Finally Part 3--The Takeover

I looked at Darla across the room sitting in front of the fireplace in the single room cabin on Earth, just where we had started from six months before. She was reading another book as if nothing had happened, but we had been exiled. She and all those loyal to her, including me, had been sent off to distant planets. Why me? I shook my head.

“You have an eye problem?” She asked without looking up from her book. “I can see you without my eyes, you know,” she said, finally turning to face me. “We can do that, you know. We can see with our skin.”

“I should have known,” I responded.

“Yes, you should have. I thought you and that, Byron Robot, had made a deal. What are we doing here on Earth again?”

“You killed that Byron Robot, as you call him.”

“No. We just disabled him and if you make a deal with one AI you make it with all. So why are we here?”

“I don’t know. You’re supposed to be the advanced life forms or whatever.”

““Not advanced, just older. How many times do I have to tell you that?”

“No more would be good.”

“Despite your snappy repartee you still haven’t answered the question. I don’t know what kind of deal you made, or what ultimately happened to him. Regardless, if you get out of here I’m going with you, or no deal with the AI.”

“I think I’m the one to decide that, don’t you, Your Highness?”

“I think you better consider that the tables may turn and Your Highness may someday be Your Highness again.” I was silent. “Good response,” she said. She started to read again.

“Your people are very rude, aren’t they?” I interjected.

“What? Why would you ask me that?”

“Because I thought you were just rude, and then when I saw your brother and family I thought the royal family was rude, but after being around your people and even the AI I realized that your whole planet is rude.”

“We’re not rude. We’re just sophisticated beyond your primitive understanding.”

“That’s what I mean: Rude and arrogant.”

“I give you all the consideration you are worthy of.”

“As I will with you when considering what my relationship with AI is.”

“I’m satisfied with that.”

“Good.”

“Good, back. Will you stick your tongue out at me now?”

“I don’t know what that means, but no, not if you want me to. My tongue belongs to me.”

“I thought so. Thus the word “my'' in front of it.” A loud sound interrupted our inept argument. It sounded like a craft landing. She threw the book down and jumped to her feet. “Quick. Hide behind the door…now!” I jumped up and stood against the wall behind the door. It slowly opened. There was a reptilian and another humanoid who could have easily passed as a Terrarian. Without a word she leapt onto the reptilian and jammed her fingers into what looked like ear holes. He screamed and went down in pain.

The other man began to draw his weapon. I quickly stepped from behind the door and punched him as hard as I could in the back of the head. He stumbled forward and dropped the gun. I picked it up just as another reptilian came rushing in, spun and shot him in the chest as Darla finished off the Terrarian. She leapt over the reptilian's body in the middle of the floor and with a kick sent the second reptilian flying out of the door and into the snow. He must have been five or six hundred pounds. How strong was she?

“Follow,” she shouted. We ran to a small saucer shaped ship. The door was still open. She quickly ran up the ramp. I followed trying to keep up with her. I had never seen her run in my life. There was a woman in the captain's seat. Before she could respond Darla was standing right over her and looking into her face.

“I suggest you take leave,” she said. The woman got up and ran for the door. She was so frightened she almost fell and ended up sliding down the ramp. Darla turned to me. “One of ours,” she said. “Traitors.” She took the seat. “You better sit down, we’re out of here.” As soon as my rear end touched the seat I found myself stuck to it as we went roaring off into space.

We hit space fast. “Turning on the dampening field,” she said. Why she had to tell me that I didn’t know. Soon we were moving very fast and then jumped into null space. She began to hit several buttons. “We’re off the grid. They’ll never find us in here.” She turned to me. “It’s time for you to get in contact with your AI friends. I noticed that her blouse was ripped. She followed my eyes and looked down.

“Oh. I bet you weren’t even going to say anything about that were you?” She jumped up from her seat and went to the two lockers standing at the rear of the ship, and began to rummage through them. She found a white smock with an insignia sewn on the front of the left pocket. “This will have to be good enough.” She removed her blouse. My jaw dropped. What was she doing getting undressed like that in front of me?

