Last of a Kind: The Damned

By Sean Austin

Jack wanted nothing more than to sit on the porch and enjoy the finer things in life. When that all changed, he threw himself into the fight of his life to survive for a chance to return to what he loved.

A large group of teenagers are abducted by aliens and told that if they wish to get home, they have to fight for it. After some minor initial training, they are dropped on a planet where they must fight the hostile local inhabitants. Their initial belief that it is all a bizarre game is wrong and despite everything they had been told to the contrary, it really is a fight for survival.

What they go through over a period of four weeks of fighting turns out to be horrific. The relationships they form amongst themselves to survive and the way they cope with losing each other is in stark contrast to their initial confidence and their naïve belief in what they had been told. Their shock when they realise that they had been betrayed forces them to come to terms with the fact that they can only rely on each other to escape their predicament alive, if not in one piece.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sean Austin
• Release date: Nov 9, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463652374

Sean Austin

Sean Austin is an award winning* hobby writer who lives in Melbourne, Australia.After working as a Geologist in Mount Isa, a remote town in outback western Queensland, he swapped the heat and rugged landscape for the city and now spends his time mowing roadsides for the council.(* Winner of the Aerican Empire Poetry Ball award 2008 and co-winner of the Aerican Empire IDBAD Award 2019.)

Book preview

THE DAMNED

Last of a Kind: Part 1

Sean Austin

Copyright © 2010

Smashwords Edition

PRELUDE

I know I should start this off in the right way. Maybe since we’re all in space, I should start with the reason why we’re here. How we got here maybe would be better, so yes, I will start there. While I’m doing that I’m pretty sure I’ll explain the reason along the way the best I can. This whole thing is written strangely I guess but I had no idea how it was going to end when I wrote it. I just sort of moved along the track of the events, writing what I did, what the others did. I wrote it as it happened mostly. And I guess I wrote it this way as a way of separating myself from the events, clear my head and my conscience a little I suppose. As you can guess, this starting bit is tacked on, I guess it’s my way to apologise for everything and to try explain it. I don’t know. I guess it could be so I don’t just dump you straight into the story. After all, it did sort of happen fast. There one second, a million miles away the next. After all the blood, sweat and tears, there’s nothing I can do to explain concisely, or with any hope of being anywhere near the mark. It happened and now I’ll stop procrastinating and trying to explain myself and let the story start.

1 THE PICKUP

I suppose I should explain but I think it might take too long. I’ll just say that after everything that has happened so far, everything we have gone through and suffered, this is us. We are the final selection made by our superiors. And I will willingly admit that the title of ‘superiors’ is used very loosely there. The list in front of me is the one the Admiral gave me just after we came back that first time. The important one that told us who had been good enough to be chosen. When I think about it, it’s also the one that told us we couldn’t do what we wanted to do, all we really wanted to do from the very start, right after the shit hit the fan. And if the truth be told, all most of us wanted as soon as we found out what the hell was going on. We just wanted to have never been taken away from everything we had ever known. But we were and we can’t go back just yet.

While I have the time now I should write down what happened, just in case. Maybe someone will find it if anything happens to me and perhaps they will know what to do with it. I sure as hell have no idea. Right now I’ll make use of the quiet while everyone is asleep and I’ll start from the start. It’s a little surprising that it was only a month or two ago.

I’m sitting on the verandah with a beer in one hand, (parents out of town), my feet up on the rail and a superb view out over the valley across the lake. Instead of looking at the view I’m perving on next doors daughter. She’s just come back from swimming practice and is about to change with the curtains open. Just as she’s about to drop everything, a green beam of light shoots from nowhere and two alien critters appear at the end of the verandah, coming towards me. I drop the beer, race inside to grab my baseball bat to give them a pounding, (it later occurred to me that this was something only a drunk would do. Only a drunk would shrug off seeing two aliens as a normal occurrence), and find two more in the kitchen. I grab a handy bottle instead and take a swipe at one. I miss by a mile, (a misjudgement of the amount of alcohol in the system already most likely), at which point one pulls out this little tube thing, points it at me and presses a button. I find myself on my arse with white light going everywhere before everything greys out and turns black.

