A fleet of cars, all uniformly black, drove down the rural highway cutting through Quitman, Georgia at the break of dawn. Fallen autumn leaves fell from the trees onto the pavement, only to be crushed beneath the wheels of the black motorcade that bore U.S. Government license plates that shimmered from the light of the muggy sunrise.
Kaela Kovalskia sat at the passenger's seat of the car at the center of the convoy. The chauffeur seated beside her was Special Agent Zeta Vestia.
"Quitman, Georgia." Zeta spoke, reading the small town's faded green welcome sign adorned with illustrated peaches, "A small town in the sticks. Home to five thousand or so souls." She glanced at Kaela and hummed, "Five thousand souls and two wanted fugitives."
Kaela folded her arms and argued, "Aren't they on the de-prioritized list of fugitives, Zeta?"
"They are." Zeta answered, turning her eyes back to the road before her, "But that doesn't make them any less of a fugitive, does it?"
Kaela frowned, but she couldn't answer back.
Before long, the cars of the convoy started to slow down.
"We're here." Zeta announced, "The home of Sheriff Calliope Mori. Their safe harbor."
The convoy of black cars parked by the curb of the Sheriff's house, perched like a murder of crows on a tree stripped bare by the autumn.
…
Kaela and Zeta marched through the front yard of Calli's home. The CIA agents that accompanied them hung back by the parked cars. Agent Bazo, in particular, caught Kaela's attention - him and the assault rifle that he cradled in his arms. The other agents also brought out a myriad of other high-powered firearms. Zeta's revolver, meanwhile, rattled lightly by her hip.
Zeta pointed to Bazo and the rest of her agents.
"Cover me." Zeta commanded.
The CIA agents nodded and took their positions. Kaela watched them point their guns downrange at Calli's house. Seeing that sent chills up Kaela's spine, but Zeta sauntered ahead with a carefree gait.
Kaela buried her hands in her pockets and followed Zeta through the front yard.
Before they could reach the porch, the front door opened.
Sheriff Calliope Mori and her Deputy Vesper Noir emerged and met the visitors halfway. The both of them wore their holsters, showing their batons swaying by their hips. Calli had her pistol by her hip while Vesper had an old shotgun slung over his shoulder. They carried underwhelming firepower compared to the small arsenal that the CIA brought along, but the Quitman peace officers were still inclined to show their pieces.
For Sana's sake, Kaela guessed, Calli and Vesper were willing to play a losing hand if they absolutely had to. No matter how bloody it could get.
"Good morning, Kaela." Calli greeted, speaking sternly but with a thin veneer of politeness. She kept her hands by her hips, close to her holster and sighed, "I really wished that you could have visited here under better circumstances."
Vesper nodded, sharing the Sheriff's sentiment. Sunlight reflected off of his glasses and shrouded his stone faced expression, but he gripped the strap of his shotgun tightly.
No guns had been drawn, but the Quitman officers and the CIA agents glared knives at each other intensely - so intensely that Kaela could have sworn that a new Cold War had brewed right there and then.
Dejected, Kaela agreed with a frown.
"Me too, Sheriff. Me too. But we're here to talk business, today. We don't really have a lot of time for pleasantries." Kaela looked Calli in the eye and added, "Going by what Ina told me over the phone, Sana may not have a lot of time either."
Calli's lips twisted. Then, she faced Kaela's companion and sharpened her gaze.
"So, to what do we owe the displeasure?" Calli tested defiantly.
"Special Agent Zeta Vestia, CIA." Zeta introduced herself, showing Calli her federal government badge, "I'm here to accept the surrender of a Miss Ina'nis Ninomae and a Miss Sana Tsukumo." She smiled sweetly despite Calli's glare, tapping on her badge with her finger while she continued, "I - on behalf of the Federal Government - would very much appreciate your full cooperation here, Sheriff Mori."
Calli snorted. She and Vesper counted the assault rifles and CIA agents gathered outside the house.
"Don't worry about them, Sheriff." Kaela tried to intervene, "Agent Vestia is here to make a deal. She'll hold up her end of the bargain. You have my word."
"Fine." Calli conceded and turned to Zeta, "But I don't want any weapons in the house, "But I don't want you bringing weapons in my house. Have your men put those damn guns away, too. You'll get the folks worried."
