Alien Romance: RETURNED: An Alien Warrior Romance: (Acarnania Warriors Book 1) (3 page)

I scanned the room, this time noticing the long bench along one side of what could only be described as a large cell. Or a very sterile dorm. There were cots lined up opposite the benches; some women lay on them, the strangest women I’d ever seen. They were of different species, but not all of them were the same. A couple of them had a yellow hue to their skin, others a greenish tinge with what looked like scales. They all looked at me.

One of them spoke. “You are captured too, no?” I nodded, too overwhelmed to speak.

“What planet are you from?” another asked.

“Earth.”

“Earth? But that is an old planet. Barbaric. No one goes to that galaxy anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your people. They destroy their own planet, yet do not evolve. They are—how you say—backward? Soon to be extinct.” The woman who spoke waved her three-fingered hand around in the air.

Blowing out a sigh and running a shaky hand through my hair, I plonked myself down on the bench facing the beds.

“Okay. This is all new to me. I had no idea other planets existed. Planets that sustain life, that is. Let alone other galaxies. I'm at a loss here.”

“Don't worry, honey,” one of the yellow-skinned women spoke, “it doesn't matter where you came from. What matters is that we're all in the same predicament. Kidnapped by those assholes the Bellatania.”

The others nodded in agreement.

“My name is Myka, and this is Talia,” she pointed to the other yellow-skinned woman. Both had dark golden hair cut close to their scalps. “We are Veludens from the planet Algira.”

“I am Telis, this is Romana,” the woman with the three-fingered hands spoke up. “We are Frixions from the planet Nabia.”

“Greetings, earthling,” a voice spoke in my mind. “I am Servalan and my sister here is Taya. We are a telepathic race called Minaria from the planet Sairi.”

“And we are Toshiko and Rayna. We are Tarsiss from the planet Luvendania.”

“Er. Hi, ladies. I'm Sierra. I'm human. From the planet Earth. But you already knew that. So it seems I'm the newbie here.” At their puzzled looks, I explained, “You all know about your different races and planets. I had no idea anything other than Earth existed. Or aliens, for that matter.”

“Ahhh.” Toshiko nodded. “Yes, your planet is far, far away. No one travels to your galaxy anymore. Your race is too far behind with technology. No space travel. No trade with other planets. It is true what Telis says—it is believed your planet will soon be extinct.”

“So why do we all look so ... similar? Besides perhaps a couple of differences, we all have two arms and two legs and walk upright.”

“This is why the Bellatania took us. We are races that are compatible. We have evolved over thousands of years, but our genetic makeup is close enough that inter-species breeding is possible.”

“But that man,” I waved at the door, “that man who brought me here told me if we did breed with the Bellatania, we would be killed.”

“That is also true.” Talia nodded. “His race is called the Acarnania and they have very strong beliefs. Each race must remain pure. If they come across inter-species families, they terminate them to stop the spread.”

“Why did they save us, then? Wouldn't it have been easier to destroy us all?”

“Because an Acarnania female was taken. We were rescued because they arrived to rescue her. She is being kept apart from us. She is no threat to them. We are.”

“This all seems so ... barbaric.”

Telis laughed. “Isn't that what your planet does, Earthling? War and death amongst its own people?”

I didn't like to admit that she had a point. Instead, I moved to an empty cot near the far wall and sat, drawing my knees up and wrapping my arms around them, listening to the other women talking.

I wanted to go home.

Hours passed. I paced the
cell, stopping to examine the door panel more than once. I still couldn't work out how to get it open. There were no obvious ways to crack into it, no screws, no seams to pry apart. And I had no tools. But at least I tried, rather than sitting and accepting my fate, even as the other women giggled at my efforts.

Eventually, I admitted defeat. Laying on my cot, I stared up at the ceiling, my mind wandering to thoughts of home. How much time had passed since I'd been taken? A day or so? Mum would be frantic. So would my brother, Daniel. We were a cop family; both Daniel and I had followed in our father's footsteps and carved a career for ourselves in law enforcement. Two years older than me, Daniel was flying up the ranks. My progress had been slower.

I put off joining for a little while after dad was shot and killed in the line of duty. Not because it put me off joining the force, but because it shattered Mum. Her heart broke the day Dad died. She had barely been able to function for the first six months without him. I'd moved back home for a while, scared I was going to lose her, too. I hadn't believed it possible, but now I knew that you could, indeed, die from a broken heart.

I worried about how she was coping with my disappearance. I could only pray she wasn’t stressing herself into an early grave. I knew Daniel would look after her, that he'd be turning Redmeadows upside down searching for me. 

I wondered what evidence had been left behind, if any. Had I dropped anything when I was taken? Was there any residue from the lightning bolt? Would they think to test it if there was?

If you'd told me alien abduction was real a week ago, I would have had you cuffed and sitting in a nice padded cell. Would that happen to me when I returned? When I explained where I'd been, what had happened to me—would I be exchanging this prison cell for a different one on Earth? Would I be ridiculed and medicated up to my eyeballs? 

