“They’re more advanced,” Ben complained. “But that doesn’t make them God.”
Adams seemed hardly to hear Ben. “What makes me furious is that the government has cut a deal with them,” he said. “They know about this, but they cover it up.”
“You people make me sick,” Ray blurted out. He glared at the others. “You’re all victims. It’s time someone took charge.”
The others stared at him motionlessly.
“They come into our homes,” Ray cried angrily. “They… do things to us. And we just sit there and take it.”
“You talk like there’s something we could do,” Ben said.
“There is,” Ray shouted, his temper flaring. “We can fight back.”
Dr. Penzler shifted uneasily in her seat. “Have you ever fought back, Ray?”
Ray shot a piercing look over to Dr. Penzler. “I’ve… yeah, I’d like to think I have. But that’s not what I’m talking about. There’s us, here in this room. Fine. But the people out there in the world, they treat us like we’re crazy.” He glanced from face to face among the group. “If we’re all alone, there’s no fighting back. But if we were believed… if there was proof…”
Dr. Penzler turned toward Charlie. “That was your idea, too, wasn’t it, Charlie? To get proof?”
Charlie shifted nervously, suddenly on the spot. “It was… yeah.”
“Not anymore?” Dr. Penzler asked.
Charlie looked at Lisa, smiled quietly, then turned to Dr. Penzler. “Some things have come up that kind of… rearranged my priorities,” he said.
“This is so romantic,” Ray scoffed. “Charlie and Lisa. Soul mates. Destined to find each other in the stars. It’s enough to make me puke.”
Charlie felt his anger rise. “Why don’t you lighten up, buddy?” he warned.
“Why don’t I lighten up?” Ray snarled. “Maybe because I’m tired of all this cosmic whining.”
“You know what, Ray?” Cynthia said. “All you ever do is shout down everyone else’s story. So, what’s your story?”
Ray glared at her. “You want my story?” He jerked a pistol from behind his back. “Here’s my story,” he said.
Charlie stepped forward. “Give me that gun, Ray.”
“Not the whole thing,” Ray said quietly. “Just a piece of it.”
Then he fired.
Mary rubbed a smudge from the windshield for a clearer view, then sat back, her hands on the wheel. In the soccer field beyond a line of trees she could see Allie darting along, kicking at the ball. She glanced at her watch. Three-thirty.
“They should be here by now.”
“Don’t worry, these guys are very punctual.” Wake-man smiled, his gaze following Allie as she moved across the field. “Pretty little girl,” he said.
Mary nodded as a dark car pulled up near the goalpost, two men in sweatshirts in the front seat. “There they are,” she said.
Wakeman watched a third man move along the edge of the field, a jogger in a sweatshirt. “And the rest of the team, right on time.”
“Yes,” Mary said. She opened the door and looked at Wakeman. “Ready, Chet?”
“Ready.”
Wakeman pulled himself from the car and joined Mary, the two of them now heading across the field to where Allie continued to chase the ball until she abruptly stopped, peered at them intently for a moment, then whirled around and began to run.
“Let’s go!” Mary cried as she bounded forward, running with all her strength, joined by the others, all of them converging as Allie fled into the adjoining woods.
Mary could see her racing toward a break in the trees and into the speeding traffic beyond the woods where… the air suddenly congealed and she felt as if she were moving through a thick invisible gelatin, Wakeman lurching ponderously at her side, encased in the suffocating air, everything slowing as if some mysterious force had been drained from the earth, leaving nothing free to move save the little girl she could still see darting deerlike and unencumbered through the otherwise numb and exhausted realm of earth.
Charlie lay on the sofa in Dr. Penzler’s office, grimacing in pain as Lisa applied the tourniquet. He stared at the others herded together around him, pale with fright, watching as Ray paced back and forth before them.
“He needs a hospital,” Lisa said.
Ray shook his head. “I need to talk to the FBI.” He picked a cell phone from one of the pile he’d taken from the group and tossed it to Dr. Penzler. “Call the FBI. Tell them that I’m armed and that I’m going to have to start shooting people if my demands aren’t met.”
“What are your demands?” Dr. Penzler asked.
“Tell them that I want to speak to someone in charge,” Ray answered. “The extraterrestrial project. I want to talk to whoever’s in charge of that. I want him here, in this room, so I can look in his eyes.”
Dr. Penzler opened the phone.
Suddenly the door burst open and all eyes turned toward where a little girl stood breathlessly.
“Allie,” Lisa said.
Ray moved the pistol, directing Allie to join the others. Then he looked at Dr. Penzler. “Make the call,” he said.
Dr. Penzler dialed a number, then said. “This is Harriet Penzler. I’m a psychologist in Seattle, Washington. Yes. Yes. This is very urgent. I have a patient who… well… who has to speak to whomever is in charge of the extraterrestrial project. Yes, that’s what I said. Yes, and this is no joke.” Dr. Penzler waited a moment, then returned to the phone. “And there are hostages,” she said, her voice now very grave. “Seven adults.” Her eyes swept over to Allie, settled upon her a moment, then returned to the phone. “And… one… little girl.” She returned her gaze to Allie as she listened. “Yes,” she said. “That’s right… exactly.”
“All right, I’m here,” Mary said as she stepped into Dr. Penzler’s office a few minutes later. She lifted her arms to show that she was unarmed. “Are you the one who asked for the FBI?” she asked, her eyes locked on Ray.
“Yeah,” Ray said.
“I’m here. You can talk to me.”
“Did anyone explain to you what this was all about?” Ray asked.
“Man in therapist’s office holding eight hostages… demands FBI agent.”
“I asked for someone from the FBI extraterrestrial project.”
“You mean like
Ray glared at her. “I want the FBI to go public,” he said. “I want the FBI to tell us everything it knows about…”
“I’m sure everyone here would agree,” Mary said. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to… go public.” She glanced at the other hostages one by one until her gaze finally settled on Allie. “Give me the little girl and I’ll do what I can for you.”
Allie looked at Mary closely. “She was in the park,” she said to Lisa. “She tried to grab me.”
Mary’s eyes swept back to Ray. “Let the little girl come with me,” she said.
Ray strode across the room, yanked Allie from Lisa’s grasp and put the pistol to the child’s head. “I’ve got something you want, don’t I?” he said to Mary. His eyes narrowed menacingly. “Well, you’ll never get her,” he added as he drew the gun away and let Allie go. “She’s staying with her mother.” He smiled. “Now get out!”
Mary eased herself from the room, then quickly made her way across the street to where she found her
