by Ken Warner
Sydney had been avoiding the news like the plague, but she figured she shouldn’t have been too surprised. Those news crews were pretty much living on the street in front of her house now.
“Tell me about your boss,” she said.
“Well, I cannot say much until he authorizes me to do so. He is wealthy and powerful, and while I know the story, tales of alien abductions carry a certain stigma, no? It is not the type of thing he would want to be associated with him in the public’s mind.”
“Oh, I get it,” Sydney said with a knowing smile. “He’s worried about his reputation. Well, since the invasion, it would seem to me that stories about aliens and UFOs are no longer regarded the way they once were.”
“Perhaps,” he conceded. “But it is not my place to make that decision for him. I will speak to him on your behalf and see if he would be willing to meet you. Then he can tell you his story himself.”
“Fair enough,” she said with a nod.
“So, tell me. What is your story? Why are you involved with this?”
“It’s like I said at the meeting,” Sydney said, taking a sip of her drink. “I met a woman who spent her life investigating these abductions. She came to me for help—she knew someone was after her. And her dying request was that I find this man in San Juan. So, here I am.”
“And so that’s it, you’re doing this because of a stranger’s dying wish?”
“No, I guess it’s more than that. I mean, I was already involved, right? With everything that happened in the invasion. I mean, I know how powerful the Malor are. But to be standing there on the bridge of the Othali ship, forced to watch as they destroyed entire cities… I don’t like feeling helpless.”
“And so, taking on this investigation provides a way to take action.”
“Yeah, exactly.”
Carlos nodded his understanding.
“I will speak to my boss. I believe he will be very interested in meeting you—privately and discreetly. And in the meantime, could I interest you in a hike through El Yunque? I could show you where my abduction took place.”
“Yes, I would be very interested in that,” she replied, surprised by the invitation.
They exchanged phone numbers and agreed to meet the following morning.
“Good night, Carlos,” she said with a smile before heading back to the condo.
“Good night,” he replied. “I’ll see you in the morning.
Chapter Six: The Boss
Sydney went back to her condo but was too wired to go to bed yet. She lay out on the beach for a while, gazing at the stars and listening to the ocean waves crashing onto the shore.
Carlos seemed like he was attracted to her romantically. And she had to admit that attraction was mutual. He was “tall, dark, and handsome”—definitely her type. She’d felt butterflies in her stomach when they were at the bar as if this were some high school crush.
Sydney hadn’t been involved with anyone—seriously, at least—for a couple of years, and she preferred it this way. She cherished her independence and did not want to feel “tied down” to anyone. There was no way she was interested in a “relationship,” but hell, she decided, a little fling in paradise couldn’t hurt. She’d just have to make her intentions clear.
She slept well that night and woke up in time to take in a breathtaking sunrise over the ocean. After a little breakfast and coffee at a nearby café, she showered and got dressed for her outing with Carlos.
At nine o’clock, she met him out front.
“Good morning, sunshine,” he said with a big grin.
“Hey!”
“I was thinking, how would you feel about a little, ah, adventure before our hike today?”
“I don’t know; what have you got in mind?”
“It’s a surprise—follow me!”
“Alright, then,” she said, and they set off down the road.
“I sent my boss an e-mail, by the way,” he told her.
“Oh?”
“He said he would think about it and let me know,” he said. “But I think he’ll go for it. I told him you’ve been investigating the abductions. He knows I had an experience, too, so we’ve discussed it before. My guess is that he’ll agree to a meeting, as long as you’re willing to share information with him, too. I know he’s very curious about what happened to him.”
“Of course,” Sydney agreed. “I don’t know very much yet, but I’m certainly willing to share the info I have so far.”
“Excellent.”
They walked only a few blocks from the condo and came up to a business located on the docks. Sydney’s jaw dropped when she read the business sign.
“You’re joking!”
“You’re not scared, are you?” he chided.
“Hell no, I’m game—I’ve always wanted to go for a helicopter ride!”
They went inside, and Carlos purchased two tickets for a helicopter tour of El Yunque. Minutes later, a bus picked them up and brought them to the airport. They met the pilot and boarded the aircraft with two other couples.
“I did this once a few years ago,” Carlos told her. “You’re in for a real treat!”
“This is awesome! I’m so excited!”
The pilot made sure everyone was strapped in, went over the safety guidelines, and a few minutes later, they were in the air.
They flew along the coast, past dozens of pristine beaches, on their way to the forest. When they turned inland, Sydney could make out El Yunque mountain looming ahead, in the middle of the trees.
The pilot narrated for them throughout the tour, pointing out all the various flora and fauna in the forest. Sydney learned that El Yunque was the only rainforest in the United States. The chopper took them over the forest and came in close to a couple of dazzling waterfalls. They made a loop around the mountain peak before finally returning to San Juan.
“That was exhilarating!” Sydney told Carlos once they’d disembarked from the helicopter. “What an amazing way to see the rainforest!”
