Forgotten Origins Trilogy - Box Set: Infected, Heritage, Descent

by Tara Ellis

  “That’s how you found us,” I mumble, walking back towards the crystal. “You saw this place too. How did you figure out where it was?”

  He tries to shrug, but is unable to get the gesture across under Chris’s arm. “I just knew. Like how you remember to drive somewhere you’ve been before. I didn’t really know where I was going until I got here.”

  “You expect us to accept anything you have to say after you tried to kill Alex?” Chris nearly spits, hauling him off the ground for emphasis. Seth allows himself to be manhandled a bit more, his face turning red under the added pressure.

  “I wasn’t trying to kill anyone,” he manages to say, after catching his breath. “I was only subduing her. She’s the one that caused me to drop. I managed to stab her shoulder instead. I knew she’d be fine. You have no idea what kind of fury Nebuch would unleash on me if I had killed her.”

  “Who?” I demand, the name stirring some strange memory floating near the back of my brain.

  “You really don’t know much of anything, do you?” he replies, somehow still able to maintain his incredible arrogance.

  Chris is thrown off just enough by the exchange that he relaxes his arm for a second. That’s all Seth needs. In a practiced move, he drops all his weight down and pushes out on the arm around his neck at the same time. Falling to the floor, he rolls away and springs into a crouch, ready for another fight.

  I hear two rifles racked behind me and throw myself in between Seth and the weapons, putting my hands out. “Stop!” I command. “Just, everybody relax a little, okay? I think we need to hear him out.”

  Turning, I find that Kyle and Missy are slowly lowering their ARs, clearly unhappy about it. In response, Chris pulls a handgun free from his waist and directs it towards Seth.

  “All right,” he says evenly. “So start talking.”

  Hands up, Seth seems to be evaluating each of us, before sitting down in the dirt. It’s a good, non-threatening posture and I can feel some of the tension in the room easing, although Baxter doesn’t back off.

  “You must know you’re a Nephume, or else you wouldn’t be trying to use this thing,” He says, gesturing towards the quartz. When I nod, he continues. “So these memories we’re sharing, it’s because our ancestors also shared them, Alex. My grandfather Mushi and your great grandpa Nebuch were co-leaders at one time of the Mudameere. That is, until my grandpa died and there was a bit of a coup. You see, Nebuch was full Nephilim, while my father was half human. There’s a prejudice against us Nephume amongst the leaders, so Dad was ousted from the higher ranks once Grandpa wasn’t there to protect him anymore.

  “This was long before I was born, of course, but the story goes that there was quite a scandal when Nebuch eventually took a human wife. Times change, I guess, but it was partly due to the fact that very few of the original Nephilim are still living. Anyway, his son Vophsi and his human wife then gave birth to your father, Alex. When your parents were killed in that raid, Nebuch effectively lost his lineage. It ends with you, so he is intent on getting you back into the Mudameere fold where you belong, Nephume or not. Now that the time of The Return is here, he’s desperate.”

  “He obviously knew where she was for the past couple of years,” Chris points out, not swayed by the story. “If he wanted her so badly, he could have taken her at anytime.”

  “No, he couldn’t,” Seth answers patiently. “He knew the Holocene virus outbreak was coming. Alex was a key piece in all of that. He thought she could be used as a pawn against the Khufu Bast, but you outsmarted them,” he says, turning to me. “I mean, the Holocene virus didn’t really matter. They just wanted to get their hands on a sample. The Nephi2 virus was the original goal all along. They screwed up big time by not moving in on Professor Hassan sooner, but they underestimated both of you. It was a chess match.

  “Our doctor was convinced he could get the formula from the professor, which he planned on using for himself and other key human and Nephume figures. You were seen as a bonus guinea pig in it all, Alex, a package to be wrapped up and delivered as proof of success to both Nebuch and ultimately RA.”

  I tense at the mention of presenting me as a gift to RA. “Proof of what?” I ask incredulously.

