Chapter 3
At school Sam and Emily now sat with Harry and Sarah at the lunch table. Sam and Emily had definitely become cozier with one another.
"Invite her to the movies with us this weekend," Harry suggested. "You think?" Sam asked hesitantly.
"I do think," Harry confirmed. "And so does Sarah."
"Ok," Sam agreed.
Sam asked Emily and she readily agreed.
"You're cute Sam," Emily said and kissed him on the cheek when he had asked. "Of course I'll go to the movies with you."
After school, Harry briefly stopped into Sam's house to see the place. Sam's bedroom was decorated with a NASA poster, a poster from Alien, a poster from Star Wars, and the like. Harry had also noticed a picture of Sam's mother, Sam, and a man that could only be Sam's father. Sam's dad had been wearing the glasses Sam now wore.
After training Sarah once again came over to Harry's house. They were laying in bed cuddling after another heated session of pleasuring one another when Harry decided to talk to her about Sam.
"His dad just went missing one day when Sam was little," Sarah said. "From what I understand Sam believes he was abducted by aliens. He shared that theory once in school and has never been allowed to live it down. They found Malcolm Goode's truck parked in front of the hardware store with his glasses lying on the sidewalk. Nobody saw what happened."
"That's pretty sad," Harry said.
"It is. He seems like a good guy. Emily seems to like him even if he is a bit strange," Sarah mused as she traced her finger over his bare chest.
"He is," Harry agreed.
"Do you believe in aliens?" Sarah asked.
"I do. It's a big universe. I don't think humanity is the only species in it. What about you?" Harry asked.
"I do," Sarah agreed. "For the same reasons you just gave."
Sarah debated with herself if she should have the conversation with him about what their relationship was. She didn't really want to define it. At the same time she wouldn't mind being classified as least boyfriend and girlfriend.
"What's on your mind?" Harry asked.
"Are you my boyfriend?" Sarah asked.
"I would like to be. Do you want to be my girlfriend?" Harry asked. "I do," Sarah agreed and kissed him.
"Good. That's settled," Harry said after the kiss had ended.
He debated telling her about Six and Hermione. Yet he refrained for several reasons. The first was that he doubted she would believe him at this stage in their relationship. Even if he could convince her about some of it by demonstrating his abilities, it was still too early in their relationship for that.
"I'm going to have to get going soon," Sarah said. "But I don't want to get up. I'm comfy here."
"I don't want you to put on pants," Harry said. "That gorgeous butt you have should never be covered up."
Sarah laughed and looked at him saying, "You like my butt do you."
"Like isn't a strong enough word," Harry said.
Sarah got up on her hands and knees turning around to present her butt for his inspection. She wiggled her backside. Sarah yelped in surprise when Harry leaned forward and lightly nipped one cheek. They had both showered just before she had come over.
"You're quite the naughty one," Sarah said with a grin as she got up and slipped on her panties followed by her jeans.
Harry got up and began dressing as well. Sarah admired his form as she did so. They left his room which still smelled like sex hand in hand. He grabbed the truck keys and led her outside. Soon they were heading for town. After dropping her off and wishing her goodnight, Harry headed back home. He began tinkering with a project he was working on. One of the perks of being Loric was that they needed less sleep than humans. Included within the chest was a very advanced piece of technology known as a nano-constructor. There were versions that could be powered by alternate fuel sources. This kind was powered by the energy a Garde possessed. It was very draining to use. So, using it right before bed was best.
The nano-constructor could take base elements and reconfigure them into objects on the nanoscale. This was very small, billionths of a meter in human terms. Nano-constructor was actually the English translation. The wielder could either construct something from their mind or load a design into it. In this case, Harry had designed the device in question on the Loric computer built into his chest. He was then constructing the device slowly on the nano- constructor. The device looked like the frame of a motorcycle that was about three-quarters done. It was a Loric cycle enhanced with many technologies.
The cycle would have a computer core which contained a copy of the computer in his chest with safeties built in to make sure the Mogs and humans could never access it. It also contained fairly powerful shields that could be enhanced by his Loric energy. The cycle could project hard-light illusions. This included the illusion of wheels. The cycle was actually anti-grav engine driven. To humans and Mogs it would simply look like a crotch rocket. It also had advanced inertial dampening systems to protect the rider. There were also some projectile weapons built in. Harry was working on mastering the space-expansion charm windlessly so he could make the storage compartments truly massive. The Loric had possessed the ability to expand spacetime in a pocket. But the way they did it required very power intensive equipment. He would much rather use his magic to expand the storage. This was Harry's first test of the skills he was learning by studying Loric science and engineering. He was really enjoying his studies. He constructed another section of the cycle using his Loric energy and then practiced his magic, exhausting that as well. Soon, Harry fell into a deep sleep having worked hard that day. He once more dreamed of Hermione, Sarah, and Six.
