Our Existence Is Scandal

✦16✦

"Is that..." I narrowed my eyes at the screen, "Us?"

I pointed at the computer and used my other hand to point around the room until the screen showed my fingertip pointed straight at it, snapping my head in its direction I was met with a fake plant, its leaves shiny with wax but when I looked closer.

"That's so-

"Creepy," Astra shuddered.

I assessed the small hidden camera with awe "I was going to say cool."

"No, it's super creepy. Look." I turned back around to see her focused on another frame. "There are cameras in the bathrooms, in the street outside, apartment rooms, restaurants- stars," She gasped flicking through each frame quickly "There's at least one viewpoint of, I could guess, every corner in this dome."

I grabbed a rolling chair and sat in it, wheeling myself up next to her "How do you of all people find this creepy, isn't your whole thing about watching people."

"Protecting," She corrected me through clenched teeth "I protect them. I watch them in the way a guard dog watches its family, I don't peep at them when they're in the toilet."

I put my hand over hers, stopping her from tapping to the next angle "Hey, relax, this is the security room right?" I used her hand to scroll up and close the video footage "They probably doing it for safety reasons too. And if it truly upsets you so much, I assure you no one is watching each of these at the same time, all day every day."

She pulled her hand away from mine, shaking her head "No you don't get it, this footage, these cameras, are simply a way to keep tabs on everyone when they think no one is watching. Someone set these up not to watch all the time but intending to be able to look back at them whenever they want to," She pressed her lips together "It's not safety Sol, it's control. A way to take away people's private thoughts so that even when they say something when they think they're alone they aren't. They never really are."

I leaned back into my chair, taking in the weight of her words "Then why set it up?" I asked, "If it's about control why not straight tell people they're always watching? Why leave them to believe they're alone? Who's idea was this? And what are they so afraid of being said when they're not around?"

I drop all the things around me in frustration and clasp my hands together "Astra, I swear if you flinch again, these splints will go straight into your stomach," I told her honestly before picking up the piece of wood that I had cushioned a bit with cotton and tape.

I was a sorry excuse for medical treatment but we couldn't exactly afford to be picky.

"If I wasn't so high right now I'd cuss you out, but I am so just pretend I said something incredibly clever back."

I shook my head in amusement at her muffled, slightly dazed voice through the pillow I had squished her into to prevent her from looking at her wound and tapped the play button on the video I was following again.

The person in it was human, that was pretty much clear but they had an accent different to the ones I'd heard so far. They were deep in a forest, that I assumed was back on earth and had kindly made a step-by-step video on how to treat the exact situation we were in.

We had to steal a few medical supplies from the infirmary which seemed to make it better as I'd injected Astra with what I thought was a sedative but considering she was still wide awake I'd probably do something completely different.

She was calmer than usual, less erratic, and spoke a lot slower. Her speech was a bit slurred and she'd often start talking out of nowhere and would continue regardless of whether I replied or not.

I wouldn't say she was easier to deal with but having her confused whilst I disinfected the wound certainly was a big help.

Unfortunately for me, she was now in a twitching mood "Distract me, Sol, c'mon tell me something fun."

I put the gauze between my teeth, chuckling to myself before tearing it "Sorry Astra, I have nothing fun to say," I gathered up the dirty cotton balls and put the cap on the rubbing alcohol.

"You'd think someone who's been to jail would be a lot more interesting."

I tossed the cotton balls in the bin, following it by ripping off the gloves I'd put on too "Don't tell me I bore you now," I joked, turning her over so she could now face me. I thought her first interest would be in her badly wrapped hand but her eyes immediately fell on mine.

"No you're not boring," She yawned, "I think you just don't trust me."

"I don't know you, Astra," I pointed out.

"I love the way you say my name," She reached out to rub my face with her hand and I let her, amused at the red ring that was around her ocean eyes. She put my lips between her fingers and moved them up and down playfully "You say everything weirdly."

"Do I?" I hummed, feeling exhaustion settle on my face.

"Yup," She said, popping the p at the end.

"How do I say things?"

"Your voice is all smooth and slow," She slowed down her speech significantly and then started to slightly whisper in a raspy voice "So you end up talking like this, and then you roll your R's a lot so you don't end up calling me Astra you say," She scrunched her eyebrows together in concentration "Ah-st-rah."

I burst out laughing in her face and she started laughing with me, I slapped my hands on my knees before getting up "Yeah I think it's time for bed now," I gave her a hand to get up before gesturing to her to turn around "Let me help you out of that."

She twirled around, giggling when my fingers met her spine "And you say I'm always trying to get in your pants."

I ignored her, leading her to the bed before tucking her in. I moved to enter my side when I noticed something in the jutting out of the pocket of her suit that was now a pile of material on the floor. She let out a whine when I leaned over to grab it, taking both of us with me due to our joined hands.

"What is that?" She muttered to me sleepily.

I ran my finger along the dark blue leather cover "I don't know, it was in your pocket."

My hands moved to open the book, taking in the familiar writing but I was my attention was more so towards the drawings and diagrams scribbled on the first few pages. They were jagged and evidently rushed but it was clear as day what they were supposed to be.

Martians.

I recognized them now and now understood why I struggled to identify Tempest, she was missing the key detail all her kind shared. The gigantic wings on her back.

Here they were drawn, male and female, child and adult. Their wings nearly triple their size and all shades of brown and nude. Their feathers were long and they had big horns at the end of each wing that curled towards them.

Sketches filled the first few pages of the book and the rest were words, recounts, dates, and scientific data. An 'all you need to know' about the people of Mars from what they look like to the x-rays of their bones.

I flicked through mindlessly, not particularly seeing anything interesting until I stopped at a page that made my blood freeze.

'March 24, 2059

We're down to the last one of them, we've been careless with their lives. As I knew we'd be.'

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