Alien Breed

“No time to fix them,” I say. “We’ll come back tomorrow.”

Fassbender remains quiet as he helps Hugh back into his chair. The lights are off now. Safety precaution, but it doesn’t make me feel any better about the situation.

Captain Halloway stumbles into the room with Hugh’s opened bottle of gin. He takes a swig and hands it to Roy. “Congratulations, everyone. You are some of the first people to step foot on a habitable planet.”

Roy winces from the drink. “That’s great, Captain. But can we get to land before we start drinking? Now that we’re here, I’m feeling a little claustrophobic.”

Halloway pulls the emergency door tab. The top opens, allowing a great light to pour over us.

I turn away from the bright light. It’s been months since I’ve felt the sun against my face. It’s miraculous I can even breathe.

It feels just like home.

Hugh smiles with a tear in his eye. “Beautiful, ain’t it?”

I eye the box of weapons near Roy’s feet.

“It is,” I say.

Fassbender grabs the exit ladder and hoists himself up onto a rung. “Get those weapons ready,” he says. “We need to stay prepared.”

As Fassbender inflates a raft outside, we get all the supplies in order. Food, weapons, first-aid. The important stuff.

The crew steps out of the starship, but I lag behind. For the last year, this stupid starship has been my prison.

I’m free. But I can’t let go of my past.

I grab a small picture of my parents before working up the courage to step onto my temporary home planet.

Outside, the water is beautiful. Crystal clear blue, warm, and, as Roy is demonstrating, very easy to swim in.

Roy does a backstroke away from the inflated boat, cackling with childlike glee. “C’mon, Captain. Take a dive. Water’s perfect.”

Captain Halloway reels him in by his leg. “Stop acting like a clown. Who knows what kind of creatures live here?”

“You see anything around?” I ask.

The region is tropical, but there are no fish. There is no coral reef. No plankton. The team before us said they found life. So where is it?

Roy groans. “Hey, Captain. Got a question for you. Have you ever said ‘fuck it’ once in your life?”

“Get in the boat, and I’ll tell you,” Halloway says.

Fassbender starts the small engine. A pistol rests on his hip. “Both of you, shut up and keep your eyes open for anything unusual.”

The entire planet is unusual. Avalon is silent, except for the rustle of leaves. It’s as if the only force on this planet is the wind.

Roy rolls onto the boat, soaking from his dip. “There’s nothing out there, Fassbender.”

“You saw the pictures,” Hugh reiterates.

“It was a grainy photograph. Look around you. Listen to the world. There’s no one here that will harm us. Hell, there’s not even a bird in the sky,” Roy says.

“And the other astronauts? Where are they?” Hugh asks.

Roy’s lip twitches. “Taking a swim?”

Fassbender hands him a pistol. “This one is waterproof.”