by Jay Cannon
“Call Wylyy up and let’s get going. I’ll tell you on the way.” Ahmed felt that he was finally carrying his own weight in the relationship and was eager to help Adar connect the dots.
***
Based on the tip and Ahmed’s analysis, the duo investigated the Danish ambassador’s home and office. While they didn’t find the twins, they did find traces of their DNA.
“Ahmed, I need to find those two aliens,” Adar said, becoming more and more anxious as the night wore on.
“Let me call my contact again to see if he knows anything else,” suggested Ahmed.
After a brief call, Ahmed reported to Adar. “My contact says he’s seen the twins, but he doesn’t know where they live. He’s going to ask around and call me in the morning.”
“Why are we always one step away?” Adar groaned. “Let’s stay aboard the attack ship until morning. I don’t want to risk being seen and scaring off the twins.”
“Sure, we can do that,” replied Ahmed, not truly comfortable with the plan.
***
The next evening, in a suite at the JW Marriott, Sen. Rivera stared out a window while his two business partners sat on a couch in the presidential suite, waiting impatiently for the guests of honor. A brief knock at the door and Daloi and Dholi, in the guise of Beyoncé and Rihanna, entered the suite, escorted by the hotel director and Pers Olsen.
The duo looked around at an elaborate spread of food, drugs, flowers, and wine, including a magnum of champagne chilling in a bowl of ice. Prince’s Raspberry Beret played softly over the stereo.
Watching from the far end of the suite, Byron Owens, CEO of American Car Group, and Kim Mon Pote, CEO of Korean Motors, stood like the gentlemen they were raised to be. Beyoncé and Rihanna waved at the beaming Rivera and two men from the doorway. The imposters wisely decided not to approach the men until the initial business had been concluded.
The two men awkwardly waved back at the women before returning to their seats on the couch, excitement and delight animating their florid faces. Owens wasn’t so much interested in spending $5 million to see naked women, even famous naked women. However, doing a deal to build a new automotive plant in the United States that he would get to run really revved his engine.
Kim was a different story. Growing up an impoverished kid on a small farm in central South Korea, he started from nothing. His parents moved to Seoul and sent him to school to become an engineer. This set him on the path to becoming an international corporate mogul. An avid fan of American urban music, Kim idolized certain musicians, including his favorite entertainers, Beyoncé and Rihanna.
Now, having them as his guests for the evening was a dream come true. He saw having them naked as an unexpected but welcome bonus, even if they insisted on wearing G-strings.
“Hello, Beyoncé and Rihanna. I’m Sen. Rivera. I helped to set up this event. Here are two bags with $5 million each,” the senator said, holding the bags up for the women.
“Hello, senator. Once the money is counted and safely stored away we’ll greet your guests properly, as promised,” said Daloi, impersonating Beyoncé, ignoring the bags. “Pers, would you do the honors?” she requested, pointing to the bags.
“Certainly, Beyoncé,” Olsen replied, stepping forward to count the money.
“Senator, it’s nice to meet you, but you’re going to have to leave. Our deal involves the two gentlemen on the couch, not you,” Beyoncé said, smiling politely.
“Not a problem. I wouldn’t dare to intrude. Since I did set this whole thing up, what are the chances of getting a political endorsement from you two for my campaign?” the ever-opportunistic Rivera asked, brushing his tie down.
“Never going to happen,” said Beyoncé firmly, offering him her trademark smile.
“Not in a million years,” echoed Rihanna, raising her eyebrows and turning away.
“Understood. Director Lewis, I’ll wait for you in your office,” the senator said as he left the room.
***
Hanging up the phone, Ahmed shouted an exciting “Yes!”
“Tell me you have good news,” Adar insisted.
“A set of twins is hanging out with the Danish security guy, which makes sense. He doesn’t know where the guy lives, but he will be visiting the JW Marriott this evening to do some security work for the director. I figure we could follow him after he gets there and see what we find,” offered Ahmed.
“Sounds like a longshot, but I’ll take what I can get,” said Adar, attempting to sound hopeful.
