by Robin Roseau
“They sure are,” I agreed.
“I noticed you noticing them.”
“Did you just ask if I’m a lesbian?”
“Forget I asked.”
I laughed. “Go ahead. Ask.”
“No, no.”
“What?” I asked. “Is this a new form of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’?”
“You seemed defensive.”
“Yes, Amanda, you have learned something about me. What is surprising is that you didn’t already know.”
“You’re not exactly obvious about it,” Felicia said. “I’ve never heard you bring it up at work, and I spend more time with you than she does.”
“But you knew.”
“Suspected. But I don’t date my coworkers, so it wasn’t any of my business.”
“Yeah, that can be messy,” I agreed. I gestured. “Do you suppose they’re a couple?”
“Friends,” Violet said. “The one in the sun dress might like you, Taisha.”
“You had that information awfully available,” I pointed out.
“So I did.”
And that was when both women froze. Well, not froze, but they stopped walking. And while we were watching, they began to sink into the sand. I stared, not comprehending.
They began to struggle, trying to pull themselves free. Then they were tugging on each other. Sun dress fell over, and her legs disappeared.
“Quicksand!” Felicia screamed. She began to climb from her chair, but then there was a tentacle on her arm as well as another for Amanda and me.
“Best seats in the house,” Violet said casually. “I did say we were here to witness the kidnappings.”
The women began to scream, begging for help. It took a minute, but people began to converge on them. One woman ran right past us but saw the tentacles and turned. “They’re in trouble!” she yelled at Violet. “Do something!”
“I already did something,” Violet replied quite calmly. “But by all means, Ms. Browning. Go help them. We can get a three-for-one instead of only two.”
“What?”
“The aliens are capturing them,” Amanda said far more calmly than I would have.
“What?”
“It’s one of their games,” she said. “You’ve seen the videos. But if you want to go where those two are going, you can run down and try to help.”
Others actively were trying. While we’d been talking, three more people had gotten sucked into the quicksand, but they’d been hastily pulled free by some of the others. The two women had now sunk to their chests, and they were both screaming for help.
One man ripped his shirt off and tried using it like a rope. It took three tries, but one of the women managed to grab a sleeve.
“Oh, that won’t do,” Violet said.
And then the quicksand spread underneath him, and he got dragged into it. He began struggling as well, but he was in it to his knees in only a second or two. He dropped his end of his shirt and fell backwards.
“Excellent,” Violet said. “A three-for-one. Really, Ms. Browning. Four is a much more attractive number than three.”
“How can you sit there so calmly?”
“Because everything is under complete control,” Violet said. “I wonder how we’re going to catch you. What do you think it should be? Sea monster?”
“What?” the woman asked.
“If you want to be taken by a sea monster,” Violet said, “Go stand near the water.”
“I don’t want to be eaten by a sea monster!” Then she paused. “Wait. What? They’re being selected? The man, too? Have I been picked, too?”
“For a little fun,” Violet said.
“Seriously?”
“Quite.”
The woman turned and watched the three people being taken. One of the women disappeared entirely. The area of quicksand had grown sufficiently that no one was able to help, and people had pulled back. The man disappeared, then the other woman. The sand grew smooth and quiet.
The watching people were all but quiet.
Ms. Browning turned back. “Are you sure they’re okay?”
“They’re fine,” Violet said. “We’re very careful.”
A small troop of Ardents jogged down the beach, then began talking to the remaining people. Ms. Browning watched them for a minute then turned back. “Are you serious about me?”
“You asked that, Ms. Browning. Be a dear and walk down to the water now.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Maybe you would prefer if the Ardents toss you to the sea monster.”
“Does it have to be some sort of monster?”
“So, it’s not that you don’t want to play my game?”
“Maybe not that exact game.”
Violet paused. I thought it was simply for effect. “I will give you a choice. You may surrender peacefully, if you prefer.” She gestured with a tentacle. “Go walk directly into it.”
We all turned to see some large, cubic blob on the sand about forty yards up the beach.
“It’s safe,” Violet added. “You’ll be able to breathe.”
“You’re serious.”
“You keep asking that,” Violet pointed out. “If you prefer something more dramatic, it’s all arranged. You could run. Pick a direction.”
Ms. Browning looked at the very calm Catseye. “You said it’s just for some fun.”
“You’ve acquired some attention, Ms. Browning. Perhaps this is a test to see if you’ll accrue more attention. Don’t even try out-guessing us.”
The woman straightened then turned and walked away, heading towards the water. For a minute, I thought she’d chosen to accept the sea monster. Instead, she walked up to the Ardents, still talking to the crowd. She set her hand on one massive arm, and the man turned to her. The two spoke for a minute. Ms. Browning pointed to the blob up the hill. They spoke a moment longer.
“This might turn interesting and quite unexpected,” Violet said. “I do like it when we get to improvise.”
Two of the Ardents grabbed – quite gently – Ms. Browning. The three of them turned and walked up the beach, passing us on the way to the blob. We turned and watched. The Ardents picked the woman up then loudly counted. They swung her back, and up, and back and up.
