A positive tale…a visitor from elsewhere lands on our planet to research us. She fits in, makes friends, and is convinced that in order to join the galactic civilization, we must have the genetic right stuff.
The spaceship pierced Earth’s exosphere. Deka transcended the atmosphere of brutality that stretched across the planet. Returning from the urgent request to appear before the Galactic Council, she pressed symbols and equations as she navigated Prancer.
Shaped like a sideways pear, Prancer, designed by Deka, was amphibious as well as atmospheric. The entire front, including the floor, was crystal. It gave her a feeling of maneuvering through space unfettered. In the back was Deka’s sleeping quarters and where she kept her Earth suit.
Above her right ear, with her smallest digit, she fine-tuned the transmitter and replayed the shocking news that Tu-La, the most esteemed Ancient on the Galactic Council, had told her. “Astronomers just discovered that sometime in the first five decades of the 21st century, a meteorite will crash into Mars. It will send chunks of the planet into Earth’s moon, pushing it out of orbit. The satellite will catapult toward Earth, annihilating all life.”
“We must save it,” Deka said.
Tu-La said, “Wouldn’t the universe would be better off without them before they acquired the technology to wage war on other planets? After all, when will their lunacy of looping end?”
“But your Eminence, during the last thirty-five years, I’ve glimpsed an awakening in Earthlings, sunrises of hope, atmospheres of love. I will bring before you an Earthman who has conquered the V-Gene like so many others.”
The Galactic Council agreed to give Deka a hearing.
* * *
The young scientist, nine-hundred and twenty-one Elysian years or twenty-seven Earth years, landed at her home base under East Antarctica. Great sheets of ice covered a continent 34 million years old and the size of Belgium. It offered complete silence from Earthlings’ thought-waves and was undetectable—for now.
In 1900, Deka, an anthropologist, accepted the job no other extraterrestrial wanted. No one thought Earth worth studying. Deka disagreed. With enthusiasm, she welcomed the mission.
The Council had questioned her determination to appear as female. “It could be dangerous with so much hatred of the feminine.” Deka answered, “But at the same time, as female, I would not be a threat, and could gather information without scrutiny. If trapped, I’d transport to Antarctica. All of my expeditions would last three to five years, and I’d disappear after enough data was collected.”
The Galactic Council nodded their approval.
Sitting at Prancer’s console—the instruments were inlaid into a board, a mosaic with colors and shapes unknown on Earth—Deka selected the memory implant from the left side of her brain and vigorously assembled all the documents for every decade and completed her thesis on Earth. Visually, she composed notes for the theme of her argument before the Council—the “potential” for Earthmen to overcome their thirst for violence.
Her mission was to end tomorrow, on December 31st, 1999. In just 24 hours, she had to teleport her files and dissertation of the past century to her supervisor, persuade her friend Steve to appear before the Council, and prepare a speech on why Earth—also known as Dual and Earthlings known as Dualities, because everything on the planet had opposites—should be spared.
A pillar of ice peeled away. Boom! Deka jumped.
Since 1992, she had watched in horror as glaciers melted from humans’ defilement of the planet. Massive ice sheets broke apart from global warming and floated away like dissolving ghosts.
Deka mentally skimmed through her reports. Conflicts took place in every year of the 20th century, including two World Wars, the Korean, Vietnam, Bosnian, Gulf, and Rwandan Civil War—no, she would not leave anything out, not even the most astonishing act of all and not seen in other civilizations, that Earthmen raped and murdered their women and children.
Deka highlighted Dualities’ opposite side too: their compassion, generosity, courage, and those who protected Mother Earth. And it was this, the goodness of the human race she hoped one day might triumph over the V-Gene—the gene of violence—that clung to the testosterone of every male Earthling’s DNA.
She walked to the back of the vessel, opened the locker, and pulled on the awkward Earth suit. When Deka had appeared before the Galactic Council, mid-century, to report on the past fifty years, she spoke in her native Elysian, but included American slang and clichés, which the Council frowned upon. They also questioned her for wearing lipstick and nail polish, and warned her of becoming too close to the species she studied.
Preparing for her transport to Big Sur, Deka slipped into jeans, a sweater, jacket, and boots. She cast her thoughts to the earlier parts of the century when she lived as a Jew and had to flee from murderous mobs during pogroms in Russia, as a nurse caring for the wounded in the Mexican Revolution, and as an educator in Italy working with Maria Montessori.
She reflected on her time living in New York as a journalist for the Village Voice in the 1960s amid a war, assassinations, and riots. But there also grew a rising social consciousness. In the following decade, human rights and Earth Day were spawned from those turbulent times.
