The Plant Pt. 05 - Revelation

"Good morning, April," Theresa said. "I hope we're not catching you at a bad time."

"No, not at all. I just finished breakfast. Please, come in," she said. She watched as the naked woman walked into the apartment, followed by a large plant, who she knew to be Theresa's consort, Bernie. She also took note of the dark green circular tattoo just above Theresa's cleavage that she didn't recall seeing before. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, everything is fine, April," Theresa said. "Bernie and I need to talk to you for a bit, though."

"Oh? Well, would you like something to drink? Coffee? Tea?" April asked.

"Tea would be perfect, please," Theresa said. April went into the kitchen, followed by Jake. She noticed Jake was nervous and spoke to him as she made the tea for her guest.

"Are you alright?" April asked.

"I'm... scared," Jake said.

"I'm sure everything will be fine," April said. She finished making the tea and took it back out to Theresa, who was sitting on her couch. "So, what brings you two out so early?"

"April, something has come to our attention and we need to talk to you for a bit," Theresa said as she took her tea.

"What's that?" April asked. "Is there a problem with my work or something?"

"Oh no, your work is just fine. We're very pleased with you so far, and I agree wholeheartedly with your supervisor's assessment of you," Theresa said. "In fact, I think you'll go a long way here. But there's something that I feel we need to discuss. Have you noticed any changes in yourself recently? Specifically, in your mind?"

"My... mind?" April asked.

"Yes," Theresa said. "Bernie tells me he heard you last night. Or to be more precise, heard your mind." April recalled what happened after she took a drag off the joint she rolled last night. "Would you mind telling me what happened? Don't worry, you're not in any trouble."

"Well," April began. At first, she was a bit scared but decided to tell Theresa the truth and let the chips fall where they may. "I'm not quite sure how to explain this. Last night, I rolled a cigarette made with some dried leaves."

"Leaves you collected from Jake?" Theresa asked.

"Yes," April said. "I've only done it about three times over the last several months and I found it enhanced our time together."

"You mean, it enhanced your sex with Jake," Theresa said.

"Yes. I also noticed last night that it gave me visions of things in my mind. Things I can't quite explain. I remember thinking, 'wow,' and it seems Jake heard me in his mind."

"He was not the only one who heard you," Theresa said, looking at Bernie. "What kinds of visions did you have?"

"Strange visions," April said. "I saw a planet populated with beings like Jake. And Bernie. I also saw tiny spores flying at great speeds through space. I don't know what it means and I couldn't make any sense out of it. I'm really sorry. I won't do it again, promise." Theresa smiled as she patted April's arm.

"There's nothing to apologize for," Theresa said. "This IS a research facility, after all. I've just never heard of anyone using the plants' leaves like that before. Tell me about the other times you've used it."

"Well, the first time, it felt like a switch being flipped in my head. And I found myself getting... excited. More excited than ever before," April said.

"You mean, sexually?" Theresa asked.

"Yes," April told her. "The other times, I felt the same, but not quite as intense as the first."

"I see," Theresa said. "Did you add anything to the leaves?"

"No, nothing," April said.

"What gave you the idea to do this?" Theresa asked her.

"Well, I remember smoking a bit of marijuana when I was younger and I just had a wild idea to try it the last time I pruned Jake. So I dried a few leaves and put some aside."

"Interesting," Theresa said. "You say you saw a planet populated with beings like Jake?"

"Yes I did," April said. "What does it mean?" Theresa looked at Bernie for a moment before speaking.

"Perhaps you should explain it to her," she told Bernie. The larger plant moved toward April, extending a branch out to her. April knew he wanted to make contact with her mind to communicate with her, so she let him.

"Please allow me to examine your thoughts, April Jennings," she heard a soothing baritone voice in her head. She nodded her head and let him make contact with her. "Tell me, using only your mind, how you feel about Jake."

"I love him dearly," she thought in response. "I've never loved anyone like him before. He's everything to me."

"I am glad to hear that, April Jennings. How would you feel if you learned he was not of this place, this planet you call Earth?"

"It wouldn't change a thing," she thought in response.

