The Sound of Stars

by Alechia Dow

  M0Rr1S gives a small nod.

  The little kid shakes their head and twitches their lips. “I thought you hated music? I thought you can’t feel stuff?”

  “Not all of us are like that.” His throat is dry and he wishes he could have a large sip of the calef juice that’s stored inside his bag back in the car.

  “My name’s Josef.” Their little voice sounds like a song.

  “My name is...Morris.” The Ilori way of saying his name is too difficult for any human, and only affirms his otherness.

  “Morris...that’s a cool name.”

  “So is Josef.” M0Rr1S gives them a small smile. Josef comes closer, but does not touch the bars again. “Are you a girl, boy, nonbinary?”

  “I’m a boy.” He laughs as if the question is weird.

  “Me, too.”

  The little boy’s brows furrow. “How come you’re here? How come you took our planet?”

  M0Rr1S hates this; hates his excuse that he was just doing his job. What does it matter to the child? What does it matter at all? All Josef knows is war, and evil aliens coming to take his land, and his body. So he doesn’t answer, and Josef deflates a little.

  “Do you know any music, Josef?”

  Josef puffs up again. “I can sing ‘If You’re Happy and You Know It.’”

  The lids of M0Rr1S’s eyes feel heavy again. “Will you sing it?”

  Josef starts to sing, and then he claps his hands. He looks at M0Rr1S with eager eyes to do the same and M0Rr1S obliges. He couldn’t say no to that face, even with his minimal energy. Human children are much cuter and far more innocent than Ilori. A child back home is no child at all.

  The song is a series of instructions, and he is pleased to follow along. And then they stomp their feet, and shout hooray! They giggle and do all three, and Josef is about to sing another rousing song when someone shrieks. They run down the hall, pulling Josef into a hug.

  “I told you never to leave my side. You could have been... Do you know how unsafe this is? Josef, do you? Look at me!” They pull back as tears slip down their cheeks. “Tell me you won’t run off again. Tell me!”

  “I promise, Mama,” Josef intones, his lower lip quivering. “We were just singing.”

  “Singing?” She looks at M0Rr1S, a black scarf covering her hair and neck. Her eyebrows are raised as she takes him in.

  Josef tugs on the woman’s patterned dress. “He’s a good singer, Mama.”

  She shakes her head. “Ilori don’t sing.”

  His voice is earnest. “This one does.”

  “What’s your name?” She holds eye contact with M0Rr1S.

  “Morris,” the boy answers for him. “We’re friends now, right, Morris?”

  M0Rr1S laughs. “Yes, Josef. But your mother is right, my kind is dangerous. You should go.”

  “You don’t seem bad to me,” he says, his little lips frowning as his mother pulls him.

  “I think,” M0Rr1S says carefully, “that we don’t know much about each other and sometimes that makes everyone afraid.”

  The mother regards M0Rr1S suspiciously before taking Josef away.

  “See you later!” Josef calls before he disappears from view.

  M0Rr1S sighs and stretches against the wall. He should tell them that if they surrender, no one will die. But he can’t trust the humans with his secrets, not when so many are at risk.

  Time passes. He doesn’t know how much. He needs to conserve his energy, and that will require rest. Maybe a manual shutdown. But what if something happens? What if Ellie needs him?

  Footsteps echo down the hall. A tall human with an escort of armed guards stops in front of his cage. Their weapons are aimed at him, but he has no desire to engage. He closes his eyes.

  The voice is raspy with an edge of authority. “Let’s get this out of the way, alien. I know you like labels, so here they are. I’m male and I’m the boss. Why have you come here?”

  “I didn’t come here, I was brought here.” M0Rr1S doesn’t want to quibble, but facts are facts. “Where is Ellie? Is she well?”

  The man’s tone changes in intensity. “What is your reason for traveling through this area?”

  “I have been relieved, so I’m now ready to depart this planet.” M0Rr1S shifts against the wall, trying to find comfort.

  There is a rustling by the bars. The man steps closer, his feet kicking the dirt through between the metal. “Why do you travel with the human girl?”

