Ariston took hold of my hand and squeezed. "Danni," he hissed.
"Shhh!" I pulled out of his grip. The less attention he drew toward himself the better. "I will find another," I promised. "I just need a little time." How long could it take to find an irritating loser?
"We want...now," the Akkadian insisted.
I wrung my hands in dismay. "But there is no one else. Just give me a few days."
"What the hell are you promising him?" Ariston demanded.
"Be quiet!" Too late. The alien turned its sights upon him again—appraisingly.
"We take." It raised a long finger and pointed at Ariston.
"No!" both of us said at once.
The Akkadian then poked that bony green digit at me. "Then you."
"Oh...shit," I cried.
Ariston would never be the type of person I'd think to hand over to the likes of these creeps. He was good, decent, and kind. And he didn't even annoy me a little bit. Gone now were any hopeful, dangerous ideas I'd been foolish enough to entertain these past few hours. Hopes of companionship, warmth, comfort...love...vanished in one stupid instant thanks to this devil's bargain. For the first time in my life I felt guilt. Gut wrenching, overwhelming guilt. I did not want to do this. But it was him...or me.
Three steps back I took, leaving Ariston's side. He looked at me over his shoulder—his expression of betrayal cutting through me like a knife—as though I'd committed the ultimate treachery.
And hadn't I?
Gleefully, the Akkadian lifted its arms and crept closer to the one man I'd actually begun to care about. And as it stretched out its greedy hands, Ariston reached into the inner pocket of his leather jacket, pulled out a star-shaped object, and held it up toward the sky. He must have switched the thing on, as it suddenly began to glow and hum ominously. Though I didn't know what the hell it was the Akkadian obviously did, because it threw up its arms and shielded its ugly narrow face. A blast of light emitted from the object, lighting up the entire area, momentarily blinding me. When I could finally see, I saw that instead of one spaceship hovering overhead, now there were two.
"Holy hell!" I leapt into the cover of the trees as a battle broke out. Both ships started firing upon each other with laser bolts. Ariston dove on top of the Akkadian and began to pummel it with his bare fists.
Stunned with disbelief, I could only stand and watch with my mouth hanging open. There was obviously more going on here than I understood. Sure, Ariston worked for the police department, but as far as I knew they didn't count handheld light beams or flying saucers as part of their arsenal. Maybe he worked for the government as well? That would make more sense. Who knew what they had going on?
The Akkadians appeared to be on the losing team. Their ship, along with the creature on the ground, was taking a terrible beating. Ariston was completely on his game. He didn't seem freaked out—just pissed off. And I had a terrible feeling that once he'd finished with the alien, he'd turn that rage on me.
Mesmerizing as all the action was, I could tell it would soon draw to a close. Sure enough, Ariston got to his feet, his hands covered with a mixture of red and green slime, and looked up into the sky.
He smiled. Then he started scanning the area with his deadly gaze. I had to get away. He was searching for me, I knew it. So I began to run. Fast as I could I darted into the thickness of the trees and flew for all I was worth.
With lightning quick strides he caught up to me in no time. Chancing a glance behind me, I got tripped up by a tree root and fell to the ground. When I looked up he was looming over me, his face a cold mask of fury. Sitting on my ass, I held up my hands.
"Wait! Don't be mad. I had a plan!"
He tilted his head, his expression one of disbelief. "Yeah, a plan to hand me over to your slimy green friends and save your own ass."
"No! I only stalled for time. I wasn't gonna let them..."
He reached down and pulled me up. Hands tight on my arms, he lifted me till we were face to face, my feet dangling inches from the ground. "Liar!"
"I...I...I..."
"Save it!" He gave me one good shake then lowered me. With one hand still gripping my arm, he began to pull me back toward the scene of chaos.
I dug in my heels and tried to stall. "Stop. I don't want to."
