Cowboys & Aliens: Bonus Story Page 5

THE GIZMO - 1974

The Agency man looked at the creature on the screen, his expression unreadable. “How did we get it?”

“A fishing boat, Mr. Black.” Dr. Elias Birne spoke in a quick, mumbling stutter, obviously unnerved by Black’s unannounced appearance at the facility. “She was caught up in the nets.”

“She?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Don’t look like a she to me.”

“You really can’t judge her by her appearance. It’s…adjustable.”

Black grunted. “What about the gun?”

“We don’t call it a gun, sir.”

“Looks like a gun to me. A toy gun, but still…”

“She was weak when they found her, almost dead. Even so, she wouldn’t relinquish the…gun, until they subdued her.”

“And that crap I read? It can really do that stuff?”

“The, uh, the crap. Yes sir. There appear to be three settings—“

“Heat, explosive force and restraint. Handy little gizmo.”

“If we can reproduce it, yes. Unfortunately, it’s been thirteen years, and…“

The awkward silence lasted as long as Birne could bear it. “It’s very advanced technology, sir. If we applied maximum force, we might destroy the mechanisms that power it.”

“OK. I want to talk to it.”

“There’s, uh, no evidence she understands English, sir. She’s completely unresponsive.“

“Maybe she just doesn’t like your company.”

The scientist’s displeasure was obvious, but there was only one reply he could give to a man of Black’s status. “Yes, sir.”

The creature was a shade under five feet tall (currently). Its head was too large for its wispy body (at the moment). It was curled up in a corner of the small, reinforced glass cell that had been its home for thirteen years. Black cleared his throat to get its attention.

“There’s an argument at the Pentagon over where you came from, you know that?” said Black. “The Secretary of Defense thinks you’re from Atlantis, but nah, you’re an alien. You’re from outer space. Anyone who’s seen The Outer Limits could tell that.

“Still, that’s immaterial. What’s very material is what you do in the next twenty-four hours.” He pressed a photograph of the weapon it had been found clutching thirteen years ago against the glass. “The higher-ups are terminating this operation. You’ve got one chance to not end up shoved down the memory hole.”

He nodded at the photo. “I want to know how to make these. Show me how and you’re free.” He paused, looked at the creature. His face’s studied neutrality disintegrated into a sneer. “Jesus! These scientists, so goddamn smart they don’t know their asses from a hole in the ground.

“You almost jumped when I said you could go. You just told me you know English. Can you speak it, too? Doesn’t matter if you can’t. We can work around that.”

“I can speak.” The creature’s voice was a sandpaper hiss. She spoke slowly, tentatively. Of course she is, thought Black. She hasn’t talked for years.

“So you’re not human, but you ain’t stupid. What’s it going to be?”

The creature stood. As it rose, its body warped and rippled, growing in height. Its curves became recognizably female. The gray skin became smooth; blonde hair spilled over creamy white shoulders. She stood naked before Black. Only two inches of reinforced glass separated them. “Let me out.” Her voice had changed, too. A sensuous drawl, full of promise, had replaced her hiss.

Black didn’t waver. “Not much chance of that, sweetheart.”

“I wasn’t talking to you.”

“I’m sorry, sir.” Black whirled around. Birne stood behind him, holding a gun.

“What the hell are you doing?” shouted Black.

“You should’ve told me I was getting shut down,” snarled Birne.

“You didn’t need to know.”

“Yes, I did. Elaine and I are…close.”

Black almost choked in disbelief. “Elaine? You named it?”

“Her! She’s a woman! She’s my wife!” screamed Birne.

“She’s a thing, Birne. Jesus, listen to yourself!”

But Birne kept talking, each successive word coming faster, spilling over the one before it. “After the accident, I thought I’d lost her. And then, she came back into my life.” Birne pressed his hand on the plexiglass. The creature placed her own opposite it. “Now you want to take her away. I won’t allow that.”

Black’s eyes widened as the scientist turned the cell door’s handle. He leapt forward, grabbing Birne’s arm in both hands, forcing the gun up towards the ceiling. The muzzle flashed, and a mist of plaster rained down.

Birne fought with all the strength he could muster. It couldn’t compare to Black’s size and experience.

Black twisted the scientist’s hand, gun, fingers and all, back towards Birne’s body. A series of bone-shattering pops lent percussive accompaniment to Birne’s scream.

The gun discharged again. Black pulled the gun from Birne’s ruined fingers and let the scientist’s body drop.

Black turned back towards the cell. The creature came from nowhere, its open palm slamming into his nose. His legs faltered. He fell to the unforgiving cement floor.

“Now,” she said, her voice cold. “You have one chance to not get shoved down the memory hole.” She kicked the photo of the alien weapon towards Black. “Take me to it, and you don’t end up with a bullet in the head.”

THE PRESENT

“Agent Black ended up with a bullet in his head,” said Shepherd. “The item was placed in a government facility and forgotten about. Finally slated for destruction in 1977, it was discovered that, some time over the intervening years, the item had been stolen.” He was leading Dawn down a different hallway, one he promised would reach the library more quickly than their original course.

“Though it was never proven—never even officially acknowledged—many believed the item was taken by a warehouse manager named Leonard Stipe.” Shepherd smiled at Dawn. “I believe you knew his son?”