Alien Genes 1: Daughter of Atuk

by Petra Theunissen

  She busied herself with her crystal spheres, suddenly feeling uncomfortable in his presence. What was it with him? Why was he so different? Didn't he realise he was putting his career and their family at risk by being so concerned about this human?

  Before he could say anything further, Taluk entered the room. He was clearly excited:

  I have the results. This is amazing.

  With a wave of his hand, he displayed a hologram.

  Look at this. This is her existing DNA—at least what's left of it—and the bit she had of ours. Now look at this. See what's happening?

  There was a pregnant pause, followed by a stunned silence as they looked at what Taluk was showing.

  Eqin reacted first.

  I don't understand.

  Taluk seemed almost irritated that the other two didn't immediately see what he was getting at. He pointed at the strains of DNA in the hologram. This is a different DNA. Look—there's hers. There's the other structure. Now compare the two.

  S'Tha stared at the hologram. It's different.

  Taluk nodded excitedly. Yes, not only is her DNA regenerating—it's changing. Look, it's forming a new combination of genes.

  Then it dawned on her what Taluk was saying. She had to catch her breath as the implications sank in. Slowly she said, ‘My God, she's becoming another specie.'

  * * *

  Chapter 10

  “Would you like to go above ground?” Eqin's tall stature filled the doorway of the holographic garden.

  Cathy was surprised to see him there. He never came to the garden and she often wondered why.

  The artificial light reflected off his chiselled features and he had an aura of authority around him that made her feel almost diminutive.

  Her heart missed a beat when their eyes met. “Right now?” she asked, trying to contain her excitement. The thought of being able to see the sky again was almost too much.

  His piercing green eyes studied her and she sensed he had something on his mind, but she couldn't be sure what it was.

  “Now is as good a time as any,” he answered, smiling.

  “Okay.” She got up and followed him, wondering how they would get out of the Facility. She'd never seen an exit.

  At the end of the passageway, he suddenly stopped, and motioned towards her. “Stand beside me,” he instructed.

  Mystified, she placed herself on his left side. Then there was a flash of energy, and suddenly she found herself surrounded by open skies and green shrubbery. There was no sign of an entrance or exit anywhere.

  She was stumped. How did they ... ? But she didn't dwell on it. Being outside was enough. She didn't need to know how they got there.

  She took a deep breath of the salty ocean air and closed her eyes. She heard the waves crashing on the rocks below, and the birds twittering in the trees. How she'd missed that! All she'd heard the past months was the silence, and the strange sensation of thoughts of those around her. A fine mist rain was coming down on them and she stretched out her arms, twirling around like a child. She couldn't care less that the gentle rain was drenching her clothes. It was the feel of freedom—freedom she'd missed terribly over the months in the Facility—and she wouldn't give it up easily.

  “We have to go."

  She stopped twirling and opened her eyes. “Do we?"

  He turned and pointed inland. “Up there is a house that belongs to us. We hardly ever use it, though. Most of my people prefer to live in the climate-controlled underground Facility. It's the closest they have to home. I'd like to take you there."

  “Where? To your home?"

  He smiled, and Cathy realised again that he was a very handsome man.

  “No, to the house, but I would like to take you to my home some day."

  They headed up the rocky, overgrown footpath towards the house.

  Clambering along, she looked around, noticing the golden sand of a previously-hidden beach edged by a mountainous coastline, and she realised they were somewhere on an island. Where were they?

  Distracted by her thoughts, she felt her foot slip. Rock crumbled down the side of the cliff and disappeared into the vigorous ocean directly below them. She grew cold, clutching at the rocks beside her. I'm going to fall. Suddenly she felt a hand grab hers and help her to safety. Her gaze met his and she felt a warmth inside her as her heart beat a little faster. When they reached the sandy footpath in the hills, he let go of her hand almost reluctantly and glanced around at the overgrown vegetation.

  “I haven't been here in a long time. It's neglected,” he commented.

  She glanced at him, and noticed he seemed remarkably relaxed, almost as if he were let out of a cage himself.

  Strange that he would be so different from his people, but she supposed every group had the odd one out, and in this case, it had to be him.

  Eqin spoke musingly.

  “I've always loved Earth. It's a pity the others don't feel the same way. They're very single-minded. They're here for a short time to do research, and then they return home. Most never come back. They prefer to take up assignments on other planets, which they believe are morally and technologically advanced and where they don't have to hide their presence,” He stooped to pick a flower and looked at it in wonderment, “Look at this. When I was last here, it had next to no leaves. Now it has the most brilliant red flowers."

  “I never looked at it that way."

  “You should. Others planets are very different, and not necessarily better—unlike what many Earthlings believe. You know the expression? ‘The grass on the other side is always greener'?"

  He pointed towards a building hidden in the growth. “Do you see it? There."

  Cathy strained to see where he was pointing. Hidden in a jungle of vegetation was the most magnificent building. It had to have been built centuries ago, and as she looked closer, she saw it was showing years of disrepair. She felt almost sorry for it. She frowned at her thought.

  What an odd thing to think. “It looks like it's been here for ages."

