Disclaimer: Daria and associated characters are owned by MTV. This is fan fiction written for entertainment only. No money or other negotiable currency or goods have been exchanged.

Original characters and plot copyright Richard J. Lobinske. 2005.

This is a sequel to the story, Alien Pond.

Richard Lobinske

Alien Home

APRIL 2012

Thirty one-year old Daria Morgendorffer sat in the quiet of her Lawndale house. She turned the page of the book she was reading and looked around her comfortable living room. At times, she still found it odd that Lawndale was the place she considered home. She'd spent most of the last fourteen and a half years in the town, except for the years she lived in Boston while she attended college at Raft, and the year she lived in her Montana cabin.

That memory of that cabin brought a warm smile to her face. She would be leaving in two days for her annual mid-April pilgrimage there. To her readers, editors, friends and family, it was her "After Taxes" vacation. Only her best friend, Jane Lane, knew it was a journey of remembrance for the three daughters Daria had raised in that remote cabin.

A very faint buzzing stirred Daria from her memories. Listening carefully, she realized that the sound seemed to come from the metallic belt, box, and two pistols on display in her living room. She told visitors they were props from a long forgotten science fiction TV pilot she had tried to sell.

Daria touched the belt and felt a vibration from a small metal disk set within it. She remembered what she was told when given the belt:

"Will alarm if enemy in range."

A very cold chill ran down Daria's spine. She quietly put the belt on and pressed a button on the buckle. A faint shimmer briefly passed over her vision as a transparent shield activated. Daria first pulled the matching pistol, but set it aside and picked up the second pistol. She removed a small, flat metal square from a pocket on the belt, slid it into the pistol grip, rotated a small control and briefly checked a display. Holding the pistol before her, she began to carefully scan the windows of her living room.

A faint click of something hard on the floor drew her attention toward the kitchen. A flash of purple spread around her as she saw a dark green insect-like figure in the door, pointing a pistol at her. Daria leveled hers at the alien and touched the trigger. A whine filled the air and a mirage-like shimmer formed around the alien's thorax. It staggered back and collapsed in a heap.

Daria moved closer and saw blood pooling within the confines of a shield around the body. Closer inspection revealed a second harness around the abdomen with a box-like attachment along the back. The alien's coverall was black, with an odd symbol attached to just below the neckline. The weapon still held in its five-fingered hand was similar to the one that came with her belt. When Daria tried to pick it up, the shield prevented her from gripping the pistol. The alien appeared dead and that was her primary concern.

"Dammit." Daria forced herself to breath again. She ran to the telephone and hit a speedial button. After an impatient wait, she finally got an answer. "Jane…Big trouble…I just killed a Folk assassin…Yes!...In my house!...Less than five minutes ago…I don't know how it got here, I haven't looked…Get packed, now…We're going to the cabin…We have to drive…harder to follow us…We need to find out what is going on…I'm on my way in a few minutes…Be very careful, I don't know if there are more…See you in a few."

Daria put the small box into a fitted belt pocket and the matching pistol in its holster before tucking the second into the belt. She rushed to her writing desk. An ergonomic keyboard was fitted into the surface and a wide-screen, flat panel display rose behind it. She started the computer, opened her email program, and began to type:

To: Helen Morgendorffer

From: Daria Morgendorffer

Mom,

I'm sorry, but I'm about to disappear again. This time, I'm not certain if or when I will be back. The attached file has the real story of what happened to me that year I stayed at the cabin. The news will break very soon about this anyway, but I want you to have the full truth. I had made a deal with a Sick, Sad World reporter for an exclusive on the story. I will contact her with directions and permission to enter my house. You will understand when you read the file and see the news. Do not go to my house. I'm very serious; it could be dangerous. I am leaving right after I send this. I will send a few items to you via Package Air. Use the Power of Attorney I left with you as needed. I must go now.

Love,

Daria

Daria attached a file she'd kept under the deepest encryption money could buy and sent the email.


Seven years before, Daria had purchased a cabin in the Montana wilderness to spend a year in solitude and comparative simplicity, as Henry David Thoreau had described in Walden. At the time, she was at the emotionally lowest point of her life.

After college, her short marriage to Tom Sloane had ended in divorce after a failed pregnancy. She'd learned that she would never have children because of heavy metal poisoning from years of living in Highland, and the Sloane family soundly rejected her for it. In the divorce, she had accepted a settlement that was comparatively small for the Sloanes, but one that would keep her secure for life.

In the aftermath, she'd started a failed relationship with Jane's older brother, Trent. Regrettably, it faded as she realized her old high school crush couldn't sustain it. Heartbroken, she quietly purchased the cabin.

The night she had moved in, a spacecraft crashed into the nearby pond and four survivors had emerged. Three were children, Autumnblossom, Eveningsky and Truemind. Princesses of a stellar empire, they were stranded when rebels had destroyed their ship. The fourth was their mortally wounded Guardian, Swiftsong. The shield belt and matching pistol had been hers, along with the box, which was a compact database computer. After learning as much as she could from the dying Guardian, Daria had adopted the children and spent the next year raising them. They grew food in a garden, and Daria used her books, her internet connection, and the Folk computer to teach them as much as she could.

They had survived the regular appearance of a sheriff's deputy, O'Neal; pesky reporters from the tabloid television show, Sick, Sad World; and rebel aliens.

After a year with Daria, a rescue ship picked up the three up as young adults, while she was forced to hide in the cabin to avoid being seen by the rescuers, who expected no witnesses to the event.

Daria returned to the cabin every year on the anniversary of that first night. If there was any news, her daughters had promised to send word. A year ago, it came. The eldest, Truemind, was Queen. With the help of her sisters, she had instituted a new constitutional monarchy to replace the former despotism. Daria had waited in anticipation of more news.


