BOOK 4 - FATE'S INTERVENTION
(THE PODS HATCH)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Earth
Date - October 5th, 1988)
(Antar)
(Capitol
city of Roistar - formerly Tageonon)
(Secret
Headquarters of the Resistance Loyal to the Tageonants)
"Your
Highness," General Toaks addressed the dowager Queen Nedra as he bowed
formally. "Our operative
inside Khivar's inner circle has discovered that Khivar sent troops to Earth
within a month of when the transport left with the Royal Four."
Nedra
rose to her feet in surprise.
"They left that long ago and we have not known about it," she
said distractedly, her mind rushing through the many possible scenarios.
"Khivar
has told very few people of the mission," Toaks said.
"Who
is leading this mission?" asked Nedra
"General
Nicaron," he said, noting the Queen's shock. "Apparently a shape shifter has been impersonating him
in Khivar's court to disguise his absence."
"Was
the operative able to determine Nicaron's mission directive?"
"The
troops are to retrieve the Granolith and..." Toaks trailed off with a
sigh. There was no easy way to
tell the dowager Queen his news.
"I am sorry your Highness, but NicaronÕs orders are to eliminate
the King and Queen and General Varros."
Nedra
accepted the news stoically, "And Vilondra?"
"Khivar
has given strict orders that the Princess is to be returned to Antar to be
reunited with him. As you know,
your Highness, rumors have been circulating for years that Princess Vilondra
betrayed her brother and her entire family because of her great love for
Khivar. And he has used Vilondra's
supposed support for his position as King to gain sympathy among the nobles. If she were to return and continue her
relationship with Khivar..." he let his sentence trail off to avoid
causing the Queen more pain.
But
Nedra finished his thoughts, "Vilondra's presence could lend credence to
KhivarÕs claim to the throne because he would have married into the Tageion
line." She turned toward the
image cubes on the table that depicted the likenesses of her children. She did not know exactly when the four
would emerge from the pods, since communication between Earth and Antar would
be dangerous, but when they did leave the protection of the pods they would be
defenseless children. A shiver of
dread raced through her but she pushed it aside and turned back to the
General. "Khivar's men cannot
have completed their mission or Khivar would have announced his victory to the
people of Antar."
"Yes,"
the General agreed, "I believe the Royal Four must be safe, for now."
"We
cannot contact them through the communicators, the signal is too easily
tracked. But we have to find a way
to warn them." She dismissed
the subject for the moment and concentrated on the question uppermost in her
mind. ÒHow did Khivar discover our
plan and where the Royal Four were sent?Ó
ÒIt
appears that when the pods were sent, Khivar was able to find the lab, as we
had feared. But his troops arrived
before the lab was destroyed and he captured several of the scientists who were
unable to escape. Among them was
Jensto.Ó
Nedra
sighed, ÒI thought he had been killed.
Jensto would never willingly betray us but, no doubt, General Nicaron
pried the entire plan out of his head.Ó
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(April
14th, 1989)
(Roswell
Sheriff's Department)
Deputy
Jim Valenti Jr. knocked on the doorframe of the Sheriff's office. "Gary?" he called into the
Sheriff, "Can I talk to you?"
"Sure",
replied Sheriff Miller, motioning him inside, "Take a seat, Jim."
Jim
took the offered seat and Gary's gaze quickly took in his disheveled appearance
and tired expression. "Is
something wrong, Jim? You don' t
look so good."
Jim
rubbed at his tired eyes to avoid looking the older man in the face as he
imparted the news. "Gary, you
know Kathy and I have been having some problems. Well," he paused to clear his suddenly tight throat, "she
left last night."
Gary
looked down at his desk to give Jim a moment of privacy with his grief, but his
deputy's words brought his eyes up to meet the younger man's.
"She
left the boy too," Jim said.
Gary's
surprise was evident, "Kathy left her son?"
"Yes,"
Jim said tonelessly. "It
seems she wasn't ready for marriage and motherhood. Said the boy and I were tying her down."
"Oh
Jim, I'm sorry. I knew you and
Kathy didn't always get along but I had no idea things were that bad."
"Thanks
Gary," Jim said distractedly.
"I actually came to ask you a favor."
"Just
name it. I'll do anything I can to
help."
"Gary
I have some vacation time coming and I would like to take it now. Kyle is upset and I would like to spend
some time with him, to help him get through this."
"How
much time do you want?"
"I
have two weeks..."
Sheriff
Miller cut him off. "I don't want to see you back here
for at least a month and I'll work it out so you receive your full pay."
"Thank
you Gary," Jim said, emotion making his throat tight. "I don't know what to
say." He stood and offered
the older man his hand.
"You
don't have to say anything," Gary replied as he took Jim's hand and came
around the desk to clap him on the back.
"Just make sure you take care of yourself and that boy of
yours."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(April
17th, 1989)
(The
Pod Chamber)
Kaldar
was so certain the danger would come from the direction of the highway that
when he heard the grinding sound of the pod chamber door opening, he didn't
immediately recognize it. His eyes
flicked quickly around but after a moment, recognition dawned and he turned
toward the sound. And sat
dumbfounded as his young master emerged from the dark chamber.
