Snakes & Snails & Alien Tales

Chapter Fifteen

Without ceremony, George tossed me into my room and slammed the door shut. The sound vibrated through the room. I heard several short beeps followed by a piercing whine, then everything fell silent. Was there a lock on my door after all?

He hadn't bothered to untie me, either, so I was left trussed up like one of Cookey's roast beasts, sprawled on the floor. With only my legs available for balance, manoeuvering into a sitting position was tricky, but I managed it. Basically, I'd traded one prison for another. At least I had a pretty good idea of what to expect from this one.

Angrily, I looked around for a sharp edge or something I could use to fray the chord George had wrapped around me. I doubted it was anything more than a tether used to secure cargo. It was strong, but I'd find a way to remove it before anyone returned. Plus, I needed to pee – and that was really hard to do in a jumpsuit with your hands tied behind your back.

I wouldn't do that if I were you.

I was about to start rubbing the fabric against the corner of the cabinet. It probably wasn't strong enough, but I was desperate enough to try anything. "Piss off, Charles. Just because George is annoyed that he had to rescue doesn't mean he has the right to treat me like this."

He did it for your own protection.

"Oh, please..." I shook my head in wonder of Charles' logic. "Just like he used to lock you in your cage whenever they left the craft?"

Something like that.

"Whatever." I continued rubbing against the corner, hoping the fabric would begin to fray. It was tougher than I thought. Ignoring the tingling sensation that started to travel up my arms, I pressed harder, hoping to increase the friction.

You're going to regret this.

The tingling turned into snapping and popping and before long what was a mild vibration turned into an electrical current that travelled the length of my body. The wire that had been placed around my waist also started to spark. Worried I would end up incinerated, I stopped moving, hoping I wasn't too late.

"What in the wormhole?"

Told you.

"How did you know?"

I've seen that particular device in use before. Don't worry, George will remove it once we're safely out of Flix's airspace.

By the time George came through the door, my frustration had warmed past outrage, boiled into anger and was simmering with hatred. If had Charles' power, I would explode George's brains into a million tiny particles.

"Hold still so I can get this off of you." George was struggling with the ties of the semi-melted fabric. My dancing and fidgeting wasn't helping, but I'd reached my limit.

The moment my arms were released, I tore out of the room, already working to unfasten my jumpsuit. It wasn't a terribly modest outfit anyway, and I was past caring who saw what as I rounded the corner to the lavatory.

"Gully!" Whatever George wanted to say would have to wait. Slamming the door behind me, I wasted a precious second to lock the door, afraid he'd actually follow me inside. Relief couldn't come soon enough.

"Gully!"

"Give me a minute!" I yelled through the door. "A woman needs a little privacy now and then!"

I knew he was waiting out the door for me, so I took my time. I might not have gained complete freedom, but I was relishing the bit of control I'd managed to take back.