Chapter Twenty-Seven

*Reggie*

I’m not sure which I’m angrier about. The fact that I had to take a pregnancy test or that alien technology hasn’t advanced past the pee-stick. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it, I guess. The audience is also a problem. A damn crowd tried to follow me into the restroom. Only Laura’s no-nonsense attitude saved me from having to pee in front of a gaggle of the science bugs.

As it is, they are all crowding over the table to see the results. I can almost pretend it’s a group of girlfriends excitedly waiting for the results, except I never had girlfriends and I’m having an existential crisis over the possibility that I might be pregnant. What will that even look like? Can I have a child with Ragnar, and why am I sad at the possibility that I can?

He is a literal house sized monster. There is no way I am pushing out a baby the size of a VW Beetle. Horror and sadness take turns making me cry. The thought of being pregnant with a monster baby is what nightmares are made of and yet I can’t help but being sad that I might never see a cute chubby baby with a mix of our features.

A round of clicking boos yanks me from my brain fog and I look up to see Laura taking notes while shooing the other scientists away from her table.

“Negative.” She murmurs for my benefit, moving the test to the trash before turning to face me.

“Could…could I have a child with Ragnar?” I ask, unsure how it could be possible. Laura shrugs.

“That is what I’m here to figure out. You are our first pair of inter-mated species. Humans are universal breeders. That doesn’t mean that they can successfully breed, just that we have the capability. That is what this experiment is about. What species can breed with humans and which ones can’t. Those that can’t will die out, and those that do will save their species through cross-breeding. Two species becoming one.” She smiles at me sadly and for the first time, I consider what her story is. How did she become trapped on this ship, working for the bad guys?

“Why are you doing this?” She looks up in surprise, her face thoughtful.

“I’m doing this because I want it to be done right. This experiment was started at the expense of humans. By helping the Gilgamites I am providing some sort of relief to their subjects, and I can make sure the women are seen as more than baby making machines.” She grins ruefully, as helpless in the grand scheme of things as I am.

“Thank you. I’m not sure what would have happened if I had to do this exam with someone that isn’t human. You made a difference with me.” She brightens up instantly. “But, you do not owe anyone anything. Choose what is best for you, not what is better for others. Life is too short to be a people pleaser.” I joke and she laughs half-heartedly.

“As much as I agree with you, I can’t do that. The outside world is a broken place. At least here I have safety and food. There are also other patients that I can’t and won’t abandon…subjects that I am studying.” She trails off at the end, casting her gaze towards the two-way window and the monster behind it. As a deputy, I’ve picked up on shifts in demeanor and Laura is hiding something.

If we were under different circumstances I would pry, but we aren’t. I have no right to pry, just as she has no right to pry into my life. Still, the bond we share as women in the apocalypse makes me reach out and take her hand. She gives a soft smile, clenching my hand tight for a moment before letting them drop.

“Now, I need to measure your vitals when you are in the vicinity of your mate. I need to see if your chemical composition has changed. Do the Memnar practice in sharing fluids during sexual intercourse?” Gone is the bonding moment, she is back in her role as doctor. I’m back in my role of being far too uncomfortable discussing my sex life.

“Yes. They have to bite you during sex to make a mating bond.” I murmur, praying she doesn’t ask to see it.

“Is there a permanent mark? May I see it?” She asks and I mentally curse. Even though a few days have passed, the mark is still quite prominent. It looks even worse with the healing taking place, big splotchy bruises.

“Can we keep the judgment to a minimum?” I snark, masking my unease with sass. She nods, stepping back to give me space. Well fuck. Now I consider how I’m going to show her without accidentally baring a boob to the horde of space bugs.

Shifting to one side, I pull my shirt down my shoulder. The blue-yellow bruises are as startling now as ever and Laura’s gasp of horror only confirms it. Her fingers deftly trace the marks before taking a few pictures with her tablet.

“My medical oath means I have to ask, are you safe with him? Truly? The size scans mean that you shouldn’t be compatible, but you have clearly mated and formed a bond. Do you need help escaping him?” Her concern is genuine and for a moment I am dumbstruck. Do they not know he can shift? Interesting. Playing my cards close to my chest, I give her a noncommittal response.

“I am fine.” Frustration flits across her face but she masks it well. As much as I feel a connection to her, I will not endanger my mate if I do not have to. If they don’t know he can shift, then they don’t know he has a vulnerability which is fine by me. “Can you take me to him now, I do not like to be away from him.” Rubbing my arms, I try to fight the fear that threatens to overwhelm me.

