Eve of Terra

Part 2

Unlike my previous woke, a hint of light was visible through my eyelids. Alas, the pounding on my head was no different. The recollection of what had happened before instantly switched on all my senses.

The room was filled with trinkets. On my left was a wall painted with a terrible graffiti, and windows plastered with pieces of cutout papers. While my right was a man, sitting on a chair with one leg up. Smoke fumed from his mouth, wafting through the holo image he set his eyes upon.

I took a moment to analyse my situation. My difficulty to breathe confided a few reasons; an after effect of my hypersleep, the air, or both. Although I was no longer bounded and surprisingly clothed, I didn't know the stranger's intention. Regardless, at my weak state and having every living creature I'd met so far trying to kill me, he was my best option for survival.

"Where am I?" I started calmly.

He stole a glance at me, eyebrows perched. "Terra."

Slowly I rubbed the side of my neck, "Why- What did you—"

A gentle hiss sizzled between his taking and releasing the ciggy from his mouth. He dipped the burnt tobacco before giving me his attention. "You were naked, looking crazy, and aiming an M-10 at me. You expect me to give you a welcome party, darling?" He said with a snigger.

My ears tried to betray me with tingles from his raspy voice. For a moment, I was spellbound. He was one of those men with a commanding tone capable of breaking the enemy. But for women, it aired dominance.

"Well, then we're even, " I muttered, trying to rise from whatever surface I was lying on, but regretted the idea instantly. My body ached on every move.

The man stretched his cheeks, flickering a subtle smirk before running his fingers through his green hair. His eyes were glued on the transparent visual. So I took the chance to study him, looking at his mechanical arm, then lower, wondering how far was he bionic.

"I'm 70% still organic. Including my buddy down there, " he interrupted my pondering. Before my flustered got the motion, he spun abruptly to me. "But you...you have ovaries. Which means you are a bio human female."

"So?"

"We don't have female anymore in Terra. At least not the ones with your anatomy."

"Elaborate," I inquired, trying to make sense of what he was saying.

He threw his ciggy to the floor, let the lit struggle as it went off and on before finally stepping on it to kill the remaining spark. I felt the time went past me, wasted. My nerves were ticked, hands itching to move at him, by account if I weren't in such weak state.

"You sure know how to take your time, don't you?" I uttered in annoyance.

In return, he grinned. "No darling, I answer to question I choose to." Getting up from his seat, he opened the refrigerator. "So, which lab did you escape from?" He continued while back facing me.

"I'm not a lab rat!" I snapped.

After chugging on the liquid he just grabbed, he wiped his mouth with a look of pleasure. My throat twinged at the sight of it, thirst was asking for relief.

"What else could explain how you get ovaries then?" He sipped more from the bottle before shoving it back inside the fridge while muttering incoherent words I didn't understand.

"I am from the Move Programme. On 2300 they'd selected me to meet a better future." A gasp tumbled from my mouth when I touched my shoulder, feeling the gauze pad securing my wound. "Well, not so much of what I expect anyway."

As he moved to the side, I feasted on the sight of food, which I didn't care whatever it was but yearned for a taste. My stomach roared, protesting against my shut lips.

His eyes pierced through me before the room rumbled by his laugh. "Did you now? And you expect me to believe you look this good after 1000 years?"

"What year is this?" Instead of stocking the millennium number, I opted for a question I could redo the calculation.

"3333," he answered, rotating a 3D image to me of the current news.

The article also aired about what I'd committed; slaughtering the alien. Somehow I felt terrible thinking if they were erring me as a threat. I trained for war but never killed even once.

"I didn't mean to—"

"Served them, " he interjected, popping a piece of something into his mouth.

"I'm hungry, " I let out meekly. Pathetic but the hunger was making me queasy. I needed fuel for energy.

"I tell you what, I'll feed you for a payment," he said with a mischievous smirk. "If you win a staredown against me, It'll be free."

I stood my ground when he closed in. His breath fanned over my face at the proximity, a tantalising tease. The staredown commenced, without wavering at the inkling lust in his eyes. I was sure to win; no amount of charm could make me lose this battle. But I was never ready for his ambush. When he planted his lips to mine, game over, I blinked.

He pulled back just slightly and said, "Thank you for the payment"—his smirk intensified — "for now." Swiftly he turned, grabbed a triangle box from the fridge and shoved it to me.

"Chinese food, I'm sure it already exists in your era."

I was stuck in a baffle for a few seconds more before moving onto rage due to his audacity. How dare he stole a peck from me?! But he was already gone, disappearing into the other room.

Setting the issue aside, I devoured the instant noodle. Who would have known the food I favoured least could taste this good after a thousand year? Once the second box was finished, I trod to the window, looking at the yellow outside. The streets below were dirty. Black smoke came off the countless sizeable moving machinery. An expansion of wasteland was on the axis. There wasn't any green I'd been promised to see.

Had something went wrong with the assignment? How did I end up in the dump? Questions kept arising one after another, yet I didn't even know where to find the answers.

The creak coming from behind snapped me out of my thoughts. While busy mending his tools, the green-haired stranger plopped on the hard bed. He pulled off his belt, which suddenly mimicked a snake's movement. A few more of his toys laid to rest on the side table.

I crossed my arms and made slow steps nearing the array of weapons. While the man didn't so much even show any faze. After taking one of the pistols, I aimed at him just to see his reaction.

"Shoot then, " he said with a shrug.

I did as he told and pulled the trigger, reckoning the weapon was empty. A gentle drag as it fire made my jaw drop. My stomach clenched from a scare. But the man simply tilted his head to evade the bullet, as if he could see it. He swivelled to me, red rose to his face.

Snatching the gun away, he barked, "You actually shoot me!"

I was speechless, rammed by the guilt of almost killing the man if he didn't move accordingly. "I- You- You said shoot, " I stuttered.

"Have that head of yours wake up and learn sarcasm!"

His bellow stirred me, and I had to shrug off the evidence of fret. I rolled my eyes and turned away. Still, my argument pursued. "Have yourself learn to say things straight too while at it."

A grumble reverberated from his chest, but it ended the brawl. He sat back on the bed, mumbling, "Yup, you're female alright."

I scrunched my face, somehow agitated by his means. Deal with it, eve, just for tonight. I made up my mind to leave. He wasn't holding me there either, so nothing was stopping me.

Leaning slowly at the corner, I coaxed myself to sleep. My eyes were already shut when I heard a rustling next to me. I waited for the lights to turn dim before gripping on the cloth placed over my body. It was probably the last warmth I would be getting before I returned to the harsh world.