The Children of Time (The Children of Time Trilogy Book 1) Page 4

  Crom had the files with all the information about the mission:

  “Commander Merko, I’ve got some information with names, photographs and addresses of students who study with the human. We can try to get some information from them.”

  Merko raised a pen and an icon signal holography with the information they were discussing showed up on the screen. He touched one side of the picture and accessed the conversations between Nicolas and his friends on social networks, looking for something that would reveal the whereabouts of the earthling.

  The two of them leaned from the files and study the best strategy after and, after a lot of much deliberation, they reached a consensus.

  “Let’s find some information on the boy’s residence. His mother probably knows where he is.” Merko said.

  They went toward Nicolas’ house, in the suburbs of the city. Lorena was at home, and Sophia was at school.

  While the others members of the search group were watching the surroundings, Merko and Crom veiled themselves as police investigators and knocked on the door. They were dressed in black suit and tie, wearing polished black shoes, had their hair neatly combed and had identification badges with fake names.

  The mother answered the door, worried about the presence of investigators in her house. Thinking the worst, her eyes were filled by tears.

  For a moment, Merko looked at Lorena and felt something different, as if he already knew her from somewhere. But he decided to ignore the feeling and turn his attention to the search.

  Lorena also felt something different about the tall, strong man. His smell wasn’t strange to her, who was watching her closely, and she was trying to remember from where. Since they were police detectives, she thought she probably knew him from somewhere on the streets of Los Angeles.

  “Did anything happen to my son? He disappeared a few days ago and we don’t know anything about it.”

  “Madam, we came here exactly to seek information about your son. There was a report about his disappearance made by a friend from college, and our chief requested that our personal investigation. Do you know where he is?”

  “But... I thought you knew something about Nicolas. He disappeared and we’re waiting for some news that can give us some hope.”

  Crom looked at Merko raising his eyebrows. The commander telepathically read Lorena’s mind and found out that she really knew nothing that could help them. So they quickly said goodbye and left her alone. It was difficult to get any clue about the boy, and they needed to find him and complete the mission before the princess’s life faded. Crom was also concerned with their discretion while searching for their target on Earth:

  “Commander, it’s important not to leave traces of our presence here. We know that there is a special team investigating ETs, the Alpha-Omega, which could cause us problems. I still remember that story about the issues you had with them, when your best friend died in a mission here on this planet. We must be brief and objective.”

  Alpha-Omega was a secret team of the American government responsible for investigating any trace of alien presence around the Earth. Because they were directly linked to the Pentagon, they could request support from national security forces. When they imprisoned some specimen they used the secret military basis of Arizona, in the area 51 for seclusion and studies.

  “Dear Crom, you’re right. I’m a bit over the top with my actions and you are right, we will end up leaving traces. Let’s be subtler and try to go unnoticed.

  Then, Crom had an idea and spoke to the commander:

  “Why don’t you ask your contact in our planet about Sivocs’ coordinates? There is no greater advantage than information. He told you that they are here already.”

  “You are right. It’s a good idea.” He replied.

  Then Merko made contact with the counselor and said:

  “Mr. Mirov, I need help. I would like to find a way to penetrate the information system of the Council and discover where the ship Science II is.”

  “I’ll see what I can do.” The counselor confirmed.

  As they found no signs of the boy at the University, or around Los Angeles, they all agree that there was no other way to find him without further information. They decided to wait and monitor possible communications between Nicolas and his mother, or some info about Science II.

  .

  – V. Nicolas and Zara –

  Nicolas looked everything around him and stared at Zara. She was a beautiful and intelligent woman that had messed with his deepest feelings.

  Afraid that Merko might want to capture the young man, Zara decided to create an alternative plan. She would conceive a child and carry the secret of Nicolas defenses in her own body.

  She was also attracted by his beauty and kindness, and was determined to keep him safe. Following the orders of the King and his advisor, Kenan, was her desire. He had walked and dressed strangely, but it didn’t matter. Deep in her heart, she was touched, but she felt upset because the laws of the planet Vida didn’t allow a romantic involvement with a human being from the past. She always kept her focus on the missions, but this time the feeling was very strong.

  Nicolas had never been able to have a girlfriend. When he met a girl he liked, he started to talk about the stars and always included some scientific explanation in his conversations. They ended up leaving him alone.

  Zara also had problems in finding a good man from her planet. When she saw someone new, she kept scanning their minds and hearts, to see if something attracted her, and, in most cases, she felt that they were superficial in their ideas romantic goals.

  ***

  Drako contacted the advisor Kenan, that warned him that commander Merko was already in Los Angeles. Then he approached the other crew members and reported:

  “Commander Sivoc, the Challenge I is already on Earth and Merko and his team are searching the city of Los Angeles. What should we do?”

  “Sooner or later, he’ll discover where you are. We need a strategy. We cannot hide the ship from Merko.” Sivoc replied.

