January 16, 2070
Dawn, 5:54 a.m.
Brian woke to the sound of knocking at his door. He rubbed his face with both hands, pushed himself out of bed, and shuffled to the front door. Standing outside was his Mexican best friend.
"Hey Danny. You're up early."
"Jogging's gotta be done at this hour, man. Don't tell me you've forgotten our training days in the corps."
"And Matty didn't come with you?"
"That guy's let himself go. Exercise is out, parties are in. Go get dressed, I'll wait."
Brian changed into casual clothes, stretched alongside Danny, and the two set off down the quiet streets, lungs filling with the crisp sunrise air. At a lonely intersection, where only the occasional car passed, the distant ARCI tower lights flickered out.
"So, what's your plan today?" Danny asked between strides.
"I'm taking Miss Adeline out for a drive. Just swapped in a new engine—figured I'd test it."
Danny chuckled. "See? I told you she's into you. If you're into her, it'll work out."
"I'm not trying to date her. She's still my boss, remember."
"Boss or not, she's human, amigo. Or do you want me to step in instead?"
Brian laughed. "No way."
Back at the house, Brian dropped to the kitchen floor for push-ups while Danny blended protein powder. Brian kept going, sweat dripping, until his arms trembled.
"...148, 149, 150! Ugh." He collapsed, panting.
"You're still fit as ever," Danny said, then noticed a white data chip on top of the fridge. A sticky note read: My Family? Curious, he grabbed it.
Brian froze. "Danny, why'd you pick that up?"
"I've never met your family. Care to introduce me?"
"What good would that do?"
"Don't know. Just open it for me."
Brian sighed, encrypted the file, and played a childhood clip. A younger Brian sat at his desk, writing. His tall, bald father entered.
"Hey, kiddo. Seen my envelope of cash?"
"No, Dad. Did it go missing?"
"You doing homework?"
"Teacher asked us to research future careers."
"Alright, I won't bother you. But if you see it, let me know."
Brian nodded. The door shut. Shouts erupted from elsewhere in the house—his father yelling at his mother. The boy sighed, switched off the camera, and the clip ended.
Danny leaned forward. "And what happened after that?"
Brian swallowed a pill from the kitchen cabinet to steady his nerves. "I went back to bed and forgot everything."
Danny smirked. "I thought it'd be a birthday tape or something. A nicer ending."
"Nice or not depends on who's watching," Brian muttered, heading to shower and dress. He emerged in a light gray vest and new blue jeans, hair slicked upward to catch the light. Danny's eyes widened.
"¡Santo Dios!"
Brian flexed. "How do I look?"
Danny gave a thumbs-up. "That's the outfit that'll make women fall for you. Petite girls love guys like that. Perfect, man."
"Thanks." Brian grinned, confidence surging. He drove to Adeline's mansion, climbed the steps, and entered. From upstairs, he heard her humming a tune.
He noticed a half-open door beneath the staircase—the one she always locked, always dodged questions about. Curiosity tugged at him. He slipped inside.
The basement was vast, larger than any ordinary cellar. A metallic clatter echoed from the left. Brian's phone light revealed shelves, tools, and a sleek white door sealed with a biometric lock.
Another sound—like scissors snapping—came from the shadows. He found a heavy steel orb beneath a shelf. As he touched its raised surface, blue light flared. Eight mechanical legs shot out.
The orb unfolded into a spider, three times the size of his head, legs stretching a meter long, each tipped with razor blades.
Brian stumbled back. "What the hell is this?"
The creature advanced, blades clicking. He fell, dropping his phone. "Oh, shit!"
The upstairs door creaked open. Light spilled down.
"Craver! Stop!" Adeline's voice rang out. Instantly, the spider retracted its legs and collapsed back into a ball.
Brian gasped. "What the hell was that thing?"
"Shh. Next time, tell me before you snoop. That's my pet construct."
"You… built that giant metal spider?"
"It helps carve my art. Its legs are sharp, yes, but it won't hurt anyone unless I command it. Craver, defense mode!"
The orb rolled toward Brian, legs poised above his chest.
"Alright, alright! Enough. Craver, shut down." She laughed, strolling back upstairs. Brian bolted after her, slamming the basement door shut.
"No wonder you keep it hidden," he muttered.
From the garden, Ms. Cillesia called, "Need any help, miss?"
"No, thank you!" Adeline replied, slipping on a light robe and grabbing her umbrella. She twirled back to Brian. "So—shall we go?"
"It's only nine-thirty," he said.
"If you don't want to, I'll just leave my umbrella here…"
"Fine, fine, let's go." He hurried to lead the way. Adeline smiled, knowing her trick had worked.
