Legacy: chapter 30
Disturbances of the temporal lobe, blurry vision, weightlessness, that warm feeling of security; everything Lisa could remember from her abductions was still a part of the crafts interior. She could see all the same structures in the single round room. All those memories were with her now, but they were distinctly separate. Her thoughts were focused; her vision crystal clear. There was a definite gravity, effecting both her body, and mood. That cherished warm security that had made her look forward to the abductions was gone, replaced by the cold harshness of reality.
Lisa could see the same sentiment in Charlie's eyes; he kneeled on the crafts gently outward sloping floor with the rest of them, directly opposite her. Relief was the substance of Charlie's thoughts, though. Lisa knew this 'room' held some painful and frightening memories for him, and he was handling this quite well considering.
He had said several times that he fought them, kicking and biting as they took him right through the window of his home in Madison. Charlie had given Lisa detailed accounts of the ordeals, right down to his repeated, but utterly ineffective declaration: "no, you are not gonna take me!" But now… he sat calmly in the inner belly of the very craft, or at least one of the same type, that had served as his torture chamber all those times, and his face… even his wild signal, was totally calm and unthreatened.
The two boys fared about the same. Tyler seemed determined, even if he didn't know why he felt that way, and Jamie was totally engrossed in the interior structure of the craft, not to mention John's short, gray form.
Lisa saw John for who he was the moment her eyes had come into contact with his. She thought it was a deep family bond at first; no single thing on his slick-skinned gray body held any recognition value for her… she had only seen him that way once before, and even then it was only briefly. Soon, though, it was clear that Charlie and the boys expressed no fear either; curiosity from the small one; but no fear or confusion at all from any of them. Meaning that they must feel the familiarity too.
No screens this time… Lisa's eyes wandered around at the gleaming interior, and she realized what separated the Now from her abduction memories. Highly polished metal, or something along those lines, rose up from the outer rim of the room in great arches, joining into a small downward facing point in the center. The large, distinctive dome occupied the middle of the floor. Five indentions, or 'seats', were cut into the dome; John occupied the center 'seat'. And all around the outer ring that separated the ceiling from the floor shone a brilliant row of intense white lights. The polished, reflectiveness of the rest of the interior created a room with no shadows at all. It was truly beautiful, and very simple, once the reality of being onboard an alien craft wore off. No screens were up. Nothing blurred her vision or blocked the true nature of this space from any of them.
John had made a comment when they had first 'beamed' aboard, that: "we hide nothing now, and never will we hide our truth from you again". At first, Lisa had not given the remark much thought; more important things were on the line; but now, while John recalibrated some errant factor in the sensor that was supposed to pick up their pattern fluctuations as they thought of Allie, it made perfect sense. No screens… this, what they all could see around them now, was all really there. This was what Allie had seen that night, and had transferred to Charlie's and her minds through memories when she had first arrived a month ago. Lisa had not recognized the place then.
"Lisa?" Charlie's questioning voice shot through Lisa's thoughts like an arrow, "what's wrong?"
Jamie, Tyler, and Charlie all stared at her, but she just noticed them for the first time. "Wha… did I say something?"
"No," Charlie said, then ventured a quick glance at John, still busily working away at something, before turning back to Lisa, "you just seem… strange… did something happen."
Lisa watched Charlie speaking to her, and she could hear the words as they came from his mouth, but she could also predict them before he spoke. She had already gathered enough information from the intonation of his words and the look on his face to generate several possibilities of the end of his question before he even spoke the word 'strange'.
"Yes, Charlie. Something wonderful… and very confusing… but it makes sense at the same time."
Charlie said nothing, but the questioning look of concern on his face spoke volumes, and Lisa considered it a prompt for her to explain.
"Insight… I can see clearly. It's all so clear, Charlie. Every single thing that I ever doubted or held as a fact is stripped of all my preconceptions, I can see everything for what it is!" and Lisa also realized at that moment, that she now understood Allie perfectly, for the first time.
Even as a child, Allie had been an enigma. The shared connection was about the only thing Lisa thought she really understood about her daughter, and even that was confusing as hell!
All the things she did, every choice, even from her early childhood, was driven by this insight! When she went with Crawford; the whole North Dakota mess. It was all part of a much larger plan! Even her choice to go with this man now is a part of that plan!
Lisa had suspected, no, much more then suspected, she had known that Allie was following some integral plan all along. Now, however, that knowledge took on a new meaning… Lisa could see the plan.
Images flooded her vision. Charlie and the others, the inside of the craft, everything in the reality of the ship was still visible through Lisa's eyes; these images shared, but did not obscure her vision. They came faster and faster. Like watching a translucent 35-millimeter filmstrip flicker across a screen behind her eyes.
