12:45 PM The facility, twenty-four miles northeast of Roswell New Mexico
His designers really hadn't built him with the capacity for terror.
Fear, yes....fear served a useful purpose....keeping him alive, ensuring that he did not allow his charges to be at too great a risk. He'd had to learn terror, and learn it he had....learn it over two years spent in hell, or as close to hell as any manufactured lifeform was likely to get.
He'd learned guilt, too. Some of the guilt was about the terror.....the people......well, sub-Antarean people to be sure, but the people he'd killed getting away. Not the people of the facility to be sure...they deserved all that happened to them...all that and more....but the woman at the diner....sub-Antarean that she was, she was harmless enough he realized once the terror had left him. He would have spared her...if the terror had not controlled his thinking.
But the guilt of not doing his duty to the Homeland....of not reigning in his terror and returning until three of his charges were already gone....that weighed heavily on the creature that now called itself Ed Harding.
But he had learned how to control the terror at last...or nearly so, to overcome it by subsuming it into the greater need. For his own survival was not that important except in the manner that he could serve the Race. And that was why he was here now, why he had crawled three miles through the dust to reach this small ridge two miles from the entrance to the facility, not for himself but for her and for the other three that would further the glories of the Race on this planet.
The wind was blowing slowly toward the facility and he spotted what he wanted, a large Salsola tragus. He directed a little power at the base of it, snapping it from its root, then gently pushed it, only guiding it...the wind doing most of the work.
The fence looked old...the facility long abandoned it's guard shack overgrown with weeds and even it's runway and hangars showing no indication of recent use.
But when the tumbleweed hit the barbed wire fence around the one building he remembered so well he watched as the two men emerged from the hidden security center and quickly scanned the area, their weapons held menacingly. One quicky found the tumbleweed and pulled it from the fence in obvious irritation, while they other looked upwind from where it had come.
Even with his body transformed to match the dust of the desert, even cringing behind the rocks, Ed Harding felt it wash over him...first the fear...then the rage.
The facility was obviously still active.
Discipline Malfunction (M/L Mature) [COMPLETE]
Moderators: Itzstacie, Forum Moderators
5:30 PM The DeLuca Residence, Roswell New Mexico
It had been an awkward dinner for Michael. He had been on his best behavior...but it was obvious this was more than just an invitation to dinner from Amy. He wasn't sure if he was going to catch hell, if this was truly a congratulatory dinner, or if it was somewhere in between.
The latter, he thought most likely. If he was lucky it was an interview for son-in-law, if he was unlucky it would be an explanation why that was impossible. He'd never been quite so nervous. And for all the tension at the table, the not-of-this-earth part wasn't even an issue yet. Suddenly all the doubts were back.
Maria looked at Michael, sensing his unease. She looked at her mother as well, trying to show with her expression the determination she felt. Mom was NOT going to screw this up, she'd waited way too long for this day. She was wondering if Max and Liz, wherever they were, might have a spare room. Everything was different all of a sudden. Michael wasn't the boyfriend who wouldn't commit. He was her...betrothed.
"So Michael," asked Amy as she put the piece of pie before him, "What do you think it means being engaged to Maria?"
"Uh...that we are going to get married some day, Mrs. DeLuca. Uh, this is excellent pie, by the way."
"And what day would that be, Michael?"
"Mom, we haven't set a date yet."
"Don't talk with your mouth full, dear.....and eat your pie, Iwas talking to Michael."
"Uh...we really haven't set a date yet, Mrs. DeLuca," said Michael.
"Well that's good, Michael....do you know why that's good?"
"Uh...no, why is that, Mrs. DeLuca?"
"Because neither you nor Maria has graduated from high schopol yet, and you will NOT...do you understand that completely...NOT get married before both of you have graduated from high school, is that PERFECTLY CLEAR to you Michael?"
"Mom.."
"Don't talk with your mouth full, Maria.....and eat your pie. Do you understand that, Michael? Is that PERFECTLY clear?"
"Crystal clear, Mrs. DeLuca."
"Now that being said, Michael, tell me how you think being engaged to Maria changes things between you..."
"I'm not sure I understand, Mrs. DeLuca."
"I just want to know if you believe that her having your engagement ring somehow gives you rights or privileges now that you didn't have before she was wearing it."
"Mother!...."
"Eat your pie, dear. Michael and I are talking...., It's rude to interupt."
"Mrs DeLuca...I just wanted Maria to know that I was committed to our relationship...I didn't expect anything..."
"Well that's good, Michael. Because nothing changes. I don't care how out-of-this-world Maria thinks you are, you aren't married yet....do you understand?"
"Mother...."
"Eat your pie, Maria. Michael and I are talking now. Now do you understand that, Michael? That if you even think about eloping before you graduate, that if you have sex with my daughter before you are married....that I will hunt you down like the mangy dog you are and shoot you. Do you understand that, Michael?"
"Yes, Mrs. DeLuca."
"Well, I'm glad we had this talk. It's nice to get everything out on the table. Welcome to the family, Michael."
"Uh....thanks."
"Mother...we are engaged now...I mean...things ARE different, no matter how much you yell at Michael."
"OK, Maria. You can stay out two hours later on Friday nights, but that's it."
"Mother...we do have some self-control you know."
"That's what I thought too Maria...seventeen years ago. I want you to understand that until that second ring goes on AFTER graduation, NOTHING has changed. You both got that?"
"Yes, Mom."
"Yes, Mrs. DeLuca."
"OK then...why don't you two lovebirds go into the living room and listen to some music or something....I'll clean up the dishes."
"I'd be glad to help, Mrs. D.."
"I have a hunch you and Maria would rather be doing something other than the dishes...Michael. Just keep it under control. I'll handle the clean-up"
After Maria and Michael departed the kitchen Amy went quickly to the phone and dialed the number.
"Jim?...it's Amy. Remember what I said about not being able to go ...uh....further in our relationship because of having a teenage daughter to be a role model for? Well, she's an engaged young woman now. That sort of changes everything....
You have any plans for Friday evening?"
It had been an awkward dinner for Michael. He had been on his best behavior...but it was obvious this was more than just an invitation to dinner from Amy. He wasn't sure if he was going to catch hell, if this was truly a congratulatory dinner, or if it was somewhere in between.
The latter, he thought most likely. If he was lucky it was an interview for son-in-law, if he was unlucky it would be an explanation why that was impossible. He'd never been quite so nervous. And for all the tension at the table, the not-of-this-earth part wasn't even an issue yet. Suddenly all the doubts were back.
Maria looked at Michael, sensing his unease. She looked at her mother as well, trying to show with her expression the determination she felt. Mom was NOT going to screw this up, she'd waited way too long for this day. She was wondering if Max and Liz, wherever they were, might have a spare room. Everything was different all of a sudden. Michael wasn't the boyfriend who wouldn't commit. He was her...betrothed.
"So Michael," asked Amy as she put the piece of pie before him, "What do you think it means being engaged to Maria?"
"Uh...that we are going to get married some day, Mrs. DeLuca. Uh, this is excellent pie, by the way."
"And what day would that be, Michael?"
"Mom, we haven't set a date yet."
"Don't talk with your mouth full, dear.....and eat your pie, Iwas talking to Michael."
"Uh...we really haven't set a date yet, Mrs. DeLuca," said Michael.
"Well that's good, Michael....do you know why that's good?"
"Uh...no, why is that, Mrs. DeLuca?"
"Because neither you nor Maria has graduated from high schopol yet, and you will NOT...do you understand that completely...NOT get married before both of you have graduated from high school, is that PERFECTLY CLEAR to you Michael?"
"Mom.."
"Don't talk with your mouth full, Maria.....and eat your pie. Do you understand that, Michael? Is that PERFECTLY clear?"