Daria pulled up a previously unused email address that she had regularly checked to make sure it was current. She started typing again.

To: Ms. Lydia Phelps, Reporter: Sick, Sad World

From: Daria Morgendorffer

Ms. Phelps,

This is not quite our original agreement, but a situation arose that requires my disappearance for an indeterminate amount of time. A Folk assassin tried to kill me tonight. The body is still in my kitchen. The key to the front door is hidden under the skull replica in the garden. I know this isn't the promised interview with Queen Truemind (yes, she is Queen now, or was a year ago), but I don't know when, or if, I'll be back. I will always be grateful you kept your word not to say anything about my children when you discovered us. For now, this is the best I can do to keep up my end of the bargain. Please be very careful, it may be dangerous. Aliens may not be the only ones around.

Daria closed the program and shut down her computer. She went to her bedroom and stopped at her closet. "I can buy clothes on the road." She moved next her bed and pulled a ventilation intake grate from the wall. Inside the duct, she moved a false panel aside and opened a safe. From within, she removed two photo albums, a crystalline-framed document, and a flat wooden box from the heavily concealed safe.

She looked toward a painting that hid a second safe. "Crap, I don't have time. They're about to become public domain, or completely classified. Depending on who gets here first."

Moving carefully, Daria went out to her light four-wheel drive truck. Funny how I keep getting these after living in the cabin. She started the hybrid-powered vehicle and raced to Jane's house. On the way, she stopped by a bank and made maximum withdrawals from all of her accounts. "Cash only from here on."

Soon, she was pulling up to the house at 111 Howard Drive. Daria carefully looked around before she went to the door and rang the bell. She had her hand on the pistol when Jane opened it and said, "Daria, you look scared witless."

"That's because I am. You packed?"

Jane held up a suitcase. "I left instructions for my accountant and the manager of the gallery. Mack has power of attorney for my legal affairs, if needed."

"I'm sorry you have to leave him like this."

"We don't need to get anyone else involved."

"I agree, but…"

"Daria, this is hard enough."

"I still feel responsible."

"Don't. I sent him a message explaining what happened. I hope he understands."

"We better get going. Are you up to driving?"

"Sure. Keys?"

Daria handed Jane the keys and they went to the truck. Moments after the truck was rolling down Howard Drive, Daria shrunk down in the seat in hard shakes. "It…it shot me. If it hadn't been quiet in the house." Daria swallowed hard. "I wouldn't have noticed the disk in the belt giving a warning. I got the shield up just in time."

"Damn, Daria. Look. Take it easy. I'm driving, let it go."

"Thanks." Daria nodded and closed her eyes. It took more than ten minutes for the trembling to subside.


As Jane drove, Daria thought of the reason her best friend had become involved. The greatest challenge proved to be the children's metamorphosis into adults, a process that normally required a living host to complete.

Unfortunately already under the influence of pheromones that would trigger a host response in her, she found information on a non-host diet in the database computer. Daria had recruited Jane to help, in anticipation of the coma the pheromones would cause. While watching over Daria and providing the artificial diet to the changing youngsters, a rebel Folk had attempted to break in. Jane had wrested the second, shield-piercing pistol from the rebel and was forced to use it to kill her.


Helen Morgendorffer nursed her morning coffee and ate breakfast as she checked email on her wireless networked laptop. As a full partner at her law firm, she had been able to reduce her hours, but some habits never went away. Reading the email, Helen said, "Daria, what the hell? You did get into some kind of trouble when you stayed in that damn cabin of yours."

She opened the large text document and began to read, a small smile developing as she did. "Good one, Daria. But, isn't this a little late for an April Fool's Day prank?" Partway in, she stared at one of the embedded images of the children. "Those certainly look real. I never knew Jane got into digital art."

In the living room, Jake yelled, "GAAAAAAHHHHHHH! Helen, come here!"

She sighed and got up. "Jake, what is it?"

Jake pointed at the television. "Helen, that's Daria's house!"

Helen stopped in shock at seeing her daughter's house on their high-definition television. The Sick, Sad World reporter, Lydia Phelps, was talking into a microphone. "Federal authorities from the Air Force and NASA have cordoned off the Lawndale residence of writer Daria Morgendorffer, but with her permission, we were able to gain access before they arrived for this exclusive footage."

The scene changed to Daria's kitchen. A dark green, insect-like body was on the floor, surrounded by a pool of blood that had been released when the battery pack of the shield belt ran down. It was clearly the same species as those in Daria's photos. The alien was about four feet long, with four thin legs and two arms, each ending in a hand with five digits, two opposable. Behind the legs, the abdomen extended back horizontally, while the front thorax angled up slightly to a conical head with two faceted, purple eyes. Low on the thorax, the exoskeleton looked like shattered glass around an ugly hole that oozed blood. A black coverall covered much of the body and an obvious weapon was on the floor next to the body.

Ms. Phelps narration continued. "Over six years ago, Ms. Morgendorffer had a prior encounter with these aliens, whom she referred to as 'Folk of the Nest,' a literal translation from their language. During the stay she partially chronicled in her book, Twenty-First Century Walden, Ms. Morgendorffer actually raised three of their children. The three bottles containing an unusual residue I reported at the time were the only physical evidence I was able to produce from that incident. The children were refugees from a rebellion and heirs to their throne. According to the last message I received from Ms. Morgendorffer, one of them is now Queen. It appears the rebellion is not over and Ms. Morgendorffer's role has been discovered. She has since disappeared for her own protection."

Jake stared at the television in a stupor. Helen went over to him and carefully grasped his arm. "Follow me." She led him over to her laptop. "Daria sent me this overnight."


