Alcantaran 1: Alien Abduction (10 page)

Ron replied in a whisper, "I think it helped me and it did something for Tik.
 
We'll see tomorrow how much good it did.
 
The unit was telling what it found and also that both of us had some foreign substance in our stomachs."

He motioned for Gus to move over so he could be next.
 
Gus sat on the floor and Ron placed the unit on his back between the harness straps.
 
He pressed the diagnostic buttons and the unit did its thing.
 
The unit said that Gus was short on critical vitamins and minerals.
 
It also said he had an undigested foreign substance in his system.
 
Ron pushed the buttons and the machine started on Gus.
 
After about 10 minutes the unit chimed and the lights went to green.
 
Ron accidently touched another button as he took the unit off Gus.
 
The unit said it would recommend that the patient be in contact with sand or dust for at least 15 minutes each day or two hours a week.
 
It said this patient absorbed some of its critical vitamins and minerals through its skin.
 
It said the previous patient needed to have a very strong dose of ultra-violet rays every day for the next month and then needed the UV treatment at least once a week.
 
The patient's system couldn't digest food properly without the UV rays.

Ron and Gus moved back to their bunk and whispered quietly.
 
They were trying to figure out how to get a UV light for Tik and where to install it.
 
They finally decided the work counter would be the best place.
 
They decided to wait until in the morning to ask Tik if she could order something through the mother ship computer.
 
Maybe she could complain about bacteria on the used parts crossing the counter and needed the UV light to kill them.

Ron pulled the cape out of his tool pouch and examined it thoroughly.
 
He noticed some almost hidden buttons next to the hood.
 
Gus was curiously watching as Ron laid the cape across his lap.
 
Ron pushed one of the buttons and poof!
 
His legs and the cape disappeared!
 
Gus almost jumped off the bunk and yelled.
 
Just in time he remembered their sleeping cell mate.
 
Ron touched his legs and could still feel them.
 
He could still feel the touch also, so he knew that his legs were still there.
 
Ron felt around and found the hood on the cape.
 
He picked it up and held it against the bunk.
 
His legs appeared and the bunk disappeared.
 
He held it up toward Gus.
 
Gus kind of shied away from the cape but Ron saw that the parts of Gus covered by the cape disappeared.
 
It looked rather funny seeing the top half of Gus, no middle and then the legs and feet just appeared.

Gus urgently whispered, "What in the world is that?
 
How did your legs disappear and then reappear?
 
Why are you grinning?"

"It's the cape.
 
I could feel my legs under it but neither of us could see my legs.
 
Just now I was holding it up and your middle disappeared.
 
You looked funny with a top, no middle and legs appearing out of nowhere.
 
I wonder if this is another relic of the Alcantarans," Ron answered as he stood up and swung the cape around his shoulders.

Ron's head was floating above his feet and legs but there was nothing in the middle.
 
Gus grinned because he could now see what Ron meant about looking funny.
 
He gingerly reached one of his huge fingers toward the middle.
 
He touched something right where Ron's mid-section should be.
 
There was nothing showing there but he could feel something.

"This could be another tool to help us escape.
 
The only problem is that it won't cover you or me completely.
 
I guess we'll have to find something to stand behind to cover the rest," Ron said as he returned Gus' grin.

Gus said, "It definitely won't cover much of me.
 
About the only one it will completely cover will be Tik.
 
How do you think we will be able to use it?"

"Right now I have no idea.
 
I'll put it back in my pouch and we'll have it when the time comes," Ron said.
 
"Maybe after Tik gets to feeling better, she can use it to go to that store room in the middle of the ship to find two more translators.
 
It would sure help if we could communicate together all the time.
 
We are going to have to be ready to seize any chance we get to make our escape.
 
This thought transfer could really be a big help."

Gus nodded in agreement as he said, "We won't be able to send her on the days she's mad at the Bugs.
 
I've seen her temper and reactions.
 
If she was mad and had that cloak on, there would definitely be damage to the Bugs she met."

Ron grinned his agreement.
 
He had seen a little taste of her temper today when he ordered the muffler bearing.
 
The two whispered just a little longer before they climbed into their bunks.
 
They decided Tik needed to check the computer to see what was being put in their food.
 
She also needed to check on the stingerray to see if the computer had instructions on how to operate them.

As Ron lay on his bunk, he was thinking of movies he had seen.
 
He started wondering about spying devices in their cell.
 
Tomorrow he would carry Tik again and try the thought transfer to have her check the mother ship computer to wipe out what went on in their cell.

The next morning when the bell went off, Ron and Gus were quick to get out of bed.
 
Both felt better and it showed in their actions as they prepared for the day.
 
They both looked anxiously at their cell mate.

Tik slowly got up and stretched.
 
She saw both of them staring at her and said, "What's up, big boys?
 
What are you looking at?"

"We were just wondering how you felt this morning.
 
You went to sleep awful fast last night and we didn't even get a chance to ask you how the healer unit did on you," Ron answered.

"I don't know if it did anything.
 
I felt something and I guess I was tired because I went to sleep before it actually did anything," Tik said.
 
"I do feel like I have a little more energy this morning."

"Well, the unit said all three of us had a foreign substance in our systems.
 
It also gave a diagnosis of what you needed.
 
I'll fill you in more later on," Ron explained.

The door swung open and Gus grabbed Tik's tool bag.
 
Ron scooped her up and started to carry her out the door.

Tik growled, "Put me down, you overgrown hairless ape.
 
