“In that case, shall we begin?” The doctor signaled to a pair of soldiers, who trotted over.
“What are they for?” a suspicious Colette asked.
“You might trust the visitors, but this is my first time meeting an alien face to face. For my own comfort, I’d like to know I have backup, should things go awry.”
Valid. As a woman, Colette could appreciate wanting to feel safe in the presence of a strange man. “You’ll soon see. You have nothing to fear.”
“I’ll let you enter first since he knows you. You can then explain what’s going to happen.”
With that surprising offer, the doctor had the door unlocked, and Colette stepped in to find Cade standing in the middle of the room, arms crossed.
He arched a brow at the sight of her. “Does your military not have enough rooms to incarcerate us both?”
“I’m not here to join you.”
“Is this a rescue?”
Her lips curved. “I wish. Think of me as a messenger. There’s a doctor outside who wants to examine you.”
“You are here to ensure my compliance.”
“More like the doctor got tired of me haranguing her about their treatment of you.”
“I’ve come to no harm.”
“You’re a prisoner.”
“Am I?” His lips curved, and she was struck anew by his good looks. Not that she would do anything about it. Not in this place.
“The doctor claims the tests she wants to run won’t do any harm. They’re to make sure you’re healthy and won’t cause some kind of plague.”
“I carry no disease.”
“That you know of,” Colette replied, playing devil’s advocate. “Could also be you’re not contagious with your kind but toxic to us.”
“The Oracle and our ancestors wouldn’t have sent us here if that were the case. Not to mention, the hundreds of females on our planet, taken from Earth, are all thriving.”
Hundreds. For some reason she’d imagined it to be fewer.
“Surely you can understand them being leery. It would probably help if you could have some of those women reassure they’re not experiencing any distress and are happy with their situation.”
“As I told the general, that can be arranged.” He studied her before asking in a low mutter, “Are you uninjured?”
“I’m fine.” She offered a wry smile. “Just not impressed with our military right now. Never thought I’d be considered a national threat.”
“Your military is being cautious. Understandable. I’ve agreed to cooperate to show they’ve nothing to fear.”
“You’re okay with the doctor poking you?”
He grimaced. “If I must.”
“I’m sure it won’t be any worse than what your doctors do.”
“We employ scanners to diagnose.”
“Do you really?” Dr. Ouellet entered the cell. “Do these machines fix problems, too?”
Cade nodded. “While we do still have physicians, they are more there to attend to the apparatus than act.”
