by Maia Starr
But when he asked me about my outfit, I couldn't tell him the truth. I was too ashamed of what had been done to me. I didn't want him to know. I didn't trust this blue alien; I had lost my trust in all males whether they were human, alien, or cyborg. It didn't matter; they were all the same; they were all just like my cheating boyfriend: full of lies. I had no reason to expose my truth to this blue alien; I owed him nothing. I only wanted to use him to help get the other women free.
As I walked behind him carrying a bag, I took this chance to get a better look at him. I barely remembered seeing them when they took us from Earth, so now was my chance to get a good look. This blue alien was tall, almost ten feet, with broad shoulders. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, and I remembered that none of the aliens did. His back was strong and toned. I could see the muscles ripple as he carried the heavy objects. His biceps flexed, and his two-toned color was captivating. As a researcher, I wanted to know all kinds of things about him, but as a woman, I found myself responding to his hard physique. He had a tool belt of sorts around his waist with two blaster guns hanging from it. His tight pants reminded me of a wet-suit and hugged his tight ass and thick legs. I smiled as I watched his ass, allowing myself to ogle him the way men often did to women. His pants were tucked into large bulky boots that seemed to have contraptions on them. I wondered what was in them and in that tool belt… and in those pants.
I felt myself get flustered. The sun was high in the sky, and it was warm, but not as hot as a desert on Earth would be during this time of day. Maybe it was winter on this planet, but I knew that the source of my heat was coming from the fact that I was staring at this mighty alien. I had to stop. I had to think about the girls! I needed to get them safe. He didn't want me to ask questions and had told me to shut up several times since meeting him, but I didn't care. No one was going to tell me to shut it!
“C2. Have you heard of it?” I asked him.
“No, what is it?” he asked without looking at me.
“A cyborg city on the other side of the planet. That is where they were taking the other human females, and me, until I escaped,” I said.
“Great, an entire city full of cyborgs.”
“That's not important. What is important is that we find it so that we can get the other girls back. You are the reason that we are here; it is your responsibility,” I said to him.
“How did you escape anyway?”
“What?”
“How did you escape? When I saw you fly out of the ship, I thought that they were throwing out a dead human,” he said.
“Well that is encouraging,” I said.
“No, really, what was that?”
“I was able to jump out of the ship because the cyborgs were occupied with fighting you. I saw the chrome plate, the one the cyborgs wear on their chest, I knew that I would need something to land on against the abrasive sand. So I grabbed it and then opened the door and jumped. That's it.”
“You weren't scared?”
“Of course I was scared. But I was already scared being with these cyborgs; it was just picking which scary event I would have to deal with. Deal with the cyborgs, or deal with jumping out of a ship on to the desert sand,” I said.
“So they weren't nice? The cyborgs?” He stopped and turned around to look at me. His purple eyes were concentrated on me. I thought about telling him how brutal the cyborgs were, thinking that maybe it would force him to take action to get the girls back, but I didn't want to tell him what I had been through.
“No, they are not. Not that I expect any better treatment from your kind. You did take us from my planet against my will,” I said.
He turned and continued walking. “I had to. I expect you to understand.”
We were both quiet as we continued to walk. It seemed that both of us had touched on a sore subject. It only took us two hours of walking to reach what he called a beacon.
“This is it. We will set up camp here,” he said as we came upon chunks of wreckage.
“This? This is what we have been trying to get to? This piece of junk?”
“This is a beacon. I have to make sure that it is working. Make yourself useful and see what material we can use to pitch a shelter. Stretch it out here against the wreckage,” he said as he moved around to one side of the wreckage. I didn’t obey him of course and followed him around to the side. I was surprised when I saw electrical lights and beeping gadgets on. It looked like it was the front console area of a ship. There was a seat, and I could only assume it was the seat that he was strapped into when he crashed. But there wasn't much else, except the frame around it, left.
“It is still working; good,” he said with a smile.
“That's it? That is what we walked for hours in this damn desert for?” I said.
“That is sending out a signal that can only be received by ships of the Kynon Fleet. It is what is going to save our lives,” he barked at me.
“The Kynon?”
“Yes, that is what I am. A Kynon.”
“Great, so all we have to do is wait? For how long? It could be a year before they come for you or pick up that signal. I don't like this! We should be trying to find C2, not setting up camp and hanging out in the desert,” I shouted at him.
“Fine, go ahead,” he said pointing to the desert around us.
I looked around. And there was nothing in sight. We were in the middle of nowhere. I couldn't make it out there on my own, and I wouldn't want to unless it was absolutely necessary. Something told me it was very wrong to go out there on my own without the safety of this blue alien, no matter how damn infuriating he was.
