“What did you do that for?” Benny’s voice shook with rage as he yelled at Lee. “You know how I feel about littering.”
“Oh sorry, Boss. I forgot.” He hung his head in shame.
“Don’t let me see it happen again. You know we only have one Earth and we have to take care of it. There’s enough other people out there throwing trash around abusing our place to live. You don’t have to add to it.”
“Yeah, Boss, you’re right. It won’t happen again. I’m sorry.”
“All right, see that it doesn’t.” He sighed. “I think they might be going out to Red Rock Canyon or the Array. They already passed the junction to Colorado Springs so they ain’t going there.”
“I wonder what they’re gonna do way out there. There’s nothing there unless they’re gonna take the tour at the Array.”
Just then he watched the black Jeep turn off just above Red Rock Canyon. “So that’s where they’re going. I do remember that busybody waitress saying some guy was here from Denver taking pictures for some magazine.”
“I bet that’s what they’re up to.” Lee sucked the last drop of his drink through his straw making a slurping noise. He placed the empty cup on the floor of the van.
“Good. If they’re doing that, they’ll stay out of our way.” Benny watched them getting out of the Jeep in his rear view mirror. Tonight would be soon enough to scare the daylights out of them all.
* * *
“I want to get some shots from a distance before we take the tour,” Kole said and pulled off the road. “From here the disks look majestic.” Once out of the car, he started snapping pictures. All of a sudden the hairs stood on the back of his neck. His ancestors were calling to him. This was the right area. He stood on the mountain top framing the High Mountain Array in his lens. Twenty-seven snow-white huge disks stood like sentinels slightly turned upward, facing west with a brilliant blue Colorado sky above them. Elle and Sara watched as he pretended to be lost in his work. But what he wanted . . . needed to find were the ancient markings his people had left behind.
Kole gazed out over the countryside and took more pictures. Everything here was so different from his home. Blue skies, bright sunshine and a surplus supply of oxygen was incredible. He inhaled and took a deep breath. The environment on his home planet, Mars, had been destroyed and his people had to live underground. Sure, there were false skies, trees, plants and waterfalls underneath their dome, but it was nothing compared to Earth—the real thing.
When Elle turned away, he took a picture of her. He didn't say he wouldn't take any pictures of her. He said he wouldn't take any pictures of her for the magazine. I want to remember my experience here on planet Earth, every moment with her before she learns the truth about me. When he was near her, there was this tug on his soul as if he were being drawn to her. He had been warned, but hadn’t expected the attraction to be so strong. The constant struggle to keep his relationship with her strictly platonic was top priority in his mind.
On Mars there was no such thing as sex, not in the sense of the physical coupling that he so desired with Elle. Generations were created by test tube births. Male and female were paired genetically, then linked together after maturity to form a loosely regulated, monogamous family unit.
Now that he was here on Earth there was so much he wanted to do. It was one thing to study and read about the Earthlings and quite another to experience exactly what a human male was feeling toward a woman.
Feeling his gaze upon her, Elle turned to watch him work. “Are you getting some nice shots.”
“As you said, this is a beautiful spot. I think the best pictures will be taken from a distance.” He pointed his camera toward the valley below them trying to pull his thoughts back to his mission. When she was around he had a hard time concentrating.
“True.” She looked out over the telescopes filling the valley floor alongside the large red sandstones rising up from the ground. The sparsely spaced pine trees and sage brush sprouted here and there among the sandstone.
Kole came over to her side, forcing himself to remember why he was here. “Want to go exploring and find those caves?” The first part of his mission was at hand. He had to find the markings and get in the caves. He couldn't let this beautiful Earthling distract him.
“Sure, let me ask Sara if she wants to go.” She ran over to where Sara sunned herself on a large rock. “Hey, do you want to go exploring? Kole wants to try to see the caves.”
“No, you go ahead. I'm feeling quite content sitting here reading and enjoying the sun. It's been ages since I've had the time to sit and do nothing. I feel like a lazy cat. Go and enjoy yourselves.” She winked at Elle. “We can have our picnic when you get back.”
“Okay, we’ll probably be gone an hour or so. See you in a bit.” Elle walked back to where Kole stood, snapping pictures.
“Come on, Kole, we go this way.” She pointed toward a towering red sandstone rock in the distance shaped like a crooked finger.
Instinctively, he raised his camera and took a photo of her before she could notice.
“Great, I want to get some shots of those caves,” he said and snapped more pictures of flowers, plants and a rabbit running over the rocks. “Look at that big red sandstone rock surrounded by the flowers.” He pointed toward it. “That makes a nice contrast.” He strolled through the field with his camera clicking, loving being carefree on Earth. He’d put Elle at ease so now he could ask more important questions.
“Isn't it somewhere near here where the sightings happened?” He felt her tense for a second before she relaxed.
“Yes, over off of Drifter's Ridge, a couple of miles from here.” She pointed toward the red rocks in the distance. “Many of the caves in the red rocks area have strange markings on them. Some say, aliens put them there thousands of years ago.”
