“What would you have had me do?” Jet said in anger. “Let the alligator eat me?”
Giving her a hard look, Richter didn’t bother to answer.
Unfolding his arms, he turned away, walking towards the door to the main corridor. After the slightest pause, Anaze got up to follow him, giving Jet another sympathetic look before he averted his gaze and headed out the door.
Jet just stood there until Laksri motioned his head towards the same corridor, coiling his tail around her arm gently to urge her along. Although it wasn’t really him she was angry at, Jet found herself jerking from his touch, her mouth hard.
“I can walk myself!” she snapped. “I don’t need to be led like your pet dog.”
The Nirreth looked taken aback.
An instant later, he also looked a little bit sad.
He retracted his tail without protest, watching her face as he waited for her to head for the door. She didn’t, though. Instead she stared into the trees of the underground garden, wishing more than anything she could be alone, or back in the skag pits, even.
Anywhere but here.
When she still hadn’t moved after another minute, Laksri stepped closer to her again. He didn’t try to touch her, but watched her face carefully with his speckled eyes.
“Hungry?” he said finally.
She gave a low snort, wiping her face angrily with a hand. “So you’re going to coax me out with food, now? We do that with dogs too, Laks.”
“I am hungry,” he said only.
Looking at him, her arms squeezing tightly at her chest, as if to hold the anger and whatever else inside, Jet was forced to laugh.
“You’re like a walking stomach, Laks,” she said, but it didn’t come out harshly that time; instead, her voice was almost a snort as she wiped her face again.
“You hungry, too?” he said, venturing a small smile. “Blowing up command ships. Killing water lizards. Taking prisoners. Lots of swim. This did not make you hungry?”
“Swimming,” she corrected without thought. “Lots of swimming, Laks.”
Thinking about his words, Jet snorted again, even as a small amount of anger left her chest in a longer breath of air.
“And yeah,” she said. “Maybe it did. Maybe I am hungry.”
She didn’t move immediately though.
After a long pause, she let out another sigh.
“Is he right, Laksri?” she said, looking at him. “Did I blow it? Should I have stayed on the surface? Tried to rack up a few dozen points against the cullers, then let myself die?”
Laksri returned her look seriously.
His dark eyes grew still––as still as a pond in the dead of night.
“I do not know shoulds or not-shoulds,” he said, inclining his head to the left. “I know he is worried. Richter. He thinks maybe someone here knows about us. About him and me and we brought you here. Maybe they recognize me, I do not know, but he does not like it. He feels responsible for you. I know it does not seem so, but it is true. He worries maybe he puts you at risk. Big risk, I mean. To be killed in Rings, maybe… to be killed on purpose.”
Cautiously, he wrapped his tail around Jet’s calf, stepping closer.
That time, Jet didn’t shove him away.
“I worry, too,” he added.
Jet didn’t answer, but his words stumped her, at least until he smiled.
“But Richter,” Laksri said. “He is stupid, too.”
“Stupid?” Jet smiled back, in spite of herself. “How do you mean?”
Laksri shrugged, tightening his tail on her leg. “You are survivor. It is not in you to let yourself die. Not even in the Rings. You would try to win. It is your nature.”
Jet frowned, thinking.
Was he right? She didn’t have a good answer for that.
She found herself thinking about the first thing Laksri said, about Richter.
The idea of Richter giving a damn about whether she lived or died frankly hadn’t crossed her mind, not even once.
When the Nirreth just stood there, waiting for her answer, Jet let out another long breath, conceding defeat, at least for now. She was too tired to figure out how she felt about any of it, much less about Richter.
“Okay,” she said. “I’m hungry. Let’s go make Richter pay for our food.”
Smiling at her words, Laksri nodded, but that other look never left his dark eyes.
24
A Night Out
Laksri stung her twice before they left his room for the restaurant.
As usual, he took the shot before he did it.
Jet didn’t bother.
She hadn’t taken one of those things since the first time, when she discovered it didn’t actually help her. It just made everything kind of cloudy and made her less aware of her surroundings.
They’d figured out in the days of training leading up to the match that Jet did better when she got stung without the drug.
In fact, her best trial scores had been after being stung, but about two or three hours after, so the strongest effects had time to wear off, but she still had the venom-clarity, and shared a residual connection with Laksri.
They left for dinner early.
With all that had happened since she got up that morning, Jet had forgotten that the match itself was only four hours long, and it started at eight o’clock in the morning. Even with all of the reporters’ questions, and her time in the dressing rooms and showers, their debrief, and getting stung, she’d been finished with everything before three o’clock.
Since dinner wasn’t until four, and would take place in an eating establishment outside the Royal Palace walls for a change, Jet asked Laksri to show her more of the Green Zone city.
They took one of those sailboat-like trolleys.
Jet forgot everything else, even Laksri, as she looked around at a city she’d only glimpsed once, right after getting off the culler ship with Richter. Even with the clarity and the calmness of the venom, her brief tour through the streets felt strange, and confused her feelings even more around where she was, and what she was doing here.