I wake up with nothing but black bike shorts on, which doesn’t really worry me for the moment because I have a bigger problem currently pulling at my fuzzy mind. Namely being that I don’t have a clue as to where I am. In some huge hall somewhere is all I could say for sure. I could think of worse places I had woken up. The good thing is that I’m not empty handed. I have one bottle in my hand, it being the same one I took a swing at the critter with. Lucky I had missed that guy. I was holding a bottle of 25 year old single malt scotch. I looked around and spotted a few more people sitting in a huge room full of chairs and tables. I felt a tap on my shoulder and a voice whispered in my ear.

You look pretty cute in those shorts.

I looked behind me to find my next door neighbours daughter. I nearly had a fucking heart attack! Despite that I was a bit relieved to see a familiar face. I managed to say back,

Thanks. You look pretty good too.

She smiled knowingly and raised an eyebrow.

I bet you’re thinking I would look better if I had had time to change earlier.

I could feel my own eyebrows rising at the same time my jaw dropped. She had known I was watching through the window! I was startled enough to start nodding before I could stop myself. She smiled a little and blushed. My heart couldn’t take much more of this. I wondered what else she knew about me and I was glad when she interrupted my train of thought because I was paranoid enough already.

Could I have a drink? she asked, pointing to the bottle and still blushing.

Dumbly I handed it over and watched her drink for a second before I looked around again. A few more people materialised unconscious in empty chairs. She coughed a little as she passed the bottle back.

Strong stuff. So what’s your name? she asked.

I paused briefly at the unexpected question before I answered a little hesitantly.

Jack. Jack Cutter. What’s yours?

Jennifer Adams.

She held her hand out and I took it.

Any idea where we are? she asked.

I shrugged so we exchanged a little small talk to pass the time and to make things feel not so completely screwed up. Of course we knew each other’s names since we went to school together and had most of the same classes. It was just that something as mundane as asking someone who they were or talking about the weather made things seem a little more normal and easier to handle. After a few minutes I looked at Jennifer and, unexpectedly shy, I said,

I wasn’t kidding when I said you looked good.

I wasn’t kidding either. The bike shorts sort of hugged the body really well and so did the top. Plenty of curves and the nicest figure I had ever seen. She let me look for a while as she surveyed the room. More people kept appearing in empty seats all the time. There would be a brief flash of light and they would be there, slumped over their chairs and sometimes drooling on the tables. I guessed I had just embarrassed both of us and mentally began hitting myself. I knew I had just opened my mouth and stuffed everything again.

Did you know it’s rude to stare? she asked quietly a few minutes later.

Wha…oh, yeah, sorry. Didn’t mean to. I said quickly, trying to think of some excuse. I hadn’t realised I had just switched off and was still looking at her. I saw she was smiling and I stopped fumbling for an apology.

Don’t be. I did enough staring while you were asleep.

I looked down and went redder than a tomato, suddenly wishing I had a little more clothing. She laughed at my discomfort. The bike shorts were just as form fitting as hers were. I waved her away, embarrassed to the point where I just wanted to sink into the floor. She ruffled my hair.

Piss off. I said to her.

She only laughed harder.

By now the room was almost full with only a handful of seats still vacant. People continued appearing and a few minutes later, the hall was full. Those who were awake were looking around, most probably wondering what they were there for. Either that or wondering where the hell they were. No one noticed the pale white fog that started drifting from the ceiling. Not at first. When someone screamed and pointed up, others quickly looked at where their finger was pointing and immediately began scrambling from their seats, only to be struck down by a bolt of light that also flashed out of the ceiling. Others passed out as soon as they got a sniff of the fog. I saw all this, my mind throwing up images of poisonous gases in dozens of horror and war movies. It also threw up a little thought that aliens were preparing to invade Earth and we were the guinea pigs for some sort of nerve gas that would quickly subdue the human race. Illogically I also thought for a split second that this was the point where they would begin the probing or whatever they did when they abducted people. I turned to Jennifer and said unnecessarily,

Don’t breathe the gas!

She rolled her eyes nervously and stared at me like a frightened little child.

Well no shit Sherlock! she replied.

Don’t be a smart arse now! I replied emphatically.

I took a deep breath as the gas knocked out the guy in front of us. I stared at Jennifer as we were surrounded by the oily white fog. A minute and a half later her eyes rolled back. She put her hand out to me before she slumped over her table. I caught her head before it could hit the table and gently laid it down so I could take her hands. My own lungs were burning and lights were beginning to appear behind my eyes. I desperately needed to breathe. I looked around frantically through the fog until I couldn’t hold my breath any longer.

