Lux Mori

It was clear they were separating us according to our purposes; The Stormriders were food. I still hadn’t figured out why they had chosen ‘us’ - I most definitely was an ‘us’ since I had shown my powers- as food when we were clearly the more powerful, unless they knew the secret of what eating a Stormrider can do for you.

As if I had been speaking aloud, one of the aliens had approached me and stared at me curiously. Calmly.

“Yes. We know what happens when we eat one of your kind. So you will be our food. Your death will not be in vain. We will gain your powers and use them far more wisely than you ever did or could, more efficiently. Just as we know how to divide your people into categories by their usefulness, not their prosperity. Money means nothing to us. Besides,” he continued, “you’re kind cannot be domesticated.”

Can he hear my thoughts?

He inclined his head and formed what appeared to be an almost smile.

“We have many talents, telepathy is among them, yes.”

Wow.

“We are an impressive race, far more evolved than your kind. You are a primitive people and should be used as food, for labor, or perhaps we will see if your women are able to be used as surrogates to carry our children.”

“You can’t rape our…”

“See? I say ‘be used as surrogates’ and you jump to rape. We are not so deplorable, human. We have laboratories where an embryo can be placed into the womb of your women who can perhaps carry them to term for us, so our women are freed up to do other tasks that are more suited to them.”

“Oh.”

A million questions filled my mind at such rapid succession that even the being in front of me couldn’t pick one out to respond to, or he had grown bored with me. Either way, I was relieved when he went on his way to do something else besides scrutinize me.

I searched for Ellie among the other cages, but there were so many holding cells and they were so far apart that I couldn’t make out her face through the distance.