“A child is sick?” Arlynn asked softly.
Dave’s lower lip trembled as he said, “A few hours after you left the other day, we got back the answer to some tests on our daughter, Emily. She’s undergone multiple attempts of chemotherapy. The tests show that the treatment was not successful. Our doctors can do no more for her.”
Jackie sat with her back straight, and she forced a calm expression on her face, but her body trembled. Arlynn moved over and sat beside her, then took both of her hands in her own. “I’m so sorry, Jackie. So, so sorry.”
Jackie nodded, still rigid, unable to speak.
“Tell me about her,” Arlynn pressed.
“She’s fourteen years old . . .” Jackie started, then she stopped, unable to continue.
The President said what Jackie could not. “She will not see her fifteenth birthday. She’s a good student, a wonderful person, and an incredible soccer player, or she was until she got sick. And tough. She’s never been a whiner. Now she can barely walk. I need to know if you can help her.”
Arlynn stood up without making eye contact with Greg. “Possibly.”
Greg stood as well, staring at Arlynn speechlessly.
She turned to him. “Do not speak to me about rules, Greg Hamilton,” she stated firmly, brooking no rebuttal. “You of all people. Had you stuck to the An’Atee rules, you and I would both be dead. If you stuck to your own rules, we would not be here recruiting from an emerging world that is off limits.”
He suddenly grinned and spread his arms wide to encompass everyone in the room. “That’s my girl!” he said proudly. Dave and Jackie stood up, but when he saw the looks on their faces, he sobered and said, “I’m sorry, but I have to be brutally honest with you. We might be able to help her, but she will be lost to you in any event.”
“How is that a help?” Dave asked, visibly deflating. “I had such high hopes.”
Arlynn explained. “For someone so sick, we cannot just give her a pill to make everything okay. She’ll need constant medical attention during her treatment, which means she has to go with us.” She gave those words a moment to sink in, then added, “Anyone who goes with us will not return, at least not for a long time, so Greg is right—she will be lost to you whichever course you choose.”
Dave went to Jackie and took her into his arms as she cried freely. Between tears, she choked out, “I choose life for her, even on those terms.”
Dave aged visibly and could not speak. “Solomon’s choice,” he mumbled to himself.
Greg heard and replied gently, “Not quite, sir. Neither of us is a medical specialist, but there is some likelihood that we can help. It might be a long time, but the day might come when you can join her.”
“What, when we’re old and feeble?” Dave answered bitterly. “We’re proud of the child we’ve raised, and we love her. We’re not done with her yet.”
“If we do this, you will miss some of her years, yes,” Arlynn broke in, “but the alternative is to miss all of her years forever. When you’re ready to join her, we can do something about the old and feeble part.”
Greg and Arlynn left the room for a while, stepping outside onto the front porch to partake of the awesome thunderstorm in progress. He put his arm about her waist lightly and she snuggled closer. “Right or wrong, I love you for that,” he said.
“I know.”
Dave called them in later. Jackie met them at the door. “Will she be safe?” she asked.
“As safe as she is here,” Greg answered her carefully after some thought. “Maybe safer,” he added after a little more thought.
“Why can’t she come back?” Dave asked outright.
“David, don’t be unreasonable,” Jackie demanded. “We’ve made our decision,” she added as fresh tears brimmed in her eyes again.
Arlynn took her time before answering. “Please sit down,” she said motioning to the couches. “Jackie, you deserve an answer to Dave’s question. The medicine . . . changes you,” she explained hesitantly. In response to their alarmed reaction, she spoke in the calming, steady voice Greg knew so well, that of teacher. “This is all very much a part of our message to you today. The knowledge you are about to gain is deadly to your world, for reasons that will become obvious. Greg and I both received this treatment. Do we look changed to you?”
She received only frightened stares in return, their eyes dancing between her and Greg. “This treatment saved both of our lives,” Arlynn continued. “It cures most ailments, which leads me to believe it has a good chance of returning your daughter to good health. How old do you think I am?” she asked softly.
