Marshall hangs on to the now airborn bike tightly, his teeth clenched, jaw locked, his eyes closed; waiting for the impact; waiting for the inevitable pain and the sounds of bones and metal breaking. Waiting for the roar of the bike to stop and the fall to end. He feels a gental pump and the bike rips away from him and slams into a wall not far away. The motor dies. Marshall stops his short tumble and looks around through the darkened shield of the helmet. All is brightly lit and very quiet. Not even the walls seem quite real. Marshall slowly tests his legs and stands. Flipping up the visor, he squints in the blinding light. It's warm here, so he unzips the leather riding jacket and pulls off his gloves.Looking around he takes in a deep breath. The air seems to taste funny; too pure for it to be real. Laughing, he mutters, "So this is the Other side. I imagined something different." The wall on the far side of the room opens and three small human shaped beings enter. Marshall reaches inside his jacket, feeling the heft of the old Colt .45 auto hiding there. He stands a bit tensely. The three beings seem to glide across the floor, each taking a position exactly the same distance from Marshel and each other in a circle. Marshel turns and the beings move with him. Marshel feels them staring at him. "What's the matter?" Marshall asks,"Never seen a human before?" A female voice answers "Yes we have, just never one who rode a motorcycle." she impishly giggles. Marshel moves his weight from foot to foot "Ok, why am I here? I should be dead at the bottom of that cliff. My brains should be splattered all over the damn place. What the hell happened and why am I here?" "We have been looking for a specimen like you." the female voice coos softly. "We need to borrow your size and strength for a while. Our gene pool is limited on the ship. It's time to introduce a new strain." "And if I decide I am not donating to your gene pool?"Marshall again moves his hand towards the comfort of the Colt, only to find it's not there. Frantically, he searches for the weapon he knew was there just moments ago. With that over-emphasized note of kindness, the voice again coos,"Marshall ...You have no choice." The room darkens. Marshall waakes. He is naked. There is a body he can only pray is female next to him. She is caressing him. She kisses his cheek as he feels the bite of a hypodermic needle in his arm. Marshall drifts off into a nightmareish sleep. Marshall again wakes, this time to several voices. "I think we should just keep him... His people already think he is dead and what great fun I have had with him already." "I agree with Sqirs. He is so much fun and so talented. Who will miss him as much as we will?" Sqirs and Irt stand with their arms crossed but their eyes intently, hungrily staring at Marshall. Ungl and the other elders stand. "We are to depart this system soon. He will not survive the trip, we have to let him go. We have had him for ten of his years now. He needs to be back with his own kind." Marshel's mind reels. Ten years here, wherever Here is, being a sexual slave and now they want to return him to his own kind. "That bitch Celine won't know what hit her."he chuckles. The beings circle Marshall, each touching him and whispering to him how they will miss him. "So it is said, so it is done; so be it." anounces one of the elders. Marshall's bike is brought to him. It is polished to its finest luster, every part detailed to the utmost On the seat is his leather coat, bluejeans,black tee shirt, his boots and his helmet. He dresses a bit slower than he remembers. The old Colt is back in the pistol pocket of the jacket. He looks and begins prepping the bike to start, when one of the beings hands him a perfectly shaped katana-style sword. "This is to remember me by." She giggles. The room brightens and Marshall is forced to lower the shield of his helmet. Lights flash and Marshall is in a large, open field of wildflowers. © |