Those Stubborn Similitudes
"I'm not from this universe," explained Pyro. "I'm not from here." A pause. "I was brought here by the wasps. The wasps assimilate."
"Assimilate?"
"Not from this universe?"
Pyro ignored the questions. Explaining, "The wasps ... they convert technology. They assimilate it. They are drones. The majority of wasps, they are drones. All part of a collective. A select few," he said, "have individual functions. But they all work as a whole. They have little individuality. They are relentless."
Field's eyes were closed. His head still hurting. Adelaide's paw was running over his chest-fur ... while they both listened.
"They had assimilated all of the surrounding systems. Had conquered all of the surrounding furs. They wanted more. More resources. They wanted untapped resources. Their technology is such that ... they began to experiment with ways to open spatial rifts. They planted spatial charges. Tried to rip holes in the fabric of space-time. They are unstable beings."
No one said anything.
"They succeeded. They sent ships into our universe ... my," he corrected, "universe. Which runs parallel to your own. To this one. They wanted new territory."
"You know who we are, don't you? I saw myself," Adelaide said, "in your mind."
"What?" Field opened his eyes.
She kept her paw on his chest, calming him (with her abilities). And turned her attention back to Pyro.
"There is a Luminous in my universe. And you ... were there. And you were there," Pyro indicated (of Field).
"What about me?" Kody asked.
"You were there, too."
A pause.
The wolf continuing, "In my universe, the prey, as you know them to be ... rule. The prey rule the predators. In essence, the prey ARE the predators. The squirrels, the mice, the rabbits ... they are the predators. The wolves, the cats ... they are submissive."
"What happened to my counterpart?" Adelaide asked, jumping ahead. Seeing the image in her mind.
"You don't wish to know. It is better ... that you do not know." The wolf's chest rose and fell.
The doctor leaned closer, ears waggling. Trying to hear better.
"Don't you have patients to attend to?" Adelaide reminded Kody.
"Yes," the rabbit said. After a hesitation. "Hey, they'll live. I wanna hear his story."
"I'll fill you in later. Attend to them," Adelaide ordered. She outranked the rabbit.
Kody squinted and drifted away, trying to keep his ears tuned. They wiggle-waggled atop his head.
Adelaide, looking back to Pyro, lowering her voice, said, "Tell me ... what happened to me. In your universe. I want to know."
Pyro, still lying down, focused his red eyes on her pink ones. "You met Field. As you've apparently done here. But when he got you pregnant ... you killed him. And the other mice on the ship, in retaliation, killed you."
A silence. A whisper, "And ... the baby?"
"Never born."
A quiet nod.
"Why ... " It was Field who asked it. Voice very hushed.
"Bats are rare. They comprise 1.6 percent of the furry population. They're a minority."
"I know that," Adelaide whispered.
"In our universe, you managed to rise to the fore. The bats did. You took control of Luminous. But ... as I said, things went as they did."
Field's ears swivelled silently.
"I told you," Pyro repeated, "that you did not want to know."
"Why are you here?" she whispered.
"They brought me here. The wasps. They entered our universe, began capturing furs. To use for labor. To use for ... assimilation."
"Assimilation?"
"They alter the chemistry your body. Turn you into a zombie, basically, for them. Inject you with chemicals ... in the venom they hold. In their stingers. They sting you, and you don't die. Oh, you wish to ... but you don't. You're simply altered. Simply controlled. Simply become, in essence, one of them.
"I knew you ... and Field, and other furs on this ship. I served aboard Luminous. In that universe. In my," he corrected again, "universe. The wasps overwhelmed us. You were dead. You were the captain. You died, and we had no leader. No defense plan. They came, and they took us all. They were going to assimilate me, too, but I fought them ... I convinced them I knew of ... things. That I knew where the humans were."
"No one knows where the humans are," Adelaide told him.
"I know. But the wasps didn't know ... that I was lying. For all I know, humans are a myth."
