Submitted for the July 2025 prompt: Aliens Among Us

Flashing a toothy smile, Stephen raised his glass and said, “To you, Sarah. And to your achievement, which will change the world forever.”

 

“You mean our achievement,” she corrected, lifting her own glass. “To us.”

 

“Alright then, to us,” he agreed, though somewhat reluctantly.

 

After sipping her wine, Sarah shook her head and said, “Honestly, Stephen, I’ll never understand your reluctance to be more directly involved in all this. Our cold fusion engine is going to be the biggest advance in technology since the harnessing of electricity, and it’s all because of you. Without your insights, your guidance, I couldn’t have accomplished this in ten lifetimes. And no one else knows. They all think I came up with the specs by myself, when it was really you who—”

 

Appearing pained by her words, Stephen stepped forward, pressing a finger to Sarah’s lips to silence her. “I am not a man who requires praise or accolades, Sarah. You know that. In fact, I don’t want any. All I want is a fine bottle of Bordeaux and a beautiful woman to share it with. Which means… I have everything I want.”

 

Then, leaning in, he kissed her.

 

The kiss grew increasingly passionate for several seconds before Stephen suddenly pulled away. Tilting his head while maintaining eye contact, he whispered, “Actually, there is something else I’d like. Would it be possible for me to… No, never mind. I’m thinking selfishly.”

 

“Stephen, please,” she said, taking his hands, squeezing them with her own. “Nothing would make me happier than to grant you a wish. Just say it.”

 

“If I could see the engine — one time — before everything goes public.”

 

Without hesitation, Sarah glanced at her watch and said, “The lab will be all but abandoned this time of night. Go grab your coat. We’ll leave right now.”

 

When Stephen returned from the next room with his jacket, Sarah was busy on her phone.

 

“I just texted the night guard to let him know I’d be stopping in. No problem. So… let’s go!”

 

* * *

 

Twenty minutes later, the pair smiled into an entry camera at Tomorrow-Tech Laboratories before being buzzed in by the night guard.

 

“Hey, Carl,” said Sarah with a wave as the door swung closed behind them.

 

Rather than returning the gesture, the typically genial guard stood slowly from his chair, a suspicious look on his face. When that suspicion shifted to horror, Sarah spun around to find Stephen had fallen a step behind — and changed.

 

The handsome man she’d known for more than a year, who’d mentored her through the most important work of her life, who’d loved her… was gone. In his place stood a green-skinned, bug-eyed monster.

 

With shocking speed, the thing that had been Stephen produced a small, silvery weapon from within the folds of its jacket, aimed it not-quite at Sarah, and fired.

 

As the bolt of blue light winked past Sarah’s face, she gasped, feeling every hair on her body stand on end. Then turning, she gasped again as she watched Carl go stiff. His pistol, half-drawn, fell from his hand, clattering to the floor, and then he crumpled atop it.

 

“Relax, he’s fine,” spoke the creature in Stephen’s normal voice. “I only put him down for a nap. That way I can still threaten to kill him if you don’t cooperate. Now, on to my engine. Lead the way.”

 

“Who are you?” Sarah managed after a few more seconds ticked by. “Where’s Stephen?”

 

“Oh, I’m Stephen,” the thing said, laughing in an oddly human manner. “I mean, you couldn’t pronounce my real name, so… sure, Stephen. Look, since you did amuse me while I’ve been stuck here, I’ll fill you in — but while we’re walking. Now let’s go. To my engine, sweetheart.”

 

* * *

 

As he followed Sarah through the labyrinthine hallways of the Tomorrow-Tech Labs, the alien calling himself Stephen laid it all out: how he’d been forced to land his ship on Earth following an engine failure, and how he’d schemed to replace that engine on a planet that possessed nothing of its like.

 

“My species has a unique ability to alter our appearance, as you can see. To perfectly mimic a person’s voice and behavior, however, is much more difficult. That’s why I couldn’t simply replace someone already positioned in a lab like this one. But I could influence them. I could steer them in the right direction, guide them as they did the work for me.”

 

“But why me?” Sarah asked, glancing back as she wiped a tear from her cheek.

 

“Because you’re a woman, obviously,” Stephen said with a chuckle. “It’s the same with every species, I guess. Present a woman with a handsome face, a deep voice, two strong arms… and she’ll do whatever you want.”

 

At this, Sarah’s head sagged. As she swiped her ID card at the entrance to the CF engine lab, she began to sob.

 

“Hit the lights,” ordered Stephen as they entered the dark lab.

 

And Sarah did — revealing the thirty armed men surrounding them.

 

“Freeze!” someone yelled. “Drop the weapon!”

 

Stephen did both.

 

Sarah, however, couldn’t quite contain herself.

 

As she wiped away the last of her crocodile tears, her sobs morphed into laughter that took long seconds to finally tamp down.

 

“I’m sorry,” she apologized, “but that whole women of every species speech… I mean, seriously? Buddy, I’ve been on to you from the very start, and you didn’t have a clue. Know why? Because while you are a wicked-smart alien, you’re also a typical man. I showed you a little vulnerability, told you exactly what you wanted to hear, and you slipped on my leash like it was a hundred-dollar tie.”

 

“You’re saying it was all for show?” Stephen asked, dumbfounded. “None of this was real?”

 

“I mean, that engine’s real,” she replied, grinning wickedly. “Thanks for that, sweetheart.”