Rebirth
This story is part of the Fair Maiden series and is a sequel to The Birth. If you haven't read The Birth you can find it here. If anyone is unfamiliar with The Fair Maiden series I have a regularly recurring character called Elizabeth Baker who helps Cade and Eddie in their fight against the Gua.
There is a synopsis of The Birth written into this story. The child born in that story learns about his father and the impending invasion. This is the first part of a three part story.
This story also takes place after the finale of the third series when everything appears to be normal.
Spoilers include The Harvest, Unearthed, The Edge and Twice Blessed.
It also includes spoilers from some of my other stories including The Fair Maiden, The Birth and The Betrothal (This hasn't been posted anywhere yet but there is a minor spoiler from this story here but don't worry as it doesn't really detract from the story).
Disclaimer: - First Wave title and characters are the property of First Wave Productions and Pearson TV. The characters Cade Foster, Crazy Eddie, Jordan Radcliffe, Joshua and the Gua are the property of Chris Brancato, Larry Sugar and Francis Ford Coppola. The characters Elizabeth Baker, Madelyn, Jeff, Adam and Kayla as well as the plot belong to me. (irish – November 2001).
Content – Violence, Angst, Adult Situations
Formatting Notes - The symbol ^^^^^^^^ denotes email being read out/Flashback. Uploading this in word didn't make the formatting look right and notepad changes everything the same - if that makes sense!
Rating - R
******
Part One
Prologue
Helena Masters stared worriedly out the kitchen window of her house. The incredible view of the valley from the window usually gave her some pleasure but today it was lost on her. She half listened to the drone of the DJ on the radio. When she sent Adam, her son, to the store for milk she never imagined he would be gone this long. His restlessness in the last few days unnerved her and letting him out alone was something she rarely did. She tried to never let him go anywhere alone. Adam was a special little boy. So special that it was dangerous for him no matter where he was.
Since his birth two years ago Adam's development was remarkable. He had far surpassed other kids his age and most people who met him believed him to be at least seven and ready for school. Not that Helena would send him to school. Helena was a schoolteacher. At least she was before she had to leave her old life behind.
Before Adam was born her name was Madelyn Harewood. In college she had fallen deeply in love with Jeff. It was only after they married and discovered she couldn't have children that Jeff confessed his secret. He was an alien. Upset and confused, she agreed to a new technique. It worked, but not before Jeff found out what the Gua had planned for their child. Scared for his family he moved them to Minnesota in hopes they could go undetected. Fearing it wasn't enough, he left her a few weeks before she was due to give birth. When an old friend, Elizabeth Baker, arrived one day with two friends, Cade Foster and Eddie Nambulous, she had been relieved. After Liz left to find her husband, she went into labour and gave birth to a son. Arriving shortly after, Liz's story rang false when she claimed she hadn't been able to find Jeff. Fearing for their safety, she had moved herself and her son to Oregon to start a new life. She became Helena Masters and the baby became Adam. But she was always looking over her shoulder.
Not able to stand the wait any longer she walked quickly towards the front door. Pulling the heavy wooden door open she saw that a light rain had started to fall making gentle pit pat sounds on the ground. She shivered slightly from the chill in the air. She saw the sky was getting darker from heavy rain clouds. Fingering the gold locket that hung around her neck she looked towards the dirt road leading up to the house. It was still flooded in parts from the heavy rain of the last few days.
"Adam!" she yelled. She stood for a couple of minutes considering her options when the rain started to come down heavier. She grabbed her light jacket from the coat rack and ran down the steps of the house forgetting to close the door after her. She smiled as she remembered the last time Adam went missing. She found him covered in mud from top to toe. She hadn't the heart to give out to him even if he did hand her the dubious present of a dead frog!
As she walked towards the main road the rain started to come down even heavier. She only realised she was wearing open toe shoes when she felt the mud squelching in between her toes. Rain started to trickle down her long dark hair and neck.
The roar of a car engine filled her ears and she looked up to see a black SUV driving up the road at high speed. Mud spattered the sides of the car, as it seemed to be heading straight at her. She barely had time to jump out of the way when the vehicle slammed to a stop just beside her spraying her with mud and water.
"Hey!" she yelled in annoyance at the car. But annoyance turned to fear and horror when the dark passenger window rolled down to reveal two men that she recognised from the clinic in West Virginia.
"NO!" she breathed as fear rooted her to the spot for a couple of seconds. Then with renewed energy she turned on her heels towards her own car. They couldn't be here. Not now. Not after how careful they had been. She couldn't let them take Adam away.
The driver of the car nodded to his associate as they watched her run away. She felt a piercing sting to her neck and felt herself falling towards the ground. Her last thought, as she fell face first into a puddle of mud, was that Adam was no longer safe.
The two men got out of the car. They stared down at the prone body of the woman on the ground. The passenger kneeled down and turned her over. He looked at the mud-splattered face of the woman before picking her up and carrying her back to the vehicle. He placed her limp body into the back seat of the car. The driver drove them up to the house.
******
Eddie was surfing to net trying to pick up on anything unusual. It had been a week since they had stopped the invasion from occurring but that didn't mean that they could drop everything. Joshua told them that there could still be a significant threat. Cade and Jordan
were briefing the remainder of the Raven Nation army and Liz was writing an exclusive story for The Ohio Chronicle. Eddie logged onto his email and saw that there were at least two hundred emails in his in-box.
This had been a regular occurrence since they put the word out that the invasion had been stopped. He was still only half way through the emails he got two days ago. He was about to file them all away when he saw one from Joshua. He wondered why Joshua was emailing him. He read it out loud to himself.
^^^^^^^^^
"Eddie
A meeting of the Council last Wednesday concluded that the Invasion plans have been put on hold for the time being. All divisions of the Gua forces have been ordered back. This includes all results of experiments in fertilisation. As you know there was only one of these
experiments conducted I should advise you that Gua forces have been sent to secure the individual. It is in your best interest to proceed to the location before the Gua forces do and secure the said individual.
Joshua"
^^^^^^^^
"Why can't he speak in plain English?" muttered Eddie picking up the phone to call
Madelyn. He listened to the phone ring out for a while and suddenly got a sense of foreboding. His paranoid instincts told him something was wrong. He looked again at the
date of the email and saw that it had been sent two days ago.
He picked up the phone again and dialled Liz's cell phone.
"Liz. Have you heard from Helena lately?" Eddie asked. Although his computer had shown that the line was secure he still wasn't going to take any chances.
"Not for a while. Why?"
"I got a communication from our man on the ground saying she and Adam could be in danger."
"I thought it was all over."
Eddie scanned his emails to see if there was one from Madelyn. "Apparently all forces have
been ordered back which included all those who are the result of interbreeding."
"If you gave her a new identity then she will be safe."
"I don't know Liz I have a bad feeling about this," replied Eddie.
"Paranoia," replied Liz trying to make a joke out of it. "Ask Cade and Jordan to check it out."
"They were briefing the Raven Nation in Utah and then they were taking some time off."
"Well contact them and tell them to get their butts in motion and check this out," Liz said hanging up the phone.
Cade and Jordan were trying to find Raven Nation members who had survived the assault by Mabus's troops. So far they had only come across a handful of survivors who were so badly traumatised by the events that they refused to get involved in anything else.
Jordan sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. She had a notebook on her knee with a list of Raven Nation operatives. She crossed out some names and wrote some comments beside them. "I always thought that the Raven Nation were invincible but when it comes down to it they are just human."
Cade sat down beside her. "They served their purpose. They can go back to their lives."
She turned to face him and looked into his blue eyes. "Can we return to our lives?"
"Not our old ones but we can make a new one together."
Cade leaned over to kiss her. She lay back on the bed, the notebook sliding off her knee to the floor as Cade eased his body over hers.
The shrill ring of Cade's cell phone interrupted them. Cade groaned and reached over to the nightstand and picked up the phone. He pressed a button to reject the call.
"Now where were we?" he asked smiling at the woman beside him.
Jordan gently bit his shoulder. "I think we were right here."
Cade laughed. "Sounds right."
Cade's cell phone rang again. He looked at the caller id and saw that it was Eddie. He decided to answer it otherwise Eddie would be calling him all night.
"Eddie."
"Sorry to disturb you Foster but something's come up."
"Unless world war three is about to break out, Eddie. I don't want to know."
"Your namesake is in danger," Eddie said simply.
Cade sat up in the bed and looked at Jordan. "What?"
"I got an email from our man on the ground."
"I'm sure everything is fine," replied Cade. Jordan looked at him curiously.
"Foster both Liz and I have tried calling her but there was no
answer. Foster, I'm concerned something is wrong. That email was a
couple of days old."
Cade heard the tone in Eddie's voice and knew him well enough to know that when Eddie had a haunch about something he was right.
Cade was silent for a few minutes thinking it over. "Ok we'll check it out."
He grabbed his duffel bag and began to stuff some of his clothes into it. He looked at Jordan.
"Cade?"
He threw her bags over to her. "Pack your bags we have an investigation."
"What?"
"I'll explain on the way. We can do this another time."
Liz paced her apartment after trying Madelyn's number again. She then grabbed an overnight bag from the closet and threw some clothes in it. She couldn't wait around if something was going to happen to her friend. She decided to call Foster when she got there. She called the airport to see when the next flight was. She was told that the next flight was fully booked but to get to the airport in case someone cancelled
.
She had to wait three hours in the airport as the no one cancelled their flight. It was a four-hour flight to Portland Airport and a five-hour drive from the airport to the small mountain town of Folkson. She arrived in the town a little after 4 in the morning. She remembered the last time she spoke to Maddy a couple of months ago. It was just after Cade and Jordan found and lost the hammer of Thor.
^^^^^^^^^
"I'm concerned about Adam."
"Why?"
"He's going through some… changes. I'm just worried that he won't have any one to look after him when I'm not here any more."
"What do you mean?"
"Will you promise me that if anything happens to me, you will take care of Adam?"
"Nothing is going to happen to you."
"Promise me, Liz."
Maddy's plea was so impassioned that Liz agreed to take care of him.
^^^^^^^^^
Cade and Jordan only had a couple of days driving to do. They took turns at the wheel and talked to each other about their lives. They didn't stop driving as they decided it was better to get to Maddy's as quickly as they could.
Maddy's house was a few miles outside. Liz had to look at the map to see where it was. A light mist was rolling in over the hills blocking the sun as it peeked over the ridge. She got out of the car and heard another car coming up the dirt road. She turned to see Cade and Jordan in the car.
"Hey."
"What are you doing here? Thought you were working on your story for the paper," Jordan said.
"Maddy is my friend," replied Liz.
"Oh right," Jordan said sarcastically.
