Transmission

“We confirm that Warren G. Harding, the Republican Senator from Ohio, has defeated James M. Cox, and it is a landslide victory. Thank you for listening to KDKA. This is Leo Rosenberg, signing off. Good night.”

Communicator Binod clicked his mandible twice. He muted the ship’s transmitter and scurried out of his pod.

Binod rushed down the main corridor. He needed to tell the Matriarch right away; she had been waiting for any sign that they were not alone.

He found her in the hive. The broad, flat carapace of his leader faced him and he hesitated, not wanting to interrupt her meditation.

“Matriarch?”

The blood red mound in the center of the room moved and unfolded as chitinous plates shifted and slid. Six squat, powerful legs extended to the floor and shuffled in rhythm as the Hive Mother turned to face him.

“Yes, Binod, what is it?”

The Communicator bowed low and ducked his head, displaying his own carapace to the Hive Mother. “You requested that you be notified immediately of any broadcast. I have received a transmission from intelligent life other than the Seraphim.”

“Transfer the feed to my station. Thank you, Binod.”

Binod bowed again and backed out of the room. Deo watched him go, and then breathed a sigh of relief. She had almost lost faith that they would ever locate an alien signal. It had been almost 200 cycles since first contact with the Seraphim, and slightly less than that since her homeworld had been destroyed. Hundreds of spines on her back bristled at the memory.

Now, there was a glimmer of hope. If the aliens were peaceful, perhaps they would offer asylum to her brood. They might even be able to rebuild their home.

Deo clicked her mandible in frustration as she listened to the feed. The aliens’ language suggested anatomy that was nothing like their own. The type of transmission was primitive at best. There was much work to be done if she wanted to save her hive. She must be cautious and prepare for any contingency. This time, she would not be caught off guard.

The Outcast, Chapter 1

“Just give up the money and I won’t hurt you.”

“I can’t. I need my money or I-“

The mugger interrupted his potential victim. “Shut up! I don’t want to hear your sob story. Give me your damn money!” He took a step forward and gestured with his dagger.

Sweat beaded on the man’s forehead. His eyes flicked between the mugger and his blade. The alleyway was deserted and the streets were mostly empty by this time of night. Grimy brick walls on either side prevented an easy escape. “No.”

“Then I’ll take it from your corpse.” The mugger advanced on his target.

“The man’s gotta eat, doesn’t he?” A voice floated out of the shadows.

As the mugger whipped his head around at the voice behind him, his victim had turned and began running away. “Lousy wretch! I guess I’ll take your money instead.”

The newcomer, dressed in a hooded cloak, spread his arms out to the sides and replied, “You’re welcome to try.”

A growl escaped the mugger’s lips as he launched forward into an attack. The hooded figure sidestepped the lunge and grabbed the man’s wrist as it went by. Momentum carried the mugger into the path of the cloaked man’s outstretched leg. Air rushed out of the cutpurse’s lungs as he landed in a heap.

Before the criminal could get to his feet, the vigilante planted his knee in the man’s back. He wrenched the man’s arm back and grit his teeth at the sharp crack of bones splintering and tendons snapping. Screams echoed off the crumbling masonry of the alleyway, but help wasn’t coming tonight.

“Stop preying on the weak. If I see you again, I’ll break the other one. Understood?”

Satisfied with the criminal’s choked reply, the hooded figure let him up. He looked back as the cloaked figure threw back his hood. Murky yellow eyes shined in the moonlight and silvery fur parted as the vigilante bared several sharp, canine teeth. His ears flattened against the top of his head and a deep growl rumbled in his throat as spittle dripped from his muzzle.

The thief turned and fled from the beast. Satisfied that he would not return, the wolf-like creature’s lips turned up in a smile. He flipped his hood back up before heading out of the alley. The sun would be up soon and he didn’t want to be skulking around the city as the local business owners got ready for their day.

Luckily, his apartment was only a few blocks away. His claws clicked on the uneven cobblestones as he walked. Any shoes he wore had to be custom made, and even then, they were uncomfortable and didn’t allow for much freedom of motion, so he preferred to go barefoot.

He rounded the corner and slipped into the alleyway beside The Well. The bar was closed by this time and all the drunks had wandered home long ago, but he didn’t want to take any chances. After sliding his key into the lock and opening the door, he took the steps two at a time up to the apartment. Not long after he had stepped inside and hung his coat on the rack did he hear the floorboards creak behind him.

Standing in the living area was a broad-chested man with shoulder-length hair and a stern jaw. Large, calloused hands rested on his hips as he narrowed his dark eyes. He spoke in a low voice. “Did you really think I wouldn’t find out?”

The bipedal wolf’s shoulders slumped and he let out an exasperated breath. “Sylas, come on. You can’t talk to me like I’m a child anymore.”

Sylas’ thick, dark eyebrows went up. “’Sylas?’ You’re too old to call me Dad, as well, are you? I thought I raised you better than that, Sebastian.”

“I prefer Kain, Dad.” Kain drew out the last word with a shake of his head. “And you raised me to be subservient to no one, not even you. I go where and do what I please.” He crossed his arms and lowered his snout, shooting daggers at his father.

