Roth

by Jessica Frances

  “They were programmed to collect all humans from Earth, but Ival changed it so that any resistance was to be met with force. The reason they came down so hard and brutal on us in particular was because they were hunting me. Right now, they’ve been programmed to protect you; however those Claws are here to kill you.”

  I feel her shiver in my embrace and wish I had said that differently.

  “I need to get word out to someone, tell them what is going on. There is a reason those Claws were placed on this planet, and I want to know what it is. I’ll arrange transport for us to get off here.”

  “Like one of those spaceships that brought us here? Where will we go? Could you take us back to Earth?” I watch her eyes light up and realise she thinks I meant getting a ship for her rebellion.

  “I mean a ship to take you and me away.”

  “Marduke, we can’t just leave everyone here. I won’t do that.” She shakes her head at me.

  I bite down my argument. I know Mattie well enough to know she won’t change her mind just because I argue with her. I need to choose my battles, and right now, my priority is to get Mattie food and medical attention and find a way to communicate back home.

  “Fine, just please do two things for me?”

  “What?” she sounds wary.

  “Eat and get yourself checked out for me.”

  “I told you, the food here is disgusting and I don’t need to be—”

  “Please, Mattie, for me?” I stare into her eyes, pleading for her not to fight me on this.

  Rolling her eyes, she nods her head and I sigh in relief.

  “Thank you. Wait for me where the medics are, and I will find you once I’m done.”

  “You’re completely overreacting. Besides, I want to check out the fighting and find Hank and Kane to see what they think we should—”

  “You can do that after you’ve eaten and been checked out. I won’t be long, okay?”

  “Fine.” She crosses her arms over her chest, looking frustrated, but when I lean in and give her a kiss, she relents quickly. I cut it off after a few seconds, knowing if I give in she might be able to convince me to let her go without eating or getting medical attention.

  I watch her entering what she’s called the “food tent of mushy hell” and turn around, heading towards the back of the camp where I know the loading area is. I smile when I see there is already a ship waiting. It’s a supply ship, and while larger than the one I came here in, it’s not so huge it will draw unwanted attention. Once we get settled somewhere and the baby is safely delivered, we could consider an attempt to sneak back onto Oden to pick up her sister, Logan and Lisa. But while she is pregnant, it will be too dangerous.

  I refuse to allow her to fight in this war, whatever it is. Is it only against the humans, or are the Claws somehow attempting a battle against us? Are the humans just collateral damage?

  At the edge of the loading area, there are several guards. As soon as they make eye contact with me, they all stand up straighter and most try to hide the shock on their faces.

  “Marduke, Drym, is that really you?” one of the guards asks me, speaking in our language.

  I glance around us nervously, thinking of Kane. If he sees me speaking an alien language, that is all the proof he’ll need I should be killed. What will happen to Mattie and Hank then after they stood up for me?

  “Please, I prefer we speak in English.”

  “Of course.” The guard bows his head to me.

  I’m not used to such a sign of respect at home. Yet, when my family are in public or on a mission, it is mandatory for the guards to be openly respectful.

  “We were not informed of your visit. Is everything okay?”

  “No, everything is not okay. I need to contact my mother on Oden, immediately.”

  “Unfortunately, Drym, we’ve been having problems with that. We haven’t been able to get any word out for over a week, and nothing is coming back to us. The ship currently in the loading area was supposed to have left already, but moments before it took off, a system failure occurred and everything on the craft stopped working. We haven’t been able to fix it yet.” As he bows his head, I see a grimace over his face. He’s afraid I’ll be angry with him.

  I am angry and not only at our situation. If this ship just stopped working, perhaps that is why my own craft crashed. There is something going on with this planet, which makes it more curious that, after my crash, Mattie and I saw a ship flying overhead. Was that the vessel Mattie had been on before mine? The one where the Claws had been?

  “Perhaps we can use a monit to get onto your ship, Drym?”

