The moment Casey had been fearing finally arrived. She tried to ignore the dry sensation in her mouth as she and Mike stood in front of the saucer-shaped craft, waiting for the general. The spacecraft couldn’t be flown without her—a detail that still hadn’t registered with her mind. She clutched her chest. “My heart’s still racing. I still can’t believe we outwitted the security precautions and didn’t get hurt like the other Agarthian that’d tried to rig the seats.”
“You can’t blame General Ashtar. He had to give it a test run before he wasted all that time on us. After risking my life in that little experiment, I think I deserved a burger.”
“I didn’t know there were so many ways to dress up vegetables.” Casey chuckled and tugged at his arm nervously. It was better to talk about their meal than to risk letting her mind roam free toward dangerous territory—a spaceship hovering thousands of feet in the air as she struggled to remember what all the signals on the dashboard were. She continued, “Can you believe these people are vegetarians? Jack would’ve been impressed with that.”
Mike nodded, but his eyes were glazed over, telling her that he, too, was a million miles away. “Yeah. He’s such a health nut. They thought I was crazy when I asked if they could fry the potatoes.”
She laughed. “Don’t think they actually knew what frying is.”
“Everyone in their right mind knows what French fries are,” said Mike, “and where’s my burger?”
“Sorry, but I’m pretty sure they don’t serve 8,000-calorie quadruple burgers dripping with greasy cheese and mayo.” She leaned her head on his shoulder, pausing for a moment before she continued, “I can’t stop thinking about Jack.”
He let out a long breath, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. “Me neither.”
“We can’t mess this up. He’s counting on us.” She desperately hoped she’d remember everything they’d been taught. “How’s your memory, Mike? ‘Cause they sure crammed a lot in there in such a short time. All that stuff’s just swimming in my head.”
He laughed. “You’re trusting me when I barely remember what I had for breakfast? But I can try for you. And don’t worry, Thorn is doing all the driving. It’s not like we’re being left to fly the thing all by ourselves.”
“Thank goodness for that. So are you ready to take on the intergalactic army?”
“As ready as one can be after a few slices of tomato and raw lettuce, but we’ve got Thorn.” He winked. “And you’ve got me, including my scattered brain. That’s bound to count for something.”
He wasn’t the only scattered one. Casey smiled as she reached up to give him a fist-bump.
“Fist-bumps are for friends. I think we’re more than that.” He pulled her into his arms and captured her lips in a long kiss, sending tingles down her entire body. Easing away, his gaze drifted to the ship. “Okay. I can’t believe we’re making out in front of something that’s not supposed to exist.”
She took a few steps forward, her black boots squeaking on the polished floor. All she could do was stare at the gorgeous silver craft. She still couldn’t believe she was going to pilot a ship with an alien.
“At least we’re dressed for the part.” Smoothing out the wrinkles on her emblem, she peered down at her blue jumpsuit where three white circles overlapped on her chest. Wearing a one-piece was so 1990s, but at least the belt sat well and gave her an hourglass figure.
“Are you okay? You keep pinching your sleeves,” said Mike. “You look great. This goes well with your, uh…” He looked her up and down, and she felt her cheeks blush.
“My eyes? Thank you.”
Mike winked again. “Yeah. That too.”
Before Casey could retort, the door opened, and the general approached. A soldier carrying an armful of backpacks followed closely behind him.
Mike straightened and saluted.
The general handed them each a silver laser pistol and black holster. “You’ll need stun weapons. These are very similar to the ones you used in your training.”
Casey turned the gun in her hands and examined it from every angle. With its silver coating and indentations for tighter grip, it looked like something out of a sci-fi movie, but she could tell from its construction and the seriousness of the situation that it didn’t come from a Hollywood prop department. A little target practice might’ve been nice, but as usual, everyone seemed to assume Mike and she were born warriors. The only experience she had firing any kind of weapon was the shooting gallery at the fair, aiming for tiny targets glued to moving yellow ducks. Even then, she didn’t walk away with a teddy bear.
“This is weird,” whispered Mike. “I feel bad, like I’m doing something I shouldn’t be.”