"Come on you two. Let's find Maddy and Adam," Cade said going over to the house. He walked up the steps to the little wooden house but noticed that the door was unlocked. He reached into his pocket for his gun and slowly opened the door.
"Maddy?" he called. He went inside and looked around. While he was going around the inside of the house Liz and Jordan were looking around the outside of the house. Jordan noticed some tyre tracks beside Maddy's jeep and knelt down to examine them.
"These are a couple of days old. 4x4 SUV," she surmised.
"Could have had visitors," Liz said.
"No I have seen these type of tracks before," Jordan said standing up. She and Liz walked towards the house.
Cade slowly made his way around the house looking in every room. He could hear music coming from somewhere.
"Maddy?" he called as he walked towards the sound. The door was slightly ajar so he
pushed it open. He walked over to the radio beside the window and turned it off. When he turned he saw Maddy lying on the floor by the back door. He exhaled slowly as he knelt down beside her and examined her injuries. Her eyes were swollen and bruised and blood was encrusted around her nose. He felt her pulse and discovered that it was weak but noticed that she wasn't breathing. He immediately started CPR on her. He heard Liz and Jordan's voices in the house now. They came into the kitchen and watched in horror as Cade tried to revive Maddy.
"Maddy?" Liz knelt beside them and watched as Cade tried to revive her friend. But it was to no avail. She never regained consciousness.
Tears glistened in Liz's eyes. "How could this happen?"
"We have to find Adam," Cade said standing up looking defeated.
"The Gua probably took him when they did this to her," Liz said standing up
"I don't think so," replied Jordan. "I think she was trying to protect him."
"We are not going to find him standing here. If we split up individually we will cover more ground faster," Cade said putting a blanket over Maddy's body. They could always bury her later.
Cade and Liz walked off in separate directions calling Adam at intermittent periods. Jordan took Maddy's Jeep. They agreed to meet back at the house after two hours. Cade struggled down a steep incline nearly slipping on his butt on some wet leaves and came across a cave under it. The entrance was covered in branches and roots. He almost walked by it when he noticed a strange white light emanating from the back of the cave. He pushed the branches back and looked into the cave. He reached for his gun and slowly walked towards the light. Cade gasped when he saw the sight in front of him. In front of him what appeared to be a small boy lay on the ground. He had dark hair and his eyes were tightly closed. He was covered in what was like white cling film which pulsated like a heart beat. Cade watched as the cling film started to stretch. He heard a gasp from someone behind him. He turned and saw that Liz and Jordan had come into the cave. They watched in horrified fascination as the limbs of the little boy started to grow. The sheath pulsated quicker as the boy's head began to look like it was deforming as it too began to stretch and swell. Even his genitalia developed. This change continued for the next half-hour as the body of the little boy changed into that of a grown man. All of a sudden the sheath stopped pulsating and it began to tear from the head down. As the sheath fell away it left slimy substance on the fully formed being. Almost like a baby who was just born.
The three stood in silence for a couple of minutes almost afraid to say anything. They watched as the Being opened his eyes. His eyes appeared to take in everything that he was seeing. He turned his head and focussed his eyes on the three people standing in front of him. He opened his mouth as if to speak but no sound came out. As he tried to get up his limbs moved as if they weren't part of him and he fell over. Cade caught him before he hit his head. The Being suddenly let out a shriek and crawled back to the furthest corner of the cave.
"It's ok. We won't hurt you," Liz said softly showing him the blanket that she had.
He let Liz put the blanket around his shoulders. "Can you tell us who you are?"
"He's Gua," replied Jordan reaching for her Gun and pointed at the
man.
Liz jumped up and stood between the red head and the Being. "What the hell do you think you are doing?"
"He's Gua, Liz. This was a barbaric experiment, which went out of control. Now move or I'll shoot you as well."
"Hold on girls," Cade interrupted. "We have to get in contact with Joshua and see what he says."
Liz turned her attentions to the Being again. "Are you Adam?" When Liz said the name the Being looked as if he had heard the name before.
"Adam," he said in a halting voice. His voice sounded like it was that of a teenage boy whose voice was breaking.
"We better get him back to the house," Cade said taking one of Adam's arms. Liz took the other and helped Adam to his feet. He stood unsteadily so Liz and Cade supported him as they walked to the entrance of the cave. They helped him onto Maddy's Jeep and Jordan
drove them back to the house.
"We need to get in touch with Joshua, Eddie," Cade said over the cell phone when they arrived back at the house. Adam appeared steadier on his feet as they walked him up the steps of the house. He stood in the hallway and looked around as if he was seeing it with new eyes.
"Ok amigo," replied Eddie sending an encrypted email to Joshua. Cade already told him what happened.
"You are Cade," Adam suddenly said directing dark brown eyes at Cade now.
"Yes."
"My mother spoke of you," Adam said and then suddenly looked around. "Where is she? My mother?"
Liz looked at Cade and Jordan and suddenly felt unable to speak.
"Let's get you something to wear," Cade said going out to the car and bringing in a pair of jeans and T-shirt.
While Adam was upstairs putting on the clothes Cade, Jordan and Liz were beginning to remove Madelyn from the kitchen. They heard a loud sob behind them. They turned around and saw Adam standing by the door.
"Mom?" he exclaimed. He kneeled down beside Madelyn and gently stroked her face. He then took his mother in his arms and sobbed as he rocked her back and forth. Cade had a sense of Déjà Vu as he watched this. Liz took Adam by the shoulders and held him as they both sobbed.
They buried Madelyn by her favourite oak tree later that day. Adam placed a rose beside the small cross to mark the site.
"What do we do now?" asked Jordan as she and Cade watched as Adam and Liz locked up the house for the final time.
"Adam is important to the Gua. That's why they want to take him back."
"We can't let them do that."
"I know," replied Cade. "Adam is just as important to us."
"I have a bad feeling about this."
"What kind of feeling?"
"That's it's not over. Our hard work over the last three years is not over and it's the start of something new. The Gua will do anything to get Adam back."
The red head walked towards the car and was about to open the door when a noise like the sound of a firecracker rang out and the windshield of the jeep shattered. She dived behind the jeep.
"GET DOWN!"
She pulled out her gun and Cade slid to the ground beside their car. They surveyed the area to see who was firing at them. Jordan caught a flash by the trees and began to shoot in that direction.
"I can see someone in the trees," she whispered back to Cade who had also opened fire on their assailant.
"So can I." Cade looked back at Liz and Adam who had hidden behind the shed.
A black SUV came speeding up the driveway and came to a stop near the top of the driveway. The driver started to shoot at them as well. Glass shattered all around them as the gun battle intensified. They heard the cry of the assailant in the trees as Jordan shot at him. She heard the distinctive sound of the Gua dissolving. She turned her attention to the driver of the SUV who was locked in an intense battle with Cade. She took aim and fired at the driver and watched in satisfaction as a bullet hit him in the chest and he dissolved.
"You were saying?" she said to Cade. She ran over to the SUV and searched it. A flash of gold from under the seat caught her eye and she stooped to pick it up. It was a gold locket. "Hey, take a look at this."
She handed the locket to Liz. "That was Maddy's. Jeff gave it to when they married." Liz opened the locket and was stunned to see the remarkable likeness of the picture of the man to his son. She pressed the locket to Adam's hand. "Keep it."
"We better get out of here before we have more visitors," Jordan said pushing Adam into the back of the car. Liz climbed in beside him and Cade got into the driver's seat. Adam took one last look out the back window as the car headed down the driveway as they went to meet up with Eddie and the trailer.
"Eddie, has Joshua gotten back in contact yet?" asked Cade as soon as they arrived at the trailer. It had been a long journey and Adam had slept the whole way. Eddie stared at Adam in amazement when they were introduced.
Eddie glanced over the computer. "Not yet."
Meanwhile Adam was poking around the trailer and seemed fascinated by the computers.
Cade's cell phone rang. He looked at the screen and saw that it was Joshua. He went outside to take the call.
"Foster, the Gua Assembly have delayed return to our planet."
"What?"
"They want the hybrid and will do anything to get him. That means deploying Gua forces on Earth and continuing plans for a Second Wave."
"They can't do that!"
"They can and in fact have already. They are close to relaunching the Second Wave. It may come in a matter of weeks."
"NO!!"
"Foster, unless you return the hybrid they will invade," replied Joshua.
"What do you suggest we do?"
"Return the boy," replied Joshua unaware that Adam had metamorphosed.
"Not a chance," replied Cade. "We will fight the Gua all the way."
"No doubt you will. I have been appointed Earth Liaison. Can I meet the boy? Maybe we can make an arrangement?"
"No deals, Joshua. Adam is important to us. We won't turn him in."
"Can I at least meet the boy Foster?"
Cade thought for a minute. He wasn't sure if he could trust Joshua now but believed him when he said the Gua would launch the Second Wave.
"I'll discuss it with the others," he eventually said.
"You have one hour," Joshua said.
Cade hung up and went back into the trailer. He told them what Joshua said. Jordan wanted to hand Adam over to the Gua in order to avert war but Liz and Eddie shouted her down. They eventually decided that Joshua should meet Adam. Cade and Liz said they would go with Adam. Joshua told them to meet him in three days time in California.
Cade and Liz took turns driving to California. Adam slept mostly in the back seat of the car. Liz looked back at Adam who looked sound asleep. "He's very confused about everything,"
"I know."
Liz looked over at Cade who was staring intently out the car window. "I know you'd rather be spending time with Jordan."
Cade smiled and then looked over at Liz. "It can wait,"
"Cade, you could spend your whole life waiting for the right time and it may never come."
"I know but this is more important." He looked at Liz. "So how have you been?" he asked suddenly.
"Me? I've been keeping busy. The article is coming along."
"I'm talking about Nick. We haven't really talked about what happened."
"Nick's dead. Time to get on with my life…our lives," she replied. Cade sensed that she still wasn't ready to talk about Nick so he didn't say anything more.
They were making good time so they decided to stop at a motel just outside California. It was getting dark. Cade and Adam stayed in one room and Liz booked into another room. Adam still hadn't said much. It was like he was getting used to the world all over again.
Liz and Cade watched him as Adam stood by the river later in the evening.
"I'm going to talk to him," Liz told Cade and she walked down to the river.
"Hi," she said to Adam.
Adam turned to look at her. Adam had all the qualities of a grown man but the aura of a little boy. He was extremely good looking with dark hair and dark brown eyes.
"Hello."
"Are you ok?"
"I need to know why this happened."
"It's very long and complicated," Liz replied
"You were talking about an invasion and about the Gua." It sounded more like a question than a statement.
