed everything. Why lie? She was proud of what she’d done. Setting Jax free had been the right thing to do. Alyssa wanted a pet who loved her and in two short weeks, she had accomplished it. Her untamed pet confessed his love for her.

  Pain twisted in her chest. Alyssa wrapped her arms around herself and squeezed. A sob escaped her. She missed him so much, his warm body. She missed the things he said and the way he looked at her, as if she was the only woman in the world. They had only just found each other; being apart felt so wrong it hurt. She wondered where he was and what he was doing. Did he make it to Earth on the ore ship? Did he get the chip out of his neck?

  Despite the pain of his absence, Alyssa hoped he had the sense to stay away.

  Whatever you do, Jax, don’t come back.

  He could never return to Silenia. If detected, he would be terminated. Alyssa had fought to keep him safe; she didn’t want the security forces to get their hands on him again. Jax couldn’t come back to her…but she could go to him.

  All through her waking hours, her mind churned with plans. She didn’t know if they would ever let her go. She was considered the most dangerous criminal Silenia had seen in the better part of a century. But if they released her, she would go after Jax. She needed a lot of money because space travel was expensive. She would sell her apartment and all her belongings, investing the money carefully so it would last a long time. She would leave Silenia. She had no idea where Jax was, but he was out there, somewhere, perhaps waiting for her.

  Alyssa had always considered Silenia the best place in the entire universe, so she never imagined going anywhere else. But now, the longer she thought about it, the more she acknowledged she had to leave and see the rest of the galaxy with her own eyes. Jax had proven to her that there were things out there worth seeing.

  Time passed. Alyssa slept more and more. Being awake became meaningless because all she could do was think about Jax, how he had shown more love and passion toward her in two weeks than all her former lovers put together. She hugged her pillow and imagined his arms around her. The AI droned on about her crimes and how Silenia cared about her and wanted her to obey the law. Alyssa listened with half an ear. Despite the claustrophobic horror of prison, she found herself enduring it with pride in her heart.

  You’ll never get your hands on Jax, she thought at the AI. You can never hurt him. I’m here because I chose to set him free and protect him. And I don’t regret one second of it.

  Then one day Alyssa woke to the floor vibrating. She gasped and sat up. Her cell was being lifted to the main prison complex. It felt like being in an elevator, the vertical length of the rocky shaft sliding past the glass wall. The trip ended when her cell reached a clean, well-lit hallway that could have belonged to an office building. The glass wall opened. A female prison guard and two restrainer bots stood facing her cell.

  “You have served your prison sentence, Ms. Cressfield,” the elderly, gray-haired female guard said while making notes on her data pad. She was immaculately dressed and had an aura of motherly efficiency. “You are to be released today. The Cloverfield Correctional Facility hopes you have reflected upon your actions and will become a better citizen. I regret to inform you—”

  Alyssa stopped listening. The guard said something about a lifetime pet keeping ban, but her pulse was pounding too loudly in her ears. She was free! The hellish isolation was finally over. A data pad was pushed at her for signing. Alyssa dashed her signature across the screen and fixed her gaze on the woman.

  “How long was I in there?”

  “Three months.”

  Alyssa exhaled. Three months. It felt like three years. Not having any means to measure time messed you up worse than anything. Any longer and she might have gone insane. Her veins burned. She couldn’t wait to be outside, get out of here.

  I’m coming, Jax.

  She ran her fingers through her hair. “I want to take a proper shower, and I want proper clothes. And then—”

  The guard nodded, making more notes. “Yes, the bots will show you to the showers and bring you clothes. Afterward, there’s a medical examination to make sure you’re fit to leave the facility. Next, I’ll meet you in counseling.”

  “I don’t need counseling.”

  “Mandatory step, I’m afraid. Don’t worry. You’ll enjoy it.” The woman smiled and winked.

  Alyssa fumed, but she followed the bots through the showers and the medical station. Resistance would only get her in trouble. In her mind, she was already packing her things and planning how to best convert her belongings into credits. Stepping into the counseling room, she gasped and froze. She had stepped directly into her own living room.

  “What—?”

  It took her a few seconds to realize it was nothing but a realistic hologram. The motherly guard stood in the center of the room and gave her a warm smile.

  “Welcome home.”

  Alyssa advanced and looked around, feeling a strange pull in her chest. The pet cage was gone, a sofa and floor cushions standing in its place. But otherwise, everything was exactly the way she had left it.

  Home.

  After three months in prison, suddenly the idea of going home felt so good, like a warm blanket. Alyssa missed her things, her own bed and beautiful furniture, her own clothes.

  “I’ll just get right to the point,” the woman said. “You probably think you’re an outcast because of what you did, but that’s not true. Your punishment is over. Silenia welcomes you back and wants you to enjoy your life.”

  Alyssa swallowed, confused. “Oh.”

  “You’re expected to report to work tomorrow. You like your job, don’t you? They’re looking forward to having you back.”

  Alyssa shot the woman a suspicious look. “Really?”

  She thought they’d make her sweep streets somewhere. Or clean toilets. She had assumed her career was finished.

