by Lucas Flint
Teresa nodded and led me to the barn. Rather than go inside it, however, we went around it to the back, the part which was not visible from the road. There wasn’t much here, except for an old, rusting tractor and a few gardening tools propped up against a few pieces of siding that must have been left there since the barn was built. In any case, it seemed like a pretty private place to talk, definitely some place where we would not be overheard by government spies. I had not seen Camel or Jake since they searched Nightbolt’s property last week, but I had a feeling they were somehow keeping an eye on me and him anyway.
“Okay,” said Teresa, turning to face me with an interested look on her face. “What did you want to talk about?”
I folded my arms across my chest. “The first alien abduction six years ago, the one involving your mom.”
Teresa suddenly started, as if I’d just poked her with a hot branding iron. “Who told you about that?”
I frowned. “Doesn’t matter who. All that matters is that I know about it.”
Teresa folded her hands behind her back, a troubled expression on her face. “Well, I guess it’s too late to deny it now. My father doesn’t want me talking about it with strangers, but it seems to me like you already know all the relevant details.”
“I do,” I said, nodding. “I know pretty much everything that happened that night six years ago. But I still need more details about it, and I thought that because Maria was your mother, you might know something that everyone else doesn’t.”
Teresa looked down. “I don’t know if I should tell you anything about it. My father would be very displeased with me if I did.”
“What if I told you that knowing what happened that night would help us stop these aliens?” I said. “That you might know something which could help us not only protect you and your father from the aliens, but maybe even get rid of the aliens entirely?”
Teresa looked up at me with an expression of hope mixed with skepticism. “How can you guarantee that? Do you mean you know what these aliens are trying to do, why they keep attacking my family and other people in the area?”
I shrugged. “I can’t guarantee anything, but I’m already building a theory for why the aliens are so hyper-focused on this particular area of Texas. I just need to make sure I have all the facts before I share it with anyone else.”
I’ll admit, I slightly exaggerated the truth a bit when I said that. The truth was, much of the aliens’ behavior still made no sense to me and my theory was itself still pretty vague. Yet I could also feel the theory building in the back of my mind, coming together slowly but surely, and that Teresa had the final key I needed to complete it. It could have just been a mere feeling and nothing more, but I doubted it.
“I still don’t know—”
“Teresa, don’t you want your family to be safe?” I said. “You lost your mother to these aliens six years ago. Do you want to lose your father, too? I know he’s not suicidal like your mother was, but the aliens are getting bolder and more willing to use violence to achieve their goals. They might choose to attack you or even your father or, like your mother, abduct one of you and then leave you a broken, quivering mess of a human being.”
Teresa hugged herself. “I don’t want that to happen to me or my father. I remember what my mother was like in her last days. I don’t want to end up like that.”
I put my hands on her shoulders, causing her to look me straight in the eyes. “Then I need you to tell me what your mother said to you. Even if you can’t remember it all, I just need to know anything she said that stood out to you during her last days on Earth. Even just a few words would help complete my theory.”
That was the truth. Even as I stood there speaking to Teresa, I could sense that my theory was nearly complete and that all I needed was a few extra words, perhaps no more than a sentence or two at most, to confirm it. And these few words, these last couple of sentences, were inside Teresa’s mind.
Teresa bit her lower lip. She looked both conflicted and disappointed. Maybe she was disappointed that I had come over to talk to her about something which had probably traumatized her when she was a girl, and she was probably conflicted because I was basically asking her to go against her father’s wishes and tell me about something she wasn’t supposed to talk about. I didn’t like the idea of making her go against her father’s wishes, but I believed that it would be for the greater good. If only she would realize that.
Finally, Teresa nodded. “Okay, Beams. I believe you. If telling you what my mom told me will help you find out how to beat these aliens, then so be it.”
I smiled. “Thanks, Teresa. Tell me what you know.”
