09 April 2004
Big thanks to Dee for being my beta!
Thoughts of an Unnamed Earth Explorer
by Zuzanny
part 2
In less than an hour after we were aboard the shuttle, Harry was awake and looking around with confusion. When questioned he said he had no memory of coming aboard again, and virtually no memory of our walk in the valley. My superiors told me to tread lightly, but to try and find out what that plant was. The joys of being an underling.
"What is the last thing you do remember?" I asked from his bedside.
Harry was dressed in a green med lab gown, tucked under the blankets like a sick child. But he was radiating the same energy and life he had before. Nothing like what I expected after what I witnessed. The only difference in his appearance now compared to before was that his cheeks were still flushed a tell tale pink. But instead of giving him a fevered look, it just made him appear more like a healthy human teenager.
"The last thing I remember is..." He looked into the air like it held the answer there, frowning as he concentrated. "Is... Hmmm... We were climbing down the side of the valley, and then... you said something about wild animals!" He beamed up at me. I nodded slowly.
"Anything after that?"
Again he concentrated. It took longer than the last time. "there was... a... smell." He said quietly, as though he was not quite sure.
"Yes?" I leaned forward. "Can you identify it?"
"I..." He shook his head sighing. "No. I can't remember it, just the fact that I smelt it. I don't think I have smelt it before though."
That was interesting, knowing about his knowledge of the plant life on this planet. "How do you feel?" He gave me a confused look.
"Fine. Why? What's going on?"
"Um, there was an incident in the valley." I said cautiously. "You had a run in with a plant which resulted in you, uh, loosing consciousness."
He blinked, then shrugged. "Okay, but I'm fine now. Did it effect you?"
"Nooo..." I drew it out, images of Harry throwing his head back and crying out with pleasure flashing though my mind. "Just you. We don't know how badly it has effected you, so please let us know if anything is not quite right with you, okay?"
"Well," Harry looked at me impishly. "I am hungry,"
I smirked at him. "You're always hungry." I said with affection and ruffled his hair. "You want some rations?" He nodded his head vigorously. Harry seemed to consume anything that did not move, especially liking tomato flavoured things. He said that they don't have an equivalent here. Tomato and fish are not present. Or at least not eaten. He doesn't like fish for food. He tried it, but almost turned green. Especially when I told him what it was. I wonder what their fish are like for him to react like that? But as I have said previously, perhaps the Iniri have different taste buds. I picked down the tins of tomato and sausage bolognaise sauce, and some other things that he likes and carried them back to his room. Only the Iniri ambassador was not in his room when I got there. I checked the bath room and he was not there. Not in the showers. Not in the mess hall. Not in the med lab. Finally I went to the bridge to ask the computer to track him down. He was out side in the flower fields munching away on the grass.
Sigh.
"I thought you wanted some rations." I said as got closer to him. His back was to me, and he barely acknowledged me. He simply stiffened at my voice, then went back to picking flowers. These ones were blue with little yellow stripes in the middle of the petals. "Harry?" I asked when I was just a little behind him.
"I changed my mind." He said flatly still without turning to face me. I frowned. Did I detect a note of anger in his voice?
"Are you alright?" He turned to glare back at me over his shoulder, baring his teeth like a wild animal, before launching up at me with a roar. I was so shocked that when I was winded and on my back it took me a few seconds to realise he was attacking me! Punching and clawing at me with such fury and strength that was surprising considering his size and build.
"YOU!!!" He yelled at me while I blocked his gouging my eyes out. "YOU DID THIS TO ME! YOU!!!" I yelped as he slashed my cheek with his finger nails, and then shifted my weight under him, and managed to grab hold of his wrists in my hands preventing him from damaging me further. I wrapped a leg around his hip and rolled us over so that I was on top of him. Harry fought and struggled under me, screeching and wild-eyed.
"Stop it." I hissed down at him, holding his hands up near his head. Instead he tried to take a chunk out of me with his teeth. I lifted up my weight and then sat down upon his stomach heavily. Harry let out a gasping grunt as he was winded, and all the struggle went out of him.
He lay gasping and staring up at the sky for some moments, I too panting at the effort it had taken. It took me some moments to realise that I was aroused at the position we were in, and at the beautiful picture Harry made below me, like a conquered maiden. Harry looked me in the eyes for less than a second before closing them and looking away, whimpering pitifully. Tears started forming as he whimpered, and soon they were draining down his face into the grass. I cautiously relaxed my hold on him, still keeping him pinned by me sitting on him. I wiped the blood from my face with a grimace.
"Like to tell me why you attacked me?" I asked coldly. He glared up at me, teeth clenched as his breath hissed out.
"You attacked me first." He growled. "I was merely returning the favour."
"What are you talking about?"
"What am I talking about?!" I think the expression used to describe the way he said that is incredulous. He started struggling again under me. Oh yeah, keep that up baby, just some place more private, yeah? "Look at me!" He cried. "I'm tainted!"
Quoi?
"Did you think I wouldn't notice because I was unconscious?" He continued ranting. "Well granted I didn't at first, but that's beside the point. Tell me why you did it? Was I was an easy target, all unconscious on the ground was was it simply that you were not getting any from your own mate? Why? I trusted you!"
"Hang on, hang on. Are you accusing me of raping you?!"
"Are you saying I consented?!" At that I climbed to my feet and stepped back to allow a respectable distance between us. He used his elbows to lift himself up, still glaring hatefully up at me.
"Harry, I did not rape you. I would never harm you like that."
"What's that in your pants then." I took in a deep breath, willing both calmness and away of arousal. "I did not rape you. It was the plant in the valley."
He was on his feet and in my face. "WHAT?! Do I look stupid? Do you think I would not KNOW if there was that kind of plant here?"
"Not if you had never been in the valley before. And even if you had, you obviously don't remember it or you wouldn't be throwing accusations at your friend!"
Harry looked uncertain at that. Then upset. He hung his head for a moment before looking back at me with such misery that it made my heart clench. "I can no longer represent my people." He said quietly, before turning to walk the trail to his home. I caught his arm to stop him.
"Why not?"
He pointed at his face. I could see nothing wrong. "I am tainted. My people will never accept me now. Don't worry, a new representative will arrive within an hour. Goodbye." He wrenched free from my grip and ran into the jungle. I watched him go, refusing to shed the tears of my own.
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