The Deep Beneath

by Natalie Wright

  “This is a strange question, and I don’t mean to be rude, but were you born like a normal human, or were you – I don’t know how to put it –” asked Jack.

  “Grown in a vat or something?” asked Ian.

  “If you mean was I a fetus in a womb and extracted from the womb as an infant, then yes. I was born like a human.”

  “But where did they get alien DNA? And how did they combine it with human DNA?” asked Ian.

  “You have many questions,” said Tex. He wanted to answer their questions as Erika seemed displeased with him when he did not. But he had been trained to respond only to the doctors at A.H.D.N.A. You are free. Do as you wish.

  “I think a more important question is why did our government go to all the trouble to create a … a creature like him?” Jack said.

  “That is a good question,” said Erika. “Do you know why you were made?”

  Tex did not immediately answer. Though he was free of A.H.D.N.A. and Commander Sturgis, it was difficult to ignore years of training. But if he answered their questions, it may help to create a more trusting relationship with them. Do I want or need their trust?

  He had escaped A.H.D.N.A. only to land in a world with which he was unfamiliar. He had no money, no car, and no place to go. Tex had powers they could not begin to understand, yet he needed their help.

  Tex had not trusted a human since the incident with the attendant all those years ago. He was not sure that he could put faith in these humans either. But he required their cooperation and assistance. Perhaps it is best if I attempt to gain their trust.

  “Dr. Randall told me that I was created to save the human race.”

  Erika looked at Jack and raised one eyebrow. “Save them?” she asked.

  “If you were created to save humans, then why do you have the power to kill them so easily?” asked Jack.

  Tex looked out the window. Though it was still night, he could see clearly the large, columnar cactus that dotted the hillsides they passed. He wondered what it would feel like to touch one.

  “I do not know the answers to all of your questions. I know that the alien DNA that they used to create me was recovered from a crash site in New Mexico.”

  “Roswell,” said Ian.

  “I believe that is correct. Dr. Randall and Dr. Dolan referred to the alien species as ‘the greys’.”

  “I knew it. They covered it up all these years like I said,” said Jack.

  “You have your vindication,” said Erika. “But that still doesn’t answer the question why.”

  Tex was not sure that the time was right to tell the humans all that he knew. He decided not to lie, but he did not tell them the whole of the truth either. “I was created to be a weapon for the U.S. government. Technically, I am government property.”

  He had never liked being referred to as property. Despite being told by Commander Sturgis that he was ‘valuable’, he never believed it to be true. Other items of human property were regularly discarded without fanfare. Paper was thrown into wastebaskets. Even larger items such as computers were relegated to the trash. Tex had often wondered if his own fate would be like that of an outdated piece of machinery, retired to the waste receptacle when he was no longer of use.

  “Well, you’re at least part human, and in this country anyway, we have laws against you being someone’s property,” said Erika.

  “You know the government. Since when did they follow their own laws?” asked Jack.

  If anyone answered Jack’s question, Tex did not hear it. His head throbbed with pain. He put his hands to his head and squeezed on either side as if it could somehow push the pulsating drone out of his skull.

  “Tex? What’s the matter?” asked Ian.

  He tried to speak, but his voice came out in a choked cry of agony.

  “What’s happening to him?” Erika asked.

  “I don’t know. It’s like he’s in pain or something,” Ian replied.

  It was as if a metal band had been wrapped around his head and tightened little by little until it was near to crushing his skull. A pulsating whirr filled his head from the inside. “Stop!” he finally managed to scream.

  “Do you want me to stop the car?” asked Ian.

  Erika looked to Tex for an answer. He was unable to speak but managed to shake his head.

  “I don’t think so. Dammit, Ian, it’s the stupid twizz that you gave him. It’s making him sick,” Erika said.

  Tex again shook his head. It was not a stomachache that had him balled up like a fetus. He did not know the source of the pain, but he was certain that if it did not subside soon, he would die from it. Please stop.

