Generation 3, Chapter 4: Secrets and lies

"Do you want to hear more of how we can do it?" with one easy twirl brought on by the force of one of his arms, he changed the stance of my body, bringing my face close to his while still keeping his hand secured over my mouth. I nodded slowly. His request hadn't really caught my attention at that precise moment. It was more the fact that I wanted to escape this encounter he created than escape the planet.

"Good, now, I'm going to let go of your mouth a little so you can speak. If you do try and scream for help from your alien friend, I can easily smother you to death."

Nodding again, this time a lot quicker, I felt his fingers loosening their grasp, and I could finally take a breath through my mouth. "What do you want?" the words were clear, albeit a bit muffled.

"That alien, Copper. We've been keeping an eye on him. He knows stuff. He knows how to get off of this planet. Our organization need you to get close to him."

The mystery man must have seen it coming, because at that moment, I couldn't help but chirp "WHAT?!" out of shock. His hand quickly covered my mouth before I could get out the whole word.

"Listen to me... There are other humans trapped on this world, not just you. I'm one of them. Now, we've managed to infiltrate several of their buildings and steal technology, but nothing that will make us escape. You are the only one that can get us the information we need."

"How did you know it would be safe to come and find me now? It's not everyday that the other aliens would be distracted by their police or whatever?" the question manifested itself before I could stop it.

"She's one of ours - undercover, you know. Our surveillance equipment is some of the best available on this planet, so we spied on your captors. We had this all planned."

He finally let me go, most likely sure that I wasn't about to yell again. I couldn't help it. Hearing that the only way I could help my fellow humans was to get close to the one alien that I despised wasn't something I had been expecting.

I'm an Astrophysicist, not a bloody socialite.

I had no seduction skills.

So how the hell was I going to pull this one off?

"We'll be in touch, once the opportunity presents itself, of course," his eyes swiftly surveyed the area, and when he finally noticed that everything was clear, he pulled up his sleeve, revealing an armband with several buttons on it. It had to be his way of transporting out of here.

"Wait! What's your name?" I interjected before his finger pressed down.

"You can call me Tyler," he smiled as yellow lights surrounded him, and transported him away. Exactly where he went, I had no clue, but I hoped to find out soon.

He was my only hope of escape now.

"Hey, Amelia! Have you gone crazy on us, talking to yourself? We need to go, before any more of the feds show up," I heard Chambray's voice call, not too far from me. Thank goodness they didn't hurt her. I had no problem if Copper died - hell, they could torture him for all I care but they wouldn't - but Chambray was off limits. In the short time I was being held captive, I've grown to trust her. I wanted to keep that trust for as long as I could.

"N-no," I stuttered as I tried to come up with a valid excuse. Lying never was my specialty. "I was just...praying. Yeah, praying. Praying that no one was gonna hurt you..."

"Hmm. We don't have praying around here... Well, come on, we need to get going. I should probably explain what just happened."

"We got lucky," she drew a deep breath as soon as we started nearing the safe zone. "That girl was a friendly. She wasn't part of the council. She was just visiting the burial grounds. She seems to be an outcast herself, with that pale skin of hers. Traditional alien skin is cyan, maybe even gray. Gosh, I don't know what I would've done if one of those showed up."

"Like you said, we got lucky," I agreed, my eyes fixed upon a tree not too far from us. I knew that the person was a friendly, that she wasn't going to hurt her. God, how I hated lying. I was taught to be an honest person. So maybe someone looked fat in a dress. I would tell them that. I meant no harm, but unfortunately, it always came out that way.

And now, when I didn't want to deceive anyone, I do, and I seem to have no control over it.

"You seem...different, somehow. You got this whole macho attitude surrounding you, if I had to use some of your human terminology. Some kind of epiphany come to you while you were hiding behind the mausoleum? About death, perhaps?"

My lips curled into a smile as I thought about it. "Something like that."

Tyler never specified how quickly he wanted me to get close to Copper, but I assumed it had to be done as soon as possible. They were stuck on the planet for a much longer time than I have. Their patience could only last for so long.

It was definitely not necessary to get on the bad side of both the aliens and the humans. So, as quick as possible.

