Alien Games (13 page)

* * * * *

Late that evening a very subdued Bruce and Jenna lay in each
other’s arms in the dark.

Both were lost in their own thoughts and very little had
been said between them all evening. Suddenly Jenna’s mouth sought Bruce’s, and
their lips locked in a long, lingering kiss.

“Bruce, do you think we’ll ever get out of here?”

“It doesn’t seem likely.”

“Does it make you sad that we’ll never get to enjoy a normal
life together?”

“It does. But at least we’re together here, and that’s worth
a lot to me.”

“I didn’t mind that you had to go with Ranisha today.”

“I’d like it to have been you.”

“Me too. Still, you can always close your eyes and pretend
it’s me.”

“So I can.”

Chapter Eleven: Alien Calm

Bruce woke to find the space next to him empty. Jenna wasn’t
in the room or in the bathroom. Pulling on his shorts, he walked through into
the communal area, but no one was there either.

He started to worry. Perhaps everyone had gone off in a
trance except him. Close to panic he went to the recreation portal, hitting the
top button that led to the gym. Mort was in there, lifting something the size
of a small car above his head. Bruce was slightly comforted—at least that meant
he wasn’t entirely alone.

He hit the second button, but the pools were empty.

Third button, there she was! As Bruce watched, Jenna tumbled
slowly through zero gravity, executing a graceful aerial turn so that when she
reached the far wall she would be positioned to push off in the other
direction. Halfway through the turn she noticed he was standing at the open
door, so she launched herself to drift towards him. The smile she gave him was
wan and listless, and she seemed to droop physically as she landed at the door
and stepped back through into full gravity.

“I notice the weight in my breasts most when I step through.
Isn’t that strange? I don’t feel them at all in weightlessness, but as soon as
I step back into gravity they drop down quite heavily.”

What might have been an interesting, even amusing, comment,
was spoiled by the apathy with which Jenna made it.

Bruce was extremely concerned.

“Are you all right,” he asked gently. “How long have you
been out of bed? Couldn’t you sleep?”

“Oh yes, I slept all right, no problem with that thanks to
the little technological marvel the Reven have wired into my skull. But it’s
not what you’d call proper sleep is it? They just switch us off for a few hours
and leave us to lie like corpses.”

“But at least we’re together.”

“Oh yes? That’s some sort of advantage is it? Are you aware
of me while you’re sleeping? Have you been able to dream about me? Have you
ever woken in the middle of the night and wanted to kiss me? Have we been able
to make love? Nope! They turn us on, they turn us off, they turn us on, and
they turn us off. They’ve turned us into robots.”

She slumped heavily into a chair and big fat tears trickled
slowly down her face.

Bruce was frightened. This was no Jenna Walsh he’d ever
known. He couldn’t believe how badly this was affecting her.

“Jenna, is there something I can do?”

“Just hold me. They may control everything else we do, but
so far they haven’t stopped us doing that.”

He took her in his arms, feeling helpless as her sobs built
and she cried as if her world were falling apart.

* * * * *

Bruce wasn’t the only one concerned. The Reven were as close
to panic as emotionless sociopaths with ice water instead of blood in their
veins, could be.

“What is wrong with her 276?”

“I do not know Alpha19. The nature and strength of her
emotions seem to be more than the controller chip is capable of dealing with.”

“Well you should know. It is what you are here for. If this
is reported to the Council it will be your brain scheduled for vaporization,
not mine!”

“Do not be hasty, Alpha19. I am sure there is an explanation
for this. It may be that we need to re-program her chip slightly. She seems
unusually depressed, despite the tremendous amount of sexual stimulation she
has been enjoying. Perhaps we should rest her today.”

“No! I have a better idea. Change the schedule. Put her with
the Vedi Premlord for this round, he has many powers and may be able to do
something to alleviate her distress. This Terran female is vital to us. She has
produced results far in excess of expectations. My most recent communication
from the Council suggests that we may be close to reaching our goal. We cannot
fail 276. Set up the experiment.”

“As you command.”

* * * * *

Abruptly Jenna stopped sobbing and began to pull away. Bruce
assumed she must have been feeling better, until he saw the blankness in her
eyes. He shivered as once again she rose to her feet like a zombie and headed
for the door. There was no other movement for a moment, but then Ghanjihi
appeared at the door of the room he shared with Ranisha. His eyes followed
Jenna as she departed, then he looked directly at Bruce.

