The Encounter

by Norman Fitts

  A horn sounded. He merged with Forty-Five North from the Walker street ramp. He slowed down and fell in behind the lady with the horn. He moved to the center lane and accelerated to highway speed.

  He looked at Margaret. "I'm waiting... And this better be good or I'm takin' the first off-ramp."

  She took a deep breath. "You ever watch Star Trek?"

  Talk about coming out of left field. "Star Trek?"

  "Yeah, you know, beam me up Scotty."

  "Yeah, I know." He suppressed the urge to laugh. "What the hell are you talking about?"

  She was serious. "Well, I guess you could say I’m Captain Kirk. I’m by myself. So I guess I’m in command... If you know what I..."

  He cut her off. "Just wait a minute... What are you telling me? You're from...” He points at the roof of his truck, “She thinks she's an alien." Now he knew for sure who was chasing her, somebody with a net.

  "Well, that depends on your point of view. To me you're the..." He moved over two lanes to the right. She noticed. "Where're you going?"

  "The office, then New Mexico. As fast as I can get there." After he had a little talk with Mr. Ward.

  "I can't go back to the building", she pleaded. "I need my ship."

  He didn't seem to be interested any longer. She couldn't let him take her back. She didn't want to hurt him. Her desire for him was still very strong, but so was her will to survive and to get back to her family. The truck was committed to the off-ramp. She needed another way. There was a gas station just across the intersection.

  "Larry, please. I need your help."

  "Your need for help is the one thing we do agree on."

  "Please, pull into the gas station. Give me a chance. I can prove what I'm sayin' is true. What have you got to lose?"

  "A number of things come to mind. My job, my career,” glancing at the hole in the back of his truck, “my life, just to mention a few."

  She sweetened the pot. "If you still don't believe me when I'm through I'll just walk away."

  Deep down he wanted to give her that chance. He glanced at her. "I'll hold you to that."

  The truck left the off-ramp, moved to the far right lane and slowed as it crossed the intersection.

  "All right, you’ve got five minutes to tell me something that makes sense."

  He paused to allow another car out, then turned into the service station and pulled away from the pump islands. He stopped the truck and turned off the engine.

  He leaned back against his door. "Five minutes, starting now."

  It was apparent words weren't going to work. She opened her door. "Let's go."

  He was losing his patience. "Where?"

  She looked back. "It's my five minutes."

  He opened his door. "Four and a half."

  They both got out. He followed her toward the men's room. This was stupid, he thought. A small, closed room, what if she had a weapon? He was pretty sure she was crazy. But this little voice in the back of his head, kept arguing in her favor.

  She opened the door and he preceded her in. She checked to see if anyone saw them, followed him in and closed the door. The last occupant had left the light on. She locked the door.

  To himself, "why am I standing in a men's room with a woman who thinks she beamed down from the Enterprise?” He raised his voice. "I don't know who's crazier, you or me."

  She started pulling her blouse out of her skirt.

  He backed away. "Hey, wait a minute."

  She turned her back to him and pulled her blouse up under her arms. "Move my hair and look."

  "Look at what? Your five minutes are up. I'm outta here."

  She was getting mad. "Just look!", she screamed. She couldn't waste any more time on this. One way or another, that truck was taking her to her ship.

  "Alright, alright..." he moved her hair, immediately let it go and moved back. "God Maggie, what is it?"

  She lowered her blouse and faced him. "Larry, it's just me. Where I come from we all look like that."

  "Where you come from they probably have visiting hours. Please, just cut the E.T. bullshit. You're spine's deformed. I'm sure there's a medical term for it. Look, I'm not gonna leave you out here. Fix your clothes and I'll take you back with me."

  He started around her. If it had been anyone else she would have ended right here. She grabbed his belt line, and with one hand, picked him up and shoved him against the wall.

  It all happened in slow motion for him. He felt himself leave the floor. His head and back hit the wall. All of his weight was hanging straddle the crotch in his pants, a foot and a half off the floor.

