A Human Element

by Donna Galanti

  X-10 recalled the moment he rushed out the door, and stopped. He had been overwhelmed by the open space of night that enveloped him. The wind blew around his body pressing into him with a soft, cool tickle. An owl hooted in the trees nearby. Wild smells invaded his nose. After living in the same damp, concrete cell day in and day out for years it felt intoxicating. He breathed in the cool autumn air, rich with scents of dying leaves, wet earth, and wood. He had no idea the world could offer so many delights.

  Regaining his sense of urgency to flee, he pressed the knob on Norm's key chain. He was elated to find it beeped and located the guard's car. He had never seen a car in real life, only in books. Here there were dozens, sitting shiny and colorful in the parking lot. He opened the door and squeezed himself into the sedan. More smells filled his nose with leather and vinyl. Not as exciting as outside, but still new and thrilling to him.

  He had read how to drive and within a few seconds gripped the wheel and shot off with his foot to the floor. Power surged through him. He liked it. But the car ran out of gas and now wouldn't start. He had passed gas stations in the early morning light, but didn't want any humans to see him. They could turn him in and send him back to the facility. He would never go back.

  The front seat was strewn with banana peels, apple cores, pretzel bags, and a bottle of cherry juice. He had gorged his entire trip and now dozed in a state of fullness. It was all he found when he raided Bjord's food supply before escaping. He needed the nourishment after two days of fasting and now, after a nap and food, he felt energized.

  He relaxed and let his mind soar north to where his prey waited. There was the girl and her lover inside a house talking to an old man. He hated her for being so free to live the life she wanted. To find a mate. To roam free at her will. Now that he'd experienced freedom for the first time he was greedy for every new experience.

  He soared in closer to the house and picked up snatches of their conversation. This was the doctor who sold him to the government. This was the man who sent him to live out his life under the hands of Bjord as his prisoner and science experiment. Rage grew inside X-10 as he listened. He smashed his fists on the dashboard. Then the girl and her lover left the house. X-10 decided the time had come for more revenge. He would have a little fun here first. Then he would continue on foot.

  Doctor Britton opened his eyes. They felt gritty and his mouth was dry. He swallowed. It tasted stale and metallic. His whiskey glass spun on the floor as his foot hit it and he remembered Ben and Laura. He looked around. He was alone. Good riddance. He didn't need reminders of his past. Seeing how lovely the girl was made him feel more guilt about his part in the whole mess. He gagged with self-loathing and forced down the acid gurgling in his throat. He wondered what did happen to that hideous baby boy. He never cared to know before. He wanted to forget.

  And he had forgotten how soft and pretty the girl, Sarah, was until seeing her daughter. His hardened heart ached a little to feel that way again. He had also forgotten love since his wife left him years ago, after his drinking became an addiction. He had not been a pretty drunk.

  Water. He needed a drink of water. He pushed himself up from the chair when something shoved him back down. It must be the whiskey. It still had a hold over him. He shook his head and tried again to stand up. This time something pushed on his head. It felt like enormous hands squeezing his skull, the fingers wrapped around from one side to the other. He shrieked and thrashed his arms, but the hands held him there.

  "What is this?" Doctor Britton screamed and the hands let him go. He fell back in the chair when sharp pain shot through his body. Something was crushing him. A giant weight pushed down on his chest and stomach. The pain intensified. He tried to move his arms but something held them down. He kicked his legs only to feel teeth sink into his right leg. He watched his shirt and pants shred from some unseen attacker.

  As he opened his mouth to scream again, a fist was shoved into it so large he could not bite down to fight back. He wriggled his head from side to side, feeling faint from the pain pulsing through him. Tears streamed down his face as this invisible monster attacked him. The weight lifted some. He heard a voice in his head as clear as if the person was speaking in front of him.

  Why did you sell me? Your greed killed me, old man. I could have had a home. I could have belonged.

  The doctor stopped struggling, resigned to his seat of terror. He tried to comprehend what the voice meant. The fist withdrew from his mouth but hands still held him down.

