Adrian sat in the cold room. He stared at the one-way mirror knowing that the military personnel looking at him from behind it were debating on what they were going to do with him. Adrian smiled as he looked at it.
Two minutes ago he laid it all on the line. He told them about Solaria and how he met her, and that she had been in his house the whole time. He left out the other sordid details.
As he sat in the cold steel chair, he began to ponder on the options Solaria had given him. The moment they started to ask questions and drill him on the whereabouts of the alien known as Solaria. She had told him she could get him out of there in a blink of an eye.
Adrian had fun with the officers letting them know of her capabilities; at first, they doubted him. After making a pen disappear and reappear on the other side of the room, one of the soldiers drew his gun only for it to disappear and reappear unloaded with all the bullets missing a few seconds later.
Adrian told them she could do this with human bodies. The thought of being taken away from their safe location and being left drifting in orbit filled most of the soldiers and the officers with dread. They left him alone a few moments ago, no doubt they were talking with their higher-ups, asking on how to deal with the situation at hand.
"Well?" Solaria asked.
"Both options are intriguing, to say the least," Adrian replied.
On the one hand, he could leave everything behind and travel to Solaria's home planet. On the other, she could give him a new identity, enough money that he would never have to work again. Adrian imagined himself in another country or traveling the world. He had always wanted to travel.
He also thought about traveling to a new world, a new planet. Adrian had no ties to keep him here, he was an only child, both his parents had long since passed, the only person that he cared for was Gail, and she had made it clear that she didn't feel the same way about him.
An officer returned to the room. "We have spoken..." he began to say before Adrian lifted a finger.
"I have told you all you need to know," Adrian stated. "I want to talk to Gail. If you cannot do that, then I will be on my way."
The officer looked back at the mirror. They had already proven they could not stop Adrian from leaving. They had no way of knowing how the technology worked. Aiming weapons at Adrian had been futile. Even getting close to him had adverse effects as two of the soldiers that tried to get close to him had ended up back at the mall.
The warning from the alien guarding Adrian had stated the next humans to touch Adrian will end up floating in space. They dared not risk it.
The officer looked at the mirror as if waiting for an answer. The door opened, and Gail entered the room.
"Leave us," Adrian said looking at the officer.
"We have other questions that need to be answered," the officer said.
"Solaria," Adrian said through their mind link.
The officer disappeared.
"Where did she send him?" Gail asked calmly as she sat down.
"The next room," Adrian replied.
"So," Gail said as she looked at him. "You are leaving?"
"It's that obvious?" Adrian replied.
"You wouldn't have shown all your cards if you did not intend to use them," Gail nodded. "They can't stop you. They don't even know how you do it. The only reason you are still here is to say goodbye."
Adrian smiled. "You have always been good to me. It's only right to say goodbye."
"Thank you," Gail smiled. "I am sorry it didn't work out between us."
"No you're not," Adrian smiled. "Guilt is not a reason for apologizing, you decided to make a decision, and you haven't backed down from it before, there is no reason to back down now."
Gail shook her head. "Always the realist," she looked back at the mirror. "They won't stop looking for you."
"I am sure they will try," Adrian smiled.
"Do me a favor?" Gail said as she looked at him with the eyes he had fallen for years back. "Find happiness. You have never been happy; something I have always regretted not giving you."
"I will try," Adrian nodded. "I am sorry to leave you with all this mess."
Gail laughed. "No, you're not."
"No, I am not," Adrian said as officers and soldiers burst into the room.
"Goodbye," Gail said as Adrian disappeared.
As Adrian felt himself being pulled away, he heard a gun going off. Then everything went black.
"Hello," Adrian said in the pitch darkness. There was no answer. "Solaria?"
"I am here," she responded. "A bullet entered the transference field at the same time. We are making sure it hasn't done you any harm."
Adrian felt another tug. He felt strange as if his body was new to him. "What happened?" Adrian said as he tried to get up. Immediately he fell to the floor or what seemed like a floor. Everything was metal with bright colored lights all around him.
"Where am I?" he said trying to get up.
"The human needs more time," a loud voice said.
"Adrian," Solaria said this time he heard her voice louder than he ever had. He tried to get up to his feet again. Down he went to his knees. "What is wrong with me?'
"The gravity on board my ship is greater than what you experience on Earth, it will take some time to adjust. Also, we had to separate your consciousness from your body to repair the damage done by the bullet."
"Separate?" Adrian said. "Will I..."
"Putting the human to sleep," the other voice said.
Adrian felt a sharp jolt before he passed out.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Adrian slowly awoke, he looked around and found himself back in his bed. "Solaria," he said as he lifted the covers. He was still dressed in the clothes he had been wearing before. When he got out of bed, he noticed there was something different about his room. Everything was backward. Nothing was in the place it should be everything was in the opposite place it should have been, as if... "It's mirrored," Adrian nodded as he figured it out.
"We tried to make it as close as possible," the voice from before boomed.
Adrian covered his ears. "Too loud," he said.
"Is this a more suitable level?" the voice asked at a much lower decibel.
"Much, thank you," Adrian replied. "So, I am still on the ship?"
"Yes," the voice answered.
"And you are?" Adrian said as he went towards the door.
"The ship's A.I., " The voice answered. "I control everything on board."
The door slid open. Adrian found himself in a large corridor. He slowly walked outside looking at the lines of lights that blinked on and off everywhere. "Where is Solaria?" Adrian asked.
"She is in the control room, plotting our course home," the voice said. "Follow the yellow lights."
A stream of yellow lights lit the floor directing Adrian on where to go. He slowly walked forward.
"Have you made up your mind?" the voice asked.
"Yes, and no," Adrian replied. "There are questions I would like to ask."
"Of course, it is the human way."
"What do I call you?" Adrian asked.
"I do not have a name, but I understand that humans feel comfortable when they put a label on things, so you can give me a name if you so choose."
"Dexter," Adrian smiled.
"Dexter it is then."
As Adrian walked along the connecting corridors and pathways, he realized a few things. There were no doors to other parts of the ship. Everything was high up, things that he thought were panels or switches were nearly impossible for him to reach unless he was much taller.
"Solaria," Adrian said hoping she was still reading his thoughts.
"You are nearly here," Solaria said. "I will explain everything."
Adrian didn't know if he should be scared or concerned at the tone in her voice. For the first time since that fateful night, she sounded frightened.
Adrian turned one more corner. He stopped dead in his tracks as he was shocked at what he saw.
"I can explain," Solaria said standing before him.
Adrian stared up at her. She towered over him not by only a few inches but many feet.
"No," Adrian said nodding his head. "It makes sense."
"It does?" Solaria asked as she watched the small human walk towards her.
"The size of the ship," Adrian said as he smiled. "You said you were the only person on board. I always found that strange, if you were the only one, then why was the ship so big?"
Solaria looked at him. "You are not angry?"
"No," Adrian shook his head. "Why would I be? You were only protecting yourself."
He walked towards what he thought looked like the control console. He couldn't see all of it due to his height.
"I could lift you up," Solaria said as she walked over to him.
Adrian smiled. His height of six feet brought his head just under her waist and the top of her thighs. "Sure," he said feeling like a small child.
Solaria bent over and picked him up with both hands. Her hands felt cold. Her bright purple eyes stared at him as she put him down on the control panel.
From the view, the rest of the control room made sense to Adrian. The panels he thought were just for visuals were panels with levers and buttons. "Well?" Solaria said as she looked at him.