"Cade discovered plans by an alien force called the Gua to take over the planet. He set out to stop them which he did with our help but now they are still threatening to invade unless we…" Liz considered her next words.
"Unless we what?" interrupted Adam.
"Adam. I want you to know that we will do anything to stop them…" Liz started to say but Adam interrupted her again.
"Unless we what?"
"Adam. You are the result of the love between your mother and your father. They were two very special people. They wouldn't have wanted this for you."
"Wanted what?"
"Your father was Gua. Your mother was human. You are the result of an experiment by the Gua and now they want you," replied Liz carefully knowing that it would tip him over the edge. Adam looked like he was about to collapse. He leaned on the railing beside the river and held onto it. Liz put her hand on his back and rubbed it as she heard him sob.
Cade watched from the top of the hill but decided to leave them alone. His cell phone rang and he answered it. It was Jordan.
"How is it going?" she asked.
"Fine. I think Liz just told Adam about Jeff and Maddy."
"That's not what I meant."
"What did you mean?"
"I meant with you."
"I'd rather be there with you."
"Me too."
"It never seems like the right time," said Cade.
"I guess we could spend our whole life waiting for the right time and it may never come," Jordan said.
"Funny. That's what Liz said,"
"Oh," replied Jordan.
"I miss you," Cade said.
"I miss you too," replied Jordan smiling to herself.
"How's Eddie?" asked Cade.
Jordan looked over at Eddie who was making one of his specials. She wrinkled her nose at the combination of smells. "Eddie is driving me nuts. He's just made himself one of those nasty sandwiches of his."
*****
"Tell me about my father," Adam asked as he and Liz sat on a bench beside the river.
"He was a good man. Even though he was Gua he was against what his race were doing here. He wanted the best for you," replied Liz staring into the river.
"Mom never told me what happened to him," replied Adam fingering the locket he had put into his pocket.
"She never knew. I never told her. He killed himself to protect you," Liz said taking his hand.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," replied Liz.
"Did you love my father?"
Anything Liz had to say was drowned out by a roaring sound like a roll of thunder. Adam and Liz looked up and saw a large helicopter flying over the clearing on the other side of the river. Cade saw it as well.
"Liz, get out of there," Cade shouted running down to Adam and Liz just as someone in the helicopter opened fire. Adam and Liz jumped up and ran for shelter behind a large tree. Machine gun bullets rained down on them. Cade pulled out his own gun and started firing at the chopper from behind the tree dodging every time bullets hit the tree. It seemed to go on for hours but only lasted a matter of minutes when one of Cade's bullets hit the undercarriage. The chopper looked like it was going to crash but it flew away.
Cade, Adam and Liz ran for the motel room, grabbed their stuff and jumped into the car. Whoever opened fire on them was going to come back and they weren't going to be there when they did.
They hightailed it out of the motel driveway with their brakes screeching in a cloud of dust. Cade told Liz to call Joshua on the cell phone.
"Why?" she asked.
"Just do it," replied Cade tersely.
Liz pressed the speed dial on the phone and the line started to ring. She handed it to Cade when Joshua answered it.
"Joshua what the hell is going on?" demanded Cade.
"What's wrong?" asked Joshua.
"We've just being fired upon by someone in a helicopter," replied Cade.
Joshua's brow furrowed when Cade told him what happened.
"That is very troubling," he said.
"Troubling is not the word I would use Joshua. What the hell is going on? How did they know where we were going to be? Did you tell them?" Cade's questions came in quick succession but Joshua remained unruffled.
"Foster, I think I know what's going on."
"Well explain it Joshua."
"The Gua operate as one unit. Our thoughts are connected. Remember I told you all this that time you were injected with Gua DNA?"
"I remember," replied Cade thinking back to what seemed like the most horrific time in his life when he began to change into a Gua. It dawned on him what Joshua was getting at.
"Are you saying that's what's happening here?" he asked.
"I believe so, Foster. The boy is channelling into the Gua," replied Joshua. Cade looked at Liz and looked back at Adam and then hung up.
"What did he say?" asked Liz. Cade didn't answer for a minute. His mouth was closed firmly in a thin line.
"Cade? What did he say?"
He stopped the car and got out. He told Liz to get out but told Adam to stay in the car. They walked several feet away from the car so that Adam could not hear him.
"Adam is part Gua right?"
"Yes."
"He's channelling into the Gua. He's telling the Gua where we are. And I bet that's how the Gua knew where Maddy was," replied Cade grimly.
Liz looked at Adam in the car. "I can't believe he would do that."
"Liz, Adam is dangerous."
"Are you going to turn him over?" asked Liz.
"What choice do we have? Wherever we go the Gua will find him. They may even use him against us."
"They may even know that he has changed," replied Liz.
"We are still going to meet Joshua. See what he says. OK?" Cade said.
"OK."
"I wish there was another way, Liz," Cade said as they returned to the car.
"I know."
Adam was looking at them curiously but they said nothing for the rest of the trip. They arrived at the meeting point a little early but they didn't have to wait long. Joshua arrived in a black sedan. Liz and Cade got out and walked over to Joshua.
"Do you mind if I talk to Adam alone?" asked Joshua.
"Joshua we were on the same side once. I hope that applies here," Cade said wondering if he could trust his ally.
"It does."
Cade opened the door and told Adam to get out of the car. Joshua looked startled when he saw Adam.
"I take it you were expecting a young boy," Cade said.
"This is remarkable," Joshua replied looking at Adam.
"Rapid Growth Acceleration occurs when Gua and Human DNA are mixed in a certain way," Liz said remembering the experiment that she and Cade uncovered when they were investigating her father's death. "This is what happened here. Isn't it?"
"Yes. Kayla, the empiricist in charge of the fertilisation study, reported to me but she didn't report that this anomaly would occur. Would you mind if I took him to Kayla to see what she says?"
"This is exactly what Madelyn and Jeff were afraid of," replied Cade. "They didn't want him to be a guinea pig for the Gua. No more than any humans, I guess."
Joshua looked at Cade and saw the look of concern on his face. "Kayla is a sympathiser."
"Is that supposed to make me feel any better Joshua?"
"Adam is the first hybrid born between our two species. He could be a key to what happens to us in the future."
"Exactly and that is why we would like him on our side," replied Cade.
"This isn't going to get us anywhere," Liz said.
"Ok, we'll go and see Kayla but he comes back with us," Cade said.
"Adam goes but you two don't," replied Joshua.
"No deal, Joshua, we all go or none of us do," Cade said.
Ok," Joshua relented. He told them to follow him and then got into his car.
Joshua led them towards the California coast. They drove to a lighthouse compound which stood on a bluff high above the Pacific Ocean. Getting out of the car they heard the waves crash against the shoreline and felt the salt air as the wind blew around them. The house looked like it was in need of repair and a lick of paint. Joshua knocked on the door of the house beside the lighthouse and a woman with dark hair in her thirties answered it.
"Joshua, Welcome," she said hugging Joshua. She looked at the three other people standing behind Joshua.
She frowned when she saw them. "I thought you were bringing the boy".
"Kayla. I would like you to meet Cade Foster, Elizabeth Baker and Adam Harewood," Joshua said.
"What?"
"Kayla, this is Adam," Joshua repeated.
Kayla's eyes widened as she took in this information. "Oh my God. He's transmuted! I wondered if that would happen." She led Adam into the house. The inside of the house betrayed its ramshackle appearance on the outside.
Joshua followed her. "You knew this would happen?"
"Not really. The cell structure growth was unprecedented during pre trials but I didn't think it would happen so quickly with the subject," Kayla said. She asked Adam to sit down while she took his pulse. Adam looked totally bewildered at what was going on.
Cade and Liz followed Joshua into house. Every sense belonging to Cade was on alert as he watched what was going. "Is there anywhere we can freshen up? It's been a long trip."
Kayla glanced over at Cade as she examined Adam's eyes. "Certainly Mr Foster. I've two suites made up for you and Ms. Baker. I'm going to run some tests…"
"I think Adam needs a chance to rest as well," interrupted Cade.
"Well I did want to…." Kayla said but saw the look of disapproval on Joshua's face. "Yes you're right. I think Adam should be well rested in the morning."
She led them to three bedrooms. They were beautifully decorated and were extremely luxurious. Each room had an en suite bathroom which had a sunken marble bath with Jacuzzi and a magnificent view of the Ocean.
Liz stretched her back muscles as they felt stiff from the long drive as she looked into the bathroom. "Just what I need."
Cade was in his own room and was updating Eddie on the events so far.
"I don't know Foster. I have a bad feeling about this," Eddie said with his usual paranoia.
Cade paced back and forth. "So do I Eddie. If Adam is channelling to the Gua then they know where we are. It's not on our terms."
"Couldn't you tell him not to think at all?" asked Eddie half joking.
Cade stopped his pacing and stared out the window at the beautiful golden sunset over the Pacific Ocean. Somehow it reminded him of the world being on fire. The clouds had a reddish hue which reflected off the rolling surf. "I wish it was that simple but he's probably not aware that he's doing it at all."
Eddie rubbed his temples as he felt a headache coming on. "Oh man. This is giving me a migraine."
"The tests Kayla is running will show just what he is capable of. But from what I've seen so far I think he just has human capabilities," Cade said.
"I thought you were against any kind of tests being done," Eddie replied.
Cade resumed his pacing on the carpet in front of the window. "I am but we need to know if or what his strengths are."
"Who'd have guessed that we are still fighting a war against the Gua even though we stopped the invasion," Eddie said taking some pain killers for his growing headache.
"I know. It's not over yet," Cade said hanging up the phone.
Adam sat on his bed in his room trying to fight the voices in his head. He was still very confused to what was going on. He overheard the conversation between Cade and Liz after helicopter attacked and knew Cade thought he was dangerous. He got a strange feeling from Cade and wasn't sure if he was able to trust him or not. He didn't get the same strange feeling from Liz so he went to talk to her. He knocked on the door of her suite but got no answer so he opened the door. The light in the bathroom was on and he went over to it. He could hear water running as he pushed the door open. Liz had just taken off her bathrobe when she turned and saw Adam standing at the door.
Liz hurriedly pulled her bathrobe back on. "Adam!"
Adam averted his eyes and mumbled sorry before backing out the door.
"Adam, it's ok," Liz said going after him.
"I'm sorry," he repeated. He opened the bedroom door but Liz caught him by the arm before he left and sat him down on the sofa.
She saw the worried look on his face. "What's wrong?"
"I need to know what's happening to me," he said.
Liz sat down beside him. "What do you mean?"
"I can hear things in my head."
"Like what?"
Adam put his head in his hands. "I think I told someone in my head where we were going. That's why we were attacked by that helicopter."
"I know."