We arrived in the clearing and both ships were still there, although they no longer fired upon each other. Clearly the Akkadian saucer had sustained a good amount of damage. Following the direction of my gaze and no doubt reading my mind, Ariston said, "Don't worry, they can still fly away. Your secret is safe." His tone was so mocking I half expected him to stick out his tongue and raspberry me.
To deny my involvement at this point would be futile. I'd hung Ariston out to dry and he obviously hated my guts. The only comforting thought I had was knowing that he was a decent guy. Sure he was mad, but he wouldn't hurt me.
A beam of light suddenly shot down to the Earth from the Akkadian ship. Ariston's grip on my arm tightened, and for a second I feared I'd pegged him wrong and he'd throw me to the wolves. Instead, he glared down at me and then let go my arm.
"Stay put." He strode over to the beaten Akkadian lying prone on the ground and grabbed it by the feet. It must have weighed quite a bit considering Ariston struggled to drag it across the forest floor. I entertained the idea of running away while his hands were full, but my curiosity got the better of me. In the next moment, Ariston dodged around the beam of light but used his foot to roll his prey into it. The Akkadian was soon sucked aboard its ship. After a few minutes, the saucer shot off into the sky—albeit, not as quickly as it'd moved before.
Now only one spaceship hovered in the dark night sky.
Whether it be friend or foe, I had a feeling I was about to find out.
Chapter 5
We stared at each other for a moment or two, me feeling contrite, Ariston no doubt feeling angry and betrayed. What had started out as a wonderful evening had turned into a nightmare. Hundreds of questions gnawed at me, but I didn't possess the courage or maybe even the right to voice them. Ariston's gaze swung up toward the ship and then back to me.
"Well?" he asked.
"Well, what?"
"Don't you have anything to say?"
I shrugged. "I'm sorry?"
He ran a hand over his head. "How many have there been?"
I knew he meant how many dolts had I handed over to the aliens. Truth be told I'd lost count over the years. "It was just one, I swear."
Judging by the look on his face he didn't believe me.
"You don't understand. It was him or me."
"Your missing neighbor I presume?"
I gave a quick nod in the affirmative.
"And you were so upset." There was that mocking voice again.
"I was upset! It's all been very upsetting. I didn't even know that aliens existed. Then one tries to snatch me right outside my own house. That dolt just happened to be outside as well. Regardless of any bullshit you heard about him yesterday, believe me when I say he is the neighborhood twat. Everyone hates him."
"So that makes it okay?"
"No. It doesn't. But I was scared and I didn't know what else to do. Self-preservation kicked in. I feel like a piece of shit. Believe me. And now I'm really scared. What's to stop them from coming back and getting me?" A look of uncertainty washed over Ariston's face. Thank God for high school drama classes. Although, what was there to stop them? And now they'd really have an axe to grind. I'd worry about that later. Right now there was another matter more pressing. I stared up at the other saucer. It was a little more streamlined than the Akkadian ship and black where theirs had been gray.
"Do you work for the government? Is that some kind of secret weapon or something? And what about the thing in your pocket?" I could no longer contain my barrage of questions.
"No, I don't work for the government."
So what about my other questions? I waited, but he didn't appear to be forthcoming. "What's it waiting for?" I rol
led my eyes upward meaning the ship hovering silently.
"It's waiting for a command."
"From you?"
He nodded once. The little star-shaped-light-beam-thing wasn't in his hand, so when he reached into the inner pocket of his jacket I assumed that's what he was going for. Sure enough he pulled it out and aimed it up toward the saucer. Almost immediately a beam of light shot out toward the ground, just like the Akkadian ship. I figured it was also a transporter beam.
"Is someone gonna come out?" My eyes were glued to the beam.
"No," Ariston said.
I waved toward the beam. "But, that's what it does. It moves people, or aliens, on and off the ship. So if nothing's coming down..." I broke off and made eye contact with him.
"Then something's going up," he finished for me.
