by Elin Wyn
My temper snapped like the end of a whip. Was I wrong for thinking he would care? There’s no way he didn’t understand how important this was.
I felt like I was missing a vital piece of information. I hated that feeling.
“Right,” I said crisply. “I just thought you’d like to know. I’m sure General Rouhr is expecting an update.”
“Let me worry about that,” he replied, looking at the lab equipment rather than looking at me. I bristled.
“Actually,” Rael interjected hesitantly. No doubt she could sense the sudden tension in the room. “When you do message your general, will you pass on my request to send you and Leena to Fraga with prototype scent bombs? Once we make them, of course,” she added with a wink in my direction.
“Shouldn’t you be asking me?” Axtin said, lifting his brows in arrogant surprise.
“Does your general ask before he gives you an order?” Rael quipped.
I liked her even more. Spending time with her made me miss the relationship Mariella and I had when we were children. We were always different, she and I, but we were always on the same side.
Now, I felt like no matter where I stood, Mariella placed herself as far away from me as she could. Chemical warfare I could handle, but the problems between me and my sister were outside of the realm of my control.
“I’ll pass along your request,” Axtin said curtly. “However, it will be in person when I deposit Leena back on the Vengeance.”
“Excuse me?” I blurted.
“It’s safer for you,” Axtin explained. “And for me. I can handle whatever is in the forest. I can’t keep track of you and ensure the scent bombs don’t explode in our faces.”
“Absolutely not,” I said through clenched teeth. “This is my project. There is no way in hell I’m letting you take that from me. The only way the bombs would go off is if you were being careless—oh, wait, that’s your natural state of being.”
My words were spilling out before I could stop them. His indifference hurt me. But right now, I couldn’t afford to be hurt. I constructed a wall of ice around my heart. That was the only way to ensure I wouldn’t lose focus, that I would stay in control.
I was not going to give him the satisfaction of knowing he upset me.
But there was another reason why I needed to go to Fraga—there was a Quake station between here and there.
Many Quake stations were operated and maintained by the university. The computers here weren’t linked up to a larger network, but the computers at the Quake station would be.
I had thought that there would be a way to create a connection in Duvest. But every method I tried to access my research failed when I attempted to connect to the university network.
If I could access my university network...there was a chance I could recover my research on my genetic illness.
I’d like to see Axtin try to keep me from it.
“Leena is qualified and authorized to handle the bombs,” Rael interjected once more. “My apologies, but we can’t allow anyone else to handle such delicate cargo.”
Axtin wanted to fight her on it. I could see it writhing in his mind. But before he could start another argument, I spoke up.
“Why don’t you go do your job and keep your general informed? I have a lot of work to do. I’d appreciate it if you stopped distracting me,” I said icily.
Axtin worked the muscles in his jaw before storming out of the lab.
What the hell was his problem? I bet that this was a little game he liked to play. He liked to seduce women just to leave them hanging. I bet he got off on watching them pine for him.
Well, not me! This was how I wanted it to be in the first place. I didn’t even want him to come with me.
He was wild, dangerous, and unpredictable. He had no place in a lab, and he had no place in my life.
8
Axtin
I woke up with a groan. The cot they gave me to sleep on was, by far, the most uncomfortable thing I’ve slept on in a very long time—and I live on a damn battle cruiser.
I couldn’t believe she dismissed me like that. What the hell gave her the right to dismiss me so abruptly? All I wanted was for her to be safe—couldn’t she see that?
I got up, and instantly regretted it. That damn cot.
My back was in pain, but I knew that a few good stretches would clear that up, so I put myself through a decent workout before I decided I needed food.
I grabbed a bite to eat from their cafeteria and ingested one of the most tasteless meals I’ve ever had.
Humans have no idea how to spice things. I need to teach them how to make a proper meal one of these days.
After eating, I asked around for Leena, but no one knew where she was. They knew where she could be, but not where she actually was. They said she was in the lab with Rael, they said she was in the manufacturing room, they said she was visiting with the mayor…she was everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
I was worried about her. Was she blowing me off? Was she angry with me?
So be it.
Let her be angry, I didn’t care. Things were better for both of us if we didn’t get involved. Her own kind would never accept her, me, or us, so it was just better to let it go.
I needed air.
I headed back into the city, intent on getting my head cleared and my mind right. The lab was located up a hill away from most of the city, and I took advantage of that height. I looked around the town, soaking in what I saw.
Duvest was a true manufacturing town. Many of the factories were located on the outer edges of the town, with warehouses nearby. Meanwhile, all the shops and businesses were located more to the center, with people’s homes spread out everywhere.
Some people lived close to the warehouses and plants they worked at. Others lived above their shops. Then there were the neighborhoods out to the east.
If the Xathi were to attack again, they would attack the homes, drawing the people out into the open, making them easier to capture.
I hesitated. I didn’t want to go into town because I didn’t want to be around the humans—but I didn’t want to be here, either.