"Cade thinks I'm dangerous."
Liz placed her hand on his back as he rocked back and forth. "No he doesn't."
Adam stopped rocking and looked at Liz. "I heard him."
"Cade only wants best for you."
"He hates the Gua."
"He hates what they've done. He's seen what they've done. He's not - we're not going to let anything happen to you. Why don't you get some rest for tomorrow? I've a feeling that it'll be a long day."
Adam nodded and said goodnight as he returned to his room.
The following morning everyone arose early mainly because they knew that the tests that Kayla was going to do on Adam were going to be long and arduous. Cade didn't want these tests to happen but he knew it was the best for Adam. He and Liz watched through the lab window as Adam was strapped to a silver table and all sorts of monitoring equipment were attached to him. Kayla was looking at some monitors that read his vital signs. The empiricist said something to Joshua who nodded and went out to talk Liz and Cade.
"Kayla asked that you not be present," Joshua told them.
"Why?" asked Cade.
"She will be doing some unusual examinations that she doesn't want you to observe. We'll let you know the test results."
"With all due respect I would like to be present," Cade said. He wanted to see what exactly the empiricist was going to do.
"Foster. Out of respect for Adam would you leave?"
Cade looked at Liz who shrugged her shoulders. Cade took another look at Adam through the window and nodded. Cade and Liz spent the rest of the day pacing or sitting in the lounge. It was late in the evening when Joshua came back and brought them back into the Lab.
Adam looked tired but remarkably fit and healthy as he sat on the sofa in the office adjacent to the lab.
Kayla glanced up from reading some paperwork when Liz and Cade entered the room.
"His test results are remarkable. They indicate that he has the strength, intellectual capacity and DNA structure of a Gua with some human facets. He has the ability to self heal albeit very slowly, the DNA weakness to iodised salt is not present but that's not to say that it will in time. His DNA is replicating at a speed not seen before…"
"Wait a minute. What are you saying?" Cade interrupted.
"Do you remember what I told you? How Gua DNA replicates in us like a virus? That is what's happening here," replied Joshua.
"Are you saying he will be fully Gua?" asked Liz.
"In time. Yes. Our DNA structure is more superior than human DNA and it eventually takes over," explained Kayla.
Cade looked from Kayla to Joshua. "Did you know this was going to happen when you started the experiment with Maddy and Jeff?"
"That was the whole point of the research. To see what would happen when Gua DNA and Human DNA were…." Kayla started to say only for Cade to stand up in anger.
"You bastards will stop at nothing…!"
"Cade," "Foster," Liz and Joshua said together trying to placate him. Cade walked out heading towards his room. Liz was going to follow him but decided that he probably was going to call Eddie. Kayla went back to the lab. Adam was really tired so he went to bed.
Adam was in his room when he heard a knock on the door. He opened the door and saw that it was Liz.
"How are you feeling?"
Adam's face clouded over as he walked over to the bed. "Exhausted. They have more tests to do tomorrow."
"I'm sorry. We should've asked you if you wanted them."
"I need to know who I am. I need to know about my heritage," said Adam.
Liz put her hand on his. "I know."
He turned to look at her and a feeling of desire for her overwhelmed him.
Adam tentatively leaned in towards her and kissed her lightly on the lips. He stopped and searched her face as if seeking her permission. Liz caressed his face; her fingers lingered on his lips. He took her hand and kissed her palm. Adam brought his lips down to her neck and slowly opened the buttons on her shirt. His fingers trailed down to the lacy edge of her bra. Liz's breathing deepened as she felt his soft touch on her breast. His touch felt like a jolt of electricity running through her. She pulled his T-shirt off revealing a well-toned physique and then pulled down his jeans to free his erection from the confines of the material. She gently kissed his chest before he pushed her back onto the bed, removing her jeans, letting them fall to the floor. His hand brushed against the gap between her legs as he pulled off her silk panties and he felt her body tremble with excitement. He moved his body over her, feeling the heat of the connection between them, a quiet moan escaping her throat as Adam entered her. Wrapping her legs around his hips she lightly trailed her fingers up and down his back. She could feel the muscles in his back as well as the beads of sweat which gathered as their movements increased in rhythm and intensity. Liz called out his name when she climaxed. Adam let out a groan as he came and they lay in each other's arms as their breathing returned to normal. Adam drifted off to sleep.
"That's odd," Kayla said to Joshua looking at the monitor in the lab. White lines moved across a graph on the monitor. Occasionally the lines spiked and then levelled out. The Empiricist pointed out a section where the lines had spiked significantly. "Adam's asleep but his brainwave patterns are spiking higher than normal during REM sleep."
"What does that mean?" asked Joshua.
"Adam is having what humans call … 'an erotic dream'. He must have the same desires and longing for sex like humans do."
"You were looking for a weakness. Maybe this is it."
Kayla noted that the REM brainwave patterns had now returned to normal. "Maybe."
"What are we going to do about Foster?" she asked.
"Don't worry about Foster. I'll talk to him tomorrow."
"He's not going to let Adam be part of what the Assembly have planned," said Kayla.
"He will once it is explained to him," replied Joshua.
The first person Adam saw the following morning was Liz. They bumped into each other on the stairs. He was confused about the dream he had about her but didn't want to say anything. Cade had been up for a while before anyone else made an appearance. He had calmed down a lot as he spoke to both Eddie and Jordan. They both told him the same thing. That it was probably conceivable that Adam would be Gua.
Joshua called Cade into the lounge area.
"The first thing I have to say is thank you for your co operation in this matter. I believe that co operation between our species is the key," Joshua started to say.
"I believe that as well. All I wanna know is when you plan to leave," replied Cade.
"Certain things have arisen in the last couple of days. Things you may not like but they have to be said," Joshua said knowing that the next thing he was going to say would be explosive to the man sitting in front of him.
"Go on."
"The Assembly would like to meet Adam. They have already received a preliminary report on him. They feel that he has the potential to lead the Gua forces. They would like him to be the next Gua Head."
"Absolutely not."
"This is the only way there will be peace between us. The Gua won't invade the planet. We will leave."
"So you're saying that if we don't hand Adam over to the Assembly the planet will be invaded," Cade said.
"Exactly," replied Joshua.
"I don't believe that."
Before Joshua could answer there was a loud explosion in the grounds of the complex followed by the sound of machine guns. Cade and Joshua jumped up at the sound and ran towards the windows. They saw about ten people dressed in black and wearing black helmets running up to the house. Joshua ran over to a door in the wall and pressed some buttons. The door opened to reveal a small armoury.
Joshua threw Cade a machine gun. "Here take this."
"Who the hell are they?"
"A Renegade Gua group loyal to Mabus. They want Adam as well but they believe he is dangerous to the Gua and want assassinate him."
They ran towards the hall before any of the renegades entered the house. The front door was open and they saw Kayla dissolving on the front porch. Liz and Adam came out of the dining room when they heard the noise and were hiding behind a pillar. Joshua threw two machine guns to them as well. Five of the renegades entered the house. They exchanged fire for at least fifteen minutes. Some of the renegades were shot and dissolved on the spot. A bullet ricocheted off the pillar hitting Adam in the shoulder. He collapsed to the ground.
"ADAM," shouted Cade turning his gun on the other renegades who entered the house. Two more dissolved and the rest fled. He and Liz ran to Adam who was lying on his back on the floor. Cade knelt down on the floor beside Adam and gently lifted the T-shirt up to examine the wound. He was bleeding profusely. To Cade it didn't look like it would self heal.
He looked up at Joshua who had a medical kit in his hands. "Do something. He's going to die before it heals!"
Joshua opened the medical kit and took out a large syringe. "He won't die." He injected the needle into Adam's shoulder. The wound started to close.
"What was that?" asked Cade.
"It's a remedy to heal the Gua."
"It's the Oxytocin. Isn't it?" asked Cade recalling the experiment in Boston.
"Yes. Some Gua carry it around in case they are wounded."
"The Assembly want Adam to lead the Gua and the Renegades want him dead. The invasion is still on track isn't it?" Cade surmised.
"Yes."
"Why didn't you tell us this before?" asked Liz.
Joshua turned his attention on Cade. "There's one more thing."
"What?"
"The renegades not only want Adam. They want you as well."
"What?" exclaimed Cade.
"You are still wanted by the Gua. They believe you still have the potential to destroy any Gua plans."
Cade got to his feet and stared at Joshua in the eyes. "Why didn't you tell us this before we came here?"
"You would not have come otherwise."
Cade pulled his gun out and pointed straight at Joshua. "Damn right I wouldn't."
Liz stood between Joshua and Cade. She pushed Cade's gun out of the way. "Hey. I thought you two were friends. Joshua, you were on our side. What happened to you?"
"I am a patriot to the Gua. I still believe in the Power to Overcome. I don't agree with the Assembly but I can't afford to make any more mistakes."
"They'll be back. Won't they? The renegades. They won't give up till they get both of us," Cade said.
"Yes."
"Let's get out of here!" exclaimed Cade. "Get your bags packed," he told Liz and Adam.
Adam stayed where he was. Cade looked at him and said, "GO."
Adam shook his head.
"Adam!"
"This is my destiny," Adam said quietly.
"What?" exclaimed Liz and Cade together.
"I'm going to the Assembly to take my rightful place as Gua Head. I can look for a peaceful solution."
"You parents wouldn't want you to do that," Liz said.
"I need to know who I am."
"You know who you are," replied Cade.
"No! I need to find out about my heritage," Adam said. "Another renegade Gua unit are coming. I suggest you leave now. I'm not leaving."
Cade reached for his gun again and pointed it at Adam. "I suggest you forget all about finding out about your heritage and come with us. The Gua are not to be trusted."
Adam stared coldly at Cade and placed his hand on the gun barrel and pushed it away. "Thank you for everything you have done but I need to do this."
"Adam," Liz said softly with tears in her eyes. Adam's face changed when he turned to look at the blonde woman. He stroked her cheek and kissed her lightly on the lips. "Please go now. I don't want to see either of you getting hurt,"
Liz looked at Cade. His expression was one of anger. "What choice do we have?"
"You know this isn't what Maddy wanted for him."
"Maddy wanted a child she could be proud of. I think she would be. We should let him go."
Cade looked at Liz and realised that she was right. He turned to Adam and told him to be careful. He and Adam shook hands. Cade and Liz left the house soon after to meet up with Jordan and Eddie.
Cade's Journal
"As hard as it was to leave Adam with the Gua my comfort is that he believed it was his destiny and that he could make a difference. Maybe he could make a difference but I shudder to think what will happen in the future.
To be Continued
In Part 2 – Joshua and Cade undertake a dangerous mission when Adam is captured by the renegades.
