Queen of Their Colony (Kindred Tales)

She had an impression of a small room with a row of weird white face masks mounted on poles. The Monstrum were still behind her, but they couldn’t do anything—all three of them were as incapacitated by the mind-rape they had all undergone as Terra was herself.

“Let us go, please!” she begged the female guard. “Please, I just want to go home!”

“Negative. The Watcher has found an interest in you, therefore, you will be remanded until it calls for you again,” the female guard snapped. “In the meantime, you must receive Drops.”

“What—?” Terra started to ask and then the guard took a firm grip on the back of her head and shoved her face into one of the white masks which was mounted on a thick black metal pole.

Terra tried to pull back instinctively, but the mask seemed to stick to her skin and grab onto it somehow, as though she’d put her face into a huge suction cup.

“Let her go!” she heard V’rone roaring behind her.

“Come a step nearer and she dies,” the female guard said and Terra felt the barrel of her weapon pressing against her ribs again. God, she was getting really tired of being held at gunpoint!

“Citizen D-147, is there a problem?” a new voice asked.

“Greetings, V-159, these prisoners are resisting the will of The Watcher, who has ordered that they must all be given Peace Drops and remanded to a cell until future notice,” the guard, whose name was apparently D-147 answered. “I have the female these males care about—if you could force them to comply it would be helpful.”

“This is not a problem. You—press your face to a mask to receive Drops!” the new voice, which was male demanded.

“The fuck I will,” V’rone’s deep voice growled.

“Do it or she dies!” the female guard insisted.

“V’rone, we’re going to have to do it!” Tem’s voice sounded worried.

“Tem is correct—we cannot risk our Queen,” Rive agreed.

There was some more growling and some shuffling sounds but soon, apparently, everyone was face-first in one of the white masks.

Terra felt a thrill of fear run though her as she wondered what was going to happen next. She didn’t have to wait long to find out. After a moment, the male voice said, “All secure.”

After that, the mask seemed to take a tighter grip on her face—especially her eyelids, which it forced open ruthlessly. Terra found she was staring straight ahead, unable to even blink.

“No!” she gasped and the there was a whirring, mechanical sound and something—maybe a part of the mask—sprayed a stinging jet of liquid into each of her unprotected eyeballs.

Terra shrieked and yanked backwards violently but it was like trying to rip her own face off—the mask wasn’t letting go for anything. Her heart was pounding and panic had her by the throat. Her arms flailed uselessly.

Oh my God, was that acid! Did they spray my eyes with acid?

But after a moment, the intense stinging subsided and she felt her eyes watering naturally, as though trying to wash out a foreign body that had somehow gotten into them.

In the room around her she could hear roaring and thrashing as the three Monstrum were subjected to the same treatment. But little by little, the sounds subsided until the only noise was her own heavy breathing and the panting of V’rone and Tem and Rive.

“There—the Drops should have had time to work,” the female guard remarked. “Test one of the subjects,” she told the male guard.

“You—state your name,” Terra heard him say.

“V’rone—warrior of the Monstrum Kindred, Brawn of my colony,” came the reply. But the big Monstrum’s voice was oddly flat and unemotional.

“Will you fight if we release you?” the female guard demanded.

“I must. I have an obligation to save my Queen, though I do not know why,” was V’rone’s response.

“Spray him again,” the female guard ordered.

There was more roaring and thrashing for a moment, followed by heavy panting. Terra wished fiercely that she could see what was going on, but her face was still suctioned tight to the damn mask.

Were the Drops that had been sprayed in her guys’ eyes affecting them? She didn’t feel any different herself—or at least, she didn’t feel like she’d lost her emotions. She was still scared to death and angry as hell that they were being subjected to this treatment.

At least her headache from the mental violation of The Watcher was beginning to fade—it was just a dull throbbing in her temples now. But other than that, things were looking pretty bad.

“Now then, I will ask again—will you fight if we release you?” the male guard asked V’rone.

“I will not fight.” His deep voice was positively robotic now and Terra felt a surge of worry for the big Monstrum rush through her. The Brawn of the colony didn’t sound like himself at all.

“Very well—release him but hold your projectile ray on him just in case he becomes non-compliant,” the female guard ordered.