Page 8 of Doom

She shook her head and gave me another once over. “Nope. Definitely not bad. But … hmmm. You’re male, right?”

I burst out laughing, while her cheeks turned scarlet.

“Wow, I totally didn’t mean to ask that.”

“It’s okay,” I said, still chuckling. “You can ask me anything. If it is too sensitive for me to answer, I will tell you as much. Otherwise, I have no secrets. And yes, I am a male. We all are. Our creator made us very similar to your males. The ‘parts’ you’re not seeing are shielded behind a reinforced plate, and a thick layer of scales. I could part them to show you, but somehow, I believe you’d rather I didn’t.”

To my surprise, instead of squirming with embarrassment, and despite her crimson cheeks, Victoria didn’t shy away and held my gaze.

“As a medical doctor, I would certainly be fascinated to learn more about alien biological and physiological similarities and differences,” she said with poise. “But as the current timing isn’t quite ideal, I’ll have to take a rain check on that.”

“Acknowledged,” I said teasingly. “May I ask where you are headed?”

“If they haven’t moved him yet, Andy should be right around that corner,” she said, pointing with her index finger. “Our van with all the supplies we’d gathered was also stuck over there.”

“Let’s go check it out,” I said, gesturing for her to lead the way.

Stran rolled ahead, eager as always to get a first stab at any potential action. My scanner showed no enemies in a one-kilometer radius. That didn’t mean they weren’t cloaked or using a disruptor as they were doing with the humans.

Victoria cleared her throat. “So … hmmm, your people don’t wear clothes?”

I chuckled and looked down at myself. “We normally do,” I conceded. “Black t-shirts and pants, or our black Vanguard uniform. But not when we go into battle. They would only get wrecked when we shift into battle form.”

“Vanguard?” Victoria asked.

“The military force that I belong to. My brothers and I are Xian Warriors. We’ve been genetically engineered specifically to combat the Kryptids.”

“By a human?” she asked, dubiously.

“Yes.”

“So, our governments knew about you guys all along?” she asked, flabbergasted.

“No,” I replied, shaking my head. “Dr. Liang Xi was secretly approached by the leaders of the Intergalactic Coalition since his revolutionary work on genetics touched on many of the issues the original scientists couldn’t solve while trying to create us.”

“Are you saying this Coalition abducted him?” Victoria exclaimed.

I chuckled again, charmed by her fiery personality. “No, Little Red. He was asked, and he came voluntarily. As a scientific mind, wouldn’t you seize such an opportunity of a lifetime?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Victoria said, scrunching her face.

As expected, we found no enemies when we turned into the street Victoria had indicated; nor could I see her friend anywhere. A white van was stuck on what appeared to be a toppled-over concrete divider.

“Dammit,” Victoria said, crossing her arms over her midsection, as if to hug herself. “They’ve moved him.”

“Don’t worry. I’m sure we’ll find him among the others.” I gave the van an assessing look and scanned it with my armband to evaluate its weight. “Does it still run?”

“It did when I fled, but I couldn’t get it over that thing,” Victoria answered, pointing at the divider.

“I’ll fix that,” I said, wanting to both help and impress her.

I marched towards the vehicle with resolute steps, reveling in the intensity of her stare. Hooking my hands beneath the front bumper, I lifted the van sufficiently to be able to push it backwards over the obstacle. The damn thing was ridiculously heavy, especially with the stockpile of supplies in the back. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have attempted it without the assistance of one of my brothers. However, I was in full courtship mode, and failing now would subject me to a humiliation I refused to even contemplate.

I put the vehicle back down, my muscles screaming bloody murder. But, with my pride intact, I straightened and turned towards Victoria. I suppressed the urge to puff my chest as she gaped at me with awe.

“You are every shade of badass,” she whispered.

My mind went blank for a second, then I cast a confused glance at my rear, wondering what might be wrong with it. Had I smeared it with Kryptid blood or dirt? My head jerked back towards the little human when she burst out laughing.

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