Free Alien Deception by Tony Ruggiero Page A

the place, and she scolded herself for the moment of weakness and fought them back.
    "Whoever or whatever has control of this place wants to be sure that I am not going anywhere," she said, almost becoming angry. She thought about yelling again for help, but hesitated as a small movement caught her eye.
    At first, she thought that maybe someone had come in to check on her now that she was awake. Then she wasn't sure what to think when she saw what was heading toward her. First there was a thing floating in the air that seemed to come from nowhere. She recognized it immediately as something similar to a helmet used as a virtual reality device, because she had handled a client who manufactured them. Then there was another thing, except this one was on wheels moving more quickly toward her. It looked like a robot. A robot with a handful of hypodermic needles!
    "I must be dreaming," she said calmly. "This can't be real."
    She continued to watch the apparatus as it moved toward her. She repeated her thoughts over and over in her head. Her heartbeat became the only sound she heard as the device moved closer.
    "Ouch!" she said, as she felt a pin prick in her arm. "So much for the dream theory. You don't feel…pain…in…a…dream."
    Her heartbeat began to slow as a sense of calm enveloped her. Drifting, she soon found her eyes closing, not caring about the device that hovered over her head, or anything else for that matter. She gave in to the encompassing darkness as the device situated itself exactly where it needed to be on her head and inserted its pointed probes into her brain.
    Sarah suddenly felt him. He was leaning on the back of her chair with his hands. She could hear him inhaling deeply.
     
    * * * *
     
    Greg heard music in the background, a soft tranquil music as the images became sharper and more distinct. He was in the nightclub again, standing next to the woman , who was sitting on a barstool. His hands were on the back of the stool, and he leaned over toward her and inhaled the wonderfully fragrant perfume she wore.
    "So tell me…" he began to say, but stopped in mid-sentence. He looked around the bar and realized he was back in the dream again. But this time, there was hardness to everything, instead of the dream haze he had associated with it before. He gave himself a quick jab in the gut to ensure he was awake. The sharp wince of pain that came to his abdomen confirmed his suspicion. It was real, all right.
    "What the hell is going on?"he asked himself, his mind racing. "One minute I'm being run down by a truck, and then I'm in a strange room with little robots using me for a pincushion. Now I'm awake in my dream?" His solo conversation came to an abrupt end as the woman spoke.
    "What am I doing here?" she questioned him, anger flashing in her eyes. "Who are you?" She pointed at him.
    He opened his mouth to answer, but her tirade continued on as her voice began to rise in alarm.
    "This dress! I don't even own a dress like this! I wouldn't even consider wearing a dress like this!" she said, eyeing her black sequins and revealing neckline.
    Greg couldn't help perusing the same territory.
    She appeared to not notice his scrutiny as she continued to speak, frustration growing in her voice. "This place, I don't belong in a, well, a bar of all places, and I certainly don't know you!" Her voice broke as her eyes began to shimmer with tears. "I was in a hospital…or that's where I thought I was."
    Greg could only stand there, hoping her tirade was over. He wasn't sure what he was going to say anyway and, in her current emotional state, he would have to be careful. Heck, I don't even know what's going on myself.
    Looking away from him, she turned her barstool in a complete circle to get a good look around the place. Greg could see the same awareness on her face that he had when he first saw the images; it was exactly as it had been in the dream. But if that was a dream—then this is a dream—then why do I feel like I