Nayxana Alien Woman Read online

  ISBN: 9781483551821

  CHAPTER 1

  The orange car with H-POLICE in black on its side swung in suddenly and stopped outside a pale blue house in the fashionable suburb of Seal Bay.

  “Go on, constable,” a gruff voice commanded. “Get a move on now.”

  Constable Melvyn pointed the I-Finder scanner at the house and it beeped twice, yellow words immediately showing on the device’s small screen.

  “One Ryxin and one Human,” the constable read out.

  “Come on then, boy, this is a job for us.”

  “Yes, sir. I’m ready, sir.”

  Inside the living room of the house a woman lay on her back with a large, wooden-handled knife protruding from her chest. Constable Melvyn felt sick. His shoes were now encased in elasticised plastic and he approached the body with care, avoiding the pool of half-congealed blood soaking the surrounding carpet. He bent down and turned her head to the side with his latex-gloved hands. Then he pushed away the long, silky black hair and held a microchip scanner over the nape of her slender neck. It beeped three times and the screen lit up with a series of messages.

  Nayxana Vasco: Ryxin female, born 10 August 1976, adopted daughter of Mr and Mrs Ogar Stallf. In 1994 aged 18 married Oskin Vasco, then aged 30. They have a son – Aidan, born 28 November 1995. He is a neutral Ryxin, born without any Ryxin traits, and is therefore being monitored.

  Bloodline: She was born at the Muritai Ryxin Women’s Maximum Security Prison.

  True identity erased at birth. Parents were half-blood Ryxins – convicted and given the compulsory twenty-year prison sentence for conceiving a child when they were knowingly both of Ryxin blood.

  Status: Because of her criminal parentage, Nayxana Vasco is considered a high risk to the peace of Human society.

  She was no risk to anyone now, Constable Melvyn thought as he finished reading out the victim’s details to his superior officer. She had an elegant, fine-featured face, he noted.

  By this time another two policemen had arrived and were dealing with the prime suspect – the woman’s husband, a Human twelve years her senior, who was already being led, handcuffed, out to a patrol car at the kerb. There was blood on his hands and he looked stunned and pale.

  “It’s an open and shut case, boy,” his superior announced, smiling.

  “Yes, sir.” Melvyn rose and stepped away from the body.

  “She must’ve been disturbing the peace of our beautiful island. Come on now, it’s lunchtime. We gotta go.”

  Constable Melvyn looked back once and then pulled the coverings off his shoes, peeled off his latex gloves and followed his boss out of the house. He knew he had to hold back his emotions – otherwise he’d be ridiculed. It had happened before.

  CHAPTER 2

  Private Investigator Curtis McCoy and his Trainee Assistant, Janux Lennan, had just returned to the island of Muritai by ferry from the mainland, having spent three months in Ireland meeting distant relatives and visiting Janux’s parents. She hadn’t seen them for twelve years.

  But now they were home and it was time for them to go their separate ways, though Janux was keen to continue her training and both she and Curtis hoped to get a new case soon. They’d discussed at length how best to work together and it was finally agreed – Janux was to stay at her place in Chamonix Beach and travel to Curtis’s home, referred to as The Base, whenever he needed her. He would cover her expenses – although she had mentioned something about using Roscoe’s motor-scooter instead of expensive taxis.

  Curtis had already notified the Ryxin Private Investigation Bureau, as required when officially training someone. They’d approved Janux’s appointment and given him advice on training methods. No personal involvement with any employee was typed in red and underlined. He wondered if they’d heard something about his breaking of the Ryxin PI rules when he and Janux began their affair. But it was okay, she was officially his Trainee Assistant and they both acknowledged that was the way it had to be for now.

  “Call me when you need me,” Janux said. “Meanwhile I’ll be busy getting the honey business ready for sale.”

