Alcantaran 1: Alien Abduction

by Terry Compton

  As soon as the group was through eating, Sabah indicated that Gus should fall back in at the rear of the line. The line left the dining hall and headed down the passage-way. They walked for a little way and Sabah indicated that Gus and three other creatures should enter a room to the side. Gus saw a room just like the one he had awakened in. The other creatures headed to the bunks and lay down. As soon as Gus was in the door, it shut behind him. He turned and tried to open it but found it was locked. Gus paced for awhile but the hard day of work and getting zapped was taking its toll. He approached the open bunk and laid down. One of the creatures got up and walked over to the depression in the floor. Gus saw that the depression was the equivalent of a bathroom. The creature touched a spot on the wall and a water nozzle came out. The creature drank from it and returned to its bunk. Shortly the lights dimmed and Gus drifted off to sleep.

  A bell chimed and the lights brightened. Gus awoke with a start and looked quickly around. The other creatures were getting out of their bunks and shuffling toward the door. Gus lay there for a little longer and suddenly the door opened. The other creatures shuffled out and in just a few seconds, Sabah stepped into the door.

  "When the bell chimes, you are to line up to go to work. We don't have time to waste and this will be your only warning," Sabah said.

  Gus jumped lightly down from the bunk and quickly strode through the door. The line of creatures wasn't far so he hurriedly caught up. They went to the same dining hall as last night and had the same quality of food. Gus ate but he didn't like it. The creatures finished eating, shuffled to the elevator and then proceeded back to the hangar for the planetary flyers. Sabah set everyone to loading and unloading just as they had yesterday. At the end of the day Sabah took everyone back to the dining hall and then to their cell. This was the routine for the next month.

  One day Gus stepped in the back of the flying machine to start unloading and he spotted what he guessed were fresh fruits and vegetables. He was a little surprised because he had seen nothing like this during the previous month. Some of the items looked similar to the fruits and vegetables on his planet. They smelled delicious and he couldn't help himself. He carried a load out and put it on the grav-sled. On his next trip in, he snitched a small fruit and ate it. It was wonderful! Gus continued to snitch small fruits and vegetables until he knew he had to quit before he made himself sick. He snitched a few more and hid them in his pouch on his belt. Gus made sure no one saw him. He needed these for himself. There were four other creatures from his line that were helping. One of them finally had a light come into its eyes as it recognized a vegetable similar to ones on its' home planet. It stopped working and started eating the vegetables. The other creatures didn't even pay any attention so Gus just kept carrying. Sabah noticed the creature wasn't working and came into the flying machine to check on it. He screamed and pulled his stingerray and aimed it at the poor hapless creature eating the vegetables. When the blue ray hit the creature, it screamed in agony and dropped to the floor like it was dead. Gus would have helped the poor creature except he saw that Sabah was still agitated and waving the stingerray. He guessed he would be next if he stepped over there and later he found out that he was right. Sabah waved at two of the other creatures and had them drag the disabled one out of the flying machine. They dragged it over close to the wall and left it there. All of the other creatures kept working so Gus did the same but he kept an eye out for Sabah.

