Your Truth is Out There (Find Your Truth Book 1) (24 page)

“Why didn’t he ask me himself? No wait, I know … because he either didn’t want me around or didn’t think I could be of any help. Maybe he’s not all that proud of me after all. All of what you just said about him has been one big manipulation to try and get us together, hasn’t it. I’m sorry Mom, I truly am, for your sake, but it won’t work. I have to go.”

He stood up and started to leave the room.

“So be it,” said his mom, tossing her fork down onto her plate. She stood up and started clearing the dishes from the table. “Go on back to New York … and Raphael.”

“Mom, look … I’m …”

“Goodbye Theo,” she said as she took an armload of dishes into the kitchen without another look in his direction.

Dammit! You really screwed that up.

He stood in the dining room for a moment waiting for his mother to come back out, but silently hoping she wouldn’t. He didn’t know what he would say to her if she did.

There’s only one way to fix this, you know. You’re going to have to go out to the barn and square things with the old man.

Dammit!

Alcorn went through the security steps to open the door to the barn as if in a daze, his body functioning but his mind still on Theo. Had he gotten through to his son? As much as he wanted a relationship with Theo, he wanted his son to find happiness even more.

Maybe the boy will pack up and go back to New York and Raphael,
he thought.
Ultimately, that’s probably what’s best for everyone.

As he played out the various scenarios in his head about what might or might not happen with his son, the one thing he wasn’t doing was the one thing he’d preached for nearly all of his years in the Army, and that was to be in tune with his surroundings and be ready for any contingency. Had he been more focused on the task at hand, he might not have been so ill-prepared for the scene that unfolded before him as he walked into the barn.

The cold in the room immediately alerted him that something was wrong, even before he had a chance to look up. When he did look, the first thing that caught his attention was the gaping hole eight feet high and twenty feet wide that had been cut out of the far wall. As shocked as he was by that, he was equally taken aback by the fact that where thirty paintings had once been displayed on easels across the main floor, there was now nothing but empty floor. Empty, except for a familiar pale blue creature with four arms and four legs, who was staring directly at him.

“Come in, General Alcorn,” said the creature in near perfect English. “We have much to discuss, and little time to discuss it.”

Alcorn hesitated briefly, then walked toward the blue being from another planet, moving at a pace that was slow enough to allow his thoughts to catch up with him and assess the danger of his situation.

“I see you’ve learned our language and who I am, Zef,” said Alcorn, when he got close enough to the intruder. “That is your name, isn’t it?”

“You’ve spoken with Henry, then,” said Zef, his tone changing from the previous melodramatic welcome to one of genuine concern. “Tell me, is he okay?”

Alcorn looked closer at Zef, looked into the non-terrestrial’s eyes. At that moment he knew that this creature, this being from outer space, truly cared about Henry and what had happened to him. Alcorn realized he did too.

He was about to answer Zef’s question and tell him that Henry was okay, when he caught movement in the shadows of the far corner of the room. He looked over just in time to see another non-terrestrial moving quickly toward him. This one wasn’t like Zef. It was short and mean-looking, and was carrying a rather large device that couldn’t be mistaken for anything other than what it was: a weapon. As it got closer, it started shouting at him in a language he recognized, but didn’t understand. It was the same language Zef spoke during his last visit. His linguistics team had been trying to translate it, albeit unsuccessfully, ever since.

Though weaponless, Alcorn prepared himself as best he could for an attack from this new quarter. He’d faced armed opponents before and came out in one piece. And there was something about this creature that didn’t feel particularly threatening. Even amidst the chaos and questions swirling in his head, and with this new creature pointing a weapon at him, he somehow didn’t feel all that concerned. Alcorn thought it strange, but as the being moved closer and its snarls grew louder, the menace it presented actually seemed to diminish by the same proportion.

The alien stopped its approach two feet away from Alcorn, closed its mouth and stared as menacingly as it could, yet the yelling continued. That’s when Alcorn realized it was Zef who was shouting, but he was yelling at the other non-terrestrial.

