A grin grew across Rose’s mouth, extending ear to ear. She nibbled at her popcorn, eager for what would happen next. With the bases loaded, this was the Twins’ chance to turn around the game. They were down four points, but this might change the tide.
The rest of the audience seemed just as eager, cheering their beloved Twins on with all their hearts. Her dad waved a foam finger enthusiastically, yelling at the top of his lungs. In normal circumstances, her father’s antics would embarrass Rose. Today, however, she joined him in his silliness. It was a welcome change from his usual dour and stress-filled attitude. He’d needed this vacation more than she’d thought. But there was one minor problem keeping her from totally enjoying the situation.
“Dang it!” Rose lifted from her seat, edging around her sister. “Sorry, I need the ladies’ room.” She shouldn’t have drunk so much water in the car. Of all the times, but nature called.
“Do you want me to accompany you?” Sophia asked.
“It’s fine. I can go alone. Enjoy yourself,” Rose replied. Besides, Agent Brown was watching her back, like a guardian angel. He waved at her from a nearby seat, following as she left.
After drying her hands, Rose made a quick escape from the bathroom. She eagerly hoped the Twins would lead by a point upon her return. Huh? She froze as she passed a familiar face at a food stall.
“Hans?” Rose said, startled to find her classmate here, of all places.
“Rose!” she gasped as a large form pulled her into a smothering hug. Brown moved for his holstered weapon but stopped when Rose waved him away.
“Ms. Lowell! It’s nice to see you again!” Rose said, detaching herself from the larger woman. Unlike her son, Ms. Lowell was a bundle of unsuppressed energy. The older woman had always treated Rose like the daughter she’d never had. While silly, Rose found it endearing.
“So you’re here to watch the Twins play too?” Ms. Lowell said. “Is your mother here, Rose?”
“We’re all here,” Rose replied. “Dad wanted to have a family outing.”
“We must have dinner together. I insist. Don’t you agree, Hans?” Ms. Lowell said, directing the question to her still-silent son.
“I don’t mind.” While Hans’ usually stoic expression gave little away, Rose detected a hint of exasperation.
“Mom won’t mind.” A quick text message confirmed Rose’s assertions. Both parties agreed to discuss restaurant arrangements after the game.
“Wonderful. I know how fond my son is of you, Rose,” Ms. Lowell said.
“Sure?” How did she get that impression? And as usual, Hans’ face gave nothing away. What was he doing? He ought to be mortified by such a suggestion! Rose only rolled her eyes. Adults had such funny ideas about kids and their feelings. At least her mom hadn’t suggested anything about Hans and her. The very idea!
“How about we switch seats?” Ms. Lowell said.
“Eh?”
“It’s been forever since your mom and I talked! And Sophia’s such a dear!” Hans’ mother said. “You two can watch the game together while us grownups talk!”
“Fine,” Rose said, relenting. She couldn’t deny her mother’s wishes to chat with an old friend. She’d tolerate Hans’ presence for her sake.
“Oh come on! A baby could hit those pitches!” Rose yelled at the top of her lungs. The game wasn’t going well for her favorite team, and she angrily crunched down her peanuts. When she caught Hans staring at her, Rose snapped at him. “What?”
But the boy didn’t reply, only giving her an amused smile. “I’m glad you’re having fun,” Rose said, her tone terse.
“Have you been a fan of the Twins long, Rose?” Martin, Ms. Lowell’s current boyfriend, asked. He was a somewhat overweight man with balding salt and pepper hair, though he dressed well. Rose had heard that Martin was a semi-successful businessman.
“Grandpa Brahe used to watch it with me whenever I visited his place,” Rose replied.
“Used?” Hans asked, curious.
Rose’s mood sobered and tears pricked her eyes. “Yeah, he died a year ago. Cancer.” She stayed silent, not wishing to discuss it any further.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Hans said, surprising her. “I know how that feels.”
“Yeah?” Hadn’t Hans’ father died when he was young? It couldn’t have been easy. They sat in companionable silence as the game progressed. Rose reacted in her usual manner at every upset, much to Hans’ amusement.
---
“We have a few tickets left. Though they’re not the best seats in the house, gotta warn you.” The woman behind the counter said.
“It’s fine,” Okab replied with a drawl.
“I mean, it’s a shame you arrived this late. It’s already the eighth inning. The game’s about wrapped up.” The woman lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “And I’m not optimistic about the Twins’ chances, if you get my drift.”
