by Saxon Andrew
“BUT…BUT…”
“Follow your orders. You do not have the safety of the Empire in mind and we need someone who does!” The Second stood up and walked slowly out of the Chamber. The First turned to the Royals, “I need him replaced quickly.” The senior Royal bowed and sat down. The First looked up and began speaking, “If I assume what you’ve told me is true, I know that our population was close to this critical threshold before you destroyed the Yellows. That tells me how long I have until we’re attacked.”
“That is true, if you know the population size of the Yellow Civilization,” Danielle agreed.
“Then we have a very long time until the OAs return, Supremacy,” the Third added.
“Not necessarily,” the First replied.
“Why not?” Danielle inquired.
“The OAs are a lot of things, but stupid isn’t one of them. They saw the destruction you brought on the Yellows and they’ll begin to wonder if an advanced civilization did it. I suspect they currently think it was a disease that caused it…but they’ll come back to confirm their suspicions eventually. I’ll transmit all we’ve recorded if you will give us what you have in deciphering their communications.”
“I’ll need to send a vessel to receive your transmissions.”
“That tells me one isn’t here now,” the first replied. “But, that doesn’t matter. However, you’re doing this, I will agree to not pose a threat now, or in the future, to your civilization.”
• • •
Danielle looked up, “Alex, get us there now!” Danielle thought, “And we will not pose a threat to your civilization.” Danielle and Tag teleported up to the Kosiev, just before it disappeared from above Ross. She immediately linked to Al’s twin and thought, “My ship has arrived, and you may start transmitting your recordings. I will start sending what we have on deciphering their transmissions.”
“May I assume I will not detect your vessel?”
“You may.”
The First Smiled, “Just checking.”
• • •
Tag looked up, “Grace!”
The computer immediately answered, “I’m receiving it and downloading it into my databanks.”
• • •
Danielle thought to the First Controller, “You should be aware that the OA’s communicate in shades of colors. Their transmissions are done using the frequencies that correspond to various colors of green.”
“Now that is something we’ve never determined. I assume you will be keeping an eye out on us.”
“Why do you ask.”
“Perhaps there are other things we might share that would help both of us,” the First replied.
“I’ll make sure you can contact us if needed.”
“That would be good.”
Chapter Four
Eddie finished helping a coed with her calculus homework and he checked his appointment schedule. She was the last one and he stood up to go to the lab. He heard a knock on his door and he opened it to see Cali standing outside his office, “Do you have a minute?”
Eddie stared at her with his mouth open and stepped aside, as she entered before he could answer. He started to walk out and leave for the lab but decided that wouldn’t be polite. He closed the door and went to his chair. “Why did you stop being my friend?” Cali asked. Eddie’s eyes narrowed, and she immediately said, “I know that look and stubbornness is not called for here, Dr. Taylor.”
Eddie took a breath and blew it out slowly, “I didn’t.”
“You stopped contacting me!”
“Cali, most of the times I called, you were too busy to take my call. And when you did, all you talked about was your new boyfriend. I could clearly see you were no longer interested in talking with me and I was nothing more than an imposition. I decided that I would wait for you to call me; you never did.”
Cali stared at him for a moment, rolled her eyes, and slightly shook her head, before saying, “Awful timing.”
Eddie’s leaned forward, and his eyes narrowed again, “What in the hell do you mean by that!”
Cali sighed, “I promised Jeremy that I wouldn’t call you again, but I would not agree to not answer your calls. You never called me again.”
Eddie glared at her and thought about what she said. He leaned back in his chair and his eyes returned to normal. “You’re right; it was bad timing. But you should have called me, Cali.”
“Have you ever known of a time where I broke a promise? Besides, the man is supposed to call the woman. You know how it goes; the woman waits by the phone for the call.”
“When has that ever been an issue between us? And that tradition ended centuries ago.”
“It became an issue when Jeremy became jealous of you.”
“There was nothing to be jealous about. You never looked at me as someone you felt romantic about. Remember, I was ET and considered weird by everyone.”
“I never called you ET, Eddie. And how do you know I wasn’t attracted to you?”
Eddie stared at her and sighed, “You never even held my hand.”
“You never took my hand in yours, Eddie! I waited for you to do it for years. Another obvious piece of bad-timing.”
“Were you romantically interested in me? If you were, why did you accept him as your steady boyfriend?!”
Cali rolled her eyes and shook her head, “Love unreturned is no love at all, Eddie. I saw no interest in your eyes and you never acted like I was anything but a friend. I needed more.”
“You could have asked.”
Cali snorted, “Women want to be pursued. I waited for years and nothing. I finally gave up.”
“Why?”
“For starters, you quit contacting me; it only confirmed you really weren’t interested.”
Eddie stared at her and then asked, “What happened to Jeremy?”
“He’s only one of many boys that I ended up dating. We broke up six-months after you stopped calling me.”
Eddie sighed again and shook his head slightly before saying, “I’ve been here two-years and you didn’t contact me. I found out you were here all the time.”
