Her skin tingled from the assault and she rubbed her arms. Where was she? She stood and listened to the noises around her for a moment. Outside the sound of cars passing quickly on the street was coupled with the sloshing of water hitting the shore. Lizbeth walked to the window and looked out. She gasped.
She knew this place. She’d been here before. This is where she had come to retrieve Acton and where they had literally collided. Her eyes filled with tears. Had it really just been two days earlier?
What was she supposed to do now? Her head spun and she lowered herself to the floor of the living room. Information seemed to be downloading into her brain as if she were a computer. Her name was no longer Lizbeth. That was too unique; she’d be asked too many questions about it. She was to call herself E-liz-a-beth. She tried to say that a few times on her tongue. Recently divorced, she taught high school English.
High school English? She didn’t even speak the language, how the hell was she supposed to teach it? She practiced a few phrases. Great, apparently she could not only speak it fluently but also converse about it. The lexicon of American English literature was as easy for her to recite as her own birthday. Had she forgotten anything with all of this new information?
She shook her head as if she answered a question. Her name was Lizbeth, although she would now call herself Elizabeth, and she was not from this planet. In fact, living on it was to be her punishment for invading its air space. She’d spent the last half-a-century on a space vessel called the Instigator and she was madly, deeply, and passionately in love with its captain, Acton, who she would not see again until she was too old for him to find her attractive.
The tears that had threatened to spill earlier came down in droves now as she slumped all the way down on the floor so she could stare up at the ceiling. The floor was cold and the sharp feel helped her to get control of her emotions. She’d never been a woman who wept and she really didn’t want to become one now.
This was a whole new world for her to discover. Wasn’t that the point of venturing off into space? To find out what the rest of the universe was like? So, why did she feel so profoundly alone?
Her stomach growled. Since she wouldn’t be finding food in the mess hall today, she rose and tried to figure out if there was food in her current residence where she might locate it.
Wandering around for a moment, she found the bedroom first. The closet was filled with men’s clothes—Acton’s. This had been his place of residence. Allowing herself one last moment of indulgence, she leaned up against one of his dress shirts and sniffed. Mixed in with the smell of cleaning detergent and plastic wrapping was Acton’s unique blend of maleness and cleanliness.
For all that was holy in the universe, she would never get rid of his clothes. Her eyes darted back and forth as she stared at every piece of clothing in the closet. How long could the scents possibly last? Would it disappear over time? How many tee shirts did he have? She could sleep in a new one every night until they ran out.
Her legs bent and she realized how silly she looked. But, really, she didn’t care. This was the biggest parting gift the Tutonians could give to her. She wasn’t without him, not if part of him remained for her to cling to.
A buzzing sound filled the tiny space. She leapt a foot in the air. What the hell was that? The doorbell. She knew that just as surely as she knew her new name. Obviously, the aliens had done this before. So why had they screwed up so badly last time and taken Acton’s memory from him?
Giggling at her nervousness, she decided she’d have lots of time to answer those questions later. The buzzer sounded again and she shook off her worry as she approached the front door.
Turning the handle, her hand sweated. She hoped whoever was on the other side of the door didn’t notice. Finally, she pulled it open.
She gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. Standing in front of her holding two large brown bags was Acton.
He looked sheepish. “Sorry, I couldn’t get the door open and not drop these. Plus I have no idea what happened to my keys.”
“Acton.” For a moment she stood in shock before she grabbed his arm, causing him to almost drop the bags, and pulled him into the apartment. “What are you doing here? The lizard people will kill everyone if they find out and then this will all be for naught.”
He shook his head as he walked to the beige table in the center of the room. Setting down the bags, he turned around smiling. “I cut a deal with them. We both spend time here and they’ve lessoned our sentence to half.”
She seemed not to be able to make out his words. “You did what?”
He pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. “I’m staying here with you and we both get to go back in fifty years.”
He couldn’t do that. It was insane. She pulled out of his arms to look at his face. “Are you out of your mind? The Instigator needs you.”
“I have been Captain of the Instigator for a long time. It’s appropriate that someone else should take over now. I want to be with you. That’s all I really care about.” He cocked his head to the side to look at her. “Have you been crying?”
All she could manage was to nod before the tears threatened to spill again.
“Oh no, we are not having that. C’mon, I would have been here sooner but I went to the store to get a few things I was sure I was low on in the fridge.”
“There are stores for that?”
His laugh was genuine and from the belly. “Oh we are going to have a good time teaching you things Elizabeth. And down here I’m Charles.”
“So did the crew think we were both stolen?”
He shrugged. “I have no idea.”
“Why did you keep your memory this time?”
“I think I did for a while last time too. I think its Earth’s sun. It does something to us over time. It might come to pass that we both forget. But at least we’ll be here together and our alter egos will still be in love.”
He’d said love. She swallowed. Why did that one word fill her up so completely?
The buzzer filled the hall again and this time she didn’t jump but looked up at Acton questioningly. He stared at the door, his eyebrows slanted.
“Well, we know it’s not me.”
