Beauty And The Alien Beast

by Zara Zenia

  “Miss LaBelle, he will see you now.”

  I was shocked. I wasn’t expecting it to be this easy. “Thank you,” I said as he led me to the elevator.

  He swiped his security pass on it and the elevator lit up. Pressing a combination of buttons, he gestured for me to step inside.

  I nodded and stepped into the elevator. I took a deep breath and held back tears as the elevator swiftly rose. Then it stopped and the doors opened. I stepped out.

  A man in a blue fitted one piece suit was waiting for me. “Miss LaBelle?”

  “Yes.”

  “This way.”

  I followed him down a stark white hallway. It was empty and I could hear my boot heels echoing off the walls. I could hear a low murmur of voices that we were heading toward. Finally, the hallway opened up to a vast room with floor to ceiling glass that looked out over the city.

  Governor Edwards sat at a massive glass desk. “Miss LaBelle,” an official standing by greeted me.

  “Yes, thank you. I will call you if I need you,” Governor Edwards nodded at him. Then he gazed at me. “Miss LaBelle, I was not expecting you. It is very rare that anyone without an approved appointment gets up here, but when I heard the name, I knew instantly what you were here for,” he said standing up.

  “Yes, my father.”

  “I’m sorry. I’ve heard he has gone missing,” he said.

  “I need to know what happened.” I moved toward him. “I know you must have some footage of when he was taken and if so, I need to see it. I know you wouldn’t show such a thing to Prince Manzar, but he is my father!”

  “Miss LaBelle, please now if you will—”

  “No! I refuse any small talk. I’m owed more than that. My father gave his services loyally to the department providing you with information about Trilyns for years.”

  “We do have some footage of a man being taken, but it’s not clear if it’s your father… and if it is… Well, I’m sorry to say that he is dead.” Governor Edwards frowned.

  “Dead? No! I don’t believe you. How do you know? How do you know it was him?” I shouted. My chest heaved up and down in anger.

  Governor Edwards sighed. “We try to keep things like this from the family as it is just too hard for them. I wish you would wait until I have a full report for you. I cannot show you that footage, it’s too brutal.”

  “No. Show me what it is you try to keep from the family,” I snapped, angry that there was something else.

  He looked sorrowful. Then he moved to his desk and typed in something. The holographic screen on the wall came to life with lines of audio.

  “Come in.”

  “I’m trying to contact the guard.”

  I gasped as I recognized my father’s voice.

  “I’m having a malfunction of the auxiliary… there’s smoke! I repeat there’s…”

  Then there were loud gunshots.

  Then the audio went dead. Tears flowed down my cheeks. I couldn’t stop the agony. Hearing my father’s panicked voice was hard.

  “Miss LaBelle? Are you all right…”

  I slowly reached for the arm of the couch to catch my suddenly heavy body. Then I sat down trying to catch my breath as I felt like I was hyperventilating. “You were going to keep that from me?” I asked feeling desperate.

  “Only until we have the full report. It’s standard procedure and—”

  “You are ruthless! You and your reports! That is my father and you would just have me wondering what his final moments were like for months?” I glared at him feeling incredulous that they would treat me, or anyone that way.

  “We think it is best that—”

  “To hell with what you think is best!” I shouted. Then I stood up using my anger to propel me forward and to make my legs work. Rage was the only thing that could drive me now as I headed for the door.

  As I walked out, I heard Governor Edwards speak into his intercom. “Miss LaBelle is headed your way. Can you please have a guard escort her to a room if needed? She is not well.”

  “Yes, Governor.”

  I kept walking. I didn’t turn to thank him. I just kept on moving. Once I got to the lobby there was a guard with a sympathetic look on his face. He said nothing but walked with me all the way to a hotel building elevator where I dismissed him.