Teresa took a deep breath. She seemed to be having a hard time composing herself, which was understandable, given how I was asking her to delve back into a part of her life which had been very hard, maybe even traumatic, for her and her father. Nonetheless, I knew she would tell me what I needed to know. Teresa was not as strong as me, perhaps, but she seemed a lot stronger than she looked.
“I don’t remember everything she told me back then,” said Teresa slowly, as if choosing her words carefully. “She ranted and raved a lot before she took her own life. Most of it frightened me and very little of it made any sense. Father kept me separated from her for most of her insanity, because he feared that she might suddenly turn violent and harm me under the belief that I was an alien in disguise. She attacked more than a few old friends or family members who came to visit her under the belief that they were spies sent by the aliens to take her back to their spaceship.”
I said nothing. Teresa seemed close to tears, but I didn’t try to make her stop, because I sensed that she was going to get the point very soon.
“But on the day before she took her own life, Mother asked to see me,” said Teresa. “She seemed saner and more clearheaded than she had for the entirety of the last month. She spoke to Father and the doctor normally and showed no signs of trauma. That was why Father let me see her, because he thought that the insanity which the aliens inflicted on her had finally passed and that he had his normal wife back again.”
“Was she really sane again?”
Teresa shook her head. “I still don’t know, even to this day. She spoke in a calm, normal way, but nothing she said really made much sense to me. She did recognize me and didn’t think I was some kind of alien spy, but at the same time, she didn’t seem to see me as me. I don’t know how to describe it any better than that. It was like there was another mind inside her brain with her.”
“But what did she say?” I said. “What did she tell you?”
Teresa rubbed her hands together uncertainly. “She told me that the ‘brain’ must not be allowed to fall into the hands of the aliens. That if it did, a great evil would arise and wipe out all of humanity.”
As soon as Teresa said that, everything clicked. The aliens, the Rubber Ball, the Gonzales family, the abductions … it all fit together like a puzzle. The implication, however, was far too horrifying for me to say aloud, because if it was true—no, it was true, that was the problem—then I needed to get back to Nightbolt’s house fast.
Teresa must have somehow sensed that I was terrified, because she said, “Beams, what’s the problem? You seem tense.”
“I need to leave,” I said. I turned around. “Need to get back to the Basement. If I don’t, things will go to hell faster than you can say Los Congrejos.”
But Teresa’s hand fell on my shoulder, causing me to look back at her. She looked frightened, even more so than she did back in the Basement when the Rubber Ball was trying to kill us.
“Beams, what are you talking about?” said Teresa in a slightly trembling voice. “What do you think is going to happen that is so bad that you need to get back to the Basement?”
I really had no time to stay and chat, but I decided that Teresa needed to know. So I locked eyes with her and said, in as serious a voice as I could muster, “The aliens are trying to steal the Rubber Ball in order to re
surrect their god. And if they succeed, humanity itself will be destroyed.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Teresa stared at me in shock, her eyes widening considerably. “What?”
“The Rubber Ball is the brain of a dead alien god whose preserved body was found in Antarctica,” I said. I put a hand on the back of my head, because everything was starting to make sense. “These aliens either worshiped the god or are descendants of the aliens who did worship it. They came to Los Congrejos to get it, but have been unable to locate it until recently.”
“Really?” said Teresa; I noticed a hint of disbelief in her voice, but I didn’t care because I knew I was right. “How does the abduction of my mother and cattle play into this?”
“I don’t know about the cattle, but they must have thought your mom might know where it is located,” I said. “They abducted her and probably tortured her for information, but let her go when it became clear she didn’t know anything about it. That’s why they wanted her.”
“But I don’t understand,” said Teresa. “Why would they even think my mom knew anything about that?”
“Because your family is close to Nightbolt,” I said. “And Nightbolt has the Rubber Ball. The aliens either know or suspect he knows where it is.”
“Why wouldn’t they just abduct him, then?” said Teresa. “Wouldn’t that make more sense than abducting my mother?”
