Page 5 of Soren

The process. "You'll release the shipment for my family? They really need it, and..."

Orvox smiles. "Not to worry. It's sitting in wait as we speak. You need only sign and accept the inoculation, and your loved ones will receive the remuneration."

My stomach churns again at the word 'inoculation'. It can't be that bad, right? And if what she told us yesterday was true, it was simply to make sure our bodies could handle the environment on Aesirheim.

Sounded necessary, honestly. I certainly didn't want to suffocate to death on my first day just because I couldn't breathe the air.

"Your signature, please." Orvox brings me back to the present, her voice kindly but firm.

I gulp and look down at the contract one more time. One swipe of a pen and the next year of my life was theirs. One year of my life in exchange for a better future for all of us. Worth it. I hold my breath and swipe my pen across the page.

INOCULATION

LARA

"This won't hurt a bit," Orvox promises me.

I've heard that one before, too.

I try not to look at the syringe in her hand. Try not to think about what it might do to my body. A strange gold liquid the same color as the alien's skin drips out of it slowly.

I grit my teeth and nod. "Okay." The sooner we could get this over with, the sooner Janie and Iris would get to eat.

Orvox keeps talking while she cleans my shoulder with an alcohol pad and preps the syringe. "I'm going to inject you with a small dose of a universal immune booster. It will help your body acclimate to the environment on Aesirheim. It also contains a pheromone treatment and fertility booster."

Pheromones. Fertility. I wince at the all-too-casual way the words roll off her tongue as if it were the most normal thing in the world. I know what I'm getting myself into, know what it entails, but still, to hear it so plainly like that...

I'm no more than a womb to them. That's all I can ever be.

I swallow hard and close my eyes. "Do it."

One sharp sting, it's all over. I feel the warm fluid flow through me, and suddenly I feel...better. Like I've been doused in sunshine after being cooped up in a dark room all day. My head clears, and the ache in my muscles fades away.

"That should do it," Orvox says, patting my arm. "Try not to move around too much for ten minutes. Will you be carrying that bag with you?" She points at the small satchel holding some clothes and my tablet. "Aesir warlords pride themselves on providing everything their woman could want, but if you insist..."

"I do." I clutch the bag to my chest. It's the last thing I'll have of Earth once we're up in space. The last reminder of what I left behind.

"Very well." She steps back and gives me a small nod. "I've set a timer for ten minutes. When it chimes, you may go and check in at the hangar. Please take your contract and these medical documents with you." She lays out a thick packet on the table next to me. "They'll be waiting for you downstairs."

With that, Orvox leaves, and I'm alone once more. The silence save for the ticking of the timer doesn't help my racing thoughts. I know I'm confident in my decision, but the fear still remains.

I glance over the contract once more for reassurance. It protects not only them, but also me. If anything happens or I get hurt in any way, they'll call the whole thing off and get me to safety. They'll even uphold their end of the deal and continue sending shipments to my family until the year is up.

The warlords have no incentive to hurt us or make us uncomfortable. To do so would rob them of the surrogates they so badly needed.

Unfortunately, that didn't stop the image of some gold-skinned alien monster baring his fangs and taking me right then and there. I shiver at the thought, and I'm not sure if it's entirely fear. I have no idea how I feel about meeting the father of a child I’ll never raise.

The timer dings and I sit up, picking up the medical packet and contract. I step out of the spaceport's receiving room with a spring in my step, ready to leave this place behind. No more needles. No more paperwork. Just me and the vast expanse of space. Oh, and a golden space man who wants me to have his babies.

When the elevator drops me off on the lowest level, I marvel at the vastness of the hangar. The floors are sleek and white, filled with alien workers and equipment. A few of the workers turn to me and smile, but none approach. Maybe they know I'm not supposed to talk to them.

A sleek silver ship dominates the hangar, dwarfing the crew around it. A small ramp leads up to a main door, and a tall, broad-shouldered soldier stands guard.

The sheer magnitude of it stuns me, and I feel like I've stepped onto the set of a science fiction film.

Only this time, it's real, and the stakes are higher -- much higher.

I turn to a nearby counter marked 'outbound flights'. It's so tall I can barely see over it, and I'm not even that short of a person. A golden-skinned alien sits behind it, oblivious to my presence.

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