Dave and Jackie looked at each other questioningly. “Probably around thirty,” Jackie responded.
Arlynn did not smile at the compliment. “I am sixty-two years old and in the prime of my life,” she answered, watching them carefully.
“You are . . . immortal?” Jackie responded fearfully, shrinking away from Arlynn.
“Definitely not,” Arlynn replied. “I am one hundred percent human, down to the last genome. There are no significant differences between your DNA and mine. My extended life is a consequence of this treatment, of a medicine we call the LifeVirus. My people designed the LifeVirus to cure all, or nearly all, bodily ailments. It keeps our bodies in perfect health. Improved longevity is a natural byproduct of our good health. Everyone on Ariall receives this treatment, but to release it on Earth—well . . . you know what would happen if everyone had two hundred years added to their life spans.”
Stunned silence met her statement. Greg understood all too well what was going through their minds. For him, there had been no decision. He had been unconscious and dying when Kannick administered the LifeVirus.
Arlynn gave them time to get used to the idea, having been there to watch Greg go through his personal acceptance, a process that was not yet complete and might never be complete during his long life. She and Greg exchanged looks, and she nodded to him.
“I received the treatment, and it saved my life,” he stated. “I hope I am still human, but do I fit that label? I don’t know,” he answered softly. “I hope I am, and I feel like I am, but I don’t know. I still call myself an Earthman, but much of the time I feel like I’m a man without a country.”
Dave flinched at the insinuation, understanding precisely what Greg meant.
“The An’Atee created an organization they call the Alliance,” Greg continued. “I head the Alliance. The head of the An’Atee, when she selected me, chose her words well, I think. She said that my being a man without a country presented an opportunity. I would become the first member of the Alliance and could call that my country. I did, and I am. And I am glad of my choice most of the time.”
“Do you choose this future for Emily?” Arlynn finished softly.
“We do,” they both answered instantly. Then the tears began again.
“Who will take care of her?” Jackie asked later.
Arlynn examined the room, and her eyes settled on a picture of a blond-haired, bright-eyed girl. “Is this her picture?” she asked, rising and walking over to examine it.
Jackie joined her. “It’s her school picture from two years ago,” she said.
Arlynn’s eyes went from the picture to Greg with a questioning look. He stood mute as unspoken thoughts flew between them, as their minds calculated the difficulties and the rewards, not necessarily the same difficulties and rewards.
Greg spoke softly to Arlynn, “We haven’t even met her.”
“You two would raise our daughter?” Dave asked, astonishment, but more important, hope in his voice.
Arlynn waited for Greg to answer, knowing she could not go it alone on this one. He took his time.
“Maybe,” he said cautiously. “You might be more comfortable with a family from Earth raising her.” When they both shook their heads, he added, “If not us, then I guarantee you that we’ll find someone who meets your approval. The An’Atee are the most wonderful people you can imagine. Whoever c
ares for your child, she will be in good hands. No one can replace her parents, though you have given her fourteen years of your guidance, the most important fourteen years. Can you think of it like it used to be in the old days, when she would be considered by many to be an adult already?”
“When you see her, you will not see an adult,” Jackie replied softly.
“Can we meet her?” Arlynn asked hopefully.
“She’s here,” Dave answered. “Come with me.”
He knocked lightly on Emily’s bedroom door, then opened it. Emily had her back to them, typing away like mad at a computer terminal. “Just a sec, Dad,” she called without turning around. An old graying Labrador lay on the floor beside her. Its snout remained on the floor while its eyes lifted to look at them with its tail thumping happily.
“Okay, you can come in now,” Emily said cheerfully as she clicked on the send icon and closed the system down. “I just sent an e-mail to Cassandra. She’s getting better,” she added as she turned to them.