  "I don't know who you are," he sobbed. "Leave me alone."

  You lie. Stupid human. Why did you save the girl and not me?

  Then through the pain and fear Doctor Britton recognized who he was. "The monster baby! Are you dead? The devil?"

  None of those. And you'll wish you were dead soon.

  "The girl. She just left. She's your sister. Go after her. Leave me alone." He moaned and slumped over.

  No! Not a sister. A traitor. Just like you, Doctor.

  "No one would have wanted you. Freak! Mutant!" Fingers closed around his throat choking off his scream. He flung his body about the chair to escape, but the fingers pressed into his neck. His eyes opened wide and he scratched at the invisible being attacking him.

  Then he gave in. It was time to pay for his sins.

  X-10 hovered over the doctor's body. His anger drained away and he felt relief. He returned his mind to his body in the car. He needed to rest before continuing north. Travelling with his powers expended much energy, but he needed to leave the car and hide out. He walked into the woods, breathing deep of life all around him. After heading half a mile into the woods away from the dirt road, he found a hollow and lay down on the ground covering himself in a mound of leaves.

  Within a few minutes his body heat warmed him inside his cocoon and X-10 slept. It was his turn to dream of the girl. He chased her as he always did, toying with her before he shredded her throat. But this time she stopped running and turned to walk back toward him. He stopped in his tracks, amazed she would do that when she knew he would kill her.

  "Charlie, come with me. I know what you are. We are the same."

  He shook his head, wanting to hate her. How did she know he wanted to be called Charlie? His mission had been to kill her. It had always been so. If it changed now, what would he do? What would he become?

  "Don't give in to hate."

  "What do you know about hate?"

  "I know hate. And it's short lived. Love lives forever." She held out her hand. "Come."

  "No!" He rushed toward her but she disappeared and he was left alone, as he had always been.

  CHAPTER 24

  The man in black pulled his full body up from the floor of the backseat and put his hand up in peace. His enormous expanse blocked the light from the back window. Ben put his fist down. Laura just stared at the man and held Ben's hand tight.

  "Just drive." The man in black took his hand off Ben's shoulder.

  "Who are you? Why are you here?" Laura was held captive by this man's bright green eyes. It had been eight years since she last saw him when her parents died.

  "I'm not driving anywhere until you explain everything," Ben demanded.

  Laura felt fear wrapped around Ben tight. She wasn't afraid though. She felt calm as if this man here could finally answer all her questions.

  She squeezed Ben's hand to reassure him. "It's okay. Do as he says."

  The man in black nodded. "Head out of the city and I'll explain."

  Ben still didn't move.

  "Don't you think I would have killed you already if I wanted to?" The man in black fixed his gaze on Ben's face. "I'm here to help. The time has come."

  "First, tell us your name."

  "Felix," he said in a gruff voice, offering no last name.

  Ben nodded and turned around to pull out on the road. He retraced his steps through Albany. Laura remained turned around staring at this enormous. She wanted to memorize every detail, afraid he could disappea
r any moment.

  The man's thick eyebrows hung low across his lined forehead as he peered down at Laura. "It was a spaceship that crash-landed at Coopersville Lake almost thirty years ago. You were right to think so."

  She nodded, wondering how he knew she thought that. She was certain now it was him who left the mysterious notes.

  "It came from the planet named Elyon."

  "How did these beings from Elyon get here Felix? And how is it possible they can reach us?"

  The man in black didn't answer at first. He just looked at Laura as if trying to decide what piece of information to give her. "It's possible. They're a civilization that has had advanced technology for thousands of years, not the mere decades we have. The planet Elyon is located six million light years away. Do you know what a light year is?"

  "I think so…it's a really long distance traveled across space in one year, right?"

  "Distances too far for us to comprehend. Light travels nearly two-hundred thousand miles per second, so the distance across just one light year is six trillion miles. I know it's difficult to grasp how far away Elyon is at six million light years. It's a galactic distance."

