to whom
all citizens of Alhedis pledge loyalty and obedience. Only the noble members of
the Telhada have proper names.” He rubbed his forehead and blinked hard. It
looked like his vision was coming back. “You ask a lot of questions.”
“You started it.” She reeled back her temper and the edge to
her voice. Attacking him wasn’t going to get her anywhere. “Well, I’m not
calling you ZXQ - One ,
like you’re a Terminator or something. My friend Sam played an alien in a movie
and you look a little bit like him, so that’s what I’m going to call you.”
Sam suited him better anyway. A good, upstanding name for a
solid sort of guy. Even if he was on the thinner side, he had a responsible air
about him like he never forgot to file his taxes or fill up his car with gas. A
guy named Sam was dependable and never late for anything. “So, Sam it is. My
friend Sam’s alien movie grossed—”
“You also talk a lot.”
Okay. Of course he wasn’t impressed by who she knew. Unless her
fellow prisoner had drinks three times a week with the head guy around here, she
wouldn’t be impressed by who he knew either.
“Occupational hazard, I suppose.” Everyone in L.A. talked a
lot, usually without saying anything. If she’d wanted to get a word in edgewise,
she’d had to learn to speak up, be funny, be brilliant. Be something or be forgotten. Most of the time she’d had to settle for
outrageous because she never knew what to say. “Are you starting to see lines
and shapes and stuff?”
They couldn’t escape if he couldn’t see. Although he hadn’t
given the impression he knew enough about anything to get them out of here.
“I am.”
“Are you going to talk like that all the time? Like you have a
stick up—” She broke off. Maybe aliens didn’t have regular human-type butts, and
she didn’t want to find out what they did have instead. “Never mind. Can you see
me? I’m the redhead.”
She waved and her breasts jiggled. He raised an eyebrow and she
thought he was about to make a comment about her being naked.
But instead, he stated matter-of-factly, “I do not see
color.”
Her mouth almost fell open. Maybe the aliens were closer to lizards. Weren’t they colorblind too?
Except for the chameleons—they’d have to see color to change back and forth.
Wouldn’t they? Now she was confused and making her headache worse. “At all? Are
all aliens colorblind?”
His brow wrinkled. “It is not blindness. I see black and white
only. I believe the Telhada see color but I have not asked.”
“Why do these Telhada people get to see stuff and have real
names? What makes them so special?”
Now this was what she’d envisioned when Senator Blanchard told
her aliens had invited the people on the list to their planet for an exchange of
ideas and cultural norms. A back-and-forth Q&A session, maybe with a large
round table and a PowerPoint presentation. Of course, she’d expected to be in
the company of other scientists and speaking to her memorized area of
expertise.
At no point had she practiced how to butter up an alien
prisoner.
“The Telhada descended from the Ancestors and rule by divine
right. They are wise and benevolent leaders,” Sam said reverently.
Ashley smirked. “Not so benevolent if you’re in here. Why don’t
you use your one phone call to ask your precious Telhadas to get you out?”
“I do not wish to talk anymore.” Irritation laced the
statement.
Obviously, her dialogue could use some work.
He lay down and covered his head with his arms. She’d almost
gotten used to the headache but could see how someone new to the whole thing
might be overwhelmed. At this stage, she’d liken it to a monster hangover. If
she could get some wheat-grass juice, everything would be fine...
Without having registered falling asleep, she woke with a
start, and urgently needed that bathroom escort. Her bladder felt like it had
grown one size too small. Since a hall monitor didn’t magically
all citizens of Alhedis pledge loyalty and obedience. Only the noble members of
the Telhada have proper names.” He rubbed his forehead and blinked hard. It
looked like his vision was coming back. “You ask a lot of questions.”
“You started it.” She reeled back her temper and the edge to
her voice. Attacking him wasn’t going to get her anywhere. “Well, I’m not
calling you ZXQ - One ,
like you’re a Terminator or something. My friend Sam played an alien in a movie
and you look a little bit like him, so that’s what I’m going to call you.”
Sam suited him better anyway. A good, upstanding name for a
solid sort of guy. Even if he was on the thinner side, he had a responsible air
about him like he never forgot to file his taxes or fill up his car with gas. A
guy named Sam was dependable and never late for anything. “So, Sam it is. My
friend Sam’s alien movie grossed—”
“You also talk a lot.”
Okay. Of course he wasn’t impressed by who she knew. Unless her
fellow prisoner had drinks three times a week with the head guy around here, she
wouldn’t be impressed by who he knew either.
“Occupational hazard, I suppose.” Everyone in L.A. talked a
lot, usually without saying anything. If she’d wanted to get a word in edgewise,
she’d had to learn to speak up, be funny, be brilliant. Be something or be forgotten. Most of the time she’d had to settle for
outrageous because she never knew what to say. “Are you starting to see lines
and shapes and stuff?”
They couldn’t escape if he couldn’t see. Although he hadn’t
given the impression he knew enough about anything to get them out of here.
“I am.”
“Are you going to talk like that all the time? Like you have a
stick up—” She broke off. Maybe aliens didn’t have regular human-type butts, and
she didn’t want to find out what they did have instead. “Never mind. Can you see
me? I’m the redhead.”
She waved and her breasts jiggled. He raised an eyebrow and she
thought he was about to make a comment about her being naked.
But instead, he stated matter-of-factly, “I do not see
color.”
Her mouth almost fell open. Maybe the aliens were closer to lizards. Weren’t they colorblind too?
Except for the chameleons—they’d have to see color to change back and forth.
Wouldn’t they? Now she was confused and making her headache worse. “At all? Are
all aliens colorblind?”
His brow wrinkled. “It is not blindness. I see black and white
only. I believe the Telhada see color but I have not asked.”
“Why do these Telhada people get to see stuff and have real
names? What makes them so special?”
Now this was what she’d envisioned when Senator Blanchard told
her aliens had invited the people on the list to their planet for an exchange of
ideas and cultural norms. A back-and-forth Q&A session, maybe with a large
round table and a PowerPoint presentation. Of course, she’d expected to be in
the company of other scientists and speaking to her memorized area of
expertise.
At no point had she practiced how to butter up an alien
prisoner.
“The Telhada descended from the Ancestors and rule by divine
right. They are wise and benevolent leaders,” Sam said reverently.
Ashley smirked. “Not so benevolent if you’re in here. Why don’t
you use your one phone call to ask your precious Telhadas to get you out?”
“I do not wish to talk anymore.” Irritation laced the
statement.
Obviously, her dialogue could use some work.
He lay down and covered his head with his arms. She’d almost
gotten used to the headache but could see how someone new to the whole thing
might be overwhelmed. At this stage, she’d liken it to a monster hangover. If
she could get some wheat-grass juice, everything would be fine...
Without having registered falling asleep, she woke with a
start, and urgently needed that bathroom escort. Her bladder felt like it had
grown one size too small. Since a hall monitor didn’t magically
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