by Barlow,M
Hala poured the tea into the small cups with loops on the side and picked up the plastic hose from the waiter. She put it in her mouth, inhaled, then blew the warm smoke into the air and relaxed in her seat. The scent was nice, but Alissara didn’t recognize it.
“It’s flavored tobacco,” Hala said.
“Is it good?”
“Well, it’s tasty, fun, and relaxing. But it’s bad for your lungs.”
“Your lungs,” Alissara said, with a wide grin, “We don’t have lungs.”
Hala put her index finger in front of her mouth and whispered. “Shush! Not so loud.”
Alissara giggled, snatched the Shisha hose from her, and inhaled the same way Hala did. Then she blew the smoke high in the air.
“Amazing! I coughed for three weeks when I took up smoking,” Hala said.
Alissara huffed and blew the air out. “I love it.”
Hala took a sip of her tea and motioned to the other cup. “Try it with tea.”
Alissara couldn’t insert her glove-clad finger into the small loop, so she held it on both sides with her fingers and took a long sip. “Tasty!”
“If you don’t mind me asking, what are you planning to do?”
Alissara drank tea, smoked Shisha, and blew out the smoke. She nailed down the sequence. “I’m learning about Earth while waiting for my mother to arrive. But I suppose it’s time to make preparations.”
“You won’t attack us, will you?”
Alissara chuckled. “No, I meant contacting your government to make sure they don’t open fire the second my mother arrives.”
“Oh, thank god! I guess you have your choice between the army and the Intelligence Agency.”
Alissara shrugged and smoked again. It didn’t matter. They shared information with one another.
“I suggest the Agency because their headquarters is close. The nearest army headquarters is hours away.”
“Ok.”
Hala pointed to the Shisha. “You’re supposed to pass it after you smoke twice.” She reached for the hose, but Alissara leaned back, refusing to hand it to her.
“Is that why you’ve been following the hose with your eyes the entire time?”
“I wasn’t,” Hala said, and reached for the hose again. “Just pass it, Shisha hugger.”
Alissara moved the hose out of her reach and shook her head.
“Fine, I’ll get my own,” Hala said and ordered herself another Shisha, which arrived soon. She smoked. “How will you go to the Intelligence Agency?”
“My ship.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea. You’ll cause panic.”
“What do you have in mind?”
Hala smiled mischievously. “The Metro.”
Alissara’s eyes widened. She’d read articles and watched videos of the ancient, crowded, yet efficient transportation network under the greater Cairo region.
Half hour later, an overweight lady sat down on the metal bench next to Hala and squeezed Alissara between Hala and two, thin metal poles in the Metro car. Alissara leaned forward before they crushed her shoulders. She watched the lights in the underground tunnel, go by for a while before she turned her attention inside the train.
The train was old. Clean, but crowded. What it lacked in speed, it made up for in entertainment. Passengers blasted high-pitched music from their phones, assuming others would enjoy it, but the others were busy, shouting at each other in friendly conversations. The best part was the transient sellers who roamed the cars selling food, books, and small goods. One word described the Metro. Chaotic.
Hala must’ve noticed her amusement. “I bought a Gucci bag once for twenty pounds.”
Alissara’s eyes narrowed. “Gucci?”
“Oh, it’s a fancy bag brand.”
“Bag?”
Hala lifted her leather handbag in front of her. “Like this one, but a nicer brand. Much nicer.”
Alissara’s eyes narrowed further. “Brand?”
“Oh my god! What were you doing on the tablet for hours? You’re worse than my brothers.”
Alissara exploded laughing. “I’m kidding, I know what it is.” Then she lowered her voice. “Remind me again, what was wrong with my ship?”
“Believe me, I’m dying to see it, but if you show up with your ship out of nowhere, they’ll open fire without warning. And it’s faster to walk than to take a taxi through the city center.”
Alissara scowled and looked out the window again. Every five minutes, the train stopped at a station, and passengers exited. The lady next to Hala wasn’t one of them. Going by how relaxed she was, the lady was taking the train to the end of the line.
An hour later, the train reached a station.
“This is it,” Hala said. The sign read Hadayek el Kobba. “The Agency headquarters is a short walk from here.”
They got off the train, exited the station, and walked for a while until they arrived to a large, gated area. Behind the metal gate, Alissara saw a huge building in the distance blocked from view by large trees. On a wooden bench behind the gate, two guards in army uniforms sat down.
One of them marched to the gate when he saw them. “What do you want?”
“We need to meet the director,” Hala said.
The guard spun around, exchanged looks with his colleague, and burst into an uncontrollable laughter. It went on for a while. Then he stopped and scratched his head under the hat.
“Do you want us to check if the president is free first?”
Alissara chuckled. “That’s funny!”
Hala smiled and patted her back. “Oh, you get sarcasm.” She turned to the guards with a serious face. “It doesn’t have to be the director. Can we please speak to an officer?”
“Why?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“If you won’t tell me, leave.”
Hala planted her left hand on her hip and waved her right hand in his face. “We’re not going anywhere.”
