The Face of Earth

by Kirsty Winkler

  Karina didn’t know how long she had been held prisoner by the Lazarus League, but both times they woke her, their medical staff poked and prodded her to determine if their cryonic experiment was working properly. They wanted to perfect cryonics in order to freeze their dying members until a cure could be found for their diseases. She was their test subject, enduring long periods of inactivity while frozen and short periods of intensive medical examination when awake. The worst of it was, she hated the cold.

  As she became completely conscious, Karina was confused. By this time they usually had her drugged into submission. The man who had checked on her was gone, so she pushed open the polycarbonate lid and painfully sat up, every muscle protesting movement. She looked around. She was in a different room, and there was no one in sight. She couldn’t believe her luck. She climbed out of her ice prison as quickly as she could, which was in fact rather slowly, considering her state. With how long it was taking her, she prayed no one would walk into the room. Once out, she moved over to a tall pile of crates and hid behind them. She rubbed her tingling legs, hoping to massage some life back into them. She wondered where the man who had checked on her went, and why he had left her alone.

  As Karina sat behind the crates, trying to figure out how to get out of the building unseen, she heard a whoosh from the other end of the room. She peered out between the crates and saw an angry man stride into the room. He went over to the pod and looked inside. The look on his face changed from mad to upset and back to mad. Karina didn’t recognize him, which meant they had left her in the cryogenic pod a lot longer this time, since the Lazarus League rarely invited new members.

  Karina watched as another man entered the room and went up to the first man. Words were exchanged, and the second man looked scared. He rushed out of the room and into the corridor, looking back and forth several times before taking off to the left. The door closed automatically behind him.

  Karina realized she was holding her breath and exhaled as quietly as she could. The first man continued to stand by the pod for a few seconds more, then leaned on it and rubbed his temples.

  Karina’s newly awakened legs shook with the strain of holding her in the half-kneeling position she had adopted to peer between the crates. She hoped the man would leave soon. She didn’t know how long she could hold that pose. She peeked out and saw the man still standing there. Karina’s legs wouldn’t support her anymore. They slid out from under her unbidden and left her in a heap on the floor. She froze, listening hard to see if the man had heard.

  Karina’s heart beat rapidly as footsteps approached. The man came around the corner of the crates and stopped, looking at her strangely. She slid away from him and crouched against the wall, ready to fight for her freedom.

  * * *

  The woman cowered by the wall, glaring at Tresar as he approached her. She wore loose clothing with short sleeves and short legs. She had short brown hair and blue eyes. She looked both frightened and angry.

  “Don’t worry, girl, I won’t hurt you.” Tresar tried to make his voice as soothing as possible.

  Karina’s eyes widened. She couldn’t understand a word of what the man was saying. What’s more, it was no language she had ever heard before, and she was fairly well-educated.

  Tresar spread his hands palms up and tried again. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m a friend. Friend?” He spoke slowly, carefully enunciating each word. The woman’s expression changed from fear to amusement. Tresar wondered if he was what she was finding so funny.

  Karina had suddenly realized by the way the man was speaking to her that he was trying to communicate with her. She found this amusing because he could talk for hours and she still wouldn’t understand him. She relaxed a little and sat against the wall. She scrutinized him, taking in his lean frame and soulful brown eyes. His dark hair contrasted well against his light skin. All in all, he was a fairly good-looking man. And he didn’t seem to have any evil intentions toward her. Karina decided to follow along and see where this led.

  As Tresar looked at the woman, she examined his face intently, seeming to judge him. Apparently coming to a decision, she gestured to herself and spoke one word. “Karina.” Then she gestured to him, a questioning look in her eyes.

  Tresar realized that she wanted his name. He pointed to his chest and said, “Tresar.”

  The woman smiled and held out her hand to him. He took it, and she immediately pulled herself up. He nearly lost his balance, surprised by the sudden weight when all he expected was a handclasp. Then she was standing next to him, looking at him expectantly. He was still holding her hand. Embarrassed, he let go quickly. Karina smiled again as he looked away nervously.

