Author's Note

This is a new one for me, shorter than the regular chapter but useful. Thought I'd try an interlude.

Guest2: A clue to what happened to the humans? Interesting.

Maybe. A spoonful, a comically large one.

Stay safe and hydrated.

Beep

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Beep

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Beep

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Be- can you shut uuuuup?

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Thank you-

Beep!

SON OF A-

I groaned in discomfort, the noise, the noise! Every time the machine would announce its presence the headache would pulse in sync, they were conspiring against me! Aliens are real! Bush did… nothing.

Cracking open an eye, regret instantly slapped me with a fish. I had just awakened in an unfamiliar… bed, nice one too, though my ass was naked, that was less than nice. Anyhow, the state I was in was between too-tired-to-see and conscious-enough-to-move. But why should I? When the sheets were so smooth and warm, my chest rising against the covers, a numb sting in my left arm.

Pursing my lips, I racked my brain to decipher the meaning behind the strange sensation. It was like an invasion, of privacy, yet not truly a nonconsensual one. Even though my eyelids protected the cornea and beyond, the light wasn't soft enough for my drugged-

It was an IV. Dripping whatever painkillers or nutrients into my blood, scratch that. I'm not a doctor, thank god I'm not the Doctor.

I huffed through my nose, gathering the mental strength to force my eyes open. It worked and hurt like hell, less than I imagined. The color I conjured for the bed hit the mark; sterile white. My chest rose and fell, pushing the blanket every time. A lamp. It was the source of my momentary anguish, and there it goes. With my vision partially restored, I passed over the improvised walls; curtains on all sides, sealing me away from the rest of the medbay. And there to the right was Miya.

I blinked. Indeed, there was my birdie friendie. Sitting on a chair, her arms were crossed over her abdomen, her legs were spread and her head craning back. I then heard something, like a tweet. A moment later it happened again! Wow, did I hit my head that hard? On the third time I did the math; Miya was snoring, cutely too. I never knew she did, not that I would've had a way of knowing, it wasn't the kind of question you'd ask a…

Any form of positive outlook disintegrated like the man, the person in the suit. It was a rush, a tsunami of the previous events replaying before me like the flashing camera. The deal, the experiment, the Arrow, the crash, the animals, the videos, the EAS. My breath escaped me. I bit my lip, suppressing a noise I wouldn't have been proud of. Gliding my eyes over Miya, she remained asleep.

For the next… minutes, not too much happened, neither did time really pass, it felt as slow as primitive internet. The answers were in my hands, most. Now, it was my turn to work it out.

"Oh, who am I kidding…" I dryly chuckled, accidentally coughing a loud one. Damn, dry, need water.

I knew from the start. If there is one person I can't lie to, it's me. From the day I returned to my cradle world- pff that sounds ridiculous…! But it's true. I had a feeling, a hunch. I knew something was amiss, besides the obvious human wannabes. Pretenders! As intelligent as me. I always had it knitting at the back of my mind, the scarf malevolently wrapping around the brain, the itching growing stronger and stronger by the day.

Yet, I held on to hope. It was in my nature, alongside a few darker things. Perhaps, it was the Arrow that sealed the deal, or the doctor's blunder. Either way, I knew what had to be true. They were gone.

No sound left the room, only the machine monitoring the weak heart. Drops clouded my vision. I was no stranger to loss. I had attended a funeral or two; a later grandparent, a neighboring godmother, an aunt across the country. It hurt. But it wasn't the same. My grandfather was very old. The godmother was acquainted with my father's father. I didn't know the second to third aunt's name.

I never got to say goodbye.

All at once, the weight of my situation came crashing down like a Himalayan avalanche. Denial no more, it was time for the next stage. To blame… no one.

I slumped into the bed, the soft pillow pressing against both ears. A sob had yet to go, and I won't let it, Miya was resting. If my assumption was correct, she stayed with me the entire time.

"This is real… yeah?" I looked up. No answer came.

I wish I had stayed. I wish I wasn't here. I wish I was with them. I know feelings can cloud judgment, but I couldn't give a damn, I had none left. I didn't belong. There goes the first one, "Man… I'm such…" I breathed, "a crybaby…"

Never mind the wishes. If I could, whatever the cost and consequences, say goodbye, or send a letter they'd read, I would. They wouldn't believe the talking animals part, but to let them know I was fine would be enough. However, time is a line. A waterfall. Not even the strongest salmon can swim up Niagara.

"My fucking life, man…" I sighed in defeat, swallowing for the nth time. I could really use some water, a paper crown wouldn't hurt as well. I remembered my friend, her snores still snoring. I didn't want to awaken her, but that position couldn't be good for her bones.

"Miya-" I coughed, the tip of my tongue sticking out in discomfort, "Miya… Miyaaaa," she didn't show any signs of budging, my tone was too quiet.

Clearing my throat, I shouted, "Miya!" though it wasn't above a yell.

Jolting, she guessed who and what, slowly coming to. Shaking her head, her neck cracked at a few angles, a high pitched yawn tickling my ear drums. Her hand rubbed the back of her neck, both eyes blinking separately before snapping open.

"JOHNNY!"

Stumbling a step closer, she saw the problem in the height of the bed and her own. Once beside me, she knelt with a relieved smile. I started to speak, but she had more.

"How are you? How are you feeling? You didn't hit… fall too hard? Why a-" her beak shut, her eyes wide as saucers. Why? Right, my ducts were leaking. "Oh… Johnny…"

"Sorry for waking you, I-I just needed water," I coughed to the side, "I'm fine, got dust in my eyes."

