The Lost Artifact Of Spode

27

While he knew he couldn't get away with doing nothing forever, Mel had hoped he still had days ahead of him before those conciquences caught up. That he'd be rescued from this planet before that day came.

But it was only wishful thinking. Thinking that had finally caught up to him.

Mel hadn't made it to his desk yet before he saw Imperial Xia waiting for him. He froze in his tracks at the sight, debating if he should run away to avoid the trouble that was coming. Before he could take a step, the Imperials attention snapped onto him.

It was like she sensed his presence...

Shivers fell down Mel's spine, but he didn't move.

"Look who it is!" The Imperial chimes.

"Dear, God," he cusses under his hand. "Eh, Imperial Xia."

She leans down close to his level, grtting Mel to subconsciencly take a step back. "I've been waiting all morning for you, Little Doctor!"

"Don't call me little," he scolds.

She folds her hands behind her back and slowly begins circling around Mel. The hem of her dress trailed along the floor behind her.

"I noticed you haven't made any work. Care to entertain me?"

He began to talk without thinking, saying whatever he could to get himself out of trouble. "I have been working," he lies. "Just because I haven't made noticeable progress doesn't mean I haven't been working."

"Really now?" She muses. "Care to show me, then?"

He wasn't getting out of here alive. "Of course," he spouts. He marches to his work station, doing his best not to let his anxieties drip through his confident deminure(?). However, with each step closer to his station, the harder it became for him to stay on path instead of running away.

All he could think about was how he's going to lose another eye for not submitting to the Imperial. Even losing his first one wasn't worth getting his colourblindness partially cured.

What am I going to do? Mel's thoughts cycled.

The Imperial trailed close behind Mel. Her hands folded behind her back, and an amused look plastered on her face. Once he steps to his workstation, his body went on autopilot. He pulls out his spaceheater he started keeping here.

As the giant peice of metal clinks against his table, the Imperial's face just barely twists with confusion. "And what is this for?"

He pulls the heater closer to him, pratically hugging it into his chest. "Trust me, it's important."

"Care to tell me how a 50 year old heater is important?"

"It's 50 years old?!" He demands, completely switching topics. "No wonder the hunk of junk doesn't want to work." He holds the heater above his head and peers into its insides as he continues rambling, "Well, I don't feel so bad about breaking it anymore. It was already on its last-"

"Doctor," Imperial Xia suddenly interrupts. She looms over the small human, completely casting him in a shadow. "I have asked you a question. Try to stay on topic."

"Right, sorry. Well, you see..." he sets the heater back down onto the counter, desperately searching his mind for any excuse believable enough to use to lie with. When the silence started to drag out too long, Mel decides to just tell the truth about the heater.

He finally turns his attention back to Imperial Xia. "I'm not used to this kind of cold weather. It gets hard to move my hands and I can't focus. All I can think about is warming up. Hence, the space heater."