by Lysa Daley
"You look like you should sit down before you fall down," Ruby adds.
"Having a passenger..." he labors to breathe. "Saps my strength. Pretty badly. In order to bring you two with me, I have to incorporate your essence into my collective being. It triples my load and wears me out."
We’ve made it to the still-running SUV. But the door is jammed. It won’t budge.
There isn’t time for all three of us to climb through the car door’s window before the suits are all over us.
“Through there,” Jax points at the wall.
There’s just enough room above the hood for us to crawl through the gap in the wall.
Ruby goes first, followed by Jax and me. We all scoot across the hood of the SUV and squeeze through the hole in the wall.
I land on the floor next to Ruby who’s frozen, staring wide-eyed at the vast expanse before us. “What is this place?”
Chapter 20
The three of us stand gaping at row after row after row of cots. Hundreds of them. Maybe thousands. All lined up in neat columns.
"Beds?" Ruby says, "Why are there a gajillion beds in here?”
"Maybe it's some sort of fallout shelter?" Jax offers.
“Except don’t they seem brand new?” I reply. “Like they’ve never been used.”
Each cot looks freshly made with brand new sheets, a thick pillow, and an army green wool blanket tucked perfectly in at the corners.
"What could this possibly be for?" Ruby asks.
But before anyone can come with any other plausible ideas, the suits start pouring through the opening in the wall.
“Now what?" I ask, glancing back over my shoulder as we hurry away from them.
“This way!” Jax heads towards an industrial metal door on the sidewalk.
The suits are bearing down on us.
Unfortunately, the heavy metal door is bolted tight. He shrugs. "Get ready to fight."
Three against everyone else. Fantastic odds.
But we’re saved by a loud ka-thunk as the previously locked door opens behind us. Agent Holmes’ face appears in the doorway.
I pivot, pulling BrightSky in front of me.
We’re all surprised to hear her say, "This way! Quick. You don't have much time."
There’s something honest in her voice and the three of us collectively decide to trust Agent Holmes. Following her through the open door, she closes it then bolts it locked again.
"Why are you helping us?" Jax questions her.
"Because if that girl is one of the Seven Sisters of Light, she is worth more than some radioactive bi-chromium fuel and a future position for my boss on the Draconian’s Earthly ruling council." Agent Holmes replies.
So what I suspected before is true. She’s clearly not a big fan of Sunglasses.
“Ruling council?” Ruby asks. “On Earth?”
"We need to stop the Swarm. Before they get to Earth. Not help them." Agent Holmes says, leading us through the maze of hallways.
By the number of lefts and rights and doglegs, I realize it would have taken us forever to find our way out of this maze.
"Where are you taking us?" I ask as we continue through this underground labyrinth.
"Back to the dome," she says, quickening her pace. "It's the fastest way out."
At the end of a long hallway, we emerge into the great domed hall. The SUVs, minus one, still line the opposite wall. We stop beneath the levitating alien spacecraft.
"I assume you can fly this?" Agent Holmes asks Jax.
Ruby’s eyes nearly bug out of her head when she realizes that Agent Holmes is pointing up at the flying saucer. “What the…?”
"Piece of cake." Jax grins. "I learned to fly one of these things when I was practically a toddler."
Agent Holmes seems relieved then hurries away.
Jax swipes the tip of his index finger across the belly of the craft causing a panel to retract, then a stairway unfolds. He ushers us forward, and we all climb the stairs of the flying saucer.
Taking the pilot's seat, he powers up the craft. The inside of the saucer, a cross between a modern version of the cockpit on a jumbo jet and the sweetest luxury car ever made, is more spacious that I would have guessed.
"Buckle up, ladies," he says, looking completely comfortable in the pilot’s seat.
Ruby and I take two jumpseats, pulling down and securing a high-tech harness.
Slowly, effortlessly, the craft begins to rise.
“And I thought my sister’s car was fantastic,” Ruby says, looking around.