A strong electric charge built in the crafts atmosphere around them. Lisa could see Charlie, so serene and understanding, settling back into the position John had instructed them all to sit in. she could also see the organic-looking structure of the 'sensor' moving in toward the center of the group, and John getting very active over in his seat, hologram-like projections springing up all around him.
Audio input followed the images. Sounds of a person exerting, struggling… and the sensation of being carried; Lisa felt a pressure below her neck and behind her knees.
The Connection! Lisa felt a sudden surge of joy. It was the only possible explanation! She could not see through Allie's eyes now, but everything else was exactly the same. Not only had The Connection returned; this also meant that Allie was alive! Still alive!
The craft hummed beneath them with an extremely high frequency vibration.
"You have succeeded." It was John's voice.
A very slight pressure built up in the pit of Lisa's stomach, as the craft started moving. Very fast!
Allie would be okay soon.
Everything would be okay soon.
Ka'len pulled back hard on the cyclic. The Varin was still about 500 yards out, but she could sense a change in its engines that told her a course change was imminent. She would not venture a guess at its new direction, just the meaning of the course change: they had located Allie. Ka'len adjusted the controls enough to establish a somewhat steady hover and waited for John to make his move.
"What is it?" Mary leaned forward, the only one of the passengers who had worked up the nerve to undo her seatbelt harness. A respectable boldness, Ka'len thought.
"The gravity nullifying engines have increased in power… the Varin is about to move."
Mary looked out the front window at the saucer in the distance; it looked exactly the same; back to Ka'len: "how can you tell?"
Ka'len turned her head just enough so that the side of her face was visible to Mary.
"Right… alien…"
Ka'len nodded. Mary was a smart one, but she was still just a little bit slow on the uptake.
"You…" Christina spoke up but her voice wavered, she cleared her throat and tried again: "you keep saying 'alien'… but she looks like a normal kid…" the statement/question was directed at Mary so Ka'len kept her eyes fixed on Varin.
"She… they can, make us see things that aren't really there." Mary started to explain, "she only looks like a human because she is sending that image to our optic nerves."
"But back there on the road… all those people…" Christina's voice again. Ka'len tensed her hands up on the controls as the lights from the Varin flashed brighter for a split second.
"I don't know exactly how it works," Mary's voice, still trying to explain, "all I know is its an extremely potent energy. She could theoretically 'screen' many millions of people..."
Ka'len felt eyes on her; Mary and Christina both looked to her for conformation of Mary's last supposition.
"It is possible… I believe the video that you have recorded should show my current form in the image…" Ka'len was distracted by Brian in the seat beside her. He simply pointed at the craft to direct her attention back. It had started spinning at an increased rate.
"A side-effect of gravity nullification on a small vessel," Ka'len explained, then turned slightly to address Mary again, "refasten your harness."
Mary stared out the front window as the saucer started to move, and immediately knew what Ka'len was about to do. She buckled the belts over her body just as the helicopter dropped and banked hard to the left. Tony's bag, which had been over his shoulder, flew past Mary's head and slammed against the bulletproof window of the side door. No attempt was made by any party to retrieve it. Tony was having enough trouble keeping the camera rolling and Mary was too gripped by the unusual sensation of this, almost acrobatic flying that Ka'len seemed to think was completely normal.
Fear should have a very strong hold on her; at least Mary thought it should. It should have a strong hold on all of them. But besides stiff expressions from just trying to hold onto the seat as the helicopter finally started to level out, everyone was calm. Like this was just a roller coaster and they were securely held in by that bar… that bar that is so terrifyingly ineffective, if you think about it. And Mary just thought about it. What would happen if the little train cars got stuck on some steep curve or at the top of a loop? The bar would do nothing to keep passengers in the ride…
Think good thoughts… Mary looked away from the window and the ground outside, which seemed to change its distance from the helicopter every few seconds. Her eyes fixed on Brian's side arm for some reason. It was then that she realized then that Keith would probably be at the end of this helicopter ride. She needed a gun!
Oh, how Mary longed to pull that trigger! Keith was just one of those guys who asks for it. So smug with his little game... Use me as a pawn, will he? I'll kill him!
Even if Allie was unharmed; which, judging by the trouble even the aliens were having in locating her, seemed a remote possibility; Mary still wanted to shoot him. She had no gun, that was the only problem. A problem that could be fixed, though. Mary continued to stare at Brian's weapon.
"Can—you tell us what to expect?" Christina had to yell over the whine of the fully revved engines, she was speaking to Mary.
It took some thought for Mary to pull her mind out of the loop of Keith death scenes and focus on the question; even longer to formulate an answer, even thought all she was able to say was: "not really."
Not good enough. Christina still looked at her expectantly.