Henri had been investigating the publication of They Walk Among Us. In the issue where the Mogadorians were mentioned it had been stated that the next issue would contain more information. That never happened. Henri wanted to know why. Harry didn't blame him yet thought this line of inquiry was extremely dangerous.
Harry had started to run to school in the mornings. It was on one of these runs that Harry figured out Bernie Kosar wasn't just a normal dog. Bernie had been running alongside Harry when
Harry had pulled away going faster than a dog could. Bernie had run into the woods and then reappeared ten feet in front of Harry out of the woods.
"Well what the hell are you?" Harry thought. "You're certainly not a dog. Either you just teleported or ran incredibly fast."
Harry didn't get a sense of anything malicious about Bernie Kosar. He decided to keep an eye on Bernie to figure out what he was. When they reached the school Harry sent Bernie Kosar home before heading into the school to grab a shower.
In astronomy Sam is no longer wearing his father's glasses. Sam didn't need the glasses anyway. Sarah sat beside Harry.
"Hey you," Sarah greeted.
"Hi," Harry said before giving her a quick peck on the lips.
"I know it isn't very much notice. But would you and Henri like to join my family for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow?" Sarah invited.
"I'll have to verify with Henri. But I can give a tentative yes," Harry said.
"Great. My brothers will be home from college and want to meet you," Sarah added. Any response from Harry was cut off by class starting.
"Athens, Ohio," Henri says as soon as Harry gets in the truck, Bernie Kosar sitting in the middle seat.
"You'll have to be a little more specific than that," Harry said.
"That is where They Walk Among Us is being published, printed, and mailed from," Henri explained.
"Given how easily you found it then it would have been just as easy for the Mogadorians to find," Harry said. "This feels like a Mog trap or someone who published and then might have been hushed up by the Mogs."
"It could be. I'll call when we get home," Henri suggests.
"I don't know that it is smart to call from home unless you can reroute the call to make it look like it came from elsewhere," Harry said.
"I can," Henri confirmed. "I just finished setting everything up when I had to leave to pick you up. So, I can try the call when I get home." Henri started the call as soon as they got into the house. Harry listened in. "Yes. I'm calling to inquire about an article in last month's issue of They Walk Among Us." There was a response on the other end from a deep voice. "No, I'm not a subscriber. But a friend is." After another pause, Henri said, "No, thank you." After another pause, Henri explained, "I'm calling to inquire about the follow-up to the story on the Mogadorians as was mentioned was coming."
Something is said and then the phone is hung up.
"What did he say?" Harry asked.
"He said, 'Don't call here again.' Then he hung up on me," Henri explained. Harry and Henri spent an hour or so talking about what was going on.
The next morning Henri printed directions to drive to Athens.
"I should be back home in time for Thanksgiving dinner with Sarah's parents," Henri said. "If I'm not you need to run," Henri said. "I've showed you how I get money out of the bank."
"Stay safe. If it looks at all like something fishy get the hell out of there," Harry said.
Henri nodded and left. Harry meanwhile went around turning objects into portkeys targeted inside the expanded space he had created within his backpack. He had discovered through trial and error that magic didn't destroy technology in this universe like it would frequently do in his old universe. It must have been one of those differences between universes he had read about when he researched the multiverse shortly after arriving here. The act of turning things into portkeys no longer left him winded thanks to the practice.
Harry kept himself busy preparing should the worst happen. As they day wore on he grew more and more nervous. He showed up at the Hart residence at one like he was supposed to. He still wasn't sure what he was going to tell Sarah. Perhaps he would tell her some version of the truth.
"Hey handsome," Sarah greeted with a warm smile. "Hey beautiful," Harry said as he kissed her.
Harry kissed her with as much emotion as he could put into it. The shit was about to hit the fan. He could tell.
"What's wrong? Where is Henri?" Sarah asked.
"He went to check out something in Athens Ohio. It was concerning the dangerous people who are after me. I think he may have been captured. I have a way to tell if he has been killed. I can tell from that he is still alive. He isn't answering his cell phone," Harry said honestly. He had checked the lock on the Loric chest and found it still wouldn't open for him since Henri was alive. Sarah was obviously stunned. "I'm going to need to go."
"But they could get you too," Sarah said in worry.
"I'm a lot tougher than I look. I think it is time your parents learned a few things. I have a few minutes to talk about the truth before I go," Harry said. "I've come to care a great deal about you. You and your family deserve to know the truth. If the people who are after me learn that I even care for you then they may try to use you against me. All that won't matter in the new future."
