Box Set #4: Sisterhood's End: [The 3 book 4th adventure of Egg and the Hameggattic Sisterhood]

by Robert Iannone

  A few minutes later, she called the Shamie and shared everything she had learned with her. “Sorry, sister,” she said. “At this point I’m at a loss as to what should be our next move.”

  Luckily, Jynx knew. Serenity watched her friend morph into a weird shape. “Grrrrrrr”.

  “Wow. You are good.”

  “Grrrrrrr.”

  “Okay, but be careful. Remember, once you leave the pod, it will self-destruct. And we’ll be unable to communicate . . . so be sure to get a fix on my position. Good luck.”

  *****

  Area 51, Nevada

  It’s the most famous secret military base that, ironically, everyone knows about (making it a lot less secret). Rumors about the place have swirled through the news, the movies and literature since the mid-1900’s. It’s where the government supposedly keeps all the aliens that come to visit earth.

  Of course, there were never ever aliens there. That was just silly talk.

  Well, that was about to change. Where better for Spirit to land then in the middle of the home to space wandering creatures . . . our very own Area 51.

  However, for a place that supposedly had seen lots of these visitors, her arrival really freaked them out.

  The cloaking device on Spirit’s pod began to malfunction at about two miles above the ground. Had she been able to communicate with Serenity, the problem could have been corrected easily . . . simply turn the power off then on to reset it.

  Of course, nothing was ever going to be easy.

  A few seconds later, the military on the ground saw a blip on their radar.

  It took another few seconds to confirm it was what it appeared to be . . . an unidentified flying object.

  The first UFO they had ever seen.

  “This is Central Command . . . intruder alert. Intruder alert. I repeat, we have a bogey at two miles, south southwest. This is not a drill. This is not a drill.”

  Thirty seconds after her cloak failed, Spirit had two jets screeching by her pod. Her radio began to buzz with voices . . .

  “What the heck is it?”

  “No idea. Hang on; I’m going to see if that’s a window.” A few seconds later, “Good golly Miss Molly . . . did you see that?”

  “This is control. What do you see?”

  “There’s a . . . a life form inside that craft.”

  “Life form?”

  “It appears humanoid. But whatever it is, it’s definitely not human.”

  “Please repeat.”

  “I say again, there’s an alien in that thing.”

  “Is it showing any hostile intent?”

  “Negative. She looks scared.”

  “She?”

  “It looks female.”

  “Can you communicate with it?”

  “No response to our hails. But . . . um . . . I waved at her and she waved back.”

  The radio emitted static. Control was obviously talking to some general . . . letting someone else make the decision as to how to respond to this threat.

  “Flight leader, this is Control. We have been instructed to shoot it down. Do you copy?”

  The pilot wanted to argue that this could be . . . probably was . . . the first contact with an alien species and proof that there was life on other worlds. But that wasn’t his job . . . he was a fighter pilot and trained to obey orders. Reluctantly he replied, “We copy. Commencing attack mode. Missiles armed and ready.”

  “Permission to fire. Repeat. Permission to fire. Destroy that vehicle.”

  “Roger.”

  Spirit had heard the entire conversation between the pilot and whomever he was talking to. She watched as the two planes looped around then headed straight towards her. At any moment, they would fire their guns. Even though Serenity had told her not to communicate with anyone, she decided that this might be an acceptable exception. It wasn’t because she thought they could actually destroy her pod . . . their weapons were much too primitive for that.

  She just didn’t want Egg’s people (she meant earthlings) to greet the universe with guns blazing. That seemed so obscene. Her friend would never do something like that. Her sister’s first reaction when meeting someone alien would be, “Hi, I’m Egg.”

  So she said (telepathically) to the lead pilot “Do you always destroy what you don’t understand?”

  Totally unprepared, the poor guy felt like something whacked his mind. It took a heartbeat to realize what had just happened. “ABORT,” he yelled into his microphone. “I say again . . . ABORT.”

  “This is control. Why are you aborting?”

