Part 2: Earth
Chapter Eight: Noise
The first thing Luther noted about Earth was that it was loud. Which wasn't to say that Lin-Vayel was ever really quiet, of course. There were the sounds of traffic and people going about their days. There were bugs and birds and water creatures making their noises. There was the sound of the wind whipping through the trees. It was a noisy place sometimes.
But it was downright silent compared to Earth. Everything on Earth made noise from the people right on down to the tech. Vehicles were honking and spluttering, people were yelling, machines were humming, and by the end of the first day, he had a headache.
"You get used to it," Alanna said, giving him a sympathetic smile.
It was kind of her to reassure him, especially considering how worked up she was over being back. Apparently being gone with no warning from one's home for weeks was a cause for alarm, and when she had called her friend to tell her she was back, there had been a lot of screaming.
They'd spent most of the ride to Earth trying to decide what they were going to tell people about her disappearance.
Luther had of course suggested just telling people the truth, but that had resulted in Alanna giving him a look so dry that he could feel it sucking the remaining moisture out of him.
"Oh yes," she'd said. "I'll just come back and tell them that some people I never even really got a good look at took me to another planet and I had to stay there for weeks before I could come back. I'll introduce you as one of my friends from this other planet and we can tell them all about how your people commune with water."
Luther gave her a blank look. "What's wrong with that?"
"No one will ever believe it," Alanna said. "It's ridiculous. I wouldn't have believed it if it hadn't happened to me. Sometimes I'm still convinced that this is an elaborate dream. Maybe I'm in a coma somewhere."
She was nervous, Luther could tell that much, and he'd pulled her into his lap and spend a while distracting her from her worries.
In the end, they'd come up with a story that Alanna was sure at least a few people would believe.
"What is a nervous breakdown?" Luther wanted to know.
"It's when you get overly stressed out and just can't deal with it anymore. You just stop going to work or eating properly or talking to your friends. I'll just say that breaking up with Alex on top of how much work I was doing made me snap, and I ran away."
"And you think your friends will believe this?"
She'd sighed and shrugged. "I don't know. But it's the best I've got. I can't tell them the truth, and anything else would be too elaborate."
"And what's my role in this?" he'd wanted to know.
"You're a friend that I met where I ended up, and you offered to escort me home when I was ready to come back. It's simple, and it's close enough to the truth that we don't have to spend a lot of time trying to remember cover stories or whatever."
She had a point there, of course. But Luther was stuck on something else. "Just a friend?" he asked.
Alanna made a face at him. "Do you want me to go around calling you my boyfriend?"
"Why would you? I am not a boy."
"It's what people call their male significant others here. I know it sounds stupid, which is why I would prefer not to say it."
"Hm," was all Luther had said to that, and they'd let the matter drop.
According to Alanna, not much had changed here on Earth. Her car wasn't where she'd left it, but her house was still in one piece. She had to make some calls to get the power and everything turned back on, and there was no food in the place, but it was still standing and still hers.
She'd called someone named Shannon, and there had been a lot of screaming over the phone.
Shannon came over the next day, and there was even more screaming and crying, which made Luther glad that he was hiding in the bedroom until he was summoned.
"What do you mean you had a nervous breakdown?" Shannon demanded. "You just disappeared! No one could get a hold of you, and no one knew where you were!"
"I know, Shan," Alanna said. "I just. I'd had enough. After everything that happened with Alex--"
"I still can't believe you were cheating on him, by the way," Shannon interjected.
Alanna sighed heavily. "I know, it was dumb. I'm not proud of it. The point is that after everything that happened with that and how much stress I was under, I just. I couldn't be here."
"You just left your car at the studio. How did you even get to wherever it is you ended up?"
"I took the bus," she said. "It was a snap decision. I just needed to be somewhere else, so I got on a bus to the first place I saw."
Now, apparently, it was Shannon's turn to sigh. "I just wish you would have said something. To me at least. I thought...I thought something terrible had happened to you. I went to Alex's place and demanded to know what he knew, which was apparently nothing. He was still mad because of what happened with you and that other guy, but he was worried, too. Although while I thought you were just murdered or something, he was concerned that you'd been taken by aliens."
