He frowned at her tight smile. "That's okay with you?"

"I'm on vacation," she replied simply. "So if we aren't on Earth anymore, where exactly are we?"

"On a planet I was mapping in the Bogeeta Region. I'm a stellar cartographer. I chart new star systems and then sell my information to StarNet Survey, a galactic mapping center."

She nodded as if she understood exactly what he was saying. He took a breath. Good. She was orienting better than he'd expected.

"Where in relation to Earth are we?"

"Approximately three hundred light-years. Not far."

She blinked once. "And this is a spaceship."

"Yes, my ship. It's a Class Twelve Trulhian cruiser, retrofitted with specialized survey equipment and weapons. The VirtuWav you came through in theback has been modified for teleportation. And you already met Reene."

"Teleportation." Her lips curved slightly. "I see. And what is a Reene?"

"He is an integral part of the ship and an intelligent computer. He runs off the ship's power supply but is also capable of evolution and human interaction."

Her gazed shifted around the ship warily. "It's alive?"

"In a way," he admitted.

She nodded, deep in thought, and her nails drummed rapid-fire on the chair arms.

After a few long seconds, she asked, "So what are we supposed to be doing here?"

He squinted. "It's kind of complicated."

"Oh, try me."

He noted her forced smile and decided he'd better do just that. "We entered this solar system twelve days ago and had mapped most of the bodies. I always leave data collecting on the hospitable planets for last, since they require a longer, in-depth analysis."

"That makes perfect sense," she added, crossing her arms.

He paused warily. "Right. So two days ago, I was running planetary geological scans from orbit. Some unusual readings recorded over this area and I decided to check it out. However, when we tried to land, we encountered a digital camouflage concealing this crater. As soon as the ship crossed the camouflage, we were shot down. It was-"

"Like a big bug zapper?" she offered helpfully.

He eyed her carefully. "Possibly. More like laser fire. We were lucky to land in one piece but it knocked out most of my navigational systems, weakened the power cells, and damaged some ancillary equipment-"

"My guess would be a rift in the space-time continuum," she suggested. "Happens all the time."

Irritation gnawed at him. "Lacey, you wanted the truth and I'm giving it to you."

"Oh, I believe you," she said. "I'm just fascinated that my mind could conjure all this up. When I go insane, I do it in a big way."

For a fleeting moment, he contemplated telling her about the real seriousness of the situation-the wrecked ships he'd found, the nasty dust storm they'd already survived, the ominous orange glows that popped up intermittently several kilometers away, and the feeling that he wasn't alone on a planet that was supposed to be devoid of life. Then better judgment weighed in.

"You aren't insane. You aren't dreaming. You aren't even hallucinating."

She held a hand up to stop him. "The only reasonable explanation is that I've lost touch with reality, which is fine." She took a deep breath. "I can handle that. I just hope this is a short nervous breakdown because I have a New Year's resolutions list to tackle and an application to deliver. So, if we can just move this along, I'd be grateful."

His patience was gone, leaving raw frustration and very little tact. She backed up as he leaned forward.

"This is your reality, Lacey. We have a serious problem. You're trapped here on this damn planet with me and neither of us is going anywhere for a very long time if we don't work together."

Lacey gaped at him. Maybe they were both nuts, because he wasn't making any sense at all. "Are you an orderly or a patient?" she asked.

"I'm an alien."

She laughed and crossed her arms. "Oh really. You don't look like an alien."

He pressed his lips together. "We have similar DNA."

"I bet all the crazies use that line."

"I know this isn't easy for you but-" "Sir, we have a problem," the computer interrupted.

The ship rattled.

Zain glanced over her head, muttered something she didn't understand, and spun his seat around. He tapped away at the panel madly.

"There is one other problem I forgot to mention," he said, casting another quick glance outside. Beneath her bare foot, the floor trembled. As much as she hated to, Lacey turned her seat around until she could see what he was looking at.

About one hundred feet away, what looked like a fifteen-foot-tall cross between Godzilla and her ex-fiance on a bad manicure day, was bearing down on them with slashing claw hands, a protruding jaw, and some nasty teeth.

"Oh my God," she whispered. "It's Bobzilla."

Chapter Four.

Zain armed the plasma scatter guns as Lacey scrambled past him and grabbed Oliver off the ship's console.

"Reene, give me as much power as you can."

"Complying," Reene replied promptly. Zain watched the energy levels spike as everything in the cabin dimmed. Always a bad sign.

"Zain, do something," Lacey said, clutching her cat as she backed to the far side of the ship.

"I'm working on it. If you have any suggestions, I'll take them now."

She covered Oliver's eyes with her hand. "Just work faster, or Bobzilla is going to flatten us like Tokyo."

The power leveled off. "Lock on target and fire one," Zain ordered. A ball of plasma streaked toward the beast and exploded in a burst of light before it.

The creature stopped its progress and staggered blindly.

Energy levels on Zain's weapons systems dropped, but the beast recovered rapidly and charged them once again. Slashing claws filled Zain's mind and old memories threatened to subvert his control. Only ingrained warrior training kept him focused on the battle.

So much for subtlety. Zain raised the power level. "Fire two." The second blast flooded the landscape with light and the creature lurched to one side and stumbled away.

Zain checked the ship's dwindling power levels. How long could they last at this rate? He ran some calculations, didn't like the answer, and reran them. Didn't like the second answer any better, but accepted it.

They had five days at best. For self-preservation, he decided to keep that little detail to himself.

