The Final Frontier

At first, he thought he was dreaming in his drunken sleep…

It had been his birthday. He had turned thirty the night before, and to drink the misery of the departure of his twenties with his friends. Thirty meant that forty was soon to come. And with it would come the beginning of the decay of his body. The bones would get weaker, the muscles would soften (not that he was anywhere close to ripped), and he would find that he wouldn’t be able to eat the food he loved anymore without feeling sick. He was getting older, in other words, and each day he looked in the mirror from now on, he would think of nothing else but the fact that the youth inside him was leaving forever. His prime years were ending, and fast. Thoughts like these were hard to get rid of.

So, like many before him, Bradley Peterson turned to alcohol. Things may have turned out differently, he would think later on, if he had brought some friends with him. Perhaps…with other people…it wouldn’t have been him. But friends would offer sympathy, telling him that just because he was getting older didn’t mean that he couldn’t enjoy life. But Bradley didn’t want sympathy, nor did he want to hear bullshit about living life when you know your body will soon start falling apart. The simple fact was, you could never have the fun that you had when you were twenty ever again. The energy you had, the strength you had…all of that was gone. After that you lost energy, strength, and in several cases, your hair. As many had noted: it was all downhill from here.

The sorrows were hard, and so was the booze. Despite that, the former was still beating the latter. So Bradley drank more. He would not remember how it happened, but he got into a fight with a man a head taller than him, and got tossed out onto the street with a black eye, a torn t-shirt, and a bloody nose that stained his face and jeans. Staggering and limping slightly, Bradley attempted to make his way home. Within an hour of leaving the bar, he wound up in a park five miles from his apartment, and passed out on the grass, which had been freshly cut that afternoon.

He didn’t have any dreams. Nothing but a drunken , empty darkness ensued His brain seemed too tired and full of liquor to conjure up anything. It wasn’t until the bright light beyond his eyelids ruined the perfect shroud of black behind them. His first thought was the sun, shining through the bedroom window. The stiffness in his neck told him different, and the flesh of his cheek squelched against a smooth glassy surface. He hadn’t made it home…again, was his next thought. Wherever he was, it would be best to get moving before the cops showed up…

It wasn’t until he opened his eyes that he believed he was still dream for a little bit. The bright light was coming from a white tower that stood a distance from him. It was a bizarre looking structure, looking sort of like a crowbar that had been bent in three places into an “S”-like shape. It appeared to be some kind of over head light, because the tower cast light downwards, not frontwards or to the sides. The light it cast gleamed off the polished black floor that he was standing on.

Something fluttered towards the left, and Bradley looked towards it, his belief that he was dreaming then was confirmed. Across from the tower was a giant vat that of water, that held some sort of massive plants, that sort of looked like over grown flowers, but they weren’t flowers, of course. Flowers weren’t that big. Flowers weren’t translucent. And flowers didn’t have pods that glowed. Whatever they were, they were something that only the mind could produce when fast asleep.

Right in the center of the tower and the weird plants was something curious. They looked like Escape Pods he’d seen in some sci-fi movies. They were cylindrical tubes of blue glass, sitting in machines that had tubes sticking into “Pods”. There was something inside each of them. Judging by the shape of the figures…they could only be humans. Taking one step, Bradley leaned forward and looked closer from where he was.

Yep, there were people in there, alright. Strange people too. Only one of them seemed normal. One appeared to be in some white robes, another seemed to being wearing a suit of metal or something because the light from the tower gleamed off him, the normal one was wearing a pinstriped suit. A last one was wearing nothing, and appeared to have long, filthy hair. There were more, about seven in total in a line in front of him. The occupants of these pods were still. His first thought was that they were some kind of statues due to how they were unmoving in some kind of pose. Hell, the one in the metal appeared to be holding a sword over his head. Whoever had made these…

The ground suddenly shuddered, interrupting his thought process as he almost lost his balance. The sudden movement also caused something else. A miserable headache suddenly manifested in Bradley’s head, and this was strange. In dreams…he often didn’t….

The thoughts only last for less than a second before another shudder sent him to the ground, it being stronger than the first. This was followed very quickly by another quake, and then another, and soon Bradley was bouncing off the ground, his head crying out in agony from this sudden stimulation.

Finally…they stopped…abruptly.

“Well, well…” A voice spoke. “Finally awake, are we?”

A woman’s voice. Had to be. It was certainly not a man’s. But it was such a loud voice to. Not overwhelming…but it felt different. It felt…larger, somehow, but that didn’t make sense. It was probably from some intercom overhead, but it didn’t have a mechanical kind of sound like a voice does when it comes from…

More noise. Behind him. He whirled around. And that was when he thought it HAD to be a dream.

Taking a seat before him was indeed a woman. A very attractive woman, actually. Her hair was long and dark purple, her eyes a very light blue. Her face was clear and radiant, it looked youthful, vaguely reminding Bradley of why he had gone drinking last night. The woman seemed to have a good figure, as he could see some of her chest, her breasts were steep hills rising from what appeared to be a full body catsuit of some kind. Red lights dotted the suit she was wearing, connected by red stripes. Some of the lights were one her shoulder (front and back), on her arm right below her shoulder bone, and on the tips of her fingers, though these were smaller in circumference.

And finally, most notably, she was absolutely massive.

Bradley had not even the slightest guess at how big she was, but it had to be well over one hundred feet. He couldn’t see all of her, as the edge of his black floor ended right above her belly, hiding the lower half of her body. Her arms crossed, her forearms tucked under her breasts, which were bigger than some houses he’d seen. The fingers on her hands were bigger, not to mention thicker, than most trees he’d seen through-out life. A smile was on her face. Not a grin, her teeth were not showing, but an actually charming smile. But there was also a slyness to it. It was the smile of someone with something a little mischievous on their mind.

The motions that her body was making when he first turned were that of someone taking a seat. Her upper body was bent forward, her hips extend behind her, and then bringing herself down. A lock of her long hair actually swung towards him, but she brushed it back behind her. Her hair seemed long enough to reach the small of her back. The floor seemed to end right in front of her, which was sort of weird, because…

“I was beginning to think you were in a coma,” The woman said. Her voice was soft, sort of pleasant as well…but magnified too. “I was getting ready to toss you…”

Toss me…?

“Fuck, my head…” Bradley Peterson moaned to himself, his hands squeezing his throbbing temples. This was getting too weird. Ordinarily, a dream about a good-looking woman the size of the Washington Monument would be welcome. But, his headache was ruining it, plus, he had to wake up anyway. He had work in the morning, and he wasn’t sure if he had made it home. He sometimes didn’t…. “Alright, enough of this shit. I gotta get up now.” He began to turn away from the giant woman. She probably couldn’t hear him anyway, considering how much bigger she was and how far his mouth was from her ears. But, of course, this was a dream, and she must have heard him perfectly well, because her smile widened. She looked amused. “Well…nice to meet you, miss. Hope to see again. Hopefully next time, my head won’t be killing me and…”

Before he could comprehend that she was moving, her finger had already hit him right in the chest and stomach, flooring him with a simple tap.

“You’re not dreaming, my little Earthy.” The woman said, calmly. “I’m as real as the stars of the universe. There’s no simple escape from me, like waking up, for you.”

“Have to be…” Bradley groaned. His fall had not helped his head. “Just a few more minutes…had too much to drink…messed up dreams.”

“Oh really?” The woman asked, her smile widening further. Not her lips parted a bit, showing some of her teeth. They were white and vibrant. “Well, if you’re so sure…let me help you wake up.”

She lifted he hand again and this time brought the finger down on top of him and applied pressure. Bradley’s back cracked at once, and he hollered. His legs began kicking and he flailed his arms to move, but she had him pinned. The pressure got harder, and soon he couldn’t breath. In most nightmares, when something bad was happening to you, when it got as horrible as it was going to get, you woke up with a start. He was waiting for this to happen…it didn’t. The pain only grew, and grew and grew…

“LAY OFF!” Bradley screamed. “STOP! STOP! YOU’RE KILLING ME!”

Mercifully, the woman lifted her finger off, and the pressure was relieved. He rolled over and moaned in pain. When he managed to open his eyes, he saw her face hovering over him, her finger held just above him. Her charming smile never faltered.

“Do you understand now?” She asked him. “Or do you want me to try again? I can press harder, if you want, I was barely pushing you…”

“No!” Bradley yelled, maddeningly horrified by the mere thought. Barely pushing!? “No! Not again! Stay away from me! Help! HEEELP!” He cried out. In his painful state, what else could he do?

“Go ahead and cry for help, if it makes you feel better.” The woman said, lowering her finger. Away from him, thankfully. “But it won’t do you much good. You’re in my realm now, little Earthy. And you belong to me now.”

“You’re lying!” Bradley screamed desperately. “Help! Help! Someone! ANYONE!”

“I never lie,” The giant said softly. “What I say is always what I mean and honest. You’d do well to keep that in mind.”

“No!” Peterson stubbornly denied. “No! You’re lying! This isn’t happening! I’m passed out on someone’s lawn or somewhere, but I’m not here! Help! Someone wake me up!”

“Oo…pas-ah,” The woman said, shaking her head a little. She said more but it was unintelligible. She seemed to be speaking entire sentences to him, but none of it made sense.

“I don’t…” He tried to say. But he couldn’t finish. The fact that this might actually be real was beginning to dawn on him.

The woman cleared her throat. “Sorry...” She apologized. “I was speaking my native language. I sometimes drift back and forth accidentally.”

“Native languague…?” Bradley asked. “But you…you speak English!”

“Of course I speak English,” She replied. “It’s not my native tongue, of course, but I am perfectly fluent. I learn all of the languages you Earthies come up with. The important ones, anyway. It’s part of my job, after all.”

“Job…?” Bradley asked. Then he realized he didn’t care. “Fuck this shit…get me out of here! I don’t want to be here! Help! Please! SOMEONE! GET HELP!”

“You still don’t understand…” She said, again shaking her head. “Typical. Well then, let me show you something...”

Her hand extended towards him and he tried, in vain, to edge away from it. But no such chance. Her fingers closed on his left leg and she lifted him up with unholy ease. She rose from her chair (he now saw said chair) and got a fuller view of her towering body. He had been right about her figure. Her stomach was curved in a fine hourglass shape, her hips were wide and round, and her legs were long. Her suit really was full body, her boots were simply another part of the attire. A fragrance also surrounded her. It was pleasant, very nice actually, but he had no idea what it was.

She walked only a few steps, but it looked like it would have been a mile or two for Bradley should he have been on the floor. He looked around further and saw that the “room” he was in was much, much larger that he had ever thought. He had no idea where he was, but where ever it was, it was a place designed for her. He saw structures that could only be furniture. The room was mostly white. He tried to get a good look, but his “host” was moving…and holding him upside down.

Finally she stopped and extended her arm out. He looked forward and his eyes widened.

Even upside down, he recognized the dotted blackness outside the window that the woman held him to. Stars. The heavens. The atmosphere. Space. He had seen it all before, just like every other human being had when they glanced up at the night sky, the moon and the stars shining. Only this time, there was a noticeable difference. The moon was replaced by a bright blue and green planet…

“That’s…”

“That’s Earth, of course,” The woman finished for him. “Your little planet nestled in the Shexeth Sector…or, as you call it, the Milky Way.” Bradley felt himself turned and suddenly those bright, light blue eyes, bigger than manhole covers, were gazing at him. “You’re pretty disconnected from your fellow Earthies, you see. Like I said, I never lie. I was being honest when I said that crying for help wouldn’t do you much good. Nor when I said you belong to me now…”

“Who…ARE you?” Bradley managed to ask. The first few times had been scared squeaking.

“I’m Arell,” She answered. Though he couldn’t see it, he could hear her smile in her voice. Could see it in her eyes. He could see himself in those dark pupils as well. “And you are the newest addition to my collection. You don’t know this yet, but you’ll come to appreciate your good fortune in time. You’re a special addition, you see…”

“Addition? Collection?” Bradley repeated. “What…?”

“You saw my little friends over here already,” She said, walking back to where she had been sitting. As she approached it and began to lean over it, he saw that it was a desk of some sorts. The “tower” from earlier was just a simple table lamp from her perspective. She held him in front of the blue Pods he had seen earlier. The ones that he thought had contained statues… “I’ve gathered a number of you Earthies over the years. I have more, but these are some that I’m looking at currently.”

Bradley barely heard this. The people in front of him…they were frozen. He had seen cryogenically frozen people in sci-fi movies before, but now he was seeing it first hand. She had abducted people before, but that wasn’t the only thing…

“This…this man…” He pointed to the man in the metal. The one that had been holding a sword. It was yellowish armor. “He…looks like a Spartan!”

“It is a Spartan warrior, that’s correct.” Arell said, pleased. “From 543 B.C to be precise. He was training when I transported him here, which is why his stance is like that.”

“B.C…” Bradley echoed.

“B.C.” Arell nodded.

“That’s not possible…” Peterson sputtered. “None of this is possible!”

“Oh, it is,” Arell told him. “I have been watching your planet for a long time. I saw Rome rise and fall, I saw Columbus ‘discover’ America, I saw Hitler and the Holocaust, I saw the moon landing…I know the history of your planet better than any historian you could name. The knowledge I hold in my database and in my own mind some of you Earthies, I think, would happily kill for.”

“Earthies…” Bradley said. “Why do you keep saying that?”
“It’s my word for your people on Earth,” She said, raising an eyebrow. Her smile shined through her eyes again “Couldn’t figure that out for yourself?”

“I…” He tried.

“Oh, sure, there’s a more ‘official’ term back home,” Arell admitted. “But it’s a scientific word, and you wouldn’t understand it anyway. Plus, I actually like it better. Short and sweet and perfectly accurate.”

“Back home…” Bradley echoed. “You’re…an alien!? What do you want with me? Why did you shrink me!”

“Shrink you?” Arell asked, amused. “I didn’t shrink you. I just transported you here from the park you passed out in. You’re still you natural height…as am I.”

“You’re…I’m not…” He tried. “What ARE you!?”

Arell chuckled softly. “Me? I’m a human being, of course. Don’t you recognize one when you see one?” She drew him away so that he could see all of her face. She race a hand and motioned towards her face. “Two eyes, a nose, two ears, a mouth, two arms, two legs…it’s all there. Structurally, your kind and mine are practically identical. Our height, however, is a notable difference, though, isn’t it?”

“We’re…the same species?” Bradley asked.

“In a sense…” Arell said. “You Earthies are a sub-class of the human beings of Avakon, my home planet. Though you look like us…we’re very different.”

“Sub-class?” He asked, finding it amazing that he managed to actually feel offended despite everything.

“That’s right,” She nodded. “An inferior and primitive version of us, you might say. Nonetheless, you guys have fascinated us every since we discovered you. My people sent me here to observe you personally, and I have for many years.”

“What do you mean, ‘inferior’?” Bradley asked. “How are we any different? You said we were the same species!”

“No, I didn’t,” Arell said. “YOU said that. I said just partly agreed, thought you’re wrong in some ways.”

Arell reached down and pressed a finger on the desk she was sitting at. Suddenly, the blackness suddenly disappeared as a array of bright symbols and letters came to view. To Bradley, it looked like some sort of highly sophisticated computer interface (again, something he had seen in sci-fi movies), though everything was labeled in Arell’s native language, making it incomprehensible. She pressed a button on the interface and a compartment on the wall in front of her revealed itself, smoothly sliding open. What was inside made Bradley shiver.

A pen of human beings, or Earthies, as Arell said, were inside, all huddled together as the door slide down. The pen was made up what appeared to be some sort of wall of energy, which he could only assume was some sort of force field. Arell stood from her chair, leaned forward and reached in. There were screams almost at once, though the were distant and hard to make out. When her hand was withdrawn, it was closed lightly in a fist. Tapping the interface with her knuckles, the compartment closed again and she brought the fist near the other hand that held Bradley and opened it. Sitting in her palm was a man and a woman, dressed in street clothes. They seemed to be from Bradley’s time period. From the way they held each other, they were either lovers, married, or had gotten attached since being captured.

“From what I’ve gathered, “ Arell began. “Other than our height, we’re physically the same. That goes anatomy wise, as well. We have the same heart, the same stomach, the same sexes, everything. There are some minor deviations, for example, my appendix still serves a purpose, while yours does not. But, other than that…everything is there. You could take these two here, cut them open, and you’d find their structured exactly like ours. We don’t have any different organs or are missing any.”

The next then Bradley knew, the two people that Arell had plucked from her compartment were sliding off of her palm as she tilted it. They tried to grab onto her fingers, but the smooth suit offered nothing to grasp and they plummeted. Shocked, Bradley leaned forward in Arell’s grasp and saw that they were falling onto the seat of her chair. The woman then began to sit down.

“W-w-wait!” Bradley cried. “Stop!” Too late. Arell had already sat down right on top of the two people. “What are you doing!? Get up! You’re gonna kill them!”

The next thing he knew he was flying. Arell flicked him away like a used cigarette and he painfully hit the surface of the interface. He screamed.

“It can get real booooring up here,” Arell said, chuckling. “So…I sometimes have a little fun.” When Bradley managed to look towards, he saw that her gaze was directed down to her butt, where the two people were dying a most humiliating death. “This is my favorite thing to do to you Earthies. Every time I do it…I feel them squirming under me…trying get away, trying to get to freedom…always in vain, though. No one has ever survived, and all I’m doing is sitting down and relaxing.”

“And that’s what you’re going to do to me, isn’t it?” Bradley asked, as Arell stood up again. The deed was done, she had snuffed out the light of those poor people. Their bodies must have gotten stuck to Arell, because she brushed her bum off before sitting back down. “That’s why I’m here, right?”

“Not at all.” Arell said. “You’re here for a different reason.” She began typing something on the interface, and suddenly a 3-D image of Earth appeared on the screen. Indicators pointed to several locations on the globe, but because of Arell’s language, Bradley couldn’t read anything. “As I said, I’ve here to research you Earthies for my people. I’ve been doing it for years, and, to your credit, you guys are some of the more intelligent species we’ve discovered.”

“You’ve found other life!?” Bradley cried. He was discovering the answers to big questions in seconds. He felt incredibly overwhelmed.

“Sure,” Arell nodded. “But don’t get excited, most of what we’ve found are on the level of what you might call a caveman. And they’ve been like that for a long, even before we finally captured all of them. Fortunately, we’ve found nothing bigger than us, but back to the point. You guys look like us, and we were interested, which is why we’ve left you alone for so long. But, though you guys have advanced more than any other creature we’ve seen, you’re a danger to yourselves. I’ve seen that again and again and again. The reason that this is a concern is that I need you guys alive in order to study you. Yet, you Earthies have not managed to form complete altruistic relations and cooperations with yourselves, something the humans of Avakon strive for! From the day of our birth, we see ourselves as individuals, but part of a greater part of a goal that unites all of us. Similar to how cells band together to make a body, we band together under a common cause, and wars amongst ourselves is unheard of. We have transcended above such things and that is why we succeed where so many other species fail…including you Earthies. You’ve polluted your own planet to the brink of collapse, you’re over populating, and so much other concerns. But I think you Earthies are more interested in killing each other than facing these concerns. So, I’ve decided to take action…”

“What…what do you mean?” Bradley asked.

“I’m allowed a lot of flexibility in my work,” Arell explained. “As long as I get the results I need, I am free to do whatever I think is necessary.” She motioned to the interface. “The tech that I possess on this ship alone is light years ahead of even the most ‘advanced’ piece of hardware you Earthies have. We were perfecting space travel before you Earthies found out your own planet was round. There’s a reason why NASA has never discovered me, and won’t unless I want them to. This interface that your standing on, unbeknownst to the leaders of Earth, is the true command center of all of the computers on Earth. From here, I can disable, override, and otherwise turn off any network on the planet, effectively causing a global black out.”

“But…but,” Bradley sputtered. “Why!? Why would you do such a thing?”

“I’m glad you asked.” Before he could even hope to do something to avoid it, Arell’s right hand seized him again. She held him in her fingers in a tight grip.

“GRRRK!” Bradley choked as the pressure hit him.

“Tomorrow morning, your planet will belong to me,” Arell said, smiling at him. “You can’t handle it yourselves, so I’m going to for you. There will be nothing that any of the armies of the world will be able to do. All networks will be offline tomorrow, and that will disable the vast majority of their weapons. Anything else will do next to nothing against me. This suit I’m wearing does more than show off my curves.”

“EASE UP! EASE UP!” Bradley screamed. “YOU’RE CRUSHING ME!”

“Am I?” Arell asked, teasingly. She squeezed and Bradley hollored bloody murder for a bit before Arell finally dropped him back down onto the interface, where he landed in a heap. She chuckled softly. “I think you and I are going to get along just fine.”

“Wh….what….what do you need me for…?” He asked, weakly.

“Ah, that’s the real question, isn’t it?” She said, brushing a lock of her purple hair out of her eyes. I’ve kept a lot of Earthies here for research purposes, but despite the fact that I can speak their language, I’ve never actually personally interacted with one beyond just studying their physiology and anatomy, or just observing their behavior both on the planet and in here with each other. So, I decided to get on of you to keep personally as a way of getting to know you in a more…intimate way, so to speak.”

“You…you’re going to keep me…as a pet!?”

“Call it whatever you want.” Arell said. “Pet, test subject, personal property, it doesn’t matter. The bottom line is that you belong to ME.”

Bradley closed his eyes and began to shiver as Arell reached for him again…

(Here's a reference picture for Arell. It's one of Ochiko's drawings of a girl from Guilty Crown or some anime. It's kind of how I view Arell, though without those stupid cat ears) = http://i.imgur.com/qWUmrXg.jpg

“How could this have happened? WHAT happened?” The President of the United States was shouting to his cabinet as they had a hurried and emergency meeting in the Oval Office. Phrases that had been shouted a lot since 7AM. “Do we have any clue if anyone is doing anything about it?”

            “No sir,” One of the Secretaries replied. “There’s been no communication link found. No cellphones work, the Internet is down, radios get nothing but static…even the landlines are dead! It’s like someone set off an EMP all over D.C.”

            “Or the entire country!” Another Sec said.

            “Everything stops dead in its tracks at 7AM this morning…” The President spoke. “They all went down at the same time, which means this isn’t some freak malfunction. Whatever it is…it was deliberate, I’m sure of it.”

            “An attack on the country, sir?” A Secretary asked, tensely.

            “We can’t discount the possibility.” The President replied, pacing behind his desk in long strides, sweat becoming visible on his brow. “If it is indeed the truth that this is the result of an attack, then this situation is critical, as we don’t know when or where it was initiated or who performed it. We are completely blind!”

            “I think another major concern,” A General who was in attendance as well chimed in. “Is how was it carried out? You don’t just flip a switch and all the power across a city, god-forbid the country, cuts out. A highly advanced type of technological weapon would be required for such an attack. If such a weapon exists, and is in hostile hands, we need to not only find who has it but find measures to counter it.”

            “General…” The President spoke to the man. “I need you to spread word to all of our armed forces across the country and sweep the nation until the cause of this is discovered. Write letters if you have to, but…”

            He was interrupted by a monstrous quake that coursed through the Earth and caused everyone in the room to be thrown from their chairs and the windows in the Oval Office to shatter loudly. It was accompanied by the sound of what could have been thousands of bundles of TNT going off at the same time. A great dust cloud created an over cast atop the White House and whoosed through the windows, causing a coughing fit in everyone present inside. When the mighty boom was quieted…there were screams.

            Secret Service men came charging into the room, dust covering their neat black suits, and their guns drawn.

            “Sir!” They cried. “Get down!”

            “God, they’re attacking!” The General yelled. “They’re dropping bombs!”

…

            There was no bomb.

            At 8: 13 AM, Arell materialized in Washington, D.C, appearing near the Washington Monument. The act of transporting dropped her down the surface, dust (and debris) was harshly kicked up under her boots. Cars and trucks parked around the Monument suddenly took on a new role as missiles as they were flung skyward. Some buildings even collapsed under the tremor caused by the woman’s sheer weight.

            The streets had been full of angry civilians, who had taken it upon themselves to demand answers from the source. Masses were trying to descend upon the White House, whatever law enforcement and armed forces present trying to keep them at bay. When the massive woman in the purple catsuit suddenly appeared, seemingly out of nowhere…the masses took off in the other direction, running and screaming for their lives.

            Smiling brightly, Arell watched crowds of tiny little figures flee from her feet., her hands on her hips. She was a little shorter than the Washington Monument, around five hundred and thirty-five feet. The average human being was less than, but not by much, an inch from her perspective. Such small being could be squashed in packs of fifty or more with each step. Despite her height, the shrill cries of the terrified reach her ears perfectly, and she felt a sort of power rise within her.

            It was clear who was in charge right now.

            Arell bent down and plucked a random Earthy in her fingers and raised them up to her eyes. It was a young woman, early twenties, and before she even got to Arell’s chest level, she was already unconscious, passed out from sheer fear. Arell manipulated the rag doll in her fingers, looking at her curiously, humming a little. She was actually in a great mood right now. It had been a big day, and she’d been remarkably busy, but despite that she was full of energy and felt a high degree of accomplishment. She bent down again and placed the Earthy back on the ground, and then turned her attention towards the home of the executive leader: The White House.

            The giant woman stepped towards the small, white building, her foot falls leaving cracks and chasms in the ground, and rattling nearby buildings. The crowd of people quickly got out of her way as fast as they could, and those that failed were all but completely wiped from the face of the Earth, their bodies unrecognizable stains on the soles of Arell’s boots. She stepped over the small fence and stopped in front of the White House and looked at it for a moment.

            “Hmmm…” She uttered, thoughtfully. “I can’t help but think the building that represents that highest branch of government should be bigger…ah, well.”

            She began to crouch down when she felt a small sensation pricking at her legs, lower back, and butt. It was a small feeling, and she actually had time to think that it was surprising that she had felt it at all. It was similar to someone lightly touching you with the very tip of their finer. Arell turned her head. The law enforcement and armed forces that had been holding back the crowd were not focusing on her. They had drawn their weapons and were now shooting at any spot on her that they thought they could hit. Rounds that were fired at Arell’s back went virtually unfelt, her long hair effectively absorbing the bullets.

            Arell began to move towards the men and women in uniform…and then decided against it. They weren’t really a distraction, or even really an annoyance. If they eventually became a problem, she’d deal with them then, but she turned her attention back to the White House and ignored them.

            Kneeling down in front of the small building, a brief consideration of knocking (tapping the building with her finger) occurred in her mind, and she rejected it, realizing she didn’t care about such things. So, instead, she reached forward and placed her hands on both sides of the White House…

…

            More booms outside. More screams. Now there was gunfire.

            “Sweet jesus, it’s an invasion!” The General cried.

            “We need to get the President out of here!” One of the Secret Service men yelled. “It’s too dangerous to keep him here!”

            “Contact the National Guard!” The President commanded. “Tell them we…aw fuck, the phones are dead, goddamn it!”

            “Nevermind that now, sir,” The Service men were running him towards the door. “We just need to…”

            A loud crack was heard and whatever windows that didn’t break now shattered. Some of the walls began to break and squeal in loud protest as if the building was being squeezed. Pipes burst and water spewed from faucets, and ceiling lights went out in sparks.

            “What’s happening?!” The President cried!

            “They’re here!” A Service Man cried. “We gotta move! Red alert! Red AaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAHH!”

            Suddenly, there was a great ripping like noise and everyone was flown backwards towards the Presidents desk. Men and women went flying out the windows, while the lucky ones, the President included, were stopped by furniture or just hit a space in between the panes.

            Though he couldn’t be sure in his present stated of mind…the President thought that the floor had turned upward.

…

            As Arell applied a bit more of her strength, the White House gave a final groan before shredding out of its foundation. Smiling triumphantly, Arell rose to her feet again, holding the building in her hands like a shoe box. She raised it to the side of her head and gently shook it. The sounds of loose furniture rattling around and a fresh volley of screams floated into her ear, and a soft laugh emitted from her. She brought the building back in front of her and rotated it. She saw furniture and debris rain from the building, along with a few people as well.

Raising it up to her face, she closed her left eye and peeked through the windows.

…

There were only two service men and the President left in the Oval Office. The General had fallen out one of the windows, and most of his cabinet had slipped through collapsed walls and out of sight.  One of the Service was hollering, his leg having been broke by a large piece of furniture crashing into him. The other service was merely dazed. The President himself was bleeding from one of his arms and on the side of his head.

“M…M…Mr…Pre…President!” The dazed service man moaned, stumbling towards him. “Are…are….are you…alright, sir?”

“What…happened?” The Commander in Chief replied, weakly.

“I…I don’t know sir…” The man sighed. “But…I’m going to get…you….out of…here.”

