Stolen!

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Hunai moved to a closet that reached in for a set of clothes, glancing back at Jessica he gauged her size and grabbed a set of scrubs and sandals for her feet. He laid the clothes on the bed she had recently been in and backed away from her. “You may get dressed in there,” he stated as he pointed to a door behind her. “There is also a cleansing station that you can utilize as well.” He told her. “I will show you how to use the controls as we don’t use water here onboard the ship to cleanse ourselves with.” Jessica c****d her head at him, “Ship?” “Not using water?” She queried. “Yes,” replied Hunai, “In space carrying that much water is not practical, we use a sonic wave system that removes all impurities from our bodies. It’s much a much more efficient use of time and resources.” He informed her. He also explained the other waste removal system that the ship used. All Jessica could think of was that this was one helluva dream. She followed him at a safe distance and entered the room. Hunai showed her the controls and then left her to get clean and dressed. Once she was certain no one would come barging in on her she dropped the sheet and put it into what looked like a laundry hamper in the wall. With a slight sound she opened it again and saw that it was empty, “Hmmm” she thought to herself, “very efficient.”

She stood inside what looked like a slim shower stall similar to one in a gym. She held her breath as she stood still as the sonic waves covered her body. It was a strange vibrating, tingling sensation. After the vibrations stopped, she felt surprisingly clean and refreshed. Her hair even felt cleaner than it ever did with water and shampoo. She sighed at the feeling of being clean. She walked over to the clothing Hunai had placed on a narrow counter along the wall and got dressed. The sandals fit her relatively well and so did the scrubs. Her hair hung down her back in gentle curls and she longed for something to tie them back with. There was no mirror, so she had no idea what she looked like. She examined the spot in her arm where the tracker had been, it was closed but still tender with the faintest red mark but not much else. Jess took a deep breath and walked back into the room she had woke up in. She quietly slipped back into the room and saw Hunai standing with his back to her. “Ah you’re dressed. Come,” he said. Hunai stood up and held his hand up towards the door “Let’s get you settled into a berth.” She silently followed him with a wary look on her face. Her head was slightly bowed but she took in everything around her. As the door whooped open, she saw the two enormous males standing on either side of the doorway. Jess hesitated and Hunai made a clucking sound and stepped through the doorway into a hallway. Jess followed carefully, noticing the guards observed her but made no moves to grab her. As she followed Hunai along the passageway the guards followed at a distance.

Jess noticed the markings on the doorways and walls, committing it all to memory. Hunai stopped in front of a doorway and after passing his hand over a small panel, the door whooshed open. Jess tilted her head to one side and asked, “how do I get the door to open for me?” “If you need anything the guards will escort you and open any doors you may require to enter,” Hunai stated. “Still a prisoner,” she stated dryly. “Not at all,” he stated with a shocked tone. “This is for your safety, nothing more.” “But I’m not free to come and go as I wish,” remarked Jessica. Hunai looked at her quizzically. “That is for the Commander to decide,” replied Hunai. “Oh I’m sure,” Jessica responded. “Come,” sighed Hunai. He extended his hand towards to door and Jessica stepped through. She expected to see a tiny room with a bunk along the wall and a locker, like the berths onboard the Navy ships she was familiar with. What met her eyes was more along the lines of a large luxury stateroom onboard a commercial ocean liner. She stepped further into the room and turned around slowly, taking in the colors and furnishings. “These will be your quarters until further notice,” stated Hunai. Jessica nodded her head and the male stepped out of the room and the door whooshed closed.

The urge to escape was pushing hard through her body but she tamped it down. She needed to learn more about where she was, where she was going and how to get the other women awake and free. She refused to leave them behind to face whatever fate these males had in mind. She walked over to what appeared to be a small sitting room in neutral colors. The chairs looked comfortable and there was a small table between them. She noticed a bed, larger than the medical bed she had woken in. There was what looked like a good-sized port hole and she headed for it to try to get her bearings. What she saw left her speechless. There were no ocean waves or signs of water to greet her, simply black space filled with stars of the night sky. Jessica was stunned as she stared into the blackness. Her brain refused to function for what seemed like an eternity. Only the sound of the door whooshing open brought her back to awareness. She turned to see one of the guards standing in the doorway. “You are requested to speak with Marad,” the guard informed her. “Who is this Marad?” Jessica asked. “Come,” the guard said as he stepped back into the passageway. Jess sighed, she needed to know more so she did as the guard asked and followed him along the passageway.

She was led down another series of passageways and again Jessica kept track of the symbols she saw along the way. The guard stopped in front of another doorway and after passing his hand over the panel the door whooshed open. The guard motioned for her to step through. Jess carefully did, looking around as she entered a large room with a huge monitor along one wall. Another male was at the front of the room and motioned her over to a table and chairs. “Welcome, I understand you are the first to awaken,” said the male. The smile on his face did little to calm Jessica. She carefully sat in a chair furthest away from him. “I am Marad and I will be conducting your orientation to your new life,” he said, still smiling. The next hour was taken up with the history of the Aeridian people, what had transpired and why the women from earth were being rounded up. “Breeders?!?” Stated Jessica sharply. “You’ve taken women prisoner in order to become breeders?” She was shouting at this point and the guards came rushing in.

She picked up a chair and threw it at the nearest guard. “There’s no way any of us are going to agree to this insane scheme of yours!” She shouted. As the guards attempted to corral her between them, she ducked, dodged and made her way to the door. It opened for her, and she ran full speed down the passageway with a guard hot on her heels. She made the turns quickly, the map of the hallways in her mind, as she raced headlong towards the room, she first woke up in. The guard closest to her tried to tackle her but he missed as she side stepped him easily. She pulled the weapon from his belt and raced even faster towards to room holding the women. Once outside of the room she passed her hand over the panel and the door opened. She quickly stepped inside and saw Hunai at a medical counter. He turned and saw a wild eyed and very angry woman holding a dagger in her hand.