  “Well, I’ll be. A bashful one.” She laughed. Tresar looked around again, at everything but her eyes. He didn’t know what she had said, but it sounded teasing. He was never really good with the ladies. What mad scientist would be? Just then Karina’s stomach made a loud rumbling noise, and it was Tresar’s turn to chuckle.

  He made eating gestures at Karina, hoping she would understand him. “Food,” he said.

  She looked back at him. “Food?” she questioned.

  “Food,” he reiterated, making chewing and swallowing motions. Her physiology was identical to Yalsan physiology, so he could only conclude that they ate the same way.

  Karina’s expression changed from confusion to understanding. She nodded eagerly. “Food!” she demanded, and her stomach growled loudly in agreement.

  Tresar laughed and motioned for her to follow him. He led her out of the cargo bay and into the corridor. On their way to the refectory, the woman’s stomach grumbled incessantly. As they rounded a corner, they ran into Flavoi. He looked pretty upset because he couldn’t find the alien. His surprise at seeing her with Tresar was obvious. Tresar turned Flavoi around and led him along with them to the refectory. Karina followed behind like a puppy who’s been promised a treat.

  Tresar eyed Flavoi disapprovingly. “Luckily for you, she didn’t get far. I found her behind some crates. Also luckily for you, she survived the defrostation sequence.”

  Flavoi was unrepentant. “Well, I’ve always been lucky,” he said, “and awakening her now was a feasible risk, considering the risk would be the same no matter when we awoke her.”

  Tresar grunted in disagreement, but couldn’t argue, since the risk of defrosting the alien had turned out to be negligible. They arrived at the refectory and the door whooshed open to admit them. Tresar sat Karina down at a table and gestured to Flavoi. “Flavoi,” he said, enunciating each syllable.

  “Flah-voy,” Karina repeated with an odd accent, pointing to Flavoi. Then she pointed to herself. “Karina.” Then she looked back at Tresar. “Food!” she demanded.

  Tresar laughed. “Well, she picked up that word quickly.” He left the table to go fill her request.

  Karina and Flavoi sat and stared at each other, Karina warily and Flavoi with open admiration. She was pretty, although he hadn’t seen a woman in months, and a Kahrazoid might look good to him now. It was remarkable how much she looked like a regular Yalsan. It was as if she wasn’t alien at all.

  Karina contemplated the man sitting in front of her. He was quite attractive, with blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes. His name was as strange as Tresar’s, but what could you expect from foreigners? It was odd that these two should be connected with the Lazarus League. They didn’t fit the profile of most of the League’s members, and they were being way too nice to her. Maybe she had been rescued! Karina’s hopes skyrocketed. Ah, to never have to go back into that ice coffin again! She should probably come up with a game plan. First, learn their language. Second, find out what year it was. Third, figure out what to do with her life now that she had a future.

  Karina leaned across the table and looked Flavoi right in the eye. “Why don’t we play a little game? I’ll point to something, and you tell me what it is.” Flavoi looked at her blankly. Karina sighed and sat back as her stomach growled insistently. She
patted Flavoi’s hand. “Maybe later, after I eat.”

  Tresar rejoined them, carrying a tray with enough food to feed three people. Flavoi laughed as he staggered under the load. Karina’s eyes lit up as he set the tray down in front of her. She began devouring the food, completely ignoring the two men as they talked over her.

  “So, do you have any fancy gadgets to help us understand her?” Flavoi asked hopefully.

  Tresar sighed. “Unfortunately the only translators I have require knowledge of both languages in order to translate between them. They’re useless in this case.”

  “Well, I guess we’ll just have to wing it.” Flavoi looked down at the tray and noticed that half the food was already gone. “How much is she going to eat?”

  “It depends on how long she was in stasis. Her body needs to make up for lost nutrients. She seems to be slowing down, though.”

