Alien Busters: Alien Hunting (Alien Busters Series Book 1)

by Safa Shaqsy

  “Pretty much. Yeah,” Kraig replied. I needed Kraig and Andie to help me find out what’s going on in the institute, and that meant that we would need to pay extra close attention to everything that was going on in there and maybe poke around a bit. The proper word for that was “spying.” I needed them to spy on everyone who was under suspicion, or anyone related to my parent’s experiments and find out who helped them. There must have been someone who was helping them, to do their experiments in the institute’s labs. A grin spread on my face, and they both studied my face with doubt.

  Panic flashed on Kraig’s face “Uh oh,” he said, “I know that little devilish face that has gotten us in trouble many times.” Andie pulled his hand and asked, “What’s on your mind?”

  “How about we spy on Gale and the other alien busters to find out who was working with my parents?” I suggested, “I mean, maybe someone can help us find out what’s going on.”

  Andie closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead, mumbling something and Kraig raised his palms to stop me from talking.

  “Whoa, stop right there,” he uttered. “Who said anything about spying?”

  “You two said we help each other, right?” I reasoned, “Well, it’s about time to take this crap seriously.” “Andie,” Kraig called, “do you agree to this?” twisting his face in annoyance. Andie shrugged casually. “Well, I’m curious to know what’s really going on. And she’s right, we need to take this crap seriously.”

  Kraig stood up and pointed at each of us, “No… No… No…No…” “Kraig,” I called.

  He finally pointed at me and said, “Hell, no.”

  I got up and got closer to him, waving my hands in the air, “What if I’m right?” I asked. “What if something is really going on? What if I’m not crazy?”

  He slightly shook his head; “People have been living in this city for decades. Nothing went wrong and nothing is wrong,” he explained.

  “I thought we agreed on helping each other no matter what,” I spat. “We agreed on believing your crap, but not spying on everyone who worked with your parents, just because you assume that whatever your parents said about aliens was true,” he bashed.

  I felt the boiling rage in my veins. I couldn’t believe Kraig said those words, like knives stabbing my heart. No one believed my parents in the city. Not my coworkers, not Gale, not even my best friends. No one but myself. And I wasn’t going to allow that to happen. I’ll prove everyone wrong. “My parents weren’t crazy, okay?” I snapped, “I’m not crazy either.”

  His shoulders dropped when he realized that he had hurt my feelings, regret filled his eyes. He sighed, “I didn’t say that,” and he looked at Andie for a while and bit his lower lip, thinking of changing his mind. He shifted his eyes to me and rolled them, “Okay. Just this once. One crazy plan and that’s all,” He said.

  I smiled and hugged him burying my face in his chest, smelling his cologne, “This means the world to me” I said and stepped back to look at him.

  Kraig chuckled, “But don’t get used to it,” he teased and he looked down at my injured hand, “What’s that?” “Oh umm,” I said and examined my bandaged hand, “Knife cut. Not deep though. No need to worry about it.” I remembered Star’s bite. Star was in the garage alone and I hoped that he was okay. But I couldn’t help but think of what if. What if he got hungry or thirsty and got nothing to eat or drink? What if he got hurt in there? Why doesn’t he make any noise, is he okay? I had to distract them to go check on Star, “You two need sleeping bags,” I managed to say. “Be right back,” and I walked to the garage.

