Page 2 of Scars & Starlight
Gotcha.
“You’re alright,” I say, gasping for air as my lungs work like a blacksmith’s bellows. “You’re okay.”
I pull the crying girl up, struggling to make my legs obey while she clings to me like a barnacle. I don’t know, maybe I’m too old for this shit. Shootouts with aliens, saving kids from a certain death, not knowing whether this hour or the next is my last one. I miss the days when I complained about not having enough paid vacation days.
“Stacy!” Melinda, the little girl’s mom, screams, running across the yard to us.
“She’s okay,” I croak, too quietly for the woman to hear me. When she reaches us, I transfer the child over and usher the two to a nearby bunker entrance.
Rather than joining them in safety, I stay outside to watch the two alien species fight each other, wondering what’s going to happen to our outpost when it’s over. While the bulky aliens massively overpower us and outnumber the other aliens, they’re losing this battle fast. I sweep my gaze over our battered courtyard, seeing that the original threat is all but neutralized. Will the newcomers then turn on us?
A familiar scream tears at my heartstrings.
“Micah!” I shout, looking for the little boy I thought was safe below by now. When I spot a small, prone body, I lose all sensation in my feet. This is all my fault; I should have looked for him as soon as Stacy was safe. A massive alien looms over the boy, obviouslywanting to finish the job. I don’t even stop to think it through, think about whether there’s even anything I can do. I start marching toward the son of a bitch who targeted a defenseless child.
Before I can reach him, one of the other aliens, the one wearing the darker armor, creeps in behind him. He hovers and places his hands on each side of the brute’s helmeted head. Awhoomphof energy being expelled reaches my ears before the massive alien collapses. Ignoring the one who killed him, I drop to my knees and place my palm on Micah’s cheek, turning his head to me.
What I see makes me whimper. His eyes are already dilated; the first sign of infection.
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper, my fingers clenching over his bloodied gray hoodie.
“Am I… going to see my mommy and daddy now?” the boy asks, the words a low, sweet murmur.
I squeeze my eyes shut and feel my tears fall from my face onto the boy’s.
“Yes,” I answer with a hollow voice. I let go of his hoodie and reach for my weapon, my fingers patting my empty holsters. When I remember that I lost all of my weapons, I start sobbing. This boy doesn’t deserve to suffer. I’m looking around for something to use when I feel a gentle pressure on my shoulder. Once I realize it’s the alien in the dark, glowing exoskeleton, I startle.
If the similarities between our species go beyond the general shape, this alien is clearly a male, his long body muscled, his shoulders broad. With a firm, but non-threatening tug, he pulls me off Micah. The alien’s head turns to me, and I can vaguely see my own reflection in the screen-like visor that covers the front of his head. He places his hand on Micah’s chest without looking away as if he’s asking for my permission to do what I can’t. A sob catches in my throat, and I look at the boy one more time, like I need to convince myself there really is no other choice. He’s murmuring soundlessly, his eyes already blind to his surroundings.
“See you later, sweetheart,” I say, then lean back on my heels. Inod at the alien, though I’m not sure if he understands the gesture. Regardless, he spreads the fingers of his hand on Micah’s body, and the samewhoomphas before sounds. The boy’s body twitches once, and then his eyes close.
My shoulders shake as I think of the innocent lost life and how much tragedy he had to endure in the short amount of time he was on this planet. When I feel snot running over my lips and down my chin, I raise my hand to wipe it off. The metallic taste in my mouth registers before I see the blood on my fingers. The world’s edges become fuzzy, pressing in on me, smothering me.
The last thing I see is an opening visor and a pair of eyes like two sparkling galaxies.
2
KAIREN
Islide my hands under the unconscious human, not paying any attention to her bloody utilitarian overalls, and lower my visor.
Scan for injuries.
My visor’s display blinks ominously, then shows me a diagram of the human’s body and each injury. SUPERFICIAL CUTS AND CONTUSIONS. INTRACRANIAL BLEEDING.
You should have led with that.
My nanites don’t reply, naturally. They have no sense of humor.
I hesitate for a moment, vacillating between helping the seemingly kindhearted human female and letting her own kind take care of her.
Chances of survival using known human medical technology?
The odds displayed by my exoskeleton don’t put me at ease.
Chances of survival using Avaren technology?
Not perfect, but not barely above zero either. With a sigh, I get to my feet, taking the injured female with me. She’s so small. As her shaggy brown hair falls from her face, I take in the small button noseand rounded lips. She looks like adult humans do. I see faint lines near her eyes and on her forehead. Perhaps her growth got stunted?
