Roswell by Tony B. Richard

Roswell by Tony B. Richard

Author:Tony B. Richard
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Roswell; New Mexico; NM; America; scifi; science fiction; alternative history; short fiction; novelette; alien; aliens; first contact; space; inclusion; diversity; character of color; main character of color; alien alliance; science fiction series; alt history;
Publisher: TIGERPETAL PRESS
Published: 2022-02-18T00:00:00+00:00


CHAPTER FIVE

Now You See Me…

AAF Basecamp, New Mexico

July 10, 1947

Malcolm was really excited to try out his new toy. He went straight to his barracks and changed into his new uniform, then checked that no one was around and said, “Communicator, make me invisible.”

No, those aren’t the words. He looked down and saw that he didn’t have a shadow, though he could still see himself, so he walked to a window. There was no reflection staring back at him. Yes! I guess it knew what I meant. He looked around, grinning. I wonder where Lawless is. It wasn’t like he cared about what the other soldier was doing, but he was always so hostile; Malcolm wondered what Lawless was like when he wasn’t around.

Malcolm tried to walk without making any noise. It took a few tries before he realized that people couldn’t hear him. Maybe it’s because I’m ‘out of phase’? He tried to remember what Joanua had told him. This will be hard to get used to.

He walked around until he saw Lawless talking with some of the other soldiers on the outer edge of the base in the shade of a tall tree. All of them seemed to be his buddies; they were laughing and joking around. Malcolm already knew that they did that. Bored, Malcolm was just about to leave, but then he saw Sergeant Highton approaching.

Highton sneered at Lawless. “I heard you had a few pathetic performances with Dow lately. Are you losing your touch?” he mocked.

Lawless stepped away from his buddies to look Highton in the eye. “What’s your problem?” he sneered back, puffing his chest.

“You let that upstart put you in your place.”

“He did not!” Lawless shouted. He was slightly shorter than Highton, but he still managed to get in the sergeant’s face before he turned and stalked away.

Highton scoffed, then looked over Lawless’s gaggle of friends. “Why do you even bother following this loser around?”

“Because of his family,” Private Martin said with a shrug. “If you want to get anywhere in this army, you need his connections.”

Highton waved his hand dismissively. “His family probably thinks he’s as useless as I do.”

“That’s not true!” Lawless spun around again, glaring at Highton. “You better apologize, or you’ll…you’ll…you’ll regret it,” said Lawless.

“Knucklehead.” Highton rolled his eyes. “You can’t even put a boy like Dow in his proper place. What makes you think you can do anything against me? Your father must be so proud.” His lip curled into a vicious grin as he stared down at Lawless.

For once, Lawless looked small.

Malcolm was so shocked that he almost forgot they couldn’t see him; that he was just a fly on the wall. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Is this how it always is? he wondered. How had he not seen it?

Oh, right, because when I’m around, I’m the butt of the joke. Even so, he’d never thought that Lawless, of all people, would be a victim of bullying. Malcolm knew that Lawless’s family was full of high-ranking officers, after all.



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