Quantum Earth

by Julie Achterhoff

  – – –

  The reunion was a happy one after they reached the baggage claim area back in Six Rivers. “We thought we’d never see you again,” said Susan. “We thought one look at how the other aliens live and you’d be gone in an instant!” She laughed.

  “They do have it rather better than we I do have to say. Plus, they make excellent tea!” smiled Shauna. They lugged their baggage out and drove to the old Milk building where they off-loaded the laptop and other equipment they’d brought with them. Noah looked like he was good as new. Hawk patted him on the back. “Good to see you up and around and looking good, fella.”

  “Thanks Hawk. I feel great. Jackson been doing a lot of healing on me, not to mention the things he’s been making me consume. You’d be surprised how many roots and barks you can make into decoctions and poultices. And, of course, tea.”

  “You should have had some of this tea they gave us on the ship,” said Shauna. “It tasted like the Earth smells, but it was sweet and tasted pretty good. They told us it would help us talk and understand each other better. I think it had other powers, myself.” She discretely nudged Hawk, who smiled lasciviously at her. Hutch plugged in the coffee maker and made coffee while everyone sat down at the big table.

  “So,” said Shauna. “We have a conundrum people. First let’s go over everything we’ve gathered so far, starting with last summer; the work we did as partners, the work we did with the channeling, and up to the information we got from Meera and John.”

  Shauna and Hawk summarized everything up to the visit with the Starborn ones. Then Rob talked about his view of what took place in the ship. After that it was group discussion time. There were no big egos at this table thank goodness, or it could have been a mess. Fortunately everybody gave each other plenty of room to voice their feelings and opinions on their research thus far. Questions arose and were thrown out on the table. Susan volunteered to take notes. Peter recorded the session. Voices rose at times, but soon calmed as each realized they were truly being heard. It began to get dark and the lights were turned on. They ordered in some pizza. There were some silences as they grew hopeless at times. At others they grew excitable and made sure their words were put down properly.

  They finally decided to talk to Jackson through Noah.

  “I am here,” Jackson said after Noah went into trance. “What do you wish me to do for you? You cannot save the world if that’s what you’re wanting. You see I listen in sometimes, don’t I?” he said with a grin. “Have some patience with me for a moment. I would like to tell you all something a great man once said. He was a Teton Sioux from the late 19th century. He said: ‘All birds, even those of the same species, are not alike, and it’s the same with animals and human beings. The reason Wakantanka does not make two birds, or animals, or human beings exactly alike is because each is placed here by Wakantanka to be an independent individuality, and to rely upon itself.’”

  “You might be wondering why I bring this up,” he said. “You might think I am old too. Look around at each other for a moment if you would and see the differences between each of you. Then imagine the billions of human beings each being different from one another. It’s a hard thing to fathom or grasp. Yet we are also all one, even our visitors from the stars. We are all one with each other and with all animals, rocks, and water. But sometimes it’s the differences that can be very important.” He looked at Shauna. “You are special in your own way Shauna.” She smiled and he continued. “There is a reason for everything, this is truth. There is a reason each one of you have gathered together to form this group. There is a special reason you are here Shauna.” Now she looked at him quizzically, but kept listening, not wanting to interrupt. “You are only half human. The other half is of a Starborn one.” Shauna grasped the arms of her chair to steady herself. Hawk put his arm around her back for support.

  “That can’t be right. I know my parents. They’re both human.”

  “This is what you have been led to believe so that you could lead a human life. If anyone knew what or who you were before the time was right it would have caused a lot of trouble.”

  “I don’t believe this! How can this be?” She shakily took hold of her coffee and drank some.

  “Your parents had a separation at one time. Your father left. Your mother didn’t know where he went. He was an alcoholic and your mother told him not to come back to her unless he was sober for good. She was all alone living near the beach in San Francisco at this time. One of the Starborn One’s crashed in the Pacific Ocean out past the big bridge. It was a very small craft with only one male passenger. Your mother, Maya, saw it happen and thought it was a meteorite. Later on that night she heard a sound on her back deck. When she turned on the light she saw him. He was half dead. She didn’t know who he was and wanted to call for an ambulance, but obviously he was very much against this. She relented and brought him into her home. She nursed him back to health and in the process, found a deep place for him in her heart.”

  “This is crazy,” said Shauna.

  Shh,” said Hawk reassuringly. He had scooted his chair close to her so he could put his arm around her and hold her hand.

  “He also fell in love with her. He didn’t know if he could ever get back home, but he didn’t know the repercussions of being with a human woman. He was afraid, and so was she. Only one night did they couple. But his seed found your mother’s ovum that night and fertilized it.

  “Shortly thereafter a reconnaissance ship was sent to find him. The Starborn ones have very strong telekinetic powers and psychic abilities, so it wasn’t difficult for them. Of course he had to go with them, which left a hole in Maya’s heart, as well as a child in her womb. Your father came back to her soon after that. He was sober and ready to be a responsible husband. Maya took him back. What else could she do? She still loved him and he helped her get over her broken heart. When you were born she knew it had to be from that one night with the Starborn One.”