"Crystal clear, Mrs. DeLuca."
"Now that being said, Michael, tell me how you think being engaged to Maria changes things between you..."
"I'm not sure I understand, Mrs. DeLuca."
"I just want to know if you believe that her having your engagement ring somehow gives you rights or privileges now that you didn't have before she was wearing it."
"Mother!...."
"Eat your pie, dear. Michael and I are talking...., It's rude to interupt."
"Mrs DeLuca...I just wanted Maria to know that I was committed to our relationship...I didn't expect anything..."
"Well that's good, Michael. Because nothing changes. I don't care how out-of-this-world Maria thinks you are, you aren't married yet....do you understand?"
"Mother...."
"Eat your pie, Maria. Michael and I are talking now. Now do you understand that, Michael? That if you even think about eloping before you graduate, that if you have sex with my daughter before you are married....that I will hunt you down like the mangy dog you are and shoot you. Do you understand that, Michael?"
"Yes, Mrs. DeLuca."
"Well, I'm glad we had this talk. It's nice to get everything out on the table. Welcome to the family, Michael."
"Uh....thanks."
"Mother...we are engaged now...I mean...things ARE different, no matter how much you yell at Michael."
"OK, Maria. You can stay out two hours later on Friday nights, but that's it."
"Mother...we do have some self-control you know."
"That's what I thought too Maria...seventeen years ago. I want you to understand that until that second ring goes on AFTER graduation, NOTHING has changed. You both got that?"
"Yes, Mom."
"Yes, Mrs. DeLuca."
"OK then...why don't you two lovebirds go into the living room and listen to some music or something....I'll clean up the dishes."
"I'd be glad to help, Mrs. D.."
"I have a hunch you and Maria would rather be doing something other than the dishes...Michael. Just keep it under control. I'll handle the clean-up"
After Maria and Michael departed the kitchen Amy went quickly to the phone and dialed the number.
"Jim?...it's Amy. Remember what I said about not being able to go ...uh....further in our relationship because of having a teenage daughter to be a role model for? Well, she's an engaged young woman now. That sort of changes everything....
You have any plans for Friday evening?"
7:00 PM 23B Airway Drive, Old military housing area, Tonopah Airport Nevada
Max had helped make dinner and it was….different, but not bad. He’d cooked a Moroccan dish he’d found in a cookbook. It was called, Bisteeya, and consisted of highly spiced chicken thighs, that were then covered in powdered sugar and cinnamon. Liz would have never believed she would have liked something so sweet and spicy, but she had. Sweet and spicy just normally wasn’t her thing….excepting Max, of course.
BRINNNNGG
BRINNNNGG
Liz stopped drying dishes for Max and picked up the phone. She listened for several seconds before looking up.
“Max…it’s Betty Ann. The restaurant is catering a dinner party for about a hundred people tomorrow night on the range. Do you mind if I help out? Otherwise Rachel and Anna will be handling it all by themselves, Lucinda can’t make it….more childcare problems.”
“OK. Do you need me to drive you there? Otherwise, I’ll just get to work on my Community College Freshman English essay.”
“No, I can go on the truck with the food. They’ll go right by here, out to Tonopah Test Range. I should be home by 10 PM.”
“OK. Just stay away from that Area 51. I wouldn’t want any aliens to get you….at least not any other aliens,” he said, as he grabbed her around the waist from behind, and nibbled on her right earlobe.
“Max, if you keep doing that, I’ll never get these dishes dry.”
He put out his hand over the wet dishes on the drainboard and she could feel the warmth radiate out.
“Hmm,’ she said. “It seems like we are done with the dishes early…what else needs to be done.”
“We’ve still got two bedrooms left … and the kitchen table.”
She smiled up at him. “Well, it’s got to be more comfortable than the washer and dryer…..”
Max had helped make dinner and it was….different, but not bad. He’d cooked a Moroccan dish he’d found in a cookbook. It was called, Bisteeya, and consisted of highly spiced chicken thighs, that were then covered in powdered sugar and cinnamon. Liz would have never believed she would have liked something so sweet and spicy, but she had. Sweet and spicy just normally wasn’t her thing….excepting Max, of course.
BRINNNNGG
BRINNNNGG
Liz stopped drying dishes for Max and picked up the phone. She listened for several seconds before looking up.
“Max…it’s Betty Ann. The restaurant is catering a dinner party for about a hundred people tomorrow night on the range. Do you mind if I help out? Otherwise Rachel and Anna will be handling it all by themselves, Lucinda can’t make it….more childcare problems.”
“OK. Do you need me to drive you there? Otherwise, I’ll just get to work on my Community College Freshman English essay.”
“No, I can go on the truck with the food. They’ll go right by here, out to Tonopah Test Range. I should be home by 10 PM.”
“OK. Just stay away from that Area 51. I wouldn’t want any aliens to get you….at least not any other aliens,” he said, as he grabbed her around the waist from behind, and nibbled on her right earlobe.
“Max, if you keep doing that, I’ll never get these dishes dry.”
He put out his hand over the wet dishes on the drainboard and she could feel the warmth radiate out.
“Hmm,’ she said. “It seems like we are done with the dishes early…what else needs to be done.”
“We’ve still got two bedrooms left … and the kitchen table.”
She smiled up at him. “Well, it’s got to be more comfortable than the washer and dryer…..”
Last edited by greywolf on Thu Feb 15, 2007 9:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
8:00 PM Chaves County Sheriff’s Office, Roswell New Mexico
Angela Robertson came in to the office, shaking her head. “Still no word on our missing couple. I would have thought we would have had some leads by now.”
”Well, as you said, these kids aren’t exactly stupid. Besides, one of them at least..I’m pretty sure is experienced about keeping a low key existence.”
“You mean Max? Why do you say that?”
“Oh, just a hunch.”
“Well, your hunch may be right…they are pretty successful at keeping a low profile…at least, so far.”
“Well, even if they are hiding out, Max and Liz seemed to have stimulated an epidemic of engagements in the local teen community….his sister, Amy’s daughter….”
“Hey, count your blessings. I was reading an article for my studies on teenage suicide clusters where one kid will commit suicide and trigger a large number of suicides among his or her peers. Compared to that a cluster of kids deciding to commit matrimony…well, that seems pretty benign, really.”
“It does at that, doesn’t it? Well, as long as my son Kyle doesn’t get any such notions….”.
8:00 PM The Harding Residence, Roswell New Mexico
As the red Mustang pulled in to the driveway, Nasedo peered through the Venetian blinds. “What’s HE doing here?”
“Oh…He’s come here to pick me up. We are going out for a milk shake,” said Tess.
“You are associating with….this human?”
“Sun Tzu said in The Art of War, that we should know our enemies. Since there are six billion of these sub-Antareans on this planet and the other female and I can only have ten or twelve offspring each….well, it might be awhile before we outnumber them. So I’m learning about them..so I’ll know how to defeat them when the time comes.”
Tess wasn’t sure what kind of a mind Nasedo had before he'd had it messed with for two years in that facility, but she was pretty certain that story problems hadn’t been his forte, even then. She was also a little fearful that he had done some terrible things about the time he’d made his escape, but she didn’t know that for sure, she hadn’t hatched for decades after that time. He’d indicated a willingness to hurt humans to her though, but she could always distract him….or at least confuse him, and get him off on some other tangent. She was afraid of leaving him alone for too long though, but in a world that saw her as the child and him as the adult, there was only so much she could do.
It seemed to Tess that she could almost hear the gears whirring in Nasedo’s mind as he considered what she had said. Finally he seemed to grin with approval.
“That is good, Tess. You show commendable initiative.”