“Playing with guns? I know what you’re talking about.” She had never touched a real gun before, stun gun or otherwise, and it sent her insides into somersaults. “I can’t believe it’s so light.” She ran her fingers across the smooth chrome. It felt cold under her hot skin, uneven where etched, raised images of stars and planets met on the handle and sides. She fastened her holster around her waist and put the weapon away, secretly hoping she’d never have to use it. She thought she should talk to the general about her fears, but he looked busy conversing with his aide on technical stuff she didn’t even get.
Mike raised his gun in the air when a red laser beam shot from the pistol and struck the ceiling above. The loud crash echoed off the walls.
Casey screamed and ducked for cover, dropping her own gun to the floor. “What’re you doing? Have you lost your mind?”
“Who did that?” asked the general in a stern voice.
“Mike!” said Casey, wide-eyed. She stayed glued to the floor, in case Mike lost control over his lead finger again. You do realize you could’ve shot something important…or me!”
“I’m sorry. It just went off by accident.”
“What if you put a hole in the side of this baby and we didn’t find out until we were 10,000 feet in the air?” Casey rolled her eyes. It wasn’t some wild west cowboys and Indian expo. She wished he could be serious and just stay out of trouble for one minute.
General Ashtar snatched the weapon from his hand and then picked up Casey’s. “I believe the stun setting will be ample for your needs.” He turned a few knobs and touched several illuminated buttons. An amber light flashed on the muzzle and beeped twice. “You’ll be able to incapacitate anyone for three standard hours.”
Someone entered, and Casey turned in time to see the commander standing in the doorway as a large piece of glass fell and struck the floor by his feet. He jumped back, crushing thousands of tiny shards under his heavy boots. “I thought I heard shooting,” he said, glaring straight at Mike.
She opened her mouth to speak when the commander cut her off. “Be careful where you aim. You’re using brand new katayla chips, which are more powerful than anything you’ve ever seen.”
She didn’t want to point out that she’d never seen any sort of weapon apart from an old shotgun used to shoot plastic ducks with foam pellets. “We’ll try to remember.” Casey glared at Mike as she plucked sharp pieces out of her hair.
“I’m so sorry about that, sir,” said Mike.
The commander dropped his gaze to the floor and shook his head. “We’re all going to die,” he muttered under his breath.
Mike blinked. “I didn’t know it would just go off like that.”
“This mission’s far too dangerous for teenagers,” the commander mumbled. “They’re not properly trained or emotionally mature.”
“Yes, I admit it’s very dangerous,” General Ashtar gave his shoulder a squeeze, as if to reassure him, “but it’s the only way to save us and the human race from extinction.”
Casey let out a breath and shook her head. No pressure or anything.
Mike shot the commander and the general a questioning look. “You do realize we’re standing here, right?”
“That’s the frightening part,” the commander whispered. Casey leaned in to catch his words. “The only option we have left is to rely on mere children. We must leave the fate of our world in the hands of surface humans. We are helpless otherwise, and that is a scary thought.”
Mike squared his shoulders. “No need to be condescending. We’re risking our lives too.”
Casey didn’t want to point out that there’d be no lives to risk if they didn’t give the mission a try. If no one tried, the rebels would win without a fight. Either way, they might die. It was better to focus on the situation at hand, because once she entered Mike’s dangerous terrain, she might not be so keen on leaving the false sense of security she had among the Agarthians. “So how are we going to find this mothership?”
“The enemy’s cloaking technology makes it impossible for us to locate it,” said the general.
Thorn appeared beside her and joined in the conversation. “I’ll be able to find it with the Bladmash sensors installed in this scout ship. The mothership has to be close for this attack to be taking place.”
General Ashtar signaled his aide. The tall man stepped forward and handed them four backpacks. “We found these in the storage area on the ship,” said the general. “They are the latest standard military-issue packs used by the Greys. They’ve been packed with everything we think you’ll need for your mission.” He signaled his aide once more, and the aide handed each of them a digital watch with a thick, black band.
Casey looked at the square-faced timepiece. It looked futuristic, like something straight out of Star Trek. “A high-tech wristwatch?”
“They’re communicators,” said General Ashtar.
Mike turned the device over in his hand and grinned. “This is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. Is it like some kinda spy gadget? Can it make me invisible or build an invincible shield around me?”
General Ashtar furrowed his brows. “This device will give you the remaining mission time.”
“Cool,” said Mike. “Does this thing pack some twenty-first-century technology or what?”
“Excuse me?” said the general.
