Evolution Shift (The New World Book 3)

by Kurt Winans

  The following morning, Hank took the helm of the SSP once again and began following the coast eastward toward home. Although he and Colt had traded seats a few times throughout the ensuing days, by not deviating from the coast for the entirety of the journey, more time was added to the return. At the conclusion of the second full day while under sail in the bright sunlight, the weary group of travelers had covered an extensive amount of territory. As sunset gave way to near darkness, only the distant lights of their home community kept them from setting up camp for an additional night.

  Already concerned by the extended duration of their absence with the addition of one night, that now appeared as if it would probably be two, Tori contemplated initiating contact with the SSP to check on their safety. Then word was delivered to her that faint running lights had been spotted moving along the beach to the east.

  As Hank pulled softly on the drag brake to halt what little remained of their momentum, he said, “Hello Tori. How are you doing tonight?”

  Janet noticed during Tori’s response that she didn’t seem surprised to see Hank in the driver’s seat of the vehicle. Then Janet wondered if she had perhaps been the last person within the community to become aware that her son had developed such a skill. Climbing from her seat, Janet looked at Tori and said, “This little break was exactly what I needed to rejuvenate, and we all had a great time.”

  Colt added, “We most certainly did, and the time away for the five of us was wonderful. As a bonus, while we were exploring all that the terrain had to offer, we discovered something very interesting.”

  Now intrigued, Tori asked, “Really, what did you find?”

  “I think that Aurora should be the one to tell you. She made the initial discovery, and then connected the dots by locating additional evidence to prove her thesis.”

  Turning toward Aurora, Tori then said, “Now I’m really intrigued. Tell me everything Aurora.”

  “Well I don’t have the time to discuss everything right now, but I will tell you this. We discovered a place that holds a direct link to my past life on Earth.”

  Brittany Cooper, with her infant son cradled safely in her arms, sat quietly while basking in the warmth of another bright and clear sunny day. She had read and studied aspects of what life would be like in Australia during her teenage school years in Montana, and just prior to her abduction by the alien species, was in the final stages of preparation for a year of foreign exchange studies near Sydney. As a consequence of that preparation, Brittany had become as well versed with the surrounding geography and accompanying landmarks as with the culture itself. Although many centuries of Earth time had elapsed since those plans had been suddenly dashed, and the culture radically altered, she felt within her soul that the wait had been worth it. The circumstances of her current situation were vastly different to be sure, but certain aspects of her now living in the land of “down under” for several months beyond her originally intended year were beneficial. Chief among them was that a return to Helena would never be required.

  After Brittany’s exceedingly long overdue wait, which now included a two day journey within the confines of the shuttle, she, and the remainder of her recruit group, met the administrative team of the population center just moments after their arrival. Although unaware of it at that moment, the man who would become the father of her first child was one of those present during the introductions. While taken on a walking tour throughout their new community, Brittany gazed upon the surrounding terrain and nodded knowingly. Having recognized various landmarks from her memory of both books and film, she turned to one of the female guides, and asked, “What is the name of this community?”

  “Our community doesn’t have a name.”

  “It doesn’t have a name? How could that be?”

  “There was never a need to name our community. For centuries, all of the past and current residents have referred to this place as the population center.”

  “But every population center, no matter how large or small, must have a name.”

  “I have studied the available historical disc recordings, and there is no mention of a population center ever having a name after the time of the apocalypse.”

  “Well if that’s true, it’s very sad. Many communities before that time were named for famous people. Others areas, such as this one, had more descriptive or unusual names.”

  “That’s interesting. We could add that information to our records if you know what this place was called during your time on old Earth.”

  “No problem, but can you tell me your name first?”

  With a smile, the woman roughly ten years Brittany’s senior replied, “My name is Adelaide, and I’m here to help you with any questions that you might have.”

  Brittany returned the smile and said, “Well it’s nice to meet you Adelaide, and thanks for offering to help. As to your question, this community was called Katoomba. This place, along with a few other similar towns, was nestled within the Blue Mountains west of a large city known as Sydney. All of this area was once part of a territory called New South Wales in the country and continent of Australia.”

  “That’s interesting. It’s nice that you remembered all of those names, is there anything else that you can tell me?”

  Looking to the west from their current position, Brittany added, “Absolutely. All those partially water filled valleys over there were once lined from rim to floor with lush vegetation.”

  “You seem quite sure; did you live in this area?”

  “No, but I had studied Australia extensively, including a large city to the distant southwest of here with the same name as yours. I do however know this particular area of the country very well, as I was about to live close to this place for a year while attending school.”

  “You said about to? Was it the asteroid apocalypse that stopped you from doing that?”

  “No. Something happened to me fifteen years before the asteroid that changed my life forever.”

  “Fifteen years. What happened to you?”

  “I was abducted by the same alien species that brought our entire group back to Earth a few weeks ago.”

  “Abducted, that’s terrible.”

