Humans and other Aliens: Book 1

by Winzer, Alexander

  Mov’s face turned from red to grey and back to red. “And what do you think I should do? Tell the world to turn off the power switch or otherwise they’ll all be killed? Who would believe us? The Americans will think this is a dirty trick and the Chinese will just laugh at us. Have you been living in this world in the last few decades? You sound like you’ve missed a major part of human development… Who would we be without power?”

  Eva looked at Mov as if wondering how to respond to this onslaught. “Yes… who would we be without power? Does power define and control us or do we control it? What would you rather do? Live without all these creature comforts, build a new world based on environmentally sound practices, or hold up our addiction to power and die because of it?”

  Mov would have been close to exploding in anger if he hadn’t known that there was solid truth behind her words. “Of course I would… well… you know… the problem is that humans are strange creatures. We don’t believe in our demise until it’s already too late. Do you really think that any country in the world will voluntarily turn off their electricity generation, basically wiping out the last two hundred years of technological advancement, and let the rest of the world continue living in the illusive momentum of prosperity and welfare that electricity has brought us? You’re dreaming. If this is all you have for me then all I can say is, look again and find another solution. Your cure won’t work. We need to find a solution that supports our lifestyle, not one that destroys it.”

  Eva nodded as Mov got up from his chair, a somber look on his face. “You better be quick.”

  Eva slumped back into her seat. She knew that Mov was right. The world would not accept being saved while at the same time having to give up most of its achievements. Western society was well beyond the tipping point of being able to support itself without electrical power. It simply could not sustain itself without it. It was addicted and there was no way of coming off the drug without suffering major side effects. Side effects that were too immense to even be remotely considered. Eva looked at Ivan in desperation. “What now? We have a solution, which is no solution. Any other ideas?”

  “What did you expect? That Mov would ask all the leaders in the world to pull the plug just because we had a few casualties? Imagine what would happen to the powerful and mighty? What about their bank accounts, their social media rankings and their web of connectivity and information? The world would be a very different place. The economies of the world would collapse into nothing, all artificially generated monetary systems, even rare metals or precious gems would be worth nothing. You can’t eat them, they truly only have a symbolic value. Time to buy a farm and plant potatoes.”

  Eva laughed. “Great idea! Let’s all turn to farming. Problem solved.”

  “Yes… problem solved.” Ivan paused for a brief moment, staring at the planet that slowly turned in front of him. “I don’t get it… What do they want from us? There seems to be no logical…”

  Eva looked at Ivan in disbelief. “Haven’t you read my theory of the Two Lovers?” She was disappointed. “If you had read my paper then you’d know…”

  Ivan quickly took over. “I’d know that there was a message sent out by earth itself and that it was answered by something from the faraway galaxy of Markarian 231. I’d know that the Green Egg somehow seems to be connected to this answer and that…”

  Eva smiled as she took over. “And that the reason for the ghosts or… alien attacks happening, is most likely because earth itself has been calling them in. Earth was asking for help to get rid of—” she now looked very serious “—us… of humankind.”

  Ivan nodded. “Yes, us. But why are earth’s heavenly soldiers following such a strange strategy? I’m sure they could wipe us off the face of the planet in less than twenty-four hours. There are a few thousand alien signals present in the atmosphere already and we only see a few attacks per hour. It doesn’t make any sense, does it?”

  Eva shook her head. “It doesn’t make any sense… but… maybe, just maybe, they want to give us a second chance… Maybe this is their form of mercy.”

  “Mercy? They definitely have a strange idea about mercy.”

  Eva agreed that it was not the kind of mercy that one would expect, but she would rather accept this kind of mercy and have a slim chance of survival than settle for immediate annihilation.

  “Anyway, let’s assume there’s another chance for survival. Even turning off all man-made power sources won’t get rid of natural sources like lightning. There has to be another way.”

  Ivan nodded. “Let’s recap. We believe that these attacks are happening due to humans acting in a way that’s detrimental to earth’s well-being.”

  “I think that’s it. But where do we start? Tell me one thing that modern humans do that isn’t detrimental to a thriving, natural ecosystem?”

  Ivan stared at her. For once he was at a loss for words. “Yes… what part of human life is in line with supporting a healthy planet earth? I’ve never viewed it like that. I wouldn’t ever have thought that—”

  Eva butted in “—that it’s so hard, maybe even impossible, to find even the smallest thing that we do that’s truly beneficial, or at least not harmful, to life in general?”

  Ivan nodded. “It’s amazing how we take all these comforts for granted and completely forget that they come at a great environmental cost.”

  Eva felt an immense sense of sadness rising up inside of her. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt so guilty in my whole life. But feeling sorry alone won’t solve our problem. Action is required, but where to start? What to do?”

  They sat staring at the holographic representation of the planet that was their home, their lifeline, and that they had been treating so poorly. A tear ran down Eva’s cheek as she quietly got up and left the room.

  Twenty

  Eva

  Ivan was sitting in front of his holo display staring at an equation he was working on when Eva entered the lab. She didn’t look well. She had dark rings under her eyes. Her face was pale and her skin blotchy.

