In His Alien Hands
by
C. L. Scholey
Juliet Cardin
In His Alien Hands
Water Warriors: copyright © 2016, C. L. Scholey
Trace of Humanity: copyright © 2016, Juliet Cardin
ISBN: 9781944270421
Publisher: Beachwalk Press, Inc.
Electronic Publication: September 2016
Editor: Lynne Sully
Cover: Fantasia Frog Designs
eBooks are not transferable. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations in articles and reviews.
These stories are a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events, or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.
Water Warriors
by C. L. Scholey
Sex with a water warrior takes the word ‘wet’ to a whole new level!
Arax, leader of the water warriors, strives to save the life of a foul-mouthed, annoying shrew who is dying in his arms. The human female’s injuries are so fierce there is no hope for her unless they put her in a healing machine that’s never before been used on a human. The machine causes irreversible side effects, and now Arax needs help taking care of the female he feels responsible for. He’s left with no alternative but to go to dead Earth and hope he can salvage another human. As luck would have it a drowning vessel might just carry his salvation, and a new chance at finding love. If Meadow will have Arax, and if he can keep both females safe from a terror that lurks within the waters of his world.
Dedication
For Julie
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Beachwalk Press and Juliet Cardin for this newest adventure in writing.
Chapter 1
“Get your scaly fins off me, you filthy, disgusting fish. You stink.”
Arax kept the howling human female pressed to his chest as water surrounded them. Her English words were muddled, but he understood what she said. All water warriors were expected to learn alternate world languages in case of a breach. Although as Earth was destroyed the many different human languages had become obsolete. Still, Arax was old enough to have already learned them. Earth had been so diverse. He wondered if humans ever guessed that at one point all Earthlings had spoken the same language. The idea was doubtful as their arrogance would never permit such a concept.
Over several centuries different alien species had infiltrated and settled on Earth for various reasons. Convicts in need of a safe haven to hide, for the amusement of their devious natures, had taught the different clans new ways to converse. They’d also brought suspicions and violence to a once placid and accepting species to aid in their effort to stay hidden. Other aliens used their own agendas to section off and segregate humans for a single reason so long ago, moving them to scatter across the planet. The invading aliens didn’t want to run into a hunter. Hunters, harmless to humans, were a fierce breed of aliens geared to track the escaped convicts. They were avoided at all costs by alternate universe species. Hunters were now a moot point on Earth; they left as Earth died.
Yesterday’s humans had been categorized, grouped, and relocated to sparse areas across Earth’s continents by these mischievous aliens pretending to be gods. Many times the alien would simply vanish or be forced to flee from a tracker, leaving the humans to decipher sparse teachings with little analogy. Giving humans all sorts of different information over centuries and, in effect, categorizing different cultures and ways of thinking.
Unity was such a radical concept to Arax, as it was to his teachers who gave knowledge of the planet. There were large cats like panthers, lions, and small cats. Although all were feline, they knew to stay away from one another. Not every bear coexisted, nor whales. Why humans expected all humans would get along was beyond Arax. The concept was also a moot point; almost all humans were extinct. Earth was almost dead, with ninety percent of it underwater.
Arax had a bigger problem staring him down. The female’s ashen face was awash with the lifesaving bubbles he’d created to halo her nose and mouth to keep her breathing. Green eyes flashed daggers at him as he sluiced through the water, pushing his body to its limit, fueled with a need to hurry. Another expletive from the female assaulted him, and Arax was tempted to clamp her dirty mouth closed, but he stayed the action. She was weakening and no longer offered the slightest struggle—even though her mouth battled him. Her trail of blood caught the interest of too many aquatic species and an interested barrage followed behind him. If she wasn’t female, he’d let the horde have her; he was that annoyed.
“I’m not a fish,” Arax said through clenched teeth. “I am a male water warrior. And I can’t begin to describe the way you smell. Trust me, you’re not floating aromatic rainbows.”
“Merman,” she shot back.
“I’m no merman either.”
“You’re hideous.”
“So is your mouth. Be silent, female.”
“Even the cats wouldn’t drag you in.”
“I should give you over to the sharks who follow us. Now be quiet, before I lose what’s left of my control over my temper.” Arax gave her a small shake to emphasize his words.
“Ow, ow. I hate all of you.” The woman whimpered then groaned. “Any male is cruel to any female of any age, even babies. It’s bred into you to make us submit under any circumstance. All you males do is hurt women.”
Her body shuddered and went limp. Damn. He should have known shaking her would cause her pain. When he’d first set eyes upon her mangled form in the destroyed Zargonnii shuttle, he’d been stunned into inaction, and not because she was a human female. Broken in so many places, bloodied in too many spots, he’d been amazed when she groaned, indicating she still lived. Arax had never seen so much blood, and the idea astounded him—and he being a warrior who had witnessed many a battle. As he’d strode forward he’d assessed the damage. No matter how he tried to pick her up it would cause her great pain. He’d rolled her into his arms, and she had cried out in fear when her gaze settled on his features.
