Sweet Venom Arc 03 Ch. 05

A tense silence fell within the tartarean lab, illuminated only by neon green buttons and dials of the various machines that lined the back of the room. Mooki's throat creaked, but she couldn't quite bring herself to speak. What would she even say anyway?

The knot in her stomach writhed uncomfortably as the alien continued to stare at her in a startled, confused silence.

Don't panic Mooki... You can find a way out of here, she's restrained and -

A loud clack broke her trail of thought, and the alien shuddered in her restraints. Her legs touched the floor and her limbs fell free of their bondage, likely for the first time since she was captured.

Mooki pushed herself up against the wall, desperately pressing her card against the door-pad, but to no avail. The door stayed firmly shut.

Plasia shyly rubbed her fingers over her wrists, feeling over the bruises from where they had been locked in for so long, but quickly turned her attention to the other occupant in the room as her skin began to prickle.

"Y-you sh-shouldn't b-be here..." Plasia's shaky words came out as little more than a hoarse whisper, and in the deafening silence, Mooki had to strain to hear her.

Mooki wanted to shout, cry, scream for help, anything, but even in her terrified state, she knew it would do nothing to help her. These labs were airlocked. While the door was still closed, she could yell until her throat was bloody, but it wouldn't do a damned thing. Her heart was pounding against her ribs, but she had to admit that the shy-looking corrupted czarite in the room really didn't seem to pose a threat to her.

"We... n-need to get you out of here." Plasia said softly, inching slowly towards the terrified student. "I won't hurt you. But other me...."

She glanced over the czarite's form again, noting the line of staples up her torso; at least her guts were back in place now. She still had numerous wounds however, all over her body, and she looked awful. Doing her best not to spook Mooki, Plasia approached the airlock on shaky legs, gently pawing at the construction to see if she could get it open. She towered over the terrified Mooki as she inspected the door closely.

"I-I don't understand why my card isn't working. It let me in, why won't it let me out?" Mooki continued to press the card against the reader fruitlessly, bouncing between desperation and irritation...

When a worrying sound started to play.

A teasing, gentle hiss. Coming from the back of the lab.

They both turned their heads towards the noise, fear in their eyes.

I need to get out of the lab.

Now.

As they turned back, for just a split second their eyes met, reading each-other's thoughts, before Plasia began a desperate assault on the walls around the door.

She tore at the panels, digging her fingers into anything that looked like it could give. Blood leaked from her stapled scar as she started to tear chunks of the door out. Cogs, wheels, pistons and gears were tossed across the laboratory floor as she tore away at the plating, clattering loudly against the sterile tiles. The sound of screeching metal filled the room, making Mooki wince as it scratched at her ears.

As Plasia ripped at the door, Mooki fumbled desperately with her communicator, tapping repeatedly for the direct line to Theo. Every time however, the screen would flash bright red; failed to connect. The thick lining of the lab was preventing any signals to the sector relay from ever leaving the room.

With a gentle wheeze of air, one half of the airlock loosened; the mechanism was failing.

Mooki dropped the communicator and stumbled across the lab, grabbing a steel rod from the floor to try and help pry the door open, when the smell hit her nose. Sweet, rich and dark, almost... comforting. For the briefest of seconds, her nostrils flared, and she craved more of it, before sense kicked back in and she charged towards the airlock.

Jamming the bar between the doors, she pulled back on it as hard as she could, flapping her wings out as the door slowly gave an inch, and allowed her to push the bar in further through the gap. Light from the cargo bay crept in through the crack.

She strained again and pulled on the bar as hard as she could but she wasn't strong enough to shift it; the metal only creaked slightly as her arms quivered.

"Let me! Quick!" Plasia cried out, seizing the bar and digging her heels in as she prepared to pull.

Mooki put her sleeves over her head, bracing for something to go wrong, watching the crack in the door desperately, pleading for the inch of freedom to suddenly open wide.

But nothing happened.

Plasia didn't move.

The alien's breathing intensified in Mooki's ear, followed by a deep, stomach-churning growl.

It took every ounce of strength in Mooki's body to twist herself, and look at the czarite's face. Plasia's soft eyes had changed dramatically. Two cyan slits of death were staring down at her, with a deep hunger.

A hunger that had not been sated in a long, long time.

"P-please... I just... wanted to help you!"

A half-growl, half-cackle filled the dragoness' ears.

"NO WORRY... YOU WILL!"