The Martians

ARES MANGAL-GRAH

Ares regains consciousness in fits and starts, the world coming to him in fragments. Voices, distant and distorted, weave through the fog of his mind.

"Oi... he's waking... He's waking up, Kirin! I told you, Kirin. He lives, ahahaha! This is so exciting!"

The sound of footsteps, too eager, too close, sends painful reverberations through his skull. He tries to open his eyes, but the light pierces like needles, forcing him to retreat back into darkness.

He tries to move, but his body refuses to obey, his limbs feeling like lead. When he tries to speak, his mouth won't form the words, only managing a weak, incoherent mumble. Panic begins to bubble within him, his heart racing against the constraints of his unresponsive body.

The voice draws near, soothing yet with an edge of warning, "Easy now, tiger. That you're even drawing breath still is a miracle. You don't want to push it now. Just stay still and rest."

"Shush, shush, shush," the voice advises as Ares heeds it, allowing his body to relax despite his confusion.

Then the footsteps retreat, but the voice carries, "Kirin, he lives, ahahaha!"

Another voice, this one sharp and distinctly female, cuts through the air with irritation, "This changes nothing, Faraday. We still leave in three days, and judging by the looks of him, it'll be a surprise if he's fit for travel in three years."

Faraday clicks his tongue, "So pessimistic, Kirin. How many times has he subverted our expectations, eh? The guy literally fell from the sky, the freaking sky, Kirin. Then he survives that insane fall. It seems he can handle the air very well, which means he's not from Earth, and yet his lungs still forcefully take it in. Dude's like 7 feet tall, amazingly toned, I mean, look at that physique, Kirin. I'm telling you, this guy, he's super, duper special."

Kirin's voice carries a threatening edge, "Special or not, we leave in three days, and if you insist on staying with him, I'll leave you here."

Ares hears the sound of boots stomping away.

Faraday clicks his tongue again, then rushes back to Ares's side, his voice filled with excitement, "She doesn't know how special you are, ummmm, X. I'll call you X until I know your real name, Okay? So, X, heal quickly, and tell me all your hidden secrets, ahahaha," he laughs manically.

Ares's mind whirls with conflicting thoughts, his mind slowly piecing together the situation.

This Faraday, might not be entirely right in the head. Boundless energy, maniacal laughter—yeah, the man is definitely insane, he concludes.

But, despite his eccentricity, Faraday doesn't seem to mean him any harm; in fact, it sounds like he genuinely tried to help. Ares can feel the air moving freely through his lungs, though there's an uncomfortable sensation of a tube up his nose. He'll have to thank this man later and acknowledge the debt he owes him.

His thoughts quickly turn to his family —his mother, Athena, Romulus, Juno, and little Jove. Where are they?

The need to know their fate presses against his chest, his mind screaming for answers he can't yet seek.

His body, betraying his will, refuses to cooperate, forcing him into a frustrating limbo of inaction. He must wait, he tells himself, wait to heal, wait to speak, wait to find out about his family. This enforced patience claws at his resolve, the warrior in him recoiling from the idea of lying helpless while his family's fate hangs in the balance.

With that decision made, he allows himself to slip back into the welcoming embrace of sleep, his body and mind needing the rest to recover.

........................................

Ares stirs into wakefulness, a sensation of slight control creeping back into his limbs. He manages to twitch his fingers, a minor triumph that feels monumental in his current state.

He attempts to move his jaw, but it remains stubbornly locked.

His eyes flutter open for a moment, but the light is still too harsh, forcing him to close them once more. He sighs mentally, resigning himself to another bout of sleep.

But the sound of Faraday's loud, boisterous voice pierces through his intention, making Ares curse silently.

"Ah, how's my super-duper special friend doing, eh?" Faraday's enthusiasm is palpable.

Ares remains silent, not that he could respond even if he wanted to.

There's a dip in Faraday's tone, disappointment evident, "Still no improvement, huh? It's been a whole day too. What a shame."

Ares twitches his fingers again, and immediately, the excitement returns to Faraday's tone, "Hey, your fingers are twitching! That's progress! Would've been perfect if you didn't have two days left. That Kirin, too stubborn. Took everything I had to even convince her to bring you back here."

His voice lowers, a note of concern seeping through, "I have a feeling she'll actually leave me here when it's time to go. So heartless."

Faraday leans in close, his voice now a whisper directly into Ares's ear, chilling and urgent, "We need to show her more progress if we're to buy more time, okay? So, channel whatever willpower drove you to survive a fall that high, and still draw breath, and let's improve your recovery rate, shall we?"

Ares attempts to nod, but the sharp, piercing pain that follows halts him. Instead, he manages to flutter his eyelid, a small but significant signal.

Silence falls for a moment, then Faraday speaks, his voice now tinged with a sense of purpose, "I want to ask you a series of yes or no questions, X. Yes, answer with one blink. No, answer with two. Got it?"

Ares blinks once, a single, deliberate flutter of his eyelid.

"Good," Faraday says.

He asks, "Can you open your eyes?"

Ares blinks once, a single, strained flutter.

"Since you can open your eyes but haven't done that yet, I'm guessing it hurts?"

Another single blink from Ares.

Faraday sighs, "I've done everything science can, but it seems I'll have to ask that hag for help."

His tone turns grave, "Listen here, X, I'm going to do something that is usually impossible for me right now. Swallow my pride. So you better be worth it."

There's a pause, the silence stretching, as if Faraday is wrestling with his own pride. He finally speaks, his voice resolute, "Wait here."

Ares hears Faraday's footsteps receding.