"They're not," Field whispered. Remembering their experiences ... shortly after Luminous' launch. The human body from the future. And the threat of future human invasion (which had been delayed, but ... never entirely resolved).
"They put me in a pod, and transported me ... to this system. I said this is where humans were. The wasps have never been to this part of your space. On the way, I fought them. I transported them into space."
"Transported?"
"With a transporter."
Adelaide squinted. "I don't understand."
"A device that de-materializes and re-materializes matter. I beamed them into space. Unfortunately, I failed to realize that they can survive in the void ... for a time, anyway. And they made it to your ship, somehow. They were close enough. And they bored into the hull. And they are here. And they are coming for me."
"Because they still think you know the location of the humans?"
"They wish to find the humans ... and to assimilate them. They believe humans to be the apex of creation."
Field frowned.
"As I said, the wasps are ... unstable."
"So, they don't know you're lying?"
"Perhaps they do. Whatever the case, they do not let prisoners escape. I am their prisoner." A breath. "I came here, because I didn't know where else to go. I knew your counterparts ... in my universe. But they were evil. As I said, prey ... in my universe, the prey are ... predatory. And the predators, as you know them, are subservient." A breath. "In essence, the prey ... in my universe, from years of abuse, turned bitter. And struck back. And gained control. And once they had it, they lost all reason ... lost all capacity for forgiveness. And gave my kind," he said, "our own medicine. It is a very bitter situation."
"We've had our bitter situations here," Adelaide confided. "On our Home-World, it was legal to hunt and kill prey ... until ninety years ago. Even today, the rules are broken. Skirmishes result. We've had our share of conflict. This ship, our crew ... we're the first ship of prey ... to be in the fleet. The first ship run by prey. And we were exiled ... for trying to save other furs. In this system, as we speak, the snow rabbits and Arctic foxes are engaged in a cold war. They watch each other. Daily. One false move, and it could erupt into all-out war."
"I am not meaning to belittle your conflicts. But where I come from," Pyro confided, "the tables have been turned so many times ... and power plays are so constant ... that there is simply no hope. Here," he said, breathing, "I sense hope. I sense it in you. In the air on this ship. I don't FEEL darkness from you furs. I feel it from the wasps. I feel that it exists. But it has not prevailed. Not yet. In my universe, the light has long since died." Pause. "In a way, it is a blessing I have been brought here. For the wrong reasons. And with great pain. But ... if I can shake the wasps, I can make a home here. If you would have me. If you would let me stay."
"You'll have to talk to Wren about all that. Our Captain. I'm sure you could ... have asylum, but ... if the wasps are here. On this ship. If they're causing the malfunctions and ... if they're trying to take control of Luminous, you need to help us stop them."
"Stop them?"
"You know them better than anybody, I'm assuming. We've never encountered wasps before. Only heard rumors."
"They are insects. They are hard to kill."
"We don't have to kill them, necessarily," Adelaide said.
"No, you will have to kill them," Pyro assured. "If you are too squeamish for that ... then they will kill you. As they nearly killed your mate. And the rest of the furs in this sickbay. No, you will have to kill them."
"Help us," was all Adelaide said.
"I need a phase pistol. I need goggles. I need ... "
"Goggles?" Field asked, piping back up.
"You must not look at their eyes. They have compounded, refracted eyes. They give off a blue tint ... in the dark. If you look into them, they can hypnotize you. Freeze you. Shaded goggles will protect you from that."
Kody drifted back into view, saying, "Everyone in need of treatment ... has gotten it. Or is getting it. I've told Wren that our wolf here ... " He nodded at Pyro. " ... is awake."
Adelaide nodded. And asked Pyro, "Why can't I feel them? I have telepathic abilities. Why can't I feel them?"
"The wasps?"
A nod.
"They are insects," he said again. "Their minds do not conform to the designs and functions ... of furs."
The lights flickered again.
