Genetic Drift (21 page)

DAY 284

FINDING HOPE

ROAN MOUNTAIN STATE PARK

The light of dawn began to paint the sky over the mountains.  Jay and Maddie were fast asleep.  As much as Jay wanted to find Hope, he and Maddie needed to recover from the previous night.  Jay was still sore.  And then there was Quill.  Quill was Quill, awake and on guard for the Trolls. 

Quill noticed the first light and called to the sleeping bodies, “Wake up, time to go.”  He nudged Jay and Maddie.  Maddie sprung from her spot on the ground and Jay was slow to rise.  He rubbed his eyes and realized where he was. 

“We have to find Hope,” he said, and he quickly got to his feet and started toward the structure that had descended from the sky.  Jay called to the others, “Come on, let’s get going.  Hope is out there.”  Maddie and Quill didn’t argue.  Jay was on a mission and they followed.

They had been hiking mostly uphill for an hour.  Jay was walking in front of Maddie and Quill was behind her.  He still did not trust her.  
“Human, I need your help,” Rho
talked in Maddie’s thoughts.  

“Can you call me Maddie?  Stop barking ‘Human” at me,”
she said. 

“Fine.  Maddie, I have a plan,”
Rho
replied.  Maddie was mindful of Jay and Quill.  She did not want to rouse their attention by not paying attention to the walk.  Especially Quill.

“What is your grand plan, Rho?”
she asked, inviting
Rho
to divulge its scheme.

“We need to interface with the computer.  We will never be safe under the queen mother’s commands,”
Rho
made its plea.  

“And how are we supposed to interface with a computer?”  
Maddie asked.  

“Not a computer, the computer,” Rho
corrected her,
“the computer interface can reassign objectives.”  

“No, the objectives of the queen mother can’t be changed.  You said so yourself.  You know how Bryce… I mean the vessel, reacted when you countered its objective,”
Maddie said.

“Yes. True. But with the computer interface, I can challenge the queen’s authority,” Rho
said.
 

“And how do you think that will change anything?”
Maddie asked with skepticism.

“They will have to choose whether the queen mother is better to lead than us.  Some will follow it and some will join us.  It is better than having to battle with every vessel we meet,” Rho
explained.

“How do you plan to tell the difference between our allies and the queen’s?”
Maddie asked.

“I do not know how this spacecraft is being used.  Maybe it is like our bunkers.  I was not privy to that information.  That is another reason I have to interface with the computer.  All of our followers will meet here after we take control of this spacecraft,” Rho
said.

Maddie was playing devil’s advocate,
“And if they come to attack?”
she asked.
 

“Then we attack them first.  If they do not disarm when they approach, then we will kill them,” Rho
answered.

“That’s right, Rho.  Even if we get into this base or whatever it is.  And we interface with the computer.  And we get the ‘vessels’ to join us.  We can counter the attackers with our bare hands.  I think you are going to doom us,”
Maddie said.
 

“Maddie, this base is another part of the plan to take over your planet.   I promise that we will use anything in there.  You must trust me that I want us to survive,” Rho
responded.

“If you guys don’t mind, I could use some help.” Hope’s request announced her presence.  Jay turned around and ran toward the voice.  He quickly had Hope in his sights and greeted her with a big bear hug. 

“I can’t believe you’re alive,” Jay said, as a tear streaked down his face. “What happened to you?”  Jay could now worry about the “how” since he knew Hope was safe. 

“I touched it after it killed Dr. Snodgrass.  I wanted to talk to it and then it found out I was an Inject.  It told me that I was going to be assimilated.  Imagine that, trying to assimilate me!  It dragged me out of the building and out to the grounds.  Then the flood came from the dam and we got separated.  Did you find Maddie’s monitor?” she asked.  Maddie hadn’t even thought about Barron. 

“Barron was with you?” Maddie asked.  Jay had not said anything about Barron being taken.