In the bedroom, Luther arched an eyebrow. Alanna laughed out in the other room. "Aliens? He's such a weirdo. There were no aliens, Shannon. Just me making bad decisions."
"Well, that's good, I guess. At least it's not connected to all the other weird stuff that's been happening lately."
"What kind of weird stuff?"
"I don't know, just. People have been seeing stuff. Lights in the sky, random craters in places that happen overnight. And a lot of people have gone missing."
Now Luther was sitting bolt upright, paying attention. It could just be regular Earth crime, or it could be the lead he'd been looking for ever since Alanna had crashed onto his planet.
"How many people?"
"I think something like twelve at last count?" Shannon said. "No one's saying they're all connected, I mean, people disappear every day, but there's no trace of them. From this area and the next three counties over, too, just...gone."
"That is weird," Alanna said, and Luther didn't have to see her to know that she was thinking the same thing he was.
"I'm glad you're alright, at least," Shannon said. "I was really worried."
"I'm sorry," Alanna said again.
They chatted for a bit longer about the strange things that were happening, and then Luther couldn't wait anymore. He pushed the bedroom door open the rest of the way and made his way to the living room where the ladies were.
"Alanna, I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but overhear—”
"Oh my god."
Shannon cut him off with her gasped outburst, and Luther and Alanna both turned to look at her. "Sorry," she said. "Just. Who is that?"
She was staring at him, which had him feeling ill at ease, and he hoped that he didn't look too odd.
Alanna sighed, making a face at him. "This is Luther," she said.
"Her boyfriend," Luther added.
Alanna huffed. "Sure. My boyfriend."
"Since when do you have a new boyfriend?" Shannon wanted to know.
"We met while I was away. He took me in when I didn't know anyone else, and he made sure I was okay. And then when I was ready to come back here, he came with me."
"Aw, that's really nice," Shannon said, still staring at him. "He's...well. He's huge."
"He works out," Alanna said. "A lot. A swimmer, you know."
Luther couldn't help the amused look on his face. "It's very nice to meet you," he said to Shannon, bowing at the waist. "I've heard a lot about you."
"Oh. Wow," Shannon said. "I...it's nice to meet you, too. And can I just say that you are a huge trade up from her last boyfriend, oh my god."
"Shannon," Alanna said sharply.
"What? He is. He's gorgeous."
"He's also standing right there."
Shannon flapped a hand at her. "He'll be fine. Won't you, Luther? You can handle a little fawning, right? You're probably used to it, with the way you look."
Luther was bewildered, but he just smiled at her. "Of course. I actually wanted to ask you more about what you were saying about people disappearing and all."
"Oh, yeah. It's really scary."
"I'm sure. Do you know when it all started?"
"Right after Alanna left, honestly. Or at least that's when I heard about it for the first time. I remember I was really scared because she was just gone, and there were these reports of other people just being gone, and I thought there was like a serial killer or something on the loose and that he'd taken and killed my best friend."
"That does sounds scary," Luther agreed. "Have any of the others been found?"
Shannon shook her head. “Not yet. Not dead or alive, so people are trying to be optimistic, I guess. But it’s just really strange.”
Once Shannon had gone, Alanna let out a slow breath. “God, I didn’t think she was going to buy that. She’s known me for a long time, and can usually tell when I’m lying.”
“I suppose there was just enough truth in it to keep her from noticing,” Luther said, distracted.
“You’re thinking about what she told us, aren’t you? About the missing people?”
“And the rest of it. It doesn’t sound like that’s something that happens here often.”
“Happens every once in a while. Usually people are good at ignoring it or explaining it away, but I guess it’s different now.”
“Do you think it’s actually connected to what happened to you?”
She sighed and sat down next to him. “If it’s not, it’s a hell of a coincidence. Weird stuff happened here and on Lin-Vayel, too, remember? Your supply ship went missing, and all. It seems fair to assume that it’s all connected.”
That was what Luther thought, as well. It was too much of a coincidence, and he didn’t believe in those, anyway. “I should tell the queen,” he said. “She’ll want to know of this.”
“Is there anything she can do about it?”
“She can make inquiries,” Luther said. “Try to figure out if any other planets had humans mysteriously crash land there.”
“And where do we go from there?” Alanna wanted to know.
