TWO

- sedona -

The first step in Renata's "plan" is just recon to gather information to form an actual plan. The opportunity for this presents itself rather quickly. Definitely a lot quicker than I was prepared for.

My foot catches on a divot in the floor and I stumble over my feet, slowing down for a brief moment. A gun shoves harshly into my back as a gurgled click sounds behind me. Scrambling, I rush forward to catch up with the back of Sabrina's head.

Just after we'd decided that we needed to scope things out, mantis guards had burst into the room and grabbed us, and that landed us here. Now, we're all walking through a fucking alien spaceship, just four strangers, casually chained together by the waist.

The pathway to wherever is thin, meant to accommodate the skinny bug frames, so we're led single-file down a never-ending tunnel. There are two aliens on either end of our line and we're all sandwiched in the middle of them. I'm at the back, walking so close to one that I can feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end from its proximity.

Eventually, we get to a sliding door and enter what looks like a futuristic prison shower. The sterile room is, like most of what I've seen so far, made of smooth seamless metal. Multiple shower heads are spaced evenly, protruding from the ceiling and already spraying water. Harsh glaring lights cast stark shadows and the entire scene looks horrifying.

Are they going to make us undress? The idea of being naked in front of these things is enough to make me want to break down. But, instead of waiting or demanding we undress, they shove all of us fully clothed under the harsh cold spray. I can't help but let out a squeal and squirm as we all freeze under the torrential pour. The water smells strange as well, with a hint of chemical sourness to it. After a few minutes, they finally turn off the tap and pull us back from the shower heads.

We're shuffled over to a slightly elevated platform. When we're all standing on top of it, one of the five guards smacks a red button on the wall off to the side, and hot air bursts from above and below us. It's a few degrees over comfortable, but thankfully, it only takes a few moments before it's over and we are no longer soaked. We're still uncomfortably damp, but slightly warmer now, I guess.

A mantis dude clicks at me roughly and I can't remember if he was the lead guard or the caboose. They all look so similar it's hard to tell. Regardless, he roughly grabs me by the arm and leads me toward the door. Guess I get to be the line leader this time around.

We trickle into the hallway, single-file once again. Since I'm at the front, I can strain to see the turns we are making over the guard's shoulder, but this is not the recon we had hoped for. Trying to escape while on this ship is starting to feel ridiculous. Every few seconds we turn and then turn again. There's no way to keep track of how far we've gone or where we're headed.

The particularly futuristic part of the ship that we just entered makes the section we were previously in look cheaply made. It's covered in hexagonal tiles and matching metal frames along the walls which light up when we walk past them.

After several moments, I'm finally able to notice that the geometric patterns have started to disappear. They've been replaced by sturdy metal slabs instead, and soon I see what must be our destination up ahead, a larger set of sliding, double doors.

Instinctively, I feel my heart jump in my throat, its beats echoing in my ears. The double doors squeak open automatically as our line approaches. When we enter, my hope, as little as it was, sinks even further.

Several other aliens in uniforms come into view in various states of activity. Some are loading boxes, crates, and metal contraptions into an open compartment in the wall. A mantis on a small machine is pushing a train of large shipping crates through another doorway. Others appear to be adding fuel and otherwise tinkering with the parts of the ship itself. This must be some sort of alien loading dock.

A second later, I realize what I thought was a wall with an open compartment is actually not the butt of another spaceship. Its rounded and curved sleek exterior does not match the rough, unpolished metal of the actual walls of the mother ship's loading dock. Moreover, I can see an extension of black rubber as it connects the loading dock to the ship in an airtight seal. It reminds me of a fancier version of the black awnings that connect the doors of airplanes to terminals.

As large cargo containers are meticulously maneuvered onto the docked ship and into storage compartments, I can't help but lose hope completely. I think we're being prepped for delivery. A bug guard pushes me forward, towards the open ship door. The moment I step onto the other spaceship, a sense of foreboding creeps in, like an icy chill crawling down my spine.

The metallic corridors stretch out before me, bathed in an uncomfortably bright light that casts harsh shadows against the walls. Looking around, I realize the light is coming from the line of windows on the left side. The windows to the right afford us an eerie view of the empty, black expanse of space, while the ones to the left are illuminated by the harsh light of a beautifully bright purple planet.

We are floating in space. Part of me already knew. Of course, they'd have snatched us and zipped off. But the sight of a bright purple planet that is most certainly not in our solar system is enough to make me heave on my empty stomach.

Wherever the hell we are, I don't know if this little ship could even make the trek back to Earth before we all aged to death.

"Fuck." The whispered word comes from Sabrina and I know she's seen outside.

