Desert World Savages: The Complete Series (7 page)

One by one, he scanned their beautiful faces and committed them to memory. Twenty three faces of women who may never see their families again, twenty three faces who were ripped from their homes, their towns, and their societies.

When he had seen their records, the women were just words and numbers on a piece of paper. When he saw their faces in front of his eyes, the visual representation was almost too much to take. They had the facial features and the blue skin of the miners who sought to buy them, the species that shared Rev's home planet.

The Staukub. Rev considered himself an enlightened man, but thinking about the miners caused bile to rise in his throat.

He turned and thought about leaving this place and getting some sleep after this eventful day. But he couldn't pass Tracy's tank without taking one last look.

Rev stared at her, resting his eyes on her white skin, her graceful form, and the dark hair fanning from her face. The pink nubs of her ample breasts poked up and Rev thought he'd never saw a more arousing sight. Dark hair formed an inverted V between her legs and pointed the way to the delights of her body.

He could not tear his eyes away from Tracy, and in the end he could not leave her.

He made a decision then, gazing at this ethereal vision of pale skin and dark hair. He would not her to be corrupted by conversion, and certainly not into a Staukub.

Rev would take Tracy Walsh with him when he left the ship. He'd bring her in as a witness, and that way he could be with her a little while.

He heard a noise behind him and spun around with a guilty look on his face. It was Grenta.

"Just checking on the cargo. We can't afford to lose any more." said Rev.

"Yes," said Grenta. "I agree. So how did this one do?" He pointed to Tracy's tank.

"She's fine," he said. "Toxins are nearly flushed."

Rev was lying. Tracy's body was completely clean, but he didn't want Grenta to touch her.

"Nearly? She should be done."

"Not everyone responds the same way. The other one is ready," said Rev.

"Flush her tank and get her on the table. We'll start with her then."

"Yes, doctor," said Rev.

With a heavy heart, Rev emptied Carol's tank and pulled her naked body out. He laid her on the table and wiped her body down from the stack of large disposable towels on a cart nearby. Carol was beautiful, but in a different way from Tracy. Carol had full breasts and nicely shaped hips but he just didn't feel the same way about Carol that he did for Tracy.

He supposed such things were relative to each sentient.

"Fastened her down," said Grenta dispassionately.

Rev moved around the table, hating everything that he did, but securing her arms and feet so she could not move.

Carol stirred, and gasped, taking in a huge breath of air. Her eyes open wide and she looked around confused.

"Where am I?" And then her eyes lighted on Rev. "You! What are you doing to me! Where is Tracy?"

"Tracy is fine," said Rev trying to reassure her.

"Why am I naked. What you going to do to me?" Carol looked around for something to cover herself up. Finding nothing, she positioned her hands as strategically as possible.

Grenta walked to her table. "Everything is going to be fine," he said.

"When people say that, it's a sure sign that everything is NOT going to be fine. Why is your mouth moving funny? It doesn't match your words."

"The translator is putting my words into your language. The disorientation is only temporary."

"Your language? If you don't let me off this table, I'm going to scream."

"If you do that I'm going to have to gag you. I can't give you sedatives until the conversion process has taken hold."

"Conversion!"

"Cax, get the gag."

"No! I'll be quiet."

"Good girl. Get the first injection from storage." He pointed vaguely to a box at the left wall. Rev searched in the box until he found a syringe that looked correct, retrieved it and handed it to Grenta.

"These are implanted memories. Cax, what's wrong with you today? Get the other injector, the blue one."

"Implanted memories!" squeaked Carol.

"Yes, doctor." Rev found the blue injector and handed it to Grenta.

"You really won't feel a thing, at first."

Grenta held the auto-injector to Carol's stomach, and she grunted.

"That pinched," she complained.

"You did well," said Grenta soothingly. "Now for this one."

He picked up the auto-injector and held it to the back of her ear.

"Ouch!" she said.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" said Grenta.

Rev, who'd seen training films on this process, knew the real horror hadn't yet happened, and he didn't want to watch it. He felt bad enough that he had not stopped this madness, but he was one man among many here. If he interceded for Carol, he wouldn't be allowed to help Tracy.