"Reene, do what you can to bring power levels back up as fast as possible."

"Yes, sir."

Lacey moved up next to him and surveyed the desertscape. "What was that?"

"Local wildlife."

She speared him with an apprehensive look. "Wildlife? You are joking, right? That thing looked like it came right out of the Jurassic Era. Do you think he has friends?"

"I can't imagine why," Zain muttered and looked at her. She was staring out the viewport frowning. "Bob-zilla?"

"Trust me, it fits." Then she turned her gaze to his and slowly genuine apprehension registered in her eyes. He could tell that orientation was just about complete when she began edging her way to the back of the ship. He spun his chair around to face her and crossed his arms.

"It won't do you any good to run," he said. "As you can see, it's not any safer outside than it is in here."

She shook her head. "What are you?"

He frowned at the fear in her eyes and the way she looked at him as if he were dangerous. She had no idea how right she was.

"I already told you."

"What are you going to do with me?" she asked as she shot a glance down the corridor to the back.

"I need you to decipher those images you saw in the VirtuWav. I found them on the walls of the only structure on this entire planet-an ancient stone dome. There's a console in the middle of the dome that I think controls the energy field and the automatic weapons system. If I can figure out how to shut down the energy field or the weapons, we can get off this rock, repair the ship, and send you back to Earth.

"Send me back to Earth," she repeated, looking skeptical but interested. "How would you do that?"

He pursed his lips. "The same way I got you here. Through a transfer portal orbiting your planet, then a few relay accelerators and into the ship using the Virtu Wav as a portal receptor."

She laid a hand to her head like it hurt. "The tube thing in th back?"

"Correct."

"But I was in a room-"

He nodded. "Besides being used for teleportation, the VirtuWav can create a virtual image of anything. You were transported direcdy into a virtual replica of the dome. Don't worry. It was perfectly safe."

She gave a short, cynical laugh. "Safe? I don't think you are qualified to define safe." Then her eyes widened. "Wait a minute. The big black hole in the night. And that's why you sent the note about the stars. To lure me outside."

"Obviously, that wasn't what did it," he muttered, seeing her expression. "So why did you go outside?"

Her gaze dropped to the cat, sleeping peacefully in her arms. Zain almost felt sorry for it, but he had his own problems at the moment.

"This is impossible, all of it," she said, anger rising in her face. "Because that would mean you just screwed up my life, maybe for good. And I'm not letting anyone do that anymore. So you get your Virtu-whatsit working and send me and my cat back where you found us."

She moved toward the back room and flinched. That's when Zain noticed her bare feet and the blood on the floor.

"Damn it," he muttered. "Sit down."

"Go to hell." Her entire body trembled with barely contained rage and fear.

He stood up and towered over her, saying softly, "Sit down or I will strap you down myself so I can clean you up."

Her jaw set but her eyes gave away the pain. Just when he thought he'd have to make good on his threat, Lacey sat with a huff.

Frustration and panic rumbled in her belly as she watched Zain grab a metal box and sit across from her. She held Oliver with one arm and gripped the chair with the other, trying desperately to keep from flying off. Either she'd completely lost control of her faculties or Zainman was telling the truth. Neither option appealed to her, but she'd really hate to lose her mind. She'd kind of grown attached to it.

If she was insane, then this nightmare wouldn't matter. But if she wasn't nuts, then he was telling the truth and she had a lot more to worry about than being broke and losing her client.

She took in the talking space ship that looked like nothing she'd ever seen before. What did Sherlock Holmes always say? If you eliminate the impossible, then what remains must be the truth. No matter how improbable. The E-mail, the blue light in the night sky, the strange room, the attacking monsters, Zain's story. Oh God, she thought. Maybe this is real.

As he opened the box, Zain said, "I didn't intend to strand you here, Lacey. Trust me, that's the last thing I wanted to do. I just needed you to tell me what you could about those images and then I was going to send you right back. It should have worked. I didn't anticipate losing a power cell."

He ripped open a pouch and withdrew a moist cloth. Her blossoming panic attack was abruptly sidelined as Zain's big hands lifted her left foot carefully. He inspected it and then checked the right one, using the palm of his hand to cradle it. The gentleness and level of concentration he gave her foot made her squirm. A strange man-no, scratch that-a strange alien had her foot on his lap and it felt a lot nicer than it should. Long, warm fingers caressed the arch, sending tremors through her and starting a chain reaction her body had no business contemplating. She shifted in her chair.

How long was he going to stare at it like that} "We have enough food and water for approximately three weeks," he continued. "So the only real problem is power. Normally, the ship can repair and recharge itself, but one cell is dead and the other cells aren't recovering like they should."

"So what happens if the cells stop working altogether?" she asked, realizing what he was saying. "We die?"

He looked mildly annoyed. "It won't come to that."

"But we could die," she repeated, leaning forward. "And you brought me here knowing that? Why?"

"Because you answered my message."

Her mouth dropped open. "Your post? On Tech-Nest? I'm here because I was a nice person and replied?"

He had the decency to grimace. "I was desperate. Obviously, it was a bad idea and I'm not any happier about the situation than you are."

Then his hand skimmed up under her knit pants to her knee. Another shock ran through her at the intimate invasion, and Lacey pulled her foot away.

Dark eyes caught her. "I need to make sure you don't have any other scratches."

"Why bother? We're going to die anyway."

He ignored her and latched on to her foot, drawing it back to his lap. "Are you always so pessimistic?"