Only Skin Deep? [Short Story]

[Wake]

Only Skin Deep?

 

 

They were essentially slaves to the humans now, made no better than to do their dirty work. Forced labor for all their lives just with the false promises that after serving their time they'd be set free one day, able to return to their home.

 

The little blue eyed, four armed, two nosed person named Dan was in charge of research and development for the facility 108-A2. He worked at a 'company' owned by the humans. It was hidden away on planet Earth somewhere far from where any unsuspecting person could bump into it.

 

Dan's people while on Earth were suppose to have all the rights of free citizens while staying here; but when communications went down and the last transport ship crashed do to an EMP blast by some rebels back in the late 1950's, the little blue eyed folk had no way of getting home. The White House said they'd get a plan started right away to send them back, but with their technology as uncivilized as it was, there was no hope. The White House first started with 'worker placement' to help them integrate into good living here on planet Earth and to start to build parts needed for a ship to get home or at least call for help. I mean someone should come anyway, they knew they were here, right?

 

Months, then years went by and finally decades. The little creatures from outer space knew something was up; being made to work long hours on things that just did not seem to add up to anything of use. The humans however said they had a plan to get them back home. The small peaceful loving creatures at first didn't know about the concept of lies and manipulation to the extent of the Earthlings. They trusted the humans. Earthlings in their first encounter were so very friendly, the sharing they had, had and the wonderful thirst for knowledge. The people of Bumboodan were happy to finally have found others in the universe to talk with, as they had been searching such a very long time for people like themselves. As travel was long and had just started to get to the point of inter-galaxy transport. The Bumboodan’s only had but a handful of their native people on Earth. As the years passed they knew they may never see home again. They wondered; what were these strange things they were making.

 

Dan was the third generation on Earth... having near the same lifespan of humans was something Dan did not like. He couldn't even outlive his suppressors. However, there was something, a plan, an upraising? It wasn't fast going, but it didn't have to be. One day they knew... even the humans could not stop this now. Too many had been distributed... too many eaten.

 

***

 

Earth one day in the late 2020's started to make vast strides in technological advance in many fields, unknowing to the public it was just the government of the USA slowly implementing its plan that was over half a century old; now of the technologies from their 'little friends' of another planet that they had just sat on till the right time, to become the overwhelming leader in every advancement known world wide... medicine, engineering, biotechnology; and much, much more.

 

Dan sat down in his office chair as the government aid sat down across in his. Dan being a mere two feet tall might have been intimidated if he was worried about the size difference, but he wasn't. The man across from him could do him no harm. No actually he was quite helpful, he just didn't know it yet. His name was Sam. Sam was a bitter man that would do anything to get ahead in politics, though somehow or another pissed someone important off to land him this job. All he did was check in on each factory and see how production was. If there were any problems of the non-'human' kind he would need to report them to make sure everyone 'got along'. There never was any problems.

 

“Like I was saying, Dan, you keep this place in quite the tip top shape, so don’t get down in the dumps. I'm sure you might have been some fancy hot shot on your planet, maybe if you had been born there.... Maybe an astronaut or something, but here on Earth, this is as good as it gets.” Glen laughs out load with grin on his face as he pounds his hands on his knees like it was some amazing joke he just told and had to laugh along with.

 

Of course Dan didn't really laugh, but politely smiled, “No worries sir, I personally never knew my planet so I couldn't care less. This job ain’t so bad; nice hours, good pay, and I get to go home to my family at the end of the day.”

 

“We talking about the same job, Dan?”

 

“Of course, speaking of family, how’s yours? I heard you had to take a bit of time off last February because of your wife; Martha was it?”

 

“Really? I don't remember telling you that; and you shouldn't really have known that otherwise...” Glen scrunched up his face trying to think back, did they ever talk about each others’ families?

 

“No no, you did mention it. It was right after mine came down with the flu and then your wife coincidentally right after that did too.” It was Dan's turn to laugh, but his was more like a breeze of carelessness; just a whim of conversation.

 

“Oh well, she's doing better. Seems a lot of people have been getting sick lately, but back up and around in a few weeks, so no harm no foul I guess.” Glen shrugs and gets up to leave. “Well I'll see you in a month,” he turned to go.

 

“Hey I got a few too many apples from home. My kids packed my lunch today and just got way too many to eat, you want one?”

 

“Don't mind if I do,” Glen reached out and grabbed the apple offered to him in the out stretched green hand of Dan and took a bite. “Mmumm, good stuff,” Dan heard him saying as he rounded the corner out of the office doors. “Could never eat enough of these things,” Glen's voice faded as did his footsteps.

 

Dan leaned back in his chair as a worker rushed in with a clipboard in two of his hands. “Your Eminence, did he eat it, did he eat it?”

“Yep he ate it,” Dan smiled a big grin showing his sharp smile... and teeth. “I wanted to do that personally. Might take years, but soon, so soon...” Dan trailed off. It was a good idea he thought for his father had decided to get into the food business.

 

***

 

A little boy sitting in front of the TV waiting for his favorite program to come back on saw the most colorful advertisement for... “Hey mom, Can I get a pair? Please!!”

 

“Johnny dear, I have already bought you six new pairs of socks this year, you don't need another.” The mothers’ voice bellowed down the hall from the open room where she was happily waving her ‘All in One’ remote wand, to make the weave run. With a swift flick of the wrist having the weave make a new pair of dress ties for her husband.

 

***

 

“Hey Martha, is this green apple on the counter mine?” The husband asked later that night as he came in from work. Chomp.

 

 

THE END