Mustering up whatever strength he had, he reached down and pulled the President up to his feet and offered his shoulder as support. The two men took two steps when the sun was abruptly cut off. Surprised, the men turned…

An incredibly light blue eye was peering in through the windows. The mere sight of it froze the two men in place, their minds immediately believing that this was some sort of optical illusion of the most dramatic kind. The dark pupil scanned left and then right and stopped dead center. The eye lid narrowed just a smidge and something else, something invisible, was emitted from the massive organ. The President knew what it was: Discovery.

“Ah, ha.” A voice, a very large voice, spoke. “There you are.”

Then, it felt as if the White House just dropped right down several feet. The men were lifted off the floor and then crashed down on it when the movement suddenly stopped. Outside, the eye was replaced by a nose, then a mouth, then a neck, accompanied with a collar and a zipper of a suit, and then a large expansion at the chest level which could only be the breasts of a woman. 

A loud crash sounded right behind them. When they looked, they saw two massive worm like things shearing through the wall effortlessly and extending across the room towards them. Big fat worms was all the President could think, though he’d never seen one that was purple, nor one so large. The fat worms put their two heads together (or was it their asses, they both looked the same) at the President’s leg. When they began to drag him across the rug, he considered that they could be tentacles.

“SIR!” The Service man cried.

Gunshots. The service man with the broken leg had drawn his gun and was firing blindly at the two massive entities that were absconding with the Commander in Chief. The bullets made thick sounds as they hit the large targets, but seemed to do nothing else. The other Service man leaped forward and grabbed the President’s flailing hands. The Service man had been a part of law enforcement for all of his life. Had served in the military for more than fifteen years, had earned the medal of honor and a purple heart. Like most men of service, peak physical fitness was a requirement, and the Secret Service was no exception. They were typically the best of the best, selected to protect the most powerful man in the free world.

But he might as well have been a pimply, skinny armed, lanky teenager because, though he pulled with all the force of his massive arms…it did not slow down the President’s capture.

Not one bit.

…

Arell withdrew the President from the window slowly. As she did, the Service man who had grabbed the Commander in Chief lost his grip. He fell down past the White House, bounced off Arell’s breasts, and plummeted to the ground at her feet. Arell barely saw this. With her target in her grip, she was done with the White House. With a casual swing of her arm, she tossed the entire building over her shoulder like a used tissue. It soared over the Washington Monument and crashed into the buildings beyond it like a meteor from outer space. Fresh explosions accompanied this and smokes from fire became visible.

Meanwhile…the President was lifted up to those blue eyes, so light in color, they looked like ice. Appropriate because great chills surged up the man’s spine.

“Sorry for dropping in…” Arell said, her smile vibrantly reflected in her eyes. “But I think you’ll find that the things I have to say deserve your immediate attention.”

“Wh-wh-wha…what…who?” The President fumbled. Suddenly, he had a good idea who might be the culprit behind the black-out.

“My name is Arell,” The giant said. “Why don’t you take a short walk with me, hmm?”

And with that, she began walking. She turned around and headed back towards the Washington Monument. The President looked down, struggling in her grasp, and saw a scene of pure chaos down at the woman’s feet. People were running and screaming, gunfire was directed at the massive invader, but seemed to be nothing more than mere annoyances (if even that), her footfalls left immense damage to the ground. And, finally, the White House was hundreds of feet away in a pile of smoldering ruin and debris. Arell rounded the Washington Monument and began walking down the long National Mall, happening upon a fresh group of terrified people. The giant’s pounding footsteps got closer and the President watched helplessly as lives were quickly snuffed under those boots.

“Stop!” He cried. “There are people down there!”

“At my size, people will get hurt no matter what I do,” Arell shrugged. “So, why fight it? If they want to live, then they need to get out of my way.”

“But…!”

“Now…” Arell interrupted him, raising him up to eye level again. “Let’s make this simple, shall we? I’ve never been fond of jargon. To put everything concisely: I own your planet, and by extension, your country. You will surrender to me, resistance is futile, etc, etc, etc, blah, blah, blah.”   

“You…you’re not serious…” The President found nothing else to say.

“Why does everyone say that?” Arell said, chuckling. “If I wasn’t serious I wouldn’t have pulled you out of your little White House and thrown it across the street. Nor would I have taken the time to shut down all of your major networks…”

“So you’re…!”

“Responsible for the black-out?” The giant finished for him. Then…she actually yawned. At first, the President thought she was mocking him, but then a closer look at her eyes and he saw some signs of tiredness. “Yes, that was my doing. Don’t worry, you’re not along. I did the very same thing to the rest of the planet.”

“Rest…” He couldn’t even finish. The entire planet? A GLOBAL blackout!?

“Of course I didn’t just capture America,” Arell said, smiling through her eyes again. “Don’t even begin to flatter yourself. Your pitiful country was the last stop, actually. To think that some of you ‘Americans’ can’t even point out your own country on a map…” She shook her head. “Anyway, bottom line: You’re no longer in charge.”

“You can’t do this!” The President cried, suddenly finding his voice. This was too much. He had been a Politian for years, and the thought of giving up all the time and energy and, not to mention, money that he’d put into his work and into his campaign… “You simply can’t!”

“Uh-huh,” Arell said, now sounding disinterested. She wasn’t even looking at him anymore, but ahead. “You Earthies all say the same thing. ‘You can’t do this’, ‘You can’t do that!’, ‘You just simply can’t do this’. Well, here’s the thing…”

She had approached Capital Hill and the Building was right in front of her. Her foot cocked back and then was launched, going several hundreds of miles, head long into the main dome, destroying the center of the building. Bricks and rocks cannoned from the damage and smashed through buildings and cars…and people.

“I can…”

Her foot swung back and this time raised up. Arell angled it over the House of Representatives and brought it down with tremendous force. A thunderous boom and a immense billow of smoke and the House was history. Then, Arell whirled around gracefully (the motion made the President feel incredibly ill). She then brought herself down atop the Senate Chamber, her immense rear flattening the structure as if it was made of cotton.

“…and I am.” Arell finished, stretching her legs, her feet digging up yards of grass.

“Please…” The President began. “You…you don’t have to do this…”

“I’ve heard that too…” Arell interrupted, breathing deeply, relaxed. She hadn’t sat down in awhile and it was good to give her legs a break. Was that some people squirming under her down there?

“…perhaps we can work something out!” The President begged. “You…I assume you’re not from this planet…you’re race must be incredibly intelligent. There’s much our races can learn from each other! May…maybe we can discuss some relations…please.”

Even before he finished, he saw that there was no chance as Arell chuckled at “learn from each other”.

“There’s nothing you Earthies could possibly teach us.” Arell said. “We learned everything you know before you Earthies learned that fire was hot.”

“What…what did you call me?” The President asked. “Ea…Earthy?”

Arell rolled her eyes and laughed softly.

“Earthies from your country really are dense,” She sighed. “It’s really embarrassing for all of you. Anyway, I didn’t come here for your permission. I came mostly to make an appearance…and to add the leaders of the planet to my collection.”

“Co…collection?” The Commander in Chief repeated. He immediately didn’t like the sound of that.

“Yep.” Arell replied. “I have some of you Earthies up on my ship. Most of them are for research purposes…with the exception of one.”

“M-M-Me?” The man asked.

“No, not you.” The giant shook her head. “He’s another Earthy that you’ve probably never met.” As she said this, Arell rose to her feet, using her free hand to brush debris and dust off her wide bum. “Anyway, my work here is done for now. Time for you to see your new home ‘mister President’.”

“No!” The man cried. “Please! You can’t! I have a family! My wife, and two beautiful little girls! You can’t take me away from them, please, I’m begging you!”

“Well, if you insist, tell me where they are and I’ll bring them too,” Arell offered, smiling.

“No…not that…don’t hurt them…” The President said softly.

“Then you’ve made your choice.”

With her free hand, Arell unzipped her suit a little, and then reached in. From between her breasts, she pulled out a small device with two buttons on it. She zipped her suit back up, took one last look around D.C, a pleased smile on her face, and then pressed the top button.

And with that…she, and the President, were gone in a flash of light.

…

Bradley Peterson was sitting in a forcefield pen of his own, in what he could only assume was Arell’s bedroom. There was indeed something that looked a bed, nestled inside of a large cubical structure that sat atop a small platform. A small table with some chairs sat not far that, a vase of those strange translucent and glowing flowers on them. There were also shelves that lined some parts of the wall. Bradley’s pen was on one of these.

            He had noticed how bare Arell’s room was. No sign of magazines, a TV, or anything for entertainment or hobby. But Bradley knew that this meant very little. There were many things about this ship that he didn’t know. Arell might have a whole library somewhere, and he had no idea. Or some kind of amazing device that could conjure any known book in existence. While bare, there were some windows, which provided a beautiful few of the starry space outside. Arell had been kind enough to place him on a shelf next to one of these windows, and he had spent most of that day looking out the glass. He had no idea what his capture was doing on the planet…but it most likely wasn’t very good.

            “What am I going to do…?” Bradley asked his reflection in the glass.

            A strange electrical sound was coming from the other room. It wasn’t very loud, just a small BZZZT like sound, and that was it. It repeated several times, but was separated by long intervals of silence. Bradley assumed it was some sort of generator or something that powered Arell’s ship. He could think of nothing else that would make such a sound constantly.                       

            At some point during his stay, he began to feel hungry, and was wondering if Arell had any thoughts of feeding him. She’d have to if she were to keep him as a slave. On the other hand, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know what kind of alien food her palate was used to. He wasn’t going to ask her about food unless he absolutely had to. A porto-potty, which Bradley assumed she had beamed up to her ship, had been installed his pen. Embarrassing, but better than going on the floor.

            A new sound came from the next room. It was also an electric sound, but it had more of an artificial whoosh to it. A bright beam of light was visible from the foggy glass doors that slid open as they were approached. Bradley stood from his bed, which was some square piece of some squishy material which the closest thing his mind could compare it to was memory foam, and stood at the wall of the force field and looked out to see what was happening.

            The light faded…and he there were familiar sounds of footfalls.

            She was back.

            The entire day (if he could call it that, he had no sun to go by) she had been gone, and Bradley had been glad. It gave him some time to come to terms with his situation and try to find a way to deal with it, or better yet, get out of it. Now, a part of him groaned as he heard Arell’s voice. Her voice was muffled, and he couldn’t make out what she was saying, but he was sure it was spoken in English.

            The glass door slide open and Arell walked into the room. Bradley hoped that she wouldn’t pay him any mind, that she’d ignore him for awhile longer.

            No such luck. She looked towards him as soon as she came in, that damned smile stretching on her lips, and she walked right over. She pressed a button out of his view and the force field dropped, and then she leaned toward him, bringing her face down to his level.

            “I brought you a present,” She said, her smile widening.

            “You did?” Bradley asked. “Is it something that’s going to kill me?”

            “If I was going to kill you, I wouldn’t say it was a present,” Arell replied. “Guess again.”

            “I have no idea, Arell,” Bradley said, shrugging tiredly.

            She raised a hand up to the shelf, and suddenly, Bradley Peterson was face to face with the President of the United States of America. Bradley took a step back.

            “What in Christ’s name…?” He asked.

            “Oh! You! What’s happening here!?” The President cried. “What has she done? What is she going to do to me!?! Tell me, I can’t not know!”

            “You kidnapped the President of the United States!?” Bradley cried at Arell.

            “He’s here, so…yes,” Arell said, rolling her eyes. That should have been obvious, that gesture meant.               

            “Is that where you’ve been?” Peterson asked. “Invading the U.S?”                   

            Arell laughed pleasantly. “It took me no less than fifteen minutes to conquer that country, and it was my last stop. I’ve been all over the globe today, my little Earthy friend. It was nice…I forgot how nice fresh air feels in the lungs.”       She reached up and  grasped the President and held him closer to Bradley. “But I thought you’d be excited to meet the President of your country. He is the head of your government, after all. This must be quite an honor for you.”

            “….hello, sir,” Bradley said awkwardly.

            “Please!” The President begged, holding out his hands. “Help me! What is she going to do!?”

            “I already told you what I’m ‘going to do’.” Arell said, withdrawing the man from Bradley. “I’m adding you to my collection of Earthy leaders.”

            “You’ve captured others!?” Bradley asked, shocked.

            “Naturally,” The giant said, nodding. “I teleport them here after I inform them a little of my plans. They get transported to the other room there in a special compartment I made for them. I have all of them. From the Emperor of Japan to the Queen of England, and from the Dictator of North Korea to the President of France. I have them all.”

            That explained that bzzzt noise. “Why would you do that?” Peterson asked. “What do you even want with them if you’re taking over Earth anyway?”

            “I have some thoughts of what I may use them for,” Arell said, holding the President up to her eyes. After looking him over for a few moments, she raised the device with the two buttons and pressed the bottom one. With a flash of light, the President vanished.

            Bzzzt…from the other room.

            “Now…” Bradley heard her say. He didn’t notice her reaching for him until it was too late. She raised him up to her icey eyes. “How’s my little Earthy doing?”

            “Just peachy…” Bradley mumbled.

            “Peachy, huh?” Arell repeated, smiling. “Well that’s good. I’m sure  you’re getting hungry. Don’t worry, I’ve thought of that. I’ll feed you later…for now…I’ve had a long day, and I’d like to rest.”

            “That’s just fine…” Bradley muttered.

            “After you eat…” Arell continued, her tone brightening. “You and I are going to spend a little quality time together. Have a little fun to break the ice. Won’t that be nice?”

            The expression on Bradley’s face was one of fear and dread mixed together. He did not reply. Arell simply laughed, placed him in his pen, and then went off to sleep in her bed.

            Twenty minutes later, she was peacefully sleeping. Twenty minutes later, Bradley was still standing exactly where Arell had placed him, sweat pouring down his face. He had seen one occasion of “fun” that Arell had with her Earthies, and that particular moment involved her suffocating them under her ass. He didn’t know what sort of playtime she’d have for him…but he knew he wanted no part in it.

            He stood at the wall of the Force Field, watching Arell sleep, hoping she’d sleep forever.

            “What am I going to do…?” He asked himself.

Hours had passed, and Arell was still snoozing away. Her breathing was slow and rhythmic Bradley Peterson, from his position on the shelf, looked at her, hoping that by some miracle she’d suffer a huge brain aneurism and die instantly. But of course no such thing would happen…

            “The good die young,” Bradley muttered to himself. “But pricks live forever.”

            Ordinarily, in tv shows (like Star Trek or some shit), the hero would, at times like this, would use the opportunity to find a way to escape. They’d use some tool or skill they had and short out the force field. With that down, they’d use some of the wires or some rope or some miraculous shit to climb down to the floor. Then, he’d make his way to the door, only for his capture to wake up suddenly and realize would happen. Cue the chase scene, where, at the conclusion, the hero somehow avoids the massive figure, who is stomping around like a big, dumb ape, and manages to find a device to send him to safety. Then, he’d rejoin his team, or crew, or whoever, and they’d all drink and have a big fucking orgy in celebration.

            Nice on the shows, but the reality was much more depressing and difficult. Bradley had thought of everything that the hypothetical hero could have, and nothing would help him. Even if his force field was off right now, he would be stuck. No way to get off the otherwise bare and empty shelf (and the walls were bare to, no wires or anything). Even if he did, somehow, manage to get down, he’d never make it to the door in time. Arell would wake up by then and catch him (she was no big, dumb ape). But, assuming a vessel in Arell’s brain really did burst, taking her life, how would he get to the door? What if the sensor that caused it to open didn’t see him, and it remained closed? He’d be trapped. Again, ignoring that, even if the door was wide open, he’d have to find the device that could send him back to Earth. And, even if he knew where it was, he had no way to know how to use it (surely the instruction manual would be in Arell’s native language). But even if he knew how it worked…could he make it work at his small size? What if he couldn’t turn on the interface?

            Arell was right. There was no simple way out of this.

            Some fun to break the ice, she had said…oh Jesus, what did that bitch have forming in her head?

            He had thought of several horrible experiences that were possible. Her sitting on him like she had done to the others, or being forced to help her experiment on the other “Earthies”, or seeing how far she could flick him with her finger. The worst thing he thought of is her using him as some sort of sex toy. Arell was an alien, and he had no idea what sort of traditions or norms her culture (assuming there were such things there) followed, but, it seemed like a good bet that she, being an organic creature, had sexual desires just like every other living thing. He was too small to be used as a vibrator, but he could probably fit into her “love chamber” if she so chose to put him there. Bradley loved having sex as much as the next guy, but being thrown into a vagina completely seemed much less appealing.

            Arell stirred in her sleep. Bradley tensed and looked over towards her. She had been lying on her stomach and now she rolled over onto her back. For a moment, she laid still, and Bradley thought she had gone back to sleep, but then she sat up. Her captive felt his heart begin to race. He was not ready for ‘quality time’.

            But Arell didn’t even look at him. She stared forward with a blank expression, then rubbed her eyes. When she removed her hands from her face, Bradley saw a groggy look. She then simply plopped her head back down, rolled over on her side, her back facing Bradley, and laid still. After a few moments, her breathing returned to that slow, rhythmic pace. She had fallen asleep again.

            That, Bradley thought, is the behavior of a truly exhausted individual.

            Hunger complained in Bradley’s stomach but he ignored it. Better hungry than a toy, he figured. In truth, he was becoming groggy as well. The stress of the situation had taken quite a toll on him, and he could use a nap. But the thought of being asleep during a time when Arell was awake was a frightening one. Generally, because she was so big, it was almost impossible for her to sneak up on him. Her footfalls were loud and shock the shelf a little. It would be easy to hear her coming, but he still didn’t want to take the chance.

            He then thought of the people she had captured. All of the world leaders were now in Arell’s possession. She had said that she had thoughts of what she was going to do with them, but he knew her reasons for taking them from the planet. Her appearance on Earth would reveal to many people that something incredible was happening. Not everyone would see the massive Arell, but those who did were panicked. They quickly returned to friends and loved ones, and soon rumors of a massive woman with purple hair spread across the globe, with some doubting its truth. Rumors in each country that their head of government had been whisked away would add fuel to the fire. Essentially, Arell was toying with the “Earthies”, letting them stew on fear for a little bit. Maybe she would public announce, eventually, the fact that she was now the Supreme Queen of Earth, or whatever. But for now, she was letting them use their imagination.

            The rest of the Earthies she had, she was using for “research purposes”, her vague words for what she was doing with them. She hadn’t told him what that entailed, and part of him didn’t want to know. As bad as he dreaded spending time alone with Arell, at least he thought he had a chance of living a life, whereas her little test subjects would probably die.

            Another thing that would be good to know was the extent of Arell’s technology. Obviously she had some pretty serious shit in her possession. Teleporters, sophisticated computers that could turn an entire planet off, the fucking ship itself. And also her suit. She had said that her suit did more than show off her body, but he didn’t know what that meant. Before leaving for Earth, she had said that a lot of the weapons that the Earthies had would be offline, and whatever else would do nothing. Did the suit make her essentially bullet proof? Or was it just because she was just so fucking big? She had returned with the President unscathed and healthy, even though she had descended upon several high government locations. Presumably, those locations had to be guarded, and if they were, Arell had had no trouble coping with them. Bradley doubted that a standard hand-gun would be much use against her.

            Advanced tech from a superior race, as Arell had made more than clear during their first meeting. If Arell was to be trusted, then her race was one of the largest living beings in the universe (apparently the largest in the known universe for now), they were a highly intelligent group who had transcended from the petty wars amongst themselves that plagued planet Earth. Basically, a big ol’ happy family, Bradley supposed. What had she called the planet she was from? Avakon? Would be an interesting experience to visit that place.

            Arell had talked about physical similarities between the “Earthies” and her race, but Bradley saw some behavioral similarities. Arell had revealed that being on the ship was boring, so clearly she had a desire to be entertained, to do something, like all humans. That probably one reason she brought him up here. To keep her entertained (without killing all of her test subjects), and, perhaps, just to have someone to talk to, hinting a need for interaction. Arell fiddled with her hair absentmindedly at times, or with the handle of the zipper of her suit.  Small things like that. Whether or not Arell was aware of this, Bradley didn’t know, but he had a feeling she did. She’d been watching the planet for long enough it seemed.

            There was a Spartan soldier frozen on Arell’s ship. She claimed to have seen Rome rise and fall, Columbus discover America, and so on. If that was true, she was over a thousand years old. This in and of itself was surprising enough, but the thing that was really troubling…Arell looked young. She had the appearance of a woman in her prime years; good figure, strong body, youthful energy, and full of life. Her actions were that of a young person as well. She was bold, charismatic, and assertive. How long has she looked that way? Just how long did her people live!? How does a body go on for a thousand years and still go strong? Bradley, having been drinking his sorrows of losing his own years, felt a momentary ping of jealousy against Arell for her extended youth. It seemed unreal, but she was living proof, if what she said was true. The Spartan soldier could be a man in a costume that she had abducted, in some reenactment like they did for Gettysburg every year. But…it had looked real. The man was frozen in a pose with his sword up, as if he had been about to attack something. His eyes had been wild, fierce, almost savage. His face (as much as Bradley could see) was unshaven and he looked somewhat dirty. And, of course, he could have just imagined it, but he thought he saw blood specks on the armor…dried ones.

            Movement from her bed interrupted Bradley’s thoughts and he looked up, just knowing in his heart that this was it. Arell rolled onto her back again, laid there for a moment…and then her eyes opened, and she sat up again. She stretched her arms over her head and yawned. Her head turned over to Bradley, and the feeling of dread, knowing that the moment had come, returned, and his body tensed up. He hitched in his breath.

            No, no…he thought…go back to sleep, you look exhausted, how about another hour or two, sweetheart?

            But when that smile, that wretched smile of hers, stretched on her lips, he knew that his fate was now sealed. How he wished he could wipe that fucking smile off her face. It would be the best feeling in the world. Even better than sex at this point. That smile, not an evil, overly dramatic toothy grin, but just a simple, pretty smile was what he was beginning to hate most about Arell. It was a smile of confidence, one you had when everything was just peachy and safe, not a care in the world. It symbolized that she felt she had everything under control, that there was not a thing that Earth could do to rise against her. Bradley very much wanted to see what facial expression she’d make during a moment of fear, anxiety, or worry.

            Arell got out of bed, stretched her legs, and then walked over to Bradley’s pen and bent forward, her hands on her knees, and brought her face to his level. A moment of silence followed this as the two stared at each other.

            “Hello Arell…” Bradley said, timidly. “How’d you sleep?” Maybe being polite would make her return the favor. He hoped so.

            “Very well,” She replied. “I slept longer than I meant to, actually. Only meant to take a nap, but…” She shrugged cutely.

            “You were out for awhile.” He stalled, hoping to put off what ever was in store.

            “About five hours, yes,” Arell nodded.

Christ! Five hours!? That’s how long he’d been sitting here!?

            “Five hours…” Bradley said, trying to hide his shock. He had a feeling it didn’t do well. “You must have been pretty tired…”

            “Well, conquering your planet was a big job,” She replied. He didn’t like that look she was giving him. It was a sly look, and that could mean nothing good. “You must be starving then, hm? After waiting so long…”

            She knew he had been trying to stall that. He just knew that she did.

            “Actually, I’m not that hungry, really…” Bradley said, trying to sound causally dismissive. Immediately after though, his stomach protested with a growl. He ignored it, though, hoping it wasn’t heard. But then the sly look on Arell’s face came back. It was beginning to become clear that that was the look of ‘knowing’.

            Damn that Vulcan hearing of hers, Bradley thought.

            “The mind lies, but the body does not,” Arell replied, the slyness appearing in her voice. “For while the mind may drive the body, the body, likewise, may drive the mind. Entwined are they, and they both speak through the other. The mind speaks the body’s desires, and the body speaks the mind’s desire. One may lie, but the other will not.”

            And now, Bradley thought, a word from Ghandi, and then a lecture from the Buddha himself.

            “What?” Bradley asked. “Are we going to start meditating now?”

            “No, I’m just relaying some good wisdom for you,” Arell said. “Body language is very important to my race. We understand it very well, and we use it often, especially to ones who are very close and dear to us. The mouth is a great communicator, but there are things that only the body can say and express.”

            “Touching…” Peterson said.

            “My point,” Arell continued. “Is that I can read your mind through your body. It’s like a window into your own thoughts. You’re trying to stall me, because you’re hoping, in vain I shall add, that I’ve forgotten what I said, that my slumber seeped it away into a corner in the farthest section of my mind, where I won’t find it. Your body tells all, and right now it is silently screaming its truth.” Bradley was silent. “I never lie, because I know my body may betray my lie. So, I speak the truth, and thus never have to fight my body.”

            I feel like I’m sitting around a campfire, he thought, with a bunch of potheads.

            Arell looked at Bradley closely.

            “You’re scared of me…” She said softly. “That’s another thing your body is telling me. You are, aren’t you?” Bradley didn’t say anything, hoping that was a rhetorical question. “I asked you a question…” Dammit.

            “If you’re so good at reading me,” Bradley said, trying to keep his voice steady. She was playing mind games, and he wished she’d stop. “Then you should already know everything.”

            “You’re trying to control it, but I hear that quiver in your little voice,” Arell said, intimately. “I can read your feelings, and your thoughts to a point, but those are only expressions. The body can express, but it can’t explain itself. But the mind can. I want to hear your mind. So…answer my question.”

            How about you jump out of this ship without a space helmet, Bradley thought, bitterly.

            “…y-yes…I’m…sc-scared of…” God, the loss of pride and dignity hurt like hell. “..of…you…”

            “Why are you scared of me?” Arell asked. She was clearly getting into this. “What is it about me that frightens you?”

            Well…you’re too fucking big for one, Bradley thought.

            “You killed two people in front of me,” He said. “How do I know that you won’t do the same to me?”

            Arell smiled widely.

            “So you’re afraid that I’ll hurt you,” She said, softly. “End your life under my foot, in my hands, or…pressed against my chair.” She chuckled. For a moment she looked at her little Earthy. Then, she reached down and pressed the unseen button and the force field fell again. Before he knew it, he was in Arell’s grip again. She stood at full height now, unbending from the shelf. “A reasonable fear, of course. I’d think you crazy if you weren’t afraid of that. You’re absolutely right, after all. Your life goes on as long as I want it to. On a simple whim, I may crush your little body for no reason other than I feel like it at any given instance. Possibly now, for example…”

            Before he could beg, it was already happening. Her fingers squeezed and suddenly he could feel all of his organs want to come squirting out of his mouth. That didn’t happen…what did come out of his mouth was a long, terrible wail of pain. The only other thing besides the great agony was a thought that repeated: I’m gonna die.

            “STOP!” He yelled. “ARELL! STOP! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, YOU’RE HURTING MEEE! PLEEEASE!”

Arell relaxed her fingers and let Bradley fall back onto her palm, which she opened to catch him. He lied there, the taste of blood strong in his mouth. The red stuff came out of his nose as well, and his chest felt broken, and twisted…even though he knew it wasn’t. The pain was great, and he cried. He cried from the pain, he cried from the humiliation, he cried for his freedom. He slowly turned towards Arell’s face, the most pitiful expression he’d ever had in his life now on his face.

It was met with Arell’s calm and charming smile.

“Please, Arell…” He sobbed, big tears rolling down his eyes. “Please…let me go. Don’t hurt me anymore…Pleas…I want to go home…”

“Awww, I know you do, little Earthy,” Arell said softly, gently stroking Bradley like a cat with one finger. “But your place is here, on this ship. With me.”

“Please!” Bradley begged. “Don’t! Don’t keep me here! I’m begging you…I’m REALLY begging you here…please let me go…”

“Shhhh…” Arell cooed. “There, there…you’ll be fine. You’ll feel better after you eat.”

“Why…” He sobbed. He was giving up, a part him fought it…but he knew he was giving up. His voice was high and full of wails. “Why are you doing this? Why me? I haven’t done anything to you…nothing…I didn’t even know you until yesterday or whenever the fuck it was…I don’t deserve this…”

“This isn’t personal,” Arell replied, gently in a soothing voice. “But, fate, chance, or whatever power you may believe in has selected you to become my Earthy. And, if you’re my Earthy, I want you to be a good Earthy. And a little pain will go a long way to fostering respect.” She lifted him close to her eyes. “You know I tell the truth, and you know that I am capable of a plethora of actions…some of would be rather unpleasant to experience. All I ask is you respect me, and things will go smoother for you. Can you do that?”

Wearily, Bradley nodded his head, tears streaming down his face.

“Can you say, ‘I respect you, Arell’?”

“I…I…respect you…Ah…ah…rell…”

“Good boy,” Arell said, patting him on the head with her index finger. She began to walk. “Now, let’s feed you, shall we?”

…

When Bradley was a kid, he used to watch tv shows like the Jetsons, who lived in futuristic towers of some kind, and had assumed that was how the future would be. Moving floors, flying cars, and meals that could pop up instantly by inserting some little capsule in the microwave, or a computer that could just generate them, sort of like those 3D printers that were being created back on Earth. As Arell carried him into the kitchen/dining room of the ship, he wondered if the experience he was about to have would be anything like that.

