A Starman Story
By: Yvette Jessen
Copyright © 1998 not intended to infringe on any previously held copyrights.
Sara Hayden came out of the high-rise hotel. This had been such long day, and she just wanted to get to the subway, which would take her home. She looked back inside the hotel to see many people standing by the reservation desk. She was grateful her shift was over. Her feet really hurt, and she was very tired from having to stand the entire day.
She hated working as a maid, but she needed this job to pay off the student loans, which had accumulated during the time that she had studied. Her field was specializing in Archeology, but because there were no entry-level jobs in this, she had to take what she was offered. She felt relieved that it was Friday, as this had been a very long day, and she wasn't very happy with this job. She had very little contact with the other maids, as most of them thought she was strange; because she spoke about things they didn't understand. She didn't dislike them, she just knew that she had little in common with them, but that made the job all the more difficult for her.
Stepping outside, she noticed that the courtyard of the normally busy building was empty. Normally, she'd see business people lining the street smoking cigarettes, or young people sitting on benches with small children, but this particular evening, it was deserted. She looked back towards the building, which she had exited, and sighed. She was beginning to feel a little nervous, but she had no intention of returning to her workplace. She wondered why the courtyard was deserted, but quickly dismissed it figuring that there must be something which kept the people busy. She continued to walk away from the hotel trying to ignore the uneasy feeling, which started to overwhelm her.
As she made her way across the street towards the entrance leading into the subway, she became more and more uneasy. Mostly it was because she was alone, and she hated the feeling of being alone. It gave her the feeling that maybe she was being watched. The street was empty, and so was the entrance leading into the underground. Normally, things such as this would have little, if no effect on her, but she had been haunted by scary dreams for the past month.
Initially, she thought that these were just a reaction she had from watching too many Science Fiction movies. Since they first began, they caused her to wake feeling unnerved, but now they were beginning to feel too real to her. As a result, she stopped reading many of her favorite books, because she feared it would aggravate the dreams. Unfortunately, they only intensified, and this morning, she woke up from a nightmare gasping for breath and she discovered that both of her hands were sweating profusely.
The realness of these dreams were making her a nervous wreck at work. While there, she found herself always turning around in the halls if she heard footsteps, or looking inside dark rooms before entering. The feelings of paranoia were almost too much for her to bear. She was beginning to feel agitated even at home, where she believed that she should feel at ease. Going to and from work was the worst part of all because she had to take the subway each day, and the station was by far, the scariest.
The dream, which seemed to overwhelm her, was centered on an alien robot, which had abducted her. Thinking about it made her tremble with the most indescribable fear. She couldn't understand why she was having such vivid dreams of robots, and aliens. She was a horror movie buff, and enjoyed going to the cinema, and she watched these movies regularly. None of this made any sense to her.
As she approached the steps, which led into the station, she began to rub her hands together in hopes of calming her jittery nerves. By the time she had reached the bottom of the stairs, she was scared. Strangely, when she entered the station, there were no people anywhere. Then when she reached the platform, it too was deserted. This is impossible, she thought, there has to be at least a few people here.
She turned around to see a subway car stop at the platform where she stood. She was about to approach it, when she noticed that the subway train was also empty. She looked through the window of the car, which had stopped. I don't understand, she thought. How can I be the only person here, it's rush hour? Her mind drifted back to the courtyard at the hotel and she shuttered. Seconds passed and when the doors of the subway car opened, she looked up, and screamed.
The robot alien from her dreams was in the doorway of the subway car.
Not knowing what to do, she stumbled back from where she had stood. Within moments, she watched the robot emerge from the car and come towards her. She ran towards the escalator and began to desperately climb the stairs, which would take her out of the underground.
Once she made it up the escalator, she could see the robot still coming towards her. Desperately, she looked around the area in hopes of running away, but when she tried to move, she realized that she was trapped against the corner of the wall; the robot was coming closer. She tried to move away from the wall, but she felt the strong grasp of the hands of the robot, which pushed her back against it, trapping her against the concrete wall.
Too scared to do anything else, Sara stood, her feet planted to the ground. The robot grabbed the upper part of her arm and she winced in pain. "Please, let me go," she cried, the fear suddenly overwhelming her as she struggled in vain to escape.
After a couple of seconds passed, the robot spoke, "You must come with me, Sara Hayden." The voice was, if anything, unemotional, and she continued to struggle against the vice grip this creature had on her arm.
"H-how do you know my name?" She asked weakly. "What do you want with me?"
"No harm will come to you, Sara Hayden," the robot said as it led her away.
Sara had no choice, but followed, still struggling against the grip of the robot's hand, which held her captive. After struggling for some seconds, she managed to pull her arm away, and started to run away from the robot. The robot came after her, and after some seconds, the creature once again caught her, and held her arm in its vice grip. Sara began to weep softly, wondering if this robot was going to do to her.
The robot removed a gold band from the upper part of its arm. This band was put on Sara's arm in approximately the same place. There it locked the band in place with a small silver key. Sara felt weak once this object was on her arm and she noticed the robot grab some sort of hand-link. At this moment, it released her arm and as she attempted to move away from the being, which held her captive, her knees buckled, and she slumped to the ground.
"This brace will prevent you from running away," said the robot as it grabbed her arms and pulled her to her feet. "You must come with me."
As she was being led outside and through the park, her fear turned to anger, and she knew once there, she'd have the chance to run away from this creature. As she planned what she would do once in the park, her heartbeat sped up as she prepared to make her escape.
