A gunshot echoes, almost right on command. Zakar’s roar follows. However, none of the sounds are coming from the direction of Fassbender’s camp.
We both look at each other, confused.
“Keep still,” I say.
More gunshots, followed by an eerie silence.
“He’s far away,” I say.
For now. He could be here in less than five minutes if he ran fast enough. I leave all that out because I can tell she can’t take any more bad news.
“Come,” I say, pulling her into my arms. “Let me show you my home.”
I tell her the history of this place. As the starship hit Avalon’s atmosphere, their system coordinates malfunctioned. The maps totally cut out, leaving them flying blind.
They crashed into the jungle, smashing through the giant trees. Lucky for them, there were no casualties. The ship, however, was ruined.
Decimated.
All of this happened before I was made, of course. The scientists never brought it up to us, but Zakar‘s ears picked up on it with sharp precision. We pieced together the facts, and we slowly figured out they had no way to leave this planet.
Like the beings they designed, they were stuck. They weren’t happy about it either.
Many relay calls to Earth were rejected by the spotty network. The calls that went through were met with hesitance.
NASA couldn’t do a damn thing about it. They were beholden to their donors, a massive defense contractor industry that refused to risk profit over human life.
After years of trying to come up with a good enough reason to get them out of there, they found one. The alien subjects escaped. We were a threat to their weapons project. If we won this fight, trillions of dollars in investments would be destroyed.
They’d lose everything.
Naomi lives in fear, but I was born in it. Decay is all I’ve ever known. But I’ve always welcomed death, if it ever came.
The one thing I’ve never done is sacrifice for another. I wouldn’t do that for Zakar. Hell no.
If it ensures that Naomi lives, I would sacrifice for her.
She paces the starship control center, running her hand across the broken tablets and computers. Quietly, she examines the trinkets that the earlier scientists left behind. There is sadness in her eyes, but she must understand my side. I never killed any of them, but they were not good people.
They knew what program they were signing up for. They had paramilitary training and everything.
“How could someone sign up for a program so cruel?” she asks.
“I don’t know,” I reply.
“What I don’t understand is why they sent us. We weren’t trained for combat. Only Fassbender was taught how to do that,” she says.
I take a deep breath. “I haven’t told you everything,” I confess.
She steps forward, concerned by the mystery. “Tell me,” she says.
“You aren’t ready,” I tell her.
I’m worried that the fear will spread. I’m worried that, if she finds out the entire truth, she’ll shut down. If that happens, we’ll both die without experiencing what our bond has created.
Our child…
“I’m fucking ready,” she says, hurt.
The truth will sting a lot more. But just because it’s coming from my mouth, doesn’t mean I was the one who fashioned this. I don’t want her to hate me.
I decide honesty is the best policy, so I come out and say it. “Your crew was chosen because you were easy to manipulate,” I say.
Her face turns red, and she turns away. I can tell I’ve hurt her more than ever, but she will most past this. Once she sees what they have done, she’ll find her strength again.
She has to find it…
“Now you’re just being mean,” she says.
“Planet Avalon wasn’t discovered, Naomi. It was chosen,” I say.
She turns and looks, eyes red from roughly edging her knuckles against her tear ducts.
I continue. “It was chosen by Earth to be terraformed,” I say.
“But that technology doesn’t exist. They’re trying to develop it, but I can’t tell you how many articles I’ve read about how the technology is far too advanced for us to understand,” she says.
I fix my eyes on hers. She knows I wouldn’t lie to her. “Tell me, why are there no animals?” I ask.
“I—“ She cuts herself short.
“They built a planet that could house life. Microbiology. Whatever life they wanted to design. They could have left the planet alone, but the accomplishment wasn’t enough. Humans wanted more. They craved control. After all, if they could create life on other planets, others would be able to, as well. Soon, they would be overrun with competition,” I say.
There would be intergalactic war, unforeseen catastrophes, and death by the billions. In a way, I can see why they went the extra mile with this mission. But it was at the expense of their own people.
And me.
I step forward, stroking her shoulder. She’s tense.
I say, “They wanted to build a weapon, the perfect soldier they could use to do their universal bidding. They called the new project Earth Federation. E.F., as they often referred to it as in reports, would invade and colonize planets, decimating any civilization that stood in their way. They are the gateway to the next crusades.”
“You still haven’t explained why they used us,” she says, sniffling.
“They would leave you behind. Once they took us back for testing, they would use you to make more of us,” I say, bending my head toward hers. “They didn’t know the extent of the damage. They thought there might be other survivors, hiding. But there are not, and Fassbender doesn’t know what he’s gotten himself into.”
She turns and hugs me, but after giving me a few seconds of warmth, she pushes away. She’s tormented by this, and I know why. It’s a hit to the heart, a devastating car crash one can’t come back from.
If your own planet is against you, can you really pick up the pieces and move on?
“I don’t believe you,” she touts. “Maybe they designed and tortured you. Maybe you were made to be their secret weapon. But Earth wouldn’t take the risk to colonize other planets.”
