Alien Coffee (8 page)

Two more soldiers became bunnies before they
could shoot Sclurp, who succeeded in running through the hole in
the fence. A different soldier dropped his gun and ran in Jillian’s
direction, desperate to get away from the chaos of aliens running
through the compound and to avoid the abnormal fate of his
comrades. She tried to avoid him, but wasn’t fast enough and they
fell in a tangle of arms and legs.

The wind was knocked out of her and she
turned over to her knees and elbows, gasping to regain it. The
soldier got to his feet and looked around in desperation. Not
seeing anything, he screamed wordlessly and ran. Jillian couldn’t
really blame the man for being in panic with all that was
happening. She wasn’t too sure about any of it either.

“Jillian! Are you alright?” Buffy asked,
coming back and helping her up by the arm.

“Yeah,” was all Jillian could get out,
although she was able to breathe again. The first thing she did was
find the ray gun on the ground and pick it up. There was no way she
was going to risk losing it.

“Good. Nyxulla and Sclurp got away. Let’s
rescue the captives and join them.”

Jillian looked at the building where the
teens were being held. “Are we going to turn all of
them
into bunnies?” she asked, waving her free hand at the remaining
soldiers that were gathering in front of the building.

“That could be a problem.” Buffy studied the
situation for a moment. An officer of some sort had come up to the
group and was demanding answers. About a dozen soldiers were
gathering in front of the door yelling and screaming about aliens
and bunnies. There was no way Buffy and Jillian were going to get
in with that commotion going on.

“Let’s go back around the shed until it
clears up,” Buffy suggested, guiding her by the arm again. “We’re
still invisible and silent. We’ll take the first opportunity to get
in and rescue them.”

Jillian followed willingly. She was
overwhelmed by that point and just wanted to go back home to hide
under her covers and pretend none of it had ever happened.
What
in the world am I doing in the jungles of Columbia fighting a drug
lord’s soldiers?

Once they were safely behind the shed, Buffy
examined Jillian’s condition. “You have a cut on your elbow and
you’ll probably have bruises tomorrow, but you’ll be alright.”

“Alright?” Jillian asked in a voice tinged by
panic. “I just turned three men into emo bunnies and I’m still not
exactly sure
what
an emo bunny is.” She began pacing back
and forth. “I’m helping . . . individuals from other planets shoot
humans. Am I supposed to be doing that considering I’m human? Am I
committing some sort of treason here?”

“You’re not committing treason,” Buffy
assured her. “These people are committing crimes against their own
race. Turning them into emo bunnies is a humane punishment for
them. They’ll be sad for the rest of their lives and feel remorse
for their actions whether they want to or not.”

Jillian stared at the BEM for a moment.
“That’s just silly.”

“Perhaps, but it really is fitting if you
think about it,” Buffy replied with a finger in the air. “In any
case, you’re not committing treason. You’re rescuing tortured
captives whom you have no alliance to. It’s a very noble and
selfless act. I’d recommend you for a medal if we were allowed to
tell anyone about your involvement in the matter.”

“Gee thanks.”

“But of course. It’s the least I could do if
I were able.” Buffy patted her on the arm then peered back around
the corner. “Let’s see what’s happening.”

Jillian moved behind and watched the
soldiers. A large, sinister man wearing an expensive looking white
suit and hat was yelling at the soldiers who shrank back from his
fierce expression. “Scour the woods for aliens! Find them and bring
them to me alive.” He looked just like cheesy action movies
portrayed a drug lord to be. Jillian thought it very convenient for
the man and his soldiers to look exactly like their
stereotypes.

Most of the soldiers headed toward the hole
in the fence going to the jungle while the drug lord went inside
the building with the captives. Two nervous looking guards remained
in front while two others took the place of their fallen comrades
in the back.

Nyxulla called to them over the intercom and
Jillian heard it in her earpiece. “Sclurp and I are safe in the
ship. We’ve risen above the trees and his wound has been taken care
of. Are the two of you alright?”

“We’re perfectly fine,” Buffy responded while
pressing the microphone button. “Most of the soldiers have cleared
out. Jillian and I are going to cut a hole in the fence on the side
then we’re going to proceed with the rescue.”

