…

On that day, the sun had been especially strong, threatening to tan anyone with its laser beams within mere moments. While a slight exaggeration, even Unit travel was heavily discouraged due to the risk of skin poisoning. I was perched up against the gigantic tree stump, taking advantage of the expansive umbra the canopy of the tree afforded me. Professor Froh was pacing back and forth and talking a mile a minute to burn off nervous energy, as he usually does. That, coupled with his thick German accent, made it often difficult to decipher what he was saying.

“You know, Lin, whether or not you've noticed it, both the heat and the air are more overbearing in this world than back on Earth. This is no coincidence. Despite a similar atmospheric composition, save for some elements like hydrogen, the air on this planet is slightly denser than what we would have back on Earth. There is a misconception going around that the immense heat is caused by the size or intensity of the sun, but in fact, that is caused by the density of the atmosphere. Denser atmospheres tend to retain more heat. Think Venus, yeah? A key feature of the environment, known as adiabatic lapse – Lin, are you paying attention? This is all very useful knowledge!"

I shook my head, trying to accustom my brain to normal conversation after the tenth mini-lecture this week.

"I was, I promise, Froh. It's just a lot to process, you know? And uhm, also…"

I pointed over into the distance, further out into the plain, at Arto and a group of kids within only a year or two of him. Arto seemed clearly uncomfortable, and that held a tight grab on my attention for some time.

"Ah yes, it's, how is he called, Arto, yes? He seems to be getting along well with the recent refugees to our colony. You know, Lin, Arto seems the type to be interested in scientific research, wouldn't you say? I've always had great admiration for the youth. Why don't you go ask him what he thinks of this proposal? I don't think he plays an active role in our colony yet, and that would be yes a great way to assimilate him!"

Professor Froh presented me with a perfect opportunity to escape from an excruciatingly boring conversation, but also to come to Arto's aid. The group was in the midst of laughing and exchanging harsh banter while pointing at Arto. Arto reacted by laughing uncomfortably alongside them, as if he were in on the joke himself. His arms and legs were huddled up close together despite the intense heat. 

I walked up to Arto and put my arm over his shoulders, catching him by surprise.

"Hey, Arto, what's up, man? Good to see you, again!" I turn my head towards the refugees and tilt it, raising an eyebrow. "I don't mean to pull you away from your friends, but Froh came and told me he was super impressed by the results of your study! You're really moving your way up in this colony, aren't you? With someone like you on the team, it's only a matter of time before we get a grip on this world and rifts, don't you think?"

Arto stared blankly at me, holding out a long moan of confusion, not catching onto what I was trying to do. I smiled and threw a quick wink and nudge at him, urging him to just play along with it. Arto looked back at the group of refugees, and then back up at me, nodding, and lowering his voice by an octave.

"I'm really glad to hear that. I'm just doing my job, you know?"

Arto looked at me with a plea desperate for affirmation that he responded in the correct manner. I nodded at him and grabbed him by the hand, immediately causing his face to turn cherry-red.

"Come on back with me, Arto. We have to discuss some things with Froh." I gave the group a nod and then tugged Arto along with me.

"Thank you, Lin… you really didn't have to do that for me. I was doing fine over there, you know? They really seemed to like me."

"Arto, you don't have to hide your feelings around me," I reciprocated Arto's whisper with a whisper of my own. "I know how stressful of a situation that can be when you don't feel like you fit in. It happens to all of us, to people like Jack, Heather, or even Connor."

Arto shook his head and looked away. "I'm not as worried about fitting in as you think. My real… my real problem is that I don't feel like I'm contributing anything to our colony. All of you work so hard, and you all have your own talents, but what do I do? All I do is observe. I observe and pray that no one notices me."

I stopped for a second, taken aback by his words, feeling empathy in his position. He wouldn't exactly be asked to do so much as a minor, even in these extreme circumstances. Everyone needs a sense of purpose, though. That's why I've fought so hard, so I could one day apply to become a Unit and rescue Leon. Then, an idea popped into my mind.

"Hey, Arto. I just had a thought." I said beaming, turning him towards me. "You can't see yourself as anything more than a fly on the wall. Heck, you want to be a fly on the wall, it's comfortable for you! But you also want a sense of meaning, right? So… what do you think about the idea of facilitating communication among others? You can distance yourself from the situation, while still doing something super helpful!"

"Like… like a messenger boy?"

"Like a messenger boy!" I said with a joyful nod.

