by Lia Nox
He reached for my cheek again, any anger he still had that my arguing with his orders forgotten, temporarily at least. “You will be careful,” he insisted.
I nodded, throat dry. “I will.”
“Alright little one,” Talos said. “Down you go.”
The vines cut into the backs of my legs and under my arms where the guys had tightly knotted me into the harness. Maybe this was a bit of Roth’s displeasure coming out. But I'd be able to move enough, be able to sling the loop they'd made in the second line under Kern’s arms.
I hoped.
Foot by foot Talos and the Roth lowered me. I tried to keep my hands and feet from touching the wall. Even if another tremor didn't come, it wouldn't take much to trigger a mudslide.
Don't think about it, Mouse, just one job to do right now.
So I stayed still, tucked up in my harness, as Kern’s body grew closer.
Finally, close enough that I could see the rise and fall of his chest. The ice around my heart loosened.
Lower still.
“I'm here,” I called up. “I can reach him.”
Slowly I wound the loop around one arm; his body limp, heavier than I'd imagined.
Shit.
I couldn't reach the other arm. It was twisted under his body. I'd have to put my weight on the ledge, hope it would hold us both just long enough. Carefully I brought my foot down, curled my toes in for purchase and swung myself over Kern.
“Come on big guy, wake up. Be all right,” I muttered while I pulled and tugged, finally freeing his arm and sliding it through the loop.
Now, just to get it over his head.
Oh crap. And his horns.
You would think I wouldn’t have forgotten about the horns.
You would think that after less than a week on an alien planet I would be still pretty aware of everything that made everything around me alien.
But my guys had become, well just my guys. And their horns were just a part of them. And now they were going to be unpleasantly inconvenient part of them.
It took three times as long as I’d expected to work the loop over his shoulders, and gently over his horns before I was sure he was safely caught.
“Alright,” I called up to Talos, holding the line. “Give it a tug.”
Slowly the line went taught, and then millimeter by millimeter, Kern’s torso rose from the ledge.
“It’s working,” I shouted. “Go on!”
His legs swung over the edge, and it began to crumble.
“A little faster guys,” I called up, trying to keep my voice even.
For a second Kern hung almost entirely off the ledge and my heart stopped. What if I hadn’t done it right? What if I hadn't gotten the loop around him, what if he slid free?
And then there was no time for thinking because the ledge crumbled and before I could even get the scream out from my throat who were both hauled up, out of the ravine and onto the flat ground.
Talos ripped the vines from me and held me tightly. “You will not be doing that again,” he said.
I wrapped my arms around his waist. “Only if I need to.”
He grunted. I decided to take that as acceptance.
I turned away from Talos’ broad chest to see Roth kneeling over Kern’s form.
“Will he be okay?”
“Soon enough.” Roth reached into his pack and broke open a small vial under Kern’s nose.
Slowly he coughed, until he rose to a half-sitting position, balanced on his elbows. “What, what hit us?” Kern groaned.
Roth snorted. “From the size of the lump on your skull, I'd say a rock got you right at the base of the horns.”
“A boulder, maybe,” Kern argued. “Right.” He took a deep breath, then another, then staggered to his feet while Roth watched, waited. “I’m ready,” he announced with just a wince. “Let’s get going.”
Roth
I called a halt to our march far earlier than planned, almost as soon as we were out of the quake-devastated area.
“I’m fine,” grumbled Kern.
I glanced at Erin, her face looking tired and pinched.
“Actually, I really do need to sit,” Kern said loudly. “Erin, can you look and see if the bump is getting bigger?”
“You big baby,” she teased, leaning over where he’d perched on a low rock. She gnawed at her lower lip. “It’s going down, actually. Almost entirely healed.”
“I don’t believe it.” Kern swung her into his lap. “Let me check your eyes.”
She giggled, and I relaxed a bit.
Kern would be fine by morning. We all healed quickly, and it had only been by an odd stroke of ill-luck that anything had managed to crack his thick skull.
