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Chapter 6
In the steel cell that had become their new home, Kelli and Shana sat, naked, staring at the featureless walls. They had been able to sleep on a raised bench on the far side of the cell for a while but then the ceiling lights had come on again making any further sleep impossible. Every so often a small video scanner set into the ceiling swung around making it obvious to the girls that they were being observed.
Beside the scanner, up in the ceiling, behind a grill, a loudspeaker crackled into life. "You two, on your feet, face the wall, hands behind your heads," a metallic voice commanded. Kelli looked at Shana, shrugged her shoulders and got to her feet. Her friend followed suit. Behind them, they heard the clang of the cell door bolts being pulled back.
"Good girls. Do as you are told, just like that, and things will be much easier. Here's some food for you, ladies." The voice was that of the taller of the two Gnarriotts that had pulled them from the shuttle.
"You finished with our clothes yet?" Shana called over her shoulder.
"Ah, regrettably, they proved too contaminated. I am afraid we had to destroy them. We will try to provide something later but as you know we have no need of clothing so it may take some time."
"That's OK we weren't planning on going out anytime soon.."
"Very wise. That would be a good long term plan, too."
Kelli and Shana heard the cell door slam and the bolts shoot back. They turned around to see a pair of plastic dishes placed on the floor by the door. Shana peered down at the food. "Think it's OK?" she asked her friend.
"Can't see why it wouldn't be," Kelli replied. They've got us shut up in here They can do pretty much what they like, I guess. There's no mileage in giving us anything bad, is there?"
"I guess not. Who cares anyway? I'm starving." Shana hadn't eaten for over twelve hours, she reckoned, and the bowl of fruits and bread were just too tempting. She fell to one of them with enthusiasm, burying her face in a bright orange squash, rather like the melons they cultivated on her own home planet. Kelli joined her and soon the bowls were emptied. "Well the beds aren't too good in this hotel but the food's all right," she quipped. She turned to her friend and then burst into tears, "Oh, Shana, it's no good, I can't go on being cheerful about this. What ever will happen to us?"
"It's OK, Kelli," Shana replied, "I'm scared too. We'll look out for each other." The two of them sat back on their bench, hugging each other.
It was about four hours later when the speaker crackled again, "On your feet, face the wall, hands behind your heads."
"I guess the waiter's coming to clear the plates after all," said Shana, getting up off the floor. "I don't suppose there's any chance of a beer," she called out as the two of them took up the prescribed position.
Again they heard the bolts click back but this time the two girls also heard mechanical clicks and whirs as two robots slid into the cell. Kelli and Shana suddenly felt steel bands snaking around their foreheads, upper arms, waists and ankles. "Hey, what now," cried Kelli as the bands tightened and she felt herself being pulled back against a cold steel plate. She tried to turn her head to see what was happening but it was locked in place against the plate. She could not move her arms or legs and her body was held immobile by the band across her waist. . The plate began to tilt backwards until she was lying horizontally, staring at the featureless ceiling of the cell. She could just see from the corner of her eye that Shana had suffered the same fate.
She heard others enter the room with the characteristic sound of a Gnarriott's exo-skeleton creaking as one part articulated on another. A tall Gnariott appeared at her side, towering over her. "Ladies," he said, "allow me to introduce myself I am Protector Gnarff of Forgwin5a and this is my vessel. Welcome on board. I'm sorry I was not able to greet you sooner but I am sure you understand - pressures of command, that sort of thing. Nevertheless I am pleased that I listened to the recommendations of my crew. It was certainly worth the trip down here." One of Gnarff's feelers snaked out and brushed across Shana's naked breast and then along Kelli's thighs. "Yes, very much worth the trip. You will both do very well." Both girls shuddered at the Gnarriott's attentions. "I am sorry, though. I am afraid we cannot spend time together just now. I just wanted to introduce you to my associate here," Gnarff waved a claw gesturing behind Kelli's head, "she will look after your for the time being. We will get together again later. Oh, and ladies, you have obviously forgotten that you are still emitting telepathically. I can understand your distress at your present situation but you should really learn to be more charitable towards your rescuers."
Shana had been thinking what a deviant, repellent creature Gnarff was. In the face of his smug remarks she let go with a stream of invective. "Rescuers! You bastard! What sort of rescuer would keep us locked up and naked?" she spat. "Let us go, you shit and get back in the fish tank where you belong!"
"You don't need to say it, dear. You'd already thought it. I'm sorry I had to hear it as well but no matter, it's not a problem that will continue." Gnarff gave a wave of a claw and turned to speak to the other. "Excellent," he said, "they will certainly do. Please carry on." Kelli and Shana listened as Gnarff creaked from the room.
Moments later Gnarff was replaced in the girls' line of sight by a woman wearing a white, medic's scrubs. Kelli was vaguely aware of how pale the woman looked with her white blond hair piled up on the back of her head under a cap. She bent down and reached under the steel plate that Shana was locked to. As Kelli watched, she stood up again clutching a hypodermic needle and with her face covered by a surgical mask.
Kelli's last sensations as the needle went in to her arm were the sight of the woman's pink, albino, eyes peering at her over the mask and the scream of defiance from Shana who was to follow her into unconsciousness.
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