by Angie Arland
In that moment, Tayla learned two things. Although the aliens looked like they had no emotions, they did; one being pain, and the other, anger—which meant they could be manipulated.
Her fear drained away. Beyond her own understanding, Tayla laughed. Her forehead felt like it had been split in two. She knew she was about to die. But it didn’t matter.
Nothing can save me now.
Then she thought of Claire and stopped laughing. Was her sister going through the same in the next room? Or was she safe at home in their apartment? One thing she was certain of—they would never see each other again.
The alien threw the handful of teeth and violent-pink blood across the white floor. It came snarling as it picked up a long golden needle-like tube from the shelf near the operating table.
Tayla flinched and turned her head away.
The lighter-gray alien moved to her other side, its skin a translucent gray-green, not shriveled like the other alien’s. It wore a sickening grin on its face as though it enjoyed watching torture.
Tayla’s eyes darted between the two as she lay writhing under the restraints. The glint of light reflected off a long golden rod in the bony fingers of the injured alien. The second alien jerked her chin up and tilted her head back, forcing her mouth to open.
Violet-pink blood dripped from its mouth as the alien leaned in close, as though examining the fear on her face. It plunged the gold tube deep into the palette of her mouth.
Tears poured from her eyes as unimaginable pain pierced her skull. The pressure built until she thought her head would crack open.
Please make it stop!
The room swirled in a vortex before she descended into a well of darkness.
Six
Tayla woke with a splitting headache and parched throat. When she tried to speak, a vibratory croak came out, as though her voice box had been ripped to shreds and was playing an off-key harp.
“Drink,” a nearby husky female voice commanded. A straw was pushed between her dry lips, and she gulped a citrus-flavored liquid.
“Slow down.”
Claire? It sounded like her sister, but Tayla knew better than to jump to conclusions after everything that had happened. Someone withdrew the straw, and she remained on the table, too weak to move.
Her eyelids cracked open. The lights overhead had been dimmed to a soft golden glow. The ambient temperature of the room was close to perfect, but an antiseptic smell lingered.
The searing pain was now a dull ache deep within her skull, and her forehead throbbed in time to her heartbeat. Snippets of memory returned, a multitude of horrors playing like a movie reel through her mind. She touched the palette of her mouth with the tip of her tongue. A small bump was the only evidence of the forced ‘openation,’ as the boy Sam had called it.
Her fondness for sci-fi and astronomy had led to this moment. She only had herself to blame. This was not how she’d envisaged spending her birthday, abducted and tortured, finding herself in the middle of some alien feud. In her heart, she prayed Claire wasn’t taken along with her, but if that voice belonged to her sister, at least she wasn’t alone.
Tayla meant to move. Instead, she drifted off to sleep.
Seven
A frisson of terror ran through her body, and she recoiled, almost falling off the slab. Someone must have removed the restraints while she slept.
“Damn it,” the husky female voice said.
“H-hello? Claire?” Tayla couldn’t be sure it was her sister. She swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to speak again, but nothing came out. There was no reply, which meant either they didn’t hear her, or the noise was a figment of her imagination.
She swiveled her head to the side to gain a better view, but her vision blurred, and pain scorched though her forehead.
“Try not to move too fast. I learned the hard way.”
“Claire? Is that you?” Tayla waited with bated breath for a response. She blinked her eyes, trying to clear her vision.
“It’s me,” Claire confirmed. “I have a sore throat. Nothing to worry about.”
Relief overwhelmed Tayla, she wasn’t alone after all and Claire was safe. The pent-up stress ebbed away and turned to violent sobs that wracked her body as she fought for air. Moments later, she spoke, her voice an emotion-filled whisper. “My head hurts.” She mopped her eyes on the hem of her stained shirt. “And everything’s blurry.”
“You also have a hell of a wound on your forehead. I’m going to sit you up nice and slow. Take your time, okay?” An arm slid behind Tayla’s shoulders and eased her into a sitting position. Her vision slowly restored, and soon she could focus on her sister’s face.
