The fault in aliens is
that those easiest to exploit
are the hardest to assimilate

- unknown source

Emma

It’s hard to gain control over my own body again. Sky has been using it for so long that I have to force my limbs to do my bidding. My muscles feel heavy and I’m still tired.

There’s a silence in my head that I’m not quite used to anymore. Where Sky used to be, there is now nothing.

It’s still early. Burns is asleep in the bed.
I’m still confused about his actions. Why did he save me, a human?
I lean my head on the desk and stare at the tank in front of me. I know what it is, even though I’ve never seen one. Sky has memories of these objects.
It’s a cryotank, the device Souls use to travel to and off planet. I study it closely. Is she aware of what’s going on? She was so shocked when Burns used that spray on her. It was something unthinkable. It was betrayal. And Souls don’t even have a word for that in their own language.
I can’t help but feel sorry for her.

A chair is pulled next to mine, but I don’t look up. It can only be one person.
“Are you alright?” Burns asks softly.
I sigh. “I was just curious. What’s gonna happen to her now?”
“I’ll find her a new planet,” Burns says, “she’ll be fine.”
“Just like that?”
Burns nods solemnly.
“Will she remember?” I ask.
It is silent for a moment and I tear my eyes away from the cryotank to look at him.
“Yes,” he admits and he averts his eyes, “she’ll remember.”
I bite my lip. She must really hate me when she wakes up in another body. I know it’s what she wanted, but she wanted to stay here on Earth. “She wasn’t a bad person,” I say, “I just… didn’t want her in my head.” I think back on the silver creature attached to my brain. It looked nothing like the drawing I made.
I look at the table. “Do you think… in a different life, we could have been friends?”
It’s a strange thought to be friends with such a strange, small creature.
Before, I never imagined Souls to have their own personality, but this Sky was not like me at all. Sure, she copied some of my traits, but she was her own person.

Burns places a hand on my arm and I stare at it. It’s a human hand, but Burns is not human. He’s just a silver worm in the back of this human’s body’s head.
The thought makes me incredibly sad.
“Don’t cry,” I hear Burns’ startled voice, “what’s wrong?” He catches one of my tears. “What can I do?”
I shake my head. There’s nothing he can do. He’s all I have in this world and he’s an alien. There’s no one else. My friends are gone. My family is gone.
I sob.
“Emma,” Burns whispers. He looks upset.
So typical for a Soul, always concerned for someone else’s well being.
“What is it?” he asks softly, but I don’t have an answer to that. I don’t know what I want.
“What was his name?” I blurt out.
Burns looks at me confused.
“This boy you’re wearing now,” I say hoarsely, “what was his name?” I can tell by the look on his face that I’m hurting his feelings, but I really need to know.
Burns is quiet for a long time and he avoids my eyes. “David,” he finally says.
I search his face to find the David he was talking about, but I can’t find him. No Jack, Tim or Michael either. There’s just Burns.
He sighs and stands up to take the cryotank. “I’ll go find her a ship off Earth. Stay here. I won’t be long.” He cradles the tank and walks to the door.
“Wait,” I stop him. I wipe my tears away. “I’ll come with you.”
“Are you sure? “
I nod. “Yeah. I… want to come.” It’s the least I can do. I owe her a proper farewell.
Burns bites his lip. “I’m going to the Center. There will be a lot of Souls.”
“You’re just going to waltz in there and handover that tank?” I ask.
“No,” he sighs, “I’m going in at the back and put her in one of the ships. I don’t want to explain things and I don’t want to lie.”
I nod. He’s already lied so much on my behalf. This is all my fault. If I hadn’t been so stupid as to run away from him in the first place, none of this would have happened.
Another reason to come with him.
“Then I should be fine,” I say, “but wouldn’t it be better to wait for the dark?” 
“Yeah,” he admits, “but I want to have this over with. I need to do this now.” There’s a tortured expression on his face.
He feels guilty.
“Okay,” I say, “we should go then.”

