45. CHAPTER 45

I stirred awake groggily, my vision blurred and senses disoriented. The first thing I noticed was the cold, slick sensation enveloping my body. Thick, clear fluid surrounded me up to my chest as I laid strapped to some kind of medical pod. Tubes and wires looped around me, connected to beeping monitors. Panic seized my chest as I struggled against the restraints, splashing the medicinal-smelling liquid. Where was I? What was happening to me?

As my eyesight sharpened, I took in the sterile white lab. Trays of menacing surgical instruments gleamed under the harsh lights. My heart raced as I craned my neck, spotting two Valisians conversing nearby - a red-headed one in sleek black armor and a white-coated one who had to be a doctor. Straining to hear them over the pounding in my ears, I caught snatches of their heated exchange.

"I want the infant specimens now," the armored Valisian barked, "along with tissue samples from the host. Extract them immediately."

The doctor held up his hands in a placating gesture. "Your Highness, please understand. Allowing the subject to carry to term would be safest for-"

"You said extraction was possible!" The redhead snarled, cutting him off. "That we could keep them all alive. I want it done, and I want it done NOW!"

His aggressive tone made me flinch involuntarily. The doctor seemed cowed into submission, nodding shakily. Just then, an urgent beeping emanated from the armored one"s comms device. Scowling, he snapped into it, "What?!"

I couldn"t make out the response, but it sounded panicked. The Valisian"s eyes widened before narrowing in anger. "Ships approaching? Well, open fire then, you fools! Hold them off!"

Ships? Was it Lorvian coming to rescue me? A flicker of hope sparked in my chest before being doused by fear again as the redhead rounded on me, noticing I was awake. He stalked over, looming above the pod with a sneer.

"Don"t look so alarmed," he said, mockingly gentle. "I"m not going to kill you. At least not yet." He placed a hand on his armored chest. "I am Regis. I assume even a creature like you has heard of me?"

I swallowed thickly, trying to keep my voice steady. "I"ve heard of you, alright. And none of it was good."

To my surprise, Regis threw his head back and laughed. "You think I care what my siblings say about me? Please, I"ve heard it all. Their opinions mean nothing."

His face twisted into an expression of manic glee. "Soon, I will be crowned King, no matter what my father, mother, or pathetic siblings do to stop me. Especially that bastard Lorvian, always acting so high and mighty."

"Lorvian will come for me," I spat back with more confidence than I felt. "And when he does, he"ll kill you for this."

Regis scoffed, unconcerned. "Oh, I"ll make sure you and your little abominations are quite secure. Lorvian WILL come...and he"ll bring his fleet to wage war for me. To fight Xil, Zantos, even our father for the throne. All to save his precious little Valiman."

"Valiman?" I repeated, confused and on edge. The word tasted foreign on my tongue.

"Yes, Valiman," Regis replied, looking quite pleased with himself. "My term for disgusting hybrids like you - half Valisian, half human. Rather clever, don"t you think?"

I wrinkled my nose. "Actually, I think it sucks. Might want to go back to the drawing board on that one, champ."

Anger flashed in Regis"s eyes but before he could retort, his comms beeped insistently again. Muttering curses, he stormed off, leaving me trembling and alone with my racing thoughts.

I tried to control my breathing, blinking back tears. Lorvian would find me, I told myself. He wouldn"t let Regis hurt our babies. But what if he was too late? What if-

"Caspian." A familiar voice jolted me out of my spiraling panic. I looked up to see the doctor removing his surgical mask...revealing Zai"s face!

"Zai?" I gasped. "What are you doing here? You left!"

"I did," he confirmed grimly. "I was heading to the government offices when I was grabbed. They brought me to Regis"s ship, said they"d "expedite" my paperwork if I helped them." He shook his head. "I had no choice but to play along. Then they started asking about you, making plans to capture you..."

Uncertainty gnawed at my gut. "Are you really working with them?" I asked, hating how my voice quavered.

"Of course not!" Zai looked almost offended. "Caspian, I"m going to help you escape. Just give me a moment..."

He turned to the console, long fingers flying over the controls. I felt the pod restraints click open but Zai shot me a warning look.

"Pretend you"re still locked in until I give the signal," he instructed under his breath.

"And what"s the signal this time?" I asked pointedly. "I"d like to actually know."

Cracking a small smile, Zai thought for a beat. "Geno plant," he decided. "When I say that, run for it. I"ve programmed escape pod 730 to go straight to Ashan. Get to it, fast as you can."

I nodded, heart thudding as the lab doors whooshed open. More doctors filed in and Zai quickly busied himself with screens, feigning nonchalance.

The doctors clustered around, prepping instruments and murmuring. I tried to pick up what they were saying but their medical jargon flew over my head. Suddenly, a scuffle broke out. I strained to see Zai grappling with one of the doctors, trying to subdue him. But the other doctor was fighting back viciously, slamming Zai into equipment. Panic rose like bile in my throat as I saw the doctor"s hands close around Zai"s neck.