  I had to know if it was true. I’d gone to the governor to try to see some footage of my father being taken by Humanity First. Then I would know that Jake truly had him. Only then would I meet him on the waterfront. But now, it seemed that the governor had more than they had let on. I needed to figure out what to do now. I couldn’t believe that my father was gone. I just couldn’t!

  But if he were, then Jake was setting up a trap for me. If he wasn’t gone, then Jake was being honest about this… There was only one way to find out. I had to go the waterfront.

  It had been a few days without my father and I found every day harder and harder, not knowing what had happened to him.

  Standing on the waterfront only made me feel worse. But this time something snapped inside of me. I didn’t want to be without Manzar, and I felt like the moment was heavier than any other that I had been through ever in my life.

  I looked down over the glass wall railing into the ocean, waiting in front of the tavern for Jake to show in the night. It was a long way down from the top floor of the building into the water. There would be nowhere for me to run. I stopped crying, wiping away my tears.

  I felt numb.

  I felt nothing at all.

  A low hum grew louder and louder. I thought my mind was playing tricks on me.

  “You would destroy such a beautiful thing?” I heard a deep voice say.

  He startled me and I nearly lost my footing. I caught myself on the rail. To my right was a vehicle hovering at the end of the waterfront.

  Boom!

  Jake jumped out of the hovering ship onto the boards.

  My eyes were wide as I stared at him. Am I imagining this?

  He stood there with his blue-black hair shaved on the right side of his head, with the rest of his long hair flipped to the left side. This was different from the military short cut he used to have. Now he looked like a rebel. He had broad shoulders and was a looming tall figure over six feet high. He wore a snug grey uniform that stopped at the elbows revealing tattoos on one arm all the way down to his wrist in black ink. They were Humanity First designs that I didn’t understand.

  He wore a sideways grin on his face, flashing white teeth at me. He stepped down about ten feet from me.

  I gasped, suddenly frightened. “What do you want, Jake? Why did you want me to meet you here? Where is my father? I came here as you asked. Where is he?” I narrowed my eyes at him and stomped my foot in defiance.

  “You presume to order me around? How dare you!” He laughed.

  Still the bully. I kept glaring at him. “Yes, I order you not to kill him. That would be such a waste of a human life.”

  “You will see him eventually, as long as you come with me,” he said still walking down the waterfront toward me, putting only a couple of feet between us.

  “You arrogant ass!” I seethed at him.

  He let out a boisterous laugh. “Fine, then don’t come with me. Let him die,” he said putting his hands out beside him as he got very close.

  I was silent. Now that I had been jolted out of my moment of despair, I felt foolish and dramatic for thinking about rationalizing with him. I looked down. I suddenly felt dizzy and swayed. There was no escape at this height.

  “No,” he said, jumping toward me and put his arms around me, scooping me into his arms. “I can’t let you try to escape, Andi. You wouldn’t live through that fall anyway.”

  “What are you doing—” I said startled at his arm around me. Suddenly, I felt fright overtake me.

  His strong chest pressed against my breast as he squished my body to his. I looked up defiantly into his deep brown eyes as his blue and black hair moved in the wind. I was sincerely fri
ghtened of him.

  “You don’t want to kill your father by not coming with me,” he warned and then he pressed his lips on mine.

  I struggled against him, keeping my lips pressed closed as I tried to push him away.

  He pulled back and laughed. “Now there is your fiery spirit, just as fiery as I remember. I seem to bring it out in you.” He scooped me up and walked toward the hovering vehicle.

  “Bring it out in me!” I huffed incredulous at his gall. “Put me down, you brute!” I said balling my fist and hitting the stiff burlap like material of the uniform.

  “One minute you have tears flowing down your face, ready to end it all and now, you are full of life and fire,” he said as he suddenly shoved me into the flying vehicle and climbed in himself.

  “What! What are you doing? You can’t do this! Where is my father!” I shouted.

  “I can and I will,” he stated as he turned the vehicle away from the building and flew it into the dense traffic of the city.

