Chapter 11

Odin laid in the cool dirt under the bush, lamenting his life’s choices. His failures. He not only let a Spark live, but allowed her to know and speak his True Name. He wondered if he could manage to kill her in her sleep. Maybe sneak up on her?

There was a chance he could save the operation.

Maybe.

No, there isn’t. Even without the Link active, she can sense my emotions and presence the way any member of the Hive can. She’ll feel me approaching.

The only solace he had was the thought that the human was likely losing her mind inside the Armory. Possibly even shapeshifting out of control. He kept his ears trained in that direction but only heard muffled words and shuffling noises. It certainly didn’t sound like the woman was going mad.

Still, he had his life.

A pitiful, pathetic, depressing life, devoid of a Host he could talk to and the Hive he could fight for.

They’ll never let me back home if they find out she knows my True Name and that I didn’t eat her, he thought to himself.

At least they didn’t know yet.

Right?

Oh, fuck.

The Hive had recon drones. Surely, they would have left some in the area to monitor his progress, especially if they really did want to kill him off to get rid of him. Which meant the Hive certainly knew he had failed and she had spoken his name. They probably also knew she was sane and had established a stable Link.

Oh, fuck. I am so dead, he thought as he pushed his fuzzy cheek into the dirt with a sigh.

The door to the Armory opening made him almost jump. He opened his eyes just enough to see Freyja approaching, wearing different clothing than before, with a small bowl in her hand. She moved calmly, squatting down to be close enough to almost touch him. Then she popped open the top of the bowl. Odin smelled something savory and meaty. The cat’s memories told him he’d had it before, but not often. Some older human down the street, who wore loose nightgowns with stylized flowers on them, occasionally gave him a cup of this particular food.

“I know, you hate me. I hate you, too," Freyja said brightly. "But, I propose a truce."

Odin shut his eyes, attempting to ignore her.

“I figure I should let you know that I think your folks already know what happened. They’ll be gunning for you, right? To get this thing back on track?”

He huffed out a heavy sigh.

“Thought so. You’re just gonna let them come here and take you out like that? Not gonna fight back?”

What’s the point? He thought.

Freyja didn’t respond to the message. Neither had re-established the Link in full. He could feel her determination, however, and surmised she could feel his depression.

“Fine, if you don’t want to do something about it I will. Not for you, though. I’ve got people here I need to protect. When the Hive comes I am going to fight and I am going to fight hard. In the meantime, I’m going to warn my brother and his family. It sure would be better for both parties if we worked together.”

Odin opened his eyes again. He made sure to project his feeling that it was hopeless. She’d get killed. So would he.

“Aren’t you just the happiest little guy,” Freyja said sarcastically. “Real optimist in there.”

“Freyja?” Gunner called from around the house.

“Over here,” she shouted back.

Her brother was followed by his husband who carried Zoe in his arms. Odin didn’t particularly like that he knew all their names. He also knew how much Freyja cared for them. It reminded him of how he felt about Follower.

Was he family?

“Oh my god, is the cat sick?” Gunner asked as he got closer. He crouched down, Damien kept Zoe in his arms, however.

“Kitty hurt?” Zoe asked.

Freyja looked around, likely checking for any drones. Then, she wafted the cat food in front of his nose again.

“Come on, little guy. I’ve got this tasty soup here, just for you,” she said.

“Oh, wow. Is that the same cat? I thought he only had one eye and...looked a lot worse than this. I mean, he still looks terrible,” Gunner went on.

“Kitty hurt?” Zoe asked again.

“I’m sure the kitty’s fine,” Damien replied. “Right?”

“You’re really not gonna help me with this, are you?” Freyja said to Odin, who continued to ignore her.

She sat the food down next to his head then got to her feet, dusting off the knees of her pants.

“Something’s wrong, isn’t it?” Gunner asked. “Did you find something bad in the house?”

“No, not besides the normal terrible stuff in there. It’s a hazmat zone for sure. Listen, you need to get your family out of the city,” she said bluntly.

“Why?”

Freyja glanced at Zoe for a second, then Damien and Gunner. She pursed her lips. “I told the little worm I wouldn’t tell just anyone and you're not 'just anyone.' I absolutely have to tell you what happened so you can get the hel out of here.”

“Worm?”

She pointed to the cat. “The one in his head.”

Gunner’s face fell. “Are you okay, Sis?”

Ha! He doesn’t believe you!

“I’m fine. It’s aliens.”

“Aliems?” Zoe asked.

“What?” Damien asked deeply concerned.

“Gee, you know I don’t make stuff up, right? The cat has an alien in it and they’ve got this really terrible plan to invade the Earth. I think they gave him bad info to get rid of him because...I mean...even he thinks he’s weird by their standards. Looking through his memories he was obviously ostracized by his own people for actually caring for his Host and-”

“I was not ostracized,” Odin said loudly. “I didn’t like them so I kept myself at a distance.”

She turned around. “Ha! Got you to talk!”

“Di- di- d...did that cat just talk?” Gunner stuttered.

“Come on, all of you. Let’s get in the AC and we’ll explain everything. If you don’t come in here Odin I’m gonna pick you up, by the scruff of your neck.”

Odin licked the last of the food from the cup before getting to his feet and heading toward the Armory door, tail and head hung low. She had him in an impossible position. He’d already slipped up and revealed he was no ordinary cat. Being inside the building might give him a few moments time before any tactical teams were sent, if there were any in the area. Tradition stated that only Hosts from the world currently being invaded were to be used on a target planet until it was subjugated, but that didn’t mean someone else sent to Earth hadn’t been more successful than he had. It took Freyja’s brother and his family a moment and some gentle requests on her part, including a face mask for her brother to wear, before they cautiously followed them into the building.

Odin wasn’t going to help the humans beyond this.

He couldn’t.

He’d only aid Freyja in convincing her family to leave for a safer location so they could to wait out the invasion. Then, he’d roll over and let whoever the Hive sent lop his head off.

This shouldn’t even be my head, Odin thought. I should be happy at home in Follower...but they killed him.