“I had a feeling you’d like it,” he said.
They took the bus back to the dock and then caught another bus down to the forest entry. Setting out along the trail, Carlos pointed out some of the exotic birds as they hiked. They passed numerous other hikers going both ways on the path. It took about two hours to make it to the peak.
There was an observation tower, and they climbed to the top of that. Only a few other people were up here. Looking out, Sydney could see across the rainforest, all the way to the sea.
“This is beautiful,” she said, beaming at Carlos.
“It is. I’ll never come here again at night, though.”
“I don’t blame you! So where were you, exactly, when you spotted the UFO?”
“Right down there,” he said, pointing to the ground. “I was lying on my blanket, gazing up at the sky. I first saw the light when I thought it was a satellite, over there,” he added, pointing to the northwest. “When it came closer, I ran down that same path we just hiked to try to get away from it.”
Sydney looked all around, but there was nothing here to indicate anything strange had ever taken place. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but whatever it was did not exist here.
“I read online that this area—the forest, in particular, has had a tremendous amount of UFO sightings over the years,” Sydney told him.
“I’ve heard that, too,” he agreed. “But that one time was the only experience I’ve ever had.”
They took in the panorama for a moment, and then Sydney found him standing much closer to her. She turned to face him and had to look up into his eyes because he was so much taller. Her butterflies kicked into high gear again.
“I was wondering,” he began hesitantly, “if you have a boyfriend back home. I don’t see a ring, so I presume you’re not married?”
“No, definitely not married,” she said, rolling her eyes. “And I’m an eligible bachelorette, to answer your first question.”
Carlos sighed wi
th relief, and his grin broadened. He moved in to kiss her, but Sydney pulled away.
“Listen, I’m only here for a short while, and I’m not too keen on the long-distance relationship thing…”
“Okay,” he said, suddenly looking more serious but waiting for her to say more.
“Just wanted to throw that out there,” she added, feeling awkward now.
“No, that’s cool,” he said, “I don’t have any expectations.”
“Good,” she whispered and leaned in to kiss him.
Carlos held her in his arms and kissed her passionately. Sydney spared only a moment’s thought for the other people at the top of the tower, throwing herself into the moment.
“I’ve wanted to kiss you since the moment I saw you at the hall that night,” he said.
“Ah, so that’s why you were staring at me,” she chided.
“I was not staring!”
“Oh yes, you were—I was afraid you might be an ax murderer or something!”
They both chuckled at that, then kissed again.
Once they’d taken in the view for a few more minutes, they climbed back down the tower. They strolled around the peak, and Sydney again kept her eyes open for anything odd about the place. Nothing stood out, though—the view was beautiful, but there was nothing here to suggest any kind of unusual activity.
They hiked back down the trail—more quickly than they’d gone on the way up, and caught a bus back to San Juan. It had been a long day, and sunset was upon them. Carlos walked her back to her condo.
“So, uh… do you want to come in?” she asked with a smile.
“Ah, I’d love to, but unfortunately, I’m busy tonight,” he replied apologetically.
“Going to see your other girlfriend?” she asked teasingly.
“No, no—nothing like that. I have to work tonight. But I will follow up with my boss and try to get you your meeting.”
“Alright, sounds good,” she said. “Call me tomorrow.”
“I will,” he replied.
They kissed, and then Carlos headed off into the city.
Sydney went inside. She changed into her bikini and went for a swim in the ocean, unable to stop thinking about Carlos. After that, she showered, ordered some take-out, and lay out on the patio until it was time to pick up her food. As she ate, she thought again that she might just have to convince Brian to relocate down here.
Sydney woke in the morning to the sound of her phone chiming. She had a message from Carlos.
“My boss has agreed to meet you!” it read. “Can you be ready in an hour?”
“Absolutely,” she typed back.
She jumped out of bed, ran to the neighborhood café for a bagel and some coffee, and then got ready.
By the time Carlos arrived, she was already out front waiting for him. But this time, he’d come in a limousine.
“Well, this is a little more upscale than the city bus,” she said, as he emerged from the back of the car.
But Carlos wasn’t smiling.
“I’m so sorry about this,” he said, worry marking his features.
“What...?” she asked.
But at that moment, two more men stepped out of the vehicle. They were huge—standing even taller than Carlos, they looked like bodybuilders. One of them grabbed her, pulling her arms behind her back.
“What the hell!” Sydney yelled, trying futilely to escape his viselike grip.
The second man bound her wrists with a zip tie and then threw a hood over her head.
Sydney screamed; it did no good. They stuffed her roughly into the car.
She heard the doors slam shut, and the tires screeched as the limousine drove away.
“What the hell are you doing?!”
One of the men shouted at her in Spanish.
“Hey—you don’t talk to her like that,” someone replied. It was Carlos. “I’m so sorry for this,” he said again. “I didn’t realize they were going to do this. My boss said he would meet you, but I guess he wants to keep his location a secret. I promise you’ll be perfectly safe…”
“I was right—you are an ax murderer!” she screamed, struggling against the zip tie.