  Karina felt their eyes on her as she finished eating. She reached for a glass of dark red liquid and gulped it down. It tasted tangy, but she couldn’t figure out what it might be. She didn’t even recognize any of the food. The meat was good, but she didn’t know what kind it was. She hoped it wasn’t dog. She had heard that people ate dog in some parts of the world. She yawned as she pushed the tray away. She felt sated and tired.

  Tresar gestured for her to follow him, telling Flavoi to go ahead and retire for the night. He took Karina to what used to be the VIP quarters with its own shower room and stocked closet. He left Karina fingering the clothes and investigating the shower. He headed back to his own quarters and a much-needed night’s rest. He slept fitfully despite his exhaustion, excited about his discovery of a new species, and anxious about how his government would react to his unauthorized exploration of the planet.

  After a seemingly interminable night, morning finally arrived. Tresar headed to Karina’s room to see how she was doing. He knocked politely and waited a few minutes. There was no response. He knocked again, louder this time. Still nothing. He opened the door and peered inside. The closet door was open and the clothes had been rummaged through. The bed was unmade and the clothes Karina had been wearing were on the floor next to it. There was no sign of her, though. Tresar sighed. He hoped this disappearing act wasn’t going to become a habit.

  Tresar went to the bridge, figuring she would turn up eventually. After all, the ship wasn’t that big. The doors to the bridge opened as he stepped in front of them. He walked in and found Karina sitting in the captain’s chair staring at the viewscreen with an incredulous look on her face. The view was of the planet below, mostly white due to the ice, with darker patches where the ground and oceans showed through. Karina looked at him, then back to the planet, and started laughing hysterically. Within a few moments her face was in her hands and she was sobbing as if her heart would break. Tresar was confused by her behavior. Before he could puzzle it out, Flavoi walked onto the bridge. He looked at Karina and then at Tresar.

  “What did you do to her?”

  “I didn’t do anything! I found her this way.” Tresar’s voice bristled defensively at Flavoi’s accusing tone.

  Flavoi went over to Karina and took her in his arms, letting her cry on his shoulder. Tresar envied Flavoi’s easy manner with women. He sighed and sat down in the pilot’s chair. Just then the proximity alarm went off, causing all three of them to jump. Tresar changed the view on the screen to show a large Yalsan science ship bearing down on them. The comm chirped, indicating an incoming message. Tresar put it on the viewscreen.

  Flavoi glared at the man on the screen. “Captain Nanot Niella,” he sneered. “I see you managed to get on the latest expedition. Although I’m sure they could have found someone better qualified.”

  Flavoi’s old captain glared back at him. “I’m here legally, carrying scientists to explore this system. You’re not authorized to be here and must leave. This will be your only warning.”

  “We just arrived,” Tresar interrupted, “and haven’t done anything. There’s no need to lock your weapons on us.”

  Nanot belatedly realized that the other man on his screen was the famous scientist Tresar Convy. “Ah, so this is where you’ve been. Our spies were surprised and pleased to find you’d finally left your house. Pleased, that is, until they discovered that you had taken everything with you.”

  Nanot looked back to Flavoi, who still cradled Karina in his arms. “I see you brought a woman. Still the same old Flavoi.” He chuckled as his eyes raked over Karina’s body, demurely clad in a tasteful jumpsuit she had found in the closet. “Although this one isn’t up to your usual standards. But she has potential.” He laughed raucously.

  Karina didn’t understand what the man on the screen was saying, but she understood his tone well enough. She flipped him off and glared at him, hoping that giving the birdie was as offensive in his culture as it was in hers. She was rewarded when Nanot turned blue and sputtered, “The three of you will leave now! You’re lucky we arrived here before you touched anything, or you’d get more than just a warning! You have two minutes to leave!” Nanot’s face disappeared as the screen winked out for a second, to be replaced by the view of the science ship.

  Flavoi let go of Karina and exchanged seats with Tresar. He set the controls and looked at his friend. “Ready when you are.”

  “Go.” Tresar said.

  Karina gasped as the ship moved out of orbit and away from Earth. She grabbed hold of Tresar’s arm at the sudden acceleration, not because she physically felt the movement, but because she expected to feel it. The stars flew past on the viewscreen as their speed increased. Karina’s stomach flipped as her eyes told her that her body should be feeling more than the gentle vibration of the ship’s deck beneath her feet.

