Chapter 16

Sydney2's POV

Pain is a funny thing. When I landed on this planet, I keeled over from the stabbing pain in my abdomen, and now I feel fine. (The drugs they gave me probably helped a little, though.) The doctors warns me to take it easy as I gather everything together.

The three hours that I've been in her went by quickly. Part of that was probably my conversation with...myself...I guess that's the only way to phrase it quickly. She graciously agreed to let me stay at her place.

I'm actually quite excited to see her new apartment. She didn't go into much detail about why she moved, but I have a feeling it has something to do with those two years she's so quiet about.

The CNA's transfer me to a wheel chair and wheel me down to the lobby, where everyone turns and stares at me. I wave slightly. "Are you ready to go?" I…she…parallel me asks.

I nod slowly. "Yeah."

Parallel Sydney (or perhaps Original Sydney) helps me out of the chair, and as I gain my footing, I follow her as she walks out to her car.

The drive home is amazing, but not in a good way. Countless people are lining the street holding up hastily made signs, some reading, "Go Back Home," "We Don't Need You Here!" "You Are NOT Welcome Here!" "Leave NOW," and, the most simple and to the point, "DIE!"

In stark contrast, other people were holding up such signs as, "Welcome," "Make Yourselves At Home," "I Hope You Have A Cure for Cancer," and "Abduct ME!" The third group of signs really weren't able to be classified. "Do You Want Your Anal Probe Back?" "Please Bring Back Elvis," and "Mulder was right: We Are NOT Alone!"

I shake my head in disgust. "What is it?" I…Sydney 1 asks.

"They don't even know what they're dealing with and they've already taken sides." I see another sign that says, "DIE!" and I instruct Sydney 1 to stop the car.

"What are you going to do?" concern quite evident in her voice.

"Just stop the d car."

"Syd…"

"Stop the car." I feel the car slow, and I open the door and head back towards that man. He's shouting profanities and spewing crap about how this is the end of civilization.

"Send those scum suckers back to where they came from!" I can feel some stomach acid rise to my mouth, giving me that disgusting just-vommitted taste.

"Am I to take it that you don't want them here?" I ask bluntly. He gives me a once-over and nods in approval.

"Well, if they looked like you, I'd have to re-evaluate my position."

"Well, start re-evaluating, you ahole."

His eyes narrow. "You're one of them?"

"I guess you're not as slow as you seem."

He stares at me for a bit, and then turns his head and says loudly, "She's one of them!"

Slowly the other men begin to surround me.

"I think a nice welcoming is in order," one of the thugs says, and then throws a punch.

(I'm starting to see now how in all those sci-fi movies I used to see with Charlie why humans were always under the control of robots. If the first contact with an alternate life form is to start a fight, and with a basic punch that I learned early on how to deflect, then obviously the human race is doomed to a future of violence, destruction, and death.)

I use a simple evasive maneuver that I was taught at SD-6 to block his attack and to pin his arm in a very uncomfortable position behind his back. I'm usually not very violent; I don't believe in using more force than is necessary, but after all I've been through, something in me clicks, and I force the arm back until I hear a sickening, yet satisfying "Pop."

The man falls to the ground moaning in pain, and I look around at all the other men waiting for a shot at me and think quietly to myself, "This is going to be fun."

They begin closing in.

A gunshot rings out.

My eyes go wide as the man in front of me drops to the ground.

…TBC…