Tayla put her arms around Claire’s shoulders and sobbed into her hair.
“It’s good to see you awake. You had me worried.” Claire pulled back. She was never one for emotional outbursts, even from close family.
“Sorry, it’s just that, I thought you were...” The last time she saw Claire was on the tarmac in the storm, as she lay motionless with an alien at her side.
“Dead? Yeah, me too, for a while there.” Claire met her gaze.
Tayla guessed her sister would tell her what happened when she was ready.
Claire looked at the bare wall opposite the bed and back to Tayla, a mischievous look on her face. “I’ve been trying to break us out of here for days.” Claire pulled a silver scalpel from the pocket of her white tailored shirt. “I swiped this when the creepy alien with the scar across its face wasn’t looking.”
“Wait, did you say I’ve been out for days?” If her sister swiped a scalpel, that only meant one thing.
Claire nodded, waiting for her to continue.
“You had the openation too?” Tayla’s mind raced as she tried to absorb the events of the last few days before she was left unconscious. So, the boy wasn’t lying, and Claire was in the next room. So close, yet so far away, both living through their own hell at the same time.
Claire smirked. “I’m fine. It didn’t hurt. They used some kind of anesthetic before they pushed that damn rod up into my brain. Still don’t know what they did, but it’s like nothing I’ve ever witnessed in the operating room before.” Claire shook her head and bit her lip.
“They used anesthetic?” Tayla grimaced, the pain still a vivid memory. “I may have pissed them off.”
“Is that how you got this?” Claire frowned and examined Tayla’s forehead. “That’s gotta hurt.”
Tayla fidgeted with the hem of her torn shirt. “When the tall dark alien, the one with the scar across its face, came at me with the gold needle-looking thing, I kind of, accidentally-on-purpose, planted my head straight into its mouth.”
Claire couldn’t hide her shock. “That figures. Also explains why you’ve been unconscious for so long. I have to admit I’m impressed. Didn’t know you had it in you.” Claire checked the wound on Tayla’s forehead, dabbing at it with a piece of cloth.
“Ouch!” She pulled back. “I thought they were going to kill me, so I decided to hell with it, I’m going to leave a lasting impression.” Tayla forced a smile, but her insides were like stress central at peak hour thinking about their predicament.
Claire lifted Tayla’s chin and examined her eyes. “Your pupils are dilated.”
“Lucky for me you’re a nurse.” Tayla tried to smile, but her face hurt. She felt like she’d run a marathon even though she’d been unconscious. “I don’t suppose you have any painkillers on you?”
Claire shook her head. “Afraid not.”
“Can we go home now? In the movies they always take the abductees back to where they found them, although I’d prefer to be put back into my bed.” Tayla pushed the matted hair from her face. “Do you think they’ll wipe our memories?” Tayla slid from the bed to stand on the polished floor.
Claire grabbed Tayla’s arm as she swayed. “Perhaps you should lie back down. In fact, I insist.” Claire made a grab for her upper arms, but Tayla stepped to the side evading her.
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“I’ve rested enough.” The memory of the alien grabbing her arms sent a tendril of terror up her spine. It was a memory she’d rather not recall again.
“Sorry, I should have realized.” Claire said, and Tayla felt a pang of guilt. The one person in this place she could trust was her sister.
“So, you’ve been locked in here with me all this time?” Tayla searched the room. Apart from the operating table and a small shelf holding the drink tumbler, it was empty.
“I’ve been tending to you and trying to find a way out.” Claire motioned to the room with a sweep of her hand. “But no luck yet.”
“How did we get here?” Tayla asked. “Do you remember anything?”
Claire shrugged. “Beats me. I don’t have a clue. How about you?”
Tayla gasped as her mind conjured up the scene at the roadside, just after the car crash. “The scourge upon the galaxy.” She remembered the alien’s words as they transferred to her mind.
