by Alyx X
Ducking into another doorway, I tried to look back when I heard the sound of gunfire. I was only able to see part of the still-smoking ship down this road, but it was enough to see soldiers opening fire on it. If it was fixable before, it wouldn't be after this. Anger surged through me, but we weren’t in a place that I could do anything about it.
Growling to myself, I continued my disorganized retreat, keeping a tight hold on my female. Their tactics were alarming. In the middle of the busy street, the soldiers opened fire without any attempt at diplomacy. It was a miracle Evvie had survived this long on this planet that seemed intent on killing off its entire population.
"Here!" A woman inside the doorway I sheltered in shouted. "They're here!" She looked at me through the glass. "Sorry," she whispered. "We’re all just trying to survive." I understood that more than she knew. I ran again, quickly becoming overwhelmed. I'd never been to a city quite this big. My home was more rugged, spread out over miles of countryside. I'd gone from that to the prison ship, then the desert. I'd heard of places like this, even trained to fight in them, but hadn't ever been in one.
"Stand aside!" The command was closer than I'd expected it to be. They were closing in on us. I'd fight to the death, but by now they knew about my technology abilities. They'd be better prepared this time. Which was probably why they'd fired on my ship without trying to talk to me.
Readjusting Evvie over my shoulder, I hurried down an alley, desperate to find a way out or a place to hide. Soldiers walked by the opposite end of the small roadway. I pressed myself against the wall and tried to shield the fact that I held a woman, water bags, and some meager supplies in my arms.
"In here," someone hissed, and I whipped my head to it. A few feet away, a doorway was open to a black interior. Going into it went against my training, but it was either that or wait for the soldiers to notice this alley. Darting inside, I whirled around and tried to get my bearings in the dark room. "Come on," the voice whispered. A dim light came on in the back of the room. "Down here." An old man, stooped over and wizened, opened a hatch in the floor. "Hide there. I'll get rid of them if they come." At least he was older. If he tried to hurt us, I'd be able to overpower him easily.
I glanced behind me one last time, conflicted but desperate. With no other option, I hurried down the stairs. The man closed the hatch behind me, and a light came on. It was dim, but light enough to let me know we were in a tiny, bare concrete room. It was difficult to hear anything from the outside city. I set Evvie down and assessed her injuries. She seemed unhurt except for being unconscious. I dug through the bags and found an anti-inflammatory patch. Putting it on her neck, I hoped it would be enough if there was swelling in her brain. The medicine was advanced, one of the ones I'd brought from the ship. Not the primitive pills from the human first aid kit.
The sound of boots overhead made me freeze. I gathered Evvie in my arms. When I looked down at her, her eyes were open wide, and she was terrified. I pressed a finger to my lips to make sure she knew to stay quiet. She nodded once, then winced and put her hand on her forehead.
It was then that I noticed the bruise forming there. That was a good thing. The front of the skull was the hardest part, at least in my species. I assumed the same was true for humans. Several minutes later, boots walked across the floor above us again. Another couple of heart-thundering minutes after that, the hatch opened. "They're gone." Came the old man’s voice.
"Can you walk?" I asked Evvie. I helped her to her feet, and she moved around.
"Yes, but I feel strange." That was likely due to the quick work of the patch.
She went in front of me up the ladder into the main part of the man's house. "Thank you," I said when I emerged from the cellar. "Why did you help us?"
Evvie sank into the only piece of furniture in the room, a small sofa. "Yes," she said. "Thank you. What happened?"
"You crashed a big ship in the road!" he exclaimed in a hushed voice. "What were you thinking?"
"They shot the steering out." I shrugged. "At least we came in slowly."
The old man chuckled and held out his hand. I looked at him warily, wondering if he was about to attack. Or maybe he expected something? Bewildered, I tensed. The man was looking at me with a small smile, which was slowly fading as he said, “Oh. I guess you wouldn’t understand what this means on account of your…” He gestured vaguely to my body, and I tensed further.
