Conduit - M J Marlow (best short books to read txt) 📗

the child…” “She was unharmed the last we saw,” Wainwright assured him. “They are keeping her and the technicians in some kind of pen in one corner of the room.” A Dyhazri came into the stairwell and Wainwright watched as one of the males flew over his head and drove the other into the wall. While it was stunned, the male shot the alien in the throat and it fell over dead. He bowed to the others and went out at that level, smiling. “You must forgive Prince Chandri,” Ashad said as they continued on down. “He has a particular fondness for hurting Dyhazri warriors.” They went out onto the level where the security offices were and had to take down four more Dyhazri. Wainwright was astounded at the proficiency of his new allies. They finally made it into the room and he showed Ashad the layout of the base and the control center in particular. His finger traced the ventilation ducts and an idea formed in his mind. “We could try gas, Ashad,” Wainwright told my mate. He frowned as Ashad shook his head. “No?” “The Dyhazri can hold their breath for ten minutes at a time, General,” one of the other males, Dovid, informed him. “And I doubt you have a gas potent enough to take them down without killing the girl and your people first.” “I suggest you cut the power,” Ashad chimed in. “Their night vision is poor. Four of my brothers and I can get two men each at a time down the elevator the shaft with our strongest sedation method. The rest should continue taking out the security with Chandri. He is best suited for strong-arm.” “I was told that your race were pacifists, Ashad.” “It is a part of the royal education,” the male replied, “to learn military tactics. Some of us are quite gifted at it. Unlike the lower nobility, it is our duty to be prepared for threats to our security.” He shook his head. “I never thought it would lead me to staging a rescue of a child in an alien base from our own warriors.” Down in the control center, Vintek’s nostrils flared and he smiled. The princes had arrived. It was time to escalate. He nodded to one of his men. “Bring the little one out,” he ordered them. “Let’s give them a little something to speed them along.” I watched the leader as he yanked me to him. I struck him in the eyes with my fists and he let go with a roar of pain. Gibbons caught me as I tried to run and dragged me back. The leader carried me over to a desk. As he reached down to sweep its surface clear, the lights went out. He ignored it and laid me down on the desk, binding my wrists and ankles to the legs. Then he ripped my blouse open and looked down at my struggling body in delight. “I find I can not wait to taste you, little one,” he hissed as his fingers clamped down on my breasts, and his claws shot out, digging in until I cried out in pain. “You sing beautifully.” His forked tongue flicked over my breasts and I was stunned as it lashed at my skin. I tried not to cry out, but the pain was mounting as his teeth and his claws dug into my body. I screamed as he bit into my shoulder. He forced me down, his claws biting in deeper as his other hand moved down to rip off the rest of my clothing. Before he could go further in his assault, there was an explosion. He left me as I was and ran. I tried to pull free but the bonds would not release. I was sobbing as I heard the sounds of combat getting closer and closer. The leader came back and cut me loose. He forced me down on my knees. Two of his men grabbed my arms and I stilled. I could see their minds now and knew they would pull my arms out. I saw another Sylenni, this one with black and gold wings, freeze in the doorway, his face covered in blood, his eyes blazing with rage. “One more step, prince Ashad,” the leader hissed and his men pulled on my wings, “and they will rip the little one’s arms out.” I cried out in pain and Ashad shot the monster between the eyes. His men did not let me go. The leader backhanded Ashad and he hit the wall and fell to his knees, stunned. The leader grabbed him by the throat and raised him off his feet. Ashad curled up and kicked him in the throat. He moaned and let Ashad go. He faced the two holding me and his eyes were blazing. They hissed in defiance and began to pull. “One more step,” Gibbons laughed, “and the child loses her arms, prince Ashad.” He moved behind the men and grabbed a handful of my hair yanking my head back. “She will die slowly and in excruciating pain.” I collapsed and pain ripped through my arms and head. Gibbons was thrown off balance. One of the Dyhazri’s claws raked deep along my arm as I fell. Feigning dead weight only partially, the guards were forced to let me go and turned their attentions to Ashad. As he faced them down, I found a heavy lead ashtray on the floor nearby and struck Gibbons on the face, sobbing as I let the blows fall. Someone pulled me away and held me as I sobbed in relief. He helped me get past the fear and then looked into my face. I assured him the Dyhazri had not succeeded in doing what it looked like he had done to me. The worst damage was the gash to my arm. Ashad took the gun Wainwright had pressed on him and put a bullet into the creatures’ eyes; leaving only a