The Strangers Read online

  Though I would much rather be treating patients in the thick of the California drought, sometimes making a difference meant moving to higher places. At least, that was what I was hoping.

  I covered my ears despite the plugs that my escort had offered and jumped the three feet to the tarmac. After flying for ninety minutes over the barren wilderness of the West, I could only guess what state we were in.

  Before me sat a compact little outpost. Including the airstrip, it took up no less than a mile, the buildings clustered closely together with no people in sight.

  With effort, I restrained my questions and followed my escort, a man in dusty jeans and a t-shirt. Stretching my legs felt good after sitting in the cramped space of the helicopter side pit. A nervous flutter rose in my stomach as I tried to brace myself for what was to come. Surely, it had something to do with the current disaster, the thousands who were dying from lack of water.

  I saw the first sign that we weren't alone as another helicopter touched down behind us. Glancing over my shoulder, I watched three men in uniform disembark from the craft.

  "This way, ma'am." My escort swiped a card and held the door for me.

  I found myself in an antechamber, facing another set of doors. The ones behind me swung shut and my escort approached a keypad embedded in the wall. He quickly typed on the pad and the huge steel doors groaned. I didn't think such monstrosities could move so smoothly, but then air rushed into the chamber.

  I was under no illusions now. This wasn't just a secure meeting location, it was some kind of outpost. Military grade.

  "Welcome to the Base, Dr. Cordell." My escort swung past me and it was only now that I realized what I had picked up on earlier. Though he was wearing only street clothes, the man walked with a slight swagger, the kind of straightforward confidence you couldn't miss.

  "This is the mess hall." He directed me into a spacious area with a high ceiling. Several long tables were aligned in rows and among them stood a crowd of people. Some milled around aimlessly while others glanced nervously from their neighbor to the doors. They were wearing everything from high-end suits to jeans and I wondered if they were accomplished in whatever careers they'd been snatched from.

  If this were a movie, I might have stood tall and pretended I knew what I was doing. Instead, I stared, baffled.

  "Hey, there. You got any theories yet?"

  I turned to find a face with scruffy black hair and lopsided glasses.

  "I beg your pardon?"

  The man smiled intently.

  "Everyone seems to have a different one." He surveyed the crowd. "My money's on the aliens. We're being drafted to blast those things out of the sky." He raked a hand through his mop of hair which only made his cowlick worse. "What do you think?"

  "I, uh..." Did he seriously think we'd been recruited for the army?

  The man extended his hand, smiling brightly. "Mars," he said. "Nice to meet you."

  I tried to return the smile. "Lena Cordell."

  "Lena Cordell," he repeated. "What brings you out here to the middle of nowhere for a surprise rendezvous with the military?"

  "I'm not sure." I glanced at my escort. Somehow aliens were the last thing from my mind. "I've been out in California working with the emergency medics."

  "Ah." Mars grimaced. "So, you've been on the frontlines."

  I shook my head. "I'm not a soldier, really."

  "I am," said my escort.

  I took a moment to study him closer. He was a tall, dusty-haired man about my age. I'd known it all along, I suppose. It was his steady gait, the way he held himself.

  "Major Charles Rhine." He promptly extended his hand. "Nice to meet you. I'll be your assigned guard. Should you accept, that is."

  "Accept..." Mars looked lost and I felt a sudden kinship with him. We were the civilians in this situation, purposefully left in the dark.

  "We're to meet with the President," said Major Rhine. "She'll be in shortly."

  Well, that explained it.

  "Right, the President." Mars nodded, knowingly. "Received a note from her myself. Didn't assume she'd actually written the email, however."

  On second thought, maybe it was just me, alone, in the dark.

  Just then, a great booming laugh echoed throughout the room. The doors from the antechamber slid shut and a large, broad-shouldered man barreled forward.

  "Are you briefing the recruits already, son?" He slapped Major Rhine on the back. "You know the protocol."

  "General Wilkerson." Rhine snapped to attention. "Good to see you, sir."

  The General waved him off. "Congrats on the promotion, Major." Wilkerson clasped Rhine's hand and shook so hard I thought his arm might come flying off.

  Rhine gave a tight-lipped smile. "Thank you, sir."

  "So, who are these fine folks?"

  Rhine's eyes widened and he quickly introduced us. "This is Mars..."

  "Gladwyn," Mars supplied.

  "Mars Gladwyn. And Dr. Lena Cordell. They're here for Operation Beta but haven't been briefed yet. President Burgess is on her way."

  The antechamber doors hissed open.

  The General laughed. "Wrong, Major." He gestured toward the doors. "The President has arrived."

  Those closest to us fell silent as they turned toward the doors to see for themselves. Conversations dropped to a murmur and I could hear the soft tap of the President's shoes as a great hush spread over the room.

  She was a tall woman, black hair tied back in a crisp, clean bun. Her expression was unreadable as she surveyed us, an eclectic bunch of professionals from the far reaches of the country.

