Chapter 2 - Let There Be Light
The creature looked back at her. "Taura," it said. Its voice was deep, and strained, but perfectly clear.
"Ah, actually it's Tara, not Taura."
The creature's face rippled into a terrifying frown. Oh well done, dummy - you're worried about this thing eating you, but you just have to correct its pronunciation don't you? Well, it hadn't fallen on her and ripped her throat out for daring to contradict it - that was good. In fact it was tilting its head, as though it was thinking her words over.
"My name is Taura," it said slowly. "You're Tara." It sat up a little more, and the tarp fell away, revealing a long, long body, full of powerful slopes and curves...
Oh, hey, it's a girl monster. And it's - she's - called Taura. Suits her.
Taura looked around at the dark room. "Where is this place? And - what's that?"
She pointed suddenly at the glowing ball of light hovering just over their heads. Her arm was at least three foot long, her hand was massive, and her claws were very sharp. Tara fell back off her knees with a little squeak.
"Sorry!" said Taura. "I forgot you're not used to... well, to me."
"Not a problem," said Tara quickly, "you just kinda startled me there, that's all." She scrambled quickly to her knees again, and gave Taura what she hoped was a reassuring smile. She seems to be a nice friendly monster. "Sorry for the confusion, over the name - Tara and Taura, huh? Um, that's..."
"A totally meaningless coincidence?" said Taura, one heavy brow rising, and a little quirk appearing in her long upper lip.
Not dumb, thought Tara - not dumb at all. Don't fall into the error of acting as if she is. She smiled again, "Yeah, something like that. Anyway," she stuck her hand out, "N-nice to meet you, Taura."
Taura looked down at the outstretched hand in front of her, then abruptly clasped it in her own huge paw. Tara stifled another little squeak. Taura's hand enveloped hers, like a huge hot baseball mitt - and the claws... and she wasn't letting go. Tara took a big swallow of air; she could try and wrench her hand free of course, but somehow that seemed like a really bad idea.
"So, said Taura gravely, still grasping Tara's hand firmly, and flicking a glance towards the ball of light, which hovered above them, "what is it?"
Tara tried yet another smile - see, look how friendly and harmless I am? No point ripping my hand off, and possibly eating it - none at all. "It's just a handy light I carry around with me," she said airily. "Nice to be able to see where you're going." She looked around. Of course - they didn't seem to be going anywhere very fast. "Or where you are, anyway," she amended.
"Never seen anything like it before." said Taura, sitting up further. She gave it one last glance, then let Tara's hand go, and groaned, and put her own hand on her ribs. "Ugh, I'm all beat up." With a grunt she turned over onto her side, and spat blood on the floor. "Hope I didn't lose any teeth," she said glumly.
"I sure didn't notice any gaps," said Tara.
Taura turned suddenly, and grinned. Tara's heart flopped in her chest like a landed salmon, as the full set of fangs were uncovered again. "Nope, definitely no gaps," she said desperately, hoping Taura hadn't seen her flinch. "And I'm not sure where we are. It's just a room. In fact I'm not sure how I got here at all."
"Head injury?" said Taura, heaving herself painfully to a kneeling position, and looking around her.
"Ah, I don't think so. Drugs maybe, I'm feeling a bit numb." But much less numb than earlier, nothing like a bit of terror to clear the head. In fact I'm feeling remarkably alive right now - all tingly.
Taura nodded, "Yeah, I've taken a shot of something too. But my system will clear it a lot quicker than yours." She turned and looked at Tara critically, "Looks like you were sleeping when you got grabbed."
Tara looked down at herself. She was wearing a knee length white cotton shift, and nothing else. She tugged at the hem self-consciously. And it's proved a bit drafty so far, to be honest. "Pants would be good," she admitted.
"Okay, said Taura, "I'll keep an eye out for some." She rose up to her feet, way up, and Tara stared. Oh boy, she must be - eight feet tall, easy!
"Eight foot two," said Taura, looking down at her. "You were wondering."
"Tall is good," said Tara quickly.
Taura flashed her fangs again, then walked over to the door, and ran her claws along the faint crack between it and the wall. Tara got up and followed, the light bobbing along behind her.
Taura banged the door very lightly, and sighed. "Reinforced sealing," she said. "High security stuff. Pity, I kinda fancied ripping it out of the wall and bending it over someone's head."
"I wonder if I can do anything," said Tara thoughtfully. She spread out her hands in front of her and they both burst into a blaze of yellow light. "Oooh!" she said, entranced. "I never managed to make them do that before!" Taura turned, startled, then backed away two wary steps, staring at the blaze. Tara concentrated for a moment, and moved her hands towards each other, cupping her fingers slightly. The light coalesced into a glowing globe, encompassed within the space between her hands. She moved her hands gingerly away, and the globe dimmed a little, then burst into dazzling life again.
"It's all energy," she said, a little absently, "I should be able to transform light to heat." The globe darkened, became red.
Tara looked up. Taura had become very, very still. A hulking monolithic statue in bronze, her face bathed from below in the orange light cast by the globe, lit slightly from above by the little yellow light that still hovered there. The effect was interesting, but Tara's gaze moved to the wall behind Taura's left shoulder, where the door lay. Taura followed her gaze, then paled and moved sharply to one side. "Avaunt!" said Tara experimentally, and made a throwing gesture with both hands. The globe shot across the room - and straight through the door, leaving a neat circular hole behind it.
They both stared at the hole. "Cool!" said Tara. Then, "I wonder how far it will go before the energy is dispersed?"
Taura's face went abruptly white. "Stop it!" she shouted desperately, "now!"
"Disperse!" shouted Tara, her gaze turning abruptly inward. She turned to Taura, "You're right," she said shakily, "that could have drilled straight through any person in its path!"
"Never mind the people," said Taura, pacing up and down agitatedly, "what if it punctured the ship?"
Tara stared at her. "What ship?" she said.
Taura stared back. "This ship," she said. "We're on a space ship. Can't you feel it, moving under you? We're on a space ship. And I've no idea who owns it, or where it's going. We've been kidnapped."