Chapter 1
Zelda
Beginning

"I suppose it's as good a place as any to start." Brian says with a perplexed look to Kelly. "Remember that we can only be here for two hours. You really need to get this figured out now, don't start coding or hacking until then."

Zelda is shaking her head, she agrees with Brian for once. Kelly who she only met for the first time today is looking to do way too much. She has been told it is the first time he has ever been allowed to come down to Earth and everything seems wonderful to him. She can't even fathom being locked up in a spaceship for months and be able to see the ground below and not be allowed to go down. So in a way she understands his excitement. Still getting the Visitor computer setup is very important, it has taken four months to get it smuggled here. The objective is to find the various programs and figure out how to control them so that number one when the two ships are taken they are not blown up as they leave.

"In fact, just set up what you need to, then make sure it will work and that's all." Brian then waves his hand at Kelly in frustration. "I am going to set here and try to put some notes together. Remember when Nick closes the sliding door, remain quiet no matter what as there are customers and we do want to not arouse interest in our being here. You need a snack, the mice are downstairs as I showed you. Eat them down there and again when you come back up here be quiet just in case there is someone in the shop."

"Sure," Kelly says with a smile and Brian sets down at a table where a second device sits. This one has been especially altered so that they can't be tracked, but it still can't be used often or interest may arise if monitoring becomes aware of the unrecognized signal. The device will remain here at Beautiful Smoke.

Zelda just shakes her head and walks out the door to the cafe. They took a small amount of the money that Brian gave them and had a small covered porch built. They can now walk out the door to the other door or sit in one of the chairs and relax. It is a luxury that she has found she enjoys very much.

It has been a very odd four months. First her marriage to Javier hit sort of stumbling block when he agreed to support Brian and his friends in their movement to leave and not resist. She wanted to work with the resistance, but she agreed and told the people she was working with in the resistance a lie. A horrible lie, that Visitors were always at the shop and she didn't want to endanger Ethan's life. Then again maybe it wasn't a lie. They are here a lot and if discovered, not only Ethan's life, but all of their lives will be at risk. She shrugs, maybe it is for the best as the resistance would most definitely be in that line of fire by the Visitor Regime.

She and Javier had fought over a month, but the more Brian and his friends came the more she realized that Javier was correct. This was the right course for them to take and eventually it would benefit the resistance as well. She loves Javier and has never understood why people think he isn't very intelligent, funny as Brian who thinks he is smarter than everyone else sees Javier as intelligent. People only see a drug dealer when they look at Javier. What they forget is that he did that to help her with school, but in the end it was to expensive and the Visitors constant monitoring made school difficult. Brian coming into this was truly a benefit with the offer of money and thoughts on what they could do to make a living. Then again those changes have certainly benefited Brian and his movement.

There had been a bad moment when the Visitor Gary who had already been told that there was no more weed to buy kept showing up. In the end he demanded the weed. Finally, Javier had no choice, but to let Brian know that Gary would not leave them alone. If Brian and his friends wanted a new life, well Javier wanted a new life as well. This had been hard for Javier as he never wanted to be the one to ask Brian for a favor, but he did and not to keep Doing Our Own Thing movement from having an issue. This was done for her, because Javier loved his wife. She has no idea what Brian did, but Gary has never come again.

She loves that Javier is working on his new life. He is working with her in the cafe and taking care of the pot paraphernalia and does the books for both her and Nick. Nick's business has picked up as well, mostly due to the younger people that come for the pot paraphernalia, which again Brian and George seemed to inspire. However, it is difficult at times as the Visitor movement keeps showing up at inconvenient times. Now, Brian and his pals come through the back door using a key that is hidden for them to use. Doesn't mean that people in the neighborhood don't know they come, but nothing has been said. She fears that animosity may be brewing and that one day they will suffer repercussions from the local population, but for now it is something that must be done.

Yes, the past four months have been odd and ever changing with the work the DO is doing. Poor Ethan has been asked, no he has been pressured to understand he must not tell anyone that Visitors come to the shop and that they use the room behind the counter as a work room. Oddly though Ethan has not seemed to be upset by this. It is as though he feels he is involved in a secret agent group. She doesn't understand his complete devotion, but at least it is going well for now. Ethan she was afraid would be a problem in that he would tell other kids at school what was happening. Brian said he felt that Ethan would not say anything. For now all is good, at least for now, but she fears that eventually the boy may be bullied.

