“Do you think there’s someone in there?” Jayn whispered.
“Dohnt noh. Keep yoo sayf.”
Her smile looked a little shaky around the edges, but he could read the sincerity in her eyes when she nodded. “I know you will.”
They stepped through the doorway, and Jayn flinched when it slid shut behind them. A long white corridor stretched out in front of them as the ceiling lights came on. Again, he had the feeling that someone was watching them, and his skin prickled with unease. But they had come all this way looking for answers. It would be foolish to stop now.
Hand in hand, they walked down the corridor, the only sounds those of his bare feet padding against the metal floor and the soft scuff of Jayn’s foot coverings.
A second door panel slid open as they reached the end of the hallway, and they stepped inside to find a large room that could have been taken directly from a Doturan home. At one end, clean-lined furniture with plush, leather covered cushions was arranged around a picture window that looked out across the plains. The other end held a large, raised bed, and through the open door next to it, he could see a fully equipped bathing room.
Jayn’s eyes were huge as she looked around. “I don’t understand. Is this someone’s home?”
As if in response, a mechanical voice came from the hidden speaker.
“Welcome, Commander Bellkandis. You have successfully completed the test.”
“What test?” he growled, before he realized that the voice had addressed him in Doturan.
Jayn looked worried, and he squeezed her hand reassuringly.
“The survival test, of course. You have reached your destination, although somewhat more slowly than we had anticipated.”
The answer was far too vague for his liking, but the circumstances of his arrival seemed far less important than whatever the unseen voice had in store for them. “What happens now?”
“You are free to leave. There is a ship waiting in the hangar, although we assumed you would appreciate a chance to rest and refresh yourself before starting your journey.”
A wall panel slid aside and a table emerged from the wall, heavily laden with choice Doturan delicacies.
“And what of Jayn?” he asked. “She has also completed the survival test.”
“You were the only subject of the test,” the voice said dismissively. “Her purpose was to serve as an additional distraction.”
Distraction? Anger raced through him that whoever was behind this test should have used her so callously.
“Do you intend to return her to her own planet?” he snarled through clenched teeth.
“Of course not. Her kind is not yet ready for the knowledge of other civilizations.”
His heart ached for Jayn, and yet he couldn’t help but feel a degree of relief as well. There was no chance that they would be separated now.
“Then she is coming with me,” he said firmly.
“That is not permitted. We do not know what affect her presence might have on other races. She will remain here,” the voice said calmly.
Taraxan growled again and Jayn squeezed his hand.
“What’s going on? Was that my name? Is something wrong?”
He pulled her against him in a reassuring hug, even as his mind raced. Whoever was running this test – and he would very much like to meet them, he thought grimly – seemed quite sure that he would obey their dictates. He had no intention of doing so.
“Is that food for us?” Jayn asked with a longing glance at the waiting food.
“Yehss, buht naht sayf.”
It might be safe, but he didn’t want to take the chance. And even the always hungry Misstuh Tiduhlz made no attempt to investigate the food.
Her shoulders sagged, but she nodded. “Now what?”
The first order of business was to explore the building and see if he could find any sign of the mysterious testers. He knew Jayn was tired, and he considered leaving her in the comfortable room, but he didn’t want to leave her alone. He had a haunting fear that he would return only to find her absent.
“Nou ik-splor,” he said. The only other alternative was to leave the lab, but he wasn’t quite ready to give up on the chance to get Jayn off the planet with him.
She nodded again and gave him a brave smile. He dropped a brief kiss on her lips, and they returned to the corridor.
Chapter Thirteen
Examining the walls more closely this time, Taraxan found several additional door panels. The first two revealed only small empty rooms, but the third opened into a much larger space, the walls lined with monitors. Several of them showed jungle vistas, and he recognized several places from their journey, including the clearing with the pool. Other screens showed wide expanses of desert, long stretches of shoreline, and even isolated mountaintops.
“Have they been watching us?” Jayn asked.
He nodded grimly. No doubt they had been observing the results of their test.
“Even when we…” Her face turned bright pink.
The thought enraged him—he was the only person who was privileged to witness her pleasure—but right now, he had other things to worry about.
He inspected the room again and realized that other than the array of monitors, there was no equipment in the room. No desks, no seating, no technology hubs. Had anyone ever been in here, or were the feeds being transmitted elsewhere?
Jayn seemed to have reached the same conclusion. “Where is everyone?”
He shook his head. This place was as much a mystery to him as it was to her.
Returning to the corridor, they found one more empty room before reaching a final room filled with supplies. Some of them were clearly identifiable as Doturan, but much of it he didn’t recognize. For the first time it occurred to him that he might not be the only male being tested.
He dismissed the idea. He had seen no signs of other males and right now, he simply wanted an answer to their own situation.
The other side of the hallway held only three doors—the blast doors opening into the hangar, another storage room, and a medical lab. He opened the door to
