The Settlers Ch. 01

[[Notes and disclaimer: This is not a quickie story. Aren and her alien are forced together sexually in the beginning but I plan for them to grow together and fall in love over time in the midst of their captivity. This can be read alone, but I promise the long haul will be just as erotic.

This sci-fi story involves a woman and an alien man (humanoid-ish, shark-like) being forced to breed in the name of science. They reluctantly find enjoyment in this. Aren is 26. All other characters taking part in sexual acts are above legal age.

If you do not find nonconsentual/reluctance fantasies enjoyable, then please move on.]]

*****

Aren was six when the aliens came to Earth. She didn't remember much. Her mother had shielded her from the worst of it and never let her watch the news, but she was a curious child and she at least knew how to work an FM radio. She turned it on so softly she could hardly understand the man though the crackling of the feedback.

He explained that the aliens were not invading. They were not even leaving their massive crashed ship which had landed in the ocean and was floating there, seemingly waiting for an envoy.

Her mother found her with the radio after a week and took it away. From then on she only got updates though her parents. It had been an emergency landing because something had gone wrong with their navigation systems. They were escorted out by the military and led somewhere safe. They were safe.

For a little girl who loved all things living, all Aren wanted to know was that the aliens were okay. The president told them they were. That they were going to try their best to help these people get back home. She hoped to meet one someday, because she had a big heart. But most of all, she wanted them to be okay.

That was twenty years ago.

Now, with her parents long gone and no other choices available to her, Aren sat in a bright office that did not reflect her dark mood.

Everyone blamed the Settlers for the economy going to shit. Society hardly even resembled what it used to be before they came to Earth. But Aren did not blame them. They had needed help- were promised help- and were stabbed in the back, all in the name of science.

While the working man starved, tech companies and scientists grew and experimented with the alien technology they tore from the Settlers' ship. Pharmaceutical companies hiked up the prices on miracle cures they discovered using the alien's bodies to experiment on and examine. It made Aren sick to even think about.

"Well, Ms. Edwards?" She looked up at the man behind the desk. He held a pen out for her.

"There's no way I can choose what job I want?" She asked, glancing over the paperwork again as if she missed a paragraph.

"This isn't a job, Ms. Edwards. But you knew that, didn't you?" He wasn't unkind. Just rather unfeeling. He had had this conversation hundreds of times, no doubt. "You will be evaluated and then sent where we believe you will be best suited to make us money. In return, you are fed, clothed, and given time to yourself. Though what intervals and in what capacity are decided by the role you are assigned." He held the pen out again. She hesitated. "You look tired, Ms. Edwards. Wouldn't you like a full meal? A long, restful sleep? How long has it been now?"

She knew what he was doing. He didn't have to go to the effort. She took the pen in shaking fingers. Before she could second guess herself, she signed her life away.

"Good choice," the man said. "My man here will take you where you need to go. No- leave your purse. You don't own anything anymore, remember? All your assets belong to Advance Research."

She turned away and swallowed hard. All her assets?

"You will never have to make another tough decision again. We will tell you what to do, when to do it, and how to do it."

Aren followed the man in front of her who led her out of the bright office. There was something strangely comforting in knowing that this was the hardest thing she had ever had to do and that it would be the last.

She was led to an elevator. The man had to use a keycard to call it to the main level where they were. When they stepped inside, he used it again to press level 6. She knew Advance Research's building was massive, but the buttons went up and up and up. And there were basement levels that went down into the double digits, deep underground. She had no idea it was so vast. Curiosity made her wonder what each level was for and if she would ever find out.

The elevator doors opened again and they stepped out into a large hallway. Doors spanned down both ways and without hesitation he led her to one. 607. "This is your temporary room," he explained, much gruffer than his boss. He let her inside.

It was a glorified prison cell. A twin size bed with sheets and a comforter. The toilet and shower were in the same room with no privacy blockers. No entertainment. She hoped her permanent room would be better. Hopefully with a television or books.

"You're not allowed anything from your past life," he said and pointed to a plastic tub by the door. "All clothing, jewelry, hair accessories, are to be put in here. You will be searched upon my return."

