ARC10

Chapter 26.3

In this room, orange slime drips from the walls in stringy cones that expand at the bottom like enormous tears. They dribble from the ceiling. Some pendulous drops scrape the floor. The Xani and I stand-off in the center of the orange ooze-forest. A bulky glob lands on my shoulder and coats my arm in pungent, orange sludge.

I take another step backward, but the Xani has scuttled toward me again, rubbing its phyllo skin against mine. I hold my breath in my chest. Another fat blob lands on my head. I feel it trailing down my neck.

"Civilian secured." McCroy's voice crackles in my ear.

I have no voice to respond with.

The Xani's head roves across my body, pausing at my neck. A moment later, it continues, hovering directly over my breasts.

I stop breathing.

Its front blades whir in circles like a drill.

I can't move. Every nerve in my body is screaming to run, but I'm immobile.

I honestly have no idea what the Xani is trying to accomplish, and I don't want to piss it off in case it tries to bite my face off or impale me with those menacing drill bits.

The Xani is millimeters from nuzzling me. It's so close, I can imagine its weight pressed against my body. As it comes to rest over my right breast, I hear a faint rattling sound emanating from its tail end. My muscles relax under the hum. I'm still terrified, but fixing our eyes together mellows my previous terror.

"What is it doing?" Coodi's voice breaks my trance. Her disgust re-ignites my panic.

"I have no fucking idea. Just be ready to get the fuck out of the way when I dive the hell out of here."

The Xani's back legs vibrate as it roves my body. It stops here and there to pulsate over a certain spot—my ribs, my abdomen, my groin, my left thigh, my left knee, my right shin, and finally, my left foot.

My weakened knees buckle from holding this position. My body finally crumples when the Xani retracts its head back into the resting position. It scuttles backward and climbs the wall behind it. When its mechanical gauges spew steam, it shrinks into the shadows of the room. Its orange eyes peer at me through the strands of orange goo.

"Go, now," I say as I slowly back up. But the Xani doesn't react to me anymore. Is this peace between us? Have we just become friends? Still not wanting to give it a chance to make another move, I back away slowly, shoving myself through the tiny aperture. Waiting on the other side, six VIPERs anticipate our return at the foot of the ladder. Coodi, McCroy, and Love dangle from its middle.

When I plant my feet on firm ground, the VIPERs avert their eyes and grin, suppressing some kind of reaction. They are contorting their faces, as if they're about to burst into gales of laughter at the slightest provocation. Was any of that funny? No. It wasn't. Not at all.

"Status on the civ?" I ask, back to business.

"Unharmed. On his way to the clinic. Still inebriated," Love states.

"Good."

"Commander?" Coodi's breaks line to put a gentle hand on my arm. "Was that the Xani?"

"Yes, Coodi. That was one of them."

"Damn, Boss, you got cojones," the whispered praise from somewhere to my left chimes.

"Report tomorrow at oh-seven-hundred in Level Three Combat Room Three for a situation report. We need to assess the events today and figure out how to avoid them in the future." I pull at the edge of my jacket, scrambling to regain my composure.

"Yes, Commander!" the chorus shouts.

"Is that it? Anyone else still around?"

"No, Commander," Coodi confirms.

"Then let's get the fuck out of here."