“She will return soon,” Flint reminded him, his attention turning to the scene unfolding with the human woman and Zorus. “I’m more concerned about that.”
Coal nodded. “He really hates humans.”
“I know. Him buying one will give me nightmares but we have no right to interfere.”
Coal’s gaze cut to the exterior cargo door when it opened. Jill walked off the Jenny without glancing back. His fingers curled into fists at his side.
“Take deep breaths and remain calm. I find that pacing helps.” Flint shrugged. “I’ll go see how the human female is.” He looked at Onyx and Sky. “Guard the cargo door to make certain Coal doesn’t get impatient. The last thing we need is a battle.” He glanced around the cargo hold. “This thing wouldn’t survive.”
Coal shot Flint a glare. “I don’t need babysitters.”
“Yes, you do. I see that look, my friend. You want to storm after her to make sure she’s fine. The captain won’t harm her.” Flint moved away.
Coal glared at the two cyborgs who moved to stand in front of the doors Jill had just walked through. He crossed his arms over his chest and began to pace. She will return soon. He kept repeating that in his mind.
* * * * *
Jill tried not to feel nervous as Captain Varel took total stock of her from head to toe, his green eyes slowly traveling the length of her body until he met her gaze again. He smiled.
“You can call me Barney,” he offered softly. “I’m so glad to meet you finally, Jillian.”
“Nobody calls me that. I’m just Jill.” She shifted her stance. “Look, if my father said I’d marry you, well, he didn’t have a right to do that.” Her arms crossed over her chest. “It’s not happening.”
The calm expression on the captain’s face quickly changed. “You don’t know me. I believe, if given time, you will change your mind. I’d never treat you the way Darren did. You have nothing to fear from me.”
“Let me cut the crap,” Jill frowned back at him. “Did you see that tall, bald cyborg? I’m in love with him and he’s the one I’m marrying. Nothing you could say or do will change that.”
“You can’t be serious.”
The doors opened from the inner ship and a woman wearing barely anything walked into the cargo hold. She carried a tray with two glasses. Jill’s eyebrows arched high at the tall, beautiful blonde woman with more leg bared than could be considered decent. The very short dress stretched over her thin, willowy frame, tight enough to reveal her small breasts to the point that nothing had been left to the imagination.
“Here are the drinks you ordered, Captain.” The woman flashed a smile at Jill. “Welcome aboard.”
“Thank you,” the captain took the two glasses off the tray and dismissed the woman with a jerk of his head. He offered one of the drinks to Jill. “I bet you miss certain things from Earth. I thought you’d enjoy a glass of wine while we talked.”
Jill watched the other woman stroll out of the room. “She’s gorgeous.” Her gaze returned to the captain. “You obviously don’t need a woman in your life.”
“She’s a sex android for the crew.”
“Oh.” Shocked, she reached for the offered glass, in need of something to wet her dry throat. “Well, that’s handy to have aboard. She looks so real I never would have guessed but then I’ve never seen one.”
Barney grinned. “I don’t use her for sex. We got a good deal on her that I couldn’t resist. She was a decommissioned model heading to be scrapped.”
“That’s hard to believe. She’s lovely.”
“They tried some sort of new thinking chip that made them too smart for whorehouses. We don’t mind her adapting abilities since she’s capable of learning everything from shuttle repairs to doing laundry.”
“Handy.” Jill sipped the wine again, enjoying the taste, and then lowered her glass. “Back to our discussion. I don’t want to hurt your feelings but my life isn’t going to be with you. It would never work out between us. I really do love Coal. That’s the name of the cyborg who wanted to shoot you.” She paused. “My mind is made up.”
“I see.” He took a deep breath. “Do you mind telling me why you stayed away from Earth for so long? Have you been with those cyborgs since your father died?”
“Actually, I just met him and everything fell into place. I didn’t come back to Earth because the Jenny didn’t have enough fuel to make the trip. One of my first trades went wrong and a few people died accidentally when I tried to get away from a shuttle chasing me. I thought Earth Government wanted to arrest me for their deaths.”