Michael J. MacKenzie, commonly known as Mack, watched the morning news with fascination as he went through his morning email. He altered his attention to a message from Jane that had, 'Important---READ NOW!' as the subject. He clicked on the message and read.

Mack,

I'm sorry, but I'll be gone for I don't know how long. By now, the news probably is out that something strange happened at Daria's house. Someone tried to kill her a few minutes ago. She's on her way over to pick me up, and we'll be going away.

Please believe what I'm about to tell you. This is a secret that has stayed between Daria and me, plus a SSW news crew, ever since her stay in Montana. Up until now, she hadn't even told her mother, and I hadn't told anyone.

That someone was not from our planet.

He looked back up at his television. "No kidding."

It all started the night Daria arrived in Montana…

Mack finished off the message and deleted it. He sat still for a couple minutes in deep thought.

He looked at the calendar on his wall. "About the time for her annual trip. They're heading for Daria's cabin. If the friendly aliens show up every year, it's the place she needs to go."

He picked up the phone and dialed his travel agent. "Harvey, Mack M. I need the next flight to Billings…Yes, Montana…Only one-way for now…I don't give a damn how much it costs…Okay, that flight will do…Put it on my personal account and bill to the on-file credit card…Oh, I'll also need a rental car at that end…Any model…Thanks."

He pulled up an old email. "Daria offered to let Jane and I use the cabin for vacation last year. I should still have the map."


Daria parked in front of a package delivery store and grabbed the photo albums and framed document. "I'm shipping my photo albums of the kids and their new constitution to Mom for safekeeping. I'll be back in a bit."

Jane stopped her. "Let me go in. Your name is already being splattered all over the news. If you get recognized…"

"Dammit, you're right. Hold on." Daria scribbled a note on some scrap paper. "Put this in with them."

"Sure thing, kid. Why not the wood box?"

Daria opened the box to show a photo of her children, framed in dried, woven vines. The one Christmas present she had from them. "This is too personal. It stays with me."

"Gotcha." Jane went inside and purchased a box and wrapping supplies. She carefully wrapped each item in bubble wrap and placed the note on top.

Mom,

These are personal photos of my daughters. The alien on the news in my house was there to kill me. Something must still be going on, and they know who I am. I have to go away until this can be cleared up. I can't explain more now. The last item is a copy of the new constitution my children worked to put in place. Please keep these safe until my return, or if you receive word that I won't return.

Say goodbye to Dad, Quinn and Bill for me. I was hoping to be around when their child was born. Please spoil the little one on my behalf.

Love,

Daria

Soon Jane was back in the car. "On its way."

"Jane, we need to find a hotel to stop at for a little while. I can stay inside while you go out and get a wig and some makeup to disguise me."

"I saw one not too far back that way."

"Fine, we'll go there."


Daria kept a grip on the shield-piercing pistol while waiting for Jane to return to the hotel. "Never thought I would stay in a place that rented by the hour." She checked the spyglass in response to a knock, allowing Jane in after.

Jane pulled out a long, black wig and makeup. "Hi Honey, I'm home."

"Hilarious, Lane." Daria picked up the base color makeup. "I hate this stuff."

"You don't have to like it, just wear it for the next day or so."

Half an hour later, they were back on the road, with Daria sporting black hair and a dark tan.


Alternating driving, Daria and Jane were able to make excellent progress. Jane was reading a map while Daria drove. Jane looked over and asked, "Okay, I understand you wanting to bug out, but why am I with you?"

"I needed an extra driver to make the best time."

"You could have flown."

"Too risky and traceable."

Jane shook her head. "I'm not buying it. I can't believe the Folk can hack in and find your flight that easily."

"It's not them I was concerned about avoiding on the way to the cabin."

Jane narrowed her eyes. "What?"

Daria released a deep sigh. "Jane…I'm not certain of how closely, but I know I've been watched ever since I came back from Montana."

"Why do you think that?"

"I've noticed too many black cars with heavily tinted windows."

"It's your imagination."

"I thought that for a while…until a conversation I had with Deputy O'Neal at the cabin last year."

"Oh?"

"Just as he pulled away, he winked and told me I raised three fine daughters."

Jane bolted upright. "He knew!"

"I checked the county records when I got back. He was hired less than a week after I moved into the cabin, into a newly created position."

"Coincidence?"

"It was never advertised. A week after I left, he resigned from active duty. However, he remained a reserve deputy."

"This is getting a little creepy."

"Who has been activated for two weeks in the middle of April every year since."

"When you're at the cabin."

"But the only time he stopped by was last year. The first time anything had been left for me. Strangely, he made it a point to tell me he knows about them."

"I'm getting confused."

"I think he was trying to warn me. Somebody, human, knew my kids were there, and knew from early on that the ship had landed. Their stealth wasn't as effective as they thought. I'm guessing O'Neal was there to observe, but not intervene."

"Hmm. That might explain his odd delay in getting to the cabin when we reported Streamrider's abandoned car. He gave us time to clean up before the other officers arrived."

"Because he warned me, I decided to leave as fast as I could. I don't know if that assassin was tracked approaching my house, and I didn't really want to meet this secret group that knew."

"Okay, you needed an extra driver to help, but wouldn't they figure out the cabin, also?"

"I'm hoping they do, and send O'Neal."

"The one who has the best chance to be trustable."

"Correct."

"So why call in Sick, Sad World?"

"I owed Ms. Phelps an exclusive in exchange for her keeping quiet. Plus, I'm hoping the confusion of putting out that fire will give us a little more time. I'm glad she was able to get there first."

Jane turned to stare at Daria. "You're planning on going with the ship this year."

Quieter, Daria said, "Yes. I also wanted you with, to see that I got on board, and then go back to tell Mom and Dad I was safely away."

