Alienation

by S E Anderson

  “How's that for new sensations?” I snapped, as he cried out, clutching the appendage. “Don't mess with Earth girls.”

  “What the Veesh?” Mal barked, clutching his bloody nose. “You hit me!”

  “I was defending myself.” I marched to the door and threw it open, glad the idiot had left it unlocked, and abandoned Mal to gather his senses. I wasn't going to pity him.

  Out in the hallways, Sonota was waiting, his eyes wide, tattoos swirling rapidly on his head. Mal rushed past him without a word or even a look.

  “What the hell just happened?” Sonota asked, cocking his head to the side.

  “You don't need to know,” I replied, unclasping my hands from my skirts. It was no time to relax, but I had to get my pounding heart to slow down or risk losing it completely. “I need a purse. And maybe a thumb drive with a certain pile of codes.”

  “Well, that was a thrill to see,” Sonota said, leaning into the room and taking in the scene before closing the door. He shook his head, smiling, and let out a small chuckle, a sharp rasp at the back of his throat. “He's going to be mad, you know.”

  I rolled my eyes. “He can handle it. He's got to be used to rejection by now.”

  “Not Mal.” Sonota pointed through the floor, taking me back out toward the staircase. “The boss man. He thought you'd be a nice treat for the boy. Now he’ll have to pay him actual money.”

  “Oh, come on, are you kidding me?” I stopped, and Sonota's gaze turned cold. He issued me forward with a jerk of his head. “He can't be serious. I thought you said we were in a rush?”

  “He thought you two could squeeze a minute into your schedule.”

  “A minute?”

  “What? Is that too long for you?” he asked, casually curious. “Does it take that long for your kind?”

  “Excuse me?” I snapped.

  “You Earthlings are weird,” he said, and pushed no further.

  I shuddered. If Maakuna thought I could be traded and sold that way, then I truly was less than nothing to him. I would have to succeed tonight and slip out before he drew me back into his so-called family. I knew he had power, but I wasn't sure how much weight his word had. I personally didn't trust him as far as I could throw that giant, bulbous creature.

  We went back to the landing where Itzi was waiting for us, casually chatting with the woman from the stairs. She took off by the time I reached them, slipping out of the hallway and into one of the dark rooms.

  “Right, time to plan a heist.” Itzi winked at me. “Did you have fun?”

  “What?”

  “She punched him in the nose.” Sonota laughed. “So, really, I'm the one who ended up having a good time.”

  Itzi's face broke into a huge grin, and he laughed too. “Oh, oh, this is too good! Did you hit him nice and hard?”

  “He was bleedin',” Sonota cheered.

  “That's incredible.” Itzi slapped me on the back, hard, like I was one of the guys. The skin screamed under his touch, but I forced a smile. “That kid had it coming. The way he scribbles those marks on his face, like he's evading the cameras? Why the fuck would they be looking for a prissy, middle-band rebel like him?”

  Right about then, Mal stepped down the stairs onto the landing. There was a terse moment of silence as the three men eyed each other, ignoring me completely. Finally, Itzi and Sonota broke into laughter again. Mal stormed out the front door, slamming it behind him.

  “Good for you,” Sonota said squeezing my shoulder a little too tight. “You probably made more of a man out of him today than he was expecting.”

  “Yeah,” Itzi added. “Though a swift kick could have done the same. I was all for shooting him.”

  “The boss isn't going to be happy,” Sonota pointed out.

  “So what?” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. My back smarted as I forced my spine straight and tall. “Mal won't tell him anything about this. He's a coward. He won't admit to not getting an easy lay that was handed to him on a plate, will he?”

  Both men laughed at this, slapping my back one after the other. I guess this earned their trust or something. Go, man talk!

  The bruise screamed at me. I told it to shut up.

  “Right, come on,” Itzi said, finally, opening the double doors behind him. They opened onto a conference room with a large steel table covered in maps and odd trinkets. He instructed me to sit down.

