Suburban Cyborg

by Gloria Martin

  I pulled Melanie back into the empty hall and she looked at me expectantly. “So what do we do now?” she whispered. I glanced back into the lobby area. There were cameras pointing down from the ceiling. Many other halls branched out from the lobby. I did not know which one led to their surveillance room. That was where I needed to send Melanie, so that they would have less a chance of seeing me as I made a break for the core of their ship to destroy it.

  “I need to get you to the surveillance room so that you can distract them,” I informed her. She nodded. Her eyes were wide, but she was not too scared.

  “You don’t know where it is though correct?” she asked and I nodded once. “Fine, I’ll just walk out there and most likely wherever surveillance is, is where they take prisoners, or near there.”

  She was logical in her thinking and I fell deeper in love with her than I already had been. Melanie was amazing.

  She said, “Just lay low and I’ll get myself locked up, then you can bust me out and we can find the surveillance room.” I nodded and Melanie ran out into the lobby. There was a commotion and I inched out of the hallway. She was seized by two Lorascans and taken into the hall directly across from the one I hid in.

  I used the speed my robotic legs brought me to be largely unseen and unheard as I ran across to that hallway. The Lorascans were preoccupied with staring at Melanie as she was taken towards wherever the holding cells were. I went ahead to locate both the holding cells and the surveillance room, which was indeed in the next corridor over from the room where the holding cells were kept.

  I hid behind a bend in the hallway that led to the surveillance corridor and waited as they took Melanie into holdings. The two Lorascans took Melanie inside and returned a moment later. I jumped out of the shadows and made quick work of first strangling one Lorascan to his death and then breaking the other’s neck with my robotic leg, before either could have much reaction to my presence. I had to say the speed my new body afforded me was quite handy.

  I searched the bodies of the Lorascans after I pulled them into the shadows once more, and found a set of keys. I quickly went through the doors that led to the holding cells. I found myself in a circular chamber which five cells. Melanie was sitting on a bench in the center cell, patiently waiting for me.

  “You are amazing Melanie,” I said and she grinned.

  “I know, so did you find the surveillance room?”

  I smiled, unlocked her cell door and led the way. We passed by the fallen Lorascans and went down the short corridor to the double doors that read ‘vigilance’ in Lorascan writing. All Rodonians learned the languages of the planets in other solar systems within our galaxy.

  I forced the doors open and Melanie ran in while I sprinted back out to the lobby area and down another hall. While I looked for the surveillance room I came across a map of the ship painted on the wall. It was meant to be artistic, decorative. But it told me exactly where I needed to go.

  I sprinted down to the ship’s depths and made my way to the power core. I needed to destroy it rather than disable it. The heart of the ship was compact with not much room to navigate through the many cooling and heating systems, controls, and different power sources. I found the heart of it all directly in the center of the circular room. It sat in the middle of the floor, sectioned off by an electromagnetic field. I could not see it, but I could sense the charge in the air as I neared the giant mercury-like device. It was a glass dome that surrounded obscure looking steady white lights set in mercury. Its base was connected to several of the other engines in the room and branched out via thick black cables.

  I wondered how I would destroy it as I had no weapon. I wondered if what was protecting it would also destroy it. I walked along the wall of charge and found the source of the flow of energy along the far wall. It was a thin strip of blue light that was shaped into a half circle and attached to the wall. I simply detached it and made sure to keep it aligned with its mate on the other far wall, so that the charge would continue to flow.

  I began to walk around the core, as I angled the electromagnetic wall. To close in on it. Thankfully the Lorascans had chosen to make these strips circular so that I could keep up the alignment as I moved around the core. The first spark was made as the field came into contact with the glass enclosure. I made sure to keep the alignment as I dragged the field through the direct center of the core, subsequently cutting it in half.

  Whatever technology the Lorascans were able to harness within this core, simply caught fire. Alarms started going off. I dropped the strip, found Melanie, and hurried back to our ship.

  *****

  Josiah

  I held Melanie in my arms, as I moved quicker than she. We ran and dodged through the sea of Lorascans to the space craft hangar to escape the central command ship.

  I quickly got us into the craft and then flew out of the mother ship just as the first of the chain of explosions started up. I flew well away from the explosions within the Lorascan navy, caused by the destruction of their mother ship. Their fighter crafts lost power and began to float off into space. Anything in the immediate vicinity of the central command ship was destroyed in glorious fiery explosions. Space was bright that night and Melanie and I had managed to destroy the impressive Lorascan navy singlehandedly.

  “Holy shit we did it Josiah…” Melanie’s voice was hushed as we watched the explosions and disarray of the Lorascan fall.

  “We did, and if it weren’t for you I am not sure how I would have pulled off this mission,” I admitted to her gratefully.

  “Told you I could help.” Melanie reached her hand forward and I held it in mine before I kissed each of her knuckles.

  “Let us return to Rodon then,” I said, before I rounded the large blue and green planet to fly to the city of Voltaire.

  I landed atop Lord Rixon’s palace, on the same landing pad I started my journey from six months ago. There a small crowd was waiting for us. Once the glass enclosure opened up Melanie and I could hear the cheers of the people. I got out and helped Melanie down, the crowd grew hushed as Lord Rixon stepped forward.

