Beyond Earth

Big Bang

"I can't believe your actually doing this." Tavi's voice broke over my ear piece.

"I won't be able to if you keep interrupting me." I pulled the last stitch into the artificial organ.

"Your almost done. Aren't you worried about infection? Why are you bothering to put stitches in if your just going to cure the wound anyway?"

"Tavi, one more word from you and I am shutting you off. I know what I'm doing. It is my speciality." I snapped.

My ear piece was silent.

"Thank you. Now... no. I am not worried about infection. Everything is sterile as possible. And I am putting in stitches to hold the organ in the perfect position while I cure it. Understood?"

"Understood." Tavi said quickly.

Placing a finger beneath the incision I rubbed it with the gauze, the flesh slowly flushing. I watched for a moment as blood began to flow through the veins. After a series of injections I pulled out the last needle from the set and drew the liquid from the vial.

"Get ready to be a father Zai." Tavi joked.

"Seriously, Tavi, shut your hole!" I growled over the speaker.

Suddenly Atreyu stirred. I froze as he shifted slightly, tossing his head to the side.

"Let's get this over with." I breathed quickly, emptying the syringe.

"Congratulations." Tavi chuckled.
"For fucks sake!" I shouted, sealing the incision with another smudge of gauze.

"Get us in trouble why don't you." Tavi teased.

I watched as Atreyu rolled to his side, grumbling unhappily. Reaching up he touched his face, the gas mask tumbling into the sheets.

Fuck. I quickly turned off my head lamp and backed into the shadows. Don't knock over the equipment. Don't knock over the equipment.

"Good going." Tavi pressed his luck.

I was silent.

"You should've brought him on the ship, like I suggested." My navigator snapped.

Pressing the button on my ear piece I turned it off, the air in the room growing dead. Stepping forward I began quickly collecting my equipment, shoving it into my kit. Lifting the sheets I checked the cut, fading into a small pink scar.

Damn him. Damn myself. That could've been bad. Human organs all over the bed. Pulling Atreyu's shirt down I covered him back up, his body still.

"Are you awake?" I whispered, brushing his hair away from his face. He didn't make a sound, didn't move a muscle besides his chest as it rose and fell. I didn't even know him, other then from being the perfect biological specimen. I knew only that he was brave, and unrelenting when it came to confrontation, a bit reckless, attractive for one of his species. I had six months to watch him, wait for orders, to see my future offspring grow and become the one thing uniting our cultures.

Turning on my ear piece I spoke. "Ready to go."

12:38 PM

"Child, this is the third day you've had guacamole and chips for lunch." Janie spoke up as I tossed the empty bag into the bin.

"And?" I chuckled, running my hands under the faucet.

"Nothing, I suppose." She snapped on a pair of elbow length gloves. "Your a grown man, you can eat whatever you wish. I just wish I still had the metabolism to eat that way."