RANGER

by Samantha Leal

  “Colonize...?” Kylie asked, imagining

  It's highly likely that your planet will be overtaken by the Codans, or obliterated by the virus. Either one is an unfortunate fate. We've been collecting some specimens to avoid extinction in case the worst happens. But you do see how this affects you, don't you? You might just save your world and ours. My planet has already been lost to the disease," Kane said, turning around as he grimaced painfully.

  He tried to hide the emotion in his face, but he couldn't. Kylie found herself wondering how strange it was that she should be able to empathize with it being from another planet. All of this seemed too strange and unworldly to be true, but what other choice did she have but to believe him? There she was, in a spaceship as it began to orbit far above any of the earthly boundaries that she was used to. Somehow the conditions in the ship were perfect for her to thrive, and she wondered if it was just in the apartment or if she was ever going to be able to have free roam of the craft. Finally, Kane turned back around and gave her a reassuring smile.

  “All we have to do is test your genes, and will find out if they're match for the antivirus. I understand that you probably don't have any interest in helping us, considering that we basically just kidnapped you from everything that you know and love, so we will try and make this quick. However, if it turns out that you are a match, we may need to keep you on board for further tests. I hope that you will come to forgive us for this invasion in time.”

  And with that, he walked out of the room, leaving her to stare behind him in disbelief as the door closed with a hiss and left her alone.

  Chapter 4

  Kylie was upset about being taken from her home, but it felt nice to have a reason not to worry about what she was supposed to do with her life. Now that she had no job, she wasn't sure where her life was heading anymore. She would just have to play it by ear. That was a whole lot easier to do when staring out the window of the ship as the stars passed by then it was sitting alone in her summer home before she sold it for an extra chunk of money. Although she was bitter about being kept prisoner, it was nice to surrender a little bit of control over her life.

  Soon, her stomach started growling, and she couldn't wait for her next meal. She wondered what in the world it was that they were feeding her. It tasted great, and she felt stronger and more nourished after eating it than she did eating the food on earth. The door to her apartment hissed open, and two Driads in lab coats walked toward her. The male had a long needle in his hand, and she flinched away from it.

  “Not to worry child, you're going to be fine. Just brace yourself for the pain. It will only last a moment."

  She grimaced and the other Driad gripped her shoulder, forcing her to stay still as the long needle pierced into her delicate flesh. She exhaled sharply as the pain seared through her. Finally, he withdrew the needle and gave her a small cup with a clear liquid in it.

  “Drink this," he demanded.

  She did as she was told, strongly resenting the hand of the Driad woman who was gripping her firmly, and immediately the pain in her body dissipated. She wanted to thank him, but stopped herself. They had just inconvenienced her body with a serious amount of pain after abducting her from her home planet. There was no way she should be thanking them for anything. And that woman was looking at her so strangely, it made her feel like a lab rat.

  Her stubborn anger toward the alien race wore on long after the Driads in lab coats left. The threat of the Codans meant nothing to her. They might as well have been made up and part of the strange delusion she was having during her nervous breakdown. It would all make so much sense – the need to escape reality, the handsome, masculine man in control... everything her life might be lacking. And even if it wasn't a nervous breakdown, she had never heard of the Codans all the time that she was on earth, so she didn't see why she needed to think about them while she was in space either. The idea of the human race becoming extinct because of some weird space virus seemed absurd.

  Kylie grumbled to herself and tried to get comfortable on the couch in her room. It wasn't as difficult as it looked like it would be, and she sank easily into it. She leaned back and smiled, instantly relaxed. She could get used to this, she thought, and then sighed. She didn't know how long she would be there, so she might as well try and enjoy it while it lasted.

  ***

  Kane was sitting in the control room, thinking deeply about how to set a course to avoid Codan territory. He had just figured it out when his two leading scientists burst into the room, waving a file excitedly. He looked at them as if they were crazy, until realization dawned on his face.

  “Is that a match?" He asked, his jaw dropping in awe.

  “Yes!" Korda exclaimed. “It's an exact match. The genetic sequence is perfect – all we have to do now is get it in the formula and see if it works. We have the test subjects being readied right now. It's going to be a very simple process. If this cures them, you do realize that all the power in the universe will finally be resting right in our own hands, don't you?"

  “Of course, this shifts everything in our favor. But we will have to keep this top-secret, there is no way that the Codans will leave us alone if we are carrying something so valuable. We're going to have to set up some kind of a safety net here. But once we have enough of what we need, are going to take the power back into our own hands. This changes everything. I'm so glad that we made such a wonderful mistake!"

  Korda nodded enthusiastically and summoned his assistant Gina to follow. They disappeared behind the door to the control room, and Kane leaned back and let out an excited whoop. Finally, things were going to go right. His mind drifted to the beautiful human that they had abducted by accident. He hadn't had a great feeling about abducting the drunk children, and when their sights had landed on the women, he felt as if some kind of divine miracle had taken place. He thought at the time that maybe that was just because he had never laid eyes on somebody more beautiful than her, but now he questioned whether or not he had some kind of premonition about the fate of the universe resting in his own hands.