As they reached the deserted park, she started to run away from the robot once more. Again her knees buckled and she fell to the ground, this time on the gravel, which lined the sidewalk. Her attempt had been a failure. When she landed on her knees, she felt pain in her left knee, and she realized how hard she had landed on the sidewalk. She reached down and ran her hand across her knee. When she touched it, she felt moisture, and upon moving her hand away from her knee, she looked down, and saw her hand was covered with the gravel from the sidewalk, and blood.
The robot reached her side and spoke, "You must not run away, Sara Hayden. It is futile." It reached down under her arms and pulled her roughly off the ground.
Sara wanted to scream, but somehow, she couldn't even do that. She looked at the Robot, "Please tell me what you want with me. Why aren't there any people here?" She asked in a quivering voice.
"You cannot see the people," the robot said, "but they are there. They cannot see or hear you." It led her out of the park and into a dark alley. She couldn't understand this, but had little choice in where this creature took her.
"How come?" She asked weakly.
The robot didn't answer as they reached the end of the alley. There it removed the other gold band from its arm. This object was thrown in the air and as the gold band left its hand, it created a hollow, medium sized tube. The tube appeared to be made out of a clear, hard, plastic substance and although it appeared small, she concluded that it was of an alien technology that was very advanced. She struggled against the robot as the creature pushed her towards the end of the tube, which could only be described as the nozzle of the tube, which reminded her of a part of a large vacuum cleaner. As the robot pushed her towards this frightening thing, she could feel her hair blowing towards it.
There she felt strong hands pushing her until she was sucked inside the tube as though she was a piece of dirt being sucked into a vacuum cleaner. She screamed, but there was no sound, which emerged. "Help me, someone, please!" She screamed unable to hear her own voice. She began to cry desperately. After five minutes passed, she reached the end of the tube and fell to the ground with a thump. She was still crying uncontrollably when a pair of hands reached down and gently helped her off the ground.
"Sara Hayden," a gentle voice said. "Do not be afraid. No harm will come to you."
When she looked up, she saw a pair of kind, brown eyes. There was a man standing before her in a small room in what appeared to be a spacecraft of some kind. The man standing before her looked to be only a few years older than she, and he had blond hair, which fell, loosely over his brow that he kept brushing aside.
He helped her stand up, led her to a chair, and helped her sit down. She was still crying by this time and kept her hands over her eyes. The fright was evident in her reaction to his words, and her heartbeat was racing. She was still crying when she heard the gentle voice of the young man.
He had kneeled down in front of her, "look at me, Sara." He whispered.
She shook her head, her eyes were still covered by her hands, "It's a dream," she said softly trying to calm herself, "It's all a dream and I'll wake up at home."
The man stood up after a second and approached a small console. "I cannot force you to do anything, Sara, but I can tell you that I am here to reunite you with your family."
She moved her hands from her face and looked up, "My family? I don't have a family."
"Yes, you do."
"No, I don't," she repeated more to herself than to him. After some minutes passed, she wiped her eyes and looked over at him. "How come I don't remember anything about them then? I never had a family, I grew up bouncing from one foster home to another."
"I know this is hard for you to accept or understand, but I'm taking you to your birth family." The man said.
She shook her head, not wanting to believe him. Her mind drifted back to her childhood. There were no clues to her past. All she remembered was when she was 13, a man came to her and began asking questions about her parents and she wasn't able to answer him. He became very angry with her, and yelled at her. After that confrontation, her foster mother moved her to another state and left her in someone else's care. She never understood why this happened, but never saw the angry man again, and this was for her, a good thing.
When she graduated from high school, she decided to go to the University and study Archeology. If she couldn't understand her own past, at least she could learn and understand the planet's.
She looked up as the man approached her, "Please, take me home, I'm afraid." she whispered. Her eyes met his and he looked away.
"I cannot," he repeated as he took a similar key and unlocked the gold band, which the robot had put on her arm. When he pulled it off, he tossed it on the table. "No one's going to harm you, Sara."
He says, she thought, bitterly. She looked back up at him and spoke, "Why should I trust you? You're holding me against my will, and..." Her voice trembled as she realized that her verbal assault might provoke him. After some seconds, she looked down. "You want me to trust you, but I-I don't even know who you are."
The man laid his hands on her shoulders and squeezed them reassuringly. "I promise you no one will harm you, Sara Hayden. I am called Brian, and I want to help you."
When he removed his hands from her shoulders she looked up at him once again, "Why did you touch me?"
"After watching humans interact, I have seen them use touching as a method of reassuring one another. I'm sorry if this offends you. I am new at learning your ways." Brian answered honestly.
"Please take me home," Sara begged.
"I cannot, this is a request which I haven't the power to fulfill." Brian answered. "I'll do whatever else you ask of me, though."
Sara shook her head. She was still backed up against the chair, "That robot kidnapped me. I'm being told I have family, but I don't remember anything."
"I know," was all he could say. He kneeled down once more in front of her. "I know you are afraid, but I promise, I will do nothing to harm you. You must believe me, it is the truth."
Sara looked at him, the tears still streaming down her cheeks. She was still backed up against the chair. Her fear was quite evident, and she had no reason to believe what he told her. She shook her head desperately.
"You do not trust me," Brian said calmly.
Sara looked down, and when she saw her knee was still bleeding, she felt faint and covered it with her hand. She looked up at Brian as he stood over her. She continued holding her hand over the wound, pressing hard against it, hoping to alleviate the pain.
Brian looked down to where her gaze had fallen. When he saw her knee, he sighed sadly. Apparently, in her fear, she tried to run away from the robot, he concluded, and hurt herself in the process. Taking a deep breath he began to speak, "Sara, there is something else I must tell you before we go to the mother ship. The robot that you saw before we met here, was created by me. I programmed it to find you and bring you here."
