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…