Beyond our Earth

38: Australia

~~~~BRADEN'S POV~~~~ 

It was time once again to fold myself into the suitcase and prepare for another long flight. We were going for it. Crazy as the idea may have seemed, we were going to Australia and I was going to get myself abducted.

Alone in my darkness, after the box was loaded onto the plane, I had plenty of time to think about what I was getting myself into. It was a long shot, that's for sure. Even If I was successful at getting on a ship there was little chance I'd be able to break free, get into the control room, and then figure out how to pilot the thing. It was inherently a stupid idea. But that's just the thing about being desperate; it doesn't matter how slim the chances, how big the risk, It's always going to be worth taking.

When we arrived in Australia it was still mid day. Stumbling out of the women's washroom on my cramped legs, I made my way with Elizabeth to the car rental area. We took out a little red sports car with a GPS and started our drive to Nullarbor Plain, desolate and bare, with no trace of human existence apart from the road itself. No street lights to light the way at night.

We knew as we pulled out from the airport, we wouldn't get there before dark. Elizabeth had only one demand; that she must not get abducted. She was merely the driver, and, if aliens really did exist, (which she still disbelieved) she didn't want to have anything to do with them. I told her she'd be safe. In reality I wasn't too sure.

The drive was long but scenic. I was soaking it in as my last drive on earth, feeling a bit dramatic. Still, with the windows rolled down and the hot sun on my face, mixed with the sweet smell of the sea in the air as the wind blew back my hair, I was enjoying Australia. The vast seascapes were a pleasure to drive by. As we swerved inland, the red soil and waxy vegetation looked foreign and wonderful.

And the road signs! We laughed, pointing out the 'kangaroo crossing' whenever we passed one.

The afternoon sunlight faded as we drove and the car became quieter, the radio fading from the  intensity I remembered. There was a beautiful orange sunset projected across light, fluffy clouds. Quickly, it changed to purple, then black. And the stars poked out one by one.

"How much longer?" I asked.

"Should be about a half hour." Elizabeth replied.

I stuck my head out the window. The air was still warm. Bright stars speckled the sky above.

"So, how do you propose you get abducted without me getting abducted, you know, if there are aliens?"

"You can drop me off once we get to the middle of the plain, then just keep driving."

"You know there've been reports of people getting taken out of cars." She pointed out, unconsciously admitting she'd been reading my notes.

"Drive fast then." I said with a smirk.

She shot me a glare, then changed her tone. "Whatever, we're not going to see any aliens tonight anyway."

"That's the spirit."

We were driving in an unpopulated area, no other cars on the road, no lights, no houses. All that was lit up was the patch of road ahead of us. The curving lines and yellow dashes disappearing beneath our car as we drove on.

Not much later the sign for Nullarbor appeared in front of us.

"We're here." I breathed, excited.

As we passed the sign it felt like we were crossing an imaginary line - the separation between security and vulnerability. My heart rate sped up a little.

"Keep a sharp eye out," I warned.

"Guess I should say goodbye?" She asked, sarcastic.

"Really," My eyes scanned the blackened sky, "This might be the last time we see each other."

I felt another rush of adrenaline. An eery sense of seclusion.

"If I don't end up making it back to earth, I just really want to thank you for what you've done. And if Sara comes back, if you meet her, tell her I love her, will you?"

Elizabeth laughed. "You should be on a soap."

"Thank you, I'll keep that in mind." I smiled.

"What was that?" Elizabeth shrieked. She ducked down behind the steering wheel, panting.

"What? What?"

She burst out laughing, "Kidding! Kidding! God, you're too easy."

I sighed, crossed my arms, leaned back in my seat.

"We're at the half-way point. Do you want me to drop you off?" She asked, slowing the car.

"Sure." I said.

She pulled off to the side, unlocked the doors.

"Come by in the morning, kay? If I'm still here pick me up."

"You will be." She stated, confident.

I popped open the door and stepped out. She pulled away, made a u-turn and drove off. I watched her headlights disappear over the horizon. I was alone now, darkness as far as the eye could see. But the stars seemed brighter than ever before and I hoped I wouldn't be alone for long. For a while I watched the sky, thought I saw a flash of light, must have been imagining it. Then another. Shooting star? 

I turned, suddenly saw two dark lights in the sky, burning emerald green. A hum ran through the air, pulsating. The vessel was dark, unseeable except for the shape of the stars it blocked from sight. And it was interested in me, coming, by the looks of it, closer.

My hands raised up in the air, gave an open armed wave of pleasant greeting. I'm not alone, I thought. Then fear struck me.