  More than three months had passed since their initial discovery, since their remarkable success in unraveling the secrets that the Green Egg held.

  The last few months had been sobering. They had tried all the obvious options and also the not so likely ones, as well as the completely crazy. They had tried them all and now, nearly a hundred days later, they still hadn’t made an inch of progress.

  “What are you working on?”

  “I’ve developed a forecast of the daily mortality rate based on the numbers we’ve collected over the last hundred days. We’re currently here.” Ivan pointed at an early section of the curve. “As you can see, the death rate has been constantly increasing.”

  Eva was fully awake now. “When will we reach this section?” She pointed at the area where the curve suddenly displayed exponential growth, resulting in a rapid increase of the death rate from a few thousand a day to hundreds of thousands and a few days later, millions.

  “That’s about ninety days from now, plus or minus.”

  Eva had to sit down. “Plus or minus how many?”

  Ivan switched the holo display back to the representation of the planet where they were presented with a sight that had become the new norm: about a dozen red markers fairly evenly distributed around the global epicenters of human development and a death counter that increased every few seconds.

  “Plus, minus two. Not more than two.”

  Eva knew about Ivan’s affinity to numbers and about his undisputed talent in pinpointing forecasts with superhuman precision. “Only ninety days, and what then?”

  Ivan looked at her without giving an answer. She knew only too well what then.

  “Mov was here earlier. He wants you to join him for a press conference at 10 a.m.”

  Eva felt like throwing up. Not another one of these useless displays of national pride and power where none was called for. Eva knew there was no way out; if Mov had asked her to join him then
it was not a topic for discussion.

  * * *

  “Professor Abramov, could you please say a few words about the progress that you and your team have made since your initial discoveries?”

  Professor Abramov stood on a small podium. He had become a scientific celebrity since making Eva’s success in tracking the alien beings public. She stood behind him trying to look cheerful while really she felt as if somebody had locked her in a dark room full of unknown dangers, her personal isolation tank of claustrophobic torture.

  “We’ve liaised with more than seventy countries in regards to their local programs for fighting the alien intruders. We’ve made astonishing progress in the efficiency of tracking the alien signals and have been able to define the main target areas of future attacks. We also…”

  The crowd of reporters was getting restless. They had heard these evasive statements too many times.

  “We know all that. This isn’t news to us. The mortality rate is increasing day by day. Don’t tell us about tracking efficiency. What about defending ourselves? What about killing the intruders?”

  “And if we can’t kill them… how much time do we have left before it’s all over?”

  Mov had done his best, week by week, holding the press at bay, but the pressure was mounting and the death toll was rising. People were demanding answers, but there was nothing he could give them. What could he say? Could he tell them that they hadn’t found anything close to a solution? Could he tell them that they needed a miracle and that most likely they would all be dead in another three months?

  Eva noticed Mov hesitating and seized the opportunity. “The progress we’ve made since the initial discovery isn’t worth mentioning. We’re at a loss as to how to stop them. This is not only true for us, it’s the same globally. The Chinese have spent billions in research with no results. The Europeans formed a team of some of the greatest scientists alive a few months ago, and what have they achieved? Nothing. It’s the same with the US and the rest of the world. Nothing.”

  The room was eerily quiet; her message had hit home. The press was not used to hearing the truth expressed in such a direct and uncompromising way. Eva was looking into the room with tears in her eyes when a somber-looking dark-haired woman raised her hand.

  “Did you hear about the success ARC has had in crossing human and alien DNA? ARC made it public only this morning. What do you expect from this development?”

  Mov looked at Eva, nodding for her to continue. “I’ve heard about Dr. Jon Adams and his experiments. He’s a visionary with amazing ideas. I’m not sure how his achievement in genetics will help us, but I welcome every opportunity that holds some potential for success.”

  * * *

  Ivan smiled at Eva on her return to the lab. “There seems to be a politician hidden inside you after all. What a smooth statement you made about the American guy, Jon Adams.”

  Eva was not feeling well. She went over to her chair and let her body drop into the air cushion. “I don’t envy Mov. You know how hopeless the situation is, yet we can’t tell the truth. We have to find a way to keep the facts hidden by directing attention to the positive, but what if there’s nothing left, nothing positive to say…”

  Ivan nodded. “I know what you mean. Your words about Jon made me think… why don’t you call the guy? Maybe two crazy minds together have what it takes to turn this hopeless situation around.”

  Ivan’s suggestion took her by surprise. “Me? Call him? Why would he be interested?”

  Ivan looked astonished at Eva’s lack of self-confidence. “Well… you’re the one that has been leading global efforts to combat the alien intruders. You came up with the theory of the Two Lovers, you found the alien DNA, and…”

  Eva held up her hand for Ivan to stop. “Yes, yes. I’ll think about it.”

  Twenty-One

  Jon

  Jon’s boss, Dr. Iris Bell was on the phone. “Jon, please meet me in my office. I have something important to tell you.”

