Alien Rescue

by Marie Dry

  “No, but I am going in that direction. I can make a short detour.” Those brown eyes seemed to look into her soul. She instinctively searched for red tendrils, and she refused to accept that she felt disappointment when she didn’t find any.

  “Thank you, I’d appreciate it.” They got back into the truck and she had to battle tears. She hated being this helpless. How was she supposed to rescue Mr. Parnell, and if she couldn’t, would her father even be willing to speak to her again? She’d missed her six-monthly TC call home. She’d have to wait another six months now. And even then, Father might be too busy to talk to her.

  She squared her shoulders. Crying about it wouldn’t get anything done. “Tell me about the aliens.” She looked around. “I don’t see any of them.”

  “They give instructions and make sure the work is done and then disappear. They do get things done in a superior manner.”

  Rose glared at him. His blind admiration for the aliens was starting to grate on her. “They are our conquerors. How can you forget that? I just don’t understand how they took over in such a short time?” She’d gone into the testing box in one world and came out of it to a different reality where aliens ruled.

  The trucker reached out with one hand and activated a TC on the dashboard of the truck. Images sprang up in front of her. Aliens, who looked like Zanr, who wore the same silver uniform, marched through Washington— row upon row of them. She instinctively looked for Zanr. It was weird, but she’d be able to tell him apart from the other aliens. Their silver uniforms gleamed in the sun and their ridged heads were menacing, alien.

  “When was this?” she whispered. While he focused on driving, she entered the code that should go out to all agents in possession of a TC. At least they’d know she’d escaped.

  “Two weeks ago.”

  Right after the aliens got her. How could the aliens be everywhere all of a sudden? “There’s so many of them,” she whispered. How big was their spaceship? How many spaceships did they have? Were more aliens coming to Earth?

  “It would seem so,” the trucker said.

  The trucker touched the TC image, and it changed to show a huge image of the leader alien who’d told her she had to breed fifty babies for his alien empire. The image spoke in near-perfect English, laying out new rules for humans.

  “Has anyone seen their spaceship? And what about the president, the government, what happened to them?” Surely someone tried to stop the invasion?

  “The president is still in charge.”

  “Yeah right, taking orders from aliens,” she muttered. After the death of the previous president, President Jameson was elected under rather sketchy circumstances. Now she had to wonder if the aliens had a hand in his rise to power.

  She slapped her hands against the dashboard and screamed in frustration. “Why isn’t everyone fighting to their last breath? Instead of going about their business, why don’t they grab weapons and storm the aliens’ stronghold.” Wait! The safe house. Weapons! The weapons stash—how could she have forgotten about it?

  “Everyone is enjoying better circumstances—why would they fight?” the trucker asked.

  Nothing was going to convince this joiner to stand up for humanity. “Turn around. I’m going to blow those aliens to hell.” She regretted saying it out loud the moment the words left her lips.

  “How will you do that and how will you find them?” he asked curiously. He didn’t seem upset at her plan to blow the whole lot of them to kingdom come. Maybe he was one of those people that just went with the flow. She relaxed slightly.

  She knew where they lived. Should she try to bomb the aliens on the mountain on her own? Somehow, she doubted that would be as easy as her escape had been. She shifted uneasily.

  She’d grab whatever weapons she found in the safe house and then go to New York, meet up with Morgan. Maybe some of the others were there, as well. She brightened at that thought. “I’ll find them and find a way to kill them,” she muttered. Rose wanted to bite off her own tongue. She shouldn’t tell an alien lover her plans. Mr. Parnell was right, she had no skills as an operative.

  “For now, I’d like you to take me to this address and then to New York, or as close as you can get me. If you allow me to use your TC, I can reimburse you for your trouble.”

  He motioned to the TC and she accessed her funds. Unlike her colleagues, she didn’t have to live frugally to get through the month on a few credits. Money had never been her problem. The grandmother she’d never met had left her and her brother with generous credits.

