The Interstellar Slave

Chapter 5: Aliens Are Real?

Bituin almost jumped when the wall to her right suddenly slid open. She scrambled up to peer inside. She had been wondering where she could pee all this while. She almost dashed when she saw it was a modern toilet. Upon entering the room, the door closed to give her privacy.

Well, this is thoughtful of them—whoever they are. But why did it open just now? Can’t I even go to the comfort room in my own time and as often as I need to? Is there some kind of a schedule of when to use this room? Gah!

She did her business after a few seconds. She did struggle a bit because of the white overall she wore that was some kind of stretchable fabric since the zipper was at the back.

A sink slid from the wall opposite the toilet bow, and she washed there. There was even a toothbrush provided with bean-sized toothpaste on its bristles. All she had to do was pick it up and brush her teeth.

A diamond-shaped mirror started to appear as well, showing the healthy color on her face. Even though she was stressed by this entire situation, she looked normal and collected.

She rinsed her mouth after that, placing the white brush on its holder, where she had found it earlier. She then stared at the neckband she had on, fingering it. There were a couple of small buttons on each side, which had different colors—orange and red on the left and green and blue on the right. She pressed each of these but nothing happened. The thin neckband was still there around her slender neck.

Bituin’s eyes became fiery. “Who are you to make me feel like a dog on a leash?” She looked at her angry reflection in the mirror. She punched it, and it broke. Instead of wincing in pain, she endured by gnashing her teeth. The cuts on her knuckles caused them to bleed. She watched it heal up as she ran the water over her hand. The nanites stitched her cut pretty quickly that she was good as new in a matter of a few blinks.

Instead of being amazed at how this technology worked inside her body, she was conflicted. She knew instinctively that what she did led her to this present predicament. And she had no idea how she could get away from it.

She looked at her reflection in the broken pieces of the mirror. She scoffed sarcastically.

“So the mirror here does not self-heal?” she mumbled.

Before she could go out of the comfort room, she felt the neckband go cold and make her still. She couldn’t move, and every piece of clothing she wore was peeled from her body. Her eyes widened because of it. Her heart thumped hard in her chest.

W-what are they going to do with me?

As soon as she was all bare, a circular glass wall suddenly sprang up from the floor, encasing her inside. She beat and kicked the glass as she panicked. And yet, the glass tube where she was in did not budge, just like the cell bars.

Without much ado, floral scented water sprayed from up above her. She thought she was going to drown. It didn’t last for a long while though. She was dried afterward, and some small robotic hands appeared out of nowhere to comb her hair at least and spray some sort of moisturizer on her skin. It felt refreshing, she must admit. But while she was befuddled by all that was happening at the moment, she was now clothed in a robe. And this time, it was white with one three-inch wide green stripe a few inches above the hem and sleeves. Her feet were now clad in white and green boots.

These are no ordinary boots, she noted silently. They were combat ones. They were as light and comfortable as they could be. And these amazed her.

“SF98889 activated. Done cleaning and dressing up SF98889.” The female AI’s voice sounded. With it, the glass tube retracted, back to the floor. Then, the comfort room door opened with a hiss.

“Hey! What is SF98889? Are you referring to me?” She could not help but ask, although she doubted she would get an answer.

“Yes. You are SF98889. Warning: Do not press any button on your neckband if you wish to stay alive.”

Bituin’s jaw dropped. “What did you say?”

But there was no more AI that answered her. Her cage was all too quiet once again.

She sighed and wished she was only dreaming.

This is not real. I’m still knocked out by Dr. Smith’s Injenite and will wake up soon!

She sat on the bunk once more, waiting for what was going to happen next. She was prepared to crush anyone who would come and take her or do something bad to her. She swore no one could touch her unless she was dead.

Reflecting on death made her think about her parents again. Never in her entire life had she wished to want to see them so badly, but now. How she wished she could take back the words she hurled at them. She knew she had hurt her parents when she shooed them away. She knew they only wanted what was best for her, but she refused to see it.

She suddenly sobbed. “I’m sorry, Mom, Dad!” Her shoulders shook, and she covered her face with her hands. “I’m so sorry!”

She promised herself that she would give them a chance again once she was back home. But could she ever go home? She thought there was no hope at the moment. She would see what Fate was going to throw at her next.

The cell bars moved upward with a soft scraping sound. This gave her the best opportunity to escape. She did not waste a second, not even wiping the tears that damped her cheeks. She rushed outside only to be surprised to see a green, seven-footer reptilian humanoid with elliptical-shaped yellow-green eyes, a large nose, a wide mouth and small ears.

“You’ve got to be kidding me! Aliens are real?” she whispered in the air.

Bituin stood there, staring at the alien with transfixed eyes. The latter grabbed her by the arm, and she fought with all her might.