Alien Rapunzel

by Zara Zenia

  A few minutes later a hissing sound came from above me and I noticed a smokey looking substance filtering in from the vents in the ceiling. "What on Earth?" I started to cough and then choke…my left hand went to my throat, as if I could clear it that way. I batted at the air as I coughed more, but suddenly, my eyes felt heavy and it became harder to move. After another moment, I could no longer keep my eyes open. My last thought as I dropped to the floor was of Rawklix.

  Nora

  "What the hell has been going on around here while I've been gone?" I seethed as I stomped down the stairs. "Colonel Weiss, report!" I called as I hit the button to flood Laura's room with Halothane to knock her out.

  "Yes, Madam, what can I do for you?"

  "What has Laura spoken to you about?"

  "Miss Laura has spoken to me about many topics, Madam. Do you wish to know them all?"

  "What has she talked to you about this past week," I clarified.

  "Miss Laura spoke about chess, we played several games. She spoke about computer programing and what she has been working on for the Castle. She spoke about missing eating fast food, but that it probably wasn't good for her. She spoke about dragons. She spoke about books she's been reading. She spoke about television shows. She spoke—"

  "Stop. Did she speak about meeting anyone? Or her adoption? Or her kidnapping?"

  "Not to me, Madam." His German accented voice came out in a monotone, as usual.

  "Very well, go back to your duties, there is another way to find out what she's been doing! Thornbush! Show me what Laura has been doing online!" I moved to the computer screen on the wall.

  Thornbush pulled up all of the internet searches Laura had done, and then a small group of emails. Emails to one of those damn Trilyn Princes! She'd been meeting him, somehow! I slammed my hands down on the table. "Colonel Weiss!"

  He returned from the kitchen after a moment. "Yes, Madam?"

  "Has Laura left these premises while I was gone?"

  "No, Madam."

  "Did she have any visitors?" I asked, seething.

  "Only the programmer from the Castle that she is working with, Madam. He only stayed for an hour each time."

  "And you checked his tag and matched it to his DNA?"

  "I did, Madam."

  "And there was nothing unusual?"

  "No, Madam. The tag and the DNA matched."

  My jaw ticked. "Get me the programmer, now!"

  "Yes, Madam." Colonel Weiss turned and went out of the door to the Tower and it shut behind him.

  I didn't know how she'd managed it, but I knew she had somehow managed to meet that damn Prince. I had to move her. Get her away from here before that fucking Prince got his hands on her! Still I would check with that programmer to find out if he'd been here.

  Colonel Weiss returned a few minutes later. "Madam, Mr. Planter."

  "Oh, wow, Ms. Morse, it's a great honor—"

  "Shut up. Have you been here this week to work with my daughter?"

  "Um, yeah. I never stayed longer than an hour—"

  I grunted. "Fine, you may leave."

  "Oh… um, is that all you—"

  "If you are not out of my sight in three seconds, you won't have a job tomorrow! Go!" I growled.

  "Right!" I heard the door open and close quickly.

  I needed to think. I needed to move Laura to another facility, but which one? I had another, smaller laboratory that was close by in South Miami near Cutler Bay, it would be easiest to move her there. "Colonel Weiss, go up and get Miss Laura. Carry her down to my van."

  "Yes, Madam." He went up the stairs.

  A few hours later, I had her set up in a locked observation room in the Cutler Bay Laboratory with Thornbush almost completely installed, and Colonel Weiss standing guard outside the door. I walked over to the bed that she was laying on and slapped her.

  Laura woke up, startled, her head twisting this way and that. "Where… where am I?"

  "I know what you've been up to, you conniving little brat! Meeting that damn disgusting Trilyn alien! I will not have it! Do you hear me? I will save this damn planet from itself even if I have to kill you to do it! They are not going to get away with it!"

  "What… what are you talking about?"

  "Come off it! I know everything! And you are going to stay in here under guard until I can rid the world of those Trilyn menaces once and for all!" I stomped out of the room and slammed the door. "Keep an eye on her," I ordered Colonel Weiss.

