Seventh Ring
Part 5: Accidents
New Earth, 418 A.C. (After Contact)
<<< PREV | FIRST | NEXT >>>


"Grab it! Grab it's tail! That's it, you've almost got it."

Seven's eyes flicked side to side as his small hands scrambled to grab the slippery tail of a salamander-like alien that kept trying to waddle away from him. He was crouched over a large hill of red rock that was currently the home of the wriggling reptile. It hissed each time it felt Seven's hands close around it. A slimy mess of fluid from its body pores leaked all over his attacker and the ground around them. It was a defense mechanism that worked very well against the young Kazekian.

His father's hearty laugh made Seven's brows lower as the alien reptile once again wriggled free, this time through the fingers of his small mechanical hand.

"Careful now, remember not to squeeze too hard. You must learn the strength of your hand and how to be firm without being too strong." Seven's father took a step closer just as his son pounced forward in pursuit of his prey.

"I can't get a good grip, it's too squishy!" Seven tried to be gentle, but struggled to know the strength of his robotic hand. He didn't realize that the harder he tried to squeeze the reptile in an attempt to contain it, the more impossible it became to keep a grip on it. Frustrated, Seven watched as the tail of the creature disappeared into one of the burrowing tunnels. He crossed his arms and sat back with a huff.

"Giving up already?" asked his father as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "You almost had him."

"No I didn't! How am I supposed to know how hard I'm grabbing him if I can't feel my hand?" Seven pulled away from his father's grip and pouted. He could see the large, round eyes of the reptile from within its burrow. It stared at him, unblinking. Seven stuck out his tongue at him.

"This will all take time, son. You have to be patient and learn to control your arm and fingers." His father patted him on the back as he glanced down at his communicator. "I know it isn't easy, but you'll get the hang of it. We'll practice some more later, okay? I've got to get back to work now."

Seven did not respond. He heard his father sigh and his footsteps crunch against the hard ground surrounding the lizard mound. As soon as he was sure his father had left him alone, he sat up on his knees and looked down to where he'd last seen his prey.

"I don't want to get used to this thing. I want my arm back. I want my hand back. I hate this!" Gritting his teeth, he clenched both his fists together tightly and lifted both his arms high above his head. With a feeble roar, he slammed both fists down against the cold stone of the mound. His robotic hand crushed the stone and nearly split the formation in two. Tears of frustration swelled in his eyes as he looked down at the rubble. The tubing that wove through the mechanical tendons of his forearm glowed a neon blue, indicating to him that he had caused the Vesuleum that fused with his blood to react to the surge of adrenaline and energy that had passed through him only moments ago. His father had told him that such a reaction would give him a boost of strength, but he'd never experienced it before.

He sat back on the ground and opened both of his hands. Dark blue blood pooled in the palm of his left hand, while his mechanical right hand remained undamaged. He was certain the blood on his palm was from his fingernails digging in when his fist hit the rock. He licked it clean and stared off at the pile of crushed rocks in front of him.

One of his ears twitched. Squinting his eyes, he focused in on a small rock that fell from the top of the rubble pile. It tumbled down and rolled near his feet. Lifting a brow, he leaned forward, watching as more rocks began to fall away. A shiny, thick tail suddenly appeared, and Seven assumed it was from the reptile he'd been chasing during his physical therapy. This tail, however, ended at a sharp, thick point, much like a scorpion. It grew bigger and bigger until it towered over him like a tree. He scrambled to his feet and stepped back, watching as the earth began to fall away beneath him. That tail was attached to something.

Rocks began to crumble all around him as he tried to turn and run. His feet met the earth and he grew exhausted, but he was getting no further away from the monster despite his efforts. Glancing over his shoulder, he could see that a head had been unearthed and long, sharp teeth reached for him as the beast lifted its tail high in the air. Screaming, Seven fought hard to escape, but he felt the sharp tip of the creature's tail pierce the back of his neck in one quick strike.



With a jolt, Seven sat straight up. His eyes were wide with horror and his forehead glistened with a thin film of cold sweat. Panting, he looked around, confused. Where was he? The ground beneath him was covered in fresh hay and dirt. Surrounding him on three sides were wooden walls that smelled of cedar. Sunlight streamed in through a barred window just behind him, warming his back. Suddenly, he remembered.

"Bad dreams?" said a voice.

