Outsider

Part Five

Mindy looked down at Mork as he slept peacefully, never seeing him so calm and still. She knew he needed the stillness after his restless battle for his freedom, and she was careful not to wake him as she stroked his arm gently. He was in a more accommodating hospital room at the base, no longer secured to his bed but allowed the freedom to rest unhindered. His wounded leg was freshly bandaged, and since they knew more about his biology than they did the first time they captured him, he was given safe and therapeutic amounts of painkillers and administered IV fluids.

"His surgery went well," Dr. Feldman whispered. "His wound should heal just fine without any complications."

"Thank you," Mindy said. She looked at Mork. "What's going to happen to him? Will you release him when he's well?"

"Well…it's not going to be that simple, I'm afraid."

A sergeant poked his head into the room. "Doctor, they need you out here," he said.

"I'll be right back to explain," Dr. Feldman said to Mindy. "Please excuse me."

She watched him leave, wondering what he meant about it not being as simple as releasing Mork. She wondered how much more he had to suffer before he was allowed the right to live undisturbed by government agencies constantly harassing him and expressing their interest in him. He stirred and opened his eyes to tired slits, gazing up at Mindy and smiling. Even though his eyes weren't fully open, she could see the pain and fatigue in them. He squeezed her hand as much as his strength would allow, releasing a sigh.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, smiling.

"Better," he said, his voice faint and distant.

She didn't know how much he remembered about his rampage, but something about it had been plaguing her thoughts.

"Mork, before you passed out, you asked why people couldn't love you as you are," she said, frowning. "What did you mean by that?"

Mork's eyes wandered around the room, as if he were searching for the answer. "Oh Mind," he said. "If only you knew. If only you understood."

"Exactly, I don't know or understand. That's why I'm asking."

He looked at her. "You don't know what it means to be me, to be an alien on this planet," he said. "I've always been treated like an outsider everywhere I've traveled, and I expected some of that, but here…it's far worse than anywhere else I've been, and far more wonderful, too. It's strange."

"How so?"

"I'm either revered or reviled, or your government wants something from me, wants to use and exploit me for their own purposes. Nobody ever asks me what I want. To them, I am just an object to further their ambitions or expand their profits, not an intelligent being with feelings and desires. They project all their fear and hatred onto me, instead of using that misplaced curiosity to actually talk to me, get to know and understand me."

"What do you want, Mork?"

"I want to live a normal life, like you do. I want to be treated fairly, with respect and dignity." He squeezed her hand tighter, smiling. "But most of all, I want you."

"I want you, too," Mindy said. She leaned over and kissed him. "I didn't realize how much I've taken for granted. You're right, I do live a normal life. I can't imagine what it's like for you, to constantly be hounded and bothered, to be treated either with total veneration or total disrespect, but never seen for what you really are, which is pretty special in its own right. It's not because you're an alien that you're special, Mork. It's because you're a good guy. So you're wrong about one thing. There are some people who love you as you are, and you can count me as one of them. I don't want anything from you but the pleasure of your company."

Dr. Feldman reentered the room, noticing that Mork was now conscious.

"Well hello Mork, how are you feeling?" He asked.

Mork looked at the doctor, remembering his kindness when he released him from captivity that first time, saving his life. He smiled at him, hoping he was there to once again deliver good news.

"Much better, thank you," he said groggily.

"That's great, because I have negotiated a deal for your freedom."

"What did you do?" Mindy asked.

Dr. Feldman grinned, barely containing his excitement. "You're going to love this," he said. "Mork, I have a job opportunity for you."

"A job?"

Dr. Feldman nodded. "How would you like to work for the United States government?" He asked.

"We were just talking about that," Mindy said. "If you think you can exploit him for your own agenda, you've got another thing coming."

"Just hear me out. It isn't anything like that, I promise. Mork would be paid a salary, and quite a healthy one, too."

"What would I be doing?" Mork asked.

"Anything you want. You'd be part of our research and development team. You could help us by showing us any advanced technology that you think would be useful and benefit us here on Earth, and in return we would pay you for that knowledge."

"Do I get to live with Mindy?"

"Of course. You two can even stay in Boulder if you want. We can provide you with the proper cover—give you a fake job, manufacture credentials like a birth certificate, social security card, and identification. This would give you the autonomy you want. It would almost make you feel like a regular human."

"And you would leave me alone? You wouldn't try to capture me again?"

"That's correct."

