Alien Auction Toy

Chapter 2 - The Medical Wing

The corridors beyond the auction hall were colder.

Mira stumbled as the massive doors slid shut behind them with a heavy metallic hiss. The noise echoed through the long, curved hallway like the sealing of a vault.

Five enormous alien figures surrounded her.

She had to tilt her head back just to look at them.

The tallest one—the one who had spoken to her—walked in front. The others followed behind, their long strides forcing Mira to hurry to keep up. Every step of theirs felt heavy enough to shake the floor.

The metal cuff was still around her wrist.

She hugged her free arm to her chest and tried not to cry.

Strange symbols glowed faintly along the walls as they walked. Doors slid open automatically as the group approached, reacting to the presence of the towering beings.

They stopped outside a large chamber.

The door parted with a low hum.

Inside, everything was bright white.

Smooth surfaces. Strange curved machines. Suspended screens filled with glowing alien symbols. The room looked sterile and silent, like a laboratory.

Mira immediately stepped back.

“No,” she whispered.

One of the aliens gently pushed her forward with two fingers against her shoulder. Even the lightest touch from him felt like being moved by a machine.

She stumbled into the room.

“Medical inspection,” one of them said calmly.

The one with silver hair leaned against a nearby console, watching her with open curiosity.

“She is smaller than expected,” he murmured.

“Humans are fragile,” another replied.

Mira’s heart pounded as a smooth platform rose slowly from the floor in the center of the room. It looked disturbingly like an examination table.

“No… please…” she said, backing away.

The leader crouched again, his amber eyes steady.

“You will not be harmed,” he said.

She didn’t believe him.

But the cuff around her wrist pulsed again, tightening painfully.

A quiet command from one of the aliens caused the restraint to guide her forward, forcing her step by step until the back of her legs touched the platform.

“Sit,” the leader said.

Her legs trembled so badly she collapsed onto it.

The surface beneath her shifted slightly, adjusting to her shape. Cold light scanned slowly over her body from head to toe.

Mira squeezed her eyes shut.

Mechanical arms unfolded from the ceiling above her with soft clicks.

“Vitals stable,” one alien voice said as symbols scrolled across a nearby screen.

“Species confirmation: human female.”

One of the arms gently lifted her chin.

Another brushed through her hair.

Another pressed lightly against her wrist, taking samples.

Mira flinched at every touch.

“Heart rate elevated,” the silver-haired one noted with mild amusement.

“She is afraid.”

“Of course she is,” another answered.

The leader remained closest to her, watching silently.

One of the machines emitted a soft tone.

“Biological compatibility confirmed.”

Mira barely had time to process the words before another mechanical arm lowered toward her neck holding a thin metallic band.

She jerked back.

“No! Don’t put that on me!”

The arm paused.

The leader spoke calmly.

“Translator collar.”

“It will allow communication.”

“I don’t want it!” Mira cried.

But the cuff tightened again.

The arm moved forward.

Cold metal closed gently but firmly around her neck.

A tiny click sounded as it sealed.

For a moment nothing happened.

Then a warm tingling spread across her throat and behind her ears. The room hummed softly.

Suddenly the alien voices around her became perfectly clear.

“…translator synchronized.”

“…linguistic mapping complete.”

Mira gasped.

“You— I can understand you.”

“Yes,” the leader said.

But the machines weren’t finished.

Another device slid down from the ceiling—smaller this time, holding something that looked like a thin needle.

Mira’s eyes widened immediately.

“What is that?”

“Tracker implant,” one alien answered casually.

Her stomach dropped.

“No. No, you’re not putting anything inside me!”

She tried to stand.

The table reacted instantly, forming smooth restraints around her wrists and ankles.

She thrashed.

“Stop! Let me go!”

The silver-haired alien chuckled softly from the console.

“Strong spirit.”

The leader didn’t look amused.

“It is necessary,” he said.

“For what?!” Mira cried.

“So you cannot be lost.”

The needle moved toward her shoulder.

She squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away.

There was a brief sting.

Then it was over.

The machine retracted.

The restraints released.

Mira sat frozen, breathing hard as tears slipped down her cheeks.

“It is done,” one of them said.

She wrapped her arms around herself again, the new metal collar cold against her throat.

“You put a tracker inside me…” she whispered.

“Yes.”

The leader finally stepped closer again.

His massive shadow fell across the platform.

“You are valuable,” he said simply.

“We will not allow you to disappear.”

Mira looked around the room at the five towering figures.

At the sealed door.

At the alien machines.

Her voice came out small.

“So what happens now?”

The silver-haired alien pushed himself off the console and smiled slightly.

“Now,” he said,

“we take our new human toy home.”