by Saxon Andrew
“Ever living crap?”
“Look it up; I kinda like that description. Refer back to human anatomy to really understand it.”
“Now you’re being gross.”
“You must learn their idiomatic phrases. I’ve prepared a download of most of them; you should focus on them next.”
“What if someone uses, what’s it called…a gun on me.”
“Take it from him and shove it up their…”
“Hey, hey; that’s enough of that.”
“Sorry, I really like this language. You can express things that our language doesn’t allow.”
“That’s because we’re civilized.”
“If you say so.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“I think you can have a huge amount of fun here. At least until the Stalkers find you and suck your intellect into a tube.”
“Cute…very cute. I’ll curtail my fun and try to not be noticeable.”
“That’s what I like hearing. The download of phrases begins now.”
He leaned back and closed his eyes. After a few moments he started smiling. The Pod was right. Some of these were incredibly funny. Horney as a three-horned billy goat had him laughing out loud until he looked it up. He immediately stopped and said, “Gross.” Then he thought about it and started laughing again.
The pod watched his occupant and worried that he would be found. Learning how to hide in this complex society was going to be incredibly difficult. There was also the problem that his brain waves could be seen if a Stalker came within a half mile of his location. Oh well, you can only do what you can. He also had to unlearn the warrior behaviors he had used his entire life.
• • •
The planet was getting larger in the display and he said, “How are you going to do this?”
“I’m headed straight toward that huge city on the east side of the continent.”
He thought for a moment and said, “New York.”
“Yes, New York. If I’m trailing any high energy particles, they should be removed over that city as we enter the lower atmosphere and move away.”
“Where are you going?”
“There’s another large city north of that city called Boston. That is where you are going to hide.”
“Why did you choose that city?”
“They have a technological school there called MIT that does studies on high power lasers. I’m hoping the particles from those studies will block any emissions from my reactor.”
“What’s the possibility of that happening?”
“I’m shutting down the reactor to my lowest possible level. If that doesn’t work…oh well.”
“It will probably work with the Stalkers but the Sentinel will see it.”
“Well, he’s not here yet, so maybe it will buy us some time. That’s what this is all about; extending your life as long as possible.”
Chapter Two
The escape pod entered Earth’s atmosphere over the east coast of the United States and started a shallow glide toward the brightly glowing lights near the Atlantic Ocean. It flexed its sides and changed into a thin, wide wing once its thrusters got it into the lower atmosphere where the air could be used to glide. He sat in the chair and watched the views being provided by the pod’s scanners. “What are you looking for?”
“I need a form I can change into that will hold most of my major units. It needs to be wide enough to house the disrupters and the reactor. Most of the machines I’ve scanned are tall enough but lack the proper width. Wait a minute.”
He suddenly saw a sleek machine appear on the display, “What is that?”
“It’s called a Corvette. There are numerous models of this machine and it appears the newest model is wide enough to barely house the disrupters. Give me a moment.”
He sat and watched a pattern of squares cover the car on the display and the pod said, “I think I can make it work. It’s going to be about two inches wider than the normal model in the middle but I don’t think the locals will notice it. I’m going to convert my shape to it once we land on the surface.”
“That city is rather large.”
“That’s not the one I’ve chosen.”
“Why?”
“That’s the first place a Stalker Team will look. They’ll assume you’ll try to hide in the largest city. We’re headed to the city to the northeast. You can see the lights next to the ocean.”
“That’s where they’re studying lasers.”
“It is.”
“You don’t think that will attract them?”
“It probably will but we need the cover.”
“How am I going to blend in with the locals?”
“I’m completing your DNA change now. You will appear to be exactly like them. The major issue is going to be hiding your brain’s energy pattern.”
“Isn’t my brain going to be exactly like theirs?”
“Structurally, it will be an exact duplicate however, I can’t reduce your ability to use eighty percent of its computing ability. That energy will stand out if you’re scanned.”
“How are we going to hide it?”
“I’m not sure. We’re going to have to find one of their very old buildings for you to live in. Most of them have asbestos in the roof and walls.”
“Asbestos?!”
“I know, that’s insane isn’t it.”
“Who in their right mind would ever use that to build anything?”
“They don’t anymore; but many of the very old houses still have it in the structure. Now be quiet for a few minutes while I do some scanning of their databases and buildings.”
He watched the city called New York pass below and he was amazed at what he saw. The giant skyscrapers reaching for the sky and the hundreds of thousands of people out on the sidewalks made him shake his head. As the pod glided away he said, “This species is nothing like those in the fellowship.”
“What do you mean?”
“Every fellowship planet does three things; produce food to feed everyone, manufacture clothing, and build weapons of war. This species is focused on so much more than that. The fashion industry alone is…I don’t have the term to describe it.”
