Manipulate (Alien Cadets) Read online

  Then one of the crew was counting down, using his fingers to silently indicate, 3, 2, 1. He pointed at them and the red light on the center camera came on.

  Rita started with some light chit chat. Establishing his name, where he was from, how old he was.

  Then she turned to the camera. “But as you all know, this boy isn’t captain of the basketball team or class president. He’s one of the cadets who recently returned from Spo. Tell us about the planet, Sam. Is it like Earth? Hotter, colder, are there animals?”

  “Spo is extremely hot, but not lush and wet, like a rain forest. Everything there is hard. The animals, the plants, the spooks most of all,” Sam said with a fake smile. Rita laughed. Sam saw the red light jump to another camera that was discretely pointed at Greg and his friends in the audience, before it jumped to the camera on his right. He tried not to look at it.

  “All the creatures of that planet are hard,” Sam explained. “They have silica in their cells, like star fish. In their deserts, wounded animals don’t die and rot. They melt into puddles. Smooth, like green glass. The puddles collect in valleys, one on top of the other, overlapping for miles.”

  “They just, poof, melt?”

  “Small animals take about a week. The biggest ones, the size of horses, can melt for months. But sooner or later a puddle replaces the dead animal. When it gets cold, the puddles harden and each one is different, like a fingerprint.

  “Some spooks collect them. They polish them and hang them in their houses. My mentor, Greg, has over a hundred at home,” Sam said. “Other aliens pay big money to get one.”

  “Other aliens?” Rita said.

  “Yeah, the Merith, Crosspointers, Rik, Tergre… they all buy culture.”

  “How can you buy culture?”

  “You’ve heard the phrase, ‘There’s nothing new under the sun,’?"

  Rita nodded.

  “That’s true. Unless you go to another sun. Most aliens are fascinated with new cultures. They’ll pay through the nose for music, clothing, art, food – anything new. It’s better than money. The Galactic Council rates planets based on the richness of their culture, and we’re tentatively rated a Level 8. That’s the highest level ever allotted to a planet on entry to the council. It’s pretty incredible.”

  Greg was slowly changing color. Sam wasn’t supposed to know about the Level 8. Greg glared at Downy. Clearly he knew or guessed where Sam had gotten some of his information.

  Sam looked away from him, back to Rita. Greg had no idea how much worse it would get.

  Rita wowed for the cameras.

  “I had no idea! Will other aliens come here to trade with us?”

  Sam took a deep breath. “No. We’re under arrest.”

  Greg stood abruptly. Rita’s eyes flicked to him, but she held her composure. “Arrest?”

  “Humanity is accused of malignant non-sentience. Our trial is in a week.”

  Greg climbed over the chairs, to the edge of the stage. “You must not say this,” he said. The guy at the central camera pivoted to get Greg in the shot.

  Rita swallowed and cleared her throat. “Why not?”

  Sam held Greg’s gaze. Greg wanted Sam to be a manipulator of public opinion? He should enjoy watching this.

  “The Spo don’t trust humans. That’s why I’m not supposed to say anything. But I do trust you. I think you all deserve to know what’s happening. What’s about to happen. When terrorists exploded the Hadron collider, it made the Galactic Council very nervous. That’s why the Spo came. They’re like our probation officers.”

  While Sam spoke, Greg changed color again. He’d been purple, deeper and deeper, a plum color. Now he started to fade. The purple leeched out of him, and he turned grey. The grey of the ash that fell from Mount Merapi.

  This was going to be bad, but Sam didn’t stop. He laid out all the information he had. The riot. Jonathan. The trial. The victims of the volcano. He explained how all the witnesses were killed or hurt. How Nat was the new witness from their group. Everything he’d learned from Downy and everything he’d learned from Greg.

  Rita had stopped throwing the conversational ball, and was allowing him to speak uninterrupted. He finished with a warning.