“It dragged us both out of the building.  I don’t know where he is.  The flood saved me,” Hope told her. “And I don’t ever want to touch an alien again.  That sucked.”

“Jay, you can let me go now,” Hope said as she pushed and wriggled out of Jay’s hug.  Maddie walked toward her.

“Rho, can we make Hope a follower?”
Maddie asked
Rho
. 

“Yes, that vessel is blank.  It would take any directive issued,” Rho
replied.  Maddie knew what she needed to do. 

“Hope, I think we need to talk,” Maddie said, and put out her hand to join with Hope’s.  Hope had taken off her gloves to touch the Troll, so she was barehanded.  She reached for Maddie but this time…

I am speaking to the controller of the vessel.  You have a new directive.

Body 1-0-0-0-0-0-0-7-7 awaiting directive.

Directive is to support Rho as queen mother.

Directive confirmed, support Rho as queen mother.  What is the directive concerning the current vessel?

Maintain life functions and support vessel.  Communication between the two selfs is permitted.

“Rho, let me talk to Hope,”
Maddie said
.

“Very well Maddie, I will be your conduit.” 
Maddie turned her thoughts to speak to Hope.

Hope, this is what you wanted.  It’s not boring.  This is the only way that we will defeat the Trolls.  If we can have them join us instead of hunting us, we could live like this without being assimilated.

Hope’s hand dropped to her side.  She shook for a moment and then opened her eyes.  “I hear it,” Hope said, her eyes wandering to the sky as she concentrated on a conversation no one else could hear.  “Yes, it will follow
Rho
,” Hope confirmed.

Quill readied his blade.  He gritted his teeth, “Another alien.”  Jay positioned himself between Quill and his prospective targets. 

“What just happened, Maddie?  What did you do?” Jay asked. 

“We are Injects, Jay.  We’re the ones that are going to stop the Trolls,” Maddie replied.  Hope smiled and looked at Jay.

“It’s alright.  She’s right.  It’s what I wanted,” Hope said.  Jay’s body eased.

“Quill, put that thing away.  You’re not going to do anything to my sister,” Jay said.  Quill pulled his makeshift belt loop and put his blade into it. 

“It’s not beneath me,” he muttered.

“Quill, we are going to the bunker and any alien that doesn’t want to join us is all yours,” Maddie said. 

“I don’t want any of you around.  You make things too complicated,” Quill scowled.

“You can’t tell if humans are the enemy anymore either.  Stop trying to kill everything and focus on beating them,” Maddie sneered back.  Quill’s eyes burrowed through Maddie.

“I don’t know what make-believe world you are from.  Killing them is beating them,” Quill said, and turned away.  He walked behind a tree and then he was gone.

“Jay, we’re going to break into that bunker tomorrow and we’re going to take it over,” Maddie said. 

“Sure we are,” he said, and shook his head.  Hope was still listening to the voice in her head, not paying attention to the conversation. 

“Hope can get us in as well.  We have to use the Specs.  That was their mistake for putting them in us. 
Rho
said–“

Jay interrupted Maddie. “Who the hell is
Rho
?  Let’s start with that,” he asked.  Maddie threw her hands into the air.

“
Rho
is the thing inside of me.  The reason for my eye and the reason for my hand.  It doesn’t want to follow the queen mother,” she answered.

“The queen mother now,” Jay said.  He was starting to wonder about Maddie’s sanity. 

“The leader of the Trolls.  Do you want to hear the plan or not?” Maddie asked. She was curt with her question. 

“I don’t really care.  I don’t want Hope to get hurt.  That’s what I worry about,” Jay said. “Look at her, she’s never been like this.”  Maddie watched as Hope spun around and looking toward the sky but with her eyes closed. 

“She’s learning how to listen to it,” Maddie said.

“Listen to
Rho
, I guess?” Jay asked.

“No,
Rho
is inside of me.  It told whatever is inside of her to protect both of them,” Maddie explained.  Jay sat down next to a tree to support his weight.