This story is part of the Fair Maiden series and is a sequel to The Birth. If you haven't read The Birth you can find it here. If anyone is unfamiliar with The Fair Maiden series I have a regularly recurring character called Elizabeth Baker who helps Cade and Eddie in their fight against the Gua.
There is a synopsis of The Birth written into this story. The child born in that story learns about his father and the impending invasion. This is the first part of a three part story.
This story also takes place after the finale of the third series when everything appears to be normal.
Spoilers include The Harvest, Unearthed, The Edge and Twice Blessed.
It also includes spoilers from some of my other stories including The Fair Maiden, The Birth and The Betrothal (This hasn't been posted anywhere yet but there is a minor spoiler from this story here but don't worry as it doesn't really detract from the story).
Disclaimer: - First Wave title and characters are the property of First Wave Productions and Pearson TV. The characters Cade Foster, Crazy Eddie, Jordan Radcliffe, Joshua and the Gua are the property of Chris Brancato, Larry Sugar and Francis Ford Coppola. The characters Elizabeth Baker, Madelyn, Jeff, Adam and Kayla as well as the plot belong to me. (irish – November 2001).
Content – Violence, Angst, Adult Situations
Formatting Notes - The symbol ^^^^^^^^ denotes email being read out/Flashback. Uploading this in word didn't make the formatting look right and notepad changes everything the same - if that makes sense!
Rating - R
******
Part One
Prologue
Helena Masters stared worriedly out the kitchen window of her house. The incredible view of the valley from the window usually gave her some pleasure but today it was lost on her. She half listened to the drone of the DJ on the radio. When she sent Adam, her son, to the store for milk she never imagined he would be gone this long. His restlessness in the last few days unnerved her and letting him out alone was something she rarely did. She tried to never let him go anywhere alone. Adam was a special little boy. So special that it was dangerous for him no matter where he was.
Since his birth two years ago Adam's development was remarkable. He had far surpassed other kids his age and most people who met him believed him to be at least seven and ready for school. Not that Helena would send him to school. Helena was a schoolteacher. At least she was before she had to leave her old life behind.
Before Adam was born her name was Madelyn Harewood. In college she had fallen deeply in love with Jeff. It was only after they married and discovered she couldn't have children that Jeff confessed his secret. He was an alien. Upset and confused, she agreed to a new technique. It worked, but not before Jeff found out what the Gua had planned for their child. Scared for his family he moved them to Minnesota in hopes they could go undetected. Fearing it wasn't enough, he left her a few weeks before she was due to give birth. When an old friend, Elizabeth Baker, arrived one day with two friends, Cade Foster and Eddie Nambulous, she had been relieved. After Liz left to find her husband, she went into labour and gave birth to a son. Arriving shortly after, Liz's story rang false when she claimed she hadn't been able to find Jeff. Fearing for their safety, she had moved herself and her son to Oregon to start a new life. She became Helena Masters and the baby became Adam. But she was always looking over her shoulder.
Not able to stand the wait any longer she walked quickly towards the front door. Pulling the heavy wooden door open she saw that a light rain had started to fall making gentle pit pat sounds on the ground. She shivered slightly from the chill in the air. She saw the sky was getting darker from heavy rain clouds. Fingering the gold locket that hung around her neck she looked towards the dirt road leading up to the house. It was still flooded in parts from the heavy rain of the last few days.
"Adam!" she yelled. She stood for a couple of minutes considering her options when the rain started to come down heavier. She grabbed her light jacket from the coat rack and ran down the steps of the house forgetting to close the door after her. She smiled as she remembered the last time Adam went missing. She found him covered in mud from top to toe. She hadn't the heart to give out to him even if he did hand her the dubious present of a dead frog!
As she walked towards the main road the rain started to come down even heavier. She only realised she was wearing open toe shoes when she felt the mud squelching in between her toes. Rain started to trickle down her long dark hair and neck.
The roar of a car engine filled her ears and she looked up to see a black SUV driving up the road at high speed. Mud spattered the sides of the car, as it seemed to be heading straight at her. She barely had time to jump out of the way when the vehicle slammed to a stop just beside her spraying her with mud and water.
"Hey!" she yelled in annoyance at the car. But annoyance turned to fear and horror when the dark passenger window rolled down to reveal two men that she recognised from the clinic in West Virginia.
"NO!" she breathed as fear rooted her to the spot for a couple of seconds. Then with renewed energy she turned on her heels towards her own car. They couldn't be here. Not now. Not after how careful they had been. She couldn't let them take Adam away.
The driver of the car nodded to his associate as they watched her run away. She felt a piercing sting to her neck and felt herself falling towards the ground. Her last thought, as she fell face first into a puddle of mud, was that Adam was no longer safe.
The two men got out of the car. They stared down at the prone body of the woman on the ground. The passenger kneeled down and turned her over. He looked at the mud-splattered face of the woman before picking her up and carrying her back to the vehicle. He placed her limp body into the back seat of the car. The driver drove them up to the house.
******
Eddie was surfing to net trying to pick up on anything unusual. It had been a week since they had stopped the invasion from occurring but that didn't mean that they could drop everything. Joshua told them that there could still be a significant threat. Cade and Jordan
were briefing the remainder of the Raven Nation army and Liz was writing an exclusive story for The Ohio Chronicle. Eddie logged onto his email and saw that there were at least two hundred emails in his in-box.
This had been a regular occurrence since they put the word out that the invasion had been stopped. He was still only half way through the emails he got two days ago. He was about to file them all away when he saw one from Joshua. He wondered why Joshua was emailing him. He read it out loud to himself.
^^^^^^^^^
"Eddie
A meeting of the Council last Wednesday concluded that the Invasion plans have been put on hold for the time being. All divisions of the Gua forces have been ordered back. This includes all results of experiments in fertilisation. As you know there was only one of these
experiments conducted I should advise you that Gua forces have been sent to secure the individual. It is in your best interest to proceed to the location before the Gua forces do and secure the said individual.
Joshua"
^^^^^^^^
"Why can't he speak in plain English?" muttered Eddie picking up the phone to call
Madelyn. He listened to the phone ring out for a while and suddenly got a sense of foreboding. His paranoid instincts told him something was wrong. He looked again at the
date of the email and saw that it had been sent two days ago.
He picked up the phone again and dialled Liz's cell phone.
"Liz. Have you heard from Helena lately?" Eddie asked. Although his computer had shown that the line was secure he still wasn't going to take any chances.
"Not for a while. Why?"
"I got a communication from our man on the ground saying she and Adam could be in danger."
"I thought it was all over."
Eddie scanned his emails to see if there was one from Madelyn. "Apparently all forces have
been ordered back which included all those who are the result of interbreeding."
"If you gave her a new identity then she will be safe."
"I don't know Liz I have a bad feeling about this," replied Eddie.
"Paranoia," replied Liz trying to make a joke out of it. "Ask Cade and Jordan to check it out."
"They were briefing the Raven Nation in Utah and then they were taking some time off."
"Well contact them and tell them to get their butts in motion and check this out," Liz said hanging up the phone.
Cade and Jordan were trying to find Raven Nation members who had survived the assault by Mabus's troops. So far they had only come across a handful of survivors who were so badly traumatised by the events that they refused to get involved in anything else.
Jordan sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. She had a notebook on her knee with a list of Raven Nation operatives. She crossed out some names and wrote some comments beside them. "I always thought that the Raven Nation were invincible but when it comes down to it they are just human."
Cade sat down beside her. "They served their purpose. They can go back to their lives."
She turned to face him and looked into his blue eyes. "Can we return to our lives?"
"Not our old ones but we can make a new one together."
Cade leaned over to kiss her. She lay back on the bed, the notebook sliding off her knee to the floor as Cade eased his body over hers.
The shrill ring of Cade's cell phone interrupted them. Cade groaned and reached over to the nightstand and picked up the phone. He pressed a button to reject the call.
"Now where were we?" he asked smiling at the woman beside him.
Jordan gently bit his shoulder. "I think we were right here."
Cade laughed. "Sounds right."
Cade's cell phone rang again. He looked at the caller id and saw that it was Eddie. He decided to answer it otherwise Eddie would be calling him all night.
"Eddie."
"Sorry to disturb you Foster but something's come up."
"Unless world war three is about to break out, Eddie. I don't want to know."
"Your namesake is in danger," Eddie said simply.
Cade sat up in the bed and looked at Jordan. "What?"
"I got an email from our man on the ground."
"I'm sure everything is fine," replied Cade. Jordan looked at him curiously.
"Foster both Liz and I have tried calling her but there was no
answer. Foster, I'm concerned something is wrong. That email was a
couple of days old."
Cade heard the tone in Eddie's voice and knew him well enough to know that when Eddie had a haunch about something he was right.
Cade was silent for a few minutes thinking it over. "Ok we'll check it out."
He grabbed his duffel bag and began to stuff some of his clothes into it. He looked at Jordan.
"Cade?"
He threw her bags over to her. "Pack your bags we have an investigation."
"What?"
"I'll explain on the way. We can do this another time."
Liz paced her apartment after trying Madelyn's number again. She then grabbed an overnight bag from the closet and threw some clothes in it. She couldn't wait around if something was going to happen to her friend. She decided to call Foster when she got there. She called the airport to see when the next flight was. She was told that the next flight was fully booked but to get to the airport in case someone cancelled
.
She had to wait three hours in the airport as the no one cancelled their flight. It was a four-hour flight to Portland Airport and a five-hour drive from the airport to the small mountain town of Folkson. She arrived in the town a little after 4 in the morning. She remembered the last time she spoke to Maddy a couple of months ago. It was just after Cade and Jordan found and lost the hammer of Thor.
^^^^^^^^^
"I'm concerned about Adam."
"Why?"
"He's going through some… changes. I'm just worried that he won't have any one to look after him when I'm not here any more."
"What do you mean?"
"Will you promise me that if anything happens to me, you will take care of Adam?"
"Nothing is going to happen to you."
"Promise me, Liz."
Maddy's plea was so impassioned that Liz agreed to take care of him.
^^^^^^^^^
Cade and Jordan only had a couple of days driving to do. They took turns at the wheel and talked to each other about their lives. They didn't stop driving as they decided it was better to get to Maddy's as quickly as they could.
Maddy's house was a few miles outside. Liz had to look at the map to see where it was. A light mist was rolling in over the hills blocking the sun as it peeked over the ridge. She got out of the car and heard another car coming up the dirt road. She turned to see Cade and Jordan in the car.
"Hey."
"What are you doing here? Thought you were working on your story for the paper," Jordan said.
"Maddy is my friend," replied Liz.
"Oh right," Jordan said sarcastically.
