Pick Your Planet

By Dorothy Piper

Young Lex Simms is half-Martian. His family has inherited the remarkable Martian abilities of changing shape and traveling in spirit form through time and space.
True Martians are ugly reptiles who survive on water. However, the only water on Mars has become briny and is almost undrinkable. Decades ago, Preemo (the Martian leader) learned that humans can produce water out of thin air. He sent five males and one female to Earth to breed with humans. Their offspring would terraform a small area on Mars where his family could stay alive. It was, of course, a long-term plan.
But then a comet wrecks the time-scale. Instead of fifteen years, Lex now has fifteen months at the outside.
Lex risks his life to bring the remaining Martians to Earth, only to have a violent storm nearly kill them. The older reptiles plead with him to take them back to Mars where they had expected to die of thirst anyway. The younger ones, however, want to stay here and learn how to become human.
Meanwhile, arch-enemy Fi detects their presence and - oh boy - is he mad! In an agreement made eons ago, Earth belongs to Fi. He vows to torture any non-Earthling he finds on his planet. Now Lex and Melissa, Scott and Peter must hide their peculiar relatives where humans can't see them and Fi cannot reach them.
The Martians must choose whether to return to Mars and take a chance on what effect the comet will have, or face Fi's terrible anger if they decide to stay. Either way, their future looks grim.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dorothy Piper
• Release date: Sep 26, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370810741

Dorothy Piper

I've left it a bit late to become a writer but maybe the years I've spent reading will help me to create characters that you'd like to spend time with. I hope you will find them in my "Missions" stories. "The Gift" (which has been revised and updated) is the first in the series and is yours free, just for the asking. "Staying Alive" is the second book, also published here on Smashwords, as is the third book ("Pick Your Planet"). The final book in the series ("One Man's Plans") will - if all goes well - be published in 2017.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

Melissa stumbled over the front door sill, fell into the hall, and landed flat on her face. She didn’t try to get up. Hand over hand, digging her nails into the carpet runner, she dragged herself on her belly to the foot of the stairs where she lifted her head and looked up. The stairs rose like a mountain, way above her.

I’m gonna die, she groaned. She laid her head on the bottom stair and closed her eyes. Bury me now, she whispered.

Mum and Dad came into the hall, hauling heavy suitcases. Mum left hers by the sitting room door and knelt near her nine-year-old daughter. She took a tissue out of her pocket and wiped the sweat off Melissa’s face. You poor luv, she said. Let’s get you up to bed.

How is she? Dad asked ten minutes later, when Mum came downstairs. She looked proper poorly to me.

She’s never been a good traveler, and that turbulence across the Atlantic was the last straw. I made her drink some salt and sugar mix. It’ll put back some of the electrolytes she’s lost.

Dad shook his head. I can’t fathom it out. Here’s our little lass can’t handle a flight from Atlanta to Leeds—what’s that? Five thousand miles at the outside?—and then there’s our Lex who’s as right as rain after traveling millions of miles to Mars and back, even after being caught up in that there hurricane.

Mum filled the kettle at the kitchen sink. Our Lex shape-shifted into being a Martian, so he were like the rest of them. That’d make a difference.

Aye. It would. Shall I take these cases upstairs? Or leave them down here ’til you’ve had a chance to sort out what wants washing?

Leave them there, luv. Come and have a cup of tea. Oh, I’ve been looking forward to a good cuppa since we left Bermuda. Edwin Jones can keep his big yacht and swank villa over there. I’ll take Yorkshire every time.

Aye. ’Tis good ter be home.

***

Upstairs, Melissa lifted her head off the pillow. The room lurched and started to spin, faster and faster. She clutched her stomach.

Oo-oo-oo-ooh...

She clamped her hands over her mouth and staggered to the bathroom.

***

It wasn’t the cuckoo clock downstairs that woke Melissa. She heard it strike remotely three times. No, the sound that made her push back the bed clothes was much nearer. Very near. In her room, by the door. She sat up and stared into the darkness.

There it was again. Someone or some thing sniffled as if it was crying.

Her comforter started sliding off the bed. Melissa grabbed the edge which shook in her hands. The thing was slowly climbing up it. She let go, the comforter fell to the floor, and she heard a muffled gasp. She crouched on her hands and knees and looked over the side of the bed.