It took them half an hour by car to reach Yavapai County. The wheels rolled along a two‑lane road where hardly anyone passed, houses sparse except for the occasional gas station or roadside diner. Dust and sand stretched across the open highway, framed by golden‑leafed trees. Adeline lifted her sleek camera to capture the outskirts of the town.
"Wow… even in this heat, it's still beautiful."
"You're not planning to drag me all the way to the Colorado River, are you?" Brian teased.
"Don't be silly. Not that far. Just want some shots of the outskirts. I'm not taking you to the ends of the earth."
She sniffed suddenly, nose twitching at a sharp, smoky scent—like burning wood or scorched metal.
"Do you smell that?"
"No… wait! There's something!"
Up ahead, a Black man was performing chest compressions on a blond youth lying by the roadside. A short‑haired woman with a dark birthmark running from her eye to her chin knelt beside him. Nearby, a strange blue dog lay sprawled, as if injured.
Brian pulled over and dialed emergency services. Adeline rushed from the car to check the blond guy, who looked in the worst shape.
"Call an ambulance now!" she shouted.
"Already did," he replied, hurrying to the blue‑haired woman with the mark under her eye.
The man in the brown cloak stripped off his outer garment, pressing his hands firmly against the blond guy's chest.
"Ah—ugh! Did I… pass out?" The blond youth's eyes flew open. Seeing Adeline above him, he gasped. "My Rolly-pop… you're even more beautiful than before. Ahh fuck—my arm!"
The bearded man leaned toward Adeline. "There's a clinic not far from here." Brian pointed down the road.
"Sir, your arm's broken! Do not move," Adeline said, cradling the guy's head in her lap. She turned to thank the man—only to find he had vanished, cloak and all.
"He-Hello?" she called, but there was no answer.
Meanwhile, Brian was helping the blue‑haired woman and her odd dog. She clung tightly to his waist. "Don't let me go. My thigh still hurts," she pleaded.
"Alright, alright. Just… let me carry you to the car."
She relented, and Brian lifted her into the vehicle. The strange little dog scrambled after them, barking in a hoarse, human‑like rasp.
"Okay, buddy, up you go," Brian said, placing it beside its owner. He hurried back to check on the blond guy.
"My arm's broken!" the guy shouted.
"Calm down," Adeline soothed. "Help is on the way."
Brian frowned. "It'll take at least ten freakin' minutes."
"Then we'll take them to the clinic. That man said it's close," Adeline insisted.
Brian nodded, slinging the blond guy's good arm over his shoulder. "Easy man, easy! Don't break the other one. Damn, why not Miami? It's boiling out here. Wait a minute, Is this Nevada?"
"It's Arizona." Brian answered.
"Holy shit, that's even worse." Despite their injuries, the strangers were loud and quarrelsome. Adeline and Brian decided to head for the clinic. Along the way, the blond muttered to his companion.
"Rolina, where's that fuckin' gem?"
"I… don't know. It's gone," she admitted.
"Bitch! This is all your fault. Fuck! Fuck!"
"Sam, calm down," Rolina snapped. "Is that stone more important than our lives? Sorry—His manners are the worst."
"If I had to choose between that stone, you, and this stupid mutt—I'd choose the stone~ Shit! I can even put it in my ass. " Sam barked.
Rolina's fist shot out, punching his arm. "Ow, ow!"
Adeline turned sharply. "Enough, both of you guys! Tell me what happened."
"The bitch crashed our ship. We don't have the money or insurance to get it back!" Sam shouted, voice raw with frustration.
"You, shut the hell up!" Rolina hissed, yanking his collar. He had spilled everything to strangers.
"We're stuck here in the sand, We can't get back up there. The gem's gone too. Damn it all!"
The little dog curled beside the woman yawned wide, jaws stretching. Brian and Adeline exchanged puzzled looks, wondering where these two had really come from.
"Wait… you said you came from above—does that mean…?" Adeline drew out her words, waiting for an answer.
"Is she your wife, man?" Sam whispered, nudging Brian's shoulder.
"Wanna swap?"
Smack! Rolina slapped the back of his head. "Ow! Don't hit me there."
"We were traveling to sell goods," Rolina explained to Adeline, "but our engine malfunctioned and the ship went down."
"Hmm… maybe I can take a look at it. Where's your ship parked?" Adeline asked.
"You're a mechanic? Perfect. We left it in transparency mode—it crashed in the desert beyond the woods. Without thermal imaging, no one would spot it. At least for now~ It's pretty wrecked. If that bearded old man hadn't helped, we'd be ashes."
