by A. G. Wilde
Aker’s nose flexed, the round fleshy bits bunching up as he sighed. “There is much to do. Almost all the humans are injured. If you are not busy, we could use your help.”
Ajos nodded and pulled his gaze from Keh-reh-nah. Somehow, his eyes had found her again, despite the chaos in the room.
“What do you need?” he asked as his frown deepened.
“We need help to lift and move the humans. The machines we usually use are out of service. There was a magnetic blast with the explosions. Most instruments are not working.” He looked Ajos up and down. “That human seems comfortable around you. Your presence may calm the others as well.” Aker’s nose moved again—a sure sign he was distressed. The medic looked around the room.
Funny that Aker should think his presence would calm the others.
His gaze moved over Keh-reh-nah.
There was a strange pull to her, a strange energy, and he wondered for a second if that’s why she’d been so calm around him. Did she feel it too? Maybe it had nothing to do with him personally.
Maybe the gods were trying to tell him something else…lead him from this path of penance…
He stopped the thought right there.
There was no other reason.
Yet…
Something was strange…
He didn’t feel nearly the same pressing urge to protect the other humans as he did with her…
With Keh-reh-nah, this strange human female he’d just met, it felt as if he had to protect her and nothing else mattered.
With the others, it was more a sense of duty.
He frowned deeper at this.
This felt like bonding…but he couldn’t be sure.
After all, he’d never experienced bonding before.
Still, that didn’t mean that he wouldn’t do what he joined the Restitution to do.
His duty came first.
Ajos touched Aker on the shoulder to steady the medic, who was now quaking with pent-up stress.
“I am here, Aker. I will assist.”
Alaina's smile grew brighter as Kerena walked over.
"Girl, you look better than all of us and I thought I was lucky."
As far as Kerena could see, the wound on the woman's head was almost healed already—possibly another medical advancement that Earth didn't possess.
"No." Kerena returned the woman's smile. "But, I can admit, I was lucky."
Alaina's gaze drifted to somewhere behind her.
"Does that tall guy have something to do with it?"
Kerena turned to look behind her, and her gaze immediately landed on Ajos. He was standing beside the doctor and they were engaged in what looked like deep conversation.
"Something…" she murmured in answer to Alaina.
"He seems friendly. Friendlier than the others. They all keep their distance from us, like they don't want to spook us, but he's been by your side. Luckily too, or you'd probably be tending a broken arm or something right now." Alaina's grin grew even wider when Kerena's eyes reached her again. "Ugh, I envy you right now."
Kerena couldn't help but laugh. "To be fair, I'd envy you too if you were the only one uninjured."
"Ha! That's not what I'm talking about.” Alaina’s gaze followed one of the fly doctors. “You're the only one that can understand them AND one of them is actually being friendly with you."
Ajos was friendly.
Friendlier than she'd expected him to be. "He is friendly, isn't he." She studied the woman before her. Alaina seemed so unperturbed by it all—a stark contrast to some of the other women in the room.
To Alaina’s right, a brown-haired woman lay looking straight up into the roof, her eyes glassy, but no tears fell down her face.
“Hey.” Kerena made sure her voice was soothing. “Are you okay?”
As soon as she asked, she felt stupid.
Of course, the woman wasn’t okay. None of them were.
The woman turned her head slightly, her green eyes focusing on Kerena.
She nodded, but it was obvious she was holding her tears back.
“I only have a broken arm,” she said. “I was lucky.”
Kerena smiled a little, one of consolation more than mirth.
“You’ll be okay.” She certainly hoped that wasn’t a lie. “What’s your name? I’m Kerena, by the way.”
“Constance,” the woman said.
“Nice to meet you,” Kerena smiled again, “even under these circumstances.”
Constance nodded again and smiled a little too, a note of sadness pulling down her lips.
“Nice to meet you too,” Alaina added.
Kerena’s gaze flicked back to the woman.
Alaina was following everything that was happening in the room, soaking up every bit of detail, it seemed.
"Aren't you wondering what happened back there?" Kerena asked.
"Not, one of the women in the black and white came over and told us not to worry, that it was a bomb but the threat is gone, for now at least."
“They didn’t even seem shaken up about it either,” Constance added, her voice low. “The way they look, it’s like they’ve seen so much shit before, the bombs were nothing.”
She wiped some tears from her eyes as she grimaced while sitting up straighter.
“I’ve only seen that look on the faces of women I work with.” Constance’s face fell. “Worked with,” she corrected herself. “I was a therapist.”
“Well, maybe you’ll have a job here too. So much shit has happened, I’m sure we’ll all need therapists,” Kerena joked and Constance smiled a little.
Kerena looked around. None of those women were there now. Athena was the only one she could see of the four, and she was in deep conversation with the bull-alien by that door with the strange female inside.
Kerena's eyes narrowed.
"Did they say anything else? Like anything about more females being rescued before us?"