"You?" her tearstained gaze met his. It was clear to her now. It's no wonder that he had the same type of key as the robot had. Her eyes fell on the brace, which the robot had used to make her a prisoner.
"Yes, I used it because I feared that you would not have come with me willingly, had I approached you myself." He looked deeply into her eyes. "I was instructed to bring you to our mother ship, and the only way I knew to get you here was through using the robot."
She nodded numbly, but sighed thinking that perhaps some people would give their lives to ride on such a craft. But, she wasn't one of them, she wanted to go back to Earth, and even the hotel where she worked would be a welcome sight. She jumped up out of the chair and pushed her way past him. He was taken by surprise when she reached the wall of the ship and began banging on it. "Please, somebody, anybody, help me!" She pounded on the sides until her fists began to hurt and she eventually gave up her futile attempt at breaking through the wall. She finally sank to the floor, "I'm so scared. God, please help me!" she prayed as she began to cry once again.
Brian reached her by this time and he grabbed her struggling arms. "Shhhh, Sara," he cajoled gently, "no one's going to hurt you." His touch did little to alleviate her fear, and she continued thrashing around. Eventually, he released one of her arms to reach inside his pocket. He pulled a small metallic orb from his pocket while holding her still with his other hand. He concentrated on this object in his hand, and a blue light enveloped them both.
Sara was still backed up against the wall of the craft, and she clamped her eyes shut upon seeing the blue light emitting from Brian's hand. The light encircled her leg, and within moments, her knee was healed, and the light disappeared.
Her eyes opened after some seconds and her tearstained gaze met his after he had returned the object to his pocket. "What did you do to me?" She finally asked weakly.
Brian grabbed a damp cloth from the table and handed it to her. "Here, you must wipe the blood off your hands."
She took the cloth gingerly, and repeated her question as she wiped the cloth over her knee. Once done, she wiped her hands, and discarded the cloth.
"You will soon know. You have these abilities as well, but they are deep inside of you. That's why I was sent to bring you here." Brian took both of her hands in his and stood up, bringing her with him.
She shook her head, this time not struggling against his hold on her hands, but looking at him strangely.
"You really don't know anything about your family, do you?" Brian asked softly. He led her to the chair where she had been sitting prior to her outburst.
"N-no, I don't," she answered weakly sitting down. "Tell me about them, please."
Brian smiled weakly, she was really terrified, and he could see it in her eyes. Instead of trying to console her, he began to answer her question. "Your grandfather is like me, I mean he's of the same star as I am. Your grandmother is of the planet Earth. When your grandfather visited the Earth the first time, he became acquainted with Jenny Hayden. She's your grandmother, Sara. During your grandfather's first visit to Earth, he and Jenny made Scott. Scott Hayden is your father."
"You mean, a part of me is like you?" she asked trembling.
He nodded noticing her tremble, "You must not be afraid of this, Sara. It is a small part of you, but you are still human, and both your father and grandfather know this. They entrusted in me the task of observing you, and after some time, making contact with you and bringing you to them. That's why you are here now. I was instructed to find you and reunite all of you." He said gently.
She shook her head, "Why didn't my father stay with me?"
"Because he feared for your life. When your grandfather returned 14 Earth years later, a governmental agency began chasing him and your father. Your grandfather became known as Paul, and he guided and taught your father about his birthright. They spent the next eight years searching for your grandmother. Since then, the adaptability of our world for human inhabitance has increased somewhat. So when your grandmother was found, your grandfather brought her to the mother ship to live."
"Was my father with them?" She asked when he paused.
"No, he had met your mother, and they created you." Brian's gaze lowered. "Your father left you in the care of strangers right after you were born. This happened after your mother died. Some years later, he returned to his father and mother, and has lived there for the last 20 Earth years."
Sara shook slightly. This story seemed too unbelievable to be real, and the truth was she was still very frightened. Brian's assuring her that she would not be harmed did little to calm her, but she finally asked, "Why didn't my father come for me before he left?"
"Your father wanted to wait. You were 7 Earth years old, and he felt that you were too young to be taken away from the environment which you lived in." Brian shrugged his shoulders, "I'm afraid that is all I can tell you. But, in two of your Earth days, we will arrive at the mother ship, and you will be able to ask them yourself what you wish to know."
"I'm afraid, Brian." She looked up at him, and then back down at her lap.
Brian was glad that she had used his given name; maybe this meant that her fear of him was dissipating. "Sara, this is your family, you must not be afraid to meet them. You are a part of them."
"But, what should I do?" She asked.
"There is nothing which you can do." He took her hands in his, "You will know when the time arrives what you must say or do. Do not worry about it now. I wish I could tell you something that would calm your fears, Sara. But, I do not know what I could say."
She nodded weakly as he released her hands and walked over towards the console. She hesitantly stood up and followed. Her eyes glanced up and she could see the stars as they floated past through a small window. She gasped when she could see the Earth from the ship. Her eyes brimmed with unshed tears as she watched the planet become smaller and smaller, and finally, it disappeared. She reached her hand out towards the glass window, but when her hand hit the glass, she withdrew it, walked slowly away from the console, and sat down in the chair.
For a while, she remained in the chair, which was situated not far from the console where Brian worked. She watched the back of his head as he worked. Part of her still didn't want to trust him. My family, she whispered to herself. I don't think I would even dare to believe it.
She fell asleep some moments later, but woke when Brian was standing over her shaking her gently. "Sara, what is wrong?" Her eyes opened and she was still sitting in the chair, her hands gripping the sides of the chair, her knuckles white. "You screamed. Did you see something in your mind as you rested?"
She nodded numbly as tears streamed down her cheeks. He patted her shoulder unable to say anything. When she said nothing, he returned to the console. She could see the stars, which dotted the sky, as the ship flew. The more distance, which was made between herself and Earth, the more afraid she became.
