by Beth Bowland
“I’ve decided that since you love Earth so much, you and your parents will help us out with a project on that planet. You must do as you’re told or you will be released into the universe for your ultimate demise. If you succeed, you will return and live as one who never completed the rite of passage by serving the commoners and doing any menial tasks they do not want to do themselves. You will live, but you will live as an outcast for the rest of your life.” The Gatekeeper handed the backpack back to the fleet officer. “Are we in agreement?”
Nakal’s father nodded. “Yes, we will do whatever you say.”
Nakal fumed on the inside, but he remained silent as he glared at the ground.
Chapter 16
Aaron was still conflicted about which direction to take. He no longer trusted Zion and D1. He also no longer knew what to think about Mr. Kessler. Instead of wasting time trying to decide who was being truthful, his thoughts went back to a statement that D1 had made. Nakal was in an illegal meeting with Sirius. He thought that should buy him some time to go back to the meteor and find Parker and his mother. But he needed a way to get there.
He ran to the library and stopped at the sound of a honking horn. He looked at the library parking lot, and there was the red truck in the same place he had parked it before leaving for the paper mill.
He made his way to the truck, climbed in, and closed his eyes for a brief moment. “I want this to end!” Aaron yelled at no one, but knew they heard him.
His thoughts went back to yesterday when Nakal first appeared at his door. Aaron was no longer sure if it had been yesterday or if days had passed and he was unaware, caught up in some fantasy land where time stood still.
The weather was once again changing. The temperature dropped as snow clouds rolled in. He hoped there wasn’t another blizzard coming. The last thing he needed was to get stuck in a snowstorm.
He drove the truck to the place where the fallen tree was still pushed off to the side of the road. Opening the door, he leaned out, listening for any thumping sounds. He retrieved his jacket from the passenger seat before stepping out. To minimize the sound, he pushed the door just until it latched then gave it a slight bump to close it all the way.
Aaron slipped his arms inside his coat and pulled up the zipper. Shoving his hands inside his pockets, he focused on the area ahead, just beyond the trees. His steps were long, strong strides, no hesitation. He knew what he had to do, and he had to be successful. He had one shot to rescue his mother and best friend. He would explain to them what was going on, and maybe they could all drive and meet his father.
He quickened his pace to a slow jog, making sure he did not overlook the meteor. Although the earlier snow had melted somewhat, the ground inside the woods was still partially covered with snow. He had accidentally stumbled upon the meteor the first time while running to escape the Annihilators and wasn’t entirely sure where it was located.
But there, straight ahead and slightly to the left, he saw the edge of a rock sticking out of the ground.
“This is it,” Aaron said, touching the rock with his fingers. “But how do I get in?” He took a deep breath and sighed, leaned against the rock and felt himself slip through. He was once again in total blackness, completely weightless, floating amongst millions of twinkling stars, but this time Mr. Kessler wasn’t standing in front of him. He closed his eyes, took a step forward, and found himself in the long narrow hallway.
The faces within the mercury wall turned to him, eyes wide, and mouths frowning. There were six on each side, and at first Aaron thought they were identical, but after closer observation he realized that half were female and half were male. All of them had deep silver complexions that matched the liquid walls. The females had long black eyelashes, blue eye shadow, and bright red lips. The males had thick bushy eyebrows, and a few had moustaches and one wore glasses.
“Why did you come back?” the first female face asked him.
The male face directly across from her sniffled. “Yes, you don’t belong here. You will get into trouble.”
All the faces mumbled and complained about him, each a tad louder than the previous one.
Aaron raised his hands as he stood between them. “Shhh. Quiet,” he pleaded. “I know I’m not supposed to be here, but I think they’re holding my mother and best friend hostage. Have you seen them?”
“Why should we tell you anything?” another male face asked.
“We do not talk to aliens,” the first female face said with a gruff voice and continued to frown.
“Please, I have to try to rescue them while Nakal is in a meeting with Sirius.”
The faces all turned to looks of horror at the mention of Sirius.
“What have you to do with Sirius?” the sniffling face asked.
Aaron sighed. “I’m in the middle of playing the council members’ game, and right now Sirius is having an illegal meeting with my opponent. They’re cheating, so I need to get my mother and best friend out of here just in case I lose.”
The faces all whispered amongst themselves for a few minutes.
“We will help you,” the first female face said. “You see, we’re all here because of Sirius. He stole us from our homes and placed us here. He is an evil worm of a fellow.”
“We’ve not seen your mother or any women pass through here,” the sniffling face said. “However, we did see a young boy around your age, a feisty fellow. He fought them all the way down the hall.”
“Yes, that’s him,” Aaron said. “Which way did they take him?”
The first female face spoke up. “They usually take aliens to the safe room. It’s located down the hallway. However, you will never get to him that way. It’s too protected.” She lowered her voice. “Come closer and I will tell you another way to get to him, so you won’t show up on the radar of the Regulators.”
“Speaking of Regulators, you have approximately twenty seconds before the alarm sounds,” the face on the end said.
