Page 30 of Bad Beehavior

I woke in a cell without knowing how much time had passed.

“I’ll do whatever you want. Just tell me she’s okay!” I yell again. I’m unsure if anyone is listening, but they can’t keep me here forever. I should be terrified about what will happen to me. I’ve abandoned my mission and put the survival of my planet at risk, but right now, I don’t care about anything but Jennessa’s safety. I would die to make sure she’s returned safely to her planet. I can only hope they left her in her apartment and only took me back to the Hive.

The wall opens, and I’m met with Bailiff’s smirking expression as he walks into the room, and the wall shuts behind him.

“Where’s Captain Barban?” I ask.

Bailiff holds his hands behind his back and walks around the room. “You’ve made quite a mess, Baryx. Captain is drowning in paperwork, trying to cover up your mess.”

“Why are you here?”

He holds his hand to his heart. “Baryx, you should be glad to see your old friends instead of your Captain.”

“You and I both know we aren’t friends.” I clench my fists.

He chuckles, still pacing around me. “You’ve always been the golden boy—the star pupa. You never had to earn your place. You were born into it. Of course, this agitated me through the years, but I knew what no one else could see—-you’re a fraud.”

“I don’t have time for this. Where’s Jennessa? Is she okay?”

He scrunches his face and steps closer, examining me. “I always knew that you weren’t capable of this mission, but what did she do to you? You’re absolutely pathetic.”

I lunge toward him, edges of red moving to cover my vision.

“I would refrain from violence if I were you. I don’t think it would help your female much.”

I freeze, inches away from his face, glaring down at him. “Is she here? What did you do to her?”

He smiles. “Nothing yet, but we can’t let all the time you spent courting her go to waste. She’ll be pollinated by me shortly. I can’t say I’m thrilled. She’s not the female I would have chosen to carry my seed. I proposed you should watch while it happens to make sure you realize the gravity of what you’ve done and who’s the hero now.”

“No!” I yell, wrapping my hand around his throat. “You can’t pollinate her. She cannot bear children.”

He grabs my hand and pulls back, allowing him to speak some. “I would be careful. There are worse things we can do to her than pollination.”

I let go and step back. Images of Jennessa hurt, stopping the violence pumping through my veins.

He smiles. “She’ll be fertile after some time. She just needs to stop taking the medicine.”

My heart beats rapidly, and I feel as if I’ll pass out. I want to destroy Bailiff and everyone in the Hive who even looked at her, but I can’t do that alone. “Please, Bailiff. I’ll do anything. You can have my position. I’ll step down. Just let her go. There has to be another way. She’s evolved. She’s just like you and I, except even greater. You can’t force her. It’s unethical.”

“It’s too late for that, Baryx. You’ve wasted time. Luckily for you, your consequences won’t be as great as they should be. The Board believes these females have some sort of chemical effect on our kind, resulting in their planet's downfall. They aren’t safe. They want us to work quickly and do whatever we can to minimize our contact. Luckily for me, your female doesn’t affect me the way she affects you. I guess it just proves how superior I am.”

My brain can’t find reason. I charge at Bailiff, wrapping my hands around his throat and bringing him down to the floor. He deserves to die, even if his death won’t help me get out and rescue Jennessa. I’ll kill anyone who threatens to touch her, even if I have to destroy the whole Hive.

Panic swims in his eyes as the yellow fades from his face, but then I feel a prick in my leg and my body wobbles. I fall to the side, my vision clouding and my brain turning off.

Bailiff coughs, standing over me. He smiles down, rubbing at the marks already forming on his neck.

Everything goes dark.

Chapter 21: Jennessa

Inever knew what a luxury a clock could be. There are no windows to indicate when night has come. Hours or days could have passed, and I would have no idea. It feels like my brain is slowly compressing in on itself. The only way to keep track of anything is from the food delivered to my cell by a metal box appearing from the wall, but I have nothing in the room to keep track of the hours between each meal.

The food seems to be a nutritional paste and has no flavor. At first, I refused to eat it, thinking it could be a trick, but aftera while, my hunger washed over me until I scarfed it down. I wonder if this is the food Baryx eats or if it’s just to keep prisoners alive. I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life eating this stuff.

I wonder if I’ll live with these aliens forever or if they’ll drop me back to Earth or kill me after I give birth. I don’t know why I wonder these things because there’s no single option to bring me any solace. Each scenario sounds more horrible than the rest.

It’s hard to sleep in an internally lit box, but with nothing else to do but walk in circles, sleep finds me—usually after I wear myself out from crying so much.

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