The Very Strange Journey of Mortimer Fox

Tap-tap-tap.

Morty paused, hand hovering over the page he had been about to flip over to the report he was rereading for the hundredth time.

TAP-TAP-TAP

His heart thudded with every sound. Who would be knocking on his door? Morty rarely spoke to anyone outside of the Zoom meetings for work. Even then, he kept his speaker on mute, only responding when he absolutely had to.

The raps continued more insistently. Morty rose and hesitantly made his way across the tiny studio apartment. He skirted around the small table and piles of his research materials. The door was on the other side of the galley kitchen which was in desperate need of a thorough cleaning.

He took a deep breath before peering through the peephole, hoping desperately that whoever was knocking had given up and left. No such luck.

“Mr. Fox?” a muffled voice sounded through the door. A minuscule figure stood in the hallway looking around anxiously. He recognized the woman in her usual flowered dress covered by her wool coat. Serviceable shoes, a felt hat and enormous glasses completed her appearance.

It was Mrs. Stern, the widow who lived upstairs. Morty had run into her in the building a few times. He could see a wheeled cart next to her full of produce and other groceries.

Morty wiped a sweaty palm on his favorite Area 51 t-shirt. His hand shook as he began unlocking the five deadbolts he had installed. Finally, Morty opened the door as far as the chain would allow.

“Oh good, you are home, Morty.” Mrs. Stern said in obvious relief. “You were the only one I could think of who might actually be in at this time of day.”

“Yes, Mrs. Stern. What can I do for you?” Morty asked.

She waved a hand toward him. “Please, call me Estelle.”

Morty closed his eyes for a moment. “Estelle. What do you need?”

“Oh. Well, I went to the grocery store.” Mrs. Stern said. “And the wheel on my cart has gone wonky. Would you be so kind as to help me get everything up to my apartment?”

Morty hesitated. He didn't leave home any more than he had to. There were certain supplies that he needed to pick out by hand. Then there were occasional meetings with his paranormal club buddies. Usually, they chatted online while reviewing evidence.

“Um? Are you alright, Morty?” Estelle asked hesitantly.

“Yeah. Sorry.” Morty replied. He closed the door enough to pull the chain off and swung it fully open.

Mrs. Stern glanced around Morty’s apartment. “Oh my.”

Morty turned toward the interior of the space. Aside from the table, the only other furniture was his worn-out recliner by exterior and a twin bed shoved against the other wall. A tv hung above it.

It was dark in there, lit only by the ceiling light and a rickety lamp in the corner by the chair. The windows were covered with blackout curtains for privacy.

The bed had long been taken over by the files he kept regarding alien sightings. Any free space on the walls bore posters of UFOs and extra-terrestrials.

Morty hung his head sheepishly. “I know. I need to clean up. I’ve been busy.”

“Where do you keep your foil hat?” Mrs. Stern chuckled.

Morty cringed, thankful that she couldn't see the headpiece shoved on top of the refrigerator. It was only a joke anyway. He and his friends had made them in jest at the last gathering. At least his was. Morty wouldn’t put it past Conrad to actually wear it.

“Let’s get that stuff upstairs for you,” he said quickly, stepping out into the hallway and closing the door behind him.

Estelle nodded and began to slowly ascend the stairs. Very slowly. Morty hefted the shopping cart and followed.

“Sit. I’m going to make a nice meal,” Mrs. Stern said as they arrived at her door. “You look like you could use some fattening up.”

Morty glanced at his watch. He was already late for a meeting. “That’s not necessary. I have to get back.”

“Nonsense.” Estelle insisted as she unpacked the groceries. “It will be nice to have someone to talk to.”

Morty could have sworn he heard an industrial click as the door swung shut behind him. That was odd as neither of them had touched it.

Estelle pulled a pitcher of a dark beverage from the refrigerator and poured it into a glass that looked like something he remembered his grandmother owning.

Morty sighed and accepted the glass. The meeting would be unbearably boring anyway. He sat in a floral armchair and began sipping. It tasted a bit like sweet tea with a hint of something he couldn't identify. It wasn't bad.

“What is this?” he asked.

Estelle turned her owl-like gaze on him. “Oh. It's an old family recipe. A little bit of this. A little bit of that. I find it more relaxing than straight tea.”

He watched Mrs. Stern puttering about in the kitchen. The anxiety that plagued Morty when he was out and about began to ease. He blinked a few times as his eyes began to feel heavy.

Morty awoke with a start. Everything was bright and impossibly white. The metal table he lay on was cold and hard and not at all comfortable.

