by Rick Kueber
“Does that mean you’ll be my first MATE?” I knew what she was insinuating, and thought how sad life had become that a desire for intimacy was based on the fact that we were physically compatible... that’s it... Nothing more, nothing less.
“Maybe someday.” I gave her hope with two words and a one-armed hug.
“Look!” She exclaimed. “A lighthouse!”
I saw the turning light, but a chill, deep in my soul, told me otherwise. “No. Titan.” The only good news was that it meant that we were getting close to the southern shores of the states. “And it’s not alone.” I pointed out what appeared to be countless other, more faint and distant, searching lights.
“What do we do now?” I could literally hear her heart sinking.
“We anchor as soon as we can, and stay out here as long as the food holds out.” My mind searched for answers and ideas. “Maybe they won’t see us and will move on. Then we can go ashore, or if they spot us, we’ll just have to plot a new course.”
“Okay. We need to drop the sails and drop the anchor. As soon as it grabs something, we’ll hunker down and ride the storm out.” She set the wheel and started lowering the mainsail as quick and careless as was possible. “No sense in having a big white flag waving hello to them.”
“Point made, and taken.” I jumped to her aide and together we stowed the sails and once we knew the anchor was set, went below deck to ride the storm out.
Our feet splashed into the half inch deep rainwater that had pooled near the stairs. I threw our old, dirty clothes and the used towels on the floor to soak up the rainwater. Mariah went straight to the closet and one piece at a time, she dug everything off of the upper shelf: paperwork, file folders, a tool box, several poorly folded maps that had been well used and put away wet more than once, and a Tonneau cover for the open steps. She rushed past me and back out into the weather to snap the cover into place. Finishing up from the inside, the cabin suddenly seemed safer, cut off from the rest of the world, almost comforting and as insane as it may sound, it was cozy. It was more than cozy, it was hot and sultry and I removed my shirt and laid it on the small table, though it gave little relief. It seemed only natural and second nature for Mariah to follow my lead and so without thinking, she pulled the tight t-shirt off, over her head and shook her wild hair, freeing it from the neck of the shirt. I had grown accustomed to seeing her unclothed and it no longer made me turn my eyes away, or stare. It was just another person making themselves comfortable, like myself, with no shirt.
We settled in for the evening and even though I felt safe from the Titans, this far out into the gulf, the storm had become fiercely intense The angry waves grew larger and stronger, and incessantly battered our small vessel, rocking it about like a cat patting a toy mouse across a linoleum floor.
We had decided against another night of ‘Daddy Rabbit’s Amber Brew’. It just seemed a bad idea with the swaying of the boat and its rising and falling with the swelling waves. As isolated as we felt and as cozy as the cabin has felt, we were less than certain of seeing the dawn. With the situation as such, we climbed into one of the small beds and sitting up with my back against the stern wall, I held young Mariah tightly in my arms. She pressed her chest against me and with one arm around my back, her free hand traced circles on my chest and stomach. If I had had any fat at all, I no longer did and my muscles actually resembled those magazine cover ‘6-pack abs’. Dragging her soft cheek sensually across my chest, she kissed my bare flesh while her fingers danced and played carelessly across my midriff and teased lower. I caved. My fears of the probability of Elle’s horrific death and the likelihood of my own demise before ever reaching land put me in a ‘carpe diem’ frame of mind. Giving in to my own desires, my own hands and lips began to recklessly explore my tender young companion, my shipmate, my Captain...
“Oh Captain” I whispered as I nibbled her ear and kissed her neck.
“Yes...” was the only word she uttered and the only response I needed or wanted to hear.
The last bits of clothing were soon discarded from our tangled bodies and our passion became so intense and our desires so uninhibited that I no longer believed that the storm was pummeling us, but that we were so viciously rocking the boat that we were creating the furious wave sets that affected the whole of the gulf. Surely even the birds that weathered the stormy skies above us and the fish who swam the seas beneath us, were shaken by the unbridled desires of young Mariah. If I was truly her ‘first mate’ she must have daydreamed and fantasized about her every move.
There are no words that are intimately intense enough to describe the hours we spent in the throes of risque lust and physical climactic pleasures. When our bodies were spent, we faded into blissful slumber, not caring what hell the world outside of our tiny cabin had in store for us. We had no promise of a morning sun and no regrets. If we lived to see another day, we would deal with our actions and live with any regrets then, but on this night we were living in, and for, each moment. If we survived the night and the Titans took us tomorrow, we would live with the knowledge that we had done all that we could to remain unchained and at least for one night, we were without fear. We had been truly and unquestionably, free.
Chapter 7
Close Friends
Elle held Phoenix close to her heart as she watched his birthplace and the sun disappear to the west. She wondered what the future held for them and why. As the last glimmer of sunlight turned the western sky a brilliant blend of purples and pinks, she thought that somewhere out there, in the vast emptiness the world had become, was her love. Alive or dead, Tanner was somewhere... without her. It broke her heart to think that his body might be laying battered, broken and dying, or dead, with no one to pray for his eternal peace and no one to lay him to rest. A dark emptiness filled her soul and a hatred for the alien beings that had brought them together and ripped them apart overtook her love of all things. There was only one thing she would love now; Phoenix...and there was only one thing her heart desired; revenge!