"Come on you two. Let's find Maddy and Adam," Cade said going over to the house. He walked up the steps to the little wooden house but noticed that the door was unlocked. He reached into his pocket for his gun and slowly opened the door.
"Maddy?" he called. He went inside and looked around. While he was going around the inside of the house Liz and Jordan were looking around the outside of the house. Jordan noticed some tyre tracks beside Maddy's jeep and knelt down to examine them.
"These are a couple of days old. 4x4 SUV," she surmised.
"Could have had visitors," Liz said.
"No I have seen these type of tracks before," Jordan said standing up. She and Liz walked towards the house.
Cade slowly made his way around the house looking in every room. He could hear music coming from somewhere.
"Maddy?" he called as he walked towards the sound. The door was slightly ajar so he
pushed it open. He walked over to the radio beside the window and turned it off. When he turned he saw Maddy lying on the floor by the back door. He exhaled slowly as he knelt down beside her and examined her injuries. Her eyes were swollen and bruised and blood was encrusted around her nose. He felt her pulse and discovered that it was weak but noticed that she wasn't breathing. He immediately started CPR on her. He heard Liz and Jordan's voices in the house now. They came into the kitchen and watched in horror as Cade tried to revive Maddy.
"Maddy?" Liz knelt beside them and watched as Cade tried to revive her friend. But it was to no avail. She never regained consciousness.
Tears glistened in Liz's eyes. "How could this happen?"
"We have to find Adam," Cade said standing up looking defeated.
"The Gua probably took him when they did this to her," Liz said standing up
"I don't think so," replied Jordan. "I think she was trying to protect him."
"We are not going to find him standing here. If we split up individually we will cover more ground faster," Cade said putting a blanket over Maddy's body. They could always bury her later.
Cade and Liz walked off in separate directions calling Adam at intermittent periods. Jordan took Maddy's Jeep. They agreed to meet back at the house after two hours. Cade struggled down a steep incline nearly slipping on his butt on some wet leaves and came across a cave under it. The entrance was covered in branches and roots. He almost walked by it when he noticed a strange white light emanating from the back of the cave. He pushed the branches back and looked into the cave. He reached for his gun and slowly walked towards the light. Cade gasped when he saw the sight in front of him. In front of him what appeared to be a small boy lay on the ground. He had dark hair and his eyes were tightly closed. He was covered in what was like white cling film which pulsated like a heart beat. Cade watched as the cling film started to stretch. He heard a gasp from someone behind him. He turned and saw that Liz and Jordan had come into the cave. They watched in horrified fascination as the limbs of the little boy started to grow. The sheath pulsated quicker as the boy's head began to look like it was deforming as it too began to stretch and swell. Even his genitalia developed. This change continued for the next half-hour as the body of the little boy changed into that of a grown man. All of a sudden the sheath stopped pulsating and it began to tear from the head down. As the sheath fell away it left slimy substance on the fully formed being. Almost like a baby who was just born.
The three stood in silence for a couple of minutes almost afraid to say anything. They watched as the Being opened his eyes. His eyes appeared to take in everything that he was seeing. He turned his head and focussed his eyes on the three people standing in front of him. He opened his mouth as if to speak but no sound came out. As he tried to get up his limbs moved as if they weren't part of him and he fell over. Cade caught him before he hit his head. The Being suddenly let out a shriek and crawled back to the furthest corner of the cave.
"It's ok. We won't hurt you," Liz said softly showing him the blanket that she had.
He let Liz put the blanket around his shoulders. "Can you tell us who you are?"
"He's Gua," replied Jordan reaching for her Gun and pointed at the
man.
Liz jumped up and stood between the red head and the Being. "What the hell do you think you are doing?"
"He's Gua, Liz. This was a barbaric experiment, which went out of control. Now move or I'll shoot you as well."
"Hold on girls," Cade interrupted. "We have to get in contact with Joshua and see what he says."
Liz turned her attentions to the Being again. "Are you Adam?" When Liz said the name the Being looked as if he had heard the name before.
"Adam," he said in a halting voice. His voice sounded like it was that of a teenage boy whose voice was breaking.
"We better get him back to the house," Cade said taking one of Adam's arms. Liz took the other and helped Adam to his feet. He stood unsteadily so Liz and Cade supported him as they walked to the entrance of the cave. They helped him onto Maddy's Jeep and Jordan
drove them back to the house.
"We need to get in touch with Joshua, Eddie," Cade said over the cell phone when they arrived back at the house. Adam appeared steadier on his feet as they walked him up the steps of the house. He stood in the hallway and looked around as if he was seeing it with new eyes.
"Ok amigo," replied Eddie sending an encrypted email to Joshua. Cade already told him what happened.
"You are Cade," Adam suddenly said directing dark brown eyes at Cade now.
"Yes."
"My mother spoke of you," Adam said and then suddenly looked around. "Where is she? My mother?"
Liz looked at Cade and Jordan and suddenly felt unable to speak.
"Let's get you something to wear," Cade said going out to the car and bringing in a pair of jeans and T-shirt.
While Adam was upstairs putting on the clothes Cade, Jordan and Liz were beginning to remove Madelyn from the kitchen. They heard a loud sob behind them. They turned around and saw Adam standing by the door.
"Mom?" he exclaimed. He kneeled down beside Madelyn and gently stroked her face. He then took his mother in his arms and sobbed as he rocked her back and forth. Cade had a sense of Déjà Vu as he watched this. Liz took Adam by the shoulders and held him as they both sobbed.
They buried Madelyn by her favourite oak tree later that day. Adam placed a rose beside the small cross to mark the site.
"What do we do now?" asked Jordan as she and Cade watched as Adam and Liz locked up the house for the final time.
"Adam is important to the Gua. That's why they want to take him back."
"We can't let them do that."
"I know," replied Cade. "Adam is just as important to us."
"I have a bad feeling about this."
"What kind of feeling?"
"That's it's not over. Our hard work over the last three years is not over and it's the start of something new. The Gua will do anything to get Adam back."
The red head walked towards the car and was about to open the door when a noise like the sound of a firecracker rang out and the windshield of the jeep shattered. She dived behind the jeep.
"GET DOWN!"
She pulled out her gun and Cade slid to the ground beside their car. They surveyed the area to see who was firing at them. Jordan caught a flash by the trees and began to shoot in that direction.
"I can see someone in the trees," she whispered back to Cade who had also opened fire on their assailant.
"So can I." Cade looked back at Liz and Adam who had hidden behind the shed.
A black SUV came speeding up the driveway and came to a stop near the top of the driveway. The driver started to shoot at them as well. Glass shattered all around them as the gun battle intensified. They heard the cry of the assailant in the trees as Jordan shot at him. She heard the distinctive sound of the Gua dissolving. She turned her attention to the driver of the SUV who was locked in an intense battle with Cade. She took aim and fired at the driver and watched in satisfaction as a bullet hit him in the chest and he dissolved.
"You were saying?" she said to Cade. She ran over to the SUV and searched it. A flash of gold from under the seat caught her eye and she stooped to pick it up. It was a gold locket. "Hey, take a look at this."
She handed the locket to Liz. "That was Maddy's. Jeff gave it to when they married." Liz opened the locket and was stunned to see the remarkable likeness of the picture of the man to his son. She pressed the locket to Adam's hand. "Keep it."
"We better get out of here before we have more visitors," Jordan said pushing Adam into the back of the car. Liz climbed in beside him and Cade got into the driver's seat. Adam took one last look out the back window as the car headed down the driveway as they went to meet up with Eddie and the trailer.
"Eddie, has Joshua gotten back in contact yet?" asked Cade as soon as they arrived at the trailer. It had been a long journey and Adam had slept the whole way. Eddie stared at Adam in amazement when they were introduced.
Eddie glanced over the computer. "Not yet."
Meanwhile Adam was poking around the trailer and seemed fascinated by the computers.
Cade's cell phone rang. He looked at the screen and saw that it was Joshua. He went outside to take the call.
"Foster, the Gua Assembly have delayed return to our planet."
"What?"
"They want the hybrid and will do anything to get him. That means deploying Gua forces on Earth and continuing plans for a Second Wave."
"They can't do that!"
"They can and in fact have already. They are close to relaunching the Second Wave. It may come in a matter of weeks."
"NO!!"
"Foster, unless you return the hybrid they will invade," replied Joshua.
"What do you suggest we do?"
"Return the boy," replied Joshua unaware that Adam had metamorphosed.
"Not a chance," replied Cade. "We will fight the Gua all the way."
"No doubt you will. I have been appointed Earth Liaison. Can I meet the boy? Maybe we can make an arrangement?"
"No deals, Joshua. Adam is important to us. We won't turn him in."
"Can I at least meet the boy Foster?"
Cade thought for a minute. He wasn't sure if he could trust Joshua now but believed him when he said the Gua would launch the Second Wave.
"I'll discuss it with the others," he eventually said.
"You have one hour," Joshua said.
Cade hung up and went back into the trailer. He told them what Joshua said. Jordan wanted to hand Adam over to the Gua in order to avert war but Liz and Eddie shouted her down. They eventually decided that Joshua should meet Adam. Cade and Liz said they would go with Adam. Joshua told them to meet him in three days time in California.
Cade and Liz took turns driving to California. Adam slept mostly in the back seat of the car. Liz looked back at Adam who looked sound asleep. "He's very confused about everything,"
"I know."
Liz looked over at Cade who was staring intently out the car window. "I know you'd rather be spending time with Jordan."
Cade smiled and then looked over at Liz. "It can wait,"
"Cade, you could spend your whole life waiting for the right time and it may never come."
"I know but this is more important." He looked at Liz. "So how have you been?" he asked suddenly.
"Me? I've been keeping busy. The article is coming along."
"I'm talking about Nick. We haven't really talked about what happened."
"Nick's dead. Time to get on with my life…our lives," she replied. Cade sensed that she still wasn't ready to talk about Nick so he didn't say anything more.
They were making good time so they decided to stop at a motel just outside California. It was getting dark. Cade and Adam stayed in one room and Liz booked into another room. Adam still hadn't said much. It was like he was getting used to the world all over again.
Liz and Cade watched him as Adam stood by the river later in the evening.
"I'm going to talk to him," Liz told Cade and she walked down to the river.
"Hi," she said to Adam.
Adam turned to look at her. Adam had all the qualities of a grown man but the aura of a little boy. He was extremely good looking with dark hair and dark brown eyes.
"Hello."
"Are you ok?"
"I need to know why this happened."
"It's very long and complicated," Liz replied
"You were talking about an invasion and about the Gua." It sounded more like a question than a statement.