"Oh."

"As long as I'm on Earth, they're also at risk. With Quinn expecting in three months, I can't allow anything to happen. They're also going to be safer if this is public. Swamped with publicity, it will be hard to intimidate or assassinate them. Same for you."

"Damn. I'm going to miss you."

"The…feeling's mutual."


Mack brought his late model rental car to a stop outside the log cabin. Though rustic, it did show distinct signs of the modern era, like the mirror-tinted widows and solar power panels on the roof. The area was clearly maintained some throughout the year. He remembered Daria mentioning she'd hired a landscape service to keep the place in reasonable order. A pond was visible about forty yards behind the house. There was still a chill in the air as he opened the door. "I guess I wait."

Mack removed a bag from the front seat and sat down on the trunk of the car, pulling out a small sub sandwich and a drink. As he ate, he looked around. "This is a pretty place. Even with the weirdness Jane said happened, Daria must have loved this. I wish we'd taken her up on the offer, last vacation."

A sheriff's department SUV slowly came down the driveway. It stopped about ten yards away and an officer stepped out. He looked around fifty, gray hair with a few stray streaks of brown remaining. He gazed at Mack through dark sunglasses. Mack also noticed him pop the safety strap on his sidearm and rest his hand on it.

The officer approached to within five yards. "Good afternoon. What can I do for you?"

Mack slowly slid off the trunk and kept both hands in view. "Good afternoon. I'm waiting for some friends of mine to arrive here. We came separately."

"Oh, really? And who are these friends?"

"The…owner, Daria Morgendorffer and my girlfriend, Jane Lane."

"Your name?"

"Michael MacKenzie. Daria's a good friend I've known since high school. I've known Jane since we were little, and I've dated her for three years."

"Have you been listening to the news?"

"Yes."

"So why do you think they're going to be here?"

"I know them."

O'Neal minutely shifted his weight backward. "You got here awfully fast after the news broke, if you're from Lawndale."

"I got the first flight I could."

"And what do you have in mind?" O'Neal's hand firmly held the grip of his sidearm.

"You must be O'Neal. They're in trouble and I'm worried about them."

"How much do you know beyond the news?"

"Jane told me about Daria's three…girls."

"Do you realize what kind of danger you put yourself in coming here?"

"No, I don't. But it's irrelevant. I'm here for them."

O'Neal approached closer. Mack noticed the faint outlines of body armor under O'Neal's uniform, and a small earphone in his left ear. While distracted with that, he suddenly realized O'Neal had reached for and pulled his pistol from its holster. The greater surprise was his presenting the grip to Mack. "Just in case. I have something more in the truck. You checked out."


Driving through the night, Jane noticed Daria's face illuminated by the faint glow of the alien database computer. "Find anything interesting?"

"Well…my would-be assassin…he was rather unusual in one aspect…"

Jane raised an eyebrow. "You said that they were mostly females and only occasionally produced males."

"That's why he's unusual. I thought something looked different about the abdomen, but I was more concerned with getting away at the time."

"Hmmm. Do you think that means something?"

"I don't know."

"Do you mind the radio? To help keep me awake."

After Daria's affirmative grunt, Jane scanned around for a clear station.

A newsreader was saying, "…Demands are coming in from the worldwide scientific community to examine the alleged alien corpse. NASA and the Air Force have continued to keep the residence of Ms. Morgendorffer sealed off. Reports have surfaced that investigators from the FBI have arrived and are treating the home as a crime scene."

Jane shook her head. "Well, you certainly lit a fire."

"The question of whether this is final proof of life on other planets has dominated all other news today. If so, is the claimed story true that Ms. Morgendorffer raised three of them for a year? President Eichler has issued a statement that they are awaiting confirmation from their scientific advisors before determining any further possible action. The Montana State police have sealed off all roads leading to Ms. Morgendorffer's cabin to prevent the curious from entering."

Jane looked at Daria. "Crap. What do we do now?"

"Keep going. If we're lucky, they sealed off the roads close to my cabin so not to disturb the locals. Several of my old neighbors were heavily armed and paranoid about the authorities."

"How does that make us lucky?"

"Since the state police officers probably don't know the area, they won't be aware of the old horse trail that goes by the backside of my property. This four-wheel drive truck can travel on it."

Light static crackled over the news. "The family of Ms. Morgendorffer remains inside their Lawndale home and have issued the following statement: 'We are certain the story presented by Sick, Sad World is accurate, and the alien is real. We do not know of Daria's whereabouts, but we extend every hope for her safety.'"

Daria looked at the radio. "Mom is in full lawyer mode. Good."

Jane looked back over at Daria. "What are you going to want me to tell them when I get back?"

"That I've gone to see my children. And demand that the authorities return my diaries."

"You left them?"

"I didn't have time to get them from the other safe; you saw that I didn't even pack clothes."

"Yeah, and that was quite a collection of garments for you I picked up at that thrift store. But, you've always been so protective of your diary."

"Jane, I was rattled and wanted to get away. Give me a break."

"Sorry. Just surprised."

"So was I!" Daria barked back.

"Whoa. I can see you're upset. I'll get with your mother to do everything we can to get them back."

Daria sighed. "Thanks. Yes, I'm upset I had to leave them." Daria developed a slightly evil smile. "Though you could probably get some help from the Sloanes to keep it quiet. There's some stuff in there they don't want going public."


Later, as Jane was exiting the interstate, Daria slumped back in her seat. "Dammit."

"What's wrong?"

"I found that symbol from his coverall."

"And?"

Daria gave Jane a worried look. "It's a symbol of their clergy."

Jane spun her head toward Daria, swerving the car. Jane yelled, "Crap!" as she regained control.

