Page 2 of Her Alien Matchmaker
“If you weren’t alien, you’d be a beautiful man.”Sighing, I removed my hand.It’s not very professional to touch the subject like this.Usually, I never gave Volderens a second thought; I did my job and moved on to the next phase.“But you…you feel different somehow.Why?”
Something hard gripped my wrist, and I gasped, reflexively pulling away from the alien, but he held on with fingers of iron.His open eyes blazed a fiery orange, and his mouth opened, revealing sharp teeth.“Why do you cause me pain when I have done nothing to you?”His voice came out as a raspy growl.
Alarm pounded a steady beat of blood in my ears.This is why I always insist they stay asleep.Overriding that thought, though, followed the metallic tang of fear on my tongue.He can hurt me.Badly.I need to get the guards’ attention.
From the security window, I observed their backs as their heads bent together, gazing at something on a phone.
Subject Forty-eight’s grip tightened, and he yanked me against the table.“Answer me.The doctors of this world swear an oath to respect life, to not cause harm.Why do you betray this pledge?”
“I…I…”He’s right.Fifteen years ago, I took an oath.A small part of me balked at his accusation, at the pained look in his eyes.“Yeah, I swore it, but that promise applies tohumans, not aliens intent on destroying us.”
“We are sentient and we feel, like you.”His grip remained steadfast, but he closed his eyelids for a moment, then refocused on me.“The things you people do to me, to my people…they are horrific.Do you enjoy hurting us…me?Does it give you sick pleasure?”
I yanked against his hand, but he didn’t budge.I need to keep him talking so I can either figure a way out or get the guards’ attention.“Absolutely not.I always ensure my subjects are completely under.Science demands sacrifice, but you, Subject Forty-eight, haven’t suffered at my hand.”A quick glance at the glass showed the guards laughing, still intent on whatever video played across their screen.
I opened my mouth to scream, but his grip increased, and he jerked my arm forcefully, pulling me closer.“Mynameis Jetarin R'lyndegras, and I am a person like you, not a subject.Have you no compassion or ethics in your heart?I have not hurt you or any human.Your people abductedme, tortured me, then carted me to you, Dr.Frosty, to continue the abuse.”He glanced at his body.“So you can create your abominations and sully my blood with yours.”
I froze.Dr.Frosty?Rumors had swirled about my nickname, but it had never been confirmed.“Th-they call me that?”Is this really the thing I should be focusing on right now?
His vision traveled from my face to my hand in his.“Amongst other things.”
I pressed my lips together.“My name isKristina.”Why do I even care if he knows my real name or not?
Color rose to his cheeks.His eyes seemed clearer, less groggy.“If you truly do not believe in torture, thenhelpme.I have friends and siblings, a home.You have everything you need now.If you do not help me, when you are finished, they will end my life.Prove you are a doctor of healing, not pain.”
There had been many times I’d imagined myself in this exact scenario, playing it in my head, imagining what I would do if a subject woke up.An alien begging for his life, for help with his escape, had never crossed my mind.All these years, XVU had drilled into me Volderens kill first and ask questions later.Command stressed how violent and unpredictable they were, that they abducted women to serve as their slaves, and if given the chance, a Volderen would obliterate the entire planet of humanity.
Yet, this one is nothing like I imagined.He seems calm and rational.And the damn guards out there should be fired for not guarding.
“I am doing my job.Escape isn’t an option for you.”I pulled my arm against his hand, but he yanked me even closer as he sat up, pushing his face an inch from mine.“Or for me.”Aaron’s mischievous smile came to mind.Without me, what would he do?Go into the foster care system?
“In the two minutes I have been awake, I could have smashed your head in, but I did not.You know why?Because I am not like you.”Up close, he smelled woodsy and masculine.“All life is sacred, even the existence of a sentient race eons behind us.”
“That may be, but who’s the prisoner?”I shot back, slow anger simmering in my blood.“Judge me all you want, but Iamdoing good.For my people at least.”
He showed his sharp teeth in a diabolical grin.“Areyou?Or are you telling yourself that so you can sleep at night?”
Bam!
The doors flew open behind me.“Let her go immediately or we’ll blast you into nothing,” yelled one of the guards.
Finally.Jesus Christ.
Subject Forty-eight’s chocolate-colored irises, ringed with orange, dropped to my lips.“Hippocrates would be ashamed to know you.You serve no one but yourself.”
“Get away from her now.We won’t warn you again.”
I raised my free hand.“I’ve got everything I need from him.Feel free to shoot.”
The Volderen narrowed his gaze, but he did release my wrist, lifting his arms upward to show he surrendered.“The nickname suits you,” he whispered.
The guards ran over, and one pulled me away, both their weapons trained on the alien, sitting motionless, his attention locked onto my face.He seemed thoughtful and slightly amused, not at all afraid for his life.
“Restrain him, then take him back to his cell,” I ordered.
They locked on metal cuffs reinforced with electrical shielding, courtesy of the research department’s reverse engineering of Volderen handcuffs.
“You fucking scum.”Seargeant Rychek used the butt of his weapon and struck the Volderen across the bridge of his nose.
