The Face of Earth (3 page)

Matt hiked through the trees, taking the most direct route to the lake. He hoped everything was okay. As he walked, he noticed how quiet it was in the forest. He stopped, listening hard. The birds were silent and there was no sign of the usual wildlife. There should’ve been chipmunks and squirrels scurrying back and forth, and the occasional hare or weasel. The only reason they’d go silent was if there were a predator nearby. He looked around nervously for a mountain lion or bear. He heard rustling in the brush and turned to face it. Then he felt something sting the back of his neck. He lost consciousness and fell to the ground.

Back at the campsite, Melissa finished making the last sandwich. She slipped it into a baggie and packed it in her daypack along with the rest of the sandwiches. She added their canteens as well, figuring they could refill their water supply while they were at the lake. As she was searching her backpack for some iced tea mix, she felt a painful prick on the back of her neck. She slumped down onto her backpack, unconscious.

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Karina’s anger propelled her down the trail. She muttered to herself as she strode along the mountain crest, watching the ground pass under her feet, oblivious to the beautiful vista surrounding her. By the time she cooled off, she was halfway to her planned campsite. Drained physically and emotionally, she stopped to rest in the shade of a juniper.

She looked around, surprised to find herself at the top of a picturesque canyon. The sun stood high in the sky, brightening the blue and flooding the mountains with warmth. The granite underfoot reflected the light, shimmering with flecks of mica. Karina felt her soul calm as her eyes devoured the view. When she had eaten and rested, she pulled on her pack and resumed her hike.

Karina inhaled the fresh air as she strolled down the canyon. It felt wonderful to be out of the valley smog, and wonderful to be alive. The sun’s touch warmed her bare shoulders and the scent of pine teased her nostrils. She listened with enjoyment to the chattering of the birds and chipmunks.

Hours later she came across a charming lake tucked among large granite boulders. The south side consisted of a silty beach, and the west side boasted a tall granite cliff against which the water rhythmically slapped as the wind-generated waves rolled gently across the surface. An old rowboat pulled halfway up onto the opposite shore bobbed with each ripple.

Karina wondered how a boat had gotten this far into the wilderness. She waded for awhile, cooling her feet in the lukewarm water. When she finally resumed her hike, her pack seemed heavier, but she knew she was close to her campsite. According to the topographic map, it wasn’t far from this lake. She arrived there within ten minutes and gratefully set her pack down on the east edge of the mountain meadow. She pitched her tent right next to the trees, so that the early morning sun wouldn’t wake her. A chipmunk sat on a log and watched her expectantly as she set up camp.

A rivulet meandered through the meadow, adding its tinkling waters to the melody of the mountains. A tiny old cabin rotted at the north end. That might explain the rowboat, except that the rowboat appeared to be in better condition than the cabin. Karina’s shoulders were sore from the weight of the pack and her legs ached from the strenuous exercise. She ate a quick dinner of jerky and ramen before retiring to bed, too tired to bother changing out of her clothes. The wildlife quieted as the sun set, and she soon fell fast asleep.

Thunder boomed through the night like the rumble of a hungry giant’s belly. Karina bolted upright in her sleeping bag and banged her head on the flashlight she had hung from the roof of the tent.

“Damn!” she swore as she crawled to the door and unzipped it. Rubbing her sore forehead, she looked out into the dark forest. Lightning lit up the sky briefly before everything plunged back into darkness, but the moment was long enough for Karina to see the trees whipping in the rising wind. She counted her heartbeats as thunder sounded a few seconds later. With the next bolt of lightning the thunder was simultaneous.

Karina had heard enough. She crawled out of the tent and yanked on her boots. She stuffed her gear into her pack and dropped the tent in record time. The noise and fury of the storm surrounded her, but no rain fell. As she was lashing the tent to the frame of her pack, she felt the hair rise on the back of her neck. A second later lightning hit a tall pine across the meadow. The thunder was deafening. The dry upper branches burst into flame, immediately spreading to the other trees in the high winds.

Karina shouldered into the straps of her pack and cinched the waist belt. Then she charged up the trail like a pursued deer. Behind her the fire was growing, casting a yellow glow on the path in front of her. She ran as fast as she dared over the uneven ground, breathing heavily. Lightning thundered above her, lighting the path every few seconds. With the heat at her back intensifying, Karina ran to the small mountain lake she had passed half a mile back. She recalled the old rowboat moored in the dirt at its edge.