With that, he turned and left. She stood there a moment, not sure what to do. There wasn't anything else for her to change into. Was this some kind of mistake? She swallowed hard and, upon looking around for the fifth time, noticed the camera in the upper corner of the room. Heat flushed her body.

"You can do this," she mumbled to herself. "You'll never go hungry again." She pulled her shirt off and tossed it in the tub. Then she shimmied out of her ripped jeans. She had needed new clothes for years, but never had the money to afford them. At least she wouldn't have to worry about that now, either. She unhooked her bra and tentatively let it fall, then did the same with her underwear. When she was left standing naked, she pulled the scrunchy from her hair and tossed it into the tub as well. Her dark hair fell over her back in waves.

She only had one more thing to remove. She looked down at her hand and found her mother's ring. She hated to part with it and thought a moment about stowing it away. Perhaps in the bed sheets or under her tongue. Or another pocket her sex was blessed with... But then she remembered the man's words. He was going to search for anything she thought to hide. A ring was not worth making a bad first impression when it came to the rest of her life. She kissed the ring, then knelt and set it in the tub gingerly.

Just when she stood, the door opened again. She let out a small yelp and stepped back, covering herself with her hands.

Her escort was back, this time accompanied by a skinny old man wearing glasses that magnified his eyes and a lab coat. The stethoscope around his neck told her all she needed to know.

"Oh, yes. I think I already know where they're going to send this beauty," he said. She could smell his old breath as he stepped close. She shuffled back and her legs hit the bed.

"Dr. Richards is going to do a check up and make sure you haven't hidden anything valuable away on you while I check the room," said the larger man.

Aren hardly had time to react before the doctor's cold hands were touching her shoulders, turning her towards him when she shied away. The cold of the stethoscope against her chest made goosebumps rise on her skin. Her arm still covered her nipples and the doctor was chuckling to himself as he turned her around to press it to her back.

"The bed is clear," the other man said and she watched him pull up the sheets now that she was facing that way again. Doctor Richards was feeling her ribs and skin, then turned her back around, not ungently.

"Now lay back on the bed and relax. I must make sure you're not hiding anything and I must do a pelvic exam. I can tell they're going to ask for one already, so I might as well get it out of the way."

When Aren hesitated, Doctor Richardson pushed her backward until her knees buckled. He was strong for an old man. She bit her lip as he folded her legs up, setting her feet up next to her on the bed.

"That's it," he crooned, kneeling in front of her.

Aren laid back and squeezed her eyes shut and tried not to think about why they needed to get a pap smear from her. She just needed to get through this. Then she would have a home. Food. Sleep. And all she would have to do was work for it. Cleaning probably. A research facility always needed cleaning done, right?

She heard the bottle of lube pop open, then felt fingers slip inside her and circle around, exploring. Searching. She was glad she hadn't tried to hide her mother's ring. Then she felt the speculum and winced. The doctor patted her thigh as he cranked it open. She could feel the cold air on her insides, felt him swab her, then nothing. For a long moment she thought he was just looking inside her. Her muscles spasmed and he removed the speculum.

"Oh, yes," Doctor Richards said after another pat on her thigh. "When I tell them how deep you could probably take it, they're going to want you in the basement for sure," the old doctor was saying, but he was mumbling it almost to himself and she wasn't quite sure she heard him right. She heard something about "how long they are" and "the way they stretch", but it just sounded like a crazy old man talking to himself.

He leaned over her, opened her mouth with a clean finger, moved it around to make sure she wasn't hiding anything there either, and then he began to pack up his things.

"She's in great health," Doctor Richards told the other man. "Well, other than being half starved. I think she's just what they've been waiting for downstairs, so I'm going to speed her processing along after I make sure she's clean. Oh," he turned back to Aren, suddenly remembering something. "You're not on birth control are you?"

Aren shook her head, too shocked to ask why he needed to know. He was a doctor after all. Perhaps he would have filled her prescription for her.

When the men were gone, taking her belongings with them, Aren pulled herself under the covers. There were no light switches to turn off the fluorescents above her, so she pulled the blankets over her head and tried not to think about the camera in the corner and if someone had been watching her naked body being examined.