  “It has. My people have been using this island for a very, very long time. They built this house according to the style of the time so it wouldn't attract unnecessary attention. But, as the Earth's air became progressively more polluted and the humans became more technologically advanced, my people decided to build the underground Facility. Now it's the only place they go,” he explained.

  “Pity.” She walked up to the house and touched the wooden door in awe. “It's absolutely amazing. So well-built."

  “It is, isn't it?” he agreed.

  She pushed and felt the door move easily. She felt a strange connection to the house, as if it was speaking to her subconsciously.

  Cathy turned around to comment on the house, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw the figure of a man approaching her, his cape almost touching the ground. Turning towards him, she could feel his black eyes looking into her soul. She tried to back away, but his gaze kept her glued to the ground. At that moment, her fear was overwhelming. Unable to move or scream, she stood mesmerised. Then someone plucked her out of the man's path, and with a jolt, she found herself back in reality.

  “Cathy? Are you alright?"

  She looked at him confused. “Didn't you see him?"

  “Who?"

  “The man. He walked right up to me."

  “It wasn't real. It was only a hallucination."

  “No, this was real. I could almost touch him,” she insisted.

  “No, Cathy, it wasn't real. Those are memories plaguing you. It's one of the side effects of the virus infection. Although your body has learnt to fight it, it's still there."

  It suddenly dawned on her that he knew exactly what she'd been seeing. She looked into his eyes, and knew she was right. “You pulled me out of his path ... It was you."

  He nodded. “Yes."

  “But how?” She didn't understand. How could he have?

  He hesitated before he answered carefully. “Our people have the gift of telepa
thy, but some of us have a greater ability than others to enter other people's thoughts. Some of us can even enter others’ dreams, and see what they see."

  “You saw what I saw?"

  “Yes. I've been seeing it for a long time—longer than you may even realise."

  She scrutinized his face. She could read his thoughts and knew he was speaking the truth. “Why didn't you say anything?"

  “It's not important,” he said. His gaze rested on her face. “Why didn't you tell them anything about your abilities?"

  His question caught her off-guard. “What abilities?” she asked cautiously.

  “Your mental abilities,” he replied evenly.

  She squirmed. “I don't know what you're talking about."

  Eqin was ready for that reply and responded telepathically, You know very well what I'm talking about, Cathy. You understand every word my people have been exchanging.

  She knew she couldn't lie to him, and reluctantly admitted, “Yes, I have."

  He spoke normally, “You're very good. You hide it well."

  “But not good enough to hide it from you,” she said somewhat despondently. If he knew how many others knew about it too?

  “No one else knows, Cathy,” he said quietly, answering her unspoken question.

  She looked at him perplexed. “How did you..."

  Eqin took her hand and placed on the side of his face. “Look into my mind..."

  She looked into his piercing eyes and found herself drawn into his thoughts. First she could only make out bits and pieces of his memories. She saw herself when they were first introduced and their first meetings. Then the thoughts became stronger and faster, turning into a rollercoaster ride of memories and sensations. She saw Hasan, heard him speak angrily, the flash of energy, and then she saw herself lying unconscious on the ground. Shocked by Eqin's memories, she pulled herself out of his mind, backing away from him, trying to catch her breath.

  “You knew me before I came here?” It was more a statement of fact than a question. “That's why you rescued me and brought me here.” It suddenly made sense to her.

  “I couldn't just let you die."

  “No...” She hesitated. “There's more to it ... I just can't...” She tried to access his mind again, but he'd closed it. She couldn't get in. He'd blocked her out.

  She looked at him uneasily. She glimpsed something else in his mind but she couldn't be sure what it was. She already knew he had feelings for her, but there was more.

  “Why are you shutting me out?” she demanded.

  “You've seen enough,” he said bluntly, turning away from her.

  She stared at his back. What was he hiding from her and the others? He seemed embarrassed he'd even let her look that deep into his mind. Why?

  She decided not to pry further. He clearly didn't want her to know. In time she would find out anyway. She changed the topic. “You didn't just take me here to look at the house, did you?"

  “No, I needed to speak with you,” he said, and ushered her into the building.

  For a moment, Cathy stopped and frowned. The place seemed to be alive in a peculiar way. Odd. Perhaps it was because of the misty rain outside or maybe she'd just got used to the sterile underground facility.

  “Why here?” she asked.

  “I wanted to speak to you privately, away from the Facility. This seemed like the best place. I like this old place,” he said.

  “It's a bit gloomy."

  He shrugged his shoulders. “It's been neglected. I've been the only one who's visited here the past hundred years or so, and to be honest, I didn't spend that much time—at least not enough to fix up everything. I did sort out one room, though. We can go there."

  She followed him compliantly. The room to which he had referred turned out to be the lounge, and much to her surprise, it was much brighter than the rest of the house. It had the most stunning view of the ocean she'd ever encountered. She could see why he came there regularly—except, of course, that there was no furniture.

  He motioned her to sit down on the floor. Once they sat facing each other, he leaned over to her and for a moment, she thought he'd take her hand in his, but then he seemed to change his mind. Although she tried not to show it, she felt strangely disappointed.

