The Love Slaves

“Something’s wrong with her. She shouldn’t be sleeping so much if she’s not in shock.” This was the first words I heard when I woke next, Bonnies’ words. “Of course she’s in shock! She saw someone she became close to killed right in front of her! What makes you think that she’s not in shock?”

“Well she spoke to you.”
“That doesn’t matter Bonnie, you know that.”
“What are we going to do then?”

“We can’t do anything yet” mother said to her “not until she comes out on her own.”
“She needs a doctor mom” Bonnie said ‘there’s no telling what those guys did to her.”

“But mom even he couldn’t have cured her of everything” Bonnie argued “I mean there are still some sexually transmitted diseases and viruses that haven’t been cured yet. She needs a doctor in case she picked one up.”

“Darling think about it” mother said softly “she called that guy Doc when she looked at Sanderson. That meant the guy who she saw killed after she grew close too must have been a Doctor as well. Do you think he wouldn’t cure her of any chance of sickness or disease? Especially since today’s doctors have cures for everything except death and age itself and those they don’t they get in touch with that group who help people around the world for. Those guys can cure anything.”

“The PADD, Protection And Defense Department” Robert nodded and when Bonnie went to protest it I heard Robert say softly to her “You know your mother’s right, Bonnie. Don’t argue just for the sake of it.” I heard Bonnie mumble something but no longer try to argue. Instead she said “but lord knows what is happening to her! I mean this isn’t normal!”

“What do you mean? She’s in shock, how else is she suppose to act-lay still and stare at a blank wall?”

“Partly yes, not sleep all the time. And look at her eyes and wrists.”
“So her eyes are a little wider than we remember, is that a sin?”
“What about those marks on her wrists? Not the needle marks but the other ones.”

“Other marks?” I thought with a mental frown “What other marks?” and slowly I pretended to stir in my sleep, drawing my arms beneath the sheet and blankets to feel them. My god, I couldn’t believe it! Had I really progressed that far that soon? Why now and why here, oh god could anything be worse! I imagined all the questions I would get about them and decided to stay in shock a little longer, at least until the worse of the change was over.

For there, in an identical spot to Arthur’s, were two little round mounds. Hardly more than a centimeter in width and one on each wrist they were just above the closest surface vein. “So they’re warts or something, what’s wrong with that?”

“Warts on the wrists? I doubt that mother and they just appeared overnight. Besides, I swore I saw them moving earlier while she slept.” I heard mother sigh and say “don’t be silly Bonnie warts can’t move. It was your imagination.” Robert came to her rescue “her pulse was probably moving them since they are so close to the surface. It only appeared to move themselves.”

To cut off any further talk from Bonnie I pretended to stir awake and opened my eyes to find Bonnie, Robert and mother the only ones in the room-Julius must have gone back to work. Robert was the first to see my open eyes and slowly come to my side, speaking gently as he did “Lisa can you understand me?”

I nodded and he smiled broadly. He spoke again gently, showing me that soft side he had always showed me in the past before Bonnie had interrupted our friendship, telling him he was either to treat me as a friend or their relationship was over. I had never understood the relationship he had with my older sister-he was kind and gentle with a soothing soul and Bonnie was possessive and had a mean streak a mile wide. However with my love for Arthur and Doc I now understood completely the love they shared that could surpass such differences.

After all, wasn’t I linked and in love with an alien king? And how much different could you get too that. And I supposed he was allowed to be near and close to me now because I was so out of it, everyone was trying to drag me out and Bonnie needed all the help she could get. It took me a minute or so to understand and hear his words through my thoughts “How are you feeling now? If you’re hungry or thirsty just ask and I’ll get it for you.”

I looked at him blankly for a few minutes thinking why wasn’t I hungry or even thirsty? I hadn’t eaten since…and my eyes widened in surprise and shock when I realized I hadn’t eaten since the day I was grabbed. Why wasn’t I hungry or even thirsty? Then I remembered. First there had been the chemicals that had kept me alive, the protein drink and then Arthur’s energy. And somehow I knew if I didn’t get any energy soon I WOULD sick and start to slowly die-unless someone feed me.