"Cade discovered plans by an alien force called the Gua to take over the planet. He set out to stop them which he did with our help but now they are still threatening to invade unless we…" Liz considered her next words.
"Unless we what?" interrupted Adam.
"Adam. I want you to know that we will do anything to stop them…" Liz started to say but Adam interrupted her again.
"Unless we what?"
"Adam. You are the result of the love between your mother and your father. They were two very special people. They wouldn't have wanted this for you."
"Wanted what?"
"Your father was Gua. Your mother was human. You are the result of an experiment by the Gua and now they want you," replied Liz carefully knowing that it would tip him over the edge. Adam looked like he was about to collapse. He leaned on the railing beside the river and held onto it. Liz put her hand on his back and rubbed it as she heard him sob.
Cade watched from the top of the hill but decided to leave them alone. His cell phone rang and he answered it. It was Jordan.
"How is it going?" she asked.
"Fine. I think Liz just told Adam about Jeff and Maddy."
"That's not what I meant."
"What did you mean?"
"I meant with you."
"I'd rather be there with you."
"Me too."
"It never seems like the right time," said Cade.
"I guess we could spend our whole life waiting for the right time and it may never come," Jordan said.
"Funny. That's what Liz said,"
"Oh," replied Jordan.
"I miss you," Cade said.
"I miss you too," replied Jordan smiling to herself.
"How's Eddie?" asked Cade.
Jordan looked over at Eddie who was making one of his specials. She wrinkled her nose at the combination of smells. "Eddie is driving me nuts. He's just made himself one of those nasty sandwiches of his."
*****
"Tell me about my father," Adam asked as he and Liz sat on a bench beside the river.
"He was a good man. Even though he was Gua he was against what his race were doing here. He wanted the best for you," replied Liz staring into the river.
"Mom never told me what happened to him," replied Adam fingering the locket he had put into his pocket.
"She never knew. I never told her. He killed himself to protect you," Liz said taking his hand.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," replied Liz.
"Did you love my father?"
Anything Liz had to say was drowned out by a roaring sound like a roll of thunder. Adam and Liz looked up and saw a large helicopter flying over the clearing on the other side of the river. Cade saw it as well.
"Liz, get out of there," Cade shouted running down to Adam and Liz just as someone in the helicopter opened fire. Adam and Liz jumped up and ran for shelter behind a large tree. Machine gun bullets rained down on them. Cade pulled out his own gun and started firing at the chopper from behind the tree dodging every time bullets hit the tree. It seemed to go on for hours but only lasted a matter of minutes when one of Cade's bullets hit the undercarriage. The chopper looked like it was going to crash but it flew away.
Cade, Adam and Liz ran for the motel room, grabbed their stuff and jumped into the car. Whoever opened fire on them was going to come back and they weren't going to be there when they did.
They hightailed it out of the motel driveway with their brakes screeching in a cloud of dust. Cade told Liz to call Joshua on the cell phone.
"Why?" she asked.
"Just do it," replied Cade tersely.
Liz pressed the speed dial on the phone and the line started to ring. She handed it to Cade when Joshua answered it.
"Joshua what the hell is going on?" demanded Cade.
"What's wrong?" asked Joshua.
"We've just being fired upon by someone in a helicopter," replied Cade.
Joshua's brow furrowed when Cade told him what happened.
"That is very troubling," he said.
"Troubling is not the word I would use Joshua. What the hell is going on? How did they know where we were going to be? Did you tell them?" Cade's questions came in quick succession but Joshua remained unruffled.
"Foster, I think I know what's going on."
"Well explain it Joshua."
"The Gua operate as one unit. Our thoughts are connected. Remember I told you all this that time you were injected with Gua DNA?"
"I remember," replied Cade thinking back to what seemed like the most horrific time in his life when he began to change into a Gua. It dawned on him what Joshua was getting at.
"Are you saying that's what's happening here?" he asked.
"I believe so, Foster. The boy is channelling into the Gua," replied Joshua. Cade looked at Liz and looked back at Adam and then hung up.
"What did he say?" asked Liz. Cade didn't answer for a minute. His mouth was closed firmly in a thin line.
"Cade? What did he say?"
He stopped the car and got out. He told Liz to get out but told Adam to stay in the car. They walked several feet away from the car so that Adam could not hear him.
"Adam is part Gua right?"
"Yes."
"He's channelling into the Gua. He's telling the Gua where we are. And I bet that's how the Gua knew where Maddy was," replied Cade grimly.
Liz looked at Adam in the car. "I can't believe he would do that."
"Liz, Adam is dangerous."
"Are you going to turn him over?" asked Liz.
"What choice do we have? Wherever we go the Gua will find him. They may even use him against us."
"They may even know that he has changed," replied Liz.
"We are still going to meet Joshua. See what he says. OK?" Cade said.
"OK."
"I wish there was another way, Liz," Cade said as they returned to the car.
"I know."
Adam was looking at them curiously but they said nothing for the rest of the trip. They arrived at the meeting point a little early but they didn't have to wait long. Joshua arrived in a black sedan. Liz and Cade got out and walked over to Joshua.
"Do you mind if I talk to Adam alone?" asked Joshua.
"Joshua we were on the same side once. I hope that applies here," Cade said wondering if he could trust his ally.
"It does."
Cade opened the door and told Adam to get out of the car. Joshua looked startled when he saw Adam.
"I take it you were expecting a young boy," Cade said.
"This is remarkable," Joshua replied looking at Adam.
"Rapid Growth Acceleration occurs when Gua and Human DNA are mixed in a certain way," Liz said remembering the experiment that she and Cade uncovered when they were investigating her father's death. "This is what happened here. Isn't it?"
"Yes. Kayla, the empiricist in charge of the fertilisation study, reported to me but she didn't report that this anomaly would occur. Would you mind if I took him to Kayla to see what she says?"
"This is exactly what Madelyn and Jeff were afraid of," replied Cade. "They didn't want him to be a guinea pig for the Gua. No more than any humans, I guess."
Joshua looked at Cade and saw the look of concern on his face. "Kayla is a sympathiser."
"Is that supposed to make me feel any better Joshua?"
"Adam is the first hybrid born between our two species. He could be a key to what happens to us in the future."
"Exactly and that is why we would like him on our side," replied Cade.
"This isn't going to get us anywhere," Liz said.
"Ok, we'll go and see Kayla but he comes back with us," Cade said.
"Adam goes but you two don't," replied Joshua.
"No deal, Joshua, we all go or none of us do," Cade said.
Ok," Joshua relented. He told them to follow him and then got into his car.
Joshua led them towards the California coast. They drove to a lighthouse compound which stood on a bluff high above the Pacific Ocean. Getting out of the car they heard the waves crash against the shoreline and felt the salt air as the wind blew around them. The house looked like it was in need of repair and a lick of paint. Joshua knocked on the door of the house beside the lighthouse and a woman with dark hair in her thirties answered it.
"Joshua, Welcome," she said hugging Joshua. She looked at the three other people standing behind Joshua.
She frowned when she saw them. "I thought you were bringing the boy".
"Kayla. I would like you to meet Cade Foster, Elizabeth Baker and Adam Harewood," Joshua said.
"What?"
"Kayla, this is Adam," Joshua repeated.
Kayla's eyes widened as she took in this information. "Oh my God. He's transmuted! I wondered if that would happen." She led Adam into the house. The inside of the house betrayed its ramshackle appearance on the outside.
Joshua followed her. "You knew this would happen?"
"Not really. The cell structure growth was unprecedented during pre trials but I didn't think it would happen so quickly with the subject," Kayla said. She asked Adam to sit down while she took his pulse. Adam looked totally bewildered at what was going on.
Cade and Liz followed Joshua into house. Every sense belonging to Cade was on alert as he watched what was going. "Is there anywhere we can freshen up? It's been a long trip."
Kayla glanced over at Cade as she examined Adam's eyes. "Certainly Mr Foster. I've two suites made up for you and Ms. Baker. I'm going to run some tests…"
"I think Adam needs a chance to rest as well," interrupted Cade.
"Well I did want to…." Kayla said but saw the look of disapproval on Joshua's face. "Yes you're right. I think Adam should be well rested in the morning."
She led them to three bedrooms. They were beautifully decorated and were extremely luxurious. Each room had an en suite bathroom which had a sunken marble bath with Jacuzzi and a magnificent view of the Ocean.
Liz stretched her back muscles as they felt stiff from the long drive as she looked into the bathroom. "Just what I need."
Cade was in his own room and was updating Eddie on the events so far.
"I don't know Foster. I have a bad feeling about this," Eddie said with his usual paranoia.
Cade paced back and forth. "So do I Eddie. If Adam is channelling to the Gua then they know where we are. It's not on our terms."
"Couldn't you tell him not to think at all?" asked Eddie half joking.
Cade stopped his pacing and stared out the window at the beautiful golden sunset over the Pacific Ocean. Somehow it reminded him of the world being on fire. The clouds had a reddish hue which reflected off the rolling surf. "I wish it was that simple but he's probably not aware that he's doing it at all."
Eddie rubbed his temples as he felt a headache coming on. "Oh man. This is giving me a migraine."
"The tests Kayla is running will show just what he is capable of. But from what I've seen so far I think he just has human capabilities," Cade said.
"I thought you were against any kind of tests being done," Eddie replied.
Cade resumed his pacing on the carpet in front of the window. "I am but we need to know if or what his strengths are."
"Who'd have guessed that we are still fighting a war against the Gua even though we stopped the invasion," Eddie said taking some pain killers for his growing headache.
"I know. It's not over yet," Cade said hanging up the phone.
Adam sat on his bed in his room trying to fight the voices in his head. He was still very confused to what was going on. He overheard the conversation between Cade and Liz after helicopter attacked and knew Cade thought he was dangerous. He got a strange feeling from Cade and wasn't sure if he was able to trust him or not. He didn't get the same strange feeling from Liz so he went to talk to her. He knocked on the door of her suite but got no answer so he opened the door. The light in the bathroom was on and he went over to it. He could hear water running as he pushed the door open. Liz had just taken off her bathrobe when she turned and saw Adam standing at the door.
Liz hurriedly pulled her bathrobe back on. "Adam!"
Adam averted his eyes and mumbled sorry before backing out the door.
"Adam, it's ok," Liz said going after him.
"I'm sorry," he repeated. He opened the bedroom door but Liz caught him by the arm before he left and sat him down on the sofa.
She saw the worried look on his face. "What's wrong?"
"I need to know what's happening to me," he said.
Liz sat down beside him. "What do you mean?"
"I can hear things in my head."
"Like what?"
Adam put his head in his hands. "I think I told someone in my head where we were going. That's why we were attacked by that helicopter."
"I know."
