I followed and found the soldier standing over Vincent’s body, his snout turned away from the foul smell. The stink of voided bowels joined the smell of the blood and I grimaced. There was no point in checking for signs of life. Kyle Vincent’s head had been blown out one side thanks to a pistol shot to the temple. Inches away from his right hand lay a gun, presumably the one he had used to kill himself with. The weapon was still warm, the smell of fresh gunpowder evident at the end of the muzzle. I unloaded the chamber and clip and pressed a hand against Vincent’s neck. His body was warm too. He must have killed himself minutes before we arrived.
“Damn it.” I murmured, too low for the soldier to hear.
I heard Alexandra and the other soldier approaching the house and rushed to stop them before they came upon the grisly scene.
“He’s dead,” I stated.
“I figured. Nobody who is still on the run leaves as much evidence as we found in the car as open as he did.” Alex’s face was impassive, like someone who was preparing themselves to encounter something particularly unpleasant.
“It’s a mess in there. You don’t need to come in.”
“I do. Even if I can’t talk to the man himself, you could still use my skills. It won’t be the first dead body I’ve ever seen, David. I promise not to lose my lunch.” There was challenge in her gaze. She was not thrilled about being left behind to be babysat. I raised my eyebrows and the soldier who had stayed with her rolled her eyes. She chuffed, murmured a pardon, and pushed past both of us to join the other soldier.
“Okay. Just don’t say that I didn’t warn you.” I had to trust the woman’s instincts—they hadn’t proven wrong so far. To me, Vincent was no longer a person but a pile of meat with its blood spilled. Alexandra would see a human being whose life had ended tragically. As much as I wanted to, it wasn’t my job—or my right—to protect her from that.
“Shit,” she swore when she came into the home office. “That’s got to be a nasty way to go.”
“It couldn’t have been more than a few minutes before we arrived. See how the blood hasn’t even started to get shiny? I’m surprised he isn’t still bleeding.”
She stepped gingerly around a spatter of blood and brain to examine the rest of the office. “Look there,” she said, pointing at the desk. “There’s discoloration right in the middle of the wood. It looks like maybe dust or discoloration from sunlight, hard to tell in this light, but there was a computer here.”
“Right. I’d say he left it at work but we searched the office pretty thoroughly. He must have disposed of it a while ago. No matter what happened to it, it isn’t here which makes me wonder why. In any case, we’d better get out of here. No doubt the Captain will be missed at his next change of shift and I’d rather not be here when any of his soldiers arrive to investigate. We’ve already contaminated the crime scene. If anyone asks, we weren’t here. The Captain had an informal meeting with human and alien soldiers at home a few days ago as a gesture of good faith. Everyone understand?”
Both aliens nodded. Alex chewed the corner of her lip, her focus far away as she thought through something. “Alex,” I said, a little too forcefully. She snapped out of her trance.
“Yeah, I understand.” She turned abruptly and walked out of the house. The three of us looked at each other, shrugged, and followed. When we arrived back to the truck I found Alex sitting in the passenger seat with her chin resting on her folded hands. She was leaned forward against the dashboard and acknowledged me with a brief glance and a nod.
The aliens returned to their positions in the truck bed and I started the engine. “You all right?” I asked Alex.
“Yeah.”
“You don’t seem all right. The whole shot in the head thing?”
“No. I’ve been at the scene of suicides before. That certainly wasn’t pretty but it isn’t the worst I’ve ever seen.”
“Then what is it?” I pulled the truck around in the driveway and headed back towards the main road.
“I feel like a cat who can’t quite catch the mouse,” she grumbled, tilting her head back and closing her eyes.
“How do you mean?”
“Vincent was the best lead we’ve had this entire time. The only real lead we’ve had this entire time, and just as we figure out his involvement he decides to kill himself? What a fucking coward move.”
I resisted the urge to stare. One of the things I had learned about the good doctor was that when she started to break out the ‘f-bombs’ that she was seriously angry.
“I mean, what the fuck,” she continued, slamming a fist into her knee. “Has our society fallen so far into stupidity as to allow someone to get away with this shit for this long? Is humanity really this fucking stupid?”
I didn’t reply. I knew she wasn’t talking to me.
“I mean, for fuck’s sake. They put so much pressure on us to handle this shit for them and then the bad guy is the fucking one they put in charge?” She made a noise in her throat that sounded suspiciously close to a growl. “I mean, come on.”
“Mhm.”
“I’m losing it, Jackson, I really am. They’ve kept me on a fucking leash since the start of this whole business and then question endlessly as to why I don’t run faster. I’m about to just say ‘fuck it all’ and see if I can join Ka’thak as, I don’t know, a fucking alien headshrinker or something. Fuck this bullshit.”
I was torn between the impulse to back away slowly and commiserating with her. At least I got to go in and slaughter the bastards when I had to. She had to sit behind a desk and make nice with people who were undoubtedly far more stupid than she was. Holding a man back while an alien rips his intestines out was far more satisfying.
“I know,” I said. “I won’t say that I get it because I haven’t had to put up with half the crap you have.”
“Thanks.”