There always seemed to be a silver lining born of tragedy on Dual.
Too possessed by their labels, they never grasped that they were all brothers and sisters.
She’d go to the one person who could alter Earth’s outcome.
* * *
In the autumn of 1994, Deka had met Steve at a Fleetwood Mac concert in Van Nuys, California. She sat beside the curly haired man with his arm around a pregnant woman. Steve introduced himself and his wife, Ashley. Deka’s first impression was how in sync they were as a couple.
“It’s our first child,” Steve said, smiling.
Ashley leaned forward. “It’s a girl.” She rubbed her stomach. “Steve’s going to be a stay-at-home dad.” She laughed. “We’ll see how that goes.”
Deka observed the couple as they sang along with the group’s tunes. Was it the anticipation of the birth of his child that caused Steve to have the vibration of a man full of love and compassion who appeared to have conquered the V-Gene?
During intermission, she and Steve walked to the concession stand.
“What do you do?” Deka asked.
“I’ve been building a house. And a carpentry shop for me. Before Ash got pregnant, I taught astrobiology.”
“You think there’s life beyond Earth?” Deka asked as they trod along the dirt path.
“How could there not be? I’m now reading about exoplanets.”
“First detected by the Arecibo Observatory two years ago,” Deka said.
Steve’s eyes widened. “Oh wow, you know about that?”
“I’m a researcher.”
“What are you working on?” Steve asked.
“Comparing people who live on the coast to those who live inland and in rural communities.”
“We wanted to raise our kids in nature, so we moved to Big Sur.”
“I’m not far from you, in Morro Bay,” Deka said as they passed a grove of trees and picnic tables. “I’d like to interview you and your wife sometime. What are you doing in Van Nuys?”
“We’re visiting my parents in Canoga Park. And you?”
“Fleetwood Mac is my favorite group,” Deka said. “I’d go just about anywhere to see them.”
They stood in line at the refreshment stand. Deka wrinkled her nose from the smell of grilled hotdogs.
Steve noticed the older man beside him struggling with his coat and helped him.
“Thanks.”
“No problem.”
Steve ordered three lemonades and gave one to Deka.
They walked back through the park and took their seats.
People applauded as the band returned.
When Fleetwood Mac finished the show with “Imagine,” Deka saw tears in the eyes of everyone around her. Moved by a community of potential enlightenment and the lyrics that evoked it, Deka thought the song a perfect anthem for all Earthlings.
When the three got up to leave, Steve said, “You should come up. See the house. Interview us, if you want. You’re not far.”
That was the beginning of Deka’s friendship with Steve and his family.
She had found a man who transcended incendiary illusions perpetrated by religion and politics. His awareness that happiness lies within, his reverence for Mother Earth, and his belief that females were peers, all added to his overcoming the V-Gene.
After Terry was born, and following Louis’ birth two years later, Deka entrusted the couple with her origin. After a long pause, Steve said, “When I met you, I felt a life-changing moment. Where are you from?”
“Elysian, in the constellation you know as Ursa Major.” She told them about her assignment on Earth as an anthropologist, and her tenure that would end on the last day of the 20th Century.
* * *
Deka left Prancer behind and transported herself to the rugged coast along the foot of
Big Sur beside the Pacific Ocean.
She pulled off her boots and socks and wiggled her toes between clumps of wet sand. Her shoulder-length hair blew in a blustery dance with the wind. Balloon clouds sailed across an azure sky. Gulls swam on the breeze.
She turned to the great jagged wall rising from the sea where sycamore, maple, and Monterey cypress trees grew.
Steve waved to her from his living room window.
Deka picked up her socks and boots and climbed the stairs. She wondered if Ashley and the children would be home. For the past three years, while Steve looked after the children, Ashley taught about climate and environmental justice at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur.
“Hi.” Steve opened the gate and Yogi, a yellow lab, ran to greet her along with Lakshmi, their Siamese cat.
“Are Ashley and the children here?” Deka said, mounting the last couple of steps.
“She took the kids shopping in San Luis.”
“Good.” Deka set her socks and boots down. She took a towel from a lawn chair and wiped her feet.
“What’s up?”
Steve’s living room was built like the stern of a ship, with a huge bay window overlooking the sea. The north and south panes faced the jagged coastline. Above the fireplace hung a surfboard. On the mantel were family photos, candles, and a brass incense burner.
A kettle whistle blew.
“I’m making tea,” he said, moving to the stove.
