This ongoing sci-fi series will contain strong non-consensual elements.
***
The servant had told me that I was going to be the entertainment. I tried to ask him what he meant by that, but he stayed silent.
I was led through familiar corridors, till we came to an area that had been screened off with canvasses. Lilly had told me it was all a big secret. I was getting sick of secrets.
He stopped and pointed to an electronic door that led through into the screened area. I thanked him and tentatively made my way inside. The door hissed closed behind me, and I heard it lock.
It was a tiny room, with another door in front of me. Like an airlock on a ship. There was no window on the door, so I was still puzzled as to what awaited me.
Then I noticed a small table. On top of it was a thick belt with a holster. To my utter surprise there was a lazer pistol.
I didn't waste anytime and pulled it out. It felt good in my hand. The last time I'd had one was on the pirate vessel. That seemed like an age ago. What ever this meant though, couldn't be good.
They wouldn't just give me a loaded weapon. Unless it was something else. Perhaps a sympathetic guest had set this up?
I stowed the gun beck into it's holster and attached the belt around my waist. All I could do now, was to wait.
Pressing my ear to the wall I could hear murmuring. It sounded like people.
Then all of a sudden I heard a loud voice.
"Presenting for your entertainment."
My heart sank a little, and I rested my hand the the handle of the lazer pistol.
"A brave officer of the UEN."
The doors hissed opened. I took a breath and stepped out.
I was in a closed off area, that was surrounded by high walls. They were steel and impossible to climb.
Above me were some lights, and behind them I saw people leaning over watching me. It was the guests from the party. They must be on some raised platform, I thought.
I couldn't see Orton or Lilly. I did see a couple of people I had met during the party. Their faces were hard to read from this distance.
They had drinks in their hands, and had expectant looks on their faces.
As the doors hissed closed behind me I looked at the ground.
There were large rocky formations, and a few plants dotted about. The whole area had been made to look like a different planet.
I walked further in, not knowing what I was doing.
The voice came back.
"Alone on a hostile alien world, she must use her wits to survive."
What was this. It felt like I was in some sort of gladiatorial arena. I had a gun, but I wasn't really dressed for combat. I had heels on for a start, and my uniform barely covered my body.
Unconsciously I pulled at the back of my short skirt, making sure it was properly covering my rear. It crossed my mind to remove my high-heeled boots.
"Presenting, the Hillox. A fully sentient worm, with an interesting way of subduing its prey."
There was a small round of applause, and I was suddenly worried. The name wasn't familiar. At least I was armed.
Then I saw Orton and Lilly. They were in a prominent position. She had her arms draped around him. He was smiling.
I pulled my Pistol from it's holster. If I was to fight to the death, I thought, I could at least do Orton a favor and take him out before the end.
It would be a difficult shot, with Lilly there, but I was confident I could make it.
There was a loud hissing noise from the other side of the arena. I carefully climbed up on top of a flat rock to take a better look. The heels from my boots made it tricky.
This was the highest point, and almost in the center of the arena. Thankfully the surface was mostly flat.
I heard a few gasps from the crowd. Then I saw them, about half a dozen worms. There was a small opening in the other side of the wall that they were coming from.
They were about six feet in length, but only a few inches thick.
"What the hell," I said, to myself as I saw them wriggling on the floor. They were a fleshy color, without markings. I didn't see anything resembling a head. They looked muscular and deadly.
I wished I had removed my boots. I was breathing heavily now, my chest heaving and straining against my low cut top.
"They have picked up her scent." The voice announced.
I looked back at the door I had come through, wondering if I could blast the lock open.
"They work as a group." The voice said.
I looked back to them, a little panicked, but ready to shoot. My heart jumped out of my chest. I didn't see them, they had moved quickly out of my sight.
I scanned around, frantically looking for them. A bead of sweat rolled down my brow. Then to my left one appeared. I aimed the pistol and fired. A bright beam of light jumped from my gun, hitting it.
It knocked it back to the ground. I had expected it to burn it, but it didn't. There didn't seem to be any damage to it at all.
What was it made of, I thought.
I checked the power setting on the gun. That was something I had done when I picked it up. I cursed my negligence, time was something I couldn't afford to waste.
The setting was on the lowest it could be. I cursed again. My fingers fumbled at the dial. I heard rustling in a nearby bush. Cold waves of panic washed over me.
The dial was jammed, fused in place. It had been fixed this way.
There was a quick movement in front of me. I fired from the hip. Even though my hand was beginning to shake I managed to hit one that came straight at me. It disappeared below the rock.
The one to my left that I had only just hit, was wriggling back to life. I aimed at it, intending to fire at it more than once. When suddenly something wrapped tightly around my ankle.
It must have come from behind. I could feel it's strength through the leather of my boot.
I heard a few gasps from the audience.
This time I put the muzzle of the gun to its flesh and squeezed the trigger. It burned it this time, not by much, but it was a start. It uncoiled from my leg, and I kicked it lifeless form off the rock.
There was a little clapping.
Another one jumped for me, but I managed to dodge it. It disappeared into a bush. I fired blindly. The lazer bolts illuminating the arena.
I need to get into a corner, I thought. As I was about to move, one of them came at me from my blind spot.
It wrapped itself around my wrist, and encircled my hand that held the gun. This time It wasn't the entire thing like the one that had gone for my leg. The tail of the worm anchored itself to the rock while the rest gripped my wrist. I couldn't shoot it, or take the pistol out of my hand. Even my trigger finger was squeezed into uselessness.
"See how they learn." The voice boomed.
I tried using my whole weight and pulled at it, trying to dislodge it, but with no effect. It was hopeless. Its sinewy mass held me tight.
I punched it with my free hand. I wasn't sure how much I was hurting it.
Adrenaline pumped through my body. I wasn't done yet.
As I pulled back to punch again. My wrist was seized by another one, and held me firmly stopping my punch in midair.
"They are learning her weaknesses." The voice said.
Everything was happening too quickly. I couldn't think.
Both my arms were being pulled apart. All I could do was struggle against them.
I had to stand with my legs apart as they pulled at my arms. It felt like they were being ripped out of their sockets.
Panic was being replaced with total helplessness.
