Adaptation: book I (10 page)

“It might endanger the child,” Father-Tom said. “Best to bring the mother along with the child.”

While his parents discussed this, an idea occurred to Bilal. He cleared his throat to get their attention. “I want to go to Earth, and I want to study the human and the child. If this adaptation is to be successful then at some point it will be necessary to reintroduce mankind to Earth. Earth Two can only handle a portion of the growing human population, and there is no reason not to utilize the resources that are already in place on Earth.”

“But monitoring the humans will be impossible,” Mama-Baba interjected. “They need to be monitored.”

Everyone agreed except Bilal. “How can we form a true opinion unless it is researched? Since I began this I would like to see it through. And besides, the human knows me. She is older in age, and I don’t think the stress of a move and reintegration will be good for her or the child.”

“I agree to allow Bilal to study the human and child on Earth,” Father-Nile said. “Of course he will need to provide regular reports.”

“Agreed,” Father-Tom said.

“Yes,” Mother-Mina said.

Bilal’s joy soared, and he suppressed his pleasure as much as he could.

“But the study must have a time limit,” Mama-Baba said. “I won’t allow my son to be lost to humans. He will return home in five years.”

Bilal was about to object when Mother-Mina stopped him with a tentacle.

“Five years is plenty of time to study the human,” Mother-Mina said. “You will transmit reports once a year, and on the fifth year you will return home. We will take your advisement into consideration but will form our own opinions on whether or not it is in the best interest of
all concerned to breed with man. As always, this discussion and decision is not to be discussed.” She frowned.  “Your human friends do not know of this, do they?”

“No. I have not discussed it with them.”

Bilal had become a good liar, a fact that did not make him happy. But this was one lie he had to tell in order to protect his friends. Further, he would
have
to discuss this with Lawrence and Raj again. He needed to express to them the importance of not telling anyone else. He didn’t want to think the worst of his parents, but deep down he knew that in the grand scope, his friends were not as important as the secret of the mother ship. Bilal shuddered to think what could happen to his friends if others suspected that they knew. Even Mother-Mina, who was the most reasonable of his parents, did not place as much value on the human species as she did on her own.

But Bilal was not like that. He saw no species as more important than any other.

~***~

Bilal returned to
Earth 2 for his personal belongings.

At least that is what he told his parents. Instead, he contacted Lawrence and told him that he would meet him at his house and asked him to bring Raj.

When he arrived, Lawrence was alone.

“Where is Raj?” Bilal asked.

“He won’t come. He’s really pissed.”

Bilal was quiet for a moment. “I’ll be away, for several years actually.”

“What the fuck? Are you going to jail?”

“No, I’ll be on Earth.”

Lawrence frowned. “Why? What happened when you told your parents?”

“Lawrence, listen to me. I don’t want to be secretive and I don’t want to lie to you, but there is a lot that I can’t tell you right now. When I return to Earth 2 then I’ll tell you everything. But you have to promise not to tell anyone about what has happened.”

“Of course. Do you think that I want everyone hating you and the Centaurians more than they already do?”

Bilal shuddered. “Raj hates me, doesn’t he?”

Lawrence nodded. “He’ll get over it.”

“I know that I had no right.”

“It’s more than that. Raj does not want to procreate, and he feels helpless knowing that a child of his …”

Bilal formed two tentacles and slithered around Lawrence’s body. “Tell him that I am so sorry, and tell him not to tell anyone. It is now a matter of national security. Do you understand? If it leaks out—if there is even a hint of it—then suspicion will turn to you two, and I cannot express how bad that will be for you two.”

Lawrence nodded solemnly.

There remained an underlying fear of the Centaurians among humans, and Bilal knew that. He knew that Lawrence would do what was necessary, but Raj … Bilal wasn’t sure about Raj.

“I have to go,” Bilal said.

“But when will you be back?”

“I’ll be gone five years.”

Lawrence ran his hands through his longish hair. “Fuck, Bilal. You’re not going to stop the pregnancy are, are you?”

“You know that I can’t tell you anything right now.”

“Bilal, just be careful. And I’ll talk to Raj. He won’t say anything.”

“Thank you, my friend. I’m sorry. Please forgive me.” He turned and moved away.

“Wait? Forgive you? Why should
I forgive you? What have you done to me?”

“Keep the secret, and you both will be okay,” Bilal said.

Bilal entered the pod while Lawrence watched him in confusion. He returned to the mother ship and headed straight for the lower level. This time there were no others around. It would be too late to stop him by the time they realized what was happening.

His parents had given him the idea when they told him the mother ship was a Centaurian who had allowed himself to be mutated for the needs of the others. Bilal formed a tentacle and linked to the ship. He fed
Lawrence’s and Raj’s DNA strands into the ship, extracting what he wanted to be dominant and what he wanted to suppress. When he was satisfied, he gave his final command.

“Ship, turn adaptation on. I want you to make me human.”

Bilal felt a strange
sensation against his skin, the first thought Bilal had had in a long time. He opened his eyes, and the world came into focus. A pain developed between his eyes, and he closed them to block out the sharp, bright images.

“He’s awake,” someone said.

Mother-Mina? He felt her tentacles and tried to form his own. Nothing happened. He groaned, and the sound reverberated throughout his body. “What?” He tried to speak but it hurt. Everything hurt. He felt a sharp stabbing pain followed by throbbing aches. He opened his eyes because he was unable to expose his filaments to sense what was around him.

