When I woke up Astra was still asleep.

The bed was warm and her lips were pale, her skin lacking the natural glitter that made her glow in dark places. I thought to leave her asleep because she looked peaceful but thinking about the way she threw up last night and cried herself to sleep, drowning in the realisation that most of earth had sunk made me try to wake her up instead.

It was when I turned her over did I realise the bed was soaked not only with her tears but her blood.

And now I was in Teegan's office with a scalpel (as I'd read it was called), pressed to the back of Connie's skull and a bunch of supplies in front of us. Astra laid on Teegan's desk with the stuff that was once on it sprawled across the floor as I'd swiped them off when putting Astra down on it.

The only thing that was on the desk now was the moon girl and Connies jackets that I'd ripped off her so that Astra would have somewhere to put her head.

"Your stitch is wonky," I pointed out, nodding my head towards the one she'd just finished.

"You know my stitches would probably be a lot cleaner if my life wasn't being threatened the whole time," Connie replied her voice shaky and her hands trembling.

"I want you to understand that you doing this means nothing and you will still die after you're finished," I ran the knife gingerly down her nose,catching a trail of her sweat with it, "I have not forgotten what you've did and where you led us. I will not be fast to forgive you for it either," I wiped the sweat on her shoulder before returning the weapon to her neck, "In fact, the only reason that your life is not mine right now is because hers," I pointed at Astra with my upper hand whilst my lower ones continued to keep the wobbly desk steady, "Is in danger."

"You seem to care for her a lot," She noted quietly, finishing off Astra's stitches.

"Not all life-forms are as shallow and self-seeking as yours Constance," I snarked, "Some of us protect our allies."

"There are no allies of mine on this planet."

I sighed, "If you cannot find friends in your own kind then this galaxy would have been very lonely for you."

"I sent you to that freezer so you could see what they did to those like her," Her eyes ran over Astra's face, "She's one of them correct? She looks like them," She continued with her stitches, "Those two were formidable in the war, never tiring, never giving up. It was exhausting triying to kill them," She reached for a scissors to cut the thread, "We thought we'd never find a way to beat them. Until we did."

"You left them in freezers to die," I corrected her, "You left them in temperatures so cold that their skin broke open and their blood froze before they could bleed."

"We beat them," She corrected me, raising her eyes to lock eyes with me, "And I admit," Her gaze fell to my body, "I do not know of what you are and where you've come from and what you're doing here but," She ran her tongue across her lip, "You look strong, you look like a fighter," She went to grab the gauze and disinfectant, "You have the same flicker in your eye that had those two flattening half our army," She tilted her head.

"How long do you think it'll take before we beat you too?"

"It'll take more than a few ice cubes to stop me if that's what you're asking," I replied coldly.

"But underneath all that fight and all that strength. You bleed," She almost sounded sorrowful for me, "And you will bleed," She cleared her throat. "I would like to have a conversation with her before you slit my throat."

"If it's anything like what we just had I'm afraid I'd rather kill you now," My eyes softened as I looked down at Astra, "I don't need you poisioning her mind with discouragement and fear."

"If you don't want me to tell her thr truth that's fine," Connie breathed. "But before I die I must know something."

"I will let you," I told her honestly, "Because I respect the wishes of the dead," My eyes remained on Astra uncomfortable witht he way her usually babling lips were pressed together, "Now wake her up."

"She lost quite a bit of blood shhe she may be dizzy," She explained, "Did you bring the adrenaline?" She asked. I nodded, gesturing to the stick that was on the second level of the tray. She grabbed it and removed its lid, "Stand back, she might react different than I expect when I do this."

I nodded and took a step back sceptically watching what she was about to do until she stabbed Astra harshly in the leg maing me spring towards her, my hands flying for her neck. "I told you," My fingers curling around it, "To be careful with her."

She tried to frantically explain herself but I cut of her airflow before she could properly, making her eyes widen in alarm and her hands fly to stop mine. She began choking, shaking around to get out of my grasp before her eyes locked on Astra's legs and her right hand shot out to press the liquid into her, slamming it into her flesh.

