Chameleon by Otto Gramm (new reading .TXT) 📕

 – Hey, hey, calm down... – Will wanted to intervene but was stopped by the fluffy-haired girl. As she approached the mad man, she took him by the hand. He froze in place and all eyes stared at her.

– I’m Nicole. You mustn’t take this off. – She said short and clear; Alex was taken aback. – Look... – She continued in narrator voice, as if nothing had happened. – ...there are no needles or catheters. – The girl bent his elbow at a convenient angle and pulled a bit the material to which the plastic was attached. – See? – She let go of his hand. – This is a universal solution for blood purification. You were dying from a drug, remember?

Alex thought for a second and then nodded.

– That’s good. Let it finish the cure.

– I’d better sit down. – He muttered, returning to the sofa.

His head was spinning like hell and he almost fainted. Maybe the reason was the drugs, or his fatigue, or maybe his new reality – beyond the walls of his lab... Where is he by the way? Alex looked around, but even clear figures of the people began to blur. He felt he was about to fall.

– Drink this, you’ll feel better.

Alex automatically took the glass, unable to see who was talking. A faint echo of a female voice sounded somewhere far away, behind a wall of fog.

He took a sip and the next instant a blissful wave spread over his whole body, warming every nerve. A pleasant tremor ran through his hands and back, the veil before his eyes receded, he felt a surge of strength.

– Feeling better? – This time it was a man talking to him. Alex recognized the voice of the Scotsman.

As he rose his eyes, he saw that the man hovering right in front of him. From this perspective, he seemed to him even higher and bigger. Alex remembered his unfriendly attitude at the first meeting and was already prepared to defend himself, when suddenly the man calmly reached out his arm with the bracer.

– William MacNeil. – He introduced himself. – At your service. Don’t get up. You’ll feel strength in your legs only in five minutes.

Surprised, Alex nearly dropped the glass. He couldn’t remember when he last shook someone’s hand.

– Alex... sander Koldoum. – Finally, he answered the gesture, a little gasping. – I thought I broke it... Did I miss?

– Excellent strike! Strength and angle were more than perfect.

Enthusiastic tone of the hightower discouraged the guest.

– And what about “kick hell out of him”? – He glanced askance at Scot.

– Don’t trust his threats! – Spaniard replied for his friend. – Especially in the aid-post. He’ll brake your bone only if your life depends on it. – Without getting up, Diego pushed himself off the floor and drove up to them in his armchair. Or rather flew up, as rounded seat slowly hovered in the air two feet from the floor.

– Diego Navarro. – Without paying attention to the extended face of the guest, he firmly shook his hand. – Cap’s first mate.

– Cap is...?

– Kyle. We all call him that now. Since Mitch joined us. Let me introduce the others. – Diego turned away for a moment and Alex ran his foot under his chair. – Will, sit down, por favor, your butt is in the view.

Scot muttered something in his language and took a place on the other side of the sofa.

– So, let’s begin. – Diego nodded toward the black-haired lady. – This is Linda Presley. A boiling mixture of Italian, Irish, Austrian and Finnish blood. In short – American.

– My great-grandfather was an Icelander, not an Irishman, Di! – Lin responded with her nose again buried in the tablet.

– Scusi! – He continued. – She used to be an exemplary housewife, but prefers to be called an architect. Here she’s our doctor and the source of almost all the ravages. You’d better be watchful with her. She’ll easily wrap you around finder and make you feel guilty.

– The girl who pacified you and gave the potion is our Nicole Lenoir. – Spaniard continued. – Native Parisian. Behind the mask of sweet innocence lies Dr. Lecter himself.

– Who? – Alex asked.

– Strong psychologist, logician, analyst... a maniac maybe. I strongly don’t recommend lying to her. Even more watchful with her.

– How caring! – Nicole smiled again, this time sarcastically. She already took a place at the common table next to them.

– Well, the next beauty. – Diego continued, ignoring the public’s opinion. – Viltaro Vienne. You can simply call her Vivienne, or Vivy. Our pilot. Extra-watchful with her. If something’s wrong, she can tear your hand off.

Just at that moment, Vivy stood next to Alex and held out her hand.

– Only to avid talkers. – She said softly. – And not the hand. – She added, sending Diego an ambiguous glance. The man obviously got the hint, as he frowned and crossed his legs.

Finally, Alex felt enough strength to rise and respond the girl’s gesture with a gentle handshake.

– My pleasure... I beg your pardon, but is it really an Eastern name?

– It’s not. Neither am I. I’m not even the Earthling.

– Wow! – He grinned. – I’ve already met two aliens.

– Tree. – Diego butted. – Remember Shad? He’s also an unearthly boy. His race was called Deani. Alas, it’s gone, so we use it as his nick or a family name.

– Like Askord for Kyle?

– Not exactly. He’ll explain you the meaning if this word if he has time and wish.

– I see. – Alex wearily flopped down on the sofa.