            The room was as white and bare as the rest of the damn ship. There was a curved island counter in the shape of “U”, and what appeared to be a refrigerator. It looked like one…except it had no doors, no ice dispenser or anything he would see on his fridge. There appeared to be no sink, dishwasher, or an oven. There did appear to be a stove, but one that appeared to be electric…maybe, fuck it, he couldn’t tell. The fridge was the only thing he’d seen so far that had any shade of color. The left side was a soft blue, the other a soft red.

Arell placed Bradley on the counter and walked up to the fridge-like thingy. As she approached it, a hologram display appeared before her, showing her a list of things. Again, it was all in her mumbo jumbo native language, so he had no idea what foods she had stored, but somehow he doubted a Philly Cheesesteak was one of the options. She scrolled through the options, stopped occasionally and considered one thoughtfully, before dismissing it and continuing.

“Hmmm…what’s something good…?” Arell mused to herself. Preferably something edible, please, Bradley thought. “Aha! Perfect!”

Arell pressed a button, then a second one, scrolled for a little bit more, then two more buttons. After that, the holograph disappeared and she walked towards the counter. On the side opposite of what he had supposed was the stove, along the edge, were an array of buttons. Arell considered them briefly and pushed one of them. The counter’s surface lit up like a copier machine and a bright blue beam slid across the surface. When it had gone all the way across, a wide rectangular, but thin, holograph sat on the surface. 

At least he thought it was a holograph, it was blue and translucent, but Arell picked it up and placed it aside. Then, she pressed another button and the bright blue beam slid across again. When this was done, something else appeared…something that looked like the holograph of a butcher knife. Arell picked this up too and placed it on top of the rectangle.

Okay…she can conjure a cutting board and knife…noted, Bradley thought, glumly.

A compartment on the blue side of the fridge opened, and from it, Arell withdrew a plate (which also looked like it was supposed to be just a holograph) that contained…stuff. Two different types of…stuff. One was a pile of what looked sort of looked like red pine cones posing as fruit, and the other looked like an onion or a turnip that had grown several arms. As Arell placed these down on the counter, he saw the red part of the fridge brighten, and a soft whirring was emitting from it. When its compartment, Arell brought out a slab of some kind of meat that Bradley wasn’t sure he wanted to touch.

He had no idea what it was. But it was dark brown and yellow. His dad had once cooked hamburgers that he had placed cheese inside of, but that’s not what this looked like. It was a combination of dark brown and bright yellow. It was hard to explain, the colors weren’t mixed, forming a new color…but at the same, the colors were smeared together. Arell lifted the plate to her nose and inhaled deeply, her own stomach letting out a grown of anticipation. To Bradley, it sound like a distant earthquake.

“You’ll like this,” Arell said. “It’s the meat from a Ragavaron, a delicacy on my planet.”

“A Rah-guh-var-run?” Bradley repeated slowly. “What’s that?”

“The biggest thing in the universe, next to my race.” Arell explained. “They live on a planet at the edge of the Avakranian Solar System, the system that holds my home planet. They weren’t the only living things. A race of more intelligent, but smaller creatures existed, but they were plagued by the Ragavarons, which were dumber, but much bigger. They had very sharp claws, since the other race tried to burrow into the ground to escape them. The beasts simply dug madly until they caught up with them. Their teeth were also quite sharp. They were meat eaters, and they ate other creatures on the planet, but the intelligent creatures were the favorite. My race showed up, this was many, many years before your planet, and in less than three months we had those dumb maggaatrites on the run, and we were eating THEM.”

“Magga…what?” Peterson asked, confused.

“Forget it,” Arell waved this away. “That’s my native tongue slipping in. Anyway, we now regularly hunt them for sport and food.” She made a gesture down across her body. “These suits were actually modified to sustain bites from the Ragavarons, much like you Earthies have shark suits against shark bites.”

 “Great…” Bradley said, glumly. Good luck hurting her with that on, people of Earth. “How big are we talking about? These…Rah-guh…whatevers?”

“Oh…about one hundred and fifty feet, give or take,” Arell shrugged. “When standing on its hind legs anyway.” She reached for the knife and cut a section of the meat. It sliced through so effortlessly, it was as if Arell was using a laser. She offered the small chunk to Bradley, who looked at it skeptically…and a bit worriedly.

“What if I can’t eat this?” He asked. “What if I get sick? Or if it’s poisonous to me?”

“If it’s not poisonous to me, it’s not poisonous to you,” Arell said, patiently. “We have identical digestive systems, remember?”

He wanted to argue, wanted to reject that piece of “meat”…but the pain in his chest, the humiliation…as still far too fresh in his mind. Remembering that sharp, agonizing, horrible pain, he immediately reached out and seized the meat. Taking a deep, quivering breath, he bit into the meat…

And found it utterly delicious.

His previous fears now harshly cast aside, Bradley began to eat the meat like a madman, the juice dripping down his cheek and dripping to the surface of the counter. The meat broke into chunks and fell too, and Bradley dropped to his knees and ate them off the counter with his bare hands like a savage who hadn’t eaten for days. In those moments, he forgot about Arell, who stood watching him, smiling as usual. Her little Earthy had now been fed.

She turned away from Bradley, as he literally tore into his meal, and began to cut up some of the pine cone looking fruit. When the meal was done, she was as clean as you please, having not gotten a single bit on her fancy suit. Bradley, however, looked as if he had killed something with his bare hands and had eaten it raw. His clothes were stained.

He asked for seconds…

When supper was over (and when Bradley was becoming certain that the food he had eaten was not poisonous), Arell took the holograph-esque plate and silverware things and placed them back on the counter, pushed some more buttons and then a thin beam of yellow light shone down, and the “dishware”, with their respective mess on them, simply disappeared. Truly, technology was an amazing thing.

During that minor affair, Bradley, drying stains on his clothes, took a moment to look at Arell’s suit. So far, the only things he knew about it was that it was incredibly durable, and that it showed off Arell’s curves. Bradley had a feeling that it had more functions that he was not aware of. Why was it dotted with lights, connected by red lines? What else could it protect Arell from? Fire? Extreme cold? The vacuum of space? Did it somehow enhance her physical abilities, like strength or agility? Clearly the thing was more than just an eccentric fashion statement. Was Arell the only one of her race to have such a thing, or was it a common piece of clothing.

“Enjoying the view over there?” He looked up and saw Arell had turned her head and was watching him out of the corner of her eye as he looked at her body.

Don’t flatter yourself, sweetheart, he thought, I’m not into crazy chicks.

“What is with those lights?” Bradley asked, pointing at her. “Why does your suit thing have them?”

“They’re part of a network of energy,” Arell explained. “This network grants power to activate some of my suit’s more…sophisticated abilities.”

“…such as?” Bradley hesitated. Suddenly, he wasn’t so sure he wanted to know.

Chuckling softly, Arell turned to face him, brushing a lock of her hair out of her eyes as she did. Then, she raised her right arm and extended it fully erect in front of her, her hand open like a traffic cop signaling ‘stop’. As her arm took this position, the white lights, and their connecting lines, began to glow. Starting at Arell’s right shoulder, descending down to her elbow, across her forearm, and ending at the tips of her fingers, the light went from its standard red, to a bright white. By the time Arell’s arm was fully extended, the entire sleeve of her suit was glowing with what seemed to be a flow of energy being channeled, like what she had…

“Guh!” Bradley suddenly cried. Out of nowhere, he felt something take hold of him. Startled, he looked down to what had grabbed him…and saw nothing. Arell was standing across from him and had not taken a step towards him. Yet he felt something…like an invisible fist grabbing his entire body. It was strange, for he could still move… “What’s happening!?”

He looked back up to Arell, who smiled widely, delighted. She flipped the hand that was extended out over, the palm facing up, curled up all of her fingers, except her index finger, which was erect and pointed at him. Then, she flexed the finger in one quick beckon, and at the exact same moment, Bradley was launched from the counter and was flying towards her as if he had been shot out of a cannon.

“What the fuck!? WHAT THE FUCK!?” Bradley screamed, flailing his arms and legs. He had a great view of the floor…and far away it was, how goddamn, mother fucking, christing far! And he had never been comfortable with heights! “FUCK! FUCK! NO! STOP!”

And, whether she was obeying or he had just gone as far as she wanted, Arell’s hand went back to that ‘traffic cop signaling stop’ position, and Bradley suddenly halted in mid air. He was floating over a two thousand feet plummet. At least it looked like that from his perspective.

“Okay, okay, okay!” Bradley screamed, rapidly and frantically. “I get it! I get it! I get it! I get it! Put me down PUT ME DOWN!”

But she didn’t. Instead, she pointed at him and twirled her index finger, and when she did, it was as if Bradley’s body had begun a spin cycle from a washing machine, and he went round and round and round…

“ARELL STOP IT!” He yelled, immediately feeling ill. “STOP, I’M GONNA BE SICK!”

She stopped spinning her index finger, flipped her hand on its back again, the fingers and palm flattened out, and then slowly bounced Bradley like a ball by moving her arm up and down.

“Okay, okay!” Bradley shouted, frightened. “Enough! Please! You cant put me down now PLEASE put me down now! Put me dooowowwaaaaaaaaAAAAAAHHH!”

As he spoke Arell suddenly launched him up with a hard swing of her arm. Peterson soared upwards towards the ceiling, flailing widely and screaming harder than ever before in his life, and then plummeted downward to his giant “friend”. Arell “caught” him with her levitation, and then tossed him right back again. Each rise and fall was like being fired from a cannon and then falling off a building.

“ARELL! STOP! PUT ME DOWN!” Bradley pleaded desperately. If he had been afraid of heights before, he was now more than ever.

After juggling him in the air with one hand like a baseball, Arell threw him back up, but this time, he didn’t go straight up and then straight down. He was gliding away from Arell, who, stood where she was, watching Bradley with an excited look on her face. She looked like she was enjoying herself.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” Bradley cried, terrified, as he fell. “CATCH ME! CATCH ME! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!”

He fell. His body spun in mid-plummet and his vision was forced towards where he was going. The bright white floor was quickly coming closer, like a crazy fast zoom in on a camera. Bradley lost all forms of coherent thought, and was now simply screaming, crying, pleading, and grasping for something to stop himself all at the same time. His life flashed before his eyes. Well, that wasn’t entirely accurate, a particular scene flashed before him. Last night, he had been drinking miserably, realizing how much he had aged and was sighing over the fact that his life was slowly ending over the years. How small such concerns seemed right now. He may be thirty, but he still had some time left before things really started to go downhill, and he had wanted those precious minutes. Now, they were going to be harshly rejected, like a big rubber stamp that read VOID.

Just before he hit the ground, another two seconds would have been too late, Arell whisked out her arm and stopped Bradley suddenly. She then zipped him right back towards her with a flex of her index finger. The man she reeled in was a shell of the one she had seen moments ago. He was sobbing and screaming hysterically. She could see big tears and drops of sweat even at his tiny size.

“Does that answer your question?” She asked, softly.

“You fucking psychopath!” Bradley screamed, angered and horrified and devastated. “I almost died! You could have killed me!”

 “Oh, relax,” Arell replied calmly, her smile now seemed to mock him, regardless of whether she intended it to or not. She gently waved her fingers, causing Bradley to float over her open palm. The lights on the suit dimmed back to their original red, and her levitation ceased as he fell into her hand “You’re fine, not a hair out of place. It was just for fun.”

            “Fuck you!” Bradley cried, trembling all over. That had been said before he realized that he said it. Retribution for disrespect would promptly follow. He moaned, lying on his side in Arell’s palm.

            But Arell, mercifully, didn’t respond to the comment. She merely looked at the pitiful man in her hand as he balled himself into something resembling a fetal position. He was aware that he was doing it, and he didn’t care if she saw it. Everyone had their breaking point, and Bradley’s had been passed awhile ago. He sobbed openly now, and almost forgot where he was as he desperately wished that he was at home, on his couch, a beer in hand, none of this crazy shit happening. No more pain, no more being toyed with, and no more of that motherfucking smile.

            Arell raised up and touched Bradley gently with her index finger. He immediately recoiled and beat at it with his arms.

            “Get off me!” He cried. “No more! No more torture! Stomp on me, or suffocate me under your fucking ass, I don’t care, just kill me already if that’s what you’re going to do. But at least have the decency to do it now, and make it fast. I don’t want to keep on with this die over a period of time through a series of little torments!”

            “I told you the reason I have brought you here,” Arell replied. “And, if I recall, none of it entailed me killing you. That’s not my intention. I have never kept an Earthy so closely and intimately, and I believe that doing so will be a good step towards a full understanding of your race.”

            “Then why…why do you insist on hurting me!?” He cried. “You kidnap me, you squeeze my body till the verge of shattering me, you throw my around like a toy, you treat me like a dog, and feed me scraps from your plate! What kind of relationship is this!?”

            He was spewing at this moment, and a part of him was madly trying to get him to stop. Mad as he was, his life was still, quite literally, in her hands right now. All she had to do was close her fist, squeezed, and that’d be all. She’d just replace him, and that would be that. She’d wash his remains away, and after a short while, under her reign, anyone who knew him would forget about him. Only after a day or two would he remain in Arell’s thoughts, until the time came where he would slip from her mind, forgotten, sunken into the dank, dark realms of her unconscious, the small group of neurons in her brain that stored the memory becoming sluggish with disuse.

            A terrible, meaningless death.

            But, Arell didn’t squeeze him. Instead, her smile changed, and she tilted in a head a little. It was an expression that Bradley had seen before, one that a woman, or a little girl, wore when they found something adorable.

            “I see what’s wrong here,” Arell cooed. She paused, thoughtfully, for a moment. “Maybe I have been a little more aggressive than needed, but if you’re going to be mine, then you need to understand what you’re dealing with. The sooner you realize and accept what I am capable of, the sooner you will come to terms with situation.”

            Translation: Once you realize that you don’t and can’t fuck with me, the sooner you’ll surrender and be a good slave and pet.

            But then Arell raised Bradley up towards her nose, the tip of which affectionately rubbed at him. He could feel the powerful suction of her breathing, and was actually afraid he’d get pulled into one of her nostrils.

            “But don’t take that as meaning that I can’t show affection,” Arell said, lovingly. “If you’re good, I’ll show you’ll receive plenty of kindness from me.” She then lowered Bradley, who saw the biggest set of lips take up his entire view. He was drawn towards them, as they puckered slowly. Arell’s breath wafted out. It was sweet, but completely unidentifiable. Her lips were soft and they pressed against Bradley’s entire body, enshrouding him with warmth. Despite everything that Arell had done to him, had forced him to see…he liked it. And he hated himself for it. When the giant drew him back, she smiled at him. “See? I’m not so big and bad after all.”

            Oh no, Bradley thought, no you aren’t, Arell, there aren’t words to describe just what in the hell you are, some might say ‘monster’ or ‘psycho’ or ‘sociopath’, but such simple terms just don’t seem to capture the breadth of what you are.

            “Now!” Arell said, suddenly turning. The motion caught Bradley off-guard and he yelled in surprise. It was like one of those roller-coasters that shot forward from sitting still to sixty or seventy miles per hour. She left the kitchen and was walking into the large room that he had woken up in when Bradley first got involved with this hell. It seemed to be her work area, a modest lab of sorts. “Now that your fellow Earthies have been given ample time to stew on my arrival…it’s time to make myself undoubtedly known.

            “What does that mean?” Bradley asked, as she placed him down on the very same interface/desk that held the people in the cyrotubes.

            “I’m going to broadcast a live video to all major televisions on the planet,” Arell explained, looking excited. She pushed a button on the interface Bradley stood on, and a holograph appeared nearby, projected from the ceiling. It appeared to be the same database/network, just now on a holograph, rather than on the black desk. Arell stood in front of it, and began pushing buttons.  Eventually, on the holograph’s screen, was a video feed of Arell, as if the floating interface was recording her. It was sort of like Skype or some other online chat thing. Arell walked to another part of the room that was out of Bradley ‘s vision for a brief moment. When she came back, she was holding a transparent box that had small occupants inside. Arell came over to Bradley and extended the box towards him, proudly. He didn’t know who these people were until he saw the President of the United States amongst them, as well as a few other familiar faces. It was her collection of world leaders. “As I make said broadcast, my little collection of Earthy Leaders will be immensely useful. Everyone on your little planet will be wondering what became of them after I took them, and now they will see first hand.”

            All of the leaders of the world were looking at Bradley with intense eyes. Many of them were yelling something at him, but he couldn’t make their words out. It was an odd feeling having all of those once powerful people begging. They didn’t even seem to be fighting each other (despite some being fervent political enemies), but rather were more terrified of the giant woman in the purple suit.

            “You’re going to broadcast all over the planet?” Bradley asked, trying to ignore the people crying out to him. “How are you going to make sure they all understand you

            “Simple,” Arell said. “My broadcast will be filtered and dubbed in other languages via another program. It’ll cause a small lag in replay time, but, it won’t cause any significant problems.”

            “What is this ‘broadcast’ about?” Peterson inquired, afraid of the answer.

            “Oh, you’ll see,” She replied, winking at him. “Don’t worry, I’ll speak English so you’ll know what it’s all about.”

            But do I get popcorn, Bradley thought, that is the real question.

             Arell pulled up a chair close to where she would be standing for her ‘big moment’, and placed the box of government heads in it. Then, she turned back to the holograph’s screen and did something so profoundly familiar that it almost shocked Bradley. Using the video feed of her like a mirror, Arell began to tidy up her hair, flatten out any wrinkles in her suit, and even perked up her breasts.

Because you really ought to look your best when you address a planet you invaded, Bradley thought.

Such a girlish gesture…it was yet another behavioral similarity between their races. Peterson tried to see if he could see any signs of anxiety, or ‘camera shy’ in Arell’s posture and stance…but found nothing. If anything, she seemed to be really into this, like an eager actor about to pull off his big scene.

            “Alright…” Arell said, apparently talking to herself, as she wasn’t looking at Bradley. “First, I’ll turn return power to Earth’s television satellite networks…”

…

            Though Arell had turned off several major information networks all across the globe, the electricity was still active, and several people had their TVs on, hoping that some signal would return and they would know just what in the hell was going on.

            Rumors were spreading like wildfire. Countries all over were a buzz with tales of aliens (human aliens!), one of which had descended upon the planet, seemingly from nowhere and had caused major destruction. Most Government authorities refused to relay delicate information (such as the fact that their leader had been abducted) to the public, not wanting to incite panic.

Still, this did not stop leaks of said information, and panic was already starting to build. Anarchy was slowly rising to, since police officials had no communication with each other, severely limiting their ability to respond. Petty looters and thugs took advantage of this fast, and robbed stores that had suddenly closed due to the extraordinary circumstances.

            Imagine then, the surprise when suddenly, news stations regained their ability to send a signal. It was almost literally heard around the world.

            People piled in front of whatever TV they could find as news teams, caught off guard by this sudden return of broadcast capabilities, scrambled to put out a news story to the worried people of the globe. News anchors got in front of the camera and told nothing very reassuring, but the mere fact that the television was working and that SOME form of communication was available was a relief.

            The anchors relayed that they had no ‘official confirmation’ on the strange events, but they had heard some reports and rumor that Government buildings had been attacked, assumedly by some sort of invader from beyond the stars. News stations, using the few witnesses they could find) described the invader as a tall, massive woman, wearing a purple suit of somekind. Speculation was everywhere about how old she was, but the description was that of a young woman, no older than thirty two, no younger than twenty four. While this news did not ease the fear (in some ways, it made it worse), it gave people something to work with.

            But not everyone believed it.

            “This is utter bullshit!” Col. Edgar Stark, a retired army commander, proclaimed, rapping his fancy cane on the ground in his home in Brooklyn. “Who’s ever heard of a giant woman invader? Sounds like something from some geek’s idea for a shitty science fiction movie!”

            Todd McFinnley and Sarah LaFluer, as well as many younger viewers, were skeptical, but more open to the news.

            “Do you think this is real?” Todd had asked his girlfriend, as they sat on the couch of her living room in her apartment in New York City.

            “I don’t know,” Sarah had replied. “But…something like this has never happened. Everything is down and no one knows what’s going on! Anything is possible, I guess, but…I don’t know.”

            Others weren’t even afraid of the news or the general situation…but excited.

            “If this bitch is real,” Kevin Ward, an amateur alien and paranormal investigator/researcher proclaimed, as he and his friends Alfred Bowden, and Randy Fredrickson sat on a stained couch in Kevin’s apartment above the comic book store he ran in Manhattan. “Then, we HAVE to get footage of her! I fucking knew that aliens existed! We totally called it!”

            “Do you think it’s really a she?” Randy asked.

            “I hope so!” Kevin said, excited. “Can you imagine how fucking cool it would be if we got a picture of a genuine, sexy babe from fucking space!? We’ll be famous!”

            All across the world, people tuned into the news, giving them record breaking views. Crowds gathered round in places like Times Square, where the news was playing on the big TVs. Almost all eyes were turned towards the screens.

            Which was just what they were supposed to be doing. For about twenty minutes, this went on uninterrupted. At 4:53 PM Eastern time, harsh static ripped through the screens. For a second, people groaned, moaned, sighed, and everything else, thinking the signal went down again. But it came right back on…but it did not show the news.

            “Hello, little Earthies,” Arell’s image on the screens said to the viewers. “I have decided that the time has come for me to make clear what has happened on your planet today. My name is Arell, and I’m a researcher from a distant planet called Avakon, the home of another race of humankind, of which you all an inferior class of. I have been watching your planet for some time, and its time for me to make my presence known. In as few words as possible, the situation is as follows. First; I am responsible for the black out that’s left you all in the dark. And second; I am taking complete, total, unrivaled control of the Planet Earth.” This was met by gasps, shrieks, screams, faints, shocked stares, and even cries of anger. “This is non-negotiable, and to make it completely official…” Arell disappeared from the screen, as she bent to pick something up. When she rose, she was holding the transparent box. She zoomed in on all the inhabitants. Even more fear and unrest was spurred. The fact that she had them in a box, that they were so small compared to her… “I have taken all leaders of Earth from the planet and brought them onto my ship. They will be returned, safe and unharmed, if they agree to following terms: They must surrender their respective countries to my rule, and they shall bend to my command, and answer to me and me alone. Those who reject this ultimatum…well, let’s just say they won’t be coming home.” She placed the box down again. “I know that this is most likely very unsettling for most of you, if not all of you little Earthies. I’d like to go about this as smoothly as possible. Therefore, I recommend that you cooperate with me. Rumors about my size, as you saw moments ago, are true, and I am in possession of technology the likes of which you Earthies have yet to even dream of. Populations that resist will be dealt. And make no mistake…I am not afraid to drop to Earth to take care of dissenters personally. Please belief me when I say that the weapons that remain in your control, ones that do not require computer networks to launch or otherwise activate or use, will be of little to no aid against me. Any armed forces that attempt to usurp me will be destroyed by me with extreme prejudice. I urge you to resist attempting such futile efforts…but that decision lies with you. I will return television and Internet networks back to their functions to allow your communications to return. However, military and any other networks deemed unnecessary by me…will remain offline.”

Arell smiled brightly to her terrified.

“You all now belong to me, is the bottom line. The relationship does not have to be violent. The most important thing you need to know about me is this: I never lie. About anything. What I say will always be the absolute truth, though the choice to believe that is, again, up for you to decide. I suggest you make that choice very carefully. It will make this go all the smoother. Respect me, and all shall be fine. Challenge me and my new authority, and I shall show you just what I am capable of. Thank you.”

And with that…she was gone.

And true to her word, as always, the TV and the Internet both came online.

…

Arell deactivated the holograph interface and strode up to Bradley, smiling proudly and triumphantly. She still looked rather excited by the whole thing as she lowered her face to his level.

“Well, it’s now official,” She said to him. “Planet Earth belongs to me.” Bradley didn’t reply. He just looked back at her…his mouth agap and unsure of what to say. “I’m sure it’s as overwhelming for you as it is for them. It was just talk a few moments ago, but now it has transcended to action. This is no joke…not that it ever was.”

She began to stand erect again, when Bradley finally spoke. His voice was weak and resigned.

“Arell…?”

“Yes?”

“…wh…what are you going to do?” He asked.

Arell didn’t bend to his level again. She just simply looked down at him, smiling curiously.

            “What am I going to do?” She echoed. “Care to be more specific?”

            “…what…” Bradley swallowed. A hard lump was in his throat. “What are you going to do to us? My race…the Earthies…what are you going to do?”

            “Oh, stop being so paranoid,” She said, as if Bradley was being silly. When he still looked up at her with that look of uncertainty and worry, she continued. “I’m not going to go down there and start a second Holocaust if that makes you feel any better. Any destruction caused by me will be retributive responses to actions against me. So, whatever happens in that regard will be the fault of your fellow Earthies. Cheer up! I’m not intending to kill you all! That would render my whole mission here completely invalid!”

            “That’s reassuring…” Bradley muttered.

            Arell shrugged.

            “Look, you really should stop…” She was interrupted by the interface emitting a new holograph. A loud, urgent beeping sound was heard, and text was present in flashing letters.

            “What’s happening!?” Bradley cried, afraid. “Is it the ship? Is it malfunctioning, losing oxygen or some shit!?”

            Arell looked Bradley, deep amusement on her face as she stifled a laugh. “Relax, my little Earthy, it’s just an incoming message.” She walked forward towards the holograph.

            “In-In-Incoming message?” Bradley asked, nervous. “From…who?”

            Arell pushed a button on the holographic interface and a new video feed appeared. There was a man on the feed…a very strange man. He looked like he was in his mid thirties (either that or he looked very good for whatever age he really was), with some evidence of good muscle from the amount of his arms that Bradley could see. Not ripped, but definitely in shape. His eyes were yellow (yes…they WERE fucking yellow…Bradley was sure of it), and he wore a bright red suit that was almost completely identical to…

            Arell said something, and offered a small bow in greeting. The man replied in a pleased voice, a good-natured smile on his face (different from the sly smile Peterson was used to on his captor). Arell said something else, which the man again replied to and the two of them laughed. Bradley just stood there, feeling completely dumb and out of the loop. The language they were speaking…he didn’t even think he could try to write down what it sounded like they were saying. Arell asked something, and then the man spoke for awhile, Arell nodding every now and then, and occasionally interrupting to ask a question…or at least that’s what it seemed. The man asked something. Arell paused for a moment, appeared to consider something…

            And then she turned to look at Bradley.

            “Wh-wh-what?” He asked, not liking her looking at him suddenly.

            Instead of answering, she walked over and reached for him. Bradley took several steps back, but then he forced himself to stop before he actually tried to run. That would do nothing but get him in trouble. When he was in her grip she walked back in front of the man, and held Bradley out.

            “Sir,” Arell spoke in English. “This is a special Earthy that I’ve kept personally. Isnt he cute?” Sir? This guy was someone that Arell said ‘sir’ too?

            “Are you still calling them that?” The man asked, sounding a little amused. “’Earthies’? Do you just refuse to call them by the correct term?”

            “What’s wrong with Earthy?” Arell replied, chuckling. “It’s cute, concise, and it’s completely accurate. It is what they are, after all.”

            “…the fuck?” Bradley asked.

            “Ah, he speaks,” The man said. He paused and looked at Bradley for a moment, which was long and incredibly uncomfortable. “Well…how has your experience with him been?”

            Upon hearing this Bradley turned to face Arell, who was now looking down at him as he sat in her palm. She smiled and held out Bradley more.

            “How about you ask him?” She said to the man. “Go on, little Earthy…tell him how are relationship has been…”

            The man looked at Bradley who was completely frozen. What!? Was she serious!?

            Well “Sir”, Bradley thought, your fellow Avakonian or whatever you fuckers are called, has taken over my planet, kidnapped people, imprisoned me, and has squeezed me like a lemon a few times. So,  I’d have to say that she’s a total psychopath, and, by extension, I’m assuming you are too.

            “It’s…” Bradley said. He had to say something. Anything! “…been…uh…interesting?”

            “Well, of course it has!” The man replied, laughing. “I’m sure being with my top researcher has been quite the experience.” He looked up at Arell. “But, I’m more interested in your opinion than his, Arell. How has the experience been for you.”

            Well fuck you too, Bradley thought, bitterly.

            “Enjoyable,” Arell said, smiling. “The Earthies are intelligent enough to have a conversation with, so it helps ease the boredom here. Also, he’s fun to play with.” She winked down at Bradley, who moaned. “Overall, it’s been fine. I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about.”

            Wait, what?

            “Then you will accept the task?” The man asked. “The going-ons of Planet Earth are your prerogative, and if you think you can do it, then it would be much appreciated, but only if you agree to it.”