 …

        Arto took a step back, staring up almost vertically towards the sky, clutching onto his messenger parcel. My response to the delicate situation was swift in my own eyes, but in reality, that couldn't have been further from the truth. The next moment happened in mere seconds, but seemed to drag on for millennia. The toes of an Arpakie girl thousands of times our height crashed no more than a few meters in front of us. Her complexion is paler than my own. Her legs glossy, sweaty, and extending like skyscrapers into the sky, converging into a pair of black denim shorts that only come down halfway to her knees. She wears a plaid shirt over a white crew-neck t-shirt, trying to pull some mixture of a tomboy and an athletic look. She has a few colorful silicone wristbands and a running headband to push her short green hair back. Every part of her would normally scream "cute" to me, but right now it is screaming "danger". She is panting, hands attempting to massage her tired legs. She begins to stretch one outwards, exposing the underside of her barefoot to us.

        One of the runners plops herself down underneath the shade of a tree opposite where we are standing. She pours a continuous stream of water from her flask onto her scalp, as if she were cooling down a steaming engine. She wrings out her hair, and then offers her flask to one of the other girls. The other girls follow suit in accompanying the relaxing girl underneath the tree, losing themselves in idle conversation. Every girl except the one who stood before us.

        "Nadjina, you're making us look bad by not slacking off! Just come on and take a break. After this, we'll sprint back to the canteen and we should be able to snatch some grub before our next classes start."

        Nadjina nods, spins around to face the other girls, and stretches her arms and legs. She takes a few steps backwards towards us, threatening to take a rest where we stand. Following through on her commitment, her knees begin to buckle, which sends her monumental ass descending down with no consideration as to where it lands. The dimensions of the rapidly descending threat rapidly increase in my sight, and threaten to snuff both of us out instantly.

        Adrenaline kicks in. Arto is in danger, and I need to do what I can to rescue him. I grab his hand tightly, and begin sprinting away from the threat, screaming in desperation as my legs outpace my thoughts. Arto is able to keep up the pace temporarily, but soon enough his legs begin to give out. Had I only picked him up and carried him in my arms like I originally had planned, this hindrance would never have transpired. His legs, unable to keep up the momentum, begin to drag lazily across the ground, first only his calves, then the entirety of his legs. Arto has become something akin to a rag doll, passively accepting as I drag him across the ground. His hat falls off, and his pants begin to rip, but this is all unbeknownst to me, as he remains completely silent, and I remain focused on my goal ahead.

        After a couple of seconds, the resistance from behind ceases. I don't look back, so I complacently assume that Arto was able to recover and keep pace with me again.

        What feels like an explosion followed by an intense shockwave knocks me to the ground. By no means does this mean we are safe yet, merely being spotted is grounds for elimination in the eyes of an Arpakie. Still, we managed to survive the first major hurdle, and that was avoiding the unwitting lethal impact by the Arpakie. I take a moment to catch my breath, looking back to analyze the girl, and then I look down at Arto. Down at Arto… down at where Arto should be. But all I see is the endless expanse of the grass underneath the shade of the tree. My heart skips a beat as I realize the weight of the situation, the thoughts I neglected and buried, maybe out of adrenaline, maybe out of fear or helplessness. In my hand lies Arto's glove, the fingers of which are still laced around my hand, but the hand that used to occupy it was nowhere to be found. 

        My emotions run haywire, my rationality and desire for self-preservation dissipate into nothing, the endless expanse of my despair now fully unraveling itself. I shout Arto's name in a whimper at the top of my lungs, an endless stream of tears cascading down my face and onto the ground. I start running back, running back to the girl who just a moment ago I feared. Without halting my advance, and without halting my screams, I scan the perimeter, in a desperate search for the boy I swore to protect with my life.

        At last, my screams catch the attention of the girl overhead, sipping away at her water tumbler. It takes her only the blink of an eye to lock her eyes onto my infinitesimally small and defenseless body. In this moment, it would take no more than a subtle movement for her to turn me into a statistic. Not only can she, but as far as an Arpakie is concerned, she should. It is her civic duty to protect the environment, and no amount of pity would make any other action justifiable. By a divine miracle, however, she remains passive, not allowing me to leave her laser vision, but not reacting with any immediate hostility.

        I start punching against her pant leg, screaming Arto's name, as if simply striking her would prompt her to obey my selfish human whims - my desperate desire to know the truth, whether I had failed or not. One miracle begetting another, the girl seems to comprehend the situation, granting my desire. Whether it was a display of pity or mockery remained to be seen.

        The girl tilts herself to the opposite side using her arm for support, revealing the underside of her rear. She performs this in a subtle and adroit manner, such that, to her friends across from her, it looks like she is merely stretching before resuming the final part of her sprint. Naturally, I begin scanning the underside of her butt, and the flattened grass within the imprint of her original seat.

        To my absolute terror, the worst of my superstitions are confirmed. Amongst blades of grass that had remain stuck to her rear is a small but noticeable red bloodstain. Using her rear as a map to navigate the area in which she sat, I begin navigating myself through the blades of grass, towards where I believe Arto may be found. Panicked whispers of denial escape my lips, and I begin to feel lightheaded, while simultaneously distancing myself mentally from the situation, which makes it significantly harder for me to find where he may be.