"Come on. Let's go talk to my parents," Sarah said as she took his hand and led him into the family room.
"Welcome Harry," Annie Hart greeted.
"Thank you for having me today Mrs. Hart," Harry said.
"My dad is Paul. These are my brothers Tim and Jake. And this is my sister Beth," Sarah introduced.
Harry greeted everyone.
"Where is Henri?" Annie asked.
"Henri is in trouble," Sarah explained.
This had the undivided attention of the Harts.
"In trouble in what way?" Paul asked his daughter.
"Harry wanted to explain it to all of us. I've known for a little while that he and Henri were on the run from the people who murdered his birth parents," Sarah explained.
Annie looked stunned while the others looked surprised.
"There is no easy way to say this. The people who murdered my parents aren't actually people. They are a hostile alien race called the Mogadorians. I am from a planet called Lorien that they attacked before they came to Earth," Harry said. "I may look human. But I am not. This will prove it."
Harry's hands lit up as he triggered his lumen. His hands began to glow. Sarah was looking at her boyfriend in stunned amazement. So, were Annie and Beth. Paul, Jake, and Tim were looking various degrees of skeptical.
"That's a neat party trick," Jake said. "But it could just be that, a trick." Jake was an engineering major and had learned to be skeptical.
"I can see something more is needed," Harry said as he. "Your car should do. If you'll follow me."
When Harry reached the driveway he saw a pickup truck parked there. He walked behind it and grabbed the hitch. He used that to pick up the back end. He lifted the truck a few feet into the air by the frame. The front never left the ground. He didn't want to damage the truck. The Harts all looked like they believed him after that. They were staring at him in stunned surprise.
"We had better go back inside so you can explain further son," Paul said.
Paul was a software engineer who had always believed that there was life on other planets. To find out his daughter's boyfriend was an alien was quite the shock. He was more concerned about the hostile alien race mentioned. The family plus Harry filed back into the living room.
Sarah took his hand and pulled Harry into a love-seat showing she wasn't afraid. "You mentioned a hostile race called the Mog-something," Jake prompted.
"The Mogadorians are a species that has overrun their planet due to overpopulation and overusing their resources. Their planet is called Mogadore. They wiped out all of my species except for maybe around a dozen of us. My species are from the planet Lorien and we are called the Loric. Mogadore is much bigger than Lorien. So, even though they took all of my planet's resources it was only a short term fix. Earth is bigger than both Lorien and Mogadore. They are here scouting out your planet likely to wipe out most of humanity. They have also been hunting my kind in the process because those who are left are developing abilities like the ones I just showed you," Harry explained.
"Do we stand a chance?" Jake asked. "Their technology and yours must be pretty advanced to make it to Earth."
"My people were never that aggressive. The Mogadorians are very good at waging war. Any one of my people could kill a dozen Mogadorians," Harry said. He of course was speaking of the Garde. "But there are a lot of Mogadorians. There are billions of them. I honestly don't know. And you are right that we are very advanced."
The room was silent for several moments before Annie asked, "What now?" "Now I have to go see if I can rescue Henri," Harry said as he rose.
"I want to go with you," Sarah said.
"No," Harry said even as Paul rose and said, "Absolutely not."
"I've been training my whole life for this. I will be fine," Harry said. He looked at the Harts. "I will do my best not to lead the Mogs back to Paradise. But if they do find out that Henri and I lived here it won't take much investigating to find out I have been dating Sarah." Harry drew small simple wristbands out of his pocket. "I suggest you put these on. If you are ever really in trouble these will sense it and transport you someplace safe."
Harry had experimented when creating the portkeys and found that if he focused very hard he could make intent based portkeys. If the wearer was in enough distress they would be portkeyed to a safe location he had set up and he would know.
"Teleportation?" Jake asked curiously.
"Essentially yes," Harry confirmed.
"Wicked," Tim said with a grin as he and his brother accepted the bands and put them on. "Thank you for telling us the truth," Paul said.
Harry nodded and said, "Whatever you decide to do, don't let on that you know about the Mogadorians or Loric. They would capture or kill you just for having that knowledge. If Paradise suddenly gets an influx of very tall looking men I recommend fleeing town immediately. They will find out about Sarah. This should help."
Harry had walked out to the driveway where his cycle was parked. He removed a bag from the storage compartment and handed it to Paul. Paul opened it to find stacks of $50 bills there.
"I can't accept this," Paul said.
"You will. I have unintentionally placed your family in danger," Harry said.
Sarah stepped forward and kissed Harry with all the emotion she could summon. Her family looked away at the sight.
"You come back safe," Sarah ordered when the kiss had ended.
"That is my intention," Harry said.
