The Facility.

The next few days passed and had Frank grown bored of the unemployed lifestyle quickly. He had asked Karen whether or not she would like to hang out, but she had said that she was working. He also tried to message her sister Rachel but she would not answer her phone. Frank decided that, as he had nothing better to do, he would visit Tas at the facility.

It was a warm Thursday morning when Frank, alien GPS device in hand, got in his car to visit the facility. Pulling away, Frank was in a bad mood; he hadn’t gotten laid since the weekend, and now that he was a sexual god that really was saying something. He followed the navigation device, noticing it was leading him to the coast; Frank reached the highway and began to cruise.

The drive was uneventful. Frank passed countless trees and open fields as he was lead further and further away from the city. Eventually the GPS said that he had arrived at his destination. Frank pulled over on the now dirt road, in the middle of nowhere, and got out of the car. He was annoyed to say the least; there was nothing here. Was this some sort of joke? He thought, looking around.

And as if answering his inner dialogue, Frank heard a grinding noise. Spinning around he saw that there was a hole forming in the rubble on the side of the road. It looked like a giant manhole appearing out of thin air. As the hole reached its maximum size, of about 6 feet, Frank saw a figure climbing out of it.

“You must be Franklin?” said the man.

“Yes… Are you Scralliava?” Frank hesitated.

“Yes. The human mind is often forgetful, refer to me as ‘Scral’ if you wish.” He said bluntly.

“O…okay.” Frank replied, intimidated by the large alien.

“Come with me, Franklin Williamson.” Scral ordered.

Not waiting for a response, Scral turned and descended down the manhole. Taking a moment to absorb what had just happened, Frank joined him and climbed inside.

The inside of the hole was completely different to anything Frank had seen before. The contrast of the rough and dirty outside world, and the pure white environment of the alien corridor was blinding. As his eyes began to adjust, Frank finally got a good look at Scral. He was over 6 feet tall, strong and large with a round head. He looked like a bodyguard or a wrestler.

The alien strode away, and after a few seconds Frank realized he was meant to follow Scral. The hole in the ground turned into an empty hallway that was pure white all over. The walls were shiny and glossy and the floors were a marble white. As they approached the end of the hall, they turned a corner suddenly and were met with a view that would make Frank’s eyes pop. The hallway opened into a massive hanger, it looked like an underground airport with sparks flying and equipment lying everywhere. In the middle of the giant area was, what Frank could only assume to be, a spaceship. It was not dissimilar to the stereotype, as it was pure black, round and flat. Frank gawped at it; it was bigger than any aircraft he had ever seen.

“Hello Frank.” A voice came from behind him.

Tas was standing there, a gentle smile on his face.

“Hey.” He answered, still in amazement.

"Let me show you around." Tas smiled.

Tas proceeded to give him a guided tour of the facility. He showed him the equipment he would need to understand when they took flight, their robotic helpers that would assist them, and the storage systems of the ship.

They were approaching the side of the spacecraft when Frank saw something unnerving.

“What’s that Tas?” Frank pointed.

“Oh that… that... is the ships defense mechanism.” Tas replied hesitantly.

“Defense mechanism? They look an awful lot like attack mechanisms to me.” Frank stammered.

“Well… They are in a way… Humans have begun to develop similar technology, I believe they have named it a ‘Rail gun’” Tas said, “Have you heard of it?”

“Yeah, its like a super laser or something, right?” Frank stared at the weapons.

“Yes,” Tas chuckled, “A super laser.”

“Why does a scout ship need guns Tas?” Frank asked.

He paused, thinking thoroughly before answering. “Because the galaxy can be a dark place, full of unsavory life forms. What do you think the Dak are trying to recruit allies for anyway? The cannon is a last resort for us, do you understand? ”

Frank was stunned. He had never thought that the aliens would have brought weapons with them.

“I guess…” Frank waivered.

“Hm… A last resort for unworthy allies indeed.” Scral pondered.

Frank jumped; he had not noticed Scral standing behind him. Tas was alarmed but quickly moved on.

“Shall we begin the simulation?” He said, guiding Frank by the shoulder to another section of the hanger.