Walking an Endless Path Pt. 03

Joe looked at his phone. "Would it be okay for me to take a picture of all of us gathered around the table?" he asked.

Viv and Adina smiled and nodded, so Joe positioned his phone on the kitchen sideboard and set the timer. He hustled over to the end of the table to sit down and face the camera. Rensley looked over at the phone just as the camera took the picture, though Kennt only had eyes for his coffee mug.

"Do you have e-mail? I know we're supposed to maintain a low profile, but it would be nice to leave you a memento of the visit."

"No email, I'm afraid, but I have an instant camera. Mind if I take a shot of my own?" Viv asked.

"Please do!" Joe said.

Viv raced to the master bedroom and came back out with her camera. She framed the shot to get the two aliens, Joe, and Adina, in the image. The flash went off, and the two Kel-Fahr jumped and looked around.

"That was just the camera adding light to help the photo look properly lit," Joe explained.

Viv put the developing picture on the table surface, and the two aliens leaned forward to watch as the image slowly appeared.

Kennt seemed greatly impressed. It just made Joe realize he wasn't wearing a shirt. He looked down at himself and realized he was a mess. His pants were torn and stained. He no longer had a shirt, but his boots seemed to be holding up. He was afraid to look at the condition of his socks and underwear. No one had mentioned any odors, so he was thankful for that.

"You don't happen to have any clothes that might fit me, do you?" he asked Viv.

"What? Tired of dressing like a jungle man?" she smirked. "I'll see that I have left from my ex. He was almost as big as you. Of course, he was mostly fat."

Joe looked at his pants and wondered if he should wash them or just burn them. The image of Safa's outraged face appeared in his mind. He grinned as he thought how she'd find each stain a treasure. She'd likely want to examine all his clothing.

"I'm afraid the pickings are slim. All I found were these togs and a singlet. They may fit." Viv said, handing them to Joe. He saw it was a swimsuit and a sleeveless T-shirt. "I also have an old pair of sandals. The man had big feet but didn't live up to the myth."

"Do you have a plastic bag I can put my old clothes in? My friend back home will want them... She's a Forensic Pathologist," Joe explained. Even he thought it sounded weird. Adina pulled a bag out of the kitchen cabinet behind her and handed it over the table to Joe.

"I thought I'd head back to the pond with Kennt and Rensley so they could get a good soak, and I could get cleaned up there and change into these," Joe said, indicating the new clothes. "Before we do, is there anything you need done around the ranch that I can help with? I'm pretty handy."

"That's a kind offer, but we're good," Viv said.

Joe's phone rang. He fished it out of his pocket and walked out to the porch. He didn't recognize the number. "Hello?"

"Is this Joseph Neumann?" said a deep, gravelly voice.

"Yes."

"Mr. Neumann, this is Lieutenant Grey. We're on our way to pick you and your companions up. Are you secure?"

"Uh, yes. We are secure and ready to leave. You didn't happen to bring some clothes in my size, did you?" Joe asked.

"That is affirmative. Our ETA is approximately fifteen hours from now. Mr. Neumann, we've received word that an extraction team from Russia landed in Darwin. We don't believe they know your location, but it's highly likely that they may be tracking ours. We're confident we will reach you before they can, but it may be a rocky extraction."

"Shit!"

"My sentiments exactly, sir," the Lieutenant agreed. "Hang tight. We're on our way."

Joe hung up and walked back into the kitchen. "That was the SEAL extraction team. They're on their way, but there's a Russian team coming down from Darwin. The Russians don't know where we are, but they'll track the SEAL team. It might get a little dangerous. Actually, that's almost a guarantee."

Viv and Adina looked at each other with frightened expressions.

Joe had an idea. "How would you two ladies like a little spa time at one of those fancy Alice Springs resorts? I'll call my boss, and he'll make the arrangements. All expenses paid! The Kel-Fahr and I will stay on the porch until our ride arrives. I'd feel so much better knowing you were out of harm's way."

"What about you three?" Viv said.

Joe could tell she was putting on a brave face, but she didn't want to be here when the shooting started.

"We'll have the SEAL team, who will have an easier time if there are fewer people to defend," Joe said, looking at the two women.

They both nodded.

"What's the name of the nicest resort?" Joe asked.

