Captives of the Unknown
By TheRealXenocide
Disclaimer: This story contains plot elements and characters created and owned by Sunrise and/or their successor companies. No permission has been given. No money is being made with this story, and no infringement is intended.
Note: And now the main reason for Humor as a category will be revealed. Acknowledgment to the TIME magazine cover from May 21, 2012, and to the MikeJaffa story "Lost in Translation" for the seeds of inspiration.
Chapter 4
Fear and Revelation and . . . Milk?!
Jim was the second of the group awaken. He learned this when he entered to main room to find that Aisha was already in there, sitting in the still dim room. This surprised him. He might have expected Suzuka, but not Aisha. She was known to sleep in. "Aisha, how is it you're the first one up?"
"I just woke up, and couldn't get back to sleep." She sounded only half rested. "I'm guessing it was all the sleep I got from the gas."
"Man, that stuff sure did mess with us." He sat in the stone chair next to Aisha. "Hey, did they tell you what it did to me?"
That got her undivided attention. "No. What? Jimmy, are you okay?"
"Seem to be. It was weird though. Apparently, I was out for two hours longer than the others. In fact, I beat you awake by less than an hour."
"What?! Jimmy, why didn't you say anything?"
"By the time you were awake, I was feeling better. Plus we had already guessed about the ghrighri root, so we were all worried about you."
"And I appreciate that. But you need to take better care of yourself. It's like Mel and Suzu tell you about your diet."
"Aisha."
"And that doctor last year. What did he call it? Annoria?"
"Anemia. Nutritional deficiency anemia, to be precise." The light dawned. "Damn! And I thought I was doing better!"
"You continue to misjudge that, James." Suzuka appeared from her room. As if on cue, the lights slowly brightened as promised to signal 0600. Her face showed disappointment, and her voice turned stern. "No matter how much Melfina and I, and even Gilliam remind you, you still have poor work/food habits. It hinders you in practice, and now it has exposed you to greater risk from this last attack."
Jim's head hung low under her reproach. She was normally balanced with him, even when she corrected him. This, however, made it clear to him just how much he'd disappointed and upset her. "I'm sorry, Sensei. Truly. I guess I need stronger intervention about that."
"We can discuss that later. But you do need to realize that, in the end, it will be up to you to care for your own health."
"Um, could one of you tell me what Jimmy's condition does?" Aisha asked.
"The short version is that anemia is a condition that makes it difficult for the blood to carry oxygen throughout the body." Suzuka began.
"And that's what the root does! No wonder it hit him harder."
"Agreed. And there are many causes for anemia, some easier to treat than others. What Jim has, nutritional deficiency anemia, is caused by poor eating habits. It can be repaired by proper eating and quality supplements, but that takes time."
"I honestly thought I was doing better."
Suzuka patted Jim's hand. "I will consider this a lesson learned. This time."
"Thank you, Sensei."
Aisha didn't like seeing her young friend depressed. "Hey I know! Jim, why don't we start thinking about how to get out of here?"
"We will eventually, but Sensei was right last night, we still have information to gather."
"Actually, James, I also agreed that we should start planning. That way, if something should happen to force the issue, we'll be ready."
"Yeah," Aisha agreed, "then maybe we can surprise them."
"And on that note, I would like to see what you can figure out."
Jim looked at Suzuka, and saw her smile approvingly at him. "Alright, Sensei. Well, first thing we should do is figure out what all we have that we can use."
"Agreed. While they took extreme measures to our resources to limit what we use, they couldn't remove everything."
"True, but I was thinking about power."
"You've got me, Jim!" Aisha said proudly.
"Yup. And that will help us break out. But I already accounted for that, because I knew you'd be ready. What I was thinking about was electrical power."
"Oh, yeah. That would be useful. But where would we get that from?"
"I was thinking about those light shield projectors." Jim said, thumbing toward the two protrusions at the top of the back wall. "I don't know if there's a way to tap their power supply, but if there is, that could be very useful in the right moment."
"So you want to get up there and look?" Suzuka asked.
"It's the only way to know." Jim pointed out as he stood.
