Jerry`s snores nearly overpowered the small plane`s engines.

　　Lucy stared out the window at the barren scenery, her insides twisting. Her mind couldn`t comprehend the fact that this might be real. Aliens. Actual aliens. She`d never thought she`d see the day. Guilt flooded her at the thought of the transfer paper she`d half finished. Unnecessary now. Lucy wouldn`t, couldn`t, leave until she saw this through.

　　A quick glance told her the other scant passengers weren`t paying her any mind. With no stewardess likely to interrupt her, she opened her phone to the image of the littlest alien. Her heart swelled, and she smiled before stuffing it back into her pocket.

　　Despite its cuteness, it failed to calm her nerves about the upcoming mission. They were to discover who took the photos and interview them. Bob handed them identities as psychologists, her as a trainee, and Jerry as her mentor. He claimed the job would make people comfortable.

　　She pointed out that she didn`t think psychologists carried around badges that looked like discount children`s FBI Halloween badges. He told her to not worry about it. Jerry laughed and led her from the room.

　　"Trust me, Lass," he said. "People are unobservant as hell. You tell them what they want to hear, and they`ll believe you."

　　She doubted it, but no one had forced him to prove it. A good thing too; she`d already had people asking her if she felt okay. Truthfully, she didn`t, and the jerky way she`d watched the screens for any signs that Arnold leaked his photos didn`t help.

　　Lucy grimaced as she thought about Arnold. From his report, he lived nearby. That meant she should stop in for a checkup. She didn`t need him disseminating his information because of a perceived lack of action.

　　With nothing else to do, she checked her phone. All it held was the text message Bob counted as a briefing.

　　Keep this quiet until I tell you otherwise. If the word leaks before I can get the PM on the line, things will get messy.

　　Short and sweet, Jerry had received a longer version, but he hadn`t told her what it was. Another glance, and she returned to the alien`s picture. Worry filled her as she saw its fearful expression. She understood why Bob would want this under wraps. There was no chance someone wouldn`t try to profit from it.

　　A rich collector, maybe? An Instagram hunter wanting his fifteen minutes of fame? A toy company that wanted a live model. Multiple groups would try to collect, and she needed to stop them.

　　Lucy tossed another look towards the snoring Jerry, remembering a conversation they`d had over lunch.

　　"I was in a damn coffeehouse," he`d told her after devouring a ham sandwich. "Three guys in tactical gear burst in. Rifles, grenades, the works. Barista screams, as does the mother in front of me. Her little girl, though? Cool as a cucumber, and couldn`t be older than four. Cute kid, brave, reminds me of little Missy. Anyway, these guys reckon they`ve tracked an interdimensional rift and are coming to close it. They caused a hell of a mess, shot two coffee machines, and scarpered before the police arrived. Insanity. Now imagine if those idiots had actual evidence."

　　She hadn`t then, but now? Now the thought terrified her. A swipe of her thumb brought up the image of the other aliens. Another swipe, and she zoomed in on the big one. That thing looked like it could tear through anyone who attempted to steal the pink fluff ball.

　　While it was out in the outback? That was fine. If a poacher group grabbed it? Lucy didn`t watch horror movies often, but it wasn`t difficult to imagine. She knew Bob would make it her problem to explain to the Prime Minister how one of his citizens, criminal or not, ended up devoured by a giant lizard.

　　As though sensing her trepidation, Jerry snorted himself awake. He blinked, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. When he noticed her staring, he shrugged.

　　"Get to my age; you`ll sleep anywhere. How close are we?"

　　"Not far off," Lucy said.

　　He nodded. "Damn tiny airplanes. You wanna grab a beer when we get there?"

　　"We`re working."

　　"Yeah." He grinned. "That`s why I wanted the beer."

　　She snorted and shook her head, unable to hide her own smile. He reached over and patted her shoulder, and she couldn`t help but embrace the comfort the minor gesture provided. From anyone else, she might have looked for an ulterior motive. Not Jerry.

　　"Look, lass, stay calm. It`ll be some interviews, some statements, and then a bit of a walk. Worse case, we find the blighter, stick it in a cage, and Bob becomes the most popular employee of the government. Best case? We get to see some natural wonders, and maybe I`ll get to see you punch a local boy who tries their luck."

　　"That was one time!" Lucy hissed.

　　Jerry`s laugh drew attention. "The restaurant staff loved it. The guy was a dick. I can`t believe you won`t let me take you back. I`m pretty sure they`d let you eat for free."

