Close Encounter [FIC]
Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 3:34 am
There was no sound whatsoever in the small cell.
Kaname stood up and ran her hands over the clear space in front of her, finding an unexpected resistance. There were no bars. But, she could not get past an unseen barrier.
“Sousuke?” She remembered being with Sousuke. Her mind was fuzzy, so she wasn’t entirely clear what they had been doing. There had been a strange noise. There had been a blinding light. And then, there had been nothing.
“Kaname?” Sousuke sounded concerned. “Kaname, are you alright?”
“Yes,” Kaname answered, feeling relieved. She didn’t like being trapped like a rat; but, she felt better with Sousuke being nearby. “Where are we? What is this place?” Looking where she could, she noted that everything was a bland and featureless shade of white.
“I do not know” Sousuke admitted. She could here him tapping against the walls of his enclosure. “There appears to be advanced technology. I would conjecture Black Technology. However, unless our abductors had come across technology that far eclipses Arm Slaves and Lambda Drivers, I have a more worrisome hypothesis.”
“Sousuke,” Kaname said, making a face. “I’m tired… I’m scared… and I need to find a bathroom…” The small room she was tapped in had smooth surfaces. There were no cots, chairs, shelves, or holes in the floor. “I don’t want to hear any worrisome hypothesis.” She kicked at the invisible wall, wincing when she bent the toe of her shoe back. Words could go through. Feet could not. “I want to go home.”
There was no answer. The silence stretched on. Kaname began to fidget. Soon, she began to worry.
“Sousuke! Are you still there. Sousuke!” She felt her mouth going dry. Normally not claustrophobic, she imagined the walls closing in on her. “Answer me!”
“I am here, Kaname.” Sousuke sounded nonplussed. “You said you did not want to hear my hypothesis. As such, I remained quiet.”
“Baka!” Kaname placed her face against the unseen barrier. It was cold and made her skin tingle. “Just talk to me, OK? Tell me what you think happened. It can’t be Amalgam, can it? We beat them, didn’t we?”
“I cannot be certain, Kaname.” Sousuke replied. “Before I blacked out, I saw what I thought was a large object descending. There was a glowing field around it, one which distorted my view.” The sound of faint footsteps suggested that he was pacing, looking everything over. “I would conjecture that as Erich von Däniken and Zecharia Sitchin might not have been fabricators after all. There may indeed be something behind the Paleocontact theory.”
“Sousuke!” Kaname clenched her teeth and her fists. What was that big idiot babbling about now? “Did you bump your head or something? You sound like you were drugged.” She frowned. Muttering under her breath she hoped he wasn’t about to suffer an otaku breakdown or something.
“Negative,” Sousuke answered. “As far as I can tell, I am in full control of my faculties. Your voice, on the other hand, shows an increased level of stress and anxiety.”
“OF COURSE IT DOES YOU MUDDLE-HEADED MILITARY MORON!”
“You also sound angry,” Sousuke said. “But, as you intimated, that is a normal consequence of being kidnapped yet again. You said you wanted me to speak. I assumed that meant you wanted to listen.
“Sousuke…” Kaname fought to control her temper.
“Whether they are based on fact or not, there are theories that suggest human beings are descendants…creations… or experimental subjects of extraterrestrials that landed on Earth millennia ago.” Sousuke’s voice didn’t waver one bit as he said that. “Those are the so-called ‘Ancient Astronaut theories‘. In Chariots of the Gods and following books, von Däniken claimed that Artifacts have been found which appear to represent higher technological knowledge than is presumed to have existed at times when they were manufactured. These include Stonehenge… the head statues of Easter Island…the Antikythera mechanism… and the Ancient Baghdad Electric Batteries. Similarly, in Nazca, Peru, the giant animal drawings are thought to have required the direction of men flying high above the ground.”
“Oh great…” Kaname sighed. “Here he goes again…”
“In addition, von Däniken reported that ancient art throughout the world demonstrates shapes and figures that illustrate astronauts alien vehicles… intelligent non-humans… and examples of advanced technology.” Sousuke sounded like a walking encyclopedia. Kaname wondered how he could know all that stuff, but still have so much trouble with Japanese History. “The fact that the images are similar, despite being from all corners of the world, was used as proof of authenticity.“
“It’s obviously some kind of hoax,” Kaname said, sneering. “You can’t possibly believe in that kind of thing. It’s too farfetched to be real.”
“I did not say whether I believed or doubted the theories,” Sousuke said in his calm and annoying way. “If I were to tell you before we met that there people known as Whispered… that something like the Lambda Driver existed… that a young woman could be the Captain of the world’s most advanced submarine… and that…”
“OK. Enough already. I get the point,” Kaname shook her head. “If you told me stuff like that, I would have though you were a nut-case… just as I would have if you told me I would meet a boy who would carry guns to class… blow everything up… get me to chase him to Hong Kong… pretend to be a terrorist on a cruise ship…” She shook her head. This was just one more strange event to add to a long list of such. “But, I could believe that Tessa was an alien…” She grinned.
“I will not follow through on that possibility,” Sousuke said. “The topic would only frighten you. The possibility has always existed that Black Technology was placed in the Whispered by unknown beings, for undiscovered reasons.”
“Thanks for not bring that up,” Kaname mumbled. “Jerk!” She shivered. Her mind began grasping at random thoughts. Her imagination threatened to run wild and never return. If someone could put something in her head, did that mean they might want to take it back? Would they leave the head intact if they did?
“If you like, you can take comfort from the fact that experimenters and historians have made great progress in explaining how structures such as Stonehenge and the Pyramids were built. Most professionals of that sort regard von Däniken’s writings to be pseudo-science. They are convinced that he drew far-reaching conclusions from little evidence, while disregarding more suitable alternative hypotheses.”
“So why didn’t you tell me the better and less frightening theories, you big stupid head?” Kaname swallowed hard. Sousuke’s reassurances did not make the lump in her throat go away. Her stomach still felt somewhat queasy.
“I am merely trying to view things from all possible angles,” Sousuke remarked. “You have tried to ‘knock that into my head’ in the past, when I act too impulsively.” He paused. “My head does feel sore now. Perhaps I suffered a head injury, and this is all a dream or hallucination.”
“Don’t be any more stupid than you have to be,” Kaname said, putting her hand on her forehead in a pseudo-dramatic pose. “I’m here. I’m awake. I’m thinking and talking. This can’t be your dream.”
“Perhaps you are correct,” Sousuke said. “The bumps may well be from you. I have vague memory of the halisen.” He paused. “As I was saying, nothing is certain. For example, miraculous tales of gods, demi-gods, and heroes could all be interpreted as advanced technologies being described from the perspective of a ancient men.“
“It couldn’t have been ancient women,“ Kaname said to herself. “Women would be embarrassed to write stuff like that.“ She turned her nose up.
“Did you say something, Kaname?” Hearing no answer, Sousuke continued. “The literature of ancient India makes mention of Vimanas, mythological flying machines that were used for warfare, and were supposed to be able to fly within Earth's atmosphere, journey into space, and travel submerged underwater.“
“Wonderful,“ Kaname grumped. “All that shows is that their were otakus in ancient India.”
“Fantastic tales were not limited to India,” Sousuke noted. “There are stories of giants creating the massive dolmens of Denmark. Merlin was supposed to have created Stonehenge by magic. The walls of Mycenaean cities were thought by the Greeks to have been built by Cyclopes. Not only that, but the principal beings mentioned in myths could have been advanced astronauts. Prometheus. Quetzalcoatl. The number is quite large.”
“This just takes the cake,” Kaname said, shaking her head. She scowled. Why did she have to choose those words. Her stomach growled, and she realized that she was hungry. Not only hungry, but thirsty too. She doubted this place had room service, wherever they were.
“It is a common thread in fictional works,” Sousuke said. “Some of H.P. Lovecraft’s written work made reference to ancient astronauts. The famous movie 2001: A Space Odyssey was based on a similar premise. On television, Stargate SG-1 deals with the premise that alien beings posed as gods and influence human culture.”
“I don’t care what… wait a minute… what did you say…” Kaname began banging her head against the force field. “Now it’s coming back to me… now I remember…”
“Kaname?” Sousuke asked.
“It was movie night,” Kaname replied. “We were at your apartment this time. You were hooked on watching movies about men from outer space, after Kurz claimed to see a UFO during a mission, even though Melissa said that he had been suffering from oxygen depravation.” She came close to snarling. “You were talking UFO gibberish all day.”
“Affirmative,” Sousuke said. “I remember that as well. We watched ‘Close Encounters Of The Third Kind’.”
“Boring,” Kaname griped. “Stupid looking aliens.”
“’Independence Day’,” Sousuke added, cut off when he tried to say more.
“You spent the whole movie complaining how things were wrong.” Kaname shook her head. “Just like you did during that war movie you dragged me, Mizuki, and her friends to once.” She made a snorting sound. “You did like the explosions, though.”
“’The X-file Movie,” Sousuke mentioned.
“I’ve had my fill of conspiracies, thank you!” Kaname said. “Besides, there was romantic tension but never any sign of romance. Hmmmpppfff!” She sighed and added ‘I’ve had my fill of that, too.”
“Kaname?” Sousuke sounded perplexed.
“Never mind, Sousuke. I’m a patient girl.” Kaname stood a little straighter, a faraway look in her eye. “But, not patient enough to sit through that Tom Cruise movie…”
“’War Of The Worlds’,” Sousuke said. “Based on the work of…” Sousuke was interrupted again.
“I hate Tom Cruise!” Kaname frowned. The way she said that ended the conversation about movies they had watched. “Hold on… this is just too big a coincidence… if you…”
”Kaname? What thing that I did not do are you going to blame me for this time?” Sousuke sounded resigned to his fate.
“Anything I want, you big scruffy jerk!” Kaname stamped her foot. “Geee-ee-ez…” She began walking around the perimeter of her small cell. “This is probably some kind of practical joke you’re trying to pull off.” She chuckled. “I bet Kurz and Melissa are in on it. Tessa too, because of the fancy technology. This must be a Mithril base.”
“I assure you, that is not the case, Kaname.” Sousuke sounded adamant. “What purpose would that serve? We are professionals. Our resources are limited during the rebuilding stages.”
“Sure, sure.” Kaname laughed. “Soon enough, some loser is going to walk out here dressed in some kind of cheesy alien costume. He’ll probably take you away, pretending to want you for experiments. Maybe even one of those rectal probe thingies some of those people talk about… the ones who swear they were abducted. “I’ll be left all alone, and someone will film me getting upset.”
“Kaname. That…” Sousuke couldn’t get another word in.
“Or…” Kaname put her hands on her hips and made a face. “The fake alien will probably say they are going to take me to be impregnated.” She narrowed her eyes. “If it’s Kurz… and he lays a single finger on me… I’ll make sure he never gets anyone pregnant.”
