Alien Rapunzel

by Zara Zenia

  "I know, but it is my mess, I'll clean it up." I grabbed the rest of the napkins and blotted over the inky mess of a napkin, soaking up the excess liquid from the soup and making a mushy mess of the napkins. I picked the goopy mess up and stuck it in the bowl. "Sorry about that, Colonel."

  "I will take this to the kitchen. I can return with a game of chess if you would like?"

  I shook my head. "No. I just want to be alone, Colonel."

  "Very well, Miss Laura." He picked up the tray and left the room, stopping to punch in the code.

  I moved to the light switch and shut off the lights, then over to the bed and laid down on my side. I closed my eyes and sent up a silent prayer that Rawklix was all right, that Nora was lying. I couldn't think of her as Mother anymore. It hurt too much. Instead I focused on all the things I would do when I got out of here. First thing I was going to do was go to the police and report my own kidnapping! And then, I needed to find Rawklix. That shouldn't be too hard, right? I just had to look for the spaceship on Miami Beach. Of course I had no money to pay for a taxi, no car to drive, nothing. So how I was going to accomplish that I had no idea.

  Thirty minutes later, I heard the door beep. Not the usual numerous beeps that meant the code was being entered, just a single beep. I slowly opened my eyes, trying to look through my lashes so I wouldn't mess up what Colonel Weiss was doing. The door opened a fraction, and I could see a red light coming from the hallway.

  "Now," called a voice I almost didn't recognize.

  I rolled over and noticed Colonel Weiss in the doorway. I got up and moved to the doorway. He pulled me through, pressed a set of keys into my hand. "Go now, there is a blue car waiting for you in the parking lot. Go before Thornbush wakes. I set him to run diagnostics, you only have three minutes. Go!"

  "What about you, Colonel?"

  "Don't worry about me, I'll be just fine, but you need to leave. Go now!"

  I gripped the keys and ran down the hall following the exit signs. Red emergency lights were flashing in the halls as I ran. I hit the lobby of the lab and then rushed toward the glass doors and pushed through. I didn't stop running until I reached the blue compact car in the parking lot. I looked at the keys in my hand and noticed the Enterprise logo on the ring. I pushed the button to open the door and climbed behind the wheel. I had no idea how to drive, but I wasn't stupid. I'd seen videos of people driving, so how hard could it be?

  "Let's do this," I muttered, shoving the key in the ignition. I turned it and the car came alive. Quickly I fastened my seatbelt, looked in the mirrors to make sure I could see, and then pulled the gear shift, but it didn't move. Frowning, I put my foot on the brake pedal and tried again, it moved, and I brought it down to the D. D had to stand for 'drive', I assumed. I took my foot off the brake and the car moved forward a little, carefully I pushed on the gas, gently at first and then as the car moved further I moved the steering wheel a little, getting a feel for it. "Okay, I can do this…"

  Slowly I made my way out of the parking lot, turning the wheel to the right and pulled out onto the street. I had no idea where I was going, I just knew I had to get away from the lab. I was maybe a block away when I heard an explosion and with a gasp I slammed on the brake and looked back at where I'd come from. The lab was a giant fireball.

  Chapter 19

  Laura

  "Oh my God! Colonel!" My heart raced and I didn't know if I should keep going or turn back to go find the Colonel, but then I remembered him saying to go, that he'd be fine, and I had to trust that he managed to get himself out.

  A car behind me honked and I put a hand up to acknowledge them and pressed on the gas again. As I inched forward the car honked at me again, this time longer and louder and I frowned. Finally, I put on the brake again and rolled the window down, sticking my hand out to wave them to go around me. As they did, I saw a teen boy flipping me off.

  "Well that wasn't very nice," I muttered, moving the car forward again by pressing on the gas. I noticed a person jogging on the sidewalk and I called out to them, letting the car just roll forward at their pace. "Hey! Hello?" I called, waving my hand out the window at them.

  The woman stopped, giving me a strange look. "Are you calling me?" she asked.

  I pressed the brake again. "Yes, can you tell me how to get to the police station?" I could hear sirens in the distance now and they were getting louder.

