Megg nodded. “Race you there?” she asked mischievously.
Agnar grinned toothily. An intergalactic race with a Stelairian Cruiser would give him a chance to test the limits of the new distortion drive he had recently installed. He had stolen it from a Bitowan Cruiser, to the chagrin of its captain, who hadn’t noticed it was missing until he tried to engage it outside of the Vontyr Galaxy to chase Agnar’s ship. The loss of such an important item must have gotten the fellow in big trouble with his emperor. Agnar wondered if the Bitowans were tired of him making fools of them yet.
“You’re on,” he said to Megg.
She giggled and signed off, and only then did Agnar realize that she had lifted off while they were speaking, and had a good head start. “Jawol, go!” he said.
Jawol shook his head and laughed. “We aren’t going to beat her, even with our new distortion drive. She doesn’t need to sleep; we do, and that’s a nine month trip you’re talking about.”
“I know that. I just want to give her the feel of a race until we get to intergalactic space. I think one of the things she likes about me is the bad boy image, and I don’t want to disappoint her. Especially with that bottle of youth elixir on the line,” he added greedily.
“I’ll give her a good race, then.” Jawol increased his speed, catching up to Megg at Mars, and soon both ships were speeding out of the solar system.
CHAPTER 4
Karina slowly awakened as the drug wore off. Her blurry vision cleared and a white ceiling came into focus. She found herself lying on an uncomfortable metal table. For a moment she thought she had been abducted again and felt a surge of intense fear. She heard voices speaking in hushed tones to her left, and turned her head toward the sounds. A group of men in white coats stood nearby. Their backs were to her, but since they spoke English her fear diminished. She tried to sit up, but couldn’t. Numerous leather straps secured her to the table. She strained against them, wiggling around in an attempt to stretch the leather and slip out. One of the men noticed her efforts and came over to the table, leaning over her and examining her face. She froze and stared up at him.
“She’s awake,” he announced.
“Good. Get Mr. White,” another answered. He seemed to be the one in charge.
The first man left while the others began to examine Karina. One man checked her blood pressure while another drew a vial of blood.
“Get that processed immediately,” the man in charge ordered.
“Yes, sir.”
As Karina continued to push against her bonds, a face appeared over hers.
“Good afternoon, Ms. McKay. I’m Kevin White, leader of the Lazarus League. I’d shake your hand, but you seem to be indisposed.” He chuckled at his own wit.
Karina wasn’t amused. “Why am I here?” she asked.
Kevin ran his hand gently through Karina’s short hair and smiled. His touch sickened Karina. “You’ve been a very naughty girl,” he replied, continuing to stroke her head. “You’ve killed one of my men.”
“Fred,” Karina said with venom.
“Yes. He wasn’t my favorite lackey, but he had his uses. And now I’ll have to find someone else to take his place. Do you know how difficult it is to find someone who is both completely loyal and completely malleable?” Kevin tightened his grip on Karina’s hair, holding a tuft of it in his fist.
Karina winced in pain but said nothing. Kevin released his grip and resumed stroking her hair. “You’re here to make up for his loss,” Kevin said, answering her earlier question. “You will take over his duties.”
“I will not.”
“My dear, you don’t have a choice. I don’t need your permission or your cooperation for what I require of you.” Kevin turned to the man in charge, dismissing Karina as he would dismiss a dog. “Take care of her until we’re ready.”
“Of course, Mr. White.”
Kevin left and Karina felt a needle pierce her shoulder. She drifted back into unconsciousness.
This time she awoke on a comfortable bed. She was alone in a large bay with a high ceiling. She sat up and looked around. The parallel shadows of thick steel bars stretched across the floor as sunlight streamed through tall windows. She went to one and looked out, resting her head between two of the bars. The city lay spread out below her. She moved to the next wall and looked out those windows. The city lay at her feet. It was the same on the other two sides. She laughed despairingly at her ridiculous predicament. The men had imprisoned her in the tallest building in the city. Here she stood, locked away in a tower by an evil king, with no prince to rescue her.
She looked around for a door. There were two regular doors and an elevator. She tried the first door, finding a bathroom. The second door revealed a closet. She went to the elevator and pushed the button on the wall next to it. A screen with a keypad above it lit up. “Please input password,” scrolled across the screen. She slammed her hand against the keypad in frustration and turned away. She wandered around the room, looking for another way out. The windows were out of the question; even without bars, the room was too high to exit through them safely. She knocked on the walls and inspected the floor. There must be a stairwell somewhere. What would happen if the power went out or the elevator broke? There must be another way out. She continued knocking, but no hollow sound greeted her. The walls and floor were solid.
“Damn it!” Karina swore. Unable to leave, she looked around the open bay. One section was dedicated to the bedroom and had the bed where she had awoken, a nightstand with a lamp, and a dresser. She went over and opened the top drawer. It held socks and underwear in her size. She opened the other drawers and found shirts, shorts, and sweatpants, also in her size. A hamper sat next to the dresser for dirty laundry. A feeling of dread crept over her. How long did they plan on keeping her here?