She kissed him one last time before allowing him to mount his bike. Harry didn't notice a small gecko slip into the storage compartment on his bike when he had retrieved the money. He didn't hold back. The bike shot out of the driveway and down the road before moving out of sight of the Hart residence. As soon as he made it out of town, Harry triggered the portkey he had put on
Henri's spare tire in the truck. One moment he was in Paradise Ohio and the next he was in Athens. Harry appeared next to Henri's truck. Immediately down the street he noticed a familiar truck. Sitting inside were Sam Goode and his girlfriend Emily. Both were looking directly at where Harry had appeared in wide-eyed amazement. Harry glanced around and saw that nobody else had seen him. He drove the quiet cycle down the street to the truck. When he pulled up alongside the driver's side window Sam rolled it down.
"Sam, Emily, what are you doing here?" Harry asked.
"You just appeared out of thin air. How did you do that?" Sam asked.
"I don't have time to explain. The short of it is I'm not from around here, as in this planet. What are you doing here?" Harry asked.
"When you started asking all sorts of questions about They Walk Among Us, Sam wanted to learn more about it," Emily admitted. "Then he overheard you and Henri talking about investigating it. When he figured out Henri was coming here today he convinced me to come along."
"You're telling me your families let you come here on Thanksgiving," Harry said with surprise.
"It's just me and my father. He drinks a lot," Emily said.
"My mom gets paid double for working holidays at the hospital," Sam said with a shrug.
Harry nodded as if he understood and said, "You have no idea of the hostile shit show you just stumbled into. Stay here. Do you know where Henri went?"
"Into that house," Sam said as he pointed to a house. "That was hours ago. He hasn't come out since."
Harry nodded and parked his bike behind Sam's truck. He inspects the house Henri had printed directions to that morning. It was a two-story house with gray vinyl siding. The front porch was unpainted. A broken swing-set stood in the yard next to the walkway. There is a car in the driveway. Even as Harry observed the house a very large man came out of the front door and locked it. The man was at least six feet tall and had to weigh over two hundred fifty pounds. He sported a shaved head and a goatee. There was a tattoo on the man's right arm showing an alien holding a bouquet of tulips out to someone. The man spit in the yard and then walked past where Harry is parked.
Harry made his way to the back door of the house. It is locked. He laid his hand on the simple door lock and focused with his burgeoning telekinesis. He didn't have the control he needed to do this with the version of telekinesis he had developed with his wizard abilities. The Lorien telekinesis came through. The door clicked open. He walked into a clean kitchen. From the kitchen is a short hallway to the living room. There is a bedroom off from the living room. The bedroom is very lived in. Harry only gave it a glance to clear it. Beside the front door in the
living room is a set of stairs up to the second story. He walked up it a short distance for the floor to creak.
"Hello," Greg called. When there was no answer he shouted, "Frank is that you."
Harry made his way up the stairs as the sound of the other man moving towards the stairs was heard. The man didn't know what hit him. The second the man was in sight, Harry rushed him. The other man, Greg, had enough time for his eyes to widen in shock before he was pinned to the wall by an iron grip around his throat. Despite the fact that Harry was physically much smaller, he easily held Greg up until Greg was forced to stand on tip-toes.
"I'm only going to ask this once you piece of shit. Where is Henri?" Harry asked. Harry sees genuine fear in Greg's eyes. This is not something Harry takes pleasure in.
"In the basement. The door is behind the Steeler's banner in the basement," Greg managed to say once Harry let up on his throat. "Don't kill me."
"I have no intention of killing you," Harry said. "But I can't have you interfering. I'll free you before I leave if you are good. If the Mogs visited you like I suspect then I suggest you get the hell out of town after I free you and go into hiding."
Harry produced a length of rope from his expanded pocket before he proceeded to bind and gag Greg.
Meanwhile Back in Paradise, Hart Residence
"What now?" Annie asked her husband as they watched Harry ride off at seemingly impossibly fast speeds.
"Now we pack," Paul said. "I hope it isn't needed. But if it is we should be prepared." "How much money was in the bag?" Tim asked as they went back into the house.
"I don't know. A lot," Paul answered as he opened the bag. He found an envelope inside. "There's a letter. It says to Sarah and only to open it if he doesn't return."
Sarah took the letter from her father as her parents began to count the money. She briefly warred with herself what to do. She had quickly been falling in love with Harry even though they had only dated a brief time. The revelation that he was an alien was startling. But it didn't really change how she felt. Perhaps the letter would tell her his feelings.
"There must be at least five hundred thousand in here," Annie said.
"Well at least we will be well funded if we have to go on the run," Paul said with appreciation in his own voice at the amount of cash before them.
Sarah opened the letter and began to read.