Stop being weak, I thought to myself as I took in a deep breath of the morning air. It was cool, clean, and had a hint of moisture in it. It was nice.
I headed down into town, trying to stay in the sector with all the shops and parks. They were still repairing and rebuilding some of the damage caused by the last Xathi attack weeks ago, but they seemed to be in good spirits—until they saw me.
Conversations stopped as I passed by. People made a point to move away from me, and even in those that didn’t move, you could see their discomfort.
I wanted to tell them I was safe. I wanted to tell them that I wasn’t there to hurt them—I was there to help protect them.
I wanted to, but I kept my mouth shut. They wouldn’t believe me. All they saw was a big man with green skin and lots of weapons.
And that scared them. Rightfully so. I could break most of these people in seconds, and they knew it.
I tried to clear my mind, stealing Vrehx’s breathing technique. As I walked around, I paid little attention to the people around me.
They were the cause of my anxiety. They let their prejudice against the unknown run them, something I couldn’t understand, not anymore. We had been a prideful race, believing ourselves better than all others.
Then the Xathi came. They devastated us, they embarrassed us, they killed us. If it wasn’t for Rouhr and the others who taught us to put aside our hatred, we’d be an extinct race.
Without realizing it, I had wandered into a small park at the center of town. There were several families there, most of them with children.
The mothers grabbed their children. The few men there stood between me and them. They looked scared. Then, as several of the men took hesitant steps forward, I felt a little hand pulling at my leg.
It was a little boy, looking up at me with wide eyes filled with wonder.
>
“Excoos me, mista. Why is your skin gween?”
I chuckled. I was actually happy. I knelt down next to the boy. “What’s your name, little warrior?”
“My name is Chucky. What’s your’s?”
“Hi, Chucky. My name is Axtin.”
“Astin?”
“Yes.” I smiled. This little boy was fearless. “To answer your question, my skin is green because that’s a normal skin color for my people. See,” I leaned in to whisper, “I’m what your parents call an alien. I’m not human.”
“You’re not hooman? Wow!”
The wonder on his face lit up my day. He turned towards the others, still standing there waiting to see if I was going to eat this little child or not.
“Mommy. He not hooman! He a aliem. He said his name Astin. Can I play with him?”
His mother stepped forward, slightly pushing one of the men to the side so she could get by. She had an infant strapped to her chest.
She looked at me, and I watched her visibly struggle to find her voice. “Are you here to fight those bug things?”
I nodded. “Yes, I am. They destroyed my people, and I’m trying to make sure they don’t destroy yours, either.”
“What will you do to my son?”
“Nothing.” I looked down at him and smiled. “He’s a brave little warrior, and I would be honored for him to teach me how to ‘play’.”
Another of the women spoke up. “Why are you armed?”
I stood up, smiling at Chucky as I did. He grabbed my hand and started pulling me towards the crowd. I didn’t fight him.
“I was warned that some of your people might not be very welcoming to me, and I’m making sure that if the Xathi—the bugs—attack, I can fight back and protect you.”
My non-threatening demeanor and the fact that Chucky was holding my hand seemed to loosen their tongues. The questions began pouring in.
Where did I come from? What was I? What are the Xathi?
Why are they here? Why are they attacking? What do they want from us?
How do we stop them? When are you leaving? How do we fight them?
I spent maybe three hours answering their questions as Chucky showed me how to play.
It made me feel like there might be a chance for me to be accepted, for me and Leena to be accepted.
As the families began to leave to go about their days, I said goodbye to Chucky, who tried to hold on to my hand for dear life. I smiled at him and told him I’d see him again. Only then did he let me go.
I actually missed the little warrior. I started walking around the city again, feeling good about myself and the potential for good relations with the humans.
I was in a jovial mood. Would that it would have lasted. The city was busy, there were people walking the same direction as me, there were people getting out of my way and flashing me dark looks, but I wasn’t letting it bother me.
I just thought about Chucky and his little smile, and things were fine.
Except for the human following me. I probably wouldn’t have noticed them if they had just kept on walking whenever I looked back. But whenever I looked back to see what was behind me, I kept noticing one person that was trying to duck out of sight.
Fine, so I was being followed. Let them follow me.
I wasn’t hiding anything. I wasn’t threatening anyone. I wasn’t even trying to look menacing.
I bought some food using some of the local currency that Leena had given me. I smiled, said thank you, and went about my way. It tasted better than breakfast. Significantly better than breakfast.
What did they call it? Currywurst? I loved the spices, the taste. And the meat that was used was fantastic. Very tasty. Maybe these humans did know how to cook.
I was still being followed as I enjoyed my meal. I wanted to turn around, find my stalker, and confront them, but I thought better of it. I didn’t want to cause a scene around all these other humans.
I made a turn down another street where the foot traffic was light, almost non-existent. The few people that were on the street looked at me in wonder but kept walking, leaving me be.
I shrugged. Not everyone was going to be nice like Chucky.
