The Colony Special Boxed Set

Chapter 5-1

Rachel

Rachel

Head spinning, I woke lying in some kind of medical station. The room was sparse, to say the least. My mates stood beside me, one at each shoulder as a third Prillon wearing a dark green uniform stood near my feet.

I blinked and my mates leaned down. “Am I on Earth?”

I knew the answer, but it was almost too unreal to assume otherwise.

“No, you are on The Colony,” Maxim said, tucking something around me. “Your processing was successful and we transported directly to the medical unit so the doctor can ensure you are well. Two transports in one day can be taxing, and you are so small and fragile.”

Small? Fragile? I was above average in every way, height, weight, cup-size and attitude, and I’d worked fourteen hours a day, every day, for the last four years. I’d worked two jobs through grad school. Just because I didn’t want to be murdered in jail didn’t mean I was fragile. Or weak.

I looked down, noticing the soft gray blanket. I was n***d beneath as I could feel the chill of the exam table. The idea of being bare while they were clothed held appeal, but not like this. Not with the stern doctor. This wasn’t hot at all.

“Yes. I will assess her now and ensure that the biological regulatory implants are functioning properly.”

The doctor was Prillon as well, his coloring a shade between Maxim and Ryston. I was recognizing their physical traits, their size. Their dominating personalities. That was all fine and good with my mates. I could sense their emotions. I could forgive them being a bit bossy and overbearing when I felt the desire and longing that accompanied their words and actions. But the doctor? No.

Pushing up first on my elbows, then up to a sitting position, I took in the doctor as I wrapped the blanket around my back. Seeing my struggle, Ryston assisted in covering me, his gaze flicking once to the doctor. He wore a dark green uniform, more like scrubs than armor. His coloring was golden, more like Ryston than Maxim, but darker. Like honey mixed with a dash of cinnamon. I couldn’t see all of his body, but his left hand was strangely silver, just like Ryston’s temple. That was the only thing I could see that was cyborg. Maybe he had more under that shirt, but I didn’t care to see it. The only aliens I was interested in seeing n***d were mine.

The doctor held a strange instrument in each of his hands, lifted one and waved it before me. Lights glowed on the cylindrical tube and he studied them.

“What does your magic wand do, doctor? Can it detect vascular changes, blood oxygen levels? Just the usual vitals?” I asked. “Of course, I don’t know what you guys consider vital.”

He arched one brow.

“This tool analyzes everything from your capillary refill to your kidney function. If there is an abnormality, it will inform me. Then I will perform secondary testing.”

A reasonable answer. As he continued to wave that stick around, Maxim and Ryston eyed me as if I might either leap off the table and run away or possibly implode from transport. I could sense their worry, but didn’t understand the cause. Was I missing something? I looked down at myself. What had been part of the transport processing? What about me had to be modified to live on The Colony? To be a Prillon bride? Lifting my hand to my face, I felt to see if I had a metal implant in my eye.

“Are you hurt?” Maxim asked. The doctor lifted the wand to my face.

I shook my head. “No. I just wondered…wondered what had been done to me before transport. Did I get some silver stuff, too?”

“No. Absolutely not. No Hive implant will ever taint your perfect flesh. I assure you. We will keep you safe from the Hive, from any harm that may come to you.”

The doctor cleared his throat. “Greetings. I am Doctor Surnen.”

“Doctor.” It wasn’t, perhaps, what I was supposed to say, but sitting there n***d with three aliens was making me a bit edgy.

The doctor continued with his weird scanning thing as he spoke. “A typical Prillon bride receives body regulatory implants and a full health assessment prior to arrival.”

“Body regulatory implants?” What. The. Hell.

Doctor Surnen turned a slightly darker shade of gold and I wondered if he was blushing? Seriously? Had he never seen a girl before? What, exactly, had they done to me before I woke?

“Microscopic implants were inserted into all of your excretory cavities during the processing phase of your transport. They will be in constant communication with our system and eliminate all body waste as it is created via transport. All matter is collected and reassigned in our Spontaneous Matter Generators. We call them S-Gen units. I’m sure your mates will show you how to use them once you are in your quarters.”

Speechless. That was the only word I had. Had he just said what I thought he said? “So, I never have to empty my bowel or bladder again? Ever?”

The doctor nodded, his shoulders slumping in obvious relief that I’d understood. “Correct. So long as you remain within transmission distance of our systems, here, on The Colony, on Prillon Prime, or in one of our battleship groups.”

I didn’t know what to think. As a scientist, I was impressed. The technology he referenced was so far advanced from what could be done on Earth that my mind was thinking of that and not the ick factor I should consider.