  Chapter Eight

  Memories can be a man’s mind treasure and a candy for the heart. I opened the door to the garage to find Star sleeping on the floor, hugging his body. He fluttered his ears when he heard me coming in and opened his eyes. I got closer to him and bent down to pat him on his head, “Sorry I let you stay here,” I whispered. I felt guilty for making Star stay in the garage, but I had no other choice. If I let Star stay in my bedroom, he might make sounds like the last time Andie visited me. I wasn’t going to do the same mistake again. Not this time. He got up and rubbed his head on my leg. “I’ll get you out when Kraig leaves,” I said. I got up and went to the boxes to look for sleeping bags. I opened every box and stopped when I saw a short red dress. Not a hot red dress, but kind of a dark red. It was the dress I wore to my Soplea exit party. I reminisced about the night I got my short hair styled, donned red lipstick and wore this red dress to the exit party. Andie and Kraig came to pick me up that night, but Kraig drove because he got the driver’s license first and kept calling me paprika the whole night. That night all the girls were jealous, because I had two guys as my exit party dates. Exit party is a party held at Soplea when students exit their study life and begin their professional one. I smelled the fabric for any perfume scent, but it smelled like old boxes and humidity. I put the dress back into its box and kept searching in other boxes. I saw dark sleeping bags in one of the boxes, “Found it,” I murmured. I picked up two sleeping bags and went to the door, but before I got out I turned to Star and said, “Stay put. I’ll come back for you,” and left, locking the door again.

  I went to the living room and tossed the sleeping bags to each of them, and both grabbed their sleeping bags. “Here, make yourself at home,” I said.

  “We are at home,” Kraig replied. They opened their sleeping bags and placed them on the floor. “You can use the shared bathroom to change if you want,” I instructed.

  “Lights off,” I said to R, and the lights went off. I went to my bedroom and sat on the bed pulling my knees to my chest, hugging my legs and resting my chin between my knees. Doubts started creeping into my mind. What if all my suspicions turned out to be wrong? What if my parents’ speeches about the aliens were just part of their wild imaginations? If Kraig and Andie did help me find out what was really going on and there was no proof whatsoever about my parents’ experiments, then I’ll end up going back to square one. And what if it was all true; will the citizens of Adkad City believe us? Will they change their minds about aliens? Or will they banish us from the city? Generations ago, when humans travelled to this planet, it was taken over by dangerous aliens and for decades, humans fought aliens to build Adkad City, where people lived in peace and harmony. But people feared this peace and harmony would end. The Alien Busters Institute was later established to maintain our city and protect it from the aliens. The institution focused on its mission for decades and people carried that one myth, that the aliens were always there to get them. I laid my head on the pillow, covering myself with my blanket and closed my eyes to will away the thoughts of my possible future.

  I opened my eyes, to total darkness. My forehead and back prickled with sweat. I checked the time in my Inhab, it was after midnight and I realized that I didn’t feed Star yet. I panicked. When I got out of my bedroom, I was searching in the darkness. The only light was in the kitchen. I went to the kitchen, refilling the two bowls and went to the garage, soundlessly, carefully not to wake anyone. I unlocked the garage door and went to place the bowls near Star’s sleeping body. I crouched down, “Star, wake up,” I whispered. His eyes opened and got up and started to eat from one of the bowls. I rubbed his head with my bandaged hand while he ate, “You’ve been a good alien,” I whispered, sweetly. He lifted his head up and sniffed my bandaged hand, “I have to go now.”

  He stopped and stared at me. “I can’t let you out. Not now. Maybe tomorrow, before I go to my interrogation.” I gulped, when I thought about what the interrogation might hold. If they ever decided that I was guilty, I should hide Star somewhere, so when the investigators check my house, they won’t find him. But where? Where could I hide Star? I got up and left the garage, locking the door behind me. My mind was like a tornado, swirling with thoughts of how to survive what was coming tomorrow. I sighed and got to the kitchen counter, taking a cup and placing it in a machine and pressed the screen to brew some tea. While I was waiting, I murmured,
“What have I got myself into?” and immediately felt guilty for saying it. It wasn’t anyone’s fault that I was in this situation, nor Star’s. No one but myself to blame. I should have obeyed all my orders the day I saw Star. “No, don’t say that Nathalie, you did the right thing in the wrong city. Right thing, in the wrong place and at the wrong time, that’s all.” I convinced myself.

  “Talking to your cup?” a voice said and made me jump. I placed my palm on my chest, terrified and turned to look at Andie, leaning his elbow on the counter, staring at me.

  “You scared me,” I scolded in a low voice, so Kraig wouldn’t hear us. Andie was studying me with calmness and that irritated me. I took my cup with both hands and sipped, side glancing at Andie. I placed my cup on the counter and cleared my throat, avoiding his eyes as he kept staring at me. “So, you’re going to keep staring at me in a creepy way?” I asked.

