DEVRIE'S CREATIONS

PART 1

About five years ago is when they came. Large ships from the sky took out all our defenses while the ones who have been here for years rose out of the sea. I guess those sci-fi people were right about them always being here. My sister was right, too. Looking back, I wish she wouldn’t have been.

They knew exactly when to strike. The world’s governments were on the brink of yet another world war. Poverty was at a high. Everyone was obsessed with zombie outbreaks, so the search for aliens had dropped to the sidelines. No one saw it coming.

Some tried to fight back, but when the world officials sold us all out, morale fled with our freedom. They had been promised more power and control as long as they did what they were told.

Then, there was that whole being allowed to live part sealing the deal.

It took a couple of years for them to round us all up by family and then place us in appropriate camps. Most cities had been demolished. San Antonio was practically a waste land. Now they go from camp to camp testing each and every person for what strengths and intelligence they have.

I got tested right away and placed doing physical labor along the river by our camp. My mother, aunt, and grandmother were set to housework in the main building. My sister and her husband hadn’t been tested yet.

The conditions for river labor were horrible. We slept on the ground and received daily beatings from our “foreign” masters. Weeks would go by between seeing my sister or other family members. It was during one of these long stays that I heard the news. My sister had been tested.

I ran as fast as I could and pleaded for rides on barges just so I could get back to the compound. By the time I climbed the steep muddy hill and reached the front door to our family prison, no one would meet my eyes. I broke through the door, barreling down the hallway to my sister’s room.

She sat on the pastel green sheets covering her mattress on the floor. Her head hung down, and tears fell to the floor. I threw myself down before her wrapping my arms tight around her waist. We all knew she would never have to be subjected to grunt work or hard labor. She was always too smart for that. She and her husband were guaranteed to test high in intelligence.

I looked up at her with the question written on my face. She simply nodded her head and buried her face in my shoulder. My sister, my best friend of all time, will be pulled from my life forever. They will come and take her away to their main ship, and she will never return.

Her husband walked in and joined our embrace. He’s going, too.

There was a commotion from the rest of our family. We slowly stood up, wiping our eyes and headed outside. Several small pod ships hovered down to the ground with American flags painted on the sides in mock allegiance to the country. As if enslaving all humankind wasn’t bad enough, they felt rubbing salt into the wounds would be a nice touch.

I hugged my sister’s side tightly, hoping if I clung to her, she would not have to leave. Her fist was full of my tattered shirt as well, clearly feeling the same way. The pounding of our hearts beat as one causing sharp pains. My lungs couldn’t seem to take in enough air either.

Troops poured out of the pods. Traitorous humans mixed with gray skinned aliens marched toward us. We tensed as they now stood mere feet before the crowded doorway. I clutched my sister and her husband in both hands, but one of the aliens came forward and yanked them from my grip.

We started screaming, and I ran forward only to be knocked down by a rifle butt. My aunt tried to help me up and hold me back, but I broke free. Both were fighting against the hands, dragging them towards the nearest pod but were overpowered. Just as they were drug inside, the door lifted up and shut. I made it to the pods mere seconds after they were out of reach. Screaming and crying uncontrollably, I threw myself to the ground and watched helplessly as my sister and brother-in-law were taken away to whatever fate “They” have planned for them.

PART 2

I knew terrible things. When they came and took my sister, everything got worse. Sure, the aliens taking over Earth was bad enough, but at least they put my family together. Now it was not. She and my brother-in-law were somewhere in the night sky aboard a flying machine forced to work alongside the creatures that conquered us.

The things I knew were not pleasant. I knew they would dispose of them after their use was all dried up. I knew I had to get them back. I also knew that I would have to kill in order to do that. The rest of my family couldn’t be involved, though. They had been through too much. A resistance had to be out there somewhere, and I was determined to find them and join, but only if it got my sister and brother back. Otherwise, I would do it alone.

I adjusted my backpack after one last look at the prison my family called home, the house that was forced upon us in order to best utilize our skills for those bastards’ purpose. Below me ran a wide river where forced labor took place during the day. That, apparently, was my skill, but not anymore. My new skill would be to take them down and return the two people that meant more to me than my own life.

With a heavy sigh, I took the next step away from everything I knew and one more towards the unknown.

PART 3

A week later I was hiding under a small bush in the rain. The things I saw along the way would haunt me forever. Mass graves filled with the old and useless littered the landscape. Dead bodies with burn marks to scalps lay crumpled everywhere. Yet, in all this morbid death, I still hadn’t found any signs of the resistance.

To be this close to any alien hub was suicide but I was desperate. My supplies were running low and I was in dire need of a weapon. From my hiding place, I could see rows of booted feet marching by in the mud. One set stopped just to the side of where I hid causing my breath to catch. Sounds of gears creaking reached my ears. The muscularly lean alien tightened his grip on a laser rifle clenched in human like hands.

I risked a glance up through dripping leaves to get a better look at the creature before me. His body tensed and flexed beneath a Kevlar type body suit. Gears and rods ran the length of his body giving added strength to his already powerful form. An oxygen mask clung to a humanoid face obscuring his nose and mouth but leaving those angry black eyes free to scan the area. One gloved hand rose to rub his bald scaly head. Pointed brown jaws clenched and unclenched. He took one more step closer to my position and I knew I’d been found.

Just as he reached down to separate the leaves, a loud commotion erupted from a few yards away. The alien took off at a run to join up with six more of his kind and two of ours. They lead a small party of captives into the area. Each one was chained wrist to feet and looked as if they had been severely beaten. Men, women, and children alike shuffled with heads lowered.

With bated breath, I watched one of the prisoners fell to the ground. One alien, clearly not a soldier but a scientist in his light grey bio-suite, towered over the fallen man while the others shoved the crowd of humans back. To my astonishment, the scientist didn’t yank him back up to his feet. He simply stared down at the weakened human like a lion would stare at his newly fallen meal.

Just as I repositioned myself for a clearer view, the man’s body went into uncontrollable spasms. The convulsions were so intense that he couldn’t even scream. However, a young girl no older than five years old yelled out from the other prisoners. She tried desperately to break free and reach the man she was calling DaDa.

The scientist turned his gaze from the thrashing father to the screaming girl. His eyes scrunched up in concentration as the girl’s widened but nothing else happened. Tears streamed down her tiny face but she never hit the ground. Confusion quickly replaced the alien’s expression.

Uneasiness squirmed through my stomach. How could a five-year-old block the mental attacks of our captors? It’s been proven throughout the takeover that their psychic assaults don’t always work but for a mere child to resist was astounding.

The child’s screams brought my attention back to the captives. One of the human guards held a gun to her father’s head and I watched in horror as the trigger was pulled. I knew there was nothing I could do but my muscles tightened in preparation anyway. If I got caught, my sister and her husband would never see freedom but how could I lay here and do nothing? The war raged inside me until finally, when I was just about to spring from my hiding space, I pair of strong hands covered my mouth while also pulling me backwards.

I fought to release myself from whoever held me. The fear of being discovered and killed nearly had me free when I glimpsed a handmade drawing on a completely human chest depicting a little green alien face crossed out in red.

The resistance had found me.

PART 4

I struggled to release my rescuer’s grip. They were so strong, nothing I did helped. I was drug backwards and kept low. When it was clear I wouldn’t scream out or fight back, they released me. I couldn’t see how tall anyone was because we were on the ground but the man who had saved me from myself placed one finger to his lips then gestured for me to follow.

