Rose
2133 Words
Rose
Rose meandered around her house dusting old family photos. She carefully dusted one photo of her oldest daughter, Cassie, with her family. Beside it and behind it were many updated photos of Cassie’s son and husband, but none of her. Twenty-three years prior, when her son was only ten, Cassie was taken from them.
Rose reflected on the events that surrounded the abduction. Nate was just a child, and Kevin had no idea what to do. Hank, Rose’s husband, and Cassie’s father, unilaterally made the decision to extend the offer for Kevin and Nate to move in. Gideon’s wife passed and Kevin moved in with the widower. Gideon being Cassie’s younger brother. Despite his struggles as a single father, Rose was proud of how Kevin handled Nate.
She remembered the day Nate informed them Kevin had disappeared. He had to be driven over by Darren, his partner. Nate tried to relay the information and eventually, Darren told them. The family came together to support the oldest grandchild. For days, the family kept in contact with Nate, making sure he was taking care of himself and forced a connection with him. After Cassie disappeared, Nate withdrew and refused to interact with the family for several years. Rose hoped they found Kevin alive.
She moved to another set of pictures, these showing all her children. From her two oldest, Cassie and her twin brother Andrei, to their youngest Patricia. One picture, taken right before Cassie’s abduction, showed all six of her children smiling and portraying a happy family. Andrei had gone missing around the same time as Cassie and the family believed it was due to grief. They tried over the years to locate and talk with him, but nothing ever happened. In the end, they filed a missing person’s report on him as well.
She sighed as she wiped the dust from their baby pictures. The twins always had each other. They were inseparable when they were children and talked almost daily once Andrei moved to a different city. The other children, Gideon, Celia, Justin, and Patricia were all grown and had children of their own.
She loved seeing all her grandchildren as they grew. Her walls were decorated with the many portraits they gave her over the years. Nate’s graduation from basic training and from the police academy hung next to his senior pictures. They shared room with Harold’s and Kat’s senior pictures. Kelly’s picture would be the next to be added within the next year or so.
A knock at the front door startled her.
“Hank, will you get that please?” she hollered.
She listened as he walked from his office and answered the door. He spoke a few moments with the other person.
“Rose, come here please?” he yelled up to her.
Frustrated she had been interrupted, she put her rag down and walked downstairs to the front door.
“Ma’am, I’m Special Agent Miller” a woman said holding out a badge. “I’m from the FBI. We believe your lives are in danger. Could you please come with us?”
“What’s going on?” Rose asked.
Miller allowed her to grab her purse and ID before exiting the house. The day was muggy and hot. They climbed into the backseat of a large black SUV while Miller got into the driver seat. Another agent sat in the front passenger seat. The truck had the air conditioning on, which made the ride a bit more tolerable.
“Where are we going?” Hank asked.
“We’re taking you to our office. We would like to ask you some questions regarding your son-in-law’s disappearance. We believe his disappearance and the threat to your lives are connected,” the other agent said turning in their seat to look back at them.
“We’ve already been questioned by the police. We don’t know anything,” Rose said.
The agent turned back around, and they rode in silence. They reached the local FBI office and once there, they waited for someone to speak with them. The room had no table, no uncomfortable looking chairs, just couches and coffee tables. Rose sighed and sat on one of the couches as Hank started to pace.
“We had nothing to do with it,” he said.
“I know.”
“Then why are they treating us like criminals?”
“If we were being treated like criminals, we would be in interrogation rooms.”
Hank stopped asking questions but continued to pace. Finally, after about ten minutes of waiting, the door opened and a short stocky woman with platinum blonde hair entered.
“You must be Hank and Rose Kall,” she enthused. “My name is Masa.”
They stared at her for a moment. She was not dressed as an FBI agent. In fact, they were not sure of what to make of her. Her clothing said military, but she had a vibrant and energetic demeanor. Her hair had been pulled into a high ponytail which bounced as she walked towards them. She seemed friendly and smiled at them.
“Hi, Masa. Why are we here?” Rose asked.
“Wow.” Masa stopped. “You sound just like her.”
“Who?”
“High Command. I never would have guessed, but I suppose that is how genetics work. She even looks like you.”
“Who is High Command?” Hank asked.
“She is… my boss. She had me retrieve you two because someone out there wants you dead and she is going to do what she needs to do to make sure your safe. If you will follow me please,” Masa said gesturing to them.
They did not move.
“Please do not make me make you. I have a mission and I will complete it, even if you have to be brought up in stasis beds,” she warned.