Then there's a jolt, along with the sensation of being pushed forward. Our smooth ascent is interrupted as the craft bucks then unexpectedly plummets several feet.
"Uh oh..." Jax fiddles with the control board, but the power continues to wane.
"Uh oh?" I repeat, gripping the edge of my seat. “What's going on?”
He's madly working the control panel as the craft shutters like a washing machine about to conk out. "To put it in terms you'll understand, we're out of gas. Which doesn't surprise me. Radioactive bi-chromium fuel is hard to come by. Especially in this quadrant of the galaxy."
"Now what?" I ask as a cluster of black suits floods the domed hall. They’ve caught up with us.
Jax shoves his hands into his pockets and starts dumping stray dollar bills and loose change onto the console.
"What are you looking for?" Ruby asks.
"I’m trying to find something we could substitute."
"I thought it had to have this rare alien fuel?"
"It does if we're hoping to blast out of the atmosphere. But, right now, we just need a little boost to get this baby out of the building. We could temporarily use any metallic conductor of heat. Something made from aluminum or copper."
"Copper?" I ask, reaching in my pocket, a feeling of excitement growing. "Like a penny?"
"Nope." He shakes his head and my heart drops, "Pennies are mostly made out of zinc now."
"Oh," I say, looking at the old tarnished 1981 penny Señora Mariposa gave me.
"Unless, of course, it's old," he adds. "If it's older than 1982, then it's still primarily composed of copper."
"Check it out!" I hold the old penny up between my fingers. I guess Mariposa isn’t as crazy as I thought. "Someone gave me this yesterday and told me it would be good luck."
“That’s the best luck we’ve had all day,” Jax snatches it from my hand and runs the coin over the black glass control panel. Right before my eyes, the penny melts into nothing. It doesn't take more than a few seconds before the engine purrs back to life. He smiles. "Bingo!"
Through the window, I can see the suits climbing the steps to the hatch. I also see two agents leading Agent Holmes away with her hands cuffed behind her back. I feel both regret and gratitude. Without her help, we never would have made it this far. I silently hope she’ll be okay.
“Jax!” Meanwhile, Ruby’s looking out the small window in the hatch. “In about two seconds they’re going to break in. Hurry!"
"Hold tight. Might be a bumpy ride until we're out of this building."
Just then the little craft jerks upward.
"Good girl!" Jax whispers lovingly to the space ship. "Knew I could get your skinny ass off the ground."
As the small alien craft rises higher and higher through the narrow tunnel that reaches up to the giant spinning fan, we pass the small cell, carved into the wall, where we were held.
“Do you see Chad?” I ask.
Both Ruby and I lean on the window, desperate to see inside the cell. A tall, broad figure stands in the back. “He’s still there!”
I throw my arms around Ruby, then we turn to Jax. “Can you hold this thing steady?” I ask. “We have to get Chad on board.”
“On board?” Jax repeats like that is the dumbest thing he’s ever heard. "How, exactly? Beam him up? It doesn't work like that."
“We can’t leave him behind,” Ruby argues.
“You want to just abandon him here? Like y
ou abandoned me?” I sneer, knowing that I’m being cruel. “But I guess that’s what Arcturians do. They bail on people.”
He snorts and rolls his eyes. But it’s clear he’s thinking.
"Okay, hold on." I can see Jax trying to figure out how he could maneuver the craft back down. Our ascent slows until the craft reverses direction, slowly descending. He struggles to level us off. "I can open the hatch and try to hold her steady long enough for you to get him in. But it's not going to be easy. And you won’t have much time."
The little craft bucks and lurches as we level off coming eye to eye with Chad, who has moved to the cell’s edge. I feel an overwhelming sense of joy when I see him.
Jax speaks to Chad through an external intercom. "Can you jump?"
He nods and backs up, preparing to take a running start.
"Get ready!" Jax tells us, fighting to stabilize the craft. "I'm opening the hatch."
The doors part as rough air whooshes in.
