Walking an Endless Path Pt. 02

A brilliant agent who just didn't understand the politics involved.

A beautiful, intense, keenly intelligent agent whose smile—"Whoa, take a step back, Bannon," he thought. "Dangerous waters there. Keep it professional."

His fingers automatically sought out his wedding band and spun it around a few times. It was a nervous habit of his. Truthfully, it was the only reason he still wore the ring during the past five years. It gave him an outlet for nervous energy, and sometimes, it gave him comfort.

He heard a knock on his door. "Come in," he called out.

The door opened, and Agent White was standing in the doorway. She gave him another of those rare smiles, and he felt that momentary flutter in his chest as he was struck by the transformation it had on her, from coolly efficient to radiant beauty in a flash. He clamped down on that line of thought. "Yes, Agent White, what have you found?"

"I contacted the Glennville Police Department and had them recheck their records on the birth parents of Joseph Neumann. There had been a misfiling, and the clerk sent me the documentation. His birth mother was Jennifer Brown, age seventeen, from New York City. Father was Richard Franklin, age eighteen. Franklin was an orphan, but Brown had a mother living in New York. There has been no sign of Richard Franklin or Jennifer Brown since that day. Brown's mother died of a heroin overdose a few weeks after signing away her legal guardian rights to the Neumanns. With no other living relatives and no sign of the birth parents, their lawyers turned heaven and hell over to expedite the adoption. A five-year process took only two for the Neumanns. That takes a lot of clout."

Bannon considered this a moment. "Did the Neumanns have any children before the adoption?"

Rachel froze for a second, her mind changing gears as Bannon's question took her in a direction she hadn't remotely considered. "No, sir."

"If they had tried and been unsuccessful, that might also explain their impatience. Which law firm do they use?" he asked.

"Waechter, Bergström, and Volkov out of New York City," she read.

"Can you get me a little background on them?" Bannon asked.

"Yes, sir," she said, turning to leave.

"And Rachel?"

"Yes?"

"Excellent work," he said with a smile for her.

She returned the smile and closed his door.

Bannon spun his ring.

Chapter 10

Joe came awake with the sound of the doorbell. For a second, he didn't know where he was, and for some reason, he thought he should run and hide. He was on his feet before his surroundings came into focus, and he recalled where he was. Now that the adrenalin was flowing, he walked over to the kitchen. Doug was buzzing someone in.

"Your parents and lawyers have arrived," he said when he hung up. Amy was sitting at the kitchen table. She gave him a smile, which he returned.

"That must have been quite a workout! You two have been flaked out all da—" Amy started, then realized what might have occurred to lead them to this state. Her face went crimson in a flash.

Joe turned to Doug, who was looking a little unsettled, too. They both needed to change the direction of that conversation. "Yes, that home gym is awesome! I've only ever used free weights, but there are just so many options on that one machine. I want to get one for home. Do they make them with a double-weight stack?"

"There's two hundred and fifty pounds on that machine. Why would you need double that?" Doug asked, puzzled.

"Well, that weight was good, but I didn't really get a full burn going," Joe answered.

Doug stared at Joe, unable to think of a response. Then the doorbell chimed. "Damn, I should have woken Melissa up earlier."

"I'd let her sleep," Joe offered Doug with a suspiciously innocent expression.

He glanced at Joe, then walked over to his front door.

Opening it, he saw a handsome man standing beside a beautiful, petite blond woman who had to be Amy's mother. "You must be Karl and Clara? Welcome," Doug greeted his guests and welcomed them in. He turned to the next couple waiting to enter.

"Hello, I'm Christof Waechter, and may I introduce my colleague Selina Bergström." Doug smiled and shook their hands. He noted the extremely well-tailored outfits and fit bodies of these lawyers, but mostly, he was taken with the keen intellect visible behind Selina's beautiful eyes. "Doug Wilson, pleased to meet you," he whispered. Christof's eyes twinkled as he smiled at his partner.

Doug snapped out of his daze. "I'm sorry, my sister would be here to greet you as well, but she's rather exhausted from working out this afternoon with Joe—I mean, they were in the home gym. They used the home gym—" Clara placed her hand on Doug's arm with a smile to stop the train wreck from continuing. "It's fine. We can say hello later."