My Dearest Sarah,
I write this letter as I wait for Henri to return from what I consider a very foolish mission. He has gone to Athens to try to ascertain what our enemy is like while on Earth. I thought his plan was incredibly stupid. Yet I could tell he was set on this course. So, I didn't say anything. I'm regretting that more and more. But that is another matter.
If I didn't return it is for one of several reasons. Either I was captured, killed, or I had to go on the run. My plan is that I will return or go on the run once I rescue Henri. If I'm forced to go on the run you and your family should do the same. I will try to get in contact with you at some point. But if I do you will have to decide if you want anything further to do with me. The reason I say that is because of the circumstances my life will require me to take.
I am one of six remaining members of a subset of my species known as Garde. There are only six or less members of the other subset of our species Cepan. If my species is to survive I will be needed to reproduce with one or more of the remaining females of my species. There is one in particular, Maren Elizabeth or Six as she is known on Earth, that fate seems to be pushing me towards. That being said, it has been made clear to me that the remaining males of my species should if possible reproduce further. Even a half Loric half human is a chance for my species to survive. In Earth's history half human half Loric offspring resulted in the legends of the Greek, Norse, and other pantheon gods you have heard of.
And here lies the kicker. How do I bring up the subject of sharing me with my still very new girlfriend? A letter certainly isn't the ideal way to do it. I felt very bad about not telling you this from the get-go. By that I mean my alien nature and the whole sharing thing. Yet I couldn't see a way around it. My plan was to come clean about it as soon as I thought our relationship would survive it. I was rapidly approaching that point when this whole situation with Henri happened.
You should also be aware that just like you have a past relationship with Mark, I too had a past relationship. Her name was Hermione. It's a very complicated story. In a nutshell we now live in different universes with no known way to get between them. She thinks me dead. I bring this up because my feelings for her are still present. My feelings for you are every bit as real.
I realize this is a lot to take in. If I am dead then this letter is moot. If I have returned hopefully you will have never read this letter and I can continue to see our relationship grow. If I am forced on the run please take the time to decide if you want anything to do with me.
Harry
Sarah was stunned after she finished reading the letter.
"What is it?" Annie asked. "What did the letter say?"
"A lot," Sarah said as her emotions went all over the place.
Anger, sadness, loss, jealousy, and desire. The strongest was desire. She had a desire to Harry again. She wasn't sure what she would say to him when she did. Yet she still wanted to see him.
"If you need to talk about it, I am here," Annie told her daughter. "Now let's get to packing."
Harry had quickly found the black door to the basement behind the Steelers poster and unlocked it using his telekinesis. When he made his way cautiously into the damp basement he found Henri tied to a chair with duct tape over his mouth. Harry's Loric knife made quick work of the restraints. Other than a line of dried blood down the right side of his face, he has no visible sign of being harmed. It was likely that his captors had worked Henry over a bit with punches to get information out of him.
"You were right Harry. It was foolish of me to come here," Henri said. "How did you get here?"
"I took my cycle. It seems Sam and Emily were coming to investigate this place too after working out that you were planning to come here," Harry said. "They saw me use my abilities before I realized they were here."
"We can talk about that later," Henri said. "Let's get out of here."
There is the sound of floorboards creaking above. Then the large man, Frank, who left the house before walked down the stairs with a gun aimed at Harry and Henri.
"You aren't going anywhere," Frank said. "They told us you might be coming. They said you would look like humans and are the real enemy."
"We don't know what you are talking about," Harry lied.
"Shut up liar," Frank screamed. "If you make one wrong move this one gets it," He said as he pointed the gun right at Henri.
Harry gestures with his hand into a closed fist. The gun crumples. Harry closes the distance to Frank in moments and punches the man in the TMJ. Frank goes down like a sack of potatoes. Harry quickly tied Frank up.
"There was a third man," Henri warned.
Harry cocked his head to one side.
"I think he was in the house when I took out Frank. I thought I heard movement upstairs. I don't hear it now. I think he might have fled," Harry admitted. He produced his phone and dialed Sam's number. When Sam answered, Harry said, "Sam, talk to me. What happened?"
"Two men went in including the guy who left earlier. One just came running out looking terrified," Sam reported.
"Thanks. Henri and I will be out shortly," Harry said and hung up. "The third guy ran. Questioning him here would be foolish. I don't think this information is worth the risk," Harry said.
"I agree," Henri said.
Sarah couldn't stop thinking about Harry. She was worried about him. She was also worried about herself and her family. She was also asking herself if she could share him.
There was a knock at her door as she packed.
"How's it going in here?" Annie asked Sarah. "Your dad and I are all packed. Your brothers are packed and helping your sister."
"I'm sorry. My mind isn't in it," Sarah admitted. "I can tell," Annie said. "What was in that letter?"