I didn't need to be a rocket scientist to guess his intent. As payback for my almost betrayal, Ariston figured he'd do me one in return. His cold gaze held mine. We stood about ten feet apart. I could try and make another run for it, but he still held that light beam thing in his hand. I had no idea what would happen if he aimed it at me. Plus there was the fact he'd no doubt catch me pretty quickly. It was time to resort to drastic measures.
I burst into tears.
Within seconds I was a mass of great gasping breaths, full on waterworks, topped off by a runny nose. The ugly cry.
He wasn't impressed.
Three great strides brought him to my side. As he took hold of my arm, I kicked his shin for all I was worth. His grunt of pain was followed by a flash of anger across his face. Grip tight on my arm, he began dragging me toward the saucer's beam of light. I switched into full on cat mode—biting, kicking, screaming, and scratching—all to no effect. With one good toss I found myself surrounded by light and a feeling of weightlessness. Some unseen force pulled me up, right through the open bottom slat, into the belly of the ship.
Feeling slightly stunned, it took me a moment before I could get up on my feet. Even then, I wobbled and had to scramble over to the wall for support. I braced my back against it and stared at the yawning gap I'd just arrived through. The transporter beam still glowed. A square device fastened to the top interior of the saucer was the source of the light. If I could get back into it maybe it'd plunk me back down to the ground? Assuming it worked both ways and wasn't just set up for retrieval. Only one way to find out. I pushed away from the wall, but after a couple of steps I knew walking was still out, so I dropped to my hands and knees. I reached the opening and peered over the side just to fling myself back in the nick of time to prevent a collision. Someone was coming up. Half a second later, Ariston was deposited neatly by my side.
Relief washed over me. I didn't want to face being up here on my own. Granted, the A-hole beside me was the reason I faced this dilemma. But at least he was familiar. God only knew what else was lurking around inside this thing—government agents bent on keeping me silent for the rest of my days?
Hearing a voice off to my right, I swung my head in that direction. "Whassat?"
Appearing to suffer none of my side effects from the transporter, Ariston jumped to his feet and rushed toward the sound. Now was my chance. But, just as I was about to leap, the light suddenly shut off and the floor swished shut.
Dammit!
Voices speaking in rapid succession drew my attention. I recognized Ariston's, but not the other one. Judging by the control panel I could make out, he'd rushed off to the front of the craft. I got to my feet and, keeping against the wall, crept forward. Ariston was seated in a high-back chair. The one beside him was turned aside and I could see it was vacant. Who the hell was with him then?
"His ship was compromised and they did what?" Ariston practically shouted.
"Stranded him and his men on Taleon."
"Damn it! What's the status of Calixtus? Without Baynar it must be anarchy."
I heard laugher. "It's a bloody riot. They're all tuned in watching the game unfold. We were able to disengage the Seers from the population, but someone hijacked the system and got them up and running again."
"So what's the plan?"
"Send someone in. From what we've seen, a couple of his men are already dead. The natives and the past contestants on the surface are extremely hostile."
"No shit."
"Yeah, a real bloody free-for-all is going down. How soon can you get to Taleon?"
"What? You want me to go in?"
There was a pause. "You're the best."
"I'm on Earth. It'll take me time to get there. Is there no one else?"
"No. It's you, Ariston. We've already agreed upon it. The rest of us are needed to keep what little control we have left on Calixtus."
I heard a giant sigh. What the hell was going on? Who was Ariston talking to?
"All right. I'll head there now. If you have a fix on Baynar's location, send me the coordinates. The faster I'm in and out the better."
"All we can supply you with is the location he and the others were beamed down to. It took long enough to get that much since his ship was hijacked. He's practically been on the run since he got there. We haven't been able to pin him down for long, and there's no way to get a message to him. If we spot him or anything useful through the Seers, I'll send you the information. Once you're on the planet, the only way to communicate will be the Seers. We'll be sending a larger ship to Taleon's orbit for you to bring the men up to. Your lightwing won't be large enough."
"Glad to see you have such faith in me," Ariston's voice was sarcastic.
