Chapter 10
Sonya opened her eyes and found herself in a strange room. It was still dark outside; which was revealed by the two tiny windows strangely close to the ceiling. She stared at them as they resembled something more familiar to a prison; with the thick crossbars meeting in the middle of the window’s opening---to which they didn’t convey any kind of real opportunity to look out of them. The bed was comfortable but that was the only thing she liked about this room. As a marketing strategist at the Sorenson & Lankford firm, she’d had her share of traveling assignments and thus; hotel rooms but they always felt more accommodating to her. She immediately felt trapped inside this hotel room.
This room was locked on the outside; explained to her by Erick and Stacy as a precaution. If she needed to leave; they would notify the security detail of this and escort her to any place she needed to go. Last night she tried to rationalize this by reminding herself that she was on an alien planet. After all; she had heard of countries on her own planet that were just as authoritarian. However, something in her gut kept telling her that this didn’t add up but she had no other choice at this point but to accept what they told her. She had only been here a day and already didn’t trust the man named Erick.
Sonya’s only questions were about William. Did they have any leads on the identity of William’s abductors and where they were staying? Also, how many ALVERONS and ALVERON resources were being used to look for William? Sonya then asked about the NOBIANS and why they would take William but Erick gave a shrug and little indication that he was interested in the matter. It seemed; at least to Sonya, that her questions were pertinent to the reason why she came to ALVERON in the first place but her questions were brushed aside by Erick with half measured answers and the subject strangely shifted to her and life on her planet. Sonya began to feel helpless. That was the product of dead end answers to her questions.
Also, Stacy had mysteriously disappeared early last evening. The last thing Stacy had told Sonya was that Erick needed to speak with her and that she would be back to the room when her meeting was finished. She never came back to the room last night though and this had troubled Sonya before she fell asleep. Now, at this hour of the night, Sonya wondered if; perhaps, she had been the one abducted and William was safely at home on Earth and not taken at all.
Why hadn’t she thought of going to William’s place first before she left with Stacy? At least then she’d feel better about making this attempt to rescue him. She resolved in her mind that she had gotten caught up in the sight of the spaceship and Stacy’s strange behavior. She wasn’t afraid to die and if this was her fate; so be it, but she still burned with curiosity about why they would take her. As if kidnapping William wasn’t strange enough, kidnapping her as well seemed even stranger. Why was she chosen?
She didn’t have any true friendships or family left from her world. Devon was gone; as well as her boss and mentor, J.D. Lankford. Her parents had passed away years ago. However Sonya knew she’d still be missed. Sonya kept a high profile status among the business leaders and they will be looking for her--- if not now, soon. Obviously, they won’t find her but this will peak a great deal of curiosity with some important people. Was this what the ALVERONS intended to accomplish?
Abducting a person seemed like a strange approach to an introduction. Then her focus shifted to something sinister. Perhaps this is all random and Sonya was another unsolved missing person case among thousands during a span of decades. Was she part of some ongoing guinea pig lab experiment performed on this planet? They certainly didn’t appear to be the aliens portrayed on TV shows that her son Devon had watched. They appeared similar to humans but with slight differences that Sonya was still discovering.
Sonya got up and walked to the bathroom. She pushed a button and bright illumination flooded the entire room. There were devices on the sink countertop that Sonya concluded were too bizarre in appearance for her to touch but she then recognized a bar of hand soap, a toothbrush, toothpaste, her deodorant, a brush and cotton swabs. These personal effects enhanced her comfort, at least in the sense that she wasn’t without some of her ordinary items that she’d need to begin the day.
She then looked at herself in the large bathroom mirror; bending forward to examine the bags under her eyes. Sonya was unaware that she was being watched on the other side of that mirror at that very moment. The ALVERONS; in fact, had cameras hidden everywhere in the abnormal hotel room. Sonya looked around the space and studied it for a moment. Sonya hadn’t taken any time to look around last night as exhaustion set in and she fell into a deep sleep. In fact; her shoes were still on her feet when she awoke. Now realizing this, Sonya slipped off her shoes and then slid them with one foot closer to the bed.
Her movement stopped and Sonya stood still next to the bed. She couldn’t know for sure but the room emanated the peculiar vibe that she was being watched. And after further inspection of the room; she convinced herself that she was being watched. There was one large sized vent that looked more suitable for a storage facility than a hotel room and it was evenly situated in the middle of the room’s longest wall. It looked irregular and out of place there. The ceiling was lined with 12 x 12 square panels made of the reflective GLYSTIN metal that appeared red from the crimson material that covered the floor. Then she eyed the one door that led to a hallway outside her room. This was a thick metal door that had been locked from the outside. It did have a control panel next to it with digits displaying markings she didn’t recognize. The door that opened to the bathroom just beyond the main door to the room looked ordinary and not in the least bit challenging. As mentioned before, the two windows were small and close to the ceiling. She rubbed her hand across the wall that was opposite of the longer wall with the vent. She considered if there was someone in a room next to hers. Sonya placed her ear against the wall. Not a single noise could be heard save for a constant drip that was coming from her own bathroom sink.