  “Why didn’t she ever tell me? Did my father know?” she asked.

  “Your father only suspected another man had taken his place for a time. He knew your mother was grieving. I suppose he never had the heart to ask after the way he had been before he left. Why she never told you I cannot say.”

  “Oh my God,” said Shauna, putting her face in her hands.

  “It’s okay, honey,” said Hawk. Everyone was solemnly quiet.

  “Wow is all I can say,” Rob finally said.

  “Wow’s the word for it all right,” said Fern.

  “You do know none of this makes a damn bit of difference to us dear,” said Hutch. “You’re the same person to us.”

  “I know, Hutch. Thanks.”

  “Same goes for me,” said Rob.

  “I think it’s safe to say we all feel the same way about you Shauna,” said Susan. “You are a special lady.”

  “Gosh, thanks you guys,” said Shauna, and tears slid down her cheek. But she was smiling. “This feels so weird. I still feel like a regular person. I’ve never felt different. Well, maybe I have a little. But not enough to think I was part Starborn. I’ve always felt inwardly guided. A very strong feeling about some of the life choices I’ve made.” Fern got up and got her a tissue.

  “I can erase the tape if you want,” said Peter.

  “No, that’s okay. Thanks anyway Peter.” Shauna’s whole reality was doing flip flops inside her. She felt so strange. Her stomach felt jittery. It was like she’d landed in Oz with Dorothy and Toto and the Cowardly Lion. But she knew she could never return from this trip down the rabbit hole. And what a trip it was. She had so many questions on one hand. On the other she just wanted to be alone and soak it all in. The group decided to call it a day and Hawk walked Shauna home.

  “I’ve never felt so strange, Hawk,” said Shauna as they sat on her couch in the little living room in her Victorian apartment. “What do you think this means?”

  “Well it definitely means something. I’m just not sure what yet.
I see you as the same person I did before, and I think that goes for the rest of us, too if that makes you feel any better.”

  “Yeah, it does. Thanks for that.”

  “I’ll make us some tea. Or would you like something stronger?”

  “Now that you mention it, maybe some brandy would be nice.” Hawk went into the kitchen and poured them a couple drinks.

  “So what happens now?” Shauna asked after taking a gulp of the fiery liquid.

  “Well, the way I see it, Jackson told us all this about you for a reason. I’m also assuming the Starborn ones aren’t aware of the fact that one of theirs hooked up with one of ours and here you are. I think Meera and John would have said something, which kind of surprises me considering their powers of telepathy. It seems like they would have known somehow when they met you. I’m wondering if we should tell them or not, but it’s your call.” Shauna closed her eyes and squeezed them shut. She was having a very hard time adjusting to this new information about herself. She just wanted to go back to being herself, which she knew couldn't happen. She looked back on her whole life from as far back as she could remember, thinking of herself in a very different way. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She had just been a regular kid all along. The realization came that she really didn’t know all that much about the Starborn ones anyway. How different were they from humans? They must be very similar genetically if they could produce children together.

  “Do you want another drink?” asked Hawk. Shauna said yes and continued her silent reverie. Fear started at the back of her neck when she had the thought of what the authorities would do if they knew about her. What if this got out somehow? How much did she trust the others? A tear slipped down her cheek.

  “What are you thinking, honey?” asked Hawk.

  “They’ll tear me apart if anyone else finds out, Hawk!” He took her in his arms on the couch.

  “Not if I have anything to do with it sweetheart. Besides, nobody’s gonna tell anybody else so your secret is as safe as it can be. I trust each person on the team implicitly. That was one of my reasons for hiring each one of them. I even did extensive background searches on them if you want to know. Peter helped me find out everything you could possibly want to know about a person after I hired him. He even did one on himself first. I think you’re safe.” But Shauna didn’t feel safe. She felt very vulnerable. Nothing could stop the panicky feelings rippling through her body.

  “Here, babe, why don’t you do some deep breathing exercises? That should help you calm down a bit.” Shauna took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then another and another until she felt a little calmer. Then came a knock on the door. “Must be Rob,” said Hawk. He got up and opened the door. Before he knew it he was down on the floor from a punch to his solar plexus. It was Beckham’s thugs. Hawk grabbed one of them by the leg and had him down with him in the entryway. The other one closed the door and went to the living room. Shauna stood up and said, “Get out of my house! What do you think you’re doing here?” While Hawk was tangling with the first guy, the second one came at Shauna and grabbed her around the waist. She kicked and screamed. Her legs were flailing in the air. She managed to elbow the guy right in the nose and he loosened his hold. She turned around and kneed him in the crotch. He let her go and groaned loudly. Shauna ran for the side table drawer and dug out the Sig they’d bought in Colorado and said to them both, “Stop right where you are. I have a gun!” The guy on Hawk stepped away from him and held up his hands. The guy near her simply sat down on the ground holding his groin. Hawk pushed his guy into the living room next to his friend and told him to sit, while Shauna held her gun on them as Hawk took their guns away. Apparently they thought it would be easy to just walk in and take the two of them so they didn’t have their guns out.

