by Tasha Black
“Jody,” the girl said.
Kate wrote To Jody - Be yourself! Love, Katie with a flourish and pushed the headshot across the table.
Jody hugged it to her chest and shuffled off.
“Nice,” grunted Tex from beside her.
Arthur “Tex” Mulroney had played her dad on the show. He’d made his name in Westerns, but fans loved him as the squinty-eyed first mate on SIS.
Kate shrugged.
“You’re better at this than I am,” he said with a grin.
“My fan base is a little different,” she said, grinning back because she could see what he couldn’t - a gaggle of older ladies tittering as they approached him.
“Tex,” cried out the first one bravely.
“Aw, hell,” Tex grunted to Kate.
But he turned around gamely to greet the women.
Kate figured Tex was pretty happy with how things had turned out. He’d already had a bad back from all the horse tricks by the time he’d arrived on the set of SIS. A show that ran two seasons and then developed a cult following after it was canceled was just right for the middle-aged cowboy. He was a celebrity, but he didn’t have to do any more acting. These Cons were a great excuse to stay in nice hotels, meet fans and chat about the good old days.
For Kate, on the other hand, it wasn’t so easy. She had always dreamed of acting in films, but after SIS she was permanently typecast as Katie. She’d been unable to land a decent role that fit her three criteria - no stretch uniform, no outer space, and absolutely no aliens.
Now, like her character in Suspended in Space, her career and life were stuck forever, orbiting the waylaid starship that made her a household name, even after the show was canceled.
After a few years of disappointment, she’d finally packed it in and headed to college. Her plan was to turn her love of real-world astronomy and space into a science education degree and a teaching job. The next generation of students wouldn’t know about Suspended in Space, and if she cut her hair short enough and started wearing make-up, maybe the parents wouldn’t recognize her either. Then she could begin a quiet and organized life as Miss Henderson. Anonymity or not, she’d be making an actual difference in the world, not just trotting around with flowing hair and a tight jumpsuit.
Her agent, Carol, had convinced her to do the Con circuit one last time this summer.
“How do you know you won’t change your mind?” the older woman had asked in her trademark unsinkable, happy tone.
“Because I won’t,” Kate said. “No more space shows. I don’t want to play Katie again. And no one wants me to play anything else. My acting days are over.”
“Well, just one more circuit, honey, for old time’s sake,” Carol said firmly. “Then you can hang up that suit for good.”
Kate hadn’t been able to argue. Carol had been good to her. She’d helped Kate land the role in Suspended in Space at a low point in all their lives, when Kate’s dad was undergoing cancer treatments. Carol quietly came and picked up Kate to take her to every audition for a year and a half. She had a roster of other clients, but she made time for Kate.
And when Kate finally booked a gig, the pay for Suspended was enough to cover her dad’s special treatments and even to allow her mother to quit her job in retail and stay home with him to get him back on his feet. Carol’s investment in Kate had probably saved her father’s life.
So one more tour seemed like a small price to pay.
“Hey there,” a familiar voice boomed from the crowd, bringing her back to herself.
At least it had seemed like a small price to pay. Kate had a feeling that might be about to change.
“Yes, it’s me,” the voice said, drawing closer. “Hi, ladies.”
“Shit,” Kate said under her breath.
Spencer Carson came into view. He was a hearty male specimen - slicked back blond hair, body bristling with muscles. Objectively, Kate could see how the fans liked him, if you were into that kind of thing.
Unfortunately, Kate knew too much about what was inside that slick blond head to be into Spencer.
He’d had one cameo on the show, as a teenaged alien boy who, for whatever reason, didn’t have a ton of alien make-up or a wacky costume. Kate knew the only reason he’d landed the role was because his dad, Barry Carson, was a big-time producer.
Spencer’s character had been part of the cliffhanger ending of season one. And his presence had caused a real stir among fans as to whether his character, Prazgar, was intended to become a love interest for Katie Bly.
His presence on set had caused a real stir too. Carson was unable to remember his few lines and continually broke character to laugh or comment. As a result, the powers that be had written him off, and he hadn’t even had a farewell at the beginning of season two.
But that didn’t stop the fans from dreaming.
And apparently it didn’t stop Spencer Carson from dreaming either.
He made his way through the crowd, a look of triumph in his eyes. A black t-shirt with white lettering emblazoned on it stretched across his barrel chest.
* * *
Prazgatie 4 ever
* * *
Prazgatie? She hoped that wasn’t really a thing now.
“Move over, old man,” he sang out to Tex.
“I don’t think so,” Tex replied quietly.
“Hey, Katie,” Carson crooned. “Miss me?”
Kate studiously ignored him, reaching out a hand to the nearest woman in line and beckoning her over.
“Are you guys a thing?” the woman asked eagerly, looking between Kate and Carson.
“God, no,” Kate said.
The woman looked instantly disappointed.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Carson winked at the woman.
She giggled.
Kate signed a headshot quickly.