Screw you murdering bastards! I yelled as everything went black. Again.

"Tough, defiant young man that is. Are you sure the gas will only knock them out, erase all current thoughts from their minds and not kill them? We need them susceptible to suggestion and compliant, not dead." a man in a dark uniform said.

"Yes sir. replied a green humanoid behind him. We tested it on a large number of subjects before this to make sure of that."

They were looking out of a window high up on the wall of the room. The glass had been tinted to match the wall around it. They could see and hear everything that was going on in the room, yet no one could see them. The man in uniform had just doubted the camouflage briefly when the young man below had looked directly at him and screamed at them. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the extraction fans starting up as they pulled the gas out of the room. He turned to the humanoid.

"The four I want are in seats A42, L12, L13 and O99. I like the look of them; they should be the ones we need. That young man is definitely one of them. How long until the room clears?"

"Another minute or two, sir."

"Good. How long before they wake up?"

The humanoid looks at the clock on the wall next to the window before turning to a gas meter.

"I would say anther three to seven minutes after the gas clears, sir. It depends on how quickly their bodies can override the gases effects."

The uniformed man nods shortly.

"Good. You know what to do then?"

"Yes sir."

I woke up for the second time since I had been picked up with my hands still wrapped around Jennifer’s. A lot of others were still asleep at their tables as I looked at her. Like the others she was still asleep, slumped forward on her table with her head on her arm, snoring noisily. I was momentarily fascinated by the tiny spill of saliva pooling from the corner of her mouth and I watched her until she started to stir. Other people were beginning to move around sluggishly when one of the green creatures came into the room. I let it come level with me before making a stupid attempt to attack it. There was a momentary struggle as I got my hands around its weapon before I was blasted back into my favourite world. Oblivion. I never saw the second critter enter from the other end of the hall.

Yet again I woke up. This time it was with Jennifer shaking me like hell. She looked tired, sick and very unhappy.

Yeah, yeah. I got the idea. I’m awake, OK. I mumbled stupidly. My tongue felt like a strip of dried leather in my mouth and it tasted like something had crawled in there and died months ago. I put a hand out to find the edge of the table and Jennifer took it.

Great. Well you should be. You’ve had more sleep than all of us. she retorted as she pulled me upright.

Why the hell are you pissed? You didn’t get blasted. my words sounded slurry, even to me and that did mean something since lately I had been drunk half the time, so they were normally slurry anyway.

I wanted to talk to you and you were flaked out on the floor. I tried to put you back in your seat but you’re too heavy.

I sat heavily into my seat and stared up at her. She looked pretty pissed off but underneath she also looked scared and worried. I smiled weakly at her and squeezed her hand gently before letting her go. My effort was rewarded by a small, unsteady smile from her.

Sorry. I really meant it too. Picking up eighty something kilograms dead weight wasn’t easy.

Well don’t do it again in the next five minutes because we’re getting some sort of explanation soon.

Explanation? Since when did we get explanations for this? I still wasn’t thinking straight and I felt really sick. I didn’t think we would be getting much in the way of an explanation and I snorted in disbelief. I almost regretted it as I nearly vomited. I tried to swallow it back and eventually managed though it left a sour taste in the back of my throat.

Really? I thought we were supposed to be mushies. I finally said thickly.

What the hell are you talking about? she asked.

The explanation of the gag eluded my thick head for a moment before I reeled it back into focus. I blinked a couple of times with the effort and the world finally stopped its relentless spinning. I smiled dumbly and supplied the answer.

You know. Mushrooms. Kept in the dark and fed shit.

Oh.

That was all the response I got. By the look on her face, I guessed she didn’t get the joke. Either that or she didn’t feel in the mood for jokes. She sat down with an exasperated sigh.

I was saved the trouble of explaining the joke in detail by a light that strobed down from several points in the ceiling. I had a brief thought that whoever had picked us up should have worked on a rock show. After all, they were great with lights and the smoke effects. All it needed were some pyrotechnics and excessively loud music. The strobing light touched every desk before it was switched off. The tables made a beeping noise that turned into a low humming and a mini TV screen suddenly popped out.