"Good, April Jennings," he said in response. "Because I know he loves you just as much if not more. You see, our kind originates from a planet far away from here. We are of a species known as the Gingravik." She had suspected something like this for some time but had never said anything about it to anyone.

"Gingravik? You mean that's not just the name of the company that owns this facility?" she asked.

"Correct, April Jennings. Does that surprise you?"

"Actually, no, it doesn't," she thought in response. "I've wondered about this for a while and to be honest, what you say makes sense to me as a scientist."

"I can see that," he responded. She felt him move through her mind as he explored her memories. As he did, a memory came to her that she couldn't place. It was a discussion with a somewhat older woman about the plant she found in Fairfield Park when she was still in college -- the plant now known as Jake.

"I see you've met the Facilitator," Bernie said in her mind.

"The... Facilitator?" April asked.

"Yes. The woman you know as Margaret. The shopkeeper. She told you about the Gingravik, but you weren't ready to accept her explanation. So she wiped that memory from your mind," he said. "It was good that she did. Perhaps I can give some context to her explanation."

"Please do," April said.

"Very well. You see, Jake and I are of a species with a superior intellect and a superior libido. The main difference between Jake and I is that he is a hybrid -- the result of a union between a Gingravik female and a human male. I, on the other hand, am fully Gingravik. You see, April, our kind have spent the last 500 of your years observing the human species."

"To what end?" she asked.

"To join in a mutually beneficial partnership."

"You mean a conquest, don't you? You seek to conquer the human race, isn't that right?"

"Some might view it that way, but that is not how we operate," Bernie told her. "We are not a militaristic race. About 55 years ago, the young people of this planet coined the phrase, 'make love, not war.' We truly live by that maxim. If given a choice, we would much rather spend our time copulating with our mates than anything else. Additionally, we are, in your language, a patient species. And we have been patiently working for about 200 of your years to get where we are now."

"So why all the subterfuge?"

"That is easy to explain. Your species is a divided one. And it does not readily accept change. Many things keep your race from coming together. Old hatreds get in the way of progress. You fight wars over words in old books and arbitrary lines on maps. You judge others by the color of their skin while others kill in the name of invisible deities or worse yet, for the sheer fun of it. This is not the Gingravik way. You are advanced in so many areas, but yet you continue to hold to your ancient hatred like a child clutching a toy. Because of that, we were forced to operate in secret."

"We are not all like that," April told him in her mind.

"You are correct, April Jennings," Bernie said. "But unfortunately, far too many of the leaders of your species are. Until they learn and accept the benefits of a mutual partnership with us, we must continue to operate... covertly."

"I take it your species has done this kind of thing before," April said.

"Yes, more than once," Bernie said. "You see, our kind was subjected to a disease many years ago by a race even more militaristic, brutal and sadistic than yours. A hideous species known as the H'tq'uiy. That disease targeted our females and killed many of them. Many more were rendered infertile."

"Oh my God," April said. "What did you do? Did they come back?"

"We put things in place in case they came back. You must remember, until then, the concept of weapons and warfare were totally foreign to us. They never came back, but we learned later they ended up destroying themselves with their own weapons."

"Were you ever able to recover from the disease?"

"Despite our best medical minds, we were unable to fully counter the effects of the disease. Seeing the possible death of our species, Empress Tere launched many spores into space looking for new worlds to settle, and new species for us to partner with.

"The hope was that we could find a species suitable for our needs -- one that was both visually appealing and mature enough to understand our needs. We had limited success and were able to join with some. Through those partnerships, we were able to build the infrastructure of our current empire, but we are not yet out of danger.

"About 500 years ago, we discovered your planet and began watching, patiently waiting for the time when we could approach safely. As time went on, it became clear that your species would never voluntarily unite. So we spent many of your years looking for individuals we believed might be sympathetic to our plight. The woman you know as Margaret was one of them. Once she learned the benefits of a partnership with us, she joined and is now our Facilitator on Earth.

"And Theresa? How does she fit into all of this?"