He tried to sit up but found that he couldn't lift his head very far. Panic set in as Morty realized his wrists and ankles were restrained in cuffs of some sort.

“No no no no no,” he moaned. “This can’t be happening.”

Morty let out a piercing scream as an assortment of squat, wrinkly creatures entered the room, surrounding him. Just before everything went dark he had the absurd thought that the aliens looked like a cross between bulldogs, shar-peis and hobbits.

When he awoke again, there was only one of the aliens standing by his side. For some reason, it was wearing a felt hat. Morty recognized the owl-like eyes but realized that it wasn’t incredibly strong lenses that made them look so large.

“M..m..mrs. Stern?” he asked weakly.

“Estelle,” she replied sweetly.

Morty found the interaction absurd enough to pull him out of his terror. It turned to anger. “What did you do to me?”

Mrs. Stern smiled. “Nothing.”

“You’re lying,” he insisted. “One minute I was sitting in your apartment. The next thing I knew I was here. And then…and then your…friends walked in here and knocked me out with their minds.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Mr. Fox,” Estelle replied. “Your drink had a sedative in it to make the transfer easier. You have only been restrained for your safety. I had a feeling you would react like this.”

She pushed a button on a panel over to the side and the cuffs opened and retracted into the table. “As for me and my friends, our species does not possess mind-controlling powers. That was all on you.”

“W…what?” Morty had the fleeting thought that he had somehow gained mind powers through this ordeal.

“You fainted,” she said bluntly.

“Ah.” Morty slowly sat up and peered around, causing the industrial looking blanket to slide to the floor. The room was very sterile and cold. It was exactly what he imagined it would look like if he were abducted by aliens.

He felt himself over. Aside from the embarrassment of finding himself nude, Morty could feel no evidence of having been damaged. “So…did you take samples or something?”

“We have no need of human tissue samples or biological information.” Mrs. Stern said as she handed Morty an orange jumpsuit. “We have access to all of that on Earth.”

“You’ve been getting this information from what…homeless people? Cadavers?” he asked as he slipped his legs into the suit.

Estelle rolled her eyes. “No. We hacked into the world’s medical data.”

“Then why have you kidnapped me?” Morty was thoroughly confused. He zipped up the jumpsuit and immediately felt warmer. It might look like a prison uniform but it was comfortable.

Mrs. Stern held out a pair of boots, which he gratefully put on. “You and your friends were getting too close to finding proof that we are living among you.”

“Really?” This excited Morty. It validated all of the research they had done. “Wait. My friends. Are they…?”

Estelle opened the door and gestured for him to follow. Morty stepped out into a corridor that didn't look any less industrial than the room. Through a window across the hall, he could see Conrad thrashing on a table. It looked like he was on the verge of a psychotic break.

“We’re going to need some help with this one,” Estelle murmured. “We tried to explain but he started screaming.”

“Yeah. That sounds like Conrad. He always gets himself worked up over alien sightings.” Morty said. “Oh. I’m sorry. That is insensitive. What should we call your species?”

Estelle smiled faintly. “You wouldn't be able to pronounce it in our language. You can refer to us as Star Rovers. But we are happy to continue using the human names we have adopted.”

Morty glanced into two more rooms before dealing with Conrad. Tom looked apprehensive but was sitting calmly on the edge of his table, also wearing an orange jumpsuit. Gerald was still unconscious but unrestrained. A square of orange sat at the ready on a counter.

“Alright. We might as well get this over with,” he said, turning back to Conrad’s chamber. The door slid open, bringing on another series of shrieks.

“Conrad. Calm down.” Morty said as the door closed behind them. “It's me.”

“M…morty?” Conrad replied mid-scream.

“If you settle down they will release you.” Morty reached Conrad’s side and pressed gently on his chest. This wasn’t something he would normally do. Morty didn't generally like physical contact. “We’re all fine. They haven’t hurt us.”

Conrad’s face screwed up again. “What do they want with us?”

Morty shook his head. “I don’t know, but I don't think they mean us harm.”

It took quite a bit of persuasion but Conrad finally calmed down enough to allow one of the Star Rovers in remove the restraints.

“Greetings, Human Conrad and Human Morty. I am Lucero Stern,” he said amiably.

“Hello, Lucero,” Morty replied. He was becoming strangely comfortable with the whole situation. “Stern? Are you all called Stern?”

“Yes.” he replied as he pulled a jumpsuit out of a bin previously hidden in the wall.

