The foam shower stopped and was immediately replaced by a light spray of transparent liquid. Fascinated, Kat saw how the foam on the floor dissolved within seconds, leaving only a white mist behind. When the spraying stopped as well, the bridge was eerily quiet.
Kat crawled out from her hiding place and peeked over the edge.
“Dykan?” she whispered shakily, not sure if there were any Zzjitzzeëns nearby.
Due to the mist, she could only see shadows. A blurry tall dark shape stood in the middle of the bridge. Her mind told her it was Dykan, but she was afraid it was only wishful thinking.
“Dykan?” she called out a little louder, still unsure.
With a beep, the ship’s climate system started working, sucking away the mist. Slowly, the contours of the shape became more and more visible, eventually turning into Dykan.
The feeling of utter relief flooded her body. Kat rose as quickly as possible and scrambled unladylike over the control table, hurrying toward him. She faltered when she saw five dead Zzjitzzeëns lying at his feet, covered in their green blood and intestines. Kat gasped and pressed a hand to her mouth. She felt her stomach revolt and willed herself not to barf. Not now. Not after all she had been through. She couldn’t be wimpy now. If Dykan hadn’t killed the Zzjitzzeëns, they surely would have killed her and Dykan, and they would have smiled while they were doing it. Well, killed him and done unspeakable things to her. Dykan had had no choice, but the brutality of the situation hit her hard. He had killed them with his bare hands. His bare hands.
Kat swallowed down some of her unease and moved forward.
Dykan was standing with his back to her, breathing rapidly but otherwise not moving. He was holding the sixth one, the leader, up by his throat. The Zzjitzzeën’s neck was twisted into a strange angle and his body hung down limply.
“Dykan,” Kat whispered, “you…you can let him go now. He’s dead.”
When he didn’t stir, she gently touched his shoulder. He jerked around like a bat out of hell, still clutching the dead Zzjitzzeën, causing Kat to stagger backward.
Dykan’s eyes were glowing, a deep bright red like fire, and his chest heaved up and down. He still looked…not him and that worried her.
“Are…are you alright?” she asked, concerned, but he remained silent as if he was stuck in a daze. “Please, Dykan, say something. You’re scaring the hell out of me. I need you. Please, snap out of it. Come back to me.”
Dykan closed his eyes and took a slow deep breath. Then he lowered his arm and the Zzjitzzeën fell to the floor with a sickening thud. When Dykan opened his eyes again, they had turned into a warm golden brown and his face had changed back into the Dykan she knew. His claws were their normal size again.
“I’m fine, Kitten,” he murmured in a low voice.
Kat blew out a sigh of relief. She wanted to fling herself into his arms but stopped inches from his body when she saw he had gore and intestines everywhere. E-ve-ry-where. Even in his hair and—ew—around his mouth. Once more, Kat did her best not to hurl.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She nodded, a breathy laugh escaping her throat.
“Yeah, now that I know you’re okay, I’m fine.”
Dykan gave her a funny stare and his mouth opened.
“Um…Kitten?”
“Yes?”
“Your dress,” he pointed down. “It’s see-through.”
Kat looked down and gasped. Dykan was right. All her goods were clearly visible, even more so than before. She might as well be completely naked.
“It must have been the mist,” she muttered, mortified. “It made the dress soggy. This is horrible. I look like I’m taking part in a wet T-shirt contest.”
Dykan smirked. “I’ve never been to a wet T-shirt contest, but I can imagine what it is, and you, Kitten, would have won. No doubt about it.”
Behind Kat, the bridge doors slid open, and she shrieked in surprise. Were more Zzjitzzeën coming? Protectively, Dykan flung himself in front of Kat, shielding her with his body. She peeked anxiously around his arm, staring at the doors. But nobody entered.
“Captain, are you okay?” a very familiar voice inquired from the corridor.
“Yes, Selvin, we’re fine,” Dykan responded. “I…we neutralized the threats. You can enter.”
Selvin entered, carrying a weapon over his shoulder. He scanned the bridge.
“Oh, there were only six. If I had known that, I wouldn’t have worried,” he said, laughing. “Is the female okay?”
“Yeah, Selvin, I’m fine,” Kat answered behind Dykan, “but if you don’t mind, please don’t come any closer. I’m not dressed for company at the moment.”
“I’ll give you my jacket.”
Dykan started to take off his jacket, but Kat stopped him.
“No, your jacket is covered in Zzjitzzeëns. It’s gross.”
To make her point, she flicked a large piece of green-blooded tentacle off his shoulder with her finger. It landed on the floor with a wet plop. Kat gagged, and a wave of nausea made her grimace.
“And your shirt isn’t any better. I’d rather walk around naked than wear your clothes,” she stated. And she meant it. There was no way in hell she was going to wear a Zzjitzzeën-soaked jacket or shirt.
“Do you want me to offer her my jacket?” Selvin asked. “I know my scent will be on her, but it’ll only be for a little while.” Selvin’s nostrils flared, and he made a disgusted face. “And personally, I think my scent will be much better than the Zzjitzzeën smell that’s on her now.”
Dykan sighed. “This day is getting better and better.” He nodded. “Give her your jacket. I’d rather she had your stink on her than walk around practically naked near Boda.”
“She can talk for herself,” Kat said, irritated. “So, yes, Selvin, I would really appreciate it if I could borrow your jacket.”
Grinning, Selvin gave his weapon to Dykan and lowered his backpack to the floor. He then took off his jacket and handed it over to Kat. She put it on, rolled up the sleeves and zipped it all the way up. Pleased, she noticed that Selvin’s jacket covered more of her body than his dress had.
“Is everyone alright?” Dykan asked.
Selvin nodded. “Yes, we barely encountered any resistance.”
“Did you eliminate all the threats?”
“I’m not sure,” Selvin replied. “There are hard-to-reach places on this ship that the scanner can’t penetrate. It’s possible some Zzjitzzeëns are in hiding, but it would take us too long to search for them. It’s best if we stay vigilant while we’re here and blow this ship up when we leave.”
“Why blow it up?” Kat asked. It seemed like a waste of such a beautiful ship.
“Because we can’t risk potential survivors following us and attacking my freighter using this ship or anything on it,” Dykan answered.
“It’s standard Makaen military procedure,” Selvin added. “When you’re not able to secure a vessel, it’s best to make sure no one can ever use it against you.”
Dykan nodded. “So, blowing it up it is. Where are the others?”
Selvin opened his mouth, then closed it. He held up his hand, gesturing to hold on for a moment, and put his other hand to his ear. Kat assumed he had a communication device in his ear and someone was talking to him.