Filled with nervous energy, the doctor paced the floor. “Your race has mastered space travel. Have you explored other planets? Found life there? Are there others of your kind here?”
He looked at Alex, waiting for answers that did not come.
Barrett’s eyes narrowed. “You would be wise to tell me everything I want to know.”
“And if I refuse?”
“You won’t,” Barrett replied, his expression smug. “The woman seems to care for you, and I’m guessing you also care for her. Unfortunately, she has become something of a liability, one I can’t afford to keep around, if you know what I mean?”
“You can’t just . . . just exterminate her!” Alex exclaimed, horrified by the casual way the doctor spoke of killing.
“I can. But don’t worry, I promised her it would be quick. However, if you refuse to cooperate with me, I’ll have to renege on that promise.”
“Let her go, and I’ll tell you whatever you what to know.”
“I can’t do that. You know as well as I do that she’ll go running to the police the minute she’s free. I can’t allow that.”
“Bring her to me. I have the power to make her forget everything.”
Interest sparked in the doctor’s eyes. “What power?” Barrett paused to check the IV dripping into the alien’s vein. “What do you mean?”
“She carries my blood. We’re connected. I can control her mind. I can make her forget everything. You, me, everything.”
Barrett shook his head. “I don’t believe you.”
“I can prove it. Tell me something she can’t possibly know, and I’ll plant it in her mind.” He shuddered convulsively as the sun’s heat scorched his flesh. “But . . . not . . . now.”
“Why not now?”
Alex closed his eyes. “Can’t think. The sun . . .”
Barrett rubbed his jaw, his brow furrowed in thought. If what the alien said was true, there was more at stake here than money or fame. Much more.
Going to the door, Barrett called for Kelsey.
“Yeah, Doc?”
“From now on, I don’t want the alien exposed to the sun for more than a couple of hours in the morning and late afternoon.”
“Why? I thought you said the sun kept him weak.”
Barrett nodded. “It does, but there’s a chance too much might prove fatal. Let’s cover it from twelve to four and see what happens.”
“Right. You still want it covered at night?”
“Definitely. Tomorrow, I want the cover in place by, oh, say eleven. I want to try an experiment tomorrow night, so I’ll need you and Handeland to be here at seven.”
Kelsey glanced at Alex. “Right. Anything else?”
“No. I’ll be in the lab if anyone needs me.”
The tension drained out of Alex as the door closed behind the two men. As near as he could figure, it was a little after ten. That meant another two hours before they covered the skylight.
A long, shuddering sigh rippled through his body. Another two hours of feeling the sunlight on his skin, burning his eyes, leeching his strength, until it became an effort to breathe, to think. He comforted himself with the fact that it was only another two hours. He could endure it for that long. He had to endure it, for Kara’s sake.
He tried to focus his thoughts on a way to escape. He needed to think, to plan. He had to find a way to get Kara away from this place before it was too late.
But try as he might, he couldn’t concentrate, couldn’t think. His skin felt tight, his blood ran hot—hot with pain and rage. Hot with the ancient need to hunt, to destroy his enemies. To taste their blood upon his tongue.
Vampire . . .
He turned his face toward the wall, troubled by the images the word conjured in his mind. He had written about vampires for years. Perhaps, in some vicarious way, he had been living out his own suppressed desires through the lives of his characters. Perhaps the men of ErAdona would never be free of the innate urge to drink the blood of their enemies.
Hands clenched, he stared into the sunlight, hoping its heat would burn the hate and the anger from the depths of his soul.
But the pain only fueled his rage. Barrett would pay, he vowed. Pay for the fear and pain he had caused Kara. Pay for the pain that he himself was suffering, for the indignity of being strapped to this metal table. Oh, yes, Barrett would pay!
Alex? Alex, can you hear me?
Kara’s voice, soft and sweet, filled with concern. It washed over him like cool water, easing his pain, smothering his anger.
Alex? Please answer me if you can.
I hear you, Kara.
Are you all right?
He took a deep breath. Yes.
I told Barrett the sun was dangerous for you. Has he done anything to protect you from it?
Not yet. Tomorrow . . . tomorrow he wants to do . . . to do some sort of test.
A test? What kind of test?
Can’t explain now . . . He took a deep breath, his hands clenching and unclenching as he struggled against the thick leather straps that bound his wrists to the table. But he was weak, so damn weak.
Alex?
So . . . tired . . . try not to worry . . . will get you . . . out of this . . . promise . . .
Alex, I love you.
Love you . . . Love you, love you. He repeated the words over and over again. It was his last thought before he surrendered to the darkness of oblivion.
Shortly before eleven o’clock the next morning, the heavy cover rolled into place, shutting out the sun’s blinding light.
Alex sighed with relief, feeling the tension drain out of him as the room grew blessedly dark. The pain in his flesh receded almost immediately. Never before had he been exposed to the direct rays of the sun for such a long period of time. It might take days, perhaps weeks, for his body to regain its full strength.
Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. Perhaps now he would be able to formulate a plan of escape.
He was aware of Barrett beside him, fiddling with the IV bottle, and he wondered what drugs the doctor was giving him along with the glucose and saline.