  "Yes, Madam."

  Chapter 17

  Rawklix

  Once my brothers had left, it was too late to try and email Laura to let her know what we'd discovered. Instead I'd gone to bed with happiness and hope in my heart. Soon I would have my mate in my arms, and we'd be on our way back to the Solarin Islands. I could not wait to tell her.

  I woke up around ten, had a shower and ate a late breakfast. After that I grabbed my tablet and sent off a message to Laura. I wanted to see her in person to tell her all of the news and I hoped that she would be able to get me into the Tower today to see her.

  My beautiful Princess in the Tower,

  I have news to share, but I want to do so in person. Can you see me today?

  All my heart,

  Rawklix

  It was short and to the point and I really hoped she would answer me quickly. While I waited, I pulled up the file Dr. Kelforx had sent to me with all the information he'd discovered. Last night, Lortnam had put in a call to Kelly, who had added Mei to the call, and they'd discovered more information using what Dr. Kelforx had uncovered, so I pulled that up too.

  Mei had searched for the rest of Laurie's family and discovered her brother Daniel had gone to live with her father's sister, Karen and her husband Jim in Kansas City, Kansas after their mother's death. He was currently attending college at the University of Kansas. I knew that Laurie would be interested in knowing that she still had family that was probably missing her.

  Mei had also investigated Laurie's family history. She found out there had been inquiries about the Forrester's property about four weeks before Laurie went missing. Their debt had been bought by the V-Reality Tech company and they had started the foreclosure procedures at that time. Mei had also discovered a grainy CCTV video of Laurie's kidnapping from the parking lot of a convenience store in the local PD's digital archive. Mei had then tapped into the digital archives of the different traffic cameras from the area along with any other CCTV cameras from surrounding stores, searching the data files for any trace of the vehicle that Laurie had been dragged into. She'd used the footage to track the van to a small airport that handled small twin engine aircrafts and helicopters. Hacking into the airfield's archived records, she found a flight that had been scheduled for V-Reality Tech about twenty minutes after Laurie's kidnapping.

  The flight went right to Opa-locka Executive Airport in Miami. Apparently the local authorities hadn't really cared about finding Laurie, because the information had been right there all along. They could have done this trace with their eyes closed, but they hadn't even bothered.

  Mei had dug further into V-Reality and discovered that they had paid off the sheriff and police dept. chief at the time, turned out they both retired weeks after Laurie's disappearance. Just thinking about it made me angry. Greed had driven those men to ignore Laurie's kidnapping. How many other kids were lost or stolen because these men were paid off? Probably too many to count.

  A notification popped up on my tablet and with a smile I opened her email.

  Rawklix,

  I have arranged for you to get into the Tower today at One. The gate will be open, just come straight to the Tower and up to my room. I can't wait to see you!

  ~ L.

  With excitement, I went to change my clothes and then as I picked up my tablet from the living room coffee table called out, "Fellnix, I'm leaving, hopefully when I return, I'll have my mate with me!"

  "Good luck, my Prince," Fellnix said from the kitchen doorway.<
br />
  "Thank you, Fellnix." I gave him a wave and went out to my transport.

  I wasn't bringing her a gift this time as I normally did. I was hoping the information I was going to share would be enough to compel her to join me and come away to Trilyn with me. To escape Nora Morse. I parked the transport in the curiously deserted parking lot. It was usually quite full of cars and transports, but now it was empty.

  I climbed out and walked toward the guard shack where normally Colonel Weiss would meet me, but he didn't seem to be anywhere around, there wasn't even a guard on duty, but the gate was standing open. It was a little strange, but maybe the employees all had the day off. Shrugging, I passed through and strode confidently to the Tower.

  I knocked on the door, expecting Colonel Weiss to open it, but when it slid open, I couldn't see him or anyone. I frowned. Did Laurie figure out a way around Thornbush? I knew she was a brilliant computer programmer, so it wasn't impossible. Taking a breath, I climbed the stairs, but when I reached the top level, I found Thornbush in the black square forms Laurie had described, with legs and large knife like hands waiting for me. Laser like eyes shone out of the face side of the squares.

