CollectiveMemory (19 page)

Harken went over to the machine and began fiddling with the
wires. Devin remembered Jessica—naked, tied up and connected to that vicious box.
She’d been beyond pain. Devin swallowed and silently begged Cayl and Mace to
find her.

A faint whirring behind her made Devin squirm enough to look
around. The platform that had held the previous girl rose from the ground. The
ropes had been replaced by metal chains. She was never going to be able to get
free. Not on her own.

“Curious thing, aren’t you?” Harken asked when he saw her
looking. She dropped her gaze back to the floor. “I am most interested in
seeing how you respond. You have a natural energy about you and the fact that
you already had marks on your ass tells me you don’t mind a little pain. That’s
good. Because you’ll definitely feel pain once I get you strapped down.”

He sounded positively cheerful about the prospect.

Unable to stop herself, she tipped her head to watch him. He
ran his hand across the table as if testing its smoothness. A satisfied smile
bent his lips and he turned and walked back to her side.

He didn’t speak as he unhooked the chain holding her hands
in place. The cuffs remained locked around her wrists but she didn’t let that
stop her. She swung her elbow back, grunting as she connected with his jaw.
Harken bellowed as he fell back but his focus on her didn’t waver. He
straightened and slapped her, his open palm slamming into her cheek. Pain
radiated down her spine.

Lights sparkled behind her eyelids and she groaned as the
room swirled.

“Do not attempt to strike me again,” he said as he dragged
her across the room. He scooped her up and dropped her on the flat surface. The
cold metal sent a shiver through her skin. “I wish to save all of your pain for
when you are strapped in.”

Her head still spinning, she opened her eyes as Harken
dragged her hands above her head and connected the cuffs to the chains. She
struggled but his strength overcame hers. Once he stepped back, she yanked
against the restraints but the metal and leather held. He reached down and
placed two flat tabs on her breasts, one near each nipple. He held up a black
box with a row of buttons.

“Now, behave like a good little slut while I get you
strapped down.”

Her lips drew back in a snarl. There was no need to play
nice. He was going kill her in the end anyway.

His hand slid along the inside of her thigh. She struggled
to hold herself still, to not flinch even as his touch made her stomach roil.
She waited, needing the right moment. His fingers wrapped around her ankle and
she kicked. The top of her foot connected with his throat and a garbled shout
erupted from his mouth. The triumph lasted only a moment. Pain shot through her
body, every nerve firing at once.

Her scream echoed through the room. It lasted only seconds,
resounding back to her, swirling through her head as she collapsed onto the
table, a low whimper remaining in her throat. Harken jerked her leg to the
side, tied it down, then stomped to the head of the table. He bent over her,
his eyes glittering, rage pouring out of his stare.

“You’re ruining everything. There is nothing like that first
jolt of pain before your body has adapted. I could have gathered much energy
from that but now I’ve missed it because you wouldn’t behave.”

She briefly considered a sarcastic “I’m sorry” but Harken
probably didn’t understand sarcasm any more than Cayl. Instead she went for the
classic “fuck you”.

Harken shook his head. “I do not understand the human
fascination with procreation.” He stepped back. “But perhaps I could experiment
on you before the machine takes all your energy.”

Revulsion ran through her core and she had to swallow to
keep from vomiting.

Harken moved around to the other side of her body. She
considered fighting as he strapped down her other leg but she wasn’t prepared
for another jolt like the previous one. Instead she took a deep breath and
tried not to flinch when his fingers stroked her calf.

“I knew you’d be a feisty one when I saw you with those two
men. Human females are such sluts. Do you know how many have left the club with
me? Hoping to have sex with me? Stupid cows.”

Rage—at Harken’s arrogance, his chauvinism, his being a
screaming asshole—welled up inside her.

“Listen you alien asshole—”

His head snapped up. His eyes drilled into her. Cayl’s eyes
had glowed, sparkled when he was excited or upset but it was nothing to the
fury blazing out of Harken’s stare.

“This isn’t some human speculation. Who’s told you? How do
you know?”

Devin clamped her lips shut. She wasn’t going to give him
anything to go with.