“Nightbolt knows this,” I said. “He’s aware the aliens are after him, so he’s probably come up with ways to protect himself from them. They know they can’t get him directly, which is why they’ve been forced to approach him indirectly.”
“Oh,” said Teresa. “Well, what should we do, then?”
“Head back to the house,” I said. “And tell Nightbolt about this. I suspect he already knows, but regardless, I think the aliens are going to get more desperate. If the Rubber Ball is actually the brain of their god and they plan to use it to resurrect him, they’ll probably do everything in their power to get it.”
“Then let’s go,” said Teresa. “We can take my truck. No need to call Nightbolt and wait for him to pick you up.”
I nodded and ran around the side of the barn. Just as I rounded the corner, I slammed into something large, solid, and black and fell flat on my back. I heard Teresa gasp behind me and ask me if I was all right, but I ignored her and looked up at what I had run into.
Or, rather, who I had run into. Standing before me, his large arms crossed in front of his chest, was Agent Rodney Jake. While he was normally a big guy, from my position on the ground, he positively towered over me. He wore black shades over his eyes, making it impossible to see them, and his expression was as stony as always. Nonetheless, I could tell that he had not come here to say hello.
“Agent Jake?” I said, sitting up and rubbing my back. “What are you doing here? Where’s Agent Camel?”
“At Nightbolt’s house,” said Jake. His voice was slow and deep. “Dealing with him.”
“Dealing with him?” I repeated. “What does that—”
Jake pointed at me suddenly. “And I am here to deal with you.”
Jake suddenly grabbed me by the throat and slammed me against the side of the barn with enough force to make the old barn shake. I gasped in pain as Jake’s grip on my neck tightened like a vice grip, cutting off my air supply. I heard Teresa screaming nearby, but she did not seem to be trying to help me. She was probably too terrified by Jake’s violence to even think about doing anything else.
But my training with Nightbolt kicked in and I fired a laser at Jake’s wrist. The laser struck Jake’s wrist, causing him to cry out in pain and stagger backwards, letting go of my throat at the same time. I fell to my feet and gasped for air, while Jake grabbed his burned wrist and cursed under his breath as foully as any sailor.
“Beams, are you okay?” asked Teresa, her hands over her mouth. “Can you still breathe?”
I nodded slowly, rising to my feet as I rubbed my throat. But I never took my eyes off Jake, who was clutching his wrist like it was his first child.
“What was that for?” I asked Jake. I coughed. “And what did you mean that Camel is ‘dealing’ with Nightbolt?”
Jake growled at me, which sounded very inhuman coming from his throat. “Getting the alien matter he hid from the government. Sent me to make sure you didn’t get in the way.”
My eyes widened. “You don’t know what you’re dealing with. The Rubber Ball needs to stay down there.”
“It will be safer in the government’s hands,” said Jake. “Besides, Nightbolt agreed to hand over any alien matter or technology he found to us. That he has hidden alien tech on his property means we are fully justified in dealing with him as we see fit.”
“You don’t understand what you’re dealing with,” I said. “This isn’t just some object of scientific curiosity. It’s the brain of a dead god, a god whose followers are attempting to resurrect. If you take it out of the Basement, the aliens will get it.”
Jake rolled his eyes. “Creative story. I don’t believe a word of it. Camel would probably laugh if he heard it.”
My hands balled into fists. “If you don’t believe us, fine. We’ll head back to Nightbolt’s house anyway, whether you want us to or not.”
Just as those words left my mouth, Jake plunged his hand into his jacket, pulled out a gun, and fired at me in one smooth motion. I just barely managed to dodge it at the last second, while Teresa fell to the ground, her hands on her head as she screamed in terror.
I fired another laser blast at Jake, but Jake dodged it with surprising grace for a man of his size. Even as he dodged my lasers, he aimed and fired his gun at me again.