But could I take human energy? I had been taking the energy of a Valori all this time and so didn’t know if I could take human energy. Did humans have energy like the Valori-I didn’t really know-oh how I wish Arthur was here to teach me and help me, I would go through these kinds of changes alone and with the slightest clue!

“So?” I told myself “you are strong so be that strong woman Arthur fell in love with and prove to him when he finds you that you can handle any situation, make him proud of you. Handle it!” I must have spoken out loud for Robert asked me gently “who’s Arthur Lisa?”

Curious mother and Bonnie came to his side and Robert said softly “she said a name, Arthur. She said ‘be the strong woman Arthur fell in love with’. Who is Arthur Lisa? Tell us about him, one of your rescuers? Why is he returning for you?”

I found thinking about Arthur helped chase the memory of Doc’s death away, bringing back the night we had linked together. I felt a warm glow go through my body at the feel of his touch, his laugh, his warm body and his love. The memory chassed Doc’s death away and made me feel happy and warm. “Look at her” Bonnie said softly and thoughtfully “if I didn’t know any better I’d say she was…she IS!”

“What?” Robert asked her and she looked at him “look at her Robert, she’s in love!”

“With who?” he frowned and though my pleasure I realized he could be so thick sometimes. “With this Arthur of course! You ask her to tell us about him and she starts glowing with passion and love! Who else could it be?” she turned back to me “tell us about him Lisa. Where is he now and when is he coming to get you back?” I wouldn’t answer though for it would be too hard leaving this happiness. “Now you’ve done it, she won’t answer us now!”

“And you didn’t do anything? She’s been out like a light for a full week straight and we think we are finally going to get some answers when you put her back again!” Bonnie and Robert started to argue loudly, probably the usual release of tension but it intruded on my comfort and all my warm feeling depleted. I cried out “SHUT UP!” before curling into a shaking ball and staying that way, shaking in horror and fear on how they could argue about me and why.

They stopped and looked at me and when they saw my state they both said to me softly in union “I’m sorry Lisa, we’re just concerned about you is all.” I shook my head quickly against the pillows and mother spoke to them “she’s right, you’re taking your anger out on each other. It won’t help her if you do and you’ll only keep scaring her and every time you do the longer it will take her to come out fully and talk to us in more than spurts about what happened to her.”

“We’re sorry mother, Lisa. We didn’t mean to scare you sister. Are we forgiven?” I hesitated and nodded quickly. “Hey, are you all right?” Bonnie came towards me in concern but I shrank back from her, from Robert and mother. My change was starting up again and I didn’t want them seeing. It was in my arms, my wrists tingling as something inside me was growing, long and sharp and pushing it’s way through the flesh just under the skin on my arms, causing me a mixture of pain and pleasure.

The pleasure faded and was only pain. I cried out at it, as it flowed through me like a title wave, and I quickly rolled over, away from their eyes, gripping one arm tightly just below the pain and crying out as each wave hit me.


Only two thoughts kept me from showing them, telling them about my change. Firstly Doc’s near-last words to me, telling me any change was normal for us-which meant that Doc must have gone through this as well and survived. Secondly was the thought that if I told them or let them see I would be locked away either as some sort of insane person or a freak and experiment with what the government could do as they liked. It was imperative I stayed here so Arthur could find me soon.
“What’s wrong darling? What is it? Show us.”

“No” I managed to say softly “go away and leave me alone.”
“Please darling we want to help you. Let us see.”

“No” I said again, putting my arms between my legs so if they pulled my covers back they won’t see “leave me alone!”
Robert did pull them back and tried to get me to show him, talking gently and saying they would help me if I let them and I had only to show them my arms. I refused, frightened that if I did the growing tubes would sense the energy nearby and slide out and they would see and call the Doctor.

But they did get to see as the next wave of pain was so intense I cried out and my legs flew open, arms flying into the air. Like a pro catcher Robert caught one-my left-and held it. I tried to pull it back, tugging, and he didn’t let go until I screamed and when he loosened his hold in shock I yanked it back and moved as far from them on the bed as I could.

