Page 3 of Her Alien Matchmaker

I perused the morning’s lab report, confirming Subject Forty-eight’s myelin sample had what I needed to finally connect the missing dots with our defense program. XVU soldiers fitted with implants replicating Volderen neurons and genes would be our crowning achievement… my crowning achievement.

Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply, focusing on a center of calmness. My pinky hovered over the Enter key. Once medical command received confirmation, the alien would be of no use to the Super Soldier program.

Which means I might as well be signing his death warrant.

Why did it matter? I’d worked on a dozen Volderens, concentrating on the greater good their sacrifices would mean. But Jetarin? Yesterday, his words stirred something shameful and deep within my soul.

Focus. Bring him in for a final backup sample, collect my paycheck, and remember why I signed up for this.

I exhaled, imagining my doubts and fears flowing away with my breath.

Right. I chose this jobe because of my son.

Aaron is in one of the most prestigious schools for gifted children in the state, at no cost to me, thanks to XVU and my work.

I won’t allow him to scrape and crawl his way out of poverty like me to get an education, to become someone.

I tapped Enter and linked the report to the alien’s medical record, sealing my decision. The computer let out a whoosh as the email reached my superiors.

Pressing the cold intercom button, I directed my next words to the guards at the desk outside the lab. “Bring Subject Forty-eight, please.”

Through the window, the young sergeant from yesterday, Rychek, glanced up from his laptop. His eyes met mine. “I don’t have orders to bring him from his cell today, Ma’am.”

“I cleared it with Major Greist. It’ll be quick.

We need one last sample before we finish his cycle.

Oh, and bring his damaged lifecord from the research lab.

Tell them I need it for an hour or so then I’ll send it back.

” The Volderen lifecords, a piece of dull metal they wore like a watch or a bracelet, connected the aliens to their ships; that much we knew, but it also linked to their health.

Our scientists had been trying for years to reverse engineer the tech, but so far, no luck.

What if we’ve been looking at the wrong things for activation?

Instead of using DNA, what if the lifecord was triggered by another method, such as brain wave activity?

Either way, I wanted to examine one with my own eyes, maybe even see if I could simulate an activation by triggering its neurons.

Rychek nodded and sent the younger service member to fetch the subject.

He tapped the intercom button once more.

“We’re using the collar this time. I don’t want to take any more chances like yesterday.

Honestly, I’ll be glad to get rid of that one.

There’s something about him that gives me the creeps. ”

I prepped my surgical table. No need for other team members today. This would be a quick, minimally invasive procedure. “Really?”

“Yes. He’s too calm for someone who should be in a lot of pain, like yesterday when he woke up.” The sergeant went back to staring at his computer, then typed something on this keyboard.

I frowned, thinking of yesterday’s actions.

Is there something I’m missing here? A side effect we haven’t noticed?

Before I could finish the train of thought, the soldier used his access card to open the outer door to the lab and pushed the huge alien inside, the soldier’s rifle pointed at the Volderen’s back.

A blue collar of glowing metal surrounded the being’s neck; the device was similar to a dog shock collar, bringing anything under a thousand pounds to its knees with the press of a button.

“To the table, you piece of shit.”

The subject’s irises pierced me, and for a few seconds, I couldn’t breathe. The weight of his stare felt like a gavel, a judgment of my character and actions.

A trickle of anger shot through my veins. How dare he judge me when it’s been his people hurting humans, abducting them for God knows what.

I held out my hand for the collar control; an adjustable ring that slipped onto my index finger. One small press of my thumb to the button on the side, and the shock would render him unable to move or fight.

The soldier extended his arm and placed the small ring in my palm.

We should’ve used it yesterday. However, anesthesia had always worked, so yesterday’s incident had been an outlier, probably caused by an error in dosing. Well, after today, I won’t see this guy again. No sense in worrying about what went wrong. We can take it up at tomorrow’s quality meeting.

“Sit.” I pointed to the exam table.

The subject glanced at my finger, then at my face. “If Volderens are so terrible and disgusting, why does your government take our DNA and inject it into humans?”

He had a point. “It’s not my job to question XVU motives.”

