The Queen's Gift (Stories of the Alien Invasion Book 2) Read online

  Dark triangular planes buzzed the motor home’s roof. Mikey put his hands over his ears, they’d finally stopped ringing and now the planes—no, fighter jets—threatened to deafen him again.

  “We need to follow them,” Jor said. It was the first thing he’d said since we killed Poole.

  “If the aliens go where there’s a lot of people—”

  “They’ll only send out jets to fight them off,” Jor interrupted Connie. “If we’re resisting, don’t you want to help?”

  Connie paled, but nodded. Mikey could tell she didn’t want to help. She’d told them she wanted to run and hide. She’d been running to hide when she’d found them with Jor throwing up on the side of the road, but hadn’t wanted to leave a couple baby-faced teenagers alone. Mikey didn’t say that, though, as he watched Jor gather up some clothes, gun still in his hand. Mikey felt uneasy about the gun.

  “Thank you,” Mikey said. “I’d better get my things, too.”

  He left the guitar, sitting half strung on the dining table.

  They all piled into Connie’s car, Mikey in the back seat, of course, and realized for the first time how old her car was. The paint was peeling, and the shape of the car was boxier than he was used to. The car was probably older than he was.

  She turned the keys and the car whined, but the engine didn’t start. She tried again. The engine chugged and groaned, refusing to start.

  “I think it’s dead,” Connie said. “Aliens smashed the other car and this one… was more Jimmy’s hobby than anything. It started making weird noises before I stopped.” Connie shrugged. “To be honest, I stopped hoping you boys weren’t broke down.”

  Mikey just stared at the ignition. They were stuck.

  “I’m not going anywhere with– with– with–” Mikey stammered, gesturing at the RV. The RV was ruined. No way they were driving it with the brains splattered all over the passenger seat and a dead body.

  “Me neither,” Jor said.

  “We have a choice, boys,” Connie said. “We can sit here and hope my car starts. Maybe it’s just over-heated, and if we wait, then we can feed some water into the radiator and pray it doesn’t break down again… or we can clean out the motor home.”

  Mikey swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. He flexed his bloody fingers. He wasn’t going near Poole again. Not after that creeper tried to… Not after what he’d done.

  In the end, Mikey and Jordan watched as Connie shoved the body out the door. Without their help, she found a garbage bag and pulled it over the blood-soaked seat, then she taped another one over the door and the window. Connie didn’t bother cleaning the gore, so much as hiding it.

  “Alright boys.” Connie shrugged. “I hope you can drive this thing.”

  NINE

  !ESTRAITH

  Nith ran towards the bathroom with !Estraith’s gold jumpsuit trailing behind her. Not again. !Estraith needed that jumpsuit. That was the clean one. She chased after the toddler.

  “No! Nith, that one’s not dirty. Mommy needs that one!”

  “Nith’s a good helper, Mommy.” Nith giggled as she wadded up the jumpsuit.

  !Estraith scooped up Nith and spun, turning her away from the laundry chute. “You are, little one, but too good a helper today. That one is clean. That one is for tomorrow.”

  “Clean?” Nith asked. She drew out the world and stared at the gold jumpsuit. She tugged on her own, food-spattered silver dress. “Not clean.”

  “Right baby, remember we—”

  Nith stomped her foot. “Not baby. Big girl.”

  !Estraith had to stifle a laugh. She was insistent. Not a baby. Still wearing skirts for ease of changing in case of an accident, but she could talk and walk, so she thought she was a big girl.

  “Of course. I’m sorry. Still, you’re right. Your dress isn’t clean, and the jumpsuit I’m wearing isn’t clean either. The one you have there, that’s for tomorrow.”

  “Oh.”

  “My good helper will wait until we’re changed to throw the clothes in the hamper, won’t she?” !Estraith carried Nith out into the main room and back towards the pillows.

  “Yes, Mommy,” Nith said.

  The door opened as !Estraith knelt to set the girl back down.

  “Poppa!” Nith shouted in !Estraith’s ear.

  “Poppa’s working at the—”

  “Poppa!” Nith shouted again, pushing her way past !Estraith and running towards the door.