  Seth carefully eyes everyone in the room, seeming to measure our reactions. “This is where things get a little tricky,” he says, finally resting his gaze back on me.

  “Like it isn’t already convoluted enough?” Kyle asks.

  “The last two generations of Mudameere have been led to believe something that totally contradicts everything my dreams have been revealing to me over the past three days,” he continues, ignoring Kyle.

  “Grandpa Mushi explained the memories to me as a child, and that I might experience them when the Nephilim got closer to earth. There is a genetic trigger; one that not all Nephume have. So when they started, and it was clear to me right away that they were different than what I had been told, I kept it to myself.

  “I was taught that long ago, nearly eight thousand years, the Nephilim found earth. At first, they settled here, enjoying the environment and endless resources. As time moved on however and the human population exploded in comparison to the Nephilim’s small numbers, concern increased over the growing violence.

  “This is where the Mudameere historical version differs. They claim that by the Egyptian era, or about 2500BC, the Nephilim elders unanimously agreed to leave earth. They were a peaceful people and couldn’t tolerate the culture anymore. Before leaving though, they formed a tribune to stay behind: the Muadmeere. They were charged with observing the native population while not interfering or bettering it with our advanced technology. RA said the Nephilim would return in five thousand years, to be marked by the Holocene shower, and a release of a virus that would test the human populace.

  “If earth’s civilization had been able to put aside its violent nature like the Nephilim did thousands of years before, then they would have attained the same flawless genetics.. They believe it is a marker of perfection in God’s eyes, or rather, returning to the point where original sin tainted it. You see, the Nephilim beliefs of Origin are much the same as your Christian views. The story of your Bible is very similar to ours, coincidentally. This has led some of us to believe that we have the same creator.”

  I know that this revelation has to be causing a whole slew of questions for Chris. But by the look on his face, I don’t think he’s had a chance to digest the information enough to form an intelligent thought. My own mind is reeling, trying to merge what Seth is saying with what I have learned in the past few days.

  “So what’s the test for?” Nate asks, the only one able to come up with a question.

  “I thought that the test was to determine whether the Nephilim would return for good, to integrate with us here on earth. I’ve grown up with stories of wonders about the advanced technology my ancestors enjoy. I believed that the earth would be transformed into a peaceful oasis of health and tranquility.

  “It’s been five thousand years since they left. There’s two original Nephilim left in the Mudameere and we’ve based everything on what they said. Everything. There was a lot of fear as the meteor shower approached that the human race was far from ready. We weren’t sure what the result of the virus would be in light of this. That’s why we all went into hiding for several weeks. We just had to let things take their natural course.

  “When we came out and found out how everyone had worked together peacefully; Nebuch told everyone that it was a success. That in spite of the race’s inability to do it themselves, RAs virus completed their transformation and they would be found worthy.

  “Some of us were obviously troubled by the deaths and the chaos afterwards, because by then the antivirus had already been released. We were told that the doc was working feverishly on a newer, better version. It wasn’t supposed to cause any deaths, or create the emotionless affect that the Holocene Virus did. But we had to make sure it was completed and dispersed before RA got here. O
therwise, he would have seen how desperately lost earth was and we would have to leave, and never return. You probably won’t believe this, but there are hundreds in the Mudameere, most of them several generation removed Nephumes. We’ve been on earth all our lives and think of it as our home. We don’t want to leave. I’ll admit that we still view humans as inferior and that I’ve always resented you, Alex, but we honestly thought that we were helping.

  “I mean, come on. How many of you think that our society is totally screwed up right now? That we wouldn’t be better off without the violence, drugs and poverty?”

  “Except that isn’t what the Holocene or the Nephi2 virus is really for,” Chris counters. “RA fell victim to believing his own lie: that he really is a god. It isn’t up to him or anyone else to judge us, but he already did, Seth. Five thousand years ago he determined us unworthy to live. Except we fought back, and enough of the Elders disagreed with RA that they decided to help us. RA ran from here with his tail between his legs. This whole Mudameere campaign is a front to help turn the human populace into slaves. RA is going to mine this planet for its gold. He’s repeating the Nephilim’s own disastrous history. He plans to destroy this planet, and all the people on it.”

