by Emrys Apollo
ANOTHER TIME (BOOK TWO)
CHAPTER ONE
Neal was startled awake by a knock on the bus door. He looked around for someone else to answer it and sighed when he couldn't find anyone.
His legs rolled out off the couch and swayed a little to get his bearings. Another knock sounded on the metallic door and Neal rolled his eyes.
“I'm coming! Just wait a damn second.”
Neal reached the door and threw it open. His eyes went wide at the sight of a man dressed in a brown mail delivery outfit.
“Are you lost?”
The man shook his head and pulled out an envelope. “No, this is for the man called Daryl. Be sure he gets it.”
Neal frowned and stared down at the small brown package thrust into his hands. “He has a delivery? Way out here?”
Silence.
The bassist looked up and the man was gone. He glanced around the area and saw no one nearby.
He shrugged and walked back inside the bus.
***
Neal glanced down at the package on his lap and wondered if he should wake up Daryl to deliver it. He turned it over in his hands and studied the outside. There was no return mailing address or postage information, as if it had just been hand delivered to Daryl.
But who would do that? They were in the middle of nowhere, and Daryl's wife or friends wouldn't bother with that sort of thing.
Strange scribbling on the bottom caught Neal's attention. At first he thought they might be just errant pen markings from the mail delivery man but they looked more uniform than that.
Then it hit him right between the eyes. Was this a secret package from Daryl's people? Did this contain information on their plans?
Neal glanced around and bit his lip. His fingers slipped up the flap to open it. He swallowed the lump in his throat and looked inside.
He frowned and emptied the package contents into his hand. A small metallic device, no bigger than a coin, sat in his palm. He studied the curious object and wondered what it did.
Fingers picked it up and slid along the side of it. A small flash crossed Neal's eyes.
***
Callum shuffled into the front room in search of Neal. His body craved the touch of his lover, along with a few other things.
He rubbed the sand out his eyes from the impromptu nap and searched around for Neal.
His eyes went wide and he staggered back against the wall.
“What the hell! Who are you? What the hell are you doing on our bus?”
There in front of him was a slimy black creature. It turned its mass of a head to the side, staring at Callum with curiosity. Its mouth-like area opened to omit noises that sounded like clicks.
Callum pressed further along the wall, eyes fixed on the creature as it started to move closer.
It looked down and slid back, as if in fright. A string of clicks floated out, slimy appendages felt around on the couch for something.
“Hey! Stop messing up our couch. Get out of here!”
The creature found what it was looking for and a shimmer of light shined in Callum's eyes.
Neal gasped and shook in place. “Wow.”
Callum's eyes went as wide as they could possibly go before it dawned on him. “Neal? What the hell?”
The bassist collapsed on the couch, still gasping for a breath. “I don’t know.”
Callum raced over and pulled him into his small arms. “You scared me! There was this...was that you?”
“I don’t know. There was a package and I opened it, and a flash and...”
Callum petted his head. “Shh, just catch your breath first.”
Neal nodded and passed out in Callum's arms.
***
He slithered out of the communications center and leaned up against the wall. A swirl of emotions echoed in his mass of a body, fear and exhilaration mixed together. He had no way of knowing that Neal would find his package and test it out, but he was happy he'd lucked out. He just wished he'd remembered that the humans below were not like them.
The device wasn't meant to be used by other races, just his own. They worked with it for years to make it less noticeable to others, getting them out of more tight jams than he could remember.
But Neal's body wasn't made for it. He had hoped that it would be easy for him, that he now had a way on board their ship to save Daryl.
This put a frown on his non-existent face. How long would it take for Neal to adjust to it? Days? Months? Years?
A tinge of fear twisted in his body, the thought of Daryl not lasting long enough for them to get here. He needed to figure out where they were holding him
But more importantly, figure out a way to avoid detection.
No doubt his superiors would have noticed that he failed to show up for the cleansing. Not to mention knowing there was a transformer missing still. They would be after him shortly and he still wasn't even sure if the others would make it in time.
He slithered back and forth, pacing along the hallway. His plan was working but he needed something more.
But what?
***
“Come on, Neal.”
Neal shook his head. “No way. I'm not letting you touch it.”
Callum pouted. “I just wanted to try it out. For a few seconds?”
The bassist sighed. “It completely drained me of energy, why the hell would you want to try it? You could get hurt.”
“Which is why I said only for a few seconds. Come on Neal, I promise I won't do more than that.”
Neal rolled his eyes. “Yes right, I know you Callum. You will and you know it.”
Callum shuffled his feet and stared at the ground. “Nothing gets past you, does it?”
“No.”
The flautist sat down next to Neal and snuggled under his neck. Neal petted his long curls and sighed. A chubby hand snaked its way inside his pocket when he wasn't looking.
“Callum.”
“Yes?”
“Give it back.”
“Huh? I don't know what you're talking about.”
Neal pulled Callum's head off his shoulder. “I'm not joking. Give it back.”
Callum grinned. “What? I don't have anything.”