  A short time later another Challekan glided up on its disk and started talking to Sabah. They were gesturing at the creature lying on the floor in a heap. The laborers had almost 1/2 of the machine unloaded and just as Gus was ready to grab another load, a huge octopod creature leaped from the middle of the pile of fruits and vegetables. The spider-like creature seemed to be covered in long fine hair all over its body and legs. The head had large fangs that had a yellowish liquid ready to drip from them. The creature was over three feet across and moved with incredible speed. The Challekan talking to Sabah had its back to the space ship and didn't have a clue of its impending doom. The octopod creature zipped down the ramp and leaped almost 15 feet right on the back of the robed Challekan. It knocked the Challekan to the deck and rammed those fangs into its shoulder. The Challekan let out an anguished shriek that could be heard all over the hangar. Sabah's disk immediately jumped 15 feet into the air. The octopod creature jumped at Sabah but missed by just a fraction of an inch. The hairy creature leaped to the wall and started rapidly climbing right up it. Sabah pulled his stingerray and fired at the hairy creature but the creature was moving too fast and he missed. The creature went clear to the ceiling and ran upside down across the ceiling. All of the other Challekans had flown their disks midway between the floor and ceiling. There was a cluster of about 10 Challekans in the middle of the hangar and the octopod creature sprinted in their direction. It shot a silky looking strand to the ceiling beyond the cluster and then swung down like Tarzan swinging through the jungle. Several in the cluster pulled stingerrays and fired at the octopod creature. Some hit it but they didn't even seem to phase it. Other shots missed and were ricocheting around the hangar making creatures of all sizes duck for cover. Gus stayed under cover in the planetary flyer as he continued to watch. The octopod creature swung past the cluster and then swung back on the other side. As it went by the cluster of Challekans, it shot out another silky strand. The strand made a loop and went over the entire cluster. On the return swing, the creature shot another strand that looped the cluster of Challekans again. The octopod creature seemed to tighten the loops and jerked all the Challekans off their disks. The strands were sticky and held the Bugs in place twenty five feet off the hangar deck. The creature proceeded to add more loops quickly and then climbed down to the cluster to start biting with its fangs. The Challekans were shrieking in terror and struggling to no avail as the creature bit them all. Alarms started sounding and some armored Challekans armed with blasters flew through the big doors on their disks. They formed a box under the creature and fired the blasters. They hit the creature and Gus could hear the sizzle as the blasters did their damage. Shortly he could smell the burnt flesh and the creature slowly relaxed its grip on the strand and fell to the floor dead. The Challekans blasted it again for good measure and then flew to the back of the flying machine Gus was standing in. They lined up so they could blast anything that came out of the back. Sabah brought the whole line over and ordered everyone to rush with the unloading. The guards stood there at the ready until the last item was unloaded. Once all of the creatures in Gus' line were out, two of the guards went in and searched the flying machine. Sabah ordered Gus and one of the other creatures to drag the octopod creature to the disposal and throw it in. Gus saw that the first Challekan that had been bitten was dead and he figured the ones hanging from the ceiling were also. Sabah and the other Challekans lined everyone up and marched them out of the hangar. They put them back in their cells early that day. The next day when they arrived at the hangar, the bodies of the dead Challekans were gone.

  Gus settled back into the monotonous routine again. Whenever he unloaded fresh fruits and vegetables he snitched all he could eat and then loaded his pouch. As long as the Bugs didn't see him and he kept moving, they didn't even seem to notice.

  Gus had been captive about seven months when he started to notice that he didn't have the stamina he normally did. This worried him but he didn't know what it was. He did notice that when he carried some sacks and boxes that were dusty, he felt better the next day. He tried to get all of the dusty things he could but it just wasn't enough. His strength started to wane in the ninth month and he had trouble just putting one foot in front of the other. Eventually, he was too sick and weak to even get out of his bunk. Sabah came in and blasted him with the stingerray but he was too sick to even care. The next day two of his bunk mates hauled him to a waiting grav-sled. The sled took him to another part of the mother ship and a robot unloaded him into a bunk in a new cell. A Challekan came in and used a heale
r unit to check him out. The Bug left and came back shortly with a device that he put next to Gus' arm. There was a poof and Gus felt a sting in his arm. Later that day he felt a little better and the next day a Bug returned and gave him another shot in the arm. After three days of treatment, Gus almost felt like he would live. The next morning a Bug came and ordered Gus to follow. They wound through the mother ship and ascended several levels until finally they arrived at the repair hangar.

