Disclaimer: See previous disclaimers. Do it.
Chapter 10: Hate
I turned to look behind me towards the back of the cave, and saw Abby getting up from under some blankets, her hair all a mess.
"Abby? You're alive?" I asked quietly.
She smiled, "All thanks to Mr. Alex, if he hadn't found us we wouldn't have survived. You were messed up pretty badly, I don't think I could have taken care of you alone."
I stared at Alex for a second trying to see some sort of deception. But found none. His blue eyes held nothing but sincerity.
He held the bowl out, "Please Rem. Had I wanted you dead, I would have left you out there to bleed to death."
I heard a little movement and then saw Abby come sit beside me, "It's OK Miss Rem, I made the soup myself, it's not poisoned."
Slowly I reached out, still not willing to trust the Martian, and took the bowl from him. He smiled at me one more time before he went back and sat on the other side of the fire.
I took a bite of the soup and felt extremely better afterward, "Wow, Abby, this is a good soup."
"Thank you. The recipe has been in out family for generations."
I glanced at the Martian for a second and saw him dozing off, then turned back to Abby, "Abby, what happened? How did we end up here?"
Abby clasped her hands in front of her and looked up at the ceiling, "Well after you and the others separated, I closed the doors on the supply ship, and I waited so long for you to come back that I fell asleep." Abby looked down in embarrassment, "Then Mr. Alex was shaking me awake. He told me he found you and already had you in the back of his hover craft, all bandaged up, and he brought us here."
I finished off the last of the soup and watched the sleeping man, "He's a Martian, Abby. There's no certainty that we can trust him."
Abby smiled, "I think we can, he seems nice enough."
Seeming isn't always being, I let the thought go unvoiced as Abby went back to her bedding.
Someone was staring at me. I could feel it.
I opened my eyes a little and found myself looking into smiling blue ones. The Martian, Alex, gave me a half smile.
"What?" I asked, gruffly.
"Oh, nothing really. You just look real cute when you're asleep." He gave me that half smile again and wandered out of the cave. I stared at him as he put a hand over his eyes to shade them from the sunlight, and looked up to the sky.
I glanced around the cave but didn't see Abby.
He better not have done anything to her.
"Your friend Abby went out to look for some of the berries that grow around these parts. " The Martian said as he came back in to the cave.
I watched him surprised, how did he know I was thinking about Abby? Can you read my thoughts? I inspected his face for any change that might indicate that he heard me, but saw nothing.
He crouched down, stoked the fire and added a few more logs. He looked up at me, "Why do you hate me so much?"
I glared at him, though on the inside was a little surprised about the question.
"Why should I tell you?" I asked as I pushed myself into an upright position.
He shrugged, "Well if I'm going to die, I'd at least like to know why."
I laced my fingers together in my lap and stared at them, "You-your people took my sister from me. She was killed in the your first attack on Luna station, when one of your pilots made a suicide run into the hydroponics lab. And... and before that, your Martian politicians delayed one of the evacuation ships and it couldn't make it out. My parents died on that ship." I glanced up at him to gage his reaction and saw surprise. "Not to mention you destroyers killed my friend, Frank, three days ago."
I looked back to my entwined fingers, and smirked, Now he knows.
"But... But you're wrong about that." He said quietly.
My head snapped up and I glared at him, "About what?! That what ever you touch you destroy?"
His face was neutral as he stared me in the eye, not backing down, "There was no suicide run. The ships engine was damaged and its pilot lost control, I know this for a fact, I've read the ship's last telemetry before it crashed. Heck it wasn't even a military ship, it was just a merchant."
I looked away, "Lies."
"How... how do you know!" he yelled, and I glanced at him in surprise, caught off guard by the volume of his voice, "Have you ever investigated? it or did you just eat up the propaganda that your government fed you?!"
He stood, "You think you're the only one who's lost loved ones?! Well you' re NOT!" He was literally fuming now, "I lost my brother to you people, but do you see me holding some widespread grudge against you all?! NO!" He shook his head, and muttered, "I'm helping you heal for God's sake."
"I know for a fact that you didn't kill my brother so I don't believe that you deserve my hate, or that you deserve to die. And what in the world makes you think that you have the right to decide who lives or dies! We are not Gods! We don't have the right, to take the lives of others!"
"If you believe that then why are you in the military!?" I yelled back.
He turned his shoulder to me and pointed to a red cross on his shoulder, "See this! I'm a medic! I haven't killed anybody! And you... you were so angry with us that you were ready to blame us for everything. Jeez next you' ll be saying that we started the war!"
With that he turned and stormed out of the cave.
Many thanks to my beta reader foo.
Reviews? What reviews?
The truth? I CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!
No really, people, please review. The truth and nothing but the truth.
The cold cold hard truth.
Is truth actually cold?