He brought his hands to his face and rubbed his eyes and forehead, cleaning the areas of sweat and sleep. He inhaled deeply and reassured himself that it had indeed been nothing more than a terrible dream. His ears caught the sound of the door to his room in the slave's barn being slowly slid across the floor. Three appeared with a weak smile and a towel in his hand. Seven stared at him a moment, then lifted his real hand to rub at the back of his still sore neck where he'd felt the sting of the monster's tail. But instead of touching flesh, he felt metal. Pain shot through the back of his head and neck as he touched a device that was very securely fastened around his throat.

"What the hell is this?!" he shouted. Both of his hands pawed at the device anxiously as he fought to get to his feet. Panicked, he slid his fingers between the small gap between the collar and his skin, then pulled. Something buried itself even deeper into his neck. He could feel electricity surge through the device as sharp waves of pain brought him back down to his knees.

"Don't yank on it, boy! You have to leave it be for a few days!" cried Three as he watched Seven continue to claw at the collar. Dark blue blood began to run down his chest as he roared in anger. His hands dropped to the ground as his head fell limply between his shoulders. Three held out the towel he had in his hand and took a few steps towards him. He spoke gently. "The pain goes away, trust me."

Seven's bare muscular chest heaved with panicked breaths as new sweat dripped from his brow. He stared at the ground. Pieces of the puzzle were finally beginning to come together. The long walk. The dinner. The strange human scent he'd picked up on in William's house. He lifted his head and looked at Three. His eyes narrowed as his stare burned into the other alien. Before Three could speak again, Seven was on his feet. His robotic arm flew out and hand opened wide. It took only seconds for him to slam Three against the wall of his room, his fingers tightening against his thick throat.

"Trust you? You let them do this to me!" Seven's gaze was just as frightening and piercing as the tail of the monster he'd dreamed about. Three fought to breathe and pulled at Seven's robotic arm. His efforts to loosen the Kazekian's grip were futile. "You lead me right to them without even a warning. You knew what they were going to do to me!"

As Seven's grip tightened, the blue fluid surging through the tubing in his arm glowed brightly. The Vesuleum had been activated.

"I...couldn't..." garbled Three as Seven slammed his free fist against the wall beside his captive. The wood cracked. "I..."

"What's going on? Three?" said another voice from just beyond the sliding door of Seven's room. Seven clenched his teeth and exposed the long fangs of his canines. He watched as Three began to slip from consciousness. "Stop it! Leave him alone!"

Seven finally allowed his stare to travel over his shoulder. It was the human girl he'd met the day before, though she wasn't wearing that big puffy dress. Instead, she wore a faded blue skirt that ended just above her knees, and a brown, much looser-fitting corset top over a white tank shirt. Her eyebrows were knit with concern and fear as she set down the metal pail of water she'd been carrying and rushed over to them. Three's half open eyes rolled over to look at her. Using what was left of his strength, he motioned for her to stay away.

"It's not his fault, let him go!" she cried. She tried to pull on Seven's arm, but his grip never loosened. He curled his lip at her attempts to stop him, uncertain as to why she cared about what happened to Three. And how was he supposed to kill Three now that she was there? The thought of killing them both did cross his mind, but he knew it would only get him killed for sure later on. At least with Three, he could have made it look like an accident.

The glow of the blue fluid in his arm began to fade as his fingers slowly uncurled from around Three's throat. The older alien fell to the ground in a heap, grasping at his sore neck and fighting for breath. Seven swiftly pulled his arm away from the girl and stared down at Three.

"How could you not tell me? You lead me all around this damn place last night without saying a word. You walked me right up to his doorstep and practically delivered me. Next time, wrap a bow around my neck, why don't you?" Seven paced his room as Ari tended to Three. She helped him up by offering her shoulder.

"Well...technically...he took care of the bow," said Three between coughs. Seven stopped his pacing to glare at him. "There's nothing we could have done. This is routine for both of us and something we go through with every new slave. You didn't notice Six's collar? Or mine?"

"I didn't realize Six's collar was anything other than a tacky Iboan fashion statement. And yours is buried somewhere under your face. How could I have seen it?" Seven shook his head as Three groaned out a sigh. The two aliens fell silent.

"We always have to greet the new slaves after they receive their collars and explain everything," said Ari suddenly. She picked up the pail of water she'd brought with her and placed it in the center of Seven's room. "William doesn't do it himself. He thinks we handle it better than he would."

"He knows I would have torn his throat out, that's why." Seven approached the pail and lifted it up. He angled it so his reflection would show more clearly in the water. Turning his head, he examined the collar curiously.

