Close Encounters of the Bus Kind [From Beyond Arc]

<<Arc Introduction>>

The story was originally intended to be released around Halloween, so it has some spookier elements. While Flush With Pride centered on Jeremy/Giselle and Rachel as well as their friends and family with a focus on the multiverse and Mystery Rock on the Shore family, From Beyond is intended to touch upon the cosmic/spooky and bizarre. Still thoughtful, emotional, and character-centric in the same tone, this arc takes a wider approach. What lies beyond…? There will be minor connections to the overarching narrative, but the vast majority of this narrative can be read without prior knowledge of the series. Feel free to suggest a vast array of ideas for the narrative. The Beyond is wide open.

Author’s Note - The opening section of this story is inspired by the gender-bending classic by Morpheus entitled “The Bus Ride”. I always wanted to know what might've happened next...

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Close Encounters of the Bus Kind

[1]

Paul Morris loved driving people wherever they needed to go. Buses, trucks, shuttles, whatever. It didn’t even need to have wheels as he also had his ATV license. Airboats and hovercraft were an absolute blast to drive. It wasn’t the kind of life he expected he would wind up with, but it suited him.

He actually went to college for a few years but just meandered. When his grandpa and others in his extended family got sick, he was the one who made sure they stayed connected with the outside world. He drove them wherever they needed to go and didn’t make a fuss when they complained about his driving or the routes he took. Paul just adjusted and did his best.

That experience and dealing with folks helped him when he needed work. Little old ladies always talked about him, trying to fix him up with one of their granddaughters or leaving him some snacks for the road. He obliged their curiosity and gifts with a genial spirit and never an unkind word.

The really interesting job came when he got hired on with a local high school district to drive their volleyball teams to meets and back. The boys' teams had way too much energy when heading out and the girls' teams had even more. None of them had any idea about personal space between one another and him especially. He appreciated when some of them showed off new cosmetics, he just wasn’t sure why they were so excited to include him.

He wasn’t much to look at, even though he tried not to get down on himself. His brown hair just happened to have threaded tan streaks. Everyone he drove eventually asked where he got that done but it was natural. Plenty of people compared him to some movie actor he’d never seen, which he supposed was better than being compared to some politician or serial killer. He kept his beard neat and made sure he smelled good for everyone, even when the air conditioning wasn’t working and there was a long haul ahead.

One particular evening, he was ferrying the Red Rock High School women’s volleyball team back from competition. This client was special, because that was his alma mater. The girls delighted at all the stories he told. Coach Erin Reeves laughed the most because she was actually just a few years behind him.

The guys he spoke to about his jobs often flashed I knowing wink when he talked about Red Rock but he assured them it wasn’t like that. Sure, a man in his 30s didn’t have the worst view when making sure a bunch of pretty ladies made it home safe. He didn’t have eyes for the teens though. Erin, however, was a different story. He had a crush on her since his senior year. Also accompanying them was Megan, the volunteer team doctor/LVN, but she opted to stay overnight for another event.

He ran through his checklist and made sure that everyone got on the bus when it was time to go. The girls had a fun time at a local steakhouse while he filled up on a mega-sized omelet. Everyone staggered back.

Erin was there first with a coy smile and brilliant white teeth. Her brown hair settled into a puffy ball insulating her ears. She adjusted her silvery glasses as she called out everyone’s name. It was pretty easy for Paul to remember because they had exulted a suitable mnemonic.

LETS GO TEAM. Leslie the captain, with a stoicism that vanished as soon as the match was over. Evangeline, who clearly wanted to be the captain soon. Tatiana, a tall Filipino girl who was demure and quiet every single trip but raised the roof during competition. Sasha, a black girl who took her hair and makeup almost as seriously as confronting the line judges when she knew something was inside. Gina, who had oodles of fantasy and science fiction motivational speeches to pull from.

Odessa, who sounded like a blond airhead but could do calculus off the top of her head. Thessaly, peak Greek with amazing cooking and muscles to make anyone from Sparta quake. Elsa, who embraced her name and all the allusions that came with it despite being the worst karaoke singer ever. Audrey, despite playing so very few minutes, was the greatest cheerleader for the team. And finally, Marisol lived, died, and dreamed strategies.

Paul had gotten used to the raw force of so many girls in one place, playing and building off one another. It was like being right at a breakwater against the ocean. Tonya, the assistant coach and two years into college, had been the team captain for three years and acted as a stabilizing force when Erin was exhausted. This was one of those nights as she just slipped her fingers under her glasses and gently rubbed her eyes.

It had been a victory but a thoroughly sloppy one. Odessa had her leg wrapped due to an aggravated injury that limited her minutes and was using some luggage to prop it up. When they came to a red light, the girls did their best to write encouragement and love notes on it, although Paul would’ve preferred they all stayed in their seats.