  And it was all thanks to this woman. Kylie. He began to pace on the control room, his mind taking on a completely new train of thought. Kylie was now a precious commodity in the universe. If the Codans were going to eliminate earth, they would have to make sure to keep her as safe as possible. It was crucial that nobody discover the value of their cargo until they were able to produce enough serum to help everybody fight the disease that was enslaving the races of the universe to the evil Codan empire. But that was why he was the captain of the Legacy, he was going to do his best to fight the oppressive force out to enslave them and liberate the universe once and for all.

  Chapter 5

  Kylie was woken up and taken to what looked to be a laboratory. She inhaled sharply, conjuring to mind all the images that she had seen throughout her life of alien life forms experimenting on human bodies. She had wanted to trust that no harm would fall to her after Kane came and visited her that morning. His presence was a great comfort and she found herself wanting to believe everything he said. He was excited and told her that some tests needed to be done, tests that could change everything and make her a hero. He had assured her that she would come out feeling great, and when she remembered the way the food affected her, she had been very tempted to believe just that. Unfortunately, it was hard to stay calm when she was confronted by terrifying instruments of potential torture.

  The man, Korda, apparently the Legacy's leading scientist, told her to sit down on a bed much like the one that they had put into her little apartment on the ship. It was surprisingly comfortable, and when she laid down on it, Korda began his examination. He scanned a red light across her body, and she suddenly felt very exposed as images of her insides were projected onto the walls around them. Korda studied them intently, his large brow drawing in concentration. His assistant stayed in the background taking notes, scribbling furiously as Korda called out words in a medical jargon that Kylie found
impossible to understand. It was the same woman who had held her down before, and they glared at each other from time to time as Korda obliviously studied her body.

  After about 10 minutes of this, Korda gave her something to drink, and she fell into a blissful, trancelike state where the rest of his probing did not affect her at all. She could tell that he was drawing blood and looking at it under a microscope, and experimenting with this and that. Kane had told her that her body would be a valuable scientific anomaly, one that could potentially save the lives of billions of beings throughout the universe. She felt like that was a lot of pressure, and wondered if maybe she should have worked out at the gym more often when she was on earth. Maybe she shouldn't have eaten so many doughnuts. Maybe she should have avoided more processed foods. If the fate of the universe relied on her body, maybe she should have treated it like a temple.

  And then she was suddenly frustrated by the fact that so much pressure was put onto her. If it weren't for these people, she wouldn't know anything about the other beings in the universe. She would still be blissfully living her life on earth, allowing the blank question mark of possibilities to remain open above her head, but never truly wanting to explore anything further than that. The reality of her life on earth suddenly hit her like a ton of bricks. Everybody she knew had turned against her, and she was without a job and without any hope at all. Most of them, if they heard anything about her, would have said that she disappeared, but most people probably wouldn't notice or care. The thought made her angry, and she made a small decision to care more about having a purpose in the universe rather than leading a boring and trivial life on the planet where nobody cared about her.

  Finally, the testing was through and she was led back to her apartment by Kane himself. He held her arm firmly to steady her as she walked numbly beside him. Whatever Korda had given her had made her feel a little bit out of it, and Kane gently guided her, speaking softly and soothingly as he walked with her through the bay of his ship. She could feel all eyes turned on her as they moved, and Kane walked regally forward, not making contact with anybody except Kylie. He didn't want any of the crewmembers to discover just how valuable she was, but he also wanted them to understand that she was to be respected at all times. He hoped that they would respect his wishes, and the first not to would deeply regret it.

  “So how did it go?" Kane asked Kylie once she was resting comfortably on her own bed.

  “You tell me," Kylie said sleepily. "I don't really understand what it is that you're looking for."

  “I think that we will know when we find it," Kane said with a small smile.

  They gazed at each other, Kane brushing her hair away from her forehead reassuringly. It felt soothing, and Kylie just wanted to close her eyes and bask in the feeling forever. It seemed almost more normal to be here with this man from another planet than it did to be on a blind date. The thought made her start to giggle, until Kane was also laughing because he didn't understand what she had been set off by. The sound of her laughter was beautiful, but not as radiant as the way her face brightened up. He couldn't take his eyes off of her, and soon gave up asking what she was laughing about and just shook his head bemused. There was still a lot he had left to learn about earthlings, he decided, and stood carefully to take his leave.

  Chapter 6

  When Kylie woke up, she gasped, startled, and looked around the room for Kane. She could have sworn that he was just there with her, and she felt an aching void when she realized that she was alone. Maybe it was just because she was missing the contact with people of her own species, but she was desperate for him to come back and fill her little bland apartment with the same comfort that he had given to her as she fell asleep. A lot of what happened was foggy in her mind, but she knew that from the way she could feel Kane beside her, there was nothing malicious in his heart. In fact, she had determined as she drifted off into a dreamless sleep that Kane might just be more attractive than anybody on her planet. The thought had struck her so funny that she had drifted off to sleep in a fit of giggles. There was no way to explain what she was thinking without embarrassing herself, and so she was glad for the chance to escape explanation.