“Yes, we may go.” Laura makes a few more taps on the tablet, distracting me. It gives the damn giant space bug from before enough time to sneak up and snatch me again. Betrayal hits me hard and I glare at Laura. “Calm down. You are a vital test subject. They aren’t going to let you go without collecting all the data first.” Unbothered by the giant trailing after her, she leads the way down the long hallway and back out into the night.

The warehouse is further away than I first thought, and we pass the time in relative silence. When we pass through the doorway, the tension feels like a fist in my gut. Ragnar’s cries are gone, replaced by the mechanical sounds and the odd language of the Gilgamites.

Hatred for them burns like an inferno in my heart. Ragnar floats in the air using technology I couldn’t even begin to hope to understand. Gilgamites rush around him, taking blood, zapping him and poking and prodding his beautiful scales. His wounds are mostly healed but I want to beat them all to a pulp for daring to touch him.

“Get the fuck away from him!” I scream, letting my anger out. As one, the bugs turn to stare at us as we approach.

“Dr. Shields, what is the meaning of this?” The fancy dressed general with the difficult name asks, stepping forward with a grimace. Am I being slightly hypocritical by judging them on their bug-like appearance? Yes. Do I care? No. They hurt Ragnar and I want blood.

“The tests on the female have proved inconclusive. I need to see if there are any biochemical reactions caused by proximity to one another.” She motions to the alien carrying me and to my relief he puts me down. I immediately lunge for the nearest alien, a big fucker who is holding what looks like a cattle prod to Ragnar’s side. The zap of electricity makes the muscles in Ragnar’s legs contract painfully.

I catch the bitch by surprise, kicking him in the back of his leg. My momentum sends us both flying, the prod landing closer to me. Without hesitation I grab it, standing to confront the other aliens when they try to intervene.

“This human has had enough of the experiments. Get. The. Fuck. Away. From. Him.” I grit out, hitting the odd trigger on the prod I am holding. A squeak escapes when a bolt of electricity shoots out of the end. One of the unfortunate bugs hits the ground with a horrid scream, writhing as the electricity moves through their much smaller body.

“Enough!” The General shouts, motioning for everyone to freeze. I fight a shiver of fear when he turns his gaze fully to me. “You do not want to do this.” He hisses in warning. Oh, but I do. With a shit eating grin, I turn the prod around, shoving the prongs underneath my own chin. Horror flashes in his alien gaze and I can’t help but fill with triumph.

“You have no idea what I am willing to do. You are monsters who want to hurt Ragnar simply because he is mated to me. A human. Your experiments are useless if I’m dead. Correct me if I’m wrong, but this thing is set to a voltage for my mate’s much larger body. Most likely a fatal amount for someone as small as me. Would be a shame if you lost your only test subject.” I wink, my mind finally fracturing from the stress of it all.

We stand in a silent battle of wills for a moment before he concedes. With a few short commands, all the aliens surrounding Ragnar back away and his body is lowered to the floor. Making sure to keep them all in my sights, I back up until I am pressed against his shoulder. The prongs never leave my throat, not wanting my bargaining chip to fail. I make damn sure to keep my fingers off the trigger though.

“Reggie, stop this! We are almost done with this and then you are free to go.” Laura pleads, stepping towards me. The general shoots her a nasty glare.

“You do not get to negotiate! Your only purpose here is to perform your duties. Nothing more, nothing less.” The General says harshly, cutting her off.

“That isn’t the best approach here. I told you that humans wouldn’t react well to all of this.” She motions wildly around at all the aliens present.

“They do not have a choice.” The general responds, his stare unwavering.

“Oh, but we do. You may not be familiar with humans, but I am. If you treat us all like bugs under a microscope, then we will fight you at every turn.You destroyed our world for your fucked up zoo. No one is going to willingly let you experiment on them. I’d rather die than let you use me to hurt him.” To let him know I mean business, one hand slides to the trigger.

It might seem crazy to anyone else, but I love Ragnar with every ounce of my being. We met under the worst conditions and yet he has been a saint from the very beginning. He is patient, he is kind, he is understanding. He makes me feel seen and valued. He loves me like I have never been loved before. Instead of telling me no and doing things for me, he helps me accomplish my goals on my own. He is everything good that I wish I could be and everything that I need. He shook hands with my demons before destroying each one of them.

His looks don’t even play a factor in my emotions, but you would have to be blind to not see how beautiful he truly is. Even beat up and bleeding, there is a brutal beauty to his form that threatens something primal inside of me. He has suffered enough at the hands of these bastards.

