Chapter 13

Sam picked himself off the ground, staring at Mellos. Rubbing the side of his face, he thought, ‘Damn, I actually felt that.’

“What in the hell is your problem?” he asked.

“You are, you miserable piece of garbage,” Mellos spat out venomously.

Sam could only shake his head in confusion.

Walking up to Sam, Mellos started, “I thought when I started to heal that I would finally be well. Then I found out that my reproductive system is working again. It’s your fault, you have to fix this!”

Sam was still confused as he looked at Mellos. Suddenly his eyes flew wide. “Look, I hardly know you. I don’t think that having sex will fix...”

“You arrogant waste of space! As if I’d ever let you near my body, let alone have sex!” Mellos shouted as she swung full force at Sam. This time, Sam caught her fist. Then she swung the other, which he also caught. Undaunted, Mellos jumped up, driving both her feet into Sam’s midsection. With a loud “umph,” Sam was again propelled back into the forest through several trees.

Gasping for a moment, Sam growled as he took to the air, heading back to where Mellos and the native people were standing.

“Come on!” Mellos commanded, bowing up toward him. “Fight me. Let’s see if you’re really strong enough to defeat me!”

Sam flew full out, almost connecting with her chin when he stopped. Hmmm, she wanted him to fight her. Mellos was knocked back a few feet. Damn it, she thought. If he doesn’t hit me, I’m in trouble. Finally, taking matters into her own hands, she kicked Sam’s leg near the junction of his legs.

Sam saw the kick coming, narrowly missing being hit in his crotch. Damn it, I have to subdue her. Moving rapidly, he was behind her, his arms locked around her chest. ‘My god,’ he thought, ‘she’s bigger than I thought she was.’

Mellos wasn’t expecting the move that Sam did, especially when he linked his hands under her breasts. What in the world was going on? She’d been experiencing a tingling all over as soon as she and Sam started to fight. Well, she thought, she’d been fighting. She was a little impressed that Sam had held her off this long. This had to end; she could already start to feel the effects of her illness.

Gathering what little strength she had left, she threw her head back into Sam’s face, catching him by surprise. As soon as he let her go, she reached back, connecting with his chin as hard as she could.

Now enraged, Sam quickly, as if on instinct, brought an uppercut to Mellos’s face, ending the fight. Even as she was falling back, she sighed finally, then was out cold.

Sam took a deep breath to calm himself. Crap, she always seemed to bring out the worst in him. He was about to reach over to pick her up when a red beam snatched her away. Shaking his head again, he turned back to the natives.

Onboard Mellos’s ship, the blonde male that assisted her watched as she got several hits in. Then he was greatly angered when he saw that the Sam male had his arms near her upper chest. How dare that lowlife touch his goddess Mellos. Struggling more, he saw that Mellos finally got him to hit back. Even as she was falling, he was locking in on her location. Activating it as soon as he saw the male move toward her.

Mellos’s head felt like a comet had collided with it. Awakening almost twenty minutes later, her body was aching all over. God, she thought, when he put those strong arms around me. He had almost touched her up top; it was electrifying! I have to ... Mellos’s mouth dropped open. What in the universe was wrong with her? She’d never been attracted to anyone or anything but pain. Well, that and taking everything she could from the IP.

Lying there a few more minutes, she felt her strength slowly returning. Good, she thought. No need to go into the chamber, at least not yet. She detected movement next to her. Trying to turn her head became a major undertaking.

“Slave!” she croaked out in a loud whisper. “What are the readings?”

The male grabbed a holo/data cube, bringing it to her. Activating it, he showed her the new areas that were healing, several that were completely healed. Then he gave her the real bad news, “It appears now that your reproductive system is at seventy-five percent. Plus, had we not the equipment we do, I doubt I could have scanned much.”

Mellos nodded her head as she lay back down. Damn if that didn’t help. That’s when she felt an urge, one that she didn’t get often. One that always took her by surprise. “Get me to the waste room!” she told the male in a near panic. Damn, this was bad. With her waste center not working much, she hardly ever had to go. Looking at the holo/data cube again as the male helped her up, she saw it was at fifty percent now. Great, just great, another thing she could do without.

