Serix just nodded absently when Cassie said she wanted to leave and implied that she wasn’t going to bring him with her. After what he did, she probably wanted some time to herself so he didn’t try to follow her out. She would be fine on her own, right? The building Cassie was going to wasn’t far away and the chances that she would run into another Scout were slim. It’s not like it was a dangerous trip.
Serix looked around the now empty room. Cassie might be fine by herself, but what was he going to do while she was gone? He couldn’t go back to the robotics storage without her, as the door wouldn’t unlock without her handprint. He stood up from the floor and headed back to the room with the beds. Maybe he could find something to entertain himself in there.
He rummaged through drawer next to his bed, finding a few old books. He thumbed through the pages for a while, but he didn’t see anything that interested him so he put them away again. His eyes wandered over to the short table by Cassie’s bed. She had put something in the drawer last night. He wondered what it was.
Serix crossed the room and opened the drawer. Inside, he found her old photo album. Cassie had let him look through it the last time she had shown it to him, but he had been distracted by other things at the time so he never got a close look at the pictures. He wanted to go back and see if he missed anything. Surely she would be okay with it if he went through it once more?
He carefully picked the album up and sat on the floor with it in the middle of the room where he opened it up to the first page. To his surprise, the first thing he saw wasn’t pictures. Cassie had stashed a few trinkets behind the cover for safe keeping. He hesitated. She probably had a reason to hide them from him, but eventually his curiosity won out. He picked up a round object and turned it over in his hands. There was a small button on the side. He pressed it and the lid popped open to reveal a circle of numbers sealed behind a thin layer of glass. Three needles of varying length and thickness pointed in random directions.
No matter how he looked at it, Serix couldn’t figure out what the object’s purpose was. He closed the lid and put it back in the album, and then picked up the second trinket. He knew what this one was: a necklace. He had seen plenty of Lunairan females wear jewelry like this back on the mother ship. In fact, this particular necklace looked almost identical to them. He narrowed his eyes, holding the pendant up to get a better look at it. What he saw made his heart skip a beat.
The necklace looked like Lunairan jewelry because it was Lunairan jewelry. The pendant displayed the symbol of one of the ancestral families: Lyrr. There was no mistaking the familiar markings painstakingly engraved into the stone pendant. How did Cassie get her hands on an artifact like this?
An idea began to form in Serix’s mind. He had to find a way to confirm it. His eyes fell on the photo album again and he flipped through the pages until he found what he was looking for. Cassie must have put the photos back that she had taken out the last time, because this particular image was definitely not there when he looked through the pictures on the human ship.
He had found a photo of Cassie’s entire family. Both of her parents’ smiling faces looked towards the invisible image recorder. It was the first time Serix had seen Cassie’s mother and he had to say, she looked just like her – well, apart from her mother’s dark, brown-black hair and glowing violet eyes.
Serix closed the album and stared blankly at the cover. His mind was reeling. Cassie was half Lunairan? Why didn’t she say anything before? She must have known if she hid those pictures of her mother from him before. She had intentionally kept her parentage a secret.
He heard footsteps in the hallway. He hurriedly put the photo album back in the drawer and closed it, and then headed out the door to meet her. She was coming down the hall with a coil of wire from the store. He stopped her in her tracks, putting one hand on each of her shoulders and pulling her close. He stared into her eyes. Just as he expected, there were small flecks of purple swimming in her bright blue irises.
“I didn’t imagine it,” Serix breathed. He looked at her with wide eyes. “You’re half Lunairan, aren’t you? That Lunairan you mentioned before; she was your mother. I’m right, aren’t I?”
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Name: Taylor
Pronouns: They/them
Age: Mid 20s
Relationship: Married (happily, I might add)
Time Zone: Arizona (we hate daylight savings, so it's MST year-round)
Writing History: I've been on a number of different roleplaying websites for over a decade and a half
Hobbies: Writing, fitness, driving/exploring, hiking, camping, traveling, tabletop games, anything NEW (I love trying things I've never done before)
Roleplayer Profile
Format: 1x1s only. Maybe I'll try a group RP again someday, but I've never had one last longer than a few months
Posting Speed: Depending on my schedule, I can usually post at least once per week
Favorite Genres: Modern, Historical, Romance, Action/Adventure, Horror/Dark, Fantasy, Slice of Life, Dystopian, can be convinced to write some Sci-Fi
Hard 'no's: Fandoms. Sorry, but I can't maintain interest in characters/worlds I didn't build with my partner
Template: Public threads or PMs. I prefer to keep all my RPs in one place, so no emails or G-docs or the like
Rating: Comfortable with 18+ content, but it's not a necessity and I prefer not to center a plot around explicit scenes
Level: Advanced. Will consistently provide around 400-700 words per post, but can occasionally leap to 2000+
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Normally, the whole ordeal would have been quite uncomfortable for Serix. Cassie had caught him staring at her while she was asleep, and then shoved him to the ground in a startled frenzy. He wasn’t even sure how he would explain his logic to her. Somehow ‘I wanted to look at your hair’ didn’t sound like the best thing to say to defend himself.
