The Rapture

FOUR

DUMUZI

Five hundred and four hours remain until my death.

It would be even less if I spent more time with a certain brown-eyed, troublesome human who appeared to be as fragile as a gentle breeze. In accordance with the council, I did not have a choice; I had been appointed to assist her in choosing a planet to live on, as it was my decision to save her in the first place.

Shadrach stood alongside me, awaiting my commands. My hand waved in dismissal as I ignored his gaze. I focused on the work in front of me, letting it lull me into the concentration routine I was accustomed to for millenniums.

Yet Shadrach did not leave.

It was of interest to the council to learn more about my encounter with Pearl. I was intent on describing it as precisely as possible with my thoughts, tethering myself to the technology in front of me and ignoring my brethren.

"You are absolutely seething, aren't you, brother?"

Despite my best efforts, I could not resist reacting to his words. My eyes tightened and my data transfer slowed considerably. "Let me be."

"She chose to join us, and you cannot stand it."

His accusation was plainly put, but no less scathing. He feigned interest in my work, watching the smoke and light from the projection of Osa while I labored.

I inclined my head in his direction rather than answering.

Osa. I spent most of my time interacting with this technology. A machine, yet sentient, and part biological, saved during the war where I held my experiments. I relocated it to my personal quarters aboard this vessel, and I preferred to use Osa in peace.

I said nothing.

"Your silence on the matter is quite telling."

"You know how this jeopardizes me," I responded, my gaze fixed on the threads of energy and information I manipulated with my hands. "I did not expect her to want to come with us; humans are afraid of the unknown, but she embraces it. The door is behind you, Shadrach, let you not forget. Keep pressing me about this, and I'll toss you out myself."

Upon meeting Pearl for the first time, I anticipated a violent encounter that would confirm my judgments about her mind and nature as a human. There was no violence, only a bombardment of questions and a frighteningly weak physical state. I expected the questions; her inquisitiveness intrigued me.

"Pah!" He hummed in thought. "Is this creature well?"

"It has a name, Shadrach. Pearl has been moved to a temporary room."

A moment of silence passed between us. He wished for me to turn around and face him, but that would fuel the conversation I wasn't willing to have.

This did not hinder him from pestering me further. "I'm at a loss to understand why you believe even a few are worth saving. Just because Osa has attempted to tether you with this human, does not mean—"

"Osa is malfunctioning, as I have stated before."

"Osa does no such thing. You know it as well as I do, and you deny it. I feel for you, brother. It does not make much sense to us, and it is quite grotesque to be tied to such a creature. But the more you fight Osa on this, the more it will sever your mind and fracture your very being. It has already begun, it seems, by how you regard me."

"I am aware." My hand twitched with the need to backhand him through the wall. Unusual for me, or my kind, to be violent, but Shadrach and his nature could not be quelled. Not until explanations were satisfactory. "Osa and Pearl have little to do with this. My motivations for saving the few I am allowed will remain personal."