"I fear they are on this deck," Pyro warned, sitting up. Wincing. And taking a breath. "I need the weapon. I need the goggles. Now. We have hunting to do."
"We're not hunters," Adelaide reminded. Pausing. "You'll have to take the point."
Pyro looked at her. "I have seen you hunt."
"That wasn't me," Adelaide responded. With a steeliness to her tone.
"I suppose not," was the whisper. "I will take the lead," he confirmed. "I still have predatory instincts in here," he said, of himself, "somewhere. I don't suppose the prey have beaten them out of me."
Adelaide squinted. Trying to figure him out. Pyro claimed to be from a parallel universe. A universe where behavior was skewed, like in a mirror. Where traditional "prey" ... acted as "predators." Where her counterpart had risen to the fore, controlled Luminous, and killed Field ... only to be killed by the other mice, out of vengeance. He claimed to be from a universe where there was no such thing as trust. Or truth.
Therefore, how could she trust him? How did they know he was telling the truth? Even assuming wasps WERE on the ship, that didn't mean his story about ... another universe ... was true. He could simply be a space pirate. A refugee. Maybe the wasps had caught him. He'd escaped. And maybe he was lying about his past, his origins ...
Maybe using the Luminous as a shield.
Maybe.
But she could sense his thoughts. His feelings. And she sensed no such ... treachery.
No, he was telling the truth. No, he was genuine.
But he was, also, not the type of predator she (or anyone on this ship) had known. As to how emotional or how different he was ... it wasn't yet apparent.
"Let's go hunting," Adelaide whispered resolutely.
Pyro gave her a nod. "Let's."
Soldotna peered around the corridor. To another bend in the corridor. And nodded quietly. Adelaide following (slowly). And Pyro.
"They're on this deck," Soldotna said.
"But we can't pinpoint where?" Adelaide asked.
"They're impervious to traditional sensors. You'd need hours to modify your computers ... in order to detect them. And, even then, it'd be unreliable," Pyro explained.
Adelaide nodded quietly. She was holding a weapon. She rarely held weapons. A phase rifle ... one of the handles in each paw. Barrel of the weapon pointed ahead of her. Finger poised on the trigger.
"They won't go down on the first shot. Or even the second. They'll rush you. They have wings."
"Not as good as a bat's, I'd wager," Adelaide said. In all seriousness.
"They're fast," was all Pyro said. "It'll take all of us to neutralize them."
"Neutralize," Adelaide echoed. Not liking the word.
"I've seen you kill before," Pyro told her. "I know you can do it." His voice almost held a ... friendly encouragement.
Adelaide shook her head slowly. "I'm not doing this because I want to. I'm doing this because I have to."
"In my universe," Pyro said, "you prey ... were the hunters. You relished that role."
"You explained all this in sickbay."
"Can you two muzzle it? Huh?" Soldotna asked. Sounding frazzled. "I'm sure they'll hear us coming."
"They don't have ears."
"The vibrations of our voices. Whatever. Just stop," she demanded, "talking, okay?" Soldotna was a security/tactical officer on the ship. Though she often served in the operations category (and Adelaide was the ships senior Ops officer, controlling many daily operations and affairs ... as well as organizing ship functions). Adelaide knew Soldotna. Not as well as other furs on the ship, but ... she was a chipmunk. Rather short. Rather energetic. Fur colored brown, with a darker stripe running down the back of her head (and her back), and along her tail. Soldotna was often called "Dotty" ... just because it was easier to say. She didn't have a mate ... one of the only furs on the ship to not have one. After the exile, especially, the entire crew had pretty much paired off into two's.
They were still on C-deck. The deck that sickbay was on. And the more they explored, the further they went, the dimmer it became. The lights were flickering. Power was being drained.
"Does anybody feel lighter?" Adelaide asked.
"They must be messing with the artificial gravity," Soldotna realized.
"They like to mess with things," Pyro added. Just for the sake of adding it.