Around her the pines were swaying and moaning, then crackling as the fire consumed their needles. She picked up speed as the ground evened out near the lake. The silhouette of the boat bobbed half in and half out of the water. She ran to it, pulling off her pack and throwing it into the bow. She heaved the boat into the water a few lengths before climbing in and rowing toward the opposite shore. Reaching the middle of the lake, she paused and looked back at the fire. It consumed the forest at a horrifying rate. The black clouds refused to part with their moisture, leaving the trees at the mercy of the flames.

Seizing the oars, Karina glanced toward the opposite shore. She almost dropped the handles as an orange glow appeared among the yet unburned trees. It pulsed with a regular beat, rising up out of the forest. Instead of the second fire she expected, a huge, metallic, oval-shaped object appeared and hovered above the treetops, reflecting the red and yellow of the fire that now engulfed the other shore. She gasped and gripped the oars tightly, looking around wildly for an escape route. With the fire behind her, the silver object in front of her, the cliff face to the left, and the fire progressing to the right, there was nowhere to go. Karina hunkered down low in the boat and hoped she hadn’t been noticed.

The UFO slid slowly across the sky, coming toward her. Fear constricted her throat, holding back the vomit rising from her stomach. She cowered in the tiny boat as the craft passed over her, moving toward the fire. The black clouds gathered around it as if they were magnetically attracted. It began to rotate, slowly at first. As it gained momentum, the black clouds swirled around it, sticking to the craft’s skin until they were drawn into its mirror-sleek surface. The flames followed, lighting the surface of the craft until they too were absorbed. Karina found herself staring at the vessel against a backdrop of stars, not a cloud in sight. The wind died. She heard the crackling of the subdued fire in the sudden silence.

Pulling gently on the oars, Karina tried to edge the boat nearer to the opposite shore. The tiny splash echoed off the granite cliff, amplifying the sound. The UFO turned and moved in her direction. Karina leaned into the oars, no longer caring about the noise. The craft moved steadily toward her as she raced across the water. Five feet from land her boat bottomed out on the pebbly shore and came to an abrupt halt. She abandoned both boat and pack, leaping into the shallow water and rushing into the forest.

Plunging into the closely packed trees, Karina lost what little light she had from the dying fire and the moon. Running blindly, she sprawled over a root placed inconveniently in her path. She lay panting, listening for any sound outside of her breath and heartbeat. The forest was quiet. The UFO was gone.

Karina sat up, knees and palms stinging from the fall. Her body ached from running. Her heart hammered, and she gulped air like a landed fish. She calmed herself, knowing this far from civilization she had to keep her head. She needed her pack and the food it contained. She stood and brushed her hands off on her pants, then began walking back to the lake.

When Karina reached the edge of the forest, she cautiously scanned the open area. Across the lake the fire smoldered, red embers
flickering among white coals.
She waded out to the boat only to find it empty. Karina numbly waded back to shore and sat on a flat granite boulder that jutted out into the water. Pulling her knees up to her chin and hugging her legs, she stared out over the star-spangled lake as the sky lightened in the east.

The mid-morning sun found Karina curled up into a ball on the boulder, fast asleep. She didn’t stir when the rays crept down and caressed her face. Mentally and physically exhausted, she slept so deeply she didn’t hear the footsteps draw near her and stop. She didn’t feel the dark eyes stare at her for several moments. And she didn’t feel the arms lift her and carry her like a sleeping child into the silvery craft on the edge of the mountain lake.

CHAPTER 2

Luvian sat at the helm, watching as the Milky Way Galaxy approached them. He could feel the excitement build in his stomach, but held it down. He had only recently joined this project, and this was his first trip to see the experiment. Megg sat behind him in the captain’s chair, idly playing with her long black hair.

“Disengage the distortion drive,” she ordered as the galaxy edge neared.

Luvian complied and the universe stopped. The Milky Way spun below them like an enormous whirlpool. It was three times the size of their own galaxy, and lay just inside the border of the unexplored Fourth Quadrant. Its location was one of the reasons Megg had chosen it for her species project.

“Start the star drive and enter the galaxy,” Megg commanded, “and set course for Helios.”

Luvian did as he was told, and soon they were speeding past the stars of the Milky Way. He headed the ship toward Helios, the star that the planets of the Olympian Solar System orbited. According to the literature Megg had given him to read, the third planet in that system was near enough to Helios to support life. Megg called the planet Earth, and created a humanoid species there to test her hypothesis that immortal souls evolved in sentient beings over time.

Luvian didn’t believe Megg’s hypothesis was correct, but he had other reasons for wanting to be part of the research team for this experiment. He was a member of Prevent Experimental Species Termination, and he was here to ensure that Megg didn’t exterminate the Earthlings when her experiment failed. And it would fail, since everyone knew immortal souls only belonged to superior species who had existed since the beginning of time. All other species only had mortal souls that died with their bodies.