Rath
appeared to be a human child but Kaldar would have known him anywhere. He watched as the naked child looked
around, taking in his surroundings, shielding his eyes from the bright sun
overhead. The child-General
scrambled down the incline on unsteady legs and instinctively headed for cover
as he reached the bottom.
Kaldar
was sure the pods should not have hatched for more than another Earth year and
quickly checked his watch. He had
only bought it a couple years previously but he had kept it in good condition
and regularly changed the battery.
The watch confirmed the date and he shook his head, trying to clear
it. Sometimes he became confused
about things, but he had been positive of the date the pods should hatch,
August 15th, 1990. Some kind of
glitch in the pods must have caused them to hatch early, he thought to himself
as his eyes followed the progress of the boy among the rocks, or maybe the
malfunction was only in his master's pod.
Starting
forward out of his hiding place, Kaldar's attention was drawn back to the pod
chamber by the sound of scattering rocks, and two more small figures emerged
into the afternoon sun. He
recognized them immediately; they were undoubtedly King Zan and Princess
Vilondra. They made their way
slowly down the incline, hand in hand, supporting one another but as they
reached to bottom, they separated, the Princess continuing, while the boy-King
stopped to examine a dying bush.
Kaldar
looked back toward the General, his master. The child had not left the cover of the rocks but he had
seen the two others. He appeared
distrustful of them, as if they might harm him.
Kaldar
was unsure about what to do. He
was not equipped to care for the children and there was no way to contact the
others without possibly leading their enemies to them. He glanced back toward the chamber,
Queen Ava had still not come out.
After
a few moments of indecision, he sneaked back to the chamber, careful not to
reveal himself to the three children.
From the doorway, Kaldar could see that the Queen remained in her pod
and the fluid within was still in a liquid state. Cuerena had told them when the pods were getting close to
hatching, the fluid would become more viscous until it was the consistency of
the ocean on Antar. That meant
Queen Ava was nowhere near ready to come out of her pod.
There
must have been a malfunction in the three pods, he thought to himself, as he
sealed the pod chamber door.
Somehow the malfunction had caused the three pods to hatch early but it
had not affected the final pod.
Kaldar remembered the feelings he had followed, urging him to stay near
the pod chamber. If he had not
been there when the pods had hatched, three of the Royal Four might have been
lost.
Sodan
had been assigned the task of caring for the Royal Four until they reached
their maturity but he had not returned to the pod chamber for almost forty
years and there was no reason for him to come back a year early.
Kaldar
discretely followed the three children as they wandered through the desert,
trying to decide what to do. As
the day progressed he found himself referring to them by their first names, the
grandiose titles seeming somehow out of place on the small beings. Vilondra was bold and curious,
scrambling up rocks and examining every plant, while Zan seemingly oblivious to
his sister just a few yards ahead proceeded slowly, approaching each new discovery
with caution.
The
day was scorching hot and Kaldar could see that the sun's relentless heat was
taking its toll on the children, causing them to appear listless and burning
their delicate skin. He used his
powers to create a spring that flowed from the side of a large rock formation
ahead of Vilondra and watched as Vilondra, then Zan and finally Alarath,
separately found and eagerly drank from the cool water.
As
it grew dark, Zan and Vilondra found each other again but Alarath had still not
made his presence known to them.
They continued walking in the general direction of the highway and
Kaldar knew he would have to do something before they reached the road.
It
was past dark when Kaldar amusedly watched as Alarath stealthily made his way
around Zan and Vilondra and scrambled up onto a rock where the other two would
pass.
They
rounded a corner and when they saw him, approached eagerly, Vilondra extending
a hand to him. Alarath jumped
down, took her hand and the three continued toward the highway.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Diane
and Philip Evans drove silently toward Roswell. They had attended a dinner party in a nearby town and it had
run late as usual. Diane was
exhausted and kept catching herself dozing off.
Philip
turned toward her as she jerked awake again. "Honey, it's okay. Let yourself get some sleep."
She
shook her head. "I
can't. I just have this weird
feeling."
"What
kind of feeling?" Philip asked, putting a comforting hand on her arm.
"I
don't know. I can't explain
it..." she trailed off.
"It's like something important is going to happen."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kaldar
had still not decided what to do when the three children reached the road. They stopped at the edge of the
pavement and seemed uncertain about which direction to continue until their
attention was drawn toward two pinpricks of light in the distance approaching
slowly. Kaldar's first instinct
was to hide the children from the approaching humans but he stopped himself
almost immediately. Perhaps it
wouldn't be a bad idea to let humans care for the children. He looked at them consideringly for a
moment. The children appeared
human and Kaldar knew the humans would take them in as their own.
He
was not capable of caring for them, he knew that with certainty. He quickly reviewed his options and did
not see any harm in leaving the children in the care of humans. The children could not reveal the
location of the Granolith to anyone because they had been engineered to repress
the memories made in the first few hours after they emerged from the pods. And their powers wouldn't develop
immediately and hopefully Sodan would have returned by then. Kaldar could still protect them from
afar as he had done since his arrival on this planet and when Sodan returned,
he would reclaim the children and the plan could proceed on schedule.
