Table of Contents

 

Nothing Else Like Returning Home - Rickey Rivers Jr

Congregation - Dorothy Davies

The Primal Assassin - John Keane

Miles To Go - Rie Sheridan Rose

Soulbane - F G Laval

Identity Crisis - Geoff Nelder

Butterfly - Dorothy Davies

The Retrieval - Rie Sheridan Rose

Across a Broken Bridge - Rickey Rivers Jr

In Space No One Can Hear You Sing - F G Laval

Bugged - Rie Sheridan Rose

Five Card Shuffle - David Turnbull

Fool's Hope - Michael B Fletcher

Replication - Dorothy Davies

Do Humanoids Breathe Electric Air? - Dona Fox

 

 

 

 

Nothing Else like Returning Home

 

Rickey Rivers Jr.

 

The blue planet was revealed to the passengers through the bubble shuttle window.

"Would you look at that?"

"Home sweet home!"

Sif put its arm around him. "It's such a beautiful planet."

"You should see it up close."

The planet drew near, an orb of blue-white surrounded by blackness like a marble in a pocket. The trip was successful, the mauve planet had been mostly barren beyond the being whose arm was currently around his waist.

He recalled his first encounter with the being, then only a flesh-like blob. That blob would transform itself into a human image. Langston had stuttered on the word 'safe', pronouncing it incorrectly, leaving the being to believe it had been named. Its first words to him were "Sif?" and Langston shook his head to confirm. He was scared. In that moment he feared harm would come to him.

The name stuck and Langston was left unharmed with a new-found friend. They enjoyed movies together. They enjoyed music together. But most of all, conversation was priority, especially tales of Earth. For this topic Sif had been most curious.

"What of the Earth?" he had asked.

And Langston had told tales of the biggest animals to the smallest, the beauty of the ocean, the view of the mountains, the sweet air of carnivals with popcorn in every direction, the joys of carnival rides jolting you this way, that; the songs of birds each morning, the moonlight that lit every night time secret. All of this was wonderful to Sif. All of it intrigued Sif.

Presently it turned itself to Langston. "They'll want to meet me."

"Who?" said Langston, only to Sif's reflection.

"Your parents"

Langston smiled. "Yes, I'd assume so."

The closer they came to Earth the more Langston thought: the implications, the judgmental whispers. What would his parents think? Not to mention Diana. Was he ready for this?

"They might be weird."

"No weirder than I."

"I mean they might reject you, reject us together."

"Why would they?"

"Earth man and alien isn't-"

"Please, that word."

Langston sighed. "Sorry, you know what I mean."

"No, I don't. I've never once called you an alien. After you named me the first thing I did was ask you your name. I've called you your name ever since. That's what you're supposed to do."

"You're right, Sif. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I'm not upset." Sif pecked his check. "Don't worry. I'm sure things will be fine on Earth. Besides, if you want, I could make myself female for a time. Maybe that would help?"

He considered. "It might."

"But eventually I would like to show the form that I'm most comfortable in."

"The blob?" He thought of that, a mass of flesh oozing out of the shuffle, scaring people on Earth: women screaming, men readying weapons, the press snapping photos.

"Now you offend me. No, I mean this form, the form of a human male. I've grown quite fond of the male genitalia. It's humorous."

Langston's jaw tightened. "How can I sneak you out of here? This was supposed to be a solo mission. One man leaves and the same man returns."

"You are returning."

"Alone, Sif, that was the mission."

"...right."

He put his arm around Sif's waist, a waist that was made to appear human, but Sif was only an imitation. Langston understood that. He also understood that others would not understand them together. It would not normal or seen as such. It would not be accepted. Sif would be harmed, tortured, killed.

He considered this and his heart raced, almost catching up with his thoughts. He recalled past testing procedures. How difficult it had been to observe an autopsy. Seeing it was one thing, but the lingering smell had been worse. Creatures cut down the middle, a strong smell filling the air, the odor almost tangible in its thickness.

One time a Government scientist fainted and Langston would have followed him to the floor if he hadn't held his breath and counted backwards. The poor guy hit his head on the floor. He almost re-heard the fall. The recollection of the smell always brought him back to a place of discomfort. The smell was worse than death itself.

He shook his head and took his mind away from that, brought himself back to the now, back to Sif and back to telling the truth.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay."

Difficult as it was, Langston pulled himself away from Sif and revealed the thing on his waist. A tiny black pen with a red stripe, made to seem harmless, given to him in case he ran into trouble. He had never used it before. He had never needed to.

"What's that?" said Sif.

"Sif, my parents won't accept you, not to mention the Government. On Earth things are different, much different. We couldn't be together."

"You've told me about that. We'll come up with something."

"No, I don't... I don't think so." Langston's mind traveled. He saw the looks, heard the jeers. "No, it just can't be."

"Hold on. At least give me a chance."

"Even the decontamination process, the amount of testing, it would be too much. You couldn't take it. I couldn't take seeing it."

"Don't make that decision for me." Sif took a step forward. His shape regressed. He became the blob again, the mess of gelatinous clay.

"I have to. It won't hurt."

"Hold on."

"It was fun."

Langston's fired the tiny weapon.

"Hold o-o-o-o"

Sif disintegrated and left not even a scent behind. Its final words echoed in the once again lonely shuttle.

Langston put his hands on the bubble shuttle window and exhaled. His breath fogged the glass.

"Had to be done," he told himself.

The coldness of space embraced him. He was alone again, this time with new memories. Those would last even when the echo faded. They would last like the smell in the labs on Earth.

Though Sif had been kind, Langston knew the potential future. Sif would be seen as a possible threat and would soon, if not immediately, be exterminated. Once it set false foot on Earth it wouldn't matter what sex it assumed, what form it took. Sif would only be seen as what it didn't want to be called, an alien.

Still, their time together had been nice and Langston had found happiness and companionship on the journey. However, in the back of his mind he knew it wouldn't last. He just wanted it to, a bit of happiness, for a bit longer. On Earth, that behavior, his feelings, would be frowned upon. Humans were to be with humans. That was the law. All discovered lifeforms must be registered, decontaminated and detained. That was the law. Smuggling a lifeform back to Earth was a crime punishable by law. Law, law, it was all law. And laws didn't change much, not anymore.

He wasn't sure if the law even stopped him primarily. Maybe it was only fear, of judgment, of misunderstanding, of the implication. He didn't know, not for certain. All he knew was the fact, it wasn't right by law and he had to abide.

He approached Earth at a steady speed and would return as he had left prior. The welcoming planet drew near. Langston rested his eyes and mind, leaving Sif behind in the warm but lonely interior. Pestering thoughts would come and he would shut them out.

On the trek back he thought of Diana. At one point he removed a scrap of paper from his pocket and began to scribble. He managed to write something that sounded half-way honest even if he didn't believe it. Tears came from him. One fell on the scrap of paper. One slid to his chin. The chin slid tear waited where it was, before finally falling to the floor.