New Threat

by Nathan Hystad

  Magnus was leaning in, listening intently to the truth we were witnessing.

  “When they didn’t, we ended up being brought to twenty-three. Only then, we didn’t know where the hell we were, or what we were doing. I was in one of those rooms, and some people were in like some kind of coma or something. Stasis, I heard them call it after. Most of us weren’t. In there, we were piled up like livestock, people of every color, religion, and sex. The sick lay among the healthy. Someone gave birth the first day. I heard the baby girl is still alive and healthy. The small miracles.” He looked at me, seemingly embarrassed at showing vulnerability.

  “Anyway. Sick people died, we had no food or water, and once we realized there were floor after floor of these cages, some of us explored and tried to find where we were. It was like a sick game. Metal grate floors, sliding hydraulic doors, and no aliens. No threats we could see. Just time. People were fighting, some loved ones found each other, and we tried to have a system where we separated people. The sick ended up on one floor, and as others weakened, they were moved there. Doctors and others tried to help, but there wasn’t much they could do with no supplies. It was terrible.” He took another pause, and I leaned back, taking a sip of my now tepid coffee.

  His posture changed. “Then I saw them. The hybrids, as we call them now. A bunch of men and women who looked alike. They had weapons. A lot of us died trying to attack them. I didn’t bother. I knew they would mow us down like ducks at the firing range, so I hung back. Later, I followed them a ways and learned what floor they were on. The next day, I headed there, and one of them approached me from behind. I almost crapped myself.”

  The stories of the vessels were hard to hear, especially since the few of us who didn’t get taken never had to witness it. We’d just seen the aftermath, and that was hard enough. I thought back to the first vessel we’d come upon on our way to the sun. The one where we’d found Mae… and killed the rest of the hybrids. Guilt rose from my gut and threatened to make me gag, and I pushed it back down. I had to do it. There was no choice.

  The guy must have noticed me pale, and he raised an eyebrow to me. “Then what?” I asked, hoping to just move on.

  “They brought me to a room, an off-limits area only they could get into. I thought for sure they were going to kill me. I mean, why wouldn’t they? I was spying on them. Instead, he offered me a seat and gave me a glass of water. I mean, at first, I expected it to be poisoned or something, but figured it would have just been easier to shoot me, so I drank it. Next, he plopped a bar of food in front of me. He didn’t talk, just set it down.” He looked at me guiltily. “I ate it. As soon as I took that bite and felt my stomach churn from finally having something inside it, I knew I was theirs. I felt guilty but didn’t care. The way I figured it, we were all dead anyway.”

  I wondered what endgame the hybrids on that ship had. If they knew they were just crashing into the fiery depths of the sun in a few days, what use did they have for someone on the inside?

  Before I could ask, he continued. “At first, they just asked me to keep an ear out for anything out of place. Revolts, that kind of thing. I did. A couple times, I overheard plans from the captives to attempt a coup d'état, and before they could, the alien hybrids always found out. No one had any inkling it was me.”

  I noted how he called the people captives and didn’t seem to include himself among their ranks during this conversation. Magnus probably noticed too, judging by the frown he was wearing.

  “More people died, and by the time I realized I should have been using my time thinking of ways to get one of their weapons to turn the tables, it was too late. The heroes of Earth showed up and stopped them from destroying us all. I lie awake at night telling myself that had they not come to save us, I would have found a way to at least stop our vessel. I know that I’m kidding myself, but it’s all I can do to sleep some nights.” He took another sip of his coffee and set the cup down with a shaky hand.

  Heroes of Earth. The name had a silly ring to it, but it was one of the many things we were hailed as after the return. We were all quiet a moment, and the guy squinted as he looked from Magnus back to me. Recognition sank in, and he paled even more.

  “It’s you.” His hands went to his face, covering it as he blew a deep breath out. “All this time, I’m spilling my guts about working for the enemy, and who am I telling it to? Two of the damn people who actually stopped them from killing us all. Listen, I know you’re going to judge me, but if I’d been on the outside, maybe I would have done like you too.”

  “I believe you would have. What choice did you have?” I asked him, and I told myself I would never have done what he’d done if I were in his shoes. It was hard to convince my brain one hundred percent. I was worried he might clam up now, so I had to stay on his side. “We need to know about today. Why did you shoot that man?”

  I was jumping ahead, but if I was going to lose him, I needed to hit the gas quickly.

  “I’m sorry. They had me. In those few days, they made me one of theirs. I felt more at home with them, sneaking around infiltrating my own people, than I did pushing sawdust around for a living. I get it. Transference, or whatever the hell you want to call it. I was converted to some sort of new ideas, and at this moment, I finally see it for what it was. I’m ashamed,” he said quietly.

  “So you were theirs, but after we got home, what happened? I’m missing something.” Magnus stood up, and I wished he would shrink back down to be less intimidating.

  “Once you showed up, a couple of them were convinced of your story. They fought about it, I was told, but they all ended up going along with it. I think the hard-core Kraski fanatics had a hard time agreeing, but they saw an opportunity for something. They were the ones who kept me on their side. They played nice with everyone, and we’ve all heard the remorse from the interviews, and the hybrids over the last year, but if you think they all rolled over and forgot their roots, you’re kidding yourselves,” Clayton said.

