17. Aileen
CHAPTER 17
AILEEN
T he smart watch on my wrist buzzes, its screen flashing red. "West. About six blocks."
"Are you certain?" Varak peers at his own device, his perfect human disguise flickering for a split second.
"As certain as these glorified compass things can be." The street lights cast strange shadows across the empty sidewalk. "You know, most guys just take a girl to dinner and a movie."
"I apologize for the unconventional nature of our evening." Varak's golden eyes catch the moonlight. "This may not be the last time such... interruptions occur."
"What, you mean chasing shape-shifting super soldiers through Chicago isn't your idea of romance?" The watch buzzes again. "Getting closer."
"Aileen, if you wish to end our association-"
"Hold up." I plant my feet, forcing him to stop. "Are you trying to get rid of me?"
"No, I merely want you to understand-"
"The realities of the situation?" My voice rises an octave. "Like how my boyfriend's an alien secret agent who fights other aliens? Or how my family pizza place sits on top of some kind of ancient alien weapon vault?"
"Those exact realities, yes."
"Well tough luck, spaceman. You're stuck with me now." The watch buzzes more intensely. "Besides, looks like our target's heading toward Navy Pier. At least we'll have a nice view while we chase him down."
"You are..." Varak's perfect face breaks into a genuine smile. "Remarkable."
"I know. Now come on, we've got an alien to catch."
The watch's signal grows stronger. My heart pounds as we weave through the evening crowd.
"He's close. Just ahead." I point toward Michigan Avenue where tourists cluster around shop windows.
"Stay behind me."
"Not a chance, big guy." The signal pulses faster. "There - black jacket, moving fast."
"Your observational skills continue to impress."
"What can I say? Dating an alien secret agent keeps life interesting."
"About that." Varak's perfect CGI face creases with concern. "Your family business-"
"Will still be there." The crowd parts as we pick up speed. "I love my parents and the pizza place, but I need my own life too. Can't spend forever making garlic knots in Little Italy."
"You are certain?"
"Never been more sure of anything." The elevated platform looms ahead, steel girders casting latticed shadows. "Besides, someone's got to keep you from getting too serious all the time."
A train rumbles overhead. The watch screen flashes frantically - Garros must be up there. I take the stairs two at a time, blood rushing in my ears.
The platform teems with commuters. A glimpse of that black jacket disappearing into an arriving train car spurs me forward.
"Come on!" I dash through the closing doors, certain Varak is right behind me.
The elevated train's doors slide shut with a hiss. My palm smacks against the glass as it pulls away, leaving Varak behind on the platform.
"No no no..." The watch buzzes against my wrist, its signal growing stronger. A chill runs down my spine as I realize what that means.
The other passengers blur into the background as I turn around. A businessman in the back morphs and shifts, his human disguise melting away to reveal black scales with crimson highlights.
Seven feet of alien muscle towers over me. The other passengers scream and rush toward the front of the car, leaving me alone with him.
My back hits the closed door. "Even if you kill me, Veritas will never let you destroy Chicago."
Garros tilts his head, confusion crossing his reptilian features. "Destroy the city? What makes you think that's what I want?"
"Aren't you the ultimate weapon?" My voice shakes less than expected. The metal handrail digs into my back.
"A weapon?" Garros's scaled head tilts. "Perhaps. The knowledge in my mind tells me of Earth, of space, of technology beyond human comprehension. But of myself?" His clawed hand taps his chest. "Nothing. Only a name - Garros. Empty syllables with no meaning, no memory attached."
The fear drains from my body, replaced by an ache in my chest. Like looking at a lost puppy in the pound. Except this puppy is seven feet tall with fangs.
"You don't remember anything about who you are?"
"Fragments. Data. Technical specifications." His golden eyes dim. "But no emotions, no experiences I can call my own."
The train screeches to a halt, throwing me off balance. The doors whoosh open with a hydraulic hiss.
"Chicago PD! Hands where we can see them!"
A wall of blue uniforms floods the car, pistols trained on Garros. The fluorescent lights gleam off gun barrels and badges.
Garros's massive form blocks my view as he shoves me behind his bulk. The sharp crack of gunfire fills the train car, bullets pinging off his scales like rubber bands.
"Please." I grab his arm, my fingers barely wrapping around his muscled forearm. "Don't hurt them. They're just doing their jobs. They're scared."
"Analysis indicates minimal threat level from primitive projectile weapons." His head tilts, studying the officers. "These humans pose no danger to my systems."
"Then you won't-"
"Lethal force unnecessary. Non-lethal tactics sufficient."
Before I can blink, Garros moves. His arm stretches like liquid metal, wrapping around two officers' weapons and crushing them to scrap. Another officer fires point-blank at his chest. The bullet ricochets, embedding in the ceiling.
