The Lizard Chronicles
Chapter 3
After she had left, I stroll over to my kitchen counter as my phone was laying their motionless, I pick up my iPhone and hit the home button, and I noticed there is a message from an unknown source in the notifications section on the screen.
I unlock my phone, and go into the messages app, the newest message was at the top, it was from an unknown number, I hit it and read the message: '3572 Hemmingway Drive, PS: brin urself, no won else, swery, yer typen systam iz shit, neva haz to do it thiz wai on owe ship, claws kep gettin in way. Lizareth'
I smile and give a chuckle, finding it funny how the way she types as that's the way she has to in order for me to actually understand, I guess her race never had to do it that way on being more advanced than we are.
I slide my phone into my jeans pocket, as I make my way upstairs to my bedroom, I open the door, as the smell of my wife's perfume hits my nose. I put my hand to my forehead, "No. Don't Ryan, don't even think about crying." I mutter to myself.
A few lone tears seep from my eyes, walking to the chest of drawers, I pick up a pennant on a chain, I open it revealing a little picture of Alison in it. I smile, as I put it around my neck and clip the chain, something to remember her by when I start my brand new life as Lizareth had promised me.
I walk to the mirror to see how I looked in a sense, I hope I don't look messed up, I see myself dressed in dark blue jeans, and brown polished shoes that resembled formal shoes in a boot style, and a plain white t-shirt, on my left wrist is my silver polished Omega watch with diamonds in it, Alison bought it for me for our fifth wedding anniversary.
I reached for my leather jacket, which was hanging on the back of the bedroom door, shrugging my shoulders letting it slide on to my arms, as I grab the flannels, tugging them to fit it more comfortably.
I then walk to my bed, kneel down on the floor, as I feel for a case, finding it and sliding it out on the floor. I look at the silver box and sigh, I grab a key from my pocket, insert it in, unlocking it and opening the lid, revealing a 9mm Glock pistol nestled in the custom made foam.
I look at it, contemplating if I should or shouldn't, I pick it up in my right hand, grabbing the magazine, sliding it up the grip, pulling the slide and flicking the safety on. Also grabbing the two extra magazines stuffing them in my jackets pockets, I close the lid and slide the case under the bed as I stand up, reaching around me and placing the pistol in the waist band of my jeans at my back.
I walk out my bedroom, I gaze around one last time, I sigh, I probably will never see it again, and I'm going to start a new life. I close the door behind me, making my way downstairs; I snatch my phone, wallet and car keys, making my way to the front door. Opening it, shutting it behind me the last time, walking out to the driveway towards my muscle car as it sat where Lizareth parked it, I turn around and over look my house, I nod my head in appreciation, one last time.
Getting into my car, starting it, pulling out of the driveway, taking off to the address I had punched into Google maps that Lizareth gave me, the start of my new life.
Arriving at the address, a rundown old warehouse, I pull my car up to the main entrance, switching off the ignition, as I gaze upon the warehouse through the windshield.
Flinging the door open, stepping out of my car, shoving the car door shut behind me as I make my way to the main door of the warehouse.
Nervous now, not knowing what to expect, I grab hold of the door handle, slowly opening the door inward, with a slight squeak of the hinges. I slowly strut in, closing the door behind me, "Hello." I call out, "Anyone here."
I slowly inch forward looking around, it seemed to me it was just an empty warehouse, that's all it was really. "Lizareth?" I call out again, slowly moving, looking around. This place was pretty big, anyone could be here.
I hear something to my right, like a mechanical noise, I twist my head in the direction the noise came from, I look, but nothing was there, I slowly then turn around to make my way to a room I had saw, but as I do, I turn around to come face to face to a floating orb thing, that more looked like a robot of sorts.
It scared the crap out of me, "BAH!" I say as I jump back, "What the hell is that thing?" I ask.
"Greetings, Ryan." A male voice said from the orb as it floated there. It made me jump a bit more as it spoke. "I am Sen; I am here to tell you that Lizareth is expecting you."
I didn't know what to say or how to react; "Um, what are you?" was all I could say as I flinch to this orb thing floating in front of me.