  "But, how could these beings from Elyon travel so far and arrive here alive?"

  "Because they've discovered how to operate on a non-physical plane, unlike us on Earth. They travel great distances throughout the universe by speeding up time. Time is relative and can be speeded up or slowed down. To them, travel is measured by time not distance. Elyons travel to Earth from their doorway to ours in an instant. They do it through mind power not physicality. It's a science humans can't understand because there's no science like it on Earth. We use terms like black holes and wormholes to explain this travel, but again, that is on a physical plane and they don't exist. Are you following this?"

  "It's unbelievable." Ben shook his head.

  "Yes, because it's not part of our reality here on Earth and may never be. We may cause our own extinction before we become so evolved."

  "How can you know all this?" Laura was entranced by his words. She wanted him to talk on and on.

  "The spaceship landed and the government came in to clean it up—and cover it up, and I was part of that project. We had some damage control to do, but it was a rural area and fairly contained. The spaceship hit so hard and fast most of it was buried beneath the earth. We told the public it had been a meteorite with fluctuating levels of radiation in it and due to safety reasons the government would buy out the cabin residents around the lake and crash site. So we did and then closed off the area."

  Felix paused as Ben braked to avoid a cat. Houses became further apart as they headed into the country and the landscape took on a lonely look of near-naked trees and brown fields.

  "There was the old man up above the lake who wouldn't sell, but after a while the government left him alone," Felix continued. "They figured he would be no trouble at all. It all made perfect sense what we told the public. People were simpler back then. They still believed the government had their best interests at heart." He looked out the window with a deep frown. "I sure as hell never believed that."

  "Whether this crazy story is true or not, I want to know why you've you been watching us both all these years," Ben demanded.

  "Keep driving and I'll tell you everything. Eventually make your way back into the city."

  Ben continued to drive as Laura gripped his right hand. He sped faster down a curvy road that flattened off near the bottom of a valley. Coopersville Mountain loomed large over them as they followed the road alongside its giant shadow.

  "Stop," Laura said. "I need some fresh air. I feel nauseous. Can we pull over to that pond? There's a road on the right heading to it."

  "Fine," Felix agreed. "But make it quick."

  Ben pulled off onto a dirt road. They bumped along for a hundred feet and he stopped the car. Laura got out first and headed toward a lopsided picnic table on the edge of the pond. She sat down and took deep breaths to push the sick feeling away, looking around her. The pond shone like a liquid crystal before them. Felix followed her, carrying a large duffel bag he pulled out of the back seat.

  "What's in the bag?" Ben pointed at Felix.

  "Some basics."

  Ben grabbed it from him and rifled through it. He pulled out clothes, toiletries, water, and at the bottom, a handgun. Ben placed it on the picnic table.

  "Basics, huh?"

  "Yes, for my job. It's a Glock. That one, I brought for you. This is mine." He pulled one out from behind his back. Ben jumped back a bit and Laura placed her hand on his arm.

  "I've never used a gun," she said, looking at the matte black metal sharply outlined against the white paint-peeling picnic table.

  "The Glock is a good firearm, accurate and easy to control during rapid-fire drills. It's a good choice for beginner and advanced shooters. It's known for not malfunctioning." Felix looked at Laura. "That could mean life or death."

  Felix picked up the gun and handed it to Laura, but she wouldn't take it. Felix turned it toward Ben, who nodded and tucked it down the back of his jeans, first checking to make sure the finger trigger safety was on.

  "Feel better now? I am on your side, you know."

  "I hope so," Ben said. "We're gonna need it."

  "Maybe, but I won't be using it," Laura said. "I hate guns."

  "I will," Ben said.

  Felix watched them with his arms crossed. Laura grabbed Ben's arm and leaned into him. "I don't want a gun in the cabin," she whispered.

  "Laura, it'll be fine. I want to protect you."

  "I've seen what guns can do."

  Ben took her hand. "I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you, do you understand?"

  "It's not me I'm worried about. It's you. I don't want to lose you."

