Page 8 of Legend of Scorpio
“Hell yes.” He sat down on a chair, which his bare ass didn’t appreciate. He could tolerate the cold but that didn’t mean he liked it.
“Where are your clothes?” she asked as she slapped down a mug and the bottle.
“Told you, lost them during transit. It happens when I miscalculate the mass being translocated.”
She blinked.
“Bad math took my shit. I don’t suppose you’ve got some spare stuff that might fit.”
She snorted. “No. Best I can offer is a blanket.” She scrounged in an open crate and pulled out fabric that made a crinkling sound. She tossed it to Scorpio before she plopped into the seat across from him with her own mug and splashed some whiskey into it.
He draped the strange blanket over his lap.
“How come you’re not shivering or turning into a Popsicle? It’s like minus twenty out. You should have frostbite,” she stated.
“Zodiac Warriors don’t feel the cold like humans do.”
She took a sip before murmuring, “I’ll probably regret encouraging you, but what is a Zodiac Warrior?”
“Me.” He grinned. “There are twelve of us, one for each Zodiac constellation. It is our task to fight evil in the world.”
She arched a brow. “Only twelve? Guess that explains why there’s so much crime still running rampant.”
“We don’t deal with petty stuff. We leave that to human authorities. We handle the truly dark scenarios, the kind involving nonhumans, true depravity, or threats to Earth.”
Her brow arched. “Nonhumans?”
“Ogres. Manticores. Actual aliens, which, let me tell you, are not like the cute little green guy you see with Bugs Bunny.”
“And what kind of threats to Earth are we speaking of?”
“Asteroid impacts. Ancient curses unearthed. Probably the freakiest one was the spider that managed to burrow its way into an atomic reactor. The size of that thing…” He shook his head in recollection. “Libra had nightmares for months after we sliced him out of the cocoon it wrapped him in. He’s on sabbatical rightnow and thinking about retiring, given his wife just gave birth to their first kid.”
“Once he leaves, does that mean no more Libra?”
“Only for a little while. Sage, she’s the one who sees the future and shit, will name a replacement. A human, who, if they accept and pass the tests, will receive the Zodiac Astral Blessing, making them special like the rest of us.”
“How come I’ve never heard of Zodiac Warriors? I mean, if you’re out there saving the world, shouldn’t there be news articles or stories or even rumors about you?”
“Our existence is kept secret to avoid issues with governments and those who would seek to destroy us.”
“So secret you couldn’t wait to tell me,” her dry reply.
“Only because I had no choice given my abrupt appearance before you. You will, of course, not mention my presence to anyone.”
“As if anyone would believe me,” she muttered before she sipped her whiskey.
Scorpio took a slug of his own before asking, “They wouldn’t, and I also don’t recommend trying to get anyone to, as then we’d have to take measures.”
“Meaning what?”
“Depends on the threat to the crew. Mind-wiping is the first thing we try. Discreditation. But personally, I find removing someone’s head to be most effective at keeping them quiet.”
He probably should have kept the last to himself because she stiffened.
“You’ve killed?”
“How else would I protect this world?”