Alien Love

by Stan Schatt

  “Maybe we can give ourselves a chance now that you’ve destroyed the gateway. I’d really like to feel there are no secrets between us,” Jack said.

  “I don’t see any reasons for us to have secrets now,” Cassandra said. She put her small hand within Jack’s and squeezed it with surprising strength.

  Using her phony ID and a credit card with the same name on it, Cassandra rented a van. She handed the keys to Jack with a smile. “I never learned to drive. They said husbands could drive if the wife’s name is on the rental agreement.”

  Jack drove toward the mortuary. He kept stealing glances of Cassandra, who dozed next to him. She had the ability to relax completely almost instantly; she probably developed that trait in order to maximize her energy for when she needed it. He knew so little about her and her world. How did people on Androvia get around if there weren’t any cars?

  “Just drop me at the Greyhound depot,” Pete said.

  “Are you up for it? Maybe you should stay a day or two with us?” Jack said.

  “I’m probably a lot safer leaving town right now. You guys are the ones who have to watch your backs.”

  The men embraced Pete. Jack hated to let go because he feared he would never see his friend again. Finally he released him and watched him turn and enter the Greyhound office. Cassandra approached him and placed something in his hand and whispered in his ear. He smiled and shook her hand.

  “Next stop is the mortuary,” Jack said.

  “They’re probably watching for any credit card transactions that have our names on them,” Milburn said.

  “I thought of that,” Cassandra said and reached into her bag. She began distributing phony Visa cards with names on them that matched the identities of the IDs she already had handed out.

  “You can work for me anytime,” Ricky said as he admired his new card. “How long before these aren’t any good?”

  “The new billing cycle just started. You should be able to use these for the next three weeks.”

  Larson studied his card and whistled. “It’s like found money. I’m getting me some cool stuff!”

  “Sorry to ruin your fun, but the cards are linked to phony addresses. Your government has programs that match up names and addresses,” she added.

  “So transportation and food and hotels?” Larson said.

  “They’re all fine. Each of you has about twenty thousand dollars of credit.”

  The mortuary’s lights were out as Jack passed it on the way to Hawk’s house. The men climbed out, gathered their bags and shook hands before heading to their cars or trucks.

  “Stay here until you find somewhere else,” Hawk offered.

  “I’ll drop Cassandra off and come back,” Jack said. On an impulse, he removed his gun from his bag and stuck it in his pocket. Cassandra looked at him and followed his example.

  “Better safe than sorry,” he said as he wondered whether anyone had recorded Cassandra’s GPS coordinates when they had the tracker on his car.

  “Cassandra’s welcome to stay here as long as she wants. There’s so many questions I want to ask her,” Hawk said with obvious disappointment.

  “I need to get back. My work with Mark is not finished.” Cassandra turned to Jack. “You know where I live now, and I know where you are staying.” She recited her cell phone number and Jack wrote it on the back of his airline receipt.

  Cassandra moved closer to Jack as he drove her home. She laid her head against his shoulder. “It’s very different to have someone who cares about me,” she said.

  “I do. Have I broken through your Androvian reserve yet? Do you have feelings like we do?”

  “We have feelings. I do feel very close to you, and I care about you. I’ve never said that to anyone else.”

  Jack felt tears in his eyes, but he made no effort to brush them aside. “I’ll walk you to the door,” he said as he parked at the far end of the lot, the only vacant parking spot in Cassandra’s apartment complex.

  He felt Cassandra slump into his arms. He realized he should do a 180-degree survey before proceeding, but that would mean releasing her. He wasn’t ready for that yet. He smelled the sweet fragrance of her hair and felt her warm body close to his as time seemed to stop. Jack took a deep breath, gave her a final hug, and then he slowly let her go. Cassandra adjusted the backpack on her shoulders and stood on her toes as she kissed him softly on his lips.

  “I could get used to living here,” she said.

  “Do you have to go back?”