She’s not listening, so I move around her, toward the run-down console. If her ears won’t believe it, maybe her eyes will.
I tap the power on a small tablet, the only one to run. Although the video cuts in and out, she can hear enough of it.
A general stands before a camera. Instead of looking stern, he appears excited, even happy.
He clears his throat and begins speaking:
Welcome to Earth Federation. If you’re watching this, you have just landed on Avalon. She is a work of art you can enjoy at once. If you are worn out from a hard day, try relaxing for a day at the beautiful, private beaches. Perhaps you need some time to yourself? Go hike the tallest mountain in the region. There is much to do and discover on planet Avalon.
Hands planted firmly behind his back, the man clears his throat again.
So, let’s get down to brass tacks, shall we? We have discovered a cluster zone of life, hundreds of light years from Earth. From what our intelligence has gathered, there are complex life forms. Aliens. Yes, I know how difficult it must be to hear, but we have assigned you to this project to create a bio-weapon. In time, we will perfect this weapon, and before all predecessor nations, we will use variants of this weapon to attack and control the galaxy. You are the first team to build a path toward victory.
There’s more, but Naomi quickly shuts it off. “Okay, I get it,” she cries.
Colonization. That’s been the game from the start. Whoever controls the land gets the resources. Once you have those, you can make demands.
“I didn’t know it was this bad,” she says.
“They hid it from everyone on Earth,” I reply. “And even if they hadn’t, there was nothing you could do. I don’t understand the concept of money, but I do understand power. Those who h
ave it crave more.”
Zakar…
Fassbender…
Earth Federation.
She falls back into my arms, weak and trembling. Recanting her words, she whispers, “There’s a part of me that always knew. I was selfish. I wanted to leave Earth so badly I turned a blind eye to the possibility of failing this mission. I never thought I would ever be involved in something so...”
She swallows.
“So evil?” I ask.
She nods. “Yes,” she states. “I’m a lot of things, but I’m not evil.”
Evil exists on the peripheral of one’s imagination. It comes to you when you least expect it. The most vulnerable are the ones who claim to be good.
She has claimed no such thing.
“You are not evil,” he says. “You were hardly given a choice. You did what you had to do. Human authority does not reveal its intentions until long past their crimes are put on display.”
She shakes her head, smearing tears against my chest. “But I could have done more. Days ago, when we landed, I had the chance to stop Fassbender. I sensed something was wrong. I could have alerted Hugh or Roy, or even the captain. But I didn’t. I kept it to myself.”
She is thinking about this too much, which is exactly what I worried about from the start.
“None of that matters now. You need to move on from what you cannot control,” he says.
I can give her all the advice in the world. I’ll never understand what it’s like to be in her shoes. I’ll never know how it feels to be betrayed by my own kind.
My own kind does not exist. There are other versions, but they are all lab-made mutations. I guess that makes me a freak, too.
I stand down, feeling depressed for the first time in ages.
Naomi’s eyes are glittering with tears. “Don’t you get it? I can’t control anything. None of it. But if let myself accept that truth, it means turning my back away from the universe. It means giving up to chaos,” she says.
I hold her as she spills more tears. It’s been a hard day. A sad day of revelation. I’ve had many of those, but never under these circumstances.
Initially, I wanted her because of a primal hunger, but my desire does not stem from the same depths as Zakar’s subconscious.
I wanted her because I so desperately wanted to be free of this world and the dark mark that humans gave to me. I thought by taking her, I could find freedom.
I wasn’t wrong.
But that very idea had me chained up more than I was willing to admit. I never wanted to hurt her. I never wanted to see her this broken.
Now that I have her, I can’t let her go, emotionally, physically, or mentally. What binds me in further is the idea of leaving Avalon. Where will we go?
Will Earth welcome a freak like me with open arms?
I stroke and pet her hair. “You hold a lot inside that heart of yours,” I say.
“Yeah, well, there’s a lot I haven’t told you either.”
I kiss her temple. Her scent holds me like a mother to child. “Forgive me,” I say. “I’ve told you so much about me. I haven’t given you a chance to tell me about you. Tell me what happened to the people in the photograph you dropped.”
From my chest, she glances up. “Do you really care?”
I lean forward, nuzzling my nose against the side of her head, breathing her in. I place her hand against my chest. Heart thumping, I say, “We are together, now. You feel this?”
She exhales and nods, scared but ready to let me in.
“This is real,” I say.
“There was a car crash,” she says. “We were coming home from Sunday lunch at Susan’s Diner. Dad used to call it Sunday Funday. I used to hate that. This time, though, everything was a little different. You know, just odd… Everyone was quiet, and I just remember having this feeling of absolute love. I was just so happy to be alive with the people that raised me.”
She hesitates and wipes more tears. I can’t cry. I don’t have the tear glands. But I’m listening and hanging on to every word she tells me. “I was going through a hard time, I guess. I was young and afraid. School was a nightmare,” she says. “But at that stupid diner, I was just in awe of what my parents made.”