“What was it?” mother asked him and Bonnie looked at him, expecting an answer. “I…” he started but was unable to speak from the shock he had seen. “Tell us!” Bonnie insisted but he looked into my pleading eyes which said to him “please don’t let them know, don’t tell them I beg you.” And for the sake of our old friendship he said softly “Nothing.”

“What! Don’t lie too me! Tell us what you saw!”
“I saw nothing Bonnie” he snapped back at her “I can’t tell you about something I didn’t see.”

“You DID see something! How can you keep it too yourself when she needs help!”
“NO!” I screamed at her “no Doctors!”
“Why Lisa! What is it you’re hiding from us? Why no doctors!”
“No Doctors!” I screamed at her again “No Doctors!”

“All right settle down” mother said softly “we won’t call the Doctor just don’t get hysterical. Shhh, lay down and sleep.” But I didn’t move, still staring at Bonnie for I didn’t trust her. “Please Lisa lay down and sleep. I swear I won’t let her bring a Doctor-you have to trust me.” I looked up at her face and asked softly “Promise me? Swear on your life?”

“I swear if you lay down and sleep. Whatever change you’re going through won’t kill you or you’d want a Doctor so I’ll just guess you’ve been through it before. If you promise to tell us what happened I’ll make sure no Doctor touches you without your consent, alright?”

“I…All right I will, I will have too.” She sat on the bed and took me in her arms. Her warmth and comfort started me off and I managed to tell her between chocked crying MOST of the story, minus they were all aliens and I was becoming one, plus the teleporter and spaceship. Instead I made the Toooilan into a group of humans trying to breed warriors for their armies from women like me, using a mutant to hypnotize other men-humans, mutants and so on to have sex with us and conceive their children.

The Valori I made into a group of powerful mutants usually immune to the others power who had banned together to stop the humans, but had so far failed, Arthur their leader. “I wouldn’t say they had failed” mother stroked my cheek gently while the others frowned in the back ground “you’re back with us and in one piece aren’t you.”

As I went on they was horrified by my usage and the fact I almost conceived to them, mother holding me tight when I told her of Arthur being with me and trembling at my near-death. I felt her frown and heard Bonnie and Robert speak to each other when I told them about waking to Arthur, his feeding me his energy-his ‘blood’. When I told them about Doc and Arthur telling me what he had been and was now. For some reason she insisted I describe him in detail as much as possible and I tried-only I did as a HUMAN.

Then I told her about my night with Arthur, the attack and Doc sending me back. His being shot in front of me and only instead of a teleporter I told her he had had two men bring me back, so he stood between the men and me when shot and the armed ‘humans’. Shot saving my life, and he had-at cost of his own.

“Oh my darling” mother said, clutching me tight and close in comfort “I’m so sorry. I wish there was something I could do. Maybe if I tried to find this Arthur for you....”

“NO!” I panicked for a minute at the thought of them discovering the truth, but quickly hid it with “if you let anyone else know I’m here THEY will realize where I am and come back for me!”

“But if your friend is dead how will Arthur find you?”

“He will realize where Doc sent me sooner or later” I said quickly to her “I told him where you live. He’ll realize and come for me. Until then I have to stay here and wait.” I looked mother deep and pleadingly in the eyes “SWEAR to me that no matter what happens you won’t take or send me away from here. No matter what that you’ll keep me here until Arthur finally come for me.”

“Of course I will darling. Why would I....”

“Promise me!” I said, looking her deep in the eyes seriously. “All right I promise.” I sat silently in her arms, satisfied. “How are you feeling now darling?”

“Tired” I said “very tired.” Mother eased me down and tucked me tenderly under the sheets and a few blankets and said softly “go to sleep darling.”

“Mom!” before they could leave I grabbed her arm. She stopped and looked at me, the others watching from the doorway “yes darling?”

“No doctors please, no matter what.” She frowned “why not? What’s wrong?”

“Please mom, promise me. No matter what you won’t let a doctor near me, even just to examine me.” I pleaded this, looking at her with an expression to show I wouldn’t be lied to. She started to protest “But....” and I cut her off, “Please promise me” I looked at her intensely “PROMISE ME!”

