by Amber Stuart
“There are odd readings, the infiltrator might be close,” he says.
“You don’t know?” I ask.
“No, not for certain. Infiltrators are a special breed of Invader.”
“How? I mean, what do they look like? How can we tell if it’s close?”
“You can’t. They can shape shift to look like anyone. That is why they are so incredibly dangerous. They are the first line of attack. They are sent in before their fleet arrives to soften up any planetary defenses. Disable them if they can, which apparently they’ve found the ones we installed here. Two of them are non-functional right now.”
“What if he destroyed it?” I ask.
“Then we are doomed,” Vin says.
“Okay, well here’s to not destroyed.”
“The nanites should be stronger in your system now. They’ve had time to work their way into your blood stream so your resistance to his abilities will be higher but you’re not immune. If you feel an inexplicable weakness come over you let me know. We need to react fast.”
“Okay, got it captain,” I joke.
“Commander,” he says.
“Huh?”
“Commander, my title is Commander,” he answers.
I stare at him trying to decide if he’s joking with me or not. Apparently he’s not because he’s barely looking up from his arm computer. Okay then, Commander it is! We leave the room and I’m surprised by it being late afternoon. The sun is low in the sky and the streets are much busier.
“How long did I sleep?” I ask.
“About four hours,” Vin answers taking my hand and walking.
“Wow,” I say.
There’s a pleasant ache as I walk. A sensation of being fully satisfied and the dull empty ache is gone. We pass through town quickly without event. Every few blocks Vin brings his arm up and taps at it then we continue on our way.
“Do you believe me?” he asks out of nowhere.
It gives me pause. Do I believe him? It’s crazy but I’ve seen a lot, and more than anything I just feel like he’s telling me the truth. There’s the itch at the back of my head that I know him and the dream, it all points to something more. Or it just says I’m off the reservation and deep in to crazy town.
“Maybe?” I answer him honestly.
He nods and we continue on in silence. We get back to the bank parking lot. It’s Sunday so the lot is empty. Kelley’s boyfriend must have already been here because my car is gone. I’ll have to deal with that eventually. Stopping in the middle of the parking lot Vin holds his arm up, pokes at it a couple of times then starts turning in a slow circle.
“It should be here,” he mutters then stops.
He walks forward and then I hear a high pitched beeping sound that becomes more insistent with each stride. It’s finally going nuts beeping so fast it sounds like a single tone. We’re standing on a manhole cover. Vin keeps turning in a circle looking around.
“It’s a cave right?” I ask.
“Yes,” he says.
“So it’s underground? Cave isn’t some weird alien term that means something completely different than I think it does?”
“No, it’s underground,” he says frowning at me.
“Well lift the lid you’re standing on and let’s see what’s down there.”
“Lid?” he says looking down in surprise.
“That’s a manhole cover. It’s a way to access the sewer lines and such that run under the city.”
“Of course!” he exclaims excitedly.
He steps back then kneels and his fingers work to find purchase. I’m just about to warn him about how heavy those things are when he lifts it like it weighs no more than a dinner plate. He sets it aside and we’re left looking down into darkness. I hear running water down there but there’s no smell of raw sewage or anything like that which I’m thankful for. A ladder is set into the concrete of the circular descent. Vin looks up at me then swings his legs into the hole and starts down.
This is not the way I want to spend my day but I did say I was all in on this ride. I just never guessed it would take me to the depths of the city. As we descend into darkness Vin’s suit lights up. It fully illuminates an area at least twenty feet around us but doesn’t blind me. It’s impressive.
We touch down onto concrete. A trickle of water runs down the middle of the circular tunnel we’re standing in. Rats rush out of the area of the light with an unnerving chittering sound. We turn in a slow circle while Vin works his arm then he starts walking.
“So, tell me about your home,” I say.
“When I left it was not much different than Earth,” he says. “More advanced, less pollution. You humans are really terrible about polluting. It’s very short-sighted.”
“Yeah, I guess it is,” I say. “Do you have anyone… special back home?”
I’m fishing and I’m sure it’s obvious but I have to know. He’s mentioned a ‘her’ too many times but always in a past tense. I want to know what happened to ‘her’ and why I remind him of this mystery woman. No matter the dream, it can’t have been me. Whoever she is, she broke his heart and the way I feel being with him I want to fix it. I want to make him whole the way he makes me feel whole.
“I have not been home in a very, very long time. There is no one there that is ‘special’ as you put it.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I say.
“Do not be, I made a promise that I must keep.”
“A promise?”
He stops walking and turns to look at me. His hand comes up and cups my face and I’m taken again by how small I feel with him. He stares into my eyes then he shakes his head.
“You look so much like-” he cuts himself off.
“Like who Vin?” I ask placing my hand over his and holding it to my face as I lean in. “Tell me, please.”
“It is not possible,” he says. “It must be some fluke of memory or the most remote of chances. It just cannot be.”
“What Vin? Why be so cryptic?”
The arm of his suit buzzes and then beeps loudly. He jerks his hand away and poke furiously at his arm. As he does so I hear something behind us and it’s much bigger than a rat. Vin looks back then grabs my hand and pulls as he bursts into motion.