Daria seemed not to notice the car motions. "The only reason I can think that a cleric would try to kill me is the artificial diet I gave my girls for their metamorphosis."

"You said it was…a heresy."

"Jane, if they know about that…"

"They probably know about me."

"Was anybody else home at Casa Lane?"

Jane stopped the truck at an intersection. "Thank God, no. Mom and Dad went to observe the penguins and Trent's still stuck in Kalamazoo."

"If I'm right…"

Jane stared straight ahead. "We both have to leave."


Daria drove the truck through the Montana countryside. From the radio came, "Route Twenty-Three will be closed by the state police at Old Baker's Road and Bluetooth Road until further notice. Residents are requested to use Route Twenty-Two-A."

Daria smiled at Jane. "Good, the horse trail is about a quarter mile before Bluetooth, with enough curve to block sight from the roadblock."

Jane rubbed her chin. "Daria, we're going to get to the cabin a day early. What are we going to do until our…um…rescue shows up?"

"Lay low and try to be inconspicuous. And hope nobody is already waiting for us."

"Except O'Neal."

"Right."

"One more thing, what are we going to eat?"

"I keep a stash of MRE's in the cabin, just in case of late snowstorms."

"I mean, if…or when we leave on the ship. No offense, but a strictly liquid diet would drive me nuts. I doubt if you have a couple years' supply on hand."

"I'm sure they planned for that."

"Speaking of planning, I hope they have some modified accommodations for us on that ship. We stand a lot taller than they do. I'm not looking forward to several months of ducking and crawling."

"They have interstellar travel; I think that they would be intelligent enough take some things into account." She slowed and began to turn off the pavement. "Here we go, hang on. Under no circumstances would you call this a road."

Lurching and twisting, the truck slowly progressed down the rough path. After about fifteen minutes, Daria stopped the truck near the edge of the trees. "I want to take a look." After a couple minutes, she returned. "Crap. I see a deputy sheriff's truck at the cabin, and a brown sedan."

"Daria, grab one of the pistols and stay here. I'm going to drive up and check."

"Jane, I can't let you risk that."

"We're stuck otherwise. We can't really go back, and we don't know who's there."

"Then we both go." Daria retrieved the assassin's pistol and handed Swiftsong's to Jane. "Forward."

Daria slowly drove the truck across the clearing toward the house.


O'Neal noticed the approaching truck and reached for his automatic rifle. "Mack, is that hers?"

Mack nodded and said, "Sure looks like it. How the hell did she get there?"

"Horse trail."

"That you failed to mention to the state police?"

"They really should learn to read maps."


Jane shook her head. "How the stinkin' hell did Mack get out here?"

Daria relaxed. "Mack I can deal with. He probably flew out."

"Dammit, I didn't want him in this."

"Jane, I never wanted you involved."

"Oh, yeah."

Still cautious, Daria slowly drove up to the back of the cabin while Mack and O'Neal walked around. O'Neal set his rifle against the wall of the cabin. "Good to see you."

"Thanks. I was hoping you would be here."

Jane jumped out of the truck and stormed over to Mack. "What the hell are you doing out here?"

Mack raised both eyebrows and said, "Isn't it obvious? I still can't leave things alone and came out to see if I can help."

Jane lightly punched him in the chest. "You big oaf. I didn't want to risk getting you involved."

"Jane, we are involved. I'd have thought you'd noticed."

Jane hugged him tight. "That is not what I meant."

"Jane, once I saw your message, I knew I had to help. You know it too: that's why you didn't call me. You wanted the lead time."

Daria looked over. "Let me guess, Mister Organized still had the map I gave him last year."

Mack nodded. "And some people complain I'm a pack-rat."

O'Neal went back to his rifle. "All this is touching, but we better get inside now. Ms. Morgendorffer, do you still have your motion sensor hooked up along the driveway?"

"It should still be there."

"Good. Now everybody, we need to get out of sight."


The one-room cabin was still mostly the way it was when Daria had lived there. A comfortable easy chair and coffee table dominated the center of the room. The corners were occupied by a work desk (with computer), the kitchen, the bathroom (with privacy curtain), and a single bed. A rug was on the bare wooden floor near the easy chair. Daria said, "Welcome to my humble abode. Please don't mind the dust. I haven't cleaned in almost a year."

Jane looked around. "Guys…did anybody bring some sleeping bags or something? There aren't exactly a lot of sleeping accommodations here."

O'Neal said, "I don't see a problem. All of us shouldn't be asleep at the same time. Two can sleep and the other two stay up to guard."

Daria looked at Jane. "I'm sure you and Mack will want to be together."

"Since he's here…"

O'Neal said, "Fine. You two get some shut-eye. I'd like to talk with Ms. Morgendorffer for a spell."

"You can call me Daria."

"Very well." He grinned a little and said in a John Cleese imitation, "Some call me…Tim?"

Daria smiled, bowed her head forward to rest it on her hand, and said, "How the hell did I miss that?"

Mack and Jane broke out into loud laughter. O'Neal looked at them in confusion and said, "The old joke's not that funny."

Jane inhaled and sputtered out, "Tim O'Neal…" She laughed again before finishing. "…You're kidding, right?"

He asked in utter surprise, "What?"

Daria explained, "All three of us endured a teacher named Timothy O'Neill, spelled O, N, E, I, L L. To say you have a distinctly different personality is an understatement."

Mack snickered. "At least you were spared being married to Ms. Barch…"


The hours driving and attempting to sleep in a truck had caught up with Jane and she quickly fell asleep on the bed. The night spent guarding the cabin with O'Neal had left Mack weary; he was soon asleep beside her.

Daria and Tim sat at the kitchen table, sipping coffee. Tim was saying, "I still can't believe how quickly Phelps responded."