“All right” she sighed deeply “I promise, no doctors.” I calmed and settled back in bed, closing my eyes and was soon asleep.

When I next awoke I found it dark again and more rugs were piled up over me. I dimly recalled shaking and trembling earlier on in a half-aware state and realized they had thought I was cold again. I felt strangely alert but my arms itched like hell between the inner-wrists and inner-elbows. Resisting the urge to scratch I opened my eyes fully and looked around to find Julius sitting and dozing on the chair beside my bed, head slowly dropping. It was almost on his chest before he jerked suddenly fully awake, biting his bottom lip in pain and briefly clutching his left side.

He had done that before. When? Then I remembered. When he had picked me up in the cave before, he had winced and shifted me to the other side. Why? What was wrong? Before I knew what I was doing I reached out towards him, thinking only to lift his shirt and see what was wrong, why he was favoring that side; why it was hurting him so. He blinked a few times in surprise at me but didn’t move, letting me lift his top on that side and see what was underneath. A large dressing patch was taped there, just under the ribs.

With careful fingers I used my nails to peel back the tape on the bottom left corner of the patch and slowly peel it back. Underneath I found a large burn, four inches long across his midriff and about one inch wide, a deep burn with signs it had been worse-by the skin graphs on either side.

And I suddenly recognized it as a laser burn from a Toooilan weapon.

I looked up at him and my eyes widened nearly all the way when I realized how he had got it and why. He had told me he had froze when the Toooilan had grabbed me but not what happened after wards. I could imagine him running forward with a cry of anger and fear for my safety, making a grab for one of the warriors so they couldn’t escape with me without them having one to exchange me for. Only he wouldn’t know that they wouldn’t care about one single soldier.

I could imagine the fight, Julius getting beaten but continuing to fight for my life. I then saw one warrior shooting him with a laser, Julius collapsing in agony-clutching his side. The Toooilan warriors would then stand around him and kick and beat him until called back by their leader, leaving Julius to fall into unconsciousness until mother and the others found him later.

I could see that while I was being used on the ship he was probably struggling to heal, laying close to death while mother and the others nursed him, worried and frightened, concerned and afraid of where I was and what had happened-both to Julius and what might be happening to me.

And I started to tremble violently, pulling him tightly to me when I realized just how close I came to loosing the only father figure I had ever had in my life, the only one who had actually MEANT anything at all to me. And I was surprised when I felt that he too was trembling with arms tightly wrapped around me possessively and I knew he was feeling what I was. Except he was afraid he had almost lost me, someone he had helped raise and care for as his own daughter and this only deepened my love for him, knowing he loved me the same and that we weren’t just his ‘employers’ children’.

That made me suddenly realize why he insisted on calling Bonnie and I ‘Mistress’ still after all this time. It was his way of showing he respected and loved us.

This only made me care so much more-the sudden truly deeper understanding of him. And I realized that by understanding him so much I had grown up past the naive teenager I was into a mature woman. But meanwhile the child in me just held him closer, frightened by what had happened to me and the mere thought of nearly loosing him. When we finally had the strength to separate he looked me in the eyes and asked softly “are you ready to tell me what truly happened Mistress Lisa?”

I frowned “how do you know that what I told mother and the others wasn’t the truth?”

“I was there when they took you. I know that wasn’t a group of humans, no matter who was helping them. The technology was too advanced for Earth.”

“What about the Protectors?” I asked him, and he looked at me funny “you really think I would believe this group was the Protectors? I know the truth. They were not human or even mutant.” I asked him curiously “you believe in the existence of aliens?”

“Of course” he nodded “how could I not after all I have seen and heard in my life and travels.” I looked at him quietly for a few minutes, weighing up what I knew of him against what he had said, weighing what I would feel if he scoffed it as all my imagination or if he would believe me. Then I realized I wanted more than anything for someone here to know the truth-even if they didn’t believe me. I knew if they did know and something happened to me-say the warrior Toooilan got me back (perish the thought) then they would know who it was when Arthur arrived looking for me.