  M0Rr1S doesn’t hide his frustration. “She’s my friend, and I deserve to know if she’s okay.”

  “Don’t lie to me.” His voice is direct and sharp, laced with anger.

  “I’m not lying to you. Janelle Baker is my friend. She tells me stories and we sing together. Where is she?”

  The man huffs. “I should kill you. That’s what your people do to us.”

  “There are two kinds of Ilori. The ones that kill and the ones that preserve. I am the latter. I have never killed a human. But I might if you don’t tell me where Ellie is.”

  “No. You probably just don’t see the vaccination as genocide, right?” Now his anger is outright.

  “The vaccine serves many purposes,” M0Rr1S admits. “It also preserves.”

  “Lies.” The man spits.

  “If I wanted to, I could send messages over and over to your mind until your thoughts scramble. I could make you believe me. I could stop the electricity in your body. I could melt these bars that keep me here... Tell me, have you ever kept an Ilori in a cell?”

  The man doesn’t answer.

  M0Rr1S opens his eyes and glares. “I have not left because I do not want to threaten you,” he lies. “Nor do I want to kill you. I want Ellie, and then we will leave. I have no interest in anything else.”

  The man considers his words and relents. “Tell us about the vaccine we’ve heard about. What does it do?”

  Soft and unaggressive. “Where’s Ellie?”

  There is hatred in his voice. “I’ll tell you when you speak the truth.”

  M0Rr1S draws an uneasy breath and sets his attention on the man emitting his rage.

  The man looks away. “Your friend is upstairs. She’s safe...for now.”

  “How do I know you aren’t lying?”

  The man smirks. “Why would we kill another human?”

  M0Rr1S doesn’t trust him. The corner of the man’s mouth twitches in a way that suggests half lies or obfuscated truths. But questioning him will do nothing. “The vaccine hollows the human until it is a blank space for an Ilori to inhabit.”

  “Shit.” He rubs his mouth with the palm of his hand. “How will we know if they’re humans or Ilori?”

  “Physically they will look the same. However, their speech will be different, and they will not be as expressive or understanding of the human experience. It won’t be hard to differentiate between a human and a human with an Ilori consciousness.”

  The man leans closer, his head almost touching the bars. “Is it done? Are they coming for us?”

  “Yes. If you want my advice, here it is—turn yourself in. They will house you, take care of you. Only some get the vaccine.”

  There is spittle by the corner of the man’s mouth. “I’d rather die.”

  “If you die, how will you stop them? Us?” M0Rr1S remembers that he is, in fact, one of them, and telling the human otherwise is not safe for anyone.

  “I’m not letting you out of here.” The man sniffs. “You’ll tell them where we are.”

  M0Rr1S shakes his head. “I could have already.”

  He snorts. “Don’t fuck with me. You have no idea where you are.”

  “You’re going to kill me anyway.” M0Rr1S lets his head fall back against the wall.

  The man steps away from the bars. “Damn right.”

  “I only ask
to see my friend before you do.” M0Rr1S needs rest. Simple movements drain him now.

  “Depends.”

  “On?” M0Rr1S is desperate to know, desperate to see Ellie again, but his speech is slow.

  “Her behavior.”

  M0Rr1S doesn’t respond and instead slumps to conserve his energy. If it’s fully depleted, he’ll be of no use to Ellie, to his mission. He hums “Bohemian Rhapsody” once more until the man leaves in agitation. He doesn’t mind. All he can think about is Ellie. Where is she? Is she okay? What are they doing to her?

  Are you dreaming, M0Rr1S? Where are you? Brixton’s voice burrows deep into his mind despite his disconnection from Il-0CoM. You cannot escape me. You know this. I’m your familial code. I am stronger than you. I have energy to spare, unlike you.

  M0Rr1S cannot stop the dream of him and Ellie dancing in a field of grass while the Starry Eyed provide the soundtrack. He’s dreaming. Dreaming. His charge is too low to control or protect himself now.

  Familial code can penetrate his dreams when his mind is at its weakest. He’s not safe here. Not from Brixton, and he’s too exhausted to fight him off.

