Page 14 of My Tiny Giant
He kept holding me even as the last worm had slithered out of view. My back pressed to his chest, I realized I was gripping his forearm. The short silky fur on it made his skin feel like velvet. I resisted the sudden urge to stroke his arm and kicked him in the shin instead.
“Let me go,” I said.
He finally released me from his hold, allowing me to step away from him.
“What was that all about?” I demanded.
“When startled, the qhuk worms release a nasty substance. It’s sticky and smells bad.”
A faint streak of foul smell drifted through the air to me.
“Sticky?” I rushed to my suit in alarm.
Thick, green-brown goo oozed out of the wing slot, dripping down the side of my suit.
“Oh no...” I groaned. “It’s gross.”
I moved to wipe it off with a dry leaf I’d picked up from the ground.
Agan stopped me by grabbing my wrist.
“Never touch the fresh qhuk worm discharge,” he warned. “It’ll burn your fingers.”
“What will it do to my suit?” More than my fingers, I was concerned about the complex electronic circuits inside the suit that might have been exposed to the slimy alien worms.
“Nothing good, I’m afraid.” Agan said grimly. “The burn-inducing chemical wears off within minutes. But that’s enough time to cause some damage. When freshly applied, the qhuk substance can melt plastics and even corrode some metals.”
My worry rose higher at his words.
Carefully avoiding any contact with the goo, I re-attached the helmet then slid a hand inside it to activate the diagnostic system.
Nothing happened.
The damaged suit with dead power cells was nothing but a hindrance to us now. Dragging it through the jungle to the base made little sense. It would only slow us down and might even put us in danger. Nor could I leave it here. It would be only a matter of time until yirzi found it. Then they’d have full unrestricted access to our technology.
“You’ll have to continue without it,” Agan stated calmly.
His impassionate voice grated on my nerves. It hurt having to part with the armor that had been my weapon and protection for so long.
“Had the wing been there, they wouldn’t have made it inside,” I said bitterly.
“You wanted it off!” Agan got defensive.
“There was a better way to remove it, I’m sure. One that wouldn’t have left a gaping hole for the jungle creatures to get in.”
“Are you blaming me for this?”
I rubbed my eyes with one hand. It was tempting to lay all the blame on Agan. It would be so good to yell at someone right now. However, deep inside I knew I had no one to blame but myself. This was my piece of equipment, and I was the one responsible for it.
“No.” I shook my head, tugging down the zipper of my bodysuit. “It’s my fault.”
“What are you doing?” His gaze followed the movement of my hand as I slid it into the opening of my neckline.
“I can’t leave it here.” I took out the small white tile I wore on a chain around my neck. “Get back.”
I ran toward the trees while pressing the protrusions on the tile in the sequence that activated the self-destruct command in the suit. Making sure Agan had followed me to a safe distance, I pressed the final button.
“Get down!” Agan lunged for me as the blast of explosion ripped through the air.