The Librarian: A First Contact Story by M.N. Arzu

Author:M.N. Arzu [Arzu, M.N.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2015-06-15T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

Smoke & Mirrors

1

For someone who had just crossed a few thousand light years and then some, time seemed to have contracted in an odd way. Nick's awareness didn't really kick in until he was inside an MRI. The interaction between the magnetic field and his attempt to gain consistency had finally gotten his attention, and now that he was getting a good idea of what was going on, he knew he was screwed.

He blinked a few times and took a deep breath, more out of habit than because he needed to. Getting clothes now was no longer a problem. He needed to get a hold of Jane, that was all that mattered.

His options were limited. Fight his way through by opening a few holes and risk radiation poisoning to the poor soldiers stationed here. Vanish without any reasonable hope that he would be able to re-form again at home –or anywhere, for that matter—and spare everyone the explanation. Or talk to them and in some miraculous way, get to talk with Jane.

"Are you awake?" a disembodied voice asked over the noise of the machine. Unless the person was in the same room as he was and he had some sense of the person's direction, there was no possible way he could communicate verbally. No recording devices would pick up his "voice", because he wasn't really talking, in a physical sense. He was mentally projecting his voice—and his form—directly to the minds of those around him.

"Sir?" the voice asked again. He nodded slowly.

He raised his hand in a gesture of greeting, and realized he had a pulse monitor attached to his index finger. It was odd to realize he would be flat-lining on some screen somewhere. He hadn't been a human for close to two hours now, yet the thought of not registering as something alive made him uneasy.

The noise stopped, and the bed slid out of the machine. Two men moved to help him sit up, their movements slow and easy, and their hazmat suits appropriately in place. Lights no longer blinded his eyes, and as a dozen men and women stood staring at him in a half-circle, he felt self-conscious.

Way to go, Nick.

First contact was supposed to be a quiet affair, true, and as far as small groups went, this was a fairly good size. They definitely knew he wasn't one of them, and that this was not some sort of prank. They didn't know his intentions though, and that made the fear in their eyes understandable.

At least he could talk to them.

"My name is Nicholas Logan. I need to speak with my wife."

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