“Well, it is going to be dark soon. I might as well stay here and rest and eat and then leave in the morning,” I said.
“Yeah, sure,” he said moving past me getting to work. It was obvious that he was a trained soldier. I watched him as he pulled out the leather-like material he had been taken from the seats of the speeder. He spread it out and attached one side of it to the beacon wreckage and made a lean-to. Then he spread the other material on the ground underneath it, creating a floor. He had created a shelter using what was left of the wreckage, and it was very sturdy and the best tent I had ever seen. Then he moved inside and didn't come out. I felt foolish. I wanted to go inside and get out of the sun and rest, but I didn't want to give in to the fact that I needed him and his damn survival skills.
“Hungry?” he said from inside after a few minutes.
I swallowed my pride and went inside. “Yes,” I entered and crawled in, trying not to get sand from my shoes all over the place. I sat down. He had been busy pulling out supplies from the bags that we carried. There was a lot of food and a couple of pouches and jugs. He took a drink from one jug and then handed it to me.
“Thank you,” I said and then took a drink. It was the best water I had ever tasted. It was pure and crisp, not like the city water of Earth.
A few minutes later we were eating food that I was familiar with; it was from the cyborgs. I realized he had taken it from the speeder and it was not from this wreckage. But at least I knew that I could eat this food because I had already had it when I was in the prison cell. We were quiet for a long time, and the sun was starting to descend toward the horizon. I could feel the difference in temperature.
“What are you called, human female?” he asked biting into some food.
“My name is Emma. What are you called, blue alien? I asked.
He smiled a bit. It was a crooked smile, and he flashed white teeth at me. I realized I held my breath for a second as I looked at him.
“My name is Elonu Fiul. I am a pilot and soldier,” he said.
“I am a research doctor,” I said.
“A doctor? For injuries?” he asked arching a brow at me.
“I do medical research. But yes, I do have some training in injuries, but it is not my main profession. I am more of a scientist, searching for answers,” I said.
“I need some answers,” he said. “Tell me how many cyb
orgs were in the ship that you were in?”
“Four or five; I can't exactly remember,” I said.
“And on the bigger ship?”
“I saw ten cyborgs climb the stairs and enter, but I don't know how many were already inside before that,” I said. “Why?”
“I am just trying to gather as much information about the enemy as I can. Do you know what planet we are on? What it is called?”
“Yes, it is called X003, and the cyborgs called themselves the Vindon.”
“Good, what else,” he asked.
“There was a leader on the ship that I was on. He called himself K2Q, but he is not the superior leader. That was where we were going; the superior leader wanted the human females. The superior leader is called K8L. K2Q did not seem pleased that he had to do this, but he didn't have a choice. Apparently, K8L is more powerful,” I said. This was what I wanted; I wanted him to start thinking about how we could get into that city and find this leader and get the women back. It was all that I could think about, and now that the blue alien was fed and rested, he was starting to think. I wanted to tell him everything that he needed to know in order to devise a plan to get them back. I spent the next fifteen minutes telling him everything that I knew, including what I saw at the base where we were kept captive. I told him every little detail, but I lied to him about what the cyborgs were doing to me—what K2Q was doing to me. It still weighed heavily on me. When he was done questioning me, he looked out of the side of the tent.
“Come, Emma, you are going to want to see this,” he said as he crawled out of the tent. I didn't know what he was talking about. I followed him out.
“What is it?”
“There: you won't see anything like that except on a desert planet. It's the sand that causes it.” He pointed. I followed his gaze. I gasped.
“It is so beautiful. I have never seen anything like it,” I said. The sun was setting on the horizon, and it was creating the most marvelous colors. Bright pink, neon orange that looked like it was on fire, purple, and red all blazed across the sky around the sun. I knew what he meant about the sand. It was creating a filter, and it was absolutely beautiful.
“The one good thing to being stuck out here. We get magnificent sunrises and sunsets,” he said.
“Yes, I did plan on seeing these in the desert on Earth on my retreat, so I guess seeing one on an alien planet is even better,” I whispered to myself. Then I felt the wind pick up and graze my skin.
“Looks like nighttime will be cold. We should prepare for that. The Kynon run hot, but I know that human females tend to be cold almost all the time,” he said.
“That is sadly true,” I said. I turned my attention to the sunset, enjoying every minute of it. Just because I was on a horrible misadventure didn't mean that I couldn't take a few moments to enjoy the beauty of nature in my surroundings, especially because I was with a blue alien that was sensitive enough to point this out to me. Maybe this Kynon soldier had a little more heart than I believed. He seemed selfish and like a monster for abducting human females from Earth, but now I was seeing a different side to him, one that thought it was important to stand out here and take in the beauty of a sunset. He was definitely a mystery.
