The White Room Revisited

FORWARD:

The following is a sequel to my story The White Room.

It would be helpful if you've read that first.

ALL CHARACTERS ARE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER.

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"Strangers passing in the street,
By chance two separate glances meet,
And I am you and what I see is me.
And do I take you by the hand?
And lead you through the land?
And help me understand the best I can...?"
Pink Floyd, "Echoes"

PROLOGUE:

"Daddy?"

"Yes, sweetheart? What's wrong?"

"I had a dream."

"You had a bad dream, sweetie?"

"Not a BAD dream, Mommy. Just... a dream."

"Here, sit down. Tell us about it."

"I dreamed I was in a weird place. Everything was all white."

"All... WHITE, you said?"

"Yes. And I was naked. And there was a voice, talking to me, but nobody was there."

"What did the voice say to you, baby? Try to remember everything."

"It told me not to be a-scared. That they weren't going to hurt me. That they were just giving me an... imhaminasayshin?"

"Imham... you mean examination?"

"Yes! An eshaminayshin."

"What else, sweetie? What else do you remember?"

"They shined a light on me. A blue light. It made me feel happy. And sleepy."

"And then?"

"And then they said I was doing good, but I wasn't ready yet."

"Wasn't... ready..."

"Yes. Then they told me to go to sleep, so I did. And then I woke up in my bed again."

"Think, hunny. Think really hard. Did they say anything else? Anything at all?"

"They said... they asked if you and mommy were taking good care of me. I said yes. Then they said to tell you 'hello.' And..."

"And... what?"

"And that they would see us again soon."

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"Happy birthday, Adora!"

As she blew out the candles on her cake, Adora took a moment to reflect back on her life, and how grateful she was for it.

She didn't make a wish. At twenty-one, she felt a little old for that kind of thing. And besides, what would she wish for? She already had everything she wanted right here.

Adora hadn't seen her parents since Christmas, having spent Spring Break traveling abroad with friends.

Now she was back in her childhood home to spend the summer with them. Unlike many of her friends, who hated having to go home for the summer, Adora cherished it. She loved her parents, and had missed them deeply.

"So, how's your classes going?" her father asked. "Find the cure for cancer yet?

"No," Adora laughed. "But I'm working on it."

Adora was what many would consider a prodigy. At age three, she was already reading; by age four, she was writing her own stories.

She was always a curious child, constantly asking questions, wanting to know how everything worked. Her parents would often find her in her room, taking apart her toys and, later, things like her computer, to study how they functioned. She never failed to put them back together properly after.

By the time she'd graduated, Adora had her choice of colleges to attend. She chose John Hopkins for its biomedical engineering courses. Because by then, her biggest curiosity had become how the human body worked. More specifically, why it aged, broke down, got sick.

Not that Adora had ever dealt with that. She couldn't recall one day where she'd ever had so much as the sniffles. Even during flu season the previous winter, when all three of her roommates were bogged down with it, she had felt perfectly fine.

Adora had never thought much about it during her youth. She'd always just assumed she'd inherited her strong immune system from her parents, who never seemed to get sick, either.

They also never seemed to age. At sixty-four, her father didn't look a day over thirty. No gray tinged his hair, nor any bald spots. No middle aged paunch around his waist, no arthritis, no back or vision issues.

Her mother, now forty-three, still had the fresh faced beauty of a woman in her twenties. And the body to match.

They'd always been physically active, of course, and had introduced Adora to regular exercise as soon she was old enough to walk.

Adora was no slouch physically herself, having inherited her mother's slender yet curvy frame, along with her father's blonde locks and hazel eyes.

She'd chalked up her natural beauty and great build to the healthy lifestyle her parents had taught her, along with good genetics.

Sitting across from them now as they sipped their coffee to wash down the exquisite cream cheese frosted red velvet cake they'd gotten her, she wondered, not for the first time, how they had managed to stay so young looking while everyone else's parents she knew had aged considerably over time.

"We got you a present," her mother smiled, pulling a large box from beneath the table." Opening it, she found the complete set of medical textbooks she needed for next semester, and a summer season pass to the art museum.

"Thanks, Mom, Dad," she said, hugging each of them in turn.