‘Great,’ thought Tess. ‘Max and Isabel wander off in the desert and get picked up by a couple of total strangers…. they get a decade of hugs and kisses from parents who love them. Even Michael has someone he loves. I hang around the pod chamber and actually get delivered from my pod by the being from a highly advanced culture that was created to take care of us and I get…. ‘You show commendable initiative, Tess.’ Does my life suck or what?’
Tess smiled as she left the house, looking at Kyle. She wasn’t sure, but she thought she did want to know Kyle. Not as in understanding…but as in a more archaic sense…sort of biblical. As in Adam knew Eve, Max know doubt was knowing Liz…perhaps even at this very minute, and if Isabel wasn’t knowing Alex….well, Tess was ready to bet that the two were at least having some hot dreams. As for Michael and Maria….probably the less said the better.
But as she looked at Kyle, Tess decided that maybe her life didn’t suck quite all that bad after all.
She got in the Mustang and put on the seatbelt, smiling at him. Tess really wasn’t experienced at this, and was a little worried actually. She wasn’t sure if her species just mated early, or if the other three getting so serious was just a coincidence. But the other three were already Bonded…or well on the way to that status. She was starting to feel odd alien out again, just like when Nasedo had told her the other three were living real lives somewhere in Roswell while she was trapped with him.
She’d actually had a couple of guys in her high school in California she could have really been interested in, but neither were as nice as Kyle. Besides, she’d sort of been holding herself back….believing that destiny crap that Nasedo liked to spout.
At first she had felt a little disappointed that Max was already Bonded, but that had quickly turned to relief. She’d read about cultures, even Earth ones, that had arranged Bondings…or at least marriages. Somehow, the female didn’t get any say in the matter. This was better. Free choice…as long as she could manage Nasedo at least.
And she did really like Kyle. He was cute, he was sexy, he had a great personality…..and he had a really nice butt, too, she decided. But they really hadn’t known each other all that long, and had only dated a few times, sort of under Nasedo’s radar. Was she getting her hopes too high, expecting too much too soon? Probably. But it wasn’t like she’d had a decade to grow up among friends and family. Nasedo had kept her moving every five or six months her whole life. She really did feel that it would only be fair if she could kind of catch up to the other three.
She sneaked another look at Kyle out of the corner of her eye. It really wouldn’t be ethical to mindwarp him into a closer relationship. But if he indicated any willingness….any willingness at all, well…maybe she could give him a mental nudge, just to see what happened.
Angela Robertson came in to the office, shaking her head. “Still no word on our missing couple. I would have thought we would have had some leads by now.”
”Well, as you said, these kids aren’t exactly stupid. Besides, one of them at least..I’m pretty sure is experienced about keeping a low key existence.”
“You mean Max? Why do you say that?”
“Oh, just a hunch.”
“Well, your hunch may be right…they are pretty successful at keeping a low profile…at least, so far.”
“Well, even if they are hiding out, Max and Liz seemed to have stimulated an epidemic of engagements in the local teen community….his sister, Amy’s daughter….”
“Hey, count your blessings. I was reading an article for my studies on teenage suicide clusters where one kid will commit suicide and trigger a large number of suicides among his or her peers. Compared to that a cluster of kids deciding to commit matrimony…well, that seems pretty benign, really.”
“It does at that, doesn’t it? Well, as long as my son Kyle doesn’t get any such notions….”.
8:00 PM The Harding Residence, Roswell New Mexico
As the red Mustang pulled in to the driveway, Nasedo peered through the Venetian blinds. “What’s HE doing here?”
“Oh…He’s come here to pick me up. We are going out for a milk shake,” said Tess.
“You are associating with….this human?”
“Sun Tzu said in The Art of War, that we should know our enemies. Since there are six billion of these sub-Antareans on this planet and the other female and I can only have ten or twelve offspring each….well, it might be awhile before we outnumber them. So I’m learning about them..so I’ll know how to defeat them when the time comes.”
Tess wasn’t sure what kind of a mind Nasedo had before he'd had it messed with for two years in that facility, but she was pretty certain that story problems hadn’t been his forte, even then. She was also a little fearful that he had done some terrible things about the time he’d made his escape, but she didn’t know that for sure, she hadn’t hatched for decades after that time. He’d indicated a willingness to hurt humans to her though, but she could always distract him….or at least confuse him, and get him off on some other tangent. She was afraid of leaving him alone for too long though, but in a world that saw her as the child and him as the adult, there was only so much she could do.
It seemed to Tess that she could almost hear the gears whirring in Nasedo’s mind as he considered what she had said. Finally he seemed to grin with approval.
“That is good, Tess. You show commendable initiative.”
‘Great,’ thought Tess. ‘Max and Isabel wander off in the desert and get picked up by a couple of total strangers…. they get a decade of hugs and kisses from parents who love them. Even Michael has someone he loves. I hang around the pod chamber and actually get delivered from my pod by the being from a highly advanced culture that was created to take care of us and I get…. ‘You show commendable initiative, Tess.’ Does my life suck or what?’
Tess smiled as she left the house, looking at Kyle. She wasn’t sure, but she thought she did want to know Kyle. Not as in understanding…but as in a more archaic sense…sort of biblical. As in Adam knew Eve, Max know doubt was knowing Liz…perhaps even at this very minute, and if Isabel wasn’t knowing Alex….well, Tess was ready to bet that the two were at least having some hot dreams. As for Michael and Maria….probably the less said the better.
But as she looked at Kyle, Tess decided that maybe her life didn’t suck quite all that bad after all.
She got in the Mustang and put on the seatbelt, smiling at him. Tess really wasn’t experienced at this, and was a little worried actually. She wasn’t sure if her species just mated early, or if the other three getting so serious was just a coincidence. But the other three were already Bonded…or well on the way to that status. She was starting to feel odd alien out again, just like when Nasedo had told her the other three were living real lives somewhere in Roswell while she was trapped with him.
She’d actually had a couple of guys in her high school in California she could have really been interested in, but neither were as nice as Kyle. Besides, she’d sort of been holding herself back….believing that destiny crap that Nasedo liked to spout.
At first she had felt a little disappointed that Max was already Bonded, but that had quickly turned to relief. She’d read about cultures, even Earth ones, that had arranged Bondings…or at least marriages. Somehow, the female didn’t get any say in the matter. This was better. Free choice…as long as she could manage Nasedo at least.
And she did really like Kyle. He was cute, he was sexy, he had a great personality…..and he had a really nice butt, too, she decided. But they really hadn’t known each other all that long, and had only dated a few times, sort of under Nasedo’s radar. Was she getting her hopes too high, expecting too much too soon? Probably. But it wasn’t like she’d had a decade to grow up among friends and family. Nasedo had kept her moving every five or six months her whole life. She really did feel that it would only be fair if she could kind of catch up to the other three.
She sneaked another look at Kyle out of the corner of her eye. It really wouldn’t be ethical to mindwarp him into a closer relationship. But if he indicated any willingness….any willingness at all, well…maybe she could give him a mental nudge, just to see what happened.
8:20 PM The Crashdown Café, Roswell New Mexico
Tess was reading through the menu, trying not to laugh. “They sort of like aliens here, don’t they? Alien Blast? Blood of Alien Smoothie?”
“I warned you it was an alien-themed tourist trap, Tess, when you said you wanted to come here.”
“What’s the matter, Kyle. Don’t you believe in aliens?”
“That’s a kind of sore subject in our family, Tess. My grandfather was in law enforcement around here back in 1947. He was paranoid about aliens, still is, in fact. He still talks about them out at the nursing home. My father was teased about them constantly growing up…though he seems to have mellowed out about them the last few months, actually. Me? I don’t believe in anything I haven’t seen, and I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen an alien.”
