Chapter 17: Alien

"Yeah," said Belle. "Right."

What did they think she was, stupid? Belle supposed that it might be a sign they were forgiving her that they would try to play this sort of prank, but seriously.

"It's the truth, Belle," Flo said. "Haven't you wondered at all? About the technology? About…about…"

"How about the spaceship?" Kalie asked. "And the robots?"

"Please." Belle rolled her eyes. "We didn't go into space, did we? And the robots are lame. In Japan, they have a robot now that can take you out on a date, order dinner, flirt with you, and kiss you goodnight. Your robots just do machine stuff. They can't even talk. Why don't you have super-powered androids, if you're really advanced aliens?"

"We don't make human simulacra on Greecia, for various reasons," said Flo. "Our robots are useful, practical utility machines. Surely some of the equipment you saw at the Rugen Institute—"

"Well, yeah, but that's a science place. It's supposed to be full of weird gadgets. And it's on Earth."

"The energy packs—"

"Do something alien," Belle demanded.

"What?"

"Do something alien. If you really are greasy aliens, then prove it. Do something alien."

Flo and Kalie looked at each other.

"What did you have in mind?" Flo asked.

"I don't know. Surprise me," Belle said. "Sprout tentacles or do a weird alien dance, or use the Force or something."

"We don't have tentacles," Flo said. "I told you, we are born into human bodies—"

"And then you burst out of the chest, right? So, are you supposed to be an invasion force?"

"We're scientists. We were originally sent on a mission to find Princess Tina—"

"She's a princess? WhatEVer!" Belle realized she should probably tone down her remarks. Kalie was giving her a froggy stare, and Ice Flo was getting that look on her face again.

"Sorry," she said. "Okay. My brother's an alien."

Belle felt terrible about what had happened to Hasmodai. Still, she thought, she HAD asked him to come with her. He had made the decision to stay behind himself. And even if the others had liked him a lot, even if they had all played this game together for the six years Ian was missing, it wasn't like…like it was their BROTHER who was killed or something. At least these kids seemed just as determined to find Ian as she was. She supposed she could cut them a little slack for that.

"Okay, so, the story so far is that Ian is the leader of an adventuring party of alien scientists in human bodies, who were sent to find a lost princess, and you finished that mission, and now you're back together to save the world from global warming."

Dumas had explained the whole game situation, before he went ballistic on her. Whoever it was who planned the role-playing campaigns for these science geek kids, they relied way too much on bad clichés. And the players took their game much too seriously. It all ought to have been called off when the ship crashed. Where were the adults? Doctor Hawksbee could not have been the only supervisor. Where was the backup, where were the emergency response people? It was completely irresponsible of the Rugen Institute not to have sent a rescue team out here already. They were KIDS! They shouldn't even be in Antarctica alone! And Flo refused to even consider asking any of the tourists or science teams out here for help. She was probably afraid of losing the scholarship, more afraid than of losing Ian.

"Well, it's a little more complicated than…okay, yeah, fine, sort of," Flo said, shaking her head.

"Got it. Can I have my alien name now?"

Kalie and Helga looked confused. Flo said heavily, "Belle wants a Greecian name. I thought it might help bring her into the group."

"I vote for Stinkpot," said Kalie. Belle stuck out her tongue at him.

"Yaira is a nice name," Helga suggested.

"How about Starfire?" Belle suggested. "Or Ki'Rin? Or Skyralar?"

"Yaira it is," said Flo, standing. Bossy as ever. She had almost seemed to warm up a little out on the search flight, but Ice Flo was definitely back.

"So, tell me about Planet Greasy. If Tina's the princess, who rules the planet?" Belle asked. "Is there, like, a king and queen or something? Are there nobles? Do any of us have royal blood?"

"Dumas is the king's nephew, and Lord Seth has noble blood. The rest of us are former scientists of the royal court. There is a king, but Dumas is actually in charge," Kalie said.

"Wow," said Belle. "Dumas is the ruler? Our planet sucks!"

"I'm going to sleep. Wake me for the last watch." Flo muttered as she turned away, "I can't believe I agonized over this decision."