"Well, there's that lovely new one... The RedStone Inn and Spa. It's very nice but very expensive," Viv said timidly.

"It has luxurious rooms, a big pool, full-service spa, with dining and shopping?" Joe asked.

The two women nodded nervously.

"Perfect! Let me make the arrangements," he said. The women rushed into the master bedroom to pack.

He got on his phone and called Director Bannon's line. When he got through, he explained the situation, and Bannon praised him for his quick thinking. They discussed the details, and the Director said he would take care of it and the reservation would be under Viv Taylor's name.

Viv returned to ask how many days they had so she could pack. Joe told them they had five days to enjoy. Viv beamed, then gave Joe a big hug. She rushed back into the bedroom. Adina came back out with a distressed look on her face. She said she didn't have good clothes for five days at the resort.

"Adina, you just said they have shopping. Buy new clothes. That goes for Viv as well!" Joe said.

Adina's eyes lit up as a surprised expression flashed across her face. She squealed and jumped against Joe to give him a hug. Then she rushed back to Viv to give her the good news. More squealing ensued.

"You are making the women very happy, Joe," Rensley said.

"Good people deserve good things and happiness," Joe said quietly. He sent a text to Director Bannon indicating that the expense account on that resort stay needed to be large enough to cover the women's shopping for new clothes and a five-day visit.

A minute later, he received the confirmation number of their resort stay and Bannon's assurance that it was an all-expense paid visit.

The ladies came out with their suitcases. Joe was impressed, considering how long it took his sister to pack. Viv flipped hers open, and there were only a few items inside. "You did say we could shop for new clothes." She looked at Joe like he would burst the bubble on this dream.

Joe just grinned and handed her a piece of paper with the confirmation number on it. "Would you like to call ahead and confirm they gave you a nice room?" She nodded, so Joe looked up the number on his phone and dialed it. When it started ringing, he handed the phone to Viv and noticed she was trembling a little. She spoke to someone and gave the confirmation number. They indicated that they had the penthouse suite. Viv almost dropped the phone. She thanked the woman and said they'd arrive in a few hours.

"I don't think I need to remind you not to mention meeting us to anyone in town. With the Russians looking for us, the less information out there, the better. Just enjoy yourselves. I wrote my cell number on that piece of paper so you can call me when you get back to let me know how it went. Okay?" Joe said.

Both women nodded and gave him a hug. They waved at the two Kel-Fahr and made a beeline to their truck. After tossing the suitcases in the back, Adina veered off into the backyard and returned with the crocodile skin. She threw it in the back as well. "Can't forget our shoes!" she yelled with a smile.

Joe stood on the porch and waved as they drove away.

"Are you two ready for a swim?" he asked.

Kennt and Rensley joined him on the porch, and he picked them up to carry them to their powered suits. As he helped Kennt into the Mediator suit, Joe told them they'd leave them by the porch steps when they got back. Joe returned to the house and grabbed the swimsuit, shirt, sandals, plastic bag, large plastic wash tub, towel, facecloth, shampoo, and a bar of soap. He also put his backpack on as he felt uneasy about letting it out of sight for long. He joined Kennt and Rensley, who were already on their way down the path toward the pond.

Joe made his way cautiously down to the shore first this time, but there was no sign of any more crocodiles. He put his stuff down and then went back for the Kel-Fahr. He carried them to the water's edge, and they walked in on their own. Soon, they were happily swimming and enjoying the cool water.

Joe tugged off his boots and socks, then his pants. He looked at the two aliens, but they paid him no attention. So he slipped off his underwear and picked up the large wash tub. He carried it down to the water's edge and found a spot where it was fairly deep. He filled the tub and carried it back to the rock he was sitting on. For the first time in what felt like months, he gave himself a good scrubbing. When he felt clean, he walked a short distance from his stuff and emptied the wash basin over his head. That felt very good, so he returned to the lake to refill it.

When he got to the edge, he was surprised to see Rensley floating in the water, watching him intently. He tried his best to be cool, but her intense stare was unnerving. Finally, he turned to her.

"Rensley, in human culture, it is very impolite to stare at another being," he said uncomfortably.

"I am sorry, Joe. I have to admit, something you said back on Sehsra has been present in my mind and will not go away no matter how much I try to dismiss it," she said with just a touch of frustration.