Mike ran his fingers across the big LCD screen. “Does it come with a cell, a PDA, camera, an MP3 player, or Internet connection? Oooh…can I update my Facebook status on this thing? Boy, do I have a lot to tweet about.”
Casey let out a small giggle. “If I’m going to wear an oversized men’s watch, it better have some really cool apps.”
The general shook his head and wrinkled his brown in confusion and continued, “It’s also equipped with a GPS chip and a map navigator that will enable you to find each other in the event that you get separated. See the circle of red lights? There’s one for each of you. When you separate, four red lights will appear in a mini-map surrounded by a directional compass on the LCD screen.”
“So we can always find each other?” said Casey.
“Yes. Just ensure Jack gets both a watch and a backpack when you locate him.”
Mike rummaged through his sack. “There’s all kinds of stuff here.” He pulled out a thin, rectangular, object about the size of a Nintendo DS. “I hope you didn’t forget to pack Downhill Jams.” He looked at Thorn, whose forehead was visibly creased. “What? It’s my favorite DS skateboarding game.”
“That is not a game. It is a navigational tool.” Thorn grabbed the device and stuffed it back. “You’ll have more time to examine these items later.”
Mike pulled a face and mumbled, “oh, okay.”
Holding the gadget in her hands, Casey could feel the seconds slowly trickling by. It’d be time soon. “I know you and the commander have your doubts, but Mike and I will give this mission everything we have.” She only hoped her best would be good enough.
“As will I,” said Thorn.
General Ashtar gazed down at them. “Your participation in this mission is greatly appreciated, as well as your commitment not only to your own race, but to ours as well. You are all to be commended.”
As he finished speaking, a brief snap echoed, and the room went black, the only light shining from inside the flying saucer’s open door.
Casey jumped and let out a yelp. What now? Are the rebels attacking? The thought made her wince, and she grabbed Mike’s hand for comfort.
The commander’s words cut through the room. “Power outage.”
Casey let out a breath when the door burst open below the balcony control room and another blond head popped in. “They’ve shut down our power grid.”
“Then our timetable has changed. We must launch our mission immediately, before they block our passageway as well.” General Ashtar’s voice was firm and demanded action.
“Yes, sir,” said Thorn.
Casey’s hand trembled as she rubbed her face, her brain still circling around the general’s words. The time had come, literally knocking on her door. Sweat gathered on her brow and trickled down the center of her back as she hesitated, waiting for further instructions.
“We will not fail, General.” Thorn sprinted up the ramp, the metal click-clacking under his feet. “Come on, you two. Now is the time.”
She blinked, her feet still frozen to the ground. There was no time for goodbyes or good luck wishes. No one gave her a bouquet or a box of chocolates to sweeten her up before the mission. She hadn’t expected a parade, of course, but this was the worst goodbye she’d ever received. Hesitating, she followed Thorn and caught a glimpse of the general’s set jaw and taut face; it wasn’t the look of a confident man. He was clearly overcome with terror, intermingled with the knowledge of imminent doom. All the talk about faith in them had been nothing but a way to boost their confidence. She had the strong feeling that it was more a suicide mission than a short journey to deliver some goods.
General Ashtar crossed a fisted arm over his chest. A voice rolled across Casey’s mind, and she flinched. “Find that weapon at all costs. We’ll ask the Great Creator for your safe return.” The Great Creator? Casey turned toward him. Does he mean God? Do we even have the same God?
The general projected his answer using more mental telepathy. “There is only one God.”
A grin grew across her lips.
“Casey, the dude’s talking inside my head,” blurted Mike.
“Mine too.” She shot General Ashtar a quick smile and saluted, arm over chest, as the door slowly closed. Then she leapt into a chair and buckled her seatbelt.
Casey’s stomach clenched as she tugged at her seatbelt and peered at Thorn. Her brain felt woozy, almost like she had just gotten off some spinning teacup ride. Breathing in and out, she forced oxygen into her lungs to calm her racing pulse. With every fiber of her being, she wanted to bolt right off the ship, but something held her back. She’d given her word and wouldn’t bail out now.
Thorn turned to face her. “Ready?”
She tried to smile confidently, but her shaky voice gave her away. “As long as there’re barf bags onboard.” Closing her eyes, she let Jack’s image take hold of her thoughts—and for a minute she could even hear his laughter. She leaned her head back against the seat and gripped the armrests. “Hang on, Jack. We’re on our way.”