We went around to the back of an abandoned cowboy store. From the front door, I could see rows of boots and trench coats. No one dared to loot any of the store. They were all closely monitored. The aliens knew we would need supplies and made sure they were the ones to give it, even if it was meagre. That group of humans must have tried their luck and failed. My thoughts kept returning to that little girl. I wanted to go back but couldn’t.

The man stood up now to his full almost six-foot height. Dirty brown hair, pulled back into a ponytail still hung in his mud-streaked face. All of the four people with us dressed in a menagerie of different clothes, pants and overshirts hanging from soiled shirts. I didn’t look like the resistance was doing too good.

He still didn’t speak to me, just kept a finger to his mouth. Gunfire erupted from where we had been. Screams and high-pitched screeches could barely be heard over it.  I tried to run around to the front, but he grabbed me and held me tight again. I looked up into his face. He slowly shook his head, no.  The others held their guns at the ready surrounding us.

No sooner had the fire fight started, it ended. A single shot rang out and then all was quiet. The man let me go for the most part but held my wrist. He led me back around to the front. What I saw was a shock to say the least.

All the aliens were dead. A group of about twenty humans had attacked and killed them somehow. Three were currently working on releasing the humans. The little girl who plagued my mind stood stock still looking down at her dead father while one of them fiddled with the lock on her chains. She no longer cried or blinked for that matter.

A blonde older woman walked over to her and took her in her arms. The girl let her but still kept her gaze on her father. She did so until a group of men surrounded him in order to block her view. Her tears began again.

A yank on my arm drew my attention away. Someone was talking to me. “Huh? Wha-?”

“Are you ok, ma’am? Are you hurt?” His mild voice could have come from anyone. It was so normal.

I blinked rapidly. “No, I’m not hurt. I’m ok. What just happened?”

“We took out one of their recon groups. We heard there was a small group of people and that they were headed this way. We got here as soon as we could but not soon enough.” His eyes briefly wandered over to the man on the ground. “We knew there was a gifted among them but had no idea it was a child.”

“Would you have helped them even if there wasn’t a… gifted with them?” My anger grew. What if they would have let them all be taken or killed? What kind of a resistance is that?

He smiled. His teeth were strangely white. “Of course, we would have saved them. No human deserves to be their slave.” He reached out his hand after adjusting his rifle. “Hi, I’m Doug.”

I rubbed my hand on my pants before extending it to him. “Hi, I’m Debby.” It wasn’t my name, but I didn’t know these people. When he gave me my hand back, I walked over to one of the deceased aliens. I had to see how they killed it. Something like this shouldn’t even be possible, not with their suits. They all lay on their faces and from what I could see, there wasn’t a single hole in them. Some of the metal has been dinged but no bullets made it through.

Doug used his foot to roll one over for me. That’s when I saw how they did it. These aliens couldn’t function without a face and that was the only thing not truly covered in armor. Their face shields didn’t have any metal and now his alien didn’t have a face.

PART 5

The only thing that kept me from screaming was not wanting to attract more of these things to where we were. The mutilated flesh of its face seeped blue liquid all over the concrete. The smell was worse. It was almost a mixture of old fish and vomit. I turned to retch.

Doug placed his hand on my shoulder. “We need to move. Come on.”

The small group they rescued were quickly absorbed into their own. The child stayed with the woman who originally held her. Bright blue eyes glistened with tears. We all made our way around the building again but quickly left it behind.

Now we were surrounded by trees. It wasn’t a forest. There wasn’t a real forest anywhere close to this city. No, it was just a gathering of trees between streets. We crossed many of those streets. Doug must have been the leader because he was always the one to look for any alien activity before the rest crossed.

I knew the area we were in. It led to a sunken garden of sorts. Maybe that was where we were going. There were plenty of places to hide in that place but not enough for a huge resistance. My heart sank at the thought of them not having the numbers I needed to save my family.

To my surprise, we passed up the gardens. Instead, the entire group moved in single file down a small utility street surrounded by trees. On each side, where the trees stopped, cliffs of about five feet formed before ending as well. We moved silently. There was no way we were going where I now suspected we were.

As the small, paved road ended, another larger one crossed in front of it. On the other side was the city zoo. My wide eyes found Doug’s face. He quirked a half smile and nodded. My jaw dropped. We were going into the zoo. THE ZOO!

Just as before, Doug looked to make sure it was clear and safe to cross. They moved in pairs toward the entrance and hid inside until everyone was there. Doug brought out a single key, no key chain to jingle, just one key. It fit into a lock to release one section of large and heavy fencing. Two men had to open it just enough for each person to slip through. When we were all on the other side, they closed it again and Doug secured the lock.

I looked around and my heart sank again. This time if was for the animals that were no longer there. What fate had befallen them? Where they alive somewhere or all dead? Just then, a huge bear and lion walked around the corner. I stumbled backward into Doug who held me firm.

The animals approached slowly. My heart rate kicked up to over drive. Luckily, I wasn’t the only one scared to death at this. The other new people were being held in place as well by more of the original resistance group.

The bear came straight for me. I struggled in Doug’s grip. The lion went to the closest new person near me. A wet nose came within inches of my shirt, huffing and sniffing me. It traveled down to me feet then back up to my hair as if looking for something. Seeming to not find what it wanted, the bear moved on to the next person it clearly didn’t know. Doug finally released me.

In as calm a manner as I could muster, I whispered, “What the actual hell was that about? I thought you were feeding me to him.”

Doug laughed. “Nah. We only feed them the aliens.”  He nodded to a pair of burly men that I hadn’t noticed before. They came through the gates on their own but carried all the aliens they had killed to save these people. Bags were wrapped around any wound so blood wouldn’t drip. They placed the aliens on the ground with space between them and took off the bags.

Doug produced a small silver whistle and blew into it. No sound came from it but from around every corner, more animals ran towards us. There were hyenas and more lions, tigers, and things I didn’t know the names of. Hey, I was no zoologist. The bear and lion lead the other to the bodies. It was as if they delegated who ate which one. Finally, the bear and lion shared one together. I had to turn away and cover my ears. Sounds of wild animals eating bodies is not on the top of my list to remember.

A hand grasped mine. Doug pulled on it to lead me away. The whole group went with us and left the animals to eat in peace. When we were far enough away, Doug spoke again. “We have to make sure you are fully human.” He pointed back at the animals. “They can tell. And since we feed them the aliens, they now have a taste for them. No pure human will ever be harmed by them.”

“Pure human?” What could he mean by that? 

“Yes, pure. We found out that the aliens are breeding with some of the lesser humans to produce a mix. They can easily infiltrate camps to see if there are any resistance there.” He continued to walk ahead of me, still holding my hand. I yanked it out.

“That’s disgusting. There is no way they are doing that. They don’t need to. All their strength and weapons and armor… they could just take whatever information they needed with their mind crap.”

He smiled back at me. “And yet, we are still here.” He continued on, letting me trail behind him and think about what he said.

How would you know who was an alien outside of here?  Not everyone had a bear or lion to sniff them out. This was absurd. Getting to my sister and brother-in-law was going to be a lot harder than I thought if this was true.

PART 6

“We are going on a supply run. You’re going with us.” Doug had come up to me while I was sitting drinking my nasty coffee they had made. Who was I to complain.  I couldn’t remember when the last time I tasted the evil bean.

“What do you mean? Why am I going? I need to find my sister and her husband, not become a part of your group.” The coffee was now forgotten.

“We need to see how you handle yourself out there. From what you have told me, you are new to being free. Let’s see what you can do. Maybe we can come to some sort of agreement with finding your family.” He handed me a small handgun and walked away. Well, hell.