"I am an artificial intelligence, specifically created by Lizareth's race to help maintain ships, organize data feeds and do day-to-day tasks." Sen replied.
"An AI? I've heard that in books and video games, you're a real AI, we haven't even grasped the knowhow on even how to create or invent an AI as advanced as you." As a mechanic, this really pricked my interest.
The orb seems to light up in a way, as if it was giving a chuckle. "Of course, you humans have not been able grasp the boundaries and technology within to even able to invent or create an AI as advanced as myself, you have a very long way to go until your species is able to accomplish such a feat." Sen Replies in a tone that sounded more confident than factual.
I nod in fake respect, "Well, thanks for the bolding confidence in my species, where can I find Lizareth?" I ask.
"Please. Follow me." The orb says as he floats away, towards an opening of a wall, they seemed to be purposely made into a doorway.
I follow Sen, through the doorway, slowly inching forward as I walk, my boots tapping the dusty concrete floor, as I walk, I hear the sounds of someone speaking, a female voice but in a totally different language, I have never heard of before, it sounded... alien.
I walk further into the makeshift room, "Lizareth, your guest is here." Announces Sen as he calmly floats further into the room.
I come around a corner to see Lizareth, working on some sort of mechanical component for something, very unusual as the room is relatively empty as such, save for a few tables with various gear and tech I do not recognize or have never seen before in my human life.
She was wearing blue pants, with a hooded jacket albeit a different colour, she also wore the same shoes I had seen her wearing.
She was speaking into her wrist computer, talking in her native language I assume, she notices me waltz in, "Ryan!" she beams, she drops what she was doing, runs up to me and gives me a big hug, as she wraps her scaly arms around me, she almost balled me over.
Confused to the notion, I had no idea on how to react, as I hesitantly return the hug, "Ah... thanks." I reply uncertain of her motives.
She breaks the hug as quickly as she gave it to me, "Oh, so sorry," she says putting her scaly hands up, "You need space, you just lost your wife."
I eye her suspiciously, "Thank you, for understanding my current circumstances." I reply blandly. She turns to Sen, "Thank you, Sen, for showing him in." He beeps, as he lights up in acknowledgement.
She notices me looking at Sen with an uncertainty, "I see you have met, Sen, my AI." She says. "Yes, I have... and I'm still getting my head around the fact that he IS an AI, an actually functioning AI, is he self-aware?" I ask. "Fully self-aware." She replies smiling, showing off her sharp teeth. "Damn." I reply in an amazed tone.
I look around, "This is your place?" I ask her. "Well, yeah, it's my base of operations." She replies.
I raise an eyebrow, "Base? Doesn't really look like much of a base to me." I reply, gazing around. She gives me a smirk, hits a button on her wrist computer and then I get a shock of my life: all sorts of things start materializing out of thin air, going out of invisibility, computers, tech, computer screens, things I have never seen or heard of, that are far advanced than anything we humans have ever invented and then the pies' résistance: her own personal ship, which materialized a few feet from where we were standing.
It was big, relative to the size of a truck, "This... is... your... ship?" I ask slowly, in my whole career as a mechanic, this is... astounding, a REAL spaceship, a vehicle that we humans will never comprehend.
"Yep, it sure is mine." She says in glee, "It's a beauty, isn't it?" She watches as I make my rounds of her ship, studying it in depth, as my eyes look over this technology that we humans will take centuries to develop, the craft features a wide, manta ray-like design with a rear-facing boom apparatus protruding from the center of the fuselage, I see the exhaust ports for the twin engines are also visible at the rear of the fuselage.
"Is that the engines?" I ask, pointing to the rectangular objects that more looked like an advanced version of a jet engine.
She nods, "Yes, that's the engines." She replies as she comes over to me, typing things into her wrist computer.
"What type of technology is that?" I ask slowly pointing my finger at it. She gives her version of a smirk as if I asked a dumb question, "None other than the most advanced propulsion that my race has ever invented, they are fusion engines, twin fusion engines, very fast and very powerful." She replies.
