by Ross Buzzell
He closes the cabinet and moves to a second—nothing—then a third. He has been here for over an hour by this point and still has not found anything of use. A rustle behind him causes him to whirl around, his hand turning to stone as he does, only to shift back immediately upon recognizing the face of his guest. It is Natalie. The second she sees him, she laughs at him.
“You’re being a bit dramatic, don’t you think?”
Doug shakes his head. The shirt stills stays over his nose.
“No, but this is going to take forever without some help. Why don’t you get over here and give me a hand looking for someplace that is secluded enough no one will be drawn by the attention practice will get us, but still close enough for us to jump into action if needed.”
Natalie rubs her eyes at his words before she looks behind him. Turning to see what she is looking at, he sees there is an old TV hooked up to the wall. Natalie marches past Doug. She glances at him and speaks while continuing her unbroken stride to the old boxy device.
“Just give me one second. With Disa’ani’s address to the world, I want to keep an eye on the news and make sure everything is okay.”
She presses a button on the front of the TV. There is a soft “pop” followed by the hum of the glass boob tube as the screen flickers to life. As luck would have it, the TV is already tuned to the news, where anchors and senators speculate about the meaning of Disa’ani’s message and call for the head of Konner. Natalie shakes her head. Doug notices her face grow red and her fist clench in anger.
“There isn’t a thing we can do about sensationalized news, Natalie. We’ll keep an ear out for Konner’s name, but we really need to dig.”
His shirt is still over his nose. It slides down slightly; he grabs it and pulls it back to the bridge. Natalie laughs as she walks over to him and grabs one of the file cabinets. She gives it a pull, and instantly, a puff of dust shoots into the air. Natalie shakes her head as she holds her breath for a few moments until the dust settles. Doug smiles widely at Natalie, knowing his mouth cannot be seen, but it shows in his eyes.
“See?”
he says, almost laughing.
“What did I tell you?”
he adds. Natalie grabs the collar of her shirt and copies Doug before lowering her head to the files and begins to flip through them.
“Shut up,”
she adds after a brief moment of silence. She pulls her collar up over her nose like Doug has and begins flipping through files. After a few moments with just the soft voices of the TV in the background, Doug glances up at Natalie.
“How did you manage to get involved in this in the first place? You aren’t like Emma, Danielle, or me.”
Natalie pulls a file and opens it; her eyes scan the documents within before she looks up at Doug.
“Oh, you mean I’m normal?”
she asks. Her tone is sarcastic and Doug picks up on it instantly. A good sense of humor is always important to have in any kind of relationship, and through Konner, he is certain that they would develop one of some kind. Doug decides to play along, and with an equally sarcastic tone, he responds,
“What are you saying? I’m abnormal? Because I’m pretty sure that that’s prejudice and I will not be a part of that.”
Natalie pauses for a moment. Her nose scrunches up, causing her collar to fall. She shrugs.
“I mean, you are pretty weird.”
Doug lets out a laugh.
“Ouch!”
She laughs as well before walking over to him, holding a file outstretched for him to take.
“How about this? The building is right downtown. It is closed because of renovations to re-enforce the structure because it sits on a cavern. It would not be too hard to get access to that cavern and who knows what kind of tunnel system is down there that we could utilize.”
Doug scans over the yellowing papers; the project was projected to be completed three months ago. A wry grin forms on his lips; he takes his phone once more and snaps a quick picture of the paperwork.
“Excellent job, and it will probably be cheap. I could probably get it with the inheritance my grandfather left me.”
Natalie takes the file from him and closes it. Doug begins to slide the stacks of paper that he pulled back into their respective homes.
“So your family is rich?”
Natalie asks as she closes her cabinet. Doug shakes his head; the conversation is always a bit uncomfortable for him to talk about.
“Not like billionaire rich. My grandfather bought a lot of land and leased it out to businesses and the government. Made him a pretty penny and let me pursue my passions. There is enough for me, and my children to live comfortably, but not enough for me to invest in a fancy car or a pointy-eared cowl or anything like that.”
Natalie opens her mouth to respond when an image captures Doug’s attention, a horrible image that is straight out of a nightmare. Konner is being slammed on the ground and cuffed by three cops while a fourth stands off to the side looking at something in his hand. The headline that runs across the screen reads, “Alien Threat Captured by Local Police.” Gradually, the collar of Doug’s shirt slides from his face and makes itself back at home around his neck. Natalie’s voice catches in her throat once she notices Doug is no longer looking at her. Through the corner of his eye, he notices her turn to face the TV. She lets out a soft gasp of shock at the sight on the TV.
“We have to go… We have to help him!”
she says softly as if in a dream. Doug, coming back to his senses, slams the last drawer shut.
