Evolution Shift (The New World Book 3)

by Kurt Winans

  “Ignored their needs? Perhaps those who feel that way misunderstood our intent. We never expected to return on a regular basis except for the potential of friendly visitation. Do any of those humans pose a threat to me or my crew?”

  “No they don’t, so it’s safe for all of you to disembark. Those that I speak of are few in number, and just scared by our current predicament. Besides, you have already completed the journey to our doorstep, so why turn away now?”

  “You make a good point Janet, and based on your level of concern over the problem at hand, it’s understandable that some of your citizens are scared. If you say that it’s safe for us to disembark, then we shall do so momentarily.”

  “Thank you. It has been nearly three Earth years since you heard my request for assistance, and we are now in more desperate need for it than we were at that time.”

  Shortly after their long awaited face to face reunion, and subsequent interactions with several other humans, the alien projected to Janet, “Can any of these people receive your telepathic communications?”

  “A handful of these people might hear the occasional fragment, but there are three others who hear me clearly.”

  “Well, that’s a beginning.”

  “Do you think that more will eventually hear me?”

  “Yes I do Janet. Although they may never develop the ability to project as you have, some will eventually be able to at least receive.”

  “That’s a lot to absorb. Do you really believe that I’m capable of communicating with the masses non-verbally?”

  “Yes I do, but those you intend to share telepathy with would need to develop the skill of reception first. Remember, each of you who had been long term abductees were kept in part because of your ability to receive telepathic projections, but only a minor percentage of humans, including those who relocated with you to ₹-593-Ԅπ-2-2, have developed that skill. What I want to know is, since learning of your ability, have you discovered any others who can project as you do?”

  “Well I’m certain that there are at least four other people on this planet that can project telepathically, but I don’t believe that the one female is aware of her ability yet.”

  “That’s interesting, have you contacted her?”

  “No I haven’t, because I don’t want her to know that I can hear her.”

  “That’s a strange reaction to learning of another who shares your telepathic abilities. I have never encountered that thought process with any other developed species, so you may be unique in that regard. Could you explain why you believe that she is not yet aware of her ability?”

  “Mainly because her thoughts are mostly unfiltered, and they seem to be jumbled with no real structure to them. Don’t misunderstand me, she’s intelligent beyond what most people, including myself, had perceived her to be, and can develop a plan of action to suit her needs quickly. I didn’t know about one such plan until I began to receive her thoughts on a regular basis, but she had used her craftiness to deceive me in the past. Unfortunately for her, the memory thoughts of that event have blown her cover.”

  “Blown her cover? What does that mean?”

  “It’s an old Earth expression. Basically it means that a person has pretended to be something that they aren’t, and that they have been discovered to be false. In this case I now understand Brittany for the person that she truly is as opposed to the artificial one that I believed her to be, and she won’t be able to fool me any longer.”

  “So that’s why you don’t want to answer her?”

  “That’s right. I want to gather more information about any of her past, or future, plans before she realizes that I can hear her thoughts. Besides, I can’t respond to her thoughts if she doesn’t ask me a question!”

  “I now understand your feelings toward her, but you need to be careful.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You are doing very well with your projected telepathy considering the brief amount of time that you have possessed the ability, and you should be proud of that accomplishment and the evolutionary shift that it represents. I will caution you though; you are playing a dangerous game.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Brittany may be able to receive your projections as clearly as you can hear hers, and you should be mindful of that. You just admitted that she is capable of deceiving you, and if she is listening to your thoughts, or the others that you speak of, then she could attempt to do so again.”

  Having somehow been neglectful of that rather logical possibility, Janet took a moment to reflect on what she may have inadvertently revealed during telepathy with any of the three pilots. Then she said verbally, “Thank you my friend, you have given me some good advice. I will be careful, as I’m sure that my skill level is weak. I will need much more practice in the refinement of both my receiving and projecting abilities.”

  With a positive nod, the alien then projected, “It has been our experience that every form of life, no matter what system they reside within, needs practice when they first develop a telepathic ability. It’s refreshing for me to exchange thought projections with a member of a species who will freely admit that they have a potential shortcoming, but why do you believe that your skill level is weak?”

  “I’m not yet proficient with my telepathic ability. When I communicate with you, or others of your species, I can hear those projections with total clarity regardless of the distance between us. In my case however, I feel that the range must be limited and can be sporadic. My projections are not always properly received, and I will need improvement to ensure that my thoughts are only projected at those that I wish to hear them. I believe that you can help me with that problem, and I hope that you are willing to become my instructor.”

