Evolution Shift (The New World Book 3)

by Kurt Winans

  “Your assistance with the first three phases of the gene enrichment program has been tremendous, but now I think it’s time for you to consider your role in phase four.”

  “I thought you said that we couldn’t do very much to influence phase four.”

  “That’s true from a logistical standpoint, but I’m talking about your actual participation.”

  “Excuse me!”

  Sensing that he had struck a nerve, Ross calmly said, “Now don’t get offended Tori, but I think you know what I mean.”

  “It sounds like you want me to have a child.”

  “Yes, but actually, more than one if possible.”

  “Now you want me to have more than one?”

  “Yes Tori. Think of the long term benefit. Your children could be a great addition to the program.”

  “Ross, are you asking me to mate with you?”

  While smiling at the idea that Tori had actually believed that to be possible, Ross replied, “Not at all. I mean, thank you for the sweet thought, but at my age I’m not even a candidate for such an activity.”

  “I understand. But wait, if not with you, then who?”

  The flight crew was unaware of any conversation in the main cabin, as they were busy answering all the questions brought forth by Hank. They were happy to do so, as the young man was pleasant with his inquiries and seemed to understand all the information that was given to him. Each of the gauges, and their purpose, with the exception of the one that displayed available fuel, were discussed at length. While maintaining his fixation on the pressing matter of the fuel numbers, the co-pilot suddenly exclaimed, “Look. I can see a faint line of blue water at the coast!”

  Squinting while scanning the horizon, and then nodding with concurrence, the pilot replied, “Yes, I can see it too.”

  Then Hank added, “So can I.”

  After asking Hank to please return to an empty seat, the pilot quietly inquired, “What’s the gauge read?”

  The co-pilot, after ensuring that Hank had moved away, replied, “Six percent sir, I think we’re going to make it.”

  “Well we’re not there yet, but we do have a chance.”

  For the next several agonizing minutes, the coastline and precious fuel supply of the salt water it provided seemed to remain at a constant distance from the shuttle. Unfortunately, the fuel gauge responded differently. Already deeper into the red zone than either pilot had ever experienced, the number dropped to five, and then four.

  The co-pilot then asked, “What do you think sir?”

  “I think it’s going to be very close, so let me know the second we get fully over the water!”

  A few moments later the co-pilot looked down at the wide sandy beach, and then while breathing a sigh of relief said, “Just a few more seconds’ sir, and you can land.”

  Glancing at the gauge that now read two percent, he replied, “Good. I think that we’re flying on vapor.”

  Seconds later his thesis was proven correct as he turned left for a landing parallel to the beach. Now starved of even the vapor he had spoken of, the engines failed. Fortunately they were less than one-hundred feet off the water, so they glided in for what most would believe was a textbook refueling.

  Once fully refueled, the flight crew inquired if Hank would like to witness the takeoff and landing procedures. Then the shuttle made the short hop over to solid ground so that everyone could disembark. While retrieving his much younger brother from the flight deck, Ross offered his thanks to the crew for their effort. Believing that he had been the only one of the passengers to hear and feel the engines suddenly shut down a short time earlier, Ross winked and quietly added, “And with plenty of fuel to spare.”

  Five Earth months had passed since Ross and the others had embarked on their adventure to the museum facility, but in the present moment, Janet’s thoughts centered on what had just transpired. Although Ross had come through his recent ordeal, Janet pondered the possibility of future hallucinations.

  Throughout the six months since the group of recruits under his leadership had arrived on Earth, Ross had been slowly slipping away. His episodes of poor health had unfortunately become much more frequent and intense during the past month, and the durations of those episodes were longer as well. Now there was the new concern of a worrisome symptom that had magnified those medical difficulties. Ross had hallucinated that he was a young boy living in Texas having a weird dream about multiple events that had actually transpired throughout his life. Simultaneously, he believed that it had not been a hallucination, but somehow seeing, and then conversing with, his supposedly dead mother was. In simple terms, Ross had hallucinated living through a terrible dream within the context of supposedly having a pleasant dream.