The Visitors have in the last few months begun to show who they are, not physical selves, but who they are inside. Some of their personality traits are as she expected and other things about them she suspected and other things were a surprise. Zelda, uses DO, which is her nickname for Doing Our Own Thing, until recently she wished she had found a way to alert the resistance without Javier or Nick or DO knowing. However, the repercussions of doing that are unknown and Brian is likely correct that the resistance may try to take over DO. Forcing DO to work with the resistance would not work, even if what she heard was true from the resistance meetings she attended months ago about there being a resistance group on the ship. Sadly not only Brian, but the rest of DO do not want to work with another Visitor resistance. They really want to do their own thing and want nothing to do with the older Visitor resistance group if it exists. When she looks at Brian, the troopers and now Kelly and Becky, they are so young and they have not had a chance to make their own decisions on what they want. To them the older resistance will see them as not knowledgeable enough to take control, but will do just as the Regime has done and that is use them. Zelda shakes her head, they have a lot of trust issues.

She had found out that George was George and she had no doubt that he really could sell icicles to an Eskimo. Lately he has even begun to pull small pranks even on them, apparently this is very George. He does have a good and bad thing, he can make people so happy to do whatever he asks and she can't tell if he even does this with manipulation. George is just being George. Another thing about George is he is a businessman and Beautiful Smoke has begun to prosper and he and Javier have had some very boring business discussions. Yep, George is George.

Gordon although he always looks grumpy, he is not. He is a very serious young man who believes in complete commitment, he cares deeply about his friends and his friends do not have to be Visitor aliens. If you are Gordon's friend he will take care of you no matter the trouble it may create for him. His biggest job has always been since even childhood to keep Brian, Shy and George out of trouble. He has been doing this and will likely be some ninety year old man still trying to rein his friends to stop whatever whacked out project they want to run out and do.

Aloohula is quiet and keeps his feelings hidden, but she has always felt that he is a young man with a good heart. His trooper friends appear to be good people as well and want so much to be able to leave the Regime, but they have fear for their families at home. However, they also know that their families if they were able to tell them would defend their decision. She has found that it is rare for most people to really have a chance to live their own lives on their home world. Zelda is more surprised that the Regime still exists, but Aloohula has told her that she has not been there or she would understand.

Because of Aloohula her yard has begun to improve as he does a little work from time to time and gives recommendations on simple things that could be done. The fence is really high and people can't see over it, but it is possible from second story windows. She has taken care of this now by having him take off his jacket and wear old shirts she has gotten at a second-hand store. He doesn't spend a lot of time in the yard, but the little bit makes him feel good. Now, his friends are helping as well; her backyard has gone from junkyard to being a very nice yard. She found out that on their world they are called Jungle people, but it turns out that they are now the farmers. He and his friends look forward to being true farmers and hopefully giving up the military life up altogether when they reach Avena. Every time they talk about Avena she wants to tell them it is the name of a beverage, but for their people it has another meaning. Avena is a Depol name that means; new home. Obviously, the planet was appropriately named.

She has also met Shy, whose Earth name is Shayne, but everyone calls him Shy. Well, Shy as long as there are no officers about. Zelda knows to be careful around him, not that he does not seem like a good person. No, Shy is a counselor and reading people is much to easy for him. He easily found out many things that worried Nick and personal issues that he hasn't even shared with her and as it turned out had not even shared with Javier. She is not ready to be around someone like him, someone whose job is to find out everything about you just by having a conversation. George teases him and calls him a shrink, but the truth is, he is a shrink or at least a shrink in training. Still he is a nice guy and she has found out he is someone called out to different ships to intercede when Youth Corp members may have taken their disagreement to far. He has even come between Nick and Javier when they were just about to cross the line in some battle of words. Shy made them sit down, talk and discuss the issue and later she thought they were going to grab tissues and wipe away tears.

