Page 23 of Fated to the Orc

Varkul’s scent surrounds me. It clings to my skin, lingering in my nose. Like he claimed me or something.

It’s making my heart race and my core throb. I took care of business in the shower, but it hasn’t helped. If anything, I’m more on edge now than I was before.

I can’t keep working like this. This was all a big mistake.

“I quit,” I say.

Dr. Kelly stops typing mid-sentence. He lets out a big sigh, leans back in his chair and finally turns his gaze towards me.

“Now why would you say something silly like that, Dr. Carter?”

“This isn’t the job I signed up for. I quit.”

“Look. Evelyn. I understand your encounter with our orc was bit more…intense, then you perhaps would have liked, but that is what real science is like, right? Getting your hands dirty? And my word, your hands gotdirty.”

He laughs at his own joke. I don’t think it’s very funny.

“You have everything a scientist could dream of. A whole new, alien world to explore. An actual, real-life orc to study. What more could you want?”

“I want to go back home,” I say. “What’s so hard to understand about that?”

He lets out another, deeper sigh. Dr. Kelly polishes his glasses before slowly getting up from his expensive leather chair. He paces through his office, stopping in front of the iron-barred window.

“Look outside for a moment, Dr. Carter. Really. Take a good, long look. What do you see?”

Twin moons hang in the orange sky as the sun slowly begins to set on Xavros, coating the lush forest orange. Trees as old as human civilization tower into the sky.

“Beauty,” I say.

“Yes. There is beauty to be found here, certainly. What else do you see?”

“Danger.”

“Correct. The beauty is only an illusion. A story we sell to the general public back on Earth.Marvel at the unspoiled beauty of this gorgeous land! Work hard, and perhaps one day you can visit and see it in all its splendor!A nice story, but also a total lie.

Xavros is an alien wilderness populated by savage beasts who can tear a human limb-from-limb in mere seconds. Do you know how quickly an orc can kill a human?”

“No.”

“Two point four seconds. That’s all it takes.”

“All the more reason I want off this rock,” I say. “When is the next shuttle leaving?”

“You are a smart woman, Dr. Carter. Correct? Graduated with top honors, despite losing both your parents at a young age and caring for your ill sister full-time. Yes, I’ve read your file. I like to know who I’m hiring. Think about all what I’ve said for a moment. What does that tell you?”

I grind my teeth. I’m no idiot — I see where this is going.

I just hoped Dr. Kelly wasn’t the bastard I feared he was. How silly of me.

“You’re saying that this research facility is the only safe place on the planet. If I step outside, I’m dead within seconds, so I better do what you tell me to do. Is that what you’re trying to say?”

“A crude reading of my words, but not a factually incorrect one. What else?”

“The existence of orcs is a closely guarded secret. I’m not getting off this rock without your written permission as lead, as per my contract.”

“Also true. Continue.”

“You want more? Fine. The wealth and power of Xavros cannot be fully tapped until the orcs are dealt with, one way or another — be that killed or controlled. Find a way to control their fertility, and you rule over them as agod. Is that what you mean?”

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