Rev vowed that when he finished his testimony he'd come back for Carol and the other women. The Aligned World doctors had made many advances in reversing the conversion process. He hoped Carol would be one of the lucky ones on which it worked.

He'd come back to get her.

Carol screamed and twisted in her restraints. It would be the first of many cries of pain as the conversion took hold.

Finally Carol passed out, and Grenta instructed Rev to put her back in the tank. Already Carol's skin had turned a pasty blue. As Rev moved her, her hair fell out in chunks, and nubs that would develop into quills stuck up from her hairline.

"Remember," said Grenta, "Her Staukub name is Grubba. Call her that from now on. It will help reinforce her implanted memories."

"Awful name," said Rev.

"The Staukub aren't known for their witty names. I'm getting some lunch. Get the other one ready while I'm gone."

"Yes, doctor," said Rev, gritting his teeth.

In his mind he had formed a plan. He emptied two syringes and filled them with the healing gel from Tracy's tank. He was wiping them clean when he heard a voice.

"What's going on here?"

Rev recognized the voice, and turned to face Bris. He casually set the injectors down on a metal tray.

"Getting ready for the next procedure," Rev said. "What are you doing here?"

"Just though I'd check on those Terran women. The one I was with was a hot piece."

"She's in the tank."

Bris went over and peered over. "Staukub. Not my favorite. Those quills are sharp! She's still pretty though."

"Don't get any ideas. She's had a rough morning."

Bris grunted. "Is that a note of concern in your voice? You didn't care before."

"I just care about profits. We lost one already and we don't need anymore mistakes. It's all about profits, remember? Now get out of here."

Rev was taking a chance by yelling at Bris, who technically was Cax's boss. His intuition told him that in the scheme of this operation, Bris was just an errand boy.

Bris grunted and left. Rev didn't have much time before Grenta returned and he had to prepare Tracy for what was going to happen.

Once again, he drained the tank, and pulled a body out. He laid her down gently on the table while trying to stop staring at her. He tenderly rubbed the gel off her body and her hair. She came to slowly, but when she opened her eyes, she smiled.

"You're here."

"I said I would be."

"Where's Carol?"

"In the tank. Listen, we don't have much time. We're about to put some icky stuff into your body. I've emptied the needles, but you need to act like I'm really putting these solutions into you. About five minutes after we give you the shots, start howling like you are in pain. When I give you a signal, pretend to lose consciousness. Can you do that?"

"Yes."

"I hope so. If you can't act, we're both going to be in big trouble."

Tracy looked at the worried face of her alien boyfriend, and pulled him down for a kiss.

Rev didn't remember what happened next.

Suddenly Rev was breaking away from Tracy. He felt drugged and consumed by something that was making him lose control. A feeling of dread washed over him. This couldn't have happened and shouldn't have happened.

All the ancient texts his father made him read as a child were starting to make sense. He'd let his emotions run away from him, and his life was going to change forever.

The room was dark. "Lights," he called. He didn't want to look, but he had to if he wanted to confirm what had happened. He stared at her breasts and the red blood that dripped there.

Rev licked his lips at the memory of that taste.

"Whoa, buddy," said Tracy looking down. "Looks like you got into it."

"I'm sorry," he gasped.

"Oh," said Tracy. "It's just a little blood and I'll probably be sore for a few days so don't try that again anytime soon."

She was very calm. She obviously did not know what the bite meant. Tracy wiped the blood away with her hand.

"And teeth marks," she said with a smile. "Good job."

"Those aren't teeth marks," he said. The distress must have shown in his voice because she looked at him with concern.

"Then...what are they?"

"Fang marks."

"Fang marks? Like in a snake?"

"What is a snake?"

"Long slithery things; some of them have venom."

"Oh," groaned Rev. "No, no."

"What is it? Did you inject me with some freaky alien shit. Am I going to die?"

"No, it's not like that. Oh goddess, what did I do?"

"I don't know," said Tracy with exasperation. "Why don't you tell me?"