“If there are indeed alien beings involved…” Sousuke sounded like he was strongly considering the possibility. “… I suggest you do not anger them inappropriately. They might end up treating us more harshly than necessary, should you speak to them the way you speak to me.”
“You deserve what you get,” Kaname claimed. “And if there are aliens, they’ll deserve what they get too.” She harrumphed again. “Nice try though, mister. You won’t fool me, though.” She snapped her fingers and smiled. “That’s why you know so much about UFOs. That’s why you’ve been spouting so much nonsense.”
“UFO’s are not nonsense, Kaname. Not in the least.” Sousuke spoke firmly. “A UFO or Unidentified Flying Object is merely any object or optical phenomenon observed in the sky which cannot be identified, even after being thoroughly investigated by qualified people.” He sounded like he was lecturing a child. That did not sit well with Kaname. Not at all. She began tapping her foot faster and faster. “One American astronomer described UFOs as ‘the reported perception of an object or light seen in the sky or upon the land the appearance, trajectory, and general dynamic and luminescent behavior of which do not suggest a logical, conventional explanation and which is not only mystifying to the original percipients but remains unidentified after close scrutiny of all available evidence by persons who are technically capable of making a common sense identification, if one is possible’.”
“UFO could just as well stand for Unbelievable Freaking Otaku!” Kaname spat out. “Your behavior does not suggest a logical, conventional explanation, and there are no people who could possibly make sense of you.” She kicked at the invisible barrier again. “UFOs are nothing but hoaxes! Only idiots believe in stuff like that. Sheee-ee-esh… little green men coming to earth secretly… doing who knows what…” She shook her head. “If they are so advanced, why do they have to keep things secret? If they are so smart, why do they let people catch any sight of them if they don’t want to be seen? If they want to invade, what’s taking them so long? If they want to be our friends, why stay quiet? Why not use small satellites someone would never catch sight of? How could anyone possibly cover the distance between stars that could support any kind of life?”
“That was a lot of words for you,” Sousuke remarked. “And, your arguments were logical.”
“Are you trying to tell me I’m talking too much, Sousuke? Are you saying that I’m becoming more like a certain sergeant?” There was no doubt that ‘No’ was the only sane answer. “Are… you… saying… that… I’m… usually… illogical…”
“Uhhh…” Sousuke paused. He wisely ignored the questions. “Again, I will offer Black Technology as a reason to remain open-minded, if not reasonably skeptical.” He could be heard tapping on the walls of his enclosure. “There are many discrepancies between what people have seen, and what we can prove.”
“La la laaa-aa-a…” Kaname put her fingers in her ears. “I’m not listenin-n-n-n-ng…” She promised to make Sousuke pay big time if this was some kind of joke, whether he knew it was a prank or not. Separated from him physically … and without access to her paper fan… there was no way for her to stop his otaku rampage. Thinking that she must look silly, she removed the fingers.
“The army of Alexander the Great in 329 B.C. saw what they described as ‘two silver shields’ in the sky, something that had also been mentioned a number of times in Ancient Roman records.” Sousuke told Kaname. “It is possible that the people who reported such things may well have misinterpreted natural phenomena. However, in those times, there were no weather balloons; flashing passenger jet lights; artificial satellites in low orbit; search lights; or lasers being aimed at clouds. It is doubtful they were describing planets; high-altitude ice crystals; meteor swarms; flocks of birds; or hot ionized gas.”
“Someone seems to be full of hot air…” Kaname grumped. “Either air, or something else…”
“In 1235 the army of Oritsume in Japan saw mysterious lights in the sky. Other similar appearances occurred in this country in 1361. “ Sousuke continued despite Kaname objections. He sounded as if he were trying to keep her distracted from their situation. “In 1561 the skies over Nuremberg were filled with a host of strange objects… large cylinders and spheres… and they looked to be engaged in an aerial battle. This event was witnessed by hundreds of people, as was a similar occurrence in Basel in 1566, where numerous flaming black globes appeared. “
“Really?” Kaname swallowed hard. For a few moments, she felt short of breath. The hair on the back of her neck felt as if it was standing on end. Taking a deep breath, she told herself there were rational explanations for that kind of thing. There had to be!
“Yes,” Sousuke said. “None of those descriptions sound like ball lightning or other natural phenomena. Balloons did not exist in large enough numbers to explain things. There were no helicopters or unconventional military aircraft.” He continued exploring the walls of his room. “The British reported Mystery airships in the early 1900s, as did the Americans. In Europe during World War II, there were stories of ‘Foo-fighters’… luminous balls that followed airplanes… reported by pilots from both sides. Just after the war, a wave of ‘ghost rockets’ was reportedly seen over Scandinavian nations. There have been countless sightings after that.” He paused, as if questioning the validity of the things that he had read. “In 1957, a NASA astronaut claimed that a classic saucer-shaped aircraft landed at Edwards Air Force Base . Ten years prior to that, a pilot reported seeing saucer-shaped objects flying at high speed near Mt. Rainier in Washington state. Less than a month later, a rancher discovered a large amount of unusual debris scattered widely over his land, seventy-five miles northwest of Roswell, New Mexico.”
“People will say anything to get attention,” Kaname said, noting that her mouth was dry. “Everyone likes mysterious. Towns like to keep stories alive to attract tourists, so they can make money.” She needed to find some way to shut Sousuke up before she became a nervous wreck. Oh! That would work…
“That is true,” Sousuke admitted. “It is also true that…” He was cut-off again.
“You know, Sousuke…” Kaname tried to speak in a coquettish voice. “If we were kidnapped by aliens…” She was practically purring. “They might expect us to be Adam and Eve…” She felt her face grow warm when she pictured him in a fig-leaf and nothing more.
“Uhhh…” Sousuke sounded like he knew who Adam and Eve were.
“They will probably put us in the same room eventually…” Kaname smiled, feeling quite wicked. “Naked.” Even though she had finally coaxed Sousuke into dating, she was still waiting for her first romantic kiss. She couldn’t help but fantasize about things well beyond that milestone.
“Uhhh…” Sousuke’s utterance sounded higher pitched.
“We might not be given any food unless we… you know…” She also laughed, picturing Sousuke’s face. “The aliens might want us to father a slave race or something.” She wondered if she could ever have said these things in any other situation. “We would have to be pretty busy… day in… day out…”
“Uhhh...” Sousuke cleared his throat. “In?” He coughed. “And out?” His voice came out as little more than a squeak.
“That’s right!” Kaname answered. She suddenly wondered if Sousuke would ever want to become intimate with her. “You wouldn’t… ummm… you wouldn’t mind that, would you?” She rubbed her fingers together. “I mean… ummm… if there was no other choise…”
“Uhhh…” Sousuke was barely audible.
“Well?” Kaname narrowed her eyes and clenched her teeth. That ‘uhhh’ should have been a denial, even though she would have called him a pervert if he said he wouldn’t mind.
“Uhhh…” Sousuke coughed again. “If it was… should we have no choice… I… it…” He went silent.
“So you must think it would be pretty terrible then?” Kaname tensed up. Suddenly, that issue was nearly as important as their being held captive, joke or no joke. “You won’t have to worry about it!” She tossed her hair.
“Kaname… I would…” Sousuke stopped again. He wasn’t sure just what he would do. His feelings for Kaname kept growing; but, there were so many things about himself that he didn’t understand. He didn’t even know where to begin.
“Huh?” Kaname changed tack. “It’s something you would want?” She frowned. “You’d take advantage of me under conditions like that?” This time it was her voice that raised in pitch. She didn’t take the time to consider that she was arguing both sides. It didn’t matter. Sousuke would survive. That which didn’t kill him would make him stronger. If he knew what was good for him!
“I… you… it would be…” Sousuke sighed and hung his head. It might be simpler to understand extraterrestrial life. “I don’t know. I think anything would be acceptable, as long as you were safe.”
“Oh,” Kaname smiled, rocking slowly from side to side. “That’s nice.” After that, she could forgive him anything.
“I would add that our being used for sexual reproduction studies would be far preferable than other things that have been claimed about abduction phenomenon.” Sousuke sounded like he was building up steam again.
“Sous-kaaa-aa-ay…” Kaname pressed her lips tightly together. He could have let her enjoy a few pleasant moments.
“One common assertion would have people believe that non-human creatures kidnap humans for medical testing,“ Sousuke said. “While many such encounters are described as terrifying or humiliating, others describe them as transforming, empowering, and even pleasant.”
“Sous-Kaa-ay…” Kaname banged against the force screen. If he didn’t stop with his incessant encyclopedic rambling, she would teach him the meaning of terror and humiliation.
“After being abducted, the kidnap victims experience a blank period, followed by brief amnesia.” Sousuke paused. “Much the way that we did.” He stopped again. “I cannot deny the possibility that such abductions take place. However, there are alternative explanations, such as hallucination, temporary schizophrenia, and sleep paralysis. One could also consider the supposed memories to be a confused memory of past events, such as sexual abuse.”
“SOUS-KAY!”
Kaname shouted. “I… was… not… sexually… abused… or… anything…”
“I am very glad to hear that, Kaname. A number of authorities have noticed a number of consistent parallels between alien abduction and satanic ritual abuse.” Sousuke continued. Kaname’s shouting ran off him like water off a duck’s back. He had become used to it. “I should add that events reported during purported abductions often have parallels in anthropology, folklore and religion. There are some people who believe that demons exist, or faeries. I…“ he was interrupted again.
“Oooooo-oooo-ooo-oo-oh… I can’t take any more.“ Kaname slumped to the floor. “There are no such things as aliens. But, if there were, why couldn’t they just take one of us away?“
“If you wish… you may ask them that…” Sousuke’s voice had changed dramatically.
“THERE… ARE… NO… SUCH… THINGS… AS… ALIENS… YOU… BIG… JERK…”
When Kaname looked up, her mouth fell open. She felt as if the blood had drained out of her face. Standing in front of her enclosure were two creatures the like of which she had never seen before, except in science fiction movies. They were short humanoids with grey skin and lustrous grey clothing. Their heads were huge and pear-shaped, with enormous, dark eyes.
“S-… S-… S-…” At first, she was trying to call over to Sousuke. But, she developed a tic in one eye and started to grin. “So ridiculous.” She smiled. “Could you be any more cliché?”
“Kaname… I believe those are true extraterrestrials.” Sousuke had seen something that Kaname had not. The aliens had made a number of limb movements that would be impossible for any human but the best contortionist or side show freak.
“Right! Sure! You’re not in on the joke, are you?” Kaname smirked. “E.T. phone home. Take me to your leader. Gort, Klaatu barada nikto." She remembered that last line from another movie that Sousuke had made her watch once. “I’m ready to boldly go where no woman has gone before…”
“Excuse me,” Sousuke motioned to the strange figures. “My name is Sousuke Sagara. Can you tell me precisely where we are, and why we have been brought here?” He looked over on a strange table like structure across the curved space outside his room. His weapons bag was there.
