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The pod slipped out from under the ship. The locals picked it up and carried it away. The crew struggled but they were no match for hundreds of little people.
Stryder scowled up at me. “They’ll never keep me here! And when I escape, I’m coming for you, Nighteko! Do you hear me? I’m coming for you!”
Watching them get dragged away left me with a warm fuzzy feeling inside.
“It’s over,” Alice said. “It’s really over.”
“Yes,” I said. I kissed her on the tip of her nose. “It’s over. And now you’re going home.”
I held her tight. I wouldn’t get to touch her for much longer.
Soon, she would leave me.
And then I would never see her again.
7
ALICE
We made loud, passionate love so often, I began to wonder if we were attempting to christen the ship room by room. It was empty, and except for Computer, no one else could see what we were up to.
Did computers like watching humans have sex?
It would take just five hours to reach Earth at the fastest speed the ship was capable of. I was tempted to ask for the ship to go at its slowest speed to make the journey last longer.
There was a chasm between us, a chasm neither of us dared cross. He was returning me home. What happened then between us? Would he join me now? Later? Never? Was our brief adventure over already?
I was sure he wanted to speak with me about something. It was on the tip of his tongue every time he looked at me.
Did he want to stay with me forever? Did he want to give up his smuggling ways and settle down, only didn’t know how I would respond?
It would be with a fist-thumping ‘Yes!’ if he did.
I chewed my bottom lip, biting down on the words I wished I could say, but couldn’t.
“Alice?” Nighteko said.
“Yeah?” I said.
Oh God, please let him tell me he wants to be with me forever and always. It can be my birthday and Christmas presents combined.
After a while, you get used to the ship. I couldn’t tell if we were moving or not but I could feel the dull drumbeat of the engine when it was on. I couldn’t feel it now.
“The engine’s off,” I said.
“I wanted to show you something before we return to Earth,” he said.
His tone was distant but not without warmth. It spawned a flutter of butterflies in my belly.
He led me to the flight deck. On the monitor was the sight of nothing but empty space. There were lots of twinkling stars in the far distance. It was pretty but no different what we’d seen ever since I got sucked into outer space.
“This is the last place I saw you with all your friends together,” Nighteko said.
My heart thundered in my chest. It would be a planet or a moon. He’ll have delivered them to their new masters and we could trace where they went. But I couldn’t see anything.
“Is the planet around us somewhere?” I said.
Nighteko kept his eyes on me. “Computer, give us a panoramic view of our current location.”