  Flavoi grinned at Tresar. “We just arrived here,” he mimicked, “and haven’t done anything.” He laughed. “I didn’t know you were such a good liar.” He turned to Karina. “And you. Insulting a man that way is the worst thing you could do. That insult is reserved among women for women. To do that to a man is to emasculate him.” He laughed again.

  Karina smiled, unsure of what he said, but sure of the congratulating tone. She relaxed, letting go of Tresar’s arm. She felt safe here.

  Tresar looked at Karina thoughtfully. “It’s a good thing she looks Yalsan. Otherwise my lie wouldn’t have worked. It’s about time I taught her the language. We won’t learn anything if we can’t communicate.” Tresar stood up. “We have a lot of time before we reach Yalsa. You take care of the ship, and I’ll take care of our student.” Tresar gestured for Karina to follow him.

  “Food?” she asked hopefully.

  Tresar laughed. “I think she’ll be an apt pupil.” Flavoi nodded his head in agreement and chuckled as the other two left the bridge.

  Tresar led Karina to the refectory and sat her at one of the tables. She waited patiently as he went to get her some food. He brought a full tray, not knowing how much she’d need to eat. He had brought enough for himself as well, and they sat and ate in companionable silence.

  Tresar couldn’t deny how attractive he found Karina. He wondered if they were biologically compatible. She looked up at him as she felt his stare, and her blue eyes mesmerized him. He cleared his throat nervously and glanced away. Karina chuckled, and he looked back at her wryly. At that, she laughed outright. He grinned at her, feeling foolish for feeling embarrassed. He pointed to one of his eyes.

  “Eye,” he said.

  Karina stopped eating, interested. “Eye,” Karina mimicked, and pointed to one of her own.

  “Good,” Tresar said, impressed with her level of intelligence.

  “Good?” she questioned, confused by the word.

  “Yes,” he said, nodding.

  “Yes,” she repeated, nodding back.

  “Nose,” he said, touching the tip of his finger to the tip of his nose.

  Karina became impatient with the slowness of the lesson. “Eye,” she said, touching his face near his eye. “Nose,” she said, touching his nose with her
fingertip. She touched his lips and raised a questioning eyebrow. His lips tingled with her touch and he lost his voice for a moment. She repeated the sequence, faster this time, impatience in her voice. “Eye. Nose.”

  “Mouth,” he said, finding his voice.

  “Mouth,” she repeated. “Eye. Nose. Mouth,” she said, touching each part of his face. She lifted his hair with her fingers.

  “Hair,” he croaked nervously. This was the most he had been touched by a woman in a very long time.

  “Eye, nose, mouth, hair.” Karina punctuated each word by touching each part as she spoke it. Then she moved on to another body part.

  “Hand,” Tresar said, as Karina lifted up his hand.

  “Hand,” Karina repeated, and then repeated the whole sequence again, beginning with his eye. Tresar wondered how in-depth Karina was going to go into this anatomy lesson, and how he was going to survive it without making a fool of himself.

  “Finger,” he squeaked, as she held up his finger.

  “Finger. Eye, nose, mouth, hair, hand, finger.”

  Karina was amused by how nervous she was making Tresar, but she didn’t have time to worry about the social niceties. She had to learn the alien language as quickly as possible, since it was necessary to her survival. And the first step was to build a vocabulary.

  “Arm,” Tresar’s voice cracked, and Karina hid a smile.

  “Arm. Eye, nose, mouth, hair, hand, finger, arm.” Karina matched word with part, making Tresar squirm. She sat back and resumed eating to give him time to recover. He seemed grateful for the break, and gulped down a glass of water. Karina decided to continue the anatomy lesson later, to give Tresar time to steel himself against her touch. She pointed to the table.

  “Table,” he told her, relieved that they had moved on to inanimate objects.

  “Table,” Karina repeated, with a sly smile.