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“You stay right where you are, Nell. Once I’ve dealt with your friend, I can send you on your final mission. There are plenty of airlocks here you can step out of. It won’t take long. You won’t feel much pain.”

“Go to hell,” Nell said.

“We don’t believe in hell.”

Rane slumped down, his shoulders heavy and his vision blurry. This Passista had him. He couldn’t fight her.

“No, you don’t.” Nell charged across the room and kicked the Passista.

The alien shrieked. “Stay back. I command you.”

“You don’t command me anymore, lady, blob, whatever the hell you are.” Nell grabbed an oil burner from the desk and threw it at the Passista’s head.

The Passista’s form wobbled as several pieces of goo flew off where the burner impacted. “Stay away. I’m your friend. Your therapist. I’m here to help.”

“You’re a lying, deceitful, purple slimeball.” Nell grabbed a chair and emphasized each word with a jab to the Passista’s gut.

The Passista squealed and slithered away.

“She’s weak,” Rane gasped. “Her influence is slipping.”

“Then I’ll keep hitting the blobby bitch until she gives up hurting you.”

Rane tried to raise his head, but all he wanted to do was close his eyes and sleep. He’d never felt so tired.

“Stop, or I will kill him,” the Passista burbled. “I will make sure your alien is never the same again.”

“Stay away from him,” Nell yelled. She charged after the Passista, fury in her eyes and her arms outstretched.

The Passista slid around the desk and out the other side until she was behind Rane. “One final warning.”

“Don’t listen to her,” Rane whispered. “She can’t hurt me. She’s used up her ability controlling me.”

“Foolish Olickie,” the Passista said.

Rane tried to move as he felt the clammy, damp touch of the Passista’s feeler. He was frozen to the spot as if he’d been cemented to the ground. She had him.

The last thing Rane heard was Nell screaming as the Passista enveloped him in her slimy folds, and everything went black.

Chapter 21

For a second, Nell had no idea who was screaming. Then everything snapped into focus.

Those screams were hers. Her hands were covered in purple goo as a flame of anger burned inside her.

She gasped as she stepped back. Rane lay in a puddle of sticky goo. She was coated with it, from her fingers up to her shoulders, where she’d lunged at the Passista and torn her off Rane, lump by sticky lump.

Nell sank to her knees and tried to rouse Rane, but he remained unconscious. His pulse was rapid and irregular and his breathing shallow.

She raced to the control panel on the wall and contacted the medical wing. “I need a medical team in the therapist’s room. Someone’s been badly hurt.”

“What’s the situation of the injured party?”

“He’s unconscious. I can’t get him to respond.”

“Confirmed. We’re on our way.”

Nell flicked Passista goo off her arms as she ran back to Rane and knelt by his side. There were technically two injured aliens in the room. From the damage she’d done to her slimy therapist, Nell guessed she wasn’t coming back from that attack.