　　Heat filled her cheeks as she remembered the incident. The guy, all talk and no brains, got grabby. She reacted before Jerry hit him with a bottle, snatching his wrist and tripping him. That broke his nose. They`d needed to show badges, and Bob forbade them from leaving during their lunch breaks for a week.

　　Still, she couldn`t deny the satisfaction. Lucy knew Jerry was right, too. Even as the manager ushered her out, she saw the approving winks and nods from the staff.

　　"I`m not worried about a repeat," she said while grasping for a topic change. "Do you plan on sitting in on the interviews?"

　　Jerry shrugged. "Maybe. It`ll be mostly repeat information, I bet."

　　"They might feel more comfortable with the senior partner present," she teased, giggling at his mock glare.

　　"You keep that up, and I`ll make you carry my bags," he threatened. "Though I`m telling you now, lass. We won`t be doing much on this trip. Relax, have fun, and enjoy your vacation. You aren`t paying for it."

　　She took the beer he handed her and sipped. He was probably right, and she couldn`t help but feel herself relax slightly. This could be fun.

　　***The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

　　This was the opposite of fun.

　　They`d walked through the heat across the dusty, near-empty streets towards the police station for their interviews. Once inside, a young officer with a ruddy complexion and a stammer led them to an interrogation room.

　　The inside smelled like coffee and stale pastries, and judging by the coffee machine in the corner, Lucy determined it might be a makeshift breakroom.

　　Two teens sat inside—a young man and a woman. A large blanket almost concealed the girl from view, but her sobs told her all she needed to know. The boy appeared stoic, though his constant glances at the girl ruined the image a bit.

　　"Hi," Lucy said, in what she hoped was a tone that sounded both professional and polite. "We`re here to talk about what you saw."

　　Jerry took a seat and dragged it into a corner. He pulled a tablet out of a shoulder bag and started setting it up. The boy stared, clearly unsure of what to say. She smiled and ignored his roaming eyes.

　　"Your name is Derrick Loydal, correct?"

　　"Um, yes. Ma`am?" He sounded hesitant about the address.

　　She smiled, trying to appear reassuring. "Lucy is fine. The man there is Jerry. We`re here to discuss what you saw alongside those photos you took."

　　"It`s dead," the girl, Stacy Chester, Lucy belatedly remembered, said. "It`s dead, it`s dead, it`s dead."

　　Lucy`s blood ran cold at that, thoughts flashing to the hulking lizard alien.

　　"I`m sorry, the alien is—"

　　"—no!" Derrick quickly cut her off as he placed a hand on Stacy.

　　She continued whispering the words but looked mollified by the contact. Derrick turned back to her.

　　"Sorry. No. At least, I don`t think so. Sorry, the thing we saw? It was bad. Like, a horror movie, but real?"

　　"Start at the beginning, son." Jerry sounded confident and relaxed as he typed away.

　　Derick swallowed. "Right. Sure. So, I took my dad`s truck joyriding. Stacy and me, we were going to go find someplace a bit more, umm?"

　　"Private," Lucy finished for him.

　　"Yeah, that. Instead, we stumbled upon the thing in the photo. It was wet and looked scared. Stacy wanted to take a photo because it was cute. When we did, it freaked! Barking and running like we`d tried to kill it."

　　Jerry`s fingers crashing onto the pad filled her ears. "It ran? So it didn`t attack you?"

　　That question got a fresh round of sobbing from Stacy, and Lucy searched for a tissue box. She found one beneath the table, empty.

　　"No. Not us. We followed it in the truck. I thought we should try to catch it; it might be hurt. Old Lady Vera runs a farm sanctuary. Sick animal care, you know? Figured she might have something. Instead, it dove into a wombat hole."

　　He gave her a look, as though she was supposed to understand. She didn`t. Jerry, however, whistled.

　　"Territorial creatures. Bet it didn`t appreciate that."

　　Derrick nodded. "Yeah. I figured it was done for and wanted to leave. Stacy wanted to save it somehow. Turned out it didn`t need saving."

　　His voice cracked, and he wrapped an arm around Stacy. Her sobbing grew, and Lucy watched the tears. Her heart wrenched at the sight, even as she pondered what had happened. Did it not make it out?

　　"We heard screeching, screaming, barking, yowling, and thumping." Derrick`s words were a whisper now. "Then the wombat emerged. Blood everywhere, bite wounds, missing an ear."