Zeta tucked a lock of her long, silver hair behind her ear and revealed a wired earpiece that she had been wearing. She pressed a button on her earpiece and gave her orders.
"Bazo. Code Blue. Everyone, stand down."
At Zeta's command, the CIA agents at the curb lowered their assault rifles but kept them close at hand. They also held their ground around the perimeter. Zeta, meanwhile, took out her Single Action Army revolver, unloaded it and handed it to Calli.
"Are these terms acceptable?" Zeta asked.
Calli took Zeta's gun. She gestured to Zeta and Kaela to come inside her house.
…
Kaela and Zeta, flanked by Calli and Vesper, climbed up the staircase to the second floor. The portrait of Kiara Takanashi greeted the unwelcome visitors with a kind, placid smile. What caught Kaela's attention, however, was the lone cigarette on an ashtray set before it like an incense stick.
' Now where have I seen something like that before? ' Kaela hummed.
Calli patted Kaela's shoulder, somewhere between a friendly tap and a displeased smack - urging her and Zeta to keep moving.
The two of them were brought to the guest room. There, they found the bedridden Sana lying flat on her back and the sullen Ina who was tending to her.
Ina glanced at Kaela when she entered. For a moment, Ina's eyes brightened like they used to when she saw Kaela. However, Ina's tired eyes strayed away from her in an instant. Whatever traces of a smile on Ina's lips faded away like the green color of the autumn leaves. It made it hard for Kaela to speak…
But Kaela forced herself anyway.
"Ina. Sana." Kaela started, facing the two ladies who wouldn't look at her, "This is Special Agent Zeta Vestia of the CIA. She's here…"
"To take us into custody." Ina completed Kaela's sentence with an impatient huff, "We know why she's here, Kaela. We're the ones who wanted to make a deal with her."
"Ina…" Kaela's lips twisted.
More tense silence hung over the room. Zeta scoffed and barged through the door and muscled her way into the guest room.
"Good. That saves me the trouble of introducing myself again." Zeta spoke confidently, brashly brushing away the tense air that hung in the room. Her bright blue eyes shimmered as she regarded Ina and Sana from head to toe. Satisfied, she smiled proudly and continued, "Let's get down to business, shall we? The extra-terrestrial, Miss E.T. has been experiencing some sort of 'gravitic imbalance', if I understand the situation correctly, yes?"
"Yes." Ina admitted, but she furrowed her brow and bristled at Zeta, "But the extra-terrestrial has a name. It's Sana Tsukumo."
Zeta shrugged half-heartedly.
"Whatever the case, Miss Ninomae, I've had access to samples of Miss E.T.'s blood and bits of her flesh for quite some time now." The CIA agent put a hand on her hip and spoke nonchalantly, "My agents found trace materials of them on the barbed wire when the two of you made your escape from Cape Kennedy that night. I've been studying those samples ever since."
Kaela blinked. She remembered seeing the dried blood on Sana's astral dress when they first met - and the small blood stains left on the leather back seats of her sedan. Glancing at Ina, Kaela guessed that she was thinking about that night too.
"Ah… no wonder why some of my form's atoms were missing!" Sana piped up, almost innocently.
Her childlike remark and bright expression starkly contrasted everyone else in the room.
Zeta chuckled.
"At least someone in this room is lively. Are you sure you're the sick one here, Miss E.T.?" The CIA agent smirked. Then, she dug into the pockets of her blazer and brought out a canister of peculiar pills. She showed off the pills and declared, "Anyways. Thanks to those samples, and to your friend Kaela's cooperation, my office was able to create a remedy of sorts to your affliction." She shook the canister, making the pills rattle, "These are your taxpayer dollars at work, right here. Though Uncle Sam doesn't exactly know everything we did to get here. Story for another time."
Ina, Sana, Calli and Vesper all looked at the canister of pills. They saw its contents sparkling ever so slightly, shimmering like a miniaturized constellation of stars.
"That's… Sana's remedy?" Ina asked, her face and her voice painted with skepticism.
"Think of this as my peace offering - and my opening offer." Zeta answered calmly, "Let Miss E.T. try a few." She turned to Calli confidently and dared, "If it doesn't work, shoot me."
