Page 15 of Abalim

“Oh, no.” He leaned over and patted her bent knee. “It’s a habit of mine to not read people unless I’m forced to or I’ve been invited to.” He withdrew his warm hold and turned to face her with a sheepish grin. “I learned at a very early age how utterly confusing people are.” He chuckled. “Besides, as you people say, it creeps me out.”

For the first time, Lisa noticed his slight accent and how he spoke English as if it wasn’t his first language. “But if you’re not in my mind, how are we here in what you called a Dreamwalk?”

“You see, once I have a sense of your psyche thread, I can put us into another plane of consciousness where we can communicate and interact with each other.” He frowned and looked around the room. “Unfortunately, it’s hard to control how long we can last in the dream plane. It depends on where our real bodies are and if we are somehow forced out of this dream state.” His black gaze fixated on her. “So I need to make this as quick as possible. Do you have any idea where you are or where you’re going?”

She shook her head and rubbed her temple. “No. All I know is some creepy little pudgy alien shoved me into a spaceship and injected me with something to put me to sleep.” She couldn’t help it. The terror of not knowing what was going to happen to her made her grab his large hands. “Do you think you can find a way to come and get me?”

He caressed her hands and gave her knuckles a soft kiss. “Now that you and I have connected in this strong Dreamwalk, look for me to contact you like this again. Until then, keep track of everything you see and hear that might give me a clue as to where to find you. I promise I will do everything within my power to do so.”

Lisa gasped as her eyes snapped open. She bolted upright and reached out blindly, trying to grasp the familiar sheets of her own bed. Instead, her fingers met only a cold, unfamiliar surface.

The room was illuminated by a strange green light, and the walls were covered in indescribable symbols and shapes.

Lisa’s head pounded, a wave of vertigo making her dizzy. Where was she? The memory of being in a safe place with a captivating man faded away.

Blinking to clear her vision, she took in her surroundings. She glanced at the odd-looking bed, but a small hum made her look up and examine the room. All around was a large space filled with strange equipment and machinery she’d never seen before. It was made of clean lines, neither round nor square. Like whoever made it couldn’t make up their mind how they wanted it shaped.

What really took her aback were the squiggly symbols carved into the walls and flowing up to the curved ceiling. If she squinted, she swore dark liquid ran underneath them through slender tubes, like blood pumping through veins. Just watching the way it rolled, spread, and joined other symbols made her vertigo worsen. She shut her eyes and turned her head. Enough of that.

A hissing sound from the other side of the room made her jump. She opened her eyes and looked behind her. There, in the corner, was an alien creature unlike anything she’d ever seen before.

Its body was elegantly slim, with soft luminescent skin that emanated an ethereal glow. Its two arms were delicate, elongated limbs with long, triple jointed fingers. The being looked androgynous, neither male nor female. Its oblong head was adorned with a crown of golden spines, and its almond-shaped eyes shimmered in an array of mesmerizing colors.

Lisa froze, eyes wide. She didn’t dare move or speak.

The alien creature glided closer.

Now she had a chance to see it wore some kind of armor, with intricate markings etched along its edges.

It moved closer still.

Darn, that strange humming noise came from him… er, it? As she stared, a sharp pinch came and went on her neck. “Ow! What the hell?” She slapped her palm there in reaction.

The creature spoke, its voice unexpectedly flat and unemotional, while at the same time sounding like a lot of people talking at once. “Greetings, human woman,” it said. “We deem it necessary for you to understand that which you will be privileged to partake of. Thus, we have given aid to your primitive mind to gain the ability to communicate with us.” As the alien spoke, the pitch of its voice heightened.

What was weird, for the first time she noticed it didn’t talk through its razor-thin mouth. Instead, she heard it in her head. It must have meant telepathy when it announced she had the ability to communicate with them. Great. More mental gymnastics.

“You are on the planet Qorath.” It continued its narrative. “We are the Xeltrians." It waved its spindly fingers to its undefined chest. “I am known as Rerqel.”

Lisa sat up, not caring she was completely naked. Stupid thing probably didn’t notice one way or the other anyway, so why worry about it? “Ok, what do you want with me?” Might as well hear the bad news up front. No way was this going to be something fun.

“We have been observing your kind for some time and are deeply fascinated by your species. In the past, we were unable to personally study humans due to Earth being under protective status. However, since the Zerins have introduced women to the citizens of the Federation Consortium, we have decided it was within our rights to obtain a specimen of our own.”

She narrowed her eyes at the creature. Somehow, she didn’t think they wanted human women to help their dying species avoid extinction like those who applied for the Exchange.

“You possess unique capabilities that are not seen in any other species. This includes your reproductive capabilities, your hormonal complexities, and your overall genetic diversity.”

The damn thing sounded like a snooty professor giving a lecture.

“We desire to learn more about you, thus we have purchased you from the Ozevroc who brought you here.”

Oh, that had to be the name of the pudgy little bastard who shoved her in that octagon ship. “Okaaay—” She gave the alien a narrow-eyed glare. “—does that mean you’re going to do some kind of alien probe on me?”

The alien called Rerqel took a step back. “If we understand your reference, we will not be experimenting on your physical body. That would be a primitive and useless endeavor.” It waved spindly fingers to indicate the room. “We have done all the necessary physical inspections while you were unconscious.”

The tension in her body deflated. Thank God she didn’t have to dwell on images of them cutting her open while she was awake. So, no need to panic about the whole getting probed thing.

“Our intent is the most crucial. You are an alien being with strange urges and instincts we wish to explore.”

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