Neal made a reach for Callum's coat pocket and missed. The flautist jumped to his feet and pressed the metal button.
***
Daryl climbed out of his bunk and made his way to the front of the bus. He had ideas for a “blog entry”, as Neal had called it. A quick search on the internet got him what he was after.
He rubbed the sand out of his eyes and wondered how these humans did it every day. Their body always in need of recharging after so many hours. Such a waste of work hours, but he didn't want to cause any suspicion.
They would notice if he wasn't sleeping or not. Unlike the previous version of Daryl, he wanted to fit in with these creatures, lull them into a false sense of security. As his elders wanted him to do.
His eyes scanned the empty room and frowned. He thought he'd heard Neal or Callum in here earlier. An envelope sitting on the ground caught his attention.
Daryl walked over and picked it up. His name was on the front but nothing else. Fingers flipped it over and saw the writing at the bottom. He frowned at the message. It said it was his replacement transformer as requested.
“I made no such request.”
He closed his mouth after saying it, remembering that it wasn't common for humans to talk to themselves.
But what he really wanted to know was - who had opened his package?
Fear gripped his body, the thought of Neal or Callum finding this device. Their plans would be ruined and he would be to blame.
He shook his head and resolved to not let that happen.
***
&n
bsp; Neal pleaded with Callum to turn back. “Come on, it's been a few seconds. Just click the button again.”
Callum clicked out a response and jiggled in place.
The bassist rolled his eyes. “I'm not joking, Callum. You have to turn back before anyone else sees you.”
He clicked at Neal and shook his massive head.
“Damn it, I'm not joking...”
Daryl rushed into the room and ran up to Neal. “Did you open my package?”
Neal's mouth fell open and a clicking sounded behind him.
Daryl's attention diverted to Callum, his eyes going wide. “What? How is this...what are you doing here?”
Callum slithered back to the far wall, clicks coming forth from his mouth in protest.
The violinist shook his head and clicked out a message to Callum.
Callum's eyes blinked, comprehending the message. He clicked back a response.
Neal stared at both of them, stunned into silence at the idea of Callum understanding their language.
Could it be that Callum wasn't really Callum?
Daryl and Callum turned back to Neal. The violinist grinned at him. “I'm sorry Neal, but this is the end for you.”
***
Neal made a move for Daryl's position, only to be grabbed from behind by Leroy.
“Sorry Neal, I can't let you do that.”
“What? Leroy, what are you doing?”
Daryl chuckled and stood in front of Neal. “That isn't Leroy, and it hasn't been for days. You humans are too stupid to realize that.”
Neal growled. “But smart enough to see that you were! I've known for weeks that you weren't who you said you were.”
Daryl nodded. “Yes, I assume you did. That was my former colleague's fault, not my own. And I've decided that the rest of the symphony needs to be replaced as well.”
The bassist looked over at Callum's slimy form and frowned. “So you're really a clone too?”
Daryl laughed at him. “He can't answer you. His transformer must be jammed. That's why he requested a new one.”
Vick walked in, lugging a passed out Moses over his shoulder. “I've found the other one. I had to put him out for the trip to the ship.”
Neal winced and turned back to Daryl. “Is that how I'm going as well?”
The violinist smiled, his pointy teeth gleaming under the low bus lights. “No, unless you don't behave. If you don't, Leroy has permission to crush you into the tiny bug that you are.”
Neal snorted.
Daryl cocked his head to the side. “Why are you so calm? What are you planning? I can assure you that whatever it is, it won't work.”
“Then you have nothing to worry about.”
Daryl grinned. “No, I don't.”
CHAPTER TWO
Moses was shook awake by a hand to his shoulder. He grimaced at the throbbing on one side of his head and looked up. “Leroy?”
He was hauled to his feet by the cellist in one swift motion, arms pulled back behind him.
“Leroy, what the hell? What's going on?”
“Shut up, Moses.”
Moses turned to his left to spot Neal being held by a black slimy creature. He tried to escape Leroy's grasp to get away from the hideous being.
Neal snorted and rolled his eyes. “That's Callum, you idiot. Or rather, it was Callum.”
The bassist sighed and frowned, sadness curling around his eyes.
Moses stared at him. “I don't understand. Where the hell are we?”
Leroy grunted and shoved Moses forward. “The ship.”
The bassist frowned. “The ship? We're on a cruise ship?”
Neal rolled his eyes again. “No you idiot, we're on the alien ship. Where they have Daryl, and apparently the rest of the Staccato Symphony.”
Moses' eyes widened. “You can't be serious...I was having sex with an alien still?”
The bassist laughed at him. “Yes, well at least you knew something was off.” Neal bit his lip to stop it from trembling. “He fooled me.”
Moses frowned and wanted to comfort his friend but Leroy's grip on his arms was too tight. He sighed and glanced outside the window.
***
He sighed and stared down at the monitor. Images brought forth Neal and Moses being dragged along the ship's corridors to the containment cells. He had hoped that the new Daryl wouldn't find about his plan, but now it was too late.