  “Hello, little one.” !Estraith’s father picked up Nith and tossed her towards the ceiling. Even his second red face seemed to delight in the act of tossing the child into the air.

  “Father,” !Estraith said stiffly. “I wasn’t expecting you tonight. I haven’t requested extra food—”

  “I’m not staying, daughter,” Father said.

  “Uncle!” Nith crowed. !Estraith’s brother *Gri entered the room leading a small, blotchy tan and pink colored toddler by the hand. The toddler’s hair was cut short in the way that !Estraith understood was typical for male earthens.

  “What’s this?” !Estraith asked.

  Father set Nith down, and Nith wrapped herself around *Gri’s leg. The blotchy toddler looked at Nith and backed away, stretching out *Gri’s arm.

  “He’s a gift from the Queen to our family,” Father said. Father practically glowed with pride, but !Estraith’s heart sank. A gift to their family didn’t mean her Honored Father or Honored Brother would be caring for the infant. No, that would fall to her.

  “We are to integrate the earthens into our world,” *Gri said. “And our Queen thought you would be an excellent mother to the boy.”

  “Thank you, Honored Brother and Honored Father.” !Estraith bowed to her Honored Relatives. “Nith will enjoy having a brother.”

  “Perhaps you could come visit us at the palace. It’s not so far, and we’d love seeing you,” Father said.

  “Can we?” Nith asked.

  “Maybe when the new baby’s settled,” !Estraith said.

  Nith glared at the boy.

  “But the Queen has requested my help on other fronts as well. I am to instruct the earthen pilots. We’re going to be very busy here for some time.”

  “We’ll be on our way,” Father said. “Nith, study hard, and maybe one day, the Queen will honor you, too.” He patted his granddaughter on the head and left. *Gri released the boy’s hand and hurried through the door before the child could realize he was being abandoned.

  The door slammed and the boy started screaming.

  “Shut up!” Nith shouted in his face.

  “Nith, honey, that doesn’t help.” !Estraith sighed. She doubted the boy even spoke their language. The earthens hadn’t been on their world for long. “Why don’t you go play with your dolls, and I’ll get him quiet?”

  !Estraith knelt in front of the screaming boy.

  “Hello, little one. What’s your name?” she asked. She wished someone had taught her at least the words name and quiet in the earthen tongue. In the boy’s tongue, as she’d heard there were many hundreds of earthen tongues. Such an unorganized system, having so many languages. The Queen would not allow that going forward.

  The boy continued to scream.

  She spoke soft, soothing words to the boy until he finally quieted.

  “!Estraith,” she said, putting a hand on her own chest. She pointed towards her daughter, “Nith.”

  She put her hand on the boy’s chest, and, miraculously, he seemed to follow what she was doing.

  “Cal. Vin,” he said between whimpers.

  “Calvin?” !Estraith repeated.

  The boy was quiet.

  “Calvin, let’s get ready for bed,” !Estraith said. “You, me, and Nith, we’re going to shower, then we’re going to sleep.”

  The boy stared at her blankly, but at least he didn’t scream.

  TEN

  MIKEY

  As they drove after the jets, the desert faded, dead dry ground giving way to an occasional bush. After a while, the f
ew bushes were replaced by a low green scrub. Hills began to roll across the ground causing Jor to stall the RV more than once, but there were no other cars to worry about. When the RV lurched to a stop again, Mikey didn’t bother looking up, assuming Jor must have stalled out again.

  “Planes went that way, didn’t they?” Jor asked.

  “Think so,” Connie said. “Can you handle that road?”

  Mikey joined the others at the front of RV, he hadn’t been watching the drive. The road forked, into a paved road curving sharp off to the right and a dirt road headed the way they’d been driving for the last half hour.

  “I’m gonna try,” Jordan said.

  He eased the RV forward, and they bumped along through the dirt. Thank God it was summer and the ground was dry and hard-packed. Otherwise, the RV would surely sink into the dirt. Mikey held onto the back of Jor’s chair, watching as his brother drove them through. They passed a bunch of sagging wooden posts. Then, a few feet later, Jor saw what might have been the remains of a log cabin.

