Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 17:27:45 +0000 From: Jan Vincent Subject: Alpha Centauri Amazons - Chapter 5 Hi People Once again here I am posting yet another installment of my ongoing sci-fi saga about girls like Lisa Wells (USA), Mandy 0'Neill (Australia), Linda Wells (not related with Linda, though, or apparently ;); USA), Sandy Bates (USA), Sandra Lemay (Canada), Paula Schaefer (Germany), Kirsten and Reidun Johanssen (a couple of sisters from Norway). See what happens to them in this brand new chapter. If you want to read the other stories by me just go to my site at: http://www.sistersinlove.org/ As always your comments are more than welcome!!!! Write an email to: jan123@hotmail.com "Lisa! Lisa! Wake up, girl, you sleepyhead." Lisa grumbled and turned over on her bed, making a final effort to open her eyes and see who had invaded her room and was yelling her name. She had recognized Mandy's voice, but the Aussie girl's timbre sounded somewhat different. "What? Why are you shouting like that?" Lisa's eyes were finally able to focus. She saw Mandy in her pajamas, her nervous hands pulling her stammel hair back. "We are in orbit again." "We're back?" said Lisa, incredulous, getting out of bed and springing on her feet. "Lisa, we're..." Mandy didn't continue as Lisa scurried to the porthole of her room and saw a blue-and-white planet, which at a first glance looked like planet Earth, against a backdrop of darkness punctuated by non-glimmering, far-away stars. The contours of the continents down below, however, seemed different. Had Earth changed while they were gone? "I don't understand, are we back?" "Sandra says that's not Earth. It looks like it but it ain't the real thing." "For a moment..." "I know, Lisa." Hesitantly Mandy touched Lisa's shoulder, as though that small gesture would be a reassurance that everything would be all right. Lisa didn't realize that contact, too absorbed in what was before her eyes and the consequences of it. Finally they would meet their captors and understand what was expected from them. After getting dressed Lisa and Mandy went up to the bridge, propelled by the magenta stream of energy. Sandra was already waiting for them at the computer, and the scowl on her attractive face was not a favorable omen. Lisa grilled Sandra with questions, but all the Canadian woman could do was confirm the planet they were orbiting was not Earth. "But can't you confirm this with the computer?" "That piece of junk refuses to answer that question," said Sandra, sighing. "Just stays there as if I hadn't said a thing." "No big surprise there." Mandy sighed too. She stared at Lisa as if waiting for a definite answer. "Hey, what are you thinking?" "I'm trying to summon up Hades... Where is that... thing... when we need him." This time the green hologram did not appear, despite Lisa's efforts. They waited but nothing happened. Eventually they gave up their waiting and went down to the cafeteria. They were immediately surrounded by eager, nervous faces of young girls asking them what was that all about. As if they had an answer, Lisa thought, somewhat overwhelmed by the apprehension, even fear, she could see on some of the faces. Many times she told herself _that_ could not be happening to her. The disappearance of her family was only a dream, the kidnapping, a trick of her mind; deep down she knew that wasn't true, but she still clung to that vanishing hope. Before she could sink into depression she saw Paula Schaefer, that intelligent-looking woman with a beautiful face and impressive pitch-black hair. She had the looks of a witch sometimes, when Paula smiled at her. There was a mysterious pull when Lisa's eyes met the German woman's. Paula was that kind of woman who exuded sexuality although not in a blatant way. Lisa despised women who showed off how sexy they were -- couldn't stand them, really! Subtle, sophisticated, soft-spoken women like Paula had always intrigued her. She usually wanted to know them better, to learn their seductive ways and get the men she wanted so desperately... Like Kevin... She shook her head, becoming angry at herself and at her own situation of an unwilling captive. She didn't want to cry, but small teardrops gathered on the corner of her eyes. Lisa ambled in the direction of Paula. The German woman was talking with the now famous hothead of the ship, Kirsten Johanssen, and her Dutch girlfriend, Karin van der Veld. When she was about to take a chair and sit down Paula noticed her and smiled. "Hi, Lisa." ""Hi." Her words sounded more curt than what Lisa intended. Still, she did not apologize. At least not in front of Kirsten and her stupid Dutch girlfriend, she decided. Kirsten did not look pleased when Lisa sat across from Paula and Mandy took the empty place next to Lisa's and opposite Kirsten's. She then noticed that Karin and Kirsten held hands. She felt a sense of disgust fill all her senses. She thought it gross. How can a woman have sex with another??? That was so positively nauseating. "Any news?" Paula asked, sending