Joe and Amy were standing in the hallway with worried expressions. "Mom, Dad, we hadn't expected to see you so soon." Joe started. "I'm so sorry I caused you this much trouble." Amy took his arm and leaned her head against his bicep.

Clara turned to Doug and asked. "I'm so sorry to impose on you like this, but would we be able to speak to our children privately?"

"Certainly, please use my office. There are chairs and a couch in there. It's just through that door over there." He pointed out the doorway for them on the other side of the living room.

"Thank you so much. So sorry to be so rude when we've just arrived at your home." Karl apologized.

"Not at all. I understand family business comes first. Would you care for any refreshments? Water?" he asked.

"Water would be perfect. Thanks!" Karl responded.

Joe and Amy walked across the living room and entered Doug's office. They sat on the couch. Karl and Clara turned around the two chairs in front of Doug's desk to face the sofa. Doug walked in with four bottles of chilled water and put them on the coffee table between the family members.

"If you need anything, please let me know," Doug said. He left to rejoin his other guests, who were now sitting in the living room.

When the door closed, Joe leaned forward. "Have I done something wrong? I'm getting really nervous." He glanced over at Amy, and she also wore a worried expression.

"No, Joe, you haven't done anything wrong. Your mother and I have something we need to tell you. It affects the whole family, so Amy needs to be here too. Saves us the time of explaining it multiple times."

Karl took a deep breath and ran his hands through his short hair.

"Joe, do you remember when Clara and I sat you down to tell you that you were adopted?" he asked.

"Yes. Is that what this is about?"

"Hang on, please. I will explain the whole thing in a moment. I told you we found you in the cornfield, brought you home, and adopted you."

"Yes."

"What I didn't tell you... what we didn't tell you is that the night we found you, it was Sheriff Monroe and I investigating what we thought was some kids throwing a party or maybe an illegal drug operation in the backfield. Instead, we stumbled into something we weren't expecting. Your birth parents were there."

Joe froze, eyes fixed on his father.

"There were three others there as well. But they weren't... human. Before the Sheriff or I could do anything, they killed your parents right before us. They put these small black creatures on their chests. I think they might have been trying to get them to merge, but instead, they burst into flames and just burned up. Turned to ash. I'm so sorry. We tried but had no way to stop it. Then I saw them preparing to do the same to you. I shot the alien and the black creature, injured both badly. But the creature dropped onto your chest... and merged."

Joe was shaking. He looked down at his chest, but his mind was racing. What his father was talking about made no sense. It sounded like gibberish in his ears, but strangely, part of him accepted the information like it was something he'd been expecting. A missing answer to explain his life. He turned his attention back to his Dad, who was still talking.

"The aliens fled, and I ran to you to pick you up. I thought you'd burst into flames like your parents did, but you didn't. Then I took you home."

"Couldn't you take it out?" Joe whispered, pain in his voice.

"Doc Watson ran tests the next day and found no evidence of the creature. We just don't have the technology to deal with that. You were malnourished and very weak when I found you. Maybe only a few days old and terribly frail. It was a miracle you'd survived that far. Then, it was just a matter of keeping you alive as your weakened body had to deal with one crisis after another. We told you about your illnesses and how you pulled through each one. It's my belief that each of these events signaled a step in the integration of the symbiote within you. That's what I believe it is."

"Symbiote? I'm... I'm not human?" Joe whispered, his voice cracking. He'd unconsciously risen to his feet.

"Joe, listen closely. You are human! You were born human, and you think and act as humans do. The most fundamental trait of humanity is how we relate to the world around us through our thoughts and acts. How we interact with others. You are one hundred percent human in that respect. And you look human! Actually, you look like an idealized human. What we could be at our best. I'm guessing, but I believe that may be due to the creature you merged with. It augmented you physically, but we've seen no signs that your mind has been affected in any way."

Joe sat down with a thump, his legs giving out in his daze. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Your mother and I wanted you to have a normal life. To raise you as our son, to give you love and support, and watch you grow. You are our son! We do love you! Parents do what they think is best to protect their children. You can't disclose a secret that you aren't aware of. I'm sorry if that led to any confusion or pain as you grew up. We tried to be there when you had questions. Tried to guide you through things that were different for you."