“Do you insult me?” I took a half step forward, glancing at Evvie. She wore a smile, which stopped me in my tracks. What was I missing?
“You’re supposed to shake it.” She said, giggling behind her hand from where she sat on the small sofa. I turned back to the man, who still held his hand outstretched. I reached forward, taking his hand in my own, then he rocked our clasped hands up and down once. His grin returned, and I offered him one of my own. Humans had some strange customs, but I was grateful for this old man’s help, and didn’t want to offend him.
"I'm Hank. I hate the TerraLink Program, as do most people. I'm old enough to remember when they weren't so powerful. They’ve sure been here a long time, but it wasn’t always this bad." He shrugged, like the brutal way in which the TerraLink Program policed and sold their humans off was inevitable.
"You'll help us?" Evvie asked in a small voice. I turned to her, then strode over until I could kneel next to her. I wanted to keep a close eye on her wound, and it was my job to protect her should Hank or anyone else turn on us. She smiled at me, putting her hand in my hair absently as she waited for Hank’s reply.
Hank's face softened. "I had a granddaughter about your age," he said absently. "You can stay here, but only until you can get moving. A day or two tops."
"Thank you," I said sincerely, gazing at him from the floor. "We appreciate your kindness."
"Don't mention it. Just get out as soon as you can. You've got to get her away before they realize she'd be a good breeder." He said it with such empathy on his face that it didn't come across as creepy as it sounded. "You're a beautiful girl. They'll snap you up if you don't get out."
Evvie's face blanched. "Our goal is to get away as fast as possible." She took my hand. "Together."
19
Evvie
"My knee is fine," I insisted. We'd slept in the little basement shelter in the old man's ground-floor apartment. We'd just come back down after talking to him again. He'd been jumpy, but seemed determined to fuck over TerraLink, which was in line with my own plans. While Hank wanted to do the right thing, the Terran Gurgs—their dumb but strong alien enforcers in the city—scared him to death.
The last older person that had helped me had died after taking a beating meant for me. The similarities sent a sharp pain through my heart. I missed Alice desperately, but I figured the best way to honor her would be to steal a TerraLink ship and go live my life as she had suggested. I couldn't let poor Hank follow the same fate as her. "We have to leave." I repeated, despite having said it several times already.
"You hit your head," Jarix repeated. "You’re a wanted criminal, and you look like you came straight from the salt mines. Which, I guess you did."
I snorted. "At least I’m not a seven-foot alien walking around with purple hair and golden eyes."
He grabbed our medical kit and pulled out a pair of scissors. "Cut it off," he said. "I can wear the hat I made you." I jumped at his abrupt request. The thought of cutting his long purple hair made me want to cry more than anything else had since Alice died. It was so silly. His hair was long and gorgeous, sure, but it was just hair. It would grow back.
Jarix looked at me quizzically while I debated with myself. Finally, I steeled my backbone and reached for the scissors. "If you don't look anyone in the eye, you'll pass for human, I guess."
"Don't people on this planet dye their hair?" he asked.
I nodded and gathered the thick locks behind his head, then realized he couldn't see me. "They do, but they've got our description. It'll be hard enough to hide you with how tall you are
."
"I could stay here," he suggested, but I heard the reluctance in his voice. He wouldn’t leave me to risk getting caught in the city without him there to protect me. He also knew Hank needed us to leave.
"No. We have to go. As soon as possible."
He'd given me some pain medicine the night before, plus something to promote healing. It had worked. My headache was gone—now that I'd woke up from the deep sleep the medicine had put me in. Somewhere in the frenzy, Jarix had dropped the bag with all the food in it. It was a real shame, too, because I hated to steal from anyone in the city. Most of the food vendors were only trying to get by, just like the rest of us, but we didn't have any money or anything of value. All we had left to trade with was the alien medicine, and I knew we’d likely need it again before this was all over.
