Command Me To Be Well [Completed]

10 - The color red

When I wake up, Master Auberon is already gone.

I guess he sneaked out just after I fell asleep. I couldn't have seriously expected the supreme commander of the last human outpost to guard my sweet dreams for a day.

My brain did its job during sleep, though. I have the information ready to be presented. Well, to an extent. As much as an extraterrestrial life form's thoughts can be communicated at all.

I venture out of my room. Master Auberon's quarters are quite far from mine. No one wants to stop me, though. The soldiers I meet salute me with as much respect as if I was a commander myself. It's a bit unnerving.

There are no guards at his door. It's not even locked. So I simply knock, and when I get no answer, I open it and let myself in.

Just to catch Master Auberon a second later, wearing nothing but a towel, and an epic level of resentment on his face.

"Irate hero of the Gate, half-naked edition." I nod appreciatively. "I doubt they will design your statue after it, but there's still hope for some collectibles."

He grunts, and marches back to the bathroom to put some clothes on. Black clothes, of course. Just in time, to allow me a few minutes to compose myself, and let the bright red hue make a retreat from my ears. I'm also grateful to him for not dubbing me the drooling Seer of the Gate, which would be a fitting comeback at the moment, I'm afraid.

"I thought it was left open for a reason," I say, clearing my throat, trying to get rid of the pictures in my head. And the annoying voice, telling me that the half-naked version is much more interesting than the fully clothed, and I should do something to prevent him from covering himself up.

"Yes, it was," he admits, still from the bathroom. "And you'd never guess what that reason is."

He's right. I don't even have the mental capacity necessary to make a guess. My brain is still too busy imagining him without a towel. I can only snap out of it when he arrives back. His face helps a lot. The expression on it is not simply indignant, it's rather furious.

"No one comes in here without being summoned," he declares. It doesn't sound like a piece of information. It sounds like an order.

"Except for you," he adds, noticing that I'm still staring at him with a blank expression.

"Okay." I shrug. "But what if someone wants to murder you?"

"No one wants to murder me," he informs me, "again, except for you."

"Hm," I say, considering my options, "and what if I murder you in your sleep?"

"Against you," he states, "I can defend myself even while I sleep. But enough of this. To the point. What do you want?"

Murder you in your sleep sounds good enough, I think.

"The information I promised," I say. "I thought you wanted to hear it."

He just nods. He doesn't offer me a seat. He doesn't ask me anything. He just stands there, waiting. In hero mode. I try to refrain from rolling my eyes. I give him a proper report on the issue. Just like one of his soldiers would.

"You probably wondered why their numbers weren't decreasing. Because, let's be honest, we both noticed that no matter how many of them we kill, there's always more to come."

He doesn't even nod. He just waits for me to finish. Or to add sir, yes, sir.

"I found the reason," I go on. "There is a queen. And she's very fertile. I saw her in the memories of one of her soldiers. We need to find her. And kill her. We don't have any other choice."

He closes his eyes for a moment, assessing the information. There's not much to ponder, though. It must be done. And he's clever enough to know it, I'm sure.

"Find her," he says, after a few minutes spent in silence. "How?"

"That is my part." I shrug. "And killing her is yours."

"Let's start with the first step," he instructs me. "I bet it's not as easy as it sounds."

"It's not," I admit. "It's something I've never done before. I have to seek a hidden target. One I've never been connecting with before."

"And not even a human." He ponders. "You have to look for an alien mind."

"Yes. I can't say I'm sure it will work. But if I find her, even if she kills me, you'll have the location."

He opens his mouth to protest.

"Remember," I cut in, "we don't have another chance. And I don't plan to clash with her mind without protection. For this, I'll need special precautions."

"What?" he asks.

"You," I state simply.

"Me?"

"You. To keep me grounded. To keep me from flying too far away. That's why I came here."

"Here?" he asks, taking a deep breath, and casting an instinctive glance in the direction of his bed. I find it interesting. Very interesting.

"You know," I go on, "I told you already about the things that have a grounding effect on a person. Do you remember them?"

He obviously does. He can't keep himself from taking another quick look at his bed, which is sitting in the corner, arranged in pedantic order.

"For example, if you could..." I let my voice trail off. He inhales deeply, and closes his eyes for a second. I go on with a polite smile. "You could talk to me, anchoring me, you know, the way you did last time in the control room."

He breathes out. I can't decide if it sounds more relieved or more disappointed.

"Everything else is optional," I add quickly, just to test my theory.

He doesn't turn red, as I hoped, but he gulps visibly.

I find it even more interesting.

"But I'm afraid we have to go out of here," I tell him, looking at his bed, just like he did a minute ago. "We'll need Timur to turn my visions into coordinates, just in case I die in the process."

Now, he turns a bit red. Not much, it's just a soft hue, but still a pleasant sight.

"So," he says, clearing his throat, "we'll do it in the control room."

"I have nothing against it, sir," I inform him, sounding dead serious, without a hint of a smile. "That desk looks as comfortable as anything else."

He eyes me suspiciously. But I don't give him a reason to get offended. I'm standing there, all stiff and disciplined, even minding my posture, to appear more soldierly.

"Right," he agrees after he's spent a minute or so trying to stare me down. "Let's go. And while we do it, Timur can watch... the radar."

I almost burst out laughing. But I compose myself in time. I nod, and march out of his room. Double time.