“Where are we going?” Elle asked Tory. “And what happened to you? You seem so ...different.”
“East and south. Towards the coast. Where we go from there, we have yet to decide. What has happened to me...” Tory’s eyes grew distant and her memories drew closer. “When Irene took charge of the Titan, she took me under her wing. She kept me close, but she also wanted me to have a deeper knowledge and understanding of what was transpiring. It was a difficult and uncomfortable education, but I have gained much more from it than I could ever have learned on my own.” Her words were vague and left Elle with an uneasy feeling.
“Can you tell me more? What did you learn? Why was it so uncomfortable?” She grilled her friend for details. “What do I need to know?”
“Another time. Your mind and body must be exhausted. Rest tonight and tomorrow more will be revealed.” Tory touched Elle’s shoulder and stroked her hair gently. “Mother and child, sleep now.” She magically parted the wall and vanished into the darkness beyond.
“Well, my little ‘Nix, how about a little lullaby?” Elle changed the child’s diaper as she spoke to him and his fiery eyes studied her face as if he understood every word she spoke. Laying him in the crib, Elle began to sing the first lullaby that came to her mind, ‘Mockingbird’, and little ‘Nix smiled up at her and closed his eyes.
The Titan did not rest and they thundered through the southwest all night. Elle slept a few hours at a time, but her instincts woke her frequently to check on ‘Nix or feed him. When the golden sun began to sizzle the orange desert sands of New Mexico, Elle awoke for the day to find her little man, wide awake and sitting up, a milestone he shouldn’t have reached for another month or two at the soonest. The ‘Titan apartment’ still seemed incredibly surreal to Elle, but she yawned, stretched and prepared herself like any other morning. It was just after she had finished getting herself and ‘Nix washed and dressed that Tory entered, without warning.
“I wish you wouldn’t do
that.” Elle said crossly. “What I mean is; I wish I had a doorbell, or something.”
“Privacy is something we, I mean the beings of light, have little use for, but these accommodations have been prepared to make you comfortable. It was quite an effort on their part.” Tory replied in a cold and clinical way.
“You were going to tell me about what you’ve been through since we lost each other at the cabins.” Elle coaxed Tory for more information without directly asking any questions.
“It is not yet time.” Her response was short and slightly curt. “Come. Bring Phoenix. We have exploring to do today.”
“But what about your story? Why can’t you tell me?” Elle was a flurry of excitable nerves as she watched Tory turn and exit her living space. She scooped up ‘Nix in her arms and dashed after her curiously strange friend. “What exploration!?!”
Elle slipped through the opening in the wall before it closed and disappeared and nearly ran into Tory who had held her slow and steady pace. She followed her friend through a small rounded, dull gray corridor that was dimly self-illuminated. Entering a slightly larger, semi-circular area, Tory stopped and slowly turned to face Elle. She took Elle’s hand placed her hand on Phoenix’s bare arm. The floor seemed to vibrate ever so slightly and Elle felt an electric charge, like static electricity, tingling over her entire body. She looked into her child’s eyes with nervous fear, but her little man looked calmly back at her and grinned a toothless grin just as the world went black. Her stomach was in knots and it felt as if she had just plummeted from the highest peak of a world class roller coaster. Before losing her composure and becoming nauseous, it ended and the dull gray illumination returned.
“Where are we?” She asked as she caught her breath.
“This way.” Tory placed her hand on a particular, indiscriminate spot on the wall and it melted away, revealing the reddish, orange, sandy outside world.
Stepping out into the heat of the southwestern desert, she saw a myriad of cartoon aliens and UFOs adorning signs, buildings and storefront windows. The town seemed strange and oddly desolate. No people, no bodies, nothing but abandonment filled the streets. The first thing that really caught Elle’s attention was a bright pink and blue sign that said
“INDIAN JEWELRY
MEXICAN IMPORTS
ALIEN GIFTS”
and just beyond that, painted on the old store window,
“ROSWELL EMPORIUM”
Elle thought of the irony of her first visit to Roswell, the site of the most famous UFO crash site in the world.
“Why are we here?” She asked.
“We are so many, we have needs.” She explained. “We stop to scavenge food and supplies at every town in our path.”
“Okay. I guess that makes sense.” Elle thought about her explanation. “But, why is no one here ...dead or alive?”
“When the first Titan appeared here at Roswell, everyone flocked to it. This was their dream come true, but their dream quickly became a nightmare. Most were taken without any struggle and held like herd animals awaiting a slaughter in small cages. The ‘Ahsusha’ as you call them, turned most into Takers just before they starved to death. The others were used as food themselves.”
“Oh...” Elle had no other response.
