Authors: T.A. Uner
Grendis made his way back to the scout ship he called home. It was waiting for him outside the shooting range; under its cloak where no one could see it. That was a good thing, because the Omega Day plan to consume this world was a top priority to his government.
He did a quick look around to make sure there was no one who could see him before he climbed inside it and disappeared from view. Then he activated its drive mechanism and lifted off. The engines were on mute so there would be no sound to attract attention.
Omega Day was on schedule. Once the boys had tracked down this human called Edward Castle he could report back to his superiors at Fang Headquarters to notify them that the first phase of the plan was complete.
There were other Fang Syndicate operatives scattered around the planet, each entrusted with a similar mission. But his assignment was the lynchpin that held the entire mission together. If he failed, they would all fail and certain death would follow soon after.
The Fang Syndicate did not tolerate incompetence, and Grendis was not about to stain his perfect service record. Besides, humanity was divided, and division spelled weakness. Before accepting this mission, he studied the humans. They polluted their bodies with toxins and inhaled substances made from a plant called tobacco. They also ingested narcotics, gambled, and were obsessed with their reproductive process. It didn’t surprise Grendis that Earth had yet to colonize its own star system, humans were weak and self-absorbed creatures. This assignment would help cement his status as a top-level operative. And if he was lucky he’d be awarded Top Claw, a syndicate medal that would open further opportunities for him.
He activated his viewscreen and made contact with Fleet Marshal Crewt, who was, no doubt anxious to hear his report. The image of an older Lycarian wearing a battle helmet appeared. Crewt’s visor was lowered, concealing his eyes, but his muzzle was streaked with grey. His sharp teeth glistened under the lights of the bridge of his star carrier. “Report your current status Agent Grendis,” he said in his usual sulky voice.
Grendis hated Crewt and his kind—members of privileged packs. His lineage had enabled him to advance quickly through the military hierarchy in a fraction of the duration it would take a non-privileged Lycarian to attain such rank. He was glad that the Fang Syndicate was gaining power in the government; perhaps one day on his planet every Lycarian would enjoy equal opportunities regardless of their socioeconomic background.
“Phase One is complete, my Lord,” Grendis said. Even addressing Crewt by ‘my Lord’ made his blood flare up like a supernova. “I estimate that within one solar week we shall be able to complete Phase Two. My human subjects are responding prodigiously.”
“Humans are weak, even you should be able to domesticate two confused adolescents,” Crewt said.
Grendis did his best not to scowl and smiled instead.
I know that you privileged oaf.
“Nevertheless, you’ve done excellent work, Agent Grendis. Fleet Command salutes you.” Crewt lifted his right palm. “Hail Lycaria.”
Grendis reciprocated by lifting his own palm. “Hail Lycaria,” he responded, before the viewscreen switched off.
After a recycled meal of blood stew and toasted green steak, Grendis piloted his scout ship towards Earth’s sole moon, Luna. He needed to conserve energy and he couldn’t do that with the cloak permanently engaged. After finding a suitable crater on Luna’s surface, he switched off the cloak and looked outside the port window. This was his first deep-space espionage mission and he couldn’t help but miss his family. He lived for his mate and four offspring. To him there was nothing he wouldn’t do to safeguard their lives.
Perhaps, when this mission was over, he could apply for extended leave. His youngest, Tetos, was only 13 weeks old and he desperately wanted to see the pup. “Oh, Tetos, my youngest one. I am doing this so you will grow up in a society you can be proud of.”
Aboard Gina
En route to AL Headquarters
“Before we hit AL Headquarters there’s someone I want you to meet.”
“Who?” Johnny asked.
“A friend,” Argos replied. He turned his attention to Gina’s dashboard and Johnny felt the TIV descend. Beneath them sprawled the city of Phoenix. Johnny took a peek outside the passenger side window and saw a helicopter buzz past beneath Gina.
They were just a few thousand feet from touching down as Gina’s navigation system indicated it was a mere fourteen seconds away. “We’ll land a few miles outside the city,” Argos said.
Johnny’s eyes widened as Gina continued descending until a large billboard came into view. Behind it sat two state police cruisers parked side-by-side. “Argos watch out,” Johnny said nervously. “You’re gonna land on top of those cops?”
“Relax,” Argos said. Both Jessie and Studs barked.
