Captain Orion v2.0
Chapter 1 - Martians!
Crocodile Machine

A/N Some of you may know, though most probably will not, that I have previously written and posted a few chapters of this story on FictionPress. I have taken it down and reformulated it, redesigned it, and simply made it better. Or at least, easier for me to write. The characters and the circumstances are (mostly) the same as they started, but worded much better. That's what happens when you take a college writing course in your Junior year at High School... So anyways, read, review, and above all: NJOY!

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“Come on, Mairi, try to have a bit of fun!”

“I can't. I know you're plotting something, and I won't relax until I can squash your evil plans to the ground.”

“Well... If you're going off the idea that good always triumphs over evil, then you'd better rethink that. You're not getting off easy, Mairi. At least, not today.”

“We'll see about that, Gigi.”

“Okay. In the meantime, please eat your chicken. It's really good!”

Mairi Bucklin had only been in New York City for two days, and she was already celebrating her first birthday in the Big Apple itself. She was going to be officially seventeen at ten PM, and it was only a quarter of an hour until the dreaded moment. It was dreaded because Mairi's aunt, with whom she would be living for the next... however long she wanted, had a knack for getting her niece into embarrassing public situations despite Mairi's attempts to elude the impending doom.

She had given in to Aunt Gigi's pleas to go out to dinner for the big one-seven, and they walked in the cold October night amidst the bright lights and usual crowds of people to a restaurant quite a distance away from their two-bedroom apartment. Mars 2112, the place was called. It was quite easy to miss for someone new to the territory, as the entrance and 'courtyard' were one story below the ground, and a long flight of steps was needed to get to the door. There was a statue sort of thing in the courtyard, which depicted a red, black, and gold spaceship. The outside of the establishment certainly could capture attention. Mairi had hoped the inside would be able to keep hers.

Upon initial entrance to Mars 2112, she found herself in a large foyer decorated to perfectly resemble a futuristic spacecraft, complete with a Captain in a suit that reminded Mairi of Star Trek. She and Gigi were shown to a door down a curved ramp which led to Mars. In the first small hall, there were columns of light that were meant to resemble the exit ramp of the ship. The technology of the ship gave way to dark Martian rock, which was the surface of every wall and the ceiling. The hallway was long and winding, and she passed the bathrooms, a space labeled “Mars Bar, 21 and Over,” and the Arcade before she turned down a large metal staircase. The dining area was gigantic and could easily suit any number of people. There were craters and even a display of Earthly photography equipment (obviously not the real thing!). It was the most elaborate and well-constructed themed restaurant she'd ever seen. Some employees were even dressed as aliens, performing their own little tricks as they walked around the dining area.

“Well? What do you think?”

“Wow...”

“So you like it? You think you'll have a good birthday here?”

“Wow...”

“I'll take that as -”

“Regina!” came a booming Scottish voice from the bottom of the stairs. A well-dressed, middle-aged man was waving and smiling. Gigi waved back.

“Gerard! What are you doing here? And in a suit?”

“Just arrived from a little meeting. Anna wanted to come see the Captain for dinner.”

A little girl, no more than six, popped out from behind Gerard, holding his hand. She had pitch black hair pulled into a ponytail atop her head, and green eyes shone from behind her short bangs. Such cheerfulness radiated from her that Mairi couldn't help but smile as she followed her aunt down the staircase.

“Hello, Anna!” gushed Gigi. “Remember me?”

“Yes, ma'am. You gave me that pretty flower from the show.”

“So I did! Do you still have it?”

“Mhmm. It's pressed in my flower book.”

“That sounds like a brilliant thing to do, Anna.”

Mairi wished Gigi would speak to the little girl as an equal, not a child. Children were much smarter than she gave them credit for. When Mairi was a child, Gigi spoke the same way: high-pitched, nasally, and using as simple words as she could imagine. 'Brilliant' was a stretch for Gigi's Little Children Vocabulary Book.

“And who is this lovely young lady?” asked Gerard.

“Hm?” Mairi said, having let her mind wander. “Oh, me. I'm Mairi Bucklin, Gigi's niece.”

“Beautiful. Scottish, is it not?”

“Thank you. And yeah, I think it is Scottish.”

“I am Gerard Scott, and I must say, your name has never fit anyone better,” she smiled, taking her hand in his and kissing it politely. Mairi almost died of a heart attack. This wasn't England or Scotland or some terribly high society ball where people did that as a matter of courteousy or whatever! This was New York, in a playful restaurant, just a place to eat dinner. Mairi was completely flustered, beside the fact that he seemed to know someone else with the same name.

“Please, you don't need to do that!” she cried, embarrassed.

“Don't be silly, Miss Bucklin. And welcome to New York City.”

Gigi gave him a quick hug before pulling Mairi to the center of the dining area where a table had been reserved for them. Gerard and Anna headed upstairs in the direction of the arcade. A waiter came by and they ordered two plates of chicken strips and fries and two large sprites.

“Were you really nervous about Gerard?”

“Well, duh! No one does that back home. Fifty year old men don't go around kissing teenage girls on the hand.”

