Kel

Date July 12, 2116 Time 7:28 p.m. Location Skipspace

Child’s play.

In and out in minutes. Not a single fatality.

Rarely would there be a mission in which minimizing casualties worked in her favor, however in this instance, it had seemed vital.

After all, her new companion seemed to care for the people on the Nightingale. That bit of leverage could only be effective if she could prove they were still alive, and able to be threatened.

And if that silver band on Vond’s left ring finger was any indication, there were even more opportunities for leverage than she had initially known. Better not to kill anyone aboard his ship, without knowing if his spouse was among the compliment.

She would have to ask him, once he woke up.

Which he likely would, fairly soon.

It had about an hour since the last dose, after all.

Knocking the so-called doctor out had simplified his extraction from that med room closet.

No panicked struggling as she holstered her gun, sealed her armor, slung the doctor over her shoulder at an angle which kept him well within the protective range of her personal shield, picked up the stolen supplies, and the activated her personal skipper.

No oxygen-wasting screams as they plunged through the connective tissue of the universe.

Just silence.

And a little weight, that vanished into less than nothing for their short skip.

For longer trips, the shield would have not contained anywhere near enough oxygen to keep the doctor alive sans suit. Let alone any of the other necessary protections from the void.

Fortunately, Kel had planned appropriately.

By the time they reached her standard shuttle-sized skipper, which would provide safety and maneuverability through the larger wormholes needed to reach their destination, her captive hadn’t even received so much as a radiation burn.

Though that wouldn’t have been the worst thing in the universe.

Not after what he’d done.

A groan to her right, followed quickly by a sharp intake of breath, and the sound of useless struggling, pulled Kel from her thoughts.

She smirked.

The man’s estimates had been quite accurate.

Kel double-checked that their flight trajectory through the wormhole was clear, then turned to study her new captive.

As would be expected, Vond was not taking his new circumstances well.

Blindfolding him hadn’t been strictly necessary. She could have just as easily prevented him from seeing the viewscreen and navigational controls by turning his chair around. From a practical standpoint, it would have saved her a little time as well.

But the blindfold’s psychological effects vastly made up for the delay.

The polymer restraints securing her captive’s wrists to the arms of his chair were not designed for comfort; especially when resisted. A fact which did not take long for the man to realize, but the initial efforts left evidence of his panic chafed into his wrists.

He tried his feet next, an effort which proved even more futile, and was abandoned with greater haste. Then came a series of truly bizarre rolls of his head, the craning of which Kel could only surmise was an attempt to peak out of the corner of his blindfold. One which she had wrapped carefully, to avoid such an eventuality.

Finally the man stopped; drew a few shaky breaths.

“Shit.” Just a whisper. “Shit shit shitshitshitshit––”

Vond thrashed again; hissed as he managed to break the skin on the top of his right wrist. The doctor slammed his head back against the headrest, and groaned in frustration.

Kel felt a small twinge of sympathy, but quickly quashed it. Yes, she knew exactly how it felt to awaken in an unfamiliar place without memory of the events which brought her there, however she also knew that behind her captive’s sympathetic camouflage was the mind of a monster.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

This man deserved discomfort.

Far more than he was currently experiencing.

She waited a few moments for the doctor to settle, then quietly reached over, and lightly ran the back of her hand against his arm.

The gasp he emitted was quite amusing.

“W-Who’s there?” A voice failing to sound unafraid called out.

She didn’t respond with words: just a tap of a finger against the tip of his nose.

Vond recoiled.

But he couldn’t go far.

“Stop,” the doctor gritted out. “D-don’t touch me. I don’t––”

She clenched her fist in his hair.

He sucked in a breath, and went silent.

His hair was quite soft. A little longer than she was accustomed to seeing on men, but then again Kel had spent most of her life around soldiers, not civilians…if Vond could truly be called such.

After a moment’s pause to ensure he understood her message, Kel relaxed her grip, and gave his cheek a little pat before turning to verify their progress.

They were rapidly approaching their destination, and according to the ship’s sensors, they were still truly alone.

“A-are you the one who robbed my infirmary?”

Did he have so many enemies that there would be other options?

