by Bill Bush
“Nothing yet, but he’s working hard,” Allison said.
“Where’s Nicole?” Alya asked.
The hesitation from Fox and Dyson told the kids that something was wrong.
“She was captured when we stole the spaceship,” Fox said.
“We have to go get her!” Alya exclaimed.
“We will,” Fox said. “But first I want to get an update from Eric on how he's progressing. Then we can make a plan.”
Inside they found Eric in his lab, sitting in front of the television. He waved for them to come in. “The President is about to speak again.”
Eric was on the floor in the middle of the room. The room was large enough for them to gather comfortably. It consisted only of the large television hanging on the wall and a couch, where Alya, Allison, and Josh sat. Fox and Dyson stood in the back and Flipper, Chezlor, and Jake sat on the floor.
A few minutes later the news was interrupted to allow the President to address the nation, and the world, again.
“Just over an hour ago the world was saved from an insidious attempted attack on the world leaders. Unfortunately, the celebration has been short-lived.
”A second, more successful, attack took place at the same time the first one was being prevented. Someone has poisoned the world leaders. A few of the conference participants have died. Most of them are fighting for their lives. We have the best medical attention we can provide, but unfortunately, the poison was quick and deadly.
”The good news is we caught the person responsible for the killings.”
Everyone gasped as a picture of Nicole appeared on the screen.
”As you can see from the increased air activity today along with these two attempts at killing the world leaders, the Gudes are ramping up their activity. If it wasn’t for the speedy action of the Snaders, this catastrophic day would have been even worse.
”We will be questioning the assassin, but we are not optimistic of getting any useful information from her.
”I know everyone is scared. Scared of the Gudes and their persistent attacks, and scared of the presence of the Snaders. I too, am frightened. But this is not a time to cower in our fear but to look it in the eyes and not blink.
”I have been in ongoing discussions with the Snader’s leaders. They have agreed, and are eager to, assist in the protection of our planet. The Snaders have been thoroughly vetted and they have proved their trustworthiness and their value by helping to defend Washington D.C. and the world leaders today.
”In light of today’s events, I will be petitioning the other countries to allow the Snaders to fly their spaceships across this globe in an effort to keep each country and its citizens safe.
”The Snaders have contacted their home planet of Rex and requested backup. They are sending additional help immediately. I will request for other leaders around the world to allow the Snaders to bring more help into our atmosphere. The truth is we don’t know how many of the Gudes are on our planet already, and we don’t know how many are in close proximity awaiting their next attack. We are grateful to the Snaders for their help and willingness to assist us in this time of chaos.
”I will keep you updated. Thank you.”
Fox exploded “They’ve pinned the murders on Nicole and made Dyson a hero to promote Snaders!”
“How are we going to rescue Nicole?” Chezlor asked.
“And our parents?” Allison said.
Fox tightened his fists. “I don’t know. We’ll get them, we’ll get them all. But first we have a much bigger problem to solve. We have to stop the Snaders from spreading their poison.”
Chapter 38
Eric spent the rest of the day trying to create an antidote for the poison. Fox and Dyson worked on the spaceship doing maintenance and making a few needed repairs. The kids helped out where they could and one of them constantly watched the news and kept the others updated.
President Charles had not yet convinced the other countries to allow the Sanders to travel there to protect them. A few more participants that were poisoned passed away, and so far no one poisoned was recovering.
It was getting late and they were all tired. With the other countries still resisting the request for the Snaders to travel to their countries, the group decided to get some sleep.
Eric hadn’t set his cabin up for entertaining several guests. Actually, he hadn’t set it up for entertaining any guests. There were plenty of blankets for everyone to use, because he was more than prepared to be stranded in a major snow storm or other catastrophe. He only had two pillows and the one bed.
Jake, Chezlor, and Alya slept in the living room with the television off for the night. Flipper, Josh, and Allison slept upstairs in the loft. The only things up there were boxes full of supplies. They crashed on the floor, using extra blankets as pillows. Fox and Dyson took turns. One slept inside the spaceship while the other was lookout. That left the bed for Eric, which he didn’t plan to use because he was absorbed with trying to find an antidote.
“You know where I wish I was?” Josh asked as he placed blankets down to use as a pillow.
“Where?” Allison asked.
“At the carnival. Remember all those rides last summer?”
“Yeah, my favorite was the Ferris wheel,” Allison said as she laid down.
“I didn’t like the Ferris wheel!” Flipper admitted. “Especially when it stopped at the top.”
“Maybe the Tunnel of Love is more your speed.” Josh was now lying down.
“What are you talking about?” Flipper asked.
“We see the way Alya looks at you,” Allison teased.
“Whatever!” Flipper said nonchalantly, but the redness in his cheeks betrayed his emotions.
“Maybe she would rescue you if were stuck at the top of the Ferris wheel,” Josh said.
“Oh yeah, what are you afraid of tough guy?” Flipper spat back.
“Snakes!” Allison put in quickly.
“No, I’m not!” Josh protested.
“You screamed like a girl when that lady pulled a snake out of the cage at the zoo last year,” Allison challenged.