  “Off you go then. I’ll be in touch.” Curtis watched Janux climb into a taxi and head north to her home. He felt a little sad that they must now be apart again. He was also uneasy about the isolation of the area where she lived and hoped she was going to be safe. He’d given her instructions to send him a telepathic message at the first hint of anything suspicious.

  Another taxi was waiting at the rank and he was soon chatting to the driver while his bags were stowed in the boot. After giving his address, he settled into the comfort of the back seat. The driver pulled out from the ferry terminal and Curtis thought of Mistle Onyx. That last morning when she’d been taken out to sea at this very place was something he knew would stay in his mind for a long time. Yes, Mistle had murdered five people, but to him she would forever be a tragic victim.

  Yet through that case – his first – he’d met Janux, and she’d helped him find her husband’s killer. Afterwards, when he’d sent in the paperwork, a certificate arrived in the mail, confirming his new status as a fully qualified private investigator.

  He’d also fallen in love with Janux, something that on reflection he thought happened quite soon after they met. Of course falling in love quickly was part of what being a male Ryxin meant. His father had warned him it could happen and not to allow himself to be thrown by it. All the same he couldn’t ignore the fact that before long he was in love with two women and – as far as he could tell – still was.

  As they drove on past Moa Bay, where Mistle had confessed her crimes to him, he averted his eyes from the coast and directed them towards the front of the car and the balding head of the taxi driver. “Nice day, mate,” Curtis said.

  “Yep. We’ve had a lotta rain, you know. Been away long?”

  “Only a few months, but it’s good to be back.”

  “New rules come in now,” the driver said. “Gotta be chipped, ya know.”

  Curtis remembered there’d been talk before they left, of the controversial law the Human government wanted to enforce. It meant everyone on Earth was going to have a microchip embedded in the nape of their neck, containing all their relevant details, including their species type. Then, under fresh legislation, the H-Police had permission to stop anyone they wanted and scan their microchip. The government was determined to control and engineer the Ryxin population and this was their latest weapon.

  “What about the Identity Finder they were also trialling?” Curtis asked the driver.

  “It’s in full use now, mate. I’ve heard how there was a fight the other night down in the village and no one to break it up. The police drove by and used their new identity scanner to see what kinda guys were fightin’. It turns out they was Ryxin, so the cops just drove on. Too bad one o’ the guys fightin’ got stabbed and jus’ about died, eh?”

  Curtis turned the key in his front door and stepped inside, feeling a sense of relief. This was where he could be himself.

  He went into his study and checked his answer-phone. There were five messages. Two were recordings trying to persuade him to buy something. One was from the electricity company saying his power would be cut off if he didn’t pay by the end of May. Another was from Claudette Peace wanting to come and see him when it was convenient. She was an old friend of his ex-wife, Marzy and had been living on Muritai for some time. He wondered if she was still working as House Controller at the Pohatu Cove Home for Abandoned Babies.

  But the last, most interesting message was from a young man who simply said: Can you help us? My father’s in prison for murder but he’s innocent. Please phone me.

  Curtis picked up his phone and punched in the numb
er.

  “Hello, Aidan speaking,” a soft voice said.

  “Good evening, I’m Curtis McCoy and I believe you need my help?”

  There was total silence. Curtis waited, wondering if he had the right number.

  Finally his prospective client spoke. “I want you to find my mother’s killer. My dad said to tell you he’ll pay whatever it costs.”

  “You’d better come and see me then and we can discuss the matter more fully.”

  “Does that mean you’ll take on the case?”

  “Let’s talk first. Can you come tomorrow, Saturday?”

  “Yeah, I can come over. I live on the mainland but I don’t work weekends.”

  “Shall we make it 11 a.m. then?” Curtis sensed the young man’s nervousness.

  “I’ll be there, and thank you, Mr McCoy. Thank you so much. You’ve got no idea how much this means to us.”

  “See you tomorrow.”

