Walking an Endless Path Pt. 03

On the night of the special report, Joe was sitting in the living room of the family home with his Mom, Dad, and twenty wiggling, giggling, active children. They were growing quickly and were exceptionally precocious. Happy and intelligent, they needed to be occupied, or they'd find ways to get into mischief. They were more than a handful.

The TV switched to the Presidential seal, so Joe shushed them, and they all jumped up to sit on the couches with Papa, GPapa, and GMama. Karl and Clara were in heaven with so many kids to dote on.

The President faced the cameras, and his smile looked weary.

"Good evening, my fellow Americans and people of the world who are tuning in tonight," he paused and shook his head slightly, "and to our special forces troops who are at this moment off planet making the galaxy a safer place." His face cracked into a full-blown grin.

"I truly never thought one day I would be uttering those words. The troubles we've faced in the last few months have passed, and I am pleased to say we are at the threshold of a new era for the United States and Earth itself. By now, you are very likely aware that we are not alone in the vast reaches of space. These rumors have been confirmed, and I want to assure the people of Earth that we are now in very good company. We've made new friends already, and the future holds promise like none of us has ever conceived. Change can be frightening, but remember that America was built on change. We will grow from this. I have some experts with me tonight who will bring everyone up to speed on our new place in the Galaxy."

Joe winced at the awkward wording.

Karl looked over at Joe. "It's not like he's an expert in this field. He's just trying to reassure the people."

They turned back to the TV as the General's face appeared on the screen.

General MacAvoy moved his headquarters back to Washington immediately after the One Hour War. He was a very busy man. Earth's military was helping the Tik to round up the remaining Kel-Fahr. As most of them had been off-planet serving as a police force wearing Mediator armor, dealing with them meant terminating them. Most of the Kel-Fahr expired when Joe's grip on their minds was ripped away. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case for all of them. Mediator armor in the hands of a trained professional was a deadly tool. In the hands of a being stripped of his intellect and gripped by madness, the potential for disaster was too great.

"Good evening, I'm the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the United States, General Dan MacAvoy. I'd like to begin tonight with a very welcome message of peace: the war is over, and we won. It was probably the shortest war with the highest stakes we've ever faced. Nothing short of the complete eradication of all life on Earth. I will repeat myself as the message is worthy of hearing again: the war is over, and Earth won." He smiled reassuringly.

"We are not alone. That message has been all over the press and is a positive one. There are, in fact, thousands of worlds inhabited by hundreds of sentient races. They are members of an association called the Assembly, which manages the policies of civilized interaction between all races."

"Until a few short weeks ago, the Assembly was ruled by a race called the Kel-Fahr. An ancient race, they were the ones who created the Assembly, and they decided which planets were invited to join. What the rest of the members of the Assembly didn't know was that the Kel-Fahr were also responsible for eradicating all life on a very large number of worlds. Worlds they decided were not worthy of being invited to join. Worlds the Kel-Fahr determined were a threat to them and the Assembly. Earth was scheduled to be one of those worlds, but we fought back, and the Kel-Fahr are no longer leading the Assembly. They are no longer a threat to anyone."

"For more information on our new friends, I'd like to introduce the two people who originally brought the threat of the Kel-Fahr to our attention and made it possible for us to fight back, NSA Director Roger Bannon and NSA Special Agent Rachel White."

Roger looked slightly stunned by the General's introduction and blinked at the camera. Rachel was smiling at him, and there was no mistaking the love in her eyes.

Joe stood up after sliding his kids off onto the cushions and walked to the front door.

Karl and Clara shared a sad look. Their son was carrying so much pain, and they could do nothing for him other than let him know they loved him. The kids all watched him go as well. They turned to look at their GMama, but she gave them a small shake of the head. Joe needed a little alone time.

Pulling on his jacket, Joe walked onto the porch and looked up at the stars above. It was a beautiful night for star gazing. They knew others were out there now, brought close by Gate technology. You'd soon be able to step from Earth onto other planets! Exciting times indeed!

Joe was seriously thinking about taking that walk when it became available.

He walked around the corner of the house on the deck and turned his eyes towards a glow down the farm lane behind the house.