  “I’ve made contact with the alien.”

  “We heard nothing.”

  “Um . . . it’s . . . um, telepathic.”

  “Say again?”

  “She’s a telepath. I repeat . . . she’s a telepath and she communicated with me.”

  “What did she say?”

  The pilot rolled his eyes. “She wanted to know if we always destroy what we don’t understand. I got the impression she was . . . well, that she was disappointed.”

  “About being shot down? Wouldn’t you be?”

  “That’s not it. I got the sense that she was . . . sad that . . . well, never mind. Do you still wish to destroy it?”

  “One moment.” Control was obviously passing the information on to the General. “Your order to fire has been cancelled. Repeat . . . cancelled. Escort the vehicle to the ground. At the first sign of hostile action, destroy it.”

  “Roger.” The pilot looked up and saw Spirit smile at him. He gave her a salute in return.

  *****

  Kathmandu, Nepal

  BreeZee was mesmerized by the sight . . .

  She had no idea what it was . . . other than the cutest animal she had ever seen. It took all of her will power not to run up to it and give it a big hug . . . and maybe tickle its belly.

  Taking off her backpack, she sat down and watched the animal eat some long-stem plant . . . obviously enjoying the meal. She kept putting her hand over her mouth to stifle the urge to giggle – not wanting to scare it off.

  Truth was, she had been walking for hours and was hopelessly lost. She knew now that she had made a tactical error. She should never have left the safety of the pod. Other than the supplies in her backpack, she had nothing. No way to purify water, no way to acquire food, no protection from predators.

  After giving it much thought, her new plan was to find a large hill or small mountain. Once on top, she would have a better chance at communicating with her sisters.

  Avoiding contact with Earthlings was her other priority.

  The most immediate problem was that she was in the middle of a dense forest making it impossible to get airborne. After a little rest, she would continue walking until she found a clearing so she could use her wings. Once up, she could survey the landscape and decide which direction would be best. What she didn’t know was that she wasn’t all that far from the tallest mountain on earth . . . Mt. Everest.

  In one respect, she was lucky . . . very lucky. Had she landed twenty minutes sooner, she would have been in China. That would have been a problem for a number of reasons.

  The Chinese might consider her a spy . . . and that could only end badly.

  They might consider her a mutation . . . and that would also end badly after they dissected her.

  If they accepted the fact she was alien . . . well, that would mean endless rounds of interrogation and assuredly months and even years of tests and experimentation. She would be held captive for the rest of her life.

  Regardless, once in the clutches of government officials (like Spirit), it would be an almost impossible task for Egg and the others to rescue her.

  But her pod set her down on the south side of the mountain range . . . in Nepal.

  Since she was unaware of her relative good fortune, her goals remained the same. So, she reluctantly stood up, waved goodbye to her new friend and continued her trek.

  Luck, of course, can be fleeting. Less than
twenty minutes later, she stepped into a trap used to capture the pandas and other endangered wild life.

  And like a butterfly in a net, BreeZee was in trouble.

  *****

  Her captor arrived about an hour later and she was actually very glad to see him. Stuck in the net and dangling about ten feet above the ground was incredibly uncomfortable. It was also hot, humid and a lovely place for insects to gather for a good buzz and a bite.

  He was a young man dressed in a brightly colored wrap . . .

  When he got close enough to discern what he had caught, he stopped and stared at the net and its contents . . . showing none of the emotion you would expect from a person who had just captured a beautiful alien Wind’dancer.

  Like Spirit, Bree felt she had to make contact. “Hello,” she called. “Can you help me get down?”

  Apparently having a half human, half butterfly talk was just a little too much for him to assimilate. He turned and ran as fast as he could . . . occasionally looking over his shoulder to reassure himself that he wasn’t being followed.

  Chapter 4 – Side Show Soo

  Grammy had been in the living room pacing back and forth waiting for the phone to ring. Ezra promised he would call the moment he found out anything. The poor woman was beside herself with worry.