  “I know this information is shocking. I’m still reeling with it, and I don’t have all the answers. But listen. Killing the Spo will do no good. It will only reaffirm our status as crazy lower life forms. I’m appealing to you as the intelligent and rational species I know you to be. The Spo think we can’t handle this information. They think lies are better; that with the truth we’ll riot and destroy ourselves and our chance at this trial. They’re wrong. Our sentiency trial is in one week. Don’t give them any more fuel. Let’s give our witnesses the best chance we can. Let’s win the trial and get rid of the Spo.”

  Sam saw Apple Heisman slash her hand across her neck, in the kill signal. The cameras drooped, the red light on the center camera slowly dimmed to black. There was silence in the studio.

  “Dramatic ending,” Apple said. “A little cliché, but it’ll do.”

  Nat looked frozen in place. Downy was slightly green. Sam stared back at Greg. He half expected Greg to bound on stage and throttle him right now, but Greg stood motionless next to the stage.

  The show host rose to her feet, pulling Sam up with her. She had tears in her eyes. She gave him a deep hug. She whispered in his ear, “That was brave, sweetie. You did good."

  She stepped back and turned to Greg, “You should – ”

  Sam cut her off. Whatever she was about to say to Greg would only get her hurt. He slipped gently away from her.

  “It’s okay. He won’t hurt me,” Sam said. He hoped it was true. He knew he had taken a great risk tonight. He’d told the world everything about their situation, and it could backfire horribly. However, and this gave him courage, the Spo couldn’t punish everyone, they had safety in numbers. This was the only act of loyalty Sam could think of that wouldn’t have terrible repercussions for everyone involved.

  On the other hand, it could have terrible repercussions for him.

  It was astounding how much his relationship with Greg had changed in the last few weeks. Sam would have trusted Greg with his life on Spo. He did, in fact, trust him with his life. Now he wasn’t sure that Greg wouldn’t kill him and his family in the next few days. Sam felt oddly disconnected from the thought. His emotions couldn’t process how dangerous things had gotten.

  Sam wondered again about his training. Greg told him, that second day on Earth, that the Spo had brainwashed him. Sam had denied it, but now he knew it was true. They hadn’t exactly tricked him into being their puppet, but they had scrubbed his emotions. He couldn’t even feel properly, even fear.

  On the upside, that would save him a lot of terror and anxiety over whether Greg would kill him.

  Greg nodded slowly, still grey. “It’s finished. Let’s go back to Pepperdine.”

  The ride back to campus was quiet, under a spectacular sunset.

  Back in his room, Sam lay on his bed. He was sleepy now. He should be scared, but he just wanted to sleep. Downy lay on his mattress on the floor. His color was slightly pink.

  Sam frowned and closed his eyes. “You seem awfully happy,” he said, referring to Downy’s color. “I thought you’d be furious with me for blurting all that over live television.”

  A knock on the door interrupted him. Greg opened the door and walked in. His scarred face wore its usual half smile, but his sickly color betrayed his real state.

  “Downy, you need to go,” he said.

  “Actually, I’d rather not,” Downy said. “Sam is my friend.”

  “Fine,” Greg snapped out. “Sit there and be quiet. Don’t think I don’t know where Sam got his information.”

  Downy sat down, sulky.

  Sam didn’t sit up. Back on Spo, he would have sat up in respect. Yesterday he might have sat up to be on guard. Now, neither respect nor fear motivated him.

  “What next?” Sam asked.
“Am I disqualified for the trial? Nat’s our witness anyway.”

  “You don’t understand,” Greg said. “You may have disqualified your whole species.”

  “What do you mean?” Sam asked.

  “You messed up,” Greg spit out. “I knew you might turn on me, but you had to do it in the worst possible way. I tried to prepare you for this. You know how we handle natural disasters. In what way did my teaching fail you?”

  Sam sat up. “You lied. You said the Spo killed out of mercy, but that was just… convenience.”

  “You do not understand... which must be my fault as much as yours. But couldn’t you see where this would lead?”

  He turned to Downy. “Couldn’t you see where this would lead? You know our history!"

  His anger finally succeeded in rousing fright in Sam. Not for himself but for everybody else.

  “What’s going on?” Sam said.

  “We weren’t keeping this information back for our own amusement. The last time a species knew the risks they tried to act preemptively. Their desperate attack assured that they would lose their sentiency trial. And they did lose it. They were called the Rik.”

