by Nick Braker
“Memory suppressant complete,” one of the scientists said.
The ship was already on its way back toward the hospital. She put a hand out to Asher’s shoulder but they were already moving his body. He and his friends would be returned to Asher’s hospital room, unable to remember anything from that night. They would wake as if nothing had happened. One of her people’s physicians had surgically removed the metal object in Asher’s head and, with his new augmentation, Asher’s leg and head injury would heal at an accelerated rate. He would be the hero Earth needed and he would destroy Kron in the process. All in all, the new timeline was a good one.
Now, how relevant was the Earth idiom about the best laid plans of mice and men?
Chapter 3
LIFE GOES ON
Earth - Marko’s Pizza Parlor
May 22, 1987 - 8:05pm
“This is Becker, and I am here to deliver the truth,” said the voice on the radio. “I hold a document right here in my hand.”
The sound of paper rattled over the speakers. It was annoying.
“The proof in this document is indisputable evidence that we have made contact with aliens. Does the government want to share this knowledge? No! Does the government want you to know that you could be next? No!” Becker thundered on.
No shit, Becker. I’ve already established that at least. What else do you have?
Asher downshifted his Camaro to second gear. The engine growled as the transmission slowed the vehicle. He sent his tires squealing as he took the turn into the parking lot of Marko’s Pizza.
“I know, I know. It sounds too outlandish to be true but I have a list of names in front of me, every one of these people have been controlled and manipulated. They have been made to do things and then left without any memory of what they have done. Some do remember having thoughts that did not belong to them, alien thoughts that did not make sense. Was their consciousness being swapped? Some even remember traveling through space, seeing blue stars, black holes, and nebula--”
Becker’s voice faded into the background as memories of Beth screaming at someone to get out of her head took Asher’s attention. When she had stopped screaming, she had looked at him as if he were a stranger. Later, lying in the snow she had asked if the woman was still there. Six months of trying to make sense of her death and Becker was all he had. He was frustrated and hurting. Asher had spent the entire time searching for answers, trying to find clues to what actually happened to the woman he loved. Everything he tried was a dead end. Only Becker offered any clues and even he sounded a bit crazy. His heart was broken and it would be for the rest of his life. His family couldn’t help, the police wouldn’t help and no one was going to stand with him if he implied alien involvement. Half a year of pain and heartache had taken its toll on him and even his friend’s had noticed he had changed. They thought they knew why and had tried to help him but he was determined to find those who were responsible for killing Beth. Nothing would get in his way.
Aliens might exist but, if they did, he couldn’t understand why they would involve themselves in his or Beth’s simple lives. Who was he anyway? If they did exist, how could he convince his friends? He couldn’t….
He turned his car off.
“That’s not enough, you need to leave town,” Becker said, his droning dying off.
He needed more information than what Becker aired on his show. As a political activist, Becker normally just pissed him off telling everyone how poorly our elected officials ran the country. Lately however, he had started talking about aliens, trying to convince everyone we had finally made contact around six months ago. One of his many stories included how a little girl had kicked a grown man’s ass after he had hit both her and her dog with his car. It was an accident and the little girl’s dog had died instantly. The eight year old girl he hit had apparently gotten back up, broken the man’s arm and then expertly smashed his face in with her foot, all the while having three broken ribs herself. She said she had no memory of hurting the driver and claimed she had traveled through space seeing stars and black holes, similar to what Beth had experienced. That’s when Asher started listening to the radioman regularly. Becker didn’t seem to know about Beth’s death and, frankly, Asher had decided to keep that to himself. These extraterrestrial events were someone else’s problem. He hadn’t been able to do anything and letting anyone know, even Becker, about Beth would be a waste of time. He’d be called a lunatic and accused of just trying to get attention. Somehow, everything always went back to Beth but he didn’t want to focus on her, it still hurt too much. He wanted to spend time with his friends so he had made three calls earlier in the day asking them to meet him here for pizza.
Asher walked into the dining area of the pizza shop. The familiar aroma of fresh pizza dough and sauce filled the air. Asher never tired of the smell, it even comforted him.
“Asher,” one of the delivery drivers yelled from the kitchen. “Great to have you in here early, we really need you.”
“Can’t man, I’m meeting some friends here before I start my shift.”
The man nodded, clearly disappointed but then tilted his head toward a young woman in the dining area. A girl with long, blond hair stood at the buffet line. She was gorgeous. Her jeans were tight and she wore a form-fitting shirt that showed off her midriff. He wanted to meet her and he knew Beth would want him to move on. Could he? No, he had promised Beth he would never forget her and he wouldn’t.
The young woman laughed at something one of her friend’s had said and his heart wrenched and twisted inside even further. Her laugh reminded him of Beth’s causing him to stop in mid stride. He looked away, clenching his fists at his sides.
Will it ever stop hurting? I will find her murderer and make them pay.
“Hey, Asher,” Brandon said, yelling from across the dining area. “Get over here and join us before I come over there and kick your ass for making us wait so long.”
Brandon, Greg and Weston sat at one of the corner booths, pizza and drinks already on the table. He walked over to them, leaving the young woman. He needed his friends right now and his thoughts on Beth and the aliens would have to wait.