a smile to Lisa. "No, Hades has vanished, it seems." "They're preparing something," Mandy added. "What, I don't know." "Who do you think is _they_?" Karin said, with her heavy Dutch accent. Lisa shrugged, but Mandy was willing to answer. "Well, they may look like the guy we found out in that empty room inside that... thing." "Do you think they want us to have sex with them?" Karin displayed obvious repulse at the thought, very similar to Lisa's when she thought about the nature of Karin's relationship with Kirsten. "Most probably," said Kirsten, gripping Karin's had harder. "If you believe in those abduction stories. And the guy Mandy answered... it really looks like those gray men you read about in that UFO stuff. When I was younger I used to devour all that shit. And now look at me... I just can't fucking believe this." Lisa observed Kirsten and her myriad of blond, thin, finely interwoven braids. She also noticed Kirsten's shoulder tattoo the Nordic woman was scratching and the tiny diamond incrusted on the skin above her right nostril. Kirsten really looked like a tough girl but she knew, deep inside, that Norwegian woman was as scared as every girl, every woman on that ship. Suddenly they felt the ship move. Most girls stood up and hastened to the portholes. Lisa and Mandy returned to the bridge, this time followed by Paula. There was a moment of hesitation by Kirsten and Karin about tagging behind the other women, but in the end Kirsten signaled Mandy with a wave they were going to stay in the cafeteria. Soon as they reached the bridge Mandy asked, "So, Sandra, what's happening?" "The ship's leaving orbit," Sandra stated with a preoccupied look. "And it is going down." "Going down?" Lisa stared at Sandra with puzzlement. "You mean, we're going to land on that planet?" "Yeah, that's right. Ready or not we're going to land. Oh, and one more thing..." "Yes?" Lisa said, somewhat irked as Sandra kept them in suspense longer than necessary. "That star that looks like the Sun is actually Alpha Centauri A. That reddish star over there," added Sandra fingering a small dot of light in the perpetual evening sky in front of them, "that's Alpha Centauri B. We actually are in the Alpha Centauri stellar system." "How can you be so sure?" said Paula with skepticism in her voice. "I find a big coincidence that there is a planet like Earth so close to the Solar system. What are the odds of that?" "Well, it's kind of strange, I agree." Sandra nodded, then continued. "But what are the odds of having a star so similar to the Sun as Alpha Centauri A so close to the Solar system? Perhaps because they were formed at the same time...? I don't know. I just know as much as you do." "Don't be so fucking modest." Mandy smiled at Sandra. "You know so much more than us. Don't you try to make us feel better about our ignorance." Sandra laughed out loud, despite herself. * * * When the ship finally landed Linda Wells was assaulted by mixed emotions. On one hand she was glad they were on "firm land", so to speak. On the other hand, she dreaded what was behind the huge main ramp of the ship. When the gigantic door of the ship began to rise, much like a medieval castle's iron gate before the drawbridge, she felt a rush of wind. She breathed in deeply and for a moment she had to cough, cough really hard, as if that air burned her lungs. Many girls started to scream and cough as well, and having trouble in breathing that stinging air. Someone cried out to shut the door, but Linda knew the aliens were the ones who had opened it and there was no way for them to close it again. Too weak she let herself collapse on the ramp, wheezing, pulling the air in. Her head ached, she felt her heart hammering in her chest. With a tremendous effort she saw many girls had fainted and lay as if dead on the ramp. But it didn't make sense... Why would the aliens want to kill them now? Why would they? After so much work with their abduction? Perhaps they had changed their mind... Suddenly she saw some gray silhouettes coming from down below. They picked up the prone bodies, one by one, until someone came to get her. She wanted to scream, she didn't want them to touch her. 'Oh, God! Help me! HEELLLLPPP MEEEE!!!!' When she regained her senses, she saw a familiar face. It was Sandy Bates. "Hey, are you okay?" "Where are the aliens?" Linda asked, confused, unable to see and think clearly. "What aliens?" "The aliens, that took us here." Sandy's attractive, waif-like, taunting smile appeared, showing her immaculate white teeth. "You're dreaming, girl. There are no aliens, and no men, and no males you can speak of, speak to and fuck." "Why are you always like that?" "Like what?" Sandy helped Linda stand up. "Like..." Linda accepted Sandy's help with a slight painful expression, as her ribcage hurt. "Like... you have always to show how foul-mouthed you are." Sandy grinned. "Well, somebody has to be foul-mouthed... It's not like we are all little girls around here, afraid of mice and the like." "Yeah..." Linda said, feeling some aggravation about the pun Sandy had just made. 