“You aren’t wanted. I would have seen if an alert had been issued on a Jillian Maris.”
“It’s a relief to know I’m not considered a murderer.” She took another sip of the wine. “I’d like to go now.”
He nodded. “At least finish your wine. I’m glad you’re happy, Jillian. That’s all your father wanted for you.”
“I’m glad we’re cool. You seem nice and all but as I said, I love Coal and I just want to get back to him.” She lifted her glass, gulping down the rest of the wine just to be done, and held out the glass. “Thank you for being so understanding. I wish you a happy life.”
He took the glass, smiled, and then tossed both glasses to the deck. His lunged before the sound of shattering glass registered to Jill. She gasped when he grabbed her, yanking her roughly against his larger frame.
“You didn’t really think I’d allow you to get away, did you?”
Jill started to struggle but suddenly she didn’t feel well. Her head started to pound, the room spun, and a dizzy spell hit her so hard her knees gave way. “What―”
“I drugged your drink, you naïve little fool.” The captain shifted his hold and swept her up into the cradle of his arms. “Did you record all that?” His voice rose.
“Yes, Captain,” a male answered from somewhere.
Jill fought to remain conscious. The pain in her head grew worse and when she tried to focus, she couldn’t see anything but blurry shapes. Her arms and legs didn’t want to respond.
“Loop it up and send the message. Tell them you’ll only give it to that one called Flint. He seemed to command those robotic things. After you send it, undock, and get us the hell out of here before they realized they’ve been duped.”
“No,” Jill whispered. “Coal!” Everything turned black.
Chapter Twelve
Alarm gripped Coal when the engines to the Jenny fired up. He turned to the docking doors but they hadn’t opened again to admit Jill back onto her ship. Onyx and Sky still blocked the doors but now both men gave him worried looks. Another door opened, drawing his attention, and he spun to face Flint.
“Why have you started the engines? Jill hasn’t returned yet.”
Flint walked straight to him, a frown fixed firmly on his face. “I have bad news, Coal.” He stopped within feet between him. “Your human female decided to stay with her own people.”
“I don’t believe it. They are making her say that.” He lunged, trying to get around the other cyborg toward the docking doors but Flint grabbed his arms, halting him.
“I’ve been given a message for you.”
“Let me go. I’m going to retrieve Jill.” Coal struggled but the other cyborg refused to release him.
“I’m going to play Jill’s message for you.” Flint cocked his head. “Listen.”
The speakers in the docking back clicked on. Coal tensed, ceasing his struggles in the other male’s arms. It had to be some kind of trick. The humans had stolen Jill. She loved him and would never leave him. They were going to form a family unit.
“Let me just be blunt, Coal.” Jill’s voice filled his ears. “I don’t want to hurt your feelings but my life isn’t going to be with you. My mind is made up. I just met him and everything fell into place. You seem nice and all but it would never work out between us. Thank you for being so understanding. I wish you a happy life.”
The transmission cut out. P
ain gripped Coal so hard he couldn’t breathe. No, his mind screamed. She wouldn’t do this to me. She loves me and I love her.
“I’m sorry,” Flint whispered.
Coal shook his head, pushing past the pain in his chest. He glared at Flint. “It’s a lie. Jill wouldn’t wish to remain with them. She wants to join a family unit with me. It’s some kind of trick. They used a voice modifier.”
Sky had moved closer. “We all studied the message before we played it for you, man. That’s her real voice. Modifiers take words and repeat them. There were many variations in her speech with common words to make it conclusive she actually said that.”
Onyx gave him a sad look. “I am sorry, Coal. I agree with Sky. The message wasn’t automated. She spoke the words.”
Fury and disbelief boiled in Coal. “No.” He suddenly pushed hard at Flint. “I do not believe it. Jill loves me and I love her. She wants me, not some human male. I am all she wants. They forced her to say those things. I’m getting my woman.”
