Subjects

39 - Slipping Like Sand Between Their Fingers

"Your creatures?"

Jeff is staring at the Captain in shock, right before looking back at Ben for explanations. Ben managed to catch his breath but he still isn't speaking.

Eva is frozen. In some deep part of her mind, she thought this was over, that they were finally going to be safe. But of course, this is not over, it's never over. She should have said no to the stupid scholarship. Her dad and her are going to have a serious conversation when she gets back.

"You stole from me," the Captain speaks again, looking at Ben. "Twice. This ship, you disgusting humans stole it. I wanted to get rid of you right away but they told me to wait. Scientists, always with all the tests."

The Captain takes one step forward and drags Angie with him. She tries so hard not to cry, but she is terrified. Her lower lip trembles as she swallows the tears, her eyes closed. "Finally, they let me get rid of you, and you ruined that too! If it were up to me you would be dead the second you set foot in this room. But those pesky scientists decided suddenly that they need you! Just because you beat the creature. Those things are even more brainless than you are, a baby could beat them, but no, they want to run more tests again."

Jeff is looking more confused by the second. The creatures are easy to beat? No way! The Captain must be delusional. This is the only rational explanation to what is happening right now. Then the Captain looks at Jeff for the first time and his thoughts stop immediately. Can he read minds?

"But you," the Captain says. "You I don't need."

He lets go of Angie and points the gun at Jeff right when Ben jumps between them. This is becoming quite a habit for him. The Captain seems even more pissed off now. He hesitates, he's not supposed to harm the humans. They won't notice if one of them is missing, right?

Sometimes, one second is all it takes to change the course of things. One second of hesitation can be enough. Just like now.

Roger jumps at the Captain and punches him right in his face. The shock, and the very violent punch, make the Captain stumble back and allow Roger to get a hold of the gun. He points it at the Captain with shaking hands.

Eva is the first to come back to her senses. "We need to go, people. Em, is everything ready?"

Emily nods quickly. Angie is still shaking so Ben picks her up and carries her inside the ship. Eva starts pushing Jeff's chair to the ship as well.

Jeff has so many questions, but he'd rather leave this place as soon as possible, so instead he asks, "how are you going to get the ship out?"

"I don't know," Eva says. "Emily?"

"Umm... Through there?" She points to the door.

"I can open the roof for you," Jeff offers. "Take me to that control panel over there," he says to Eva.

As Jeff is instructing Eva on what to do and Emily prepares the ship for takeoff, Roger is having a staring contest with the Captain. His hands are shaking so hard as he tries to do everything but listen to the Captain saying "put the gun down," over and over again. It feels like forever before Emily finally shows at his side.

"Everything is ready," she tells him.

He is still looking at the Captain and pointing the gun but he is now focused on Emily. "What do I do?" He asks.

"Walk into the ship, slowly. Keep eye contact and don't lower the gun."

Roger nods and starts walking back slowly. "Go over there," he motions the Captain to go to the corner of the room, where Roger can see him at all times. The Captain starts walking and Roger follows him with his eyes.

The Captain opens his mouth, "you don't nee-"

"Shut up!" Emily orders. Her sudden interference is so surprising that even Roger jumps back a little. When the Captain is in the corner, Roger finally steps onto the ship. He keeps standing at the door and looking at the Captain as Emily fires the engine.

Roger missed the whole part when Eva and Jeff opened the roof, and then when Ben helped her carry Jeff onto the ship. As the metal pod tilts from side to side and starts floating to the opening in the roof, Roger can only think about how close they cut it this time.

Angie could have been dead, Ben could have been dead... He was never so scared before. He was always under the influence in one way or another. It must have been terrible for Ben to see it all happening, to see Leo die.

When they are high enough and the Captain is out of sight, Roger lowers the gun. He keeps standing in the doorway until Ben pulls him back and closes the door. "Come on, it is safer this way."

At the front of the ship Emily is using the improvised steering system they made to navigate their ship as far from The New Age Panther as possible. In one of the chairs Eva sits and lets Angie cry in her lap. Ben walks to the window and looks at the deck of The Panther. People are crowding and pointing at them but they don't seem to be following them. At least not for now.

Roger sits down next to Jeff. "Roger, will you tell me what's going on?" Jeff is somewhere between existential crisis and horror movie coming to life.

"It is very hard to explain," Roger says.

"Yeah," Jeff says. "I heard that one already."

"Aliens," Ben turns around and says.

"What?"

"You wanted to know what's going on, so that's it," Ben sits down as well. "Aliens."

"No, Ben," Eva interferes. "You should start at the beginning. Tell him about the scholarship."

"A scholarship?"

"Yes," Ben says. "It all began a couple of months ago, when Leo came to my house and offered me a scholarship."

Angie looks up to see what is going on when she hears her dad's name.

"Actually, at first Leo offered it to my best friend," Roger says. "But they realized it was a mistake eventually."

"Who is Leo?" Jeff asks.

They all go quiet until Angie says, "my dad."

"We are not siblings," Ben answers Jeff's silent question.

"Wait, what?" Jeff looks between Ben and Angie, even more confused now.

"I told you," says Ben. "It's a long story."