Megg stood and stretched. “I’ll be in my quarters, Luvian,” Megg informed him as she left the bridge. “Let me know when we reach the Olympian Solar System.”

“Yes, Megg,” Luvian acknowledged. As Megg left the bridge, Luvian felt himself relaxing. Being around Megg set him on edge. He had to hide how he felt about killing in the name of research, and he found it difficult to maintain his impartial façade. But it was important that he keep up the pretense until the experiment was over. The deaths of a few were an acceptable loss to save a species. He hoped Megg would allow the Earthlings to live and he wouldn’t have to resort to extreme measures, but given her personality, he didn’t think that was likely.

It had taken PEST centuries to infiltrate this project, and the only reason they had been able to do so now was because they had recruited him. His family was respected by all Stelairians, and several of his ancestors were still involved in the government. His family’s position put Luvian above reproach.

Luvian grinned at the finesse that PEST had used to open this job. They had arranged for his predecessor to be promoted, leaving Megg with the burden of finding a new assistant quickly. Luvian had been the only assistant available at the time, and his family had encouraged Megg to take him on in the hopes that he would make something of himself.

He stared at the viewscreen as the ship passed stars and nebulas. It would take a few hours to get to the Olympian Solar System. He sat back, thinking. If he had to kill Megg in order to stop her, it was likely that he would die as well. Their immortal souls would be released and they would have to journey back to their planet in order to be reborn into new bodies. This far from their galaxy it would take centuries for their souls to travel back to Stelairius, and once they were reborn, they would lose the memories of their previous lives. He grinned maliciously. He was barely one thousand years old; he didn’t have much to lose. Megg, on the other hand, was billions of years old; it was staggering how much she’d lose.

Even though Stelairian science had found a way to determine whose soul inhabited a child’s body, the child would have to relearn everything that was lost. It would be millennia before Megg could reclaim even part of the knowledge that made her one of the most powerful Stelairians alive today. It would be a coup for PEST, and he would be the one to give it to them. He chuckled as he watched the stars stream past.

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Once she reached her quarters, Megg sat at her research console and reviewed the file on the Earthling situation. It seemed the experiment had taken an unforeseen turn. Instead of continuing to evolve, the Earthlings had stagnated. They had reached a point where they could manipulate DNA, and were playing with their own DNA in an attempt to improve individual attributes. Mutations were remedied in the womb to avoid any change in the Earthling species.

Megg sighed. The whole point of the experiment had been to create a new intelligent species with the capability of retaining a soul beyond corporeal limits. Instead, many Earthlings were born without souls, and none born with souls were able to keep those souls beyond the death of their bodies. They needed to continue to evolve to reach that point, but they had taken steps to ensure their DNA would remain the same, believing they were already at the pinnacle of their evolution. Megg knew from experience that a species evolving technologically without evolving biologically would be a danger to other species.

Scrolling down the screen, Megg examined the forecast charts that predicted what would happen if the Earthlings continued on their current path. The results made her shudder. If the Earthlings managed to leave the Olympian Solar System before evolving immortal souls that could reincarnate and mature with each life, they wouldn’t be prepared to deal peacefully with extraterrestrial species. Their innate violence would never be bred out of their mortal bodies, and they would wreak havoc on the galaxy. As head of the project, she couldn’t allow that to happen. She would have to terminate the experiment.

Megg sighed again and sat back. Although her government would support her decision, an underground movement in Stelairian society fought to gain rights for experimental species. They believed it was wrong to annihilate a species, even if their creation had been orchestrated by science. It was becoming increasingly difficult to discover the sympathizers who infiltrated the experiments and used guerilla tactics to halt the termination of experimental species.

Megg thought about her assistant, Luvian. He had come highly recommended, and had passed all the tests involved in becoming a research assistant, including the loyalty tests. But this particular project was never in danger of termination before now. Luvian was a recent addition to this experiment, and had only joined her around three hundred years ago when she had lost her last assistant to a promotion. Forced to find a new assistant quickly, Megg had allowed herself to be swayed by Luvian’s family, an ancient and revered line of Stelairians. Although Luvian was descended from that noble line, it didn’t necessarily mean he could be implicitly trusted. She still waited to see where Luvian’s true loyalty lay.

Megg leaned forward and resumed her work. She had lived for billions of years, but her eons of experience didn’t prevent her from making mistakes. She must have overlooked something when she created the Earthling DNA chromosome. She turned on the holovision next to her screen. After tapping a few commands onto the screen, a 3-D diagram of a DNA chromosome appeared, floating above her work console. She tapped in a few more instructions and it began to slowly rotate. The image of the chromosome seemed to mock her, hiding its flaw. After examining it from all angles for several hours, she rubbed her eyes and tapped the screen, shutting the holovision off.

