Touched by an Alien

back into the main part of what I was coming to think of as a terminal.
    He grinned. “I’ll keep it in mind.”
    “So, where can we go from here?”
    “Anywhere we need to.” Martini pointed to the big doorways. “We take the vehicles through them.”
    “How? Aren’t we in a dome or something that’s like a building?”
    “Yes. There are entry points all over the dome, though. We just open the big doors for the cars.”
    “Does each doorway thing correspond to an airport?”
    “We call them gates, and no. We have gates programmed to go straight to Home Base and our Science Center, but otherwise, we calibrate for each trip. A superbeing can show up anywhere in the world, at any time, so we need the flexibility.”
    “Makes sense.” I looked around. “This place seems pretty quiet.”
    “That’s because the grid’s quiet,” Gower’s voice came from behind us. I jumped and probably would have fallen if Martini weren’t still holding my hand. “Nice to see you two getting cozy,” Gower added with a grin.
    “Just keeping her from leaping through a gate to who knows where,” Martini laughed.
    “Ready to go to the next stop?” Gower asked Martini.
    “I think so. She’s seen everything here.”
    “I don’t understand it all,” I interjected. “Like how this can all be hidden not only from the American government but from all the other countries who monitor what we do?”
    Gower shrugged. “Our technology’s more advanced, and some of this is the Ancients’ technology, too. And the cloaking technology hides more than just the physical presence. I could spend a couple of hours and give you a lecture in advanced alien science, but time’s wasting. We need to get to Home Base.”

CHAPTER 8
    TURNED OUT THE TWO BIG GATES were the ones calibrated for the Science Center and Home Base at all times. Gower went to have the dome opened for the vehicles with us to go through, while Martini and I waited.
    “If we weren’t detouring to, hopefully, meet up with my mother, where would the next stop have been?”
    “Science Center. It’s okay, we have gates at Home Base to Dulce. You’ll still get to see it.” He sighed. “This always takes forever.”
    “What?” Everything seemed to be moving fast to me.
    “Loading the cars through. They’re harder to send, especially with someone in them. Calibrations take longer, everyone goes slowly, just in case, that sort of thing.”
    “Do we have to go in them?” I didn’t like going through a drive-thru carwash. I had no desire to be in a drive-thru transporter.
    “Nah, I’ll take you through a regular one.” Martini looked down at me and cocked his head. “You need anything before we see your mother?”
    I thought about it. I knew I looked awful, and it didn’t take much imagination to come up with how my mother would react. “Yeah. A change of clothes would be great.”
    He nodded. “Stay right here.” Letting go of my hand, he walked over to where Gower was. I couldn’t hear them, but it was pretty clear they were arguing. Martini seemed to win, because he came back grinning as usual. “We’re all set. You and I are making a quick stop at your apartment before we meet the others back at Home Base.”
    This seemed awfully easy, considering the load of men who’d been with us so far. “What does Paul over there think we’re doing?”
    Martini shrugged. “Going to Home Base first. We’ll still probably beat the limo, let alone the rest of the cars.”
    He had a point. The gates were still being calibrated, and while I could see the cars, they weren’t moving. Reader wasn’t even in the limo; he was leaning against the door, still reading the file on my mother he’d somehow acquired.
    “Will we be safe?”
    “Sure. I’ll be with you.” He flashed me his largest grin. “You worried about not being able to control yourself once we’re alone?”
    “Hardly. I want to be sure all those superbeings you’ve been warning me about aren’t going to get me while we take an unauthorized side trip. Besides, I know who’ll get the brunt of the complaints if we do.”
    “Me, so what are you worried about?” He sighed. “Look, we can go ahead to Home Base and you can see your mother looking like we’ve spent the last hour or so having a wild time in the dirt, or we can get you changed. Your choice.”
    I was somewhat suspicious of his motives and what I was getting into, but in addition to changing clothes, I really wanted to know