        The girl above, Nadjina, spots him before I do, and assists me in my desperate struggle. She gently pinches Arto's sides, lifting his limp body up off the ground, and placing him gently on the ground in front of me. Despite everything one would tell you about an Arpakie, she seems to have a genuine look of regret and concern on her face, one which she quickly has to hide to avoid arousing suspicion from her friends. She scoots over, so as not to sit back on top of us, looks back at her friends, and tries her hardest to join their conversation in a natural manner.

        I can barely see Arto through my tears, though, that was probably for the best. Any life that once occupied his gentle form is no longer present. In an effort to spare myself, I refused to study his body any further than I needed to in order to confirm my worst nightmares. The lurid details are too much to handle. The rest of the world falls into irrelevance in that moment. My screaming resumes, prompting another concerned look from the girl above who tried to pretend she was incognizant to the situation below.

        I must have tuned out the world for a few moments too long, because the fleet of Second and First Squadron personnel surrounding me and Arto catches me off guard. While I am caught up in my emotions, replaying the moment of Arto's demise over and over in my head, the Units juxtapose my very existence with haste and professionalism. The next few moments are barely comprehensible to me, but I am able to pick up some crucial details. Heather, a First Unit, lifts Arto and performs a Fireman's Carry to transport him to safety. Jack, meanwhile, also wastes no time, lifting me in his arms and shouting some incomprehensible orders at the other Units that now surround us.

        The evacuation is a success, there is no further hostility from any of the Arpakies. This, however, falls unbeknownst to me for a time, as I pass out after letting out the last of my whimpers.

…

        Some time passes, and I wake up with a throbbing migraine. I find myself on a familiar bed, the one that Noel and I share. For a moment, I want to believe that it was all a horrible nightmare and that Jack was still waiting for me downstairs, clearly infuriated by my lack of responsibility. My eyes scan the room, however, and the evidence just does not add up. Noel normally wakes me up if I sleep past a certain hour, since she is such a slugabed, but right now, she was nowhere to be found. Also, there was a note taped to my door from Jack, adding further insult-to-injury, as I am now forced to detract myself from my optimistic fantasy. I give every ounce of effort to prevent myself from reenacting the play in my head for the sake of my mental sanity, but my mind grants me no such salvation. I can still feel the smooth leather of Arto's glove squeezed into my hand, I can still hear myself screaming Arto's name in desperation, I can still smell the odor of an exhausted runner who unwittingly wiped out the life of my friend.

        I stumble over to the door, struggling to maintain my balance. My eyes adjust to the words on the paper, glossing them over, but needing to reread it several times to begin comprehending the meaning of the letter.

Hey Lin,

I know you're probably still shaken over the events of former, and I am sympathetic to that. No one, not even we Units, are exempt from feeling immense pain over traumatic events. Whether it's making a difficult decision with rippling consequences, or coping with a harmful fate that you used to feel you could control, we will carry these scars with us for life, but they help us build character and face realities we used to think impossible. Since arriving here in this world of fire and brimstone, death is just one of the many things I, and many other Units, have had to come to terms with and accept. Reminding yourself that this would have been unavoidable given the extreme circumstances should bring you at least a little peace of mind. This is how, even your vulnerable Jack-O'-Lantern, has pushed forwards. Your mission for this evening is simply to recuperate. A sharp mental state is necessary for any Unit. I will be in my office most of today, if you need a shoulder to cry on.

-Jack

        Through my tears, I am able to force out a smile at the term "Jack-O'-Lantern". That was a nickname I gave him when he scared the life out of new Unit recruits to bend them into shape. This is probably the first time I am ever seeing this level of humility and comfort from Jack, however, I never put it beyond him to handle a mission this intense. My tears continue to flow and stain the paper that I decide to hold onto for keepsake purposes. For a short time, I normalize my breathing and focus on what is important. Maintaining my mental and physical sharpness.

        I walk the short distance over to the table where a good bit of Noel's Lebenssaft cake sits. I start chowing down, remembering the good time that Noel and I had spent together just last night. Unfortunately, that topples into me recollecting the entirety of the events that led up to this moment, and it sends me into a second sobbing fit. Would they be holding a funeral for Arto? Could I bear witness to it?

        To my surprise, I feel something in my pocket. Arto's glove is stuffed into it, the Units seemingly sympathetic to my cause and allowing me to retain it. I limp on over to my bed, collapsing into its warm and inviting surface, and stare up at the glove. I rub my thumb gently over the smooth surface, stare up towards the ceiling, and return back into a slumber. Some hours following, Noelle’s arm wrapped around my body, her face onto my shoulder, offering any such comfort of which she was capable.