Flint managed to keep hold of him until Coal threw a punch. His fist slammed into the other cyborg hard, making direct contact with Flint’s chin. The large cyborg grunted, his hold loosening, and then he stumbled.
Coal tore out of his grasp, running at the two stunned cyborgs still in his way. Onyx tensed, lifting and spreading his arms in an attempt to block him but Sky jumped out of the way. Coal hit Onyx in a tackle, taking them both down hard to the deck floor. Curses came from the pinned cyborg, his struggles weak from the trauma of having his body crash into the unforgiving metal and Coal’s impressive weight crushing down on top of him. With one punch, Coal knocked the male under him unconscious. He rolled to get to his feet but pain exploded in the back of his head.
He collapsed on his side, nausea and strong waves of darkness nearly blinding him. Sky leaned down, holding something gripped in his hands.
“Sorry, my man. We’ve already undocked. You tear open that door and we’re going to die. I thought you were a hell of a cute couple but you can’t force her to stay with you.”
Coal shook his head, pain making him groan. He blinked rapidly but his vision seemed to get worse instead of better. His hands pushed on the deck. He needed to find Jill.
“Stay down. I don’t want to hit you again.”
The strength in his arms gave way and he slumped to the deck. Jill needed him. She wouldn’t leave him. They loved each other. I love her.
Flint bent over him. He sighed. “Lock him down before he wakes. I knew he’d take this hard.”
I’m awake, Coal thought but his mouth didn’t work.
“Who the fuck wouldn’t? If I ever get a woman I wouldn’t want to let her go either.” Sky sighed. “This bites ass.”
Coal lost consciousness.
* * * * *
A warm, wet cloth gently brushed Jill’s brow and she smiled. “Aunt Mary.” Childhood memories flooded her and how her aunt had always done that when she had a fever. Her head did hurt a little.
“I am called Rune.”
The soft, unfamiliar female voice had Jill struggling to open her eyes. She blinked, flinching from the light that momentarily blinded her, and then stared up at a lovely face of a blonde woman. She looked familiar but Jill couldn’t place where she knew her from.
“How do you feel? I accessed the information for the drug you were given and it states that side effects are headache, dry mouth, and dehydration.”
Jill blinked, adjusting to the light, and fought to remember who the woman could be. She came up with a blank but then something tugged at her memory. It all came back so suddenly that she gasped. She tried to jerk upright but then groaned loudly when the pain in her head exploded into a throbbing mass of agony.
Gentle hands pushed her back down. “Easy. I have water for you to drink. Here. Sip.”
A thin tube pressed against her lips and Jill drank. The cool water helped a lot, making her feel less like shit. Her eyes focused on the sex android. That deceitful bastard had drugged her. She tried to move her arms but then realized she only had restricted movement. She glanced down at the shackles on both wrists connected to something under the bed or perhaps to the floor. Her anger started to rise.
“Where is Captain Varel?”
Almond-shaped eyes shifted to the left. “Accessing the computer to locate Captain Varel.” Her gaze fixed on Jill. “He’s having a meeting with his crew in the conference room on the first level of the Cutter. You are on his shuttle.”
“How long have I been out?”
The woman’s eyes shifted left again and then back to Jill. “Two hours, six minutes, and fourteen seconds since I became aware of your drugging.”
Jill lifted her hands. “Can you remove these?”
Rune nodded. “Yes.”
“Will you please?”
“You will attempt to escape. That is what Captain Varel said when I asked him why he chained you.”
“That’s right. I need to get off this ship and back to my own before we undock.”
“That has happened. The shuttle Jenny is no longer docked to the shuttle Cutter.”
Fear gripped Jill hard. “They blew it up?”
“No.” Rune’s eyes shifted left. “It flew away without incident and we travel toward the moon.” Her gaze straightened out. “We are going to Captain Varel’s home. It is pretty.”
Jill clenched her teeth. “I need to get off this ship.”
“Why?” Rune cocked her head.