Josh started to argue but realized he was had. “Well, maybe a little.”
“Imagine you were in a room full of snakes,” Flipper said. “That’s how I feel about heights.”
“What are you afraid of?” Josh asked Allison.
“I have astraphobia.”
“What is that?” Josh and Flipper asked at the same time.
“It’s the fear of thunder and lightning.”
“You’re lucky,” Josh said. “We don’t get much of that in Roswell.”
They laid quiet for a minute, and Flipper began to reflect. “You know, last time we slept alone on the floor together I was kidnapped.”
“It’s hard to believe that was only two weeks ago,” Allison said.
“At least we know where his kidnapper is this time,” Josh chuckled.
“Yeah, he’s in charge of protecting us,” Flipper joked.
They had a good laugh. The laughing died down quickly and they became quiet again.
“I sure do miss my parents,” Allison said somberly.
“Yeah, me too,” Josh added.
Flipper was lonely too. They hadn't done anything all day to help locate them. He was torn between wanting to hunt for them and the need to protect Earth. At the moment he didn’t care about fighting aliens; he just wanted to go back to the way things were two weeks ago—a nice, calm, boring life.
“Flipper, are you okay?” Allison often recognized when something bothered him.
“I’m feeling useless,” he said.
“What do you mean?” Josh asked.
“I didn’t really do anything all day except fetch some stuff. Our parents are out there somewhere and I’m not doing anything to find them.”
“What you did today WAS helpful,” Allison said. “But I know what you mean. It feels like a wasted day.”
“But what can we do?” Josh asked.
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“I don’t know,” Flipper admitted. “I don’t know.”
***
Allison woke, feeling a cool breeze blow across her face. The sky was clear, and the lack of light allowed the dark expanse above to shine with millions of stars. Allison loved to stare up at the sky and wonder what was out there and what it would be like to explore.
This was the first time she had a chance to gaze at the stars since she had learned that aliens were truly real. Now she could dream afresh what it would be like to visit a populated planet, although she would rather it not be Rex. Technically she had been there in one of her dreams last week, the one with that Snader, Red, who hunted Dreamers like her. He had trapped her too, but she escaped when she woke up. She didn’t know why she could escape at the time, but now she knew it was because she had Snader blood in her.
Not only could she think about and know aliens, she was part one herself. How bizarre!
Suddenly a streak of lightning flashed past her. Allison spun out of control, and she realized that she was not standing on Earth, but floating in space. Another bolt of lightning roared past, and tossed her in the opposite direction, causing her to almost slow to a stop.
She had been so enamored by the beauty of the sky she hadn’t thought about where she was. And she hadn’t had a dream in several days, but this was certainly a dream and she was definitely floating around in space. Why did she end up here?
She didn’t have time to think about it. Another bolt of lightning went by and the thunder was so loud it hurt her ears. She noticed that down below her was a planet, but it wasn’t Earth. The lightning picked up and filled the sky. The thunder rolled, becoming steadier with each passing moment.
Lightning again spun Allison around and she noticed in the distance thousands of balls of light. Are those spaceships?
Allison screamed again and again, but the thunder drowned out her ability to hear herself. The lightning continued to intensify. Paralyzing fear coursed through her body. She was being tossed to and fro by the surge of electricity flying around her. She covered her head with her arms and started to cry. She wanted to panic and run, but running wasn’t an option.
She let out another scream that suddenly reached her ears as the noise of the thunder ceased and the bright lightning show vanished. Allison felt herself sitting on something solid, but could only see a bright light still shining in her eyes from all of the lightning. Her instincts were still on flight mode. She tried to stand and run, but a bar held her down.
She shut her eyes and gave them a minute to adjust. The silence was interrupted only by the sound of crickets chirping from a distance. A light breeze blew, and Allison suddenly wished she had a jacket. Her seat slightly rocked.
How did she survive in space? It wasn't logical a cave wall could give her a lump but she could survive treacherous space without a spacesuit. She wished she had a manual for this dreaming ability.
She slowly opened her eyes, again clearly seeing the night sky. This time she wasn’t floating in space, but sitting in the top of the Ferris wheel. The carnival looked like it had been put away for the winter. She could see rides all around her, but they weren’t set up to run. The booths were all set against each other, closed up and locked.
A chain link fence surrounded the carnival activities. The fence had barbed wire around the top. In the distance were warehouses and several old looking buildings. Allison could see quite a distance, but she didn’t see any signs of life. She had no idea where she was with no one to help her get down. At least she wasn’t afraid of heights like she was the lightning and thunder. But how did she change places in her dream? She had never been to more than one place before.
“I guess the drugs wore off,” Allison said to herself as she leaned her head back and enjoyed the view. Now that they knew a few aliens — some Flipper considered friends — she wondered if her parents would ever let her visit Vetrix. Of course, they were going to have to save Earth first, and find her parents. Actually, saving the Earth seemed like an easier task than talking her parents into letting her travel to another planet.
Her parents were pretty strict. The only time they let her go out of town without them was when she went with Uncle Dennis or Aunt Dee. They hadn’t even let her go on a school activity without one of them chaperoning the trip. Most of the time she didn’t mind. She liked having them around and her friends all liked them.