***
Olsen finished the count and took the bags down to the hotel’s front entrance where two armored vehicles waited for Beyoncé and Rihanna. Accepting the bags from Olsen, the drivers called the entertainers to say they had taken custody of the cash. The phone call cued Beyoncé and Rihanna to engage their guests.
“Okay, fellas, looks like we’ve got ourselves a party,” said Beyoncé, walking toward the couch. “Should we start with a bit of ‘lemonade’?”
“I would love to see the style of lingerie you’re hiding under your sexy clothes,” said Owens. Kim only laughed shyly.
“Hold on to your britches, gentlemen,” said Rihanna. “No stripping until our guard gets back and the director leaves.”
“Could you come a little closer so I can at least smell your sexy bodies?” asked Kim, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
Beyoncé grabbed Rihanna’s arm and started sniffing the air. “Something’s not right,” said Beyoncé, putting her hand in her purse.
“What’s wrong? You’re scaring me,” said Rihanna, or Dholi in disguise as she scanned the room nervously.
“The Ossie’s here,” said Beyoncé, pulling a blaster from her purse. Rhianna followed suit, taking a defensive stance.
“Drop your weapons, ladies. We know who you are,” said Ahmed, entering the suite from a door in the back, holding a pistol.
“Just shoot!” yelled Beyoncé. The two began shooting at Ahmed and then fired shots randomly around the room, hoping to hit Adar. They missed Ahmed, but killed Owens and the director, who had frozen with shock once the gunfire erupted.
Adar materialized and walked out from behind a decorative table covered in flowers.
“What’s going on here?” demanded Kim, lunging for the floor.
Adar got a shot off, stunning Dholi, who used her body to block Daloi from getting hit. Daloi fired at Adar, but missed him and disintegrated the flowers behind him. Daloi ran out of the front door and down the hall.
“Thanks for your help,” Adar said sarcastically to Ahmed, who was peeking around the corner at him.
“I thought you had everything under control,” said Ahmed, re-entering the room.
“Tie this one up while I grab the other one. Don’t let her touch you,” Adar warned, running out of the room.
Adar ran out the door and down the hall after Daloi, who minutes earlier had scrambled down the stairs and disappeared onto another floor.
Ahmed used the pair of handcuffs he brought with him to restrain Dholi’s hands and grabbed a cord from one of the room’s curtains to bind her legs and tied it to the handcuffs at her back. He grabbed her bag and ran out the door to find Adar.
Adar followed Daloi’s scent out the front door of the hotel and down the street toward the White House.
“Mom, look, it’s Beyoncé,” said a little girl, pointing at Daloi as she ran by.
“Wow, she must be making another music video,” replied the mother. “Probably a sequel to Lemonade.”
Daloi easily cleared the White House fence and ran across the lawn. Two secret service agents ran after her, while speaking rapidly into handheld radios. Adar cloaked, jumped the fence, and joined the chase. Overtaking the two agents, he shoved them to the ground to prevent them from shooting Daloi and causing another incident he would have to explain.
Daloi cleared the other side of the White House lawn, hopped the fence and crossed the street, hiding behind the Red Cross building. She knew that at any moment
Adar would come running around the corner, giving her the opportunity to finally kill him.
Anticipating an ambush, Adar ran to the back of the building from the opposite direction. He stealthily advanced on Daloi and when he drew close, he took a swing at her head. She saw his shadow and ducked, suffering only a graze to her temple.
Adar followed through with his other fist, knocking her blaster from her hand to the ground. Daloi countered by kicking Adar into the dumpster by the building. While the Ossie tried to shake off the blow, Daloi grabbed him by the throat, spun him around and slammed him into the wall.
“Don’t fight it, you little bastard,” she growled in Euclidian, digging her fingernail into him below his right eye, then punched him in the face. “I’m going to carve you up and watch you bleed out slowly, until there’s no more life left in you.”
She then threw his UCD, spear, and blaster into the dumpster before returning to slice his abdomen with her sharp fingernails and punch his face with her fists.
“That’s it, watch your toys go into the trash, Ossie,” Daloi mocked him. “The last thing you’ll see is me ripping your insides out and then throwing your corpse into that dumpster with the other trash,” she boasted, squeezing his face. “I’m going to make you pay for killing my brother.”
