Asa spat blood onto the metal floor beside his chair.  He hoped that he had managed to hit his tormentor’s shoes, but with his eyes blindfolded, he couldn’t tell. His wrists and upper arms were bound behind his back, but his legs were free. He supposed that they posed no threat to his captors, considering both ankles were broken. He wasn’t going anywhere, at least not fast.

“You can’t do this to me,” he protested, his words slurred by the swelling in his mouth. “I’m an American citizen.”

“Actually, you are a missing person,” responded Colonel Vasquez, his voice smooth and sounding amused. “You’re on an unregistered ship in international waters and nobody is looking for you here. By the time anyone who cares about your citizenship shows up, you’ll either be released with our thanks for your cooperation, or you’ll be dead. That’s entirely up to you.”

Asa glowered fiercely, and the blindfold ruined the effect.  “Fuck you.”

Vasquez chuckled. “A predictable response,” he said. “But that sort of thing won’t help you.”

He could hear the colonel walking around him, the tap-tap-tap of a metal rod on the floor making Asa sweat. He had already felt that rod one too many times.

“I already told you, I don’t know where they went. They stole the car and ran.” He spat another mouthful of blood. “I don’t know what you want from me.”

“Where would they have gone?”

“Away,” he growled. “How should I know?”

Vasquez grabbed his chin and squeezed, his thumb pressing painfully against the bone. Asa groaned.  “I think you know what they were planning, and where they were going.”

“Then you’re an idiot along with bein’ an asshole,” he managed to say.

The colonel slashed his metal rod across Asa’s knee caps, and the Texan roared in pain. The door to the room opened, and a woman spoke to Vasquez in rapid Spanish. The colonel muttered something under his breath.

“We will continue this soon,” he promised Asa, giving his jaw one last squeeze before he turned and left the room.

He struggled against his bonds, but his arms were secured too tightly, and his legs were no use. The pain from his injuries choked him, and he stopped moving, trying to catch his breath. His head was swimming, and he was deeply afraid.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to end.

Outside the room where he was being held, he could hear people running and shouting, and then there were gunshots. He cringed when the gun fire erupted in the corridor, and then something large and heavy – probably someone’s body – fell against the door. The sound of the running gunfight proceeded down the hallway and away from his room, leaving him alone and in sudden quiet.

The scent of blood was thick in the air, and it was all he could do to keep from retching.  The seconds stretched out like hours, and he found himself holding his breath. The gun battle was continuing, but far away from where he was.  He could hear only a few scattered echoes and the distant shouts of combat. Soon, even that went silent, and he struggled with hoping that the shooters wouldn’t find him and hoping that they would. 

He heard footsteps approach, and then the door opened. Someone came in, heavy boots hitting the floor. The blindfold was pulled off of his face abruptly, and then he was blinking in the sudden brightness of the overhead lights. A man in a black tactical outfit was standing in front of him, his face covered with a skull mask and a rifle slung over his shoulder. His helmet was equipped with dark vision goggles, which were obviously not needed right now.

“Asa Brunner?” the man asked.

“Yeah.”

The man pulled a knife and cut the zip ties holding his arms behind his back. Without another word, he picked Asa up and slung him over his shoulder, carrying him out of the cell.

***

Beno retrieved the road atlas from the car and laid it out on the table. “Where are we?” he asked.

Sera opened to the page for Texas and pointed out San Antonio. “Right here, sort of by this highway exit.”

He pointed to a large swath of open land on the map, a place with no towns and few roads. “What is this?”

“Uh…that’s the high desert. Presidio County.” She looked closer. “Specifically, you’re pointing at Marfa. That’s a tiny little town that’s known for some art galleries and the Marfa Lights.”

Theyn leaned in to have a look. “Marfa Lights?”

“They’re lights that people see over the desert. Orbs, I guess. Mystery lights. Some people think they’re ghosts or UFOs.  Most likely, it’s headlights from the interstate.” She saw them looking at one another, and Beno’s face slowly lit with a smile. “What am I missing?”

“UFOs,” her blond lover said. “Marfa might be a good place to go if we want to watch for Taluans or listen for communication.”

She started to scoff, but bit back on her words. She could hardly dispute the existence of UFOs with two aliens sitting beside her and an alien baby growing in her belly. Beno grinned at her.

“Something you wanted to say?” he teased.

“Nope. Not going there,” she said, smiling.

“Are there places to stay in Marfa?” Theyn asked.

Sera shrugged. “I’m sure there are. There’s a tourist draw with the lights, so I’m certain there would be hotels and such.”

Beno nodded. “We’ll need to go to a few more ATMs on the way. I want to get enough to live on for a long time, and enough to obtain some raw materials I can use to create a listening post.”

“I don’t know what raw materials you’d need, but I’ll bet that most of what you’re thinking of isn’t here on Earth.”

Theyn shrugged. “You might be surprised.”

She looked down at the map. “Okay, then. Marfa, here we come.”