Luther wished he had an answer for her, but he honestly didn’t know himself. He’d expected that there would be something going on here, or at least something that would lead them to find out why Alanna had been kidnapped, but he wasn’t expecting something on this scale.
“The queen will know what to do,” he said. He hoped.
Luther talked to Varen about all of it. She didn’t seem surprised, but she did seem agitated by the news. It didn’t surprise Luther that it was her reaction, either. She hated feeling toyed with, and he couldn’t say that he was enjoying the sensation himself. They had information, and more pieces of this strange puzzle were coming together, but there was still so much that they didn’t know, and the parts that eluded them were so irritating.
The queen said she would see what she could find out using her connections, and then Luther didn’t hear from her for a day or so.
He was in Alanna’s home by himself, when in his pocket, his communicator buzzed insistently. It had only done that once since they'd landed on Earth, with a message from the queen saying that their tracker had indicated that they'd arrived, and it would be nice if he could confirm that so she knew they hadn't been hijacked or crashed.
When Luther pulled the device out and checked the signal that it was receiving, it was from the queen. As expected.
"Your Majesty," he said, inclining his head as he accepted the call. The small screen resolved itself to a view of the queen's receiving room with Queen Varen herself sitting in the middle of it. Talking via one of her screens, no doubt.
"Luther," she said. "There has...been a development."
"What sort of development?" Luther asked, already wary. It hadn't even been three days since they'd touched down on this planet, and already it had been nearly non-stop issues. Clearly, all they'd needed to do to find out what was happening, or at the very least find some clues about what was happening, was come to Earth.
"A not very good one, I'm afraid. Although I do suppose that depends on how you look at it."
And now he was really worried. It wasn't like Queen Varen to dance around her point. She was abrupt, usually, and Luther and Clio had the theory that she just liked putting people off their guard.
Sometimes she would intentionally be vague about things, for much the same reason, but this wasn't intentional, Luther could tell that much.
"What's happened?" he asked.
She sighed. "I received a message this morning. From someone I've never seen before, but he seems to know quite a bit about us."
"What does that mean?" He didn't want to get sharp with the queen, that wouldn't end well, but he needed to know what she was going on about.
Varen opened her mouth and then closed it with a sigh. "I should just show you. Prinna." She turned her head to look behind her. "Patch the message through."
For a moment there was just static and the slight sound of the communicator's light plastic casing creaking from how tightly Luther was holding it. Then it cleared and the face of a man could be seen.
He wasn't someone Luther could recognize, that was for sure. He was...monstrous almost, with bulbous eyes and orange tinged skin. The skin of his face looked cracked, deep fissures in the flesh that made him look like dried earth or something. He had a head of dark hair, and it seemed to be shaved on the sides and braided back, a style that might have looked better on someone else, but didn't do him any favors. Luther couldn't see any more of him, and he was mostly glad for that.
For a moment, the man didn't say anything, just sitting still and not moving. And then he smiled, and it was like something from a horror production. His teeth were sharp and stained with what was clearly old blood. Luther felt his stomach turn.
"Hello, Your Majesty," the man said, and his voice was slippery smooth, like an oil slick. "We haven't been introduced, of course, but I know who you are. Everyone knows the great Queen Varen, strong and intimidating, best leader on Lin-Vayel to hear tell of it. It's an honor to speak to you. To know that you're hearing my words. To know what they'll be doing to you."
He was bold, that was for certain. Luther was pretty sure no one had ever spoken to the queen like that and lived before.
"You see," he said. "I work for a very powerful man. A man who is tired of failure in those whom he employs. So he’s employed me to get results. I do not intend to fail him. My employer is a very powerful man with resources that far outstrip even your own, Your Majesty. And he is something of a collector, only his collection has yet to be filled by even one of the things he wishes to collect. What would you do with such incompetent workers who couldn’t even bring you one thing that you had asked for, Your Majesty? Off with their heads? That was my suggestion. Ah, well.”
Depths, the monologuing. It wasn’t like this was a conversation. Varen hadn’t even been able to respond to any of this pompous drivel, and Luther knew her well enough to know that she really would have wanted to.
"But I can tell you are growing weary of this," the man said next.
"Finally," Luther muttered.