Dividing the living room from the kitchen were four stools and a crescent-shaped wooden counter Steve had carved.
A Neil Young record played softly in the background. Deka glimpsed a sailboat on the horizon and watched a squadron of pelicans glide over the waves.
Steve poured tea into two mugs and pushed one toward Deka.
“So?” he asked.
Deka told him what she learned from Tu-La on the Galactic Council.
Color drained from his face. “What? All earth destroyed?”
Deka nodded.
“How soon?”
“Within the first five decades of the 21st Century.”
“Can they stop it?”
“They’d need a good reason.”
“A good reason?” Steve shoved aside his mug, spilling his tea. “Why?”
“They’re concerned humans will take their warring ways to other realms.” She sipped her tea. “I’ve told them you’ve overcome the V-Gene. So have many others. The Council has agreed to see you.”
Steve spread his arms on the counter, fingers drumming. “What could I say to save us? My family?”
“They’ll question you. Be honest. Through positive channeling of your chemically induced aggression, you’ve overcome the V-Gene.”
“I do this before your monitor?” Steve asked.
“No. They need to experience your vibration in person and observe your aura.”
“Go in Prancer?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“To the Nautical Paragon,” Deka said, “what you on Dual call a Mother Ship.”
“Wow, Deka, that’s—” He shook his head. “The responsibility.”
Leaving him alone, Deka took her mug to the bay window. With the sun glinting off the Pacific, it reminded her of her first journey to Dual in 1900 when she broke through the atmosphere and saw the Black Sea. She marveled at a planet covered in liquid jewels. “Earthlings don’t know how rare water is in the cosmos,” she mused. “To have vast oceans is unusual, but also to have rivers and lakes is extraordinary.”
“Do you know what they’ll ask?” Steve said, sitting on the couch.
“No.” Deka sat opposite him. “Speak from your heart.”
“If I fail?”
“I have faith in you.”
“Sounds like a hail Mary.”
“The Ancients didn’t have to tell me. They know of my mission here and have given me a chance to argue in your favor. There’s hope.”
Steve leaned forward, elbows on knees, clasping his hands. “What about Ashley? Can she come?”
“No. This is a male issue.”
Deka finished her tea and set the mug on the counter. “Gather yourself. I’ll wait for you outside.” Yogi followed her.
Deka opened the gate. She strode down several steps and stopped. Closing her eyes, she breathed into her heart and exhaled love and strength to Steve.
Yogi barked. Deka stooped and stroked his yellow fur. “Good boy.” Yogi licked her face. Lakshmi rubbed up against her. “I’ll miss you,” she said, scratching behind the cat’s ears. The animals of Dual were another favorite of Deka’s.
Standing atop the cliff, she watched the sun sink behind the horizon. Deka wondered where her next assignment would take her. First, she would spend time on Elysian. She needed to refresh herself. She hoped her next task would be somewhere peaceful. Yet, she would miss the young planet, Steve, and his family.
“Deka,” Steve shouted, his T-shirt rippling from the breeze. “How long will I be gone?”
“Several hours. The Ancients will be most interested in your essence and aura. Your words will count too. Use them succinctly. We’ll leave tomorrow. Seven am.”
Deka vanished.
* * *
Ashley set grocery bags on the counter. “They had veggie burgers on sale, so I—”
“We need to talk,” Steve said.
“Daddy, look what Mommy got me,” Terry held up a LEGO box. “I’m going to be a builder.” She ran into her bedroom.
“You mean an architect,” Ashley yelled after her.
Louis waddled to his father and hugged his knees.
“Mommy got Playdoh.”
“Louis is going to be another Rodin,” Ashley said.
Steve picked up his son and kissed him. “I missed you, little man.” He set Louis down.
“How about a nap?” Ashley asked.
Louis toddled toward the living room.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Ashely said, scooping him up in her arms. The boy giggled and squirmed as she carried him to his bedroom.
Steve put away the groceries.
Ashley returned, sweeping aside loose strands of auburn hair. “What’s wrong?”
Steve walked around the counter and pulled out a stool. “Why don’t you sit down?”
“Why?” She sat. “What’s going on?”
Steve repeated everything Deka had told him.
Ashley gasped. “Can they save us?”
“That’s where I come in,” Steve said, sitting on the stool beside her. “She wants me to go to her Mother Ship and speak before the Galactic Council. I’d represent the new man who overcame the V-Gene. Convince them we’re worth saving.”
