Page 6 of Technically Abducted
"Finn Sullivan," he says, and there's something different in his voice. Less formal, more... nervous? "The Council has reached a decision regarding your demands."
I look up at him. "And?"
"You will be returned to your residence for a period of twelve hours. I will accompany you to conduct observational research of your... natural working methodologies."
For a second, I just stare at him. "You're serious? They're actually letting you do this?"
"The authorization comes with strict conditions," he continues, his formal tone back in place. "You must return with me to this vessel after no more than twelve hours. The assessment will then continue under standard protocols."
"And if I refuse to come back?"
Something flickers across his expression—too quick to interpret. "That would be... inadvisable."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning you agreed to demonstrate human innovation techniques. I expect you to honor that agreement."
I lean back against the wall. "So this is still your assessment. You're just changing the location."
"Correct. I will observe and document your methods, but I cannot restrict your activities or communications during this period." He pauses, then adds, "You will have access to your normal environment and tools."
"Unsupervised?"
"You will not attempt to flee or contact authorities regarding Nereidan presence on your planet."
"I'm not going to call the cops on you, if that's what you're worried about." I stand up, stretching. "I've got bigger problems than explaining aliens to people who wouldn't believe me anyway."
Tev'ra nods stiffly. "Transportation will commence immediately."
"Good." I head toward where I think the door should be. "Because every minute we waste talking is another minute Rosa's restaurant system stays broken."
The blue light starts, swallowing everything around us. It's different this time—not the disorienting shock of being yanked out of reality, but something I'm bracing for. The weightless sensation still makes my stomach lurch, like the world's most intense elevator drop, and for a split second, I wonder if this is all some elaborate hallucination—if I'm going to wake up face-down on my keyboard with an empty Red Bull can imprinted on my cheek.
But then the blue light fades, and I'm back in my apartment. The familiar hum of computer fans, the slight flicker of my second monitor that I keep meaning to fix, the faint smell of three-day-old pizza—it's all exactly as I left it, like I stepped out for less than a minute instead of being abducted by aliens.
For a second, I just stand there, breathing in the familiar smell of old pizza and electronic equipment. My monitors are still on, screaming error messages at me from three different client emergencies. My phone has seventeen missed calls and God knows how many texts. The Red Bull I was drinking is still sitting next to my keyboard, probably flat by now.
It's been exactly forty-three minutes since I was abducted. Forty-three minutes of other people's businesses slowly dying while I was arguing with aliens.
"Holy shit," I breathe, then immediately grab my phone.
The weight of it in my hand feels almost surreal after the smooth, unfamiliar surfaces of the alien ship. My fingers automatically enter my passcode, muscle memory taking over as I scan through the notifications flooding my screen. Each one represents someone whose life is falling apart in real-time, all because I wasn't here to answer their calls.
Six missed calls from Rosa. Four from Juniper. Three from numbers I don't recognize, which probably means word is spreading that systems are down and nobody can reach their tech guy.
I can feel Tev'ra behind me, but I don't have time to deal with his culture shock right now. I drop into my chair and my fingers are flying across the keyboard before my brain fully catches up.
"Okay, okay, what's the damage?" I mutter, pulling up Rosa's restaurant system first. The corruption is worse now—it's been trying to process orders with a broken database for almost an hour. "Shit. Shit shit shit."
My phone rings. Rosa.
"Finn! Oh thank God, where have you been? I just got to the restaurant to start prep and nothing is working! The system won't even boot up properly, and I open in six hours—"
"I'm on it," I interrupt, already diving into the code. "Don't panic. I can see the problem from here."
The fix is straightforward but delicate—I need to restore the database without losing any of the orders that came in while it was corrupted. My fingers move automatically, muscle memory taking over while my brain calculates the repair sequence.
Behind me, I hear Tev'ra make a small sound. Probably horrified by my setup. Can't blame him—compared to his sterile spaceship, my apartment looks like a tech graveyard.Cables snaking everywhere, empty energy drink cans serving as paperweights, pizza boxes stacked on every available surface. Three monitors showing different client systems, a fourth with my music playing, LED strips casting blue light over everything.