Not only did she feel oddly free, walking around, but something in being outside the Palace, in the regular wash of Nirreth life, made her realize how much she’d missed this, growing up in the skag pits. Something familiar lived in the peaceful walkways of the tree-lined streets and being surrounded by fully-functional and non-burnt-out or bombed-out buildings. Despite the differences in the Nirreth style of architecture, everything about living like this felt strangely familiar.
She realized after they’d been walking for a while that she’d never been to a living city before. All the cities she knew, outside the Green Zone walls, were dead.
She’d never walked around so many modern buildings that were still being used for the purposes for which they’d been designed.
She’d never seen so many people on the streets, either, whether Nirreth or human. She’d definitely never seen so many who looked so relaxed and happy, and unfraid of some outside threat. She watched them stroll through the gardens and along the streets, laughing with one another, sharing observations and stories, hands and arms and tails touching or even wrapped around one another as they walked.
They looked contented.
Like normal people anywhere, just living their lives.
Jet envied them for that, even through the venom.
Her musings were interrupted before long, though.
Mainly by having people recognize her.
As they reached the area nearer to the city’s center, the surreptitious glances and stares increased, until soon they seemed to come from every other set of faces.
Before long, Jet found herself fielding more stares than she’d ever faced in her life, and saw a lot of Nirreth tails swishing in interest once they recognized her or Laksri, or both of them. At one point, as they neared the restaurant itself, they even stopped so Jet could sign autographs outside one of the parks.
A handful of human children
ran up for her autograph, too.
The whole thing struck Jet as surreal.
Once they entered the exclusive restaurant, everything felt different again.
Despite Richter’s mood when he left the conference room, he was waiting for them when they arrived, and wearing clothes Jet had never seen on him before.
Instead of his usual outfit of a homespun shirt under a combat vest and armored pants, he wore a V-necked tunic and fitted jacket over dark green pants that hung on his legs as though they’d been made for him.
Jet stared at him briefly as he rose to his feet, noting that he’d also showered and shaved, and that his hair had been cut, even the gold streak in back. That same gold streak looked brighter than it had earlier that day.
He wore jewelry, two rings on his index fingers and a thin cord of a necklace with light brown stones that perfectly matched the color of his eyes.
Seeing the look on Jet’s face, he arched an eyebrow at her.
“Falling in love with me yet, kitten?” He smiled as his eyes roamed down her critically. “I see Laksri didn’t waste any time.”
Grunting a little, he shrugged, as if letting it go. He sat down as Jet and Laksri did, with Jet between them on the curved, cushioned bench.
“…I suppose that’s not such a bad thing tonight,” he muttered darkly.
“Meaning what?” Jet had gotten used to being stung by then, and the question came out slightly sharp, even through two stings. “Why tonight?”
Richter gave her a flat look, not answering.
In that pause of several seconds, however, she saw the mask on his face drop briefly, leaving a nearly pained expression in its place.
Then, the moment ended.
He looked away, taking a longer draught of Nirreth beer.
“Bad news, kitten,” he said, his voice low. “I just found out from a highly reliable source that your room is under surveillance. Meaning, his…” he added, pointing subtly at Laksri with the hand clutching the Nirreth beer. “…Including his bedroom.”
Jet stared at him. Her mind felt a lot clearer all of a sudden.
“When?” she said finally. “For how long?”
“A few days.”
“So they know Laksri and I––”
“There’ve been questions, yes. None too serious, as of yet.” Richter gave Laksri a hard look. “Apparently you two lovebirds have been snuggly enough that they aren’t openly suspicious yet. Just a bit puzzled. But they’ve read the infrared signatures, so there’s enough there for them to think it’s likely an anomaly… something to do with kitten’s first Rings match today.”
“But that excuse won’t hold for long,” Jet said, finishing the thought.
It wasn’t a question so much as a statement of fact.
“No, kitten,” Richter said, that grimmer expression returning to his face. “No. It won’t.”
“So you think Laks and me, we should have sex tonight. Is that it?”
Next to her, Laksri made a kind of choking sound where he’d been taking a long drink of Nirreth beer. He’d been so quiet up until then, and it was such an unusual sound coming from him, Jet gave him a puzzled look. Through the hyper-clarity of the two stings, she found herself studying the light flecks of his expressive eyes.
Then Laksri averted his gaze.
On her other side, though, Richter was chuckling.
“…Think you just gave our Nirreth friend here a heart attack, kitten,” he said, his voice holding more of that darker humor. “And probably a massive hard-on, too. Am I right, Laks?”
Laksri gave him an openly irritated look, his dark lips pulled back subtly to bare his teeth.
“We can’t take this machine out?” Laksri said, looking away a few seconds later. Avoiding both Richter and Jet’s eyes, he took another drink of the Nirreth beer, still speaking through gritted teeth. “This surveillance. Why is it still there, if you confirmed this?”
“We need a pretext, first,” Richter said, his voice openly annoyed, as if he shouldn’t have to explain that part. “You know how these things work, Laks.”
“We could stay somewhere else tonight,” Laksri suggested. “Say it is for celebrating.”
“Where?” Richter said. “All the hotels and common residences have surveillance, too.”
Laksri gave Jet an uncomfortable look, adjusting his back and tail on the bench.