"Different!?! God! I didn't talk with you about sex. What kid feels comfortable talking with his parents about that? And mine is seriously not normal." He glanced over at Amy, embarrassed. "I meant my sex life."

She snorted loudly in amusement.

And suddenly, he felt a little better. If his sister could laugh at a time like this...

Did she even consider him to be her brother anymore? Now that she knew he was at least part... something else? What was he?

He looked at her and saw the compassion in her eyes. There was no judgment. No fear. She accepted him. That simple.

It was too much for him. The emotions overwhelmed him, and he burst into tears. He wasn't even sure why he was crying. Was he sad for losing his innocent ignorance? Was it anger or pent-up frustration for his parents keeping this from him for so long? Or maybe it was just relief, for he now knew there was a reason for his differences. He dropped his head in his hands and bawled like an infant. Instantly, Amy was leaning against his right side, her cheek on his shoulder and her arm around his back. His mother swooped in on the other side and kissed his left shoulder while rubbing his back as well. He felt his father's hand on his head. Offering him strength. His family. The people who loved him and accepted him. Whatever he was.

Once the tears stopped, and it took a while, Karl sat back in his chair. "Now we have the matter of the NSA. I'm sorry I didn't think you might have trouble going through airport security. One of the aspects of your body appears to be resistance to scanning technology. Doc Watson burnt out many a piece of expensive medical equipment on you. The issue with the Taser is probably an offshoot of that. These anomalies probably lit up the NSA's alert board like a Christmas tree. That's why Christof and Selina are here. I had to tell them as they will be representing you in probably the most important case of your life. They asked me, so I have to ask you, are you willing to keep this secret for as long as necessary?"

Joe looked at his father like he'd just grown horns. He rubbed the last of the tears from his eyes with trembling hands. "The alternative is to tell the world I'm some kind of alien monster? I'll keep the secret, please."

Clara got angry. "Joseph! You are not a monster! You're a special man, human, but more! We don't know what the purpose of that creature was, but we have watched you grow from a sickly infant into a beautiful grown man whose mind and soul are equally beautiful! While I don't know where it came from, I bless the gifts it has given you."

Joe was conflicted. On the one hand, he'd love to believe, as his Mom did, that the symbiote was all beneficial and benevolent, but he hadn't volunteered to be a recipient, and they knew nothing about it.

"I need to know what I am," he said quietly. When his mother went to speak, he raised his finger like he's seen his father do to indicate he wasn't finished. "I will concede that I'm not a monster. I haven't had any abnormal urges to roam the countryside, wreaking mayhem and murder. I think I'm pretty normal based on my behavior, my hopes and desires. Dad, I also get what you said about what it means to be human. But I am different. I can't deny that. Sex is a big part of being human, beginning with a kiss. That's where I've struggled the most. As uncomfortable as it is to talk about this with family, I think you should know."

"I've talked with Amy about the issues I have when I kiss girls, and you two have met Rebecca and Taylor often enough at breakfast to get an inkling that something is different when I go on dates with them. I've been honest with you. I haven't had sex with either of them. I did have sex with Rene. She's the one who's helped me by listening to my fears and providing good advice, but I still don't have all the answers. She did help me identify that the issues I've had with kissing seems to be due to something anatomically different with my tongue. It's like a cattle prod for the nervous system. Thankfully, it only seems to affect the nerves for pleasure. It overloads that part of the brain, and my partners pass out if I'm not careful about reining it in... not that I have total control over that. That's why Melissa wasn't available tonight. She's still asleep, and I'm not sure when she'll be awake."

Amy blushed as her earlier comment was confirmed. A shot of jealousy tore through her, and she pushed it down.

"When the marking showed up on my tongue, I thought they may be a physical clue for the difference, but I'm not sure." he sighed.

"Can I see them?" Clara asked.

Joe carefully stuck his tongue out, and Clara's eyebrows went up. "It looks like a tattoo! Only really finely done."

Facing away from Amy, he didn't see her reach out until her finger and thumb pinched the tip of his tongue, touching the ends of both lines.

Joe's eyes rolled up, and he gasped, choking due to his protruding tongue.