“Worth saving? That’s insane.” Arms crossed, Ashley wandered into the living room. She picked up a picture of the children at the Grand Canyon. “How could they let this beautiful planet be destroyed? Of course we’re worth saving.”
“They’re worried we’d take our warring ways to other civilizations.” He got up and stood next to her. “Deka will speak, too. She believes between the two of us, we can convince them.”
Ashley turned.
He saw the skin tighten around her mouth, a crease between her brows.
“Do you think it will work?” she asked.
“Deka thinks so.”
“What if they keep you? As some kind of specimen—”
“I trust Deka.”
“So do I.”
“I’ll only be gone a few hours.”
“Why must we all die? Why not save Earth and do away with the warmongers?”
“They see us as one,” Steve said. “It’s our problem.”
“These Ancients are supposed to be advanced, yet they’d let our whole planet, our people—the children—”
“They’re seeing the big picture, Ash.” He put his arm around her. “I asked Deka about you—”
She pulled away. “I’ll stay with the children.” Her voice quivered.
“Of course.”
“If something happened to you—” She turned and leaned against him. “What a nightmare. And if they decide to let the meteorite hit?” She drew back. “Can Deka take us to safety?”
“I don’t know.” Steve ran his hand over his beard. “Who’d want refugees with the V-Gene?”
“When do you leave?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow. That’s her last day, and they spring that on her now?”
“The Council just found out. Deka didn’t have to tell me.” He sighed. “I’m going. You’ll support me, won’t you?”
“Of course,” Ashley said. She held him and laid her head on his chest. “We need to be quiet. Center ourselves. After dinner and the kids are in bed, let’s meditate.”
“There’s a lot of men like me, Ash. I just have to convince the Ancients.”
* * *
Back under Antarctica’s eastern continent, Deka reflected on the past 100 years. She had lived on the planet from corsets to bikinis, from the music of George Gershwin to Benny Goodman from Beatlemania to Jay-Z, from a depression to prosperity, from atom bombs to an anti-war movement, from the Cold War to the fall of the Berlin wall.
She had organized her findings of the development and behavior of homo sapiens and their cultures, and then transcribed them into dozens of alien languages.
Deka walked back to the larger area of the vessel where she slept and had what Earthlings called a “television,” an appliance that gave Dualities a vision of whoever was broadcasting. Deka found the TV a great source of suffering on the planet. It programmed the subconscious with a jailhouse of insanities that Dualities accepted as truth.
She wondered what human beings would be like in the twenty-first century. War had raged until June in Kosovo. Would there be new wars? Would the urgency of saving Mother Earth bring people together and win over their greed for money and power? Even the Ancients couldn’t predict the future of any civilization.
Taking off her clothes, she thought of the feral genitals of Earthlings. It was rare for beings from other worlds to have bodily copulation. Also, Dualities’ obsession with size and shape. She hoped homo sapiens would evolve to have an intermingling of the souls where love-making was more intense and fulfilling, the sex act far more climactic.
Deka pulled off her Earth suit, inserted a chip into the nape of its neck to erase all negativity, and stored the costume in its locker.
Free of the weight, she climbed into her pod and dozed off.
Several hours later, the sound of a ping woke her, and she hurried to the front.
Festi, Deka’s supervisor, beamed into the craft.
A small humanoid with iridescent skin stood before her.
“Are you sure about this Duality called Steve?” Festi said without an overture.
“Yes,” Deka answered with the same directness.
“The Ancients are a benevolent group,” Festi folded its arms across its chest, “but have you considered they might want to keep him? If but for a while? Especially if he is refined?”
Deka looked at her supervisor, whose eyes were pinpricks. “No. Never. It would be cruel to hold him unwillingly.”
“Is he prepared?”
“Yes, and so am I.” She knew Festi could be overly cautious. “Tu-La told me they’ll ask questions, he’ll answer. Then, I’ll take him back to his family. That’s the agreement.”
“Notwithstanding, I’m sure all on Elysian will be glad to have you home. Your allegiance has not fluctuated, has it? You are glad to be going home, yes?”
“Of course.”
“And your dissertation?”
“It’s completed. I will give it to you before midnight tomorrow.”
“Excellent,” Festi said and disappeared.
Deka opened the console board, flipped the switch, and the dashboard morphed to its fullest, circling the front part of the craft. The keyboard pulsated with colorful knobs, dials, and levers. Deka contacted Secretary Thebe, the Galactic Council’s personal assistant, just to make sure the agreement still held.
* * *
Prancer landed at the foot of Big Sur. From the center of the ship, Deka climbed
out the conduit and slid down Prancer to the shore. She never imagined after spending 100 years on Dual, she’d need to defend the planet’s right to exist.
