Chapter 1
Abduction
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IT was another usual day in the computer shop that Justy frequented. Bunch of young players shouting, cursing with each other. Justy loved the competitive atmosphere in the shop but hated the musky odor. It was the combination of sweat, cigarette and occasional cinnamon.
To him, this was his battlefield.
“Hey, Justy! Switched with Ben, we need your help in the next game.”
“Someone's kicking your team's ugly butt again, eh, Manny?”
Manny nodded. “Yeah, look there.”
Justy looked to where his friend pointed at, and saw ten guys in their school uniform. Justy noted the uniform and realized they were highschool students from nearby town. In his first glance, he observed that some of them probably had a drink or two. He also noticed the grin in their faces, a sign of a nearing victory.
Justy approached Manny's team. He saw the kill score. It was worse than he thought. The highschool students were beating them, to another gamer perspective, it was hard to watch. But he didn't looked away, he watched, observed and made some pointers about the enemy's strength and weakness.
When the one-sided battle ends, Justy tapped Ben's shoulder. “Backup is here.”
Ben stood. “Don't underestimate them, Justy.”
Since when did I ever underestimate an enemy? Justy wanted to say but he kept it to himself. He looked at Manny and gave him a nod that implies, I got this.
Manny understood Justy, after all they have been friends since their Elementary years. “Alright, the score is 2-0. Best of five games, one more win and you guys will take the pot.” Manny said to the highschool students.
The game started.
Justy, without mercy, concentrated his attack to the enemy's player which he previously examined as the weakest of them all. And he was right with his assessment. He gained massive advantage and the game snowballed into their victory.
Two to one, in favor of the enemy. The highschool students realized what Justy had done. They set their weakest member in a less demanding role. However, it was too late. Thanks to Justy, Manny's team had gained their confidence back. They started to play with less mistakes. With Justy at the core of their offense, they managed to net another victory.
It was two all. Justy took pleasure in seeing the grin vanished in the students' faces. One of them stood up. “Hey, my friend said, you use substitution. Bring the original roster or we're out of here.”
Justy stood. He looked to Manny and gave him a reassuring nod. In fact, he had anticipated this would happen. That's why he told to his teammates the various weakness of the enemy, every chances he got during the game. He even told them what character to choose to counter them.
After a long battle, Manny's team emerged victorious. But Justy was nowhere to be seen in the shop. When Manny is about to collect the pot money. One of the students pushed him and took the money.
Everyone stood up. The screeching of metal chairs as it scratched the floor echoed throughout the room and the atmosphere got sour suddenly. One wrong move or wrong word said and a brawl could erupt. And Manny doesn't want that. The pot money is nothing compared to the loss that might be incurred when a free for all fighting erupted inside his shop.
“Hey now, take the money and go.” Manny said while backing up calmly. He can feel the murderous vibe coming from his team. He gestured them to calm down. But he knew, they were not going to take it quietly.
All of their attention snapped to the door when five tall and well built individuals entered the shop. Manny recognized them, they were all his friends in the nearby gym. Manny also noticed Justy who had just entered the shop.
“Are these brats troubling you, Manny?” one of the big guy said while looking at the highschool students.
Manny looked to the students. “Nah, they were just leaving.” Manny held out his palm and the student who took the money gave it back to him. The students, intimated by the five hulking individuals, decided their lives is worth more than a chump change. They buggered off without looking back.
“Thanks, Stu.”
“Anytime, Manny. You should thank Justy here.” Stu held his thumb to point at his back. “He called us saying there might be some trouble here.”
So that's where he went to, Manny thought. “Yeah, thanks Justy, you really have a knack for saving our asse...”
Then the monitor, zoomed out. It goes through shop's building. Out from the earth's atmosphere. A planet with bluish radiance appeared in the monitor, then it zoomed out again, this time the image of what appears to be the milky way galaxy filled the monitor.
“Is he the one, Dr. Mu?” asked Ga'lek after watching the feed. His voice rose to signify doubt.
“Yes, sir. 24 year old, Justy. Out of work Engineer. Spends most of his times in computer games. No military service record, no background in any form of human fighting arts. Human standard I.Q of 150.” Dr. Mu narrated. “And he fit the most important criteria, he has no surviving family member.”
“150? equivalent please.”
