Writing Prompt I: "I saw him. The boy I had to kill" (pt. 2)

The police have my ship. Police was human for law enforcer. Even on my planet outright murder was wrong and that is exactly how they would see my presence on their planet as. They would not see it as a necessary killing to save billions of lives. And I was an “alien.” I had scoffed at the term when I heard it while watching one of the research recordings. I had assumed it was the human word for the specific slim-covered creature that kept eating people on the ship but I had eventually learned it was their word for any being not from their planet. And one of the research recordings said that the humans had a group whose job was to hunt down aliens and dissect them.

Abruptly, my strength drained away. I slouched against the window but knew I had to find a secluded spot to recharge. I stumbled away with my hand against the wall until I found a narrow alley between the buildings. It did not smell the best, but it was the closest place I felt safe enough to power-down the few minutes it would take. I hoped I was not infected with an Earth disease. I was needing to recharge more frequently here than I ever have at home. I could usually go nearly an Earth week on one charge whereas I have had to recharge at least twice a day since I arrived. I hoped it was the atmosphere or maintaining the disguise that was causing it.

I crawled into a small space between two large, smelly, metal containers and rested against the wall. I pulled up my pant leg to get to the chargecell strapped to my ankle. I pulled the retractable cord out and plugged it into the port disguised as a human belly button.

Oodenites are Carbon-based beings, but we rely on artificial energy the way humans rely on food. We have also been able to mechanically modify ourselves to make us more adaptable to the changing atmosphere on Ooden and neighboring planets. My disguise is an artificial case around my body created by my mechanic modifications but it acts and reacts like real human flesh.

Even though I had been in it since I left Ooden, I was still caught off guard when it did something human, like sneezing the other day. Or when I accidently slammed one of my fingers in a door, water immediately started leaking from my eyes. According to one of the research recordings, that was what crying was and “real men don’t cry.” Since I was attempting to pass myself off as a real human male, I tried to staunch the water coming from my eyes. It was surprisingly difficult to do with the pain radiating from my finger.

Once my power was back up to optimum level, I returned to the problem of my missing tracking device. I know I had it in my pocket the last time I powered-down. It might have fallen out of my pocket when I climbed out of the hole I had fallen into this morning in my energy-deprived stupor.

I crawled out from behind the metal boxes and ran right into a pair of legs in blue pants. I looked up to see two males standing over me. Something told me they were not friendly.

“Hello,” I managed to say as I got to my feet. “How can I help of you?”

“What’re you doing back there?” The smaller of the two asked.

“I was resting short. Not a wondrous place to do such a thing but ‘twas convenient and my needs were urgently.”

The males wore twin expressions conveying some emotion I was not familiar with. Their eyes were wide and their brows were furrowed.

“If I can do nothing you to help with, I will be away. Good today.” I bowed as I had seen the Bringer do and started down the alley away from them. I paused when I remembered what some humans had said to their friends when leaving in the research recordings. I turned and held up two fingers tilted to the side. “Later bitches.”

Their eyes widened even more and the larger one’s mouth dropped open. “Freaking alien,” one of them said.

I spun around. “Oh, no. I am not alien. I was born here. On Earth. In… France. Yes. France.” I cringed and ran the rest of the way out of the alley. “Idiot.” I wound my way through the crowd, hoping the two males did not follow me and made my way back to the hole I had recharged in earlier. There were five males walking around it wearing orange items on their heads. I quickly dropped into it and searched around for the small metal case but did not find it. I climbed the ladder and got away before the orange males stopped me.

“Cutpurse.” The word floated through my mind. I had heard it in one of the research recordings. It had been one of the few that did not have colors. Only black and white. I did not like it as much as the ones in color, but the word had been for a male who stole items from people’s pockets. That must have been what happened to my tracker.

I was just about done with this planet. Nothing but rude humans, bad smells, and lost possessions. I simply needed to find the Bringer one more time, kill him, and go home.

I turned a corner too quickly, trapped in my own thoughts, and ran headlong into the larger of the two males who had stopped me in the alley. “Excuse my clumsy ass, sir. Apologies.” I attempted to step around them but he grabbed my arm. The smaller one took my other arm and they dragged me into an alley, this one somehow smellier than the last. They released me and the larger male shoved me against the wall.

The smaller male put his face in mine, his nose nearly touching mine. “Hello, freak. We think you might have something worth something and we want it."

To be continued...