"Like I said, you're the best. If anyone can find him and others and bring them home, it's you."
"I'll do my best."
"See that you do. Without Baynar, we face complete anarchy."
By now I figured out Ariston was talking into a communicator. Sweeping my gaze around during the conversation had convinced me we were the only ones onboard. Unfortunately, from the sound of his exchange with whoever he'd been speaking to, I had a terrible feeling that my companion was not who I thought he was. It seems I'd swapped one set of aliens for another. Whoever Ariston was, it was plain to me now that he wasn't from Earth.
Chapter 6
Though it was the last thing I wanted to do, I made myself take the final steps to bring me closer to Ariston. He flicked a couple of switches on the control panel and then turned to stare at me. It was like looking at a complete stranger. Granted, we'd only just met really, but still...
"I take it you heard all that?"
It was a rhetorical question, but I nodded anyway. "Doesn't sound good. So, are you like a specialist or something?" And an alien too?
His smile was forced. "Something like that."
"Well, that guy on the other line made it sound pretty urgent. I wouldn't want to hold you up or anything."
He narrowed his eyes. "So you think I'll just set you back down and be on my merry way?"
I smirked. "I seem to have that affect on guys after sex." It was my attempt to lighten the mood, but he wasn't buying it.
"You're not going anywhere." Before I could react, he reached out and pulled me forward. I squirmed as he pushed me into the seat next to him and strapped me in. Then he fastened his own seat belt and began fiddling around with the control panel. All the gadgets lit up and the saucer—lightwing—began to hum. Seconds later, the view outside the window in front of me changed from dark forest below, to starry night sky all around. We were in space—in the blink of an eye.
"What the hell! You can't just steal me like this."
He refused to look at me. "I can and I just did."
"But...but....you need to be somewhere. You have to rescue someone," I stammered, so sure I could make him see reason. Sure, he was pissed at me, but he couldn't mean to bring me with him on an important mission?
"You've given me an idea actually. The place we're going may find my presence suspicious, but with you along, I think we may fit right in."
"What are you talking about? Where are you taking me?"
"A planet named Taleon. It's where people from my planet, Calixtus, play a game of survival."
"I don't play games."
"This is deadly serious. The fate of my planet rests with that man."
"Baynar? Who is he?" I asked.
He appeared to think a moment before he spoke. "Consider him to be like your president, or prime minister—but of the entire planet, not just one country."
"So someone hijacked his ship and beamed him and his men down to Taleon? To play the game?" I reasoned.
"Something like that. Although the worst possible thing to do to Baynar and those men is to strand them on Taleon."
Ariston's grip was tight on the control arm steering the ship. The view was amazing. Asteroids and glowing orbs I assumed were comets surrounded us and zoomed by at record speed. Ariston guided the lightwing around them like a pro. "That guy you were talking to said some of his men are already dead. Something about pissed off past contestants?"
"The losers of the game are left behind on Taleon. They're the ones we have to watch out for. Not to mention other obstacles—weather conditions, native inhabitants, wild creatures, just to name a few."
I didn't like the sound of that at all. "You said I gave you an idea? That us being there together may be a better cover?"
"The game is played with couples. Five couples race to the finish line, trying to avoid getting killed or maimed by each other, or the other obstacles I mentioned. The winner is granted a boon of his choosing."
"His choosing? What about her choosing?" Sexist prig.
He smirked. "The male contestants are from Calixtus, the female contestants from Earth. The woman who crosses the finish line is granted her life and may leave with her partner if he so chooses. It is up to the man what happens to her after that. The main idea of the game, besides finishing first, is that the man must keep his female partner alive."
I had to bite down a scathing reply. "So how do they get these Earth women contestants? I'm assuming they're not given a choice in the matter."
He shook his head. "No. Many of them are chosen early on in their life by Trackers—a sort of contestant broker. Trackers may sell their females off to the highest bidder. The females are kept under strict control, making sure they remain virgins—a rule of the game."
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