A large group formed at the inside the front entrance again. No one wore combat gear. That wasn’t a thing out here in the “free world”. You wore whatever you had. This group wore dark colors, mostly browns and blacks. I am sure if they didn’t own what they wore, it was borrowed. Someone threw a black beanie hat at me to cover my blonde hair. It smelled like the zoo on a bad day.

When we were all ready, it was the same as before but in reverse. Doug led the group out but we left in pairs.  Each pair moved from shadow to shadow before darting across the road and up the steep small path leading to the gardens. After that, we were taken in a different direction.

My head was killing me. For some reason, after I witnessed my sister and brother-in-law being taken, I just couldn’t shake the pain. Then, when that poor child had to see her father killed right in front of her, it went from a headache to a mild migraine. I could function, but just barely.

Doug whispered something to one of the lead men and stopped to let everyone pass. As soon as I came in close enough, he fell in line beside me. “Are you doing alright? You seem to be squinting a bit too much.”

“My head is hurting pretty bad but I will get past it.” I tried to open my eyes more to prove I would be ok, but the light was like sharp needles in my head.

“Why suffer when you don’t have to. I’ll be right back.” He quickened his pace to catch up to the medic in our group. After about two minutes, he was back with me. “Here, we have ibuprofen. Us your flash of water to make sure it goes down better.  They are a bit out of date.”

“Whoa! You actually have that? We ran out of it within a year at my compound.” I took them from Doug and downed them instantly. Hopefully, in about thirty minutes, I would have some relief.

Doug jogged back up to the front of the line. We had taken several turns and came to a tall office building. It was at least eight stories high. He held up a closed hand and we all came to a stop. I only knew the signal from watching movies before life became a living hell.

In a lowered voice, Doug sent people off in groups. The numbers weren’t all the same, so I guessed the jobs were all different. When only me, another six people and Doug were left, he said, “We are taking the top floor. No one really thinks to look in office buildings. They stored stuff for the higher-level executives all the time. We will go quietly and by twos.”

We took off at a run, crossing the main road as quickly as possible. Once at the building, the side door was locked. Doug brought out a simple pocketknife and used the back side to break the glass at the handle. We made it inside and started up the stairs. I may have worked the river grunt jobs but my legs were not ready for this.

Surprisingly, I made it all the way up even though I thought my legs were going to fall off and my lungs were going to go on strike. Doug came back to me as the others went onto the floor to scout for food. “I’m impressed. You made it all the way with no complaints.”

Between breaths, I answered, “Yeah. Well, I couldn’t complain if I couldn’t breathe.”

He simply laughed and held the door for me. We started with the main conference room. It was huge and everything super plush. A giant dark oak table sat in the middle. “Check the cabinets.”

Doug took one end of the cabinets, and I took the other. He wasn’t wrong about them stocking for the executives. It was full of sodas, coffee, snack cakes and even heat able meals. “Jack pot!”

Doug came over to see what I was talking about, and his excitement couldn’t have been contained if he tried. “Let me go get the others and we can pack all this up and head out.”

After he left, I took to loading my empty bag. I only had it halfway full when a noise caught my attention. It came from an adjoining room. It must be one of the other teams so I walked over and opened the door. It was not one of us.

PART 7

Before me stood five alien foot soldiers equipped in their full armor. Their faces covered like before triggered the memory of the one with no face. As soon as I thought that my attention was drawn to the sixth member of their group, a mind maimer. It gasped. If an alien can even make such a sound. It was more like a hiss. Oh, no! It knows what they did!

 As if time had stood still, now it erupted in chaos. The soldiers filed into the conference room at the same time I ran to the other door. “They are here! Everyone! They are here!”

Crashing from other rooms could be heard as the resistance group came rushing out of doors and towards me. Doug got to me first. He was about to ask a question but saw what walked out way. They didn’t run after us. They knew they had us. Doug grabbed me and hauled me out into the open space where cubicles formed desks for lower-level employees. The other people in our group took refuge where they could and aimed their weapons at the opening I just vacated. Me and Doug had just made it to the first cubical when they burst out with weapons firing at us.

If you thought it would be like the movies, and they had ray guns or lasers then you would be wrong. Their guns fired just like ours. Projectiles being violently forced through a barrel and towards a target. Only difference was, when their projectile entered our bodies, it became almost alive. The ‘bullet’ would open at one end and become a mincer of sorts traveling through our bodies. To witness someone going through that kind of death was horrifying. To be that person? I never want to know.

I stayed down and only popped my head up when I could just to fire off one single round before they directed their aim to me. That is when I hunkered down behind as much as I could. Those projectiles shredded anything they entered, not just flesh. Luckily, it seemed to only last seconds. That was enough to kill anyone. But for us hiding in these desk areas, it meant we would live, for now.

Someone screamed from behind us. Another to our left and then another to our right. They kept screaming, until the mincer was finished. An inhuman screech sounded from in front of us, one. The firing of weapons continued till another screech erupted, two. Sounds of thunk and then thunk could be heard at the same time as even more screeches, three, four. Finally, another screech filled the air but along with a human scream, five. That left the mind maimer.

We all stood up, the few left alive. Mind maimers didn’t need weapons. They were weapons.

It glared out at us and then looked at its fallen soldiers. When those soulless eyes saw us again, they filled with rage. Green light began to form in the pits of its eyes, and we all fell to our knees, screaming. My head had already been hurting but this made it want to explode.

We only had four of us left but our screams were so loud it sounded like a crowd. In my mind, I saw visions of people being killed. Both by weapons and mind maimers. As the visions came, the pain in my head grew. Now I saw a ship. A massive ship with uncountable levels. It was somewhere in our outer atmosphere but shrouded somehow. I screamed louder and louder. Was everyone else having the same visions? I would never know because we were all going to die.

An audible snap reverberated in my head. The pain instantly was gone. I stood up to look at this creature. The rest of the group still screamed. It made it hard to concentrate but for some reason, I was no longer affected.

The alien switched his gaze at me. My group fell silent. Its eyes scrunched together. I felt a light nudge in my mind but nothing more. It scrunched even more, and another nudge formed. Now its eyes grew wide, and the glow faded.

For some reason, I felt the need to walk up to the alien mind maimer. I was maybe five feet away from it now. In my mind, and in my own voice, I heard, “Punch that mother fucker!”

PART 8

Before I knew what I was doing, my hand flew forward. My fist made contact with its oxygen mask and kept going until it smashed into scaled flesh.

One of the alien’s hands grasped me around my throat while the other searched its bio suit for something. In moments, it produced another mask and tried to fit it over its bleeding mouth. That was something I just couldn’t allow.

The voice in my head that was also mine whispered, “I’ve got this.” My body began moving on its own. My legs rose and flipped me over until I sat on the alien’s back taking its grasp away from my throat. It continued to try and put the mask back on, but my hands reach down and yanked it away. I smashed it against a nearby wall and tightened my legs around its throat. Slowly, it began to stumble and finally fall. When it did, my legs made a quick jerking movement, snapping its neck.

A tingling sensation crept all over my body as I regained control. It felt as if a limb had gone to sleep but was now getting blood flow back to it. Instead of a limb, however, it was my entire body. For a moment, I lay limply on the floor letting it pass, taking deep breaths.

I was finally able to stand and when I did, Doug and the other three left alive stared at me with wide eyes. I opened my mouth to speak but it snapped shut on its own. The voice whispered again inside of my head, “do not tell them. They would not understand.” With that, my lips parted. “I took classes in college before they came.”