"I was hoping she worked late and would get it that night, and then she just had a three or four hour drive from New York."

"Congratulations; in one stroke you doomed my section into being cancelled. From now on, aliens will be handled by Customs and INS."

"I guessed you worked for some agency dealing with things like that. Have there been previous contacts with the Folk? This, by the way, is the closest name I can translate for them."

"Yes. But, it wasn't good. We tried to contact one of them fourteen years ago. There was a firefight and the alien escaped."

"You were hoping to make friendlier contact here?"

"I was sent in to investigate. When we realized what you were doing, the decision was made to only observe. There was no way we could generate the amount of good will you did by raising those girls."

"And your section has kept tabs on me since?"

"Correct. We were expecting them to contact you again. Confession time: I opened your package last year. I was serious about what I said about your daughters. What they did was damn impressive."

"You told me that you knew last year as a warning. Why?"

"The administration was applying pressure on us to take a harder line. They want surreptitious technology transfers. I suspected you kept…" He motioned to the belt and equipment. "Plus, some may have tried to use you to force contact with your children's people."

"So you didn't have a clue that one of the Folk would try to kill me?"

"No. I was worried about my own agency. Do you have any idea of why one of them tried?"

She bowed her head sadly. "I'm afraid so. In the long run, what I did may make them hate us even more."

"Then you better get me up to speed on the problem."


Tim entered the cabin just as Daria set the box of MRE's on the table in front of Jane and Mack. "Help yourself. Tim, what's up? You look worried."

He sighed. "Damn, things are getting complicated. I just checked in with the home office and told them I haven't seen you here. NASA has agreed to allow outside observers to your assailant's autopsy. Churches around the world are up in arms over this. Some are claiming it's a hoax, others evidence of God being everywhere. The president has ordered DEFCON Three. A lot of people are scared and nervous. Your family is almost under siege. The governor called in national guard troops to protect the house."

Daria nodded. "With that much publicity, they'll be safer."

He was surprised. "Is that all you can say? You've created a world uproar."

Daria looked at Tim. "Perhaps, but I only started it a bit early."

"What do you mean?"

"As I understood, the craft small enough to land undetected…or mostly undetected, weren't faster-than-light capable. Therefore, there has to be a larger ship up there somewhere that my attacker was transported on. Another ship will arrive tomorrow night to check on me, and take me with, if I ask. With the failure of the assassin, there's a good chance that the first ship will try to stop the second. Somehow, I think that fight will be noticed by far too many to be covered up. If any wreckage reaches Earth, again the same. They must have some seriously potent reactors, or other power supply, for FTL travel. If something like that explodes, it will be big." Daria looked around. "If I'm not here when the second ship arrives. I bet they have orders to find me. Particularly, if my children know about the assassination plot."

Tim's eyes widened and he said, "I'll be right back," as he ran back out of the cabin.

Jane and Mack were looking at her. Jane said, "Daria, you didn't mention any shooting war in space. What if they decide to start shooting after we get onboard?"

Daria leaned against a chair. "We'll have a better chance than if they decide to level this cabin from orbit. Who knows what kind of weaponry they have available? But then, dropping a rock from orbit is sufficient. I suspect they'll try to prevent me, or us, from being picked up. Logically, their first chance is to stop the second ship. If that doesn't work, then they will try to intercept us or make a big splash and try to hit us from space. Planning on leaving with the friendly ship is still our best hope."

Mack looked grim. "This is not looking good. How'll we know if the right ones show up?"

Daria showed Mack that she was still wearing the shield belt from Swiftsong. "This basically has an Identify-Friend or Foe system built into it. These shields seem to be fairly common issue, and the system appears to be tied in with them. It will warn of any enemies approaching. I'm just afraid that because of the time that's passed since it was set, it may not recognize some friendlies."

Tim reentered the cabin looking a little more relieved. "I hinted to the home office that it might be a good idea to evacuate the space station." He sat and blindly grabbed an MRE and tore it open. "This is really going downhill."

Mack opened one and started the chemical heating packet. "Looks like you were right; I had no idea of what kind of danger was involved. But, I'm still glad I'm here."

Tim looked at him. "That's the last shoe that I didn't get to drop. The word is out that you and Jane are missing and presumed with Daria. The fringe conspiracy people are having a field day. Thomas Sloane's ex-wife, Congresswoman Landon's ex-fiancé, and an artist known to have very close ties to both. Some of the suggestions…"

Daria started warming her dinner. "Wonderful. But if it creates just another day of distraction, I'll take it."


The evening passed in restful silence. Under Tim's watchful eye, Daria spent much of her night watch sitting near the pond, staring out over its waters. "I hope I get to see you three miscreants soon. I miss you." She tossed a bit of wood into the water and watched the ripples spread. "I'm still alone. Jane has been a dear friend…but there are some voids she can't help me with."

Daria turned to look back at the dark cabin. "Mack is going to try to come with. As much as I wish he could, I've got to stop him. Someone has to stay here to look after Jane's interests." She looked up at the stars in the direction she watched the ship leave with her children years before. "But, they aren't going to be happy about it. One more day."


The day passed with increasing tension. Daria, Jane and Mack made what little preparations were needed to leave. Tim kept an eye on everyone and monitored events in the world outside from the radios in his truck. The independent scientists were confirming the corpse was of extraterrestrial origin. Unknown to the public, DEFCON Two was declared overnight. Instead of the long-suspected widespread panic at word of life on other worlds, the world reaction had turned more into a marathon of watching television talk shows discussing what it all meant.

In the early afternoon, Tim rushed into the house. "My cover's blown. A spy satellite recorded three vehicles here. It hit the news and nothing was said by my agency…now they don't answer at all."

Daria asked, "How much time before they respond?"