But instead, something else had caught his attention.
During the short period of time where they had been close enough to share breaths, Serix had noticed something odd. It might have just been his imagination, but he could have sworn he saw flecks of violet in Cassie’s blue eyes. But that wasn’t possible, was it? She had said violet wasn’t a color in the spectrum of human eyes. It was probably just wishful thinking. Maybe he was getting homesick. There was no way Cassie could have purple in her eyes.
Serix suddenly recalled something she had said back when they first met: that human-sympathetic Lunairan female. Cassie had said she spent a lot of time with her father. Could the Lunairan have been…? He pushed the thought away. No. That was impossible. They were of two different species. Interracial breeding couldn’t happen. The human beings looked similar to his people, but their genetics couldn’t be so alike that they could have offspring together, right? Cassie’s father was probably just a human that the Lunairan communicated with. Nothing more.
Serix looked up at Cassie from where he sat on the floor after she had pushed him. Her face seemed to have a bit more color to it than before. Refusing to meet his gaze, she said something about getting ‘breakfast’ and left the room, heading down the hallway to the nearby storage room.
Serix clambered to his feet and trailed after her. In the storage room, he took another container of food, using the same tool to open it. The contents were fruit bits again, but this time the pieces were yellow squares. He ate slower than the night before, enjoying the sugary taste of the food. He also used the time to sneak glances at Cassie, trying to catch a glimpse of the violet color he thought he saw in her eyes before. But of course, after a few tries he saw nothing different, so he gave up. It was just his imagination after all.
“So,” Serix said, putting an end to the silent tension that dragged on between them. “Where is this wire you need to find?”
But instead, something else had caught his attention.
During the short period of time where they had been close enough to share breaths, Serix had noticed something odd. It might have just been his imagination, but he could have sworn he saw flecks of violet in Cassie’s blue eyes. But that wasn’t possible, was it? She had said violet wasn’t a color in the spectrum of human eyes. It was probably just wishful thinking. Maybe he was getting homesick. There was no way Cassie could have purple in her eyes.
Serix suddenly recalled something she had said back when they first met: that human-sympathetic Lunairan female. Cassie had said she spent a lot of time with her father. Could the Lunairan have been…? He pushed the thought away. No. That was impossible. They were of two different species. Interracial breeding couldn’t happen. The human beings looked similar to his people, but their genetics couldn’t be so alike that they could have offspring together, right? Cassie’s father was probably just a human that the Lunairan communicated with. Nothing more.
Serix looked up at Cassie from where he sat on the floor after she had pushed him. Her face seemed to have a bit more color to it than before. Refusing to meet his gaze, she said something about getting ‘breakfast’ and left the room, heading down the hallway to the nearby storage room.
Serix clambered to his feet and trailed after her. In the storage room, he took another container of food, using the same tool to open it. The contents were fruit bits again, but this time the pieces were yellow squares. He ate slower than the night before, enjoying the sugary taste of the food. He also used the time to sneak glances at Cassie, trying to catch a glimpse of the violet color he thought he saw in her eyes before. But of course, after a few tries he saw nothing different, so he gave up. It was just his imagination after all.
“So,” Serix said, putting an end to the silent tension that dragged on between them. “Where is this wire you need to find?”
***Will Edit Later***
Prince Destrian Forthwind
Age: 19
Race: Human
Bio:
Other:
Age: 19
Race: Human
Bio:
Other:
Serix contemplated what Cassie told him about life being precious to humans. It was the same for the Lunairans, but for different reasons. The higher powers wanted to keep them alive because of their dwindling numbers. If their population fell below a certain level, they may never be able to repopulate enough to escape extinction. The only ones who cared about individual lives were mates and their children.
There’s no one left to care if I die, the morbid thought crept into the back of Serix’s mind. Both of his parents were gone, and he had neither a mate nor children. He doubted he ever would at this point. He had sacrificed any possible happy future he might have had for this human. And as he was the only child of his parents, his line would die with him. It was a strangely lonely feeling to know he was the last one.
Serix looked at Cassie’s sleeping figure. She was probably feeling ten times worse than he was. She had lost not only her immediate family, but also the rest of her species as a whole. And yet she pushed on, fighting to survive in a desolate planet with no one to fall back on but herself. If he gave up so easily to the higher powers, it would make a mockery of her efforts to go on living. He had to keep fighting, too.