  “Try not to underestimate your potential Janet. My clarity, as you like to call it, is shared by all of my species. We have employed telepathic communication for several hundred thousand of your Earth years, so for us the process has become extremely fine-tuned. In contrast, you, and others of your species like you, are at the dawn of a new revelation. Therefore it’s completely understandable that you have not yet realized how to either control your ability, or fully harness it. I will help you with that process if that is what you truly desire, but first I would like to know how you became aware that your projection range is limited or sporadic.”

  “That’s easy. You wouldn’t have ignored my projections during the past few years if you had received them.”

  “That’s true.”

  “Then it’s logical to assume that you didn’t respond because of my limitations. I obviously didn’t project each of them with equal strength.”

  Seated with the new administrator who had recently assumed a position that Tori occupied before her death, Janet realized that the young man was perhaps more ill-equipped than the one who had been her initial replacement. It wasn’t his fault really. He, like the administrator before him, was well shy of turning thirty when given the responsibility of tending to the many needs of Dripping Springs. Each had been thrust into a role of leadership that neither had been properly prepared for, and unfortunately for them, their performance magnified the competency that had been displayed by Tori while tending to the task before them.

  Although Janet had maintained her anger with Tori for years due to her being the mother for one of Colt’s children, perhaps it was time to move on. Hindsight had showed her that the anger was unjust. Those physical implications associated with the gene enrichment program had absolutely no bearing on Tori’s ability and skill as a former administrator.

  Leaning toward the young man, Janet whispered, “Do you think that we should make this gathering an open forum?”

  “What do you mean?”

  With sarcasm in her tone, she said, “Should we allow those present to freely ask questions of our alien friends?”

  “I don’t know Janet. Do you think that’s a good idea?”

  Janet thought, well at least this one is willing to see
k out opinions. Then more sympathetically, she replied, “Yes I do. Please don’t exclude their voice from this discussion.”

  “Alright, how should we go about that?”

  His question brought forth a new thought of, one step forward and one step back. Then she smiled at the young man and said, “If you will allow me, I’ll take care of it.”

  “Thanks for the help Janet. I’m not really sure what to do in situations like this one.”

  Placing an index finger over her lips to quiet the man, she then leaned closer and whispered, “It’s certainly a positive sign of your leadership ability to admit when you may have a shortcoming, but as someone who is new to the job, you invite danger by doing so verbally while in public.”

  Then nodding positively, he whispered back, “Thanks Janet. I think I understand what you mean.”

  After patting his knee, Janet stood up and said, “If we can all remain somewhat orderly, then this will be an open forum. When we call on you, please feel free to ask our alien friends any questions that you might have. As you already know, he can only respond telepathically. A few of you might be able to hear his thoughts if you concentrate, but if not, then I can translate for you if you wish.”

  The first question proposed to the aliens was actually more of a statement, and although the content was totally predictable, it still made Janet feel rather uneasy. The man of early to mid-thirties who was obviously in the late stages of infection said, “Since you brought the small contingent of humans back here nearly seven Earth years ago, this planet has been facing a problem of epic proportions. In spite of our supposed best efforts to discover a cure for the affliction that has now caused several thousands of deaths, or even a way to prevent further contamination, our medical community is at a self-admitted loss. Within each of our few global communities the population has been severely depleted, and the damage to our genetic makeup has been tremendous. If this virus that has attacked us continues on its current path for much longer, we will not be able to recover from it.”

  Having listened carefully, Janet said, “As a member of that global medical team who has been unable to assist the population, I can only say that I’m sorry for our shortcomings. Now, do you have a question for our alien friends?”

  “Yes I do, and it’s probably the same question that everyone else has. What can he do to help us find a cure?”

  Janet knew that the man was right. His question would be one of the few that would be on the mind of everyone. That and, why did the aliens bring infected humans back to a harmonious world? In truth, she was also curious to hear the answers to both questions. If the thought had been to salvage the dying gene pool of the planet, then why insert a group who could potentially contaminate all those who were still alive? While pondering that thought for a moment, Janet felt her knees buckle and she nearly missed her seat on the way toward the floor. What she had heard via the thought projection of the alien as he answered the first question astonished her, and it became evident that she was not the only one in the small collective to receive his response.

  One of those who had been able to receive alien telepathy for years was Kristyn, and although Janet had not noticed when she joined the assembled crowd, her presence suddenly became abundantly clear. While attempting to steady herself, Janet heard Kristyn loudly exclaim, “I can’t believe it! What do you mean you won’t be able to help us?

  Her question understandably created a reaction among all those present, and growing murmurs of negativity were quickly heard. For a brief moment Janet was concerned that her promise of safety to her old friend and his crew had been premature, but no move was made toward any of the three aliens. Then she witnessed a delightful surprise, as the new administrator stood up and took a stance. While motioning with his arms for quiet, he said, “Now come on everyone, just relax for a minute. Let’s get some clarification as to the alien’s response before things get out of control.”