"Harry is one of the last few members of his species. There are only a few females left and a few males," Sarah explained.
"So he has to reproduce with them. Was he breaking things off in the letter?" Annie asked.
"No," Sarah admitted. "He does have to reproduce with at least one of the Loric women. But the chances of survival for his species are better if he also reproduces with more women, human women. Even half-Loric means a chance for survival of his species."
Annie took that in and said, "So it's possible for them to reproduce with humans?"
"Apparently that is where the legends of the Greek, Norse, and other mythological gods came from. They must have been Loric human hybrids," Sarah explained.
Annie was stunned and it showed on her face.
"That's incredible," Annie said. "So, what does he want you to be some type of baby factory?"
"He didn't say anything like that. But he asked me to consider if I'm willing to share him or want nothing further to do with him," Sarah explained. "I get why he didn't say anything earlier in the relationship. I do. It still hurts."
"It would," Annie said. "I never told you this. And normally I would never bring it up. It might be a little pertinent to the current situation. When I was in college your father and I were a lot more experimental back then. We both got a little drunk and had a threesome with one of my friends. I'm not suggesting that is what you should do. I will say that sharing him wasn't as hard. The biggest fear with sharing is worrying that he will care for the other woman more or leave you for her. None of that happened. At the end of the day he came back to me. Now obviously your situation would be a little different. Because it would be ongoing sharing. Yet it is similar if you were able to get along and equally share his time."
"That is a good point. I would have thought you'd be telling me to run away," Sarah pointed out.
"Your dad might be feeling like telling you that. That's why I'm here. I can see how much Harry means to you. I try to give you useful advice instead of advice you'll ignore," Annie said. "If your heart feels something strongly enough logic will be damned. My best advice is to meet this other Loric that you might have to share him with and see if you can get along. If you can be friends then I would say there is hope."
"Thanks mom. That really helps," Sarah said.
"You're welcome. Now let's get you packed," Annie said.
"It must be some kind of holographic technology," Jake said as he stood with his brother and father outside looking at their vehicles.
It was early evening at this point.
"What's going on?" Sarah asked as she and Annie came outside.
"We were talking about the problem of running with known vehicles and license plates. If these Mogs are really as connected as Harry said then it is likely they would be able to track their license plates. We would have had to change cars. That's when our cars changed. They are completely different make and model of vehicles. The license plates too," Tim explained.
"But when we touched the vehicles they feel the same. We figure it is a type of hologram masking what our vehicles really look at," Jake explained.
"When you said cars change they did it again," Paul noted as once more the cars changed appearance.
"That must be the trigger," Jake confirmed. "Damn that is a useful technology." "Harry must have put it on our vehicles when he was here," Sarah said.
"He really does think ahead. Between the money and the ability to camouflage our vehicles that should really help," Annie said.
"Faces change," Jake tried. Nothing happened. He said, "It was worth a try. Maybe the tech isn't made that way."
"We should be good to go at a moment's notice either way then," Paul said.
Harry received a text that instantly had him alarmed.
"Six big guys that are really pale just showed up with two nasty weasel looking creatures,"
Sam's text said.
"Shit," Harry swore.
"What is it?" Henri asked.
"Mogs just showed up," Harry said as he texted back Sam with instructions. Harry put his phone away and broke the restraints on Frank before lifting the man up easily. "Follow me."
Harry ran upstairs to the second story.
"What is it?" Greg asked when he noticed how the others looked when they entered the room.
"The Mogs are back. They're going to kill you if we leave you here like this. If I get you out of here will you tell me everything you know about them?" Harry asked.
"Yes. Just get me out of here," Greg said terrified.
"We can't fight six Mogs. Not at the power level you are at now," Henri said. "Maybe if you were at full strength. Give me whatever weapons you have. I can hold them off while you get free. You can get free on your own."
"As they say on Earth, fuck that," Harry said.
Harry closed his eyes and connected to the systems on his cycle. The cycle was able to be accessed remotely via a neural link that existed with nano-technology in Harry's body. The Mogs didn't get any warning as the cycle attacked. Energy blasts hit three of the Mogs in the head before the other three were quick enough to take cover. The Mogs were carrying special
long wicked looking swords. One of the Mogs must have had the presence of mind to bring a gun. A sickly purple energy shot out at the hovering and shooting cycle. An energy shield flared into visibility as it shrugged off the Mog fire. The two ferret beasts were unleashed and hungrily ran towards the cycle. They leapt at it. Bolts of lightning lashed out and struck the two beasts mid-leap. Small daggers of Loric crystal propelled at incredibly fast speeds shot out of the cycle and dug into the beasts. One beast was killed outright. The dagger embedded in the other beast would have been a fatal wound even if it didn't kill outright. The daggers exploded ten seconds after being embedded in their targets.