“It’s fine,” Okab said, his voice more forceful.
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He’d already wasted too much time hurrying over to the stadium. Traffic had worked against him, delaying him to this intolerable hour. Worse yet, with the game ending soon, it wouldn’t give him much time to search for Rose. This sporting event had drawn more people than Okab had expected. Despite his best efforts to hasten his entry, the human continued to chatter, unbidden.
“Ever since Kepler got injured last month, the team’s never been the same. He was their heart, you know. His can-do attitude pushed them to victory. Don’t tell my husband, but I’ve had a small crush on him since forever. His big blue eyes? They seem to stare right at you. Phew, it’s like I’m in high school again!”
What was this human blabbing about? Did this human not understand simple instructions? Okab wanted to enact swift retribution, but three security guards were eying him, wondering if he might cause trouble. While they proved a laughable threat, Okab didn’t dare try anything. It might alert his prey to his presence.
“This isn’t worth my time,” Okab said, walking away. Besides, he had a better idea.
“Um, sir? Are you sure? I can…” But Okab had already walked out of speaking range. The security guards relaxed as he left the stadium. The humans foolishly thought he’d gone forever.
Outside, he scanned the surroundings and smiled. After ensuring he was being unobserved, he leaped onto the entryway roof in a single, silent bound, creeping low to remain hidden.
While there wasn’t any guarantee his target would use this particular exit, his vantage point gave him a perfect view of the parking lot. Okab guessed she’d leave in one of those motorized vehicles. He stood motionless as he waited, not even pretending to breathe. One could almost confuse him with a statue with how still he stood.
And his patience paid off. Okab’s mouth widened to a predatory grin as he spotted a girl who matched Rose’s description. The girl was all scraggly limbs, only standing up to Okab’s chest. It seemed laughable she’d be any threat to the Altair, but fierce intelligence hid behind her blue eyes. Was that why the humans had chosen her as Luyten V’s pilot? Why they picked a child to pilot their greatest weapon mystified Okab.
A group of humans of similar appearance accompanied her, laughing and speaking with her. This must be her family. A tiny human accompanied them, a fragile little boy who needed to be guided by the hand to avoid getting lost as the crowd streamed from the stadium.
After some discussion, they entered a green van and slowly navigated the parking lot to the exit. Satisfied with himself, Okab leaped from the roof to the paved street below. People yelped in surprise at his sudden appearance, wondering if their eyes were playing tricks on them. The Altair general paid them little mind, navigating the crowd to his motorcycle. Soon, he’d have his target and leave with this wretched planet.
---
“Hey!” Martin said, waving over her family as they exited the stadium.
“Quite a game, huh?” her dad said, his tone light, although Rose could tell he was just as annoyed about the Twins losing.
“They played pretty well in the first half, but they lost all momentum. Right, Hans?” Rose asked, realizing she hadn’t gotten his opinion on the game yet.
“They played as usual,” Hans replied in his usual deadpan manner. “I’m not optimistic about them surviving to the postseason.”
“Right.” Rose gave an emphatic nod. She cursed that Kepler had gotten injured. The team seemed rudderless without him.
“I’m glad you two had fun together,” her mom said. “I’ve been talking with Ms. Lowell. How does Mexican sound to you kids?”
“Works for me.” Spicy food sounded nice.
“It’s okay with me,” Hans added.
“Sure,” Sophia said.
“Mexican? Okay.” Her brother kicked a nearby rock, not too enthused by the prospect, but he’d accept it. He didn’t like spicy foods at all and hated how they smelled. Luckily, the restaurant would have a kids’ menu for little ones with picky tastes.
“Perfect,” her mom said. “I’ll ride with Ms. Lowell. Hans can join you on the ride down.”
“Okay.” Rose rolled her eyes.
“Do you watch baseball often?” Hans asked out of the blue as they got into her parents’ van.
“Whenever I can,” Rose replied, helping get Danny into his booster seat. “I’m actually into fantasy baseball. I like the math involved, though my parents don’t let me gamble.”
“She’s a real wiz with math,” Sophia said in a conspiratorial whisper.
“I should hope so, considering I’ll invent a giant robot in the future!” Rose said, but froze when she realized she’d said something she shouldn’t have. The secret had just slipped from her mouth unbidden. That was the problem with big secrets. They wanted to escape.
When everyone gave her a strange look, Rose clarified. “I mean, I hope to create one. I’ve read Luyten V’s specifications. It’s interesting stuff!”