“Do not worry, Terran. I will take care of her.”

Then he followed Jenna through the door, leaving Bruce
looking after him with an open mouth.

Seconds later Ranisha appeared. Quietly she laid her hand on
Bruce’s arm to comfort him.

“He spoke to me. Why wasn’t he in a trance?”

“There is a limit to the extent to which a Reven can control
the Premlord. Their most sophisticated chip can force him to do their bidding
within reason, but there is no way they could deprive him of consciousness. He
would die first.”

“What exactly is a Premlord?”

“The
Premlord, is the ruler, most mighty, of the
Vedian Confederacy. He governs all peaceable Vedi and is the prime leader in
the resistance to the Reven.”

“What, you mean he’s like the President?”

“From what I know of your culture, that would be a
satisfactory analogy.”

“What’s he doing here then? How can someone so powerful be a
prisoner of the Vedi?”

“That is another long story. Basically, a faction of
traitors in the confederacy betrayed him to the Reven in the foolish belief
that it will lead to some sort of union. If the Mother permits we will return
to hunt the traitors down. I have no doubt that the one behind this is Seclord
Tirsa-Singh, I pray nightly to see him impaled on the end of a spike. His death
will not be a quick one.” As she said this Ranisha’s eyes pulsed with a lethal
black glow, and for a second she looked truly terrifying. Then her expression
resumed its usual serenity.

“Even after all this time some Vedi refuse to acknowledge
the Reven’s lethal duplicity. Capturing the Premlord is the Reven’s greatest
triumph over us in many millennia. It is the reason that one of the Reven on
this ship is of the Alpha strand. It is truly a disaster and may spell the end
of all other humanoid races if the Reven experiments finally succeed. But that
is not something we can control at this moment. Shall we eat together?”

* * * * *

Jenna came out of her trance to find herself naked yet again
and sitting on soft cushions facing Ghanjihi.

“Oh, it’s you this time,” she said dully.

“And I am pleased to see you also, Jenna Walsh.”

“I am sorry Ghanjihi, I mean no offence, it’s just that I’m
getting very tired of the Reven’s sick games.”

“No offence is taken. And let us put their games out of our
minds for a time and enjoy each other’s company?”

“What did you have in mind?”

“Well, we are here together, in a beautiful room, with good
food to eat. Let us make the most of it.”

“But aren’t we expected to have sex. Isn’t that what we’re
here for, to be their little lab rats?”

“Perhaps. We shall see. But that isn’t of immediate concern.
Let us eat together first.”

“I
am
hungry, they normally don’t take me until after
breakfast.”

“Then try some of these things. It is the usual Reven
synthetic nourishment, but at least this time it is processed to have the same
look and texture as foods we are familiar with, so it will be more palatable to
your other senses.”

“He offered Jenna a bowl of fruit and some savory cakes.
After a moment’s hesitation she began to eat.

“Tell me about yourself, Jenna Walsh.”

“There isn’t that much to tell.”

“I do not believe that. The Reven wouldn’t have taken you if
you were not an exceptional member of your species. By Vedian standards you are
very beautiful, and I sense great reserves of energy, emotion and life force
within you. Added to that, it is clear that you are providing the Reven with
valuable data. What makes you so important, Jenna Walsh?”

“Well, back on Earth I was the Women’s World Triathlon
Champion, which takes a bit of doing.”

“What is this triathlon?”

“The triathlon is an athletic competition. It involves
swimming, cycling and running over long distances.”

“And how did you become the best at this?”

“By training mainly. But also by denying myself many
things.”

“Denying what sort of things.”

“Oh, friends, family, lovers.”

“You have no family?”

“Yes, I do. But we are estranged,” she stopped eating, her
eyes glazing as she considered a painful memory. “Mine was not a happy family.
My mother died early and my father drove me to succeed. We eventually parted
acrimoniously. I have one younger sister, but I have not been allowed to see
her for many years.”

“But why have you had no lovers?”

“I decided that sort of relationship was a distraction.”

“But surely you had many suitors.”

“Oh yes, many, but I made it clear that I wasn’t
interested.”