  “Take me back! I order you to take me back!” I yelled confused as to why he was doing what he was doing. This wasn’t what was supposed to happen. He was supposed to give me my father back, not take me with him!

  “No.”

  “Ugh! You must have lost your mind, Jake. Do you know what will happen to you if you are found out?” I seethed as I pressed against the walls of the vehicle holding on while he flew the vehicle erratically and recklessly in the sky. Suddenly, I was thinking about what Manzar would do to him.

  “Find out what? That I saved you from killing yourself?” he asked with a grin.

  That grin caught me off guard for a moment. He was terrifying. I could see now that he really was crazy. “No! That you took me from Prince Manzar!” I countered.

  He laughed. “Prince? I saw no Prince with you, so how could I take you from him? And he will never find us, Andromeda.”

  “Yes, he will. He is a great hunter,” I informed him, getting nervous. I looked ahead and realized that we were heading for a landing port high in the sky on a platform. There was a large ship on it that was unmistakably a long range ship. My eyes widened. “You are insane, Jake! I’m not getting on that thing,” I mentally tried to find a way off the smaller ship, but there was nowhere for me to go.

  “You make it seem as though you have a choice. Don’t you know who I am now, Andi? I am important to Humanity First. I get what I want, and what I want right now, is you…” he stated with a low growl to his voice.

  “Take me back, you imbecile! Where is my father? You tricked me! You don’t have him at all!” I screamed at him, feeling panicked that I’d fallen for his tricks.

  This only made him laugh more. This was all so amusing to him.

  I realized the more that I struggled to get away the more he liked it. “What kind of sick man are you?” I spat at him.

  “The kind that likes to hunt and fight,” he said looking at me with lust in his eyes.

  He terrified me with that look. I hated him. He was arrogant and only wanted to take, take, take – just as he was doing now.

  The vehicle landed and the door at my side opened. I had hoped to run the moment it opened, but I couldn’t. Two strong Humanity First soldiers stood at the door and pulled me out of the vehicle.

  “Put her on the flight deck,” Jake ordered.

  “No! Help!” I shouted.

  But there was no one on the platform to hear except other H.F.T. soldiers.

  Jake smiled and turned away from me then began to see to other matters.

  Next, I was pulled up the ramp of the ship and then strapped securely into a seat with a soldier standing behind me making sure that I didn’t move. I couldn’t believe this was happening to me. I had to do something to stop them from taking me off the planet, but what? And where was my father? Was he even alive?

  Chapter 28

  Manzar

  “We’re approaching the landing port of the governor’s offices,” Lieutenant Danja reported.

  “Good. Let’s get this over with, Lieutenant. I don’t see what the governor could have to say that is different from the last meetings with the humans. They’re all talk and no action, it’s exhausting,” I said looking out over the city of New-New Orleans.

  The ship landed and we filed out of the open doorway down the ramp. Two of my soldiers and my trusted lieutenant followed me.

  A line of armed humans stood waiting for us.

  “Prince Manzar. I’m Officer Yarkis. I am to lead you and your crew to the meeting,” he said in a polite and respectful tone.

  “Yes, yes, as always. Let’s go.” I nodded while studying the small human male. They were nothing compared to us Trilyn who were an average of eight to nine and a half feet, with colorful skin. We were far superior to them in technology and intelligence.

  We followed the armed group as they walked in front of us with the other half walking behind us. I wasn’t sure if it was to protect us from hostile humans who hated us, or if it was because they didn’t trust us. It didn’t matter either way. Our superior skills would win out in any fight with either of them.

  Striding across the landing port to the alley that led us out into the city, I glanced up to the sky at the flying vehicles, the floating buildings, and the grey pollution that rose from all of it. Humans had always abused their planet, choosing to use technology that was dirty, even when a clean alternative was available. This made no sense to me, but then again, they were of a lesser intelligence. We walked down the high walls of the alley like corridor that led us into the city. Some turned to look at us while others didn’t seem to care. We were heading for the Council building and the humans seeing Trilyn in this busy city seemed to dislike us a great deal.