They spent the day rummaging through the buildings, stores and homes of the city. The entire population, and of course every tourist, left so willingly and suddenly that the only things they took were cameras and the items they had on their person at the time of their voluntary abduction. Of course most food was past its expiration, but even some of the out dated goods were still edible. While Elle and Tory roamed through gift shops and clothing stores, every single Taker and person exited the Titan, scoured the city, and made multiple trips to haul their booty back. Though she did make a meal of sour gummy worms and licorice, most of her looting consisted of shopping for baby items and clothes for her and ‘Nix. Her biggest score, as odd as it seemed in the heat of the desert, was a black leather jacket with a large cartoon alien giving the ‘peace sign’ embroidered on the back and several pair of black jeans that were her size.
Most of the day was spent in the ‘ghost town’ but with the sun hanging low in the hazy western sky, they returned to the Titan to travel again by night. Day by day, town after town, they roamed southeast. Some places were as desolate and deserted as Roswell and others strewn with the remains of men, women, children and Takers. At their second stop, after a day of pillaging, Elle, Nix and Tory were about to reenter the Titan when something grabbed Elle’s attention.
“TITAN!” She nearly shouted, even though she was only steps away from Tory. She pointed out a light colored Titan that was traveling in their general direction from the north.
“Yes.” Tory responded nonchalantly. The Titan was so distant, that it was only noticeable because it was moving.
Once back in her makeshift, alien apartment, Elle found her way to the circular window and gazing out, she noticed there were dozens of Titans that she could make out, scattered in tiny, monolithic silhouettes across the horizon. Her stomach clenched and she wandered across her room. Standing at the edge of the bed, hovering over ‘Nix in his baby bed, she stripped from her clothes and tossed her naked self across the soft linens. Letting down her defenses, her thoughts over took her. Memories of her life and family before the invasion, the short time she had with Tanner and how quickly they had fallen in love, the nightmarish possibilities that any moment in her future might thrust upon her and what future could ‘Nix possibly have... All of these things stole her peace and happiness. From the moment she let those thoughts into her head, until she finally found sleep, Elle wept.
The morning came, quiet and uneventful, like each morning had since she had entered the Titan. After feeding ‘Nix and herself, she put him in a baby blue onesie and dressed herself in a pair of her new black jeans, a pink tank top and black canvas sneakers. Holding the growing tot against her chest, she bounced him and danced over to the circular window to see what horrors lay in waiting for them. Elle was pleasantly surprised to find that the flat desert wastelands had disappeared behind them in the middle of the night and she awoke to a lush world of dense green growth. Watching the sun, low in the morning sky, Elle knew they were heading in a more southerly direction. Just as she began to wonder where they might be headed and why, the wall opened up and Tory appeared.
“Where are we going?” Elle shot the question the moment Tory stepped into the room.
“And good morning to you too.” Tory smiled and her sarcastic wit was the most human reaction Elle had seen from her since their reunion in Arizona.
“Sorry. Yeah, good morning, I guess.” It was as good of a morning as it could be, under the circumstances. “Now, where are we going?”
“Fair question.” Tory conceded. “We are all drawn to the beacon, where we will converge with others, like us, and that is where you, and many others, will learn everything you need to know.”
“Fair answer.” Elle mimicked.
Tory coaxed Elle to follow her and with little Phoenix in her arms, they made their way to a large open area, deep in the belly of the beast, where literally thousands were gathered. Some were busy doing simple chores, like sorting through the latest looting spoils, others were eating, conversing, or playing simple board games or cards, but it was only when she was in close range could she tell which ones were regular people like her and which were pink-eyed Takers. She did notice a lack of hybrids, in fact, ‘Nix was the only one.
***
The day waned and Elle had spent most of it alone, with Phoenix as her only companion. Tory’s visit had been very brief and they had not been allowed to mill around and mingle with anyone else. She wasn’t sure if she was being isolated for her own safety or if they had been tricked into being voluntary prisoners. Elle had not even seen the others from the cabin since the first day. Although she watched the landscape slip by through her porthole window, claustrophobia was setting in. Holding Ph
oenix in her arms, they stared through the porthole and noticed that the wilderness was growing more vast and the Titan frequently sloshed through creeks, tiny rivers and boggy marshes.
“We’ve gotta get outta here, buddy.” She whispered to her little man and kissed his temple. “Maybe we’re safer in here, and maybe we’re supposed to be part of some bigger plan, but this feels a lot more like a prison than a life.”
‘Nix turned to look at his mother, his eyes sparkling like a snow globe of amber glitter, and smiled, just as the wall opened up.
“How are you?” Tory appeared.
“Bored and confined.” Elle spouted off.
“That will change.” Tory slipped her arm back into the wall and opened it up again, letting in a couple of Elle’s friends from the cabin.
“We thought you could use some company.” Maya gestured to Darcy who had the ‘Trivial Pursuit’ game in her hands. A bag of pretzels peeked over the top edge of a paper grocery bag with twine handles that hung from her wrist.
“All we need now is a bottle of wine.” Darcy giggled. “That’d make it a real ‘girl’s night in’, huh?”
“Oh man...” Elle sighed loudly. “That would be a godsend right now.”
“I’ll leave you girls to it then.” Tory was bowing out of the get together. “Would you like me, or Irene, to watch Phoenix for a few hours?”
“Thanks, but I’d rather keep him with me.” Elle remembered how lost she felt when she had thought she’d lost him to the Takers. “No offense.”