I wasn’t sure how everything had gone wrong. We’d always planned to come here to the city—though, we’d wanted to land nearby and walk in—and find parts to help our little pod get to Haltrean. Then, Jarix had altered the ship to be able to take us straight there, and for a second I thought we were in the clear. For the hundredth time since I’d woken from my concussion I cursed the ship that had hit the pod during our escape. All that work we’d done out in the desert, laboring under the hot sun, was now lost. The pod was likely already being seized by the TerraLink reps, being held somewhere as evidence.
I sighed, hovering over the one person I had left to care about. We had to see this through. All I wanted was to be somewhere safe with Jarix. Sucking in a deep breath, I made the first cut. It was the hardest, but by the time I was done, Jarix had very short hair that stuck close to his head. With it short like this, it looked almost black. The cut was a bit choppy and would look absolutely ridiculous as it grew out again, but the hat completely hid his hair and he looked reasonably human. Except for those damn eyes. We’d have to find some sunglasses.
As I cut, we discussed our plans to get some food before looking for more shelter. We hadn't allowed Hank to feed us since we’d been here. An old man like him in this world had a hard enough time with money and food, it wouldn’t be fair to make things harder for him.
Finished, we cleaned up our mess and went upstairs. Jarix kept running his hands over the short locks, and I made a mental note to ask him if long hair meant something to him when we were safe. "Sorry, but this might stink." I grimaced at Hank and threw the long hair on his fire.
He wrinkled his nose. "Smart, though. Does this mean you're leaving?" he asked.
I nodded. "We can't thank you enough for your help. Your name and location will never pass our lips."
He closed his eyes and nodded, waving off my statement. "I wish you safety. I don't know what you did to them, but I hope it was devastating."
Jarix chuckled. "Not really. Beat up a few guards. We’ll make sure to do much worse to them before we leave."
Hank's face lightened and he looked positively merry. "That's delightful. The guards go to work for TerraLink and forget they were once one of us. It's a crying shame." He cleared his throat. "I went out while you rested. Everyone is gawking at that ship of yours, even while Terra tries to cover it up, so it's easy to blend in. They've gutted it and two guards are still standing on it. Probably looking for you two to come back." That answered one of our questions. Returning to the pod was no longer an option. We left him a few packets of medicine, precious though it was. He deserved a token of gratitude.
He winked and pocketed it, then walked out into the alleyway. "All clear," he said softly. We joined him in the alley. "Oh." Hank snapped his fingers. "Here." He pulled an ident band out of his back pocket. "Lifted this off a dead guy a few days ago. I was going to sell it on the black market, but you need it more than I need a few credits. Put it on. It'll help you blend in."
We couldn't stay there in the alley, so I grabbed Hank into a fast, tight hug, then left without a backward glance. I’d never forget his kindness, and I lumped him in with Alice in my mind. Any damage we could cause TerraLink while we were in the city would be in their names.
Carefully, Jarix and I went right, away from the scene of the wreck. Since we knew we didn't stand a chance of getting into the ship again, there was no point in going over there and risking exposure. Walking down the street with him, hand in hand, almost felt natural. As if, in another life, this is how things would have been. Just a young and in love couple, walking through their city.
Reality was not that kind, and when I accidentally stepped on my hurt leg wrong my lighthearted fantasy came crashing to a halt. I cursed, but Jarix held me upright. I squeezed his hand, passing him a smile that I meant to be bolstering. My limp wasn't too bad. It still hurt, but it felt like a surface bruise, nothing deep or lasting. And my head still felt good. All in all, not a bad outcome from such a landing. The fact that Jarix hadn't worn a seatbelt and had still come out with no injuries bugged me, but I didn't have the energy to dwell on it.
Jarix tried to take my elbow so I could lean on him, but I shook him off. "Stop. That's odd behavior here," I muttered. He had excellent hearing. I knew he wouldn't miss my words, but nobody else would be able to catch them. He sighed but let go of my elbow. I noticed him put his hand on the ident band and figured he was reprogramming it the way he had mine.