There would always be a permanent military base down that lane. Think Tank Two had been built in record time as the debris field from the Blade of Eshen was a treasure trove of scientific discovery for the scientists who'd all returned now that the danger was over. The new sprawling building was three times the size as so many more scientific community members had arrived, needing housing and space to work. With their subsequent requirements for sustenance and entertainment, the influx of personnel boosted Glennville's economy once more as it supported the base's needs.

Karl had to give up a huge section of his property to the government as it was currently covered by alien tech. In compensation, the US government bought out Estelle Holden, a widower who owned the fields across the highway, and deeded that land to Karl. He now had a much larger plot of land and was busy planning what he'd plant next year. Karl spent the past week speaking with Mrs. Holden about the planting history of the fields and running soil analysis.

Some of Joe's kids had expressed an interest in learning how to farm and had been spending time at Karl's elbow learning from him. They were at least a year away from being tall or strong enough to operate any of the required machinery, but according to Safa, the kids would definitely be capable of it. They were a hybrid of Kel-Fahr and Human and would inherit their mother's flexibility and at least some of the strength of their father. They were already taller than Kel-Fahr children their age would be, according to the data archive they had from Kennt.

The crunch of gravel and the flash of headlights drew Joe's attention to the lane leading up to the house from the highway. There was a military gatehouse at the entrance to their driveway now, but that hadn't proven problematic as they didn't have guests often.

A big personnel carrier stopped before the house as Joe descended the steps. Corporal Hansen got out and smiled at him.

"We got a visitor down at the gatehouse. Walked all the way out here from town. Said she wanted to speak with you. She's on the list, so I brought her to the house. I hope you don't mind.

Joe looked at him curiously. Walked all the way to the house from town? That was a considerable distance! He nodded to the Soldier.

Hansen opened the back door, and long, slim legs in army boots stepped out of the truck. Fishnets and a long black leather coat covered her slender body. Wendy. Her short blond hair looked a little more wild than usual. Joe noticed she was shivering, so he yanked his jacket off and wrapped it around her.

"Thanks, David!" Joe said to the man and led Wendy up the stairs and inside. He brought her directly into the kitchen.

"Have you eaten?" Joe asked. Her cheeks were a little sunken, so it looked like she hadn't eaten in a while.

"No," she croaked.

"Are you vegetarian?" She shook her head. "I'll warm up some chili then," Joe said, drawing a smile from the woman.

He busied himself, making her some warm food, and placed a mug of hot chocolate in front of her while she waited. She wrapped her long, slim fingers around the cup, the rings she wore on each finger clinking gently against it.

Wendy looked like she was drawing strength just from the heat of the liquid. She had shadows under her eyes. Joe grew concerned.

"You said if I needed someone to talk to who understands you're in the book," Wendy said quietly after a time.

Joe brought her a steaming bowl of rich, meaty chili and toast. He set it before her and sat in the chair beside her. "I did, but you didn't call."

She nodded and picked up her spoon. "It was too painful... in the beginning," she said.

Wendy took a spoonful of the chili and closed her eyes in appreciation of the warm food. She ate silently, taking bites from the toast, and Joe wondered when her last meal was. Finally, she set the spoon down.

"I started walking after work today, and before I realized it, I was out in the country walking towards your house. I figured my feet knew something I didn't, so I kept walking."

"I'm glad you did. You look like you've missed a few meals," Joe said with concern.

"With only one paycheck available to pay the bills, something had to give. Food in my case... and my phone," she said.

"Meaning, you couldn't call."

She nodded.

Wendy's eyes flicked to his face, and she squirmed a little. Joe just waited.

"That day when you dropped Pam off after shopping. She told me stuff... about you. Why I didn't need to worry about her getting pregnant and marrying you. I see now that it was just more lies to make me feel less threatened by you."

Joe looked away uncomfortably. She was going to find out anyhow, with the news bleating on and on about aliens.

"She wasn't lying about everything. I suppose that's what made her so much more convincing," he said. "What exactly did she say about me?"

Wendy looked at him with wide eyes. She took another sip of her hot chocolate. Then she gathered her courage. "She said-she said you're not all... human."

"That's accurate enough. I'm not. Have you seen the news recently? It's all the rage. Aliens from outer space are real! I'm not fully human. I thought I was up until just a short time ago."

"You look human!" Wendy insisted.

"Yeah, the cosmetic differences are minimal, but the structural differences are considerable, including my genetic incompatibility with human females. I can't make human babies."