“I don’t think this is going to end as peachy as you are making it out to be,” he said.  Maddie found a spot and sat next to him.

“Maybe so, but if we do the same old crap then we can only expect the same results.  They haven’t been that great as of late,” Maddie said.

“This is cool,” Hope was back from her cloud, “it calls me
The Herald
and it says that we’re going to tell everyone that the new queen is
Rho
.”  Jay smiled at Hope and turned to Maddie.  His grin changed to a stoic face once his eyes met Maddie.

“She better not get hurt,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter where we are Jay, it is going to happen eventually. Whether we want it or not,” Maddie replied.  Maddie took her metallic finger and pointed it at Jay.

DAY 43

JAY AND HOPE

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA

The initial shock of the Attack had subsided and the places that weren’t destroyed were attempting to go back to their normal routines.  Jay was hanging out with his friends at a strip mall in the evening.  He had brought his sister because she wanted to get something to eat but he did not want her around him.  Jay and his friends went behind the restaurant out of view.  A spark from a lighter flickered against the wall as they attempted to hide what they were doing from public eyes.

Hope exited the restaurant and couldn’t find her brother.  She looked down the walkway to see if he was standing in front of another store but there was no sign of him.  “Where did he go?” she asked herself as she walked into the parking lot.  She approached Jay’s car and he was nowhere to be found.  Hope started to wander the edge of the parking lot to look for him.  She skipped onto the curb and walked on it as if it were a balancing beam.  Her arms were straight out as she tried to maintain her balance.  She continued her path on the curb as it ran parallel with the road.

Hope made it to an opening in the curb that drained water into a ditch.  The ground was dry because it had not rained for several days.  “Maybe they are over there,” she said as she jumped off of the curb and headed toward trees on the other side of the ditch.  She walked up to the closest tree and placed her hands on it as she went on her tiptoes.  She called out to her brother, “Jay!”  Her head shifted from one side of the tree to the other as she called for him.  

She thought that she might have seen some movement deeper in the woods.  “Jay, stop messing around.”  She took a step into the woods.  Her foot tested the ground before she put her weight into her step.  She repeated her step process as she entered deeper into the woods.  “Jay!” she called out again.  She definitely saw movement this time and her steps became more surefooted.  She approached the movement and didn’t see Jay.  Something scurried on the ground and rustled through the leaves.  She looked down to see what it was but she couldn’t spot anything.  Hope put a scowl on her face.  She wondered if Jay had, yet again, abandoned her.  She called out to the woods, “I’m ready to go home now.”  There was no reply, no movement, nothing to keep her going deeper into the wooded area.  She turned around to go back to the parking lot.

Jay came out from the back of the restaurant with a smile on his face.  He went into the restaurant and looked for Hope.  He didn’t see her in any of the booths.  He went to the hostess station and knew the greeter.  He asked her, “Have you seen my sister?”  

“Hope left about 30 minutes ago,” she told him.  He put his hands up to his head and made a fist.  He began to pull his hair.

“How did I lose track of time?” Jay wondered as his guilt began to overflow.   He dropped his hands and ran out of the door.  He ran to his car and didn’t find Hope.  His friends came out from behind the building.  He ran up to them and begged them, “Help me find Hope, my parents are going to kill me if I don’t bring her home.”  His friends laughed at him.

“Sounds like your problem, Bro.  Not having hope is a personal problem,” his friend, Paul, said.  His friends, or at least the guys he thought were his friends, continued to walk to their cars.  He watched them as they got in and drove out of the parking lot.  As they turned onto the road, a blue orb came out of nowhere and struck the car.  The car swerved off of the road and a barrage of blue orbs came out and pelted it.  Jay froze and stared as the car started to disappear.  The blue orbs got closer and closer.  He sprinted around the building.  He stopped to catch his breath and grasp what was happening.  He knew the aliens had attacked other cities but he never thought it would happen in Greensboro.  He looked around anxiously, “I’ve gotta find Hope.”