What the… I muttered.

Jennifer mumbled something incomprehensible and whistled when the screen lit up. An array of letters and numbers scrolled up the screen until six remained. It said:

Your Personal ID is:

IR614S

Please enter on keypad.

A panel slid open on the table and a keypad moved up level with the table surface. I unthinkingly tapped in the ID. The screen changed to a list of information topics under a small paragraph of writing. I gently shook my head to clear the last of the fuzziness, hoping my brain wouldn’t detach and rattle around noisily. Focussing, I read what was on the screen.

Congratulations. You have been selected for an elite game of intergalactic warfare. There are two levels to this game, where only the top 16 people can qualify for the second level. There are currently 1,600 contestants. Good luck and happy warring.

These topics are listed for your convenience.

1: Destination/battleground details

2: Opposition

3: Weapons

4: Miscellaneous Details

As I looked at the screen one word popped out at me and brought a small wry smile to my face. Convenience. It would have been more convenient for them to leave me alone to finish my beer and watch the view from the verandah. Instead I was in some stupid game of war, which to my thinking was sort of backwards. Since when was war a game? In war people got killed and maimed. Last time I had checked, death and grievous bodily harm were not a sport. This had to be some sort of monumental joke at our expense. A particularly bad joke, but a joke nonetheless. Still, while I was here I had to choose something to read instead of sitting on my arse doing nothing. Rubbing my throbbing head with one hand I touched the screen to point my eyes in the right direction as they threatened to go wandering off somewhere more interesting. The screen flashed and changed. Apparently I had made a choice as to what I was going to read. I had a closer look at the screen to confirm it was a touch screen before I looked at what I had inadvertently chosen. Weapons. A small list came up beneath another small paragraph of writing. We were to be armed initially with either the AK-47 assault rifle or H&K MP5K sub machinegun. We could also select more light armament in the way of knives, pistols and sawn off shotguns. Other heavier weapons would be made available for us at the start of the first stage. As I read my head became clearer and I began to understand what was going on. I reread everything to make sure I had memorised it all. My thoughts were interrupted half way through.

What weapon do you think you will get? whispered Jennifer.

I looked at the two choices and quickly made a decision.

Probably the MP5K. From what I’ve read, it’s lighter than the AK, but they’re both hard to break and they’re both pretty good weapons. Though the AK is also supposed to be virtually idiot proof, which is probably a good thing. What about you?

AK-47. At least I’ve heard of it.

I nodded in agreement.

It’s a good weapon. Though I’ve heard it has a nasty kickback on it. I said. I turned back to the screen and noticed a little grey box in the top left corner. Out of curiosity I touched it and the screen immediately changed colour. The keypad and screen slid back into the table and I stared open mouthed at the smooth tabletop in surprise. About a second later I heard a whispery hiss as Jennifer’s did the same.

Oh shit! I didn’t do that. she said a little worriedly.

Didn’t do what? I asked.

Touch the little grey box in the corner. she cried.

Neither did I. So what do we do now?

I looked behind me to Jennifer. She had a hand at her mouth and was chewing on her nails nervously. Over her shoulder I noticed that two of the green critters had come in and were heading in our direction. I wondered whether we would be able to make a break for it but they were too fast. They marched straight up and stood in front of us, where they waited for a few seconds before one motioned with its hand, indicating that we had to get up. When we did they escorted us out. As we went, I noticed a third being escorted from the back of the hall. I wondered what the hell the three of us had done and what our punishment would be. The idea of anal probing flashed across the front of my mind again but I quickly discarded it. After all, considering how many people had been supposedly taken over the years and how many said they had been probed, I seriously believed that they would have found out all the information they could from that. I was sure we had something else in store for us and I guessed it wouldn’t be pretty.

"Excellent. All four pressed the box within acceptable parameters, their speed and observation fit within our specified zones. Is their cabin ready?" asked the uniformed man.

"Yes sir. All equipment has been delivered already, the notes are in place. Just have to make your appearance in their room, sir."

"Good. I think I’ll start walking now."

"But…why not take the transporter?" queried the green humanoid.

"Must give them a chance to get there, mustn’t we. And it would be very undignified to appear that way to them would it not? It might send the wrong message and undermine the hold we have on them." said the man with a quick grin. The humanoid just sighed as the man walked out of the small windowed room.

