Page 10 of Alien Abduction for Experts
"Can the drone keep up with the shuttle?" I asked.
"We'll find out, but I'm not sure." Xil opened a channel to Matar. "Can you somehow get a tracker on them? We don't want to lose them in case you don't get into the same shuttle with them."
"On it."
We watched as Matar caught up with our target andaccidentallybumped against them. A blinking dot appeared on the map of Pontrin that Xil had pulled up on the main screen.
"Nice work," the Captain praised. "Where's Havel?"
"Getting food for our abductees." Matar sounded amused. "He's having it sent to the Jade, so be prepared to take a delivery soon."
Xil looked at me. "Food? Why?"
"No idea. Do Gemi'i need a special diet?"
"If they do then my research didn't show it. Havel must know what he's doing, though, he's an excellent medic."
Talking about the fabricator gave me an idea. "Do you think your magic food machine can make me popcorn?" I asked Xil.
He gave me a strange look. "Pop-corn? I recently read that pop is another word for sex. What are you implying, little human?"
I laughed. "No, it's a snack. You heat up corn kernels and they pop into big, fluffy popcorn goodness. Then you add sugar or salt or butter or toffee..." My mouth was starting to water at the thought. I'd once come across an ancient bag of caramel popcorn in an abandoned building. It had been soft and stale, but the taste had still been magnificent.
"When we abducted you, we programmed the fabricator with a range of Peritan recipes. Go have a look, maybe this popping corn is one of them."
I almost ran to the galley. It still boggled my mind that this machine could create most foods I desired from just a supply of base materials. I didn't really want to know what it used to make the meals I ordered, but so far, they'd all been delicious. It wasn't very good at replicating fruit and vegetables, but the lasagne I'd had just before we reached Kitt-Y-6 had been amazing.
I scrolled through the menu. No popcorn. Figured. There was however a recipe for brownies. Better than nothing. I needed sugar to survive this tiresome abduction. I'd never thought that I'd get bored during an alien abduction, but just sitting here on the Jade, watching from afar, wasn't as excited as I'd imagined. I wanted to be part of the action, but it had been my own idea to stay behind. Silly past-Trish. That had been a bad decision.
I returned to the bridge with a plate of brownies. They smelled delicious, even though they lacked the crispy crust I loved. The space port back home had an amazing cafe and diner. Not that I'd been able to afford to eat there, but one of the assistant chefs had once exchanged some brownies for a kiss. I shuddered at the wet, disgusting experience that kiss had been. Nothing compared to the kisses I got from my hot, alien males. They couldn't even be called the same thing.
"That smells good," Xil remarked as soon as I joined him. He grabbed two brownies at once and stuffed them into his mouth. One day, we'd need to have a chat about table manners. They may look like massive brutes, but they didn't have to behave like it.
"Did anything happen while I was gone?"
"Matar didn't manage to get onto the same shuttle as our targets, so it's good he tagged them with a tracker. Havel is now on following them, too. The food he ordered should arrive here any minute now.
I nibbled on a brownie, savouring every tiny bite, while watching the drone's camera feed. It was whizzing behind the shuttle, but it wasn't keeping up. The shuttle was getting smaller and smaller, and it would soon lose sight of it.
I checked the map for the blinking tracking dot. They'd slowed down. Ah, yes, the shuttle had stopped, giving the drone the chance to catch up. Hix and Hex got out of the shuttle and started walking slowly along a road leading to a residential area. High tower blocks rose into the sky as if trying to tickle the pink clouds above them. This really looked like a different planet. Futuristic, alien, strange. And beautiful. I didn't know what materials the towers were made from, but it was nothing like I'd ever seen before. Shiny, sleek, but with a slightly organic look. It was hard to describe.
"Do you think they live in one of those?" I asked Xil. "It'll be hard to abduct them from such an enormous building."
"We'll see. You should make more of these cakes in the meantime." The plate was empty with only crumbs left. That glutton. I'd only had one while he'd devoured nine brownies. Urgh. Men.
"Make your own. I'm not your cook."
He raised an eyebrow. "You're not? I thought that was the reason we abducted you. Our own little human maid."
I looked around for something to throw at him but came up empty. I'd take my revenge later, when I didn't let him fuck me. He'd get to watch while the others got the pleasure they deserved. Not Xil though, no, not after eating my brownies.
"Look, they're taking a path away from the skyscrapers," Xil suddenly said, eyes fixed on the screen. The drone had now fully caught up with them, flying at a safe distance so not to be spotted. "Matar, where are you?"
"Just got off the shuttle," his reply came in an instant. "Havel got here before me, he took a faster one."
"I can see them," Havel said, having listened to our transmission. "I'm just behind the drone, which is why you didn't spot me."
Xil made the drone turn around, giving us a view of Havel. He waved and grinned at the camera, before continuing to walk at a fast pace to keep up with the Gemi'i. Even though they shared the same body, they didn't seem to have any coordination issues. I wondered if they controlled one leg and one arm each or if one of them had full control over the body and the other was just a passenger. That would suck in the long run. What happened if they fell in love with two different people? Would they have to make a schedule to spend time with them? Or become some sort of triad?