I was jolted out of my maudlin musing when a soldier carrying a tray piled with—were they muesli bars? —walked in. Behind him, another soldier kept his gun trained on us as if we were a flight risk. A muesli bar was tossed at each of us. Mine hit the wall and bounced to the floor. By the time I'd bent to pick it up, the soldiers had gone. 

“What's his problem?” I ripped open the wrapper with my teeth and took a hungry bite, screwing up my face as the rancid taste filled my mouth. I spat the disgusting mouthful into my hand. “Oh my God, that is so gross! What is it?”

“It is a sustainability bar.”

“It tastes like ass and sweaty socks. This is putrid.”

I watched in horror as the other women ate their bars, not appearing to enjoy the taste, but not seeming to mind it either. A wave of nausea rolled through me at the thought of eating it. I left the bar and partially chewed up contents on the bench opposite my bed, stomach rumbling. The lights dimmed, indicating it was time for rest. Wrapping my arms around myself, I curled into a ball, doubting sleep was possible, but despite myself, I dozed.

What seemed like only minutes later, I was woken by a commotion. Blinking, I struggled into a sitting position, eyes adjusting to the light.

A soldier had dragged one of the yellow women, Myka, from her bed and had forced her to her knees, his hand gripping the nape of her neck.

“What's going on?”

“Her eyes. Her eyes,” The other yellow woman, Talia, cried. “She's changed. She's been infected.”

I caught a glimpse of the woman's frightened gaze. Talia was right. Her eyes were now an amazing fluorescent blue, so bright they practically emitted light. And then I realised what this meant—that Myka was going to be killed.

“Wait! You can't do this.” Launching myself from my bed, I flew at the soldier, but he was fast and strong, backhanding me across the face so hard I flew back into the wall, cracking my head.

Two more soldiers entered, weapons drawn. One of them aimed at me, the other at Myka. A weapon discharged with a silent flash and Myka slumped to the floor, blood pouring from the hole in her forehead.

Everyone froze, the cries stopped. Not even a breath was drawn.

“Oh my God! You murderer! You didn't have to do that! You DIDN'T HAVE TO DO THAT!” I could feel tears wetting my cheeks and scrubbed them away. How could they murder such a peaceful, beautiful woman in cold blood?

More noise outside the door had me looking up, up into the eyes of the man who'd dumped me in this cell yesterday. His gaze moved away from me, to the dead woman on the floor, to his soldiers. An eyebrow rose.

“Her eyes had transformed, Chief. She was contaminated, no doubt about it.”

“I see. Dispose of the body. Clean up the mess.” He turned to leave.

“Wait! That's it? Your men MURDERED her. An unarmed, defenceless woman. They shot her in cold blood. And that's all you have to say? ‘Clean up the mess’?”

He sighed. “This was explained to you yesterday. Any cross-contamination between Bellatania DNA and another species—in this case a Veluden—will result in neutralisation. It is why you are being held in this cell. For your own safety and ours.”

“So you decided shooting her in the head in front of us was the right thing to do?” Much to my distress, my voice quivered. The sheer brutality of what I'd just witnessed had impacted me in ways I hadn't anticipated.

The man they called 'Chief' looked at me, considering, then inclined his head.

“I see your point.” It appeared that was all he was willing to concede. He spun on his heel and left, leaving his soldiers to drag out Myka's body. The blood, they left.

The day dragged. Everyone's spirits were low. We were all wondering if anyone else had been infected, how much longer we had until we too were shot in the head. The copper scent of blood hung in the air, making it impossible to forget how the day had started.

More food was delivered, the same disgusting bars as before. I couldn't eat, but now my shock had turned to anger, and I paced the cell, frustration rolling from me in waves. If I could get face to face with ‘Chief', I'd burn it off by punching him in the face. Repeatedly.

As if I'd conjured him, the door slid open and there he was.

He stepped inside, his eyes dropping for a nano-second to the dried blood on the floor before rising to scan the room. He pointed at me.

“You! Come with me. Now.” Without waiting to see if I obeyed, he spun on his heel and exited the room. I toyed with the idea of not following him, but my curiosity got the better of me. Plus, now I had the opportunity to give him a piece of my mind. Or a fist to the face. Whichever.

He waited for me in the corridor, grabbing my arm and pulling me along once I stepped out of the cell.

“Where are we going? What's happening?”

The grey corridors all looked the same, my bare feet skidding on the floor as he swung around the corner into another passageway. We stopped before a door, and with a swipe of his hand, it opened to reveal the medical bay. Echo, the same nurse who had treated me previously, stepped forward.

“What is this? What's going on?” I tugged at my arm and he released me, stepping back to block my exit.

“You've been injured.” He indicated my cheek. My hand flew to my bruised face. To be honest, I'd forgotten about the blow I'd received from the soldier. The bang to the head had given me a bit of a headache, but nothing too bad.

“I'm fine.” I tried to shoo the nurse away. “Hey! How did you know I was injured? Are you spying on us?”