“Run,” he hisses. “It’s found us.”
My heart leaps into high gear and cold chills run down my spine and across my skin. I do my best to keep up with him but I can’t match his stride. In moments I’m panting, my legs and lungs are burning, and all I want to do is stop running. Then my belly warms and that warmth creates a tingling sensation that flows out from my core. It reaches my lungs first and it becomes easier to breathe. Then it reaches my legs and the cramping burning sensation subsides. It’s not gone completely but it’s not so bad I want to cry anymore either. I look down at my own body in amazement. If this isn’t proof of nanites and Vin’s story then I don’t know what is!
Vin does something as we run and the light of his suit dims down until it barely illuminates a step in front of him. We turn a corner and head down a different tunnel shaft then a cold breeze blows past. It smells different. It’s wetter, with hints of lime, and something more. Vin doesn’t stop so I don’t either. We keep running then the concrete walls end in a jagged mess and we’re staring into a massive cave entrance. The air is cooler than the tunnels. We’re looking into what feels like a big space but I can’t see how big. There is no sign of the far walls or the ceiling in the dim light of his suit. Our footsteps echo off into the distance as we come to a stop.
“This is it,” Vin whispers just as a shuffling sound comes from behind.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“What was that?” my voice quavers.
Fear makes a hard knot in my stomach and my heart is beating in my throat. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up and that now familiar feeling of being watched is back. Vin shines the light behind us but nothing stands out.
“I don’t know,
” he says then raises his arm and starts poking at it.
He walks a ways down the tunnel we just came through shining the light and searching. Apparently finding nothing he returns.
“Maybe it’s nothing,” I say.
“Let’s hope,” he says raising his arm and poking at it. “Scanners are clear. It’s not caught us yet.”
“Well good.”
He walks back into the cave and I fall in behind. The air is cool but not uncomfortable. It’s so dark that I can’t see my hand in front of my face if I let him get too far ahead of me. If not for his light we’d be completely blind. The floor is smooth. I’ve never been in a cave before but this seems odd. Are all caves so smooth? How would they be? If they’re naturally made wouldn’t they be, I don’t know, rough? The sounds of dripping water echo around the space. The dark, the echoes, and the overall feel makes it hard to judge how big this place is.
Vin walks with confidence like he knows the space. I can’t stop myself watching my feet. The smoothness just doesn’t seem right so I keep one eye on the ground to make sure I don’t step off into nothing or trip over a rock or something. We go maybe thirty steps in when he stops, raises his arm, and pokes at the suit. The light brightens and what I see takes my breath away.
“Oh,” I exclaim.
Before me sits a machine. I don’t know what else to call it. It’s tall, probably twenty feet in height, rising up from the floor and stretching up to the edge of the light. The center is a cylinder, the base of which is made of some kind of gleaming metal that has an orange tint to it. The top half, starting about the height of my head, is clear and shows tubes running up towards the top where they curve and bend over then run back down. Around the middle of the thing, about waist height on me, protrudes a shelf with lots of buttons, levers, and monitors.
“It should be working,” Vin mutters walking over to it.
He starts walking around it, crouching as he moves and looking under the shelf and up and down the machine. I stand and watch with the strangest feeling that I’ve seen this before. The entire room gives me a sense of deja-vu stronger than anything I’ve ever experienced before. I know, on some deeply primal level, that I’ve been here before. I’ve not only seen this, I was here, with Vin, or I think I was. Feel I was? It’s very disconcerting. I’m not sure what I’m thinking or feeling.
I walk over to the shelf. My hand trembles as I reach out to touch it. I stop and look at my fingers shaking. What the hell? I’m seriously wondering if I’ve had a complete reality break. I’m a down to earth girl. I have a job, friends, and while I dream of the stars can any of this be real? I push past my fear and touch a keyboard looking thing on the shelf. My fingers tingle but nothing else happens. I sigh letting out the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.
Walking around the machine, the feeling of familiarity continues to grow. It’s like when you know a name and it’s just there on the top of your tongue. Except in this case as I look at things on the shelf, buttons, levels, screens, and gizmos I almost know what they do. Why they’re there. That can’t be. I’m no engineer or whatever it would take to understand all this stuff.
“Ah!” Vin exclaims.
“Find something?” I ask.
“Yes I have. Would you mind assisting me?”
“Sure,” I say.
Focusing on something is better. Focus on work and push aside all the feelings and confusions. It’s always worked before so it should this time too. Vin is on the other side of the machine on his knees. I kneel down beside him and see he’s taken a panel off, exposing a lot of wires and circuitry. The sense of the familiar returns but I ignore it until my eyes fall on a wire to one side that is hanging loose.
“The power coupler is disconnected!” I exclaim.
“Exactly,” he says, surprise evident in his voice as he reaches in and reconnects the cable.
A low hum emanates from the machine and then a soft blue light fills the cave. As the machine powers up there’s a soft whirring sound which speeds up then settles into a rhythm. Vin’s smile spreads across his face as he stands up and steps back to admire the machine.
“It’s pretty,” I observe.
