asked.
“East Perth,” Alex said and got into the car.
Without a word, the driver navigated the near-empty streets until he arrived in East Perth ten minutes later.
Alex exited the car into Adelaide Terrace and walked to the large park where the alien ship landed, but it was nowhere to be found. He pulled an energy monitoring device from his pocket to track the unique energy trail the aliens left behind. It led him to one of the high rises across the park.
“Do you know which floor?” Mark asked.
Alex took a deep breath. “No, we have to do this the old-fashion way.” They scanned the building with the device—one floor at a time—until they reached the seventh floor. Alex followed the faint energy reading to an apartment.
“They’re inside,” Alex whispered and knocked on the door. “Government agents, open the door.” No one answered. He knocked again.
“Coming.” A man’s voice answered before the door opened.
Alex flashed his credentials. “I’m agent Callahan, and this is agent Heggie.”
“What…” The apartment owner said and swallowed, “how can I help you?”
“You mind if we come in?” Alex asked.
The man shook his head and stepped back.
Alex walked into the apartment. “Where are they?”
“They?”
Mark glared at him. “The aliens. Where are the aliens?”
The man’s features eased, and he waved to a narrow corridor across the kitchen. “It’s just the one, and she’s in the bedroom.”
Alex glanced at the open pizza box on the kitchen top. His eyes narrowed. A pizza party? Not what he expected to see. He thought the apartment owner would be dead or held hostage. He’d expected the aliens to open fire the moment they laid eyes on him.
“She?”
“Yeah, she is nice,” the man said. “Well, not at first. She was mean, but—”
“Can you take us to her?” Mark asked.
The man frowned and glowered at Mark before he strolled into the hallway. “Yeah, this way.”
He led them to a closed door. “It’s best if you wait here,” Alex said and opened the door.
*****
Shara sat down in bed, her back against the wooden headboard. With Phil’s tablet in her lap, she swiped away the hologramic web pages. So much information, very little time. She tried to tune out the noise outside. Phil must’ve invited acquaintances over.
There were footsteps in front of the bedroom. The door opened, and two men entered the room. They stood next to the door and examined her before one of them stepped closer. At first, his eyes were wide and his mouth was open. Then he came to his senses and looked up at her face.
Shara recalled what she learned about Earth and gave him a friendly smile. “Who are you?”
“I’m agent Callahan, but you can call me Alex. I’m with the Intelligence Agency.”
Okay, they weren’t acquaintances of Phil then. Shara accessed the ASIO website from the tablet, and she was expecting this visit.
“A spy?” She asked, injecting as much surprise in her voice as possible. The wide glowing eyes, the open mouth, the whole thing.
“Kinda.”
“Are you here for information?”
Alex shook his head.
“No?” Shara asked and put aside her tablet. She didn’t expect that.
“We’re hoping you’d come with us.”
Shara observed him for a minute. The agent was thirty-something. He was tall with short, black hair. He was clean-shaven with blue eyes and wore a simple black suit.
“My boss wants to speak to you,” Alex said.
“Why would I do that, agent?”
Alex’s face tensed up. “We want to know who you are and why are you here.”
Shara left the bed and hovered forward until she stood before him. She reached for his head, but his colleague, who stood at the door and observed the entire time, intervened and pulled Alex back.
“It’s okay,” Alex whispered to his colleague and motioned him to stop.
Shara did her best to seem agitated. She hovered, her green eyes glowing. She pushed her palm forward in the air and released a small
“East Perth,” Alex said and got into the car.
Without a word, the driver navigated the near-empty streets until he arrived in East Perth ten minutes later.
Alex exited the car into Adelaide Terrace and walked to the large park where the alien ship landed, but it was nowhere to be found. He pulled an energy monitoring device from his pocket to track the unique energy trail the aliens left behind. It led him to one of the high rises across the park.
“Do you know which floor?” Mark asked.
Alex took a deep breath. “No, we have to do this the old-fashion way.” They scanned the building with the device—one floor at a time—until they reached the seventh floor. Alex followed the faint energy reading to an apartment.
“They’re inside,” Alex whispered and knocked on the door. “Government agents, open the door.” No one answered. He knocked again.
“Coming.” A man’s voice answered before the door opened.
Alex flashed his credentials. “I’m agent Callahan, and this is agent Heggie.”
“What…” The apartment owner said and swallowed, “how can I help you?”
“You mind if we come in?” Alex asked.
The man shook his head and stepped back.
Alex walked into the apartment. “Where are they?”
“They?”
Mark glared at him. “The aliens. Where are the aliens?”
The man’s features eased, and he waved to a narrow corridor across the kitchen. “It’s just the one, and she’s in the bedroom.”
Alex glanced at the open pizza box on the kitchen top. His eyes narrowed. A pizza party? Not what he expected to see. He thought the apartment owner would be dead or held hostage. He’d expected the aliens to open fire the moment they laid eyes on him.
“She?”
“Yeah, she is nice,” the man said. “Well, not at first. She was mean, but—”
“Can you take us to her?” Mark asked.
The man frowned and glowered at Mark before he strolled into the hallway. “Yeah, this way.”
He led them to a closed door. “It’s best if you wait here,” Alex said and opened the door.
*****
Shara sat down in bed, her back against the wooden headboard. With Phil’s tablet in her lap, she swiped away the hologramic web pages. So much information, very little time. She tried to tune out the noise outside. Phil must’ve invited acquaintances over.
There were footsteps in front of the bedroom. The door opened, and two men entered the room. They stood next to the door and examined her before one of them stepped closer. At first, his eyes were wide and his mouth was open. Then he came to his senses and looked up at her face.
Shara recalled what she learned about Earth and gave him a friendly smile. “Who are you?”
“I’m agent Callahan, but you can call me Alex. I’m with the Intelligence Agency.”
Okay, they weren’t acquaintances of Phil then. Shara accessed the ASIO website from the tablet, and she was expecting this visit.
“A spy?” She asked, injecting as much surprise in her voice as possible. The wide glowing eyes, the open mouth, the whole thing.
“Kinda.”
“Are you here for information?”
Alex shook his head.
“No?” Shara asked and put aside her tablet. She didn’t expect that.
“We’re hoping you’d come with us.”
Shara observed him for a minute. The agent was thirty-something. He was tall with short, black hair. He was clean-shaven with blue eyes and wore a simple black suit.
“My boss wants to speak to you,” Alex said.
“Why would I do that, agent?”
Alex’s face tensed up. “We want to know who you are and why are you here.”
Shara left the bed and hovered forward until she stood before him. She reached for his head, but his colleague, who stood at the door and observed the entire time, intervened and pulled Alex back.
“It’s okay,” Alex whispered to his colleague and motioned him to stop.
Shara did her best to seem agitated. She hovered, her green eyes glowing. She pushed her palm forward in the air and released a small
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