“I don’t find this very funny, Sousuke.” Kaname no longer sounded amused. “When I get out of here, you’ll pay.” She glared at the alien figures. “You guys first!” She wondered how anyone they knew could duck down low enough, and not seem misshapen or contorted. Straining her eyes, she couldn’t see any strings. Could they be holograms? That might be the answer, if Tessa or some other genius was involved in the prank.
“It appears that our brief observation of the pair prior to collection has proven correct,” one alien said out loud, its voice strangely mangled, as if it lacked teeth, tongue, or both. “Likewise, our observation of their activities since they regained consciousness has proven corroborative.”
“Correct,” the other alien said. “The female is the dominant one. Not only that, it is by far the more violent one of the pair.” It cocked its head in a strange manner. “That appears at odds with previous cursory observations. But, we have not given this planet the attention our competitors have.”
“Indeed,” the first alien said. “By all accounts, the data we intercepted suggested that the female of the species was far more talkative, often conversing in a manner that made little sense, or was designed to overwhelm the limited mental capacities of the males.” It flexed three fingered hands in ways that would be impossible if they contained bones. “Yet, the male was the one doing most of the speaking.”
“And, it was the one which sounded more advanced intellectually.” The taller of the two extraterrestrials walked over to a podium-shaped structure and waved its hand over glowing spheres. That caused the barrier on Sousuke’s cage to disappear.
“If that’s you, Shinji, I suggest you stay home sick a few days. Otherwise I‘m going to rip up any pictures of Arm Slaves I see, and stomp your dating sim into the floor.” Kaname watched as Sousuke stuck his hand out past his room. She tried the same unsuccessfully, getting even more miffed. “And if you’re in one of those suits, Ono-D, you’re going to wish that bio-agent you drank was fatal after all.”
“It may be best to sedate the female when we study it,” the shorter alien remarked. “That will preclude verbal responses and direct cerebral stimulation; but, the reproductive organs will still function, and we will be able to procure whatever tissue samples we wish.”
“There is sense in your suggestion,” the other alien said. “However, I detect traces of developmental meddling in her mental emanations and biological rhythms.” It turned dark soulless eyes on Kaname. “She may be a seed project from one of the other trans-galactic races. We will not be able to confirm that with her unconscious.”
“Y-… Y-… You’re not scaring me,” Kaname said. Squaring her shoulders, she tossed her hair. This had to be a joke of some kind. There was no way this could be real. “I know you guys are fakes.” She looked over at Sousuke. Why was the big dope just standing there? Why hadn’t he grabbed his weapons bag and done what he always did? Probably because it was a hoax! But, he could have used blanks or something.
“Why should you think us fakes?” The one alien spoke to Kaname and Sousuke telepathically. That had her eyes going wide. She almost lost bowl and bladder control. “We have not lied to you, or attempted to deceive you in any fashion.”
“It is natural for human beings to be doubtful and paranoid,” Sousuke said. “There are those amongst us who are adept at saying things other than they feel, or doing things that are at odds with expectations.”
“You… got… that… right…” Kaname was shaking, and disoriented; but, her response to Sousuke was innate and preprogrammed. “And you are the worst of the bunch!”
“I detect an element of exaggeration and mistruth in her vocalizations,” the one alien said. “That is indeed a female trait. No doubt the male is docile and subservient.”
“The female may wish for us to view the male as the greater danger, so that she may catch us off guard at some point.” The other extraterrestrial being opened a large drawer without moving in any manner. Large cylindrical shapes protruded upward out of the drawer. They contained needles, and were filled with liquids of various colors. “That is easily circumvented.”
“You need not do anything to medicate the female,” Sousuke said, using the same word that the aliens chose to use. “Her behavior will improve when I have been removed from her presence.” He frowned when Kaname said “Damn straight.” Thinking quickly, he cringed, as if Kaname’s disapproval affected him adversely. “I… I do not think… I will not be of any voluntary use if she remains hostile towards me.” He ducked down and cowered in a corner, trying to keep his thoughts to a minimum, just in case the creatures could read thoughts as well as transmit them.
“We will leave her behind when we examine you,” the one alien said. “We would prefer that you be exposed to as little stress as possible.”
“Also, we need to assess your voluntary responses.” The second extraterrestrial took a collar out of an opening that appeared in one flat wall surface. Waving his hand over it, he caused it to pulse with numerous colors. “It would be useless and misleading, should the female tell you everything you should say or do.”
“True,” the taller alien said. “Even though that seems to be the norm for inter-sexual relations.” It made a motion that would be shrugging in a human. “We should do as much as we can with this pair. We were very fortunate to have reached this planet without being detected by our foes. We may not get another sample.”
“NO!”
Sousuke shouted and ran frantically for the other side of the curved space, even though he saw no practical place to hide or put up any defense. His actions were merely a ruse.
“I WILL NOT GO WITH YOU!”
He made as if he was trying to climb a strangely sloped wall, sliding back down each time he jumped up.
“I KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO DO!”
“That one seems rather excitable,” one alien said. “That is unfortunate.”
“True,” the other creature said. “Perhaps it will calm down if we allow it a period of mating.”
“NOT WITH HER!”
Sousuke began running again, circling what turned out to be a torroidal-shaped room as if he were a hamster in am exercise wheel.
“ANY FEMALE BUT HER!”
He fell to the floor and began quivering, even though his non-human kidnappers hand not used any of their advanced technology on her.
“SHE’S VIOLENT. SHE’S IRRATIONAL. SHE’S THE LAST FEMALE ON EARTH I WOULD MATE WITH!”
“I’ll remember that…” Kaname was too angry to be frightened. “Oh yes… I will certainly remember that…”
Sousuke kept repeating “I know what you’re going to do.”
“What is it that you think we intend for you, human male.” The one alien began walking towards Sousuke, holding the collar in front of it. The gleaming device was opened wide enough to be placed around his neck before being snapped shut.
“Perhaps if we promise to you not to do the thing, you will calm down.” The other alien worked a number of bizarrely shaped controls, causing table-like shapes and items of unknown purpose to extend out from the featureless wall, floor, and ceiling.
“DON’T COME ANY CLOSER!”
Sousuke was sitting on the floor. He began pushing himself backward on the slick onyx-colored floor. He got closer and closer to his weapons bag, hoping that everything was still in place, and that the bag wasn’t held inside a stasis field or something. He would take any chance given him, praying that the ship wouldn’t react instantaneously to its masters’ thoughts. “Please… don’t come any closer… I beg you…” He hid his face in his hands. “I know what you want.”
“Tell us your assumptions,” the one alien said. “We will tell you if you have reason to fear them.”
“There was a television show once,” Sousuke said. “Called The Twilight Zone.” Sousuke peered out from behind spread fingers. He was surprised that an advanced race did not know humans better than these creatures seemed to. “It was an episode titled ‘To Serve Man’. From 1962 in human reckoning.”
“Great,“ Kaname said. “He’s talking again.“ She sighed. “Maybe he can drive the bug-eyed freaks crazy, the way he does me.“
“Why should this show discomfort you?” The one alien put the collar down for the moment. It continued to send rainbows of light around the one part of the room.
“The Kanamit… aliens in the story… spoke to assembled humans telepathically, just the way that one of you did to us.” He crouched down some. “The alien speaker said that his people had come as friends, with a desire to help the earth and set up reciprocal visits to their planet. They had noticed that the earth was plagued by both natural and unnatural calamities, ones which they had means to correct.” He took a deep breath and sat straighter, uncovering his face. “They offered a new kind of power source… an end to famine…and a force field to be used as a defense shield. The Kanamit stated ‘We wish only that you simply trust us,’ leaving a book behind when he departed.”
“We should take note of this,” the one alien said. “These methods may work for our race, should we regain galactic dominance.”
“If you listen to anything that moron says, you’re whole race is doomed,” Kaname said, making a sour face. The aliens were spooky in their own way, but she had been more frightened by Gauron’s cheerful lunacy and Leonard’s deceptively unctuous mannerisms. “So keep talking Sousuke!” She wondered why he made the face he did.
“The female… her words…” Sousuke crouched down. “I… it…”
“Silence the female,” one alien said. The other raised a glowing rod, causing Kaname to step back against the wall of her enclosure, and Sousuke to judge the distance between him and his weapons. But, the rod merely made it so that sound could enter the cage, but not leave it.
“A decoding expert began working on the book,” Sousuke said, when he pretended to regain his lost composure. “It was an exceedingly difficult task. But, they determined that the words to the title were ‘To Serve Man.’ In time, the countries of the world offered their thanks, as deserts become gardens, and armies were disbanded.“
“These would be good results, would they not?“ The one alien asked, sounding puzzled.
“Perhaps it should have read ‘To Serve Woman’,“ the other being offered. “If the females became sufficiently angered, the males might have become useless and unable to reproduce. Extinction would result.“
“There is more to the story,“ Sousuke said quickly. “Later in the show, we were shown people standing in line to board spaceships, as the flights to the Kanamit's planet began. The passengers were weighed upon entry. They spoke to one another about the upcoming events as if they were headed out on a pleasant vacation. As the man character begins to ascend the steps, a woman who cared for him rushed up, telling him not to get on the ship. She had made a terrible discovery. The book… ‘To Serve Man’… was a cook book.“
“They do not seem very palatable,” the one alien said to the other.
“Probably not,” the other said. “But in some of the images that we intercepted, the males were seen with their mouths on the frontal protuberances of the females, and the females are seen attached to appendages that the males keep hidden away under their lower clothing.”
“Curious,” the taller alien said. “Perhaps that will warrant future study.”
Kaname’s eyes went very large. She felt her face grow warm.
Sousuke stood up, and backed against the nearest surface. “The… the man in the story… the man was forced onto the ship. When he is offered a meal, he tossed it on the floor. A Kanamit entered the room… retrieved the food… and handed it back to the man saying ‘Eat. We wouldn't want you to lose weight.’ The man then faced the camera and spoke as if conversing directly with the television audience. He said that it didn’t matter if a human was on the ship, or back on the earth. Either way, they were all on the menu.“
Kaname was speaking, but none of the words were coming through. She didn’t want Sousuke to give the aliens any ideas.
Sousuke made as if he was trembling more and more violently. “The… the narrator… the man narrating the show said ‘The recollections of one Michael Chambers, with appropriate flashbacks and soliloquy. Or more simply stated, the evolution of man, the cycle of going from dust to dessert, the metamorphosis from being the ruler of a planet to an ingredient in someone's soup. It's tonight's bill of fare on The Twilight Zone‘."