A glowing blue apparition, looking like a hologram of a baby alligator, was trying to free itself from the heavy folds. It gave up the struggle and rested its snout on the comforter. Oooh, it groaned, and closed its eyes.

Melissa slid off the bed and knelt beside the creature.

Trix? Trix? She touched the eerily-shining snout. What’s up? Why are you here?

We’re ill. All of us. ’Specially the little ones.

But you were fine when we left Bermuda, two days ago. What happened?

The sea won’t keep still. It’s going up and down, up and down. Not just little waves. Really big ones. It’s making us sick. O-o-o-o-oh, just thinking about it...

Trix scurried away to a corner and heaved, but nothing came up.

It must be bad if you’re trying to puke when you’re detached. You know you can’t.

Melissa sat cross-legged on the rug. Trix crept back from the corner and climbed onto her lap. We can’t stay there, she moaned. We want to go home. Where’s Lex? He’s got to take us back to Mars.

He’s still in Bermuda with Scott. He’s flying home tomorrow.

The door creaked open, and Mum peeped in. Lissa? she whispered. Are you all right? What are you doing out of bed? Oh, is that Trix with you?

She came into the room and knelt on the rug beside Melissa. What’s up with her? she asked, and reached to pat Trix’s snout.

Seasick.

We all are, Trix whimpered. Even your Granddad.

Melissa gasped. Really? But Granddad reverted to being a reptile years ago. So did Aunt Mo. They’re used to living in the Sargasso Sea.

Trix closed her eyes and shivered. It wasn’t too bad when the sea was normal. But it’s awful now. Aunt Mo said there’s a big storm brewing and it’ll get worse. But it can’t get worse. It can’t possibly get worse. We want to go home. I came to get Lex.

Let’s move you onto dry land before we think about taking you back to Mars, Mum said. Can you lead us back to the weed island, Trix?

I-I think so.

What will we do when we get there? Melissa asked.

We’ll bring some of the little ones here first, and then go back for the rest.

Including Granddad and Aunt Mo? We can’t carry them. They’re way too heavy.

Mum scratched her head. We’ll think about that when we get there and know what we’re up against. Oh, you won’t have to guide us, Trix. We can use Lex’s signal ball---

No, we can’t, Melissa interrupted. That’s still in the spaceship.

Oh, heck. So it is. Okay. We’ll detach and take some pillowcases to carry the reps in. I’ll let Dad know what we’re doing. Then we’ll mingle and go to the Sargasso.

Melissa replaced the comforter on the bed, climbed in, snuggled down, and closed her eyes. It looked as if she’d gone to sleep. A white cloud appeared above her head which became a fluorescent blue-green color that coalesced into a naked, transparent replica of Melissa. Rather like a jelly baby.

I’m ready, her voice said.

A similar but bigger see-through figure drifted into the room, clutching several pillow cases.

Dad shuffled in behind Mum, and ran a hand through his hair. Bring back as many as you can. We’ll put them in Lex’s room for now. I wish I could help you, lass, but I never did learn to detach.

That’s okay, luv. The big figure gave Dad a hug. Then she turned to Trix and Melissa. Ready? she asked.

Trix bobbed her snout.

Hold on to me. Don’t think about anything until we land.

Dad opened the window and the creatures flew into the starlit sky.

He rubbed his chin. I’d best ring our Lex and warn him what to expect when he comes home. Lord knows what we’re going to do with fifteen seasick Martians to look after for who knows how long. It don’t bear thinking about.

He padded down to the hall, his old slippers flopping on each stair. Then he lifted the phone off its small table and punched in a number

CHAPTER TWO

The howling, biting wind tore at the ghostly bundle as it flew at breakneck speed through the darkness. Then the wind dropped, and in an eerie silence Melissa brushed against a slimy, guano-splattered buoy that rose and fell, matching the movement of a huge heaving mass of sargassum weed to which it was moored.

A dozen pairs of black eyes glittered in the moonlight and watched Melissa. It took a second for her vision to adjust to the gloom. Then she saw the reptiles huddled together in a group near the buoy. They had their claws plunged deep into the weed and were hanging on for dear life.