“I know that I can’t help you and that’s frustrating for me. At least I get to kill a few of these motherfuckers on occasion.”
“Yeah, I’m a little jealous. I can’t say that I haven’t fantasized about disemboweling a few of those idiotic ambassadors once or twice.” She smiled.
“Can confirm that the disemboweling is more fun than politics. You do smell pretty bad after. I can never seem to get the stink completely out of my clothes.”
“I’ve noticed, remember?”
“Oh yeah. Sorry about that.”
She laughed. “Thank god this crap will be over with soon, one way or the other.”
“Don’t worry, little sister.” I hissed as she punched me in the arm in payback for the moniker. “We’ll get ourselves a nice comfy spot on one starship or another very soon. And then it’ll be another adventure entirely.”
We settled into a comfortable silence as we headed back to the ship.
22
Alexandra
A week went by without further incident. In the interim the President had redoubled her efforts to defend the human ship, placing naval and Air Force units on guard in addition to the Army troops already stationed there. The appearance of additional personnel had bolstered a sense of cautious optimism and as a result the work had been stepped up. The alien vessel was prepared to leave and despite the attempted attack even the human ship was just about there. As tensions eased, humans and aliens started to cooperate more easily with each other.
“Madam President, it’s good to hear from you as always.” I straightened up in my chair, adjusting my shirt so that it didn’t look crumpled in the smartphone’s front-facing camera.
“Alexandra, a pleasure as always. How are you?” We exchanged a few pleasantries and then settled into matters of business. After the release of the anonymous video on YouTube, the barely contained chaos had broken loose. Most countries had declared martial law, but that hadn’t stopped their citizens from trying to overthrow their governments. In the United States, there was still rioting and looting in most major cities. The military, already stretched too thin as things were, reassigne
d a small task force to the White House in addition to the already established Secret Service. That decision came after a man managed to scale the wall outlining the grounds and threw a canister of argon gas too close to an assembled group of staffers outside. As he was cuffed he was screamed about how he wasn’t the only one, that more were coming to kill the ‘lizard lover’.
“Are you holding up all right, ma’am?” I asked. For all my frustrations I felt sympathy for the woman.
“Yes, I’m doing well enough, all things considered. I thank God that no one was hurt when that crazy man made it onto the grounds. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to get a single moment alone as a result; the generals seem to feel that there could be vicious murders waiting for me, even in the bathroom.” She chuckled.
I wanted to laugh with her, I really did. While she was busy being shuttled around by Army goons who had drawn the lucky straw I was fielding panic from humans and aliens alike. A full night’s sleep was a distant memory. I had taken to downing energy drinks and allotting myself four hours a night so that I didn’t collapse. The alien leadership had been kind enough to let me stay on their ship for the time being, but I was left to look after myself for the most part.
Jackson stopped by when he could and wasn’t thrilled with my choice to focus on others rather than myself. One night he even brought in a couple of soldier friends and the three of them stood next to my bed. Bastard even snatched my phone and tablet.
“Given the unrest, have you come to a decision on how you’re going to choose the passengers for the ship?”
She furrowed her brow. “I’m surprised you would even ask, Alex. Of course you’re already slated for a berth.”
Wait. What? I had never imagined that I would be afforded a place on the human ship. When I made the joke to Jackson about joining the aliens, I was being half-serious. I figured that would be my only chance at life. It hit me that while I may have a spot, no one I loved would. My mouth went dry and my stomach heaved. I shoved the wave of grief away. I had to focus.
“You are an integral part of the mission to continue the human race,” the President continued. I snorted. “I’m serious, Doctor King. This isn’t a free pass. You will be expected to continue your duties as liaison to the aliens as well as coordinating the health and well being of our human population. You are one of the most important people on the planet. You’ve more than proven yourself capable of keeping people calm. It’ll come in handy when the majority of the ship’s passengers will not be used to spending an extended time in a big tin can.”
I was stunned to silence, my mind warring between relief and anger. I wanted to slam my fists on the table but settled for crushing my fingernails into my palms. I didn’t move as I felt a trickle of hot blood run down my palm. This was the ultimate in coercion. I was being offered the opportunity to survive, and thrive, all for the low price of my freedom. I took a deep breath and pushed my emotions into the same lockbox as the grief.
“I appreciate that, Madam President, very much. And I must agree with you that you’re right about the role I play. However I wasn’t asking about myself, I was pointing out that much of the country’s conflict has been centered around who is going to be picked to live.” I swore that I saw her flinch a little at that. Good. She was condemning hundreds of millions to death. It should hurt a little. “Have you paid any attention to the status of your troops recently? You’ve got men and women running away by the dozens. They’re not going home to give their spouses and kids a goodbye kiss either—they’re disappearing.”
“Yes, but—“
“I can’t blame them, ma’am. I’ve thought about it myself a couple of times. If it weren’t for the fact that I know there is no other chance for all of us, I probably would have joined them.” I resisted the urge to dismiss her little offer then, but as I hadn’t personally spoken to Ka’thak about staying on his ship, I held my tongue.
“That is most likely because they’re afraid of being caught and tried for desertion,” the President said. Her voice had taken on a rough edge. I recognized the change in tone. It was just like the way that Jackson told me my voice sounded when I was angry. Oops.