“Here we go,” Sophia said, rolling her eyes.
“Oh?” Hans said, curious. While her older sister zoned her out, the boy listened in interest as she explained what she’d learned about the giant robot.
“Advanced far beyond our era, almost like alien technology,” Hans said. “It’s hard to believe anyone just invented such a machine without the greater scientific community learning about it.” He still hadn’t forgotten about Luyten V’s strange arrival weeks earlier.
“Beats me.” Rose squirmed as Hans stared at her. It was like he saw through her lies. Unlike Georges, the boy wasn’t speaking crazy conspiracy theories, just noting inconsistencies that had been bothering him. They sat in awkward silence for the rest of the trip, Rose terrified she might have revealed all by accident. What else could go wrong today?
At least Hans had gone quiet and stayed that way as they drove to the restaurant. Then he surprised Rose as he suddenly spoke. “That motorcycle has been following us since we left Target Field.”
“Huh?” Baffled, Rose turned to glance behind her, but a hand stopped her.
“Don’t.” Hans said, his voice firm.
“Is something the matter?” Sophia asked, furrowing her brow.
“Yes. Rose, contact your bodyguard,” Hans said, refusing to answer any other questions.
“Okay.” Rose thought he was overreacting, but Han’s expression told her this might be serious. She sent Agent Brown a quick text message about the mysterious motorcyclist. His response sent ice flowing through her veins.
“The light-haired college-aged man riding a black motorcycle?” From the rearview mirror, she saw her bodyguard’s brown mustang a few cars behind them. “Yeah, I clocked him four streets back. I was just about to contact you. We’re going to try to lose him. Hand your phone over to your father, Rose. Don’t worry, I’ve already contacted backup. We’ll get you out of this.”
“Dad, please read this,” Rose said, passing over her phone. Her heart raced, painful as it trumped hard enough to beat out of her chest. Someone was chasing after them. Her family was in serious danger!
Her dad furrowed his brow as he accepted the phone. His confusion turned to terror as he scanned through her bodyguard’s message. “Oh. Oh! Oh!” Panic flashed in his eyes, realizing how much danger they might be in.
“What’s happening?” Sophia said, pulling herself away from her phone.
“Someone’s following us,” Hans replied, his mouth a firm line.
“What?!” her older sister said, fumbling with her phone in surprise.
The entire car jerked as they took an intersection to their right. Her father’s mouth sat in a hard line, furious anyone would dare hurt his children.
“Careful, Dad. He might catch on that we’re on to him!” Rose said.
“Right.” Under her father’s breath, he muttered encouraging words to himself. But Rose saw the fear behind his determination. This was beyond anything he’d ever expected to happen.
“Daddy?” Danny asked in concern, his young mind sensing the sudden tension in the car.
“It’s fine, son,” her father said, composing himself. He drove into a side street, taking them miles from their previous destination. “We’re just taking a small detour.”
“He’s still following us,” Hans said with surprising calm. Despite his impassive expression, Rose detected fear behind his eyes.
Her father muttered a sequence of curses under his breath. “Seems we’ve got our answer. This guy’s definitely following us.”
“Who is he, Russian? The mob? Rose is valuable. Are they after a bargaining chip to get Luyten V’s technology?” Sophia asked.
“I don’t know.” Her father sighed in relief as he passed into an outer district. Around them werecar lots, storage units, and random warehouses. These streets weren’t as busy as the inner parts of Minneapolis. They took another left, but the tail still doggedly pursued them.
“Good.” Her father sighed in relief. “Agent Brown said two cop cars are approaching to assist. Don’t worry, kids. This will soon be all over.”
Sophia relaxed visibly, but Rose shared a look with Hans. Some instinct told her the danger had only begun. Fear twisted her guts, and Rose fought back nausea.
Police sirens blared as the cop cars approached. One lowered their window to address the motorcyclist. But the driver barely seemed to care, still more intent on following Rose. When the cop saw his protestations weren’t getting any effect, the officer became more forceful. This finally got their pursuer’s attention. If only he hadn’t, what happened next would haunt Rose’s nightmares.
Blood spattered against the cop car’s windshield as the vehicle careened out of control. It hit the cars driving behind it, creating a massive pileup. Sophia screamed. Rose, however, only stared in shock, stuck rigidly to the spot.
“What’s happening?” Danny innocently asked, unaware of the danger. However, Rose knew precisely what was happening. The Altair had found her.