https://youtu.be/yUuwPeS2-Aw

"Pull over!" Andrea's voice barks through a megaphone. Half of her body hangs outside of the Humvee's passenger window as if she is ready to jump out and sprint straight at me. "I know you're in there, Drake Harker!"

Instinctively, I duck down to hide from her huntress's eye, but it's no use. She's found me.

"Holy shit!" Jeremy exclaims. With his Marijuana high now long gone, the severity of our situation finally starts to sink in. "They're not fucking around!"

I sit myself upright and face the back window to get a look at what we're dealing with. A soldier dressed in full gear is driving the vehicle while another is stationed at the turret on top. Andrea is unarmed, but she is wearing a heavy-duty bulletproof vest.

My throat suddenly runs dry. "There's a machine gun mounted to that Humvee," I say flatly.

"I see that," Mort replies, glancing at the rearview mirror.

Andrea lifts the megaphone up to her lips once more. "This is your last chance!" she warns. "Surrender the alien, or I will have no choice but to take it by force!"

Jeremy whips around and cups his hands around his mouth. "Fuck you, Fed Head!"

"Stop!" I scold, pushing him back down into his seat.

Mortecus steps on the gas, and I slam against my seat. "We can outrun 'em," Jeremy encourages. "That hunk of metal behind us can only do about 70."

"How do you know that?" I question.

"I play World at War, dude. I know my shit," he says defensively. I suppose he truly has learned a thing or two from video games, though I've always had trouble believing that. Ignoring me now, he leans forward in between Mortecus and Solara. "Don't worry, Spaceman. My mom's minivan can at least break a 100."

Mort pushes the gas pedal all the way down to the floor. We crank it far passed Mags' Mini-Mart, and a gap grows between us and the Humvee as we continue to fly down the road. Jeremy was right. We can outrun them... but for how long? There's nowhere to hide.

Andrea begins to fade in the distance, but I can still feel her fiery gaze upon me.

"Are we just going to ignore the fact that they could shoot us at any second?"

"They wouldn't risk it," Mort reassures me. "They want an alien, and they want one alive."

The Humvee lags farther behind as we enter no man's land. There's nothing but cacti and coyotes out here.

"How far are we headed?" I ask Mort. His yellow eyes are focused on the road. For a brief second, he flicks them over to the rearview mirror again.

"A few miles south," he answers.

Even if we reach our destination--wherever the hell that is--Andrea will just catch up to us in the end. I watch her through the back window, trying to anticipate her next move. Her figure shifts to the inside of Humvee. She soon returns to hanging out of the window, but instead of holding a megaphone, she is pointing a pistol at us.

"Get down!" I throw myself over Jeremy and squish him down to the floor right before the back window shatters. "I thought you said they wouldn't shoot at us!"

"Damn her!" Solara curses. "She's reckless."

"She's desperate," I say to myself.

Agent Simmons has a mission to complete. A directive. Whether government elites want to cover up proof of extraterrestrial life with conspiracies or somehow use this knowledge to their advantage, one thing is certain: they want her to capture their prize.

Andrea is at the center of it all. The commander. They wouldn't have sent her out here if she wasn't good at what she does. For her, failure is not an option.

If only she knew that she was hunting for the wrong kind of alien.

"Captain," Solara says with a nervous quiver in her voice, "my sensors are picking up some familiar lifeforms nearby."

Unsurprised, Mort asks, "Repkonians?"

She nods. "Repkonians."

Pop!

A bullet pierces one of the back tires. The force of the burst causes us to veer off of the road and roll into the desert. After slamming into a cactus, Mort throws us into reverse. The Humvee starts gaining fast and barrels towards us.

We manage to crawl back onto the road, but with the blown tire and loss of speed, the Humvee creeps closer. It doesn't take long for their front bumper to ram into the back of the minivan. Their vehicle backs off for a second only to slam into us again. Now, the trunk is crushed in.

I watch as the intimidating militarized beast pulls up next to the minivan. It nudges us to the edge of the road, but Mort keeps us steady. Andrea and I lock eyes. Before she has a chance to hurl out another threat, the van suddenly swerves off to the side.

Again, we drift onto the dry terrain while the Humvee keeps moving forward... that is, until it smashes into the hulking body of a Repkonian. It is large enough to rival the size of the Humvee. However, the impact is enough to stun the creature. It falls flat on its back in the middle of the road.