“Oh. Are you all related then?” Morty asked.

“No,” Lucero said before walking back out if the room.

Conrad was looking at him like he was crazy. “How can you talk to them like none of this is happening?”

Morty shrugged. “Mrs. Stern…Estelle…lives in my building. I guess I’m just used to her now.”

Conrad followed Morty into the corridor anxiously. Tom poked his head through the now-open door to his room. Relief spread over his face when he saw them.

Estelle cleared her throat. “Taraz may have used too much sedative on Gerald. We are going to pump scented air into the room. It should act like a smelling salt.”

Moments later Gerald began to stir. He sat up groggily and took in his surroundings. Tom volunteered to go in and reassure him.

Once Gerald was dressed and mostly alert they followed the Sterns into a large room full of comfortable seating. One wall was taken up by a huge window showing millions of stars.

Morty’s breath caught a he stared out at the mostly blue orb. Wispy clouds scuttled over landmasses and water that he recognized from the globe in his childhood bedroom. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

“Wow.” Tom’s exclamation echoed Morty’s sentiment.

Estelle drew up beside them. “You approve of the view?”

Tom smiled. “I wanted to be an astronaut most of my life. I even went for the initial training. Turns out my color blindness disqualifies me from becoming one. Best I’ve been able to do is become a low-level tech. I’m working my way up to the launch room, though.”

Morty turned to the rest of the group. “Estelle said we were taken because we were on the verge of proving that you all were among us. What are your plans for us now?”

“What?” Conrad cried. “Are you going to take over Earth?”

Lucero nodded at Morty and spoke, ignoring Conrad’s concern. “Our mission is peaceful. We are only on Earth to collect data. However, it is best that the humans as a whole remain unaware. Many are not ready for that knowledge and it would threaten our safety.”

The four friends exchanged glances. No lie there. Unless a deal had already been made with the world leaders, the human military would wipe the Star Rovers out.

“We would like you to remain here for a few days to consider your options. After that time, you will be given a choice. You can remain on this ship and travel the universe, or you can return home. Should you choose to go back, you will have your memory wiped of any knowledge of our existence.” Lucero continued.

Morty was intrigued to find that the Star Rovers had a replicator that could provide any cuisine found on Earth. While it technically wasn't food it provided all of the nourishment needed without any of the allergens or fat content. He could eat an entire cheesecake and not gain an ounce.

He also realized that he was at peace on that ship. Morty didn't feel a need to confine himself to the berth provided for his use.

When the time came to make a decision, they were asked to go back to the common room. It was just the four humans and the Sterns that they learned had been their handlers back in Earth.

“What is your choice, Tom.? Will you go home or stay?” Zvezda asked.

Tom glanced back at the planet through the window. “I will stay. It’s the closest I’ll ever get to being an astronaut.”

Taraz peered at Gerald. “And you? What is your choice?”

“As much as I’ve enjoyed my time here. I want to go home. I miss my brother too much.” Gerald replied.

Lucero opened his mouth to speak, but Conrad interrupted him. “I’m going home. Space is too big. It makes me itchy.”

“Very well,” Lucero said.

“You probably don’t need to wipe his memory,” Morty said out of the corner of his mouth. “Everyone pretty much thinks he’s stark raving mad.”

Estelle chuckled. “Better safe than sorry. If he were to start going on about this and have one or more friends go missing…”

“Yeah,” Morty reluctantly agreed.

“Are you concerned about losing your memory of this?” She asked.

Morty shook his head. “No. I’m staying.”

Estelle turned to him in surprise. “What with your fear of leaving home I would have thought that you’d want to go back to your apartment.”

Morty grinned. “I used to think that I was borderline agoraphobic. Since being here, I realized that it’s actually that I’ve lost my patience for the growing hatred in the hearts of humans. I like you guys better.”

Estelle laughed. “I’m happy you have decided to stay. I like you too.”

As they watched Conrad and Gerald depart, Morty realized that we would miss them. He hoped that they would be happy with their choice. Knowing Conrad, it wouldn’t be long before he figured all of this out again.

As the shuttle sped off through the stars, Tom followed some of the Sterns to the bridge. They were going to teach him to fly the ship.

Morty returned to his room. He smiled as the door slid quietly closed behind him. One entire wall was a built-in computer screen. He was given access to all of the data the Sterns had amassed on the various species throughout the universe and beyond.

He sat back in his recliner and reached out to grab a cup of tea from the replicator next to him. Morty slipped his other hand into a specialized remote and began perusing the files. Life was good.