  They stopped in front of a neat little house in one of the few affluent areas left in the capital.

  “Wait here,” she said and jumped out. “I just have to talk to a friend.” She hurried to the front door. Her code worked and she almost sagged with relief. Hopefully, the trucker didn’t notice that she let herself in. It was a small house and the furniture definitely didn’t fit the outside of the house. It was typical civil-service fare: old and rickety with worn, dirty-looking carpets. Inside the only bedroom, she found a backpack. It took some time, but she found the hidden space under the floorboards in the kitchen. At least it wasn’t a combination safe. She’d have a problem then.

  Inside she found laser pistols and some explosives. “Yes.” She pumped her fist in the air. “Look out, aliens. Soon I’m coming to blow you all to hell.” Rose sat still for a moment, the picture of Zanr, torn apart and bleeding, obscene in her imagination.

  She glared down at her dress. She needed better clothes. Another search through the closets yielded a pair of pants and a sweater and jacket, all of them too big for her, but they would do. She took off the frilly monstrosity, put on the pants, and strapped a laser pistol to her ankle, and used the belt she’d found to keep the jeans from falling down her hips and to secure the knife in the back of the jeans.

  She turned around and shrieked, “Eep.” He stood right behind her, staring with interest at her.

  “How long have you been there?” She didn’t get any creepy vibes from him before, but the way he looked her over was rather disconcerting.

  “Not long enough to see you naked.” She couldn’t figure out from his flat way of speaking if he didn’t care if he saw her naked, or regretted being too late. Or if he was telling the truth. Without a word, he took the backpack off her shoulder. “We should go. This area might have patrols.”

  She nodded and led the way outside, then stopped abruptly. “I’ll be right back.” She ran back to the bedroom and carefully folded the dress. It might be a monstrosity, but she couldn’t bear to leave it behind. He didn’t comment on the dress in her arms, merely closed the door behind them, and she carefully locked the door and then went to the truck and got in. She frowned at him. “They have patrols?”

  “They patrol Washington, but plan to increase their presence in the other cities.”

  Unease slithered over her skin. “How do you know that?”

  “They said it over the TC,” he said calmly. Rose relaxed a bit. That made sense. For a moment there, she thought he really was a collaborater.

  He stashed the explosives and backpack in the backseat and then swung into the driver’s seat with an easy motion. The way he moved, the way the muscles in his thighs rippled, reminded her of her alien. She almost snorted. Her alien? He wasn’t her anything but an invader she had to kill if she got the chance. But the thought of hurting the alien who’d cared for her so tenderly was so upsetting, she turned to face the trucker.

  “You don’t seem shocked that I knew where to get weapons. Or that I have explosives,” she said carefully. Very clever, Rose, you showed the alien-lover trucker where the weapons are. No, you went one better—you showed him everything.

  “Not my business,” he said.

  If only she could believe him.

  Two hours later he pulled off the road. “We will sleep here and drive the rest of the way to New York tomorrow.”

  Rose tried to look unconcerned, but her heart beat overtime. What
if he tried to force himself on her? One thing she had to say for Zanr, he might like to mess with her hair, but he was a gentleman, even when he slept in the same bed with her. Fifty babies, he wanted you to have fifty babies, she reminded herself.

  She’d prefer to push on, but he was doing her a favor. New York was only about five hours away, but they’d had a late start going back for the weapons. Rose pretended to adjust the leg of her jeans and felt the reassuring bulge of the laser pistol she’d strapped to her ankle before Zanr had come upon her. If she had to defend herself, it would have to be with the laser. She didn’t stand a chance against someone of the trucker’s size.

  He reached into the back, where he had a sleeping compartment, and produced a big, warm-looking jacket. “Wear this, the weather is becoming cold.” Again, that slightly strange turn of phrase, the hint of an accent.

