Page 8 of Captured By the Scaled Outlaw
I gasp, crawling toward the stork who scurries away the moment I move. I spin around on my bottom, Lowell’s stature becoming even more intimidating. Nevertheless, a smile paints my face as relief fills me with joy.
“They’re still alive! Oh, my Goddess!”
“No thanks to you,‘Lead Scientist, ’”Lowell grumbles between gritted teeth.
I drop my smile and glare at the mass of scales. “If Nilsan illegally dumped any chemicals into the soil,Iwould be the one to know. Both the Land Surveyor and Project Lead Scientist analyze the chemical makeup as a first step. Or did your spies not tell you that?”
As a tally, the chemical makeup of the Misya Swamp soil had been tested three times, one of them by a completely separate party.
Lowell is full of shit.
His jaw ticks, a vein above his eye pulsing. “Quit acting naïve. You’re not fooling me.”
“Naïve? You’re the one spouting drivel about some ‘poisoning’ that no one proved,” I rebut. “You’rethe ones setting fire to construction sites, scorching the earth, blasting civilian homes to pieces, andwreaking havoc on resource supply chains, not me.”
The metal landing shakes as Lowell stomps closer, staring down his snout. “Your allegiance to the city would be admirable if it wasn’t stupid.” He palms the top of my head, twisting my neck so that I’m forced to take in the full view of the man-made habitat. “Look around, May. Is Nilsan doing anything like this, with all that money they have?”
As Lowell releases me, I take a sweeping glance over the area, not only to satisfy his command but for my own interest. I hate to admit it, but the preservation work Gaia 4has done in such a small space and little tools is impressive. We are still in the desert, but in this little slice of swamp, it feels like I’m halfway across the continent.
Lowell’s right, to some degree. I could only dream of doing something like this in Nilsan. Their motto of “Progress above all else”didn’t always align with my personal goals.
“You’re breeding the storks, judging from the abundance of nesting material. Do you plan to reintroduce them to Misya Swamp?” I ask, sensing Lowell’s intense gaze.
“We’ve already reintroduced them into the small patches of fertile ground. Pieces of land youmissed.”
I pinch the side of my mouth, a twinge of pain searing where his claws pierced.
He sure is insistent on his theory, but I know for a fact that it is total lunacy. What he suggests Nilsan has done is a major treaty-breaking crime against the allied nations. Nilsan is far from perfect, but they would never risk an alliance so thoughtlessly. Hence the previous Director’s quick dismissal.
“Have the new generation of storks accepted Misya Swamp as their home? What do they eat, now?” I ask, watching as the storks sprint across the mud, flapping their wings.
The corners of my lips twitch as the sight brings forth an old memory. Grandma and I spent hours squishing the sand fleas that infested thestork’s feathers when it rained. I still have scars from their powerful bills to prove it.
“If humans are going to pretend to be gods, we might as well act like merciful ones,” she’d say.
Lowell’s grunt snaps me from thoughts, and he folds his arms over his wide chest, his tail swinging behind him.
“They’re eating Mudskippers, just as they always have. We cultivated a strain of moss that aids in Mudskipper health and reproduction.”
I unintentionally make such a dramatic, shocked face at that Lowell’s eye twitches in annoyance.
“Wow, that’s… incredible,” I say below my breath. “How do you have the equipment or facilities to do this?”
“We stole stuff, obviously,” he says.
I suppose I should have guessed that one.
Gaia 4’s progress is nothing like I’ve seen before. Although their tech is archaic, it produces results. It makes me wonder what else is possible, if anyone else would bother to try a similar design with Nilsan’s budget.
Maybe the deserts would be less barren.
“For terrorists, I’m impressed,” I say begrudgingly, crossing my arms to mirror Lowell’s defensive posture.
“Your praise means nothing to me,” he deadpans.
I sigh. “Okay, Lowell, so I’ll ask again: Why am I here? You certainly didn’t drag me here by my hair to show off your little habitat and to remind me of my past failures.”
Lowell’s nostrils flare at my attitude, his pupils dilating.
