Michael Siemsen - Exigency

“Is that what happened to you?” Aether asked. “Did they throw you out?”

Skinny’s eyes hid and emerged. She surveyed the Orange People, then looked behind her at the throngs of writhing Seekapock, guts filled, content in their mud and seemingly indifferent to the worms. Aether wondered if Skinny could feel disappointment, or rejection, or desolation.

“Wait,” Tom’s PA said to Skinny. “Did your people kill every single Threck worm?”

“Yes, and we burn worm house to kill eggs. No more Threck.” Skinny dove backward into the mud pit, disappearing beneath the chocolaty surface, then climbed out, dripping, with a single, long stride. “We rescue Orange People before they become Threck. Now Orange People will help kill remaining Threck.”

Aether rushed out a quick M to the group.

AETHER: Let me handle this.

TOM: They were NOT planning to put those worms in us.

Aether sent the message in sections, as she wrote. “Skinny, we are all grateful for your help. We wish to repay Seekapock with gifts and help, but Orange People do not kill. I hope you understand.”

“Qin kill Threck,” Skinny countered with a glance toward Angela.

Damn it, Aether thought. Knew that would come back to us.

“That was an accident, and to help save people in danger.”

“Yes,” Skinny agreed. “Seekapock in danger. Threck will come to kill many now, after what Skinny did. Orange People will save Seekapock in danger.”

“No, Skinny. I’m sorry. I think you all need to flee to the water and hide in the underwater city you took us to.”

“Threck know this place. No say no. Orange People will do as I say.” She spun round and called out. “Swineese!”

Seekapock lounging along the mud bank popped up, looking, then grabbed weapons and began running around both sides of the oblivious mud pit occupants.

Aether noticed Tom’s posture shift in her peripheral. He was readying for a conflict. She felt Qin’s hand between her shoulder blades.

Tom replied to the group M.

TOM: Angela, move slowly away from Skinny.

“Listen to me, Skinny,” Aether began.

“No more no!” Skinny yelled as reinforcements surrounded the team.

One of the Seekapock whacked Angela in the shoulder. Angela glanced back with a start and grabbed her MW, waving it at the three twitchy Seekapock behind her.

“Tom!” Angela shouted. “We’re not going into another jail pit!”

Aether didn’t know how to defuse the situation without agreeing to do whatever Skinny wanted. Maybe that was the key. She wanted to be honest, but it wasn’t going to help right now. They’d agree to join La Revolución and then escape at the first, best, opportunity.

“Calm down, mija,” Aether said as she wrote the capitulation message. “Put it away. Tom, Qin: hands off.”

Like the others, Skinny’s eyes were wild, bouncing around the scene as if tracking a super-fast fly. Angela still had the MW in her shaking hand, though now held low at her hip. Skinny’s eyes suddenly fixed on Angela, and, in a flash, a tentacle swung out like a whip, swatting the MW out of her hand. Before the weapon even hit the ground, Skinny had her other arm planted on Angela’s shoulder and kicked off the ground, mounting Angela’s head. Aether cried out for Skinny to stop, to get off. She scrambled in her fone to send the half-composed message.

“Now, we understand the Seekapock struggle. We all agree to join the fight against Threck, and we will—”

Skinny wasn’t listening. Her tentacles coiled around Angela’s shoulders and arms, and tightened. Angela’s helmetless head had completely disappeared beneath Skinny’s body, and she dropped to her knees, hands flailing helplessly at her hips.

Tom bolted forward and grappled with the tentacles. He shrieked, “Get off! Let go!” and seized the utility knife clipped to his suit, flicking the short blade open. “I said get off!” he screamed, and swiped the blade across two coiled limbs. Skinny simply unwrapped an arm and whipped Tom in the face.

“Watch,” Skinny said, and her body trembled for an instant before abruptly compressing, with a muffled crunch, as if an inflated balloon had popped inside her body.

Aether choked, “No…”

Angela crumpled to the ground as Skinny unwrapped herself. “Take their weapons!”

Tom gagged and emit a despairing little squeak as his knees buckled and gave way.

Seekapock grabbed Aether and Qin, wrapping arms low around the waist.

Skinny stood tall and walked before them, proudly. “Now here is one less Orange People. Now you help Seekapock kill Threck. You do what I say.”

Aether glowered at Skinny. Eye and fone blurred with stinging tears, throat so dry and tight it felt like it would turn to dust and drop into her stomach, hands throbbing as they spread wide open at her sides, her locked elbows joined the protests blaring from the rest of her joints. Her captor tightened her grip, and Aether’s fingers began numbing. She wrote to the beat of her pounding temples—one letter per jolt—until the message was complete.

“Now, we understand the Seekapock struggle. We all agree to join the fight against Threck, and we will happily do what you say.”

Hysterical, and trapped in an endlessly cycling sob, Tom dragged himself to Angela’s lifeless body, raising a tentative hand above her arm, hesitating there as if a touch might startle her.

Skinny displayed no outward skepticism at Aether’s reversal. “Good. This is what I wish. Now, we will go to kill Eeahso and loyal four.”

Aether stood and waited, still restrained by the Seekapock behind her. She glanced down at Tom. His MW remained in its holster on his hip. Behind her, to the right, she caught a glimpse of Qin in the same bind as her, but with fingers wrapped firmly around his holstered MW.

QIN: The second my arm is free I’m taking out that one.

AETHER: Not if I get her first.

Skinny stopped pacing and regarded Aether for a moment, as if there may be some source of concern when she and Qin were freed. “They let you free, what you do?”

“I follow Skinny to Eeahso and kill Eeahso. When you say.”

Skinny pointed to Qin. “And this one. Do what I say also?”

“Yes,” Aether assured.

Skinny peered down at Tom, face buried in Angela’s side, muttering garbled words. Aether felt a new wave of panic.

AETHER: Tom, get up right now and pull yourself together. Fake it goddammit.

He didn’t respond.

“This one wants that one not dead,” Skinny said, pointing at Tom. “Will it want to kill Skinny?”

Aether could feel the tentacles at her waist slowly loosening, a tiny bit every few seconds.

“Absolutely not. Orange People do not think for themselves. We only serve our leader.”

“You kill for leader…. Who is leader?” Skinny said with a [Thrilled]modifier: I already know the answer, I want to hear you say it .

“You are leader,” Aether said. Skinny laughed, and Aether felt as though she could almost execute the murderous creature using only the power of malicious thought.

Skinny pointed at Tom, who lay deflated and hardly moving. “This one say who is leader. Andela say it.”

Aether winced. “This one is Tom . Tom is asleep now and will not awaken until sunrise.”

“Yes, Tom. I say this one may sleep.” Skinny pointed over Aether’s shoulder. “This one is Qin… then… Andela is dead one?”

Aether kept her eyes fixed on Skinny’s. “Yes.” She sent Qin the phrase before he was called to recite the pledge of loyalty.