Kaldar
stayed in the protection on the rocks, having made up his mind and
watched. Zan and Vilondra seemed
to know instinctively that the lights could be trusted because they turned
toward them but Rath balked, afraid to trust, and stood his ground. Zan turned and held his hand toward
Rath but Rath shied away and as the headlights drew closer Rath concealed
himself in brush beside the road.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"What
on Earth?"
Philip's
exclamation jolted Diane's attention to the road as the car slowed and pulled
onto the side of the road, but what she saw left her speechless. When the car stopped, neither of them
moved as they unbelievingly watched the two small children revealed by the car's
headlights. Philip was the first
to act, opening his door and Diane quickly followed him.
As
they approached the children, Diane could see they were no more than five or
six years old and completely naked.
A chill ran up her spine as she shrugged out of her coat and started to
reach for the girl but she hesitated, afraid she might scare them. She dropped to her knees and addressed
them in a quiet tone. "Hi, my
name is Diane."
The
two children turned curious faces toward the sound of her voice but they did
not speak.
Diane
continued, "This is Philip," motioning to her husband who had joined
her before them. "What are
your names?"
Diane's
eyes quickly darted around the area but seeing nothing she turned back toward
the silent children. "Are you
out here alone?" Her eyes
raked over their exposed bodies, looking for injuries. "Are you hurt?"
When
the children still didn't respond, she started to inch forward. "We won't hurt you. We just want to make sure you're
okay." She reached toward the
girl and the bracelet she was wearing slid down her arm, the moonlight glinting
off the shiny surface.
The
reflection captured the girl's attention and she boldly approached, dragging
the boy with her, hand outstretched toward the bracelet. Diane stopped and let her examine the
bracelet, while she draped her coat around the girl's narrow shoulders. She removed the bracelet and handed it
to the girl as she gathered her in her arms and Philip quickly bundled the boy
in his coat.
He
easily lifted the small boy and turned to his wife, "Let's put them in the
car and you stay with them while I look around. It's pretty obvious they're in shock. They must have been in an accident or
something. Maybe there are other
survivors."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kaldar
watched in confusion as the car drove away with Zan and Vilondra. The humans had put them in the car and
the man had looked around the area briefly, but in the end they had driven away
with only two of the three. Kaldar
looked over to where his master was hiding. He had not emerged the whole time the humans had been
present. Kaldar had expected the
three of them to be together and now he was not sure what to do. He would have to make sure the humans
found Alarath so he could be cared for.
As
he pondered the possibilities, a plan formed in his head. With a wave of his hand, he sent
a burst of power into air, stirring up the wind to erase the childrenÕs
footprints that lead back to the pod chamber. Then he silently approached his master from behind and used
his powers to ease the child into sleep.
He gathered the small form in his arms and using a burst of Antarian
speed arrived at the place where he had hidden the truck, that had belonged to
the woman he had killed all those years ago. He deposited the sleeping boy onto the seat beside him and devouring
a mouthful of Tic Tacs, drove in the direction he had seen the car disappear.
He
caught up with them easily, because they were driving so slowly, and
decelerated to keep a distance between the two vehicles. He followed them into town and to Roswell
Memorial Hospital, parking in the far corner of the lot and carefully locking
his young master inside. Kaldar
altered his clothing to resemble a hospital worker and slipped unnoticed into
the emergency room where the humans had taken the children.
He
stayed close to watch as the children were thoroughly examined, but he started
to become worried when the doctor ordered blood tests. Kaldar knew the children's anatomy was
human but he was unsure if the Antarian genetic material would be visible in the
tests. He followed the technician
who took the children's blood to the lab, and waited for an opportunity. When he was alone, Kaldar quickly
changed Zan and Vilondra's samples to appear like human blood. He had helped Cuerena in the lab on the
ship often enough with the samples of human blood they had taken, and he knew
how to make it perfect.
When
he returned to the room where the children were being kept, a deputy was also
there. Kaldar was careful to
stay hidden, but he listened to the conversation.
"You
didn't see a wreck or anybody else in the area?" Deputy Hawk asked as he
took careful notes.
Phillip
shook his head, as he answered.
"No, I looked around the area, but there was no sign of a wreck, at
least not that we saw."
The
deputy made a note. "We're
sending a cruiser out to take a look, just in case."
Diane
spoke up, "What will happen to the children?"
Deputy
Hawk smiled sympathetically, knowing she was concerned for them. "For tonight they will stay here
and then it will depend. We will
try to find their parents, but it's odd, I mean the way they were
found."
He
looked toward the two hospital-gown clad children and turned back to Diane and
Phillip, ushering them a few paces away and lowering his voice. "If we don't find a wreck,"
he paused shaking his head, "I mean it's almost like they were dumped on
the side of the road like a dog you don't want."
Diane
felt tears prick the back of her eyes as she thought of the children being left
purposefully in the desert.
"What if you can't find their parents?"
"They
will be put into the system and sent to the Westlake Orphanage."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kaldar
waited until all of the tests came back clean to make sure the children would
not be in any danger and then he headed toward the exit. He emptied the box of Tic Tacs into his
mouth to combat his headache as he grabbed some clothing on his way out of the
hospital. He climbed into the
truck's cab and used his powers to size the clothes for Alarath. He pulled them onto the boy and settled
him back onto the seat, knowing his young master would sleep for hours.
