Page 110 of Sky Song
“It doesn’t matter.” Her throat was so tight it hurt to speak. “I don’t care anymore who you are and what you are and why you’re here. Please, say you’ll stay. I can’t live without you, Lyle.”
“Oh, my hearts, I would die for you.” The quiet words floated over the crown of her head into the woods.
And it wasn’t the promise she was seeking.
When they were back home, Cricket busied herself with her neglected house chores while Lyle took a nap, or whatever that thing was called where he closed his eyes and practically stopped breathing, looking like a total corpse.
Cricket’s computer signaled a new message, and she dropped everything to power on her messaging app.
“Dearest,
All is well here on good ol’ Earth. I am still working in Receiving, and old Oske is still a blabbermouth who can’t leave me in peace in the evenings. To the best, of course, but I wish I had you near to talk to.
I was sorry to hear that you had to deal with aliens on Meeus. I hope they didn’t say anything nasty to you - I know how rude they can be. Meeus hasn’t changed its policies on aliens, has it? If people ever forget, let them fly over here and spend a coupla weeks in the City center. That’ll teach them.
But if you say it was entertaining, then good. No, I’ve never met a Gaorz. You beat me! And fancy seeing a Rix on Meeus! Don’t expect them all to look like Simon - his hair is white because of the suffering he endured. They tortured him at that lab, now named after his torturer Dr. Delano. Poor thing. And his hair is always long because this is how Gemma likes it - goes completely against their customs. She has Simon wrapped around her human finger. True, his real name is something else - I can’t recall at the moment - but he goes by Simon with Gemma. Like I said, a complete pushover. He’s nothing without her, so much so that sometimes he makes her worried. Gemma will die of old age long before Simon, and he’s all bent out of shape about it. Well, what did he expect, marrying out of his race? C'est la vie!
Me - I think he’ll croak sooner than he imagines, being as messed up as he is from the experiments. But of course, his opinion of his own lifespan is as overblown as his ego. He usedto command Rix defender missions before the capture, Gemma once said, but not so much now. I guess you could say he’s got a desk job nowadays, part of some important council that fights alien exploitation crimes. Makes sense, wouldn't you say?
Makes sense,Cricket thought as she finished the rest of mama’s letter that talked about her daily life. Makes sense…
She sat back, pensive, and looked askance at Lyle who rested with his back against the wall.
He isn’t Simon, mama,she said in her head trying to convince herself rather than mama who had no idea how deep she’d gotten involved with a Rix.
She couldn't reconcile her imaginary Simon, monster-like, with this man who kissed so tenderly. She was being dangerously naïve.
Lyle stirred. The silky waterfall of his hair obscured his features and softened the effect of his snake eyes when he came out of stasis, confused and lost.
She hated his drugs.
“Mama wrote to me,” she told him as he slowly shook off the stasis. “Simon has long white hair. Isn’t it unusual for your people?”
“Very,” Lyle should have sounded rusty, but instead his voice was simply quiet. “What else did she say?”
“That he goes by a different name among the Rix, but she can’t remember it. And that he used to be a mission commander who’s now part of a council.”
“He’s still a commander. Commander Aeshac,” Lyle said.
Cricket chewed her lip. “I hope mama hasn’t mentioned to Gemma that I asked. If she does, Gemma will confront Simon about it.” Apart from being afraid of what Simon might do, she didn’t want to burden Gemma with their problems. It wasn’t Gemma’s fault that Simon was a dick, even though itwasher fault that she had picked that dick for a mate.
“It doesn’t matter.” Lyle stood up and stretched, more in control of his body, his focus quickly returning, and Cricket’s spirits lifted. Maybe he needed more rest, and that was all. She would make sure he took better care of himself. “Aeshac won’t recall me. He wants the experiments stopped and the genetic material destroyed. And he wants the records.” It was the first time Lyle had articulated his mission.
“Have you ever wondered why Simon - Aeshac - would want the records, if his goal is to stop the experiments?”
Lyle turned his back to her, staring, presumably, out of the window, and said nothing.
“Lyle?” Cricket said in a warning tone.
“I wondered,” he admitted. “And when you said Aeshac has a human mate, I knew.”
“The records are not for the council, aren’t they?”
“I don’t think so.”
“He wants the records for himself. He wants to create the serum under his supervision, for Gemma.”
“We don’t have proof this is his true intent,” Lyle warned her. “And to me, his reasons aren’t important.”
