Though now he has stopped smiling, and there are no more hints about mating. While he asks the occasional question, mostly he now just answers mine, as if he doesn’t care. It doesn’t seem to matter what games I bring; he is listless. At first, I thought he was getting sick, but now I think he is losing the will to live because he is trapped. He needs to be doing something.
I add it to my notes, even though the leaders won't care. It's taken them almost a month, but they have summoned me for a meeting and I'm not sure it's a good thing.
Every day I go to the lab, I expect it to be empty and for Tiril to be gone.
It’s a relief to find him still there—he would disagree.
I wait outside the meeting room with my tablet that contains all my data on livestock and crops and the tribes. It's allinformation that I have sent the leaders, but I want my notes on hand during the discussion.
The door opens and Dianne steps out. "Chloe, we're ready for you."
Did they need to have a private chat before talking to me? Were they talking about me or my research? I fix a bland smile on my face and follow her into the room.
The two other leaders, Grace and Abraham, are already seated at the table. The man is in charge of security. The older woman deals with supplies, while Dianne looks after the people side of things.
I sit and place the tablet in front of me.
Dianne joins the other leaders on the opposite side of the table.
Great, it's definitely a me against them meeting. Sweat forms under my arms and I force myself to sit still while I wait for them to break the silence first.
"We have been reading your work and are impressed with the progress you've made in such a short amount of time." Dianne seems to be running the meeting, or at least taking point.
I almost downplay my role and say that anyone could have done it if they'd made the effort to speak with him. Instead, I smile and nod. "Thank you."
"We would like some more specific information," Abraham says. "Such as the exact location of the other tribes."
"We will provide you with a list," Dianne adds.
At least they want me to continue. "Great…" I need to take a chance. "I believe giving him something constructive to do?—"
"You believe?" Abraham crosses his arms.
"My observations and discussions have led me to the conclusion that sitting in the cell is killing him. His kind are not used to being alone. They are social?—"
The man snorts. "He will not be socializing with anyone. He is an alien."
"And he is giving us useful information that will help us set up the farms so much faster. Does his cooperation mean nothing?"
"He is a prisoner," Grace says. "It's not safe for him to wander around the colony."
Safe for him, or safe for them? But I already know the answer. "You don’t think he could be useful?"
"He is being useful, and so are you." Dianne smiles as if that is all I was waiting to hear. "Which is why we want you to continue."
I grit my teeth but smile and nod, as expected. "Thank you."
But do you have long-term plans for Tiril and his people?
And when I am done, will I have a use? Or do I know too much?
"There is another reason we wanted to talk with you," Dianne says. "You have a good relationship with your selected partner, and we think it would be a good example to other…"
I don’t hear the rest of her words as all my blood rushes to my feet and my pulse drowns out every noise. I don’t need to hear what she's saying. Her lips keep moving. The other two are watching me. My head nods and that stupid smile on my lips hasn't slipped.
They don’t want to kill me instead, they want to bind me more tightly to the colony. Leaving with a baby, or while pregnant, would be…not impossible, but difficult. What if something goes wrong?
Everything has gone wrong.
