Chine landed right behind Alex, causing her to jump in surprise. A simple yes would have been enough, she said as she leaped onto his back.
As the dragon took off, he said, I saw your fight. You didn’t need my assistance. Perhaps you needed me to stay out of it, he said.
The rest of the skirmish was clearing out. The mechs had made short work of the giants and mammoths. Yeah, maybe I did need that, Alex said. It’s different when you aren’t there. Kinda terrible, you know? It’s easy to forget what I’m doing when everything is moving so fast, or you’re just chomping and burning through everything. Maybe I need to remember.
Chine didn’t answer, so Alex was left to interpret his silence. Instead of dwelling on it, she commed Jollies. “How did everything turn out on your end?”
Jollies sounded relaxed when she replied, “Easy-peasy.”
“Good to hear. We’re heading to the projected crash site right now.”
Alex and the rest of the Team Boundless arrived at the landing site. The ship had descended much faster once the vrosks had been removed from its sides.
The relief was instant when Alex could see this was indeed a ship and nothing like the meteor she’d seen before. The ship could hardly be called that; if anything, it seemed like an escape pod. It was no larger than twenty feet in diameter and was a perfect sphere, only the outline of a potential door disturbing its smooth and polished surface.
Most of the mech riders were standing around, watching the ship. No one made a move. That was when Alex realized Team Boundless probably held rank in the situation. If Roy or the teachers weren’t present, Boundless had the highest-ranking riders.
Alex looked at the rest of the team. “You guys want to come with me? I don’t feel qualified to be an alien’s first and only interaction. Plus, it’ll let whoever it is know that this isn’t one of those humans-are-the-best-and-rule-the-world kinda things.”
Jollies flew over and landed on Alex’s shoulder. “That’s an odd human thing to say, but sure.”
Jim and Gill came over to Alex as well, and they approached the scorched earth where the ship had landed.
Alex stood before it for some time with the rest of Boundless, but nothing seemed to be happening. She wasn’t sure if the passenger had been hurt or if there was some kind of technical issue, but waiting seemed just as rude as ignoring it. Not knowing what else to do, Alex leaned forward and knocked twice on the door.
The ship shot steam out of several holes that appeared. The faint lines gradually became more pronounced until a door popped open.
As the steam dissipated, Alex could make out the shape and features of whatever was inside the ship. It was humanoid and had a round head slightly larger than the rest of its body, the top of its head looking like a jewel of some sort. The creature had similar jeweled pieces on its chest, elbows, and knees.
The alien was oddly muscular, as if it were a fighter and regularly indulged in intense physical training. Its long, thick tail was curled around its waist. It was lying on the deck of the ship just inside the door.
Jim whistled as he took a step back. “That is not what I was expecting,” he muttered before turning to Jollies and Gill. “You guys ever seen anything like that before?”
Gill shook his head as he watched the alien closely. “No,” he finally replied. “I do not think this is from any of the known planets of the nine realms. This being is an alien to us all.”
The alien’s eyes fluttered open slowly. It began sitting up, groaning as it held its side. “Is this Middang3ard,” the alien muttered in a faint, almost echoey voice.
Alex stepped forward and said, “Yes, this is Middang3ard. My name is Alex. This is Team Boundless. We’re here to help you.”
The alien nodded as it tried to sit up taller. “Good. Take me to whoever is in charge. I have a way to stop the Dark One once and for all.”
Alex and the rest of Team Boundless exchanged glances as the mech riders murmured amongst themselves. “Hold on a second,” she said as she took a step away and commed Myrddin.
Myrddin sounded as if he had sobered up considerably when he picked up. “Alex, how did the extraction go?”
“We found…an alien. He wants to meet with you. You’re the one who’s in charge of everything, right? Like, across the board.”
“You could say that. A unit is already on its way. It should be there shortly.”
As Myrddin hung up, the ground brightened with beams of light from an extraction vessel. The vessel floated in the sky like a hanging city block.
The alien in the escape pod covered its eyes as it stared up at the vessel. Alex came over, shielding her eyes as well. “Guess our ride is here. Welcome to Middang3ard.” She extended her hand to the alien.
The alien looked at Alex’s hand for a long time before understanding bloomed on its face. With a nod, it took the hand and, looking Alex in the eyes, said, “Thank you. I only hope I have arrived in time.”
Alex was just exposed to an alien who has come here for mysterious reasons. Reasons that just might end the war with the Dark One. Find out what those reasons are in An Alien Affair.
Author Notes Ramy Vance
April 3, 2020
I've been hard at work on follow-up last year’s hit series – The Toddler.
Seems the Toddler is about to face his greatest challenge yet when a new heroes comes onto the scene.
Meet … The Sibling … Pray her nappy is dry.
Tired of the same old urban fantasy plot lines? Looking for something brand new and mind-bending?
Check out Ramy Vance’s brand new series Urban Fantasy series: The Silbling
Last year, the Toddler saved the city from a powerful magic. After battling dragons and
