Rogue Alien's Escape: Alien Abduction Romance

Chapter One Part Two

Too late, Andie realized she hadn't locked the door to her station when she came back from lunch. The alien stared at her, his bright blue eyes freezing her in place, and when he started towards her, she tried to dart for the door before he could get it. Their hands landed on their handles at the exact same moment and all of her strength was barely enough to keep the door from opening. The escapee had too good of a grip and the door was open wide enough to stick a finger through. She couldn't lock it, couldn't do anything but hold on with all of her might and hope that he couldn't get the leverage to pull her out. She was wedged into place, doing her best to keep the door closed and keep the alien out.

But centimeter by centimeter, he pushed, and despite her best efforts, Andie couldn't stop it. Once he had a hand in, she knew it was over, but that didn't stop her from trying. Sweat beaded on her forehead and her muscles ached, but she couldn't give up. The prison did something to the people sent there, even the innocent ones, and if anyone ever saw them again, they were monsters, bent on destruction and pain. Torture, rape, murder—he could do anything to her if he got through the door, and there was no one coming to help.

With a final heave, the door burst open. Andie shrank back as if she could make herself small enough that the escapee wouldn't be able to see her. But even in her drab gray clothing, she stood out against all the machinery. The alien growled at her, sending a shiver of fear down her spine, making goosebumps jump on her arms. This was it, the end. She'd survived six years on the planet without making waves, she'd mostly stopped dreaming of a better life, she'd thought she was doing okay, and now it was all going to end because she was in the path of a rampaging prison escapee.

She forced her eyes open. If this was her death, she was going to meet it head-on. It was all she could do. But the escapee wasn't advancing on her. He wasn't paying any attention to her at all, his whole focus turned to the teleporter control station in front of him.

Andie eyed the gap beside the alien and wondered if she could make a run for it while he was distracted. There was less than a meter between him and the door. All he had to do was reach out an arm and he'd have her, but would he care when he seemed to be completely ignoring her existence? She didn't know.

She swallowed hard and rolled on the balls of her feet, trying to psych herself into moving. But six years on the planet had dulled so many of her resistance instincts. She'd learned that on Ixilta it was better to go along with whatever was commanded. Resistance only ended in suffering or death. Often both.

Still, she had a shot and this place hadn't completely defeated her. But before she could move, the alien held up a hand and pointed at her.

"Don't."

Andie froze. And though it was insane, her first thought was that he had a pleasant voice, one that she'd love to hear under other circumstances. But power trembled in his fingers and she was sure if she challenged him, he'd react. And while she might be able to outrun him, she definitely wouldn't win a fight.

"Wh-what do you want?" She managed not to stutter most of the question out, but the words were barely loud enough to be heard over the teleporter's machinery. If she couldn't run, maybe she could make him go away. He didn't seem like he was going to start punching—he wanted something, so she had to give it to him before everything went wrong.

The alien took a deep breath and kept staring at the control panel. "How do you reprogram the coordinates?" he asked. He should have sounded gruff, out of control, like some beast who'd been treated to the worst Ixilta had to offer. Instead, he might have sounded more at home on a university campus or in a business meeting.

And Andie's heart plummeted at his question. "You can't," she told him, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "It's a fixed machine. Only works from here to our facility in orbit."

The escapee's hands curled into fists and she flinched, sure that now he was going to come at her. But he still wasn't looking at her. "Where in orbit?" he asked after a moment.

She could put him on the transporter and lie to him, get him out of here and save herself. But the price for that was too heavy. "It goes to a receptor outside of the space station. No life support, and it's not continuously monitored. You'd be dead really quick if you tried to get off the planet this way."

But the alien didn't seem content to take no for an answer. "Fix it," he commanded. "I will give you the coordinates."

Andie knew she should just lie to him, punch some buttons and tell him it was done. He'd been in prison, and from what she could see he had the scars to prove he'd lived a hard life. Sending him to the other end of the transporter would be an act of self-defense. And maybe someone else could live with themselves if they did that. But not her. She couldn't cut someone down just to save herself, not like this. Maybe in the heat of battle, but not during a calm conversation.

"There isn't a way to reprogram it," Andie insisted. "I'm just as trapped as you are, why would they put me in charge of something I could use to send myself home?"

The prisoner studied her for long moments, his blue eyes observing her like she was some kind of specimen. It was unnerving the way he looked at her, and she wanted to shrink back, to hide from him. But she wasn't going to do that. She squared her shoulders and stood tall. Whatever was about to happen, she would keep her pride.

Finally, the alien nodded as if he'd come to a decision. "You're coming with me."