“I see,” the shorter extraterrestrial said. “You fear we wish to consume you.” It made an indescribable gesture. “You should have no fear of that.”
“Correct,” the other creature said. “This is not a culinary visit.” It worked another series of controls. The items that appeared earlier now began to pulse with a strange dark light. “We have received no word that any race has put your species on the harvest list.”
Sousuke made it look as if her was regaining his composure. He stood tall and relaxed, occasionally making it a point to dart glances in Kaname’s directions. The looks he caught from her worried him almost as much as his captors did.
“I can assure with no prevarication that we have no plans to eat you,” the second alien said, verbally and telepathically.
“That… that’s a relief…“ Sousuke let his breath out in a loud ‘whoosh’. “But, I also have no desire for a close encounter of the sixth kind. I will not cooperate in anything that may result in such an outcome.”
“This manner of discussion does not match data that we have on file,” the taller alien said. “Elucidate.” It nodded to the other alien, who accessed a machine that showed a live feed of Sousuke on one curved wall. No doubt they were intending to record his answer.
“A close encounter of the first kind is a sighting of an unidentified flying object or objects.” Sousuke inched closer to his bag, acting as if he was captivated by his own image on the wall.
“A close encounter of the first kind is having something run past you quickly, without being able identify it. “Kaname was feeling an urge to be cantankerous. “Otakus late for class fit in that category.”
“A close encounter of the second kind is an observation of physical evidence of extra-terrestrial visitation.” Sousuke said. “Footprints… radiation damage to terrain… circular designs in crop fields… things of that type.”
“A close encounter of the second kind is finding one of Sousuke’;s grenades in the classroom,” Kaname said, making a face. “Or, finding spent clips… primer cord… bullet holes in the wall… smoking lockers…“
“A close encounter of the third kind is an observation of occupants associated with spacecraft.” Sousuke moved away from the bag for a moment, keeping his motions purposely random. He then moved nearer to his weapons than before. “Some people have referred to alien abductions as close encounters of the fourth kind. The category would also include instances where a human willingly accompanies non-humans.”
“Wrong… wrong… wrong…” Kaname said. “A close encounter of the third kind is witnessing a certain sergeant tackling a teacher… jumping off of a moving train… piloting an Arm Slave made from am amusement park mascot costume…” She shook her head. With everything that she had seen, coming across aliens was not that big of a deal. “And the fourth kind, that’s when you have a teenage operative from a secret organization follow you everywhere you go, making a major mess of your life!”
“A close encounter of the fifth kind involves direct communication between an extraterrestrial intelligence and a human being.” Sousuke looked over at Kaname for a moment. He was impressed that she had not shown any signs of hysteria. She showed more emotional instability when he forgot the homework he borrowed from her… brought clothes-eating bacteria to school… or said something complimentary about Captain Testarossa. “This was supposed to be the rarest and most controversial form of close encounter .”
“The rarest kind of encounter would be holding an intelligent conversation with a clueless military freak who always gets you kidnapped by someone. Terrorists. Enemy organizations. Yakuza. Angry gang members. Mitril agents pretending to be terrorists. Stupid ugly aliens.” Kaname threw her hands up in the air. “Might as well call that close encounters of the infinity kind!” She looked over at Sousuke. “The fifth kind is hearing him talking about weapons… aliens… MREs… military protocol… everything…”
“My point of concern… a close encounter of the sixth kind… involves the death of a human being or other animal during a witnessed encounter.” Sousuke inched along the wall away from one alien that had moved to approach him from the other side. He was now within reach of his bag. “This would include the death of a human or an animal during a witnessed encounter. For example, Witnesses reporting UFOs flying above fields where cattle has been mutilated.”
Kaname didn’t have anything to say after that. Her bravado evaporated. She felt like an animal at a zoo or pet shop. No, she was worried that she would be like one of the little white rats that were routinely sacrificed to further humankind’s fund of knowledge.
“We are not of the race that routinely slaughters bovine quadrupeds,” one alien said. “No doubt that is done by juveniles who are experiencing their first trip to a target world.”
“If we promise not to end your life or the life of the female, will you cooperate freely?”
The other alien was carrying the collar. “Will that cause you to become calm, so that our data will not be inaccurate?”
“What… what do you…” Sousuke prepared for his move. Doubtless, he would get only one chance. “What precisely do you intend to do…”
“For you, organ sampling… obedience modifications… implantation of devices…” The shorter alien looked over at Kaname. “We would also make use of the rectal probe… the female’s earlier comment to you is worth pursuing.”
“I’m sorry, Sousuke.” Kaname brought her hand to her mouth. She couldn’t pull her gaze away from one particular instrument that was glowing and making strange sounds.
“For the female, it will be something more important.” The taller alien removed its clothing. Its body was smooth and featureless. “We will use her to create hybrid creatures from my genetic material and hers.” The unmentionable organ that then protruded from his lower anatomy had Kaname feeling nauseous.
“No way…” Kaname whispered.
“Is there something in that bag you wish?” One of the extraterrestrials asked Sousuke. “I can pick the image out of your thoughts. You appear anxious. There is a sense of anticipation.”
“There is medication that will help calm me,” Sousuke lied. “I have reason to be anxious. If you were monitoring our actions prior to pick-up, you would have seen the female striking me hard with the bag. I have a suspicion that she may do so again, should she be released in my presence.”
The one alien stood silently for a moment. It turned to look at the other. No doubt they were communicating telepathically. “You are permitted,” one said.
“Thank you,” Sousuke said. It was time. An idea came to mind. It shouldn’t work on any human with near normal intelligence. But, it might be entirely new to an alien race.
“Look! The female! She’s dying!” He pointed.
Both aliens turned to look at Kaname. It was a fatal mistake. That, and not taking the time to examine the contents of the bag. The first thing that alerted them to Sousuke’s intentions were the 9mm bullets that tore through their overly large heads and shield-shaped torsos. Blue-green blood left slimy trails on the wall as they slid down to sit dying on the floor.
“I suppose that will qualify as a close encounter of the seventh kind,” Sousuke said. “Aliens dying during a witnessed encounter.”
“Seven is my lucky number,” Kaname remarked. Then, she frowned. “What took you so long, you big idiot?”
“But… it appeared… that the…” The taller alien struggled to speak. “Female… was… the… violent… one…”
“It was…” The other alien slowly tipped over onto its side. “An honest… mistake…”
“Well, this must make your day, Sousuke.” Kaname watched as the eyes on both aliens glazed over and their bodies went completely limp. “Boy meets intelligent race… boy speaks with intelligent race… boy kills intelligent race…” She almost fell face first, when the barrier she was leaning against disappeared. That was the first clue that the aliens were both dead.
“I hope that those were the only two extraterrestrials onboard,” Sousuke said, loading a fresh clip.
“Really?” Kaname just realized something. “Then who exactly is supposed to fly the ship?” If that knucklehead had just signed their death warrant, then she would strap him to the table and activate the probe!
“Uhhh…” Sousuke hadn’t thought that far ahead. He pointed up at the wall. Alien symbols were projected on it, glowing in changing colors. A mechanical voice called out in a language foreign to their planet. Next, a view of the earth was shown. It was growing rapidly larger.
“I should have known that you’d be the death of me, Sergeant Sagara.” Kaname bit her lip. She looked over at Sousuke. There were so many things that she had wanted to do in her life. Sighing, she realized that there were things she wanted to say while there was still time.
“Kaname?” Sousuke swallowed hard when Kaname walked over to stand in front of him. He fully expected her to kick him in the shin or slap his face. Instead she put her arms around his neck.
“There’s not much time left, Sousuke.” Kaname looked back at the screen. She could make out the continents hiding beneath the swirling clouds covering the growing globe. “There’s something I want to tell you.” She put her head against his. “I love you.”
There was a long pause. “You are important to me too, Kaname.” Sousuke put his arms around her, tentatively at first. Taking a deep breath, he tightened his embrace. “You are the most important person in my life.”
“Well?” Kaname asked.
“Kaname?” Sousuke raised one eyebrow. He had been as honest and as forthright as he knew how to be.
“Aren’t you going to kiss me?” Kaname moved back a bit and looked in his eyes. “Big jerk!” She gave him a kiss that deepened and seemed to stretch on forever. The two then turned to watch the screen. Impact was imminent any second.
Kaname woke up.
Disoriented for a moment, she looked around, expecting to see the smoking wreckage of an alien spacecraft, or a long line of people waiting to get into Heaven or Hell. Instead, she saw Sousuke sitting next to her on his couch. She realized that she had fallen asleep during movie night. She frowned a moment. Aliens from outer space. Why did he have to pick that theme. Big stupid head! When her turn came around, she would pick out the worst chick flicks available.
She put a hand to her lips, thinking about parts of her dream. Her choice of films would have a lot of kissing. Not that Sousuke would ever take a hint form something like that.
“I am watching John Carpenter’s version of ‘The Thing’.” Sousuke said. “You fell asleep before it started. I will return to the beginning, if you wish. The concept for the movie is very frightening, and the special effects are quite good.”
“That’s alright,” Kaname said. She had OD’d on aliens. “You keep watching.” She stared at Sousuke for a few minutes more, glad the two of them were alive, and glad that she was there with him. That dream had seemed so real. She had been convinced that they would die.
“If this movie is not to your liking, I could put ‘Alien’ on.” Sousuke said. “’Aliens 2’ had space marines, and would no doubt be too otaku for you.”
“This is fine, Sousuke.” Kaname moved closer too him, leaning up against arm. As far as she was concerned, any movie with extraterrestrials was too otaku for her.
Suddenly, there was a strange vibrating noise. The room became awash with bright lights coming in through the window. Kaname jumped up, slipped, and fell onto Sousuke’s lap. She began trembling. It took her a moment to realize that she was pressed firmly against him. The look on his face told her that he was very much aware of that fact.
“Is it… could it be… aliens…” Kaname was afraid to look out of the window. It was hard to keep her eyes open in the intense glare anyway. Before long, the lights shone in a different direction and the noise grew gradually quieter.
“Helicopter,” Sousuke said. “Single rotor, duel engine. Likely one of the new police models.” He felt Kaname’s trembling. “It is not extraterrestrials. You misinterpreted things. It was an honest mistake.”
Kaname opened her mouth. She blinked rapidly. Sousuke’s words reminded her of what one alien in her dream had said at its death.
“Kaname…” Sousuke sounded a bit discombobulated himself. “You are still sitting on my lap.”
“Yes I am,” Kaname said, turning around and then leaning back against him again. “Get used to it.”
“Uhhh…” Sousuke swallowed hard. “That would imply…” He wondered if his sudden urge to place his arms around her was appropriate.
“I think that close encounters will do you some good, mister.” Kaname closed her eyes and smiled.