She had no idea how close she was to the truth. On the starship he had studied those markings and knew them by heart. He would be able to read them. They were his guide. “I’d like to get a picture of those.”
“Sure, they’re up this way.” She walked in front of him. “I’ll show you.”
He couldn’t let her know how much he needed to see the markings and the caves. “So there's been talk about aliens around here for a long time?” His whole body tingled. He didn’t have to be psychic to feel the vibrations from his ancestors. He was in the right place. He could feel the magnetic pull. The markings would lead him to the remains of the last failed expedition to Earth. His heart thumped in excitement at being so close to his destination.
“Yes. There are lots of stories about sightings, abductions and the like. Especially, since the High Mountain Array was built.” She sighed. “Some of the locals say the aliens are being drawn here to the big array of antennas.”
“What do you think?” He wanted to hear her opinion.
“Me? I think there's something to it. There have been more sightings in the last few years.”
“By the way, I’ve heard you’re psychic.”
For one moment, she froze in her tracks and stared at him, her face unreadable.
He raised his eyes to hers and spoke slowly. “Is it true?”
Before she answered, she stumbled on some loose gravel almost falling. Catching herself, she responded, her brilliant green eyes defiant. “Where did you hear that? Or should I say whom did you hear it from?”
He thought her knees might buckle as she walked shakily toward a big rock and sat there.
“Liz, at the diner.” He sat next to her, waiting for the reaction to come.
With her face burning, she looked away and sighed.
He knew the surge of blood to her face was caused by feelings of embarrassment since it had already happened to him about the clothes he had worn the first night he had landed on the planet. They were sorely outdated and had made him stand out instead of blending in. Magazines at the bed and breakfast had set him straight and shown him the error of his ways.
“Well, with Liz, th
at explains it.” She took a deep breath and seemed to be collecting her thoughts then turned back to him. “You see, every time something unusual happens I’m always to blame.” She sat there and gazed out over her surroundings probably not seeing anything. “And of course, she insists I know all about aliens.”
Kole simply listened till she talked it out. Then he gently turned her face toward him so she could look into his eyes. “Elle, you shouldn’t let Liz or anyone else upset you about your abilities. You should celebrate yourself, your uniqueness, your special gift.”
She seemed to be caught off guard by his response. “You believe in psychics?” she asked in a quiet whisper.
“Yes. Absolutely.” What was not to believe? It was second nature for his people to use their sixth sense.
“Well, for the most part, I don’t.” She gritted her teeth and nearly spit out the words. “Most of them are kooks.” Frustrated, her voice was low, a sexy sound that made her seem more vulnerable. She calmed a bit and sighed. “However, some people are for real and do have these abilities.” She shrugged. “I happen to be one of them.”
“Can you read my mind?” he asked, not exactly sure of the extent of her abilities.
She frowned and sat back, seeming slightly rattled. “No, it’s not quite like that,” she said, shaking her head. “At least most of the time, it isn’t, anyway. But I do have a pretty good intuition about people and sometimes it’s as if I can hear their thoughts.” She hesitated and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, then gazed into his eyes. “My gift, as you call it, is different. With my intuition, I can do the usual readings expected from a psychic. But then visions and bits of the past or future are thrown at me from time to time. That isn’t something I can turn on and off. I never know when I’ll get a vision.”
“Interesting. I think I see what you mean.” His gaze raked her face. He knew much about her and her gift, but enjoyed hearing her open up to him.
“You don’t believe me?” She forced a smile, looking into his eyes.
“Yes, yes, I do.” He touched her hand, giving her comfort, all the while wanting to give her so much more. “There are many from my home that can do these things.” He pulled her from the rock and, holding her hand, headed on toward the caves. She followed by his side, listening to his every word. “You’re using more of your brain than most folks,” he explained. “It’s a logical thing to do.”
“Do you believe in aliens?” she asked and stared so hard at him he had to look away.
“Yes, but I think there are all types of aliens and in this situation there’s something else going on.” He knew the aliens, other than himself, weren’t supposed to be anywhere in the area.
He was sure his spacecraft had been seen that first night when he made sure it was Elle in the car along that desolate road, but the other sightings were something else in the night sky. What’s happening now is something else.
“I'd like to help your dad get to the bottom of what’s going on around here.”
She only nodded. “I'm sure he'd appreciate any help you could give him. Sometimes, when these sightings happen, our small town and neighbors get pretty crazy. And of course, Dad is the one who takes the grief.” She slipped on some more loose gravel and he caught her. He held her close to his chest for a moment and swallowed. Trying not to look at her he held her hand and walked on. When she had unwittingly pressed her soft breasts against him to steady herself it had caused odd sensations to his heart and lower regions.
He understood what had happened. He understood an erection—theoretically. He just hadn’t understood how the sensation would make him feel. Lust. He could taste it in his mouth, every fiber of his being. He craved her sweetness. It was an emotion unknown to the people of Mars and it totally rattled him to his core. He tried to think of other things. He had always known in the scheme of things she would be important to him, but this was something else all together. Sometimes, when he looked at her it was if he could see his children in her eyes.
