Joe Haldeman: Camouflage

There was a loud croaking sound, and a large part of the ceiling dropped a few feet, then stopped, turned sideways, and settled slowly to the floor, leaning neatly against the wall.

“The artifact is sort of like my partner, alive in its way. It didn’t realize who I was until I sang and touched it. That changed it, too; woke it up. It’s been in a kind of waiting mode, suspended animation, since I left it to explore.”

“Ninety years ago?”

“More like a million.” She looked at the ovoid. “It doesn’t know what Jack is, but he obviously shouldn’t be allowed to remain on Earth. We’ll take him home for study.”

“He’s not dead?”

“No. He can’t die any more than we can. But he’s not from our world.”

“Where is your world?”

“Ten thousand light-years away. A planet in a globular cluster— Messier 22, in Sagittarius.” She gave him a long kiss. “Get a telescope and look me up sometime.”

“You have to go.”

“Yes. It’s like a law. I’ve been here for too long. Done things I shouldn’t have done. Like fall in love with a local, an alien.”

“Well … I know how that feels.” She squeezed his hand and started to say something, but turned and walked toward the ship. An entrance rippled open. “Could I go with you?”

“Still the astronaut.” She blinked away tears and shook her head. “The journey’s too long. And you’d have to learn to like chlorine.” She looked at him for a long moment and stepped into the ovoid. The entrance resealed.

The ship silently rose toward the hole in the ceiling. But then it settled back down to the floor. It opened again.

The changeling was in its natural form, splendid, chaotic. It became Rae again.

“Actually, the ship says you could come. But not as a human. You’d have to let it change you into something like me.”

“It could do that?”

“Nothing to it.” She smiled at him, eyes glittering. “And you’d still be Russ. My Russ.”

Suddenly, loudspeakers crackled. Jan’s voice, painfully loud: “Jack? Russell? What the hell is going on in there?”

Russell shook his head and laughed.

“Russ, the guard says you went in there with me! What are you doing?”

“Just… taking a little trip.” He paused, then stepped over the threshold and felt himself start to glow.