  “Welcome, Prince Manzar,” Governor Edwards greeted as we entered into the vast council room chambers, located on the top floor of the building, taking up most of the floor with views on all sides.

  The Earth Council was gathered, a group of twenty or so human men.

  “Thank you, Governor,” I replied with a nod.

  We took our place at a large round table.

  “Shall we get started?” Governor Edwards said, looking around the room at the rest of the Council.

  I nodded in agreement as did the human men.

  “We’ve called this meeting to once again, discuss the problems between Trilyn and Humanity First groups,” Governor Edwards stated.

  “Prince Manzar, your response?” the moderator asked.

  All human eyes turned to me.

  “It is the same as the meeting six months ago. We need weapons to protect us as we travel, not to threaten the humans. As you know, they aim hostilities toward us. Our weapons are only there to prevent them from doing that,” I stated flatly, repeating what I’d said at our last meeting.

  “We have heard your explanation, Manzar, but on closer inspection it seems you have been going out and causing chaos to humans—” Governor Edwards began, looking down at a report in his hands.

  “That isn’t true,” I interjected. “Perhaps your inspector should take a second look, because they are wrong. It wouldn’t be the first time that humans have looked at the wrong end of the stick when the Trilyn are involved.” I met his eyes with a smug smile.

  There was a commotion in the room as they all spoke to each other. I kept trying to keep myself from bursting into laughter. Of course, their inspector’s report was correct, we had instigated a few of those scuffles, but it didn’t matter. They wouldn't do anything about it. The humans did everything possible on paper to prevent hostilities between humans and aliens. This resulted in these useless meetings, which had absolutely no outcome other than to make the human council feel that they were being productive.

  This meeting was no different. I watched as the humans pulled up my weapon logs and footage of my skirmishes in the last month with Humanity First. I had seen it all before. All of this was so tedious and boring. I only showed up to the meetings because if I didn’t, they would see it as a
n act of aggression. It wasn’t that I disliked humans, or that Trilyn’s disliked humans in general, we in fact did like them. We just didn’t like the way groups such as Humanity First treated us. So now, I was at this meeting to assure them that I was a friend of the humans and would do my best to keep the peace. If they only knew how much I loved Andromeda, then they would know that all I wanted was to get her back and then leave this forsaken city. I should be out there searching for her, not dealing with this. I sighed.

  The meeting ended on the same note as the last meetings, with the humans backing down and saying they would look into it more and that they hoped I would cooperate. More of the same garbage they had shoveled ever since our arrival on this planet.

  “Until next time,” I said to Governor Edwards. Next time meant in another month. I shook my head at the ridiculousness of governmental interference.

  We filed out of the room along with the human councilors. I shook hands with many of them exchanging pleasantries with them. Not all of them were bad, some were glad to have us here. It was just inconvenient at the moment.

  After the meeting, I went back to my palace. As soon as I walked into my living quarters, one of the bounty hunters I’d hired was waiting for me. He was human. I knew that a human would have better access to the human world than a Trilyn.

  “What do you have to report? Did you find her?” I asked as I walked in and poured myself a glass of strong Tion.

  “No. Nothing yet,” he replied. “I’ve searched her home and have spoken to neighbors. So far, nothing has turned up, and no one will admit to seeing her.”

  I growled, slamming the glass down on the table. “Keep looking!” I demanded. I nodded at Lieutenant Danja.

  Danja moved to a chest on the table then pulled out a small gold bar and handed it to the human.

  As he took it, checking it over, I eyed him. He had me curious. “William, why do you do it? Work with the Trilyn, I mean? With me?” I asked.

  “For this,” he said holding up the gold with a grin. “There is an entire underground network that works providing the Trilyn with what they want. It’s going to happen on the black market anyway. Why shouldn’t I get a piece of the pie?” He then turned and headed for the door.