  As quickly as the agony had hit him, it ceased. There was only a slight buzz and a mild tingling sensation. Within seconds, he heard what sounded like a voice. “Did one of you say something?” Tex asked.

  All three shook their heads.

  Voices were speaking to him inside his head. He remained quiet and concentrated. He could not make out what was being said because they were all speaking at once. I do not understand. Too many voices.

  Jack reached forward and put his hand on Tex’s shoulder. “Hey. You okay?”

  Tex lifted his head from his knees but shrugged his shoulder away from Jack’s touch. “I am fine.” Though the pain had subsided a bit, the voices continued.

  “Sorry,” Jack said.

  “What was that about? Does that happen to you often?” asked Erika.

  “No. It has never happened to me before. But I am okay. I require silence for a few minutes.”

  Tex wanted to concentrate on the voices. They were trying to contact him. It was a message. But what are they saying?

  Tex put his head back down onto his knees and moved within himself as much as he could. He tried his best to shut out the sound of the car’s engine, of Jack’s gurgling stomach and of Ian’s beating heart. And most of all he tried to close himself off from the smell of Erika. He had no words to describe her scent, as it was unlike anything he had ever experienced. Her odor was pleasant to him in a way he had never known. Agreeable, but a distraction nonetheless.

  He focused inward until he was alone in darkness and quiet. He heard the voices more clearly in his mind. The words were garbled at first and layered. But after a few minutes, he was able to pick out a word here, a word there.

  Tex envisioned an outdoor location in his mind as if it was a memory of a place he had been. But of course he had been nowhere but A.H.D.N.A. It was a site with spires and strange formations made of rusty red rock covered in sparse green foliage. He was shown a large stone structure with a flat top. And he heard the word ‘Sedona’.

  He understood what he had to do. And he knew that he would be free of Commander Sturgis and A.H.D.N.A. once and for all.

  The message was from his alien cousins, the greys. They would rescue him. They had a place for him where he would be welcome, not reviled. He would not have to suffer frightened stares. He would be home at last.

  “Tex, sorry to bother you, but I’m thinking that maybe when we get to the hospital you should have yourself checked out,” said Erika.

  “Have you lost your mind? You think we’re going to whizz him into the hospital and say ‘Hey, can you give our alien friend a checkup?’” said Ian.

  “You’re right. I need sleep.” Erika rubbed her temples. “I’m just concerned about him.”

  Tex lifted his head from his knees. The tightness eased as if the invisible band around his skull had loosened. The voices were gone.

  “Do not be concerned for my health,” Tex said. “I am not in need of medical attention and will not be going to the hospital. But then again, neither will you. I must go to a place called Sedona, and you must take me there. And I suggest that you drive more quickly. A vehicle approaches, and it carries another like myself.”

  8

  CHASING THE NIGHT

  Alecto sat in the front passenger seat of an all-black Hummer. She was diminutive in comparison to her driver, Sergea
nt Lopez. His broad, roundish jaw was covered in the dark shadow of hair that had not been shaven. Lopez’s eyes, fixed on the road before them, were dilated wide and nearly as black as Alecto’s. Though her skin was cool and dry, she smelled the rivers of sweat that ran down Sergeant Lopez’s back and neck. His knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel hard.

  Clearly Lopez was nervous, but Alecto did not know why he would be. He was a highly trained and experienced military man. When Sewell briefed her, he had said that Sergeant Lopez had done two tours of duty in Afghanistan. Surely driving a car on a civilian road was not as dangerous as his prior experience.

  “Sergeant Lopez, you appear to be anxious. Our mission requires that you drive me close to the target. I must ask that you calm yourself.”

  “S-s-sorry. It’s that – well, I never saw – I thought it was a rumor some of them guys made up to get attention.”

  “You are nervous because you thought that H.A.L.F.s did not exist, yet one sits next to you? Do not be afraid of me. My assignment is to retrieve my bro– the escaped H.A.L.F., not to harm you, Sergeant.” Alecto internally chastised herself for her slipup. It was not appropriate to allow herself emotional attachment to 9. Focus.

