by Tom Holloway
Chapter 30
Los Angeles—Adventures
I end up falling to sleep out on Anna’s deck, close to the Saber, in a deck chair next to her pool and under a large canopy, as it is still raining. I slept there all night and I am delighted to wake up to the smell of coffee and Anna standing there beside me with a cup.
I look up, and she is smiling down at me saying, “Here you go, Starman! You need this. You certainly had a rough day yesterday, taking care of business. You look worse than I do, and I look bad. When you take a girl for a wild ride, you mean it. I have more bruises than I thought possible. Luckily for you they are in places you cannot see, hidden by my clothing. The tabloids would love to print ‘New man in Anna’s life beats her up. See her bruises!’”
She continues, “Henry, did you get anything to eat last night? I was dead tired and was not much good to you. I feel a lot better today. I heal fast now, thanks to you. I am remembering only bits and pieces about yesterday, and I’m not sure I want to read the newspaper today. I remember a whole lot of stuff about what happened to us, stuff we Earth people might find terrifying to know. The really alien stuff, like the War of the Worlds stuff. By the way, where is the Cyclone? I see the Saber parked over my pool. Aren’t you clever? Is the Saber OK? Damages? The Cyclone’s not injured? Are you OK?”
Smiling, looking at her fondly, I reply, “Anna, thanks for asking. We are all well, all survived and mostly recovered. The Cyclone and the Saber are fine, their wounds repaired by now.”
More serious, unease and concern on my face, I continue, “I am delighted you still have your sense of humor. It was as bad as it gets yesterday, and I thought I might have lost you at one point. I am so sorry about it. It’s not what I had planned. I had a few bad moments of real dread, as you were hurt badly. I would not blame you for being furious with me, as I put you in harm’s way.”
Anna looks at me, leans down, and kisses me on the forehead. “You protected me, as usual. Let’s go out for breakfast. I know a diner close by, and I am starving. Unfortunately we have to disguise ourselves, otherwise lots of people will be hanging around taking photos. And no starships; we just ride bicycles. You can see the neighborhood. Are you up for some normal life, big guy?”
I laugh and say, “I need a shave and shower, and I’ll be ready to go. Not sure about the disguise.”
Anna laughs. “I need a shower, too, and we can save water if you don’t mind washing my back. I have something you can wear. The security guys leave clothing here. You are my new security guy!” She laughs again. “You think you’re up to it? We might need that army of yours. I meet all kinds of dangerous people every day.”
The shower is great and the bike ride perfect, although riding bikes in the rain is rather unusual. However, the warm rain feels good. The cloud layer is heavy, with constant rain, resulting from last night’s activities. We each wear a black military-style rain poncho from the security guys’ lockers. Underneath Anna’s poncho I get a glimpse of her small shorts and a sweatshirt over a sports bra. I have on my own jeans and a sweatshirt, as I elected not to wear the security guard uniform; it was a little too small to fit me.
We are at the diner after a thirty-minute ride. The place is full, and Anna is recognized immediately, with some smiles and a friendly “Hi, Anna,” all showing more real affection than not. It is not an issue for her; she is all smiles. Everyone looks me over carefully, curious about who I am. Maybe somebody famous?
Also, I know something Anna does not know. We have lots of company: FBI, Secret Service, NSA, Section 58, and LA Metro. The guys and girls are all there; actually they are everywhere, with several teams. Must have followed the bikes. I know they are posted here and there around Anna’s house, as part of their surveillance. They are trying to blend in, seem like regular people.
Of course the Cyclone is overhead and knows about the surveillance team, and I have been half listening to their communications back and forth. The Cyclone blocks any surveillance listening to our conversations thus they cannot hear us. Interestingly enough, John Jacobs is heading up the teams. He is more important these days, the man of the hour. I am thinking Anna and I need to have dinner with Jacobs and his wife. I just need to make him more comfortable with all of this. I wonder if he would go to work for me?