  "You won't, I promise."

  Laura nodded as a picture flashed before her eyes and she gripped his hand harder. It was of Ben and Felix together.

  "What is it?"

  "I see you and Felix," she said, staring through him. "You're tied to a rock, naked, and Felix is cutting ropes that bind you. Now it's gone. Everything is black…wait, now I see a fire. You're standing over a bed. It's engulfed in flames. You're so young. You don't know what to do. Why are you just standing there?"

  Ben drew in a sharp breath and let go of her hand. "It was a long time ago."

  "What happened to you?" Laura sought questions with her eyes, but he shied away from her and stared at the trees. Felix stood with his hands in his pockets, still staring at them. Burnt orange and tarnished yellow leaves swirled around him in contrast to his black jeans and jacket.

  "Now is not the time." Ben moved toward Felix.

  For the first time since meeting her, she could tell he didn't want to touch her. He was afraid of her seeing inside him. Felix's breadth hung over Laura as he watched her and Ben. He appeared larger than life like some superhero caricature in a cartoon. In a way, he reminded her of the enormous, dark man in her dreams she couldn't see. But she had to believe Felix came here to help them. He gave them a gun. He warned her before to use her powers to save herself. Laura moved closer to Ben, whose thoughts had gone dark on her.

  Felix turned too pace along the pond's edge. His bulk shifted in his taut jeans and jacket that stretched across his massive chest and back. Laura shivered in her coat as a gust of wind sent leaves flying around them. A trace of warmth from the autumn sun graced her skin, and she reached her face to the sky to take it in. She then spoke to the strange man she and Ben were connected to.

  "There was someone on the spaceship, wasn't there?

  Felix nodded. He crossed his arms across his bulging chest and looked fierce standing before them.

  "And he was alive when the spaceship hit, wasn't he?"

  "Yes, but he died before we reached him," Felix said. "We spent a day digging down to reach the entrance door. When we got inside he was dead, along with the other one."

  "I only see one in my dreams and he's alive." Laur
a touched her face. "A strange person with yellow eyes and pod-like fingers. And skin so white it looks luminescent. He's so sad. That's all I know."

  "His name was Feo. He was sent here from Elyon, with a female partner, to continue their race on Earth as their planet was dying. His partner died when the crash occurred."

  "Feo." The name felt strange on her tongue. "No wonder he was sad."

  "Yes, but that's not what's important here. We don't have much time and I have much to explain that you need to know." Felix scanned the woods around them. A mallard and his mate glided across the pond in tranquil motion, unaware the cold winter headed their way to freeze their oasis. More trees spread far beyond the pond with sunlight dappling their half-bare branches deep into the woods.

  "Well, then get to it, will you?" Ben smashed a fist on the picnic table.

  "I can see you're still as hot headed as you were in Hawaii." Felix half-smiled. "It didn't serve you well there."

  "I know I owe you my life, but I feel like the clock is ticking here. I want to know what's going on so we can do something. Laura believes some evil man is chasing her to kill her."

  Felix looked at Laura. "She's right. He is coming."

  "Is he connected to this Feo?" Laura raised her eyebrows in question.

  "Yes."

  "I feel connected to Feo too, somehow." She sat down on the picnic table and rubbed her hands to get warm. Ben went to her and wrapped her hands with his. Felix watched them and moved closer to them.

  "You should," Felix said.

  "Why should I?" Laura squeezed her eyes shut. She wanted to escape his glowing, green eyes for a moment to think. She wanted answers. For someone to tell her who and what she was.

  "Because he was your father."

  Laura looked up at Felix. The depths of what it meant sunk in. It was difficult to wrap her consciousness around it. Yet, in some way she felt enormous relief. It was true.

  "This can't be true," Ben said, pointing a finger at Felix. "How can this be? What evidence do you have some alien life form came here from who knows where and impregnated a human? What kind of game are you playing? And why should we listen to you? You still haven't told us who you really are and why you've been watching us." He glared at Felix who just cocked his head.