Atherton's dome

Author's note: Part one of my Silent Ally series


1989, near Roswell, New Mexico

Out in the desert, under the night sky, a cave that had lay dormant for a few decades was about to welcome four outsiders into the world. Set as the four corners in a square, two boys and two girls. These were not ordinary children. They were aliens, hybrids, and the hope of a faraway land.

The first boy and girl were already out, their bodies covered with pieces of the incubation pods that housed them as they gestated. Neither could speak, but they were too confused anyway.

When the second boy joined them, he was as silent as them. The girl extended a hand to him, knowing somehow they were related, brother and sister. He turned back and indicated the last pod. The other girl was still 'sleeping'.

The first two were walking to the far wall. The boy waved his hand over it, and a silver handprint appeared. He placed his hand over it, and the rock split, creating an opening. The girl shielded her eyes from the light with her hands. The boy left the cave not waiting for the others.

The girl turned to her brother, urging him to follow her. He was about to go, when he heard a small noise from behind. The second girl had joined them. She was as lost as they were.

The boy and two girls got out, meeting the other boy outside. They closed the wall, and walked away, the brother and sister held hands, with the other two on either side.

*

Down on the road, a minivan rolled along. The occupants, three couples, friends for over a decade chatted and laughed, on their way home. In the front, Philip and Diane Evans, behind them, Jay and Molly Harding, and in the back, Robert and Rachel Guerin.

"That was some night," exclaimed Molly.

"We should do this more often," added Rachel.

"Definitely," agreed Diane.

"Oh my..." came Philip's near whisper.

All six had their eyes fixed in front of them as they stopped the car. None could speak as they observed the four children walking along the road. They had stopped and turned their heads to see the six tall people come to them.

"What are you kids doing out here?" asked a frantic Diane. The children remained silent. "Can you talk?" Still nothing.

"There's no one around. Who leaves kids in the desert?" asked Molly, practically crying.

"I got the blankets out," Jay announced as he joined them.

"Come on," Molly whispered, crouching and holding one of the blankets.

The smallest one, the girl who'd joined them last, looked at the others and slowly walked into the blanket and Molly's arms.

Rachel came next, and the boy who'd opened the door went to her.

Diane approached the other two, sensing they couldn't be separated, took Philip forward with her, and soon they let them take them both. Diane took the boy, and the Philip got the girl.

Back in the car, they sat the four children next to each other, on the knees of the three women, who'd taken the backseat, tightness be damned.

By the time they'd reached their street, as they were neighbors, the children had dozed off.

"We shouldn't separate them, not yet at least. You guys could stay over for tonight," suggested Diane. Everyone agreed.

*

October 4th 1999, Marathon, Texas

The eight teens had found their way inside the dome. It had once belonged to a man named Atherton. They knew this place held many answers they'd been looking for. They searched for a while, trying to locate the lock the key they'd found could open. They were about to give up, but they found it. They stood there, unsure of what to do.

*

The morning after they'd been found in the desert, the four children were awakened by the smell of waffles, although they didn't know that was the name of it.

Each had been given a large shirt, since none of the adults had clothes that would fit them.

They walked to the smell, in the kitchen, to find the adults. None of the six of them had been able to sleep, so they talked all night. The room fell silent at the children's entrance.

"Morning," said Diane, then, noticing they were sniffing for something that had definitely caught their attention, "You hungry?"

They sat the kids at the table and placed plates of waffles in front of them.

"Have you ever had waffles?" asked Rachel.

"Waffles?" came the first word spoken by any of the four, from the first boy.

This surprised the adults, and even more, when the other three joined in, chanting, "Waffles!" over and over.

The three women looked at their husbands, a pleading look of which the three men knew the meaning, as they had argued about it all night. One look at the children, who were still chanting their first word while jumping up and down on their chairs, and the men consented.

The children finally stopped their chant and were shown to use their forks. They tasted the waffles, and they looked unsure.

The first girl had been looking at a bottle of Tabasco sauce that had remained on the table from before the adults' trip.

"No, honey, that doesn't belong on waffles," said Diane, when she'd picked it up.

But she insisted for someone to help her open it. Once that was done, she poured some on her meal and took another bite. Her face lit up suddenly, as she turned to her brother and made him taste some. He was excited too. He took the bottle and put some in the other two's plates and the same thing happened.

The adults were confused, but also happy that the children were happy. Then they knew they never wanted to lose them.

*

Later that day, while the three men, all lawyers, with their own firm, 'Evans, Harding & Guerin', were already working on the adoptions, the three women took the kids to get them a few pieces of clothing each.

It had been decided that the Evans family would adopt the brother and sister, the Hardings would take the other girl, and the Guerins would have the other boy.

