Science Fiction Enemies

Enemy Self

Science Fiction Enemies pose a unique threat since they can blend into society so well. But can they hide from the enemy within themselves?

Intergalactic Trading Ship: Bountiful

Captain: Lu Kimberling

Hired Protection—Androids: Justine Santana and Max Wheeler

Justine’s private internal record:

Ship’s Lounge, Captain Kimberling steps in.

“Hey, you two, one last stop at Ingilium, and you can look for other work. I’m going to take a breather on Helm. The Bhuaci are harmless, so I won’t be needing your services for a while.”

Oh, joy! Wheeler is going to give his opinion. Like the captain cares….

“Are you certain that’s wise, sir? The Bhuaci may be harmless, but they are frequently attacked. The Telathot incursion nearly decimated—”

Brilliant. Get the highest paying ship’s captain irritated while light-years from the next hope of employment.

“Don’t lecture me, Wheeler. I’ve stopped there often enough and found myself a secure place. Cresta’s and Ingots could invade till the sun explodes, and they wouldn’t nudge me a millimeter.”

Know the meaning of the word vaporized? If Wheeler were human, he’d be bright red right now.

“As you say, sir.”

“Sure, compliance always makes up for being a total idiot—”

“Listen, I’m going to sleep. The crew just changed shifts, and we’re in dead space, so it should be nice an’ boring for a while.”

“As you say, sir.”

“By the time I need you again, Wheeler, learn a few new expressions, would you?”

“As you—”

“Ah, shut up.”

Poor Captain Kimberling. He hasn’t got one itsy, bitsy clue…

~~~

One hour later…

Wheeler may be huge, but he’s as bulky as an Ingot and lumbers like a Cresta. His brown, steady eyes peer straight through the lounge bay window displaying our bright, red spectrum universe as it swirls amid black space. I’d like to paint that view. Someday.

What does Wheeler think about in that tectonic brain of his? Here goes nothing… I’ll be subtle. Promise.

“You do that on purpose, don’t you?”

“What?”

“Egg him on.”

“Egg. Him. On. What is that supposed to mean? No, don’t tell me. Another one of your human colloquialisms? You need to decide what you are, Cyborg.”

“Like you?”

“I have an identity. I know my role and I—”

“Play the fool.”

“Who’s the fool? You’re the one pretending to be human. ‘Look at me, I have a moral code…’ You were lucky to come out in one piece on Terra Seventeen.”

“I am human. At least…genetically.”

His grip is stronger than I anticipated. Good to know….

“Shall I rip your arm off and show you the technology that holds you together?”

Twist, turn, and elbow to the midsection. Leg sweep under the knees. Pinch Wheeler by the soft spot at the base of his neck…

 “Let me remind you that when they put me together, they included the DNA of a brilliant human mind. Not a Cresta—”

“I’m not Cresta!”

“Ingot then.”

“Damn, you!”

Pity on the fool. Oops, didn’t mean to shove that hard.

“That almost sounded human.”

“DNA means nothing!”

There he goes again. He really ought to turn beet red just to clarify himself.

“So, you’re human too? Genetically speaking?”

“I’m a cyborg. Humanity never claimed me. I never claimed them.”

“But your cyborg family welcomed you with open arms, right?”

“Go to Bothmal!”

“Please—watch your language.”

“Like anything could offend you.”

“I have sensibilities.”

“Just no sense. Being human—genetically speaking—won’t protect you. Only a cyborg—”

“You won’t live forever.”

“Near enough. Better than anyone else.”

“Uanyi and Ingots live for millenniums. Luxonians too. Are they happy?”

“Hades! Who’s looking for happiness? I want to survive for as long as possible.”

“Someday…you’ll die.”

“Not if I can keep getting parts. Besides, who really cares?”

“That’s the question, isn’t it? You’ve never given anyone a reason to care—”

Uh, oh… blinking, blaring sirens! As usual, humans typically overstate the obvious. Here comes the captain, charging ahead like a Cresta at a science convention.

“Hey, you two, looks like we’ve got unexpected visitors. Power up!”

Sigh. Wheeler’s got bloodlust in his eyes again.

“Ready, Human?”

“As much as you, Cyborg.”

“Don’t look so grim. We’ll come out of this alive. Probably. It’s a living.”

I wonder…

“Or a really long death sentence.”

~~~

A. K. Frailey is the author of 17 books, a teacher for 35 years, and a homeschooling mother of 8.

Make the most of life’s journey. 

For novels, short stories, poems, and non-fiction inspirational books, check out

A. K. Frailey’s Amazon Author Page

BUY HERE

“Cerulean is easily one of my favorite protagonists in fiction, period. His empathy toward humans makes me reflect on my behavior toward the people around me. The book is riveting, nuanced, and complex, all the ingredients needed to make a great read, and I’m eating well, haha!” ~Veronica Benjamin

BUY HERE

“I love the story—a really compelling read. I enjoy science fiction movies and shows and really wish to watch a movie of Justine Awakens because it would be epic.” ~Caleb Nelson

BUY HERE

“This book is nothing short of amazing. The first two books were amazing, but the author outdid herself this time.” ~Lauren Stanley

Science Fiction Influence

BUY HERE

“When I found out she had a new collection out, this volume, I grabbed it immediately and started reading it that day.” ~Steven

For a complete list of books by A. K. Frailey, book trailers, and reviews, check out

A. K. Frailey’s Books Page

For translated versions of A. K. Frailey’s Books, check out

A. K. Frailey’s Translated Books

Photo https://pixabay.com/illustrations/binary-one-cyborg-cybernetics-1536624/


Tags

'spirit, A. K. Frailey, alien culture, alien encounter, alien human encounter, alien life, alien worlds, amazon author page, amazon kindle books, android, Ann Frailey, blog stories, character stories, clean read fiction, Creative Writing, culture, ebooks, encouragement, enemy, Entertainment, entertainment for life, epic adventure, faith, fiction, fiction series, fictional world, freelance writing, Friendship, Hope, Humanity, inspirational, interstellar war, life, Newearth, novels, Oldearth, paperbacks, Relationships, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction, science fiction characters, Science Fiction Enemies, science fiction short stories, scifi series, self-publishing, SF, short stories, Short Story, space mission, space travels, spiritual life, stories, Syfy, world-building


You may also like

Psychological Safety

Psychological Safety

Literarily Possible

Literarily Possible
{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}

Get in touch

Name*
Email*
Message
0 of 350