“I suppose you’re right.” A sly grin crept onto Sylas’ stubbled face and he ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair. “But you haven’t answered my question. You can’t possibly think you were going to pull the wool over my eyes, did you?”

Kain crossed the foyer and sat in one of the overstuffed chairs.  He dropped his head and stared at his paws. “No. But I didn’t think you’d find out so quickly.”

“I’m your father. It’s my job.” Sylas chuckled softly and joined Kain in an opposite chair. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Kain chuffed. “’There goes Sylas Kain, terror of the high seas turned cutthroat investment broker. Did you know his freak progeny is some kind of do-gooder?’ Yeah, that would have gone well.”

“I don’t care what other people think about me. And you could never do anything that would make me think less of you. You’re my son. I just don’t understand why you’re doing this. Do you need money?”

“It’s not about money. If it was, I wouldn’t be doing it. These people can’t pay. They need help and no one will lend a hand. Those bastards in North Hightower certainly won’t, and everyone here is too busy worrying about where their next meal will come from to bother with anyone else. If not me, then who?” Kain lifted his head and met his father’s eyes.

Sylas held the gaze for what seemed like an eternity before speaking. “No more sneaking out. No more cloaked avenger routine.”

“But-“ Kain started, but Sylas cut him off.

“If you’re going to do this, you’re going to do it right. You’re far more intimidating without the hood, and people need to know you’re out there, where to find you. You need to hang a shingle. You need an official presence. I know some people that can help with that.”

Anger and confusion gave way to understanding. “But what about your business? Your reputation?”

“I told you, I don’t care about what the Northerners think, or I’d be living up there. The people you’re trying to help will understand, and if not, I’ll survive.” Sylas placed his hands on his knees and stood up. “Now, I need some sleep, and I think you do, too.”

Evergreen

Let me tell you about the day I almost died.

It was overcast with light showers, as is usually the case here in the Pacific Northwest. Having taken a much-needed personal day, I didn’t have to worry about work. Sleeping until noon wasn’t normally my thing, but I finally rolled out of bed just after 12:30.

I shuffled my feet along the floor as I made my way to the bathroom. I clicked the light switch on and screwed my eyes shut as the fluorescent bulbs snapped to life. After answering nature’s call, I moved to the mirror. My hair was a mess and I’d slept with my makeup on. Whoops. It was nothing a shower wouldn’t take care of, and I turned the water on as hot as I could stand. By the time I was done, the bathroom was filled with steam and I was halfway awake. I brushed my hair back into a loose ponytail, got dressed, then made a cup of coffee so I could finish waking up.

As I stared out the window of my third floor apartment, I smiled. A lot of people don’t like grey skies and drizzling rain, but I couldn’t get enough of it. My pants buzzed and I set my coffee down to check my phone.

:What are you doing today?:

It was my best friend, Annie. My thumbs tapped out a reply. :Playing hooky from work. You?:

:Sweet! Let’s go see a movie!:

:Is there anything good out?: 

:Duh! Do the words superheroes and Joss mean anything to you?:

:They would if I wasn’t a spaz with no short-term memory! Which theatre should we go to?:

:Silver Center?:

I groaned. :You feel like getting shot today?:

:It’s not that bad.:

:It’s Silver Center. Of course it is, but ok. Can you pick me up?:

:Sure!:

:Thanks. See ya soon!:

*                             *                             *

Annie and I walked out of the dark theatre and into the lobby.

“That was awesome! I can’t wait for the next one!”

“Oh, I know, right? The next three years are going to take forever.”

I nodded in agreement as we rode the escalator down into the mall. Even for a workday, it was packed with people.

“Doesn’t anyone have jobs anymore?” I lamented.

“Maybe they’re all playing hooky, too.” Annie smirked at me.

My eyes narrowed. “Or maybe they have rich parents who can pay for them to go to U-Dub for two years while they ‘find themselves.’”

Annie’s grin faded. “Don’t be jealous, Jess.”

“I’m just giving you shit.” I poked her in the arm and flashed a smile. “Come on, I’m starving.”

One perfectly grilled burger and a plate of golden-brown french fries later, we were winding our way through the parking lot, looking for Annie’s car.

“Today has been awesome. I really needed a break.”

Annie beamed at me. “Good! We’ll have to do this more often.”

“Excuse me, ladies?”

The voice was soft, so Annie either didn’t hear it or just kept walking. I stopped and turned around. A man with an unkempt beard and well-worn clothes was smiling at me. His hands were wrapped around a baseball cap, rolling the bill back and forth. “Can you spare any change? I’d like to get a bite to eat.”

I usually didn’t carry cash, but something had made me stop by the ATM before the movie. I had a pocket full of coins left over from the concession stand. “Sure, I’ve got some.”

Annie had noticed I wasn’t walking with her any longer and had come back. She grabbed my arm as I was handing the change to the man. “What are you doing?” she hissed.

“Helping him out. What’s-“

She cut me off and started to pull me in the other direction. “Sorry, no handouts today. Go get a job.” Her nails dug into my forearm as she led me away. “You can’t encourage these people, Jess. They’ll never learn.”

“What, are you too good to help me? Who the hell do you think you are?”