"Yeah!" Aisha exclaimed. "As high up as it is, it would be easier if you sat on my shoulders. Jim, stand on that chair."
That request seemed odd to Jim. "Huh?"
"Come on, Jim! Hurry up!" Aisha said as she moved behind Jim and lifted him by his hips.
"Aisha!" She gently placed him standing on the chair. "What are you HEY!" Aisha, maintaining her hold on his hips, quickly placed her head between his knees and lifted. The result was Jim was on her shoulders, straddling the back of her neck. "Dammit, Aisha! I nearly hit my head!"
"You really should be more careful with him, Aisha." Suzuka admonished.
"Oh, it's fine! Now let's get you over there." Aisha was actually careful with her stride, and Jim's head didn't get any closer to the ceiling than it already was.
"Well, okay, I guess this works." Jim had to admit that this was giving him an excellent, close-up look at one of the emitters. "Sensei, would you mind coming closer."
"Not at all, James. Do you see something?"
"It's what I don't see. I can't see anything that remotely resembles a focusing AAAAAAAAH!" Jim had lightly touched the emitter, and all thought left him as electricity raced through he and Aisha.
Suzuka moved quickly. First she kicked Aisha in the back of the knee, just enough to force her to drop, and thus allowing gravity to break the connection to the emitter. Then she moved the catch Jim, preventing him from the consequences of a 10-foot fall onto the hard rock cell floor. She gently set him down on the floor to check on him. He wasn't breathing.
"What the hell!" Gene said as he ran out of he and Melfina's room, Mel barely a step behind.
"Melfina, see to Aisha! Gene! CPR NOW!"
"SHIT!" Gene slid into the space next to Jim's chest Suzuka had left for him. Clearly, she intended to handle the breathing. One round of chest compressions, two rescue breaths, and they were relieved that that was all that Jim needed before he started coughing.
"Ooooh, that hurt." Came the groan of complaint from Aisha.
"Are you okay, Aisha?" Melfina asked.
"I've lived through worse JIMMY!" Aisha swung her head until she saw him. Then she fought through the aches she was still feeling to scramble to his side opposite Gene and Suzuka. "Oh, Jimmy!"
"He's breathing now, Aisha." Suzuka began.
Before Aisha could react to the word now, a weak groan came from the focus of their attention. "Aisha?" He asked weakly.
She grasp his hand. "I'm here, Jimmy."
"As are we all." Suzuka added.
"That was pretty stupid." Came a mechanical voice from the direction of the bars. Those who turned saw a Nayan wearing a blue encounter suit. They also saw that the light shield at the bars had been raised. "I was told the young terran was supposed to be a genius."
"YOU BASTARD! What did you do to him?!" Aisha screamed.
"Isn't it obvious? The exposed emitters are protected from tampering by raw electricity. Haven't you figured out just how careful our boss is?"
"He needs medical . . ." Gene began.
"No." The Nayan interrupted. "He should live. And any lingering effects will serve as a learning experience."
"But that's just cruel." Melfina chided.
"Not a good way to get the cooperation you need." Suzuka pointed out.
"That only gives you so much leeway. Tampering with systems will NOT be tolerated." He turned, and started to walk away. "Remember that later, won't you."
Aisha charged across the room to the bars. "GET BACK HERE!" She was ignored, and she soon heard the door at the end of the hall. "Damn him!"
"Sensei, help me sit up."
"James."
"Please."
"Very well. Gene, a side each." As she was near his head, and Gene was already at his torso, she moved around Jim until she was opposite Gene. Together, they carefully lifted the young man to a sitting position.
He winced a bit, even though he had expected a little lightheadedness. "Man, I've been shocked before, but that was something else."
"You stopped breathing, James."
"Really? Wow. I didn't even realize."
Aisha was back with Jim, but she was looking at Suzuka. "That's what you meant by 'now' earlier?"
"Yes. We only needed one round of CPR for him, but he still needed it."
"So, partner, did you learn anything before this happened?" Gene asked.
"How do you know what we were doing?" Jim asked.
