Tristan lost track of how far into the bowels of the ship they were taken. It seemed like they were traveling ever upwards. Eventually their trajectory shifted and instead of upward they moved forward through an open doorway, where their alien captors came to rest on a metal floor. The jointed legs opened up and deposited Angor and Tristan there, before sauntering away to a dark corner. Quick to their feet Tristan and Angor brushed themselves off and looked around at their new surroundings and the beings who stared back. Tristan had been going through a constant shift of fight or flight emotions, since they had left the Galactic Prime Minister election pageant, and once again fight was kicking in. He felt anger rising in him and began to move forward to demand answers, but with his first step the floor fell away beneath him.
The drop wasn’t far, maybe 10 feet, but the floor where he landed seemed to absorb his impact keeping him from harm. He jumped up, hoping to leap high enough to stop the doors from closing above his head. Was this to be his new prison. He looked around at the white walls and floor. It was bright, like the light emanated from behind the stark surfaces. A clicking sound caught his attention and he noticed multiple small holes opening in the walls. He thought to move closer and see what might be beyond, but as he approached a buzzing sound made him pause. It got louder and closer until a swarm of flying red creatures poured out in mass. The pod became flooded with the tiny creatures. Tristan tried to ward them off with flailing arms, but they were all over him. He felt no stings or bites, but he knew they were doing damage. He could feel the pressure of them hitting him and then the cold touch of them on his skin. As quick as they had come they disappeared. Looking down he was mortified to find that he was naked. The insects, as he thought of them, had devoured his clothing and left him completely in the nude. His shock had barely set in when the floor beneath him once again opened and he was falling.
This fall was more like a slide as he passed through a short chute to a new pod. It was completely the same, with white walls that glowed with light. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he spun around waiting for what was next. Again a clicking sound and small openings appeared in the walls at chest level. This time, instead of bugs, a thick liquid poured out. He tried to jump and climb to stay above as the pod filled higher, but when the liquid crested the bottom of the openings from where it flowed, it stopped. The color was a dark pink that obscured his view of what lay beneath. So he was unaware of the creatures that had swum in through openings in the base of the pod until they began to rub up against him. There had to be at least 20 of them in there with him. They swam quickly, back and forth, brushing up against him, and causing the liquid around them to get agitated and create foam. He tried to keep them away but they were aggressive with some leaping from the water to swipe at his head. Then, as quickly as it had started, it ended. The liquid began to subside and any evidence of the creatures with it. He was left where he stood, shrouded in foam.
He breathed heavily and hoped it was over. He looked to the floor thinking it would open again, but instead arms dropped from the ceiling. They looked strangely familiar and made him think of fire hose nozzles. This moment of recognition was quickly confirmed when they sprung to life with a spray of water. It was a powerful spray that pushed him off his feet and onto the floor. He tried to cover his head and body with no success. The water was everywhere, hitting every nook and cranny he had until he was again bare to the world. When the water stopped Tristan laid there, curled up, shivering and wet. He was exhausted and out of sorts, so this time when the floor opened he didn’t even respond, he just allowed gravity to pulled him down into the next pod.
The air here was already blowing when he arrived. It was warm and gave a little life back to him. His skin and hair dried and his goosebumps disappeared. He stood up basking in the comfort of it. He had to admit that he felt better, bathed and refreshed. At least he would be clean, even if he was a captive. He looked around this new pod. The walls were no longer white but a soft orange. It made him think of a toaster oven, but he wasn’t going to complain. All he wanted now was some clothing and to have someone to explain where he was. He was about to shout out, in the hopes that someone was listening, when the floor opened once more. He was prepared to land in another pod, so when he found himself free falling through the air he was surprised. His fall ended in the embrace of a net.
Annoyed he laid there glaring at the doors that were shutting above him. He didn’t want to look around, he just wanted this nightmare to stop and to wake up back in his hotel room. He was ready to swear off drinking and any other substance that could inhibit his self-control. His thoughts moved to the present and the dire situation he was in. He had no concept of how to move forward, no suggestions for a plan of attack, he was just being pulled from one horrific situation to the next with no control over the outcome. His only motivation was to survive. Focused as he was on his inner turmoil he didn’t notice the figure moving below him until it was too late. To his left the net suddenly plunged sharply causing him to roll out and dropped to the floor where he laid on his stomach with fists clenched trying to gain control over his anger.