The explosion stunned all those around and covered them in beast viscera. Meanwhile Sam had taken the opportunity to drive away with all haste. Harry's group hadn't been idle as well. While his cycle continued to engage the Mogs and distract those still alive, Harry lowered his companions down to the ground on the opposite side of the house. They ran.
"Your cycle seems to be very effective," Henri said in awe as they ran with Harry carrying the still unconscious Frank. "You didn't tell me you armed it so well."
"The Elders gave us access to every technology ever invented by our people. Just because they didn't like to create these technologies didn't mean they didn't realize the implications of other non-weapons technologies they came up with. I figured the cycle would come in handy. And it has," Harry said.
When they met up with Sam a few blocks later, they all piled into the back of the truck. "Talk," Harry instructed as they drove slowly out of Athens.
"We got a call from a guy whose area code placed him near Columbus. He told us about the Mogadorians and talked so fast we barely got much of a story. He said he had captured a Mogadorian. He told us about their invasion plans. He said they were also here hunting numbers. The numbers made no sense. He mentioned something about a four. But he talked so fast I didn't get it. He said 7 was being trailed in Spain. He said 9 was spotted in South America. Then three Mogs showed up the night we published and questioned us. They brought two of those little weasel monsters. I was unable to look away from the eyes of the Mogadorians. They were black and it was like looking at my death. It was like I could see and experience the deaths of all I know and love. I could feel monsters eating me," Frank explained.
"What about your source?" Henri asked.
"They took his phone number. My guess is the Mogs hunted him down and killed him," Frank explained. "They said they would do the same to us if we talked. They said they would be keeping an eye on us. They came back a few more times checking to make sure we weren't publishing anything else. They said they thought people might come investigating. Who are you guys?"
"We're from the planet the Mogs pretty much wiped out before here," Harry said. "They likely intend to wipe out most if not all of Earth to get your resources or a new place to live."
"How can we stop them?" Frank asked.
"The only way is if we help. But the Mogs are hunting them," Henri said while pointing to Harry. "He is one of the numbers the Mogs are hunting. But they need time to grow."
Frank was silent as he thought about this.
"There are rumors that our government is working with the Mogs in secret in exchange for technology," Frank admitted.
"Mogs do have some technology. Their technology level is certainly far more advanced than Earth's level," Henri admitted. "But a lot of the technologies they have won't be helpful to your planet. It will probably harm Earth."
"We'll drop you off in a few minutes," Harry said as he texted Sam instructions.
Harry had placed a masking unit on Sam's truck. Like the units he had placed on the vehicles belonging to the Harts, the masking unit had camouflaged the truck before the Mog's had taken notice of its features. The truck now looked like a far more modern vehicle of a completely different make and model.
"I suggest running. Don't use your real identities again," Henri said.
"These will help," Harry said as he handed over two IDs. "They will change appearance with however you disguise yourselves along with your name. They will self-update with the human computer systems."
Henri eyed the IDs appreciatively and suddenly wished he had dug into the Loric computer systems before. He recognized the nano-tech involved.
"Why are you helping us after what we did to you?" Frank asked Henri after accepting the IDs.
"Several reasons," Harry said. "You obviously have no love for the Mogs. Any human who opposes them in our book. It costs us little to do so. Just some IDs. You may be able to quietly spread the word to select others about the threat. We haven't told you anything the Mogs don't already know. But you've told us some information we didn't know."
"Thank you," Frank said.
A few minutes later the two men were dropped off. Harry had been using his telekinesis to deflect the wind so they could talk. By this point his cycle had caught up with the truck. According to the records the cycle had disengaged from the remaining Mogs after having managed to kill another. More Mogs had showed up. The cycle had lost the Mogs by using a feature of its camouflage similar to a disillusionment charm. It blended in with its background. It wasn't the best invisibility. But it worked decently well. The cycle was moving so fast
without a passenger that it would have been hard for the Mogs to keep up anyway. Harry rode on his cycle back towards Paradise while Henri rode in the cab with Sam and Emily.
Henri must have filled Sam and Emily in on the details of Lorien on the drive back. When they got back Sam was grinning.
"This is so cool," Sam declared.
"Thanks for the help tonight Sam. You two should go home and get some rest. We need to prepare your families to run on a moment's notice," Harry said.
"We can do that," Sam said. "But we'll have to tell my mom." "And my dad," Emily said.
"I agree," Harry said. "I'll talk to Henri about it. I would pack a go bag when you get home just in case."
"I don't know how far we'll get on my dad's savings," Emily said.
"Don't worry about that. I'll take care of that part," Harry replied.
"Alright. Glad you guys are safe," Sam said and then drove off.