  Seth is now sitting with his head in his hands, staring at the ground. “I know,” he barely whispers. “I realized something was off back in Omak, when the doctor made those comments to Alex. Until then, I believed that they were still trying to fix the flaws in the virus. Dad convinced me that the airborne version would be better. Then the dreams started. It wasn’t until yesterday though, when I saw Alex in my dreams and learned what had really happened in Egypt that it all came together for me.”

  Looking up, his intense blue eyes find mine and he pulls himself up onto his knees. “I’m a quarter Nephume,” he says with conviction. “You’re only an eighth, a generation more removed than me. That might be why the quartz didn’t work for you. Let me help.”

  Without comment, I walk past him and reposition myself once again in front of the crystal. When no one threatens to shoot him, Seth joins me, sitting on the opposite side. Wordlessly, we lock eyes and reach out at the same time, lowering our hands to the smooth surface of the stone.

  An intense white light instantly shoot outs, filling the room and blinding me. My hands begin to burn but I force myself to keep them in place. The light fades as rapidly as it appeared and, as my vision returns, I see that the walls of the cave are gone. We are no longer underground, but in the middle of an open, green field. Seth is still across from me, rubbing at his eyes. I sense movement behind me and spin around to find an incredibly tall man dressed in robes observing me.

  “Nator,” I whisper, and he reaches out a giant hand to help pull me to my feet.

  THIRTY SIX

  As his hand wraps around mine, there feels like an invisible thickness between them, similar to wearing gloves. Once on my feet, I bring my hand closer to my face. An iridescent light shimmers over it, and then passes through my field of vision. It’s almost as if I’m encased in a layer of energy. Before I have a chance to ask what it is, there is a hum and a brief tingling sensation before the film falls away.

  “Ah, this is fortunate,” Nator exhales, nodding slowly. His voice is deep and thunderous with a thick accent that was not in my dreams. I had forgotten that English was not their native language. “The Nephi2 virus in your system is no longer contagious.”

  So it was some sort of quarantine scanner thingy. Cool. I guess I didn’t give much thought to any risk I might pose, but Nator doesn’t seem at all bothered by it. He’s got to be close to three feet taller than me, his hand almost twice the size of mine. There’s a small group of people who have formed behind him, openly staring at Seth and me. Several are the same height as Nator, but most are various degrees of tall, with a couple of women almost my height.

  A dozen or so horses are milling peacefully on the grass, eating their fill. The open field spreads away for over a mile, ending at a large lake to my left, and a tall mountain range to the right. A decent sized city is nestled at the base of the hills, the houses made of white stucco with red roofs. There appears to be several hundred more people gathered at the entrance, looking like cattle from this distance. Apparently, they don’t get visitors very often.

  “Alex. I should have known that if anyone were to figure out how to contact us, it would be you.” He’s regarding me with such familiarity, that I wonder if he’s been sharing my thoughts, too. I blush at this idea and struggle to find a reply.

  “You are, after all, family,” he finishes. Family? Well, of course. We would have to be in order for me to be having his genetic memories. Why didn’t I figure that out? But if the current Mudameere leader is my great grandpa, then that would make him…

  “You’re my great-great grandfather,” I say with surety. I’m able to discern somehow that I’m right. That I was always meant to find them here.

  Nator is again nodding, a smile on his handsome face. Although he hardly looks any older than in my last vision, he is somewhat stopped over and his hair is completely grey. He has to be close to eleven thousand years old. Amazing.

  “I wish my wife Zurish were here to meet you,” he says, the smile fading. “She went to be with the Creator just ten years ago. It broke our hearts when our daughter and her husband were led astray by Methu. He was my best friend and most trusted ally. His betrayal was complete when he took part of my family with him. She never quite recovered from the loss.”

