Interlude B: Ascent of Pelago, Chapter 2

He was right, reluctant as she was to admit. They would both be here for quite some time - three "human cycles", as he put it. Three spans of an average human life; 80 years a per cycle, perhaps. For a moment, vanity overtook her, and she wondered if that meant she would cease to age for as long as he was there. Too late for the boys to notice, too late to date college frat boys at forty-five and call herself a cougar. She was stuck here. And then what? "What... what happens when the three cycles end?" Wiping the blood from his nose with his sleeve, his face betrayed a microsecond of despair. It disappeared so quickly, however, that it was not a stretch to say she may have imagined it. "I am unsure. I am sending my findings via transmitter. I believe that after they are finished, we will most likely be cut off from all communications." "That's... so sad." Unexpected pity, then curiosity. "What's your name?" "My real one does not matter. Pick one." Immediately, an old childhood crush came to mind. Joe, a sickly eleven year old boy, would often come to school with a stuffed nose and dark circled eyes. Frequently bullied in school with nothing but wordy comebacks to defend himself, he managed to smile, in all his courage. Their teacher would hang up his poems and fiction on the school walls. "Writing of the Month" winner, first place practically for the whole year until he died in April 3 after being bashed in the head with a bat. "Joseph. Your name is Joseph." “Fair enough.” Those eyes, she thought, were vast as the sky, gazing like sapphires above her. “Well, shall we go back inside? It’s cold here.” “Then why are you wearing that?” “I wanted to be easy to spot.” She snorted disdainfully. “If you’re some crazy fancy alien you could have just... I don’t know, teleported into my god damn room or something, or... or...” Pelago sobbed, and doing so in the presence of such a stranger only served to deepen her shame. Solitude would have been preferable to this - her family was not the crying kind. Even at their passing, tears did not well in her eyes until quite a considerable amount of time had passed. Allowing her emotions to bleed through so ungracefully grated against the very fiber of her being. She covered her face, grubby hands failing to lessen the sting. And then, encirclement. He was warmer than she had expected, the type of gentle warmth that one would imagine from a distantly faltering, dying star. Perhaps he even had a fever. Her tears stopped. “Are you... sick?” “This body is new. Your world’s weight is strange, the sensation is incredibly... unburdening. Everything is feather light; frail. I feel like air.” He stumbled, the full force of his weight crashing against her, his mouth forming a gasp that ended in the rolling and shutting of his eyes. She fell as well, toppling on the ground with her arms around his. “Oh-.. oh fuck.” Overwhelming fear taking hold of her, she shook him, receiving no reply, but well aware of his heartbeat - airy and quick, so unlike a human heart. The animals would come soon, Pelago thought in a panic. Driven by adrenaline, she haphazardly took hold of his legs and dragged him inside the hotel. Her body was strong; muscles honed by the months of walking and lifting she had endured in order to survive. Sometimes it was crates of supplies, other times, the bodies of those who used to be people. The lobby sofa came into her view. Haphazardly, she lifted his languid form to rest upon its dusty upholstery. Briefly, she considered brushing away the new layer of dirt that marred his pure white hair, but chose, instead, to rush to one of the lower floor rooms to gather one of the standard issue navy blankets. Draping it over his figure, she then rummaged through her cart of belongings for a bottle of water, and an unopened can of soup. By now Pelago had grown used to strange customs, such as lighting fires indoors, lack of carpet permitting. Due to sheer luck on one of her outings she found a car generator with a wind up crank to produce electric power, complete with plug outlets for emergencies. Paired with heating plate, this was how she had cooked her food for the past several months, the metal of the prepackaged cans warming the meal inside. Taking two camping bowls and spoons from her bag, Pelago heard the rustling of the man’s body, and turned to see him rise to a seated position, shivering. “So, Joseph, it’s not really a good idea to walk in the cold wearing thin fabric.” “I didn’t expect your bodies to be so fragile.” She laughed feebly. “Well consider me insulted. You should have done more research! Humans are persistent fuckers, and fragile as we may be, we lasted a while, right? Give us some credit.” He smiled, a gentle gesture, and Pelago laughed again in nervousness. “Are you hungry?” she asked. “That smells curious.” “It’s vegetarian minestrone. All the meat ones I have I save for special occasions, because going outside with all the scavenger animals running around is tough shit.” “So this is not a special occasion, then?” “Well it’s not like I expected you to come.” Her voice cracked, and Pelago found herself overwhelmed with an uncomfortable host of feelings, none of which she wanted to label. Joseph approached her and sat down on the floor where she poured out the soup onto the bowls with covered hands. “Is this how you eat?” he asked, eyeing the spoons with a raised eyebrow. “I’ve seen the animals.” “Well humans aren’t animals. Humans eat animals and sometimes make them pets.” “Pets are useless unless you get something out of them.” Pelago frowned. “Company? Friendship? Uh, emergency food supply?” “If that’s the case, won’t you make friends with fellow humans instead? The last one you listed is probably not something you’d do to a fellow person, but company and friendship is something you can get with another human, correct?” “Well some people prefer dogs and cats because they’re simpler and will judge you less.” She picked up the bowl and spoon, and Joseph followed suit with his, watching her eat. “But with that point, you can simply make friends with a mentally impaired human and get the same result as a dog and cat.” Pelago nearly choked on her food. “That’s probably the weirdest and rudest thing I’ve ever heard, but I’ll forgive you because you are an alien after all.” Joseph said nothing in response, hands delicately copying Pelago’s movements as she ate. “Oh... this is delicious!” His excitement outright startled her. “So much variation in the texture, and there’s different hints of flavors... interesting!” “Really? It’s just canned soup with vegetables. Nothing exotic.” “You don’t understand, Pelago, how can you put so many sensations in one meal?” She broke into laughter. “Wait till you get the meat soup. I’ll serve that for dinner.” His motions sloppy and unrefined as he held his spoon with little grace, Pelago could not help but smile. Finishing the food almost immediately, Joseph looked down at the empty bowl with disappointment before turning his eyes towards his new companion. “Would you mind if I interviewed you after you’re finished with your meal?” She laughed with some rudeness. “You swallowed that fast. Want to have another bowl first?” “No, I don’t want to waste your resources-” “Calm your dick, man, I have plenty.” His expression grew quizzical. “Dick?” “Yes, dick. You do have a dick under there, right?” As though taking in a moment to understand, Joseph nodded, then stood up. “Yes, I do, isn’t it standard issue for a human? My superiors told me I should consider wooing you, and I have no qualms with casual sex if you wish it.” Pelago snorted, but grew deep in thought, noticing the definition of his arms under the cloth. “So they told you to be my bitch.” His response held no ill will. “I suppose.” She stood as well, eyes downcast at first, before gathering the nerve to hold a fleeting touch towards his face. “I was always one to take advantage of a good thing.” Joseph, unmoved, took hold of her hand and kissed it, his lips too smooth to be human. She closed her eyes, debating on whether or not she should feel guilty. No, she decided. Let her be selfish for once. Previous

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