  She sensed that whatever he was going to say to her was serious, and she waited with baited breath.

  “Your tests...” he started, and then paused, seemingly struggling to find the right words.

  She frowned, and felt her tension rising. “S'Tha told me they weren't ready yet,” she said apprehensively.

  “They are, but I asked her not to tell you because I wanted to speak to you myself,” he said quietly.

  She looked at him. “I'm going to die,” she said without much emotion. It was inevitable. Something was wrong with her. She knew she was changing inside. Anyway, the thought wasn't all that unappealing. Being in constant pain, not knowing who she really was and where she came from, wasn't the easiest thing to live with, and often she found herself entertaining the thought of dying.

  He frowned at her. “No."

  “Then what? What's so important that you had to bring me here?"

  He paused again, and Cathy felt her impatience growing. She wanted to rush him along, to say what he had to say. Whatever it was, she knew it was serious.

  “Your DNA is changing."

  It took a few moments before it sank in what he was saying. That she hadn't expected. “Changing?” She was stumped. What does he mean? How is that possible?

  “Both your alien and your human DNA—that which is left—are changing,” he said slowly.

  “I don't understand."

  “I don't know how to say this..."

  His thoughts were suddenly so clear that she could read them without much effort, and the revelation caused her to reel with disbelief. “I'm changing into something else ... Some kind of monster?"

  He held his hands up, trying to calm her down. “No, no. Don't even think that."

  “But you were thinking it."

  “It's not like that. We just know that your DNA is shifting. It's integrating both the alien and human into a new pattern. To be honest with you, we've never seen anything like it, and we don't know where it will end. All we know is that you are becoming a new species, so to speak..."

  “Species—a new species? Species of what?” She spat out the words, suddenly angry.

  “Calm down, Cathy."

  She jumped up, disgusted.

  “Calm down? You sit here and you tell me I'm turning into another species, and I'm supposed to be calm? You've got to be kidding me!” she shouted at him, close to hysteria.

  Unable to contain her emotions, she paced the room frantically. She had visions of herself turning into a grotesque monster. The mere thought of it revolted her.

  How could they do this to me? Why didn't they just let me die?

  Eqin went to her. “Cathy, please. I know this is a shock to you, but we don't know ourselves what it means. It may not even make a difference at all."

  He reached out to touch her, but, astonishingly for both of them, a blast of energy hurled him right across the room and he landed hard against the wall.

  Cathy stopped in her tracks. Her eyes were wide with shock. “Eqin?"

  Eqin was half-sitting, half lying against the wall. His eyes were closed, and she rushed over to him. “Eqin, are you alright?” She bent down to shake his shoulders.

  He opened his eyes and groaned. “Don't know.” They stared at each other. “What just happened?” he asked.

  “I don't know.” She sat down next to him. “Was that me?"

  “I'm not sure. Was it?"

  “I don't know. I was angry with you, and when you touched me, I just wanted you to leave me alone,” she admitted.

  He wrinkled his forehead. “Well, that's one way of telling a guy off,” he said, rubbing his back. Then he pulled himself into a sitting position and checked his limbs.

  Suddenly feelin
g incredible vulnerable, she felt tears welling up in her eyes. She'd hurt the only person who meant anything to her at the Facility. “I'm so sorry. I really didn't mean to hurt you. Are you alright?” she apologised.

  “I think so. Bruised, but I think I'll live,” he said. He looked at her hands, “You're trembling."

  He reached out to touch her, but then apparently re-thought the move and stopped. She felt her heart ache and fought back the tears. What was she turning into? She could have killed him. She folded her arms over her chest to comfort herself. “What's going to happen to me? Will I change into some sort of monster?” she asked.

  His voice was remarkably gentle. “I don't think you'll change into a monster, Cathy. Quite honestly, we don't know what will happen to you. But whatever it is, I'll help you through it."

  His sincere words made it even harder for Cathy to control her emotions, and she bit her bottom lip. “Why did you tell me?” she asked, trying hard not to cry.

  “I thought you had a right to know.” He paused. “I'm sorry ... I never meant for this to happen. I honestly believed I was helping by telling you."

  Cathy didn't respond. His disclosure came as a bombshell, and in a way, it was the last straw to her fragile existence. She'd been prepared for many things—living her life not knowing where she came from or who she really was; even spending it there on the island—but that...

  Her voice broke when she spoke. “Why Eqin? Why is this happening?"

  He didn't answer but instead put his arms around her shoulders. “It's okay to cry, Cathy,” he said soothingly.

  His understanding manner was enough to open the taps, and Cathy burst into sobs. In some sense, it was a relief. Since she'd come to the Facility, she hadn't shed a single tear—not once. All she'd felt was fear, anger and confusion—the feelings of someone who had no control over her life. She cried in his arms until there were no more tears left.

  When her sobbing had subsided, and she'd dried her cheeks, she looked up at him embarrassed. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cry...” she said haltingly.

  He smiled at her, wiping away a single escaped tear from her chin. “I should be the one who's sorry because I'm partially responsible for your situation."