Chapter 2
VOVA
I'm not sure how long I wandered the streets. It was beginning to get cold and I wasn't quite sure where I was. I pulled my jacket tightly around my chest and looked up at the sky. The road lights were starting to blare into life and the already gray sky was beginning to darken. The ever-changing illuminations made the shadows move in a twisted dance on the walls like some vicious, bloodthirsty monsters ready for their next kill. In the state of mind I was in at that time, the images made me jump and I scream inside. I could feel an all to familiar fear creeping into the back of my mind. I could feel the bad vibes running up my spine and holding my Squeedly Spooch in a vice-like death grip. It was another one of my battlefield flashbacks.
I was trapped in a trench. I didn't have a weapon. I was caked in blood. It was Irken blood. I didn't know where I was. I looked up over the muddy trench wall. It was a barren, empty wasteland. Vast and bleak, the land stretched on as far as I could see. I could barely see the soil from all the bodies scattered about the ground. There where fires, everywhere. Thru the smoke I could see them, the rats. I fell face down in a puddle of blood. I was on Blorch! I screamed out loud. This sudden outburst brought me out of my crashing out of my hellish daydream. I was on the sidewalk, in the fetal position; lying in a puddle of rainwater. Not blood. A nearby homeless Irken was watching me wearily.
What had transpired during my short stint on the planet Blorch had scarred me for the rest of my life. I saw terrible things there. Things so unspeakable, I cannot speak of them. I don't want to talk about what happened there, but I will tell you this: since my time on Blorch, I've had my terrible headaches and black outs. If I didn't have my meds, I don't know what might happen.
It was that exact question that got me released from the military. Seventy dedicated years of faithful service and because of one nervous breakdown they throw me away like an empty soda can with nothing to show for it except an army jacket and a body's worth of battle scars and wounds. One hundred and seven battles and I didn't have a single medal. I had killed so many in the name of Irk. I had done so much. And now look at me. A half-crazed ex soldier, living in the slums, scrounging for his next meal. It was a truly pathetic situation.
I picked myself up out of the puddle and stood there, leaning against a wall for a few minutes. I took two strips this time and waited for them to kick in. It was odd. I seemed to be needing them more frequently now. Maybe I need a larger dose? I wasn't sure. I'd worry about it later. I looked around and got my bearings. I turned right on the next corner and headed down the street.
I don't know how long it took me before I was standing outside the cafetorium where Vova worked, but by then, my clothes had mostly dried. I'm not quite sure just how long that is.
The cafetorium was a respectable place; a nice place. At least, it was as respectable as it could get in a sector like ours. I walked around a corner and into the alley behind the place. There, perched on a step and singing an old song to herself, was Vova, my sister.
She didn't notice me at first, so I just stood there, leaning against the wall watching her. She had just emptied the trash for the night and was taking a quick break. She was singing a song I had taught her. I'd picked it up from the Earth creatures and it had stuck with me. Something about a soldier and a whore named Lili.
She was a little shorter than me, probably about four-foot-eight, and she had purple eyes. She sat there for a few moments, singing and looking down at her reflection on the wet pavement of the alley's floor and drying her claws on a grease-stained apron. Her curled antennae perked up slightly and then she looked up and saw me. I just stood there and smiled.
"Stiv!" She cried happily. She jumped up and ran to me; her pointed teeth revealed in a joyous smile. I smiled back and held out my arms. She jumped at me and I caught her as we embraced. It was good to see here. Damn good to see her.
"I missed you," she said. She gave me a tender squeeze and then stood up on the tips of her toes and kissed me on the cheek.
"I missed you to, Vova. You have no idea how good it is to see you. I've had such a bad day," I said as I held her and rubbed the back of her head gently with my free claw. I looked into her eyes and I knew, from her expression, the next question she would ask.
"What did you do this time?" she asked as she pushed me away almost playfully. I must say, it was rather audacious of me to be surprised by such a comment. But, she was, after all, my sister and who would know me better, other than myself.
Now when I say she's my sister, I don't mean literally. Irkens don't have real siblings. I'm sure you're familiar with the birth process. And if you're not, go ask somebody else. After my EXTREMELY premature military release, I spent some time living on the streets. During this time, I found a small little thing of an Irk hiding by a trash receptacle and eating something: something that had once been alive. She couldn't have been more than twenty-five at the time. So, I decided to adopt her. And we've been siblings since. And I've killed many an Irken for here. And I've done many a "questionable" thing to ensure her happiness and safety. But if you tell the law I said that, I'll deny everything you say and then I'll come looking for YOU. I promise.
So we both sat down on the little step and I gave her a compact, mostly truthful, version of the story about how I had gotten from Xella's apartment to the cafetorium. I told her about Xella. I told her about getting drunk. I even told her about me getting robbed. Pretty much, I told her everything. I may have left out my little mental slip, but I didn't want to worry her too much.