  Listening to the information about the imminent danger, Zara began to feel palpitations on her heart. Fear rose through her spine and she began to sweat cold, her forehead becoming wet. The others looked at each other for a moment, worried.

  Even the tips of her fingers were pulsing, and she felt so many sensations that she could hardly think of anything. Suddenly she couldn’t swallow and thought that something terrible would happen. Nicolas looked at her, she was pale and her body was under severe stress. After a few minutes she began to demonstrate control of the situation and even seemed to enjoy the adrenaline circulating in her body. Gradually, she was getting back to normal.

  Nicolas was impressed with the changes in the doctor’s behavior:

  “What happened to you?”

  “Never mind, Nick. This happens to me once in a while. In the beginning, I got scared and panicked, but now I know that nothing will happen and I actually enjoy the temporary sensation of energy that provides me. It’s an anxiety crisis. I got nervous knowing that Merko is so close. Everyone knows he’s very successful in his missions.”

  “The humans from Earth also experience these kinds of reactions, especially in stressful situations.” The boy replied.

  “This is a reaction to the release of neurotransmitters into the bloodstream, just like the attack and defense against the dangers of our ancestors who hunted and lived in caves. These are our psychic and animal identities mixed with the evolution. This reaction, which could even paralyze many humans, is just another obstacle, even for the most evolved beings, to be overcome with our emotional growth.” Zara added.

  “I thought these psychological problems, such as anxiety crisis and depression, didn’t exist in the future.” Nick said.

  “The human mind is a great source of learning. Individuals have to live their own emotions. Of course we have problems in the future that are the results of our choices and decisions in life. In our ship, we have medications for all k
inds of physical and psychological disorders, however, in this case the best remedy is to learn to use our own thoughts to deal with the conflicts and try to solve them.” Zara concluded.

  “How can I be close to a woman so beautiful from such a different land? She’s the most beautiful woman I ever saw. How can she be from another planet but still being a human being? And besides it all she’s so smart!” Reflected Nicolas.

  He was confused, but he was completely charmed and bewitched by her; the scent of jasmine made him curious, because he liked the fragrance and always felt it when she was.

  The two of them talked quietly while the other members of the crew moved away to the other side of the room.

  “I approached you first, with the purpose of having a child, but our meeting was so exciting that and after all I could not stop thinking about you. With you by my side, despite our age difference, I am 32 years old, I feel like a young woman full of dreams and hopes. The feelings that we have in our hearts remain the same, in the past and also in the future.”

  With these words, Nicolas felt a chill and asked:

  “But why having my child?”

  “I came to you because I needed to take your genetic code with me. If you didn’t come with me, there would be a second chance for Princess Isadora.”

  “Everything seemed so real, but now... I feel I was nothing but a mission!” he said.

  “Please, don’t you ever think that! When I met you, I felt something very deep in my soul. What I did was for love, first for you, then for the princess of my world. But if something serious happened, I needed to have another plan to save little Isadora’s and that’s why I decided to get pregnant.”

  “Are... you pregnant?”

  “Yes! I already can feel it inside of me. Deep in my gut. And... I feel happy for the opportunity to be a mother.”

  Her words radiated, like something he never felt before. She had fallen in love with him. And he didn’t know if he wanted to protect himself from something so beautiful. But how could he feel in love with someone from another planet, whose appearance weren’t real? Many secrets about Nicola’s past would be revealed and he would understand why he fell in love with Zara. She continued to speak:

  “Although I’m taking the stem cells from our son, we’d also like you to go with us to guarantee the solution of our problem. We think that making a transplant of your bone marrow is the best way to save princess Isadora.”

  Now Nicolas was afraid to be separated from this beautiful and unique woman. He wanted to help in whatever they needed, but he couldn’t lose her, once he had found her, just like as a grain of gold in the desert.

  He placed his right hand over hers. Zara looked at Sivoc and saw that he was talking to Tibor and Drako. She gently pulled her hand.

  “Will you come with me? If you do, I’ll do anything for you.” He said.

  “My dear Nick, I have my life on my planet, my job, my mission, my parents and my brothers. I don’t know if I would able to live away from them, and there’s another problem. The laws of my planet forbid a person to have a relationship with humans from the past in the missions we perform.”

  “Please, just think about it. You’re not on your planet and we are thousands of light-years away from it. Look at what I’m doing! I’m also leaving my family to go to a place that I don’t know, putting my trust on you.”

  Zara didn’t expect that this short time relationship messed so much with her mind. Nicolas didn’t understand where he found so many words and feelings when he spoke to her. He soon realized that he was in love with an alien woman.

  Sivoc decided to interrupt their conversation and requested:

  “Zara, come with me to the clinic. We need to talk.”

  Once there, he began to say:

  “I know that at first you planned to take a child with the genetic code with you, however, you know that we’re not allowed to have any kid of romantic relationships with our ancestors. This is against the ethics of our mission.”