  Cassandra’s face clouded. “The project is very critical for my people. I told you I was a scientist as well as a warrior, and I have to finish my research and take the results back to my planet.”

  “After that?”

  She shrugged in a very human way. “I don’t know. I’ll come back to you if they let me. Perhaps with the Draconian treaty no longer possible, your government will consider letting us come and go freely.”

  “Well then, let’s hope that happens; meanwhile, we can be together. Maybe you could move in with me.”

  Cassandra brightened. “That’s a wonderful idea!”

  They held hands as they moved slowly toward her apartment. Suddenly, Jack saw a shadow out of the corner of his eye and his instincts kicked in. He shoved Cassandra behind a car and dove for cover. Something hot passed over his head. He glanced at Cassandra and saw that she had a weapon in her hand. He pulled out his own as well.

  “This car won’t be enough protection,” she said.

  Jack saw that whoever fired at them was hidden in the shadows. “I’m going to move behind those cars and try to work around them. Maybe you can distract him,” he said. Cassandra nodded, but clearly all of her attention was on the spot where their assailant had last fired.

  Jack moved cautiously behind the parked cars, keeping as low as possible. He saw a car near their attacker burst into flames. He heard an explosion and saw that much of the car behind which Cassandra hid also was now burning. He prayed she was okay and told himself she was too good a warrior to stay very long in one spot.

  Jack moved silently and quickly in the direction of his attacker. He saw a tree trunk explode and realized Cassandra must be shooting at someone hidden behind it. He took that as an invitation to run across an open space and then dive behind a van. He opened the door slightly to provide even more protection. Suddenly the windshield exploded and sent glass in all directions. He crawled down the row of cars. He felt something warm rolling across his face and touched it with his hand. He looked down and saw his hand covered with blood. The flying glass must have opened the wound. He ignored it and moved in the direction where Cassandra had fired.

  “Over there,” she whispered. Jack looked in the direction of her voice and saw a finger pointing toward a black SUV. Of course, the place offering the most protection, he thought.

  Jack moved toward the SUV, careful to keep low so that parked cars kept their attacker from having a clear view. Cassandra must have seen him because she stepped out from behind a car to offer him some protective fire.

  Just as she revealed herself, the figure behind the SUV fired. He didn’t bother to stand up. His weapon was powerful enough for him to fire through the SUV’s door, Jack realized. Then he saw Cassandra’s body on the asphalt where she lay motionless.

  ***

  Jack knew that even if she had survived the blast, Cassandra would not be able to survive another shot. He half stood and darted behind a car separated only a few feet from the SUV. When the figure rose to finish the job, Jack covered the distance in a few strides and slammed his shoulder firmly in the man’s back. They fell to the ground and the weapon slid under a car.

  Jack clung to the large figure but felt his grip slipping. The man turned and Jack realized that it was Scarpo, who smiled.

  “Now I can finish it, and I won’t have to hold back,” he said.

  “You’re a damned Draconian,” Jack said.

  “I’m a warrior who has forgotten more about fighting than
you’ll ever know. I’m going to enjoy this,” Scarpo snarled.

  The two men battled on even terms for a few minutes, but Jack realized Scarpo had more stamina, and he felt himself weakening.

  “You’d never make it out of our survival school,” Scarpo said as his fist landed on Jack’s cheek. The force pushed him back against a car. The alien threw himself on top of Jack and placed both hands on Jack’s neck and began squeezing. Jack clawed at Scarpo, but it was useless. He began to feel the life drain out of him.

  “You never did figure out what your girl friend is, did you? Now it’s too late.”

  Jack’s hands fell to his side. His right hand lay slightly underneath the car. He felt something hard and realized what it was; meanwhile Scarpo’s hands tightened even more. With his last bit of energy Jack grabbed the weapon and moved his arm slowly from under the car. It seemed to take forever. He raised it toward the monstrous figure and pressed the button.