Sousuke knew that the statement had nothing to do with UFOs.
END
Kaname stood up and ran her hands over the clear space in front of her, finding an unexpected resistance. There were no bars. But, she could not get past an unseen barrier.
“Sousuke?” She remembered being with Sousuke. Her mind was fuzzy, so she wasn’t entirely clear what they had been doing. There had been a strange noise. There had been a blinding light. And then, there had been nothing.
“Kaname?” Sousuke sounded concerned. “Kaname, are you alright?”
“Yes,” Kaname answered, feeling relieved. She didn’t like being trapped like a rat; but, she felt better with Sousuke being nearby. “Where are we? What is this place?” Looking where she could, she noted that everything was a bland and featureless shade of white.
“I do not know” Sousuke admitted. She could here him tapping against the walls of his enclosure. “There appears to be advanced technology. I would conjecture Black Technology. However, unless our abductors had come across technology that far eclipses Arm Slaves and Lambda Drivers, I have a more worrisome hypothesis.”
“Sousuke,” Kaname said, making a face. “I’m tired… I’m scared… and I need to find a bathroom…” The small room she was tapped in had smooth surfaces. There were no cots, chairs, shelves, or holes in the floor. “I don’t want to hear any worrisome hypothesis.” She kicked at the invisible wall, wincing when she bent the toe of her shoe back. Words could go through. Feet could not. “I want to go home.”
There was no answer. The silence stretched on. Kaname began to fidget. Soon, she began to worry.
“Sousuke! Are you still there. Sousuke!” She felt her mouth going dry. Normally not claustrophobic, she imagined the walls closing in on her. “Answer me!”
“I am here, Kaname.” Sousuke sounded nonplussed. “You said you did not want to hear my hypothesis. As such, I remained quiet.”
“Baka!” Kaname placed her face against the unseen barrier. It was cold and made her skin tingle. “Just talk to me, OK? Tell me what you think happened. It can’t be Amalgam, can it? We beat them, didn’t we?”
“I cannot be certain, Kaname.” Sousuke replied. “Before I blacked out, I saw what I thought was a large object descending. There was a glowing field around it, one which distorted my view.” The sound of faint footsteps suggested that he was pacing, looking everything over. “I would conjecture that as Erich von Däniken and Zecharia Sitchin might not have been fabricators after all. There may indeed be something behind the Paleocontact theory.”
“Sousuke!” Kaname clenched her teeth and her fists. What was that big idiot babbling about now? “Did you bump your head or something? You sound like you were drugged.” She frowned. Muttering under her breath she hoped he wasn’t about to suffer an otaku breakdown or something.
“Negative,” Sousuke answered. “As far as I can tell, I am in full control of my faculties. Your voice, on the other hand, shows an increased level of stress and anxiety.”
“OF COURSE IT DOES YOU MUDDLE-HEADED MILITARY MORON!”
“You also sound angry,” Sousuke said. “But, as you intimated, that is a normal consequence of being kidnapped yet again. You said you wanted me to speak. I assumed that meant you wanted to listen.
“Sousuke…” Kaname fought to control her temper.
“Whether they are based on fact or not, there are theories that suggest human beings are descendants…creations… or experimental subjects of extraterrestrials that landed on Earth millennia ago.” Sousuke’s voice didn’t waver one bit as he said that. “Those are the so-called ‘Ancient Astronaut theories‘. In Chariots of the Gods and following books, von Däniken claimed that Artifacts have been found which appear to represent higher technological knowledge than is presumed to have existed at times when they were manufactured. These include Stonehenge… the head statues of Easter Island…the Antikythera mechanism… and the Ancient Baghdad Electric Batteries. Similarly, in Nazca, Peru, the giant animal drawings are thought to have required the direction of men flying high above the ground.”
“Oh great…” Kaname sighed. “Here he goes again…”
“In addition, von Däniken reported that ancient art throughout the world demonstrates shapes and figures that illustrate astronauts alien vehicles… intelligent non-humans… and examples of advanced technology.” Sousuke sounded like a walking encyclopedia. Kaname wondered how he could know all that stuff, but still have so much trouble with Japanese History. “The fact that the images are similar, despite being from all corners of the world, was used as proof of authenticity.“
“It’s obviously some kind of hoax,” Kaname said, sneering. “You can’t possibly believe in that kind of thing. It’s too farfetched to be real.”
“I did not say whether I believed or doubted the theories,” Sousuke said in his calm and annoying way. “If I were to tell you before we met that there people known as Whispered… that something like the Lambda Driver existed… that a young woman could be the Captain of the world’s most advanced submarine… and that…”
“OK. Enough already. I get the point,” Kaname shook her head. “If you told me stuff like that, I would have though you were a nut-case… just as I would have if you told me I would meet a boy who would carry guns to class… blow everything up… get me to chase him to Hong Kong… pretend to be a terrorist on a cruise ship…” She shook her head. This was just one more strange event to add to a long list of such. “But, I could believe that Tessa was an alien…” She grinned.
“I will not follow through on that possibility,” Sousuke said. “The topic would only frighten you. The possibility has always existed that Black Technology was placed in the Whispered by unknown beings, for undiscovered reasons.”
“Thanks for not bring that up,” Kaname mumbled. “Jerk!” She shivered. Her mind began grasping at random thoughts. Her imagination threatened to run wild and never return. If someone could put something in her head, did that mean they might want to take it back? Would they leave the head intact if they did?
“If you like, you can take comfort from the fact that experimenters and historians have made great progress in explaining how structures such as Stonehenge and the Pyramids were built. Most professionals of that sort regard von Däniken’s writings to be pseudo-science. They are convinced that he drew far-reaching conclusions from little evidence, while disregarding more suitable alternative hypotheses.”
“So why didn’t you tell me the better and less frightening theories, you big stupid head?” Kaname swallowed hard. Sousuke’s reassurances did not make the lump in her throat go away. Her stomach still felt somewhat queasy.
“I am merely trying to view things from all possible angles,” Sousuke remarked. “You have tried to ‘knock that into my head’ in the past, when I act too impulsively.” He paused. “My head does feel sore now. Perhaps I suffered a head injury, and this is all a dream or hallucination.”
“Don’t be any more stupid than you have to be,” Kaname said, putting her hand on her forehead in a pseudo-dramatic pose. “I’m here. I’m awake. I’m thinking and talking. This can’t be your dream.”
“Perhaps you are correct,” Sousuke said. “The bumps may well be from you. I have vague memory of the halisen.” He paused. “As I was saying, nothing is certain. For example, miraculous tales of gods, demi-gods, and heroes could all be interpreted as advanced technologies being described from the perspective of a ancient men.“
“It couldn’t have been ancient women,“ Kaname said to herself. “Women would be embarrassed to write stuff like that.“ She turned her nose up.
“Did you say something, Kaname?” Hearing no answer, Sousuke continued. “The literature of ancient India makes mention of Vimanas, mythological flying machines that were used for warfare, and were supposed to be able to fly within Earth's atmosphere, journey into space, and travel submerged underwater.“
“Wonderful,“ Kaname grumped. “All that shows is that their were otakus in ancient India.”
“Fantastic tales were not limited to India,” Sousuke noted. “There are stories of giants creating the massive dolmens of Denmark. Merlin was supposed to have created Stonehenge by magic. The walls of Mycenaean cities were thought by the Greeks to have been built by Cyclopes. Not only that, but the principal beings mentioned in myths could have been advanced astronauts. Prometheus. Quetzalcoatl. The number is quite large.”
“This just takes the cake,” Kaname said, shaking her head. She scowled. Why did she have to choose those words. Her stomach growled, and she realized that she was hungry. Not only hungry, but thirsty too. She doubted this place had room service, wherever they were.
“It is a common thread in fictional works,” Sousuke said. “Some of H.P. Lovecraft’s written work made reference to ancient astronauts. The famous movie 2001: A Space Odyssey was based on a similar premise. On television, Stargate SG-1 deals with the premise that alien beings posed as gods and influence human culture.”
“I don’t care what… wait a minute… what did you say…” Kaname began banging her head against the force field. “Now it’s coming back to me… now I remember…”
“Kaname?” Sousuke asked.
“It was movie night,” Kaname replied. “We were at your apartment this time. You were hooked on watching movies about men from outer space, after Kurz claimed to see a UFO during a mission, even though Melissa said that he had been suffering from oxygen depravation.” She came close to snarling. “You were talking UFO gibberish all day.”
“Affirmative,” Sousuke said. “I remember that as well. We watched ‘Close Encounters Of The Third Kind’.”
“Boring,” Kaname griped. “Stupid looking aliens.”
“’Independence Day’,” Sousuke added, cut off when he tried to say more.
“You spent the whole movie complaining how things were wrong.” Kaname shook her head. “Just like you did during that war movie you dragged me, Mizuki, and her friends to once.” She made a snorting sound. “You did like the explosions, though.”
“’The X-file Movie,” Sousuke mentioned.
“I’ve had my fill of conspiracies, thank you!” Kaname said. “Besides, there was romantic tension but never any sign of romance. Hmmmpppfff!” She sighed and added ‘I’ve had my fill of that, too.”
“Kaname?” Sousuke sounded perplexed.
“Never mind, Sousuke. I’m a patient girl.” Kaname stood a little straighter, a faraway look in her eye. “But, not patient enough to sit through that Tom Cruise movie…”
“’War Of The Worlds’,” Sousuke said. “Based on the work of…” Sousuke was interrupted again.
“I hate Tom Cruise!” Kaname frowned. The way she said that ended the conversation about movies they had watched. “Hold on… this is just too big a coincidence… if you…”
”Kaname? What thing that I did not do are you going to blame me for this time?” Sousuke sounded resigned to his fate.
“Anything I want, you big scruffy jerk!” Kaname stamped her foot. “Geee-ee-ez…” She began walking around the perimeter of her small cell. “This is probably some kind of practical joke you’re trying to pull off.” She chuckled. “I bet Kurz and Melissa are in on it. Tessa too, because of the fancy technology. This must be a Mithril base.”
“I assure you, that is not the case, Kaname.” Sousuke sounded adamant. “What purpose would that serve? We are professionals. Our resources are limited during the rebuilding stages.”
“Sure, sure.” Kaname laughed. “Soon enough, some loser is going to walk out here dressed in some kind of cheesy alien costume. He’ll probably take you away, pretending to want you for experiments. Maybe even one of those rectal probe thingies some of those people talk about… the ones who swear they were abducted. “I’ll be left all alone, and someone will film me getting upset.”
“Kaname. That…” Sousuke couldn’t get another word in.
“Or…” Kaname put her hands on her hips and made a face. “The fake alien will probably say they are going to take me to be impregnated.” She narrowed her eyes. “If it’s Kurz… and he lays a single finger on me… I’ll make sure he never gets anyone pregnant.”