The transporter took me down to the newest level of the hideout, which seemed to have been renovated into some kind of entertainment area. It was the perfect place to start befriending him.

"Having fun?" I asked as I peered over Copper's shoulder, noticing what he was doing. Dear lord. He was playing video games. Who would have guessed this was what he did in his free time?

Copper didn't answer - at least, not in English. The words coming out of his mouth was the same alien language I heard him speak the day I had woken up in this place. Though it sounded strange, I could guess what he was saying. Something along time the lines of "DIE, you bastard!". Of course, it was just a guess. Perhaps aliens didn't have cussing built into their language.

Smirking at the sight of him freaking out like that, I turned my gaze to the left, where a massive contraption stood. When closed, it could probably envelope a person's entire head. Strange that this kind of thing would find its way to a recreational room.

"That's another form of a mind probe, just much bigger. It allows you to sleep the entire time. Chambray insisted I build it as a means of not hurting you. I suggest you try it out. The data will automatically be recorded, and available for reviewing later on," my whole body jumped a step backwards as I heard Copper's voice. I hadn't thought he would notice me, having focused on his game for so long. The only reason he would be taking a break would be if he had lost.

Work with them. Gain his trust. Don't press the wrong buttons, the words rang through my head. As much as I didn't want to, I had to go sit in that chair again and relive a part of my past.

"You! You need to watch where you're going, mister! You could seriously injure someone by not looking where you're supposed to go!"

"Hey, I couldn't help it! I'm sorry that I bumped into you, but that chick over there was totally hot - AND she smiled at me. Actually smiled! That never happens to me."

"That's EXACTLY the attitude that's gonna get you killed. She was just being polite to a man who has no chance of ever getting a girl by himself. You'll probably have to pay someone to date you."

"That was uncalled for... I don't need a hooker just to get a little bit of action. There are lots of girls out there who needs a shoulder to cry on. And if things happen to go a little further..."

"You're pathetic, you know that?"

"I wasn't the one that started an argument. You did. You could have let it slide, but here we are. What are we gonna do now, huh? Battle it out like adults should?"

"What is that, some kind of man-code? How you prove your honor? No thanks, I don't get up to any kind of trouble with strangers."

"We don't have to remain strangers..."

"Hmm. Fine. Doctor Amelia Glover, Astrophysicist. I could have been classified as an astronaut... I was supposed to go up to the International Space Station last year, but there was a little mishap, an accident, and since then I haven't heard whether or not I'll be able to try and go again."

"I'm Richard Jackson, local businessman. Okay, that's partially what I am... I work for a technology company, you know, who's in charge for all the new gadgets coming out. My job is seeking out other local businesses, investing in them or either buying them out and incorporating them under the company's banner. Now we know each other a little better, huh? Up for a game of tennis to settle all scores?"

"Maybe... I'm a little skeptical of you, whether or not you'll cheat. I mean, look at the way you acted."

"Trust me, I'm not a jackass. I happen to be a gentleman, and I'd never think of paying for a hooker, or taking advantage of a girl in her time of need."

"Yeah, I doubt that..."

It felt as if I had slept for hours, while in reality, it was probably just a few seconds. The machine seemed to make people relax. That was a function I had never expected, and not something that I thought Copper would even add.

The memories still did not make sense. I kept seeing that man, Richard. This time, I saw our first encounter.

What was it that I saw? An image that my mind created so that the aliens do not get their hands on the real memories in my head, all the knowledge I have concerning quantum mechanics and chemistry?

That question was currently not important. The matter at hand proved much more dire. Getting Copper to socialize with me.

Step one. Approach target.

"Eh, hey, Copper... Is there any chance I could join you in your game? It seems interesting, a challenge. I love defeating things that seem impossible to beat."

He showed no response to my words, nor did he seem interested, his eyes fixed on the moving icons in front of him. A bright flash of light flickered onto the screen, on he groaned. "Great," he laughed without mirth, "look what you just made me do with your incessant chattering."

Without another word, Copper slid back, pushed himself off of his chair and walked out of them room.

Fantastic. He blamed me for losing his game.

There was no hope of getting close to that guy.

None. At. All.