When problems happen

I think now is the time when everyone thinks the obvious. And what a bore. The great hero saves the young lady. Marriage, children and diapers, and all this litany. Endless nights of crying.

Has anyone ever wondered about an interesting detail? I was definitely not human. Ah, but I certainly knew the habits and culture of those people very well. N'Tirlay was home to all kinds of scum in the Galaxy. Well, what can I say about an Edrian? How to explain to a human? Their habits are so different.

In my world, sexual or emotional attraction, or if you want to call it romantic did not depend on sex or gender identity. Seriously, sex and gender were never determinants of sexual attraction. I think you would call it an alternative sexual identity. But sexual orientation is a right that everyone has. The relationship was very common. And what is attraction after all? It shouldn't depend on conventions driven by society. I myself was attracted to women as much as men. Ah, to break prejudices?

In my world, the union did not involve just two people. Regardless of man or woman, there was also the delicate issue of reproduction and ensuring healthy offspring. The joke, isn't it? And we come back to another question that was the whole reason for this confusion.

Asexual reproduction? No, definitely not and even the K'Aldriant would agree. There was not much genetic viability. Have sexual! The mixture of male and female gametes was fundamental for the greater adaptability of a species.

The truth is that there is no complete recipe. What could anyone here say about a perfect relationship? I think that in any part of the Universe, any female expects sincerity, loyalty, and attitude. Do you want to kill a woman? Tell her that: Whatever you want is fine, baby. She always wants to feel unique and special. It kills anyone.

And it all came down to N'Tirlay. I was about a hundred and twenty when I got there. I never would have survived long. At the time I believe that I was chasing my own death. My temper was aggressive and the large size aroused interests that finally met the anger that fed me. The fighting. There, in that place I was unsurpassed. was the absolute master and reigned victorious. Bets ran. I never lost. And I'm not proud of it at all. My body was a fighting machine.

That's how I met Klaus. Or Nicolaus, a human. As for the rest ... I think you can imagine. It was the first time that I felt anything but hatred and Klaus knew me better than anyone. Only relationships like that ... Ravenack had finally discovered my weakness. And I had not forgiven.

I looked at that teenager and awkwardly walked away. I didn't use to make the same mistakes.

Rays! Only she was not a native, although she looked miserable as a teenager. I mentally did the math bothered. Ah, how old is that creature? 160 ?! It was by no means a child anymore.

I was going to reply loud and clear and stopped.

The streetlights blinked in the darkness of the night until they went out completely. And it was never a good sign.

-Don't move away! - recommended, checking the pistol. - What the hell!

-How do you know how to speak my language? How do you understand?

The air was starting to get cold. I looked at the girl in light clothes, cursing even more when I took off my coat so she would put it on. By this time Angel was freezing, the breath of her breath condensing in the air.

-God! C-C-CHow did it get so cold? "She insisted and sighed shakily.

I shook my head in annoyance.

-I hope you didn't make the wrong calculations. It's 76 hours! "I grabbed her hand, forcing her to walk.

-Come on, move! - insisted again.

-But what are 76 hours?

Angel stopped motionless. The hands-on her waist showed that she was possessed.

-I'm not going anywhere with you. I need to go home. Or wake up from this nightmare. I have French proof too ... I can't be abducted during exam times.

The comment seemed as unreal as those last few hours.

It was a movement on the street that caught my attention. Angel's face looked feverish with flushed cheeks. It was a man. I could almost imagine what was going through her head. Escape. Ask for help.

Angel would later discover that he was one of those creatures and that their appearance was anything but pleasant.

It was a parasitic species and needed a host. That man or what was left of him showed a face without any features or features like mouth, eyes, or something else. He was in a degenerative process. A poorly made symbiosis sometimes did that. The chest had a rupture that left deep groove marks, through which arms with piercing claws gestured frantically. From this hole, a frightening creature emerged. The skin resembled a snake with layers piled on top of each other, with a humanoid aspect that highlighted completely red, shiny, and furious eyes. Articulated tendons protrude from where there should be hair on the oval head.