Annie tried to ignore him. “Maybe we can go out next weekend? Oh, we could go bowling!”

I really wish Annie had let me give the man some change. It was less than a dollar’s worth, and in the grand scheme of things, it was nothing to me or to Annie. But that change must have meant a lot to the man in the parking lot.

“Let’s see how you like it, you damn haji!”

It felt like an icicle jabbed me in the back then my legs became dead weight under me. I knew they were there, but I couldn’t feel or control them. They were deaf to my brainwaves. Annie’s grip on my arm faltered as I tripped and fell to my knees. I had trouble keeping my balance and put my hands out to catch myself from falling on my face. A high-pitched wail pierced my ears and ended in a gurgle as hot liquid sprayed over me. I looked down at the asphalt around me coated in bright red blood. Annie hit the ground next to me, her eyes glassy as her life continued to pour out of the ragged slash in her throat. I started screaming and tried to crawl away but my legs still weren’t responding. The blade bit into me again and it became difficult to breathe. Spots entered my vision and the chill spread throughout my body.  The pain started to fade as numbness replaced it, and then the ground rushed up to meet me.

I woke up in the morgue, just as the medical examiner was starting to cut my chest open for the autopsy. He must not have been used to the corpses sitting up on the table and yelling, because he ran out of the room when I did just that.

Panic stole my breath and strangled my screams. I was covered in dried blood, brown stains splattered all over my arms, chest, and legs. My left side and stomach had several jagged, deep cuts in them, and after feeling around, so did my back. One wound was dead center in the small of my back, and I swore I felt exposed bone.

I started to hyperventilate. After a few seconds, I struggled to get myself under control because I heard whistling. As it turns out, the crude slash in my throat was the culprit.

Why wasn’t I dead? Any one of my injuries should have been enough to shuffle me off this mortal coil. But here I was, cold but not dead. Or maybe I was dead and stuck in limbo? Maybe this was the afterlife? It sure looked like a morgue, though.

Was I a zombie? I didn’t have a hankering for brains, so probably not. Was I some other sort of undead creature, brought back to life at the whim of a mystical being?  Who knows? I needed to get up and get moving before the medical examiner came back and decided to study me—or finish the job.

Yield Not To Evil, Part 10: Nobody Lives Forever

My lungs burned. Every muscle, joint, and tendon in my body was on fire. A million sewing needles pricked my skin and I wanted to scream until my throat bled, but I couldn’t catch my breath. My trap swung open and shut repeatedly and I sat straight up like I’d been struck by lightning. Then Rita was there and she jabbed my neck with a cigar-shaped metal object.

I was finally able to breathe and gulped down mouthfuls of precious air. The searing pain eased up but didn’t go away altogether. After several moments, I found my voice.

“What-? Why-?”

“I didn’t realize the anesthetic would wear off so quickly. It seems like your new organs have greatly increased your resistance to chemical compounds.”

I looked down at my body. Fit as a fiddle. My gut was gone, my arm muscles rippled under the skin, and my thighs looked like they could crush walnuts. Rita’s repair had been more than generous in several aspects.

“Is this-? Am I-?” I couldn’t complete a sentence to save my life.

“You’re fixed, Sam. More than half of your physical body has been replaced completely and the vast majority has been repaired in some way.”

“So I’m more metal than man, now, or something?”

“Not exactly, but your body is no longer comprised entirely of living tissue. Several synthetic components were necessary to make you whole again. Again, I won’t bore you the precise specifications, but your systems will function quite a bit better than you remember. Shall we start the tests?”

“Sure. But…” I looked down again and felt my cheeks heat up.  “Maybe I could get a robe or something?”

Rita smiled. “Of course, you humans and your modesty.” She opened a storage compartment and pulled out a blue-grey jumpsuit similar to the one she wore.

I swung my legs off the side of the table and stepped down, pulling the jumpsuit up. The floor was cold on my bare feet. Zipping up the suit to my chin, I took a cautious step. As I walked forward I wobbled slightly, like a toddler struggling under the weight of his own giant melon. After a couple of steps I had it under control and followed Rita out of the recovery room and down the hallway.

She must have moved me back to the ship. The walls were covered in shiny metal and twinkling lights and were smooth and seamless. We walked to the exit door and a blast of cool air hit me as Rita opened it.

“What kind of tests do you have for me?” I asked as we started down the ramp.

 “It’s a standard battery of strength and endurance tests, designed to determine if your body is functioning normally.”

We stepped out onto Enoch and I took it in. It looked a lot like Earth, only brighter. A field of green stretched out as far as I could see and the sun was low in the sky, casting orange light on the landscape. The air tasted different, probably because it wasn’t filled with smoke and muck. Lush blades of grass tickled my toes.

Rita pulled a flat, glassy object from her pocket and tapped at it. It looked exactly like the screen on the ship only smaller. “The first test is a series of sprints. I’ve placed a marker one hundred meters away. I’d like you to run to it as fast as you can. The timer will start on my command and end when you reach the marker. Are you ready?”

A bright blue column of light appeared in the distance. “Let’s do it.”

“Go!”

I started running as fast as I could. The familiar pain in my knee had disappeared. My legs pumped like pistons and the surroundings flew past. Even when I was in shape, running had never felt like this. It was as if my feet weren’t even hitting the ground. I blew through the marker and stopped as Rita suddenly appeared.