  “I thought so too at the time, but I soon changed my thinking. I was searching for a way to escape the clutches of my hometown in Montana, but school here in Australia would have been a temporary solution. Soon after I was abducted, I spoke with several other people who had been held for decades, but they had aged very little. I realized that a permanent solution to the problems I faced in Montana had presented itself, so I made some friends with people who knew nothing of my past.”

  As the walking tour continued, Adelaide pointed out various locations within the population center that would be of importance. Then while showing Brittany the dwelling that she and the other two women in the group would temporarily share, she asked, “Do any of you already have children?”

  Brittany was surprised by the question. It was logical to assume that if any of them had been mothers, then their children would be at their side. With that in mind, Brittany replied, “No. We don’t have any children yet, but as you are well aware, that will change soon enough. It’s the primary reason that our group was sent to this population center.”

  Unfortunately the statement had been made without verification from her two roommates. Although the woman of Asian descent quickly confirmed that she had no children, the young Mayan woman, in her somewhat broken English said, “I have child back home.”

  Astonished by the news, Brittany said, “You do?”

  Nodding positively, the Mayan replied, “Yes. My boy had seen seven eclipse cycles before our King sent me away with the others to come with you.”

  “Did Ross or Aurora know that you had a child?”

  “Our King said to not tell them.”

  “Not tell them! How could you keep that a secret?”

  “Our King said to not tell them.”

  “Aren’t you angry at your King fo
r saying that?”

  “I’m never angry at our King. It is his will that I have other babies here, so that is what I will do.”

  Adelaide quickly asked, “What is a King, and even more importantly, why does such a person have the power to tell a woman to leave her child behind?”

  Brittany replied, “That’s complicated, but at one time they were absolute rulers. Although few of the Kings within my era of human evolution had such power, this woman descends from a different time. Her belief system, based on an earlier culture, maintained that a Kings will was the final word on any subject. Those decisions, just or not, were unquestioned. If she challenged her Kings will, she could have been put to death.”

  “Put to death?”

  “Yes. Sadly, there were too many examples of such mistreatment within the history of Earth’s past, and some of those practices continued up to the time of the apocalypse. Please don’t misunderstand me. Mankind, as an entity, had been evolving beyond that negative aspect, but there was a long way to go before we could have attained the harmonious level enjoyed by the global community of this era. Believe me Adelaide, you should consider yourself blessed to have never either witnessed or experienced such mistreatment.”

  While settling into her new routines, Brittany realized that the population center with no name had, inadvertently or not, stumbled upon a perfect location for a settlement. She and Adelaide became good friends, and they shared as much information about their respective times on Earth as possible. That included their various experiences and knowledge of men, so during one such interaction, Adelaide, while motioning over Brittany’s shoulder said, “What can you tell me about him?”

  Turning to see the man that she spoke of, Brittany then replied, “Oh that’s Joseph, and he’s a nice guy. He, and a group of his friends, were all abducted while flying their planes near Florida in 1945. Janet introduced me to him on the alien ship not long after my abduction in 2007 and that’s when I learned from all of them that our collective ageing process had been slowed down considerably. Sixty-two years in captivity, and the man looked to be about thirty. I’ve spoken to him occasionally throughout the years since that day, and he’s always friendly. I guess he’s closer to forty by now, but he still looks good.”

  “Does he interest you?”

  “No, he’s not my type. Besides, I’ve got someone else in mind to father my first child.”

  Now, sixteen months after that conversation, Adelaide and Joseph were the parents of a three month old baby girl. Brittany had given birth to her son a few months prior to that happy event, and now sat with him in relaxed comfort on her favorite hilltop perch. She was now expecting again, and while waiting for the arrival of the man who would soon become that child’s father, she gazed eastward. Her distant view included what little remained of the once proud and glistening Sydney skyline that now breeched the surface of the Pacific Ocean. The scene was beautiful with a few tiny islands also visible on this magnificent day, but Brittany was saddened that the Pacific had engulfed most of the rolling hills that had once been home to the Sydney suburbs.

  How she had arrived at such a beautiful location had been the byproduct of a quickly developed, yet ingenious, plan that had, against all odds, worked to perfection. When Brittany had overheard Ross informing Aurora of the respective light sources he had observed during the multiple orbit approach to Earth, she instantly took notice. When she then heard Ross ask their alien host if they could set the transport ship down near the light source in what he knew to be Texas, she realized that the site was a long way from her intended final destination. Brittany needed to ensure that she would be relocated to the site along the southeastern coast of Australia, and that would require a measure of deceit on her part.