And Erin, well, she’d get stronger. Until then, we’d keep things easy.
A kind of sweet peace I’d longed for, but never identified, swept through me. As if wind could blow through the skin. Looking at her, smelling her, these were all delights I’d never imagined before meeting her.
“I’m going to head out, check the perimeter and see if I can catch some dinner,” Talos said quietly.
“I’ll keep an eye on things here,” I agreed, then clasped his shoulder as he faded into the brush.
Chances were good we’d never talk about this afternoon. But I know he’d been as terrified as I.
We could have lost him. Lost her.
Erin laughed at one of Kern’s jokes and her voice touched me deep inside.
But we didn’t.
I smiled, turned my thoughts to gathering wood. Focusing on the simple tasks, making the branches into small kindling, I grounded my mind and settled my body.
I’d heard about drugs, in whispers and rumors. I’d never really understood. I might, now. Her scent seemed to slither across my skin, from feet away. She sat joking with Kern yet her delight lived in my fingers as if we still shared each other’s embrace.
Holding back was one of the hardest things I’d ever had to do. I knew we needed food, fire and rest. The aching between my legs knew nothing of the urgency of survival. It wanted to be sated and the rest of me wished nothing more than to indulge it.
I broke a few sticks into light pieces and set them, striking a spark at the bottom of the pyramid. The flames moved up through the twigs and caught. I watched the budding fire carefully to ensure it wouldn’t go out.
Kern told her another joke, gesturing and bobbing his head. She laughed, possibly more entertained by his antics than the joke itself. He’d been talking quite rapidly and there was no way the translator could be keeping up.
As I listened, I looked about the camp, watching for Talos. Hopefully he hadn’t gone far to find food. Keeping our needs met had become increasingly harder, but with luck he’d return with a decent feed.
Kern and Erin, still laughing, moved closer to the fire. Erin looked appreciatively at my small pyramid of flakey wood and the flames leaping within it.
“How did you do that?” she asked me, leaning over my shoulder.
“I just scraped my knife under it, on the rock.” I replied.
She vocalized something that sounded like ‘badass’ and then a string of short words. When I cocked my head to the side, she let out that ringing, full throated laughter I’ve learned to love.
“I’m sorry, Roth. Did I talk too fast for you?”
“A little, yes.”
“She said, you’re a badass, Roth.” Kern grinned at me.
“Bad. . .ass?” The combination of words made no sense to me, even though I understood them in a rudimentary fashion.
“I’m so sorry, Roth,” she giggled. “I know that must be confusing for you. Sometimes in our human language we put bad words together to mean a different thing. Sick is a good one.”
“What do you mean, ‘sick’?” I asked her with alarm. I couldn’t stand it if she became ill.
She shook her head emphatically. “No, I’m just using it as an example. We could say ‘fully sick’ and it means something good. Or
we might say ‘you sick bastard’ and it means something worse than physically ill.”
“So, what is this ‘badass’ then? I feel very confused, with human ways as well as language.”
“I’m sorry, Roth! It means good. Very good. Like a superhero.”
Now my horns were hurting from my facial contortions.
“You’ve lost him now,” Kern laughed.
“I am not lost,” I protested lightly. “I am right here.”
They laughed like a pair of rogue scavenger animals on the kill. I poked the fire, adding more sticks to it.
Erin leaned on me and wrapped her hand around my arm. “Roth. I mean, you are excellent. Do you understand?”
I nodded slowly, loving the compliment but still sure I was missing something.
“Even with the implants, it’s amazing that you’ve picked up my language. There’s a lot of phrases that probably don’t make a lot of sense. There are a lot of variables. You’ll get there, Roth.”
She stayed clinging to my arm and I moved back into a sitting position so that I could pull her over to me. She snuggled under my arm comfortably, brushing back her flaming hair as she leaned.