Aaron knelt down in front of the first female face and listened to the instructions she whispered into his ear. Moments later, the faces’ eyes went wide, and the piercing Auk Auuk sounds came from their open mouths.
Aaron ran back down the hallway to the place where he’d entered and walked through the wall. Once in the darkness of space, he turned to his right and walked off one hundred paces, turned left, and walked for an additional three. He took a deep breath and stepped forward.
He landed inside a type of lab. One wall contained a glass case with shelves holding objects that reminded him of children’s alphabet building blocks. Next to the glass case was a large machine, beside it another glass case. This one was floor-to-ceiling, about three feet around, and shaped in the form of a cylinder. He glanced around the room, and the rest of it was basically bare except for a table and bookcases. In the corner was a large door with several bolts locking it into place.
Aaron went back to the glass case and looked at the blocks a little closer. Each block had a name inscribed on it. He started at the top and read the names, none of which sounded familiar. However, when he got to the third shelf, he saw a name that he recognized. Parker Staples.
Aaron slid the glass door open and reached inside. “What’d they do to you?” he said as he retrieved the block. He held the block in the palm of his hand and brought it up to his face to get a closer look.
The block was made out of a light-colored wood. Parker’s name was engraved in gold on all sides of the block. It was heavier than it looked. Aaron thought it weighed at least a pound. He eyed the machine next to the case; on the side it had an opening that was the same size as the block. He placed the block inside the opening.
“Please tell me what happened to Parker,” he whispered to the machine as if it had asked what he wanted.
Aaron inserted the block into the machine and stood back as it powered itself up. Several buttons on the control panel starting blinking, and the monitor turned on with an image o
f Parker on the screen.
Name: Parker Staples
Gender: Male
Age: 13
Role: Best friend to Aaron Martin. Team—Aurora Borealis. Team Captain—Arcturus
Traits: Stubborn, fighter, no fear.
Recommendation: Keep for use as future Initiator.
Options: F1 to Vitalize
Aaron shook his head. “What’s with these people? You just can’t zap people into nothingness, take over their lives, or keep them as future game pieces.” He grimaced and hit the F1 button.
Please enter access code to continue.
“Oh, no.”Aaron began hitting numbers and letters on the keyboard.
Access denied.
Aaron panicked and typed in Parker’s name.
Access denied.
He typed in his name then Nakal’s name.
Access denied. Retinal scan initiated. Before Aaron could close his eyes or duck, he was momentarily blinded by a flash of light.
Intruder detected sounded from the machine as it beeped loudly.
Aaron heard footsteps racing down the hallway. Aaron looked around the room for a place to hide, but found none. He knew if he were captured Nakal would automatically win. He went quickly exited through the unseen portal on the wall.
Chapter 17
Nakal frowned as he remembered those words spoken to him and his parents. The next day they were sent out on a “mission” to get up close and personal with the families of Earth, specifically the ones located in the town of Bixie, Montana. They were to pretend to be a family that had just moved to the area. The Gatekeeper thought his family would be perfect to accomplish this because Nakal had spent so much time studying the culture. They would live amongst the families and report their findings on every aspect of their lives.
Why? Nakal’s father told him that the council members wanted a place to take their families for getaways. A place they could turn into a resort/amusement park. Somewhere that did not receive many visitors. The council members had long been fascinated with humans and wanted to spend more time with them in their element.
Nakal’s father had initially proposed the idea. He’d spoken to the Gatekeeper about it and began applying what he’d learned from his missions to Earth to his own family. However, even though the Gatekeeper thought it was a good idea, he would never allow someone who ranked lower than himself to have credit for the better idea. It was during this time that the Gatekeeper told the other council members that Nakal’s father was trying to usurp his authority by implementing his idea before him.
There was one problem. They needed more research, and this was when the Gatekeeper decided that since Nakal and his family were now expendable, they were perfect for this mission.
Nakal stepped from behind the tree when he heard Sirius approach.
Sirius frowned at Nakal. “You’re coming very close to losing this match. What is your problem?”
Nakal’s jaw clenched as he fought back the urge to lash out at Sirius. He was tired of being their object to use however they wished. “I’ve been on the planet Earth for over sixty years, and one thing that I’ve learned is the human spirit is very strong, especially when it comes to loved ones.”
Sirius smirked. “Hmm. Loved ones … as in the bond that you shared with your parents?”
“Don’t you dare bring them up,” Nakal yelled. “Your grandfather, the Gatekeeper, destroyed my family. After our vessel crashed, he could have saved my parents, but he didn’t. He left them there and allowed the earthlings to conduct medical experiments on them as if they were animals! He was evil and cruel just like your father, who had me continue this madness. And now, I’m still stuck here with you and your brother.”
“Had you not done what you did all those decades ago, you wouldn’t be in this situation, would you?” Sirius sneered. “I even made it so you could choose the location of this game and you’ve still let it get to a tied game. Since you’ve been on Earth, you’ve played so many roles I’ve lost count. Let’s see. You started out as a teacher, then a fireman, a police officer, an exchange student, and a climate research specialist. I do believe at one point you were vice president of the United States, and now you’ve taken on the form of a thirteen-year-old boy.” Sirius shook his head. “You’re letting a thirteen-year-old boy outsmart you?”
