I jerked when the chime echoed through the room. I turned on my right side, cursing inwardly when I accidentally pulled on the cuff and it tightened around my wrist, to study the Draax at the counter.
He hit a button on the tablet in front of him and another hologram screen popped up. A dark-haired Draax spoke briefly to him and lab coat Draax nodded a few times before, weirdly, bowing. The hologram screen disappeared and the Draax rummaged through a drawer before standing next to my bed. He had a small black square box in his hand as well as more gauze and a clear bottle of liquid.
I didn’t object when he removed the bandage on my hand, cleaned away the dried blood with the liquid and the gauze and then placed the box slightly above the hole in my hand. There was a small pinch and I stared in amazement at the catheter sticking out of my hand. The Draax slid the thin needle out and dropped it into a container attached to the wall before reconnecting the tubing on the IV. He made a few adjustments and walked away.
He returned only a few minutes later, holding a small gun like object in his hand. Although it looked much newer and cleaner than the last one I saw, I knew exactly what it was and, again, I didn’t object when he pressed it behind my right ear and injected me. He pressed it in the hollow of my throat and injected it there as well. I winced at the sharp pain as he dabbed gauze at my throat and behind my ear.
At least he hadn’t put the translator where the old one was. The area behind my left ear felt a little tender, not to mention weirdly wet and sticky, but when I reached up to touch it, the Draax grabbed my arm and pulled it away.
“Do not touch the area, human”
I would have fallen off the bed if I hadn’t been cuffed to it. I hadn’t expected to be able to understand him so quickly. When Emilio injected my first translators, it took almost four days for them to actually start working.
I reached to touch the area again and the Draax scowled in annoyance. “Do not touch it, I said. For the love of Krono, are the translators not working?”
He tapped on the spot behind my ear and at my throat. I coughed before saying, “It works. I was just, um, surprised. The other translators took days to work.”
“Yes, well, they were old models. The new ones the Vokine developed in the last six moons work instantaneously.”
He frowned again. “This is a ridiculous waste of both serum and translators.”
“Then why do it?” I said snottily.
Christ, it was like I wanted to be murdered by the Draax.
“Because my king told me to do so,” he said.
Okay, not the answer I was expecting. “Uh, why did the king tell you to do it?”
“No doubt, Galan was in his ear the moment he left here.”
“Is Galan the guy with the copper eyes?”
“Do you always ask so many questions, human?” Lab coat Draax said.
“What’s wrong with asking questions?”
“What is your name?”
“Now look who’s asking the questions,” I said.
He huffed in annoyance. “Fine, do not tell me your name. It matters not to me. You will be on your planet in a prison cell by this time tomorrow anyway.”
I swallowed hard. “I haven’t done anything wrong.”
His annoyance turned to amusement. “Do you think we are stupid? We found the bottles of juice you stole from the shipping container in your backpack.”
I didn’t reply and he softened a bit. “Why were you stealing them? Are you what the humans call a lower?” He looked me over. “Your clothes are ragged and smelly, and it has obviously been a while since you bathed. You must be a lower. Did you steal them for the black market?”
Like I was going to incriminate myself. I pressed my lips into a thin line and would have crossed my arms across my chest if the left one wasn’t cuffed to the bed. “I’m innocent. I was set up.”
He laughed. “You are funny, human. My name is Sigan. What is yours?”
“Ellis,” I said. “Why is it so sticky behind my ear?”
“The old translator was leaking flux fluid into your brain. I opened up the area, removed the faulty translator and flushed the wound with gallberry serum. It is still open to allow the last of the flux fluid to