I am perfectly able to walk on my own."

"Oh, but your sprained ankle might not be fully healed.
 
I'd hate for Wurden to have to take you to the medical facilities," Ron quipped.
 
"Besides I need to talk to you and I'd just as soon no one else hears."

Tik settled back down but she didn't like it.
 
She thought Ron was trying to coddle her and she was not going to let that happen.
 
As soon as they started down the passage-way, Ron started whispering.

"Tik, the first thing you need to do is get UV lights at your work station.
 
The reason you're so sick is that you need UV light for your body to properly digest your food.
 
Maybe you can convince Wurden that there are bad bacteria on the used parts and the Bugs might get infected if they don't install the lights.
 
The next thing is we need to get Gus somewhere he can touch sand or dust for at least two hours each week.
 
Are there any dust filters in the air ducts leaving the repair hangar?
 
Check on the computer and see if you can get Wurden to assign Gus to clean them.
 
Make sure he is assigned to clean any dirty equipment or space ships coming into the repair hangar," Ron stated matter of factly.

"How am I supposed to do all of that by myself?
 
Do you think I am some kind of magician?" Tik snorted derisively.

"Oh, I've seen how you have Wurden wrapped around your little finger.
 
You'll find some way," Ron teased with a grin.

"Stick a finger out here and I'll show you something wrapped around a finger," Tik growled.

"Every chance you get, you need to start checking out those two space ships in the incoming hangar.
 
We need to know everything we can about them so we can start planning on how to get out of here.
 
Also there are two other things you need to check.
 
Number one is, are we being spied on in our cell?
 
Can you erase it or change what the Bugs will see?
 
Number two is, the healer said all three of us had some kind of foreign substance in our systems.
 
Are the Bugs giving us more than food in our meals?
 
Is there a way to delete it from ours or to counteract it?"

Tik stiffened as she considered for the first time that the Bugs might be spying on her in her own cell.
 
Ron could read the determination in her posture as she started planning on how to defeat any spying.
 
The meal this morning was especially unappetizing to all three since the question had arisen about drugs in the food.
 
None of the trio finished their meal.

The work group filed into the repair hangar and Ron carried Tik to the counter again.
 
Wurden was right behind them and commented, "Is that beast's ankle still causing trouble?"

Tik snapped peevishly, "Its better, just not completely healed.
 
By tomorrow morning I'll be walking on my own."

"That's good because I would hate to waste time taking you to the medical facilities," Wurden stated aloofly.

He led Ron to a piece of equipment midway on the hangar deck.
 
Ron was working away when he heard Tik scream.
 
She went into a tirade that brought Wurden rushing over to see what the trouble was.
 
She was screaming that her scanner showed there was dangerous bacteria on the last part the messenger had brought.
 
She said that there appeared to be high levels of dust also.
 
The perfect breeding grounds for the bacteria!
 
The next thing would be all the workers, as well as the Challekans, getting sick and then they all would die.
 
Wurden screeched to a stop several yards from the counter.
 
He asked what was wrong and Tik proceeded to unload on him again.
 
Wurden edged a little further away and asked her what her scanner recommended.
 
Tik told him that the counter needed two UV lights to kill the bacteria and the filters in the air ducts needed to be cleaned on a regular basis.
 
Gus walked up with a fuel canister just then and Tik pointed at him and said, "Make him clean those things.
 
He already looks like he's covered with dust and it wouldn't hurt him at all."

Wurden got on his personal computer and put a rush, immediate action order in for the UV lights as he directed Gus to hurry up with his fuel and then follow him.
 
Wurden was pushing Gus to take the fuel canister back to his work station and get out of the protective gear.
 
As soon as he was out of it, Wurden took him to a grav-sled and showed him how to operate it.
 
He flew him to the ceiling and they started checking the air ducts.
 
They were very dusty and Wurden directed Gus to start cleaning them.
 
He looked up the filters and showed Gus where they were at.
 
He told him to make sure they were thoroughly cleaned and then he made a note to make sure Gus cleaned them on a regular basis.

Later when they were back in their cell, Ron commented with a grin, "I was wondering, what took you so long to get the light up and Gus in the middle of the dust?"

Gus chuckled as he joined in, "Yeah, I was sure it would take days to get the light and in less than an hour, there I was elbow deep in dust.
 
What did it take to get the light?
 
Two hours?
 
Three?"

"Listen, you two big apes…." Tik snapped heatedly until she realized they were teasing.
 
"I thought you said it was important and needed to be done right away.
 
If I'd have known that you could wait, I'd have put in a work order and we'd see results in a couple of months."

The trio laughed.
 
They were starting to become more than friends and it felt good.
 
Tik was definitely feeling a lot better and her fur didn't look so tangled and matted.
 
Gus had been in enough dust to really feel good and life suddenly showed some hope.

Ron asked, "Are we being spied on?"

"Hey big boy, I'm good but I'm not a miracle worker.
 
I was planning on checking that right now," Tik said as she pulled her mini-computer out of the bag.

She gave a few commands and shortly she was searching the mother ship computer.
 
She found what Ron had feared.
 
The Bugs were spying on all the captured creatures.
 
Tik checked the different cells quickly and she could see what each one was doing.
 
She checked a little further and saw that the Bugs weren't currently monitoring any of the cells.
 
The record showed that a Bug would skim through the recordings once a quarter.
 
The skim had happened just before Ron arrived so it would be a couple of months until it happened again.