When Flo had entered the makeshift snow shelter, Belle turned to Kalie. "So, am I supposed to come up with a background story for Yaira?"

"No. You're just Agi's little sister. We keep that in mind constantly." Kalie rose as well. "I'll take the second-to-last watch. You and Tina divide up the first two however you want."

"Kalie? Tarlant?" Belle called after him. He turned to look. As kindly as she could, Belle said, "You really need to think about giving up the role-playing games. Stop buying your clothes at the thrift store and find yourself a nice girlfriend."

He entered the shelter without another word. It was for his own good, Belle told herself.

Tina was looking at her oddly.

"You go ahead," Belle said. "I'll take the first watch…Your Highness."

As Tina walked to the shelter, Belle shivered. How could they be so absorbed in their game when one of the competitors had died and Ian and three others were missing? They were dangerously obsessive, maybe insane. She would join the silly game, it was better than being totally ostracized, but she couldn't take it seriously. Had they really thought she would believe in their little science fantasy world? They must think she was a complete infant.

Everything in the Atalanta was antiquated and half of it was deteriorating. Hasmodai helped redesign one system after another, repairing, improving, modernizing. He was delighted to find that nothing aboard the antique ship was beyond his ability to fix or improve. And the open admiration of Pirya every time he pulled another miracle out of his modern tool pouch was intoxicating.

Pirya was a quick learner, and was already adjusting her speech to modern parlance. The tools Hasmodai had brought had originally been reduced in size for Dumas's use. When returned to their natural volume and mass, Pirya had no difficulty learning to use those as well. She worked beside him, her knowledge of the ship and his knowledge of modern technology combining, so that the Atalanta was being completely transformed, piece by piece.

Another historic artifact I've polluted with modernization, Hasmodai thought as he watched Pirya adjusting the navigational console with the resonator. But she looked at him, and their eyes met, and she smiled, and Hasmodai felt such delight at that smile that he was afraid his heart would tear open.

Every conversation, every accidental touch, every meeting of eyes sent a jolt of intense, ridiculous happiness through him. When they rested from making repairs, Hasmodai coached her in modern speech. She told him stories of her life on Greecia and Earth in those ancient times, and he spoke to her of modern Earth and Greecia. Hasmodai felt he had never been so happy. He had never laughed so much before. He had never loved so suddenly and deeply.

The one thing that tempered his happiness as they worked together was that the hull conversion was proceeding quickly. Like a timer, it was measuring out the minutes until the moment came he would no longer have any excuse not to leave the Atalanta. The knowledge that the time was approaching when they must part sent a filament of bitter sorrow through his soul, which made the joy of the time they spent together all the sweeter by contrast.

As the time of parting grew nearer, both he and Pirya became silent and grave. Hasmodai concentrated all his attention on his work, refining the external surveillance system, increasing its range, trying not to think about his impending departure. Pirya suddenly announced that she was going to go look into the air circulation system.

Hasmodai did not speak or look at her. Pirya left the room. Her absence was already like a gaping wound.

It was better this way, Hasmodai thought as he went on working. It was better if they had a chance to distance themselves from one another before the final break. If they were to be parted, he could cope better with losing her by degrees than to have her vanish from his life all at once. The Atalanta must return to Greecia. Pirya could not live on modern Earth. And there was only so long Hasmodai could delay his return to his team and his mission.

He completed the sensor upgrade and placed his hand on the central globe to test it. The sensor projected an image into his mind, a view of the outside of the ship. Changing his focus, he examined the surface of the ice sheet above, then the floor of the ocean below, a pod of whales swimming past so close he felt he could have reached out and let his hand stroke their sleek sides.

He let his mind wander further, toward his home. Yes, the range extended to the South East Islands, though it was dim and flickering. He found his sister Serena, walking in the garden with Rogan. She looked happy. That was all right, then, she wasn't worrying about him. Hasmodai's mind sought out Agi next, but a confusing fog was all that filled his vision.

