“I am pleased you are happy with the selection. You are, after all, our most honored guest.”
Honored guest. Olivia liked the sound of that, and if this was how they would be treating her she could really get used to it.
An unpleasant little flash of reality slapped her across the proverbial face.How am I thinking like that while Harper is still out there? She needs help.Olivia felt the pang of guilt in her gut, but she also had a welcome new thought.Then again, with these new friends, I bet they can heal her leg in no time. And they can fly instead of needing to hike all that way. Yeah, I think this can work out just fine. If I can convince them to help, that is. So, that’s it, then. Eat, bathe, get my bearings, then find a way to get her.
Her conscience at ease, Olivia turned her attention back to the food before her—the first real,seasonedfood she’d eaten since being abducted—and devoured a significant portion of the delicacies at her disposal, then shed her clothes and partook of a truly delightful hot shower.
It was everything she’d hoped it would be. She did ask the AI to switch to the other types of shower as well, just to see what they felt like, and they were quite enjoyable as well, especially when the light system enhanced the sonic bath. It made the ink in her tattoos brighten noticeably, even those she’d had for years. But ultimately it was good old-fashioned hot water that felt the best. Maybe because it reminded her of home, she mused.
Whatever the case, refreshed and well-fed, she exited the shower and looked for her clothes. They were not where she’d dropped them.
“Hey, where are my?—”
“I took the liberty of cleansing your attire while you bathed. Full sonic and spectral disinfection, as well as some mending of the damaged portions. I do have local garb for you as well, should you desire.”
Olivia saw her clothes neatly folded atop a small chair. Not some force field chair, but a real, sturdy, place to sit. She picked them up and marveled at how clean they felt. Softer than when she’d first bought them, and fresh and lacking any of the smells of her lengthy captivity.
“Thanks,” she said, then put on the clean clothing and headed to the door. She took a deep breath, her heart full of hope, as well as a healthy bit of uncertainty. “All right, then. Alien city, here I come.”
CHAPTER TEN
Olivia had been in quite a state when Arkness led her to her accommodations, but now with a clear mind and fresh eyes, she was able to really take in the sights and marvels of this pristine alien city, and she was amazed at what she saw as she stepped out into the bright morning light.
“How in the world?” she wondered, staring up in disbelief at what appeared to be people freefalling to the ground from the suspended bubble pods high above.
They weren’t plummeting to their deaths, though. Rather, they were stepping out into the seemingly empty air, but rather than falling, they descended at a quick pace, though far less than terminal velocity. Interestingly, their clothing remained still, unaffected by wind from their fall, and when they approached the ground, their momentum suddenly slowed, setting them down gently at street level.
Olivia realized what it had to be. “The same kind of tech they used in their ship,” she said, still in awe.
It was clear that these people had somehow figured out not only how to create a force device of some kind, but also how to negate the effects of gravity and G-forces along with it. Thetechnology was magnificent, and unlike her first experience with aliens, Olivia found herself actually excited to see what might come next.
The population appeared to be homogenous, making her wonder what sort of rules they had about outsider visitors—a group of which her distinctly not-red skin made her a very clear part of. She felt the eyes focused on her from all directions, but she was pretty sure it was not because she was a different species—though these people, while red-skinned, were still bipedal and essentially humanoid in shape—but for a different reason.
Everyone she saw in any direction she looked was male.
“Okay, this is weird,” she said, growing more than a little uncomfortable at the scrutiny.
It was at that moment a young girl, probably no more than twelve years old, came hurrying her way, three young boys following closely as if ready to do her bidding. It was quite an odd site.
“Hello!” the girl chirped. “I am Yanna. Clearly, you must be Olivia.”
“That’s me. The only Earth girl in town.”
“Earth?”
“My planet.”
“Hm, I’ve never heard of it. What part of the Dotharian Conglomerate is your world situated in?”
“Oh, we’re not in anything like that. Hell, we’ve barely made it to our own moon, let alone other planets.”
The girl’s face shifted to a look of dismay, though she quickly recovered from her surprise. “Not in the Conglomerate? Now I understand why Overseer Zoldana wanted to see you as soon as you started your day. How fascinating! How exciting!”
“I guess you could say that.”
“Oh, it is! But I’m talking too much. Please, follow me. Overseer Zoldana is expecting you.”
Yanna turned and led the way, her human guest walking at her side. The boys remained a few paces behind, following silently.