  In the morning, having slept soundly and had some strong, sweet black coffee, Curtis made a trip to Muritai village. He collected his mail from the post office, bought some milk, fresh vegetables and a loaf of wholemeal bread and headed home. After preparing himself baked beans on toast, he began to sort through his pile of mail. One had an official government stamp on the front left-hand corner. He tore the envelope open and contemplated the letter with disgust.

  Human Government Justice Department

  People’s Microchip Centre

  Muritai Village (next to Library)

  Please be advised that Curtis McCoy, D.O.B. 04/04/1964 of Tahatika Road, Muritai Island, must present himself to the People’s Microchip Centre, at the above address, before the 31st May 2014 in the interests of national security. This is for the insertion of an identity chip into the subcutaneous skin at the back of his neck. The purpose of this identity chip is so he will be known immediately to any authority charged with the task of keeping law and order in the community. Our aim is to build a peaceful and harmonious society. Failure to obey this notice by the due date, without a legitimate excuse, will bring about his immediate arrest followed by strict law enforcement.

  Yours in legal authority,

  M. T. Vesil

  Chief of the Human Government Microchip Enforcement Agency

  (Muritai Island Branch)

  The second page was a photocopied sheet describing the microchip. About the size of a grain of rice, the chip was vouchsafed to be no more painful on insertion than being vaccinated. Once in place, it could be read with a handheld device using radio waves. Although disgusted, Curtis had learnt from childhood that to disobey Human authority was very dangerous. His parents had always submitted to the restraints placed on them and had taught him to do the same. They made sure to blend into society and were never in trouble, and the Ryxin powers his father had were rarely used, let alone seen by others.

  Curtis had often felt angry at his father’s submission to Human law. But as he grew older he understood and found himself following his father’s ways, until he married Marzy and discovered what it really meant to be a Ryxin male. Especially a Ryxin male married to a Human woman whose mother abhorred the idea of her daughter having a half-alien baby.

  Since his marriage ended he’d taken more notice of the injustices suffered by many Ryxins. Added to that was the refusal by the Human police to help them. The police were ordered to intervene only if a Human was also involved but even then they were reluctant to help any Ryxins. So Curtis made up his mind to offer Ryxins the assistance they needed. He especially wanted to help those who were being treated badly by pure-blood Ryxins. The latter, who saw themselves as an elite group, aimed to rule Earth one day and have thousands of obedient, lower-class Ryxin minions at their beck and call.

  He fastened the official letter to a cork-board in his study, barely giving it more than a few seconds thought. He knew being microchipped was compulsory so there was not much point rebelling against it. Janux would probably accuse him of failing to comprehend the way people were now being treated. No better than cats and dogs, which had been microchipped for years now. But he still considered there was no use even trying to oppose the new law.

  When the doorbell rang next morning Curtis smiled. A new challenge was just what he wanted.

  He’d been up since dawn and was working in his study. Janux had already sent him a message saying she was doing research on the internet and would tell him later what it was about. Curtis sensed an air of excitement in her. He was busy mapping out a plan to get into The Home for Single Mothers and speak to Luxinda. He wanted to save their baby from being born into slavery, defined simply as a catalogue number. He turned off his laptop and went to the front door.

  “Ah, you must be Aidan,” Curtis said, stepping back and opening the door wide. He gestured for the young man to come in. He was tall and had jet black hair and Curtis thought he looked about twenty, maybe less.

  “Yes, that’s me,” Aidan said in a cultured voice and strode into the hallway. He was dressed in blue jeans and a green teeshirt covering a thin, wiry frame. His face looked serious and his brow furrowed. His eyes were pale green.

  “Let’s go into the kitchen,” Curtis said, “and I’ll get us a cold drink – or would you prefer something hot?”

  “Cold’s fine, thanks.”

  After attending to the lemonade, Curtis led the way to his study. They sat in the leather armchairs he’d bought especially for the ease of his clients. Then Aidan told Curtis his story, the outline of which Curtis had already read in a back-issue of the Muritai Weekly.

