Page 34 of My Alien Angel (Supernova Casanovas #6)
Fin
The alien tablet shows a sectional diagram of the ship’s interior.
Currently, the sector on the screen shows a triangle hovering inside a large room shaped rectangle, with a path highlighting the way to a cluster of smaller room shaped rectangles.
I’m guessing those are the cells. If it weren’t for the whole alien spaceship factor, I’d swear I was using Google Maps, go figure.
The tiger guard is missing from outside of Eldri’s office, so I guess I’m free to roam.
It’s actually kind of a cool thought and I wish I had time to explore the place, but I only have a few hours before my “case worker” comes looking for me.
I have to strike a deal with this Null guy, free him, and escape this ship before anyone notices either of us missing.
The few uniformed aliens I pass by look at me curiously but no one stops to ask what an unaccompanied primitive life form is doing crawling around their ship.
I keep moving, occasionally glimpsing down at the tablet whenever there’s an intersection.
I’ve gone down more flights of stairs than I can count.
I assume a ship of this size must have elevators or another inner transportation system, but I’d have no clue how to use it.
Stairs, while exhausting, are pretty straightforward.
At least I haven’t had to climb upstairs.
God, I hope I won’t have to climb back up.
The first locked door I come across throws me for a loop.
I stare blankly at the unforgiving wall of metal for a moment until I remember that I’m literally headed into a prison area.
Locked doors make sense. Crossing my fingers, I awkwardly wave Eldri’s card in front of the small panel beside the door.
The squiggles on the panel change shape and turn red, which sets my heartbeat racing for a few seconds until I finally hear a soft click, and the door opens.
“Whoosh.” I still can’t get over how cool that sound is.
A door that just goes “whoosh” and disappears into a wall or a ceiling, just like in my favorite sci-fi movies and TV shows.
I have to bite back an excited squeal every time it happens.
God, it’s no wonder aliens consider us primitive.
The arrow on my tablet points right, but there are also voices coming from that direction.
Guards? While no one has bothered me so far, I’m fairly certain I’m not supposed to be behind these locked doors.
I’m pretty sure that from here on out, my presence will not be ignored. It’s time to be stealthy.
I suppress a snort at the ridiculous thought of me being sneaky. My sneakiness level is a big, fat assed zero.
Consulting the map, I turn left instead of right, intent on avoiding the guards.
The arrow on my map is now blinking orange and I get the distinct feeling that if this was back on Earth, the annoying GPS would be telling me, “At the next opportunity, make a U-turn”.
It finally stops flashing when I turn right down a narrow corridor.
The recalculated route guides me past several empty cells, which are just open spaces with basic amenities.
The wall facing the corridor is missing entirely.
I assume some kind of fancy force field activates once the cell is occupied, though it’s strange to be passing through a prison and not see a single bar or lock.
My new route takes me past an abandoned guard station.
It seems a little peculiar to be abandoned when there are clearly prisoners down here since I’m on my way to break one out.
Pausing at the sound of talking nearby, I overhear a conversation between two guards.
Apparently, there has been a mandatory staff meeting called by someone high ranking and all non-essential personnel have been ordered to attend.
The corners of my mouth twitch upwards slightly as I send a silent thank you to Eldri. He’s going above and beyond to ensure I succeed in getting help for Omni that I simply cannot afford to mess this up. I don’t want to disappoint the old Godzilla guy.
The cell I pass by is occupied by an angry male from the same species as the tiger guard.
I startle at his sudden shouting, thinking he’s shouting at me, but relax when I realize he isn’t.
It doesn’t appear as though he can see me.
There’s definitely a force field of some kind blocking the entrance to his cell.
It’s humming and shimmering and, while it’s completely transparent from my side, it’s clear that the alien inside doesn’t know I’m here.
Passing by as quietly as possible, just in case the field isn’t soundproof, I pray to whoever is listening that Null won’t be as angry or aggressive as this guy.
Several cells later, some of which are occupied by a vast array of aliens of various genders and species, the arrow on my tablet finally blinks a few times before morphing into a circle.