            “Sure,” Arell shrugged. “I’ll send them as soon as possible.”

            “Great! Thank you, Arell,” The man said, sounding relieved. “That’s great to hear. They’ve been asking me about it for awhile, but I didn’t want to bother your work with such a thing, but…”

            “It’s no trouble,” Arell assured him, laughing. “Consider it done.”

            The last few words they had they switched back to crazy language, and Bradley lost track of the conversation. Why Arell had included him…

            When the man’s transmission ended, Arell turned and began to carry Bradley off. He saw that they were heading towards her room.

            “What was all that about?” He asked.

            “Well…” Arell said, slowly. “My people have always been interested in your Earthies, I told you that. But only I have directly seen you little guys, my race has only seen the images I send them. They’ve been wanting to see you for sometime…”

            “I don’t like where this is going….” Bradley whispered

            “Don’t worry, you’re not going anywhere.” Arell reassured him. “However…I’m going to send a town of Earthies to Avakon to be released to the people.”

            “What!?” Bradley cried. “What? Wh…what…WHAT!? What does that mean? What do you mean ‘released to the people’? You mean…like pets? Like you’re doing to me!?”

            “Not exactly…” Arell replied. “…more like a zoo, really.”

            “….you’re kidding…” Bradley was dumbfounded.

            “You know I don’t lie,” Arell said, shrugging. “Don’t get all upset with me, it wasn’t my idea. But…I’m not really opposed to it, I guess.”

            “Why?” Bradley asked. “Why do they need to have us in a zoo, we’re not animals!”

            “…debatable,” Arell replied.

            And though Bradley wanted to keep arguing, wanted to try to at least talk some sense into this madness…he couldn’t. Something in Arell’s voice just now…it scared him, though he may have read her tone wrong…

            She had sounded a little angry just then…

Bradley had decided to sort of stay out of Arell’s way for awhile, not wanting to pinch a nerve with her. She was bad enough in a good mood, no way in hell did he want to experience what would happen to him if he made her lose her temper. So, he sat quietly on a table behind her, while she worked on something on the interface. Neither of them said a word, as Arell busily worked, and Bradley sat and did nothing, which he was fine with. Better than getting mixed up with his giant hostess.

            A zoo. God, what were those people going to have to endure? A whole life behind bars, when you had committed no crime, and there wasn’t even a chance of parole for the victims, either. Bradley had never owned a pet in his life, by some feat, and now he thought he never will. Hell, if he managed to get back to Earth and somehow everything reverted back to normal, he would join an animal shelter and rescue abused puppies.

            His train of sympathetic thought was interrupted when he was suddenly lifted off the ground.

            “Hey! Woah!” Bradley cried, startled immensely. “Wh-what are you doing? What’s going on!?”

            “Calm down, I just need you for a second,” Arell replied. “Geez, I can’t even pick you up without you getting all worked up.”

            Stop squeezing me and throwing me around like a toy and maybe I won’t, Bradley thought.

            Arell placed Bradley on the surface of her desk and then tapped her finger against it. “Lay down here.” Peterson quickly obeyed, and Arell reached down and produced a small device that looked similar to a price scanner. A cord danged beneath it, and Arell plugged it into an unseen thing, and then held the device over Bradley. It emitted some thin beam of light, which Arell ran across Bradley’s body. He watched her do this, but wasn’t sure what she was doing. He was incredibly nervous of what she was doing, but also of asking about, not wanting to provoke her. Fortunately, she answered for him.

            “Relax,” She said, noticing his nervous movements. “I just need to scan your body for something, you won’t feel a thing.” She scanned him three or four times and then placed the device down and began working on the interface. Looking down at her screen, Bradley saw a 3D image of his body. What she was doing, he couldn’t tell, but it might be better to not ask right now. She seemed to be getting in a bad mood about something, and best to lay low. So, he sat down off to the side of the desk and let Arell do whatever it was she was doing, listening to the sounds of her fingers padding against the interface.

            She hadn’t answered his question. What was she planning to do with Earth. When he had shown his concern, she had merely told him what she ‘wasn’t’ (allegedly) planning to do to the planet. He wanted to ask, but Arell was not always forthcoming with information. But the mere fact that she was willing to round up people for a little human zoo for her people was not only terrible, but showed that she really didn’t respect human life. Though he wouldn’t dare say it, such a thing was a little hypocritical of Arell, who spoke of how important it was for him to respect her, though she had not shown him the same. The real question was…why had she sounded mad when he had said humans weren’t animals? He could see her agreeing with the notion, she HAD said that “Earthies” were inferior to the Avakonians (Bradley’s new word for Arell’s people, she wasn’t the only one who could play that game), but she hadn’t sounded particularly bitter about it at the time.

            He was too busy wondering these things that he didn’t really pay much attention to Arell’s movements. Thusly, he didn’t notice when the sound of tapping stopped. And he didn’t notice that Arell was watching him until her eyes suddenly took up his vision as she bent to look at his face.

            “You’ve been awful quiet,” Arell said. “Any thoughts to share, little Earthy?”

            Her tone was calm and normal. Whatever she had sounded angry about earlier (assuming she was, he hadn’t been able to tell) it seemed to have been forgotten for now. It was on the tip of his tongue to mention the little ‘zoo’ that her people had in mind, but that had been the subject (or something about it) had pricked one of Arell’s nerves. Maybe it would be wise to say something else…if only he could think of something else.

            Before he could, Arell picked up on his hesitation.

            “Oh, stop worrying,” She said. “They’ll be fine. You know, your fellow Earthies won’t be the first race that we’ve done this sort of thing to...”

            “That’s great…” Bradley mumbled.

            “…and we treat them fine,” Arell continued, ignoring him. “Since every race we’ve discovered are so little compared to us, it’s easier to accommodate them…and keep their behavior in check if need be. That doesn’t happen often, really. Most are too intimidated by our size to resist anyway, and most of them aren’t intelligent enough to. You Earthies should be happy to know that you’re the second most intelligent race in the known universe. Next to us, naturally…”

            “But you’re taking them against their will!” Bradley protested. “What it they don’t want to go? You can’t just imprison them!”

            Arell said: “Why not? You Earthies didn’t seem to mind when the Germans did it.”

            There it was again…that angry tone. It was subtle, it was controlled…but it was there, and Bradley’s heart began to pick up. “Well…” He began. “We…that was…look, nobody is proud that that happened but…still…why do they even want such a thing?”

            “Because they want to see you,” Arell explained. Thankfully, the tone was gone. “They haven’t actually seen any of you. They only see what I give them to see. I, being the researcher, decide what information to release. They know you exist, but they rarely see you in the flesh.”

            “But that guy you spoke to on that video…” Bradley protested. “He sounded like he could care less about what I had to say!”

            “Oh, they care about what you have to say,” Arell said, grinning, playfully. “But, one, I’m their researcher who’s been watching your race longer than you’ve been alive, so my thoughts carry more weight. And two…you didn’t really give an…’interesting’ response, my little Earthy”

            Ha, ha, ha…use my own words against me, will ya, Bradley thought.

            “You may know a lot about the human race as a group,” Bradley said. “But you can’t know each person individually. How much do you know about me? You keep calling me ‘Earthy’ so much, I bet you don’t even know my name.”

            “Bradley Peterson,” Arell replied, smiling. He froze. It was both surprising and sort of weird to hear her finally say his name. “Thirty years old, alcoholic, single, no children, one estranged brother, works at a department store, selling water beds…”

            “Alright, alright!” Peterson cried.

            “Never question my knowledge,” She said, winking. “That can be a costly mistake.” She stood up and clapped her hands together. The sound hurt Bradley’s ears. “Now! We could talk about this until your planet revolves around the sun completely, but, regardless, I’ve already agreed to it, and, therefore, it’s going to happen.”

            She pressed a button on the interface. When she did, something happened outside the ship. It was similar to riding an airplane and you could hear the wheels being retracted into their slot, but you couldn’t hear it happen. Glancing down at the interface, amongst all the gibberish of Arell’s native language, was a 3D image of Earth. It was focusing on East Coast of North America, specifically, New England.

            “What’s happening!?” Bradley cried, worried.

            “I am using what you’d understand as a ‘tractor beam’ to transport them onto the ship from the surface of the planet,” Arell explained. “Except the ‘beam’ is more of a scan and any Earthy it touches will be instantly brought aboard.”

            “How is that even possible?” Bradley asked, shocked.

            “Simple,” She replied, as she did, she pressed another button and the holographic interface was emitted. “I scanned your body and relayed your organic information into the scanner. It will not only be able to tell Earthies apart from something non-living, say, a car…but also to other living life forms, say…a cow.” She paused, looking thoughtfully at the interface. “Hmmm…I’ll have the transporter put them in the aquatic tank. It’s empty right now, and should be big enough to hold as many Earthies as I need.

            “H-H-H-How many are you going to take?” Bradley inquired. A part of him really wished he was bigger so that he could do something to try and stop this madness. Damn it, why did she have to be so goddamn big!?

            A whirring sound outside became noticeable before Arell could respond. Now that she had said all of that…it did sound like some sort of scanner running. The ‘bzzzt’ noise that he had heard while Arell had visited Earth sounded, and this time it was close. Turning towards it, Bradley saw a large, empty, aquarium-like box. It was hard to see because the clear class hid it in the bright white walls of the ship. Little bursts of static popped inside it…and each time a new hapless victim was now added to Arell’s ever growing collection. It started slow but it began to pick up as more crowds started getting hit. Pretty soon, it sounded like microwave popcorn popping.

            It went on forever to Bradley, who watched as people entered the same world that he had been forced into. When the popping finally stopped, Arell stepped forward and bent down in front of the tank. All of the Earthies fled to the other side, trying to get as far away from her as possible.

            “Hmmm…” Arell mused. She was quiet for a moment and then laughed, satisfied. “Alright. Listen up little Earthies!” She tapped the glass to get their attention (not that she didn’t already have it). “I’ve gathered you all here for a special reason. You are all going on a one way, all expenses paid trip across the universe to my home planet, Avakon!” Whatever the population of the tank thought of this, Bradley couldn’t hear it. They were too far. But he imagined there were screams. This was hinted further when Arell continued. “Now, now…no reason to fret, no one’s getting hurt, I promise. You all just sit here while I run an errand. When I get back, you all will be off! I’m sure you’ll all love my home planet, they are a lot of things that you couldn’t even begin to dream about now.”

            She turned away from her new captures, all of whom still huddled against the other side of the tank, and pushed a button on the wall. A large compartment slide out of the wall in front of Arell, though what was on it, Bradley couldn’t see from his position. Arell took something off of it and she stood back enough to see her putting on a black utility belt around her waist.

            “What are you doing?” Bradley asked, slowly and cautiously.

            “A good lesson in life is that even the most advanced tech is not infallible,” Arell said. She put a rectangular device in one of the pouches of her belt. It was impossible to tell what it was. “The scanner ignored non-living things, so that means any Earthies that were inside did not get picked up. The only recourse is to go down there myself and get the remaining Earthies.”

            “You’re gonna go down there!?” Bradley was stunned. “Why? Do you have to have the ‘entire’ town to do this?”

            “I suppose not,” Arell shrugged. She placed the little transporter that she’d used on the President in another pouch. “But, I already took the majority of the people from the town I just scanned. Might as well get the rest. No sense in leaving them there. That wouldn’t be fair, would it, my little Earthy?”

            It’s not really fair that you’re doing this AT ALL, Bradley thought.

            “Arell, this is completely…..what…what is that!?” Peterson shrieked.

            Arell was placing what seemed to be a type of gun that her race used in a larger, holster like pouch on her belt. When it was in, she patted the handle of the weapon and then looked towards Bradley, smiling.

            “Just as a precaution,” She said.

            “But…but….but…” He stammered. “You said that no weapon would hurt you! Why do you even need that if that’s true!?”

            “I imagine that there will be some resistance to me,” Arell explained. “So…yes, you’re right that whatever weapon used against me won’t do anything. However…it needs to be shown that, other than my size and raw physical strength, I have other means of dealing with…dissenters.”

            “But that thing is fucking huge!” Bradley protested. “You’ll destroy an entire COUNTY with that thing!”

            “With this thing?” Arell laughed. “That’s almost assuredly not going to happen with just this. I only have this thing readily available just in case I need to show a little force, but, for my race, this is the equivalent of a BB Gun. This was actually a gift from my father…when I was little.”

            And…how long ago was that, Bradley thought.

            “Still…” She continued, smiling brightly. “It should suffice for anything that comes across me. I don’t plan on using it, per se. If your fellow Earthies accept my rule without giving me complications, then I won’t have to use it at all. So any damage will be the result of their choice, and thus, their responsibility for the consequences.”

            She pushed the button on the wall again and the compartment slid back inside its slot. Arell walked back towards Bradley…and reached for him.

            “Wait! Wait!” Bradley cried as he was lifted off the ground. “What are you doing?”

            “Wow, you really are prone to panic,” Arell giggled. “You need to learn to relax. I’m just taking my favorite little Earthy with me…”

            “What!?” He exclaimed. “You’re…why? Why do I need to go?”

            “Listen,” She said softly. “You and me are going to be together for quite some time. So, it’s important that you get used to my company, since you’ll be in it for awhile. Plus…I thought’d you like to visit your home planet?”

            I wanted to go back but I had a different image in my head of that event, Bradley thought.

            “But Arell, I…”

            As he tried, she pushed one of the red lights on the right shoulder of her suit, causing it to glow white. She then held Bradley close to it as it shot out a beam of energy. Recoiling desperately, the beam coated him and in inflated like a balloon. By the time he realized that it didn’t hurt…he noticed that he virtually WAS in some sort of balloon. A balloon of whatever energy that Arell’s suit used to levitate items. He floated up to Arell’s face, and she winked at him.

            “There,” She said. “Now you can come with me, no problem.”

            “Arell…” Bradley begged. “Please…PLEASE…don’t do this.”

            And then, she did something curious. She sighed…very deeply.

            “…I have to.” She said. Her tone struck him. It was one of resignation. He was on the verge of asking why, but then she answered that for him. “It’d take too long for me to explain why, but just know that I have reasons for why I must do this. Whether or not you like this doesn’t matter. It’ll happen either way, so I suggest you just deal with it.

            She raised the transporter and pressed the button. She and Bradley disappeared from the ship.

…

            All across America, things were plenty tense.

            People were not going to work, schools were cancelling lessons, and even transports were not going anywhere. Only highways remained active, as people tried to get to loved ones. It was as if a zombie outbreak had occurred and everyone was fleeing the city, but there were no dead people. But the fact that a giant woman from the stars was taking over the planet…that seemed all the reason to flee.

            But with the mass amount of people trying to do so, some people got stuck and gave up. In the midst of all of the failure of the transport systems, groups of people, sometimes complete strangers to each other, banded together to get out of the city their own way. But even with additional manpower, success was not guaranteed.

            “Goddammit,” Col. Edgar Stark muttered as his group saw the traffic that was leading out of the city of New York. They had lived here most of their lives and knew to walk about to see how bad it was before actually attempting to drive.

            “That’s what I was afraid of…” Sarah LaFleur sighed.

            “So…” Randy Fredrickson asked. “What now…?”

            “Dunno, son,” Stark replied. “We’re running out of options. Unless we fucking walk, I think we’re literally stuck here. Every way out is full of people trying to leave.”

            This particular group had met up at a bus station, and had tried, in vain, waiting for their ride to come and get them. It took several hours after the bus was due for them to hear that it was late from traffic and would not arrive soon. Having spoken to each other for quite some time, the group decided, in these crazy events, to stay together.

            Kevin Ward, one particularly talkative member of the group (much to Stark’s chargin) was very excited about the whole thing…and for all the wrong reasons (also, much to Stark’s annoyance). He had brought his camera and several roles of film with him. He had been completely struck by the image of the Alien Woman, as Stark called her, ever since she had made her public broadcast early that day.

            “She’s fucking hot!” Kevin had exclaimed after the broadcast had been aired. Only her head had been seen for most of the video, but some signs of the lower parts of her body had been seen, and they were, Kevin assured, the signs of a really sexy woman. “I guarantee it. She’s probably a fucking hit on her planet. Oh, man, what if her planet is all female, THAT would be…”

            Stark had told him to shut up at that point. Kevin had merely wanted to leave the city, thinking it’d be more likely to run into the new “leader” of Earth if he moved around. He wanted to get as many pictures of her as he could. His friend, Alfred Bowden, a silent type, quietly agreed. His own eyes had been wide when he had seen Arell on the TV, and though he knew not to say it near Stark…he thought he was in love.

            “Maybe e just need to wait a day or two,” Todd McFinnley suggested. “It can’t stay like this forever.”

            “Maybe you’re right,” Col. Stark sighed. “I’m old and I’m tired. Been trying to find ways to get out of this damn city all day. I’m going home…I guess if you folks still want to go about this as a team, you’re welcome to join me.”

            “I think that’s a good idea,” Sarah said smiling. “I think I’d feel more comfortable if I went through this with other people. I feel…safer that way.”

            “Yeah, that’s cool,” Kevin said, adjusting his sunglasses. “Super cool.”

            Stark muttered at the thought of Ward staying in his house, but didn’t really protest it. Though he’d never admit it, and he hated himself for it, he too had been attracted to that bitch on the TV. Those bright blue eyes…they seemed so…majestic…so different and foreign, yet breathtakingly beautiful. Even though he hated that Alien for invading his damn planet…part of him was thinking the same thing that Ward was. He thought maybe, if he could, he’d steal one of Kevin’s pictures should he ever get one. A young woman with a great behind had always been his favorite…

            Todd and Randy felt no such attraction, however. Todd was mostly terrified of the very thought of a woman so large dominating Earth, and Randy had been intimidated by her character. Both of them would prefer to stay out of her way, rather than take pictures of her. In fact, the two of them would have been happy if they never saw her personally.

            The group turned and walked back towards where they had come, and headed towards Brooklyn.

…

            Arell and Bradley reappeared on Earth within seconds of disappearing from the ship. Peterson had no idea where they were, exactly, but he knew it could be referred to as Small Town, USA.

            It was a New England kind of town, one that had a touch of older days about it. Days when most of the land were fields, and cars were just starting out. It had once been a sleepy town, but now it was more of a ghost town. Cars were abandoned on the streets, some trash littered the roads, and not a soul was in sight.

            Arell, standing at her hefty five hundred plus feet, weighing at possibly over twenty thousand tons, was far too big to be in such a little town. Her feet, Bradley noticed, would barely fit in the streets…if they would fit at all. As he looked down towards the ground, he shuddered. Not because of how high he was up (though that always made him uncomfortable)…but at how small everything looked in Arell’s  eyes. The cars were the size of Lego blocks, the buildings didn’t even reach her knees. A wild part of his mind though: Christ, her ass could probably take out an entire block if she were to sit down somewhere!

            She looked at Bradley, smiling.

            “Good to be back?” She asked, happily.

            “You do realize that you’re way too big to be here right?” He asked.

            Arell shrugged. “As I told your President,” She said. “I’m going to cause damage no matter what I do. Might as well just accept it, as fighting it will only slow things down. Yes, I might do significant harm to this town, but, that’s why I picked a quaint little place. It won’t be a major issue if I do happen to level it accidentally.”

            She shifted her feet. One of them plowed through a house. It was just that simple. One moment, a perfectly fine and seemingly sturdy home was standing there. The next, it was a flattened pile of debris shooting dust into the air. Bradley looked at Arell in shock. She just shrugged, as if saying ‘case in point’.

            “Well, let’s get to work!” She said, smiling widely.

            She began to walk.

            Every step she took destroyed a home, left a deep chasm in the earth, sent a tremor that rattled and damaged more buildings…

            …and most certainly killed someone.

“Ah ha!” Arell exclaimed. “My scanner has detected some Earthies nearby.”

            Bradley was sort of startled by this. He had been quietly floating in his balloon like prison alongside Arell, the two of them not really speaking at all. His giant ‘friend’ was leaving a trail of devastating damage. A trail of her foot prints went across roads, leaving deep cracks and potholes in the earth. Mixed in with this trail were crushed houses and flattened vehicles of all kind.

            “Are you even going to try to not step on everything?” Bradley asked, awed by the sheer damage.

            “Like I said,” Arell sighed. “I’m too large for such considerations. Now be quiet, I need to concentrate.”

            Bradley hadn’t been able to catch a good look at Arell’s scanner, but from the brief glimpse, it seemed to be like a portable radar of sorts. She headed towards a shopping complex, which contained a few strips of stores, but Arell seemed to be homing in on the movie theater and the shopping market next to each other at the opposite end. The parking lots were largely empty, save for a few cars. Somewhere, Bradley thought he heard the sound of a helicopter whirling around.

            Arell dropped to her knees and paused, thoughtfully. She then worked her way to the front of the theater and dropped down on her hands (her breasts flattened a car that was parked out front) and peered through the doors. After a moment, she rose back up to her knees. She reached forward and placed a hand on the edge of the roof. Applying some pressure, her fingers shredded through the and made a hole. Then, pinching her fingers onto the interior, Arell carefully peeled sections of the roof off like a tuna can.

            Even from his perspective in his little bubble thing, Bradley could see some of the people, there were three, inside, their positions now exposed. They were huddled in a small room, a janitor’s closet maybe, in the middle of the building. The people were dressed professionally…maybe they were employees of the theater?

            “Ah ha,” Arell said, the smile in her voice. “There you are. Now, this will go a lot smoother if you just stay still and let me…”

            Of course, the people heard none of this. They began to ran as soon as “there you are” was out of Arell’s mouth. Arell reached inside and grabbed one even before he escaped the compromised hiding spot, her fingers shearing through the walls as if they were made of cookies. She brought the man up and, then, with her left hand, produced the small transporter and zapped him with it. The next instant, the man was gone.

            Gone off to my favorite place, Bradley thought, sarcastically.

            The other two, a man and an older woman, stumbling over themselves, tried to run towards one of the auditoriums. What protection they thought was going to keep them safe from Arell’s clutches, Bradley wasn’t sure. The massive woman simply reached in with both hands, the two “Earthies” between them, and then drew them apart, bringing the entire building down around them as neat as you please. The two people pretty soon found themselves in the middle of nothing but the foundation of the theater, all hiding places now completely gone. Stuck, the two of them slowly looked up at Arell.

            “Now…” The giant woman said, softly and not unkindly. “If you’re done panicking, take a moment to hear me. I’m over five hundred feet tall. You’re not going to outrun me, nor will you find a place that will keep me out. I don’t want to hurt you little Earthies, but if you keep being foolish…I can’t guarantee that.”

            The two “Earthies” looked at each other for a moment, Bradley thought he could hear the old lady crying, and then he saw them raise their hands over their. His sympathies went out to them. All he could hope is that the “people” of Avakon would be nicer than Arell. This whole thing was out of control! Arell was kidnapping an entire town of innocent people, all because her fucking people wanted a zoo! And why did they want such a stupid thing? Arell had been sort of vague on the issue, but apparently they wanted to see the Earthies so bad that…that….that….

            Bradley looked towards Arell’s face as she leaned forward to pick up her two new Earthies.

            Because they want to see you, Arell had said. They haven’t actually seen any of you…they know you exist, but they rarely see you in the flesh.

            He hadn’t thought of that...it was strange. Very strange.

            His attention was turned towards a zapping noise. His big friend had just transported her new captures to her ship. Flipping her hair back behind her ears with her hand (another familiar and girlish gesture), she began to turn her own attention towards the grocery store.

            “…hey…uh…Arell…?” Bradley said, slowly, uncertainly. Cautiously.

            He expected her to ignore him while she focused on her “work”…but she must have picked up on the sound of his voice, because she turned towards him, her eyebrows raised curiously.

            “What is it?” She asked.

            “You…uh…you said you were a researcher or something…right?” He asked, slowly.

            Arell then smiled vibrantly. Whether out of pride or something else, Bradley wasn’t entirely sure. “That’s right. I’m one of the most trusted amongst my race to investigate other forms of life in the universe.” She began to turn away to look back towards the store. “Why do you ask?”

            “Well…I was wondering…” Bradley said. He had to be careful here. Very careful. It would be like treading a minefield. “…about this…zoo thing…that you’re gathering for…”

            “Oh, don’t tell me you’re still worked up about that?” Arell said, laughing a little. “Don’t worry so much. Your fellow Earthies will be fine, okay? Are you afraid that they’re going to eat them? Grind their bones to make our bread, and all that?” The tease in her voice was all too obvious.

            “No…it’s…it’s not that,” Bradley said. His heart was picking up. “It’s….well…you said your people…hadn’t seen us…very much…right?” Already he didn’t like where this was going. Arell had turned back towards him…but a frown formed on her face now. Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, suspiciously.

            “They HAVE seen you Earthies.” She said, slowly. “They’ve seen what I’ve shown them. What of it?”

            “I…I…” Peterson swallowed. “Well…I was a little curious…I…have…uh…have you not…shown them…much?”

            Now complete suspicion was dawning on her face.

            So much for this going peacefully, Bradley thought timidly.

            “I think you need to tell me what this is about,” She told him, her voice hardening.

            “I….I….” He stammered. “I don’t…want to upset you…I’m just…you know…uh…I…I was wondering…how much have you told them?”

            “Where are you going with this?” Arell asked, harshly.

            “…do they…” Bradley tried to speak faster to get to his point. “…I mean…have you…how much…uh…you…”

            “Say it!” She snapped, impatiently. “Have I what? Do they what?”

            No turning back now. “How much do they…uh…know?” Bradley asked.

            A moment of silent as Arell just stared at him. Her facial expression changed from suspicion to annoyance…and anger. “Why are you asking me this?”

            “I…you…” Bradley gulped. That lump in his throat was back. “…you said that they…uh…only…you know…know what you tell them…but…I mean…if you’re a researcher…and they’re wanting this…uh…zoo…thing…so bad…well…have you…have you not told them…uh…um…”

            “Is this any of your concern, Earthy?” Arell asked softly…but her voice was very menacing. “What I do for my research is not something you need to concern yourself with. I do what…”

            “But you were the one who…” He started.

            “Don’t you dare interrupt me,” Arell spoke, bringing her eyes close to him. Bradley stopped talking immediately, shivering. “Do you think that just because I’ve kept you, that that means you deserve to know what my work entails? Well…let me dispel that little myth. I don’t have to tell you anything if I don’t want to. You are not in any position to demand information from me. If you try to presume that sort of authority, I’ll see you under my boot so quickly you won’t even see it coming. You are replaceable, and if you want to live to see the age of thirty one, I suggest you keep your questions to yourself.”

            Bradley didn’t reply. He was too busy nodding rapidly.

            Arell stared at him for another minute. Then, he heard her open her mouth. Whatever she was going to say, he would never know, for the moment before it could be said, something rocketed in the space between her and Bradley. He saw her eyes widen after it passed, leaving a trail of smoke, and she looked towards where it went, and then where it came from. Bradley looked too…and couldn’t believe his eyes.

            Coming up the street....was…what were they called…a squadron? His military terms were shaky, but a group of armed military personnel was making their way towards him and Arell. It was comprised of foot soldiers, big cars with big guns on the back…and two tanks.

            What the fuck is this, Bradley thought wildly, where did these fuckheads come from!?

            Then, he heard a sound. One he’d heard not too long ago, but faintly. He looked up and saw the helicopter. It was a grey army helicopter, Bradley could see the turret pointing out of the nose of the chopper. He understood. Whether these guys were a military convoy to keep the populace under control in these times of stress, or a patrol who happened to be in the right place at the right time, he wasn’t sure. But…they were asking for trouble. That much he did know.

            “Well, this is…unexpected.” Arell said, standing up at full height. The smile was back in her voice. She placed her hands on her hips and looked down at the small force coming towards her. “You’re making a choice right now. One that I highly advised against, previously. I certainly hope that that projectile that almost hit my lovely face was a misfire. Because I assure you…you might want to rethink this course of action.”

            “Let’s cut this bitch down to size!” One of the foot soldiers cried. The others roared their battle cry and ran forward. This was no time to be frightened. Their world, their country, their entire way of life was on the line here. It was do or die. And these young men and women had decided that they weren’t going to bow down like frightened animals. They were going to go out with a bang, if it came to that.

            A hail of bullets was fired from all sorts of guns. Machine guns, LMGs, sub-machine guns, assault and sniper rifles, everything that the force had to throw with small arms fire. Most of the rounds hit the mark…but after just a few moments, some of the troopers began to realize that not much was happening.

            Arell simply stood where she was, making no effort to avoid any of the fire (how could she, the bullets were too small to see). Her hands were behind her back, and she just watched, very much amused. This was actually a good time for this. After her little chat with her little Earthy…she could use some stress relief. One of the tanks fired at her. It hit the underside of Arell’s breasts. Other than causing a small bounce in her chest, nothing. She didn’t even flinch.