Linda? Is that you? a weak female voice called from beside the buoy. Is Trix with you?

Yes, luv. And Lissa’s here, too.

What took you? The grumpy voice came from a large reptile, farther away from the buoy.

Melissa sighed. We came as quick as we could, Granddad.

Without warning, the whole island of weed reared out of the water, curving over the back of a huge wave. Up, up it rose until, at fifteen feet and with a sickening lurch, it slid into a trough.

Screams of terror erupted from every creature. Even Mum and Melissa joined in, although they were detached. Trix had slipped back into her body and—from the strength of her scream—probably wished she hadn’t.

The next wave wasn’t so high. The next, even lower, but the nauseating rollercoaster action carried on. Melissa flew above the weed island and peered around her. By the light of the moon that shone now and again through scudding clouds, she spotted far away another huge wave—white-crested this time—rolling towards them.

We’ve got to get them out of the sea, she thought. Where’s the nearest land? Ah, I know!

She zoomed down to the weed island. Hang on! she cried. There’s another biggie coming. I’m going to Bermuda. There’ll be boats in the harbor---

Don’t be daft, Lissa! Mum yelled. You’ll never handle a boat in this sea.

Not going for a boat. Going for life belts.

I’ll come with you.

No-o-o-o-wuh chorused the four little reptiles who were clinging to Mum.

Melissa made a snap decision. That giant wave was coming their way and she didn’t have time to wait while Mum freed herself. Be right back, she called and flew south, in the direction of Bermuda, looking for lights that would reveal Tucker’s Point harbor. In no time at all she spotted the huge, white superstructure of billionaire Edwin Jones’s luxurious ocean-going yacht.

That boat’s got a gazillion life belts. Scott’s dad won’t miss some of them. I wonder how many I can carry?

She landed on the stern of the top deck and tugged feverishly at one of the life belts attached to the railing. It wouldn’t budge. She moved towards the next one, but then hesitated. The wind flapped a tarpaulin that covered a large object parked in the middle of the deck.

The space ship! I wonder if I—no, of course I couldn’t. Yes, I could. I’ve flown it, so I know how it works. Yeah, and I crashed it into that tree in front of all those people and Lex and Preemo had to get it out. But I’ll be real careful this time. I can get them all in it, even Granddad and Aunt Mo.

Before she had a chance to lose her nerve, she loosened the cord tied around the bottom of the nylon tarpaulin. Immediately the wind rushed underneath and the tarp ballooned. Another gust of wind whisked it off and carried it away over the masts of the sailboats that jostled and bumped each other in the choppy water. Melissa saw it fly beyond the harbor wall, over the open sea, and remembered the giant wave that would reach her relatives soon. The wind gusted again and the small, cone-shaped space ship rocked on its landing gear.

Flipping heck, don’t blow away! she muttered and scrambled inside the ship. The airlock panel was open and she made her way to the controls. She didn’t know how to close either the door or the airlock panel and she didn’t have time to find out, so she left them open. With her heart in her mouth—or so it seemed—she knelt in front of the control panel and pressed the toggle switch. The engines hummed into life.

Now what do I do? Talking to herself helped her to think. Gotta get back to the buoy somehow. How do I do that?

She read the instructions Lex had stuck on the dashboard with duct tape. She had to connect the brown dot on the signal ball to the locator pin. O-o-o-kay, she murmured. Where’s the ball?

On the floor, underneath the cockpit seat which had been ripped from its moorings during Lex’s flight back to Earth, she spotted his drawstring bag. She thrust her hand in and found the little black ball that looked like a Bakugan Battle Brawler. She was about to press the brown dot against the locator pin when she realized she was jumping the gun. Got to get up in the air first, she scolded herself, or this thing’ll zoom straight through Mr. Jones’s deck railing. That’d make him real mad.

She settled into a more comfortable position and tilted the big mushroom on the control panel. The ship rose into the air. Then, when she was ten feet above the yacht, holding the black ball between finger and thumb, she pressed the brown spot against the locator pin. Immediately she was near the buoy. About to crash into it! She jerked her hand away and the ship’s speed dropped. Shaking with fear, she rested her hand in the middle of the dome and made the ship hover.