  She looked up at him. "What am I gonna have to do to convince you?"

  The pain in his genitals made it hard to breath much less talk. "Ahhh... You made your point." His eyes rolled back. "Please, put me down."

  She set him down. He doubled over and leaned against the wall.

  It was obvious she'd hurt him. "I'm sorry. I lost my temper. I just didn't know what else to do... Are you alright?" She tried to move closer.

  He slid a step away along the wall. "Sure. As long as I never wanted children." He took a deep breath and straightened up. For a minute, he just knew he was going to throw up.

  "I just need a ride... Please..."

  "Fix your clothes. I'll wait for you outside." He eased past her toward the door.

  She reached out and touched him. He pulled away and kept going. She watched him leave and shut the door. The pain in his groin was nothing, she thought, compared to the emotional turmoil she was experiencing. She felt like she was losing it. For better or worse, in half an hour they'd be free of one another.

  Lawrence walked a few steps and paused. He was hurting, and it had nothing to do with his emotions. He'd just had his testicles shoved up his ass. What he wanted now was to be away from her, or it, or whatever the hell she was. He half ran, half limped, to his truck. He slowed for a second to look at the damaged back and side. To hell with the insurance, even Allstate's hands weren't that big. He'd claim he was side swiped, just after an alien hit man blew away the back, right. He'd come up with something. He got in and started it.

  Margaret stepped out of the Men's Room. She'd taken the time to wet her face and hands. She started for the truck. It started for the exit. He was leaving without her.

  She panicked. "No. Don't leave, please." She shouted and started running after the truck.

  He saw her through the hole in the back and accelerated. His timing was perfect. There was a space in the traffic and he slipped right in.

  As he moved along the access road, he checked the mirror on the passenger's side. She was still running after him yelling something. He couldn't make it out. She finally gave up and stood watching him pull away. He couldn't do this. She was obviously in trouble. He slowed down. The car behind him blew his horn. He flipped on his hazard lights and stopped. The car eased around him.

  Son-of-a-bitch, what was it about her? She was right. She hadn't asked him to follow her. Of course, at the time, he hadn't known she was from frigin' Mars, or somewhere. He checked the mirror. She was walking toward him. For Christ’s sake, he thought, he was blocking traffic. She might at least hurry.

  Margaret opened the passenger door and got in. Neither one said anything. What's to say, he couldn't bring himself to run out on her and she knew it. He worked his way across the two lanes of traffic and took the up-ramp to Forty-five, North.

  ***

  They rode for twenty minutes without so much as a word between them.

  He glanced at her. "I assume if we get to Dallas we've gone too far."

  "I'll tell you when."

  He wasn't so mad anymore. "You know why I changed my mind?"

  "You felt sorry for a real alien without a green card."

  "No. You could've left me in that bathroom and just taken the truck, but you didn't."

  She half grinned. "You have no idea how close it came to that. If it hadn't been for..." This wasn't the time or place.<
br />
  "Been for what?"

  "For reasons you'll really never understand."

  "It's an alien thing, huh?"

  "Would you quit calling me that?”

  He glanced at her. "You just called yourself that. What am I supposed to call you?"

  "What's wrong with Maggie?"

  "Nothing I guess."

  She checked the exit going by. "Two more exits."

  He glanced at his inside mirror, then back to the road. "What hit the back of my truck?"

  "Small arms fire. We were lucky. It comes in a bigger size."

  "Why are they trying to kill you?"

  "You don't give up, do you? If all they wanted was a body I wouldn’t be sitting here. Fortunately, for both of us, I'm apparently worthless to them dead... Larry I know, more than you, the risk you’re taking."

  "From the looks of my truck, I've got a pretty good idea."