            “Target insight!” One of the pilots of the chopper said. “Is the missile ready?”

            “Yes, sir…” The other pilot replied, uncertain. “But targeting systems are down, sir! We can’t lock on the target!”

            “Then we’ll just have to do it the old fashioned way!” The man returned.

            The helicopter hovered closer to Arell, who turned her attention towards it, not even acknowledging the forces at her feet anymore. The missile was lowered from the bottom of the ship, and the pilot tried to steady the aircraft to keep it in line with the giant. She was a big target, with a nice big head. At the very least, he hoped to fuck up that pretty face.

            “Ready?” The pilot cried. “Fire!”

            “Firing!” The Co-Pilot shouted.

            The missile shot forth from the aircraft towards Arell. It flew in a straight line towards her head, and the pilot was hoping that it would hit her directly in of the eyes. Bradley saw the projectile coming too. It was coming on the side of Arell that he floated on, and he suddenly hoped that he wasn’t going to get hit himself with the explosion. He closed his eyes and began to silently pray that death was not about to find him.

            Arell made no attempt to avoid it…because she knew even as it was fired that it would miss. It soared right past the right side of her head, zipping right past Bradley who screamed. The wind of its passage fluttered some of Arell’s purple hair. Whatever happened to it, Bradley, nor the pilots saw. Arell simply chuckled.

            The helicopter then began to fire the turret on the front. The first few rounds hit Arell’s chest, and began to work up to her neck and face. As it did, she raised her right arm, the lights and lines glowing. This time, however, they were glowing yellow. With a flick of her wrist, Arell conjured up a yellow, transparent field of energy. It soaked up the bullets from the chopper as they began heading for her face.

            “What the fuck is that!?” The pilot yelled. He was beginning to have second thoughts. Had she just conjured a force field!?

            Arell wagged a finger at them. “nu uh,” She said, smiling. She began to touch up her hair, teasing them. “I don’t think so. I wouldn’t want you messing up my face.”

            She took two steps (that was all it took to get close to the chopper), her arm still extended. The pilots saw her coming and began to try to gain altitude to get out of her reach. They didn’t get far before Arell reached up, the yellow energy in her right arm disappearing, and clapped her hands together, catching the chopper in between both palms like a swatted fly.  She brushed her hands off, sending the ruined ship plummeting to the ground.

            “Alright,” She said, looking down at the other forces at her feet. Some of them were already withdrawing. “You Earthies made your choice. Now…you face the consequences.”

            Arell took one step and brought her foot down on top of the ground troops who were running from her. They disappeared in a new crater and a shroud of kicked up dust. With a quick kick of her left foot, Arell sent one of the tanks soaring into the sky at untold speed. How far it would go before it finally hit the ground, no one would be sure. Arell then dropped to her hands and knees and reached for one of the jeeps that had a mounted gun. With a simple tug, she pulled the MG off of the vehicle and then picked it up, looking at the terrified occupants.

            “I guess I should compliment your bravery…even if it is misguided and foolish,” Arell said, smiling at them. “Your reward is that I’ll try to make your deaths as quick and painless as possible. It’s only fair, I suppose. I’ll put you down and you can all line up and I’ll do a quick stomp. It will literally be over before you know it. Now…”

            She was interrupted when the other tank, which she had temporarily forgotten about fired at her. It was close and the impact was hard enough to cause Arell’s muscles to tense. She dropped the vehicle, and it crashed to the ground, where it exploded. Arell almost lost her balance, but managed to catch herself before completely falling. The tank and a few more troopers and jeeps remained.

            Rising to her feet again, Arell took a few steps back, feeling the bullets tickle her thighs, hips, and her crotch (there it was actually a little more than a tickle, but not really pleasurable). The tank fired again, this shot missing her entirely as it soared between her legs. Taking the time to find the fact that they had missed a target as big as her, Arell paused…and then took a big step forward and launched herself into the air.

            Both feet pounded into the pavement with ungodly force. A might boom and a tremendous quake rocked the earth, and a new hole was punched into the ground. The tremor from the impact collapsed the grocery store and some of the other nearby shops in the plaza. The ground troops (those lucky enough to not end up under Arell’s boots at that time) were thrown a good fifty feet before bouncing and rolling on the ground. Dazed and some injured, they all began to sprint away, a dozen or so little Earthies running for their little lives.

            Arell didn’t chase them. She watched them go, her hands on her hips, and smiled. They’d learned their lesson, and leaving some alive would help discourage any further resistance when they reported back to whatever base or compound they belonged to. She then brushed herself off and then examined herself. Naturally, no harm done. Her suit had eaten all of the harm those little weapons could do, and they hadn’t so much as pierced through the material. She took a step back, bent, and looked at the ground where she had hopped. A lot of smoke and twisted metal that didn’t even vaguely resemble the vehicles they once were. She chuckled softly.

            “Well…” Arell said, straightening. “That was exciting. No worries, though. Didn’t even begin to break a sweat. You can’t say that I didn’t warn them, can you, my little Earthy.”

            Her little Earthy didn’t reply.

            “No, you can’t,” Arell acknowledged his silence as acceptance. “It was never my intention to combat your little race, but, they made their choice. As your Earthies say, they made their bed, and now they have to lay in it. But, there was also no need to kill all of them. I’m sure you can appreciate that.” More silence. Arell turned her head, smiling. “It would be best to respond when I’m speaking, my…little……..”

            The words died on her lips. An ignorant observer would see her stand there for a second, looking towards her right shoulder, her eyes wide. Then, she looked over her shoulder. Then tried to peer at her back, then gazed up and searched the sky around her head. Then, she looked down towards the ground, holding her hair back from her face as she scanned the streets. They would know that she was looking for something, by her actions, but they wouldn’t know what.

But she did, naturally.

            And she knew it wasn’t a ‘what’ but a ‘who’. The reason for his silence was now clear.

            Bradley Peterson was gone.     

The first thing she did was reach for her scanner, but even as she did she knew it wasn’t going to help much. When she flipped it on, multiple dots appeared on the screen. Some would be the soldiers she’d just scared away. Some would be the people in the ruined grocery store (what was left of it anyway).  More others would be Earthies that she hadn’t yet found but were now being picked up by the scanner. Tuning her ears, she heard faint screams, and the screech of tires. She looked around and even saw some cars and trucks zoom off as they tried to escape the giant woman. So many little Earthies…yet only one Bradley Peterson. Only one was the one she wanted at this very moment.

            Tapping the scanner against her palm, thoughtfully, Arell began to walk forward. Her stride was remarkably casual, her feet flattening anything or anyone unfortunate to be in her path. Her face was calm as she scanned the ground. She saw some Earthies still running on the streets, away from her. Bending her knees, Arell reached and plucked one up in her fingers and raised them to her eyes, which observed a writhing, terrified woman of about thirty five in a sleeveless blouse and jeans. Not the one she wanted. Kneeling back down, Arell dropped the woman on a lawn, and picked up another Earthy. This one happened to be one of the soldiers who had attempted to engage her. As she lifted him to her eyes, he drew his side arm, a large pistol and began to open fire. His first shot was aimed at the obvious weak spot: one of the massive eyes. Just as the shot was fired, Arell blinked and her eyelashes deflected the bullet. Another shot went wild due to his flailing arms, and sailed down towards her cheek. The bullet did nothing to the flesh there…actually bounced off it. The flailing man then sent bullets downward towards Arell’s mouth. As with her cheek, the tiny bullets simply bopped her bottom lip and then harmlessly fell to the ground. When the pistol was dry, the soldier went with the ol’ desperate, last move: he chucked the gun at Arell’s face. It somehow got tangled at the bottom set of her eye lashes, then rolled down her cheek towards her nose, where it ventured too close to her left nostril, and was sucked up by a gentle inhale.

            “Are you done?” Arell asked, playfully rolling her eyes. “Because you’re……ah…”

            She felt the small weapon bounce against her nasal walls, run up into her sinus, and eventually feel it drip down against the back of her throat. Somehow, it managed to avoid going down Arell’s esophagus, and instead wound up near the back of her tongue. Manipulating the weapon (which was hard to do because of its small size), she moved it around in her mouth and then stuck out her tongue, the pistol lying on the tip.

            “Ta-da,” She said. With her tongue out, it sounded like ‘tu-duh’. She drew her tongue back in. “Well, you should probably go get that, huh?”

            With that, she tossed the man into her mouth, and swished her around for a moment. She did this for a moment, but then slowly became aware of a unpleasant taste arising from either the man’s uniform or something else. Arell knelt down and leaned forward, bringing the face close to the lawn of a home, and spat the man out. The puddle of her spit soaked the entire lawn. Humorously…the man held his gun. Chuckling, Arell stood back up and continued walking.

            As she continued looking around for her little Earthy…she acknowledged that she actually wasn’t that mad about the fact that he had gotten away. In fact, she was sort of impressed. She honestly hadn’t thought he had it in him to actually try to go against her like this. She thought she had him cowed, had him under her thumb, as the Earthies said. Whenever she caught him again (and she WOULD catch him again), she would have to make a note to keep a closer eye on him, lest he try to escape again.

            That brought on the obvious question. Namely: how HAD he escaped? She turned to her shoulder, which held the part that had levitated Bradley in the ball of energy. It was no longer emitting said power. Somehow, it had shut off, which was why Bradley was no longer suspended. But how had that…

            The tank. She knew it even before the question had completely formed. There was a small ring of black from the tank’s hit on her shoulderblade. Her suit was fine, would undoubtedly hold Bradley again in the exact same way without fail, but the blast had probably hit one of the power channels, disrupting the energy enough to knock out Bradley’s balloon.

            He had been suspended in mid-air, and it was a good question to ponder how he managed to make it to the ground without being killed. Or…had he? Arell ran her fingers through her hair in attempts to see if Bradley was trying to hide right under her nose (or, more accurately, right behind her head). She felt nothing, and then checked around her body again. Still nothing. He was truly gone.

            “Well, well…you’re more interesting than I thought,” Arell said to herself, smiling. No one else would understand her, as she was saying this in her native tongue. “You have to know that I’m going to find you. You of all the Earthies should know what I’m capable of by now…” She looked around the town again for a moment trying to see if she could spot him. She knew, really, that she wouldn’t be able to tell him apart from any other Earthy at her height. And unless she wanted to pick up ever little Earthy from here to the West Coast, she’d have to do this some other way.

            She opened her mouth.

            “BRADLEEEEEEEY!” She yelled in her most furious voice that she could conjure. Her booming voice echoed far, across counties she was sure. Arell smiled. A little game of psychological warfare could go a long way. It would certainly keep little Bradley the Earthy on his toes, that was for sure.

…

            I’m so fucked, I’m so fucked, I’m so fucked, I’m so fucking fucked…

            That was all Bradley Peterson could think as he crouched in his shit-smelling hiding spot beneath the streets of the town, listening to the booming steps of his former mistress as she moved about. She had said she wasn’t going to kill him, that she hadn’t been planning on such a course of action…but now he wasn’t so sure that she’d keep that promise. He had essentially poked her in the eye now, and she would surely be furious when she found out that he was no longer hovering in his little prison by her side. That he had not sat and waited to picked up again like a good little pet.

            He didn’t know what had happened. One minute, he was helplessly watching Arell fight a group of soldiers, terrified that he would get hit in the crossfire, the next he was helplessly falling all of sudden and that he would die as a splatter on the concrete. His descent had been marked by a loud blast that had almost knocked Arell over, one of the tanks must have hit her. Then, he suddenly found himself falling. Instinctively, he flailed his arms for something to grab, and it was by the grace of god that they found the soft strands of Arell’s long, purple hair. Grabbing a handful of that, Bradley slid down them until he hit the ground. He had very little idea of what had just happened, but all he knew was that he was free. Free, suddenly free. Feeling suddenly as brave and gutsy as Andy Dufresne, he booked it.

            It had been an incredibly terrifying experience. Twice, as he ran, not having the slightest idea as to where he was going, he was almost crushed by Arell’s pounding feet as she walked. He tried to look up to keep track of where she was stepping, but he found that he couldn’t. For all his time that he’d been with her (which admittedly had only been two days, but felt like a life time), he’d never actually seen her from this perspective. Standing at the ground, he was finally forced to appreciate just how fucking big she was. She wouldn’t even feel anything if she were to step on him right now, only realizing it later. Her feet were bigger than a fair amount of houses he’d seen, and one of them came mere inches from landing atop him and he screamed.

            What finally saved him was an open manhole, the cover having been blown off by the tremors of Arell’s feet. Madly, Bradley scurried over and began to descend when something remarkable happened. Arell jumped. To see something as big as her leap into the air was awe inspiring and completely horrifying. Knowing what was coming, Bradley tried to climb down as fast as possible. He was halfway into the sewer when Arell landed, her feet plowing into the ground and into the sewer. The tremor caused the ladder he was on to break and he fell. Fortunately, he went down sideways and didn’t land in a stream of piss and shit and whatever else was in this foul dungeon.

            He ran the opposite direction, fumbling around to make sure he didn’t fall into the water. There were probably cuts in his flesh and falling in sewage was not an option. He found a small corner shrouded and darkness and, not knowing what else to do, crouched there and waited. His heart was racing, knowing full well the extent of what he was doing. It would only be a matter of time before Arell noticed he was gone. A hope that she would think that she had stepped on him and assume he was dead came to Bradley’s mind. Then, she would not search for him and he would be free. Free!

            But, somehow, that sounded too good to be true. Arell was smart, and she would probably (most likely) check such an assumption. Thoroughly, of course, as that was her way. Maybe she would mistake one of the soldiers she stepped on as his stain. Maybe…

            He heard the sounds of her moving around up there. And then, after a moment of silence…

            “Well…that was exciting. No worries, though. Didn’t even begin to break a sweat. You can’t say that I didn’t warn them, can you, my little Earthy?”

            Oh, Christ…

            Another moment of quiet that lasted a century.

             “No, you can’t,” She continued, and Bradley breathed again for a moment. “It was never my intention to combat your little race, but, they made their choice. As your Earthies say, they made their bed, and now they have to lay in it. But, there was also no need to kill all of them. I’m sure you can appreciate that.”

            Silence again. It couldn’t be much longer now. He was lucky that she hadn’t noticed this long. A part of him thought he should be running RIGHT NOW, but he could barely see down here, and going back up there was not an option since she was RIGHT THERE!

            Oh, god, he thought, if she walks over here I might be fucked…

            The roads wouldn’t hold her if she walked too hard…

            Arell’s voice came forth again from above. “It would be best to respond when I’m speaking, my…little……..” She trailed off in a very noticeable way. Bradley’s heart and breathing stopped.

            Remarkably…nothing happened right away. He heard some sounds of her moving about, probably her looking around for him. Then, she began moving (in the opposite direction thank god for small favors), a pause every now and then. There were screams and the unmistakable boom as another structure met its end under her boots. Then, at some points, he heard the faint sound of gunshots. Arell’s voice followed them. Her voice was soft, but he couldn’t tell the tone, which was what he wanted to know. She walked further, still going away, and she spoke again after a few more minutes. Again, her voice was soft, probably speaking to herself. He couldn’t really make out what she was saying the first time, but this time he heard a few things…and he couldn’t understand them at all. She was speaking that damn freak language of hers again. Her exact tone was still unclear. He strained his ears to try and catch it, but then she stopped speaking again. There was silence.

            “BRADLEEEEEEEY!”

            Like a firework factory exploding, Arell’s voice boomed into his hiding spot and seemed to shake the foundation, and he had to cover his ears. But he didn’t pay much attention to the pain in his ears. He had turned completely and, though he couldn’t hear it, he was whimpering and tears began to flow from his eyes. Oh, boy, she was fucking pissed! If she ever caught him again, she would literally break him in half! To hear her call his name, to identify him, to call him out…he would have much rather her yell “Earthy”. But no…now miles of people would know that Arell, the giant invader and conqueror of Earth, was looking for a man named Bradley.

            He couldn’t move. His entire body was frozen as the greatest terror he had ever experienced gripped him firmly and wouldn’t let go. People had yelled like that before, but no of them came close to the monster outside. Most of them just wanted to vent their rage and then go on with their day. This lady would kill him, his very life was at stake here! He knew it would be wise to get up and run, to get as far away from Arell’s position as possible, but it wasn’t going to happen. Another part of him was seriously considering going back out there and letting her find him. Maybe if he bowed down to her like a man would before his god she’d find it so pathetic that she wouldn’t kill him. Or…she’d stomp on him anyway. Hard to tell, really.

            No commitment to either action, run or give up, came to his brain, and all he did was sit there, cowering and shaking and sweating and whimpering…

            Leave…please…just leave…get lost…put a giant egg in your giant shoe and beat it.

…

            Arell stood where she was, as a fresh volley of screams down below responded to her shout. Bradley had, no doubt, heard her, and, hopefully, he was scared straight. She was partly waiting for him to come out and let her catch him, spewing tearful apologies and begging that she be merciful to his insubordination. And, all things considered, she would. Might have to squeeze him again, maybe break a bone or two. But, nothing serious, and, if he was good, she would even numb his pain. She could just fix the bone with the synthetic gel, but then he wouldn’t learn anything would he? Or maybe she wouldn’t do anything to him. Maybe she would lead him to believe that something was going to happen, and leave him sitting on it for awhile, his imagination filling the holes.

            If, while scanning him earlier, she had collected his more intimate biological information (DNA, for example), she would be able to simply place it into the scanner and pinpoint where he was based on that. But alas…she had not counted on this. She had underestimated Bradley Peterson, it seemed. Either that, or he was underestimating her. Which ever one would be figured out as time went along. She could run the scanner on the ship again and perform another wide beam like before. But she had told Bradley that the scanner would not go through non-living things, like buildings. All he had to do was stay inside, or even be in a car, and he’d be ignored.

            “You really should rethink this line of action, Bradley…” Arell said out loud. He couldn’t have gone too far, and her voice would reach quite far. “If you come out now, I promise not to hurt you too badly. If I have to find you…”

            She wasn’t quite sure WHAT she was going to do when she caught him. But she did know that she did want him again. She wanted him more now than she had previously. Earlier, he had been sort of boring and a bit of a bother with his constant complaining and whining. Despite squeezing him a few times (that had been difficult, minding her strength so as to not pop him like a grape) he still managed to find it in him to argue. Now he had found in him to try and escape. It would be interesting have him around.

            A few moments passed. She scanned the streets of the town at her feet and saw no little Earthy coming towards her. All of them were running, driving, or however else away from her. Arell nodded.

            “Well then…” She said outloud. “You’ve made your decision then…”

            She took a few steps forward, looking around a little bit more in case she had missed his approach. Still nothing. Shaking her head, a little smile on her face, Arell reached for the transporter on her belt and then pressed it.

            A moment later…she was gone.

…

            She’s gonna find you, you know that she’s going to find you, Christ man! What were you thinking!?

            It was too late to ask that question.

            When he heard the sound of the transporter, he grabbed the fallen ladder and leaned it up against the wall under the man hole. Climbing up, it didn’t reach all the way, but enough for Bradley to grab the lip of the hole and pull himself up. When he got to the street, he saw chasms in the street, wrecked cars, broken buildings, and destruction that was akin to a bomb going off. What he didn’t see was Arell. She was gone.

            For now…

            Oh, she’d come back. He knew that. She’d look again. She was too smart not to. That was just the way she was. And her technology, oh lord, who knew what sort of crazy gizmos that she had at her disposal. What he had seen thus far could only be the tip of the proverbial iceberg. There could be several things that she had to find him. Hell, she could have access to security cameras and could be watching him right now! Or maybe she had some drones that were sneaking around, or she had something like a satellite that could zoom in…like Google Maps or some shit. She had more capabilities on her ship than anywhere else. At any given moment, even two seconds from now, she could drop right down on top of him and then he’d be screwed. He had a feeling he was already screwed. There would be no fighting her if she were to locate him. All he would be able to do is beg and beg some more and hope like hell that she was feeling merciful. But the way she had sounded earlier, the way she had shouted, made him think that this possibility was non-existant. When she found him, she might actually kill him, and he didn’t think she’d just sit on him like she had done to those two Earthies earlier. No…she’d do something special maybe. Or something just remarkably brutal. Either way, he would end up dead, and that could happen any minute. Any minute…any minute….any…

            He had to get out of here.

            Bradley began running down the street, unsure of where he was going, but knowing that he couldn’t stay in this town. Doing that was a death sentence, as it would surely be the first place Arell would look. She was already back on her ship, she could be powering up her godly devices right now, and getting ready to look. And he was standing out here right in the open. He had to get somewhere, anywhere would do. Rounding a corner, he ran down a line of houses, heading for the outskirts of the suburb. On the way, he passed a dazed soldier, lying on someone’s lawn, drenched in some sort of slime. Arell’s doing, no doubt. The “slime” was probably her spit or something. He also passed a crushed military jeep, also courtesy of Arell’s little rampage.

            He had no idea what he was doing, and he knew he was panicking, but could hardly stop himself. Where on Earth was he going to go? Did Arell know where he lived? She apparently knew enough about him from the personal info she’d stated previously. Going home wasn’t an option. He didn’t want to lay low with friends or family, because he didn’t want to get them involved. This was a journey that he’d have to go alone, but he was never really financially secure, so he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to start a new life. Hell, he didn’t even have more than ten bucks on him now! Somehow he didn’t think that changing his name, undergoing plastic surgery, and moving to Mexico would stop Arell from finding him if she really tried. But one thing at a time. First he still needed to figure out just how the hell he was going to get out of the town he was already in.

            Down the road, just at the outside of town, was a gas station, that had a bunch of cars standing, abandoned. Bradley ran in its direction. Checking the vehicles, he found one at the end of the line of pumps, a red Ford Pacifica. Its door was open, a gas nozzle was in the tank, and there was a cellphone lying off to the side, broken. Whomever had owned it had been talking or texting or whatever when Arell had beamed them up to her ship. But the one important question remained. Bradley went to the driver’s door and leaned over the seat. The inside of the car was a bit of a mess, with fast food bags and empty drink bottles littered on the floor, which was heavily stained. The seats were ripped in some places, and the radio was missing a few buttons.

            But the keys were in the ignition.

            Stupid, Bradley thought, this is stupid, you’re committing grand theft auto!

            Somehow, though, he suspected the authorities had more pressing matters to attend to than one stolen car. Plus, if they’d known where he was coming from, they’d probably understand more. Bradley took out the gas nozzle, hung it up, got into the car and shut the door. After putting on his seat belt, he was reaching for the key to start the car when he realized that the tank might be empty. It had been sitting at a gas station, after. And Bradley barely had enough money, and what he had wouldn’t buy him many miles. Timidly, he turned the keys. The car started up without trouble. The gas gauge was just slightly above “E”, and Bradley moaned. For an utterly terrible moment, he thought the car was useless, but then he saw the needle on the gauge move. It went up the arc of the meter with strong speed and didn’t stop until it reached the “F” on the other side. Bradley stared at this for a moment, and then turned and looked at the gas pump.

            On the screen, the sale was fifty four dollars, and it asked if he wanted a receipt. Bradley stared at that for another moment and then uttered a shrill, giddy laugh that would have terribly frightened him in previous days of his life. He pressed the gas pedal with and peeled out of the slot and shot onto the main road out of town. He had no real idea where he was going, but at least he was going somewhere. Arell could already have him pinned right now. Maybe she was watching his new stolen car race down the empty road, waiting for a good time to show up out of nowhere and snatch him up and break him in half. Maybe she had a special beam weapon on her ship that could fire at small targets on Earth and she would disintegrate the car and him. Perhaps she was preparing to have the world’s nuclear arsenal fall on his head, or blow up the United States for his disobedience. It was possible that she…

            Bradley moaned at the unknown of his situation and pressed on the gas pedal harder.

…

            Arell was not actually watching him, and she would have found it amusing if she had figured out that Bradley was panicking about such a thing.

            Instead, she was sitting at her desk, with the box of world leaders next to her. It was time to send all of them back, as promised. They had all agreed to her demands (though hesitantly) and allowed their power to be transferred to her. So, she now reached into the box, pulled out one of them, set the coordinates for the transporter and sent them on their way one by one. It was a long and tedious process, and Arell was getting quite bored with it. She bide farewell to each of her ‘guests’ in their own language, and by the time she got over thirty, these were merely grunts. But, within time, the transparent box was nearing emptiness, and the task would soon be done.

            It wasn’t until the last one that Arell perked up again.

            She offered the President of the United States of America a wide smile as she lifted him up to her face.

            “And then there was only you and me,” She said, teasingly.

            “Wh-wh-wh-what!?” The President asked, already getting scared. “What do you…you’re sending me home right? I’ve given you the U.S.A, though against my will. You’ve taken my position, my county, and my pride. At least have the decency to let me return to my family!”

            “In a minute,” Arell said, waving this aside, casually. “I need you to do a little work for me, President Earthy.”

            “W-w-work?” The Commander in Chief asked, nervous.

            “Yes,” Arell nodded. “I would like your help in finding a particular citizen of your country, one Bradley Peterson. You’ve met him. He’s my little Earthy friend that I’ve been keeping here on my ship. He managed to get away from me when some of your armed forces attacked me, despite my warning…”

            The President gulped. She had made the fact that she would tolerate retribution very clear. What would she do to the country for the actions of those men and women?

            “Specifically,” Arell continued. “I would like you to coordinate your little military to find him for me. I want him back, so I need your forces to keep him alive. If he gets killed…I won’t be happy, let’s just put it that way.”

            “You…you can’t find him..?” The President asked.

            “Oh, I can,” The giant woman replied, shaking her head. “But, you see, I have devices that act mostly like a RADAR. They are meant to detect and locate groups of intelligent life or other such things of interest. However, when it comes to specifically finding one Earthy out of millions, the task become much more difficult. If I am to locate my little Earthy, I will have to perform some alterations onto the systems, and that will take time. While I do that, I figure I might as well use my influence, and have some of my newfound subjects to aid me.”

            “But…” The President began.

            “If you do this,” Arell went on. “I will be more than happy to reward you and your country for your efforts. If you don’t catch him before me, then you get nothing. But, in either case, he needs to get to me alive. Understand?”

            “I…I suppose, but…” The Commander in Chief spoke.

            “Excellent,” Arell said, smiling. “Then we understand each other. Save what you have to say, because I’m not asking, I’m ‘telling’ you to do this. So, when I send you home, I suggest you get right on your homework assignment and try to get it in on time. Failure to do this…and you will answer to me.”

            The President guped. Arell smiled.

            “Well then…” She said, brightening. “Ta-ta, Mr. President Earthy.”

            With a push of the Transporter…the President was gone. Arell looked at where he had been, and chuckled softly.

            “Enjoy this freedom while it lasts, my little Earthy,” She mused to herself. “I will make sure that it does not last forever. The second most important rule that you need to understand is: You are now mine, and I intend to keep you as such…”

Even though things were relatively quiet in the rest of the United States (none of them had seen Arell at all since her broadcast, with the exception of the one town she had abducted), the tension of the situation was still evident. Very few schools had been reopened, several businesses went days with employees not showing up for work, and traffic jams now seemed to be popping up everywhere, as people seemed to suddenly have a notion to move across the country. College students went home, seniors were picked up by their families, business men and women decided to abandon their careers for the time being. The knowledge of a global take-over from a race from beyond the stars was enough to send people into pandemonium. Scientists were both thrilled and terrified. Until now, intelligent life had just been talk, but now that it had been found AND it was more intelligent than them, they were sort of wishing to go back to the dark ages when they were ignorant. Religious groups were frantically meeting. Some were falling apart, due to the idea of life from the beyond completely destroyed their image that their holy texts gave them. Some were proclaiming that Arell was the angel of death, and that the Rapture (or its equivalent if you were not a Christian) had come. A new group was actually proclaiming the giant, purple haired woman as a new Goddess, viewing her as an angry entity that needed sacrifice to be appeased.

            In short, it was hard to get around with all of the activity, as Todd McFinnley and Sarah LaFluer had discovered as they were stuck in terrible traffic as they tried to head north Sarah’s parents home in northern New York State. They had gotten as far as the Catskills mountains when they realized that the traffic was getting worse, to the point of almost completely no progression per hour. When they saw how bad it was, they turned back to return to NYC, where at least they had homes. They were driving Todd’s van, and Randy Fredrickson, Kevin Ward, Alfred Bowden, and Colonel Stark sat in the rear. The Colonel was grumbling furiously.

            “What are we going to do now?” Randy asked, after a long silence. “We’re essentially going back to where we started. We’re no closer to our families, friends, or otherwise.”

            “I don’t know,” Sarah sighed. “We’ll just either have to just stick together in New York City or come up with another plane. But everyone’s in a panic, and trying to go everywhere at once.”

            “It’d probably be easier to just stay in the city,” Todd said. “At least the traffic going back to the city isn’t too bad.”