It was one of the freaks I didn't like.

-What is it? - She stopped squirming as she bent over, throwing up.

My evaluative gaze traveled over Angel and listed the dangers the virus was causing. Fever! The hellish girl was supposed to be immune, right?

The creature's open mouth showed teeth like any predator and salivated.

-Getaway! - I ordered, grabbing it abruptly when pulling it.

My hands were pulling the arc of energy that I had stuck in my back. I hooked the gun in my hands and the beam of energy came up as I pulled and pulled the bow. It was practically a beast that humans used. The advantage was that it took much longer to unload.

That was a bad sign. We wouldn't have 76 hours. The invader gained the atmosphere of that planet, infecting its first hosts. A virus so terrible and feared that not even the most resistant species we knew were immune or had resisted in contact with the poison of those creatures.

It was a symbiosis, an association between two different species, parasites that naturally because they are carnivorous would feed on the host until it was killed. Angel screamed, appalled, and without action.

-Wow! Do you see this? What the hell is that? "Her voice was high in my ears.

Angel's voice was high and high.

-Started. - I cursed, fired at that thing several times, and shot it until it fell. - Damn it! It's too late. We need shelter. Now!

-What ... what started? - Angel still had her eyes wide and mesmerized by the monstrosity until she raised her hands to her ears with shrill hisses.

It writhed and foamed on the floor in agony. It was everything I didn't need. My intention had always been to keep the girl away from outbreaks of contamination like that one while she was not on board the Spartackus and could receive the strongest immunizations we had.

-The end. They arrived.

Angel looked at me and then her huge eyes widened even more at the scene, breathing hard as she placed her hand on her chest, making a tense contraction in the frightening features that caught my attention even more. Her face was a pale mask.

Just like Klaus. In fact, it was just like that... The thought came unpleasantly.

It wasn't just symptoms ... Damn it! She was sick?

Do not think about it!

-That ... that ... - she gasped shakily and staggering.

And the vomiting again.

"Shit, are you sick? You want to tell me how? Curse!"

I just had time to help Angel in a cold sweat and brush her hair away from her face as the girl started to shiver.

-Are you sure you're feeling well? - I wanted to know and examined the feverish features carefully before trying the temperature of her skin.

She didn't look well at all. Angel didn't answer. It looked all wrong. Very bad. And could after all the bullshit she liked to eat! For most of the night, I had watched what s was doing in that room, waiting for the moment to take her. It was not yet time. I had suddenly changed my plans after the house was invaded and I ran away with the girl. And they were definitely not K'aldriant. Once again I frowned, wondering why Angel was kept so far from Édrin.

She was not there within Ravenack's reach, but she was also not as secure as they had been assured. The Confederacy had the perfect advantage against a threat that in our time there was no way to fight. Nothing was known about their anatomy. Unprotected and alone. It was the easiest and most likely target for scientific experiments.

My anger slowly started to surface again when she leaned heavily against me and staggered. Without balance and notion of what happened. Or maybe just the sequence of events had been too much. I think maybe I felt that way even after the last few hours. Spatackus. All I wanted was the ship's automatic doctor doing the bio-organic reading of her body.

I looked even more upset at the alley where we were seeing the danger of being vulnerable. Quite frankly. It would take even more time to create another energy portal to get us out of there. And the girl needed care. Rays! There was nothing close by. The sign on an old motel sign dangled from the old, rusted chains over a poorly lit door frame. Ah, then a motel.

"Do you think you can walk?" I asked with very little hope. She was barely standing.

-Me... me...

-Sheet, I don't even know why I waste my time asking that. I mumbled loudly and lifted Angel in my arms. Her head drooped against my shoulder and her breathing still troubled me.

You should have read her medical record.

Everything in the class reports mentioned only weekly visits to a psychologist's office and antidepressant drugs because of anxiety and insomnia.

And my instincts smell a lot more.

-You're going to try to stop that unfortunate bullshit that you like so much to use to poison yourself and lose a few pounds!

