Prophecy

Rayne picked up a glass and drained it.

He watched her. 'What does it taste like?'

She shrugged. 'Water.'

Rawn drank his, and they settled down to wait again. This time they passed the hours in silence, and Rayne dozed against Rawn's shoulder. They jumped when a door slid open again, revealing a larger bathroom with two shower cubicles. Two sets of grey one-piece clothing were folded on a shelf next a pair of fluffy white towels. Rawn glanced at his sister.

'I suppose the inference is pretty obvious.'

'We smell.'

'Undoubtedly, but do they have to be so blatant?'

She smiled. 'Well, having cleaned out our insides, they have to do the outsides too.'

The soft male voice spoke again. 'You have already been externally decontaminated. The cleaning facilities are for your comfort. We have tried to simulate your method of washing. We hope you find the facilities adequate.'

Rayne gazed at the showers. 'It's been a long time since I had a shower, especially a warm one.'

Rawn frowned. 'Our method of washing? What kind of aliens are these?'

The voice said, 'We are what you would call humanoids, similar to you in many respects, but we have various means of washing that would be strange and possibly alarming to you.'

'Us primitives, you mean,' Rawn snapped.

Rayne poked him. 'Will you quit arguing with him? I don't give a fig how they wash. I want a shower.'

'He sounds like one of those damned fairy airline stewards. They always bugged me.'

'Well, I'm going to have a shower.'

He grabbed her arm as she started towards the cubicles. 'You seem to be very damned trusting all of a sudden. What if this is just a way to separate us?'

'We can shower together, if you prefer, but I think they can do pretty much what they like with us, and there's really nothing we could do to stop them. They could have knocked us unconscious with their gas if they chose, taken away your gun, stripped and tied us up, but they haven't. If they're going to treat us well, then I, for one, am going to co-operate. They're not autocrats, so let's see what they want before judging them.'

His eyes narrowed. 'You're being too calm about this.'

'It must be the tranquilliser they gave us. There's really no point in being upset, is there?'

'Guess not,' he muttered. 'You shower first then. I'll stand guard.'

'Okay.' She headed for the shower cubicles, shedding her clothes.

Tallyn switched off the monitor and sat back, frowning. The girl was perhaps a little more intelligent than her companion. By opting to stand guard, the man had foiled his intention of removing the weapon, but it was not a serious setback. It meant their first encounter would require a stress screen between them to thwart any attempt by the man to take a hostage, until he could be persuaded to give up his weapon. He seemed hostile and potentially dangerous, a trait common amongst human males. It meant Tallyn might have to separate them, and possibly keep the man confined until he co-operated. The first contact mediator was doing a good job. The girl, at least, was responding well to his overtures. He switched on the monitor again.

The girl was in the shower still, and clouds of steam rolled from under the frosted glass door. The man, Rawn, stood outside, his expression bitterly truculent. After a few minutes, the girl emerged wrapped in a towel, and donned the smaller of the two grey outfits, which fitted her well. She rubbed her hair dry, then took the projectile weapon from the man while he went to shower.

When she moved into the main part of the cell, Tallyn decided it was time to act. He jumped up and left the bridge to hurry along the corridor to the hospital. He wanted to speak to the girl before the man re-emerged. When he arrived in the spacious, clean room with its faint odour of antiseptic, the mediator, Egan, rose and saluted. Two doctors, who watched the humans over his shoulder, straightened.

'Relax, Ensign Egan,' Tallyn said. 'I want to speak to the girl.' He turned to the two guards who stood at the hospital's entrance. 'You two, set up a stress screen.'

The guards brought over a portable screen and placed it in front of the cell's door. It looked like a metal door frame, and was to protect him should the girl try to shoot him. The stress screen's alternating layers of charged air molecules formed a shimmer that would deflect a projectile.

Tallyn waved the guards back when they completed their task, indicating that they should stand to one side, out of sight. Once they were in place, he ordered the nervous ensign to open the door. Egan touched crystals on his console and the cell door slid open with a hiss.

Rayne whipped around, raised the gun and opened her mouth to yell for Rawn. Her shout turned to a gasp as she gaped at the man who filled the doorway. He was almost as tall as Rawn, and well built, but quite alien. His fine brows arched above dark eyes, and his cropped black hair gleamed with blue tints. An aquiline nose jutted over his thin-lipped mouth, but the resemblance to humans ended there. His skin gleamed with a metallic golden shimmer, and his black hair ended in a line just above his ears, where it turned pure white.

His earlobes joined the edge of his jaw. His form-hugging suit of dark blue material had a line of gold that edged his collar and ran down the middle of his chest, separating into two at his waist to continue down the front of his trousers. Gold also trimmed his cuffs and ran up the outside of his sleeves to form swirling patterns on his shoulders.

He smiled without showing his teeth. 'Hello. I am Tallyn.' He spoke with less of an accent than the disembodied voice had. 'I am the commander of this ship.'

She nodded, stepping back. 'Hi.' It sounded pathetic, even to her, and she searched her vacant mind for something more suitable to say. While she did, he spoke again.

'Do not be afraid. I wish you no harm.'

Rayne took another step back. 'I – I'll call my brother.'

'No.' He held up a hand. 'Please, I wish to speak to you, alone.'

'Why?'

'The weapon.' He indicated her gun. 'Please give it to me.'

Rayne looked at it. He did not seem afraid of it, and she did not think she could use it on him anyway. Rawn might, though, but what good would that do? They were at this man's mercy. Shooting him, or trying to, would not improve their situation. The gun was useless, and she let it sink to her side.

She looked at the alien again. 'Will you give me your word that you mean us no harm?' Again, it sounded silly, but the alien placed his hand on his chest and smiled.

'I do. We never had any intention of harming you, but if your brother uses that weapon we'll have to restrain him. As you pointed out to him earlier, there is very little you can do to us.'

She nodded and stepped towards him, intending to hand over the weapon. He raised his hand again.

'Do not approach the screen.'

Rayne stopped, sensing a faint tingle on her skin. So there was a screen between them. He had not trusted her completely. He turned and gestured to someone. The tingle vanished, and the alien stepped into the cell, holding out his hand. With a shiver of trepidation, she handed the. 44 to him. Another man, dressed in a white uniform, appeared behind him and took the weapon when he held it out.

He smiled at her again. 'Good. I know you are confused, alarmed, and perhaps a little angry. The tranquilliser will wear off soon. Do you require a further dose?'

'No, I'm fine.' She found his alien features fascinating.

His smile broadened. 'I see that I intrigue you. That's understandable. I don't mind.'

Warmth suffused her cheeks. 'You're not human.'

'No. I am Atlantean. I come from a planet very far from here. However, as aliens go, I'm not that different from you.'

She frowned, realising that she should be asking more intelligent questions. 'Why did you kidnap us?'

'Ah. Perhaps we should wait for your brother. It's a long explanation.'

She nodded. 'You killed the mutants, didn't you?'

'Yes.'