Page 26 of Invasive Species
ARABELLA
I stepout of the shower and wrap my hair in a towel, giving it a twist and flipping it over my head. Feeling tingles along my fingers and toes, but even I can tell the hot water boiler is struggling again. Sadly, I can't get a plumber in to fix it, because, well, aliens, and it's not that bad yet. I mean, I go swimming in frozen lakes, a little lukewarm water won't kill me, although it would be a good idea to warm up. A mug of hot chocolate will do the trick, and I'm already salivating in anticipation.
As I finger comb my wet hair, I glance toward the single pane windows behind the curtains. It's making a racket, the whole thing rattling in the slightest breeze. How do the aliens stay warm out there?
A single crack rings out across the yard. What the fuck was that, the shelter falling down? I fling open the curtains and rub the condensation off the bathroom window, squinting.
The lean-to is still standing but Gara stands with his back to me and seems to be holding it up, arms raised right to the roof. Dom, Arik and Nevare stand around him outside the lean to in the drizzle, and the pilot’s inside, hunched away.
Well, they don’t look like they’re panicking about the shelter. I’m about to turn away when one of the triplets pulls back his arm like he's holding a baseball bat one handed and is going to hit a home run. He's holding something; as he swings, a thin blue light flashes across Gara’s back. The crack sounds again, but this time, the noise stabs into my chest as Gara arches back, face locked in a silent scream.
What the fuck are they doing to him?
“Stop,” I croak. They can’t hear me, of course, because not only am I inside a building but my voice is so quiet even I can’t hear it very well. Shock, this has to be shock.
Snatching Ellen’s dressing gown from the back of the bathroom door, I stagger to the stairs, flinching at each crack behind me. Shit, shit, I have to hurry. Bile stings my throat as my stomach turns. Why can’t I go any faster?
My fingers scrabble at the locked front door, twisting the key and yanking and pulling at the tight door. Another crack echoes and I yelp as if I’m the one being whipped.
With a backward heave the door finally springs open, shuddering from the force, and I dash out into the rain. My bare feet slap on the cold gravel as I race the blue light to Gara’s unprotected back. The blue becomes so bright it's blinding as I close in, and then I run into Gara.
Green floods my vision, first dark like the forest underfloor before morphing into moss-like viridian, and his strong arms band around me as the flash of blue light hits us. The crack is so loud my ears ache, but worse is the sizzle afterwards, followed by the scent of burning flesh.
He holds me to his chest exactly as he did outside the rocket when the bot attacked, and I can’t help but let out a sob against his reassuring bulk.
“Arra-bellah?” His rough voice scrapes my ears. “Are you hurt?”
“I… no, I don’t think so. Are you?” I tip my face up to check him over.
He caught the blue lash on his forearm, holding it away from me. He looks down at me, eyes unfathomable.
The alien lowers his arm, steam rising from a gash on his forearm. There’s no blood, probably because it’s cauterized immediately, and a rush of red rage batters my chest.
I spin around, glaring at the three much bigger aliens ringing us. The pilot has got up too, standing to one side staring at me, so I face off against the pack.
“What the hell are you doing?” I hiss at them.
The one with the blue light-whip drops to his knees on the sodden gravel. “Female, I did not see you until it was too late. My life is forfeit.”
“Argh!” I’ve had it with this shit, but where do I even start? Gara’s the only one who talks some sense.
I tug his arm, the one that wasn't wrapped with a whip. “Are you okay? What’s going on, what do you need?”
He blinks at me, rain running down the planes of his chest. “My nanites will heal the wounds shortly. This is an internal matter, the Parthiastocks need to do this.”
“Is this some kind of hazing? They don’t need to hurt you. Aren’t you their de-facto leader for now?”
His shoulders slump, defeated. “Yes, but Parthiastock clones are law keepers, and I’ve broken Olorian laws.”
“What laws?”
His eyes drop. “Talking back to a female.”
Talking back to… Shit, he’s being punished because ofme. I know I pushed him too far this morning with those other changes, but while it was upsetting, I didn’t wantthisas some kind of restitution.
Raising my arms as if to block Gara from their view, I glare at the hulking triplets. “Do not hurt each other, understand? Olorian laws don’t apply here and, while Ellen’s gone, I’m incharge of the farm and Gara’s in charge of you lot. Understand?”
The middle one bows his head with a smile like I made his Christmas and birthday come at once. “Yes, female.”
