Hey guys! Got to get this chapter up because I was able to go at it all day. I'm not feeling well. :( . But that doesn't matter. It's the chapter that matters. Thank you guys so much for all of your reviews, and it's only the first chapter. Guess what (please refrain from screaming. At least if you have other people around you. They might want to send you to a psychiatric hospital. Do it in either your head or somewhere soundproof), Seth is back! I can almost hear the fan girls now... lol. Anywho, you don't want to hear me blather on. On with the reading!
Seth's POV:
"Ryan, I left the controls for a minute. How did you manage to crash the ship?" I asked, typing instructions into the computer to do a scan of the ship's damages.
"Fluffy escaped it's cage and attacked my crisps." Ryan answered, looking down to the ground.
"Ryan, I told you to leave your fluff ball at home. It's only going to cause us trouble." I told him, glaring at the fluffy thing on his shoulder, which was conveniently the size of my fist.
"Hey! Leave Fluffy alone!" Ryan defended. "We got to your girlfriends planet. I don't know what you're complaining about."
"This planet is twice the size of ours. We don't even know if we landed in the right place." I explained. The computer beeped with the report. I read it, and cursed.
"What?" Ryan asked.
"We sustained a lot of damage. It'll take a lot of repairs to get us going again." I translated since he wasn't really computer smart, which made me wonder why I brought him of all people with me.
"Stay here. I'm going out to take a look." I said, and opened up the door. As soon as a looked across the terrain, I recognised the area.
I smiled. "We're here."
Ryan appeared out of the ship while I tried repairing some damages myself.
"We've got people approaching from the north west road." He called out to me.
"Go get the guns." I replied, closing up the cover to the wires and mechanics and grabbing my jacket.
I sprinted up into the ship and started typing, putting up the shields on the ship. Ryan came back in and handed me the smaller gun, which I had made myself.
"Go into the dome at the top of the ship and aim from there. I'm going to the front."
Ryan nodded and took off. I slipped into the small space, which wasn't covered by a protected glass.
Peering through the binoculars, I searched for the enemy. I found them immediately, the familiar black jeeps coming.
"Ryan!" I yelled. "Stand down!"
"Why?" he yelled back.
"Just do it! I know them!"
I slipped out of the space and opened the ship's door. I shoved the gun into the back of my jeans and covered it with my jacket.
"What are you doing Seth?" Ryan asked, appearing behind me.
"Getting us repairs." I answered and exited the ship.
The jeeps pulled up. The man from before stepped out of the jeep and began walking over.
"It's nice to see you again Seth." He greeted, waving his men down.
"Hello Henry." I greeted with a nod.
(Leslie's POV)
I woke up and showered, then got into my working clothes. They were only a pair of jeans, trainers and a t-shirt, but I always wore them when dealing with alien stuff.
We walked along the white corridors, and I observed all of the locked doors to storage rooms where smaller, unnamed things were placed, all under heavy security.
We stopped at one of the larger rooms, and I scanned myself in. Inside the room, an alien was laying on a stretcher, covered as far as it's shoulders. It looked almost human, except that it's skin was pitch black and it's hair was snow white. It's features defined it as a female, but since it was from a different planet, you would never know. The sight left me slightly breathless. She was beautiful.
Henry and Timmy went into a separate observing room while I slipped the latex gloves on over my hands. Hygiene purposes was what I was told.
I was given training in the first few months I was introduced into working at Witch Mountain. I was taught how to handle alien specimens and try to communicate with them instead of them being interrogated by government employee's. Burke was the head of Witch Mountain, but he would follow my command on what should be done with the aliens after I've spoken with them. There's only a few incidences where they've spoken English. Other times I've had to use various types of communication, often drawing and that sort of thing. The President happily funded all of this, partially because he was disgraced with Burke treated Seth, Sara and I were treated when we were captured before. Burke was told to either take an oath swearing I wasn't to be touched, or he would be immediately sacked without any privileges and the best job he could ever get would be cleaning and emptying septic tanks. Even though Burke took the oath and signed it in front of the President himself, Witch Mountain is still under surveillance. Timmy was the captain of the surveillance sector.