  "Yeah, sure, it's not that far. About three blocks straight ahead, take a left, then go down to the light and turn right. The station is on the right."

  I nodded. "Thank you!" I waved again and faced forward again. "Okay, I can do this." I pressed the gas and the car moved forward. It was slow going, but finally, after about thirty minutes, I made it to the station. I pulled into the lot, rolled into a parking place and put the car in park.

  Feeling accomplished, I got out and ran into the station. I approached the front desk and said, "I'd like to report a…a kidnapping. And maybe a murder, but that I'm not sure on."

  "Ma'am?" the clerk looked up. "A kidnapping? Who's been kidnapped? And did you say a murder?"

  "Me," I pointed at my chest, "I was kidnapped. Four well almost five years ago, I think…" I frowned. "And yes, maybe."

  The clerk gave me a bewildered look. "Why don't you have a seat, ma'am, and I'll have an officer take your statement."

  I nodded and sat down on the bench by the wall. A few minutes later, an officer in uniform came over to me.

  "Miss, why don't you come back here and tell me what's going on." He stood and gestured toward a conference room.

  "Thank you." I stood up and followed him in.

  "Please, have a seat." He gestured at a seat and I took it. "I'm Officer Reynolds. Can you tell me your name?" he asked, sitting in the chair across the table from me.

  "Laurie, I think. Right now according to the state of Florida my name is Laura Morse. Nora Morse is my adoptive mot—"

  "Did you say Nora Morse?" Officer Reynold's eyes grew wide.

  "Yes, she owns a Te—"

  "I am aware of who she is, one moment, I need to make a call." He stood up and held his hands out at me, as if he was telling me to stay. "Just wait here, okay?" He quickly walked to the door, closing it behind him as he moved to the outer hallway.

  Frowning, I sat there for fifteen minutes hoping beyond hope that they weren't calling Nora. They hadn't even allowed me to tell them she was the one who kidnapped me and may have murdered Rawklix!

  After another five minutes I stood and moved to the door, I tested the handle and it turned, so thankfully, I wasn't locked in the room. I opened the door and leaned my head out. "Hello?" I called.

  "Miss, Officer Reynolds will be right back with you, I promise. It's just your name came up in association with another case, and we're waiting on UEG Special Agent Yadav to join you," the clerk from before answered me.

  "UEG Special Agent? What case?" I was confused. Why would the UEG be interested in me? How did they have my name?

  "One of the Princes from Trilyn has gone missing."

  "Which Prince?" I said feeling terribly worried about Rawklix.

  The clerk frowned. "Does it matter which one?"

  "Yes!"

  "Rawklix, the youngest Prince."

  "He's missing?" I gasped. "But that's the possible murder I was talking about!"

  "You believe he's been murdered?" the clerk turned a pale white. "Dear lord we are in a mess of trouble if that is the case."

  "Well, I don't know for sure, it's just my moth— er… Nora was bragging about Thornbush turning him to dog food, so I don't know…" Tears ran down my cheeks and suddenly I couldn't breathe so well.

  "Okay, Miss, I'm going to have to ask you to calm down before you hyperventilate." The clerk approached me and put an arm around me in a motherly way. She guided me back into the conference room and settled me into a chair. "Now, I need you to remain here and wait for Special Agent Yadav, he's better equipped to handle all of this."

  I nodded, snif
fling and wiping my cheeks as my mind reeled. Worry ate at me for the next several minutes. Finally, the door opened again, and Officer Reynolds entered with another man.

  "Miss Morse, I'm Special Agent David Yadav. I understand that you are involved with Prince Rawklix?"

  "Well, yes. I mean, I think so. I… I'm in love with him, if that's what you mean…" I was getting teary again and my throat started to close as I said, "but I think Nora Morse has murdered him!"

  "All right, there is a great deal to go through here. Why don't you tell me what you know and then we can determine where to go from here."

  I nodded, swallowing hard. "Where should I start?"

  "At the beginning I think would be best, don't you?" He smiled gently at me. "I understand you were kidnapped by Nora Morse, nearly five years ago?"

  I nodded again. "Yes, I think so." I went on to explain what I'd learned from Rawklix, how we met and then what happened after Nora discovered I'd been in contact with him. "And so Colonel Weiss helped me escape, but then the lab blew up and now I'm worried about him too."