  Ellie twirls in the starlight. Glossy pearls dot her curls along the edge of her hat while the rest of her sparkles. “Morris. Are we infinite?”

  He doesn’t know the answer, for he doesn’t understand the question.

  Brixton’s voice cuts through the beautiful dream like dark smoke, obscuring the happiness and Ellie. Is this the human, M0Rr1S? How fascinating.

  M0Rr1S tries to push Brixton out, but it’s like trying to uproot a tree. Brixton is powerful, and the hatred he has for M0Rr1S is unparalleled. You don’t belong here.

  You think you can fight me off? I don’t need a strong charge to linger here, only a strong will. Chills creep along M0Rr1S’s spine and prickle at the edges of his mind. The dream fades away around him, and he catches Ellie’s purple hat before it disappears into nothingness. M0Rr1S. I’m coming to you. I can give you energy, we need to—

  No, he needs to shut down. That’s the only way. A complete shutdown. If they kill him, he will feel nothing. If Ellie comes... Maybe M0Rr1S will have time. Maybe he can upload the code into her mind somehow. Maybe the ship will still be usable. Maybe, maybe, maybe. He cannot expose his secrets to Brixton any longer, not while he is like this.

  His fingers flick to the panel beside his ear, and he scratches at it frantically until he hits the power button. He will restart in eight hours. Either he’ll wake up in the cell, or the humans will kill him. He hopes it’s the former. Death would rob him of Ellie.

  She’s his last thought before shutdown.

  CHAPTER 20

  “Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful.”

  —Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

  JANELLE

  I’m curled in a ball in the middle of my crate. No more tears; I have no more left. My throat is hoarse and my body shakes. I feel like I’ve aged ten years over the course of a few hours. Fear will do that. Memories I’d love to delete forever play on repeat.

  The woman and daughter outside the basement hatch. Their screams. My weakness and how I couldn’t save them. I blink back tears. Where is that little girl now? Is she dead? Did the man kill her? Did he kill them both, or did the Ilori?

  I’ve used that memory to tell myself that my library was worth all the risks. But now I can’t deny the other side to that story just because it hurts too much. The anger, hatred, rage. I’d hated that man, whoever he was, but I’d also hated the way I’d felt. Completely helpless. Part of me believed that lending out books was enough, that it was a simple way of rebelling. But I stood by for the executions. I stood by when Dad was taken and never really came home. I stood by while Mom drank herself into oblivion. When Alice was dragged away... Maybe I couldn’t have done anything.

  I can now.

  And I won’t leave M0Rr1S behind that door.

  I push up onto my knees, my back grazing the metal bars above. The wolves howl and laugh and taunt me. Because I’m more human than they are now.

  That man who sent me here wanted me to cower, to beg him to take me out. Not today.

  I take a deep breath and run my hands down my waist, wiping away the sweat and shakes. They won’t help me now. But the anxiety keeps me alert. Narrows my focus.

  I have no weapon on me but my wits and fists. Strong girls, characters from my favorite books, pop into my mind. None of them would wait around for someone to save her. Most of them would bounce out of here, in worse shape than me, and they’d fight. They’d fight through broken hearts and ruined dreams. I’m alive, and I’m strong. My heart isn’t broken, and I hold my dreams close to me. And I’ve already lived in a cage for years; I won’t stay in one anymore. Not when I can save and change the world. And my family.

  Morris needs me.

  I feel around the outside of my bars. Quick, before the wolves catch me. I can’t see, but I know how these things work. I cat-sat once in Brooklyn, this cage has to be just a bigger version of that. Right?

  I thrust my hand out and find the latch, but it’s stuck. My nail snaps, and I grind my teeth to keep from crying out. Almost there. I can’t afford to mess up now. Breathe in, breathe out. Focus. Sense. There’s a small pop, and I shift it up with the tips of my fingers. I use my shoulder to ram it open before I land on the floor. The wolves circle. Their chains clink against the floor. They’re just as trapped as I am.

  “Little girl torn to bits.”