“Where did you come from?” I spun around to look behind me, not sure what I was expecting to see.

“Holographic projection, Sam. One of the many things humanity will gain from us.” She looked down at her hand-sized screen. “Under ten seconds. I believe that breaks your current world record.”

“Are you stringin’ me?”

“Of course not, Sam. Are you ready for the two hundred meters?”

I nodded and took off towards the next marker at her signal. As it got steadily closer, I was breathing just a little more quickly than normal. My muscles weren’t burning and I didn’t have to deal with my gut flopping around anymore. Rita’s image showed back up as I reached the blue light.

“You’re doing very well, Sam. How do you feel?”

“Better than ever. I don’t even have to catch my breath. It’s like I’m some kind of super Sam.”

“Excellent. I think we can skip to the strength tests, then.” She tapped at her screen some more. “We need to return to the ship. If you’ll follow me.”

I followed Rita’s double back the way I came. “Now that I’m back together again, I wanted to finish our chat. You said that the Seraphim didn’t destroy the Erelim homeworld. So who did?”

She cleared her throat and looked straight ahead. “The Erelim.”

I scratched the back of my neck. “Why the hell would they do that?”

“I do not know. Shortly after we shared our technology with them, a worldwide battle broke out, with several factions vying for territory. They scorched the ground and blasted the atmosphere away. Any Erelim fortunate enough to survive the fighting died a slow, agonizing death, struggling to breathe.”

“Ain’t that just peachy. Were there any signs of trouble before you gave them your gadgets?”

“There had been a war previously among the various factions. They had declared a cease-fire, but it was unclear if they had settled their differences. Regardless, we wanted to share our knowledge.”

“If there was still bad blood, did you really think giving them weapons that would make it easier for them to kill each other was a good idea?”

“Why should that make a difference?”

I looked at her like she was off her nut. “Are you serious? That’s like giving a flamethrower to a pyromaniac. You’re just asking him to set the world on fire.”

“The Seraphim do not encourage violence or infighting. What others do with our technology is not our concern.”

“It damn well should be. Your technology is your responsibility. If the people you give it to willy-nilly can’t handle it properly, that’s your fault, sister.”

“I do not think that we can be blamed for the actions of others. That isn’t fair.”

We had reached the ship. Rita tapped the screen and disappeared. The door opened as I double-timed it up the ramp. I found the real Rita back in the medical quarters.

“Don’t you see how giving something incredibly destructive to reckless people is foolish and irresponsible?”

“We did not destroy their planet, Sam.”

“You may as well have! Jesus Christ, Rita, they didn’t ask for your technology and without it they couldn’t have smashed their world to flinders.” Something that had been rattling around in my conk finally jumped out at me. “Wait, does that mean you’re going to do the same thing to Earth? Are you just going to dump all your dope and doohickeys on us and watch as we burn ourselves to the ground?”

“The envoy has already begun the transfer of information. But I assure you-“

“Oh Jesus. Oh no. No, no, no, you can’t do that. We’re not ready for that. We’ll blast everything, we’ll kill everyone, we’ll turn it all to ashes!” The words wouldn’t spill out of me fast enough. Fear’s bony fingers gripped the back of my neck.

“It is happening as we speak, Sam. Surely, you’re overreacting.”

I hated feeling afraid. So I got angry instead. “The hell I am! You don’t know the first thing about humans! We’re irrational, petty, and stupid. If you give us something that we can cause destruction with, we’re going to use it as much as we can until whatever we don’t like is all gone. And if there’s one thing humans don’t like, it’s other humans.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Of course you don’t, you’re a goddamned alien!” Spittle flew from my lips as my voice shook the room. I brought my fist down on the table and cracked it in half. “You don’t even realize what you’ve done, do you?”

Rita had jumped when I cracked the table, but she still just stood there, arms at her sides, calmly speaking to me as if I wasn’t raging out of control. “If your assumptions are correct, then it is merely survival of the fittest, a natural selection process that ensures only the best life in the universe continues to thrive.”

It had been a long time since I’d been angry, I mean really sore. My ticker felt like it was going to burst out of my chest and run around the room. The edges of my vision blurred and everything was painted red. If Rita said one more word I was going to explode. I took a deep breath and blew it out as slowly as I could while counting to ten.

When I finally spoke, my voice was ragged and subdued.

“Just take me home.”

“I think that’s for the best.” Rita gestured to the cryostasis chamber and I lay down. She tapped at her screen and I breathed through my nose as the glass cover slid into place. My teeth nearly splintered as I ground them together. I inhaled the cold, flowery air and tried to unknot my synthetic fiber muscles. Before I knew it I’d be home. How much time I was going to have there was unknown. I was just happy to be going home.

My eyes closed and I drifted off to sleep. I sunk into the void and didn’t dream.

Yield Not To Evil, Part 9: You Only Live Once

My head spun. Light and shadow danced on my eyelids but I couldn’t open them. My mouth was dry as the desert and blood pounded in my ears every time my heart beat. I tried to move my legs, then my arms, before I realized that I couldn’t feel a thing below my neck. I caught little bits of sound, a language I didn’t understand. The surrounding noise got incredibly loud, pressing in on me and making it hard to breathe. Then I passed out.