I grabbed the scalpel, "I have to admit, I never actually became a licensed Doctor," I told her moving the knife towards her neck, "But today I'm going to try find your spinal chord."

Interrupting Connie's painful death, Astra sat up abruptly and took a dramatic gasp of air. I unwrapped my fingers from Connie's throat and turned completely around to face the curly headed girl, the scalpel in my hands falling so I could hold her hand instead.

"You scared the fucking shit out of me hey?" I frowned, watching as her frantic eyes looked darted all around the room. I put both my lower hands on the sides of her head so she could focus on me, "You good?"

"I feel like I could run for days," She panted.

"That would be the adrenaline," Connie wheezed, crawling away from me.

I didnt spare her a glance, my eyes still on Astra, "Your heart sounds like it's about to stop Astra breathe," I encouraged, feeling up her chest to track her racing pulse. "We needed to get your blood pumping a bit faster," I explained gesturing to the drip in her arm. "You lost quite a bit of it there."

"Sunshine," She stuttered, lifting her hand to touch my shoulder, "I'm seeing like three of you right now."

I intwined our fingers, "It'll pass, the adrenaline will wear off and you'll feel okay," i promised, "Plus you're on a bunch of painkillers right now too so you probably just need some rest."

She threw her legs over the side of the desk, "No, we-" She groaned, "Don't have time to keep sleeping we need-Tempest," She almost collapsed but I held her up, Connie standing to help me.

"Not to agree with the bitch over here but getting on your feet right now probably isn't a good idea hun," Connie agreed, trying to help me lay Astra down.

This turned her dark gaze to the human. "You aborted your baby when you were fifteen, you didn't want to but you felt you had to. Your parents never said it but you could always feel they were disappointed, they died ashamed of you and it haunts you into all areas of your life. You deep down blame yourself and feel unworthy of having another child which causes conflict in all your romantic relationships and the unsettling feeling in your stomach that your heart is a graveyard filled with people you never got to love for long enough. Yet still you made a move on your friend Teegan, it's the reason you hate Kofi so much. They remind you of a love you believe you will never deserve." And with that Astra's head lulled to the side and she was out like a light.

I shook her lightly, "Astra?" I felt her forehead and cursed, "Get me the towel and pour it with the water from the kettle, she's going cold again," I ordered Connie who rushed to follow my instructions.

Once I'd laid the cloth on Astra's head and adjusted her postion, the silence of the room took over. "Who are you people?" Connie asked.

I turned to look at her and she seemed to flinche away from my gaze again which I ignored, "You know exactly who she is," I told her firmly.

She nodded her head, "The similarity she shares with the two from that freezer is uncanny," She pressed her lips together, "And she is Earth's?..."

"Yes."

Connie let out a sigh of what sounded almost like disbelief and flopped onto Teegan's office chair. "This is a mess."

"I agree," I told her honestly.

Connies eyes turned to Astra, "If she knew what Earth became when she left," She laughed dryly and shook her head, "Maybe her eyes were the judgement I felt on me all along."

"The last thing Astra is, is judgemntal."

"Anyone watching you is judging you," Connie replied to me bitterly, "It just depends on if they aprrove or not."

"You care about the opinion of someone you don't know?" I snorted.

"Maybe if I can change their opinion of everyone I can change my opinion of myself," She thought aloud, blowing her blonde hair out of her face.

"Opinions don't matter, in this life there is only truth and lies," I rubbed my thumb over Astra's fingers that were still weaved in mine, "No matter what people think of you, you will still be you at the end of the day. You will never be who people believe you are."

I hated her. I hated all of them.

But in that moment I hoped my words brought her comfort.

"I suppose you're right."

The moment I thought we were sharing was shattered by her using the forgotten scalpel I had earlier and stabbing herself right between the eyes, a wound so deep that I didn't bother catching her body as it crumbled to the floor.

She was dead.

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