"What powers them?" I ask overlooking the twin engines, "Two fusion reactors." She replies smiling. I'm stunned, "You mean nuclear energy?" "Yes, what's the problem?"
I put a hand to my forehead, "How are you able to harness that much power into such a small area?" I ask.
"Very strategic ways, but unfortunately are currently classified." She replies lowering her eyes to the floor, "I'm sorry Ryan; we don't want anyone else to copy our design." I nod understanding, "Fair enough, its okay, I'm sure if we humans invented such technology we wouldn't want to share it with anyone else either." I say as I put my hands on my hips, "How many people can fit in it?"
"It has the capacity to fit a crew of four and an optional AI," she says as I move closer to the hull, "Inside is a stairway leading to the rear on the upper level that has a large door with an additional room. Opposite to the door is a corridor that leads to the cockpit. Several equipment lockers are installed in the corridors, along with two secondary crew stations. The cockpit contains the pilot's and copilot's stations, which include control interfaces and information readouts, and incorporates an AI holotank."
"This is incredible," I say as I walk, observing the hull as I come upon a long shaft, that I had a feeling what they were. I put a hand on my hip as I point them out with in a disconcerting tone, "Are these guns?"
She adverts her eyes from mine, "Why the hell do you have guns on them for?" I ask, "In case we ever run into trouble. Well it is classed as a fighter, similar to those you call fighter jets that you humans have."
"Wait, what? What do you mean 'run into trouble'? What trouble would YOUR race run into?" I ask. She ignores my question, "Anything else you want to ask me about my ship?"
"What's it made of?" "A composite of dense indestructible material called Toi, it's only found on our home world, I guess in your terms it has a density and strength as the material you use for your space shuttle."
"Damn, this is amazing, for my career as a mechanic, this is truly out of the ordinary, and I'm the first human who has seen a real spaceship." I say placing my hands on my hips, gazing at her ship.
"Well, I'm honoured that you're that first human." She replies grinning, she clasps her hands together, "I know you have a lot of questions and you want a lot of answers, so follow me to my make shift room, I guess." She says waving her hand at me.
I nod following her to another room that was to our right, as we walk in, the room was empty, but as she hits a button on her wrist computer, everything materializes in front of me, as it goes out of invisibility.
A bed is situated in the far corner, with a few tables near it with advanced technological stuff that I had no idea what it was, a mechanical looking dresser thing that I assumed was her version of a chest of drawers to hold her clothes.
There were a few chairs situated near her bed, she gestures to one, "Take a seat." She says sitting down on the one to my left as I take the one on the right; she positions her tail through the back rest opening.
"Would you like a drink?" she asks me. I perk up, not something an anthro lizard would be expected to say, "Sure." I reply.
"Sen." She calls out, as her AI companion floats on through into the room, "Yes, Lizareth." The AI hums.
"Are you able to provide us with two drinks?" she asks. "Certainly, what is it would you like?" he replies lighting up with a blue colour.
"Ice water for myself," she states, as her attention turns to me, "And our guest?" Sen replies turning to me. "Do you have human drinks?" I ask him.
"I do and I can make them for you too, so what will it be?" he says hovering their waiting for my reply. I raise an eyebrow, "Coffee?" "Of course, what style?" "Cappuccino please, two sugars and milk added." I reply.
"Right away, your drinks will be here momentarily." He says, floating through the doorway.
Lizareth gives me an uncertain look, "Yuck. Coffee, what hideous substance." She says in disgust with a light hiss.
"Out of all the human made things, you don't like coffee?" I ask her surprised. She shakes her head side to side, "No, it is a burden, I do not like the taste, and I don't know how you humans like the taste."
"Yes I give you that, it does have an acquired taste, but you grow on it, you have to like it to enjoy it, I love it for its flavour, taste and as well as the caffeine hit to get me going through the day." I say.
"You humans are an interesting bunch." She replies, leaning back in her chair. I watch as she gazes at me with her yellow slitted eyes, I smile, but I watch her expression turn into a look of seriousness, which in turn makes my smile fade away.