And I fooled myself. Her fragile and helpless image awakened ancient demons. It reminded me of someone I had not been able to save. Someone who had definitely been special for a long time. A companion.

-Let's wait for dawn at this motel and you get better. - I talked to myself.

And at all times it was the image of Klaus's face that came to my mind. Images of his death.

That's when the nightmare really started. I didn't even know what awaited me.

The infection was beginning to spread across the planet. Within hours the entire atmosphere would be contaminated. Only the strongest would survive. The symptoms I knew more than I wanted. High fever, delusions, and convulsions. Hallucinations were always worrying because they brought an outbreak of aggression. And then...

-I hope your body is stronger than it looks or we are screwed. The security protocol asks for at least 24 hours to come back because of this fever.

-Let's go! I supported her, testing her attentive temperature. It did burn. It burned with fever. What's it? What are you feeling?

Angel was panting, her head radiating snaps, and flashes of old memories popped into her mind in a blinding, involuntary stream. This time the head seemed to explode. It wasn't going to be just a migraine. It would look awful for days. She did not remember having felt the sting in the back of her neck so hard.

-My head ... my head ...

I rolled my eyes indecisively. We needed to get the ship back. Only I still felt exhausted to try to conjure another portal in that warm atmosphere. It was strenuous. And Angel needed care. We needed a fight. I was looking for divine illumination when the wind blew, swinging the rusty chains from a sign not far away and could read the word motel.

-I think we can rest for a while somewhere sheltered ... -My suggestion hardly caught Angel's attention.

Did they arrive? Who had arrived? Angel looked at the strange man beside him, struggling to free himself, in a panic attack, seeing images in her mind as if they belonged to someone else.

They were hands that held her. No, they were actually cold, metallic claws. The cold was penetrating but nothing like the fear I experienced when looking at those creatures that arrived. Her eyes closed, unable to fight the pain any more. Voices she knew overshadowed her reasoning.

You will be the first. A whole kingdom of a new species awaits your command at my side.

No. What did you do with it? What did you do with my family? Are they all dead? I want to go home.

You are home now. With your people and beside me. Beside Ravenack, child.

That's when the nightmare really started.

Zorack's reflections:

- I need a doctor! I shouted as I forced my way through the crowd.

It was the only hospital there in the region that served the population of Small Mountain. The place was full of people huddled together in a small room and I didn't even care, moving forward.

-Hey, buddy! The queue. You and all these other people are looking for a doctor. Someone complained angrily.

"Bring the damn doctor now!" I shouted without paying attention.

Angel in my arms struggled again, forcing me to use force to contain her wild and energetic movements.

It was a miserable morning after the hellish night. I ignored the stunning looks over the protective masks they wore as if they accused me of not doing the same.

-Need help! She has convulsions! Call the damn doctor now!

Hellish night? Ah, a motel room, and the girl was delirious with a high fever and unaware of what she was doing. Right there! And even more so after the provocative shower, she had attended. After watching Angel blow dry my hair giving me spectacular views. And right there, I had her as any man would have liked. Except for the miserable detail that the girl burned with a high fever, she was delirious and provoked all my instincts.

Hell! She's burning!

-But what? - I saw a nurse approaching and then shouting over the general commotion, indicating that it would pass beyond the counter.

-Fever? Is this the first time the girl has a seizure? And antipyretic? Any medication?

The questions ran over each other as I laid Angel on the stretcher with a sigh. Ah, courtesy of Ravenack, no doubt. The bio-organic chip had self-defense mechanisms. I shook my head, my mind blocking images of the small, attractive body as I changed her clothes and wrapped the girl up.

-Prepare diazepam at a dose of 0.2 to 0.3 mg / kg / dose intravenously at a rate of 1 mg / min. And also...

She had a birthmark. The brand that my family usually carried. It was a small sign that felt like a heart and right there where I would love to play and ...

-No. No ASA and anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen or corticosteroids. I won't want Prednisone.

