Human-alien encounters -- Fiction; Science fiction; War stories
Guards came up to drive the men back to their huts, but Norden seemed
to have high enough rating to stay for a while. He learned that one of
the workers was missing, and that it had been his badge which the Alien
had worn to enter the sleeping sections. Either the Alien had killed
and destroyed the worker for his clothing or else he had been the
worker!
And he had been discovered forcing the lock on the sub-section of the
hut where Norden had been sleeping!
III
The invasion of the base by the Alien had shocked them all, and few
people had slept during the night. On his way to breakfast, Norden
could feel the attention that was riveted on him. To the others, he was
probably one of the most likely targets for whatever attack had been
intended. He'd wondered about it himself, sick with a feeling of close
disaster; but he could find no logical basis for the fear.
Miles waited until they had finished with their food, his own face a
study in grim anxiety. Then he stood up, and faced them. "No work this
morning," he announced. "There's going to be a fluoroscopic test of
every person on the base!"
Norden felt a wrench at his mind that left his thoughts spinning. He
caught himself, just as he heard a gasp from Armsworth, a few places
down. But Miles went on as if nothing had happened.
"The guards have already been checked. They'll lead us all down to the
explosive test chamber. We'll go in, one at a time, and stand on a
marked square. The fluoroscope results will show on a television screen
visible to all of us. If you pass, you'll go across the chamber to the
cleared rooms beyond.
"Any man resisting or proven non-human will be shot at once. The
Alien last night _looked_ human, but he didn't breathe oxygen, so
his internal structure must be different. However, if anyone wants
to declare that he's an Alien, he'll be treated as a prisoner of war
instead of a spy."
Nobody made such a declaration, and Miles nodded to the guards who
had filed in, while fear-ridden faces were still staring at their
neighbors. Norden wondered how long a confessed Alien would last before
the men tore him to bits. Discounting hate was fine at long range--but
not when the danger was at your elbow.
Miles and Pat went into the chamber first, with the expected
result--human skeletons and shadowy organs showing up on the screen.
Norden stared in fascination, while fear built up tensions inside him.
Armsworth passed in and found his position, with a face that was
somehow both taut and frozen. The guards took a look at the screen and
waved him on. He half staggered to the exit, his features distorted
with an emotion that was unreadable.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account