Nakal shrugged.
Sirius got in Nakal’s face. “I promised you if you won, you could have that family for your own. Listen to me well. If you lose this game for me, you are done. You will never see the light of day again,” he said and walked back inside, leaving Nakal by the tree.
Nakal knew he could not lose this game. He had spent too much time planning this. During his stint as a climate research intern, he’d worked with a man named Greg Martin. The man took Nakal under his wing and taught him many things. They went on several work trips together. On one such trip, Greg brought his son, Aaron, along. Nakal watched Greg interact with his son, and it reminded Nakal of his relationship with his father, something he missed terribly. When the trip was over, Greg asked if he would take a picture of him and his son. Nakal said he would, and smiled as Aaron climbed up on a rock, leaned over his father’s shoulder, and hugged his neck. Nakal snapped the picture.
That was the last time Nakal had seen Greg Martin, until he’d taken on his role as the thirteen-year-old boy, shown up at the man’s house while he was out of town, initiated the game with Aaron, and saw the picture that he’d taken of them in Aaron’s room.
He must win.
Chapter 18
Aaron ran from the meteor site, got into the truck, and sped down the main road toward his house, hoping D1 and Zion were right about the next clue. He had no time to spare after spending so much trying to get Parker.
The truck bumped along noisily as he tried to keep the truck on the road and his thoughts intact. His hands gripped the steering wheel as his eyes burned with tears. He could not believe his best friend was trapped in that machine. Was the machine just another name for the nothingness?
Aaron’s mind then went back to what he’d found in the attic. If he hadn’t seen the diamonds with his own eyes, he would’ve never believed it. He thought back to all the alien abduction stories he’d seen on the cover of the tabloid magazines near the checkout lanes at the grocery stores. He, too, was guilty of calling those people crazy.
Static came from the radio he did not remember turning on. He turned the volume button a little and could barely make out a voice. He turned it up a notch and clearly heard the voice of the local DJ.
“Be careful out there, folks. The roads are getting slippery. Now, before I get to the top five requests for this hour, I have a special message to share with you for someone named Aaron. It reads, from the town with a tilting tower, this father of science had a few of his fingers stolen after he died.” The DJ chuckled. “Well, I don’t know which Aaron that was for, but he may want to keep his fingers away from sharp objects.
Aaron turned off the radio. “The father of science?” he mumbled. “My brain is so confused after all this craziness that the next clue could’ve been as simple as one plus one and I’d say five,” he mumbled out
He slowed as he approached his house, looking for any strangeness. He looked up at the rooftops for Zimmare and his flying soldiers. There was no sign of them. Aaron eased the truck into the driveway and took his time putting the gear into park before cracking the door just far enough to plant his foot on the ground and take a whiff of the air. No sulfuric smells.
For a moment Aaron questioned his decision to come here instead of the library. But his gut told him to head home, back where it all started.
Aaron walked up the front stairs and pushed the door open. “Mom,” he called out, not so much for her to answer, but hoping it would get a response from Mr. Kessler, D1, or Zion.
The explanations they’d given to him in the attic all seemed to make sense. However, after listening to all of them give th
eir explanations to justify why they were right, Aaron felt as though he’d just taken part in the election debates they showed on TV. He rushed up the stairs and flung open the door to his bedroom.
Aaron sighed. “Okay, what did that clue mean?” He sat down at his desk, shook the mouse, and watched his computer monitor light up. “There is a leaning tower in Italy. Well, no, Pisa.” He scratched his head and paused. “Pisa is in Tuscany?” he murmured before bringing up the Google search window and typing in, who is the father of science and the word Pisa. He hit enter.
“Galileo Galilei,” Aaron read the name out loud. “Duh.”
The house began to shake and rattle as if it were being lifted from its foundation. Aaron felt a strong breeze. He looked at the ceiling and watched Polaris disappear and a gaping hole form in its place. The blackness crept across the ceiling and down the walls. Aaron quickly rose from his seat and ran into the hallway. The front door burst open, and Nakal stood in the doorway.
“Lucy, I’m home!” Nakal yelled out. “Did I mention that I was once on the I Love Lucy TV series in 1955?” He chuckled before continuing. “I failed to initiate the game with her.”
Aaron eased his way down a few steps. “You mean to tell me you’ve been playing this sicko game all these years?”
Nakal shook his head. “Nah. Not every role was for a game. Some were for research. Like the time I took the role as a climate research intern.”
Aaron’s heart skipped.
Nakal continued. “You see, Aaron, I targeted you and your family after working with your father. Remember the trip you went on with your father to Colorado? It was the place where the photo on your desk was taken.”
“You lie!” Aaron screamed. “You don’t know my father.”
Aaron thought back to the picture and his father’s assistant who’d taken the picture. He had been a Russian man, in his early twenties, with thick glasses and messy hair. His name was Branislav Ger …