  During the present moment, Brittany smiled devilishly while flashing back to how quickly she had put the formulated plan into action. Via meticulous observation throughout the six week voyage from ₹-593-Ԅπ-2-2, Brittany had noticed that Janet nearly always kept an eye on her husband Colt. The trait of insecurity was something that she had never witnessed within the normally strong willed and independent Janet, but the presence of young attractive women in Colt’s vicinity had brought it on. The ten young Mayan women on board, sent by their King for no other purpose than to appease Ross and the “Sky God” by acts of propagating the species, must have been driving Janet crazy. The same could probably be said for the other women on the manifest, as they had collectively become a threat to Janet’s comfort zone. Brittany knew that the trait Janet exhibited was something that most people had, or would, experience at some point in their lives, and saw it as nothing more than a temporary weakness that must be exploited. With that knowledge in mind, Brittany had intentionally positioned herself as close to Colt as possible on several occasions.

  When landing on Earth then became imminent, Brittany used the most simplistic language and tone of voice that she could muster while shouting, “Oh my God. I’m so happy that this trip is almost over, I could just kiss somebody!”

  Janet had heard the comment, and spun around just in time to watch Brittany wrap her arms around the neck of an unsuspecting Colt, and while firmly pressing against him, deliver a passionate kiss. Her well planned action produced the exact response that Brittany had hoped for, as even though she had no desire to ever kiss him again, Colt gave her a little smile while pushing her away. Janet on the other hand, showed a different facial expression, and Brittany knew that those few seconds of artificial passion with Colt had effectively pissed her off. That would most probably ensure getting herself shipped off to a distant location, but Brittany would need to further manipulate the situation so that she would be sent to Australia.

  A few days later, when the time came for the selection process of phase two, Brittany decided her best approach would be to request one or two specific population centers as her preferred destination choices. She would need to make those choices seem plausible for a woman who had grown up in the colder northern latitudes, and did so while understanding that Janet would conspire with Aurora to ensure that each of her requests would also be denied. With a tone of self-bravado, Brittany announced, “I would really like to go to the site Ross spotted in either England or Western Canada.”

  Brittany’s belief that a pact between Janet and Aurora would form was instantly verified when Aurora replied, “We can’t accommodate your requests Brittany. The recruit groups for each of those locations have already been selected.”

  Knowing that the statement was nothing more than a fabrication, Brittany drove the point home by adding, “Oh, I didn’t know that Aurora. I’m sorry; I was under the impression that the selection process just began. If those locations aren’t available, then perhaps I could stay here in this group with you.”

  In the momentary silence that followed, Brittany hoped that she hadn’t been too forceful. Overplaying her hand could cause the plan to backfire, and there might not be anyway to recover. While wishing for the best possible outcome, her internal voice kept repeating, “Not India or Africa. Please, don’t send me to India or Africa.” Then she heard the words she was hoping for, as Janet said, “Actually Brittany, we think that you would make a nice addition to the group heading to what was formerly Australia.”

  With an excellent poker face so as not to expose her joy, she softly uttered, “Australia, but that’s so far away.”

  “We know that Brittany, but each recruit is accepting a certain level of sacrifice in order to serve the greater good of our species. You were made aware of that fact back on our former home moon before you signed up, and being placed within a group bound for Australia is your particular sacrifice.”

  Her plan had worked perfectly, and Brittany realized she could probably outplay Janet anytime that the need arose. All she had to do was imply a romantic or sexual intention toward Colt, and Janet would lose control of her objective thinking. While once again subduing any expression of her true inner joy, Brittany solemnly replied, “Alright Janet. I under
stand, and of course you’re right. Each of us must do what is best for the collective good.”

  Near the conclusion of the second year, after having grown weary of identifying the majority of the communities by nothing more than the numbers of one through sixteen, Aurora initiated what she and others felt to be a necessary change. There had been a time when, as one would expect, each population center believed that their location was the focal point of the Earth, if not the universe. Employing the communication system of that time many centuries before, a lottery had been held to establish the currently used random pattern to the numbering system. The result was less than ideal in the minds of many, but in the time since, it had never been altered. The site within the former British Isles, much to the collective dismay of its citizens’, had been known as number sixteen since that time. Meanwhile, the smaller community in West Africa had drawn number one.

  Aurora never felt at ease with the random numbering system that didn’t allow for grouping according to geographic proximity. She believed that locations such as Eastern Australia and New Zealand should have neighboring numbers of five and six, but those sites were actually numbers five and thirteen. Brittany had convinced many within her community to refer to their location by its former name of Katoomba as opposed to the less colorful number five. That process of socialization had begun shortly after her arrival, but no other population center had received a similar effort from any within their group of recruits. In more recent months Colt had used his influence within the old Pacific Northwest to bring about additional change, as those located within the small community east of Vancouver’s ruins had begun to refer to themselves as citizens of Maple Ridge. Aurora wished to move forward with a personalization effort for each of the remaining fourteen sites, and sought out the blessings of respective local administrative teams to do that. Incorporating the technology of Earth’s orbiting satellite system to pinpoint exact locations of each population center, and communicating with various recruits who had maintained some knowledge of old Earth geography, she was able to quickly identify appropriate names for each.