Alaina frowned slightly. "No, why? Are there more of us?"
Kerena looked toward that room that held the strange woman.
"I'm not sure. I just… There's a woman in that room. I don't remember seeing her before or after the bombs went off."
Alaina's voice dropped to a whisper.
“So you saw her too?” Alaina asked. “I glimpsed her when I was brought in here. She looks…strange.”
Kerena let out a breath. She was glad she wasn’t the only one who’d seen the woman.
“It is strange,” she agreed.
“Do you think…” There was a note of apprehension in Alaina’s voice, and when Kerena met her gaze once more, the unease was evident in the woman’s eyes. “Do you think something strange is going on here?” Her voice dropped even lower. “The bombs, that woman… What if this is all an elaborate plan to get us thinking they’re the good guys?”
Kerena took a moment to think about it, and her eyes found Ajos once more.
He was helping the doctor with one woman, lifting her effortlessly as the doctor directed him where to bring her.
Alaina could be right, but she wasn’t sure.
The aliens seemed genuine.
Ajos seemed genuine, even if he was a bit strange.
Furthermore, why would the aliens’ plan involve killing so many of their own?
The bombs hadn’t been planned.
She doubted it.
“We have to be careful. We don’t know anything yet,” Alaina whispered. “This is like the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I get overexcited about things but, yea, we need to be careful.”
Kerena nodded and agreed.
Until she knew more about this new world, she had to remain smart and alert.
It was probably also best to stay out of the aliens’ way and keep a low profile.
As the thought crossed her mind, Ajos turned and looked directly at her, as if he’d heard the words in her head.
Their gazes locked and neither of them looked away.
Biting the inside of her lip, K
erena considered the alien.
Something told her that keeping a low profile was going to be harder than she thought.
8
Three days later
Kerena’s head lolled backward, and she caught herself, jerking upright from her position against the wall.
She’d slipped to the floor to rest, not wanting to use up a gurney that might be needed.
Apparently, there was another side to the medical center where they’d placed the aliens that had been injured in the blast—a precaution so they didn’t traumatize the injured humans even more—and resources were stretched.
For days, the doctors had been busy tending to the injured, and now, the med bay was finally quiet and the lights were low.
Most of the females were asleep, and some were resting, but the shock of the bombing had mostly worn off.
After she’d spoken with Alaina that first day, she’d gone off to assist the fly-like doctors as much as she could.
It turned out that most of them were interns and that the main one was called Aker.
Taiq'uds, they were called, from a planet that was caught in the middle of a war between the Tasqals and another more dominant race.
They’d fled with the help of the Restitution on a ship that had almost crashed, and they ended up on the base.
Back on their planet, Aker was a renowned medical expert and as thanks to the Restitution, he was contributing his skills to healing the wounded the rebels brought in.
From what she’d learned, it seemed to be that way for most of the aliens on the base.
In whatever way they could contribute, they were a collective force that fought against the beings that had taken her away from Earth.
So, instead of standing around, she’d hopped right in.
For three days, she’d worked non-stop, helping in the clinic, not taking a break.
Part of it was guilt that she’d been unscathed, another part was the fact she knew this was tough on everyone included.
The work was good, though. It took her mind off things and she could almost imagine she was back on Earth, working tirelessly at the lab.
The only thing was, at night, she didn’t get to go home and cuddle with Cindy.
Instead, she found a quiet corner and settled in with a blanket.
As her head lolled back again, strong arms grasped her, and she was suddenly being lifted.
The scent of fresh winter air filled her nose, and she knew who it was but she was so tired, she could hardly even open her eyes.
She’d overworked herself. Again.
“I can walk,” she murmured.
“Nonsense.” Ajos’ voice reached her ear, and she noted he sounded a bit pissed.
For the three days, he’d hovered around, and whenever she’d caught his gaze, he’d been frowning in her direction.
They began moving and Kerena opened one eye halfway to see where they were going.
They were heading toward the door.
That confused her a bit.
She’d heard earlier that the accommodation they’d prepared for the rescued humans had been destroyed in the bombs and that they would keep them in the medical center till they could figure out what to do.
Most of the humans didn’t want to live in the bomb zone anyway.
Kerena included.
It reeked of death and destruction, and the memory of what happened was too rich.
“Did they fix the homes?” Her voice sounded tired.
“No,” Ajos said. “I am taking you to mine.”
Kerena's eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to protest.
Ajos cut her off. “It is much more suitable than the med bay floor. I cannot stand watching you rest there another night.”
He was being incredibly nice, but she could stay in the hospital for as long as necessary. She wasn’t fussy.
“I don’t want to put you out,” she said.
Ajos grunted. “I don’t intend to be put out. I will be staying there with you.”
Kerena opened her mouth again, and it closed on its own accord.
Was it safe to go off with him? And did he mean that she’d be sharing a room with him?
“You will be safe there,” Ajos said, and it felt as if he read her mind. “I will not harm you.”