“We are?” Jillian asked, her stomach
clenching again. She forgot to push the button.

“That’s excellent,” Nyxulla responded
excitedly. “Thank you for helping, Jillian. I didn’t expect so many
things to go wrong. Stay close to Buffy!”

Jillian pushed the button. “Uhh . . .
okay.”

Buffy led the way to the fence near the side
of the shed where the men had been making out. He grabbed a
pencil-like cutter from a belt pouch and made quick work of the
chain links. Jillian looked around to make sure they weren’t being
watched and discovered it to be clear. She wondered if one of the
neat cutters had been put in her belt. Maybe they would let her
keep it, but it was doubtful.

“Jillian, I need you to help me zap people,”
Buffy told her. Jillian looked into the compound eyes and saw tiny
reflections of herself mirrored in each facet. A tiny little voice
in the back of her head freaked out and ran away screaming.

Once it was gone, she took a deep breath and
nodded. “I can do that.” She had no clue if what she was doing was
right or wrong, but decided to just go with it. Perhaps she would
stay in bed tomorrow and stare at the ceiling while contemplating
the morality of it all. At the moment, there was no time.

Buffy led her back around the shed into the
wide clearing between it and the building where the captives were.
“You take the guard to the right of the door and I’ll take the one
to the left. Zap when I tell you to.”

“Alright,” Jillian agreed apprehensively. She
lifted her ray gun and aimed it at the guard on the right. When her
hand started shaking, she steadied it by putting both hands on the
hilt.

Buffy watched as the guard on their side went
around back. “Shoot now.” Both guards by the door became emo
bunnies within an instant of each other. Jillian felt the gun warm
in her hand and saw the yellow light dim as she followed the order.
It made a slight humming noise when fired that was barely audible,
causing her to marvel at the technology. She followed Buffy to the
door of the building, wondering if it had a setting for turning
people into dinosaurs, dragons or whatever other creatures might
exist on other worlds.

Upon reaching the door, Jillian put her back
against the wall with the ray gun pointing up in front of her like
they did in the movies. Buffy quickly opened the door and dashed
inside while she followed. Buffy shot a soldier on the right and
Jillian took out one on the left.

She studied the situation while waiting for
the gun to recharge. A brutal man in a t-shirt was holding a whip
while looking in alarm at the bunny Jillian had just created. The
drug lord’s head was swiveling back and forth as he looked around
for someone to shoot with his pistol. Had Buffy and Jillian not
been invisible, they would most likely be dead by that point.

Hanging from the ceiling on chains attached
to shackled wrists were two humanoid aliens. They had brown, scaly
skin and were dressed in simple jumpsuits that were dirty and
tattered from the abuse the captives were being put through. Their
heads were elongated with cottony white hair. A human-like mouth
and nose filled the front of the face while four iridescent,
rounded, protruding eyes rested in a line underneath a low hanging
brow. The female of the pair was sobbing, although the eyes didn’t
produce tears. The male appeared to be unconscious. Jillian didn’t
know how old they were, but there was something about them that
gave her the impression they really were teenagers.

“Show yourselves or die!” the drug lord
ordered. Jillian took a step back, not sure what to do. Buffy had
no such qualms and turned the man into a bunny. Jillian’s gun was
charged again so she zapped the man with the whip. It was actually
easy that time. She hated the idea of people who tortured
others.

The female’s head rose. “H . . . hello?” she
called in a soft, broken voice. Once again, the translator
technology amazed Jillian.

“Stay invisible and watch the door, Jillian,”
Buffy told her before tapping the invisibility device to become
visible to them. The BEM pulled out a bandage and applied it just
below the girl’s neck. “We’re here to rescue you, but things aren’t
going well. We’re going to be shooting our way out and you need to
follow quickly.”

“A . . . alright,” the girl said while Buffy
pulled out another bandage and moved to the other captive. Jillian
watched in awe as the girl’s cuts began to quickly heal. Her
breathing came easier and the muscles beneath the scales appeared
to relax as much as possible in their stretched position. Shortly
after receiving a bandage, the male groaned as his injuries began
to heal in the same manner. The bandages were vastly more effective
than the princess themed ones Jillian had purchased the last time
she was at the store.

