cosmicshifts by Crymsyn Hart

wanting to feel her sweet mouth on his again.
    “Thank you.”
    “For what?”
    “For understanding. For showing me that Kaylana isn’t here any longer, and that I’ve been holding on to her for a long time.”
    “You can let her go. She will always be in your heart, as he is in mine.”
    Phillip smiled and felt that some weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Alika sat back on her heels and gazed at him. “You took a chance coming here.” He glanced down and realized that from there they could see her vessel.
    She shrugged. “I was careful. Your military is too busy trying to collect the remains of my ship.”
    “You’re going to leave, aren’t you?”
    “I do not belong here. I must get the technology I need to send a distress call. Can you help me with this?”
    He sighed and glanced at the sun. There was time for him to go into town if he had transportation and the money to get her the things she desired. However, the easier way was to collect what he needed from the military. That opened up a whole other load of trouble, but it was the only way she was ever going to get the equipment. “I can try, but it’ll be difficult to infiltrate the camp. But I have an idea. You’d have to stay behind.” Phillip got up and dusted his jeans off. He went another way until he was higher up and then observed the crash site.
    The activity was not so swarming today. It seemed that it was fairly deserted. He prayed that he could get in and out. He glanced at the sky again and would have to act quickly. Phillip worked his way back into the cave. In one of the stashes he had collected over the years, he had something he hoped would be the thing. A few years ago, he had come upon an injured man who had been wearing the clothes of an army man. There had been a fire, and the National Guard had been called in to assist. He had helped the man and then taken his clothes. Phillip had gotten the blood out and kept the uniform. He stripped off his clothes and pulled out the uniform. It was just about his size, down to the boots. When he was done, he noticed Alika standing there.
    “Wow. That uniform does something for you.”
    “Will you stay here while I go?” He chuckled.
    She nodded. “Yes, but you need to get me a computer, some tools, and anything else you can carry.”
    “All right! I’ll be back.”
    When he came to the perimeter of the crash site, he saw more doctors than he did military people. He slipped closer to the plastic wall of the makeshift buildings the army had erected. His boot hit something metal. He picked it up and shoved it into his pocket. A man with a rifle strode by him and nodded. Phillip nodded back and kept on walking. He strolled by one of the openings and glanced around to see if anyone was watching. They were not, so he crept inside one of the tents. It was empty. Several closed laptops lay on the table. He spied a bag, grabbed it, and slipped one of the computers into it. Phillip heard voices coming toward the tent and moved outside quickly through another entrance. A white-coated doctor with wire-rimmed glasses and a receding hairline noticed Phillip.
    “Can I help you, soldier?” the doctor asked.
    “Just checking to make sure everything was secure.”
    The balding man stared at him. Phillip saw the questions in his eyes, but he did not waver and kept perfectly still. “Okay. Has the captain given you stricter orders to watch out for tall hairy creatures?”
    Phillip cracked a smile. “Always have to keep a lookout for anything suspicious. Have you seen anything unusual fall from the sky again?”
    The doctor laughed and patted him on the shoulder. “Good man. Tell your captain to come have a drink with me later. I have some findings we need to discuss.”
    Phillip hugged the bag closer to his body and glanced around to see if there were eyes on him. Voices filled the tents behind him. He peered up at the sun and prayed that he would have enough time to get back to the cave. At the