  “Now, your job is to get to the ICP and implant this code into its matrix,” he said bluntly, handing me what looked like a thick fridge magnet. “Do you know how this works?”

  “No?”

  He sighed, looking at his partner, who shrugged. With exaggerated gestures, he took the magnet back, held it up in front of my eyes, then stuck it to a small donut shaped box that sat on the table. And, just like a magnet, it stuck.

  “There, now you're in the system,” Itzi said. “Is that too hard for you, or should I do the tutorial again?”

  I scowled at him and ripped the magnet off the donut. “I've got it.”

  “Good,” Sonota said, a smile creeping up his pale features. “We're putting the chip into this pocket mirror. Being as you're a girl, no one will suspect anything with you carrying it around.”

  “Right, because vanity is a feminine trait on every planet.”

  “Veesh, relax, Earth-wad,” Sonota snapped, taking the magnet from my hand and putting it into a mirror. “Smile a little. It's just a stereotype.”

  I found myself losing my patience more and more with these two. Maybe Tchilla was right. Maybe I needed to be more patient, but I just wanted to get out of this place as quickly as I could.

  “Now, you're going to enter here.” Sonota pointed to a spot on the map. As he touched what I thought was paper, it suddenly came to life. The lights of the room dimmed as the glowing 3-D layout of the palace rose in the air before me. I held my breath. Sonota pointed to a gate outside the building, in front of an empty lawn. “You're going to have to socialize tonight,” he continued, “and you know nothing of the royal ways. We were hoping the person we got would be more familiar with Da-Duhuian etiquette, but you'll have to do. Just ... remind everyone you're new, and they should extend foreign leniency. Got that?”

  “Tell everyone I just got here from Earth. Got it.”

  “Good.” He smiled one of those false grins with his sharp shark teeth. “Avoid the Travoshella at all costs. You are not worthy of their presence. The signal will be a waiter with a green mask, on the north lawn. He’s one of ours and will let you in.”

  “At that point,” Itzi said, taking over the relay, “head around the back side of the palace. Do not let yourself be seen. You got that? Do. Not. Be. Seen. Hide in the shadows. You get caught back there, you'll have to lie through your eyeballs to get out. Actually, from that point on, that should be the general rule of thumb.”

  “Seems logical,” I said, taking a page from Spock's book. Just sit there, nod, speak with poise. If anyone knew how to behave it would be the crew of the Enterprise. Too bad I didn't have any federation training.

  “The kitchen entrance is hidden here,” Sonota continued, pointing to the map with a lean fourth finger, “and that's your way in. Our man will leave the door open for you. It’s a change in course, so most in the kitchen will be distracted. Now, you need to make it past the staff, but then the palace should be clear. Use the servant passages to get around. Take a little time to memorize them before we go. You're going to have to find your way to the ICP's main room, which is here.”

  In the middle of the map was a room with only one entrance and exit, and you had to climb through floors and floors of the most important building on the planet to get to it. He reached his hand into the hologram to show me this one. It was at the exact center of the palace, as if the place were a safe, not a building.

  “No guards?” I asked.

  “Only electrical,” Sonota explained, “and we'll have them covered.”

  “That's why you have to wait for the waiter, du
mbass,” Itzi added.

  “Also, hand them over,” his partner said.

  “What?”

  “The smoke bombs.” He held out a hand, raising his eyebrows slowly. “I scanned you. If I can spot them, then so will the gate guards. So, hand them over, or you're not going anywhere tonight.”

  “Except maybe back in a room with Mal-child. Heyo!”

  I fumbled for the secret pocket at my hip and pulled out the small black pellets. I could run, I thought to myself. I could throw them right now and dash out of the room. I could grab a car and drive my way out of here. But before I could try anything, Sonota snatched them from me and put them down, hard, on the table. He handed me a replacement for them—a small, red purse.

  “Don't you lose this,” he added, as an afterthought. “The drive is inside the collapsible mirror, and the invite is on this cuff.” Before I saw it coming, he snapped a metal bracelet around my arm. It pinched, hard.