Arax knew he looked different than a human. There were similarities but only when not in his warrior battle mode. He had white, spiked hair, the same as some humans. When not underwater his eyes were a bright blue, but in warrior form were covered in a protective, impenetrable gray film blending in with his grayish skin. The four horizontal gills on each side of his throat weren’t huge, but were noticeable when in his water transformation. His chest was massive when in warrior form. Similar to the way a blow fish would expand to deter predators, Arax expanded now to not only deter predators, but to increase his impressive water capabilities. To the human female he must be too large to comprehend.
The shuttle had filled with water as it sank into murky darkness within the putrid swamp. A dangerous area filled with enemy sharks. A creak and groan were the only indication the vessel gave up its battle for buoyancy after Arax had snatched the female at the last second then broke through the surface of the water.
The female still assessed him in open horror. There was no getting around the webbed layers protruding from his hands, nor the webbing which rounded out his three-toed feet. He had no choice but to remain in battle form, her fear be damned. It was for both of their safety. The enemy could be anywhere.
He took a moment to study her. Grayish seaweed floated to entangle within her wet locks. She resembled a dark death witch. The idea made him shudder, though it was a child’s tale, it spurred his inaction into a flurry.
“A fitting grave to end the cesspool life I was given,” she’d whispered when he first held her
. Now her quiet words filled his ears. “Go away. You should have left me there. Let me die in peace. No more cruel creatures— man, beast, or alien. Abandon me, everyone always has. My own mother looked the other way when her boyfriend was brutal to me as an infant, a child, and a teen.”
Arax knew the pain of abandonment, though both his parents loved him well until they died. He knew the hurt of betrayal, because the females on his planet never looked past the leader he was to the warrior within. There was no love; they only hungered for further advancement.
This female might have experienced a different type of betrayal, but it had caused her pain. He understood the emotion as it filled her eyes. She waited for him to let her go, for him to set her adrift—he could see it. Her breath was a sharp gasp as he, instead, clutched her to him. His chest expanded to cradle her, pulling some of her body into him.
If she were smaller, he could’ve completely enveloped her within his outer layer of flesh. It could form a pouch within his chest to protect offspring. Nothing could penetrate the protective layers—it wasn’t just an action, it was an instinctive reaction. Arax was no fish, nor was he human, the idea was ludicrous in his world, but at that moment he was awash with being humane. If there was any chance this little lost human might live, he would give it to her. She was, after all, in his world.
Arax burst from the ocean onto the shoreline of the crystal clear waters leading to his home and strode through the waterfall into his kingdom. He kept the female’s face pressed to his chest so she wouldn’t drown in the pounding deluge. The teeming water did nothing to hinder Arax’s gait. He was a water warrior after all, and all water worked to his advantage. With his great skill a mere teaspoon could kill his opponent. Arax could manipulate water, ice, and snow. He was skilled in the art of snowflake shuriken, a skill taught to him at a young age for fun.
Sunshine greeted them once they passed to the other side of the mountain falls. When he gazed down at her, her somber eyes misted though not one liquid drop fell to tell him her story. Tears were a powerful substance to his kind. Each tear spoke a different word. Not one was ever identical because they carried emotion and thoughts. They carried what was in your heart. A tear, even when the eyes and face deceived, could never lie, having come from within. As she gazed back her ashen face showed no emotion, her green portals became blank as though she had stopped seeing. To Arax it seemed her soul died right before his eyes—or perhaps she just gave up.
“I’m trying to help you. I shouldn’t have let you anger me.” I should have better control over my temper.
Arax moved faster while trying not to jostle her. She was so fragile. It was easier to see the pain she tried to hide when she wasn’t being hateful. His body relaxed from his warrior form. He was still large compared to the human, her tiny chest was miniscule proportioned to his.
“It doesn’t matter.” Her tired, whispered words reached his ear. “Go ahead and hate me, hurt me. Everyone always has my entire life. I was abandoned by Titus who was supposed to protect me. I thought at least Bethany and Adan were friends. Humans are no friends. Zargonnii are no friends. The word is a lie. Life is a lie.”
Arax was shocked to say the least. Bethany...the name was familiar. It couldn’t possibly be the same female he had encountered, could it? Arax demanded the female in his arms tell him her name. Her whispered word was so weak he strained to make it out; humans had such odd names. The female closed her eyes. Arax thought for a moment she’d died until the slight rise and fall of her chest moved against him. A trail of blood still followed in their wake. Arax winced at her shattered bones, a few poking through her skin. She may not be dead as yet, but she was dangerously close to it.
The kingdom’s healer met Arax in the great hall. He assessed the female as they walked to the healing chamber. The healer opened the chamber and stopped Arax before he placed the female inside.
“This has never been used on a human. Anything might happen.”
“I know,” Arax said.