“How do you know?!” His scream scraped the walls but Devin
stayed silent. The box trembled in his hand as he fumbled with the buttons.
Even knowing it was coming she couldn’t prepare herself.

Fire pierced her breasts and ripped through her body. She
arched up on the table and screamed.

“Tell me. How did a human slut learn about me?” She didn’t
get a chance to answer. He sent another jolt through her, one scream blending
into the next. He asked another question but she couldn’t understand the words.
Her mind retreated, hiding from the pain until silence returned.

Cautiously, she opened her eyes. Harken stood over her. His
hand raised, finger hovering over the button.

“Now you know what happens when I hit this.” He tapped the
black box. “Tell me how you knew.”

“I told her.”

Chapter Ten

Harken’s head snapped up so fast she thought his spine might
break. He spun around and stared at the door. Pain drained Devin’s muscles but
she found the strength to press up, knowing, hoping it would be her rescue.

Cayl and Mace filled the open space, both looking huge and
dangerous. And pissed off.

“Who are—?” Harken stopped. His beady eyes squinted down and
Devin could tell he was using his other senses, trying to see beyond Cayl’s
human form. “Cayl?” A curious humming noise buzzed from his throat. “What are
you doing here?” he asked, though it was obvious he didn’t care much about the
answer.

“Stopping you.”

Harken scoffed. “So arrogant. Always believing you’re
right.” He moved away from Devin, toward the counters. The movement appeared
casual but Devin didn’t trust him.

“Watch him.”

“Shut up!” Harken’s command was followed by another jolt to
her core. Her screamed burned the inside of her throat. She collapsed onto the
table and tried to focus on pushing the pain from her senses.

Gulping in a breath, she watched the scene. Harken stood
beside the counter. Cayl stood about ten feet back. Harken’s fingers fluttered
over the buttons and she knew she would get at least one more shock before this
was over. Mace inched toward her, moving slowly so Harken’s attention remained
on Cayl. They seemed to have a plan, which gave her some comfort, but she
really wanted someone to get that controller away from Harken.

Harken waved the box in front of Cayl, dramatically tapping
button.

“Stay back, unless you want to see your little slut
screaming in pain.”

“Hear,” Cayl corrected. Mace took another step.

“What?” Harken’s eyes squinted down until they were only
slits and he peered at Cayl.

“Technically we would ‘hear’ our little slut scream in pain.
To ‘see’ her it would have to be something like writhe in pain.”

“He’s right.” Mace spoke for the first time.

Harken’s gaze flashed left, his eyes popping open as if
surprised that Mace was there at all. That moment of distraction seemed part of
the plan. Cayl lunged forward, slamming into Harken. The box flew out of his
hand. Devin braced for the pain. The box spun in the air and headed toward the
ground. Even if it didn’t land on the button, she was sure there was going to
be feedback of some kind when it struck the concrete.

Cayl shoved against Harken and threw himself into the air,
stretching out like football player making a catch. His hand snagged the box,
inches from the ground. Like he’d been doing it for years, he kept rolling,
coming to his feet.

“I’ve got this,” he announced to Mace. “Get her free.”

Mace was already working on it.

He reached for the cuffs around her wrists.

“Are you hurt?”

“I’ll live. Get those things off my breasts.” If that box
got bumped, she wanted to be free.

Mace nodded and ripped the silver tabs off her skin. The
tiny burn as the adhesive pulled off actually felt good.

“Better?”

Devin nodded and Mace returned to undoing her hands. She
watched his face, so relieved to see him. He met her gaze then glanced down at
her body. Shaking his head, he unbuckled the first cuff.

“Under any other circumstance…” he murmured. He let the
words trail away but Devin knew what he meant.

“And under any other circumstance, I’d let you.” A hungry
spark flared in his eyes and for a moment she thought he might act on the
situation they both imagined. His eyes did another quick scan down her body. A
low groan broke from his lips. The sound momentarily distracted her.

The cuff around her left wrist released, followed moments
later by the other. Devin sat up, working the minor stiffness out of her
shoulders.

Mace ran to the foot of the table and started working on her
legs. He glanced up as if to see how the battle across the room was going.