“No, your job is to create pain, to treat my people as expendable research, without a thought for the lives you take or the harm you cause.” His upper lip curled in disgust, showing a glint of sharp white teeth. He stalked to the edge of the table and sat, giving the guard a defiant stare.

“I’ve got it from here, sir.” I pointed at the ring.

He nodded. “I’ll be right outside.”

“Try to stay off your phone, in case things get hairy again.” I turned to stare at the alien as the door behind me opened and shut.

“Remove your shirt, please. If you try anything, well…you know what the collar will do.” Grabbing a pre-filled syringe from the tray, never taking my attention from him, I tapped the plastic and pushed until the liquid shot out.

The faint smell of chemicals laced the air.

He narrowed his eyelids. For a moment, the blue light on the collar flickered red, the color indicating its force field had been deactivated.

I blinked, and it remained blue. Just my imagination. There’s no way he can break that thing.

The subject moved his stare to the open lifecord on my desk.

His face smoothed, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

He grabbed the bottom hem of his shirt, pulling the green scrub top upwards, revealing rock-hard abs and pecs.

A thin trail of goldish-red hair dipped toward his waist and disappeared under the waistband of the scrub bottoms.

Is he one of the Volderen males who have two penises?

I’d never performed any experiments below his waist, and a tiny part of me regretted not knowing in a purely scientific sort of way.

I tore my vision away from his lap, fire blooming on my cheeks.

What the hell is wrong with me? He’s a patient.

Well, maybe not a patient, but still…I’d always been professional.

Why the fuck did that thought slip through?

It’s been too long, that’s why. A healthy sexual response at seeing so much skin.

My laptop dinged, the chime telling me I’d received a new email. Keeping my attention on him as he removed his top, I backed away, ready to smash the shock command if he so much as twitched toward me.

Rychek watched through the window.

I gave him a thumbs-up and clicked on the response email.

Understood. Extraction sample confirmed. We’ll send a termination crew to collect him once you’re finished.

My subject lay in repose on the table, resting his hands on his bare stomach.

Ring-ring.

I glanced at the red landline phone. “Shit.” Inhaling a deep breath, I picked up the slim phone from its cradle. “Dr. Lambodino here.”

“Good morning, Dr. Lamb. This is Colonel Desai, and I wanted to personally thank you for the work you’ve done for the Super Soldier program.”

“Oh, thank you, sir. I appreciate it.”

“No, no. We appreciate you , and nothing makes us happier than to continue sponsoring your son’s enrollment in Blackstar Academy. His teachers give excellent reports of his progress, and say he ranks in the top one percent of his class.”

A knot formed in my stomach. Is this his way of reminding me of my duty, and how quickly they could pull Aaron out of school if I don’t comply?

“He loves it there.” I ran a hand through my bangs, swiping them to the side of my face and tucking them behind my ear.

“Remind me again,” he said while the sound of shuffling papers came through the line. “How much time do you have left on your contract?”

He knew damn well how much time I had left. “One year, sir.”

“Excellent. What are your plans once you’re released?”

“I’m actually thinking about opening up my own practice.”

The shuffling stopped. “Is that so? What a shame. We were hoping you’d sign on for another five years. We’d be willing to increase your signing bonus up to, say, thirty percent.”

My heartbeat sped up, and a sheen of sweat covered by forehead. “I, uh, I’d have to think about that.”

“I see.” He clicked his tongue. “Well, don’t let me keep you. Finish what you’re doing, then the clean-up team will take care of the subject. Again, we appreciate your year of dedication, Dr. Lamb. It won’t be forgotten.”

“Thanks. I—”

Click.

The colonel hung up.

Had I made a mistake in admitting I’d been thinking about going out on my own?

XVU wouldn’t force me into another contract, would they?

I had been nothing but loyal to them. Losing the free tuition to Aaron’s school would be a major con, but on the plus side, I wouldn’t have to work grueling hours for XVU. We could spend more time together.

A darker thought kept circling in my brain. What if XVU wouldn’t allow me to leave? Would they be desperate enough to keep a civilian like me even if it meant denying me freedom—or worse: death?

