Chapter Four

GABRIELLA

I cracked my eyes open one at a time. I was lying on the ground and my nose itched. As I tried to move my hand to scratch the tip of my nose, I realized my arms were stuck. I looked down at my body, feel a sense of dread overcome me. Heavy chrome handcuffs restrained both my wrists and ankles.

My extremities were falling asleep. How long had they bound me like this? I whimpered, attempting to wriggle my ankles, but I got an unpleasant surprise. When I moved, blue bolts of electricity sparked from the handcuffs. A sharp jolt stung the bare flesh of my arms and legs. Shit. I guess I wasn't going anywhere soon. The electric shocks weren't the only thing causing me pain; my entire body was sore, riddled with painful sensations through my back and limbs.

There were bars all around me. I was locked in one of many full-sized cages filling the vast space of a dungeon. It didn't hurt too much when I turned my head. Looking around, I saw other brides from the ship imprisoned just like me, one to a cage. Some were shivering uncontrollably. Others cried. A few whispered prayers into the dark. Blue fluorescent lights illuminated the room, which made the rusted industrial bars of our cages appear sinister.

I was petrified. I wanted nothing more than to raise my voice and cry for help, but the gloominess of my surroundings and the aches in my body sucked up all of my remaining energy.

Where was my friend? "Cheyenne?" I whispered. My voice surprised me. It was trembling and squeaky. Speaking the two syllables made me realize my throat was burning too. The beverage cart on the TerraMates shuttle was far away. I closed my chapped lips. I wouldn't be able to drink a cold glass of water any time soon.

I heard a voice on my right croak out my name. As it turned out, Cheyenne was in the cage next to me. Her formerly springy curls were now frizzy and disheveled, erupting from her head at crazy angles. Her glazed eyes looked swollen and puffy. I was certain she had been crying for hours before I regained consciousness. She seemed to be in shock and stared straight ahead. If it weren't for her heaving chest, she wouldn't be moving at all.

"Cheyenne, are you okay?"

She turned toward me. Fresh tears started streaming down her face. One clung to the base of her quivering chin. Her nose had been rubbed raw, and streaks of red marred her cheeks. Although her emotional condition looked terrible, there were no signs of physical damage other than some scrapes on her neck and elbows.

"Are you hurt?"

She shook her head slowly.

I felt like I needed to say something to cheer her up. "Hang in there. It's going to be okay."

A harrowing scream pierced through the eerie quiet of the room.

"It's not going to be okay. It's Synic again," breathed Cheyenne.

"Huh?" I whispered. "Who's that?"

Before I could get a response from Cheyenne, my question answered itself. I saw a flicker of motion and my eyes moved toward the far left of the cages across from me. An imposing figure wearing a crimson full-body cloak led a group of eight guards toward the cluster of cells. The leader's matching red mask was a frightening visual. It had tinted yellow goggles in the eye sockets, and a large hooked beak that covered his face and nose.

I wondered if the mask helped him breathe or if it was supposed to enhance his appearance. I hoped he needed the mask for medical reasons because I didn't want to know what his natural face looked like, if his mask was that ugly.

The alien guards following Synic looked just as terrifying. Their facial features and builds were humanoid, but the back of their bald heads had swelled up to twice normal size. On the back of their ugly deformed heads was a disgusting pouch that I couldn't help observing. Pink and blue veins covered their heads. Their skin looked dull and white, as if they had never seen sunlight. They dressed better than Synic, wearing color-coordinated black and maroon combat attire. The guards were also well-trained, moving in unison.

Synic raised a leather gloved hand in front of him, spreading his fingers wide. A rattling cage door violently opened in response to his unseen command. Synic curled his fingers into a fist and yanked it back. The shuttle attendant in the pink zero-gravity boots lurched forward, crumpling to the ground by Synic's feet.

What the fuck? Was this guy using the Force or did he have super-science at his disposal?

The attendant's poofy hairstyle was now matted flat against his shiny forehead. Though dried blood covered his battered face, it looked as if he hadn't shed a single tear. I guess he was more of a man than he appeared on the surface. Even though his hands and legs were restrained just like mine, he slowly lifted himself to his knees. One of his shoulders was dislocated and hung limply at his side. I rooted for him silently, watching in horrified awe as the attendant kneeled on the ground.

"Are we ready to start talking now?"

The nonchalance in Synic's words made me uncomfortable. His crackling, metallic voice reverberated across the dungeon.

The attendant didn't look up, keeping his eyes focused on the dusty, cracked floor. The guard on his right raised the butt of a rifle and smashed it into the side of the attendant's face. A loud, nauseating crack ripped across the room. The attendant keeled over, crying out in agony. Even though I couldn't see Synic's face, I imagined a slow, vicious grin creeping across his lips.

Synic lowered himself until he was at the attendant's eye level and grabbed the man's chin in his hand. The poor attendant's bruised face looked lopsided from the blow. I winced, unable to imagine his unbearable pain.

"Would you like to try again?"

"Up yours."

The attendant leaned close to Synic and spat in his face. A bloody tooth bounced off his steel mask. Satisfied with himself, the attendant pulled back.

