The sight of the needle sent me into hysteria, and I began to thrash like a madwoman.
“Oh, dear,” she said calmly before setting down the needle in her hand and picking up another one. “It looks like you need to spend a little bit more time relaxing before you’re willing to cooperate.”
I continued to pull at my restraints as she inserted the new syringe into my I.V. Her amused eyes were the last thing that I saw.
* * *
Comingout of whatever drug-induced sleep the doctor had put me in was a bitch. I lay there for what seemed like an hour, awake, but unable to open my eyes. It ended up coming in handy when some of the scientists started talking near me.
“We’ve searched every one of his databases, the entire file is missing.”
“It’s one piece of the puzzle, surely we can come up with it ourselves,” barked a voice I recognized as Dr. Cryon’s.
"It's a little more complicated than that," another voice said. "It took Corran years to find the right compound that made up for the genetic differences between the Vepar and the humans. Without that information, I just don't see how the subject can have a successful pregnancy. The genetic differences will just be too much," he continued worriedly.
"There hasn't been any sign of him has there?" Dr. Cryon asked.
"They've all disappeared. And a member of the Council's disappeared as well. They think it has to do with them."
"Are the risks just to the fetus?" the doctor asked suddenly, her voice contemplative.
"No. Unfortunately, there's a good chance that the subject would pass as well. In the tests that were initially run on subjects the genetic differences would always lead to the host body attacking the fetus."
"Attack? What did that consist of? Is there a way for us to control that?"
“In every experiment, the host body would get confused because the fetus’s blood and host’s blood would somehow mix. That would lead to an all-out assault on all of the host’s internal organs. Their death was usually very messy. If I remember correctly, there was a lot of blood involved coming out of every orifice.”
His words terrified me. All of this was said with total objectivity as if they were discussing the weather rather than whether someone lived or died. It was terrifying how little the Vepar seemed to care about what happened with the human race considering they were depending on said human race for their race’s continued existence.
I made myself stay still as they continued to talk even though the urge to pull at my restraints was strong.
Just then a voice interrupted the conversation, a voice that simultaneously made me furious and filled me with dread.
"I would stop talking if I were you," said Zeni. "She's awake."
I heard footsteps and then there was a sharp poke in my arm that made my eyes fly open as I gasped in pain.
"Told you," Zeni said viciously.
I realized that the sharp pain I had felt was from her nails, nails that had been sharpened into talons. They fit her perfectly.
The doctors looked annoyed to have her there, but they didn't say anything when Zeni began fiddling with various objects on the table behind her.
Whatever deal she made with the Council in order to get me away from the guys obviously had come with a change in her title.
"So has the deed been done yet?" Zeni asked, playing with a wicked-looking needle.
"There have been some delays," Dr. Cryon said stiffly.
"What does that mean?" Zeni seethed.
"It means that my boyfriends weren't entirely pleased with your plan to get me pregnant without them, and they took some of the information with them," I said triumphantly, even though I was in no position to be triumphant in any form.
The doctor shot me an exasperated look.
“Corran was somehow able to take his research with him and we’re missing a key part of the treatment," the doctor explained.
Zeni’s face scrunched up in displeasure. “I believe the Council gave you specific instructions to deal with this creature," she said, gesturing to me. "She’s to be fertilized immediately."