“I don’t know if that makes it easier or harder, really.”
“What do you mean by that, Tess.”
”Oh…nothing Kyle, …just thinking out loud. Look, you aren’t the only one that has family problems….I mean my uncle….he’s a little weird. And he’s just about the only family I’ve got.”
“What happened to your folks, Tess?”
“Well, most of my people were killed in an aircraft accident, Kyle.”
“That sucks. My mother’s departed too….not dead…or at least we don’t think so…just departed. She left when I was six….sent Dad divorce papers when I was about eight..” Kyle wasn’t sure why he was talking about all of this, he almost never talked to anyone about issues this personal, it was just that Tess was so nice, so friendly, and so easy to talk with.
“It’s tough growing up without parents,” said Tess. “I’m living proof of that.”
“Oh, you look like you’ve done OK, Tess. Me too I guess. Dad and I…we get by pretty well. I worry about him though. In another three years I hope to be off to college, playing football somewhere,….then he’ll be all alone, just him and the job. He needs more than that, someone to come home to. He’s been dating Amy…Maria’s mom, on and off for a couple of years…mostly off. It’s really too bad she’s not more interested…he needs someone else in his life.”
“I guess we all need that, Kyle….someone to come home to, that is. Say, you really play football?”
“Yeah, starting quarterback.”
“That is so neat. I played in a powder puff football game back in California. It was hilarious. I wasn’t very good though.”
“We have a powderpuff football game coming up…..you ought to sign up.”
“But I’d need some coaching. I’m ok with the shotgun formation but otherwise I’m always fumbling the snap.”
“I could work on that with you…practice. The important thing is to put your hands right along the thighs…make good contact, then you won’t fumble.” Kyle started to blush then as he said, “If you wanted to practice…I mean if it wouldn’t embarrass you to practice with a guy, well we could meet after school tomorrow…”
“That’d be great, Kyle.”
“Yeah, I could hike the ball to you a few dozen times, let you get the feel of it….so to speak.”
“Well that’d be great, Kyle, I’d really like that…but I’m no quarterback….can’t throw that hard. I always play center.”
Kyle was in the middle of a drink of water when Tess said that, and she started giggling as he went into a fit of coughing and blushing.
“I’m sorry, Kyle. Really, I play wide receiver….I just wanted to see what you’d do. You certainly aren’t hard to read. Maybe we ought to play poker some time…if you tried to bluff I could read your mind, and take you for everything you’ve got.”
“I’ll have you know I’m an excellent poker player, Tess. But since my father is Sheriff, he’d skin me alive if he caught me playing for money.”
“Oh, he wouldn’t have to, Kyle. I’d beat him to it....beat you at strip poker…..bet my bra and panties I could.”
There was another explosion from the other side of the booth as Kyle aspirated his second drink of water.
“You did that on purpose, Tess….” He said accusingly. Tess blushed and looked innocent…then busted out in giggles.
“Yes, …yes, Kyle, I did. You blush great, did you know that?”
“Tess, if you don’t stop all this risqué talk…I’m going to be forced to believe that you are actually flirting with me.”
Tess leaned across the table and kissed him softly on the lips. “No…you think?”
Jim Valenti was stopping by the Crashdown to get a cup of coffee and to tell the Parkers that there was no word so far on Liz, when he saw the red Mustang. He knew Kyle had started seeing a new girl at school, but was more than a little surprised when he looked in to see her reach across the table to give Kyle a quick kiss. It was only a kiss, he knew, but he also knew his son. Kyle looked like it had curled his toes. The boy was grinning like a Cheshire cat. And it wasn’t that Jim Valenti didn’t trust Kyle or the young lady, it was just that he had just gotten done with the talk with Angela about teenagers doing things in clusters and he found Kyle’s sudden success with romance kind of disconcerting.
He really wasn’t going to break them up…just inform them that ….well, the Crashdown was a public place, and they ought to show a little more decorum. With that in mind, he entered the restaurant.
“Kyle..”
Kyle was surprised when he looked up and saw his father. “Hi Dad. This is Tess…..Tess Harding.”
“Hello Miss Harding. Uh, Kyle…you know this is a school night….it probably would be best if you didn’t make it too late.”
“Gee Dad, it’s not even 8:30.”
“Well Kyle, you have homework yet to do and…”
“Oh hi, Jim," said Amy DeLuca.”
“Amy…what are you doing here?”
“Oh, Maria went to dinner with Michael…actually they double dated with Isabel and Alex. I just came here to remind her it’s a school night...that she shouldn’t stay out too long.”
“I had very similar notions myself, Amy.”
Tess looked at Kyle, noticing his disappointment. She stifled a smile, and looked at Jim and Amy, concentrating on the two of them.
As Amy looked at Jim she thought….’You know…Maria and Michael are engaged…they probably deserve a little privacy.'
As Jim looked at Amy he thought, 'You know…Kyle’s a pretty good kid. He probably deserves a little bit of privacy.'
“Jim,” said Amy, “ …would you like a piece..of pie?”
“I love your pie, Amy. But I don’t think they have any left here.”
“I have a whole pie at my place, Jim. You could have a piece there….perhaps several….”
“Kyle, ..don’t wait up for me…I’ll be home later. You kids have a nice night…”
“And if you see Maria, Kyle….tell her for me to take her time…..hell, you are only young once.”
“You got it Mrs. DeLuca,” said Kyle, his eyebrows going up. As the two adults left, Kyle and Tess started giggling.
“I think the coast is clear for awhile,” said Tess.
Tess was reading through the menu, trying not to laugh. “They sort of like aliens here, don’t they? Alien Blast? Blood of Alien Smoothie?”
“I warned you it was an alien-themed tourist trap, Tess, when you said you wanted to come here.”
“What’s the matter, Kyle. Don’t you believe in aliens?”
“That’s a kind of sore subject in our family, Tess. My grandfather was in law enforcement around here back in 1947. He was paranoid about aliens, still is, in fact. He still talks about them out at the nursing home. My father was teased about them constantly growing up…though he seems to have mellowed out about them the last few months, actually. Me? I don’t believe in anything I haven’t seen, and I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen an alien.”
“I don’t know if that makes it easier or harder, really.”
“What do you mean by that, Tess.”
”Oh…nothing Kyle, …just thinking out loud. Look, you aren’t the only one that has family problems….I mean my uncle….he’s a little weird. And he’s just about the only family I’ve got.”
“What happened to your folks, Tess?”
“Well, most of my people were killed in an aircraft accident, Kyle.”
“That sucks. My mother’s departed too….not dead…or at least we don’t think so…just departed. She left when I was six….sent Dad divorce papers when I was about eight..” Kyle wasn’t sure why he was talking about all of this, he almost never talked to anyone about issues this personal, it was just that Tess was so nice, so friendly, and so easy to talk with.
“It’s tough growing up without parents,” said Tess. “I’m living proof of that.”
“Oh, you look like you’ve done OK, Tess. Me too I guess. Dad and I…we get by pretty well. I worry about him though. In another three years I hope to be off to college, playing football somewhere,….then he’ll be all alone, just him and the job. He needs more than that, someone to come home to. He’s been dating Amy…Maria’s mom, on and off for a couple of years…mostly off. It’s really too bad she’s not more interested…he needs someone else in his life.”
“I guess we all need that, Kyle….someone to come home to, that is. Say, you really play football?”
“Yeah, starting quarterback.”
“That is so neat. I played in a powder puff football game back in California. It was hilarious. I wasn’t very good though.”
“We have a powderpuff football game coming up…..you ought to sign up.”
“But I’d need some coaching. I’m ok with the shotgun formation but otherwise I’m always fumbling the snap.”