Ashley and Steve darted toward her. It caused an unfamiliar ache.
His hair and beard trimmed, Steve appeared dignified in a dark blue suit.
Ashley, a scarf wrapped around her neck and tucked into her coat, was the first to greet her. She flung her arms around Deka in a tight hug, a gesture exclusive to Earth, and one Deka found endearing.
“Bring him back safe.”
“I’ll take care of him.”
“Will the Galactic Council give a judgment right away?” Ashley asked.
“I don’t know,” Deka said.
“There’s a time frame for the decision, isn’t there?” Steve questioned.
“Like a day or two?” Ashely added.
“They never said. Perhaps they will when our declaration has ended.”
“After you drop Steve off,” Ashley’s voice quivered, “that will be it.” She brushed away tears. “We’ll never see you again.”
Sadness hung in the air, thick as the morning fog. Deka too had deep emotions for the family she loved, the planet, and its people.
She held Ashley and said, “My work here is over. I’ll go home. If I don’t see the children, tell them goodbye. Kiss them for me.” It was another strange Duality exchange, but one she’d come to treasure.
Ashley pulled free. “Who will let us know the decision, if you don’t?”
“I promise you’ll be notified.”
Steve took his wife in his arms. He whispered something and kissed her.
Deka climbed up the neck of the ship with the exposed tube. “We need to go, Steve.”
* * *
Steve leaned over the console. “It’s fascinating.”
Deka turned her palms upward. The dashboard morphed into its entirety, causing Steve to back up.
“Beautiful, and ship’s—” he gazed around and looked below, “transparent.”
Deka turned her hands over. The console returned to its smaller design. She sat in her flight chair. “When I constructed the ship, I never intended to have company. You’ll have to stand or sit on the floor.” She spread her hands over the panel, rotating them clockwise, then counter clockwise. With fingers extended, she pressed down on ten dials like a pianist.
The ship shot out of Earth’s atmosphere.
Steve’s face was close to the crystal pane. “All the trash. It’s no better than how we treat our planet,” his voice filled with sadness. “We’ve been using the Kármán Line as a garbage dump.”
“Once we’re through this,” she said, navigating with a baton, dodging fragments, rising above approaching scraps of machinery, “we’ll get going.”
Deka shifted a gear and Prancer—living up to its name—skipped out of the Milky Way.
“Air.” Steve collapsed to the floor.
Deka immediately adjusted the oxygen level.
“Feeling better?”
“Yeah.” He pushed himself up. “After all this is over.”
“Try not to worry.” Deka wanted to allay his anxiety. She slowed the ship to cruise and circled the Andromeda Galaxy with its swirling nebulae of gases and dust with a bright center and billions of stars.
Steve pressed his hands against the window. “Oh, wow. We’re over 2 million light years from Earth.” Deka heard his excitement. “It’s magnificent. A glittering cosmos city.”
Deka tapped in equations. The ship leaped from one beam of reference to another.
“I feel like we’re standing still.”
“It’s known on Elysian as illusive-reality. Sounds contradictory,” Deka laughed, “as if a Duality made it up, but it isn’t.”
“The colors, the streaks like streams of fire.” Steve looked below his feet through the pane. “So many universes. I wish I could have been here under different circumstances.”
“I’m sure you’re overwhelmed, but I know you can shoulder it.”
Outside, darkness turned blue, then reddish pink. Clouds of greenish hues broke apart, revealing radiant pinpoints of bursting fireworks.
“Beautiful. Like a cosmic party favor.”
“You’re seeing the creation of a galaxy.”
Deka glanced at him. His aura glowed violet. The brightest violet she’d seen around him.
“Thank you for standing up for us. I’ll miss you.” His voice was just above a whisper. “I’m lucky to have known you, Deka.”
“It’s not luck.”
“Yeah.” Steve’s nose touched the crystal wall. “Inspires me to want to teach again. I might never get the chance. What would be the point?” He slumped to the floor. “I don’t know.” He shook his head, arms crossed.
“Experience the miracle of what you’re witnessing. The universe is held together by love. Remember that when you speak before the Galactic Council.”
Swallowed by a supernova, Deka navigated in and around fractured spiderwebs of atoms, particles, gases, and dust that attached themselves from one light year to another.
The ship dipped and leaped into and out of a mountain of cinders. Sparks dripped and spewed lavender as they bounced off Prancer. “It won’t be long,” she said, free of the nova.