When I looked directly into his eyes I knew without a doubt that I would tell him everything and that he would not scoff at anything I would tell him. “All right” I sighed “the truth.”

As if sensing my discomfort he moved with barely a wince to the bed and gathered me protectively and comfortingly in his arms, holding me close. I could hear his heart beating a little faster than normal and I knew it was from the fear and anticipation of what I was about to tell him.

Taking a deep breath I began to tell him everything from when the Toooilan grabbed me until he found me in the cave, leaving not a single thing out, no thought or feeling, not a word of emotion. Trembling violently when I told him about being used and my lust and when Doc had been killed. My words nearly dissolved into hysterical sobs when I reached his appearance in the cave.

“That explains no tire tracks” Julius said softly “we found your footprints into the trees near the cave, but it was as if they had suddenly appeared out of thin air. If you had of been dropped off like you told your mother there would have been tire tracks in and out and we would have heard an engine. But our man who was bringing in the animals didn’t hear a thing.”

“But the rain....” I started to protest that it could have been washed away when he shook his head “ first we weren’t far behind you and second Pup would have known. The rain wouldn’t have hidden such a scent from a dog.”

“Why WERE you out there in the first place?” I asked him curiously. “We saw a flash of light from the house when you appeared and it was so bright we thought lightening had struck a tree. We were afraid it might start a fire there and endanger the animals.”

“So you came to check and instead found my tracks” I finished and he nodded “we thought maybe you were some sort of homeless or a hitchhiker stuck outside in the rain and were going to offer you shelter. But you had bare feet so you couldn’t have been a hitchhiker.” I nodded this time and went on with the story until the end. “So you are sleeping so much because of this change you’re going through?” he asked when my words had ended.

“I think so” I nodded.
“Then how do I help?” he asked.

“No doctors” I said before I realized what he was really saying “if a doctor was to find out about my change before Arthur can come for me, even just Doctor Sanderson...”

“I understand” he nodded “don’t worry. Your mother and I will keep them away.” Something occurred to me and I looked at him in surprise “You believe me? Really believe me?”

“Of course. For three reasons.” He smiled at me gently and I asked him curiously, head cocked to look at him intently “What’s that?”

“First is I was there when they took you. I saw what they looked like and felt their skin and the burn of their weapon” He winced briefly and gripped his side before going on. “Second is you have never lied to me before, why start now?”

When I went to give him a reason he held his hand out for silence “no, let me go on.” So I shut my mouth and nodded. “The last is as I have said I have seen and heard so much in my life to scoff at something like that. Do you remember the old enemy of the PADD about one hundred years ago? The one whom kidnapped and enslaved all those men and killed the mother of the Protectors leader, Lionheart of the Idars.”

“Zimmer-of course. Why?”
“Do you remember what he was?”
“An alien outcast of his people. Why?”

“Do you remember what sort of alien he was, what was his races name?”
“Of course” I repeated “why? What’s that got to do with the....”
“Tell me,” he said gently and firmly. “I don’t understand. You know what...”

“TELL ME” he said again. “All right” I sighed in obedience “it was Toooilan. Why?”
“Who grabbed you?”

“Toooilan warriors” I said and was about to ask what was the point when I suddenly realized. “My god!” my eyes widened nearly all the way “it makes such sense!”

“It does” he nodded “you see?”

“YES!” I laughed and hugged him close “thank you Jules.” I heard a smile in his voice “you’re welcome Mistress.” I held him for a few more minutes and then spoke again “you know this explains everything.”

“Mistress?” he queried curiously “about what?”

“About the drugs and chemicals they used on us and how they knew they were compatible with humans. Because of Zimmer and all his experiments on humans and mutants. And didn’t he have a son once? One he turned into a slave when he refused to join him?”

“Theral yes” I felt him nod against me. Somehow just knowing that Doc and I hadn’t been alone and that someone else had gone through what we did, made me feel better and made me feel as if I wasn’t the only one who they had victimized.