  I stood riveted like the others, anxious to meet our leader in person, but equally anxious to hear what she had to say about the current situation. The reality of aliens was a lot to digest, but the idea that we--that I--had been chosen for a secret mission involving our extraterrestrial visitors was simply absurd. Any minute now, we would all be dismissed, the unfortunate dupes of a large practical joke.

  I was an established doctor at the top of my field, but so were thousands. Millions in this world. I was no one special. Passionate about medicine mostly, and not even remotely involved in research involving extraterrestrial life. Whatever this operation--and the President--wanted from me, it had to be some kind of misunderstanding. I was meant to be out in the field, helping survivors, not locked up in a government research facility.

  "Men and women of the United States." The President's voice echoed in the sparse space. "You may still be wondering why you're here. Trust me, it will all be explained in detail. First, I would like you to know that though you may be civilians, the success of this operation hinges on you. Our emissaries, with the help of the military, have already made contact with these visitors."

  Someone gasped softly to my left. A low murmur rose around the room.

  "But it will be up to you," continued the President. "To carry out the remainder of this mission. You all face a choice. We ask that you serve not only your country but all of humanity. Should you decline, you'll be asked not to speak a word of this experience to anyone. It is not shameful to decline the call. It would, however, be a shame to underestimate yourself and your own capabilities."

  No one spoke.

  "Think carefully. In a few minutes, we will call groups of you into the briefing room and explain what will be expected. Afterward, you will have the chance to accept or decline. I hope you will make the wise decision. Thank you." With that, the President disappeared down a side hallway and the General moved to the front of the room.

  "When we call you by name, please follow Major Rhine into the briefing room."

  I was still struggling with the last bit the President had said. Accept or decline. There was no middle ground. We either helped or we didn't help. It didn't seem as if we were being drafted to fight a war. All the same, we would have contact with an alien species. And somehow this was for the good of humanity.

  "Nice speech, don't you think?" Mars elbowed me
good-naturedly.

  I bit my lip. "This isn't a joke."

  "Of course, it's a joke. Go back home and wait to die or go into space and play nice with our scary alien friends. It's nice that they're giving us a choice, but really it's all quite ironic."

  I considered whether he might already be suffering the effects of dehydration. He looked well enough, but the things he said...

  MARS

  As if turned out, we weren't just going into space. No, we were going into space to play at being James Bond. Or something like that.

  The gist of it was that, though the military was good at protecting the country's interests abroad, they'd never encountered something such as our alien visitors before. Therefore, they were wholly unprepared to greet the aliens in anything that resembled neutral peace talks and doubly unprepared to glean any kind of useful intelligence.

  That's where we came in. None of us were trained spies--we weren't CIA or FBI in any regard--but we were experts in our fields and we did know an awful lot about biology and chemistry, the eco-dynamics of planet Earth. It was a risk, sending people with this kind of knowledge onto an alien ship, but at the same time, it was a calculated gamble. If we could learn enough about these aliens to glean their motives and how their technology worked, we stood to benefit in the long run.

  Humanity was at a standstill. The day of reckoning was coming.

  If our alien friends had any way of helping us avoid that predicament, the United States government, along with every other world power, was willing to take a chance.

  So, we were the guinea pigs. Persuaded to serve humanity by sheer pride and noble intentions.

  Many weren't prepared to accept such a request, of course. They were the first to leave. That left the rest of us standing shoulder to shoulder in a sort of firing line, waiting anxiously as the President walked up and down the row, shaking every person's hand as they introduced themselves.

  Finally, Maria Burgess arrived at me, smiling lightly despite the serious tension in her eyes.

  "Nice to meet you, Madam President." I laughed. It was a nervous habit, one that had no remedy.

  The President nodded and I imagined her cursing her advisors silently. "This is the best you could do? A bunch of civilians?"

  She shook Lena's hand next, her eyes just as placid.

  "They're untrained," she said in my head. "Half probably don't know how to defend themselves let alone deal with an alien race."

  Not to mention the subtleties of intelligence gathering that can't be taught within years let alone days.

  It was all true. If the President had any doubts, though, she did a damn good job of hiding them. She continued to pace the line of scientists and engineers, doctors, and soldiers. She was like a commander inspecting her newest recruits.

  I thought of her words from before. This wasn't a matter of serving our country. This mission concerned all of humanity and if we agreed to partake, we all undertook that responsibility. It was a lot to process.

  "What do you say?"

  Rhine stepped forward. "I would consider it the greatest honor, Madam President."

  I exhaled slowly as I realized she hadn't been addressing me.

  She fixed Rhine with a hard stare. "Don't be honored, Major Rhine. Be ready."

  Now she really was looking at me, traveling back up the line of hands she'd shook. "And you, Dr. Gladwyne?"

  I suppressed a chuckle. Stupid, terrible tic. "I'm not a doctor--not that kind anyway."

  The President raised an eyebrow. "Do you accept?"

  I swallowed and forced a smile. Time to make the choice official. "I suppose a spaceship is as good a place to die as any."

  President Burgess blinked.

  Not the typical response, sure. Still, some of these suckers had to know there was a chance we might never return home.