Kern smiled as he took over the job of building the fire. I appreciated that he wanted to give me a few moments with Erin.
Having her pressed up against me while the memory of her lingered under my fingertips was maddening. Yet the thought of letting her go is unthinkable. I realized I would do almost anything to keep her by my side, even if all I would ever have is the sweet torture of suggestion.
My life has always been one of calculation and action. If I was always the swiftest to act, then I ensured my own survival. To fall into retrospection, to contemplate patience, made me a stranger in my own mind.
Erin shifted by my side, her smooth body touching mine briefly. As she moved, her scent rose around me and I could think of nothing but the pleasures of her body.
She looked up at me, arm closing around my waist. Her golden eyes crinkled and closed as she smiled up at me. “You look serious, Roth.”
“I am not aware of an alternative,” I answered slowly. Her smile widened as she reached up to me. I let her pull my face down for a kiss.
“No, I mean, what are you thinking about? Sometimes on earth, we’d say, ‘a penny for your thoughts’.”
I frowned, fearing she would think me a fool, but I had to ask. “How would one use this penny to retrieve thoughts? Can they be taken directly from the mind?”
She laughed gaily and looked to Kern for backup, but he looked just as confused.
“Oh, really? You too, Kern? Wow. Okay, no, what we mean is, a penny is an antique thing, used to be the lowest of currency. And we’d like to pay you something for you to tell us what you’re thinking.”
“But why would one pay for something freely given?” I still didn’t understand.
“Well, that’s the point! Your face is all heavy with the thoughts, but you don’t speak them. Offering the lowest form of currency is part of the joke, I think.”
“I get it!” Kern did a little hand wave, “Your thoughts aren’t worth much!”
“Yes.” Erin smiled at him indulgently. “That’s one of the facets of the joke.”
“Facets?” Again, I thought the communicators must have broken down.
“Pieces. Pieces that fit together.” She cuddled even closer, smiling up at me. I was grateful for her patience.
“Anyway, are you going to tell me?”
“Tell you what?”
She giggled as she watched Kern stoke and build up the fire. “Your thoughts, big guy. What are you thinking about?”
“I’m thinking about Delia.” I narrowed my eyes, looking over the nearby horizon. “I’m thinking about her team. What it says about the state of the world and the Masters. I’m thinking. . .maybe they just want us to believe they are gone.”
“Interesting theory, Roth.” Kern stabbed at the fire, adding more wood as it blazed up. If Talos managed to bring back food, we’d have no trouble cooking it.
“Very interesting.” Erin hugged herself closer to me, looking small and scared. “If they are still around, what do they want with me?”
I pulled her closer, very happy she would cling to me for comfort. “I’m not sure they even know who you are, Erin. The Masters are powerful. These games are their way to ensure their power. It is just that Delia arriving here in a similar way to you suggests a plan, a continuation.”
“Yes.” Kern snapped his fingers, an annoying gesture Erin taught him. “If the Masters were truly gone, why would we have more visitors?”
“Indeed,” I agreed. Something felt wrong about all of this.
“Maybe it’s not the Masters at all. Maybe it’s just another fucking dumping ground,” Erin whispered softly. “We’re good at that, us humans. We throw out so much trash we can’t make room for it anymore. Then we start tossing it in someone else’s backyard.”
“You think the Masters have gone?” Kern asked her, frowning. “And humans are dumping other humans here, because no one will care?”
She nodded, staring across the plains in the same direction as myself. “It’s common in our history. If we have too much garbage—either actual trash or just people we can’t find a use for, we dump it anywhere there is room. Just so long as we don’t have to look at it anymore. I should know, I’m part of that trash, and scavenging through it was what saved my life.”
I felt her sadness, pulling her close to me. Kern looked affected as well. The idea that anyone could throw away a treasure like her was difficult to contemplate.
I hoped Talos would be back soon, and that he managed to hunt something decent to eat. A bit of warm food in our bellies would make us all feel better.
