Forsaken Read Online Free Page A

that wasn’t accurate at all. He seemed extremely dangerous, just not to her. He needed her and was obviously willing to go to extremes to secure her cooperation. But his question surprised her. Was he just being polite or was his interest personal?
    Her heart missed a beat and her throat tightened as her awkwardness returned with a vengeance. Men like this went after women like Ashley, not plain Jane brainiacs like her.
    “I live alone.” A lie would have been off-putting, so why had she told him the truth? He accepted the answer with another nod and awareness arced between them. Even after he faced forward again, the tingling remained. She shook her head, trying to disperse the strange sensation. Her nervous system must be recovering from the…transporter beam? “What do you call whatever allowed you to zap me up here?”
    “Bio-streaming. It’s a relatively new technology.” Her eyes widened and he chuckled. “It’s perfectly safe. The system was tested extensively before it was put into production.”
    “Glad to hear it.” That system alone would be worth studying. It could revolutionize transportation as Earth knew it. She was on a spaceship! Who cares how she got here. She would never have an opportunity like this again.
    They reached a door identical to the multitude they’d passed along the way. How did these people keep things straight? Kotto triggered the panel with a verbal command and motioned Raina inside. “We’ll speak again after Ashley has briefed you.”
    She wasn’t sure what to say, so she just nodded and walked into the room. The door slid closed behind her and Ashley offered a tentative smile. Raina couldn’t remember her vivacious friend ever looking so uncomfortable. At least they had the room to themselves. Raina wouldn’t have been surprised if Ashley had brought Bandar for support, but she was glad Ashley had chosen to face her alone.
    The room was like nothing Raina had ever seen before. The space was perfectly square with rows of padded benches situated in the middle so the room could be viewed from any angle. Each wall, and even the floor and ceiling displayed the slowly changing images. Sweeping seascapes gave way to majestic mountains, then Raina stood suspended in the vastness of space.
    “Can you make it stop?” She staggered toward the benches and quickly sat down. “This is making me sick.”
    “Pause display.” When the command had no effect, Ashley tried again. “ Dacon verita .” The tranquil forest scene surrounding them remained steady and Raina sighed. “Bandar’s working on an English interface for the computer, but it only works about half the time.” Ashley moved to the bench beside Raina, caution still apparent in her movements. “I didn’t want to involve you in this, but Kotto didn’t leave me a choice.”
    “How did you become involved with these people?” The ambiance was surprisingly immersive. She could hear the distant call of birds and the scurry of forest creatures. The temperature seemed to drop as the tang of pine and moist earth reached her nose. “What is this place?”
    “Didn’t Kotto tell you?”
    “I meant this room. He told me I’m on a spaceship.”
    Ashley tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, still looking uncomfortable. “They call it the contemplation cube. It’s sort of like a chapel.”
    She was dying to know what aliens contemplated, but other things were more important right now. “Back to my other question. How did you get mixed up with aliens? Are they coercing you in some way?”
    “They were hoping to track down my father and found me instead.” Ashley’s smile was almost sad. “You can imagine their disappointment.”
    Ashley’s father had been a geneticist and much of his work was highly controversial. They would explore the details of that subject later. Raina wanted to understand the basic situation before she focused on details. “Bandar didn’t seem disappointed at the bistro. How far has that