  The repair hangar was a huge room containing damaged planetary flyers, robots and other space ships the Bugs had traded for, bought or found in space. They repaired what they could and if they didn't need it, they sold or traded it. The space ships and robots that were too damaged were salvaged. Each part that could be useful in another repair or trade was stored in an adjacent room. That room was a giant storage area with shelving covering the entire floor and reaching to the ceiling. Each shelving unit had a special code embedded so a robot could be directed quickly to a specific location. Each part was carefully tagged with a precise description, entered into the computer by a special technician and then stored in a designated spot. This system made it very easy to fill orders or to find parts needed to keep the planetary flyers in service. One of the most important parts of the salvage was to drain all of the usable energy material out of the damaged space ship or robot. This material was measured by the computer technician and then added to the mother ship stock pile until it was needed. Gus was assigned the task of emptying the energy material and putting it in the mother ship stock pile. The Bug directed Gus to a rack containing protective gear. The Bug told Gus to find a suit that fit and get into it. There was a communication device in the helmet and the Bug would teach Gus what to do.

  The Bug took Gus through the entire procedure step by step until Gus was comfortable doing it by himself. He suspected the job was fairly dangerous because he needed protective gear and the Bugs stayed well away when he was draining the energy material, taking it to the computer technician to measure and then dumping it in the stock pile. Gus was glad the job wasn't so tough physically because he still wasn't back to normal. Whenever he was caught up draining the energy material, he helped clean some of the older space junk the Bugs had found. There was always a film of dust on the older pieces and Gus gladly cleaned it off. Every time he cleaned this dust, he felt better for a few days. Gus settled back into a routine of working and watching for a chance to escape… until the day the short, furry computer tech named Tik showed up.

  The creature was a small strawberry-blonde furry creature that usually walked on four legs. She stood about 12" at the shoulder when on all four legs but was about 30" tall when she stood on two legs. She mostly walked on the two back legs when she was working on the computers or some other technical work. She had a fluffy tail covered with long feathery hair that was about 1/3 the length of her body. Her fingers curled and she walked on the middle joint of her front paws when on all four. She was armed with very sharp, retractable claws on all four paws -- much like a cat. Her front paws had 3 fingers and an opposable thumb which allowed her to pick up items and use a keyboard. She carried her head high so Gus knew that she was very proud and had an attitude. When she walked on all fours and her tail was straight up, it had a small curl on the end. When her tail was like that, she was in the fighting mode and you had better look out. She had a small canine-shaped head complete with the sharp canine teeth and her ears expressed a lot of the emotions she felt. If they were standing up and cupped a little, it was a sign of curiosity or interest. When her ears were flat against her head, she was in no mood to mess with anybody and she might throw something or even bite.

  Tik took up the story from this point. When she felt the planetary ship taking off, she rushed to the door. It was locked and there was no other way out of the computer room. She went to the computer and tried to get into the memory to see if she could open the door. She found out that she was locked out of the computer and she couldn't check anything. She tried the comm unit but there was no response. She gathered up all her tools and put them in the tool bag. She figured a bill and sent it to the home office. She made sure that she charged a big bonus for the test hop and padded her time too. Finally, with nothing else to do, she just sat down and waited. After about a half a day, she felt the planetary ship braking and soon it landed again. She thought that the Bugs had just taken off to test the ship and were returning her to the space port. She was getting ready to give someone a piece of her mind. She would be paid extra for going along on a test hop! She waited and waited for someone to open the door and the longer she waited the angrier she became.

  Suddenly the door opened and a Bug glided in on a floating disk. Tik was off the chair in a flash and ran right up to the Bug.

  "Listen, you overgrown filth from the sewer, I didn't sign on to do test hops. I hope you know that this will cost you extra! Before anyone from my company sets foot on one of your space ships again, we'll have an armed guard to keep doors open and you jerks on the ground. I hope you have credits to pay the bill," Tik ranted as she grabbed her tool bag. She started to brush past the Bug when it glided in her path.

  The Bug said haughtily, "You will follow me. We have need of your services on the mother ship."

  Tik jumped with no warning and knocked the Bug off the disk. She trampled right over the top of it and headed out the door. She turned down the passage and headed for the outer door that she had come in earlier. The Bug was making funny sounds and was trying to scramble back into an upright position.

  The Bug hollered loudly, "Halt or you will regret it!"

  Tik didn't even look back as she said, "Shove it up your nose, you overgrown sewer filth!"

