Page 111 of Bred by the Alien Prince

"Caspian." A familiar voice jolted me out of my spiraling panic. I looked up to see the doctor removing his surgical mask...revealing Zai's face!

"Zai?" I gasped. "What are you doing here? You left!"

"I did," he confirmed grimly. "I was heading to the government offices when I was grabbed. They brought me to Regis's ship, said they'd 'expedite' my paperwork if I helped them." He shook his head. "I had no choice but to play along. Then they started asking about you, making plans to capture you..."

Uncertainty gnawed at my gut. "Are you really working with them?" I asked, hating how my voice quavered.

"Of course not!" Zai looked almost offended. "Caspian, I'm going to help you escape. Just give me a moment..."

He turned to the console, long fingers flying over the controls. I felt the pod restraints click open but Zai shot me a warning look.

"Pretend you're still locked in until I give the signal," he instructed under his breath.

"And what's the signal this time?" I asked pointedly. "I'd like to actually know."

Cracking a small smile, Zai thought for a beat. "Geno plant," he decided. "When I say that, run for it. I've programmed escape pod 730 to go straight to Ashan. Get to it, fast as you can."

I nodded, heart thudding as the lab doors whooshed open. More doctors filed in and Zai quickly busied himself with screens, feigning nonchalance.

The doctors clustered around, prepping instruments and murmuring. I tried to pick up what they were saying but their medical jargon flew over my head. Suddenly, a scuffle broke out. I strained to see Zai grappling with one of the doctors, trying to subdue him. But the other doctor was fighting back viciously, slamming Zai into equipment. Panic rose like bile in my throat as I saw the doctor's hands close around Zai's neck.

I couldn't wait for a damn signal.

In a burst of adrenaline, I sprang from the pod, grabbing the nearest sharp tool - a scalpel. Slick with the pod fluids, I slipped and stumbled but managed to reach the brawling pair. With a hoarse yell, I jammed the scalpel into the side of the doctor's neck. Hot blood sprayed as he crumpled to the floor.

Panting, Zai shot me a grateful look. "Thank you," he gasped out, "I suppose I wasn't going to last long here anyway."

"I wasn't about to let you die waiting for some stupid signal," I replied, doubled over and catching my breath. The fluids coating my body were making me shiver.

Zai quickly grabbed a container from the counter, clutching it close. At my quizzical look, he explained, "My geno plant samples. The cure for my people - I can't leave without it."

I nodded impatiently. "Okay, okay, but let's GO!"

We took off at a run, my bare feet slapping on the cold floor, leaving puddles in my wake. The hallways were a disorienting maze but Zai seemed to know where he was going. We careened around corners, pausing to hide when the thud of armored boots approached.

Pressing ourselves into an alcove, hardly daring to breathe, we watched as two guards clanked past. One of them paused, helmed head swiveling as he inspected a trail of the pod fluids.

"Look alive," he barked to his partner. "Looks like one of the test subjects is loose. Fan out and find them!"

They jogged off and I exhaled shakily. Zai tugged my arm, gesturing for us to keep moving while the coast was temporarily clear. But as we hurried down the next corridor, a startling sight through an open door brought me up short.

It was a lab much like the one I'd woken up in...but filled with glass pods containing unconscious humans. Some were hooked up to softly humming machines, others suspended in gelatinous goop. My stomach turned as I noticed more than a few had pointed ears and Valisian spots - hybrids like me. All of them looked pale and sickly, like drained husks.

"Caspian, come on," Zai urged, trying to pull me along. "This is our chance!"

I shook my head vehemently, fighting down my revulsion. "We can't just leave them here!"

Zai sighed in exasperation. "We can't save them all either. Be reasonable!"

"How many escape pods on a ship this size?" I demanded. "How many people can fit?"

Looking away, Zai mumbled something.

"What was that?" I pressed.

"15 to 20 per pod," he admitted grudgingly. "But Caspian-"

"Then help me get them out!" I snapped. "You didn't abandon me on that hellhole planet and I'm not abandoning these people to be tortured and dissected."

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