"I can't make human babies either." Her voice was quiet.

"I'm sorry to hear that. My inability is because my body is geared towards making babies with the Kel-Fahr."

"The who?" Wendy asked, puzzled.

"If you watched the President's speech on TV tonight, you would have heard about the Kel-Fahr. Instead, you went for a hike," Joe said, and she nodded with a timid smile.

"Here. I can show you one difference. It's a little startling, so try not to scream," Joe said. He snapped his eyes to black.

Wendy felt a tingle run down her spine as Joe's eyes were suddenly replaced with deep black pits. She felt herself being drawn forward until he snapped them back to normal.

"she... told me..." Wendy began with a whisper. She cleared her throat and tried to regain her calm. "Pam told me you could become dark... I suppose that was what she meant. It's-quite something!" She was a little dry-mouthed. "Could I have some water?"

"PAPA!" Ash squealed as she raced into the kitchen to come to a stop next to Joe, her little hand resting on his arm.

Wendy's eyes flew wide. There, not three feet from where she sat, stood incontrovertible proof of alien life. She'd read the stories but never expected to meet one. It was tiny, maybe two feet tall. Blue iridescent skin and wearing a gauzy wrap of some kind.

Wait... Papa?!?

"Ash, Papa's talking with his friend Wendy. Can what you have to say wait until later?"

Pretty blue eyes looked at the shocked woman sitting at the table. The child nodded.

"Papa, she has such BEAUTIFUL hair!" Ash gasped, and her joy's notes spread through his mind.

Joe smiled. "Yes, she does." On a whim, he reached across the table and touched Wendy's hand. Suddenly, she could hear the music Ash was projecting.

"OH!" Wendy exclaimed and clung to Joe's hand tighter. The music was so peaceful and happy. More notes began to arrive as the other children picked up on Ash's joy and came to investigate.

"I should warn you, I have a lot of kids," Joe said.

"Kids?" Wendy gasped as the music built in her mind, and the other little people rushed into the room.

"Their mother was a Kel-Fahr named Rensley who had a beautiful soul and desperately wanted to have children. She implanted a lot of my... eggs in herself." Joe looked uncomfortable talking about that. She felt his embarrassment through their link. Wendy's eyes widened as she realized he was speaking to her mind to mind. "Rensley tricked me into activating the eggs. The children you see here are the result of that.

Two of the children carried a glass of water across the kitchen to place it on the table before her.

"Thank you, Dunc, Jay!" Joe told them with genuine love, and she felt their happiness flow back over the link.

The music... it was beautiful. She felt almost indescribably happy! It had been so long since she felt this good.

"Since Pam," Joe said, feeling the same elation and recalling the same pain at its loss.

Wendy looked at Joe and realized how much pain he'd felt from losing Pam. It felt like hers. He understood.

She pushed back her chair, climbed onto his lap, and released her grief. He was right there with her. The children consoled them until Karl and Clara arrived to herd them back into the living room.

The music slowly dissipated after the children were gone, leaving them to their thoughts once more. Wendy rested her head on Joe's shoulder as she leaned against his broad chest.

"The world's a whole different place this week," Wendy finally said, her voice quiet.

"My world radically changed a few days after I was born, but I didn't find out about it until recently," Joe replied. "Lately, it's been a total freak show."

"I like freak shows," Wendy smiled. She sat up and lifted the bottom of her shirt to show off her tattooed stomach. "I can be the tattooed lady!"

"PAPA! SHE HAS BEAUTIFUL ART ON HER STOMACH!" Ash's voice cried out in glee from under the kitchen table.

Clara appeared in the doorway with an embarrassed and frustrated expression.

Wendy laughed and reached down under the table. Clara returned to the living room.

Ash wasted no time climbing onto Wendy's lap, who was still on Joe's. She touched Wendy's tattoos with her tiny hands, and Wendy felt the awe and happiness in the child's mind. She looked at Joe, and he nodded in agreement. Ash was precocious and delightful.

"How can I hear her...feelings?" Wendy said in awe.

"I have no idea. It wasn't something the Kel-Fahr could do. I could pick up the emotions of Rensley through my link with her, so maybe they got that ability from me and just made it better." Joe felt his thoughts begin to turn toward how he'd ultimately used his link with the Kel-Fahr collective, so he quickly clamped down on that thought and lifted Wendy to her feet. She clutched Ash in her arms to keep from dropping her.