We were led down one corridor after another for what seemed like hours until we were stopped outside a pretty boring looking door. It looked like the sort of door found on any naval ship the world over and I was slightly surprised that when it was opened, it turned out to be onto a moderately sized four bunk cabin. I had been expecting some sort of weird alien torture chamber or bare prison cell. Our guards and part time guides motioned us to enter. We did and the door was closed behind us. It opened again a moment later and the person I had seen being led out from the back earlier stepped through. The three of us stood there looking awkwardly at each other for a few moments before we turned to look around the room. The bunks drew our attention first. At the end of each bunk was a nameplate and pile of clothing. On top of the clothes was a note. I picked up the note that lay on the bed with my name and sat on one of the four chairs tucked under the small table in the middle of the room.

Jack

You, and all the people in this room with you, have been chosen as prospective candidates to lead the mission in the first stage, subject to the results of the training that is mentioned below. The reason for this is that scans have indicated you all have high intelligence scores and you are fit and healthy. You have also been chosen for your indicated temperament and other qualities. Your training will include hand to hand combat and short but intense tactical and weapons familiarisation courses. Until we meet, you will stay here and listen to any people who will come in to talk to you.

Sincerely

Admiral S.C. Keppins

So if we did well in some sort of upcoming tests, we could possibly have command of the first stage. All of which didn’t really help me understand anything in any way since I hadn’t had time to read all the information on the little computer. The note just raised more questions than it answered. To be truthful, it didn’t answer any questions at all. The whole thing sounded a little unreal, a little weird. I thought about it as I picked through the clothes on the bed. They looked the right size so I dressed quickly. It felt a bit cool just wearing the bike shorts and I was sure things were slowly migrating north in search of warmer places. Not only that, they would hide what the shorts didn’t and let me have a little more dignity. The clothes were all camouflage gear, lots of pockets and all in a strange dark pattern. I saw Jennifer was having trouble with the button up pants and I went to see if she needed help. She waved me off.

I can get them up myself. she said, still trying.

I stepped back to give her space and took another look around the room. My first impression had been one of a comfortable room and my closer inspection didn’t change that much. It was still comfortable, but it was also functional. There was nothing superfluous or decorative about it. Everything had a use and that was it. There was a grunt behind me as Jennifer gave up on her trouser buttons angrily and she stood there with them half done up. I knelt down and did the rest, pushing the buttons through holes that seemed much too small for them and straightened up. Standing face to face, we were only a couple of inches apart and I felt an overwhelming urge to kiss her.

I would have thought you were better at undoing them. she said irritably before I could.

I smiled and didn’t move. I was enjoying the feeling of having her so close. I especially liked the way her face was getting redder the longer I stood there.

Um. Sorry to interrupt, but could you two please stop being so friendly? After all it’s only been a short time since we got here and you’re not in private. By the way, my name’s Jack. Jack Daniels.

Jennifer and I both jumped a little. We looked at each other guiltily and burst out laughing. The moment had passed and we were both a little embarrassed. We turned to the young man who had spoken. He looked at us and sighed as he misunderstood our laughter.

I know. Jack Daniels is the name of a drink. My parents had a sense of humour.

It’s not that…well, it is a little, and a couple of other things, but you’re Jack. I’m Jack. Here, have a drink. I said, passing over the bottle that had somehow managed to miraculously stay with me.

I wouldn’t worry about us being friendly though. We’re just neighbours…

I was stopped by a sharp jab from an elbow into the ribs.

Ow! Maybe more than that? I rubbed my side while I stared at Jennifer. She just grinned back and nodded. In the short space of time that we had been here I found that there was a thin thread there between us now, still a little fragile and I felt it could be easily broken. I was surprised at how good it felt to have that connection so suddenly made. I smiled at her and turned back to Jack.

So what did you do to be brought out?

The door opened and a second girl was ushered in. She looked at us all and hurried over to the last available bunk to get dressed.

As Jack was saying, what did you do to be taken out with us? asked Jennifer.

I touched a box in the top left corner of the computer screen. The colour changed… Jack trailed off as he saw both Jennifer and I nodding. The other girl looked up at Jacks explanation and nodded as well.

You three did that as well? I thought I’d crashed it. she said as she put a shirt on.