  “Mum was murdered in our home,” Aidan began, looking down at the floor. “Dad told me a woman had phoned him at work and said to go home at once because Mum needed his help. When he got there she was lying on the lounge floor with a knife in her chest.”

  “It must’ve been tough for you. Can you tell me when this happened?”

  “It was on May 13th and Dad was arrested the same day. I have to be tough now – there’s no one else to help him. His so-called friends have all deserted him.”

  “Does your father know who made that phone call?”

  “No, he has no idea. The woman said she was a neighbour and that it was urgent.”

  “And your father never met the person who called him?”

  “No, but she can’t have been a neighbour, the police said. They thought Dad was lying when he told them that.”

  “Did your parents have a good relationship?” Curtis saw Aidan hesitate and slurp some more lemonade.

  “My mother was Ryxin and she was a lot younger than Dad. She was only eighteen when they married and Dad was thirty. She was so beautiful and kind and always liked to help people. Dad only let her go out once a week and she used to go to the Ryxin Women’s Refuge and help out there. If only I’d known what was going on.”

  “What do you mean?” Curtis said, observing his tear-filled eyes.

  “The truth is, Mum was sick of being Dad’s prisoner and his trophy wife. Never allowed any freedom, always dressing the way he wanted. Cooking the meals he wanted, being there for him all the time, with no outside interests she could call her own. Apparently she met a Ryxin guy called Uxxl and was having an affair. When Dad found out she left to live with Uxxl. He had a Human wife already, but that didn’t matter, so I was told. This guy loved them both.”

  “That’s not unusual in the Ryxin world, you know,” Curtis assured him. “Back on the planet, Ryxin men were allowed up to three wives and many did so. His love would have been equally shared.”

  “Are you Ryxin, Mr McCoy? Is that why you know about it?”

  “Yes, on my father’s side. He was a half-blood and so am I. As you know our species cannot be watered down to less than half as long as one parent has Ryxin blood. So you must be a half-blood too?”

  Aidan looked down again. “I should be, but apparently I’m a neutral – no Ryxin genes at all. Someone else for the Human government to study and add to their list of successes.”

  “Yeah, pat
themselves on the back because the Ryxin Breeding Laws are finally working. Anyway, let’s get back to your mother. Does your father have any idea what really happened that day?”

  Curtis watched the young man struggling with the story his father had told him. He looked fragile and weak and sometimes his words came out in a whisper. He had to lean forward to hear what he was saying.

  “So you thought at first your father had killed your mother?” Curtis asked.

  “Sure, ’cos of what she did, you see. My dad swore vengeance when she left him for Uxxl.”

  “This is Uxxl Aogan, the criminal lawyer?”

  “Yeah. Is he a friend of yours?”

  “No, but he’s well known on the island. So he was never a suspect?”

  “I don’t think so. He was in love with Mum – he told me that himself. He also said there’d been a guy watching her. That’s why she’d started going with Uxxl to his office every day. They didn’t like the look of this shady guy. Uxxl told me he thought the man was a pure-blood Ryxin.”

  “Did anyone know who he was?”

  “Nah, no bloody idea, I wish someone did. After all, he could be the killer.”

  “What about your dad? Does he have any idea?”

  “He says he doesn’t know either. She only went a few hundred metres up the road from Uxxl’s office to buy doughnuts for morning tea and never came back.”

  Another appointment was arranged for the following Saturday and Aidan left with instructions to phone Curtis if he remembered anything more or discovered any new information. In the meantime Curtis assured him he would begin working on the case immediately, once a deposit of $1,500 had been paid into Curtis’s bank account.

  On the ferry back home Aidan began thinking about his mother. Her lovely face and the special bond they’d had. He pictured her in his mind – her shiny, long black hair and tall, slender figure.

  He went below to the bar and bought himself a bottle of Steinlager and climbed back up to the stern. Then he leaned over and watched the churning of the sea as they chugged further and further away from Seal Bay. He thought again about what Uxxl told him had happened when Nayxana was caught out by Oskin.