Close Encounter

It was 9:30 PM when Audra arrived home from the café. The gleam of moonlight gave an ethereal quality to the night, but the welcoming glow of the front porch light was always a comfort to her. After she shuffled through the front door entryway and locked the door, she paused in the kitchen to get a glass of water. Through the window, Audra could just make out the shape of unripe pears that clung to the tree her parents had planted when she was a kid. Even though her parents were gone now, she had the tree to help remind her of them.

Once in bed, Audra’s mind started to wander. She had been working at the café for the past two-and-a-half years and was bored with her job. She was happy to have a place to call home, but wanted to see more of the world and meet new people, but she didn’t have the money to travel. Audra had considered applying for higher paying jobs in the nearest city. In order for the commute time to be reasonable, Audra thought she might have to sell the house, but wasn’t sure if she was ready for that.

Audra had considered renting out the house, but didn’t want to risk picking a bad tenant. She had heard too many horror stories from her boss and patrons at the café. Audra also considered starting a business online and working out of her home. But she wondered just how she would figure out what products or services to offer, the cost of shipping and how much to charge per item. It all seemed like too much hassle.

So preoccupied was she in her thoughts that she failed to notice a glow brighter than moonlight that emanated from outside her bedroom window. Slowly and silently, the window slid open and a probe entered. It was the size and shape of a closed compact mirror and had a dull black color, so a person looking directly at it at night might not see it right away. It floated toward Audra as she rolled over to one side; a move which exposed her left arm. Just as the probe lighted on the unwittingly proffered arm, a thin needle extended from the base of the probe and slid into her skin.

Audra felt only a tiny sting as the needle pulled out. The probe darted away just as Audra’s right hand swiped at the spot where she felt the sting. The probe immediately exited the room through the window it had entered. Minutes passed and Audra’s mind slowed. Her body gradually stopped responding to her mental commands. She would’ve panicked, if she had the capacity in that moment to feel anything other than dazed. She felt her body tingle and go numb. Blackness followed. Yet, she still felt…something, as though a part of her were being pulled upward and out of her body.

The next thing Audra saw was her body, which still lay on its side. The face, her face, looked completely relaxed. Her dark hair fanned out in loose waves behind her head. She expected to feel shocked, but instead only experienced a mild detached fascination. She wondered if the lack of a bodily reaction to accompany her emotion had something to do with the lack of excitability she was experiencing.

Audra noticed the bluish glow begin to flicker and heard a mechanical trilling sound; both of which suddenly stopped. Only then did she glance back at the bed and realize that her body was gone. Outside, she thought and instantly found herself in the back yard. Upon turning her gaze upward, she saw a cone-shaped ship outlined on one side by moonlight as it lifted away from her. Inside that ship, she thought and immediately found herself in a room with stark white walls. Her body laid on a metal slab that floated several feet above the floor.

An aperture opened in one of the walls and two creatures with green and tan serpentine bodies with humanoid arms and faces slid through the opening. Their movements appeared surprisingly quick and graceful, not unlike snakes back on earth. Audra instinctually moved to shield her own body from them, only to have the larger creature of the pair pass straight through her. She turned to see the creatures stop alongside the metal slab and gaze down at her helpless form.

“Good work, Zoalla,” the larger, more masculine creature hissed approvingly at the smaller creature, “your transport skills are flawless.”

“A high compliment from you, sir,” Zoalla replied.

The first creature continued, “now that we have access to the Sol system, our research of this species’ genetics can finally begin.”

Zoalla responded emphatically, “it’s a wonder our people got the contract, isn’t it? Considering this system was so hotly contested.”

“Indeed,” the larger of the two began, but was cut off by a series of clicks followed by a masculine-sounding voice from an unseen source.

“Sarlon to Research Lead Coveth.”

“I am here, Bridge Lead Sarlon,” Coveth answered, then asked in a bemused tone, “what is it?”

“A Lucatian vessel has approached our ship,” Sarlon began, “their Head Researcher has asked to speak to you.”

Coveth sighed then asked, “can you show him on my screen?”

“One moment,” said Sarlon flatly. Audra then noticed a part of the wall on one side of the room seemed to warp and reshape itself to form a viewfinder. Coveth and Zoalla moved closer to the viewfinder to greet a creature with a cat-like face and lilac-colored flesh that had appeared. Black stripes ran down the length of the Head Researcher’s cheeks from the corners of its green eyes to the jawline. Atop its ears were tufts of black fur that matched the stripes. The creature’s apparent cuteness was diminished slightly by its expression of annoyance.

