The aide from the trio approached the announcer and handed him a thin sliver of metal. Starling guessed it was payment. The announcer didn’t seem pleased to receive it. The man looked downright scared. He pasted a fake smile on his face as he took the metal. He handed the secretary a bag and then gestured to Starling.
Rather than make the aide come to her, she went to him. The giant who’d presented her to the crowd grabbed her. The announcer yelled something that made the man release her once more.
He grumbled under his breath as he removed the leather strip from her neck before pushing her toward the edge of the stage. She glanced back at the other women. Monica raised her hand. Starling returned the gesture, knowing she would probably never see the woman again.
The aide grabbed her arm in a tight grip and yanked her off the stage. She almost nosedived into the ground except his grip on her arm kept her upright. She glared up at him but he paid her no attention.
He dragged her to the cloaked person—a woman. A very affluent woman if the jewelry adorning her was any indication. Her throat and wrists dripped with gems of varying sizes and in a rainbow of colors. Starling even caught a glimpse of something that could be a tiara under the hood of the woman’s cloak.
Starling’s new owner looked her over then nodded. After a few words to the aide, she walked away with her bodyguard.
Rather than follow the cloaked woman, the aide took a different route. He piled Starling into a hovering vehicle waiting on the road. It was a nice conveyance with soft seats and a cool interior Starling appreciated after the pressing heat outside. Even if the cool air made her sweat-drenched body freeze, it beat the alternative.
The vehicle had no driver. She looked around and around but there was nothing resembling a steering wheel. Her companion busied himself doing something with the pad he had so close to his face it almost touched his nose, ignoring her.
A short trip later, the vehicle stopped. The aide resumed half-dragging her in his wake. He didn’t slow his stride, which made her bare feet trip several times on the hard tile floor.
The people they passed stopped and stared at her. Some pulled their companions to a halt and pointed her out.
Starling wanted to ask what was happening. What had they bought her for? Even if the man dragging her could understand, she doubted he would answer.
The mad dash ended at a room that could be an infirmary. It smelled like one. Starling was glad to know disinfectant didn’t change odor the universe over.
The doctors—complete with white lab coats—were the first people she’d seen who appeared happy to see her. They carried on in excited tones and wore big smiles. The aide said a few quick words and then left.
Starling wasn’t sad to see him go and hoped he wouldn’t return.
A woman rushed forward with a visor-looking thing held between her hands. She pantomimed wearing the visor then placed it over Starling’s head. Like most everything else until that point, Starling took it. There was no leather strip around her neck but fighting wouldn’t get her anywhere.
The visor pinched her on the soft spot behind her ears, at the base of her neck and at her hairline. It didn’t hurt much but it did surprise her. She tried to edge away from it but the woman had a friend who’d sneaked up behind Starling while she was distracted. Said friend took hold of Starling’s shoulders the second she started moving and held her still.
The minutes ticked by. Or it felt like the minutes ticked by. It could have been a few seconds.
The visor beeped and the woman removed it. “There we go. That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
“You speak English!” Starling pointed an accusing finger.
The woman laughed. “I don’t know what
inglist
is. I speak what I’ve spoken since I learned to speak. Because of the visor, you speak it now as well.”
“How? Why?”
“I love primitive cultures. They are so cute.” She turned away without answering the question.
Now that someone could understand, Starling wanted answers. “Hold up. Where am I? Who are you people? What do you want with me?”
Everyone continued ignoring Starling. The time for taking that kind of treatment had passed. She started to follow after the woman to make her listen.
“Hold on there, itty-bitty,” the one holding Starling said. She held Starling’s wrist and pulled her in the opposite direction toward a below-ground pool filled with silvery, viscous liquid.
Starling tried to get free but the difference in height translated into a marked difference in strength as well. “Answer me! Who are you people?”
One of the other white-coated women said, “Isn’t her speech lovely? It’s actually intelligible. I saw a human once who tried to speak and I couldn’t understand a word it said.”
The man standing nearby nodded. “I know what you mean. It’s almost hard to believe this one and the one I saw just last week are the same species.”
“And look at how well-endowed she is. I almost thought she was a child until I saw these.” The woman holding Starling’s wrist hefted one of Starling’s breasts to emphasize her statement.
Starling smacked her hand away. “Don’t touch me!”
“So cute.” The woman patted her head.
Starling snapped, “Have you stopped understanding me or something? Answer me! Who are you?”
A man across the room behind a console said, “Make sure you tighten the straps completely, Kiva. She’s so small, she might wiggle free.”
“I will.” Kiva tried to lift Starling, under her arms no less, but Starling pulled away. “Now, now, don’t be difficult.”
Starling yelled, “Don’t touch me!”
Kiva sighed and rolled her eyes. “Morn, help me with her. She’s turned stubborn all of a sudden.”
The man named Morn scooped Starling against his side and dumped her onto the chair. “That was easy. Need help strapping her down too?”
“No, but I could do without your sarcasm.” She pushed and held a button beside the chair. Leather straps slid over Starling’s wrists and ankles then tightened.
“Ow!” The straps bit into Starling’s wrists. She glared at Kiva.
The woman who had given Starling the language visor said, “That’s tight enough, Kiva.”
“You’re sure, doctor?”
“We don’t want to break her. That would make Dowager Queen Tinette angry.”
Kiva nodded and moved away.
Starling decided to try her earlier questions again but the chair sinking into the pool of silvery liquid stopped her. It was a good thing Kiva had tightened the straps as much as she had because Starling strained against them the second the slimy liquid touched her toes.
