Chapter 13

13

G etting out of The Bridge wound up being fairly straightforward after Jeff got Karuk some clothing to blend in with the Earthlings. Dressed in a heavy hooded shirt, and a pair of sunglasses, Karuk walked out with Jenny and Jeff to a lift. When they hit the ground, they got on a land transport that shuttled them and other employees of The Bridge outside of the perimeter.

It was there that Karuk got a much better understanding of what Jenny was so afraid of.

High fencing surrounded the roads, with armored guards on the other side, plus another row of fencing, where other Earthlings stood with signs and screaming and chanting.

The crowds were in a frenzied fever. And as the vehicle drove by, they continued to scream and call all the riders horrible words.

Jenny sat there next to him, and he wrapped his arm around her, trying to protect her from the onslaught.

Still, it affected her deeply. She kept curling into him. He just held onto her, hoping he could make her feel at least a little safer.

“It’s like this all the time,” Jeff said.

“How do you not let it get to you?” Jenny asked.

He pulled out of his pocket a little white container, and Jenny chuckled.

“I should have known,” she said.

Karuk glanced at her. “What does he have?”

“Noise cancelling headphones.”

Jeff put them on and pulled out his own communicator phone and tapped on a few things before leaning back and closing his eyes.

Karuk wasn’t so lucky.

He kept having to adjust his ear piece to raise the resistance of the incoming emotional onslaughts just to have some peace on the ride.

It took a while, but eventually they reached another secured building, this one similar to the base of The Bridge, and they drove on.

However, this one was lined with different personal transports.

Cars. They were cars, he was told.

The crowds were still around the outside of this building, but not as heavy as what was on the initial drive in the shuttle. Still, Karuk did not relax until they were well on their way and away from all the crowds of Earthlings.

Jeff drove them to Jenny’s home, and while they were en route, they came up with a basic plan of how to proceed through this process.

Jenny had explained to him what was going on, and why she needed to go back home. She had to get a few things, so she could at least shut down all the things that Phil had released.

“Now, you will call me when you’re ready to leave?” Jeff asked as they parked in the lot at Jenny’s home.

Jenny nodded, though her gaze wandered over to another land vehicle that was covered in snow and didn’t look like it had moved in some time.

“Yeah. I’m set,” Jenny said. “And I have my car keys too. So we can take my car if we need to.” She wiped off the corner of the vehicle she’d been looking at. “If it starts,” she muttered to herself.

“Just call me,” Jeff said before he drove off.

Jenny sighed and led him down the sidewalk. The hard ground was blotchy and covered with granules, though with every step, Karuk felt stronger than he had in a very long time.

“And you are certain Mister Fluffikins will be fine with no attention.”

“Are you kidding? He’s a cat. They live for their alone time. He has plenty of food for the next day or so. Hopefully this won’t take much longer than that. At least to see what I need to get out of my apartment, and if anything has been damaged.”

“He gets very touchy.”

“So he tells you,” Jenny said, chuckling. “Come on, it’s just around here.”

Karuk followed Jenny through the large green yard. Buildings made a square, and scattered around the area were many trees and places with seating in different sections.

The cold outside was something he hadn't felt in many years, and if the snow continued to fall like it was, he would enjoy spending time in it, just feeling the cold on his face.

The elements of nature always invigorated him.

He reached for his hood to feel the snow on his face. But like she had a sense; Jenny glanced at him, her eyes wide with worry.

“Wait,” she said. “We’re almost there.”

He stopped himself and instead went back to surveilling the surroundings.

There was no keypad or entrance option when they entered the building, and for that, he found himself very concerned about her well-being, if this was what Earthlings called security. He'd seen multiple places outside this building that would have made the perimeter easy to breach between the trees on the far edge that had no visible fencing, and the buildings themselves had no security between them.

The only sort of safety measure he'd noticed was the gate at the parking area's entrance.

But even that would be easy to cross if one was interested. Fences were climbable, and with all the vehicles here on the ground, one would simply have to follow it in, for no guards watched the entrance points.