Kaldar
closed his eyes and let his head fall back against the seat. It throbbed horribly from the use of
his powers but he had to give Alarath to the humans before he would allow
himself to rest.
Kaldar
feared the humans would perform blood tests on Alarath too and he needed to get
his strength back before he could attempt using his powers again. Perhaps if he took Alarath to a
hospital in the next town, the humans there would forgo the tests.
He
straightened in his seat and let his eyes roam over the small form at his
side. He had guarded this boy, who
would become a Duke and General, since his infancy on Antar, and he felt
honored that he had the chance to do it again. Kaldar now knew why he had experienced the feelings to stay
near the pod chamber. If he hadn't
been there when the pods hatched, the children might have perished in the heat
before they reached safety and all of the planning and waiting would have been
for nothing.
He
smoothed the hair off of Alarath's forehead as he slept, oblivious to the world
around him. He wished he could
have cared for the children himself, but the throbbing pain in his head was the
perfect reminder of why that was impossible. Kaldar started the truck, drove to a convenience store to
restock his Tic Tac supply, and then headed toward his destination, Artesia
General Hospital.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The
Evans had stayed in the waiting room eager to hear the results of the tests on
the children, and with each passing moment Diane grew more certain of her
feelings. She had fallen in love
with the children at first sight and she wanted to make sure they were taken
care of. But what she didn't know
was how Phillip would react, and she approached the subject slowly. "Phillip, what if they were
abandoned? Those poor children
will be put in foster care."
Phillip
nodded and turned to his wife with a smile, already knowing what she was
thinking. "I know someone who
works in Family Services. I will
get us signed up tomorrow as foster parents. Bob will rush the paperwork for us and if the kids are put
into foster care, we will be there to make sure they have a good
home."
Tears
came freely to Diane's eyes as she hugged her husband and he leaned down and
whispered into her ear. "We
have wanted a family and maybe we weren't blessed with one because we were
meant to care for these children.
Maybe they are our ready-made family."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(April
18th, 1989)
(Artesia
General Hospital)
Kaldar
had taken Alarath to the hospital claiming he had found him in the desert,
which he thought ironically, was actually true. He had been asked many questions by the Artesia Sheriff's
department but in the end, they had realized he could not provide the answers
they wanted.
The
hospital had preformed various tests on the boy and Kaldar had been forced to
use his powers again. He waited
until the tests had come back on Alarath and they showed the boy to be in
perfect health, as Kaldar had known they would. Alarath had awoken not long after Kaldar had deposited him
at the hospital and Alarath had fought the humans with a stubbornness that made
Kaldar proud. One of the nurses,
Vivian, had finally been able to calm him down, her gentle manner soothing the
boy's fears.
Exhausted
by the day's events but knowing his master was in good hands, Kaldar excused
himself, making his departure. He
used the last of his strength to drive back to his home in the desert. He camouflaged the truck and returned
to his dwelling where he collapsed into a deep sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(April
19th, 1989)
(Roswell
Memorial Hospital)
The
director of the Westlake Orphanage, Mary Simpson, came to retrieve the two
children the next day. She looked
into the children's ward where they were engrossed in early-morning cartoons
and turned toward the nurse at her side.
"They haven't spoken since they were brought in?"
The
nurse shook her head, "No.
Neither of them has said a word.
The doctor thinks maybe it's trauma induced but there is not a mark on
either of them. They don't behave
as if they have been through a traumatic experience. They seem fine, happy even, they just don't speak."
Mary
nodded. "Maybe they just need
some time."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(April
20th, 1989)
(Roswell
SheriffÕs Department)
Deputy
Hawk knocked on the Sheriff's office door as he entered. "Gary I wanted to report that I
havenÕt made any progress on the case with the kids the Evans found."
The
Sheriff sat back in his chair.
"Tell me what you've got."
"I've
checked the missing persons reports for the last six months from all of the
surrounding states and nothing even comes close to their descriptions. No one has reported these kids missing. It's like someone just dropped them off
in the desert."
Gary
shook his head, "I was afraid it was something like that. There was no accident they could have
wandered away from and obviously they hadn't been out there more than a day,
they were relatively clean and well nourished."
"Do
you want me to alert the press?Ó Deputy Hawk asked. ÒIf we run a story, someone might come forward who knows
them.Ó
Gary
considered the idea for a moment and then shook his head. "No. Let's wait until they talk. Maybe they can tell us who they are. I don't want to involve the press. If weÕre right and those poor kids were
abandoned, they will have to live with that the rest of their lives. If we get the press involved everyone
else will know too. Let's just
keep it quiet and hope for the best."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(April
22nd, 1989)
(Artesia,
NM)
Hank
glanced at the clock as his wife entered the house. "Viv you're late again."
She
crossed to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I know.
I'm sorry, but working in the ward with that little boyÉ" she trailed
off with a shrug. "I just
lose track of time. He is so
troubled and I feel like I can make a difference in his life."
"Is
that right?" Hank asked pulling her into his lap with a smile. "YouÕre a nurse. You make a difference in people's lives
every day."
Her
face became serious. "Hank, I
know it's early to be thinking things like this but..." she let her
sentence trail off.
"Like
what?" he prompted.