“The what?” Claire pulled the scalpel from her pocket and examined it.
“The gray aliens are called terudithans, and they are wanting to rip the very humanity from us. That’s what the dinnarei said. So far, I believe them.” Tayla eyed the scalpel in Claire’s hand.
“You must have hit your head harder than I thought.” Claire laughed and glanced at the wall.
“You’re right...I’m sure I was hallucinating. It’s been a rough couple of days.” Tayla trusted her sister with her life, but the scalpel was making her nervous. “What are you going to do with that?”
“This,” she waved the scalpel in the air, “will get us out of here, I hope.” Claire walked to the wall opposite the operating table and ran her fingers along its smooth white surface.
“Can I help?” Tayla took a tentative step, then another, trying to force the strength back into her shaky legs.
“I’ve watched the aliens come and go over the past couple of days.” She threw Tayla a stern look. “They’ve been coming to check on you, and each time the wall dematerializes somehow, then it solidifies again. I may have figured out a way to trigger it.” Placing the scalpel flat against the wall, she moved it in a circular motion a half-dozen times over the mid-section, then stood back. Nothing happened.
“Don’t they always have a hidden panel that contains the door controls?” Tayla walked across to the wall and tapped high and low, like her mother did to find the main supporting beam before she hung her framed doctorate certificate. A sudden longing overcame her, to be back home, safe.
“There’s no panel far as I can tell. I’ve looked already. Maybe we should wait until the aliens return, then we can get outta here.” Claire pushed the scalpel into her pocket. “Tell me more about these dinnarei.”
Tayla looked at her sister in surprise, she didn’t think she had been listening. “Like you said, it was probably just my imagination in overdrive.” Tayla was embarrassed and wouldn’t mention it again. Perhaps Claire was right, and the sci-fi movie they had watched added to the hallucination.
As Claire inspected the wall, Tayla took the opportunity to study her sister. She wore a tailored white pantsuit and had clean shiny hair. Tayla felt her own matted hair and pulled a twig from the knots. A lump of dried mud fell to the floor. She still wore her torn and bloodstained shirt and the same jeans she’d put on to go see the movie. “Is there a change of clothing for me too?”
“Huh?” Claire craned her neck to look at her.
“Your clothes, where did you get them?”
Claire glanced down at the crisp clean clothing and shrugged her shoulders. “I woke up in these.”
Maybe the aliens wanted to punish Tayla further because of her outburst. Her head throbbed at the memory and she ground her teeth in frustration. Better not to think about that now and focus on getting out of their cell-like room. Ignoring her stiff, stinky clothes, she knocked on the wall. A familiar energy vibration started under her sneakers and wound its way up to her calves. The orange light appeared, expanding across the wall.
Claire frowned. “How did you do that?”
Tayla shrugged. Not wanting to push their luck, she grabbed Claire’s arm, and they went into the light.
Eight
After reaming out Harper for alarming the crew, Aiden strode from the Command Hub, leaving Karson in charge. He opened the cockpit door, threw himself into the co-pilot’s seat, and secured the straps.
Reece threw him a nervous look. “Sir, are we going to die?”
“Not if I can help it. So, you’re sure you can do this?” Aiden already knew the answer. The co-pilot was too much like his grandfather, Mister Finnegan, in that department.
The rookie peered at the controls. “It’s a matter of matching the speed, rotation, and off-center tumble of the asteroid. That part isn’t too hard, but I need a second pair of hands on the flight controller. Once we move in closer, I need to get composite readings on the HUD of possible landing sites while I keep the ship steady.”
“What kind of composites are you looking for, apart from the obvious?”
“It mainly depends on the surface conditions. If it’s too unstable or soft, we’ll need to keep looking for another place to land.”
“All right.” Aiden accessed the navigational HUD. “Take her closer in then.”