“No, I swear—my boss only wants to talk to you. I was right; he is very interested in learning anything you might know about these abductions. But you have to understand… he’s not your normal kind of guy. He is very private. He cannot risk you disclosing the location of his compound to anyone—”
“Nobody I know would give a shit,” she shouted. “If you’d asked nicely, I would have agreed to be blindfolded. But Jesus!”
One of the other men yelled loudly in Spanish again. Carlos hollered back at him, also in Spanish.
“What the hell was that about?”
“Nothing, listen, if you’ll just settle down, I promise, nobody is going to hurt you.”
Sydney took a deep breath, trying to calm down.
“I’ll tell you what,” she said. “Untie my damn arms, and I’ll keep the hood on and come along quietly.”
“You have to swear to it,” he told her. “If you try to take the hood off, I don’t know what these guys will do.”
“Fine, I swear. I’ll keep the stupid hood on—but untie me, now!”
“Okay, stay still.”
She felt his hands on her, pulling her away from the seat. Suddenly, her hands were free. She immediately started punching any part of him she could find.
“Ow! Stop!”
He grabbed her wrists and stopped her from hitting him anymore.
“Let go!”
“Promise you’ll stop punching me!”
“Fine.”
He released her, but she punched him one more time before sitting back in the seat.
“I’ll settle up with you later,” she told him. “But you’d better realize you’ve destroyed your chances with me.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
She sat quietly for the rest of the ride, wondering where they were taking her. But it did not seem like the men in the car with her, at least, intended her any direct harm. She had to wonder what awaited her at their boss’s compound, however.
Sydney could feel the vehicle taking sweeping turns to the left and right. And her ears popped a few times as well—wherever they were going, it was up in the hills somewhere.
They rode in silence the rest of the way. Finally, the car came to a stop. She heard the doors open, and suddenly the man with the viselike grip was pulling her out through the door by one arm.
“Can I take the damn hood off now?” she demanded.
One of them removed it for her. Sydney found herself standing in front of an enormous mansion, with a dazzling view of the ocean. She was right; they were up in the mountains somewhere. The view was at least as picturesque as the one they’d enjoyed from El Yunque the other day.
“This way,” said Carlos, leading her toward the mansion. The two henchmen followed close behind.
They walked into an open foyer, with floors of marble and columns flanking a grand staircase to the upper level. Carlos led them off to the left, down a hallway, and into what appeared to be a library. The room had cathedral ceilings, and bookshelves lined three of the four walls, with rolling ladders to provide access to the books on the upper shelves.
The far wall was made up entirely of glass walls and doors and boasted a fantastic ocean view.
“If you’ll have a seat, my boss will be with you in a moment,” said Carlos. He left the room, taking the henchmen with him, and closing the door behind him. She heard a click that she was pretty sure meant he’d locked it. She gave it a moment, then tried the door handle.
Sure enough, it was locked.
She crossed the room and tried one of the doors facing the ocean—that wouldn’t open, either. They’d trapped her in here.
Sydney took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“Probably the finest prison in the whole world,” she muttered to herself.
She walked around the ro
om, scanning some of the books on the shelves. There were works about history, archaeology, physics, astronomy, art—and hundreds of fiction titles. Some of the books looked very old. Whoever had amassed this collection clearly had a love of books—not just of reading, but of the physical books themselves.
Sydney was about to pull an ancient-looking tome from a shelf when she heard a door open across the room. A man walked in, closing the door again behind him.
He was about her height and older—she guessed he must be in his sixties, at least. His body was lean, and his head was balding. He wore white linen pants and a white button-down shirt of the same material. There was a vigor to him as he walked toward her.
“Greetings,” he said without smiling. “Sydney, I presume?”
“Yes,” she replied, staying where she was. He did not tell her his name.
“Come, join me,” he said, taking a seat at a table in the middle of the room.
Sydney hesitated for a moment before sitting down adjacent to him at the table.
“I must apologize for the manner of your transit here,” he said. “But I value my privacy very highly. I will not risk giving anyone the ability to violate my sanctuary.
“Tell me… for whom do you work? A government agency, perhaps? Law enforcement?”
“No, nothing like that,” she said. “Private sector.”
Sydney was no privacy nut but knew that telling him the nature of the work Brian’s company did wouldn’t win her any points here.
“I see. What industry?”
Sydney sighed.
“No industry, per se. My boss is quite wealthy, and independently so. He chooses to spend his time exploring things that interest him. I assist him in that capacity.”
“Hmm. A kindred spirit, then.”
Sydney highly doubted that but said, “It would seem so.”
The man regarded her for a moment, then said, “I have seen you, have I not? On the television?”
“Ah, yes. I’m sure you probably have.”
For the next few minutes, he asked her about her involvement in the events surrounding the invasion. Sydney held nothing back. She wanted to find out whatever this man could tell her, and it cost her nothing to give him the whole story.
