by Adair Hart
“Affirmative.”
Jake looked at the front right screen. It showed multiple locations in orbit. “Satellites?”
“Yes,” said Evaran. “Earth appears to have quite a few. The Torvatta’s cursory scan when we first arrived indicated they handle voice, data, and video transmissions. They also cover aspects of communication, reconnaissance, military usage, and a variety of other purposes. There appears to be a small space station nearby as well. Most of these satellites appear to be in low Earth orbit, with a few in medium orbit. We are not likely to encounter anyone while up there.”
Jake pursed his lips as he turned to watch the front screen. Maybe Earth was more advanced than he thought. Kathy’s house and their computer suggested otherwise, but satellites showed Earth not only had the concept of satellites, but the ability to launch them.
The Torvatta took off toward the first of many red dots. When the Torvatta approached the first satellite, Evaran stood and turned toward the entrance. “I need to place my UIC on the satellite. U4, maintain pace with the satellite and then close the gap.”
“Affirmative.”
Jake wrinkled his eyebrows. “You don’t have some type of beam for that?”
“I do not yet, and yes, U4, I know it is on the list.”
Jake looked at U4, who had faced Evaran and raised a finger but then lowered it. Having to manually line up with each satellite and place a small device was tedious and seemed ineffective to him. Interface beams were common in the Seceltor Empire. It was obvious Evaran could easily put one in place, but maybe he was backlogged with other priorities.
The left front screen switched to show the light-blue entrance ramp outside the Torvatta. It was extended out, and Evaran had walked to the edge of it. The satellite was just within arm’s reach of the end of the ramp. Evaran reached outside the shield and placed his UIC on the satellite.
Jake had figured that the shield provided some type of atmosphere, but the effect of exposed flesh to the rigors of outer space should have kicked in, yet Evaran appeared to be unharmed. He turned to U4. “How is his hand surviving with no cover?”
“Analysis. Evaran’s suit can withstand the environment.”
Jake shook his head. “No, I meant his hand. It’s outside the suit.”
U4 faced Jake. “Analysis. Incorrect. It is one layer of the suit.”
A chill went through Jake. He knew Evaran was not human, but this made him seem like something not even alien. His eye caught the front right screen displaying information at a rapid pace, similar to what he saw on the bar at Jells.
Over the course of the next half hour, the Torvatta had accessed twelve satellites.
Evaran had come back in and sat at his command chair. His hands flew across his ARI as the front right screen adjusted to his motions. He gestured at Jake. “Earthlings use a multiple name system. Do you know the second or third part of your name?”
“Melkins, and my real dad’s name is Robert,” said Jake.
Evaran placed his hand on his chin. “Do you recall any mention of a location?”
“Denver, Colorado.”
A global map appeared on the right front screen, with a smaller nested window showing a listing of people with the name Robert Melkins. The map zoomed in to Denver, Colorado, and four red dots appeared.
“Analysis. There are four Robert Melkinses in the Denver area. Two are under the age of thirty. Removing them now,” said U4. She swiped at the front console interface, and two of the red dots disappeared.
Evaran studied the map. “Interesting. What do we know of them?”
“Analysis. The first Robert Melkins exists in an apartment complex on the east side,” said U4 as a picture of the complex popped up. “He is fifty-four and lives alone. Area has a high crime rate relative to the surrounding areas. Caution is advised.”
“And the second?”
“Analysis. The second Robert Melkins lives in a small house, twenty-five point two miles away to the west,” said U4. A picture of the house in the woods and a long driveway winding through a small patch of forest appeared.
“That’s a lot of detail,” said Jake.
Evaran rubbed his chin. “The amount of information on Earth’s infrastructure, people, and technology is quite large. I am unsure why that is. I suspect someone or some group is keeping tabs on Earth’s populace in secrecy.” He gestured at U4. “Take us to the house.”
“Affirmative.”
The Torvatta descended toward the house. After a few moments, U4 found a small area to land where a field met a forest.