And when I was through, she didn't really have much to say. I knew she wasn't happy with what I had done, but I also knew she wasn't mad. We both stat there for a few minutes not speaking. I was just about to say something when she spoke.
"When was the last time you had something to eat?" She asked as she patted me on the shoulder; her tender, loving smile returning to her face. I had been so cold the last few hours, but with her smile alone I could feel a slight pang of warmth deep inside.
"I can't remember," I told her while looking at my reflection in a puddle. I looked a mess.
She reached over rubbing my cheek and said, "You look a mess." Told you. She laughed and hugged me again.
She shivered slightly in the cold and opened the back door. She looked at me and said, "Well, come on inside and I'll fix you something to eat. Okay?"
"Okay." I carefully stood up and followed her in through the door. It was quiet and empty inside the cafetorium. It was a sterile and stark environment. Hard to believe anyone actually worked in there. All of the workers had already left for the night. It was just me and Vova. We had the place to ourselves.
"The manager gave me a key and told me to lock up when I was through. So go on and make yourself at home, Stiv" She said as she opened one of the storage units looking for any leftovers. "Aha," she said in triumph as she reappeared with a plate of, well, I'm not quite sure what it was. It was gray. It was slimy. It was a leftover! We'll leave it at that. "You got a place to stay?"
"Nope," I said. At that moment I was scrounging around in a cabinet looking for a snack. "I'm outdoors at the moment. I don't have any monies, so I can't check in at a motel. I figured I get a bite to eat and find somewhere to sleep."
"No way. You can come stay with me and Ziggy. Our place isn't much, but you're welcome to stay as long as you need."
"Oh, no. I couldn't possibly do tha… Who's Ziggy?" I asked, a quizzical look creeping across my face. In my mind I was trying to think of any Ziggies I'd met. I couldn't really think of any of the top of my head.
"He's my boyfriend," she said cheerfully as she whipped down a counter top.
The thought never registered that she might have a life outside of being my sister. She might have relationships outside of our own. "That's nice."
I heard a quiet beeping sound and looked over at the little machine in the corner. "It's done," Vova said. She opened it up and pulled out the mysterious dish. She carried it over to a table and I followed her; trying to decipher just what it was I was smelling.
We both sat down at the nearest table and I dug in. I cut a chunk of the blob and slapped it into my mouth. I paused for a minute. The flavor of what I had just ingested began to slowly sink into my tongue. I held back the gag reflex for what felt like the longest time before I choked it down and smiled. "It's good."
"Thanks," Vova said as she took her apron off and stuffed it in her Pak. "I'm so glad you like it." Once she had the apron off I noticed something very disconcerting about my sister. She had a few bruises here and there on her arms and back. What worried me though was that these bruises were not the regular ones you get from working in the service industry. These were ones PURPOSEFULLY inflicted; an UNACCEPTABLE concept in my mind.
"Vova, what are those?" I asked her, pointing at the discolored spots on her skin.
"Oh, uh these. It's nothing. Really," she said with hesitation in her voice. I knew something was up. Someone was hurting my sister. Somebody who wasn't going to be hurting my sister for much longer if I could just find out who it was.
"Tell me the truth, damn it." I raised my voice. "Is it Ziggy? Did he do that?"
"No, no. Ziggy's an angel. He'd never hurt me." I could her genuine sincerity in her voice. I knew she was telling the truth. I'd "questioned" enough prisoners to know what the differences between the sounds of truth and lies.
"Then who is it?" My patience was beginning to wear thin now. "I promise I won't try to kill him. I'll just talk to him. I promise."
"He's just a guy I work with. He's named Gorn. He pinches me almost everyday. And he does other things when no one's looking. And nobody'll do a damn thing about it!" She started crying.
I got up from my chair and walk around to her. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and nuzzled my face against hers. "It's gonna' be fine. Please don't cry. It's alright." Inside my head I was thinking about what those "other things" Gorn does to her might be. I shuddered. I'd have to deal with this.
She stopped crying and looked up at me. Her eye make-up was running down her tear-soaked face. "Promise me you won't do anything to him. The last thing I need is for things to get worse around here."
I looked down at her and said, "I promise." Like I said, I'm a terrible liar when I'm drunk. But I was sober now. In the back of my mind I was already thinking about how to deal with this problem. The little gears in my head began to grind to life. How would I do it? What could I say to get thru to this bastard.
So, the night progressed on. I choked down the rest of my "food" and we talked about this and that, that and this; things that are none of your business. We caught up on what was going on with each other. She told my about her boyfriend. The more she talked about Ziggy, the more familiar he sounded to me. I almost felt like I had met him somewhere before.
It was sometime around ten-thirty when we finally left. I had helped mop the floors and finish up the dishes. I also helped myself to a little treat from the register while Vova was putting something away. But I didn't say that. And YOU didn't hear that. And when we were done, we left.
It had started raining again and it was nighttime. We started the walk to her place.