Robin Cook - Abduction

“A jar of caldorphin!” Mura said. “I heard you liked it.”

“Loved it is more accurate,” Michael cried. With that, the two of them skipped out of the room.

Before the remaining diners could comment, the soft chime sounded again. This time it heralded the arrival of Luna and Garona. The Interterrans seemed to be rounding up their previous evening’s partners.

“Oh, Suzanne!” Garona cooed as he pressed palms with her. “I have been longing for the night so that I could come and once again spend it with you.”

“Perry, my love,” Luna gushed. “It’s been too long a day. I hope it was not too stressful for you.”

Neither Suzanne nor Perry could decide if they were mortified or delighted, especially being greeted with such mushily amorous protestations. Both stammered unintelligible responses while allowing themselves to be lifted to their feet.

“I guess we’re leaving,” Suzanne said to Donald as Garona playfully towed her toward the open end of the room.

“And we must be going to the same place they are,” Perry said to him as Luna dragged him.

Donald gave a halfhearted wave but didn’t say anything. The next instant, he found himself alone with the two mute worker clones.

Michael could not remember ever being so excited. Never had a woman this gorgeous and desirable seemed so interested in him. At her insistence they began to spin around as they cavorted across the dark lawn toward his room. With her long hair floating in the wind, the image was intoxicating for Michael, and he would have gone on for hours had his inner ear not intervened.

Feeling dizzy, Michael stopped revolving but his surroundings didn’t. He staggered to his right, vainly trying to maintain his balance. Unable to keep his legs under him, he collapsed in a heap. Mura collapsed with him. Together they laughed uncontrollably. They got to their feet unsteadily, then ran on to his cottage. Once they got inside, they were both out of breath.

“Well,” Michael said. He took a couple of deep breaths but still felt light-headed. Just looking at Mura in the slinky outfit made him quiver with desire. “What would you like to do first? Take a swim?”

Mura gazed at Michael provocatively. She shook her head. “No, I don’t want to swim now,” she said, her voice husky. “Last night you were too tired for intimacy. You sent me away before I could make you happy.”

“But that’s not true,” Michael protested. “I was happy.”

“You mean, Sart made you happy?”

“Hell, no!” Michael barked, taking immediate offense. “What the hell kind of question is that?”

“Don’t get upset,” Mura said, taken aback by Michael’s response. “I’m not suggesting anything. Besides, it’s perfectly all right to have pleasure from either sex.”

“Hey, it’s not okay with me,” Michael snapped. “No way!”

“Michael, please calm yourself,” Mura pleaded. “What’s making you so agitated?”

“I’m not agitated!” Michael shot back.

“Did Sart do something to make you angry?”

“No, he was fine,” Michael said nervously.

“Something made you angry,” Mura said. “Did Sart stay all night? I didn’t see him all day.”

“No! No!” Michael stammered. “He left right after you did. Richard just apologized for getting mad at him and that was it. He was out of here. Nice kid, though.”

“Why did Richard get mad at him?”

“I don’t know,” Michael said irritably. “Do we have to talk about Sart all night? I thought you came here to see me.”

“I did indeed,” Mura said. She sidled up to Michael and stroked his chest. Beneath her fingers she could feel that his heart was racing. “I think you must have had a difficult day. We should get you to calm down, and I know just the thing.”

“What’s that?”

“You lie down on the bed,” Mura instructed. “I will rub your body and massage your muscles.”

“Now you’re talking.”

“And once you are serene we will press palms with the caldorphin.”

“Sounds great, baby,” Michael said, recovering his composure. “Let’s do it.”

“All right, I’ll be there in a moment,” Mura said. She gave Michael a gentle nudge toward the bed. Dutifully Michael sauntered over and lay down on the soft coverlet.

Mura went to the refrigerator to get something cold to drink. She gave the command directly to the receptor so she could do it as softly as possible so as to avoid disturbing Michael. After his minor outburst, she sensed he was tense and needful of every consideration. She knew from experience how easily agitated secondary humans could become over the strangest things.

Mura was surprised to discover the compartment so full. “My word,” she said. “What all do you have in here?”

In response to Mura’s nagging about Sart, Michael’s ardor had significantly waned. Instead of fantasizing as he lay facedown on the bed waiting for her ministrations, he found himself fretting over the dinner table discussion that their group was stuck in Interterra. Consequently her comment about his refrigerator being full didn’t even penetrate his consciousness until he heard beverage and food containers crash to the floor followed by a gasp. It was only then that he remembered Sart’s body, and by then it was too late…

“Oh shit!” Michael whispered as he leaped off the bed. Just as he’d feared, Mura was standing in front of the open refrigerator with a hand clasped over her mouth. Her expression was one of pure horror.

Inside the refrigerator, Sart’s frozen, pale face was framed haphazardly by stacked containers.

Michael rushed to Mura’s side and enveloped her with his arms. She sagged against him and would have collapsed had he not been supporting her.

“Listen! Listen!” Michael urged in a forced whisper. “I can explain.”

Mura regained her balance and pulled herself from Michael’s embrace. With a trembling hand she reached into the refrigerator and felt Sart’s cheek. It was as firm as wood and as cold as ice. “Oh, no!” she moaned. Cradling her own drained cheeks with her hands, she shivered as if a cold wind had suddenly wafted through the room. When Michael tried again to put his arms around her, she shoved him to the side to keep Sart’s face in view. As frightful as the image was, she could not turn away.

Frantically Michael bent down, retrieved the fallen objects, and crammed them back into the refrigerator to block her view of the dead boy. “You have to calm down,” he said nervously.

“What happened to his essence?” Mura demanded. Blood surged back into her face turning her cheeks crimson. Shock and dismay were turning to anger.

“It was an accident,” Michael said. “He fell and hit his head.” Michael reached for her again, but she backed up to keep him at arm’s length.

“But his essence?” Mura questioned again, although deep down she already knew the horrid truth.

“Look, he’s dead, for chrissake,” Michael snapped.

“His essence is lost!” Mura managed. Her fleeting anger was already giving way to grief. Tears welled up in her emerald green eyes.

“Look, baby,” Michael said in a tone halfway between solicitude and irritation. “Regrettably, the kid is dead. It was an accident. You have to pull yourself together.”

Tears turned to sobs as the reality of the tragedy struck the core of Mura’s own essence. “I must go and tell the elders,” she said. She turned and started toward the door.

“No, wait!” Michael said. He was frantic. He rushed around to head her off. “Listen to me!” He grabbed her with both hands.

“Let me go!” Mura cried. She tried to break from his grasp. “I must announce the calamity.”

“No, we must talk,” Michael insisted. He grappled with her as she tried to free herself.