The door creaked open further as a nervous
soldier cautiously peered inside. Jillian quickly zapped him and
stared at the emo bunny that appeared. It turned around and hopped
off immediately as though afraid something worse would happen.

“Well done, Jillian,” Buffy said quietly. She
saw the BEM was on a stepladder, carefully cutting shackles to let
the girl down. The teen’s knees buckled as she was released and
Jillian went to help her up although the girl couldn’t see her.
After that, the male’s shackles were cut and he was let down gently
with the girl’s help. They stood there rubbing sore wrists and
stretching their muscles while Buffy checked their condition.
“You’re well enough to escape. I’m going to go invisible and
Jillian and I are going to clear the area.” Buffy tapped the
microphone button. “The captives are safe and ready. Can you give
us any help?”

Nyxulla’s voice came back through the
earpieces for Buffy and Jillian to hear. “We have another
invisibility device for Sclurp and are back on the ground. We’ve
gotten all but four of the soldiers that came past the fence . . .
make that three. Sclurp’s a good shot.”

Jillian realized that
she
hadn’t
missed yet. It surprised her since her parents had been peace
loving hippies in the seventies and had raised her not to commit
violence. Perhaps it was the fact that she was transforming people
into bunnies instead of killing them that made it different. She
thought her parents might actually approve.

“That’s good. We’re going to go through the
hole I made in the side fence. I think we can avoid most of the
soldiers and get to safety,” Buffy told Nyxulla.

“We’re near the back fence again and we’ll
cover you,” Nyxulla replied.

“Thank you.” Buffy tapped the button
microphone off. “Jillian, can you scout ahead? I’m going to stay
visible and escort these two.”

She was about to speak before realizing the
BEM wouldn’t be able to hear her. She tapped her button and said,
“Yes. I’m going through the door now.” Then she tapped the button
off.

“Excellent, Jillian. You’re doing wonderfully
and I’m glad you came with,” Buffy said in her general
direction.

Jillian smiled in response even if Buffy
wouldn’t be able to see it. She quickly went through the door only
to nearly stumble into two more soldiers that were coming from the
mansion. They looked wary and had their guns ready. Jillian’s
finger spasmed and she shot the nearest one. “Oh, sorry,” she told
the bunny that appeared. The other man looked to be an officer. His
jaw dropped as he stared in confusion at his transformed
comrade.

She backed to the side and waited for her ray
gun to finish recharging. Buffy chose that moment to come through
the door. The officer was quickly transformed and both bunnies
hopped away to mope over their actions as humans. Another soldier
peeked around the far corner of the building and Jillian didn’t
waste any time zapping him. Buffy saw the transformation and nodded
in satisfaction before disappearing back into the doorway.

A few soldiers were watching the building
from the mansion, but seemed to be afraid to approach. The front
gate was a distance away, but Jillian could see the soldiers there
running back and forth. She wondered why they hadn’t come to find
out what was going on. It occurred to her that maybe they weren’t
allowed to abandon vital points like the mansion and front gate.
Jillian suddenly worried that the drug lord might have children who
would be orphaned. A sudden giggle burst forth when she imagined
them sadly petting their emo bunny father.

“Jillian, we’re coming out. Is it clear?”
Buffy asked through her earpiece.

She jumped at the sound and tapped her button
microphone. “Hold on, let me double check.” Jillian focused on the
task at hand and scanned the entire area. None of the soldiers at
the mansion or front gate looked like they were going to be a
threat. She looked at the tower and saw that the guard there had a
gun aimed at the doorway of the building. If the aliens came out,
they could die.

Jillian took her ray gun in both hands and
aimed at the man in the tower. She squeezed the trigger and the man
disappeared. The walls of the tower were high enough that she
wouldn’t be able to see the bunny. For a moment, she worried about
the bunny being so high in a tower, but Buffy’s voice came through
her earpiece. “Jillian? Is everything alright?”