  "Damn it!" I started to turn back, only to find myself surrounded by the calf-high creatures. I kicked out at one as it swung its knife hand at me.

  "Shit! Nora must have figured out that we've been meeting!" I swore as I fought the little demonic AI creatures.

  I was bleeding from several deep cuts on my legs and my arms as they chased me back down the stairs. There was nowhere for me to go. All the doors on the lower levels were closed and when I tried the handle of one, got an electric shock for my trouble. I dodged laser fire from their beady little eyes as I finally made it to the bottom level. The squares started stacking themselves onto one another and grew to my height in front of the door out of the Tower. The only way out was through them.

  Taking a breath, I charged, but as I slammed into the cubes, which had fused into one large AI creature, I hadn't taken into account their laser eyes going off. It had missed me by a millimeter, but I made the mistake of staring into the laser light. Blinded, I stumbled outside. The cubes were reorganizing, I could hear them moving around, but my vision was practically gone. Everything was so blurry and out of focus, but I thought I detected the fencing that surrounded the property and ran for the gate, hoping beyond hope that I would make it before the cubes came at me again.

  I couldn't see as I ran, everything was a distorted mess in my vision, so mostly I relied upon my other senses. My hand hit the chain linked fence and I groped along until I hit the open gate and then passed through it. I knew I'd parked about fifty feet away, so I kept running until I slammed into the side of my transport. I was thankful that it had voice commanded. "Door open!" I shouted, and as soon as I heard the whir of it opening, I fell into it, huffing in pain.

  "Door close!" I called out. "Engage shields!" I was panting and unable to see very much and now that I was fairly safe, I realized I felt extremely light-headed. I knew I'd lost a lot of blood and needed to get to my ship so that I could be healed.

  "Home!" I said, my voice weak as I lay on the floor of the transport.

  The vehicle lifted up into the air and took off. I closed my eyes. Everything was hazy and distorted anyway. I sensed that I had numerous cuts up and down my legs, one across my torso, several on my arms, and still couldn't see much of anything. I wasn't worried about myself though. It was Laurie I was concerned with. What had Nora done to her? Why wasn't she there in the Tower? Was she even alive?

  I don't know how long I lay there in my transport, dread filling my thoughts. I pulled out my phone and tried to hit the button for Fellnix before I passed out.

  Chapter 18

  Laura

  The room I was in was cold and clinical. Four solid walls without windows and a door with an observation window at face level. When I peered out, all I could see was Colonel Weiss' head and beyond that white walls in a narrow hallway. Mother had brought me to one of her labs as far as I could tell. But she wasn't my mother, was she. She was some lunatic who had lied to me for the last four years. Claiming to be my adoptive mother, that I'd been with her always, but I knew that wasn't true. My mother's name was Sally and we had lived on a farm somewhere where there was snow.

  I needed to get out of here, but it seemed I was Nora's prisoner now. More so than I had been before locked in my tower. My hands shook and I couldn't help but feel helpless. I should have run with Rawklix that first time he asked me to go away with him! Heck, I should have gone with him every time he asked! I should have listened to him. I should have listened when he hinted that Nora wasn't a good person and was really holding me captive. Looking back, there were so many clues, but it seemed I was blind to them.

  I knocked on the door and Colonel Weiss turned to look in at me. He punched in a code and stepped into the room. "Did you need something, Miss Laura? Food perhaps?"

  "I need out of here, Colonel!" I said, my voice quivering.

  "I am sorry, Miss Laura, but I cannot allow you to leave this room. Thornbush is programed to kill you should you leave this room."

  My heart dropped into my stomach and I sank down on the bed. "What? Why would she do this to me?"

  "I do not have the answer to that question, Miss Laura. She gave specific orders to keep you in this room. I will get you some food. As a Human you must need sustenance."

  "I'm not hungry."

