Goodbyes
There were two humans on the rock above D-10. One of them was watching through his telescope, taking photographs with the camera attached to it. The weather was warm enough to dry up his rare tears, not if he minded them much – he was unaware of the other one, approaching from the Eastern side of the rock. He believed he'd been alone for half an hour. Alone with his memories.
It began with a malfuncioning electric prop. No, it began with getting it back. Holding it again, in front of the mirror, searching for the strong and brave MNU warrior he hoped to see. He didn't. In the mirror, there was only a boy, a coward, hiding behind an electric gadget. It was time to re-consider what he wanted from that career.
A career that ended almost three years ago. After the public outcry, most human MNU workers had been fired, and he was one of them. Nobody asked the prawns whom to keep, he was not even suprised at that.
A pig stomach filled with sliced meat rolled down from the rock. Three prawns grabbed it, sharing the food without much quarrel. The camera took good pictures, including a portrait of Jack Wonder, one of his own.
Jack wasn't a friendly one. He always kept a safe distance from the humans, and took his first attempts as a confusing insult. Later, Jack kept an eye on him, never running to the truck at feeding time, but, with his unmistakable calm staring, waiting for him to throw food straight into his hands. This trust was the second most important gift he got during those long years he spent at MNU. The first one was his own self-esteem that was already shattered by the time he took the job, despite he had to wait until the mirror warned him about that.
During that night, he was rolling in his bed, thinking about the coward he'd seen. It took him almost a whole night to make a decision and to face his own fear. Why was he scared of prawns? Was he? Were the others? Why were they scared? Wasn't it simply their never-hidden disgust that evolved into pure horror they tried to hide? And who is everyone lying to?
He didn't get any answers at that time, but at least, he had questions. He was one step closer to what he wanted to be. One step closer to gaining trust. Gaining his own trust in his very own self, through finding his own courage, facing his deepest fear. A fear that rooted in what he believed to be a simple disgust.
It took him about a month from the decision to get used to prawns. After working with them for years, it was time to do that.
A front leg of a camel was thrown from the rock, Richard Mistnight caught it and bit the scapula off before anyone would take it from him. Misty was a young prawn, by the time of his decision, he was so small he could lift him with one arm. In fact, that is why he became the first step of facing his fear. He asked to be a guard on a feeding truck. It was one of the most dangerous jobs, since the prawns were hungrier in the morning, and guards made a decent meal whenever they caught one. He had to be careful, not to get eaten for his courage. When he saw the remaining pieces of meat and the blood covering most of the truck, he called for the youngest prawns to clean it up before driving away. Misty was one of the first ones. The tiny prawn child scared the guard to death several times, especially in the first days, and whenever he was approaching him with his relatively wide face covered in fresh blood. His colleagues brusted out laughing when they saw Misty chasing the fully armed MNU soldier on the plato. He was proud enough not to fight back.
A stillborn calf corpse rolled down from the rock. Petra 'Luna' Moonstone grabbed the front and Ulysses King had the rear. Of the two, Luna was his ever-favourite. Unlike Jack Wonder, she was a bright and open to any human relations. She used to be an engineer on the huge floating ship, she became his most reliable interpreter, mentor and physics teacher. He never wished for a Nobel peace prize, but hoped for a physics prize for developments in nanotechnology. With him being fired and not even allowed to enter D-10, that dream was killed. Ulysess was a different piece of cake. He was an old, loyal prawn, who still considered humans as saviors . He has two surviving children, both registered by him. He smiled to himself. Egg registry was the risk he needed to keep his life interesting.
-You still won't leave them, eh? –a newcomer muttered behind his back.
-Nice to see you, boss – he smiled without looking back. –Did I miss anything?
-Bruce got a job in Egypt.
-Egypt?
-He'll leave next Monday. I thought, maybe we should have a little goodbye-party before that?
-Sure – he muttered, as if he wasn't paying attention. –Count me in.
-What is it? – the boss asked, when he saw his face.
-The whole team is splitting up. Didn't you realize that, boss? And we're about three months from splitting up totally.
The newcomer nodded.
-You mean your prawns.
-My prawns?
-Those you decided to take care of.
-That was my job. Our job, if you remember.
Oh yes, he remembered. That was the official word, MNU taking a good care of their aliens. He took it seriously.
-I got a wonderful shot of Mr. Wonder – he said.
-Maybe you'll become a photo reporter?
-I only made one photo when I was in duty. You were after my blood like a madman.
-When was that? I can't remember chasing you.
-You've been chasing the photographer of " What went wrong?" for a month, and you would've killed me if you found out.
The man was almost screaming.
-It was you? How did you get my son for that?
-I've always been on good terms with Lizzie, boss, you remember that. She was my lover before you showed up. Take that photo as a revenge of mine.
-But…. – the former boss had to sit down on the rock. –But…. How did she allow you to take our child to District 9?
-The same way I asked Chamberlain Mistnight to take his son for the photo. And the kids really liked the whole situation, I think that was visible on the photo.
Actually, it was. Children (whatever species they are) tend to play with each other in the dirtiest places, and he caught the right moment for the photo. It was said to be the most adorable anonymous photo of the year or decade. "What went wrong?" The question in the title never got an answer.
-Is there anything I've not been told yet? – the former boss asked with sarcasm. After loosing their jobs and the pressure to report on whoever interferes with the MNU routine, he had already admitted many old "crimes" he'd done. Some of them were never even discovered.
-I told you that I registered the eggs after finding Costie's password. I told you that I borrowed Ulysses King when I had to get rid of my mother-in-law. I told you that I taught Luna to drive a car, maybe I also mentioned that I took your car for that. I told you that I smuggled ten cartons of cat food in the gunpowder. I think that was all.
-Last time you also mentioned you took Richard Mistnight to a football match.
-That was just a lost bet.
–It also counts. If I was still working for MNU, I would have to kill you about a dozen times.
-That is why I only tell you now.
For long minutes, the two men were sitting silently. One of them remembered the time when he was called "boss" and everybody feared him, human and prawn alike. The other one was trying to save at least a few pictures before Christopher Johnson comes back.
-Just let me know when that party will be – he said, as the boss was about to leave.
He didn't leave the rock yet. Before arranging the goodbye-party, he had to say goodbye to whatever he used to be. He started as a coward. With the unintended help of these aliens, he became somebody. And now, he will have to start it all over.