A Soldier in Love (33 page)

“I have someone for you
to meet,” Eric’s loud voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Who?
Who could I possibly need to meet?” Michelle
furrowed her bow. She had been on New Earth II, for two days now. She guessed
this wouldn’t be a social call.

“Your rightful
husband,” Eric replied with a devilish grin.

Michelle felt almost
dizzy as she sat down. She wanted to vomit.

“My what?” she asked in
disbelief.
 

“The man, excuse me,
the human we have promised you to,” Amy practically beamed.

“He’ll be over soon.
You don’t want to misbehave here, Michelle. You don’t want to know what we do
with women who misbehave,” Eric warned.

Amy dragged her into
the kitchen. “Come sister. Help me prepare our meal.”

Michelle silently
prayed. It was what she did when she didn’t know what else to do.

 
I just have
to get through tonight. He’ll come for me or I’ll find a way out.

Michelle silently
sliced tomatoes as Amy scrambled an egg substitute.

Their dinner would be
tomatoes, egg substitute, and water. It reminded Michelle of Earth Army meals. Michelle
began to wonder if it was the same food she had been fed. She looked down at
the tomatoes and decided they would be safe for consumption but not whatever
Amy was scrambling. No, that might have some sort of brain altering substance. She
swallowed, realizing she had already had a serving at breakfast.
 

Amy sat the table and
motioned for Michelle to sit at the table. She fussed with her hair for a
moment. Michelle wanted to wave her hands away but decided she would need to
remain calm. She would have to play a long if she were to get out of here,
acting out would only cause her to inhale more horse tranquilizer.

“Michelle,” Eric’s
voice boomed. “This is Officer Mansfield.”

Michelle stood up. She
was unsure whether to shake his hand or to just stand. She shuddered as she
realized he was looking over every inch of her body. She immediately sat down.
 

“Earth Army soldier?”
he questioned.

She nodded.

“Only a private?” he
scoffed.

She crinkled her nose
at his words. She wanted to scream,
yes,
only a private.
A private who narrowly escaped death and
starvation on Redex.
A private who saw almost everyone
on her squad die.
A private who lost her friends, her
family, her job, her planet.
Yes, only a private.
A
private, stronger than you.

“Yes,” she replied
slowly. She wouldn’t rock the boat. Michelle knew they had barely spoken a few
words between them but her instinct warned her. It was just a small feeling but
she recognized his type, he would be abusive. He had the same look in his eyes
as her foster mother. It was a cold and unnerving look. He was the kind that
tore wings off of butterflies and laughed when they tried to fly. Michelle
realized he had probably survived the Cabaka because of his sadistic
tendencies. He had enjoyed killing.

She hated the way he
looked at her, like she was some sort of pet to be owned. To him she was only a
toy, something to use and have power over. When he was done with his fun he
would be rid of her.

He wanted power over
something or someone else. He wanted control.

She could still hear
them although their voices were low as she put dishes away in the kitchen.

“Yes, she will do,”
Officer Mansfield said.

“Great, we will send
her to an appointment in the morning,” Amy replied.

“You can get in that
quickly?” he questioned.

“I think I can pull
some strings,” Eric added.

Michelle slumped down. She
wasn’t sure what it all meant but she wasn’t a possession, she wasn’t just a
thing. She was a human being with feelings, emotions,
a
soul, not to mention a tiny life that was beginning to form inside of her.
 

The Earth Army had
thought they owned her once. Branding and tagging her like cattle and prodding
her through the gates to Redex. Yet, she wouldn’t let them lead her to the
slaughterhouse. Amy and Eric thought they owned her now but soon they would
relinquish her to Mansfield.

She looked to the
window and thought about just running for it but before she could they escorted
her to her room for the night. She lay awake on her thin mattress as thoughts
spun around her head. She decided she would have to play along. It was always
easier when you let them believe they were winning anyway.

She would be free one
way or another.

“Come on.” Eric called.
 

Michelle reluctantly
followed his lead. She wondered to herself how she could get out of whatever he
was taking her to do. How would she get away from them? All she knew was that
she was on New Earth II.
 
She had no
weapon, no money, no shuttle, and no allies. She felt very much alone. She prayed;
it was what she did when she didn’t know what to do.

She looked up to see a
government building. She recognized it from her time in the Earth Army. It was
a clinic.

Michelle crossed her
arms as a nervous wave of energy swept through her entire body. She hadn’t
expected it but it all made sense. That’s what Eric meant last night when he
said he would take her in the morning to get checked out.

“Ah, Officer, welcome.
Is this your sister-in-law?” a nurse greeted them.