“Hello,” the Head Researcher began with a snarl. “My name is Rassah. I am the Head Researcher aboard my ship and I speak on behalf of the planet Lucatia.”

“Hello Rassah,” Coveth began to speak, “I am Coveth, the Research Lead, speaking on behalf of the Nwellians.”

“What is your purpose here, Coveth? It is our understanding that the Sol system is under our control for at least another eighth of a galactic turn.”

“I’m afraid you have understood incorrectly, Rassah,” Coveth began in a level tone, “the Galactic Research Council has granted us a contract with access to this system effective immediately.”

“No,” Rassah shook his head for emphasis. “The Galactic Research Council would never issue a contract for a system while that system remains under a lease contract with another species.”

“Are you calling me a liar, Rassah?’ Coveth seemed to grow indignant.

Rassah answered simply, “I call you no such thing-”

“But you just did,” Coveth interjected, his indignation became more apparent.

“Look,” Rassah started. He seemed to barely keep a handle on his own emotions. “Our contract has not expired yet. We were promised exclusive access.

“As were we, and the contract we have is already in effect,” Coveth spat his words at the face on the screen. “We have been waiting for access to this system since our people joined the Research Council. Our people followed every protocol down to the letter and paid the exorbitant price that the council quoted us. Why would I lie about these things and put myself and my species at risk of being barred from the council?”

“Although the few things we have heard about your kind have been exemplary," Rassah started soothingly, "we do not know your kind very well, and my people do not trust other species on reputation alone. Surely, you can understand that.” Coveth snorted and appeared to be biting his tongue. Rassah continued, “I’m afraid there is only one way to resolve this discrepancy.”

“A structured arbitration?”

“Precisely,” Rassah confirmed. “The galactic center cluster is a long distance from this system. I recommend you get there as soon as possible.” The screen went blank and dissolved back into the wall. Coveth sighed again and turned back to the slab where Audra’s body lay.

“I cannot believe this,” Coveth hissed angrily. “We spent thirty-five of earth’s orbits looking for the right specimen. Now that we found one, we have to send her back.” Coveth paused a beat, “wait a minute.”

Zoalla seemed confused, "Sir, what is it?"

“Technically, I did not yet agree to any sort of arbitration proceeding.”

“But sir,” nervousness crept into Zoalla’s voice, “your reputation.”

“It is alright, Zoalla. I don’t intend to steal the human.” A small round tray lowered from a plate on the ceiling which held two small tubes with a needle on one end. One tube held clear fluid and the other was empty. “I just want to take a little something for our trouble.”

Coveth picked up the empty tube, moved one of Audra’s arms and stuck the needle through the skin. Immediately, blood spurted into the tube. When it was full, Coveth placed the blood-filled tube back on the tray and picked up the tube with the clear liquid. He injected it in the same hole in Audra’s arm and the fluid seemed to vanish from the tube. Once he placed the second tube back on the tray, the tray disappeared into the ceiling again.

Coveth slid towards the side of the room he and Zoalla had originally entered. Zoalla dutifully followed her superior. Coveth then turned his head and hissed, “Zoalla?”

“Yes sir?”

“Once you put the subject back where you found her, meet me at the Bridge.”

“Yes, of course.” Both Coveth and Zoalla disappeared through the aperture. Moments later, Audra noticed her body was gone. She heard a whooshing sound and felt herself falling as everything around her blurred. Then, all was blackness again.

Audra’s eyes opened to the sight of sunlight streaming through her window. As she raised her hands in front of her face, balled them into fists and opened them again, she had a vague recollection of the inside of the ship, and of her body lying helpless on the metal slab. Surely, she thought, none of that was real. Then Audra caught sight of a red circular mark on the inside of her left arm and gasped. The memory of how the alien Coveth had stuck her twice with a needle came back into her awareness.

She realized the only reason why her captors didn’t do further testing was because of the interruption by the other alien, the Lucatian. They had mentioned something about arbitration. She silently hoped that would take a long time, perhaps decades or even centuries, but she couldn’t be sure how long. What if they came back for her? A newfound fear of being rendered utterly helpless again filled her mind and her whole body grew tense. Audra leapt out of bed and marched into the kitchen. As soon as she caught sight of the pear tree, one of the unripe fruits fell away and hit the ground. Audra stopped. The thought of moving away from home became more appealing to her with each passing moment.