Talos
I moved through the underbrush silently, placing my feet strategically. Avoiding fallen branches and twigs, I walked like a shadow whose purpose was one of blood. My eyes were wide and alert, and I was ready to strike at a moment’s notice.
Still, there was nothing.
While before this region had teemed with wild creatures, it seemed that all life had decided to pack up and leave. Much like Axar and his team meant to do. I wasn’t sure if staying on this planet was the right call, even if Delia could find a way, but what else could we do?
Even if the Masters had grown silent, we weren’t prepared to leave what we liked to call our hunting grounds. In a wicked way, this place of punishment had become our home, and neither I nor the guys wanted to jump ship and abandon it.
I took a deep breath and cleared my head, pushing on my thoughts until they burst like small bubbles. If I wanted to return with some food, I needed to pay attention to what was around me here and now. Thoughts of tactics and strategy would have to wait until our bellies were filled.
A barely perceptible noise had me standing to attention. The sun was already starting to dip below the horizon line, a warm orange making its inexorable way past the thick foliage of the woods, and that was enough for me to notice a small animal scurrying through the woods. In the distance, its small shape beckoned.
I held my breath and closed my eyes, listening to every move of the creature. It wasn’t running away from me, as its movements were sporadic and slow, so I figured it was simply looking for some food. Barely did the poor creature know that his mission was a futile one—before night fall, it would no longer need sustenance. . .because itself had become food.
When it finally stopped moving, the rustling of leaves giving way to a kind of heavy stillness, I finally crouched and started making my way between tree trunks and overgrown bushes. The creature, a furry animal no larger than my forearm, sat close to a massive tree trunk as it nibbled on some roots. Like most prey, its eyes were on the side of its head, but it did not notice my stealthy approach.
Bending over, I felt the ground with the open palm of my hand, smiling as my fingers brushed against a smooth rock. Grabbing it, I held my breath and then took aim. The rock flew in a
straight line like a speeding bullet, closing the distance between me and the creature in a fraction of a second. It struck it on the base of his skull, and his body went limp as all light flew from his eyes.
Grunting my approval at what I had just done, I stood tall and, no longer concerned with silence or stealth, made my way toward the furry creature. I grabbed it by the loose skin around his neck and, strapping its body to my belt, started making my way toward the improvised camp where Erin and the guys waited for me.
A few minutes later I stood at the edge of the clearing draped in shadows and hidden from sight, and took in the scene in front of me for a few seconds. Erin sat on a log close to the fire Roth was building, and Kern was sitting next to her, talking fast and making her laugh. He was probably telling her all the stupid jokes he remembered, although I wasn’t sure if she understood any of them. Kern could be funny at times, but I didn’t know how well his humor would translate.
The scene had me smiling, though. Our life had always been grim and brutal, our survival depending on how much pain we could inflict on the enemy, and Erin was slowly starting to change our team’s dynamic. It was if she had breathed a new energy into us, or given us something to look forward to that didn’t involve blood and death.
For that, I was thankful.
“I brought dinner,” I finally announced, stepping into the clearing and throwing my prey toward Roth. He grabbed it midair and held it in his hands, a look of mild disappointment showing on his face.
“This one’s skinny,” he said, although there was no judgement in his voice. We had hunted small creatures like the one in Roth’s hands, and they had been fatter and more healthy-looking than this one. Whatever was going on with this planet, it was affecting the balance of the ecosystem. “But more than enough. Good job, Talos. Anything else to report?”
“No,” I shook my head. “It’s hard to find anything in these woods. Life is fleeing the region. That poor creature was probably going hungry already. My blow was one of mercy.” Even though murder was part of our genetic makeup, I had always had a deep appreciation for life, especially that of docile creatures devoid of sharp intelligence, one that was often employed brutally. I relished the fire of battle, yes, but a hunt for food and survival was something I merely tolerated as a necessary fact of life.
