The universe held many mysteries. Those who study the nature of the Universe are faced with many questions. What was the basis of matter? What was the source of all energy? Can something be born out of nothing? How did the first molecules form? Could intense heat and the gravitational pull of stars be the sole for life on a planet?
Could it be that dark matter is the source of creation? If so, then what created dark matter? Is there a purpose to human existence, or are we just one tiny insignificant spoke on the great wheel of evolution?
These were questions that haunt a genuine scientist committed to the path of seeking knowledge. The thirst to know the truth of the nature of the universe had been the cause of the scientific community across all civilisations that rose and fell on the world.
Jane was no different from her peers.
Her passion for science was ignited when she learned about the stars in school. From then on, outer space always interested her. She would read dozens of books and journals to sate her thirst for knowledge, to learn all the intricacies of space and its mysteries. The fundamental quality of a competent scientist should be the ability to keep an open mind. This she learned from her father, a renowned astrophysicist.
No matter how inane something sounds, Jane believed it should be given due consideration. Assumptions based on preconceived notions were not a good trait for a scientist or science in general. No matter how crazy an idea may sound, it had to be studied and put under the scrutiny of the intellect. Science deals with facts based on evidence. Feelings and faith have no purpose in Jane's chosen profession except to keep up morale. Jane had ingrained this standard into her thought process from an early age.
It was for this reason alone that she remained composed despite being exposed to one of the greatest discoveries in human history. The confirmation that there was alien life thriving outside of planet Earth was a stunning discovery. Sure, some statistics concluded the chances of Earth being the lone life-supporting planet in the cosmos to be unlikely. But statistics was one thing, and true hard evidence was another.
The fact that she maintained her composure despite finding out that her neighbour was an alien from outer space was a testament to her disciplined mind. Her neighbour!
Although, that discipline was wearing thin as was her patience.
She was now in a quandary, as a bundle of emotions was pulling her mind at the seams. A gnawing fear budded in her mind, but that was being eclipsed by her boundless curiosity and thirst for knowledge. Not to mention the shock and awe she felt when thinking that she had been living so close to one of the greatest discoveries in human history.
Her mind was filled with questions upon questions. She wanted to know so much about the wider space and the civilisation of Cerion. The fact that Cerion looked so much like humans also interested her from a scientific perspective. There was no way in hell that he had human physiology. The fact that he could move faster than human sensory organs could perceive already let her know that Cerion only looked human. Then, there was the most important question of all that was burning in the back of her mind.
Why Earth? Why did Cerion come here? A question that was born out of fear generated in her mind.
She realised that it was her survival instinct. It was the same fear she would have felt if she were in a room with a lion or a tiger.
But rather than asking these questions, she was just sitting on a chair in her kitchen, watching an alien cook food for her. The bizarre situation she found herself in made her reclusive, and a part of her mind smothered the questions that blossomed within her mind.
The sound of oil getting heated startled her and pulled her out of her thoughts to the present time. Her hand remained in a sling, and more than anything, she wished her hand was free of any injury right now. Not that she had any notion that her hand would be helpful. It just felt like she was unsafe with an alien in her house, which she thought irrational. If Cerion wanted to do something to her, he would've done so by now. She blamed all those conspiracy theories and shoddy alien invasion movies for the fear she was having right now.
Then there was the simple fact that she was breathing right now because Cerion saved her from a bullet to the head. If anything, she should've felt more fear towards her fellow human beings rather than an alien.
"Hey, don't just laze off in that chair; help me," said Cerion, pulling her out of her thoughts.
"Oh, sorry. What do you need?" she asked as she jumped from her seat a little too quickly.
If Cerion noticed her nervousness, he certainly didn't comment on it; he merely asked for pepper.
Jane found the powdered pepper in a nearby drawer and hesitantly placed it near Cerion, who was chopping an onion into fine pieces. She felt the urge to return to her chair and keep a healthy distance from Cerion, but she resisted.
Jane flinched slightly when Cerion dumped the onion, pepper powder, salt and garlic into the frying pan. This was followed by adding pork chops smothered in flour, some tomato slices, and a few sliced green chillies. A few minutes into the cooking, she forgot all about the alien matter and was wooed by the heavenly smell filling her apartment.
Ten minutes later Cerion turned off the flame and their dinner was ready to be served. As Jane put a small slice of the pork into her tongue her mouth flooded with taste.
"You do cook well." she hummed and began eagerly taking in the chops a slice at a time with her fork. In her enthusiasm, she let her hand out of her sling, and thankfully, she was feeling better.
"What? You thought I ate raw meat or something?" he asked jokingly, but it gave her pause.
The thought crossed her mind after she learned about his alien origin, which was embarrassing.
"I'm surprised you are not denying it." said Cerion but she was relieved to note that he was amused rather than offended.
"I blame all the hostile alien themes in the movies and books," she mumbled as she continued to eat the food on her plate, the heat flooding her cheeks.
"Truly? I expected you to hound me with questions instead of keeping it all in." he commented, and something in her mind just broke.
Perhaps it was the insinuation that she was weak and therefore afraid to ask questions, but whatever it was, she asked the first question that came to mind.
"Where do you come from?"
The second the question was out of her mouth, she felt a huge relief, as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulder.
"I'm from planet Krypton of the Rao System in an unidentified sector of space by human standards far away from this galaxy."
She was unfamiliar with the names, but that was expected, seeing as these are alien names. But then she picked up on the fact that Cerion had been speaking fluently in English ever since she knew him. The names of his planet and the star system also sounded English which doesn't mean that the language should be English but there were similarities.
"Why did you come here? And for that matter, how long have you been on Earth?" she asked eagerly now that some fear in her heart had abated.