Moments later, two loud gunshots interrupted Daloi’s tirade and the Cheoili fugitive fell to the pavement.
“I don’t know what she said, but it didn’t sound good,” Ahmed said, gulping air by the lungful to catch his breath after running down the hotel stairs and across the street in search of his alien partner. “You know you’re not supposed to let them touch you, right?” Ahmed said, his gaze moving to Adar and then back to Daloi.
Adar eyed Ahmed from where he had fallen when Daloi’s fingers released him, looking annoyed. Badly injured, he could barely speak. “I wanted to keep her alive,” he rasped.
“Hey, I wasn’t about to take her on in hand-to-hand combat,” Ahmed retorted. “And look, she’s still breathing. More importantly, how do I fix you up?”
When Adar pointed at the dumpster, Ahmed asked, “You want something to eat?”
“My device,” the alien whispered.
“Okay, let me look for it,” sighed Ahmed, eyeing the dumpster with distaste before he climbed inside to retrieve Adar’s belongings. Climbing out a few minutes later, he found himself surrounded by policemen.
“Drop whatever you’re carrying and get on your knees,” said one cop.
“No problem, officer. Please don’t shoot me. Adar, it’s your mother,” said Ahmed, sliding the UCD to the alien.
“Wylyy!” shouted Adar, tapping on his device.
“His mother is named Wylyy?” the cop asked skeptically. “Nobody move and stop talking on that phone.”
“We’re not going anywhere. He just wants to let his mother know he’s not doing well.”
“He can tell her later, if he lives,” said the officer, snatching the device from Adar.
Suddenly, Wylyy materialized, stunning everyone witnessing the scene. Wylyy’s crew locked onto Ahmed, Daloi, and Adar and transferred the three to the ship along with Adar’s gear. Onboard, the crew stabilized Adar, who immediately inquired about Dholi.
“She’s gone,” replied Wylyy, who scanned for Dholi in the hotel suite.
“I’ll change into an Earth costume and go down with your friend to search for her,” Wylyy told Adar in Euclidian. He motioned toward Ahmed, pointing upward with one finger. Ahmed nodded and braced himself. He knew what would come next.
***
Dholi regained consciousness lying face down on the floor of the suite, still impersonating Rihanna. She looked around the room and decided on a plan. “Excuse me, sir, could you roll me over? My belt is pushing into my belly,” Dholi said, pouting.
“What the hell happened here?” asked Kim, still cowering on the floor in front of the couch. He crawled over to Dholi’s side.
“Just a couple of guys trying to steal your money,” replied Dholi innocently.
“Okay, I’ll roll you on your side, but I can’t let you go. Why did they tie you up like this?” asked Kim, surprised that they would leave her tied on the floor the way they did.
“As you noticed, those aren’t policemen. They’re probably going to kidnap me once they get your money. Thanks for rolling me over. That feels much better. Could you rub my hands? They’re feeling a bit numb. That’s it. Now hold them tight. Doesn’t that feel good?” Dholi smiled, knowing she had him.
“Yes, it does,” Kim said, enjoying the feeling of Dholi’s hands.
“Good, now untie me,” Dholi ordered.
“Right away, Rihanna,” Kim said, fumbling with the cord around her ankles.
“Thank you,” said Dholi, stretching her legs. “I can’t believe they did that to me. Now go back to the couch, pull down your pants, and sit quietly until I get back,” she said firmly.
Dholi slipped her cuffed hands under her feet to position them in front of her, then headed for the door.
“What happened to you?” asked Pers, walking into the suite.
“Pers, I’m so glad to see you. Some crazy guy got the jump on us,” said Dholi, holding Pers’ face.
“What is Mr. Kim doing?” Pers asked, looking over at Kim with his pants down.
“He’s just waiting patiently for the police to arrive. Do you have a handcuff key?” Dholi asked, with a needy voice.
“Yes, I do,” Pers replied, feeling his pockets for a key.
“Would you be a sweetie and unlock these for me?” Dholi asked, holding her wrists up to him.
“Of course, just a minute. There you go.” Pers unlocked the handcuffs and removed them from Dholi’s wrists.