  “You don’t know that the same thing will happen here!” Sam said. “Besides, riots were already tearing through Cairo, Buenos Aires, Phomn Fenh, who knows where! Humanity is intelligent. Now they know WHY they need to behave. Knowing the truth will help.”

  “You’re willing to bet your whole species for that?” Greg asked.

  Sam thought for a moment. “Humans work better toward a goal. And honestly, it looks like we’re heading toward losing anyway. I think if we’re going to fail, we should fail with all the information.”

  “And it’s your choice?”

  “Someone has to make the choice,” Sam said. “Someone human.”

  “Risking destruction?”

  Sam was silent.

  “Are you taking responsibility for your planet?” Greg asked. “That’s the question."

  He picked up Sam’s backpack, and handed it to him. “Pack some clothes. You’re under arrest.”

  Chapter 14

  Downy watched Sam throw clothes in a backpack and wanted to leap in satisfaction. Finally, FINALLY, Sam was about to be beaten. Downy had baited him with the secret information days ago at the carnival, but he’d thought Sam forgot after the riot.

  Sam patted Downy on the back as he went out the door. “Sorry I got you in trouble,” Sam said.

  Downy kept his claws retracted with an effort; the desire to slash Sam open almost overpowered him. But that would give Downy away, surely he could wait one more day to see how Sam’s arrest played out.

  Downy’s resistance had fluctuated in the last week. Every day he had to smell Sam’s sweat and urine and skin. The smell made Downy’s air sacs tighten and twist. The smell of humans reminded him of a deadly bacteria on his planet. He’d smelled the bacteria the day before he met his first human, and he could never separate the smell again. He wanted to drown the smell, pour buckets of bleach in Sam’s mouth until he ran clear. A slight shudder shook Downy as Sam briefly grasped his hand, but he tried to keep his color smooth and calm as he had been taught.

  After these last few weeks on Earth, Downy’s control was beginning to slip. On his planet it had been relatively easy to maintain his goofy, friendly façade with the cadets. On Earth it was harder; with humans surrounding him and their smell and their noise and their disgusting soft faces…

  The sheer obscenity of the humans’ twitchy, mobile flesh overwhelmed him. Downy touched his own face: hard, smooth, and damp, as it should be. Not quivering and reforming like a fungus.

  When he’d been alone for five minutes, Downy called Shara.

  “Did you hear?” he said, whispering in the Spo language. “Sam is under arrest. If his sentencing goes according to plan, they’ll execute him. I did it!”

  Shara was silent.

  “What?” Downy said. “You botched Jonathan; don’t pretend you’re not impressed.”

  “I didn’t botch Jonathan,” Shara said.

  “You totally - ”

  “Shut up!” Shara said. “I have a real job to finish.”

  Downy heard a voice in the background, asking Shara, “Is that Sam and Nat? Let’s go!”

  “What the hell?” Downy asked Shara. “Who’s listening to us?”

  “One sec,” Shara said. Downy heard some muffled voices, then silence.

  “Okay, better,” Shara said. “I’ve got Akemi, Nat’s little sister. I’m supposed to deliver both sisters tonight. I’ve been trying to reach you.”

  “I’ve been a little busy getting Sam to off himself.”

  “Fine, but he’s not the next witness, is he? We need to get rid of Nat, and now we have to hurry. Bring Nat to the beach parking lot at midnight. There's a bathroom on the south side, I’ll meet you there.”

  “Tonight?"

  “Don’t whine,” Shara said. “They need Nat at least a week before the trial.”

  “But how am I supposed to get her out there in an hour?”

  “I don’t care. You work for us, remember? Get Nat down to the beach by midnight, that's one hour – tell her it has something to do with her sister. I’ll bet she comes easy.”

  “What do you want her for?"

  “That’s Rik business. But if you wanna say goodbye, this is your chance.”

  Downy rapped a claw on Nat’s door at 11:15. Nat’s roommate answered, sleepily rubbing the tattoo on her cheek.

  “What is it, Downy?” Jia said.

  “I need to talk to Nat, could you tell her?”