The creature ignored Zef’s commands, raised its weapon, and pointed it at Alcorn’s head. Before he could react, Zef came over, pushed the weapon aside, and said something quietly into the being’s ear. Alcorn saw it flash what could only be considered an uneasy grimace, which quickly turned into a smirk. It gave Alcorn a nasty look, then turned around and walked back into the shadows of the far corner.

“My apologies, General,” said Zef. “My associate, Dilnch is … well, let’s just say he’s a very unhappy creature.”

“I’d say that’s an understatement,” said Alcorn. “I think your friend needs a rabies shot and a straightjacket.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”

“Never mind, it’s not important. What do you want, Zef? Why did you destroy my barn and take all of Henry’s paintings? And how did you do it without setting off any of the alarms? And what do you want from me?”

“First, you must tell me about Henry. Is he okay?”

“Yes, Henry is fine, now. He had some rough times after you left, but he’s recovered and doing well.”

For some reason he couldn’t explain, Alcorn seemed to feel it necessary to make sure Zef knew that Henry’s life wasn’t all wine and roses after his last visit.

“I’m very sorry to hear that Henry has suffered because of me,” said Zef, lowering his head. “He had no reason to help me, but he did. I owe him everything.”

“What’s your mission, Zef? Why did you come to Earth the first time and why are you back now?”

“I know what you are thinking, General. I think I must put your mind at ease. I am not here to invade. There is no fleet of ships coming to attack your planet. Exactly the opposite, in fact.”

“What do you mean, by that?” asked Alcorn.

“Well, it’s embarrassing, General Alcorn, but to be perfectly honest, this planet of yours is not of much interest to anyone. The only reason anyone even knows about it at all is because of your music. We call it Albalan, but you refer to it as rock-and-roll. It’s become quite popular in some sections of the galaxy. That is why I came here last time. I wanted to add some of this music to my collection. As I entered orbit, my vehicle broke down and I was forced to land. Henry helped rescue me. He helped rescue me from you. And now, here I am again, asking you to help me rescue him.”

“You want me to do what?”

“As I said, General, we don’t have a lot of time. I will explain everything back on the ship.”

“On the ship? I’m not going on any damn ship. I’m not going anywhere and neither are you. You’re coming with me …”

Before he could finish his sentence, the barn door opened and Theo walked in.

“Dad? What the hell is …?”

“Theo! Don’t …”

Alcorn turned to warn his son, but a sharp pain shot through his body and darkness overtook him.

Gsefx sat in the ridiculously comfortable pilot’s seat of Ricnor’s ship, and used the solitude he’d been given to collect his thoughts and reflect for a moment on just how in the name of the Gods he’d ended up here. Klarnus had taken Dilnch into the separate compartment formed by Gsefx’s ship, where they were most certainly up to no good.

No matter,
he thought,
I’ll deal with them later.

He glanced over at his new passengers—he still considered them passengers, even though they were unconscious and bound—and wondered how long they’d remain knocked out. To Gsefx's knowledge, no scrambler, certainly not one enhanced like his, had ever been used on a primitive before and he couldn’t be certain of the lasting effect it might have. He regretted having to knock them out, but it couldn’t be helped.

He regretted a lot of the things he’d done lately. Including coming to Earth the first time. If he hadn’t, if he’d just gone home like he should have, none of the things that were happening now would be taking place. He regretted not destroying the painting when he had the chance, right after he first saw the look of pure lust on Qilzar’s face, and then again on Lhvunsa’s. If he were being honest, though, he wasn’t sure he would have been able to destroy the painting. It was a gift from Henree. Destroying it would have been a cruel, callous thing to do. He regretted not being more forceful with Qilzar, knowing his boss could not be trusted.

While Gsefx regretted much, he also knew that his regrets were useless. He and those around him, friend and foe alike, were now on the same path, and they must see it through to the end. He just hoped that when General Alcorn, and the other Earthling he called Theo, awoke, they would be friends, not adversaries. He looked at them again, and while he regretted using the scrambler on them, he knew if he hadn’t they’d both be dead.