"Ah, yes. Theresa. I remember the day we first met," Bernie said. In her mind, April saw a picture of a thin, mousy woman wearing horn-rimmed glasses and a long dress that hid her basically shapeless form. "She may not have been much to look at by human standards, but I sensed a beautiful, loving woman under that lonely plain exterior. I was attracted to her from the beginning. She took me home and we ended up together. Believe it or not, she was the first to successfully mate with one of our kind.

"In the space of about three of your years, she gave birth to about 100 hybrids. Because of that and her excellent leadership, she is highly exalted by our kind as Tere, Queen Mother of Earth."

"Queen Mother?" April asked, shocked at the terminology. "Wow." She heard him laugh in her mind.

"Indeed," Bernie said.

"I have so many questions," she thought. "So tell me, who gets what from this partnership?"

"A fair question," Bernie responded. "And one that deserves an answer. You must understand, our quest is one of survival, not conquest. We simply want to continue our existence. In return, we offer your kind freedom. Freedom from war, disease, hunger, poverty -- all the things that have plagued your species throughout your history."

"Disease -- you mean like the covid?"

"Yes."

"Why haven't I been told any of this before?" she asked.

"Because you weren't ready to hear and accept the truth. But your mind has been opened to new possibilities."

"This is all so... overwhelming," April said in her mind. "I have so many questions, but I don't know where to begin."

"That is understandable. Perhaps you should think about what you have learned so far. Don't worry. All of your questions will be answered in due course," he said in her mind.

"Are you going to tell Jake about his heritage?"

"If you would like me to, yes," he said.

"Please do. He deserves to know the truth," she told him.

"You are a good person, April. Jake is lucky to have you as a mate. I can tell you love him a great deal. I would be happy to teach Jake about his heritage. In the meantime, consider what I have told you. When you are ready to learn more, we will talk again."

"Thank you," she said before he left her mind. She rubbed her head and looked at Theresa before speaking. In the meantime, Bernie wheeled himself to Jake and the two plants had intertwined some of their branches.

"How are you feeling?" Theresa asked.

"Overwhelmed," she said. "So, you're the Queen Mother of Earth?" Theresa smiled before answering.

"Yes, I am," she said quietly. "Many of the hybrid beings here are of my offspring. Believe it or not, I am technically a great-grandmother many times over."

"You look pretty good for a great-grandmother," April said with a sly smile. "Are you and Bernie, uh, an official couple?"

"You mean, are we married?" Theresa asked to clarify. "Yes, we were officially united in the Gingravik way and our union is recorded in the Hall of Records on the homeworld. Technically, he is my husband, united until death. He has literally made me the woman I am today."

"But you're not wearing a ring," April said. Theresa smiled and brought her hand to the tattoo above her breasts.

"No, Gingravik marriages don't include rings. But I do have this," she said. April looked at the tattoo and saw it had a strange symbol in the middle of the dark green circle. "The symbol indicates Bernie's lineage, and it includes a sample of his DNA. He has one as well, at the base of his main trunk that includes my DNA and a symbol of my family lineage. In this way, he is literally part of me. And I of him."

"But what happens if you split up or get divorced?" April asked.

"The Gingravik know nothing of divorce. When they mate, it's for life. And before you ask, the mark never goes away and can't be removed."

"Bernie showed me an old image of you in my mind," April said, changing the subject. "You've really become a very beautiful woman."

"Thank you."

"You've changed a lot since you met Bernie," April said.

"Yes, I have. In more ways than one. When I first met Bernie, I was nothing like I am now. I was not very attractive, to say the least. I didn't even have what you would call a 'figure.' When I was younger, everyone teased me and call me 'Olive Oyl' after the old cartoon character. No one ever even bothered to ask me out on a date. My mother once told me I needed to develop my brain since I didn't have much of a body. I grew up alone, unwanted and unloved. I hated myself. Nothing I did seemed to make any difference."

"Your parents loved you, didn't they?"

"Oh sure, in their own way, but it wasn't the same," Theresa said. "The only romance I ever experienced was in the pages of the books I used to read. I would've given anything to be like one of the women in those stories. Then Bernie came along."

"What was it like for you that first time with him?" April asked. Theresa smiled as she thought back to those days in her old apartment.

