Page 4 of The Hive

The airlocks to the hangar closed and sealed, readying for the shuttles’ departure. I stayed, waiting to see where they would go when they took my friend away from this place. It must not have taken long to load the passengers—they had no belongings to stow—because the black and gold ships coasted out of the station and into space. Their engines glowed as the group turned toward the center of the system, rather than the planet, just as I had feared. Where were they going? Where were they taking my friend?

Chapter Four

Alexi

With a rattle and clang, the transport ship touched down in the cargo hold of the Hive. I’d spent two weeks in a cage with barely enough food to survive. The only company I had was the hum of the engines, which was enough to make any man crazy, even me. But we’d finally arrived.

I seemed to be the sole prisoner on board, which was a small comfort. I hoped that meant Verdan’s civilians had made it to safety in time. The food, often stolen during raids, was replaceable. The people we lost were not. They were mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, daughters, and sons. The Imperatrix had no concern for ripping families apart, taking women and children, murdering the rest with no care for the devastation left in her military’s wake. I was the exception, and I looked forward to finding out why.

Before long, an unfamiliar soldier arrived at my cage, twirling a set of the same high-tech manacles from my capture around his plump finger. His uniform pocket was embroidered with the number 3187 and his coat buttons strained to keep his jacket closed around his wide belly.

“You. Put your hands through the bars,” he said, and jangled the cuffs meaningfully.

It looked like he was here to offload me, but my team was nowhere in sight. Unable to resist my curiosity, I asked, “Where are the soldiers that captured me? Why aren’t they here to rub their victory in my face?” I didn’t really expect an answer, but I was worried about my friends and about the intel we had. If we had it wrong, or our inside man betrayed me, it would mean death for us all, exception or not.

After a moment of contemplating the wisdom of telling me, versus the amusement of mocking me with it, he chose the second option. “6612 and 5376? They were rewarded for your capture with leave. Not to mention, they don’t have high enough clearance to escort you to the drone cells.” He said drone cells as if I should know what the fuck he was talking about, but I didn’t. Whatever it was, it didn’t sound pleasant, but it did sound like I would be on my own getting out of the containment area.

I didn’t want to arouse suspicion, so I feigned being impressed with his answer, and complied with his order. He put the cuffs around my wrists, snapped them closed, and led me out of the transport ship into the cargo bay. Food stores were loaded into containers and sent into some sort of high-speed lift system. There were still no other prisoners, and I didn’t see my fellow alphas either. I had to trust they would take care of themselves. There was a reason I had chosen those two to help me with this mission, beyond being my best friends. They were smart, skilled, and cunning. If anyone could navigate an enemy space station, it would be them.

Guard 3187 tapped the manacles with a thin metallic rod that he’d pulled from his cinch-like belt. “Don’t get any funny ideas. Those cuffs can knock you out in a blink, and it’ll hurt. A lot.” The smug look on his face was all I needed to know. He would use any excuse to inflict pain on me, and he would enjoy it. Unfortunately for him, I had no inclination to cause trouble. Not yet, anyway.

The steel mesh under my feet echoed hollowly as the guard prodded me through a maze of angled corridors and dark service shafts. It wouldn’t have surprised me if he was walking me in circles to confuse my sense of direction. As much as I hated to admit it, it was working. I did my best to recall the twists and turns, but there was no guarantee I would be able to make it back to the cargo bay without guidance.

After what felt like hours of walking down a dimly lit catwalk that ran alongside a lift tunnel, we took a set of stairs up through a small maintenance door and into a pedestrian corridor. My boots sank into the thick carpeting that lined the floor of the hallway as we traveled. The guard stopped in front of a large airlock inlaid with a priceless amount of golden aurinium depicting exotic flowers blooming and dripping with nectar. The Hive was rumored to be opulent, but I had no idea the sheer frivolity would be so overt. To waste this amount of resources on a door was shocking to me.