It took her three months to really talk to Brian as something about him made her nervous. She just couldn't trust him. However, that third month she found out just how passionate he is. One day he was talking to two of the troopers and Shy. His speech was about how even if they followed every command given to them that their loyalty is always to Doing Our Own Thing. That silence is the greatest weapon they have now, but always remember that they must always protect each other and the safe zones. Oh, this is when she found out the shop was called a safe zone. When he finished his speech she was about ready to chime in and proclaim her own loyalty to DO. Since then she has found out that Brian makes at least one speech a month on the ship to the Youth Corp. The ranking officers think the speeches are about loyalty and dedication to the Regime, but it is for DO. If those speeches are anything like the one she heard that morning she has no doubt the Youth Corp is standing by each other.

She also has found out that even though Brian looks very tough and strong-willed, he is actually very sensitive. It was something she had not expected and Shy had seen her reaction and told her that almost all Youth Leaders are very sensitive. It was not thought of as a bad thing, but rather a gift if the individual was trained correctly. This meant that they could easily read people and manipulate them. Not a good thing in her opinion.

Another little learning event has been the cafe. The first two months only three or four people came, Brian had to give her more money, which made her feel badly as she had used some money for the porch. She was thinking of closing she was so depressed. Javier told her with things costing so much and the old cafe not being known for very good food it would just take a little bit for word to get around. It did as a month later fifteen to twenty people came. This month she has seen over fifty people come in. She has odd comments like, I didn't even know this was here and the food is remarkable. Hopefully, things will continue to get better or at least stay the same.

Finding out that there are two different species on their world was a surprise and this though she had attended a few resistance meetings before having to leave to keep her promise to the DO. She is quite doubtful the resistance leaders knew of the different species on the Visitor planet. This information came to them one day out of the blue, Brian asked if they knew that once there were different types of human before theirs became dominant and the others disappeared. When they said they knew of this, he said it was likely the differences were small, but there was a bit of a difference between these different human types. Brian left them wondering what this was all about as he continued by telling them that yes he did look just like the visual he showed them. He told them his world had gone through the same thing, but only the differences were much larger and unlike Earth each survived. Now the differences on Earth is the shade of one's skin and on his world the difference between people were those with crests and forked tongues and those without. Small differences in the foods they ate and the environment they were best suited for. After that they found out that Aloohula was very much like the drawing that Brian denied they were like. He said he hadn't really lied, he always referenced himself, basically just left out things he said. This confession he had made was done in this manner as it was apparent that too many differences would not be acceptable to them and make them fearful. She liked to think no, the differences would not have made a difference. Sadly now that time has passed he is right. In the last resistance meeting she attended they had made unkind remarks about lizard people and how maybe they might like a poison filled mouse forced down their throats. No, humans are not the most accepting people, her people have as much to learn as the Visitors.

The eating thing was not a surprise for her, it seemed obvious as she has watched Brian and his friends eat a sandwich or a piece of fruit, they seemed to chew until it magically went down their throats. Yet, none of the troopers would eat more than fruit, vegetables and maybe a small pastry, except for the pastry they would take a bite chew once or twice and swallow. Now, she knows that not only is Aloohula's face similar to the drawing, but the other troopers as well. Arai is especially unhappy about the drawing and believes that liberties were taken to make them look like unintelligent animals and not an intelligent individual, they simply find the drawing offensive to their people. She had not taken the drawing to heart as the troopers have, it was as Brian said the person had seen fear and his memory was derived from that fear. Aloohula had spoken to her privately one day, he asked that she not be offended by Arai. Arai had been hurt by the representation and is fearful of what she, Javier and Nick will think of him without his fake skin. Even Aloohula had said that he wondered what would they really think of him without the fake skin and eyes. Human film and such, always depicted aliens that may look similar to them as evil monsters. He said the Youth Leaders like Brian, would be the most similar to humans, but they would fare no better in the human mind. Every time they come and give something new about themselves it is like having the snow globe shaken one more time. Again, Brian may be correct, better this info just come in small bits so it doesn't take as long to get their heads around each bit of new information.