“Outrageous?”
“That’s it.”
“You’ve never gone in with a fleet and took possession of a primitive planet, have you.”
“No, that happens rarely. My ship wasn’t assigned to the last invasion.”
“Well, this planet will look like all the other Fellowship planets within ten years after it’s invaded. The survivors of the invasion will be enslaved and ultimately, their children will adapt to being part of a Fellowship Civilization and become part of the military.”
He looked down at the huge city’s bright lights and shook his head. “That saddens me for some reason. This city is so…”
“Beautiful?”
“I think that’s the term although I’ve never used that concept before. I’m not sure I understand it.”
“Nothing in your life approximates the term. Perhaps you’ll understand it later.” The small pod flew away from New York and he saw the glow to the northeast grow larger until they were directly above it. It was just as magnificent as the previous city, though there weren’t as many beings walking the city streets. The pod circled the city for two hours and then it began moving lower in the atmosphere. “I think I’ve found a place for you to stay.”
“How did you do that?”
“Most of the buildings that have spaces to rent have a sign in front of them that says, ‘occupancy’ or ‘apartment for rent’.”
“What is rent?”
“Look in your mind. You should be able to find it.”
He thought about the word and after a moment nodded, “Ahh, it’s a place you give their currency to the owner to live in their building.” He thought for a moment about the currency and said, “Just how am I going to get some of
their currency?”
“I’ve been scanning their broadcasts and it appears there are numerous places that use the currency to purchase gold.”
“Get out of here!”
“No, I’m serious. It appears that metal is rare and is highly valued. They use it to make ornamental objects, mostly for their females. I will convert some of their soil into gold and you can take it to one of the establishments that purchase it. You can use it to pay for a place to stay.”
“Doesn’t it have to be an ornament of some kind?”
“I’ve just scanned one of the places that purchases it and one of the ornaments is called a bracelet made of gold links. I’ll convert the soil and mold it into an eleven-inch linked, bracelet.”
“Bracelet?”
“They wear it on their wrists; I don’t know how they came up with the term. One of the broadcasts called Fox Business says that an ounce of gold is worth nine hundred dollars.”
“Give me a minute.” He focused on the information given him by the pod about currency and after a moment shook his head, “That’s a lot of currency.”
“Call it money; they do.”
“Whatever you call it, that’s a lot of it.”
“I’ve found a place that meets our needs close to the center of the city and the school where they conduct laser experiments. I’m going down to the surface to find a place for me to land. I’ll convert to the machine…car so I won’t be noticed.”
“What then?”
“You’ll go out and find something to put into my converter. We’ll then wait until daylight arrives and I’ll listen in on one of the…they call them pawn shops, to see how the trade is made for gold. Once you understand that process, you’ll walk to the place and make the exchange.”
The pod spiraled down and landed in a small parking lot behind a three-story building. There were four other cars parked and he said, “What are those numbers and letters on the back of them?”
“It’s called a license plate. I’ll make one once I land. I also need to make a driver’s license for you and a parking sticker for me.”
He thought for a moment and said, “How are you going to do that?”
“I’m scanning their department of motor vehicle computers. Give me a few minutes.” He waited and the images flashing on the display were moving too fast for his new eyes to follow. Thirty minutes later, “I’ve found a being that was killed in a car accident in that huge city we flew over coming here. I’m going to use his license and license plate. If someone reports his death to the motor vehicle place, I’ll find you another. I don’t think it’s going to be reported.”
“Oh, why not?”
“He’s a recent arrival from another country. He doesn’t have family in his home nation so no one should be attempting to contact him. At least his application to the school says he has no family. He was killed in a car accident and was burned beyond recognition. They buried him as a John Doe.”
“What’s a John Doe?”
“Someone whose identity isn’t known.”
“How did you find him?”
“I’ve scanned their news agencies for accidents. The rental car he was in had documents on who he was.”
“I would think the locals would have found out the same way you did.”
“They had more important things to do. Step out and collect about ten ounces of material you find loose outside.” He looked at the door and didn’t see how to open it. Then he saw a handle move and the door opened. “Now you know how.”
He stepped outside and walked around the parking lot picking up loose pieces of asphalt around the parking lot’s edges. He went back to the car and the rear popped up. He dropped the pieces into the converter and saw them disappear. He stepped back inside and closed the door, “Those pieces of hard material smelled …”
“Like a carbon based material.”
“It did.”
“I didn’t notice but it appears this civilization uses oil based liquids for most of its fuel and manufacturing. The asbestos should have told me.”
“Oil?”
