himself, but he wanted to see what the man would do.
Light, curly brown hair covered the man’s ears in a bowl cut. He had a clean-shaven face, and a pale skin color that begged for sunshine. He was not short, but not tall. Titan guessed he was a few inches under six feet. Although not exactly fat, the man was heavy for his height. The one-piece outfit he wore was light purple and stretched tightly across the roll at his stomach. It was apparent the man did little to keep himself fit.
The man took another, short step toward the door.
Stumbled. Fell.
Titan had seen enough. He spun his chair so he faced the doorway.
“Get your clumsy ass in here,” he yelled at the man outside.
Chapter 13
Twelve years of living with the Minith, and Gee had never been so scared in his life. When he landed in the sticky purple mess that coated the floor, he thought he would die of repulsion and disgust. He placed his hands in the bloody slop and pushed up, anxious to be as far from the alien blood as possible.
“Get your clumsy ass in here!”
The unexpected shout clutched Gee’s heart and he slipped again. Landed full frontal in the purple pool. Again.
“Aarrg—” A childlike scream escaped his throat before he knew it was even there, but he bit it back quickly. His years with the Minith had instilled an inherent need for quiet. The aliens detested loud noise and punished their human captives brutally for any slip, intentional or not.
The scream secured behind tightly clamped lips, Gee scrambled for purchase and nearly made it. His feet slipped out again with a viscous slurping sound, but he caught himself at the last minute. His already painted hands smacked the gooey surface for the third time.
The frightened scream, now combined with more than a hint of anger, struggled to escape his lips. Failed. The relief he might have felt at that small triumph was immediately overcome by dueling pains. One ran feral up his right wrist, the other settled in brutally around his chest.
Broken wrist!
Heart attack?
Gee was still trying to interpret the messages his body was sending to his brain when he was yanked from the floor by his collar.
He dangled.
What now?
He kicked his feet in an effort to spin his body. Even as he struggled to see who or what had him, he was afraid he knew the answer.
When he saw that he was wrong, he forgot the pains shooting through his body.
“Amazing.”
* * *
Titan carried the man at arm’s length, careful to keep the blood-soaked fellow well away from his body. He picked a chair already drenched in purple blood and dropped the open-mouthed chublet onto the padded cushion. He wiped his hand on the sides of his pants and took two steps back.
The mop-headed man held his blood-covered hands away from his body and gaped at Titan.
“You’re human.”
“Yep. So are you.” If the man wanted to engage in statements of the obvious, Titan would humor him. Although curious, he knew they had plenty of time to get acquainted. Months, if what Mouse had told him was accurate.
“But, but… how? The ship left Earth!”
Again with the obvious.
“Yep. And we are on it.”
The man looked around the room, took in the carnage that surrounded them. He gasped at the sight of one particular alien.
“Zal,” he whispered. His mouth hung open.
“What?”
The man pointed at the alien that lay sprawled near his feet. The hole drilled through the dead Minith’s head revealed the cause of his death. “That’s Zal. He was the Minith Commander here.”
The corners of Titan’s lips curled up. “Yeah. Well, he’s not in command any longer. He’s been relieved of that responsibility.”
“But the violence…” The man’s voice trailed off, and he closed his eyes.
Titan watched as a shudder ran through the clumsy, gore-covered captive.
Great. Another Peace-loving citizen , he thought.
Titan considered the man’s inability to take in the violence that surrounded him a weakness. He
Light, curly brown hair covered the man’s ears in a bowl cut. He had a clean-shaven face, and a pale skin color that begged for sunshine. He was not short, but not tall. Titan guessed he was a few inches under six feet. Although not exactly fat, the man was heavy for his height. The one-piece outfit he wore was light purple and stretched tightly across the roll at his stomach. It was apparent the man did little to keep himself fit.
The man took another, short step toward the door.
Stumbled. Fell.
Titan had seen enough. He spun his chair so he faced the doorway.
“Get your clumsy ass in here,” he yelled at the man outside.
Chapter 13
Twelve years of living with the Minith, and Gee had never been so scared in his life. When he landed in the sticky purple mess that coated the floor, he thought he would die of repulsion and disgust. He placed his hands in the bloody slop and pushed up, anxious to be as far from the alien blood as possible.
“Get your clumsy ass in here!”
The unexpected shout clutched Gee’s heart and he slipped again. Landed full frontal in the purple pool. Again.
“Aarrg—” A childlike scream escaped his throat before he knew it was even there, but he bit it back quickly. His years with the Minith had instilled an inherent need for quiet. The aliens detested loud noise and punished their human captives brutally for any slip, intentional or not.
The scream secured behind tightly clamped lips, Gee scrambled for purchase and nearly made it. His feet slipped out again with a viscous slurping sound, but he caught himself at the last minute. His already painted hands smacked the gooey surface for the third time.
The frightened scream, now combined with more than a hint of anger, struggled to escape his lips. Failed. The relief he might have felt at that small triumph was immediately overcome by dueling pains. One ran feral up his right wrist, the other settled in brutally around his chest.
Broken wrist!
Heart attack?
Gee was still trying to interpret the messages his body was sending to his brain when he was yanked from the floor by his collar.
He dangled.
What now?
He kicked his feet in an effort to spin his body. Even as he struggled to see who or what had him, he was afraid he knew the answer.
When he saw that he was wrong, he forgot the pains shooting through his body.
“Amazing.”
* * *
Titan carried the man at arm’s length, careful to keep the blood-soaked fellow well away from his body. He picked a chair already drenched in purple blood and dropped the open-mouthed chublet onto the padded cushion. He wiped his hand on the sides of his pants and took two steps back.
The mop-headed man held his blood-covered hands away from his body and gaped at Titan.
“You’re human.”
“Yep. So are you.” If the man wanted to engage in statements of the obvious, Titan would humor him. Although curious, he knew they had plenty of time to get acquainted. Months, if what Mouse had told him was accurate.
“But, but… how? The ship left Earth!”
Again with the obvious.
“Yep. And we are on it.”
The man looked around the room, took in the carnage that surrounded them. He gasped at the sight of one particular alien.
“Zal,” he whispered. His mouth hung open.
“What?”
The man pointed at the alien that lay sprawled near his feet. The hole drilled through the dead Minith’s head revealed the cause of his death. “That’s Zal. He was the Minith Commander here.”
The corners of Titan’s lips curled up. “Yeah. Well, he’s not in command any longer. He’s been relieved of that responsibility.”
“But the violence…” The man’s voice trailed off, and he closed his eyes.
Titan watched as a shudder ran through the clumsy, gore-covered captive.
Great. Another Peace-loving citizen , he thought.
Titan considered the man’s inability to take in the violence that surrounded him a weakness. He
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