"Maybe it's not too late. I'll just put you in the tank--"

Tracy grabbed his face with both hands and stared into his eyes.

"Tell me what is wrong!"

"This happens so rarely among my people. It's an ancient thing, so old ,it's more like a legend. My fangs descended. I bit you and took your blood."

"Is that all?" She smiled and relaxed her shoulders. "You're not an alien vampire, right? I'm not growing any fangs. And you're still hot."

A banging noise came from the door. "Who locked this thing? Everything okay in here?"

Rev moved away from Tracy and motioned for her to lay down. He covered her with a large towel. As Grenta's footsteps moved toward them, he secured her hands and feet to the table.

"Yes, doctor. She said she was cold. I covered her."

"Why was the door locked?"

"Bris was in here earlier, ogling the cargo. I thought he was going to sneak back in."

Grenta snorted. "Yes, I have to watch him myself. Well, then, how is our patient doing?"

Grenta spoke as if he cared about her welfare. It made Rev's blood boil.

"She's fine. She's ready," he said.

"What's going to happen?" said Tracy in a small, high voice.

"Nothing much, dear," said Grenta. "I'm just going to give you some shots."

"Immunizations?" she asked. "Look, I've had all my shots. You can just call my doctor's office."

Rev's heart filled with pride at how his little human played along. She was smart as well as brave.

"They aren't quite immunizations. You ready?"

Rev handed him the modified conversion injector. Grenta moved the towel on Tracy absentmindedly. He was not looking closely. In fact, he turned his head away.

"Gods, what is that smell," said Grenta.

Rev stopped breathing as the scent of sex wafted to his nose. What if Grenta decided to do an examination?

The injector hissed.

"Ouch," said Tracy.

"Just a pinch, dear. Cax, make sure she's cleaned up before you put her in the tank."

"Yes, doctor." Rev relaxed. The doctor showed no inclination to look her over.

"Give me the other one," said Grenta and Rev gave him the second injector.

Tracy yelped as he pushed it to her ear. Rev thought she was over-acting a bit, but she was still brave. Worthy.

Rev smiled at her as Grenta walked to the tank that held what was once Carol, now transforming into Grubba.

"Hmmm," he said. "Progress is slow, but you never know what to expect with this process. Still, the quills are coming in nicely."

Rev moved next to Grenta. He peered into the tank, and noticed that Grubba's quills were actually longer than just a few minutes ago. He saw a longing expression came over Grenta's face.

"Do you like quills?" asked Rev.

"Yes. My Loran was a Staukub."

"What happened to her?"

"She died in prison," he hissed. "A damned tracker caught scent of us in the Osluna sector, on Protra, you know?"

Rev nodded. Protra was a hub for wiver activity.

"Staukub are strong but slow. I got away. She didn't. And I never saw her again."

Grenta grew silent for a second, then stiffened. "That was a long time ago. But I tell you, if another tracker crosses my path, I'll kill him myself."

A painful wail rose up behind them.

"Ow! It hurts, it hurts! What did you do to me, you fuckers!" She screamed again and jerked her limbs against her restraints.

"Good," said Grenta. "Well, this one looks likes she's progressing. I'll check on the other one later. Keep an eye on her."

"Yes, doctor," said Rev. But he wondered why Grenta left the red section so often. Rev was getting an uncomfortable feeling.

"Hey Cax," the doctor said as his parting shot. "No more sex with the cargo. We want them nice and tight for their new husbands. We get a bonus for that, you know."

Tracy let go a long piecing shriek, and Grenta hurried away.

Tracy heard the nasty doctors footsteps fade away and the sound of something sliding then closing. She sat up.

"Glad he's gone," she said.

"Sssh, Tracy," said Cax. "Lay down."

"Oh really," she said arching her eyebrows, "So soon?"

Cax pushed her backward so her head hit the table.

"Ouch!" she said.

"Good. But louder."

"Whatever for?"

He leaned over, his chest pressing against her breast.

"I think we are being watched."

"Oh," she said quietly.

"Scream, hard and long, and then act like you've passed out."

"Got it." she said with a wink.