She continued around the bay to the next section. A comfortable couch sat in front of a large screen TV. Several tall bookcases held hundreds of DVDs. The feeling of dread increased, and became almost unbearable as she investigated the next section, a kitchen area. The cupboards were full of food and a well-stocked fridge stood near a brand-new stove. Karina moved numbly to the couch and sat. She stared at the blank screen on the TV. Apparently she was staying awhile.
* * *
One day, almost a year into her stay, Karina lounged on the couch watching The Fifth Element for the twentieth time. It was just as entertaining as it was the first time, possibly even more so since her familiarity with it allowed her to notice more of the cleverly written and acted nuances. She had lost track of the number of days, and even weeks since her captivity began, since there were no clocks or calendars in her fancy prison. She kept track of time by her period count, and she had eleven since she was taken by the Lazarus League. She was left alone most of the time, except when they sent in armed men to collect her laundry and restock her food. She would watch them watch her warily as they went about their business.
As the credits rolled, the elevator doors opened and the usual armed men entered the room. Another man in a white coat followed behind them. Karina sat up with interest. This was something new. The thugs pointed their weapons at her.
“Don’t move,” one of them ordered.
Karina raised an eyebrow at the unnecessary threat. She had no intention of moving. There was no point to it. The man in the white coat approached her.
“Roll up your sleeve, please,” he asked politely. He held a syringe with a long needle in one hand.
Karina slapped her hand over her arm as if that would stop him from drugging her. “What’s that?” she questioned defiantly.
“Just something to relax you.” Karina glared at the man, and he sighed. “I promise, it’s not an illegal drug, and it won’t hurt you.” Karina continued to stare at him silently. He sighed again, irritated. “I recommend that you allow me to give it to you, otherwise, I’ll have to force it on you.” He nodded toward the armed men, who put away their weapons. One of them grinned at her and cracked h
is knuckles; the other leered, raking his eyes up and down her body.
Karina looked back to the man with the syringe. Since they had kept her unharmed as a prisoner for almost a year, it seemed unlikely that they would kill her now. And the alternative of having it forced on her was unappealing. She pushed up her T-shirt sleeve and exposed her upper arm. The man wiped her arm with an alcohol pad and inserted the needle deep into the muscle before pushing the plunger down. Karina winced in pain but said nothing. She sat back on the couch and rubbed her sore shoulder. The man stood back and waited.
Soon Karina began to feel a little fuzzy. Her body felt heavy, and suddenly she just wanted to sleep. She lowered her head onto one of the couch cushions. Then she heard a voice speaking from very far away.
“She’s ready.” The man in the white coat pulled her to her feet and led her to the elevator. He input the code and the doors opened. Then he helped her into the waiting elevator. The two armed men boarded, and one of them took Karina’s other arm, helping the man in the white coat support her weight. The elevator dropped slowly, but in her drugged state, Karina was sensitive to its movement. She felt like a leaf floating down from a tree. She had to close her eyes against the sudden dizziness.
The elevator stopped at the lobby and the men led Karina out. They took her across the street to the metal building. Once they were through the doors, a guard closed and locked them. They led her through the same door that she had been taken through when the cops had first brought her here. She wanted to struggle, to escape, but somehow she just couldn’t find the energy. They walked her down the spiraling hallway to the room below. The metal table she had been strapped to on her first visit gleamed in the bright lights. She feared they would strap her to it again, but they led her past it to an elaborate construction tucked away in an alcove at the end of the room. It looked like a futuristic coffin, ducting and wiring running all over its sides. Inside, it boasted a plush bed.
The man in the white coat turned to her. “Are you tired? Let me help you lie down.” He and his companions maneuvered her into the contraption and closed the lid. She tried to protest, but she was so very tired and the bed was so very comfortable. She could see the men through the clear top. Their faces became fuzzier and she closed her eyes against an abrupt feeling of nausea. She felt an unexpected chill creep up her spine and tried to open her eyes to see what was causing it. They wouldn’t obey. She tried to lift her hand to her face, but it was as if it were made of lead, and too heavy to move. She felt colder and colder, until she couldn’t feel her body at all anymore. Her sluggish mind slowed, and stopped completely for a moment. Then it restarted, and Karina became aware of her body again.
She was cold. So cold. Her heart beat slowly. Her skin began to warm, and she felt goose bumps on her arms and legs. Her eyelids fluttered, then opened. The lid of the coffin was open and men in white lab coats stood around her, checking her vital signs. One reached into the coffin and stuck a needle into her shoulder. Karina felt a liquid enter her muscle. Her body continued to warm, and she tried to sit up, but a familiar sense of lethargy crept over her. They must have drugged her again. The men helped her climb out of the coffin, taking her to the metal table and sitting her on it so they could continue their tests. One of the men patted Karina on the hand.
“You’ve done well,” he said, grinning with satisfaction. Karina turned her head to look at him, even though it was a chore to do so. That voice was familiar. She stared at the man next to her. It was the same man who had given her the first shot up in the penthouse prison. She squinted at him uncomprehendingly. He laughed. “You’ve just made history. It’s a shame no one will ever know of your accomplishment.”