“Hell, it would take all three of you to do it and even then I would have to keep my eyes closed in order to make it fair,” Asher said, sliding into the spot beside Greg. He smiled at them.
“Good thing you don’t have that piece of metal in your head anymore. I could bitch slap you and kill you on the spot,” Brandon said, joking with him.
His miraculous recovery, literally overnight, had come as a shock to all of them. His doctors couldn’t explain it either. The metal fragment the doctors supposedly found in his head was no longer there. His x-rays before clearly showed the object but several x-rays afterward showed no sign of it. They eventually told him the initial x-rays were due to faulty equipment. His mother, being a religious woman, gave credit for it to a higher power. Even his busted leg healed within a few weeks, something else his doctors couldn’t explain. Of course, they wanted to study him more but he wanted to find Beth’s murderer. Nothing else mattered. The physical part may have healed but Beth’s death weighed on him today as much as it did six months ago. His heart would never heal.
“Hey, guys,” Greg said, pointing at an article in the newspaper. “Look at this.”
“Nerd, put that away. You’re supposed to be visiting with friends, not reading the paper,” Asher told him.
“Well, when I see them, I will be sure to stop reading,” Greg said, laughing. “But really, look at this. This article describes a Professor Vance at MIT going mad. Stress from his work or some shit.”
“And why would that be of interest to us?” Asher asked.
“To you, it probably wouldn’t, as it would require a certain modicum of intelligence. It would be of interest to the rest of the world because the scientist was working on a new type of electrical power generator capable of easily supplying the energy needs to all of California.” Greg said.
“Let me guess, the government had him assassinated and stole his plans,” Asher said, sarcasm clearly evident in his voice.
“No,” Greg said. “He was taken off the project after he claimed to remember flying through space. He also had several blackout periods. His colleagues reported that they had full conversations with him where he made brilliant revelations on the project, then he came back later and didn’t remember anything about it. You know, there are a lot of stories that fit this M.O., like that little girl that beat down a grown man. Whoever heard of a little girl ignoring broken ribs to kick an adult’s ass? There were a couple of other stories like this.”
Asher paused, a part of him wondering about Greg’s vocabulary and his new obsession with the news, but Greg was right. These weren’t copycat stories. There was something bigger going on here. Now an MIT scientist was making similar claims as Beth. All the other stories Becker told were about kids or other unreliable sources, the kind that were just looking for attention but this, this couldn’t be ignored. Was the scientist overworked or was someone actually trying to control his actions? Who could do such a thing? Was it the government, a foreign power, or was it… aliens?
Hell, Brandon would love that but how do you find an enemy that can’t be seen? You sure as hell can’t do it from this little town.
The words Becker had spoken when he turned his car off came back to him, ‘you need to leave town’. Was that what he actually said? How did that fit into Becker’s story?
Damn it, he should have been paying attention. Wait a minute. Wasn’t the car off when Becker--
“Asher. Dude, are you listening to us?” Weston said.
“Hell, I think he is having his own blackout,” Brandon chided. “Did you go flying through space too? Tell us about it.”
Brandon started laughing.
“Guys, pack your bags. We are going to Massachusetts to see this scientist. He made the same claims as Beth did. You know what Beth went through and this egghead at MIT said pretty much the same things. I need to talk with him and you three are going with me.”
“Hell no,” Greg said.
“You’re going, you just don’t realize it yet,” Asher told him.
“Well,” Weston said. “I might not be able to go either. I’ll have to check. You guys know my father has a heart condition. I’ll have to ask some family members to keep an eye on him while I’m away. I’ll have to let you know, Ash.”
Asher nodded.
“You know I can’t go,” Greg continued. “I’m married and have a daughter. It’s not going to happen.”
“Dudes,” Brandon said. “If Asher calls a road trip, we’re all going. Drop everything, turn in a request for vacation and let’s do it.”
“Easy to say for someone single, like yourself, asshole.”
Asher made eye contact with Brandon and Weston, tilting his head away from Greg. He wanted to speak with Greg alone. They both nodded, getting up to leave.
“I’ll bring a cooler with beer,” Brandon said, walking away.
“Bruthah Brandon, if I can work it out, it’s going to be a great trip,” Weston told him as they got out of earshot.
Asher shifted in the booth to face Greg.
“You know everything Beth said when she died and this scientist guy is making the same claims. I have to go and you have to come with me.”
“No way, man. I can’t afford it and my wife would never let me take a trip like--”
“Of course she won’t.” Asher interrupted. “That’s why you’ll simply tell her you’re going and just live with the fallout.”
“You have got to be joking,” Greg said.
“You need this, man. We’re all four going.”
Asher took a long breath, poking his tongue lightly into his cheek. Greg had to go with him, whatever the cost.
“If you go, I’ll pay for everything but food and drink. Now that is a hell of a deal.”
Greg sat up straight, raising his eyebrows. Greg’s interest increased but his wife would still be the deal breaker.
