Still Alive

“Iris … Iris”

My head pounded as the sound faded in and out of audibility. I felt like my head was in a hydraulic press as I tried to gain consciousness and focus on what was being said.

“How are you feeling? Iris, can you hear me?” My eyes slowly slid open, and I was met with a rather young man bombarding me with questions.

“I’mmmm fi… fne…. I’m fine.” My voice trailed off in an almost incoherent matter as I fought the drowsiness and blinked away my double vision.

“Iris, I’m Victor, My team found you last night.”

His voice was calm and quiet as if he was trying to comfort me. not that I felt like I needed it, yah sure I was just woken up by a dude. I never met acting like I just served a miracle, but...

After giving me sufficient time to register his words, he continued.

“I need you to tell me what happened last night… Why were you down there.” he sounded so concerned, but I couldn't help, but think there was something else, fear? I fought The sleepiness as I tried to focus on him and my words as I answered, brushing off my confusion.

I probably just passed out and they are just take my statement for the record.

“I was looking for ground team 12 because… because of the sample report” I could barely keep my eyes open, but I did my best to recall the answers to his questions.

“I checked your file when we found you; you weren't scheduled to work till tomorrow at the earliest.” There it was again he was hiding something.

"suspicious" ... He blinked at me but I was far to drowsy to even realized I had spoken.

I studied his face for any hints but his dark green eyes gave nothing away.

“I wanted to start early to help prepare for the samples.” As I spoke slowly as I focused more on shaking the drowsiness from my head then answering.

The room was dimly lit and unnaturally quiet, especially since besides me and Victor there was one other person present.

“Then Why were you near Ground team 14 when we found you?” He almost became hostile as he posed the question. Leaning forward and allowing his shaggy brown hair to fall into the light from the overhead light source.

Not letting it get to me in my drowsy state I shifted in my chair wincing from the sorry state of my right wrist. I began to defend myself against his arsenal of questions.

“My navigation went down and when the lights went out shortly after that... I got lost” If it weren't for how tired I was would have given a more professional style reportbut I could barely respond as it was between the pain in my head the screaming of my limbs and the burning sensation I got from my wrist and knuckles.

“Hmmm, Iris… Tell me, what happened while you were there?” He was calmer this time but there was evident fear in his voice. He did not know how to hide his emotions at all, not that his feelings helped me any. It didn't make sense though, why was he so scared?

“After my navigation system went down I did my best to get to the ground team 12 until the lights started flickering. After that, I turned on my pad for some light and turned the corner but…" My head started to throb again as I attemptedto recallwhat had happened "I ran into something” As I spoke, I felt weird like I was telling a friend, my dreams, or more acutely a nightmare. My ruffed-up state and the total seriousness he was taking my words with made the ‘dream’ all too real.

“What was this so-called thing you ran into?” his voice was almost a whisper.

Was that ‘thing’ why he was scared? Was he scared I saw something I shouldn't have or that there was a loose monster on the ship? I panicked at the possibility and let my imagination ran before I recounted his question.

“It looked human but was taller than anyone I had seen before and felt like a tree” I slowly panicked as I spoke, not knowing what was worse.

“Are you sure?” At this notion, he took on a serious but panicked air about him.

My eyes narrowed at his tens' behavior.

“Yes,” It had to be real, I didn't just see it. I felt it and heard it. The more I justified it the stranger it felt. Why was this so important to him?

Silence fell over us as he motioned for the soldier in the back. She was armed to the teeth and began to approach me with a straight face and hostile air.

“Iris Luvits, you are a risk to ground team fourteen's mission; as such, you are to be under suspension, and you are not to leave your dwelling or speak to anyone aside from the ground team. until that has been lifted” She delivered the world-shattering decree with a straight face and a steady voice.

“What??? No no no I… I can’t do that.. For how long? can't you just cut my in-person work? I can’t risk falling behind in my work, and the samples are coming soon too.”

I went to get up and protested with a panicked stutter, but my legs shuttered from the sudden movement and sent me slipping to my seat with a thud. I winced before bringing my hands to my neck and rambling about my work before I registered her words completely.

I stopped letting my hands fall to my sides, and my eyes steadied on the officer who had just spoken.

“Wait, you just said I was a risk, risk to what, that thing I saw? Was it real? And you're protecting it?” I turned, and my thoughts were practically written on my face as I raised my voice and lost my cool. I was awake now, though I desperately wished I wasn't.

The soldier kept calm and quite simply watched my movements studying my response and ensuring that I didn't take my frustrations too far.

“There is another option... if your problem is simply not being able to work” My head snapped to meet eyes with the Victors, who sat calmly for the first time since he started asking me questions.

An option to stay on track? I calmed myself as i refocused on the more important mater at hand. I braced myself for the undoubtedly dreadful conditions.

“How?” My head swirled with questions, but a chance is a chance, right?

“You would join a ground team. It would mean you would be stuck in our line of work, and you would be written off as a legacy deserter, but you could work, and as a Genetic engineer at that.” There was a moment of hesitation, but the words were still confident and clear.

He studied me and my reactions trying to gauge whether or not I would bite.

I could still work but… a deserter? I was stuck in my head as I thought about my options.

“I can give you tell tonight to decide but not much more than that.”

I heard his words but hardly registered them, I slipped into a state of confusion.

The soldier grabbed my arm, pulling me up and supporting me as she escorted me back. It felt like time stopped as we walked. And before I even realized it, she was leaving me in my

quarters.

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