Oh, so I deserve special treatment?
Jeffrey shook his head. "No."
The alien female's lips pursed slightly. It was the only reaction he received.
"I'm the ranking officer here," he continued. "It is my job to protect my crew. And that means no zaps on my watch."
"Our scanners detected traces of Hareema DNA on your vessel. Any member of your crew could have been replaced by the enemy. These energy exchanges ensure that you are who you say you are."
"What happened to being hospitable?" he asked. "You guys just met us. Instead of a friendly handshake, you've been badgering us from the moment you locked down our ship. Now we're supposed to thank you for electrocuting us? I don't think so."
"Step aside," the alien female said, her voice like steel.
"Make me," he growled, going toe to toe with his captor.
One corner of her lips curled up, and he watched as energy began to ripple up her own beautiful skin. "Once wasn't enough for you?"
Jeffrey tensed, anticipating another charge. But he relaxed slightly when Dr. Tan put a hand on his shoulder. "Settle down, Lieutenant Cheerful. You withstood the charge, and so did Captain Brooklyn back on theEarhart. I think Chao and I can take it."
He turned to look down into her face. "On our ship, you said it could cause damage. Why change your tune now?"
Tan shrugged. "What choice have we got? Sure, I can't say I wouldn't enjoy watching you breakdance to her electric touch again, but there's no point."
The doctor looked over at the alien female. "Do you give us your word that your test will not permanently damage me or my crewmate?" Tan asked her.
The female nodded. "We are familiar with human physiology. While the charge will be quite uncomfortable, there will be no lasting damage. And we’ll immediately be able to determine whether you've been replaced by the enemy."
"Let's do it, then," Chao said, stepping up to one of the guards and holding out her arm. "Let me have it."
Jeffrey shook his head. "Now wait-" but before he could interfere, the guard grabbed hold of Chao's arm and sent a charge through her.
Chao yelled and went to her knees, gritting her teeth. "Goddamn, that hurts," she said, wrapping her arms around her middle.
Jeffrey raced to her side, helping her to stand. "You okay?"
Chao nodded. "Hurts like a bitch, but I'm all right."
"Now me," Tan said, moving toward the other guard.
"Doc, are you sure about this?"
She turned back to him and gave him a nod. "I want to prove that I'm human. It's the first step to establishing real relations with these creatures."
He glanced at the alien female and noticed that her forehead wrinkled.Someone doesn't like being referred to as a ‘creature.’
The remaining guard put a hand on Tan and the doctor shook under the onslaught of the charge. As she fell, Jeffrey grabbed her, getting a residual shock that caused his jaw to lock. Tan's eyes closed and her breathing was rough, but after a moment her eyes reopened.
"I'm okay," she said, and Jeffrey helped her back onto her feet, steadying her.
"Happy now?" he grunted, his attention back on the alien female.
"Ecstatic," she replied with a straight face.
She's made of ice.He furrowed his brows.What kind of monsters are we dealing with?
"Well, now that the unpleasantness is out of the way and we've all proved we're human, how about you let us get back to our ship?"
"You've proved you're human, yes," the alien female replied, "but that doesn't mean you aren't in league with the Hareema. We need to find out exactly what's happening on that little ship of yours."