  “To be honest, ma’am, it’s not you that I’m afraid of half as much as I’m scared of Commander Sturgis. If I don’t bring you and the other’n back in one piece, she’ll have my hide.”

  “Your hide?”

  “You know, she’ll chew my butt.”

  “I do not believe that Commander Sturgis consumes humans for nourishment.”

  Alecto wanted to ask Lopez why he would suggest that Commander Sturgis would eat any part of him, but she decided to let the question pass. Their conversation had caused Lopez to sweat even more.

  They had driven at high speed for many miles. The landscape outside of their vehicle was a blur of cactus silhouettes and black pavement. They had passed a few cars much smaller than the one she was in and a few trucks that were much larger. But none had fit the description provided by Sewell. But ahead in the right lane was a small, white car with a cord wrapped around the dented back bumper.

  “There they are,” she said. “Get as near to them as you can.”

  Lopez revved the engine and pulled as close to the Jetta as he could without hitting it.

  Alecto stared straight ahead, but her mind drew a mental picture of her surroundings from the sensations she took in. Commander Sturgis had been correct. Alecto had never felt stronger. More able. More alive.

  She could smell the copious sweat that poured from Lopez like water from a fountain. She could hear the occupants of the other vehicle arguing over what to do about the car carrying another H.A.L.F.

  And she knew that 9 looked at her. An irritating buzz filled her mind and she wanted to swat it away. But the humming persisted. Unable to will the sensation to stop, she finally took a deep breath of the dry air and relaxed her mind in an attempt to refocus on her mission. As she calmed herself, the annoying thrum became a voice.

  Come with me, he said.

  Come home, she answered.

  We can escape. Together. Our alien cousins are waiting. They will rescue us. Come with me, sister.

  Alecto felt a twinge in her chest. Sister. A few short hours ago she had assumed that she was the only one of her kind in the universe. But she had a brother. One who, like her, was a unique blend of two species. Her belief that she was unique had not made her feel special. It had made her feel alone though she had not been able to put a label to the feeling until she had learned that 9 existed.

  Alecto had never been given the ability to choose before. She had only to do what she had been told. But now she had options. She could choose to meet her progenitors, the aliens from which her DNA had been extracted. The choice pulled at her and made her feel uncomfortable. Or maybe her discomfort was the incessant hum of 9 attempting to infiltrate her brain.

  The memory of Commander Sturgis’ orders lingered in Alecto’s mind. “Bring him home,” she had said.

  As soon as she focused on the commander’s orders, her mind felt free. The buzz in her brain diminished and comfort returned to her. Perhaps choice was not something to be yearned for but to be avoided. I will not come with you. I will follow the orders of my commander. I will bring you home.

  No, you will not.

  Then you give me no option. If 9 would not come with her peacefully, she would take him by force. She had no desire to harm 9 or the humans that were with him. But she would do what was necessary to fulfill her mission. She would not let Commander Sturgis down. “Ram them, Sergeant. Run them off the road.”

  9

  FIGHT OR FLIGHT

  The Jetta’s engine whined like a sick cat. Faster, faster, Erika thought. The Hummer was like a black specter outside her window.

  “Better give it some gas, Ian, or this dude with a bad attitude is going to run us off the road,” said Jack.

  “I’m giving it all the gas it’s got,” said Ian.

  “You better find more, man. It’s coming at us!”

  All Erika could do was watch as the Hummer veered into their lane. She quickly scooted herself to the center of the backseat and was slammed into Jack as the black beast rammed them. Ian pulled hard on the wheel and kept them on the road.

  Jack drew Erika into his arms and she let him, momentarily ignoring her ‘just friends’ rule. His warmth seeped into her and helped calm her ragged nerves. “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “For now,” she said. “But if they crash into us again, the door may give.”

  The Hummer kept to its lane, the intentions of its occupants unknown to Erika. Was that a warning shot? “Any chance you have the ability to use those mind powers of yours to blow out their tires or stop their engine or something?” she asked.

  “I have attempted to stop them, but 10 has blocked me.”