When I approached, the alien's eyes opened, which were very human. The pupils were as black as it's skin, and the iris' were pink. The rest was white, like a Earth humans.
She sat up suddenly, gasping in a breath. It jumped when it saw me, startled.
"It's ok." I soothed, making sure my voice was distinctly calm so that he was at ease.
She was apprehensive at first, but then her shoulders slumped, now relaxed.
"Where am I?" she asked, except her mouth didn't move. Letting my imagination escape, I figured that she was using telepathy to communicate.
You are on planet Earth, inside the Milky Way galaxy. I thought, to which she nodded.
How long have I been here? she asked.
I recalled the file I read last night on my way to Witch Mountain. Five days. You had to be put into a stable condition before I could speak to you. When your ship crashed, you sustained many injuries. Luckily, since your body functions are very similar to a humans, the doctors here were able to heal you and help you recover. Your body system however allows you to heal much faster than ours. Earth inhabitants take at least a week to recover from an accident as bad as yours. I explained. She nodded again.
Where is my ship? She asked.
Fully repaired and ready for you. I answered. May I ask you some questions first?
Yes. What?
First, to save some confusion, what is your name?
Jane.
Jane?
Yes. Why? Is it unusual on your planet?
Actually it is quite a popular name on our planet. I was expecting a difficult name that would be almost impossible to pronounce.
Similar to Apothaysyeus?
I blinked. Now that was a hell of a name.
Yes. That would be difficult to say.
What's your name? Jim asked.
Leslie.
I like that name. I haven't heard it before.
I smiled and moved on.
Anyway, had you intended on coming to Earth?
No. I was crossing this galaxy to go to my own. My ship's systems shut down and I was taken down to your planet. I assure you Leslie, I or my people mean your galaxy no harm. We are peaceful.
I smiled. That's all I need to hear. I'll bring you to your ship now. I looked to Timmy and Burke and nodded to them, which they knew meant that I was bringing Jane to her ship. They returned it, and I helped Jane off the stretcher.
She found her feet easily enough and walked beside me. I gaped at how tall she was. She was at least two and a half metres in height.
She walked alongside me, cautious of other people who passed by. I took her hand assuringly and guided her along the corridor towards Hangar 2, followed closely by Burke and Timmy.
We got to Hanger 2, and I scanned us in. The ship was obviously made for two people. Where the steel was whiter must have been where the ship was repaired. Beside the ship was a taller figure, also black skinned and white haired. It turned around, and seemed to be male. Jane let go of my hand and ran across the hangar to him, jumping up into his arms in a huge hug. I smiled, my mind falling back to Seth.
Jane left her partners embrace and turned to me. Leslie, thank you so much. Both Liam and I are in your debt.
There's no need. I'm glad to help. You should get going if you want to get home. I answered. Jane and Liam nodded and climbed into their ship. The skylight opened, and the ship took off into the air impossibly fast.
The air around us settled back down, and Burke called me.
"Well done. Another case solved. How did you communicate this time?" he asked.
"Telepathy." I answered.
Burke nodded. "There's something else for you in Hangar 1." He told me, leading the way to the hangar in question.
I breathed out deeply, but followed him out. Hangar 1 was the biggest hangar in Witch Mountain, so whatever was there was quite big.
"Have you a file on this one?" I asked.
"You won't need one." Burke answered, a smile spreading across his face. I cocked an eyebrow, but continued on nevertheless.
"Here we are Miss Bruno." Timmy said, both him and Burke, , standing to one side to let me through the door into Hangar 1.
I typed in the code, got my eyes and handprint scanned before I was let in.
Henry and Timmy followed individually, each getting scanned for approval.
I entered the hangar and immediately recognised the large, silver ship on metal platforms. My breath hitched when I saw Seth working on the wiring. The shirt was soaking and stuck to him, so he must be sweating from all the work.