  “My lord…” I bowed as he studied Melanie and she him. “This is Melanie, I found her on Earth and wish for her to be my wife and mate. She helped me destroy the Lorascan mother ship,” I added for good measure. I spoke in English, so Lord Rixon would know to do so as well, for Melanie’s sake.

  Lord Rixon smiled widely and he bowed to both Melanie and I, causing the rest of the welcoming crowd to bow as well. I felt humbled and at a loss for words. Lord Rixon was bowing to us? “You both have been given the highest honor here on Rodon. You have saved our planet and our people from ultimate destruction,” Rixon said sincerely as he straightened from his bow.

  “Josiah…perhaps you have already mated with Melanie?” Lord Rixon asked me curiously as he continued to study her closely.

  “Yes my lord…why do you ask?” I was growing bemused at his intent gaze on Melanie; she was growing uncomfortable and I did not want her to be.

  “You know I have a gift of sensing life Josiah. I believe you have conceived with her,” he said.

  Shock turned me into a statue, and Melanie’s jaw dropped.

  “I’m…I’m pregnant?” said Melanie. Lord Rixon nodded, a slow smile spread across his face.

  He said, “This is a truly joyous day, you have saved Rodon and proved that we can rebuild our race! As soon as you are married you will be named first family of the new generation and treated with as much honor and respect as the royal family.”

  Lord Rixon actually embraced us both in a tight hug. The man was big and obviously had trouble tempering his own strength. Thankfully he let us go soon enough and we were able to breathe once again.

  Lord Rixon gave orders for people to prepare for our wedding ceremony and the palace was a hub of excitement as preparations were being made. Lord Rixon made sure to send a fleet of our warriors to clean up our space zones of the fallen Lorascans. Melanie and I were allowed to rest b
efore our nuptials in one of the palace’s guest suites.

  Melanie and I both collapsed on the bed and simply stared up at the ceiling as we recounted the day’s events. “We’re getting married…and we’re going to have a baby Josiah,” Melanie said with a smile in her voice. I grinned in return and turned to face her. She rolled onto her side to face me as well.

  “I love you Melanie,” I said simply and her smile seemed to light up the room.

  “I love you too Josiah,” she said before she leaned forward and kissed me softly on the lips. I knew that our future would be bright and full, as long as we had each other.

  THE END

  Bonus Story 2/40

  Alien Affair

  “Are you ready to make history Melissa?” the tall, beautiful ambassador asked.

  “Of course Ambassador Rosanna. Everything is as you requested, it is time,” Melissa responded. She was actually quite nervous. There had never been an Earth Federation ambassador to the Ilona worlds before and it was quite the controversy for some.

  “Then let us proceed,” she said.

  Melissa nodded and gestured to the guards who immediately lowered the ramp on the ship.

  The music started playing and they began their walk down to the parade grounds. It was laid out between the new federation buildings and the entrance to the Ilona capital city of Papier. The red carpet was lined with the human dignitaries in attendance and led to the Ilona dignitaries on the other side of the field. There were garlands of roses on the human side with a brighter garland of Ilona flowers that were a vibrant purple with white veins sparkling throughout. Melissa had noticed that everything about the Ilona were bright and very festive appearing in comparison to her people. In contrast it was a slow, stately pace that the ambassador set. She wanted to give everyone a chance to look them over. It was an important moment, and Melissa could only be proud of her beautiful boss.

  Rosanna was over six feet tall and athletically built with a regal bearing that suited her position. She was dressed in the traditional flowing red silk robes that were cut in a way to give glimpses of the standard white under suit all government staff wore. Her brown hair was up in braids that wrapped her head and ended in a bun at the nape of her neck. In comparison, Melissa was dressed in the drabber style of an ambassadorial assistant.

  Of course her five foot four height seemed to match her importance. She wore a waist length green velvet blouse that held snuggly at the top of her hips with baggy green silk pants that were a low waist cut. Due to her lower rank her hair was left to flow freely, with a red headband to keep it out of her eyes. Only important officials and dignitaries were allowed to wear their hair up in a show of status. Her own figure was more voluptuous, but growing up in the government compounds it was considered the less desirable figure when compared to the preferred build of the ambassador. Melissa was a well-trained assistant and accepted her position and the honor it bestowed on herself and her name.

  They met King Remole of Ilona in the middle of the field. Then the procession began moving towards the Ilona Arches of Entry. Passing through those would mark the first time any humans had gone to stay in an Ilona community. Melissa felt her breath quicken with the solemnity of the moment, but the moment was ruined by a popping sound. Then she heard a hum followed by an explosion that rocked the parade grounds, and she staggered forward tackling her boss to the ground. Weapons fire broke out over their heads and she heard the hum of blasters and recognized the popping she had initially heard as old style projectile weapons. Screams filled the air as Melissa pushed herself up to get a look at what was happening around her.

  The ambassador’s bodyguards were ringing them, and quickly tried to get them up and moving.

