Now .
This just can't be! Why is this happening to me?!
The inaudible noise of the ship's engine suddenly vibrates throughout the body, and it shoots up sharply with an indescribable speed.
My body feels like a ten-ton slab is pressing down on the floor, making it impossible to speak or move. For a few minutes I even lose the ability to think clearly.
But now, in the bright light of the cockpit lights, I can clearly see the two aliens sitting at the control panel.
Short, with huge cone-shaped heads and long manipulators. I can't call them hands even if I wanted to. Their bodies are only vaguely human. Rather, they are some kind of mixture of a robot and a human, but neither a robot nor a human.
"It's time for us to make a Cyber-leap," one of the aliens says in a businesslike manner, looking at the instrument readings and continuing to endlessly tap the buttons.
- We could have done it on October 12, but we were late! And now we have to move further east to disguise ourselves as C2024 S1.
There is a haze floating before my eyes. Now I envy the girls in cryocapsules: they float in them frozen and feel nothing. They look with empty eyes at what is happening and do not feel any anxiety or horror from what is happening.
While I am being smeared into a spreading stain on the floor from overcoming the Earth's gravity.
I can't help but groan, because a couple of the aliens turn from their instruments to me. They watch me writhe on the floor from the unbearable G-forces.
I hear the indifferent voices of the aliens who abducted me:
- Well, why didn't you dispose of it right away? We won't get it there without a cryocapsule anyway. The overloads will crush the little man.
He speaks with disgust, as if he were talking about some kind of insect whose death would cause inconvenience to the inhabitants of the spaceship, because they would have to clean up after it!
- Oh, what a pity! It would be nice to replace it with one of those who rest in capsules. But I'm afraid our customers won't like it, - one of them laments, - Look at the Sherzo tail, you want to make money, but you get some sissies!
Already switching off, I feel how, out of anger, he kicks me hard in the ribs with the toe of his boot, breaking them.
I feel detached, and I understand very clearly that there is no one to save me. No one will come to my aid. I am at the complete mercy of these terrible aliens.
They say that before death people can have their whole life flash before their mind's eye. But I, with my "luck", am different here too.
My consciousness, clouded by overload and unbearable pain, gives me a memory of meeting with yesterday's stranger. It illuminates those few minutes of my life like a bright flash.
I see his dark eyes, pulling me into the abyss of black holes. I hear his ragged, heavy breathing again. I can even smell him, which makes my legs weak, and I have to cling to his shoulders to stay in place.
There is no more pain, there are only worried dark eyes looking straight into my soul, and his strong arms that hug and lull me, giving a feeling of safety.
I smile at the memory and the warmth of his bracelet on my arm, which for some reason I put on. And I fall into deafening blackness.
Consciousness returns slowly and in fits and starts.
The first thing I see when I can slightly open my swollen eyelids are aliens leaning over me.
They look at me as if I were some new bug they had never met before.
Their facial expressions are full of disgusted indifference. Although, maybe they always have such an expression – I don't know. This is the first time I've clearly seen them so close.
- Look! She's alive! We got a tenacious one. - the one closest to me rejoices loudly, - Maybe we'll be able to deliver her to the auction. I think Gridvus will be pleased. A tenacious female is always extra points, which means more money!
- There's a quantum leap ahead. It would be a shame if she died. And it would be difficult to dispose of her in that square. So we have to decide right now - either we carry her further and one of us gives her his jumpsuit, or we dispose of her right now!