He nodded.

“She’s here to get her
testing done,” he informed.

“OK, if you will come
with me,” the nurse instructed.

Michelle wanted to run
but she knew she wouldn’t get very far. She looked back only to see Eric’s
angry face. Since she had no other choice, she turned and followed the nurse.

“Officer, I’m sorry but
only patients are allowed back here,” the nurse said in a no nonsense tone.

“But,” Eric began.

“It’s against
protocol,” the nurse added.

He nodded and took a
seat.

“I’ll be waiting out
here,” Eric called.

The nurse entered a
code on a doorway and led Michelle to another smaller waiting room.

“I’ll be back in a
second, we’re a little short staffed, and the satellites aren’t back up yet,”
she said warmly as she motioned for her to sit.

Michelle nodded and
took a seat. She waited for the nurse to disappear before she looked around for
another door, a fire escape anything. She wasn’t sure where she would go but
she had to leave. She quickly sat back down as she watched as another girl was
led in soon after that. For a moment, her own world slowed down when she saw
the girl’s tear stained face.
 

Michelle swallowed hard
as the lights shut off. She could hear the beeping of what could possibly be a
generator. They came back on and the flickered off and on for a few minutes.
Michelle didn’t know why but she went to the girl. It was as though she was
being called to her.

“What’s happening
here?” Michelle asked the other girl as she motioned up to the lights.

The girl sniffled and
looked up to her. Before she could reply they went off again.

“You’re new here?” she
said softly. With the lights off it was dark. Michelle could barely make out
her figure.

“I am,” Michelle
replied in a hushed tone. “What is this place? Where are we?” Michelle desperately
tried to get information.

“If I don’t have a baby
they will kill me,” she whispered hoarsely.

Michelle swallowed hard
at the girl’s unpleasant words.

“They are going to kill
mine,” Michelle whispered back.
If they did, if that really
happened Michelle wondered if she would be able to go on.
No,
she told herself.
No, I won’t let that happen.

“Switch with me,”
Michelle whispered. “You have to be and I can’t be.”

The girl looked at
Michelle through the dark with sudden hope in her eyes.
 

“My baby will die if I
don’t. You might die if you don’t. It’s not the solution but it will buy us
both some more time.”

“I’ve been here before.
Take this,” she whispered as she put a metal bracelet on Michelle’s wrist. Her
hands felt cool to the touch as she fastened on her wrist.

“What is this?”
Michelle asked.

“My citizenship
bracelet,” she replied. “Do you have one you can give me?”

Michelle shook her
head. “No, I was Earth Army. I just got here. I’m Michelle.”

“I’m Jessica,” she
whispered and smiled warmly. “You really think this will work?”

Michelle shrugged her
shoulders. “It’s the only shot we’ve got. We’ve got to take it.”

The girl grabbed her
hand and squeezed it. “With the power grid coming up and coming down they won’t
have your file. They’ll have to write your chart by hand. I think…” she paused.
“I think we can.”

“Jessica?” a nurse called
breaking their quiet conversation.

Michelle stood up.
Jessica nodded and gave her a weak smile.

“Let’s get you checked
in. The backup generator should kick in shortly,” the nurse said. Michelle
followed her down the dark and winding hall. She didn’t know where it went but
she prayed her plan would work.

***

Michelle had been
pocked, prodded, and inspected for what seemed like hours. The lights
continuously went on and off again. Many of the tests had to be redone because
of it. She tried to remain confident that her charade would work. She prayed
that Jessica wouldn’t give them away. She
was trusting
her baby’s life with her, a relative stranger. The nurse had frowned at her
high heart rate.

Michelle didn’t know
how but she mustered up all the charm she possibly could. She smiled sweetly.
“I’m just nervous about these results.”

“Understandable. It’s
your fifth and final try.”

Michelle nodded. She
didn’t want to know what that really meant. She took a deep breath as her heart
rate lowered itself. She thought back to Aaron, Kate, and Bryce. They had made
life bearable while being stuck on Redex. She didn’t want to get close to
anyone at first but despite her best efforts she did. Without out them would
she have survived? She wasn’t sure. She reminded herself having someone to count
on was important. You couldn’t do everything on your own, even if you wanted
to.

The nurse gave her hand
a sympathetic squeeze. “The doctor will be right in.”

Michelle watched as the
nurse left the room. She was alone. She wondered if she should rummage through
the cabinets for some sort of weapon.
What
good would that do
, she realized.
I’m
outnumbered. I don’t even know where I’m at.

Michelle heard a soft
knocking. She heard the door creak open.