Joe sat cross-legged on the shore and poured the wash basin over his head again to ensure he washed away all the soap. He looked back at Rensley, who patiently waited for him to ask what was on her mind.

"What did I say that won't leave your mind?" he asked.

"I told you of our race's slip into extinction. Our males are infertile. No eggs or damaged eggs. The odds of having healthy offspring are very small. However, the biological need to produce children is still very strong for females. I've been under house arrest for the past thirty of your years. I had no physical access to males of mating age, and even if I had, there was still the fertility issue." She looked and was very frustrated now. Joe picked that up through their link.

"Then you tell me the Ello merged you with a Fahrchar, and the result is a hybrid that produces not tens of eggs but hundreds, maybe thousands of eggs. The Ello are not enemies of the Kel-Fahr, or at least they haven't been to date. We pay them to build our Tik. We pay them to produce the technology we once had the manpower to create ourselves. Who paid them to do these experiments on your people, and why? Who would benefit from your ability to produce eggs that may be compatible with female Kel-Fahr? Who got the Ello access to Fahrchar?"

"The Vershoo said they got the Fahrchar for the Ello, and many of them died to get them. If Fahrchar are only found on Sehsra, they must have gone there to get them."

Kennt had swum closer. "The Vershoo were not on Sehsa. Your visit was the only time Sehsra showed in the Gate Generator logs."

"That makes no sense! Something doesn't line up," Joe frowned.

"Did the Vershoo say they got the Fahrchar from Sehsra?" Rensley asked.

"No, they didn't," Joe admitted.

"Then the Fahrchar must have been moved off Sehsra," Rensley reasoned.

"If they are under such tight security, how did that happen? Wouldn't they have been spotted going through the main Gate... unless someone used the portable Gate Generators directly from where the Fahrchar live to get them off-planet! Kennt, what was the first planet in the log?"

"The first planet? Let me think... Mexpha, I think," he said, floating by on his back.

"Mexpha is a major hub world. Many races have taken up permanent residence there, including the Vershoo," Rensley said excitedly.

"So someone brings a load of Fahrchar directly from the Fahrchar sanctuary to Mexpha with the portable Gate Generators, and the Vershoo, at the request of the Ello, attack them and take the Gate Generators. Then they use the generators to bring the Fahrchar to the Ello, who use Tik to open their own Gates to a red-flagged planet to do experiments on humans. How did they know about Earth? Why Earth? I might as well ask why me?" Joe growled. He put his head in his hands and almost missed Rensley's quiet question.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that. What did you ask?" he said, looking at the nervous Kel-Fahr.

"May I have some of your eggs?" she asked timidly.

"Some—what? My eggs?" Joe's head spun, and he couldn't comprehend what she was asking.

"I can see we aren't physically compatible, but maybe your scientist friend could do it. Extract a few eggs and implant them in me. To see if they are compatible... and to give me children."

"You mean to give us children! Any offspring born of the product of my body would be part of me as well. That isn't something you should just give away. Family is the most important aspect of life." Joe found himself almost shouting. He raised his hands while taking deep breaths to calm himself.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I-I shouldn't have yelled at you. That subject is a rather sensitive one for me. When I was told that I was genetically incompatible with human females, it was one of the hardest things I've ever heard. It meant a complete change in my life goals. One of those goals was giving my parents grandchildren. Human grandchildren. I don't mean to be rude or mean, but I'm not ready to contemplate having children with a Kel-Fahr."

Rensley looked at Joe with big, sad eyes and swam away.

Joe refilled the tub and doused himself one final time to rinse away the dirt he picked up from sitting. As he walked back to the rock where his stuff was, he tried desperately to close his connection to Rensley so he wouldn't feel her deep despair.

Chapter 11

Joe was dozing on the couch on the porch when he heard a noise. He became instantly awake but wasn't sure what woke him. It was pitch dark out. They'd spent the entire afternoon relaxing by the pond and only returned as the sun tipped down to touch the tops of the trees around it.

Joe was dressed in the new dark blue swimsuit, which was a little tight but not dangerously so. He also wore a black sleeveless shirt with the stars of the Australian flag and Made in Australia written across it. The shirt was stretched to its limit. He heard the gentle wheeze of Kennt's breathing from the hammock. Rensley was in the guest room on the futon. She'd been very subdued on their return from the pond and had gone to bed after eating one of the meal bars from the backpack.