However, in the back of her mind, she had remembered the dream, which she had prior to her being abducted and brought to this craft. Once more, she had dreamed these horrible events again. Finally she spoke softly to Brian. "How long were you watching me?"
"Just now, as you slept?" Brian asked without waiting for an answer, "You've slept over 9 of your Earth hours."
She shook her head, "No, I mean before you sent the robot to bring me here?"
"I've been observing you a little over 30 of your Earth days, Sara." Brian said turning away from the console and facing her.
A shiver ran down her spine. "The dreams..." her voice trailed. "I had these dreams for the last month of..." She couldn't bring herself to speak further.
"Of what?" Brian asked as he pushed a few buttons on the console, and finally stood up. He made his way over to her.
"The robot," she answered wiping her hand over her eyes to brush away the tears, which persisted to stream down her cheeks.
"It's no wonder you are afraid of me." Upon reaching her, he placed his hands on her shoulders, and crouched down so he would be eye level with her. "I'm so sorry that I hurt you, and that I used that thing to bring you here. Please forgive me." He looked deeply in her eyes.
When he approached and laid his hands on her shoulders; her eyes widened in fear. Once he had spoken, she exhaled slowly. She noticed him reach into his pocket and pull out the silver sphere once again. He reached for one of her hands.
She wouldn't surrender it and began to move her hands rapidly to prevent him from taking her hand. "Sara, please, don't be afraid." Finally, he caught one of her hands and held it firmly. "It's OK," he whispered softly, "I won't hurt you." He placed the sphere in her hand and continued holding his under hers.
He concentrated and the sphere began to glow. Through this, he conveyed to her his deep sorrow at having harmed her, how regretful he was for causing her to be afraid, and reassuring her that he would be there for her if she needed him. Once the light was gone, she sat unable to move and still held the sphere in her hand.
"You see, Sara, it's a part of what I am that forbids me from causing others pain. I wouldn't do this even if it was in my power to do so," he said removing the object from her hand, and sighing deeply. "Your father will no doubt be very angry with me when he hears of what I have done, but I feared that I had no other choice." Brian shrugged his shoulders. "This robot is considered by our world to be a very primitive thing, but I thought that there was no other way. You must know, if I had known about your dreams, I wouldn't have sent it at all, but rather come to you myself, even if it meant risking your rejection."
Sara nodded without saying a word.
"Do you understand now why these things have happened, Sara? It was not intended to make you afraid, or harm you. I should have come to you myself. This is what your father had asked of me, but I didn't do it."
She nodded and found her voice, "I'm sorry, Brian, I didn't know. I thought it was going to kill me."
Brian brushed the tears away from her eyes, "I know, but you're not to blame. This was my mistake." He paused before he spoke again, "tell me what you remember from your dream."
She shuddered, "I remember being pushed into a vacuum tube like the one that brought me here. I couldn't hear my voice, but I screamed as loud as I could. When I cried for help, there was no one there to help me. The robot in both the dream and reality was hard and unfeeling. I've never felt so alone and afraid as I did when I saw it."
"And it resembled in your dreams exactly what you saw that brought you here?" Brian asked, but his question sounded more like a statement of fact then an inquiry.
She nodded, "The robot was horrifying, and when I think about it, it makes me tremble in terror."
"I'm sorry, Sara." Brian gazed down at his lap. "You wanted to run away from the robot because you were frightened of it, nothing more?"
She nodded.
"Now I see what caused you to change." Brian said, "You became more and more paranoid as the days passed, because you continued to have dreams about the robot. As I observed you from here, I noticed that you changed and no longer wanted to be alone. Do you remember anything else from your dream?"
She shook her head. "This robot is all I remember. It was so real to me, and when I saw it again..." her voice trailed as she clamped her eyes shut.
Brian wrapped his arms around her and held her in his embrace.
This time, she remained in his arms. In the short period of time she had spent in the craft with him, she had started to believe that he was telling her the truth. She somehow, had the impression that he really did not intend to harm her. When she looked into his eyes, she could see an extreme sadness in them and she wondered if her fear of him had anything to do with it. She held on to him until he drew away.
"You're not afraid anymore?" he asked gently, smiling weakly.
"Of you?" When he nodded, she answered, "Not really, but, I'm scared of where we're going and what's going to happen to me when we get there."
"Do you trust me?" He asked her once again, looking deeply into her eyes.
This time, she hesitantly nodded.
"Then trust me when I tell you, we're going to meet your family. Your father and grandparents are anxious to meet you. You have nothing to fear, Sara Hayden." Brian stood up his hands still resting on her shoulders as he looked down at her.
"Are you going to be there with me when I meet them?" Sara asked.
"If you would like me to be there, then yes I will be there," he promised.
She nodded, "Yes, if I have to go through this, I'd like to have a friend with me."
"You see me as a friend?" Brian smiled down at the young woman.
She nodded slowly unable to say a word.
"You're still afraid, though, I can still see it in your eyes." Brian said. After she nodded once more, he spoke again, "I think I understand." He moved his hands away from her shoulders and stood up. "More than anything, I would love to stay with you and talk, but I must manually fly this craft to the mother ship, and I have to work now, or we will be late arriving."
"How much longer until we get there?" Sara wanted to know.
"Another day, and we'll be there," Brian said. "Why don't you rest a little, try to sleep a little more? You're tired, yes?"
She nodded numbly stretching out in the chair and after some minutes passed, she fell into an uneasy slumber.
