insane, just intensely misguided.”
The alien picked him apart with his gaze. “Curious.” He turned on his heel and left the room, signaling to the guards to take both the girl and Rick with them.
Rick followed along silently, wondering what he’d gotten himself into. The girl whimpered, but fled the cell eagerly, and followed the Alvian soldier without much prompting. The scientist entered a white room that looked like the medical exam rooms he’d been in when he was first captured and so gravely ill.
The scientist stepped through a portal that lit up as he entered and stood there for a moment before proceeding fully into the room. The guards waited outside, motioning for the girl and Rick to enter the same way the Alvian man had. The implication was clear. The soldiers weren’t entering the room but would be watching all in case Rick got any funny ideas. The threat was not lost on him. Rick was a big Page 27
man, but these guys were even bigger and the odds weren’t in his favor. Rick was smart enough to know this wasn’t the time to make a break for it. He’d pick his time—and better odds—when it came. For now, he had to help the girl.
He felt a slight buzz against his skin as he stepped through the lights. They looked vaguely ultraviolet and Rick spoke before he thought better of it.
“Some kind of sterilization beam?”
The scientist looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Very good, Breed. The sanitizing rays keep our examination rooms, patients and personnel clean during medical procedures.”
Rick shrugged, trying for nonchalance. “Makes sense. And my name is Rick, not Breed.”
“I am Mara 36,” the man answered, surprising Rick with his almost-friendly tone. He then signaled for the girl to take a seat on the exam table.
“Now,” the Alvian turned to Rick again, “will you procreate with this female?”
Rick stepped back, appalled, and unable to hide his horror at the idea. “Not on your life.”
“Is that a negative response?”
“You bet your ass it is.”
“Excuse me?” The scientist displayed only confusion on his pale features.
Rick sighed. “I will not have sex with this girl for your entertainment.”
“It is for scientific purposes, I assure you.”
“The answer is still no.” Rick clenched his fist at his side, wanting badly to plant it in the face of one of the Alvians, but he had to play it cool for the girl’s sake. He noticed she was watching him with wide, frightened eyes as she huddled on the table.
“Why?”
Rick discarded several replies before settling on the most innocuous one. “I prefer willing partners. This girl is clearly frightened and much too young.”
“Age is a factor? She is fertile, according to our observations.”
“Fertility is not the only factor in whether or not humans become sexually active.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Look—” Rick sighed, amazed at how little the aliens knew after all their testing, “—human children go through a period of years called puberty, during which their sexual organs mature and hormone levels rise. Judging by her size, this girl is at the very beginning of this portion of her life. Among rational humans, she would not be considered eligible for mating for several more years until her psyche has time to mature along with her body.”
28
“Interesting. We had concluded fertility was the main factor in Breed mating.”
“Your conclusion is wrong. We’re not animals, contrary to the way you treat us. We had an advanced civilization before your people attacked. Society functioned according to rules generally agreed to among civilized people. If you managed to save any of our books or databases, you should look for a title called The Social Contract by a fellow named Rousseau. He was just one of our philosophers who articulated the ideals of human society. There were others¾Descartes and Locke to name a few.”
“How do you know of such things? I thought you were
The alien picked him apart with his gaze. “Curious.” He turned on his heel and left the room, signaling to the guards to take both the girl and Rick with them.
Rick followed along silently, wondering what he’d gotten himself into. The girl whimpered, but fled the cell eagerly, and followed the Alvian soldier without much prompting. The scientist entered a white room that looked like the medical exam rooms he’d been in when he was first captured and so gravely ill.
The scientist stepped through a portal that lit up as he entered and stood there for a moment before proceeding fully into the room. The guards waited outside, motioning for the girl and Rick to enter the same way the Alvian man had. The implication was clear. The soldiers weren’t entering the room but would be watching all in case Rick got any funny ideas. The threat was not lost on him. Rick was a big Page 27
man, but these guys were even bigger and the odds weren’t in his favor. Rick was smart enough to know this wasn’t the time to make a break for it. He’d pick his time—and better odds—when it came. For now, he had to help the girl.
He felt a slight buzz against his skin as he stepped through the lights. They looked vaguely ultraviolet and Rick spoke before he thought better of it.
“Some kind of sterilization beam?”
The scientist looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Very good, Breed. The sanitizing rays keep our examination rooms, patients and personnel clean during medical procedures.”
Rick shrugged, trying for nonchalance. “Makes sense. And my name is Rick, not Breed.”
“I am Mara 36,” the man answered, surprising Rick with his almost-friendly tone. He then signaled for the girl to take a seat on the exam table.
“Now,” the Alvian turned to Rick again, “will you procreate with this female?”
Rick stepped back, appalled, and unable to hide his horror at the idea. “Not on your life.”
“Is that a negative response?”
“You bet your ass it is.”
“Excuse me?” The scientist displayed only confusion on his pale features.
Rick sighed. “I will not have sex with this girl for your entertainment.”
“It is for scientific purposes, I assure you.”
“The answer is still no.” Rick clenched his fist at his side, wanting badly to plant it in the face of one of the Alvians, but he had to play it cool for the girl’s sake. He noticed she was watching him with wide, frightened eyes as she huddled on the table.
“Why?”
Rick discarded several replies before settling on the most innocuous one. “I prefer willing partners. This girl is clearly frightened and much too young.”
“Age is a factor? She is fertile, according to our observations.”
“Fertility is not the only factor in whether or not humans become sexually active.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Look—” Rick sighed, amazed at how little the aliens knew after all their testing, “—human children go through a period of years called puberty, during which their sexual organs mature and hormone levels rise. Judging by her size, this girl is at the very beginning of this portion of her life. Among rational humans, she would not be considered eligible for mating for several more years until her psyche has time to mature along with her body.”
28
“Interesting. We had concluded fertility was the main factor in Breed mating.”
“Your conclusion is wrong. We’re not animals, contrary to the way you treat us. We had an advanced civilization before your people attacked. Society functioned according to rules generally agreed to among civilized people. If you managed to save any of our books or databases, you should look for a title called The Social Contract by a fellow named Rousseau. He was just one of our philosophers who articulated the ideals of human society. There were others¾Descartes and Locke to name a few.”
“How do you know of such things? I thought you were
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