Gene pulled his shirt collar, pointing out that both he and Melfina were fully dressed. "We'd been awake for a few minutes already. Mel thought you three needed a few moments to get things straight between you." Gene placed his hand on Jim's shoulder. "And I thought I had bad eating habits."
"You do." Suzuka told him.
"Hey!"
The next couple of hours passed in relative calm, with everyone helping Jim recover from his experience, as well as the fact that they can add Nayan to the list of races among their captors. Eventually, they were interrupted by a mechanical voice. "Time for morning feeding." The light shield at the bars activated, and the Nayan appeared pushing the cart from yesterday. "I hope you've learned your lesson. Now into your rooms, you know the drill."
Everything went as it had yesterday, until they noticed that he only sat out four plates of ration bars, including the red-rimmed one. "I think you forgot something." Melfina said.
He didn't answer until he closed the door. "No, I didn't." He then deactivated the light shields in the cell except for the one at the bars . . . and the one for Jim.
"What's the big idea?!" Aisha exclaimed.
"New rules. Due to his attempt to escape, the boy gets to starve."
"What the hell!" Gene exclaimed.
"Furthermore." The Nayan raised his voice. "I will be watching you eat. ANY attempt to save food from your rations for him will result in the end of ALL food deliveries and ALL of you will starve."
"Are you sure your boss would approve?" Suzuka asked.
"You'll suffer, but you'll live. Besides, if you're too weak, you can't escape very well, now can you?"
"DAMN YOU, COWARD!" Aisha exclaimed. "You want to hurt somebody, try a Ctarl-Ctarl warrior! I'll teach you some manners! BRIEFLY!"
"Do I look stupid?"
"Cooperate, guys."
Everyone turned to Jim. "What?!" Aisha asked in disbelief.
"For the moment, they have all the cards. I'm not giving up for good. But for now, go with it."
"See, the young one can learn after all." The Nayan commented.
"Jim, are you sure?" Melfina asked.
"Yeah, Mel. You four keep up you strength. I've got awhile before it's a problem. Really, Mel, I'm not giving up."
A small smile momentarily came to Suzuka, then she suppressed it. "As James said, for the moment." Suzuka said as she sat down. "He knows what he's doing. Please, respect that, and do as he asks."
"Suzuka." Gene began.
"Please, Gene." Suzuka interrupted. "Without tricks."
Gene exhaled heavily. "For now. But we will talk about this later."
"I understand."
Everyone did eventually sit down and slowly, almost unwillingly, eat everything. They each thought about trying to hide something for Jim, but between the unyielding gaze of the Nayan guard and Suzuka's request, they all chose to wait. The other three knew that Suzuka won't risk Jim lightly. So they decided to find out what, if anything, she had in mind. Finally finished, they followed the demanded routine for cleanup. The Nayan closed the door, then dropped all the light shields. Jim joined the others as they reentered the main room. "Are you happy now?"
"Believe it or not, kid, I really don't care. If I'm ordered to let you eat again, you will. If I'm order to starve all five of you, I will." He turned, and pushed the cart down the hall. "Now behave, and we'll see what happens."
They all waited while Aisha listened for the door. They knew immediately, because Aisha turned to face Suzuka. "Now, you want to tell me why you had me act like a good little girl during that CRAP!"
"Of course. Let's all sit down, and I'll explain."
They all went to the table and sat down in the chairs closest to their rooms, with Melfina sitting in the chair at the 'head' on the oval table nearest Jim. Once everyone was settled, Suzuka began. "There are a couple of things to consider. First, we don't know if this is going to continue, or if this was a one-time lesson in what our limits are."
"So, you think Jim will be allowed to eat again?" Melfina asked.
"Possibly. If that is true, then our resistance may encourage a more sustained response than originally intended, or a harsher one."
"Okay. I can see that." Gene conceded. "But what happens if they won't let him eat?"
"That depends on if a story I've heard about Ctarl females is true."
"What story?" Aisha asked.
"Aisha, you know that all species, including the Ctarl, have things about them that evolved hundreds, thousands, even hundreds of thousands of years ago. Things that aren't necessary any more, but are still part of them."
"Well, yeah. Like the Ctarl-Ctarl ability to . . ." She looked at Suzuka. "You can't be thinking THAT, are you?!"
