“I am not trying to make you feel welcome.I want you to leave and let me die in peace.”
I stand, clenching the drink pouch in one hand and the food in the other.“It’s called sarcasm.You Volderens might be more advanced, but you certainly lack intelligence when it comes to humor.”
He frowns, exposing the sharp tips of his teeth, then turns and strolls to the desk and sits.Soft beeps break the silence as he taps on a holographic screen.
I move to put the food into a pocket and find the cold metal of the prototype lifecord that put me in this mess inside.
So the bracelet on the table isn’t mine?
Another glance at it shows almost an exact replica of the one in my pocket, except for a small blue light in its center.
Was he in the Martian ruins?
Licking my cracked lips, I realize it’s been hours since I’ve had anything to drink.I break the seal on the water pouch, sucking on the built-in straw.The liquid is sweet and light, and I close my eyes as it hits the back of my throat.I exhale a sigh of pleasure.
The Volderen huffs out an irritated breath, then resumes typing.
“That other old lifecord….did it malfunction, too, and leave you stranded here?”
Although I can only see the back of his head, he tilts his attention to the bracelet and gives a single nod.“I found it by accident and have yet to determine if it is a sign of my destiny, chance, or doom.”
“In my experience, things are rarely ever coincidental, so you can probably rule out chance.”
“Doom, I am sure.”He refocuses on his holoscreen, his fingers tapping and scrolling on the holographic keyboard.
I pat the food in my suit pocket, saving it for if and when hunger becomes a real issue, then stride to the desk, standing behind the alien to read his words.Translated, the text says:
‘Temporal decay accelerates.The wormhole destabilizes with every passing cycle.The artifact’s core emits harmonic pulses—primitive yet potent.If I can synchronize its energy matrix, the breach may hold.However, quantum science is not my field so I cannot trust my calculations.’– Dr.Kael Vor'ronex.
The communication is labeled as his personal log.Leaning closer, I blink, re-reading the last line.“Holy shit.Kael, you’re a doctor?”
“Stop spying on me.”He taps a control and the screen goes blank.“Gods-damned humans.You are the bane of my existence.”
“What kind of doctor are you?”
He narrows his eyes and stares at me for a several seconds.
I’m unable to stop smiling, even though I know my presence annoys the hell out of him.
“The closest field to what you have on Earth is botany.”
“I can totally see that.Keeping company with nature instead of people.”I laugh.“But you’ve been doing research on how you got here.You can help get me b-back home,” I say, excitement making my voice higher than usual.
He turns his chair and gives me a flat stare.“You are assuming a lot, and even if Icould, there is not much time.The old lifecords require charging by power cores instead of bodily energy.Besides, this moon is in a decaying orbit.In three weeks, it will collide with a lesser moon and that will be the end.The only mercy is our death happens fast if we are lucky.”
I do not want to die in some sort of moon apocalypse.No way.
“Then let’s figure out how to get back before that happens.What can I do to help?”
“Help?”His voice is a low growl before he exhales hard, head tipping back to stare at the ceiling like he’s searching for strength he doesn’t have.“Go outside and leave me in peace.I am content to die close to my ancestors’ home world.”
Anger flares hot in my veins.“So that’s it?”My voice trembles, but not from fear.“You’re just giving up—dooming every Volderen stranded on Mars and Earth to decades in the void when you could shorten their journey?And you won’t eventryto help me?”I rake my gaze over him, the fury gushing up my esophagus and spilling past my lips.“Coward.”
The word detonates between us.
He moves like a striking snake, on his feet in an instant and towering, his chest a wall of muscle pressing closer until his breath scorches my skin.His nostrils flare.
Only an inch separates us.I have to tilt my chin to meet his furious stare, my pulse hammering against my throat.