“If you don’t leave now, we’ll arrest you and your friend for trespassing.”
“It’s a matter of national security.”
“And this is a matter of final warning,” the guard said, and meant it.
Odd reaction, considering they requested a meeting with an officer. But from what she gathered, intelligence agents in Egypt had unlimited powers. Going into the building uninvited was a death wish. She could fight her way in, but first she had to get Hala to safety.
“This is not working,” Alissara said.
“Don’t give up.”
Alissara grabbed Hala’s arm and walked away until they were far from the gate. “You need to leave. I’ll fight my way into the building.”
Hala’s eyes widened before she shook her head. “You don’t have your ship.”
“I don’t need it. The defenses are intense, but my shield will hold. Go before you get hurt in the crossfire.”
“Please don’t kill them. They’re just doing their job.”
“I won’t,” Alissara said, smiling. She watched Hala’s wide eyes narrow and her shoulders slump. “I will come visit you. I promise.” She gave Hala a hug and watched her leave in reluctant steps.
Alissara walked to the gate, tore her dress, and threw away her scarf. The guards’ jaws dropped when they saw her armor. Their surprise turned to panic once she hovered in the air past the gate.
The guard that dismissed them earlier reached for a red button next to the gate and pressed it. She activated her defensive shield and waited for the defenses to kick in.
Sirens sounded, and within seconds, the entire building was on lock down. Armored vehicles and special forces soldiers in combat gear armed with guns and rocket launchers rushed to the gate. In the distance, two defense towers emerged from the top of the building.
Alissara watched everything unfold from her high vantage point. The soldiers fired their weapons. The small, metal projectiles bounced off her shield. She hovered, untouched.
They fired rockets and grenades. Armo
red vehicles locked on her and fired heavy rounds and heat-seeking missiles, enough to level a small town. The smell of smoke and explosives filled the air. Pressure knocked her around from one side to another, but didn’t take down her shield. Again, Alissara hovered, invincible.
Two helicopters left the roof of the building. Under heavy fire cover from the defense towers, the helicopters headed her way. They fired bullets and missiles. Blinding flashes of light and deafening sounds, but the only thing they accomplished was taking out a few trees. Her shield was impenetrable.
At the top of the building, an old man in a black suit rushed to a small helicopter. Alissara ignored the noise and focused on the man and the two guards who accompanied him.
She recognized the Director from the Agency’s secure network she accessed earlier. Alissara ventured above the large trees and the smoke toward the building. Bullets and grenades followed her until she landed on the flat roof behind him. She blasted the two guards away with a strong power wave which rendered them unconscious.
“May I have a word?” She asked, her voice loud, but calm.
The Director froze with one foot inside the helicopter and one on the roof. When he realized he couldn’t hold the position for much longer, he swung around to face her. He was calm, but she knew it took all his willpower to hide his crippling fear.
“Who are you, and what do you want from me?”
She glanced at the vehicles and helicopters, doubling back to the building. “I’m Alissara, and I don’t mean harm. Now, please have your soldiers cease fire. They’re drawing attention.”
His face was pale, and he clasped his chest with his right hand. He must’ve realized she wasn’t human.
“Are you dying?”
“I’ll let you know in a minute,” he said and leaned against the helicopter. “I’m Nader.”
She chuckled and watched as he masked his fear with a nervous smile. He picked up his phone and ordered the soldiers to cease fire. Alissara closed her eyes in relief. The last thing she needed after the noisy Metro was a performance of the Royal Egyptian Gunfire Symphony, featuring three extra loud helicopter.
Did he realize they were chatting on the roof of the building? Or that he leaned against the escape helicopter?
“Can we talk somewhere more private?”
“Forgive me, yes.”
A few minutes later, Alissara sat in a comfortable chair across from the Director in an area attached to his spacious office. Everything from his desk to the art on the wall was nice and expensive. The Director himself was quiet as if he was trying to digest what had happened, or maybe he was skeptical if she was an alien. A fact tough to swallow, but her appearance and technology left no place for doubt.
She broke the silence. “Your office is nice.”
“Thank you,” the Director said. “It’s government issued, except the artwork on the walls. Would you like something to drink?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“If you were human, I’d say you’re in your twenties.”
Alissara smiled. “Close, I’m over a thousand.”
His jaw dropped. “You’re kidding.”
“We have long life spans.”
He was at a loss of words. “I have so many questions.”
She examined his well-built body. He’d aged well. “How strong is your heart?”
His eyes narrowed, and he clenched his chair’s armrests. “Well, I quit smoking five years ago.”
“Interesting, I started today,” she said and got to her feet. “Don’t worry, I won’t harm you.”
The Director was nervous, but his curiosity left no room for caution. He got to his feet. Alissara touched his forehead with her hand to show him her world and her people. By the end, he was sweating and panting. She helped him back to his seat.
“How many of you are here?” The Director asked.
“Three, and our Queen will land soon.”
“I will let the Minister of Defense and Military Production know.”
