The private blinked, looked at Arin, then glanced down at the Xargek larvae that were swarming all over the place. As three of them rushed towards her, she made a giant leap and started to sprint, easily dodging the oval-shaped black creatures as they ambulated around on their multiple tiny legs.
Horrid things.
Several loud crashes echoed from the communications room, and Arin hoped Rykal was getting the real threat under control. Riana reached Arin’s side, breathing heavily. “This is what you called me up here for? I wish you’d asked for the rest of the squad, boss.”
Arin squeezed off two shots, hitting a couple of Xargek that were trying to sneak up on them from behind. “The situation’s changed,” she said. “Had no idea these things were swarming all over the place until afterwards. Doesn’t change the fact that I need you to do something for me.”
“Oh yeah?”
“I need you to hack a military satellite.”
Riana laughed, her perfect white teeth gleaming. “Is that all? How come you never give me any of the easy jobs?”
Arin fired at a weird-looking Xargek just beside Riana’s boot. The thing looked like it was halfway between its larval stage and some weird second stage. Bits of carcass and legs and gunk flew everywhere, some splattering on Riana’s boot. The private grimaced. Arin shot it again, just for good measure. “That’s because you’re special,” Arin grinned, as Riana made a face and tried to shake the muck off her boot.
“Can we get out of here and into the comm room so we can at least close the doors? I can’t hack shit with these thingsnipping at my ankles.” Riana started to move, but Arin grabbed her arm.
“Wait!” she hissed. She listened carefully. The loud thumps and crashes had ceased. She heard only the skittering of the larvae. The sounds of a titanic struggle between Kordolian and Xargek had disappeared.
That meant one of two things. “Wait here.” Arin held up a hand and crept up to the doors, gingerly placing her hand against the door panel. With awhoosh,the doors slid open, revealing carnage inside.
The first thing that hit her was the smell. It was absolutely putrid. Yellow gooey stuff was splattered across the communication equipment, and black chitinous limbs lay on the floor, severed from the Xargek’s body, which was motionless, a dagger protruding from its black triangular head.
“Rykal?” Her voice was tinged with dread.
“I’m fine,” he called out, but he sounded like he was in pain.
He’s alive. Thank the fucking stars.
Arin looked down and saw a trail of black liquid on the floor. It began as droplets, turning into pools and streaks. She followed the trail with her gaze. The black stuff seemed to bemoving, sliding towards the naked being slumped in the corner.
“Rykal!” She rushed over to him, dropping to her knees beside him. His weapons were scattered around him, and there was a large wound in his chest. The black stuff was his blood. Kordolian blood was dark, and it smelled bitter.
He looked up, a crooked smile crossing his lips. “Be a sweetheart and get that for me, will you?”
“Getwhat?” Arin was dumbfounded that he could be so nonchalant when he was lying seriously injured on the floor.
Rykal waved the severed stump of his left arm in the air. “That thing over there. My hand.”
Arin followed the direction of his gesture and saw hissilver hand lying in a pool of black blood. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Her horror must have been clearly written on her face, because Rykal regarded her with warmth in his eyes. “Don’t look at me like that,” he said gently. “It’s just a flesh wound. All I need to do is stick it back on.”
“Stick it back on…” Arin shook her head in disbelief as she reached out and gingerly picked up Rykal’s severed hand. It felt strangely warm and familiar, even though it was detached from his body. As if in a trance, Arin passed the severed extremity to him.
It was gruesome and surreal, and Rykal’s tender smile only made the situation seem ridiculous.
How could he be smiling and relaxed and cocky at a time like this?
He took his hand from her and pressed it against the stump on his arm. Arin’s eyes widened as his skin started to knit together, those weird little black dots swarming up and down as if they were somehow repairing his flesh.
“Nanites,” Rykal said, as if that explained everything.
In a couple of minutes, he was able to move his fingers.
“Holy hell,” Arin whispered, unable to hide her shock. Just when she thought she’d seen everything, she’d witnessed Rykal’s amputated hand heal itself, as if he were some kind of Frankenstein from beyond the stars.
“I told you, I’m a bit of an abomination.” Rykal made a fist, testing his hand. “It will take a while for me to regain full strength in this hand, but at least it’s back on.”
“What does it take to kill you, Rykal?” Arin murmured, not really expecting an answer. She was just expressing her disbelief.