　　He stopped and stared at Lucy, his eyes meeting hers for the first time. "I know this sounds crazy, but it had these pink strands wrapped around it. They tugged it back in. Then? Nothing."

　　"It`s dead," Stacy murmured.

　　"I know, babe," Derrick said as he patted her covered shoulder. "I know."

　　"So you`re saying the creature in the photo killed the wombat?"

　　If she couldn`t see the looks of fear on both their faces, she wasn`t sure she`d believe it.

　　"Not killed," Stacy whispered, her voice choking. "Ate. We could hear it chewing. Then we heard digging. Derrick got me in the truck. When we came here, the police didn`t believe us. They sent us home."

　　"Dad screamed at me half the night for taking his truck," Derrick added. "Christ, imagine if that was the last thing I`d done? Fuck me."

　　"And did you get any more photos? Video?" Lucy asked.

　　Derrick shook his head. "I know we should have recorded it, but the noises. It was like listening to a train wreck, right? We kinda stood there."

　　Jerry looked over at her, and she saw the slightest smile in his expression. She couldn`t deny her relief, either. That would mean less to scrub.

　　Jerry nodded. "You did the right thing by handing the evidence to the police. We`re going to make sure you get the help you need."

　　"What about the monster?" Stacy squeaked. "It`s still out there."

　　"We`re not worried about that," Jerry said.

　　Lucy nodded. "We`re here to make sure you get the help you need. We`re going to talk to our boss. Make sure someone in charge sends people to help you. This is a traumatic experience."

　　"Yeah." Derrick didn`t appear to know what else to say.

　　Before they left, Lucy made sure they left with cards for approved psychologists. The department would make sure they received help. It would have to be enough.

　　"So?" Jerry asked. "Thoughts?"

　　"This is bad, right?"

　　The old bastard laughed at her. "Damn right. That description was graphic, but he wasn`t lying. This isn`t some kid making stuff up to get himself out of trouble. No, he believes wholeheartedly in what he saw."

　　Lucy grimaced and opened the picture of the alien dog on her phone. "That this thing is a killer?"

　　"You don`t believe it?"

　　"I do," she said. "But I don`t want to."

　　"Excuse me?" The young officer called from the door, his voice cracking.

　　His older counterpart accompanied him. A severe woman with short brown hair showed streaks of gray. When her eyes settled on Lucy, her lips curled into a sneer. Lucy didn`t respond. She didn`t have time to play those games.

　　"Yes?" she asked.

　　"You have a call, someone named Mr. Black? Says it`s urgent."

　　"Shit."

　　She whipped around to see Jerry, who nodded to her.

　　"Take the call, lass. Don`t keep him waiting."

　　Lucy stood and moved to the front desk. She had to ask politely multiple times for them to give her the room. The older officer, Sergeant Mitchel, snorted and murmured about grabbing lunch.

　　When she knew they`d left, she grabbed the phone.

　　"Mr. Black?"

　　A deep masculine voice answered, one that oozed forced calm. "Miss McCloud. Are you alone?"

　　The hairs on the back of her neck raised, and she glanced around, checking that no one else was anywhere close. When she was certain, she forced herself to loosen the grip on the receiver. She took a deep breath.

　　"Yes. Though I don`t know for how long."

　　"Then listen. Carefully. You`re going to have visitors in a minute. Be polite, but don`t take nonsense. I`m going to be contacting Canberra. The Prime Minister himself. You must. I repeat. MUST. Keep this quiet. We`ll be doing what we can, but you`re the officer on the ground. Is Jerry there?"

　　"Yes, sir."

　　"Good. He`s your second."

　　For a moment, silence reigned.

　　"Lucy!" Bob`s voice broke. "This is it. You did it. We`ve proven our value. They exist. I was right."

　　"Bob, what is the plan? I—"

　　The line went dead as a flash of light filled the room. Lucy blinked, trying to dislodge the spots that disturbed her vision. When it cleared, she almost wished it hadn`t.

　　A wall of pure muscle glared down at her. Fight or flight instincts filled her, battling for control. A cough drew her attention, and nerves tightened as she finally noticed the other alien.

　　Lucy recognized their outfit from the photos.

　　"Hi," the alien woman said, in an accent she could only describe as posh. "You must be Earth`s ambassador? I`m Lecorondia, ambassador of the Galactic Government. I heard you have news of my beloved pet."