  Dalhousie had been right to keep them all isolated in their POW camp out on Long Island. The Russians had wanted them, but the world had voted on the US. Likely they would all have wound up dead by some accidental explosion, but if what I was hearing went where I feared, maybe that would have been the best alternative.

  “I doubt anyone thinks they’re toothless,” Magnus said. “Can we get back to the shooting today?”

  “Before we landed back on Earth, two of them told me they would be in touch. They gave me some sort of tracking device or something.” He pointed to the back of his neck. “Injected it in me. Didn’t hurt.”

  Magnus stood tall again. “Is it still in there?” he barked.

  The guy nodded. “Yeah, they contacted me a couple times, but not directly. Through a human, I think.”

  That had to mean they had a whole damned network here. Dalhousie and the rest had every reason to be cautious around the hybrids. Mae was on our side, though, this I was sure of. Well, mostly sure of. But then again, I’d been sure Ray was with me too, until he’d tried to stop me at Machu Picchu.

  “You’ve never met them or spoken directly with them since you’ve been back?” Magnus asked.

  He shook his head slowly. “They’re all contained, as far as I know, so they can’t leave. All I know is I was told to meet another guy. He had a van and some guns. We were given a place and date and instructions. That was today. I was told to shoot the guy with the megaphone, then leave. Of course, you know how that went.”

  “Ready to give us your name yet?” I asked.

  “Clayton. Clayton Belding,” he said.

  “I’m not sure what’ll happen to you, Clayton, but we do appreciate you being forthright with us. One last thing before we leave the room. What are the names of your hybrid contacts? The ones who kept at you after we arrived to bring you all home?” I reminded him about the saving part again.

  He looked like he was scared or worried to tell me, but he gave in. I think he was just happy to be done being a
traitor to his country, to his planet. “Terrance was the guy, and Leslie was the woman. I still don’t understand why they have our names, but I guess if you’re putting on someone’s mask, you may as well take their name too.”

  Our trip to Long Island had just gotten more pressing.

  FIVE

  “We’ve alerted the guards at the Long Island facility, and they’re going to try to identify those two particular hybrids.” The president looked tired; black bags sat under her usually youthful eyes.

  Mae sat at the table, looking worried. Everyone had been watching the video as we spoke with Clayton, and the only consensus was we needed to follow and learn about the network being run by Leslie and Terrance.

  “We can only expect there are many more moving pieces, and way more involved in this than just those two.” Mary looked at Mae while she spoke, an apologetic air floating with her voice.

  “I’ve got a chopper waiting for you guys. This isn’t a time for you all to be taking leisurely trains around the coast. Magnus and Natalia, I’m hoping you’ll come to the base, and the others can meet up with you there in a couple days if all goes well.” Dalhousie was asking as a courtesy, I was sure.

  Magnus and Nat looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders at the same time.

  We spent the next hour or so discussing how we could get more information about the hybrid network, and by the time we were about to go our own ways, my head was pounding and it was dark outside.

  “Do you guys mind taking Carey with you?” I asked, knowing he would be much happier going with them than on a stressful trip in a helicopter to a POW camp. Carey barked when I said his name and sat beside my feet. Kneeling down, I petted him softly, telling him we’d see him soon.

  “Of course not,” Natalia said, calling him over. He did so hesitantly, and Mary crossed the room, grabbing the dog’s leash and other essentials from her luggage. I wasn’t looking forward to being separated from the guy, and I doubted he was either. At least he’d be going with people he loved being around: pseudo-uncle and aunt.

  Carey accepted our goodbye without too much preamble, and soon we were being whisked away to Long Island.

  __________

  The military-grade helicopter lowered Mae, Mary, and me down to the school’s football field. The camp, or residence as we were told to call it, was located at the local university grounds. With the turmoil of the world, most post-secondary schools had been on hiatus, with some trade schools and other specialized ones still running to make sure the world could still spin every day and night. This particular university was one that got swiped off the list of funding, and they were going to merge with a few other New York schools in the next year.

  It worked out well because it had everything the hybrids could need while they were under our protection… or watchful eyes. They housed in the on-campus residence, and they had classrooms for learning about Earth and our customs and traditions, even though most had a basic understanding already since they’d been trained for coming here, as Janine and Bob had been. Mae told me that while they’d been taught a lot about humans, there were many missing things, like our sense of humor and obsession with sports. I’d laughed but was still scared at the implications that the Kraski had possibly known as much about us as they did. What did that tell us? That someone was feeding them information. Mae was under the theory it was from all the crap Earth was shooting around the universe in the form of radio waves, and other things I didn’t quite understand. Maybe they learned what they did from watching the Cooking Channel.