His words felt true, but he hadn’t needed to utter them, she realized.
The entire time she’d known him, granted it hadn’t been for that long, she hadn’t once felt unsafe around him.
“Rest, Keh-reh-nah,” he said. “It is a bit of a walk from here.”
Another protest died on her lips as she looked up at the alien holding her close.
Her gaze traveled over minty-teal skin, up his collarbone to his firm chin. He had full lips that were pressed together and the look on his face didn’t change as the door slid open and they stepped out of the medical center.
Ajos didn’t pause but kept on walking.
It was dark, but the night air was only slightly chilly. Still, he walked with haste, weaving through alleys and streets she didn’t know.
Now and then, she could hear the brush of feet around them as they passed other aliens going about their night business, but not once did Ajos stop.
He just kept moving forward, his forehead set in a frown, his lips pressed into a thin line, and those golden eyes of his piercing forward.
It took him a while before he looked down and caught her staring at him, and Kerena noticed that his features softened a little when he realized that she wasn’t asleep.
“We will be there soon,” he said.
“Okay.”
She couldn’t help herself or pull her eyes away from him, and even when Ajos tore his gaze away, she still stared.
This had been a helluva few days.
In such a short time, she felt as if she’d experienced more than most humans ever would in their entire lives.
It was no wonder she was so exhausted, and maybe that exhaustion was clouding her judgment.
Despite what her instincts were telling her, she still needed to keep her eyes open in case anything questionable was happening on this base.
There were a lot of questions she still needed answered.
Ajos stopped walking in front of what looked like a bunker.
It was literally a door set into the rock face, like a hobbit hole but larger.
“We’re here.” As he said this, he pressed his hand on a panel by the door and it slid open.
Kerena turned her head to see where they were going and as Ajos stepped inside, she realized the place was already lit.
It was white. Everything was.
It looked like a room decorated with modern, minimalistic furnishings and there was a lot of space.
The sleek furniture, the walls, the floor…it was such a contrast from the brown of the outside.
“Wow.”
“This is our dwelling.”
As she scanned the interior, V’Alen turned a corner and stopped. His gaze landed on her immediately before moving to Ajos.
“Ajos?”
Ajos didn’t pause. “She is staying here.”
V’Alen blinked as Ajos walked forward and passed him, but he said nothing more.
He was looking at her though and she wasn’t sure if it was because he was a robot or not, but she couldn’t read his gaze.
Was there a problem with her being there?
Ajos walked into another room and the door slid closed behind him. Before long, she was being placed on top of something hard.
Kerena began looking around, and it didn’t take her long to realize that this must be Ajos’ bedroom.
There were two spears against the wall in the corner, another piece of armor like the one he wore hung on the wall, and there was a pair of male boots against the wall by the door.
Apart from the hard thing she was on, there was a singular table in the corner.
This was his personal space, and she was in it.
She wasn’t a virgi
n, but she suddenly felt like one—not that she thought they were about to have sex…or anything.
She cleared her throat at that thought, and when she finally looked at the alien in front of her, she saw him fidget a little.
He too was looking around his space, his frown growing even deeper by the second as if he didn’t like what he was seeing.
“Nice place.” She smiled. “It’s great.” And spotless!
Sheesh, her apartment didn’t look like this even after she cleaned for an entire day.
Ajos’ gaze slid to hers and she glanced around the room again. “It’s certainly better than sleeping on the hospital floor.”
That hard thing that he’d put her on was the only flat surface in the room and she assumed it was the bed, though, it was so hard she couldn’t imagine anyone having a good night’s sleep on such a thing.
Ajos made a sound in his throat and when she looked back at him, he was frowning at the bed too.
It was cold as well, she realized, and she wrapped her arms around herself. It seemed to grow colder as the seconds went by.
“Computer, turn off sleep cycle and adjust,” Ajos said.
“Noted, Commander Ajos,” a female voice suddenly said. It was hardly robotic. It sounded natural. “Settings, please.”
Ajos studied her for a second. “Adjust for the female life-form in my quarters.”
There was a pause before, “Adjusting for the female life-form. Species: human.”
Kerena’s eyebrows lifted. The temperature in the room began rising almost immediately.
“Wow, that’s…” She didn’t have the words.
“I apologize for the cold. It should be perfect for your rest now.”
“Thank you,” she said. “You don’t like it warm?”
Ajos set down his spear and removed the armor that sat across his shoulders. The shirt he wore underneath had no sleeves and his biceps bunched as he moved.
“I am Shum’ai,” he said. “We can only rest if the temperature is low. On my planet, it is not this warm.”
Oh. Of course, he wasn’t from here. He was from somewhere else, just like she was.
“What’s your planet called?”
Now unladen, he turned to face her. “Tonvuhiri.”
Yet another world she’d never heard of before, although, if some scientist had discovered it, they’d have dubbed it something else anyway.
