Respite - Part 9

Sergeant Marcus Landrey head was swimming. He realized that his body was swaying back and forth so he quickly secured his footing on the boulder. Behind him the sun was almost gone, just a soft glow that divided the sky from the vast and empty ground below. A soft wind brushed through his short-cropped hair, picked up the few longer strands and made them dance. The expression on his face wasn't as serene.




Landrey's eyes were wide in horror and confusion. He was glued to the holoscreen projection Lieutenant Harrow was showing him. He could barely recognize himself, and he searched the image for anything that was still familiar.

His skin had turned pale, he had noticed it before but had chalked it up to nerves, or perhaps the light on the planet refracting differently. He had no idea that he was almost blue now. Ridges had formed on his forehead; an elliptical circle that ended between his eyebrows. When he looked closer, he realized that his eyes had turned to a dark shade of red, and his pupils were almost indiscernible from the rest of his eyes.

He touched his face, then looked at his arms and legs. He didn't know what else to say and so he didn't say anything he just stood there with his mouth open. He turned slowly and faced the dim glow over the horizon. Tears stung his eyes and rolled down his smooth boyish face. Then he felt Harrow's hands on his arms, gently stroking him.

The wind picked up again, gently caressing his bare skin. Landrey let Harrow touch him, it felt good, comforting somehow. Harrow hugged him from behind, and his arms tightened around his body.

“It's gonna be okay you know? I'm sure the doctor will find a way, I mean, we have a lot of technology on our hands, not to mention the T'aal. Besides...”

“You are doing it again,” Landrey sniffed.

“What?”

“Your jabbering.”

“Oh... but you know what I mean right?”

“Yeah.”

Harrow's gloved hand slipped between Landrey's arms and caressed his torso, brushing past his nipples and his across his belly. It felt good. Landrey wondered if this were any other time, would he consider this a come-on?

The two of them stood silently and watched the lights in the distance fade.

…