For this weeks Flash! Friday we had 260 words to write about the following prompt:
Ice Cube Aurora. Photo by Carlos Pobes.
The Mission
The landing was bumpy, his joints rattled from the impact. He was way off course, it could be days before anyone found him. He clambered out and surveyed the alien landscape. It was grey and desolate, the wind biting. His training took over. A quick glance upwards helped him get his bearings. The first priority was shelter. He spied a faint red flicker on the horizon, a splash of colour on an otherwise blank canvas. He set off towards it.
The journey was slow, he was tired and his limbs were heavy. He struggled to catch his breath, the air felt thin and unsatisfying, like a weak soup. He fought the urge to rest, reminding himself of the importance of his mission. The thought propelled him onwards.
He finally reached a structure. It would provide a place to recover. He pried open the flimsy door and stepped into a clean white space. There was writing on the wall but he did not recognize the language. His visors translation software informed him this was a science lab.
A rustle from the next room caught his attention. He tensed himself, ready to attack. A strange creature appeared, staring back at him with primitive intelligence. It had four eyes and a flimsy white outer coat. He recognized it from his briefing. All the way out here and he’d stumbled upon a viable test subject. He reached into his suit for his widest probe. He would be the one to discover their weaknesses, he would win this war before it even began.