“We do need to get there, but I don’t think we should interfere.”
Natalie whips around and shoots him a look that could melt steel.
“You think we should just leave him to them?”
Doug shakes his head. He nods for her to follow as he turns and exits the room the same way they both came, talking as they walk.
“No, but I can understand how he’s thinking. Come on!”
Doug holds the home button on his phone. A white wave of light dances across the bottom of the screen.
“Location of the nearest police precinct.”
Within moments, a map pops up on his phone. The precinct is less than a block away. Both of them emerge from the basement, and without breaking stride, exit the city hall lobby, which would have been beautiful had they not been in such a hurry and had a chance to soak in the beauty. The sunlight beams down on them as the ball of fire floats high in the sky. The day is beginning to warm up and the sounds of rioters can be heard from blocks away as their screams echo through the grid-like streets of the city. As they descend the steps of the government building, Emma jogs up to them, flushed and wrought with worry.
“So I guess you heard?”
Doug nods. He quickly scans the grey streets behind Emma to look for Danielle. He does not see her.
“Just saw it on the news.”
Emma nods, the level of intensity in her face and the tense arch of her shoulders give Doug cause for concern.
“Yeah, it’s been all over the place for the past fifteen minutes!”
she barks, her outburst is more stress than anger, but it could easily be misconstrued. In unison, all three begin to walk towards the police building with Doug in between the two women. Natalie pipes up after a few moments of pensive silence.
“This is insane! You two are going to break him out, right?”
Doug doesn’t know Natalie very well. The little interaction he has had with her makes him think she is an intelligent woman, but the worry in her voice has him concerned. It is this same worry, this same fear that is causing the growing crowd before them to riot.
“No, we are not. Think about it, Natalie. Disa’ani got the first word out and obliterated his credibility. Now Konner is doing what is being asked of him and surrendering. Disa’ani, I guarantee you, is not and that will help make Konner more believable and sympathetic. And if we are lucky, Disa’ani is going to make a mistake by moving on Konner
IN the police station… they could apprehend him then and there.”
Konner glances over at Emma.
“Emma, we are going to get as close to the front line as possible. Natalie and I will block your view as best as we can and you try to take over an officer and scout out what is going on inside, but nothing else.”
Emma nods as they approach the back of the crowd.
“Sounds like a smart plan. Mind if I join?”
A voice rings out over the rioters, some for, but most against Konner. Danielle catches up to them. She smirks at Doug, who nods.
“We would be honored if you would.”
“He told me he was going to do this,”
Danielle says softly. Doug does not have to see. He can feel the death glare being shot at her by Natalie like a beam of heat.
“It’s mad, you know,”
she continues. Doug can’t help but let a smile form on his lips as he sees a blond-haired man in a suit walking into the crowd a few meters away from them. Doug points at the familiar man.
“It’s genius actually. The mouse took the bait.”
Each member of the team looks and instantly recognizes Disa’ani, even hidden in human clothes. Natalie pats Doug’s shoulder, more out of nerves than anything, and he can’t blame her. She’s been through a lot recently and her nerves are probably frayed. They all have been through a lot, and they are about to go through more.
“Doug, we really need to get in there!”
Her voice is rife with fear, anger, and a desire for revenge against her intruder. Doug nods.
“Stay close.”
He begins to push through the crowd. The team forms up in line behind him; starting with Emma and having Danielle take up the rear with Natalie between the two. Doug turns his shoulders into granite, which helps him shove his way through the crowd until they get to the front and are right next to the police line that has formed in response to the rioters. Emma moves in against the police line and Natalie stands on other side opposite of Doug with Danielle behind her. Danielle looks around at the crowd growing in agitation and the police getting more on edge. A spark of doubt shows in her eyes before she leans in.
“Are you sure about this? Konner is a soldier; he has handled Disa’ani before… I have faith he knows what he is doing!”
Emma glances over at Doug. Without a waiver of doubt, he nods to Emma.
“Yeah, well, he may still need backup,”
she says confidently before reaching out and grabbing the officer that has assisted with the arrest’s arm and instantly being pulled into him. Doug watches, as in the blink of an eye, the two become one. His posture changes to Emma’s slightly, his skin is lighter, hardly noticeably, but lighter nonetheless, and his eyes have one that is Emma blue, and the other, which is forest green. There is a moment where the eyes of the officer dart back and forth, looking at each member of the team, then to the crowd as a whole, almost as if he were trying to remember something. Turning, Emma, in the officers’ body, pats one of the officers next to him.
“Hold this line, I just remembered something I need to tell the commander about the arrest… No one gets past you!”