Bilal looked down at his form. His head began to swim, but he blinked in surprise. He had legs, arms, and a torso! His parents were connected to his nude body. He felt them repairing him, helping to complete him.

“Lay back,” Father-Tom said. “You are weak.”

He ignored his father, reached out with an unsteady hand, and ran it over his new skin. Human skin felt strange but in a good way.

“Why did you do this to yourself?” Mama-Baba asked.

“Not now, Baba!” Mother-Mina said.

“Then when?”

“Not now when we have worked so hard to keep him alive.”

“You are a stupid, stupid boy,” Mama-Baba said. “You nearly died.”

“
Leave!
” Mother-Mina shouted. “Get out,
now!
” Mother-Mina’s tentacles waved wildly about her head, and Baba retreated. No one wanted to make Mother-Mina into an enemy.

Mama-Baba left the room without another word.

“Sleep,” Father-Nile said. “You have more healing to do.”

“I don’t have time,” Bilal whispered. “I have to return to Earth.”

“Sleep.”

Bilal had no choice. His parents triggered his sleep and then he knew no more.

~***~

Bilal was
alone
in a room the next time he awoke, this time without pain. He actually felt good. He sat up slowly and noticed he was dressed in loose pants and a tunic. After swinging his feet to the edge of the platform, he studied his feet and toes. He felt a smile tug at his lips and reached up quickly to touch his mouth.

I have lips.

He laughed and marveled at the sound of his own voice. “I am Bilal Ayunkili. I am a human Centaurian hybrid. My son and I are the only two in existence.”
My son and I.
Bilal felt pride at those words. 

He stood, and his knees nearly buckled beneath him. Walking on legs was a skill he had mastered in private, but walking with bones was a different matter.

~***~

Carmella picked
at
her meal listlessly. She had no appetite these days but kept eating anyway. She had to. When the food had magically disappeared, she looked at her empty plate and poked at her swollen stomach with her finger.

“Happy now?” she asked.

She used the slop bucket and then carried it outside to dump. She walked across her front porch and watched the fall leaves as they swirled around her feet. Later she would sweep. Soon it would be winter, and then what would she do? She sighed and walked down the porch stairs.

She nearly walked right up to the man standing in her front yard. She stopped in her tracks and stumbled backwards, nearly falling on her ass.

The man reached out and righted her.

“What the? Where did you come from?” Her hands flew to her mouth. Oh God, what was it? She thought he was a man, but … Carmella backed away. “What are you?”

“Please,” he said. “I just want to make sure that you’re okay.”

She threw the bucket of slop at him.

Bilal ducked, the slop flying harmlessly over his head.

Carmella stumbled up her stairs and into her home where she slammed the door shut and locked it. She backed away from the door and darted for the front window.

The man still stood in the front yard.

From a distance he looked like a man, but up close she saw that his eyes were black orbs with no whites. His skin also had a strange translucent quality. It reminded her of Dr. Manhattan from that
Watchmen
movie. His skin didn’t glow blue, but an undercurrent of color moved subtly from darks to reds to yellows.

The man seemed to know where she was located within the house because he looked right at the window. She ducked out of sight and peeked from behind the curtain.

He appeared to be Asian with long, sleek black hair that hung past his shoulders. He was quite tall with a toned physique and broad shoulders. He wore a white long-sleeved tunic and loose fitting pants, but she could tell that he was fit.

She knew—she had no doubt. It was that Blob, the one that kept coming back.
But how? How did he make himself … human?

She took a deep breath before standing in front of the window. “What are you?”

He heard her clearly through the window though she spoke in a normal voice.

Carmella saw his lips move but was unable to hear him. She unlatched the window and opened it.

“I am Bilal Ayunkili, and I am a Centaurian, human hybrid,” he said.

She closed her eyes and swallowed. Remembering that Centaurians moved fast, she opened her eyes and found that he hadn’t budged. “Why are you here? Haven’t you done enough? Can’t you just leave me alone?”

Bilal clasped his hands in front of him. “I cannot.”

She was too tired for this confrontation. “Why did you do this to me?” She pressed her head against the windowsill and closed her eyes. “I know what you did. You raped me that night I thought I was having a nightmare. When my stomach kept getting bigger I figured it out. I’ve been pregnant before. Then I found the bullet from where I had shot at you.”

“No. There was no sex. But I did place a baby inside you.”

Hearing it made it more real and made her feel less crazy. “Why? Why would you do this?”

His skin color shifted subtly to an undercurrent of green. “Because I felt bad for you. I felt bad for your loneliness. I felt bad for your loss.”

“Really?” she snarled. “You did this for me?”

“Yes! But I had no right to do that, and I understand that. But that night when you told me to leave, I saw how much you hurt. I just thought maybe I could make your pain go away a little.”

“By impregnating me with an alien creature?”

“The sperm I used was of a man who looks like I do. He is human and my friend.” Bilal took a deep breath. “But yes, my DNA is there as well.”

Carmella’s hand tightened on the windowsill. “My baby has two fathers?”

“Yes.”

She felt sick and angry and afraid. She couldn’t find the words to tell the alien in her yard how devastating this was to her and how much she hated it for what it had done to her. This was no favor. This was no gift. This was only a monster growing in her belly.

“How much longer before it’s born? It’s not like a normal pregnancy. Everything is moving faster.” She calculated that she should only be five months along, but she was already huge.