'She thinks she's so smart,' she thought with bitterness. 'But one day...' Her train of thought was cut off as Sandy grabbed her arm and commanded, "Let's go. It's beautiful outside. The sun is shining, and there is this amazing prairie with green grass and horses and elephants and you name it." "What?" "Yes, you heard me. Let's go." Sandy and Linda ran down the ramp until they set foot on land. Linda became perplexed. Everything Sandy had told her was true. The ship had landed on an immense grassland, with scattered trees and herds of bison, elephants and horses... The place seemed deserted of people, except for them... There was no sign of houses, roads, or any other traces of civilization. It seemed they had gone back in time, landed on planet Earth when humankind was virtually non-existent. "Fucking unbelievable, huh?" Linda didn't say a thing. She twisted her arm free from Sandy's clasp. "What I wouldn't give to ride on one of those horses. They look wild, man." "They are." Sandy looked at her, amused. "Hey, you know about horses?" "Yes, I grew up with them. My parents have a farm, you know." "You a farm girl?" Sandy squealed. "Oh, come on, don't be like that... I was joking. Come on, can't you take a joke?" "Ah, Ah!" "That's more like it. You can also be as tough as me. See?" Linda blushed, due to the sudden compliment, or at least had sounded like one. Both girls stared at each other and then burst in laughter, together, for the very first time. * * * It seemed to Lisa as though the animals kept their distance, afraid of the bulkiness of the enormous ship they had traveled on so many miles. Many times she had scanned the horizon for any signs of intelligent life but found none. Again that creepy feeling they were unwilling pawns in a twisted version of Noah's Ark, as Mandy had put it. But Noah's Ark had men and women... And this version had only women, and she had basically been handpicked to provide a way for them to reproduce themselves without men. "What are you thinking?" Mandy asked, tending to the fire they had made in front of the ship's ramp. Alpha Centauri A had already sunk onto the horizon, behind a distant ridge of mountains covered by a large forest of pine trees, or so it seemed to Lisa. In spite of that, there was still some light given off by Alpha Centauri B, which was comforting in a way. Lisa told her friend about her thoughts, about their future, about choices they had to make. "I kind of find the humor in it," said Mandy, throwing another piece of wood into the fire. "I don't follow." "Here we are, alone on a planet that really seems a carbon copy of Earth, with a bunch of women we don't know from Adam..." Mandy smiled at her own pun and then went on, "It's kind of like we have landed on Paradise and we don't have to stomach to face it and accept it." "This is not my idea of Paradise," replied Lisa, rolling her eyes, twisting her mouth and breathing out deeply. "God, where are the men?" "You miss them, don't you?" "Of course, don't you? I mean, I miss my family, I miss my brother... I miss all my friends..." "That's different. I asked you if you really miss them?" "Of course, I've already told you." "Yes, but I don't mean like... friends... I mean, like... lovers." "Of course, don't you?" "Well... Yeah..." Mandy said, giggling for a while, "But I see here pretty good alternatives to men." "You do?" "Yeah. Don't you?" "No! That's disgusting." "Well, I am not sure about that." "About what?" "About your total rejection of a woman's loving." "Okay, if you wanna go sleep with them, that's fine with me, but I will never..." "Okay, what about Paula?" "What about her?" "Well, she's kind of interested in you, didn't you see that? And she's hot." Mandy's words caught Lisa by surprise. She had felt some sexual vibes from the German woman before, but she had always thought it was simply her overactive imagination playing tricks on her... But now Mandy had seen it too. Could she be right? "She's not that hot." "Yes, she is and you know it. You just don't want to admit it... to yourself and much less to me." "Oh, come on... As if I'd be interested in her." "Yes, you are." "No, I am not." "Yes, you are too," Mandy replied, giving her voice a childish intonation. "Oh, shut up!" Lisa laughed nervously as she stood up and left the fireside. She walked further into the darkness and touched the grass, feeling its texture. She breathed in. The air still stung but less so as her lungs adapted to the new atmosphere, which a had slightly different mix of scents than Earth's. Everything seemed heavier, bigger on this planet. Even the elephants and the bison seemed wilder, more menacing-looking. Only the horses looked like the ones she was used to. Whether she wanted or not it seemed that this strange planet would be her new home, and those girls her new family... And she was supposed to be their leader, she was supposed to know everything... She sighed and looked above and saw, for the very first time, that this planet had also a Moon. (to be continued)