“Thanks for coming out,” she said, pushing the headshot to the woman.
“I loved the show,” the woman said fondly. “You were my favorite, you stood up for yourself.”
“Thanks,” Kate said. “I was very lucky to be part of the show.”
“Be yourself, and worlds will follow,” the woman replied fervently and scurried away.
“Okay, break time,” one of the organizers shouted.
The fans that were still waiting in the lines sighed their frustration.
“The actors just need a short break,” the organizer yelled. “They’ll be back in fifteen.”
Kate fled to the ladies green room. If she moved fast enough, she could avoid a conversation with Spencer Carson.
Concentric circles in the carpet made the distance to the door at the end of the hall seem farther away.
Kate jogged for freedom and made it inside.
“What is this, A Hard Day’s Night?” Sadie Stein asked and then barked out a laugh.
“I’m not running from the fans,” Kate told the veteran actress.
“Ah, the co-star then,” Sadie nodded sagely.
“I’d hardly call him a co-star,” Kate grumbled.
“Don’t say that in front of Barry Carson or you’ll never work in this town again,” Sadie said.
It was probably an exaggeration, but still something Kate had thought about before. Carson could have used his dad’s connections to keep her from getting consideration for other roles. It would explain why she had such a hard time landing a new gig after SIS. But no one would be that petty.
Would they?
She perched on a chair and slid her cell phone out of her pocket.
* * *
Kate:
Why is he here?
* * *
Carol:
Hi there, Katie! Why is who there?
* * *
Kate:
Spencer Carson.
* * *
Carol:
What the hell? I told them you would not attend if he was on the panel. Hang tight, Katie-cat, I’m on it.
* * *
Kate put the phone in he
r lap.
Sadie was busy, fluffing up her already very fluffy head of tangerine orange hair. Sadie had to be pushing eighty but she looked fantastic.
Next to her, Kate’s reflection looked dull and pasty - a gloomy girl with a hank of blonde hair and a morose expression.
She straightened her posture and relaxed her facial muscles.
“Try some lip liner,” Sadie advised, waving a pencil-looking thing at her.
“Katie Bly doesn’t wear make-up,” Kate said. “Thanks anyway.”
“What about in production?” Sadie asked, looking scandalized.
“Oh, tons of make-up in production,” Kate said. “But it was made to look like she didn’t wear any. So they want me au natural for bookings. It’s in my contract.”
“A word of advice,” Sadie offered, meeting Kate’s eyes in the mirror. “Never get old.”
Kate laughed.
Her phone buzzed.
* * *
Carol:
That son of a bitch isn’t on the panel, and they didn’t book him. He paid for a ticket.
* * *
Kate:
Thanks Carol.
* * *
Carol:
I’ll have Jeff meet you there. He’ll shadow you all day. Sorry to ruin your privacy but I worry about you, kid.
* * *
Jeff was an ex-cop Carol had hired as a bodyguard for Kate when Spencer Carson first began to stalk her. Jeff was a nice guy - a little prone to showing off pictures of his grandkids, but Kate didn’t mind. She felt better just knowing he was coming.
Spencer had started off friendly enough today. He always did. But he went from sweet to pushy to aggressive very quickly. And Kate was never sure just how far he would go.
A judge had thrown out her request for a restraining order two years ago. And the publicity had been so unpleasant she hadn’t wanted to try again, even after Spencer showed up on campus and threatened her last fall.
She had hoped a quiet year meant no more trouble, but she should have known better.
The phone buzzed again.
* * *
Carol:
Sorry, Katie, Jeff is at Disney with the family. I already called the company. They’re going to get someone else over to you ASAP.
* * *
Great.
3
Kirk
Kirk stepped into the enormous hall.
He paused, looking around in wonder. The room was immense - larger than any human shelter he had ever seen
Back on Aerie, Kirk and his brothers floated along the craggy surface of the planet, soaking in starlight for energy. Since their physical forms were gaseous, shelters weren’t a point of focus in their lives. They spent most of their time under the stars.
But when radio transmissions from a planet called Earth had arrived, the leaders on Aerie decided to visit their galactic neighbors. And the only way to do that was to take on forms that could tolerate Earth’s environment.
The leaders decided that in order to determine whether Earth was friend or foe, a contingent of Aerie’s citizens must be sent to Earth. With this in mind, Kirk and his brothers were prepared for the journey. Their gaseous forms were migrated into lab-grown human bodies and they were assigned suitable Earth names, garnered from the selection of Earth media they had consumed.
If the Earthlings accepted these men from Aerie, and the men’s experience of human life was positive, then relations between the two planets might begin.
Satisfaction of the full human experience culminated in what some of Kirk’s brothers described as a click, allowing their soul to become permanently affixed to their human form.
Thus far, the click had only been accomplished when a man from Aerie fell in love and mated with a human woman.
But back in the lab in Stargazer, scientists were trying to make the men click without love. The attempts were pleasant but led to nothing.
