Chapter 16: 16.
**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**
There's a loud murmuring from the rest of the recruits as they watch.
I open my mouth to say something — *anything*— but no words come out.
Brother?
As I watch Xyriel and his ‘brother’ speak in their strange language, I can't help but think back to all the times he said he was from planet Xyriel. He wasn't lying. He's really an alien. He was telling the truth all along, but I didn't believe him. No one did. According to Caitlyn, he's schizophrenic, and I believed her, even though he's the only one who ever tried to understand me for who I am. I even went as far as treating him like a mentally ill guy, simply because I couldn't entertain the idea of someone being from another planet.
*‘No records on his family. No background to trace. It’s like he popped into existence the day of his crime.’ * I remember Caitlyn’s words vividly. So... he was really from a planet called Xyriel all along?
But new questions start racing through my mind. How did Xyriel get to Earth? Why was he even there? What crime did he commit to be locked up by the U.S. government? How did no one figure out that he’s truly an alien? A blood test should have revealed that, right? I also wonder if the face and body he currently has is really is. I'm tempted to ask, but I don't.
“Xyriel,” I call his name, and he passes me a look briefly before saying something else to his ‘brother’ in their language.
I can tell he's talking about me to his brother because I hear my name, but I can't tell what he's saying.
“You are Ophelia,” his brother says with an accent, but at least he can speak English. Great. He brings his eyes down to me, but unlike Xyriel whose eyes are filled with curiosity or just straight up empty, his eyes seem like he knows all the secrets of the world. “My brother tells me you kept him company on Earth. A friend, he calls you.”
“Oh,” I reply, not sure how to respond. I’m more surprised that Xyriel considers me a friend. “I’m honored he thinks of me as a friend.”
“I’m his elder brother, Xykel,” the man introduces himself, and I can’t stop thinking about his name.
So, Xykel exists too? Shit, I really need to apologize to Xyriel. “Nice to meet you.” Just then, his eyes flicker behind me. He’s looking at the other recruits. I turn to see them all staring, their chatter having fallen silent.
Serge Nicolas and Serge Douglas, along with the other four aliens, join us. I notice the other four aliens—all males—with distinct features. One has pink hair and pointed ears; the second has blue hair and pure onyx eyes; the third has green hair, green eyes, and huge wings—this one reminds me of a fairy; and the fourth looks like the aliens we learned about in school: green, with huge googly eyes, resembling a gnome.
At this point, I feel like I’m standing in a fantasy world.
“We’ve met the end of our deal. Now we suppose Earth will be safe from your ruins,” Sergeant Douglas says, taking me completely off guard.
The end of their deal? What does that mean?
Oh, perhaps they’re referring to the mission to make contact with the inhabitants of Xyriel and determine whether there’s a way to stop the planet’s collision with Earth. And since they all seem friendly, and with Xyriel on our side, I guess the mission is complete.
My heart swells with joy at the thought. We haven’t even spent an hour on the planet, yet we’ve managed to complete our mission. I'm going to go back to Earth, claim the seven million dollars from NASA, and start a new life. Although, I can’t help but wonder if Xyriel will return with us.
I’ll… miss him.
“We’ve brought forty-nine humans at your request,” Sergeant Douglas continues—
Wait, what? Forty-nine humans at their request? I gather Xyriel isn’t included since he’s an alien.
Just as I’m about to voice my confusion, there’s another ‘whoosh’ and a ‘clang’ as the spacecraft door opens again. This time, what I can only assume are futuristic humanoids emerge, each wielding a huge gun that leaves me breathless and trembling.
“What’s happening?” I ask no one in particular as the humanoids surround us.
“Don’t be scared. You have me, don’t you?” Xyriel repeats the same words he said during first aid practice on how to wrap a makeshift bandage. He stays close to me, almost as if he’s shielding me, and it makes me glad to know I can rely on him even though I’m still utterly confused by everything happening.
While the recruits are all panicking, Serge Nicolas and Serge Douglas remain calm, as if they expect this.
“You wouldn’t mind if my pets checked to see if they are indeed forty-nine, would you?” Xykel asks, looking at the Sergeants.
They give him the go-ahead, and Xykel nods toward two of the humanoids. I'm pulled away from Xyriel by one of the humanoids and added to the rest of the recruits who are all panicking. Xyriel gives me a reassuring glance from afar which prevents me from panicking. The humanoids waste no time counting every one of us. Once it’s confirmed that we’re forty-nine, Xykel smiles and faces the Sergeants. “You’re free to go. Since you’ve met the end of the bargain, we’ll meet ours and ensure that Earth will be safe from our next centroid relocation.”
“We’ll be taking our leave now,” Serge Nicolas says as he and Serge Douglas turn to leave.
“Wait, what?” I yell, making them stop in their tracks. The humanoids are pointing their guns at us, but I don't care because I still can't understand what the hell is going on and why Serge Nicolas and Serge Douglas are both leaving without any of the recruits. It concerns me. “You’re leaving us? But that isn’t the mission! The mission was to save Earth from the collision, and since we’ve already opened a dialogue with them, isn’t it safe to say the mission has been completed and we can all go home?”
Sergeant Nicolas turns to look at me, his face still as impassive as ever. “Yes, the mission was to save earth, but do you really think death row inmates would be needed for that sort of mission?”
His question sends all the recruits into a frenzy, including me. I'm speechless.
“What do you mean?” One of the recruits voices everyone's thoughts.
“When Xyriel, the guy, was arrested and placed on trial, he claimed he was from a planet named Xyriel. His story was so believable — No records on his family. No background to trace, so Dr. Alericap herself and other trusted scientists began to investigate, and that's how we came to discover the planet that’s close to colliding with Earth is called Xyriel.”
The Sergeant pause for a moment before he continues.
“We sent multiple unmanned probes to Xyriel, we received a response from their head — Xykel,” he explains. “They requested we Xyriel back along with forty-nine humans as a gift to stop the collision. There's a reason why death row inmates were chosen, and it's all because of your expendability. I'm sure Dr. Alericap explained that already.”
“B-but, you can't just leave us in an alien land, who knows what they might do to us?” London — Wendy's logo — voices out as he steps forward. There's someone else next to him that I'd seen back when all recruits were forced to socialize. “I'd rather we're killed on earth, than left to die in alien territory.”