After the sunset, I was in for another amazing surprise. Two large moons rose later that night over the horizon. They were almost full, and one was a bright white, while the other had a slight tint to it. I couldn’t believe just how beautiful it was and just how much I had taken my own moon for granted. Sometimes I would even forget that it was in the sky. But now looking at these two moons, I ached for my own Earth moon. I wanted to be home. I wanted to get all the girls that these beasts had stolen and take them back to home. As I stared at the two moons, my eyes watered. But I held it back. I wasn't going to cry in front of this alien. I wasn’t going to show weakness. I was already having a better night than the night before, and I should be grateful for that. But could I trust him?
Chapter Six
Elonu Fiul
The human was starting to grow on me. I wasn't expecting that I would find her so interesting, or any human for that matter. I had only known the females of my own kind, the Kynon. I had loathed the idea of having to mate with human females for the sake of our own species, but now it didn't seem like such a bad option. Looking at the small female with red hair, I was growing more and more attracted to her, now that I was able to concentrate on more things than just outrunning the cyborgs. She shared my appreciation for sunsets. If we were going to be stuck out here in the desert being hunted by cyborgs, we should at least enjoy the one amenity that the desert had to offer: spectacular sunrises and sunsets. But now after the sun had set, it was growing colder. We sat inside the shelter that I created while I listened to the beacon; it had a steady beat. It was sending out a signal on a loop. I hoped that they were out there, the captain, the ambassador, and the lieutenant: my crew. I hoped that they were out there working out a plan or were able to contact our base on Xeion.
I looked at Emma; she was leaning against a part of the wreckage falling asleep.
“You are tired. Here, lie down properly. You need the rest,” I said moving the bags of supplies and things that I had laid out on the ground material.
“I am very tired. I have not slept well in a long time, not since being taken from Earth,” she said giving me a look. A bit of guilt hit me in the pit of my stomach. But I wasn't going to apologize. Taking her from Earth was my mission; I was a soldier, and I did what I had to do.
“There, now there is space for us to sleep,” I said. “I am going to take a quick walk around the outside to make sure that we are truly alone,” I said.
“What if they come for us? The cyborgs?” she said looking at me with fear in her eyes.
“I am a light sleeper. Most soldiers are. We have to learn to rest while keeping watch; don't worry yourself. Get the rest that you need. Get some sleep,” I said as I crawled out of the shelter.
The cold wind hit my heated body, and I was glad for it. The Kynon ran hot. We practically radiated heat, and my body was keeping the shelter warm. Plus, being so close to the human female and inhaling her scent was making me hotter.
I walked around our camp searching the horizon for lights. I didn't see anything. We were alone; it meant that I could get some rest. After taking a stroll further out, I came back into the shelter. My breath caught in my throat. Seeing Emma laid out on the ground in her shredded dress was definitely a sight to see. Her long pale legs were tucked up against her body. In the dim light of the moon that was coming in through the slits in the shelter, I could see her red hair spread out around her. I turned my eyes away from her. I laid down as far away from her as I could. I laid on my back and put my hands underneath my head. It was going to be a long night. I felt drawn to her.
The next morning, I was awake and out of the tent before she woke up. I couldn't handle being next to her petite body any longer while she slept. It was causing desire to rise in me, and I needed to focus. I needed to come up with another plan if the beacon did not work.
“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sleep so much. I haven't slept that well in a long time,” I heard Emma say as she crawled out of the shelter.
“No need to apologize,” I said sitting in the sand and staring toward the horizon. I had watched the sun rise, and it had been spectacular. I had the urge to wake her up and share it with her, but I knew it was important for her to sleep. I handed her a jug of water.
“Thank you,” she took a drink.
“I would kill for coffee,” she uttered a few seconds later.
“What is this coffee?” I asked. She sat down next to me.
“It is a very strong brewed drink that we usually have in the morning. It has what is called caffeine that really wakes us up,” she said.
“And it is worth killing over?” I looked at her as I had never heard of a drink worth killing over, except for water sources, which could cause territorial battles.
She giggled. “No
, not really. It is just an expression. I wouldn't actually kill anybody for it. It just means I really want it badly.”
“I understand.”
We sat there for a few minutes, but I couldn't help but to tease her. “It is morning. You wanted to leave yesterday; will you be leaving this morning?”
“I do hate sitting here and doing nothing. My friends are out there. They need my help,” she said.
“I know. We will get to them. But I beg you to wait until this beacon works,” I said.
“What if there is no one out there to listen to your signal? Then we are just sitting here wasting time.” Her cheeks flushed red as she looked at me with her blazing green eyes. The sunlight was hitting them setting them on fire as she looked at me with anger.