“Are you what all humans look like?” The question made him laugh. He rolled over to look at Angor. His breath entered sharply as his gaze fell upon her and he was reminded they were without clothes. Her form was clearly that of a woman, though covered in a soft layer of curly hair. Her small frame looked solid with toned muscles. His eyes ran over her top to bottom and then stopped at her hooves. He hadn’t noticed before, but it made sense, her presence reminded him that he was not among people like him. He stood up and chuckled once more. “Yeah, we all pretty much look like this, with a few minor differences between male and female.” Her gaze was curious as she inspected his body. He could feel the heat rise up his neck and into his cheeks as he remembered just how naked he was. Feeling exposed and vulnerable he began looking for somewhere to hide, or something to cover himself with.
A deep gravelly voice interrupted the awkward moment and brought their attention down to a short figure that had approached. The creature reminded Tristan of a Mr. Potato Head and Pac-Man hybrid. The face took up the majority of the body with feet below a round frame and arms extended upward. It was holding out garments for the prisoners to don before being escorted to where they would wait for their host. Tristan choose one that was burnt orange with flecks of yellow, Angor choose taupe. The pants were wide legged and flowing. The tunics long and sleeveless. When he held them up he thought they were much to large, but was surprised as he put them on as they shrunk to a perfect fit. “You’ll want these,” the face said as it thrust slippers at them, “now follow me.” As it turned to waddle away it retracted its arms so that only the hands were visible. The sight again brought a smile to Tristan’s face and he settled into a new feeling of calm.
Through multiple corridors they walked, each illuminated by a different color. Their guide explained that it served 2 purposes. The first was for wayfinding, each color signifying a different amenity that might be needed. The second was more subtle. The color would adjust in intensity depending on the occupants emotional needs. The ship was always trying to maintain an atmosphere of calm productivity. Tristan found this interesting, but only partially paid attention, he wasn’t interested in wayfinding as he already knew escape would be futile. Where could he go? Instead he just let his senses enjoy the walk. He took in the sights of creatures who were new to him. The sounds of low conversations murmured around him, not close enough for the nanobots to interpret, becoming his only exposure to the sounds of foreign languages. The moment he tried to focus in on one, it became understandable.
The walk came to an abrupt end when they entered a large arena, it reminded Tristan of a mall’s food court. In the very center was a circular counter. As they approached it platforms raised out of the floor, 3, to provide seats. “Here is where you will await your host.” The head turned and briskly waddled away leaving Tristan and Angor stranded. They each took a seat. Tristan let out the breath he seemed to have been holding, and then rested his head in his hand. He massaged his temples and his cheekbones with exhausted annoyance. Looking down at the counter he asked “so what do we do now?” “We wait.” He looked over his shoulder at her profile “that’s it? We Wait?” “Yes.” He could feel his blood boiling again. He wanted to erupt in anger but then stopped. Recognition flooded his mind as he saw a figure sitting a few seats past Angor. It was a man, human, dressed in a blue suit.
“Excuse me, do I know you?” The man didn’t respond. “Hey” he shouted “hey you, sir, do I know you?” The man looked over and winked before turning back to the glass in his fingers. Tristan started to stand, but Angor put a hand over his “are you ok?” He didn’t move his eyes away from the man, “I’m fine I just want answers.” “What can I get you?” The voice came from a wall of a man. He was at least 6 feet across and wearing a bar tender’s apron. Two arms came out of the center of his chest with 2 more on each side. “What?” was all Tristan could stammer before turning back to the man in blue. To his shock and disappointment the man was gone. He began to scan the room, there was no way he could have disappeared so fast. “To drink, what do you want to drink” the man was asking. Angor pulled Tristan’s attention back to her. “What is happening? Are you going crazy? You are acting like a skittish fluffernunny.” The term focused him “WHAT?” “A fluffernunny, it’s a long rodent with long ears. When it nears death it goes kind of crazy, screeching at things not there and then running amuck until it drops dead.” “Are you about to drop dead?” He scoffed, “No.” “Good, then let’s order a drink and wait for our host.” She turned back to the counter. Tristan didn’t pay attention to the order, he was still scanning the room for the man in blue.
Help continue the story continue by answering these questions…
- On an alien vessel, what would you expect to be served for dinner?
- Give me a feature or body part that can’t change with transformation, providing a tell of who you really are.
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K. L. Kent Author 