“Our scientists—holy Jesus, Deka.” Steve instinctively ducked as an asteroid aimed for Prancer.
Deka hoped to keep his mind in the moment and easily averted the asteroid.
“Is that what I think it is?” Steve asked.
“Yes. A solar wind.” She beamed Prancer above the blast and experienced a tremendous wave of propulsion, then slowed the ship. They were in a realm of indescribable splendor. She waited to hear her friend’s reaction and looked over.
Steve’s jaw dropped, fingers splayed against the pane. “I taught this,” he said, finding his voice. “A cloudscape.”
Spewed by hydrogen and helium gases, the galactic cirrus clouds of yellow, orange, indigo, and red, every shape and size burst with springs of rebirth.
“Ashley would be blown away. The wonder of all this. I’ll never be the same.”
Considering Steve’s astonishment, Deka said, “I don’t know how the Galactic Council will present themselves, but look into their eyes. To an Earthling, they may seem ugly or grotesque. But if you focus only on their eyes, you’ll see their effulgence.”
“My god. Is that it? The Mother Ship?”
“The Nautical Paragon.” Deka slowed Prancer to cruise. “We’ll be docking in five minutes.”
“It’s gigantic.”
“It holds 15,000 individuals. Think the height of the Empire State Building. It’s 30 times the width of the Sydney Opera House, and the largest self-reliant ship in our sector of the universe.”
Steve straightened his tie. “I’m ready.”
“I know you are.”
“I’m really ready.”
“Your aura is vivid violet. It’s surrounded by white, and your vibration’s one of love.” Deka joined him at the window.
They shared a moment where neither spoke. Then Deka said, “You’re here because of your goodness and for other Earthmen like you.”
They traveled closer to the Nautical Paragon. Three colorful rings floated around the ship’s dome, shooting sparks that turned into mist.
“It’s signaling Prancer’s arrival,” Deka said.
An opening in the hangar unlocked. A jetty rolled out.
Deka sat at the dashboard. Holding the baton, her fingers tingled with excitement as she guided Prancer to the dock.
“It was built over a thousand years ago. I like the halo’s jukebox look with the rings. They were added 300 years ago. It improved the craft’s power and communications.”
“How far can the transmission reach?”
“About 100 billion light years from where we are now.”
“Awesome.”
A magnetic pull drew them into a grounding lock alongside other spaceships.
“We’ve entered a megalopolis similar to your United Nations.”
Deka climbed out of Prancer’s duct with Steve following. They slid to the ground.
* * *
Steve’s adrenalin surged. The momentous responsibility was upon him. He took several deep breaths.
“Greetings, Deka,” Festi said.
“Hello, Festi. This is Steve.”
“I assumed. The Ancients are ready.”
“Festi is my supervisor from the constellation Jor-23.”
“Pleased to meet you.” Steve tried not to stare at the marble-veined creature. Even though he’d been a professor who studied the cosmos and possible life on other planets, this journey was rocking his mind.
“This way, Steve,” Deka said.
He gazed around the cellar complex with its stair steps that held different sizes and shapes of spaceships. A citrus aroma was in contrast to its austere and chilly interior.
A pink seamless sphere rolled to a stop beside them. Deka entered. Steve saw her inside the globe.
Festi gestured with small multicolored digits for Steve to enter.
No sensation occurred when he crossed the threshold.
Once Festi embarked, the orb rose. Steve watched below astounded how Prancer lifted up and fit neatly into a labyrinth alongside other ships.
Rising inside the bubble, he saw frames with moving pictures inside. Creatures scaled staircases then disappeared through hazy arches as the stairways folded and rearranged themselves into courtyards. The network reminded him of being inside an Escher woodcut.
“In deference to you, the Ancients will speak English,” Festi said, staring at Steve with tiny black eyes. “They’ll quiz you, then you’ll have your say.”
The pinkish sphere rolled to a stop, yet Steve felt no circular motion.
He took several breaths, shut his eyes, and remembered why Deka chose him to represent mankind.
The mottled creature was the first to exit, then Deka. As soon as Steve departed, the globe morphed into a ladder.
He experienced a lightness, his movements free of effort.
Festi beckoned.
Deka held onto the rungs and scaled the steps.
Steve followed. The rungs were pliable. He glanced behind. The dappled alien had disappeared.
When Steve looked up, there was an opening in the ceiling with shadows moving about. His heart thumped against his chest. Although it was chilly, perspiration broke out on the palms of his hands and his forehead.
Deka reached the top and vanished.