  "I just came from that lab a little bit ago. We didn't discover any kind of medieval knight in the building. So Prince Rawklix wasn't there at the lab with you?"

  "No, I don't think so, Colonel Weiss would have said if he was."

  "And you are sure that he is sentient?" Agent Yadav asked as he took notes.

  "Yes, very."

  "Well, no Humans were in that lab when it exploded, and we didn't find any trace of a knight, as I mentioned. I suspect that Colonel Weiss has wisely made his own escape, though I'm not sure where he would go and a medieval knight wandering around Miami would be pretty notable, so I will check the news and media sites to see if anyone has seen him."

  "Thank you." I exhaled a little as I tried to figure out what was going on. They had said Rawklix was missing, but maybe they didn't know about the Tower. I looked up at Agent Yadav and asked, "What about Rawklix, Nora said Thornbush cut him to pieces, have you been to the Tower to look for him?"

  "Yes, we've been there. It does indeed look as if there was a massive fight there, and there are traces of blood that lead out to the parking area. Prince Rawklix's transport was discovered parked near his palace ship, with traces of blood within as well, but there was no sign of where he went after that. No footprints to tell us where he might have gone. Unfortunately, sand doesn't hold footprints for long."

  "We have to find him!" I exclaimed, shooting to my feet. Dread filled me at the thought that Nora had captured him and was planning to kill him.

  "We will find him. I promise you that. In the meantime, I think it would be safest if you were to be released into Rawklix's brother's custody. Lortnam and Kelly should be here any time now. Officer Reynolds, can you check and see if they have arrived yet?"

  "Of course." He stepped out of the room.

  "Is there anything you can tell me about your mother—"

  "Don't. Don't call her that." My tone was harsh, and bile crawled up my esophagus at the thought of her acting as my mother. "She's not my mother. My mother's name is Sally. I don't remember much; Nora wiped my memories, but they've been returning for the last year in dreams. I thought they were just dreams until recently, but now that I know the truth, well part of it anyway, I know without a doubt that Nora kidnapped me from my family."

  "Yes, from what Kelly and Mei discovered, your birth mother's name was Sally Forrester."

  I frowned. "Was?"

  He reached for my hand. "I'm sorry. She passed away shortly after your kidnapping. I'm sorry that the officers in charge never investigated your kidnapping. If they had, they would have found you, Nora didn't do much to erase her tracks."

  "How?" I asked, tears of grief sliding down my cheeks.

  "She had a heart attack."

  "And my brother?" I asked, afraid something awful had happened to him also. "I think his name is Daniel?"

  Agent Yadav nodded. "It is. After your mother's death, he went to live with an aunt… let me check my notes, one moment." He flipped through his notebook and then said, "Yes, you have one living aunt, Mrs. Janet Glen who resides in Kansas City. Your brother Daniel, who is one years older than you, went to live with her after your mother died. He is currently a student at the University of Kansas."

  "Why didn't he stay at the farm?"

  "Unfortunately, it was foreclosed on shortly after your kidnapping. It was bought by one of Nora's tech companies, V-Reality. It's never been developed. The house and barn are still there. Though the livestock was sold off."

  "Bessie and Elsie." I mourned the loss of them along with my mother.

  "Who?"

  "Our cows."

  "Oh, I see." Agent Yadav pat my hand, in comfort, but seemed at a loss. The door opened and a man who looked a lot like Rawklix entered with a brunette woman. "Oh good, Prince Lortnam, Princess Kelly, thank you for coming."

  Kelly giggled. "No one but the Trilyn call me Princess," she said.

  "It is your title now, you should be used to it," Yadav said with a grin. "This is Laurie Forrester, Prince Rawklix's intended."

  I stood up, curious at his words. "I don't know about that, I mean… well," I didn't know how to explain.

  Prince Lortnam smiled. "He has already made it clear you are his mate, Miss Forrester, and Rawklix has always managed to get what he sets his mind on. That makes you family."