Brian watched her for some moments and then sat down at the console. After so little time, she sees me as a friend. He smiled weakly. Within the next 24 hours, they'd reach the mother ship and Sara Hayden would be reunited with the family she never knew she had.
o O o
24 Hours passed quickly, and on the mother ship, Scott Hayden, now in his late 40's, was pacing the floor. Impatience was evident in his face, as he waited. His parents Paul and Jenny were also there waiting for the arrival of Brian and Sara.
"Do you think she'll be angry that I left her there, Dad?" Scott was very nervous about this reunion. It was through Paul's insistence that Brian had gone to Earth to pick her up, rather than him going himself. He still didn't trust Brian. Although he was very much like his father, in that they came from the same place, Brian was the type according to Paul that enjoyed building things. His latest piece was the robot and Scott detested this thing.
Paul shook his head, after a few seconds, offering his answer, "I really don't know."
"I don't know how I'd feel if someone came to me when I was 27 and told me that I am part 'space cadet.' Scott smiled weakly at his father. He remembered when he was 14 and his father had come to him and revealed to him who he was.
Jenny wrapped her arms around Scott and smiled up at him, "You forgave me for leaving you behind, so I think that she'll do the same. You shouldn't worry."
Scott nodded, "I know, but after Marla died, I didn't know if I could keep Sara safe. Fox was still after me at the time, and if he had found out about her, he'd have started to chase her as well. I just wish I could have been there for at least some of the time she was growing up. I feel like I denied something to her that I can't return."
Paul nodded, "I know." He looked over at Jenny, "I often wondered if it was a good idea to have left you with such a precious gift." He sighed deeply looking from Jenny to Scott. For a long time, he had felt somewhat guilty about the situation he'd left them in. He couldn't help but remember how difficult it was for them back on Earth. Now, he has brought Jenny and Scott here to live, and he often thought that maybe they would eventually feel isolated so far away from others of their kind.
Looking around, Scott nodded. All throughout the mother ship were beings of blue light. Through the sphere, Scott and Paul were able to telepathically communicate with the beings, but Paul knew that Jenny would never be able to do so, because she was all-human. This left him to act as translator.
Aside from Brian, all the beings were in their natural form, and once Brian would return, he too would become once more like the other beings on the ship.
Paul looked sadly at Jenny realizing this. "I can only wonder if Sara would be willing to stay here too. I was surprised that you were willing to come here."
"Please don't, Paul, you know that you gave me a chance to love again. What's there to feel regretful about? We both have a son who we love very much. And, we're about to meet our granddaughter." Jenny hugged him tenderly.
"Yeah, and Dad, I'm proud to be your son. I remember when we were on the road we did have a lot of really fun times together. I know you always tried to do the best for me." Scott smiled fondly at his father. This statement made Paul think for a second that Scott was still a teenager rather than a grown man.
"Yes, but there were so many risks that I didn't think about when I first came." Paul objected.
Before either of them could argue this point with Paul, their conversation was interrupted with the arrival of the craft, which landed inside the mother ship on a large landing pad. Paul and Scott looked at Jenny and they made their way closer once the observation craft had landed. When the door opened, Scott stood apart from his parents waiting.
Brian emerged from the craft. "Scott," He rushed over to meet his friend.
"Is Sara in there?" Scott asked, concern shadowing his features.
"Yes, she is." Brian answered calmly, "but sleeping."
Scott nodded, "Is she OK?"
Brian nodded, "yes, she is fine, but she is afraid." He shrugged his shoulders; "I'm the one at fault for that, though. Against your wishes, I used the robot to bring her to the ship. I wouldn't have done it, but I thought I had no other choice. I really had no idea that she's such a fragile young woman."
"You used that robot?" Scott asked taking a deep breath looking at him. He sighed deeply, "I thought you were going to make direct contact, Brian. I told you to use direct contact."
Paul approached the two of them, and rather than saying anything about the robot or the tension between the two, his concern was for his granddaughter, "Where is Sara, Brian?"
"She's inside." Brian answered.
Brian looked down at the ground, shame coloring his face. "I know I was going to contact her directly, but I was afraid that she wouldn't have come." He walked slowly away, but not before Scott noticed the faint blush which colored Brian's cheeks.
"He brought her here, but not the way I had hoped he would." Scott said once Brian was out of earshot. "I'm really angry about this, Dad. This robot is really bad news, I've seen it, and I'm scared of it."
"Yes, I can tell you're upset." Paul said softly.
Scott began to approach the craft. "I'm going to get my daughter out of there." He left his parents and walked slowly towards it. When he reached the portal, which would lead him inside, he stopped, and turned around. Brian was standing not far from the entrance, and he carried a guilty look on his face. He could tell that Brian cared about his daughter, but with a look of stubborn determination, he attempted to block it. He stepped up inside the craft, and once he saw Sara asleep on the chair, he sighed once more. My daughter, he thought sadly, looking down at the dark-haired woman as she slept. Her curly hair fell over her eyes, and an expressionless look was on her face.
Scott immediately felt guilty, I told my father that he wasted 14 years, but I've wasted 27. Unable to utter a sound, he put his hand on her shoulder and whispered her name. Finally, after a few seconds passed, she shifted in her chair and opened her eyes.
When she saw a stranger leaning over her, she screamed, bringing Brian inside. When Brian saw her trembling, he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Shhh, Sara. It's OK."
When her breathing returned to normal, her eyes met Brian's questionably.
"Sara, this is Scott Hayden, your father." Brian said.
Scott nodded, unsure of what to say. His daughter's fear struck at his heart, and he looked down at the ground. After some moments passed, he glared at Brian, "Please leave us," he said simply. He couldn't bring himself to forgive Brian and he only wanted to get her out of that cramped chair.
Brian disentangled himself from Sara, and looked down at the ground. Finally, he spoke, his voice barely above a whisper, "The robot was a mistake."