  "If you do not eat, Miss Laura, your body will become weak. Food is a requirement of Humans. You have not had any food in over twenty-four hours. Logic dictates that you refuel."

  He was speaking like an AI and not a sentient one and I had to wonder if the entire building was wired for Nora to listen to me, to us, to see what I was up to. I glanced at him and asked, "Colonel, is Mother listening in on our conversation?"

  "Ms. Morse has engaged all safety measures in this building, including video and microphone feeds."

  "So she can hear what I'm saying," I commented, narrowing my eyes.

  Colonel Weiss' eyes brightened for just a nano-second, but it was enough for me to know that he was worried about the both of us. If Mother found out he was 'alive' I'd never see him again.

  "Ms. Morse can hear everything you say, Miss Laura."

  I nodded. "Mother! Let me out of here! This is ridiculous! You cannot hold me prisoner in some lab!"

  Her cackling laughter sounded through the PA system. "Can't I? No one knows you're here! No one is coming to rescue you! And were I to let you go, you'd just attempt to run off to that disgusting alien! Funny you haven't asked what's happened to your precious alien!"

  My heart beat hard in my chest and I turned in a circle attempting to figure out where the camera was. "What have you done? Where is Rawklix?"

  She laughed even harder. "What have you done? Where is Rawklix?" she mocked me through the loud speakers. "Your precious prince is dog food by now! Disgusting creatures these alien trash! He came to see you, his beloved Princess in her tower, but he got more than he bargained for! Thornbush cut him to pieces and he's dead!"

  "You're lying!" I screamed at her. "He's not dead! There is no way he's dead!" I sank down to the floor feeling as if my heart had been ripped from my chest. "Why are you doing this?" I gasped out as tears slid down my cheeks. I couldn't breathe, and my vision was blurry as more tears filled my eyes. "Why?" I shook my head. "He can't be. He can't be dead." My words were mere mumbles now.

  "Come, Miss Laura." Colonel Weiss attempted to get me up from the floor, but I wasn't moving.

  "He can't be… he just can't…" I looked up at him, trembling. "Colonel, I have to get out of here. I have to, I have go find him…" I begged him, "Please, please help me."

  His eyes brightened for another nano-second. "Give me time." His words were softer than normal, as if he were trying to hide what he'd said from Mother. "It is time to get you up, Miss Laura. Come, you must let me get you food."

  I nodded, hoping he h
ad a plan. I sniffled and rose from the floor.

  He guided me over to the bed. "Wait here, I will get your lunch."

  I nodded again and watched him through blurry vision as he left my tiny room. He input the locking code on the door, and I whimpered. "I hate you, Mother!" I cried.

  She didn't reply and I had to wonder where she was. If she was even here at the lab or if she was somewhere else, just watching over the computer or something. Probably, God forbid she do her own dirty work!

  Colonel Weiss returned thirty minutes later with a tray. He closed the door behind him, and then set the tray on the small table top. There was only one chair and he gestured for me to it. "Come eat, Miss Laura."

  I nodded and moved listlessly from the bed to the chair. Sitting down, I looked down at the bowl of soup but beneath it was a napkin with some writing on it. I glanced up at Colonel Weiss curiously. He stood at my side, hovering over me, as if he were blocking a camera's view. I picked up the bowl carefully so I could read it.

  I will help you escape. It will need to be later, when I can run a loop through the video feed. Please be patient. I need you to pretend to take a nap after lunch. Do not move overmuch.

  I set the bowl down and picked up my spoon, dipping it into the bowl. "Thank you, Colonel, I needed this more than I knew."

  "Food is the fuel for Human bodies, Miss Laura, it stood to reason that your body required food."

  I nodded and he backed up a little. I ate the soup and made a show of yawning multiple times. I finished eating almost the entire bowl and then lifted the bowl as if I was going to drink the rest, but purposely spilled it onto the napkin he'd written on, blurring the ink. "Oh, shoot. I'm sorry, Colonel Weiss, I've made a mess. Let me sop this up."

  "It was an accident, Miss Laura. You do not need to apologize."