The Interstellar Slave

Chapter 19: Seizure

“So, every one of us slave fighters has our own cyborg nurse just like you?” Bituin continued to gather more information. “You are assigned to me, aren’t you?”

“Not strictly speaking, SF98889.”

Bituin’s brows were furrowed. “Tell me why you can tell me these things and not the humans or superhumans I encountered in the cage,” she requested, sitting back on her bunk.

The cyborg nurse stepped back halfway to the cell door. “There are things they shouldn’t say in front of the spectators.”

“What does the Zu'Drak get from all of this? Why are those aliens there eating our energies and emotions?”

“There are things that your human brain cannot fathom, even though you’re now a superhuman, SF98889. Your emotions are naturally wired in it, which is quite inexplicable even by your scientists or ours. We can’t take emotions from you without taking your brain. Emotions are complicated and are indeed intangible and difficult to expound, they provide significant purposes. They help us initiate particular actions, learn things and survive.”

Bituin scrutinized the cyborg alien’s face. “And you eat our emotions, too, don’t you?”

“It’s our ultimate goal to feel like humans feel, SF98889, so we do a lot of things just to feel some emotions.”

“Why?” She c*cked her head to one side. “Isn’t it better without emotions? I mean, you can’t feel pain, sadness, anxiety, frustration and all that. You won’t get depressed—”

“We also want to feel joy, just like you humans.”

Bituin was dumfounded. She could only stare at the creature in front of her.

“We want to experience a full life, if you know what I mean,” Nurse BetaZed added.

Bituin snorted unexpectedly. “So… in order for you to do that, you abduct people, make them fight, eat up whatever you can from them and now what? Can you tell me if you have lived or experienced a full life now?”

“We feel what you feel. That’s why those spectators are there. To experience it.”

Bituin shook her head. “You can never feel joy then. All you will feel is pain, frustration, anger and everything negative! Your ultimate goal can never be achieved no matter what you do, if you don’t start to use your heart. The heart and the brain are connected, if you are not aware of it.”

“We know that. Still, we don’t feel love or joy. That’s why we find humans fascinating, and we study them as much as we can. The heart has always a two-way communication with the brain. Your emotions convert the signals the brain sends to the heart. In return, the heart responds in compounded ways. We are aware that the heart sends more information to the brain than the other way around.”

“Right! You experiment on us like lab rats!”

“Well, you experiment lab rats and monkeys, among others,” Nurse BetaZed retorted.

“Still, you can’t do anything out of your experiments, so why continue? You’re at a dead end! Just accept who you are already! You can’t change whatever you are. If you do, maybe you can find at least contentment. That’s another kind of joy, you know?”

The alien nurse stared at her for a long while. It was penetrating and open. “Have you ever felt content, SF98889?”

Bituin was speechless once more, questioning herself the same. Had she? She was quiet for a long minute, thinking of her past.

“I was happy when my family was intact. You know, before the divorce of my parents.” She recalled that her family went on vacation in Switzerland once. Her father taught her how to ski while her mother took videos of them. It was a rush when she felt the winter air against her face. The beautiful white landscapes were exhilarating. If she’d think about it now, she realized that God’s creation was truly magnificent. “I felt happy when I won my fights,” she continued, folding her knees and hugging them. She recounted in her head her different wins. The first one was when she was with Lemond, the Black guy friend that introduced her to the underground fight. His handsome face was bright, with his wide grin that showed his white and even teeth. He looked proud and happy for her.

Her heart leapt from that memory. A smile even touched her cherry red lips.

When Bituin lifted her gaze, she saw how the cyborg nurse opened her mouth. She actually looked… happy.

Bituin blinked many times. “You. You’re feeding off me!” she accused. She was alarmed at the same time, for some reason.

She was about to stand up when Nurse BetaZed’s body suddenly shook. Her seizure resulted to her dropping to the floor with a loud thud. Her robotic limbs were obviously the cause of it. As a result, green guards suddenly appeared at her cell door. It slid open automatically. One marched toward her and backhanded her across the face. It was so hard that she propelled against the wall.

Spots and flashes appeared before her eyes caused by the impact. Her breathing was uneven. She struggled as she watched the second green guard drag the cyborg nurse out of her cell.

“W-what are you going to do w-with her?” she asked breathlessly.

The first Karddelup strode closer to her and kicked her in the stomach. “Stay still and quiet, SF98889!” he commanded.

Bituin’s air abandoned her lungs for some moments. She gasped and coughed afterward, cursing the green guard and looking at him with hostility. She tightened her hands into fists, grinding her teeth. Then she delivered a powerful punch on the reptilian humanoid’s leg, sending him to one knee. He growled at the suddenness and pain. She was on her feet before he knew it and caught him in a rear naked choke, her knee assaulted his back.

In the back of her head, she was quite satisfied to hear something c***k. She felt the Karddelup go limp in her hold. When the second and third green guards saw what she did, the third one entered her cell. Before the reptilian could touch her, she sprang as high as she could, kicking him in the face. And yet, before she could even land on the floor, she felt that electricity coming off her neckband that strongly quaked her entire body.

Darn it! Coward, emotionless green ugly aliens!

Her body fell to the floor with a thump as the guard watched her with eyes devoid of any expression. Then, blackness swallowed her whole.