Dale jumped over the ledge and found himself sliding down the crater. Sand was going up his skirt, no, more like it just flapped up and lost its structure. He didn't care though. The alien had noticed them in that kill or be killed moment. It was wearing its own armor and it pulled out a piece of metal. On second glance, Dale noticed it was a gun.
"Jump!" The girl shouted.
Dale tried to jump. He though he'd just sink into the hot sand, but managed to leap into the air instead. Dale landed on the ship's wing. It burned his arm due to its black color. Before the alien could finish aiming its gun at him. Dale punched the alien's helmet and it fell back.
"Jesus…" Dale whispered.
The large suit of armor made it down too.
"So are you controlling it?" Dale asked.
"Yes..but this is not optimal. Without the human host, this suit is basically running on fumes. You can call me Scarlet by the way." She said.
"Right…how do I change back?" Dale asked.
"You tell me…don't you have a mind transfer machine?" Scarlet asked.
"Oh, right..I'll just go to the lybrary and use the public mind transfer machine." Dale said.
"Really?"
"No, not really!" Dale grabbed his head.
Being in this new body meant he used his last wish. He had wished to be the strongest warrior. So he could only assume it was so.
That meant he could no longer have access to his money, home, or family. There was no way he would ever see his parents like this.
"Nows not the time to think of that." Dale said aloud.
"Think of what?..doing pervy stuff in that new body? You're lower than scum." Scarlet said.
"What? No.. why would I? Look. We should go before we die of hunger and dehydration." Dale said.
"You didn't kill the alien though. He's still alive. I'd rather not be chased around the desert by alien ships." Scarlet said.
"Right.." Dale said.
He stood over the lifeless body of the alien. Its visor was glowing as if it were alive. The armor looked very smooth and he could almost see himself in it.
The alien slowly raised its hand. It began to speak in its weird language, but then a synthetic voice spoke over it. It sounded like the robot voice that phones used these days.
"Don't..shoot..me." It said.
"Why shouldn't I? You dissected the crap out of me." Dale said.
"My superiors did do that…it wasn't me specifically." It said.
Dale felt a suppressed rage begin to boil in his chest. He picked up the alien and slammed it against the ships wing.
"Your kind is dropping monsters on us. You think I won't shoot?" Dale said.
Due to his feminine voice, he didn't feel like his intentions were making it through. But they were, judging by the way the alien held its mantis like arms up.
"It wasn't me specifically! Please spare me. I have what you call a family.." It begged again.
Dale's anger still raged. He swollowed hard as he stared at the sand under the ship. He could see a little lizard hiding under its haul.
"What did you all do when I was begging for my life? Huh? You think I loved being cut and poked? Your kind also killed my nephew." Dale felt his forhead dripping beads if angry sweat. He was so close to the alien that he could see his own face on its visor.
"I'm sorry for your losses..but, does your government not hurt you too? Does it not tax you harshly? Our records indicate that your own government, has experimented on its own people, yes? Is it just to execute me for the sins of my government." It said.
"Bullshit. I saw that your people infiltrated our facilities." Dale said.
"Yes..my leaders saw that they could. So they did. But we aren't responsable for the pride your own people built. My point is simple. Please spare me, for I have family who needs my help." The alien pulled out a phone like device. The screen lit up with symbols Dale assumed was its language. But behined the letters was a picture. Four aliens huddled together. The last alien was holding two catterpillar like things.
"What are those?" Dale pointed to the worms.
"Those are my children. The one holding them is what you call a wife. My father and mother are the ones to the left of her."
"This isn't fair..If we're so alike. Why are they doing this to us?" Dale was now in tears. Normally he would cry. But his new body seemed vulnrable to crying. He didn't even know what he looked like, just that he was a girl.
"Your records indicate your governments have fought wars that were unauthorized by its citizens. This is a tragedy that my government follows..but my government is what you call, fascist..it made us all think humans deserved to die." It said.
It didn't sit well to let him leave, but now he saw the bigger picture.
"If it would make you feel better. Go ahead and end my life. I am at your mercy. My scanners can see what your tiny body is capable of..and the odds are not in my favor at all." The alien picked up his gun and put it in Dale's hand. It then kneeled before the barrel of the gun. He could feel its hands shaking when he gave him the gun, possibly in fear. His anger died and a sudden feeling of pity began to grow. They killed your nephew, they hurt your people Dale, he thought. It didn't take long before Dale hated himself for not being able to shoot it. He stared at the aliens visor at the end of the gun, but his finger was frozen. The fury burned, but so did sorrow and confusion. Lingering like a devil stuck in a church.
"I'm a damn coward…I can't do it." Dale threw the gun aside. It slid on the sand, then stopped a few feet away.
"Why did you choose me? I can't even kill a single alien." Dale cried as he looked up at the sky.
I'm so useless, I'm so useless! He repeated the words in his head.
"I'll let you go this time…but after this. If I see you again, then I'll have to kill you. You better hope they station you as a janitor of that ship." Dale said pointing up at the blue sky.
"May fate allow it to be so. So for sparing my life, I'll spare yours." The alien moved its head up to the sky.
"What do you mean?" Right as Dale asked. He heard pops in the sky. Two objects glittered in the sky and Dale knew what they were. Ships entering the atmosphere.
"Hide in the sand and I'll tell them your still in space." It said.
"Thanks." Dale said.
"Here..this is a currency of our people. My people may look down at you, but I will forever respect you like a sibling." It said as it handed him a coin.
The coin had a few tiny symbols and a picture of some creature on the surface. It reminded Dale of their own coins.
"With this, we part ways. May the glory come to the most rightious of either one of our worlds, Gods be with us." The alien said.
Dale had buried himself in the sand. He watched as both their ships flew up into the sky. Part of him hoped they'd leave the crashed space-ship. Sadly they spent a few hours picking up parts, leaving little chance of finding alien tech in the sand.
"That takes care if that..now let's hope we make it home." Dale said.
"Where are we? Africa?" Scarlet asked the forbidden question that Dale didn't want to confront. She put her foot on the sand mound and blocked the sun with her hand.
"I still don't get it..are you a gost?" Dale asked.
She turned and scowled.
"Pretty much…you're using my body..it wouldn't be right for you to kick me out of it." She said.
"Well you can have it back..I want my real body back…I mean, don't get me wrong. Being this young again is nice, but legally..I need my real body to access my money." Dale said.
"You're such a pervy dunce.." She said.
That confused Dale, so he ignored it.