Soreto was his next target, and he found her. She was still with Tina, and it seemed Belle had found her way to them. He was delighted to see that Tarlant was with them as well. Under Soreto's direction, with the aid of the two robots, they were building some sort of snow structure on the ice, setting up a camp.

He sent his mind seeking out Mel next, but the result was a brief flash of complete darkness and the image of a rapidly receding, indecipherable shape. He got the same result when looking for Seth and Dumas.

Baffled, he returned to Soreto's camp. Work was continuing there. He could see that, apart from the shelter, a camouflaged ice dome had been built to hide the two escape pods. Everyone seemed…fine.

Frowning, Hasmodai sent his mind back to the ocean floor, to where the wreck of the spacecraft lay. Some sort of aquatic robots were hovering around, as well as couple of divers. The Earth humans had found the wreck and were trying to raise it. Hasmodai drew in closer, narrowed his vision, zeroed in on the inside of the cockpit.

Bits of broken equipment and personal possessions still bobbed in the water. Floating in the icy brine lay the extra spacesuits, their limbs moving eerily with the eddies and undercurrents of the sea. His message had gone unreceived, the cockpit untouched since his departure: the data crystal he had left plugged into the pilots' console was still there. When the first numbing shock faded, it was followed by a wave of hurt and bitter, uncharacteristic rage.

They had not even come back for him.

Hasmodai stayed in the control room until he calmed down, until he was able to unclench his fists again, until the pain and anger loosened enough to allow him to breathe once more.

Then he picked up his tool bag and went to find the one person on the planet who really needed him.

Pirya was standing in the life systems control area, a wall panel open before her, but she was not working on the distributors. She was staring into the wall, her eyes bleak. Hasmodai didn't know how anyone twenty feet tall could look so very vulnerable.

"Pirya?" he said. "The conversion is complete. Your power cells should be charging at a much faster rate, now. In a week or two, the Atalanta should be able to return to space."

She nodded wordlessly.

"I've decided to stay a little longer. To help you get the ship ready."

Pirya looked at him this time, a stare of surprise. "And your mission?" she asked haltingly. "Your friends?"

"I've seen them," said Hasmodai. "They are doing perfectly well without me."

The renewed hope and the pleasure in her eyes swept much of the pain from his soul. Pirya reached down and touched his face, a brief gentle caress. Then she returned to her work. Hasmodai took a deep breath, put everything else out of his mind, and joined her.

Doctor Randall Mellish yawned and checked the readings on the algae pans. The algae had been growing for three weeks now, and still nothing remotely interesting was going on. The experimental basins were growing at the exact same rate as the control group.

He returned to the front desk of the Rugen Institute. Kisa the coordinator had quit recently, and while they waited for some new applicant to pass the rigorous security and background checks, her job was being done by whoever had the most boring, least time-intensive project. Mellish was spending a lot of time at the desk. He wondered whether to eat the sandwich he had brought from home, or to go find out what they were serving in the cafeteria today.

From outside, he could hear the sound of a helicopter. Suddenly it came into view, landing in the small, ornamental garden outside the door, crushing some rare flower bushes. He was about to call security when Damien exited the machine, running. Damien, Mellish knew, was one of the institute's biggest benefactors, and he was expected.

"Damien, nice to see you a—" he started as the young man charged into the building. Behind, he could see some other boy helping a groggy Doctor Hawksbee out of the helicopter.

"Did you get my message?" Damien demanded.

"Yes sir, everything you requested has been loaded aboard the hovercraft. And we filed a flight path for an experimental aircraft, though as far as I know, we don't have one. Would you like to join me for—" But Damien was out the door again already and making his way to the hovercraft. Out the window, Mellish could seem him making a cursory check of all the cargo as Doctor Hawksbee was helped aboard.

Damien sat in the driver's seat, then, opened a control panel Mellish hadn't known was there, and started tapping buttons. A clear shield rose from the sides of the boat, enclosing its entire length.

Then the hovercraft rose out of the water, straight up, and rocketed away, leaving the Rugen Institute quivering in the blast of its sonic boom.

Everyone else gets the fun projects, Mellish thought. He went back to check the algae again.