Chapter 12:
Jack found himself suspended in the air. He was covered in a thick, white substance. Only his head was clear, but he could only stare forward. He saw Lia lying on her back on a gray slab covered in the same substance. He tried to move, but he was held fast in place like a fly on a spiderweb.
Suddenly, the substance turned blue. Ecstasy raced through Jack. His head fell back, and he closed his eyes. He shook, and the pleasure turned into a sharp pain. He screamed as his body convulsed. His head dropped forward. His heart stopped.
Jack gasped. His head snapped upward, bringing him face to face with the seven-foot being dressed in silver with a sphere helmet. His face reflected against its metal face. He watched the alien split into two more beings. They stood side by side, and one of them touched his face with a cold, gloved hand.
"If you're going to fuck me like that, at least buy me dinner first," Jack said. He waited for a response. "What? No sense of humor?"
"Fascinating," the first said.
"He can survive death," the second said.
"The Doctor outdid himself," the third said, pulling its hand away.
"The Doctor? How do you know him?" Jack tried to move. He couldn't. "What do you want from me?"
"We might have crossed paths with the Doctor once," the first said.
"We want to study you and add your ability to the others," the second said.
"If you survive, we'll let you live out the rest of your life as a normal human man," the third said. "If you survive," it added.
The substance glowed blue. Ecstasy poured through Jack. He knew the pain was coming next, and it did. He screamed as he shook. "Stop," Jack screamed. "Stop it!"
"He's right," the first said.
"We need to focus on her," the second said.
"We can study him later," the third said, and the substance turned white.
Jack struggled to compose himself. "Who are you," he asked.
"We are the Phrodites," the first one said.
"The what?"
"Similar to your goddess of fertility," the second answered.
"We send our scouts out across the universe, looking for those that fit our needs," the third replied.
"Okay. You're going to have to explain that." He watched the aliens approach Lia. "Hey, the world's not ending today, and we're not going anywhere." The aliens looked back at him. "When did your scouts cross the Rift here?"
"Very good, Captain." The first one sounded pleased.
"Fifty years ago," the second responded.
"And?"
"And they were given their orders to scatter across the globe and find their targets," the third said.
"Explain," Jack said, and the white substance flickered blue. "Please." He shivered.
The aliens sighed. They merged into one. The seven-foot being approached Jack. It placed a cold, gloved hand on his head. A jolt of electricity surged through Jack, and Jack convulsed.
"You can't see our scouts, Captain, but you can sense them. Can't you?"
Jack slumped forward. "I can," he said. He sensed the scouts. There were many of them. They were watching people, waiting. When those people had sex, they slipped into the women, taking over. Jack could feel their sex, their pleasure. It filled every fiber of his being. "What are they doing," he gasped.
"Releasing their DNA into the womb, so after the sex…"
"The women become pregnant." Jack watched the women's bellies grow large. "Ever hear of protective sex?" He looked at the alien.
"What do you humans say? The condom broke."
"Why?" Jack stared at the alien. "Why are you doing this to us?"
The alien stepped back. "We have crossed the universe several times, combining so many species with our own. Hybrids, if you will, and we collect them at a designated point. We bring them to a place, where they could thrive and live under a more supervised control, so that they do not destroy themselves. So they do not disturb the natural order of things and rob death of its power."
"Miracle Day," Jack said.
"You moved up our timetable, Captain."
"That wasn't me."
"Doesn't matter. We had to alter our plans."
Jack watched the alien approach Lia. "Why her? Why did the scout save her?"
"It wasn't supposed to." The alien split into two more beings. "She was supposed to mate. Have sex."
"Tommy," Jack said.
"She was supposed to have a child. Something went wrong. At least, the scout got the other target."
"Other target?" Jack thought back to Lia's memories and how her friend was so freaked out after having sex. "Jamie. Her child's on the list."
The first alien said, "This one's child would have been on the list too, and the scout would have moved on to its last targets, bringing us twenty from the United States."
"Which is why there is only fifteen." Jack watched the aliens surround Lia. "You don't want to save her."
"No," the second said. "We want the scout."
"What are the scouts?"
"A lesser form of us," the third replied. "One we have to break into submission, and most of them obey. Every now and then, we find a rebel like this one."
"The scouts are male." Jack stared at the aliens. "You're female."
"Your intelligence is astounding, Captain," the first said.
"Now, if you don't mind," the second said.
"This is going to be very delicate," the third said.
"Removing the scout?"
"No more questions," the aliens said in sync.
The substance turned blue. Ecstasy raced through Jack. He convulsed, and the pleasure turned into pain. He screamed as his body shook violently. His head dropped forward. His heart stopped.
"Maybe, that will quiet him for now," the first said.
"We must be sure not to alert the Doctor that we have him," the second said.
"We will be careful," the third said. "Shall we proceed?"
The aliens placed their hands over Lia. A jolt of electricity fired into Lia. Her body jumped, and the air around her charged with particles. The electricity intensified, but the scout refused to leave her.
"Careful," the first said. "The scout is activated like the others."
"Maybe, we should leave him in her," the second said.
Jack gasped. His body shook. He drew in a shaky breath. He slowly raised his head up, looking at the aliens.
"You're right," the third said. "We can't risk pushing too hard, or he will detonate."
"Detonate," Jack asked.
The aliens merged back into one. "She will be left behind with the other humans and join in their fate." The alien moved away.
"She's a bomb," Jack said. "The scouts are bombs."
"Nuclear bombs, Captain." The alien left the room.