Gina touched down behind the billboard, less than ten feet from the two police cruisers. Johnny could see the state troopers stare at them as if they were aliens from another planet. Argos looked at Johnny reassuringly.
“They
saw
us, Argos!” Johnny said. “Isn’t AL supposed to be a secret organization?”
“What are they gonna book us for, Johnny?” Argos applied his foot to the gas pedal and Gina took off down the highway. “Air-speeding?”
They entered Phoenix’s city limits where Gina blended in with all the other cars. Johnny was still thinking about the two cops who’d seen them. Gina rolled into an underground parking garage and the blue-uniformed guard waved them through the security checkpoint. They passed cars parked on both sides before pulling up to a parking spot. In front of them was a sign that read:
Parking Spot 17:
Reserved for Argos Better
Johnny breathed easier now that the journey was over. He was about to open the passenger door when Argos said: “Wait, Johnny.”
Seconds later, Johnny heard a loud locking noise and Gina began descending down a large shaft. “Weird. It’s like I’m in a movie.”
Argos didn’t say a word. The platform came to a halt. In front of them was a door with the number:
1
inscribed on it. Argos got out of the car. “Time to make some friends Johnny.” Jessie and Studs hopped out of the car and bounded towards the door. Johnny followed Argos who punched in a series of numbers into a keypad. The door hissed open and they entered a room lit by fluorescent lights. The room began humming and Johnny saw more fluorescent lights emerge from the walls. A few seconds later the lights retracted inside the walls and the humming stopped.
Argos looked at Johnny. “Decon.”
Johnny watched as the door to the room opened and a man greeted them. He wore a long white labcoat and a security badge was attached to his belt. “Welcome back Argos.” The man turned towards Johnny. “And welcome young Johnathan.”
Johnny’s heart flipped in his chest. Upon closer inspection he noticed this man’s pupils were a bright shade of orange, while thin ridges lined the side of his face. His shoulder-length hair was sand-colored and stringy. He looked at Argos before pointing at the man. “What is
that
?”
Argos cleared his throat. “This is Doctor Murdoc, Johnny. And no, he isn’t from Earth, he’s a visiting scientist from Draylox IV.” Argos turned towards Murdoc. “I’m sorry Doctor, this is Mr. Veto’s first encounter with an extraterrestrial.”
Doctor Murdoc smiled and the corners of his mouth stretched across his elastic face. “It’s perfectly alright Argos. No offense taken.” Murdoc looked at Johnny and led him and Argos down the corridor while Jessie and Studs followed. “My planet, Mr. Veto, is located in a section of our galaxy, which you humans call the Orion Belt. It is the fourth planet in the Draylox system. I’ve been assigned here on Earth at the request of AL Command.”
“What for?” Johnny asked.
Murdoc led them into a spacious viewing room with a large one-way mirror. Strange consoles lined one wall where a technician wearing a labcoat similar to Murdoc’s was stationed. Johnny noticed that she was also the same race as Doctor Murdoc, yet her long brown hair was slicked back.
“You shall soon have the answer to your question, Johnathan.” Doctor Murdoc said. “Take a closer look at the mirror.”
Johnny shot the alien a strange look. “Why?”
“It may enlighten you my boy.”
Johnny walked towards the one-way mirror. He heard panting and noticed that Jessie and Studs were beside him. Looking through the mirror he saw a body on an operating table being tended to by hovering robots with extendable arms.
“The man inside the surgery room; he’s undergoing a species-change, Johnny,” Argos said. “That’s why they call this facility a LifeHouse.”
“Wait a minute.” Johnny looked at Doctor Murdoc before pointing to the patient on the other side of the mirror. “You mean to tell me that guy’s not human?”
“He
will
be once the LifeBots are finished with the procedure. But to answer your question: no, he was once a native of the planet Kyrellix,” Doctor Murdoc said patiently.
“Why is he undergoing surgery to become human?”
“It’s the whole purpose of the LifeHouse system Johnny. These aliens help AL out by offering us information vital to Earth security. The consequences of their actions sometimes means that they need protection, and the best way to protect our extraterrestrial allies is by incorporating them into the human population. This way, their enemies will have a near-impossible task of locating them. It’s like a witness protection system for aliens.”
