Alien Baby Daddy: A SciFi Romance

Chapter 1

Grizz

         “Stop it. Stop that stomping around!”

         I throw the blanket off my lower half and stumble, naked, to the window. I fling it open and stare down at the object of my ire.

         “I’m tired of you tromping around the roof like a herd of elephants. Can’t you see I’ve got a hangover?

         “Meow?”

         The little gray cat stares up at me, a winding trail of pawprints leading up to it. I slam the window shut, and then winced as the reverberating echo only made my head hurt worse.

         I stumble into the bathroom and stare at my Vakutan reflection. Yellow  scales and sharp white teeth gleam in a pained grimace. I fill up a glass with water and drain it, then do so again until my belly feels extra sloshy.

         After a quick shower and scale buffing, I put on my power suit. That is to say, what the humans refer to as a power suit, in this case a blazer, trousers, and tie. Then I pick up a small device about the size and shape of a tube of lipstick. The image inducer. I push the button on the end, and my yellow scales hide beneath a paper-thin holographic projection.

         Technically I could be naked and the image inducer could generate a suit, but the smaller the projection area, the less power it uses. And I need it to last all day, since the general populace at large still have no idea alien Vakutan warriors walk among them.

         They would be equally upset to learn that the malignant Grolgath have come back in time with us. That is to say, formerly malignant. At this point they work with us, in Project Veritas. Our mission remains the same as it had when we’d been accidentally hurtled back in time and wound up on pre-FTL Earth: to protect humanity’s timeline so they could reach their full potential and join galactic civilization at large.

         These days, that usually involves more subtle things than blowing stuff up. Which is too bad, considering how good I am at blowing stuff up.

         I take a taxi to Droz Analytics, a glittering tower of glass and steel right in downtown Manhattan. The entire elevator ride up to the top floor, I rub my temples and try to will my hangover away.

         The elevator dings, and I stride out the doors as soon as they open. I find Droz, wearing his human disguise, in his office, and he is not alone.

         His wife, Jennifer—a very human woman, not an image induced Vakutan—sits on his desk, her legs crossed demurely. I figure the only reason she is acting demure at all is the fact that Mal, her young son, plays with action figures not far away.

         “Grizz.” Droz says as he cocks an eyebrow at me and grins. “I’m surprised you made it into the office this morning. You were three sheets to the wind last night.”

         “I am a Vakutan warrior.” The nice thing about Jen is that she’s fully aware of our alien nature. No need to hide around her. “Of course I would not be remiss in my duty.”

         “I’ve got to go, hon.” Jen pecks him on the cheek, then slides off the desk and collects Mal. “So you boys can talk shop without certain ears hearing you.”

         She looks down with a smile at Mal. They leave the office together, Mal waving goodbye to his stepfather.

         “You’re completely housebroken, aren’t you?” I sigh heavily. “How the mighty have fallen.”

         A wide grin spreads over my face as I figure out a way to really stick it to Droz.

         “While you were calling it an early night to get back to wifey, I was sealing the deal with not one, not two, not three, but FOUR Miami dolphins cheerleaders. Let me just say, everything they tell you about chicks from Florida is absolutely true. I think I learned a few new positions.”

         Droz enjoys a hearty laugh and nods. “More power to you, friend, but I wouldn’t trade the married life for anything.”

         “That’s so sad. I pity you and will say a prayer to the Precursors for my fallen brother.”

         Droz gestures for me to sit, so I sit. He picks up a datapad and tosses it in my direction. I snatch it out of the air and check it.

         “What’s this?”

         “Trouble.”

         I check the readout. My brows come low over my eyes. “Oh shit.”

         “Yeah, now you’re getting it.”

         “A subspace signal emanating from Earth. Veritas hasn’t shared anything capable of doing that yet.”

         “Hence the problem.”

         “Do we know where it’s coming from?”

         “We were able to narrow it down to about a twenty-acre area. Check the next tab.”

         I do so and scowl.

         “Stone Hill Elementary school?” My voice comes out as a growl. “I dislike human children. They smell like sour milk and urine, and they always have sticky hands, and, and what’s with those giant heads? It’s just not natural.”

         I jab my finger on the picture of the school.

         “Zero defenses, not even a wall. If we go in force, we can easily breach the facility here, here, and here. Then we can have the three strike teams converge and—”

         “We’re not sending strike teams into a school within a human residential area, Grizz. Not unless we have no other choice.”

         “Fine, then I recommend explosives. Blow up the school, and whatever’s transmitting the signal with it.”

         Droz looks at me in horror.

         “Blow up the school? Are you insane? What about the children?”

         “Oh, come on,” I roll my eyes. “Do I look like a bloodthirsty Shorcu? I didn’t mean to suggest we blow up the school while there are still children inside of it.”

         Droz’s eyes narrow. “We’re doing this subtle, Grizz. Subtle. No strike teams, no explosions, no violence.”

         “Do I get to use both hands?”

         “Don’t be flip, this is serious. If there’s another superluminal capable sapient species on Earth in this era, we need to know about it, stat.”

         “Fine. How do you want to do this?”

         “You’re going undercover.”

         “As a student?” I snort in derision. “Aren’t I too tall?”

         “No, you moron, you’re going in as a teacher.”

         “A teacher? But—but what about something more exciting, more dangerous?”

         “Trust me, this is going to be plenty dangerous.” He smiles. “Congratulations, Grizz. You’re the new Stone Hill Elementary School Kindergarten teacher.”

Precursors, why have you forsaken me?