himself, then to an office nearby. She
understood that he would be in there, nodded and smiled as she sat down in the
chair.
He walked across the foyer, stopped at
the door and looked back at her. She motioned that she was okay and he
disappeared into the office. She noticed a clock on the wall and was trying to
figure out what time it was. There were fourteen digits on the clock and four
hands. She figured out what three of the hands meant, but had no idea about the
fourth. She pulled back her sleeve to see her watch.
“Shit!” she said frustrated.
That was one thing she hadn’t thought
about until now. When she removed her things from Intrepid she overlooked her
watch. She thought that it would be nice to know what time and day it was back
home.
Several of the Poltanians gave her
strange looks as they walked by. She simply nodded and smiled, thinking to
herself, I’m getting so damned tired of nodding and smiling. Some smiled back
and others looked at her as though she had a disease. There seemed to be an
entirely different social atmosphere between the space station and here. No one
on the space station looked at her oddly. Perhaps they were more used to seeing
aliens than the people on the planet.
She saw some magazines sitting nearby and
picked one up. Amazingly, it resembled one from Earth. She didn’t have a clue
what it said, but the pictures were obviously advertisements. She glanced up at
the clock again and estimated that thirty minutes had passed. She was beginning
to get concerned about Tarku.
Suddenly, two men walked up beside her
and began speaking to her. They were wearing uniforms, and she assumed that
they were either the building security or the local police. She looked at them
with a blank expression, because she had no idea what they were saying. One of
them extended his left hand and began tapping on his wrist as he spoke to
Janet. She again looked at him confused and shrugged, hoping that he’d pick up
on her expressions. Instead, he kept tapping his wrist while saying the same
thing over and over, getting slower and louder, as though it would make her
understand.
“I don’t know what you’re saying,” she
said with frustration, and it seemed to make the man angry. He tapped on his
wrist again and said the same thing, even slower and louder. She extended both
hands to show him that she had nothing on either wrist.
“I’m not wearing anything on my wrists.
What the hell are you trying to tell me?” she asked, getting very frustrated
with his persistence.
Then, he totally surprised her by
motioning for her to get out of the building. She pointed to the office where
Tarku was and then pointed to herself and the chair.
Again, the man said something angrily and motioned for her to get out. She
shook her head and looked away, trying to ignore him. Now the other man began
to get very vocal and started tapping her on the shoulder and pointing to the
building exit. She had enough and was getting quite upset.
“Leave me alone,” she said angrily. She
gestured for them to go away and one of them pushed her on the back. That did
it! She got up and started walking towards the office where Tarku was. One of
the men ran in front of her, shouting and pointing. Then he pushed her. She
wasn’t sure what to do, and now, a small crowd was gathering. She certainly
didn’t want to start some interplanetary incident, but she didn’t want to leave
the building either. She just wanted to get to Tarku.
When he pushed her, she brushed away his
hand. “Get out of my way, you stupid fucking alien!” she fumed.
The man behind her grabbed her shoulder
and spun her around. That was the final straw. Interplanetary incident or not,
nobody was going to treat her like this. Little did they know that she had a
black belt in Tae Kwon Do. She planted a front kick to
his stomach, making him double over. At the same time, she took the palm of her
hand and pushed it right into his face, knocking him backwards and
understood that he would be in there, nodded and smiled as she sat down in the
chair.
He walked across the foyer, stopped at
the door and looked back at her. She motioned that she was okay and he
disappeared into the office. She noticed a clock on the wall and was trying to
figure out what time it was. There were fourteen digits on the clock and four
hands. She figured out what three of the hands meant, but had no idea about the
fourth. She pulled back her sleeve to see her watch.
“Shit!” she said frustrated.
That was one thing she hadn’t thought
about until now. When she removed her things from Intrepid she overlooked her
watch. She thought that it would be nice to know what time and day it was back
home.
Several of the Poltanians gave her
strange looks as they walked by. She simply nodded and smiled, thinking to
herself, I’m getting so damned tired of nodding and smiling. Some smiled back
and others looked at her as though she had a disease. There seemed to be an
entirely different social atmosphere between the space station and here. No one
on the space station looked at her oddly. Perhaps they were more used to seeing
aliens than the people on the planet.
She saw some magazines sitting nearby and
picked one up. Amazingly, it resembled one from Earth. She didn’t have a clue
what it said, but the pictures were obviously advertisements. She glanced up at
the clock again and estimated that thirty minutes had passed. She was beginning
to get concerned about Tarku.
Suddenly, two men walked up beside her
and began speaking to her. They were wearing uniforms, and she assumed that
they were either the building security or the local police. She looked at them
with a blank expression, because she had no idea what they were saying. One of
them extended his left hand and began tapping on his wrist as he spoke to
Janet. She again looked at him confused and shrugged, hoping that he’d pick up
on her expressions. Instead, he kept tapping his wrist while saying the same
thing over and over, getting slower and louder, as though it would make her
understand.
“I don’t know what you’re saying,” she
said with frustration, and it seemed to make the man angry. He tapped on his
wrist again and said the same thing, even slower and louder. She extended both
hands to show him that she had nothing on either wrist.
“I’m not wearing anything on my wrists.
What the hell are you trying to tell me?” she asked, getting very frustrated
with his persistence.
Then, he totally surprised her by
motioning for her to get out of the building. She pointed to the office where
Tarku was and then pointed to herself and the chair.
Again, the man said something angrily and motioned for her to get out. She
shook her head and looked away, trying to ignore him. Now the other man began
to get very vocal and started tapping her on the shoulder and pointing to the
building exit. She had enough and was getting quite upset.
“Leave me alone,” she said angrily. She
gestured for them to go away and one of them pushed her on the back. That did
it! She got up and started walking towards the office where Tarku was. One of
the men ran in front of her, shouting and pointing. Then he pushed her. She
wasn’t sure what to do, and now, a small crowd was gathering. She certainly
didn’t want to start some interplanetary incident, but she didn’t want to leave
the building either. She just wanted to get to Tarku.
When he pushed her, she brushed away his
hand. “Get out of my way, you stupid fucking alien!” she fumed.
The man behind her grabbed her shoulder
and spun her around. That was the final straw. Interplanetary incident or not,
nobody was going to treat her like this. Little did they know that she had a
black belt in Tae Kwon Do. She planted a front kick to
his stomach, making him double over. At the same time, she took the palm of her
hand and pushed it right into his face, knocking him backwards and
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