"Don't tempt me." Calli warned, clutching her gun holster.
Zeta scoffed, but she still offered the canister of pills to Ina.
Ina's hand hovered over the canister, but she hesitated to take it. Her purple eyes turned towards Kaela, searching for assurance. It was only when Kaela nodded that Ina took the pills from Zeta and offered them to Sana.
Everybody in the room watched as Sana drank a pill with some water. Seconds passed painfully slow, marked by the ticking of the guest room's wall clock - every tick lasting an eternity. Kaela, meanwhile, clenched her fists and whispered beneath her breath.
"Come on…" Kaela prayed, "Come on, come on, come on…!"
After a short while, Sana's entire body started to glow and an otherworldly wind blew through the room, making Sana's long locks of hair flutter about. Ina, Calli and Vesper shuddered. The three of them tensed up where they stood.
"W-wait, no… it's happening again!" Calli panicked, "Everyone, hold on to…"
Before Calli could finish, the otherworldly wind dissipated. Sana's glowing skin returned to normal too, leaving the Sheriff dumbfounded.
"S-Sana…?" Ina croaked, speaking with a trembling voice, "How do you feel?"
"I feel better." Sana spoke with disbelief, "I… actually feel better!"
Ina, Calli and Vesper all turned to Zeta with dropped jaws. Zeta, meanwhile, ran a hand proudly through her silver hair and smirked.
"Don't underestimate the indomitable human spirit." Zeta declared.
Sana smiled and sat upright on her bed. The pangs of pain that had painted her face gave way to her usual, curious and fascinated expression. She regarded her own body, eying the traces of the glowing that wrapped around her.
"Holy cow, this is amazing!" Sana declared. She turned to Zeta and Kaela, "How were you able to…?"
Zeta shrugged, feigning innocence.
"That's classified." Zeta answered.
Kaela snorted. She was inclined to agree.
"Looks like my days off from the Agency weren't a complete waste." Zeta stretched her arms and her neck, "I'm glad you like the fruits of my labor with Kaela, Miss E.T. But i've gotta warn ya - this is a temporary remedy. The pills will nudge our deadline forward just a bit, but we're still working on borrowed time here." She turned to Ina now and smiled slyly at her, "The permanent solution is to bring Miss E.T. back to space."
Ina lowered her head.
"That's what Sana and I think, yes." Ina admitted, "Otherwise…" Her voice, however, trailed off and she clenched her fists, "I don't want to think about it."
Zeta nodded. Then, she approached Ina and offered her hand.
"Do we have a deal, then, Miss Ninomae?" Zeta asked.
Ina took a deep breath. Then, she shook Zeta's hand.
Kaela watched the exchange from the sidelines. Ina's determined expression would have convinced most people - but Kaela knew well what she was hiding behind that mask of courage.
The tall blonde turned away from her friend and frowned, muttering lightly to herself.
" I'm sorry… Ina. "
…
Ina and the revitalized Sana, with Calli's and Vesper's help, packed up their things and got ready to leave.
They didn't have a lot of things to begin with. Their escape from Florida was nothing short of a whirlwind, after all. That, and Sana's usual astral dress rarely got dirty, so the space alien hardly had any earthly possessions. However, the packing up still turned out to be an arduous ordeal. With everything they packed, the guest room seemed emptier and emptier - making the ordeal harder and harder.
But the wall clock ticked on. The world continued to turn.
Before they knew it, the guest room had become as barren as it was before the two guests arrived that fateful, late summer night. Nearly all of the markers of their visit filled Ina's suitcase, sealed away by a simple zipper.
"That's everything?" Vesper asked, lifting up the light suitcase.
"Mm." Ina nodded somberly.
Calli browsed through the closet and found the black dress that she bought for Sana. She picked it up by the hanger and showed it to her departing guests.
"What about this?" Calli asked.
Sana shook her head and smiled.
"Where I'm going, I won't need clothes." Sana answered, "Plus… I want to leave something behind: proof that I existed here on this Earth… lived in this wonderful house once upon a time."
"I see." Calli nodded. She put the hangered dress back into the closet, "That's everything then."
"That's everything." Ina and Sana answered, repeating their answer.
"Alright." Calli heaved a sigh, "Let's go."
