"Ah, alien abduction. I would laugh but my head is killing me." She waited for the other to reply.
"It's not a joke," Nadia deadpanned.
A small smile cracked on Ellis's lips and she nodded. "So, what happens next? Do I get anally probed and my chest cut open to see what is inside? Is a lobotomy due?" Well, this is what the people who were kidnapped by aliens said, right? Not that she believed in it. "Can I leave after that?"
Nadia's smile didn't falter as she shook her head. "Sorry. You can't leave." At that point, Ellis was sure that the smile was plastered on the woman's face. If she truly were an alien, it would be comparable to the white-faced monsters people often fantasized about.
"So, what do I do after the probing?" Ellis asked blandly. This joke was getting sour quickly.
"We've retrieved you because you are a perfect genetic match for the Emperor of EN-4396. Therefore, you are going to become the new Empress."
Sure, little old Ellis Steward, soon to be a lawyer for the oppressed people was going to be part of the royalty. If that was not the biggest celestial fuck you possible, she didn't know what was.
"I'm offended. Did you think I would jump at joy?" she scoffed. "You can't hold me against my will. That's kidnapping. I can sue you." She patted her sides for her cell phone but soon realized that she didn't have pockets. In reality, she wasn't even wearing the same clothes from the beach. Instead, she had been adorned in a silver shimmery tunic similar to the one Nadia was wearing.
"Ellis, Earth laws don't apply when you are out of the planet."
"I'm sure kidnapping people in space is also illegal," Ellis played along.
"No, I would say you are down on luck. You're not in the same galaxy, forget about the same solar system. This area doesn't fall under the jurisdiction of your human rules."
"And what the hell are these clothes?" she hissed.
Nadia gave her a bland look. "The material of your clothes is incompatible with the conditions inside the aircraft. We had to put you out of it so that you weren't miserable when you woke up. We'll keep you in those close as long as you are residing in our galactic station. Thereafter, you'll be wearing clothes that suit the culture of your new Emperor."
"What a crockpot of utter bullshit." She shook her head in disbelieve. "Let's think about this for a moment. Humans haven't been able to go far into space with passengers, but an advanced race that has the technology to do so is still stuck at a monarchy? Don't make me laugh."
Nadia remained silent.
"Give me my clothes back. I don't want to be part of this stupid prank you are pulling. I am leaving. Now!" she shouted the last word.
Nadia walked across the room and pulled out a little tablet and pressed on it. A massive image appeared in the room, nearly missing Ellis's body. It was the image of a galaxy that spun slowly.
She reached forward, needing to feel the texture of the floating image. To her surprise, her hand went through. The opaque image swallowed her hand. She pulled it back instinctively and rubber her eyes.
This was out of a fantasy movie... or something Tony Stark would have. But this type of technology shouldn't exist.
"This is your galaxy, the milky way," Nadia started to explain calmly. "This is your universe." The picture zoomed out and Ellis saw a tightly packed space with numerous galaxies.
"Similarly, in a separate universe, we will be going to this galaxy. Within it, your jurisdiction will be in this solar system." God knew how many trillions of lightyears away it was from Earth.
"That's not possible. Even if we traveled at the speed of light, it would take trillions of years and then some magic to reach another universe altogether."
'Explain that!' she thought smugly.
"Well, at light speed, bodies become infinitely large. To move between distances, the aircraft can fold space and time to reach the destination," Nadia concluded. A representation of what she had just said appeared on the screen.
"Yes, you could have tried a little harder to make it believable, you know?" Ellis rolled her eyes. Her headache was getting worse and she was having a hard time keeping her eyes open.
"Ugh, I hate the ones who think they are smart. I rather prefer the ones that bawl." The smile finally fell from Nadia's face.
"You could at least have appeared as an alien if you wanted me to buy your story. Don't test my intelligence, please." Ellis challenged.
"I am your holder. My job is to help you transition and give you enough information to survive on the planet you are headed. The government officials think that it is better if someone from the same species greets the newbies."
Nadia looked irritated.
"Well, show me a real alien, then. I don't care for humans, I've seen them for twenty-four years of my life. And in abundance. You know how overpopulated Earth is." She gave Nadia a saccharine smile.
"Well, if you really want to." Nadia shrugged. She pressed a button on the pad and a moment later, someone entered the room. Ellis looked closely and frowned.
"Damn, that's a really well-made costume," she admitted. She dropped down from the bed and walked towards the... thing. She took a turn and frowned. The SFX crews could do some costumes but this... it didn't look fake.
Ellis down at the thing and tilted her head towards the side.
The body was completely hairless, the skin as smooth as a boiled egg. The shade of its skin was a strange orange. That could all be possible, but the four muscular arms that looked misplaced on the thin body. That stood out.
Three googly eyes, thin slits for nostrils, and a lipless opening that was supposed to be a mouth.
"This is Nin," Nadia declared. "She's been specifically chosen to protect you."
"My bodyguard?" Ellis asked softly.
The whole situation hadn't set in yet. And it took time. A lot of time.
"She identifies as female?" she asked, just for reference. Making do with human knowledge than trying to process everything.
"Yes," Nadia said, closely scrutinizing Ellis's expression.