As she turned, Hope bumped into something.  The sun had set and she looked up.  She didn’t know what it was and she let out a scream.  The thing grabbed her and held her for a second.  Her screams continued.  It didn’t let go.  Her scream was continuing.  She frantically called to Jay.  She was far enough into the woods that nobody would hear her.  The figure started to move further away from the parking lot, dragging Hope behind.  She tried to grab anything she could.  A small branch touched her hand and she closed her fingers on it too late.  She began to scream again.  Her screams became shallower with every failed attempt.  Her body jumped with every object it was dragged over.  She couldn’t do anything but subject herself to being dragged.

The blue orbs started to fly near the building.  They were too close for Jay.  He ran from the building at top speed trying to escape from anything that was blue.  There was no way that Hope would be anywhere near those shots.   He didn’t care about his parent’s feelings now.  He ran away from the strip mall into a field.  He was abandoned by his friends who were now dead and he was consumed by guilt.  It was the guilt of failing Hope.  The guilt of leaving her alone when there was an attack.  He wished he could find her and if he did, he would never leave her again.  He managed to distance himself from the blue orbs and find cover.

It was dark outside and this thing dragged her through a door.  It was light enough inside the building that she could make out what it was.  She had seen some weird people but this was the ugliest human that she had ever seen.  It had gone crazy with the blue body paint.  She tried to scream again but this time no sound came out.  Her throat felt like a fire had kindled.  She looked at its hands.  No, it had claws.  This wasn’t a human at all.  She knew that there were aliens in space but they were now here and they had her.

She was lifted up and landed on a table with a thud.  There were two of these things holding her down and placing her in straps.  Her head was strapped.  Another strap was placed on her shoulders and each arm.  Her hips were secured and then three straps were placed on each leg.  One of the blue aliens stepped away from her.  Her eyes were the only things that could move and she peered wide-eyed as she shifted to watch the aliens.  A tube with red fluid was lowered from a machine above her.  The other alien grabbed it and went for her arm.  She was panting and struggling to move.  She attempted to turn her arm but the alien claw prevented it from moving.  

She felt the burn as the tube entered her arm.  Unable to scream, she winced in pain as the fluid began to flow through her body.  She could feel it and she couldn’t stop it.  Suddenly, the burning stopped and she started to feel numb.  She spoke to the alien, “I’m going to die.”  She couldn’t feel anything.  She commanded her body to move.  Nothing happened.  She lay there and the numbness continued into drowsiness.  She was being drugged.  Her wide eyes would not stay opened.  Hope was gone.

The morning came and the barrage of blue orbs had ceased.  Jay left his hiding spot and went back to the strip mall.  The façade of the building had lost all of the store signs and was peppered with craters.  Holes shined through all of the glass and circular carvings filled all of the shops.  There were bodies both inside the stores and in the parking lot.  There was no sign of Hope anywhere.  Jay went to his car and saw it was exactly like the buildings.  He tried to see if it would start up.  He placed the key in the ignition and nothing happened when he turned it.  

He got out of his car and took one more scan of the parking lot just in case Hope showed up.  His heart was heavy when she didn’t appear.  He began his five-mile walk home.  After a little over an hour, Jay walked in front of his house.  He saw the same destruction that was at the strip mall.  He ran to the door and burst inside.  “Mom, Dad, are you here?” he called out.  He looked through all of the downstairs rooms and didn’t see them.  He ran upstairs, avoiding one of the steps that had disappeared from a blue orb.  He searched for his parents and they weren’t there either.  

He went to the window and looked at the front yard.  He ran to another window to look at the side yard. Nothing.  Then the backyard, and he saw them.  He ran down the stairs and out of the backdoor.  Lying in a pool of their own blood, his parents were dead.  Jay’s heart weighed heavy on him as he hung his head over them.  His thoughts switched to Hope.  She entered his mind and she was the last person he really cared about, and she was missing.  “Never again Hope, I’ll find you,” Jay said, and he began his search for her.