Page 56 of Their Marked Mate

Drake and Avery were openly flirting with each other by the time Alex, Nate, and Luna reached the clubhouse.

“That’s horrible,” Avery was saying, but she laughed. “I’ll make sure to stay on your good side from now on.”

Alex crossed the room and sat facing the intruder/visitor. Nate and Luna chose seats on his right.

“We intended to visit your village this afternoon,” Avery told him. “The fight moved our schedule up a bit.”

“What is your interest in Rydaria? Has there been a ship in orbit this entire time, and how have you been spying on us?”

“The ‘how’ is easy.” Avery flashed her most engaging smile as she went on, “The villages are blanketed with an army of spybots. Most upload recordings but some are capable of transmitting their signals all the way back to Earth. That’s all this program was supposed to be. Passive observation of a developing culture.”

“Unbelievable,” Nate muttered and Alex agreed.

“Are the spybots shielded?” Luna wanted to know, then her eyes widened. “Do they look like insects? There was a black and green bug in the lab the other day. I told Evelyn it was studying me.”

“Some of the spybots have preset routines,” Avery admitted. “Others have broader objectives. It sounds like that one was trying to discover what you were doing.”

“The fucking swarmies,” Nate guessed. “They’re spybots, aren’t they?”

Avery nodded. “We simply call them hummingbirds and crickets, but swarmies works too.”

Nothing about this conversation amused Alex. The best thing about Rydaria was finally having control over his life again. Now he found out that it was an illusion. He was still a fucking lab rat. “On Earth, this sort of surveillance is illegal. There is an expectation of privacy inside a lab. Don’t you need my mate’s permission before you surveil her?”

“That was one of my concerns as well.” Avery scooted to the edge of her seat and lifted her gaze to Alex’s. “Natalie knows more about the Rydarian Project than I do, but I’ll tell you what I’ve learned so far. Rydaria was selected as a penal colony by a multi-planet consortium. Development had barely begun when Nuevo Biotech was liberated. Two things transpired simultaneously at that point. It was decided that all the hybrids would be relocated to Rydaria and Natalie Morgan became director of the Rydarian Project.”

“What does one have to do with the other?” Alex asked, already frustrated by her rambling explanation.

“Natalie wants to revolutionize the prison system. She believes that incarceration is counterproductive to rehabilitation. The public must be protected, but warehousing human beings doesn’t make sense anymore.”

“Are you quoting Natalie or do you share her perspective?” Luna asked, challenge rippling through her tone.

“I’m intrigued by the idea, but I have reservations.”

“What does any of this have to do with us?” Alex asked, allowing his impatience to show. “The male I was fighting is also my cousin. I’d like to go check on him.”

Avery tapped a device nestled in her ear. “Can I get an update on the injured male?” After a pause, she said, “Thank you.” She shifted her dark gaze back to Alex and smiled. “The ship has safely landed and your cousin is onboard. His injuries required regeneration, so it will be several hours before you’ll be able to see him.”

Alex nodded, thankful for the information but restless as hell.

“If you’re interested in the details, Natalie can fill you in. I’ll just give you the essential facts. First of all, Rydaria is a penal colony, so rights and privileges are different than on Earth.”

“Penal colony? We have committed no crime,” Alex stressed.

“That might have been true when you first left Earth, but it is highly unlikely now.” When he didn’t object, she continued. “Natalie and a team of scientists have been studying your villages. Natalie believes that prisons with more freedom and a social structure not unlike yours could be very effective.”

Alex scoffed. “It will never work. Our genetics ensure that we crave a tight-knit society. Most criminals are antisocial.”

“If that’s true, how do you explain street gangs or the Bratva?” Avery softened the challenge with a smile. “It’s called organized crime for a reason. Even the behavior of those in prison indicates a need for structure. Prison gangs offer protection and comradery.”

Alex considered her perspective, but knew his questions would only slow her down.

“Continue,” Drake prompted. “You haven’t explained why you’re here.”

Avery nodded then returned to her tale. “The settlements were meant to be male-only communities. The judge that exiled the Nuevo employees did not have permission to use Rydaria. As you can imagine, the introduction of females significantly changed the dynamics of the settlements. The complication has made a more in-depth study necessary. Passive surveillance is not providing the sort of data needed for the study.”

“So, you stepped out of the shadows to do what?” Alex asked.

“To barter for your cooperation.”