Sitting back, she rubbed the base of her skull, running her fingers through her hair. The occipital fontanel indented slightly with the pressure of her fingertips. She paused, touching it gently. It had always bothered her to have a vulnerable point on her body. Stelairians were immortal in that they could potentially live forever, but they were mortal in that they could be killed. She found this juxtaposition ridiculous.

Stelairians had a solid and indestructible skeleton that completely protected their internal organs, but it had a flaw that allowed them to be killed instantly. The soft spot at the base of their skulls was the only opening to the inside of the skeleton, and it led straight to their brains. If a sharp, narrow weapon were pushed through at that point, a Stelairian would transform to fluid and die. Megg had killed other Stelairians using this method when she felt their deaths were necessary, but each time she did, she was reminded of her own vulnerability.

She remembered when she was young, and her species had been hunted for this death fluid by a neighboring species. The Konas coveted the fluid for its life increasing properties. If they ingested it, it kept them youthful and dramatically increased their life spans. When the Stelairians had been hunted almost to the point of extinction, and the death fluid was in danger of being lost forever, the Konas began breeding them in captivity.

One day Megg had escaped with her parents. Konas hunters tracked them down, and Megg’s parents died protecting her. As the hunters were about to kill her as well, a group of rebel Stelairians swooped in and slew them. She gratefully joined the rebels, and after centuries of war, the Konas were finally defeated.

The Stelairian rebels formed a government, and their first act was to commit genocide on the Konas species in order to protect the secret of the fontanel. Although other species knew of the Stelairian youth elixir, the knowledge of how to obtain it was lost with the extinction of the Konas. The Stelairian survivors carefully guarded the secret, choosing not to share the knowledge with anyone, not even their descendants.

Megg rubbed the back of her skull again, wondering why Stelairian physiology had evolved this way. Not that she was complaining. She enjoyed the immortality that allowed her to live outside the confines of time. With the exception of her fontanel, any blow to her body wasn’t fatal and healed almost instantly. She still felt the pain of any damage to her flesh, but nothing could penetrate past her skeleton. Only the lack of oxygen or ingestion of poison could kill a Stelairian naturally.

She wondered if it was painful to deteriorate into fluid. The transformation was instantaneous; perhaps there wasn’t time to feel pain. She had seen the bodies of Stelairians who had died accidentally. Some had died in space, others underwater. Some had inhaled chemicals or choked on food. She had even seen someone who had eaten a poisonous fruit. Their expressions had shown intense pain. She had tried to ignore their faces as she collected the bodies and punctured their fontanels to collect the death fluid. They made her think that maybe it was better to die by a punctured fontanel. Megg preferred not to die at all.

The vibration of the ship increased slightly, indicating a change from the star drive to the system drive. Megg frowned. Luvian was supposed to call her before entering the Olympian Solar System. She sighed, irritated. Luvian was the worst assistant she had ever had. If she hadn’t needed a new assistant so quickly, he wouldn’t have gotten the job. When they returned to Stelairius, she intended to replace him.

She stood and stretched before leaving the room, enjoying the movement after sitting still for so long. She went to the bridge and entered. Luvian sat at the helm, watching the viewscreen as they passed Mars. He appeared preoccupied.

“Luvian, you were supposed to inform me when we reached the Olympian Solar System.” Luvian jumped at the sound of her voice.

“I thought I was supposed to call you when we reached Earth,” he said, feigning stupidity. He had been hoping she wouldn’t notice the change in drive and he could have a little more time alone.

Megg stared at Luvian. How in the universe did he pass the research assistant tests when he couldn’t even remember a simple command? “Never mind,” she said, sitting in her chair. She watched as they approached Earth. “Enter the atmosphere on the day side, and head for a mountain range.”

“Yes, Megg.” Luvian steered the ship down to the planet toward some mountains that showed a few life readings here and there. He reached an area where his scans told him he would find a small group of Earthlings, and hovered silently above the treetops, just out of sight.

“There are five Earthlings here, Megg.”

“Good. Find a place to set down and go get them.”

Luvian moved the ship slowly back until he found a large enough clearing to land. He set the ship down and shut off the drive. He stood up and followed Megg to the lab section of the ship. She opened the outer door and sunlight streamed into the room.

“Here.” Megg gave Luvian a thin, cylindrical gadget with an automatic needle on the end. “Press it against their necks to render them unconscious. It has enough serum in it for ten shots.”