  Nothing seemed to happen at first. Then Jack felt Scarpo’s hands loosen and finally drop away from his neck. The alien’s face seemed to dissolve as he was flung off Jack. The headless figure morphed into a hideous Draconian.

  Jack gasped for breath and then he remembered Cassandra. He struggled to his feet and staggered to where she lay. He gathered himself and then reached down and lifted the slight figure into his arms. Her breathing was ragged, and he saw blood pouring from a wound on her side. He lifted her and ran toward her apartment while praying the entire time that Mark would have some kind of alien medicine that could save her.

  Chapter 24

  JACK POUNDED on the door; he heard movement inside and then Mark finally opened it and stared at the slight figure in his arms.

  “She’s been shot. You’ve got to help!”

  “Put her on the sofa,” Mark said. He spoke calmly, almost too calmly as far as Jack was concerned.

  Jack placed her down gently and saw that Cassandra’s blouse was covered in blood. Yes, Ricky, she really does bleed like us, he thought.

  He watched as the alien bent over Cassandra and placed what looked like a salt shaker over the wound. He saw something flash and realized Mark was cauterizing it. The blood stopped, but Cassandra’s face was white, and now her breaths came in gasps.

  “She’s lost too much blood,” Mark said.

  “Let’s give her a transfusion. You can use my blood if you need it.”

  “You don’t understand. My blood will not help her now and your human blood would be toxic. There’s nothing I can do.”

  “You can’t just let her die! There has to be something you can do. Can’t you send her back to where you came from? You must have hospitals there!”

  Mark shook his head. “That won’t work. She couldn’t survive the trip; she has very little time left even with her enhanced processes.”

  “What do you mean?” The words meant nothing to Jack.

  “I can’t explain. I don’t have the words. She will be fine.”

  “How can you say that? She’s not going to be fine. You just told me she’s dying!”

  Mark’s facial expression didn’t change. He looked down at Cassandra. Jack noticed her breathing had stopped. He reached down to give her mouth-to-mouth, but Mark put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

  “She’s dead. There really is nothing you can do.”

  “You don’t seem that concerned. What did you mean everything’s fine?”

  “She is fine now. If you don’t believe me, you can go where she is and ask her yourself.”

  Time stopped for Jack. He stared at the alien while he tried to digest his words.

  “You’re asking me if I want to die in order to see Cassandra?”

  The alien shook his head, but he did so as if the gesture wasn’t very natural for him. “You will be able to talk with her, but you will also be able to come back here. This is where you belong. It is not your time yet.”

  Jack studied the alien. What did he really know about him? Could he trust him? He weighed all that against the possibility of seeing Cassandra again and realized it wasn’t much of a decision.

  “What do I have to do?”

  “Come back in one hour. I must send Cassandra’s body back for disposal first. Then I will prepare what is necessary for your trip.”

  Jack realized he really didn’t have any place to go. He thought of going back to Hawk’s place, but didn’t want to put his friend in any more danger than necessary. He drove to a neighborhood bar where everyone’s eyes were glued to the local Padre game that had gone into extra innings. He stared at the screen but realized he didn’t care. It seemed trivial. Humans had debated about the nature of death for centuries; soon he’d know the answer, at least when it came to aliens from Androvia. He thought about some of the myths he’d studied in school where great warriors went after death to a place where they continued to hunt and fight forever. If such a place existed, then a warrior such as Cassandra might feel very comfortable there. He thought of her actions at Dulce and marveled once again at her lightening like reflexes; maybe the Androvians bred warriors selectively for centuries and Cassandra was the result.

  He sipped a beer and watched the crowd. He’d placed his back against a wall and remained on high alert although nobody in the room looked like CIA or Navy Intelligence. There always was something about their cold dead eyes that gave them away. He contrasted that with the vitality he’d always seen in Cassandra’s eyes. What did he want to say to her? Would he go to her after death? He thought of all the religious school classes he’d had. Nothing really prepared him for what he was about to do.