Adelaide eyed him. She sensed, yes, he wasn't lying, but ... they still knew nothing about him. They didn't KNOW him. Yet they had to rely on him to ... solve this situation. A situation which, in fact, HE had caused. The wasps were only here because of him. They were only threatening this crew ... because of him.
Was he worth the price on his head?
You have a price on your own head, Adelaide reminded herself. We all do. As a misfit, you shouldn't turn a fellow misfit away.
"They are close," said Pyro.
"You can hear them?" Soldotna asked.
"Smell them."
"I don't smell anything." The chipmunk paused. Sniffed the air. Nose and whiskers twitch-sniffing. All rodent-like.
"I have a stronger sense of smell ... than you do."
"Really? What else about you," she asked, almost in a teasing way, "is stronger than normal?"
"My patience," he responded.
She made a face. "What's that supposed to mean?"
The wolf shrugged.
"Field's more patient than the both of you," Adelaide piped in, ending the argument (before it could really start). "You smell them? Do they smell us?"
"They have no ... "
" ... sense of smell. No sense of hearing. Are they even ALIVE?" the bat pressed.
"One can't be sure. They are merely drones, after all. A collection of parts. Jagged edges. Raspy sounds. They are like harbingers of death. It is why they are so easy to kill. It's like killing a computer."
"So, you've fought them?"
"I had to. How else would I have escaped?"
"You didn't escape. They're still on your tail."
"We'll soon remedy that."
"I thought I told you two to stop talking," Soldotna whispered.
"You've been talking, too," the wolf noted.
"Only cause you're making me."
"Making you?"
A buzz.
They froze.
The lights ... ahead, the lights were off. Were dead. And the wasps were waiting in that darkness.
"What are they doing?" Adelaide wondered. "Why are they holed up here?"
"They're accessing your computer. They're tapping into ship's systems. They are hardly doing nothing. No, they're exacting control of the ship ... and forcing us to come after them. They hold the high ground. Because they know we have no choice but to go after them. And they know they'll be able to see us coming." The wolf adjusted his goggles (which he'd had on the entire time). "Make sure your eyes are protected."
They did so. Soldotna saying, "We have the weapons. They can't have weapons, right?"
"As I said ... "
"Well, stop SAYING," Adelaide demanded. "And DO. You've the nose. Lead us to them. Formulate a plan. You've fought them before. You know them better than anybody. Take the lead."
"Hey," went Soldotna.
Adelaide gave her a look.
The chipmunk frowned and relented, giving the lead spot ... to the wolf, who just nodded at her. Giving what (to the chipmunk) seemed to be some kind of smile. And taking a few paces. Phase rifle gripped in his paws.
They followed him.
He whispered, "We don't have much time. They're trying to access environmental controls."
"How do you know?" Adelaide wondered.
"I know."
Oh, but he was enigmatic, wasn't he? Thing is, he wasn't ... mean. Wasn't snarling. Wasn't confrontational. Wasn't cold, necessarily. No, Pyro was ... thus far, very ... well, normal. Very even-mannered. That couldn't be right ...
"Why aren't they coming for you?" Soldotna asked. Squinting. "They're wanting you. Why aren't they coming for you. Don't they want you alive?"
Pyro didn't answer.
Adelaide's ears perked. She sensed ... an unease. A sudden unease.
"Why are you so eager for us to get rid of them?"
The wolf turned his red eyes on the chipmunk. Said, "They've committed acts of aggression against your ship. They must be stopped."
"Can't we use their own transporter? Beam them into space? Is there a transporter on the shuttle-pod?"
"You don't understand how wasps operate. The only way to get rid of them ... is to kill them."
"For a self-proclaimed prey-like predator, you're awfully eager for the hunt."
Pyro, in a single motion, had Soldotna pinned to the bulkhead wall. And whispered, lowly, "I am NEVER ... eager for the hunt. I am eager for my own survival. Surely, you, of all creatures ... should understand survival instinct. You know what it's like ... "
"You're not prey," the chipmunk whispered back.