"Unfortunately, William takes such things into consideration, and I doubt you'd get within forty feet of him before you'd drop like a rock." Three straightened his back and lifted his hands to the sides of his neck. With a swift turn to the left and right, he cracked the thick bones of his spine that had been jostled out of place. A look of relief washed over him as he continued to explain. "That's not just a collar you've got there. They've implanted a small device under your skin that's hooked straight into your brain stem. One click of a button and he has the power to shut your body down completely. Not kill you, but pretty much switch everything off." Three bent down and picked up the towel he'd dropped, then approached Seven.

"You don't have to trust me, but you need to believe that had I warned you about what was going to happen, you'd be dead by now. Would you have honestly taken that information lightly and not tried to do something rash?" Three extended his thick arm to give Seven the towel. He stared deeply into his eyes; an act few other aliens have dared to do.

"We didn't want to hurt you. This was the only way to keep you alive," said Ari softly as she approached Three's side.

He looked between the two of them slowly as he considered their reasoning. Both of them seemed genuine, but Seven was still uncertain. He continued to examine the collar in his reflection. There was a small screen on the side that seemed to glow, as well as several buttons.

"What are those for?" he asked as he moved his face further into the pail to get a better look.

"Your collar has different settings. They all do. None of us know exactly what the settings are for, but only William has the codes to get in and access them. We'd rather not mess with them, as you see what happened when you gave that collar a tug." Three chuckled lightly when he remembered the morning he'd first discovered his own collar.

Seven crouched and set the pail back down, then took the towel from Three and dipped it inside the water. The cool liquid rushed against his fingers and soaked the fibers instantly. He used it to clean the areas of his neck and chest where his nails had dug in and torn the skin. Ari and Three watched with interest as the towel stained a dark blue from his blood.

"At least you won't have any scars this time, Three," said Ari with a weak smile. The older alien nodded.

"Yeah, that little bugger didn't take well to waking up collared. The drug they slipped you last night often gives the user nightmares. Six was probably being chased by Five or something with the way he was hollering when I found him. I made the mistake of shaking him awake. Four scars on my arms are a result." Three exposed his forearms for both of them to see. "He's like what the humans call a 'squirrel.' He scaled me like a tree and nearly clawed my eyes out."

Seven's mouth twisted into a small smile for the first time since his arrival. While he was still incredibly irritated at the device around his neck, he knew that going on a killing rampage of the entire farm and having his body remotely immobilized upon William's return would not be very conducive to his escape of the planet. Which reminded him.

"Where is he, anyway?" asked Seven as he dropped the towel into the bucket. He shook out his hands, sending water droplets all over the ground.

"William? He's away at work. He's gone all day, usually," answered Ari. She approached the pail and picked it up with a firm tug. The water inside was also tainted blue now.

"He leaves us here with a laundry list of chores to take care of whenever he's gone. He usually comes back late in the evening for supper." As Three and Ari began to leave the room, Three took the heavy pail of water from her hands. "Speaking of which, I think I can check 'be strangled by newbie' off my to-do list for today. Time to get to work on the rest before the sun sets. Ms. Ari, you going to show him around a bit?"

Seven followed them out into the main room of the barn. He was relieved to know that Three was taking his attack so lightly, as he was certain had the situation been reversed, it would not of ended this well. It was clear that they both had been through this procedure several times already and knew not to take offense to the new slaves' initial reaction. A sad thought, but one that was interrupted when Three suggested the human girl show him around.

"I...thought you showed him around yesterday, Three?" said Ari before Seven was able.

"Oh, I just showed him the battle barn and the fields. Didn't have time for much else." Three looked from Ari to Seven curiously. "You can show him around the rest of the farm. The gardens, creek, the animals...?"

Both Seven and Ari fell silent. They avoided looking at one another.

"Or not. All I know is I've got a tractor to fix that'll take all afternoon. Stay out of trouble, and Seven, keep your hands to yourself." Three chuckled and left the two of them standing silently in the barn.

"I think he meant don't try and strangle me," said Ari after Three had disappeared into the sunlight just beyond the barn door. She smiled, but her eyes were nervously scanning the floor.

"As long as you don't try and give me anything to eat, I think you'll be safe." Seven took a moment to look her over while she was staring at the ground. She was so small compared to the females he was used to being around. The top of her head barely reached his collarbone.

"Fair enough," she said with a laugh before turning to look at him. "Come on, I'll introduce you to Marge."

Ari lead Seven out of the slaves' quarters and into the brightness of the barnyard. A warm breeze brought the sweet smell of fresh cut grass to their noses. She showed him her garden, where she was currently growing a mixture of both flowers and small vegetables. A short walk away led them to the creek that ran along the perimeter of the farm and ended at a small pond in the tall grass fields. It was here that William often hunted for duck and pheasant.