None of us had a chance to answer her because the door opened once more. This time a green critter came in followed by a man in dark grey dress trousers and a crisply ironed white shirt. The green critter bowed out of the room and closed the door behind itself. Nobody spoke for a few seconds. By the look of him I knew he was some sort of interrogator or torture specialist. I stepped forward, hoping to put him off.

Hi. How can we help you today, my good man? I asked, bowing low with a comically exaggerated sweep of my arm. Jennifer kicked me in the arse and I overbalanced, nearly falling flat on my face. I turned around to find her smiling sweetly back at me. I faced the newcomer again and saw his face darken in disgust at our antics.

It’s not how you can help me; it’s how I can help you. Well, how you can work for me anyway. I’m…

Admiral S.C. Keppins. What’s all this about and why do you need us? I said interrupting. I was faintly relieved he wasn’t going to interrogate or probe us. There was just something about knowing we had been abducted and expecting to be probed. It had sounded funny when I had heard of the crazies who said it had happened to them. Now I wasn’t so sure and the thought nagged at the back of my mind.

The Admiral glared at me for a moment and his face darkened further. Jennifer kicked me again, this time in the shin. Hard. I hopped around for a few seconds, holding the injured part. From the glances I had at the Admirals face, he looked pretty pissed. Talk about a stiff. He was absolutely no fun and I could guess that his anger was directed solely at me. I stopped hopping and sat down.

Thank you for getting straight to the point. said the Admiral icily. You are to sabotage a new prototype of a fighter, currently held by some undesirable people. We don’t want it built, for obvious reasons you can probably understand. My aide will be along shortly to give you the technical details that we currently have. That’s all you need to know for your job. The supply room will have your equipment ready soon so when you are ready to go over and pick it up, do so. As to the most pressing details, we will be landing in three days…

Where? I interrupted again slowly standing once more.

The Admiral looked at me as though he wanted to flatten me under his boot, like some kind of bug.

I beg your pardon?

He asked where we would be landing. said Jack.

He turned to Jack, flicking his eyes over all four of us in the process. It looked like what he saw didn’t particularly impress him very much. His icy stare came back to me and his lip curled up in momentary distaste. It was at that moment that my momentary dislike of him became permanent.

It will be on a planet much like yours, similar atmospheric conditions and solar patterns. Slightly hotter and brighter due to its closer proximity to a similar star as your own. Goes by the name Tannete. said the Admiral finally, And I expect next time we meet, he looked pointedly at me, you will not interrupt me.

I saluted snappily. If I had been wearing boots I would have clicked them together but I had to make do with a soft thud as I brought my feet together instead.

"Whatever you say Mein Kapitän."

There was a brief snort of laughter behind me that was hastily covered with a cough. The Admiral bristled and almost snarled at me but held himself back. He sneered in disgust instead and left with a curt goodbye.

As soon as the door closed I turned to face everyone. All three were smiling.

OK. Three of us have sort of been introduced. Now the uptight stiff’s gone maybe we can find out who our last contestant is. I said, rubbing my hands together like a TV game show host. Everyone laughed.

My name is Kate Belson. the girl said, holding out her hand. I shook it and made the introductions.

Right. We have, Jack, Jack and Jennifer. I said, waving at the other two.

She looked blankly at me for a second then shook her head.

And you are? she asked confused.

Sorry, you want the full formal stuff, right?

Kate nodded.

We have, on the left, Jack Daniels. On the right, Jennifer Adams. I’m Jack Cutter. Now that we have all met, can we please get going to the supply room?

Kate laughed in relief.

Oh. I thought you said his name was Jack Jack. she said.

Close, but not quite. Just the single Jack. His name is the same as the drink.

Jack groaned and shook his head in long suffering patience.

If only I had a dollar for every time I heard that. he said.

You could buy one every day. I replied quickly. The two girls laughed while Jack shook his head again. I took pity on him and quickly got the conversation back on track.

Let’s get moving. Our gear should be ready for us to pick up. That’s what the stiff said anyway.

What’s your hurry? asked Jack.

I shrugged and started for the door. Over my shoulder I answered him.

I just want to have a look at the cool guns. What do you think?

Sure. answered Jack.

Boys. muttered Jennifer and Kate together.