  “Mine is no longer working, either. Keep trying to fix this, I will return.”

  With that, I walk away, needing to find Mattie. It looks like we might be stuck on this planet for a while, which also means we are stuck with the Claws.

  I might not be able to protect Mattie from a war after all.

  Chapter 8

  Mattie

  Marduke actually expects me to ignore the truly insane fight that is happening and seek unnecessary medical attention? He wants me to voluntarily eat that awful white mush?

  No.

  Yet, for whatever reason, I still walk into the food tent. No one is in there because Marduke and I are surely the only two crazy people ignoring the epic fight going on. There are no machines guarding the entrance and no one inside.

  I leave and head to the medical tent. I notice this is also lacking big, scary machines. I have never seen anyone enter the medical tent. People go into the food tent because, if you want to live, you kind of have to suffer through the food. However, most people here appear to have a sense of pride in avoiding the medical tent at all costs. Mostly, people suffer in silence or incredibly loudly through their nightmares, like me. I know I have never considered going in here until now. And I’m not even hurt. Marduke is completely overreacting.

  I sigh, wanting to curse Marduke for making me do this, yet I’m not able to muster up the annoyance at him. How can I be angry at him when he’s only concerned about me? If I had any doubts about that before, his coming to Roth proves he loves me. The fact that he has been there for me ever since is further proof. Every night, he’s held me in his arms, soothed me after I have woken up from my nightmares. Even my nightmares are beginning to become more bearable. I’m not waking up covered in sweat, feeling like I have run a mile and exhausted. I am actually resting during my sleep. It’s a first since I arrived on Roth.

  I stare at the entrance, unable to forget the machines usually guard here. What is happening to them? Are they beating the creatures or are they losing? Will those creatures be upon us soon?

  I should be finding Hank and figuring out our next move. How are we going to defend ourselves against those creatures? How are we going to stop people from being slaughtered?

  “Are you okay?” a quiet voice asks me as a doctor enters from a back area of the tent. I realise I’ve lost myself to my thoughts and unintentionally made my way into the medical tent.

  The woman sounds just as surprised to see me as I feel. Most likely because I am clearly not dying and am obviously here voluntarily. It’s probably a first for her.

  “Umm… yes, I think I am.”

  “Can I help you with something?” She sounds a bit nervous now. She’s short and petite, her light red hair tied up in a neat bun on top of her head. I wonder if she hopes it will make her appear taller. I also wonder how much animosity she’s received since her French accent clearly puts her as one of Marduke’s people. Does she think I am here to attack her since the machines are gone? Is that something that will happen to the others?

  “I guess I’m here for a check-up,” I grumble, staring back at the open entryway and wondering again how the fight is progressing.

  “Really?” She hesitantly takes a step towards me. “You’re not afraid I’m going to wash your brain?”

  I snort at her words, but can’t muster a smile. I’m torn on how I feel about h
er. Normally, I would automatically hate her on principal because I’m keen to blame all of Marduke’s people for Earth’s invasion. However, if I do, then I’m not any better than Kane. He hates them all and won’t hear any differently. If he finds out what Marduke is, he’ll kill him without a second thought.

  How can I blame this woman when I have forgiven Marduke who is the son of the leader of Oden? He might not have wanted this invasion to happen, but he helped his father and made his way to Earth knowing what was going to happen. This woman is on Roth because she’s here to help humans. For all I know, she disagreed with what happened to us. Maybe she volunteered for this job as a way to help us. Can I really hate her on principal when I love Marduke?

  “Are you well?” She takes another hesitant step towards me and holds her arm out, reaching for me. It shakes and she is most likely waiting for me to freak out at her touch, waiting for me to hurt her.

  “I’m actually fine. I shouldn’t be here. This is a mistake.” I turn around, ready to flee back to the scenes of the battle outside.

  “Wait, how about I just double check you’re okay? Then you can leave.” She sounds hopeful and a little curious.