She led him up a small set of stairs that he had to watch his foot placement, for they were smaller than standard issue stairs.

Made for the tiny Earthling feet, he guessed.

No one seemed around, and he didn't see any overt security measures inside, either.

He didn't like this place. It wasn't very safe.

She paused at a door right at the top of the stairs and slipped a dingy metal key into the door before she shoved it open.

That was it? No security scan? No identity imprint of any kind? No wonder she'd been so concerned! Anyone could have walked into this place and invaded her home without her knowledge. And from the looks of it, there was no security to identify a guilty party.

She walked inside, but he put his hand out, barring her from entering. “Let me.”

Jenny stepped back and let him go inside.

He glanced at the door’s framing and determined it had not been forced open. So if this stalker had been in, it was because he had an entrance key.

“Did the owners of the facility upgrade your security?” he asked as he stepped inside.

“They were supposed to. My key, though works in the lock, so I’m guessing that’s a big ‘no.’” She spat the last of that out, and he appreciated her frustration.

How many of these Earthlings already knew this place? How many waited for her to arrive there again so they could act out their threats?

He would do everything in his power to stop him from harming any part of Jenny.

Karuk took in the entryway.

Large, elaborately painted fruit decorated her residence, mixed with laced webbing and dripping candles.

She came in behind him. “This looks okay,” she said.

He noticed more of the orange and black décor as he headed through, pausing just at the hallway’s entrance. He stepped to the left and saw her bathroom, but everything there looked orderly.

He turned to the other way and saw the bedroom.

The bedding was messed, like someone had been lying on it.

An icy shiver went down Karuk’s back.

He pulled a scanner from his pocket that he'd swiped from the station and ran it over the room.

The scanner showed genome residue on the bed.

Genomes that were not Jenny’s.

She came into the room. He blocked the door.

“What, what is it?”

“He was here,” Karuk said.

“How can you tell?” she asked, trying to push around him.

He kept her back and held up the scanner. "This is reading foreign genome residue."

She twisted against him, and slipped under his arm, until she popped up in front of him in her bedroom.

"Jenny," he said, his hand on her shoulder. “I do not want?—”

She wiggled out of his grip. "Look, it's my room, I'm going to know what's wrong with it." She put her hands on her hips and stepped over to her bed, pulling at the blanket on the top. "Wait, I know I made this before--Eww! He was on my bed!" Her whole body shivered as she stood there, refusing to look at the bed.

"He is the lowest of the scum on the hulls of ships," Karuk said. "Star ships."

This made her smile, but only for a moment. "Regardless of the ship, I agree with you there." Her gaze ran around the room, looking at her things. He followed her gaze, and she walked to her furniture, examining the trinkets setting on each piece, her fingers grazing them.

"What are you looking for?" Karuk asked.

"Dust. If he moved anything, the dust would be gone," Jenny said. "I've been gone for a while. There's dust everywhere." She paused at a small box. "Except on anything that had been moved..." her words trailed off as she picked up a small box.

He took a couple of steps toward her. The room allowed little movement between her furniture. Once again, everything on Earth seemed to be made for smaller beings.

"What have you found?" he whispered.

"This box. He messed with this box. I can see where the dust has been brushed away."

Karuk scanned it, and additional genome traces appeared on the box. He took a reading all throughout the room. It seemed he put his hands everywhere. He may not have moved much, but he seemed able to touch everything in the room.

While Jenny's face remained neutral, Karuk could feel her emotions and how they churned underneath. Fear, panic, worry, and anger, all fused together to make a stew of feelings that bubbled beneath her skin.

"Do not worry, Jenny. I will keep you and Mister Fluffikins safe."

This made her smile. "Me and Mister Fluffikins, huh?"

"I cannot include you and not consider your special companion as part of the unit."

"I'm sure he has many opinions about that, if you dared not include him."

"Mister Fluffikins has many opinions on many things," Karuk said.

"Oh does he now?" Jenny asked, crossing her arms.

"He does. Perhaps he will wish them shared the next time we three are together."