"I
would like to foster the boy."
Hank
opened his mouth to reply but Vivian cut him off. "You don't have to answer right now. Just think about it. Please."
"Viv,
before you cut me off, I was about to say, whatever makes you happy."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(April
28th, 1989)
(Artesia
General Hospital)
The
boy has been here over a week," the psychologist addressed the others,
"and it is obvious something happened to him. He is distrustful and violent and he hasn't uttered a single
word."
Another
doctor spoke up, "I think it's time we do some in-depth neurological
testing."
Others
nodded their approval. "There
may be more wrong with him than we suspected."
"I
will set up a schedule for the testing to start..."
They
were interrupted by a knock on the door.
Vivian
opened the door and addressed the doctor in charge, "I'm sorry to disturb
you Doctor, but you said you wanted to be notified right away." She smiled, "The boy spoke."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(May
10th, 1989)
(Rock
Formation near the pod chamber)
Kaldar
jerked awake and winced. His whole
body ached as if he had been sleeping in the same position too long. He carefully stretched his limbs and
noted with surprise that he had reverted back into his natural state. He stared unbelievingly at the
pink-gray skin of his arms. He had
not been in his true form since he had been revived and he wondered what could
have made him change back.
He
glanced at the watch that seemed strangely out of place on his alien anatomy
and did a double take when the date registered. May 10th. It
couldn't be May 10th. He quickly
checked the batteries and found them to be in perfect working order. He had been asleep for over two
weeks. He must have used his
powers to the point of exhaustion and even in sleep was unable to hold his
adopted form. He would have to be
more careful in the future not to over-tax himself.
He
crawled out of his dwelling and changed his appearance back to human. He had to make sure the children were
okay.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As
Kaldar approached the hospital where he had left Alarath almost a month ago, a
feeling of foreboding settled over him.
He was worried about what might have happened to Alarath since he had
last seen him. He had decided to
see to Alarath first because he knew the location of Zan and Vilondra. In the hospital that night he had
overheard the deputy say they would be taken to Westlake Orphanage and he knew
they would be well cared for there.
But he was uncertain about what would have happened to his master.
Kaldar
changed into the face he had worn the evening he brought Alarath to the
hospital. He hoped the staff would
remember him and would give him the information he required. If not, he would have to come back and
break into the records.
He
entered the building and the first person he saw was a doctor whom he
remembered from than night. Kaldar
reintroduced himself and asked about the boy he had 'found.' "I was in the area and I just
wanted to know what became of the boy."
"One
of the nurses and her husband decided to foster him," the doctor
replied. "I don't know if you
met her. Her name is Vivian."
Kaldar
felt the tension go out of his body.
He did remember Vivian. She
had been the one Alarath had responded to that evening. He was glad his master was in a good
home. "That's great, I do
remember her," he said with a smile.
"How is the boy doing?"
"He's
doing great," the doctor assured him.
Kaldar
left the building feeling much better about what he had been forced to do.
While
he was in the hospital, he had been able to obtain Vivian's address and he
headed toward his truck eager to see for himself that everything was okay. As he walked across the parking lot a
sudden weariness overcame him and he fell to the ground. Surprised, he got up as quickly as his
aching body would allow and stumbled to the truck. He must have expended more energy than he had thought. But now that he knew all the children
were safe he could return to his dwelling and properly recover.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(May
12th, 1989)
(Westlake
Orphanage)
Mary
Simpson looked across the desk at the two anxious faces before her. "Mr. and Mrs. Evans, as I told you
on the phone, the children did start talking two days after they were brought
here. We thought they would be
able to tell us who they were but they still don't remember anything before the
day you found them."
The
disbelief was evident in Phillip's voice, "They don't remember
anything?"
Mary
shook her head, "No, not even their names."
"They
must have been through something terrible," Diane said shakily.
"The
police think they were abandoned in the desert," Mary continued softly as
Phillip took Diane's hand in his.
"They have found no missing persons reports and no leads. They have given up the
investigation."
"What
does that mean for the children?" Phillip asked.
"We
will place them with you as fosters, and if in a year the parents still haven't
been found, you will be able to adopt them." With a smile, she noted the look of relief that passed
between them. "Of course they
will need therapy and a special school at first but they should grow into
happy, well-adjusted children."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(December
18th 1989)
(Artesia
Memorial Cemetery)
The
minister clutched Hank's arm as the last of the mourners departed. "Hank I am genuinely sorry for
your loss. I know you and Vivian
were very happy together."
"Thank
you Reverend," Hank managed before his throat closed up.
"I
know this is a hard time for you but have you decided what you are going to do
with Michael?"
Hank
looked over to where Michael was standing with Vivian's sister. "IÕll keep him," he said without
hesitation. "That's what
Vivian would have wanted."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(August
13th, 1990)
Kaldar
had looked in on Alarath every week for the first few months. He had a feeling he should stay close
to his master but he could see that Alarath was being well cared for and his
own continuing bad health forced him to make the trip less and less often. He had to use his powers often when he
was in town and he'd been forced to cut the visits to once a month and then
stop them altogether. He had only
seen Zan and Vilondra at the orphanage one day last year but he was satisfied
they were well cared for.