He walked to the door and Lizbeth kept close behind him. Turning the handle, he took a step back as he opened it blocking her body with his own. Her stomach turned. Something about this made her nervous and she suspected from Acton’s actions he felt the same.
“Troy?”
Acton dove, throwing her to the floor and covering her with his body as a laser blast filled the room.
“What the hell?” She must have yelled because she heard her own voice but she was too stunned to be sure.
Acton pulled her up and shoved her into the kitchen, closing the door behind them. Troy ran behind them, wheezing before the door closed.
Acton’s posture had gone stiff. He was totally focused on the business at hand. “Grab a knife, anything.”
Obeying him, she ran for the knives as Acton reinforced the door with his body. It would only take one good blast to blow the wooden frame to pieces. As she handed him a large knife and took one for herself, she knew she’d get one chance to get this right.
Or they’d both be dead.
Chapter Five
So Troy was here on Earth and he wielded a laser. Could this day get any stranger? He’d always hated the little bugger, only kept him on the ship because of Troy’s strong political connections. Well, no more. The only way Troy was getting back onto the Instigator was in a body bag.
Troy had never been very good with weapons. That was the only reason he and Lizbeth were still alive now. Silently, Acton pointed at the door at the other side of the room. It led to an outdoor porch. Hopefully, Troy hadn’t noted it on his way in.
He was going to have to count on Lizbeth. He knew he could but he hated to place her in any danger. She stood and walked toward the door. Distraction was the name of the game. Lizb
eth needed to be able to get in and out of the apartment without Troy noticing and, like it or not, that meant there was going to be noise made. The doors and windows hadn’t been designed for stealth operations. They squeaked.
“What are you doing here, Troy?”
Acton hoped he could get him talking and keep him talking. The man was a would-be captain who was really an engineer. He loved the sound of his own voice.
“You humiliated me. You and that stupid bitch you think so highly of. I was the one who agreed to come and get you in the first place. It’s my ship and I’m here to make sure that neither one of you ever get back to it.”
Acton snorted. The man was a moron. A high-pitched hum told him the laser that Troy had very inadequately recharged was ready to go again. It should have taken half the time but he wasn’t going to point that out to him. In any case, it was bad news.
“We’re gone for fifty years Troy. When we return we will have aged as if we’d lived two hundred years. I certainly won’t be looking to take back over the ship and Lizbeth never wanted to be captain. Seems to be this is a colossal waste of time on your behalf and you’re risking exposure which is going to piss off Harrow and his people.”
Acton looked at the door. Lizbeth had gone through it and closed it again without anyone, including him, noticing. He never should have worried. The woman could handle anything. But he’d never sent her to subdue or, worst case scenario, to kill someone before. For all her gruffness, she had a gentle soul and he wasn’t sure how she would handle this.
He thought he heard Troy snort. “I will be in and out of here before Harrow, the lizard joke who placed you here unprotected, even knows I’m here.”
“Think so?” Somehow Acton was pretty sure that Harrow was no joke. It was probably only a matter of time before he became alerted to the mess Troy had created.
“You’re so smug. You act like you know everything but you don’t understand half of what goes on. I always knew where you were and I left you down here to rot.”
Troy sounded so much like a small child screaming that Acton actually had to resist the urge to start laughing. That wouldn’t help anything and it might provoke the violence.
“You left me here huh? Good, then that just means you followed my orders. I was here, am still here, to serve out a prison sentence.” That was too final of a statement. He pounded his fist on the floor. He needed something else to say. “Why do you think you were immune to the memory eraser when everyone else, regardless of race, was affected?”
“I have a condition, it keeps me looking pale and sickly. I can’t take Vitamin D in the same doses as everyone else. It also makes me less susceptible to memory wipes than other people.”
“You think you didn’t fall for the mind change because of a vitamin D deficiency? Is that why you don’t go into the sunrooms?”
“I like my condition. It makes me stronger, better than the rest of you. Oomph.”
Acton heard a struggle behind the door as someone hit the floor. He jumped up and swung open the door to find Lizbeth on top of Troy. He lay on the floor, a knife shoved in the back of his neck, blood spilling out on the floor and all over Lizbeth’s hands.
She looked up at him and he expected to see horror in her eyes but that wasn’t what he found there. The steel that greeted them from inside her brown depths was nothing short of resolve. Acton’s chest swelled. She’d had a horrible thing to do and she hadn’t wavered from doing it. He was so proud to spend the rest of his life with this fierce creature.
“Good job distracting him.” She looked down at her hands. “Gross.”
Gross? Well, it wouldn’t have been his response but it was better than shrieking. “Go wash your hands. Take a moment.”
She nodded and he bent down over the now dead body of Troy. Reaching in his pocket, he pulled out his communicator. He hoped it worked. It was good to still have some tricks up his sleeves and this time the Tutonians had forgotten to order him not to take anything. So he’d brought a backup plan.
He pushed the button and waited a beat. “Emo are you there?”