“Around Rank A-plus or possibly Rank S-minus mental capacity.”
“Hmm, ordinary but significantly higher than John, I give you that. But John was a warrior. This human seems...”
“Weak? Frail?” Dr. Mu asked.
“Precisely.”
“The problem with John is, he relied too much on his own fighting ability.”
“What do you mean?”
“No offense but John didn't even came close to unleashing the Suit's full potential.”
“Let me get his straight.” Ga'lek held out his light-green, thin, possibly his forefinger. “You wanted a weak human being, with no fighting ability, no military background to pilot our only remaining Suit in our arsenal.” Ga'lek wet his pale lips and raised his white eyebrow.. “All for the reason that he could rely more on the Suit's power?”
“Yes.”
“You sure?”
“Most definitely.”
Ga'lek let out a sigh. He looked at Dr. Mu and saw in her pure white eyes that she was dead serious. “Dr. Mu, one more question.”
“Sure.”
“Will you entrust our fate, no, the entire fate of our extinct species to that human?”
Dr. Mu gave Ga'lek a sincere gaze. If anyone could do it, its Justy. She thought. “Yes.”
“Very well then. Bring him here. Begin Human-Silent-Abduction Protocol, Priority – Rank S.”
“Yes sir, initiating HSA protocol.”
. . .
Justy finished his usual dinner, instant noodles. He always liked his beef flavored instant noodles. Not the taste, but the consistency. The consistency of the amount of seasonings, the consistency of the noodle's thickness and the consistency of the packaging that all amounted to a singular and consistent taste.
It's not like Justy hated change. He just wanted a bit of order, or at least in his dinner, in his now spiraling chaotic life. His piled up debt in student loans, his cramped apartment, his rock-metal loving neighbor and his dwindling extra money to make it through the week without dying of starvation.
He was fired last week in his job. He wished that he'd made it through a month before he had a fight with his superior and called him an 'imbecile'. With trump up charges set up by his boss and his lackeys against him, he was fired without a month's salary and a termination fee.
Justy talked to a lawyer who offered him a free service as long as he handled his case. The catch was, if they won, the lawyer would get sixty percent of the reparation money. What a greasy scumbag, Justy thought. However, forty percent is a lot better than nothing. He agreed to his lawyer condition.
They were supposed to meet earlier, but his lawyer did not show up. His lawyer called him and said he will drop the case. Justy thought this must be his boss' doing. In fact, before dropping the case, his lawyer told him the company will charge him with patent lawsuits and told Justy that he was on his own.
He was forced to sell his favorite motorcycle to pay up for this month's rent and probably the next if there would be any left. He thought of joining his classmate's startup company who took a great trouble of recruiting him to join a month ago. He thought the company will fail, with or without him, and would file bankruptcy in no time. But he was wrong. And he despised himself for being wrong.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
He wanted to call them, but his pride wouldn't let him pick up his phone and dial the number. He thought of starting a company, he knew he had a chance and it could've work a month ago, but now he knew it was futile. He lacked capital. And now that his credibility is put into question, asking for a loan is impossible.
It was in the middle of the night and Justy couldn't get to sleep. He thought he was hallucinating when he heard a noise. A dialogue, he thought, because of two differing tones. But he couldn't make out what they were saying.
“Tad ale's ask ishku 'as aleva”
“Hssh!”
Justy processed the words. He could not understand it. Justy turned his body to see who it was. He saw two figure, but he couldn't see their faces. “I have nothing of value here. Take what you want and leave.” he said in a slow manner, hoping they would understand English. He then went back to his original position to where his left cheek was on the bed.
A cold sweat ran through his forehead. Afraid of the fact that he was on the right age, where symptoms of Schizophrenia will start to show. He dispersed the idea. It must be the stress that I am seeing things, Justy thought.
Justy was a lucid dreamer since he was a kid. He could tell if he was actually dreaming, in fact he could even change scenery in his dreams. He tried. But the scent of his month old unwashed bedsheets was still there. Definitely, not a dream. He thought.
Justy turned his body again to see if they were still there. But a flashed of white light blinded him.
. . .
The Tellaveer: Section Four – Medical Bay
Justy felt good.