            “I say we go back to my place,” Kevin Ward said. “Plenty of ready material there and I have my equipment there in case our giant leader comes to visit.”

            “Will you give it a rest with that bullshit?” The Colonel shot at him. “If she saw you recording her, she’d probably step on you, and it’d be your own damn fault.”

            “Say what you want, Colonel Senior,” Kevin replied. “But I’ve been saying that aliens existed for years, and now, not only have I been right the entire time, but the aliens we have gotten are hot space babes! I mean, yeah, she conquered our planet, kidnapped our president, and shut off the planet’s computers and stuff…but hey…on a scale of one to ten on the hotness scale…she’s like twelve.”

            “Well, I’ll tell you what,” Colonel Stark said. “If we ever do meet her, I’ll introduce you and tell her you’re a big fan. Then, she’ll be so happy to see you she’ll take you home and leave the rest of us the fuck alone!”

            “I’d be up for it,” Kevin agreed, grinning. “I’ll take one for Team Earth. I’ll be a hero, and I get to stay with a hot space babe. Sounds like a pretty good dea…”

            “Shut it!” Stark snapped.

            “Come on you two,” Sarah said, turning towards them. “You’ve been arguing almost the entire trip.”

            “Can’t help it if the boy’s an idiot,” Stark said.

            “Can’t help it if the old dude’s mom is a whore,” Kevin said.

            “Why you…!” Stark reached for him, while Kevin leaned away, laughing.

            Suddenly the two of them were flung forward as the car’s brakes were suddenly applied, giving a harsh squeal as it happened. Colonel Stark’s head struck Sarah’s seat, while Kevin bumped into his door.

            “Oh god!” Kevin cried in a high falsetto, grinning. “Now look what you’ve done, Starky! Now Todd is going to turn this car around! Oh the horror!”

            “What are you trying to do, kill us!?” Colonel Stark shouted at Todd.

            “Sorry!” Todd snapped. “You two are fighting and its distracting during this traffic! So how about you both stop before I do end up accidentally killing us all!”

            “Don’t listen to what we’re doing,” Stark grumbled. “Just pay attention to the road, and we’ll all be fine. Now…as for you…” He reached for Kevin again.

            “Hey guys…” Randy spoke up. “What’s that guy doing?”

            “What?” Stark said, looking towards him.

            Fredrickson pointed. What he was gesturing to was a man and a red car on the shoulder. Todd had seen some people looking rather freaked by the whole situation, but so far he hadn’t really seen anyone on the verge of panic. But if this guy wasn’t displaying panic, then the word had no meaning. He was standing next to his car (the hood was up, a telltale sign), waving his arms madly at the cars that were passing him. None of them stopped, even though he was desperately signaling at them. Even though they were still a good thirty feet from him, Todd thought he could hear the guy screaming out to the passerbys. And as they got closer, he found that he was right.

            “Looks like someone’s having a bad day,” Todd said aloud, looking to Sarah.

            “Eh!” Colonel Stark grunted. “He’s just a man who can’t handle himself in a tight situation. Look at him. Looks like he’s about to shit himself if he hasn’t already. No one’s gonna pick a man like that up. Too much of a hassle. Just keep going and don’t make eye contact.”

            “Maybe we should help him…” Sarah said, looking concerned.

            “No,” Stark shook his head. “Just leave him be. We don’t need any drama on this trip.”

            “If that’s your reason,” Todd said. “Then you and Kevin already fucked that plan up.”

            “Oh, you poor child,” Stark growled.

            “Pull over, Todd,” Sarah said, tugging his sleeve. “Let’s see if we can help him.”

            “What are you going on about!?” Stark snapped. “Why do we need to help him? We can’t even help ourselves right now, we don’t need another moron to get in the way! Especially one that’s gone off the deep end.”

            “It’s my car and I’ll pick up who I want,” Todd shot back.

            “We’d want someone to help us, Colonel Stark,” Sarah explained, patiently. “During times like this, we have to look out for other people.”

            “You’re a saint,” Stark grumbled. “Its people like you that get the short of the stick when a more greedy person takes advantage of you.”

            “It’s something I learned while working with Red Cross,” Sarah said, simply. “We’ll be fine. Stop the car, Todd.”

            Todd nodded and guided his van over towards the shoulder. The man in the sunglasses saw this, and, once they had stopped behind his red car, scrambled up to their car. Without waiting for an invitation, he pulled the door open and began to leap inside. Stark, immediately not liking this, held the man back and tried to shut the door on him.

            “Now wait just a damn minute, you maniac!!” Stark shouted. “What is  your major malfunction!?”

            “Don’t have time!” The man cried, panting. “Gotta go! Please! Can’t stay here! Gotta move gotta move gotta move!”

            “This is the kind of man you want to give a ride to!?” Stark cried at Todd and Sarah. “Drive! We’re leaving this psycho behind!”

            “No!” The man shook his head rapidly. With a very visible effort, he calmed himself, ceasing his frantic fighting with the door against Colonel Stark and looked into the van. “I’m sorry…I’m sorry…please…I just need to keep moving…please….”

            “Where are you headed?” Todd asked, now wondering himself if this was a good idea.

            “Anywhere.” The man said, panting. “…uh…New York City, I guess would be a start. Somewhere populated would be good….”

            “You on the run from the law, son?” Stark asked, suspiciously.

            “No…” The man said, a pleading tone coming into his voice. He must have understood the implications of his behavior, because he made a visible effort to calm himself. “I…I am on the run though…bad people….it’s anarchy all over the country…bad people…”

            “What kind of bad people?” Stark asked, still suspicious.

            “Does it matter!?” The man cried, desperate. “Look, I’m not armed! I have nothing!” He turned his pockets out of his jeans to show them. “I just need a ride! Please, I’ll do anything, I just can’t stay here alright!? I just CAN’T!”

            Stark shoved the man away from the car and shut the door. Immediately, the would-be hitch hiker ran back and began pounding on the door, begging and pleading without end.

            “Drive.” The Colonel said, tapping Todd’s seat. “Let’s go.”

            “And just leave him there?” Sarah asked, looking back at him.

            “We’re not taking the risk.”

            “What risk?” Sarah pressed. “He just showed you that he doesn’t have any sort of weapon.”

            “I don’t trust him,” The Colonel explained. “He’s a stranger on the side of the road with strange, not to mention unnamed, ‘bad guys’ after him. We don’t know who’s after him or what they want. It could be the law. It could be the mafia. We aren’t taking the risk. Drive.”

            “We don’t have to keep him,” Sarah said. “He doesn’t have to stay with us. Even if what you’re saying is true, we can at least give him a ride. No harm in that right?”

            “It will be if his ‘bad guys’ catch up.” Stark shook his head.

            “But we can’t just leave him here,” Randy spoke up. “We could save his life by doing this.”

            “Or we could all die,” The Colonel said to him.

            “We could all die tomorrow or in the next five minutes if our new Overlord decides to bomb the planet,” Fredrickson replied. “Or even show up unannounced and steps on us if we accidentally get in her way. If being killed is your concern, then it’s one we’re already in danger of, regardless.”

            “That’s assuming that massive cunt has that ability,” Colonel Stark growled.

            “Never doubt aliens,” Kevin said. “They could have all kinds of shit. Med bays that can rebuild your face if it gets blown off by a grenade, or a death beam like thing, or light sabers, or a portal gun, or a cloaking device, or…”

            “The point is,” Randy interrupted. “She’s already proven that she has some pretty serious tech. We have to assume the worst here. Wouldn’t you do the same if you were still in the military, Colonel?”

            “Don’t patronize me,” Stark snapped. “I’m doing just that with this moron that you all want to help. Yeah, that giant bitch is holding the dice, but she’s not standing outside our door…will you stop that!!” He shouted at the man, who was still pounding at the window.

            “Please!” The hitch hiker begged.

            “No, you’re right,” Sarah said. “She’s floating outside our planet. I don’t see the difference it makes.”

            “Listen…” Stark tried.

            “No, Colonel,” She shook her head. “We’re done talking about this. Let him in. We can at least give him a ride for now.”

            “No.” Edgar Stark shook his head now.

            “Fine.” Todd said. He reached forward and turned the key in the ignition. The van’s engine died.

            “What…?”

            “If you’re not gonna listen,” McFinnley interrupted him. “Then none of us are going anywhere.”

            “Oh you’re shitting me…”

            “Nope.”

            “He could get us all killed, goddamnit!” Stark barked. “Do you want to end up lying in a ditch with holes in your heads while some team of assholes make off with our car?” No one replied to him. “He could get you raped, Sarah! There are plenty of ‘bad people’ who would do that to a pretty little lady like yourself.” Still no response. “I’m not saying that to be the asshole here, I’m just trying to be realistic! We’re talking about our lives here, dammit!”

            “Are you gonna open the door?” Alfred spoke up. “I really don’t want to sit here all day.”

            Colonel Edgar Stark sat there for a moment, looking at him. He looked at all of them, from Fred, to Kevin, to Sarah, to Todd, and finally the man outside. With a final growl, defeated, the old man unlocked the door and got out.

            “Get in, you sack of shit…” He muttered. It was hardly even said before the man was already in the car.

            “Thank you, thank you,” The hitch hiker said, quickly buckling himself in. “Oh, thank you. You’re great people, such great people, kind people. Thank you.”

            “Fuck you,” Stark growled, getting back in. Todd started the engine again.

            “So New York City is okay with you?” Sarah asked the man.

            “Anywhere but here is great,” The hiker replied, nodding quickly. “Thanks, just…you have no idea how much this means to me.”

            “What’s your name, sir?” Sarah asked.

            “Bradley.” The man said. “Bradley Peterson. Nice to meet all of you. And thanks again.”

…

            Despite some poking and prodding by Colonel Stark, Peterson didn’t talk much about the circumstances that he was in. He ultimately dismissed most of the questions by stating what he had said earlier: that some bad people were looking for him. No matter how hard or how loud Stark asked, Bradley just repeated this. He didn’t get mad, or agitated, or anything. He just kept saying the same thing. Eventually, Todd threatened to stop the car again if Stark didn’t shut it, and then there was quiet again.

            Traffic had suddenly picked up and the group was still stuck in the Catskill Mountains. Cars were now bumper to bumper and crawling along slowly. It wasn’t as bad as it was on the way out of the City, which was good. Still, Peterson was getting restless at the lack of progress.

            “Come on, come on…” He said, looking out the window. “What is all of this!? What’s the hold up!?”

            “Traffic’s bad everywhere, Mr. Peterson,” Sarah said. “You should have been here when we were leaving the city.”

            “Yeah,” Kevin nodded. “It was slow enough that you could get out of the car, go into the bushes, and take a shit and then get back in with no problem. I know, because I…”

            “I get it,” Peterson interrupted, absently. He was staring out the window. Up ahead was a turn and he was trying to crane his neck to see around it. He sighed, and sat back down. A big sign, announcing that a tunnel was ahead, was on the right side of the shoulder, blocking the view of the turn. “It’s no good. I can’t see up ahead.”

            Todd moved the car forward about three inches the moment they got out. Two more as they rounded the sign.

            “You think it’s a wreck?” Todd asked Sarah.

            “Probably,” She replied. “After what’s been going on, it wouldn’t be very surprising.”

            “What if somebody drove over the railing and down the cliff?” Kevin asked. “That happened a few years ago. Some guy in a jeep flipped over the railing. His car was completely wrecked from it.”

            A helicopter flew over the area at that moment. Sarah looked out of the window to look at it.

            “That chopper was pretty close,” Randy said, also looking up as the copter passed. “Maybe someone DID flip over the rail.”

            “Maybe…but….” Sarah said slowly. “That was a military chopper.”

            “Eh, they’re probably just keeping an eye on things.” Colonel Stark said. “After all, with everyone and their grandfather moving around at the same time, some moron is bound to start up some….trouble…….”

            As they finally made the turn, they saw what the hold-up was. There were military cars lined up at the tunnel inside the mountainside, and the glare of the sun off of orange roadblocks even at the back of the line here. Military personnel was walking up and down the aisles of cars looking in the vehicles as they passed by. Each soldier was armed, naturally.

            “Looks like…a check point or something.” Todd said.

            “Shit. Hide the booze.” Kevin said grinning.

            “This isn’t funny, Kevin.” Todd shot at him.

            “What?” Ward replied. “It’s not like we’ve got anything to hide.”

            “Kid’s right, for once,” Colonel Stark said. “Whatever they’re looking for, we don’t have it. No need to be worried.”

            “What are they looking for?” Sarah asked. “They’re not even really stopping people. They’re just slowing them down so they can look in the car. Are they looking for someone?”

            “Probably a criminal.” Stark said, shrugging. “A lot’s happened in the last two days. Can’t be too careful, ya know.”

            “Has this been going on for awhile?” Peterson asked.

            “That’s the thing…” Sarah said. “I haven’t seen anything like this from the military.”

            “Oh, please,” The Colonel said. “You kids get one look at a bunch of men in uniform and you all shit yourselves. We’ll be fine, you just watch.”

            Todd continued to inch the car further. Bradley looked at the soldiers at they did their patrol across the aisles. He wasn’t really paying attention to them, though. There were much more dire things on his mind. Arell was looking for him. It was only a matter of time before she’d find him. He had no real plan of what he was going to do, how he was going to keep from being captured again. So far, all he could think of doing was running until he ran of out places to run to. But he knew that this would ultimately do nothing. Run as he may, there was no where on the planet that Arell couldn’t easily get to. There was only one way to escape that woman, and that would be a bullet to the head, or something of that fashion. Anything else just lead to capture.

            He hadn’t been caught yet. Either that was because Arell had yet to find him or she had and she was just toying with him was yet to be seen. It probably didn’t even matter in the end. But he wasn’t alone anymore. No, he was with a group now. He had told them that he was on the run, and that much was true. But he had not told them that he was on the run from Planet Earth’s new management. Would they have taken him if he had told them? Would ANYONE take him at that moment? He didn’t know, but it was probably better not to risk it. It would have been better to act calm and cool when hitch hiking, instead of the panicking buffoon he had portrayed himself to be. If he had been in their position, he wasn’t sure that he would have picked himself up, either.

            New York City. He had only been there once a long time ago, and that was only in passing. He had been on his way to Maine for a family trip and had passed through New York City on the way. It had only been a cheap hunch that he might have a better chance in a more populated place than a quiet plac.e. More places to hide, more people for her to confuse him with, and more underground areas. But now he wasn’t even sure that that mattered either. Arell had broken through the sewer back at the town when she had jumped. Surely she could do the same, and even if she could do so without some help, she most certainly had the tech to do so with.

            There were still somethings that were a bit off about Arell. She kept saying that she was a researcher, and she seemed to be serious about that. Her fellow Avakonians didn’t know much about Earth or the “Earthies” according to her. She told them what she felt was necessary to tell them, she had said, because it was her job and she was in complete control. But something seemed strange about that explanation, but he wasn’t sure that he…

            Taptaptaptaptap.

            “You.” A voice blew through Bradley’s mind. “In the back. Step out of the vehicle please.”

            Turning to the sound, Peterson turned his head. They had made it halfway to the tunnel when one of the military personnel had approached their car. As he peered in, he looked at a photograph in his hand. His eyes went to the picture…to Bradley.

            “Huh?” Peterson asked.

            “Out of the car.” The soldier ordered, pocketing the picture. He began to walk around to his side.

            “I knew it!” Colonel Stark cried, jabbing Bradley in the side with a finger. “I knew you were trouble, you lying sack of shit!”

            “What…?” Bradley asked, eyes darting rapidly. What the hell was going on?

            “The military is looking for you!?” Todd asked, incredulously. “What the fuck!?”

            “What did you do?” Sarah asked, a little hurt and angry at the same time.

            “I didn’t…” Bradley began.

            Taptaptaptap.

            “Out of the vehicle.” The soldier asked, now on his side. “Now.”

            “Wait…so you ARE a criminal?” Kevin asked, eyebrows raised.

            “No!” Bradley cried, trying desperately to catch up. “What are you talking about!?”

            “LIAR!” Stark yelled. “Get the fuck out of this car, you backstabber.”

            “But I don’t even know…!” Peterson shouted.

            “Sir!” The soldier snapped. “Get out here! This is an order!”

            Another soldier was running up to the car. “Is it him?” He asked.

            “Yeah, it’s him.” The soldier replied. “Get on the radio. Now…sir…get out.”

            “What for?” Bradley asked.

            “Oh, don’t play dumb, you stooge!” Colonel Stark snapped. “Just get out and let us alone, you filth!”

            “Will you shut up!?” Bradley cried. “I’m trying to figure out what’s going on!”

            “You leaving is what’s going on!” Stark shouted.

            “What the fuck did you do!?” Todd cried at Bradley.

            “I didn’t do anything!!” Peterson shouted.

            “Then why are they looking for you?” Sarah asked.

            “Look, I don’t…”

            SMASH.

            The butt of the soldier’s rifle burst through Bradley’s words as they were coming out of his mouth. Peterson jumped and shielded his face from the shards of glass as the man’s hand reached in and unlocked the door, which was pulled open and then the hands fell on to Bradley’s shoulder. Two soldiers, with more on the way, yanked Peterson out of the car.

            “That’s right!” Stark cried. “Take him away!”

            “No!” Bradley cried. “What’s going on!? What did I do!?”

            “You’re coming with us.” The soldier informed him. He turned to another trooper. “We’ve got him. Radio in and prepare a delivery.”

            “Delivery!?” Bradley asked, stunned.

            Everything else in the area had stopped. All cars ceased moving forward as this new spectacle unleashed itself in front of all eyes. The only ones really moving was the military personnel. A fair amount of which were converging on Todd’s van. They grabbed Bradley and began to take him towards the tunnel. As they passed Sarah’s window, Bradley grabbed the frame.

            “Help me!” He screamed desperately. “Help! Please!”

            “You lied to us!” Sarah cried, angered.

            “No!” Bradley shouted. “You don’t understand!”

            “What’s there to not get?” Colonel Stark roared. “You’re a lying sack of shit and you’re wanted by the military. Pretty fucking straight forward if you ask me!”

            “You’re taking me to HER, aren’t you!?” Bradley screamed at the people pulling at me. “Aren’t you!? You are, aren’t you? Tell me!” They didn’t reply. Didn’t even look at him. That was all the answer he needed. His hands were yanked from Todd’s van and he was pulled away.

            “I was a prisoner!” Peterson yelled at the people in the van. He frantically pointed into the air. “HER prisoner! She’s using the military, I know it! They’re taking me back to her! Don’t let them! Please, I’m begging you, don’t let them take me back to her! She’ll kill me!”

            “Let that man go!” A new voice cried. And Bradley was stunned to see it was Colonel Stark, who was getting out of the van.

            “Sir, return to your…”

            “Don’t tell me where to go, son!” The Colonel shouted in the man’s face. “I am Colonel Edgar Stark! You will stand down and let this man go, immediately!”

            “Sir, that’s not possible,” The Soldier replied, in as respectful a tone as possible. “Command needs this man to be brought…”

            “Is he being brought to that giant bitch as he claims?” The Colonel demanded. “I didn’t hear an answer to that question, but it better be ‘no’! We do not negotiate with terrorists, and this country will not start negotiating with freak aliens, let alone give ourselves up to one!”

            “Sir, I’m asking you to stand down!” The soldier snapped.

            “But wait!” Randy called. He and the others had gotten out and were also approaching. “Are you guys taking him to that giant alien woman?”

            “If you are…” Kevin said. “Can I go with you.?”

            “Shut up, Kevin!” Todd cried.

            “You will return to your vehicle,” The soldier barked. “Or we will open fire! We are to take this man by any means necessary! And that means that lethal force is authorized!”

            “You shoot me, and by god, you will be sorry!” Colonel Stark growled. “My family has high positions in the government, and they will see you stripped of your rank and thrown into military prison!”

            “This situation is higher than anyone of your family can do anything about sir!” The soldier snapped. “Last chance: return to your vehicle now or…”

             A beacon of light, at that very same moment, shone down from the heavens in a bright sheen. The sudden tower of light caused many people to scream and shield their eyes. The soldiers, apparently not expecting this, released Bradley to cover their own eyes. Edgar Stark, familiar with this sort of chance, took it, and ran forward, grabbed the man’s rifle and knocked him over with the butt of it.

            “Run!” Bradley yelled to Stark and the others. “Follow me! NOW! NOW, OH GOD!”

            “Why!?” Todd asked, scared. “What’s happeni…”

            “JUST GO! NOW!”

            And suddenly, Arell was there.

            Her arrival was marked with a hearty drop to the ground that shook everything on the mountain. A few boulders were knocked loose and fell onto the road, smashing cars and people. The giant woman climbed up the embankment, which wasn’t that big to her, as christing big as she was, and looked down at the sea of terrified Earthies as they ran in every which way to avoid their new Overlord.

            “Alright….” She said, smiling brightly. “Where is he? Where is my little Earthy?”

            Bradley moaned at this and ran. He kept his head down, using the cars for cover as he made his way to the tunnel. It was the only place that could even feasibly be considered safe at this point.

            “Bradley, Bradley, Bradley…” Arell called softly, her eager eyes scanning back and forth, her smile growing. She raised a hand and was tracing it along the road, knocking over cars and people. “Where are you? This is a good chance to let go of this foolish line of action you’ve taken.”

            “Ohmygodohmygodohmygod,” Sarah was saying, her eyes wide, her hands clutching Todd as they followed Bradley. Randy was silent, but his eyes were also bugged, and his lips were trembling. Alfred’s eyes were darting and he was white as a sheet.

            Kevin, on the other hand…

            “God, she’s even hotter in person!” He said. He was running and taking pictures with his cellphone. “Hold that smile, beautiful!”

            “For the love of fuck!” Colonel Stark shouted. “I hope she takes you with her, you fucking dope!”

            “I’m going to find you!” Arell called, playfully. “Don’t ever think that I won’t! You’re just a little mouse, and I’m the big cat, ready to pounce the moment I see you! I’m telling you now, the smart thing would be to just surrender yourself now, while I’m in a good mood!” She picked up a car, peeped inside of it, and then tossed it over her shoulder.

            “Get to the tunnel!” Bradley shouted over the screams of the people. “Hurry!”

            “Christ she’s huge!” Todd screamed. “Oh, god we’re so fucked! We’re so fucked! Why didn’t you tell us she was after you, asshole!?”

            “I didn’t think you’d help me if I did!” Bradley cried. “Sorry!”

            “Quite your blubbering and move, dumbasses!” Colonel Stark commanded.

            Zipping around the people and the cars, Bradley made his way to the tunnel. He looked back over his shoulder and saw Arell leaning over the cars behind him. She seemed to be going the opposite direction of where he was running, which was just great! Keep checking that way, sweetheart! Make my job easy! But another part of him knew that even if he made it to the tunnel…she’d eventually check there too. And she could break into it if she wanted to. He had no doubt.

            “Almost there…almost there…” Bradley said as the tunnel got closer. Not much longer until some semblance of shelter, not much longer until there was some sort of a secure position, not much longer till small hope.

            And then, a soldier appeared from behind a car in front of him, and grabbed Bradley Peterson by the arm and hugged him close.

            “Hey!” Bradley cried. “Get you damn hands off…”

            BAMBAMBAM!

            The man fired a pistol up into the air rapidly. Arell’s eyes turned towards it.

            Their eyes met. Arell’s smile widened, showing some of her brilliant teeth.

            “NO!” Bradley screamed.

            “He’s over here!” The soldier screamed. “He’s over…!”

            “Shut your cake hole, son!” Colonel Stark barked, jamming the butt of his new rifle into the man’s stomach, causing him to go to his knees. Stark pushed Bradley roughly. “Run, keep moving!”

            Arell was coming. Sliding down the side of the cliff, she came, her purple eyes watching Bradley as she moved towards him. She raised a hand, but didn’t reach for him. Instead, a familiar line of white energy traveled down her arm and into her hand. She shot a beam of levitational energy towards Peterson…but a group of people climbing over a car got in the way, and the beam hit them instead.

            “AS PASI!” Arell cried, annoyed, waving her arm, sending the people flying. “Out of my way!”

            Bradley got to the tunnel first. Colonel Stark second, followed by Todd and Sarah. Randy came after them, and then Alfred, and lastly Kevin, who was now recording Arell with his phone. The purple haired giant came over, her arm raised.

            “Get against the walls!” Stark shouted raising the rifle, whose shots rang loud in the tunnel as he shot out the lights, casting everyone in darkness. Just as the dark fell, Arell’s hand eagerly peeked into the hole and began feeling around, cars and people flattening and squishing under her fingertips. How effortlessly these things happened sent a chill up Bradley’s spine.

            “What are we going to do!?” Todd wailed as he watch Arell’s hand feel around. “She’ll kill us if she finds us and she’s too fucking big to fight!”

            “Everything has a weak spot…” Colonel Stark said.

            “Not this lady,” Bradley Peterson shook his head. “I’ve been around here longer than anyone here, Colonel! She’s invincible. She took a blast from a tank like it was nothing!”

            “I saw a gun at the entrance,” Stark continued. “Big piece of equipment. Might just have power I need.”

            “Are you listening!?” Bradley protested. “You can’t fight her! She’s too powerful!”

            “The minute her hand goes back out,” The Colonel continued. “Run to that jeep over there by the entrance. Door’s left open. If we’re lucky, that might mean the keys are in the ignition. If not, we’re gonna have to run.”

            “Run!?” Todd cried. “Are you mad!? She’s huge! We can’t outrun her!”

            “She’s reeling back!” Colonel Stark said, noticing Arell’s withdrawing hand. “Get moving go!”

            “But…”

            “GO I SAID!”

            Bradley, Todd, Sarah, Randy, Kevin, and Alfred all did so. People still in their cars were trying to hightail it out of the area, some making it, others ramming into other cars  Kevin and Bradley both were almost ran off as they made the short trip. As they ran, Colonel Stark grabbed the Barrett that had been dropped during the chaos. It really was a big number for a sniper rifle. Peterson was right about one thing, the cunt was big, but wasn’t it the bigger they are, the harder they fall? Colonel Stark climbed on top of one of the remaining uncrushed cars. To beat an enemy like her, you had to think like her. View things from her perspective. She was big. She was strong. But everything has a weakspot. All he had to do was wait for her to do the most natural thing that she could do at a time like this.

            For a short moment, nothing happened. Then, strands of purple hair draped across the road outside, cracking windows and flooring people. A gush of her exhale sent a view people skidding off to the side and rocked a view cars. A wall of flesh took the right side of the tunnel entrance. At the beginning of the tunnel, Arell’s right eye came into view. A very light blue eye. A pretty eye, all things considered. Too bad he had to shoot them.

            Stark aimed and pulled the trigger.

            Arell’s eye snapped shut, her lashes flipping a car, and she uttered a gasp. A loud crunch sound blared and suddenly Arell fell out of sight. She had lost her balance on the cliff and went plummeting. When she hit the ground, the force was so hard, that debris fell from the ceiling of the tunnel. Stark tossed the Barrett aside and ran for the jeep.

            “What’s the skinny?” He yelled.

            “You’re out of you mind!!!” Bradley screamed. “Do you have ANY idea what you just did!?”

            “What’s the situation, dumbass!” Colonel Stark asked.

            “What!?”

            “DOES THE DAMN CAR HAVE THE KEYS OR NOT!?”

            “Yeah, it does, but…”

            Without waiting any further, Stark shoved Bradley inside and ran around the car.

            “What about my van!?” Todd cried.

            “Forget it!” Stark shouted as he got in. “Unless you want to go back out there…”

            “I…” Todd was interrupted as a passing vehicle scrapped past them hard, causing the jeep to rock. “No! I’m good, just get us out of here!”

            “She’s going to be pissed!” Bradley squealed, looking over his shoulder. He was white like a sheet.

            “Good!” Stark grinned, turning the key. “Serves her right. I’ll take her any day of the week. This is our planet, and we will die for it!”

            He hit the gas and drove along the other cars that were making their hasty get away. Twice they were almost rammed off the road, and many more times they had to slow down to avoid hitting anybody.

            They exited the other side of the tunnel and followed traffic towards New York City.

…

            Moments after the jeep exited the tunnel, Arell made the simple climb back up to the cliff. It was, admittedly, slightly more difficult this time. She was using one hand. The other was over her eye, a thin stream of blood was flowing down her cheek. Remarkably…she was smiling.

            She hadn’t expected any of that. Bradley had apparently made some new friends. The old one had shot her in the eye. She had known that Bradley would run, but he didn’t have it in him to fight. That much she knew. The old man, however…was a fighter. And Arell respected that. She had to admit, he alone had been more clever and had done more damage than anyone else on the planet she’d met so far. A little sting in the eye, nothing serious, not even close…but still damage.

