Artificial Heart

12

'I am here,' Prisha repeated. 'Just because I'm the one stupid enough to creep onto your spaceship.' She shook her head.

'Will you do it?'

'If I do it, does that mean I get to stay up here with you a little longer?'

'Yes.'

Prisha looked away, trying her best not to reveal how much the thought exhilarated and petrified her. Spending time with Alf. Cruising around on his spaceship. Becoming the mouthpiece for alien-human relations. To be so significant. So special. To be a part of history.

Holy shit.

It was a big ask. A mammoth task. Prisha's hands shook and she squashed them under her armpits. 'I'll do it if you give something to me in return.'

'What?'

'Take off your helmet. Show yourself to me. I deserve as much.'

He didn't move. Prisha waited. He was peering up at her, hands still braced upon his knees, visor vacant and bright against the light. Prisha stepped back with a start as he suddenly stood. Her eyes widened as he reached for his helmet. Her heartbeat quickened.

The alien paused, then lowered his hands. 'You are frightened.'

'No, I'm not!'

'Later.'

'Alf! That's the deal! How can I tell my own species what you're like when I can't even see what you're like?'

Prisha swallowed again, wondering what could be so bad under his helmet that he should hesitate. So many possibilities. So many horrors. So many nightmares. Prisha's hand shook as she wiped her mouth. His appearance didn't matter, she told herself. He was patient and gentle, and that was the most important thing. She could handle it. She could handle it even if he possessed the crab-face of Predator.

I will handle it.

Alf raised his hands again. Prisha's heart returned to its fast pounding as he reached beneath his neck and unlatched something. There was a faint hiss. Slowly, he eased his helmet off.

He held it under his arm.

Prisha stared. Her heart slowed. 'That's not so bad. You're—you're kind of human.' Much more like Terminator than Predator. That was definitely a good thing. Relief swept over her. She even smiled.

'Our species have similar origins,' he confirmed.

'We do? How?'

'You will learn.'

Prisha's eyes couldn't help darting over his face. Alf stood stock still, allowing her to study him shamelessly, unembarrassed, seemingly unconcerned by what she might think. He was definitely part machine. It was obvious. Over a third of his face was built with some kind of metal. It seemed to have grown into the skin. Or was it the skin growing into the metal? Uneven patches of it spread as far as the edge of his nose and as low as his jaw.

But it was his left eye that really shocked her. It was pushed deep into his head, a dull red glow. It was twitching very inorganically. Prisha reached up to grab her throat, stopped herself and dropped her hand back down.

Prisha looked to his mouth which was otherwise normal. Soft lips—she saw that. The only softness about him. As for his right eye—it was hard to look at. Not because there was something strange and frightening about it—completely opposite, in fact. It was because it was so normal. Human. A deep brown that looked at her with an intensity that made her feel uncomfortable. He had thick, dark eye lashes that made it look as soft as it was intent.