Greg knew what to expect, but Arlynn was completely unprepared. A bald, emaciated head turned to them, a scarecrow who bore little resemblance to the picture they had seen in the great room. Dark circles completely surrounded eyes that had sunk into her head. Her skin had an unhealthy pallor, seeming thin and fragile.
“We have guests, Em,” her father spoke. “I’d like you to meet Mr. Hamilton, and this is Arlynn.”
Emily’s voice gave not a hint of her discomfort. “Pleased to meet you,” she replied with a smile. Her teeth and gums looked sick as well, but her smile shone.
“They’d like to talk to you about your illness, dear,” her mother prompted as she helped Emily back into bed.
“I’m dying, you know,” Emily said directly. “Guess it’s pretty obvious, huh?”
Arlynn stepped over to the bed. Without asking, she sat down facing Emily with her hands held together in her lap. “We’d like to talk to you about helping,” she said softly.
Emily’s mouth drooped. “Another one, Dad?” she asked, looking to him with disappointment. She turned back to Arlynn and said boldly, “You’re here to tell me that I’m going to heaven, that it’s a wonderful place where I will begin a new life. Right?”
Arlynn’s mouth opened up to speak, then she snapped it closed. In a way, Emily was right. She felt awkward. “No Emily, I’m here to talk about a cure.”
“There is no cure. I’m going to die. Can’t you accept it?”
“Do you accept it?”
Emily’s eyes dropped. “No,” she stated softly. “I know the words, but I can’t feel their meaning, you know?”
“No, I don’t know. I’m sure you can say all the appropriate words, like the fact that you’re going away and that you won’t see your parents ever again.”
“I know all that. And my body will go into the ground and everything. No one knows what will happen to me. I guess I just won’t be there anymore, you know?”
“How do you feel now?”
“Better than I was. They told me it won’t last, but I’m not giving up, ever,” she stated with determination.
Arlynn choked. Her hand went to her throat as she turned to look at Greg. He had spoken the same words to her before their escape from Earth.
“Emily, I’m an alien,” she stated carefully.
Emily looked uncertainly at Arlynn, then at her father.
The look that passed between them spoke volumes. “This is for real,” he said softly, so softly that there could be no mistaking the meaning of his reply. Emily turned back to Arlynn and waited.
“I am an alien, I really am,” Arlynn repeated.
Emily’s eyes shifted to Greg, questioning.
“Sorry, Emily. I’m from Earth. But I live out there on another planet with Arlynn.”
Her eyes returned to her father. “Dad . . . ?”
“It’s true, Emily. Listen to what they have to say,” he added softly.
“You don’t look like an alien,” she noted, staring at Arlynn.
“But I am an alien.”
Emily continued to look at Arlynn as she said to her father, “Not fair, Dad. The aliens finally get here, and I have to leave.”
Arlynn smiled. “Your father only met us recently. He didn’t know. We’re leaving soon. Would you like to go with us?”
Emily’s eyes lost their focus for an instant, then with dawning comprehension they riveted onto Arlynn’s. A shadow of hope changed their appearance, their intensity. She did not speak right away as she considered the unspoken implications. When she finally spoke, she asked, “Go with you? Can you . . .?”
“Maybe. Probably. But we cannot do it here. You have to come to my home, Emily. You have a choice to make, a choice someone your age should never have to make.”
Emily’s eyes went back to her father, then to her mother. Her father spoke. “You can’t come back, at least not for a long time. Your mother and I might be able to come later, but you will be grown up by then.”
“You’ll make me better?” she asked Arlynn again.
“I can’t promise. I’m not a doctor, but I believe we can. Say yes, Emily. Please. I want to help you.”
“Will I get to live with you?”
“Maybe.” Arlynn turned back to Greg with a questioning look, then she turned back to Emily again. “Probably.”
“Mom?” Her mother nodded, as did her father. “This is my choice?” she asked all of them. Everyone nodded, and by now all their eyes were brimming.