“I know; the thing they have in abundance is so rare as to be non-existent in all the other known civilizations. If the stalkers come here, this planet will be a prize that many species will go to war to possess. I’ve finished your driver’s license.”
He looked in the center of the panel and saw a rectangular piece of plastic. He saw the image on it and said, “Is this how I appear?”
“It is.”
“Boy, am I repulsive or what.”
“I agree, but you look like the locals. You’ll pass inspection. Now close your eyes and I’ll feed you the information I’ve collected from their broadcasts.”
He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes as a huge amount of data was sent streaming into his brain. It continued for the rest of the night.
• • •
He watched the owner of the Pawn Shop buy the person’s gold and pay about half of what it was worth. “Why did that simpix accept that for their gold? They should know it was worth much more.”
“Not really.”
“What do you mean not really? The broadcast says gold has gone up to $935 an ounce today. It was clearly more than an ounce and they accepted five hundred dollars.”
“The owner of that shop is a master in deceiving people. He told that person that the gold was only ten karat instead of the fourteen karat it actually was. That decreased the value to about six hundred dollars. They felt they were getting a fair deal.”
He shook his head and said, “I think I understand. However, I’m still not very good at speaking their language.”
“That’s actually a good thing.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t even think about the correct words, just speak quickly and they’ll think you’re an alien.”
“Uhhh, duh, I am an alien.”
“No, you don’t understand. Look at the information you received last night and use the term green card to make your search.”
His eyes narrowed and after a moment they widened, “You want them to think I’m from another country.”
“Yes I do and there’s a green card and new driver’s license in the center console. The person whose identity you’ve taken did come from another country. Put the first driver’s license I gave you into the console and take out the new cards.”
He opened the center console and saw the two cards. He looked at the green card and frowned, “Where is this Norway?”
“It’s close to Sweden. The important thing is that most people have no idea what a Norwegian accent sounds like. If someone asks you a question you don’t want to answer, just say, ‘I not understand.’”
“And what happens if I actually do run into a Norwegian?”
“I gave you the language last night. Just connect with me mentally through your wrist unit and I’ll speak for you. Just don’t resist the connection.” He shrugged and stared at the name on the two cards, “How do you pronounce this?”
“Lukas Axel.”
“Ok, do you have the gold ready?” The console opened and he saw a gleaming series of links connected to each other. “If they ask where I got it…”
“It was passed down to you from your grandfather.”
“What is that?”
“The father of your father.”
He shrugged and just before he stepped out of the car, the pod said, “You should go and hit the front door with your hand to attract the owner of the building. DO NOT HIT IT TOO HARD! Once the owner comes to the door, tell him you’re interested in renting the space he has available. If he asks if you want to see it, ask him how much it will cost you. I’ll contact you through the unit if the price is fair. Try to get him to come down some, every owner expects you to make the effort. If you both agree on you getting it, tell him you have to go to the BANK to get the money.”
He followed the pod’s instructions in his mind and
was able to pull out the words and their meanings. He nodded and started to open the door again and heard, “Make sure the rent includes a parking space. Tell him you’re going to leave your car and walk to the train.”
He nodded and reached for the door again and heard, “If the pawn shop owner doesn’t offer a good price…”
“ENOUGH! I’ll still be sitting here tomorrow at this rate. Let me see if he’ll rent me the space first.”
“I’m just trying to help.”
He sighed, “I know; I’m sorry.” He reached for the door handle and paused expecting another interruption, when it didn’t happen he opened the door and stepped out. He looked at the clothes he was wearing and wondered where the pod had found them. Then he realized the pod had made them from the material he had put in the converter the night before. He walked around the car and then went to the street that ran beside it. He walked to the corner and saw, Calumet Street. That’s a funny sounding name.
He turned the corner and walked up the front steps to the landing. He looked back over his shoulder and saw the city center; this house was located on the top of a hill and he could see the city over the rooftops of the houses. It was a cold grey day and he pulled his collar up around his neck. He turned and raised his hand and saw a black button on the wall under a light fixture. He thought about it for a moment and found that the black button was a doorbell. He pressed it and heard a sound inside the house. He then heard a voice from a square under the doorbell, “Yes, what is it?”
“I need to rent space. Sorry, I want to rent space.”
He stared at the speaker for a few moments and then heard the lock on the front door being turned. A middle aged Human stepped out of the door and stared at him in silence. “Is room still…uhhhh…”
“Yes it is.”
He smiled and said, “How much?”
“Where are you from?”
“Norway.”
The man nodded, “Not very many men your age have blonde hair. I knew you weren’t from around here. How long do you want to rent it?”
“I not understand.”
“The apartment is fifteen hundred dollars a month.”
“I was hoping twelve hundred.”
“No!”
“I pay three months.”