Evaran stood up and studied his ARI. After punching a few controls on it, he pressed a button on his center belt. A projection in the form of a blue pinstripe suit appeared around him. “I believe this will suffice. U4, I will keep in contact with you via my ARI. I may need you to look up and offer translation help for any slang.”
“Analysis. An upgrade to the universal translator would reduce that.”
Evaran sighed. “I know. It is on my list.”
“Affirmative.”
“Should I change into something different?” asked Jake.
“If you wish. Did you study English?”
Jake nodded. “Yeah, grew up with English and learned Spanish at Dad’s. Those seemed to be the two main languages of the slaves that were captured.”
“It must have been comforting to them to see and hear you speak,” said Evaran with his hand extended out, palm up.
Jake drew his lips flat. “Not really. I had to explain what was going on mostly. Comforting isn’t the word I would use.”
“I see,” said Evaran with wrinkled eyebrows. He pointed to the living quarters. “U4, replicate clothing appropriate to this period and region.”
“Affirmative,” said U4. She walked toward the living quarters, with Jake behind her.
After ten minutes, Jake walked out of the living quarters wearing jeans, a shirt, and light-brown low-cut hiking boots. It seemed odd to him to wear more than a one-piece suit with no built-in technological pieces. U4 directed him toward the entrance, where he exited the Torvatta.
Evaran waited for him outside. “Are you ready to go?”
Jake nodded. “Guess as ready as I’ll ever be.” He took in the smell of the nearby forest and thought he heard running water off in the distance. A memory of a campground flashed in his mind, but it was murky at best.
“Very well. Let us proceed.”
They pushed through the forest and emerged near a gray stone house. After a few moments, they arrived at the backyard, which had not been maintained by the owner. Jake noticed a strong smell coming from a black object on four legs. It reminded him of when Jells cooked. Maybe this object was a cooker of some sort. They walked around to the front door, where Evaran glanced at Jake before he knocked on the door.
After a brief pause, an older male voice rang out. “Who is it?”
“Someone looking for Robert Melkins.”
Jake heard the muffled sound of something clicking. He looked at Evaran, who dipped his head and raised a hand.
The door opened, and a short, stocky man with fair skin, red curly hair, and an aged face stood in the entrance. “That’s me. Who the hell are you?”
Jake studied the man. He did not see any of himself in this person, or in the off-putting demeanor. His nose recoiled at a disturbing smell emanating from inside the house. It could be his dad, but he did not think so.
Evaran bowed with his left arm across his stomach. “My name is Evaran.”
“Whaddaya want?”
“Did you have a son named Jake?”
Robert eyed Jake, then turned back toward Evaran. “A son? No,” he said, shaking his head.
“I apologize for wasting your time. Have a good day.”
“That’s it? You made me get off the couch, walk over here, just to know if I had a son?”
Evaran gestured at Jake. “We are looking for his biological father.”
Robert laughed. “Well, I’ll adm
it, I was a bit wild in my day, but no son. That I know of anyways.”
Jake pursed his lips and looked down.
Robert extended a hand. “I was just kidding. Good luck finding him.”
“Thanks,” mumbled Jake. Although he figured this Robert probably was not his dad, it still stung a bit to come up empty.
“Thank you for your time,” said Evaran, nodding at Robert. He gestured at Jake. “Come, let us go.” He turned to the side and began heading to the backyard with Jake following him.
“You can leave that way,” said Robert, pointing to the driveway. “Why’re you going to my backyard?”
“My mistake.” Evaran changed course.
After a few minutes of walking, they reached the end of the driveway.
“This is not the Robert Melkins we seek,” said Evaran, interacting with his ARI. “U4 is bringing the Torvatta around.”
They boarded the Torvatta after it arrived and headed to the command area. Evaran sat in his command chair while Jake went to his spot in the right seating area.
Evaran tapped at his chair console. “It appears the one we seek lives in the apartment building. U4, take us there.”