“What are they doing?” Felicia asked.
“Throwing her,” I said.
And then they did just that. They threw her, and could they throw. The cube was at least ten feet high, but they threw her up and over the top.
And on the way down, Ms. Browning tucked and did a mid-air roll, landing feet-first in the blob. There was a thick “plop” sound, and then she dropped into the blob, coming to a stop perhaps five feet in the air, then hung there, her back to us, her arms out.
“Oh,” Violet said. “She is definitely accruing attention.”
“Is she some sort of gymnast?” I asked.
“High school swim team,” Violet said.
* * * *
Over the next two hours, we saw ten more captures, most of a single person at a time, but a few were two. What was interesting was the reaction of the other people. Some people fled the beach. Others appeared, perhaps to watch the show or perhaps in hopes of being selected themselves.
About midway through, Violet said, “People actually think hiding in their bungalows will protect them.”
She gestured, and then a sea monster rose from the cove, climbed the supporting piers for one of the bungalows, and sent long tentacles into the structure. There was screaming, and then a struggling woman, wrapped in tentacles, emerged, and then a second. The monster dropped back into the water with a splash.
“Bay is so brilliant,” Violet said. “He was hoping someone would try to hide. That’s the first time he’s gotten to use that one. Well, that’s not entirely true. We tested it, after all. He spent weeks building that.”
“Only weeks?”
“He’s had practice,” Violet said. “It’s from a design he did years ago, but we don’t do many a
quatic events, so there was never a good reason to make it.” She paused. “Well. That was the last one we can see from here. We have to move for the others.” She stood, and then she offered tentacles to the rest of us, pulling us from our seats. I grabbed my iced tea. And then the four of us began walking down to the far end of the beach.
And then I grew suspicious. The Ardents appeared again, running up from behind us. One of them grabbed me, pulling me from Violet. A second one grabbed my other arm, and then I heard Felicia swear. I looked over to see her held by two more Ardents.
“Well,” Violet said. “This is going to be fun.” She turned to Felicia. “The Kitsune keep interesting pets.”
“Excuse me?”
“It isn’t from their home world, but one of the planets they’ve populated has a relatively light gravity, about that of Mars, a third of Earth’s. The planet is filled with a variety of avian species, and some of them are exceedingly large.”
She gestured, and high in the sky was a speck. We all stared as it circled, growing larger. It was decidedly a bird.
A very large bird.
“Amanda,” Violet said. “We should step aside.” She wrapped tentacles around Amanda and drew her away.
The Ardents turned Felicia and me. I didn’t try struggling, but my heart was pounding out of my chest.
But I gave a screech when they picked me up and held me high in the air. “No!” I screamed. And Felicia was doing the same, but she included swearing.
The giant bird dropped, took a curving path over the resort, then dropped down so its wingtips skimmed the water, heading straight for us.
And the Ardents were holding me in the air like an offering. I began to scream wordlessly, and I think Felicia did as well.
The bird flashed over us, and it didn’t grab us. But the Ardents turned me onto my side, and I watched.
Violet had moved away from Amanda, and the giant bird grabbed our boss’s wife. Amanda gave a scream, but the bird began flapping strongly, Amanda clutched in its huge talons. As she screamed, it flew away with her.
And a moment later, the Ardents set Felicia and me back on our feet, steadying us. I clung to one massive hand for a moment then looked up into his face. “That was a mean trick.”
“Funny as hell,” Felicia said. “Should Amanda have volunteered?”
“And miss out on a fine ride?” Violet asked. “We didn’t give her a chance to volunteer. She was the first we picked.”
We watched the bird disappear, and then Violet walked back to stand before Felicia and me. I realized things weren’t over, as the Ardents were looming over us, and I didn’t think making a break for it would do me any good at all. “So. Two left. Felicia, if you were planning your own capture, what do you think you’d do?”
“I’d take the blob,” she said tentatively.
“You can be more creative than that,” Violet said. “I’ll let you think about it.” She turned to me.
“If I suggested mermaids, would that sea monster be back?”
“Maybe,” she said. “Go for a slow walk up the beach, Taisha.”
“May I stay long enough to hear what Felicia suggests?”
“You may stay for a moment,” Violet replied. She turned back to Felicia.
“I don’t get the blob?” Felicia asked. “She’s not really getting mermaids, is she?” She hooked a thumb at me.
“What’s wrong with mermaids?”
“Nothing is wrong with mermaids,” Felicia said. “But I find it unlikely they can do whatever we ask. Why did you come up with mermaids, anyway?”
“Are you kidding? Why mermaids?” I folded my arms. “At least I came up with something, and Violet didn’t say ‘no’.”
“Oh, are we competing now?”
“Bock, bock,” I told her.
“You didn’t.”
“Chicken.”
“I’m not chicken.”
“You’re afraid to suggest something because you’re right: they probably aren’t prepared for just any random idea, and you don’t know what they’re going to do to you instead. You’re the one who said ‘yes’.”
“Fine,” Felicia said a little hotly. “Eaten by a giant Venus flytrap.”
