by Darren Sloan
"Look below you. They are far behind in technology compared to our own advancements, clearly, but that doesn't give you any right to stomp down upon them like some barbarian. This was to be an act of peace."
"Peace?" Spectrum asked. "Then explain the armada. The laser net over the city. It doesn't feel very peaceful to me."
"Forgive us for that. We have been studying Earth for many years now and we have learned much. Both the good and the bad. We felt a blunt show of force would be the expedient way to win back the God's Blood. As for the 'net' as you call it, we used it only because we wished to contain this disturbance. We know how your government reacts to outside threats and we didn't wish there to be any needless death."
"Then why didn't you contact me?"
"Despite all our resources, we simply didn't know you possessed the God's Blood. All we knew was that whoever did have it lived in this city."
"Well, your little soldier's actions were nothing more than an act of war. Unless you leave now, I'm going to destroy every one of these ships. You know I have the power. I can do it."
"Yes, you could. Although, we could just as easily wipe this entire city off the planet. We hold great power, but I don't wish to use it. I try to preserve life when I can, but when it comes to retrieving the God's Blood, there is no cost too high."
"Then it's war."
"Do you really want that? Do you really think this city can survive such a war? And even if you should win, it will be at a great cost and who do you think will be held responsible? They'll hate you for the death you brought upon them. You know I'm right." Spectrum turned from Denwall. He knew he was right. One ship in their armada looked powerful enough to destroy the whole city within a minute. A battle with an alien race did not seem to have a happy end for Towers City.
"Fine. I agree. We're pretty much matched here."
"No, we aren't. You wield great power, but you are still new to it. I could destroy this city and everyone in it with a mere keystroke. If you wish to spare the lives of all who live in this city, I would urge you to surrender now."
"If I do that, you will leave this planet? You won't harm a single person?"
"You have my word."
"Funny how that doesn't mean a thing to me. I need something more than your word. Call off the troops. Make all this go away."
"The fleet? Fine. I'll call back all ships, but this one." Denwall then snapped his fingers and the sky filled with many large light doors and the ships all rose up and disappeared through them. As they closed, the sky was clear again.
"And I want some time. I have some people to say good bye to."
"I understand. How long would you need?"
"Eight o'clock tonight. By our time, of course. You can take me then."
"Of course. Agreed."
"Fine."
"Is that all?"
"No. I want to know. I'm connected to this thing now. If you take it away, you're going to kill me. Is that what you're going to do? Or do you have some way of taking it and sparing my life?"
"That is difficult to say."
"What do you mean it's difficult to say?"
"For as long as we have had the God's Blood, there's still so much we don't know. We have never tried to separate it from its host. We hope that we can preserve your life, but I can't offer any certainty."
"So this could be a death sentence."
"Possible. It comes down to you or them."
"I'll be down there at eight. Any more actions against Earth, by you or green boy over there and I tear this ship to atoms. I don't care if you can destroy all life on this planet. You strike them, I strike back. Harder."
"Noted. I will see you at eight then. Get your affairs in order."
Chapter 8
A Final Good Bye
When the ships disappeared, there was great celebration across the city. Many assumed that Spectrum had been taken away and they were safe. Those who were supporting Spectrum mourned the fall of their hero, grateful for the sacrifice he had made for them.
It didn't take long to discover the invisible wall that surrounded the city was still active, which led all to either dread or hope that Spectrum had found a way to stop the invasion and remain on Earth.
Tyler raced back to Jason's apartment as soon as he was able to and when he pushed the door open, he saw Jason sitting at a table he had set up with candles in his darkened apartment.
"Jason?"
"We only have a few hours. I figured we could have one last perfect night."
"What are you talking about? I heard that Spectrum went up to that big ship and a little while after that all the other ships left. What happened up there?"
"We negotiated terms. I go with them, they don't destroy all of you."
"You can fight them."
"And bring that war down on everyone here? A war we would have no chance of winning?"
"You don't know that."
"Yes, Tyler. I do. I've seen what they can do. It's like these guys come from another dimension or something. Any fight with them would be fast and we would lose. Now, come over here and let's pop open this champagne."
"Champagne?"
"If not now, when?" Tyler let out a sigh as he tried to think of some other argument, but he then realized if they only had a short time left, he didn't want to spend it fighting. He slipped off his uniform shirt and took off the belt and then joined Jason at the table. "Why'd you do that? You know how I love a man in uniform."
"Shut up and pour."
It was a perfect date, by Jason's estimation. A candlelit dinner. Champagne, and after they finished eating, he and Tyler curled up on the sofa to watch their favorite movie. Jason leaned his head on Tyler's shoulder and thought of all the things he could have been doing in what were conceivably his last hours of life. There were so many things he hadn't seen or done. So many places he hadn't visited, but there he was. In his apartment watching 'Casablanca' with his boyfriend, and it was, in his opinion, the best use of the time he had left.
As the movie ended Jason noticed the time. He had only an hour left before he was to meet Denwall in the park. He looked up at Tyler.