"Nice to meet you." She stuck out her hand and shook the creature's hand. The feeling of their skin touching sent the information home.
Nin didn't speak. Ellis couldn't figure out any reaction so she stared absentmindedly.
On Nadia's command, Nin left.
"Now do you believe me?" she asked, turning to her with sarcasm lacing her words.
She was finally starting to, unfortunately. Ellis produced a garbled reply, her body shaking violently and her head swimming. She was going to faint. She was going to faint any second.
And she did.
Technology had advanced, but Ellis and Cristine still waited for the day when they could travel to their timelines and see their parents for one last time. To ensure them that they weren’t in a hopeless state, dead or have run away from home.But the technology never allowed it. There were basic rules of the planet that couldn’t be breached.So, they plotted.Cristine had used all her free time to learn how to operate Zothean ships. She was adept at aeronautics and engineering and negotiation, so Ellis and Logan had leaned heavily on her in their negotiations. It could be said that the Empire was in a time of peace under their rule.One day, Cristine came up with the idea.“These jumpers travel to the universes all the time without breaking the fragment of the universe. The only rule is to not meet yourself or members of your own family after you have been pronounced dead, right?” she asked.Ellis nodded. “Yes,
He hadn't seen her again until it was over until the city was in ruins and the palace itself was leveled to the ground. The underground city had been hit; Mitch must have known that Logan would try to send his family there. As he made his way to the ruins of the temple, he hoped and prayed that Ellis had disregarded his directions.So many had perished. So much had been lost.The Goddess lay back and propped her head on her hands as she looked up at the stars. "Perhaps someday, I'll show you Ellis's memories of it. She never told you the entire story of what she went through that day. I'll just say that she made me proud again for being so brave and resourceful."His mind was drawn back to the moment he had found Ellis in the rubble of the temple, his relief at finding her safe so deep and intense that he couldn't even form a proper prayer of gratitude.He had wanted to give her a shake when she told him of sending Laurel and the babies away in the escape
Isabella drove out the Council members and the cameras, her manner so brisk and officious that no one dared question her, and shut the door firmly. She sat down beside Logan and drew him into her arms, just as she had done when he was a little boy and hurting from his parents' neglect. He was too large now to snuggle into her as he once had done, so he laid his head on top of hers and wrapped his tail around her arm."It can't have been him," he said. "It can't."She pulled back to look up into his face. Her eyes were soft with compassion. She said nothing. She didn't have to.Logan buried his hands in his hair and tugged. The pain was the only thing that felt real. But Isabella gently reached up and tugged his hands away. He wanted to scream, to attack something with his claws and shred it to bits. The pain was swelling within him to the point where he thought he might burst if he couldn't let it out in some way.Isabella pulled him back into her arms an
He was twelve and Isabella had taken him to the market with her to buy herbs. Logan wandered over to the next stall, which sold jewelry. There was a set of jewels that his eyes kept being drawn back to as he examined the merchant's wares. It was a headband of red-black stones with a matching bracelet and ring.He imagined giving that set to his mate. Would she squeal in delight the way his mother did when his father presented her with jewels? Would she throw her arms around him and press her mouth to his? (The latter Logan thought was a bit disgusting, but Micheal had said humans liked "kissing.")Last night, he'd asked Micheal, his voice low and shy, for this question meant much to him: "Micheal, what will my mate be like?" He knew she'd likely be human. Though Earth had been one of the later additions to the database, the majority of their matches now came from its people."She will be the most beautiful creature you've ever seen," Micheal said, and his eyes t
Despite Laurel's reassurances, Ellis didn’t leave Logan’s side until the doctor arrived. Laurel held her, gently stroking Ellis's back, murmuring soft, soothing nonsense."He has it, doesn't he?" Ellis asked the doctor after he'd run his reader over Logan's prone body. Logan's tail twitched at the sound of her voice, but he didn't react otherwise. He mumbled unintelligible words."Yes, Empress, he does," the doctor said. He looked exhausted, but his eyes were kind."Oh, my God," Ellis whispered. Hopelessness set in."There's no reason to panic," the doctor said firmly. "As long as we can keep his fever under control and keep him hydrated, he will be fine. Zotheans rarely die from this."It was all reassurance.Ellis nodded. She knew that. Logan had explained it to her when the outbreak first began, and the talk videos said the same. Just like the human common cold, there was no cure for it, and it simply had to run its course. Bu
The king brought Izzy breakfast in bed the next morning. She sat up groggily and accepted a cup of tea. She had to admit being impressed by his courtesy and thoughtfulness. She really needed the tea. She had stayed up late into the night and was no closer to an answer than she had been when she first lay down.She spent the day with the king, taking him to see some of Zothea's museums and cultural institutions. She was pretty sure that it was Drake who was following them all day. Once, she saw him duck behind a tree, and a tail with light hair poked out to the side. The bodyguard knew that Drake wasn't a threat and the king's bodyguard seemed to have decided to ignore him. The king, for his part, seemed to agree with them and didn't question the very large man trying to hide behind fence posts, but it made Izzy's heart ache. If the king was the one she chose, this would be Drake's life, lurking on the periphery of hers.The king was as he described himself: easy to get