“Oh, carnivorous plant,” I said. “A classic.” I shifted my gaze to Violet. “Mermaids, please.”
“Take a walk, Taisha,” she said. “Felicia, there’s a path into the woods. It’s there.” She pointed. “Your visor will guide you.”
“Good luck, Felicia,” I said. I turned for the beach.
“Enjoy the sea monster,” Felicia said to my back.
* * * *
I walked slowly, as Violet had directed, and I didn’t look around. I didn’t think there was any chance at all Violet was going to find a couple of mermaids for me. I was expecting that sea monster to grab me, and I found myself eying the water, wonder when it would strike. I was also suspicious of the sand and didn’t think I’d be markedly calmer about it than those first two women had been, even knowing it was just a weird game.
But I thought the sea monster was more likely, and so I wasn’t surprised when it reared from the water and threw tentacles around me. Startled, most definitely, and I gave a shriek, but I wasn’t really surprised.
It dragged me into the water, but didn’t pull me from my feet, and it only dragged me a dozen steps. And then from the deep water, a figure emerged, head, shoulders. I stared as the creature approached.
She stood, perhaps five feet away. She wore no clothing, but probably didn’t need any. She was clearly a she, at least as far as I could tell, and stunningly beautiful, in bright colors.
“Are you real?” I asked. “Or is this a trick of the visor?”
“I’m as real as you are,” she said.
“You’re… a mermaid.”
“Technically, humans call my species Komodos.” She held something up. “This will allow you to breathe.”
She closed the distance, and I opened as she presented the device to me. It fit like a scuba regulator, but there were no attached hoses.
“Breathe normally,” she directed. Then she wrapped my body in several straps, two pinning my arms to my sides, and two more for my legs.
And then the monster pulled me the remaining distance to the water.
I got a look at the rest of the monster, but then it retreated, leaving me there until the mermaid – Komodo – took possession of me. And we began swimming away, into the deep water.
Cell
I’m not really sure what happened. There’s a gap in my memory. The mermaid was taking me somewhere, but then… I must have passed out.
When I woke, I was lying on a bed. I lay there for a minute, confused, then I sat up.
I looked around. I was in… a small room. The walls were grey. One was glass, as was the ceiling. “What the fuck?”
I looked down. I was naked. I looked around hastily and spotted a small pile of clothing. I grabbed it to find a pair of undies and a black camisole. It was all I had, so I pulled them both on. “What the fuck?” I asked again.
No one answered.
I stood up and moved to the glass wall. There were more cells like mine that I could see, with more women in them.
Amanda was standing at one of them, looking at me, dressed nearly identically, although her camisole was navy blue. Beside Amanda, and directly opposite me, I thought was one of the women who had been taken in the quicksand. She was sitting on her bed, staring straight ahead.
Amanda gestured, pointing. I tried looking, but I couldn’t see. I decided she was trying to tell me that Felicia was in the cell beside mine.
“Ms. Saint-heart,” a woman’s voice said.
“Hello,” I replied. “Who is there?”
“I am an artificial intelligence,” replied the voice.
“Do you have a name?”
“Andie calls me Dell.”
“Why Dell?”
“My hardware is from Dell.”
“Oh. Well, Dell. What is go
ing on?”
“We’re waiting for the last few women to wake up, then you will be collected for dinner. Ms. Saint-heart, you know that we wouldn’t let you get hurt.”
“Why am I in this prison cell? Are we all in these cells?”
“The men are in a different block,” said Dell. “Yes, everyone who will be participating tonight and tomorrow is in a cell.”
“Can I have some proper clothes?”
“The clothing you were wearing has been laundered and will be returned to your bungalow,” Dell replied.
“And if I suggested I don’t want to wear this?”
“You’re free to take it off,” Dell suggested.
“Funny.”
“You’ll be here for perhaps another hour,” Dell said. “Your visor has a variety of games. I am sorry, but the communications options are currently unavailable. You may play games, listen to music, or read. Do you need assistance learning to use the visor?”
“No, Dell.” I moved back to the bed and sat down, my back to the wall. Dell said nothing further, so I decided to listen to music.
* * * *
“Ms. Saint-heart,” Dell said some time later. “Please remain on the bed.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Then there was a noise. I turned and saw there was an arched doorway in the glass. Four people stepped forward, two men and two women. “Ms. Saint-heart,” said one of the women. “It is time to take you to dinner. Will you cooperate?”
“If I asked for proper clothing?”
“Our job is to bring you from here to dinner,” she said. “That is all. Will you cooperate?”
I sighed. “Yes.”
“Thank you. Please stand and face the back wall.” I did as I was told. They bound my arms to my sides and then added shackles to my ankles.
“Seriously?”
They didn’t answer. Then my visor went blank besides.
I shuffled as they led me from the cell. Left turn, a very short walk, and then they were helping me to step up two small steps before taking a seat.
Five minutes later, we were moving.
We arrived… somewhere. Around me, I heard people helping the other women. Then it was my turn, and I recognized Audra’s voice. “What’s going on?”
“We’ll answer a few questions like that shortly,” she replied. “I’ll help you to your seat.”