***

Joely looked up in surprise as the door to her cell was opened by a man in black tactical dress. He had a rifle in his hands, and when he first came in, it was pointed at her. She squeaked and threw her hands up into the air.

“Don’t shoot! I’m not… whatever you want to kill. I’m not.”

The man snickered. “Joely Thompson?”

“Yes.”

“Come with me.”

He led her out of the room and into the corridor of the ship. She had seen a lot of this place, a reworked and down-market retired cruise ship, on the way down into her lonely corner of the hold. The man was leading her to the top deck, and as he did, they passed Colonel Vasquez and his men on their knees in the main mess.  More men in black were standing over them, guns at the ready.

Joely’s escort brought her to a waiting helicopter, and she was both relieved and alarmed to see a very battered Asa already in one of the seats. She clambered inside, and her black-garbed guard joined them, as well. He took off his helmet and put on a headset, leaving his skull mask in place so they couldn’t see his face. He spoke tersely to the pilot.

“Let’s go.”

The chopper lifted off and banked away from the ship where they had been held captive.  She looked at Asa anxiously, and he pressed his lips into a tight line, shaking his head. Joely took a deep breath and kept herself from babbling.

The man across from her cradled his rifle in his hands, his easy stance not fooling her at all.  They had left one form of imprisonment for another, and she had no idea what was happening. She only knew that she was afraid, and she hoped that Sera and the aliens were worth all of this trouble.

They flew for just under an hour, then descended to the deck of a cargo ship, landing where the shipping containers should have been. There was another man in black waiting for him, his face covered with a skull mask like all of the rest. When the helicopter landed, he stepped up and leaned into the cabin.

“Ms. Thompson,” he said, his voice modulated and precise. “Mr. Brunner. I’m so pleased you could join us. Sergeant, please see to it that Mr. Brunner is taken to medical to have his injuries addressed.”

“Yes, sir.” Their escort manhandled Asa into a fireman’s carry and took him away.

Joely turned to the remaining masked man and licked her lips nervously. “Who … what…”

“We mean you no harm,” he said.

“So you’re friends?”

“I wouldn’t go that far, but I would agree that we are not your enemies.” He held out his hand. “Come with me, please, Miss Thompson.”

She hesitated, but accepted his hand and his help alighting from the helicopter. Once she was steadily on her feet, he led her off of the deck and through a door in a square structure, then up a staircase. He proceeded to take her through a confusing warren of hallways and arches until finally she was in a room with a tiny bed.

“This is your billet for the duration,” he said. “If you need help finding your way around, just use the intercom on the wall to ask someone to come escort you. We would prefer that you stay put just for now, until we get under way.”

“What is this place?” She looked around. There was a military feel to this operation, despite the civilian exterior. “Who are you people?”

“Our captain will explain it all once we’re away,” he said. “I’m the first officer, and you can call me Randall.”

She was full of questions and riddled with apprehension, but the man’s tone was clearly final and he seemed to have somewhere to be. She nodded and sat down on the bed. “Okay. Thanks.”

He nodded to her and turned to leave.

“Uh, Randall?”

He turned back. “Yes?”

“Can I see my friend?”

“When he’s cleared from sick bay, I’ll tell him you want to visit him. He’ll be billeted across the hall from you.”

She nodded. “Okay. Thanks.”

He nodded back, then turned and left, closing the door behind him. 

***

Sera and the two Ylians left the motel long after dark, traveling under the cover of night on the way out of San Antonio. Marfa was over five hours away, and Beno intended to make several stops at unsuspecting banks along the way, so that would delay them even more. She tried not to think about how long they’d be delayed if some passing cop saw them helping themselves to the cash in the machines.

They already had two ATM stops behind them. She drove toward the west, anxiously watching for flashing lights. Beno was counting their ill-gotten gains, and Theyn was quietly staring out the window at the passing scenery. She rubbed her hands against her legs, wiping the sweat away.

“What is your brother’s name?” Theyn asked.

The abruptness of the question broke her out of her anxiety-induced reveries. “Pardon?”

“Your brother. What is his name?”

“Evan.” She thought of the last time she’d seen him, when he was just a little boy. She wondered what he looked like now, and if he was happy.

“Maybe you’ll find him again,” he said.

“Maybe.” Even to her own ears, she didn’t sound convinced.

Beno finished counting the stolen cash and put it aside. “I think we should stop and buy some bags or suitcases or something to carry this in.”

She snorted. “A suitcase full of cash. I feel like I’m living in a B movie.”

The brunet shrugged one shoulder. “Maybe you are.”

“Do you even know what a B movie is?”

He grinned at her. “Not until you started thinking about it. Now I do.”

“Cheater.”

He laughed. It was a rich sound, and she realized that she had never heard it until this moment. She glanced into the rear view mirror and caught his eyes, and the warmth in his expression took her breath away. He was looking at her with such honest affection that she didn’t know how to react. Nobody had ever looked at her that way.

