Symbiosis by Aric Merchant
This story originally appeared in Alien Dimensions #6
Mac checked that his breather was firmly attached and covering his nose and mouth, then he stepped into the airlock. The door behind him closed and there was a strong breeze as the air was cycled out of the small room and replaced with exterior atmosphere. The outer door opened and Mac stepped through.
A thin layer of purple-green moss padded the ground around the house and added a spring to his step. The sky was overcast, as it was most days, but the temperature was ideal. It was the perfect day to play outside. He and his friend Zol would not let it go to waste.
Mac took a deep breath, hearing the usual soft hum as the atmosphere passed through his breather. He lifted his left arm and tapped the black band around his wrist. The DataCuff painted his forearm with hundreds of points of laser light. The readout told him the breather had more than enough power for a full day outside. For a moment, he considered how lucky he was to be alive at this time. When he had been born, only eleven years earlier, a human could not have walked around the surface of Aeolus with only a breather. Fortunately for him, the terraformation process was achieving great success. There were still toxic gases in the air and not enough oxygen to support a human, but within a few years that would change.
The terraforming and colonization of Aeolus was a joint venture between humans and an alien race. They were properly known as Xeno-Annelids, but, this phrase does not roll off the human tongue. So, the extraterrestrials were commonly called Zed Worms. Although, not usually to their “leading” proboscis.
Humans and Zed Worms could terraform and share this world amicably because they could breathe the same atmosphere. Although they did so from opposite directions. Humans took in oxygen and exhaled carbon dioxide. Zed Worms breathed in CO2 and breathed out O2. Together the two species and the creatures they had each brought from their home worlds could form the same atmospheric cycle plants and animals had back on Earth. This had given rise to the false perception among some humans that the Zed Worms were a mobile plant, but they were not. “Plant” and “animal” were categories that had arisen in Earth life. As extraterrestrials, the worms could not be truly placed in either category.
After a short walk, Mac arrived at the home of Family Unit 87C. He repeated the airlock procedure he went through every time he entered or left any building in their village. The worms could breathe the planet’s atmosphere without any assistance, but this family often had human guests so they kindly kept their internal air consistent with human needs.
The inner door opened and he stepped into the house. Mr. 87C was in the central room typing at a keyboard. Like all adult worms, Zol’s father was long and narrow. Half his body meandered around the floor, bracing the other half which stood erect at the desk. One end of his body came to a point, but the typing end was forked into five prongs, which he used to manipulate objects like the keyboard.
Mac had never seen an Earth snake, but he’d heard adults compare the worms to them. Snakes were much more fragile than the worms, however. The Zed Worms could twist themselves into seemingly any shape and hold it. Zol had once coiled up and had mac stand on top of him. Then, the worm has stretched out, effortlessly carrying Mac up like an elevator.
A series of clicks came from Mr. 87C. A moment later the house’s computer translated, “Zol is in his room, he will be out momentarily.” Mr. 87C never turned away from his desk or paused his typing.
“Thanks.” Mac said. The computer did not translate his words into clicks. Mr. 87C worked for the colonial governing council, which was equally staffed by humans and worms, so Mr. 87C had long ago learned to understand human speech unaided.
Zol emerged from his room and slithered towards Mac. As a juvenile, Zol’s body was not forked like his father’s. Both ends came to a point, which were impossible for Mac to distinguish unless Zol was moving, “head” first. Mac had learned not to talk to either end directly when Zol was stationary, lest he forget which end was which and accidentally address his friend’s backside.
“It feels great outside,” Mac told his friend. “Let’s go!”
Zol and his father exchanged a few clicks which were not translated, then he followed Mac to the airlock. Once outside, Zol stretched out to his full length, something he could not do in the confines of their residence. Then, his body formed a corkscrew-like shape and began rolling. Mac assumed he was enjoying the feeling of the moss underneath him.
Zol clicked and Mac’s DataCuff provided a translation. “Indeed, the conditions are optimal today. What shall we do today?”
Eventually they would learn each other’s languages in school, but for now they made do with the translations.
“I wanted to climb the rocks at Geo Hill.” Mac offered.
Geothermal Hill was a mound of rock and dirt not far from their village that rose out of the otherwise flat landscape. Its uneven and rocky surface was ideal for climbing to anyone with the inclination
Zol’s head end nodded, one human nonverbal cue he had managed to learn. Technically, Geo Hill was off limits, for safety reasons, but Mac had anticipated that this fact would not bother Zol. The two had a history of bending the rules from time to time. They set off towards the Hill.