With that, Vesper called Ina's luggage down the stairs. Calli, Ina and Sana followed behind him.
There, on the front porch, Vesper handed the suitcase back to Ina and stood back. Ina smiled at him, "Thank you, Deputy Noir." She turned to Calli next and added, "Thank you too, Sheriff Mor…"
Before Ina could finish her sentence, Calli dashed forward and hugged Ina tightly. Holding Ina in her arms, Calli started to cry.
"Ina…" Calli croaked, frantically wiping her tears while she spoke, "Listen. You'll always have a place here in my house. Come back anytime, you hear? We'll be ready for you."
"Mm…" Ina hummed, hugging Calli back. She wanted to say more, but she was afraid that she might start crying too, "You'll know when it's time. It'll be all over the news - the Apollo 2 launch. I'd… be happy if you and Vesper watched over me and Sana then."
"We won't miss it for the world." Calli declared, finally letting Ina go, "You and Sana are incredibly bright girls. I know you'll make it work."
"We won't let you down." Sana chimed in.
That was her cue to hug Calli too.
Vesper, meanwhile, ran to the kitchen and brought out a loose leaf notebook sheet. He wrote on it with a pencil and scribbled on it before he handed it to Ina.
"That's my chili recipe, Miss Ninomae." Vesper placed the sheet in Ina's hand, "It'll be great for the winter. Feed Sana lots of it until she goes up to space."
"Thank you, Vesper." Ina smiled at him. "I'll make it for Sana as many times as she wants."
"I'll even eat it everyday!" Sana laughed.
Vesper started to laugh a little too. He hugged Sana and Ina and let the two of them go.
"I learned a lot about humanity while I was here, Sheriff Mori. Deputy Noir." Sana spoke gently, rubbing their shoulders consolingly, "I'll never forget the kindness you and the people of Quitman have shown me. As long as my Consciousness exists, I will treasure every moment of it."
"You'll also have a place in this home, Sana." Calli answered her, speaking with a cracked, conflicted voice, "No matter where you go, you're welcome in this house."
Vesper nodded in wholehearted agreement.
Sana nodded back and bid her two gracious hosts farewell.
"Until our Consciousnesses meet again." Sana waved.
Calli and Vesper waved back.
With that, Ina and Sana followed Kaela and Zeta to the convoy of black cars - headed back for the place where the two of them began.
Cape Kennedy.
…
Close Encounters
Bottled Starlight
…
Epilogue
Back at Kennedy Space Center, as the sun started to set over Florida, NASA Director Amelia Watson sat behind her desk while taking a call. She held the handset close to her ears and spoke.
"Yes, Mr. President. Of course, Mr. President." Ame spoke with a haggard voice, "The CIA intelligence is correct, sir. America's space program will accelerate in the coming days." She paused and closed her tired eyes, "We won't get a repeat of Apollo 1, sir. I will do everything in my power to get the job done. Everything."
With that, the call ended. Ame put down the handset and heaved a long, frustrated sigh.
Alone once more in her quiet office, Ame brought out a packet of cigarettes and fished out a piece. The last one in the pack, Ame noticed.
Ame furrowed her brow, but struck a match anyways to light the cigarette. Then, without bringing it to her mouth, she set the lit cigarette down on a NASA ashtray, watching the smoke trail up to the office ceiling.
Light from the setting sun peeked through the blinders over her office windows, illuminating the many picture frames on her desk. One from just two years ago.
In that photo, the younger Ame squatted before one of NASA's Gemini capsule together with Astronaut Gawr Gura. The two ladies wore the Gemini Program space suits embroidered with tags bearing their respective surnames. Seeing the cheeky veteran astronaut in the photo pierced Ame's heart.
"I used to smile a lot back then, huh?" Ame snorted, frowning as cigarette smoke started to obscure the photo, "Seems like an eternity ago now. Where did those days go?"
The smoke wafted sideways, revealing the presence of a peculiar person in the photo's background, mucking around with Kaela Kovalskia behind the Gemini capsule.
Ame's blue eyes sharpened, burning with fierce flames as she growled, "Looks like we'll be working together again, Junior Technician Ina'nis Ninomae."
Ash fell from the edge of Ame's cigarette, casting a plume of smoke that obscured the photograph whole.
To Be Continued