Her struggles became more fervent when the liquid reached her neck. The chair didn’t stop sinking. Starling moved her head back to keep her mouth and nose out of the liquid. They were covered soon too.
The chair stopped moving when it hit bottom. Starling coached herself to remain calm. It was probably an experiment. They would let her up soon. Besides, she had good breath control.
Nothing happened.
She wanted to stay calm but the lack of movement or sound started to get to her. Her heart rate sped up. She couldn’t keep her fingers from twitching.
Wouldn’t it be better if she drowned?
An alien race had kidnapped her for God only knew what. Rather than wait around for the anal probes and other experiments, she should end it.
The mini debate came to an end when the chair sent an electrical shock through her body. Starling screamed in pain, inhaling the liquid without meaning to.
And then she exhaled.
And inhaled.
Then exhaled.
And…
She was breathing. The liquid hadn’t drowned her. Her confusion mounted when the chair started rising back to its start position.
Kiva released Starling then helped her stand. “See? All that fuss for nothing. You’re fine, aren’t you?” She patted Starling’s head.
And that’s when Starling snapped. She grabbed the closest thing, a metal rod sitting on a table nearby, and swung it at Kiva.
The woman jumped back with a startled yelp.
Morn returned. “Kiva, can’t you do anything right? It’s a stupid little human.” He reached for the rod.
Starling yanked it back then slammed it down on his wrist. The man cried out. He cradled his bleeding hand and glared at her. “You little—”
She missed the rest of his statement because she started screaming. Large chunks of her hair detached from her head. She touched it and the hair came away in her hand. Hair rained from every part of her body, including her eyelashes.
She yelled, “What did you do to me? What’s happening?” The hair stopped falling when she was completely bare. “My hair!”
“What’s going on here?” boomed a newcomer. The man filled the doorway and looked none too pleased to be there.
All the doctors—or whatever they were—stopped fussing with her and looked his way. The head doctor—Starling assumed the woman was the head doctor since she seemed to be in charge—rushed forward. “Sir Nausic, how good to see you. What brings you to my humble locale?”
Nausic said, “I have come to secure the human for King Bekion. Where is it?”
“There.” She pointed at Starling. “But Lord Schel said the human was bound to Prince Kuruk, not King Bekion.”
“Schel was mistaken.”
Morn said, “We’re having a bit of trouble with it at the moment, Sir Nausic. If you give us time to secure it, then you can take it.”
“Just try it,” Starling said, brandishing the rod at him. “I’ll knock your block off.”
They took her up on her offer. Morn tried to grab her again while another woman inched toward her from behind. Starling dodged out of the woman’s reach before swinging baseball-style at Morn’s shin. The metal rod rang and vibrated in her hands with the force she put behind it.
Morn fell to the ground, clutching his shin and cursing her.
Nausic said, “Enough! Clear the room, all of you. I’ll deal with it.”
The doctors rushed out and closed the door behind them.
Starling faced Nausic. He was the tallest she’d seen yet but that didn’t matter. All the stuff she needed to hit happened to be on her level. She’d make him incapable of having children if she had to. If the equipment was where it should be. His pants had a bulge in the right spot. She’d assume it was the same and adapt if it wasn’t.
“Put it down!” He pointed to the floor with a stern look on his face.
“Come and take it, asshole!” She made swinging motions.
Nausic advanced. Unfortunately he did take the rod from her and with no damage to himself. He’d moved too fast for her to retaliate.
Starling ran away from him. She screamed when he chased her.
“Hold still.”
“Leave me alone!”
She tossed whatever she could move into his path—rolling stools, medical-looking utensils and even a tablet or two. He dodged it all and his angry look darkened.
A hiding place presented itself. A cot bolted to the floor very close to the wall provided a small, defendable alcove. Starling ran for it. She grabbed another rod as she passed a table then slid into the space. It was barely big enough for her, so her giant pursuer didn’t have a chance.
He looked at her before rolling his eyes.
Starling stuck her tongue out at him.
His lips twitched and he sighed. “Think you’re safe, do you?” He made a motion over the cot. It beeped then arced away from the wall.
Starling squeaked and fell onto her side as the floor shifted beneath her. The cot was bolted down but the floor swiveled. She stood quickly and prepared to do battle if need be.
Nausic snatched the rod away from her.
“Leave me alone! Go away!”
“I’m not—”
“Go away,” she screamed. Tears erupted from her eyes as the last of her endurance left her.
“Fine.” Nausic walked across the room and sat on another cot.
Starling watched him for a few minutes. He didn’t move. She sank to her knees, huddling as far into the corner as she could get. Brushing her hand over her bare scalp, she cried harder.
* * * * *
Bekion had finally gotten time to come home and relax. He was king—ruler of planet Panagiota. When the affairs of his own kingdom didn’t bog him down, he had to fly off to planet Gorov and dance attendance on Supreme Emperor Udo. Bekion enjoyed his role as one of the supreme emperor’s most trusted and loyal kings but it was a taxing job that left room for little else.
His secretary had managed to find a small amount of free time Bekion now wasted dealing with family issues.
“I have told you time again, Mother, stop buying Kuruk presents—
living
presents especially.” Bekion’s anger grew at the sight of his mother ignoring him. “Mother!”
“Don’t raise your voice to me, Bekion,” Tinette said in a bored manner. “I can hear you perfectly well without you yelling. I’m simply ignoring you.”
“Stop.”
She rolled her eyes up from her book with an annoyed sigh, giving Bekion her attention.