“We’ll scour that alien mothership until we find him,” said Mike. “That’s a promise.”
Something in his tone gave her hope. Maybe it was his determination to find his best friend.
Thorn leaned over and turned a dial until a circuit flashed on the dashboard. “Bridge, we’re ready to launch.”
“Acknowledged,” a voice responded from the comm.
“I’m starting the countdown sequence.” Thorn inserted a crystal into the main computer and pressed a button.
Another dial blinked on the console. An array of lights flashed across the control panel. The craft swayed and lifted slowly off the hangar deck.
This is it. Casey breathed in and held in the air for a second as a shudder ran down her spine. Now or never, thank goodness. “We’re taking off,” she chanted as a sharp, clean smell like that lingering in the air after a thunderstorm wafted inside the cockpit. If Jack had been there, he would have been able to tell her what it was.
“Jack would tell you the smell is ozone,” said Thorn. “It’s a colorless gas emitted from high-voltage electricity.”
She had forgotten for a moment that she was stuck on a spaceship with some alien version of Criss Angel, that mind-reading guy on TV. She decided she’d have to engage in some serious thought censoring.
Thorn smirked. “Are you shocked that I can read your thoughts?”
“After everything I’ve seen, I guess I shouldn’t be.” She shrugged and peered out at the giant trapdoor sliding open in the floor of the hangar. “Will every alien be able to read my thoughts up there?”
“No. It takes years of practice to read human thoughts. None of them have that kind of experience. Trust me. Most of the rebel Greys have never even met a person from Earth. So we’re safe, except for Commander Tio. But even he would have to concentrate, so in quick passing, you’ll be okay.”
They plunged straight down into a tunnel deep in the ground.
Thorn cast them a sideways glance. “Don’t worry. This is the back way out. Oh…one more thing. Hang on!”
As they sped through the twists and turns of the tunnel, streaked with blue lights, a deafening roar ripped from the walls. The blue lights disappeared, and blackness surrounded her.
Casey gripped the arms of her seat tighter to brace herself against the vibrations traveling from the ship up her legs and inside her body. She was thrown to the left and right just like a rollercoaster—a dark and thrilling ride, and she didn’t even have to pay admission. “About those barf bags…” she began, thinking maybe she shouldn’t have eaten so much of that delicious salad. When a wave of nausea flooded her stomach, she held her breath and tried not to throw up.
The underground passage ended, and they shot up with a hiss, high into the bright sky bolting through the thick clouds, the country side flashing by just a few hundred feet below.
Casey stared at the beautiful scenery as they leisurely glided over wildflowers in amazing shades of gold, red, and purple that carpeted the rolling hills.
“I bet you never imagined seeing this sort of landscape down here,” said Thorn. “From what I understand of the surface world, this is much like your own home of…” Thorn paused, clearly not knowing where his copilots lived. “You’re from?”
“Huntington Beach, California,” said Casey. “I’ll give you any answer you want, as long as you don’t do that mind-reading thing, ’cause it kind of freaks me out.”
Mike grinned. “It’s the surfing capital of the world, home to the U.S. Open Surfing Championships and the NSSA.”
Thorn cocked his head in confusion, so Casey explained, “The NSSA is the National Scholastic Surfing Association, a group for young surfers who haven’t turned pro yet.”
“Wait…there’s more. It’s also—”
She held up a hand to stop Mike. “I bet I can say it quicker.” She looked at him and smirked. “Yeah, I know the spiel since I’ve only listened to it a million times. And I mean that in the nicest way, babe.”
He smirked back.
“Thorn, in case you haven’t noticed yet, our Mike’s a celebrity,” said Casey. “He’s THE Mike Pierce.”
Mike cut in with a big grin. “Yep. That’s me. International surfing star.”
“Really?” asked Thorn, impressed.
She nodded. “Yes. He’s won every single award and competition in the world of amateur surfing. He’s been on TV and in lots of magazines too. And last but not least, he models and represents famous brands of surfing gear and clothing.”
Mike’s eyes lit up. “Yeah, having sponsors is awesome, because there’s nothing like getting paid to surf.”
“Very prestigious,” said Thorn.
A smile grew across his lips. “It’s quite an achievement, especially for someone as young as me. Someday I’m going to be a famous movie star and pro surfer.”