"It would take a couple hours to assemble a team and move them out here. But, I don't know when they found out. Protocol would have them wait until dark unless there was an overriding need. I'm guessing we have until then."

Mack said, "We have the road and the horse trail. Any other ways to get a vehicle close?"

Daria shook her head.

Tim leaned his head toward the alarm bell in the cabin. "The motion sensor will tell us about the road, but we need something for the trail."

Mack asked, "Why no motion sensor on the trail?"

Daria said, "Only the locals used it, so I didn't bother. They wouldn't tell an outsider it was there. Since most of them would respond with gunfire to anybody approaching that way on their property…they assumed I would, too."

"Oh."

Daria picked up one of the pistols. "Swiftsong said this uses an electrical pulse to disrupt nerves. I wonder if the high setting would disrupt a car's electronics?"

Mack pulled out his car keys. "I have the only vehicle that's not four-wheel drive and is the least usable. How about a test?"

"It's your security deposit."

They all went outside and Mack started the car. After he got out, Daria pointed the pistol at the hood area and touched the trigger. After the purple flash, the internal combustion engine stuttered and backfired before shutting off. Mack got back in the car and tried the electric drive and several electronic devices. "Nothing."

"Good. We have a way to stop a vehicle approaching. I wish I could have grabbed the assassin's pistol, that way we would have two."

Jane raised a hand, "You said the assassin used a weapon like Swiftsong's, I wonder why he didn't have one like Streamrider's?"

"He probably didn't expect me to have a shield. One like Swiftsong's is more versatile, and on high power, would have adequately killed me without a shield. The shield-piercing weapons are probably special issue."

Mack looked toward the tree line. "I'll go guard the trail."

Jane and Daria both said, "Mack?"

"I'm the logical choice. We can't risk you or Jane. Don't argue. O'Neal has professional training and should stay with you. That leaves me."

Daria frowned. "Damn logic."

"Can I use your truck? Running back here after disabling a truck full of assault troops doesn't seem like a good idea."

"Um…sure."


As darkness fell, Mack was prone in dense underbrush and positioned to look down the trail. The spring air was silent except for a few insect and bird calls. Soon, a slight rumble could be heard down the trail, along with the snap of broken branches. Mack tensed and watched.

A black, unlit vehicle came into dim view. It stopped and Mack heard metallic clicks of doors opening. Crap. The soft scuffle of boots lightly treading on metal followed. O'Neal was right; they're stopping early and deploying on foot. He switched the weapon from high to low power. Time to get out of here if that thing isn't getting any closer.

Mack crawled back and started to move to Daria's truck. The sound of his crawling seemed almost thunderous against the surrounding silence. Keeping low, he got up and sprinted toward the truck. He reached the passenger door and crawled in, sliding over to start the truck. As he began moving, gunfire erupted from the trees and loud metallic thuds came from the back of the truck. "Oh, hell!" Mack floored the accelerator.

The gunfire attracted the attention of everyone in the dark cabin. Tim and Jane watched the approaching truck while Daria kept an eye the front. Jane was red with anger. "Why the hell are they shooting at him?"

The alarm for the motion sensor on the front road sounded. Daria yelled, "Dammit!" The front clearing was empty. "I'm not seeing anything!"

Tim said back, "They probably stopped in the trees and are awaiting orders. Crap. They shouldn't be shooting."

The shots abruptly stopped as the truck continued on. In a minute, it was at the cabin and Mack staggered in the back door. "Bastards!" Jane yelled as she saw the blood on him. Mack held his hand against his upper thigh and slid down on the floor. "Ouch."

Daria yelled, "The first aid kit is in the kitchen!"

Jane ran to grab it as Tim continued to watch the back. He shook his head. "What idiot is in charge out there?"

Mack coached Jane through getting a pressure bandage on the wound and stopping most of the bleeding. "Guess that Boy Scout first aid helped."

Jane was still breathing hard from adrenaline. "Good thing you remembered, because I didn't remember any from Girl Scouts. That was too damn close."

"I didn't expect them to shoot like that." He turned toward Tim. "The truck stopped early like you said it might and they started to deploy. I realized I was making too much noise crawling, so I ran to the truck. They started shooting when I got it moving."

"You did what you were supposed to. Some jerk must have panicked."


A megaphone-enhanced voice called from the darkness, "Agent Nine. We don't want anyone harmed. Please come out of the house."

Daria raised an eyebrow. "Agent Nine?"

Tim shrugged and looked outside. "To whom am I speaking?"

"Assistant Director Chambers."

"You authorized first use of deadly force?"

"No, that was an accident."

"Then would you care to send in a medic for the man you shot?"

"Damn." Faintly, he could be heard saying, "Johnson, your ass is mine when this is over with. Tyler, drop your weapon and get inside." He called out loud. "I'm sending her in. No tricks. Let her leave when she's done."

"Deal."

A woman in her thirties approached the cabin with her hands raised. She wore a dark grey camouflage uniform with integral body armor and carried a single case marked with a red cross. Tim let her in and patted her down for hidden weapons. "Clear."

Kneeling next to Mack, she said, "You must be the patient."

He grunted, "Yeah."

"Hold still." She expertly checked the bandage and connected a small monitor to him to check his vital signs.

Outside, the Chambers said, "Come out, you won't be harmed. The cabin is surrounded and you cannot get away."

"No. We're waiting for guests to arrive."

"Dammit all, Nine! I don't know what kind of games you were playing, not reporting Ms. Morgendorffer earlier. This has become a matter of national security. A large spaceship was detected approaching Earth eight hours ago. A smaller ship was detected approaching Earth from the far side of the moon seven hours ago. The two are converging and appear to going into formation. My orders are to have Ms. Morgendorffer and her associates in protective custody."