The wind buffeted the little craft. It took all Melissa’s strength to guide it down onto the weed island that rolled up and down on the heavy swell beneath her. She looked out of the cockpit window. A mountain of black water rushed towards the island.

Hey! she yelled through the open hatch. Get on board quick or we’ll all drown!

CHAPTER THREE

He will so let me fly it, Scott said. I can hold it steady while you help the reptiles climb in.

No way, Lex said. Your Dad won’t even let you leave the house in this weather.

Scott’s father came into the bedroom. What’s the argument about? he demanded.

The reps are in big trouble, Lex said. There’s a tropical storm brewing and they’re seasick. Mum and Lissa have gone to the buoy to take them back home---

How do you know this? Ed interrupted.

Dad rang me. I’ve got to go and fetch them. I can use the spaceship---

I can help him, Scott butted in. And we should bring them here. Not take them thousands of miles over the Atlantic to England.

Don’t be daft, Lex retorted. The speed that spaceship flies, it’ll be less than a second either way. And, if you do come, it’ll be too crowded.

Lex is right, son. Besides, you’re not going out in a storm. You can put that fool idea right out of your head.

They’re my folks and it’s up to me, Lex said. Being in a storm in the Sargasso can’t be harder than flying in the hurricane that hit us when we came back from Mars.

Mr. Jones stroked his chin. I guess you do have to help your family, but it’s dangerous, son. Especially in that peanut. You could get yourself killed.

They’ll all be killed—including Mum and Lissa—if I hang about much longer.

You’re right. Ed turned towards the door and bawled, Roly!

Scott’s bodyguard poked his head around the door. You called?

Get the car, man. Take us to the yacht. Lex needs the spaceship---

In this weather? Haven’t you heard? Gale force winds already according to---

Of course I’ve heard, Ed butted in, irritably. But Lex has to help his family.

Please let me come, Scott pleaded. I wanna know what’s going on.

Ed hesitated, before he said, Stick close to me and don’t try boarding that spaceship. Put one foot inside and you’ll be grounded for a month. No, for life.

I won’t. I promise.

Fine. What are you waiting for, Roly? Get on with it, man. Every second counts. You boys, put your slickers on.

***

It was raining hard when they reached the billionaire’s luxury yacht. The wind whistled through the trees bordering the harbor, forcing them to bow before it. Clouds of sand pelted the car when Roly brought it to a stop on the pier, and stung everyone’s eyes when they tumbled out. They, too, bowed their heads against the wind and clutched their slickers to their chests.

With Lex leading, they scrambled up the gangway and climbed the ladders to the top deck. Lex’s feet had barely left a rung before Scott’s hands—permanently crippled from junior rheumatoid arthritis—grabbed it. Roly, who was breathing heavily, brought up the rear. Ed didn’t even try. He used the small elevator on the lower deck.

Lex raced to the stern deck, stopped and stared at the empty space. It’s gone! he yelled.

You’re kidding me. Ed pushed past Scott and stared, too. I’ve been robbed! he bawled. That thieving helicopter pilot must’ve---

Give over, Lex interrupted. He wouldn’t dare. Not after what you said you’d do to him if he even mentioned it to anyone.

Where’s it gone, then?

A sudden gust of wind blew Scott backwards into the canvas-covered part of the deck.

Perhaps it’s blown away, Roly said, as he went to help Scott get back onto his feet. It weren’t secured to the deck. Just covered.

Ed ran his hands through his dripping hair. It’s worth a fortune. Priceless, he groaned. My spaceship---

Whose spaceship? Lex turned to face him. That’s my ship!

Ed jerked his head down at him, like an angry goose. It’s mine!

Mine!

Mine!

It’s nobody’s right now, Roly said. What are you going to do, Lex?

Not much I can do, except detach and go see what’s going on at the buoy.

Lex moved to the stern, knelt on the curved, padded bench and held the rail in front of him with both hands. He looked up at the clouds that raced across the moon and then he seemed to freeze. A blue, shining cloud left his body and streaked north over the angry waves.

Will he be all right, Dad? Scott asked.

Jeez, I hope so. He’s got guts, that kid.

What do we do now? Roly asked. Stay here ’til he comes back or go home? I’m soaked and if Scott gets another cold, your wife will never forgive us.

