As the soft, purple sunlight filtered into the room, it cast an ethereal glow across the sleek white walls.

  The curtains swayed gently in the morning breeze, fluttering like silk ribbons with every gust.

  The warmth of the light danced across Yazmina’s face, slowly stirring her from her deep sleep.

  Suddenly, the door burst open with an energetic thud.

  Her sister bounded into the room with a grin. “Wake up, sleepyhead! It’s time for breakfast,” she announced cheerfully.

  Yazmina groaned, dragging a pillow over her head.

  “Five more minutes, please,”

  she mumbled, her voice muffled and heavy with sleep.

  It was the weekend—her only time to rest—and she had no intention of getting up just yet.

  Rolling her eyes and marching over to the bed. “You have to get up,” she insisted pyfully.

  “It’s my only day off call, and I never get to spend time with my annoying sister.”

  Peeking out from under the pillow, Yazmina cracked a smile.

  “Fine, fine,”

  she said, stretching out her limbs and cracking her knuckles. She sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as Sammy leaned in close, Making a goofy face that made her ugh.

  Dragging herself to the mirror, Yazmina fixed her thick, curly purple hair—always a morning struggle.

  Her droopy eyes and the ache in her muscles reminded her of how little rest she'd gotten and Sammy had already skipped out to set the breakfast table.

  After slipping into her casual day clothes, Yazmina wandered into the kitchen, where the smell of eggs and warm rice filled the air.

  Sammy gnced over her shoulder and said, “Your Sorhebi kept me up again—he stuck his head in my window all night.”

  Yazmina chuckled and reached out mentally to Koda.

  “So I hear you're being a menace again. She’d appreciate some sleep, you know”.

  Koda responded with a cheeky mental ugh. “Sorry, but her reactions are just too entertaining. I’ll behave… for now”.

  As she ate, Yazmina savored cooking—fluffy eggs, seasoned pokna, and steamed white rice.

  Sammy sat beside her with her pte, chatting casually.

  “So, what do you want to do today? We could catch a movie or fly to Danguto and meet up with Tom.”

  Yazmina tapped her chin. “Danguro sounds fun. Ooh! Let’s go to the arcade.”

  Sammy's eyes lit up.

  “Yes! We’d destroy in Laser Tag—thanks to our training.”

  Yazmina smirked.

  “You’re right. Let me call Tom.”

  She went back to her room, grabbed her phone, and dialed.

  “Hey, knucklehead, want to go to Danguro with us? We’re hitting the arcade.”

  Tom replied with a dramatic

  “Hmmmm… maybe… nah, who am I kidding? Of course I’m coming. Jerry can cover for me. Meet you there.”

  After tidying up and feeding their Sorhebi, Yazmina ran out the door, yelling,

  “Bet you can’t beat me there!”

  She leapt onto Koda’s back—the dragon-like creature’s scales gleaming pale gray with streaks of gold along his neck and wings.

  His hood fred like golden fire around a crown of bck horns, and his tail ended in a fan of sleek, dark spikes.

  With a deep roar, Koda unfurled his massive gold-and-cream wings and unched into the sky.

  Sammy hollered,

  “Hey! Not fair!”

  She sprinted, vaulted over the water trough, and mounted her own Sorhebi, Yelena. The wind howled past them as the race began.

  Yazmina urged Koda faster, the ndscape blurring below them. She could feel Yelena catching up, her shimmering blue wings glinting in the sun.

  “They’re gaining on us,”

  she whispered to Koda. If we win, you get belly rubs and nosh”.

  Koda surged forward, climbing into the air and then diving with a rush of speed. Sammy mirrored the maneuver, and for a moment, they were neck-and-neck.

  Yazmina shouted,

  “You know you can’t win! Give up!”.

  “Give up my ass—in your dreams!” Sammy yelled back, ughing.

  The skyline appeared in the distance. Yazmina gave Koda the signal—he twisted into a 360-degree spin, creating a Tarrin boom that pushed them ahead.

  As they leveled out, she spotted Tom on his green-and-orange Sorhebi, Draco.

  Matching his pace, she grinned. “Which arcade?”.

  “Main Event,” he said.

  “It’s got everything. Also—I’m paying this time.”

  Yazmina nodded. “Got it, but first, gotta win this race.”

