A few days were past, five or six no more. Max did not count, but Jennifer was not interested in such trifles. Nobody came to them. All remained the same, nothing has changed around. And the thoughts were the same. Max didn’t call his uncle Nicolas.
As he expected, the cell phone was out of range. It’s worked. But there was no connection. They still had the three main options of what had happened to them. First, they are victims of an unknown reality show. Second, they are the victims of the unknown experiment. Third, they are really were kidnapped by the aliens. Although, if thinks about it, nobody kidnapped them. They voluntarily boarded the alien’s ship. At long last nothing wrong happened to them as well as good. And all these days, they inclined to one of three versions of what had happened to them.
What was most surprisingly neither Max nor Jennifer felt hunger or thirst or loss of strengths though they didn’t eat at all these days and even didn’t want to. It was unbelievable and inexplicable. Max jokingly called them “Carpathian’s yoga.” Why “Carpathian’s”, he couldn’t explain. He just thought that way. Especially because Jennifer did not care what kind of yoga they were, “Carpathian’s”, or “Indian’s”. She could easily believe that in the Carpathians mountains also live the yoga and not only they.
To avoid boredom they enjoyed themselves as they could. Mostly they talked about their childhood, parents, friends, school’s years, recalled funny stories and so on. On the fifth day of their captivity Max and Jennifer even began to regret that they didn’t meet each other in high school and never had a childhood in the same street. That in principle was impossible. Because Max was born in Ukraine but Jennifer was born in Huston and later moved with her parents in Los Angeles.
The main entertainment for all those days for them was a karaoke. In other words, singing songs to the accompaniment of their cell phones. Basically Jennifer’s as she got more pop’s, rock’s tracks. Thus there were sounded lyrics songs and rock music almost from dawn till dusk on the aliens’ ship.
Everything that was happening to them seemed quite odd and out of place, but as Max said once: “In life different things happens. So they got what they got!”
So Jennifer sang the songs and it’s amused her very much. Sometimes she even forgot about her misfortune and felt herself almost happy… but of course not for a long time.
As well known the human being is such a creature that gets used to everything, could survive in any situation. The same happened with Max and Jennifer. Gradually day by day they began to see some positive aspects in their current position.
‘No need to pays rent for an apartment. No need to please the boss or anybody else. You needn’t worry about money and what the neighbors think of you or speak about you. You shouldn’t care what dress wears on a party and you completely spit upon what the other guests think about it.’ Jennifer was enumerating the advantages lying next to Max on purple, glowing bed. ‘My Lord, if think about it we need nothing at all. We’re completely free. I’m completely, totally free!’ concluded Jennifer.
‘Me too.’ listening to her said Max although everything was fine with him at home.
‘And you of course,’ nodded Jennifer. ‘Remain our parents,’ she added with hesitation. ‘But what parents? They know nothing. Maybe we went for a trip somewhere where there are no phones.’
‘For example to the Carpathian mountains.’ replied Max.
‘Max, you've already got me with your Carpathian Mountains. Please tell me what so unusual is there in your Carpathian Mountains? Ah? I really want to know it.’
‘Oh!’ said Max and rolled his eyes. ‘One who never had been in the Carpathian Mountains couldn’t be able understands what its look like. Never understands their unearthly beauty!’
Jennifer realized that he was just joking. This meant that Max was in a good mood.
‘When we get out of here, be sure I’ll take a look at your Carpathian Mountains in the Internet. Maybe we even go there for vacation if you don’t mind and if I like It.’ she said.
‘Sure you’ll like it. I have no doubts because it’s the Carpathian Mountains!’ pointedly said Max and smiled.
‘Let's look for the door,’ suddenly proposed Jennifer, and looked at him expectantly. She knew what the answer she gets. But why not try it again. Maybe something has changed in the structure of the surrounding area and yellow like the living walls will have mercy on them and let them go? To break through these flaming walls was Jennifer’s fixed idea. And she did not want to get read of it.
‘Again?’ asked Max with the conviction in his voice.
‘Again,’ Jennifer firmly nodded. ‘I think something has changed, and we can get out of here.’