“Affirmative.”
The Torvatta took off and, after a short while, hovered near the apartment building. It was run-down, and graffiti was sprawled out on the lower walls, with trash littered about. Several small groups of young males hung around outside on the street.
U4 interacted with the console. “Analysis. Landing location identified behind nearby building point five miles away.”
“We will walk then. Take us down.”
“Affirmative.”
The Torvatta landed behind one of the dilapidated buildings nearby. The spot was tight, and the landing made some noise as the Torvatta’s shielding scraped a garbage bin. Several cats scrambled out of the way, and startled birds took flight.
U4 faced Evaran. “Query. Will you need assistance?”
“I have a handle on the situation.”
“Affirmative.”
Evaran exited the Torvatta with Jake. They walked around to the front of the building.
Jake noticed the shabby nature of the building and the alleyway they were in. He had seen cities in his studies, but they always seemed to be cleaner than what he was seeing. The smell of garbage and urine rankled his nose. He ran a hand along the red-brick exterior of the building as they walked by it. Definitely low-tech by Seceltor standards.
They exited the alleyway and entered the street. A small group of males made up of late teens and some older members had come to investigate the noise. They wore jeans and khakis with a variety of blue-themed shirts. Some had on boots in various sizes while others had low-cut sneakers. Neatly folded blue bandannas hung off some of their belts, while others wore them wrapped around their head. They were mostly light-brown skinned, although some were fair skinned and others darker.
One of the older members stepped forward. He dipped his head and sneered, exposing something glittering on his teeth. He circled a finger at Evaran. “Hey, man … that’s a real nice jacket you have.”
“Thank you. My name is Evaran.”
The group chuckled.
“Evaran … that’s kinda loco for a name,” said the older member. He looked at Jake and pointed at him. “And who are you supposed to be, cupcake?”
Jake extended a hand. “Jake.”
The group laughed as the older member turned his head toward them with a smirk. “Okay … Jake. A handshake … very proper.” He shook Jake’s hand. “They call me Shakedown because it’s what I do. Now, how about you give me your boots?”
Jake retracted his hand and glanced at Evaran.
“Ahh, you didn’t know about the street tax,” said Shakedown. “You walk our streets, you pay. One way or another.”
Evaran extended one hand out to Shakedown. “No tax is to be collected today.” He gestured down the street. “Let us go, Jake.”
Jake turned and walked ahead, with Evaran following him.
Shakedown stepped forward and grabbed Jake by the arm. “We’re in the middle of a transaction … you don’t walk away from that …”
Evaran reached out and twisted Shakedown’s wrist.
Shakedown released his grip on Jake’s arm and shouted out in pain as he knelt to the ground. He winced as he turned his head to the group. “Get these milkweeds!”
Jake’s eyes widened as he stepped back. The last thing he was expecting was a fight, especially over a pair of boots. What was wrong with these people?
Evaran kicked Shakedown, causing Shakedown to go flying across the street. He then stepped in front of Jake. The first two rushed Evaran. He grabbed one of them and spun them around. With a light push, the one he grabbed went tumbling like a bowling ball into the other, knocking them both down. Another member approached Evaran with a switchblade out. He slashed. Evaran caught his hand and twisted it. The switchblade dropped. Evaran kicked the member’s legs out from underneath him. He grabbed him by the back of his pants and shirt. With minimal effort, Evaran sent the member sliding across the ground. The others hesitated. Some ran away.
“What the … ,” said Shakedown. He had stumbled back toward Evaran and pulled out a gun. “Let’s see how you like this …” He fired. Evaran raised a semitransparent shield with a hexagonal pattern on his left forearm. The bullet hit the shield and ricocheted. Shakedown’s eyes widened. Evaran stepped forward and grabbed Shakedown’s hand with the gun still in it. He cried out as Evaran squeezed.
“You should leave now,” said Evaran, pointing at the rest of the group. “Unless you wish to challenge me further. I will not be as lenient should you choose to do so.”