I couldn"t wait for a damn signal.

In a burst of adrenaline, I sprang from the pod, grabbing the nearest sharp tool - a scalpel. Slick with the pod fluids, I slipped and stumbled but managed to reach the brawling pair. With a hoarse yell, I jammed the scalpel into the side of the doctor"s neck. Hot blood sprayed as he crumpled to the floor.

Panting, Zai shot me a grateful look. "Thank you," he gasped out, "I suppose I wasn"t going to last long here anyway."

"I wasn"t about to let you die waiting for some stupid signal," I replied, doubled over and catching my breath. The fluids coating my body were making me shiver.

Zai quickly grabbed a container from the counter, clutching it close. At my quizzical look, he explained, "My geno plant samples. The cure for my people - I can"t leave without it."

I nodded impatiently. "Okay, okay, but let"s GO!"

We took off at a run, my bare feet slapping on the cold floor, leaving puddles in my wake. The hallways were a disorienting maze but Zai seemed to know where he was going. We careened around corners, pausing to hide when the thud of armored boots approached.

Pressing ourselves into an alcove, hardly daring to breathe, we watched as two guards clanked past. One of them paused, helmed head swiveling as he inspected a trail of the pod fluids.

"Look alive," he barked to his partner. "Looks like one of the test subjects is loose. Fan out and find them!"

They jogged off and I exhaled shakily. Zai tugged my arm, gesturing for us to keep moving while the coast was temporarily clear. But as we hurried down the next corridor, a startling sight through an open door brought me up short.

It was a lab much like the one I"d woken up in...but filled with glass pods containing unconscious humans. Some were hooked up to softly humming machines, others suspended in gelatinous goop. My stomach turned as I noticed more than a few had pointed ears and Valisian spots - hybrids like me. All of them looked pale and sickly, like drained husks.

"Caspian, come on," Zai urged, trying to pull me along. "This is our chance!"

I shook my head vehemently, fighting down my revulsion. "We can"t just leave them here!"

Zai sighed in exasperation. "We can"t save them all either. Be reasonable!"

"How many escape pods on a ship this size?" I demanded. "How many people can fit?"

Looking away, Zai mumbled something.

"What was that?" I pressed.

"15 to 20 per pod," he admitted grudgingly. "But Caspian-"

"Then help me get them out!" I snapped. "You didn"t abandon me on that hellhole planet and I"m not abandoning these people to be tortured and dissected."

With a groan of resignation, Zai turned to the nearest console, long fingers flying over the keys. One by one, the pods opened with a hiss, spilling out their dazed occupants. Some emerged coughing and sputtering, others weakly clinging to the sides as fluids drained away.

A woman caught my eye as she stepped down, legs trembling but head held high. She was breathtaking - lustrous black hair, delicate features, and almond-shaped eyes the color of rich coffee. Her skin was like porcelain with a smattering of Valisian spots and the points of her ears peeked through her dark tresses. She had an air of elegant resilience about her, even clad only in a soaked medical gown.

Our eyes met and hers narrowed shrewdly. "I"m Mei," she said, her voice soft but steely. "Who are you? Do you know a way out of this nightmare?"

"I"m Caspian," I replied quickly. "And yeah, we do. This is Zai, he"s helping us escape."

At the mention of Zai"s name, Mei stiffened, gaze flicking to him and then back to me. She stepped closer, lowering her voice to a fierce whisper.

"We can"t trust him," she hissed. "He"s one of THEM. We should kill him now before he betrays us."

Zai was observing Mei warily, clearly not understanding her words but picking up on her hostile tone. "What"s she saying?" he asked me from the corner of his mouth. "I don"t like how she"s looking at me..."

"Don"t worry about it," I muttered back before addressing Mei and the others.

I raised my voice to be heard over the growing din of fearful chatter. "Listen up! Zai is on our side, okay? And in case you didn"t notice, this ship is under attack. There are other Valisians out there fighting these bastards to get us out. The escape pods are close but we have to move fast."

Mei pursed her lips, clearly still suspicious, but gave a curt nod. "Fine," she bit out. "I don"t have the strength to fight you on this. Let"s just go."

She turned to the other survivors, seeming to square her shoulders beneath the weight of their collective terror. "Everyone mobile, partner up with someone who needs help. Lean on each other, literally. We"re getting out of here, now. Stay close and follow my lead."

Her commanding presence was undeniable and the bedraggled group fell in line behind us as we took off again, Zai guiding the way. The deck pitched beneath our feet as the ship shuddered from some external assault. Whether it was weapons fire or someone trying to forcibly board, I couldn"t be sure. All I knew was that our window for escape was rapidly closing.

