by Josi Russell
Kaia, still holding Ethan’s hand, sat cautiously on the edge of the bed. “It’s soft,” she said with surprise.
Ethan reached down past her and ran his hand across the smooth coverlet. He pressed his palm into the yielding surface of the mattress, then stood straight again.
Kaia leaned her cheek against his arm. “Oh, Ethan, it’s all so strange.”
“Did they hurt you back there?” he asked, staring through the walls at the distorted but still visible mass of creatures outside. Though Traxoram’s attention remained on the little cottage, the others were conversing with each other, seemingly excited about the humans inside.
“Yes, at first. On the ship. But after that, it was just difficult to breathe.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t stop them.”
“But you did! I don’t think we would have made it this far if you couldn’t speak to them.”
Ethan shrugged. “We need a plan.”
“What plan? Ethan, we don’t know where the ship is, and if we did, we wouldn’t be able to beat their matter control techniques. If we could, we wouldn’t get the ship out of the planet’s shielding . . .” Kaia’s voice trailed off. Her shoulders were slumped. “And even if we did get away, they’d just come and get us from Minea, anyway.” She looked up at him. “I know it’s a terrible thing to say, but I’ve always faced facts, and, well, what would it be like to live here? Would it be unbearable?”
Ethan pulled his hand from her grip and walked to the wall facing the Alorans. He leaned across a dresser and put his hands against the wall. “Look at them, Kaia.” He glanced over his shoulder to see her raise her head and stare complacently past him. “See them watching us? Do you see them?” Ethan struck his fists against the solid wall, shouting, “They’ll always be there! They’ll watch us every moment!” He saw the creatures laughing at his anger, and it made him frantic.
“Kaia,” he turned and strode over to her. “Kaia! We can’t live like this! What if I were to hold you? What if I took you in my arms right now?” She looked up into his eyes and he reached down and pulled her roughly to him. He stared frantically into her eyes. “Kaia,” his breath caught, “Kaia, they’re there. They’re watching me. They see you in my arms. It would never be just you and me. Every detail of our lives would be scrutinized, publicized . . .”
Suddenly, Kaia crumpled against him, the terror creeping into her eyes told Ethan she was again under the influence of their captors’ shackles.
He held her to him, scooping her into his arms and sinking onto the edge of the bed. He sat stroking her hair. “Can you talk?” he asked her.
Her wild eyes answered his question.
“It’s okay. It’s okay. I’m sorry, Kaia.”
“We have the power to do with you what we wish. Do not forget this.” Traxoram’s voice was in the room though the Aloran still stood out in the street. The creature’s false congeniality had returned. “Now. We can’t have you wearing yourselves out before the auction this afternoon. You must rest. Our buyers must see two perfect specimens. We will release the female if you will please find comfort in the accommodations we have prepared for you. Eat, sleep, refresh yourselves. We will return for you very soon.” Traxoram and his entourage disappeared.
Ethan felt Kaia’s limp body tighten and curl against him. She began to weep.
His arms tensed around her, pulling her into his chest. He buried his face in her hair and felt tears making tracks down his own cheeks. This was nothing he’d ever expected. How did he end up on an alien planet, holding a girl he should never have come to love, facing a future in which he’d be a captive? It occurred to him that he was very, very tired. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept, and it seemed a lifetime since he’d shared a meal with Kaia in the Caretaker’s hold.
As he and Kaia clung to each other, their weariness overcame them, and they lay down as one on the soft coverlet and slept. When Ethan’s consciousness returned, it came slowly. He smelled steak cooking, felt the softness of the sleeping woman beside him, and thought he was home. As he opened his eyes, the transparent room seemed part of the dream until his memory of the creatures came back. He looked down at Kaia, her face still smoothed with sleep, and closed his eyes again, trying to recapture the fleeting feeling of security.
It was to no avail. The impossibility of their situation weighed him down almost as tangibly as the Alorans’ shackle technique had earlier. His stomach growled, and he rolled gently away from Kaia.
She reached for him and mumbled.
He looked at her for a long moment, willing her to stay in the safety of her sleep, and then walked out into the hall.
The scent led him to the kitchen, where the table was heaped with steaming food, all of it familiar: ham, mashed potatoes, curry, fruit, hummus, rice, many of his favorite meals. Figuring that the Alorans wouldn’t bring them this far just to poison them now, Ethan filled a transparent plate and ate.
It tasted good, though he hated to admit it. The seasonings were right, every dish was at its correct temperature, and the textures were perfect. He was reaching for a plate of yams when a scratching sound over his right shoulder made him spin in his chair. A flash of movement caught his eye, and he half-rose before he saw it again and froze. Beneath the cabinet next to the back door, a pair of eyes was watching him. They were small, about the size of house mice back on Earth. In a second, they had blinked away and were gone.
Ethan relaxed somewhat and settled back into his chair. Even alien worlds had pests, apparently. He reached for a golden loaf of bread and tore a chunk off, tasting the hot yeasty flavor. He was less surprised when he heard the scratching sound again, and he turned his head just slightly to see it scurrying along the edge of the floor. It darted under the table and he watched through the smoky tabletop as it deftly climbed the table leg and slipped onto the table.