“Your quarters are monitored for your own safety.”

“Bloody perv, hidden cameras watching a room full of trapped women. You're disgusting.”

The nurse was trying to hold something to my face, but I kept pushing her away.

“Please stay still. This will only take a minute and then you are free to go.” She spoke softly, her voice almost timid despite the steel in her eyes.

“Fine.” With a huff and a slight pout, I allowed her to raise a palm-sized device to my cheek. A warm tingling ensued and a second later it was over. I assumed whatever bruise had marred my skin was now gone.

“Let me run one more test. I believe you hit your head? I will make sure there is no damage.”

“Tricking me again. You said you would heal my cheek and then it was all done.”

“Incorrect. You assumed that. I said this will only take a minute. I did not say healing your cheek would only take a minute.”

“Smart arse.” I swore under my breath. I thought I heard the Chief chuckle behind me, but when I glanced his way, his face was devoid of any emotion. The nurse ran her hands over my scalp, smiling in satisfaction when she hit a sore spot. I winced, pulling away, catching my tangled hair in her fingers.

“Ow.”

“I told you you were injured.”

“Doesn't help that you pull my hair.”

“You should cut if off. Long hair is not practical.”

I gasped, pulling my tangle of red curls over one shoulder and clasping them with both hands.

“Cut my hair? Never! You people are so barbaric.”

“You humans are so vain.”

“And your race clearly isn't. It’s inhumane of you to lock us up. We can't shower, we're forced to wear blood-stained clothes, the food you give us is so disgusting I wouldn't feed it to my dog, and you have the nerve to call me vain for not wanting to cut my hair? You are the animals here.”

“You know, she does have a point, Alrik.” The nurse was talking to the Chief now. “She is emitting a strong odour, and her clothes can't be comfortable with all that dried blood. Allowing the women to use a cleansing unit and providing them with fresh clothing could help ensure their cooperation.”

At the nurse’s mention of my smell, I raised my arm and took a sniff. Oh, yeah. I definitely had a stench going on. Great.

“Very well. Echo, I shall leave it to you to arrange. Once she is clean and dressed, bring her to the deck please.”

The shower I'd been looking forward to turned out to be an ultrasonic wave cleaner, meaning no water was involved. I stood in a tube as waves of energy bounced around me, removing the dirt and bacteria from my skin. It was a strange sensation, but I stepped out with glowing skin and shiny, tangle-free hair.

I examined the clothing Echo had left for me. Black boy-leg underwear and a matching tank, black combat pants and a matching jacket, plus boots. Though the fabric looked rough and coarse, it was actually soft and super comfortable. Everything fit perfectly. 

“You're going to do the same for the others, aren't you?”

“Of course. We do not usually transport this many people, so we're not equipped, but I shall have the women brought through one at a time to be cleansed, and we will provide them with a change of clothing. I apologize for not having provided you with this sooner.”

“Well, I, for one, appreciate it, Echo. Can I call you Echo? Is that okay? My name is Sierra.”

Echo smiled and nodded. “Of course. Now, if you will follow me, Sierra, the Chief awaits.”

“You call him the Chief, but I heard you call him Alrik earlier.”

“His name is Alrik. His title is Chief of Rescues, so at times we call him Chief. The names are interchangeable.”

The walk with Echo was slower, so I didn't have to jog to keep up. I took advantage of the change in pace to have a look around. The corridors were dimly lit and grey, the floor a mesh-type material in the centre with flat panels on either side. The temperature was warm and even.

“So when you're not rescuing abducted humans, what is it that you do?”

“We serve the Acarnania Confederation; we go where we are needed at any given time. Our ship, the Vespira, is equipped for battle. We are often requested to assist other planets with security issues.”

“Assist other planets how? Like bodyguards?”

“Sort of. Recently, we were stationed on a mining planet to stop the riots that had broken out between two races staking a claim on the planet’s resources.”

“And you got involved in this rescue operation because one of your own race was abducted?”

“Correct. Our objective was to retrieve Nyota, and if we were able to liberate any other abductees, we were instructed to do so.”

“And if you hadn't been instructed to do so, what would have happened?”

“You would have been lost with the Bellatania ship.”

“You would have killed us all. Just like that!”

“We would be following orders. Surely you understand that. In whatever work you do on your home planet, if you are tasked with a job, it is your duty to complete it, is it not?”

Thinking of my job as a police woman, I could see where Echo was coming from. Sometimes you had to follow orders whether you agreed with them or not.

“Let us not argue, Sierra, for our orders were to help you, which we have done. Before long, you will be returned to your planet.”

We reached the end of yet another corridor. Double doors slid open onto a room that appeared to be made of glass. The domed ceiling was completely see-through, like a massive bubble. The floor was a soft, spongy type of surface. Five work stations were placed around the room, one in the centre and two either side.

The view outside was breathtaking. Nothing but the blackness of space, broken up by the shimmering stars. You could have been standing in the void itself.