He yawned and stretched his arms over his head, suddenly tired. He got up from the floor and flopped down on the empty bed on the other side of the room, rolling over to face the wall. It didn’t take long for him to drift to sleep.
--
Serix awoke in mild confusion. The constant stream of electric lights made it difficult to tell what time it was. He sat up on the bed and looked around. It must still be early, because Cassie had yet to wake up. He got up slowly and stretched until some of his lingering fatigue began to wane. His eyes wandered back to Cassie, who was still sleeping soundly.
He crossed the room and leaned over her. He was still curious about her unusual human features, but he had never really gotten a chance to take a closer look. Her light hair fascinated him. He liked the way her golden locks caught the light. It was something he had never seen occur with the long-haired Lunairan females. He leaned a little closer.
Suddenly, Cassie began to stir. She was waking up. Her blue eyes flickered open, meeting Serix’s gaze. He stumbled to pull away, but he was off-balance from leaning so far over her that he fell forward instead of backward. He let out an undignified yelp as he landed right on top of her.
“Ow,” Serix mumbled. He opened one eye to find that he was nose to nose with Cassie. He swallowed. That was a big mistake.
There’s no one left to care if I die, the morbid thought crept into the back of Serix’s mind. Both of his parents were gone, and he had neither a mate nor children. He doubted he ever would at this point. He had sacrificed any possible happy future he might have had for this human. And as he was the only child of his parents, his line would die with him. It was a strangely lonely feeling to know he was the last one.
Serix looked at Cassie’s sleeping figure. She was probably feeling ten times worse than he was. She had lost not only her immediate family, but also the rest of her species as a whole. And yet she pushed on, fighting to survive in a desolate planet with no one to fall back on but herself. If he gave up so easily to the higher powers, it would make a mockery of her efforts to go on living. He had to keep fighting, too.
He yawned and stretched his arms over his head, suddenly tired. He got up from the floor and flopped down on the empty bed on the other side of the room, rolling over to face the wall. It didn’t take long for him to drift to sleep.
--
Serix awoke in mild confusion. The constant stream of electric lights made it difficult to tell what time it was. He sat up on the bed and looked around. It must still be early, because Cassie had yet to wake up. He got up slowly and stretched until some of his lingering fatigue began to wane. His eyes wandered back to Cassie, who was still sleeping soundly.
He crossed the room and leaned over her. He was still curious about her unusual human features, but he had never really gotten a chance to take a closer look. Her light hair fascinated him. He liked the way her golden locks caught the light. It was something he had never seen occur with the long-haired Lunairan females. He leaned a little closer.
Suddenly, Cassie began to stir. She was waking up. Her blue eyes flickered open, meeting Serix’s gaze. He stumbled to pull away, but he was off-balance from leaning so far over her that he fell forward instead of backward. He let out an undignified yelp as he landed right on top of her.
“Ow,” Serix mumbled. He opened one eye to find that he was nose to nose with Cassie. He swallowed. That was a big mistake.
For whatever reason, I'm having some serious writer's block for this RP lately. I can tell it's coming through in my writing when I read the last couple of posts I added in the IC :/
It might take me a bit to get over this, but I'm hoping to get something up as soon as I get that spark of inspiration.
Sorry for the wait, all! I hate doing this, but I don't want to make this RP go downhill with my short posts. v~v
It might take me a bit to get over this, but I'm hoping to get something up as soon as I get that spark of inspiration.
Sorry for the wait, all! I hate doing this, but I don't want to make this RP go downhill with my short posts. v~v
Serix just rolled his eyes when Cassie insisted he was attacked by the ‘dogs’ because she wasn’t with him. He followed her again and she led him to a smaller storage room full of round, metal containers. “Pick what you want. Sorry it’s all canned, but that's all that could stay good during all this time,” she grabbed one for herself.
All of the containers looked the same, so Serix just chose a random one and took it down from the shelf. He turned it over in his hands. It didn’t look like it had a lid. How was he supposed to get the food out of it without breaking the container? He snuck a glance at Cassie to see that she was opening her container with a small tool that she twisted around one of the flat sides.
Serix held out a hand to take the tool from her when she was finished using it. When she gave it to him, he looked at it more closely. The device had a tiny grip on the inside that fit the rigged edge of the food container. He fit it on the metal edge and copied Cassie’s twisting motion until the side popped off. The smell of food set his stomach to rumbling again.
Inside the container were small wedges of orange fruit. He pulled one out and sniffed at it. He had never seen anything like it, but it smelled delicious. He bit off a piece of it and widened his eyes. The strange fruit tasted sweeter than any of the food he’d ever eaten back on the ship. All he had available there were the dehydrated and heavily salted rations provided to the Lunairans by the higher powers. The food was dull and tasteless, only eaten for the nutrients it contained. Serix devoured the Earth fruit ravenously.