Seth sat up from the platform he was lying on, and turned to face us. He grinned when he saw me and jumped down from the platform, which was at least four metres high. He landed gracefully, his legs taking the impact effortlessly.
I ran across the concrete to meet him halfway, my heart racing as fast as I was.
When I reached him, I jumped into his opened arms. I felt my necklace heat up, but I ignored it.
"Told you I'd come back for you." Seth whispered into my ear, holding me tightly.
"I never doubted you anyway. You wouldn't be able to start a rebellion without me. I presume you crashed yesterday." I said, pulling back.
"How do you know?" I picked up the necklace he had around his neck.
"This. Mine nearly got me in trouble in school." I answered, showing him my rapidly flashing one.
"By the way, I've forgot to give you this." Seth pulled me into him again and kissed me. Wow...
(Seth POV)
"Seth, get dressed. You look like you're after being in a fight." Ryan called from my left. I pulled back with a quiet growl.
"I'm busy Ryan, can't you see?" I asked, still keeping my arms around Leslie.
"Is this the one you were looking for?" Ryan asked, indicating her.
"The one has a name." Leslie snapped. I smiled. There's the attitude I missed. "It's Leslie."
Ryan looked from Leslie to me. "I would have thought that you went for quieter girls."
"Now that we are acquainted, when are you going to be finished repairs?" Burke asked.
"Going the way we are now, we should be done by morning. I just finished where I am now." I answered, getting my t-shirt and jacket and hanging them over my shoulder.
"Miss Bruno can point you towards the showers." Burke said to Ryan and I. "My scientists can finish up here."
"I'm not in the mood for travelling to Leslie's. I'll stay here and continue to work on the ship so we can get back home now that we have her." Ryan said, turning back to the ship and putting the visor back on.
Burke nodded. "Miss Bruno, Seth would be better off using the shower in your room. The other ones are all unavailable." He said.
Leslie nodded and took my hand, walking across the hangar.
"You live here?" I asked.
"Only sometimes. When I'm called in when there's unusual findings. Don't worry. I don't treat anything I find like he did when you first came." She explained.
We got to a small room, and Leslie pointed to a door. "The shower is in there. Towels are right beside it."
I walked into the bathroom, leaving my t-shirt and jacket on the bed, then my shoes and socks. Leslie kicked off her boots and pulled off her socks too, then stretched out across her bed.
I looked at the machine, which was supposed to be the shower, then turned back to her.
"How do you work it?" I asked, looking at the box with buttons on it.
Leslie stepped by me and stepped into the shower to reach the box.
"That's to turn it on." She motioned to one button. "That dial changes the temperature. Red for hot, and blue for cold."
I pressed the button which she first pointed to, just to be sure. Water rained down from the hose overhead onto Leslie, quickly wetting her.
"Thanks for that." She said and got out again. I smirked and planted a kiss on her lips.
"It's only fair that I get to see you damp when you see me damp." Her face flushed dark red, and my smirk broadened.
Leslie rolled her eyes and stepped out of the bathroom, grabbing a towel along the way to dry off. When she closed the door, I undressed and showered, thinking over the day's events and planning tomorrow's.
(Leslie's POV)
"Were you in contact with Jack and Alex?" Seth asked from the back seat behind me.
"No. I'm not allowed to make contact with anyone outside Witch Mountain. Doesn't matter anyway. There's no signal there." I answered.
"So they don't know we're coming?" Ryan asked. Seth managed to convince him to come along. The scientists were instructed what to do with repairs, then were left to fix it.
"Nope." I shook my head.
"I would advise you don't stay long Seth." Burke said. "Once people hear that you've arrived for Miss Bruno, the public will flock to the house."
"There won't be a problem with that. We're leaving as soon as our ship is repaired." Seth answered. "All we need is permission to bring Leslie with us and we'll be leaving."