  I looked down at the copper ring. How was this meant to be an invite? It was more like a shackle. It didn't appear as if it would come off easily.

  “And this is a loaner,” Itzi said, tossing me a heavy crystal necklace. I caught it from the air and slipped it on, without even looking at what it was. It was damn heavy, that was for sure. I hung it above the Theosian’s light-in-a-bottle. “The boss man wants it back. Once you've finished the mission and placed the chip in the computer, meet us outside in the parking lot. You'll return the necklace, and we, in return, will drive you anyplace you need to be. You can even keep the dress.”

  I nodded slowly, biting down hard on my molars. They were taking a bit of a beating tonight.

  “Okay,” I agreed.

  I pushed myself up and studied the map. The palace looked large, with more rooms than I could count. It would be easier to memorize a single route than the entire layout. I would have to take a right here, a left there, go up a few floors and back down one to get around a pesky bedroom. I hated the fact that I was putting my life into the hands of two men I trusted less and less.

  “Hurry up, then let's get going,” Sonota said. He sighed. “We want to be fashionably late, but no later.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  WEbBer, Sally Webber; Interstellar woman of mystery

  There was no point in delaying the inevitable.

  We stepped outside into the darkness. Being this far down in the buildings, the sun set earlier, I guessed. Then again, I had lost track of time entirely, not that I ever had a concept of it on this planet.

  There was a stretch limo parked along the street—a long hovercar as classy as a ‘50s Chevrolet, a deep chrome color reflecting the lights that bounced off it. Sonota ushered me inside, neither gently nor gruffly, a sort of neutral indifference in his pose that told me he didn't care about anything this evening, except maybe carrying out his boss's wishes.

  The windows were tinted, so dark I couldn't see a thing outside. For that, I was incredibly thankful; I didn't want to see the plunging depths anymore. I had pushed myself enough with those already.

  We began to rise, drifting upward this time rather than taking the vertical angle. I guessed some people could afford better cars, and Maakuna seemed like he could afford the best.

  I hit the light on the ceiling, basking the car in a soft red glow. The compartment was closed, Itzi and Sonota having the partition raised to block me. That was fine. It gave me time to breathe.

  I held up the cuff on my arm—an invitation to a ball, the most prestigious event of the year, the mayor's birthday. A party, and you know how I feel about parties. The copper shone in the red light, and I wondered how I would feel about this if I had been born and raised in Da-Duhui. I suspect I would have been over the moon, not that they had a moon, but right now, my stomach was tied in knots, and all I could think about was getting home.

  Did I mention I don't like parties?

  Though, admittedly, part of me was excited, at least a tiny bit. I had never been to a reception this fancy, and going to one on an alien planet, no less? It was somewhat sensational. Not to mention that I was well dressed, wearing an expensive gown and gorgeous jewelry, and expensive—

  Crap. I wasn't wearing any shoes.

  Should I say something? I scooted up the seat to the partition. Was it worth bringing it up? It was too late now, after all. And if no one had noticed yet, maybe they wouldn't notice at all.

  We stopped rising, and the car eased to a stop. Not a very long ride. When Itzi opened my door, I saw why: the mayor's palace was on top of the same building Maakuna's HQ was in, the same gorgeous mansion I had stared at from the restaurant the night before.

  "Right," Itzi said, or was it Sonota? He put a hand on my shoulder to restrain me. "You've got the maps of the palace in mind, right?"

  "Yup." I nodded.

  "Remember to look for our signal before you go in there," he said, patting his breast pocket. It was not empty. "We'll distract security for you."

  "Look, I know what to do," I said coolly. "Trust me."

  "Wannabe," Itzi coughed into his hand. His partner sniggered.

  I slipped out of the car onto soft grass. Perfect. My toes dug into the earth and clenched together nervously. The golden gown covered them well, and if anyone asked, I'd just say it was a Terran thing. Got away with it before.

