Witness [A First Contact Romance]

31. Captured (Part 1)

Lumiea

Year -19 (L.D.)

The flight was a blur. The black-clad rebels blended into the black interior of the Aerolux, while the world outside the windows ripped across Aeryn's view like a stream of light.

Her head swam with dizziness from whatever they injected into her neck. Time felt as if it twisted in loops instead of running straight forward.

With the speed they likely traveled, they could make it halfway across the world in an hour. But when they landed, it felt as if ten hours had passed, and as if it had only been minutes. How could both feel so true? The disorienting contradiction swirled in her mind.

Hands seemed to come at her from all sides. She tried to draw energy into her palms to fight, only nothing happened. There wasn't even a spark of heat. Her vision swooped as she lowered her head to see her hands bare. When had they taken her mods and bound her wrists together?

Aeryn tried to kick at the blur of bodies surrounding her, only they'd tied her legs as well. Her body writhed like a fish plucked from the water and dropped on the deck of a boat. As pathetic as it was useless.

Even though they'd landed, the outside still looked how it had speeding past the window. The trees and empty space between them tangled together. Purple sky streaked down into the ground. Aeryn squeezed her eyes shut and mustered all the strength she possessed to rip free from her binds.

Pathetic. Useless. A total failure.

Her efforts only earned her a swift fist to her rib cage and a scream muffled by a gag she didn't realize was there before.

What the hell had they given her?

Her eyes closed and then she opened them to a dimly lit room. They'd instantly transported her here.

No. What a stupid thought. She'd obviously passed out and woken up here. And time seemed to be running in a straight line again. The drug had worn off enough for her to start to collect her thoughts.

Pain beat around the edges of her skull in a throbbing headache.

On its heels came the flood of anger, with fear buried too deeply within it for her to actually feel.

There were others in the room. She blinked to clear her vision as she looked to another girl lying on her side nearby, bound just like Aeryn. Thirteen others littered the room, most passed out, but a few awake like she was. Her eyes caught another man's stare. While most of them looked to be around Aeryn's age, a few were older. Perhaps, late twenties or early thirties. The one looking at her must have been that age.

Aeryn huffed and tried in vain to rip her arms free once more.

Her squad would be frantically searching for her now. The thought of them worrying about her made her feel sick. She wanted to find a way to comfort them, tell her she was okay, but even if she could do that, it would be a lie. Aeryn had no idea what these people planned to do.