“I could work on that with you…practice. The important thing is to put your hands right along the thighs…make good contact, then you won’t fumble.” Kyle started to blush then as he said, “If you wanted to practice…I mean if it wouldn’t embarrass you to practice with a guy, well we could meet after school tomorrow…”
“That’d be great, Kyle.”
“Yeah, I could hike the ball to you a few dozen times, let you get the feel of it….so to speak.”
“Well that’d be great, Kyle, I’d really like that…but I’m no quarterback….can’t throw that hard. I always play center.”
Kyle was in the middle of a drink of water when Tess said that, and she started giggling as he went into a fit of coughing and blushing.
“I’m sorry, Kyle. Really, I play wide receiver….I just wanted to see what you’d do. You certainly aren’t hard to read. Maybe we ought to play poker some time…if you tried to bluff I could read your mind, and take you for everything you’ve got.”
“I’ll have you know I’m an excellent poker player, Tess. But since my father is Sheriff, he’d skin me alive if he caught me playing for money.”
“Oh, he wouldn’t have to, Kyle. I’d beat him to it....beat you at strip poker…..bet my bra and panties I could.”
There was another explosion from the other side of the booth as Kyle aspirated his second drink of water.
“You did that on purpose, Tess….” He said accusingly. Tess blushed and looked innocent…then busted out in giggles.
“Yes, …yes, Kyle, I did. You blush great, did you know that?”
“Tess, if you don’t stop all this risqué talk…I’m going to be forced to believe that you are actually flirting with me.”
Tess leaned across the table and kissed him softly on the lips. “No…you think?”
Jim Valenti was stopping by the Crashdown to get a cup of coffee and to tell the Parkers that there was no word so far on Liz, when he saw the red Mustang. He knew Kyle had started seeing a new girl at school, but was more than a little surprised when he looked in to see her reach across the table to give Kyle a quick kiss. It was only a kiss, he knew, but he also knew his son. Kyle looked like it had curled his toes. The boy was grinning like a Cheshire cat. And it wasn’t that Jim Valenti didn’t trust Kyle or the young lady, it was just that he had just gotten done with the talk with Angela about teenagers doing things in clusters and he found Kyle’s sudden success with romance kind of disconcerting.
He really wasn’t going to break them up…just inform them that ….well, the Crashdown was a public place, and they ought to show a little more decorum. With that in mind, he entered the restaurant.
“Kyle..”
Kyle was surprised when he looked up and saw his father. “Hi Dad. This is Tess…..Tess Harding.”
“Hello Miss Harding. Uh, Kyle…you know this is a school night….it probably would be best if you didn’t make it too late.”
“Gee Dad, it’s not even 8:30.”
“Well Kyle, you have homework yet to do and…”
“Oh hi, Jim," said Amy DeLuca.”
“Amy…what are you doing here?”
“Oh, Maria went to dinner with Michael…actually they double dated with Isabel and Alex. I just came here to remind her it’s a school night...that she shouldn’t stay out too long.”
“I had very similar notions myself, Amy.”
Tess looked at Kyle, noticing his disappointment. She stifled a smile, and looked at Jim and Amy, concentrating on the two of them.
As Amy looked at Jim she thought….’You know…Maria and Michael are engaged…they probably deserve a little privacy.'
As Jim looked at Amy he thought, 'You know…Kyle’s a pretty good kid. He probably deserves a little bit of privacy.'
“Jim,” said Amy, “ …would you like a piece..of pie?”
“I love your pie, Amy. But I don’t think they have any left here.”
“I have a whole pie at my place, Jim. You could have a piece there….perhaps several….”
“Kyle, ..don’t wait up for me…I’ll be home later. You kids have a nice night…”
“And if you see Maria, Kyle….tell her for me to take her time…..hell, you are only young once.”
“You got it Mrs. DeLuca,” said Kyle, his eyebrows going up. As the two adults left, Kyle and Tess started giggling.
“I think the coast is clear for awhile,” said Tess.
8:45PM The Crashdown Café, Roswell New Mexico
"Are you guys sure?" said Maria. "It's not like I don't see enough of this place....Michael either, for that matter."
"When you need an alien blast....you just need an alien blast, Maria," said Alex.
Isabel just smiled at him. 'In about three hours we'll both be asleep,' she thought. 'I'll give him an alien blast he won't ever forget.' She looked at Alex and smiled. 'Embrace your human side, Max said. Well, I've sure done that. And Max was right.'
It was funny how much had changed. She missed her brother, even missed Liz, the girl she'd feared for so long. She was deliriously happy though. So was Michael. What fools they had been...all three of them, to not live life, just for fear of discovery. As she saw her reflection in the window, she noticed her lipstick was smudged...that'd happened in the backseat of the Jetta on the way over. She saw the smear of lipstick on Alex's neck. She enjoyed seeing that...like a mark of ownership...if only temporarily. She could barely wait for the second ring. This was so great, being loved....so wonderful.....so much more alive than being an Ice Princess.
"I'll just have a cherry coke...I'm going to go freshen up a little."
As she went in to the ladies room she looked at herself in the mirror. Now THAT was the face of a happy woman. She dug through her purse and found her lipstick, then hesitated as she brought it to her lips...wrong color. She remembered that she'd custom colored the lipstick to match her blouse...oh well, she'd do it with this one. But just as she reached for it, the door opened and that new girl...the one Kyle was seeing came in, and she froze.
"Hi Isabel. My name is Tess. I need to ask you some advice, and you are the only one on earth that can help me."
Over the years Isabel had grown used to aspiring Ice Princesses requesting her assistance with matters of dress, cosmetics, and even how to handle boys. But that was eternally behind her now.
"I'm not sure what you think I'm an expert about, but you can probably handle it just as well by yourself. I really don't know anything special."
"But you do, Isabel. You are the only one. Alex must know...how did you break the news to him that you were an alien, before you got engaged."
Instantly all the fears were back. Ten years of living in terror of discovery, back with one quick sentence.
"I..uh don't know what you are talking about, Tess."
"OH?... Well perhaps I was misinformed," said Tess. Then as she reached out and touched the open lipstick, changing it to the right color, "...or perhaps not..."
Five minutes later Isabel passed Kyle as he was coming back from telling Maria to not hurry home tonight...the parents were probably in need of privacy, Isabel busted out giggling.
"What's that all about, Isabel?" asked Maria.
"Tell you later, Maria, someplace less public. It's just Kyle....I hope he doesn't have any plans for...oh, the next seventy years or so..."
"Are you guys sure?" said Maria. "It's not like I don't see enough of this place....Michael either, for that matter."
"When you need an alien blast....you just need an alien blast, Maria," said Alex.
Isabel just smiled at him. 'In about three hours we'll both be asleep,' she thought. 'I'll give him an alien blast he won't ever forget.' She looked at Alex and smiled. 'Embrace your human side, Max said. Well, I've sure done that. And Max was right.'
It was funny how much had changed. She missed her brother, even missed Liz, the girl she'd feared for so long. She was deliriously happy though. So was Michael. What fools they had been...all three of them, to not live life, just for fear of discovery. As she saw her reflection in the window, she noticed her lipstick was smudged...that'd happened in the backseat of the Jetta on the way over. She saw the smear of lipstick on Alex's neck. She enjoyed seeing that...like a mark of ownership...if only temporarily. She could barely wait for the second ring. This was so great, being loved....so wonderful.....so much more alive than being an Ice Princess.
"I'll just have a cherry coke...I'm going to go freshen up a little."
As she went in to the ladies room she looked at herself in the mirror. Now THAT was the face of a happy woman. She dug through her purse and found her lipstick, then hesitated as she brought it to her lips...wrong color. She remembered that she'd custom colored the lipstick to match her blouse...oh well, she'd do it with this one. But just as she reached for it, the door opened and that new girl...the one Kyle was seeing came in, and she froze.
