The Interstellar Slave

Chapter 18: Examination-Interview

Bituin observed but nothing happened to the green guard. He was pissed at her instead for kicking him just like the first time she kicked him. Well, she guessed it was him.

Before she could back off, he caught her by the neck. He pushed the blue button of her neckband without her noticing. Her eyes suddenly grew wider as she felt an intense pain that assaulted her. It was like giant needles that pricked her skin and organs at the same time, making her gasp and groan in agony. She dropped to the floor when the green guard let go of her neck. She did not even feel the pain on her back and head when she hit the ground with a thump. It was merely the pain that the neckband caused that her brain focused. Her breaths came in fast and shallow, chest tightening.

“This is what happens if you try to escape. And most probably more than that if you’ll do it again,” he drawled. “Bring her back to her cell, Nurse BetaZed,” he added, ordering the cyborg nurse.

“’Tis my duty to keep her safe and healthy, Karddelup (Guard),” Nurse BetaZed answered and smiled at the humanoid lizard.

Bituin was barely aware that she was now in the arms of the cyborg nurse, and the green guard disappeared. The pain she had lasted until she was back in her cell, laid down on her bunk.

“Please stay still, SF98889. The physical examination will only take a minute,” she told her in a caring voice.

Bituin heaved, closed her eyes for a second and watched the robotic hands worked on her. The cyborg nurse took a sample of her blood through a needle that popped up from her right index finger. The needle pierced her neck, which made Bituin grit her teeth. Then the blood was swallowed by a small transparent slide, which slipped inside the left palm of the nurse. Through a holographic display, numbers and symbols appeared in blue and red.

“Your hemoglobin is a little low.” She indicated the number in red with a finger for Bituin to see. “But we’ll remedy it.” She then injected something into Bituin’s neck, which made her wince. “Everything else is normal… and beyond. You are so lucky you have Injenite in your system, SF98889.”   

Bituin stared at the nurse. “What do you mean by beyond?” she inquired in a shaky voice.

“You are more than human. Or must I say you’re not human any longer, especially that you have passed through Level A?” The cyborg nurse smiled at her. It looked wicked to Bituin though, even if the medical personnel meant it otherwise.

“W-what do you mean I’m not human anymore?” Her heart beat so fast, thoughts in chaos.

What does it even mean?

“Forget I said that. We can just say you’re… superhuman,” she answered instead to simplify for Bituin.

Of course I know that already!

“How do you know about Injenite?” she asked the ET nurse instead. “Is it going to stop working in the near future? Am I going to go back to… to…?” she trailed off. She couldn’t say “to being paraplegic again.” She was afraid. So afraid that she would spend the rest of her life as an invalid. She would rather die than to stay that way for a long while. She didn’t want to be a bother to anyone. She didn’t want to be a burden especially to her parents.

“Injenite is our technology we use in potential fighters that have physical disabilities. It enables the person to heal beyond your human technology. It can make you stronger, faster and far more better fighter.”

“I already realized that, thank you,” she butted in sarcastically, almost rolling her eyes. “What I want to know if it will ever stop working in the future!”

“Injenite is programmed to run indefinitely no matter the odds. You can say it’s the perfect technology that runs into a human body.”

“What does it mean?” Btiuin’s eyebrows met in confusion.

“It does not work on us, on my kind.”

“Seriously?”

“It is designed for the human body,” Nurse BetaZed shared.

“What will happen if it’s injected in your body?” she questioned.

The cyborg nurse gave her a quizzical look. “Are you planning to use it against us?”

Bituin laughed mirthlessly. “How can I even do that? I don’t have the means to do that, do I?” she shot back. “Until when should I be doing this for your kind? This whole fight thing?”

“There are four levels, Levels A to D, all of which have three sublevels—meaning that you have until level twelve. If you pass all through those levels, you will be given your freedom or the galactic emperor will hire you himself to be part of his huge army.”

“What?” Bituin almost screeched.

There was no way she would want to be an ET’s soldier! Or will she so that she could have a chance to go home? But what did it mean to be free? Was it even for real?

Bituin stared at Nurse BetaZed doubtfully.

“Well, you’ll get to have a choice once you get through all these levels. It’s tough, I’m telling you this now, so you can prepare yourself.”

“Thanks for saying that. Now, it’s very reassuring!” Bituin added with sarcasm. She sat up, leaning against the wall, facing Nurse BetaZed.

The alien nurse grinned at her, or so Bituin thought when the former’s lips were torn apart.

“Tell me honestly, if you really want my safety,” Bituin changed the subject. “What do the buttons on my neckband mean? I was told to never touch them.”

“Orange button when pressed changes your outfit, but not your desired one. It is programmed to your level. Now, you have yellow overall, meaning that you’re in Level B. Soon, you’ll play the three levels in the next galaxy we’re going to.”

“What? We’re in the darn ship again?” She did not even notice it. It was just like a building she was in.

Nurse BetaZed ignored her question. “Level C is red, and Level D is green. Every level, you’ll get stronger and stronger. You have to prepare yourself for your stronger opponents, too.”

“Why are you telling me all this?”

“Because you ask.”

“But not all my questions are answered,” Bituin reminded her.

“To continue about your question, red button is to kill the wearer.”

“To kill me?” she squealed. She jumped off the bunk, tilting her head back to glare at the gigantic nurse.

“Never touch any of the buttons,” Nurse BetaZed stated, reminding her.

“Fine!” she bellowed.

“Now the green button is used to revive the wearer if in case you’ll die accidentally.”

Bituin’s eyes grew wider, jaw hanging. “Y-you can revive dead people?”

“Only if he or she is dead for about a day at most. If Zu’Drak, the Qahrrian intergalactic emperor, thinks that you’re worthy to be alive, then that button will be pushed manually.”

“Huh!” Bituin could only gasp in disbelief.

“There’s no way to revive the wearer unless pushing it manually. It’s designed like that.”

“May I ask why?” Her voice was demanding though.

“So that none of the Qahrrians, who have access to your system, can easily manipulate you.”

“Meaning?” She was still confused.

“Someone might betray the intergalactic emperor by using revived slave fighters.”

“What if it’s only Zu’Drak who has access to the revival mode of the slave fighters?” Bituin pointed out.

“He’s the emperor, so he does what he thinks is right without lifting a hand.”

“Right,” Bituin drawled and rolled her eyes. “So, what about the blue button?”

“That’s to torture you, the wearer. If you do something nasty, a guard will just push that blue button just like the Karddelup did earlier. It takes some time to end, until you’re back in your cell or wherever you’re supposed to be. But it’s not fatal. It’s just a simulation to the brain. You think you’re in an intense pain but you’re actually not.”

“Oh, that’s great!” Bituin exclaimed sardonically, raising her hands and slapping them on her thighs. She shrugged afterward, smiling unenthusiastically. “Now, I feel safe.”