"I don't want to see you anywhere near Sara. Because of you, she emotionally petrified of everyone. That isn't what we wanted." Scott said sharply.
Brian looked back into Sara's blue eyes. He said nothing else, sighed deeply, and left. His mission was completed, and before he returned to his quarters, he'd disassemble the robot, and then it would be time for him to return to his natural state. Once the robot was destroyed, he headed in the direction of his room. He knew there was nothing more to do, Sara wouldn't be able to see him, and so nothing else really mattered.
Back at the landing craft, Scott was standing near his daughter, "I can't believe he used that thing to bring you here. I think asking him to take this mission was a big mistake." Scott approached his daughter and as he came closer, she began to cower in the chair.
Moments later, Paul and Jenny entered the craft and they saw Scott standing a few steps away from his petrified daughter. "Scott, let me," Paul said gently, approaching Sara. He kneeled down and looked at her. "Hello, Sara. I'm Paul, your grandfather. Why don't you look up? We've been waiting a long time to meet you."
Sara heard the gentle voice addressing her, and slowly looked up.
Jenny stepped forward and put her hand on the young woman's shoulder as well, "Hi Sara, I'm your grandmother."
Paul and Jenny helped Sara out of the chair and guided her to the door, which would exit the craft. Upon exiting the craft, and seeing the large interior of the mother ship, Sara sank back in terror.
Jenny smiled sympathetically at her as they led her away from the landing craft. Paul and Scott hung back. "You know, I remember when I was first brought here, Sara," Jenny said softly, "Everything was so large and so intimidating, that I thought I would never get over the initial fear of it."
"You were afraid?" Sara asked.
Jenny nodded.
"Then why did you come here?"
"Because I love your grandfather and your father more than anything and I knew that this would be the only place where we could live in peace." Jenny said, and then asked a question of her own. "Did you ever have problems with the government as you were growing up?"
Sara nodded slowly, "A man came to me when I was 13 years old, and he got angry with me because I didn't know anything about my family. After he came, my foster parents moved me to another home in a different state. I never saw him again."
Jenny nodded, "I see. You didn't know about your family, did you?"
Sara shook her head; "I bounced from one place to another when I was growing up."
A few steps back, Scott was talking to Paul about everything that was taking place. "She's afraid of me, Dad," Scott said. "I guess because she heard me tell Brian to stay away from her."
"I get the feeling that Brian has some pretty strong feelings for her, Scott. I was standing out here when she screamed, and he ran inside as though he'd have given his life to save her." Paul said softly. "You must remember, your daughter is now an adult, and she must be able to make up her mind when it comes to what she does and who she sees."
"I know," Scott answered. "I just can't understand why he used that robot. That thing reminds me of some scary movie I used to watch as a kid." He shook his head; "I wouldn't be surprised if she wanted to go back to Earth because of this."
Paul nodded, "Yes, but remember that she may choose to return there regardless of what has happened here. Whatever she chooses, we must support her. We cannot blame anyone or interfere with her when she must make these choices. After all, she is 27 and she has spent her whole life on Earth and that will probably effect her choices much more than what Brian has done."
"Yes, but I still believe that sending Brian to pick her up will effect her choice." Scott said. "I guess I shouldn't have waited so long to contact her."
"I know," Paul replied softly. "We sent Brian, and gave her an opportunity to know that she does have a choice. That's much better than leaving her there alone and denying her the option."
As Jenny continued to help Sara into her room, Scott came over to them. "Thanks, Mom," he said softly. Once the door was open, he took Sara's free elbow and helped his mother lead her inside. Once inside, Jenny left Scott alone with his daughter. "Sara, are you afraid of me?"
She nodded numbly sitting down on the edge of the bed.
"I'm quite harmless," he smiled broadly, sitting down across from her.
She looked up and smiled weakly. "I don't know you," she offered honestly.
Scott nodded, "I know, and I'm sorry about that. I should have come to you when you were younger, but I didn't want to interrupt your life."
She sighed deeply, "But you're my father, why would I believe that you were interrupting my life? I grew up feeling isolated, anyway."
"You had a really difficult time, didn't you?" Scott asked.
She nodded.
"I'm sorry," he offered softly. "I didn't mean to frighten you back there."
She looked down at her lap. "Can I see Brian?"
"You're not angry with him?" Scott asked.
She shook her head. "No, he was very good to me."
"I know this robot was horrifying for you, you had dreams about it didn't you?" Scott asked gently placing his hand on her shoulder.
"How'd you know?" She looked at him.
He shrugged, "I guess because I'm your father, and I can see it in your eyes." He smiled at her and continued to speak, "I didn't want Brian to use it, and I'm highly opposed that he did. I think you probably wouldn't have been as afraid, had he come to you directly."
She nodded. "I probably wouldn't have been afraid, but I probably wouldn't have come with him at all. I didn't know him any better than I know you now. If he had forced me to come, then it wouldn't have made much of a difference, between him and the robot. I was given no choice, but if I had, I probably wouldn't have left my home."
Scott's expression looked sad, but he remained silent as she continued to speak.
"I know you said you don't want me to see Brian, but I need him. He promised me that he'd stand by me through all of this. If you take that away, then it would be leaving me without a choice." she whispered.
Scott stood up, and made his way towards the door. "I'll see what I can do, Sara," he said before exiting. He was saddened that she wanted Brian over him, but he understood. I'm nothing but a stranger to her, she said so herself as he thought sadly on her words. He headed back to his quarters, and didn't stop until he reached his door.
