Page 16 of The Alien's Private Redemption

Dr. Torres smiled at her like she'd said something clever. The hairs on the back of her neck rose and the voice in the back of her mind screamed that she was in danger.

"I have spoken to other doctors about you, Ms. McBride," he said. "And they've all come back to me with more questions than answers. Especially one of them who has worked in a rather remote emergency room in East Tennessee for the last twenty years."

She shrugged and waited for him to continue. When she didn't ask him any questions, he frowned and pushed on.

"You see, for as rural as that emergency room is, it tends to be the closest one to some of the families that live up in the mountains. It was the first one in a wide radius to get some of the more expensive medical equipment, usually paid for by a generous, if anonymous, benefactor. He recalls seeing a scan very similar to the one I sent him."

She knew the hospital he was talking about. It was the only one her family thought was safe. They were suspicious of outsiders, most of the families back in the holler were, and it took a lot to get them to go into town, much less the city. Heck, the road totown hadn't even been paved until recently, and the dirt track her parents home was on still didn't show up on any maps.

Angela held her breath, her entire body still while she waited for him to continue. She knew the doctor couldn't help but notice her body language, and he smiled at her.

"Oh, yes, I think you know what I'm talking about. The funny thing is, he told me that the scan had been replaced minutes after he'd looked at it, with one that looked the way he expected it to. And, sure enough, when I went to dig deeper into the scans from our MRI, they looked exactly like a healthy, normal human brain."

"I don't know why that's odd," Angela said, her mind spinning. The voice in the back of her head was calculating ways to kill Dr. Torres on the stool, or to lure him forward so she could rip his throat out. "I am a healthy, normal, human woman."

She emphasized her words, struggling to get them out past the voice in her head and the constriction in her throat.

"I mostly agree," Dr. Torres said. "Except for the whole trying to die for no apparent reason thing, you are very healthy. The jury's still out on the 'human' part, and you are anything but normal."

"What am I, then?" she asked.

"Fascinating," the doctor responded, and she could see the avaricious gleam in his eyes. "Absolutely fascinating."

Chapter 8

It took Zoric more than half the meeting to realize he was mimicking some of Angela's habits. While he'd been confident in his role as Captain of the Guard, he'd been less confident as a diplomatic liaison for his people. His Bond with Angela had given him an almost instinctive insight into the humans in the room.

Zoric found himself catching nuances in human expression he'd never noticed before. The slight tightening around Dr. Phillips' eyes spoke volumes about her discomfort, while Colonel Schuh's measured breathing betrayed his growing concern. Through Angela's understanding, these tiny human gestures had become as clear as the chemical signals his own people used.

He already knew Ae-cha was goading Dr. Phillips but he couldn't figure out why Colonel Schuh was letting her. It was obvious the Colonel didn't like the doctor but Zoric hadn't seenan actual reason why. Ae-cha, he was certain, was obnoxious to start, and she couldn't like being this exposed any more than he did.

And the chairs weren't helping.

He was taller than most humans, and wider, and the disadvantages in the discrepancies became apparent as the meeting went on. While the height on the chairs could be adjusted, the highest they went made it impossible to fit his legs under the table, while still making his knees ache. Any lower, and his knees were so far above his center of gravity, it was difficult to stand.

The arms of the chair dug into his legs until he was certain they were going to cut off circulation, even with his scales protecting him, and his tail could not be arranged with any comfort. How Ae-cha was managing to sit so still with the same problems made him wonder if she was taking her discomfort out on Dr. Phillips more than their obvious philosophical differences would account for.

His separation from Angela was becoming more difficult as time dragged on, as well. They both reached out to brush each others thoughts, a momentary reassurance that they were still connected, every few minutes. Rather than distracting him, the comfort from the touch helped him focus, until Angela started to become agitated.

"Zoric," Colonel Schuh snapped, catching his attention. "Do you need a bio break?"

"What?" Zoric asked, confused by the question.

"Your knee was shaking the table," Ae-cha said, with a nod for the leg that was bouncing in agitation. "For humans, that typically indicates a need to expel waste."

She was laughing at him but he didn't care.

"No, I don't need a bio break," Zoric said, though he desperately wanted to go to her and find out what was causingthe anxiety he could feel building in her. "Though I wouldn't turn down a chance to stretch my legs."

Dr. Phillips stared at him for a long moment. "But we just got started. You can't be having that much difficulty sitting still."

"I don't think you could have designed a more uncomfortable chair if you'd tried," Zoric snapped back, his emotions were spiraling out of his control, though he attempted to calm himself. He sent calming reassurance to Angela and got back fear.

"Would you like to take a walk and check on the prisoner?" Ae-cha suggested quietly.

Zoric felt his heart stutter in panic. She knew about the Bond. He didn't know how she knew, but she did. Life had suddenly become a lot more dangerous for Angela and Zoric had to get to her now.

"That won't be possible," Colonel Schuh said. "A brief break to stretch seems advisable but Private McBride has another visitor at the moment."

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