Now, she finds that Becky and the new guy Kelly eat live animals as well. Brian gave her money and asked would she please purchase a cage and several mice for those that needed to eat live food after announcing these physical differences between his people. It was Nick, that became angry and it took awhile to calm him down. In the end they accepted, but Nick warned Brian he had better tell him everything or out the door the DO would go. Brian looked at them and said, that they would learn a lot more as time goes by and their trust builds with each other. He didn't know if other new things would be considered huge or of no surprise, but too much at one time would not be good. She, Javier and Nick just stared at Brian in disbelief; if he didn't trust them, how were they to trust any of the Visitors. His response, 'Trust will grow, this I promise, it will grow on both sides.' They are learning more, but if there is something scary than it has not been announced. Time will only tell.

Zelda stretches, it has been over an hour and she has finished baking everything for now and there are no customers for now. She calls out to Fred who works for her, "I am going to take a break. Let me know if it gets busy and I will come right in." He nods to her and she leaves the kitchen to relax for a few minutes outside.

She became friends with Fred while in college, but then his father was in a serious automobile accident. His uncle said that if Fred wanted a break from the farm so he could be there for his father who is in the hospital, then he would take care of the farm for a few months. Here at Beautiful Smoke he has something to do when he isn't at the hospital with his father and can make a few dollars. His father has been in a coma now for two months and it is not looking good. Becky has ran a drone on Fred and Shy has spoken to him, he has passed the test. Fred has no interest in any resistance, but the idea of helping young people like himself to escape a totalitarian life gives him something he needs, a feeling of helping someone. Also, he has said he is willing to temporarily host the DO if needed.

As she walks outside sitting right there on the small balcony is Brian, there is something about him that seems off. "Are you okay?" She peers at him intently, "You've been awfully quiet today, that is for you."

"I'm fine," He says quickly, "Just concerned about getting the computer up and Kelly running the test he needs to run. So much rides on this." He turns his head away from her and then turns back, "Do you trust me?"

"I said, I was okay with you setting up your safe zone here," She snaps.

"I will take it that is a no." His face is solemn and he looks depressed for some reason.

"I know you as manipulative, I see it every time you come." Zelda shrugs, "You irritate me. You're perfect I guess, know everything."

"Perfect!" Brian shakes his head, "Not sure where that came from. I have made so many mistakes."

Zelda looks down at her feet frowning and does not look up, "I don't trust you. I know you have done something. Something bothers you and you don't want me to know. I just know, no one has said anything." She raises her head and looks off into the distance.

Aahh. . . trust. Such a word." He pauses for a moment. "Truth to tell, I have done something if I told you, you would not want me here again." He readjusts his dark glasses and then just looks at his hands as he moves them about in the air.

"I am sorry, I don't think I can ever trust you. Especially after that comment." She continues to look off in the distance. She knows that the DO will do as commanded, does that mean killing humans. "Did you kill someone?"

Brian leans back in the chair and sighs, "No."

"Good. Then you won't mind telling me. Get it out in the open, I rather forgive you than worry what you have done that bothers you so much."

"I suppose," He says absently, studying her face as he talks. "You will hate me."

"Just say," Zelda shrugs. "I know something is there that keeps you separate in a way. Different than the way the others interact with us."

"To tell the truth, I can't figure out how it all happened now." He turns from her, "Hell! Why not."

For a long time neither says anything. After a bit Brian clears his throat, "It is a story if nothing else." He looks down, "I thought I loved Diana. I cared so much about her, I really did."

"No, she's a monster. I mean a real monster. I hear you all talking about her. I know you feel the same way."

"I do now," He suddenly becomes tight-lipped. "First, I was told to do as commanded by one of her aides when I was asked to come and see Diana. I was afraid, I was sure that I was in trouble for something. The aide was correct in their advice, I have found out that she would likely would have had killed me for not obeying. I would have had an accident like so many others who have refused to comply with her wishes. However, it's not why I did it. I did it because I loved her." Brian shakes his head, "I was that stupid."

"Everyone makes a stupid mistake, I guess with Diana you made a really big mistake," Zelda sighs deeply and gives him a questioning look. She quietly asks, "Do you want to talk about it or just stop? If you were willing to say that much, you gotta be ready to talk about it. You have been the one that has said trust will come as it is earned. Maybe it is time to give it a try, we both know as I said, I have little for you."