‘Well, why not. The walls probably got used to us and free us on our first request.’ joked Max.
‘Do you want to get out of here, don’t you?’ Jennifer looked straight in his eye.
‘Sure I do. Blue Dream.’ replied Max.
‘So… Well, let’s do it?’
‘Why not, come on!’ agreed Max.
Together they approached the screen. Neither Max nor especially Jennifer had been punished for their rude action. They were simply ignored by the master of the space ship. Jennifer of cause was happy because deep in her heart she was afraid that the strange creature could act with her in the same way. But she got not punishment at all. Telling the truth Jennifer now was ashamed of her act.
Who knows, maybe they’ve got in the hands of brutal terrorists? Though Jennifer still couldn’t understand where the common terrorist could get such an unusual apt.
‘So what?’ asked Max and stopped a step away from the screen. In the center was shining a red star. It was lager then other stars on the screen. Clearly, something was going on outside. “Probably, we fly to Mars,” thought Max. For some reason and he didn’t know why but think about other planet except Mars he couldn’t. Probably because in the movies about the aliens’ invasion were mainly mentioned the Martians. But Max at that moment did not get deep into the psychological causes of these associations.
‘You better look for some button next to the screen.’ suggested Jennifer.
‘I doubt it. This is not a Hollywood’s blockbuster. But if you insist ...’ Max tried to get closer to the screen but as soon as the distance between him and the screen reduced to two feet in the air appeared a purple glowing line. It blocked his way like a barrier. The beam not thicker than a finger – maybe it was some kind of laser – noiselessly was coming out of one of the yellow wall and also silently was disappearing into another.
‘Max! Be careful!’ Jennifer exclaimed.
‘I see. I’m not blind.’ answered Max and stopped in amazement. Actually, if he sits down he can easily creep under the beam. And even better was to overstep the beam. But Max understood that beam prevents him from further actions.
What if when he sits down and tries to creep under the unexpected obstacle, the beam suddenly falls and burns him? Max did not want to risk his life. He was and didn’t know what to do. Than seemed some idea got into his head because Max slapped on his pockets and put out a pen. Without hesitation he tried to poke it into the beam. Jennifer’s shout stopped him.
‘Max waits. Don’t do it! It maybe dangerous! Maybe it’s some kind of security system. Let’s think a little at first.’
Max stopped. Jennifer was right. He shouldn’t rush. Though in principle if he even would poke a pen into the beam, likely nothing bad would happen. The pen will burn down or get stuck into the beam if it something else but not the protective beam. That’s all!
‘Max what you think about Pluto?’ suddenly he heard a strange voice right behind his back. Max understood at once that it wasn’t Jennifer who asked him that question. But who? He did not know it but guessed. He immediately got sweat and felt as his shirt stuck to his back. “What does he think about Pluto? Why! He thinks nothing about Pluto!” Max turned slowly. What he saw immediately caught his breath; his body got a goose’s skin and seems his hair stand on end too.
Near terrified to death Jennifer on a yellow luminous platform stood a stranger. The same! His yellow shining body was covered by the black and brown spots of different shape. They were slowly moving without stopping from one place to another.
Max got into a stupor. He stood and watched. Now when his head was clear of any alcohol the stranger looked to him much more impressionable than when he saw him when he was a little drank. But everybody knows all over the world that drunken man sees everything in the different light.
Jennifer too did not stir as if she rooted to the floor.
‘Max what do you think about Pluto?’ the stranger asked his question for the second time.
Max opened his mouth then closed and reopened again. He did not control his voice and could not say anything.
Meanwhile Jennifer came to her senses and broke in their conversation. Looking at the stranger with astonished eyes she said:
‘Pluto is the god. I think of some kingdom. I do not remember for sure what exactly…probably of underground,’ in the confusion she stopped. Her voice was a little trembling.
“No. It is not correct!” flashed up in Max’s brain. “It is not the underground kingdom.” but what kind of kingdom he did not really know either. Maybe it wasn’t a kingdom at all but only a planet!
