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  The man bowed and left.

  Hunter Korisk spoke to Sorrok. “We have his information.”

  Sorrok returned to the power jack, scraped a sample onto an analysis unit, finishing by licking the rest from the controls.

  He would know the woman if he met her, and the scanner would help him do that. He needed to know how she had come to the assistance of so many.

  The humans that could act against their own best interests and work to save those around them successfully were ones that were ready to go onto the next phase of their residency on Imrahl.

  * * * *

  Lianne flexed her hand and checked her bandage on her break. The three small slices were from grabbing the elevation jacks and pulling herself up.

  Her hand looked as striped as the Zjin-Rrassic.

  Mrtok hissed. “Damn. You need to get that looked at. What happened?”

  Her supervisor must have followed the scent of blood. He had a tongue for such things. “I will be fine.”

  “Go. Now. I will record a request for healing, and you will be back here tomorrow morning.”

  She snorted. “I will be back this afternoon.”

  He hissed and flicked his tongue out. “Tomorrow. The skin will need to set to close your wounds.”

  She flexed her hand. “Is it that noticeable?”

  “It is like the scent of wildflowers and the best meal my mother ever made.”

  Lianne stared. “What?”

  He laughed. “Blood is not only how we find prey, it is how we find mates. We seek out those that are right by their blood’s chemical signature.”

  “Then, what are the Breeder classifications for?”

  He sat next to her at the break table and took her hand in his scaly one. He turned her palm up and traced the cuts with his claw. “They narrow things down. They make for better hunting when the prey has been identified.”

  She slowly pulled her hand away. “I am not prey.”

  “No, and you are not Breeder class. Why is that?”

  She looked into his dark amber eyes and blushed. “I guess I am just better at driving than anything else.”

  He sat back and chuckled. “Go to the med centre. You are under no threat from me. While sex would be entertaining, it would serve no purpose. The Sthik-Rrassic self-propagates.”

  “What?”

  “We lay eggs. No mate required. Now, go. Fix your hand. We have work to do tomorrow.” Mrtok chuckled, hissing.

  She got up and saluted him, heading out of the port and taking the city shuttle to the med centre.

  The doors slid open at her approach, and she walked in, sliding her wristband through the scanner. Mrtok must have filed the repair order, because when she made it to the interior, a medic was there, and he took her directly in to an exam room.

  The casual blue medical tunic was particularly tight on the medic.

  “How did you injure yourself?”

  “I am a lift driver, and I cut my hand on some metal.” It was completely true, if not the entire truth.

  “You work at the port?”

  She nodded. It was hardly a port in the manner that she was used to thinking of things. She arranged goods and supplies on wide skids as necessary. When they were full, Mrtok opened a gateway to another world and the shipment moved to its next location. Lianne’s day simply started all over again.

  “Verbal answers, please.”

  “Yes, I work at the port.”

  He removed her bandage, and his silvery nostrils flared. She watched him as he cleaned the wounds and sprayed synthetic skin over the cuts. He had made sure it was an exact match, and the attention to detail was appreciated.

  Her caregiver was a Nool-Rrassic. His body hadn’t begun the change, so he was in a personnel support position. It was interesting that he wasn’t in military training. When she was first grabbed, she was sure that all of the Rrassic were warriors who could slice her up as soon as look at her. Why they needed humans at all was still a mystery, but she was safe, her family was unharmed and she would continue to do what she had to do as long as the threat to them still hung over her head.

  The medic would eventually mature into one of the other eight types of alien, but for now, he was tall, smooth and silvery in appearance. His muscle mass was coming in, but it would be another year before he was a mature male of some identifiable variety.

  “You are to let the new skin set overnight. You may resume your duties tomorrow. I will take a blood sample to check for infection.”

  She smiled weakly. “Okay. Sure. Thank you.”

  He nodded and took a draw kit, turning her left arm and finding her vein with disturbing speed. Seconds later, her blood sample was whirring in the kit, and it came back with a clear read. He hadn’t run a DNA series on her. She breathed easier.

  He dismissed her, and she thanked him again before heading out to her favourite teashop.

  * * * *

  Hunter Sorrok looked around and scented the air. She had been there.

  The supervisor came over and nodded to him. “Hunter, how may I help you?”

  Sorrok smiled tightly. “I am looking for one of the drivers registered here. Lianne Whelling.”

  “What do you want with her?” The Sthik scowled at him.

  “She was involved in the collapse yesterday. I need to speak with her.” He flared his nostrils again, and he could smell the woman on the Sthik. “She touched you.”

  “I touched her. She has a wound, but I am guessing you know that if you have identified her.”

  “How did she explain the wound?”

  Her supervisor shook his head. “She didn’t. I didn’t ask.”

  “Where is she?”

  The Sthik rolled his eyes. “She has a wound, where do you think she is?”

  Hunter Sorrok and his men inclined their heads. “Thank you.”

  The supervisor called out, “I need her here for work tomorrow.”