"I'm sorry. I-I need to get some air," Joe mumbled and headed out of the kitchen.

Wendy looked down at the... alien child in her arms and saw the sad look in its eyes. More, she felt her sadness. Ash looked up at Wendy. "Papa is so ashamed."

"About what?"

A slim woman in a lab coat entered the kitchen and stopped when she spotted the stranger holding Joe's daughter.

"SAFA!" Ash squealed with delight, holding out her arms to be picked up.

Safa moved closer and accepted the child from the tall blonde. "Hello. I'm Safa Neema. I don't believe we've met."

"Wendy Whitlock," the woman said. "A—a friend of Joe's."

Safa suddenly connected the name, which must have shown on her face.

"Yes, that Wendy."

"I am sorry for your loss... and Mr. Neumann's."

"Mr. Neu- You don't call him Joe?" Wendy asked.

"I am Mr. Neumann's doctor and must maintain a professional level of decorum," Safa said. She looked down at Ash, who was grinning back up at her.

"Safa loves—"

"ASH!" Safa yelped loudly as she glanced at Wendy. "That's not polite!"

The child felt Safa's horrified embarrassment and pushed her face against the slim woman's chest. "I'm sorry!"

Clara walked into the kitchen once more, having picked up the child's dismay from the living room. She had Dunc on one hip and collected Ash from Safa. "I've been talking with this one about personal boundaries. She didn't mean to be rude," Clara said quietly to the blushing woman, who just smiled tremulously in return.

Once Clara left the room with the children, Wendy looked at Safa. "I was telling Joe it feels like a whole new world!"

Safa blinked at the blond, and a smile slipped onto her lips. "Yes... in a way, it is. We've been rescued from the brink of extinction... for all life on Earth. Now the galaxy itself has been opened up to us."

Wendy looked at Safa with a lost expression. "Joe mentioned the President was making a speech tonight explaining what was happening. I guess I should have watched it."

Safa smiled at her. "I can give you the gist of it. A race of aliens called the Kel-Fahr determined that Earth was a threat to it and the Assembly, a huge collection of alien races it governed. The Kel-Fahr decided they were going to extinguish all life on Earth." Safa paused a moment, clearly struggling to control her emotions. "Mr. Neumann stopped them."

"Joe? Just Joe? What do you mean?" Wendy's eyes were wide with surprise.

"We owe a debt to that man that cannot be repaid. What he did to ensure we have a future is nothing a single man should have to bear. Especially one with as gentle a spirit as Joe—Mr. Neumann." Safa's eyes were glassy, and she picked up a napkin to dab them.

"What did he do?" Wendy said in a whisper.

Safa looked at the woman, then collected herself. "He stopped them."

Wendy was shaking her head in confusion. "I don't understand. He assassinated their leader? He dropped a nuke on their capital city? He blew up their death star? How many did he have to kill to stop them from destroying Earth?" she said with frustration.

"All of them. I killed millions of Kel-Fahr."

Safa and Wendy jumped as Joe spoke from the kitchen doorway.

"Joe—" Safa began, but he spun on his heel and rushed from the house.

Karl showed up at the doorway. He had a worried expression on his face. "Was that Joe?"

Safa nodded with tears running down her cheeks.

"Dammit! I'd better go after him," Karl said, and Wendy jumped to her feet, racing to catch up to Karl. She met him on the porch, pulled her jacket on, and followed him down the steps.

"Is he in any danger?" Wendy asked the older man.

Karl looked at Wendy, and his eyes showed his worry. "Joseph is carrying too much guilt for one man to contain. Too much has been asked of him. Too much..." Karl headed off down the lane towards the back fields. This is the direction Joseph usually went when it became too much for him.

Wendy rushed after him, and the two walked in silence.

Lights had been strung up along the lane, but Karl shielded his eyes from their glow to peer into the darkness of the fields on either side of the road.

They had almost reached the demarcation point where the army's property began. Karl knew they were under observation by security, so he waved in the camera's direction to let them know all was okay.

Wendy spotted a silhouette of a large man sitting on top of a huge pile of rocks off to the right side of the lane. She touched Karl's sleeve, and he looked to where she was pointing. He sighed with relief.