No, they wouldn’t kill one of their own scientists, would they?

I shook my head, disgusted at myself for going down that rabbit hole.

XVU worked for the betterment of humankind.

It would be stupid to get rid of their own people, unless it wasn’t about that at all, but more about keeping the project secret.

After all, back in the civilian world, how could they guarantee I wouldn’t share their secrets, regardless of the NDAs, classified clearance, and etcetera?

Well, I still have another year to figure it all out. Right now, I have a more pressing problem.

I refocused on the subject. A wave of guilt washed over me, but I stuffed it back down. I’m doing this for the good of my people, for my son.

“Let me guess. Your leaders okayed my murder, and you are justifying it in your mind?”

“Shut up,” I hissed, pushing the phone away and slamming the laptop closed.

“In your little world, you deem Volderens as nothing more than test subjects, and believe you are contributing to the betterment for humans, right?”

My finger itched to press the tiny button on the ring, to see the smug smirk on his face replaced with shock. “Keep your mouth shut or I’ll use this.” I pointed at the trigger.

“Have you ever stopped to think about the people your experiments have hurt ? The humans who receive your treatments and end up disabled…or worse?”

“Those instances have been rare. Only two died, and the others were rehabilitated.” His reminder of my failures, of thhose who suffered for science, sent my guilt into full-blown shame.

“Yet they were harmed because of something you did. Do not stand there and act as if your intentions are pure because they are not .” He moved his hand to the thin collar around his neck, his fingers rubbing the edge.

“My culture considers all life sacred, whether sentient or not, whether Volderen or not. At one time, we lived among your people and helped shape modern society. Then, over the past century, some in your government decided they did not like feeling enslaved to an advanced race, and like humans always do, they created a xenophobic vision that included stealing from us while trying to exterminate our kind.”

“Lies. You provoked us . Right here, in 1947. Those weren’t weather balloons.”

“No, they were not. Those beings were distant cousins, and instead of helping them, your people swooped in, prodded and tortured them, and disassembled every piece of that ship. Have you ever seen a Volderen do the same?”

I chewed my inner lip. Everyone knew the cover story about Roswell, but his version wasn’t wrong, either.

We did collect everything we could to learn more about the aliens.

“It was for our protection. It’s no different than an enemy crashing their car into a home.

You bet your ass I’ll protect what’s mine and do what I can to make sure it never happens again. ”

“At least you are consistent.” His fingers stilled.

Snap. The collar opened, falling toward the table with a clang.

“What the—”

He moved like a bolt of lightning. One moment he lay on the table, the next a large hand gripped my waist, his body pressed against my back. In his other hand, he balanced a silver scalpel at my throat.

“Do exactly as I say and you may live. Understand?” His hot breath flew past the curve of my ear.

I resisted the urge to nod, knowing even the tiniest movement might nick my skin.

“Yes.” My heartbeat pounded in my chest and sweat broke out across my forehead.

No matter what, I have to survive for Aaron.

If something were to happen to me, the only family I have left is my mom, and there’s no way I’d ever want her raising my son.

The lights went out, and the claxon of alarms filled the air. Pure blackness darkened the room.

“Walk straight. I can see fine in the dark, so I will direct you when to stop. Fight, and I will use this tool to slice both of your carotid arteries.”

I did as he commanded, holding a hand outward to feel my way to the door, which I knew would be on lockdown. My fingers brushed against thin, smooth metal. The collar. I took it and kept going, using my other hand to examine what was in front and placing the collar in my coat pocket.

A faint click sounded near my ear.

Did he grab his lifecord? Even if he did, it wouldn’t work, but I needed to focus on the present. What could I do to get away from him?

The cold steel of the door pressed against my fingertips.

“Turn the handle,” he whispered.

Soldiers shouted outside the room, commanding him to stop or they’d fire.

If they shoot, even with their night vision and infrared lenses, they won’t care I’m collateral damage, not when compared to losing a Volderen who could get back to his people and reveal what we’ve been doing.

My only hope of survival would be to do what Jetarin said and wait for an opportunity to escape before my use as a hostage lost its luster.