Flesh and Fur

Chapter 6

I look closely at the tray and rice and kind of poke at them with the dull plastic fork she gave me.

Alice: "I didn't spit in your food; that would just be gross, but if you piss me off, I will," she says half jokingly.

Erick: "Not used to friendly captures, sorry," I say while lifting my balaclava just above my nose and beginning to eat the rice quickly.

There was an awkward silence after that as I quickly wolfed down the rice in just a few minutes as Alice watched me zone out.

Alice: "You were captured before," Alice says, breaking the awkward silence.

Erick: "When I was maybe 13? Or was I 12? I don't know, it's been a while; humans are quite cruel, I must say." I say it quickly and nonchalantly.

I hear her let out an audible gasp.

"Was it the fact I was so young or the fact it was humans?" I questioned myself.

Alice: "How old are you, may I ask?" She says it almost cautiously.

Erick: "I think I turned 18? Maybe, who knows, who cares, war is war," I say with a shrug.

Alice: "I heard some of my teammates mention you were a kid, and I didn't want to believe it, but... I guess it's the truth," she says quite coldly but not sympathetically.

Alice: "What human faction even captured you anyway?"" She asks.

I pause for a second, thinking about whether I should answer the question or not, not knowing what it will lead to.

Erick: "It was... I don't really know, but they were just worse than N.A.F. or the Apexion government as a whole," I lie, trying to hide the sadness in my voice as some memories flood back to me but quickly suppress them.

Alice lets out a small laugh.

Alice: "N.A.F. can be quite rough; I don't know about that." She says it proudly, with national pride.

Erick: "Meh, it doesn't matter, as I will never see the light of day again, right?" I say it in a guilt-tripping way, lowering my balaclava and facing them.

She only stares at me blankly, thinking about how to answer, and her eyes begin to zone out again as she begins to nod her head yes.

Alice: "No, no, you will not." She says it sympathetically now, which made the other person in the other holding cell growl in anger.

???" You know it's a crime to talk like that to that flesh ball, right? The voice says angeredly, which made Alice show her teeth to them.

Alice: "Says who? I may be the best in the fucking world, but I still am a living, feeling being." She says it coldly, now approaching their cell.

Alice: "If you can't see the fact that a human is living, breathing, and feeling just like us, if you can't understand that, then you are not fit for your job." She projects now as if this was built-up rage.

Erick: "Alice, its alright, drop it; they are just being a bitch." I say to cut it in as I slide the tray through the slot.

Alice lets out a loud huff before walking back to my cell.

Erick: "You didn't need to do that." I say, looking down at her.

Alice: "I know, but sometimes it sucks being a ranger." She says she is annoyed.

Erick: "Then tell Kat about it or Ruby."

Alice: "Kat understands; she understands my generation is fighting an unwanted war; hell, most of Apexion has been rioting over the war." She vents.