  "What my dear husband isn’t saying, is that Rawklix's scientist ran a genetic test on your blood sample. You are a genetic match to Rawklix, making you an ideal mate, but before he even knew if you were or not, he made it known that he would marry you even if you weren't. Even if it meant defying his father. He is very much in love with you." Kelly reached for my hand and I blushed.

  "Well, I… I'm in love with him too," I said softly.

  "Yadav, are you done with her? Can we take her to Rawklix's ship?"

  The Agent nodded. "Yes. Have you had any word from him?"

  "No. Nothing so far."

  "I don't understand." I frowned. "How did he go missing?"

  "We're not sure. His transport arrived back near the ship, but no one noticed it until sometime later apparently. Our team went through it with a fine tooth comb. The GPS is timestamped for when it arrived. It was dinnertime by the time anyone went outside to look for it. His cellular phone was found lying on the floor."

  "Come, let's get you somewhere comfortable." Kelly wrapped her arm around my waist and walked me toward the door. "Don't worry, we'll find him."

  "I hope so," I commented, but inside I was terrified that Nora had found him.

  Chapter 20

  Rawklix

  I groaned, feeling sore all over. I hurt everywhere. I blinked my eyes, but I couldn't make out anything. It was all still blurry. Which didn't make sense. If I'd made it home, Fellnix should have gotten me to Lyndrix who would have seen to it that I was fully healed. "What…the hell?" I muttered, trying to sit up. "Fellnix?"

  "Shhh, just lay still, Prince Rawklix, you were injured pretty badly."

  A soft hand brushed my forehead. I had no clue who the voice belonged to, but I knew for certain it wasn't one of my Trilyn healers. "Where am I?" I asked.

  "Brett and I brought you to our house when we found you injured like this. We couldn't leave you where you were, and we didn't know what had happened to you, so we didn't know if we could trust the people at your ship since you were right outside and so badly injured."

  "Brett?" I blinked at the fuzzy shaped woman trying to get my vision to focus. "Jenny?"

  "You remember me now?" she asked, sounding amused. "For a while there you were calling me Laurie."

  I groaned again, my hand going to my head. "How long have I been here?"

  "Five days."

  "Five days!" I gasped and tried to get up, but my head was so messed up and I was so dizzy. I still couldn't see very well. "Damn it!"

  She pushed me back down against the pillows. "Brett said your injuries are healing and your sight wil
l come back eventually, probably in the next few days. Can you see anything yet?"

  I swallowed and blinked again. "Mostly just blurs of colors." I thought about her words. "Brett's a doctor, right?"

  "Yes, see your memory is coming back," she said, sounding happy. "Do you remember what happened?"

  I nodded. "Yeah, I went to see Laurie and got attacked by Thornbush. I made it to my transport and commanded it to take me home. I thought I called Fellnix to come out and get me, but…" I frowned trying to recall if I'd actually pushed the button to call or not. "I guess I passed out before I could make the call."

  "So it wasn't anyone on your ship who hurt you?" she asked. It sounded as if she wanted reassurance that none of my people were trying to kill me.

  "No, definitely not my people. I need to call them… do you have my phone?"

  "Ah, about that. Sorry, no. We didn't want them to trace you, so we left it in the vehicle."

  I sighed. "They must be frantic. Do you have a phone I can use?"

  "Of course," she replied. "One sec."

  I could hear her moving around the room and then out of the door. She returned a minute later and pressed a cell phone into my hand. "Can you dial? All I can see is a blob."

  "Oh, right, sure," she said with a nervous giggle. "Sorry, I forgot your vision is still messed up."

  I gave her the number and then took the phone back from her. It rang several times and then finally he answered. "Hello? Fellnix?"

  "My Prince! Oh my goodness! Where are you? Are you all right? Are you injured? Who's number is this?"

  "Fellnix—" I tried to interrupt him, but then I heard another voice in the background and nearly choked. "Is that Laurie with you?"

  "Fellnix, let me speak to him." Her voice sounded soft and slightly muffled and then became clearer as she said, "Rawklix, are you all right?"

  "Laurie, how are you there with Fellnix?" I was so confused.

  "I'll explain all of that once we get you back here, are you okay?"

  "I… well, I'm alive, thanks to Jenny and Brett. My vision is pretty messed up, but my wounds are healing. Is everyone there?"