seriously damaged Gibbons alive. “If there are fifty,” he told Wainwright as he released the technicians and one of them found a lab coat for me to wear, “there are two hundred. Does this facility have scanning equipment?” He sent the request ahead to Chandri. “We must find and disable their vessel before they make contact with their Alliance.” “They can’t contact anyone,” I said weakly as the pain began to hit. He looked at me and I told him what I had learned. “Their communications officer ate something that turned him psychotic. Seems he thought there was a wave of insects pouring out of the panel. He went wild with his weapon trying to shoot them off.” They looked at me stunned and I shrugged. “This one,” I kicked the alien at my feet, “was still mourning the loss. The officer was his brother, and he had to shoot him.” “You can read their minds, little one?” the Sylenni prince who had held me asked. I looked up into his blue and gold eyes and nodded. “Let’s get your wounds tended now.” While Ashad and the others helped Wainwright and his people secure their base, Dovid got to the Infirmary and he set me down on the table. I was shaking in pain and I could feel the fever in the gashes on my body. The Dyhazri poison was beginning to seep into my bloodstream. Thankfully, it was slow. Dovid kissed my forehead and looked at the worst gash. He told me we needed to clean it first or the poison would be free to course through my body. “We must clean the gashes quickly or she will have an infection.” He looked at the doctors. “Your medical computers.” They showed him and he went to one and punched in commands. They watched him in amazement as he showed them the molecule he needed to combat the Dyhazri poison. “You have nothing like it, do you?” They shook their heads. “You are going to need it.” He looked over at me and remembered what Vintek had told the tech to use from the first aid kit. “You have a substance called hydrogen peroxide. It is not optimal, but it will do.” He looked at the nurse bringing the bottle and cotton pads. “Every last inch. Even a miniscule scratch can turn septic if it is not dealt with.” He helped the nurse clean my wounds and she brought a skirt and t-shirt. I bit my lip to keep from crying as the peroxide killed the Dyhazri bacteria. I sat back to watch the strange alien show the humans what they needed to build a defense against the Dyhazri venom. He also gave them a sedative that would bring the monsters down within seconds of it striking their vulnerable sites; which he showed them. He made a copy of all of this for General Wainwright and sat back to smile at me. “You are a wonder, my lady,” he said to me in Sylenni. “Our females are not known for being anything more than decorous.” He laid his hand on his chest. “I am called Dovid.” “I have a feeling,” I replied. “that they would surprise you if you let them.” I felt a familiar touch. “Ashad is on his way for nursing, Dovid.” Dovid nodded and I went to sit on a chair nearby. Ashad laid down on the table and Dovid took great delight in cleaning the wounds. Apparently, the slightly older male was a bit of a baby when it came to being tended. He smiled at me a moment before glaring at Dovid and complaining that he was being deliberately hurtful. Dovid shook his head and looked so innocent that I had to laugh. “General,” Ashad said as he rose and let the nurses tend the rest of his more minor wounds, “your men must be treated soon.” He winced as a particularly nasty gash was cleaned. “Humans can not fight the effects of what would be a drug to your kind in our claws and fangs. Left untreated, they will be helpless to disobey if the Dyhazri command them.” “You are right, brother.” Dovid went back to the computer and ran through the records. “It is not unlike this molecule here,” he showed the doctors. “You know best how it reacts in your human bodies.” “Ashad, please,” I said softly as I laid my hand on his arm. He looked down at me patiently. “I could use something to eat.” “Then we must see you fed,” he turned to a nurse. “Have you fresh fruits?” She nodded. “The child is especially fond of pineapple and strawberries. And ice cream,” he smiled at me as he saw my look of shock at his knowing me so well. “Dulcinea adores your vanilla ice cream.” “I was headed to lunch,” Mary smiled at me. “Why don’t we get you something to eat while your friends finish what they are doing?” Ashad nodded his agreement and I went with Mary, frowning. Men were the same no matter what their species. Give them something to fascinate them, and they forgot everything else. We went into the dining hall and Mary took me into the kitchen to talk to the cook. He smiled and nodded as I made my requests and I sat back to watch as he pulled a meal together for me. As he worked, I heard an alarm and turned. “That’s the ‘all clear’, Dulcie,” Mary told me. “The base is secure now so we can get back to work.” I nodded and the Cook handed me a plate with fresh fruits and a bowl of ice cream. I smiled and put my spoon into it. I was so happy that being alien had not cut me off from such a treat. In fact, my senses were more enhanced so I was enjoying my treat on a level I had never known before. I heard a thud