The Deviants, part one

Curled up in the corner of the basement, Ava clutched onto the heart-shaped pendant hanging around her neck as she heard the sky boom loudly.

It'd been this way for weeks now, but the noise still startled her. And no one was around to comfort her.

Not since they invaded.

The ones from the stars.

It had been an ordinary day for Earth when the sky was suddenly peppered with ships from space.

Many reactions happened after they communicated with us what their intention was supposed to be. After all, this was the first encounter with aliens.

No one knew what they were called, so they were named the Wanderers. It was much of a surprise when the alien race first made contact, claiming they were peaceful travels.

Like the naive fools they were, the governments decided to welcome the Wanderers onto the planet in hopes that information and technology would be exchanged.

Big mistake.

Within days, they started abducting young women, sending ships to hunt them, killing the men who tried stopping them.

That was how Ava wound up alone.

Two Wanderer soldiers stormed in one night, wanting to take her. As an eighteen-year-old female, Ava was a prime candidate. Her parents forced her to hide as they fought the warriors.

The next thing she knew, everyone was gone, and the heirloom was the last thing she possessed of her family.

The thundering noise stopped, and Ava released the breath inside her chest. At least they were done for now.

Ava crawled out of the basement, stomach leading her to the kitchen upstairs. There wasn't much food left, but she had cans of soups and ravioli in the pantry.

Opening a can of spaghettios and heating it on the stove, Ava swallowed the lump in her throat. She would never see her family again. No one did.

Eating the food, she listened for the steps of the guards. They still patrolled the area, hoping to capture any stragglers like her. Well, Ava wouldn't go down without a fight.

Suddenly, the front door exploded, and Ava ducked for cover. Five Wanderers stormed in, weapons raised.

Ava readied for a fight, grabbing the knife she hid under the table, but something pricked her skin, and darkness enveloped her.

***

Cold seeped into her as Ava woke. The bastards! They tranqued her! Talk about not playing fair. She sat up, head dizzy as her stomach dropped. She was in a cell, the walls blue, the floor gray.

So, Ava was on a ship. Dammit! She was in space. If it wasn't for the fact she'd been kidnapped, Ava might have enjoyed the prospect.

Her clothes had also changed. Now she wore a gray long sleeve shirt and blacks leggings with boots. Interesting choices. Shouldn't she be in a gown?

Then she noticed her skin and hair were clean. Did they clean her? Ava swallowed back her nausea.

Luckily, her locket was still around her neck, rubbing it between her thumb and index finger.

Were her parents on this ship? Highly doubtful. As far as she knew, families weren't kept together. Ava figured it was a good thing. She'd rather believe her parents were alive than know they were dead.

Sitting up, Ava groaned, her muscles stiff. How long was she unconscious? She frowned, slowly standing.

Ava checked herself, not finding any new bumps and bruises. Weird. The Wanderers generally liked cutting into humans, but nary a cut on her.

What was their game?

She wished there was something for her to do, though. Boredom was never a friend of Ava's. And she could almost always find some activity to occupy her attention.

So she stared at the blue walls of her cell, waiting for someone to show their face. Why that color? To calm their prisoners? Maybe. It would make sense.

Suddenly, the door creaked open, a male guard holding a tray of human food. Her stomach growled. Ava didn't move from the bed, watching him closely.

Wanderers looked a lot like humans, but were taller, had pointed ears, and their skin sparkled multiple colors in the light. If they hadn't attacked, she'd consider them beautiful.

"You hungry, human?"

Ava's stomach made noise again.

A smirk tugged his lips, and he walked over, setting the tray by her feet. "Here you go."

She peered at the food. Steak, potatoes, and salad, with a glass of water. "Fancy food."

"We want you healthy."

"Well, that would make it easier to breed me."

He tilted his head, an odd emotion flickering in his eyes, "We need females."

Ava raised a brow.

"Enjoy your food." With that, he left me alone again.

Ava ate slowly, starting with the meat. It tasted good too. So did the salad and potatoes. Even the water was sweet, Ava drinking it all, her throat dry.

This was all very confusing. Why were they treating her so nice? She understood them feeding and clothing her, but she felt kinda pampered for being a prisoner.

However, she couldn't refuse food, especially since it had nutritional value. Plus, she doubted they would poison her.

Yawning as a wave of tiredness rushed through her, she laid down and closed her eyes.

***

Making sure there were no other guards around, Nash walked to her cell door again, opening the door. Peering inside, he found the human asleep on the bed.

Good.

Swiftly, Nash scooped her in his arms, the female light as a feather in his grip. He tucked her into his coat to hide and keep her warm.

He snuck throughout the main ship, heading to the docking port, where his ship was held. Nash was careful not to wake the human or alert the attention of the other guards.

Despite what the humans believed, not every one of his race was a ruthless thief. Yes, they required females to survive since a disease swept their planet, either killing or sterilizing their females.

However, Nash did not approve of the methods of his people. And many held his attitude, having formed a base on Earth to strategize a way to stop this.

So, for a few months, he'd been sneaking humans out, taking them to the colony.

Making it to the docking port, Nash managed to find his ship, The Deviant, without anyone near. Just like usual. He didn't like anyone tampering with his ship unless he watched them closely.

Not everybody liked him.

Climbing on board, Nash laid the human in his bed, starting The Deviant's engines up. He checked the systems; everything was good to go.

From one of the cameras, he spotted two guards waiting, turning on the comms. "Yes?"

"Where are you going?" the first guard crossed his arms.

"Gonna do another patrol."

The second guard tilted his head, "There's no need."

"Humans are persistent, and we need to make sure they know we're not leaving anytime soon."

Seeming to buy his lie, they backed away so he could take off without the boosters and exhaust roasting them like meat over a fire. No need to kill them without a reason.

A grin crept onto Nash's face as he entered space. It happened every time he flew The Deviant. He was a born pilot for sure, turning his ship toward the planet.

Setting the autopilot to the coordinates of the base, Nash left the cockpit and checked on the female.

She still slept, looking rather peaceful. He brushed some hair from her face, her skin much warmer than his. Besides the bruise on her forehead, she seemed in satisfactory condition.

Nash noticed a piece of jewelry hanging from her neck. He picked it up, examining it. He didn't find a practical use for it, so it must have had personal value to her, setting it down.

Humans were fascinating, though. So similar, yet so different. And from the tests, genetically compatible. He wanted to learn more about them.

Despite the humans he'd rescued earlier, Nash hadn't the time to study them closely, bouncing from the base to the main ship.

The alarms beeped, the deviant now close to the base. He returned to the cockpit, switching back to manual control.

Nash just hoped she would forgive him when she woke.