Despite her exhaustion, it was a few hours before sleep finally claimed her.

***

Aren woke to the sound of a soft beeping. At first she didn't move, feeling her nakedness against the sheets and remembering the previous day.

"I do not belong to myself anymore," she whispered to herself, trying to make it seem true. Then she folded the covers down and looked for the source of the beeping. A small speaker on the wall.

There was a knock at the door and she kept the sheets covering her breasts. The beeping stopped as a woman entered. She was a little older than Aren and wore a tailored pencil skirt and blouse. Her hair was knotted on top of her head. Someone of such apparent status looked strange holding a cafeteria tray. She seemed to be just as annoyed with her chore. Under her other arm was a folded outfit.

The woman set the tray down on the bed. "Eat," she commanded. Aren did not have to be told twice. One look at the oatmeal, apple, and juice had her mouth drooling.

"My name is Dalaney McBride. Normally things go much smoother than this, but apparently they want you down in B10 as soon as possible. So I'm tasked with getting you fed and dressed, which is frankly beneath me."

The woman tossed the clothes on the bed. "Shower and change. There is a toothbrush and comb behind the bathroom mirror. I will be back in ten minutes. If you're not dressed, I'll drag you down naked."

Delaney McBride left the room and Aren was alone again. She felt a strange sense of excitement come over her. They must really want her for something and that meant she was valuable. Which perhaps meant benefits. Extra free time? Could she ask for books?

Eager to prove herself, Aren finished her meal in record time. She did not wait for the shower to warm up, afraid to lose precious minutes. When she was out, she dried herself off with the towel she found draped over the handle (it was hardly big enough to wrap around her body) and then she turned towards the uniform.

It was a dress with Advance Research's logo on the breast. It felt like something more appropriate for a summer cookout than a research lab, but she supposed there was a reason for everything they did here. Before she pulled it over her head she looked for a bra and underwear, but there were none. Her heart hammered and her cheeks flushed. Perhaps McBride had just forgot to bring them. Yes. That's all it was.

Aren pulled the dress over her head. Her breasts felt exposed with no bra and the fabric was sheer enough to show the peaks of her nipples. At least the skirt, while short, wasn't so short she would be showing her ass to everyone.

The door opened. McBride regarded her.

"There wasn't any underwear," Aren said, unable to stop herself.

"I know," the woman said. "Follow me."

Aren's heart pounded. What did she mean that she knew? Was this all some kind of mind game they played with the new recruits? Aren wasn't even sure what to call herself, here. Servant?

She did as she was bid, following McBride to the elevator. Once inside, she pressed the button for floor B10. It lurched downward and Aren somehow felt the Earth close around them and she knew they were underground. Then it slowed and the doors opened up to a very different view than the hotel-looking halls above.

McBride led her forward through a dim hallway and through a pair of double glass doors. They stepped into a lab. Men and women in white coats were examining things in test tubes and through microscopes. On one wall Aren saw photos of different Settlers.

She had only seen pictures a handful of times in her life. Yet here she saw rows and rows of faces. There was no real way to describe them. Glowing eyes- angry eyes- under a flat brow. Their skin looked smooth and in all shades of blues and greens and some reds. They had no hair. They reminded Aren almost of sharks, if sharks had mated with a human and created a terrifying offspring.

She looked away, realizing she was losing her guide and caught up to McBride. "I'm not a scientist," she heard herself saying. "I don't know why they wanted me down here so bad, but I won't experiment on them."

McBride laughed. She actually laughed. "Oh, you are so sweet," she said and led the way down a hall. Glass walls showed through to a massive server room. "You're not going to experiment on the fish. You're a part of the experiment. Just do what you're told and they won't eat you, I promise."

Aren began to panic. She was going to meet one of them? Had she been brought here just to die? What kind of experiments did they do here? She trembled as they walked, aware that she could not run away now.