I smiled. I couldn't wait to get going. Yeah, I was going to miss here, but I was more excited about leaving. It was like a long holiday.
"We'll be picking you up at eight-thirty tomorrow morning." Burke said as we exited the SUV. "Then we'll take you back to Witch Mountain, and you can leave for Retha from there."
"Okay." I nodded, then closed the door. I waved as they left down the road and I walked up the drive.
"Alex and Jack might be a little surprised about the sudden arrival, but they'll get used to you guys quick. Ryan, prepare yourself for a load of questions. Alex is a headcase when it comes to things like this."
When I turned the corner, I noticed that Tye's car was parked behind Jack's. I wonder what she's doing here?
I knocked on the glass of the patio door and came in. Jack was in the middle of pouring coffee for into five mugs, but stopped when he saw me.
"Hey Leslie. Hi Seth. Who's your friend?" he asked, coming around to greet us.
"I'm Ryan." Ryan introduced. Jack shook his hand, and I closed the door.
Shay came into the room when she heard voices. "Leslie!" she exclaimed, running over and giving me a breath-sucking hug.
"I can't breathe Shay." I said, taking her arms from around me.
"Woops." She looked at Seth. Then whispered to me as if he couldn't hear. "Is that Seth?"
"Yeah." I replied.
Shay stood close to me to whisper. "When you said he was good-looking, you never said it was an understatement." She whispered quite loudly, so she was heard by everyone. I rolled my eyes.
"Please Shay. Control yourself." I told her. She then waved at Ryan, who nodded his head at her in return.
Alex came into the room, followed by Tye.
"This must be the oh-so-famous Seth." Tye commented, crossing her arms and winking at me.
I felt my face heat, and heard Seth stifle a laugh. I dug my elbow into his ribs.
Alex stepped forward, trying not to throw millions of questions at Seth all at once. "How long are you going to be here?" she asked.
"Until morning."
"I presume you came to pick up Leslie." Jack said. Seth nodded.
"He insisted on it." Ryan answered. "Couldn't do anything without her." Seth threw daggers at Ryan. It was my turn to stifle the laugh.
"Don't you think we'd be better off sitting down?" Tye suggested. "I have a feeling that this could be a long conversation."
We moved to the living room, and I sat down beside Seth on the sofa, curling my legs underneath me. Ryan sat in the big armchair. I'd say if he was a cat he'd be purring.
"So go on. Tell us the story." Jack said.
"As you know already, my parents are scientists on our planet, who found out that our planet is just like yours. So, through the development of my parents research, all of our money has started to be supplied by the government in the hopes that they, my parents, would find a cure for our dying planet. There was a lot of money involved, so our government was beginning to worry that they would not get the money back, so in return, they requested that their son take Sara in marriage. We protested but Sara read my parents minds finding out that we would not be able to pay back, so accepted the offer. She is due to marry next week, which is why we need to start a rebellion soon." Seth explained.
"What do you need Leslie for?" Alex asked.
"We need a female on our team, and the ones on our planet are not strong enough to deal with this mission mentally, or physically."
"In other words, they're not as stubborn as Leslie." Tye said. I stuck out my tongue childishly.
"That, and I wanted to bring her home for a while. Our Elders, people who have the future-seeing ability and provide advice for our people, told me to bring her to Retha."
"Don't tell me I'm the 'chosen one'." I said. "I'm sorry but I don't play a good hero."
"It's nothing like that. Just something small." Seth reassured me.
"Well, it's time for bed if you're starting early in the morning. Seth, there's an extra bunk in Leslie's room. You can use that. Ryan-"
"Doesn't sleep." Seth cut across Alex. "He was born with a disease that prevents him from sleeping. It isn't life threatening. He gets his sufficient rest through meditation."
"Oh." Alex said, unsure of how to react. Ryan, however, grinned and gave us a thumbs up.
"That must be useful. How much partying do you get done on your planet?" Tye asked with a smile.
"Don't get him started." Seth warned. "We're trying to convince Alex and Jack to let Leslie come with us. Not lock her away from me and never let her go to Retha."