“Let’s cut to the chase. Dude, I can see you really want to go and we both know you need a break. Well, I need my friends to go. My past six months have been hell. You know how I felt about her. It still hurts, Greg. Be a friend and make this easy on both of us. Your wife loves you and she will get over it. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t think your marriage was strong enough to weather this.”
Greg sighed, taking a deep breath.
“I can’t do it, Asher. I’m not single like you. I know things are harder on you than you let on and I am sorry. You’re right, I want to go but I just can’t.”
Asher bit his upper lip, looking around. Could he blackmail his friend? He didn’t want to and his heart screamed at him not to but there was something different about Greg. He was more intellectual. He kept up with current events and even started working those puzzles in the newspaper. The last one took him just a few minutes. He didn’t even slow down to think about the answers. He just filled in the blanks like he had done the same puzzle a hundred times. Greg had to go. Asher would need him and he would have to blackmail Greg in order to make it happen. It was wrong, but Beth had been murdered and his promise to her meant everything to him.
“This is for your own good, dude. Take it as I am giving you an out so you can feel good about your decision. You’re going or your wife will be so angry with you she won’t care if you live or die, let alone go on this trip. You get my drift?”
Greg gave Asher a hard stare, his mouth falling open.
“You’re kidding, right? If not, can I really call you a friend?”
“Don’t look at it that way. Look at it as an indication of how seriously bad I want you to go with us and what I would consider doing to get you to go. Come on, do you really think I’d tell your wife all the dirt I have on you?”
“I’m beginning to wonder--”
“Good, then you’re in,” Asher said.
“Let me see what I can arrange but you know it will be nearly impossible to work this out.”
Asher paused.
“Just see to it you do work this out. It’s not really an option,” he smiled but he could see it did little to offset Greg’s mood.
“You know, you’ve changed,” Greg said. “You burn through relationships with women, leaving them with broken hearts and you treat your friends like... never mind.”
Greg tossed his pizza slice onto his plate.
“Look, I need to head out. If I indeed have no choice in the matter, I’ve got some work to do. Oh, you’re buying my food and my drinks while we’re there and it’s not really an option,” Greg said, managing to fake a smile.
“Fine,” Asher said.
Chapter 4
ALARA AND THE TRIP
Earth - Alien Space Ship
May 25, 1987 - 8:00am
Alara was older and it was time to play her part in the plan to save her home world, Earth. The real-time holographic projector showed Asher driving to Massachusetts along I-64. Alara could see the determination in Asher’s eyes and the excitement in his friends’. Not only did they want to help Asher but they also were enjoying each other’s company and the freedom from responsibility that a road trip offered. They did not yet understand events were unfolding that would put them in peril over and over. Asher’s real purpose for the trip included an impromptu meeting with a scientist named Julian Vance. Kron had already used Dr. Vance several times to move the science behind forcefield technology along further and faster than humans would have naturally been able to accomplish on their own. The Aliri had tried to stop the interference and, when that failed, they tried to delay it. Kron was adapting the system the Omarii used to compensate against the raw emotions humans were capable of experiencing. Soon, they would be able to leave no trace of their activities and that would mean it would once again be difficult for her people to help Earth.
Not even Earth’s top secret governmental organization, WSO, k
new enough to help against the Kron. Katerra was moving Earth to a point where the Omarii could step in and destroy humans in a moment they would think was humanity’s greatest triumph. Arrogance and pride would be used against them at that crucial moment, ending with their destruction. Kron had done it before with other races and they succeeded every... single... time. Alara would make sure that this time they would fail with her home world, Earth. She would not let them beat her and Asher was the key.
While her adopted people, the Aliri, were helping subvert Kron behind the scenes, they were also keeping Earth from destroying themselves from within. Greed and power from government and corporate interests would push forcefield technology forward. By itself, the Aliri were unsure how Kron would use it to destroy Earth. They needed more information to make the connection. The Aliri’s Timeline Analytic System gave a high probability that Kron would use this technology and do so by humanity’s own hand. Earth would never see it coming.
All of that was months in the future. Right now, the Aliri had to intervene to save Asher and his friends from a car accident. Even the mundane dangers of life were part of her job. She had to protect them from these events. Nothing was ever certain with either the Aliri or Kron system but, right now, it indicated immediate danger from an ordinary timber truck. Alara dispatched four Aliri agents to get Asher’s attention and hopefully get them out of harm’s way. She had a backup plan if that didn’t work but she hoped it would not come to that. Right now, their lives were in the Aliri agents’ hands and nothing was guaranteed.
Earth - Evansville, IN
May 25, 1987 - 7:00am
It was Monday morning. Asher let his head fall back, the stress of the last few days seeping from his body. Finally, the four of them were going on his trip. Meeting Professor Vance was one step toward the real purpose for the trip but he had sold it to his friends as primarily a road trip full of fun and good memories.
He reflected back to Saturday. Weston had called him that night, confirming his attendance. Asher could hear the excitement and even the relief in his friend’s voice over the phone. Weston especially needed the break. He was the oldest of his brothers and sisters and was currently taking on most of the care of their father. Interestingly, Weston’s mother had pushed him to go with his friends, agreeing to care for her estranged husband.