by N. W. Harris
Glancing down at his bare chest, he was stunned by her work. The cuts and bruises Steve gave him were gone. A streak of white, hairless flesh was where his injuries had once been. His new skin looked like it belonged on a baby, all soft and delicate.
Shane pivoted, the padding of the examination table squeaking under him as he sat upright. He braced himself, expecting to feel dizzy and weak. Instead, he was refreshed, as if he’d woken from a good night’s sleep, and the trauma to his body had never occurred.
“All better?” Dr. Blain asked, smiling at him compassionately and sounding a little proud of herself.
“Uh,” he glanced down at his rejuvenated body once more, “I reckon so.”
“See—told you. And well before lunch.”
He had trouble focusing on her different colored eyes. His stomach growled, and he realized he hadn’t even had breakfast.
“I don’t get it. How did you do this?” He ran his right hand over the smooth place were the laceration had been.
“Let’s just say we have toys not everyone is familiar with.” Dr. Blain grinned. “Here are fresh clothes for you. If you’ll get dressed and go to the waiting room, I can patch up your friends.”
Pushing off the exam table, his bare feet landed on the cold, tile floor. He hadn’t noticed until this point, but he was only in his underwear. During the helicopter ride, blood had leaked out of his bandage, dripping all the way down to his knee. She must’ve thought his leg was injured and had cut away his pants to treat him.
Embarrassed, his hands shot down to offer some extra coverage, but Dr. Blain was focused on her typing, so there was no cause for alarm. On a chair at the foot of the exam table sat neatly folded clothes. Fresh socks, underwear, running shorts, and a T-shirt, all black, awaited him. Glancing at the doctor once more and satisfied she wouldn’t look his way, he turned his back to her and slipped out of his skivvies—which also had blood drying on them. He donned the new clothes as quickly as possible. Black running shoes lay on the floor in front of the chair, the last things he put on.
Once dressed, he looked at the doctor. She didn’t turn away from her computer, affording him the same trust Lily had in turning her back on him at the farmhouse. She was using her finger to mark the areas where his wounds had been on a holographic image of him. Embarrassed at how detailed his likeness was but also in awe of the advanced technology, he slipped out of the door and into the waiting room.
“Wow,” Steve exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief. “You look like a new man.”
“Yeah,” Shane said, plopping into a chair next to him. “That woman is a magician. You’re next, big guy—get in there.”
Steve gave him a worried look, and Shane nodded toward the examination room.
“Don’t worry—she doesn’t bite,” he said, smiling. “Though I bet you wish she did.”
“You’re an ass,” Steve replied, the reddening in his cheeks obvious, though his face was bruised and swollen.
The linebacker rose to his feet with a grunt. His injuries may not have been as visible as Shane’s were, but with the way he staggered to the exam room door, he reckoned Steve was in no little amount of pain. Shane remembered hitting him hard more than once. He expected Steve had a few broken ribs, not to mention his nose was pointed in the wrong direction.
Alone in the air-conditioned waiting room, Shane revisited the questions lingering in his mind. He leaned back in the chair, embracing the opportunity to rest his eyes for a second.
Although they seemed extremely nice and had done nothing but good to this point, something was off with their rescuers. He guessed they’d get some answers soon. There was no way they’d keep him in the dark for much longer, or they had to know they’d have trouble on their hands. After all, Maurice and most of the others in his group still had their guns, and the black-suited adults on this military base seemed unarmed and well outnumbered. Shane wished he still had his M-16, even though his instincts told him he wouldn’t need it.
A noise roused him—Steve strolling out of the exam room. Shane sat upright, studying his friend. His nose was straight, and his facial bruises gone.
“She’s freaking awesome!”
“Told ya,” Shane replied, jealous that he got to keep his clothes. The black shorts were rather thin and didn’t cover much—good for running, but not much else.
The white door leading to the tarmac opened, and Tracy and Laura entered.