  While leading Kristyn away from Ross, Janet smiled at Natiya who was waiting for them in the doorway. Once they were all outside, Janet said, “I would like to thank you both for what Kristyn just did to help us.”

  Looking up, Kristyn asked, “Is Ross going to be alright?”

  With a quivering tone, Janet replied, “I don’t think so honey. Ross is very sick, but we will keep him as comfortable as possible. You did a great job of pretending to be his sister Jessica, and because of that help I can discuss exactly what happened to him with Dr. Halley.”

  Natiya, while gently rubbing her visibly pregnant belly, then said, “Janet, please keep us informed about Ross, and let us know if we can do anything else to help.”

  “Thank you Natiya, I will. Now, how are you feeling?”

  “I feel really good thanks, and Dr. Halley informed me just yesterday that everything is alright with the baby.”

  “That’s good news, how far along are you?”

  “I’ll be twenty-three weeks tomorrow.”

  “Wow! We’ve only been here for six months. You must have been the first of the recruits to get pregnant. Obviously it didn’t take you much time to find a suitable partner.”

  “Well Janet, the way it was explained to me, the gene enrichment program demanded expediency. I was just trying to do my part.”

  Fully aware that Kristyn possessed youthful and, at least for the moment, innocent ears with regard to the process of human reproduction, Janet spoke carefully. She said, “Indeed. I hope your enthusiasm for the project was pleasurable.”

  Natiya’s cheeks, normally porcelain in color, showed a hint of blush as she replied, “Well Janet, it had been a long time since my enthusiasm, as you put it, was put to the test, but yes, it was pleasurable enough.”

  Nodding silently, Janet smiled at her distant memory of how a consensual first encounter could be accompanied by simultaneous exhilaration and nervousness. Then in desperate need of a solitary walk on the beach, Janet excused herself and added, “I’ll catch up with the two of you later.”

  Two hours later, after contemplating how to best cope with the symptoms she was now beginning to experience, Janet returned to seek out Dr. Halley. She needed to converse with him about what had transpired with Ross, and her concern over the prospect that she might eventually face a similar challenge. That meeting would need to wait a few minutes however, as the doctor was just completing an examination of Janet’s good friend Tori when she arrived.

  As Tori exited the examination room with a smile, Janet said, “Good morning Tori. You look happy.”

  “I am. Dr. Halley says everything is fine.”

  “That’s good news. How far along are you now, about eighteen weeks?”

  The younger woman rubbed her pregnant belly in much the same way that Natiya had done, and then said, “Actually it’s nineteen.”

  For Janet, Tori had become just one more of the many walking reminders of a time, and a condition, that she would never again experience. Although it was still physically possible at her current age of forty-three to become pregnant, Janet had no desire to carry a fourth child. The sight of several pregnant women within her population center was actually a positive sign that the gene enrichment program had moved into t
he fourth phase. Reports from the other fifteen such communities had also revealed an increase in pregnancies, so Janet felt justifiably pleased at the progress of the program. In spite of that feeling, it was difficult to see Tori as one of those in that condition. Although initially thrilled to learn that her good friend was expecting, Janet became less enthused when she discovered that the father of the child was Colt.

  Once Tori had moved far enough away so that Janet felt safe in doing so, she dropped the façade that everything in her world was perfect. Then with justifiable concern in her tone, Janet looked at Dr. Halley and said, “If you haven’t already heard, there has been a new development with Ross.”

  “Really, has he regained consciousness?”

  “Yes he has, but it was how he regained consciousness that was alarming.”

  “Why? What happened?”

  For twenty minutes Janet explained every detail of the adventure that had transpired in Ross’s mind during the early morning hours. Then she asked, “Have you, or any of the other scientists, made any progress on a possible cure?”

  Shaking his head negatively, Dr. Halley replied, “No. We haven’t been able to isolate exactly what the virus is or how Ross contracted it in the first place, so developing a way to combat it is virtually impossible.”