"Cade thinks I'm dangerous."
Liz placed her hand on his back as he rocked back and forth. "No he doesn't."
Adam stopped rocking and looked at Liz. "I heard him."
"Cade only wants best for you."
"He hates the Gua."
"He hates what they've done. He's seen what they've done. He's not - we're not going to let anything happen to you. Why don't you get some rest for tomorrow? I've a feeling that it'll be a long day."
Adam nodded and said goodnight as he returned to his room.
The following morning everyone arose early mainly because they knew that the tests that Kayla was going to do on Adam were going to be long and arduous. Cade didn't want these tests to happen but he knew it was the best for Adam. He and Liz watched through the lab window as Adam was strapped to a silver table and all sorts of monitoring equipment were attached to him. Kayla was looking at some monitors that read his vital signs. The empiricist said something to Joshua who nodded and went out to talk Liz and Cade.
"Kayla asked that you not be present," Joshua told them.
"Why?" asked Cade.
"She will be doing some unusual examinations that she doesn't want you to observe. We'll let you know the test results."
"With all due respect I would like to be present," Cade said. He wanted to see what exactly the empiricist was going to do.
"Foster. Out of respect for Adam would you leave?"
Cade looked at Liz who shrugged her shoulders. Cade took another look at Adam through the window and nodded. Cade and Liz spent the rest of the day pacing or sitting in the lounge. It was late in the evening when Joshua came back and brought them back into the Lab.
Adam looked tired but remarkably fit and healthy as he sat on the sofa in the office adjacent to the lab.
Kayla glanced up from reading some paperwork when Liz and Cade entered the room.
"His test results are remarkable. They indicate that he has the strength, intellectual capacity and DNA structure of a Gua with some human facets. He has the ability to self heal albeit very slowly, the DNA weakness to iodised salt is not present but that's not to say that it will in time. His DNA is replicating at a speed not seen before…"
"Wait a minute. What are you saying?" Cade interrupted.
"Do you remember what I told you? How Gua DNA replicates in us like a virus? That is what's happening here," replied Joshua.
"Are you saying he will be fully Gua?" asked Liz.
"In time. Yes. Our DNA structure is more superior than human DNA and it eventually takes over," explained Kayla.
Cade looked from Kayla to Joshua. "Did you know this was going to happen when you started the experiment with Maddy and Jeff?"
"That was the whole point of the research. To see what would happen when Gua DNA and Human DNA were…." Kayla started to say only for Cade to stand up in anger.
"You bastards will stop at nothing…!"
"Cade," "Foster," Liz and Joshua said together trying to placate him. Cade walked out heading towards his room. Liz was going to follow him but decided that he probably was going to call Eddie. Kayla went back to the lab. Adam was really tired so he went to bed.
Adam was in his room when he heard a knock on the door. He opened the door and saw that it was Liz.
"How are you feeling?"
Adam's face clouded over as he walked over to the bed. "Exhausted. They have more tests to do tomorrow."
"I'm sorry. We should've asked you if you wanted them."
"I need to know who I am. I need to know about my heritage," said Adam.
Liz put her hand on his. "I know."
He turned to look at her and a feeling of desire for her overwhelmed him.
Adam tentatively leaned in towards her and kissed her lightly on the lips. He stopped and searched her face as if seeking her permission. Liz caressed his face; her fingers lingered on his lips. He took her hand and kissed her palm. Adam brought his lips down to her neck and slowly opened the buttons on her shirt. His fingers trailed down to the lacy edge of her bra. Liz's breathing deepened as she felt his soft touch on her breast. His touch felt like a jolt of electricity running through her. She pulled his T-shirt off revealing a well-toned physique and then pulled down his jeans to free his erection from the confines of the material. She gently kissed his chest before he pushed her back onto the bed, removing her jeans, letting them fall to the floor. His hand brushed against the gap between her legs as he pulled off her silk panties and he felt her body tremble with excitement. He moved his body over her, feeling the heat of the connection between them, a quiet moan escaping her throat as Adam entered her. Wrapping her legs around his hips she lightly trailed her fingers up and down his back. She could feel the muscles in his back as well as the beads of sweat which gathered as their movements increased in rhythm and intensity. Liz called out his name when she climaxed. Adam let out a groan as he came and they lay in each other's arms as their breathing returned to normal. Adam drifted off to sleep.
"That's odd," Kayla said to Joshua looking at the monitor in the lab. White lines moved across a graph on the monitor. Occasionally the lines spiked and then levelled out. The Empiricist pointed out a section where the lines had spiked significantly. "Adam's asleep but his brainwave patterns are spiking higher than normal during REM sleep."
"What does that mean?" asked Joshua.
"Adam is having what humans call … 'an erotic dream'. He must have the same desires and longing for sex like humans do."
"You were looking for a weakness. Maybe this is it."
Kayla noted that the REM brainwave patterns had now returned to normal. "Maybe."
"What are we going to do about Foster?" she asked.
"Don't worry about Foster. I'll talk to him tomorrow."
"He's not going to let Adam be part of what the Assembly have planned," said Kayla.
"He will once it is explained to him," replied Joshua.
The first person Adam saw the following morning was Liz. They bumped into each other on the stairs. He was confused about the dream he had about her but didn't want to say anything. Cade had been up for a while before anyone else made an appearance. He had calmed down a lot as he spoke to both Eddie and Jordan. They both told him the same thing. That it was probably conceivable that Adam would be Gua.
Joshua called Cade into the lounge area.
"The first thing I have to say is thank you for your co operation in this matter. I believe that co operation between our species is the key," Joshua started to say.
"I believe that as well. All I wanna know is when you plan to leave," replied Cade.
"Certain things have arisen in the last couple of days. Things you may not like but they have to be said," Joshua said knowing that the next thing he was going to say would be explosive to the man sitting in front of him.
"Go on."
"The Assembly would like to meet Adam. They have already received a preliminary report on him. They feel that he has the potential to lead the Gua forces. They would like him to be the next Gua Head."
"Absolutely not."
"This is the only way there will be peace between us. The Gua won't invade the planet. We will leave."
"So you're saying that if we don't hand Adam over to the Assembly the planet will be invaded," Cade said.
"Exactly," replied Joshua.
"I don't believe that."
Before Joshua could answer there was a loud explosion in the grounds of the complex followed by the sound of machine guns. Cade and Joshua jumped up at the sound and ran towards the windows. They saw about ten people dressed in black and wearing black helmets running up to the house. Joshua ran over to a door in the wall and pressed some buttons. The door opened to reveal a small armoury.
Joshua threw Cade a machine gun. "Here take this."
"Who the hell are they?"
"A Renegade Gua group loyal to Mabus. They want Adam as well but they believe he is dangerous to the Gua and want assassinate him."
They ran towards the hall before any of the renegades entered the house. The front door was open and they saw Kayla dissolving on the front porch. Liz and Adam came out of the dining room when they heard the noise and were hiding behind a pillar. Joshua threw two machine guns to them as well. Five of the renegades entered the house. They exchanged fire for at least fifteen minutes. Some of the renegades were shot and dissolved on the spot. A bullet ricocheted off the pillar hitting Adam in the shoulder. He collapsed to the ground.
"ADAM," shouted Cade turning his gun on the other renegades who entered the house. Two more dissolved and the rest fled. He and Liz ran to Adam who was lying on his back on the floor. Cade knelt down on the floor beside Adam and gently lifted the T-shirt up to examine the wound. He was bleeding profusely. To Cade it didn't look like it would self heal.
He looked up at Joshua who had a medical kit in his hands. "Do something. He's going to die before it heals!"
Joshua opened the medical kit and took out a large syringe. "He won't die." He injected the needle into Adam's shoulder. The wound started to close.
"What was that?" asked Cade.
"It's a remedy to heal the Gua."
"It's the Oxytocin. Isn't it?" asked Cade recalling the experiment in Boston.
"Yes. Some Gua carry it around in case they are wounded."
"The Assembly want Adam to lead the Gua and the Renegades want him dead. The invasion is still on track isn't it?" Cade surmised.
"Yes."
"Why didn't you tell us this before?" asked Liz.
Joshua turned his attention on Cade. "There's one more thing."
"What?"
"The renegades not only want Adam. They want you as well."
"What?" exclaimed Cade.
"You are still wanted by the Gua. They believe you still have the potential to destroy any Gua plans."
Cade got to his feet and stared at Joshua in the eyes. "Why didn't you tell us this before we came here?"
"You would not have come otherwise."
Cade pulled his gun out and pointed straight at Joshua. "Damn right I wouldn't."
Liz stood between Joshua and Cade. She pushed Cade's gun out of the way. "Hey. I thought you two were friends. Joshua, you were on our side. What happened to you?"
"I am a patriot to the Gua. I still believe in the Power to Overcome. I don't agree with the Assembly but I can't afford to make any more mistakes."
"They'll be back. Won't they? The renegades. They won't give up till they get both of us," Cade said.
"Yes."
"Let's get out of here!" exclaimed Cade. "Get your bags packed," he told Liz and Adam.
Adam stayed where he was. Cade looked at him and said, "GO."
Adam shook his head.
"Adam!"
"This is my destiny," Adam said quietly.
"What?" exclaimed Liz and Cade together.
"I'm going to the Assembly to take my rightful place as Gua Head. I can look for a peaceful solution."
"You parents wouldn't want you to do that," Liz said.
"I need to know who I am."
"You know who you are," replied Cade.
"No! I need to find out about my heritage," Adam said. "Another renegade Gua unit are coming. I suggest you leave now. I'm not leaving."
Cade reached for his gun again and pointed it at Adam. "I suggest you forget all about finding out about your heritage and come with us. The Gua are not to be trusted."
Adam stared coldly at Cade and placed his hand on the gun barrel and pushed it away. "Thank you for everything you have done but I need to do this."
"Adam," Liz said softly with tears in her eyes. Adam's face changed when he turned to look at the blonde woman. He stroked her cheek and kissed her lightly on the lips. "Please go now. I don't want to see either of you getting hurt,"
Liz looked at Cade. His expression was one of anger. "What choice do we have?"
"You know this isn't what Maddy wanted for him."
"Maddy wanted a child she could be proud of. I think she would be. We should let him go."
Cade looked at Liz and realised that she was right. He turned to Adam and told him to be careful. He and Adam shook hands. Cade and Liz left the house soon after to meet up with Jordan and Eddie.
Cade's Journal
"As hard as it was to leave Adam with the Gua my comfort is that he believed it was his destiny and that he could make a difference. Maybe he could make a difference but I shudder to think what will happen in the future.
To be Continued
In Part 2 – Joshua and Cade undertake a dangerous mission when Adam is captured by the renegades.