Sara was left alone. She fell over the bed and began to cry. She didn't know why, but she had the feeling that her father was not going to get Brian, and she knew she needed him. "Brian," she spoke to the stillness, "Where are you?" When there was no answer, she pulled the bedding back and crawled under the covers. After laying in bed for about an hour, she was unable to sleep. She finally crawled out of bed, and left her quarters to search for Brian herself.
As she made her way through the corridors, she realized that after a few minutes passed, she was lost. The corridors were filled with blue light, and she concluded that this was how the beings of her grandfather's world appeared. I should've looked to see if there was a number on the door but when she looked at some of the other doors in the corridor, she realized that there weren't any numbers or symbols on the doors at all. When I find Brian, he'll help me find my way back, she thought to herself yawning. But, within moments, exhausted, she slid to the ground and almost instantly was asleep.
At the same time, Jenny had come out of her and Paul's room for a walk. As she made her way down the corridor and turned a corner, she saw Sara asleep up against the wall. "Oh my," she muttered as she rushed to her granddaughter's side. "Sara, wake up," she said softly.
Sara moaned and opened her eyes. "Who?" she moaned.
"It's Grandma." She offered her hand to Sara, and when the young woman took it, she helped her stand up. "Come with me." Jenny said to her. "You got lost, didn't you?"
Sara nodded as she allowed her grandmother to lead her down the hallway.
"I understand, when I first came here, I had a difficult time learning my way around here. I usually had to go with your grandfather. He knows his way around these ships very well." Jenny smiled.
When they reached the door to their quarters, Paul was standing in the doorway. He moved aside, as Jenny led Sara inside. Once they were inside, the door closed and Paul looked at Sara and back at Jenny, "She got lost, didn't she?" he asked, his eyes twinkling.
"Yes, she did," Jenny answered affectionately, "very much like I did the first time you brought me here."
Sara looked up at the kind blue eyes of her grandfather. She had many questions, but did not know how to ask, or what to say. She remained silent as Jenny showed her where to sit down. She looked around their room and noticed many old photographs of people on Earth, a red baseball cap, and a picture of a small boy.
"You have questions, don't you Sara?" Paul sat down opposite her.
She nodded again, "How do you know?"
"Because, Scott had many questions when I went back to Earth. You shouldn't be afraid to ask questions." Paul said softly, running his hand through his graying hair.
"Why am I here?" Sara asked shyly.
Paul sighed deeply, "Sara, Scott and I talked about you many years ago. When Scott returned here to be with us, I told him that he should find you and bring you here as well. He said that because you were a child then, you needed other children and a stable environment to live in. So, we waited. When you got older, we decided it was time to send for you."
She looked down at her lap and then back up at the man who was to be her grandfather. "I'm so confused. I grew up without any family, nothing. I bounced from one place to another, never understanding anything. When I was 13, a man came to me, and started drilling me about my parents." She looked down at her lap. "When I couldn't answer, he got angry, and told me I wasn't trying hard enough. Now, I learn that I do have a family." Her eyes filled with tears, "The honest truth is, I don't know what's real, and what isn't."
Paul nodded, "I'm sorry. We never wanted to create difficulties by bringing you here. However, we all agreed that it was important for you to know your birthright before too much more time had passed. I know you're afraid, Sara, but we want to be your family. I know 27 years is a long time to not come back."
"Wouldn't you be afraid? I was kidnapped, and brought here against my will. I've spent the entire trip here scared to death. I was afraid I was going to die." Her voice cracked, "I'm still afraid, and the only person who can alleviate that fear is gone."
"You mean, Brian?" Jenny asked, and when she received a confirming nod, she spoke again. "Sara, when Paul first came to me, it was several months after my husband died. He looked just like my husband, and I was frightened. I remember he had this gun on his lap, and I was petrified that he was going to harm me. But, after three days, I had fallen in love with him. Yes, I was dreadfully afraid of him during the first day, as I feared he would kill me. But, you must believe me; I do understand how you are feeling. Paul's people would never harm you, Sara."
She nodded, looking back at her grandmother. "I'm so frightened. Brian promised on the way here that he'd be here for me. But, he's gone, and I'm alone." She shook her head.
"You really do care about him, even if he's made many mistakes in bringing you here?" Paul asked gently, sitting down next to her.
She nodded numbly. "I need him, he's my only friend here."
"Scott felt that it would be better if Brian not have any contact with you." Paul said softly looking over at his granddaughter.
She shook her head, "I know, but I need him. Please, find him, I don't know where to look and I'm feeling lonely without him."
Paul nodded, "I understand. Tell me, is he who you were looking for when you got lost?"
"Yes," she whispered looking from her grandfather to her grandmother.
"Do you love Brian?" Jenny asked gently, placing her hand on Sara's.
"Yes," Sara finally admitted.
Paul nodded and looked over at Jenny. She nodded gently, "OK, I'll send a message to him." He pulled out his sphere. "But, I must hurry."
Jenny sighed deeply; she knew that if they waited any longer, than Brian might be gone.
o O o
Brian was still sitting alone in his room. Since he had brought Sara here, he felt sad. She was no doubt with her family, and doing much better than when she was with him. He looked across the room. When this mission began, he felt that it was just another mission. Finding Sara was his responsibility.
He watched her from the observation craft, and laughed when she was happy, and felt sad when things didn't go right for her. When he sent the robot to get her, he had started having strong feelings for her and finally when she was brought to him, he knew that there was only one human emotion to put to the emotions he was feeling, love.
He looked around the room and reached for a cup, which was on the table. He took a long look in the mirror, and sipped the tea. He knew that he'd eventually have to return to the home world, now that his mission was complete. Since Scott didn't want him near his daughter, he had nothing keeping him from taking another mission or returning home.
Without Sara, he felt alone.