  “I did meet her. Through your memories. She was a beautiful woman.”

  This seems to please him, and he motions for me and Seth to sit with him at a stone table nearby. The other Nephilim and Nephume step back to allow us passage, and I try not to stare back at them.

  “Why did Methu leave?” Seth asks, choosing to stand next to the bench where I sit, across from Nator.

  “Your great grandfather didn’t give full consideration to the lifestyle we were giving up when he stayed behind with me.” Nator answers, addressing Seth for the first time. “He became bitter and argued endlessly with me over his desires to develop our technologies. He was not a scientist, but a politician. He was still extremely intelligent, but not so much that he could create anything on his own. I refused, of course. Once this biodome was completed, I personally destroyed most of our equipment. And with it, the last of our recorded knowledge for building it or anything else that is not of this world.”

  This biodome? Looking around, I can’t imagine where the walls might be. The space is vast. However, now that I’m aware of it, I realize the light is a bit different. Following its source, I gaze up at the sky and at first my brain doesn’t quite comprehend what I’m seeing. Instead of a sun, the familiar white-blue illumination similar to the torches is evenly spaced about three-quarters of the way up the dome, far above the tallest mountains. Beyond that, there is such complete blackness that it leaves no doubt that it isn’t the sky.

  “Where are we?” I ask, my breath coming more rapidly.

  “I selected one of the deepest parts of the ocean to build the dome,” Nator explains. “It’s completely contained and will withstand any sort of devastation that might happen on land. We have thousands of acres down here. Lakes, rivers, mountains and woods. Hundreds of acres of farmland and every animal necessary to form a complete ecosystem. We even have our own weather system! Our population is close to two thousand now and we enjoy a simple, peaceful life.”

  I try to respond positively to his enthusiasm, but I am currently fighting off an incredible wave of claustrophobia. In spite of the open space surrounding me, the thought that the ocean is above us is messing with my head.

  “That’s screwed up,” Seth exclaims, not as concerned with hurting our host’s feelings. “Why didn’t you just build it in a jungle or something?” His face has gone a bit pale and I wonder if he suffers the same phobia as me.

  “To remain hidden of course,” Nator answers nonplussed. “And to prevail, regardless of
what happens when RA returns. I assure you it is perfectly safe. We have been down here for thousands of years and will continue to be without any outside influences.”

  The kind of advanced technology necessary to accomplish something like this is beyond my comprehension. I decide not to look up and focus on the trees in the distance. This helps settle my racing heart, and after several slow breaths I feel in control again. “What happened after Methu left?” I ask, gesturing to Seth to sit down next to me. He reluctantly complies, but unlike me, keeps glancing up.

  Spreading his long arms wide, Nator’s demeanor changes to one of disappointment. “Along with my daughter and her husband, he convinced two other elders and several Nephume to leave. It was close to three thousand years before RA was to return. They decided to spend the time situating themselves in such a way that RA would allow them to go back with him on Nibiru.

  “Some of them died over the ensuing years, falling victim to the very lifestyle they craved. They were a part of numerous wars and revolutions so it was inevitable that several would perish, as we are not bullet proof. A few Nephume also contracted illnesses, such as the black plague and smallpox. Those infections were too virulent, even for them.

  “One Nephume in particular stepped into your history books to such an extent that we almost intervened. Nikola Tesla would have made an excellent scientist among the Nephilim, even though he was half human. His inventions were the closest the Mudameere came to being exposed. Since then, in the early 1950s, they became much more secretive. We knew that they were placing people in positions of power so that they would be able to bargain with RA, and in spite of the many challenges, they succeeded.”

  I’m surprised that he can talk about it so calmly. He doesn’t appear to hold any animosity against the other Nephilim, only regret.

  “They’re going to succeed by killing off the whole human race!” Seth declares, pounding the table. The other people standing nearby are alarmed at his outburst and I put a hand cautiously on his arm.