She didn’t bother to answer. If he couldn’t figure that out himself, he was too stupid for conversation.

How should she make her final approach? Should she risk flying to her landing point directly, or make a few more superfluous skips first to throw off any potential pursuers? Without those, her enemies might be able to track her vessel’s particle trail...although that would only be possible if they first tracked her personal skipper, which was hardly likely, given––

“’Cause if you’re not her, then I...well, I really don’t know what’s going on.” Vond let out a humorless laugh. “But assuming that was you, then I'm guessing something went wrong with your getaway plan? But it’s not too late. Whatever you’ve done, you really need to think twice about kidnapping––”

She chuckled.

She’d been trained to spot the cowardice in her enemies. It was astonishing to see their ploys in practice.

Her captive tensed at the sound. “Did I say something funny?”

She would take the direct route. This far along, subterfuge would accomplish very little.

“A number of things,” Kel confirmed. “But your insinuation that I should fear some sort of punishment for taking you was too ridiculous for me to hold back any longer.”

“It’s not ridiculous,” Vond foolishly argued.

“It truly is,” Kel rolled her eyes, not that the man could appreciate the gesture. “In the eyes of your laws, I’ve already committed far worse crimes, and the people who care have all they need to seal my fate. Taking you does not change the outcome of my hypothetical capture.”

Nothing would.

She would never set foot inside a courtroom.

A perpetual lab rat, or a bullet to the head.

Those were her options, were she to fail.

She knew which she preferred.

“...Okay,” Vond did not appear to appreciate that explanation, but clearly decided it was unwise to press the issue. “Is my crew alright?”

Finally, a respectable question.

“Your crew is fine,” Kel said. “The route we took to escape avoided collateral damage.”

Instantly, some of the tension left Vond’s shoulders. “Good. That’s…How long have I been out?”

She snorted. “Long enough.”

“For what?”

“Multiple skips.”

“...Multiple?”

“Multiple,” Kel repeated. “This will go easier if you let go of any hope of rescue. We are far away from your vessel, and there are no signs of pursuit. They're never going to find you.”

And if they did, they still wouldn’t get him back in one piece.

His already substantial frown deepened. “And how long are you planning on holding me?”

“As long as I like.”

“But––”

“This is not a debate.” She reached over again, and rested a hand on the side of his neck. “Be grateful that you woke up at all, and stop asking stupid questions. Understood?”

Vond’s pulse sped under her palm; he nodded.

“If I’m going to be your...guest...for awhile, then can I at least get your name? Or a name I can call you?”

She rolled her eyes. “We are alone, doctor. You can drop the facade.”

His head twitched. “I genuinely have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Kel glared. How stupid did this man believe her to be?

...Then again, perhaps they had never shown him her face.

In that case, this would be a moment to savor.

She grinned; studied what was visible of his face. “My name is Kel.”

“Just Kel?”

She blinked.

...There was no recognition in his voice. At least, none she could detect. And his mouth hadn’t so much as twitched with shock, or fear, or...anything she had expected.

Even stranger, his pulse slowed to a slightly less frantic pace. Definitely not the reaction of a man being driven even deeper into panic.

A trickle of doubt seeped into her mind.

This…this couldn’t be the wrong doctor, could it? Perhaps this poor man just shared the name and field of her true enemy?

...No.

No, she had scoured the records. This was the only Lukas E. Vond, MD, in the First Responders Corps.

The communiques she’d uncovered had gone through the Responders’ communications beacons, directly to his monster’s personal correspondences on the Nightingale.

It had to be him.

The pulse trick was an exceptionally good diversion, but a diversion nonetheless.

He was toying with her; trying to see exactly what she knew.

Well, two could play that tedious game.

“Just Kel.”

“Well then Kel,” Vond huffed nervously. “I-I’d say it’s nice to meet you, but I’m not sure you’d believe me.”

The soldier rolled her eyes again.

Turning on the charm. Of course.

Kel had been trained in espionage. She had enough respect for their mutual craft to acknowledge her opponent’s skill.

However, Vond’s false affability was a feeble veneer. Eventually, it would crack.

Kel just had to find the right pressure points.