From the village, Geo Hill is just a grey splotch on the distant horizon, but as they approached, its many features resolved in their view. It was hundreds of meters high and generally dome-shaped. Its base was ringed with large boulders. For Mac, it brought to mind the image of a ring of icy meteorites around a gas giant. The peak of the hill was capped with a large mechanical structure. The hill was artificial, formed by material that had been displaced when the large mechanism was driven deep into the bedrock. It was part of the terraforming project. Geothermal energy and trapped gases were being released into the atmosphere by the structure.
“I bet we can reach the fence within two hours.” Mac said as they reached the outer edge of the ring of boulders. He pointed to the fence around the structure. Even from that distance he could make out signs saying “No Trespassing” in multiple languages. Mac would be satisfied if they climbed high enough to reach the fence. If they were caught climbing the hill it would mean chastising from their parents. Getting caught on the other side of that fence would mean trouble with colonial authorities.
Mac broke into a run and leapfrogged over a small boulder. Zol coiled up and began to bounce from one to the next like a spring. After a minute, they arrived at the bottom of Geothermal Hill. Mac scanned the jumble of stones and hardened dirt until he found what appeared to be the best path up to the summit. Then he grabbed ahold and began to climb. His breather hummed more loudly as his breath quickened.
Zol stretched out and wrapped around a rocky outcrop, then pulled himself upward, easily passing by Mac.
“Show off.” Mac wheezed as he continued to climb. A few minutes later, he looked back down and was disappointed to see he had only ascended about ten meters.
A loop of Zed Worm body came down in front of Mac from a higher rock outcrop. He took ahold and was lifted upward to the ledge where Zol was waiting. Together, they continued to climb. Zol lifted Mac two more times when he got winded before they finally reached what Mac guessed was about the halfway point of their climb.
He tapped his DataCuff. He still had power in his breather and the weather forecast had not changed. Onward they would go. He had been right in his guess that half the climb would take them about an hour. He predicted that descending would be faster than ascending, which would give them plenty of time to get home before they were missed.
The ledge where they had stopped was not very wide. Zol was coiled up and resting nearby. Mac stepped out to the edge so he could look back and see more of the path ahead of them. As he turned back towards the hill, he turned too quickly and lost his balance. His foot moved to try to compensate, but there was no ground below it. As Mac slipped over the edge, he saw Zol begin to uncoil and reach out for him, but his friend was not fast enough.
Well, Mac had not been wrong about the descent being faster, he thought as he tried to ignore the pain coursing through his body. Tears streamed from his eyes. He still had feeling in his extremities, since they felt as if they were on fire. He tried to tell himself that was a good thing. His fingers and toes all wiggled. He wasn’t paralyzed. But he could end up that way if he tried to get up and found he had a broken back.
He got his right hand moving enough to lift it from the ground. If he could activate the DataCuff, it could do a preliminary medical scan and tell him if it was safe to try to stand. His right hand found his left wrist… and the remains of the DataCuff. The strap was clinging to him by only a few threads and the electronics had been shattered by his fall. There was no way to assess his injuries or to contact their village.
Zol appeared at Mac’s side. He clicked frantically, but without the DataCuff the worm’s language was meaningless to Mac.
“Go… get help.” Mac said. The words were painful to produce. His lungs were starting to burn. Zol did not respond. He was not able to understand Mac either. “You have… to get help.” Mac tried again, pointing in the direction of their village. Zol shook his leading end, apparently understanding this time, but refusing to leave Mac. “I’ll… be…” But his lungs burned too much for him to finish the sentence.
Zol’s leading end moved to Mac’s feet. Then, the alien began to wind his way around Mac’s body. Mac had heard of snakes doing this back on Earth, to kill prey. But, Zol was not constricting. He had a firm hold on Mac, but applied no more pressure than seemed necessary. After a moment, Zol was wrapped around Mac all the way to his neck. Then, the worm’s body began to ripple and undulate, and they began to move. They slunk between boulders, and down rock faces. Mac’s body cried out in pain from the movement, but he could not find the breath to object. Clearly Zol was determined to carry him down the hill, maybe all the way back to the village.
Mac closed his eyes and waited for the motion to stop. After a few minutes, it did. The ground was level below him. Zol then eased his hold on Mac. But instead of letting go completely, Zol extended portions of his body around each of Mac’s arms and legs.