Impossible! She’s an Earthling and I’m from Mars and we don’t do that sort of thing. He let go of her hand and picked up a rock, realizing he should keep some distance between them. He threw the rock away.
“Unfortunately, most of the time that's the way it goes in law enforcement,” he said, and tried to get his mind on other things besides her luscious body. He had to keep his feelings for Elle at bay and find out if there was an easy way to gain access into the caverns near the markings. Getting his mind and unruly feelings under control he wished to change the subject. “Rose told me she used to play here and in the caves when she was a little girl.”
“Yeah, I’m sure she did. The caves have always been a special mysterious place. But now they’re fenced in by the government.” She pointed up and down the valley. “Not too long ago, the powers that be took this land from the local ranchers for the High Mountain Array.”
“That's too bad. Let's walk that way, anyway.” He had to get the lay of the land and find the caves. “I'd like to see as much of the area as I can.”
“Sure, it's pretty over there.” They headed toward the red sandstone in the distance.
“Look, there's a huge hole in the fence.” Elle pointed toward it. Just above the hole was a No Trespassing sign. “Let's go in and take a look. We have to go through the fence to get to the markings and the caves.”
“What about the sign? Are you going to get me in trouble?” He raised an eyebrow and grinned at her, letting her think this was her idea. If he wasn’t careful, he’d be the one causing her problems. It was only a matter of time before the sparks glowing brightly between them would ignite and then they’d both be in too deep. And he couldn’t let that happen. He pulled his wayward emotions back from that train of thought.
“It’ll be okay.” She laughed. “I don't think there's anybody around and we're not going to disrupt anything. We're only looking at the caves. What could that hurt?”
“Okay, come on.” He held the torn fence back for her and she pushed her way through. He followed behind her, checking out the area for anything suspicious.
“Wow. Look at those flowers.” Elle pointed to the meadow below them. It was covered in orange paintbrush and the state blue columbine flowers. “They're beautiful.” She walked through the field, touching the flowers. “It's been too long since I've been in the mountains.” Among the flowers lay an old rusted can. She picked it up.
“What's that? Let me see.” He wanted to hold the can to see if there were any vibrations left on it by the humans. It might give him a clue as to who was doing what.
She handed it to him. “An oil can like the ones we saw Bill picking up at the station. He was getting several flats full of oil like this.” She frowned. “I wonder what it’s doing out here by the caves.”
“That's strange. I don’t think it's the kind to be used on machinery like the antennas.” Not getting anything, he tossed the can back into the flowers.
“I guess you're inside a lot with the salon work.” He kept the conversation going as they walked through the field and up an incline.
“Most of the time, but I don’t mind. I like helping people feel better about themselves and a new hairstyle can do that for someone.”
“You’re good at it. I like the way you cut my hair.” With his new clothes and haircut he knew he blended in better.
“Glad, I could help.” She pointed toward a cave entrance.
“I wonder what that glow is coming from the cave up near the valley ridge. See it?” She turned her head toward the cave. “Listen, I hear a slight humming noise from up there.”
“Yeah, I hear it, too. It looks as if the sun is being reflected off some kind of glass or something. Let's go take a look.” Kole headed toward the cave hoping to find the markings.
A military Jeep drove toward them and Kole froze. Acck, my stars. What have I done? I'm not supposed to attract attention.
“Halt. Who goes there?” One man in a military uniform stayed in the
Jeep while the other jumped out and pointed a rifle at them.
Kole pulled Elle close to his side. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her. With his other hand in his pocket, he rubbed his smooth protective stones. He could blow them away in an instant, but with only five stones he had to use them sparingly—only in dire situations. He’d bide his time and see how this played out.
“This is government land.” The menacing-looking fellow held the rifle aimed at them.
“There's no trespassing at this facility.”
“I'm sorry,” Kole spoke. “My lady friend wanted to pick some of the flowers. We didn't mean any harm.”
“Yeah, I wanted some of the flowers.” Elle smiled at the men.
“Ma'am, flowers or not, you're not allowed on government land. You'll both have to come with us.”
“My friend is up on the hill waiting for us. Can someone please let her know what's going on?” Elle said.
“Bill, the Director of the High Mountain Array, gave us permission to take a tour of the place,” she added.
“That’s all fine and good, but you have to come with us. Now.” He motioned for them to get in the Jeep. “Someone will let your friend know you'll be at the High Mountain Array headquarters getting this straightened out.”
Kole and Elle sat in the back of the military Jeep headed toward the main office. Reluctantly, he glanced back at the caves. The Dropa stones will have to wait until I’m alone.
“Elle, I'm sorry I got you into this.” He reached over and held her hand feeling a shot of guilt, another emotion he had never really known. When he had decided to bring her along to the caves he knew he was taking a chance. Even with the strange thoughts that swirled through his head when he touched her, he couldn’t resist holding her hand. Her pure essence vibrated into the palm of his hand, causing him to experience things he’d never expected. The way his body reacted when he was with her was an enigma. He didn’t feel things like this on his planet, but then again, he didn’t hold hands with anyone there. It just wasn’t done. Somewhere along the way, on his world, they’d lost something very special when they gave up touching each other.
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