They spent the rest of the evening together catching up, before finally deciding to retire for the night.

They made plans to spend the next day at the beach. Adora was glad for it. While she'd visited some lovely beaches overseas, she missed the California sunshine.

She'd also missed her bedroom. It felt smaller than she remembered, but there were many comforting memories here.

Stripping off her clothes, Adora climbed into bed.

Just as she began to doze, a strange humming noise reverberated throughout the room.

Adora sat up just in time to catch a bright flash of light right outside her window.

Then the world went black.

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Nick sat up from the platform with a start, every nerve alive, his senses on full alert.

It only took a second for his eyes to adjust to the brightness. And only a moment longer for him to register where he was.

"Holy shit. I'm back."

He quickly spotted his wife, Chloe, on a platform across from him. She was already sitting up, her eyes wide with surprise.

Turning as one, they found their daughter, on her own platform, still sleeping. She was, as they were, completely naked.

"Nick?" Chloe's voice trembled with tension. But she showed no panic, only questioning and concern.

They stood as one and made their way over to their daughter, now just beginning to stir.

"Mom? Dad?" Adora asked in a still sleepy haze, "Am... am I dreaming again?"

"No dear," Chloe answered softly, taking her hand, "this is no dream."

"Where... where are we? And... why are we naked?" Adora wasn't upset or embarrassed at the sight of her parents' nudity, or in finding herself nude as well. They had raised her to be comfortable in her own skin, and not to see nudity as shameful or sinful.

But she certainly hadn't expected to wake up to find them naked here with her in a place she'd only seen before in her dreams.

"I suppose we have a lot to talk about," sighed Nick.

Adora sat in rapt attention as her parents told the story of the alien abduction that had brought them together, and the experiments that had led to her conception right here in this very place. It sounded like some fantasy, like the sci-fi stories she used to read as a kid. But as they concluded their tale, she instinctively knew every word of it was true.

"Well," said Adora after a long, thoughtful pause, "that certainly explains a lot."

"What do you mean?" Chloe asked.

"Well, for starters, it would explain why you two never seem to age, or get sick. Why I don't get sick either. And," she finished with a wry grin, "why you like to visit nudist resorts so much."

"You seem to be handling this pretty well," Nick noted. "Much better than your mother and I when we were first brought here."

"I... I know this place," said Adora. "I've dreamed of it. Several times. When I was little."

"We remember," Nick nodded, "and we don't think those were dreams. We think they were just... checking up on you."

"And you didn't tell me?"

"We didn't want to worry you," said Chloe. "You were a child. You thought they were dreams. We didn't see any reason to convince you otherwise."

"Plus, it hasn't happened in years, at least that you've told us about," said Nick. "We thought maybe they'd just, I dunno, gone away, forgot about us."

Adora stood, tentatively taking her first steps in this strange yet familiar environment. "So why are we here? Now? Why did they bring us back?"

Before either of her parents could postulate an answer, all three were enveloped in soft, blue lights.

"Relax," Chloe instructed her daughter as the beams slowly separated them across the White Room. "Don't fight it. They won't hurt us."

"I know, Mom. I've done this before, remember?"

The beams scanned them for several minutes, flickering through various colors. Their ears hummed and tickled with each vibration shift.

From nowhere, a voice all three were familiar with spoke. "Scan complete. Lifeforms still operating within acceptable parameters, but suffer from minor environmental contamination. Decontamination process commencing."

Nick felt the familiar tingling sensation begin deep inside his body. "Hold on, Adora," he called out, "this may feel... strange."

The three of them floated on invisible strings as the cleansing process ran through them, small clouds of dark particles emanating from their pores to transform into glowing gold specks as they floated upwards into nothingness.

Then the lights went red.

"No!" Nick cried, "Stop! NOW!"

"Why?" The Voice asked. "Previous research has found this experience causes pleasure in lifeforms. Do you no longer find such stimulation enjoyable?"

"This is NOT the time," snapped Nick, fighting his already rising erection. "Release us! Please!"

"As you wish."

The lights went back to blue only long enough to safely lower them back to their platforms before they blinked off.

"Dad?" What was THAT?" Adora asked, the crimson flush on her face and chest slowly fading.