The alien ignored Jennifer. And though he said nothing to her she felt that she had better keep silent. As if she got the mental order into her brain.
‘Max what do you think about Pluto?’ a strong, burning lump was persistent.
‘What do I think about Pluto?’ muttered Max confusedly. ‘But what I think about Pluto?’
The stranger took a step towards them. Jennifer scarily screamed and unwittingly shrank back into the yellow wall. The yellow wall readily grabbed her as if wishing to protect and soothe. Jennifer was so scared that noticed nothing. Her eyes were glued to the stranger.
Seeing this Max felt a surge of strength. Fear withdrew; he again was able to express his thoughts clearly.
In this tense moment Jennifer’s cell phone mewed as if she god a SMS message. Jennifer nervously laughed. Max not knowing what to do looked at the cell phone. Jennifer left it on the bed. Phone was blinking and mewing loudly again and again. The alien to such an unusual sound on his ship didn’t responded at all. When meowing finally stopped the question of the stranger was asked for the fourth time.
And Max said to him:
‘Pluto. Pluto is one of the outer planet of the Solar system. According to U.S. research space stations “Pioneer” and “Voyager” on the surface of Pluto were discovered traces of extraterrestrial ancient civilization. What kind of civilization I do not know. The press didn’t mention it.’
“In the press nothing like that ever was mentioned at all!” flashed into Jennifer’s head. “What is he talking about? Where did he get such information? Just tell a lie to him? But why? What for?”
Max went on to say. He did not know where he got this information inside his head from. The right thoughts just appeared and he was saying it as if he was reading a written by someone text.
‘NASA’s experts believe that the creatures which lived on this distant planet left their inhospitable for the human beings world relatively recently. It happened much later then the Martians did where scientists also found a lot of interesting things. Pluto is the border of the world.’ Max finished solemnly.
Jennifer wanted to applaud him. But she was afraid and only nodded approvingly to him.
‘Fifteen minutes later we’ll disembarked on the surface of Phobos.’ now the stranger's voice sounded as if somewhere between Max and Jennifer.
Max even unwillingly turned his head a little as if he didn’t want to miss something important in the alien’s speech. The fact that they both understood the language of the stranger for some reason didn’t surprise him. It was quite clear because for Max the alien said it all in Ukrainian language but for Jennifer in English. So they understood each other perfectly.
‘But before we do this you must try on suits.’ alien said.
At the same moment in the air right in front of Max and Jennifer appeared two glowing lines; the dark purple and dark green. One more moment and it turned into the glowing space’s suits. It was so unusual and unexpected that Max forgot about his fear and caution.
‘Max you're the first.’
Max as he was barefoot stepped forward. His own courage and obedience surprised him but he hadn’t enough time to think about it.
‘Dark purple.’ said the stranger.
‘Yes, of course.’ Max made a few more steps.
The further happened in the blink of an eye. The glowing shapeless space’s suit covered him and then disappeared without any trace as if nothing had happened. Max was rather surprised and even a little disappointed.
‘That’s all?’ exclaimed he.
“Yes. Jennifer now it's your turn.’
‘My?’ Jennifer started back in panic but quickly pull herself together and in some hesitation approached to the remaining dark green strip of light. She looked at it as if the space’s suit was hypnotizing, leaving her any will and feelings. She was terrified and didn’t want at all to be wrapped up in something unknown but another choice then to obey she seems hasn’t got. ‘Why only Max agreed to wear this ridiculous suit?’ she thought. She was annoyed and angry both at him and herself.

‘Don’t worry Jenny. It's not scary.’ cheered her Max.
Gritting her teeth and without even looking in his direction Jennifer made the last step. Dark green substance stretched to her and enveloped Jennifer like a sari. Afterwards the weird space’s suit as it happened to Max disappeared without any trace.
‘Now you are safe.’ said the alien.
“Have we been in danger before?” thought Max but said nothing.
Jennifer too was silent and listened to her feelings. But she’s got such a feeling as if she was rapped up by a slippery snake. Although in reality she didn’t feel anything. “Well, now we turned into the mutants!” thought she with a pity. “I hope the horns didn’t begin to grow on our heads! It would be awful!”
