“I will apply a fresh bandage but Harris is really curious as to how the drug will work on us. He needs to see this first. Damn. That shit is amazing. Look at that.” Paul pointed to the staples. “I think I can remove those. The skin seems to have already fused. It’s only been about twelve hours but you’d swear this happened at least a couple of weeks ago, judging by how rapidly it’s healing. I think the drug is working faster on her than it does on you guys. I’m going to call in Harris. He might want to lower the dose. This is so exciting to be able to finally test it on humans at full dosage. Nobody wanted to do that before.”
True covered her stomach with the sheet after the nurse laid gauze over her incision and left the room to seek out the doctor. It angered him that they were viewing Shiver as an experiment. He hesitated, straining for any sound of approaching steps, before carefully taking her delicate hand in his. It was totally lifeless but warm. He was gentle as he caressed her fingers, memories of finding her bloody and dying on the floor prevalent in his thoughts.
There had been times since he’d gained his freedom when he’d considered how he’d react when Tech Shiver was located and arrested. The sense of betrayal he’d once felt had remained. She might not have been his female but her reasons for being kind to him had been suspicious after learning she worked closely with Polanitis. Had it all been an act to get him to care about her so she could be safely mounted by a Species? He wanted answers.
He placed her hand back on the bed and stepped away. The anger he had thought he’d feel at seeing her again didn’t surface. It would have been easy to pretend he just wanted to question her if she survived but he prided himself on being brutally honest. True just wanted her to open her eyes and be well. He’d cared about Shiver too much and her death would cause him pain.
She probably would be sent to Fuller Prison. There was no denying that she worked for the enemy. The humans who ran the place would put her in a cage and justice would be served. She would learn confinement, hopelessness of ever gaining freedom, and suffer for her crimes against Species.
A memory from the past formed inside his mind…
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Shiver stepped inside his cell with a smile on her heart-shaped face, glanced at the camera before coming inside, schooling her features. The kit in her hand indicated why she’d come. They took many vials of blood after forcing drugs into his body.#p#分页标题#e#
“Hi,” she whispered. “I’m sorry about this.” Shiver placed the kit on the table and his chains activated, pulling him tight against the wall. She wasn’t the one to do it so that meant a guard outside the door watched their movements. “I’ll make it quick.”
She donned gloves as she uncapped a needle and inched closer with the syringe. A small alcohol packet was held between her fingers as she invaded his space. Her head didn’t even reach the top of his shoulder when she stopped mere inches away. She used her teeth to rip the tip off one finger of the glove, then also tore open the packet and swabbed his arm near his inner elbow. She lifted her head and studied his face, paying careful attention to his jaw.
“I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”
She referred to the bruising there. He didn’t answer, rarely did.
Her warm fingers gripped his arm so gently he almost missed the soft way she stroked his skin with that single bare fingertip. She had told him once that tearing away the latex made it easier to feel his veins but they were very prominent. Sometimes he pretended it might be possible that she just wanted to be able to touch him, skin to skin. Her body blocked the camera so he was the only one aware of her actions. The needle was inserted into his arm so carefully that he barely felt it. Others just stabbed him roughly, seeming to enjoy inflicting pain.
“I brought you pain pills. They are safe to take,” she whispered. She released his arm and reached down the front of her shirt. He couldn’t look away as the neck of it dipped lower to reveal her creamy, white skin and the top curve of her breasts as she removed something hidden there. She reached down and slid a small plastic packet against his palm. He closed his fingers around the object.
She withdrew the needle and capped it, shoving it inside her front pocket. She pressed a small gauze square to the puncture site. Shiver glanced up then, holding his gaze.
“Those pills are mine—from a dental appointment. I smuggled them in. Just take one at a time with some water, two if you are really sore. They’ll help take away some of the discomfort.” Her gaze drifted to his swollen jaw again then to his bruised ribs. Tears surfaced in her eyes but she blinked them back. “Don’t give up, 710. I promise this won’t last forever. Just keep calm and don’t cause fights.”