"Well, it was a bit scary the first time, but wildly exciting," she said. "By then, he had been with me for a few months and I had... experimented a bit. I had also used some of the dew from his leaves. You know what that stuff does." April chuckled at that.

"Oh yes," she said, thinking about the way Jake's dew makes her feel, especially when she lets him use it to shred her clothing.

"By then, I found myself craving what he had to offer. So I stood over him, naked, as he came into me from below. God, that was so... exciting. The first orgasm he gave me nearly knocked me on the floor. By the time it was over, I was little more than a quivering pile of flesh. I could barely stand. I couldn't believe I had actually taken all twelve of his cocks. Of course, I was hooked by then," she said.

"I can relate to that," April said. Theresa chuckled at that. "So, do I call you 'Your Majesty' or something?"

"Good heavens, no," Theresa said. "Most here call me 'My Queen' or 'My Queen Mother,' but you can simply call me Theresa."

"Alright," April said in response.

"I hope you haven't been scared away by what Bernie told you," Theresa said after a few moments. "You're a tremendous asset to our effort here and I'd hate to lose you."

"Thank you for saying so. No, I haven't been scared off," April told her. "In fact, as strange as it sounds, what he said actually makes sense to me. From a scientific perspective, that is. I've seen things in my research that simply can't be explained any other way. If anything, I'm even more curious about these beings."

"I'm glad to hear you say that," Theresa said. "I also find it interesting to hear you refer to them as 'beings' and not 'plants,' or 'subjects.'"

"Being with Jake has shown me these are not mere plants," April said. "I'm a trained botanist. I've never seen anything like him."

"Good point," Theresa said.

"But I do have questions. A lot of them. And each question raises even more questions."

"We'll do our level best to answer them for you," Theresa said. "In the meantime, I hope this doesn't dissuade you from working with us."

"No," April said. "I really like working here. Plus, knowing what I do now will actually make my work a bit easier."

"I'm glad to hear you say that," Theresa told her. She knew the alternative would not be something she would enjoy, since she truly liked April and was directly responsible for recruiting her. But operational security is a prime concern, she thought to herself. Then she had an idea. "By the way, do you still have some of Jake's dried leaves left over?"

"Yes, I have a couple bags left," April said.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to use some of it tomorrow. We're having an exhibition for the Council at the pool in the inner compound tomorrow afternoon. It's being cast throughout the facility."

"That sounds interesting," April said. "What time?"

"About 2:30," Theresa said. "I want to see what this does to the women who will be participating."

"I see," April said as she went into the kitchen. She retrieved a plastic bag and handed it to Theresa. "Do you need papers?"

"No, we've got those already," Theresa told her. "And you say there's nothing else in this, correct?"

"No, nothing," April said.

"Good," Theresa said. By then, Bernie and Jake had broken apart, having completed their discussion. They wheeled themselves toward the two women.

"I have learned so much, my queen," Jake said as he placed a branch on April's head. "Bernie has told me so many things."

"Jake has learned much, but he has a lot more to learn, April," she heard Bernie say in her mind. "I would like to spend some time each week with him if that is okay with you."

"It's more than okay," April said. "Jake deserves to learn as much as he can about his heritage."

"Thank you so much, my queen," Jake said.

"April, please feel free to... continue experimenting with this substance," Theresa said, holding the bag of dried leaves. "I want you to learn as much as you can about it. Perhaps I will have you research this a bit deeper. I will be in touch."

"Okay," April said as she nodded her head in acknowledgment. With that, Theresa and the large plant left the apartment. After they left, April sat down next to Jake and thought about what just happened. Jake wrapped a branch around her head.

"Are you alright, my queen?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. "I'm just... surprised. And a bit overwhelmed."

"Does it bother you that I'm from another planet?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Not at all, Jake. In fact, it doesn't surprise me at all," she told him, using her mind.

"Bernie said humans would be frightened to learn there are other intelligent species in the universe."

"Humans are often afraid of what they don't understand or can't control," she said.

"Do you want to control me?" he asked her.

"Of course not. I love you too much for that."

"Are you afraid of me now that you know the truth?" he asked in a voice that reminded her of a little child.