For
months he had been recovering his strength, preparing for the day when Ava
would emerge and he would be reunited with Sodan and Letras. Kaldar was sure they would not be angry
with him for disobeying orders and staying near the pods, when they discovered
the special circumstances surrounding the early hatching.
He
opened the pod chamber door for the final time before the arrival of the
others. Because the three had
hatched early, he had often looked in on the final pod checking its progress,
determined not to be caught off-guard again. He noted with relief, Ava was still in her pod and the
fluids were becoming thick and viscous just as they should.
Glancing
around the pod chamber for the first time in over forty years, his eyes lit on
words written in the Antarian language inscribed on the wall. He had never noticed the writing before
and quickly skimmed the message.
Sodan had written that he was living in a cave near the Mesaliko
Reservation. Kaldar smiled at the
irony of it as he sealed the pod chamber door. They had been living so close to one another all of
these years and he had not discovered it until the eleventh hour.
If
he had known sooner, he could have contacted Sodan and handed the three
children over to him. But Sodan
would have them soon anyway. And
since it was only two days before Sodan and Letras were due to arrive Kaldar
decided to look in on the children.
He
drove to the house where Alarath lived, only to find another family in
occupancy. He asked about the
previous tenants but the new humans did not know where they were. Kaldar drove to the hospital and
inquired about the woman Vivian only to be told that she had died months before
and her husband had moved on with the boy.
Kaldar
sat in the truck uncertain of what to do.
He had lost his master. He
would have to wait until the others returned and then they could help him find
Alarath.
He
suddenly felt the need to check on Zan and Vilondra and he drove to the
Westlake Orphanage in Roswell. But
as he pulled up to the building, he could see something was terribly
wrong. Where there had once been a
fence and playground equipment, now stood a parking lot, and a sign hung from
the door that said Westlake Medical Clinic and offered the names of several
doctors.
Kaldar
inquired at the reception desk about the orphanage and was told it had been
closed down just a few months earlier due to an increase in the number of
people registered as foster parents.
Children were placed with families immediately and there just wasn't a
need for an orphanage any longer.
Kaldar
stumbled back to the truck unbelievingly.
He had lost all three of them.
Sodan was due in two days and only Ava was left for him to find. Kaldar knew he couldn't face Sodan
until he had recovered the children.
He wouldn't admit he had failed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(August
15th, 1990)
Sodan
stopped his car in front of the rock formation that had housed the Royal Four
in pods for over forty years.
Finally his years of waiting were over. He approached the door eagerly and opened it ready to
welcome his King.
As
the sunlight filtered into the chamber and illuminated the pods, the sight that
greeted him made Sodan stop dead in his tracks. Three of the pods were empty and the occupants gone,
including his King. He quickly
looked around the chamber, hoping to find them inside, but three of the Royal
Four were absent. He ran out into
the open and completed a cursory search of the area but there was no sign of
them and after a few moments he returned to the chamber.
Zan,
Vilondra and Alarath had obviously hatched early. Sodan's first thought was perhaps they had been taken by
Letras or Kaldar but as he studied the footprints on the chamber floor, he
could see no sign of adults, only the small children had left their bare foot
prints in the thick dust coating the floor. The three pods had hatched early and the clones, with no
memory, had wandered into the desert.
It had to have been some time ago because there was dust in the
footprints and the fluids from the pods had dried completely.
He
looked back at the remaining occupied pod. The young Queen Ava was the only one left. The fluids in her pod were thick,
practically solid and Sodan knew she would soon emerge. He would have to wait for her to hatch
and then he could go in search of the others.
He
glanced at the wall opposite the pods where he had left the message so many
years before. He doubted there was
anyone left to read it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(July
21st, 1991)
Sodan
had searched the area around Roswell for almost a year with no sign of the
other shape shifters or the three children. He thought the humans must have killed the shape shifters
but the children looked human and Sodan believed they must have been taken
among the humans as their own. He
had done research at the newspaper morgue but there were no stories about any
children found matching the descriptions.
He had gone to every school in the area looking for them but there was
no sign. He had even cautiously
approached the Sheriff in Roswell, Jim Valenti, but the man knew of no children
found in the area. It was as if
they had simply vanished.
Finally
Sodan resorted to the only option left to him, he sent a signal, hoping it
would draw them out. But when a
week had passed and the only respondents were the skins and the Special Unit,
Sodan reluctantly admitted it was time to move on.
He
felt as if he were abandoning his mission and his King. If he had been on his own he would have
stayed to search but he had to keep the young Queen safe. He knew how much Zan loved Ava and he
was determined that one day he would reunite them.
But
this was a dangerous time for him and his young charge; Alyssa, as he had
called her, was just coming into the first of her abilities. They were unpredictable and just like
any child, she had a hard time keeping them under control. He did not know what her unique talent
had been in her other life. It had
been a closely guarded secret even from him but he did know she was very
powerful. If she developed a
blasting power or something else potentially dangerous, it would be better to
keep her away from humans until she could control it and avoid calling
attention to them. When it was
safe, he would continue the investigation and he would find the others.