  Janet slumped visibly, and then dejectedly asked, “How much longer do you think Ross has?”

  Knowing that the depth of the question went beyond her concern for Ross, he replied, “I’m sorry Janet, but I just can’t answer that with any level of certainty.”

  “That’s what I was afraid of.”

  “How are your symptoms?”

  “Well, they’re not too bad yet. Every now and then I do experience some uncontrollable coughing or a slight fever, but not to the level that Ross goes through. I’m more concerned with what will happen to me in the future.”

  “I know that you are Janet, and because you’re the most advanced case other than Ross, I’m concerned about you too. Knowing how quickly the virus takes full control of your body may help us determine a timeline for other cases, so you must be completely honest with me about what you experience.”

  After covering her face with trembling hands for a moment, she asked, “Is there any hope of containing the virus?”

  “I’m afraid not, and we have received communications from the fifteen other population centers that several adults are beginning to experience some of the early symptoms.”

  “Do they suspect that they are infected with the virus?”

  “No, and it’s probably best that we keep it that way.”

  “I agree, but more importantly, Ross can’t know about the virus either.”

  “Why not, he must be aware that you are ill.”

  “Yes he is aware, and he has seen a few symptoms with Gabriela and Aurora as well. Fortunately, he thinks we all have a cold based on our continued close contact with him.”

  “Well Janet, there is a measure of truth to his belief. After all, Ross is considered to be patient zero.”

  “Doctor, you and I, and the scientific team working on a cure know that to be true, but Ross doesn’t need to know.”

  “Can’t we at least tell him that we have no idea how to treat, let alone cure, his ailment?”

  “No Doctor. Ross is a smart enough man to connect his illness with mine and everybody else’s, so his heart and spirit would be broken by such knowledge. Imagine how you would feel if you learned that while once again attempting to save a percentage of the human species from possible extinction, you instead became the one most responsible for spreading a virus that could wipe it out!”

  Gabriela drew back the curtains, and the sunlight of the cloudless morning poured without obstruction into the room. While gazing out the window, she suddenly heard a loud thud from behind her. Turning to investigate, she noticed that Ross had fallen to the floor and was lying motionless. With fearful hesitation, Gabriela loudly asked, “Ross, are you alright?”

  There was no response, so Gabriela repeated her question, and then she asked a third time before moving closer. Dropping to her knees at her husband’s side, she attempted to awaken Ross by gently shaking his limp body. After checking his wrist for a pulse that no longer existed, Gabriela moved closer to his drawn face in order to determine if there was any sign of breathing. The results of each test, followed by feeling his chest for a heartbeat, had proven the awful, yet in some measure, merciful truth. Ross, her giant oak of a man, had just died.

  Gabriela’s initial reaction was to immediately inform someone, but then she realized that word of Ross’s death would spread quickly enough on its own. She knew that one of the many daily visitors would eventually arrive to disrupt them, and in so doing, forever alter her life. Never again would she be able to spend a quiet peaceful moment alone with Ross. With that knowledge, Gabriela decided to lay next to Ross on the floor with her head resting on his shoulder for as long as time would permit. It was her turn to protect him from harm.

  As if somehow aware of his coming fate, Ross had spent much of the three days since his last and most intense hallucination episode preparing his family and those closest to him for this inevitable moment. Although the anticipation of his death was a sad reality for all who knew him, Ross felt no personal regret. He had lived a long and productive life, while maintaining a steadfast belief in doing whatever he could to serve the betterment of mankind. His many actions throughout the years had more than proved his determination with regard to that belief system, and Ross had been blessed in several aspects of his life as a byproduct of those efforts. That included the most truly unforeseen chance for Ross to return to his birth world of Earth, as he was granted the opportunity to oversee one final act of humanitarian service. Unfortunately, the now obvious reality of his limited life span would prohibit Ross from ever witnessing the momentous fifth phase of the overall gene enrichment program. Reluctantly, Ross had accepted that he would never hold, or even receive knowledge of, a child born from the efforts of a brave recruit who had ventured with him from ₹-593-Ԅπ-2-2.