  "Go have fun, kid," Itzi said jokingly. I still couldn't tell if he meant it in a nice way or not. I had only met him a few hours ago.

  For those of you with me since the beginning, you know I am not a person who enjoys parties. Not large ones, at least. Or parties where I don't know anyone. Or parties I have to dress up for. This party hit every single one of those boxes, and I was dreading it. But if it would get me out of here, I would bear it.

  I walked toward the crowd gathering outside the gates of the building. They were all dressed as good as or better than me in gorgeous robes from every corner of the galaxy, a slew of humans, humanoids, and creatures so entirely new my vocabulary was too small to describe them.

  There was a sentient cloud, though. They were shifting through shades of blue as they floated through the crowd toward the gate. A hovering copper cuff identical to mine hovered inside its girth. It slipped into the grounds with ease.

  The line moved quickly. Only briefly there was a zap and a quick scream, someone trying to sneak in sans invite. A force field had appeared to block them, and now security was dealing with the party crasher, shoving us to the side and blocking off a section of the gate. I swallowed, hoping my bracelet was the right kind.

  I guessed it was, though, because I walked in without any kind of fuss. I heard a small beep but that was it, and I was suddenly at the foot of the most beautiful building in the universe.

  It stood as tall as St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, an incredible feat of engineering perched atop the gigantic skyscrapers of the city, making me wonder how the crumbling foundations of the Undercity could hold up such a massive weight. The palace was lit with stunning colors, the front held up by impossibly tall columns, the roof a large white pyramid with a smooth, domed top. I held my breath at the stunning beauty of it all.

  On the front lawn, the party was in full swing. I stood in a lavish courtyard, packed with people from all corners of the galactic arm, chatting and mingling gaily to the sound of a heavy electronic beat. Bubbles in hundreds of different hues drifted across the grass casting an eerie glow, like they weren't filled with air but something different.

  Some of them were larger, as big as me and bigger still, and inside were dancers, people with too many limbs, holding striking poses and unperturbed by the fact that they were rising above the crowd and the city. The bubbles never seemed to pop. The dancers wore fitted green body suits, adapted to their unique physiologies. In sync, there was a twitch from the appendages over their shoulders, and I realized with a jolt that the wings that stuck out the back were real and not part of the costume.

  The rest of the crowd was just as varied as the pack I had followed in. Som
eone who looked like a giant quartz man stood fifteen feet tall and was stuffed into an expensive, yet ill-fitting suit, just to my left, was in deep conversation with a woman who looked human to me.

  And all around us, there were trees. Actual trees. The first trees I had laid eyes on in days. They grew strong and tall out of the ground, garlands of light strung between them, like someone had put miniature stars on a string. I couldn't see any bulbs, yet the lights twinkled and sparkled. And, the closer I looked, I noted there were no strings there either. They were arranged to give off the impression that something held them together, but, no, they just hovered.

  The courtyard was packed, all the lavish guests chatting to the sound of the strange pulsating music. In one corner of the party, colored vapor was sprayed into the air in time with the music, making the whole thing seem a little more artistic. Maybe it was a performance piece, but along with the bubbles and the lights, it felt a little overkill.

  And speaking of overkill, the women wore dresses more inspired than the next, with strange geometric shapes and sometimes with a hat. Some dresses pushed the limits of public decency—and the laws of physics—with their interesting take on modesty.

  Then again, no matter what they wore, they looked amazing. Just one outfit alone would have taken my breath away, but seeing so many together, in one place and at the same time, I couldn't take it all in even if I wanted to.

  I stuck out, compared to the sea of people before me. My dress, a Tchilla original, was beautiful and everything I could have ever wanted, yet the person to my left was slowly changing color. Not just her clothes, but her skin as well. The shift started at her head and spread down her body then out through her limbs. And while there seemed to be a predominance of humans, every one of them somehow seemed to make their humanness seem special, sticking out from the crowd even though they didn't have fancy feathers or gorgeous scales.