Page 41 of Obsessed

The cargo hold door isn't even locked - more sloppy work. Beyond it, voices echo from somewhere above.

"Get the camera set up. Make it dramatic," the leader's voice carries down. "Our courier friend needs proper motivation."

My heart pounds, but my hands are steady. I've survived alone on a dangerous alien world for months. I've faced predators and poisonous plants. These pirates think I'm just some helpless scientist.

Time to show them how wrong they are.

I ease the door open, pipe ready. The corridor stretches ahead, curved like a spine. Somewhere up there, three pirates are about to learn that underestimating me was their biggest mistake.

I creep down the corridor, keeping to the shadows. My boots barely whisper against the metal floor - all those hours stalking rare specimens paying off. A door slides open ahead and the one they called Kraz steps out, fiddling with something in his mechanical hand.

"Hey!" His cybernetic eye flashes red as he spots me. He lunges, fingers grasping.

I duck under his reach and spit directly into his organic eye. He recoils, giving me the opening I need. My hand plunges into my pocket, coming up with the sodium hydroxide.

"What the-"

I fling the powder across his face. The reaction is instant - his skin bubbles and he screams, clawing at his face. He drops to his knees, cybernetic components sparking.

"Burns, doesn't it?" I sprint past him, rounding the corner straight into the female pirate.

"You little-" She swings a fist at my head.

I sidestep, just like Davrik taught me. The momentum carries her forward and I bring the pipe up hard into her stomach. She doubles over, gasping.

"That's for calling me princess." I grab her arm, twisting it behind her back the way Davrik showed me during our training sessions. She struggles but I've got leverage on my side. One sharp strike to the back of her head with the pipe and she crumples.

I pause to catch my breath, heart hammering. Two down, at least one more to go. The corridor opens into what must be the mess hall ahead. I grip the pipe tighter, its weight reassuring in my hands.

A burst of static makes me jump. "Kraz! Where are you? The human's loose!" The leader's voice crackles through the ship's comm system.

I duck into the mess hall, scanning the industrial kitchen setup. My eyes lock onto the cleaning supplies under the sink. Bleach, ammonia - perfect. Basic chemistry was part of my training, and these pirates are about to get a harsh lesson in it.

The oxygen mask sits snug against my face as I dump the cleaning agents into a bucket, the chemical reaction already starting. The fumes rise, toxic and deadly.

"There she is!" Heavy footsteps thunder down the corridor.

I spin around to see the hulking alien and the leader charging in. With a grunt, I kick the bucket, sending it sliding across the floor. The mixture sloshes, releasing clouds of poisonous gas.

"What the-" The leader starts coughing first. "Can't... breathe..."

The larger alien stumbles, gasping. "Boss, we need to-"

"Get out!" They scramble backward, choking and retching.

Through the mess hall's viewport, I watch them stumble down the ship's exit ramp, still hacking up their lungs. The gas is spreading fast - I need to move.

A maintenance shaft catches my eye, its access panel hanging loose. I yank it open and climb inside, pulling myself through the narrow space. The metal walls press close, but I've crawled through tighter spots collecting samples.

"Computer, where's the prisoner?" The leader's voice echoes through the ship's systems, interrupted by violent coughing.

I pause, holding my breath despite the mask. The shaft branches left and right ahead of me.

"Unable to locate. Internal sensors compromised by atmospheric contamination."

I smile beneath the mask. Sometimes it pays to be underestimated.

It's not long before my boots hit the sweet, sweet soil again. Behind me I hear a cacophony of shrieks and screams. Pleased with myself, I take off into the jungle. This is my domain, and there's no way the pirates will take me again out here.

---