As I passed by an alley, I heard something. I stepped back, looked, and my blood instantly boiled.
Two men were assaulting a woman, trying to take advantage of her. Yelling to get their attention, I rushed down the alleyway, scaring them off. I spent a few seconds making sure they were gone, then turned back toward the woman.
She looked a lot like Leena—short and blonde—and she looked terrified.
“Don’t worry. I won’t hurt you,” I said. “And I won’t let them hurt you, either. My name’s Axtin. Is there somewhere I can help you get to?” I tried to dial up a soothing, calming voice.
But she pulled back from me, called me a monster. I stood up straight and shook my head.
“Really? I’m the monster? I wasn’t the one trying to hurt you, but I’m the monster”. I shook my head. “Do you need help or not, female?”
It was her sudden smile that told me I was in trouble. “No. You’ve helped me enough.”
She pointed something at me and pushed a button. Some sort of liquid sprayed out, and srell did it burn!
Then I heard the attack. Someone jumped on my back. I felt a pipe strike my left thigh, another pipe hit me in the arm, all while the person on my back pounded on my head.
I had no choice. I had to fight back. I wasn’t going to let myself be killed or hurt by these idiots.
So, I fought back. I reached back and grabbed the one on my back and flipped them off of me. There was a nasty crunching noise and a high-pitched scream of pain.
I could barely see, but I could see enough. The shadow to my left swung their pipe again. I got my arm up in time to block, then back-handed them away.
I turned my attention to the other one with a pipe and was hit on the back of the head with a glass bottle. I let the rage go. I didn’t hold it back anymore.
When I came back to my senses, I watched as my attackers ran away, dragging and carrying their partners with them. I had enough. I was bleeding, I was bruised, I was uncomfortable.
Okay, fine, I was in pain. I started heading back to the lab. No one bothered me, no one came up to me. I just walked.
I was maybe a block away from the lab when I noticed the sounds of footsteps behind me. Lots of footsteps. I stopped, turned around, and saw a few dozen people headed my way.
When they saw me turn to look at them, they began yelling, cursing, and chanting at me. They called me a murderer, a beast, a monster, said it was my fault.
I knew I couldn’t deal with them, so I turned back around and continued to the lab. They were still behind me when I got to the steps leading up to the doors of the facility, only now they numbered over a hundred, some of them armed.
Just as I was starting to approve of these humans, these srell destroyed it.
Where were the Xathi when you needed them?
9
Leena
The entire staff was elated when Rael and I announced that we’d fixed the equation. I bet it was the best bit of news they’d gotten in months. Everyone was eager to have a part in creating the chemical mixture for the scent bombs.
I know that any scientific venture required intensive collaboration, but I never considered myself much of a team player.
I was comfortable with Rael now. I would have been happy just continuing our work together without bringing in anyone else. I didn’t know if they were even qualified for this kind of work.
However, time was of the essence. It would take considerably longer to develop the stabilizing agent and incorporate it into the compound for the scent bombs with only two people working.
I let Rael choose the people she trusted most to help us. Rael stopped me as I was tugging on gloves and hunting down a pair of goggles.
“I was thinking you’d have a more supervisory role in this,” she said in a gentle tone th
at made me almost certain she meant something else.
“I’m the most qualified,” I protested, keeping my voice even. “This is why I was called out here in the first place.”
“Yes, you are the most qualified,” Rael agreed, though I could see the hit her pride took for her to admit that.
I almost felt bad for feeling smug. I’d worked my ass off to make headway in my field, forgive me for being excited when I was recognized.
“Which means you are the least expendable,” she finished.
“Are you saying the others are?” I asked, taken aback.
Rael winced.
“Everyone here is valuable,” she amended. “But we have to think long term. If our calculations were even slightly wrong and the compound became unstable, losing you would be a far deadlier blow than losing some of the others.”
“And do the others know about this?” I asked, dreading the answer.
“They were eager to help! Who am I to stand in their way?” Rael said with an unsettling smile. “Watch them carefully. I don’t want any accidents. It’ll be up to you and me to prevent them, so we don’t have to risk losing anyone.”
“That’s profoundly fucked up,” I muttered. “Of course, I’m going to keep an eye on them. I don’t want anyone getting hurt in my place.”
“Then there isn’t a problem,” Rael said sweetly.
Rael and I closely monitored the rest of the lab staff as they tried to create the necessary stabilizing agent. So far, they were all extremely competent. I guessed that many of them were students, maybe even Rael’s.
If we lived through this, each and every one of them would get one hell of a recommendation from me.
Long after I lost track of time, one of the lab techs gasped. I hurried over, convinced something had gone wrong.
“What is it? Are you hurt?” I demanded, quickly checking the tech over.
“No,” she said, a smile stretching across her face. “I did it!”
“You made the stabilizing agent?” I asked, almost not believing her.
She nodded gleefully.
“Did you take notes on how you did it?”