The stale air is tinged with a metallic tang that lingers on my tongue with every breath. When we continue walking forward, I hear similar reactions from the other girls as they both pass the windows, too. The further we walk down the corridor, the sparser the windows become, telling me we must be nearing the center of the ship. I wonder briefly how big this new ship is. It's more confined than the main ship, but how much smaller? How many guards and workers do they need to keep it going? Hopefully, fewer than the other ship.

We finally approach a large arched door. The bug guard moves forward and aligns its eye with a scanner next to the door. A single holographic light courses over its face and it does its vibrating clicking thing before I feel a vibrational pattern under my feet. I wonder if that's the ship's way of speaking to these dudes.

The arched door slides to the left with a hiss and my captor pulls me forward. We're all herded into an open space. At the center of the room stands a massive console, its surface covered in an array of buttons and switches, and adorned with blinking lights and intricate displays. If my sci-fi knowledge is anything to go on, this must be the control space of the ship.

The seats and large console in the middle of the room bring me back to my space romance obsession days. The room is spacious compared to the thin hallways. With sleek metallic panels lining the walls, it's clear that whatever money these dudes make is more than enough. I guess human trafficking is lucrative even when the traffickers and buyers aren't human themselves.

We're all led to the wall furthest from the door. The insects escorting us drag each of us to a side of the ship where a long thin metal strip wraps across the wall. An alien grabs my wrists suddenly and I resist the urge to jerk away. I had learned earlier that they get mad if you resist, and it only earns you a harsh jab with the muzzle of their gun. Instead, I repress a shudder as its creepy finger-claw brushes my bare skin. It pulls my arms up by my wrists and makes the cuffs meet the magnetic metal strip.

Our guards and the loaders around us communicate with more clicking noises. Everything is a sudden bustle of movement, and watching them stiffly jerk around is disconcerting. I've never actually had to look at any of these dudes for this long. I look away, deciding to look at the others instead. The one good thing about this setup is that we are now lined along the wall and, with some stretching, we can all see each other. I peer at the control panel sharing a wall with our restraints just a few feet away. One of the other guards taps something in and I feel the hold on my wrists lock. I give a small test pull. Sure enough, I can't move an inch. I look over and see the other girls being placed in the same compromising position I'm in.

This is going to be problematic. With all four of us locked in, the two aliens that brought us in, plus six more that are milling around the room checking things and tapping buttons, we are put at a major disadvantage. I exchange a look with Renata, both of us silently asking each other, ‘Well, what the fuck do we do now?' It takes several moments, but eventually, every one of the mantises leaves the room.

"So, what now?" Amari's the one to ask the big question out loud as soon as the room is cleared.

Sabrina takes us all by surprise by loudly declaring, "Let's hijack the effing ship!"

"That's your idea?" I inquire incredulously.

She jumps to add to her suggestion, "There's only four of us, but it's a smaller ship, and likely most of the dudes we saw are just there to prep stuff, so there'll be a smaller number of insect dudes, too. It's our best bet."

"Our time does seem to be running out," Renata acquiesces as she thinks.

"It could work, if there's just a few of the insect dudes and us," Amari adds in, her voice surprisingly steady.

"If we can get their guns, it'll be even better…" I trail off pointedly.

Sabrina re-emphasizes, "So let's hijack the mother-effing ship."

"We have two problems we need to fix. One, we need to know how many aliens are going to be on this ship. Two, we need a way to get freed." Renata looks at each of us, as we all think about how to approach this.

Amari agrees with a nod of her head before continuing, "When we were brought to this ship, almost all of the other aliens besides our guards stayed behind, so I don't think many extra ones will be on board. We just need to be worried about the handful that remain."

"I think three of them were tech dudes, not soldiers," Sabrina adds helpfully. "They were dressed differently and only touched the wires and consoles while they were moving about."

"Maybe they're like Earth tech dudes and we don't need to be concerned about them getting physical," I joke, which garners a few half smiles.

"That would be nice. It would be fun for them to be scared of us for once," Amari adds, and Renata makes a noise of agreement in the back of her throat.

"How are we going to figure out the solution to our second problem?"

"I got that one," Amari volunteers. We all hesitate, so she speaks up in her own defense. "Trust me, you guys, I can get them to take my cuffs off. I know I'm not emotionally solid right now, but I can handle this."

"Okay, Amari's got it," Sabrina speaks up in a tone that sounds like a mom daring someone to protest.

Nodding hesitantly, I try my best to put my faith in Amari. "Alright, if you're sure. But, for now, nobody will do anything until they get the ship en route."

"Yes," Renata concurs, "the last thing we need is more bugs coming to save the ones on the ship."

"Deal. When we take off and get a bit away, I'll do it. I'll make it happen, I promise." The girl sounds far more confident than she has this entire time, and I hope that is a good sign.

We're all counting on her. If she fails, most likely we're all dead or as good as dead because who the hell knows where we're being delivered to.