Fighting Lory

Chapter 1 New York, USA Central Park 15th May 2027 Lory’s footsteps sounded unnaturally loud in the silence of the park. The only other sound was her rapid breathing as she sprinted along the asphalt path. To the right of her she saw shadows darting into the bushes, and at this point she left the sealed path, leaping over several thick branches that were lying on the ground. “Dean! Paul! Damn it! Where are you?“ She spoke into the microphone in her collar. “Have just passed the bridges. Where are you?“ Dean answered. “I’m alone. Jason is down.“ “s**t!“ She heard shots nearby and took cover behind a tree. Her breathing was heavy and her heart was racing. “We’re under fire,“ sounded Dean’s frantic voice in her ear. “I can hear the shots. I’m close. I’m coming. Over!“ ‘If I survive this, I’m finally going to take a holiday in the Caribean,‘ Lory silently promised herself. She drew her Glock 10mm Auto out of the holster, keeping a new magazine handy, and then she ran through the undergrowth. The shots became less frequent before stopping completely. Then she saw two shapes lying on the ground ahead of her. She heard cracking sounds from the undergrowth and she could make out several shadows disappearing amongst the trees. She fired, but it was too late. The rotten pigs had escaped. “s**t! s**t! s**t!“ She cursed, throwing herself onto her knees next to the first body. It was Dean. His empty eyes stared into the night sky. Lory clenched her teeth to stop herself yelling out in anger and despair. She crawled on a few meters to Paul. He groaned quietly, but it was clear that he was not going to make it. Blood was pouring from his mouth and his upper body was riddled with holes like a sieve. He was trembling. “Paul. I’m here, Paul,“ she said as calm as possible, placing her hand on his forehead. “Everything’s going to be alright, Paul.“ “Nnnn... dy...ing. Ov-overrr.“ ‘Damn it! What can I do? What can I do?‘ She looked around frantically. The filthy pigs were sure to be long gone and there were five of them. She was the only one left. They had killed her partner, Jason, first. Now Dean was dead and his partner, Paul, would join him within minutes. Suddenly a cracking sound came from the undergrowth behind her. She was about to turn round, ready to shoot, when a sharp pain shot through her back. She was completely dazed. The last thing she saw was a monster before everything went black. *** Somewhere in the far reaches of the universe Lory groaned. She felt awful. What had happened? Had she celebrated too much? Then she remembered the events in the park and her dead colleagues. Where was she? What had happened to her? Had the bastards taken her prisoner? She groaned again and tried to open her eyes. This took several attempts. She blinked, annoyed. She was in a room with metal walls and two women were sitting on couches, staring at her. One was white blond and the other had red hair. Next to Lory, on another cot, lay a brunette: Lory could not tell whether she was asleep or unconscious. What were these women doing here? She didn’t know any of them. Were these people involved in human trafficking, too? Enforced p**********n? “What … Where …?” She murmured, dazed. “You’ve been abducted,” the redhead said. “By aliens. We’re on a spaceship,” added the blond woman, to complete the picture. “Are you making fun of me? That really is not funny!” Lory snarled sullenly. She really was not in the mood for joking. “No, it really isn’t funny,” the redhead agreed. “But unfortunately true!” Lory got up unsteadily from her couch and staggered to the door. There was no door handle, so she banged hard against the metal. “Hey! Open this damn door immediately! I am Special Agent Lory Andersson and whoever you are, you’re going to have major problems with the FBI if you don’t release me immediately! So get your damn asses over here and open up!” “Sorry, darling, but I don’t think they’ll be particularly interested in the FBI,” interrupted the blond woman. “Are you really an FBI agent?” Asked the redhead. Lory nodded miserably and stared at the two women. Then she grasped at her hips and into her inside jacket pocket. “s**t! They’ve taken my weapons. f**k!” “FBI. Woohoo. So cool,” said the redhead. “Only that won’t do you any good here. Keela’s right about that. – By the way, I’m Charly. Actually, Charlotte, but I’ll kill anyone who calls me that. I hate that damn name!” “Lory,” replied Lory bluntly. She was not here to form friendships. She had to see to it that she got out of here as quickly as possible. “You say you’ve already been awake for eight hours? Haven’t the beasts appeared at all during that whole time? I mean, to give you something to eat or drink?” Asked Keela. “No, only to bring you two in. But I’m presuming they haven’t abducted us to starve us. Even lab rats are fed.” Lory and Keela glared at her. “Sorry. Only joking. I have a crap sick humor, I know. I always do that when I’m scared to death. It’s a kind of self-piss-taking. It’s better than collapsing into tears hysterically, isn’t it? The b****y monsters will come at some point. They haven’t forgotten us, that’s for sure,” replied Charly. “Anyway, I’m dead happy not to be here alone. At least we have one another.” “Thanks, but I’d happily forego the honor of keeping you company here,” snarled Lory angrily. She knew that she was being unpleasant, but hey, she had just lost three men that she had worked with for years and whom she had cared about. And the evil guys were still running free. And the bastards could also