  Koda burst forward just in time to beat Yena, nding near the entrance. After dismounting, Yazmina told Koda to stay—this was a human-hybrid majority zone.

  They stepped inside the vibrant arcade. Neon lights blinked all around, music pyed from every corner, and the smell of popcorn and slushies filled the air.

  They pyed racing games, cw machines, rhythm games, and air hockey.

  Yazmina crushed Tom in Dance Battle 4 while collecting the most tickets. But the real highlight was Laser Tag.

  Dressed in gear and scanning their glowing vests, the trio entered the dark, neon-lit maze. The match started, and chaos unfolded.

  Yazmina and Sammy moved like pros—ducking, fnking, calling positions. With years of military training, they made a perfect team.

  Tom tried to keep up but found himself tagged more often than not.

  At the end of the match, the scoreboard lit up:

  1st Pce: Yazmina – 2480 points

  2nd Pce: Sammy – 2420 points

  3rd Pce: Tom – 1810 points

  Tom groaned. “You two aren’t even fair,” Yazmina smirked. “We told you—military reflexes.”

  As they stepped out of the arena, just as they were about to grab slushies and unwind, all three of their phones went off at once, sharp and loud. Yazmina sighed and checked hers.

  “Code Brown,”

  Landon’s text came through.

  “Yazmina, you’re needed. Shuttle crash. English-speaking humanoids. One alive. You’re doing the interrogation.”

  Sammy’s phone buzzed next.

  “We need you at Base Mudashi. You’re on call for medical.”

  Tom looked at his.

  “Of course. They need me on defense prep.”

  All three shared a look.

  Yazmina groaned. “Can’t we have one normal day off?”

  “Nope,”

  Tom said, grabbing his gear.

  “We live in Fucoshima remember?”

  They ran outside and mounted their Sorhebi once again. The arcade lights faded into the distance as they soared toward duty—toward the unknown.

  As soon as they arrived at Base Mudashi, the busy nding ptform came into sight.

  Military personnel moved with precision, guiding ships, loading supplies, and tightening security. The air smelled faintly of metal, fuel, and rain from a recent storm.

  Yazmina nded Koda with practiced ease, his wings folding down as his cws clicked softly against the ptform.

  Just beside her, Sammy gently lowered her Sorhebi , Yelena—a bright blue, scaled Sorhebi with green eyes.

  Two handlers jogged up and clipped leads to their harnesses, murmuring to calm them as they were led toward the stables.

  After the sisters hopped down from their mounts, brushing dust from their uniforms, they made their way toward a tall figure near the command tower—

  Landon.

  He turned the moment they approached. His sharp expression softened briefly at the sight of them, but he wasted no time.

  “Sammy,”

  he began, eyes flicking to her ID tag,

  “You’ve been assigned to me directly. Your commanding officer wants you to act as both a combat medic and a certified nurse. We need you to keep the alien alive.”

  Sammy’s brows rose slightly, but she nodded, adjusting the strap on her bag. Landon turned to Yazmina.

  “And you, since you’re one of the very few fluent English speakers on base, you’ll be the transtor. Understood?”.

  “Yes, sir,”

  Yazmina replied quickly. He also added

  “We have put the alien through many tests, he has no advance technology on him, he has no powers of any sorts. He’s pretty harmless, none the less we must investigate”.

  They were ushered through tight security—retinal scans, clearance badges, and multiple ID checkpoints.

  The containment unit was cold, dimly lit, and eerily quiet.

  The hum of machinery echoed faintly as they walked through steel corridors.

  Yazmina walked in first, her boots echoing softly against the polished floor. She slowed as her eyes nded on the figure resting on the hospital bed.

  The alien.

  He sat upright but looked exhausted, one arm resting limply in his p, the other bandaged and hooked to a fluid line.

  His clothes—what remained of them—were torn and soot-stained, and a faint smear of dried blood painted the side of his neck.

  Despite it all, he held himself with quiet alertness, like someone trying to stay composed in unfamiliar territory.

  He wasn’t what she expected. No tail. No ears. His skin was a pale, almost sickly tone compared to the warmer hues of the humans on Bishingo.

  His hair was dark brown, slightly curled at the ends, and messy from transport.

  His eyes, though—sharp, intelligent, and tinged with caution—locked onto hers the moment she stepped closer.