"No?"
"You're a wolf. Wolves are predators. It's natural law."
"My natural law is different from yours. The natural law of ... my home, where I come from," he repeated, "is not yours. And yours is not mine. Where I come from, I am prey. And you would be a predator. I served aboard THIS ship ... with many furs on THIS crew ... she," he said, of Adelaide, "wrested the captaincy. Field was the 'captain's mouse,' the prize fur-and-blood toy of whoever controlled the ship. She had her fun with him. She had her heat. He got her pregnant. She killed him for it. And the mice on the ship ... they killed her in retaliation."
Adelaide listened, heart pounding, at the tale. She'd already heard it. Already heard this part. In sickbay. Just earlier. But the chipmunk hadn't heard. And Adelaide hadn't heard the rest of it ... hadn't heard what came next ...
"The crew started to turn on each other. Blood ... on every deck. That is WHY the wasps were able to sneak attack. WHY they captured us. They killed most of us. But I survived, and I was one of the ones they brought over. To this universe. They were going to put me to work on Rura Penthe. Do you know what that is?"
Soldotna, still pinned to the wall, shook her head. Squirmed. Squeaked a bit.
Pyro didn't loosen his hold.
Adelaide didn't try to part them. She, a foot or so away, held her rifle ... and listened. Eyes darting between them and the darkness in the corridor ahead. Angled, swept-back ears, built for high pitches, hearing the buzzing. The rasping.
"It's a mining colony. They have slaves mine their ores, their metals ... their resources. They believe furs are inferior. They believe that insects ... are superior beings. They believe that humans are the apex of creation. They wish to find the humans ... and assimilate them. Merge insect form and human form. They would turn themselves into greater demons. They HAVE," Pyro whispered, "a plan. And they've been forcing me, these past weeks, to take part in it. I won't. And I won't let them succeed. And I'll stop them."
The chipmunk just swallowed. Breathed, breathed ...
And Pyro let go, eyes darting. Breath shaking. "Don't assume you know natural law. I am not what I appear to be," he promised.
"Then what are you?"
A pause. A taunting, "Try and find out."
"Maybe I will," the chipmunk whispered.
"Furs," Adelaide whispered. "I think they've ... the buzzing, the clicking. All the sounds ... they've stopped."
Pyro's heart pounded. He held his breath. Nodded at Adelaide, pointing to the other wall in the corridor. Motioning for her to lean against it. And he took a few steps back, positioning himself in the center of the corridor. Kneeling down. While Soldotna stayed put. One fur flanking each wall ... and the wolf in the middle. Three positions. Three aims.
Nothing ...
... nothing ...
... blurs!
Buzzing, tilting, arid things, stingers swinging. Came from the dark. Descended. Before the furs could fire.
Soldotna shrieked. A wasp hammering down on her. Filmy, paper-thin wings, clicking mandibles. Those eyes. They flared blue. Neon blue. Little, broken pieces of glass ... their eyes consisted of. And bulbous.
And spindly legs tried to pry the goggles off.
The chipmunk squeaked and wormed away. A stinger ...
... jabbed!
But she jerked out of the way. And the needle-point hit the carpet of the floor.
CHOOM-CHOOM!
Adelaide fired. Again. Again ... again ...
The wasp shrieked, spun, and turned on the bat.
CHOOM-CHOOM!
Pyro joined in the fire. Together, they fought the wasp back. Until Soldotna took aim, and ... their combined fire ... broke through the creature's exoskeleton. And it squealed, slumped. And was silent.
Adelaide huffed. "That's one ... where's the other?"
BUZZ!
Pyro went sprawling backwards ... tumbling, end-over-end, with the wasp, stinger brushing his limbs. Jabbing, jabbing ... barely missing.
