Chapter 2 #2
“Emmarae sent us,” the little red one said. Well, little in comparison to the massive brute who stood a head taller than him. Gemma was positive the little guy was bigger and taller than the average human dude, but it was like Elmo standing next to Hellboy.
“Thank fuck for that.” She bubbled over, and a dry, rasping laugh tore from her throat. “You’re Mahdfel, right?”
“Correct.”
Gemma didn’t really care who they were as long as they got her out of there. “You don’t happen to have any water, do you?”
“Yes. If I toss you a pack, will it cause trouble?” Elmo asked.
“The explosive triggers make a ring around us, so we can’t leave. There’s nothing to worry about inside the circle.”
“That is important information you could have shared.” This came from the purple guy with the horns. She struggled to think of a pithy name for him that wasn’t a purple dinosaur.
She was stressed, okay?
“I did say don’t come closer. That person shouting? Me.” She coughed, and it felt like razor blades in her throat. “Fuck. Sorry. I’m parched.”
The guy with horns held an emergency pack. “This has water and nutrition. If I add a blade to the pack, will you be able to free yourself and the others?”
“Yeah.” She wiggled her arms, and the chair wobbled. “It’s a loose knot. The ’sploding was what really kept us here.”
He laughed, which was a little dark, but Gemma had grown to appreciate dark humor over the last few weeks, what with being kidnapped and sold to aliens.
She liked it. His laugh, not the being kidnapped thing.
He tossed her the bag and promised to get more.
Gemma worked on getting her hands free while the two red guys bickered about disarming the bombs.
They were a real comedy duo, Hellboy and Elmo.
It was soothing in a strange way. If the dynamic red pair had time to spend on their patter, then things couldn’t be so dire. They were going to be okay.
At no point did she wonder why they spoke in English. Or why the “bottled” water came in gelatin cubes. Some things just were beyond understanding.
Once free, she downed a water cube. The water was room temperature, and the greatest thing she ever tasted. Thirst dealt with, she crawled across the filthy floor to the nearest person, Rafaela, pushing the pack forward.
“You are injured,” Elmo said.
“Just my ankle. Doesn’t even hurt anymore.” Oh, that was a lie, but if she cut one person free, then they could do the others. Delegation, baby.
Panting and sweating and surely looking ridiculous, she made the journey of three entire feet. They can judge me any time after they’ve done this on a broken ankle.
Gemma pressed a water cube to Rafaela’s mouth. “Bite the corner and drink.” Most of the water went down her chin. Close enough.
She worked on cutting the bindings. Once Rafaela was free, she gave her the bag of water cubes to distribute. Gemma scooted over to the next person, Ha-na.
“What are they saying?” Ha-na asked. “Are they getting us out of here?”
The first question opened the floodgates. Blake, Sarah, and Hollie all asked questions at once. Those were Mahdfel, right? And would they take them back to Earth? What was taking so long? What were they saying?
“Wait,” Gemma said. “You can hear them, right? They’re defusing the bombs.”
“I don’t have a translator implanted,” Sarah said.
“Neither do I.”
Sarah raised her eyebrows and said nothing, instead biting into another cube.
Well, fuck. That explained the blinding headache when she woke up in the cage. She didn’t want to think about what else they might have done to her while she was unconscious.
Finished drinking, Sarah wiped the back of her hand across her mouth. “I’ll go check on Tia. She doesn’t look good.”
Gemma agreed. Tia had a cough that had gotten progressively worse and a fever. Unable to do anything to help, Sarah and Gemma talked. They asked questions, dragging answers out of the sick woman to keep her present.
Tia stopped responding yesterday.
Medics arrived just as Hellboy and Elmo disarmed the last bomb. Dressed in white, they wore faceless helmets that made them seem more like robots than living, breathing people.
A heavy bag thumped down on the ground next to her. Gemma flinched, involuntarily scooting away from the stranger. “No, no, no. Don’t start with me. Others are in worse shape. I’ll be fine.”
Did her voice wobble? A little. She was tired and her ankle throbbed. She was running on nothing but adrenaline and stubbornness. Her stubborn streak might go on forever, but her body would crash soon.
