Kristor looked at the buildings as they drove past: cold, stark-gray buildings. They pulled in front of Building C and parked. Maybe he could make a run for it. Woods surrounded the perimeter. If he could get loose of the metal bindings, he could shift, then escape.
But when the back doors of the van opened, Kristor saw that two guards stood on either side of the doors. Jack grabbed Kristor’s arm, and one of the guards grabbed the other. They didn’t let go after he jumped to the ground. As they walked inside, Jack moved away and the other guard took his place. They didn’t say a word.
“There’s a cafeteria down at the end of the hall,” Adam said as they went inside.
“Where are you taking him?” Jack asked, nervously looking at Kristor.
“It’s classified,” Adam said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Someday you’ll get to play with the big boys.”
“Ass,” Jack mumbled, but Kristor thought he was probably the only one who heard. He agreed with Jack.
Adam, Kristor, and the two guards turned and walked down the corridor opposite to where the other men were going.
“What do you think you’ll find out about me? I’m nothing special,” Kristor said.
“I don’t
They put him in a small room with a tiny window in the door. Chains were bolted into the back wall.
“Chain him,” Adam said.
“You would treat me like an animal?” Kristor jerked away from the guards.
“But isn’t that what you are—Symtarian?” Adam cast a fierce glance toward the guards. “I said chain him!”
Kristor fought against the men, but he was handcuffed and they were two to his one. Still, he managed to kick one on the shin. He would have felt a lot better if it had been Adam instead of the guard, who was only following orders.
His efforts were futile as two more guards came running at Adam’s command. They managed to chain each wrist and both ankles to the wall. But they didn’t do so without taking some bumps and bruises. At least they didn’t look quite so stiff and stoic, and they were panting.
As soon as Kristor was secure, Adam waved the guards from the room and stepped in front of him.
“You might as well have just let us chain you, alien. What did you get for your effort? Pain?”
“I am a warrior.” He stood tall. “That was not so much pain as it was gratification.”
“I’m glad the thought of pain doesn’t seem to bother you. Over the next few weeks, you’ll have a chance to experience much more than what the guards gave you.”
Kristor would not let Adam see that his words bothered him. He would find a way to escape. They could not hold him.
“Aren’t you even curious to know how I guessed you’re Symtarian?”
People like Adam enjoyed bragging about how much they knew. Kristor understood his kind well. They liked to push weaker men around, or men in chains. But when it came to real fighting, they were the first to run away.
Still, he wanted to know if there were more Symtarians caged. So he asked the question. “How did you know?”
Adam fairly glowed with anticipation. “I knew as soon as I met you that you were alien. The mark on your ass when the towel came loose proved it. You’re Symtarian. All Symtarians have the same rose symbol, different from a tattoo.” He laughed. “It will give you away every time.”
“And how many Symtarians have you found?”
His chest puffed out. “My fair share.” He frowned. “Some of them didn’t know they were Symtarians. I thought that was strange at first. But then I figured that out, too. Your people dumped them here so they could breed with people from Earth.” His lip curled in distaste. “Is that why you’re here? To breed with that slut you were shacked up with?”
Kristor tightened his fists. He wanted to kill this man like he had never wanted to kill another person. But he couldn’t. Not right now. He had to keep Ria safe.
“Get her with child? I think not. I am a prince. She is not worthy to carry my seed. But she did give me some relief, no matter how distasteful it was to relieve myself by using her body.”
“Why, you filthy alien!” Adam doubled his fists and punched Kristor in the gut.
Kristor sucked air, but not enough to let Adam know he’d caused him anything more than mild discomfort. “Don’t hurt yourself,” he told him.
The door suddenly opened and a gray-haired man wearing a white coat stepped inside. “Agent, you’ve been warned about harming the specimens. The last one died too quickly. I think you can leave now.”
Adam smirked. “I want to see him squirm.”
“He won’t be squirming today, so you can leave.”
Adam cast one last glare in Kristor’s direction before leaving the cell.
“I’m Dr. Rigby,” the gray-haired man said. He nodded toward the door. “Agent Richards is an imbecile, but we have found him useful for our needs.”
“What? Torturing people just because they aren’t exactly like you?”
“We don’t torture. We perform tests. If your people should ever attack, we need to know what makes you tick so we can defend ourselves.”
“That will never happen.”
“Attacking us?”
“Being able to defend yourselves.”
The man looked taken aback by his truthfulness. Kristor continued, “We’re far more advanced than Earth people. We’re able to travel between planets. But we’ve learned something that you haven’t.”
The man looked genuinely interested. “What would that be?”
“Destruction breeds destruction. You gain nothing through wars so fierce that they will destroy your planet.”
He sighed. “I wish our time together could be more pleasant. I would like to sit down and talk about your home. Those are not my orders, though.”
“If you harm me, they will find you.”
The man looked surprised that someone who was chained would threaten him. Just as quickly, he recovered his composure. “But they won’t know we have you.”
“Yes, they will. I don’t think I’ve properly introduced myself. I’m Prince Kristor Valkyir, of New Symtaria. My parents rule our planet. I have brothers and sisters. None of them will appreciate people from Earth experimenting on me. So heed my words carefully. They will discover what happened to me and there will be destruction like you have never seen before.”
The man’s eyes grew wide as he stumbled backwards, running into the door. He turned, fumbled with the knob, and rushed out.
Kristor might still be chained, but he was satisfied that he had taken away some of the man’s superiority. He wouldn’t be quite so condescending the next time they met. And they would meet, but next time he wouldn’t be in chains. He looked at the metal that bound his wrist. Metal that he could focus on.
Kid’s play.
It would be dark soon. People would leave for their homes. That’s what people from Earth did. There would only be a few left in the building. And then he would escape.
Chapter 29
W
Shintara glided gracefully over the fence. Maybe Ria was a worrywart, but it wasn’t easy overcoming a
