“I can practically see you smirking!” She shrieked.
“Vidar, put me down this instant! I swear when you put me down, you’ll have hell to pay!”
“Quiet, little earthling.”
“No! I will not be quiet! I protest! I refuse!”
I finally set her down inside her room. She ran for the door, but I sent a command from my ocular implant before she reached the door and a low-level forcefield sent her flying a few inches back.
“You aren’t going to trap me in here are you!?”
I quickly slipped past her before she could grab onto me and I walked through the forcefield. She raced at it again and once more, flew a few inches back.
“Vidar! I don’t know what you think you’re doing but this isnothow you treat someone you love!”
“You’re adorable when you pout, you know that?”
“I’m serious!”
I sighed, running my hand through straight white hair. I had a feeling she would be difficult like this, but I knew just how to handle her. I’d been planning it in between studying her physiology and figuring out how to heal her.
“Fine. I’m sorry. But this is the only way I can be certain you’ll be safe. I’m going to be landing the ship, camouflaging and going to find John. I can’t have you getting into trouble.”
She folded her arms and glared.
“You could get hurt.”
“I could. But so could you.”
“I can handle myself.”
“I know that. But I can’t have anything happen to you again.”
I raised my hand, putting it a few centimeters away from the forcefield so I could feel the gentle hum of ions which repelled Minerva but were harmless to me. She put her hand up a few centimeters away, her expression softening.
“You have to be careful.”
“I will be careful. I also won’t be long. Trust me, Minerva. I do love you.”
“I love you too. So I think for once in my life, I can let go and trust you…”
“I’ll return soon, little earthling.”
I wanted to touch her one last time, but I couldn’t without her getting free or worse, worming her way into my head and convincing me to do the opposite of what was best for her. She might not have realized it then, but she’d appreciate me later for keeping her safe. Amongst her species, she was now a wanted person and before, they’d shown no mercy.
I returned to the cockpit, ignoring my guilt as I prepared for the rescue mission. I scanned likely areas on her continent’s surface for life signs. I had no data with which to distinguish John from every other male except for the fact that he was undergoing extreme torture and his life signs would likely be dwindling. Sorting through the noise of dwindling life signs on that planet, even after narrowing down for known military bases and likely tactical locations, showcased the fragility of life on the primitive planet.
This data would be useful too.
Eventually, I found an anomaly. It had to be John. I’d found a likely military base in New Mexico in the middle of the desert. Military carbon emissions, personnel numbers, and tactical significance matched perfectly. Then there was the faint human life sign. I recognized that the dying human might not be John, but given that this faint sign was the closest I’d come to finding him, I had to give it a chance.
I geared up, strapped with weapons, prepared to do anything possible to keep my existence on the planet out of the public sphere, and to save John Billings — for Minerva.
THIRTEEN
MINNIE
Vidar couldn’t have really believedthat I’d stay locked up on his ship without at least trying to escape, right? I’d tried throwing myself into his forcefield about fifty times since he’d walked away. He must have been far enough away not to hear a sound because man, I was raising hell.