“I hate you. I didn’t want to be around you.”
“Why?”
“You broke your promise, Eddie. You promised you would always be there for me and you walked away.”
“Why did you sign up for my class.”
Cali lowered her eyes, “I didn’t! I was placed in your class by my student-advisor and he told me that I had to take it, if I wanted to graduate with a math major. I had no other choice.”
Eddie lowered his eyes, “And I’ve pretty much ignored you.”
“Yes, you have! Which again confirmed you had no feelings for me now or when we were once close!”
“Why did you come here, today.”
“I needed closure.”
Eddie’s eyes moistened and he refused to look at her. She stared at him and said, “I’ve never seen you cry.”
“You weren’t there when I didn’t get a call from you for four-weeks. I knew I had lost you,” Eddie replied without looking up. She stared at him, then stood up, and walked out of his office. Eddie remained there until night fell.
“What wrong?”
“Bong, I broke a promise and didn’t even know I did it. I lost my first and best friend.”
“Correct problem.”
Eddie wiped his eyes and forced a smile, “Somethings can’t be changed, Bong.”
“I will always be friend, Ed.”
“And I will always be your friend, Bong. Let’s go home.”
• • •
Cali walked out of Eddie’s office and was furious. She walked across campus toward her dorm and suddenly, remembered. She did see Eddie cry before. It was at his father’s funeral and she asked him how he could be crying for someone who beat him so much. Eddie replied that his father lost the love of his life, giving birth to him. It was the severity of those beatings that showed him how much his father loved his mother. Now, hi
s father had finally found peace.
Cali sat down on a bench outside her dorm and sighed. Eddie was emotionally stunted as a child and wasn’t socially adept at dealing with others. She expected him to function like all of her many boyfriends and he was just not capable of doing it. He never saw love as a child and never learned how to show it. She released a heavy sigh and knew she had been cruel to him in their meeting; she was just one of many that made Eddie’s life miserable. But he broke his promise!! She couldn’t release the hate she was holding on to.
• • •
The next morning when she arrived in class, she saw one of the graduate assistants at the front of the room. “Dr. Taylor won’t be in today. I will take his place and lead the class.” He tried to do a good job, but everyone in the class knew he was no Doctor Taylor. Cali knew it was her fault he didn’t show up.
• • •
Eddie sat in his spaceship and thought about all that had happened in his life. He didn’t know the man was supposed to call the woman or make the first move. “Ed.”
“Yes, Bong.”
“I called to unite.”
Eddie sat up straight in his chair, “WHEN?”
“Hour ago.”
“Can you refuse to go?”
“For short time.”
Eddie decided that it was now or never. “We will try to unite tonight in the lab.”
“Do you want?”
“It’s all I’ve worked on for years.”
“Then no unite with other.”
“Can you refuse?”
“I only unite you.”
• • •
Cali sat on a bench outside the math-building and heard two of Eddie’s student advisors talking as they passed, “No one has been able to find him.”
“Where could he be?”
“The lab is closed for the weekend and his neighbor says he’s not come home since Friday.”
“He told me to take the class today on Thursday.”
“Should we notify the Dean?”
“I don’t know!”
They moved out of hearing range and Cali started worrying. Eddie was a creature of habit and if he wasn’t following his normal pattern…she stood up and began running.
• • •
“Are you ready, Bong.”
“Ready.”
“Here’s what I want you to do.” Eddie put a black band around his head and leaned back in a transfer chair. He had worked for years modifying the machine that fed data directly to the brain of the one wearing the band and he pointed at the open receptacle on a black bar above the machine, “I want you to compress yourself to your smallest size and move into this opening. Follow the energy into my mind and insert your mind into my brain.”
“Is safe?”
“I don’t know for certain, Bong. But I’d rather die than lose my only friend.”
“I will do what say.”
“Bong, I do love you. I’ve never told you that, but I want you to know it before we do this.” Eddie reclined the chair, turned on the machine, and smiled, “Do it now, Bong, before I lose my courage.”
The small Dark Energy Creature entered the receptacle and flowed with the energy entering Eddie’s brain. Suddenly, Eddie gripped the arms of the chair in a death grip and started writhing violently on the chair. After ten-minutes, he stopped moving…and breathing. Bong fell out of his head and laid still on the floor of the lab.
• • •
Cali arrived at the High Energy Lab Building and the security guard came running up as she pounded on the front door, “HEY, BACK OFF! THE BUILDING IS CLOSED!!”
“YOU’VE GOT TO LET ME IN. DR. TAYLOR IS MISSING, AND I BELIEVE HE’S IN THE LAB!!” The security guard stared at Cali and she pleaded, “PLEASE!!”
The guard unlocked the door and Cali sprinted ahead of him toward the lab. She arrived and saw Eddie hanging limply halfway out of a reclined chair. She rushed up and put her ear to his mouth and started pounding his chest. She began blowing air into his lungs, as the security guard called an ambulance. The medics arrived and took over for Cali. They lifted Eddie out of the chair and rushed him to the university’s hospital. Cali sat outside his room in the emergency room and prayed for him. This was her fault! She waited an hour and a doctor finally stepped out of the room. “DOCTOR, IS HE OK?”