“You have to understand that first, he's forty-eight. Second, he's European. It's just the polite thing to do when a man meets a woman, regardless of age. It's a sign of respect. He did that when he met me, too. Now, I think the whole thing is rather charming.”

“Whatever. Just don't let your boyfriend do that again. It gives me the wierdos.”

“He is not my boyfriend!”

“Gigi.”

“Okay, so he is, but come on. You can't honestly say it doesn't make you feel special.”

“Yes I can. My hormones aren't spinning out of control over the guy like yours.”

“I'm forty-two, Mairi. Once you pass the big four-oh, you don't have hormones.”

“Whatever...” mumbled Mairi. She was so tired and she started work at the theatre in a few days. All her good clothes were still packed, so she was just in a pair of dark jeans and a white polo. She didn't feel at all pretty like she should have on her seventeenth birthday.

At six to ten, she had only eaten two of the six chicken strips and barely touched her soda. Gigi was planning something. She had to be! For her love of extravagance and abundance, a dinner simply wasn't enough. There had to be something, but what? A surprise of some sort. Definitely public.

Five to ten.

Not on the way home. The people on the streets would be to busy getting to their destinations to pay attention to whatever Gigi could or would do. That left the restaurant. That was definitely public. Gigi was very punctual and had taught Mairi to be the same. Whatever she would do involved her birthday, which was at ten PM.

Four minutes.

Four minutes to doom.

Gigi's cell phone went off, signaling a call. She picked it up and put on her high-pitched phone voice.

“Talk to me. Oh, Eddie, hi! Yes. Yes, of course we're still on. Uh huh. No, no, no. I want the works. Yes, I need everyone. I'm not paying for half your staff, hun. I need it all. Mhmm. Great. Yeah, see you soon. Mbye.”

“Who was that?” Mairi asked.

“Nunya.”

“Who's Nunya?”

“Nunya business.”

“Nice one.”

“Thanks.”

“Welcome.”

Three minutes.

“Okay, seriously, Gigi. What are you going to -”

A loud garbled voice came over the building's speaker system. When no one reacted, there were beeping noises before a deep bass voice started to speak in English instead of the jumbled Martian language.

“Pardon me, Earthlings. I forgot to set the speaker to your strange tongue. I said that it seems one of you life forms is celebrating what you call 'a birthday'.”

Mairi's eyes narrowed and she growled, “Oh, heck no. You didn't...”

“No. Absolutely not. Kind of. Maybe. Possibly. Probably. Most likely. Mhmm. Yes. Pretty much. I did.”

“Oh, you are so evil!”

“Nuh-uh! Now shush! Listen to the Martian King.”

“From the data we have gathered about your kind and the way you keep time, the conclusion has been reached that she is turning seventeen in... two Earth minutes. Her name is Mary Bucklin.”

“It's Mairi!” she corrected the strange voice.

No sooner had she said it than she realized that she had given away her position. The employees and Martians were already walking around, asking who Mary was, where she was, and the like. One didn't talk. He simply gestured. He was in a tight, green spandex body suit with cotton-stuffed gloves and armor. Whoever the employee was had a full head mask and a well-toned body. He was searching with a woman dressed elaborately as a fish. She'd been walking around with a crystal ball, twirling it around with her hands much the same way as Jareth in “The Labyrinth”. Of course, when David Bowie played that role, it was someone else's hands doing the twirling...

“Pardon me. Mairi, not Mary. Martians, search out the Earth Girl and bring her to Command Central! Less than two minutes remain until the birthday!”

Command Central? What on Earth – er, Mars – was Command Central? Why take her there? What strange birthday customs did the restaurant have? More specifically, what special requests could Gigi have made, if any beyond this? Mairi dove under the table and poked Gigi's foot several times, which meant, 'Don't you dare give away my position because I know where you live!'

Under the tablecloth, she saw two green legs in a pair of blue shoes approach the table. Gigi burst out laughing, “No, I don't know! I don't know! A little girl told you she was over here? Oh, you mean Anna. Well, she must've been pretending. I'm terribly... terribly sorry... but I don't know!”

Mairi made a mental note to thank her aunt later for changing her mind. She sighed in relief and closed her eyes as the Martian feet disappeared. She wondered how much longer she would have to wait under the table before the Martian King called off the hunt for the Earth Girl. As she was prone to do, she let her guard down too early. Behind her, the tablecloth was slowly being raised, and she hadn't noticed. The Martian in the green spandex had climbed up onto her table and was peering under it! He reached under the table and poked her calf with a gloved finger. Mairi jumped in surprise and hit her head on the table, hoping there wasn't any gum stuck to it. As she crawled out, dizzy, she laid down on her back and held her head.

“Owww...”

Above her loomed the face of the green Martian. He waved to the others and picked her up, carrying her to Command Central. As it turned out, Command Central was just a podium toward the front of the dining area where hosts waited to seat guests.

One minute.

The Martian sat her down on the podium and patted her on the head as if to ask if she was alright.

“Yeah... I'm fine... Can't say the same for my aunt, though, once we get home.”

She wasn't sure, but she could've sworn she heard him laugh a little.