"I guess you won't hate me anymore than you do now. Just not sure why you need to know in order to trust me." He doesn't wait for an answer, "There was a girl named Robin. I liked Robin, she was fun and I liked to visit her. I never tried to get her to go to any of the Visitor Friends events. I just wanted to be with her. We played Earth computer games, played on a television." He smiles from the memory of those times. "We took long walks and we went to a mall where I had something called a burger. In the end, I found out she was the daughter of a scientist and I knew I couldn't be around her anymore. I was more afraid that her being around me would bring unwanted attention to both us. When they did find out we were friends, I was asked about her. I was questioned on many things, I did say her family had at a beach house, but really her family had a cabin on some mountain. It was the best I could do to throw my ranking superiors off the path so to speak."

"You protected her then," Zelda says. She has a feeling something bad is about to be said. The vibe she feels is that he believes that she will lose what trust she does have in him if he tells her.

Brian is frowning deeply, "She was taken and brought to the ship. Diana for some reason wanted to see one of my people have sex with a human and she knew Robin and I were friends." There is a long pause. "I did it, pretty sick. Worse, I told Robin I would help her, there was no way for me to help her. I guess in my head I figured all would be good, maybe I could do something later." Brian shakes his head, "I like to think lots of things about that night and I keep changing the last part. Not on purpose, just guess my head wants to improve the memory." He sits back and looks up at the sky, "Such an idiot. There are mistakes you can never take back. What was I thinking, Diana doesn't love anyone."

Zelda finds her heart racing and it feels like she is going to be vomit for a moment. How could he have done this. How could he care for that monster Diana and do something so horrible for that witch. Then the sick feeling comes to her again. "She's in one of those pods isn't she?"

"No, she was rescued by someone in the human resistance. I honestly hope that she has forgiven me." He looks down shaking his head, "She had real feelings for me and I used her."

"This is awful. You used her, she isn't going to forgive you. You know that, right?"

"I can't take it back," He looks at her and shrugs. "I truly wish I could tell her how sorry I am. At the time if she had just said stop, I could have made that as the excuse. Diana would have heard it and let me out of it. I'll never know what would have happened if I had not, I think if it had not been me, it would have been someone else. Diana really wanted it to happen and I keep making this worse in my head, but I have to move on. This movement is very important and when we leave, we will disrupt everything on the ships if we do it right." Brian tilts his head, "You hate me even more, don't you."

"No. . .Ahh. . . Yes, but I asked you to share this." Zelda is not sure what to make of this. He did as she asked and shared this very deep and dark secret. This was something he was not comfortable with and yet he did it so he could make one more step to gain her trust. "Diana is a monster, she likely would have killed you if you had not agreed. This girl though, you used her, you did something wrong. Were you good to her in this act, I mean you didn't hurt her did you?"

"No, I didn't hurt her, she seemed to want me too. . .ah, have sex. I guess you call that making love." Brian frowns, "Unlike her, if I was being held against my will, I think sex would be the last thing on my mind, no matter how much I cared about the individual. All I would be thinking is how to free myself." Brian turns away from her looking at one of his hands as he moves it slowly in front of him. He finally looks back up, "You have to know we must absolutely do as commanded. We have too, no matter what. If I did that with someone willing, what happens when it is someone else and not a willing companion. I don't think, I can do that again, but we have been placed in position that we could do something deplorable and not be able to get out of it if we wish to protect the movement. Things are only promising to become more difficult and because of Robin, I wonder what will I be asked to do, I mean commanded to do later. Can you live with the things we must do to keep Doing Our Own Thing moving and not hate us. However, I know you may not believe me, but we are going to protect the four of you, ah I guess that is five, you know Fred. This I swear, you are one of us and as we will protect each other, we will protect you."

She snorts, "I guess. . .I guess, we really are part of DO."

"Do?"

"Doing Our Own Thing, guess you can be human and be part of this weirdness." Zelda sighs, "Just remember that any of us can do something dreadful, I hope it never happens. Another thing you said you would protect us, does that mean you would kill one of your people who is not part of DO to protect the humans of DO."