He turned to her and asked, “Are you related to him?”
“I’m his only surviving family member.” The Doctor stared at her and she quickly said, “I’m the one that found him.”
The Doctor nodded and shook his head slightly, “I don’t know how long he wasn’t breathing but it appears no permanent damage was done. I’ll know more, if he regains consciousness.”
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN ‘IF’?”
“We think no damage was done but we don’t really know. We’re going to move him to a room shortly.”
“I’ll go with him.” The Doctor stared at Cali, then nodded. He turned and walked away. Cali followed the gurney to the room and watched the medics move him to the bed. They left, and two-nurses came rushing in and began hooking Eddie up to the various monitors. After they finished, they left leaving Cali in the room alone with him. She pulled her legs up in the chair and hugged her knees. What was Eddie doing on that chair in the lab?
She closed her eyes and sighed. “It wasn’t really your fault, Cali.”
Cali’s eyes flew open and she saw Eddie’s eyes were still closed. “Who said that?”
“You remember me as Bong.”
Cali sat up straight in the chair and said, “You sound nothing like Bong!?”
“Eddie decided to make the effort to unite with me. His attempt was somewhat successful.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Are you aware that when an Algean unites with a member of my species that their two-minds become one?”
“I am. What does this have to do with you and Eddie.”
“Our minds did not come together like that. My mind remained my own and so did Eddie’s mind. We are not twins.”
“Then what are you? I’ve never heard of a human uniting with a DEC.”
“That’s because it’s never happened before. Eddie’s mind is connected to my mind like a database is connected to a computer’s operating system. I use his mind to understand the world around me, but my mind is still my own.”
Cali looked at Eddie, “What about him?”
“His mind is still his own, but he can access my thoughts and perceptions wherever I go. We can travel the universe together, if we choose. Each of us was given a gift by the other. However, Eddie wasn’t fully prepared to do this and rushed into it because I was called to unite with an Algean. He told me he refused to give up the only remaining friend he had. He said he lost one and wasn’t going to lose another. So, I guess you did indirectly affect his decision but the call for me to unite with an Algean pushed him over the edge.”
“You think I’m wrong to dislike him for what he did?”
“Cali, my mind understands things in very simple terms. You weren’t there when he wept at the thought of losing you. It was almost more than he could handle. He didn’t know about your promise to your boyfriend, how could he, you never told him. He only saw someone else was more important to you than him. What if he found a girlfriend and only talked about her with you? How would you have taken it?”
“But he promised!!”
“So, did you! And your argument that the female never calls the male only applies in a romantic relationship, not with friends. You left him hanging out in the cold and never tried to find out why he stopped calling. Your relationship with that boyfriend was more important to you than him.”
Cali lowered her head and then looked at Eddie, “Is he ok?”
“I kept oxygen moving through his body for hours and forced the blood through his veins. I can’t hear any thoughts and I don’t know if uniting with me didn’t harm him. I can access his mind but he’s not there mentally. I’ll stay here w
ith him and you can leave.”
“Not until I know he’s all right.”
“OK. We’ll wait together.”
“I thought you would be gone long ago, Bong.”
“I promised I would not leave him, Cali.”
Cali nodded and lowered her head. She had done the same thing
• • •
They found Eddie Saturday morning and Cali’s roommate brought her a change of clothes Sunday morning. “Thanks, Cynthia.”
“Why are you here, Cali? You barely know Dr. Taylor.”
“That’s not true, Cyn. I’ve known him since elementary school.”
“You never mentioned it to me.”
“No, I didn’t. But he has no family and I’m someone he knows. He shouldn’t be left alone.”
“I understand. Call me if you need anything else.”
“I will and thanks again.”
Cali went into the bathroom and changed out of her jeans and tank top. She put on the sweater dress and went back to her chair. She lifted her legs again and hugged her knees. She looked at Eddie and saw him staring at her. She lowered her legs and said, “Did you get a good look?”
“I did.”
“And?”
“Wish I had looked more often in the past. Why are you here, Cali?”
“I made a promise I’d always be there for you.”
“I thought you had given that up?”
“Tell me you wouldn’t be here if it were me in that bed and I’ll leave.” Eddie stared at her and sighed. “That’s how life is, Eddie. Things may not go as you expect but when things get tough, you have to be there.”
“I’m sorry I let you down, Cali.”
“You really didn’t, Eddie. It was simply a case of bad timing. Perhaps we both lost our way but I’m so thankful you’re ok.”
“Are you ok, Cali?”
“I am. I really am. Bong tells me the two-of-you are now connected.”
“Yes, but it’s not what I anticipated would happen.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“No, I think it’s probably worked out for the best.”
“So, you can hear his thoughts.”
“I’ve always been able to do that; I was born a telepath.”