“So what's your plan now?” Cassie asked. “Are you going to go back to the ship for your next check in, or do you have something else in mind?”
“I don’t have to report back for another two days,” Serix said, sitting down across from her on the floor. “But even then, I’m not sure. Sometimes I think it might be easier to just not go back. Play dead, in a sense. Maybe the pilot would just write me off as a casualty to one of those… eh… dogs.” He shook his head. “But I know he won’t let me go that easily. Not after losing track of me twice. Maybe I should just go back and let him turn me in to the leaders.” He gave a mirthless laugh. “It might be easier than just prolonging the inevitable.”
All of the containers looked the same, so Serix just chose a random one and took it down from the shelf. He turned it over in his hands. It didn’t look like it had a lid. How was he supposed to get the food out of it without breaking the container? He snuck a glance at Cassie to see that she was opening her container with a small tool that she twisted around one of the flat sides.
Serix held out a hand to take the tool from her when she was finished using it. When she gave it to him, he looked at it more closely. The device had a tiny grip on the inside that fit the rigged edge of the food container. He fit it on the metal edge and copied Cassie’s twisting motion until the side popped off. The smell of food set his stomach to rumbling again.
Inside the container were small wedges of orange fruit. He pulled one out and sniffed at it. He had never seen anything like it, but it smelled delicious. He bit off a piece of it and widened his eyes. The strange fruit tasted sweeter than any of the food he’d ever eaten back on the ship. All he had available there were the dehydrated and heavily salted rations provided to the Lunairans by the higher powers. The food was dull and tasteless, only eaten for the nutrients it contained. Serix devoured the Earth fruit ravenously.
“So what's your plan now?” Cassie asked. “Are you going to go back to the ship for your next check in, or do you have something else in mind?”
“I don’t have to report back for another two days,” Serix said, sitting down across from her on the floor. “But even then, I’m not sure. Sometimes I think it might be easier to just not go back. Play dead, in a sense. Maybe the pilot would just write me off as a casualty to one of those… eh… dogs.” He shook his head. “But I know he won’t let me go that easily. Not after losing track of me twice. Maybe I should just go back and let him turn me in to the leaders.” He gave a mirthless laugh. “It might be easier than just prolonging the inevitable.”
“You humans are odd,” Serix shook his head. “How can you use temperatures to describe something as impressive or attractive?” He gave Cassie an estranged look. “And to describe an attractive person as hot? You have strange taste. Usually when one’s temperature rises, they start sweating. Maybe you humans are different, but the excretion of bodily toxins does absolutely nothing for me.”
Cassie went on to explain the inventions of her parents. She always seemed a bit more reserved – vague, even – when talking about her mother, Serix noticed. At first, he had assumed it was because they were never close, but with the admiring way in which Cassie spoke about her just now, he wasn’t so sure. Well, whatever the case, it didn’t matter. She could keep her secrets.
“This is a much better location,” Serix agreed when Cassie said she was planning to live in the robotics storage. “I doubt even I would have found it if you hadn’t shown me the entrance, and you had already given me an idea of where to look.” He followed her out the door of the cockpit when she got up to leave. “Besides, the others are probably too busy exploring the surface to try searching below ground.”
There was a brief pause, and then Cassie spoke again. “So… what happened to you after you left the airport? You said I probably wouldn't see you again and yet I did. What exactly went down when you went to the ship? And what did you do to mess up your arm?”
“I said I might not come back,” Serix corrected her as they descended the staircase. “I never said for certain that you wouldn’t see me again.” He hesitated, unsure if he wanted to tell her the truth. He didn’t want to drag her into his problems, but… in a way, he already had. He sighed in resignation. She might as well know what was going on.
“I went back to report at the ship,” Serix said. “Everything went fine. All of the Scouts were accounted for, we all received new food rations and sample containers, and then we were sent on our way. It all went according to plan… but the report itself wasn’t why I said I might not come back.” He stopped walking at the base of the stairs, holding Cassie’s blue-eyed gaze with his own violet stare. “First, I think I should fill you in on something that I’ve been avoiding to tell you. You may have already figured this out on your own, but my pilot gave us specific instructions to kill any surviving humans on site. That’s why I tried to…” he cleared his throat awkwardly and looked away. “In any case, you’re still alive, and I’ve done nothing about it. By letting you go on living, I’m blatantly disregarding my orders. That’s an act of treason in my society.