"I will get to the point of my message. I know that you have sent one of your own to Earth. As for how I know this, well, let us just say that we have been waiting for someone to look into what is happening on that planet for some time. How many humans have to crash land on other planets before someone offers to return them home, I ask you?" He shook his head. "But you, Queen Varen, you have done what we have been waiting for someone to do, and I am pleased that it was you because you have the greatest treasure of all somewhere in either your planet or your people. Whatever makes your people so good with water, so attuned to the way it ebbs and flows, I want that. I want it, and I will bring it to my employer once I have taken it from you."
The message seemed to end there, as it cut out and the screen filled with the view of Queen Varen's chamber again. The queen's eyes were hard as she sat there, and she pursed her lips together and then sighed.
"So you see what I mean."
Luther nodded. "Yes, I suppose I do. Do we have any idea who he is working for?"
The queen shook her head. "Not as yet. I'm sure we can figure out some things about it, though, if he's going around trying to steal the powers from other planets."
That brought up something that was bugging him. "Why do you think he sent humans to other planets? Could they all be like ours?"
"I do not believe so. I think there are a great many things someone with the need to collect things could want."
"So you think he's just trying to see who takes his bait."
She inclined her head. "Yes. And, unfortunately, we have done so."
"It isn't unfortunate," Luther said, quick to leap to Alanna's defense. "We had to let her go home."
"I am not arguing that, Luther," Varen said. "I know that she couldn't have stayed here forever, but what we have done is left ourselves vulnerable. This plan is simple, but quite brilliant when you think about it."
Luther closed his eyes, letting it all wash over him. The queen was right. In a move as simple as kidnapping a human and sending her to another planet, this man had ensured that they were stuck. It was impossible to know if they were going to be attacked on Earth or on Lin-Vayel, so if they sent more warriors to Earth, they risked leaving Lin-Vayel open and vulnerable. And it was apparent that these people had ways of knowing what they were doing, so whatever decision they made, would probably be known before long.
It was a mess, honestly, and Luther sighed, rubbing his temples. "Do you think we have a leak?" he asked.
The queen arched her eyebrows. "One of our own people feeding them information?"
Luther nodded. "It seems unlikely, but how else would he have known?"
"I can think of a few different ways, but we do need to get to the bottom of this. Perhaps our comm links aren't as secure as they should be."
"I know someone who can take a look at that for us," Luther said.
"And you trust this someone?"
"With my life."
He bid the queen farewell with a promise to keep his eyes open and not let anyone get the jump on him, and then he contacted Clio. If anyone could figure out of this was a tech problem or a someone who couldn't keep their mouth shut problem, it was her or someone she knew. He would leave it in her hands and trust that it would be taken care of.
By the time he was done with that, Alanna was coming through the front door. She looked exhausted, and she came in and collapsed in the squashy looking chair that he could tell was her favorite.
"Answering questions about a nervous breakdown I never had is an exhausting thing to do," she said, sighing and tipping her head back in the chair. "Everyone wanted to know something about it, why I didn't say anything or what it felt like. Where I went. It was just question after question."
"They must have been worried," Luther said. "There is no shame in that."
"No, but there's exhaustion in it. I don't want to answer another question as long as I live."
"At least not about made up things," Luther pointed out.
Alanna gave him a weary look. "We've been over this, Luther. The truth is too absurd."
"It's happened to other people, so perhaps not that absurd."
She waved her hand, as if acknowledging that, and then, as if something had just occurred to her, she sat up and looked at him. "Did something happen? Something else, I mean? You look all...serious."
“I am always serious,” Luther said, attempting humor.
Alanna just speared him with another look.
“Alright,” he said. “I just finished speaking with the queen.”
“So something did happen, then.”
“Yes.” Luther gave her the short version of the ridiculous message the strange orange man had delivered, watching her face as he spoke. He didn’t want to frighten her, but then Alanna wasn’t the sort of woman who was easily frightened by things. And she had experience with the strange by now.
Her face settled into resignation once he had finished telling her all of it, and she sighed. “That’s terrible, you know,” she said. “Just snatching humans in the hope that someone would take the bait. People aren’t bait.”
“I know,” Luther agreed. “I never thought they were. We will get to the bottom of this.”