“Must have gotten mixed
up in all the commotion,” the doctor said to an unknown party as he scratched
his head and entered the room.

Michelle thanked God
for fallen Earth Army satellites and faulty power grids.

“Well, congratulations,”
he looked down at the chart for her name. “Jessica, you’re having a baby boy.”

He looked down at the
chart he was holding without even making eye contact.

“Doctor?” the nurse
poked her head in the room.

“Yes nurse?” he replied
turning his attention to her.

“We’re on lock down,”
she replied.

 
“Lock down?” Michelle asked.

They both nodded to
confirm. Michelle didn’t know what that meant either. The nurse whispered into
his ear and the doctor set his files down.

“I’ll be back in a few
minutes to check on you. I have an emergency to attend to,” he said in a grave
tone.

Michelle took a deep breath
as he closed the door. She
calmed
her beating heart
and stood up from the exam table.

She pressed her ear
against the door. She heard what she thought were screams down the hallway. She
slowly opened the door and quietly stepped into the hallway. To her relief it
was empty. She shuddered as she heard the screams again. They were far away and
they were muffled. They reminded her of the screams she heard after the molcos
hund attack. She swallowed the lump in her throat and moved forward. She crept
along the empty hallway and made her way to the next open door.

Upon entering she saw
that it was an office. She quietly shut the door behind her.
 
It had to be the doctor’s office. It was nice
enough but there were files and papers everywhere. She shook her head; the only
person who could get away with that kind of disorganization in a place like this
would have to be a doctor.

She fumbled through the
things on the desk. She shifted some papers and saw a small handheld viewscreen
lying beneath them. With a renewed sense of confidence she dialed Serik’s ship
number that the IS had located for her.

What if he’s not on the ship?
she
panicked. It was the
only form of communication she knew how to use.

She swallowed hard. Her
eyes widened as she saw Serik’s image appear.

“Serik?” she called out
softly.

“Oh, God.
Michelle I was so worried,” Serik replied.

“Serik, I love you and
I didn’t want to leave. They made me,” she explained quietly hoping they
wouldn’t hear her.
 

“I never thought that,
baby,” he reassured his mate

“Serik, they took me,”
she said.

“Where are you, baby?
Do you know where you are? Who took you?” he asked. His voice was angry.

“I’m on New Earth II, I
don’t have long they will be back soon. They rarely leave me alone. I’m at the
doctor now… I don’t have time to explain,” Michelle frowned.

“Shit,
can you get out of there?” Serik balled his hands into fists. His knuckles went
white.

“I’m going to try,” she
replied.

“I’ve been on my way. I’m
coming for you, just get out of there. Run,” he said.

“But where do I go? I
don’t even know this planet?” she asked.

“Ask your IS to take
you as close to the docking zone as possible,” he instructed.

“But…” Michelle
stammered.

“I’ll
find you. I’m real close. Just run,” Serik assured her.

Michelle heard a
commotion in the hallway and flipped the viewscreen off. She was thankful that she
had the chance to tell Serik she loved him because she wasn’t sure she would be
able to make it anywhere. If she died, at least he would know that she loved
him.

She pressed her ear
against the door and listened.

“Doctor, come quick!”
she heard a nurse call. She heard the shuffling of footsteps in the hallway. She
put her back against the door thinking the doctor may run back in at anytime.
Quiet moments passed as she continued to listen for any other commotion. It was
eerily silent as the lights flickered again. She gained enough courage to start
moving again.

Michelle slowly opened
the door and peaked out. The hallway was clear again.
 

Michelle slunk out of
the room and through the hallway until she found what seemed to be an exit. It
had to be the staff doorway.

She fumbled with the
handle but it was lock. She wanted to cry. She had come so far to only find a locked
door, but she did. Where would she go now? It had seemed as though she had run
out of dumb luck.

She bit her lip and
looked around. It seemed as though there was nowhere else to go. She stood
perfectly still for what seemed like several minutes. She didn’t know what else
to do.

 
The lights flickered again before everything
went completely dark. She heard the generator trying to come back on. In the
darkness and she tried again. She nearly cried tears of joys as the door gave
way. Technology was a double-edged sword; the new locks wouldn’t work without
any electricity. She hesitantly made her way through the hallway, her
fingertips guiding her path in almost pitch black. Terror gripped her as she
stumbled forward in complete darkness. With every tiny movement, she felt the
terror grow. She didn’t know where she was or where she was going. It was the
only door she could find and she figured it would have to lead out. She began
to doubt herself as she lurched forward surrounded by darkness.