Alive

The second time he came, it was to tell me something. Something he'd been keeping from me for years.

"There's something I need to show you. Something I - should've shown you a long time ago."

We went into another room that was empty and he brought up an old news feed on his tablet. It was American, from some town called Nabula. The image showed two figures. Both of them stood tall and proud. A woman with short, curly, brown hair and furry kitty ears stood with her arms folded. Beside her was a man, standing with his hands behind his back. If you could call him a man. His skin was dark and soft and his head was that of a dogs. I stared at him as I realised, not really paying attention to what the reporter was saying - Something about relentlessness - until Steev spoke and confirmed what I was thinking.

"This man is your father."

After the initial shock, my first feeling was anger as Steev explained things.

"This showed up a couple of years ago. He was setting up a base in a small U.S town, starting to put together a team. Before long, they'd built the first S.P base on this planet."

"And you never told me!"

"I know it was wrong. I told myself at the time that it wouldn't be good you knowing about each other and not being to be with each other; and that it wouldn't be good for you to be together because that would either mean he would have to abandon all the good work he was doing there, or you would've been brought up in a military environment. But there was also a selfish part of me that just wanted to keep you. I thought that by raising you, I'd be honouring your parents. Even though it brought me pain every time I looked at you."

I blinked. "So why are you telling me now?"

"Because now I might have a chance to make up for it."