            Arell looked around at the people running on the cliff, the cars colliding, the chaos. Some people were even getting run over. She glanced around, levitated to the other end of the tunnel and looked around again. The answer was obvious before she was done. She’d lost him. He had hidden in the crowd and it was very possible that he was gone. Along with his little friends. He had won again.

            She felt that she should feel angrier about this, but she wasn’t. The Earthies had won, fair and square, but that was only because she had underestimated them too much. Playtime would be over the next time, and she would get her little Earthy back. She would just need a little bit more time to tweak her RADARs to locate him. It wasn’t as if she could just…..?

            Or…could she?

             Arell’s smile widened. The feeling of a brainwave was always very pleasurable.

            Always.

            She’d heal her eye first. Then, a simple search for some numbers. It was simple. Why had she not thought of it earlier?

            “Bradley, Bradley, Bradley…” She said, shaking her head. She laughed gently. “You don’t have much time left. I won’t give you that many chances anymore. The next one…you should think very hard about. Very, very hard.”

            She brought out the transporter. And soon, she was gone from the Catskill Mountains.

“What is her ultimate goal?” Colonel Stark asked Bradley Peterson.

            The group was sitting in Kevin Ward’s attic, where his living area was located. Bradley was seated on the couch, with the rest of them standing around him. Stark was straight ahead of him, making the whole thing seem like an interrogation. It had only been an hour since they had had their scuffle with Arell back near the Catskill Mountains, and now Todd, Sarah, Randy, and Alfred seemed on edge, Kevin was excited, and Colonel Stark was ready to go to war. Somehow, in the middle of it all, Bradley thought that they must have forgotten that Arell was looking for him and that their lives were now in danger because of what they had done, because they never got around discussing leaving him, Bradley, somewhere safe from their location.

            “I told you everything I know,” Bradley replied. “She was never good at being completely clear. All I know is that she’s taking over the planet. She started capturing a town for some sort of ‘zoo’ or something for her people, though that she was even more vague about, and now I don’t know what she’s doing. More importantly, I don’t know why.”

            “Why is she after you?” Stark asked. “No offense, but you’re not a high up in the Government or anybody of any significance on the political workings of the world. Why would she take you of all people?”

            “Bad luck…” Peterson shrugged. “I guess I was just unlucky enough for her to pick me. Wrong place at the wrong time.”

            “What did she want you for?” Sarah asked.

            “I’m not entirely sure,” Bradley said. “She said that I was for personal research purposes or something like that, but I…I just understand her. Everything she says makes sense, except when you look at the context of what she’s doing.”

            “What do you mean?” Stark inquired.

            “If she’s taking over the planet…” Bradley said. “Why does she need me? She could take anyone and have them for awhile and then replace them when they got too old or she accidentally killed them. Oh…that’s another thing…Arell…she’s been around for awhile.”

            “Well, that’s not surprising,” Randy said.

            “No, I mean a LONG time,” Bradley replied. “Like, before the United States even existed.”

            “You’re kidding…’ Sarah said. “But…that means she’s over two hundred years old!”

            “She’s even older than that,” Peterson went on. “She told me she saw Rome rise and fall. Saw Columbus discover America. She has a fucking Spartan warrior frozen up on her ship. I saw it! She’s over two thousand years old!”

            “And she looks like that!?” Kevin asked. “Holy fuck! That means she’s the sexiest cougar alive!”

            “I have no idea how long she’s been alive…” Bradley said. “But I can tell you she’ll outlive all of us by centuries. Her race has been alive for probably longer than our planet has been here.”

            “Exactly how large do you think the population of her race is?” Stark asked.

            “No idea,” Bradley said. “I don’t know anything about her home planet. Except that it’s called ‘Avakon’ and the ‘people’ there are huge and that they’re apparently very interested in us.”

            “Interested?” Alfred asked.

            “Yeah, Arell is apparently a researcher,” Bradley explained. “They found our planet and they sent her to investigate. They were apparently very much surprised to find that we looked a lot like them, they thought that maybe we were some sort of lost branch of their kind or whatever. So Arell’s been watching our planet for them.”

            “And that’s why they want to make a zoo,” Stark growled.

            “Allegedly,” Bradley said. “…but there’s something about that that doesn’t quite add up for me.”

            “When you say ‘zoo’,” Alfred asked. “Do you mean like our kind of zoo, where animals are locked up and people pay to go pet them or something?”

            “Well…”

            “That’d be cool!” Kevin exclaimed. “Can I be the exhibit for all their hot females? Come one, come all if you’re a hot space girl, the greatest thing from Planet Earth is here for a limited time and…”

            “Shut up, boy!” Stark snapped.

            “But guys, here’s the thing…” Bradley tried to continue.

            “Come on,” Kevin said, grinning. “Who knows? It may not be so bad being at a zoo. You know how girls are with really cute little animals. They all want to hold it, and pet it, and kiss it……oh god, this sounds awesome. When are we going!?”

            “Listen…”

            “YOU can go!” Stark snapped. “I am not going to be eye candy for a bunch of nut cases!”

            “I’d rather not too…” Randy said. He paused. “Unless…do you think they’d like the violin? I can take mine and…well, if they’re a good audience…that wouldn’t be so bad…”

            “Oh, don’t start thinking like him!” Stark cried, pointing at Kevin.

            “That’s the spirit, Randy!” Ward smiled. “Think of all the curvy ladies that will smile and applaud you when you play the works of our classical giants! I remember one of Beethoven’s pieces from class…uh…oh! The Hess 48: Allegretto in E-flat major! They’ll love that!”

            “That was written for the piano, Kevin,” Randy said.

            “Guys…” Bradley tried again.

            “Well have them get a piano!” Ward said. “I’m sure they can find one for you. They can lift one with two fingers, I’m sure it won’t be…”

            “Stop!” Stark cried. “This kind of talk is like considering surrender to the enemy, and I won’t stand for it! We’re not going to sit around and think about this as if we’ve already given up!”

            “Seriously, listen, this is…” Bradley continued to try.

            “Well, that’s not entirely a bad idea, Colonel,” Sarah spoke up. “We should consider it in the even that it does come to that. After all, we all know that she’s a very powerful individual, with a lot of science behind her. What was her name again, Mr. Peterson?”

            “Her name’s Arell, but…”

            “What kind of a goofy name is that?” Colonel Stark grunted.

            “Hey, she’s from space,” Kevin said. “Just be glad it’s easy to say. Ah-rell. Rhymes with ‘bell’. Easy. It could have been something completely impossible like…Quiggixigin, or Artelliqiuan, or…”

            “Boy, those comics of yours have seriously damaged your brain…” Stark shook his head.

             “But, guys…”

            “Is everyone on her planet as big as she is?” Todd asked. “Or is she just a special case? Was she the result of some experiment or something? Cause if that’s her natural height, we’re in trouble, cause, on average, men are usually taller than women, so the men on the planet will be even BIGGER!”

            “Yeah, that’s the downside,” Kevin nodded. “There are giant men on her planet. I would have much rather had a planet of alien women who ran out of men in some disaster and were collecting the men on Earth so that they could continue to produce offspring and…”

            “Seriously,” Stark said. “Stop talking.”

            “Nah, I’m good,” Kevin grinned.

            “Guys!” Bradley yelled. “Listen, there’s something very important here! Something very odd about the whole thing with Arell. I met one of her kind over some space communication thing and he…”

            A tingling down his leg interrupted him. He looked down, confused for a second, when he realized it was his cellphone. At that moment, he realized that he had completely forgotten it. His family may have been trying to get ahold of him for the past two days, but since there were no bars in outer space, he had not received any of their messages. Quickly, he dug the device out of his pocket and looked at the front.

            “Who is it?” Sarah asked. “Is it your family? Anyone you know?”

            “No,” Bradley said disappointed. “It’s a fucking unknown number. Cripes.’

            “Have you had any contact with your folks?” LaFluer asked.

            “No,” Peterson said again, putting his phone back in his pocket. “I’ve been off the planet for the past two days. They might think I’m either dead, or lost my phone by now. Haven’t got a call from them since I escaped Arell.”

            “I…have a question…” Todd said. “About…your escape. You said it happened while the military was fighting her, right?”

            “That’s right.”

            “…were they able to do anything?” Todd asked.

            “Sorry?”

            “You know…” McFinnley said. “Were they…able to hurt her?”

            Bradley paused for a moment. Oh, he knew what the guy was really asking. Peterson himself had thought it in some vague ways when he had first  And most likely several other people, probably high ups in the military or some survivalists to name a few, had begun the same line of thought. With a threat as big as Arell (both metaphorically and literally) the fear of the situation was griping the nation. It was why the traffic was so bad around the country. It was why military patrols had been parading around earlier, only for one to happen across Arell herself. With all of that terror, the question would be asked, and in many ways.

            Was there any hope? That was the question. Was this going to end? Would things go back to some semblance of sanity that had been the world had been invaded. Humans are creatures of routine, fans of stability. They create stability and routine, and through those they can accomplish a great deal, but it causes them to grow feeble minded, upset at the slightest imbalance of their routine, teetering on the edge of sanity. They forget that chaos, whatever form it may come in, always lurks nearby, ready to stir turmoil at any moment and without warning.

            “No,” Bradley shook his head. “I’m sorry, Todd, but no. She…”

            “Oh, that’s bullshit.” Stark interrupted rather suddenly. “You’re telling me a squad of our men in uniform couldn’t even scratch her?”

            “Yes,” Bradley said, now nodding. “I was there, and I saw her…”

            “Well, you were at the tunnel,” Edgar said, snorting. “Did I, or did I not hurt that oversized cunt?”

            “I doubt it,” Peterson said. “You probably just poked her in the eye.”               

            “She gasped.”

            “Probably just in surprise.”

            “Are you sure about that?”

            “Yes,” Bradley replied. “Look, I saw her take a tank shell to the hip. She stumbled a little. Just a little bit. Like some ignorant kid who didn’t know that women don’t have balls and punched her in the groin to get her rolling on the ground. She just took it, and she was fine. No blood, no damage to her suit. Right as rain.”

            “Well, you did escape soon after,” Stark shrugged.

            “So?” Bradley said. “What does that have to…”

            “In all the excitement,” Edgar replied. “You just may not have noticed any injury.”

            “She fucking JUMPED into the air after being hit!” Peterson protested. “She was FINE!”

            “She IS fine!” Kevin interjected, grinning.

            “Shut up!” Stark and Peterson both yelled at Ward, who laughed.

            It was then when the telephone rang. The old landline phone that Kevin kept around just to say that he was old school rang its nasal, electric ring, slicing through the conversation, and silencing Kevin’s laughter. His eyes widened.

            “Holy shit,” He said. Some crazed hope came to his eyes. “Someone answer it! It might be my folks! I’ve been trying to call but their line’s been down!”

            Three people went for the phone. Randy, Edgar, and Sarah. Randy almost got there, when Stark, who appeared to want to take control of the situation shoved him aside. Fredrickson, trying to steady himself, grabbed the old man, and tried to take him down with him, but Edgar brushed his hands off. By the time that little scuffle had resolved itself, Sarah was already taking the phone off the hook, and the Colonel, perhaps not wanting to shove a girl, just mumbled bitterly.

            “Hello!” Sarah answered, eagerly. “Hello? Mr. or Mrs. Ward? Your son is here if it’s you, my name is Sarah and…”

            She stopped.

            She listened.

            “Well,” Kevin asked, excited. “Is it my mom? MOM!? MOM! I’m alive mom! I told you so! I told you aliens existed! Tell dad to eat it!”

            Her eyes widened.

            “Sarah?” Todd asked. “Who is it.”

            She didn’t reply. She lowered the phone, and for a second, it looked like she was going to hang up.

            But she didn’t.

            Instead, she walked over to Bradley.

            She held out the phone.

            “It’s for you…” She whispered.

            Bradley Peterson stared at her, his mouth dropped open a little. He looked at the phone, and all those phrases that he had read in horror stories came true. A chill ran up his spine, his hair stood up, he turned white, his blood ran cold, a shiver coursed through him…all the good stuff.

            He suddenly wished someone would just shoot him right now.

            With a trembling hand, he took the phone.

            “Hello…” He croaked in a soft, dusty voice that was nothing like his own.

            “Hello, my little Earthy.”

            The next thing he knew, the phone was flying from his hand and thumping against the wall. Todd and Sarah both jumped. Kevin looked both shocked and confused, turning his eyes to Bradley and his landline, which wasn’t broken, but had dented the wall pretty good. Nobody moved.

            “So…who was it?” Kevin finally asked again.

            “Who do you think it was, dumbass!?” Stark snapped at him.

            Before Ward could respond, the phone rang again. This time nobody made a move to it. Everyone just stared at it as the nasal ring blared and then fell silent…blared….silence…blare….silence….blare….

            “What’s up! This is Kevin, I’m not in right now. Leave a message, bro!”

            Beep.

            “Now…this is no way to behave to your mistress, Bradleeeeey.” Arell’s voice teased through the answering machine. Peterson and McFinnley both moaned. Randy, who was closest to the machine, leaped away from it as if it was possessed, almost knocking over Alfred as he did. “Did you honestly think, for even a moment, that I wasn’t going to find you? That you could hide among the billions of your kind? Did you hope that I wouldn’t find the proverbial needle in the proverbial haystack?”

            “Holy shit she’s calling…” Kevin said aloud. “Wow…how did she know how to reach me…?”

            “A good question…” Arell’s voice said, and now Sarah actually screamed a little. “I would have found you earlier, Bradley, if I hadn’t been over thinking. Here I was, fiddling with my scanners, trying to make it pinpoint you amongst the ‘haystack’, when I realized that there was a much simpler way. You Earthies and your little cellphones…I simply found your cell number and called you, traced the signal, and I found your location in mere seconds. When you didn’t answer…I just called the building. I see you’ve made some new friends ever since you snuck off…how cute.” It was like he was on her ship all over again. That damn smile…it was coming in loud in clear in the form of her voice.

            “Now…” She went on. “This next part isn’t for you, Bradley. I have something I want to say to your friends. Something for Todd McFinnley and his pretty Sarah LaFluer.” Sarah burst into tears, and embraced Todd, who looked ready to puke his guts out. “Randy Fredrickson…” Randy didn’t look at the machine. Just stared at the floor with wide, terrified eyes. “Alfred Bowden…” Fred stared at the machine, also appearing to be frozen in place. “The man who shot me in the eye…retired Colonel Edgar Stark.” The man in question snorted in response. “…and then, Kevin Ward…”

            “Hello!” Kevin called. “Uh…nice to speak to you! Welcome to Earth!”

            He would have gone on…but everyone in the room was glaring at him.

            “Aw, thank you,” Arell said, actually sounding pleased. Kevin smiled. “I want Bradley back. You have him. At the end of this situation…Bradley will be back in my possession. That much I know. What I don’t know…is how he is going to come to me. There are two ways this can happen. One…you give him up to me. Simply take him outside, and I’ll beam him right up, and everyone…well….almost everyone wins. The other route…I come down and take him from you, and add six more Earthies to my collection…provided that they don’t have the misfortune to wind up under my feet…”

            Sarah gasped in her sobs at that.

            “I know how all of this may sound,” Arell continued. “So, let me assure you that I don’t want to harm any of you…clarifying that to mean the six of you…not necessarily you, Bradley.” Peterson moaned. “Oh, come on…don’t sound surprised. You chose to run. Now you pay the consequence. If you had stayed….well, I’ll be honest, I wouldn’t be so interested in you. You cry and whine like an infant everytime I pick you up, I honestly didn’t expect you to run even with the doors wide open. Perhaps there is some fight in you…but I suspect whatever gave you that courage is long gone by now. There’s nowhere else to run.”

            Bradley stared at the floor.

            “I’ll give you an hour,” Arell said. “When that’s over…I’m coming down. I have Bradley marked on my scanner and there’s nowhere he can go without me seeing…but in case I happen to turn my head from the screen, I have the military out down the road, ready to restrain him if he tries to leave. Should I need to attend to other matters, they’ll keep an eye on you all.” She laughed gently. “I hope you’ll think carefully about this…”

            A noise sounded from the machine, and the line went dead.

            Arell was gone.

…

            Less than five minutes later, Todd, Sarah, Fred, Kevin, Randy, and Colonel Stark were in the next room, having something like a ‘team meeting’. They sat around in the kitchen table, discussing the fate of Bradley Peterson, whom they had left in the living room. He made no attempt to plead with them, sway their feelings, or even follow them. He sulked into the armchair that Stark had been sitting in and stared at the floor, almost looking comatose as he stared at the floor.

            “I vote we give him up,” Todd said immediately.

            “What?” Sarah asked, surprised.

            “Just like that?” Randy also looked taken aback.

            “Yep.” Todd nodded. “What choice do we have? Either we do and we live, or we don’t and we die. We have to give him up.”

            “We don’t have to do anything,” Colonel Stark reprimanded. “Even if it means death. Only cowards would give the man up right now.”

            “Cowards!?” Todd cried.

            “Todd, we can’t just give Bradley up,” Sarah said. “It isn’t right!”

            “Sarah, I’m trying to keep us safe,” McFinnley answered her. “There’s nothing we can do to stop her. Nothing. Bradley said it himself…a patrol from the military couldn’t stop her. The entire army probably couldn’t stop her. What chance do we have?”

            “I hear what you’re saying,” Sarah said. “But it’s just not moral. Logically, you’re right, but morally…”

            “Actually, morally, I’m right too,” Todd interrupted. “I’m a utilitarian.”

            “Well, actually, you’re a fucking pansy,” Stark growled. “Willing to give up an ally to the enemy just to save your own sorry ass.”

            “Why are YOU defending him?” Todd shot. “Less than two hours ago, you were opting to leave Bradley on the side of the fucking street!”

            “Oh, spare me,” The Colonel returned. “I was willing to ignore a desperate hitchhiker. You’re giving up a man to a space woman who will keep him prisoner and torture him. Don’t talk to me like I’m the bad guy here, jackass.”  Todd merely grumbled in response. There was a moment of silence after that. Stark looked out the window for a moment. “But you know what…do what you want.”

            “Wait, what?” Randy asked.

            “I’m not taking a part in this decision,” Stark said, abruptly turning to leave. “There are more important things.”

            “Where the fuck are you going!?” Todd asked.

            “Out for a moment.” Stark replied. “I’ll be back.”

            And a moment later, he was out the door and gone.

            “What the fuck…?” Kevin asked.

            “Nevermind,” Sarah said. “It’s not important right now. We need to focus on Bradley. We’ve only got an hour to make a decision before something happens. We need to make a plan or something.”

            “How?” Todd asked, staring at her. “She could hear us even when she was on the answering machine. She could be listening right now. Unless any of you have mastered the art of telepathy, we’re not coming up with any good plans with her watching us.”

            “So we’re screwed?” Alfred asked.

            “Unless we give up Bradley.” Todd replied.

            “What if that doesn’t work out?” Sarah asked.

            “Why wouldn’t it?”

            “What if she doesn’t keep her word?” Sarah pressed

            “Bradley said she never lies,” Todd answered

            “Who told him that she never lies…?” Randy asked.

            “Well…” Todd said. “Probably…she did.”

            “Right,” Sarah nodded. “So how do we know she won’t keep her word?”

            “I guess we just have to trust her,” McFinnley sighed.

            “I don’t trust her,” Randy said.

            “Look, I don’t…” Todd began.

            “Trust her?” Sarah said.

            “Of course not.” Todd agreed. “But, again, it’s not like we even have a choice but to trust her. If we give Bradley up, either she’ll keep her promise or she won’t. If she does, then we go free. If she doesn’t…”

            “We’re fucked.” Alfred said.

            “Basically.”

            “Well, that’s a gamble I really don’t want to be a part of,” Randy said.

            “Who does want to be a part of it?” Todd replied.

…

            “Halt!” The soldier barked. “Do not move or we will open fire!”

            “Don’t point that thing at me, dumbass.” Colonel Stark shot at the boy. “Who’s in charge of this little brigade?”

            “That’s none of your concern.” An older soldier called. “Go back to the apartment. We’re under orders to keep the seven of you inside.”

            Stark scoffed. “Under orders…” He echoed. “Who’s orders? Hers? The space bitch? Ha! Is she your mommy now? Does she change all of your diapers and tuck you in at night, and turn the nightlight on after kissing your little cheeks?”

            “No, sir,” The older soldier replied. By his rank emblem, Stark saw he was a Sergeant. “Our orders come directly from the President himself. So, you return to the apartment, or we…”

            “Don’t make me laugh!” The Colonel shot. “That man has officially lost my vote, though he barely had it in the first place. Never served once in the armed forces, that one. Wouldn’t know what to do in a situation like this. Presidents should have to have served in the military. They’d have more balls. I can’t believe you ladies are listening to these ‘orders’ instead of kicking that oversized cunt back to her own planet.”

            “Very inspiring, sir,” The Sergeant said. “But we all have families to look after. This whole thing is bigger than pride and vanity. It’s about protecting the ones we love and…”

            “I ain’t talking about pride and vanity!” Stark barked. “I’m talking about honor and courage! Do you really want to stand here, knowing that your Commander in Chief is a puppet to a giant bitch who is killing your fellow country men and your fucking country!? You’re not protecting your families…you’re surrendering. You’re bowing down. Do you want your kids to see you do what the giant lady wants because she’s big and scary. Do you want to sit around waiting to see if that cunt will up and vanish one day, making everything go back to the way that they were? Or do you want to fight? Show her that you’re not afraid and that this is our planet and we’ll die fighting for it! Otherwise, you’re kids will die anyway…just later. You’ll just be prolonging the inevitable.”

            “We fight, she kills us all,” The Sergeant replied, though he seemed less resolved now to his current course. “We do what she wants, we get more time. Maybe later we’ll be able to take back our planet. But not today. Not now. It’s too dangerous.”

            “She abducted an entire town,” Stark told the man, who raised his eyebrows. “Didn’t know that? Yes, I have it on good authority, from the man she’s after in fact, that she beamed up an entire town of innocent civilians to transport back to her home planet for her people. A zoo, I was told. Is that what you want?” The Sergeant was silent. “I fought the woman alone. At the Catskill mountains outside New York City. Got her in the eye. Probably drew blood. She’s got weak spots. Everything has a weak spot.”

            “What do you propose?” The Sergeant asked. The news of the town had finished him. He couldn’t go on with what he was doing with that knowledge. He had not wanted to originally, but, like Todd, he had seen no other choice. Every time he felt his dignity die, he thought of his little girl back at home and went on. He was doing it for her. Now, he saw his girl locked in a cage for the giant, alien race to gawk at. And he couldn’t let that happen. Not to his little girl.

            “We’ve got an hour, perhaps less,” Stark explained. “Until that bitch comes down onto the site. What we do is call the other brigades and squadrons and whatever else is available, and bring them together. No sense trying to hide somewhere, she’ll see us from her eyes above. So, we just call her out and then take her down.”

            “Honestly, sir…” The Sergeant said, skeptically. “That sounds like a suicide mission.”

            “I don’t doubt it,” The old Colonel agreed. “I’m not expecting to win. I’m expecting to motivate the rest. If we do some damage, any damage, like what I did at the Mountains, or even better, then there will be other plans. Other attempts. Or, if not…we’ll show her that we’re not afraid. And, by god, that sounds just fine to me. Wouldn’t you like to see the look of fear on that whore’s face, boys?”

            “You know…” The Sergeant smiled. “I would like that very much, sir.”

            “Good.” Stark nodded. “Then let’s get to it.”

            “There is one problem,” The Sergeant said. “We don’t have that many units. We have about three. We got some serious fire power, some tanks, and some spare weapons, but what we don’t have is the manpower.”

            “Well…” Edgar Stark said slowly. “Then I guess we’ll just have to initiate the draft then, won’t we?”

…

            “…and then we fire the laser,” Kevin Ward was saying. “Which will go right into the atmosphere and open a huge worm hole that will…”

            “Kevin…” Todd said, pinching his sinuses. “Shut up.”

            “What?” He said. “I’m trying to help.”

            “Well, you’re not,” Todd replied. “So shut up.”

            “Maybe we could make a dummy,” Randy suggested. “Make a dummy that looks like Bradley. Except we’ll put some explosives in it, let her beam it up when we stand it up outside, and then when it’s on her ship, it blows up and takes her out.”

            “Oh that’s great,” Alfred said, sarcastically. “Except, one, she can hear us. Two, she can see us. Three, where are we gonna get explosives? And four, she’s huge. We’d need like three hydrogen bombs to pull that off!”

            Randy’s shoulders slumped.

            “This is not good,” Sarah said, anxiously looking at the clock. “We only have ten minutes before she comes down here. We’ve got to make a move!”

            “We have to give her Bradley!” Todd cried. “End of discussion! We don’t have a choice, and it’s too late to try and come up with more useless ideas! I know that we don’t like it, I don’t either, but it’s what we have to do.”

            “I…I guess…” Sarah said, tears welling up in her eyes. Her resolve not to give Bradley up was fading. With the knowledge that Arell would come down on top of them, it was hard to keep the will to keep her morals intact.

            “Damn it…” Randy sighed, trembling.

            “Wait!” Kevin said, snapping his fingers. “I’ve got it! I’ll go!”

            “Shut up,” Todd moaned. “We get it, you like her. Stop telling us and focus!”

            “No, for real, listen!” Kevin said excitedly. “What if we offer her a trade? I’ll take Bradley’s place as her little…whatever. Bradley and you guys go free, and I get to stay with the sexiest gal in the galaxy! Everyone wins!”

            “Kevin!” Todd snapped. “She doesn’t want you! She said very clearly that she wants Bradley!”

            “But…” Ward tried.

            “No, Kevin,” Sarah sighed. “He’s right. She sounded very taken with Bradley. She won’t settle for a trade.”

            “Are you sure?” Kevin asked. “Because I…”

            “Yes! We’re sure!” Todd snapped, standing up. “Now, I’m done talking about this. We now only have like seven minutes, and I’m not going to stand here and talk about nothing until she drops down to our planet! Her clock might be faster, so we might have even less time than we think, so we need to….hurry…..”

            He had opened the door back to the living room, and the words died on his lips.

            “Todd?” Sarah asked, standing, immediately concerned.

            “He’s gone!” McFinnley cried. “He’s fucking gone!”

            “WHAT!?” The rest of the group cried in chorus, racing to his side. When they got to the doorway, they saw that he was very right. There was no Bradley Peterson sitting in the armchair where they had left him almost an hour ago. There was nobody. Immediately, they set out to search for him. The bathroom, Kevin’s bedroom, Randy’s room, Alfred’s room, the comic store, everywhere. There was no sign of him. When they finally checked outside…

            “He took the jeep!” Randy shouted, pointing to the empty spot where Colonel Stark had parked it.

            “Are you fucking kidding!?” Alfred cried.

            “Wait, maybe Colonel Stark took it!” Sarah suggested, looking around nervously.

            “Did anybody hear the car start up while we were up there?” Randy asked.

            “I didn’t!” Sarah cried.

            “No, I was thinking of really cool ideas,” Kevin said. “I wasn’t listening!”

            “Who gives a shit!?” Todd yelled. “Where is Bradley?! We’ve got three minutes until she comes and now we don’t even know where he is!”

            “Well, she said she could track him!” Alfred said. “That means he’s not our problem right? She should know we weren’t helping him escape, so we shouldn’t be in trouble, right!?”

            “I don’t know!” Todd cried, tugging his hair. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Why did he ditch us like this!? She was already watching us, he could have at least warned us!”

            “Maybe that’s why he didn’t.” Sarah said. “It would have just alerted Arell to his plan faster if she was watching. He wouldn’t want us to……..”

            She stopped. Everyone stopped.

            Coming down the street was Colonel Stark. He was leading a convoy. Soldiers, civilians, tanks, machine gun jeeps, rocket launchers, everything that the military had managed to scrounge up for the old man’s suicide mission. Colonel Stark himself was armed with a sniper rifle. The very same model he had used to shoot Arell in the eye. Perhaps he was thinking that shooting her eyes out would essentially win them the fight. Maybe he just felt braver with the weapon in his hands. The rest of the “convoy” followed with mixed emotions. Some of the “warriors” looked nervous, like the men on the D-Day invasion must have when Normandy was stormed. Some looked ready to kick ass, adrenaline pumping in them. Some had no readable emotion on their face at all.

            “Alright, ladies…and Sarah,” Stark said in a commanding voice. “We have some weapons available for you. You can either run and hide, with your panties up your asses…”

            “Hey!” Sarah said, offended.

            “…or you can fight!” The Colonel finished. “Which is it?”

            “Are you insane!?” Todd cried. “You can’t beat her! She’s too powerful! Did you not hear what Bradley said!”

            “I heard him,” Edgar Stark nodded. “But I also know I won a fight against that giant whore. And, with that in mind, I think I’m gonna take my chances against ‘her majesty’ and see if I can’t send her crying back to her planet. If you guys want to help, then just grab a weapon.”