He reached into his pocket, and pulled out his sphere. I guess I'd better do this now, he thought to himself. When he looked down at his sphere, it was glowing. When the blue light faded, he returned it to his pocket and stood up. Paul was calling him, but why? Maybe, he'd find out when he got there. He left his quarters and ran through the corridor hoping to reach Paul's room before the signal completely faded.
When he reached Paul and Jenny's room, the door slid open, and he walked quietly inside. "I'm sorry to interrupt, Paul, but I received a message from you..." his voice trailed off when he looked over at the table and saw Sara sitting in a chair next to Jenny.
When she looked up and saw him, she jumped up from her seat, ran over to him, and threw her arms around his neck. "Brian!" She said, relief in her voice, as she hugged him.
He stood there for a second, looking a little shocked, but finally asked. "What has happened?" Sara was still in his arms, holding onto him as though he was her sole support.
"Sara wanted to see you, Brian," Jenny said softly. "So Paul called you."
Sara broke the embrace after a few seconds and backed away from him so he could sit down at the table as well. After he was seated, he turned to Paul, " I thought Scott didn't want Sara to have contact with me."
Jenny was still seated and Paul took a seat next to her on the opposite side of the table. "He didn't, but Sara left her room to find you. She got lost in the process, and then she asked me to find you, so I did." Paul said gently. "It appears as though she feels you are her only friend here. You know that I could never have denied her that."
"You said that about me?" he asked.
She nodded. "Well, there's actually something else I want to tell you, Brian." Suddenly, she felt like a child again. Although there was so little time shared between the two of them, she had never felt the way she was now feeling. She looked down at her hands and noticed they were sweating. She wiped them on the front of her blouse, and looked up into the kind eyes of the man who brought her to her family. "You promised me that you would stay with me, when we were on our way here. You calmed me so I wouldn't be afraid of meeting my family. I know I'm still afraid, but when you are with me, I don't feel so alone."
"I know I promised you," he said, "But, I don't think I can fulfill what you have requested, Sara. Your father is very angry with me because of the robot. Even though I have disassembled it, and still feel badly about it, I don't know if that would be enough to earn his forgiveness."
"I've forgiven you, Brian. I don't think it is something my father should forgive, or be angry about," she whispered looking up and seeing sadness in his brown eyes. "You shouldn't be sad. When we were up there, you helped me, and you gave me a lot of strength. But, as much as I need them, I also need you."
"You need me?" Brian asked. "But, I caused you so much pain."
"Listen to me. I heard a saying once, sometimes you hurt the people you love. It's OK. I mean..." her voice trailed and she looked over at her grandparents, and saw them smiling at her. She stood up; her heart was, by this moment, hammering loudly. She leaned over him, and at this moment, she put her hands on his shoulders. "You did this to me when we were coming here. I thought at the time that it was an insult. But, now that I think about it, I realize that it was you telling me you care about me, but I didn't see it then because I was afraid. I know you care about me, and I want you to know that it's not one sided, because I care about you." Finally, she stood up and reached her hands out towards his. "You should know, Brian, I couldn't have made it through all of this alone. I love you."
"You love me?" His voice cracked but he took her outstretched hands and stood up.
She nodded and once he stood in front of her, she wrapped her arms around him. "How do you feel about me?"
"I love you more than anything." Brian answered as though this was the most obvious thing in the world. He wrapped her in his arms and kissed her gently. "I've wanted to do that since we met," he said blushing.
Paul and Jenny smiled at Sara and Brian as they stood together.
Moments later, Scott entered the room and upon seeing his daughter and Brian together, his otherwise cheerful face clouded over. "I thought I told you that I didn't want you around my daughter." He approached as Brian and Sara's embrace ended. He was very angry, but Paul rested his hand on his son's shoulder and this calmed him.
"Wait a minute, Scott," Paul interjected. "Remember, your daughter is an adult and she should be able to decide who her friends are." Paul smiled. "I recall that you made many mistakes in learning as well, and you mustn't judge Brian on this one mistake. He is in love with Sara, and Sara is in love with him. In accepting her, you must also accept him."
Scott looked over at his mother, who simply nodded.
He sat down at the table, rested his chin in his hands and, sighed deeply.
Sara smiled at Brian, and then approached her father as he sat at the table. She noticed a forlorn expression on his face, and she laid her hand on his shoulder. "Daddy, you must understand, I am old enough to make my own choices. Grandfather said this as well, and I don't need protecting." She smiled at Scott gently. "You know, I could easily be angry with you for leaving me and waiting so long to come back, and maybe that was also a mistake, but now we're back together, and isn't that the most important thing?"
Scott nodded, "I'm afraid that this was a big mistake, Sara."
"Not necessarily a big mistake," Sara smiled at Brian who was standing by her side.
"I should have brought you here sooner. 27 years is a long time to wait to be reunited with your family." Scott met Sara's gaze. "I wanted to give you a choice."
"It's OK," Sara began to speak and smiled. "I know that you meant the best for me, and I appreciate even more that I have a family." Sara looked over at Brian, "I wanted to have a feeling of belonging somewhere since I was little. I always believed that one day, I would find out that I was more than an orphan girl trying desperately to discover where I fit in."
"Does this mean that you're going to stay with us?" Scott asked.
Sara nodded. "Yes, at least for now. I have to learn about my birthright, and find out what it is about me that is different. I still have so many questions, but in the short period of time here, I've fallen in love, and I have a family." Tears began to stream down Sara's cheeks and she sniffed. As she wiped them away, she looked directly at Scott. "If this is any indication to me as to what the future will bring, I wouldn't miss it for the world." She paused and finally her words came out in a whisper, "Daddy, I'm home."
THE ENDWritten by Yvette Jessen. If you have any comments on this story please E-mail them.