It was only about a foot away. Ethan held out a hand and the little creature moved closer. It was something like a cross between a mouse and a tiny armadillo, with iridescent scales on its back and tail that looked almost insectlike. It approached cautiously and then stopped and watched Ethan.
Slowly, Ethan picked up a crumb of the bread he’d been eating and held it out to the little creature. At this proximity he could see its eyes: golden and catlike with vertical pupils, they focused on the crumb, and the creature rushed forward and snatched it.
It ate desperately. Ethan grabbed another piece of bread and laid it beside the little creature. As it began to devour the morsel, Ethan reached for apple slices, a hunk of cheese, and several nuts, laying them all beside the little creature. It ate until the pile of food was gone and then looked up at Ethan. Was it his imagination that it seemed grateful?
“You’re welcome,” he said, surprised at his own voice. “There’s more where that came from.” He gestured at the table.
“What is it?” Kaia’s voice was quiet behind him.
“I don’t know. An alien mouse, I guess.”
At that, the little creature froze, looked at the two of them, and slipped down off the table and away under the cabinet.
“Nice to see that not all aliens are hostile, though,” Ethan said as he loaded his plate with a second helping.
“That smells delicious,” she said, wiping the sleep from her eyes.
His mouth was full, but he nodded and gestured toward an empty plate. She sat and ate, though rather more conservatively.
“Ethan,” she said without looking at him.
He glanced up at her. Her eyes locked with his, and he put down his half-raised fork.
“I’m sorry about what I said earlier. I—I don’t want to stay here, either.”
He smiled grimly. “I know, Kaia.”
“It’s just—” She hesitated. “I don’t know what we can do. I don’t know how to get out of here. I don’t even think it’s possible. But I have to admit that I want to. I don’t want you to think I want to stay here. I want to get back to the ship, to someday see Minea.
Just like you do.”
“We’ll think of something.” Ethan walked to the wall, looking out. “How do you feel?”
“I feel fine.”
“Rested?”
“Yes. Very.”
“Me, too. Maybe we can do a little exploring before they come back for us.”
Kaia finished quickly, and the two of them ventured out into the street. Ethan hadn’t noticed it before, but the climate was perfect. A cool breeze blew across the little town, and tall, clear trees, more opaque than the rest of the town, provided shade.
“I have to admit it’s pleasant,” Ethan said.
“Fresh air feels strange,” Kaia said softly.
“Yeah. It’s been so long since I’ve been outside.” He looked up to watch the clouds again. Above the clouds, between them and the suns, a soft smokiness could be detected.“Wait. Kaia.” He stopped, squinting at the sky.“We’re not, actually.”
“Not what, actually?”
“Not outside.” He pointed up.
“A giant dome, over the whole city.”
“A giant cage,” he corrected.
They continued down the street, slightly more wary now. Every house was the same. Every yard had the same two trees in front and three trees in back. Every street had the same number of identical houses. They walked and walked and eventually came to the end of one street.
Ethan walked to the clear wall at the end of the street. He peered out into the vast cityscape beyond. On the other side of the wall was an enormous building in which Alorans went busily about, walking, talking in groups, and working on various machines.
“It looks like an office building,” he said. Kaia was beside him now.
“Or a laboratory,” she said. “They seem to be recording something from those machines on these lower floors.”
“Could be.” Ethan looked up at the huge, solid wall. “At any rate, it doesn’t look like we have an exit here.”
They heard a whining noise behind them and turned from the wall in time to see two Alorans materialize behind them. Without explanation, the creatures shackled them and began transport.
Chapter 22
They were standing in a cold, clear room. Only a few Alorans were scattered throughout the room, concentrating on various screens and panels of strangely-shaped buttons, switches, and knobs. Ethan immediately recognized the tawny yellow plates of Traxoram. The ruler stood in the center of the room, next to a transparent silver cylinder. Traxoram turned to the creature nearest him, whose plating shone the color of a bruise. Its eyes, surveying the little party of four beings who had materialized so suddenly, were penetrating and gleaming. It stepped closer to them and evaluated Ethan and Kaia as Traxoram spoke.
“We will begin with these two specimens.”
The new creature registered surprise. “My Ruler, I did not realize we would begin so soon. Mustn’t we wait for the auction?”
“Fortune has smiled upon us and given us these two in advance. Should the upgrades you’ve been bragging about prove as revolutionary as you have claimed, perhaps we will not need more experimentation.”
“But, Ruler, the contest—”
“Perhaps the contest will be over before we have need of the other humans.”
“Would that not make many Alorans—”
“Angry? Their anger is not your concern. You should be more wary of my anger.” Traxoram was pacing now. “If I unlock the secrets of civilization class advancement, I have no need of other Alorans! I have no interest, Klactalar, in sharing my throne if such an extreme can be avoided.”
The creature took the chiding with a bowed head and rushed to speak once Traxoram was finished. “Of course, my Ruler. You have all rights to the throne. The accelerator is ready for testing.”