I have a couple more days to enjoy being with Anna. I need to let the CIA, the NSA, the FBI, and the rest solve the senator’s issues and the Mafia problems plus the Iran threats—that’s their jurisdiction for now. I need official approval of Earth’s membership before I can become more involved. I think it’s time for Earth’s entry into the Consortium; my reasons are all valid, and I think Gabriel will agree this time. After last night’s meeting, the president and his staff know my position is to help as much as possible. The Cyclone has sent my request to Gabriel for Earth’s entry into the Consortium. It is now more critical because of the enemy Seatisveres’ starship being here on Earth and attacking us, and then me destroying it. The real fear is the other enemy starships out there somewhere, the rest of the Seatisveres’ battleships. Are they heading for Earth?
After Earth’s approval I can ask for retirement, and maybe Anna will consider me husband material. I don’t want to lose her. I know she has expectations, wants children; maybe living in this galaxy is one, too. Surely this will work out. I can only hope it is our destiny. I will not bring her misery if being with me means that, or, even worse, her isolation, living without her friends and family. I know I am leaving in two days without her.
The restaurant’s breakfast is generous, and it is great fun being with Anna; of course, it is always fun being with Anna.
She is laughing, saying, “Henry, we have to talk out loud, the old-fashioned way; we need to use our lips. Someone could notice we just look at each other and smile, no conversation. It looks odd. Too much telepathy is a bad thing when people are watching us. When I’m in public, there’s always somebody observing me, even taking pictures, and now you, too. I am sorry for that.”
Anna does not know the half of it. We are also under constant surveillance by every government agency in the United States and most of the world, if they have the opportunity. The Cyclone is always there, too.
I start talking, telling her I am having a great day. She hears me, laughs and says I have a great voice, like an actor. I ask about acting, and, with her intently looking at me, with a serious expression on her face, she responds, “Acting is a wonderful occupation and tough, no sissies for sure. You take great risks and go for it. I’ve worked hard, been lucky, very blessed, more fortune given to me than earned. Yet I have not been happy. I am lonely. Henry, we are alike; you are so lonely, too. I feel it. We are kindred spirits, and it is our destiny to be together. You know it. It is what it is. Do you understand me? We need each other.”
I am surprised. As usual Anna is one step ahead, and no question she is right. She could make me a happy man, more than I have a right to expect.
I respond, “Anna, I agree. I understand. Yet I have to get permission to leave the military. To leave the Consortium is no small thing, not the same as quitting a regular job. I have some critical responsibilities that are hard to comprehend; I am needed, and I have to do a transition without interruption. I am not free yet. It is much more complicated than you understand. I can only say I promise I will do my best to make it happen.”
Anna pleads, “Henry, if you ask me, I will go with you when you go. We can ask together. I will live with you. You just have to ask me.”
I look at her, my eyes moist, and say, “I would give anything for that, to have you with me. I could never ask; it would destroy you. Ship life is not this life. It is only duty and hardship, dangerous, with few comforts, lonely beyond belief, enough to test your sanity. The loss of gravity over a long period would permanently harm your body. I love you, and I would never do that to you. Another world is not Earth; it’s not human, for one, and not something you could adapt to with ease. You wouldn’t want to raise childre
n there; it’s not even where you should be. Anna, you have a wonderful life here. What about your family, your mother and Nikki? For you and your children to be happy, you should be here. Earth is a wonderful place to raise children, and Anna, you do want children?”
She responds quickly, “Yes, I want children. I want your children, a lot of them, and I don’t want to wait. I know we’ve known each other only a few days, and I know I’m foolish. I don’t care. I’m going for it. I know you’re right for me. You know it, too. I love you. You need to make it happen—for both of us!”
I laugh. I have lost the battle. I smile, happy to hear her say this. I respond, “I understand, I understand.”
Anna also laughs and says, “Mr. Starman, forget our problems. We are going out tonight and having fun. We are going to dinner, to some parties, to meet some of my friends, maybe dancing at a nightclub, and maybe, just maybe, you will get lucky tonight. And since you’re wealthy, you are paying—no Dutch treat. Are you up for it?”