“Captain Acton is that you?” He could hear the relief in the crewman’s voice. “We have been searching the galaxy for you. Lizbeth was taken too. Is she with you?”
He was glad to see they hadn’t remembered what happened. Everything had gone according to plan, until Troy.
“Listen closely Emo. I need you to do exactly what I say to the minutest detail. I am in the Hydro system on a small planet called Earth. I need you to fly as quickly as you can, taking great care to not get caught by a warrior race that resemble lizards. You’re going to avoid them by staying within the sun’s rays as soon as you enter the system. When you get close enough, get us out of here as quickly as possible.”
“Yes Acton.” He could the resolve in the other man’s voice.
“Oh, and Emo.”
“Yes?”
“Troy is dead.”
Acton turned off his communicator and turned around to see Lizbeth leaning in the doorway. “Smart thinking bringing that thing.”
He smiled. “This time I brought us an out.” Just as fast he stopped smiling. She needed to know what he suspected. “I think the lizards are probably on their way.”
She nodded. “I kind of figured that was why you called Emo.”
“Looks like we’re going to have our battle.”
She rubbed her arms like she felt a chill but the room felt warm to him. “Ah, but will it be a war?”
He crossed to her and pulled her into his arms. “Not if I can avoid it.”
“I believe you.”
Those words alone brought him strength he hadn’t known he needed.
* * * *
They sat together on the couch waiting. Acton fiddled with the batteries in what he called a remote. It had been ten minutes since he called Emo and she had killed Troy. She still wasn’t bothered by it and she wasn’t sure she liked what that said about her sensibilities but Acton didn’t seem to mind that she was so completely okay. Maybe whatever was wrong with her was wrong with him too.
The Tutonians appeared in the living room in front of them. Acton barely looked up. He had moved into the part of his persona that she thought of as his game face/Alpha male part. If they could live through the next few minutes, the lizards wouldn’t stand a chance.
“There have been many terrible things done here today. The earthlings are not to know about things outside of their universe and we receive reports of laser fire?”
Acton shook his head and closed the battery case in the remote. “Well, that’s hardly our fault, is it?” Nodding his head in the direction of Troy’s dead body, Acton leaned back on the couch.
She cleared her throat. “Evidently your mind tricks didn’t work on him either. You might want to investigate exactly what is going wrong with your technique.” Acton smirked at her response.
“He violated our space again. This is another hundred year punishment.”
Acton stood and she rose with him. He still hadn’t told her what he had planned. She hoped she could follow his lead. “There won’t be any other punishments served. In fact, we’re done with this one too.”
“That is unacceptable, Acton. We will be forced to destroy your ship or you risk war with us.”
“Then perhaps it will be war then.” Acton’s eyes were hard. He was dead serious.
A sudden thought occurred to Lizbeth. She smiled. “Hold on a second, Harrow. I think there are some things we should clear up.”
“What is that?” Harrow looked abashed that she had dared to speak up to him.
“Acton and I have travelled the galaxy together, met many species, many people.”
He nodded, as did the other lizard man who stood behind him. “Yes.”
“And yet we have never run into you? Never met anyone who has.”
“And your point it what?” The lizard’s voice rose with ire.
“I don’t think you could stage a full out war with
us, not one you could win, not against the Alliance. So, yes, maybe you could blow us up. But right before you did, I can personally guarantee I would instruct every Alliance vessel in the universe to come to the Hydro system and visit Earth. That would be a lot of people to see it, to destroy its purity.”
The slanted slots of the lizard’s eyes grew larger.
She raised an eyebrow. “Or you can let us go and you can have our word that we will never tell anyone about you and continue to ensure that Earth remains off limits.”
“I think the lady has given you a good deal here, Harrow.” Acton’s voice held a hint of humor she was sure only she could hear.
“I think it sounds like a fair deal but be warned—”
“Don’t make warnings to him.” She nodded her head in Acton’s direction. “He considers them challenges to get into trouble. Save us all the hassle.”
Harrow still looked bewildered but he nodded. Moments later they were gone.
“I thought I promised you I would divert war. Looks like you did it all on your own.”
She laughed and walked behind him to rub the back of his neck. “I’m sure your way would have worked too.”
She loved the way his face looked when he half-smiled which was the look he was giving her right now.
“I told you someday we would be together without fear of anyone walking in.” He looked toward the bedroom. “It’s an hour or so until our rescue arrives. Follow me.”
In all the universe, she liked the sound of that best. “Yes, Captain.”
The End
About the Author:
As a teenager, Rebecca would hide in her room to read her favorite romance novels when she was supposed to be doing her homework. She hopes that these days, her parents think it was worth it.
She is the mother of three adorable boys, and she is fortunate to be married to her best friend. They live in northern New Jersey and try not to freeze too badly during the winter months.
A hardcore fan of science fiction, fantasy, and the paranormal, Rebecca tries to use all of these elements in her writing. She’s been told she’s a little bloodthirsty so she hopes that when you read her work you’ll enjoy the action-packed ride that always ends in romance. In her world, anything is possible, anything can happen, and you should suspect it probably will.
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