When I came to, I heard Rita’s voice.

“Please don’t try to move, Sam.”

I ignored her advice and tried to lift my head to look around. Bad idea. Fire shot through my temples and my teeth ground together. My eyes watered and I blinked several times as she stepped forward into my field of view. She had traded the green dress and black gloves for a simple, blue-grey jumpsuit.

“You are completely immobilized. I’ve tried to lessen your pain but staying still will help greatly.”

I swallowed and took a couple of breaths. “Gotcha. What…what happened?”

“We were involved in a collision. Your body was,” she paused and squeezed her lips together. “There was extensive damage. I can repair it but we don’t have the necessary equipment here on Earth.”

Several questions ran through my noggin. What kind of damage? Why couldn’t I feel my arms and legs? What sort of equipment was she talking about? And what about our discussion before the crash? She had said the Seraphim were here to share knowledge but hadn’t mentioned the test of our worthiness. Were the aliens going to burn the planet or not? I started to flap my gums but she continued.

“Unfortunately, the equipment cannot be moved so we will have to leave Earth. Is that acceptable to you?”

“Yeah, I suppose. If you can fix me so I can move again, what’s the hold up?”

“We’ll need to cross a considerable distance. Once we arrive, your rehabilitation may take some time. Your absence will be significant.”

“How significant? Are we talking days? Weeks? Months?”

“It may be several months before you return home.”

Shit.

I’d miss the baby being born, but it didn’t seem like I had much of a choice. “I just want to be able to see my family again. Which reminds me, when we were talking in the car before-”

She held up a hand. “In due time. I will make you whole again first. Try to relax, we’ll be there soon.” She turned to a brightly colored screen and tapped it a couple of times with her fingers. A curved glass shield began to slide slowly over my head from right to left. It clicked shut, completely surrounding the table I was on. The world went silent, the only sound a soft hissing noise as the container filled with chilled air. I breathed deep and it felt good. The air was fresh, clean, and smelled faintly of lilac. It was relaxing and my eyelids felt like lead weights all of a sudden. If I just closed my eyes for a minute I shouldn’t miss anything important.

For the first time in months I didn’t dream. It was spectacular. One minute, I was falling asleep in a freezer and the next I was waking up, chilled to the bone, thinking I was back home and trying to close the window. I stared blearily at my reflection in the glass, taking note of the stubbly beard. Why couldn’t the past several months have been a dream? If only I’d never seen crispy Tom Donato or gotten my hands on that neon green raygun. If only I’d never met crazy Bobby and Lauren, the Arel Matriarch. If only I’d never lied to the Army and gotten roped into their plan to save the world. If only I could still be blissfully ignorant of it all.

There was a pop and the case opened. The glass lid retreated and I lay there for several seconds. After a while, Rita appeared.

“How are you feeling?”

“Cold.”

“That would be the cryostasis. It takes a while to get used to.”

“I bet. Are we here? And where’s here?”

“Yes, we are on the Seraphim homeworld, Enoch. You’ll get to see it at some point, but right now there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Aww, geeze. More bad news?”

Her expression softened. “I’m sorry, Sam. I should have told you sooner but it was easier to convince you to leave Earth than I initially though. As I said before, your body sustained extensive damage in the crash. It’s time that you know how extensive the damage is.” She turned back to the nearby screen and tapped at it some more.

Lights appeared over my head. They swirled, blinked, flashed, and pulsed. They floated in mid-air and started to make a shape. The image was made up of thousands of tiny lights hanging over the table. I’d never seen anything like it. It took me a second but I recognized it: it was me. The close-cropped brown hair, the lines in my forehead, the twice-broken nose, and now the scratchy beard stubble. As my gaze traveled downward I saw what Rita was talking about.

The rest of my body was utterly destroyed, mangled so badly I couldn’t believe it was actually mine. My chest was caved in and my abdomen looked like ground hamburger. My arms seemed to be broken in several places and my legs, good God, my legs. They were bent in a way that I didn’t know legs could bend. Below the knee they were gone, just not there.

“Where the hell are my legs? Sweet, merciful Christ, where the hell are my legs?!”

Rita came back over to the table and the grisly lightshow disappeared. “I can fix you, Sam. You’ll be as good as new, better than new. I needed to show you what happened so you would understand why you can’t move and why we need to be gone for so long.”

If I could have moved I would have been shaking like a leaf. I could remember being this scared only a couple of times before in my entire life. The first was having to leave Betty, seven months pregnant with Sarah, at her mom’s house while I shipped out. Then there was my crew’s first contact with the Jap naval fleet. And finally, when Betty was in labor with Ben, watching the docs wheel her into the operating room for an emergency C-section.

Rita took one look at my face and turned back to her screen. Warmth washed over me. The hair on the back of my neck relaxed and I felt like I could breathe again. I closed my eyes and suddenly didn’t care that my body was a useless sack of meat and bones. My mind slowed down, almost as if a heavy fog had settled in my noodle. Rita’s voice floated to me through the soup.