Hell’s bells. That’s right. Louise’ll have a fit. Take us home. I’ll call Lex’s father when we’re there and see if there’s any news.

What about Lex? Scott pointed at his friend’s rigid body. We can’t just leave him here.

Of course we can’t. We’ll take him with us. He’s got enough savvy to guess we’ve gone to the villa. Mr. Jones strode over to the rail. With his chest against Lex’s back, he wrapped his arms round the boy’s body and tugged. Shoot, he gasped. Can’t shift him. You try, Roly.

Roly prized Lex’s fingers off the rail. Buffeted by the wind and stung by the rain, he cradled the stiff figure in his arms as if it were a baby. At the top of the ladder, he looked down.

This is going to be interesting, he muttered.

Ed tutted. Use the elevator, man, he said. Come on. I’ll press the button for you.

***

The huge, heaving mat of sargassum was deserted. The wind threatened to tear Lex to shreds. Worse, sparks flew off him when the slanting rain touched him. It sapped his energy. He felt incredibly, woefully faint. He’d never been detached in weather as bad as this before, but he knew heavy rain could destroy him. He clung to the leeward side of the buoy, his ghostly fingers twined in the rope that looped through its rings, and dug his toes into the weed.

Sea water sloshed over him on every downward slide of the swell, and rain pelted him from above. Whenever water—rain or sea—touched him, he crackled and fizzed and grew even weaker. He felt his grip loosen.

Help, help! he wept into the darkness. Help!

The carpet of weed rose into the air as yet another huge wave crested, before it careened into a trough. Lex closed his eyes and clung to the buoy.

I’m gonna die, he wailed.

The island was climbing again when a claw touched his back. He whimpered in fright until a deep, familiar voice said, By the winds of Mars, boy, what are you doing here?

Preemo? Preemo?

Lex opened his eyes and found himself bathed in a brilliant, flashing light. He was crackling and twinkling whenever rain hit him but the huge reptile’s holographic shape blazed like a Fourth-of-July firework display.

You foolish child! Do you want to die? Where is your body?

On Ed’s yacht. Top deck.

And that is moored …where?

Bermuda. Tucker’s Point.

I remember it. Now, protect yourself from further contact with water. Climb in here.

Preemo took a plastic bag from under his foreleg and shook it out. Lex recognized it as the one he’d used to take his uncle’s body back to Mars. The wind caught the bag and ballooned it.

Hurry, Preemo said, testily. We haven’t got all day.

Lex squeezed into the bag and Preemo launched himself into the air.

For a second the wind buffeted the bag. Then it smacked against a hard surface.

Ouch. Lex crawled onto the stern deck of Ed’s yacht.

Preemo had dropped him under the canvas awning that sheltered the mid-section. The big reptile looked around. Where did you say you left your body?

Over there. Hanging on the rail. Oh, heck, it’s gone.

I don’t understand. What were you doing here?

Dad rang me. He said the reps were in trouble so I came to get the spaceship to take them home. Scott and his dad and Roly came with me. Dad said the reps were seasick, even Granddad and Aunt Mo, and Trix had gone to our house to get me. She didn’t know I was still here in Bermuda. The reps want to go back to Mars. To be with you.

Humph. Well, I knew this place wasn’t perfect, but I thought it would do until you found a better habitat here on Earth. But you were saying?

Dad said Mum, Lissa and Trix had gone to the buoy. They planned to airlift the reps back to England a few at a time. I don’t know how they could have carried Granddad and Aunt Mo.

Preemo grunted. Why would they even think of carrying them? They---

’Cause they were sick, too. I wanted to use the spaceship to bring them back here but when we arrived, it had disappeared, so I detached and went to the buoy. It was mega scary. The island was breaking up and no-one was on it. I haven’t a clue where everybody went. Sparks were shooting off of me and I thought I was going to die. Then you came. How did you know I was in trouble?

You called me, just when I was having a nice nap, so I came. You would have died if I hadn’t. Nothing can harm you when you are detached, except water. You would survive in light rain—you would spark a bit, that is all—but a downpour, or being in the sea, would be fatal.

Flipping heck, Preemo. Why didn’t you tell me? Not that it would’ve made any difference. I’d still have gone to the island.

"We never had rain