The remaining members took off.
Evaran pulled the gun from Shakedown’s crushed hand. He scanned it with his ring. “Interesting. Projectile weaponry. Quite lethal.” After crumpling the barrel, he tossed it at the ground in front of Shakedown.
“What the fuck are you?” said Shakedown with blood dripping from his crushed hand. He grabbed the crumpled gun with his good hand, then scrambled away after the others.
Jake watched Shakedown stumble away. Evaran retracted his shield and shook his head. Jake knew that if he had to fight them, it would have been rough, and before he could even get involved, Evaran had routed them. After watching what he did with Greecho and now this, it was apparent to Jake that Evaran was much stronger and faster than his physical form would lead someone to believe. Evaran did not even break a sweat, assuming he could. “You’re pretty tough.”
“Relative to a human, perhaps. However, violence is the last resort, unless self-defense is required,” said Evaran. He gestured forward. “Let us go now.”
They continued toward the apartment complex.
They walked the rest of the way to the apartment complex without issue. Jake noticed that there were several other small groups of males, but they cleared out when he and Evaran approached them.
They reached the front door, where Evaran scanned a console on the side that had buttons lined up with name tags. The name tags were hard to read, and most of them looked like they had been rubbed out or renamed multiple times. After a moment, Evaran pressed on one of the buttons.
A buzzing sound rang out from the console. “Who is it?”
“Someone looking for a Robert Melkins who lost a son named Jake,” said Evaran.
A few seconds later, the door clicked open, and they entered the apartment complex. They walked to the elevator and entered it. Evaran punched the button for the fifth floor. They exited the elevator when it got there and the doors opened.
“Robert is in apartment 5G. I am not familiar with this building configuration, so we will need to find it,” said Evaran.
Jake nodded. He kept opening and closing his sweaty fists. This was it. He blinked his eyes in rapid succession as they walked past each door. Every apartment tag they passed made his heart skip faster, and an excitement like the beginning of a cargo run crept t
hrough him. The apartment complex design was new to him. He had read about the various living structures on Earth, and they were very different than how the other species lived. Given how low-tech Earth was, it made sense to have large systems wired or piped into each living area. On Octoris, everything was handled by a matter converter, such as plumbing, water, and food. This allowed for a more spread-out design compared to this cramped layout.
After a few turns, they arrived in front of apartment 5G. Evaran knocked on the door.
“Who is it,” said a voice from behind the door.
“The one who you buzzed in from below. Are you Robert Melkins?” asked Evaran.
Jake heard the scuffling of footsteps approach, then pause as they reached the door. The door opened, and Robert stood before them. He was in his mid-fifties, had an aged face and jet-black hair with tinges of white in it. Jake recognized some of his facial features in Robert, especially the eyes.
Robert squinted at Evaran. “Yeah. Now who …” His eyes popped out when he saw Jake. “Jake?”
Jake swallowed hard as he glanced at Evaran then at Robert. He nodded.
“Oh, god!” said Robert as he burst out the door and hugged Jake.
Jake hugged Robert back. They stood in the hallway for a moment. He was not sure how to react at first, but he knew this had to be his dad. His heartbeat was rampaging, and his eyes widened as he trembled. Nothing had to be said. It felt natural. This is where he needed to be.
After a few moments, Evaran cleared his throat. “May we come inside?”
Robert stood back and wiped his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Come in.”
Evaran and Jake stepped past Robert into the small apartment.
Robert gestured for them to sit on the couch. “Please, sit. Can I get you anything?”
Evaran raised a hand. “We are fine.” He sat on the couch with Jake to his right.
Robert hustled over to his recliner and sat on the edge of it. He studied Jake. “It’s … really you. How …”
Evaran scanned Robert with his ring, causing him to jump. “Do not be alarmed. I am confirming the match.” He looked around at his ARI. “My scan indicates you are Jake’s father.”
Robert looked at Jake then at Evaran. “You’re … you’re one of them?”