"Blah, blah, blah. Tiresome chatter. Beautiful lady, could you sing me something to soothe my soul? The woman next to me is like a mosquito buzzing in my ear," Sam muttered, shooting Rolina a mocking glance.
Brian frowned. "Hold on. The Alexandra Treaty forbids outsiders from bringing alien tech here, doesn't it?"
"We passed through the space station already. Don't worry," Sam said with a sly grin. Rolina nodded in agreement. "Our permit… it's stored in the ship. Yes, that's right."
"Alright then. We'll help you check the ship later," Adeline said.
Their car pulled up at the rural clinic. Brian and Adeline helped Sam inside.
"Let the doctor handle him," Rolina told them.
"What? You're leaving me here with some quack?" Sam protested.
"You'll be fine. The hospital will transfer you soon enough." Rolina waved goodbye, shutting the door as his voice echoed from inside: "Don't leave me here! Hey—!"
Outside, the odd little dog hopped onto Adeline's lap. Despite its strange features, she found it adorable.
"Wow… its fur is so soft. What breed is this?" she asked.
"We call him Fuzzy. You wouldn't want to know the actual species. But I can promise you—he's no ordinary dog."
Fuzzy barked in a raspy, unnatural tone, unlike any dog Adeline had ever heard. The three of them drove back to the crash site. Rolina led them down a slope of red sand. Brian climbed the dune, only to bump his head against something invisible.
"Ow!"
"There!" Rolina cried, sensing her ship nearby.
"Gulba!" she shouted. The air shimmered, revealing a battered blue spacecraft shaped like a sea shark.
"You can do that? If only we had that trick in battle," Brian muttered, rubbing his head.
"Look at this ship," Adeline whispered, reaching out to touch its hull.
"Amazing… is this a Turbo Thermonic thruster, model '67? Brian, check the rear insulation. The outer armor's layered with over fifty sheets of titanium alloy. That kind of plating can withstand massive impact. If—" She stopped, her gloved hand brushing against a strange palm‑sized hole in the metal.
"Wait. What's this? Excuse me." Adeline pried the panel loose. "This isn't from an impact. What kind of hole is it?"
Brian's eyes widened at her strength. "Whoa…"
"It was caused by a gemstone," Rolina explained. "I don't know its origin. We found it near an asteroid. It glowed, and then the ship ruptured. The last thing I saw was it shooting out into space—or maybe down here on Earth."
"What did it look like?" Brian asked.
"Golden, radiant like sunlight. It shone as if energy lived inside a crystal of molten glass. We wanted to sell it, but then everything went wrong. Now we're broke." Rolina's blue owl‑like eyes shimmered with sorrow, pulling at Adeline's heart.
"I don't even know where I'll sleep tonight…" Rolina sniffled, tears welling.
Adeline softened. "Don't worry. I'll arrange that. For now, let's get this ship hauled to our repair bay." She lifted her wristwatch and called in a cleanup unit.
"Cleanup team, I need assistance. Level 4C craft. Sending coordinates now."
"Actually… our ship is classified 4A," Rolina corrected gently.
Adeline turned back to Rolina with a gentle smile. "Bring in a larger ship—then you won't have to worry."
Moments later, a vast shadow spread across the desert, swallowing the light.
"They're here~~" Rolina lifted her gaze to the colossal craft descending above them. At the same time, the emergency vessel arrived. Rolina hurried off with Fuzzy, guiding the medics to Sam, leaving Brian and Adeline standing together.
Something gnawed at Brian's mind. He spoke quietly. "Miss Adeline… your right arm?"
"What about it?" she asked, tilting her head.
Above them, the massive ship lowered its magnetic clamps, pulling the shark‑shaped wreck into its hold. Adeline waved a signal upward, her eyes never leaving Brian's.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she teased.
"N‑no reason. It's just… I didn't realize—"
"You want to see this arm, don't you?" She stepped closer, almost brushing against him, and extended her gloved right hand. "Go on. Take it off yourself."
Brian's hands trembled as he grasped the glove. Click, scrape. A mechanical sound whispered from her upper arm. As he slid the glove free, the entire limb detached in his grip.
"Ahhh!" Brian shouted, horrified, staring at the severed arm.
Adeline remained calm, unfazed. "I think you pressed the wrong release. I'll explain later." She reattached the limb smoothly, as if nothing had happened.
Brian stood frozen, jaw slack.
"Bri~ you can't just stand there." she said lightly.
He forced himself to follow her back to the car, though the chill crawling up his spine refused to fade. Adeline, noticing his unease, sighed and tapped his forehead with her left hand.
Smack.