“Can I talk to Emily or John? Please?” Skylar asked this question at the end of every session. They never got an answer, but the agent usually paused long enough for Skylar to continue. “They are probably worried. And you don’t want them kicking up a fuss now right? You don’t want them stirring the soup, you know? Let me assure them to sit down.” Confused idioms aside, something about Skylar’s logic, or perhaps purely their persistence, led to the arrangement of Emily’s visit.
On the morning of Emily’s arrival Skylar entered their bathroom and locked the door behind them. They knelt in front of the toilet to begin the work of retrieving their translator. It was simple enough work, manipulating the human throat on the inside in order to push the device out. Muscles quivered, sounds of coughing, and finally the plop of the device hitting the water, among other stomach contents to disguise the noises.
Skylar released the button, the green laser turned off and they sighed. They set the disk on the edge of the sink, swallowed , and then shifted back into their human form.
With a few hidden buttons pressed and a twist Skylar ejected the emergency beacon from the bottom of the translator. The beacon was a small silver circle with a smaller button in the middle. In the right light the gold and copper circuits could be seen criss-crossing the faces of it.
"Dear log." Skylar had been talking to themselves in the bathroom since day one, so that in this moment it wouldn't be suspicious. They pressed the beacon button and pointed the laser light towards their face.
"It is day five of being held for questioning. The humans here keep asking the same questions, and I answer the same way every time. I am sure no harm will come to me, none has so far, but I am not sure when they plan to release me. It is best to continue a peaceful approach, friendly relations with this planet will be more beneficial in the long run. I will be patient."
Skylar released the button, the green laser turned off and they sighed. They set the disk on the edge of the sink and swallowed the translator once again. They spun the disk around their fingers for a moment, and then put the beacon in the middle of their palm, absorbing it under their skin.
Now they were prepared for Emily's arrival.
"Skylar!" Their name preceded the knock on the bathroom door. "It is time for your visitor."
"One minute!" Skylar flushed and scrubbed their hands with water and soap again before joining their escort for the day.
Word count: 447