After a harrowing sprint through the disorienting halls, we spilled into the cavernous escape pod bay. Dozens of smooth white ovoids lined the walls, hatches open and inviting. Zai headed straight for one marked with the number 730 in bold print.

"Here!" he called over his shoulder. "Everyone in, hurry!"

There was a mad scramble as we rushed to the pod. I helped a limping man over the threshold, turning to reach for the next escapee, when a black-armored figure appeared in the bay entrance.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" The guard leveled his blaster rifle at us and my heart leapt into my throat.

Zai was the first to react, charging straight at the guard with a wild yell. The gun went off, scorching a hole in the wall, but Zai managed to barrel into him, knocking the weapon away. They grappled furiously and I sprinted to Zai"s aid.

I threw myself at the guard, trying to put him in a chokehold like I"d seen in movies. But this was real life with real consequences. The guard threw me off like a rag doll, my head cracking against the floor. Stars burst across my vision as I struggled to orient myself.

Dimly, I was aware of Mei screaming my name, of Zai trading blows with the guard. The bay spun dizzyingly as I dragged myself up on my hands and knees. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion and too fast all at once.

The guard had Zai pinned, hands around his throat. With my ears ringing and blood roaring, I staggered to the abandoned blaster, fumbling with the unfamiliar controls. More armored figures were pouring into the room, shouts and boots pounding. We were out of time.

I managed to flick the safety off and swung the heavy barrel toward the guard just as his helmet turned toward me. My finger tightened on the trigger...

But suddenly strong hands seized me from behind, wrenching me back. The blaster fired wild as I was dragged away. I caught a blurred glimpse of Zai breaking free, making a desperate dive for the escape pod.

"Go, GO!" I screamed, kicking and thrashing against my captors. With a wrench of my body, I slapped the external launch control. The pod doors sealed and it ejected from the ship with a burst of propulsion. Mei"s stricken face was the last thing I saw through the small window before they rocketed away to safety.

Despair and relief warred within me as the guards hauled me out of the bay none too gently. At least the others had gotten away. At least there was hope. I clung to that thought as I was forcibly marched through more halls, disoriented and dripping, until I found myself on the bridge.

Regis whirled to face us, face twisted in fury as the guard shoved me to my knees before him.

"He was trying to escape, Sire!" the guard reported breathlessly. "With the doctor and test subjects!"

"WHAT?!" Regis roared, rounding on the guard. "How did they get to the pods? How could you let this happen?!"

The guard paled, shrinking back. "The doctor...he was helping them..."

"INCOMPETENT FOOL!" Regis backhanded him viciously. "Or are you a traitor, working for my siblings? WHICH IS IT?!"

He seized the guard by the front of his armor, shaking him like a dog with a bone. The other soldiers on the bridge shifted nervously, trying to focus on their controls.

The guard spluttered in terror. "No, Sire, never! I"m loyal to you, I swear it on my life!"

With a disgusted snarl, Regis released him, sending him stumbling. In a flash, he snatched a sidearm from his belt and put a plasma bolt right between the guard"s eyes. The body crumpled, halfway decapitated.

I flinched violently at the sudden violence, stomach heaving. The stench of charred flesh joined the cloying sweetness of the pod fluids still coating my skin. Several soldiers abandoned their stations, fleeing their unhinged leader. I made to follow, scrambling to my feet.

But Regis lashed out, grabbing me by the medical gown and wrenching me to him. His lips skinned back from his teeth in a feral grin, eyes manic and bright with madness.

"And where do you think you"re going, little Valiman?" he hissed.

I struggled against his bruising grip, panic blotting out all rational thought. "Let me go, you psychopath!"

"Oh, I don"t think so," Regis growled. His armored forearm pressed against my windpipe, cutting off my air. I clawed at him desperately, spots swarming my vision.

The ship quaked violently, sending us sprawling to the floor in a tangle of limbs. Alarms shrieked and the acrid stench of fried circuits filled the smoky air. I tried to roll away but Regis snagged my ankle, yanking me back.

"If I"m to die here," he said almost conversationally even as his fingers dug into my flesh hard enough to grind bone, "I"ll make certain Lorvian spends the rest of his miserable life haunted by how I destroyed his happiness. How I ripped away his precious mate and offspring while he watched, helpless."

His voice rose to an unhinged shriek, spittle flying. "He"ll suffer for every insult, every time he lorded his status over me! That smug bastard, thinking himself so superior when he"s nothing but the whelp of a common whore-"

Another bone-rattling impact sent us sliding across the deck, the ship groaning around us like a dying beast. I scrabbled for purchase, sparks searing my palms, but Regis maintained his hold. His eyes held no reason, only wild malice.

I opened my mouth to plead, curse, scream, anything, but the words lodged in my throat as a familiar voice boomed over the chaos.

"REGIS!"

My heart stuttered. It couldn"t be...