Mork looked down. He thought about the stranded Native American man he met and helped. It gave him satisfaction to help that man, and the story he told about how Orkans used to come to Earth and help humans develop—something about the idea was very appealing to him, and he wouldn't be doing it out of pure altruism, either. It would also make him feel like he had a purpose. If only Orson could see him now. He knew he would be proud. After being adrift for so long, being treated as a criminal and a delinquent—he would finally find his place among the humans and start the life with Mindy that he had been trying to form for some time now. It would provide him with stability and security, things that even someone as rebellious as he was still needed to thrive. The idea that he had free reign over his projects, too, that no one would try to direct him or tell him what to do—that also had its appeal to him. He could finally feel accepted and needed, using his advanced abilities to challenge and stimulate himself. As much as he loved living on Earth, he had to admit that at times he found it boring without something to keep his mind active. This job that Dr. Feldman was offering to him would provide him with the perfect opportunity to do just that.

"Well, I do have some ideas that would help the human race," he said, smiling. "There are some things we have on Ork that you don't have here, things that I miss. It's valuable knowledge, too, and I could share it with you."

"You're not actually considering this, are you?" Mindy asked. She looked at Dr. Feldman. "No offense, but this sounds too good to be true. How do we know we can trust you after everything he's been through?"

"This is the deal I have struck with other members of the organization," Dr. Feldman said. "They agreed to discipline Dr. Phillips for his actions, and in return for that agreement, they want Mork to work for us, but strictly as a paid consultant on projects that interest him. He won't assist us in the manufacturing of any weapons; just technology that can improve our lives."

"And if he refuses?"

Dr. Feldman shrugged. "He has to pay for the millions of dollars of damage he caused to the base somehow," he said, grinning.

"Oh, you're clever," Mindy said. She looked at Mork. "Mork, don't listen to him. You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"But I do want to, Mindy," he said. "Not only do I want to help other humans- I want to help you, too. I want us to have a good life together. I can help make that happen for us. I'm doing it because I love you."

She didn't know what to say. No man had ever said anything like that to her before, perhaps because no other man had ever cared for her as much as Mork did. She found herself genuinely touched by his response. She knew there was a reason she loved him.

"Mork," she said, overcome. She kissed him.

"So, what is your decision?" Dr. Feldman asked.

"He'll do it," Mindy said, releasing him.

"Mork? How about you?"

"Yes," he said. "When can I start?"

"Immediately."

It wasn't easy keeping what Mork actually did for a living secret, but both he and Mindy figured that if they had managed to keep the fact that he was an alien a secret for as long as they had, they could also maintain their silence on that subject as well. The government handled his money for him, keeping it safe in a secure location and helping him invest it in companies they felt were worthwhile and on the cutting edge of research and technology. In time, Mork was a multimillionaire, but nobody in the outside world would know it. He and Mindy kept their apartment and lived as they usually did, preferring their cozy and humble surroundings to a palatial mansion any day. Besides, it would be too difficult to explain how they managed to acquire the money necessary to maintain such a high standard of living. Most evenings after dinner and before going to bed to either make love or go straight to sleep, they snuggled together on Mindy's couch, watching the silly alien and monster flicks that Mork had been exposed to while on Ork.

"Are you sure you want to watch this?" Mindy asked, turning on the TV. "What if you get scared?"

Mork grinned slyly. "I won't get scared," he said. "I told you—I laugh at these."

"Okay, if you insist."

They watched as the black and white aliens—actors dressed in cheesy costumes from the 1950s—moved robotically across the screen, emerging from glowing flying saucers. Mork did laugh at the absurdity of it all while munching on popcorn, but there were parts of the movie when Mindy noticed he wasn't laughing, where he was completely absorbed instead. It was the parts she knew he could relate to, the parts where soldiers shot at the aliens or captured them, holding them prisoner inside a laboratory for study. While most of it was fiction, those parts were simply too close to reality for Mork. Mindy turned off the TV when she noticed that he seemed particularly disturbed and uncomfortable about one of the scenes.

"What did you do that for?" He asked. "It was just about to get to the good part."

"You looked upset," she said.

"I wasn't upset."

She sat beside him, tracing his tense, muscular shoulder with her finger. "You can't hide from me," she said. "I know how those scenes made you feel. They reminded you of what you've been through, didn't they?"

Mork looked down at the floor. "You're right," he said quietly. "I guess I do have a new perspective on these movies now. In the earthling's defense, though, they are just scared, facing the unknown. Perhaps I would act the same way if I were in their gloves."

"The expression is in their shoes, Mork," Mindy said, giving him a teasing, playful grin.

Mork shrugged and smiled, looking slightly embarrassed. "Well, whatever," he said, blushing. "I guess I'm just lucky that finally at least some earthlings besides you are starting to become more accepting of people like me from other planets. It's a big world, though, and I know it's going to take some time." He looked out the window. "If only everybody out there knew the truth," he said. "If only they knew what was really out there. They would be amazed."

Mindy kissed him, considering herself very fortunate to be with him, to know the truth wasn't as dangerous or threatening as the science fiction movies made it out to be. "Yes," she said. "If only they knew."

The End