  “They say they bleed red but this one’s skin is black.”

  “They all bleed red.”

  “Traitor. Prefers them to us. Broken little girl.”

  One’s nose sniffs my neck as I stumble to my feet. “Smells good.”

  And that’s when my fists flex by my sides. No fictional character pops into my mind now. Only Morris. What would Morris do? Would he fight, would he run? I know the answer, because I know Morris.

  In my mind, I belt out the Starry Eyed. The first song that comes to mind. “Fairy-tale girl, don’t give up now... The story’s not over yet, you can’t take your bow.” I slam my body into one man, and he falls unceremoniously to the ground.

  “Don’t!” I swing out my fist and connect to another’s jaw. “No, don’t!” I scream and kick one more, and jump over the fallen one. I pull back the door, I pull, and I pull. “Don’t ever!” But the knob won’t turn. Keep trying, I tell myself over my pounding heart and the adrenaline rushing through my veins. I jam it up and twist. “You can never give up!”

  Bright light shines into the room, and onto my harassers known as the wolves. They howl in pain, running for the darkness in the corners. There are five of them; older men with no weapons. Chained there and treated like animals.

  I stand tall in the doorway. They wanted to break my spirit, to make me afraid and give up Morris, and so, I broke them a little.

  And now I’m going to break everything I can to get back to Morris.

  I bolt out and slam the door shut behind me. I run for the office, praying that the man who sent me to the wolves isn’t there. The medicine is probably on the table where he left it. I hope. Do I need it? I want to seem normal again, have the option at least. But it probably isn’t worth it anyway. Either I’ll die, get vaccinated, or go with Morris, and then die. And Morris accepts me the way I am. Counting and panicking, gray days and exhausted.

  I hear an unfamiliar voice from inside the room as I draw closer.

  “We have to kill the thing. Our people know it’s in there. They don’t want it anywhere near them or their children.”

  “What were you thinking bringing it here? For fuck’s sake, even if we kill it now, it could be communicating in the Hive. And what if there’s more to their electronic panels? A homing device or some shit?”

  “If there was, they’d already be here, Bill.” His voice is authoritativ
e. It’s the man from before, with the cigarette. Something about him scares me, and I know his voice will haunt my dreams for a long time to come. “Did anyone check on the girl? You know those Ilori rejects love to scare kids shitless.”

  “Think she’ll give us any info?”

  “Maybe. Check on her.”

  “I was just about to—”

  There’s no more time to listen now. Forget the medicine, I’ve got to save Morris. My feet hurt when I burst through another door and accidentally hit a guard with the backside of it, knocking him hard enough to drop his gun. It skitters to the tip of my toes. There’s a long moment where we both look at each other in surprise and then he rushes forward just as I snatch it up.

  I point it at him even though this thing makes me really uncomfortable. It feels both heavy and light, at constant odds with itself in my hand. Nothing good has ever come from these. In fact, if we’d been a more peaceful world, we wouldn’t be in our predicament. Maybe we would have tried to communicate first, instead of bombing and shooting and annihilating. What would that world look like? Where would we be now?

  “Stay back,” I shout at him.

  He puts his hands up. I realize he’s young, probably not much older than me. “Don’t do this.”

  “I’m just going to leave.” I try to stop my hand from shaking. “I just want to leave. Okay?”

  He exhales. “Do you even know how to fire one of those?”

  I don’t answer. I keep backing up until my back hits another door. I reach behind me and yank it open. I don’t need to turn my head to know I’m in the main room where hundreds of people and children loiter. There are screams and children crying within seconds. I feel like a criminal. I don’t want that judgment, but if they stand between me and my freedom, my survival and Morris...I’ll play that part. I don’t know them and I don’t owe them anything.

  The sun shines through the windows on both sides, setting a heavenly glow around the humans. I keep my gun trained on the guard.

  No one stops me. If this were the center in New York, someone would have stopped me already. And none of them would be frightened either; what was the worst I could do? Kill them? They were already dying. Kill myself? Who would that hurt? Freedom has made them fearful. Maybe they’re more human than me now.