It wasn’t long before we stepped outside, bright sunlight beaming down on us. I lifted my head, squinting my eyes to find that we stood behind a building made of a kind of plexiglass… or maybe it was glass, minus the transparency. Wide open land spread out before us... all green grass and trees of varied colors in the distance.
A small gray space cruiser sat a few feet away.
The man set me on my feet. I wobbled at first before I caught my balance. “You’re free,” his rushed words whispered as he pointed to the ship. “That ship will take you from here and back to Corran.”
“You’re letting me go?” I faced him and the doctor. I knew the looks on their faces. Something terrible was going to happen to me and they wanted no part of it.
“Is Corran on that ship?” I asked as I stared at the vessel.
“It’s a friend. He’ll help take you to Corran. Now go, stop wasting time.” Dr. Cryon gave a shove to my back, and I stumbled forward.
My heart sank to my feet as I stared at them over my shoulder, tears pooling in my eyes. “Thank you.” Both of them met my gaze for a sliver of time, worry pulling their expressions taut, then they turned and rushed back into the building.
They risked too much to release me, to not follow Zeni’s orders, and I didn’t blame them. She was a massive bitch and I was sure there would be repercussions.
Wasting no time, I burst across the field, moving as fast as my exhaustion allowed, my sights set on the ship. Each step shot pain through my body, but I wouldn’t stop. Not when it meant seeing my guys again and stopping the experiments. Corran would help me, he’d fix whatever they did in that lab.
Vibrations suddenly traveled up my legs from the ground, and I glanced down and around me, seeing nothing. I turned to stare at the building, expecting to find guards chasing me down.
Except, a long ship with upward bent wings hovered in the air between me and the lab. My breaths were barreling out of me as panic lashed over my chest.
They’d found me!
I spun and ran, my feet punching the ground.
My teeth chattered, and I sprinted madly. Adrenaline pushed me, numbing all pain. But the closer I got to the gray cruiser, the more something looked wrong.
The side of the vessel came into view and it had a gaping hole across the back half, its edges charred black. Someone had shot the vessel. My brain wasn’t catching up with the sight fast enough or I might have burst out crying.
Ice-cold fingers gripped my arm, and I jumped at the touch, but they swung me around with such force, I tripped over my own feet.
Stumbling, I fell to my knees and looked up to an alien wearing a black body-hugging suit that glinted in the sun. Dark oily hair was slicked off his face, and his cheeks were hauntingly gaunt. Black eyes blinked down at me.
“Khonsu!” I whimpered, punching his grip with my free hand, trying to scramble backward. “Leave me alone!”
“So, this one can talk. She’ll be popular.” He wrenched me to my feet and tossed me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing, and in two flashes, the darkness stole the sunlight.
I glanced up to find myself inside a ship… the enemy’s ship. He tossed me onto the floor, and I landed so hard, all the air was knocked out of my lungs. I gasped for air, when the forcefield shot up in front of me, trapping me inside a confined corner of the ship.
Jolting to my feet, I cried out, “Release me now.”
But the two Khonsu settled into the seats at the front of the vessel and the shuttle trembled before we lurched forward. Unlike Corran’s ship, this thing shook like a rust bucket.
“Let me go!” I continued to scream while searching the area for any weapons, but the place was barren. Just black walls closing me in.