Seven enjoyed the more intimate tour of where New Earth and its space stations received their food and resources. He imagined it would be like showing a stranger the Vesuleum mines and what the process was for successfully stabilizing the fuel prior to use. Every planet uses Vesuleum, including Earth, but he imagined few knew where it came from.

Ari seemed very interested in showing him everything she could. She had plenty to say about each new area they explored.

"These are chickens. Do you guys have chickens where you come from?" This was at least the eighth new animal she'd shown him so far that was chased by that question. But the bright, curious smile on her face prevented him from telling her again that no, Kazek had no chickens. Or ducks. Or cows. Or goats.

"Aren't these the same as the ducks you showed me? They look the same. And no, there are no...chick-hens on Kazek."

"They're chickens, not chick hens. Although we call the females 'hens' and the babies 'chicks,' so you were close." Ari continued to walk and talk as she led him on to the next paddock. This was the largest out of all the ones she'd shown him.

"What's in here?" he asked as he looked over the thick wooden beams that made up the circular fence. Ari had to climb up on the lowest beam to get a better look.

"Marge!" She both answered his question and called for the great beast he had unknowingly met the day before. The ground beneath his feet began to shake as his ears caught the sound of three sets of heavy hooves. Marge had sought out shade inside her stable, which was often left open during the day so she could run freely around her paddock. With a great toss of her head, the enormous, six-legged mare thundered towards them. At first, Seven wasn't sure she was going to stop, and backed away a little from the fence. He had to admire her two mechanical legs, though. But perhaps from a distance.

"Hi Marge," said Ari lovingly as the horse pushed her muzzle against the girl's chest. Seven watched as she cradled the beast's entire face with both her arms. It looked like she was hugging a thick black tree trunk. "You're looking so lovely today. Want to meet Seven? He's new here."

Seven watched them a moment and assessed the situation. Marge seemed docile enough, especially with the way Ari was cooing and cuddling her like a massive child. She swept her hand over the mare's forehead to remove a huge mass of crinkled mane that always seemed to hide her beautiful eyes.

"You can pet her if you want," said Ari after a couple of silent moments. Seven hesitated, but approached when Marge had turned her head away from him. He stretched out his real hand and took a step forward, anxiously wiggling his fingers. "Don't be afraid, she's sweet as pie."

Ari lifted her hand from Marge's muzzle and took Seven's. She guided him slowly forward until his fingertips touched the soft side of the horse's shiny black neck. She continued to help guide him by keeping her hand over his.

Once she was sure he was not as anxious, she removed her hand and watched him continue to pet Marge very slowly on his own. He noticed that she felt smooth and soft when he pet her in one direction, but coarse and rough when his hand went in the opposite direction. His own skin was very similar, just without the short fur coat.

Just as he was starting to get comfortable with their interaction, Marge turned her head and inhaled deeply. The smell of a predator filled her nose and she immediately recognized Seven from the day before. Without hesitation and before Seven could pull back, Marge reached out and bit his hand.

"Marge!" shouted Ari as she jumped off the side of the fence. Seven pulled his hand back and bared his teeth angrily. The horse reared at the fence, ears back and four front legs kicking towards Seven. He never backed down and held his stance and stare with her before she turned and fled.

"What the hell was that about?" he asked, though his lips were still peeled back in a growl.

"I don't know, maybe she thought you were going to hurt her." Ari approached Seven as he stared off after the horse. She could see blood dripping from his hand. "I'm so sorry, I really had no idea she was going to flip out like that. She's never bitten anyone before!"

Seven watched Marge in the distance as she stared at him. Before he could speak, he felt Ari take his hand. She began to wrap it in a small handkerchief she often kept tucked in the back of her belt for just such occasions--though it was usually for Three when he cut his fingers doing equipment repairs. She dabbed his large, open palm very carefully, all the while avoiding eye contact with him. Seven could sense that she felt very badly.

"You and Three are bad for my health, you know that? I have reason to believe I should be more afraid of you two than of William." Ari continued to look away until she'd tied the handkerchief securely around his hand. Seven lifted a questioning brow and smiled when she finally looked up at him, just to show he was not upset with her for what happened.

"You haven't even hung out with Five or Six yet, either. I don't know if you'll survive that experience." Ari mimicked his small smile, but released his hand abruptly when she'd realized she'd been holding it that whole time. "I should probably take you back now. Three might need some help, or...something."

He watched as she turned and began swiftly walking back the way they'd came.

He'd already forgotten about Marge.

---

Artwork, Characters, and Story © Quaylak