“You must have had one hell of a teacher.” Doug took a step forward. His eyes searched mine. After a painful minute, he turned to the others. “Grab what you can. Let’s go before more show up. This was clearly a trap.”

When the others went about their tasks, Doug approached me. “You have the gift. Why didn’t you tell me?”

When my voice didn’t seize up, I realized this topic was ok to discuss. “I didn’t know until now. Do the others see visions as well?”

“Visions? What kind of visions?”

“I saw a huge ship out in space. I saw the aliens killing people.” A tear rolled down my face. “That ship. Is it where they took my sister and my brother-in-law?”

Remorse flooded Doug’s features. “They were taken, weren’t they?”

“Yeah, but I am going to get them back. I just need to get to that ship.”

He started to shake his head, but I held up a hand. “If you can’t help me that’s fine. I’ll go alone but don’t stand here and tell me it’s impossible. We all used to think it was impossible to fight the mind maimers.” I stared daggers into his eyes. “I am saving them!”

Doug continued to look into my eyes. Finally, he said, “You can really see visions from the mind maimers?”

“If seeing that ship is what it means then yes, I can.”

A smile spread across Doug’s face. He hadn’t done that since I met him. “I do believe we can help each other.”

“As long as I get my family back, I don’t care what you get out of it.”

“Calm down. I don’t have anything sinister in mind. If you can believe it, I also have friends and family up there as well.” He glanced back as the three returned with their bags full of supplies. “Let me ask you a question, though.”

“Sure, what is it?”

“What did you plan to do after you save your family?”  

PART 9

“I never really thought about what happens after that. I would need to get the rest of my family to some kind of safety but how do I even do that?

Doug placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, but I was not ready to be comforted. Instead, I jerked away. “All I want, is to get to my sister and brother-in-law and bring them down from that ship I saw. That is my first and main objective.”

“And we can help you with that. Do you think there aren’t people we have been wanting to save too? Until you came along, we didn’t think we stood a chance.” The look in his eyes told me he was speaking from the heart.

“Why in the hell would you stand a chance with me? I’m nobody. I’m nothing.” He started to speak but I cut him off. “Don’t you dare start spouting off about some kind of bullshit prophecy because I don’t buy into that crap.”

He began to laugh so hard I didn’t think he would ever stop. When he finally did, tears ran down his face. “No prophecy. I promise. You just have some of the best fighting skills I have ever seen and then to be able to see into a mind maimers’ mind is unheard of. Gives us our best chance ever. We can finally take the fight to them.”

“Great. So, what is your plan? How do I get my family back?” I wasn’t sure grouping up with this bunch was a great idea but if my sister and her husband could come back to me through them, then so be it. If it looked like I needed to leave them at any point in their plans, then I would leave and head out on my own. One person sneaking in to save two people had a better chance than a large group anyway.

“I would say you need to train up a bit with your min maimer skills.” Doug crossed his arms and a wide smirk crossed his lips.

“And how the hell am I supposed to do that, exactly? It’s not like you would have one laying around or anything.” I waved my arms around to make a point.

“As a matter of fact, we do. Come with me.”  Doug grabbed a small man who carried a large number of keys hung around his neck. Two very large men with alien tech type guns flanked him on both sides. “Chris, this woman here needs access to the maimer so make sure she gets it but always be with her when she is there. Have Steve and Anthony in there as well during her sessions. We don’t want that thing getting the upper hand at any time.”

Doug made the hand motion for them all to follow along with him. I went to, of course. We passed the lions and safari animals then made it back to the aquariums. All of the tanks stood empty and dry. The glass was still sturdy, being twelve inches thick. One tank had been altered. Instead of an open top, it had a steel plate, also about twelve inches thick, with a flip hatch to get in and out of. A huge pad lock secured it shut.

I walked up to the glass and tried to see what lay inside. Age and crusted salt kept me from seeing clearly. A lone dark blob sat in the middle barely moving. Even the color was distorted. “Is that the alien?” I pointed to the figure.

“Yes. Climb up this ladder with us and we will go inside.” Doug looked pointedly at Chris. “This one here can block some of the maimer’s abilities to a certain range. So, you see, you aren’t the only one with a unique gift. Just a gift we can use in battle.”

I wasn’t sure how seeing what they knew could be used in battle, but it didn’t matter at this point. Something about how he said that ruffled my nerves. There were things being left unsaid, I was sure of it. Not my business, though. Instead, I climbed the ladder and followed them down inside the dry tank. Once I was on flat ground again, I stood face to face with another mind maimer who looked just as confident in his ability as the last one did. That was, until he saw Chris. Then there was anger behind those dark eyes.

I wanted to ask what they fed it to keep it alive. I wanted to ask so many pointless questions but didn’t. That wasn’t why I was here. Instead, I looked to Chris. “You can leave but let the others stay.”

“But Doug…” Chris looked back and forth between me and Doug.

“It’s ok Chris. I’ll tap on the glass if I need you to come back in.”

As soon as Chris began to climb up the stairs, I watched the alien’s eyes follow the tiny man. He really hated him. Well, he would learn to hate me more. When Chris was out of sight, the alien looked to me as if he knew who his real threat was now. Its eyes narrowed as it tried to figure out the angle we were trying to play.

I didn’t give it much time to ponder. I was actually surprised it didn’t try to enter my mind already, but I had learned a thing or two from the last one and now I didn’t need to wait for it to start this battle. I could start it myself. So, I did.

PART 10

The other me swirled around in my mind, whispering what I needed to do. I started to close my eyes, but the voice told me not to. I had to always keep my eyes on the enemy no matter what. Even though we were about to battle with our minds, the aliens were better at this and could fight physically at the same time. The mind maimers usually didn’t have to fight. That didn’t mean they couldn’t.

I looked it in the eyes and went past that. In my thoughts, I traveled beyond his eyes, his windows. Inside, I could see the ship again but from a different perspective. This maimer clearly wasn’t as high on the food chain as the other one was. Silver hallways and floors blurred past.

Pair flared in my head as white lights flashed behind my eyes. It took me to my knees. Doug was there instantly to make sure I was ok. When I looked back at the alien, the corners of his eyes crinkled in amusement.

“Oh, hell no, you didn’t.” I stood and shrugged Doug’s worry off. This alien was not going to stand between me and my family. I went back in, faster this time. The alien jerked back in its seat. I really hoped I was causing it some pain.

I kept thoughts of my family out of my head just in case it could see what I thought. I didn’t want to give up my sole reason for doing this. Being inside its slimy mind left a stink I could actually smell. There weren’t enough baths in the world to get it out.

Trudging through its memories felt like walking in mud. Electricity shot through me this time. A different attack but just as painful. I cried out but refused to let go of my link.

“Someone get her a chair!” Whoever said it sounded like they were talking through a tin can. I barely registered hands on my shoulders gently lowering me to a metal surface.

Another attack came and another. I couldn’t breathe. It alternated between the sharp pains to my head and the electric shock running down my spine. There was no time to even retreat. I was stuck and it knew it. Soon, I couldn’t tell when one form changed to the other. It all blended together.

Now, I saw myself through the alien’s eyes. It wanted me to. It wanted me to see how I flailed and screamed. Anyone who dared touch me, received their own shock as well now. My heart thumped in my chest. Oxygen… I needed oxygen.

The thumping grew louder. Wait. That wasn’t my heart. Someone was thumping on the glass to get Chris’ attention.