  He didn’t laugh and his face turned serious, “Tomorrow. When they ask you why our conversation was muffled, lie. Say that you feared if they found out about the eggs they would destroy them all and aliens will attack the city for revenge,” he instructed.

  “But…that’s a lie and they can detect it,” I whispered. “It won’t be a lie if you believe it’s true, Nat. Your mind can do wonders. It believes everything you say to it, just like a baby,” he explained.

  I thought for a moment and turned to look at Kraig sleeping on the floor, tucked in his sleeping bag. I turned to Andie, “To train my brain to believe my own lie?” I questioned.

  He nodded, “And I’ll tell them the same story, so my story won’t contradict to yours.” I hesitated before I said, “I’ll do it.”

  “Do what?” a voice asked.

  Andie and I both flinched, turning to see a glowing face floating in the darkness. It was Kraig flashing light from his Inhab to his face and looking at us

  questioningly.

  He yawned and talked sluggishly, “What are you two talking about?” he asked, squinting his eyes in suspicion.

  Think of a quick logical answer, think, think. “Andie had a nightmare,” I uttered, “And I made him some tea” I took the cup and gave it to Andie.

  Andie grinned sheepishly, and sipped from the cup, “Yup.”

  Kraig looked from me to Andie, not believing. “Well, goodnight,” I said urgently and hurried to my room.

  My short hair fluttered in the wind, while the car was moving on the city’s streets. The sky had a tint of pink from the rising sun. I looked back at my house from the passenger seat, and prayed that Star was okay on his own. I left Star in the living room, after I sent Kraig and Andie outside to wait for me. I knew R would update me about Star’s whereabouts inside my house, but I was still worried. I turned to look ahead where the institute was visible a few miles away.

  Kraig was driving, and Andie sat in the back seat. When we got closer to the institute, I trained my brain to think about what Andie told me yesterday. It was true. What we did in the cave was necessary to protect our city and to avoid future attacks from aliens, I convinced myself. I closed my eyes and felt the cool wind on my face and focused my attention on my thoughts. Yes, I was right when I refused to tell them about the eggs to protect the city and its citizens, I told myself. I opened my eyes to realize that we had arrived at the institute building.

  I got out of the car and followed the guys inside. Andie stopped to talk to one receptionist and she said something to him and pointed to the elevator at the end of the room. He indicated with his head to follow him. Kraig and I followed Andie to the elevator, and we went upward to the fifth floor. We stepped out of the elevator and walked down a long hallway and beyond there was another reception desk and huge double doors beside it. There were metal chairs placed right across from the double doors. My heart started drumming in my chest and I heard the thumping in my ear. I stepped back and gulped, but Kraig took me by surprise when he appeared beside me.

  “Hey” he called, “There’s nothing to worry about, okay? We’ll get through this.” He talked in a very calm manner, like he wasn’t worried about the interrogations.

  I looked down to see his hands shaking, but he balled his hands into fists to control them. I saw something in his pleading eyes. Fear. I lifted my head and nodded to him, affirming that I’ll be okay. Andie, Kraig and I sat on the seats to stare at the double doors while we waited for the receptionist to call our names. Andie was tapping with his shoes, which echoed in the hallway. Kraig was polishing the buttons of his leather jacket. They were absent minded, thinking about what was about to happen. After a few minutes that felt like hours, Andie and Kraig stopped distracting themselves and paid full attention to the receptionist.

  “What took them so long?” Kraig asked the receptionist with irritation. The receptionist turned her head to Kraig with surprise, like he got her attention back from her busy mind while she was organizing some files on the screen. “They’ll call for you,” she said to us. “Please be patient.” And gave a forced smile and got back to her business. She placed her hand on her ears and talked back, “Yes. They’re here,” she paused for a while and said, “Of course. I’ll let them know.” We all sat straight and waited for her to say what she had to say. “Kraig, you’re going first,” she said to Kraig.