All had been going well with his meeting with Alcorn, when, without warning, the second Earthling came through what was supposed to be a locked door, and called the General “Dad.” Fortunately, Gsefx had become quite adept at reacting quickly recently, and so right about the time the General turned and said “Theo! Don’t …” Gsefx recovered enough of his senses to remove the scrambler from his pocket and fire it on the General, rendering him unconscious and out of the way. Without hesitation, he turned to aim the scrambler at the other Earthling, a younger version of the General, in hopes of limiting the exposure of their presence so they could clear out as quickly as possible. As he did so, out of the corner of his eye he caught Dilnch raising his obliterator as well. Gsefx fired the scrambler in an attempt to knock the younger Earthling to the ground before Dilnch’s blast turned his body into ashes, but he was too slow. The boom of the obliterator sounded just as Gsefx pressed the button on the scrambler. Another split second and the explosion of the obliterator’s shot hitting its target shook the building.

Gsefx screamed and took two steps forward before realizing the younger Alcorn was still there, lying on the ground in one piece, a large hole smoldering high in the wall behind where he once stood. Dilnch had missed and Gsefx hadn’t. The one the General had called “Theo” was unconscious and alive.

Perhaps everything will be all right after all,
he had thought, breathing a sigh of relief,
after I deal with Dilnch. That Jikian welt will pay for this.

He turned to confront the traitor, only to find him lying unconscious, his former partner, Klarnus, standing over him holding the obliterator.

“I tried to reason with him earlier, boss,” said Klarnus, looking up at Gsefx. “I told him that we work for you now, at least as long as we are on this job together.”

The Yelton looked back down at Dilnch and shook his head disapprovingly.

“But he wouldn’t listen. And now, here he is trying to kill the Earthlings you’re trying to protect.”

Klarnus turned back to Gsefx and flashed a large, toothy grin.

“That just won’t do, will it boss?”

As Gsefx now sat comfortably in the pilot’s seat of the ship, he remembered how that smile had turned his stomach and made him feel as though the ground was washing away from beneath his feet. He also remembered seeing how Klarnus’ grin actually got bigger when he saw Gsefx’s reaction, and how realizing that little fact was all he needed to get his feet back under him again.

“Thank you, Klarnus,” Gsefx had told the Yelton, looking him directly in the eyes. “You’re a team player and you’ll be rewarded for it. I’ll make sure of it.”

At that, the toothy grin evaporated.

“Now let’s get everyone on board and we’ll get out of here.”

“Yes boss,” said Klarnus, his tone much less friendly than before, “whatever you say.”

They loaded everyone onto the ship, Klarnus dragging Dilnch none too gently, while Gsefx carried Theo, then both of them teaming up to carry the much larger General. When everyone was secure, they headed up into a high orbit. Klarnus had taken Dilnch to the secondary compartment, and as soon as they were both out of sight, Gsefx took DNA samples from both of the Earthlings and loaded them into Ricnor’s weapon filtering system. Once that was done, the Alcorns were as protected from any inadvertent weapons fire as he was. Now it was just a matter of waiting for them to regain consciousness.

Gsefx looked over his console to make sure everything was running like it should be.

Navigation: high orbit around Earth, check.

Communication: everything quiet, check.

Storage: thirty-one paintings accounted for, check.

Wait a minute. Communication?

Gsefx looked at the time, and then glanced at the General and his son. Both were still unconscious. A quick glance toward the doorway connecting Ricnor’s vehicle to his showed no sign of Klarnus or Dilnch. He turned to the vidcon and punched in a complicated combination of several numbers and waited. A few byts later, the screen lit up and Planvc’s face filled the screen.

“Gsefx?” said his friend in a hushed voice. “Wait, I’ll switch to privacy mode.”

Gsefx sat quietly while Planvc adjusted the vidcon on his end.

“There, no one can hear us now. Are you all right? Is everything okay?”

“Yes,” said Gsefx, “everything is as good as it can be, at least for the moment. I just called to check in and see how you were doing. Have I missed anything? Has Xtlar been snooping around?”

Planvc smiled in the simple, friendly way of his that always comforted Gsefx.

“Nothing much has changed since you checked in last time. We’re all working away, just trying to keep up. I know you can’t tell me what’s going on, but when this is all over, you owe me an explanation and the rest of the team a big thank you.”