Amy moaned, her muscles spasmed and locked as her eyes rolled back in her head.

Joe knocked Amy's hand away and pulled his tongue back into his mouth. "NO! Dammit, Amy!" His horror and anger turned to concern as she began to slide off the couch. Karl was instantly on his feet and helped Joe scoop her up and lay her on the sofa. She looked so peaceful, but Joe looked destroyed. Clara stood at the foot of the couch with a sad look.

"What the hell did she do that for?" Joe cried, his eyes welling with fresh tears.

Clara stepped forward and took Joe's chin in her small hand. When she was sure she had his undivided attention, she spoke. "Because she's a spirited, willful, mischievous, and very curious young woman who lives with a man who, if he wasn't her brother, she would say was her ideal mate. She's aware of your dates with Rebecca and Taylor, and that curiosity has been burning in her for years. Please forgive her for this one moment of weakness. It changes nothing."

"I-I felt that too! I felt... what she felt!" Joe blurted, shaken to his core.

"It changes nothing, Joseph. She loves you. Always has and always will. But it's a sister's love for her older brother. We had that talk the morning after she got an eyeful of you in the sunroom."

Joe blushed, then sank down to the floor to sit cross-legged beside his sleeping sister. He felt like he'd broken something irreplaceable, and no punishment could compensate for it. He rested his head on the couch beside his sister and quietly sat there.

Clara looked at Karl and motioned to the door. He nodded. "Joseph, we're going to talk with the lawyers. Let us know when Amy wakes up," she said and ran her hand affectionately through his hair.

"We love you, son," Karl added just before they stepped from the room.

As they entered the living room, they saw the three lawyers had been joined by a lovely red-haired woman. Everyone stood, though Clara saw the woman wince and move awkwardly as she joined her brother to meet them. Doug introduced his sister Melissa, who apologized for not greeting them when they arrived. She still seemed a little dazed.

"Has everyone eaten?" Doug asked. Melissa rolled her eyes, but their guests indicated that they hadn't. "Any allergies or requirements I should know about?" he asked. When no one volunteered, he smiled. "I could whip up a quick pasta dish with a savory meat sauce and warm garlic bread if anyone is interested." When he saw smiles all around, he indicated he'd just need fifteen minutes to cook the noodles, and he trotted off to the kitchen.

"I have to warn you. If you tell him you love his cooking, and you will, you may not get to leave," Melissa said with a smirk.

"I heard that!" Doug's voice called out from the kitchen.

They chuckled and retook their seats in the living room.

Clara turned to Melissa and asked, "Joe and Amy have yet to tell us how you met them."

"Oh! Yes, well, I was a flight attendant on their flight from Fargo to LA. I spoke with Joe during the flight—he was a very nervous first-time flyer. I learned they planned to stay at a hotel in a less-than-safe neighborhood. I spoke with Amy, and we made arrangements to meet after we landed so we could go out to dinner and I could recommend a better hotel. Then, there was a power failure at the airport, and Doug met us. He suggested we eat here—no surprise there!" She raised her voice to ensure her brother heard that part and received an indignant "Hey!" from him in the next room. Smiling, she continued. "We did have a lovely meal and conversation. Amy then performed some of her favorite roles for us out on the patio, which took our breath away then we came inside. That's when we saw the news report on TV." She looked around. "Speaking of the dynamic duo, where are they?"

"They just needed some time after our family meeting," Clara said. "They'll be along shortly. I've always been curious; as a flight attendant, you travel so much. Do you have a home base, somewhere you call home?" Clara redirected the conversation, hoping it would give Amy enough time to recover.

-=-

Joe remained on the floor next to the couch, waiting for his sister to wake up. His mind was in turmoil about dealing with this once she woke. He was livid that she'd violated his trust and, truthfully, his body. He didn't know what to do with that anger because he loved Amy as strongly as a brother could. He resolved to do his best to forget that it happened and to forgive her for crossing that line.

"I'm so sorry, Joe."

He looked up and saw tears in his sister's eyes. She was awake. Thank god.

His rage surged up once more, and his eyes snapped to black. She got a good look into the cold, bottomless depths before Joe could look away and throttle his rage back into submission. Amy froze, terrified of her brother for the first time in her life. It wasn't a good feeling.