I laugh and think I am already lucky. “Yes, and I think combat will look easy after tonight.”
We finally finish breakfast, and Anna does the bathroom thing as I buy a newspaper, actually several newspapers. I am sitting and reading them at the table. Not great for me, way too many photos of alien spaceships. A lot of weapon firing, bright streaks across dark skies. Massive explosions lighting up half the world have been photographed, with lots of damage reported throughout the world. The resulting storms were fierce, the rain causing floods. All the news programs are covering the “alien story,” with speculation and much discussion around the world about what could be happening and possible ramifications.
All governments in the world take the official position that there still is no real proof of an extraterrestrial appearance. The fear of the aliens is still awful. I wish I could reassure everyone, even if they would then know they are not alone in the universe. They are spooked by the possibility of waking up and seeing aliens in the backyard; maybe terrified is a better word. There is not much I can do to help Earth until I have Gabriel’s sign-off. They need to be inducted into the Consortium; only Gabriel and the leadership committee have the authority to accept Earth into the family of civilizations. Even in the most advanced culture—who would think?—there is still red tape, procedures in place.
Anna is back. She sits down, picks up a newspaper, and reads the headlines. She says, “I guess all of this was us last night?” She shakes her head and looks at me. “Henry, how bad was it? Was it as close as I think it was? We were in real trouble, weren’t we? I can’t remember much, just that it was a horrific nightmare and I hurt everywhere.”
I nod my head, looking at her, seeing her bruises, saying, “It was a lot worse than I ever thought possible. Calabra!”
She pulls the paper apart, reads more, focused on one story, then looks sad and becoming angry. She looks at me with a pained, angry expression and says, “Read this.”
I read the newspaper article she points out; it is reporting on a serial killer who killed another young woman yesterday, her body found mutilated, as she had been tortured. Her twin sister is also missing, no body found yet. Her parents are devastated. Several beautiful young women have been found dead in the last year after being tortured brutally, then killed, and the killer is still killing.
“Henry, can you help her? Can you find the missing girl? She may still be alive. Can you find the awful person who has killed all those beautiful young girls?”
“Anna, did you know her or any of them? How important is it to you? Yes, I probably can find him and the girl, too, and if she’s still alive, we could save her. However, the Consortium forbids me from interfering in Earth’s affairs. I am pushing the issue already, and it’s not a good direction for me to go; however, if this is really important to you, I will take care of it. I think…”
I pause, looking at Anna’s distress, thinking this is not Anna’s fault; this guy needs to be taken out, rules or no rules.
Continuing, “Actually, I detest the situation of me not helping in this. It needs to be resolved. Even if I think I might be breaking Consortium rules, you’re right about me doing something about it since I can resolve it, and since I am here on Earth, I should help. Lord save us from the demons. This gruesome idiot and his dreadful crimes certainly qualify. There is enough time to take care of this before I go.”
“Henry, thank God. Thank you from everyone in LA. Of the girls killed, I knew none of them. I think the paper said, he has killed thirteen young women about my age, all beautiful and accomplished, from good families. The police have no clue who could have done this or how these women were targeted and kidnapped. Please, Henry; it is a dreadful situation. For everyone’s sake, all the heartbreak he has caused, please take him off our streets.”
“Anna—OK—I’m your man, and I will also need your help, as it will take both of us. This is more complicated than you think, and it will be messy. We will send out drones immediately—you know, the little reconnaissance slips, thousands of them. Several will visit the last victim; there will be microscopic DNA particles from the murderer on her, maybe just several molecule-size flakes of his skin, impossible to see with the human eye yet easy for a drone. We will reconstruct him with his DNA—not real, just a computer image, yet it will be him. We will know what he looks like, his face, his body, and, more important, his aura signature, the infrared warmth each human gives out, which will identify him with one hundred percent accuracy, locating him from an overhead scan. We will use one hundred thousand drones or more to scan every foot of LA, looking for his signature. We will keep searching until he is found, taken, and then examined in our ship’s lab. We have to see how nuts he is, download his memories, locate any other bodies, and try to tell those parents without them knowing about us. He will be executed and vaporized along with anyone else involved.”