“Wait… You’re not going to…” And then they were standing. A fresh wave of pain swept through Mac’s body. He reassured himself that the pain meant his spine was still intact. Manipulated by Zol, they began taking slow methodical steps. Left foot, right foot. Left foot, right foot. They were not progressing quickly, but Zol was clearly determined not to abandon Mac. He appreciated that, but wished his friend could have found a less painful way to move him. They retraced their earlier steps leading out of the ring of boulders.
Left foot, right foot. Left foot, right foot.
It had taken them about thirty minutes to walk to the Hill. At this rate, Mac guessed it would take them over an hour to get back. With the DataCuff in pieces no one back home was likely to know they were in trouble. They would be walking until someone from the village was able to see them. The walk would probably feel much longer to Mac, he thought, as the pain flared with each step.
The burning in his chest got worse and soon Mac found it hard to draw another breath.
“Zol…” He gasped. “Zol… I think my…” Yes, he was certain of it. His breather had been damaged in the fall. He was able to draw a painful breath through it, but there was no sound as it passed through the device. He was breathing Aeolian atmosphere. He had thought his light headedness was due to pain, but now he realized he was losing consciousness from lack of oxygen.
Zol had also realized something was wrong. He paused their walking and seemed to be listening to Mac’s gasps. Zol lowered him onto the ground and examined Mac’s breather. He apparently also concluded that it was broken and he removed it from Mac’s head. Mac could draw faster breaths without it, but that did not make the air he breathed any less toxic.
The worm hovered over him, considering their next move. Then, Zol turned away from him. The worm clicked, then, made a series of strange sounds Mac had never heard from a Zed Worm before. His body shook several times and Mac began to get worried.
When his alien friend turned back towards him, Zol’s leading end had changed. It had forked. Mac did not know at what age this was meant to happen, but he didn’t think Zol was old enough for that yet. Maybe he wasn’t, Mac considered. Maybe Zol had forced it apart like a human child yanking out a baby tooth that was not ready to come out on its own. The split had clearly been painful. Mac didn’t understand why Zol would do such a thing.
Then, the Zed worm’s leading end lunged at Mac’s face. His impulse was to cry out at the unexpected contact, but he didn’t have the breath. Mac felt the bizarre sensation of Zol inserting his two-pronged proboscis into Mac’s nostrils. Then, the worm was inside his nasal passages. Mac instinctively tried to reach up and claw away the intrusion, but Zol was still wrapped tightly around his body and did not let him move.
Suddenly, Mac was breathing. Or rather, Zol was pushing air into his lungs. Slowly, in and out. In and out. After a few deep breaths, Mac no longer felt like he was on the verge of passing out. Their shared breath stuttered a few times as Mac’s body tried to resume breathing independently, but then the two of them found a natural rhythm. As his head cleared, Mac realized what Zol had done. Zol was giving him oxygen. Mac was giving him carbon dioxide. Symbiosis.
In and out. In and out. They lay on the moss breathing together for several minutes. Then, Zol began to move once again, apparently satisfied that his friend’s respiration was stable. Together, they stood upright and resumed their march. They continued to share breaths as they went.
Mac could see the outline of their village on the horizon. But the direction Zol was carrying them was now about thirty degrees off. Zol could not see where he was going with his “head” end in Mac’s sinus cavity. The flat landscape did not offer any obstacles, but by the time they covered the distance to the village this heading would carry them too far away for anyone to see them. Mac flexed his left arm to try to indicate a course correction. After a few moments, Zol took his meaning and altered their trajectory. Mac had to course correct three more times, but they eventually got themselves on a direct path home.
Their return trek took over an hour, Mac guessed, but a medical team met them a few hundred meters from the edge of the village. Someone must have spotted them coming and realized there was a problem. Mac tried to imagine how bizarre they must have looked, like some sort of shambling Zed Worm/Human hybrid.
The medical team tried to uncoil Zol, but he refused to let go. Once his forked proboscis was pulled free of Mac’s body they replaced it with a standard oxygen mask. When Zol saw this, he relaxed and they placed him on his own stretcher. He was bunched up into a messy knot rather than the coiled shape in which he usually rested. He must have been very tired from carrying them both all the way back. Perhaps Mac’s lungs had not supplied him with enough carbon dioxide.
A nurse saw Mac’s concern and reassured him that they would both be okay. Their stretchers were loaded into an ambulance and they were carried towards the colonial hospital. As they lay on their stretchers a loop of Zol’s body reached over to Mac and wrapped itself around his hand.
Zol gave his hand a slight squeeze as if to say, “I’m still here, My Friend.”