Emma turns and walks up to the precinct and enters the building. Doug keeps his eyes peeled for Disa’ani and his grey suit but does not see them. He must have missed Disa enter the building; at least he would not recognize Emma and he did not see Doug. Otherwise, the fight would have probably cost the lives of numerous people in the crowd. Doug keeps his eyes on the building; he is unflinching even as people push and shove against him. Doug holds fast, his heartbeat steady, his fists clenched tightly as he mentally prepares himself for anything. Anything, that is, except for what happens next.
An explosion rips through the side of the building. Instinctively, Doug turns and grabs Natalie, putting him between the blast and her. His body hardens and debris bounces from him. He glances at Danielle, who throws her hands up. The air around her warps and debris that comes in contact with the warped air falls to the ground without touching Danielle. A look of surprise springs across Danielle’s face as if she did not expect that to happen. Immediately, the crowd disperses and begins to run as the officers turn and charge into the building, weapons drawn. Doug’s skin begins to turn to stone. He feels a soft hand on his forearm. It is Danielle, and she shakes her head.
“We can’t let the cat out of the bag, Doug. Emma is in there with him. They will be fine.”
The sound of gunfire begins to fill the air. It takes everything in his power not to charge in to give assistance to Konner. Another blast rings out, but this is different. It’s not explosive, but there is a pressure wave. A streak of yellow flies through the hole in the building before slamming into the corner of another one; the blur is Disa’ani and he does not look happy. Within seconds, the entire precinct is outside, shooting everything they have at Disa’ani, who leaps up the side of the building, failing to get away from the wall of lead. A smirk forms on Doug’s lips as a sense of satisfaction at the idea of Disa’ani failing his mission, being outed as the monster he is, and being punted hundreds of feet into another building, only to be shot at dozens of times. He peers around; the only people left in the vicinity are cops, reporters, and them. Doug turns to the ladies, both of which have the same looks on their face that Doug did. He cannot help but speak, and Natalie responds.
“Well, looks like the cat is out of the bag.”
“Sure does.”
Chapter: 19
Chains Cannot Hold Me
The sensation of cold metal clasped tightly around his wrists surprisingly enough does not make Konner feel uncomfortable. He knows he is strong compared to the humans and even when put up against their tougher elements. A little voice in the back of his mind tells him to test his restraints. He glances around the grey room; a mirror takes up most of the wall to his right. Focusing on the wall, he can feel the temperature of the wall is higher than the other three, meaning people are behind it. He smiles and gives the window a nod as his fingertips run over the smooth cold metallic table. A steel ring, which is welded to the table top, holds the chain that links his cuffs. The cold concrete of the floor is matched by the grey of the walls; the room is clearly designed to cause lack of stimulation.
Whether it is to make the mind wander or to bore the perpetrator into wanting to do whatever they can to get out is unclear. Konner presses his fingertips together and extends his wrists putting pressure on the cuffs; with no effort at all, he feels the metal start to give way. Instantly, he stops and drops his hands back to their normal position, not wanting to break out or seem hostile. Impatience begins to build and Konner’s foot bounces up and down; not on edge because he is being left alone—that he can handle—but because he can begin to feel a dark cloud spread over the city like a cancer. An invisible cloud of what can only be described as pure evil, and it is getting stronger by the second, which can only mean one thing: Xero is getting closer. Konner tilts his head and focuses on his hearing on the far side of the wall in front of him, the one holding a grey door with fogged out glass. He can hear a man’s voice on the other side speaking with someone.
“Detective Young, are you going to question him sometime today?”
“No, I think I am going to let him stew in there for a little bit. It’s not like an alien has the rights of us humans, am I right?”
He gives off a laugh, one that is just horrible; the cackle sounds like a dying bird that is choking on its food. Konner, with an open palm, slaps the table, which makes a BANG loud enough to be heard from the other side of the wall.
“DETECTIVE YOUNG!”
Konner yells out, not in a threatening tone, but more of informative, since if he is still in the building when the darkness gets here, no one will survive the onslaught.
“We do not have time for you to let me ‘stew,’ so why do you not come in here and do the job you are here to do!”
A split second later, the door flies open; he can see that the detective is
upset that he was just called out. He tries to keep his cool, but Konner can hear the frustration and borderline anger in his voice.
“Don’t you tell me how to do my job, alien!”
Konner smirks a little bit; the detective is trying to get him upset, and judging by the lines that grace his face, around his lips, at the corner of his eyes, and on his forehead, it is clear that angry is his default state most of the time. Konner feels for him; all that anger must be hiding something truly painful. Eventually, Konner nods in agreement with the statement.
“I guess you could say that I am. Yes, sir.”
The detective opens a file and begins to flip through it. Konner almost laughs out loud because this civilization has no actual information that they can link to Boron, meaning most of the papers have to be blank or from another file.