She didn't believe a single sentence I uttered, the clever girl. But she did get up and walk out of the improvised room, returning within the same minute with a glass of water. Even in the dark it shone like a diamond, an invisible sun highlighting the heaven-sent. I raised my free arm, making grabby-motions towards the cup.

I could've sworn I saw a hue of red on her cheeks when she handed me to glass, temporarily moving away to bring the chair close to the bed as I downed the liquid. Gulp after gulp splashed into my stomach, the cool soothing the throat and refreshing the body. When the glass was empty, I sighed, placing it on- there was no nightstand, good thing I didn't let go before finding solidity. A force pulled the cup from my hand, disposing of it somewhere. Miya was now in the chair, still looming over me like a god watching over their followers.

"Thank you," I cracked out, swallowing the last sip.

"No problem," her smile wavered, the odd feather rising.

…

"This is awkward."

Taking a deep breath, Miya spoke, "I was so worried about you. I- I didn't know what to expect! They said it was nothing major but I didn't know and-"

"Woah, woah! Chill, lady! I'm fine, see?" I spread my arms out, an invitation for a hug if taken the wrong way, "Nothing to worry about!"

"YOU-!" She covered her mouth, "I'm sorry for yelling, I really am. I was just…"

She didn't scare me! Nope! The sudden flare of her crowning feathers or the razor sharp claws and- okay, maybe I was startled, but it was cheap, like a jumpscare!

She continued, "I was scared… I…" She thought about something before looking at me in the eye, "do you know how long you were out?"

"Nah, I don't see a clock," not that I could.

" Eleven. Hours. I thought you were in a coma or something! They are a bunch of idiots who never saw an emergency room! I- I thought I was…"

"Gonna lose me?" I finished with a smirk, I could use more water, later.

"No! No… yes," she muttered, the dark concealing her finer details quite well, "I wish… I was quick enough, the bang was so…" she hissed in pain.

On cue, the sore spot pulsed. "Nah, it's fine. It'll be gone in a week, heck, three days! I'm flattered you worry, but I think you worry… too… much," if daggers had wings, they'd belong to Miya. She was glaring so hard I myself was worried she'd mutate superpowers and shoot lasers out of her eyes.

"You hit your head and passed out, and the blood- ugh! Half the researchers passed out themselves!" She then commented something under her breath before pinning me down with her piercing eyes alone.

Before she could continue scolding me, I salvaged the situation like a pro, "I didn't mean it like that! You worry too much for me, is all. I can handle a bump in the road, and all's well that ends well, right?" I grinned innocently, not bothering to hide my teeth from her.

If her deadpan was anything to go by, I had failed miserably. Well, I tried, so that's better than nothing. She sighed as well, though I could see that little smirk! Great success.

"Still, you shouldn't be sorry."

"Why?" I asked, her hand sneaking towards mine.

"It wasn't your fault. It was your body's response to shock, a-and to be frank, I wasn't ready for… that," she squeezed my fingers, so I did the same.

"Same," I laughed it off, but a question stepped forward. It was an old one, a patient one, and before I could pick the wise choice, I said, "Can I ask you something?"

She gave me a strange look before nodding.

"I know this isn't the right time, but I have to, okay?" She said nothing, so I dropped the needle, "What happened?"

"What do you mean?" I knew she didn't mean it like that but… I had to get it over with.

"What happened… to us?" I added, "To Humanity?" And there was the drop of the act, she knew, I knew she knew! Cheeky her.

"I…"

"And please, don't bullshit me. I- we know, but… how did you know? How did… everyone know? I'm missing something, right?"

"Johnny, please-"

"What? Wait more? I know too much, Miya. Everything is GONE. Fucking gone," I snorted, licking my lips, " I don't think… my mind is… keeping it out, the actual like, reaction. Imagine that, having everything, your reality, thrown down the gutter while you hang above helplessly. Isn't that something?" I smiled wider than ever, in spite of the pain in my chest. That felt good to get off, but it wasn't all.

Squeezing my hand harder, Miya finally responded, "Yes, it is. But now's not the time. You are in a very fragile state, both physically and mentally. Do not interrupt me," I shut my mouth, her stern expression a powerful one I rarely saw, "I want to tell you. I want you to know. But now? The wrong place and time. I will. I will. But first you have to recover. You've got a bandage around half your head for god's sake!" There was a pressure at the left side of my forehead and above, oddly, I hadn't noticed.

"Well- I- but…" She let me struggle, her thumb rubbing into the lines of my palm. I had every right to be angry, to grieve, to depress and fall into the darkest corner. Bottling these feelings couldn't be good. But Miya… she told me of the viewing. She was there, always. She was… We make mistakes, was it really a mistake? So damn confusing. Maybe she was right.

I sighed, "We can't play this game forever…" She perked up, giving me her undivided attention, "I'll hold off asking, but just know that right now I'm very tense and… awful."

Her eyes widened, darting to and fro momentarily before she cleared her throat, "Thank you for understanding, and telling. Are you hungry?"

"Y-yes, actually, I kinda forgot."

She hummed, "Alright, I'll go get us something tasty, just hold tight for me, okay?" She patted my IV-less arm, warmth spreading across her visage.

"Okay," I said slowly. That was so… sudden.

She pushed herself from the chair, straightening her wear. Before leaving, she turned back, "And don't forget; you are not alone. If you ever need something, anything… don't hesitate to tell me." I did need something, but she refused to give it to me, for the time being.

"I will," she beamed at me before disappearing behind the curtains, a sliver of light fainting as the flaps swung back and forth. "I will."