“I’m going to transfer you to the surgical center now, Sam. The first procedure will take several hours.”

I made a grunting sound and I was out again. This time I couldn’t stop the thoughts racing through my head. Was she going to saw off my noggin and stitch it on an alien body? Could she somehow stick my broken, shattered pieces back together like Humpty Dumpty? Or maybe she was giving me a ration of bunk and I was already dead.

After what seemed like a lifetime, brightness stabbed at my eyelids and I realized I could feel my chest. It was mostly numb but it felt like it was there, at least. Still no dice on my arms and legs, though. I blinked and squinted into the blinding light.

“Good to see you, Sam.”

“Wish I could say the same. Why is it so bright in here?”

“My apologies.” A shadow crossed my vision and the light dimmed. I opened my eyes the rest of the way and saw Rita smiling at me.

“I can feel my chest.” The words seemed strange, mostly because I didn’t usually have trouble feeling my chest.

“Good! I’m sure you’ve noticed that you can’t feel anything else.”

“I suppose that’s because you haven’t fixed anything else yet?”

“No, but you are now breathing on your own. The next procedure will focus on your abdominal cavity so you may resume normal digestive activity. I had to remove your appendages as they were too badly damaged. They will be replaced, of course.”

I decided to skip right over the questions I had about that and get some answers that might not make me want to toss my cookies.

“Ok. So. What do the Seraphim actually do? Because I was told that we needed to impress you or we’d be history.”

Rita’s smile faded. “Who told you that?”

“An Arel named Lauren and Colonel Cooper of the US Army, who I suppose got his information from Lauren, or other Erelim on Earth.”

“That is false and intentionally misleading information.” Rita’s green eyes flashed. “Seraphim do not destroy the races we meet, we learn from them, and they from us. What would we have to gain from their annihilation?”

“I don’t know. All the resources from the destroyed worlds, maybe?”

“I suppose so, if the world was not wiped clean by the firefight, but I assure you that is not the case. We combine our knowledge and resources with others. The Seraphim are a coalition in every sense of the word and our member nations are willing participants. To suggest anything less is ridiculous.”

“Then what happened to the Erelim? Why was their homeworld destroyed?”

Rita blinked several times. “We did not destroy the Erelim homeworld.”

“But it was destroyed, right? Or was Lauren lying about that, too?”

“We will finish this discussion later. You need to rest up for your next procedure.” Suddenly, I felt very sleepy. Whatever dope Rita was giving me was better than a Mickey Finn.

My legs felt funny. I was moving forward but I wasn’t walking I felt much shorter than normal, too. The grinding metal noise coming from my lower half made me look down. Where my legs had been there were now a pair of treads, like a tank. It worked pretty well with the large belts rolling over uneven terrain, like a walk in the park.

Then I noticed my arms. Attached to each of my shoulders was a flexible metal tube ending in a pincer-like claw. As I bent and twisted them around I realized that they could extend much further than my real arms ever could. Damned if I wasn’t enjoying my new parts.

“Sam.” Rita’s voice sounded far away, like she was in a deep hole.

“Sam.” Now it was louder and closer.

My eyes snapped open. I was flat on my back instead of exploring the rocky landscape of Enoch. A quick try to move my extremeties confirmed that I wasn’t a human tank but still just a roly-poly cripple.

“How are you feeling now?”

“Not bad. No arms or legs yet, huh?”

“Soon, Sam. I wanted to make sure you could survive without the aid of life support before I attached your new limbs. All of your major systems are now complete.”

“I know I’m a boob for asking this but I gotta know. What happened to me, exactly?”

Her face and tone became serious. “You experienced severe trauma as a result of the crash. You stopped breathing and were hemorrhaging blood. By the time I stabilized you and transported you to my ship, your heart was no longer beating and all electrical activity in your brain had ceased.”

“Wait., wait, wait. You mean I croaked?”

“Technically, yes.”

“How am I talking to you, then? How did I come back?”

“I restarted your heart.”

“But my brain powered down? Does that mean I’m slow, now, or something?”

“I don’t believe so. I can run you through a series of mental tests once your repair is complete, but you seem fine so far.”

“Ok. After you jump started my ticker and brought me to Enoch, what have you done?”

“I’ll spare you the technical details, but the first procedure was to reconnect your spinal cord, repair your lungs, and replace your ribcage.”

I started to feel queasy. “You replaced my ribcage? With what?”

“Living bone encased in titanium alloy.” She must have noticed the blank look on my mug. “It serves the same purpose as your current skeletal system with the added benefit of low breakability.”

“Gotcha. Did you replace anything else?”

“Oh, yes. Your spleen, kidneys, stomach, and intestines were damaged beyond repair, as was your pelvis.”

“What about my,” I swallowed and felt my face heat up, “penis?”

“Your reproductive system was not salvageable. I’m sorry, Sam, but you can no longer procreate. I did, however, replace your external organs with an otherwise fully functioning facsimile that is connected to your excretory system.”

Three kids was enough, I suppose. I wasn’t exactly happy about that, but at least I still had my manhood. “Alright. I appreciate the explanation. Tell you what: how about you let me go back to sleep and don’t wake me up until I can jump off this table and dance a jig?”