He’d been here for three days, Alex thought wearily. Surely the longest three days of his life. In that time, Barrett had drawn copious amounts of blood, taken urine samples, examined Alex from head to foot. This morning, the doctor had cut a small sliver of tissue from the ridged flesh on his back. The pain of the scalpel on the sensitive skin over his spine had been excruciating, and the only thing that had kept him from screaming had been the thought of the revenge that would be his once he’d attained his freedom.
“Remarkable,” Barrett said. “Simply remarkable.”
“What’s remarkable?” Kelsey asked.
“The similarities between humans and this alien.” Barrett laughed with real amusement. “All these years, Hollywood and the tabloids have imagined aliens as intellectually superior to us, but physically inferior. They’ve always been depicted as diminutive creatures with scrawny arms and legs and huge soulful eyes, when, in reality, their appearance is almost exactly like ours.”
“Yeah, except for that funny looking leathery strip on his back.”
“Hmmm, yes, that is odd. But that seems to be the only aberration. Two arms, two legs, with the requisite number of fingers and toes. Very humanoid.”
“Oh, I almost forgot. Phillips says he needs more blood.”
“So soon? What’s he doing with the stuff, drinking it?” Barrett laughed, amused at his own humor.
“He said ten cc’s would be enough. He’s got two dozen vials ready to go. How much you figure to sell them for?”
“I haven’t decided.” Barrett readied a syringe, found a vein in the alien’s arm, then watched the syringe fill with blood, noticing again that it was darker and thicker than human blood. “Each case will be different, depending on income and need.” He handed the vial to Kelsey. “Take that to Phillips. And remind Handeland that I want him here at seven tonight.”
“Right.�
��
“Has Mitch had any luck finding the old ladies and the girl?”
“Not yet, but he’s still looking. I’ll drop this off at the lab, and then I’m going to lunch.”
“Seven,” Barrett reminded him. “Don’t be late.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Kelsey muttered.
Barrett grunted as Kelsey left the room. The man was an irritant, but he was loyal, and, like Handeland, he was capable of doing whatever needed to be done.
His gaze ran over the alien. He was a remarkable specimen, apparently in his prime, long and lean, with well-muscled arms and legs. A creature from outer space. It was still hard to believe. He shook his head. By this time next year, he’d be a wealthy man. His name would be known throughout the civilized world. His life story would be related in newspapers, magazines, medical journals.
He smiled as he imagined himself restoring health and vitality to those who could afford the price of a vial of blood. People would pay whatever he asked to save the life of a loved one stricken with a fatal disease or on the brink of death. But that was only the tip of the iceberg. How much more would people be willing to pay for the promise of immortality? There would have to be tests, of course. Once he had proved that the alien’s blood increased the life span of lab rats, he would have to conduct tests on human subjects. That was the least of his worries. He had no doubt that he would find volunteers by the hundreds, the thousands. People who were sick, dying, would be only too happy to volunteer simply for the chance of being cured of their disease. Testing might take years, but he was a patient man. As soon as he sold the first vials of blood, he would have enough money to do all the research required.
He glanced at the alien. They couldn’t keep him strapped to that table forever. They’d have to find a place to house him, some place close at hand so his blood would be readily available, some way to regulate the amount of sunlight he received, a way to keep him docile without inflicting any permanent physical damage.
The alien’s eyes opened, and Barrett wondered what the creature was thinking. It was an intelligent species. He would be wise to remember that at all times.
Barrett took a deep breath, feeling a surge of power flow through him. Soon, he would have everything he had ever dreamed of: wealth, fame, power, his name in the record books alongside Curie and Salk.
Soon, he would have answers to the questions that had plagued scientists for centuries.
Soon, he would hold the power of life and death in his hands.
Alex waited until Barrett left the room and then, knowing it was futile, he tugged against the straps that imprisoned him. He had to get out of here, had to get Kara out of here before it was too late.
He glared at the heavy straps that bound his wrists, at the iron bands that crossed his chest, remembering how Barrett and Kelsey had talked over him as if he were a piece of furniture, as if he couldn’t speak or think. It was humiliating, degrading, to know that Barrett considered him less than human simply because he came from another planet.
Insufferable creature! If only he weren’t so weak, he’d rip the leather straps apart, and then he’d rip Barrett and Kelsey to shreds. If only . . .
Muttering an oath, he closed his eyes. There was no time for anger or thoughts of revenge, not now. It was time to rest, to gather his strength for the battle to come.
Chapter Twenty-two
Barrett was prompt. He showed up in Alexander’s room with his two accomplices at seven sharp. It didn’t escape Alex’s notice that Kelsey and Handeland were both carrying weapons. Kelsey favored a .357 Magnum, while Handeland carried a Luger.
“So,” Barrett said, getting right to the point. “Let’s get to it, shall we?”
“I’m ready when you are.”
“The way I understand it, I’m to tell you something the woman can’t possibly know, and you’re going to send it to her telepathically. Is that right?”
Alex nodded.