I tried to dodge, but I was too slow. The bullet struck me in the chest; my suit was bulletproof, so it did not go through the material, but I was still sent stumbling backwards, my air expelled from my lungs. I hit the side of the barn and leaned against it, my heart racing. It was the first time I’d ever gotten shot by a bullet and damn did it hurt. It was like getting punched in the chest by a lightning bolt. I was lucky my suit was made of bulletproof material, because otherwise I was sure the bullet would have passed straight through my heart and killed me instantly.
Jake rushed toward me and threw a punch at my face. I jumped out of the way at the last second, allowing Jake’s fist to smash through the wooden wall of the barn. He tried to turn to face me, but his fist got stuck in the barn wall for a moment. Taking advantage of his predicament, I was about to fire another laser blast at him when his gun appeared under his arm and he fired at me again.
The bullet struck me in the stomach, and again my suit protected me, but I still fell to the ground, clutching my stomach. My breath had been knocked from my lungs, making it hard for me to breathe, but I managed to get back to my feet just as Jake yanked his arm out of the barn and whirled around to face me. He aimed his gun once again, but I fired my lasers quickly.
My lasers struck his gun hand, sending it flying out of his hands. But Jake didn’t even miss a beat. He rushed toward me and slammed me with his shoulder. I staggered backwards, but then Jake grabbed me and shove my head into the barn wall. My helmet smashed through the barn wall, giving me a brief glimpse of a surprised-looking cow before Jake yanked me out and shoved me to the ground.
Dazed, I looked up to see Jake pull another gun out of his jacket and aim it at me. I saw his finger about to pull the trigger and realized I didn’t have the strength necessary to knock the gun out of his hand.
But right before Jake could pull the trigger, a shovel came out of nowhere and slammed into the back of his head. Stunned, Jake dropped his gun and staggered forward. Seeing an opportunity, I raised my feet as he stumbled toward me and kicked him in the chest in the same way that Nightbolt had taught me back in the Arena.
Jake fell backwards onto the ground with a loud crash. His fingers twitched once or twice, but then they stopped and he lay very still, though he was probably unconscious rather than dead.
&n
bsp; Panting, I sat up and dusted off my suit. At the same time, a rough, weathered hand appeared before me and I looked up to see who was holding it out.
It was Jose Gonzales. He held the shovel which I had seen hit Jake in the back of the head. He was frowning, but it seemed less because he disliked me and more because he was disturbed by what he had just seen.
“Mr. Gonzales?” I said in surprise. “Where did you come from?”
“Just got back from town,” said Jose. “I saw the agent’s car parked out by the gate and then heard Teresa scream. I thought he was hurting her, but when I saw him attacking you, I decided to help anyway.”
“Thanks,” I said as I took Jose’s hand and rose to my feet. “That shovel really came in handy.”
“Yes, it did,” said Jose, nodding. He looked down at the unconscious Jake curiously. “What was he doing here on my property, anyway? There haven’t been any alien abductions on Dusty Ranch recently.”
“Daddy,” said Teresa, appearing at his side suddenly. She pointed at Jake. “That man was trying to kill Beams. He also wanted to hurt me.”
“He did?” said Jose. He scowled at Jake. “Bastard.”
“We already know that,” I said. I rubbed my chest. “Mr. Gonzales, while I appreciate your help, I can’t stick around. I need to go back to Nightbolt’s house. Now.”
“Now?” said Jose. “Why?”
“Because if I don’t, the aliens who destroyed your wife’s sanity will destroy the world,” I said.
Jose’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know about that?”
“I told him, Daddy,” said Teresa, grabbing her father’s arms and looking up at him with urgent eyes. “But it doesn’t matter. I think Beams is right. If he does not get back to Nightbolt’s house right away, the aliens will destroy everything.”
Jose’s frown never left his face, but he nodded once and said, “I see. I don’t understand everything that is going on here, but I do not believe that Teresa would lie to me about something as important as this, either. Go, if you must. I’ll keep an eye on this man and make sure he doesn’t follow once he wakes up.”