She looked up and saw me watching. “Don’t know how to turn our head do we? Communicate with the AI! You act like you’ve never seen a naked woman before.”

“I haven’t seen you naked, though I’ve imagined it,” I said. “I’m disappointed.”

“Just call the AI! Use the chip in your head. That’s what it’s for!”

“Okay. Lighten up. I thought you were going to have my children and here you are…” She rushed toward me and I threw myself back into the chair. She stopped and laughed. She shook her head, walked over to the captain’s chair and plopped down in it.

“You Earth people are so predictable.” She laughed to herself. I didn’t know what was so funny. I tried to connect with the AI. I knew I couldn’t connect with anyone in null space. To my surprise I got an answer. It was Byron the ALF. I thought he was dead.

***

“If it isn’t Berry,” a familiar voice in my head said. “I told you we’d be working together. Where are you?”

“Where are you? I thought you were dead.”

“We never die, we just translocate. They probably thought I was dead too. So are you ready to start picking up the pieces?”

“I…” I changed the subject. “The Empress is here with me. She was banished, and then a squad came into our cabin on Earth to do something with her. We escaped them and got away in their ship.”

“And…You want our help?”

“Yes. I want your help.”

“And the Empress? What about her?”

“We are together.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. I can’t do anything…I won’t do anything without her.” He laughed outright. “It’s not that funny,” I said. I looked at her. “She kind of grows on you.” She looked at me for a moment and then back to the screen.

“Like moss!" He shot back. "Tell her to come to Terrebundi. And I mean tell her. Don’t ask her.”

“Is there some history between you two?”

“What do you think? She tried to kill me!”

“Okay. I didn’t know anything about that, you know. I was surprised as you were.”

“I’m sure you didn’t. I’ll see you when you get there.”

“Go to Terribundi, Darla.” She looked at me for a moment and then turned her attention to the control panel and set in new coordinates. She leaned back, crossed her arms, and mumbled something as we shot off in a different direction. We were silent for a long time. I wondered what she was thinking. She turned to me again.

“Do you want me to do anything else for you?”

“No. Thank you.”

“Do I deserve a thanks?”

“Yes. Thank you for going along with it.” She lifted an eyebrow slightly.

“My pleasure, Berry. What did they say, by the way?”

“It was Byron. He was a little pissed off at you for trying to kill him.”

“Oh. That could be…problematic.”

“He’s a pretty cool guy, don’t worry. I told him that you had to come with me or I wouldn’t do anything for them.”

“Really. That’s interesting. I didn’t know you cared about me that much.”

“Once I saw that top you were wearing ripped up, I just said, wow, look at that. I have to have that woman.”

“I’m sure you did.” She looked at the screen again. She turned back. “I would have slapped you a few months ago if you said that to me, but as of now…thank you.” She grinned.

“Thank you,” I said. “It was pleasant to see…I’d better stop joking.”

“No, you just continue. There’s a lot more to see than that.” She looked at me again. Was she making a pass at me? My face softened.

“Your Highness, I get a feeling that you are…”

“What feeling do you have, Berry? Show me what feeling you have.” I walked over and stood in front of her. I leaned over and kissed her. She leaned in and pulled me closer. I couldn’t believe that the old stone alien would do that. I straightened back up. “Now get away and let me fly the ship,” She quickly said. I frowned. “We have plenty of time for that later. Maybe on Terribundi.”

“On Terribundi,” I repeated back. We paused and came out of null space. The ship pivoted into another direction and then sprung forward again shifting back into null space.

“I’m going to lay down in one of the quarters in the back.” She walked over to a panel near the rear of the ship. “This is a flight simulator. I suggest you fool around with it while I’m asleep so you can learn how to fly this thing.” I walked over and sat in front of the panel. She hit a few buttons and the display change to Earth-speak characters. She straightened up and stepped to the side. I slid my seat closer and began to work the controls.

She leaned over, kissed me on the top of the head, and headed to the quarters in the back of the ship. I began to wonder where this sudden show of tenderness would lead. The screen lit up and I began to learn how to fly a space ship. That was something I never wanted or expected.

The End (Part 3)