Reaper Inc. (18 page)

"What do
you mean you cannot find them!" the General yelled at his team.

"Sir,
there are some witnesses who saw the human give chase after another being that
was wearing a hooded cloak. Colonel Dakkon was distracted by a diversion in the
street. The witnesses say a fight broke out but when the enforcers arrived,
there was no one fighting and most of the witnesses had drifted away about
their business. A shop owner saw the colonel run in the same direction the
human fled."

E'Aria asked,
"Did you find any evidence of a fight later as you tracked them? Any blood
or damaged property?" The Allond officer just stared at her, evidently
debating whether he had to answer her or not.

"Answer
her now!" The General stepped towards his officer.

"No. we
found no evidence of any struggle. It is as if they both vanished. We have a theory
but we cannot discuss it in their presence."

E'Aria looked
at her aunt Alona, the prime minister and Senator Sims. "We will wait out
in the corridor general, while your man makes his report. They walked out of
the room and down the hall a short distance.

"Ladies, I
apologize but I am going to have to go prepare for the conference tomorrow. I
believe the Allond to be doing an excellent job in their search for Benjamin
and my standing around will do no good. The general is sincere in his efforts
and has one on his own missing as well. Prime minister, I will see you tomorrow
at the opening address. Good night, ladies." They watched Senator Sims
walk away towards their group quarters in the palace.

"We have
been here two days and he goes off and vanishes with his escort. How can one
human be so much trouble?"

Alona said,
"E'Aria, you sound just like a human. You use their slang and speak it as
if you were born to it."

"I know, I
will have to practice speaking like a princess some day so you and father will
be so proud of me."

"You know
you let your emotions cloud your judgment of Benjamin. He did want to go to the
planet to check the beacons. There is nothing wrong with that. He would not
like himself too much if he left people needing help without trying and you,
more than anyone, should know this. He jumped out of a ship to save you. What
happened to Andrea wasn’t his fault. She was a trained officer. It goes with
the job and lifestyle that they have led. You and your bridge crew all knew it
might be a trap and you let them go. There is plenty of blame to go around.
This abduction, which is what I believe happened, was a setup. I don’t think
they wanted the colonel but she must have got too close." Alona finished
letting E'Aria think.

"He is
still a pain in the ass just like you." Her tone was softer, teasing her
aunt for defending Ben. "I don’t feel him and I miss him already. We have
been angry with each other for weeks and I blamed him for everything. Even so,
I could always feel him and knowing he was there was something."

"I know
dear, and I know even if he is angry with you, he still loves you. It could be
that his captors will find out what a big pain in the ass he is and bring him
back." Alona laughed and E'Aria cocked an eyebrow at her aunt.

                                   
****

Ben backed away
from the Allith as it limped after him with its arm hanging limp. He didn’t
rush his retreat and the Allith didn’t seem to want to rush him. Ben looked
over one shoulder and should have waited to step back until he looked over the
other. The upper torso of something caught his foot and tripped him up. It was
sloppy and he knew better. If the reptile killed him, he deserved it.

The Allith saw
his chance but moved too slowly to capitalize as the human had already rolled
away and was swinging the club as it stood up. It hit him in the same shoulder
that had been hit twice. He roared in pain and tried to advance faster. One arm
broken and one he couldn’t lift to strike out with, he leaned forward snapping
his jaws. The human stepped forward and swung his club right into the jaws
which closed instinctively on it. The Allith pulled from side to side trying to
dislodge it from the human.

Ben let the
Allith have his club knowing it would take its snapping jaws out of play for a
few seconds. The Allith jerked it free and in the same motion, Ben pulled the
sword from the scabbard on his back. He swung with both hands cutting deep into
its neck but not anywhere close to cutting through. Its jaws opened, letting
the club fall free and Ben let go of the hilt as the Allith staggered back,
blood running down its torso and arm. Ben picked up his club and swung two
handed. This time, it landed with a crunch to the side of its head. It fell,
one of its legs twitching and clawing as death throw spasms took over. He
walked over and brought the club down like a sledge hammer which stuck for a
second inside the Allith’s head. Ben lifted the bloody club and turned towards
the seats. He breathed heavily but evenly.