Slimy digits tapped on the panel to change the monitor's picture. He flicked through screen after screen until he found the one he wanted. The picture went in and out of focus, blackness and white hospital beds popping up and then away. He squinted at the bottom of the screen to see the location. “Section S” flashed on the screen for a second.
He clasped his hands together and nodded at the screen. “Finally, I know where you are Daryl.”
The door behind whooshed open and two creatures slithered in.
One turned to him and cocked its head to the side. “Who are you and what are you doing here?”
“I was lost. I found this room and I thought it was the place I was supposed to be in.”
The creature shook its head. “It is not. This is a restricted place and you are not to be in here.”
“I see. I will leave then.”
The second creature nodded and triggered the door. “Please do not enter this room again.”
“Yes sir, I will not.”
A whoosh from the door filled the tiny room. The first creature sat down at the console and pressed a red button.
“Control, this is 45732. We have encountered an intruder in Section L. How do you want us to proceed?”
The speaker clicked off a message. “Did they give you their identity?
“No sir, they did not.”
“Very well. You will proceed to apprehend that individual. They are probably the one we have been looking for.”
“Understood.”
He flicked off the speaker and made a motion to the other creature to follow him.
***
Moses was tossed into the cell. Neal joined him shortly, landing hard against the slimy wall.
Neal looked up at Leroy with disgust. “I will get out of here, mark my words.”
Leroy snorted. “No, you will not. You will not have time to execute such escapes. Your life will be terminated in the morning.”
Moses' eyes widened. “Terminated? You're going to kill us?”
Leroy nodded. “Yes, that is the plan.”
Neal bit his lip. “Does that mean the rest of Staccato are dead too?”
“That is not your concern.”
With that Leroy left the area, leaving the two men alone.
“Neal, not Daryl. I can't...he can't be...”
Neal shook his head. “He's not. They wouldn't be able to clone him so well if he wasn't still alive. Leroy's just bluffing so we'd have no incentive to escape. And he's dead wrong.”
“But Neal...”
“Quiet! I'm trying think of a way out of here.”
Moses closed his mouth and sat on the ground to sulk.
Neal snorted at him and climbed up to his feet. His hands reached out to jiggle the metal bars. They gave a little under his force, but not a enough for him to just yank them out of the wall. He was about to pull on them again when a nearby door whooshed open.
A black creature slithered into Neal's field of vision and stopped. It reached out a limb to brush against Neal's clenched hands.
Neal pulled his hands back in disgust until he realized who he was looking at.
“Callum? Is that you?”
The being nodded and brushed his digits over the cell lock. It popped open and he swung the metal barred door away.
Neal stared at him. “But why? Why are you helping us?”
The creature reached out of a limb and touched Neal's face and clicked out a response.
Neal grinned. “Even in clicks, I can still understand what you're saying. Thanks.”
Callum nodded and stepped
to the side to allow Neal to exit.
Neal turned back to Moses. “Are you coming?”
Moses scrambled to his feet and ran forward. “Hell yes, I am!”
Neal turned to Callum. “Where is he?”
Callum motioned to the nearby map and tapped the area labeled Section S. He tapped another area to indicate where they were.
Neal nodded and touched Callum's slimy shoulder. “I understand. Thanks again.”
Moses blinked at Callum. “Sorry for screaming at you.”
Callum clicked out a response and tapped on Moses' shoulder.
The bassist grinned at him. “Yes, you're not so bad yourself.”
Neal rolled his eyes. “Are you two done now? We have to find Daryl.”
Callum nodded at him and clicked out a string of words. He motioned Neal and Moses through the opposite door.
***
He darted into the shadows as two creatures walked down the hall. Breaths gasped out of his lungs in fear, scared that he would be punished if discovered in this restricted area.
Guards patrolled the halls every few feet in these sections, making sure no one unauthorized tried to enter. His heart raced in his chest, so sure he would be discovered any minute.
Twin creatures slithered to the right and the door whooshed open to admit them. Silence filled the hallway, except the harsh sound of his breath.
Even if he approached the doors in this form, they would stop and escort him to the elders. That was the last place he wanted to be.
Eyes traveled along the walls for something to help him. They stopped on a red emergency lever. Normally it was used to halt experiments inside in case of a ship board emergency or the containment unit being faulty. The lab would have to be evacuated if the alarm sounded, no questions asked.
He grinned to himself and yanked the handle.
***
Alarms sounded in the hallway in front of Neal. He stopped running, Moses smashing into him from behind.
“What the hell, Neal? Why did you stop?”
The bassist rolled his eyes. “Are you deaf? Something's going on. I wonder if they figured out that we've escaped?”
Moses sighed. “Do you think that Callum alerted them?”
“No, he wouldn't. I trust him.”
Moses stared at him. “But he's one of them!”
Neal turned to Moses, eyes glaring at the stocky bassist. “He wouldn't turn on me. It wasn't him.”