  "No you don't... Believe me you don't... Look, I've said more than I'm supposed to, but things are so screwed up and I guess I owe you something." She paused. Where to begin, she thought, maybe the beginning. "We've known about you for centuries. We’ve been coming and going for a very long time."

  The truck swerved toward the shoulder and he brought it back. He cut his eyes at her. "For centuries?"

  "That's not important." She continued. "What is important is some very unpleasant people are looking for me. It doesn't matter why, but not one of them's gonna care how many humans they go through to get me. The only thing I can do is leave. I need to put half the universe between this planet and myself... That's the best I can do... Okay?"

  "No, it's not okay." He smiled. "But I doubt if I can beat it out of you. Besides, who'd believe me anyway?"

  Her exit was next. "Here, this one."

  Lawrence took the exit. At this point he wanted to help, but the only thing left to do was finish the ride.

  He thought about something else. How many more of her kind, or anybody else's kind, were wandering around in his world. He was suddenly part of a very crowded universe. Who could he tell? Without her, it was just another UFO story. Let's face it. If what she said was true, and they'd been around for that long a time, they had almost as much claim to the place as he did. Even if he had her as proof, the thought of turning her into a sideshow didn't appeal to him very much. Her voice brought him back to the front seat of his truck.

  "The next drive on the right. Pull back by the barn." She watched the sky. "With any luck you'll be in and out in ten minutes."

  He turned into the driveway and slowly moved toward the barn.

  "Stop here", she said. "I need enough room to bring the ship out."

  He stopped. "You keep your spaceship in a barn?" He turned off the engine.

  "Sure. What's wrong with that? Where would you keep one?"

  Smiling, he said, “you’ve got a point.”

  They both got out of the truck. She took a step toward the barn and stopped. Even from here she could see the door wasn't shut. He stepped around the front of the truck. She held out her hand. He stopped.

  He looked from her to the barn. "What is it?"

  She walked up to him, put her arms around his neck and kissed him, then leaned back. "Do you have a weapon in the truck?"

  The kiss had taken him by surprise. Her request for a weapon took a moment to register. "No. What's wrong?"

  She pushed away from him. "I don't know." Looking over her shoulder. "Maybe nothing."

  He took hold of her arm. "You want a weapon, then say maybe nothing. Let's just get in the truck and go."

  She removed his hand. "I can’t stay here. I need my ship. It's the only chance I've got." She leaned up and pecked him on the lips again. "I've always been fond of that human custom. Now, get in your truck and leave. You've done all you can do."

  He opened his mouth to protest. She put her fingers on his lips, shook her head, and then turned toward the barn.

  Lawrence watched her walk away from him. She looked back and motioned for him to leave. He took a step toward the truck. She kept going.

  She stopped just short of the barn. The door showed signs of being forced. They had already been here. Their scent was in the air. She looked toward the house, then to the garage and then the barn. That's how they found her. The communications link between her ship and the device in her bag was active. They probably hadn't attempted to enter the ship. The entrance sensor was tuned to her body's electrical emissions. Why damage a perfectly good piece of salvage when all they had to do was shove her in front of it.

  Lawrence stood by the front of the truck, watching. She was hesitating. There must be something he could do. Shit! His bow. He ran to the back of the truck. The latch had been eliminated by the hole. He opened the rear door, fished around inside and came out with his compound bow and one arrow. He noched the arrow and stepped around the back of the truck.

  Margaret pushed the barn door open, then realized she had just used the same trick herself. "Damn it." As she turned toward the garage she was stunned. Everything went numb. She dropped to the ground unable to move.

  The Bounty Hunter stepped away from the back of the garage with the capture weapon still leveled on her. Maybe he never noticed Lawrence or simply discounted him as a threat. His hearing was acute though, and he looked toward the sound of the bowstring. The arrow entered his upper chest at an angle just below the throat. He grabbed at the shaft, dropped the capture weapon and pulled at his side arm. He staggered, dropped to his knees, and then fell face down driving the arrow on through him.