"Hi Isabel. My name is Tess. I need to ask you some advice, and you are the only one on earth that can help me."
Over the years Isabel had grown used to aspiring Ice Princesses requesting her assistance with matters of dress, cosmetics, and even how to handle boys. But that was eternally behind her now.
"I'm not sure what you think I'm an expert about, but you can probably handle it just as well by yourself. I really don't know anything special."
"But you do, Isabel. You are the only one. Alex must know...how did you break the news to him that you were an alien, before you got engaged."
Instantly all the fears were back. Ten years of living in terror of discovery, back with one quick sentence.
"I..uh don't know what you are talking about, Tess."
"OH?... Well perhaps I was misinformed," said Tess. Then as she reached out and touched the open lipstick, changing it to the right color, "...or perhaps not..."
Five minutes later Isabel passed Kyle as he was coming back from telling Maria to not hurry home tonight...the parents were probably in need of privacy, Isabel busted out giggling.
"What's that all about, Isabel?" asked Maria.
"Tell you later, Maria, someplace less public. It's just Kyle....I hope he doesn't have any plans for...oh, the next seventy years or so..."
10:15 The DeLuca Residence, Roswell New Mexico
"Now that was one delicious piece of pie," Jim Valenti said, as he looked at Amy's face on the pillow beside him. "It's been a long long time."
"Well, you apparently haven't forgotten how, Jim."
"You know Amy...this is just stupid.."
"It is, Jim? I rather enjoyed it, personally," she said with a smile.
"Not that Amy....I mean the whole...let's put our romance on hold for a few more years until the kids are grown up thing....that's what's stupid. I mean.....here I am....naked in bed with the woman I love...having just made love to her...and Michael Guerin has shown more commitment to his girl than I have to mine. Michael Guerin, Amy....Do you know how inadequate that makes me feel?"
"I don't know, Jim. I was so set on not confusing the kids...but when I saw you tonight, talking to Kyle and that girl...well, something came over me, and I just couldn't wait any longer."
"I felt the same way, Amy. I was all set to chew Kyle out about something...I can't even remember what now, then you were there...and all I wanted in the world was to hold you...to make you mine."
"Maybe we've been going about this all wrong, Jim. I mean, sure our first marriages sucked.....my husband ran off...your wife ran off, but maybe it would be better if we did get engaged....showed the kids that marriage could work...that it didn't have to be that way.."
"So will you marry me then, Amy?"
"You sort of have a girl at a disadvantage, Mr Valenti, when you ask her when she's already in bed with you...sweating from the passion she just had with you. Who could say no under those circumstances?"
"I don't know, but I could do a random survey I guess, if you were really interested......"
"No random surveys for you, Mister. You are off the market...I accept."
"Well, we need to think of some way to break it to the kids then."
"Yes we do, Jim...but not right now. Right now would be a good time for seconds on that pie...if you are up for it......but then, I see that you are...."
10:45 The Valenti Residence, Roswell New Mexico
Kyle had just gotten in bed when his cellphone rang. He quickly answered it.
"Are you in bed, Kyle?" Tess asked.
"Yes.., but that's OK. I needed to talk to you. Tess, I'm so sorry..I really don't know what happened to me. I'm usually not so...well...so muuch like an octopus when I kiss a girl goodnight. I don't have any idea what came over me."
"I think I do, Kyle. It was as much my fault as yours."
"No Tess, you were only flirting. I was the one who...well, let his hands roam too much. I can understand it if you are reluctant to go out with me again."
"Oh, no you don't. We are on for a football practice tomorrow, Valenti...you promised."
"Tess, I thought that was all a joke."
"Well, some of it was a joke...me playing center...although you can never be too versatile, Kyle."
"Tess,...you really aren't like anyone I've ever known. Somehow I'm just real...comfortable when I'm with you. I know that doesn't sound all that romantic or anything, but it feels real good, you know?"
"I know, Kyle. And I'm not very good at the romance part....but I do like you, Kyle...I like you very much...and if you can stay...comfortable..with me...I think I'd like it to be even more..when you are ready that is..."
"I'd like that too, Tess."
"OK then, Kyle. See you in school tomorrow..and afterwards, on the football field."
"OK Tess....Oh, and ....Tess..?"
"Yes, Kyle?"
"I love you."
"I love you too, Kyle."
She lay there on her back with a look of absolute joy on her face. The tears from her eyes trickled down her face...threatening to fill her ear canals as she stared upward at the ceiling. 'And I didn't even have to mindwarp him.....,' she thought.
11:30 PM The Evans Residence, Roswell New Mexico
The picture Tess had given her fluttered to the floor as Isabel's mind left the bedroom to find the dream orb. As she entered the dream orb Tess looked up and said, "What kept you."
Isabel blushed and replied, "Kissing Alex goodnight if you must know, and I'm going to be dreamwalking him in another 30 minutes too, so we need to talk fast."
"The story of my life. You three walk off and leave me, I have to be raised by a defective android who thinks he's Heinrich Himmler, and when we do get together after ten years....you have a hot date with your fiance."
"Well, you seem to be doing OK with Kyle yourself...."
"Honestly, Isabel...can you give me some hints. He's the first guy I've really dated."
"Now that was one delicious piece of pie," Jim Valenti said, as he looked at Amy's face on the pillow beside him. "It's been a long long time."
"Well, you apparently haven't forgotten how, Jim."
"You know Amy...this is just stupid.."
"It is, Jim? I rather enjoyed it, personally," she said with a smile.
"Not that Amy....I mean the whole...let's put our romance on hold for a few more years until the kids are grown up thing....that's what's stupid. I mean.....here I am....naked in bed with the woman I love...having just made love to her...and Michael Guerin has shown more commitment to his girl than I have to mine. Michael Guerin, Amy....Do you know how inadequate that makes me feel?"
"I don't know, Jim. I was so set on not confusing the kids...but when I saw you tonight, talking to Kyle and that girl...well, something came over me, and I just couldn't wait any longer."
"I felt the same way, Amy. I was all set to chew Kyle out about something...I can't even remember what now, then you were there...and all I wanted in the world was to hold you...to make you mine."
"Maybe we've been going about this all wrong, Jim. I mean, sure our first marriages sucked.....my husband ran off...your wife ran off, but maybe it would be better if we did get engaged....showed the kids that marriage could work...that it didn't have to be that way.."
"So will you marry me then, Amy?"
"You sort of have a girl at a disadvantage, Mr Valenti, when you ask her when she's already in bed with you...sweating from the passion she just had with you. Who could say no under those circumstances?"
"I don't know, but I could do a random survey I guess, if you were really interested......"
"No random surveys for you, Mister. You are off the market...I accept."
"Well, we need to think of some way to break it to the kids then."
"Yes we do, Jim...but not right now. Right now would be a good time for seconds on that pie...if you are up for it......but then, I see that you are...."
10:45 The Valenti Residence, Roswell New Mexico
Kyle had just gotten in bed when his cellphone rang. He quickly answered it.
"Are you in bed, Kyle?" Tess asked.
"Yes.., but that's OK. I needed to talk to you. Tess, I'm so sorry..I really don't know what happened to me. I'm usually not so...well...so muuch like an octopus when I kiss a girl goodnight. I don't have any idea what came over me."
"I think I do, Kyle. It was as much my fault as yours."
"No Tess, you were only flirting. I was the one who...well, let his hands roam too much. I can understand it if you are reluctant to go out with me again."
"Oh, no you don't. We are on for a football practice tomorrow, Valenti...you promised."