            “But we don’t know how to fight!” Sarah cried. “And I’m betting a number of your draftees don’t either!”

            “Some do, some don’t,” Stark agreed. “In situations like this, you’ll take whatever you can get, even if it’s only a man with a working trigger finger. Do you think that all the rebels in a revolution have military training? No! But that doesn’t stop them does it?”

            “No, but it sure doesn’t help!” Alfred said.

            “I’m not standing here to argue with you kids,” Stark waved them away. “My mind is made. We’re going to war.”

            “But Colonel Stark…!” Sarah tried one final time.

            “ALRIGHT YOU GIANT CUNT!” Stark roared into the sky. “I’M CALLING YOU OUT! COME DOWN HERE AND FACE US! WE’RE DONE TAKING YOUR BULLSHIT, AND WE WANT YOU DOWN HERE SO WE CAN SHOW YOU WHAT WE’RE MADE OF!”

            Incredibly, some people in the makeshift convoy uttered a battle cry in punctuation to Stark’s cry. After that, there was a moment of silence, with nothing but the wind to cancel it.

            And then…she came.

            With a flash of bright light, and a hearty thump that shook everyone and everything, Arell appeared before them all, towering above the buildings and mostly everything. She had a curious smile on her lips as she took a step forward, the members of the convoy shook, and some of the draftees ran off, literally dropping their weapons to do so. Others figured it was far, far too late for such a thing. All of them took a step back…except for Colonel Edgar Stark, who erected his posture to stand as tall as he could, not seeming to care that he would never be able to match Arell’s height.

            Arell stopped in front of the convoy and bent at the knees, her hands on her hips and smiled wider. She was not armed with her gun, her scanner, or anything.

            “Well, well…” She said, good naturedly. “What do we have going on here? I turn my head for a few moments, and when I look back, my little Earthy has taken off. While I track him down to get a feel where he’s headed, I suddenly notice a lot of Earthies converging. I watch them and then an old man starts daring me to come to him. Well...’Colonel’…I’m here. What do you intend to do?”

            “I’m gonna kick your giant ass back where you come from, or die trying!” Stark roared up to her. There was no battle cry after this. Only a gentle laugh from Arell.

            “Well…at least you realize the danger here,” She said, fairly. “So you’re not THAT stupid….still, I HIGHLY urge you to reconsider. I know what Bradley has told you, and every word of it is true.” She motioned at her eye. “You see this eye? The one you shot? As you can see it’s perfectly fine. Completely functional and everything. Do  you want to hold some fingers up while I close my other eye? I bet even from up here I will be able to count your stubby fingers.”

            “My pleasure,” Edgar Stark replied, bitterly. He raised a hand with the middle finger erect. “Go on and count that.”

            “I know you’re trying to be cute,” Arell said, grinning. “But the answer’s one. The mere fact that I can see you’re little insult is enough to prove that I’m fine. The tech I have isn’t just for fighting. Healing and medicine is just as important on my planet as it is here, you know…”

            “Well, there’s more than just me now,” Stark said, grinning himself. “That was just one bullet, sweetheart. I bet you won’t be ‘fine’ when a tank shell blows through your retina! How about a rocket to the face, or right in your big fat ear? Fire enough and we might just punch right into your brain and turn that into jelly! Just because you’re big doesn’t make you invincible! We’re…”

            And before it could really begin, the war was over. In a less than a second, Arell lifted a boot and brought it down on three of the five tanks. Her foot was so big that it also tore down a few of the buildings around it as it destroyed the instruments of war. The members of the convoy screamed and some of them tried to run, but the tremor was too strong and all of them were sent sprawling. Todd, Sarah and the rest of the gang all fell to the ground as well, all of them positive that they were going to die. The quake of the stomp collapsed, among other buildings, Kevin’s apartment and comic store. When Arell lifted her boot back up, nothing in the remains looked like it could even resemble something that belonged to a tank.

            Colonel Edgar Stark tried to get up and seize his weapon to start shooting. But before he could even hope to find his gun amongst the clutter of madness and debris, he was plucked up by Arell’s giant fingers and lifted into the air.

            “GET YOUR GODDAMN HANDS OFF ME YOU….AAARGH!” Arell squeezed him slightly and he fell silent. She looked down at the Earthies.

            “You know…you Earthies don’t listen.” She was smiling, but her tone suggested she was getting annoyed. “I say it again and again and again, but you don’t listen. You can’t fight me. I will win. I’ve proven this again and again, but yet you still refuse to learn. You Earthies NEVER learn. A simple, curious glance at your history would teach even the most ignorant individuals of this very obvious fact. Your planet is falling apart around you, you continue to fight over the most pithy of things, and yet each time, despite you learning your mistake, you refuse to learn from it, and make it again and again. Hence, why you’re the inferior race, below the humans of Avakon!”

            She reach down and picked up one of the remaining tanks, which had fallen on its side.

            “I told you that fighting me would result in consequences, did I not?” She said, still smiling, but still sounding angry. “Yet despite my warnings, you have now gone against me. You have chosen this path, and now I have to keep my promise. Now, I have to teach you all, again, what happens when you don’t listen to me. Maybe this time I’ll stomp some sense into you!”

            She began to lift her boot. Todd realized now that he was going to die. He grabbed Sarah, who grabbed him and the two of them held each other and closed there eyes. Randy covered his with his arm. Alfred seemed completely lost and just stared at a ruined building. Kevin stared up at Arell in complete awe. None of them were really ready for this, and now it was coming. Sarah was now beginning to wish that she had given up Bradley. The part of her that would have been disappointed with this was too scared to make a comment right now. She was not ready for death. Plans to be a doctor had been made, she still loved her family and Todd, and had wanted marriage and at least one child to raise. But now, all of that was about to disappear in the most minute of seconds.

            WAAARRHH….WAAAAARHHH…

            What the fuck?

            Before people could even begin screaming, before Arell’s boot was lifted that far…a loud noise cut across the scene. All eyes turned towards the sound, which was coming from the down the street. A car was approaching, driving over and around the rubble. It was a large military jeep, with a dented front and a lightly chipped windshield. It rolled to a halt in between Arell and the crowd of Earthies, both of which watched the vehicle with confused and curious eyes. Even Colonel Stark, who was in Arell’s grip, found time to realize that something, though he wasn’t sure what, was happening down below. After the engine cut off, nothing happened for a moment. Then, the driver’s side door opened.

            And Bradley Peterson stepped out.

“Bradley!”

            The man turned and saw Sarah, Todd, Randy, Kevin, and Alfred running towards the front of the crowd. He merely waved at them, not really surprised to see them. They would have been looking for him anyway. The plan had been to run and see how far he could get and hope that Arell would forget about them and just pursue him. He had gotten out of the apartment building without them noticing and Arell must have been distracted because she didn’t beam him up the minute that he set foot out of the place. He had driven a good few blocks when he noticed that military activity was increasing and he had parked the car to lay low. That was when Arell had shown up and that was when he knew that he couldn’t run anymore. She had him pegged. She had him marked. She could find him at any moment. Where could he go? Where could he hide?  There was nowhere. He had nothing, no possible way of beating Arell. Right now, Colonel Stark was living proof of that. His rag tag team of rebels hadn’t even fired a shot and they were already losing. He could not run. He could not fight. But Arell was not crazy. Or at least he didn’t think she was. He could, perhaps with a longshot chance of success, talk…

            “Where the hell have you been!?” Todd asked, sort of angry, sort of surprised, and sort of happy.

            “Why did you leave us?” Sarah asked.

            “You guys just stay back,” Bradley softly called to them. “There’s nothing you guys can do now. It’s me she wants…and it’s me she’s going to get.”

            “No!” Sarah cried. “You don’t have to do this Bradley!”

            “Why?” Peterson asked, a small, tired smile on his lips. “Believe me, if you have a great plan, I’m all ears.” Sarah went silent. “That’s what I thought. I don’t have one either, Sarah. To be honest, I sort of wish I did. But maybe it’s better in some ways that I don’t.”

            “So you’re gonna just give yourself up?” Randy asked.

            “That’s the idea,” Peterson nodded. He looked around. “What’s with the crowd? How’d you guys get all this organized so fast?”

            “We didn’t,” Randy replied. “Colonel Stark did. He went out and spoke to the military and…….Bradley! Look…WOAH!”

            People began to scream and run. Bradley had a brief feeling he knew what was about to happen but before that could turn to him looking behind him, her fingers seized him and he was plucked from the ground, hollering with surprise as he went.

            Arell stood back at her full height, flicked Bradley into the air like a quarter and then caught him in her palm and brought him to eye level.

            “Well, this is a surprise,” She said, smiling. “First you brazenly run away from me when my back is turned, and now…you’ve essentially walked right back to me.”

            “Peterson!” Colonel Stark called from Arell’s other hand. “What in the sam hell are you doing!? You better not be surrendering because we…!”

            “Be quiet.” Arell said softly, closing her fist, trapping Stark inside.

            “Arell…” Bradley sighed. “Can I talk to you for a moment?”

            “Oh, I’d love to, my tiny friend,” Arell replied, smiling. “But right now, I have to keep a promise. All of these people down here went against me, and I warned them about what would happen if they were to make that mistake. You were there when I made that broadcast. In fact…in some way, you could say that this is your fault, but…regardless. But when we’re back on my ship, oh, I promise you and I will…”

            “Arell,” Bradley interrupted. “Why are you hiding us from your planet?”

            Arell’s mouth stopped in mid-sentence and her eyes widened a little. One of them actually twitched in a minor wince, and Bradley saw he had struck a chord. Previously, he would have been extremely nervous right now. But, suddenly, he was calm and felt that he might actually be able to pull this off. Maybe…

            “…what did you say?” Arell asked softly. Shock and anger were in her voice.

            “I’ve been thinking a lot about the things you’ve told me,” Bradley explained. “And I’ve realized that there’s something very fishy about the picture you’ve painted. You’re a researcher, you told me yourself. You were sent here to study my planet. You were asked to bring some of my people to Avakon because they don’t know much about us. You’ve been here for over two thousand years!” Arell was silent. “You know where I’m going with this. The obvious question: WHY are your people so ignorant about us? Isn’t it your job to tell them about us? To report to them about your observations?”

            “You know, I could decide I don’t want you anymore…” Arell said lowly, frowning.

            “You get so evasive and defensive whenever I try to ask about this,” Bradley said. “You got mad the last time before I escaped, and you’re doing it again. You know everything about me, and yet I know little about you except for the bits and pieces you told me. You really are a human woman, Arell. You love to talk. You love it so much that some things come out of that big mouth of yours that probably would have been better to keep to yourself.”    

            Arell’s expression darkened at that.

            “So why don’t you tell us why you have kept us a secret?” Bradley went on. “I don’t hear you denying it. You avoid the topic everytime, but you’ve yet to deny it.” Arell opened her mouth. “I know what you’re going to say. You’re going to say, ‘You think you can tell ME what to do. I could grind your bones to make my bread!’, and you know what? Yes. You could. A small flex of you fingers right now, and I’m more dead a million times over. That’s your choice, Arell.” Arell closed her mouth and just stared at him. “But, I just want to know, before anything else happens. Tiny, little Bradley Peterson wants big and powerful Arell to fill him in on some details. I’m being sincere right now. Please. You said you never lie, so I know you…”

            “I wish I could say that!” Arell snapped suddenly, silencing Bradley and causing the crowd to scream. “Oh, how I WISH I could say that. How strong my wish with all of my heart that I could say that I never lie and truly mean it…for it used to be true. My race…we view lying with almost the extreme way of Immanuel Kant! We loathe the practice…and I never lied…NEVER…” She held Bradley up close to her eyes. “…Until…I found…you wretched Earthies! Ocha-la a posia nardak!”

            “So…you’re saying you lied about something?” Bradley asked.

            “There never was a ‘zoo’…” Arell explained hotly. “I lied about that. Not entirely, however, I WAS asked to bring some of you to Avakon. But it wasn’t supposed to be like a ‘zoo’. We’re not monsters, I…”

            “HA!” Colonel Stark barked from her other hand. “That’s a laugh! Last time I checked you were the one stomping on people like the big bad giant from the fairy tales, you oversi…” He cried out when Arell squeezed him again.

            “No matter what you think of me, my people are not monsters!” Arell shot at him, angrily. “The only monsters are you Earthies! All of you! Every. Single. One of you!”

            “Colonel Stark, be quiet!” Braldey yelled to the old man. “Ignore him, Arell. Please…you were saying.”

            “We do have other species and races from other planets on Avakon,” Arell went on, breathing hard. “But they aren’t locked up. Most of them live in almost inhospitable conditions. We take them and we shelter them, build their ecosystem in our own and relocate them. We value all kinds of life on Avakon, and…”

            “Bullshit!” Stark roared. “Utter shit and another lie! You don’t give three…”

            “STARK!” Bradley cried. “Shut up!”

            “WE DO!” Arell cried, furious. “Don’t you dare insult my people! Don’t even begin to think you know enough about the humans of Avakon to judge them! You don’t have the slightest clue what life on my home planet is like! And if you insult them, I will…I….I…” With the obvious death threat clearly contradicting the words she was saying, Arell let out a long cry of frustration. “I hate you, Earthies! I hate everyone of you! I wish I had never found you pitiful excuses of life!”

            “But why?” Bradley asked. “Why do you hate us? We never did anything to you!”

            “Not directly…” Arell grumbled. “That much is true, yes. You never knew I was here. But I’ve been watching you all. One noticeable difference between Avakon and Earth is that the humans on Earth live significantly shorter lives. As I said, I have seen all of you history. You Earthies have books of your history in your libraries, screaming all manners of valuable lessons…but you ignore them. Time and time again. Generation and generation…nothing but war, murder, stealing, lying, hurting, betrayal, fighting…always fighting….you Earthies are constantly at each others throats and it sickens me!”

            “Oh, you’re such a saint!” Stark spat.

            “You don’t understand!” Arell shouted. “These things…they’re unheard of on Avakon! There, we are taught to value and respect members of our own. We are strongly united, no one suffers discrimination or prejudice. Going to war with ourselves…such an idea is so abhorrent that the thought of it made my skin crawl! It truly is a ghastly and unfathomable act that any intelligent race would surely realize to overcome if it wanted to truly thrive. Yet, you Earthies do it without thought every day! It reflects in your culture! Do you realize that most of your movies involve you being forced to kill each other, or is about you backstabbing each other, or stealing from each other? You Earthies can’t even imagine a world where all of you can co-exist peacefully without war!”

            “Oh, please!” Colonel Stark called. “You mean to tell me that your precious Avakon is a place where everyone is happy and sappy and loves each other!”

            “Of course not!” Arell replied, bitterly. “I will be the first to say that we aren’t perfect! Nothing is! We argue, we disagree, we get into conflict. The difference is the motivation. It is like when a parent passionately tries to stop their offspring from doing what they perceive as wrong. We fight, but we do so because we genuinely care for our own, and we wish to resolve our issues through communication, not with guns, bullets, and bloodshed!”

            “I’m confused,” Bradley spoke up. “What does this have to do with you hating us? Surely there are other species that fight? Even other races who are semi-intelligent, who fight with one another like we ‘Earthies’ do? You don’t seem angry with them.”

            “No…we aren’t,” Arell nodded. “They are another species, they are not us. We full heartedly loathe their ways sometimes, but we take them in, and we try to educate them to change their behavior towards each other. Sometimes we succeed. Sometimes not.” Arell glared at Bradley. “But you Earthies…you’re a special case.”

            “Because we’re so similar…” Peterson replied slowly.

            “That’s right…” Arell nodded again. “It’s very much like if you were to find out you had a long lost brother. You find out, and you’re excited to meet him. You go on the long drive to his home, dreaming up plans of what you will do, questions you want to ask, things you want to know. You want to meet him, interact, get to know him. Then…you find out that he is a murderer, a low-life, a high time criminal. You find this out…and suddenly you want him gone. You isolate him, you almost wish you had never discovered him. And…you wish he didn’t exist.” Arell took a deep breath. “When I first found you Earthies…I was so happy. It was supposed to be the biggest discovery of my work. When I announced my discovery to my people, they were excited. You had just begun building some primitive form of society, and we began thinking of a time to make contact, to connect with you. You were smaller, more primitive, more…fragile. You didn’t have our livespan, but that was okay. All of that was okay. We could change that. We could make you bigger, healthier…we could make you our extended family. But…but then…I…”

            Her anger was still there…but now her lower lip trembled and her eyes began to grow wet.

            “It was nothing like what I had dreamed of,” Arell went on. “The things I’ve seen…they go against almost all of my most deeply held and cherished beliefs about how humans should act. The wars, the discrimination, the torture…the Holocaust…oh….oooohhh…” Arell sniffed, a tear rolled down her eye. “I…I saw children….old folk…families….erased from the universe and then crudely buried. It…it poisoned my mind. I couldn’t report this to my people…I couldn’t think how. So…I remained silent. I am allowed great flexibility in my work. Out of respect of the person’s work, they are granted complete control over the project. You Earthies were my project. But…I couldn’t say anything…and my people were all too curious. I told them some things here and there in attempt to satisfy them…to stall them, but I knew that someday…eventually…”

            “Stall them?” Bradley asked.

            “Yes.”  Arell nodded. She laughed bitterly. “I know how you all view me. I’m the big, bad, evil, thoughtless, soulless Arell who is out to take your planet, out to take what’s yours for no other reason than she’s bored. The irony is…I’ve been protecting you. This entire time.”

            “By taking over the planet?” Bradley asked, skeptically.

            “No,” She shook her head. “Do you have any idea what would happen if all of Avakon realized the true nature of you Earthies? How every day you perform actions that are so unspeakable that they are more than just taboos to us but grotesque injustices of the highest caliber? They’d act no different than me. Some would be worse. To see something of our own species to do these things…it would offend and anger them to no end. And they’d want to be rid of you just as I wish to be rid of you now!”

            “But why didn’t you…”

            “Tell them?” Arell asked, laughing bitterly again. “Because…despite everything…I still feel some sort of kinship to you Earthies. I still feel that you all are a part of me. It’s been the only thing that’s stopped me from simply destroying the planet. And believe me, there have been many times where I have yearned to do just that. Many, many times…”

            “I don’t buy it!” Colonel Stark called. “You’ve been killing us ever since you made your big self known, you…”

            “I know that!” Arell cried, enraged. “Do you think I don’t know what I’ve done!?” She paused breathing hard again. “I never wanted to kill any of you. I don’t care if you believe me or not, but you should. It’s one of the reasons I took you in the first place.”             

            “Me?” Bradley asked. “But…you said…”

            “I lied…” Arell spat even more bitterly. “I DID once consider taking an Earthy for individual study…but that’s not the real reason I took you. I just told you that because you didn’t need to know the real reason. When I realized that I was starting to kill too many of you Earthies…I knew I needed to stop. So, I took you in to pose as a sort of channel for me to focus my frustrations on. The physical pain I inflicted on you was the emotional pain that I feel. I was trying to find a way to stop myself…even though I was sure it was too late…”

            “Too late for what, Arell?”

            Arell didn’t respond. Her eyes dropped and she seemed to be staring at the ground. After a few moments…a large tear rolled down her check and the bitterness went out of her face.

            “…I’m scared…” She said. “…that they won’t take me back. My people…I’ve lied to them for so long now….all these years…ignored, lied, mislead, deceived. I abused the authority of my position to do this. But that’s not all…when they see what I have done…what I have become…they will never forgive me. They won’t kill me, of that I’m sure…but I will surely be banished from Avakon. They will send me away…I’ll have nothing…” She glared at Bradley. “You Earthies…you have brought out something in me…something dark and cruel that I had no idea resided in me. The first Earthy I killed was very much like THIS man…” She turned her glare to Stark. “He insulted me…my people…what I believe in and hold dear in my heart…and….I….lost my temper. Without thinking, I squished him in my hand. As I watched his blood run down my fingers…I was horrified and sick…but I also felt a cold sort of satisfaction. It was then that I discovered something…something that I hated so much that I cannot begin to make you understand. I realized that I liked killing you Earthies. I liked it…I liked it…oh….oh, they’ll never forgive me!”

            Arell wailed this last part. With tears in her eyes, she violently kicked a nearby building, sending a lethal rain of debris and glass shooting off to the side. The crowd at her feet screamed. They had to run to escape some collapsing buildings…and Arell when she suddenly sank to her knees as her legs unlocked.

            “I can see why you’re upset…” Bradley said. “I guess I’m not completely sure I comprehend how this has affected you so much…one more question. Why did you decide to take over Earth? What were going to do with us?”

            “There were a good number of reasons for this,” She answered. “I wasn’t being completely insincere when I said that I need you alive. Without you Earthies, I have nothing to report to my planet. I can’t have you killing each other…and I can’t kill you…which is why I brought you on board. But…there was something more….I thought there could be a chance that I could change you….I thought I could make you Earthies change who you were…even if by force.” She shook her head. “It won’t work. Even if I succeed, it won’t be the same. I’ll just be conditioning you like Pavlov’s dogs. It will be artificial…fake….that won’t do anyone any good at the end…”

            “So…what are you going to do?” Bradley asked.

            “That’s sort of the big question, isn’t it?” Arell said, suddenly smiling bitterly. “Maybe I should just destroy the planet and be done with it!”

            This was accompanied by several screams down below. “You can’t be serious!” Edgar Stark shouted. “You don’t have any right! Who do you think you are to come here and judge us, you self-righteous bitch! Like it or not, this is our planet, and we should be allowed to do what we damn well please, even if it goes against everything you believe in! Besides, by your own admission they’d banish your sorry ass for something like that!”

            “Do you think I don’t know that!?” Arell cried at him. “Of course I do, but I can’t keep doing what I’m doing. I can’t keep lying to my people anymore. I’d rather disappear than continue to lie any further. But if I have to ruin my life…then I’m taking you Earthies with me! More specifically, your planet!”

            “Do your worst!” Stark shouted. “At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter! You’re a monster! And you always will be!”

            “Well, if I’m such a monster!” Arell shouted back, her voice booming in the ears of everyone. “Then I guess I have nothing to lose then!”

            “Arell…” Bradley spoke up. “He’s right…you can’t do this.”

            “Oh?” She hissed. “And why is that? What are you going to do to stop me?”

            “Nothing,” Peterson said simply. “Absolutely nothing. If that’s what you mean to do, there’s nothing I can do to stop you. You’re bigger, you’re stronger, and you have tech that I couldn’t even begin to understand. I’m powerless against you…we’re all powerless against you. At your mercy, so to speak. I know that better than everyone.” He sighed. “But, if you decide to blow up Earth, then you’re giving up. You’re simply committing murder, hiding the body, and making a run for it. I know you’re smart enough to realize that’s hardly an option. I know you’re being sincere about the things you’ve said. You’re right…there are some things the body is really good at showing…and yours is displaying just how honest you’re being now.”

            In spite of herself, Arell smiled briefly, and Bradley relaxed. He was getting through.

            “It seems to me,” Bradley went on. “That your race isn’t so different from mine. You guys are probably some of the most emotional people in the universe. My mom was a Christian, and she always said that such people think with their hearts. You’re passionate people, I can tell. Probably great to be around when you’re caring and gentle…not so great when you’re pissed off.” Arell nodded. Bradley assumed she was agreeing with him. “But Arell…you’re going about this whole thing wrong. And I think some of you knows it.”

            “All of me knows it,” Arell sighed. “But…what else can I do? I can’t go back…no amount of preparation will prepare me for the pain I’ll feel if they turn me away…”

            “No, you’re right about that,” Bradley agreed. “But if you leave without saying something, just try to leave them and forget about them…that’s some serious shit to do to yourself. You’re basically banishing yourself. You’re throwing a vital piece of yourself away.” Arell was silent. “The simple truth is you have no choice but to go back. To tell them about us. And you’re right…in some ways…hell, in many ways…we’re a terrible species. We’re greedy, arrogant, close-minded, selfish, egoistical, and we go to war with each other so much because, at the end of the day, we really can’t stand each other. But, if you really are superior, Arell…then you’re not showing it. All you’ve done is stoop to our level. You’ve shown that you’re just as fucked up as the rest of us, deep down.”

            He hitched a breath, waiting for Arell’s anger to come back at that insult. But…remarkably she didn’t get angry. She sighed deeply and nodded. And then…she did something even more remarkable.

            “So…what do you propose then, Bradley Peterson?” She asked him.

            “Well…it’s your choice,” Bradley said. “But I think you need to let us go. Give back our networks. Then…leave. Return to your planet and do what you need to do. Maybe they’ll keep you…maybe they won’t.”

            Arell looked at him for a long time. She was skeptical for a moment. Was all of this just a ruse to convince her to leave so they could get their planet back? Was all of this some act just to trick her? She examined Bradley carefully…and saw that it was not. And she was touched by this.

            “Why are you trying to help me?” She asked, curious. “I’ve done nothing but hurt you. Threaten you. Keep you prisoner. I…can’t see any sign that you’re trying to fool me or just get me to leave. But why help me?”

            “Because I don’t think you’re a monster, Arell,” Peterson said. “I really don’t. I used to. When I first met you, yeah, I thought you were the very devil. But now…after really hearing you…I know you’re just another human. With flaws, failings, irrationality, and every other thing we have that makes us not perfect. Everyone on Earth knows what that’s like, Arell, as I’m sure you know.” She was silent. “But you and your kind are smarter than us in some very important ways. There are probably many things we could learn from you. Hopefully…when this is all over, we’ll see your dream become a reality. Maybe Earthies and Avakonians will be able to live together someday, and we’ll both prosper from it. But that won’t happen until you tell them about us. That won’t happen until you get out of this emotional hurricane you’ve placed yourself in.” He paused. “Plus, I’m forgiving and helping you because that’s what humans do for each other.”

            Arell looked taken aback by this…and then smiled. It was brief, not long before a regretful look came to her face…but it was a beautiful smile nonetheless, and Bradley was happy to see it.

            “Well…I guess that’s it then,” She sighed, and began to lower her hands to the ground. “I’ll accept your proposal then…I…you’re right.” She paused. “You know…passionate discussion like this…they happen frequently on Avakon.” Arell sighed. “You Earthies really do have the potential in you. I’ve known for quite some time. It’s why it’s so frustrating to see you continue to not use us, always succumbing to your violent nature…but I guess I know how easy…and somehow appealing…that can sometimes be now, don’t I?”

            “Yes,” Bradley nodded. “I suppose you do.”

            Arell placed Bradley Peterson and Edgar Stark on the ground and then stood up. The crowd of Earthies looked up at her, and she looked down at them. Arell sighed again.

            “I wish you guys weren’t so small sometimes…” She admitted. “Things might have been different if you had been bigger. It’s very hard, when you don’t like something, to respect it’s natural right to live when you’re so much larger than it.”

            With that final word, Arell activated the transporter and disappeared from Earth one more time.

EPILOGUE

It took a year and a half for the damages that Arell caused to be completely repaired. It took two years for the heated conversations amongst world leaders about the planet of Avakon to slow down. It took even longer for the average person to stop, and that was something that probably would never happen. And, to this day, astronomers are still looking for the planet of Avakon. They have not found any sign of it, though the do believe that they have found some evidence of an element that is used in propulsion tech, suggesting that Arell truly has left.

            Two more birthdays have passed since Bradley first met the giant space woman with the purple hair and the blue body suit. Every now and then he thinks of her. And he is sure that every now and then she thinks of him, where ever she is. He has not heard from her or seen her ever since. He is now thirty two, and he has come to terms with that. After fearing death during his thirtieth birthday, Bradley Peterson has learned that it is wiser to spend time enjoying life rather than waste it worrying about running out of time. His life returns to the simple way that it was before his visit to space, and that is just fine by him. Some television networks have asked him for an interview about his experiences with Arell, but he has declined them all. What happened was not something he needed to tell people to satisfy their simple curiousity.

            Sarah and Todd eventually got engaged and still live in New York City.

            Kevin, with the help of Randy and Alfred, got their apartment building rebuilt, and Ward even began a new comic series that starred a giant woman from space. It didn’t do well and was cancelled not long after its beginning.

            Colonel Stark has become influential in trying to start a new federal department for “Galactic Security” (the working title), but has not found much support due to uncertainties about how such an organization would even work.  Not deterred by these rejections, Stark has written several angry letters to the President of the United States. After some time, they stopped replying.

            Everyone slowly goes back to their normal way after awhile, but some people can be seen casting a weary eye to the sky every now and again. Bradley Peterson is one of these fellows.  Each night, especially on his birthday evening, he looks up to the stars and wonders about her. He still keeps in light contact with Sarah and Todd, and occasionally Kevin, Alfred, and Randy. Very rarely with Colonel Stark. He tells them the same thing every time the discussion glides to their previous Overlord.

            He tells them that he cannot shake the feeling that they have not seen the last of Arell.

            Not by a long shot.