Something bright flashed through the sky overhead, bathing the car and the road in virtual daylight.  A sonic boom followed the light, and Sera pulled over, gaping.

“Keep driving,” Theyn said. “Please. Don’t stop.”

“What was that?” she asked. “Was that another probe?”

The blond Ylian shook his head and answered in a grim voice. “No. That was a ship entering the atmosphere.”

Her heart was pounding in her ears.  “Taluan?”

“I don’t know. Possibly.”

She took a deep, steadying breath and pulled back out onto the road. “We’re heading in the same direction as that ship.”

Theyn nodded. “Yes, but at the speed it was moving, it will be much too far away for it to be a concern. We won’t be encountering it on the road.”

“I really hope not.”

 

She spared one last glance at the now dark sky and kept driving.

***

The door to Joely’s billet opened, and she looked up as a black-clad man entered the room.  He was wearing dark glasses, which seemed at odds with his tactical get up.  The rest of his face was covered by a thick blond beard, and even though he wasn’t wearing a mask, she still was hard pressed to really say what he looked like.

“Miss Thompson,” he said, “the captain would like to see you now.”

She rose hesitantly. “My friend…”

“He’s still in sick bay. They worked him over pretty good, so the doc has his hands full.”  He gestured toward the door. “Shall we?”

He escorted her through the ship until they reached the captain’s office. The man held the door for her but did not go in. She stepped over the threshold and stopped just inside the room.

The captain was sitting behind his desk, busily typing on a tablet. He looked up at her, and she gaped. His eyes were like human eyes, but the irises glowed blue like Theyn’s.

“You’re a hybrid,” she blurted.

He nodded. “We all are, here. Please, take a seat.” She did as he requested, perching on the edge of one of the chairs facing his desk.  “My name is David Prentiss. I’m the captain of this ship, the Cyclops, and the commanding officer of our unit.”

“Joely Thompson,” she said, “but you already knew that.”

Prentiss smiled. “Yes. I did. Miss Thompson, you have no need to fear me. We’re on the same side.”

“And what side is that?”

“We both want to find the Ylians and keep them safe from those who would exploit them.”

She jiggled one foot nervously and tucked a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear. “You mean the military.”

“For both Mexico and the United States, yes.” He sat back. “As you have surmised, my crew is made up of people of mixed ancestry. We are human and Ylian, and we live outside the lines. Our ancestors landed on this planet centuries ago, roughly when your friends arrived, and they bred with the local population. That’s where we come from. Some of us have more of the Ylian bloodline than others, but we’re all mixes… and we all want to rescue our elders before someone does something to harm them.”

Joely asked, “And once you rescue them? Then what?”

“That depends on what they want to do.” He studied her for a long moment with his extraordinary eyes, then said, “Tell me about them.”

“They’re nice,” she said blandly. “Good looking. Smart.”

Prentiss smirked. “And their relationship with Dr. Cooper?”

“I don’t rat on my friends.”

“We found the biological specimens that your prior ‘hosts’ had obtained from the farm house. I would say that at the very least, the relationship is sexual.”  He watched her carefully, waiting for a response. She stared back and held her silence. Finally, he sighed and said, “I am asking because it’s important. Is she their mate?”

“You’d have to ask her.”

“I would love to, but I don’t know where she is.”

“That makes two of us.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Do you have any idea where they might have gone?”

“None at all.” She sighed. “The other guys, the ones who had me before, they asked all these same questions. How do I know you’re really not trying to get control of them, too?”

“How do I know you’re telling me the truth?” he countered. “I suppose we’ll just have to trust one another.”

“Sorry. I’m having some trust issues right now.”

She expected him to be annoyed, but instead he laughed. “Understandable,” he said. “Totally understandable.”

Joely stood. “I wish I knew where they were. I wish I could help you. But I can’t.”

“You can’t,” he echoed, subtle menace in his tone, “or you won’t?”

“I can’t.”

He looked at her closely again, and she felt uncomfortably scrutinized.  “Ylians have many innate abilities. Telekinesis. Telepathy. Energy manipulation, like reiki. I can read your intentions like you read a magazine.”

She lifted her chin. “Well, intention this, buddy. I don’t know where they are, I’m not lying, and even if I did know, I wouldn’t tell you. I don’t know you from Adam’s housecat, and you haven’t done anything to make me think you’re on the up-and-up.” He began to chuckle, and she glowered at him, crossing her arms. “What are you laughing at?”

“You. Your bravado when you’re really just so frightened.” His tone was slightly mocking, and it angered her. She could feel her face flushing. “Go back to your billet, Miss Thompson, while we decide what to do with you and your friend. My sergeant is waiting outside the door to escort you back.”

Joely turned and stomped to the door, fuming. Before she left, she turned and told him, “I don’t know what this little interview accomplished for you, but it was a total waste of my time.”

She could hear him laughing as her guard led her away.