Aiden began scrolling through a geo-scanning program. The first location was too prominent, plus it would put them in the open and direct line of sight to the cruiser and any fighters they’d launch. A second location looked clear, but upon further inspection, the ground was uneven and had a steep drop-off on three sides. A third area looked promising but required great piloting skills to maneuver the ship into its close confines. Their choices limited and time running out, Aiden decided on the third site. “Got one’. Sending the coordinates to your HUD. Although it’s barely large enough for the ship. That entry point is narrow.” Aiden clutched the second joystick but let Reece lead the dance.
Reece was quiet as he leaned into his own HUD and frowned.
“Having second thoughts, rookie? You said you could do this. If you prefer, we can stay out here while the squid blast us to tiny pieces...or there’s the other option.”
“Hell no,” the co-pilot blurted, glancing up and over at Aiden. “Sorry, sir. Uh, what other option?” Reece’s face flushed as he returned his gaze to his HUD.
“I’m sure you’ve heard the horror stories during your time at cadet school. The endless hours of torture and—”
“This location is perfect, sir. I’ll just have to switch over to full-manual and independent gyros to gain more maneuverability.”
Aiden wasn’t lying about the torture, although no one had returned from a Terudithan vessel to tell of what really happened on board. Fleet databanks were filled with information from the attack on Earth thirty-two cycles ago, and he was certain their brutal tactics wouldn’t have changed much since then.
“You have the entire crew in your hands...that includes Spero.” Aiden remained at the ready to take full control if Reece couldn’t handle the scout ship. He wasn’t a bad pilot and had flown plenty of F-500 fighters in the past and even co-piloted a scout ship for a while. But landing a ship this size on an asteroid was a different beast entirely.
Reece nodded. “I can do this.” He took a long, steady breath. “The asteroid has a high velocity of rotation, approximately five-point-three revolutions per em.”
“And we can match that?”
“Absolutely. Tricky but yes, sir. Setting a course.” Sweat beaded on the rookie’s forehead as his left hand flew over the piloting HUD, while his right gripped the joystick as though he’d done it a million times.
The asteroid loomed in the display hovering above the central console. The approach seemed too fast. Aiden tensed back in the seat. “Slow down, Reece!” He reached for the stick to break away from the asteroid.
“Trust me, sir. I got this. Once we match rotational velocity and orientation of the asteroid...like so...” Reece maneuve
red the ship into position. “Now, we fire the reverse thrusters...”
Aiden didn’t trust anyone, more so when they told him to. A lesson he had learned seven cycles ago. However, lo and behold, the ship fell alongside and matched the asteroid’s movements. They synchronized into a slow waltz.
Aiden reached up and flipped on the ship-wide comms. “Attention, all crew. Strap yourselves in and prepare for a bumpy ride.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, sir.” Reece mumbled just loud enough to be heard. “Now for the hard part, threading the ship through the eye of the needle.” Reece ran his fingers through his scruffy hair and grabbed the flight stick. “Taking us down.”
Aiden leaned in and punched a sequence into the HUD controls. “Extending landing struts.”
“Too soon! Wait til we’re...”
A whirring sound ground underneath their feet as the landing gear unfurled into position.
Reece shot Aiden a thunderous look. Aiden laughed—on the inside.
Cocky little bastard’s too much like his grandpa, he thought.
He hoped to hell the kid knew what he was doing, because he wasn’t ready to die yet. He had too many terudithans to kill.
They plowed through the crater opening. Metal ground and shuddered as they clipped the lip, sending debris in all directions. Once the ship entered the neck of the crater, Reece and Aiden worked together to bring the nose of the craft horizontal before realigning the ship for landing using their HUDs to guide them.
“Bring us about twenty-three degrees starboard,” Aiden commanded.
Reece adjusted their heading and landed the ship within a few feet of a jagged ice spiral growing out of the crater floor. Nestled within the cockpit’s protective shell, he powered down the thrusters and looked across at Aiden with a wide grin on his face. “Too easy,” he said.
“You broke my ship, rookie! I said one piece not two or ten!” Aiden knew it was his own stupid fault.