I grit my teeth and tried to push back. The intensity lessened but did not stop the pain. I gained a little ground, though. My hands gripped the sides of the metal chair so hard, feeling began to leave my fingers. I needed to win this before Chris got in here. I refused to lose.

The hatch screeched open. I was running out of time. Pushing my mind as far as I knew how, I tried to break this alien’s will. I may as well have been trying to tear down a brick wall with a pool noodle.

Feet pounded the cement coming towards me. As soon as a pair of cold hands touched my shoulders, I was released from the torment, and my body went limp. I was still conscious, but my body wouldn’t respond at first. When it did respond, they couldn’t hold me back.

I threw Chris and Doug off and ran for the alien. My fists were clenched for a fight. I was able to get one good swing to the side of its head before Doug tackled me to the ground.

“That isn’t going to help! Hey! Look at me!” Doug fought hard to hold my head so I would look at him. When I finally did, he continued, “If you kill it, you won’t be able to learn what you need to learn or find a way for us to get inside. Think, damn it, think.”

His words finally registered. As soon as I stopped fighting his grip, Doug let go. I sat there on the ground glaring at the alien. This wasn’t over. I was going to find the key to winning this battle.

PART 11

That night, I tossed and turned in my cot. I wasn’t going to be able to sleep. Losing the mental battle with their mind maimer was all I could think of. We had lost so much already to these monsters. I refused to lose this fight as well.

Since sleep was alluding me, I swung my feet out of the covers and put my boots back on. We all slept in our regular clothes. You never knew when you would get attacked. Back at my family compound, we would get surprised inspections at all hours. We had to be ready to jump out of bed and do what we were told. Here, the reasons for getting woken up were a lot worse. 

I tried to make as little noise as possible while I slinked out of the sleeping area. A few snorts and mumbles had me stopping briefly to make sure I didn’t wake anyone up. When I was finally outside, the crisp air was refreshing. The two guards standing on either side of the door simply nodded to me. Not one question was asked.

I knew where I was going but didn’t actively think about it. My anxiety would skyrocket if I did. I loud huff sounded behind me. I stopped dead. Looking back, I saw the giant brown bear from my first encounter looking at me, face to face. His head was level with mine. I never really thought about the intelligence of wild animals but looking into his eyes, I saw a deep and distinct intelligence. He was very away of what he did on a daily basis.

I stood still while I was inspected by the bear’s nose. He stared at my face and traveled down to my feet. When he was done, his enormous head deliberately lifted under my right hand. I scrunched my fingers through his thick fur. Never in my life did I think I would be petting a bear. Aliens taking over? Yes. Petting a bear? No.

After he was satisfied with the head scratches, he turned a sashayed away. His lumbering footsteps were silent as the night. I let out a soft giggle. If where I was going wasn’t so horrifying, I would have continued to relish the happiness of the moment.

Turning, I continued to my destination. The stone fish hanging above an arched entrance, only had half its head. There was no way to tell what kind of fish it was supposed to be now. The inside smelled of saltwater and mildew. All the empty aquariums glared back at me in the darkness.

Two more large guards stood at attention by the one I was aiming for. The guard on the right greeted me. “Hello, miss. It’s a bit late for a session, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. Couldn’t sleep.” My eyes were locked on the glass wall in front of me. I couldn’t see through it entirely, but I did see the color of the alien where he sat.

“Happens a lot here, ma’am. Where you wanting to go inside?”  The one on the left spoke this time.

“I was thinking about it, yeah. Can you send for Chris?” My eyes were still glued to the lone figure.

“Sure thing. Stay right here.” The right-hand guard stepped aside and talked into his radio. A moment later, he stepped back into his space.  “He will be here shortly. Head on up.”

“Thanks, guys.” He took hold of the ladder and began to climb. As soon as I was on top of the tank, I met with two more guards. One of them opened the hatch and then stood back.

Neither of them talked. They simply nodded to me and then the open hatch. I entered and descended the next ladder. When I was on solid ground again, I turned to face the maimer. He was already staring daggers at me. It was hard to read what went on in those dark, fathomless eyes. Emotions didn’t register like it would with humans.

I took my seat in the metal chair I had been in before. We both stared at each other in silence. To my surprise, it spoke.  “You are a fool for coming here alone and so tired.” The voice sounded muffled through its breathing shield covering its mouth and nose. Almost like it was a voice being spoken under water.

My face must have given away my surprise because a choking sound came next. I finally realized it was laughing. “We learn as you learn, human. I have listened and gained the knowledge of your language. It is an easy language.”

This time I laughed. “Easy? Did you learn to lie as well? English doesn’t make sense to most of us who speak it.”

The alien shook its head. “It is easy compared to others in the universe.”

Voices came from the still open hatch. One of them sounded very angry. I risked a look back to make my point. “If you plan to hurt me, your chance is almost over.”

“Where would be the honor in that? We will battle on even ground, not when you are least expecting it. You are a worthy opponent, and I do so look forward to our encounters.”

It fell silent as soon as Chris and Doug started down the ladder. It lowered its head as if it was asleep, but I knew better. It was finding ways to silently learn.  I shouldn’t have been surprised but I was.

Doug got to me first. “What are you doing down here at this time of night?” He didn’t sound mad so maybe the angry one was Chris.

“I couldn’t sleep. I needed to come see it again.”

Chris finally made it to me. “Was it talking?  I swear I heard another voice in here with you.” He wasn’t angry, he was agitated but not at me.

The smaller man walked over to the alien. He circled it and, using a pencil, touched its shoulder. “It appears to be asleep.”

I’m not sure why I didn’t correct him. I should have told them both that it spoke to me and that it wasn’t asleep. For some reason, not telling them seemed like my battle with it was more personal. This was between us, and I was going to keep it that way.

PART 12

I convinced everyone to leave but Doug. He wasn’t budging. For some reason he didn’t believe that it hadn’t talked. I refused to lie but I also refused to admit it had. When I had asked everyone to step outside so I could try to get more information, Doug refused to leave.

I stared at the now fully alert alien. His black holes for eyes squinted at me as if trying to convey a message. I had no idea what that message was, but I didn’t care. I needed to find out how to save my family. So, I dove into the mind of my enemy.

Swirls of silver and black ran through my mind before finally settling on a metallic walkway interlaced with black tile. The walkway hung suspended hundreds of feet above some kind of engine. Cables ran the length of the bridge holding it in place. The gentle sway could barely be felt. On the far side was a single metal door. Some kind of language was written above the doorway. It took mere moments for it to translate in my thoughts, “Intelligence”.

The name above the door was humorous for some reason to the alien. Clearly what was behind that door didn’t seem ‘intelligent’ to it. As soon as the impression came through, the alien shut it down. I was instantly kicked out of its mind.

“I got something. I think I know where the humans are being kept.” I swerved around to face Doug. A feral growl came from the alien. Apparently, I wasn’t supposed to understand that.  There is a door across a high walkway. I believe they are all behind that door.”

“That is wonderful news. Can you go back in and find out how to get to that walkway?” Doug placed a hand on my shoulder.

I didn’t answer since I planned to do that anyway. I needed this information just as much as they did. Preparing to do just that, she spoke up in my head again, “we need to do more than just get information. We need a way in. I want to try something, but I don’t want them to know so let’s keep it subtle.” What could I say, I was intrigued.

Closing my eyes for a moment, I took several deep breaths. I wasn’t sure how this was supposed to work, but it seemed the logical thing to do. Pressure built in my skull and a sharp pain started in the front of my head. It built up to be almost unbearable. When it released, it seemed nothing had changed. I tried to open my eyes, but they refused to obey my command.