She walked back into the bathroom and studied casually the walls in there; knocking on the three sides that didn’t have the door attached to it. Sonya turned the water on but mistakenly turned the knob to scolding hot. She jerked her hand in a reactive fashion; out of the water and put the sensitive flesh against her mouth. Her hand was slightly pink but within seconds; she didn’t feel any kind of burn sensation. Steam from the hot water began to fog up the mirror and fill the small bathroom. Sonya walked over to the sink and shut the water off. She took a moment and looked in the fogged up mirror then made her way back to her bed after she turned the light out but lay there with her eyes shut; not sleeping but scheming for an escape.
For the second time; while on the planet ALVERON, Sonya opened her eyes after a long but restless sleep. The sun light from the outside peaked through the tiny windows and it dimly lit her room. This time; however, it was a knocking at her door that woke her. Sonya looked over to the main door where the knocking she heard had now ceased. The door was being pushed open. Sonya froze, not sure if her behavior from earlier this morning had triggered any action by her alien host. Sonya just stared at the door as it revealed the image of the alien she met last night.
Erick stood there initially, not moving but standing under the threshold and staring at Sonya with his cold grey eyes. Their eyes locked and then Sonya broke away from Erick’s stare as it made her feel uneasy. She looked up at the panels above her, wondering what he would do at that moment. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught his movement toward the bed. Still not saying a word, he edged closer to Sonya---with his eyes remaining fixed on her. Sonya wanted to get up but at that moment, her legs and torso fell numb. Erick now stood next to the bed and directly above her.
“Sonya,” he said in an even tone, “I will need you to meet me downstairs for a briefing on William. There is a detective that would like to ask you some questions. Anything that might give us a clue as to who abducted William will make it easier to find him. I will give you as much time as you need to get yourself ready
for the meeting.”
Sonya nodded her head and Erick turned toward the door. When he reached the room’s bathroom, he stopped and turned toward her again, this time saying; “Perhaps a shower will help you get started.”
He grinned and walked out into the hallway; closing the door behind him. She heard the clap of his boots against the dense hallway floor. She laid there for a few moments, trying to understand Erick’s unnerving affect on her. She established in her mind that she needed to be careful around him---careful with her words and actions. Sonya couldn’t know for sure if he suspected her suspicion of him and the ALVERONS. It had to be made perfectly clear that she was going along with their ruse until she found out what was really going on. It also became apparent that she had the best chance of surviving this if she went downstairs and spoke to the detective and Erick. She would give them what they expected to hear.
Sonya really didn’t know much about William other than what her contact with him at work had revealed. She had contemplated having drinks with some of her coworkers; William included, but never got around to asking anyone. He seemed like a normal guy; albeit young and rough around the edges for the corporate environment. That wasn’t anything she had found strange or suspicious though. She practiced this and other things she’d say about William before she made her way downstairs to speak with the detective.
She looked at the bathroom and the thought of Erick possibly on the other side of that mirror watching her as she showered made her sick. She went to the sink and splashed some water on her face; brushed her hair and teeth then walked to the main door. As far as she knew; the only way of requesting an escort downstairs was by knocking on the metal door that kept her locked inside the room. There were no telephones or computers; standard communication devices on Earth, to let anyone know she was ready to leave. After a few knocks, she heard the clapping footsteps approaching her door. The door opened---it was Stacy.
She looked different though. Her hair was not the tangled blond mess that she wore on Earth but now straight and sleek with a raven black color---as dark as Sonya’s hair. Her eyes looked colder and dark as coal. She wore a shiny, metallic looking robe that was closed with a black sash around her waist.
“I’ll be your escort today Sonya,” Stacy said in a matter of fact tone.
Sonya nodded her head. “Great,” Sonya said while studying Stacy to see if any part from the Earth version of her still existed.
The two walked side by side; quietly down the hallway which then led to an elevator. Sonya wasn’t sure what to say as to not reveal her suspicion of her and Erick; other than talk about William---so she did.
“My hope is that it’s not too late for William; that is, I hope William’s captors haven’t killed him already. I have to believe that time is precious, like in any abduction case. What do you think Stacy?”
Stacy didn’t answer at first but then after a moment to consider the statement said; “the abductors are not going to kill him but rather wish to learn from him and then use him. You needn’t worry about whether or not he is alive because he is worth more to the NOBI’S alive than dead.”
Somehow Sonya could hear the hidden meaning in this message that applied to her---making Sonya all the more uneasy around Stacy. After all, Sonya trusted her and it would be Stacy’s betrayal that hurt Sonya more than anything an ALVERON on this planet could do.
They reached the ground floor where she immediately saw Erick and a shorter, stockier alien that had a long brown mustache that went over his upper lip. The mustache fit in nicely on the round, rosy cheeked face. He was soon introduced by Erick as detective WALDBEREN.
“He was chosen for this assignment because he was the best agent in the LOMMETRUS galaxy;” Erick said.