“If I give you a direct order to remove these, will you do it?”
“I can cause no severe harm to living beings. There is a possibility of you being killed if I free you.”
“If you don’t let me go, I’m definitely going to be in a world of shit. Please?”
“Explain.”
“You really are an android, aren’t you?” Rune could pass for human easily in Jill’s estimation and since the woman sat on the edge of the bed just feet from her, she couldn’t have gotten a much closer inspection. “It’s amazing how lifelike you are.”
“I’m an advanced model with enhancements. I am the most recent production of the sexual-aid android bots they created, state-of-the-art, and made of the finest genetic cloning research.”
“Why did they decommission you then?” Jill wondered if the captain had lied about that. Maybe he’d stolen the android. She also needed to learn how to get the droid to help her.
“They gave me too much data capacity with sophisticated programming to adapt and learn.”
“That doesn’t sound bad.”
Rune blinked. “I have been created to cater to the sexual urges of men but I refuse to allow them to use me in that capacity. It’s illogical, messy, and I always can find better uses for my time.”
Jill gaped.
Rune blinked again and then softly smiled. “Do you want more water? I could bring you food. I enjoy doing tasks as long as they don’t involve men trying to touch me. I do not have real emotions or feelings but I have discovered the sensation of touch bores me.” She kept her smile in place. “I enjoy chores. It keeps me occupied.”
Okay, now I know why they dumped the plans for this model, she thought, smiling despite her circumstances at the irony of it. Rune had to be the most drop-dead beautiful woman she’d ever seen. The crew had to go crazy seeing her but not being able to use her.
“Will you please remove these?” Jill waved her shackled wrists. “I have to escape.”
“I still don’t understand why you wish to leave.”
“I’m not marrying Captain Varel. He’s going to be really angry when I refuse and probably kill me. I want to be long gone before he comes after me. I belong to someone else and I don’t know why he hasn’t come for me yet but he will. I’d like to get the hell out of here though, instead of waiting for Coal to catch up to me. Does the Cutter have life pods?”
“Affirmative.” Rune reached for Jill’s restraints. “Definite harm overrides a possibility.” Her fingers gripped the metal. ??
?I will crush them. Hold very still.”
“Thank you.” Gratitude had Jill breathing easier. She needed to get to a life pod, launch, and contact the Jenny to help them locate her. The image of Coal going crazy with worry had her silently urging the android to work faster.
The metal groaned and then snapped where the joints met. Rune eased the pressure instantly, pulling the broken shackles away. Jill climbed off the big bed, her gaze flashing quickly around the room, looking for a weapon in case she came in contact with someone.
“They took your shoes. They are not here and I do not know where they were taken.”
Jill looked down at her bare feet, not realizing until that moment that she no longer wore her clothes but something that resembled silky, two-piece, short-sleeved pajamas with loose pants.
“I changed your clothing. Captain Varel hated what you wore and threatened to burn it on you.”
“I’m really starting to hate that creep.” She walked over to a table, picked up what passed for a sculpture of some sort, and gripped it. The smooth metal had a nice weight to it and parts of it were sharp at the top.
“That’s abstract art of a fish with waves. It reminds Captain Varel of his fishing trips with his father as a boy.”
Jill frowned at it. “I don’t see it. To me it’s a mess of twisted pointy metal with some curves to it and a lump of metal near the base.”
“I do not see what he states is there but he said it is worth a lot of money.”
“Now it’s actually got a purpose.” Jill walked to the door but it didn’t automatically open as she approached. It brought her to a halt. “Is it locked?”
“Would you like me to open it?”
“Please.” Jill turned her head and gave the android a grim look. “Could you show me where the life pods are?”
“Affirmative.” Rune rose to her feet. “I must point out it is dangerous for you to use one. There’s a fourteen percent chance of it being picked up by another ship. There is a sixty-two percent chance the Cutter will capture you. Your odds of safely reaching the Jenny are only twenty-two percent in your favor.”