Hank and Rose looked at one another. They moved forward and Masa led the way down a long hall. They were joined by two others dressed like Masa; except they were carrying large rifle type weapons. Hank put his arm protectively around Rose. The hall itself had closed doors with a number on each of them, but no windows. For being a busy office building, Rose noticed the hall remained deserted, as if they were being actively avoided. They reached an elevator and waited as it was called. Rose studied a picture of the current FBI director. His soft smile and approachable appearance failed to calm her nerves. The elevator arrived and Masa entered first, followed by the couple, followed by the soldiers. She pressed the topmost stop and they went up.
“Too bad this doesn’t open on the roof like at the High Rise. Oh well. There’s a flight of stairs we need to climb once we reach the top,” Masa said.
They reached their stop and followed Masa up the stairs. Rose started to shiver from fear. She was sure the soldiers were going to throw them from the roof. Instead, she saw a large black aircraft looking vehicle with a back hatch open.
“All aboard,” Masa declared.
Rose was about to protest but the sight of more guards with rifles made her think twice. They boarded and sat huddled together on a set of seats that lined the wall while the guards joined them. As soon as the remaining guards were on board the hatch closed. Most of the area had been designated for passengers with seating around the edges of the vehicle and several storage cages for small loads of cargo. Masa and the soldiers all stood and braced themselves as the vehicle began to go straight up. Rose watched out a far window as the sky turned from blue to black as they exited the Earth’s atmosphere.
“Where are we going?” she asked panicked.
“Relax. We’re going to High Command’s ship, the Lillian,” Masa said.
Rose looked out the window and watched as they approached what looked like an exceptionally large spaceship that had two smaller, but still big ships to either side of it. They pulled into a docking bay where the shuttle landed softly. The hatch opened and Masa waved for them to exit first. When they reached the bottom of the ramp, they saw a lady standing before them.
Behind her were more armed guards and what looked to be personal attendants. She stood tall and had her silver-streaked black hair pulled back. She wore gray, floor length robes with dark gray embroidery. Small petals adorned her sleeves and down the front of her robes. From where she stood, Rose could see a sun on each shoulder. Curls cascaded from a bun on the back of the lady’s head that was seen when she turned it to one side. Small flowers and clear gems had been placed withing the curls and bun. Her hands were folded in front of her hidden under the sleeves.
“Welcome to the Lillian,” she said bowing to them. “I am High Council. High Command would have been here as well, but she went to assist with the extraction of Nate and Kevin. The rest of your family is waiting. Would you care to join them?”
“Our family? You mean all of our children and grandchildren?” Rose asked.
“Yes. It was imperative to remove your whole family for their safety.”
“Wait. You said she was getting Nate and Kevin? Kevin’s been missing for a month,” Hank said.
“We were aware of the situation when we arrived. High Command located him quickly. She will have them when she arrives,” High Council said.
They were speechless. The police had been looking for Kevin for over a month with no luck, and this alien had found him within a matter of minutes.
“Are you aliens?” Rose asked.
“No. We are humans. It is a long explanation, but I promise everything will be explained.” She paused for a few moments. “I have just been informed High Command is on her way a backup with Nate and Kevin. Would you like to wait for them?”
Rose and Hank had not seen anyone approach High Council and she did not have a phone or radio in her hand. Rose wondered how High Council was informed.
“Yes please,” Rose said.
An attendant escorted Rose and Hank to a safe position behind High Council. Several more people dressed dark combat clothes with purple bands on their right arms entered and bowed to the grand lady. They were pushing two stretchers. Rose noticed the look of concern on High Council’s face.
“Who are the stasis beds for?” she asked.
“Unsure, ma’am,” one of the new people said. “We were ordered to have them ready.”
Another aircraft flew in and docked next to the one they had arrived in. The back hatch opened, and dozens of people unloaded. Someone from the aircraft barked orders about prisoners being sent to the holding cells. Rose looked for her son-in-law or grandson. They were not in that group of people.
The stretchers were taken on the aircraft and then removed covered. A large man was talking to the people pushing the stretchers. Rose overheard something about someone needing immediate medical attention. She felt a shock run through her. Her instinct told her Nate lay in one of those beds.
The last to come off the aircraft was a woman followed by another large man. Rose faltered. She thought she was seeing things. This woman, she looked just like… no. It was not her. It could not be her. She was dead.
Rose’s heart pounded in her ears. She did not hear the conversation between the grand lady and the other. Hank gripped Rose’s hand and looked down at her. The look on his face told her what she was not prepared to know. High Council turned and waved her hands. The guards and attendants moved as one, but Hank and Rose stood still.
Without warning, the woman fainted, caught by the large man behind her.
“Get her to the medical bay right away,” High Council shouted.
The large man moved quickly, carrying the woman away.
- Writer