"It's close, isn't it?" Tyler asked.
"In an hour. I have to meet them in the park and from there, who knows?"
"Don't go. If we can get that barrier down, we could get the Army and Navy in on this. We could nuke those bastards back where they came from."
"You know that wouldn't work."
"We can try!" Jason smiled and tapped his forehead to Tyler's.
"This is tearing me up inside as it is."
"I just can't believe this is happening. If you die, I won't even know."
"You'll know."
"I don't want to though. I don't want any of this."
"Neither do I, but these are the cards we've been dealt. I have to go in little bit, but I still have an hour."
"An hour."
"Yes. So shut up." Jason said and pressed his lips to Tyler's mouth. Their clothes came apart and they soon found themselves on the bed tangled in each other’s arms. They held each other as hard and as tight as they could manage, as if hoping somehow they would never be torn apart. Their eyes locked and with no words between them, they understood.
Jason awoke afterward and looked over at Tyler who was face down on his pillow. He looked over to the clock and saw that he had only a few minutes left. He was about to reach over and wake Tyler, but before he did, he held back. He couldn't bear to say good bye again. He just slipped out of bed, shifted into Spectrum and snuck out the window.
It was a minute until eight and Spectrum saw Denwall in the park awaiting his arrival. Spectrum landed a few feet away from him.
"Punctual. I admire that." Denwall said.
"I can't tell you how happy that makes me."
"Sarcasm. It's a unique form of humor your planet is well known for. It is not looked upon well by others."
"I don't give a damn! I'm here to offer myself up to the butchers. I don't ca
re if you laugh at my jokes."
"Fair enough. I trust you did what you wanted to do."
"Yes. Let's get this over with."
"Very well," Denwall then pressed a button on a small key pad on his wristband and a silver sphere just like Gunter's appeared and opened up a large light door, but it was blue, not red. The gravitational force was surprising. Spectrum felt his body shift.
"This will take me to Xenos?"
"No. To the ship. These Wurmholes have their limits. Xenos is too far for them to transport us. Once we get there, you will stand trial, and be sentenced."
"Whoa. Trial?"
"You are in possession of stolen material. That must be addressed."
"You know what? I don't care. Whatever. You're ruining my life as it is. What's a criminal charge?"
"Wait!" Tyler called out. Spectrum spun around and saw Tyler racing toward him.
"Tyler?"
"What the Hell do you mean running out like that?"
"I didn't want to wake you just to say good bye again."
"We don't have time for this." Denwall said. Spectrum snapped around with lightning speed.
"I'm coming with you! Can you give me one damn minute?" He spat. Denwall stepped back in submission and Spectrum turned back to Tyler.
"I don't care how many times we say good bye. As long as I can hear you say it, I don't care." Tears began to stream down Tyler's cheek. Spectrum reached up and wiped them aside.
"Good bye." Spectrum said in a broken voice. Tyler grabbed him and pulled him close.
"Come back," He whispered. "Just tell me you'll come back."
"I can't,"
"Just tell me. Please." Spectrum felt Tyler trembling and tears started to well up in his eyes as well.
"I'll be back." Tyler smiled as his tears continued to fall. Spectrum grabbed the back of his head and the mask parted and Jason saw Tyler with his own eyes. They smiled and kissed one last time. Tyler stepped back and the mask slipped back over Jason's face. They paced away from each other, never looking away. Spectrum disappeared into the blue light and in the blink of an eye, it was gone and the park was still once more. Tyler looked up and seconds later, the large ship disappeared in a flash of red light and then the sky flashed as the invisible barrier was released. Tyler could hear the faint sounds of celebration break out across the city, but all he wanted to do was go back to Jason's apartment and cry.
Part 2
Chapter 9
The Hidden Virtue of Interplanetary Travel
The ship was huge. I had seen a lot of science fiction movies and they all had big ships, but it was nothing compared to this one. On the outside it looked pretty big, but once Denwall and his goons escorted me inside, I was in a state of awe.
It was like everything those science fiction movies had promised, but different at the same time. It was wall to wall metal with armored guards marching around. There were a lot of lights everywhere and behind everything was a steady, rhythmic hum which I could only assume were the engines.
I was taken to a large elevator of some kind and I think we went down for some time. When the door opened, Denwall led me into a dark section of the ship that seemed far less traveled. We walked down a long hall until he stopped and with a few keystrokes on the computer on his wrist, a door slid open and I saw behind it a room with just a bench.
"Welcome to your accommodations until we reach Xenos."
"Don't you put people in some kind of cyber sleep or something?"
"We won't be traveling for that long."
"Look, I don't know much about space travel, but I'm sure it's going to take more than a few hours to get to your planet."
"Through conventional travel methods, it would take an equivalent of ten thousand of your years to get to Xenos, but Wurmhole technology allows us a much speedier route."
"I thought those were just theory."
"To your science, perhaps. It would take me months to explain it all to you, but suffice to say on a technological level you and your kind are still crawling from the primordial ooze. You still have no real bearing on the mechanics of the universe."