Also
he needed to lead the FBI special unit and the skins away from Roswell so if
the other three of the Royal Four were there, they would be left in peace.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(September
4th, 1992)
(Artesia,
NM)
Michael
walked home from school and warily let himself into the trailer. Since Vivian's death, things had gone
from bad to worse. First, Hank had
started drinking and staying out late, often leaving Michael alone. Then, Hank had lost his job and not
long afterward, they had lost the house and been forced to move into a
trailer. Since then they had moved
from place to place, wherever Hank found work.
Michael
was always grateful when they first moved because it meant that Hank would be
out of the house more often. But
Hank always managed to screw up and lose each new job and Michael would have to
be extra careful not to make him angry.
Hank had lost another job only a week ago and Michael knew it was better
to stay out of his way.
Michael
stopped just inside the door, when he saw Hank sitting in his chair with at
least a dozen beer cans littering the floor around him.
"It'zs
'bout time youzs got home," Hank shouted. "We've gotta pack up and go."
Michael
didn't have to hear Hank's slurred words to know he had been drinking heavily
and he proceeded cautiously.
"Where are we going?"
"I've
gotta job and we're movin'."
Michael
stood blinking at him, incredulous that Hank had gotten a new job so quickly,
but Hank took his inaction as rebellion.
"Go an' do what I tell you Mickey. Or are ya still goin' ta be standin' there next week when you're
new school startzs?"
The
reality of the situation was starting to sink into Michael. "What new school?"
Hank
laughed, "New town boy, new school.
Whatta you think you're goin' to commute from Rozswell to here
everyday?"
"Roswell?"
Michael echoed.
"Yeah,"
Hank said, slamming his beer down on the arm of the chair. "Haven't you been listenin'. My new job's at the cheezse factory in
Roswell."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(September
7th, 1992)
Max
huddled close to Isabel on the bus.
They were surrounded by other children, and Isabel seemed to be in her
element but Max did not like the crowd.
He felt his differences more keenly when he was among a large group and
today he felt more out of place than he ever had.
Since
his adoptive mother had told them they would be attending a regular school with
other children, he had dreaded the day when it would happen. For the last two years they had
attended the small classes of a private tutor and Max had gradually grown
comfortable in that environment but he feared facing an entire school full of
strangers.
Max
had been apprehensive when he awoke that morning, and the feeling had
intensified as the crowded bus stopped in front of their house, and increased
again when they had boarded the vehicle to confront the other students. He had let Isabel pull him to the back
of the bus and into a seat, the faces of the strange children dancing before
him as if they were taunting him for his shyness.
But
as the bus drew closer to its destination, a calming sensation started to
settle over him. Max looked around
unable to determine the cause but he was grateful for any relief.
The
bus pulled up outside Roswell Elementary and the children disembarked, Isabel
eagerly dragging Max off the bus with her. As they threaded their way through the other children, a
familiar warmth rushed over him, covering him, protecting him. A feeling, for the first time he could
remember, of belonging and home.
Max slowed his pace as he
was drawn toward the source and Isabel released his hand and ran ahead to join
the others. Max turned toward a
group of children but the only one he saw was a small girl with long, brown
hair. He stopped, stunned by the
instant flash of recognition, even if he didn't understand it, but he knew
without question that this was the only girl he would ever love.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(December
14th, 1992)
(The
Special Unit Lab)
(Washington
D.C.)
Agent
Daniel Summers watched as the laser failed to penetrate the smooth surface of
the alien orb. Over the years,
every test known to man had been performed on it, including radiation,
microwaves and every chemical on Earth, but nothing had been able to penetrate
it or cause any reaction in it.
Whenever
a new testing technique was developed, the orb would be retrieved from the
vault and subjected to the procedure, but so far all of them had failed.
Agent
Summers opened the vault, constructed from depleted uranium, and walked to
place the orb in its container.
Someday, he thought, they would figure out how to make it work.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Earth
Date - February 27th, 1993)
(Antar)
(Capitol
city of Roistar - formerly Tageonon)
(Secret
Headquarters of the Resistance Loyal to the Tageonants)
"Your
Highness," General Toaks said as he bowed formally before the dowager
Queen, "I have good news. The
scientists have discovered a way to communicate across great distance and the
signal cannot be tracked. They
have been able to successfully alter the Thought Projector we currently use, to
work on humans."
"Then
we can warn Zan about Khivar's troops on Earth," Nedra exclaimed.
The
General looked down to avoid the disappointment he knew he would see on her
face. "But your Highness, we
don't know where they are or even if they have emerged from the pods."
"I have been thinking
about that General," she said.
"What if we simply replace the message in the communication orbs;
record over it. The orbs can hold
the message and Zan can access it without sending a traceable signal."
A
smile lit the General's face.
"That just might work.
We could use a human as a local transmitter, so the signal canÕt be
traced back to us."
"Tell
me how this technology works," Nedra said.
"Basically
it works the same on humans as on Antarians,Ó Toaks explained. ÒIt allows the user to take over the
mind of a subject and use the body for their own purposes. A small, unused area of the human's
brain will be permanently adapted to allow the user to take over and control
the human. And because the humans'
brains are so similar to ours the user will be able to use their powers through
the human subject too. "
"So
we can use a human to broadcast a new message to the orbs," Nedra said
with relief. "How is a
subject chosen?"