Could it be a trap? What if the Ancients decided to keep him? He stopped. Fear circled him. Then Steve remembered why he was here, and rushed to the top.
He stepped onto a small dais surrounded by an opaque lime wall. Light from a filigree dome streamed down on Deka, who stood center stage. Steve joined her.
“I’m Tu-La, from the constellation Canis Minor—” said an authoritative voice. Two orange eyes with blue rings appeared through the blurred wall. “—the oldest and Premier Ancient on the Galactic Council.”
Steve’s rapid heartbeat left him speechless. He took a breath, cleared his throat, and said, “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak. I’m humbled by your generosity.” He mustn’t be distracted by the wide squiggly shape behind the dim distorted wall.
“Your vibe is melodious and your aura beams violet. You are a remarkable Duality, considering you come from such a bloodthirsty planet.”
Steve gazed into Tu-La’s eyes and felt compassion emanating from them. “I’ve conquered the V-Gene. There are many like me.”
“What’s to stop Dualities—”
Steve swung around, as did Deka.
“—from taking their warring ways into the cosmos?” asked a creature with deep set metallic orbs that exuded empathy.
“With each generation, our consciousness expands. Good always overcomes evil.”
“Ah,” roared a creature with five globes, “then there’s the matter of poisoning your planet.”
“We’re working on that—”
“Not fast enough,” said the multi-eyed alien. “We’re here debating whether or not to save your planet,” it said, concerned. “But Dualities might kill themselves first with fossil fuels and your endless wars.”
“What about human trafficking?”
Steve turned to his right. Eyes similar to his own looked at him with interest.
“It’s a crime and unacceptable. In time, that too will end.”
“When?” said a being with reptilian beady spheres. “Your concept of time takes forever.”
“I understand and agree with your concern, but we’re influencing people and moving forward as fast as we can.” He did not want to plead or argue, but he must defend his planet. “Patience is needed.”
In a strange clicking language, the Ancients talked among themselves.
Steve straightened his tie. His answers he thought unconvincing. The warped silhouettes didn’t help. He glanced at Deka who looked straight ahead. He remembered that she had told him he might find the Ancients ugly or grotesque. By camouflaging themselves, perhaps they were helping him—a show of kindness.
He peered sideways at Deka.
Empowered by her presence, he spoke in a confident voice. “The goodness of Earthmen will defeat the V-Gene. We have a United Nations, Greenpeace, the Environmental Defense Fund, the World Peace Foundation—” He felt his speech rushed and slowly turned to include all five Ancients, who peered at his eye level. “There are millions of men like me on Earth. We respect and support our wives and daughters. My wife Ashley works. I’m a stay-at-home dad.” He smiled, shy. “We have a daughter, Terry, and a son, Louis.” The mention of his children gave him courage. “People around the world care about our planet. We use solar panels. Two years ago, electric cars came out. More people are vegetarian to live healthier and combat methane gas. We are changing. And there will be millions more. We will succeed.”
The Ancients gathered around Tu-La.
“Deka?” Tu-La said.
“I’ve studied Earthmen for 100 years, and have witnessed their evolution toward women and each other. The art, music, literature of Dualities must be preserved and allowed to flourish. So must the animals, trees, plants, the oceans, and mountains. And its people. Especially the people.” Steve heard a voice filled with conviction and passion.
“It’s a young planet, boorish at times, well-behaved at others. If allowed, they will rise above opposition and coalesce in peace. Steve is a model for the goodness in men. The potential is enormous. We must protect Dual.”
“Anything to add, Steve?” Tu-La asked.
“We have the ability to love as you do, if given the chance. We’re all brothers and sisters on Earth. As I stand here, I see you’re family, too.” He bowed his head in reverence to these advanced and benevolent beings. “Give us the chance.”
“We consider the highest good for all souls in the cosmos,” Tu-La said. “Thank you both. That is all.”
The wall blacked out. The floor descended with Steve and Deka.
* * *
Prancer waited on the dock.
“When will they tell us?” Steve asked.
“I don’t know.” Deka sat at the control panel and entered calculations into the dashboard. She hoped for an immediate response. The wait was daunting.
Steve sat on the floor, arms crossed around his knees. “They weren’t convinced, or they would have given us an answer. I’ve let you—and everyone—down.”
Deka waved the baton. Prancer shot into space.
“Your aura and vibe never wavered. That’s what was important. And you spoke well.”
The ship whisked through the universe.
“You made an impression on the Ancients. Just as I knew you would.”
“But will they save Earth?”
“I don’t know.”