Nick leaned forward, trying to surreptitiously hide his arousal while deciding how to answer. Chloe noticed it with both amusement and concern.

"Nothing," Nick finally answered. "At least nothing you need to worry about at the moment."

"Hey," he continued, looking upward, addressing their abductors, "Not that it's not nice to see you guys again and all, but you wanna tell us what the hell is going on? Why are we here?"

Nick didn't actually expect an answer. But he got one.

"We have returned you to follow up on the results of our experiment. And to offer a proposition."

"A proposition?" Chloe asked. "What do you want from us, and our daughter?"

"She is ready. We wish to conjoin," the Voice answered.

"Conjoin?" Nick echoed softly. "No. No way. You don't mean..."

"You are confused," the Voice responded. "It is understandable. It will be easier to show you."

Without warning, a beam of brilliant white light enveloped Adora. Again her body was lifted from the platform.

Jumping up, Chloe rushed towards her. "No! Don't you..." She froze in place mid-sentence, a blue light trapping her, distancing her from her daughter.

Nick moved to intercept but was caught in his own light, now incapable of anything but watching. "Don't you hurt her," he threatened through clenched teeth.

"Do not despair," said the Voice, its normally static tone now almost soothing. "This lifeform is precious to us. It will not be harmed."

Chloe and Nick watched helplessly as Adora was moved to the center of the room. "It's okay," came her awestruck voice, "they're not hurting me. In fact, I feel..."

The rest was cut off as the beam intensified, both in brightness and frequency.

Descending from above, thousands of tiny white specks rained down over Adora, swirling around her like glowing snowflakes.

After several moments, one of the flakes separated itself from the pack, landing on her forehead.

Adora's eyes closed. Her head fell back as the tiny speck slowly absorbed into her and disappeared.

The rest of the swirling cloud ascended, fading from view as the beam lowered Adora back to her platform and blinked off.

Now freed as well, her parents again rushed to her side. "Adora? Are you okay? Wake up hunny," Chloe pleaded, desperately holding back her tears.

Ador stirred. Wrapping her in his arms, Nick carefully guided her up. Her body trembled in his grasp. "Easy, sweetheart," he coaxed, "Just go slow. Take a deep breath. You're gonna be just fine." He hoped he sounded more confident than he felt.

Hesitantly, Adora opened her eyes. Her normally soft hazel irises now sparkled with tiny white diamonds floating behind them.

They were wide with wonder as she looked first at her father, then her mother.

When she finally spoke, her voice rang with a familiar echo.

"So this is what it feels like."

Gagging, Adora lurched forward and vomited.

-------------------------------------------

"You gave me life,
Now, show me how to live."
Audioslave.

"Feeling better?" Chloe brushed back her daughter's hair from her face as she sat comforting her.

"Yes," said Adora. "After suffering regurgitation due to initial reaction to conjoining, lifeform has resumed normal biological functions."

"Good," snapped Nick, whirling from where'd he'd been pacing the floor, "So now you can tell me: What the hell have you done to our daughter?"

Adora looked up at him, her face expressionless. "We have conjoined."

Chloe gasped, finally understanding.

"Get the hell out of her. Now!" Nick barked.

"We are not hurting lifeform," the being now inside Adora spoke. "Conjoining is temporary. Lifeform is very precious to us. We will bring no harm to it, we assure you."

"SHE is not an IT," Nick seethed. "She's a human being, a unique individual, and her name is Adora. Please use it!"

"Yes, of course. Our apologies. Adora. From your Latin. Loosely translated 'Beloved Gift.' Quite fitting."

"Yes, we know that," Chloe snipped, "Now give us back our daughter!"

"Mom? Dad? Don't worry, I'm here. I'm okay." The echo was gone from Adora's voice. "I can still see, still hear everything. It's... it's... I can't describe it. It's incredible!"

Chloe burst into tears of relief.

"I'm glad you're okay, sweetheart," said Nick softly. "But they can't stay inside you. They have no right."

"We have every right!" the Being cried. "We are just as responsible for the creation of lifefor... of Adora, as you are!"

"That doesn't give you the right to just waltz in and steal her body!" Nick yelled. "Now get out, or so help me, I'll..."