My guard pulled his glove off and swiped the barcode tattooed on the back of his hand under a scanner beside the work of art posing as a door. A low-pitched beep sounded, and the whole thing split down the middle and slid aside.

Air, warm and thick like syrup, rushed over me, smelling of overripe fruit and wilting flowers. The overwhelming sweetness saturated every breath, making my teeth hurt. Under the sickening saccharin scent, there was a hint of omegas’ sweet perfume. I hesitated to step forward. There was something deeply unnatural here that I wanted no part of.

3187 sucked in a breath. “Heady, isn’t it? The brood chambers always smell amazing. The shafts don’t connect to this cluster. Safety reasons, you understand. Even if they did, I wouldn’t miss this for anything.” He breathed in again, savoring the cloying scent.

I gave him a noncommittal nod in response. It sounded like he wanted to make small talk now, or maybe he was just boasting about his position and clearance on the station again. He pushed me into the plushly carpeted golden corridor. “I was assigned an omega once as a reward for good behavior. Best week of my life.” He chuckled dreamily as he pulled me to a stop in front of another solid gold door.

The thought of omegas as rewards for undeserving alphas turned my stomach. The reality was worse than we had imagined. We knew our people were being stolen and used or sold as slaves, but it didn’t take much of a leap to understand what he meant when he said he was assigned an omega as a reward.

The guard went through the motions again, scanning his barcode. The airlock opened with a whoosh and we continued into another corridor. This one was less opulent than the last, and the smell was gone. The angled gray walls were lined with several smaller hexagonal doors. We stopped in front of the second one. “Welcome to your new home, Drone 4569.”

The portal slid open, and I was shoved into a dimly lit cell. Before I had a chance to turn around, I heard the airlock bolt shut behind me.

A thin strip of golden light skirted the clear glass ceiling, faintly illuminating the matte black walls. The view was breathtaking, but gave me a vague sense of vertigo as I saw a planet spinning far below. Or was it above? One side of the hexagonal room held a narrow bed opposite a door that led to a toilet and shower. The farthest wall had several compartments ranging in size, but they were locked except one that folded out into modular exercise equipment with a tap of a panel. Unfortunately, it was all secured to the mechanism and no help for escape.

A soft tone rang out followed by a pleasant feminine voice. “Hello, Drone 4569. Thank you for joining us. Please proceed to the receptacle to have your restraints removed.” A green glow lit up next to the door I’d been so rudely shoved through. Under the indicator light, a hatch opened, bearing a compartment large enough to put my hands into. I hesitated. Why should I trust this strange disembodied voice?

“Drone 4569, please place your hands in the receptacle or risk your restraints remaining in place indefinitely.”

Well, when she put it that way. Reluctantly, I shoved my hands inside the compartment and the restraints fell away. Before they had time to land, the bottom of the compartment opened and swallowed the metal cuffs. The base slid closed, locking them beneath. I pulled my hands free and rubbed the sensation back into my wrists. The panel shut and the green light faded.

The disembodied voice spoke again. “Please, enjoy your stay.” And the speaker went silent.

Chapter Five

Saphyra

It had only been a few days since Lyrah left, and I missed her huge smile and kind words. She was also more polite than I was and shielded me from people who infringed on my personal space. I was increasingly sensitive to the scent and the proximity of others, and I missed her running interference.

Grey told me my reactions boded well for my chance to emerge as an omega, to his delight and my dismay. I didn’t want to be an omega, stuck on this ship under the leering eyes of the staff, never to breathe the fresh, clean air of my fantasies. But he wanted to be successful in his new career. When my nurse, Iris, retired last year, he was assigned as my handler. I was his first omega prospect, and he was determined to do a good job of bringing me along.

I was daydreaming about Grey’s handsome eyes while stretching after dance class when my teacher called out, “Saphyra, your dorm has been reassigned. Your uniforms have already been relocated. You are to make your way straight to the decoy cells to meet with your handler immediately after you clean up.”

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