The first part of our plan was up in the air. We had to find a shop big enough to have at least a few customers in it, but small enough that Jarix could get to the register. I passed a couple of open-air options and didn't find a suitable grocer for several blocks.
When I finally did, I gave the signal and scratched my left elbow. Jarix continued walking down the street as I strolled through the front door as if I had every right to be there. It was perfect. They had three registers and all three were busy with men and women purchasing their TerraLink-approved groceries. Even in the richest city left on Earth, the people were kept carefully under control.
Speaking of which, we were near the wealthier part of the city, and my clothing stood out a bit. Jarix had mentioned it, but we hadn’t been able to come up with a solution. I just hoped people wouldn’t pay too much attention to me. Most of these people wore at least clean garments, if not brand new. I did see a few others dressed more like me, unkempt and in need of a long shower.
I wondered as I glanced at the other shoppers if they got to have real baths here in the city? It had always been a rumor that if you lived in the inner portions of The Glass City, where the truly wealthy lived, that baths were available daily. With the water shortage, I doubted it, but who knew how the rich lived? I certainly didn't.
Grabbing a plastic basket, I walked the aisles and selected food that might last us at least a few days. Bread, sandwich meat... I salivated at the selection of sandwich meat. I hadn't had a real sandwich since Hydronia. Their meat had a different taste, but it had still been delicious. I picked up a large package, knowing we had no way of keeping it cold. We'd have to eat it immediately, but I couldn't bring myself to care. A real sandwich. I grabbed a few packages greedily.
After that, I got serious. They had an aisle of shelf-stable meals, so I loaded my basket with them. We'd have to figure out a way to get water, too. I wanted to get the freeze-dried options, but I had no guarantee we'd be able to find enough water to eat them. The bottles of water in the store were incredibly expensive. Most of the other shoppers did not purchase any.
They likely had sources for water in their homes, however sparse it might've been, which meant they didn’t need this water. Not like we did. I had to get a few bottles. They would be heavy to carry in our pack, but at least we wouldn't dehydrate. And it wasn't like I was paying for it, anyway.
Lastly, I found an aisle of clothing and other sundries. To my delight, they even had a backpack. We'd lost our other bag with the food, so we needed something to carry all this food we were about to steal. I glanced around, checking to make sure no one was paying too close of attention to me. No one was, and I noticed that they were all equally tense. Not even citizens of The Glass Ci
ty felt safe here.
I grimaced, my anger at TerraLink growing, but I couldn’t react. There was nothing to do but get the hell out of here. With the backpack in one hand and the food in the other, I headed for the registers. My heart thundered, but I trusted Jarix to remember what we'd practiced and be exactly where he was supposed to be.
As I loaded the food onto the counter for the clerk to scan into the store's payment system, Jarix walked up. "Karon?" he asked in a perfectly accented English voice.
I pasted a surprised look on my face. "Rikard! How are you?"
Jarix leaned against the cash register as the cashier scanned the last of the items, completely ignoring us. She rattled off a total that made me cringe inside. I'd never seen that much money in my life. Before I got into trouble on Hydronia, they'd allowed me to earn a small bit of pocket money each month, but it had been pennies compared to this total for one basket of food and water.
"Here you go," I said with a sweet smile. I held out my ident band for her to scan.
This was the true clincher of the plan. If Jarix couldn't manipulate the register before it connected my disabled ident band to the TerraLink system, it might've alerted the corporation to investigate an ident band at Ginki's Grocers near the city center. I watched nervously as she scanned my wrist, refusing to watch Jarix as he casually leaned on the machine. He managed to keep a blank face as he worked his alien magic.
After a few heart stopping moments, the register beeped and a receipt printed. She handed it over with a bored expression on her face. "Have a nice day." I looked at her for the first time. She had a large, blotchy purple birthmark on her cheek. How lucky the woman was to have a job like this. She probably had no idea what her birthmark had saved her from. How she'd gotten a job here, I didn't know, but otherwise, she was beautiful. She would've been sold as a breeder in no time.