  She doesn’t look her normal self, thought Jon when he entered Iris’s office. Iris turned around, faced the wall, and started to fidget with an unopened bottle of cognac. Jon was surprised. He had never seen Iris drink alcohol before. This had to be a special occasion.

  “Please sit down.” Iris didn’t turn around but simply pointed at one of the chairs in front of her desk. She poured two glasses while Jon wondered what could have happened to provoke such an unusual reaction. Iris was normally calm and collected at all times.

  She turned around exposing her face. It was streaked with tears. Jon instinctively knew what had happened. “Amy? What happened to Amy?” Jon jumped up, nearly knocking the glasses out of Iris’s hands and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Tell me! What’s happened?”

  Iris handed Jon his glass. “She’s dead. Killed at the airport by one of the aliens.”

  Jon felt sick. He didn’t know what to do but down the cognac that had been handed to him. The burning sensation seemed to clear his mind for a moment before the pain of her loss hit him with full force.

  “Oh my God, Iris, what have I done? I sent her over to Tokyo to fetch this woman. And now they’re all dead.”

  Iris looked at him with deep sorrow. “Suki is still alive. She’s the only one that survived. Again. They’ll fly her in tomorrow.”

  Jon felt tears rolling down his cheeks. All life energy seemed to drain away from his body.

  “It’s not your fault, Jon. This could have happened anywhere at any time. You know that very well.”

  Jon knew that Iris was right, but thoughts of guilt once invoked are not easily dispelled. Jon knew that this was another burden that he would carry for the rest of his life. The only thing that could be done was to find a way out of this terrible situation, find a way to prevent further casualties and not let Amy’s death be in vain. Jon knew that this was the right thing to do, but for now he only felt like hitting and kicking someone, most of all himself.

  * * *

  Jon entered the lab, finding Delta at his desk, indulging in his passion for sushi. “Hello, Jon. I heard about Amy. I’m very sorry.”

  “I don’t know what to do. Amy was… she was the most important person in my life since… since my wife died, and now she…”

  Delta slowly got up and walked towards Jon. He did not say a word but simply embraced him. Jon felt an incredible sense of peace descend upon him. The oppressive dark clouds lifted, relaxing the choking knot in his throat.

  A flash of insight, thunderous in its silence, touched him like a gentle breeze that reached deep into his heart. He suddenly knew that Amy’s death was not in vain, that it was simply how things were meant to be. She had fulfilled her role in this game called life. She was ready to go.

  Jon felt as if he were being kept in a cocoon of perfect peace and freedom; no fear, no misery, and no suffering was able to pierce this unseen bubble of bliss. When Delta stepped away Jon was aware of his body slowly taking form again and how the sense of being a person returned to his mind.

  “What have you done?”

  Delta smiled at Jon. “I gave you a glimpse of understanding. I lifted the veil of separation for a moment.”

  Jon was not exactly sure what Delta meant, but the intense pain he had been carrying seemed to have vanished. It had been replaced with a spark of love that had been kindled deep inside his heart. A love that didn’t distinguish between good or evil, and that even embraced the alien intruders that threatened the survival of mankind.

  Jon slumped back in his seat. He felt this overwhelming gratitude towards life itself without the need to express it in thought or language.

  Delta seemed to have forgotten what just happened and went back to his sushi. He always ate the salmon last. They were his favorite.

  * * *

  It was early afternoon when Jon walked past ARC’s reception area and accessed the docking station. Suki’s travel pod floated through the opening in the glass wall and landed at the public drop-off area.
<
br />   Suki climbed out of the pod and shook Jon’s hand. “I’m so sorry about what happened to Amy. I was trying to help, but…”

  Jon had read the reports about what happened. Zoe had granted him access to Suki’s file and Jon had been studying her description of the incident that had cost Amy’s life. “I know you did the best you could. How are you? Were you harmed?”

  Suki shook her head. “No, I’m OK, but I’m so sad about Amy. I only knew her for a few hours but somehow I felt a connection. I liked her very much.”

  Jon instinctively gave Suki a hug. “She was a wonderful woman. We’re all very sad. Her death just means that we have to work even harder.”

  Suki nodded in agreement.

  “Do you need time to rest or should we ask Chris to join us for a short briefing? I told him that we would wait for you to arrive before he met Delta, but I think I should tell you both a few things before we do so.”

  Suki put on a confident smile even though she felt exhausted. “I’m fine. I’m very much looking forward to meeting my… brother.” Suki was unsure how she felt about the man whom some alien crossbreed had identified as her sibling in spirit. Jon took her hand, noticing Suki’s apprehension. “Chris is a nice guy. He looks a bit strange, a lot of tattoos and a pretty wild beard, but when you look past the façade, he’s a kind and gentle person.”

  Now Suki was intrigued. She secretly liked tattoos even though her parents had done their best to keep her from ever thinking of getting one herself. She was not sure about beards though. Why would a man grow all that hair on his face when modern civilization made it so easy to differentiate oneself from your prehistoric past? She liked men clean-shaven, fearless but civilized, strong, kind, and maybe sporting a tattoo or two.