“If there are indeed alien beings involved…” Sousuke sounded like he was strongly considering the possibility. “… I suggest you do not anger them inappropriately. They might end up treating us more harshly than necessary, should you speak to them the way you speak to me.”
“You deserve what you get,” Kaname claimed. “And if there are aliens, they’ll deserve what they get too.” She harrumphed again. “Nice try though, mister. You won’t fool me, though.” She snapped her fingers and smiled. “That’s why you know so much about UFOs. That’s why you’ve been spouting so much nonsense.”
“UFO’s are not nonsense, Kaname. Not in the least.” Sousuke spoke firmly. “A UFO or Unidentified Flying Object is merely any object or optical phenomenon observed in the sky which cannot be identified, even after being thoroughly investigated by qualified people.” He sounded like he was lecturing a child. That did not sit well with Kaname. Not at all. She began tapping her foot faster and faster. “One American astronomer described UFOs as ‘the reported perception of an object or light seen in the sky or upon the land the appearance, trajectory, and general dynamic and luminescent behavior of which do not suggest a logical, conventional explanation and which is not only mystifying to the original percipients but remains unidentified after close scrutiny of all available evidence by persons who are technically capable of making a common sense identification, if one is possible’.”
“UFO could just as well stand for Unbelievable Freaking Otaku!” Kaname spat out. “Your behavior does not suggest a logical, conventional explanation, and there are no people who could possibly make sense of you.” She kicked at the invisible barrier again. “UFOs are nothing but hoaxes! Only idiots believe in stuff like that. Sheee-ee-esh… little green men coming to earth secretly… doing who knows what…” She shook her head. “If they are so advanced, why do they have to keep things secret? If they are so smart, why do they let people catch any sight of them if they don’t want to be seen? If they want to invade, what’s taking them so long? If they want to be our friends, why stay quiet? Why not use small satellites someone would never catch sight of? How could anyone possibly cover the distance between stars that could support any kind of life?”
“That was a lot of words for you,” Sousuke remarked. “And, your arguments were logical.”
“Are you trying to tell me I’m talking too much, Sousuke? Are you saying that I’m becoming more like a certain sergeant?” There was no doubt that ‘No’ was the only sane answer. “Are… you… saying… that… I’m… usually… illogical…”
“Uhhh…” Sousuke paused. He wisely ignored the questions. “Again, I will offer Black Technology as a reason to remain open-minded, if not reasonably skeptical.” He could be heard tapping on the walls of his enclosure. “There are many discrepancies between what people have seen, and what we can prove.”
“La la laaa-aa-a…” Kaname put her fingers in her ears. “I’m not listenin-n-n-n-ng…” She promised to make Sousuke pay big time if this was some kind of joke, whether he knew it was a prank or not. Separated from him physically … and without access to her paper fan… there was no way for her to stop his otaku rampage. Thinking that she must look silly, she removed the fingers.
“The army of Alexander the Great in 329 B.C. saw what they described as ‘two silver shields’ in the sky, something that had also been mentioned a number of times in Ancient Roman records.” Sousuke told Kaname. “It is possible that the people who reported such things may well have misinterpreted natural phenomena. However, in those times, there were no weather balloons; flashing passenger jet lights; artificial satellites in low orbit; search lights; or lasers being aimed at clouds. It is doubtful they were describing planets; high-altitude ice crystals; meteor swarms; flocks of birds; or hot ionized gas.”
“Someone seems to be full of hot air…” Kaname grumped. “Either air, or something else…”
“In 1235 the army of Oritsume in Japan saw mysterious lights in the sky. Other similar appearances occurred in this country in 1361. “ Sousuke continued despite Kaname objections. He sounded as if he were trying to keep her distracted from their situation. “In 1561 the skies over Nuremberg were filled with a host of strange objects… large cylinders and spheres… and they looked to be engaged in an aerial battle. This event was witnessed by hundreds of people, as was a similar occurrence in Basel in 1566, where numerous flaming black globes appeared. “
“Really?” Kaname swallowed hard. For a few moments, she felt short of breath. The hair on the back of her neck felt as if it was standing on end. Taking a deep breath, she told herself there were rational explanations for that kind of thing. There had to be!
“Yes,” Sousuke said. “None of those descriptions sound like ball lightning or other natural phenomena. Balloons did not exist in large enough numbers to explain things. There were no helicopters or unconventional military aircraft.” He continued exploring the walls of his room. “The British reported Mystery airships in the early 1900s, as did the Americans. In Europe during World War II, there were stories of ‘Foo-fighters’… luminous balls that followed airplanes… reported by pilots from both sides. Just after the war, a wave of ‘ghost rockets’ was reportedly seen over Scandinavian nations. There have been countless sightings after that.” He paused, as if questioning the validity of the things that he had read. “In 1957, a NASA astronaut claimed that a classic saucer-shaped aircraft landed at Edwards Air Force Base . Ten years prior to that, a pilot reported seeing saucer-shaped objects flying at high speed near Mt. Rainier in Washington state. Less than a month later, a rancher discovered a large amount of unusual debris scattered widely over his land, seventy-five miles northwest of Roswell, New Mexico.”
“People will say anything to get attention,” Kaname said, noting that her mouth was dry. “Everyone likes mysterious. Towns like to keep stories alive to attract tourists, so they can make money.” She needed to find some way to shut Sousuke up before she became a nervous wreck. Oh! That would work…
“That is true,” Sousuke admitted. “It is also true that…” He was cut-off again.
“You know, Sousuke…” Kaname tried to speak in a coquettish voice. “If we were kidnapped by aliens…” She was practically purring. “They might expect us to be Adam and Eve…” She felt her face grow warm when she pictured him in a fig-leaf and nothing more.
“Uhhh…” Sousuke sounded like he knew who Adam and Eve were.
“They will probably put us in the same room eventually…” Kaname smiled, feeling quite wicked. “Naked.” Even though she had finally coaxed Sousuke into dating, she was still waiting for her first romantic kiss. She couldn’t help but fantasize about things well beyond that milestone.
“Uhhh…” Sousuke’s utterance sounded higher pitched.
“We might not be given any food unless we… you know…” She also laughed, picturing Sousuke’s face. “The aliens might want us to father a slave race or something.” She wondered if she could ever have said these things in any other situation. “We would have to be pretty busy… day in… day out…”
“Uhhh...” Sousuke cleared his throat. “In?” He coughed. “And out?” His voice came out as little more than a squeak.
“That’s right!” Kaname answered. She suddenly wondered if Sousuke would ever want to become intimate with her. “You wouldn’t… ummm… you wouldn’t mind that, would you?” She rubbed her fingers together. “I mean… ummm… if there was no other choise…”
“Uhhh…” Sousuke was barely audible.
“Well?” Kaname narrowed her eyes and clenched her teeth. That ‘uhhh’ should have been a denial, even though she would have called him a pervert if he said he wouldn’t mind.
“Uhhh…” Sousuke coughed again. “If it was… should we have no choice… I… it…” He went silent.
“So you must think it would be pretty terrible then?” Kaname tensed up. Suddenly, that issue was nearly as important as their being held captive, joke or no joke. “You won’t have to worry about it!” She tossed her hair.
“Kaname… I would…” Sousuke stopped again. He wasn’t sure just what he would do. His feelings for Kaname kept growing; but, there were so many things about himself that he didn’t understand. He didn’t even know where to begin.
“Huh?” Kaname changed tack. “It’s something you would want?” She frowned. “You’d take advantage of me under conditions like that?” This time it was her voice that raised in pitch. She didn’t take the time to consider that she was arguing both sides. It didn’t matter. Sousuke would survive. That which didn’t kill him would make him stronger. If he knew what was good for him!
“I… you… it would be…” Sousuke sighed and hung his head. It might be simpler to understand extraterrestrial life. “I don’t know. I think anything would be acceptable, as long as you were safe.”
“Oh,” Kaname smiled, rocking slowly from side to side. “That’s nice.” After that, she could forgive him anything.
“I would add that our being used for sexual reproduction studies would be far preferable than other things that have been claimed about abduction phenomenon.” Sousuke sounded like he was building up steam again.
“Sous-kaaa-aa-ay…” Kaname pressed her lips tightly together. He could have let her enjoy a few pleasant moments.
“One common assertion would have people believe that non-human creatures kidnap humans for medical testing,“ Sousuke said. “While many such encounters are described as terrifying or humiliating, others describe them as transforming, empowering, and even pleasant.”
“Sous-Kaa-ay…” Kaname banged against the force screen. If he didn’t stop with his incessant encyclopedic rambling, she would teach him the meaning of terror and humiliation.
“After being abducted, the kidnap victims experience a blank period, followed by brief amnesia.” Sousuke paused. “Much the way that we did.” He stopped again. “I cannot deny the possibility that such abductions take place. However, there are alternative explanations, such as hallucination, temporary schizophrenia, and sleep paralysis. One could also consider the supposed memories to be a confused memory of past events, such as sexual abuse.”
“SOUS-KAY!”
Kaname shouted. “I… was… not… sexually… abused… or… anything…”
“I am very glad to hear that, Kaname. A number of authorities have noticed a number of consistent parallels between alien abduction and satanic ritual abuse.” Sousuke continued. Kaname’s shouting ran off him like water off a duck’s back. He had become used to it. “I should add that events reported during purported abductions often have parallels in anthropology, folklore and religion. There are some people who believe that demons exist, or faeries. I…“ he was interrupted again.
“Oooooo-oooo-ooo-oo-oh… I can’t take any more.“ Kaname slumped to the floor. “There are no such things as aliens. But, if there were, why couldn’t they just take one of us away?“
“If you wish… you may ask them that…” Sousuke’s voice had changed dramatically.
“THERE… ARE… NO… SUCH… THINGS… AS… ALIENS… YOU… BIG… JERK…”
When Kaname looked up, her mouth fell open. She felt as if the blood had drained out of her face. Standing in front of her enclosure were two creatures the like of which she had never seen before, except in science fiction movies. They were short humanoids with grey skin and lustrous grey clothing. Their heads were huge and pear-shaped, with enormous, dark eyes.
“S-… S-… S-…” At first, she was trying to call over to Sousuke. But, she developed a tic in one eye and started to grin. “So ridiculous.” She smiled. “Could you be any more cliché?”
“Kaname… I believe those are true extraterrestrials.” Sousuke had seen something that Kaname had not. The aliens had made a number of limb movements that would be impossible for any human but the best contortionist or side show freak.
“Right! Sure! You’re not in on the joke, are you?” Kaname smirked. “E.T. phone home. Take me to your leader. Gort, Klaatu barada nikto." She remembered that last line from another movie that Sousuke had made her watch once. “I’m ready to boldly go where no woman has gone before…”
“Excuse me,” Sousuke motioned to the strange figures. “My name is Sousuke Sagara. Can you tell me precisely where we are, and why we have been brought here?” He looked over on a strange table like structure across the curved space outside his room. His weapons bag was there.
