Page 29 of Captured By the Alien Captain
Patting my back, her chest vibrates with a laugh. “Looks like I didn’t need to worry about you, either.”
Pulling back, I fight the urge to throw a look over my shoulder. I don’t even need to look to know Runar is watching us closely. I can feel his eyes digging into my back.
“I wouldn’t go that far.” Putting up a front, I clear my throat and casually walk back toward him to see him cross his arms over his chest. Hoping he doesn’t make a scene about taking the seat next to his, I plop down before he can consider changing his mind.
He’s frowning, upset that our moment has become disturbed. I’m thankful for her arrival.
Taking a closer look, I see Flora isn’t just with Varrum. The pink-skinned doctor has tagged along as well. Shinara doesn’t even bat an eye at us.
She is the one to cut this warm welcome. “The human has found a way to reverse the poison, Runar.”
There’s no denying the way he straightens up in his chair. “A cure?” He moves his attention to Flora. After insisting that she was the one to create such poison, he frowns when she shifts nervously.
“It’s not a cure, not really. Just a way to remove the poison before it keeps spreading through your species.” Flora starts talking about transfusions and cleaning the blood with her complicated machines.
While I struggle to keep up with the conversation, Runar is listening closely. Like a complete shift in behavior, he’s the most serious I’ve seen him. This must be the side of him that proves he’s made for the king’s role. The one who will do anything for the survival of his people.
Thinking back to the med bay and seeing how many bodies were left in pain on cots, I can’t stop grimacing. This poison he spoke of is very much real, even if I am unfamiliar with the source.
“We should get started immediately.” The words are out of my mouth as I think about the children’s pain. Just this once, we can throw up the white flag and call a truce without any threats of fighting. Looking toward Runar, I give him a nod. “I’ll help in any way I can.”
Shinara clears her throat. “The human healer and I can stop the poison, but we need someone to root out its cause. Find the human responsible. All of this will be pointless if the threat continues to remain.”
“We have found the one responsible.” He squints at Flora but doesn’t do much more than frown. He can’t do anything else, not with me at his side.
Even if I am having conflicting feelings, my family comes first.
“Why else would she know how to counteract it? The healer created the poison.” He glowers at my sister, his hatred coming through.
I shouldn’t be surprised. Not when I revealed my hatred for him at the beginning. Hell, I went as far as trying to kill him with my bare fists.
During that time, I didn’t think twice about bloodying my hands.
Flora meets his anger with her own. “I may have been part of the initial research team–”
“In charge of,” Runar corrects in a growl. Using the table to support his bulk, his hands turn to fists.
I don’t know why I move, but I lightly press my hand to his knuckles. A silent motion to calm his rage, there’s a fight within me on whose side to stand by.
“There is no way in hell that I had any part in this,” Flora explains as she straightens her shoulders. “I wouldn’t murder innocents. The person responsible has to be higher up than the medical forces. No way my team would have dared to mess with bio-weapons. It’s illegal and against everything we know.”
Now that gets a snort out of me. “Yeah, because rules will stop desperation. Our people are being murdered, Flora. People seeking revenge don’t care about the means to get it.”
She turns her attention to me and scoffs. “It’s not someone on my team,” she repeats. “Look higher. Think of someone who would have ordered the research to be done in the first place.”
There’s only one group that comes to mind. Immediately,I’mthe one to prickle up this time.
“You’re thinking military? Now you’re saying it’s one ofmymen? We bust our asses to fight for every single colonist and you think we need some sort of shortcut–”
“That’s exactly my point,” Flora interrupts as she skips a few seats to come closer. She calms her voice, knowing how easy my anger gets to me.
“The best defense is an even better offense,” Runar mutters at my side. Flipping his hand around, he brushes the back of my hand with his thumb. “It is possible, myRhis. You have shown me that your kind are resilient. You’ve survived this long because of your ingenuity, not your physical prowess. It’s not hard to believe that your warriors would utilize a new asset in war.”
I scowl at his words. I recall how many times in history how often humans have turned on each other over time using different methods.
Poison sounds so cowardly. The easy way out.
Flora clears her throat, catching my attention once more. “Who could give orders to your men or convince them to use poison on the Medarians?”