“Holy shit. He’s got a light saber.”

She followed his stare and gasped. Harken
did
have a
light saber. Cayl didn’t. Cayl crouched down, moving in a slow circle around
Harken. Harken moved with him.

“You cannot stop me. I am superior to you in all ways,”
Harken announced. “I will destroy you and then blow this puny planet to
rubble.”

“And he’s read one too many comic books,” Mace muttered.

Devin sat up and tore at the cuff holding her right leg.
Mace finished with the other and helped her off the table.

“Here.” He shoved a black key fob into her hand. “Get in the
car. Call for help.”

Devin stared at the gray triangle in her palm. He really
expected her to just go hide in the car? When Cayl was being attacked?

She watched as Mace stalked forward. Harken swung at Cayl,
then spun around and whipped the light sword at Mace. Harken didn’t appear
particularly skilled, and there were no cool sounds like they’d had in the
movies, but none of that mattered. Everything that came into the path of that
light saber caught on fire. Streaks flared along Cayl’s sleeve, but he slapped
them out. That didn’t make it hurt any less, she knew.

Harken slashed the saber downward, burning through the legs
of the table Cayl crouched behind. The metal counter tipped over. A dozen or
more bits of electronics tumbled off the top and fell on Cayl. He cried out as
a block slammed into his head. A grim smile curved Harken’s lips. He swung
again, the light spinning within inches of Mace’s chest.

Mace backed up, creeping back toward the torture table Devin
had recently occupied. He was weaponless and Devin had no idea what one used
against glowing sword of light that instantly burned anything it touched.

As if Harken had completely dismissed her presence, he
turned his back on her and stalked after Mace.

Devin slipped between the bits of burning equipment and
knelt down beside the dazed Cayl.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes. Why are you still here? You must run.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m fine. Do you have something to
stop him?”

“Once he is immobilized yes but I have nothing to combat his
light sword.”

She watched Harken cut through the table with one slice.

“We’ve got to get that thing out of his hand.”

Even as she said the words, she was moving. Harken had
dismissed her, wasn’t paying any attention to her. Good. Better he
underestimate her.

Mace shoved a crumpled piece of metal between him and Harken
but he was fast running out of obstacles to throw in his path. Devin did the
only thing she could. She ran and jumped, landing on Harken’s back.

She’d seen it a dozen times in movies. The heroine jumps on
the bad guy’s back and wraps her hands around his neck, holding him while the
hero comes to the rescue. Well either that was a Hollywood invention or she was
heavier than most movie heroines because when she jumped on Harken’s back, he
went down. Hard. She fell with him, her knees scraping against the concrete
floor as he hit.

The thud of his chin hitting the ground was almost
overshadowed by the skitter of his light saber across the floor. The glowing
blue light vanished as it left his palm.

Harken groaned and Devin jumped up, suddenly aware that she
was naked and straddling Harken’s back. She shuddered. Not where she wanted to
be.

Cayl offered his hand and dragged her back. “You should have
stayed out of the way.”

“I brought him down,” she pointed out.

“But you put yourself at risk. I heard Mace distinctly tell
you to leave. You did not follow instructions.”

Harken lifted his head.

“We’ll fight about it later. Now do something with him.”

Mace watched as Cayl pulled a slim black rectangle from his
pocket and pointed one end at Harken.

“What is that?” It almost looked like a camera, which
probably wasn’t a bad idea. Get pictures so they could prove—

A bright light shot from the end of the box and surrounded
Harken’s body. Mace froze. Harken’s form shimmered and rose, floating in the
air inches above the ground. Harken twisted. His mouth opened but no sound came
out. Or no sound made it through the strange barrier. The light encircled him,
wrapping around his body, until his struggles bent the force field. Cayl tapped
the box and the white light turned red.

Harken writhed as his body started to crumble. Tiny bits
fell off his form and landed on the bottom edge of the light box that held him.
The struggles grew stronger but quickly ended as Harken dissolved, like he’d
been erased, one pixel at a time. Mace heard his own gasp as the last traces of
Harken settled into a two inch layer of dust.