What a stupid thing to focus on right now.
She is going to hate every moment of this, with no understanding of just how much whatever happens right now will mean to me. I hate myself for it, but I can't keep shouldering all of this alone. I need some of them to take the burden.
I know it's selfish. It changes nothing.
Silver still hasn't fallen. The frightened slime looks over to the other and starts speaking in a petulant voice, drawing my attention.
"Just pull her out already so they can have their show. You made your star-baked point."
A gasp brings my gaze back to Silver.
Her light green eyes are wide open and I can tell by the way her muscles are tensed that she is trying to pull herself away from the chamber. It holds her fast and a moment later she is screaming. Next, I'm on the ground hacking, but she is still stuck in her upright position.
When the gas clears she is still coughing, her body wracked with it, but she's unable to move into a position better suited to helping her lungs expel the fumes.
I scramble back up, grabbing one of her hands. "Please don't scream. They hurt us when we scream."
She whimpers, tears running down her face, but she stays quiet. Her hand trembles violently and I grab the other one and squeeze them both gently.
"Shut up, parched hole. I like it when the whores scream."
Apparently he isn't scared anymore now that there's someone new to terrorize.
The one at the controls sits forward. "Now, now. I see we have questions rolling in about the state of the indigo one's channel. I assure you it is anything but dry. In fact, we can—"
He's interrupted by the hatch opening and another slime stepping in. They pull an odd-looking gun from behind them and shoot the slime closest to the door.
Silver lets out another screech and this time I join her.
He falls with a sickening splat, then shudders before falling still. Slimes must have minimal bone structure because his body slowly sinks until he is spread out across a surprisingly extensive area and only rises about six inches off the floor.
The one at the controls grunts. "Was he really worth a frangible?"
"Yes. Compliments of Shentrea."
I don't know who the hell Shentrea is, but they are clearly not to be messed with or even talked about. I shudder as it occurs to me that the monsters in front of me are likely a pale shadow of some broader, far more dangerous political structure.
It's too much to even consider and my vision swims.
Gray blood seeps out around the dead slime and Silver starts dry heaving next to me. I turn my back to them and try to get her to focus on me.
"Hello. I'm Indigo. If I share my real name, they will punish us. I've been calling you Silver. Sorry."
She's staring past me, her body trembling and still trapped against the red fabric of the cryochamber. From the sounds behind me, I can tell they are working on cleaning up the mess and that there are now multiple slimes in the observation room.
"Hey. Hi. Why don't you just look at me, huh? Yes, that's right. Where are you from?"
"C-Congo."
"Oh, that's lovely. I've never been. They gave us translators, which is why we can understand each other."
Her brow furrows. "I'm speaking English."
I'm making a terrible first impression at the absolute worst time. I thought they spoke French or something.
"Wow. I'm a complete ass, sorry."
"No, it's okay. W-Why can't I move?"
