Invasion

'We've been over this,' Sheila said. 'Let's not make it more difficult than it already is.'

'I don't think we should leave either,' Pitt said. Although he'd given up hope about Cassy, he still thought Nancy and Jesse might appear.

'Listen, you two,' Sheila said. 'Two hours ago you agreed we'd wait until dawn. Now it's dawn. The longer we wait the more chance there is that we will be caught.'

'But where will we go?' Pitt asked.

'I'm afraid we'll have to play it by ear,' Sheila said. 'Come on, let's start getting things ready.'

Pitt pushed himself off the couch and stood up. He looked at Sheila, and his expression mirrored his great pain. She softened, stepped over to the couch, and gave him a hug.

Jonathan got up with sudden resolve and went over to his laptop. