How To Survive The Alien Invasion

Violet

As soon as the Human Exchange Training was open to the public, I was first in line to join. That might seem reckless, to immediately seek to abandon Earth for a year-long, alien-job training program, but anything was better than what I had going for me now. My ex was psychotic, and he didn't take my whole let's-be-friends conversation as well as I'd hoped. You really don't see all the red flags until the end. Sure, I was feeling uncomfortable with him for a few months now, but all that crazy made for great sex and had my mind all addled over the idea of leaving him simply because he seemed a bit clingy when I wanted to hang out with the girls. I had a decent job as a marketing consultant for what used to be the biggest IT company. But ever since we—meaning humans—were introduced to how big the galaxy was by these aliens called the Trill, well, our IT was way behind the times.

Too many people were more obsessed with the technology the aliens had to offer instead of what mere human mortals were working on. IT took a huge dive, and so did my career. I was a bartender now; that's how I met Mick… and he needed some time to cool off and find a new obsession. Living for a year with aliens while also getting training in a new career sounded like a win-win.

I left the recruitment center more excited than ever after being accepted by an alien host from some planet called ASunGor. It wasn't too far from the planet Trillume, which was where the trill were from. ASunGor was beautiful, with its purples, yellows, and oranges, and red gaseous clouds that, if they didn't tell me otherwise, I might have thought were poisonous. Red was usually associated with warnings, like my ex with all of his red flags. But I was assured the red was merely a reaction to the iron particles in the air hitting the oxygen, and the concentration was mostly in the atmosphere, not on the surface where there was a reasonable amount of breathable air for humans to survive without any harm.

I got a data packet about the aliens that lived there sent to my brain implant, which was updated with an alien language translator, so all that was left was to wait for the transport shuttle to take me to the ship waiting in Earth’s orbit. I'd be gone for a year.

Before I could think on it more, I was interrupted by a cringe-worthy voice that was all too sickeningly familiar. Damn it. I had been so careful about getting here without being followed.

"What do you think you're doing, Violet?" he said from behind me, leaning against the brick wall of the recruitment center.

Clearing my throat, I jutted a hip out in defiance while replying, "None of your business, Mick."

He rubbed his gorgeous face with his hands in exasperation. That's what got me the first time around. Mick was too damned pretty, and I let that cloud my judgement for too long. The kind of sweet, chiseled pretty that made you think he was both adoring and capable of sinful things. And he certainly was capable of all sorts of sinful things that I used to look forward to—with relish—but it wasn't worth it.

"I know the IT industry has seen a dive, and you weren't looking to be a bartender your whole life, but offworlding? Come on, Violet, that's low; even for you. There have been plenty of news stories about how most of those aliens want to experiment with us, and a pretty girl like you… Violet, if you need a good fuck, you don't need to jump on a shuttle to find it," Mick said with equal parts disgust and interest. It was amazing how he could twist his words to both insult me and imply that his dick was good enough for the job, all at the same time.

I smiled sweetly at him, but anyone with eyes could see my derision as I retorted, "Oh, honey. I don't have to go anywhere for a good fuck. I've got myself covered just fine." I showed him my two favorite fingers and then lowered one to leave only the middle, silently saying 'Go fuck yourself' and ending with a little wink. It wasn't right to tease him. He liked it when I played hard to get, but I wasn't playing at anything this time. I was more than happy with my own company. Anything was better than the constant, back-handed compliments I received from him regularly. At least my own fingers knew my clit was bigger than just the tip that was visible. It was a whole fucking organ, and he wasn't its musician anymore.

Mick pushed off from the wall, and my whole body froze like a deer caught in headlights. I talked a big game, but the dark look in his eyes was terrifying and crazed. That same determined gaze used to make me smile, knowing we were about to have some great hate sex. But when I wanted it to end, the feelings changed, and he wasn't willing to let me go. I gulped back my fear as he slowly approached, but my feet wouldn't budge. His knuckles brushed against my cheek, and I instinctively pulled my face away before he harshly pinched my chin in his grasp to force me to look at him.

"You know you like it when that foul mouth of yours wraps around my cock before you scream my name. Your fingers can still do whatever they want when I'm fucking the sin from your dirty thoughts," he purred, pushing his mouth on to mine. My hands scrambled to find purchase, to shove him off, but he held me firm, and I struggled to slide my mouth away from his, gasping for air.

"Get off of me," I growled, and he released me at the same time as I shoved, making me stumble backwards and I lost my balance. He let me trip, falling to my ass, and he shook his head at me like I was a piece of trash that he'd have to pick up for the betterment of the world. I wiped his saliva from my cheek and forced myself to spit at his feet, to rid the taste of him from my tongue. "You're disgusting."

It wasn't that I didn't particularly like dirty talk; I did. But the way he said things was anything but endearing. It was possessive in a way that made my skin crawl. Like I needed to burn the clothes I was wearing to get the feeling of his hands groping me seared from my memory.

"No one will touch you the way you want it like I do, Violet. Not even an alien dick, if they even have one, would touch you after they found out what makes you scream," he threatened while licking his lips, trying to get me to think about all the things he wanted to do with his tongue. "Don't make me wait too long; this game of yours is getting old." Mick left me there sitting in what I now realized was a puddle left by the rain from the night before. It certainly wasn't my own juices that had soaked through my pants this time.

"Fucker," I gritted out, getting back to my feet and stomping back to the recruitment center. I opened the door a little more aggressively than I’d intended, but I was amped and pissed. Waiting for the later shuttle to "gather" my shit wasn't an option anymore. I was leaving tonight, even if I had to sign some extra waivers or agree to an extended exchange program. I didn't give a crap. I was leaving now!

Mick was lucky I ever touched his dick, and he was right. The game was getting old, but not the one he thought we were playing. I was sick and tired of him harassing me, and the authorities said there wasn't enough to get a restraining order. Not that it would have stopped him, I thought with disdain.

"Miss Thorn… did you forget something?" my recruiter, Beth, asked with a quirked brow at my now soaked pants and probably reddened face.

"Yes, I need you to get me on the next shuttle."

Beth pursed her lips as if I were insane. "You have no personal items with you. And usually people wish to say goodbye to their friends, family, someone before they go. You should really wait for the next shuttle in a few weeks," she insisted.

"No," I snapped before calming myself to reiterate in a less intimidating tone. "I want to leave on the one I overheard you saying was leaving today." I paused, then added, "Please." I forced a smile to my face and waited for her to deny me because what I was asking for was ridiculous. It was the most insane thing I'd ever asked of someone.

She lowered her voice and wrapped her arm around my shoulder to lead me away from the prying eyes of the other recruits in the lobby, eying me with concern. "Are you in trouble?"

I sighed, not wanting to get into this with practically a stranger, but she seemed so sweet and trustworthy, unlike my usual friends I hung out with. They were more encouraging of my bad choices. This was not a bad choice though, I reassured myself. This was crazy, but it wasn’t a bad choice. As far as decisions went, sure, I should probably wait for my scheduled shuttle in a few weeks. But what did I have to lose besides a creepy ex and girlfriends that didn't even know a single thing about me, other than I was fun to have a drink with? Come to think of it, they probably mostly liked the cheap drinks I got for working at the bar… I shook my head. I was over the whole thing.

"I've got an ex stalking me, and a year away will be good for both of us," I admitted, but I didn't let her know that a sick part of me knew that if I didn't get on this shuttle, two weeks was a long time, and I didn't think I had the strength to resist Mick when he reflected on his actions in a day or two. He'd come back, sweeter than ever, and we'd have mind-blowing hate sex, and I'd hate myself even more for letting him get under my skin. I deserved better than what he was offering. I knew that in theory. But in practice… he was right. I was fucked up, and I liked how he made me feel when he wasn't being a petty asshole. He knew how I liked to be touched.

This was for me. I needed to recalibrate my brain and my body.

I didn't need his kind of possessive veneration.

"Yes, but you won't have time to go home and grab personal items. No matter how strong a person is, everyone gets Earth sick and misses the smallest of things that remind them of Earth when they are away." Beth was trying to talk me out of it, and she was doing a shitty job. I didn't give a crap if I missed the dirt or way pizza tasted. Sometimes, cold turkey was the best way to change your bad habits. I'd just keep myself busy to distract myself.

"Beth, I see what you're doing here, and it's sweet, really. But if you don't let me on that shuttle, my life is more screwed than if you let me leave. Trust me." I could see her lips press into a fine line as she led me through the building, probably to a holding cell because I was likely to harm one of us if they didn't board me on the shuttle today. I was that kind of desperate, and pretty much too angry to see reason beyond what I'd set my mind to.

She sighed in what I hoped was resignation, but it easily could have been her annoyance at another crazy she had to deal with in a diplomatic way.

"Violet." She used my first name, which was weird. "You have to be sure about this. The shuttle is boarding now. Once you're on, there is no coming back until your exchange is completed. Do you understand?"

Well, that was unexpected.

"Like, now, now?" My nerves were getting the better of me, and I was just as likely to bolt as I was to follow through with my hare-brained idea of jumping on a shuttle to a different planet.

She laughed, which was refreshing to hear, before she nodded her agreement.

This was happening.

I was leaving.

She was going to let me on the shuttle.