\u201cWhat\u2019s it\u2019s name?\u201d Britten peered down, bending over with his hands on his knees. His black hair was wild. The garage was chilly but not too cold. Barber had moved his car out into the driveway and Britten had parked right behind him. A single bulb burned in a socket separate from the door opener. One of those twisty, low-energy things. It was enough to see by but not enough to chase all the shadows from the corners.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe says it\u2019s Arvo. There was a long string of sounds before and after,\u201d Barber said, \u201cbut we agreed Arvo was his name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBizarre.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIndeed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Britten stood up and planted his hands on his hips, considered the alien held captive in the chair. He paced back and forth, never taking his eyes off Arvo. When he stopped, he crossed his left arm across his chest then stroked his chin with the fingers of his right hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, he understands English.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course I do,\u201d Arvo said. His voice a deep basso that reminded Barber of the actor Keith David. It was four times the size it should have been given the little grey alien\u2019s size. He looked exactly like every alien who\u2019d been portrayed in movies about abduction and contact he\u2019d ever seen. \u201cI\u2019m not a moron. And you should really take a shower, Britten. You stink.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barber chuckled.<\/p>\n
Looking from his friend back to the captive alien, Britten\u2019s face reddened. \u201cIt\u2019s three o\u2019clock in the fucking morning. You called and told me it was an emergency.\u201d<\/p>\n
The door from the house opened and Barber\u2019s girlfriend stood there, sleepy. \u201cHon? What\u2019s -?\u201d<\/p>\n
Barber turned, reached out to her, prepared to comfort her at the sight of Arvo.<\/p>\n
To their surprise, she didn\u2019t scream. Instead she took a step backward and looked puzzled. \u201cIs that real?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a person, just so you all know. Not a prop or an illusion. I have a name.\u201d Arvo was annoyed. As well he should have been.<\/p>\n
\u201cClara\u2026\u201d Barber\u2019s voice sounded far more pleading than he intended.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s hurt, you idiots.\u201d She came into the garage, wincing just a little at stepping barefoot on the mat that she\u2019d wanted to clean mud and debris off Barber\u2019s shoes. The carpet pieces surrounding it were better for her though she paused for the briefest of seconds before stepping onto the cold concrete. She didn\u2019t make a face as she came close to Arvo. \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
Arvo studied her with his enormous black eyes as she knelt down and examined his shoulder. Green fluid bled from the jagged wound and the grey skin around it was enflamed.<\/p>\n
She looked around at her boyfriend and Britten. \u201cWell? What have you done for him?\u201d<\/p>\n
Barber was helpless, he held out both hands. \u201cI found him on the side of the road, limping towards Eudora.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you hog-tied him and strapped him to a chair in our garage?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat about sums it up, lady,\u201d Arvo nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cQuiet,\u201d Clara said. She studied the shoulder wound. \u201cWill bandaging it help?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cClean it with isopropyl alcohol first,\u201d Arvo said looking at his shoulder. \u201cAnd a bandage would be nice. Also some aspirin.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have some ibuprofen in the car,\u201d Britten said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAspirin,\u201d Arvo insisted. \u201cThat\u2019s all I need. Well\u2026\u201d He shrugged.<\/p>\n
\u201cGo,\u201d Clara said, pointing at Barber. When he didn\u2019t move she scowled at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re very calm,\u201d Arvo said. \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not the first alien I\u2019ve seen,\u201d Clara said. She stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhoa.\u201d Britten was aghast. \u201cWhat? You mean you\u2019ve -\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGrow up, Britten. The world is a helluva lot stranger than even you dorks think it is. Where is he?\u201d<\/p>\n