He has no idea where he is. But he felt no sense of urgency to know. To care. He is content, satisfied. I was drugged, Justy thought. If this is what drugs feels like. I should have taken cocaine or heroine a long time ago, Justy said to himself.
“You are awake.” Justy heard. But he swore he heard two similar voice with different words.
“I must be hallucinating.” Justy smiled. “Cause I am seeing you have a very unusual long ears. And quite cute too.”
“Thank you. My name is Mu. And you are not hallucinating.”
“Aha! It moved. Your ears moved. Awesome.” Justy was so sure he was hallucinating. But he knew he was thinking clearly. He just can't explain why he felt so good and happy. “Do it again.”
Dr. Mu touched her ears. Feeling embarrassed, she tried to sway Justy's attention. “Do you know where you are?”
“What kind of drug you gave me?”
“Well, technically we gave you some medicine. But if you mean psychedelics, I assure you we didn't administer any.”
Justy fully understood what Mu said. Justy was thinking clearly, in fact, more clearly in the past few months. A realization dawned on him. He shifted his body to prepare to get up. Surprised with the ease of getting up, Justy looked at his body. He wore the same plain old red-shirt. He is still the same skinny guy who loved instant noodles. But, he knew something change.
Justy looked at Mu. He noticed her pale complexion, with a shade of light green. Might be the lights, Justy thought. He can't get his eyes off with those ears. It was striking. More striking than the tiny nose of Dr. Mu. More striking than the absence of pupil in her white eyes.
Justy, without thinking, grabbed Mu's ears. It was warm. He felt flesh.
Trying to hide her embarrassment. Mu looked away. “That is very rude, you know.”
With a sudden jerk. Justy removed his hands. “W-what are you?”
“I am, what you call in your planet, an Alien. An extraterrestrial being.”
Justy didn't buy any single word of it. He was skeptical. “Oh yeah, from what Planet?”
Mu wasn't able to hide her sadness. She frowned. “You cannot find it anymore, it was gone.”
Justy felt sorrow on high pitch voice of Mu. “What happened?”
“You are in our starship. The Tellaveer.”
Justy noted the subtle way of Mu's refusal in answering his first question. “Tellaveer?”
“It means, in our tongue, the last veer.”
Aside from her long and unusual pointy ears. Justy couldn't get himself to freak out. Mu, after all, was somehow identical to a human being. “Veer?”
Mu nodded. “Yup. We are Veerians. Hopefully, not the last one.”
“What am I doing here? We are not on earth, are we?”
“One question at a time, please. I'll try my best to answer all of it. As to why you are here. We need you.”
Justy tried to say something but he was cut off.
“And yes, we are not on Earth. Our ship is currently parked at the outskirt of Andromeda Galaxy.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes, why are you still skeptical? You know you are not dreaming.”
That is true. Justy thought.
“The existence of another life outside our planet has only been theorized.” Justy said. “Your very existence only appear on movies and novels.”
Mu let out a sigh. “Typical Earthlings, you think you are the center of the universe. Well, guess what, you are not and neither are we. We are all but a specz of dust in a massive and ever changing library.”
“Alright, I believe you.” Justy said.
Mu raised an eyebrow. “You do?”
“Yes. I mean what are the alternatives? Compare to being sent in heaven, hell or to a faraway place, being abducted by an Alien is much more plausible.”
Mu nodded. “I thought I have to show you some other alien species or send you to some other planet before you can believe me.”
“I want to see another Aliens, but I think I have enough for today.” Justy shrugged. “But I think I am going to need a detail explanation as to why you have abducted me.”
“Got it. Come with me.”
Justy jumped to his bed. He was surprised to see that he was taller by a almost a feet. “By the way, is that a normal clothing in your planet?”
“Oh this?” Mu touched her milky pink blazer. “I wore this to let you ease in, I didn't want you to freak out in your first contact.
“It worked.” Justy nodded. It suits her perfectly. Her skinny physique did the rest. “Where we going?”
“To my lab.”
This is crazy, Justy thought. Yesterday, Justy was in front of a computer monitor. Now, he was facing a truth, far greater than anybody could fathom. Aliens exist, deal with it. Justy told to himself. Time travel, String theory, Bigfoot, what else were real? Justy wondered. The only thing Justy knew for sure was, his entire perception of reality is now clouded with doubts.
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Chapter 2
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