“Did you not desire a lover? You are a very sensual woman. I
have rarely met an individual with such depths of sexual potential as I see in
you.”

“How can you see such things in me?”

“I am the Premlord of the Vedi. I would not be had I not
been able to see such things. The Vedi place a huge value on the adepts among
us, those who have the innate ability to master the sexual powers. In my
society you would have been singled out at an early age for greatness. You
and
Bruce.”

“You see the same depths in Bruce?”

“Oh yes, the two of you together are a remarkable couple. I
have no doubt that is the reason the Reven selected you. Do you not feel a
compatibility with him?”

“If you mean, do I desire him and do I want to be his lover more
than anything in whatever short life I have left, then the answer is yes. I’m
not someone who can have sex for the sake of it. These Reven games may not
leave much in the way of scars on someone like Mmerr, but to me they are
torment. I don’t just want to couple, or come, or watch. I want to be with
someone I can give myself to completely.”

“Hold that desire, it is your greatest strength. The one
thing Reven do not understand is how two or more beings can forge a deep
attachment to one another. They are emotionally barren, completely
self-interested, and respect only strength.”

“In a way I’m a victim of my own foolishness. When I could
have had Bruce I rebuffed him unkindly. Now, when I want him, I am prevented
from having him.” She looked down bleakly at the half-eaten food before her,
and again tears welled in her eyes. “I just know that I’m going to die without
ever having the chance to be the lover of the one man who has ever truly loved
me for who I am. I’m so stupid!”

“Be calm, Jenna. The future is a blank slate. Nothing comes
to pass until it has been written. The key to survival and victory is regaining
your sense of yourself. You need to restore your inner strength, and prepare to
meet whatever the future offers with a clear vision and purpose.”

“That’s easier said than done, I feel like I’m falling down
a deep, dark hole at the moment.”

“In this I can help you. I can teach you to locate your
essential self and to regain your strength. Come and sit here.”

Taking her by the hand, Ghanjihi led Jenna to an area where
soft cushions made seating comfortable. He sat in the lotus position and
motioned her to sit facing him.

“Look at me Jenna.”

She raised her eyes to his. His face wore its habitually
grave expression, yet in the deep blackness of his eyes she glimpsed something
else. A good humor, an immense love of life, and a profound wisdom. Privately
Jenna had considered Ghanjihi a bit of a joke with his peremptory ways—a
stuffed shirt, or a fuddy-duddy, ordering the rest of them around. Now she
realized that she had made a huge misjudgment. Ghanjihi was more than she had
ever imagined. There was a sense of immense age about him, and of tremendous
reserves of latent power. Jenna had no doubt that if crossed he could be
terrible. That when he had to, he was a being who could act with all the
ferocity and impersonal cruelty of a great natural disaster. Yet she also
sensed that his motivation would be towards what worked for the greater good.

“Close your eyes now Jenna. I am going to touch you and we
will embrace. By your definition, what we are about to do will be sexual, but
remember that among we Vedi our greatest powers come from the realm of the
sexual. As I told you some time ago, sex is the universe’s gift to its
creation. What we do now will not be any type of intimate contact that you have
experienced before. It will take you out of your body and it will heal your
soul.”

With her eyes closed Jenna’s other senses became attuned
more strongly. She was intensely aware of an aura of power emanating from this
striking blue man. As it radiated from him, she felt herself bathed in its
warmth. It excluded all things external from her senses and forced her to focus
on her inner self. She felt as if she were sitting in a cone of profound
silence and stillness. All she could hear was her own pulse. Then she became
aware of another pulse. It was Ghanjihi’s she realized, a strong, even
heartbeat.

Then his voice echoed in her mind.

Synchronize your heart with mine Jenna, allow it to slow,
match it to my rhythm
.

She didn’t think she could, but she listened to her heart
and concentrated on trying to match it to his. Gradually the two pulses
synchronized until they beat as one. It was a heavy even beat that echoed
within the cone of stillness that engulfed them.

Excellent. That was very quick for a novice. Now
synchronize your breathing with mine also, until that too is automatic.

Jenna concentrated on Ghanjihi’s breathing, and quickly hers
too settled into his rhythm of slow, even breaths. Only at first did she have
to concentrate. As she relaxed and attuned herself more completely to his
pattern, her unconscious mind took over and maintained the unity.