Brian looks away and then back again his eyes not leaving hers, "Yes. I like to think that will never happen and if does that we can find another way besides killing." He shakes his head and chuckles, "You are part of, ah . . .DO. I hadn't thought of that as I guess, I just always did, but yes you are." He gives her a hard stare, "Are you sure you can live with this. Silence is something that we have had to honor since we started this. Can you do the same?"

"I believe so," Zelda says and then turns away and back again, "Yes! Silence, still I wish I could share with the resistance movement. I honestly believe they could help you and your growing army and trained personnel is something that could be useful to the resistance as well. They in turn could ensure your movement moves on with less difficulty, think of it the resistance and DO working together."

"Not an army, we are not resisting. They would look at us and see a lot of younger individuals and think we didn't have the experience and would try to control us the same as the Regime." Brian gives her a smirk, "We are just leaving." He places a finger to his lips, "Silence." Turning his finger to the side and once again touching his lips.

She nods and does the same gesture, "Silence." Zelda isn't sure, but she has come to acknowledge that like Javier and Nick she has now officially joined the DO.

Suddenly the other door opens and Kelly walks out and says excitedly. "Totally awesome it rocks. Right, rock is the word? Anyway, we better go. Nice meeting you Zelda. It is Zelda? Anyway, gonna rock and I can't wait to see you again. Hey, you don't think maybe you could get some more temporary mice pets do you. I have some money," He then hands her some cash. "Sure nice being outside and lots and lots of color in the bright sunlight, kinda makes you think your. What is that word; stored, stoned, hazy. Hey smells kinda funny. Is that the smog smell? Hey, what is that. Just buy a few mice, gotta eat when hacken'. I hack, it is something I do. . . "

"Shhh," Brian interrupts him and then turns to Zelda, "My roommate is a bit excited today. First trip down."

Kelly rolls his eyes and leaves.

"Regarding our conversation, remember, you asked." Brian levels a stare at her as though trying to size up what she may think of what he has told her. "I have made so, so many mistakes and I hope that this means I am learning from them."

"We have all made mistakes, you've just had more opportunity to make some big ones." Zelda sighs deeply, "It may be a while before I forgive you, but I understand." She nods to the door, "You better go or Speedy may leave before you can stop him."

"One more thing, Arai. The drawing, I know he gets upset about that and you may be tired of it. He thinks that the person was seeing his people as a bird. It really has thrown him, please don't be angry with him. Arai just doesn't want to be thought of as a bird."

She finds herself smiling at the thought of Arai as a bird, "I understand."

He nods to her and leaves. She turns on the radio and sits there wondering about things, learning something new all of the time about the Visitors and now Brian's dark secret. Maybe she should never have pressed him. What else have the other Visitors done or may have to do in order to not give themselves away. Brian is in a special Security group that includes humans. He's also, working to move up in the ranks in order to get more information for the DO movement. Zelda finds herself frowning as time goes on what will the human resistance do to cause turmoil within the Visitors Regime. What if they do something to harm the DO and cause the movement to fall apart. She is finding herself really fighting the turmoil inside her. The resistance if they knew the things that she is learning, if they knew of this possible army and young crew learning to do so many things to take a ship, two ships.

A young army, but certainly not a stupid one. The DO has several Youth Leaders involved in this and the number of young troopers is growing. There are Youth Corp members that are using tiny drones against their own ranking officers. It is frightening just how much monitoring can be done with these tiny drones. In fact, Brian had taken one off of the cabinet where the alien computer is now residing and shown it to them. This is how he knew that they were not going to turn them in to their resistance. He wanted them to know what they had done and that there be at least; one less secret between them. Now, Brian has revealed one more secret, a personal secret. She sighs deeply, so much she could share with the resistance, but how would they use it. Would they use it against the DO because they are Visitors and most of DO are Youth Leaders and troopers. The word trust. It would be so easy to break their trust. For now she must shelve this, but the resistance is most defiantly going to gain so much when she does inform them. Every time they come, she learns something new.

Suddenly a song on the radio gets her attention. Takin' Care of Business, now that one she will dedicate to the Doing Our Own Thing movement. This makes her wonder if the human resistance has a theme song.