Adelaide expected the wolf to snarl and growl and ... rip the wasp with his teeth. It's what any predator would do. What a predator would do when roused. When attacked. When threatened. But there was fear in the wolf's eyes. Hesitation. Yips of help ... came from his muzzle. He was fighting like prey: he was losing.
Adelaide fired her weapon.
Soldotna fired, too.
The wasp was forced to get off the wolf, and turned ... and Pyro strained for his own phase rifle. And completed the trio.
And the second wasp was "neutralized" ...
Adelaide, panting, heart hammering, said, "Maybe ... maybe where you come from ... " Her eyes, in the dimness, met the wolf's. "Maybe where you come from, your kind is prey. Maybe we have more in common ... than I thought. But if you're prey. If you're one of us. You know that ... even if you're losing a fight ... you find ways to endure. You survive. And next time you have to fight," she said, taking a breath. Letting it out. "The fear never goes away. But you learn how to live with it. Next time, you'll live with it a little better."
"So, you're telling me ... it gets easier? Being prey?"
"You claim to be prey. You should know."
"I'm not from your universe."
"Well, you're stuck here now. So, you better get used to it," the bat said, starting to walk ... away from them. Brushing past him. "I'm going to back to sickbay. I'm going back to Field." And a final sentence of, "Soldotna, you can fill in Wren ... on all this."
"Alright," was the chipmunk's winded, shivering reply.
Pryo, left alone with Soldotna, looked to her. "She doesn't like me."
"Well, you ... said some pretty dark things about her."
"It wasn't her. It was her mirror."
"Well, mirrored or not, you ... shouldn't have told her."
"She wanted to know. She asked ... back in sickbay. She wanted to know."
The chipmunk, still on the floor, asked, "Was I on ... your Luminous? In your universe? Was there a mirror of me?"
"Do YOU wish to know?" he asked. "How strong is your curiosity?"
The chipmunk wavered. "Not strong enough."
"Which is a blessing. Knowledge can be a curse," Pyro said, standing now ... offering a paw.
She took it. And was pulled to her foot-paws. "But I can be stubborn."
The wolf smiled a small smile ... and started to walk away.
"Where are you going?" She scurried after him.
"I'm going to the bridge with you. To deliver our report to the captain. I have a request to make of him."
"What?"
"I want to stay here. I have nowhere else to go. I want to join this crew." A slight smile. "Will you vouch for me?"
"I don't even know you."
A little shrug.
Soldotna looked away, smiling (but still scared, still shaken ... from having fought those wasps). "Yeah ... okay. I'll vouch for you. Not that it'll make any difference. My opinion doesn't carry much weight around here."
"And why's that?"
"Just is."
Another oh-so-slight smile ... and what was the reason for it?
Azure woke to purring. The squirrel stretched, whimper-chittered, and blinked. But his eyes were too tired. He had to shut them again.
"Good morning," was the whisper. Assumpta. The snow leopard. His mate.
"When did you get back?" he asked weakly.
"A few hours ago. Luminous is docked at the snow rabbit station we were on. Undergoing repairs." A pause. "Our talks went well. We agreed to an extension of our alliance. And we will stay in this system for the time being."
"Yeah ... " Azure's voice wasn't all there. He didn't really care about snow rabbits or ... what had happened last night (with the wasps). He only cared that ... " ... I was scared. I wanted you back."
"I am back," she whispered. Purring into his ear. And she paused. Remembering her talk with Juneau ... about whether her love for Azure was TRULY love, or just ... a basic need for another warm body. Or just ... instinctual. Maybe their love had no spiritual element (as did Adelaide and Field's), but ... Assumpta liked to think it was real. Was it not? And she, sighing, hugging him from behind (bare, as well), nestled in their bed, whispered, "I love you."
"Aw ... " The squirrel was half-asleep. And the words acted like another blanket. Thrown upon him. Warming him. Keeping him safe. Oh, he was falling back to sleep.
And she was there to guard him ... in that slumber.