My arms jerked and the urge to scratch got so bad I had to do it. I started to scratch furiously at them, gasping in pain and frustration, trying to relieve the feeling. But I soon discovered the urge was INSIDE not outside. I felt like something just below the surface of the skin was moving around in there, tickling the flesh and increasing with every passing second.

I wanted to scratch it, I NEEDED to scratch it but I couldn’t.
And it was so damned frustrating.

I was finally going to give in to the urge when I felt them and discovered something just the skin of my arms and realized that explained the feeling of something moving under the skin of my arms. When he realized my attention was warning Jules asked me softly “How are you feeling now Mistress?”

“I…Weaker. Why isn’t Robert or Bonnie here?”
“Your mother and the others are busy right now.”

“What do you mean?” I frowned at him and he said calmly “It’s a surprise Mistress and I’m not allowed to tell you.”
“How long was I out this time?”

“About nine days and nights mistress. Because of your change I guess is why you’re sleeping so much. Do you want anything to eat or drink? You’ve only drunk water in all the four weeks you’ve been here and your family is worried. That’s not normal even for a mutant which they think you’re becoming.”

“I know” I sighed heavily ”I don’t need to eat anymore but I do need energy. But I can’t get it.”

“Why not?” he asked and I laughed shortly “how do I tell the others I’m becoming half alien who needs energy to live? They wouldn’t believe me and call me crazy. I have to stay here so I can wait for Arthur.”

“You admitted yourself humans are descended from these guys so really you’re not changing into another race, you’re just waking up that part inside you that you inherited. It’s like you’re showing that side you inherited for one side of the family instead of the other.”

I accepted this and knew he was right but said “you think that would make things easier for them to accept? If I told them we are all from an ancient alien race and I met and fell in love with one of the modern ancestors of the true branch? That his energy inside me is making me more alien than human-but since we came from them that doesn’t matter. I will get weaker and die without it.”

“I see your point mistress” Julius sighed then rolled up his sleeve and offered me his wrist “what about me?” I looked at him in surprise and shock “you would trust me with your energy Jules?”

“I have known you since you were a child mistress and I think I know you much better than your mother, sister and her love. I trust you completely and know you would never harm your family or friends-at least while you had a choice.”

“Thank you Jules” I said softly, tears in my eyes. He smiled at me and offered me his wrist again. I took it slowly in my own and gently held it, wanting to cause him as less pain as possible but to tell the truth I had no idea how to do this.

As I was thinking this the mounds parted and the tubes came out, binding our hands together as Arthur’s had with mine and finding the right spot of it’s own will and pressing in sharply. It dug in until it had found the right vein inside and then stopped. To my surprise Julius didn’t even wince and I said softly “tell me when you start to feel weak.”

He nodded again and looked down at our linked hands before saying “I just realized something. The marks on your arms when we found you were NOT needles from being drugged but these things wasn’t it.” I nodded this time “that’s why I didn’t want the Doctor to see them. I knew he’d think they were needles and want a blood sample to see which drug. But if he took one he’d discover my change.”

“Well don’t worry, your mother and I will prevent anyone like that doing it to you.”
“Thanks” I said to him again.

I felt strength flooding me from Julius-a different energy from Arthur’s but incredible in itself. It was not only strengthening me but causing me pleasure, great pleasure but I bit back on my reaction. No good scaring Jules for my reaction to his energy or he may never do this again and I needed him and it. He was the only one who knew the truth and believed me.

After a while Julius spoke out “Better stop now for if you take anymore I won’t be able to work.” I nodded and withdrew the tube, sliding it back into it’s place in my arm. When I saw how he had clamped a hand over the puncture I took a large clean cloth hanky from my bedside cupboard and handed it to him “Here.”

“Thank you mistress” he said as he tied it around his arm and the wound. As he had finished Robert entered the room, telling him to go back to work while he took his place. When he was gone Robert took his chair and I immediately turned in the bed to face the wall. My childhood friend didn’t believe my story and had said as much earlier when he had been listening to it. That was what he had mumbled to Bonnie, that I had made up some big story as well as not being in love with Arthur, that I had done the classic move in hostage situations, placing my affections and hopes in a capturer and rapist. I could never forgive him for calling Arthur that.