  Then a bizarre thought forced its way into her mind . . . Egg was probably much safer being Flying Girl and the leader of the Hameggattic Sisterhood then being just her granddaughter on Earth. It was a shocking revelation.

  A few minutes later, she heard Egg’s voice. “Oh, thank God,” and she ran into the kitchen, threw her arms around the girl and broke down and cried . . . from happiness, from relief, and from a little guilt.

  “Gram, I’m okay.”

  The older woman released her hug. It took her a moment to realize that there was another person in the room, and that it was Tee’ka. “Tee’ka, what are you doing here?” Then she realized how rude that sounded . . . and how obvious the answer. “I’m terribly sorry. It’s very nice to see you again. Please, come in and make yourself at home.”

  “Thank you Grammy.”

  To Egg, she asked, “What happened?”

  “Tee and the others came for me . . . I told you they would. Anyway, she came through that device Serenity gave me and materialized on the plane. Then the silly goof fell out.”

  “Oh my. Tee’ka, you fell out of the airplane?”

  “I did. But Egg saved me.”

  “How?”

  “Um . . . just got lucky.” She didn’t want to tell her grandmother the truth for fear of giving the older woman a heart attack.

  Tee’ka didn’t understand Egg’s motivation – thinking she was just being modest. “She jumped out of the plane and caught me. Then she opened the . . . thing.”

  “Parachute?”

  “Yes, that thing. And we floated to the ground. It was very exciting.”

  “I’m sure.” Turning to Egg, she asked the obvious. “You jumped out of the plane?”

  “Gram, it was the only way. I’m not Flying Girl anymore, remember?” That was a not too subtle reminder whose fault it was that she couldn’t fly.

  “Right. Sorry about that.”

  “I know. So, we need to figure a way to let everyone know I’m safe and to explain how I got home.” She looked around. “Where’s Ezra?” Then she realized the obvious. “He’s out looking for me, right?”

  “Yes. He blames himself . . . he taught you to fly and gave you the plane.”

  Tee’ka interrupted. “That’s perfect.”

  “What is, dear?”

  “Egg can teleport herself to wherever Ezra is . . . and they can fly home together.”

  “Nice going, Tee. You’re right, that’ll be perfect. Um . . . but I can’t just teleport anywhere unless I can picture it in my mind.”

  “Last time he called, he was an hour or two from Mount Rushmore.”

  “Great. That was where I was heading to begin with.”

  “Come on, let’s call . . .” but as always happens, the phone rang. “That’s probably him. Ezra?”

  “Mom, it’s me. Any word?” Egg’s parents were obviously frantic with worry.

  “I just got off the phone with Ezra,” lied Grammy. “He’s got her. She’s okay . . . not a scratch. They’re flying home . . . should be back by early evening.”

  Mrs. Graystone didn’t answer . . . she just cried. Her husband apparently took the phone from his wife. “What happened, Eloise?” He assumed the crying was from bad news . . . very bad news.

  “She’s fine. Ezra found her and they’re coming home.”

  “Really?” You could hear the tears in his voice.

  “Really.”

  After she hung up, she called Ezra. “She’s here. Don’t ask, she’ll tell you the whole thing herself. Meet her at the Mount Rushmore airport.” Apparently, Ezra had questions so Grammy listened for a few seconds. “Dear, please. Just meet her there as quickly as you can. She can explain everything better than I. Okay. Now, fly carefully – I don’t want to have to go through this again. I love you, too.”

  “How long will it take him to get to that airport?”

  “He was on his way there when I called. It’s the closest airport and he was running low on fuel. So, you should probably leave.”

  “Okay,” and she hugged her grandmother. “Tee, Gram will make you a traditional Earth breakfast. Enjoy.”

  “Absolutely,” added Grammy. “Dear one, do you like coffee?”

  *****

  Ezra landed, jumped out of the plane, ran to Egg and picked her up in a bear hug. “Geez, don’t do that again.” He put her down and tried to wipe his eyes as casually as possible.