  Sorrok smiled slightly at that. “We will see what we can do. We would not want to leave you shorthanded.”

  Korisk had a data screen in his hands and was checking medical records. “She has been discharged after suffering a series of wounds to her palm. There is no infection, so she was cleared to leave.”

  Sorrok scowled. “Where is she now?”

  “She hasn’t scanned in anywhere. What do you want to do?”

  Sorrok frowned. “We will head into the city. Keep an eye on the scanner. If she swipes in anywhere, let me know immediately.”

  “Yes, Sorrok.”

  Lumar was silent, but he was always silent. His senses were on alert with so many humans in the area. The pointed tips of his ears vibrated with every sound.

  They got into their transport and headed for the city.

  Korisk suddenly said, “Got her. Mikkalthi Teashop. She just scanned in with enough of a selection to keep her there for twenty minutes.”

  They were three minutes away.

  * * * *

  Lianne sat in a corner and watched the patrons come and go. She flexed her new skin and smiled at the lack of pain. It was hard to order painkillers when you didn’t want to admit to injury.

  They hadn’t run her DNA, so she was safe on that score. There would be no second interview pigeonholing her into the Breeder slot.

  The shop got quiet. There were already a few Rrassic at the tables, but three Hunters seen together was never good for business. They were hunting for something or someone.

  The central Zjin-Rrassic slowly scanned the room, and when he saw her, a smile that showed a lot of teeth was in evidence.

  Patrons scattered and made their way out of the shop. Lianne held her ground.

  The hunting party walked up to her table, and she gestured to the seats next to and across from hers. “Please, be seated. Try the scones. They are rather flaky today.”

  The men frowned and looked to their leader.

  “Lianne Whelling
?”

  “I am.”

  “I am Hunter Sorrok of the Zjin-Rrassic. I need to ask you a few questions about the events yesterday.”

  She sipped at her tea, using the prop to keep calm. “So ask.”

  “What part did you play at the event yesterday?”

  One of the men had a recorder on his small screen.

  “A friend invited me out, to keep me from spending my free day indoors. We went to the event, took a space high and away from the crowds and we watched the singing with several hundred people.”

  “When did you notice the irregularity with the structure?”

  “I am trained to notice imbalance in loads, so I noted the shimmy as soon as it started. I got up and started to run, but the crowd slowed me down. By the time I got there, the lift operator was trying to move in close to help them escape, but that wasn’t going to do any good. I climbed the rig, cut my hand up and kicked him out of the control box while I moved to shore up the balcony to let folks get away. Several people saw me, but I didn’t want to hang around as I had work this morning, and the concert was definitely over.”

  “Do you suspect that the collapse was due to anything in particular?”

  “Unstable weight load. With so many folks rushing to the front of the balcony to see the performance, they put a lot of strain on the connections. It was human error on the part of the spectators.”

  “Why are you not a registered Breeder? I remember you from my scouting.”

  She paused and stared at him. “I have never seen you before.”

  “I wore camouflage, as did the others of my kind who scouted out men and women for this place. You had so much potential and were such a close match. What happened?”

  He was staring at her intently, and she was uncomfortable under his golden gaze in the blue expanse where whites should have been.

  “Check my records.” She folded her hands on the table.

  “I did. They indicate a virulent feline allergy, yet you sit here with my hand touching yours, and there is no visible response. Can human allergies disappear in time?”

  She jerked her hand back, away from him. “They can vary in intensity.”

  “Excellent answer. Oh, these are my seconds, Korisk and Lumar. If they come for you, it is at my request.”

  He got to his feet. “Thank you for the answers I sought. Take care of yourself. Your skin is far too precious to mar in such a way.”

  She nodded, frowned and watched the hunting party leave her alone. Her tea was still hot.

  Lianne nibbled at a scone. She had to admire their efficiency. In and out in under two minutes with only three vague threats. Impressive.

  Chapter Three

  “I want every scan possible run against her bloodwork. If she is allergic to felines, I will retire.” Sorrok ignored the fact that his hackles were raised and tried to keep his voice calm.

  Korisk’s claws tapped on his monitor. “You think she has found a way to hide from the breeding classification?”

  Sorrok cocked his head slightly. “I know what she tastes like, and she wasn’t showing any of the signs that an allergy would offer. I accosted her several times before she was selected, and she did not react in a negative manner at all.”

  He remembered her reaction to him brushing past her while she was on her way to her friend’s place. She had looked surprised but in no way shocked. Her pupils had flared, and her scent had gotten stronger. She nodded and left him, returning to her purpose.

  Like most of the Zjin-Rrassic scouts, he had been targeting women. Other races of the Rrassic chose the men.

  Lianne Whelling had been one of dozens of women that he identified as possibilities for this project, but seeing her again reminded him of why he had chosen her to begin with.

  Confronted by three Hunters, she had remained calm and articulate. She was cool under pressure, and it was only the flutter of her pulse, visible in the slender column of her neck, that gave away her stress.