She suffered Steve’s anguish, saw his creased brow and the vein throbbing down his forehead. “Stay centered. Don’t let your thoughts drive you to the edge.”
“Don’t ever lie to me—”
“I won’t—”
“Saying the Ancients will intercede when—”
“You have my word.”
“All I want is a yes or no,” he said.
“Live every day as if it’s a yes.”
Steve scratched his beard. “This is the worst. Not knowing.”
Helpless, Deka understood his agony. His aura was now a burnt brown tinged with orange.
Stooping, Steve stretched his arms onto the window. “If there’s no judgment,” he said, voice rasping, “that’s it. My family, everything—we all die. Disappear as if we never existed.” He let his hands fall to his sides. “I don’t know how I’m going to live with this knowledge.”
Deka turned a dial. A chime rang out.
“Festi?”
“Yes, Deka.” Her supervisor appeared on a screen.
“Have the Ancients decided?”
Steve turned.
“No.”
Deka glanced at her friend, who looked ready to pounce on the screen.
“I’ll be on Elysian. If I can’t give him the answer, who can?”
“Soon as I hear anything. I’ll get word to both of you. One way or another.”
Steve loosened his tie. He leaned over the console. “Please, find out.”
“It would be unheard of to contact an Ancient,” Festi said, “and it would hurt your argument.”
“There must be something you can do.”
“What about Secretary Thebe?” Deka asked. “Could they tell us anything?”
“No, the Secretary hasn’t heard.”
The screen blacked out.
“Let’s get you home.”
Steve wiped his tears. She’d never seen him cry, never seen him so miserable. She reached over and touched his shoulder. “Not hearing right away might be a good thing.” She withdrew her hand. “Once you’re with Ashley and the children, you’ll feel better. Try to be strong.”
“It’s the weight of it. The responsibility.”
Eager to get him home, Deka hyperswept through the cosmos.
Living in her natural Elysian-state of bliss had been challenging on Earth—at times, impossible, like now. She cared about Dual perhaps too much.
Deka glanced at Steve, alarmed that his sandy colored hair had turned white.
It wasn’t fair he had to live with this pressure. The ache in her chest returned.
Deka programmed Prancer for jumpspace, then made one of the most difficult decisions of her young life.
* * *
Sun rays shimmered on the Pacific as Prancer touched down along the shore of Big Sur.
Through the crystal glass, Deka saw Ashley pace the beach, look up, then sprint toward the ship.
Inside Prancer, Steve’s head hit the roof while he struggled to find his footing.
Deka released the conduit from the ship’s ceiling. It ascended. Steve’s mind and body carried a horrifying secret; his vibration diminished. He stumbled out of the tube.
“What happened?” Ashely shouted. “Your hair?” She turned to Deka. “Why has he aged?” Ashley held her husband. “What’s the decision?”
“There isn’t any,” Steve said.
“How could the Ancients not give us an answer, Deka? It’s not fair,” she choked, “not knowing—”
“When there’s a verdict, you’ll hear.”
“This is a nightmare,” Ashley said.
“Steve was perfect. He answered their questions with conviction. They were impressed. I’m proud of him.”
Thundering waves surged. The surf splashed Deka’s boots.
“If it’s a no,” Steve said, “can they tell us how long we have?”
“They don’t even know that.”
She gazed at the couple who meant so much to her. “Of all the people on Dual, you and Ashley are the ones I care most about.” She paused. “My task here is over. I can’t return.”
It was a break the glass moment. Deka had never used the procedure while on Dual, but was thankful it would spare them more torment.
And for the first time, Deka initiated the Duality gesture and hugged Ashley. She brushed her friend’s hair aside and gently pressed a time-released chip into the nape of her neck. In five minutes, it would erase all memory of Deka and everything associated with her from Ashley’s mind.
Deka held out her hand for Steve and embraced him, too.
“It’s not your fault,” he said. “Our time with you will always be the highlight of our lives. Knowing you,” his voice splintered, “loving you.” Deka kissed him on the cheek and inserted the chip into the nape of his neck.
She climbed up on Prancer and slid down the passageway into the craft.
At the control panel, she waved the baton, and Prancer slowly lifted off. From the crystal pane, she saw that Steve’s hair had turned back to its natural color. The couple walked north along the shore holding hands. Yogi dashed down the steps. He ran alongside them, barking, dashing into and out of the sea, shaking off drops of water.
Her assignment on Earth finished, Deka was grateful to have known the planet and its people, and believed in its potential to rid itself of the V-Gene.
END
Recent Comments