Alissara’s smiled. “That’s quite a mouthful.”
He smiled. “Yes, but believe it or not, he’s not too busy. We haven’t been in a war for sixty years.”
Alissara considered his statement and fought the urge to tell him that peace was over. War was coming to them.
*****
Mara
December 21, 2030
Jack Davies, the Director of the CIA, arrived at his office at six in the morning. Although he had four hours of sleep last night, he was awake and refreshed. Jack switched on his computer.
An encrypted email from Noah Williams waited for him. He hadn’t heard from Noah in years. Australians pulled all the stops for this assignment, and he did, too. He had devoted significant resources to locate any aliens who might have landed in the US or elsewhere and to monitor for future landings. A joint team of CIA and NSA agents were ready to leave on a short notice once the Agency detected a landing.
Noah’s email was thorough. The first section summarized detection, tracking, and retrieval method. The second section was about the alien. It included a description and highlighted her powers and technology. Noah included a video of Shara at the end. With hair dye and makeup, she’d pass for a human.
The email was interesting, and it proved he was right. They needed to pull the plug on the army operation and handle things like Noah did. But the Secretary of Defense wouldn’t let that happen.
An agent knocked and walked into the office. “I think we have something.”
Jack jumped from his seat, and in two wide steps, he was right behind the agent. “Show me!”
The agent led him to the operations room where analysts worked around the clock to gather intel, analyze data, and coordinate with the NSA and the army.
“An alien spaceship landed in Reno sometime last night. We have a rough location north of the city.”
Jack’s eyes widened. A part of him thought the landing was a onetime event. An alien landed in Australia and that was the end of it. But now, they, too, had a ship in their backyard. An alien could provide answers and technology. But an alien ship would change life on Earth. The possibilities were endless. Faster travel, advanced weapons, and better operating systems. Not to mention, interstellar travel. Humans could now leave the galaxy.
“And the aliens?” Jack asked.
“We have to be close to detect them.”
The agents in Australia chased the alien energy trail in a big city to an apartment in a residential building. Now, he’d hand the information on a silver platter to the army, and they’d get the glory. The words of the President echoed in his head, ‘they have to work together’ and ‘this is just the start’.
“Tell the army and the NSA.”
The agent nodded. “There is something else.”
“What is it?”
“The ship has a cloaking device that keeps it hidden.”
“Is it armed?”
“Yes, the energy signature is inconsistent with the size.”
Two armed alien ships that traveled through space. That traveled across Australia in one minute. That could unleash an unprecedented level of destruction. Why did the alien in Australia surrender herself to the agents then?
“Do reconnaissance from a distance. Your priority is not to alarm the aliens or trigger the ship’s defense system.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Don’t wait, send our team out. If they’re in a position to make the call, have them escort the aliens to our base in Nevada. See what she knows about the ship we have.”
He nodded.
The Secretary of Defense sent a small army to secure the alien assets. A good idea if he could overpower his enemy. But in this case, he underestimated his opponent, and the soldiers would pay for it.
Another agent darted to the operations room. He stopped one step short of tackling the Director and handed him a one-page report.
“Report from Cairo,” the agent said, out of breath. “A possible alien fought her
way to the intelligence agency. No ship, though.”
What’s happening?
One day he was trying not to fall asleep on his desk. Just killing the year that stood between him and a comfortable retirement. Now, all hell broke loose. Aliens landed everywhere, and he had to keep track of them. This wasn’t a low-profile assignment. The future of the country and the whole the world depended on it.
Jack rubbed his temples with the tips of his fingers. “Send a team to Cairo and contact our ambassador in Egypt. We need access to that alien.”
*****
Mara accessed the CIA network. The intense effort they put into securing the network only held her back for ten seconds. She read two reports and an email from Australia. Shara made it. The CIA knew Mara was in Reno and sent a team to retrieve her if the army failed. But no mention of Alissara.
The army network was as secure as the CIA and as easy to access. But most of their communications were verbal or through radios to cover their tracks. But she found enough details to show they mobilized a few airships to Reno. Based on her limited knowledge, they used the army against enemies. Sending these units didn’t scream trust. Mara returned to the CIA website to look at the details of the team they put together before she decided.
“Hey, wake up. Where is my tablet, dude?” The voice came from the living area. It must be Nick’s roommate, Josh.
“I don’t know,” she heard Nick’s sleepy voice. “We had an alien in the house last night, and she asked if she could use it.”
Mara put her hand on her mouth to cover a booming laugh.
“Did the alien finish my Jack Daniels?”
“Maybe, I dunno,” Nick said.
“Yeah right, nice try, dude. You smell like you drank a bar last night. You finished it, didn’t you?”
“No, she did.”
Josh said nothing.
“She’s real. I met her at the pub last night.”
The back and forth conversation, if one could refer to it as such, reminded Mara of her sisters. The only thing missing was a mother to tell them off to get a little peace and quiet. Her laugh morphed into a nostalgic smile.
“Yeah? Where is she?” Josh asked.
“She left.”
