Again, my brow furrows as my lips curl. “Let’s start with that one. Why do you keep calling me cow? There is nothing cow like about me.”

He chuckles and leaves the other, coming closer to me. “You are a bit on the skinnier side, but still as lovely as any human we’ve ever had on board. My systems show you have a higher rate of metabolism than others. We will have to keep an eye on that during the transition.”

Any pleasure I might have found at his backhanded praise soon vanishes as I mull over the use of the word human. More and more, things add up to alien, and I’m not sure whether to be terrified, fascinated, or some odd melding of both.

“Why do you call me human?”

This time, it’s his turn to frown. Pausing, he looks over at the other, his face mirroring the confusion. “Is that not what you are? We gathered you from Earth. You have no other markings,gills, or appendages that would mark you as from one of the various planets.”

“So youarealiens then,” I manage to whisper.

They remain silent, but nod, affirming what my brain and heart refuse to believe. The only thing keeping me calm right now is whatever they injected me with. Otherwise, I might just dissolve into a puddle of hysterics right there.

“We are from Icora. Light years past the planet you know as Pluto.”

My lips turn down into a scowl. “Shows how much you know. According to our scientists, Pluto is no longer a planet.”

He chuckles and shakes his head. “I never claimed they were intelligent.”

Unease and fear give way as curiosity takes hold. Once more, I look around the space, but this time with a more intellectual mind. If I just allow myself to believe they’re aliens, everything else makes sense.

Somehow, it calms me. Part of me always hoped we were never alone, but I never dreamed I’d see a celestial being face-to-face. My fingers flex as I reach out, remembering far too late that I’m restrained… and naked.

“Are you going to probe me?”

My question seems to catch the alien off guard, because the laugh that erupts from his lips bounces off the walls. “Is that your burning question, little cow? I thought you had something far more intellectual on your mind.”

“What good is intellect if all thoughts flee while you stick a metal rod up myarse?”

“Fair point.” Again, he chuckles as he turns to the other alien and gathers some things. “I will be probing you, yes. But it will be like nothing you’ve ever seen on those so-called documentary trash shows you humans like to watch.”

“Hey now,” I bark out, straining against my bonds. “How do you know it’s trash? Do you watch them too?” For some reason, I have the irrational need to defend my species from these accusations.

He crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow. “We intercept your transmissions on occasion. It’s good to keep up with what Earth is consuming. It allows us to know your expectations.”

“Well, I never expected blue,” I grumble, turning my head to the side.

So many emotions swell through me, all tempered by the drugs keeping me lulled. This time, when he walks back over with the little wand, I’m excited to have him take away the effects. I want to actually feel everything coursing through me.

How sad would it be to go back to Earth and have experienced all this through a foggy lens? My fingers twitch as I rock back and forth, quivering in elation. The smile he gives me is indulgent, but I don’t care.

“If I reverse the drug, will you be able to keep your heart rate down? I refuse to allow you to die on board this ship.”

“Now that I know what you are, I should be able to handle it better.”

He nods and pricks my neck. This time, when the emotions flood back in, the terror stays behind. I look over at the screen, watching my heart rate. Both of us study the numbers as they swell up for a moment before coming back down and evening out.

Something akin to relief passes over his face as he puts the tool down and walks back over to a metal tray. “This part of the procedure will be uncomfortable, but don’t worry. Kanaes and I will ensure the transition is a pleasurable one.”

“Transition?” The sound of that word is ominous to my ears. “You’re just going to fuck my ass then send me home, right? Maybe rearrange my guts with your alien cocks then put me backto bed?” Horror shifts through me, making me rigid. “Oh. Oh God. You’re not going to implant some egg into me that will have to eat its way out or burst from me, right?”

At the slight hysteria in my voice, the alien turns back to me, his lips thinned into a line of displeasure. “As I’ve said. Trash shows and films. Besides, the only aliens capable of such atrocities are located on the prison planets far away from Earth.”

“Y- you’re joking. Right? Tell me you’re just kidding.”

It’s bad enough I have to come face to face with the fact that an alien being is about to fuck me. Being burdened with the knowledge that such horrific aliens exist is almost too much.

“I never joke about matters such as these. As for fucking your ass and rearranging your guts, I can certainly relay your anal fetish to your Rancher, but your inner organs will stay just as they are. We are not so reprehensible as all that.”