“Thank you, that feels much better,” said Dholi, rubbing her wrists. “Give me your gun.”
“Here you go,” Pers said, handing her his gun.
“Thanks. Now go join Mr. Kim, and sit quietly on the couch with your pants down. I’m going to go save my sister.” Dholi ran down the hallway away from the suite, took the elevator to the ground floor, and headed for her car to retrieve her personal transporter. She used the device to try to find her sister.
Ahmed and Wylyy were transported to the alcove at the side entrance to the hotel.
“I’ll search inside while you check for her in the car,” said Ahmed. Wylyy gave Ahmed with a confused look. Ahmed used steering and pointing gestures to help Wylyy understand what he meant, then ran into the hotel lobby while Wylyy went to investigate the cars.
Dholi spotted Wylyy coming and ordered the driver to speed away. Wylyy noticed the car departing and blew out the front tires. Dholi ran from vehicle, firing at Wylyy with her gun. His shield protected him from her bullets. As she dodged around the corner of the hotel, she collided with Ahmed’s fist, which knocked her unconscious.
The Euclidian pilot returned to his ship with Dholi and Ahmed. Restraining Dholi, he seated her next to Daloi and went to check on Adar.
“Adar, are you doing okay?” Wylyy asked in Euclidian.
“Yes, I’m fine. I’m just tired of getting banged up by those damn Cheoili.” Adar replied.
“We got them!” Ahmed blurted, interrupting Wylyy. Adar merely smiled at Ahmed.
“What should I do with those two?” Wylyy asked, pointing at Daloi and Dholi who huddled together on the floor of his ship.
“Send them directly to Valera to verify their identity. I don’t want any more surprises. And have her update the captain with the results,” requested Adar, still struggling to recover from his altercation with Daloi.
“Of course,” said Wylyy. “I’ll let you know what happens. Ask your friend if he would like an anal probe before he leaves.” Wylyy looked at Ahmed and poked his finger in his fist.
“What’s he talking about?” asked Ahmed. “There ain’t going to be no anal probing going on up in here.”
“He just said goodbye and good luck.” Adar laughed, sitting up in the cot where he was recover
ing.
“Sure he did. Where to now?” Ahmed countered.
“How about the Whiskey Tavern?” Adar suggested, wanting to celebrate his success.
“You want to see if she’s there, don’t you,” Ahmed asked slyly.
“If she’s not, I’m going to need to find more people to kill,” Adar replied, his face alight with a feral grin.
***
Adar and Ahmed walked into the Whiskey Tavern and found Aundria sitting at the bar like a patron, having a drink. Jerome had taken Adar’s message to heart and thought it more prudent to let Aundria go than risk having his entire family killed. With Mason dead, he had no reason to hide. The deal with Toni was still intact, and he counted on it to keep Adar from killing him.
When she heard the sounds of more people entering the tavern, Aundria tilted her head back to see the door. Catching sight of Adar, she swiveled around on her barstool.
“ADAR, I can’t believe you have the nerve to show up here,” Aundria said, feigning anger. She hopped off the stool and walked over to face him.
“You’re on your own, buddy. I want none of this,” said Ahmed, slipping away and grabbing a seat at the far end of the bar.
“Greetings, Aundria. I missed you,” Adar said timidly. “I would have come sooner, but I had a job to finish.”
“So you left me to rot in a basement with those jerks. You had time to chop off a dozen heads, but no time to come find me.”
Adar stood facing her, speechless.
“Yeah, I heard about your handiwork.” She gripped her waist with both hands. “With all your technology, you could’ve found me like that!” Aundria snapped the fingers of her right hand for emphasis before returning it to her side in her defiant stance, and lifted her chin to challenge Adar with a killer stare.
“Look–” Adar tried to explain.
“No, you look.” Aundria cut the alien off, slapping him hard across the face. “I’m not some slut for you to have fun with in your free time.”
She paused in mid-tirade as she noticed the impassive expression on Adar’s face. “You didn’t even feel that, did you?” Aundria asked in amazement.
“You’re free because of me. And I came back for you,” Adar said, still trying unsuccessfully to explain. He looked her up and down, wondering again if he could take her with him.