“Holy crap!” Tracy stopped, her eyes wide. “How’d you guys get fixed up so fast?”
“You’ll see,” Shane replied, pointing at the exam room. “Let’s just say the government has been hiding more than advanced weapons from the public.”
Lily stuck her head in and looked at him.
“All better?”
Shane and Steve nodded to her. He was struck once again by how similar she looked to Dr. Blain.
“Great. Then come with me,” she said cheerfully. “I expect we’ll be able to answer a few questions that must be eating at you.”
“See you guys in a bit,” he said to Tracy and Laura, giving them reassuring smiles. Laura stood taller, her mood clearly lifting at the notion that the damage to her face could be reversed.
Shane and Steve followed Lily out of the medical building. Shane’s step was light. He felt better than he did before the world went to shit. It was great how Lily’s twin healed him, but in the absence of suffering, even more questions and suspicion sprouted in his mind. Why did Lily and her counterparts look so much alike? It was even more obvious to him now as they passed by four men and women in black jumpsuits who were refueling the helicopters. Why did they bring him and his friends here? What could they possibly want? Lily had said something about stopping the people who’d killed the adults, but that didn’t give him much to go on.
They walked by a row of hangars. Shane didn’t have any more dizziness, but he broke a sweat. It was late morning now. It had to be well over ninety degrees—one of those long, scorching summer days where he’d usually be found by the lake. That life seemed gone forever now. He bit his lip. The absence of his physical pain allowed his suppressed grief to surface. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the emotions aside. There was no time for them now—he had to keep his focus.
The first hangar’s doors were wide open, helicopters undergoing repairs inside. The next four were sealed, so he couldn’t see what they held. At the fifth hangar, they stopped. Lily opened the door and led them into the relatively cooler interior.
Once his eyes adjusted to the fluorescent lighting, Shane saw four large aircraft in the middle of the hangar. He assumed they were fighter jets, but green canvas covered them from their lofty tails to the shiny, concrete floor, so he couldn’t be certain. Lily walked halfway through the curved-roof building and stopped at a door leading into a long room with mirrored windows looking into the hangar. Opening it, she held her hand out to indicate they should enter.
An oak conference table dominated the air-conditioned, rectangular room. The smell of fresh-brewed coffee invited him in. It looked like a war room, and he imagined many generals had rested in the worn leather chair cushions, discussing clandestine operations in far-off deserts.
“There are refreshments over there.” She pointed at a kitchenette on the side. “I’ll be back with the rest of your friends.”
She slipped out the door before they could respond, closing it behind her. Shane wondered what she meant. His and Maurice’s group combined were far too many to fit into the room. Steve looked at the snacks, a gleam in his eye. He glanced at Shane and nodded toward the little table.
“Looks like they have donuts,” Shane mused, his stomach growling.
Starting toward the kitchenette at the same time, their shoulders collided and Shane nearly knocked over a chair. They pillaged the food, bringing several pastries each to the conference table and sitting down before devouring them without fanfare.
“Dadgum.” Steve leaned back, emitting a satisfied grunt. “I love donu
ts.”
“What do you think is going on here?” Shane spoke in a quiet voice, wiping the crumbs off his mouth.
“Don’t know,” Steve replied. “I’m glad we aren’t on our own with all those little kids anymore, but these folks are weirder than a snowman in July.”
“Right?” Shane took a sip of coffee. He wasn’t much for the stuff. With a lot of sugar, it wasn’t half bad. The caffeine sharpened his mind, making up for his sleep deprivation. “They all look so much alike. You think they’re clones?”
“Why not?” Steve scratched his short, brown hair. “With all the crap I’ve seen in the last couple of days, I don’t think anything could blow my mind.”
The door opened.
“We’ll see about that,” Shane whispered.
Lily entered. Laura and Tracy followed her in, their wounds miraculously healed. They were smiling and lighter on their feet, their recovery clearly raising their spirits. Still carrying their guns, Kelly, Jules, and Maurice came in next. Kelly’s eyes brightened when she saw Shane, and she rushed to him. She leaned her rifle against the table and hugged him.