Nick hadn't realized he'd raised his fist until he felt Chloe's hand on his arm. "What are you going to do, Nick?" she asked calmly, "Beat it out of her?"

Nick dropped his head in shame. "No, of course not. I'm sorry. I just feel so..."

"Helpless?" Chloe finished. "I know, my love. Me, too. But losing our heads won't solve this. There's got to be a better way."

"Dad?" Adora was in control again. "Don't be angry, please. I'm okay, I promise. But, they... they need me."

Nick knelt before her, taking her hand. "Need you?" He was calmer now, steadier for hearing her true voice. "Why?"

"I... I think they're sick, Dad. I think they're... dying. And I want to help them."

"Dying?" Chloe said, her face sympathetic. "How... how can you help?"

"If you allow us, we can explain," answered the Being.

Chloe and Nick sat to each side of their daughter, holding her close as the alien intelligence inside her began its tale.

"Eons ago, we were much like you. Carbon based lifeforms, living on a planet very similar to yours.

"Over time, we evolved. We shed our physical forms to become beings of pure energy.

"This solved many problems. There were no more wars. No more things to fight and hurt each other over. No more famine. No more illness or suffering or death.

"But as the millenia wore on, we forgot ourselves. Our individuality. Our uniqueness. We became a collective mind, a hive.

"While we had knowledge, we had no purpose, no reason for being. We succumbed to ennui. We atrophied. We began to die off from the lack of will to exist.

"Those who remained decided we must find a new way. Our knowledge had become too vast, too valuable to the universe, to simply go extinct.

"And so it was decided we should create new lifeforms, new bodies which we could then inhabit, and use them to rediscover ourselves and our purpose for being.

"We first attempted to create our own lifeforms. We were... unsuccessful.

"We then decided to find existing lifeforms that might suit our purposes. Something we could use as a model, a template to work from.

"We scoured the universe, looking for compatible lifeforms. After a long search, we found them."

"Earth," Chloe gasped. "You found Earth. Us."

"Yes," said the Being, "We discovered your world, your species."

"But it was not an easy task. Your species was primitive, underdeveloped. Time was needed for you to grow, evolve. Time, and, on rare occasions, a little guidance in the proper direction."

"So you were responsible for the evolution of the human race?" Nick asked with astonishment.

"No. And yes. But only nominally. A tweak in development here. A minor correction of flaw there. But we could not solve every problem. We are many things, but we are not what you would call 'Gods.'

"And so we waited, bided our endless time, and allowed nature to run its course. Until we thought you were ready.

"Our first attempts at conjoining were unsuccessful. Both minds and bodies were too fragile. Further development was needed.

"And so new experiments were conducted. Samples taken, studied, endlessly analyzed. We began collecting lifeforms, altering their genetic structure in much the same way we did yours.

"The most complex problem was getting those with the proper genetic structures to breed. We would release a genetically enhanced being back into their environment, only for them to breed with a genetically deficient partner. Or worse, not procreate at all.

"It was then that we decided to start matching two genetically compatible lifeforms together ourselves, in hopes we could convince them to procreate, to bring about a genetically superior offspring."

"And that's when you chose us," Chloe said in wonder.

"Oh, no," the Being laughed, the surprise of such a foreign reaction registering momentarily on Adora's face. "You were not the first. Nor the last. Only the most successful. So far, at least. There are others that look... promising."

"Many test subjects would not willingly engage in the coitus needed to procreate. Others were... too willing, forcing themselves on the unwilling subject they were paired with. The results of those experiments were... discouraging. We regret them, and no longer allow that to occur."

"Did... did you force us to fall in love? So that we would willingly create a child?" Nick asked, horrified.

"Certainly not! We altered some brain patterns, allowing you both to proceed through the experiment without the shame your species has rather absurdly created around the concepts of sex and nudity. We also made adjustments so that you would experience less fear during the proceedings. We opened your minds so that you could see your true nature more clearly. And of course we stimulated both mind and body to increase sexual desire.

"But force you to experience the emotion you call 'love?' No. That we cannot do. Love, we have found, must be freely given, received, and returned. It can never be truly forced."