Frightened at first, Andrea remains sitting in the Humvee. The soldier on top aims the machine gun at it, while the driver looks on ahead, confused and horrified. Agent Simmons is the first to make a move. As soon as she pops her door open, I yell at her to stop.

"Don't!" I yell, scrambling to get out of the van. "That thing is dangerous!" Once I unlatch the child safety locks, I step outside.

Andrea ignores me and approaches the unconscious Repkonian with her firearm drawn. A fellow FBI agent exits the back of the Humvee to give to her cover. The soldiers ready themselves as well, but like me, they agree that it's a terrible idea to confront a giant, unidentified creature.

"Don't get too close!" the driver warns.

Andrea quickly faces consequence for disregarding our warnings. The Repkonian suddenly twitches and swipes his arm at her. It still hasn't gained consciousness, but the neurological jerk sends her flying. Thankfully, she doesn't have a chance to let out a full scream before Mort snatches her out of the air. He stops her from landing face-first onto a cactus.

By the time I catch up to him, I'm a wheezing mess. "Don't... don't touch it!" My words come out rough and heavy.

Andrea stares up at her rescuer in shock. When her common senses finally kick in, she yanks herself away from Mort and stands with the gun ready to fire. She shifts it from Mort, to me, then back at him.

"Nobody move!" she orders, trying not to tremble. "Put your hands up!"

I do as I'm told without protest, but I decide to try reasoning with her. "Andrea, calm down. We're not the enemies here."

"Then can you please explain to me what the fuck that is?!" She finally points her gun at the Repkonian still lying motionless.

"Yes, allow me--" Mort speaks calmly in his gentlemanly manner, but Andrea cuts him off.

"You!" She quickly turns the gun on him. "You're the alien!"

"My dear, I am afraid you are sorely mistaken," he retorts. While still holding his hands up non-threateningly, he points a finger to the Repkonian. "He is the one you're after."

"According to this young man's description," Andrea says, glancing at me, "he isn't." Sweat is pouring down her face and adrenaline is flowing through her veins. I know... because I can feel it. My own heart rate quickens. All of my senses intensify, and for a moment, the world around me slows down.

Somewhere between the passing seconds, I witness the Repkonian's eyelids flutter. It triggers a rush of energy that I have never felt before.

"Look out!" With a lightening-fast reaction time, I throw my arms around Andrea and swing her 180 degrees out of the Repkonian's reach.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The machine gun blasts a cluster of holes in the Repkonian's chest. After the corpse falls, blood oozes onto the ground. The pool creeps closer to Andrea's combat boot, and she takes a step back before it reaches her.

When silence replaces the echoes of gunfire, Mortecus turns to me. Impressed, he says, "Congratulations. You just used your first power."

Our friends exit the minivan and mosey their way over. "That was fucking sick, bro!" Jeremy calls out to me.

Close to having a mental breakdown, Andrea closes her eyes and covers her ears. "Everybody, shut the fuck up!" she screams. "Nobody moves until I get some answers!"

"I'd love to sit here and chat, my dear, but I am afraid time is of the essence," Mort says apologetically.

"Oh, I've got all the time in the world." Andrea gestures for her colleague to approach. "Agent Brax, cuff him."

"Now, wait just a min--"

The other FBI agent whips a pair of handcuffs on my dad and wrestles him onto the ground.

"Ack!" Mort cries out as his face hits the dirt.

"Captain!" Solara gasps and sprints the rest of the way over. I hear her mechanical gizmos fire into overdrive and wonder if Yoko's defense protocol has kicked in. Her fists are ready to knock the agent into oblivion, but as she reaches him, Mortecus orders her to stop before she throws the first punch.

Andrea brushes past me, still holding the gun. "An android," she whispers in amazement. "We'll take her too. As for these young men," she says, glaring at me. "I think I'll take them back to headquarters. They must learn that there are consequences for threatening our national security."

"Son!" Mort calls out in desperation as Agent Brax lifts him onto his feet. "You used your vampiric speed--now, it's time to use your charm!"

"What does that mean?" I ask, trying not to tremble as Andrea approaches me.

"It is one of your gifts! Use it to charm her!" he repeats, offering no further explanation.

Losing my composure, I yell, "What the hell are you talking about?!"

Jeremy grabs my arm. "Come on, dude! Don't you know anything about vampire lore?"

"Vampire?" Andrea's eyes sparkle. "Xeroderma pigmentosum? So, that was your cover story, was it? I knew you were hiding something."