“Up until now, I’d never heard of anyone disobeying an authority like this. I never imagined it ever happening. Everyone always did what they were told because our leaders know what’s best for us. My mother was an example of what would happen if anyone went against the word of higher powers. She lost her life when she disobeyed her orders.” He looked at Cassie again. “But then you told me about the possibility of human-sympathizers among my people. If you’re right, then there used to be more Lunairans who thought our leaders were wrong. It was exciting to think there could be a whole group with different ideals than the rest of my society.
“But then I started to realize something else. Even if there were human-sympathizers, where did they all go? It’s like they vanished without a trace. The leaders in my society must have gotten rid of them. That’s the conclusion I’ve come to.” A bitter smile crossed his lips. “Now, here I am harboring what could quite possibly by the last human being. Of course I thought I was going to be caught when I went back to the ship. I just got lucky. The first intercom I was wearing malfunctioned somehow, so my pilot didn’t know my whereabouts and he couldn’t hear us talking. And now I got lucky again.” He spread his arms in a shrug. “That big magnet destroyed my second intercom. The pilot is blind to everything we’re doing yet again. You must bring good fortune or something, Cassie.
“Oh right,” Serix looked at the bandage on his arm. “I ran into some of those four-legged creatures again. You still have my Silencer, so I had to fight them off without it. It’s no big deal.” He specifically left out the part where he had climbed a tree to run away from the beasts.
At that moment, Serix’s stomach let out a loud growl, and he remembered that he hadn’t eaten anything in almost two days. He felt heat rise to his face and he looked down at the floor, reaching up with one hand to scratch the back of his neck in embarrassment. “One other thing. Do you… have any food?”
Cassie went on to explain the inventions of her parents. She always seemed a bit more reserved – vague, even – when talking about her mother, Serix noticed. At first, he had assumed it was because they were never close, but with the admiring way in which Cassie spoke about her just now, he wasn’t so sure. Well, whatever the case, it didn’t matter. She could keep her secrets.
“This is a much better location,” Serix agreed when Cassie said she was planning to live in the robotics storage. “I doubt even I would have found it if you hadn’t shown me the entrance, and you had already given me an idea of where to look.” He followed her out the door of the cockpit when she got up to leave. “Besides, the others are probably too busy exploring the surface to try searching below ground.”
There was a brief pause, and then Cassie spoke again. “So… what happened to you after you left the airport? You said I probably wouldn't see you again and yet I did. What exactly went down when you went to the ship? And what did you do to mess up your arm?”
“I said I might not come back,” Serix corrected her as they descended the staircase. “I never said for certain that you wouldn’t see me again.” He hesitated, unsure if he wanted to tell her the truth. He didn’t want to drag her into his problems, but… in a way, he already had. He sighed in resignation. She might as well know what was going on.
“I went back to report at the ship,” Serix said. “Everything went fine. All of the Scouts were accounted for, we all received new food rations and sample containers, and then we were sent on our way. It all went according to plan… but the report itself wasn’t why I said I might not come back.” He stopped walking at the base of the stairs, holding Cassie’s blue-eyed gaze with his own violet stare. “First, I think I should fill you in on something that I’ve been avoiding to tell you. You may have already figured this out on your own, but my pilot gave us specific instructions to kill any surviving humans on site. That’s why I tried to…” he cleared his throat awkwardly and looked away. “In any case, you’re still alive, and I’ve done nothing about it. By letting you go on living, I’m blatantly disregarding my orders. That’s an act of treason in my society.
“Up until now, I’d never heard of anyone disobeying an authority like this. I never imagined it ever happening. Everyone always did what they were told because our leaders know what’s best for us. My mother was an example of what would happen if anyone went against the word of higher powers. She lost her life when she disobeyed her orders.” He looked at Cassie again. “But then you told me about the possibility of human-sympathizers among my people. If you’re right, then there used to be more Lunairans who thought our leaders were wrong. It was exciting to think there could be a whole group with different ideals than the rest of my society.
“But then I started to realize something else. Even if there were human-sympathizers, where did they all go? It’s like they vanished without a trace. The leaders in my society must have gotten rid of them. That’s the conclusion I’ve come to.” A bitter smile crossed his lips. “Now, here I am harboring what could quite possibly by the last human being. Of course I thought I was going to be caught when I went back to the ship. I just got lucky. The first intercom I was wearing malfunctioned somehow, so my pilot didn’t know my whereabouts and he couldn’t hear us talking. And now I got lucky again.” He spread his arms in a shrug. “That big magnet destroyed my second intercom. The pilot is blind to everything we’re doing yet again. You must bring good fortune or something, Cassie.
“Oh right,” Serix looked at the bandage on his arm. “I ran into some of those four-legged creatures again. You still have my Silencer, so I had to fight them off without it. It’s no big deal.” He specifically left out the part where he had climbed a tree to run away from the beasts.