Barrett grunted softly. “Something she couldn’t possibly know.” He stroked his jaw thoughtfully. “My mother’s maiden name is Dagdiggian. My favorite color is yellow. And I have eighty-five dollars in my wallet. Three twenties, two tens, and five ones. Tell her that.” Barrett opened the door. “I’ll be waiting in her room. Kelsey, Handeland, keep an eye on him.”
“Right, doc.”
Kara?
Alex? What’s wrong?
Nothing. I don’t have time to explain. Barrett’s coming to your room. Be careful while he’s there. I don’t want him to know that you can communicate with me. I’ve told him I can control your mind, that I can make you forget everything that’s happened.
Can you?
Yes. Listen to me. He should be there any time.
He just came in.
All right.
He’s asking me questions. What should I do?
Answer him. His mother’s maiden name is Dagdiggian. His favorite color is yellow, and he’s carrying eighty-five dollars in his wallet. Three twenties, two tens, and five ones.
A few minutes later, the doctor returned to Alex’s room.
“Impressive,” Barrett remarked. “Very impressive.”
“Now will you let her go?”
“It doesn’t prove anything except that you can plant thoughts in her mind. How will I know you’ve erased everything from her memory?”
“You’ll know. She won’t know who you are. She won’t remember anything that happened after the accident.”
“I don’t know.”
“Don’t listen to him,” Handeland said. “There’s too much at stake here. If you don’t have the balls to take care of the girl, I’ll do it.”
“Shut up,” Barrett snapped. “I’m making the decisions here, and don’t you forget it.”
“He’s right,” Kelsey said. “All the alien has to do is tell the girl to pretend she doesn’t remember anything. There’s no way to prove he’s done it.”
“Of course there is, you idiot! Another dose of pentobarbital will tell me what I need to know.” Barrett jerked a thumb toward the door. “Go on, you two, get out of here.”
Kelsey and Handeland exchanged glances.
“Here, you might need this,” Handeland said. He handed his Luger to Barrett. “Let’s go, Nate.”
“I’m comin’,” Kelsey replied. “Holler if you need us.”
“I didn’t think you could do it,” Barrett remarked. “I want to know more about this mind link. If I gave your blood to Kelsey, would you be able to communicate with him in the same way?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never given my blood to anyone but Kara.” The lie rolled easily off his tongue.
“I see.” Barrett drummed his fingers on the cart beside the table as he pondered the possibilities of mind control. “What other tricks have you got up your sleeve?”
“A few.”
“Tell me.”
“Not until you let her go.”
“Are you in love with her?”
“What if I am?”
Barrett shrugged. “It poses some interesting questions. Is it possible for you to mate with our species?”
“Let her go.”
Barrett swore. “I can make you talk, you know. A dose of sodium pentobarbital can be very persuasive.”
“And I can be very stubborn.”
“You mean the drug won’t work?”
“I don’t know what the effect would be. Could be fatal. Could alter my blood chemistry in some way. Who knows?”
“There are tests . . .”
“Tests take time. Let her go, and I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. I give you my word.”
“Your word?” Barrett sneered. “What makes you think I’d take your word?”
“My people have mastered space travel. We’ve banished war from our planet. There’s very little sickness. The average life span of my people is a hundred and twenty-five years. We’re not savages, doctor. We’re not sub-human. We’re not animals. My word is as good as yours.” He grinned wryly. “B
etter, no doubt. Were you on my planet, you would be considered vastly inferior.”
“But I’m not on your world. You’re on mine. And I mean to take advantage of everything you know.”
Alex took a deep breath, held it for stretched seconds before he released it. “Then let her go.”
“Answer me one thing. Is it possible for you to procreate with our people?”
“No.”
Barrett grinned. “You’re lying. I think, before I turn her loose, we’ll find out.”
“No! It could be dangerous to Kara. I won’t put her life in danger.”
But Barrett wasn’t listening. “Consider the possibilities,” he said, pacing the floor. “A half-alien baby. Think of the research, the chance to study an alien life form from infancy, to raise it as my own.”
“Your own guinea pig, you mean. Dammit, Barrett, we had a deal!”
“We had nothing.”
Anger surged through Alex as he envisioned the kind of life his child would have. Years of testing, of never having a normal life, never knowing who its real parents were. Barrett would either keep the child locked away, a secret from the rest of the world, or he would exploit the child like some kind of freak.
Rage added strength to his limbs. With a feral cry, Alex yanked against the straps that held him. The one on his right wrist broke with a loud snap.
Barrett whirled around, the gun at the ready. “Kelsey! Handeland! Get in here!”
With a cry of triumph, Alex jerked his left hand free. Taking a double-handed grip on the iron band across his chest, he gave a mighty heave, but the strap held.
A roar of frustration rose in his throat as Kelsey and Handeland burst into the room.
“Hold him!” Barrett shouted.
Setting the gun aside, Barrett grabbed a syringe from the cart and plunged the needle into a vein in the alien’s left arm.
With a strangled cry of rage, the alien went suddenly limp.
“Damn, that was close.” Barrett sagged against the wall, amazed by the creature’s strength. “Kelsey, he’s getting too strong. See that he gets more sun.” he said. “Joe, replace those straps with thicker ones.”
Amanda Ashley Page 19