The soft light illuminates his face and accents the strong lines of his jaw. The way his smile lights up his face is enticing. His eyes sparkle and I want nothing more than to kiss him. I want to put my hands on the flat planes of his stomach, pull him close, and have him wrap those strong arms around me.
“This is good. One more and the defense platforms will be activated,” he looks down into my eyes. “Thank you Abby. I would not have been able to do this without you.”
He’s stiff and slightly distant, what’s this? Is he dumping me? And what else did I expect the sexy alien to do actually? Take me away into space with him? Swoop down out of the sky and fulfill all my fantasies? Take me boldly where no woman has gone before? Well okay I’m pretty sure he did that in bed but that’s not what I mean. My stomach sinks as we stand staring at each other. I know this is it. He doesn’t know what to say and neither do I. Does that mean he’s reluctant to let me go?
“Take me with you,” I whisper.
I plead with my eyes.
Softly I place my hands on his hard, muscled chest. Rising up on my toes I lean in for a kiss. I feel him stiffen, straight as a board. Despite this I see the desire in his eyes and feel it stiffening in his pants. He wants me, so what holds him back? I don’t want to be here anymore. I don’t belong here, in this simple life that has no meaning. What value do I bring to the world managing a fast food joint? Quick meals served isn’t making the world better. It’s not exploring or learning or seeing new and exotic places. That’s the life I was meant for. That’s the life that’s supposed to be mine.
“I can’t, it’s not right,” his voice is tight and it’s not a no.
“You can, it is right. This was meant to be,” I say and I mean it. I feel it deep in my bones.
“You look so much like her,” now he whispers and I see a tear forming in the corner of his eye.
“Let me be her for you,” I say.
What am I saying? I scream at myself in my head. I don’t know but it feels right. The dream, the deja vu, all of it makes this just feel right. I’m running on gut instinct and why not? My entire world has changed since he came into it and I like it. I like the way he makes me feel. I like the adventure, I like the sense of purpose, and most of all I like being with him. I feel different. The empty ache is gone, the longing for something more.
His mouth opens and he’s about to speak. Butterflies dance in my stomach as it ties itself into knots with anticipation. Bile rises in my throat as my nerves jump into overtime. I want this with every fiber of my being. I will it to be, but then just as I can see him forming the words, there’s an explosion. Sparks fly off the machine and the whirring hum stops. We both whirl around and see standing on the far side close to the entrance is a man.
It’s the most nondescript man I’ve ever seen. Even as I look at him I can’t fix the details of his appearance in my mind. I can’t say what he actually looks like while I’m staring right at him. What color is his hair? Does he have facial hair? Is he tall or short? I’m looking at him but I don’t have any idea. Vin throws one massive, muscular arm in front of me pushing me back easily as he steps between the man and I. Vin says something but I don’t understand the words, it’s a foreign tongue. Alien I would assume.
The warm glow starts in my belly calming the butterflies then my ears are burning deep inside. I grab the outside of my head. It’s not that it hurts so much as it just feels weird. A tingly, burning sensation that flares up then fades away. It stops and I lower my hands back to my sides.
“… I will destroy your entire species,” Vin is saying as my hearing returns and I can understand the two aliens. Nanites are cool!
“Lantarians!” the other man snorts. “Your race is pathetic. Give your life force to me so I may put it to better us
e.”
This is the Infiltrator. He’s the one who’s been following me. Hunting me or Vin but either way I see him now. It’s no wonder I could never spot him before. I can’t place him now and if he was in a crowd of people finding him would be impossible. He raises his hands, his fingers look like claws and then he says something guttural that doesn’t form actual words. Vin stumbles as if hit in the gut.
“Vin!” I scream.
Vin’s knees are shaking. He raises his arm and taps at it then points his fist at the Infiltrator. A blue beam bursts out of his hand and hits the Infiltrator in the chest knocking him back out of the cave. Vin weaves on his feet then grabs the shelf around the machine and steadies himself.
“Run,” Vin says. “Get out of here, I’ll find you once I’m able to finish him.”
Vin’s pale and weak. He’s weaving even with the machine’s support. He motions, waving his arm towards the entrance.
“No,” I say.
“You have to, that won’t stop it,” he says.
“Then we’ll do it together,” I say. “We have to fix the machine. It must be activated!”
“Lantarian,” the Infiltrator says. “You will pay for that.”
Vin falls to his knees and I crouch next to him. I’ve got no weapons, no way to fight back, but I have to. I not only have to save Vin, but if this machine isn’t turned on, then Earth is done for. Sparks shoot out of the machine and pour down around us like bright drops of rain. A beam of light flashes overhead sizzling the air as it passes.
“Vin, what do we do?” I ask desperate.
Vin grimaces and tries to rise to his feet but doesn’t make it.
“Oh my god you’re bleeding!” I cry out noticing for the first time.
Vin looks down then back up at me. A piece of metal protrudes from his abdomen and dark blood is pouring out of the wound. I press my hands to it to try and stop the bleeding but in a moment I’m covered in his blood.
“Abby,” he pants. “You have to get out of here. I can’t let this happen again.”