  Yazmina found herself momentarily frozen, absorbing the eerie familiarity of him.

  He looked human—almost too human—but distinctly out of pce.

  He watched her with a mix of wariness and curiosity, his lips parting slightly as if he wanted to speak but wasn’t sure if she’d understand.

  Yazmina cleared her throat gently and approached.

  Her voice was steady, but her fingers twitched at her sides. “Hi. My name is Yazmina. I was sent to talk to you. Who are you, and why did you and your crew nd on Bishingo?”

  The man blinked, his gaze locking onto hers in quiet surprise.

  “You can speak English?”

  he asked, his voice gravelly but measured.

  “I thought you only spoke your native nguage.”

  She gave a small shrug.

  “My colleagues can’t speak it, but I can. But again—who are you? And why did you come here?”

  The man gnced toward Landon, his eyes scanning them before returning to Yazmina.

  “My name is Adam. And before I answer anything else… where’s my cat? Elvis.”

  Yazmina furrowed her brow.

  “Your... cat?”

  She turned to Landon with a puzzled look.

  “He’s asking for something called a ‘cat.’ I think it’s a creature—maybe a pet? Did he have any animals with him when you found him?”

  Landon raised an eyebrow and pressed his comm. “Can someone bring in the small bck animal that was found with the alien?”

  A moment ter, the door hissed open. Tom stepped inside with a sleek carrier in one hand, followed by Jerry.

  Inside, a bck, fluffy creature with golden eyes peered out nervously.

  “Is it dangerous?”

  Yazmina asked, still unsure.

  Adam shook his head quickly.

  “No. He’s harmless.”

  Tom opened the carrier, and the little creature leapt out. It padded over on soft paws, sniffed the air, then walked directly up to Sammy. It let out a strange, soothing sound—“purrr”—and rubbed itself against her leg.

  Gasped, she crouched down with wide eyes.

  “Awwwhhh, it’s so cute!”

  she cooed, lifting the creature gently.

  Yazmina smiled slightly, then crified, “The alien is a male. His name is Adam”

  She brought the cat over and pced it gently on Adam’s p.

  The creature—Elvis—meowed softly, climbed up Adam’s chest, and curled into the crook of his arm.

  Yazmina turned to him and said “this is my sister Sammy she will be your doctor. Can you tell me what is causing you pain?”.

  Adam visibly rexed, his entire body sagging with relief.

  He let out a breath and looked up at Yazmina. “Thank you. As for where it hurts—I’ve got pain in my wrist and my Waist."

  Yazmina nodded and turned to Sammy. “He says his wrist and lower body hurt. Take care of him before we ask anything else,”

  she nodded and moved to his side while Yazmina and Landon stepped out to update the incident report. Alone with Adam, Sammy had to rely entirely on body nguage.

  She gave him a gentle look, holding her hands up and then gesturing toward his wrist. He understood and held his left hand out.

  Swollen, reddish, likely sprained.

  She checked them carefully, her touch light.

  Then she hesitated, not sure how to ask where on his waist it hurt.

  She looked him over, gesturing vaguely at his body.

  Adam spoke again, but she couldn't understand. Instead, he pointed toward his right hip, his expression strained.

  Sammy gestured with her hand—a small motion, pulling down her waistband slightly to indicate what she meant. Adam blinked, then awkwardly shifted his pants to reveal a deep purple bruise near his hipbone.

  Her face tightened with concern. She gently pressed the area, and he flinched.

  It was tender, swollen—maybe internal bruising.

  “Mmmm,” she hummed thoughtfully. She stepped away and opened a medical cabinet, pulling out a syringe filled with a greenish liquid.

  She held it up, showed it to him, then mimicked giving a shot to her hip.

  He made a face but gave a small, reluctant nod.

  She sanitized the spot, found the vein, and carefully slid the needle in.

  Adam tensed and cried out.

  She pressed the antibodies in and withdrew them, pcing a patch over the injection site.

  Adam gave a quiet sigh, his hand gently resting on Elvis’s back. The cat purred louder, nuzzling into him.

  Watched for a moment, her expression softening.

  Despite the alien status, this was just a man in pain, grateful for a single moment of peace.

  Authors Note

  Sorhebi all have the same basic structure but come in different colors and sizes