She swallows and looks at me with the utmost earnestness. “And then my dad set his coffee down on the table, said we had to go. That was that,” she says.
“You don’t have to say anymore if it hurts,” I say.
She shakes her head. It’s okay. She wants to keep speaking. “My little sister died that day, too,” she says, hanging her head. “I’ve never told anyone that. Not Roy. Not Hugh. Definitely not Fassbender. Even before this mission, I kept it to myself. She became my ghost.”
“I’m so sorry,” I say.
She rocks against me. “She’s not in the photograph,” she says. “It was taken before she was born. But I kept it anyway. It was my punishment. I didn’t protect her. I couldn’t keep her safe.”
Events happen in chaotic fashion. There is no rhyme or reason to why things exist, but the effects of every event have long lasting implications.
They constrict our souls.
“You are stronger than you know,” I say.
“I tried to harden myself with these missions. Every award I received for my work was another nail on my cross. I used to think to myself, if I just do one more, I can finally get there. But I’m not hard. Deep down, I’m soft.”
I hug her close, make her feel protected, and then I let her go. “I know who you are,” I say. “Hard or soft, I like every bit of you. You are deep and caring. Your strength, believe it or not, knows no bounds. You traveled across the universe. Who else has done that?”
“Yeah, I traveled across the universe just to fall apart,” she says. “Can’t you see? I’m broken, Turin. You’re falling for someone who is a total mess.”
“I love a good mess.”
I expect her to have an epiphany and leave, but she does the complete opposite. Coming back to me, she takes off her shirt. She glides her hands up my chest and kisses me.
Tongues rediscovering, I feel her goodness sweep into me.
Maybe I can be like her. Maybe it’s not all for nothing.
“I want you,” she says. “Forever.”
“I love you,” I say.
I didn’t know what that phrase meant until now. It’s something connected with the beat of the heart, the rhythm of the body that allows one to flow outward into the universe. It’s a freedom, but it’s binding oneself to another.
It comes with its own sorrow as outside forces threaten its sanctity.
No, I won’t let them have her. No matter how many fleets Earth Federation sends our way, I won’t let them. I need this feeling in my life.
I finger her pants button, edging it through the hole. I unzip her and pull.
“I want you,” she says.
“I need to put another child inside you,” I grunt, cock growing.
But we don’t have all the time in the world. Those outside forces I was talking about? They’re all around us.
If we let desire get in the way, we become targets.
Heavy healed footsteps echo from the entrance. We both freeze and look at one another.
Stationary, I motion to let her know I will check out the area.
The footsteps stop.
I slither through the long, dark corridors, listening for any sign of Zakar. The entrance bay has a new set of muddy footprints.
“Human,” I growl.
“Hands where I can see them.” A voice. A mealy, weaselly voice.
I turn. The man is shaken. “Captain,” I say, grinning.
He can barely hold the gun, he’s so scared. “I said, stand down!”
Taking the risk, I inch toward him. As soon as he takes one step back, he stumbles.
I grab the gun, mid-air, and crush it into two pieces.
“Don’t kill me,” he whimpers.
I laugh. My biology urges me to kill him, but this lov
e that I found allows me to think through these desires.
No, I won’t kill him. I might need him.
Behind the trembling, crying, and begging captain is Naomi. “Halloway? Is it really you?” she asks.
He twists and lets out a terrified yelp. “Naomi, you’re alive,” he says.
“I have kept her safe,” I say.
He looks back at me, sees my body. His eyes trail down, until he stops and gasps. My cock is a sight for sore eyes.
“Oh, no. Naomi, no...”
The look on his face is priceless.
Ten
Naomi
Sweating profusely, the captain wipes his face and gulps on a mouthful of saliva. He looks sickly. “Let me get this straight. You two are… you two had… you two...”
“We fucked,” I say, crossing my arms. “And it was the best sex I’ve ever had.”
We also talked and connected in a way I never thought would have been possible. It was possible, and now my entire worldview has shifted.
The captain is not going to fuck this up for me.
“I’m assuming an alien doesn’t use protection,” he says.
“Stop berating the woman,” Turin growls.
Turin starts for him, but I hold my arm out to block his steps. This is my annoying battle to fight.
“I will be honest, Captain, we don’t have a lot of time to discuss this before Zakar or Fassbender come looking for us,” I say.
“Fassbender,” Halloway whispers, shaking his head.
“What about him?” I ask.
“When he took hold of my crew, I ran. It was cowardly, but it was the only choice I had,” he says.
“Get on with it.”
“I went back to the starship to find out the truth. Roy fixed the network. All the documents are on display. It’s so much worse than we thought, Naomi. Earth has betrayed us,” he says.
I inhale and lick the edges of my lips. “We know,” I say. “Found out about Earth Federation yesterday.”
“Fucking defense contractors,” Halloway curses.
“There’s nothing we can do about that. We just have to get off this planet,” I say.
Alien Breed: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance Page 8
