Chapter Nine
We buried the general's body under a pile of rocks and made our way back to the Hive. My brothers and sisters there greeted me ecstatically, and I was practically buried underneath their weight. I was ushered to the nursery, along with Jack and Perigon, and the Queen thanked them for helping to rescue me. The Queen even said she would oversee Velasquez's recovery in our own labs. She then told me that I did well, though I had become fond of the humans' company.
A week passed. Velasquez was completely healed, and all three of our guests had learned a little more about Aliens than they had expected to. They were going to go home.
Perigon and Velasquez were throwing their stuff (or what was left of it) in their only ship, which had been taken from the military base. Timothy, Poorah, Zendrek, and I were watching. I had become much more like an Alien in my behavior, and I was even sitting like them. My tail and shoulder spikes had finished growing, and the spikes on my back were just beginning to pop out. I could use my telepathy with ease, and my eyesight was blurring (though the sonar was kicking in, so I could still see clearly).
"Are we ready to go?" asked Velasquez from inside the ship.
"Yeah," Perigon replied. "We've got everything."
Jack ran out from the ship. "Wait. There's still something I have to do." He then ran over to us. "Well. This is it."
We'll see you again, right? asked Poorah.
"Hopefully. I don't know yet."
Okay then! That's all I gotta say.
Timothy butted in. I gotta say something! …Thanks, Jack, for saving my sisters.
Jack smiled at Timmy and patted his head, despite how awkward it looked. "No problem." He pulled something from his jacket pocket—a ball. "Here you go. It's a farewell present from me. You and Poorah and all the other youngsters can play with it."
Timmy took the gift in his primary jaws and nodded. Thanks a bunch! Come on, Poorah!
The two scrambled off, laughing and throwing the ball around.
It was Zendrek's turn. He and Jack stared at each other for a long moment before the Alien nodded. I too Will thank you for all you've done. I guess there are some humans we can trust.
Jack smiled at him. "And I guess Aliens aren't as bad as they seem."
You will return, right? The young ones are very fond of you and your friends.
"Yeah, we'll come back. Some day." He turned to me. "I guess this is goodbye, Gemini."
I nodded slowly. "Yeah… Are you sure you can't stay just one more day?"
He shook his head. "Nope. I gotta get home. My sister is begging for me to come home before my nephew's birthday, which is in two weeks. And she says that I better be home for my twenty-fifth birthday or else she'll force me to stay on Earth."
"Why?"
"I don't know. …Because she's weird and overly assertive?"
I laughed. "Then you better go. You don't want to keep your sister waiting."
"Yeah." He hesitated a bit, then did something I would've never expected—he leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. I blushed, and he did too…a little. "Er…well, I better go now."
I nodded furiously. "Yeah. I think so."
He then composed himself, saluted, and walked off to his ship. The hatch closed, and the ship took off and flew into the clouds.
I looked over at Zendrek, and he was fuming. "What?"
He kissed you!
"So?"
Zendrek glared at me. Gee, thanks a lot. I feel so loved now, he muttered sarcastically.
Laughing, I rubbed my head against his. "Just kidding."
There was a sudden laugh, and we whirled around to see Keebler perched on the wall. He looked ready to fall off with amusement.
"WHAT'S SO FUNNY!!!?" I hollered.
It's just…Kaylon was right! He stopped laughing and just grinned like a maniac. You two really are cute couple!
Now I was fuming too. "Keebler, you annoying brat!"
Laughing, my brother Alien scrambled into the vents. I was about to follow when Zendrek stopped me. Let him go. He's just doing it to keep Kaylon's memory alive.
I nodded. "Yeah."
Thirty minutes later, Fayka and I were at the part of the nursery that housed the humans we had gathered over the years for hosts. Some of the Chestbursters were due to come out soon, and I wanted to see who would come out.
The first to wriggle out of a human's chest was a Soldier. You could tell by how big he was. He sniffed us, then ran off to look for food without a word. Several more soldiers erupted from their hosts, and a handful of others wormed their way out. I knew none of them.
"Is that it?" I asked Fayka.
Yeah, I think so, she replied. Let's go.
There was a gurgling scream, and we turned to see the chest of a human soldier (from a while back) burst open, and a Chestburster dropped from it. He sniffed us, then curled his bloody form against my leg.
You thought I was dead for good, huh? the Chestburster said in a faint, sleepy-sounding thought-voice.
There were tears in my eyes. I scooped up the little worm and hugged him tightly.
OW! That hurts, Gemini! he squealed.
Laughing, Fayka and I exited the nursery with the Chestburster in my arms. "Well," I said, "get used to it. I missed you so much, Kaylon."
Yeah, he said drowsily. I missed you too…all of you…
~~
One week later…
Jack Horrigan stepped into his sister's house with his suitcase in one hand and a shoulder bag in the other. He looked around. "Geez…this place hasn't changed a bit…"
"Jack!" exclaimed Sarah—his sister—as she came in from the kitchen. "I'm so glad you could come before Peter's birthday!"
Jack smiled and hugged his sister absently, dropping his stuff on the floor. "So. Where is the little tyke, anyway?"
"He's in the backyard, playing with his toys." She left for the kitchen again. "Oh, and put your stuff in the guest room!"
Shaking his head, Jack picked up his stuff again and dropped them in his room. This place hasn't changed at all, he said to himself as he wandered into the backyard. In the little sandbox in the middle of the yard, Peter was playing with a toy tank and rolling it on the sands.
"Hey, Peter, what're you doing?" asked Jack, sitting next to his nephew.
"Oh, hi, Unca Jack," greeted the boy. "I'm pwaying wid my tanks."
"I can see that. So…why are all those men lying in front of the tank?" He pointed to the line of plastic soldiers on their backs in the sand.
"Because dey didn't lissen to da genewal and got in big twubble."
Jack leaned closer to his nephew. "Just between you and me, but I didn't listen to my general."
Peter's eyes widened. "You didn't? Did you get in twubble?"
"At first. But then my general died."
Peter looked at his toys laid out in front of him. He picked up the plastic general and placed it on the sand in front of the tank. The boy then took the other three soldiers and put them aside. Finally, he took his toy tank and rolled it over the plastic general. Peter looked up at his uncle. "Like dat?"
Jack laughed. "No, not really."
Peter pouted. "Den how, Unca Jack?" He jumped on his uncle and exclaimed, "Tell me! Tell me!"
Jack disentangled Peter from his shoulders and put him down on his lap. "Well, Peter… Let's just say…I made a few friends during my time on Kirin."
"Bad friends?"
Smiling, Jack shook his head. "No. Good friends."
~~
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Author's Note: It's not over yet, so just sit tight till the last chapter! Oh, and BTW, Peter is Mitchell's son, so Jack and Mitchell are really brothers-in-law! Freaky, huh?