  Unaware, as most are, of the exact moment that his life would come to an end, Ross had been most fortunate that one of his lengthy pre-death discussions had been with young Hank. The two brothers, separated in age by roughly three quarters of an Earth century, had exchanged viewpoints on a wide range of subjects during a relaxing few hours on the beach just two days before Ross’s death. Possessing an ability to absorb information like a sponge, Hank continued to develop that innate skill at every opportunity that presented itself. Just as he had done with Megan Crenshaw and every other adult influence in his life, Hank soaked up all the wisdom that Ross had to offer. Ross was proud of how his half-brother had developed intellectually at such a young age, and he was not alone in that assessment. Closing out their educational exchange by voicing his opinion to Hank, Ross had said, “You are a special young man, and it has been my honor to watch you grow into such an intelligent and caring person. Comparing you to my level of development at the same age, I believe that greatness awaits you.”

  Roughly twenty minutes after lying down beside her husband’s dead body, Gabriela’s less than bold prediction came to fruition. While hearing a gentle knocking on the door to their dwelling, she knew that the time of tranquility with Ross was gone forever. After kissing him gently on the cheek, she asked, “Who is it?”

  “It’s Aurora. Can I come in?”

  “Yes Aurora. Please do.”

  Swinging the door open, Aurora began her customary greeting of, “Good morning…” Before she could say another word, Gabriela cut her off by responding, “Not for me it isn’t. Ross is dead.”

  Only then did Aurora notice that her father and step mother were flat on the floor, and the tears that were clearly visible upon Gabriela’s exposed cheek. For a brief moment she placed an open hand over her mouth, and then with a burst of unfiltered emotion exclaimed, “That can’t be!”

  Through her now muffled sobs and labored
breathing, Gabriela replied, “I’m afraid it’s true.”

  Although realizing that her obvious questions could, and most probably should, wait for another time, Aurora was unable to do so. She asked, “How, and when, did it happen?”

  “It happened maybe half an hour ago. Everything was fine, and then he just fell over with a mighty thud!”

  Now struggling to fight back her own onrush of grieving tears, Aurora moved to Gabriela’s side, knelt down, and then reached out to rub her shoulder. Having now lost the battle with her emotions, through welling tears and trembling voice she uttered, “I’m so sorry Gabriela. Dad loved you very much, and you gave him the strength he needed to carry on the fight for humanity.”

  Turning her head away from Ross, Gabriela realized that she was not the only one in need of comfort. In spite of being Ross’s wife for roughly eight years of Earth time, Gabriela understood that, as her father, Aurora had idolized Ross for her entire life. With that in mind she rose to a seated position next to Aurora and replied, “Your father was a wonderful man, and he never expressed any regrets at having used up so much of his fading strength attempting to help others.”

  Her words had fully opened the floodgates for both of them, as they began an embrace of uncontrollable crying. A few minutes later, after each woman had regained a measure of composure, they moved to the chairs at the table in the center of the room. Then Aurora said, “I think we should send word to Dr. Halley and Janet that they should come immediately.”

  Agreeing with the suggestion, Gabriela replied, “I’ll be alright here for a few minutes. Why don’t you do what you can to locate them?”

  Stepping outside, Aurora hailed the closest citizen. Then she asked the young lady to locate Janet and Dr. Halley, and notify them that Ross had just passed away. Although shocked by the news, the woman was efficient with her given task. Within ten minutes Colt and Janet rushed through the door, and no more than five minutes later Dr. Halley arrived. In the first instance, the newcomers were welcomed by the sight of Ross motionless on the floor, and the silhouette of Gabriela and Aurora silently gazing out the sunlit window. Colt knelt at the body of his old friend and boss, while Janet joined the ladies by the window. As one aspect of a group effort, she could now provide, and receive, some much needed comfort.