“Wow, you guys look brand new,” she exclaimed, glancing from him to Steve with disbelief. “How’d you get fixed up so fast?”
“Lily’s sister is a medical magician,” Steve replied, casting a sideways glance at the woman in the black suit who was fixing herself a cup of coffee.
“How are the others?” Shane inquired. It worried him to see they’d left the kids.
“There’s a big building set up with lots of bunk beds in it,” Kelly replied. A miniscule tremor in her voice hinted at the conflict she’d endured upon deciding to leave Nat and join him here. She might be second-guessing herself, but he knew she wouldn’t have left her sister unless she was one hundred percent certain it was safe. “They had toys and books, and promised they’d start schooling the children right away.”
“We left armed guards around the building,” Maurice said in a threatening tone, loud enough for Lily to hear. He leaned closer and whispered, “Though I don’t get the feeling we’ll need them. These people seem like decent folks.”
Lily and the doctor hadn’t said or done anything to give him an argument against Maurice’s estimation of them. Shane expected his stout friend was generally a good judge of character, but he was glad for the armed teens. It seemed wise to be prudent—at least until they learned more about their new guardians.
“Why don’t you guys grab something to eat and have a seat?” Lily advised, stirring her coffee with a red, plastic straw. “We have a lot to talk about.”
“Nice shorts, by the way,” Kelly whispered and smacked him on his butt before heading toward the food. His breath caught, her unexpected flirtation sending a surge of heat through him. He glanced around to see no one had noticed, and then took his seat.
Having missed breakfast, Shane’s friends didn’t need a second invitation. They crowded around the refreshments and came back with stacks of bagels, pastries, and donuts, settling in chairs on either side of Shane and Steve.
Cradling her cup of coffee as if to warm her hands, Lily walked around the long conference table and settled in a chair on the other side, directly in front of Shane. It seemed she’d decided he was in charge as well. He looked at her and she smiled, the same kind and caring grin she’d afforded him all morning. Then she looked up and down the table, silently watching them eat.
Having already finished his breakfast, he grew impatient. He was about to start asking questions, but then Lily cleared her throat, capturing everyone’s attention.
“You kids have had to grow up quite a bit in the last forty-eight hours,” she began, “and unfortunately, we’re going to ask more of you—a lot more.”
The preface of dire news stopped his friends from eating, their eyes locked on Lily. Shane couldn’t hear anyone breathing, and the tension was immediately palpable.
“The weapon that killed your parents was just the beginning of what we expect will be a much larger attack.”
“I thought that was the result of a military experiment gone bad?” Tracy said, a measure of aggressiveness in her voice.
“What gave you that idea?” Lily’s tone was inquisitive, her eyes widening as if she hadn’t expected them to have a clue.
“We found an army radio and tuned it to a message recorded by a scientist who said so,” Shane replied, worried he was giving away too much too soon.
“Dr. Gunderson?”
“Yes,” he said, surprised.
“We intercepted the same message,” Lily replied. “Before we could figure out a way to get into Atlanta to shut the weapon down, someone else did it for us.”
“That was us,” Kelly exclaimed. “We shut it down.”
“Really?” Lily said, her eyes filled with astonishment. She leaned back in her chair and looked at each of them, fresh awe in her expression. “I guess we’ve found the right group of teenagers then.”
“Why?” Shane asked, scrutinizing her. “What do you want with us?”
“Well,” she said hesitantly. He could tell she was about to drop a bomb on them. “We’re here to help you save yourselves.”
Lily didn’t add anything else, perhaps waiting for them to get what she was saying.
“What do you mean?” Kelly demanded, her tone frantic. “We shut down the stupid weapon—what else could we possibly have to do?”
“Unfortunately, the weapon wiped out all the adults. There is no one else left to defend this planet. If you don’t want to become slaves, half of you dying in the process, then you’re going to have to fight back.”