The women who had successfully mated with the first three aliens to arrive grew more and more concerned that the scientists would grow weary of their attempts on their mates’ brothers, and ultimately harm the men or the relations between planets.
The women had secretly sent groups of men to different locations, hoping they would find mates and begin a normal human life, far from the reaches of the scientists and the governments of both planets.
Kirk and his brothers, Buck and Solo, had been sent here by his brother Magnum’s mate, Rima.
Rima had told Kirk to find her friend, Kate Henderson at the Convention Center. Rima told him she would talk with Kate before he arrived, so that Kate would be ready to help.
Buck and Solo were waiting in the lobby, so as not to draw unwanted attention. It was up to Kirk now to find Kate.
Rima had described Kate’s long yellow hair, her dark eyes, and the snug gray uniform with royal blue trim that she would be wearing. He knew he was looking for a table with a logo that said Suspended in Space. He expected it would be easy to spot her.
But now that he was here, he understood why Rima had described her friend so carefully.
The room, which was big enough to land a spacecraft in, was crowded with humans of all shapes and sizes. Tables and booths stretched as far as the eye could see, each festooned with logos and labels.
And nearly every woman in his view seemed to be wearing a snug uniform of one kind or another.
Sounds of delight pressed in on him from every direction. And the smell of popcorn filled the air.
“Hey big guy,” a man said.
Kirk turned to discover who had called to him. Perhaps this human knew where Kate could be found.
The man was large and smiling. He wore a suit and a pair of dark spectacles, as did his companion beside him.
“Here you go,” the man said, handing Kirk a pair of eye coverings. “You’re one of us now.”
Kirk looked down at the glasses. They were pure black.
“Go ahead, put ‘em on,” the man said, smiling.
Kirk placed them on his face. To his surprise, he was able to see perfectly well in spite of their dark color, though the room was a bit dimmer than before.
“Sunglasses,” he said to himself. He had never seen a pair in real life.
“All you need is a black suit and a memory neuralizer and you can help us hunt aliens,” the man’s companion said.
“Oh,” said Kirk, suddenly afraid that he had been found out.
But the men only laughed.
“Thank you for the sunglasses,” Kirk said. “But I have to go find Kate. Do you know her?”
“Kate who?” the first man asked.
“Kate has long yellow hair and dark brown eyes. She is wearing a snug gray jumpsuit with royal blue trim,” Kirk recited obligingly. “She is at a table with a logo that says Suspended in Space.”
The two men gave each other a look.
“You mean Katie Bly?” the first one asked.
“That’s me,” squealed a voice from behind.
Kirk turned to see a woman. She did indeed have long yellow hair, and she was wearing a gray jumpsuit with royal blue trim. But something about her seemed off. She didn’t look at him the way he expected a friend of Rima’s would.
“You are Kate Henderson?” Kirk asked her carefully.
“I’m whoever you want me to be,” she said, eyeing him up and winking.
“She’s not Kate Henderson, buddy,” said the man who had given him the glasses.
“He’s right,” the woman admitted. “I’m a cosplayer. And Katie is always a crowd-pleasing getup. But I can take you to her line. Do you really know her?”
“I need her,” Kirk said.
“Good luck, man,” the man told him, clapping him on the back.
The woman who was and was not Kate took his hand and led him through the crowd.
Kirk congratulated himself on his good fortune that he had made a friend who could help, even as he tried to puzzle out why this woman looked so much like Kate. He wondered what a cospla
yer was.
They walked past artists making beautiful sketches with colored inks. The drawings looked real but the princesses and dragons were frozen still on the page. Kirk’s brother, Buck, would find it all very interesting. Kirk regretted for a moment that he had come inside alone.
However, Rima had urged Kirk and his brothers to remain discrete.
It had been explained to Kirk on Aerie that his physical form was designed to please and attract human females. But he had not fully understood what power it held until he and his brothers left the lab at Stargazer and entered the world. Women seemed to appear out of nowhere to gaze at them hungrily.
The temptation to explore this heady new power was nearly overwhelming. But Rima had instructed them to find Kate and ask for her help in finding appropriate mates. So they had managed the train ride to Philadelphia from Stargazer without allowing the women who prowled after them to find satisfaction.
A woman in a white gown with a round bun on each side of her head gave him a little wave as he passed her stand, which held seemingly endless shelves of t-shirts.
He waved back and she pressed something into his hand.
“May the force be with you,” she whispered.
He looked down. It was a black plastic cylinder.
He wanted to stop and ask what it was, but not-Kate was tugging his hand, so he tucked it into the inside pocket of his jacket as they walked.
They passed a jewelry shop and a table where blue colored men with strangely formed ears stood talking.
“Aliens,” not-Kate said. “That make-up is some seriously hardcore cosplay.”
Make-up was a concept Kirk was familiar with from watching the movies. Did that mean these men were not really aliens? Was this what humans thought of aliens?
But they were rushing past superheroes and Greek gods, artists, and jewelers and more people in gray jumpsuits with royal blue trim.