Space Rocks! by Tom O'Donnell

and so it was shortened to simply:
    â€œSOS.”
    The humans had each collected a few things in airtight bags: food, water, small illumination devices, more of the rope they’d used to restrain me, and Hollins’s folding knife. They’d gathered these things as if they meant to take them somewhere, but it was unclear where they planned to go.
    I’d gleaned that this was the pod where Hollins had lived with his two originators—the fact that all humans apparently have two originators struck me as incredibly bizarre and disturbing. I was morbidly curious, and I wanted to ask them more about this. But I didn’t quite have the language skill, and frankly it seemed like the wrong time.
    Every so often, the whole world would rattle and shake for a few moments. Aftershocks from the quake. Each time the rumbling would raise the young humans’ hope: Perhaps their mothership was landing nearby. Each time those hopes were dashed.
    â€œThey’re not coming,” said Becky at last. Her voice was faint, barely a whisper.
    â€œDon’t say that,” said Hollins. “They’ll come back. My mom won’t leave us here.”
    â€œWhy didn’t she override the automatic quarantine?” Becky began.
    Nicki cut her off. “Does it really matter, Becky? We’re here now. That’s all.” Becky shrugged and went silent again.
    â€œI never even got to see Paris,” said Little Gus.
    â€œDid you want to see Paris?” asked Nicki.
    â€œNot really,” said Little Gus glumly. “That makes me sad too. Why didn’t I want to see Paris? Is something wrong with me?”
    â€œC’mon, let’s send the message again,” said Hollins. Nicki plugged her hologram device into the wall, and the lights flicked off and on in the now familiar pattern. Three short blinks. Three long blinks. Three more short. SOS.
    The humans were trying their best to deny the obvious. In a little while, the oxygen tanks on their spacesuits would be out of air as well. Despair was creeping in.
    â€œCan help,” I said, breaking the silence. Becky glared at me. At this point I knew what was coming next. My offer would be met with an argument, an accusation, a declaration of my obviously hostile intentions.
    â€œHow?” she said instead. “How can you help?”
    â€œHave air,” I said. “Have human air.”
    I’d made a decision. I couldn’t just leave these humans to suffocate. If I hadn’t sneaked aboard their pod, they would be up there between the stars. Headed home. Safe. Among their own kind.
    It was my fault they were here.
    Our two species might very well be at war now. But these four were my responsibility. I wasn’t going to let them die.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

    I stood with the four humans in the sideways airlock. We were packed and ready to depart.
    I had told them, in halting human, that I could guide them to the cavern entrance near Jehe Canyon—where I’d seen them racing before. Once inside, they would be able to breathe the oxygen-rich air without their spacesuits.
    At least this is what I hoped that I had said to them. I was learning their language quickly, but I was still only able to string a few difficult-to-pronounce human words together at a time. To me, human speech still sounded a bit like usk-lizards making territorial grunts.
    Mercifully, I had been untied. Though I was informed in no uncertain terms, by both Hollins and Becky, that I was still their prisoner. Now possibly a “prisoner of war,” in fact. Which sounded much worse to me.
    â€œThey can both be kind of bossy, huh?” said Little Gus, when he and I were alone for a moment. Nicki overheard and nodded knowingly.
    â€œMy whole thing is just chill, you know?” he said. I didn’t know. But I nodded anyway.
    My only request of the humans was that we bring all the remaining boxes of Feeney’s Original Astronaut Ice Cream with us.