Disclaimer: Please see Prologue
Part Seven: Alien Fast Food
After seven weeks working in an alien fast-food place, Harlan had seen some strange people. He had seen a few Meridians, who were beautiful people, with smooth dark skin and bright hair and tall, lithe bodies. He had seen any number of Derezians: ones with pink skin, ones with white skin (which wasn't what Harlan called "white," which was really cream-colored, but actually white like a sheet of paper), ones with light blue skin, a few with purple skin. They had hair of every color humans had, and also anything you could pick out from Catalina's head. Harlan had seen dozens of tourists of all races, even Spung, who Harlan realized after a while were only there for the food and the city and were not going to kill anyone. Still, Harlan could not believe his eyes when he saw Radu come into what he called "McDonald's."
Radu was death-white and his face was noticeably thinner. His cheek bones stood out noticeably from the rest of his face. He was wearing excessively cuffed black plastic pants that were way too big on him, along with a black plastic shirt that was probably made to be skin-tight but definitely wasn't on Radu. Strapped to his hip was one mean-looking gun.
The other people in the fast-food place didn't even take notice of Radu.
Radu walked up to Harlan's line, which for once was empty. Mid-morning was as slow as it ever got in the place, which wasn't very.
"Hi Harlan," said Radu. His voice was very quiet and he gripped the counter as if it were holding him up.
"God, what happened to you Radu!"
"I'll tell you... in a second. I've got to eat something or I am going to pass out, Harlan."
"Sure, look Radu, go sit down and I'll be with you in five minutes."
"Thanks Harlan."
[pic]
An alien some-kind-of-meat burger on a some-kind-of-grain bun is not the best thing in the world to an Andromedan. Nonetheless, Radu ate three of them before he said a word to Harlan.
"You're not going to believe this," he said to Harlan. "I think I finally know what Hell's like, and I don't believe in your Human religions." He held up his hands to show his disbelief.
"Hey-" interrupted Harlan. "What happened to your hands?"
"What?" asked Radu, completely thrown off track.
"When you came in to my room at *three in the morning* you told me that some woman had cut your hands last night in a fight and you had gone and gotten them bandaged. So what's the deal, was that story B.S.?"
Radu stared at him like he had taken a gun out and had it pointed at his head. He felt dizzy.
"Hey man, whoa!" Harlan ran around to the other side of their booth just in time to grab Radu before he pitched forward onto the table. "Radu... what's the matter? You look horrible, and..." Harlan's grip wrapped almost all the way around Radu's upper arm.
"Oh my God, what happened."
Radu told him. About how he had fought with the woman in the street and how she had knocked him out with that sedative. Radu told him about her hand- cutting and tendrils, and about how she had somehow siphoned the life right out of him. Radu told him about how he had used the key to the motel room to cut the cables he was tied with, and how the woman had jumped off of the platform and walked away sounding like him.
"Harlan, you told me that you saw me this morning and that I had cut hands... and that I had no key. That wasn't me, Harlan, it was that woman, Xenia. I think she is going to come back to the motel, Harlan... what if she wants to kill everyone?"
"Calm down, Radu. Have some more of your alien-burgers. When we get back - and we will go back - I'll have Rosie set you up on an IV for a while. We'll get her, Radu. Don't worry, we'll take care of it, we've dealt with doubles before."
Somehow, Radu wasn't convinced.
[pic]
"Dear cable-cutting snack food,
"That was a nice little trick you pulled, escaping from the loft. Well, we can't have that, can we. By now I am sure you have told at least one of your friends about me and what I can do. Well, I have a surprise for you, too. I came back to the warehouse to find *you* gone... You come back to your motel room to find your pink, hot-blooded girlfriend gone. It was too easy, life force. All I had to do was punch her once and she was completely out. You come back to me, ALONE, and I will let you take her place. "I love you Radu." Yeah, and I bet you love her too. If you ever want to see her alive again, or weighing more than ten pounds, I'd advise you to come. I'll be watching you from the roof, skinny puppy, and if you bring anyone with you I will shoot you both like animals, and siphon your friend until there's nothing left of her but nerve and bone. Don't play with me.
"Xenia"
[pic]
"I'm going."
"You are NOT going, Radu."
"Yes I am. I love Rosie and I will die for her if that's what I have to do. You should know that friendships turn into the best relationships. I've had Rosie as my best friend since the first day I set eyes on her, and I will NOT see her killed by that MONSTER!"
"Radu, the last time I saw you like this you had icicles dripping off your face. Calm down."
"NO!"
"We'll get her back. Together."
"We'll get all three of us and the rest of the crew KILLED together."
"Radu, I am going with you... Besides, you're weak as it is."
"Not that weak," said Radu, as he punched Harlan hard in the face. He fell without a sound. Radu managed to lift him into his own bed with some difficulty, and scrawled a note for Harlan.
"Harlan
"I am sorry I had to punch you out like that. You don't know what this person can do. I am going to get Rosie away from her. If I am not back by the time it gets dark, then get as many guns as you can, get the entire crew in full body armor, and go find us at the tenth warehouse from the river, the largest one on Halorn Street. If you come before then Xenia will kill you.