“I don’t find this very funny, Sousuke.” Kaname no longer sounded amused. “When I get out of here, you’ll pay.” She glared at the alien figures. “You guys first!” She wondered how anyone they knew could duck down low enough, and not seem misshapen or contorted. Straining her eyes, she couldn’t see any strings. Could they be holograms? That might be the answer, if Tessa or some other genius was involved in the prank.
“It appears that our brief observation of the pair prior to collection has proven correct,” one alien said out loud, its voice strangely mangled, as if it lacked teeth, tongue, or both. “Likewise, our observation of their activities since they regained consciousness has proven corroborative.”
“Correct,” the other alien said. “The female is the dominant one. Not only that, it is by far the more violent one of the pair.” It cocked its head in a strange manner. “That appears at odds with previous cursory observations. But, we have not given this planet the attention our competitors have.”
“Indeed,” the first alien said. “By all accounts, the data we intercepted suggested that the female of the species was far more talkative, often conversing in a manner that made little sense, or was designed to overwhelm the limited mental capacities of the males.” It flexed three fingered hands in ways that would be impossible if they contained bones. “Yet, the male was the one doing most of the speaking.”
“And, it was the one which sounded more advanced intellectually.” The taller of the two extraterrestrials walked over to a podium-shaped structure and waved its hand over glowing spheres. That caused the barrier on Sousuke’s cage to disappear.
“If that’s you, Shinji, I suggest you stay home sick a few days. Otherwise I‘m going to rip up any pictures of Arm Slaves I see, and stomp your dating sim into the floor.” Kaname watched as Sousuke stuck his hand out past his room. She tried the same unsuccessfully, getting even more miffed. “And if you’re in one of those suits, Ono-D, you’re going to wish that bio-agent you drank was fatal after all.”
“It may be best to sedate the female when we study it,” the shorter alien remarked. “That will preclude verbal responses and direct cerebral stimulation; but, the reproductive organs will still function, and we will be able to procure whatever tissue samples we wish.”
“There is sense in your suggestion,” the other alien said. “However, I detect traces of developmental meddling in her mental emanations and biological rhythms.” It turned dark soulless eyes on Kaname. “She may be a seed project from one of the other trans-galactic races. We will not be able to confirm that with her unconscious.”
“Y-… Y-… You’re not scaring me,” Kaname said. Squaring her shoulders, she tossed her hair. This had to be a joke of some kind. There was no way this could be real. “I know you guys are fakes.” She looked over at Sousuke. Why was the big dope just standing there? Why hadn’t he grabbed his weapons bag and done what he always did? Probably because it was a hoax! But, he could have used blanks or something.
“Why should you think us fakes?” The one alien spoke to Kaname and Sousuke telepathically. That had her eyes going wide. She almost lost bowl and bladder control. “We have not lied to you, or attempted to deceive you in any fashion.”
“It is natural for human beings to be doubtful and paranoid,” Sousuke said. “There are those amongst us who are adept at saying things other than they feel, or doing things that are at odds with expectations.”
“You… got… that… right…” Kaname was shaking, and disoriented; but, her response to Sousuke was innate and preprogrammed. “And you are the worst of the bunch!”
“I detect an element of exaggeration and mistruth in her vocalizations,” the one alien said. “That is indeed a female trait. No doubt the male is docile and subservient.”
“The female may wish for us to view the male as the greater danger, so that she may catch us off guard at some point.” The other extraterrestrial being opened a large drawer without moving in any manner. Large cylindrical shapes protruded upward out of the drawer. They contained needles, and were filled with liquids of various colors. “That is easily circumvented.”
“You need not do anything to medicate the female,” Sousuke said, using the same word that the aliens chose to use. “Her behavior will improve when I have been removed from her presence.” He frowned when Kaname said “Damn straight.” Thinking quickly, he cringed, as if Kaname’s disapproval affected him adversely. “I… I do not think… I will not be of any voluntary use if she remains hostile towards me.” He ducked down and cowered in a corner, trying to keep his thoughts to a minimum, just in case the creatures could read thoughts as well as transmit them.
“We will leave her behind when we examine you,” the one alien said. “We would prefer that you be exposed to as little stress as possible.”
“Also, we need to assess your voluntary responses.” The second extraterrestrial took a collar out of an opening that appeared in one flat wall surface. Waving his hand over it, he caused it to pulse with numerous colors. “It would be useless and misleading, should the female tell you everything you should say or do.”
“True,” the taller alien said. “Even though that seems to be the norm for inter-sexual relations.” It made a motion that would be shrugging in a human. “We should do as much as we can with this pair. We were very fortunate to have reached this planet without being detected by our foes. We may not get another sample.”
“NO!”
Sousuke shouted and ran frantically for the other side of the curved space, even though he saw no practical place to hide or put up any defense. His actions were merely a ruse.
“I WILL NOT GO WITH YOU!”
He made as if he was trying to climb a strangely sloped wall, sliding back down each time he jumped up.
“I KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO DO!”
“That one seems rather excitable,” one alien said. “That is unfortunate.”
“True,” the other creature said. “Perhaps it will calm down if we allow it a period of mating.”
“NOT WITH HER!”
Sousuke began running again, circling what turned out to be a torroidal-shaped room as if he were a hamster in am exercise wheel.
“ANY FEMALE BUT HER!”
He fell to the floor and began quivering, even though his non-human kidnappers hand not used any of their advanced technology on her.
“SHE’S VIOLENT. SHE’S IRRATIONAL. SHE’S THE LAST FEMALE ON EARTH I WOULD MATE WITH!”
“I’ll remember that…” Kaname was too angry to be frightened. “Oh yes… I will certainly remember that…”
Sousuke kept repeating “I know what you’re going to do.”
“What is it that you think we intend for you, human male.” The one alien began walking towards Sousuke, holding the collar in front of it. The gleaming device was opened wide enough to be placed around his neck before being snapped shut.
“Perhaps if we promise to you not to do the thing, you will calm down.” The other alien worked a number of bizarrely shaped controls, causing table-like shapes and items of unknown purpose to extend out from the featureless wall, floor, and ceiling.
“DON’T COME ANY CLOSER!”
Sousuke was sitting on the floor. He began pushing himself backward on the slick onyx-colored floor. He got closer and closer to his weapons bag, hoping that everything was still in place, and that the bag wasn’t held inside a stasis field or something. He would take any chance given him, praying that the ship wouldn’t react instantaneously to its masters’ thoughts. “Please… don’t come any closer… I beg you…” He hid his face in his hands. “I know what you want.”
“Tell us your assumptions,” the one alien said. “We will tell you if you have reason to fear them.”
“There was a television show once,” Sousuke said. “Called The Twilight Zone.” Sousuke peered out from behind spread fingers. He was surprised that an advanced race did not know humans better than these creatures seemed to. “It was an episode titled ‘To Serve Man’. From 1962 in human reckoning.”
“Great,“ Kaname said. “He’s talking again.“ She sighed. “Maybe he can drive the bug-eyed freaks crazy, the way he does me.“
“Why should this show discomfort you?” The one alien put the collar down for the moment. It continued to send rainbows of light around the one part of the room.
“The Kanamit… aliens in the story… spoke to assembled humans telepathically, just the way that one of you did to us.” He crouched down some. “The alien speaker said that his people had come as friends, with a desire to help the earth and set up reciprocal visits to their planet. They had noticed that the earth was plagued by both natural and unnatural calamities, ones which they had means to correct.” He took a deep breath and sat straighter, uncovering his face. “They offered a new kind of power source… an end to famine…and a force field to be used as a defense shield. The Kanamit stated ‘We wish only that you simply trust us,’ leaving a book behind when he departed.”
“We should take note of this,” the one alien said. “These methods may work for our race, should we regain galactic dominance.”
“If you listen to anything that moron says, you’re whole race is doomed,” Kaname said, making a sour face. The aliens were spooky in their own way, but she had been more frightened by Gauron’s cheerful lunacy and Leonard’s deceptively unctuous mannerisms. “So keep talking Sousuke!” She wondered why he made the face he did.
“The female… her words…” Sousuke crouched down. “I… it…”
“Silence the female,” one alien said. The other raised a glowing rod, causing Kaname to step back against the wall of her enclosure, and Sousuke to judge the distance between him and his weapons. But, the rod merely made it so that sound could enter the cage, but not leave it.
“A decoding expert began working on the book,” Sousuke said, when he pretended to regain his lost composure. “It was an exceedingly difficult task. But, they determined that the words to the title were ‘To Serve Man.’ In time, the countries of the world offered their thanks, as deserts become gardens, and armies were disbanded.“
“These would be good results, would they not?“ The one alien asked, sounding puzzled.
“Perhaps it should have read ‘To Serve Woman’,“ the other being offered. “If the females became sufficiently angered, the males might have become useless and unable to reproduce. Extinction would result.“
“There is more to the story,“ Sousuke said quickly. “Later in the show, we were shown people standing in line to board spaceships, as the flights to the Kanamit's planet began. The passengers were weighed upon entry. They spoke to one another about the upcoming events as if they were headed out on a pleasant vacation. As the man character begins to ascend the steps, a woman who cared for him rushed up, telling him not to get on the ship. She had made a terrible discovery. The book… ‘To Serve Man’… was a cook book.“
“They do not seem very palatable,” the one alien said to the other.
“Probably not,” the other said. “But in some of the images that we intercepted, the males were seen with their mouths on the frontal protuberances of the females, and the females are seen attached to appendages that the males keep hidden away under their lower clothing.”
“Curious,” the taller alien said. “Perhaps that will warrant future study.”
Kaname’s eyes went very large. She felt her face grow warm.
Sousuke stood up, and backed against the nearest surface. “The… the man in the story… the man was forced onto the ship. When he is offered a meal, he tossed it on the floor. A Kanamit entered the room… retrieved the food… and handed it back to the man saying ‘Eat. We wouldn't want you to lose weight.’ The man then faced the camera and spoke as if conversing directly with the television audience. He said that it didn’t matter if a human was on the ship, or back on the earth. Either way, they were all on the menu.“
Kaname was speaking, but none of the words were coming through. She didn’t want Sousuke to give the aliens any ideas.
Sousuke made as if he was trembling more and more violently. “The… the narrator… the man narrating the show said ‘The recollections of one Michael Chambers, with appropriate flashbacks and soliloquy. Or more simply stated, the evolution of man, the cycle of going from dust to dessert, the metamorphosis from being the ruler of a planet to an ingredient in someone's soup. It's tonight's bill of fare on The Twilight Zone‘."