WALDBEREN interjected a comment at this, “We are not used to seeing a human this far out. The NOBIANS must be desperate for eligible test cases.”
The story was beginning to sound more ridiculous to Sonya by the minute but she bit her tongue then asked, “What was it about William that made him so attractive to kidnappers on NOBI?”
“That’s a fair question and we’re going to use all our resources to find that out. First, I want to ask you some basic questions about William. Does he have any living relatives?”
Sonya knew William had two parents in the little farm community he grew up in. In fact, he had showed her a picture that he pulled from his desk of them; one day after a successful account closing. The picture was of two people that stood in front of a farm house. The farm house was picturesque with the front porch and swing that invited images of long evenings spent in conversation and entertainment. The man was in overalls and the woman was in a yellow summer dress. What especially caught Sonya’s attention were their faces. They truly looked happy as if; not posing for a picture, but rather, these were natural expressions. This image of happiness made her sad as thoughts of her own parents surfaced. Then Devon’s image pushed into Sonya’s thoughts. Part of her died when these important people in her life passed on.
She answered WALDBEREN’S question as best she could. He countered by asking if William was ever perceived as a danger or risk to himself or to others. Sonya found this line of questioning strange as the real perceived threats should be the NOBIANS. It was midway through her answer to WALDBEREN’S question that she realized what they were actually asking. Would William be a threat to them? Could he be here, on this planet and they don’t know where he’s at? A glimmer of hope flashed across Sonya’s face but she didn’t give Erick or WALDBEREN any indication that something was brewing in her mind. A few more questions followed about the type of work he did for the company which led into Sonya being asked about her involvement with Sorenson & Lankford. She knew the investigator was only asking her the questions for Erick but she answered them anyway. She started to talk about some of their; hers and Williams, big accounts over the past year. Sonya wasn’t sure if this was the information they were looking for and she did really care. She just needed to buy time to figure all of this business out.
The lobby of the hotel was crowded. Sonya didn’t appear to look out of place among all the ALVERONS as her appearance was similar to those in the lobby. In fact, she wondered if Erick, Stacy and detective WALDBEREN were the only ones there who knew she was from a planet that was billions of miles away. She had a life on this planet; the third planet from her sun, something that nobody in this room, with the exception of Stacy, could relate to.
Erick and detective WALDBEREN were in a discussion now and Stacy had left the three of them and walked outside after Erick whispered something in her ear. Sonya sat on a chair, in front of a GLYSTIN metal short table that had a tray of food on it. A hotel worker brought the tray out for Sonya while she was being questioned. A delicious array of fruit and breads were on it and Sonya didn’t waste time feeding herself. She was famished but also took notice of a cutting device for her fruit and bread that wasn’t as dull as a knife for spreads and seemed adequate for cutting into the wall of her bathroom. She quickly concealed the knife in her jacket and cautiously looked toward Erick, hoping that he hadn’t caught a glimpse of her hiding it. He appeared absorbed in his conversation with the detective. She scanned the room, studying the ALVERON crowd and their movements.
So many uncanny similarities to what she’d see on Earth. However, someone did catch her eye sitting across the room at roughly twenty feet from where she was sitting. It was a female; a beautiful female with short black hair. The woman was in a striking green pant suit that gave the added impression of having a radiant metallic quality to it. Sonya wished she could find one of those outfits on her planet.
The woman also had a device in her hand that resembled the tracking device Stacy showed her on Earth. This is what actually caught Sonya’s stare. The women then locked eyes with Sonya and proceeded to pull something from her jacket pocket with her other hand. Sonya looked at WALDBEREN and Erick to make sure they weren’t looking at her. Her gaze quickly darted back
to the women who revealed something familiar and unique to Earth; it was a SmOreBar wrapper in her hand. It took a few seconds for this to register but Sonya caught the message and looked at Erick who was still wrapped in discussion with WALDBEREN.
So William is here; she thought. She looked back in the direction the women had been sitting but she was now gone. Curiosity now burned inside her as she wondered whether she needed William now more than he needed her.
Sonya then perceived Erick and WALDBEREN as agitated with one another at the moment Stacy walked in. Stacy handed Erick a GLYSTIN metal device who then handed it to WALDBEREN. Detective WALDBEREN looked at it and then nodded his head. Stacy motioned for Sonya and the two headed back upstairs.
Sonya broke the silence between her and Stacy by saying in a somewhat more cheerful tone than she intended, “I hope I was helpful to the detective and Erick.” Stacy’s gaze fixed on Sonya at this.
She replied, “I’m sure you were,” and then looked straight ahead without saying another word.
Sonya and Stacy then approached the room. Next to the door was a metal device that Stacy put her hand over and the lock on the door was released. Stacy pushed the door open and stepped to the side for Sonya to walk through. Sonya walked in a few steps and then turned toward the entryway to ask Stacy something but the metal door was now shut.
The LOMMETRUS Chronicles: Book One: The Abduction of William Baxter Page 11