At that moment, Serix’s stomach let out a loud growl, and he remembered that he hadn’t eaten anything in almost two days. He felt heat rise to his face and he looked down at the floor, reaching up with one hand to scratch the back of his neck in embarrassment. “One other thing. Do you… have any food?”
“Of course,” Serix nodded when Cassie told him the robots needed to be repaired. “I didn’t think I was going to be allowed to drive one that easily.”
Cassie pulled the cockpit door open – it seemed to take a great deal of effort – and stepped inside. Serix followed close behind her. The space looked remarkably similar to the cockpit of a Lunairan ship, but he wasn’t a pilot so for all he knew, the controls could be completely different.
He stepped in front of the large window that overlooked the storage unit, raising a hand to brush his fingers lightly over the clear material. It felt like heavily layered acrylic. The same material was used on some Lunairan fighter ships. Maybe human technology wasn’t so different after all. He wondered – if given enough time – whether his own people would have ever invented machines like these. The materials were similar enough and the Lunairans engineers were clever enough. But then again, the humans always seemed to outdo his people in their level of creativity.
Serix stepped away from the window and went back to the control panel where Cassie was sitting. He leaned over it, looking down at all of the different buttons and knobs, and let out a low whistle. There were so many controls; it was amazing that someone could learn the functions of each and every one. Still, he wanted to drive a robot, so he would have to learn them too.
“This is so cool. It still amazes me what my father could do,” Cassie said. She stood up from the control panel and crossed to the window where Serix had been standing a moment before. “Tell you what. When I get the wire to fix that controlled robot down there, I'll let you drive it.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Serix replied with a grin.
Cassie walked back to the control panel and blew the dust off of it, sending up a cloud of gray particles. She had a satisfied look on her face as she examined the panel. Serix didn’t have an eye for technology like this, so he could only wonder what she saw. Whatever it was, it must have been a good sign.
“So, what do you think?” Cassie looked up at him. “Are they as cool as you imagined? Or is it a letdown?”
“Cool?” Serix tilted his head. “I was actually thinking it’s a bit warm in here. The robot isn’t a letdown though. This is amazing.” He glanced back at the control panel and shook his head. “It’s all so intricate. I don’t know how your father put it all together. You must be very proud of him.”
Cassie pulled the cockpit door open – it seemed to take a great deal of effort – and stepped inside. Serix followed close behind her. The space looked remarkably similar to the cockpit of a Lunairan ship, but he wasn’t a pilot so for all he knew, the controls could be completely different.
He stepped in front of the large window that overlooked the storage unit, raising a hand to brush his fingers lightly over the clear material. It felt like heavily layered acrylic. The same material was used on some Lunairan fighter ships. Maybe human technology wasn’t so different after all. He wondered – if given enough time – whether his own people would have ever invented machines like these. The materials were similar enough and the Lunairans engineers were clever enough. But then again, the humans always seemed to outdo his people in their level of creativity.
Serix stepped away from the window and went back to the control panel where Cassie was sitting. He leaned over it, looking down at all of the different buttons and knobs, and let out a low whistle. There were so many controls; it was amazing that someone could learn the functions of each and every one. Still, he wanted to drive a robot, so he would have to learn them too.
“This is so cool. It still amazes me what my father could do,” Cassie said. She stood up from the control panel and crossed to the window where Serix had been standing a moment before. “Tell you what. When I get the wire to fix that controlled robot down there, I'll let you drive it.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Serix replied with a grin.
Cassie walked back to the control panel and blew the dust off of it, sending up a cloud of gray particles. She had a satisfied look on her face as she examined the panel. Serix didn’t have an eye for technology like this, so he could only wonder what she saw. Whatever it was, it must have been a good sign.
“So, what do you think?” Cassie looked up at him. “Are they as cool as you imagined? Or is it a letdown?”
“Cool?” Serix tilted his head. “I was actually thinking it’s a bit warm in here. The robot isn’t a letdown though. This is amazing.” He glanced back at the control panel and shook his head. “It’s all so intricate. I don’t know how your father put it all together. You must be very proud of him.”
Serix nodded in agreement. It was good to be able to talk again, but this would be the second time the pilot lost track of him. He would definitely be suspicious when Serix returned to report in two days. At least he could honestly say the intercom was destroyed on accident. If he had tried to break it manually, the pilot would instantly know he was sneaking around behind his back. At least this way he might get one more chance…
…But eventually, he would run out of chances.
Serix’s smile faltered a bit and he turned away from Cassie, pretending to admire a nearby robot so she wouldn’t see his expression. He knew he couldn’t keep fooling the pilot forever. In fact, this would likely be the last time he got away with it – if he got away with it. He would just have to enjoy his remaining two days of freedom while they lasted.