"Tess, I thought that was all a joke."
"Well, some of it was a joke...me playing center...although you can never be too versatile, Kyle."
"Tess,...you really aren't like anyone I've ever known. Somehow I'm just real...comfortable when I'm with you. I know that doesn't sound all that romantic or anything, but it feels real good, you know?"
"I know, Kyle. And I'm not very good at the romance part....but I do like you, Kyle...I like you very much...and if you can stay...comfortable..with me...I think I'd like it to be even more..when you are ready that is..."
"I'd like that too, Tess."
"OK then, Kyle. See you in school tomorrow..and afterwards, on the football field."
"OK Tess....Oh, and ....Tess..?"
"Yes, Kyle?"
"I love you."
"I love you too, Kyle."
She lay there on her back with a look of absolute joy on her face. The tears from her eyes trickled down her face...threatening to fill her ear canals as she stared upward at the ceiling. 'And I didn't even have to mindwarp him.....,' she thought.
11:30 PM The Evans Residence, Roswell New Mexico
The picture Tess had given her fluttered to the floor as Isabel's mind left the bedroom to find the dream orb. As she entered the dream orb Tess looked up and said, "What kept you."
Isabel blushed and replied, "Kissing Alex goodnight if you must know, and I'm going to be dreamwalking him in another 30 minutes too, so we need to talk fast."
"The story of my life. You three walk off and leave me, I have to be raised by a defective android who thinks he's Heinrich Himmler, and when we do get together after ten years....you have a hot date with your fiance."
"Well, you seem to be doing OK with Kyle yourself...."
"Honestly, Isabel...can you give me some hints. He's the first guy I've really dated."
Last edited by greywolf on Fri Feb 16, 2007 11:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
10:30 PM (11:30 PM Central Time) Tonopah Test Range billeting room 114, Tonopah Test Range, Nevada.
The room was small compared to his room at Area 51, and had no provision for securing valuables. Dr. Blaukopf resented that…in fact, he resented all aspects of having to leave Area 51 and come to this place, even if only temporarily. But his immediate problems were a couple of items, one was a weapon, the other a trophy.
He looked with pride at the small modified TASER. He had been responsible for a considerable amount of the pharmacology that went into its development. All TASERS worked by firing two darts in to the target individual. Thin wires attached to the two darts delivered 50,000 volts of electricity, to convulse the muscles of the person at whom they were aimed. This TASER was specially modified. Both darts also gave the individual a simultaneous injection of chemicals. One was simply scopolamine. It was an old drug, but reliable…at least over the short term. Its advantage was its rapid onset. The electricity could immobilize the target for perhaps a minute or two, the electricity convulsing muscles and confusing the brain. By that time, the scopolamine would be distributed through the bloodstream, knocking out the will of an alien to use their powers. At the other facility they had found out a number of long term synaptic impulse inhibitors that were less sedating than scopolamine, but much longer lasting. They had tried such drugs on the captured alien and they had inhibited the creature from using its powers for almost two years. Those drugs were in the second dart.
Blaukopf had always kept a modified TASER at Area 51, just in case the creature again tried to infiltrate the area to get more artifacts from the ship…Schreiber had one as well. But there was no safe in the room, and Blaukopf didn’t trust the lock on the door…and this was NOT something he was sharing with the meddlesome new commander, or that subhuman-raced Lieutenant.
The second item…two items really, was something Blaukopf was quite proud of…but nonetheless wanted kept low-key. The dissecting had been tedious, but he was glad he’d taken the time to do it well. He had slowly turned the skin inside out as he had dissected the skin away from the hands. He had been careful…it would have been all too easy to put a hole in his souvenirs if he had rushed. It had taken many washings to get the last of the formalin smell from his new gloves, and then quite a lot of cold cream to soften them after their years immersed in the harsh solution. He’d used the same method his father had used to make similar trophies from other subhumans at Dachau…lye to defat the skin, tannic acid to cure it. The gloves were now as soft and fine as the finest kid leather…although the fingers weren’t quite the right lengths. But that was what made them….special. That was what made them unique. Still, it wouldn’t do to display them…not where the commander might see them.
No indeed, he decided. These particular treasures he needed to keep with him….at all times. Only then would they be safe from prying eyes.
5:00 AM The Harding Residence, Roswell New Mexico
As Isabel rippled in to the dream orb, the dream figure of Tess stood up and faced her, looking vexed. “About time, Isabel. What has it been? Six hours?”
“Tess, it wasn’t more than a couple…I’m sure.”
“I bet you a dollar if we both woke up right now it would be at least 4:30…want to bet?”
“Well…I’m sorry. We had some important things that we needed to discuss…”
“I can see that, I count seven hickeys that are visible…..and I’d be willing to bet you have at least as many under those clothes..”
“Tess…..”
“Hey, I’m not ragging on you…I’m envious. I just want some help. You’ve lived with humans all your life. You know how they work. I’ve mainly had Nasedo for company…..a goldfish would have been more fun.”
”Well now you’ve got Kyle, apparently.”
“Apparently nothing. Kyle is MINE. I played fair. He wasn’t taken, he’s cute, sexy, athletic, personable, romantic, considerate, caring, in touch with his feminine side…”
”Kyle Valenti? In touch with his feminine side?”
“OK, so he’s a work in progress, Isabel,…….guys all are, even Alex I imagine. I just need some help making that progress. You still haven’t told me how you broke the news to him….you know, about the ‘not-from-around-here’ part?”
“Well, actually, I didn’t break the news to Alex, Liz did, Liz Par…that would be, Liz Evans, my sister-in-law.”
“and he didn’t freak out or anything?”
“No. He didn’t believe her at first…I had to show him, but Liz being OK with it…he just took it in stride.”
“So how did Michael tell Maria?”
“Michael didn’t tell Maria,…Liz told Maria.”
”And she was OK with it?”
“Well, she freaked out a little, but Liz got her under control. It went pretty well, actually.”
“OK…need I remind you that Kyle’s father, my someday to be father-in-law, is the Sheriff, the long arm of the law, the potential first link in the send-an-alien-to-a-laboratory chain around here? I need somebody with some experience in this…so where is this much vaunted Liz that everyone uses to break the news to their human so said human doesn’t go running off with visions of being pursued by something that would give nightmares to Arnold Schwarznegger?”
“Well, she would be with my brother…hiding out somewhere….for about another year and a half.”
“A year and a half? No way, Isabel. We need to find her…and pronto.”
“Tess, you probably should take it slower with Kyle anyway.”
“Great…I’ve got someone all of seven days older than me who just spent the last six hours having dream sex with her fiancé telling me to slow down. No way, Isabel. I’ve got ten years of catching up to do. Besides. Kyle is mine. Did I tell you he said he loved me tonight? I didn’t have to mindwarp him or anything. You know, if the three of you had waited for me…just one lousy week, we could all be engaged or married now. I still haven’t really forgiven you for that. I may not forgive you, actually...
Now how do we find Liz?””
Last edited by greywolf on Sun Feb 18, 2007 10:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
0700 Security Office, Tonopah Test Range, Nevada
The Project Security Manager had been chosen for the job because he was the most excessive-compulsive bastard yjr Sir Force could find, and he was living up to his reputation. He hadn't really wanted anyone who wasn't program cleared on the site and would have never allowed the four people to come to Area 51. But Tonopah Test Range was a little different. The Industrial Area was almost eight miles from the billeting and main dining areas, and the land in between well covered with sensors and surveillance cameras. Besides, there'd be security present at the conference...guarding that orb, although these four wouldn't even get in to the presentation room, they'd just be serving the dinner in the dining area.