  “She’s not here,” Jia said. “Go away.”

  “What? It’s past curfew. Where is she?”

  “She wanted to go for a walk. You know, since Sam is…she’s been crying.”

  Downy ground his incisors together. “Where does she walk?”

  “I don’t know. Sometimes she just sits by the pool. I gotta go to sleep.”

  Downy was annoyed. He needed to get Nat to the beach quickly. But now he had a problem. Finding Nat in the next forty-five minutes was possible but not certain. The campus was dark and he couldn’t get any one else involved in looking. However... he eyed Jia speculatively...she knew Nat’s normal spots. With her, he might be able to find Nat. But then, Jia would know he caused Nat to disappear. She’d have to disappear too.

  Jia started to shut the door, but Downy stuck his foot in front of it. “Jia, come on. I can get her into see Sam tonight before the Spo take him. I gotta find her. He really wants to see her.”

  Jia’s eyes widened. “Oh man. She’s going to break. Maybe that’s not a good idea.”

  “Come help me find her. You know where she’s likely to be,” Downy begged.

  Jia wavered, then grabbed her sweatshirt and shoved her feet in some sneakers. Downy allowed her to go first down the stairs. Her neck looked extremely fragile. Perhaps he would throw her down a stairwell later. That would be a decent way to dispose of her.

  Jia led him on a circuitous route through campus, checking the few places she knew Nat liked. Darkness steamed from the ground, filling the space between buildings. Lampposts dotted the campus and lined the walkways, but they weren’t lit. The Spo preferred complete darkness at night. Greg didn’t have any of the lights on campus lit, except over the doors of the dorms in use. Downy checked his pocket clock - it was eleven forty-five.

  If he didn’t find Nat, he’d have to substitute Jia. Possibly in the dark Shara wouldn’t know the difference, she was only a stupid little Rik. Two dark haired human girls - they all looked alike.

  “Oh! I see her!” Jia said. Downy had good night vision but the strange shapes of Earth: the curvy trees and fluttering leaves and chaotic brickwork, all contrived to confuse his night vision. He grew up with the clean, hard lines of Spo. Nothing fluttered on Spo. Surfaces were smooth from the heat, not full of meaningless detail. So, despite his significantly better sight, Jia could see Nat while he could not. Stupid planet
. It always placed the Spo at a disadvantage. He couldn’t wait to get out of here.

  “Where?” Downy demanded.

  “Right there, near the tower,” Jia said. The tower was clean now. The sheep had been disposed of, the blood mostly washed off. A few brown stains remained, soaked into the gritty surface of the wall. Even Earth blood was ugly. Downy missed the frothy green blood of Spo animals.

  Now he could see Nat. She leaned against the front of the tower, looking up at the stars.

  “Nat!” Jia called. “You need to go with Downy. Sam wants to see you.”

  As Nat turned Downy caught a slight reflection from her black eyes. He felt mildly regretful that the Rik wanted Nat. She was one of the only humans he found tolerable. She was wary of him, and he liked that.

  “What?” Nat demanded.

  “Sam wants to see you, and Greg decided to permit it,” Downy explained, circling around in front of Nat.

  “What are you talking about?” she said. “Greg just told me I couldn’t go in.”

  “You can’t go in… but he’s going to take Sam down to the beach. No one will see you,” Downy said.

  “That’s crazy,” Nat spit out. “Greg distinctly told me that I could see Sam tomorrow with – ” her voice broke, “with everyone else. What’s up, Downy?”

  Downy looked from Jia to Nat. He couldn’t let them make a racket. “Just listen, Nat, Greg felt really bad about telling you that...” Downy talked softly, stepping closer to her and reaching his hand in his pocket. He jerked his nine millimeter out and pointed it sideways at Jia.

  “Don’t move,” he snapped out. “Either of you. I’ll shoot Jia and then I’ll shoot you.”

  Jia’s mouth was open, but Nat narrowed her eyes.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “Jia, come around next to Nat,” Downy said. She seemed stunned and quietly obeyed. These humans were ridiculous. Jia had six years of training, and she couldn’t think of anything better to do than obey him.