"What?" Jim asked.
"Can you think of any other way to keep him fed without trying to fool the guards and risking further problems?"
"Um, well, no, not yet."
"What's going on?" Gene asked.
"Either you tell them or I will."
"Suzu . . ."
"It's not about YOU anymore, Aisha!" Suzuka interrupted sharply. "It's about Jim."
"Okay, I'll tell." Aisha said meekly.
"Come on, Sensei, you're being too harsh."
"Please trust me on this, James."
"It's okay, Jim." Aisha said. She took a breath, and began. "It goes back a hundred thousand years or so. Back when Ctarl-Ctarl development was similar to your Cro-Magnon ancestors. Back then, Ctarl-Ctarl was home to some massive, dangerous predators that saw the Ctarl-Ctarl as snack food. If one of them killed a mother whose cub was still nursing, the cub would die too. So Ctarl-Ctarl female bodies evolved the ability to . . . to lactate on demand, whether we've had a cub of not."
The other three just stared at her a moment. "Wow." Jim finally said. "Quite the survival trick."
"And we can still do it, if we have enough calories."
"Aisha." Suzuka began. "I'm not insensitive to the situation this puts you in. But it also puts James in the same position."
"Huh?" Jim asked.
Gene literally slapped his palm into his face. "How can they be so dense?"
"Alright. I see there's nothing else for it." Suzuka concluded. "Jim and Aisha, look at me." They did, although Aisha was reluctant. "Now look at each other." They did. "The person you are looking at has confided to me that they have fallen in love with you."
"SENSEI! How could you . . . wait a minute." He turned back to Aisha. "Aisha? Is it true?" Aisha had the most unusual look of fear on her face. Acting far braver than he felt, he stood, and moved to Aisha, taking her hand in his. "Is it true? Do you . . . do you feel for me what I feel for you?"
It took a moment for Aisha to grasp what he'd said. She looked up, hope beginning to show. "What? Jimmy, does that mean?"
He nodded. "I don't know or care how, but yes, Aisha, I am in love with you. Have been for ACK!"
Jim had been interrupted by Aisha shooting to her feet and collecting him in a hug. "I love you too, Jim!"
"Well it's about damn time!" Gene exclaimed.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Aisha asked, not letting go of Jim.
"You two were so obvious that we had it figured out months ago." Melfina answered.
"Not you too, Mel." Aisha moaned.
"I've wanted to lock you two in a room until you confessed for a couple of months." Gene added. "But she," he indicated Suzuka, "kept stopping me."
"And saving your life, most likely." Suzuka replied.
"Whatever."
"Anyway, back on the important subject." Suzuka began. "While I think we should wait to see what happens this evening, if it is the same as this morning, I think that Aisha's breast milk is Jim's only option."
Both of the subjects of that remark blushed. "Would Ctarl milk be okay for Jim?" Melfina asked.
"Yes." Aisha answered. "I'm not supposed to admit it, but Ctarl-Ctarl and humans are, barely, genetically close enough for us to safely nurse a human baby, have a cub with a human, and nurse that cub. You're actually the only alien species we can do any of that with." She took a breath. "Okay. It's not nearly as romantic as I dreamed, but Jim's life may depend on it." She turned to Jim. "If you're okay with it happening this way, I'll do it."
Jim gulped. "I honestly never thought this would happen."
"Right now, I'm only talking about showing you my breasts and nursing you, Jim."
"Right." Jim's blush deepened. "Thank you Aisha."
She leaned in to his ear. "We can discuss other stuff later."
As Jim smiled, Gene grumbled. "And he calls me a pervert."
It was difficult to tell whose hand was faster to the back of Gene's head, Melfina or Suzuka.
XzXzXzXzXzXzX
Note: And now you understand my concern about the eventual rating. Can I do this within a PG-13 (a.k.a. T) framework, or will I need to raise it to R (a.k.a. M)? I'm not sure yet, but I should know within the next couple of chapters.
And before anybody corrects me. I've been on this website since 2002. Back then, they were using the MPAA movie rating system. And honestly, I still think that way.