“What’s the matter, Laks?” Richter jeered, his voice holding more of a bite. “Haven’t you shown her all of your equipment yet? Afraid you might hurt her?”
The Nirreth hissed at him, an open threat that time. “I will not force her.”
“Sting her enough times, you won’t have to,” Richter said with a shrug. He avoided Jet’s eyes when he added, “Hell, I practically had to force the two of you apart the other day. I doubt it’s the only time either of you have thought about it.”
Laksri didn’t answer, but looked at Jet.
The fingers of his long hand closed over her thigh, but something in the gesture still felt more protective than otherwise.
After another pause, Laksri let out another low hiss, but that one sounded and felt more like a sigh.
“What do you say?” he said, looking at her directly.
Jet stared at him, then at Richter.
Thinking about his words, she found herself nodding slowly, feeling this less than she thought she would.
“I say, if Richter’s telling the truth, he’s probably right,” she said finally. “About what we have to do, I mean.”
“If I’m telling the truth?” Richter said, his voice holding an open amusement.
“If you are telling the truth,” Jet repeated back at him, looking into his eyes. After another pause, she glanced back at Laksri. “It’s okay, Laks. If there’s no other way… it’s okay. For me, I mean.”
Laksri frowned, leaning back on the padded bench.
Taking another drink of beer, he shook his head perceptibly, his dark eyes scanning faces in the room.
“It is not how I wanted this to happen,” he muttered finally. He glared at Richter, his dark eyes like chipped obsidian. “We should have asked her before. Before I stung her.” His voice held an open accusation by the end.
If Richter heard it, his face and voice betrayed no indication.
“Jet’s a big girl. Aren’t you, Jet?” he said, patting her arm. “She knew the score on this, as soon as we told her the sleeping arrangements. Didn’t you?”
After another pause, Jet nodded slowly.
“Yes,” she said. “Yes, I did.” After taking a breath, she added, “I’ve never done it before, though. With a human, either, I mean. Will that matter?”
That time, it was Richter who nearly spat out his drink.
“What?” he said.
He stared at her as if she were a ghost.
“Didn’t Anaze tell you?” she said.
“No.” Again, Richter’s eyes briefly turned disturbed. “No… he didn’t.”
He looked like he wanted to say more, but after a moment of seeming indecision, he shut his mouth, staring out over the same stretch of dining room where Laksri’s eyes had been trained. Jet glanced around them too, then realized something else.
“Where is Anaze?” she said.
When Richter didn’t answer, taking a longer pull off the beer, Jet found she understood.
“He knew about this.”
Again, it wasn’t really a question. Jet nodded to herself, watching Richter’s face.
“He didn’t want to be here when you told me,” she added.
“Look, kitten…” Richter began.
Right then, a tall Nirreth approached their table.
Richter had been bent towards her, his face inches from hers, his voice holding that curiously strained note it had when he first told her about the surveillance… but when he saw the muscular Nirreth standing there, he straightened at once, his face all smiles.
“Come to check out our girl, Trazen?” he said, his
voice holding the flavor of a taunt.
All trace of his previous agitation disappeared, leaving only a faint smile and the same arrogant laugh.
“…I suppose you’ll throw both barrels at her next time, eh?” he smirked, taking another few swallows of beer. “Get her back for making you underestimate our lowly human female?”
Jet’s eyes swiveled to the Nirreth standing there, seemingly on their own.
It was shocking, seeing him this close.
She stared up at him, at his strangely handsome face, the muscular build. She found herself remembering the first time she’d seen him, with Ogli by the canals. Jet had assumed the Ringmaster was scolding the young prince, but she’d watched the Ringmaster be kind to him, too, even holding his hand as they walked around the gardens.
Jet saw none of that kindness in his face now.
The Rings operator smiled faintly, folding muscular arms over his broad chest.
Trazen was built more like Laksri than most of the other Nirreth she’d seen since being at the Green Zone. He was clearly a fighter. Even his tail looked like pure muscle where it lashed behind him in dangerous arcs. He looked to be a few inches taller than Laksri; his chest and arms were also bigger, more like those of a boxer, or someone who did a lot of weight lifting.
His long face had two of the largest, blackest eyes Jet had seen on any Nirreth so far. Gold flecks stood out like jeweled stars, as did the pale gold ring around the rims, which was unlike anything she’d seen on another Nirreth. His long jaw still struck her, along with the symmetry of his features.
It was just so odd, that face.
Be careful how you stare, she felt through Laksri’s warning fingers. He will take it as arrogance. You already beat him. And he knows we know this game was not so “easy” as Richter pretends.
Jet lowered her eyes, moving instinctively closer to Laksri.
He wrapped an arm around the middle of her back.
When Jet looked up next, the muscular Trazen had a more genuine-looking smile on his lips, one that carried the faintest air of suggestiveness. His eyes looked her over in that silence, but that time, his appraisal carried more of a knowing quality; it also seemed to soften somewhat in his eyes.
The Complete Alien Apocalypse Series (Parts I-IV Plus Bonus Novella): An Apocalyptic, Romantic, Science Fiction, Alien Invasion Adventure Page 42