Max hesitated for a moment but then he dared to ask the alien. In the end he will not eat them? Or he will? He did not know.
‘You know our names. What is your name?’ standing in front of the alien and asking this question Max at the same time was thinking what was better for him – stay barefoot or put on his shoes? Telling the truth it was quite awkward to stand in front of the alien barefoot, because now Jennifer and he were the representatives of their race.
And they without their will and wish got into the contact if one could say so with a representative of some extraterrestrial race… but he, Max was barefoot. The alien could think they are the savages. But they’re not the savages! They’ve got the computers, cell phones, Internet and so on. Look, there is one on the bed. It’s just mewed.
Meanwhile Jennifer for some reason got angry. It happened sometimes with her, mostly when she got drunk. When it happens to her she called almost everybody “assholes”, “jerks” and “idiots”. But who was lucky and didn’t fall into these categories she looked with loving eyes at. The reason of her present anger was even unknown to her. She just got angry. That’s all!
‘My name is Tondor.’ the alien was a few steps away from Max. But his voice seemed sounded about twenty inches from his face.
‘Tondor,’ Max repeated.
Max suspected that it wasn’t his real name. The alien just now invented that name for them. Why appeared such an unexpected thought into his head he didn’t know. But what was the alien’s name on real was not important for him. Tondor, well, let’s be Tondor. Max personally had nothing against it. He was more concerned how to address Tondor. Use “Sir” or “Mister”? He didn’t know and was little confused.
“Maybe Mr. Tondor?” thought he. “No sounds funny even ridiculous. Probably I’ll call him by his name what he told us - simply Tondor. It’s better. After all even to God everybody applies their prayers using “You”. Perhaps Tondor for sure knows how a God looks in His appearance and where he is at that moment if he is not a God himself. However his so called “face” looks not quite like a human one. But it is possible to assume that God has all the possible faces in the Universe. After all he created them all.” it sounded logically.
Thus Max settled on that decision that he’ll call Tondor using “You”. But he will be doing it not often just sometimes. Who knows maybe Tondor won’t like such kind of familiarity? Max wanted to be on the safe side. The rarely he use it the safer he will feel himself.
Jennifer heard an unusual name for her hearing too, thought about something like that. But she didn’t screw her head so long as Max did. She quickly came to the conclusion that calls him by his own name “Tondor” will be quite suitable and natural for everyone. “Yes. I’ll call him just Tondor!” decided she.
At this time in the room appeared another alien! He looked exactly like Tondor only without the yellow platform. Not paying any attention to anybody including his brother Tondor the second alien majestically preceded to the yellow wall broke it and began to removing in a luminous yellow-purple tunnel. And the tunnel as it seemed to Max at the other end was endless.
But what was most important and unexplainable at least for Max it was that fact that next to the hole in the wall just two yards away Max saw a normal wall with the thickness of not more than half a yard – behind it the outer space and stars. And there was no any tunnel.
Jennifer was no longer angry. Seeing the second alien she gasped in surprise and looked at him with her wide opened eye.
‘Tonokor. A friend of mine,’ explained Tondor. ‘If I can use your analogy.’
‘Ah. I see.’ Max nodded. A friend let’s be a friend. Indeed why not Tondor have one?
Meanwhile Tonokor suddenly disappeared, also disappeared the spectacular tunnel. Before them again was the impenetrable yellow wall to which they slowly get used.
‘As I noticed the wall’s thickness of the ship is not the same everywhere,’ said Max wanting to demonstrate that he just not simply stood there and looked at everything that was happening with his opened mouth but he was observing, analyzing and memorizing. In order that the alien would realize that before him is not the savage from some corners of the Universe but the representative of high tech civilization – even if without own spacecraft. That he, Max, if one could say so, too, knows a lot about of space’s vessels or how the astronauts call it.
Tondor seems appreciated his observation.
‘Ship… «Ammaralok».’ he explained.
‘I understand.’ Max at last found his shoes with his feet and keep staring at the alien, put it on helping himself only with his feet. Immediately he felt relieved. Now when he was shoed he seemed to himself much taller more significant; as if got up on the same level with Tondor.
