Interrogation

Layla leans forward, her blue eyes locked on Mike. “So, first question. Where is your method of returning to earth?”

Mike looks at her for a moment, then laughs. “There isn’t one.”

Layla blinks. “What do you mean?”

Mike shrugs. “There’s no way back, unless you have something. I was sent accidentally, with nothing but the clothes on my back. And since I’ve been here, I’ve been told that there’s no way to send me back. In fact, I’ve been told they don’t want me to go back. Truthfully, I don’t want to leave either.”

Becca speaks up. “Why is that?”

Mike sighs. “You dragged me from a bed I was sharing with a beautiful woman. You do the math. I’ll put it this way. I haven’t slept alone since the first night I was here. On top of that, almost everyone has been very friendly.”

The look Becca gives him is strange. It’s a mixture of jealousy and interest, as if she wants to ask for more details. Mike wonders what she’s thinking about.

Layla shakes her head. “We’re getting off topic. How is it that you’re able to understand what these aliens are saying? It’s all gibberish to us, but you answer normally.”

Mike taps the side of his head. “They put an implant in, it translates everything. Almost everyone has one.”

Layla’s brow furrows. “You let them do brain surgery on you?”

Mike shrugs. “It was when I was unconscious. But without it, there’s no way I could communicate, so it’s fine. I understand why it had to happen.”

Layla shakes her head. “How long before they come looking for you? Can they track you?”

Mike shrugs again. “I’d imagine as soon as Alicia wakes up and finds me gone, some kind of alarm will go up. There’s cameras all over the facility, so they’ll know who has me.”

Layla and Becca share a look, and Mike continues. “Honestly, your best bet is to go back. Your mission, whatever it is, is pointless here. We’re the only three humans on the planet. The people at the facility are nice, and they’ll treat you well, especially if I vouch for you. And I can guarantee that you’ll be very popular once the public gets a look at you.”

Mike shakes his head. “On the other hand, if you decide to keep this up, the best you can hope for is getting caught by the security division. They’ll probably just lock you up. But the other groups out there, they’ve tried to capture me before. I don’t want to think about what they’d do with you.”

Layla holds up a hand to stop him. “Enough. I don’t know how much your saying is true, but there’s definitely a discussion that needs to be had. But you’re not involved.”

Reaching into a nearby pack, she pulls out a length of chain, which she secures around the log Mike is seated on. Affixing Mike’s cuffs to the chain, she nods. “You stay here. Sleep. Becca and I are going to talk. And rest ourselves. We’ll see where the morning leaves us.”