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Stacking against the frigid metal walls of the Polus camp and laboratories, powdery snow began to melt into the rocky site ground. Finally, the snow-producing clouds had receded leaving only a vast, endless field of stars that punctured the dark blanket above the planet. Cold covered Brown's exposed skin—at this point merely his face—and burrowed into the recesses of his form. His species never flocked to the icy temperatures that humans could endure, with even temperate degrees for humans proving worthy of extra layers for his kind. He supposed it was the one virtue that the foolish, despicable race possessed. And as he glanced over to Black, sitting beside him with an easy smile, he couldn't help feel a sting of jealously. Even with the human form he used as a disguise, he couldn't suppress a shiver.
What foolish human inhibition had caused him to venture out into the hostile night, Brown thought with a frown. It surpassed logic and all yearnings for the warmth of his quarters. And yet there he was. There they were.
“You see that?” Black broke his thought as she pressed a finger to the star saturated sky. “That big one?” Following her finger, he peered into the sky squinting helplessly at the mess suspended above him.
“There are hundreds of big ones, but see I can see them.” Brown quickly responded wondering if it was some human test of perception. If he responded no would she think him blind or incompetent?
“I mean you see those two big stars right by each other. Then look at the one a bit higher and a bit to the left.”
“Yes, I see it.” Locating a star of a similar description, he nodded and hoped it was the right one.
“That one is called Castor, but really it's not just a star.” As she spoke a smile crept into her voice, and Brown felt his vision being pulled down to her expression and a curl of his lips mirroring hers.
“What is it then?” he asked, suddenly finding the answer becoming a pressing urgency to his confusion. Stars were frivolous, a waste of time and reflection. No wonder humans proved as pathetic as they were, with their minds always gravitating towards useless knowledge. But that didn't stop the answer from tempting him, and his new human weaknesses.
“It's a star system. There are three pairs of binary stars all going around a common center of mass. That big star next to it is Pollux, which is actually much closer to us than Castor.” Brown forced his eyes off of her and back up to the stars of interest, although the endeavor somehow was harder than anticipated. “If you would like tomorrow I can show you through the telescope. You should be able to see the separate points of Castor.”
“I would,” he said imagining the pinpoints of light magnified and remembering the way Black's hands gently guided him to the right position. He remembered how she laughed and rambled on about the pinpoints of light. That particular day had been a blur of work, he wondered that particular memory glued to his brain and why it felt so nice to repeat it over and over in his mind.
“Great, the weather is going to be perfect for that tomorrow, too. Also, you know Castor and Pollux is part of a constellation.”
“Yes, it looks like a knife.” In his head, lines formed between stars crafting the sharp tool.
“You think they all look like knives.” Black laughed shortly leaving the air much hollower when it ended.
“There are many types of them.”
“Well, I mean that's right, but you can't say that about every constellation.”
“Don't underestimate me.” Again, she laughed, and Brown's brows pulled together. Didn't humans only laugh at jokes or humorous situations?
“Okay, I won't. You want to know what the actual constellation is or not?”
“Fine.”
“It's the Gemini constellation. There are two ways to look at it I suppose. One looking kind of like a horseshoe and the other two people holding hands. I always see it as the two people. There's some Greek myth behind it I think but I can't remember it right now.”
Brown paused at her explanation, lips forming an involuntary frown as his brain worked to piece together her statements. One thing humans reliably did was confuse, he supposed the effect was produced by their fickle emotion-fueled nature.
“What's wrong?” Black asked as Brown attempted to wipe the emotions from his face.
“Nothing, I understand completely.” Hastily, he replied, lest she formed an unsavory thought of him. A dangerous thought even. If she figured out what he was one would have to perish. Looking over her small, fragile frame and tracing the soft blue veins in her wrist he knew he could easily overmaster her. His mind and stomach ached at the thought. Because then the others would know, he thought, that had to be the reason. The only reason.
However, that explanation felt hollow. But before that thought could venture further he quickly slaughtered it.
“Yeah, because that's totally what people who understand say.” Brown let out a sigh of relief.
“I'm glad you know that.”
“I was being sarcastic.” At her words, he felt a hiss of heat cover his cheeks and found his eyes suddenly looking towards the rocky ground. Why did humans have to make simple communication so difficult? Instead of anger, however, he felt suddenly exposed. No, not exactly exposed—he thought—because a sudden warmth unlike the frost outside seeped into his body. When he finally looked back at her a smile curled her lips and reached her eyes.
“Come on, Brown, you know I love talking about this stuff. You know I don't expect you to know everything, right?” Her eyes seemed to burn into him, consume his vision he could feel his heart beat against his ribs.
“Why would they hold hands?”
“I don't know. Maybe they are siblings, friends, lovers, a parent and a child. Like I said there was some story.” To his surprise, she didn't sneer or laugh at his question. His shoulder lost the stored tension as another question arose in his lungs.
“Why do humans hold hands?” He didn't know why he asked her, why he risked everything. Maybe it was the sudden awareness of how empty his hand was, maybe it was how tempting the emptiness of hers was.
Probably a simple need for heat, he told himself unable to look away from her cold blushed hand.
“You have to stop calling people 'humans', man,” Black blinked a few times before laughing, although it didn't reach her eyes. “People are going to think your an alien or something.”
A silence erupted between them. She couldn't know, could she? Her eyes had returned to looking at the atmosphere, but he couldn't help but think they were still picking apart him: each flaw being exposed.
“I don't know, though,” she continued without change, Brown allowed himself a brief sigh. “Maybe it's the need to be closer, connect to the person better.” As she spoke she stared into the sky as though looking for something just beyond the lines of sight. The words made his heart pick up speed. Closeness? Connection? Those words brimmed with human foolishness, their ridiculous need to prescribe emotions and feelings to concepts and actions.
Again his thoughts rang hollow and again and slaughtered the thought before he could wonder why.
“Or maybe it just feels good,” Black said after a moment of silence.
“It does?”
“Most of the time. Here.” Lifting her hand, she held it out near Brown. His eyes flittered over the offering tracing each line crossing her palm, searching for a trap, a sign of deception. Sensing nothing sinister behind the appendage his hand lifted from the ground. For scientific purposes, he told himself, to blend in better he would need to know. However, he couldn't stop the acknowledgment that his hand yearned to reach forward.
Summoning a deep breath he closed the gap and grasped her hand. His breath glued to his lungs and the world around him tilted. This was the quintessential human action, Brown thought, foolish, unnecessary, excessive. No wonder humans couldn't help but be how they were when this is what they were doing… when this is what they were feeling.
His focus shifted to the place their forms intertwined, feeling each boney portion of her hand jutting into his. Then her hand moved, nestling farther into his until they locked together seamlessly.
“This is idiotic. It's impractical, hands are one of the most useful body parts and humans waste it on this?” Brown said, still staring at their hands and suddenly despising his gloves.
“I guess your right,” Black said. As she spoke her hand began to pull away but before it could escape his grasp his fingers tightened as though by reflex. With her grip once again melting into his he allowed his hand to soften as his mind did as well.
Whenever they received the orders all the humans would have to be eradicated. It was a simple fact, one he had been raised on since the earliest stage of childhood. But as she laughed again and he looked up to see her beaming he only had one thought.
Surely one human can survive, it would pose no threat. Besides, this one is different. It— she must be.
“Tell me more about the stars,” Brown said, his face burning and heat beat fluttering divinely against his ribs. Black smiled and nodded, only worsening the symptoms.
“Of course.”