Earth Is Mine

Chapter 22

The brights lights from above assault my eyes before the strong smell of disinfectant stings my nostrils. I wince at their harsh glare and my body feels numb like it has been asleep for years. 

I loll to the side, my movements slow and lethargic. It takes almost all my effort to move only a bit. I shift to the side as a soft groan escapes my lips, my muscles are still asleep. 

It takes a while to focus my vision but when I finally do, I see Polaris sitting by my bed, his dark purple eyes fixed on me. 

My tongue is tinged with bitterness as I stare at him with a venomous hatred. He ruined everything. The last bit of hope I carried with me died last night and I feel like killing him for it. 

"You," I say and I almost wince at how weak I sound. My voice barely comes out as a whisper. 

Polaris just sits there, watching me and I frown as I force myself to sit up. It is only then that I realise that my wrists are attached to tubes with some pale yellow liquid flowing into my veins.

I yank it out and my blood trickles across the white sheets in droplets. 

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Polaris finally speaks and I glare at him. 

"You betrayed us all." I don't even want to look at him anymore. The sight of his face makes me burn with rage. 

"I had my reasons. You would have done the same if you were in my position," He explains himself but I am past hearing his reasoning.

"You don't know what I would have done. All this bounty money, your cousin's safety and your planet's tax relief are temporary. You don't know Lazarus. He will eventually destroy what you have been trying to save all this while. The taxes and demand for manpower have already increased on Spica, what makes you think he won't do the same to you eventually?"

Polaris doesn't answer. Instead he rocks back and forth on his chair, his boots clicking on the hard stone floor. 

"This war is between Lucian and Lazarus. We have no business getting involved," He finally says and I don't know whether to pity him for being so naive or hit him for being so selfishly stupid. The war has affected the entire universe, his planet will be no exception. 

And neither will Earth. 

The thought of Earth taken over by Lazarus and his slave model feels like a knife in my gut. I've failed my planet, my people, Lucian. 

I close my eyes, the pain of it all suddenly becomes too much to bear. 

"Pleasant day, Bone Breaker," Lazarus walks into my medical room with the brightest smile on his face. 

My eyes narrow to slits, wishing that he would disappear if I closed my eyes. There is nothing pleasant about seeing his face but his voice is a persistent ache in my ears, I will myself to shut him out but I can't. I hate that he calls me that name over and over again. 

Maybe he is the one who came up with it in the first place.

"You look terrible," He states as he stops at the foot of my bed and looks down at my bandaged toe, making me notice it for the first time since I woke up. A grim reminder of this useless mission of mine. 

He gestures to a nurse and the male Plutonian rushes over and undoes my dressing. A sharp sting of pain reverberates up my leg when he pulls the tape off roughly but I suck in a breath, not wanting to show my pain to Lazarus. 

My eyes widen when I take in the disfigured skin over my toe. There is no toenail, only mangled flesh. I stare at the wall and bite my lip, trying not to burst into tears.