  “We in a ghost town?” Mikey asked.

  “Abandoned mine, I think,” Connie said. “Went on a class field trip to a place like this once. Used to mine silver or something there.”

  They kept inching along. Two posts leant back against the ground, and a third beam fell across a hole in the ground. Something moved in the hole.

  “Stop!” Mikey shouted. “What’s that?” He pointed towards the movement.

  A man’s head peeked out of the hole.

  “Good eye, kid!” Connie said. She smiled at him, and he blushed.

  The man climbed up out of the hole. He wore brown army camouflage and waved a gun towards the RV. Mikey’s heart sank, he didn’t like the gun. Jor stomped the brakes and rolled down the window. Three more soldiers squeezed out of the hole in the ground. This wasn’t just a collapsed mine.

  “Get out of the RV on orders of the US Army,” the first man shouted. He waved the gun at them. Mikey’s mouth went dry. The Army sounded good, but he didn’t like getting guns waved at him.

  Connie had the main door open before Mikey could even blink. Jor hopped out the driver’s side door, leaving Mikey feeling frightened and alone in the bloody RV. Mikey squeezed between the steering wheel and the driver’s seat to climb down behind Jordan. Jordan wouldn’t let anything happen to him.

  “What is this place?” Connie asked.

  “That’s classified,” barked the soldier with the most decorations on his uniform. Mikey didn’t know much about military ranks, but he seemed to be in charge.

  “Is it Area 51?” Mikey asked.

  “Sorry, kids. Area 51 doesn’t exist,” drawled the leader. “While this is a secured location, we’re allowing civilians to shelter here. Al can’t get to us so long as we’re far enough underground.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Jordan said. “We understand.” Which was dumb since Mikey didn’t understand at all. If Area 51 didn’t exist, what hope did they have of holding off the aliens? What was this place then?

  “Ditch the RV!” the commander shouted, pointing at two soldiers. They nodded and climbed into the RV, driving off down the road. The commander and the remaining soldier aimed their guns at the sky and gestured for Mikey, Jordan, and Connie to climb into the hole the soldiers had come out of.

  “Let’s all get underground before Al catches on that there’s more’n a couple of us here.”

  Jor shoved Mikey towards the hole. It didn’t look very safe. Collapsed support beams made Mikey sure it would cave in on him as soon as he got underground, but he lowered himself into the hole. Once he got past the first couple feet of rusted iron, the ladder became solid and modern. He hoped that the soldier was right and they’d be safe from the aliens underground.

  ELEVEN

  RACHEL

  Rachel wiped her palms on her dark blue jumpsuit for what seemed like the millionth time since the Queen’s summons twenty minutes before. Today was the first day of truly serving her Queen. She was still adjusting to being bonded with a walker, but they trusted her and the other new Honored Ones to truly serve the Queen today.

  She’d felt the Queen’s summons herself. Of course, she wouldn’t actually see her Queen, but Rachel and the other new servants were to meet their superiors and receive their orders soon. She felt guilty for her desire to ask for Nate back. He had rejected her, but he had to understand how the Queen honored them both if she could just explain it to him right.

  Rachel swallowed down her nerves and headed into the room where two other Honored Ones with earthen walkers waited. They had been given the Queen’s Honor with her. The other three from their group of hatchlings were yet to arrive as were the older more experienced Honored Ones who would be training them or giving them further instructions. While the Queen could speak into their minds, it was more efficient to let the seniors run day-to-day dealings.

  Rachel had to fight against her human self’s desire to speak all her fears to the other two. Their walkers were older than hers and seemed used to authority. Her walker body had had the least experience of the walkers that were chosen.

  Two others entered the room together. They nodded and offered an earthen greeting. Had Rachel been rude to not offer any greeting to her peers? No, she decided that it was best to focus only on serving her Queen. While her peers would be well respected once they earned their places, for now, her purpose was to serve her Queen as per her superiors’ instructions.