Good. Let’s go find the supply room. See what we’re supposed to be picking up.

Opening the door I found a guard watching us from the other side of the corridor. From his movement I guessed he had been slouching against the wall, not really taking his job seriously. I didn’t blame him because after all, why would we want to go anywhere when we were supposed to be a bunch of scared kids who just got abducted. The opening door changed all that though and he straightened up and crossed the hall. I reflexively stepped back as he came in and pointed to a small slot and metal plate next to the doorframe. There was a small panel with printed instructions and pictures under it. The guard made sure I was looking at it before he silently pointed to the blue card I had left on the little table in the middle of the room. I idly wondered if he could speak or whether his silence was just because he didn’t have any language we would understand. He was looking at me with a small frown on his face and I quickly studied the pictures. The instructions were pretty clear and easily understandable.

I get it. We use that little card from the gear on our beds, put it in the slot. Then we put our thumb on this little plate and say where we want to go. Right?

The guard smiled in relief and nodded. With a wink he turned and left, closing the door behind him. At least that smile and wink had cleared up one question in my mind. They could understand us, yet they wouldn’t talk to us. One question answered and another asked. It felt like my brain was going around in circles and I forced it to stop as I turned back to the others. They were looking at me expectantly and I guessed I was going to have to be the guinea pig for this experiment.

OK. I’ll try first. I said with resignation as I picked up the card from the table. With only a moment’s hesitation I slipped the card in, put my thumb on the plate, which immediately went blue, and said,

Supply room.

A flash of blue light and I was standing in a new room. A beep and my card was ejected into my hand. Apart from a little light headedness I felt perfectly fine. I was a little disappointed that my first experience with teleportation was so boring. After watching so many sci-fi movies I had expected it to be something more spectacular than just a flash of light and hey presto, a new room. I stepped away from the teleporter feeling cheated and waited for the others.

Thirty seconds later, Jennifer came through. Body first, then clothing. It took about ten seconds for her to completely appear and I took the time to admire her while there was nothing to interfere with the view. I idly wondered why the process worked that way instead of having everything come through at once. There was the question of inanimate material versus animate organics but I let the thought slide when she was finally solid again. She stepped away from the teleporter with a raised eyebrow in my direction and stood next to me. A moment later Jack came through followed by Kate. Both came through in exactly the same way that Jennifer had. She looked at Jack for only a second before turning away, her face flaming bright red in embarrassment. She looked at me as I watched the others come through. I was still puzzling out the idea of the need for two distinct teleportation phases.

Was I…I mean, did I, appear the same way as that, or didn’t I? Jennifer asked quietly while Kate was still coming through. I shuffled my feet guiltily and looked away to the desk that stood in the far wall of the room.

Um…well, you…kinda…um… I managed to mumble before she interrupted.

Did. she finished for me. Did you get a good look? I just looked at the floor. I guess you did. she said finally. Well I hope you liked it.

I finally looked up from the floor and met her eyes. She didn’t look angry, just a little embarrassed by the whole event. I should have tried to avoid answering but I didn’t. I still had so much to understand when it came to women.

Yeah, well, I kinda…did. I said finally. The grin that had half formed was suddenly gone as her open hand caught me on the side of my face with a sound like a gunshot. It was hard enough to bring tears to my eyes and I furiously blinked them back as I massaged my jaw. Her face had flushed a furious pink with two spots of brighter red high up on her cheekbones and I was glad she hadn’t picked up any weapons yet because I was sure I would have been dead on the spot if she had had them.

Bastard!

I couldn’t believe I got slapped for telling the truth. She asked the question and I paid for it. I’d always been told that telling the truth was supposed to be the best thing to do…until I remembered that dad had told me on many occasions that telling the truth was apt to hurt. I understood now what he had meant. I felt the first flare of retaliatory anger as Jennifer turned to stalk away.

Well you’re the one who hoped I liked it! I just said I did! I yelled after her.

She turned back on me and slapped me again on the other side. It was hard enough to make my ear ring and cheek pulse with pain before going numb.

Did you stop and think you didn’t have to look?! she yelled at me angrily.

I threw up my hands in disgust.

Well excuse me for being male!

Jennifer took a deep breath to shout again but our argument was interrupted.

"Will you two quit?! First you’re so nice to each other, then you’re fighting.