Alien Nation #3 - Body and Soul Read Free

undetermined. He scampered toward the van and, just as he got within reach, heard the engine roar to life.
    He leaped desperately, snagging the back of the van just as the vehicle lurched forward. The giant was a fast learner, but Grand Prix material he was not. The van started, stopped, and then pitched forward again. The motion of the van accomplished for Perkins what he had been trying to do in the first place—specifically, get inside.
    He tumbled into the interior of the van’s cargo bay. Inside were a couple of bolted-down gurneys that had been prepared for the giant to lie on once he was inside.
    The giant wasn’t going to need it. He was in the front, driving. But Perkins latched onto it, holding on desperately so that he wouldn’t be thrown back out of the van. As he did so, the rear doors of the van swung back around on their well-oiled hinges and slammed shut, closing him in. When this happened, he breathed a sigh of relief. At least he didn’t have to be concerned about being thrown out the back of a moving vehicle.
    The van was picking up speed. Perkins thudded and thumped around inside, tossed around like a poker chip as the van skidded out onto the main road and roared toward . . .
    Where?
    Sealed in the back, Perkins had absolutely no clue as to where they were going. But at least, whenever they got there, he would be able to inform his boss that, yes, things had not gone quite according to plan. But he, Perkins, was still on top of things.
    At least for the moment.

    River felt an earthquake, and it was shouting his name.
    Then his mind focused in, and he stared dazedly up at Penn. [ “What’s . . . ?” ]
    [ “Will you come on?!” ] shouted Penn angrily.
    And then Penn actually managed to catch a break.
    His despairing gaze noticed a literal godsend. On the wall to his right, a fire extinguisher was serenely perched. If the damned thing could have spoken, it would undoubtedly have said something along the lines of, “It took you long enough to notice me.”
    Penn stood up quickly, momentarily forgetting about River. The result was that the semiconscious Newcomer’s head thudded to the floor with an impressive crack. Penn paid it no heed, for he had other things on his mind. He crossed quickly to the fire extinguisher, grabbed it off the wall, and prayed that the idiot guard had seen to it that the thing was maintained. Otherwise the fire was going to blaze out of control, and River might very well be toast.
    But Penn caught his second break in as many minutes. He flipped the fire extinguisher over, aimed, and fired. Moments later the roaring fire had been smothered. All that was left was a thick, acrid smell and a faint hissing and popping noise.
    Quickly he turned back to River and knelt down beside him. He winced at the blood that was pouring from the Newcomer’s nose. It was out of joint as well. Clearly the giant had broken it.
    There was no time to carp over it, however. [ “Come on.” ] he clicked, and hauled the groggy River to his feet. River stumbled momentarily and then righted himself.
    Seconds later, they were out on the road, just in time to see the van heading in the direction of Los Angeles.
    [ “Let’s go! They’re getting away!” ] shouted Penn. Spurred on by the anger in his partner’s voice, River started off, and the two of them pounded down the road after the speeding van.
    Their Newcomer physiology made them stronger and faster than any human, but all the alien musculature in the world wasn’t going to do a thing when it came to keeping pace with a speeding armored van. Eventually, after several miles, the two Newcomers slowed and then came to a stop, chests heaving and their double hearts pounding.
    They bent over, their hands resting on their knees, as the van vanished into the distance. Penn looked woefully at River.
    [ “He’s not going to be happy about this, you know.” ]
    [ “I know.” ] said River, unenthused. He touched his damaged nose tentatively and