Chapter 8, part 1

Unknown Planet

Shem had slept straight through supper and into the next day. Snoring loudly he was awaken by the loud sound of the ship’s alarm system. Rolling over he reached for where his alarm used to be. Swatting at the air around him Shem realized that his alarm was not there. He was not “there”. Where was here? Where is the alarm? He opened his eyes after hearing the pounding on his door.

“Finch … FINCH?” Pound, pound, pound! “FINCH?”

“What?” grabbing his shorts, Shem struggled to put his feet into the leg holes of his favorite pair of shorts. Pulling them up he wandered to the door. He was greeted by a boy that appeared to be eight years of age. The boy was panting rather loudly trying to gasp to catch his breath. He had run all the way from the gang plank to Shem’s quarters and running wasn’t part of Lee’s usual routine back on earth. Looking up at Shem, Lee pointed to the strobe lights in the hall way and the alarm blaring. Lee couldn’t speak a word of English but knew Shem’s last name. Grabbing a shirt, Shem turned back toward the door. Lee tugged on his arm to hurry down the hallway to the lift. When they reached the gangplank, Shem was greeted by Mark.

“Sir we appear to have been surrounded by some … uh people like aliens. No aliens like, rarrrr.” He gestured with his hand coming out of his stomach to mimic a popular movie of the late twentieth century. ”These are like people and they are all just out there staring at us. I do not see any weapons of any kind sir. I hit the alarm and told everyone to get back in the ship.” Mark pointed out that the gangplank had been closed.

“Mr. Daniels, please open the hatch. We’ll go out just you and I. No weapons. Fair enough?” Shem wasn’t worried that his appearance was not what one would wear when welcoming company. Mark thought to himself no weapons? Ain’t happening! He hid the pistol in the back of his pants and covered it with a t-shirt while Shem wasn’t looking.

Monica arrived wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Her hair all disheveled as if she too had been woken up by the alarm. “What’s going on?”

“Mr. Daniels here tells me we have aliens or aliens that look like people outside.” Monica’s look of shock and then horror led Shem to continue “not the rarrr kind.” Again he motioned as if his hand came out of his stomach. Monica appeared to breathe a sigh of relief and then gave them a glance that they weren’t very funny.

“So what do they look like?” Monica questioned.

“Well they look human but they are wearing these weird skin tight body suit thingies. They all appear to be male yet look feminine. Weird.” Mark let it be known that feminine looking guys didn’t sit well with him. Shem rolled his eyes.

“Mo, take this sidearm. Mr. Daniels…” Shem gestured for Mark to provide him with the pistol he had tucked in the back of his pants.

Mark interrupted him. “I will never give up my weapon in a potential hostile situation sir. It goes against every fiber of my being”

“Mark, please. You are a civilian now.” Mark remained firm and would not give Shem the pistol. It was a battle of the wills and Shem was not going to win this one.

“Fair enough, PLEASE keep it hidden.” Shem turned to speak to Monica.

“Mark and I will go outside. I want you to stay here. If they do ANYTHING to us, lock up the ship. Do you understand? The shields should hold you for a while. But if it comes down to it, get some of the best men here and let them have it.” Shem motioned to the sidearm. Monica understood.

Shem and Mark took a deep breath and Monica pushed the button to release the gangplank. The air depressurized once again and the gang lowered down to the ground. Shielding their eyes, Shem and Mark walked cautiously down the gang plank. There they stood not thirty feet away. Ten what seemed to be men, dressed in light pink skin tight body suits. Just as Mark had described. Their hair shot straight up and was pitch black. Sort or like the spikey hair look of a couple of years ago. Shem walked a few feet and then stood still. Mark came beside him, guarded.

“hello.” Shem shot around as he heard a voice directly behind him or was it above him.

“Did you hear that?” He looked at Mark.

“hear what?” Mark looked puzzled. She looked at Mark to see if he could catch a glimpse of humor from the man’s face. There was none.

“I just heard the word hello like it was right here. I must be losing it.” Shem refocused his attention on the aliens before him.

“We come in peace. Uhhh take us to your leader?” Shem shrugged looking at Mark and whispered “What? Isn’t that what aliens say?”

“we can hear your every thought.” The voice was there again. Shem whipped back around to find no one behind him. Mark started to look with concern.

“are you guys talking to me in my head?” Shem questioned the aliens.

“yes. In a manner of speaking. We are communicating via your neuro net.” The aliens’ expressions remained unchanged.

“How come he can’t hear you?” Shem pointed at Mark.

”We are not speaking with that one.” From his tone Shem would have guessed the alien was annoyed.

“Make him hear it so I don’t think I’m crazy.” Shem glanced at Mark and gave him a shrug.

“We will be in contact again, soon.” The aliens vanished. It freaked Shem and Mark out.

“Where did they go?” Mark was bewildered.

“They said they would be in contact soon.” Shem looked at Mark apologetically as if to say he had no choice in being the one spoken to.

“huh.” Mark turned to go back to the ship. Shem stood for a second and then hurried after him.

“What do you mean huh?” Shem stood and looked hard at Mark’s unreadable face. Mark was left puzzled by a man standing beside him talking to himself and then mysterious people in front of him vanishing. What was he supposed to think? It has left him pondering and with a great big “huh”

Monica’s look of worry on her face coupled with puzzlement about what had just happened didn’t help Shem one bit as he followed Mark inside the ship. She pushed the button to bring the ramp up and seal the ship up tight. Mark and Shem headed back down toward the lift and she tailed them like a puppy lusting after its daily meal.

“What the hell was that all about?” Monica demanded answers. “Did they say anything? What the FUCK is going on Shem?”

Shem turned to Monica and looked her straight in the eyes. She had the most gorgeous brown eyes he had ever seen. She searched his for answers. There was truly no explanation for what had just happened. If Mark and Monica hadn’t been standing beside him, would they have believed that they just disappeared. For a moment they had a moment. It was as if Shem was trying to communicate as these aliens had just done a few minutes ago.

“I don’t know Mo. I could hear them speaking to me in my head. It was weird.” Shem looked to Mark for confirmation. Mark brought his hands up and shrugged his shoulders as if to want no part of Shem’s lunacy.

Entering the lift they were all quiet. Shem had to explain to everyone what had just happened. Shem had to explain to everyone where they were. Shem had to explain to everyone about time travel. Shem knew they would all think he had lost any bit of sanity had had left.