When Harry got back inside the house he found Henri looking very upset.
"That was really foolish of me to go down there. I don't think we have any choice but to move," Henri said.
"We can be ready to move if there is any sign of Mog activity close to here," Harry said. "We'll go buy a new truck tomorrow. I can take you on my cycle. In the meantime I've got to get Sam and Emily's families ready to run. I've already got the Harts ready. But they could do with some more advice."
Henri's eyebrows rose.
"You told the entire Hart family?" Henri asked.
"I did. Even if we left today the Mogs could probably find out I cared about Sarah. They would capture her at a minimum for leverage. Her family would also be in danger. For the same reason Sam and Emily need to take their families away from here as well," Harry explained.
"You make good points," Henri admitted. "Alright. We can stay until we are sure Mogs are incoming. I don't feel as bad about waiting after watching the way you took out those Mogs," Henri said with a grin.
Harry had placed several Loric crystal probes around the town which would scan for Mogs among other things. These were stationary sensing devices.
"I feel a lot better after hearing that," Henri said after hearing about the probes. He shook his head and added, "I really should have used more of our technology. I limited myself to building very good computer systems with mostly human tech and using their infrastructure through the internet to monitor things. I feared that if I started using more advanced tech the Mogs might develop the ability to detect it. If they are close enough to detect those probes then they already know we are here. The Mogs didn't have very good sensor technology to begin with."
"We'll use more of our tech going forward," Harry said.
Henri nodded and they went to bed. Harry made a quick call to Sarah once he reached his bedroom.
"Harry are you alright?" Sarah asked.
"We are. Henri and I are back home. It's a long story. We won't be leaving tonight. But we are ready to leave quickly if we need to," Harry said.
"Oh thank God," Sarah said. "Can I see you tomorrow?" "Sure. Come on over any time," Harry said.
"I'll be there at 1," Sarah said. "Goodnight Harry." "Sweet dreams," Harry replied.
"Sleep well," Sarah answered in their usual greeting. Then they ended the call.
The Next Day 1 PM
As soon as he opened the door for Sarah she launched herself at him. If he had been a human he would have found it incredibly hard to breathe.
"I'm so glad you are safe," Sarah cried. "I was so worried."
"I'm fine," Harry assured as he led her into the living room and sat down.
"What happened?" Sarah asked as she pulled back while still remaining pressed against his side. Harry told her everything that had happened.
"It sounds like you kicked butt. Sam and Emily both know?" Sarah asked. "Yes. We have to inform their families," Harry said.
Sarah nodded and hesitantly said, "I know that letter said only to read it if you didn't come back. But I couldn't help myself."
"Oh...damn," Harry said with realization. "I'm sorry to have put that all in a letter."
"No. It's ok. I had a lot more time to digest it than if you had told me in person. I didn't want you to see my first reaction," Sarah explained.
Harry winced and said, "I'm sorry."
"I don't really know how to feel about this Six yet or sharing you," Sarah admitted. "I'm still processing it. I would have to meet her first."
"You and me both," Harry said. "I haven't seen her since we were small children unless you count this strange dream visions that we Loric apparently sometimes have."
"Is that why I've been dreaming about having sex with you and you having sex with two other girls?" Sarah asked before blushing bright red when she realized what she had just admitted to.
"You've been having dream visions too?" Harry asked with surprise.
"Yes. They don't feel so much like a dream. Sometimes I can tell they are dreams after a while in them," Sarah said.
"What do the other girls look like?" Harry asked. Sarah described them. "Yes. That's Hermione and Six."
"Hermione is the one you mentioned something about being from another universe. Loric can travel between universe?" Sarah asked.
"Not very well they can't," Harry said. "It isn't something I really want to talk about right now. Maybe someday in the future I will," He added.
Sarah nodded. The Loric did actually experiment with other universes hundreds of years back. They had been able to send probes to some "nearby" universes in the multiverse. Some of the strange things they had found in those universes made them decide not to actively pursue transit to other universes. They had still casually experimented with the concept from time to time over the following centuries to try to refine what they knew. But they hadn't stepped foot into another universe personally. There had even been experiments ongoing at the time of the attack on Lorien.
"So where does that leave us?" Sarah asked.
"Well I would love it if you were still my girlfriend. When we meet up with Six at some point maybe see if you can get along with her? Let me know how you feel then? I do have to reproduce with her. And I should probably reproduce with more to make sure my race continues. But all of us can get to know one another first," Harry suggested.
"That sounds like a plan," Sarah said before kissing him. She bit her lip and stood up. She held out her hand. "Come on. I need to relieve some stress."
Harry took Sarah's hand and followed her to his bedroom. He very much enjoyed her stress relieving.