On cue, Barber returned with a bottle of alcohol and a box of bandages. \u201cHere,\u201d he said. When she\u2019d taken the supplies he moved next to Britten to watch her work.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho else have you seen?\u201d Arvo winced as she poured the alcohol over his shoulder. It bubbled a little and he felt better only a moment after it dripped down his naked chest.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe lanky blue guys and humanoids in green and yellow uniforms. You\u2019re the first one I\u2019ve gotten close to.\u201d She waved her hand over his shoulder, helping it to air dry. \u201cWhere are you from?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve never heard of it, and you can\u2019t see it from here. I think it\u2019s dry enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll right, what were you doing here, then?\u201d She opened the bandage up and crumpled the thin paper before stuffing it in the pocket of her sweats. \u201cAnd how long have you been here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you do for a living?\u201d<\/p>\n
Britten and Barber both laughed this time.<\/p>\n
Clara shot a look of disdain at them, both in t-shirts and jeans. She remembered why she loved Barber but only tolerated Britten. Then she smiled as she applied the large square patch to the alien\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u201cFunny you should ask,\u201d she said and smoothed out the bandage. \u201cI\u2019m attached to a secret arm of SETI. I bet you know what that is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arvo\u2019s face was expressionless as it had been from the start, but his mouth opened a little. \u201cTell me you\u2019re not a vivisectionist.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re officially now a guest of the SETI Contact Auxiliary. How much you tell me right now will affect how you\u2019re treated.\u201d She stood and looked down at him. \u201cI\u2019m going to be very wealthy, my boyfriend there – the smart-looking one who found you – will be a celebrity. Britten will just continue to come over here and mooch dinners and whiskey off us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHey.\u201d<\/p>\n
The look on her face shut Britten down. Clara turned her attention back to Arvo. \u201cYou\u2019re my first little grey man, Arvo. I want you to understand what that means to us in the Auxiliary. You\u2019re special.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re going to tell the world,\u201d Arvo said.<\/p>\n
\u201cDamn straight,\u201d Clara said. \u201cCome on, boys. I have a phone call to make. You just sit there, spaceman, and be good.\u201d<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t look at her when she closed the door.<\/p>\n
Inside the house, in the living room, Clara began to shiver.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou okay?\u201d Barber, concerned, took her in his arms.<\/p>\n
She nodded. \u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was that about SETI? You work at Bullseye.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe doesn\u2019t know that.\u201d Clara paced around the room while the men watched. She crossed her arms as she walked, deep in thought.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnless he reads minds.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWere you lying about seeing other aliens?\u201d Barber was concerned. \u201cI mean you were, weren\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot exactly,\u201d Clara said. \u201cBe quiet. I\u2019m trying to think.\u201d<\/p>\n
The door to the garage burst open. Clara cringed, holding up one arm to shield her face. Britten wet himself. Barber fainted.<\/p>\n
Arvo walked into the house, his jet black eyes narrowed to thin slits. \u201cYou-” he said, drawing out the word until it became a growl.<\/p>\n
Clara had stopped, surprised by the intrusion and the violence of it. Now she smiled and kept walking.<\/p>\n
\u201cStop right there,\u201d Arvo said. \u201cYou won\u2019t like what I have to do if you don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still smiling, she reached up into the bookcase nearest her and pulled out a gun.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d Britten was frantic, panicked.<\/p>\n
She pulled the trigger.<\/p>\n
The bullet stopped a foot from Arvo\u2019s forehead. If it had connected, it would have been a magnificent shot. A smile crept slowly across Arvo\u2019s non-existent lips.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot only can I read minds,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m telekinetic, too.\u201d The bullet aimed itself at Clara. Her gun hand shivered as she struggled to keep it from turning back on herself. She gritted her teeth with the strain but it ended up pressed against her temple. Her breathing sped up, she grunted with each exhale.<\/p>\n
Arvo relaxed, looked over at the two collapsed men. \u201cYou\u2019re not like them.\u201d He faced her. \u201cYou\u2019re stronger. If you tell me what you know about the blues, the Divs, then you have a small chance of surviving this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Feeling the stress across her chest, around her heart, in her neck and at her temples, Clara began to talk.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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