Chapter III
An Empty House and an Uneasy Feeling

At first he wasn't sure if he had really opened his eyes at all. There was nothing but black. A sudden rush of pain sprang into the side of Tai's face and he cringed, clutching his cheek with a frozen hand. Pain was seeping into his awareness, stirring his senses back to life. His mind swum with questions: where he was, how he got there, why everything hurt. He looked up around him, eyes adjusting to the dim light.

The first thing he discerned was the blurred outlines of long, vertical lines. He lifted his head and squinted; the bars came into focus. Looking past he could see piles of boxes and machinery all around, stacked high in untidy mountains. He pushed himself off the metal floor, wincing at the soreness in his muscles. He tried to stand but found that his head immediately hit something very hard, and he sank back down against the wall that made up the back end of the cage, rubbing his head and looking up at the lid. His eyes drifted back to the bars, and he reached a hand out to one, shaking it. It didn't budge. Gritting his teeth, he wrapped both hands around bars and shook with all his might, ignoring the screaming pain in his side. Finally he fell back against the wall, panting. A surge of nausea coursed through him. He leaned over just in time to prevent himself from vomiting on his feet. He leaned on one arm, shaking, retching. When he had caught his breath he pushed himself as far away as he could, burying his face in his hands.

He sat there for what felt like centuries, the room never changing and the darkness never lifting. Tai began to remember walking along the barren street, the thrift store, the alien thugs… he felt his heart sink. He wished he had put up a fight, had done something, anything. Thoughts raced through his mind. He thought of the house back on Vusstra, of Cale and Tek and Iji, and whether or not they would realize he was gone. He found himself thinking of things he always tried so hard not to think of: Earth, his parents, and the life he could have had.

Tai was no stranger to silence, preferred it sometimes; but now, in this dark prison, he hated it. It wasn't so much the darkness that dampened his spirit, or the bars that held him in, but the feeling of being completely and totally helpless. Fear rose up within him, a crippling terror that shook his heart. It screamed in agony, over and over: What's going to happen to me now? Will I see anyone again? Am I going to die? He shook violently, holding back tears. He sunk to the floor of his cage, clutching at his ears, until the flood of fear and despair ebbed and he fell into a troubled sleep.


Cale set the machine down on the table. The palm-sized hunk of silvery metal shimmered in the dim lamplight, and Cale smirked at his handiwork. From his pocket he took out a small piece of metal flattened into a bracelet. He looked from the bracelet to the machine sitting on the table, and pressed down on a small blue button set into the machine's dashboard.

The machine glowed and flickered an electric green. A small screen stirred to life. A line danced across the black screen, forming a map of the room. In the middle of the map a red light beeped in and out. Cale stared at the blip of red light, glanced at the bracelet, and tossed it across the room to the door. The red dot followed the path of the bracelet, and Cale looked at the machine with a glow of pride.

"Perfect," Cale exclaimed to no one in particular. In truth, he had not yet devised a use for the gadget. Even so, he held such small accomplishments at heart. In the back of his mind, it reminded him of times he and his father used to tinker with inventions in a similar little workshop. Any triumph of his father's was shared with Cale then, because they made everything together. Now they were separated space and time, he felt like he might be one step closer to his father.

He looked up at the clock hanging on the wall. It was a ruddy little thing, put together from scraps, and it often would lag behind a few seconds if anyone spoke too loudly. Even still, there was no mistaking that it was late. He felt a pang of anxiety; where were Tek and Iji? And where was Tai? He left hours ago and had yet to return. He figured Tek was probably caught up at work; he knew how Tek would sometimes get so into his work he lost track of time – one of the few characteristics Tek and Cale had in common. As for Tai, Cale didn't worry. He was sure, wherever Tai was, that he would make it home. Perhaps he had just gotten caught up shopping. With a shake of his head and a sigh, Cale returned to the little machine, which had started to sputter green sparks.


It was well into the night when Tek returned home. The bags under his eyes didn't hide that the long day at work had taken its toll. Even Iji was missing the spark she always possessed, clinging to her foster father's arm and rubbing her eyes as they walked up the steps and pushed open the door.

The house was cold, dark and empty. Tek took Iji up to her room and put her to bed; she dozed off right away, tuckered from a long day of harassing the neighbors. Tek tottered wearily down the hallway, peering into a bedroom. The bed was empty. Frowning, he continued down the hallway. With some difficulty he pushed the door of another room open. It was cluttered, but empty. He turned from the doorway. "Cale?" he called, voice echoing. "Taylor? Where are you two?" Tek stood for a moment and headed for the only place he thought they could be.

Tek pushed the door open, squinting to see inside the near dark room. The floor of the room was littered with scrap metal and parts from various machines of all types, and on the table in the middle of the room was Cale, his head slumped into his folded arms. His shoulders rose and fell softly.

Tek cleared his throat, wrinkling his trunk in amusement. Cale's head snapped up, his eyelids flickering. "Wuh? Oh… hi, Tek," Cale said as the form of the alien swam together in his eyes.

"What are you doing in here?"

Cale yawned and stretched. "Oh… uh… I was, uh…"

"Sleeping?" Tek said, amused.

Cale gave Tek a sheepish grin and didn't reply. Tek looked around the room. Cale watched in confusion. "What? What is it?"

"Well, I assumed Taylor would be here with you."

Cale blinked. "Tai isn't here?"

Tek shook his head. "Hmm, no, it appears not… the house was empty, with the exception of you, and I was just upstairs putting Iji to bed."

Cale's eyes widened, and all at once the drowsiness left his body. "Where is he? He should have been back hours ago."

Tek tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean? Did Taylor go somewhere?"

Cale waved his hand with a manner of impatience. "Yeah, he said something earlier today about going to the city and getting a sketchbook… something about scrap music or metal chips or something…"

"He went to the city?" Tek repeated with apprehension. "Cale, I told you two you were not allowed to leave the house under any circumstances. And he went alone?"

Cale bowed his head to the table. Tek took his silence as an answer.

"Cale…"

"I'm sorry, okay? I just… I got really caught up with what I was doing, I didn't think…" He cut himself off, running his hands through his dirty blonde hair. "Tek, where do you think he is?"

Tek wrinkled his trunk once more. "Well, I doubt he is still in the city. Perhaps he came back late and is staying with one of the neighbors."

"I doubt it." Cale said with a smile. "Everybody knows he's nothing but trouble."

"Hmm, yes, but that's only when you are around."

Feeling reassured, Cale followed Tek out of the workshop. He reached back and touched a small panel, flicking off the dim little lamplight that had kept him company for so long.