“I’m sure he will.” She pulled out her communicator and started taking pictures of her apartment. “Let me get some pictures for evidence, if we need it.”

“As you like.”

He walked around the residence, taking in her things.

The little pot on her counter that looked like it was bubbling over. When he touched it, he realized it was artificial, a decoration. Not heavy, but when he touched it, some of the sparkle on it came off in his hands.

This amused him.

Her whole residence amused him.

The tiny sparkling skulls that were on the wall. The webbing with the fake animals wrapped up in it. It was an amusing style. He would have to ask her about it. Much different from the Christmas tree and all of its lights.

Jenny must have many sides to her personality. He looked forward to meeting them all.

If their mating was any indication, he would enjoy meeting every part of her, again and again.

She pulled out of him an incredible pleasure that he’d not known before when taking lovers.

She did more than just perform the act. She truly reveled in it, which made it easier for him to savor every moment and want to make her truly feel all the joy possible.

In fact, he had a few ideas about some things he would like to try with her when they had a chance again, involving?—

“Hey! What are you doing here?” came a male voice.

Karuk turned.

It was the ex. Phil.

His hand immediately went to the blade he always carried. It may not be as strong as his personal assassination blade, but it would kill a Dalgurian. So he had little doubt it would do the same to this Earthling.

“I should say the same to you,” Jenny cried from the hallway. “What are you doing in my apartment?”

“The door was open. I had to find out if you were okay.”

She glared at him. “That’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever said, and I’ve heard you say some stupid things.”

Karuk stepped closer to him. “You need to leave.”

“And what are you going to do to me? You can’t touch me. You’re one of them, aren’t you?” Phil’s arrogance radiated off him.

“One of what?” Jenny asked.

“One of those aliens,” he fired back.

“Do not say that.” Karuk took a step toward him.

“What, alien? That’s what you are. A creature from another world, foreign and not allowed to be here.”

Karuk took a step forward, gritting his teeth.

Phil stood straighter. Glared at Jenny, and then back at Karuk.

“You seem confident,” Jenny said.

“I have the laws on my side. He can’t touch me. No aliens may touch a human without express permission. They’re not allowed on our soil without express governmental permission.”

“What makes you think we don’t have that?”

Phil glared at her. “You’re too stupid to know that, you’ve been up in that stupid tower for the last six weeks. You don’t even know what’s going on down here. The world is shifting, and these aliens are not allowed here.”

Karuk really hated that word.

“You will leave this domicile.”

“Or what?”

“I will make you,” Karuk said, his hands in his pockets.

He turned to Jenny. “Looks like he’s as dumb as you are. What part of You. Can’t. Touch. Me. Do you not understand?”

Jenny lunged forward with a large stick in her hand. “Don’t call me stupid!” She swung the heavy wooden stick at him.

Phil turned and caught it in his hand.

Just the opening that Karuk needed. He pulled his hands out, still covered in their gloves, and slammed his fist into Phil’s face.

It took one punch, and he was on the ground.

He shook his head. “I’m glad you did that, you dumb alien. Now I have all the proof I need that aliens are dangerous.” He pointed over his shoulder. “You didn’t even see the camera I put up in here months ago.”

Karuk and Jenny looked.

Sure enough, there was a small black dot on the wall.

Jenny screamed and came at him with her wooden stick. “How dare you, you worthless piece of shit! This is my home! Who do you think you are?”

Just then, the ground shook.

Jenny braced herself in the doorway. “Earthquake,” she said, dropping her heavy stick and hanging on.

Everything started shaking and Karuk crossed to the far side of her apartment, stepping over Phil.

He knew that sensation, and he was pretty certain it wasn’t an earthquake. He’d felt it enough times in his life, he could count the rhythm of it.

He pulled back the curtains, and light poured into the apartment. Light that seemed to have no origin, but snow and ice flew everywhere.

“That’s not a quake,” he said. He turned to Jenny. “They found me.”

“Who?” Jenny asked, crossing to the window.

“Vorjan House.”