  “Commander, I don’t really know what’s happening, or even what will be the consequences. However, I got pregnant from because the counselor Kenan requested. His friendship with King Zadora II is so great that he put the life of Princess Isadora above all. I’m a little confused about what I feel for Nicolas. But I’ll try to solve this situation.” Zara said with an aching heart.

  “We can’t allow a loving union between people of different eras. This could change the future and create temporal paradoxes, and the consequences are unpredictable. I’ve seen some emotional involvement in your acts. Why using an alternative plan when taking him would already solve the problem?” Asked the commander.

  “Commander, if we have any problem and we can’t transplant the bone marrow, the cells will be taken from the umbilical cord of the child that I carry. Thus, this plan is another guarantee for the success of the mission. This idea came from the counselor Kenan and it was in secret between us, so no one knew until I could achieve it. We have to keep it as a secret.”

  Sivoc was satisfied because the alternative plan was auspicious and, besides, was made by chief of the mission.

  ***

  Back in the control room, Sivoc talks with his fellows about the future:

  “In a few weeks there will be a gap in space-time, with a new gravitational cycle, and it will be positioned precisely between the planets Jupiter and Vida. We can make a perfect trip back to our planet.”

  The waiting time made Tibor concerned about the training of the earthling for a possible fight against Merko’s team, so he said:

  “We need to be alert and prepared for Merko’s arrival. He will save no efforts to take Nicolas with him. I’m thinking of training the earthling so that he can defend himself against a possible attack. Do you agree, Nick?” He asked.

  “Certainly, especially because I don’t see any other way.” He laughed.

  “I’ll always be by your side.” Zara told him.

  “We have many ways to defend ourselves, but the crew Challenge is very well trained.”

  Then, they understood that it was necessary to prepare Nicolas for Merko’s arrival because the waiting time until the gap was open would be long.

  ***

  The Counselor Mirov was monitoring the communications of Science II with Vida and had intercepted the message from the advisor Kenan. Mirov contacted Merko and said:

  “Commander Merko, the girl won’t survive for too long without proper treatment. King Zador is very affected by the situation. We need to help him because the Council has yet to decide what will be done in case the king become unable to govern, because of his daughter’s illness. Everyone knows how much he cares for her.”

  “Certainly, with another loss, the King will fall into a deep depression. My chances of governing will be big if we execute this mission. I need my plan to work so I can stand out among the members of the Royal Council.” The counselor thought.

  “We managed to intercept a communication from the ship and Sivoc.”

  “Please, give me the coordinates.” Merko asked.

  “Radof still didn’t manage to establish precisely where the signal came from. But, according to him, in a few hours it will be possible to get this information. Wait for my contact.”

  “Yes, Mr. Advisor! We’re anxiously waiting.” Answered the commander.

  ***

  In a meeting, the crew of the ship Science II agreed that some other measures would be necessary for the survival of the human.

  “We could put a chip in Nicolas and he can turn into one of us, including voice, movements and knowledge about space technology, self-defense and fly our ships!” Drako said. “So, he would have the information about interplanetary travel acquired during these thousands years.”

  Tibor came walking toward them and said:

  “We’d add all the theories of combat in this cybernetic implantation. Then we’ll proceed with your training. Someone needs to teach this kid how to defend himself from the dangers t
hat are about to come. I’d love to do it!”

  “What you think about it, Nicholas?” Zara asked.

  “Will I learn to read minds like you do?”

  “Yes, but you’ll have to make some adjustments on your mind, and you’ll also know the main techniques of fight. Tibor will train you.”

  “I’m a little scared. Do you believe things can go wrong?”

  “My dear Nick, I’ll take care of you personally. I’m an specialist in this type of surgery.” Zara replied smiling carefully.

  Nicolas smiled in return. He was curious to use the technology of his new friends, and learning how to fight was a privilege for a young man.

  And they began to make the preparations for the procedure to implant the chips in Nicolas. Zara used a pistol with a sedative in his arm in order to him relax. Then gave him an anesthetic and put him on the operating table.

  The capsule with a chip was inserted in the brain, between the union of the frontal bone and the two parietal bones beneath the scalp, reaching the region of the brain responsible for the control of the thoughts. This would improve his vision, hearing, and smell, intellectual and cognitive abilities. An implant of another chip in the hippocampus has been done to improve and multiply his memory.

  A few hours later, the boy woke up and thought: “It seems that many things have changed in my head. Everything I see brings me more information.”

  Zara began to explain to him about the procedures:

  “We put in your iris the ability of genetic transmutation. You can become one of us when you need. For this, you’ll use these special glasses, which when placed in your eyes, will activate your transformation.” She looked at his reactions when she talked, he was a little scared, but willing to live the experience. “On the right side there is a red button, which when it’s pressed activates the transformation.”