Page 37 of Dreikx

“You weren’t here, sir.”

“Fair answer. Is there a test or a drill?” I look around the room. Heads shake no. We have many departments with many possibilities, and not all department heads are in the control room. My pilot’s logic is sound. Before we throw suspicion on one of our crew members, we should examine the evidence as thoroughly as possible.

I relax in my chair and pull up my private holo from the armrest, code for ship’s surveillance. “Continue scanning district two,” I order.

On my private holo, the male walks with a familiar gait, and I question my sanity. It looks like Mohagox, whose profile card lingers in the left corner of my screen, and yet I’m questioning my own eyes. Perhaps I’m paranoid like a Regha Alpha. They think everyone in the world is trying to steal their Omega. I’m not one of those possessive types. Yet I killed the human with flowers. Okay, so I am the possessive jealous type.

The male takes a lift and stares directly at the camera. I stare back as if it’s a window to his soul, but I’m not looking for the window to his soul, I’m looking at his nonverbal gestures. The way one hand is in his pocket and the other relaxed, casual, too casual. When the elevator opens and the male smirks, a tiny quirk of his lip, my heart starts pounding.

“Mohagox is in medical, you said?” I ask.

“Yes, sir.”

It would be logical for him to enter the medical floor, the hall, the floor, and finally the staff area. He stays inside for a while, the hallway appearing empty. I wait. He could be working. I tap my claw on my thigh. Something strange, a long-suppressed primal drive I believe Regha Alphas would term instinct, makes me exit the control room and take the emergency lift to come out on the floor from the side, not from a main lift. I silence my com and stride into the hallway, then stop abruptly.

Tamey is walking with Mohagox toward the lifts.

“Going somewhere?” I ask.

“Oh, there you are,” Tamey says. “Mo here said you wanted to see me.”

“Interesting.” I walk toward them, eyes on my crew member.

She steps toward me but never makes it a foot away. Mohagox grabs her. With an arm over her throat, he holds her tight, pulling a laser gun out of his pocket. He puts it at her temple.

I raise my hands. “Don’t hurt her.”

Tamey cries. She projects fear and thoughts at me. “Who is this? What is happening? The new queen is just in the other room.”

“You are to worry about your own safety now. Understand?”

“Yes, Alpha. Who is this male? What does he want? Why is he doing this?”

“Tamey, I need you to stay calm.”

“He’s scared,”she says.“He’s afraid of you. I can feel it.”

“Thank you for sharing.”

“Escort us to your pod,” Mohagox orders me. While his face has been transformed with a molding mask, his voice remains the same. Mike returned for Tamey. Is there a better way to climb ranks than to present the imposter with a Regha Omega? No better way. What are Tamey’s eggs worth, and how many strong Alphas can Tayseer’s bloodline breed? Oh yes, the king would make use of Tamey’s heat. He only needs one male. He can clone the rest, possibly even extract the Sewa male gene from her genetic makeup. If I were him, that’s what I would do. Or he could trade Tamey for a space gate control.

I erect walls around Tamey’s mind to prevent her from projecting to me. She winces as I work quickly and, likely, painfully. Tears stream down her cheeks. I remain detached. If I fall prey to emotions, hers or mine, I’ll fail, and Mike will kill her. I cannot imagine living without her. And so I isolate Tamey from reaching out to me. Now, I focus on Mike.

“Okay,” I say to him. “State your demands.”

“Disable the security in the lifts and clear the path to your pod. Do this quietly, as if we’re out for a stroll.”

“Haven’t you already disabled security and cameras?” In the control room, the hall appears empty.

“Only on this floor.”

“Efficient.” He believed he would exit with Tamey calmly and quickly. He probably would have since he told her he’s taking her to me. Once inside the pod and departing, she might start questioning him, but by then, it would be too late. I reopen my com. “Disable the security cameras for the next five minutes,” I say.

“Sir?”

“You heard me.”

“You need specific reasons for this, and you know it,” Nemrdew says.

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