The guy with the nice laugh joined the medic, crouching down beside her. He spoke in a low voice, as if to keep their conversation as private as possible. “My name is Zalis.”
Okay, a weird time to make friends, but sure. She said, “Gemma.”
“I understand you are refusing medical treatment.”
She didn’t have the strength to argue. Instead, she said, “Help the others first. I can wait.”
“The females are watching you for guidance. They are afraid,” Zalis said.
Gemma twisted in place, taking in the room.
Tinsley, Paloma, and Blake were freed from the cages and cowered together in a bunch.
Despite Tinsley’s glassy eyes and severe dehydration, she pushed away a medic.
She didn’t look strong enough to put up a fight, but that was what she promised.
Tia lay on the ground, pale and shivering from a fever.
Sarah shoved at the medic, shouting that no one would touch her friend.
“Show them that they are safe to accept assistance,” Zalis urged.
Well, fuck. How could she argue with that?
“Fine. Let’s get this over with.” A thought struck her. “No one else has a translator chip. Tell the others to speak an Earth language. I think nearly everyone speaks English.”
“I will see it done. Now let the medics work,” Zalis said, rising to his feet.
She couldn’t help it—her eyes followed his movement. He was big, really big, and graceful.
And he had a nice laugh.
The medic did their thing, putting an inflatable boot on her ankle and instructing her to keep it immobile until they reached the hospital. Briefly, worries about the medical bill flared to life, but she stomped those out. Metaphorically. No one was stomping anything.
Before long, Elmo was carrying her out of the warehouse, and it was humiliating.
“No, set me down. I’m fine,” Gemma protested, even if that was a complete lie. “I want to see Emry.”
“Your ankle is fractured. You are unable to stand,” Elmo said. “You are clearly injured. Your stubbornness only hurts yourself.”
“You said Emry sent you, so where is she?” She believed him, but she wouldn’t have been surprised by a last -minute betrayal.
Still, disarming the bombs and calling in the medics was a lot of work for betrayal.
Turning around and pretending like you never saw the warehouse full of women in cages was a lot more efficient as far as betrayal schemes went.
Gemma took a closer look at his face. It was easy to be distracted by the scorpion tail, the red complexion, and the two orc-like tusks at his lower lip. Super easy. “You’re him, aren’t you?” she asked. “You’re the guy who broke her heart.”
He flinched at the question. “Yes, I was the foolish male.”
“What’s your name?” She knew his name; she just wanted confirmation.
“Ren.”
“I expected you to look more like a cartoon devil.”
“I swore that I would find you.”
“Good job. Here I am. Where’s my sister?”
“On Tholla, where you would be if you got on the shuttle and allowed the medics to do their job,” he said.
“Fine, I’ll allow it,” she said, “but only because I’m dehydrated and the room is spinning.”
“Stubborn female,” he muttered, adjusting his hold as they approached the medical shuttle.
He carried her like a sack of flour with little concern about the sack’s comfort.
It was demeaning, and she hated it. For some reason, she knew that the whole experience would be one hundred percent better if Zalis were carrying her.
“Swear that you’ll bring her to me. I need to see Emry. I need her,” Gemma said.
“I swear, female. I did not disarm eight crude bombs to send you back to Earth without speaking to your twin.”
“Yeah, I guess that would be a waste,” she agreed.
ZALIS
Zalis refused to leave the female’s side.
Ren rushing in and triggering a motion detection bomb justified this stance.
His reckless behavior meant that he could not be trusted to protect Gemma.
Zalis had no other option. He had sworn to Emmarae to deliver her sister safely.
He’d stay by Gemma’s bedside until Emry arrived.
Not that he anticipated any peril in the hospital greater than scratchy blankets and bland food. Humans were sensitive about such matters, and Gemma deserved soft blankets and a good meal.
She had been amazingly resilient at the warehouse. She freed herself from her bonds and, despite her fractured ankle, crawled across the filthy floor to cut the ropes binding the other captives.
Gemma was admirable. She had a warrior’s spirit. Soft blankets and a good meal were not enough. He’d bring her a cup full of stars if she desired.