The halls turned into a labyrinth that only McBride could navigate. Then they were walking past cells and Aren saw them for the first time. Their rooms were smaller than her own. She couldn't believe she thought hers looked like a prison cell when this is all they had. The alien closest to her raised his head and looked at her. Terror overcame her. But so did pity.

They were much larger than she imagined. Seven or eight feet tall from what she could estimate by the ones who were standing. And all naked. The skin on their bodies was just as smooth as the skin on their heads. Their legs were all wrong, less like a human and more like a horse, but their feet ended in two massive digits with a claw on each toe. Their hands were large, but unlike humans, they only had four fingers. They were all broad shouldered and fit, despite their circumstances, and each with a large collar around their neck.

Once through the hall of prisoners, they entered another lab. There were only three scientists here.

"I brought you a gift," McBride said, sounding bored.

A man, around fifty, turned to look at them. He smiled widely. "Oh, perfect!" He was handsome with cropped dark hair and a beard with silver shining through. He approached Aren and put his hands on her shoulders. "You are going to be a part of something fascinating," he said, and his eyes shone.

He directed her over to some screens in the corner. The displays showed the aliens in their cells. Aren glanced back at McBride for direction, but she was gone.

"You have the privilege of being one of the first dozen or so women to help us with this experiment," he began explaining. Unlike everyone else here, this man had not lost his excitement for his job. It seemed like his entire purpose and reason for being. "I'm so sorry, what was your name?" he asked, abruptly.

"Aren Edwards," she answered, distracted by the sight of the Settlers on the screens. The little girl who loved all life was still inside her, hating to see this.

"Aren. I am Isaak Diedrik. I would like you to observe what we do here so that you will learn your place and your integration will go smoothly." He pressed his finger on a button on one of the many panels in front of him. "Mark, you can take Jessica to Settler 3 now." She heard his voice echo down the hall from a speaker. Then on screen, she watched a large man in tactical armor walk down the hall with a woman wearing the same dress as Aren. He opened the door to one of the cells and let her inside. The weapon he had in his hand was pointed at the alien. When the door closed, both alien and girl looked at each other.

"Settler 3," Isaak was saying into another speaker which went right into the alien's cell. "Do not make us shock your collar." He turned to Aren then. "I came up with this idea one night, lying in bed after making love to my wife. The truth is, surprisingly, their DNA is not so different from ours."

His casual way of speech made Aren's skin crawl. Something told her she wasn't going to like what she was about to see. Isaak turned back to the screen to find that neither Jessica or the Settler had moved. So he pressed a button and the alien fell to its knees. Through the speakers she heard it scream, low and guttural. Unlike any voice she heard before.

"Stop!" Aren shouted, attempting to reach for Isaak's hand on the button before she could stop herself. Isaak pulled his finger off the button and the screams stopped. He turned partly towards Aren. "They are nothing but vermin and yet you treat them as equals. Getting you to play your part will be easier than it was with the other girls."

He turned back to the panel. "Settler 3, you know what happens when you do not comply. And Jessica? You're not playing your part."

Aren watched in horror as both parties folded. The woman approached the alien, who turned her around as if he couldn't look at her.

"What are you making them do?" she heard herself ask, but a part of her already knew the answer.

"We are trying to fast track evolution," he said, watching the screen. "If we can inseminate one of you successfully, the new species would be a scientific feat. A new breed of human. Powerful and strong."

"You're insane," Aren breathed.

Isaak turned to her, his brow lowering. "You're not here to think. You're here to do whatever I tell you to."

On screen, the Settler bent the woman over. Aren wondered how they were supposed to mate when he did not seem to have an organ, but then, much like a gill, the skin between his legs split and out came a phallus unlike anything she had ever seen or could have imagined before. Before she could study it further, he flipped the skirt of her uniform up, and it sunk into the woman. Jessica let out a strangled cry.

Aren's hands covered her mouth in horror. "You can't do this!"

Isaak was watching the screen. She couldn't tell if it was the sight or the science of it all that made him look so hungry as he watched. "You forget that you belong to Advance Research now," he said, calmly, not taking his eyes away from the monitor. A pair of strong arms grabbed her shoulders from behind. A precaution to make sure she wouldn't run.