"The
subject must have a certain flaw in the brain structure. The device can sense this flaw and then
we simply prepare the subject, similar to coding a computer. When I was told of the device I gave
the order to have a subject prepared for your use."
"The
human is not harmed in any way?"
"No,
not if it is prepared correctly," the General said, shaking his head. "In fact, we have saved the life
of the human the devise chose for your use. He possessed a disease that eventually would have become
fatal. His own body was mutating
and attacking the healthy parts, spreading corruption throughout his
system. Apparently Earth medicine
has not progressed enough to cure him but we were easily able to rid him of the
disease to make sure of his continuing usefulness."
"And
this human I will be using, what is his name?"
"He
is called Brody."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Earth
Date - March 4th, 1993)
(Antar)
(Capitol
city of Roistar - formerly Tageonon)
(Secret
Headquarters of the Resistance Loyal to the Tageonants)
Nedra
entered the lab with General Toaks at her side. She addressed the head scientist Kranon, ÒI received word
that the human Brody is ready.Ó
ÒYes,
your Highness,Ó Kranon replied.
ÒWe carefully prepared the human and moved him from an area that
contained a large concentration of technology. It probably wouldnÕt have interfered with the signal but we
wanted to take every precaution.
Now, everything is ready for you to send the message.Ó
Nedra
put on the thought projector and started to read the statement she had
prepared. ÒIf you are seeing me
now, it means that you are alive and wellÉÓ
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(The
Special Unit Vault)
(Washington
D.C.)
The
orb was locked inside the vault constructed of depleted uranium and the signal
from Antar was unable to penetrate the heavy molecules.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Beneath the Sand - Near the Pod Chamber)
The
orb accepted the message sent from Antar and attempted to activate an alert
signal, a single brilliant shaft of light. But the sand pressing down on the light sensor confused the
programming and it stored the signal for a later time.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Sunday, May 2nd 1999)
(Van Buren, Missouri - near the Ozark Mountains)
Sodan sat across the table from Alyssa and motioned to the two men
in suits who had just come into the diner. "There are the FBI Agents."
The trap he had set worked.
Sodan had stopped sending signals to draw out the FBI and the skins when
he had retrieved Alyssa from the pod chamber, but when she had started gaining
control of her powers he had started again, to let Alyssa see how the FBI
worked. He always avoided the
skins, feeling she wasn't ready to face them and concentrated her training on
the FBI.
Sodan indicated the older man, "That is Agent Summers but I
don't know the younger man."
Sodan recognized Summers even though over ten years had passed since he
had last seen him. Summers and his
partner had interviewed him when he had played a UFO nut on one of the earlier
'sightings'.
Sodan turned his attention back to Alyssa. "In a moment we will leave the
diner. You will use your powers to
cloak me from the Agents and I will come back in and listen to what they are
saying."
Sodan left some bills on the table and they exited. Sodan and Alyssa got into the car and
he drove them around the side of the diner and parked. "If anything goes wrong, use your
powers to get away and meet me at the agreed upon place."
Alyssa turned her icy blue eyes to her protector. "What could go wrong?"
"Probably nothing but it is always best to prepare for the
worst. Ready?"
Alyssa nodded and closed her eyes in concentration, erasing
Sodan's image from the minds of the FBI Agents.
Sodan re-entered the diner and crossed to the rack of pamphlets
next to the table where the Agents were eating. They obviously did not see him and continued their
conversation as if they were alone.
They appeared to be having an argument.
Summers leaned forward and spoke softly. "Pierce, you are too quick to destroy. There are so many things we could learn
from an advanced race."
The man named Pierce answered softly but his tone was fierce,
"I don't believe we can learn anything from these creatures. They are only here to take us over,
wipe us out. What other reason
could they have for being here so long?
They kill innocent people without a thought. They are unprincipled, despicable monsters and we should
wipe out every one of them."
"But think of the advantages we could gain in technology, and
medicine," Summers argued.
Pierce laughed, "You are getting soft, old man. You used to be the one to say we should
shoot first and ask questions later."
"I haven't changed my mind, but now that I am in charge of
the Unit, I can see other possibilities."
"I will never think of them as anything but monsters,"
Pierce said emphatically.
Sodan turned and left the diner. So Agent Summers was now in charge of the Special Unit,
Sodan thought to himself. He
couldn't let such a golden opportunity slip through his fingers. He headed out the door and around the
building, crossing to the car. He
changed the color of the paint and the license plate. "I think I can learn something from these men. I want you to go to the hotel and stay
there. I will meet you in a few
hours."
"But I want to help," Alyssa insisted.
Sodan shook his head.
He had successfully kept the young Queen away from the sordid business
that he'd had to do from time to time.
He knew Zan would not want her to be involved and he always made excuses
that would relieve her suspicions.
"It will be easier if I do it myself. Now do as I say."
Sodan watched as she drove away and then he changed his appearance
and went back into the diner where he sat sipping a cup of coffee, waiting for
an opportunity. And when Agent
Summers got up and walked to the restroom, Sodan followed him.
He let the door close behind him and spoke softly, "Agent
Summers."
Summers swung around, "Who are you?"
Sodan smiled as he advanced, hand outstretched. "I am the one you have been
looking for."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The End of Book 4
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