The words made no sense to me. I knew that all she needed was damn antibiotics. I looked at the syringe they were making with the intravenous medication, closing my mouth.

I should have known! Of course, I should!

-I want blood tests, chest x-rays, and cold compresses. Now! Don't forget the urine test.

-She needs antibiotics! - I recommended, remembering Iron's warnings.

I should be on board the Spartackus and Angel in the care of the automatic doctor. Scarlet was a plague in my life with damn jealousy. Imagine! Activate security protocols preventing me from getting back on board before twenty-four hours. What about the old story of never showing emotions?

-Drugs? Alcohol? Did she eat something different? What kind of medication did you use? - the woman asked me.

And the interrogation started without any warning when they pulled me outside the infirmary, placing a screen to block my view and the orders continued:

- I want a toxicology test!

-No, no acetylsalicylic acid. I need thermal bags for the torso and limbs. Where's the doctor, God?

-She's been like this since yesterday. She needs antibiotics. - I warned, insisting on Iron's recommendations.

Another irony. It should be at Spartackus and the girl in the care of the automatic doctor. And all I had was artificial intelligence over there from the ship via the wrist computer. All this with the courtesy of Scarlet when triggering the ship's security protocol. Never leave an angry female anywhere in the universe.

-Captain, it is also important to remember that prolonged application of a very low temperature, at its freezing point, can end up resulting in skin burns and even necrosis of the site. I suggest you decrease your attempts to ...

Iron's voice vibrated through my computer under the nurse's wide eyes.

-Mercy! - The woman stared at me like I was a nut over there. - Who said that? Of course, there may be a burn, but ...

-Check your heart rate and pressure. - A man's voice stood out loud and angry at the same moment I felt fingers hold my shirt away. - Did she eat anything different? Drugs? Alcohol? I want a toxicology test. Now!

Drugs? I didn't deserve that! Not after I behaved like a saint with Angel teasing and delirious? Of course, I could have taken advantage of the whole situation!

Curse! hell! Fuck! I prefer the girl well aware of what she does and causing more sitting on my lap while she rides me and ...

I wanted what I shouldn't have! Except that the thought of burying my dick infer made my body burn with hot oil. And I shouldn't! On second thought, sex with Scarlet had been frustrating. I knew that she endured physical contact in an attempt to get my attention. None of the terrible virtual sex holograms.

I hated that girl, didn't I? Because of her Édrin had been invaded and destroyed!

- They got ready and it ended badly. For a change. I'll need to call the girl's legal guardians. I believe you know that she is still a minor? I need you to fill out the forms ... Medical insurance ...

Damn Ravenack. The chip ... It would have to be removed, I knew it. Why the hell did her condition worry me? And besides ... hey! How do you call those responsible? Was there any chance of leaving without a police escort? Safe? But what insurance did the girl have? I knew there.

- You should choose girls your age and ...- The doctor mumbled an endless list of complaints and sermons that I hardly heard.

It was hell. Magic! Appealing to magic was probably going to be the only chance I wouldn't get out of handcuffs. Female, girl, woman ..., oh, it didn't matter what name they had on each planet. Leaving an enraged and jealous had left me in trouble there. They were all the same anywhere in the Universe.

-I need her SSN and ...

-What? What the hell! "I mumbled.

Hell the SSN. Perhaps just a little mental persuasion at the doctor would get me out of trouble and leave me too exhausted to conjure up another portal.

- Social security number. Want to tell me where it comes from? The doctor asked, puzzled.

I sighed on the edge of patience. Where did I come from? Ah ...

-You'll just leave it the way it is, doctor. - I said slowly, letting my eyes make eye contact and reach his mind.

It was sometimes a very useful skill. Having been placed as a Ravenack host had also guaranteed me, after all, some advantages. I could very easily dominate that man in front of me, and convince him to do what I wanted him to do.

-Go out of here and look for your family and shelter, doctor. It won't be much help here, "I sighed pityingly.

There was no way I was going to think about those people out there. Perhaps not even the majority survived.