The Breeding Experiment - Laurann Dohner Page 0,35
your rage to make the smart decisions you did. That female was in no danger from you, Gnaw. This Darla sounds as if she was very aware of that when she asked you to comply and stripped bare.”
“She was desperate,” Gnaw rasped.
Roth nodded. “She was also rational, and she knew the best way to survive was to stall for time by complying with your captor’s demands. The both of you did that together. You worked as a grouping would. It is why you both live. I am proud of you. Fighting has always come easy for you. Patience and plotting has not. You did well.”
Gnaw felt choked up, and he dropped his gaze, staring at the rest of the food on his plate. He swallowed hard and gave a nod. “I owe that female. She was the one to calm me when I wanted to rage.”
“We all owe that female,” Roth murmured. “You’re back with us safely. We couldn’t lose you.”
He looked up, nodding at his grouping brothers. They were a family. “I am glad to be here.”
* * * * * *
“Man, that was a pain in the ass. Doctor Kane is going to chew my ass big time later. Don’t worry about it, though. She might be the chief of medicine but she can’t fire me. Not a lot of people stay in my specialty field. They crack under the pressure within four years, from what I’ve noticed.” Dr. Brick sighed.
Darla openly took in the large room as she listened to Dr. Brick talk. It looked mostly like a lab with tons of computers, medical equipment, and two desks. There was also one med bed. It was behind a long counter filled with different kinds of strange microscopes that came from the ceiling.
Dr. Brick turned to face her, after putting on a white coat. “It’s okay to speak freely in here. I disabled the cameras when I was given this space. We’re in the clear.” She reached up and tapped the temple near her bright blue eye. “This baby isn’t just to help my vision. I can detect frequencies with my implant. I’d know it if they had snuck in here without my knowledge to add devices. I hate being watched or monitored.”
“The fleet does that?”
“They’ll go on about how it’s for my own safety to monitor everything I do, but I’ve disabled listening and viewing devices from the beginning. I tell them the frequencies they give off interfere with my implant. It’s total bullshit, though. I just like my privacy, and they’ve given up on reestablishing their electronic spies. I tinkered with my eye sensors, as well, so I know when they screw with my privacy.”
Darla knew she was gaping but she was too surprised to speak.
“I’ve been with the fleet for a very long time.”
“You don’t look that old.”
“I feel it. Long story short, my parents were killed when I was eight. Can you please jump up here and let me look at your thigh? They did a patchwork job on you while we were being shuttled in. Aliens can carry some nasty viruses and diseases. I just want to take some swabs, scan them, and make sure you’re in the clear.”
Darla climbed onto the wide, padded bed, sitting upright. She glanced down as Dr. Brick removed a few bandages, exposing her torn skin. It had been sprayed with some type of clear substance. There were at least four small injuries with bruising forming around each one.
“Not bad. Tentacle hooks can do a lot of damage. There’s this species of an Earth octopus alien cousin on Nerner planet that jabs their hooks into skin, and spikes open like barbs, to keep hold of the flesh. They’re hell to remove. These are just cuts.”
“Please don’t tell me that kind of stuff.” It made Darla sick just thinking about it.
“Right.” Dr. Brick flashed a smile. “Sorry. My bedside manner is awful. I rarely deal with patients, and the ones I do get usually aren’t conscious by the time they reach me. Regular doctors think they can handle an alien infection or whatnot, try their best, and then turn to me when their patient is critical.” She walked away, opened a drawer, and got some swabs. Then she returned, taking samples. “I don’t see any sign of infection or allergic reaction so far. That’s good.”
“I’m glad.”
“Me too. I’m currently checking the history on the Elth about any humans who’ve suffered cuts from their hooks.”
Darla frowned, glancing at the computers.
“I