 When they did open, it wasn’t my doing. My head swiveled of its own accord. I was watching but I wasn’t driving my own body… again. Visions flew into my mind. Corridors, hallways, rooms, and other aliens blurred past my internal vision. Communication came and went that I couldn’t grasp but their meaning imprinted in my consciousness. I could see, now, how to get to that walkway and exactly how to get into that room.

The alien and I released moans of pain at the same time before my other self-severed the bond. Doug’s hand, still on my shoulder, tightened slightly. “Are you ok?”

I took a deep breath as if I hadn’t in a long time. I was in control again. “Yeah. I have the way into the room and how to get there.” I stood and stretched my neck from side to side. “Now all you need to do is figure out how to get us up onto that ship.”

Doug smiled broadly. “Oh, we have a way. You are either gonna love it or hate it.”

PART 13

“Yeah, there is no loving it.” I wasn’t even sure how he could have expected me to choose that.

Doug laughed so hard he was bent over with his hands on his knees. When he could finally stand up straight, he held his side with one arm. “I didn’t think you would like it.”

“Who would? That is a terrible idea!” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “This is insane. It won’t work. We need to get up there undetected. Not… not this!”

“Do you have a better idea?” Doug crossed his arms over his chest. A crooked smile played on his face.

I didn’t and he knew it. There wasn’t a better way to get up onto that ship. Even the other voice in my head agreed with him. How could that voice agree with him and not me? “Fine. Let’s do this.”

“Good.  Now come on. We need to get everyone ready.” Doug took off towards the main area everyone stayed at. We only needed a few select people. The ones who could withstand the maimers abilities would be going. If they had any kind of technical skills, that would help too. Hopefully, we wouldn’t need any skills other than stealth.

A small man brought a stack of papers to the table our group stood around. He handed them to Doug who placed them before us. With one finger, he ran it down the list on the first page and then the next. By the third, he found what he needed. “There. This is it. They are loading a group of intelligent humans not far from here in three days. That gives us time to pack up what we need and get there.” He looked into the faces of each of us. “Whoever doesn’t want to do this, speak up now.”

No one did. Every person was determined to go and save as many of their own as they could. This wouldn’t be the end of the war, but it would be a good hit from our side. If this worked, we could find a way to take them down the next time.

“Good. Now, go pack. When we get there, you won’t be going up with anything. So, whatever you take, it won’t be something you cherish.”

Everyone split up. Within the hour, we were packed and ready to leave. There wouldn’t be any vehicles. We needed to move fast but we also needed to be unseen. Vehicles were noisy. So, we kept to the bushes. Streets were too open. Anytime there was alien activity, we laid low and waited for them to completely pass.

It was hard to watch groups of humans being led by aliens, but this mission wasn’t about them. This mission was bigger than that. It could quite possibly end all of this if things went as we hoped they would. This could give us insight into how to take them down.

At night we slept in shifts. Two hours intervals gave everyone time to sleep or take watch. If we were captured, all of this would be for nothing. By the third day, we crouched in the bushes just outside the landing site for their shuttles.

It was a barren cement platform that must have been a large parking lot at some point. I could barely make out the white lines where cars could line up. Now, aliens used those lines to keep their humans in neat rows for the oncoming shuttles.

They stood in shackles with their heads hung low. Tattered clothes barely stayed on their thin bodies. Clearly, the aliens didn’t believe in feeding them on their way here. The humans had scrapes and cuts on their hands, feet, and knees. It contrasted with the clean aliens standing with heads held high in pristine uniforms and glistening metal.

From above, engines sounded. Small dots descended from high in the sky. They grew as they lowered themselves to the earth. Each shuttle’s silver casing glimmered in the sunlight. These didn’t have the mockery of our flags on them as the ones that took my sister and brother-in-law. These were bare of any markings.

They finally settled down on the pavement and shut off their engines. Wide doors lowered to allow entrance. The aliens began boarding their captives. Some fought the aliens but a maimer would always bring them to heal. At one point, however, several prisoners tried to fight in the same group so maimers from other groups had to help out.

When this happened, Doug saw their opportunity and they boarded one of the ships. These shuttles were never fully loaded so they simply took seats and buckled in as if they were part of the herd. No one came to look in and make sure everyone was secured.  The door just closed, and they were on their way to the main ship stationed above Earth.  

PART 14

I looked around at all the people in the shuttle with us. Their eyes were wide with fear. Couldn’t say I blamed them. I was scared too but my determination was overriding it.

The shuttle sped up, angling toward the sky. Since there were no windows, I couldn’t see how far we were from the ground. Finally, at one point, we leveled out and a loud click sounded releasing everyone’s shackles. I guess there was no need for them now that everyone was so far from earth. Now there would be more aliens than humans. Who would try to run away with those odds?

I could feel the shuttle move left and then right. It rose again but just slightly. Loud clanks and whirring gears could be heard from outside. A sudden stop jarred us almost out of our seats. We must be in the main ship now.

I looked to Doug and the others. He seemed even more determined than I felt even though this plan was ludicrous. What would they even do to us if we were found out? I doubt any of our group could pull of being smart enough to belong on the ship. I know I couldn’t. My heart pounded in my chest. This was insane. I felt like vomiting.

Doug placed his hand over mine where it sat on my knee, and I instantly calmed down. This had to work. We would make it work. There was no other option.

The wide door slowly lowered with a hiss. Several aliens approached the doorway but didn’t enter. Instead, they motioned with their hands for everyone to follow them. The captive humans stood and did as they were told. We played along and went with them. Doug was ahead of me so he would be able to let us know when to split off from the group.

From the shuttle, we entered an enormous open space. It was filled with hundreds of other shuttles. Countless humans filed out of them guarded by at least two aliens per group. All around stood even more aliens. These apparently were guards. They had heavy armor covering every inch of them and held guns larger than I had ever seen.

They ushered us all towards doors leading from the hanger to the inside. These inside halls were jammed packed with humans bumping into each other. I felt like cattle in pens for slaughter. The aliens left us to move on our own down the hall, so confident in their superiority that we wouldn’t try anything. 

Doug had us move slowly towards the left wall that was farthest away from the hanger side. There were more doors, but each one was locked. He motioned to one of our guys and then to a door further ahead. The man sped up slightly and pulled out some kind of device from his back pocket. In seconds, he gave a thumbs up.

We made it to him and the now unlocked door. Checking to make sure the aliens were not looking our way; we all slipped into whatever room lay beyond.  Based off what I gleamed from our maimer back at the zoo, it should have been a storage unit. Lucky for us, it was. 

As soon as we were in and the door closed behind us, lights flared to life. Crates made of some kind of metal filled nearly every inch of the room. There was barely enough space between them to squeeze through.

Doug looked to me. “Ok, you know the way. Lead us there.”

I nodded even though fear filled me. This was really happening. We were here. I was going to be able to save my sister and brother-in-law.

Taking a breath, I looked around. Above one of the crates was a vent. “There. We go up into there. Make sure to keep your minds guarded. Maimers will be scanning for stray thoughts.”

The crates were slick, but they had enough space between the ones stacked on top of them to give us a foot hold. We climbed to the topmost crate. It was so close to the ceiling that we all had to squat down. It was perfect.

One of the men took out a pocketknife and pried open the vent. I was surprised at how quietly he did that. Any loud noise could give us away. It was nerve racking, but patience had to take priority over speed.

Inside the vent was warm, a little too warm.  You would think being out in space, everything would be cold but that was exactly the opposite here. They had an amazing heating system. 