“As you wish.” Rita beamed a wide smile at me as I let my eyelids fall shut.

Yield Not To Evil, Part 8: This Gun For Hire

“Am I under arrest?”

“No, but that depends on you.”

I knew the penalties for resisting arrest. I also knew that an arrest on my record wouldn’t look good for any reason. This wasn’t the time to get smart.

“That’s not necessary, I’ll come peacefully. Could you gimme a minute first, though?”

“Make it snappy.”

I stepped back into the kitchen. “Betty, I’ve gotta go. I’ll be back soon, I promise. If something happens before I am, call Danny. Tell the kids not to worry. I love you.”

She wrapped her arms around my chest and squeezed the breath out of me. “I love you, too.”

Something got in my eye but I blinked it away. I let Betty go, put my coat and hat back on, and left with the MPs. There was a familiar-looking black sedan parked out front. They opened the back door for me and I climbed in. I kept my trap shut so it was a quiet ride to the base.

When we got there the door opened again and I got out. The MPs led me into a gray building with few windows. The thumping of boots on concrete competed with the buzz of fluorescent lights as we walked down the hallway. The door at the end opened on a stairwell and we headed down. I followed the soldiers until they stopped at an open doorway flanked by two guards.

“Go on in and have a seat. We’ll be with you in a moment.”

I nodded and walked in. The door immediately closed behind me with a solid thunk. A single bulb lit the windowless room, centered above a metal table and a couple of chairs. I took a seat and listened to my ticker pound.

Minutes passed. Or maybe hours. I couldn’t tell because there was no clock in the room and I didn’t have a watch. Despite the fact the room was slightly warmer than a meat locker, I was sweating bullets. I put my hat on the table and shrugged off my coat. I mopped my brow with my handkerchief and forced myself to calm down. This was another tactic I’d used on too many suspects to count. It was incredibly effective if you didn’t know the game and I’d still almost walked right into it.

By the time the door opened I had gotten it together. The man who entered the room was dressed in an olive drab uniform. He was medium height but had ruler-straight posture that added an inch or two. His garrison cap covered coal black hair that was graying at the temples. A manila file folder hit the table with a smack.

“Samuel M. Richards, born June 9, 1915, five foot eight inches tall, two hundred and forty pounds. Married, two children. Attended police training academy in 1935, joined the NYPD in 1936. Drafted by the United States Navy in 1940, served two years of a three year tour before being honorably discharged due to injury. Awarded the Navy Expert Rifleman Medal and Pistol Sharpshooter Ribbon, in addition to the Purple Heart and various other commendations. Promoted to Detective Third Grade in 1943, then again to Detective Second Grade 1945.”

“You did your homework, but what is reading me my file supposed to prove? My record is clean.”

He didn’t skip a beat. “Your wife is expecting your third child. You’re behind on your mortgage, your car is overdue for a scheduled oil change, and you’ve been reprimanded in the past for losing your temper. In point of fact, the NYPD paid hush money on your behalf to a murder/rape suspect whom you put in traction.”

He knew a lot of things that he shouldn’t and it caught me off guard. “Hey, that scumbag had it coming to him.”

“In August of last year you were a person of interest in an investigation into the origins of unregistered firearms. You told the investigators you didn’t know anything.” His eyes narrowed. “You lied.”

“If I’m under arrest I want a lawyer.”

He placed his hands flat on the table and leaned down, the beginnings of a smile playing across his face. “Do you really think this is an interrogation, Richards? If we wanted to arrest you you’d already be in jail. If we wanted you to disappear you would have vanished months ago. We already know about the plasma pistols. We’ve known about the Arel refugees for years and we were expecting the Seraph visitors.”

I had thought I knew what was going on but the more he talked the more I realized that I didn’t have a clue. So I leveled with him. “Ok, I lied. If I’m not under arrest then why am I here?”

He straightened back up and took a seat. He tightened his tie and smoothed his shirt. “Why did you lie?”

“Because I would have been treated like I was off my rocker. Space aliens with rayguns and disguise boxes, are you kiddin me? I would have been thrown in the nut house.”

“You kept it quiet. Just you and your partner knew the truth until today, when you told your wife. Why did you tell her now?”

I didn’t question how he knew that I had told Betty. I probably wouldn’t like the answer even if he told me. “Because the Seraphim finally arrived. I assume that was them, anyway, on the radio.”

He nodded.

“Other than her, I haven’t told a soul, but I’m sure you knew that. I’ve already got a reputation as a hothead, like you say. I don’t need everyone thinking I’m a loony toon, too.”

“If you’re a loony toon then so am I. So is the President.” He leaned forward, the light casting shadows down his face. “Tell me, Sam: are you happy with your life, with your job?”

I thought for a second. He was right; I was behind on the mortgage and there would be another mouth to feed real soon. “I wish I made more money, but I like my job. I like sending over bad guys and protecting my city. And I love my wife and kids with everything that I am.”

“What would you say if I told you we can fix your money problems?”

“Is that why I’m here? Ok, sure, but what’s the catch?”

Mr. Army Man smirked. “The catch is you come work for us. You might not nab as many bad guys, but you’ll be protecting more than your city or even your country. You’ll be protecting the entire world.”