I was astonished that Synic barely reacted. He calmly wiped the spit from his mask with the back of his sleeve and rose to his feet. Synic motioned to his guards. At a flick of their commander's wrist, four sprung into action. Two mindless musclemen stood on the attendant's legs and held his hands behind his back. The other two dropped to his sides. One held the attendant's trembling head in place while the other pried open his jaws.

"I think you must have mistaken my patience for kindness. I will dispose of you like a worthless piece of Earth garbage if you don't tell me the information I'm seeking."

"Never."

The attendant smiled bitterly. His gurgling voice oozed hatred. Synic took a step forward. He pinched his fingers and drew them back slowly. The attendant gagged as his tongue rolled out of his mouth.

"Very well. I suppose you won't be needing your tongue if you're not interested in talking."

I thrust my wrists forward, my fingers wrapping around the cold bars of my cage. Bile rose in my throat. Synic reached inside his cloak and pulled out a knife.

I would never forget the guttural howls of pain that echoed through the room. At that moment, the brides were all silent, pale-faced, and scared to breathe.

Against my better judgment, I opened my eyes slowly, wanting to look at the gruesome scene. Synic blocked the attendant from my view. He wielded his weapon, swiping his blade from left to right. As Cheyenne mourned soundlessly next to me, Synic stepped aside to admire his handiwork.

Blood gushed out of the straight red slit that appeared on the attendant's neck. He gasped for air desperately. Bubbles formed at the opening in his throat. I watched the life slowly drain from his eyes. His body keeled over, landing on the ground with a soft thud.

I hadn't realized my mouth was hanging open. I wanted to go home. The needlessly cruel death sparked a memory in my mind.

I could never find out any information about Dad's shuttle crash. Could these same assholes be responsible for shooting down his passenger craft? If that was the case, and I was retracing his footsteps, I wholeheartedly hoped he died instantly. I didn't want to imagine Dad dying at the hands of these savages.

"Why did you do that, you fucking monster?" Was that me talking?

"Gabriella, no!" Cheyenne whispered urgently.

Cheyenne's voice snapped me out of my daze, but it was too late for me to stay unnoticed. Synic's tinted lenses flashed in my direction. He casually trampled over the attendant's dead body, the back of his cloak dragging against the floor as he approached me. The guards showed their rotten, black teeth and pointed their weapons in my direction. The pointlessness of speaking hit home. I shied away from all the aliens and flattened myself against the back of my cage.

Synic's hand hovered over the lock of my cage. The heavy chains around the door fell to the ground by themselves. The padlock clicked, and the door to my cage screeched open. I felt the soles of my feet float off the ground. My body somersaulted as an invisible force pulled me forward. I crashed hard onto the ground on all fours.

"Please don't hurt her!" begged Cheyenne. Be quiet! I silently cried.

Ignoring Cheyenne's pleas, the guards hauled me to my feet. The sharp beak of Synic's mask was unnervingly close to my nose. I closed my eyes, hoping that if I couldn't see him, the situation would resolve itself. It didn't help. I felt like the penetrative eyes of his mask could see right through me and read my thoughts.

"What did you say to me, Earth whore?"

"I – I –"

An earsplitting explosion went off on the left of the dungeon. In place of the wall, there was now a massive hole. Plumes of gray smoke rose from the unexpected explosion. Concrete and steel debris covered the floor. A squad of soldiers burst through the crevice, dressed in identical gray uniforms and military-issued gas masks.

Synic released me at once, charging toward the intruders. I fell back on the floor. I couldn't stop myself from moaning in relief. My movement was restricted, and I could only watch the scene unfold around me.

The masked fighters split into two groups. Half of them battled Synic's guards and kept them at bay. The others wielded laser-edged cutting tools. They snipped open the padlocks and chains on all the cages, freeing the hostages. I crawled back toward my cage, clearing a path for our rescuers.

Synic's guards toppled to the ground one at a time. Sensing imminent danger, Synic moved away from the chaos and vanished. I growled under my breath, but I could only watch as they got away.

"Gabriella! Help!"

One of the intruders had scooped up Cheyenne and flung her over his back. She flailed her arms and legs, wiggling her fingers as she reached out to me. I tried hobbling after her, but my legs weren't working properly. It was hard to move.

"Cheyenne!"

My voice was cut off when a soldier grabbed hold of me and draped me over his shoulder.

"Who are you? Where the hell are you taking me?"

The soldier didn't even acknowledge me. Instead, he moved toward his entry point and kept his weapon aimed in front of him.

We spilled out of a dark maze of tunnels, emerging into open air. The planet looked dead. Overhead was a gloomy gray sky and around me was barren foliage. The soldier took off away from the cages. I peered over my shoulder, marveling at the enormous military-grade space shuttle parked in front of us.

"What is going on? Please answer me!"

I didn't want to find myself in a worse situation. Fed up, I pressed my fingers underneath the edge of his mask and flipped it off his head. I saw dark waves of brown hair pulled back into a man-bun. Sweat drenched his bronzed skin and beard.

I had only seen him once before, but I immediately knew who it was. I couldn't believe it.

"Laz?"

There was no time for him to reply. I watched a missile soar over his head, headed straight for the military shuttle. The missile hit its target.

Roaring flames and suffocating black smoke engulfed the shuttle. A wave of force pulsed through the earth, sweeping us off our feet and hurtling us through the air.