Once we were all inside, the last man resecured the vent just in case an alien came to inspect the storage room. Based on what I saw in the maimer’s head, we followed these ducts as far up as we could get. It was slow going and sweat dripped from all of us. We had to take breaks just to make sure we stayed hydrated. 

We finally made it to the highest ducting and found a vent to exit from. Again, the guy from before removed it in near silence.  Cool air hit us as soon as we were all out. The sweat quickly dried on our skin. An empty hallway greeted us running left and right.

It took me a moment to remember the path we needed but as soon as I had it our group headed right. Just as we were about to reach a turn in the hallway, a maimer turned the corner. It snarled at us, raising its hands into fists.

I quickly stood in front of everyone. “Go! I got this.” For some reason, the maimer focused solely on me. It allowed the others to run past.

That’s when our battle began.

PART 15

The other me took over right away and I witnessed it all. The maimer first tried to enter my mind. My passenger laughed and shoved it out. The alien staggered backwards as if physically hit. It growled and twisted its features into what I assumed was rage. This one probably didn’t get down to the surface often. We humans tended to piss them off a lot. None of those ever made that face.

It charged me and I easily side stepped causing the alien to crash into the wall behind me. Without hesitation, it reached one of its long arms back to grab me by my shirt. Clearly, my other self wasn’t expecting that. The maimer turned around to face me. It raised its open hand towards my face. All I could think of was maybe touch made their control stronger. Luckily, my other me thought faster. We dropped to the ground using the alien’s weight against it.

It toppled down but before it could land on top of us, we raised both feet and shoved it over our head. It crashed into the railing that led far down into the engines of their ship. The maimer must have hit its head because it lay there for moment before trying to stand again.

My other self-whispered in my mind. “Relax more. I want to try something.” Since I didn’t have control of my body yet, I did what I could to relax internally.

A static sound filled my head. The sensation was just like when I would read the other maimer’s mind back at the zoo only stronger. The one in front of me was getting back to its feet causing me to panic. On the outside, however, I appeared calm. My mind ached and then something snapped like a tight rubber band. I was instantly alone in my own head again. It was all I could do to stay standing.

The alien in front of me went rigid then relaxed. Its face went slack one moment and then smiled the next. From its own mouth came our English language but a bit more guttural. “How is that for a trick?”

It was my turn to be stunned. I couldn’t even form words. What just happened? The expression written all over my face must have been perfectly clear, though.

The alien laughed. “It’s me. Your other self, as you call me. We sort of did this back at the zoo. I wanted to see if we could do this and look! We did.”

I still couldn’t find the words to say. I was impressed though. Now we had a better way to save my family. I slowly walked up to the now possessed alien and looked it in the eyes. There was a difference. They used to be pure black like a black hole in space, bottomless. Now there was a shine to them.

The alien smiled even more. “Come on. I have a plan. I can access this alien’s memories. This is the right floor, but we need to go around to the right. Stay behind me and act like you are a prisoner.”

I caught on quickly to what she wanted to do. It was brilliant. I waited for her to start walking and I fell in behind her. It was strange. That was an understatement. She was really me and she was taking control of the alien in front of me. How much crazier could that be?

We walked for a while. The hallway curved to the right continuously. To the right of us was a wall with doors. To our left was the same but everyone once in a while there was a bridge leading off to some other area. The engines roared below us.

She held her head high as she walked while I looked at the ground. Several other aliens passed us by but none of them asked any questions. Some even lead other humans. I had no clue where they were taking them, but I knew where I was going.  There was no sign of the other resistance group I came with.

We must have come towards the front of their ship because there was double door open wide to our left. As we passed, I looked inside. Consoles lined every wall. Several stood as islands in the middle of the room. A huge window took up the entire front wall. Aliens sat at every possible location. Each had some kind of device hooked to their heads. Probes extended out of the helmet devices and attached to them at what seemed to be random places all over their heads. There was no captain’s chair like you would see in a Star Trek movie or episode, but the beeps and sounds were very similar.

It gave me an idea, but I didn’t dare talk about it right now. I had to keep up appearances for the moment.  Instead, I focused on how we would do what I was thinking.

Another turn brought us to yet another bridge. We didn’t pass this one by. We made a left and crossed over it. As we did, I looked down to see a machine beyond explanation. There were gears and pullies, solid pieces and some sort of jell that seemed to move throughout the entire thing as if alive.  

On the other side, we came to a single door. There wasn’t another hallway or other rooms, just the one. A white metal pad was attached to the wall right beside the solid door. There were no numbers or keypad, just a flat, clean surface.

The alien with my other self-inside, placed their palm on the plate. A white light flashed briefly, and the door cracked open. She pushed it the rest of the way and we both entered. Beyond the door were more stations similar to the room we passed in the hallway. Instead of aliens, there were humans attached to these. Some sat still as if they were dead, staring forward and not blinking. A screen zoomed through shapes and equations. Others had items in front of them, and they used tools to build whatever it was supposed to be.

We didn’t see any other aliens in this room. It made sense since there was no place for them to run. These were the smartest people we had on earth, and they couldn’t find a way to escape? It didn’t seem right. Then I took a closer look.  Each human was shackled to their station. 

I searched each face. My sister and brother-in-law weren’t in this room. There was another door several stations down, so we headed to that. Several rooms later, there they were. They sat side by side working on a project together. At least the aliens let them be close to each other.

Tears streamed down my face. Pain ached in my heart. I finally found them.

PART 16

There she was, my sister, and next to her, my brother-in-law. They were pale with dark circles under their eyes. Those eyes, however, did not reflect people who had been broken but those who were resolved to survive. When their eyes met mine, that resolve changed to joy and then worry.

I ran to them, throwing my arms around both at the same time.  They tried to do the same, but their arms were still attached to the table. They were able to do their work but that was the total reach of their chains.

My sister pulled away and reached to touch my face with her hand. Her fingers barely brushed my skin. “What are you doing here? Did they take you too?” She glanced over at the maimer standing behind me. Hatred reflected on her face.

I stepped back and looked to the alien. “Oh, yeah. You don’t have to worry about this one. It’s a long story but it’s our way out.”

“What do you mean we don’t have to worry about it? It’s one of them.” This time it was my brother-in-law who spoke. The way he said ‘them’ dripped with venom.

“Like, I said. Long story.” I went over to the maimer. “Does this alien have keys to release them?”

The other me spoke through the alien’s mouth. “Yes. Let me get the free.”

Confusion and fear ran a close race over my family’s faces. The aliens never talked much less in English. When it approached them, they tensed every muscle until it was clear they weren’t going to be harmed. With their shackles removed, they both stood on shaky legs. Their black shirts and pants hung loosely off their bodies.

Shoving down my overwhelming emotions, I looked them over to make sure they could walk. I needed to be levelheaded, and emotions wouldn’t do any of us any good. We had to find a way out of here and fast. “Ok, let’s go.”

My sister looked at all the others in the room. “What about them? We can’t just leave them here.”

I place both hands on her shoulders. “I came for you two. No one else. I can’t save everyone. Does it suck? Yeah. Does it make me a bad person? I don’t care. We will find a way to stop all of this and then they can be free, but for now, it’s just us.”

She took one last glimpse at the other prisoners working away at their individual projects. Not a single one had looked up from what they were doing this whole time. With a nod, she and her husband moved closer to me and the alien.  “Ok.”

My other self led the way. We walked behind it as if we were still prisoners. I whispered back to them, “keep your heads down as if you are just being moved from one location to another.”  I tried to mentally talk to my other self but only received static. Her being inside the maimer must have caused our mental connection to sever.