  She turned to the table, where a meal was laid out for her. It was reminiscent of the type of meal that she would have found on earth, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't been sure if she would ever be able to eat normal foods again. Somebody on the ship was looking out for her, and she had a feeling that it was Kane. She ate slowly, contemplating whether or not she would prefer to stay on the ship or go home. It seemed as if there wouldn't be much of a home to get back to if the Codans had their way.

  She tried to imagine what it would be like if Earth never existed again. The thought made her stomach drop. She would never be able to go back to her favorite places, such as the summer home where she spent her youth and the lake were sometimes she would go out for a late night swim with nobody watching her. Everybody that she knew and loved would be gone, and the feeling of isolation she felt would turn into a stronger feeling of devastation. The thought was very disturbing, and she tried to shake it away. If there is anything that she could do to save the planet that she was from, she figured that she should cooperate. If Kane was really doing what he claimed, she might be able to prevent a worse fate from befalling the planet.

  She grumbled to herself as she remembered the unfair conditions that had gotten her fired from her job. But the words didn't hold the same weight that they did just a week ago. In fact, once they were out of her mouth, they seemed to hang thinly in the air before dropping away. It was as if they meant nothing anymore. The idea of actually saving the planet versus the silly job that she lost that she could barely stand didn't seem to compare at all. Of course she would prefer to save the planet. Even if nobody ever knew about it, it would be nice to be able to say to herself that she had done something that important in her life.

  Of course that was only if it turned out that she did hold the special gene that could fight the virus that the Codans were using against the rest of the races in the galaxy. She wandered over to the window of the apartment, the idea of Kane's muscular body floating around in her head as she stared out into the darkness of space around her. She'd never seen anything more beautiful in her life, and although she had been afraid of flying in an airplane, for some reason Kane's ship made her feel completely safe. He genuinely seemed to want to do things right for her, and so she decided to sit back and relax, and try to enjoy herself as much as she could without having to worry about the stress of life on earth.

  Chapter 7

  Korda hummed absently to himself as he made the final addition to an elixir that he was testing out on an isolated strain of the virus. He stopped mid-hum and had to do a double take. He had finally done it. He held the most valuable serum in the galaxy in his hands. He quickly scanned over the code to memorize it before running off excitedly in pursuit of his assistant Gina. Normally, she was hovering right over his shoulder, but for some reason today he was not able to find her anywhere. He decided to check her chambers, which is something he normally never did. He believed in giving his assistants, particularly those of the opposite sex, a lot of breathing room.

  However, this was too exciting to keep to himself. He burst into her door, and suddenly felt as if he were being hit by a ton of bricks. Gina was on a radio communicating their location to the leader of the Codans, Marxus. She stopped abruptly and turned to look at him, her face falling in horror. She hadn't expected him to come in and discover her communication with their enemy. The worst part about it was that there was really nothing that he could do. He could have apprehended her if he had his weapon, but they weren't allowed in the laboratory and there was no time to retrieve it. He ran urgently from Gina to try to find Kane.

  “Kane!" Korda exclaimed as he turned the corner and nearly collided with him. “Gina is a mole! She's been sending messages about my work to the Codan Empire!”

  “What!? How could you let
this happen?"

  “Me? I'm not the one who said I should have an assistant, and I'm not even the one who chose Gina. You felt sorry for her and picked her up off of that planet because you said she has high potential. But she's probably been working with the Codans this entire time!”

  Kane considered this and looked down at the floor thoughtfully.

  “How much does she know?" Kane asked him finally, looking up with his eyes flashing in anger.

  “She knows that Kylie is a match, but she doesn't know that I have unlocked the formula for the antivirus. We are now officially the most powerful group in the universe.”

  The news filled Kane with a feeling of ecstatic relief. If all went well from here on out, he would be able to save the universe. But first things were first, they would have to find a way to get rid of Gina and protect themselves from the onslaught that she had probably doomed them all to. She had truly believed that she was just an innocent prisoner on one of the planets where they had gassed up the ship. Fortunately, she hadn't been on board very long, but now it was certain that the Codans had their location, and worse, they would have knowledge about Kylie as well.

  Suddenly, the alarms started to blare in their ears and Kane's face fell. A Codan ship was close, and some security had been breached. The sudden thought of Kylie filled his mind, and dread gripped his heart.

  “Kylie," he murmured quietly. “Go after Gina! Show no mercy.”

  Kane ran from the room as quickly as he could, pulling his weapon out of the holster at his side. Korda ran in the opposite direction, back toward the laboratory. He looked around for Gina, but it was too late. She had already vanished.