  “I broke your airplane,” was Egg’s response. She was trying to lighten the mood.

  “How bad?”

  “Itsy bitsy little pieces . . . maybe smaller.”

  “What happened? Was it the engine?”

  “No. I, um, had to jump out.”

  There would be only two reasons . . . make that normal reasons . . . to jump out. Either structural damage to the plane that would cause it to crash or a fire. “It was the rudder control, wasn’t it? I knew I should have replaced it.”

  “No. Ezra, the plane was working perfectly. It was Tee’ka.”

  “Tee’ka? From Aerianna?”

  “The same. She came through that device I hang by the passenger seat. When she materialized, the plane was hit with a downdraft . . . and she fell out.”

  “Is she dead?” He was horrified.

  “No, I saved her. I jumped out, did a cannonball to catch up to her, grabbed her then opened the chute. We landed without a scratch.”

  Ezra stared at the girl with his mouth hanging open. Finally, he managed to say “What?”

  Egg laughed. “Come on, let’s go home. Everyone will be waiting. We’ll talk on the way.”

  He didn’t move. “You jumped out to save your friend.” It was a statement not a question. “You are the bravest or the stupidest person I have ever met.”

  She grinned back at him.

  “And we both know you’re not stupid.”

  *****

  When they landed, there was quite the crowd. Her parents, Sylvia and her parents, Zeke and Zack and their parents, Grammy and Tee’ka of course, and the same reporter that had been reporting her story all along.

  Mr. Graystone was talking on his cell phone . . . probably to Ashley.

  Ezra taxied to the hangar and cut the engine. Egg jumped out . . . which is much safer when you’re actually on the ground. Everyone swarmed all over her.

  Hugs, kisses, pats on the back, the usual questions of what happened, how are you, where’s the plane, some nose blowing and tear wiping . . . then a quick interview with the reporter.

  Finally, the boys and their parents did the honorable thing and left Egg to her family. Even Sylvia’s parents, though not their daughter, left.

  The three girls, Egg’s parents and Ezra made them
selves comfortable while Grammy made coffee and lemonade for her guests. Mr. Graystone was the first to ask, “I’m sorry, did you say your name was Tee’ka? What nationality is that? And, how do you know Egg?”

  “I’m a Zynn-Zaz’zian. Egg and I . . .,” but before she could continue telling the truth, Sylvia cut her off.

  “Tee’ka, Egg and I are friends from school. She was supposed to come over a couple of days ago to see Egg off on her trip but she obviously got the day wrong. Isn’t that right, Tee?” Syl gave the girl a very hard stare . . . willing her to understand.

  “Yes. Yes, we’re very close friends from . . . from school. I think of her as a sister. Sorry that I missed your takeoff, Egg – but this was probably more exciting.”

  “Nice,” Syl thought to herself. Out loud, she said, “And Zynn-Zaz’zia, if you didn’t know, is a small town in South Africa. Tee is . . . or was . . . an exchange student. She’ll be leaving to go home in a few days.”

  “Oh. Very interesting,” said Mr. Graystone who was still so emotionally drained from the day’s ordeal that he didn’t seem bothered by Sylvia’s odd story.

  “Tell me again what happened, sweetheart,” requested Mrs. Graystone.

  “It really isn’t that interesting. I was flying over some pretty rough terrain when the engine died. Instead of risking an emergency landing in sand and rocks, I thought the best thing to do was bail out. So I jumped. As much as I wanted to try and save the plane, I figured it was best to insure my safety. Besides, Grandpa Ezra (she loved to call him that because it irritated him to no end) promised to buy me another one.”

  Ezra almost dropped his coffee. “I never said that.”

  “Are you sure? I’m almost positive you said you would,” teased the girl.

  With a mischievous grin, he said, “Tell you what. If your parents agree, then I will.”

  “NO,” cried her mother. “No and No.”

  “Dad?” Egg pretended to be upset. In truth, she knew she was going back to Aerianna even if it wasn’t as Flying Girl.