  “Of course. You’re a valued asset. Nobody wants to waste your professional skills. I’m also happy to announce that your reputation hasn’t suffered. The authorities hushed up your stunt at the spaceport. The official story is that you fell unexpectedly ill and spent three months in a health spa. No one is going to give you funny looks.”

  Alyssa frowned. “Why was it hushed up?”

  The woman chuckled. “We don’t want a pet rebellion on our hands, do we? We want everyone to be safe and happy.”

  The woman entered a few commands on the data pad and suddenly they were surrounded by people. Alyssa recognized Lucia and her other friends. Everyone was engaged in happy conversation, drinks in hand. Her neighbor, Peter, was there with his pet, surrounded by an admiring group. It was footage from one of the parties she’d hosted.

  “So this is the happy end,” the guard said. “You get to go home and move on with your life. I think you should call your friends over and have one of these nice parties again. To celebrate your recovery.”

  Alyssa felt torn. She realized this was the government’s attempt to make her return to the fold. It was like pet training, really. They first deprived her of everything, punished her with isolation and propaganda. Then shocked her with rewards, making her feel gratitude for e
verything they gave her, reminding her of everything that used to matter to her. If she wanted, she could get her old life back. Silenia would forget about her mishap and she could continue her life of luxury and amusement. Alyssa cared about Lucia and her other friends. Her parents, coworkers, neighbors…it would be so nice to see all the familiar faces again. She had been so horribly alone in her cell…

  Her eye caught something white under an armchair. After a moment of puzzled staring, she realized it was a feather. A single white feather from the pillow Jax had taken apart on his first day with her. A cleaning robot must have missed it. Alyssa moved to pick it up until she remembered it was only a hologram. Everything she and Jax had done in their two weeks together flooded her mind. Granted, it had been a fight for power, not a romance. She had tried to make Jax submit and he had tried to trick her into releasing him. But amidst it all, they had enjoyed a few instances of true happiness.

  She remembered them joking and teasing each other while she bathed him, and Jax reaching out of his cage to hand her tissues when she cried. She remembered waking up to his caresses in the morning, sitting in his lap while going through escape plans together, him begging her to come with him…the look of wild joy in his eyes when she said yes. Then the look of pain and despair when he realized she couldn’t come, after all.

  “I love you, Alyssa.”

  Tears rolled down her cheeks and she began to sob.

  “Are you all right?” the woman asked, a concerned frown on her face.

  Alyssa stifled her crying and wiped her face. She nodded.

  “Is there anything I can do for you?”

  Alyssa swallowed, fought for self-control. Determination eased the hollow ache inside her. “Yes,” she said. “Could you put me in touch with a real estate agent? I want to sell my apartment.”

  Chapter 25

  How to find someone who doesn’t want to be found? Alyssa never assumed that finding Jax would be easy. He was an escaped lab experiment and an outlaw. He most likely stayed under the radar. But after arriving in the Sol system, it began to dawn on her how many places there were to look. In this star system alone, humans inhabited multiple planets, moons and space stations. Unlike in the sparsely populated Silenian system, here were throngs of people everywhere. And the civilization stretched across half the galaxy…the mere thought chilled her. This search could take a lifetime.

  Alyssa started with Earth because that was where Jax’s ship had headed. Back on Silenia, she sometimes dreamed of seeing Earth with her own eyes. She was a fifth generation Silenian, but naturally, her ancestors hailed from Earth. Although Alyssa loved the sight of the beautiful blue globe from space, it failed to cheer her because she found no trace of Jax. The ore transport he had supposedly taken had arrived on schedule. Once emptied of ore and reloaded with foodstuffs and other products Silenia desperately needed, it had returned to Silenia, months ago.

  Alyssa wasn’t allowed to take a shuttle down to Earth. The overpopulated planet didn’t welcome any visitors aside from prestigious alien diplomats. The bribes she offered made no difference. Instead, she visited the numerous space stations orbiting Earth. Jax must have been here; he must have left her a message of some kind. Alyssa sent hundreds of inquiries in the local cybernets and asked the officials if anyone had reported anything odd, but all her efforts came back empty. No messages.

  Disappointed, she traveled to Mars. Maybe Earth was too dangerous, maybe Jax was waiting for her on Mars instead. But after sending countless messages to the red planet and its space stations, Alyssa had to accept defeat. No sign of Jax here either. She tried to get in touch with the shadier people, hoping they would know more about Jax than the officials. But they saw right away that Alyssa was an outsider, and she didn’t get anything out of them.

  Where are you, Jax?

  Lucia had called her crazy when Alyssa told her she planned to leave Silenia to search for her pet. Maybe Lucia was right.

  One day, Alyssa stepped out of yet another filthy, overcrowded data bar on Mars Delta space station, sadness dragging her down. Again nothing. Nothing but sleazy offers from the people she tried to buy information from. No lead that would point to Jax. Then her eye caught a familiar shape in the crowd. She gasped.

  Is that—?

  No, it couldn’t be. He wouldn’t be here in person, in plain sight. And yet… Her breath came faster. She wanted to call out to him, but he wouldn’t want attention drawn to him. She pressed through the throng, trying desperately to see over the heads before her, not to lose sight of him. The man turned a corner at the end of the hallway. Alyssa rushed after him, people protesting as she shoved past.