"I've never experienced anything quite like this, so we'll find out together."
Christina was not going to be satisfied with that, either. But it was her tough luck! Some things are just more important then answers.
Ironic…Mary watched the trees clipping by through the front window. The helicopter was moving very fast, and very low. Mary had never been this close to the ground before except for during take-offs and landings. That was ironic too. This feeling of danger with the knowledge of safety was the greatest thing she had ever felt. And it took a crisis situation to bring her this thrill. It took Allie's sacrifice to make her feel alive. And it took this ambitious young reporter to make her realize just how much more important then answers questions can sometimes be.
The irony was overwhelming and enlightening; compounding her heart pounding, adrenalin induced excitement.
Mary leaned forward to the limit of her harness and looked at Christina. "We will see something big, very very big. I can promise you that much."
The helicopter was slowing and Mary failed to notice that the craft up ahead had stopped rock steady over one spot. Her thoughts were far away.
Everything she had ever done; her father, Chet Wakeman… the first time with Allie. It all filled her with sadness, but that sadness only made her think of everything she still had to do. This is still my families legacy… my legacy. I will see this through to the end!
Brian spoke: "there she is!" and pointed to a spot on the ground that was illuminated by one of the beams of light from the craft.
From there movements were a blur, for Mary and the others just the same.
Mary had Brian's gun faster then he could even realize what had happened. He reached to try to jerk it back but Mary kept it out of reach and pointed it at him.
"I'm sorry," she said, "there's something I have to do. I need it."
"What the hell are you thinking?" Brian demanded.
Mary didn't listen, "send me down there," she addressed Ka'len. Christina and Tony were frozen.
"Now!" Mary yelled, thought she didn't mean it. The adrenalin had a hold of her. She had to do this!
Ka'len turned her entire head and upper body to look Mary straight in the eyes. Instead of trying to stop her, like Mary thought she would, Ka'len simply stared. Mary stared back, and she felt a connection of sorts. Something passed between them. The girl understood! It was in that blur of a connection that the girl's human form dissolved.
No flashes of light, or burst of energy. Ka'len's human body simply ceased to be in the minds of everyone in the cabin, and instead they saw a small… surprisingly small, and slender gray being with large black eyes set in an upside-down pear-shaped head.
Mary noticed, but did not even care. She should have been filled with scientific wonder at such a sight, sitting right before her own eyes, but a greater understanding had passed between them in that few seconds. Mary stared into eyes, not alien, or human eyes, just eyes, which belonged to a fellow sentient being. And that was all that mattered. All this took up the space of a fraction of a second, but it seemed so slow… Mary understood.
Ka'len nodded very slightly and slid her semi-opaque eyelids closed. Sending Mary out of the helicopter in a surge of energy.
The next thing Mary could see was Keith, holding Allie, staring at her with eyes. They were different eyes. Not alien, not human, not anything that Mary even considered alive. She didn't look hard enough to see life. All she saw was: hatred, and evil, and love of inflicting pain in others. He does not deserve to live!
She brought the gun up with both hands, steady, and said: "put her down." Very calmly. Mary didn't feel calm though.
"Mary? wait… I…"
"Put her down, now!" Mary raised her voice, and the gun. Putting his nose right in the center of the sight.
Time seemed to stand still. The arrival of the occupants of the saucer, Charlie, Lisa, and the two boys, failed to stir Mary. They stood well back after seeing the scene and feeling the tension in the air between these two.
"Let me expl…"
"No!" a tear traced its way down Mary's cheek. "I've made up my mind!"
Keith didn't try to argue. He knelt, gently placing Allie on the ground, taking special care to avoid placing her on any sharp debris. He was still afraid that if she were to wake, all would be lost.
"Stand up!" Mary demanded as the gun started to tremble in her hands.
Lisa took a step toward Mary; Charlie reached up to grab her shoulder, but stopped short. Lisa knew what she was doing, and something told Charlie she was in no danger.
"I wont explain myself, because you wouldn't believe me." Keith said as he came back to a fully upright position.
"No, I wouldn't." Mary lowered the gun to his chest. Her finger applied a tiny amount of pressure to the trigger.
"Do you think I'm scared of a gun?" Keith asked as he stepped over Allie, causing Mary to flinch and point the gun stiffly back at his head.
"Don't even move you bastard!" Mary screamed through tears. "Just tell me what you did to Allie! You hurt her you son of a bitch!"
"No, Mary." He took another step, "she hurt me."
"You lie!"
"I wish I did, Mary. She tore me apart. She showed me things I didn't know; wish I would have never learned. She made me question every single moment of my past, of my entire life," Keith took another step, "she did all that out of kindness. Do you think I'm afraid of that gun; of death?"
"Shut up!"
