Nerd Knight Short Stories

A Nerd Night: Part 2

"This is NOT a spaceship." James said as Callai led him into an immaculate 10th floor condo made up of a variety of cream colors with chrome trim. James was instantly drawn to the huge, plate glass windows which showed an incredible, moon lit view of the Atlantic Ocean.

"Would you like a drink?" Callai crossed to a perfectly sorted, but well stocked bar and began pouring herself a glass.

"You said you were going to show me a spaceship."

"I wanted a chance to talk first." Despite his silence, Callai brought James a drink anyway. Her "alien accent" had disappeared and her voice had reverted to the seductive breathlessness she had been using when she first met James.

"Alright, what is the catch?" James set his drink down and turned to face Callai. "I don't have any money, so if you're planning on mugging me and stealing my wallet, it won't be worth it."

"There is no catch," Callai leaned into him. "I just find you irresistible."

"Me? Really?" James pushed her away. "I'm telling you that this kind of thing doesn't happen to a guy like me.

"Among my people, a guy like you is considered incredibly desirable."

"Oh come on, seriously?"

"You look really smart. I like that in a man."

"No one 'looks' smart." James said, "Especially not smart people."

"Okay," Callai turned on him and blurted with determination, "You want the truth? The truth is that the Reticulians have been guiding human progress with controlled breeding since before your written records. You're intelligence is the ingredient needed for the next level of our operation and I've been assigned to gather a sampling of your genetic makeup!"

"So you want me for a breeding experiment?"

"Yes." Callai let out softly. She watched as James turned his back at her and stared out the window. She sighed and set down her own drink as she realized that her approach had failed.

"Okay, what the heck!" James turned to her and began unbuttoning his shirt. "I'm game."

Callai stood frozen in shock at the sudden reversal. James quickly crossed to the tall blonde, grabbed her and swept her into a dip.

"Hold it!" She screeched as he moved in for a kiss, Callai tried to push him away while griping him tightly for support. "Not here!" She awkwardly climbed up his short body until she could get her feet back under her. She finally stood and smoothed out her dress in an attempt to regain some level of dignity and appeal.

"What's wrong with here?" James asked.

"Didn't you want to see my spaceship?" Callai led the way seductively to her bedroom.

"Oh, is that what you meant!" James let out a short, enthusiastic hop as he hurried to follow her. The bedroom was huge. Sliding glass doors were open letting in an ocean breeze that rippled the covers of a king sized bed. James moved with reverence to the built in sound system and lighting controls that bordered the nearest night table.

But Callai had crossed to a large walk in closet and was beckoning James toward her, "Over here, Baby."

"In the closet?"

"You said you wanted to see my spaceship." Callai entered and flipped open the top of a shoe rack that lined one wall.

"Yeah, but... In the closet?"

As Callai manipulated some controls within the shoe tree, a large oval disk of light appeared hovering vertically just inches in front of the bare back wall of the closet. With a little manipulation, the edges remained a blurry static, but the center of the oval settled into a clear, 3 dimensional view of another room.

"This is a spacial portal to my ship. I promise it is perfectly safe. Would you like too..." Before she could finish the sentence, James was already running past her. As he approached the portal, he leapt, grabbed his knees and flew through the doorway in a classic cannonball.

"Whoo hoo!" he cried as he sailed past her.

#

"Now THIS is a spaceship!" James gazed around the environment that they had emerged into. The silver, circular room had a series of depressions and nooks that hinted at various uses and a clear domed ceiling revealed the starry sky above. Off one wall a curved shelf stuck out toward the center of the space projecting a series of holographic controls. James ran up to this console and began running his hand through the holographic projections.

"Please!" Callai's voice cracked with exasperation, "Please don't touch anything."

"Fair enough," James pulled back his hand and turned back to her. "You are so right. This is a much cooler place to show you the human approach to breeding." His seductive look was spoiled as his glasses began to slide down his nose and had to be quickly adjusted.

"Well, it might not be as cool as you may think." Callai slapped a wall and one of the alcoves unfolded to become a bed shaped slab with an array of alien medical equipment surrounding it. "I'm not going to be gathering your genetic sampling in the way that you may be thinking."

"Well that's no fun," James grumbled as he eyed the ominous looking operating table.

"Oh don't worry, it won't be that traumatic. In fact, you won't remember a thing." Callai smiled as she circled toward James. "Over the centuries the Reticulians have developed the ability to control human mental processes to some degree. Not only will I be wiping out your memories of this entire encounter, but I can even implant cover memories that will make you think you spent the entire evening at home quietly watching TV."

"Really? Well I better take some pictures then. I do not want to forget this." He pulled out some kind of smart phone and began looking for his camera app.

"Sorry, but you won't have time. You see, I can remove your current memory development so you won't remember what's going on even as it's happening. Basically you'll be completely helpless." Callai raised her finger to her temple, "Trust me; I've done this thousands of times."

"Thousands? Wow, that is pretty impressive," James continued to play with his phone. "But I have to warn you about something. Your trick against humans isn't going to work on me, because... Well... I'm not human."

"I can't move," Callai's lips barely moved as she stood frozen with her finger at her temple.

"Yes, sorry about that. I've interrupted your voluntary nerve processes. I'll admit I can't do it with my mind, so it's not as cool as your 'jedi mind trick' approach, but fortunately..." James grinned as he pointed at his phone, "...I have an app for that."

"You see, I'm also Reticulian, just like you and I know all about our human breeding-program-to-guide-Earth development thingy. And frankly I think it's kinda sick! Humans should be allowed to develop themselves." James circled back over to the holographic controls, set his phone down on the console and began searching the databanks. "You know what we need? We need a non-interference prime directive, like on Star Trek!

"But any-woo, I don't care what the rest of you think about me; I've decided to break off and do my best to break up as many of these experiments and abductions as I can. Since I usually work undercover, the nerd persona is great for avoiding social interaction and perfect for keeping a low profile. It was just a bonus that the aerospace engineer bio that I planted into your database happened to be what you were looking for. By the way, I do want to compliment you on your seduction approach. I bet that usually works." James grabbed his phone and waved it at Callai.

"I've downloaded your next set of targets. Preventing their abductions should keep me busy for a while. I know that I can't stop them all, but if I can make a dent I can at least slow things down." He popped the phone back into its case on his belt and walked over to the frozen Callai.

"I've also set your ship to return to your nearest rendezvous, I hope you don't mind. I'm sure you'll have time to think up a good excuse for your early return by the time you get there." He patted her cheek before heading back to the portal to her apartment.

"Oh, and one more thing," James pause and smiled back at her before stepping through the portal, "If you get a chance, you really should check out some Earth science fiction. Their most futuristic stuff is so retro!"

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