Page 28 of Alien's Love Child

My skin crawls. A weapon that could wipe out an entire species? No wonder the Alliance wants him. The bounty suddenly makes a lot more sense.

"The research isn't complete," Xander says, his academic superiority showing even while tied to a chair. "The targeting mechanism is still unstable. Without proper containment protocols-"

"And with our help, you can finish it," a man in a well tailored suit says.

Jesse's sharp intake of breath beside me freezes my blood. Her hand clamps over her mouth, but the damage could already be done. I hold perfectly still, counting heartbeats, waiting for someone to look up.

But the thugs are too focused on their prize. Xander's eyes dart between them, that brilliant mind probably calculating odds and angles.

"How much?" he asks.

The men laugh, seemingly satisfied with that response.

"How about enough to justify that shiny degree of yours? And plenty of space and resources to finish it all. And hey, if it all works out, how about a full time gig developing even more fun toys?"

"Add in protection and you have a deal," Xander says holding out his hand.

I glance at Jesse. Her face has gone pale, freckles standing out like stars. The horror in her eyes matches what I'm feeling.

But what the hell does a small time gang want with a genocide machine? Unless…of course. They're not looking to use it. They're looking to sell it to whichever military decides to start a brand new offensive.

A further sickness fills my stomach as I realize both the Alliance and Ataxians were likely after him for the exact same reason. They weren't looking to stop him; they were looking to get their hands on it too.

And why wouldn't they?

My hand, almost without thinking, starts traveling down to my gun. One little shot, and this man's ability to destroy millions of lives would be over. But Jesse darts her own out and stops me, her breathing ragged and eyes wide.

Jesse's grip on my arm tightens as the boss adjusts his cuffs. "Any loose ends we need to handle, doctor?"

"The bounty hunters might be a problem," Xander says, pushing his glasses up.

The boss waves his hand. "Already taken care of. We'll stage your death - very tragic, very public. Maybe a shuttle accident." He grins. "We can even put a couple of our guys on board. The insurance payout alone will be worth it."

My jaw clenches. This slimeball's already planning how to profit from a fake death.

"There is one other thing." Xander leans forward. "The ship that brought me here - they'll come looking when they don't get paid."

"The smuggler's vessel?" The boss raises an eyebrow. "Easy enough to handle."

"Actually..." Xander's lips curl into a smile that makes my blood run cold. "I took the liberty of uploading backup schematics to their computer systems. Insurance, you understand. In case something went wrong during transit."

Jesse's fingers dig into my arm so hard they'll leave bruises. I don't dare look at her face.

"Smart man." The boss claps his hands together. "Look at that, we don't even need to get our hands dirty now."

"The crew's rather... resourceful," Xander adds. "Especially their captain."

"Then we'll be sure to report them to the proper authorities." The boss checks his PerComm. "What's the ship's registry?"

My stomach drops as Xander recites Jesse's ship ID. The same numbers I memorized while tracking her. The same ship where Rena's waiting, completely unaware they're about to have company.

Jesse's breathing has gone shallow beside me. I know what she's thinking - we need to warn them. But one wrong move, one creaky step on this catwalk, and we're dead.

The boss pulls out his PerComm, his fingers dancing across the interface with practiced ease. "Captain Reynolds? Yes, it's me. Got something interesting for you."

My jaw clenches as he describes Jesse's ship in perfect detail. The registration numbers roll off his tongue like poetry, each digit another nail in her crew's coffin.

"Dangerous contraband," he continues, voice dripping with false concern. "Biological weapons. Very nasty stuff. No, I couldn't sleep at night knowing I didn't report it."

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