The security officer had certainly done due diligence on the wait staff. He certainly hadn't gotten them clearances, ...that took 6 months and tens of thousands of dollars, but he had checked them out with the local police.
One was an alien...the busboy, but he had a green card. He'd worked in Tonopah for two years, sending half of his earnigs to his elderly parents in Chihuahua...the security manager had even called the Mexican police to verify that. The senior waitress was married, with two kids. She'd grown up in Fallon, but moved to Tonopah as a teennager, married a local. She was OK.
The security manager had been worried about the younger two waitresses. The sixteen year old was a former drug user and the eighteen year old...her driver's license said that, but she really didn't look any older than the other girl, well he really didn't have too much history on her....which was worrisome. On the other hand, the Sheriff's office and the New Mexico State cops had raved about both of the girls...they'd apparently helped save some deputy. 'What the hell,' the security manager thought as he signed the temporary badges for the two. 'There are times that you are just TOO damn compulsive.'
0730 Industrial Area Hangar 68, Tonopah Test Range Nevada
Peter Stanbeck was just sitting there looking at the orb. He wasn't having second thoughts, really....it was more like twelfth or thirteenth thoughts, he'd lost count.
His mind kept coming back to the discussion he'd had with Laurie about sound powered phones. Judging by the redundancy and fault tolerant design he'd seen in the remains of the ship, that was JUST the kind of thing the designers of this ship would have done. That's why they thought the orb was the key....perhaps literally, to the whole alien technology. That's why the avionics people wanted the orb at the meeting....to actually show the researchers what we needed to understand. But if the orb really was that critical, why was he going to let them take it to the meeting? Why wasn't it going to be kept locked up...like the cylinders?
He knew the answer, of course. That orb had been passed from hand to hand for over fifty years. There wasn't a square millimeter on the surface that hadn't been poked or prodded a thousand times. It was likely the most x-rayed, ultrasounded, CT'd, and MRI'd object in the entire world, and there hadn't been so much as a peep out of the damn thing.
Maybe Laurie was right, it'd take an alien to operate the damn thing. Well, everyone at the meeting was program briefed and cleared. If there actually were any aliens still alive, they certainly wouldn't be there tonight.
He finished filling out the hand receipt and gave it to the waiting young Captain from the avionics section. "Make sure it's returned by 10:00 PM, Captain Grimes.
"No problem, doc."
The Project Security Manager had been chosen for the job because he was the most excessive-compulsive bastard yjr Sir Force could find, and he was living up to his reputation. He hadn't really wanted anyone who wasn't program cleared on the site and would have never allowed the four people to come to Area 51. But Tonopah Test Range was a little different. The Industrial Area was almost eight miles from the billeting and main dining areas, and the land in between well covered with sensors and surveillance cameras. Besides, there'd be security present at the conference...guarding that orb, although these four wouldn't even get in to the presentation room, they'd just be serving the dinner in the dining area.
The security officer had certainly done due diligence on the wait staff. He certainly hadn't gotten them clearances, ...that took 6 months and tens of thousands of dollars, but he had checked them out with the local police.
One was an alien...the busboy, but he had a green card. He'd worked in Tonopah for two years, sending half of his earnigs to his elderly parents in Chihuahua...the security manager had even called the Mexican police to verify that. The senior waitress was married, with two kids. She'd grown up in Fallon, but moved to Tonopah as a teennager, married a local. She was OK.
The security manager had been worried about the younger two waitresses. The sixteen year old was a former drug user and the eighteen year old...her driver's license said that, but she really didn't look any older than the other girl, well he really didn't have too much history on her....which was worrisome. On the other hand, the Sheriff's office and the New Mexico State cops had raved about both of the girls...they'd apparently helped save some deputy. 'What the hell,' the security manager thought as he signed the temporary badges for the two. 'There are times that you are just TOO damn compulsive.'
0730 Industrial Area Hangar 68, Tonopah Test Range Nevada
Peter Stanbeck was just sitting there looking at the orb. He wasn't having second thoughts, really....it was more like twelfth or thirteenth thoughts, he'd lost count.
His mind kept coming back to the discussion he'd had with Laurie about sound powered phones. Judging by the redundancy and fault tolerant design he'd seen in the remains of the ship, that was JUST the kind of thing the designers of this ship would have done. That's why they thought the orb was the key....perhaps literally, to the whole alien technology. That's why the avionics people wanted the orb at the meeting....to actually show the researchers what we needed to understand. But if the orb really was that critical, why was he going to let them take it to the meeting? Why wasn't it going to be kept locked up...like the cylinders?
He knew the answer, of course. That orb had been passed from hand to hand for over fifty years. There wasn't a square millimeter on the surface that hadn't been poked or prodded a thousand times. It was likely the most x-rayed, ultrasounded, CT'd, and MRI'd object in the entire world, and there hadn't been so much as a peep out of the damn thing.
Maybe Laurie was right, it'd take an alien to operate the damn thing. Well, everyone at the meeting was program briefed and cleared. If there actually were any aliens still alive, they certainly wouldn't be there tonight.
He finished filling out the hand receipt and gave it to the waiting young Captain from the avionics section. "Make sure it's returned by 10:00 PM, Captain Grimes.
"No problem, doc."
1200 Hangar 63 Industrial Area (temporary biosciences facility) Tonopah Test Range Nevada.
Laurie DelGado was planning on meeting Jim for lunch....just business, of course. She was going to discuss her theory at the meeting tonight that the orb might actually be powered by some force within the aliens themselves, although she still hadn't figured out just how that would work. She'd reviewed the electron microscopy of the tissue samples, reviewed the old lab reports that had been done on the one alien who had survived the crash and been held captive for six months at Area 51. She'd even taken a frozen sample of blood from the autopsy and run new chemistrys with modern equipment. Heck, these aliens might as well be humans, for all any of the chemical tests showed. Sure, some of the serology wasn't exactly American native, but what the hell, neither were Jim's or the Commander's or Peter's, for that matter.
'These people were human,' she said to herself. '..or we are aliens too. Except of course, we can't make ourselves glow...if that ever really happened.'
She wanted to present her lecture in a private briefing with Jim, before she gave it for the whole group. They'd find a small conference room somewhere. Somewhere....private....cozy....without too much light. The powerpoint presentation was ever so much better quality in near darkness. She was already looking forward to it.
Laurie touched her palm to the security lock and keyed in her PIN number. A mile away, the security computer noted that First Lieutenant Laurie DelGado had exited the Hangar 63 secure area. It kept track of everything in the Industrial area....at least everything that moved.
Laurie DelGado was planning on meeting Jim for lunch....just business, of course. She was going to discuss her theory at the meeting tonight that the orb might actually be powered by some force within the aliens themselves, although she still hadn't figured out just how that would work. She'd reviewed the electron microscopy of the tissue samples, reviewed the old lab reports that had been done on the one alien who had survived the crash and been held captive for six months at Area 51. She'd even taken a frozen sample of blood from the autopsy and run new chemistrys with modern equipment. Heck, these aliens might as well be humans, for all any of the chemical tests showed. Sure, some of the serology wasn't exactly American native, but what the hell, neither were Jim's or the Commander's or Peter's, for that matter.
'These people were human,' she said to herself. '..or we are aliens too. Except of course, we can't make ourselves glow...if that ever really happened.'
She wanted to present her lecture in a private briefing with Jim, before she gave it for the whole group. They'd find a small conference room somewhere. Somewhere....private....cozy....without too much light. The powerpoint presentation was ever so much better quality in near darkness. She was already looking forward to it.
Laurie touched her palm to the security lock and keyed in her PIN number. A mile away, the security computer noted that First Lieutenant Laurie DelGado had exited the Hangar 63 secure area. It kept track of everything in the Industrial area....at least everything that moved.
