The Future holds nothing

Only a 'Bird'

As Shinux approached the man, she noticed just how weird looking he actually was to her. Not weird, like alien, but wealthy and without anything that would sign to any battles or bad experiences in life til now. He had big, bushy eyebrows, black short hair and a long beard. Also ocean blue-grey eyes.
The way he sat was compleatly open and vulnerable; wasn't he aware at all? Afraid?

It didn't seem so.  Was it admirable, was it foolish? Shinux couldn't decide, but she didn't really know if she wanted to, given how angry it made her to see people so happy. That may sound selfish, but not if you think about just what the human race has done.
Humans have destroyed, conquered and stolen, yet they were to be found all over the universe, healthy and content, like parasites holding on to that small, yet so massive thing they call life.

She sat down across the stranger and leaned forward, supporting her weight on the table between them. She spoke quietly and cold. 
"That would be me, yes. You have a job for me, i suppose?"

The man nodded and took out a cigarette from it's holder on his belt.
When he was about to ignite it, he stopped and looked over to Shinux from under his bushy eyebrows.
"You don't mind me smoking, right?"

Shinux hesitated before she held out her own hand.
"Can i have one?"
There was silence, heavy and awkward silence between only them.
But then the man burst out into laughter, long and loud. It was a nice sound actually, a huge contrast to the usual professionalism; it sounded honest and weirdly sweet. However, it made him seem older, more tired and worn out.

"Of course you can, but be warned, that shit's strong."
He responded after a while and held out another one for Shinux, who thanked him and rubbed their fingers together until sparks flew and one of them landed on the cigarette, igniting its tip for Shinux to smoke.

She blew smoke out of her nose and relaxed further into the bench.
" 'ight," she began " So what's it 'bout..?"

"Right...well, it's not really what i want you to do, but rather what my boss wants. Do you know about those 'Birds' that's been being sightened all over the milkyway?"

Shinux froze, "You want me to go back near Earth..?"
"Yes that. . . correct..." He confirmed, laying his hands infront of him to fiddle and kned; he was nervous, Shinux could easily tell since he was obviously and openly avoiding her gaze.

The mood worsened again, only a few seconds ago so cheerful, now grim.
"What exactly is the job..?" Shinux asked, more agitation than curiosity in her voice.

She had some ideas of what they might need her for, but none of those she really liked. They probably wanted her to kill them, or maybe catch one, get a sample of their blood, their DNA; or perhaps their CNA, in case they aren't organic.

"He. . . wants you to befriend one. . ."

'Excuse me?!' Now that shocked her. They want her to befriend one of those creatures?!
With a deep inhalation from her cigarette she forced her eyes to lock on the ones of her client.

"Anything else, Sir??" She sounded slightly aggressive but mostly confused as she crossed her legs and held the cigarette more loosely to give the man all her attention.
Her client nervously kneded his hands and tried not to rip his gaze from Shinux'; "Well, actually, there is something. There are other creatures that started to invade Earth, or at least what's left of it... fact is. He also wants you to communicate with those lifeforms. Perhaps trade materials with them, learn their language and ways; get you know them y' know..?"

His voice held something close to fear as he spoke, misplaced fear probably, but clearly evident. 

But it reminded her of something; humanity on their day of doom. Or what should've been their doom, but turned out to be survivable for the smart human race.

The screams of anguish on the streets, the bleeding bodies. And the survivours crying over the loss of their loved ones.

Sometimes though, Shinux wished she hadn't been one of the survivours, everything had just gotten worse and worse since the day humans evolved and discovered space travel.
Fact for her is: humans are pest, the only thing they do is push and push, all they ever want is bigger, faster, better.

From the day that she was born, everything turned around money. There is and never was freedom, it's a huge prison. All her life she's only known prisons, first it was kindergarten then school, high school and, well, nothing more really. She was only 16 years old when scientists decided to make her life even worse.

The one thing she really fucking missed on earth was her cat, Luzifer or just Luzi for short.
Yeah, the time she found Luzi in a trashcan and decided to take her in, even though her parents hadn't even allowed her to, and wash and feed her.
The food was no problem, but the washing had turned out to be a real challange.
Luzi had wound and scratched, trying to get out of the small bathtub, she had given Shinux some scars she even now carries with more pride than that one A in math in 8th grade, that's how she was named Luzifer, the devil, her Luzi.

A sudden snapping and waving snapped her out of her thoughts and she jolted up. She must've spaced out because she only now noticed her client desperately trying to get back her attention.

"Are you still there?" He questioned. Shinux stared at him for a while, so did he. Then she sighed and waved him off. "Yeah, I'm fine, just. . .thinking." She replied thoughtfully and kinda rude. Her client took a deep breath and stood up, Sinux' eyes followed him. He reached his hand across the table and his eyes flared with newfound determination. "So, do we have a deal? Befriending a local plus 'Bird' for 1Mil.-uh- whatever currency you prefer." He gave a crooked smile at his own last few words, seeming to be actually hella nervous.
Shinux mustered him; "You have a family, right? With kids?"
"What are you-?! -ahem- Yes, i am a father, indeed." The man replied cautiously.
Shinux stood up aswell. "I'll do it, but we'll talk bout the money when i am done, we'll see what the job's actually worth when i am done, but we'll make this a deal for now."
With that said she grabbed her clients hand and squeezed it comradely.

When Shinux retracted her hand, her client quickly turned over his hand and checked it. It had hurt when Shinux had squeezed; what the hell was wrong with her? Thick blood ran out from a pierced hole in his hand and another gooey, dark green liquid seemed to disapper under his skin. Panic began to swell up from his chest, to his throat, but when he looked back to Shinux to confront her, she already had her back turned to him, about to leave.

She glanced back at him one last time, one hand in her armour's pocket, what was left of the cigarette in the other. "What did you think? There is a reason i didn't ask for your name."
Her expression and tone softened.
"Oh, and, be a good father."

Then she left, not another word was said, not another look was needed. She had made herself clear, he had understood.