  At the turn of the hallway, she caught a quick glimpse of the man disappearing behind another corner. He was heading to the less populated part of the station. Away from the crowd, Alyssa slowed down to walking speed and followed. She wanted to know where he was going. The man stopped in front of an unmarked door and was about to enter. Alyssa ran up to him and grabbed his arm.

  It wasn’t Jax. Alyssa’s heart slumped. He was a human about Jax’s size, looks and age. He gave her a questioning look then his gaze roamed up and down her body. His mouth tilted to a grin.

  “Hey, babe. You looking for someone?”

  He was not a friendly character. Alyssa backed away from him. “Sorry. I thought you were someone else.”

  She turned and left, berating herself for being an idiot, so desperate to find Jax that she was imagining things. It was clear there was nothing to be found here. She should move on.

  She decided to try Brexia 9 next, a place Jax had once mentioned.

  The passenger ship to Brexia 9 left the Mars Delta space station behind, headed for the point where it could safely create a wormhole and jump to the next star system. Alyssa stared out of the window, trying to ignore the creeping doubt. She had been searching over a month without finding any clues.

  Maybe Jax had simply disappeared without a trace, moved on with his life. Maybe he didn’t want her, after all, and had already forgotten about her. Maybe she was wasting her time. Her heart ached.

  A loud bang followed by rattling snapped her out of her thoughts. The passengers let out gasps and shrieks. The lights went out for a few seconds before flickering back on.

  “We hit an asteroid!” someone yelled.

  Alyssa sat up straighter, alarmed. She prepared to run for the escape pods in case the ship’s hull was compromised.

  “That’s not an asteroid, you idiot,” another man said in an ominous tone. “We’re under attack. That’s space pirates about to board the vessel.”

  As if to confirm his words, she heard shouting and screams, and the heavy thump of boots in the distance. The passengers in the lounge exchanged terrified glances and broke into full panic, each scrambling up from their seats and running in different directions. Alyssa jumped up from her seat and dashed for the escape pods. Judging by the screams, the invaders had reached the passenger lounge. Terror gripped her. Alyssa ran as fast as she could, darting past the panicked passengers—the door she wanted to reach only few steps away. She saw a bright flash and then nothing.

  Slowly, she became aware of the cold, hard floor against her back. The concepts of up and down started to make sense again. She couldn’t see much, the room covered in a white smokescreen. She blinked and coughed. The sounds of the environment were muffled, nonsensical. Her ears were still ringing from what must have been a stun grenade of some kind. Other passengers sprawled on the floor around her, similarly dazed from the grenade flash.

  Then she became aware of a heavy set of footsteps coming toward her and her heart froze.

  Run! Run! Run! her senses screamed, but she couldn’t force her shocked limbs to move. She clawed feebly at the floor, trying to get away.

  The heavy boots approached without hurry. Alyssa let out a frightened sob and turned to see what kind of monster was about to catch her. A tall, armored figure emerged from the smoke. He looked strong enough to crush her with
his bare hands.

  Don’t hurt me, she wanted to beg. Please.

  She couldn’t speak. She could only shield herself with her arm as the enormous figure paused to stand over her. But then he reached down and scooped her up in his arms, and Alyssa saw the sharp, ice blue eyes and the familiar face. Her heart stopped.

  “Jax?”

  He grinned victoriously, his eyes twinkling.

  Her heart began to gallop wildly with the joy of recognition. “Oh Jax, is it really you?” She threw her arms around his neck.

  “Yeah, baby, it’s me.” His voice was thick from emotion and he squeezed her to him.

  Alyssa could have wept, she was so happy. She put her head on his shoulder and clung to him. Jax turned and strode through the smoke, clutching her in his arms.

  “I’ve got her,” he said into an earpiece. “Fall back.”

  Alyssa detected running figures headed in the same direction as Jax, but she couldn’t make out who or what they were. All around them passengers and crew members were slowly coming to, groaning and shouting confusedly. Alyssa stared at the man carrying her, unable to believe this was happening.

  Maybe I’m still unconscious and I’m dreaming.

  “What’s going on?” she asked him.

  “Heard you were looking for me,” he replied. “You found me.”

  “Oh.”

  He carried her down a narrow corridor. Soon, the environment changed, and Alyssa realized they were on a different ship.

  “Disengage and get us out of here,” Jax ordered someone on his right who grunted and hastened to obey.

  “Who are these people?” she wondered.

  Jax flashed her a grin. “My crew.”

  “Your…crew?”

  “Yeah. I decided to upgrade a bit.” Jax halted, and Alyssa realized they were facing a ragtag bunch of humans and aliens. “This is my new ship,” he said. “It’s a hell of a lot bigger than the old one. These guys help me run it. This is my second-in-command, Decker, next to him is Zaster, Rogue, Jackal, Liz…but never mind, I’ll introduce you all properly later. Everyone, this is my woman, Alyssa.” He hefted Alyssa higher up like a trophy.