“Can I have a while to think about it?” she asked Arlynn.
“A little while, but we’re leaving soon.”
Emily nodded, and Arlynn leaned forward to stand up, but Emily reached a hand out to stop her. “Okay,” she said.
Arlynn turned back to her with a question in her eyes.
Emily nodded, replying to the unspoken question. “I said okay.”
“I know it’s not easy . . .” She stopped talking when she saw the look of hope in Emily’s eyes. “You mean . . .?”
“I’m ready. I’ll go,” Emily said.
Arlynn reached out and took Emily into her arms. “Oh, child, I’ll try to be a good mother to you.”
Greg looked to Dave, then Jackie. Torment filled their eyes. Clearly, they could only focus on loss at the moment. Emily’s possible reprieve would, in time, give them hope, but it would never replace their sense of loss.
“I’m glad we brought Dr. Brimak with us,” Arlynn whispered to Greg as they left the room later. She looked to Greg and said, “He won’t want us to treat her. He’ll want full control over her care. We need to get our recruits to the mustering point as soon as we can.”
“What will her life be like out there?” her father asked.
“Whatever she wants it to be . . .”
Chapter Nine
Ollie had given them permission to bring the prime ship to Earth, so there was no need for subterfuge. They could land it anywhere they wanted, and they did not have to sneak the recruits away from Earth. They decided on a remote area in the desert northwest of Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. During the next two weeks, a temporary tent camp grew up a few miles outside the western boundary of Area 51, complete with electricity and self-serve field rations, water, huge quantities of sun screen, and heavy coats for the cold, high desert nights. Private and military transport planes from all over the world descended upon Nellis, dumped their loads of passengers, and left. Squadrons of helicopters ferried people and their belongings out to the desert and left them stranded under tents. The air crews replied to questions with stony stares. Recruits who could not take the daytime heat stayed at Nellis until the very end.
The last load arrived shortly after midnight. Greg and Kannick landed their fighter at the edge of the lights where everyone could see it, then they marched off to find Admiral Grayson and Captain Tolland. A few greetings came their way as they wound their way through the throng, but most of the volunteers stayed mute, absorbed in their first view of a starship.
The prime ship arrived, making a joke of the tiny fighter. The great belly of the ship descended into the fringes of light reaching up into the cool, starry night, and a hush fell over the waiting people as everyone stared in awe. The ship stopped its descent while still quite high above the ground, and a door on the belly of the ship slid silently aside. Light poured forth from the hangar bay, and the fighter, with Arlynn at the controls and Emily tucked into a seat behind her, lifted from the desert and slipped into the prime ship. The door closed behind it, turning the ship dark again. The monster descended to the edge of the camp, and light from within suddenly poured out from many doors. Ramps extended into the desert, and the exodus readied.
Grayson stepped up to the microphone with a simple announcement. “It’s time folks. Anyone with second thoughts, see me. Everyone else, choose any door and go aboard. If you need help with luggage, wait for assistance.”
Taking some fifteen hundred people aboard took a while. Some were healthy and strong, but many were old and weak. Everyone who was fit enough helped, some of them recruits and some of them from the crew of the ship. Greg sensed caution and hesitation from the recruits, but he also sensed excitement.
Arlynn found him about an hour later escorting a very old man and woman toward the ship, two bags in each of his hands. She came to his side with a kiss and took a share of his load, smiling broadly. “Isn’t it wonderful!” she exclaimed. “People are working together, and they seem happy. I haven’t heard a single complaint.”
“How’s Emily?”
“She’s with Doctor Brimak. I stayed with her as long as I could, but Doctor Brimak insisted I leave when she started her treatment.”
Greg introduced her to the couple, the old man a famous submarine captain and designer. His wife bent around Greg to look at Arlynn. “You must be that alien woman we’ve heard about, one of the leaders. How nice to meet you. Is this your young man?” she asked with a twinkle in her eyes.
Genesis Page 9