Mike could have and would have gone on for hours if no one reined him in. As much as she hated to change his favorite subject—himself—she couldn’t listen to another one of his surfing stories, at least not when she was dying to know more about alien life. “So, Thorn, where’re you from?”
“I live thirty-nine light years away, in the star system of Zeta Reticuli. Mike, I need you to push down all the blue crystals with triangles on them.”
As he pushed them down one by one, they glowed. “How many miles is that away from here?”
“It is about 220 trillion,” answered Thorn, fussing with the red knobs.
Mike let out a whistle. “Dude, that’s far! I guess you don’t take the bus, huh? How long does it take you to get here?”
“If I don’t take a wormhole, I can get to Earth in a little over eighty-nine days.”
Wormhole? Casey’s jaw dropped. Like a portal in a science fiction show?
Thorn’s fingers danced across the console. “Full speed ahead!” He made a ninety-degree turn and raced over the land at fantastic speeds, zigzagging through the clouds.
Casey watched a blur of scenery flash through the glass window. The floor beneath her started to quiver, along with the walls, ceiling, and the chair she was buckled into. She grabbed her armrest and said, “Thorn! What’s going on?”
Mike shot her a confused look, wondering why Thorn wasn’t replying.
She glared at him as the walls vibrated harder, the motion pushing her around in her seat. “This thing is equipped with parachutes, right?”
There was still no answer; Thorn’s eyes were glued to the gauges.
An ear-piercing siren blared as the room became engulfed with blinking red lights. With each jarring thud, chills shot up her spine. Things didn’t look so hot, but she needed to keep her wits and her cool. She refused to let fear consume her. Glancing out the window, she could see the big shadow from the ship dancing across the surface of a pristine lake they sped over.
“We’re losing altitude!” said Thorn. “Casey, pull down the orange crystal on your side. Mike, pull up the green one!”
Going down? As in crashing? She swallowed back the rising panic and swore to herself that she’d stay strong. She had to, and she had to trust Thorn to get them through it. “I’m on it!” The words came out barely louder than a whisper.
Casey’s head jerked backward and then snapped forward as the ship plunged forward, cutting through the white clouds like a knife. Looking out the window, she noticed a plume of dark smoke swirling outside the craft. She wanted to keep up hope and be brave. Still, she had to wonder if the ship would burn up before it even hit the ground. Get me out of this ‘frying saucer’ already! Boy, won’t the aliens have a laughing fit at our expense. Fine pilots we make. Her nausea bubbled up inside again, like she was in a simulator ride at the video arcade, only multiplied by a million.
“We’re going to die!” Mike mumbled as he tried to pull the green lever up.
“Keep it together, Pierce.” In a bold moment, Casey let go of the armrest and waved to get his attention, lest she give in to that nagging voice inside her head that kept telling her they might die long before they reached the mothership. She had to see Mike, if even for a second, but Thorn sat in the middle of them, fussing with buttons. If she was going to die, she wanted to see Mike’s eyes one last time—those beautiful green eyes. He clenched his jaw and gripped the rattling seat. She peered out the cockpit window as they bumped through the air and gulped at the mountain range of towering ice peaks looming ahead.
“Oh man! Oh man! Oh man!” yelled Mike.
They were going down, smashing into smithereens. She thought about her visit to Roswell, and a picture flashed across her mind. Millions of pieces from a wreckage, an alleged UFO, were scattered along the field at a ranch. She wondered if their ship would look the same way in the end.
Thorn pulled back on the lever as the ship dropped in altitude. A sudden loud banging, like hundreds of baseball bats hitting the plane, echoed beneath her feet. She looked out the window, though she shouldn’t have. The ship skidded on its belly and skipped across the treetops. She squeezed her eyes closed and then opened them. The vibrations shook the floor like an earthquake. She braceed for impact. Even if she somehow survived the crash, she wasn’t sure she would survive the flames or toxic fumes. She shook away the thought of blackened, tangled, twisting metal burning in the charred trees
“Someone help us!” Mike wailed.
Straight ahead, the mountains were getting closer—and bigger. She sucked in a giant gulp of air. Her head jerked forward as Thorn clipped a row of towering trees on a twenty-foot ridge.
Casey’s screams turned into desperate gasps of air. She squeezed her eyes shut and clutched the armrests. “God, please don’t let me die!”