He looked back at Cassie, who was proudly describing her father’s robots to him, pointing at each one in turn as she explained its functions. “This one was remote controlled with camera to show you what’s going on around it. Oh, and the other one was made for getting visuals and flying over areas undetected. This one on the end though was my favorite.” She crossed to one of the larger robots at the back of the storage room. “It was run from the inside, meaning people could get in it and drive it.”
“You could actually pilot robots from the inside?” Serix said in astonishment. He looked up at the metal giant’s sleek build. It was a dark green-and-black color and it appeared to have a slightly humanoid body. A cockpit rested in the position where the robot’s head would be.
“We could go inside of it if you want,” Cassie gave him a sideways look. A mischievous grin had spread across her lips. Serix couldn’t help but think that the lively expression suited her.
“Do you even have to ask?” he replied with a laugh.
Cassie brought him to an open staircase that spiraled up to a higher platform where the cockpit could be reached. She turned back to tell him not to touch anything – at which he let out an exaggerated groan of disappointment – and then reached to take his good arm and lead him up the stairs.
From the high vantage point of the platform, the robots looked even more incredible. Serix leaned over the railing, his violet eyes sweeping over the mechanical creations spread out below. There were so many of them. He looked back at Cassie with newfound admiration. Her father was the one who invented these metal masterpieces. She was the child of a genius.
“So when do I get to drive a robot?” Serix asked, mirroring Cassie’s mischievous grin.
…But eventually, he would run out of chances.
Serix’s smile faltered a bit and he turned away from Cassie, pretending to admire a nearby robot so she wouldn’t see his expression. He knew he couldn’t keep fooling the pilot forever. In fact, this would likely be the last time he got away with it – if he got away with it. He would just have to enjoy his remaining two days of freedom while they lasted.
He looked back at Cassie, who was proudly describing her father’s robots to him, pointing at each one in turn as she explained its functions. “This one was remote controlled with camera to show you what’s going on around it. Oh, and the other one was made for getting visuals and flying over areas undetected. This one on the end though was my favorite.” She crossed to one of the larger robots at the back of the storage room. “It was run from the inside, meaning people could get in it and drive it.”
“You could actually pilot robots from the inside?” Serix said in astonishment. He looked up at the metal giant’s sleek build. It was a dark green-and-black color and it appeared to have a slightly humanoid body. A cockpit rested in the position where the robot’s head would be.
“We could go inside of it if you want,” Cassie gave him a sideways look. A mischievous grin had spread across her lips. Serix couldn’t help but think that the lively expression suited her.
“Do you even have to ask?” he replied with a laugh.
Cassie brought him to an open staircase that spiraled up to a higher platform where the cockpit could be reached. She turned back to tell him not to touch anything – at which he let out an exaggerated groan of disappointment – and then reached to take his good arm and lead him up the stairs.
From the high vantage point of the platform, the robots looked even more incredible. Serix leaned over the railing, his violet eyes sweeping over the mechanical creations spread out below. There were so many of them. He looked back at Cassie with newfound admiration. Her father was the one who invented these metal masterpieces. She was the child of a genius.
“So when do I get to drive a robot?” Serix asked, mirroring Cassie’s mischievous grin.
Serix had to bite his tongue to keep from crying out when Cassie took him by the arm. The flash of pain made him see stars, so he closed his eyes. The injury must have gotten worse somehow, because he didn’t see how such a shallow wound could cause him so much agony. He felt the pressure disappear. Cassie had pulled her hand away.
He opened one eye to see her looking down at her hand. The palm was colored scarlet. He must have been bleeding through the sleeve of his shirt. No small cut could do that. Maybe he should have taken a closer look at it back on top of the building. Cassie gave him a chiding look, as if to say ‘how could you be so stupid?’ He managed to smile in response, but it quickly distorted into a grimace when he was struck with another wave of pain.
She brought him to a hidden passageway that contained a set of stairs leading down below the floor. It was a clever hiding place that Serix probably wouldn’t have noticed if she hadn’t shown it to him. They descended the stairs and Cassie led him to another room that was filled with many different assortments of supplies. She pointed at a chair and he guessed she wanted him to sit in it, so he did.
While he waited for her to get whatever supplies she was searching for, he rolled back his sleeve to check the damage. The gash was still bleeding, which was a bad sign in and of itself, and upon closer inspection he could see that the beast’s fang had pierced much deeper than he had originally thought. Through the adrenaline of the fight, he hadn’t noticed how badly he was actually injured.
