Read Online Beauty and the Fleet (Intergalactic Fairy Tales Book 2) by Robert McKay - Free Book Online
Authors: Robert McKay
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procedure. The practice was quickly outlawed and the intricacies of the symbiont relationship remained a mystery.
The woolly Colarian grunted and gestured with his gun for them to move toward the rear of the aircraft. It was then that Beatrix noticed that Woolly only had one strip of black flesh above his eyes. She wondered if there was another woman out there who had cut it off like she'd done to the beast who killed her father. The back wall tilted down to the ground, forming a ramp so they could disembark. Torch stepped up beside Beatrix and whispered, "Don't try anything stupid." He tilted his head toward the large complement of guards standing on either side of the ramp, each holding weapons trained on them.
"Me?" Beatrix asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Never."
"Sting..."
"I'm not that stupid, Cap. When I make a break for it, I'll make sure I can get away, or do a hell of a lot of damage. Or both."
A grunt and a nudge from the barrel of a gun silenced them. Even without a threat from the guards, Beatrix was struck dumb. The effect of the mansion was mind-boggling. She was certain now that it was real. They were walking alongside it and still it felt like she could fall right into it and touch only air. Even after all of her pilot training, it made her dizzy to look to the side and see the open sky. Only the occasional window and corner broke the illusion. It wasn't until she saw a bird flit across its surface and then caught sight of it on her other side that she realized the image was a reflection of the actual sky around the building.
"It's amazing, isn't it?" purred a baritone voice from just behind her left shoulder.
Beatrix jumped, her heart leaping into her throat. She knew a Colarian was behind her, but nothing had prepared her to hear one speak, let alone to hear it speak lightly accented Nedran. It was like walking through a forest and hearing a tree speak to you in your own language. Even when put in a room together, Colarian prisoners never spoke a word to one another, though it was obvious they could communicate in some way.
Finally, she chanced a glance over her shoulder, certain what she would find. Sure enough, it was the beast who had killed her father. His fur was sleek and black, and the place where his symbiont should be attached, above his left eye, was just a light puckered scar. Beatrix shuddered and pulled the chains that held her hands taut. She turned her head back to the path in front of her. Her back stiffened and a low growl erupted involuntarily from her throat. There was an answering growl and then sudden silence. When she turned back, determined to strangle him or die trying, he was nowhere to be found. Woolly stepped up and nudged her with his gun, an attempt to spur her back into motion.
Woolly had badly misjudged the situation.
With her intended target gone, Beatrix lashed out at the next best thing. She knocked Woolly's gun aside, jumped up and wrapped her shackles around the back of his neck, planted her feet in his midsection and heaved backward and down with all of her strength. When he bent forward and her back hit the ground, she used his momentum and her leverage to toss him over her and into the wall of the mansion. His back collided with the fake blue sky and sent a ripple across its surface. He dropped to the ground. His head absorbed the impact of his landing. Before she could attack him again, the other guards had surrounded her. The click of guns being cocked almost drowned out Torch's strangled, "What the hell is wrong with you, Sting?"
Beatrix ignored him, her rage still boiling in her veins. Woolly pulled himself to his feet, looking no worse for the abuse she'd just given him. As a matter of fact, he was smiling, and not in the vindictive way of someone who was about to try to kill you. He reached up and rubbed the spot where the remaining symbiont tentacle connected to his head, and smiled even wider. He then turned his back and led them into the house. The other
The woolly Colarian grunted and gestured with his gun for them to move toward the rear of the aircraft. It was then that Beatrix noticed that Woolly only had one strip of black flesh above his eyes. She wondered if there was another woman out there who had cut it off like she'd done to the beast who killed her father. The back wall tilted down to the ground, forming a ramp so they could disembark. Torch stepped up beside Beatrix and whispered, "Don't try anything stupid." He tilted his head toward the large complement of guards standing on either side of the ramp, each holding weapons trained on them.
"Me?" Beatrix asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Never."
"Sting..."
"I'm not that stupid, Cap. When I make a break for it, I'll make sure I can get away, or do a hell of a lot of damage. Or both."
A grunt and a nudge from the barrel of a gun silenced them. Even without a threat from the guards, Beatrix was struck dumb. The effect of the mansion was mind-boggling. She was certain now that it was real. They were walking alongside it and still it felt like she could fall right into it and touch only air. Even after all of her pilot training, it made her dizzy to look to the side and see the open sky. Only the occasional window and corner broke the illusion. It wasn't until she saw a bird flit across its surface and then caught sight of it on her other side that she realized the image was a reflection of the actual sky around the building.
"It's amazing, isn't it?" purred a baritone voice from just behind her left shoulder.
Beatrix jumped, her heart leaping into her throat. She knew a Colarian was behind her, but nothing had prepared her to hear one speak, let alone to hear it speak lightly accented Nedran. It was like walking through a forest and hearing a tree speak to you in your own language. Even when put in a room together, Colarian prisoners never spoke a word to one another, though it was obvious they could communicate in some way.
Finally, she chanced a glance over her shoulder, certain what she would find. Sure enough, it was the beast who had killed her father. His fur was sleek and black, and the place where his symbiont should be attached, above his left eye, was just a light puckered scar. Beatrix shuddered and pulled the chains that held her hands taut. She turned her head back to the path in front of her. Her back stiffened and a low growl erupted involuntarily from her throat. There was an answering growl and then sudden silence. When she turned back, determined to strangle him or die trying, he was nowhere to be found. Woolly stepped up and nudged her with his gun, an attempt to spur her back into motion.
Woolly had badly misjudged the situation.
With her intended target gone, Beatrix lashed out at the next best thing. She knocked Woolly's gun aside, jumped up and wrapped her shackles around the back of his neck, planted her feet in his midsection and heaved backward and down with all of her strength. When he bent forward and her back hit the ground, she used his momentum and her leverage to toss him over her and into the wall of the mansion. His back collided with the fake blue sky and sent a ripple across its surface. He dropped to the ground. His head absorbed the impact of his landing. Before she could attack him again, the other guards had surrounded her. The click of guns being cocked almost drowned out Torch's strangled, "What the hell is wrong with you, Sting?"
Beatrix ignored him, her rage still boiling in her veins. Woolly pulled himself to his feet, looking no worse for the abuse she'd just given him. As a matter of fact, he was smiling, and not in the vindictive way of someone who was about to try to kill you. He reached up and rubbed the spot where the remaining symbiont tentacle connected to his head, and smiled even wider. He then turned his back and led them into the house. The other
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