Way Over the Line Chapter Five

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Chapter 5

Jessie and Ryder found themselves in a large room with nothing in it: no furniture, no fixtures, not even a door. Jessie hugged his legs, while Ryder explored. He ran his hands all along the walls in the circular room, and then crouched down and checked every inch of floor.

"Nothing." Ryder said when he finished. He plopped down next to Jessie.

Jessie didn't trust himself to speak, so he just shrugged.

"But why us?" Ryder stood up again. "And why hasn't anyone come?"

"Maybe we don't want to meet them," Jessie said in a croaking whisper.

Ryder stared back at him for a few seconds before answering. "Yeah, maybe you're right."

Jessie had no idea how long they sat there. Time made no sense while he worried how Mom and Dad would take the news of him missing. He hated crying in front of Ryder, who always seemed so grown up. There had been plenty of times--too many times--where Ryder had to comfort, console, and cheer him up, but Jessie was determined that this wouldn't be one of them. Especially since Ryder looked on the verge of tears himself.

A sound snapped behind them, and a doorway opened in the wall. Nothing came through for a few seconds. Ryder looked as frozen as Jessie felt.

A large green man walked in. He looked almost human in build and height, but the way he moved proved him without a doubt to be an alien. His legs stretched with each step. It didn't give Jessie the impression that this alien could grow like a plastic man from cartoons or comics, but it looked more like he had springs in his legs. His head looked almost like a cat, but not quite. More like a cat mixed with a person. Not a perfect description, but it was as good as any he could think of. Definitely not something from Earth.

The alien opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Its mouth moved like it was giving a long lecture. Maybe these aliens talked by reading lips. Jessie wasn't good at that, but it didn't matter. He doubted the words were in English anyway.

A loud humming started from somewhere in the room. Jessie looked around, but it grew louder, coming from everywhere. It turned into a buzz that shook his brain. He moaned, but before he could cover his ears, the noise stopped.

"Sorry about that," the alien said. "It was necessary to get the Languages of the Universe into you."

The alien had a voice that reminded Jessie of his Grandpa Joe, tough-sounding, but also with a promise of candy and coins at every turn. He and Ryder might not be in immediate danger, but he remained tense and alert. A million and one questions bounced around in his mind, but he couldn't get one to form on his lips.

"I'd tell you my name, but I don't think you'd be able to comprehend it, let alone speak it. So you can call me Coach."

"Coach?" Ryder asked. With the strain in his voice, Jessie was impressed he managed to get it out.

Coach nodded. Like his walk, this movement proved to be bouncy and stretchy. "Anytime anyone refers to me, you'll hear Coach."

Ryder stood up and looked Coach in the eyes. "Where are we? Why did you take us?"

"I'm sure you've guessed that we're in space. We're probably passing by the outer rim planets of your solar system now. The wormhole is just a few light years past the final planet."

"Wormhole? Isn't that something that lets you travel to another part of the galaxy instantaneously?" Ryder asked. Jessie heard the nerves bleeding out of his voice.

Coach smiled, which made his face look a bit like a happy puppy dog. Some of Jessie's tension melted away, even though in the back of his mind he knew that any similarities an alien had with something on Earth was purely coincidental. That didn't stop him from thinking that he wanted to make Coach smile as often as possible.

"You're basically correct. There is a bit of travel involved once inside a wormhole, but it cuts time down substantially. Without wormholes, interstellar flight of any significance would be impossible."

Without thinking, questions popped out of Jessie's mouth. "But why did you take us? You aren't going to hurt us, are you?" He clamped his hands over his mouth as soon as he said it.

"Hurt you? Goodness gracious, no." Another smile from Coach settled Jessie down. "We need Ryder's help. And we're glad to have you along for the trip, Jessie."

Jessie and Ryder exchanged a look.

"My help? Why?"

"All will be explained. First you need to meet everyone else."

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