Prologue

Portland, Oregon 2030

Tess Lockhart and her grandfather strolled through Portland, Oregon's Sandberg Mall, two ordinary people going about ordinary business. Monday Tess would join three other doctors at a family practice clinic on Woodrow Street, but today she enjoyed the rare privilege of having free time to spend with her grandfather.  They'd window shopped more than shopped and now, arm in arm left the mall and followed the sidewalk to the south parking lot where their car was parked.

"Oh, great," Tess said on seeing the gathering crowd ahead of them.

A huge inflatable space ship sat with one leg cocked up on the roof of a red coupe. The inflatable looked surprisingly realistic as it gave off jets of steam that tainted the air with a metallic smell. It made a few engine-like sounds, and came upright, the leg adjusting to the uneven surface.

"Neat," her grandfather said, chuckling.

"Probably a used car dealer," Tess said. "They have a knack for the absurd."

A hatch opened and a narrow ramp slide out onto the pavement allowing a half-a-dozen individuals in ankle length gray robes and helmets with opaque face plates  to glide into view. A small boy with a toy gun aimed at the newcomers and shouted "bang, bang." The gun gave a loud bang and smoke poured from the barrel. His "victim" raised a weapon of his own, an innocuous looking stick, and fired back. The child vanished.

Tess felt a cold chill slither over her skin. "Come on, Gramps, let's get out of here." She grabbed his arm and veered left, toward their car. Their movement caught the attention of one of the weapon carrying gray robed individuals. He glided toward them. Tess saw several people, most laughing and talking, being herded up the ramp into the ship.

"Wonder what the pay off is?" someone asked.

The individual who'd come in their direction stopped in front of them. He waved toward the ship with his weapon.

"Get away from her," her grandfather ordered.

The weapon swung toward him. It gave a faint hiss, filled the air with a rank acid-like smell, and her grandfather vanished.

Tess screamed.

"Shut the fuck up!"

A wide hand covered her mouth.

Rank breath bathed the side of her face.

"Just do what they want. You'll live longer."

She shook her head and struggled, but he had her pinned her against his chest and was forcing her toward the ramp.

"The old man's dead. Now shut up and move if you want to get out of this alive."

Dead? She stumbled up the ramp and into the semi-dark interior of the ship. Hot, humid air rank with the stench of feces and vomit overwhelmed her. She gagged.

"Don't you fucking dare!"

He shoved her into the corner, passed the other people who stood looking around, dazed and disbelieving. Her fingers curled into the wire side-wall of the cage. She was on eye level with an egg shaped reddish-brown creature hanging by fur covered tentacles from the woven wire roof of the next container. She yanked her hands back and sank to the floor, her mind blank.

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