Although on real he was taller than Tondor. However he always had the impression that he was looking up at him. Why? Max couldn’t answer this question and didn’t think about it.
There were around so much unusual things to look at that he was breathtaking and dizzy. But the most incredible thing was that everything was happening on real – in real time and space. It was the most amazing thing.
On the surface of Tondor’s body like melted wax was continuing its swimming and dissolving at each other brown and black knots, divorces. From time to time they almost all disappeared and Tondor at such moment looked like a morning’s Sun.
Yellow, shining light attracted and fascinated gaze. Max as if wanting to get rid of the obsession shook his head.

“But what if it’s only such a suit, some kind of protective or space’s suit? And inside it hides the same simple…well, maybe not simple, but the same guy just like me or Jennifer?” suddenly thought Max. Such unusual idea made him feel himself warmer and cozy. He’s already began to wait for that moment when the suit would open and they would see the real alien in its real appearance.
But the suit didn’t open and no one come out to them.
“I think he still doesn’t trust us.’ decided Max looking at amazing diversity of light on Tondor’s body.
‘I know you have many questions to me,’ said Tondor. ‘But at first let me tell you about your protective suits. Now it is the most important thing for you. I will answer your questions later.’
Such a proposal was suitable for Max, because his pre-made questions with the appearance at last the opportunity to ask it to whom it should be ask, now disappeared without trace as well as their suits.
‘We are listening.’ Max prepared to listen to.
Jennifer finely freed herself from the hugs of the yellow wall and came close to Max, also prepared to listen to what the alien would say to them.
‘Your suits are invulnerable and unbreakable,’ started to talk Tondor. ‘It’ll protect you as from the earth’s weapons as well as from any other in the whole Universe. There is no power on your mother planet which could break it through. And it is very important, if take into the consideration that events in which you will have to take part in the near future.’
While hearing the last words, Jennifer felt how her body was trembling. Everything what was saying Tondor sounded like a direct and uncovered threat, an impending danger. But what exactly will wait for them in their future, she didn’t dare to ask.
‘In ordinary, normal life, your suits are absolutely invisible,’ continued to talk Tondor. ‘How is now, for example.’
“Ah, so that's why they're gone,” swept inside Max’s head. “Now everything got clear.”
‘However, the higher will be the degree of risk to your life, the clearer will appear on your body the suits and thus the more effectively they’ll protect you from any sources of danger,’ Tondor’s voice suddenly began to remove, but after a few moments, his voice again sounded with the same force. ‘The emission of intensity of your suits is an indicator of the degree of danger which threatens you. The brighter is the light, the higher is the danger. Suits will be with you always.’
Jennifer when she heard this frowned and for a moment held her breath. “What? What he says? Always? But how they’ll do what they want to do? Make love for example! Why, they do love each other.
Maybe it’s possible to take off the suits at least for a night?” Jennifer wanted very much to ask these questions, but she only fetched a sigh.
The reason was simple and unpleasant for her. Tondor spoke only to Max and didn’t pay any attention to her.
“Fuck!” angrily thought she. “It’s natural discrimination! Some…Space’s discrimination!” What I did wrong? Nothing! So, why Tondor treating me like that?” kept angrily thought Jennifer, but on her face was nothing. It remained quiet and thoughtful.
‘Do not restricting your actions, whatever you do.’ continued to talk Tondor, as if reading her thoughts.
Hearing this, Jennifer immediately cheered up, and even began to think of him with sympathy.
‘But what if somebody tries to steal it,’ suddenly blurted out Jennifer. Frightened by her own courage, she unconsciously closed her mouth with her hand and gently pulled her head into her shoulders.
Tondor was not angry at her.
‘Protective suit will destroy everybody who dares to act like that.’
The yellow wall next to the screen brightened, broke apart and they saw familiar to them the red, glowing tunnel. Tondor stepped inside, along with his yellow platform, and slowly began to move away. Max and Jennifer hesitated for a moment then followed him.
 

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