  “Okay you guys, what are you doing here?” asked Hawk.

  “At first neither of them would say anything, but when Shauna began kicking at them they gave in. “We came to get the woman.... or whatever the hell she is,” said one. He told them his name was Rick.

  “What are you talking about?” Asked Hawk, but Shauna knew. Her secret was out. What had they done, bugged the office? She handed the gun to Hawk and sat down on the couch.

  “Beckham wants her. He thinks she can do something about the way the world’s coming to an end,” said Rick.

  “Yeah, it’s like fuckin’ Armageddon in the Bible,” said the other guy.

  They were true brutish types. They could have been brothers. One was a little shorter and fatter, but they both had the same slant to their mouths and the same coloring. Both had noses that must have been broken more than once. Hawk found out the other one’s name was Bill. He was the short one who said it was like Armageddon, the Rapture. Hawk had thought about the similarities even to the last chapter of the Bible to the things that were happening on the Earth. So many coincidences weren’t to be denied.

  Shauna sat stunned on the couch. Her face was expressionless. Just then they heard a weird rumbling sound and the house began to shake. The walls were rolling inward and they could hear the tinkling of things banging against each other from the kitchen. Earthquake. Hawk thought fast and reached for Shauna. He had to pull her off the couch and rushed her to the framed doorway of the kitchen. The two others were on their own. They tried to make an escape, and comically tried to run out the front door. But it was like they were on a plank bridge in some carnival funhouse. They kept falling down and trying to get back up. They finally got out on their hands and knees. Plaster was falling all around as Hawk held Shauna close to him under the archway. The walls kept bowing inward like in a cartoon. Things fell from the shelves. The glass in the doors shattered loudly. The dishes fell out of the cabinets, crashing to the floor. The shards bounced up and hit Shauna in the face, causing a bloody gash in her cheek. She turned her face into Hawk’s chest. Then they were knocked off their feet. Shauna sprawled into the kitchen, Hawk into the living room. Hawk heard Shauna scream. Her whole apartment was coming down around them. There were enlarging cracks in the high ceiling. The ceiling fan fell down, hanging by a few wires. Shauna crawled back to the doorway. Hawk tried to do the same.

  And just as quickly as it began, it stopped and there was an eerie silence. Shauna looked up from her crouched position. There was debris everywhere, but they were alright. They had both been through earthquakes before, but this was the worst one yet for both of them. Shauna started to cry. Hawk wiped some plaster off and got up to go to her. He looked her over for any other injuries. There was just the gash on her cheek. Then he checked himself. Sometimes you didn’t realize you were hurt right away, but he didn’t find any blood and nothing was broken. He helped Shauna stand and they made their way through the living room to the front door and went outside to find many others out on the street walking around in shock.

  There were a couple of buildings in sight that were down to just rubble. The street had a nasty buckle in it with a large empty gash. Shauna’s car was okay, but others were sounding their alarms until the owners came to shut them off- if they could. A couple cars lay on their sides in the gash. A woman was screaming from somewhere inside one of them. Shauna and Hawk carefully made their way to her car and tried to help her. Sirens roared in the distance. Help would come soon, but how widespread was this thing? Was there going to be enough help to go around?

  Hawk told the woman to try to calm down and looked at her bloody legs. They looked like they’d been crushed under the dash. He told her help was coming. They didn’t want to move her because she might have broken more than her legs, so they just waited with her and talked her down. Someone came over to the car and said she was an E.M.T. and would take a look. She had her medical bag with her and started by putting a cervical collar around the woman’s neck.

  Shauna looked up the street and saw the dark sedan the two guys had been in also turned on it’s side a little up the hill. They must have had to go by foot, but she knew they would be in touch with Beckham in no time. Then
what would happen? The danger of the earthquake had passed, but she still felt very much in danger. She felt as if she would never be safe again. Even if it wasn’t for Beckham, certainly the U.S. government would be very interested in a half-human, half-alien. She’d seen all the movies and read all the books about what may or may not have happened in the past to alien life found on this planet. She wanted no part in any of that. She would have to run. The only problem was Hawk. She couldn’t mess up his life too. She’d have to leave him. He wouldn’t want that, but she’d have to make him understand. She imagined herself flying away with Meera and John, or maybe her own true father.

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Beckham was not a happy man. Little did he care about his men’s excuses or broken noses or earthquakes. He wanted Shauna Troy and he was going to have her. She was priceless. But he was a patient man, and one who knew how to get what he wanted. His mother used to tell him he could be anything in the world when he grew up. He took a swig of bourbon and it went down hot. The only problem was he didn’t know what he wanted to be; certainly not the president or anything to do with politics. That was boring. He wanted to do something exciting, and he certainly had the funds for whatever his heart desired after his parents died.