“You have arrived at your destination,” I quietly mimic the GPS woman in a vain attempt to bring some normalcy to the situation.
As if anything could be considered normal about sneaking around an alien prison with the intent of jailbreaking a prisoner.
Something I should have probably considered sooner occurs to me—doing this will officially make me a criminal.
My whacked brain finds that funny. Infinity Young, infamous galactic criminal.
Jesus fucking Christ. What have I gotten myself into?
The cell I’m standing in front of is dark, but I can just make out an indistinct form lying on the corner cot. Great. I have to wake the guy up. That will surely win me brownie points with him. Not.
“Hey,” I whisper-yell. “Hey! You. Null?”
No reaction. The figure doesn’t even move.
The force field probably does act like a soundproof barrier, too.
It’s unfortunate because I hoped to talk to the man before setting him free.
Eldri’s card is my only bargaining chip and if Null gets his hands on it—or me—before we’ve struck a deal, I’m toast. “Hey!” I yell this time.
It’s a risk, but I haven’t heard any guards in the area for a while, so I think it’s safe to be loud for now.
There must be cameras or other forms of surveillance in action, but the fact that no one has rushed over to arrest me yet suggests that Eldri has taken care of that issue as well.
For how long, though, I don’t know, so I’ll have to move my ass into higher gear. This alien’s ass, too.
“Stupid fucking aliens,” I mutter, angrily slamming my fist against the barely visible barrier before I can stop myself.
Instead of zapping me or knocking me out, like a proper energy field should, the field ripples, and the lights around the cell entrance that presumably project it change color.
An annoyed grunt comes from inside of the cell. “Fuck off.”
“Can you hear me?”
The figure sits up on the bed. “A human?”
As Null saunters over to the force field, my breath catches.
His head, slightly larger than would be proportionate to the rest of his body, is bald, his gray skin gleaming in the light from the corridor.
His eyes are large and completely black, no white rims, making it difficult to pinpoint where he’s looking.
Except in this case, I’m fairly certain he’s looking at me.
He’s tall, possibly even taller than Omni, which makes him a giant in my book, and while he’s lean, the way he moves hints at him being physically strong.
All in all, he reminds me of those Roswell aliens, except gray instead of green, and bigger. So much bigger.
“Are you lost, human?” he asks, his tone oddly flat with just a hint of emotion.
Squaring my shoulders, I look straight into his creepy eyes, hating how far back I have to tilt my head to do so. Still, I won’t let this man intimidate me. I’m the one holding the key to his freedom. “Are you Null?” I ask, just to avoid further miscommunication.
“That’s the name I’ve been given. What do you want, little human?”
“I am not little,” I grumble like a defensive toddler. “It’s not my fault this stupid galaxy is filled with giants.” Not that I’m particularly tall by Earth standards but, still. It's the principle.
Well, at least he understands me. The device in my ear translates what I hear but does nothing to translate what I say which, ironically, is exactly the same problem Omni faced on Earth.
Only I doubt I’d be able to learn whatever language these guys are speaking in a week.
“Anyway, I want to make a deal with you.”
It’s odd to watch him cock a brow without actually having eyebrows, but that’s essentially what he’s doing. “A deal?”
“Yes. I need you to take me to a ship called Supernova. They should be docked at…Schlappe station? Something like that. You will bring me there and keep me safe until I find the crew. Keep me alive. Don’t betray me or sell me into slavery.
” I cringe at having to stress such a basic expectation in our deal but better safe than sorry.
“Hmm. What’s in it for me?”
“What do you mean?” I show him Eldri’s card. “You get out of here. You get to steal your ship back. You’ll be free. Is that not enough?”
Null’s expression doesn’t change as he considers my offer. “What’s stopping me from stealing that card once I’m free and leaving you behind?”
Truly nothing. “I-I’ve been told you keep your word.” That sounds na?ve even to my ears, but what else can I say? Even if I had a gun, I doubt it would do me much good once he’s free. “Come on. We can help each other.”
“Interesting,” he says in a particularly uninterested tone. “Very well, then. I agree with your terms. Now, open the cell.”