Diego muttered he had forgotten something and left the room; the crew fell silent again. Alex used that pause and have a good glare around the room. It was wide and spacious, with a low ceiling, along which the strips of lamps formed angular patterns. Smooth light flow was without noise and quivering as in his ward (which often brought him to stupefaction and wild migraines); and was not as bright as in the operating room. A wide glowing tube was ringing the niche with the sofa where he was sitting. “It must be very comfortable here to read”, Alex remembered himself spending short moment of spare time with classic novels. When was that? If it was at all... He waved away his nostalgia and returned to the examination. Two walls were panoramic windows, filled with light that made the room illumination fading. “The forest does not give a shadow. Are we in an open area?” Alex asked himself. In the opposite wall, two cylindrical cabins were mounted from floor to ceiling, covered with a dark opaque glass. They were about one and a half meters wide and in the center of each was a metal rod.

– Those are lifts. – Will explained, as he noticed the direction of his gaze. – Up to the pilot cabin.

– But you can’t take them from there. – Diego appeared in the room. – So you’ll have to learn how to spin on a pole...

– Stop! – Alex jumped. A complete picture began to reach his mind. – Did you say pilot?

– Well yeah. – Will replied calmly.

– Are we on a ship?!

– And how do you think we were here? By cab?

– Kyle told me nothing about the ship.

– Probably, he thought you’re smart to guess on your own. Vivy is a pilot, he’s a captain, Diego’s his first mate and three more aliens in addition... Do you catch an association?

Scot was right. It was stupid of him not to guess they were inside of a spacecraft. Alex did not see anything from the cliff. So where had they hidden it? He would not dare ask some of the folks to take him outside. Therefore, he contented himself with observing the room. Glancing down, Alex saw strange circles on the floor with different diameters. Will calmly approached one, pushed his foot to the edge and slightly spun it. The disk slowly rose and hovered in the air, like a flying saucer. The guest staggered in surprise.

– In case of a gala dinner. – Lin explained jokingly. – Though, I won’t live that long.

– It’s a table. Like most furniture here, it has maglevs. Similar ones can be put out of the walls, but we barely use them. – Will pressed something under the tabletop. The disk with a quiet hum slowly returned on its place.

– I see. – Alex felt his faintness returned, so he stopped his curiosity and went back to the sofa. Dizziness renewed, legs became jelly.

– Psychotronics? – Vivy noticed his pallor.

– No. – Alex replied slowly. – Kyle’s too far. It’s my fatigue.

– Finish your drink. – Diego passed him a glass.

Without any objection, he drained it in one gulp and the next moment he felt a whirlpool growing in his head; it stretched him out and spiraled, like a stream of light in the orbit of a black hole. Alex didn’t hear the glass clanging on the floor, didn’t feel his body falling on the sofa. Abruptly and suddenly, he was seized by a sleep, strong, deep, long awaited sleep.

– What was that? – Will angrily looked at Spaniard.

– What? – Diego calmly picked up the glass from the floor. – A small break for our new friend. He was barely standing.

– I ought to show him the vessel.

– He’s too exhausted to remember any of your instructions. Let him sleep first.

– How caring! – Nicole grinned again.

“Weird drug, the head is clear, no buzzing, no aching... What a dream I had! Escape, forest, Kylas... Askord. What would this word mean...? Voices again. Please don’t take me for another lobotomy! I don’t want to wake up...”

Alex lied half-asleep, stretching a moment of oblivion and peace. He could hear talks, echoing from afar it he did not listen to them. They were more that clear to him.

Someone laughed. A strange voice, low, deep... young. He could not remember hearing it anywhere... even in his dream. Alex started to listen. Thought the sounds came hard as through a concrete wall he could hear some phrases.

– So you’ve had fun with him, huh? – The unknown voice asked.

– Yeah, a little... – The words dissolved. – ...could be worse.

– Adaptation can take ... – A female voice. – ...unwanted symptoms...

Why could not he hear anything clearly?

– Did they really drill him? – The young voice sounded again. – I can’t see any scar on his hands... Is he even breathing...? – He spoke right above him. – Sleeping but so quietly!

Alex felt the stranger’s shadow on his face; his hands tensed, preparing to attack.

– Don’t come too close. He’s awaken and is going to grip you in the throat. Di had already experienced his hands.

Alex shuddered from the sound of this voice. “Kyle!” He opened his eyes.

– What the hell!!! – He shouted and fell off the sofa.

– Wow! Careful, man!

A man’s figure rose just above him. The ceiling lights were shading stranger’s face but his blown out hair and tunnels in the ears (which Alex had never seen) looked a bit scary.

– The first impression is always right. – Now, he could clearly hear the voice of Scotsman who was talking to Nicole in the other part of the hall. Kyle stood at the doorway, must had just walked in.

– That was not a dream? – Alex asked, wiping his forehead.

– Someone recently assured me that could recognize one. – Captain smirked. – Okay. As far as I know, you’ve already met all of my crew, except one – Mitch Skorvi. – Passing, he slapped the boy on the shoulder. – You can pass him your newbie status.

– Morning, rookie! – With a broad smile, he held out his hand and helped Alex to stand up.

The young man was almost