Traxoram nodded once. “Very well. Begin with the male. He will be the more hardy of the two.”
Klactalar moved to Ethan and then looked to Traxoram for reassurance. “This one?”
Traxoram growled. “Did you even bother to review the materials I sent you?”
Klactalar dropped his head again. “Yes, my Ruler.”
Traxoram dropped the matter. “Oh, get on with it.” He was pacing again. The other creatures had moved closer, making a half-circle around Ethan and Kaia. They studied them with great interest.
Klactalar reached for Ethan, seizing his upper arm roughly with the larger of his claws. He began to drag him toward the cylinder.
“Wait!” Ethan cried, in Xardn. “Wait! What are you doing?”
At his words, Klactalar’s claw dropped to his side and he whirled, staring at Ethan. The entire room had frozen. Traxoram laughed.
“Ah, yes. I forgot to mention that this one has an interesting talent.” He looked around the room. “It is no matter. You must continue with the experiment. Time is of the essence!”
“My Ruler, does this not suggest further investigation—”
Klactalar cringed as a deep growl emitted from the ruler.
“You will not question me! You will begin the advancement process or you will die!”
Klactalar reached again for Ethan, but his claw stopped before he touched flesh. He turned timidly to Traxoram and, with a pleading tone in his voice, said, “May I . . . at least . . . follow second-level protocols? This would ease my mind in case . . .”
Traxoram nodded impatiently. “Yes, yes, treat them as second-level specimens if you must. Just get on with it!”
“Oh, thank you, thank you . . .” Klactalar bowed to Traxoram and then turned back to Ethan, speaking slowly but distinctly. “You will forgive my earlier lack of manners. I was not prepared for this level of sophistication in your species. I will attempt to make this procedure as . . . comfortable . . .” He looked away quickly. “. . . as possible.”
Klactalar held a claw out in front of him. Atop it materialized several layers of folded white material.
“You will please follow me to the changing room,” he said.
Ethan was led to a sliding clear panel behind which was a small closet. He shot a look back to Kaia as he noted that all the walls were the same transparent material. It seemed pointless to him to have a privacy chamber for changing when the walls were clear, but he went inside nonetheless.
“You will please put this on. We do not know what substances might be found in the weaving of your native clothes, and we do not know how those substances might react to the acceleration process, so we must ask you to wear this sterile robe.” Klactalar handed him the folded clothes and the door slid closed.
Ethan had the distinct impression that had he not spoken up when he did, he’d now be standing in the silver cylinder naked.
Ethan looked through the walls at the rooms surrounding him. They seemed to be laboratories, with various Alorans working around different kinds of machines. In the laboratory next door he saw two of the huge, scorched boxes that he and Kaia had discovered in the weapons storage hold on the ship.
Ethan watched, fascinated, as one of the big creatures stepped up and poised a claw over one of the strange diagonal keypads he remembered. The creature’s claw worked deftly, punching in a code that immediately opened the lock. Ethan felt a growing anxiety as the lid was raised and other creatures stepped up to remove its contents.
He didn’t realize he was holding his breath as he watched. Inside the box were clear containers of water. Inside the containers were preserved saltwater fish, sea animals, and coral. More containers held uneven rounded rocks that took him a moment to recognize. As he gazed at them, though, their lumpy exterior took him back to an undersea expedition he’d gone on and gave them away as manganese nodules: formations found on the bottoms of Earth’s oceans.
So the boxes contained other species and elements from Earth? A quick glance at the items being removed from the other box confirmed his hypothesis. That one held sand, preserved animals, plants, and minerals from Earth’s deserts. The Alorans were exploring everything about the little green planet.
He started
to breathe again and realized he’d been watching far too long. But the Alorans didn’t pay him any attention. Though the Alorans in the room he’d just left kept a watchful eye on his closet, none of the Alorans in the other rooms seemed to notice or care that he was there.
It was then that he remembered the energy pistol concealed in his vest. How was it that the Alorans had failed to detect it? In fact, he realized, they hadn’t even checked him or Kaia for weapons. Now, though, as Ethan slipped his shirt and vest over his head in one fluid motion, he held the lump that was the pistol in place and dropped the whole pile on the floor nonchalantly. None of the creatures seemed to notice anything unusual, and as he pulled the long white robe over his head, he slipped his trousers off and added them to the pile. When he had finished, he waited for the door to open. When it didn’t, he reached up and knocked on it lightly.
Klactalar stepped to the door and opened it without touching it. He motioned toward the cylinder, and Ethan walked over to it, catching Kaia’s eye as he did. He stopped a few feet before he reached it and turned to Traxoram.
In the most polite form of Xardn that he could put together, he asked, “Ruler, what is the purpose of this experiment?”
Traxoram looked at him, measuring him. “You will enter the chamber, human.”
Ethan didn’t move. “Yes, but may I please understand what will happen to me inside?”
Traxoram laughed. “Your primitive brain would rupture long before you understood the smallest part of what will happen to you. Our technologies, our knowledge, has taken eons to acquire and eons to decode. You are not prepared in any way for such an understanding.”
Ethan stood his ground. “Please attempt to tell me.”