  “Thank you.” She shrugged on the jacket. The temperature inside the truck was comfortable, but she shivered with sheer nerves. Even with the pistol and the knife, she worried about falling asleep with this guy around. He’d been extremely helpful, but in her experience, no one showed such kindness without demanding a price. They’d been on the move until now. Who knew what he’d do if his hands weren’t on the steering wheel?

  “We should’ve stopped and bought some food.” She’d been so focused on the explosives, she didn’t even think about eating.

  “No need.” He reached into the back again, and took out a picnic basket covered with a cloth printed with cheery red roses. “We can eat outside.”

  She’d prefer being outside rather than in here, trapped. Rose stared at the basket. It didn’t seem like something this tough-looking guy would have. “Did your wife make this for you?” She opened her door and holding onto the door, slid down until her feet touched the road. This truck was not designed for short people. He got out, as well, and set up a little camp in record time. Two camp stools and a box.

  “Can I help?”

  “Everything is done,” he said and motioned her to one of the camp chairs. Stomach cramping from hunger, she took the sandwich from him and took a big bite. She’d been on the move ever since her escape, and she’d been frugal with the food in the picnic basket. She stared at the picnic basket next to him. “Did your wife pack the basket for you?”

  “No, a…friend asked his woman to provide food,” he said, answering her question at last. “My wife ran away from me.”

  Odd way to put it. She didn’t know if she should feel sorry for him or worried about why his wife ran. “I’m sorry,” she said lamely.

  He handed her a bottle of water. “Drink, you are probably dehydrated.”

  Rose took the bottle and almost sagged in relief—it was sealed. Next he handed her a cup of coffee, and after a short hesitation, she took it. He didn’t need to drug her to hurt her. “Do you have children, any other family?” she asked.

  “I am without…family.” He sounded odd and she regretted her nosiness.

  She finished her coffee and then looked around. She could feel heat climb to her cheeks. “I…uh…I need to go to the bushes.”

  He cocked his head, and something about the way he did it tugged at her memory. But she had bigger concerns right now. He looked at her for a long time and then nodded. Rose went over to the bushes and found one large enough to hide her while she finished her business. She kept a weather eye on him to make sure he sat with his back to her.

  When she came back to the fire, she used the rest of the water to wash her hands. He got up and went to the truck and came back with a large T-shirt. “You can sleep in this.”

  Rose shook her head. “Thank you, but I’ll just sleep in my clothes. They’re quite comfortable.” She needed to sleep, but did she dare fall asleep with him around?

  “You may sleep in the back where there is more room. I will take the front seat.”

  Rose shook her head. “I’ll just stay next to the fire. It’s nice and cosy.” And she wouldn’t be trapped with him blocking the way to the doors.

  He turned and looked her straight in the eye. You will be safe, my b— Rose,” he said.

  He could pick her up and put her where he wanted her. Rose nodded, got up, and went to the truck. While she pretended to struggle to reach the step up—not hard to do—she took her laser pistol from the ankle holster. She got into the back and settled with her back against the side of the truck, holding the pistol out of sight.

  He got in, and she tensed, but he merely made himself comfortable against the door and closed his eyes.

  Rose settled down, biting her lip. She was just paranoid. The trucker’s voice was nothing like the aliens. It was just his formal way of speaking that made his voice feel familiar to her. She tried to stay awake, but eventually she lost the battle.

  The next morning, she rose and shivered when the blanket fell away. He must’ve covered her with it during the night. And she hadn’t woken. She reached behind her for the pistol and found nothing. Her heart stopped beating for a moment. Rose moved and felt the weight on her ankle. The pistol was back in its holster. She stared at it, not knowing what to think.

  The trucker was gone from the front seat. Rose climbed to the front seat and then outside. She carefully held onto the door until her feet touched the ground. She let go of the door and pulled the large jacket he’d given closer to her body. The early morning air was chilly.