The hooded
figure in the middle moved his hand and the snake woman jumped from her seat
into the arena. She moved fast but not fast enough. Ben dropped and rolled as
she ran past him, then up he came back on his feet, bloody club ready. She
walked slowly back towards him and struck quickly, a kick, a punch, a punch
then a kick. Ben blocked all four until she came in close with a knee to his
groin. He dropped to one knee putting his head lower than hers. She unloaded a
barrage on him to his head and body. His lip was busted and his face had
scratches and cuts. He shoved her hard and stood, trying to move through the
pain and not vomit.

The
black-haired, blue-eyed woman watched as her sister exchanged blows with the
human prisoner. She wondered if the master would let him live or let her sister
kill him. Her sister circled the human slowly looking for an opportunity. He
just stood, turning, facing her. Then she made her move, one, two steps she
leapt and wrapped her legs around his chest, driving him to the ground. He
caught both of her arms and held them as she tried to batter his face again. It
would be over soon. He was exposed, her mouth opened and two long fangs popped
down. She dove to bite into his shoulder. The whistle sounded and she shut her
mouth, her face having no recourse but to bounce off of his shoulder. She
turned her head and ran her face against the side of his. She inhaled deeply
and licked him at the same time. She had blood, sweat, and dirt on her tongue.

"I know
you now, human. Your taste and your scent. I can track you anywhere." She
kissed his cheek with soft dry lips and jump up and back, off of him. She
turned and walked back towards her master. She felt better, calm now that she
had released some of her pent up energy. He tasted good too.

A guard threw
open a door and placed a bucket next to it. Ben looked at the trio, nodded his
head and walked towards the door. The bucket had what looked like water but it
was dirty and smelled. It looked like it had started out clean but they may
have pissed or shit in it. He banged on the door and started yelling.

"Bring me
some clean water!"

"Ben. you
have won today. Do not cause trouble for yourself," Tawniz yelled.

A guard opened
the metal door and stuck his arm through first with his pistol right in Ben’s
gut. Ben turned sideways and grabbed the wrist and twisted taking the pistol
from the guard. He threw it behind him, never releasing the guards arm. Holding
the guards right arm in his left, he punch the guard in the side of his head,
twice was all it took to make him stagger. He took the bucket of dirty water
and poured it in his face making sure it went down his throat.

Three guards
came through the door, pistols drawn but not firing. One worked his way around
behind Ben and picked up his comrade’s pistol. Ben tossed the bucket to the
guard right in front of him.

"I want
clean water or I will beat you all senseless."

"You can
try human." Ben didn’t let the sound of the words fade before he was on
the closet guard who had been more engaged in the conversation than noticing
where everyone was standing. Ben had him in a choke hold using his body as a
shield. He saw the guard who had spoken look to the stands then back at Ben. He
wasn’t smiling so he didn’t get the nod he was looking for. The guard was limp
in his arms and he just let him go.

"Clean
water or your buddy with two pistols he can't fire is next." Ben said it
only as a ruse. Two steps and one big fist to the face and guard number three
was down, holding a pistol in each hand. He wasn’t out, he just knew better than
to stand back up.

"It’s a
bitch. The boss won’t let you pull the trigger." Snake woman came through
the door with six guards in tow. The guard took a couple of steps back and
found himself standing next to Ben.

"You
aren’t totally stupid. She is damn scary."

"And she
hassss very good hearing hu'man." Her voice was smooth and dangerous.
"Take him." Ben was about to hold his arm up to be taken when they
grabbed the guard, took his weapon and led him off.