  Again Kristyn rang out with conviction, “We don’t need clarification to his response. I know what I heard.”

  Janet stood again, and then focused while projecting her thoughts toward the brave young lady. The message was direct, and carried significant weight. “Kristyn, this is Janet. If you can hear my thoughts as you have just heard our alien friend, then please keep calm and don’t yell out. For now, it would be better if you just gave me a signal of understanding. Could you please scratch the top of your head for me?”

  For several seconds Kristyn stared at Janet with a high level of astonishment. While contemplating how to respond to the magnitude of the moment, she experienced a flashback. During recent months there had been several instances when she thought she had heard Janet’s voice for a few words or a short phrase, but there was never any sight of her when it happened. On each of those occasions Kristyn’s belief was that her imagination was simply running wild, but she suddenly felt differently about that theory. Was it really possible? Did Janet, or other humans, possess the ability to communicate via telepathic thought projection? With those questions swirling about in her brain, Kristyn raised a hand toward the crown of her head and complied with Janet’s telepathic request.

  With the signal delivered, Janet realized that the entire message must have gotten through. That could probably be attributed to the close proximity of Kristyn, or perhaps it was due to her current determined focus. That was insignificant at the moment, and could be experimented with and determined at a later time. What was significant was that her telepathy could be received by yet another of her species, and this one, like the three pilots, was most definitely a friend. After a brief smile, Janet decided to press the issue and project again. Her message was, “Thank you Kristyn. It’s good to know that you can hear my thoughts, as you are one of very few that can. I have recently developed this telepathic ability, and have very little, if any, control over how to properly use it. Now could you please tug on your ear if I’m still coming through?”

  In an instant Kristyn did as she was asked, and a few seconds later gulped when a third telepathic request came her way. That message stated, “Now please keep calm about what our alien friend has said. I’m sure that there’s an explanation, and he has always been forthcoming with information.”

  At that moment they both heard the voice of the alien, as he projected, “That’s very good projection Janet, and Kristyn, thanks for listening to her thoughts. I’m only projecting toward the two of you right now, but Janet is correct. In a moment I will send out a telepathic explanation to all those present who can receive it, but I wanted to communicate with the two of you first. Kristyn, please do that thing again with your ear if you understand that I can, and will, help your species, but not in exactly the same way that was just asked of me.”

  After a nod and a tug of her right ear, she heard, “Good, now remain calm as I respond to the question at hand.”

  Then Janet projected toward her, “I’m sure everything will be fine Kristyn, and we can talk about all of this later.”

  Their alien friend added, “I would like to communicate with both of you, and Hank, in a more private setting when we have time. As you are now aware, there is a most important topic to discuss and I feel that Hank would also benefit from being part of that conversation.”

  Throughout the next year, Janet, with the guidance of her alien friend, continued to develop her telepathic abilities. Early on within that process, she worked extensively with both Kristyn and Hank as a result of their private discussion with the alien. During that conversation, it had been disclosed that both of the youngsters could, with determined focus and practice, expand upon the breakthrough that Janet and very few others had achieved. Although they were left in the dark as to how, their alien friend had informed them that they both possessed the untapped telepathic ability within. They were taught that as Janet became more proficient with her intended projections, she could help them learn how to develop and hone the same skill. In time, perhaps they could become tutors themselves.

  As t
hat year neared its conclusion, Janet realized that she had been woefully neglectful of her previous obligations. She became so involved with her own development and the subsequent tutelage of telepathic projection, that she had spent very little time working on a cure or preventative measure for the virus. In the course of that neglect, Janet had been unaware that the eighth year of her current residence on Earth had seen the virus gain momentum while relentlessly slashing its way on through the surviving population.

  Always searching for a means to provide Kristyn with additional telepathic practice, Janet projected, “Has there been any recent updates that you’re aware of with regard to the spreading of the virus?”

  A moment later she heard, “Sure Janet, you know that we get them all the time at the communication center.”

  “That’s good projection Kristyn; you’re coming through very clearly. I’m almost afraid to ask, but are the reports from the other population centers still filled with negativity?”

  “Yes they are, but perhaps we should meet privately in a few hours to discuss them. I’m currently training a few people on the correct use of the global communication system, and I don’t want them to think that I have become disinterested or distracted while I’m focusing on telepathy with you.”

  Janet understood that Kristyn was only attempting to maintain their secrecy, so her response was quick. “I’ll see you later then.”

  As the two ladies took a stroll on the beach, Hank kept an eye on Kristyn’s three younger siblings. They enjoyed the SSP, and Hank liked to pedal them around various areas of the community. He had also developed a little math game that they enjoyed playing during such rides, so keeping them all occupied was less taxing than what others might have believed.