  Either way, the hybrids were here. We had them tucked away into a comfortable area, with food and activities… and a big fence around the perimeter. It was fully dark by the time we landed in the field, right smack dab on the fifty-yard line. The fence was lit up every fifty yards or so, and there were a few towers with spotlights roaming the grounds. There was a curfew, and armed guards in the towers. So far there hadn’t been any incidents of trouble, at least none that the public had been made aware of. I realized that meant nothing, so I’d ask Mae to check into it later.

  “Looks like we get an escort,” Mary said, nodding toward the armed guards coming our way.

  “They check everyone’s blood. They want to know if any hybrids come or go.” Mae had a distant look on her face.

  “You okay?” Mary asked her.

  She nodded slowly. “Yeah. I know this is better than most of us deserve, but it’s still a life behind bars. Considering the alternative, I’d say I’m great, though.” She turned her somber face into a forced smile and grabbed her bags.

  The copter was loud, and Mary’s hair blew in my face as we set foot on the grass.

  “Mr. Parker, Ms. Lafontaine, and Mae, right this way, please,” a fresh-faced guard said, waving his hand. He sounded friendly, but he still held a gun in the crook of his arm.

  They followed us to a building near the field, which turned out to be the old locker room. Weight sets still lined the wall, and near the door stood a device that looked much like a free-standing doorway. It reminded me of a high-tech airport metal scanner, only this one whirred as we approached, and was lit with soft blue LEDs.

  “Please walk through, Ms. Lafontaine,” Junior said.

  “Call me Mary,” she replied, walking through. The blue lights turned yellow for a moment.

  Mae went next and the lights turned green, which I guess was to be expected. I walked through last, and expected to be yellow, so we could just go drop our bags off and get some food and shut-eye. It had been an extremely long day, and a bite followed by a pillow was just what I needed. The light turned green.

  The guards raised their guns at me. “Why are you undocumented? You don’t look like the rest of them.”

  Baffled, I shrugged. “Look, I think your machine is broken.” Then it dawned on me, being shot by a hybrid that looked just like Mary’s dead husband on that vessel, then the transfusion from Mae that would help me heal. I had hybrid blood coursing through my body still.

  Mae seemed to know this was a possibility but must have forgotten, because I was sure she would have warned me of it.

  “You guys know who I am? Dean Parker. The man who was shot trying to stop the entire population from becoming charcoal on the surface of the sun.” I was tired, and wanted to contain my annoyance, but was having a hard time of it. I nodded toward Mae. “She was nice enough to help me out with some super-healing blood, and voila, a year later, I set off your little sensor. Can we just go on through and get some sleep before all hell breaks loose here tomorrow?” I was hoping there would be no breaking loose of hell the next day, but I pushed the theatrics a little far.

  They conferred for a moment, but the gun that had been pointing at me a minute ago was down on the guard’s side. That was a good sign.

  “Roberts here will lead you to your bunks. No offense was meant, Mr. Parker. We thank you for what you’ve done. All of you.” The fresh-faced guard tried to give us a weak smile, but it came out a pained look.

  “Thank you. Have a good night,” Mary said, grabbing her luggage handle.

  We made our way through the locker room building and out into the fresh night air once again. It was quiet there, with no sign of anyone other than guards walking in pairs down the dimly lit sidewalks. Large black lantern posts stood every twenty yards or so, casting ominous shadows among the well-manicured lawns and hedges. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach as we made our way through the university grounds. We had the hybrids in prison but tried to make sure it looked like they were living in a wonderful place. I could smell flowers as we neared a garden to the side of us and wondered if we had human staff tending to these things or if the hybrids took care of the chores themselves.

  Mary must have been feeling something was off too, because as we walked, she put a hand on Mae’s shoulder for a shared moment that neither of them needed to speak for. As we walked by the next lamppost, I saw Mae’s eyes were wet. We were ushered into a beautiful brick building, archw
ays over us as we walked into the large wooden doorway.

  “We have you two in these rooms,” the guard said, pointing at two doors in the residence, across the hall from one another.

  I almost laughed at them giving us separate rooms, but they wouldn’t know we were together. Neither of us said anything, but Mary did throw me a quick wink.

  “Is anyone else on this wing?” I asked.

  “Nope. Just you two. Mae, come with us, please.” The guard waved her forward.

  “Wait,” Mary said. “Where are you taking her?”

  The guard looked impatient, tapping his foot while keeping his face impassive. “She’ll stay with the other hybrids, like she always does when she’s here.”

  “No, she can have this room. I want her to stay near us.” Mary stepped closer to Mae.

  “Really, it’s okay, Mary.” Mae looked happy to see her friend stand up to the guards, but I wondered if it wouldn’t be better for her to be near her people for information. Seeing the determined look in Mary’s eyes, I didn’t dare suggest this at that moment.

  “No, it’s not. You’ve proven yourself to us all. Stay near us. We still have to discuss a plan for tomorrow,” Mary said.

  The guard deflated a bit and nodded. “Fine, you stay here tonight. The dean expects to see you for breakfast at eight in the morning. We’ll send someone for you.”

  “Can you just tell us where to find him? I’d prefer not to feel like a prisoner here too,” I said. He opened my room door and pointed to a campus map on a small desk near the window.