They were waiting in line to get to the cash register. They felt bad for the cashier, who was the only one there.

The line was very long, so they started discussing names, with some help from a book of names they'd found.

"Alright, we're up to M," said Molly.

"Okay, shoot," said Rachel.

She started reading down the list.

"... Maverick, Max, ..."

"Max... I like that," said Diane.

"... Micah, Michael, ..."

"Michael sounds good," said Rachel, "Okay, so we have the boys, what about the girls?"

"Can I look? There were a couple I liked back there," said Diane. Molly handed it over. "I think I got it."

"So...?" asked Rachel.

"Isabel."

"That's very nice," said Molly, then to her future daughter, "What are we gonna do about you?"

Finally, it was their turn.

"Billed together?" the cashier asked.

"Yeah," said Molly.

They figured they could separate it all later.

The girl started ringing up the items. She smiled at the kids.

"Well, aren't you the sweetest things I've ever seen?" She put her hand in her pocket and handed each of the kids a smiley-face sticker. All four showed bright smiles of their own. "I think I've got..." she went to her pocket again and found four pieces of candy. "Keep these for after dinner," she said with a wink.

Molly found this girl go be so great.

"What's your name?" she asked her.

"I'm Tess," she said, smiling again.

"Tess. It's nice to meet you," said Molly, putting her wallet back in her purse when they were done.

"Bye!" Tess said to the seven of them as they headed out.

"Bye!" said the kids.

*

That night, the men sat in the Harding living room.

"Alright. Please welcome the newest additions to Evans, Harding and Guerin families," announced Rachel.

"Say hello to Max Evans, Michael Guerin,..." started Diane.

"... Isabel Evans and Tess Harding," finished Molly.

The kids came in the room, wearing some of the outfits they'd bought that day. The men clapped, the women beamed, the boys smiled and the girls giggled.

*

"The key, Michael," insisted Isabel as they stood in the dome.

He didn't have to be told twice. When he turned it, a door on the floor popped open, making them jump a bit.

All were wide-eyed as they stood in shock. Eventually, they all went down to the lower level.

"Jackpot," announced Michael.

Knowing they wouldn't stay long, they grabbed a few things. Then, they quickly left the premises, anxious to take a look at their findings.

*

A week had passed, and the kids just kept on amazing the adults. In that time, they had learned to speak and were adjusting nicely to their new life. As a celebration, they would go out to dinner that night, their first family dinner out on the town, even if the adoptions weren't complete yet.

The ten of them walked into the Crashdown Café and were almost run over by four children running around.

"You get back here, Whitman!" yelled one of the two boys.

The other one was in front of him, making his way through the dining room, obviously trying to lose the other boy.

The two girls, one blond, one brunette, were running after the boys.

"Kyle, leave him alone!" yelled the brunette.

"Go, Alex! Go!" yelled the blond.

All four stopped when they arrived in front of the others.

"Hi!" said the kids, all at once.

Before the adults could say a word, the eight kids ran off, sitting in two booths, the girls in one and the boys in the other. But that was okay because they knew them, or at least they knew their parents.

"Nancy!" exclaimed Diane as she walked to Mrs. Parker.

"Hey, how are you? I heard you guys were adopting kids," she said as she hugged her old friend.

"Uh-huh, they're over there," she said, indicating them.
"Well, it looks like they've made friends already," said Nancy, looking at her own daughter, Liz, with her long brown hair.

Next to her were her best friend, Maria DeLuca, and Tess and Isabel. In the other, Alex Whitman, Kyle Valenti, and Max and Michael.

"So are you babysitting, or..." asked Molly.

"Well, actually, these four are always together lately, it seems. Especially since Kyle's mom left."

"What? Michelle left?"

"Yeah, I don't know what happened. Jim is really bummed out, and Kyle's hiding it, but I know he's miserable."

Jim. Nancy was calling the Sheriff by his first name, but since their kids were now friends, it was a bit more normal.

"Anyway, Liz, Maria, Alex and Kyle are here almost every day. So... care to tell me about these kids?"

"Well, the one sitting next to Kyle is my son, Max, and at the end of the other booth is my daughter, Isabel," said Diane.

"And next to Max is my son, Michael," said Rachel.

"And last but not least, there's my daughter, sitting between Maria and Isabel, and her name is Tess," said Molly.

"Well, why don't you guys sit at the counter and leave the kids together?" suggested Nancy.

"I don't see why not," said Jay.

"Take it back, Whitman!" they heard from behind, before seeing Alex, Kyle, Max, Michael, Liz, Maria, Isabel and Tess running around the dining room.