be behind this mess. Who else would have abducted her? She had still not quite figured out why the other women had been abducted, though. As far as she knew, the men that she had been pursuing were not involved in p**********n or human trafficking. These were basically terrorists pursuing a political goal. With all the will in the world Lory could not connect the women here with the work of the terrorists. “Sorry, darling. Go ahead and leave if you can get out of this b****y metal box,” Charly snapped back. Lory had to admire her rapier wit. Sarcasm was something that Lory liked. Better than someone who didn’t say what he really thinks about you. Lory liked to know where she stood and was always honest herself. “People, let’s keep the peace, OK?” Keela tried to calm things down. “What’s the story with her?” Asked Lory, pointing to the brunette who was still sleeping. “Has she woken up yet?” “No,” replied Charly. “Should we wake her?” Keela shrugged. “Don’t know.” “I think we should try to. If she doesn’t react we can let her sleep on,” said Lory. Maybe the brunette would know more. Charly was the first at the brunette’s cot. Keela and Lory followed her. Charly shook the sleeping woman gently by the shoulders. “Hey, sweetie, wake up!” “Hmm,” said the young woman, curling up on her side like a fetus. “Hello!” Charly tried again. “Can you hear me? Wake up!” The brunette blinked and looked upset. “What are you doing?” She murmured. “I haven’t got work today.” “Wake up. It’s important!” Keela joined in. The brunette’s eyes opened. “Who are you? How have you gotten into my …” She looked around frantically. “Where … where am I? What …?” “On a spaceship,” explained Keela. “We’ve been abducted. Can you remember anything?” The brunette shook her head. “What’s your name?” Asked Lory. “Amber. And yours?” “I’m Charly, this is Keela and here we have Lory. Lory is from the FBI.” Amber sat up and clasped her head, groaning. “Headache?” Keela asked sympathetically. “Hm.” “I had that, too. That’ll go in a few minutes. They stunned us with a laser or something. It must have been quite a strong dose because it knocked me out in milliseconds.” Lory thought she could hear something and listened out. She could indeed hear voices and footsteps coming closer. “I think someone’s coming,” she said, and everyone fell silent. The door was unbolted and swung open. Two revolting creatures appeared in the cell. Lory was a hardened agent, but these gruesome monsters made an ice-cold shiver run down her back. Up to this point she had considered the alien a*******n to be a figment of the other women’s imaginations, but certainly these beasts were definitely not human. She knew that the government did sponsor some strange and secret experiments, but the origin of these beasts was something else. “So, you’re awake,” said one of the aliens. Charly and Keela whispered to one another. “We’ve implanted an interpreter into each of your ears,” said the alien. “The interpreter is programmed with your language and all the main galactic languages. This is necessary because otherwise you could not understand your masters.” Lory stood up, legs apart, hands on hips. She must not show any fear before these beasts. “Our – what?” She asked. She very much hoped that she had misheard. “Your masters. That is, whoever buys you at the slave market on Xevus3. You’ll bring us in a pretty sum.” “Slave market?” Keela stared at the creature, dumbfounded. “You’ve abducted us to sell us at a slave market?” Lory considered jumping at this revolting beast’s neck, but it was only too clear that she would not have the slightest chance of success. It was better for her to wait for a more favorable opportunity for a surprise attack or ambush. It would be of no use to anyone if she were to lose her life because of a hopeless attempt. If she wanted to come out of this mess in one piece she would need to be cunning. “Correct,” the alien responded to Keela’s question. “There are several planets with a considerable lack of females. That’s why we’re dealing in females from other worlds. We’ve only recently discovered your planet and ascertained that you’re suitable. We have twelve of your race on our ship.” “Suitable? For what?” Amber asked sharply. “Suitable for mating – compatible for mating,” explained the alien. “I feel sick,” Amber groaned, horrified. “Wait a minute!” Lory cut in. “I will absolutely not mate with any of you revolting monsters. I’d rather die! Is that clear?” At lightning speed the alien grabbed Lory by the neck and glared at her from his red eyes. She was choking, her heart was pounding and for the first time in her life she felt as if she was going to wet herself. Fortunately she was spared that humiliation. “If I wanted you, you’d have absolutely no chance of defending yourself. Never forget whom you’re dealing with. I am Knirrgn Arghagn, officer to his Royal Majesty Ulhgrang ign Ifzarghn.” Knirrgn let go of Lory as quickly as he had grabbed her and she staggered backwards, choking. Keela caught her in her arms from behind. At a signal from Knirrgn the other alien walked through the door, bringing in a kind of trolley laden with lidded bowls, some cups and a jug of purple-colored liquid. “Your food for today. In two hours the light will be dimmed. Then it’s time to sleep. Prepare yourselves to work out from the light whether it’s night or day, because we’ll be travelling for a good cycle,” Knirrgn informed them. “What’s a cycle?” Asked Charly. “The cycle is the standard month according to the United Galactic Federation. It