"Aliens. Robots. Now vampires?" Agent Brax asks, shaking his head in disbelief.

"The bosses will kiss our feet for this one," Andrea tells him with a triumphant grin on her face. "Just don't let your guard down." With her free hand, she unfastens a pair of handcuffs and points the pistol at me with the other. "Sun's going to rise in a few hours, Drake. You have two choices. Either you come with me," she says, leaning close to my face, "or... I drive you out to the middle of the desert where your only company will be morning's light and the buzzards waiting to feed off your smoldering corpse."

"Jeez, lady!" Jeremy blurts out in disgust.

Annoyed, Andrea barks a command to Agent Brax. "Cuff the kid!"

"Jeremy, run!" I yell as Andrea latches onto me with an iron grasp. Before I know it, she's got my hands bounds and her knee driving into my back. The adrenaline I felt before is still pumping, but now, it's purely out of fear.

"Shit!" Jeremy dances around, not knowing where to run.

"Soldiers!" Andrea's shout draws the attention of the military men who are now outside of the vehicle holding M4s. "Stop standing around and load up that body!" They hesitate for a moment, as if contemplating if they should step in and assist her. But judging by that supercilious tone in her voice, they probably don't mind letting her fend for herself. "When you're done, detain that pretty little robot."

"That's it!" Following a shrill cry is the sound of a loud crack! I can only see it from the corner of my eye: Solara delivers a high kick to the side of Agent Brax's head. He hits the ground somewhere close to me, and I feel Andrea's weight lift off of my body. "Your turn, bitch," Solara says coldly.

A pair of hands grab my shirt and give me a boost up, allowing me to sit on my backside. It's Jeremy. He rests his hand on my shoulder. Looking straight ahead, I watch Solara square up against Andrea. Rather than accept the hand-to-hand challenge, Agent Simmons refuses to give up her gun.

"Coward," Solara mutters, holding up her fists.

"Enough!" Andrea fires a shot into the sky, and Mortecus pleads with Solara to stand down.

Over the sound of chaos unfolding, Jeremy speaks frantically next to my ear.

"Dude, charming someone doesn't mean going out and buying them flowers. Use your vampiric power to compel Andrea so you can bend her to your will. Look into her eyes, and tell her to get the fuck out of here!"

"I've done it thousands of times!" Mortecus calls to me. He is standing over Solara and Andrea who are now rolling on the ground, clawing at each other.

"If you're so good at 'charming' people, then why don't you do it?" I question.

"Argh!" Mortecus drops to his knees and dodges Solara's elbow as she winds up for another punch. The hit stuns Andrea for a moment, allowing Mortecus to stick his head in between the brawling women. "My dear," he says with a low growl in his voice, "allow me to quell your fears. I am no threat to you nor your country--"

Before he has a chance to finish, Andrea wrestles her arm out of Solara's grasp and snatches a canister of pepper spray from her belt.

"AHHHHHH!" Mortecus falls backwards and screams away the searing pain. "God in heaven, it burns like hellfire!" His yellow eyes are now cherry red. "What curse hast thou cast upon me, foul witch?!"

"Ragh!" Solara grabs Andrea's shoulders and slams the back of her head onto the ground.

When Mortecus lifts himself once again, his face is streaked with tears and sand.

"Why didn't that work?!" I call to him.

"Because," he replies, "Andrea has greater trust in you than in me. Your voice will soothe her. Focus. Speak, and she shall listen."

"How!?"

"Take control of your own mind first," Mort explains, still blinking away tears. "Calm yourself and focus the same energy you felt before--but channel it differently."

"I don't know what that means!" I shout in frustration.

"Be sexy, dude!" Jeremy says impatiently.

"What?!"

"I don't know! That's how they always do it in the movies!"

"This isn't a movie," I mutter.

Still, for a point of reference, I think back to all of those vampire romance flicks that were popular when I was in high school. A beautiful man with long, flowing hair always made his love interest fall for him with a single word.

That's not me.

But I can try.

I close my eyes and block out the women as they exchange nasty insults. Lifting my gaze, I focus all of the energy inside of me. "Andrea..." I speak with a low growl, trying to copy Mortecus and all of those heart-throb vampire movie stars. It feels unnatural and awkward.

Andrea loosens her grip from Solara's neck and turns to face me. "Yes, Drake?" Meeting my gaze, her green eyes sparkle once more. They look softer now. "I'm listening."