But the night was quiet and the trip doubly uneventful. They passed not too far from one of the major Air Force bases which sparkled with mysterious little lights in the sky. As they turned onto an especially dark section of road that went straight for quite a while through the desert, Paul noticed that one of the lights was getting closer to them. In the back of his mind, he gingerly hoped that he hadn’t strayed into a government zone, about to be blinded by a passing military chopper.

The bright object moved way too fast to be any normal helicopter though, bouncing about the sky with the kind of swiftness reserved for projected lights or drones much closer than they appeared. Soon, the glare was too intense for him to look at directly. And it wasn’t long before his passengers noticed the swelling brightness.

“Oh my gosh, what is that?” Odessa inquired. “Little green men”, Gina quipped. They all shared a nervous laugh, but the light wasn’t lessening. Tonya asked upfront, “Is everything all right?”

Before Paul could answer, the vehicle stalled and what lights kept back the darkness blotted out. Of course, all the girls suddenly gave their wildest screams of alarm and uncertainty. Erin started to reassure them that everything was fine before a pure white beam scorched through the windows and blinded them.

Paul tried to raise the tint but that wasn’t working. He nervously checked to make sure Erin was all right. The last thing he saw before he passed out was everyone else slumping in their seats.

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In a starkly lit alien spacecraft interior, a series of identical, crab-like creatures drifted on strange gases. A swirling orb of light extended from their abdomens in mottled colors of white and red. Even, segmented claws brushed against one another as they communicated.

[We have finished examining the specimens and their crude conveyance.]

The other creature caressed an oily sack.

[We wish to share in this knowledge.]

[We oblige.]

Shimmering lights wafted through the air.

[Remarkable. They are unlike anything we have found before. Their colorations vary wildly. Their heights, weights, and much of their structure are unique to each sample.]

[Truly, we have seen nothing like them. We have to visit more often. But one of the specimens has an injury.]

[For shame. Can it mend?]

[Slowly and with imperfections. As a kindness, we recommend healing it in totality. A simple application of its own genetics and manipulation of telomeres should work. And there are other matters.]

[They are carbon-based? Other matters?]

[Yes. Multiple specimens have experienced environmental genetic degradation. While most are in peak physical condition, others have not renewed themselves.]

[Are they not able?]

[We think that might be the case. It is considered to remove or remedy this flaw. But it would take advanced genetic manipulation. We could correct it, as another courtesy.]

[We must do so. Suffering is unnecessary.]

[And then there is a final matter. The Variant.]

[Is this also wounded?]

[It appears to be outside the expectation of other members of its species.]

All the creatures suddenly spasmed, as though shuddering as one.

[Grotesque. Can we correct it?]

[Easily. We hope the specimens are grateful for our assistance. May they be healthy and flourish.]

====

The first thing Paul heard after a long spell of silence was the clicking of a turn signal somewhere to his left. He felt like being slammed through the wringer. The first thing he did was visually check to make sure everyone was okay. This was hindered by strange hair falling over his eyes. He guessed that perhaps some luggage had come loose, but he couldn’t imagine why someone would’ve packed a wig. Tugging at it only yanked on his head and hurt. Weird.

Next item, he made sure the vehicle was in park with the brake on. It was. No broken glass or warning lights. Double-checking the brake, he fussed with his belt. The bus was pulled to a paved portion by the side of the road, so he set the hazard lights. Untangling himself from the belt also made him realize something was very strange about his pants. They were nowhere close to fitting. Had someone put different pants on him? He couldn’t imagine why. His body felt as confused as that moment did.

Checking the passengers again, he quickly realized that he couldn’t find Erin in the group.

“ Cooa…coach Reeves?” He had trouble getting the words out the way he wanted. His voice sounded like he suddenly regressed back to the beginning of puberty. Embarrassing. Clearing his throat did nothing to fix it. In the seat where the coach had been sitting now sat a vaguely recognizable but unfamiliar team member.

He should’ve recognized all the volleyball girls by now but this one looked more like the coach’s theoretical daughter than anyone he knew to be on the bus. To his question, the strange girl popped her head up and responded, “Yes? Who are you and what do you want? Did we have an accident? Where’s Paul, our driver?”

She certainly had the coach’s cadence to her speech. Paul cleared his throat and raised an arm to respond, “Right here. Doesn’t seem to be an accident. Is anyone injured?”

He still sounded weird, as though trying to force his normal voice through a compressed and tightened tube. It filtered out the low end and just left a high, uncomfortable resonance. His chest also felt strange the more he stood.

Looking down, he couldn’t quite parse the sight of twin rising mounds tenting his shirt. It didn’t feel like he had something artificial attached to his chest. Rather there was just a suspicious weight gently nudging him forward. More than that, it appeared as though his hips and waistline had completely collapsed with his drawstring pants sliding off the edge of a cliff. It didn’t take long for the group to realize something was wrong.