Using all his strength, Chad comes running toward us. My heart is in my mouth. At best, I figured he had about a 50% chance of making it safely on board. And if he doesn’t… The fall is, at least, four stories down.
At the edge, Chad leaps, arms outstretched, legs pumping in the air to keep his momentum moving forward.
Ruby and I stand in opposite corners of the hatch, holding onto the side panel with one hand to brace ourselves while trying to keep the opening clear but ready to help him onboard.
For a split second, it looks like Chad will sail effortlessly onboard with no problem at all. But then the little craft is pushed up by a strong under-draft.
This means Chad is now suddenly too low.
“No!” I cry, dropping to the floor and thrusting an arm out the hatch.
An instant before he sails right under the craft, Chad manages to grab my hand. In order to not be pulled out with him, my other hand clings to the edge of the hatch.
Ruby grabs both of my ankles and holds on with all of her might. “I got you!”
“Can you pull us up?” I yell, slowly being sucked out of the craft. In a couple more feet, both Chad and I will plummet to our deaths. But I’m not letting go. I’m holding on, using all my strength.
Then, just like the craft surged up, it now surges downward. This change in direction gives both Chad and me enough momentum to fling ourselves in the right direction.
I’m thrown back inside. Chad is lifted up enough to get both hands firmly on the floor.
“You get one side! I’ll get the other.” Ruby and I scramble pull him into the flying saucer.
“I can’t hold her steady for much longer,” Jax yells out.
Once he’s inside, Ruby calls to Jax. “Go! We got him.”
Jax closes the hatch and up the little craft flies.
But, then, out of the corner of my eye, I see something strange.
Above our cell, we pass another cell. This one smaller. And there’s a man being held in this tiny cell.
Heavy chains hang from the wall. A hulking male figure is shackled at the wrists and ankles. The prisoner is slumped over, propped up only by the thick chains.
But he’s alive. The man slowly raises his head and our eyes meet.
"It can't be!" I gasp, covering my mouth. "I know that prisoner."
“Astrid!” Ruby can’t believe it either. “Is that your uncle?”
My Uncle Conrad. He isn't dead. He was right above us the whole time.
Chapter 21
"We have to go back!" I say, panic welling up in me as the flying saucer rises higher and higher in the narrow tunnel. "My uncle is alive. And he’s here!"
"What? But we saw…?" Jax begins, but his words trail away. What he means to say is we saw him die. "Are you sure? I mean, really sure?"
"Yes! I’m really, really, really sure.”
“I saw him too,” Ruby adds, backing me up.
“They're holding him prisoner." I'm leaning as far forward as I can in order to look out the windshield. “In the cell directly above where we were kept.”
“That’s the noise we were hearing.” Ruby realizes. “The sounds above us were your uncle.”
"We can't leave him here. There’s no way." I'm practically begging. "With these horrible people. We can't! We have to go get him."
“I understand, but I’m not sure how much more juice this engine’s got in it,” Jax counters. “And every second we’re here, is another second for the suits to try to bring us down.”
“Please,” is all I can say.
He nods. Then he turns his attention back to the control panel and navigates down toward my uncle’s cell. “You have a very small window of time.”
As the hatch opens again, I lean out and yell, "Don't worry, Uncle. We’re coming."
Instead of relief or happiness, my uncle’s face registers what looks like anger. "No! Get out of here! Now!!"
"We're not leaving without you," I brace myself in the doorway, ready to make the leap onto the deck of his small cell.
Jax struggles with the controls. "It's now or never, Astrid!"
"Don't even think of it!" my uncle, who sees me preparing to jump, yells back, holding up his manacled arms. "You won't be able to break these chains anyway. It will only slow you down enough for them to catch you."
"But --" I begin.
"No buts!" he bellows. “Get out of here. It's a trap!"
Before the words are even out of his mouth, the door to his cell flies open, and a flurry of suits rushes in. In an instant, a sea of weapons is aimed at us.
I'm frozen in the open hatch. How can this be happening? The euphoria of discovering he’s still alive has been cruelly snatched away.