  Tik felt the charge coming before she heard it. She tried to jump to the side and almost made it, but the stingerray blast grazed along her side. The pain in her side was excruciating so she dropped the tool bag. She whirled and dragging her one side, she still tried to attack the Bug that had blasted her. The Bug blasted her again and she passed out from the pain.

  When she woke up, she was in a room just like the one that Gus had described, except the room and bunks were smaller. Tik felt like she had been hit by one of the taxis at Anbang. It hurt to move but it also hurt to just lie there so Tik checked the drawers and found her tool bag in the drawer under her bunk. There were other items in two of the other drawers. She tried the door but it was locked. Tik checked her tool bag to see if anything was missing but everything was there. She took her bag to the door to see if she could get it open. She messed with it for quite awhile but had no luck. She gathered up her tools and went back to the bunk and lay down. She put her tool bag right beside her for quick access or to grab it and run.

  Later the door opened and two small dissimilar creatures filed in carrying a bag. As soon as they were in the room, the door swung shut. The two creatures didn't even pay attention to Tik. They just went directly to their bunks, put the bag in a drawer and then they lay down. Tik tried to engage the two in conversation but they didn't act like they understood anything she tried to say. They weren't interested in any sign language either. Finally, Tik gave up and lay down. It had been a long stressful day and the effects of the stingerray had taken their toll also. Soon Tik fell into a fitful sleep. She woke up every time one of the other creatures turned over or moaned in their sleep. When the bell went off in the morning, Tik almost jumped off the bunk. She went into her defend position, ready to take on whoever or whatever stepped through the door. The two creatures got up, grabbed their bag and lined up at the door. Tik stayed where she was, ready to fight.

  The door swung open and the two creatures filed out. Shortly a Bug stepped through the door.

  "Grab your tool bag and follow the other workers," the Bug said quietly.

  "Why don't you go try to breathe vacuum, you sewer filth!" Tik growled dangerously.

  "Come right now! We don't have time for foolishness," the Bug replied, as it started to reach inside its robe.

  Ti
k was ready for trouble and before the Bug could pull its arm out of the robe, she leaped from the bed and in one more leap covered the distance from the bed to the Bug. The Bug pulled the stingerray out of its robe but before it could fire, Tik hit it head on. She knocked it to the ground and grabbed the arm with the stingerray in her mouth. She bit down and twisted at the same time. She felt a satisfactory snap and felt the arm break off. She spit it out and went for the hood. She was trying to get it off and get to the Bug's face when another Bug came up behind and blasted her. The same excruciating pain as yesterday knocked her out and she fell off of the crippled Bug.

  When she came to, both Bugs were holding stingerrays on her. The crippled Bug asked, "Are you ready to get your bag and go to work or would you like another dose?"

  Tik tried to get to her feet and show the two Bugs how ready she was to work but her body just wouldn't do as she willed. She finally pushed up on her arms but they wouldn't hold her and she crashed back to the floor. After a few seconds she tried again. She wasn't going to give these Bugs the satisfaction of thinking she was beat. This time she pushed up on her arms and stayed. It took another two minutes before she could get her feet under her and stand on all four. She tried to take a step and almost fell again. Her tail was drooping and didn't offer any balance. She took a tiny step and made it so she tried another. Gradually, feeling was returning but she decided to get her tool bag rather than attack. The odds were too great and she just didn't have another charge. She laid her ears back to show that she would cooperate; but the Bugs had better beware, because if she got half a chance she would attack again.

  Tik could hardly carry the bag and could barely move to keep up with the other creatures already lined up in the passageway. As she moved, her body started responding better and soon she was close to her old self. The Bugs took them to the dining hall and everyone picked up a tray of food. Tik took hers but didn't like the smell or texture. She knew she was going to have to force herself to eat to keep up strength. She ate about half of the meal and then the Bugs lined them up again. They walked the line to a large room that Tik figured was a repair room. There were robots, tools and all sorts of equipment in various stages of disassembly. The other creatures in the line stopped at work stations on benches lining the center of the room. The Bugs indicated that Tik should sit at the next empty station.