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The thought of the UGC taking her memories of me away gnaws at my insides. How can I let her go through that? But then again, I have no right to stop her from going home and having her memories removed is the only way that can happen. The UGC would never let her return to Earth with knowledge of aliens.
The Non-Interference Directive is the most serious law we have. The less advanced civilizations need an opportunity to develop on their own, without external intervention. I used to understand it and even accepted it. Now, I don’t give a shit about laws or other civilizations. The entire galaxy could burn to ashes for all I care. If only I could keep Astra with me.
Grih’Get drinks for a long time, then gobbles down the entire ration bar. After drinking yet again, it finally chirps and holds up a plastic square in front of us.
My heart skips a beat. It’s a keycard. Judging by the markings, it not only opens the cell doors but also other doors across the ship. It’s a fucking treasure, and this overgrown insect just handed it to me in exchange for a ration bar and a bottle of water.
Well, perhaps not just for food and water, I amend as I watch Grih’Get squeeze through the bars to the other cell. The insect nuzzles with the others as they welcome him back. His family. He brought the keycard to me so that I could rescue them. All of them.
I stare at the card in my hand, suddenly wishing I’d never sent Grih’Get into the vents. This changes things. Changes them now. I don’t have any more time to be with my Astra. I have to get off my ass and do what I came here to do.
“What is it?” she whispers, giving me a worried look. “Is this card useless? Is that why you’re frowning?”
I’m frowning because our time together is up and I don’t want it to be. But I promised not to lie to my Astra. “It’s a universal keycard,” I tell her, watching her expression change to one of cautious happiness. “We could walk out of this cell right now.”
“That’s great!” she exclaims. Then she thinks about it a little more, her face falling as she realizes what it means. “Oh. I… We should, shouldn’t we? Get out? I mean, we can still…” she hesitates and I know she’s thinking about the same thing I am.
I suck in a deep breath, willing myself to focus. I can’t fuck this up. My eyes find the mark I’ve accidentally left on her neck. She’s mine, and I need to protect her. “We need to think this through properly,” I say, trying to mimic the professional tone our captain always uses in pre-op briefings. “Come up with a solid plan. If we just run off, we’ll end up caught and back in a cell. Or worse.”
Astra grimaces, her hand touching the collar around her neck. “Right. We need to get rid of these. Can’t you just take it off?”
“It wouldn’t be a very good slave collar if you could just take it off,” I reply, apologetically. “It’s made so that it knocks out anyone tampering with it and alerts the guards. We need the remote to disable it permanently.”
She nods thoughtfully. “I can get the remote. I just need to go into that creepy medical examination room again. I can snatch the remote from that scientist guy. He’s not very careful with it.”
I want to protest, forbid her from putting herself at risk. This is my mission and I should be the one taking all the risks. However, I can’t figure out a way to break us free without the remote.
The collar remotes work all over the ship. We could run and hide and all the Genixarians would have to do to knock us out is push a button from the safety of their security room. We need that stupid remote and Astra is the only one in any position to get it. That doesn’t mean I agree with putting her in danger, though.
“Alright,” I say, “let’s talk this through, one step at a time.”
Chapter 17
Astra
I’m nervous. I’m so fucking nervous I keep pacing our tiny cell. If I knew how to, I’d crawl up the wall like Cricket did. I love that clever alien mantis for bringing us the keycard but at the same time, I hate him, too.
It changed everything. The moment Tareq held it in his hand, he switched into “super spy” mode, all focused and professional. The teasing tiger from before is gone, and now I’m stuck with Mr. Uptight.
As he goes over the plan for the umpteenth time, I want to smack him upside the head. I want to kiss him too, but he doesn’t seem to be interested anymore. I guess I was just a fling, a way to pass the time before he could act. It makes me want to grab the waste bucket and pour it on his stupid head.
I don’t do it, of course. If he’s going to be all focused and professional, I’ll be even more focused and more professional. I won’t let him know how much he’s hurting me. Fuck him. I won’t miss him. I’ll miss his cock, sure, but not him. Too bad such a great cock is attached to such an arrogant jerk.
When the lights come on in the cellblock, we exchange determined nods. It’s time.
I’m scared, but that’s a good thing. I’m supposed to look scared. Of course, it would be better if I was just pretending to be scared, but beggars can’t be choosers.
This time, there are four guards instead of two. That can’t be good.
Tareq frowns, but goes ahead with the plan. As the guards move along the cells, distributing food and water, he speaks to them. “Excuse me?”
I grimace at how odd his voice sounds. Subservient, a little scared, wanting to please our captors. Tareq is an excellent actor and while it will help us to escape, it makes me mad. He played me just like he’s playing these Genixarians.
“I’ve bred the woman like you asked,” Tareq says and I wince. He did that, alright, he doesn’t even have to lie about it. “But I’m not sure she released her eggs in time. Perhaps you should scan her to make sure?”
I lower my head so that the Genixarian guards don’t see my eye-roll. How come these super advanced aliens believe such nonsense about releasing eggs? Especially after they’ve already scanned me both inside and out? Tareq told me they only reproduce through cloning and artificial wombs, but he didn’t mention them being brainless.
“We were going to take her anyway,” one guard replies. “You’ve had enough time, Syndoran. Another male will get the chance to breed this female. Back away,” he warns, pulling out the collar remote.