“I see,” the shorter extraterrestrial said. “You fear we wish to consume you.” It made an indescribable gesture. “You should have no fear of that.”
“Correct,” the other creature said. “This is not a culinary visit.” It worked another series of controls. The items that appeared earlier now began to pulse with a strange dark light. “We have received no word that any race has put your species on the harvest list.”
Sousuke made it look as if her was regaining his composure. He stood tall and relaxed, occasionally making it a point to dart glances in Kaname’s directions. The looks he caught from her worried him almost as much as his captors did.
“I can assure with no prevarication that we have no plans to eat you,” the second alien said, verbally and telepathically.
“That… that’s a relief…“ Sousuke let his breath out in a loud ‘whoosh’. “But, I also have no desire for a close encounter of the sixth kind. I will not cooperate in anything that may result in such an outcome.”
“This manner of discussion does not match data that we have on file,” the taller alien said. “Elucidate.” It nodded to the other alien, who accessed a machine that showed a live feed of Sousuke on one curved wall. No doubt they were intending to record his answer.
“A close encounter of the first kind is a sighting of an unidentified flying object or objects.” Sousuke inched closer to his bag, acting as if he was captivated by his own image on the wall.
“A close encounter of the first kind is having something run past you quickly, without being able identify it. “Kaname was feeling an urge to be cantankerous. “Otakus late for class fit in that category.”
“A close encounter of the second kind is an observation of physical evidence of extra-terrestrial visitation.” Sousuke said. “Footprints… radiation damage to terrain… circular designs in crop fields… things of that type.”
“A close encounter of the second kind is finding one of Sousuke’;s grenades in the classroom,” Kaname said, making a face. “Or, finding spent clips… primer cord… bullet holes in the wall… smoking lockers…“
“A close encounter of the third kind is an observation of occupants associated with spacecraft.” Sousuke moved away from the bag for a moment, keeping his motions purposely random. He then moved nearer to his weapons than before. “Some people have referred to alien abductions as close encounters of the fourth kind. The category would also include instances where a human willingly accompanies non-humans.”
“Wrong… wrong… wrong…” Kaname said. “A close encounter of the third kind is witnessing a certain sergeant tackling a teacher… jumping off of a moving train… piloting an Arm Slave made from am amusement park mascot costume…” She shook her head. With everything that she had seen, coming across aliens was not that big of a deal. “And the fourth kind, that’s when you have a teenage operative from a secret organization follow you everywhere you go, making a major mess of your life!”
“A close encounter of the fifth kind involves direct communication between an extraterrestrial intelligence and a human being.” Sousuke looked over at Kaname for a moment. He was impressed that she had not shown any signs of hysteria. She showed more emotional instability when he forgot the homework he borrowed from her… brought clothes-eating bacteria to school… or said something complimentary about Captain Testarossa. “This was supposed to be the rarest and most controversial form of close encounter .”
“The rarest kind of encounter would be holding an intelligent conversation with a clueless military freak who always gets you kidnapped by someone. Terrorists. Enemy organizations. Yakuza. Angry gang members. Mitril agents pretending to be terrorists. Stupid ugly aliens.” Kaname threw her hands up in the air. “Might as well call that close encounters of the infinity kind!” She looked over at Sousuke. “The fifth kind is hearing him talking about weapons… aliens… MREs… military protocol… everything…”
“My point of concern… a close encounter of the sixth kind… involves the death of a human being or other animal during a witnessed encounter.” Sousuke inched along the wall away from one alien that had moved to approach him from the other side. He was now within reach of his bag. “This would include the death of a human or an animal during a witnessed encounter. For example, Witnesses reporting UFOs flying above fields where cattle has been mutilated.”
Kaname didn’t have anything to say after that. Her bravado evaporated. She felt like an animal at a zoo or pet shop. No, she was worried that she would be like one of the little white rats that were routinely sacrificed to further humankind’s fund of knowledge.
“We are not of the race that routinely slaughters bovine quadrupeds,” one alien said. “No doubt that is done by juveniles who are experiencing their first trip to a target world.”
“If we promise not to end your life or the life of the female, will you cooperate freely?”
The other alien was carrying the collar. “Will that cause you to become calm, so that our data will not be inaccurate?”
“What… what do you…” Sousuke prepared for his move. Doubtless, he would get only one chance. “What precisely do you intend to do…”
“For you, organ sampling… obedience modifications… implantation of devices…” The shorter alien looked over at Kaname. “We would also make use of the rectal probe… the female’s earlier comment to you is worth pursuing.”
“I’m sorry, Sousuke.” Kaname brought her hand to her mouth. She couldn’t pull her gaze away from one particular instrument that was glowing and making strange sounds.
“For the female, it will be something more important.” The taller alien removed its clothing. Its body was smooth and featureless. “We will use her to create hybrid creatures from my genetic material and hers.” The unmentionable organ that then protruded from his lower anatomy had Kaname feeling nauseous.
“No way…” Kaname whispered.
“Is there something in that bag you wish?” One of the extraterrestrials asked Sousuke. “I can pick the image out of your thoughts. You appear anxious. There is a sense of anticipation.”
“There is medication that will help calm me,” Sousuke lied. “I have reason to be anxious. If you were monitoring our actions prior to pick-up, you would have seen the female striking me hard with the bag. I have a suspicion that she may do so again, should she be released in my presence.”
The one alien stood silently for a moment. It turned to look at the other. No doubt they were communicating telepathically. “You are permitted,” one said.
“Thank you,” Sousuke said. It was time. An idea came to mind. It shouldn’t work on any human with near normal intelligence. But, it might be entirely new to an alien race.
“Look! The female! She’s dying!” He pointed.
Both aliens turned to look at Kaname. It was a fatal mistake. That, and not taking the time to examine the contents of the bag. The first thing that alerted them to Sousuke’s intentions were the 9mm bullets that tore through their overly large heads and shield-shaped torsos. Blue-green blood left slimy trails on the wall as they slid down to sit dying on the floor.
“I suppose that will qualify as a close encounter of the seventh kind,” Sousuke said. “Aliens dying during a witnessed encounter.”
“Seven is my lucky number,” Kaname remarked. Then, she frowned. “What took you so long, you big idiot?”
“But… it appeared… that the…” The taller alien struggled to speak. “Female… was… the… violent… one…”
“It was…” The other alien slowly tipped over onto its side. “An honest… mistake…”
“Well, this must make your day, Sousuke.” Kaname watched as the eyes on both aliens glazed over and their bodies went completely limp. “Boy meets intelligent race… boy speaks with intelligent race… boy kills intelligent race…” She almost fell face first, when the barrier she was leaning against disappeared. That was the first clue that the aliens were both dead.
“I hope that those were the only two extraterrestrials onboard,” Sousuke said, loading a fresh clip.
“Really?” Kaname just realized something. “Then who exactly is supposed to fly the ship?” If that knucklehead had just signed their death warrant, then she would strap him to the table and activate the probe!
“Uhhh…” Sousuke hadn’t thought that far ahead. He pointed up at the wall. Alien symbols were projected on it, glowing in changing colors. A mechanical voice called out in a language foreign to their planet. Next, a view of the earth was shown. It was growing rapidly larger.
“I should have known that you’d be the death of me, Sergeant Sagara.” Kaname bit her lip. She looked over at Sousuke. There were so many things that she had wanted to do in her life. Sighing, she realized that there were things she wanted to say while there was still time.
“Kaname?” Sousuke swallowed hard when Kaname walked over to stand in front of him. He fully expected her to kick him in the shin or slap his face. Instead she put her arms around his neck.
“There’s not much time left, Sousuke.” Kaname looked back at the screen. She could make out the continents hiding beneath the swirling clouds covering the growing globe. “There’s something I want to tell you.” She put her head against his. “I love you.”
There was a long pause. “You are important to me too, Kaname.” Sousuke put his arms around her, tentatively at first. Taking a deep breath, he tightened his embrace. “You are the most important person in my life.”
“Well?” Kaname asked.
“Kaname?” Sousuke raised one eyebrow. He had been as honest and as forthright as he knew how to be.
“Aren’t you going to kiss me?” Kaname moved back a bit and looked in his eyes. “Big jerk!” She gave him a kiss that deepened and seemed to stretch on forever. The two then turned to watch the screen. Impact was imminent any second.
Kaname woke up.
Disoriented for a moment, she looked around, expecting to see the smoking wreckage of an alien spacecraft, or a long line of people waiting to get into Heaven or Hell. Instead, she saw Sousuke sitting next to her on his couch. She realized that she had fallen asleep during movie night. She frowned a moment. Aliens from outer space. Why did he have to pick that theme. Big stupid head! When her turn came around, she would pick out the worst chick flicks available.
She put a hand to her lips, thinking about parts of her dream. Her choice of films would have a lot of kissing. Not that Sousuke would ever take a hint form something like that.
“I am watching John Carpenter’s version of ‘The Thing’.” Sousuke said. “You fell asleep before it started. I will return to the beginning, if you wish. The concept for the movie is very frightening, and the special effects are quite good.”
“That’s alright,” Kaname said. She had OD’d on aliens. “You keep watching.” She stared at Sousuke for a few minutes more, glad the two of them were alive, and glad that she was there with him. That dream had seemed so real. She had been convinced that they would die.
“If this movie is not to your liking, I could put ‘Alien’ on.” Sousuke said. “’Aliens 2’ had space marines, and would no doubt be too otaku for you.”
“This is fine, Sousuke.” Kaname moved closer too him, leaning up against arm. As far as she was concerned, any movie with extraterrestrials was too otaku for her.
Suddenly, there was a strange vibrating noise. The room became awash with bright lights coming in through the window. Kaname jumped up, slipped, and fell onto Sousuke’s lap. She began trembling. It took her a moment to realize that she was pressed firmly against him. The look on his face told her that he was very much aware of that fact.
“Is it… could it be… aliens…” Kaname was afraid to look out of the window. It was hard to keep her eyes open in the intense glare anyway. Before long, the lights shone in a different direction and the noise grew gradually quieter.
“Helicopter,” Sousuke said. “Single rotor, duel engine. Likely one of the new police models.” He felt Kaname’s trembling. “It is not extraterrestrials. You misinterpreted things. It was an honest mistake.”
Kaname opened her mouth. She blinked rapidly. Sousuke’s words reminded her of what one alien in her dream had said at its death.
“Kaname…” Sousuke sounded a bit discombobulated himself. “You are still sitting on my lap.”
“Yes I am,” Kaname said, turning around and then leaning back against him again. “Get used to it.”
“Uhhh…” Sousuke swallowed hard. “That would imply…” He wondered if his sudden urge to place his arms around her was appropriate.
“I think that close encounters will do you some good, mister.” Kaname closed her eyes and smiled.
Sousuke knew that the statement had nothing to do with UFOs.
END