Gina burst out, “I knew it! Aliens… but who’s that?” The disheveled-looking teenage girl standing at the front of the bus in the driver’s ill-fitting clothes caught all of their attentions. Several of the girls got out of their seats to circle around the new girl. Meanwhile, others puzzled at Odessa hopping to her feet without any pain around her wrapped leg and their coach looking very strange.

Paul barely managed to keep himself decent as an onrush of nervous questions buffeted him. Separate portions of the group had their own theories as Paul explained this was him. Curiosity overwhelmed good sense as Marisol and Gina grabbed at Paul like they were about to celebrate a surprise victory and resolved they needed to see more. Paul protested he was not a doll to be undressed and examined!

Tonya had to step in before the girls stripped the poor guy. She loudly and firmly coordinated everyone to settle down. She helped this strange girl over to the coach’s side and made no judgments about anything else as she kept things on focus for what they were going to do next. The girls needed this as they settle down and listened. Leslie emphasized Tonya’s authority for anyone who had questions.

In this moment of confusion, Tonya resolved, they still needed a driver. Noting that she actually drove her grandfather’s eighteen-wheeler more than she admitted, Tonya positioned herself in the seat and plucked a pair of glasses that she rarely wore from a pocket, and inspected everything.

Paul crouched forward, ran her through the main differences, and pointed her to the checklist. While she got everything ready, Tatiana and Odessa offered to loan Paul some clothes out of their bags. He felt dumbstruck but ultimately agreed.

Mirrors were offered but the frail reflection in the window was already more than he wanted to acknowledge. Sweatpants and a sports bra left him scrunching up his forehead. Not looking at things only meant that the jiggling sleek sensations of his body were doubly reinforced. At least he had some clothes that didn’t feel like a clown’s outfit.

Instead of focusing on the way his chest slid into the contours of that bra, he glanced over at the coach. She appeared positively shell-shocked. Her clothes were loose but nothing that a quick adjustment wouldn’t fix. He’d saved his senior/her freshman yearbook and sometimes checked out the old photos. She now looked just like that photograph, restored. She tucked her glasses away in a pocket. It didn't look like she needed them. 

They did a little more than trade furtive glances until Paul squeezed her hand. The bus, under Tonya’s steady command, navigated its way through the long dark road and back towards civilization. In the backseat section of the bus, some girls, joined by Gina, remarked that the lights of emergency and military vehicles pockmarked where they had just been. This encouraged Tonya to pick up the speed.

At this point, the girls not only remembered their cell phones but the signal on them soon popped from no bars to three. Delayed text messages and voicemails came in and everyone further realized that three hours passed during a section of their trip that should’ve only taken ten minutes.

Gina freaked a few of the girls out by suggesting they check all around for marks or implants from aliens. Some wondered if they should stop by the hospital or stay somewhere instead of returning home. Coach hopped up and took charge of the situation. She relayed that everyone would be heading to the appointed meet-up spot to return to their parents and guardians. She couldn’t tell them what to say but encouraged them to keep things on the down low, which she then attempted to parse as “don’t be sus” before a few of the girls groaned. Despite how she looked, they desperately begged her not to attempt to talk like them. Coach pouted slightly but sighed.

One plan bandied about was to get a couple hotel rooms like they sometimes did on an extended trip and just keep away from any craziness. Coach immediately vetoed this, despite the fact Odessa told her that she had a credit card that could cover everything. Audrey, who everyone knew watched way too much anime, had long ago invoked the rich girl cliché since Odessa‘s dad owned several major corporations in the state and their main house was often empty except for maids and housekeepers. Odessa often waffled between wanting to hide all that and shyly mentioning people like Kevin Federer stopped by her house.

It wasn’t long before they came up to their stop and Tonya nervously questioned whether everyone would see her as a legitimate driver. Paul assured her she was at least as legitimate as him. With enough coaching, Tonya managed to bring the big honking bus right into the designated zone.

All ten of the team members grabbed their bags and gradually shuffled off the bus. Some stopped by to give Coach a quick hug and then an additional one for Paul. No one outside called the authorities or questioned that Tonya was the driver. Once the bus was cleared, everyone went on their way except for Tonya, Erin, and Paul.

It was late and dark. Paul knew since lockup was largely automated, he could turn in the bus through the overnight system. The video footage would confuse anyone watching it, but he could think of no way around that. He would probably be fired tomorrow morning and reported as missing. Coach didn’t have a whole lot more prospects when it came to work next week. Tonya lingered and assisted with turning in the vehicle.

Otherwise, all she could do was give the biggest hugs of all. Coach and Paul found themselves confounded as to what to do next.

[I have a question at the end of the chapter again to help with suggestions for where the story should go. I'm actually not that far ahead this time and I am wide open for possibilities for this particular story. Feel free to add an idea which doesn't show up in the options. Also, if you see any random typos or uncapitalized starts of sentences, please pass them along. I have to cut down on my editing due to release speed and my programs don't seem to be catching lowercase sentences. Thank you for reading!]

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