Page 6 of The Alien’s Mate

“But don’t you worry,” said the doctor. “He tried to escape once, but I guess there’s a brain behind all that brawn because he’s never tried it again.”

“What happened then?” Lila whispered.

“He slaughtered everyone in the room, but he couldn’t get through the locked doors,” said Melinda.

“But, what happens if there’s a fire?”

“There’s a fail-safe,” said Melinda and pointed at a red button underneath a clear plastic cube on the control board. “Only in case of emergency, of course. You would need a pass card to activate it—we wouldn’t want anyone to accidentally hit it, because that thing opens all doors. We wouldn’t want to put him through any danger either, of course. More likely, however, he’s the one putting us in danger.”

“What happened after he’d killed everyone?”

“Snipers got him in the end. They had to use three times the amount of sedative they use for elephants before he would go down.”

“H-how big is he?”

“Nearly eight feet tall.”

Lila’s legs seem to freeze—each step she took felt like agony. “E-eight feet?”

“Why do you think we call it ‘Project Titan ?”

Of course, Lila thought. She was so stupid. “It… it was difficult to estimate his height on the photos.”

“Oh, the photos don’t make him justice,” said Dr. Bryce. “He’s magnificent, I promise. Terrifying, but magnificent. And he’s the key to creating the ultimate cure.”

They approached what seemed to be a glass box, but the closer they came, the clearer it became; it was only a glass front. Inside, there seemed to be a forest. Pine trees, birches, stones, moss—it was like a slice of the Canadian landscape in there. On the side, there was a long tunnel with several metal gates.

Dr. Bryce fiddled with a computer screen on the side of the first gate and turned to Lila. “Are you ready for an introduction?”

Lila’s tongue was tied.

Melinda smiled and pressed a button on the screen. “Atlas, come on out. There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

Time seemed to stand still while they waited. Lila could barely breathe, barely feel her legs, and all she wanted to do was to run in the opposite direction. It felt like an eternity before the tree branches shook and slid apart as the giant, grey-blue creature stepped into the light.

She gasped, clasped her hands over her mouth, and took a big step backward; the alien, Atlas, was enormous. Melinda was right, the pictures did not do him justice. Void black eyes with irises burning like the forges of Hell observed her through the glass, and the tall, muscular alien cocked his head and eyed her slowly.

“Good morning, Atlas. I hope you had a good sleep. This is Lila,” said Dr. Bryce. “Be nice to her.” She moved her hands around and repeated, “Be. Nice.”

The present seemed to disappear as Lila gazed into the piercing eyes of the beast; they entranced her, pulled her in. It was as though she could see another world in them, an intelligent being with completely different thoughts than hers. It was beautiful, and terrifying. The creature didn’t look away—he barely blinked. A soft growl seemed to resonate from the glass, and the firm chest rose and fell deep and slow. He was truly magnificent; his anatomy was strikingly like that of a human, but—dared she admit it?—better. It was as though he was the perfect specimen, built for strength and survival. His bare skin even made her a bit embarrassed; the blue-grey, speckled reptile skin hugged perfectly defined muscles of his shoulders, arms, chest, and abdomen. Below, his thighs and calves were impressive and statuesque, and Lila found herself almost curious to know what the long loincloth around his hips was hiding.

“Isn’t he cold?” Lila breathed, unable to turn her eyes away from him.

“He seems to like it,” said Melinda. After a few moments, she added, “And he seems to like you.”

The second she felt heat in her face, Lila looked away from the beast. She wrapped her arm around herself, suddenly shy. “H-how do you know that?”

“Trust me,” said Dr. Bryce, “he would’ve walked away if he didn’t.” She sighed and pressed a button, and a short alarm sounded through the room. Lila’s heart jumped to her throat, but Melinda seemed calm as a cucumber while the first gate of the steel tube opened. “Come on, big guy. You know the drill.”

The alien bared his teeth, big and sharp, and his growl was so deep, it could be heard through the thick glass, vibrating through the floor.

“Yeah, yeah,” muttered Melinda and waited for the creature to walk over to her.

Atlas rolled his mighty shoulders, huffed, and refused to move.

Melinda sighed and tapped her foot. “You want to show how tough you are for the pretty girl, huh? Come on, we don’t have all day.” She gestured her hands, signing to him to come, and the beast finally huffed and moved toward her. A big, metal arm emerged from the metal frame of the gate, with a needle in the end. Atlas moved to it, and he showed nothing but annoyance as the needle sank into his thick hide.

Lila watched as a black liquid was emptied from him, and she presumed it was his blood. “Do you do this every day?”