Chapter 26

Ontarii stood at the ready, starting to charge his energy weapon. The rest had done him well, his bioelectricity back to normal levels. He had a couple of good zaps in him, enough to take out a few of their captors. Now, if he could just get a look at them.

The buzzing ceased, and three lights above the hatch began to blink. Ontarii shoved the human female behind his back, vowing to himself to protect her from any harm. Even if it meant giving up his life. He would die to keep his mate safe.

She was his mate. He knew that now. No matter what happened, she belonged to him, and he to her.

The hatch opened. Outside stood two forms. One resembled Xivthar Rasveen, Supreme Regent of Zanthar. The other looked like his mate, Dr. Sylvia Cohen of Earth.

"Welcome home," the regent said, extending his hand to Ontarii.

Without warning, Ontarii flung his hands outward and sent a charge through them, flinging the energy into the two beings outside the hatch.

The bolts hit the pair and nothing happened. The energy dissipated as if it never existed.

The Supreme Regent smiled widely.

"Good try," he said with a laugh, "but your energy blast won't work on us."

"What's happening?" Jennifer asked from behind him, her hands gripping his sides tightly.

"We're meeting the Hareema," he said, nodding his head toward the regent's imitation. The double nodded back.

"But you blasted them. Shouldn't they change form or something?"

"They've found some way to neutralize my energy. They can't be the genuine article, because my energy beam would have at least knocked them down. Instead, nothing happened."

"That's right," Sylvia said, her smile matching the one on the face of her mate. "Nothing happened because we've advanced. We have technology now that will prevent your little bioelectric shocks. Now nothing will stop us from taking over your planet and making you slaves."

"Wrong," Ontarii said. "I'll stop you."

The regent's double laughed. "I think you overestimate your power, and your chances for survival."

Xivthar and Sylvia stepped aside, and an army of what appeared to be Zantharian soldiers marched into the cramped space. They grabbed Ontarii and his female, easily restraining them with tight metal cuffs. Ontarii considered putting up a fight, but he thought it best to conserve his strength. It made more sense to try and discover more of the enemy's strategy before attempting to escape.

"What are you going to do to us?" he asked.

"Well, we'll start by giving you a short tour of the facilities. You might see a familiar face among the crowd."

The regent motioned and the guards pushed them forward to follow behind the regent and his mate.

"You see, our invasion of your planet has been in the works for centuries. But it wasn't until we took over a backwards little world called Earth that we discovered the means to actually accomplish our goal. With the ability to neutralize your energy discharges and a few twists and turns to keep you on your toes, we've been able to marshal our forces for a full-scale invasion, one your people won't even see coming."

The regent laughed, a deep belly laugh, and his human-looking mate joined him. The sound made Ontarii's stomach clench.

They were led out into a sterile hallway, nothing but white walls and a few doors, also white. Ontarii and Jennifer were marched down the corridor that led into a wide room filled with cells. The ceilings were high enough that three cells could be stacked on top of each other.

All manner of creatures inhabited the cells. There were alien species he'd seen before and many more that he hadn't. Ontarii imagined the range that the Hareema had in being able to mimic anything. Some of the caged creatures looked to be a nightmare of complexity.

They passed a set of cells and were headed toward another when the regent’s double looked back over his shoulder at Ontarii. "You might find the inhabitant of this next one interesting."

Ontarii looked and his throat dried up. There, hunched over in the center of the bare cell, was the regent's own brother, the Minister of Defense, Drak'Karren Rasveen. Most of his intimates called him Drake. He'd been missing for months, his place taken by a Hareema operative in disguise.

His skin was sallow and deep blue. Ontarii wondered if the man had given up all hope.

"Minister!" he shouted, and Drake's head rose slowly. "Minister, I'll get us out of here. I swear it!"

Drake shook his head sadly. "Go away, Hareema scum. You won't fool me this time. You'll never fool me again."

"But I'm not..." Ontarii's words trailed off. Clearly the Hareema had been toying with the man. Words would not convince him. Ontarii vowed to himself that actions would. They'd escape the Hareema and take Drake with them.

"And here we are," the regent's double said as they came upon an empty cage. He jerked his thumb at the cell and his men jostled Ontarii into it. Ontarii charged up his energy, causing it to flow in waves over his skin. The soldiers felt nothing and did not release him. He was flung into the center of the cage and the door was locked behind him.

Ontarii scrambled to the edge, worried about what would happen to his mate. He'd promised himself he'd protect her, and already he'd been defeated easily by the enemy.

"Come here, pretty one," the regent said, taking hold of Jennifer.

"You let her go!" Ontarii hit the door hard, slamming himself into the bars. They didn't give, but he wouldn't stop trying.

The regent laughed once more. "Stop your fussing."

Then his legs extended and he moved up, taking Jennifer with him. He used his free arm to open the door of the cage above him, then he settled the human inside, locking the door behind her as she threw a fit.

The regent returned to the ground, his legs once again becoming their normal size. "Well, it was a pleasure meeting you," he said, putting his arm around Sylvia’s double. He turned to go, but Ontarii's words stopped him.

"What are you going to do to us?" Ontarii hoped his fear didn't show in his tone.

"I'm not going to do anything," the regent replied. "I'm just going to watch. The mating frenzy will do the rest."

He gestured upward to the cell where Jennifer had gone to her knees and was peering down at them. "She's right up there, but you'll never reach her. Inside you'll die pining for her, and she'll have to watch."

With those words, the regent and his mate turned and walked away.