  “Great,” said Ian. “She’s using cross-mental-mojo crap against you.”

  “What do they want from us?” asked Jack.

  “They want you to stop your vehicle so that they can take me back to A.H.D.N.A.”

  Maybe we should stop the car and hand him over. Less than a few short hours ago, Erika had offered Tex a ride north. At the time it had seemed like a fairly simple choice to make. Help him out or see him end up back in the hands of that Sturgis woman. But Tex had threatened to reopen Jack’s wound if they didn’t take him to Sedona. ‘And if that does not motivate you, there are other ways,’ he’d said. He’d choked six men nearly to death. Erika didn’t require more proof that he could make good on his threat. Why shouldn’t they stop and hand him over?

  Erika turned it in her mind. What if Tex is more powerful than 10? He’d remain free, yes, but would he turn his weapon on them in retaliation for betraying him? And if 10 was stronger than Tex, she may have orders to kill them. Of course she’ll kill us. Sturgis wanted us dead then, and she’s more likely to want us dead now that we’ve helped him this far. Handing Tex over didn’t seem to Erika like a viable option for them if they wanted to stay alive. Best to cast our lot with him even if he is dangerous.

  “I may have to give them what they want, Tex. I’m sorry, but I can’t outrun them. And this car isn’t built to take these kinds of hits,” said Ian.

  As if to punctuate his statement, the Hummer rammed them again. It sounded as though Jack’s car would come apart at the seams. Erika and Jack bounced and were jammed into each other by the force of the hit into the side of the car. Though whipped around, none of them were seriously injured. Yet.

  “You can’t stop,” said Erika.

  Ian took his eyes off of the road long enough to turn and give Erika a look of astonishment. “You have a better plan? Maybe one that doesn’t include us ending up as a Volkswagen sandwich?”

  “If we give up, they’ll take him back to A.H.D.N.A. and he’ll go right back to being a human lab rat,” said Erika.

  “He’s only part human,” said Ian.

  Whether he was
human or not was irrelevant to Erika. Even if he was a sewer rat, Erika did not want him returned to a life of captivity. But it wasn’t the time to have that conversation. “You don’t think Sturgis will let us go quietly into the night, do you? Nothing has changed since the helicopter. She wants him in the lab and us dead,” said Erika.

  Neither Jack nor Ian offered a response. They were hit with another loud crash that sent them all bouncing again.

  “Erika is correct,” said Tex. “About everything.”

  “Well, whoop-de-doo, she’s right,” said Ian. “Lotta good that does us. We stop and they kill us. Or they run us off of the road and kill us. Either way we’re dead.”

  “Don’t be so melodramatic, Ian,” said Jack. “There has to be an alternative. Think, everybody.”

  But they didn’t think. Ian and Erika argued about what they should do. Ian was in favor of stopping the car and taking his chances that if they cooperated and handed over Tex, Sturgis would reward them by sparing their lives. Erika was surprised that Tex said nothing in response to Ian’s suggestion. He continued to look forward and did not speak. Erika wondered if he was communicating with the other H.A.L.F. or if he was just ignoring them. She urged Ian to keep driving and try to outrun them.

  “What do you want me to do, Erika? I’m already going as fast as I can. Even if I manage to keep it on the road without rolling, we’ll eventually run out of gas. We’re already down to a quarter of a tank.”

  There came another loud crash of metal grinding against metal. Erika was thrown forward out of Jack’s arms, hit her forehead on the front seat and whipped her head. Jack quickly grabbed her and scooped her back onto the seat. He unfastened his seatbelt and pulled it across her, strapping them both in.

  “Is everyone okay?” Ian asked.

  Erika rubbed her neck. “Just a little whiplash. It goes nicely with the black eye and fat lip I’m sporting from earlier tonight.” She felt as though she’d been beaten with a ball bat. Her trailer may not be much to look at, but she would have given about anything to be in her lumpy bed with the covers pulled up over her head. She wanted to sleep for a week and wake to find the whole night was a terrible dream.