“No nonviolent offender is going to volunteer.” Lilian dismissed the idea with the wave of her bony hand.
“I disagree,” Sanderson said, confirming Natalie’s suspicion that he argued with everyone. “There are many nonviolent offenders with long sentences. There are also some with nothing to return to once they’re released. Some might volunteer simply to escape the situation that landed them in prison in the first place.”
“Without revealing the details of our program, I put out a questionnaire asking if anyone would be interested in participating in a long-term, off-world program. I received a hundred and sixteen responses in three days.” Natalie paused for effect then rushed on. “Conditions at the prisons are horrendous. That’s why this project was launched. We have learned a lot from the hybrids, but it’s time to move on. We need scenarios that more closely represent what we’re trying to achieve.”
“Which is?” Avery asked.
There was no challenge in her tone, no sarcasm, so Natalie explained, “Incarcerating prisoners is counterproductive to their rehabilitation. We’ve known that for decades, but all the alternatives—and there have been many—have failed. Like thehybrids, dangerous criminals cannot be trusted to interact with the general population. Law-abiding citizens must be protected from those who choose to break the rules. Separation is unavoidable, but warehousing humans in closet-sized rooms is no longer acceptable.”
“So, we drop them on a primitive planet and let them fend for themselves?”
Challenge sharpened Avery’s tone this time, but Natalie understood her reaction. There were no simple answers to any of these questions. “We give them the basic tools needed to survive and allow them to tame a wilderness. If you had been convicted of a crime, which would you prefer?”
Avery didn’t respond one way or the other. She stared back silently, her expression thoughtful.
“What’s the next step?” Lilian asked after a tense pause.
Before Natalie could reply, Sanderson asked, “How long will it take you to vet sixty females? Start with the ones who responded to the questionnaire.”
“I can do it in a few days if I have a large enough team.”
“I’ll see that your budget is doubled. I want sixty females on that ship when it leaves.”
Natalie felt her jaw drop and snapped it close. “The ship is supposed to leave in the morning.” Why was he pushing so hard? He’d been against further involvement when the conversation started.
“Postpone it for a day or two. I want this project back on track as quickly as possible.”
She wasn’t sure what motivated him to change his mind, but his support was tantamount to her success. “Yes, Senator.”
He stood up then looked at Avery. “Collins, this is your baby now. You wanted more responsibility. Work closely with Natalie, and don’t fuck it up.”
Rydaria
Later that afternoon Heather crept from the cottage, determined to find a way off the mountaintop. She’d used a combination of borrowed clothes and blankets to insulate her body against the elements, and she’d gathered a variety of supplies that she now carried in a makeshift backpack. Multiple layers of covering warded off the cold, yet she hadn’t found an effective way to mitigate moisture. If it rained or she encountered a lake, she was screwed. Her feet were also a problem. They were now wrapped in bulky strips of cloth, but sharp rocks and exposed roots made hiking slow and hazardous.
Running away might seem cowardly to some, but Heather saw no viable option. Patrick intended to humiliate and torment her, and Heather would play the victim for no one. Gabriel, on the other hand, confused her. He’d been demanding yet he’d communicated his expectations, and his desire had seemed genuine. Responding to Patrick’s aggression would have seemed natural too if she’d seen any hint of affection in his eyes.
She forced her troubled thoughts to the back of her mind and hurried across the front yard. Her wisest course was to get as far away from Patrick as Rydaria allowed. At least in thefeline village her mates would protect and care for her. All Patrick wanted was a whipping girl. She easily located the rock face along which she had arrived. Without technical climbing equipment, she would never get down that way. She crossed behind the cottage and explored the woods, but underbrush and fallen trees soon made that direction impassable as well.
Frustrated but not ready to give up, she walked along the edge of the forest and examined the mountainside. The descent was steep and uneven with sudden vertical drops. She had to find a way down. There simply was no other option. As she hiked, a curious bird flew lazy circles around her. Colorful and incredibly agile, it reminded her of the hummingbirds on Earth. She’d heard them called swarmies because they were everywhere and seemed to be unusually interested in human and hybrid activities.
“Are you a spy for some Rydarian god?” Heather murmured. “Are they about to smite me for trespassing on holy ground?” The bird swept around her one final time then sped off into the forest.
Heather continued to search. The cottage was filled with objects that hadn’t been constructed from materials found in the forest. Had Patrick flown everything up here one item at a time? Unlikely. There was a path. She just needed to find it.
She paused a couple of hours later and allowed herself to absorb the beauty of her surroundings. A narrow valley stretched before her in either direction. The scene was tranquil and picturesque. No wonder Patrick had chosen this location for his hideaway. It really was stunning. Shaking away the lulling peace, she continued her search. There were numerous zigzagging trails down the cliff face, yet each potential path she spotted was compromised by a sudden vertical drop. By late afternoon, shereluctantly admitted that Patrick was right. The only way she was getting off this mountain was if one of the eagle shifters flew her down.
With a sigh of frustration, Heather retraced her steps along the cliff and headed back to the cottage. The past few days had been physically and emotionally exhausting. She should be used to wolf attacks by now, but their savagery always made her feel helpless and terrified. The latest incident naturally led her to thoughts of Patrick. Convoluted emotions twisted through her being as his handsome image formed within her mind.
Gabriel’s insistence that Patrick didn’t hate her, that his anger was rooted in pain, made her assess the situation with more objectivity. Patrick’s resentment was intense and justified, that much was obvious. He wanted to punish her, needed her to suffer as he had suffered. Still, his expression softened and his touch gentled as he joined his body to hers. She’d noticed the change, yet refused to react to it. Why should she care if some remnant of their attraction lingered? They had meant something to each other years ago. How did that change the situation now?
The question drew her deeper into her own emotions. She opened the door to the cottage and reluctantly went inside. What had they meant to each other? No. She could only control one side of the equation. What had Patrick meant to her? The question was surprisingly hard to answer. She’d been fascinated by him from the start, yet she’d resisted her attraction. Caring for him, feeling anything for any of them, made it impossible to do her job, and the only way she could provide for her sisters was to remain an employee of Nuevo Biotech.
She drew her mind back to the present as she curled up on one of the chairs by the fireplace. The cottage was relatively warm, so she didn’t bother building a fire. Instead, she stared at the emptygrate and forced herself to be brutally honest. If she had met Patrick outside Nuevo Biotech, she would have encouraged his interest. She had no idea what sort of relationship would have developed, but she would have been eager to explore the options.
So, what did that mean for her here and now? With a reflective sigh, she crossed her legs and adjusted her weight on the wooden seat. Could she reignite the spark inside Patrick? Would it better her situation if she did, or would allowing herself to care for him only open her up to more pain?
There were no easy answers to her questions, so she focused on facts. First, she could not escape this mountaintop prison. Next, her captors were going to continue to make sexual demands on her. Resisting them, defying them would always result in painful punishments. And submission would defuse their anger.