  I stare at the exit, wondering what Marduke would say if he finds out I didn’t bother getting checked over. It might be nice to hold over him that I was fine and he was wrong to demand I go here.

  “What happened to your sides? Your clothing is torn.”

  I turn then, watching as she gazes at my jumper. She has moved closer to me, but she still keeps a safe distance, either to make me feel better or to make sure I can’t lash out and hurt her. Her hand, which has been reaching for me, has dropped back to her side.

  “I had a run in with those weird creatures, but that was before the spaceship I was in crashed here,” I explain calmly, belatedly realising that, by telling her the truth, I just made myself sound completely insane.

  “Right. How about you sit down,” she pats the gurney closest to her—they don’t have beds here, just rows of gurneys, “and I’ll just take a quick look.”

  I slowly sit on the gurney she’s tapped, my eyes drifting to the noise growing louder outside.

  “How come you’re here and not watching the battle out there?”

  “I’m a medic; I don’t care to see war.”

  “Yeah, but have you ever seen anything like what is happening out there? It’s… scary and amazing,” I admit, wondering why I am even bothering talking to her. She just confuses me, distracts me from my anger at her race. When did everything get so complicated?

  She grabs something from her pocket and I immediately tense up. It looks similar to the control I accidently touched that sent us away to the spaceship with those creatures except it’s smaller, and when she touches it, only one symbol appears.

  “My name is Geyt, by the way. This is just a scanner that will remotely check you for any serious injuries. It won’t hurt and will only take a moment,” she explains.

  I nod that, yes, she can scan me. I then watch as she moves the control over my body. She pauses when she reaches my chest, but then continues going down my body.

  “All I can detect is exhaustion, dehydration, and the beginnings of starvation. My analysis isn’t complete, though. For some reason, your chest is blocked. May I please take a look?”

  “Oh, it’s probably the vest,” I explain, lifting the ruined jumper and t-shirt off my shoulders and dropping it next to me. There is no way I will be able to wear either again. I might as well just throw them away.

  My gaze is drawn back to Geyt when she gasps at me. I follow her stare to my vest. It doesn’t really give the appearance of armour, and I’ve been able to assure anyone who has noticed it that it’s just a warm vest I wear.

  “That is… That does not… How are you wearing that?”

  I’m confused by her words before I remember this is Marduke’s vest. I try to recall what he said about it, but I can’t. This got me in trouble with his brother, though, so I quickly realise I should have probably kept it hidden from Geyt, too.

  This is all Marduke’s fault. I didn’t need to come here!

  “I can’t take it off. Look, are we done now?” I pick up the tattered jumper, knowing I might have to keep wearing it if this vest is that recognizable. Unfortunately, it breaks into two pieces in my hands. Great.

  She leans closer to me, whispering so quietly I barely hear her, “That is from my leader’s family. Are you with them in some capacity? Is this a test?” She leans back and assesses me, making me feel uncomfortable.

  “Whatever. I’m out of here.” I jump down from the gurney and find my legs unable to hold me. After the strenuous exercise I have done this past week and the lack of proper food, my body is giving up on me.

  I throw out my arms, trying to catch the gurney to keep my balance; instead I grab onto Geyt and knock the scanner out of her arms.

  She is too weak to hold me up, and we now both go down.

  “Sorry,” I mumble, feeling anxious and frustrated at my lack of strength.

  “I must insist you rest, even if it is just for a moment. I will be back.” Geyt jumps to her feet and rushes away. I hope she’s not about to go and inform someone that a human is wearing alien property. I am not in the mood for the fight and probably won’t be able to escape it, given my legs are feeling as though they’re boneless at the moment.

  I pick up the scanner from the ground, fingering the symbol that appears. With nothing else to scan, I hold it to my legs and watch scratches appear on the screen. I can’t understand what it says. The red glow feels warm on my skin, and I wonder if this is some form of radiation.