“Behold! Mairi, the birthday Earth Girl!”

Those in the restaurant cheered and clapped. As the Fish Martian began to sing “Happy Birthday”, so too did the rest of the restaurant join in. The Martians sang random syllables, completely gibberish, and the green one sang nothing at all. Gigi was standing on the table and singing her heart out, though the woman couldn't carry a tune in a bucket if someone else carried it for her. Two employees came out of a hidden door, one bearing a helmet with resemblance to Marvin the Martian and a sash, and the other held a green cake with her name in icing on it. They placed the helmet on her head and the sash around her as she tried to wave them off. Mairi never liked extravagance for her own birthday. For someone else, she loved it, but her own birthday never seemed to be of such merit to her.

When they finished the song, she had just enough time to make a wish before blowing out the candles at ten on the dot. She thought about the things that most concerned her about moving from a middle-of-nowhere farming community to the hustle and bustle of New York City, where everyone had something to do and somewhere to be. She didn't want to leave her old friends. She didn't want to have to figure out the subway system. She didn't want to be somewhere where she had to fit in perfectly. She didn't want to be by herself..

I wish that I can make at least one new friend here, so that I don't have to be alone.

She took a deep breath and blew out all seventeen candles at once. The Martians and Earthlings clapped and cheered and wished her happy birthday. Gigi came up with her digital camera and started snapping pictures of them. She gave the green Martian a thumbs up and he repeated the sign. He wrapped his arms around Mairi and pulled off his mask just enough that the employee's mouth was visible.

“Happy Birthday,” he said, and then kissed her.

No, not the big, sloppy Hollywood kiss many writers would usually throw in. It was just a four-second, sweet kiss on the lips. Still, it was enough to make Mairi feel faint, shocked. She held her hand to her head and tried to steady herself. The Captain had already put his mask back into place.

“I bet... I bet you say that to all the girls...” she managed to say. Her face was bright red.

Gigi was laughing. “Mairi, guess you should know! That's the captain, Captain Orion. He's the top dog around here! Pretty hot, don't you think?”

Captain Orion posed, flexing his muscles and strutted around, attempting to make people laugh further. Mairi got down from the podium and brushed a few strands of hair out of her face.

“Hot, yes,” she whispered, “but respectful, no. How terribly rude of him to kiss me without asking!”

She was, of course, playing around. She had begun to loosen up and relax a little more, and found herself eating the rest of her dinner after everyone had settled down from the excitement of it all. Gigi took her to the arcade where they played DDR, Whack-an-Astronaut, and The Crane Game, at which Mairi dominated. A few younger children noticed the stuffed animals and jewelry she had won from the games and asked her to get a toy for them with their own quarters.

All in all, the night was very enjoyable. Mairi had to admit that she had fun. She was over the trickery of Aunt Gigi, and had even calmed down about the two kisses stolen from her that night. Upon reflection, she actually liked Captain Orion's kiss. Deciding to be bold, she found the manager, who turned out to be the Eddie who called Gigi shortly before the little party at dinner, and asked him if she could meet the employee dressed as Captain Orion.

“Employee? Our Martians are genuine inhabitants of this planet. They're not dressed up. What you see is what you get, even if it is your birthday.”

“Are you sure? I'd like to talk to him.”

“About that kiss? Don't worry. Our interpreters have told him that your birthday customs are different than Martian ones. It won't happen again, we're terribly sorry.”

“No, it's... I mean, I just wanted to... Can you just give him my number?”

“Again, I'm sorry. Many people ask to leave him a number, but he's asked us not to accept any. If the Captain wishes to contact you, he will find his own way to do so.”

Mairi shrugged, disappointed, and said, “It's alright. Have a nice night.”

“You, too, birthday girl.”

She felt proud of herself for having been so brave as to ask for Captain Orion. Never back home would she have done that! She didn't know what drove her to inquire about him, though. He should have just made his way to her short-term memory bank and sat there to be forgotten, wiped away from her mind during her sleep that night. Still, she couldn't help wondering why he'd kissed her. She hadn't seen Gigi give the thumbs up during that particular photo. She didn't know why Eddie was so adamant about refusing an audience with the actor behind the Captain, or why she couldn't just leave her number for him. She didn't know why she wanted to leave her phone number to a stranger!

She also didn't know that Gigi had big plans for Mairi to get her rolling in the fast lane of life. These plans, somehow, would also help her to take it slow when that fast lane got a little too hard. The sneaky but well-meaning human in Gigi had to interfere in some way with beloved niece. In Gigi's mind, Mairi had to lead a better life than she could possibly dream of. Gigi knew who played Captain Orion. She knew the boy's father, closely, and knew that the two youth had a chance. It seems that those hormones that disappear at age 40 are replaced by yet another type of woman's intuition: the inclination to play match-maker between anyone a person knows.

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A/N So there you have it! The first three-ish chapters of the original CO crammed into one. This one is also better written, if I may say so. I think there's also a little more insight into Mairi and Gigi. So please, review my work, and keep reading. I hope to get Chappie 2 up within the week, though it may actually be up much sooner! It's already half written as it stands! Thanks so much, and adios amigos!