 “I already served.”

“You’d be working for the Army in a different capacity. I head up the Strategic Services Unit, formerly Secret Intelligence. King Section has been tasked with managing the Seraphim envoy. I want you to act as one of our liaisons to the aliens.”

“A liaison?” The word tasted sour.

“You’d be doing a lot of what you’re doing now: investigating, asking questions, solving problems. We’d like you to be diplomatic first, of course, but if the situation called for it you’d still have a firearm.”

“So I’d be a spook?”

“Yes and no. We try to be up front with our visitors. We want to earn their trust legitimately and make every effort not to betray it. But for obvious reasons, not very many people know we exist and the information we gain is eyes only.”

“What if I say no?”

He leaned back out of the bright light. “Then your life changes, but not for the better.”

He had me over a barrel. Knowing everything that he knew, including several things that he shouldn’t know and couldn’t possibly know, meant that just saying no and walking away wasn’t an option. If I didn’t accept his offer I’d vanish and never be heard from again. I’d never see my wife, watch my kids grow up, or meet my unborn baby.

Adapt or perish. Nature’s imperative.

“Alright. I’m in.”

The man got to his feet and held out his hand. “Colonel William Cooper.” I stood up and shook it. He had a confident, firm grip but didn’t try to crush my hand in his. “Welcome to the United States Army, Specialist Richards.”

“Thank you, sir. What happens now?”

Cooper released my hand and picked the folder up off the table. “Now I can show you your office and brief you on your first assignment.”

“Sounds good.”

My office was one of many on basement level 3. It was small but not cramped, with a simple desk and a filing cabinet. A faded poster on the far wall read, “You don’t have to be crazy to work here, but it helps!” Cooper gave me my own key then led me to the briefing room.

“Five aliens arrived today. As you know, they call themselves Seraphim. Based on what we’ve learned from the Erelim, we know that they come from a distant planet outside our solar system. They are representatives of a larger group, comprised of several individual alien nations. According to the Erelim, they’re here to evaluate humanity and determine if we’re worth bringing up to their technological standard and joining the Seraph Coalition. If not, then they send word back home and an armada comes to destroy us.

Cooper paused for effect. “Your mission is to help us prove to them that the human race is worthy of survival. Each alien has been assigned an agent that we feel represent the best of our cultural and social values.”

“Seriously? I ain’t no saint, you said so yourself.”

“You have a very strong moral compass and you provide for your family. You served your country and continue to serve your city. That trumps the rest in my book.”

“Ok. So I just talk to the alien? Take em out to the ballgame, have a beer, and talk about the good old days?”

“Something like that. The aliens are evaluating us for inclusion into a galactic empire, so think of it as the most important job interview you’ve ever had. They’ll ask you questions and gauge your responses. You’re free to ask them questions as well and we hope you do. We know many things, but this will be the first one on one contact we’ve had with the Seraphim. We’ll debrief at the end of every day. Any questions?”

“Just one. When do I start?”

Cooper flashed a tight-lipped smile. “Right after you get your weapon.”

He took me down to the armory where I was assigned my standard-issue sidearm. They even gave me a retainer for expenses. Then it was off to the embassy where they had put up the aliens. I drove a big, black sedan just like the ones I had seen around town several times before. At the embassy, I checked in and was told my charge would be right down. I took a load off and waited.

I wondered who my Seraphim would be. What sort of questions would it have for me? More importantly, how on God’s green earth was I supposed to convince it not to blow us to smithereens? I had seen things no man should see, the absolute depths of depravity that humanity was capable of stooping to, and I was supposed to tell the alien that we were worth saving?

Movement to my right forced me out of my own head. A pair of dark pumps click-clacked on the tile floor. I looked up and into a smiling, female face.

“Samuel, I presume?”

I got to my feet. “Call me Sam.”

She put out a hand covered in a long, black glove. “Rita. Pleased to meet you.”

I shook her hand. Rita was wearing a short sleeve green dress with a high neck paired with black stockings. She wasn’t as stunningly beautiful as Lauren’s human guise had been but she was still quite a looker. She released my hand and swept a lock of auburn hair from her face.

“I’d like to go somewhere to talk, I have so many questions. What would you recommend?”

I thought for a second. I certainly couldn’t take her to a dive. Someplace fancy would be out of my element, but I had the money and I needed to impress. “Let’s go to Mario’s. We can get a booth and you can order whatever you want.”

“That sounds delightful.”

We headed outside and I opened the door for her. She got in and I went around to the other side. The car started up quickly and quietly and I pulled away from the curb.

“So what do you do for a living, Sam?”

“I’m a Detective for the police department. Homicide.” I looked over at her. “When somebody gets murdered they call me in. I investigate the case and figure out who did it,  then the killer goes to jail for a long time. How about you? What do you do?”

She smiled. “Mostly this. I travel to new planets and speak with the inhabitants to learn about their ways and means before sharing all we know. We Seraphim want all sentient beings in the universe to benefit from our collective knowledge.”

I frowned. “That’s funny. I was told something completely dif-“

I didn’t even see the car coming. I had a green light so the other guy didn’t. There was a bone-shaking crunch combined with the sound of shattering glass and then my world went black.