  Geyt enters again, thankfully alone, and is holding several items in her arms. All of which fall to the ground when she halts, seeing me with her scanner.

  “Here.” I hold it out to her, afraid I have offended her or something.

  “Did that… Were you just using that?” She forgets about what she has dropped and rushes to my side.

  “Yes. Why? What did I do?” Maybe I did just shine radiation all over myself.

  “But, you’re human!” she gasps.

  “Yes, I am. Can’t get anything past you.” I roll my eyes at her.

  “There is no way you can have this working then.”

  “Because it’s from Oden? I’ve worked a few of these things of yours. You just have to touch them in the right way,” I explain, yet then I again recall Marduke’s words. Words I had forgotten about in the craziness of everything. He’s said humans couldn’t open those tubes, but I did. I worked that control thingy, and I get the feeling I shouldn’t have been able to do that, either.

  Am I an alien? Am I not human?

  I feel queasy, not understanding what is going on. Sweat beads my forehead, and even though I’m on the ground, I feel dizzy.

  “You shouldn’t be able to…” She stares at the vest again, her eyes narrowing on it. “Are you friendly with one of the Lomh?”

  “The what?” I gasp, my panic causing my throat to close up. Am I going to suffocate?

  “Ival or Marduke? Perhaps even their father, Sergii?”

  “I’m friends with Marduke, but definitely not the other two,” I whisper, taking several quick breaths afterwards. I think I’m going to pass out. Something is wrong, and I want to get out of this tent, away from Roth, and I don’t think I want to know the truth. I’m not capable of having my world shattered again. Not now, not so soon after finding out about my parents. I’m not ready.

  “I need to check something.” She crawls along the floor, scooping up what she brought with her and moving back to my side. “Here are some energy foods, hydration water and some vitamins. None will harm you or… You will be fine to have it.”

  I eye her strange expression, wondering why she suddenly looks so perplexed. Is it because she’s convinced I’m not human? What if I am not one of her people, either? Is that possible? What about my parents? Hannah?

  When I watch her jump to her feet and rush ou
t of the tent, I eye the exit again. Perhaps, if I could have felt my legs right now and I wasn’t sure standing up would result in me passing out, I might try to escape.

  Instead, a severe tiredness weighs down on me and my stomach growls hungrily. Even after my sanity resting on a tightrope that is tearing out from under me, my appetite has decided to make an appearance. My dry throat begs me for the water within my reach. With shaky hands, I take the water and food and finish it all.

  The water tastes refreshing and crisp. Perhaps even the best water I have ever had. The food is small, compact and the best news? It’s not white mush. It looks more like a fruit and nut health bar we have on Earth. It is the size of my thumb in length, but it makes my stomach ache from feeling full. It’s definitely the first time since I arrived on Roth that I felt full. It feels unsettling and unnatural in my stomach. Regrettably, I can’t help it when I turn my head and vomit it all back up.

  Geyt rushes over to me, holding me as my stomach heaves up the food, and I tremble in her arms. It doesn’t take me long to have it all out, and eventually, my body calms.

  “Sorry, I think it was just too much too quickly,” I explain.

  “It’s okay. Do you think you can move? I think the bed is a better place for you to be.”

  With her help, I manage to get to my feet and collapse on a gurney.

  She scurries about, cleaning up the mess I just made, and that is when Marduke finds us.

  “Mattie?” He rushes over to me and I suddenly feel like crying. My emotions are everywhere and I don’t like it. I used to be stronger than this.

  I open my mouth, but I don’t know what to say to him. So I just hold out my arm and feel the warmth of his hand clasping over mine. I close my eyes, hating when he speaks to Geyt in his own language. I love everything about Marduke, but I hate when he speaks in his own language. I hate the sounds that it brings out, the scratchiness and sharp words he speaks. No matter what he says, it sounds harsh and brutal.

  “Marduke, stop,” I beg, giving his hand as much of a squeeze as I can, frustrated when I know my grip is weak. What is going on with me?