Page 59 of Alien Rescue

His prediction proved true. Morgan eventually went to a neighborhood with small houses and knocked on the door. A tall, thin man with a shock of red hair opened it. Rose bounced on the seat. “He looks familiar. I think he worked in the building for a short time. In the lab.”

“We will stake him out in the human manner,” Zanr said. He pressed a button and suddenly she could hear every word Morgan and the other man said.

“You shouldn’t have led her here. The fewer people who know about the boat, the better.”

Rose nearly jumped out of her skin. He could only be talking about the submarine.

“She’s harmless and gullible. We might be able to use her to deliver the bomb.”

“Why, that horrible little toad. I’ll tell him a thing or two when I see him again.”

Zanr just grunted.

“When will you take me to the submarine?” Morgan asked. It might be a question, but it sounded more like an order.

“Soon, I will let you know when he is ready to meet you.”

He?

Morgan left, but she and Zanr stayed at the little house. Hours passed and no one else came to talk to the scientist. At last they went back to the tent.

The next morning after the mandatory hour of hot and heavy morning sex, that left her thoroughly satisfied, they sat at the table, drinking coffee.

Zanr checked the information the probe had sent him. “It has found no trace of a submarine. I will widen the search.”

“That’s weird. We’ve had reports of a submarine from two different sources.” She frowned. “Wait a minute. How do you know about submarines? Do you have them on your planet?”

“Our oceans are small; we do not use submarines or boats.” A possible weakness? She couldn’t think how their lack of boats could be exploited. But better minds than hers might. He got up and came to stand behind her. He touched her hair and Rose relaxed. She’d known he was going to do this and she had done nothing more than give her hair a cursory comb.

“I suppose with your shuttles it’s unnecessary. So how did you know about our submarines? You knew immediately what that odd man talked about.” It’s not as if any of them were still around. In working condition anyway.

“I studied human weapons of the last three centuries to be prepared for this assignment.” He carefully combed her hair.

“I see.” How much did he and the others know about humans? All their weaknesses, all their defences?

He made those grunting noises and his fingers glided through her hair, separating sections. “It is a good sign that the probe cannot find it. It means the person blocking our searches is probably hiding in cloaked areas that might show up as blind spots. I have widened the search.”

Her TC rang and she accepted the call, her eyes widening. “It’s my father.” Excitement mixed with the deadly nanos in her blood.

Chapter Seventeen

“Father, this is a surprise.” Her heart beat faster, a rhythm of hope. Maybe he missed her, wanted to see her.

“I can’t find Parnell. Let him know I want to talk to him.” Her cheeks heated. What did she expect—that he’d call her by name, ask how she was?

Rose exchanged a glance with Zanr. What was she supposed to say? Zanr shook his head no. So they didn’t want anyone to know what they did with Parnell. For a moment she was tempted to tell her father that Parnell had been captured by the aliens. To rally everyone in protest. But she quickly changed her mind. It would serve no purpose. Except to get a lot of people captured.

Zanr left the tent and she relaxed slightly. The last thing she wanted was for him to see how her family treated her. He was contemptuous enough of humans.

All the calls she’d never exchanged with her father over the years haunted her. No calls to wish her Happy Birthday, to ask how she was, or if she needed anything. Or even to tell her she was allowed to return home. “Why do you never call me just to talk? Do you care for me at all?” She didn’t mean to ask him that, but the words were torn out of her without her volition.

His handsome, angular face showed every inch of his disapproval. “Control yourself. You killed your mother with your hysterics. When will you learn your lesson?

“I was eight years old. I panicked, that’s all. I didn’t mean to kill her.”

“That is no excuse and your actions led to her death. You have to learn to take responsibility for your actions.”

Rose stared at the image of her father hovering over the TC. Did her father always sound this cagey, this self-important? He didn’t love her, would never love her. Maybe it was time to accept that he’d never love her. What kind of father could stop loving his child? Her mind shied away from that thought. He had to love her. It was just that he missed her mother. In all these years, he’d never married again. Nothing she’d done that day had been on purpose. She’d been a frightened eight-year-old. All those years ago, she remembered her parents fighting. About money? And she knew, suddenly just knew.

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