  “Let’s go, were sitting ducks out here, move!” shouted Captain Lancer. Melissa helped Rosanna struggle to her feet.

  “Come on boss, let’s go!”

  The ambassador seemed stunned that such an attack was taking place.

  “This is the quickest route, come on, the Ilona Arches are the closest cover!” the captain shouted getting everyone on their feet. The Ilona king and his people were being herded around them towards the safety of the Arch. Over her shoulder Melissa could see flames rising from the buildings around them and bodies lying unmoving on the ground. She forced herself to stay focused and ignore the scream of fear she felt building inside as Rosanna leaned against her, running with the bodyguards. As the shadow of the giant marble arches covered them there was a bright flash of light and an explosion. Melissa screamed as the light blinded her and a pain shot through her left arm and hip as she fell. A sudden shock shot through her head and she knew no more.

  *****

  “I have to go. I have to see the ambassador, please,” Melissa told the woman.

  “The ambassador was more damaged than you were in the attack. The prognosis is good, but she is in a restorative sleep field and you cannot see her at this moment. This time is for you to get better,” she was told for the second time. Melissa grimaced in frustration. She was not feeling too badly all things considered.

  Her left arm was wrapped in a stiff fabric of some kind. It had been fractured and was painful to move. Her head ached lightly, and reaching up she could feel the hair above her ear had been shaved and a bandage was covering the wound. Her left hip was sore, but other than that she was feeling fine.

  “Then can you fill me in on what happened? I need to report back to my people,” she tried, pushing herself into a more upright position on the bed. The woman helped her get settled and stacked pillows behind her. She studied her as she worked. The Ilona race was different from humans in many ways. One was that the women were more noticeable for their brightly colored hair and eyes.

  Nurse Kolly was a beautiful woman with amazingly purple hair that fell down her back and ended in pink streaks. Melissa knew it was a natural color and her bright, cotton candy pink eyes were equally startling. The Ilona people were also more permissive than humans in many ways and her clothes were evidence of that. Kolly wore a snug white top that barely covered her large breasts with matching snug shorts. Suspenders went up over her shoulders and had an emblem that, based on Melissa’s studies, denoted healing. Kolly smiled at her and offered her some water.

  “Your guards are in constant communication with your government so you should not worry about that. The master healer will be in shortly and he will be releasing you to good health. Trust me Assistant Mac, you will be allowed to see the ambassador as soon as it is possible to do so. We believe in stress free healing, so trust me when I say all your wants will be seen to in an effort to promote your rejuvenation,” the woman said.

  Melissa sighed and sipped the water. It was fresh and clear and exactly what she needed. Looking herself over she decided she would also need to get some clothes. She had a reputation to uphold and she looked horrible. Her blouse and pants had been removed so she was just in the standard white body suit. It was dirt stained and the sleeve and leg had been cut off of her so they could work on her injuries. Melissa turned her head so she could see her reflection on the side of the medical equipment, and grimaced. Her hair was a tangled mess and her usual bright green eyes were dull with fatigue and stress. She was about to take another shot at information when the door on the other side of the room opened and she stiffened, trying to finger comb her hair. The king of Ilona strode up to her bedside. The nurse bowed in surprise and backed away.

  The king was generally a jolly looking Ilona, typical of his race. He had flaming amber hair in a long ponytail. His face was round and his eyes were a bright blue. He wore a red vest and what she thought of as a skirt, or kilt, representative of his royal line. He was not smiling now however, and had a concerned expression on his face.

  “Your Majesty, you honor me with your visit,” she said lowering her head per protocol.

  “Thank you Melissa Mac, but it is Ilona that was honored when you and your ambassador came to us in trust. It is our shame that such a thing could happe
n on Ilona soil. We are doing everything we can to take care of the situation. How are you feeling my dear? Have your needs been seen to?” he asked.

  Melissa nodded, “Excellently Your Grace. I could not ask for better care. I am just concerned for my people and what happened.”

  He nodded in understanding. Melissa then noticed the captain of the ambassadorial guard was standing just inside the door. He met her eyes and nodded. He had a wrap on his arm and his leg as well.

  “I am here to inform you of what happened and reassure you of all we are doing. When we are through you will be free to go to the home we have arranged for you and yours. It is equipped with communication gear for your use in speaking with your government. We also have assigned liaisons to your person so anything you need that may have been overlooked will be quickly taken care of. As for what happened…” he hesitated. It appeared like he was trying to decide how to tell her.

  “Separatists, Your Grace?” Melissa asked softly. He looked grieved.

  “Yes, somehow the separatist group calling themselves Earth Only managed to get through the security. It is doubly sad that an Ilona group, Ilona First, struck at the same time. Our shame is double because of this and I wish you to know we will spare no expense or effort in finding the culprits and bringing them to justice. Your Captain Lancer has assured me your government is taking the same stand,” he gestured back to Lancer and he came forward. He was limping and looked exhausted.

  “Yes, it is a shame for us as well and we wish to redress the hurts done and begin our relationship with your people again,” he said formally.

  Captain Lancer was a tough looking man. He was a career soldier and Melissa knew he was agonizing over this as much as she ever could. It was his people who had been attacked.