lasts thirty-four days. It’ll take that long to reach our destination. And now eat.” Both aliens left the cell, bolting the door again. “s**t,” swore Lory. “I’m not spreading my legs for any damn alien!” She urgently had to come up with a plan. These monsters really were damn strong. Involuntarily she grasped her neck that was still hurting from the alien’s brutal grip. “Me neither!” Keela agreed with her, disgusted. Charly and Amber likewise murmured their agreement. “But I am hungry,” said Charly. “It’s no use to anyone if we starve.” She took the lids off the bowls. There were various fruits, a kind of stew and a plate of meat that looked like beef. They tentatively tried each of the dishes and poured themselves some of the liquid that seemed to be a type of lemonade and it tasted pleasantly sour. “Mm, not bad,” judged Keela. Lory and the other women agreed with her. “The lemonade is tasty, too. Tastes a bit like lemon … no! Lime juice with a hint of … of … oh, yes, a hint of mango!” There seemed to be a silent agreement amongst the women not to discuss what lay before them. Right now none of them wanted to think about the fact that they were to be sold at a galactic slave market. *** Kanavirius System, Xevus3 Betzlawk 8th day of the month of Jakus in the year 7067 Federation Time They had landed on a desert planet where they were to be sold at a slave market. The spaceport was modern and equipped with everything that travellers would expect: hotels, bars and other entertainment, as well as shops and market places. The further they went from the spaceport, though, the more dilapidated the area became. Their guards led them into a compound containing several shacks. Lory and the other women were pushed into one of the huts and the door was bolted behind them. It was dimly lit inside, but light enough for them to realize that they were not the only ones. In this small space there were already four women and girl of about ten. They moved a little closer together to make space for the new arrivals. One woman was clearly older than the others: she was already grey and had a few wrinkles, too, but her figure was slim and muscular and she appeared to be anything but fragile. She gestured to the women to sit down. Lory remained standing, her arms folded, whilst Keela, Charly and Amber sat down. Lory cast her eyes over her fellow prisoners. The girl had black hair, tied up in six thick plaits, and unusually intense turquoise-colored eyes. She was wearing a turquoise-colored tunic over cream-colored leggings made of soft leather. The other women had simply-cut dresses made of colorful material. They were visually different from the girl: the back of their heads went into a point and they had strangely rounded ears that protruded from their black hair. “I’m Ayakala,” the older woman introduced herself. “These are my daughters, Jukuzala and Niminita. And that’s Bebenile. And the little one is Solima.” “I’m Charly, that’s Keela and Amber, and this is Lory,” Charly took it upon herself to make the introductions. Jukuzala passed the women a bottle of water and they gratefully quenched their thirst. Only after they had finished drinking did the old woman speak again. “We’re from Uluah2. Solima is from Karrx7. Where are you from?” “We’ve been abducted from planet earth,” answered Charly. “Earth? I don’t know that one!” Said the old woman, shaking her head. “But that doesn’t mean anything – I don’t know many planets.” “How is this place guarded? How many men come when they bring food? Are they armed?” asked Lory. It was good to gather as much information as possible when planning an escape. Because one thing was certain: Lory was not going to wait until she was flogged to the highest bidder. She was determined not to give in to her fate without a fight. There must be a way of escaping from here. Ayakala looked blankly at Lory. “Why do you want to know?” She asked. “It must be possible to escape,” Lory said, irritated. “I can easily knock out two men without weapons – if I could get hold of something to use as a weapon, then more than just two.” Ayakala and her daughters shook their heads. “Even if you get out of this hut, you still need to get through the gate, and that’s guarded. You don’t stand a chance,” declared the old woman. “When we were brought here there were only two men stationed there,” interjected Charly. “There may be only two guards, but there are at least another six sitting in the hut next to the gate,” explained Ayakala. “Anyway, where would you go? Outside Betzlawk there’s nothing but desert for miles and miles. Even if, by some miracle, you were able to get to one of the other towns, you wouldn’t be made welcome there. But it’s suicide, anyway, going out into the desert. It’s even hotter there than it is here and there’s no water for miles and miles. You’ll be hunted down. They’ll find you sooner or later in the town and there’s no way into or out of the spaceport without being checked, and what’s more you can’t book a journey without money. So it’s better to hope that you’ll find a good master who treats you well. Believe me.” “I’d rather die than let myself be owned by some damn alien,” Lory snarled angrily. “She’s right,” said Amber. “We’re never going to get home again anyway. It’s hopeless. Who knows how far from earth we are, and where are we going to find someone who’ll take us back?” “I can think about that when I get out of here,” Lory insisted. “Anything is better than being bought by a damn alien and bearing its little monsters.” The very thought