be male. However, since they all wore the same pale-blue bodysuits as their female, it might be difficult to determine their gender right away.
“Could you have mistaken one of them for a female?” he asked Wyck. “This one seems to be as slim as she is.” He pointed at one body with the toe of his boot. “Or this one. He has a rather soft, feminine face.”
“Maybe...” Wyck frowned, uncertainly.
The female chose this moment to finally speak to Vrateus.
“You’re the leader here,” she stated, her voice shaky but firm enough considering the circumstances.
“Was there another human female on the ship?” Vrateus asked her. “Where did she go?”
She blinked.
“Another? No. Just me. I’m the only one left alive,” she said, quickly. “Listen, I’m appealing to you as the leader—”
“No.” Vrateus cut her off, shaking his head. “Wyck is in charge of you. Tell him anything you need.” He turned on his heel, already assessing the amount of work that had to be done on this ship before he could call it a night. “Wyck, take her out of here, the rest of you...” he faced the males filling in the space. “You all will have to help me remove the equipment tonight.”
“Captain!” the female snapped sharply, demanding attention.
“Listen.” Wyck spoke to her directly. “What’s your name?”
“I’m not talking to you,” she bit off.
It looked like Wyck had his work cut out for him. This might be the most challenging task Vrateus had ever assigned to the young errock.
Well, they all had their share of work to do around here.
THE END
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HERE
EXPERIMENT
CHAPTER 1
“Isabella Bruno.” The man in a dark suit wasn’t asking. Staring at me from the other side of the front entrance as I held the door open, he stated my name confidently, as if he already knew it was me.
“How can I help you?” I asked cautiously, glancing at the two others behind him. The large, black vehicles parked at the curb in front of our house did not put my mind at ease either.
“Michael Trevin.” He offered me his hand. “May we come in?”
“Trevin?” I stared at him in shock, ignoring his hand. “The Michael Trevin?” I asked, dumbfounded, even as I had already recognized the face of one of the three North American representatives in the coalition of Earth Governments. “You’re here? In Deer Rock?”
The fact that someone so high up in the government personally visited our small town—far up North on the territory that used to be Canada before the three countries of the continent had been merged into one—should be a huge event.
Had his visit been made public? How had I missed the news? And why was he at my house?
“Can we come in?” he asked more persistently, moving forward, which forced me to step back.
“Um, sure,” I mumbled, as if my permission meant anything at that point—all three had entered our small hallway.
I smoothed my hair quickly and brushed my palms down my t-shirt, feeling painfully underdressed in my pajama pants. It was mid-morning on a weekday, but I had an evening shift at the store today and hadn’t changed yet. Luckily, I had at least put a bra on.
“Who is it, Bella?” Mom came out of the kitchen, bouncing Lily, one of my sister’s twins, on her hip. “Mister Trevin . . .” She stared at the representative, her eyes opened wide, her mouth agape. “In my house?”
“Mrs Bruno.” He shook her hand energetically. “Where would be the best place for us to have a quick talk?” Without waiting for an answer, he shoved past her and into our kitchen. His escort followed.
“Um . . . About what?” Mom hurried after them. “Would you like anything? Tea? Water?”
“We don’t have much time.” Trevin pulled a chair from the table and sat down. “Secretary Carter. Agent Miller.” He gestured at the two men accompanying him as they took seats at the table too.
“What is it all about?” Mom moved her gaze from one man to another. Both her and I remained standing.
“We are here to collect Isabella Bruno,” Miller blurted out, earning a stern glare from Trevin.
“Me?” I stepped into the kitchen from the entrance where I had been standing.
Surely this was some kind of misunderstanding.
“What did she do?” Mom sent me a questioning stare.
“Before I explain,” Trevin raised a hand in a calming gesture, “allow me to remind you that although our coalition is the main human governing body on the