Suddenly, a hand yanks me from behind. I crumple to the floor as Chad closes the hatch. “I’m sorry, Astrid. We have to go,” he says.
For the second time, I've left my uncle behind. Hot tears sting my eyes.
Defeated, I don't get up right away. I lie, crumpled in a ball, on the floor feeling broken down and worthless on the inside.
Solemnly, Ruby and Chad remain silent.
Finally, my best friend moves next to me. She strokes my hair and quietly tries to console me. “It’s okay, Astrid. It’s all going to be okay.”
Lying there on the floor, it occurs to me that I never thanked him. My uncle left his family, his people, and his position to become -- not just my guardian -- but my uncle, my mother, my father, and my friend. And all I ever did – all those years – was wish for a normal family. What even is that? A normal family?
Now, I'd give anything to be able to save him. But it's too late.
Jax silently mans the controls as the craft rises, accelerating up the circular tunnel.
I hear Chad ask, "Uh, are we about to smash into that big turning fan and get chopped into a million pieces?"
"Alien technology, my friend,” Jax answers smoothly. “We'll pass right through it."
We're traveling straight toward the thick metal grate in the ceiling. Instinctively, I see Chad clutching the edges of his seat as we careen toward the circular ventilation fan that hangs downs. Yet, somehow, our craft just slips right through the fan blades like they’re invisible.
"How did you do that?" Ruby asks.
"The craft's sensors timed our ascent and brought us between the blades when there was an opening," Jax explains. “It’s just a little math and some pretty basic avionics.”
We emerge from the roof of the drab government office building that houses this massive secret underground facility. There’s nothing but blue skies and sunshine above us.
Watching him navigate this little craft, it's easy to see how comfortable Jax is in the pilot seat.
“I’m sorry to geek-out, but this ship is amazballs,” Chad says, in awe of his surroundings.
“She is a little beauty,” Jax nods in agreement.
"So is this what you do?” Chad asks. “Are you a pilot or something?"
"Not exactly," Jax replies, a shadow crossing his fa
ce. “Well, at least, not for a very long time anyway.”
An awkward silence fills the space. Ruby, Chad and I exchange looks. He’s obviously not telling us something.
Changing the subject, Jax brightly suggests, "Hey, how about I open this baby up? We'll head west and be in Maui in, like, 15 minutes."
Safe and sound in Hawaii. After everything that's happened, can't say that sounds like the worst idea ever. But there’s no way we can just run away from everything that’s happening.
“You’re kidding right?” I ask.
“Unfortunately, I am,” he replies as he swipes his hand across the black glass control panel entering new coordinates.
People on the ground are staring at us. It's got to be quite a sight to see a real life UFO sailing above the streets of Ocean Grove in the broad daylight. I turn to Jax. "Aren't you afraid we're going to be seen?"
"Not my problem," he shrugs. "I'm not the one hiding an alien spaceship from the people of this planet. That would be their government."
Just as we're picking up speed, the craft violently shudders again.
"Aw jeez,” Jax mutters as we quickly start to descend. “I was hoping we’d have a little more juice than this left."
"What's happening?" Chad asks, watching the ground quickly rise to meet us.
"Unless one of you has another pre-1982 penny," he says, madly trying to regain control of the navigationals. "Then you three might want to brace for impact."
We're still above the Ocean Grove town center as the craft bucks hard, then completely stalls.
“Get buckled up.” Jax remains remarkably calm.
“Are we crashing?” Ruby’s voice is thick with fear.
"Let’s just say this could be a bit of a hard landing,” Jax says. “It might be a good idea to get in crash position."
“What exactly is crash position?” Ruby asks as we all click our seat harness belts into place.
“I think it’s pretty much duck and cover.” Chad demonstrates for us.
Getting dangerously close to the ground, Jax banks hard to the left, narrowly avoiding a group of pedestrians. A split second before we land, I squeeze my eyes shut.
We’re thrown forward, then backward as we bump to a stop.