“Arax, I understand after what happened with the other that came to us—I think her name was Bethany—you feel responsible for almost killing her. You had no idea she couldn’t breathe underwater when you locked her in the dungeons below. You had no idea urgent matters would keep you from her as the tide came in, filling her cell. Thankfully, the leeches who breathe fresh air for expelled saved her when they latched onto her mouth. A trauma to be sure, but her life was saved. But know if this female dies, it will not be your fault. If she is meant to die, it will happen regardless of what we do. You will not be judged. This female’s vessel was too destroyed—we learned this information as you headed in blindly. Looking at her, it’s obvious she has been tossed around like a baby seahorse in a whirlpool filled with rocks. Water funnels are unpredictable. The shuttle could have been caught and dropped repeatedly from great heights.”
“She mentioned the Zargonnii and Titus. The Zargonnii wouldn’t have abandoned her unless the situation was as dire as Bethany explained when she first came with her warrior Finn. This female mentioned Bethany. They had to come from the same ship that exploded. Somehow, after all this time, this female has landed here. I don’t understand how it’s possible,” Arax said.
“The shuttle showing up here would make sense, but think about how much time has passed since Bethany’s arrival,” the healer replied, sounding agitated. “We can’t be certain what this female has experienced. It’s a wonder more of the vessels fleeing with inhabitants haven’t landed here sooner. Didn’t the Zargonnii say the main ship was destroyed by rogue Tonans and the Gorgano? This female didn’t have the protection of a Zargonnii to shield her from the entry descent into the water portal between worlds as Bethany did. Finn saved his mate Bethany. The Zargonnii warriors are a sturdy lot. They are also loyal. Ask yourself why Titus, a leader, would abandon this female.
“Regardless the circumstances, Arax, all know you went after this human the moment she was detected. Who knows how long she traveled the black holes in space until hitting a planet with water and access to ours. With the wormholes, black holes, and alternate universes, she could have been exposed to time travel, and something tells me she has been. If her shuttle entered a time continuum, she could have landed on a world hundreds, if not thousands of years in the past or future. That alone would cause any species distress, even if she never left the shuttle. Her mind could be beyond hope. Thrown from world to world or worlds within worlds.
“Traveling worlds within worlds can be exceedingly dangerous, especially in our water world when uninvited. Humans are made up of different percentages of water. Our world will welcome them, but other components step in when realizing the DNA pattern is off. The water is there, but the familiarity of acceptance is not. An alien, even a human alien, needs a host to travel with them for introduction—or be incredibly strong to suffer through the initiation that makes them worthy of entry. She’s lucky to have survived this far.”
“If there’s any hope for her survival, we need to try.” Arax settled her gently into the healing machine. Her last gaze before she closed her eyes was so pitiful it hurt his heart. Arax had no clue who she was, but never in his life had he seen someone so empty while so consumed with hurt. He placed his hand to her forehead. If any creature needed an act of kindness, this one did.
“The memory monitor isn’t set up but should record manually through the machine. It will take some time to retrieve her memories, if she survives,” the healer said.
“The memories can wait.”
“If she lives, what will you do with her?”
“I’ll decide that when and if she lives,” Arax replied, then removed his hand.
The black chamber door closed over the female and she disappeared from view. Valves opened and Arax heard the nitrogen and water pumping into the machine. There was no fear of her drowning; the chamber created life bubbles filled with oxygen. The bubbles kept a sealed pocket over any orifices to prevent the nitrogen from seeping within her. Arax was
capable of the same feat, but he wasn’t able to heal—his air pockets held only oxygen. The bubbles were the machine’s way in. The micro healing agents would flood her blood to travel to all the areas simultaneously. Like a stitch they would work from the middle outward. The nitrogen would then freeze the victim into a cryonic state, keeping her alive as the machine diagnosed and treated her wounds while keeping specific parts of her insides from freezing, allowing it to work.
The humming of the machine raced along with Arax’s emotions. The device seemed to take forever, creating odd sounds neither had ever heard before. Arax and the healer exchanged worried glances. If the human had different organs than his species, the machine might remove them, or add new organs she would have no use for. She could end up with fins, gills, or mutations to adapt to their world the likes no one had ever seen. Or, depending on human origin, she could become an atom or a tiny microorganism.
Arax grew concerned with each second that passed. Anything could be happening to her. If the machine was to guess what action to take and patch-quilted her body back together, she could be healed but still hideous to gaze upon. Arms and legs might deform or be disposed of. Worried he may have placed her into a position where death might be more welcome, Arax was tempted to stop the procedure.
“Why is it taking so long?” Arax demanded.
“She’s human. Her features are distorted compared to us. The machine might be fusing her baby finger to the finger beside it like ours, or rearranging her toes into the three we have. The machine isn’t an exact science when dealing with other species. It may treat her as though she were the plague and rearrange her molecules. Anything could be happening. She could end up with a tail, or no nose and no eyes. The machine might not be able to decide if she’s in water form or if she’s humanoid.”
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