"I was already dead, Mary. Allie showed me how to come back to life!"
"SHUT UP!"
Keith took one final step, closing the distance between them and pressing the gun into his forehead, "shut me up, Mary!" he grabbed the gun and held it tighter against his forehead, "pull that trigger and shut me up! Just promise that you will help them take care of that girl."
Mary ripped the weapon out of his hands and spun back away from him several steps, seeing her audience for the first time. Lisa stood halfway between the group and Mary's position.
"Beg!" Mary screamed as she turned back to Keith with a new intensity burning in her tear filled eyes. "I want you to beg for your life! You're a horrible person and you don't deserve to share the perfect future that they are bringing for us!"
"You're right," Keith's voice grew momentarily weak as he continued: "I don't deserve to be a part of what will come. I have done so many evil things that I cant take back… I don't want to be a part of this! But you know what I learned, Mary? Do you want to know what Allie taught me?" Keith let his words hang in the air as the waves of indecision assailed Mary's psyche, all visible on her face.
"The things that I have done," he continued, "that you have done… are in the past. I did not understand that before, so I took Allie to try to make a quick buck; I thought that I had to do it since I had already committed myself to it. I can't change this," Keith gestured to Allie on the ground behind him, "no matter how bad I want to. But I understand myself now, and I can fix this mistake!"
Mary still held the gun aimed at Keith, but she was openly crying now. She had no idea what to do!
"Will you let me fix this mistake, Mary?"
A sob shook Mary's body as the gun started to grow heavy in her hands, "no… it's not fair… no…" Mary let her arms and the gun drop to her side. She knew she was wrong. In one of those incredibly cruel twists that life just loves to throw, Mary knew that she was the only evil one standing there. Keith had done horrible things, but nothing incredibly bad to her, not bad enough to warrant death. And he was being sincere in his words about Allie. Mary knew enough of his ways to know when he was lying, and he was being more honest now then at any other time since they had met.
"I thought I had changed…" Mary let the gun drop, "Allie told me I had changed… she was wrong, I haven't. I k—killed my father, and the only man that ever loved me, and now I want to kill again!"
"You're right." Mary looked to Keith with a new understanding in her eyes, "I don't deserve to be a part of this future either, judging by my past. But I can still make decisions, and I can still fix my mistakes… I'm sorry."
A warm hand and a flowing energy came down onto Mary's shoulder, along with the gentle tone of Lisa's voice: "Allie was right."
Immediately Mary's eyes found the comatose girl lying behind Keith. She was the reason behind this, not Keith. And Mary knew that her selfish urges had pushed Allie's well-being aside to make way for petty revenge. A thought that only made her feel worse.
"Allie…" Mary mouthed, then looked to Keith questioningly, "What happened?"
"She said she had used up too much energy."
Everyone started to converge around Allie, Keith held his position and simply watched. The look on all these people's faces spoke of a profound understanding. Much deeper then that Keith had found less then an hour ago. He wanted to share in that profound understanding too, but he was content to watch.
Lisa extended a hand and tenderly placed it against Allie's cheek. "It's okay, Charlie." She said, "Allie will be okay, with time."
Charlie nodded, he understood her words, and something in the way she said them told him that: yes, everything was going to be all right. But at the same time, he was more confused then ever. Charlie, like Keith, wanted to share the knowledge Lisa had gained, but just like Keith, he was content to watch for now.
"With time." It was a new voice, from behind. Keith turned to see a tall, dark haired man looking down at him through eyes that, in the light from the spacecraft, seemed to match the hair color. No one else seemed to notice.
"Hello, Keith." The tall man said, and extended a hand.
"Who?"
"I will explain. However, we must get Allie to help right now. There is not as much time as I wish there was."
Keith kept his eyes fixed on the tall man as he walked past, "she said she was…. She was… dying"
"If I had not come," the tall man said, "she would have been telling the truth."
The activity below seemed to be in slow motion. Ka'len wanted to be a part of it, but this primitive machine had no built-in holding pattern to allow her to leave the controls.
She looked over at Brian and the other two humans and saw something she never expected: they did not care what she looked like. Brian noticed her looking at him and smiled! He actually smiled! No fear of her natural form. No gawking fascination. Just people, watching something which all of them correctly sensed was the start of something big, through the windows of the helicopter as Ka'len circled the scene.
Moisture clouded Ka'len's large eyes. She did not know it was even possible for her natural body to produce tears, but she did not care, as was made evident by the smile that stretched itself across her tiny slit of a mouth.
A/N: so, I'm a big softie… I just couldn't kill Keith. Eh, oh well. Hope you all enjoyed that as much as I did writing it. Chapter 31 is on the way, and the end is very near… part two awaits us all around the corner though… MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!