Daria went to the window. "I'm only interested in leaving. Those two ships aren't going into formation; they're probably going into battle."

"What did you say?"

"They're probably going into battle. The body in my house was an assassin, which I was lucky to kill. The ship approaching from the Moon is very likely from the faction supporting the assassin. They will want to kill me, and probably anyone nearby. The other ship is one I've been expecting to take me away. I want to go and it's a good bet that they won't be happy with anyone who tries to stop me. The fact that they are approaching openly means that things are not going well."

Tyler said to Mack, "You've lost a good deal of blood. With that bullet still in you, we need to get you to a hospital soon." She looked at Jane nearby. "Please get me something to put under his legs and a blanket. He's at a high risk for shock."

Jane grabbed pillows and blanket from the bed and returned. While Jane and Tyler worked on Mack, Daria got a knife from the rack and knelt next to Tyler. "I want you to see something." Daria thrust the knife against her foot. It bounced off the shield and the tip embedded a quarter inch into the floor. "I want to get out of here to see my children. As you see, I'm well protected. You already know we have weapons. Any aliens that show up will have these. You can't deal with this kind of technology. Please let us leave in peace."

"It's not my call, but I'll relay the message." Tyler finished up preparing Mack for shock and future transport. "That's all I can do. We need to move him as soon as possible."

Mack set his jaw. "I'm not moving until Jane and Daria are safe."

Jane grabbed his face in her hands. "Listen to me, you overgrown Lancelot. You're going to a hospital as soon as those bozos out there can get you to one. Do I make myself clear?"

"But…"

Jane put a hand over his mouth. "You're going."

Daria asked Tyler, "Can you do that?"

"We have medivac choppers on standby."

"Please get one." Daria went to the window. "Your medic is coming out. We need a medical evacuation."

Daria noticed two small, bright flashes of light in the sky. A few moments later, more small bright flashes. "Damn. I didn't want to be right about that." She called out, "Look to the east."

As Tyler walked back out, the Assistant Director looked up to see more small flashes. He pulled out his radio and began to talk.

Jane stayed close to Mack while Daria watched the flashes, which continued for several minutes. The sound of a helicopter diverted everyone's attention as it approached and landed near the back of the cabin.

Tyler grabbed one of the crew and a stretcher and approached the cabin. Daria kept Swiftsong's pistol trained on them as they secured Mack to it. Jane gave him a last kiss and they exchanged a few words before he was lifted off the ground.

Daria went to him. "Mack, thanks for everything. It's best you stay here to take care of Jane's interests. We can't let you go in your condition."

Mack groaned, "I can't argue with that. Damn."

"I promise, we'll watch out for each other and she'll return to you."

"Goodbye, Daria, Tim. Jane, I love you, stay out of trouble," Mack said as they took him to the waiting helicopter.

Jane whispered, "I love you, you Boy Scout," as she watched the helicopter fly away to the south.

As it faded from view, a large, bright light exploded in the eastern sky. Daria sat down at the table with an ashen face and her hand over her mouth. Jane noticed Daria and sat beside her. "Are you okay?"

In shock, Daria rubbed her eyes and buried her face in her hand. "How many Folk up there just died because of me?"


The Assistant Director was a shaken man in his late fifties with graying black hair and small, round glasses, who approached the cabin with his hands open. Tim motioned for him to enter. Chambers said, "President Eichler has ordered DEFCON One. A lot of small objects, most likely debris, are approaching North America and will be entering the atmosphere in the next hour. Regrettably, most of our missile interceptors were placed to protect us from an attack from the west, so they can't help much. Two objects appear to be under control. They are slowing and moving into a reentry path for this area. Of the two original ships, the smaller appears to have been destroyed. It looks like some kind of escape vessel from it is heading here, pursued by the larger."

Daria looked up with red eyes. "Please, tell them not to shoot. No more."

He looked at Daria. "Rules of Engagement are not to take hostile action unless fired upon. Are you certain that they're coming here?"

"As certain as I can be. About how long?"

"The first about ninety minutes, the second ten minutes later."

"Please tell your people to leave before they get here. You can't do anything against them."

Tim looked at the Assistant Director. "You have a chance to make up for the section's mistakes with this species, both now and fourteen years ago. We had the chance for good relations with my recommendation to leave Ms. Morgendorffer and her children alone. If we take a stand to protect her, we may be forgiven for you being sent to capture her."

Almost pleading, Chambers said, "We didn't know the situation; she was to be under our protection."

"Then you could've sent one car. You were here to capture by force."

Daria shook her head in frustration. "Just leave."

Tim said, "Stay, you only need to buy a few minutes."

Daria put a hand on Tim's arm. "No. Please don't let anyone else…"

Tim moved her hand away. "I know why you're saying that. This isn't just about you personally; it's what you represent. You're now a symbol to your children and their supporters, of a new, and hopefully better, government. To those that want you dead, you're a symbol of their loss of control and power. Your death will help them and hurt your kids and everything they worked for."

He turned to Chambers. "Deploy your force to defend the cabin."

Chambers stood, unmoving.

Tim picked up Swiftsong's weapon. "May I test something?"

Daria nodded.

He pointed the pistol at the table and tried to shoot through. The flash filled the room, but left no mark on the table. "It has little or no penetration through an insulator. Tell them to keep behind cover. Something non-metallic." Chambers grimly nodded and walked outside, issuing orders as he did.

"Daria, may I have your pistols? They can be effective; I'll need them for any that gets close. I want you two to stay low near the center of the cabin. You may not like it, but your lives are more important than anyone else around here."

Jane grabbed Daria's arm. "You heard the man." As she led Daria to the middle of the room, she looked over her shoulder. "Use the guns."