Free Alien Coffee by John H. Carroll

it
clears up,” Buffy suggested, guiding her by the arm again. “We’re
still invisible and silent. We’ll take the first opportunity to get
in and rescue them.”
    Jillian followed willingly. She was
overwhelmed by that point and just wanted to go back home to hide
under her covers and pretend none of it had ever happened. What
in the world am I doing in the jungles of Columbia fighting a drug
lord’s soldiers?
    Once they were safely behind the shed, Buffy
examined Jillian’s condition. “You have a cut on your elbow and
you’ll probably have bruises tomorrow, but you’ll be alright.”
    “Alright?” Jillian asked in a voice tinged by
panic. “I just turned three men into emo bunnies and I’m still not
exactly sure what an emo bunny is.” She began pacing back
and forth. “I’m helping . . . individuals from other planets shoot
humans. Am I supposed to be doing that considering I’m human? Am I
committing some sort of treason here?”
    “You’re not committing treason,” Buffy
assured her. “These people are committing crimes against their own
race. Turning them into emo bunnies is a humane punishment for
them. They’ll be sad for the rest of their lives and feel remorse
for their actions whether they want to or not.”
    Jillian stared at the BEM for a moment.
“That’s just silly.”
    “Perhaps, but it really is fitting if you
think about it,” Buffy replied with a finger in the air. “In any
case, you’re not committing treason. You’re rescuing tortured
captives whom you have no alliance to. It’s a very noble and
selfless act. I’d recommend you for a medal if we were allowed to
tell anyone about your involvement in the matter.”
    “Gee thanks.”
    “But of course. It’s the least I could do if
I were able.” Buffy patted her on the arm then peered back around
the corner. “Let’s see what’s happening.”
    Jillian moved behind and watched the
soldiers. A large, sinister man wearing an expensive looking white
suit and hat was yelling at the soldiers who shrank back from his
fierce expression. “Scour the woods for aliens! Find them and bring
them to me alive.” He looked just like cheesy action movies
portrayed a drug lord to be. Jillian thought it very convenient for
the man and his soldiers to look exactly like their
stereotypes.
    Most of the soldiers headed toward the hole
in the fence going to the jungle while the drug lord went inside
the building with the captives. Two nervous looking guards remained
in front while two others took the place of their fallen comrades
in the back.
    Nyxulla called to them over the intercom and
Jillian heard it in her earpiece. “Sclurp and I are safe in the
ship. We’ve risen above the trees and his wound has been taken care
of. Are the two of you alright?”
    “We’re perfectly fine,” Buffy responded while
pressing the microphone button. “Most of the soldiers have cleared
out. Jillian and I are going to cut a hole in the fence on the side
then we’re going to proceed with the rescue.”
    “We are?” Jillian asked, her stomach
clenching again. She forgot to push the button.
    “That’s excellent,” Nyxulla responded
excitedly. “Thank you for helping, Jillian. I didn’t expect so many
things to go wrong. Stay close to Buffy!”
    Jillian pushed the button. “Uhh . . .
okay.”
    Buffy led the way to the fence near the side
of the shed where the men had been making out. He grabbed a
pencil-like cutter from a belt pouch and made quick work of the
chain links. Jillian looked around to make sure they weren’t being
watched and discovered it to be clear. She wondered if one of the
neat cutters had been put in her belt. Maybe they would let her
keep it, but it was doubtful.
    “Jillian, I need you to help me zap people,”
Buffy told her. Jillian looked into the compound eyes and saw tiny
reflections of herself mirrored in each facet. A tiny little voice
in the back of her head freaked out and ran away screaming.
    Once it was gone, she