of being sold to one of the various aliens that she had seen here on the streets of Betzlawk made her blood boil. Most of them didn’t look even vaguely human. Besides, she would definitely not give herself to a man that she didn’t want. And Lory was choosy where her s****l partners were concerned. They had to have style and moral fiber. And of course they had to deal with the fact that she knew her own mind and stuck up for her rights. No! She would most certainly not be anyone’s s*x slave. Not as long as she still had a spark of life in her, and right now she had a good deal. She would get out of here, whatever the cost. *** Hours passed by and no one came. The conversation amongst the women had long since stopped. Lory had not taken part anyway. She was walking up and down like a tiger in a cage, thinking about her situation. She simply couldn’t sit still, knowing that they were planning to sell her to some monster. “Can’t you just sit down now?” Keela said, irritated. “You’re making me completely dizzy, walking round in circles.” “I don’t understand you lot,” Lory blurted out angrily. “How can you sit here, totally calmly, waiting till someone flogs you to the highest-bidding slimy or hairy alien? I certainly don’t intend to give up without a fight.” “Perhaps it’ll be easier to escape once we’ve been bought,” interrupted Keela. “If we appear to be weak and helpless, maybe the one that buys us will be less watchful and when the right moment …” “If, if, if!” Lory interrupted Keela. “If you wait for someone to serve you the return ticket to earth on a golden platter, you’ll never get it.” Lory wasn’t one of those people who waited for everything to possibly work out. She was used to taking things in her own hands. She would rather die trying to escape than allow others to order her around. “Someone’s coming,” Amber warned urgently. The women fell silent and they could indeed hear footsteps approaching the hut. The door was unlocked and two men appeared with a woman carrying a tray of food. The men were largely humanoid, if one overlooked their green skin and the small, wart-like pockmarks on their foreheads and temples. They were large and powerfully built, but they were not carrying weapons. That was good. Lory did not doubt that she could deal with them both. She studied the situation and prepared herself to attack at the right moment. Once the woman had put the tray in the middle of the room, Lory picked her moment. She grabbed the man standing closest to her and smashed his head on the doorframe three times till he became limp in her hands, then she simply dropped the unconscious man onto the ground. The other guard threw himself at her and they exchanged a few hard blows and kicks. As the surprise effect had passed Lory didn’t have an easy time of it with this well-trained man, despite being well trained in close combat herself. The alien was an evenly matched fighter and he was not making it easy for her, but she loved the fight. It was better than sitting and waiting. Both of them were dealing heavy blows and taking heavy blows. Her opponent was already bleeding from his mouth and nose and breathing heavily, but she wasn’t faring any better. With a yell Keela, Charly and Amber suddenly threw themselves at the guard. Charly climbed onto him from behind whilst Amber and Keela helped Lory by kicking and thumping him until he fell to the ground. Once both of the guards were lying motionless Lory turned to the other women. The woman who had brought the tray was standing in the middle of the room, her mouth agape and her eyes wide, and she seemed incapable of saying or doing anything. “We have to act quickly, before anyone notices what’s happened,” said Lory, and the women, including Ayakala, her daughters and the girl, followed Lory outside. Only Bebenile and the woman with the tray stayed behind. There was no one to be seen in the yard. Everything seemed to be silent and deserted, but they knew that there were more guards in the hut next to the entrance, not forgetting the two guards outside the gate. “We’ll try to find another exit. I think we should be able to get over the wall over there,” Lory whispered, and they quickly crept across the yard to the side opposite the gate. Lory felt euphoric. She was thrilled to have fled from the cramped hut, despite knowing that her escape was a long way from getting her back to earth. But it was a start. She could think about what to do now once she was in safety somewhere. Suddenly loud shouting and footsteps could be heard behind them. “s**t! They’ve caught us,” cried Lory. “Come on, girls. Faster!” They now ran as fast as they could. Lory was the first to climb over a barrel onto the roof. She glanced back hastily. Ayakala and her daughters, as well as the small girl, had stopped. They clearly thought that they didn’t stand a chance any more. There were at least ten men behind them – four were dealing with the women who had stayed behind and the other six were pursuing Lory and the others. Lory carried on climbing quickly; Charly close behind her, but Amber and Keela seemed to be having problems. “Hurry up!” shouted Lory on reaching the wall. She jumped and Charly immediately did the same. Lory glanced up at Keela and Amber, who seemed to be hesitating. She gesticulated wildly to them to jump. “s**t,” she heard Keela murmur quietly. Keela closed her eyes and jumped. Amber landed with a quiet “Ow! f**k!” next to her. “Come on!” Lory urged the others to hurry and ran with Charly along the narrow alley that they had landed in.