The Returnee

Chapter 16

It was a little anticlimactic. Lee slept through Colin and Devon being collected, or maybe they put him to sleep through it. He assumed during his time that they did something to block out the sound of the localised area to stop people noticing. That turned out to be wrong. Instead, the beam created an area of drowsiness that encouraged lesser life forms to sleep and be unconcerned. 

He preferred his assumption. It didn't brand humanity as lesser life forms to the rest of the cosmos.

One moment, Colin was curled against him, safe, the next he was alone in bed in the dark with Joey snoring behind him. 2 am was not a fun time of the night to wake unexpectedly. He tried to settle and ignore the cold space Colin had left behind. Devon would be with him, and Devon knew this game. They warned him that his group would be recalled more than others, or maybe Devon had to agree to it before being allowed back on Earth? Who knew.

"You woke," Joey said, groggy.

"Sorry. Go back to sleep. I'm sure I will soon."

A warm arm curled around his waist, and Joey pressed his forehead against Lee's neck. "They agreed you need more sleep. You hit the deck quicker than you should have." It was all teasing with a squeeze of comfort. "We could have joined them otherwise."

"I'm not ready for that without warning," Lee said diplomatically.

The idea of beaming up to space to wait while they did experiments on two men he cared about was enough to fuel nightmares. Would that idea be better as a joke or as a genuine offer to interact with aliens who didn't see him as a lab rat? A lot of the others had vastly different experiences from his time with One.

"I don't think any of us are ready for it. It's a very odd experience. Last time they sat me in the canteen and got me to try various foods," Joey rumbled, his lips curling into a smile against Lee's skin. 

"Isn't that technically an experiment?"

"Possibly. They knew which foods are safe for humans. Not everyone can return to Earth, after all. They wanted to know which I'd enjoy and which would gross me out. There was a betting pool. My Keeper stepped in when I started getting full, and Ross got pushy. Ross really wanted me to eat a live worm thing."

"Ross sounds like a prick."

"He's harmless. A bit over enthusiastic but harmless."

"And your Keeper?"

Joey squeezed his arms again, but this time more for his own benefit than Lee's. "The Scientist who was responsible for me during my initial stay above. They don't like claiming ownership or anything, but they are more protective over people who have been in their care."

"Not unreasonable. We do that too."

"I suppose," Joey said, unsure. "They are working towards integrating us into their workforce. Humanity as a whole isn't ready for the Galactic scene, but many researchers would like more eyes on the ground. Plus, they'd like those stuck in space to have something more to do than menial work."

"Don't they already have eyes with you and the others with the interaction thing?"

"Partially. The plan is to use us as translators, I think. It gets confusing. Sometimes they send concepts rather than orders. It would start with returnees who are well integrated back into the population."

"So not Fairgrove's people. Nor the Tribe."

"They have a different plan for Fairgrove. I don't know about the Tribe. A group that isolates itself gives different potential."

Lee shivered. He could guess. A town with a high percentage of returnees would be an excellent base for learning to blend in with humans. There was some cloaking technology that the more humanoid aliens could use, but they used it wrong."