“Of course, I have no intention of enforcing that,” she continued. “Wanting to get out to see your loved ones one last time or fulfill that last wish? I can’t blame them.” She certainly sounded like she did. “I’m not going to have them arrested, anyway. Not like we could even if I wanted to. We’re stretched too thin.”
I sincerely doubted that she meant any of this. If she was fooling herself into believing that her soldiers were going home to their wives and kids that was one thing but deserters were a sign that her power was slipping. The fact that these people were disappearing didn't seem to matter to her. Disappearing wasn’t an overstatement. It was if they had never existed. It was obvious that she was avoiding my question, too.
“Not that I am remotely qualified to make this decision Madam president, but you could take the young.”
“The young?” she seemed puzzled.
“The young, fit, and fertile. From a population standpoint it makes the most sense. Bring the people who are most likely to procreate. The ones with the best life expectancy.”
“It would certainly be the most logical decision. We are in obvious need of the best and brightest. We should recruit from those who have already proven themselves in their fields.”
“And the others? This is a terrible burden you face, ma’am. Are you prepared to tell a nation, and a world, that their brothers, sisters, children, parents—that all of them are doomed to death?”
Her expression fell. She was to be responsible for the death of millions. No one should have that kind of duty. But this was the road we had set out on and it was the one that both of us would walk, together.
When the call ended I went in search of Jackson. I needed to blow off some steam. I found him in a training area with a group of alien soldiers. Most of the gathering were veteran fighters, their bodies bearing scars and marks from battles past, but a few looked like new recruits. All were dressed in standard armor but instead of live weapons they each held training knives. They stood at attention as Jackson and another soldier walked in front of them, checking and correcting their armor and stances. I smiled and leaned against the doorway.
Jackson motioned one of the young warriors over to a mat on the floor. They took positions opposite each other and I laughed in surprise as the young soldier launched herself at Jackson, her training knife out. She slashed wildly at him and he feinted out of the way to land two solid punches to her side. She lifted a leg to kick at him and he jumped to the left, drawing his training knife as he did so. I noticed that he kept close to his trainee rather than putting distance between the two of them. It was a smart idea. I had noticed in the past that the aliens’ fighting style relied heavily on their physiology, namely their legs. They certainly possessed more upper body strength than most humans but the way they were built gave them the better advantage when fighting with kicks.
The recruit smiled as she managed to knock Jackson back with a headbutt that I heard across the room. He reflexively put both hands to his forehead as he stumbled back, dropping his knife. His opponent wasted no time and closed the space between them, knocking him to the floor with a well-placed kick to the chest. She stood over him with a grin and pressed the claws of her foot into his protective gear.
“Nicely done!” Jackson boomed, patting the soldier’s ankle. She nodded and reached down a hand to help him up. He took her hand and hauled his body up easily. Instead of standing he used the momentum to swing around and put his forearm across her neck. With his other hand he pulled his sidearm from its holster and held it against the side of her head. Even from my vantage point, it was obvious that the pistol wasn’t loaded but the recruit still looked alarmed. Jackson let her go quickly and patted her on the shoulder, making sure that she was all right. “Always make sure your opponent is completely disarmed. Or take his head off first.” Sh
e nodded and returned to the line.
“Come to hone your skills, Doc?” Jackson asked.
I had been noticed. Uh-oh. I stepped into the training area with as much saunter as I could manage. After what I just witnessed I was hesitant to engage in this particular form of tension release but hell, it might be fun.
“You promise to go easy on me?” I grinned as I greeted Jackson and offered a cursory nod to the soldiers lined up. A few of the veterans were elbowing each other and pointing. I rolled my eyes at them good-naturedly.
“Sure, we go easy on people here, isn’t that right, friends?” Jackson turned to address the assembled and was met with cheers and hoots. “I promise I won’t cause any lasting damage,” he said to me. “Go change.” He went to his bag and rooted around for a moment before throwing me a leotard-like garment.
“It’s one of mine, but it’s been washed recently. They’ll adapt to your shape, so you should have no problems getting it to fit.”
I hid behind a pillar as I stripped and stepped into the clothing. As promised, it snapped to my skin as soon as I put it on but felt like I was wearing loose-fitting clothing. I idly mused about how the women of Earth would kill for this kind of thing—if the world wasn’t about to end. Still, it wasn’t bad looking. It reminded me of a catsuit I had once worn to a Halloween party on the advice of a couple of girlfriends. They had convinced me to dress as Selena Kyle—Catwoman. Too bad I didn’t have the whip with me now. When I stepped out again I was met with a cacophony of whistles and barks. I shot the finger towards the group of soldiers and stepped onto the sparring mat.
Jackson stepped forward with something in his hands. A training knife. The thing was ridiculously oversized for my hands. It was even big in his. Better something than nothing I supposed. He handed me the knife with mock ceremony and turned away to take his place across the mat. On his way there I kicked him in his lower back, hard enough to make him trip. More hoots and barks from the soldiers. I raised my hands and clasped them together in mock victory like a boxer who had just won the prize fight.
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