  She wiped her palms again on the pants of her jumpsuit. Her stomach fluttered in anticipation as the last her peers entered the room. They were the first seven Honored Ones to possess earthen walkers. Their lives were truly an experiment and an honor to the Queen’s power. Still, their superior did not appear. Nor did the Queen’s presence reappear in her mind as it had when she received the summons.

  After what seemed like hours to her human body, but was only a few more minutes, their superior finally entered the room.

  Rachel sank to one knee before him. Her purpose was to obey him and serve the Queen. The Queen would have told him of their abilities and skills. Rachel herself felt she had nothing to offer, but she had been chosen to serve and she would honor her Queen.

  “I haven’t much time. The Queen has many other duties for me to attend to today,” grumbled Rachel’s Honored Superior. “You shall address me as Superior *Malon.”

  “Yes, Superior *Malon,” Rachel and the others said in unison.

  “Hatchling Drew, you served in both earthen military air force and civilian flights, correct?”

  “Yes, Superior *Malon.”

  “Good. You will meet with our engineers and pilots to develop a curriculum for earthen bonded pilots.” Again, Rachel felt inferior.

  One by one, *Malon confirmed the experiences of the others. All of the others were older than her with more experience, and they were given tasks to supervise and develop, but Rachel herself was saved for last. None of the others made any requests either. Rachel’s stomach was in knots by the time Superior *Malon turned to her. She bit her tongue, waiting for his command. The Queen must have shown him her lack of skill as certainly as she had shown him the others’ skills.

  “The Queen herself has Her own reasons for choosing one so young,” Superior *Malon said. “She chose you as surely as she chose the others. She senses you fretting even now. Do not worry, young one. Your task will be simple. You will be our translator for the masses. Today, you will sort out the earthens by profession. Two Guards will assist you. Understand?”

  “Yes, Superior *Malon. Might I make a small request?”

  He smiled down at her. “The Queen has already seen fit to return your companion to you. He will be in your chambers when you retire tonight.”

  He knew! Of course he knew. The Queen knew all of her thoughts. The Queen knew all of Her servants’ desires. The Queen had deemed her desires worthy to share them with her superior. Rachel beamed at Superior *Malon.

  “Thank you! Thank you, master.”

&nbs
p; TWELVE

  JORDAN

  “Now, boys and ma’am.” The soldier smiled, turning towards Connie. “We all have to earn our keep here.”

  “Yes, sir,” Jordan said. He glanced at his little brother’s hands. He needed to keep Mikey safe after Mikey had saved Jordan from… from Poole.

  “Now, clearly, you’re too young to enlist,” the soldier nodded to Mikey. “And I’m not saying that any of you need to enlist, but you will be expected to pull your own weight. Kitchen, latrine, cleaning. You’ll be put to work no matter what.”

  “And if I want to enlist?” Jordan asked.

  “You can’t, you’re not—”

  Jordan elbowed Mikey hard, cutting him off.

  “I’m old enough. We… to get here, we did what we had to. I can follow orders, and I’d like to do what I can to stop the aliens, sir.”

  The soldier shrugged. “I’ll get someone to handle the paperwork.”

  “That’s it?” Mikey asked. “Check his ID. He’s not—”

  “Shut up,” Jordan said.

  “How old are you, kid?” the soldier asked.

  Jordan sighed. Trust Mikey to screw this up. “You can enlist at seventeen with parental consent, right?” He didn’t say he was seventeen. He didn’t lie, per se. He just implied it, and whatever the soldier chose to infer would get him that much closer to killing the aliens that took his parents.

  The soldier nodded.

  “Our parents are gone,” Jordan said. “They took them. I’d like to enlist and fight back.”

  “Can’t say that you’ll see much fighting yet, right now… it’s more saving refugees like you and getting them underground.”

  “We’ll have to fight them eventually,” Jor said, looking forward to kicking alien ass.

  THIRTEEN

  RACHEL

  “Mechanics over here,” Rachel said. She’d visited at least a dozen holding cells and began sorting them by profession. These earthen walkers just stared at her. She didn’t command them. They hated her. They thought her a traitor. They had no idea of the glories the Queen planned for them, for all of them.