  He sat on the stool, next to the small fire, holding a cup with three fingers. “It’s illegal to make fires,” she told him. “I was too tired last night to remember that.” If you asked her, by the time they passed that law, they needn’t have bothered. Most of the trees were gone anyway. Though, there’d been a lot of trees on the mountains, and for quite a few miles, once she’d reached the open road.

  He shrugged. “I didn’t use wood.” He motioned her to a small stool.

  She frowned at the fire. It looked like wood burning to her. “What did you use?” She sat down on the small foldup stool and accepted a steaming cup of coffee from him.

  “Superior technology,” he answered at last.

  With the cup between her hands raised, she paused. The smell alone made her want to groan with pleasure. Slowly she drank some of the coffee, trying to still the panic in her mind. It couldn’t be.

  He handed her a plate. Rose stared down at the food. The wonderful smell of bacon and eggs nearly drove her to her knees. She took the fork and scooped up a small bite of scrambled eggs. The taste exploded on her taste buds. With the trucker watching her, she took a sip of coffee.

  “This is so good.” With that burst of taste, the last twenty-four hours flashed through her mind. The way the trucker spoke, the picnic basket, the way he appeared when the old truck stopped.

  She pushed the heavy braid over her shoulder. Braid? Yesterday she’d worn it loose. She’d woken before with a new hairstyle sprouting on her head.

  She looked up at the large man sitting opposite her. “I never escaped, did I, Zanr?”

  Chapter Nine

  The sun coming up was only a faint promise. The flames from the fire crackled loud and threw shadows over his angular face. He might be in human disguise, but now she knew who he was, she could see Zanr’s distinctive bone structure. How had she missed it?

  It was the way he held the cup, with only three fingers, that had triggered her memory. Saying he made the fire with superior technology. Zanr had done that, too. His voice, the almost formal way he spoke, the odd cadence, had seemed familiar. Everything had registered and made her uneasy: the cloth that covered his picnic basket had been identical to the one she’d found in the truck she stole. All those things had been nagging at her, but it was when she saw how he held the cup that it had all clicked into place.

  Face expressionless, he stared at her from across the fire. Tension crackled in the air with energy that rivaled the fire.

  His human appearance dropped, as if someone had swept it down to his feet and away. The alien who’d caught her sat opposite her. “
What gave me away?” he asked. As if he didn’t dash her hopes of helping the others. Of escaping.

  She shrugged and tried to hide the fear that had her guts in a vicious grip. “It kept bothering me, the way those aliens spun when I shot them.” It was hard, but she managed to sound calm and casual. She should’ve kept her mouth shut yesterday. Now he knew she wanted to blow them up. What would he do to her? Would he hurt her? She pointed to her head. “And the way I mysteriously sprouted a French braid overnight was a pretty big clue.” It creeped her out no end to know he’d braided her hair while she was fast asleep. Why did she never wake when he messed with her hair?

  “My fellow warriors were much entertained by the idea of pretending to be injured by a mere female”—of course he couldn’t resist adding—“a weak human and extremely small female.”

  She snorted. “It showed. They spun like twisters and made the most dramatic noises. If I wasn’t so anxious to get out of there, I would’ve known what they were doing.” Now that she knew what they did, she could see they’d been trying to outdo each other.

  “They had a bet to see who could spin around the most times.”

  Rose stared at him. Aliens placed bets? That seemed so…ordinary. Somehow, she’d had this idea that they stayed in little cabins on their mother ship and only came out to kill humans with emotionless precision. A stupid idea to have. She’d seen his home and how he acted. He’d told her they considered the mountain their city.

  “It was just too easy. The truck with the key conveniently in the ignition. And we just happened to pass it when you took me to see Zacar.” She frowned at him. “So, do you really think I’m going to give birth to fifty babies?”

  “No, Zacar said that to scare you into escaping.”

  She nodded, relieved. “You made sure I had a good meal and water handily packed in a picnic basket. Thank you for that, by the way.” It made her feel odd. That he’d cared for her even while she ‘escaped’.

  “I would never allow you to starve, my breeder.”