Taking her into the room, the male stood there as she sat. When she looked up at him, giving him an icy stare, he quickly left. Sitting there, she expected an immediate rush of liquid. After ten minutes, she was about to get up when there was a sudden steady stream pouring into the waste collector. The thing was, it lasted for a few minutes.

Shaking her head after she cleaned up, she stood, stretching. Damn, I’m tired, she thought. I ought to lay down a bit. Thinking of her slumber chamber, to her astonishment, she was looking at the waste chamber wall, then she was halfway to her sleep chamber.

The male gasped when he saw Mellos suddenly appear much like the Sam male had. Shaking his head, he thought, looks like things are about to change around here. Mellos blinked when she looked around. How did she—when? Then as she took a step toward her sleep chamber, a slow, evil smile lit up her features.

Sam turned back to the native people of the planet. Bowing to them, he told them that the planet was now theirs. Many looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. Fortunately, Queen Triada had already started speaking to the few leaders that were still alive.

Sitting down on a nearby stump, he rubbed his chin again. Was it his imagination, or was Mellos a bit stronger than before? Her hits weren’t all that strong, far from giving him pain, though they were enough to knock him off his feet.

Still ignoring the natives in thought talk with Queen Triada, he went back over the fight. She also made it sound like she had serious problems with her body and health. Somehow fighting him had triggered it? Ok, now that was a little farfetched.

A moment later, he felt a presence, or rather quite a few of them. “We wish to convey our thanks. We have been under the thumb of the first councilor for a very long time. With the help of the other two triads, we will rebuild.”

Sam was nodding to everything the almost stick people told him. He was about to speak when Queen Triada cut him off. [I’m sorry, you have to go, Sam. They will need the power of the other two triad corners if they are to stay free. Might I suggest you take a flight near their sun? It’s not as strong as the last, though it will help to energize you more.]

Several of the people nodded to Sam then waved as he took to the sky. Looking around, Sam wanted to make sure the IP hadn’t left anything he might have to destroy later or regret not getting now. Smashing a few satellites, he was satisfied as he entered the wormhole.

Where am I going now? he thought, feeling the directions that Triada had left him.

On the IP home world, the lord Doctor had the replacement body ready for the first councilor. The young man looked confused, yelling at the Doctor. “I thought I was his replacement! What are you doing?”

The Doctor leaned close, telling the young male, “You are his replacement, or rather your body is. You see, you are about to die as painfully as possible. So please scream as loudly as you can. It will make your mind’s death that much more delicious!”

“You lied to me! You have made a breach of contract. I cry foul! You have broken the law!” the young male screamed.

The Doctor turned back with a hideous smile, “Yes, I guess we did. Then again, nobody cares!” The Doctor moved away as the machines started to hum louder, and then the young male started screaming like he was being skinned alive. All seven there started to laugh with sadistic glee as time wore on. Finally, almost an hour later, the young male screamed one last time then was silent.

Nodding, the Doctor moved in to examine the male. Finally, a few minutes later, he nodded to the other six. Placing the case back in its receptacle in the wall, the Doctor went to the male to wait.

Within a few more minutes, the now older-looking male moaned out softly. “Ah! Good to see you are back.” The Doctor pulled a strange-looking device out, turning it on, and passing it over the male. “A very good transfer, with a point zero, zero, zero, zero, one percent memory loss. So, tell me, was it the Cliveastone?”

The male cleared his throat, “Yes, lord Doctor. He is far stronger than I am. It felt as if I was going against you; he crushed me like I was nothing. The female we draw the serum from was the last to do this.” Here, the councilor shook his head. “I believe she pales beside his strength now.”

The Doctor’s eyes were wide for a second as he nodded. It was as strong as he’d thought; finally, after so long, he would have a true challenge. Turning to look at all of them, that is if they didn’t team up to try and take him down.

Sighing, the Doctor moved to the door. “I suggest you make a decision before too long. As he is right now, it will take all of you to defeat him. I will await your answer,” he said as he stepped out the door.