  Lena shot me a reproachful glance. The others looked mildly horrified. Sarcastic quips aside, I meant it. We were only going to die anyway, and besides, this sounded far more exciting than being locked in a lab for the next few months.

  Gracefully, the President moved on. "Dr. Cordell?"

  Lena nodded.

  I have to admit, I didn't think she'd accept. Not with the way she'd talked about evacuating people out in the brand new Death Valley. Seemed she'd already found her place and wasn't keen to leave it.

  "I'm interested in learning more about our galactic neighbors," Lena said.

  The President smiled, satisfied.

  They had no idea how much.

  2

  Contact

  LENA

  There were six ships in total. The majority were residential and housed the small Etrallia population. From our estimates, they numbered in the hundreds, not the thousands as we'd initially assumed. The ship we were bound for was one of the main ones. Not the command center, but the hub where they'd received our first envoy.

  I hoped to God no one could see my hand shaking. The tremor had started after liftoff and only worsened once we'd left the atmosphere. Now, I couldn't hide it under my other arm and pretend it was from being jostled around in my seatbelt as we blasted off planet Earth.

  Breathe, Lena. Breathe.

  I had actually convinced myself I was ready for this, but now that it was about to happen, I feared I might have a panic attack. Jesus, we were about to meet an alien race. This kind of stuff just didn't happen every day--not even in my world where I willingly trekked into a desert every day.

  We were prepared. Two weeks of training had made sure of that. But even with the names of Etrallian leaders running through my head and my language-converting comm device secured in my ear, I felt dangerously on edge.

  Finally, the ship rocked against a solid surface and I realized we'd docked inside the ship. There were no windows where we were seated so it was hard to be sure. Then we left zero-g and I felt it. Even with the seatbelt secured, I fell back into my seat with a thud, heavy again and thoroughly grounded--or so I managed to convince myself.

  I forced myself from my seat and toward the front of the pod. Our pilot was still discussing docking procedure with someone on the other line.

  Mars grinned at me, not the least bit nervous. "Ready for this?"

  "How can we be?" I honestly didn't know. What the hell were we doing here?

  Mars's smile didn't falter. "We can't, sister." He patted me firmly on the back.

  A clang signaled we were disembarking and I watched the doors of our pod ease open, maddeningly slow. For a moment, I was a cowering child. I wanted to run, to escape toward the back of the vessel and hide among the seats so the monsters couldn't find me. Instead, I took another bracing breath.

  All in a day's work, Lena.

  Today's just a normal day...just pretend you're on Earth. You'll be discussing medical science with a doctor from a foreign--

  Standing in the docking bay before us was a massive creature that looked like something out of a movie, only creepier because this creature looked humanoid. And that's exactly the word I'd use to describe it. It wasn't quite human, but it had a very human-like shape.

  On two legs, it stood upright. It had two arms, though notably shorter than ours, that appeared to serve a similar purpose. At the end of each hand were fingernails sharp and pointed and so long that I decided instead they must be claws. Its hair was a straight puff of black that traveled from its head and down its back, disappearing beneath what looked like some kind of hand-crafted armor.

  I could deal with the scaly skin. It was pretty much what I had expected anyway. It was the face, really, that would take some getting used to. As we approached, I walked almost mechanically. One foot in front of the other like a robot as I tried not to stare wide-eyed at the Etrallian sent to greet us.

  It had eyes like a cat, vertical pupils that pulsed and dilated as we came into range. In addition, a pair of antennae twitched atop its head.

  The President gestured for us to turn on our comm devices. I reached for my ear, then hesitated. The Etra
llian made a sound like a guttural groan and I nearly jumped. Hastily, I flipped the tiny switch on my device.

  "Greetings to you, as well," said President Burgess, not the least bit perturbed. "We hope we didn't keep you waiting."

  "Not at all," said the Etrallian. It inclined its head in a half-bow.

  Not it. He, I schooled myself gently. He's a person. An Etrallian.

  "You may call me Curran. I have chosen this name for myself to make it easier to communicate." He gestured to the side of his head and I realized he had ears like us. A silver comm device was nestled in a circular hollow beneath his hairline.

  "I am second to Galentide, leader of our people."

  We had studied him. According to the intelligence gathered by the first envoy, the leader of the Etrallia always had backup. An assistant, much like a vice president. Curran was Galentide's right-hand man.

  "Thank you for meeting us," continued the President. "These are our experts, chosen to aid you on the ship. You have their assignments for them?"

  Curran gestured behind him. "One of our guards will be assigned to each group. This is to help you navigate and introduce you to your counterparts aboard the ship."

  The President nodded.

  "Where is your doctor?" Curran surveyed us with interest.

  I tensed as Maria Burgess waved me forward. Mars nudged me and I led the way into full view of the Etrallia's second-in-command.

  Curran inspected me. After a moment, he raised a hand and pointed toward an equally tall Etrallian standing by a set of doors across the room.

  Slowly, Rhine unglued himself from the President's side. Reluctantly, Mars and I followed him across the loading bay. I stole one last glance over my shoulder, looking for an encouraging nod from the President, but she was still talking intently with the Etrallian VP.