"Come,
piickup the buucket hu'man, follow." They walked out of the arena and into
the long corridor he had walked up earlier. A guard was waiting with shackles
but she waived him off. They walked fifty feet, turned, walked twenty more and
stopped at a door. One of the guards opened it and she led him inside. There
was a row of valves, she pointed to one and he held up the bucket and turned
it. It looked like clear water running into it. He shut it off at about three
quarters full. If he hadn’t, it would splash out while he walked and he didn’t
want to waste any.

They walked
back to the main corridor and then in the direction of the cages. He looked at
her as they walked. She was bald and the top of her head was a soft yellow. She
had no eyebrows and Ben didn’t think she had any hair anywhere. He wasn’t sure if
she had skin or very fine scales. The shape of her head was mostly humanoid;
instead of a nose, the bone came out at a sharp angle with a slit on each side
and then angled to a mouth too wide for her face then down to a small chin. Her
body was covered in clothing and it appeared she had breasts and hips for child
bearing instead of egg laying like the Allith.

"Staring
i'sss not polite hu'man."

"Sorry, I
meant no offense. Our Alliance has not met many of the species who live beyond
our own area of space."

"I have no
specieees, I am unique. There i'sss no other of my kind."

They arrived at
the cages, completing the rest of the walk in silence. Ben stopped at the cage
door of the champions but she kept walking.

"Come, you
will not be staying with the champions." They walked to another cage next
to where Tawniz cage would sit if it had been there. Ben looked the cell over.
It was as large as all the others and clean, unused. There was a bucket in the
back corner. He carried his water bucket and a mat lay on the floor. He could
hear a motor running up above. It stopped right above the champion’s cage. A
metal claw descended from the darkness above and grabbed the very large eye on
top of the cage lifting it up and taking it away towards the arena.

It was quiet
again. She stood next to him letting him watch the cage being taken away.

"Do you
have a name? Am I allowed to address you?"

"You could
not pronounce my name and to let you butcher it would hurt my ears."

"That bad
huh. Well I can’t call you Snake; that one is taken."

"Lucky for
you it i'sss hu'man. I would kill you."

"How about
Fang? It fits don’t you think?" Ben was pushing.

"Do you
wi'sss to die tonight fool?"

"Give me
your hand." She held it out. Ben ran his fingers over her palm and the
back of hand up her arm. "How about Silk?"

"What
i'sss Si'ilk?"

"It is a
soft but very strong material used to make many types of clothing. It is very
beautiful and the human females love to wrap themselves in it."

"I li'ike
the sound of that, Reaper Benjamin Jami'ssson."

"Silk it
is then."

"I was
going to ki'ill you today hu'man yet you stand here and speak as if it were
nothing."

"Many have
tried and you didn’t, you could have ignored the whistle. Then you gave me
fresh water and it looks like my own cage. I hope you don’t expect me to thank
you or your master."

"The
master gave you everything, not I."

"But it
seems like you approve."

"Yes, the
master has held off your death sentence because he feels you could help
me."

"Help you
with what, Silk?"

"Control,
I have to control my battle lust and desire to kill. If I can’t find control
soon, then the master will end my life."

"So you
want to kill in every confrontation you are faced with and the master can’t
have that because some of your prisoners you need to take and keep alive. Bad
for business to kill everyone."

"Ye'sss
that isss the reasson."

"No I am
not going to help you. In the end, your master is going to kill me, knowing
that I have no incentive to help you. You know my name and probably other
things about me so I don’t think my being here is an accident. Someone wanted
me out of the way."

"She will
die first." Silk said, nodding towards the empty space where Tawniz's cage
was sitting.

"Tell your
master that part of the plan he or she may want to rethink. She comes from a
powerful family. You might want to let her go or try a ransom and release
scheme. That is what I would do."

"No one
can find you or the female. Our ship is masked from prying eyes."

"Everything
changes. When you think no one can touch you, then someone does. Do you want
the water and cage back? It is hard for me to get excited about it when at the
end of the day, I am still a prisoner and could be dead any day."