***

I cradle the backpack with the cryotank in my lap. Burns is behind the wheel. He’s nervous and I can’t help but feel like a criminal.
“Where are you sending her? “I ask to break the silence.
“I don’t know,” he says, “it has to be a faraway planet, to make sure it will take at least a human life time to arrive.” He smiles wryly. “Maybe the Mist Planet. She liked adventure.” 
I shake my head. “No,” I mutter, “she doesn’t like the cold.”
Burns looks at me surprised. He glances at the backpack I’m holding and returns his eyes to the road. The Shipping Center is not that far. 
He nods. “Alright. There’s the Spiders, the Dolphins and the Flowers. These are the only planets far enough.” 
I think for a moment and try to recall every memory Sky’s had of the various planets. Now that I’m me again, I have a hard time holding on to those images. They weren’t designed for my human brain.
“She’d be bored with the Spiders,” I say hesitantly, “I’m not sure about the Flowers, but the Dolphin Planet is new, right?” 
Burns gives a confirming nod. “I don’t now much about that planet though,” he confesses, “I was already here when they opened it.” 
“The Dolphins then,” I decide. I fidget with the backpack nervously. What have I gotten myself into? What if we’re discovered and they find out I’m human? Will they kill me this time?
Burns seems to notice my distress. “You can stay in the car if you want.” 
“No. I’m coming.” 
He nods and steps out of the car.

I follow closely behind. There’s no guard at the fence. I’m surprised, but I guess it was to be expected. Souls are so trusting after all.
I’m not sure what I had expected, but my eyes widen the moment we set foot inside the gates.
There are a dozen of large spaceships, at least I think that’s what they are. They are large, egg shaped and standing on three legs that I assume are retractable. Long ramps are at the entrance to allow the Souls to take cryotanks in and out of the ships.
The tanks themselves are being moved by means of luggage carts, like an airport.
Everything is well-organized with separate sections for every planet, labeled with ‘Arrival’ and ‘Departure’.
But what gets me the most is the tranquility.
There’s no laugher or shouting or even an intercom system. No announcements are being made. Even the carts barely make a sound. There’s a quiet humming, but nothing more.
I jump when someone takes my hand, but it’s only Burns.
“Are you okay?” he asks concerned. His voice, even though he’s speaking softly, is loud against the silence of this place.
I suck in a breath and nod. “Where to?” I ask.
“This way.” He gently tugs me with him towards the back. He points at the large sign that reads ‘Departure Dolphins’.
I let out a nervous laugh. 
So simple.

We glide between the different sections and I press the backpack closer to my body. I swallow nervously as we approach one of the ships. There’s just a few steps left.

“Who’s there?!”

Both Burns and I flinch. I walk closest to the ship and Burns pushes me onto the ramp. I stumble into the space ship, dragging the backpack with the cryotank with me.
My heart is pounding and I struggle to calm my breath.
“I’m sorry,” I hear Burns say, “I did not mean to intrude. I’m visiting the City and I was curious about the Shipping Center. I haven’t been in one since I came to Earth.”
“I see,” the newcomer replies, “if you’re interested, I can give you a tour, but you should not wander around on your own. It’s only for personnel.”
“Oh, I apologize. I did not know.”
“No harm done,” the Soul says, “my name is Droplets in the Morning Sun.”
“Blue Ice Finder,” Burns says.
The rest of their conversation is lost to me. I let my eyes scan the contents of the ship I’m in. Cryotanks are lined up on racks alongside the wall. There’s so many of them.
A shiver runs down my spine. There must be a thousand. And that’s only on this ship.

Both Burns and the other Soul have disappeared and I crawl to my knees. Carefully I open my bag and take out the cryotank with Sky. There are quite a few vacant spots left and I place the tank in one of them.
A sigh escapes my lips. “Goodbye,” I whisper.
I hope she finds happiness, though the thought of having another being be wiped out so I can get my life back makes me a little uncomfortable. I don’t know a thing about these ‘Dolphins’ but they must have feelings and hopes and dreams, just like humans. And I’ve just doomed one of them.

I glance around outside, but there’s no one in sight. 
I take a careful step forward.
Still no one.
This place really is deserted.
I walk around the premises for a while, carefully  making sure to stay close to the ships so I can hide inside if someone show up.
This is actually quite an impressive place once you’re used to it. The technology is incredible.
My father would have loved it.
The thought makes my heart ache. He’s somewhere out there. Is he still with my mother? 
I sigh. No matter where they are, they’re not my parents anymore. Just empty vessels with a worm stuck to their brain.
Or are they like me?
Do they still remember me?
I close my eyes in pain.
And that was a huge mistake.
A hand falls on my shoulder, making me jump.
Before I can think to scream, a hand covers my mouth.

---

A/N What has she gotten herself in this time? WP did something strange to my font and lay-out while I was posting this, so don't pay attention to that.

Please listen to the song on the right. I thought it fitted well with this chapter.