  Kraig got up and pulled the hem of his jacket and turned to look at us with certainty. Then he went into the double doors, not looking behind him. I tried to get a glimpse of what was beyond the doors, but they quickly slid shut behind Kraig. I imagined how they would ask Kraig about the mission and the cave when Andie and I talked about the eggs. I pictured how his face would look like, filled with disappointment that we kept this information from him. This was all my fault, I should have told Gale about Andie’s idea and agreed to it. Maybe we wouldn’t have gotten into this mess. No, you were right for not telling Gale about the plan. You’ve saved the city from future attacks, I convinced myself. I repeated those words in my mind, telling myself that what we did was the right thing. Telling myself that the evaluators will believe me. I bit my lower lip and turned to look at the receptionist. She was very calm and kept herself busy with calls. I turned to look at Andie who was staring at the double doors, his mind wandering. Maybe he was practicing his words as well. I was about to tell him good luck, when I heard high heels approaching us from the other side of the hallway. A woman with a white lab coat stood in front of us, blocking the view of the double doors. She wore a red shirt and a black skirt under her lab coat. Her light medium length hair was pinned back, and she carried a clipboard, holding it to her side.

  “Nathalie Jefferson,” she said delighted to see me. I got up from the chair, “Who are you?” I asked her.

  “Oh, well of course you don’t know me,” she uttered, “I’m Suzanne Larson. Professor, Suzanne.”

  I tilted my head to the side, “How… do you know my name?” I stuttered. She leaned her face closer and whispered, “I knew your parents.” Then she straightened back, and looked at Andie who was looking at her with confusion. “Why, hello Andie,” she greeted him.

  He got up and approached Suzanne, “Should I worry about this?” he asked. “There’s nothing to worry about. I know all about Nathalie’s personal life. And of course, her best friends,” she said with a smile, so sure of herself.

  I wasn’t sure why my parents would talk to Suzanne about their life. But wait. Unless they were good friends. That meant that she might have known something about their experiments. Maybe I could get more information about them. This was the perfect chance for me to get closer to her, to know everything about the experiments.

  “Nothing to worry about, then,” Andie said sarcastically. Suzanne pursed her lips and rested her palm on my arm, “Nathalie. Can I have a word with you?” she politely asked me.

  We both glimpsed at Andie to leave us alone. “Oh, okay then,” he said and got back to sit on the chair. When we were alone, Suzanne gave me a sympathetic look, “How’s your life? You know. Alone?” she asked. I pulled my arm from her
hand and said, “I’m fine. Why would you ask?” She sighed, “I want you to know that I’m here to help if necessary. In case you need any help from me, don’t hesitate to call me,” she offered then made sure that Andie wasn’t listening and whispered, “I knew about their experiments and I know you believe them too.”

  I gazed at her with wide eyes, not able to say anything back. She nodded to us and walked into another corridor.

  Chapter Nine

  Trepidation can be a strong instinct, but the heart can fool one to distraction. We waited what felt like a quarter of an hour before Kraig got out of the interrogation room, his jaw hardened, and his face twisted in anger. He walked to us and stopped, giving us hard looks. Andie and I got up from our chairs. I felt my heart racing. They must have told him about my conversation with Andie in the cave. They must have told him about the eggs and our not telling them about what we found out.

  Andie sensed Kraig’s anger and asked, “Something wrong?” Kraig bit his lower lip, “Yes, something is very wrong when my two best friends don’t tell me what’s going on.”

  Andie and I glanced at each other out of guilt. “You know about the eggs?” I asked.

  “You’re damn right, I know about them,” Kraig spat and placed his hands on his hips, “Now. Would someone tell me what’s really going on?”

  And I thought about telling him the truth, but it was too risky. I wanted to say to him that I lied to him in our mission and didn’t kill the alien when I was supposed to. That would cause a lot of doubts, but at least he would know the truth and I would not have a reason to feel bad about keeping Star.

  Andie was about to say something but Kraig stopped him with raising a palm, “Don’t start with it was my idea crap, okay?” Kraig snapped. “They’ve told me Andie had an idea of getting rid of alien eggs, but you stopped him.” Now he was looking at me.