I was puzzled, why did she look much more serious than usual, her eyes drifted to the floor, "The race I belong to is called Narvians we are a reptilian people native to the planet Thelm." She explains.
'Oh, that's why she has become serious.' I thought. I eye her curiously, "Where is that?" I ask.
"My planet is located in the Alpha Centauri System." She replies. I put a hand up. "Wait. I've heard of that system before, NASA has explained a lot about it." I state shocked.
"Yes your own planetary program has discovered it, that is where I'm from." She says, looking up from the floor then to me.
"How far away is it, from Earth?" She gives me a serious look, "It is currently four point thirty seven light years from your planet." "You are kidding me? That's four trillion miles from here." I state.
"I assure you Ryan, I'm not kidding, and it really is that far from Earth." "How did you manage to travel such a vast distance in such little time to get here?" I ask crossing my arms.
"We invented FTL." She replies, as Sen hovers on through with a coffee cup and a glass of water, incased I would assume a some sort of energy field holding the items, he floats over to Lizareth handing her a glass of ice cold water, and then floats over to me handing me the hot cappuccino. I nod thanks to Sen, he beeps in acknowledgment.
I take a sip of the hot brew; it tasted amazing, "FTL is faster than light travel, right?" I ask gesturing my hand at her.
"Yes, it is, that's how we can get here so fast." She replies, sipping her water. "Can you tell me more about your race?" I ask her.
"What would you like to know?" she replies. "Well everything to be honest, your history, your customs, your religion, what you're like, your civilizations, what your home world is like, your physical attributes."
"Well," she says accumulating her thoughts, shifting in her chair to get more comfortable, I could tell this is going to be a big answer, it would be as she is a completely new species' to me, so there is a lot of explaining to do, "Us Narvians are a sapient race of reptilian people native to the large country of Vale. We can be found in smaller numbers throughout the continent on our home world to large cities with greater populations. We are cold-blooded, our population is not as numerous as yours, you humans are in the, correct me if I'm wrong, the six billion mark?" I nod in agreement, "Your population is huge, ours is nowhere near that figure, ours is just hitting the two million mark. You humans are modest to what you wear out in public, you have laws regarding that and for that you have clothes, many versions of clothes, you wear shoes, you wear lots of things, with us though, we don't have clothes, well some do but it's a choice to wear them, we are naked most of the time, we also don't wear shoes."
I nod understanding to every depth of information she has told me about her race, I give my hand out, "Damn, I couldn't comprehend walking around everywhere naked, it would be so... weird, awkward and unusual. Your race is really interesting." I say.
"We're used to it, it's been that way for us for many generations." She says taking a sip of her water. "The same can be said for us, but opposed to what you said, we have been wearing clothes for many centuries. So how does it feel wearing human clothes and having to cover up because of modesty and the law?" I ask her smirking as I sip my coffee.
She dips her scaly fingers into her water and then flicks it at me, frowning, I flinch in fake attack, "And I hate it! They are sooooo annoying, they make my scales itch. It's the most stupid custom I have ever encountered, it's so much better being naked and I hate wearing shoes, you know how uncomfortable they are for my feet? They are very uncomfortable, it is not natural, I love my feet free of these hellish things."
"You're on Earth, Lizareth; you completely understand why you have to wear the clothes we wear, I know it's not something of an everyday occurrence to you, but in time it will get easier." I say taking a sip of my hot coffee.
She gazes at me with her yellow eyes with a serious look, "Ryan, you do know why you are here, right?" she asks in a grim tone.
"Oh, of course," I reply nonchalantly, "I'm here to get to know you more as a different species, get to know more about your race start a new amazing life, start fresh." I reply with a smile giving her a toast with my coffee cup.
She doesn't smile nor show any interest in being ecstatic; she just keeps her serious expression. "You see, Ryan, there's a... a lot more to it... than that." She states. I slowly lower my coffee cup to my lap, putting on a stern face, "What aren't you telling me?"
"For you to have this amazing new life and a fresh start I speak of, you have to come with me..."
"Yeah, and?" I reply raising an eyebrow. "...To my colony-class space ship to live."
