Touched by an Alien

or Christopher.”
    “Only when it comes to fuglies. So you’ve been here for days? Why didn’t you do something the other day, when everyone was trapped?” Or when Martini was out of it and helpless. I decided not to ask that. Why give the evil overlord more ideas?
    “As my late Beverly told me, you’re aware I’ve been ill. I needed to … regenerate my strength.”
    So, the creepy was explained. “You were hiding in the isolation chamber wing.”
    He shrugged. “It’s amazing how few want to spend any time down there.” I found myself overwhelmingly thankful that they had security and medical guarding Martini when he was in isolation.
    “Yeah.” I managed not to mention that most normal people didn’t want to hang out on the Creepshow Level. Martini had to spend a lot of time there, after all. Why point out that I thought it was a horrible place to spend five minutes? “So, you were the thing I felt following me when I went down there.”
    “Of course. I was hoping you’d investigate.”
    I thanked God for being freaked out. Because if I hadn’t been, I probably would have investigated. Another thought occurred. “Was it you making me feel … afraid down there?”
    “Naturally. It’s difficult to move too quickly in my present state. Easier to make you come to me.”
    He clearly wasn’t firing on all cylinders. Either that or he thought all fear made me mad and caused me to charge. It usually did, but he hadn’t taken emotional exhaustion into consideration. Good. He wasn’t infallible. “So you’re out of hyperjuice?” It was worth hoping for.
    He was next to us in less than a second. “Hardly. Unlike Jeffrey, I conserve it for when it’s necessary.” Martini moved and got us near the door, but Yates beat him. He chuckled. “You were always an impetuous boy.”
    I knew this was patently untrue. I squeezed Martini’s hand, hoping that he was picking up my emotions. “So what? What’s wrong with impetuous?” I hoped I sounded cavalier, but I doubted I was managing it well.
    Yates laughed. “Nothing. In the right situations. But this isn’t the right one.” He walked over and sat on the love seat. “Please, sit. We have much to discuss.”
    “Why should we?” Martini asked.
    Someone grabbed me and moved me, wrenching my hand out of Martini’s. I was on the floor by the love seat on my knees, head forced down, with Yates’ hand on the back of my neck. “Because I’ll break her neck if you don’t.”
    Martini moved to the couch. I could hear him and just see his feet. “Let her go.” His voice was strained.
    “I’m not sure.” Yates shoved me down until my forehead was on the floor, at his feet. “I think I want her to acknowledge her leader.”
    “Richard White.”
    This earned me a knock against the floor. Martini growled. “Jeffrey, refrain from posturing or I snap her neck. Now, again, young lady. Acknowledge your leader.”
    “Angela Maria Fiore Katt.”
    Big knock, but I’d slid one hand under my forehead so it wasn’t too bad.
    “Try again.”
    “Solomon David Katt.” Bang. “Christopher White.” Bang. “Jeff Martini.” Bang.
    “Stop it.” I could tell Martini’s teeth were clenched. “What do you want?”
    “Obedience or death.”
    “I’ll take death, please, Alex, for five hundred.” Bang. My fingers hurt.
    “You get one more chance.”
    “Terry White.”
    He flung me across the room. I just missed the wall unit. “How dare you say her name to me?”
    Interesting. “Why not? She married your son.”
    “That impure bitch was never my son’s wife.” The rage was rolling off him. I shot a glance at Martini. He looked confused.
    “They were married.”
    “Not in our way.”
    The light dawned. “She wasn’t one of your religion, your people.”
    “No, she was not. And I forbade Richard to marry her.”
    “Guess you shouldn’t have become Public Enemy Number One then. The minute you got sent to Earth, he married his girl, didn’t he?”
    “And had a son. Born on this planet of fools.” He spat, literally, on the floor.
    “What’s wrong with Christopher?” I, personally, would have done a lot to see him in the doorway at this point.
    “His blood is unclean.”
    I looked at Jeff. “Your father, was he—”
    “Also impure,” Yates snarled.
    “It’s what made the two of you stronger. Not Mister Crypt Keeper here’s blood, but you added blood from outside your families, and that’s what did it.” I looked at Martini. I