I leaned more against Seth, feeling tired already. I jumped when I felt his pocket move of its own accord.
Seth shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out a purple plastic looking ball.
"You're dead." He hissed at Ryan, showing him the ball.
"What is that?" I asked, taking it from him and putting it into my own hand. Two eyes appeared, with only pupils that are as black as night. A tail spurted out from behind, a little flashing ball at the end. It purred at me squeakily and jumped up and down in my hand like a bouncy ball.
"It's a Rilone. They would be considered pets on my planet. They can be used as toys too. They're highly durable." Seth took it from me and an threw it against the wall. It flew across the room, yelling a high pitched 'WHEEE!'. It bounced off the wall, making a horn sound, then 'WHEEE'd back into Seth's palm at a high speed, hitting his hand with another horn sound. "I don't like them."
"Why not?" I asked, taking it from him and throwing it across the room.
"They're annoying. And they eat practically all of my electronics at home. I have them Rilone proof now though. They don't like Rilone sensing lasers very much."
I perked up, letting the Rilone jump out of my hands and onto Alex's lap. "You have lasers?"
"Yes. All sorts from security systems, to weaponry, to medical treatment. Why, does this planet not have them?" I shook my head.
"I think it's time for bed. You can discuss this upstairs." Jack interrupted. "Do you need PJ's Seth?"
"That won't be necessary." Seth said, pulling me into his arms and standing. "Thank you all the same." He said, as if carrying me was normal. For all I know it probably is to him.
"Do you want the Rilone?" Alex asked.
"Give it to Ryan. It's his." Seth replied, and I started giving him directions to my room.
"Seth?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you have anything to help me sleep?" I asked.
Seth looked down to me from the bunk above. "Why can you not sleep?" he asked.
I shrugged my shoulders, sitting up and putting my back to the wall. "Don't know. Just can't."
Seth swung down to my bunk, not even touching the carpet. Sort of like a hotter, less ape-like Tarzan.
"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" he asked.
"Nope. Just can't sleep. I'll probably stay awake all night and end up falling asleep in the ship on the way over." I smiled ironically.
"Let me know when you're tired and I'll show you where you can sleep." He offered.
"I will. Hey, do you want to see Star Wars?" I asked, jumping off my bed and going over to my DVD collection, which wasn't really that big.
"Uh...ok. what is Star Wars about?" Seth asked. I handed him the case of the fourth movie. Seth read it, looked at the picture at the front of it, then gave it back.
"Ok. It could be funny." He guessed.
I put it into the player and turned on the TV, which I had on my desk facing my bed so I could look at it in comfort. That could possibly be a definition of spoiled, but ah well. Jack and Alex having an international bestselling book has it's compliments.
"It that the Han Solo that Alex spoke to you about before?" Seth asked halfway through the movie, almost glaring at the TV screen at Han.
I flushed. "Well, yeah. I'm sort of a fan. Don't get me wrong. I'd pick you over him at any chance I would be given. I just need to be occupied while you're not around." I explained sheepishly.
Seth leaned over me, brushing my mop of hair back, "Well now you don't need him. I'll be with you for good now, whether it be on Retha or Earth." He closed the gap between us and we kissed.
Just then, Jack walked into the room. I jumped up, hitting my head off the top bunk.
"Woops." Jack laughed. "Forgot that you two would be 'catching up'. I just want to borrow your computer."
"Why? Alex has hers downstairs." I asked.
"Hers is slow. I like this one better anyway."
I rolled my eyes. "Alex sent you up to spy on us, didn't she?" I guessed.
"Something like that. Have fun. I won't tell her that you're swallowing each others' tongues. Just try and stay safe. Okay? Night." He left just as quick as he came in and left us, Seth confused and me really flushed and quite ready to take his teeth out raw.
Phew. That was a long chapter. A total of 4,013 words, and that's without the authors note. Anyway, you guys know what to do. :)