"Then why don't you enlighten us? Share your knowledge."
"We've seen what your people do with new technology. The citizens of the universe have no need for another war mongering race of shaved apes. In your cell!" Denwall then grabbed me by my shoulder and forced me in. I turned just as the door slid shut before me. I was getting the feeling that the people of Xenos were going to be very hostile toward me.
I sat down on the bench and had nothing to do but wait. I stretched out in hopes of finding some comfort, but it was difficult to relax. I tried to close my eyes and pretend I wasn't in the belly of some giant space ship hurling between the galaxies, but I was finding that such a thought was difficult to ignore.
My thoughts drew back to Tyler and my parents. I hadn't even had a chance to say good bye to them. I was hoping Tyler would take care of that for me. He knew my parents pretty well and he'd know what I'd want to say to them. It just didn't seem right that I didn't have that chance. I just didn't think there was much point in lodging any complaints. I wasn't even sure when I was going to be fed. Of if I was to be fed. Or what I was going to be fed. I simply assumed that since Xenosians looked like humans that they ate food similar to what we ate. There were a lot of questions in my mind and I wasn't sure if I was afraid I'd never get the answers, or that I would.
I had finally nodded off to sleep and I was woken up by the sound of the door of my cell opening. I sat up and I saw a uniformed woman enter my cell and set a plate of something that looked like cat food on the floor.
"Hello." I said. The woman looked back at me, startled.
"Your dinner." She said. I peered down and it looked like a few lumps of something wet and brown on a silver plate.
"What is it?"
"It's what we feed our prisoners. I've never tried it myself. There are enzymes in it that will alter its taste according to your body chemistry."
"How so?"
"Basically it can taste like anything you want it to. For nutritional purposes, it contains many of the essential elements needed to support life."
"It looks like someone squatted over the plate and took a dump." The woman looked back at me with a confused look.
"I'm not familiar with your dialect. I could assign a guard who is more versed in your Earth language."
"You have some?"
"Most of the guards speak over three hundred languages, but not too many study any from Earth. Some find it to be a primitive, muddy language."
"It sounds like you speak it pretty well." She then smiled at me and let out a little laugh.
"To you it sounds like I'm speaking English, as such, but I'm really speaking the language of the Hymerian people. It's hummed actually, and attuned to the language center of the listener's brain. It self-translates to you and your words sound like differently tuned rhythms to me."
"Oh."
"You should eat. You'll need your strength. We should be entering Xenosian airspace soon." She said and then marched out.
I got up and picked up the plate of goop and stared at it. It was disgusting. I tried to smell it, but it had no scent. I stuck my finger into it and it was rather sticky and soft. My mask split to expose my mouth and had I not been so hungry, I would have just wiped the garbage off somewhere and waited for some real food, but I was starving and willing to try anything once. I pressed my finger to my tongue expecting it to taste like dog shit, but instead it tasted like a well-cooked steak. It wasn't kind of close, but exactly like a steak. It was hard to get past its appearance, but after a few bites, I didn't care anymore and I wolfed the rest of the crap down.
I tossed the plate aside and got back on the bench. I wasn't sure how much longer I was going to be stuck there and all I could think about was the possibility that once that ship got to its destination, my life would be over. It was so quiet. The hum of the ship was barely detectable and the walls were so
thick and deep, I couldn't even hear any footsteps outside of my cell. I wondered about what kind of chaos the Earth was in. I was sure after I left the stories of the alien invasion hit every shore of every country. I could only imagine the millions of people panicking over the first official alien invasion in world history. I only hoped that Tyler could keep above the madness that was sure to surround him. I'd hate to think my attempt at saving him wound up dooming him anyway. I just knew the world had to be in a state of chaos and there was nothing I could do to stop it, but it was too late to really have any second thoughts about what I had done.
Chapter 10
Accusations
I was starting to lose it a bit. It wasn't quite as bad as a sensory deprivation tank, but it was up there. I weighed my options with using my powers to bust out and trash the place, but as I didn't know where we were, I didn't think it would be wise to destroy the only mode of transportation I had. I didn't know where I was and I wasn't totally sure how the suit would hold up in deep space.
I tried once more to sleep or at least close my eyes, but I couldn't do it. I wasn't sure how my head wasn't just exploding from the stress. I was on my way to an alien world where I was more than likely to be killed. There was no sleep in my future.
The door to my prison opened and Captain Denwall walked in accompanied by two guards close behind him. I stood up and met his eyes.
"Are we there yet?" I asked. I giggled a bit in my head, but it was clear Denwall and his guards missed the joke.
"Not yet, but soon."
"Then why are you here?"
"I want to know why."
"Why what?"
"Why did you take the God's Blood?"
"Are you guys really this stupid? You think I actually stole this thing? You said you've studied Earth for years. You know we don't have interplanetary flight. How could I even have gone to Xenos to steal this if I knew it existed. Which I didn't." Denwall seemed to be thrown off guard by my question.
"That's what we're trying to figure out. It's clear you had help. We will want to know that as well."