“Stop!” He shouts at me, taking a step back with his hands up. Pausing with my fingers halfway to the trigger, I wait for his next words. “You are right. I do not need a dead human for this experiment. Put the blaster down and we will discuss our options.” The last words rise with his panic.

“Not good enough. I want a promise that you will not hurt him anymore.” Our eyes meet, mine determined and his angry. In the end, another of the bug aliens saves us both.

“We were not hurting him. Those blasters are used to test muscle reactivity. We were making sure that nothing was torn when he was drug here. His injuries were extensive. Lying is not in our nature. I cannot tell you that we haven’t experimented on his kind in the past but that is not what we were doing this time.” One of the scientists chimes in, stepping forward to turn his tablet so that I can see the screen.

Another 3-D image of Ragnar is visible, this one showing hot spots where his muscles would be. Relief courses through me and I marginally lower the blaster. No one jumps forward to take it from me, but the tension in the room lessens. Laura takes her cue, moving towards me with her own tablet extended. She pauses for a moment, silently asking my permission. Nodding, I let her finish her work.

She quickly moves it over my body, letting the scanner do its work. When a beep sounds, she backs up once more. Something quirks over her face, causing a smile to ghost across her lips. Another scientist joins her, examining her data. As foreign as his face is, I can tell when he smiles, pleased.

“It is a success.” The alien says in awe, looking at me in a way that makes me uncomfortable.

“Their bonding is complete. The data shows that her endorphins are ten times higher now that she is near him than they were in the lab.” Laura says with awe tingeing her voice.

“May I scan him?” The scientist asks me gently. Curious now, I nod. With little fanfare, he checks Ragnar as well and when he is done, his smile is radiant. A cheer goes up among the aliens and even the General smiles.

A swarm of activity starts up, all the technology quickly packed and put away. Still, I do not move from my position next to my mate, not even when only the General, Laura and the one scientist remain. Hope bubbles up in my chest, hope that we will make it out of this alive. That my future with my mate is almost within my grasp. Close, but not yet.

“This isn’t over.” The General says, as if sensing my thoughts.

“I didn’t expect it to be.” I snark, fight the urge to attack him with the blaster, though I still like to think of it as a prod. That would get me killed for sure. My death wish has lessened now that the aliens seem to be retreating.

“Your data belongs to us. Do not forget that. Consider it a debt that must be paid. When I call upon you to fulfill that debt, I expect you to heed my call.” My heart swells with worry and I feel the need to vomit but I simply nod. What else is there to do? If he wished to eradicate me, he could. This world is a product of their creation, and I am just living in it.

“Six months. Give them six months.” Laura chimes in, showing the General something on her tablet. He rubs his chin thoughtfully for a moment before nodding.

“You have six months before we will come again. That should be ample time for you to become pregnant. If within the six months you remain barren, we will run tests to see what the problem is. If you are unable to produce offspring, you will be removed from the program.” Dawning horror and bile claw their way up my throat until I just barely hold in the dry heaves. I am saving us now, only to doom us later.

“Remove from the program? You will simply kill me if I can’t get pregnant?” Indignation leaves no room for a filter, my words coming out raw and tortured. The general gives me a droll stare.

“Depends how difficult you become. Regardless, if you choose to ignore the summons I will destroy every human in this compound as a reward for your stubbornness. Six months. You will meet us here or I burn what is left to the ground.” He leaves his words to echo behind him, whirling to walk away as if he has dismissed me from his mind. Laura gives me a pitying look before she turns to follow. They make it to the outer door before he turns around to address the scientist beside Laura.

“Awaken him and release him.” For just a moment, I am convinced I see him wink but he is gone before I can process it. The scientist taps away at his tablet before he also leaves. Laura looks back one more time, an unreadable look on her face before she too is gone.

“What the fuck?” A male voice asks from the shadowed interior of the warehouse, making me jump. Sam. I completely forgot he was even here.

“They can’t be serious? That fucker is going to destroy everything in here!” Their frantic words are beginning to turn fuzzy, the meaning barely penetrating the fog in my brain, everything fracturing my tenuous hold on reality more and more until I can’t do anything but fall to my knees. My hands clasp the sides of my head, trying to hold the pieces together. It is easy to act brave when you are surrounded by threats. Now that it has passed, the adrenaline dump is hitting me like a freight train.

My whole body starts to shake, tears tracking down my cheeks. A twitch at my back makes me fall forwards, twisting so that I fall on my ass as I watch my mate awaken, the chains no longer on his legs and neck. Like my own personal guardian angel, he rises above me so that when my vision begins to tunnel, I see only him.