Damage Control - ARC Read Free Page B

really was—didn't
answer right away. He removed a small object from his left hip and
spoke into it: "Costube." Some sounds came from the object. Then he
replaced it and turned to Jade. "Are you asking why I wear this
clothing?"
    Jade resisted the temptation to roll her eyes
at this attempt at acting. "Yeah, why the alien suit? You going to
a con?"
    "No," he answered. "I wear the uniform of a
Chuzekk zeed. What's your name?"
    "Oh sorry," she answered. "I'm Jade. Nice to
meet you." She offered her hand, and he shook it.
    “Jade,” he repeated.
    "I should check the fire again," said Jade.
It was probably too early to do anything with the fire, but she was
nervous and needed to keep moving.
    He nodded and made room for her. She looked
at the fire and tasted the soup that simmered on top. After adding
a little black pepper and allspice, there was nothing more to do
than move it to the edge of the stove to keep warm.
    "Is it ready?" he asked.
    "Yeah," said Jade. "It's done." She didn't
want to offer him any. He wasn't a guest, after all.
    He lifted the cover without a potholder and
smelled the soup. "I will eat with you," he said.
    His arrogance annoyed her, but she thought it
would be petty to argue. "Soup mugs are on the beam," she shrugged,
pointing past him.
    He grabbed two, and she got out spoons and a
ladle and dill weed. He ladled soup into the mugs and ate his. She
stirred dill into hers and waited. It was too hot. Besides, she was
too nervous to eat.
    She should try to get him to talk. It would
be good to know if he was a fugitive and the alien-act was a way of
concealing his identity, or if he was just crazy. Either way, he
could turn dangerous. "So where you from?" she asked.
    "Chuze," he answered.
    "Choose what?"
    "Chuze is the name of my planet. You have not
discovered it yet."
    She shrugged again. "I hope this soup helps
your cold."
    "The heat from your fire is recharging my
thermal garment," he answered, sounding as congested as ever in
spite of the steaming soup. "We are cold-blooded. We cannot create
our own heat as you do. So we wear special garments for this
purpose. After my vehicle was disabled, I did not have time to
finish repairs before recharging."
    "So you came to my house to recharge your
garment?" Jade asked. Whatever else this guy was, he was
intelligent.
    "Yes," he said.
    Compassion finally got the better of her.
"You should take something for that cold. A decongestant. Let me
see what I have."
    He followed her to the bathroom, soup in
hand. "I do dot require a decodgestat," he objected. "I ab dot
codgested."
    "You can't even say the word 'congested,'"
she countered, "because you're too congested."
    "There are some sounds of your language which
we cannot make," he explained. "It is a physiological difference,
not an illness."
    "O-kay," she replied. He was really testing
her patience. "Are you sure you don't want to take one of these,
anyway? It'll help you feel better."
    "Yes."
    She poured out one pill and held it out to
him, in the bottle cap.
    He ignored it. "You should eat. You require
fuel to create heat. You will come with me to my vehicle."
    She put the pill away. "That's okay, you go
ahead. I'll stay here."
    "No. I will not allow you to contact your
government."
    They went back to the kitchen and he handed
her her soup.
    She took a bite, then said, "Why not? Why
won't you let me contact the government? They can help you."
    "They would consider me a threat, capture me,
probably kill me. They would attempt to reverse-engineer my
Personal Device, my thermal garment and my vehicle. When we contact
your government, we will do so with a show of force sufficient to
prove such actions unwise."
    "I see." His logic may have been unrelated to
reality, but it certainly seemed consistent.
    He was getting back into his sleeves, so she
put her coat on. The bright orange safety vest, a necessity during
hunting season, was already on it. She grabbed some gloves, a hat
and scarf, a flashlight and the Spanish