âHe might have said so at the beginning,â Adam said.
âPerhaps heâs afraid how ugly weâll look,â Watch said.
âI know what you look like, of course. I will open the door.â
The door opened right then. Zhekeel91 could have been Ekweel2âs identical twin brother. He stared up at them with his big black almond-shaped eyes.
âYou are tall.â
âWe get taller, as time goes on,â Adam said. âWhere is Ekweel2?â
âHe did not say specifically but he must still be in space dock.â
âDo you know if he has our friends Sally and Cindy with him?â Watch asked.
âNo. He did not mention them in his message. Are they female humans?â
âYes.â Adam paused. âHow did you guess that?â
âI have studied your culture. It is a required class in our schools.â
âI didnât know we were so important,â Adam said. âAre you guys planning to invade our planet?â
Zhekeel91 seemed taken aback.
âWe could not do that. It would not be possible.â
âThen how or why do you know so much about us?â Watch asked.
âBecause you made us who we are. Of course.â
âOf course,â Adam muttered. He had no idea what the alien was talking about, nor did he really care. He just wanted to get home. He was starving for a real Earth dinner. âCan you take us to space dock?â he asked.
âThat is what I wish to do. But we have to be careful. You are not easy to hide. I know a special way there that few take.â
âCan you get us a weapon?â Watch asked.
âWhat do you need a weapon for?â
âProtection,â Adam said. âWeâve already been shot by your people once today. We wonât shoot anybody unless weâre attacked. You have our word.â
âI cannot get you a weapon. I do not even know where they are stored.â
âTake us to the space dock then,â Adam said. âAnd thanks ahead of time for all your help.â
Watch glanced back in the direction of the captured Hyeet. âI hate to leave that hairy guy. I feel like heâs almost one of us.â
Adam nodded. âMaybe we can rescue him later. But right now we have to take care of ourselves.â
They hurried out of the cell and raced down a long hallway. Right away Adam could see they were going in a different direction from before. The hallways were all similar, but there were also differences. For example, for several hundred yards, they entered a glass hallway that looked out over a massive park area. The green area had to be a mile across. It was crowded with thousands of aliens. Some seemed to be playing games, others were just relaxing by small lakes.
Yet there was no sun in the sky. There was no real sky, actually, just a wide curving ceiling that glowed with gentle yellow light. Adam wondered if Watch might have been right. Maybe the aliens had polluted their planet so badly that they had to live in space, whether they wanted to or not.
Maybe that was why they kept coming to Earth.
To take it over. Adam didnât care what Zhekeel91 said.
He was still worried about an invasion.
Adam was glad no one noticed them while they were in the glass hallway.
It would have been hard to outrun thousands.
Yet, before they reached the space dock, they did run into a guard. He appeared to be searching for them. He carried a ray gun and when he saw them he immediately aimed it at them. They received a strong and clear telepathic message at the same time.
âStop where you are and put your hands over your heads.â
Where they were, fortunately, was two feet from a corner. Adam and Watch exchanged quick knowing glances. No way they were going back in that cage. They jumped for cover, behind the corner. There was a flash of green light but it bounced harmlessly off the wall behind them.
Zhekeel91 seemed taken by surprise. He remained frozen where they had
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