  Jack glanced at his watch and saw it was time. He drove back to the aliens’ apartment. This time he surveyed the parking lot very carefully before knocking on the door. Mark waved him in.

  “I’m ready to proceed,” the alien said.

  Jack asked himself what bothered him about this creature and then realized it was the monotone with which he spoke. He sounded like a robot reciting English rather than a foreigner. Cassandra’s slight accent had been charming.

  He sat on the sofa and watched as the alien left the room briefly. Once again, he noted the whining sound coming from the closet. Whatever equipment was in there, it must be generating a lot of power to make that kind of racket. Soon the alien returned with what looked like a test tube filled with an amber-colored liquid.

  “You must drink all of this. We’ve never given it to a human, but our systems are similar enough so that it should not harm you,” the alien said in his monotone.

  “That’s reassuring. How long will this take?”

  “Your sense of time will be very different, so time in your human sense really is meaningless. I will stay here with you until you return.”

  Jack took the test tube and stared at it. Somehow it seemed alive. He remembered stories he’d heard about the wild 1960s when drugs were plentiful and how many hippies had taken “trips” with LSD and claimed they saw God. Well, if he were going to see God, he had some questions for him including why so many good men he’d served with had died for no good reason. He lifted the test tube to his lips and began drinking.

  Jack forced the foul tasting liquid down his throat. As he did so, he saw the alien’s features change as they became almost transparent. He felt the room spin around and collapsed. He lay there very still.

  He saw what looked like a large tunnel in front of where he stood. As he entered it, he saw the sides begin to spin around. They spun so fast he began to feel dizzy. The tunnel seemed to go on forever, but in the far distance he began to see a bright light.

  He’s killed me. There’s the bright light everyone who’s had a near-death experience always mentions, Jack thought without any fear. He made the observation as casually as he if he were commenting on the weather. It hadn’t been a bad life; of course there were things to regret.

  Jack finally became aware that he was approaching the light and that his rate of speed was slowing. He came to a dead stop just as the tunnel ended
in blinding light. He stepped into the light and blinked his eyes and waited while they adjusted. He saw millions of pulsing lights yet somehow he knew they were far more than mere lights. He sensed he needed to move in the direction of the lights and realized he had begun floating toward them. He felt weightless.

  No angels. No heavenly choir, but then again no Satan and no hell fire, Jack thought. There was light everywhere but no sun or moon. He observed patterns of lights that seem to group together. They moved in complex patterns. He saw one light blink out and then another. He observed other lights suddenly appear. The light patterns became more and more complex as he moved among them. He sensed where he had to go.

  He came upon a light that seemed somehow familiar. Suddenly he recognized the voice that spoke in his head.

  “Jack, what are you doing here? You don’t belong!”

  He recognized Cassandra’s voice. The light began to take shape and soon he saw it assume Cassandra’s shape.

  “Where am I? Are we both dead?”

  “No, I told you it was complicated. I can tell that you don’t belong here. You’re in another dimension where our spiritual essence awaits its next incarnation. That’s about the best I can do.”

  “I miss you. I’m so damned sorry I didn’t take out Scarpo before he got to you.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Do you see the pattern of lights around you? We’re all part of a very complex pattern with lessons to learn each time.”

  Jack studied Cassandra and thought he detected a smile.

  “Maybe in my next incarnation I’ll learn to duck.”

  “Is there anyway I can touch you?”

  “Come closer.”

  Jack approached the figure and then felt it wrap around him. “It’s like we’re one,” he whispered.

  Cassandra’s voice echoed in his head. “We are, but this can’t last. My colleague must have given you the inter-dimensional potion even though it probably would kill most humans. It will wear off before very long. You are so much luckier than you could possibly know. You have so much and we have been given so little,” Jack clung to the pulsating figure until he felt it start to pull away. “Will I come back here when I die?” he asked.