Ack, shutting up now.
Chapter 10: Hate
I turned to look behind me towards the back of the cave, and saw Abby getting up from under some blankets, her hair all a mess.
"Abby? You're alive?" I asked quietly.
She smiled, "All thanks to Mr. Alex, if he hadn't found us we wouldn't have survived. You were messed up pretty badly, I don't think I could have taken care of you alone."
I stared at Alex for a second trying to see some sort of deception. But found none. His blue eyes held nothing but sincerity.
He held the bowl out, "Please Rem. Had I wanted you dead, I would have left you out there to bleed to death."
I heard a little movement and then saw Abby come sit beside me, "It's OK Miss Rem, I made the soup myself, it's not poisoned."
Slowly I reached out, still not willing to trust the Martian, and took the bowl from him. He smiled at me one more time before he went back and sat on the other side of the fire.
I took a bite of the soup and felt extremely better afterward, "Wow, Abby, this is a good soup."
"Thank you. The recipe has been in out family for generations."
I glanced at the Martian for a second and saw him dozing off, then turned back to Abby, "Abby, what happened? How did we end up here?"
Abby clasped her hands in front of her and looked up at the ceiling, "Well after you and the others separated, I closed the doors on the supply ship, and I waited so long for you to come back that I fell asleep." Abby looked down in embarrassment, "Then Mr. Alex was shaking me awake. He told me he found you and already had you in the back of his hover craft, all bandaged up, and he brought us here."
I finished off the last of the soup and watched the sleeping man, "He's a Martian, Abby. There's no certainty that we can trust him."
Abby smiled, "I think we can, he seems nice enough."
Seeming isn't always being, I let the thought go unvoiced as Abby went back to her bedding.
Someone was staring at me. I could feel it.
I opened my eyes a little and found myself looking into smiling blue ones. The Martian, Alex, gave me a half smile.
"What?" I asked, gruffly.
"Oh, nothing really. You just look real cute when you're asleep." He gave me that half smile again and wandered out of the cave. I stared at him as he put a hand over his eyes to shade them from the sunlight, and looked up to the sky.
I glanced around the cave but didn't see Abby.
He better not have done anything to her.
"Your friend Abby went out to look for some of the berries that grow around these parts. " The Martian said as he came back in to the cave.
I watched him surprised, how did he know I was thinking about Abby? Can you read my thoughts? I inspected his face for any change that might indicate that he heard me, but saw nothing.
He crouched down, stoked the fire and added a few more logs. He looked up at me, "Why do you hate me so much?"
I glared at him, though on the inside was a little surprised about the question.
"Why should I tell you?" I asked as I pushed myself into an upright position.
He shrugged, "Well if I'm going to die, I'd at least like to know why."
I laced my fingers together in my lap and stared at them, "You-your people took my sister from me. She was killed in the your first attack on Luna station, when one of your pilots made a suicide run into the hydroponics lab. And... and before that, your Martian politicians delayed one of the evacuation ships and it couldn't make it out. My parents died on that ship." I glanced up at him to gage his reaction and saw surprise. "Not to mention you destroyers killed my friend, Frank, three days ago."
I looked back to my entwined fingers, and smirked, Now he knows.
"But... But you're wrong about that." He said quietly.
My head snapped up and I glared at him, "About what?! That what ever you touch you destroy?"
His face was neutral as he stared me in the eye, not backing down, "There was no suicide run. The ships engine was damaged and its pilot lost control, I know this for a fact, I've read the ship's last telemetry before it crashed. Heck it wasn't even a military ship, it was just a merchant."
I looked away, "Lies."
"How... how do you know!" he yelled, and I glanced at him in surprise, caught off guard by the volume of his voice, "Have you ever investigated? it or did you just eat up the propaganda that your government fed you?!"
He stood, "You think you're the only one who's lost loved ones?! Well you' re NOT!" He was literally fuming now, "I lost my brother to you people, but do you see me holding some widespread grudge against you all?! NO!" He shook his head, and muttered, "I'm helping you heal for God's sake."
"I know for a fact that you didn't kill my brother so I don't believe that you deserve my hate, or that you deserve to die. And what in the world makes you think that you have the right to decide who lives or dies! We are not Gods! We don't have the right, to take the lives of others!"
"If you believe that then why are you in the military!?" I yelled back.
He turned his shoulder to me and pointed to a red cross on his shoulder, "See this! I'm a medic! I haven't killed anybody! And you... you were so angry with us that you were ready to blame us for everything. Jeez next you' ll be saying that we started the war!"
With that he turned and stormed out of the cave.
Many thanks to my beta reader foo.
Reviews? What reviews?
The truth? I CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!
No really, people, please review. The truth and nothing but the truth.
The cold cold hard truth.
Is truth actually cold?
Ack, shutting up now.