Johnny watched as the “human” on the operating table was being outfitted with new skin pigmentation. He saw that one of the alien’s legs had been red and the LifeBots were configuring it to look human. Another LifeBot was using a beam to remove the scales from the patients’ spine. “And my Dad knew all about this too?”
Both Argos and Murdoc nodded. “Indeed he did, Johnathan. Your father was one of our best Time-Healers,” Murdoc said sadly. “Having you here with us honors his legacy. Be warned though, you have tremendous standards to live up to now.”
Johnny thought about his father and what he must’ve meant to this organization. The least he could do was learn all he could about AL. But he worried about his mother. She must be hysterical knowing that he’d been sent here.
“What’s on your mind, Johnny?” Argos asked.
“He’s thinking about his mother,” Doctor Murdoc said. “Quite admirable.”
“You can read my mind?” Johnny asked.
Argos looked at Murdoc sternly who returned his glance abashedly. “I know I’m not supposed to use my telepathy but I had to know what was on Johnathan’s mind. These are difficult times for the boy.” He turned towards Johnny. “I am sorry if I invaded the privacy of your thoughts. It was inconsiderate of me.”
“That’s alright, Doc. You meant well.” Johnny backed away from the mirror and the surgery room disappeared. He wondered what other surprises were waiting for him inside the LifeHouse.
“Now there is something else you should see.” Doctor Murdoc led them through another door which opened up into a long corridor. At the end of the corridor were two helmeted U.S. Army soldiers guarding the door with strange oversized rifles with mounted scopes. Much to Johnny’s relief, they were human. “Hello Gentlemen,” Murdoc said before placing his hand on a console. The soldiers gave Johnny a stern glance. Murdoc smiled. “This is Mr. Johnathan Veto. Son of our Agent Scott Veto. He’s been cleared.” The soldiers nodded and their stern glares relaxed. Johnny wondered if his father’s reputation had influenced their change in demeanor.
The door hissed open and Johnny realized that Argos and Doctor Murdoc were patiently waiting for him on the other side. He looked down and noticed that Jessie and Studs were still with him, waiting for him to move. Johnny smiled at the dogs before glancing at Argos and Murdoc. “Sorry.”
After clearing the door, Johnny found himself in a hangar bay filled with strange craft. For a moment he thought one was a conventional rocket used by NASA, but it bore strange markings that resembled Egyptian hieroglyphs. Something inside him told him that it wasn’t from Earth. The rocket was guarded by another pair of army personnel. Just like the soldiers he had encountered earlier, they were also armed with strange rifles. “I’ve never seen weapons like those before,” Johnny said.
“That’s because technically they don’t exist,” Argos said. “Only top-level Pentagon officials have any knowledge of their existence. They’re only used on premises that fall under AL jurisdiction. We use only the most advanced Earth technology to defend impounded alien craft.”
Johnny looked around the hangar. There were other extraterrestrial craft, but most were being taken apart or had already been disassembled. “When we take in refugees or other non-human asylum seekers, they often arrive in their spacecraft,” Doctor Murdoc said. “Part of the condition for receiving species-change surgery and a lifetime safety guarantee from Earth is the willing exchange of knowledge. This way, we gain a better understanding of alien technologies.”
“You mentioned something about these folks ‘offering us information vital to Earth’s security,’” Johnny said, “what type of information we talkin’ about here?”
“It varies,” Argos said before pulling out two dog treats from his jacket pocket and tossing them to Jessie and Studs. Murdoc shot a judgmental glance at him before shaking his head.
“You really shouldn’t be feeding your pets in the hangar Agent Better.”
“They’re not my ‘pets’ doctor; they’re my friends and work colleagues.”
Murdoc shook his head again and smiled before turning his attention to Johnny. “They have knowledge of possible time-infractions or imminent invasions by aggressive alien species seeking to expand their interstellar reach.”
“How long has this been going on, Doc?”
Murdoc led Johnny and Argos closer to one of the cylindrical ships. It looked like a large magic wand with landing gear. “It all started in 1947 of your Earth Calendar year. In a place called New Mexico.”
Behind the magic wand-like ship sat another craft; this one had a saucer-like shape to it. Johnny’s imagination started working and his jaw nearly-dropped. “Wait a minute, that’s
literally
a flying-saucer.”