Chris Randolph - Stars Rain Down

Kai smiled. “I guess you’re right.”

“Truth is, I’ve got my own theory about why they’re here.”

“Really? Do tell.”

Jack looked at Kai with a steely gaze, his eyes burning with a cold fire, and he beckoned the other man forward. When Kai was close, Jack whispered, “They were evicted.”

“I don’t follow.”

“From their last planet. They missed rent a couple months in a row, and the landlord was finally like, dude, get the hell out.”

The look in Kai’s eyes said he wasn’t sure if Jack was serious or not. A breath later, they both erupted in laughter.

“Think he turned the heat off first? Like a subtle hint?”

“Naw,” Jack said. “They just woke up one morning with all their clothes floating in orbit. And I’ll tell you this, they sure as shit didn’t get their security deposit back.”

And they both laughed some more. Jack laughed so hard he had tears in his eyes. Then that silence returned.

“Anyway, I’m gonna try to get some sleep. I’ll catch you in the morning, alright?”

Kai nodded, and Jack headed back over to his side of the cell.

“Hey Jack, can I ask you one last thing?”

“Shoot.”

“What… What’s the biggest mistake you ever made?”

“I dunno. I’ve made some whoppers in my time.”

“Just pick one.”

“Fine. When I was a little punk-ass back in high school, I used to street race with friends. It was dumb, but ya know, we were kids. This one night, the rain is falling just a little bit, and suddenly I’m out of control. Wheels are spinning, making a God awful racket, and the back end gets loose. I pound on the breaks and the whole car starts to slide. I’m screwed. I’m screaming, my buddy Kyle is yellin’ in the passenger seat, and then I don’t really remember what happened. I wake up and the car’s in a ditch. Kyle’s bleeding all over the place.”

“Did he die?”

“No. Someone in the other car was smart enough to call an ambulance, and they got to him in time. It was close, though.”

“So everything worked out alright?”

“I guess. I mean, I almost lost a good friend and for what? For nothing. For being a stupid kid.”

“What came of it?”

“Kyle stayed in the hospital for a few weeks, and I got community service. We both ended up stronger for it. Really changed my life, come to think of it.”

“How?”

“They put me on a suicide hotline, of all things. I was sullen and bitchy about it at first, but then something changed. I started listening to people, and it was the first time I felt like I had a purpose. Like I was doing good in the world. That led me to the Corps.”

“Your whole career is just making up for a guilty conscience, then?”

“That’s one way to look at it. See if I waste a perfectly good inspirational story on you again.”

“Alright. Tell me another way to look at it?”

“There’s a couple different angles. Maybe I found my true calling, or maybe I learned there was value in trying to make things right. Maybe I found myself on a career track and just went where it led me. Maybe… maybe I was totally infatuated with a girl in the call center, and chased her tail right into the Corps.”

“Which is it?”

“A combination. Answers are rarely simple, my friend. So, what was your biggest mistake?”

Kai was quiet for a long while. “Something worse. Something a lot worse.”

Jack didn’t know what his new friend was hiding, but the man’s remorse left a sour smell in the air. “Listen… No matter what you did, the important thing is who you become in the wake of it. Usually, I’d say it’s never too late to make it right, but… well, it may be too late to make it right.”

“Yeah. Thanks, Jack.”

“No problem. G’night, Kai.”

“Night.”

Kai was gone when Jack woke up the next morning. That should have told him something, but he was too busy trying not to let it get to him. He tried to take it in stride, and was partially successful. Only partially. Against his own better judgment, he’d become attached to the guy, even though either one could disappear at any moment. One of them had.

Jack found it odd that he couldn’t quite picture Kai’s face, even after spending weeks trapped together in an empty room, and it troubled him. He felt heartless for not remembering. Inhuman. He decided that Kai must have had the single most forgettable face in the world. It was the only rational explanation.

Even though Jack and God were on the outs again, he said a small prayer for his doughy-faced Finnish friend and hoped for the best. Then he went back to his routine of merciless exercise, and tried to think nothing else of it. He was partially successful in that as well. Working himself to slobbering exhaustion certainly helped.

Then, shortly after his dinner meal, the inexplicable happened. Jack was sitting on the floor with his back to the wall, and the opposite wall melted away like a sheet of ice suddenly hit by a blast furnace.

The fascist alien interrogator stood in the opening.

Jack didn’t waste any time. His opportunity had come. The one he’d been training for. He propelled himself up from the ground and scrambled toward the enemy, fists swinging. His first blow landed with a loud crack and the alien’s head jerked to the side. The second fist crashed into the alien’s gut, and it felt like hitting concrete.

Even in his blind fury, Jack realized he wasn’t having any effect. The alien stood unperturbed, no more wounded than if Jack had splashed him with lukewarm water. It was the most insulting thing possible. It made Jack feel weak and powerless.

“Why won’t you fight back?” he growled. His arm tightened and exploded, charged with every last ounce of his strength. “Fight me!”

The alien shrugged the blow off just as he had the others. “Don’t you think I’ve hurt you enough?” he asked.

Jack didn’t quite know how to answer that. The alien had hurt him more than enough, but this wasn’t how he imagined things turning out. In his dreams, they would clash and fight like savage animals, only to perish with their hands at each other’s throats.

“I offer you two options,” the interrogator said, “Kill me if you like. I won’t resist. Or I can lead you out of this place. You will not escape without my assistance. The choice is yours.”

Escape. The mere thought of it hurt. Jack had banished that idea from his mind so long ago he couldn’t even imagine it anymore. This had to be some kind of trap, but what if it wasn’t?

“Why?” The word barely escaped his mouth.

“There’s no time to explain right now. I’ll answer your questions once we’re outside, but we must leave now. Decide, Jack Hernandez.” The alien held out Jack’s handgun, handle first, and offered it to him.

Jack snatched the gun out of the alien’s gloved hand, pulled back the slide and inspected the chamber. There was a copper jacketed round sitting inside. He released the slide and it clacked back into place, then he raised the gun up and placed it against the interrogator’s head.

The alien didn’t so much as twitch.

Jack’s finger slid to the trigger. The metal was cool to the touch. It begged for him to do it. It cried out for Jack to end the miserable creature’s existence, so he could never hurt anyone again.

Jack lowered the gun.

“I hope you made the right decision,” the interrogator said.

“So do I.”

The alien stepped aside and motioned to a pile of clothes against the wall. “I brought your things. Dress quickly, then follow me. We must leave while the guard detail is being changed.”

It took Jack less than thirty seconds to discard his dirty rags and climb back into his underclothes and jumpsuit. In another ten, his holsters and duty pack were fastened and the assault rifle was slung across his back. He felt like a different man. He felt a bit like himself again.