  Lawrence ran to Margaret, knelt beside her and set down the bow. She was breathing and her eyes were open. He started rubbing her arms. It was all he could think of to do. She slowly straightened out her legs. He helped her to a sitting position.

  The feeling was coming back. "Is he dead?" she asked?

  Lawrence looked around "I certainly hope so. Do they glow and disappear or something?"

  "Help me up." She said.

  He took her under the arms and they started up together. She gave him a curious look. "Glow and disappear? Really."

  She used him for support and began flexing her arms and legs. There wasn't a second to waste. It was only their luck this place wasn't crawling with his buddies right now.

  "Come on." She said. "I need to check the ship."

  They entered the barn. The oblong ship was setting on the garage floor. It seemed to defy gravity by not tilting to one side or the other. He laughed to himself. It sort of looked like the egg ship from MORK AND MINDY.

  "You travel across the universe in this?" He asked.

  "Don't let the size fool you. Don’t you have a saying, it’s not the size, it’s what you can do with it?"

  He grinned at the comment.

  She stepped next to it and an opening appeared. She looked at Lawrence. "Would you push the doors open?"

  "Ah, Sure." He was still having a little trouble attaching reality to any of this.

  She disappeared inside. He walked to the doors. She might have at least invited him inside. He walked one door open and then the other.

  He stepped outside and looked around. He looked at the body. He'd killed deer and other game animals before. As he looked at the dead man, reality began to set in. This was a man, not human, but close enough. He sort of wished it would glow and disappear.

  Her voice came from behind him. "Here..."

  He turned to face her. She was wearing something that looked like a one-piece flight suit.

  "I guess this is it." He said.

  "I guess..." She held out her hand with four gold disks.

  He took them and moved them around in his hand. "What's this?"

  "Four ounces of pure gold," she said. "That should cover the damage to your truck."

  He looked at the coins. She watched his face. The desire to mate with him was still there, but the fact that she would probably never see him again had taken the edge off.

  "Well, I gotta go." She said.

&nb
sp; "Can I kiss you good bye, again?" It was something he really wanted to do. "After all, you've completely screwed up my whole vacation."

  She tilted her head to the side. "How? New Mexico and those mountains are still there."

  "Yeah well, after today the next two weeks are gonna seem sorta dull."

  She smiled, stepped up and put her arms around his neck. He put his arms around her and they kissed. This was something they both wanted to do and it lasted for several moments. She stepped back and faced her ship. With the remote she brought the ship on-line.

  “Take a look around. I’d rather not have to cloak it.”

  Lawrence stepped outside, looked both ways and then motioned her out. She and an intergalactic spacecraft moved out into the sunlight.

  A loud pop startled them. They jumped, faced the noise and shaded their eyes from the huge ball of bright light. It faded and all that remained of the truck was a concave dent in the ground. The coins dropped from his hand.

  There was a huge ground rush of air as the cloaked Bounty Hunter's ship settled in next to the house. Even Lawrence could sense its presence.

  Margaret didn't hesitate. They had one chance. She pulled Lawrence with her into the ship. The opening closed behind them.

  Lawrence was left standing just inside the hatch. Margaret disappeared into the central chamber. He ran his hand along the wall. It was smooth to the touch. There were symbols. From their groupings, he surmised they were instructions of some kind in her native language.

  "Larry, hurry..." Her voice came from the chamber ahead of him. A slight vibration set up in the ship.

  Several Bounty Hunters approached the barn. One broke off toward the body. The Leader raised his weapon. The large one pulled his arm down. An argument broke out between them. A loud exchange ensued.

  Lawrence entered the flight deck. It was round, more or less. At the far side were two seats. Each had its on heads-up display. All the instruments were just outlines on a flat surface. There were symbol groupings at various locations around the wall. Margaret occupied the left seat. Her hands moved over a cluster of heat sensitive controls. Her eyes moved back and forth between two displays.