"It was not my intention to arrive on this planet. My ship malfunctioned, and I was stranded on your planet. I believe it has been three months since I landed on planet Earth."
Now, that surprised her. She thought he had lived on Earth for far longer than three months. Either Cerion was lying for some reason, or he was intimately aware of Earth, as she doubted he could blend in so easily in three months.
"Only three months! You speak English so fluently, and you have behaved like a human all the time I have known you."
"Your language is somewhat similar to my native language. Although, I don't know why you would think other civilisations are different from your own. Most civilisations in the universe are not that different from human society."
"There are more aliens!?" she asked in awe.
"Sure. It Is a big universe and there is bound to be life flourishing in distant star systems." he said with a shrug as if that was normal.
To him, that should be normal, but for her, it was anything but normal.
"But…but…we've never encountered alien life except you," she said, already chastising herself for not considering the possibility that multiple civilizations may be out there.
"Hmm…. Could it be that you have not met an alien species because your government keeps any discovery a secret?" Cerion smirked at her, and she blinked confusedly for a moment before it clicked.
"Oh! That's… That's actually possible." She frowned in thought. "Is that true?"
"You are asking me?" Cerion looked amused.
She blushed at how that came off. Of course, why would he know what her government was covering up?
"Ah, sorry."
"From my experience with your government agencies, it is almost certain they are covering up…" Cerion trailed off as a knock on the door interrupted their conversation.
"Who could that be?" she muttered.
"Don't worry. It seems your Federal government is here." said Cerion which stumped her.
"What?" she looked at him in horror.
"You'll see..." was the calm reply from Cerion.
Jane opened the door to see a man in a black suit with a pleasant smile on his face.
"Agent Coulson." he introduced himself and flashed his badge.
"Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division. I've never heard of it before," said Jane with a frown.
"Now you do. May I come in? I'm afraid I'd like to discuss some matters with Mr Vex and yourself."
"Umm…please come in." she let the agent into her apartment.
A few minutes later, she was sitting beside Cerion on the couch, reading a file on the gang that attacked her and the people of Booker Street. Never mind the fact that a government agency she had never heard of was involved in keeping Cerion here on Earth.
"A few major spine injuries and some broken legs and ribs are the common injuries. Some of them won't walk if ever and some will walk funny if they get the proper treatment. So far no one has died in stark contrast to the victims of this gang." said Agent Coulson with a neutral expression. "You did a number on them."
"They deserved it. I mean…just look at the lives lost. These thugs fired at children….children!" Jane scowled
"You won't hear any complaints from me, Miss Foster. From questioning the members of the gang, they say they retaliated for beating up two of their members." said Coulson, looking at Cerion.
"But he did that to defend me." Jane defended her alien friend.
"Either way, the cat is out of the bag, and a lot of people got caught up in the crossfire. From now on, please keep us in the loop, Mr. Vex," said Agent Coulson.
Jane noticed a strange look pass through Cerion's face, but he just nodded in agreement.
"Good." Coulson nodded appreciatively before turning on her. "Now, Miss Foster, I don't have to tell you that the nature of information you stumbled into accidentally is not public knowledge. We would appreciate it if this stayed that way. The last thing we need is mass hysteria on the streets. Can we expect your discretion and cooperation?"
"Uh, yeah. I guess so." she nodded distractedly.
"Good. In that case, I shall take my leave." said Coulson as he stood up from his seat and walked towards the door but paused halfway.
"Oh, I almost forgot. We are taking care of the drug cartel of Mr Baker. You won't hear from them again, and we have managed to keep what truly happened in the shadows. As far as the public knows, the Law enforcement officers took care of the gang."
"Thanks, I guess." she said hesitantly, seeing as Cerion remained silent.
"We will keep in touch. Have a good evening Miss Foster, Mr Vex." said Coulson before he disappeared into the corridor after closing the door.
Jane went back to reading the file that was still in her hand. Just reading through the report gave her chills about this gang. The victims and their families of this gang violence are certainly going to be traumatised for a long time, from what she read. Consequently, she felt a whole lot of appreciation for surviving the attack on herself without a scratch.
She looked at Cerion sitting beside her, who was deep in thought. If it weren't for Cerion she would've most likely been dead or worse.
"Thank you for saving me and all those people." Jane smiled and squeezed his hand in appreciation.
"I think my presence may have just endangered more lives than it would have otherwise." said Cerion with a frown.
"Don't be like that. Without you, I most certainly would have died. Even if you were not here what makes you think that this gang would not have harmed anyone?"
"I guess you are right in a way."
"In a way! I am always right." she said with faux indignation.
She noticed a small grin on Cerion's face, and she smiled to herself. She had noticed that her friend rarely smiled, and now she knew the reason. He must have been feeling homesick all this time.
"Well, either way, I believe I am the victor of that bet, right? You owe me a tour of your campus." Cerion shifted the topic.
"Hmm… I guess so. But don't you think that reward was not that great for what you did?" she asked playfully, her heart thundering in her body.
"What do youu….?"
It was at this point she kissed him. For a moment, she thought she made a mistake, but before she could pull back, she felt Cerion kiss back. She had her hands wrapped around his neck and immersed in the kiss. When they came apart, she was breathing heavily and found herself sitting on his lap.
"That was…." Cerion trailed off, looking thoroughly out of his comfort zone.
"Long overdue." Jane finished for him.
She had a feeling she would have to pull him out of his shell on this one.
"Umm…Jane. Is this okay?" Cerion asked, his mind in flux after the kiss.
She answered that by taking off her top and pulling him into a kiss once more, only for the pain to flare up in her arm, but she paid it no mind.