Pausing, then continuing, “The difficult part is understanding why he is evil. Some beings in the universe seem to be made evil; their DNA is corrupted; they are just bad. They are simply a cancer to be removed from society, expunged, no rehabilitation possible.”
I reach out and hold Anna’s hand, looking intently, making direct eye contact, saying out loud, “Anna, the other problem is if we find this victim still alive, she will be a mess. She has to be dealt with, maybe treated for emotional and physical injuries, and sworn to secrecy about us. We need you to help with this. She may need you. If there are issues with her, you will have to take care of it—and take her back to her home, deal with her parents, help her with a possible police statement, all without giving us away.”
Anna is nodding her head. “Yes, yes, I will help. I’m sorry to pull you into this, and I will do anything you want. Are you still going to help? Can you find him?”
“Already in the works. The Cyclone has programmed the mission orders; the drones are on their way. It will be over within twenty-four hours. Let’s hope he has not killed another woman. We will be notified when he’s been caught. We should head back, as a crowd is gathering outside to see you, cameras, too.”
We are heading for the bikes, breaking through all of Anna’s fans, yet she signing autographs along the way. Anna jumps on her bike, yelling at me that we both need some decent clothes to wear for tonight, and we are going shopping this afternoon. She is off, heading down the street, yelling something about racing me back home. It’s still raining, and she is already ahead. I am moving fast behind her, trying to catch up; I figure this is how it could be in the future, me trying to keep up with her.
Within two hours we are ready to go out. She drives some kind of sports car out of her five-stall garage, a red and fast-looking car. She is laughing and saying it’s her turn to take me for a spin. I smile, open the door, and jump in, wondering if I will survive this. She reads my thoughts, and I hear hers—and her laughter—as she is exclaiming I deserve everything I am going to get. And with spinning tires, off we go. I feel like I’m in the Saber!
After all
the shopping, I am exhausted. I’ve been in every store in LA and had my photo taken in every store because of Anna. I am done in, and Anna is still flying. Once home we get dressed and ready, and Anna has arranged for a limousine and driver to take us out for the evening. We are heading for dinner at a very nice restaurant, meeting twenty or more of Anna’s friends, all celebrities, some famous directors, famous actresses, and corporate CEOs; all are wealthy and renowned. I know none of them, and I cannot understand why Anna is so proud of me, making it known to them she wants to introduce someone who is very important to her.
After that we go nightclubbing. Anna asks if I can dance, to which I respond yes with a laugh. Actually I can dance much better than she could imagine thanks to the shipboard virtual-reality dance and exercise program. She will be very surprised, as I plan to introduce her to telepathic dancing, which is completely synchronized. We will be together as one, in rhythm, with perfect timing to the music and very sensual, almost erotic, every primitive instinct on fire. Yes, it will be a surprise for her, and I think she will be delighted, as long as I can do it right. It will be an experience beyond belief, and let’s hope a good one. Unfortunately, I am not completely sure; this will be a first time for me, too. I laugh, thinking, I hope Anna has a good sense of humor.
Chapter 31
Anna's Friends—A Night on the Town in LA with a Movie Star
The Cyclone is up above us as usual, insistent to remain close, just not that far up and lower than I want; however, security is tight now because of recent events. I can feel the Cyclone’s presence just four hundred feet up, all thirty-four billion tons of it. Thank God no one else knows it’s there. I wonder where the other six Seatisveres’ civilization starships are tonight; I hope far from here. The Earth will be on their target list, now knowing one of their pack disappeared here. They would be delighted to plunder this planet. I wonder what else is happening across the universe, in my jurisdiction.