Joe was stretched out on the big couch, listening for whatever had woken him. Then he heard it again. Someone was drunk-whispering out on the front lawn. Joe flipped his eyes to black and peeked over the porch railing. About two hundred feet out, he could see three men pushing a pickup truck closer to the house. The pickup was off, and Joe guessed they'd use its headlights to illuminate the home when they got closer. Was it the Russians? He didn't think so. They didn't move like they were military. He heard one of the drunk whisperers calling a name out, Dan. Instantly, Joe felt better. These were the bullies Viv talked about. He knew how to deal with bullies.

Joe spotted two more walking on the truck's right side, and he thought he made out the shapes of rifles in their hands. These were his primary targets then.

Joe woke Kennt gently but firmly. He told him to remain still and quiet as they had unknown guests sneaking up on the house. He told Kennt to stay in the hammock under the blanket and to remain still. The Kel-Fahr was practically invisible inside the mosquito netting. The bed looked empty. Joe took another peek and saw they were at one-hundred-and-fifty feet and closing.

Joe eased himself over the porch railing and down into the shadows at the side of the house. A rock garden was next to the porch, so Joe picked up some good, round stones and moved quickly and quietly to flank them. Once behind them, he let fly with one of the rocks. He pulled back on the strength, so it just broke the first rifleman's tailbone. He dropped his gun and started screaming in pain. The second rifleman made the mistake of spinning around and caught his rock in the groin. He crumbled to the ground unconscious.

Joe kept moving as the remaining men started to yell. The truck lights came on, but of course, they were facing the wrong way and ruined the night vision of the remaining three men. One of the men pushing the truck got the bright idea to pick up a dropped rifle and earned himself a shattered wrist from the next rock. Joe was running out of ammo. He only had one left, and two men scrambled to get into the truck. The passenger was squealing in fear, but the driver was roaring at him to shut up. There was a rifle in the gun rack across the back window. The driver bellowed at the man to get the gun while he tried to start the truck. Joe flipped his eyes to normal and ran out into the beam of the headlights. Both men paused to look at him just as he hurled the last rock as hard as he could between their heads. The rock missile pierced the windshield, crashed through the hardwood stock of the gun in the rack, and exploded out the back window. Splinters of shattered wood shot in all directions. The two men screamed as dozens of sharp bits of wood suddenly pierced their faces and necks. They lurched out of the truck and tried to make a run for it but suddenly found themselves thrown to the ground by men in camo suits while others with assault weapons stood over them. Joe went still and waited. Were these the Russians? If so, he was in serious trouble.

One of the men, the tallest of the group, walked toward him. He had broad shoulders, a square jaw, and blue eyes, which were quickly assessing him in return. "Joseph Neumann?" he said, his deep voice immediately recognizable.

"Lieutenant Grey! Glad you could make it." Joe's sense of relief was immense.

"Looks like you had things well in hand. What were you hitting them with?" the sailor asked.

"Rocks."

"Huh," was all the man could say. He talked into a mic and received the all-clear from his team. "Bring the trucks in," he said into his mic.

The big man looked at the two suits standing guard on either side of the front porch stairs. "These coming with us?" he asked.

"Yes. Let me go get my companions," Joe said, walking onto the porch. "Kennt! All clear. You can come out now."

"May we take the hammock with us?" the old Kel-Fahr asked as he got his feet on the ground.

"No. That doesn't belong to us. I'll get you one when we get home, though," Joe said.

"Excellent," Kennt said as he walked to the top of the stairs.

Joe stepped into the house and up to the guest room door. "Rensley?" he called out gently as he felt her panic. He hadn't had time to warn her, so she'd heard a lot of screaming. "It's okay to come out now. Our lift has arrived."

The door flew open, and she was suddenly crushed against his chest. He felt her trembling.

"I'm so sorry, Rensley. I couldn't get to you before I had to deal with some jerks sneaking up to the house. Our extraction team has arrived, and we need to get moving. Everything is okay now. Can we go?" he said.

She slowly pulled away and followed him outside. She grabbed Joe's arm again when she saw the men with weapons on the lawn.

"It's okay. They're the good guys. The Super Good Guys! We need to go with them now," Joe assured her. Kennt took his daughter's hand, and they carefully descended the stairs. Joe followed them with his backpack.