  She hadn’t lied. There wasn’t one moment when she wasn’t telling the truth, but she didn’t remember him. The moment he had looked into her eyes, he couldn’t believe that she didn’t recognize him. It was his greatest annoyance that a holographic image generator had been used when they were walking around the human world. He was magnificent, and he knew it; several of the new arrivals had confirmed that Earth females found him attractive. He wanted to hear it from her.

  Sorrok paused, shocked at the turn that his thoughts had taken. The technical investigation of the collapse should be done, and he could find out if there was actually someone he could arrest. He was suddenly in the mood for a chase.

  * * * *

  Lianne was in the mood to hit something. Instead of heading home, she went to the gym.

  The amenities that were offered to workers were actually quite extensive. For a slave labour force, they were treated exceptionally well.

  She hiked through the commercial sector and entered the gym, scanning in and ordering a set of clothing to sweat in. A quick change and she went in to order her workout.

  Tomic was another Nool-Rrassic, but he was a familiar face.

  “Lianne, aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

  She shrugged. “I have a hand injury. What would you recommend?”

  “Something with gloves. Let me check on the stations.” Tomic smiled, his silvery skin gleamed and his eager-to-please attitude was as friendly as always.

  “Ah. Holographic combat instruction. Station seven. Here are your gloves.”

  Tomic helped her into the wraps and gloves. “Enjoy.”

  She made a face and walked barefoot to station seven. Her ident band opened the door, and she stepped inside.

  “Identify combat level.”

  She exhaled. “Beginner.”

  “Level one selected. Step into the ring.”

  She stepped forward, and her opponent appeared. It was Tomic’s joke that her instructor always looked like a Zjin-Rrassic. Her so-called allergy made it amusing for him.

  The instructor started by explaining stance and weight distribution, and then, they started to fight in slow motion. Gradually, the attack and defense picked up pace, but she kept her focus on punching that smug tiger-striped face as often as she could.

  She didn’t know why Sorrok had set her off, but if this projection was a representation of him, she hoped he had a headache.

  The instructor stopped the lesson. “You need to seek medical attention. You have an injury.”

  She scowled and looked at her hands. They were fine.

  A pattern of blood on the floor led to her leg. “Aw... balls.”

  She had injured her knee. She winced. She had managed it on a damned hologram.

  She walked to the control panel and pressed the com. “Tomic?”

  “Yes, Lianne?”

  “I need a scrub in station seven. I managed to hurt myself.”

  “Is there blood?”

  “You could say that.”

  “Stay there. I will bring a med kit.”

  She chuckled. “Nowhere I would rather be.”

  She sat against the wall and waited. Three minutes later, there was a knock at the door before it opened.

  Hunter Sorrok came through, and he frowned. “How could you hurt yourself in combat simulation?”

  He knelt next to her with a med kit.

  Her brain shorted out. “What are you doing here?”

  “I needed to punch something, and all Rrassic have med training. I was a Nool once, too.” He moved quickly and cleaned the cut on her knee.

  “There is a lot of bruising here, Ms. Whelling. What happened?”

  “I was aiming for the groin, and I hit too hard, going through the beginner setting and into the wall.” Beginner holograms were great, but they didn’t have a lot of substance. They were designed to be gone through. Walls were not.

  He cleaned her injury and used the pads of his fin
gers to hold the cut together while he applied the synthetic skin.

  Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she cleared her throat. “Where is Tomic?”

  “He is dealing with another client. I happened to be passing, and I offered to assist you.”

  She frowned. “I thought that the Rrassic used a larger facility on the other side of the city.”

  “Usually. We have access to all, just as you do. I was restless, so I came here.”

  She nodded, as if she understood, before she smiled. “I can’t imagine you as a Nool-Rrassic.”

  “I was only a Nool into my second decade. I changed early.”

  Lianne nodded and noted that he still has his hand on her leg, long after the new skin had set. The fine velvet of his skin was a surprise. She had heard about their skin texture from other humans who dabbled, but she had never actually felt one herself. Well, technically he was feeling her.

  “Do you have any other discomfort?”

  She shook her head slowly. “I just need to get back to the front desk to get these gloves off.”

  “I can help with that as well. The bots are already working on your blood.”

  She looked past him, and small cleaning robots were scrubbing the blood from the mat.

  He took her left hand in his and untied the glove, easing it off before unwrapping her hand. “You have calluses.”

  She nodded. “The lift controls. Do it long enough and your hands show it.”

  He nodded, his nose twitching a little.

  He slowly stripped her right hand, and when he unwrapped it, he checked the healing.

  “How do you know which hand was sliced?”

  “I have read your medical records. Oddly enough, you should be sneezing up a storm by now. Funnily enough, you appear to be fine.”

  Lianne looked into his gold eyes and fought for a plausible lie. “Perhaps the allergy was a typo.”

  “You didn’t correct it?” He was rubbing one thumb slowly along her palm.

  “Why would I? I had a job I was good at. I was content.”