Page 3 of Healer
The eyes regarding me with curious worry were dark gold, the color of beech trees in the late fall surrounded by a sclera the shade of the Mediterranean Sea.
My angel.
He was real—another alien in an alien place. Although this alien seemed nothing like those that experimented on me. He wore what looked like black leather pants and a sleeveless vest with a wide utility belt sporting a myriad of blades as well as two other weapons strapped across his back. This guy was no scientist. He was a soldier... a warrior. Logically I should be far more afraid of this guy than the frail gray aliens, although deep down in my soul, in a part of myself that logic didn't touch, I knew he meant me no harm.
"Who are you?" I twisted out of his grip, noting my body's strange reluctance to move away from him.
"Shhh," he laid a finger across his full lips and nodded toward the door. "The Ulkommanian are notoriously light sleepers."
"Ulkomm... you mean those fuckers who have been messing with me?"
The corners of his lips quirked upward. "That would be them."
I took a step, then another... the adrenaline finally settling in my body. I felt like I could run the Peachtree Road race without breaking a sweat.
A large hand closed around my wrist.
"We must go, little human. Silent and swift."
Go?
Granted, this dude seemed a hell of a lot better than the bastards who tried to carve me up like a Christmas turkey. But I would admit to maybe not being in the best mindset to trust first impressions.
"Go where?" I squared my shoulders and faced him, noting the alien scalpel lying on the table a foot away, still sporting smears of my blood. "Who are you?"
"My name is Hakkar, and I'm here to rescue you."
Chapter 2 – Hakkar
The window lifted easily, allowing me to slip inside, my footsteps silent on the cold metal floor. My heart sank at the sight of her sprawled and unconscious on a nearby bed. The deep gash on her arm still seeped, the red blood, a stark contrast against her pale skin. Heaving a sigh of regret, I hurried over to her, Medi-unit humming in my hand. The medical technology made quick work of sealing the edges of her cut together and infusing her bloodstream with antibiotics and platelets. With any luck, she wouldn’t even bear a scar.
She didn’t move amid my ministrations. Whatever sedative the Ulkommanian gave her was strong. We couldn’t spare the time to allow her to wake naturally. I dialed up a drug used often in battle to provide warriors with energy and stamina, only daring to give her a sixteenth of the normal dosage and the Medi-unit administered the drug via a single pulse of light.
It took me so long to find her.
The planet Arstan, in the middle of the Proxima system, was as large a planet as the Milky Way’s Jupiter. Many places for a human to hide, especially if someone wanted to hide her. After she entered the planet’s orbit, the tracking signal on her ship disappeared, which led me to suspect the Ulkommanian took her to an underground bunker.
I’d checked in at the Alliance research station, indulging my interest in medicinal plant propagation techniques simply to give myself an excuse to be on-planet. Vaktaire, like myself, were rare in the Proxima system.
While at the Alliance site, whispers of a mysterious research facility owned by the Ulkommanian reached my ears. Rumored to be hidden within the depths of one of the many lush jungles, it was no easy feat to locate. It took several days of zigzagging through thick foliage before my scanners homed in on the underground complex. Setting my skiff down in the dense canopy proved problematic, leaving the rudder badly damaged. It would make rescue more difficult, but not impossible. I’d gotten a message to the Bardaga, arranging a rendezvous at a nearby settlement before the jungle enfolded my ship into its leafy embrace.
Guilt gnawed at me for not reaching her sooner. The facility teemed with heavily armed Aljani guards patrolling every corner. It would be impossible for me to take them all on alone and ensure her safe escape. Our only option was stealth.
From my hiding spot outside the compound walls, I’d watched with a mixture of dread and guilt at the sleep deprivation testing she endured. It wasn’t pleasant, but not as harmful as what she endured today. My body trembled with anger, reliving moments when the Ulkommanian callously slid the blade through her delicate skin. When the metallic tang of her blood filled my nostrils, it was all I could do to keep from attacking the torturous bastards, which wouldn’t have done either of us any good. All I could do was hold my position, clenching my teeth and fists to keep myself still.
Gods, she was magnificent!
Her eyes sparked with fiery defiance as she glared at the Ulkommanian, daring them to make her scream. I had never witnessed such raw bravery and determination in one of her kind. The set of her jaw and the sharpness in her gaze portrayed a fierce, admirable, and intimidating strength. She was unwavering in the face of adversity, a true warrior in every sense of the word, a complete juxtaposition to her appearance.
Compared to her friend Emmy, Agnes seemed fragile with her heart-shaped face and small, soft features. Her gray eyes held a hint of sadness even as they blazed, and her skin was so translucent it appeared to be made of glass instead of flesh and bone. Hair that was the perfect blend of brown and blonde splayed in a halo around her head, with a lock falling in disarray across her forehead.
My fingers itched to smooth the hair back into place, but a rustle outside the window drew my attention. My eyes flickered, homing in on the darkness and seeing through it toward where a small animal rooted in the dirt. When I turned, the human stood on wavering knees, blinking at me.
I kept my voice in a soothing murmur, gentle and reassuring. The female regarded me with wide, curious eyes, completely unafraid. When I spoke my name and revealed my true purpose, her expression shifted from curiosity to a mix of surprise and uncertainty.
“Re—rescue me?”
Her voice sounded like a deep, rich melody reminiscent of the low, resonant notes of string instruments on my home world.