But that thought fled my mind when the doctor traded implements and said, “Lie back, put your feet on the edge of the table and part your legs.”

He held up an object that looked like a dildo with a couple of things sticking off. I had a B.O.B, a battery operated boyfriend, in my bedside drawer. What single woman didn’t? That didn’t mean I wanted to have one used on me under the guise of medical science. With a lover, sure. If Maxim or Ryston had said the same command, I might have actually done their bidding just to see what kind of kinky fun might happen next, but not with the damn doctor.

things I did exactly the opposite, squeezing my knees together. “I don’t think so.”

The doctor repeated his words.

“From your testing, you probably discovered that my hearing and brain function is fine,” I countered. “The answer is still no.”

His lips thinned into a line and he glanced at Maxim and Ryston.

“They may be my mates, but they don’t have any say. My body, my choice.”

“Is that Earth terminology?” he countered.

“Explain to me, in Prillon terminology, why you need to stick that probe in me.”

“The sensors will help determine that your nervous system is functioning at optimal levels and that you are healthy and fertile for breeding.”

My mouth fell open and I realized he was being serious. Actually, I realized the man—no, the Prillon—was always serious. So I glanced at Maxim and Ryston, who remained silent.

“I’m a scientist. I have a PhD. I am not naive enough to think that my v****a is where you test a human’s nervous system. As for the rest, no f*****g way.”

I hopped off the table, tugged the blanket around me.

“Rachel—”

“Breed?” That word made me see red and I whirled around on my mates. “I’m not a dog and this isn’t a puppy mill.” I saw red, literally, swaying for a moment as I was sure my blood pressure spiked. “No. Take me back. I’m not playing this game with you. With any of you.”

When the men frowned in obvious confusion, I continued. “I’ll explain myself in terms you might understand. At the bride testing center you were worried about your contaminated flesh making you deficient in my eyes. And now you want to test me for fertility? What if I’m not fertile? What if I can’t have a baby? Will you find me deficient? Lacking? I thought we were matched because we were perfect for each other. Not based on whether or not I could get pregnant.”

meperfect “You will let your mate speak to you this way?” the doctor asked Maxim. His voice was harsh and held some surprise.

These guys needed a swift kick in the balls. Seriously. This place needed more women to bring them into some semblance of the 21st century. “And I thought you guys were an advanced race. What a joke.” I walked toward what I assumed was a door. It looked like a door, a big, gray sliding door that I hoped would open when I got close. I’d find my way back to the stupid transport room and chalk this up to a stupid, naïve moment of weakness.

I was thirty-two, not twenty-two. I knew better than to believe in fairy tales.

The door didn’t open and I gathered my will to demand to be released. I turned to find Maxim watching me intently. The doctor mumbled under his breath, but I didn’t want nor care to know what he said. Ryston stood by, waiting.

God, what kind of planet was this? People weren’t allowed to speak up for themselves? If the answer was no and I’d done something horribly wrong within five minutes of arrival, what was he going to do about it?

“Yes, my mate will always be free to speak her mind to me,” Maxim finally said. “And she’s right.”

I exhaled, not realizing I had been holding my breath.

“You can’t be serious,” the doctor countered. “The testing is a requirement of all Prillon—”

Maxim lifted his hand to silence him. “I’m aware of the testing requirements, but my mate is also correct. I don’t care if she’s fertile or not. It’s irrelevant.”

“But that was part of the reasoning for accepting mates from the Brides Program, to start families on The Colony. To grow.”

grow.”This wasn’t Noah’s ark, for God’s sake, but I doubted they knew that story and doubted they’d be happy to hear it. I was just glad Maxim was agreeing with me.

“It is not her sole responsibility to populate The Colony’s future generations, Doctor Surnen. Remember, the bond Ryston and I share with Rachel is stronger than regular Prillon mates. We have the collars and the bond that brings, but we also were matched by the Interstellar Brides Program’s matching protocol. We are doubly suited. I will not reject her, regardless of the results of your tests. Therefore, the testing is no longer necessary. She’s ours.”

The corner of his mouth tipped up as he held out his hand. I looked at it, so big, the fingers blunt and long, then walked over and took it. His touch was surprisingly gentle for one of his size. All at once I felt his emotions, his power, roiling through him. He was angry, whether at the doctor for his meddling, or for another reason, I had no idea. I could only hope he wasn’t angry with me.

“As governor, you need to lead by example,” the doctor added.

“Yes, I do. But finding mates through the Brides Program is unprecedented.”

“The very reason to ensure she is well.” The doctor was like a dog with a bone. Did he want to shove something in my v****a that badly?