After Karina had been poked and prodded for what seemed like hours, they led her back to the coffin. They passed several similar coffins, positioned upright at an angle and more futuristic than hers. Odd. They hadn’t been there before. How did they get them here so quickly? Karina furrowed her brows in confusion. Her brain told her that she knew what was going on, but she couldn’t quite grasp it. The answer seemed to remain just out of reach.
They arrived at the alcove in the back of the room where several men were engaged in modifications on her coffin. They stepped aside to allow the men in white coats to put Karina back into it. Karina feebly fought to get away, but they overpowered her. A young man lifted her up and deposited her back into the coffin, closing the lid to prevent her escape. She pounded weakly on the lid, wanting to be let out. She felt the cold again, and shivered uncontrollably. It engulfed her and she lost track of her thoughts.
She struggled to awaken and felt her mind grow more aware. She forced her eyes open and found herself staring into the eyes of the same young man who had put her into the coffin, but he didn’t look young anymore. Wrinkles crinkled his eyes and forehead, and his hair was graying at the temples. He lifted her out, carrying her past several occupied coffins to the metal table near the front of the room. He set her down on it and then walked away. Karina’s right thigh ached, and she felt a familiar drowsiness. She lay in a drugged haze while several men examined her. She turned her head to the side and found herself staring into Kevin White’s open eyes. He was in the first of the new coffins, his face frozen in a look of shock. Probably from the cold, Karina thought, hoping that it had been as uncomfortable for him as it had been for her. The men examining her talked over her as if she wasn’t there.
“We need to determine if her faculties are intact,” one said.
“Yes, it’s obvious that Agnar’s blueprints work in preserving the body, but if they don’t preserve the mind, we’re wasting our time,” another answered.
The first man shook his head and smiled. “Just think, with the technology Agnar sold us, we could have the key to immortality. The Lazarus League would be a force to be reckoned with, not just in this country, but all over the world.”
The lust for power gleamed in the second man’s eyes. “We could be gods.”
The first man laughed. “Well, maybe not gods, but at least kings.”
They concluded their examination and called to the man who had lifted her out of the coffin. “Take her to the tower,” one of them ordered. He nodded and lifted Karina into his arms, carrying her up the spiral hallway and into the foyer of the metal building. He exited and crossed the street to the opposite building.
Karina stared up in astonishment at the passing cars. They didn’t have wheels, and hovered several meters above the street. The man carrying her passed safely underneath them as they sped over him. She shook her head to clear it, wondering if she was hallucinating. She looked up again, but the cars were still there.
They entered the building and he walked to the elevator. A guard standing next to it pushed the button for him. The doors opened and he carried Karina inside. The guard leaned in and pushed the button for the top floor, pulling out just before the doors closed. The elevator sped to the top of the building. When they exited, Karina found herself back in her tower prison. Everything was exactly as it had been when she left it. The man deposited her on the bed and went over to the kitchen. She lay awake for awhile, watching the ceiling spin. Then she fell asleep.
When Karina awoke she was ravenous. Her head felt clear for the first time in ages. The smell of roasting meat filled the room and Karina’s mouth watered. She sat up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. She looked around the bay, but the man who had brought her here was gone. She stood up and went to the kitchen. Opening the oven, she found a roast inside. The pan was warm, but not too hot to remove with her bare hands. She lifted it out, taking it over to the table.
Impatient to feed her gnawing hunger, she ignored the plate and utensils set out on the table and ripped off a chunk of meat with her hands, eating like an animal. Finishing that, she tore into the rest, devouring the entire roast. Feeling a bit better, she went to the fridge in search of something to drink. A pint of milk sat on the top shelf. She guzzled it right from the jug, finishing it in minutes.
She set the empty jug back in the fridge and closed the door. After such a large meal, she felt tired again, but this time it was a comfortable feeling and not the exhaustion of a drug. She went back to her bed and climbed in, curling herself around a pillow before falling into a deep sleep.
Karina dreamt that she was wandering through a snowstorm. The white flakes blinded her, and she could see only a few feet in front of her. The hairs on her neck raised at the feeling of being watched. She peered through the storm but couldn’t see anyone. She kept walking, looking for shelter as her fingers and toes numbed. Each step became more difficult as her body froze. Putting one leg in front of the other became a burden, and all she wanted to do was lie down and sleep. But she stubbornly kept going until her muscles finally refused to obey her. She fell face first onto the ice, her frozen blood stalling in her veins, her heart stopping. The watchers observed and took notes. Then she was falling through the ice into a freezing lake. Lower and lower she sank, breathing frigid water into her lungs. She tried to call out to her watchers for help, but they just stared and whispered among themselves.
Karina sat up in bed, coughing. Her arms felt cold and she rubbed them. The late afternoon sun shone in through the tall windows. Karina got out of bed and went into the kitchen area for a drink. She helped herself to a glass of water, and as she drank from the glass, she felt the hairs on her neck rise. She was being watched. She turned and found a man she didn’t recognize sitting on the couch contemplating her. He smiled reassuringly.
The Face of Earth Page 6