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The solitude, though … that bothered me.
They separated me from my kinsmen. They even separated me from Amber’s ex and his friend. This prison, unlike the one they held me in the first time, did not have an adjoining cell. No one sat on the other side of the wall to keep me company. No glass to see who even was on the other side; just four small concrete walls with a steel door on one side. A commode in the corner, and a bare cot opposite the door.
I’d thought I had adapted to loneliness during my time traveling through space for my exile, but my time with Amber had filled me with such unabating joy that this seemed extra cruel. No company, no other being to pass the time with. Just myself and my thoughts, and those thoughts turned ever to Amber and how she might be faring.
Was she all right? I had no worries that Hunir would do her harm, but what of this plan she had to free us? Would that put her in danger? Not knowing if she was safe or not ate at me, consuming my existence.
I had to get out of here. I had to get free, to get the others free, so Amber would not risk herself for our sakes. My own safety didn’t matter, only Amber’s.
Studying the walls of my prison did nothing to provide answers. Solid concrete, a good Earth foot thick, with some kind of devices wired into them to provide electronic interference. I couldn’t get a message out to Hunir if I tried. Even messaging between cells proved impossible. I couldn’t contact the others, couldn’t ask if they were okay.
The humans finally found a way to gain access to my blood this time. They brought something called a “power tool” and drilled into my scales. It hurt, but I tolerated it well enough. I wasn’t about to give them the satisfaction of hearing me cry out in pain.
I never heard the others screaming, so I didn’t know if they’d also been subjected to the drill. The scientists that came to my cell remained silent, as did Agent Wilson, despite his usual chattiness. It was as though they thought to deny us any accidental slippage of information, but what could we do with intel given our situation? We were as helpless as infants here.
As my worry for Amber grew, I resolved to escape. No matter what it took, I would attack the next human who came through the door and make a run for it. Even if their projectiles could penetrate my scales, could it really be any worse than the drill?
I waited hours for the lock to click, positioned to pounce the second the door opened.
The human on the other side gave a shout when I launched at her, but she was faster than I anticipated. Before I knew what happened, she had me pressed against the wall, my drilled arm twisted behind my back. I tried to break free, but her grip proved too strong.
“Q’on!”
For a moment, I thought myself delusional. Was that Amber’s voice? It couldn’t be …
Soft hands ran over the holes in my scales, and I shook as Amber’s scent reached my nostrils.
She really was here.
“Oh, Q’on … What did they do to you?”
“This is the infamous Q’on?” the tall woman asked. She let me go and patted my shoulder. “Sorry, sir. I didn’t realize who you were. Acted on instinct.”
Once she freed me, I keyed into the situation around me and realized the compound was in chaos. Soldiers aimed guns at each other, scientists cowered from other soldiers, and a highly decorated man held Agent Wilson by the throat. He seemed oddly well dressed for the occasion, as did the woman who had opened my door, and I wondered what called for the theatrics.
Amber threw herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck. I held her close, reveling in the feel of her against me.
“I can’t believe they fucking did this to your arm. It’s barbaric!”
“Are those drill marks, Director?” the man holding Wilson asked. When she nodded affirmation after inspecting my arm, the man gripped Agent Wilson’s neck even tighter. “What the fuck kind of operation are you running out here? We aren’t maniacs; we don’t whip out the Black and Decker when our needles can’t do the job.”
The Director waved a hand at the man holding Wilson. “Calm down, General. He’ll answer to me—and to a Congressional committee—in due time. Just hold him steady for now. We can’t have him running off into the woods. And have someone check on the ex-husband and his buddy. We can’t have it getting out that the AARO was holding humans hostage, too, for Christ’s sake.”
I gazed down at mytyr’ilas two soldiers trotted off to follow the Director’s order. “Amber, what happened? How did you get here so fast?”
She leaned back to look up into my eyes, grinning mischievously. “Hunir drove us in the ship, but we stopped at the Capitol and grabbed some help first. Q’on, meet Director of Defense Ann Hall, and over there is General Fisher. Army. We met them at the White House when we were trying to get the President to let you guys go. Turned out no one in the upper ranks had a clue you were being held here! Agent Wilson had gone rogue, and he hid the intel from everyone. If we hadn’t gone to the White House, Director Hall might still not know you even existed.”
That scrawny littleyifacted without orders? He kidnapped me, kidnappedAmber, without any word of it to his superiors?
I didn’t realize I had started growling until Director Hall’s eyes widened, and Amber smacked my chest. “Q’on, stop it! It’s over now. She’s going to rip him so wide open that no one ever dreams of pulling this crap again.”
“What of future Xalanite visitors?” I ask. “What will happen to them?”
Amber frowned. “Are any Xalanites really going to want to come here after this mess? I mean, Earth has nothing to offer Xalan in terms of trade or … well, anything. You guys have way more advanced tech than we do. It makes no sense for any of you to come back here.”
Hunir cleared his throat. “We might wish to travel here. I believe you call it a vacation. And eventually, your species will reach the stars beyond this system. We should consider alliances should that happen.”
She put her hands on her hips. “Why would anyone want to come here from Xalan? It’s like someone from Paris wanting to visit Alabama.”