Cassie knelt in front of him with a bag of what looked like medical supplies and took his arm. She expertly cleaned and bandaged the gash, her fingers swift and nimble as if she had done so many times before. But who knew; maybe she had. He flexed his wrist when she finished tending to his injury. It was still sore, but the sharp pain that used to accompany any movement was gone. He flashed her a grateful smile and stood up.
Finally, Cassie took him to a large metal door with no handle. He gave her a quizzical look until she pressed her hand flat against an electronic pad and the door slid open automatically. Somehow the building’s electricity was still functional. He wondered how that happened. The rest of the city seemed to have blacked out long ago.
Serix didn’t wait for Cassie. He stepped into the adjoining room as soon as the door had opened. He held his breath when he saw the robots. They were even larger than he imagined, varying in numberless colors and designs. He weaved between the mechanical giants, trying to get a look at them from all angles. They were truly awesome in the fullest sense of the word. The endless creativity of the human beings struck him once again. How could his people have killed them off so thoughtlessly?
Serix froze when he heard a popping noise. It sounded like a single clap. Suddenly he heard the steady buzz of static. He looked around in confusion, but there was nothing to have caused the sound. How peculiar. Then another possibility crept into his mind. He looked down at his intercom. It was no longer flashing. What happened?
Serix looked up. High above his head, a large charcoal-gray disk hung suspended from some kind of mechanical arm on a vehicle. He tilted his head, and then realized what it was. His own people used tools like this, but on a smaller scale. It was a huge electromagnet, probably used to pick up heavy metal pieces and move them about. He remembered how the older Lunairans would always warn the children to keep magnets away from electronic devices because they could interfere with the motherboard. Now, he had just stepped under the biggest magnet he had ever seen. It probably demolished the circuitry in his device. He turned back to Cassie and grinned.
“We can talk now,” he said excitedly, pointing up at the suspended electromagnet. “This thing just fried my intercom.”
He opened one eye to see her looking down at her hand. The palm was colored scarlet. He must have been bleeding through the sleeve of his shirt. No small cut could do that. Maybe he should have taken a closer look at it back on top of the building. Cassie gave him a chiding look, as if to say ‘how could you be so stupid?’ He managed to smile in response, but it quickly distorted into a grimace when he was struck with another wave of pain.
She brought him to a hidden passageway that contained a set of stairs leading down below the floor. It was a clever hiding place that Serix probably wouldn’t have noticed if she hadn’t shown it to him. They descended the stairs and Cassie led him to another room that was filled with many different assortments of supplies. She pointed at a chair and he guessed she wanted him to sit in it, so he did.
While he waited for her to get whatever supplies she was searching for, he rolled back his sleeve to check the damage. The gash was still bleeding, which was a bad sign in and of itself, and upon closer inspection he could see that the beast’s fang had pierced much deeper than he had originally thought. Through the adrenaline of the fight, he hadn’t noticed how badly he was actually injured.
Cassie knelt in front of him with a bag of what looked like medical supplies and took his arm. She expertly cleaned and bandaged the gash, her fingers swift and nimble as if she had done so many times before. But who knew; maybe she had. He flexed his wrist when she finished tending to his injury. It was still sore, but the sharp pain that used to accompany any movement was gone. He flashed her a grateful smile and stood up.
Finally, Cassie took him to a large metal door with no handle. He gave her a quizzical look until she pressed her hand flat against an electronic pad and the door slid open automatically. Somehow the building’s electricity was still functional. He wondered how that happened. The rest of the city seemed to have blacked out long ago.
Serix didn’t wait for Cassie. He stepped into the adjoining room as soon as the door had opened. He held his breath when he saw the robots. They were even larger than he imagined, varying in numberless colors and designs. He weaved between the mechanical giants, trying to get a look at them from all angles. They were truly awesome in the fullest sense of the word. The endless creativity of the human beings struck him once again. How could his people have killed them off so thoughtlessly?
Serix froze when he heard a popping noise. It sounded like a single clap. Suddenly he heard the steady buzz of static. He looked around in confusion, but there was nothing to have caused the sound. How peculiar. Then another possibility crept into his mind. He looked down at his intercom. It was no longer flashing. What happened?
Serix looked up. High above his head, a large charcoal-gray disk hung suspended from some kind of mechanical arm on a vehicle. He tilted his head, and then realized what it was. His own people used tools like this, but on a smaller scale. It was a huge electromagnet, probably used to pick up heavy metal pieces and move them about. He remembered how the older Lunairans would always warn the children to keep magnets away from electronic devices because they could interfere with the motherboard. Now, he had just stepped under the biggest magnet he had ever seen. It probably demolished the circuitry in his device. He turned back to Cassie and grinned.
“We can talk now,” he said excitedly, pointing up at the suspended electromagnet. “This thing just fried my intercom.”
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