Terran Homecoming

Chapter 9

Frank slowly opened his eyes seeing Aiden sitting in a chair at his bedside.

"I feel like I got hit with a mack truck," he said groggily, turning his face to the Terran captain. "Thank you for saving my life."

"I think the bullet was meant for me."

"No doubt in my mind."

"You have any idea of who would fire such a shot?"

"No, I mean your coming here has remained top secret," Frank replied. "Unless....?"

"Whatever theory you have would be helpful."

"It's just that a couple months ago I was giving a lecture on interstellar phenomenon and a man came me after the lecture. Another one of the over zealot alien enthusiast. I humored him."

"You remember his name?"

"Peter Miller."

"That is a place to start."

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Peter sat in a booth at the diner with three of his friends talking in whispered tones.

"I have no idea what happened," Peter said. "I had my gun at the ready but I wasn't going to shoot it unless I had cause to."

"But you said you needed to protect the astrophysicist," one of the other said.

"That's what I thought."

"And here I was expecting them not to look human but they did."

"So was I," Peter replied, looking dumb founded. "The best thing to do now is go about business as usual and no one else talks about. Understood?"

The other three nodded in agreement. "I promise it won't leave our group."

"By the way whatever happened to the other fellow who showed up?"

"I saw him get in his car and hightail it out of there just like the rest of us."

From across town Mrs. Thomas Rogers officially reported her husband as missing to the police. It had already been a day and from the looks of it he simply disappeared. She sat worried inside her living room next to an officer telling him how her husband was only working a half day and was to come straight home after. The officer asked what make and model of car he was driving that he wrote down in his small notepad.

"Please try not to worry," the officer said, patting her on the shoulder to comfort her. "We will find him."

The officer got back into his car calling in the report asking if there were any cameras in the area that could track down Mr. Rogers car.

"There is," the woman dispatcher replied. "We will get right on it."

"Thanks, wife said he was only working half a day but he never arrived back home and that was yesterday."

The officer hoped it was nothing but you never knew with cases like this where foul play could be involved.

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The Terran officer heard his communication device starting to beep at him pressing the side suddenly hearing a familiar voice.

"Report?"

He was wary of what to say knowing how important the mission was.

"I'm sorry...." he paused, taking a moment to swallow, "but the plan failed."

"You mean Aiden is still alive?"

"Yes, unfortunately. I'm sorry."

"No matter," the voice said. "I am sending someone to assist. Stay where you are and they will come for you."

From just outside the rings of Saturn a black sleek spaceship orbited the planet when the pilot heard a signal coming from his front console.

"Yes sir?"

"My agent on board the Terran starship has done a poor job," he said. "Please take care of the problem and execute the plan."

"It will be done sir."

The assassin revved up his engines and made a bee line speeding across the stars towards Earth.