Garros's leg extends, sweeping three more cops off their feet. His other arm morphs into a wide pad, pinning them safely to the ground. The remaining officers back away, eyes wide with terror.
"Threat neutralized." Garros's limbs retract to normal proportions. "No permanent damage sustained by law enforcement personnel."
The cops lie groaning on the floor, their weapons scattered uselessly around them. Not a drop of blood spilled.
"Thank you." I step out from behind him, surveying the scene. "For not hurting them."
"Unnecessary violence serves no logical purpose." His golden eyes fix on me. "You showed concern for their wellbeing despite their hostile intent. Why?"
"Because they're people. Just trying to protect the city."
"Fascinating. Your empathy extends even to those who would harm you."
Heavy footsteps thunder across the train car's roof. My heart leaps - Varak must have caught up. But before relief can fully settle in, the ceiling erupts in a shower of sparks and twisted metal. The explosion throws me off my feet.
My head cracks against a seat. Stars dance across my vision as acrid smoke fills the car. Through the ringing in my ears, I hear the whir of rappelling lines.
Dark shapes drop through the jagged hole in the roof. The smoke clears enough for me to make out their scaled forms - Grolgath soldiers, at least five of them. Their weapons train on the still-stunned Garros.
"Target acquired." One of them wraps a restraining cable around Garros's massive arm. "Prepare for extraction."
My fingers brush something cold and metal - one of the cops' dropped pistols. Without thinking, I snatch it up and squeeze the trigger. The gun bucks in my hand, bullets sparking off the Grolgath's armored hide.
"What the-" The soldier holding Garros's arm turns toward me. "Human interference detected."
I empty the clip, forcing them to duck and weave. Their grip on Garros loosens. He shakes his head, awareness returning to those golden eyes.
My small victory is short-lived. Five alien weapon barrels swivel in my direction, their tips glowing with deadly energy.
"Terminate the witness." The lead Grolgath's voice drips with cold authority. "No loose ends."
I raise the empty pistol anyway, hands steady despite the fear coursing through me. If I'm going down, I'm going down fighting.
Garros's body ripples like mercury, stretching and flattening into a massive sheet of rock hard scales. He slams into the Grolgath soldiers, pinning them against the train car's walls and floor.
"Run!" His voice echoes with a metallic ring. "I cannot maintain this form indefinitely."
I sprint for the door, leaping over the trapped aliens. My feet hit the platform and I keep running, not daring to look back.
The evening air fills with screams. Not the usual city noise - pure terror. People point at the sky, phones raised high.
I follow their gaze and my jaw drops. A massive disk hovers above the elevated track, its metallic surface reflecting the city lights. Blue energy crackles around its rim.
"Oh my god, it's aliens!" A girl with cotton candy pink hair livestreams the scene. "They're using some kind of advanced deployment system-"
"Yeah, it's called a rope." I grab her arm and pull her away from the train car. "Stop filming and start running, you #moron!"
The platform clears as I herd people toward the stairs. "Move! Get out of here!"
A crash behind me makes my heart jump. The Grolgath pour out of the train car, their scales gleaming under the spacecraft's eerie light. Their weapons glow with deadly intent.
And every single one of them is looking right at me.
"This way!" I wave at the remaining bystanders. "Down the stairs, now!"
The crowd finally gets the message, rushing toward the exits in a panic. At least they'll be safe.
Now I just have to figure out how to save myself from five angry alien soldiers who definitely want me dead.
I bolt toward the stairs, but something hits me from behind - not a bullet, more like getting splashed with water. Except the liquid clings and spreads, wrapping around my torso like cellophane gone wild.
"What the-" The translucent film cuts off my words, sealing my mouth shut as it constricts tighter. My arms snap to my sides, trapped in the ever-tightening cocoon.
I stumble, losing my balance as the membrane binds my legs together. The platform rushes up to meet my face but scaled hands catch me before I hit the ground.
The material keeps squeezing, molding to every curve of my body until I can barely twitch a finger. At least I can still breathe through this alien plastic wrap, even if I can't make a sound.
Rough claws dig into my sides as the Grolgath soldiers lift me like a rolled-up carpet. My muscles strain against the membrane but it only seems to get tighter with each attempt to break free.
"Secure the human witness." The leader's cold voice sends chills down my spine. "She may prove useful as leverage."
They carry me back to the train car, my body dangling helplessly between them. The membrane presses against my skin with steadily increasing pressure, like being squeezed by a giant snake.
Through the transparent film, I watch Chicago's skyline drift past as they haul me inside. The city lights blur together, making me dizzy. Or maybe that's from the lack of circulation to my extremities.
Varak, you better get your ass here quick, I think desperately as the doors slide shut with a final-sounding hiss.