Kidnapped Read Free

anyone to talk to. And still, here he was, chatting with a prisoner from a planet so remote most people had forgotten about it.
    Giving the young woman a thoughtful glance, he decided he knew all he needed to, more than he had ever wanted to, and it was time to go. He rose up agilely and was surprised to hear her voice call out, "No, wait, please don't leave me alone!"
    It was surprisingly tempting to look back, but he didn't; he marched out into the corridor with its endless rows of cells. A voice from his memory echoed in his head. It was his commanding officer snarling, "Such a pathetic little creature."
    He heard a woman's scream, one of many imprints in his brain that would never go away, and his commander's quiet laugh. Through the commotion in his mind, he could also hear the real but muffled sound of Patricia crying on the other side of the wall. Shaking his head made the imagined noises go away, but the weeping was still there. He turned abruptly and entered the cell again. "Don't do that."
    Patricia lifted her face up and sniffled, "Don't do what?"
    He felt a frown forming, "The thing with your eyes."
    She was trying to shout at him, but her voice cracked, and he felt an unfamiliar twinge of sympathy when he heard the forlorn, "I'll stop if you take me home. I didn't do anything."
    Shrugging slightly, he answered amiably, "I know. You're really useless, aren't you?"
    He looked down at his gloved hand, flexing it, but couldn't help seeing she was trying to dry her eyes, evidently too afraid not to obey. "Maybe I should just kill you. Since you're useless."
    The threat didn't seem to faze her and he crouched down to be able to look into her eyes. "I can't take you back. I've already reported in I'm bringing you. They'd kill us both."
    "So what? Now they'll only kill me? Unless you do it first?"
    Her feistiness was admirable, and he tried to tell her the truth. "No. You're young and strong. You'll be sent to some colony as labor. It could be worse."
    He rose up again and headed towards the door, and when he heard her voice call out for him this time, he did glance back over his shoulder. She said, "Can I have some more water?"
    He surprised himself with flashing a quick smile. "Figure out how to get it."
     
    *****
     
    Back on the bridge, Travis sunk down in his chair and stared thoughtfully straight ahead. A holographic screen flickered on, showing Patricia sitting on the cell floor. He didn't particularly want to look, but still found it difficult to keep his eyes averted from the tiny, three-dimensional woman. He saw her get to her feet, approaching the wall where he got the water for her, muttering, "Figure out how to get it."
    He watched her without blinking as she made a couple of tries, finally got the terminal to appear and jumped around jubilant, displaying more energy than he could ever remember feeling. After taking a sip, she started to pace around the little cell, talking to herself. "I have something now. The next time he comes in I can... I can jump him. Surprise him. He has a weapon I'm sure. I can take it and force him to take me home."
    After taking a long good look at the useless little mug in her hand, she slumped and tossed it to the side. When she sunk down in a corner and started to cry again, Travis said, "Turn it off."
    The familiar voice of his computer echoed in the room. "Why did you go down to her, Commander? You didn't torture her."
    He looked at his hand in the black glove. "You do your job and deal with the ship. I'll do mine."
     

 
     
    Chapter Two
     
     
    Something poked Patricia, awakening her from a deep sleep, and she yelped, thinking it might be a rat. When she focused her eyes, she stared at Travis's legs right in front of her. He had nudged her with the toe of his boot. She still held the soft little cup clutched to her chest, and didn't let it go even as she fought to sit up. "Oh no."
    He answered dryly, "Yes, I'm happy to see you too."
    It took a couple of seconds for