We left the last room and made our way over the long bridge. None of us spoke or lifted our heads. Just when we made it off the bridge and onto the other side, a large group of humans came running around from the right corridor. It took me a moment, but I recognized Doug and the rest of the group. There were countless others, however. All of them were dressed exactly as my sister and brother-in-law. As soon as they saw the maimer, the guns were pointed directly at it.

I stepped out of our formation and approached the rebel leader. “What do you think you are doing? How the hell are we going to get everyone off the ship?”

Doug’s eyes never left the alien. “We have a plan. What’s up with this thing?”

“I have it under control.” I tapped the side of my head. The motion drew Doug’s attention, and he nodded.

A sudden idea came to my mind.  “Hey, there are more prisoners across that bridge.” I grabbed the keys from my other self and threw them to Doug. “Go grab them. I have something I think will help.”

He stared between me and the alien and then the keys. “Ok but be careful. Meet us back in the hanger.”   His eyes searched mine. “Should I ask what you are about to do?”

“It’s probably best you don’t.  You’ll know what I did when it happens.” I couldn’t help but smile.

Shaking his head, he motioned for his group to stay put while a select few followed him to the other humans. One of the tech guys worked on the pad to enter the room. My group took off to the left, towards the control room. I really hoped this worked.

PART 17

Since I hadn’t completed what I planned, we fell back into formation. My other self seemed to know where we had to go because before we got too far, she turned the alien hostage’s face back and winked at me. It was the most disturbing expression yet. Those empty eyes with a slight shine winking at me? No thank you.

We continued around the curved hallway, passing several rooms and bridges. When we finally made it to the control room, we came to a stop, and the hi-jacked alien motioned me forward. In its guttural English, it asked, “so what exactly do you have in mind?”

I smiled up at it. “We need to go in there and put one of those head devices on you. Then you can run rampant in their systems. Crash their programs and stuff.”

The sparkle in this alien’s eyes grew. “I have just the idea. Follow me and keep your heads down.”

Before we could continue, my sister grabbed my arm. “What is going on? Why is that monster helping us? You know we can’t trust it, right?”

I placed a comforting arm around her shoulder. “I will explain everything once we are out of here. If you trust me, you can trust that one.”

That didn’t seem to pacify her, but she nodded. There was nothing else she could do if she wanted her and her husband to get out of here alive. I knew she trusted me but asking her to trust a situation she didn’t understand might have been too much of a stretch. This was life or death.

We all followed the alien inside to the control room. Not a single creature looked up from whatever it was they were doing. My other self approached one of the aliens sitting at a station with numerous buttons and controls. She tapped it on the shoulder. When it turned to her, she spoke in their language of clicks.

The real alien stood up, taking its head gear off but stared at our alien for a moment. We all held our breath as it turned its gaze to us as well. We were busted. A million scenarios ran through my mind and how we might yet survive. My heart rate rose. This was it. How were we going to fight all the aliens while trying to get out of here?

Just as I was about to take action, the alien nodded at my other self. It walked away slowly but didn’t look back. I let out the breath I had been holding. Our alien took the empty seat and placed the device on its head.

It finally hit me how much information we could acquire through this kind of connection. Not the head piece but the one occupying the alien’s mind. Everything that alien maimer knew, we now knew. Once they were in the system, we would know even more.

My sister and brother-in-law nervously looked around at the other aliens. Some began to take notice of the humans in a non-human area. In my silent head, I repeated “work faster” towards the alien on our side.  At about the tenth time repeating my mantra, the other aliens began squirming in their seats and clutching at their throats. Their signs of distress grew at each passing second. Some fell to the floor. They weren’t moving.

I looked back at our imprisoned alien. It turned its head sideways so it could see me. “You guys need to go. I’m not done here. Get to the hangers and leave.”

“Then get back in my head. We all leave. No one left behind. Remember?”

“I’ll find you on the ground. Don’t worry. Now go!” One long powerful hand grabbed my arm and pushed.

I still hesitated until my brother-in-law turned me towards him. “You came to save us, let it do what it needs to do.  We must leave.”

All I could do was blink. He yanked me and my sister out of the control room. The whole time, I kept my eyes one where my other self worked the controls until we were around the corner. The ship jerked hard. Loud booms came from far away. The ship lurched again, shaking me out of my uncertainty.

“Right. This way.” We ran around the corridor until we came to where we had entered with the resistance. Aliens littered the floor everywhere, none of them moving. I yanked the cover off the ducting tunnel.

“Why can’t we take an elevator or stairs?” My sister’s eyes were filled with panic.

“We don’t have an alien anymore to work the controls, and I seriously doubt they have stairs.” I hugged her briefly and helped her enter the ducts.

There was no reason to recover the opening, so we pressed forward. After countless twists, turns, and slides downward, we finally came to the room full of strange boxes. That is where we ran into the other group.

Doug had just ushered out an extremely large group of humans when he saw us crawling down from the metal crates. He instantly ran over to me. “I was so worried. I’m glad you made it.” Doug looked behind me where my sister and her husband stood. Walking over, he raised his hand. “Hello. I’m Doug. I have heard so much about you. Happy to have you here.” He stretched out his arm towards the open door. “Shall we?”

“Absolutely.” I grabbed my sister and brother-in-law’s hands and led them out into the crowded hallway. Sounds of explosions could be heard above us somewhere. Humans walked bunched together filing out into the open hanger area. Some could be seen kicking the dead bodies of aliens here or there.

Doug led us to the closest shuttle. It was jam packed with humans. One of the rebels sat in the pilot seat. Wires fell from the console. When he saw Doug, he gave a thumbs up. Doug shoved us inside. “Go. We won’t be far behind you.”

“Wait.  I can help.” I tried to push back out into the hanger, but Doug was having none of that. In my head I was crunching the numbers on how long it would take me to get back to my other self.

He placed a hand on my shoulder. “No. You stay with your family. I will meet up with you back on Earth.”

“But…” I didn’t want to leave yet.  I needed her back in my head, but I couldn’t tell anyone that just yet.

“No buts. Go.” He whistled at the pilot. “Take off. Come back for more when you unload.” Doug lightly pushed me back and hit the button, closing the door.

Silence ensued. No one dared talk. Everyone glanced from one scared face to the next. I could read from their expressions that they didn’t believe they were free. They still thought something would happen that put them back in chains or worse.

The shuttle hit the ground with a jolt. The pilot yelled back at everyone, “Sorry folks. It’s my first time driving one of these. When you depart, stay in a group. Don’t wonder off just yet.” He pushed a button and the side door lowered, allowing us all to leave.

When both feet hit the ground, it all became real. I turned to my family and hugged them tight. Tears ran down all three faces. I couldn’t believe I found them. I actually found them, and we were together, away from the aliens.

We stayed in each other’s arms as we watched the shuttles fly back and forth. We all had to step into the grass to make room for more and more humans coming from the flaming ship high above. It wouldn’t be long before it would come crashing down into the waiting lake just underneath it.

I was so happy, yet sad. The silence in my head echoed at the loss of my other self. I had my family though. Next step was to free the rest.

We continued to watch until the inevitable happened. The huge craft finally started to fall. All the humans were now on the ground. Doug and the others ushered everyone as far away from the lake as possible. When it hit, a wave rose up and splashed us all but that was it. We were wet, but we were free.

As everyone cheered, I couldn’t help but think of her. She had saved us all. Just then, a soft laugh filled my head. “You didn’t think you could get rid of me that easy, did you?”