The room fell silent. Lily’s expression transformed from compassionate to steely, letting them know the dire seriousness of what she was saying.
“But apparently all the adults aren’t dead,” Shane objected. “You’re here, and you seem to have a few friends. Why can’t you fight?”
“Oh, don’t worry, we’ll be fighting too. But there are not many of us, and the enemy will see us coming from miles away.” She took a sip of her coffee, sadness creeping into her eyes. “I don’t want to give you false hope. We’ve failed before. You’re going to have to face an extremely powerful foe. But we believe, with our covert help, they’ll never expect an attack to come from you. Besides, this is not our planet in the first place—it’s yours. It’s your duty to defend Earth.”
“What?” Tracy snapped, incredulous. “What do you mean—it’s not your planet?”
“That’s right,” Lily continued, eyeing her unemotionally. “We aren’t from here.”
“You’re aliens?” Steve asked, chuckling skeptically.
“Not a label we care for,” Lily countered, offense apparent in her voice. “But yes, I suppose you could call us that. We’re from a planet about a hundred light-years from here—a planet to which we can no longer return.” She glanced down into her coffee cup and then took another sip, her composure visibly shaken.
“How come you look so human?” Kelly asked more gently.
“Many species on other planets do,” Lily replied, looking at her. “Evolution is not as random as humans believe.”
“Wait.” Shane captured her gaze. He was confused and starting to get upset at the idea she might be messing with them. “If you want our help, stop talking in riddles. Tell us what you mean.”
“Okay, but I must warn you—it’s a lot to swallow,” she said ominously. “The Anunnaki came here two hundred thousand years ago and mixed their DNA with that of the Neanderthals. Humans were the result.”
She stared at them, her eyes wide like she expected their heads to explode—like she’d seen this news blow up heads before. Shane didn’t know what to think. It sounded like a load of horse crap. Bat-shit crazy or not, they had her talking, and he didn’t want her to stop.
“Go on,” he encouraged, hoping they hadn’t been picked up by some powerful cult that had taken this base after all the soldiers stationed here had died. He couldn’t deny that the miraculous
healing he and his friends just witnessed gave credence to her words. “We’re listening.”
“They came back six thousand years ago and enslaved humans, which was why you were originally created,” she said. “They used humans to build extraction sites for precious materials hard to find elsewhere in the universe. During that time, they also further tweaked your species’ DNA to make sure humans evolved as planned.”
“Anunnaki?” Maurice asked, his brow furrowing with disbelief. “You don’t mean the gods of ancient Sumer?”
“Yes,” Lily replied, sounding impressed. “I’m surprised you know about them.”
“My father was a historian as well as a pastor. He used to talk about this stuff all the time,” Maurice explained, glancing at his friends. “How are the Anunnaki tied to all of this?”
“They leaked technology to your government, who believed they’d gotten lucky and stumbled upon something not intended for them. What they actually found were the instructions for the creation of the limbic manipulator weapon. Unfortunately, they decided to keep the information from us, or we would have warned them.”
She paused, and the silence tore at his ears. His mind struggled to grasp what she was saying.
“We believe it’s all part of an invasion the Anunnaki have been working on for years. Brilliant really, to destroy the adults before a single ship lands. By the time we figured out what was happening, it was too late. And we had no idea where the weapon was hidden until we intercepted Dr. Gunderson’s message the night before last.”
“Just before we shut it down,” Tracy mused.
“Exactly,” she replied.
“So you’re saying we’re half caveman, half Anunnaki?” Maurice asked, incredulous. His usually confident and certain demeanor vanished, and he looked like a kid who’d just been told Santa Claus doesn’t exist.
“Yes,” Lily replied. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but you have to understand me. They’re coming back, and this time, they will enslave the human race for good. The human crop is ripe, and they’re returning to Earth to harvest you.”
Chills ran through Shane.