"Goodbye
"-Radu"
[pic]
Part Seven: Alien Fast Food
After seven weeks working in an alien fast-food place, Harlan had seen some strange people. He had seen a few Meridians, who were beautiful people, with smooth dark skin and bright hair and tall, lithe bodies. He had seen any number of Derezians: ones with pink skin, ones with white skin (which wasn't what Harlan called "white," which was really cream-colored, but actually white like a sheet of paper), ones with light blue skin, a few with purple skin. They had hair of every color humans had, and also anything you could pick out from Catalina's head. Harlan had seen dozens of tourists of all races, even Spung, who Harlan realized after a while were only there for the food and the city and were not going to kill anyone. Still, Harlan could not believe his eyes when he saw Radu come into what he called "McDonald's."
Radu was death-white and his face was noticeably thinner. His cheek bones stood out noticeably from the rest of his face. He was wearing excessively cuffed black plastic pants that were way too big on him, along with a black plastic shirt that was probably made to be skin-tight but definitely wasn't on Radu. Strapped to his hip was one mean-looking gun.
The other people in the fast-food place didn't even take notice of Radu.
Radu walked up to Harlan's line, which for once was empty. Mid-morning was as slow as it ever got in the place, which wasn't very.
"Hi Harlan," said Radu. His voice was very quiet and he gripped the counter as if it were holding him up.
"God, what happened to you Radu!"
"I'll tell you... in a second. I've got to eat something or I am going to pass out, Harlan."
"Sure, look Radu, go sit down and I'll be with you in five minutes."
"Thanks Harlan."
[pic]
An alien some-kind-of-meat burger on a some-kind-of-grain bun is not the best thing in the world to an Andromedan. Nonetheless, Radu ate three of them before he said a word to Harlan.
"You're not going to believe this," he said to Harlan. "I think I finally know what Hell's like, and I don't believe in your Human religions." He held up his hands to show his disbelief.
"Hey-" interrupted Harlan. "What happened to your hands?"
"What?" asked Radu, completely thrown off track.
"When you came in to my room at *three in the morning* you told me that some woman had cut your hands last night in a fight and you had gone and gotten them bandaged. So what's the deal, was that story B.S.?"
Radu stared at him like he had taken a gun out and had it pointed at his head. He felt dizzy.
"Hey man, whoa!" Harlan ran around to the other side of their booth just in time to grab Radu before he pitched forward onto the table. "Radu... what's the matter? You look horrible, and..." Harlan's grip wrapped almost all the way around Radu's upper arm.
"Oh my God, what happened."
Radu told him. About how he had fought with the woman in the street and how she had knocked him out with that sedative. Radu told him about her hand- cutting and tendrils, and about how she had somehow siphoned the life right out of him. Radu told him about how he had used the key to the motel room to cut the cables he was tied with, and how the woman had jumped off of the platform and walked away sounding like him.
"Harlan, you told me that you saw me this morning and that I had cut hands... and that I had no key. That wasn't me, Harlan, it was that woman, Xenia. I think she is going to come back to the motel, Harlan... what if she wants to kill everyone?"
"Calm down, Radu. Have some more of your alien-burgers. When we get back - and we will go back - I'll have Rosie set you up on an IV for a while. We'll get her, Radu. Don't worry, we'll take care of it, we've dealt with doubles before."
Somehow, Radu wasn't convinced.
[pic]
"Dear cable-cutting snack food,
"That was a nice little trick you pulled, escaping from the loft. Well, we can't have that, can we. By now I am sure you have told at least one of your friends about me and what I can do. Well, I have a surprise for you, too. I came back to the warehouse to find *you* gone... You come back to your motel room to find your pink, hot-blooded girlfriend gone. It was too easy, life force. All I had to do was punch her once and she was completely out. You come back to me, ALONE, and I will let you take her place. "I love you Radu." Yeah, and I bet you love her too. If you ever want to see her alive again, or weighing more than ten pounds, I'd advise you to come. I'll be watching you from the roof, skinny puppy, and if you bring anyone with you I will shoot you both like animals, and siphon your friend until there's nothing left of her but nerve and bone. Don't play with me.
"Xenia"
[pic]
"I'm going."
"You are NOT going, Radu."
"Yes I am. I love Rosie and I will die for her if that's what I have to do. You should know that friendships turn into the best relationships. I've had Rosie as my best friend since the first day I set eyes on her, and I will NOT see her killed by that MONSTER!"
"Radu, the last time I saw you like this you had icicles dripping off your face. Calm down."
"NO!"
"We'll get her back. Together."
"We'll get all three of us and the rest of the crew KILLED together."
"Radu, I am going with you... Besides, you're weak as it is."
"Not that weak," said Radu, as he punched Harlan hard in the face. He fell without a sound. Radu managed to lift him into his own bed with some difficulty, and scrawled a note for Harlan.
"Harlan
"I am sorry I had to punch you out like that. You don't know what this person can do. I am going to get Rosie away from her. If I am not back by the time it gets dark, then get as many guns as you can, get the entire crew in full body armor, and go find us at the tenth warehouse from the river, the largest one on Halorn Street. If you come before then Xenia will kill you.
"Goodbye
"-Radu"
[pic]