The cool breeze and quiet outdoors was getting to Allison. She closed her eyes and began to drift off.
She woke up in a narrow hallway with faint lights glowing on either side of her. She knew immediately she was in the reptile house at the zoo. Glass cages on both sides housed various kinds of snakes.
She walked around, trying to find a door. The dim lights in the cages with the snakes didn’t put off enough light. She felt her way along the wall, finally making it to the front doors.
She tried to open them, but they were locked. She searched further and found some more doors, but they were also locked. She even found a door marked ‘Emergency Exit’, but it was chained shut. She sat down and leaned her head back against the wall. It wasn’t very comfortable, but she was really tired. It didn’t take long before she dozed off again.
Allison woke, standing in a dark room. She froze, her heart pounding as she tried to remain completely quiet and not disturb whoever was asleep. It was too dark to see, but the snoring reminded her of her dad, and she felt a wave of homesickness come over her.
A light appeared from the other side of the cracked door. There was enough light for Allison to make her way quietly to the door. She opened it a couple of inches and peered out. She couldn’t see anyone, but she heard crying in the distance.
Like the snoring, the crying sounded familiar to Allison so she followed.
She quietly pulled the door shut behind her and tip-toed down the hall.
When Allison found the source of the crying, tears began to roll down her face. She sprinted as her emotions overwhelmed her.
“Oh, Allison!” Aunt Dee exclaimed as she wiped her eyes with a tissue. She jumped up off the couch and gave Allison a huge bear hug. “Is it really you?”
“Yes, I’m dreaming,” Allison said.
Dee gave her an odd look. “Dreaming? Like when you helped Flipper destroy the generator on Vetrix?”
”Exactly! Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. We’re all fine.”
“All?”
“Your parents and Josh’s parents are here also,” Aunt Dee said, finally breaking out of the hug and looking at Allison. “We were so worried when Josh's dad returned from the UFO Museum alone. Is Flipper okay?”
“Yes, Flipper and Josh are both fine.”
“I have to go get your mother. She will be thrilled to see you.” Aunt Dee stood and started down the hall.
“Aunt Dee, where are we?” Allison asked.
Aunt Dee paused just long enough to answer. “The salt mines.” She disappeared through a door at the end of the hall.
Allison got goose bumps thinking about seeing her mom. She was so homesick and missed her parents deeply. She couldn't wait to see them!
But she didn't get the chance.
Chapter 39
Allison was full of disappointment when she woke up in Eric's cabin. She was so close to seeing her mom—at least she thought so. She was a little unsure, because it was such a bizarre dream and she hadn’t had a dream in several days. It certainly felt real, like her other real dreams, just a bit crazy.
At breakfast she told the others about her dream. Flipper and Josh were glad it wasn’t them dreaming when she told them about the Ferris wheel and reptile exhibit.
“Salt mine, huh?” Eric said. “She didn’t give you any more detail than that?”
“That’s all she said. I should have stopped her and asked more questions.”
“She was getting your mom. None of us would have slowed her down from getting our parents,” Josh said.
Flipper nodded in a
greement. “I’m just glad to hear that Mom is okay. I wish I knew how Dad was doing.”
“I’m sorry Flipper, I should have asked.”
“Stop apologizing, Allison,” Flipper said. “Mom wouldn’t know how he is, or even where he is.”
“But you know where your mom is and Allison and I know where our parents are,” Josh said excitedly. “We have to go rescue them!”
Eric turned his laptop so Allison could see the screen. He had a map of the United States with all the salt mines marked. “Do any of these salt mine locations look familiar?”
“Allison glanced at the map then quickly pointed toward the middle, exclaiming, “That’s it!”
“How do you know?” Flipper asked.
“When I was in the spaceship with Nicole under the UFO Museum, before Finn and Damien attacked us, we came across some information that had the Snader’s secret underground locations. One of them was in Kansas.”
“Let’s go get them!” Flipper exclaimed.
The three kids looked at Fox with pleading eyes.
Fox asked Eric, “How are you coming with an antidote?”
“Just when I think I am making progress I have a setback. At best it will be a couple of more days, but I can’t make any guarantees.”
“I hope we have a couple of days,” Dyson said.
Eric nodded. “Me too.”
“I’ll take Flipper and Josh,” Fox started.
The three cheered, but Fox held up his hand to quiet them. “I can’t guarantee we are going to try a rescue. We’ll scout out the facilities and see what kind of security they have. If I think we can get them quickly and safely we may try. Otherwise, we have to come back here to help stop the Snaders’ takeover plans.”
“We want to go and help,” Jake said.
“Yeah,” Chezlor and Alya agreed.
“And I do too,” Allison protested.
Fox looked at Allison. “I know you do, but If something happens to us, well, I think it's best you stay here.”
She looked up; disappointment filled her eyes. She couldn't bear the thought of something happening to Flipper and Josh. She could argue, but she was certain Fox would make either Flipper or her stay because of their unique blood makeup. He didn't want to risk something happening to the both of them. She kept quiet.