Free Trespassers: a science-fiction novel by Todd Wynn, Tim Wynn Page B

nodded a polite thank you . He didn ’ t make it farther than a step out the door before she called him back.
    “ I found those for you, ” she said, pointing to three pairs of sunglasses on the dresser. “ You should probably have some spares. ” It wasn ’ t exactly a heartfelt gift. Concealing his eyes was a necessity. Jin nodded, but inside it felt like a knife to the heart. He knew it was necessary to the mission, but being reminded that he was different wasn ’ t pleasant. When someone pointed this out, he couldn ’ t help but feel accused of being like the family he left behind. But he was nothing like them.
    Lyntic noticed the other glass of water in his hand. “ Don ’ t bother Dexim while he ’ s thinking. ”
    “ I know. ” Jin nodded and disappeared into the hall.
    As Lyntic continued her search, she found something very useful under the bed: a duffle bag. It was blue and white, with a large blue horseshoe emblem on one side, just above the words Indianapolis Colts . She remembered them being a football team, and she thought they had won the Super Bowl. She was right. This bag was a suitable replacement for the nawmas bag. Mission protocol dictated that the alien bag must be destroyed, so Lyntic had filled it with charcoal briquettes, placed it on the grill in the backyard, and set it ablaze.
    Across the hall, Jin headed to the bathroom where Tobi was soaking.
    “ Thirsty? ” Jin asked.
    “ Yeah, thanks, ” Tobi said.
    “ Try it before you thank me. ”
    “ Oh, right. ” Tobi cringed, remembering the treatment.
    Jin set the Jimmy Johnson glass on the edge of the tub, within Tobi ’ s reach. “ I ’ d wait as long as you can before drinking that, in case it doesn ’ t sit well with the vaccine. ”
     
    Downstairs, Dexim stood in the center of the living room, studying the supplies sprawled out over the furniture — a medical bag in the cloth chair, communication devices on the coffee table, and field rations spread across the couch. Dexim didn ’ t fly by the seat of his pants. He organized a mental playbook that accounted for every possibility. Long before they entered the Earth ’ s atmosphere, Dexim had visualized the possibility of the ship being confiscated — not because it was likely, but because he was obsessed with getting into all the nooks and crannies of possibility. He had a gift for picturing his way into and out of every problem.
    What if she ’ s not out there ? What if someone else found her already ? He didn ’ t have the answer, and neither did Dale Earnhardt. He hadn ’ t even noticed when Jin slipped the glass onto the table. He picked it up and got the first gulp over with.
     

11
Stone Ridge Cabin
    A modern wooden cabin rested on the edge of a secluded lake, nestled in a thick, green forest, as if a postcard had come to life. It was called Stone Ridge Cabin — the last place on Earth one would expect a government interrogation to be taking place.
    Inside the cabin, Denokin was coming to terms with the fact that he had been arrested — abducted from his own ship, no less. He sat across a table from Agent Lawrence. Both men had a cup of coffee in front of them. Denokin scratched his nail across an imperfection in the cup ’ s handle, as he listened to the earthling in the business suit churn out polished alien sentences.
    Denokin ’ s thoughts flashed back to the orders he had received just twenty hours ago from his regional supervisor. He was to pick up four passengers and drop them on Earth, and he would be paid well to sit and wait for their return. There was nothing unusual about that, except the urgency of it and the amount of the pay.
    Denokin was a transporter, shuttling tourists and business travelers from space stations to foreign planets and back again. He had worked all over the galaxy, but for the past four years, he had been doing mostly Earth. So, he knew the rules associated with making drops on Earth. There were certain times and places that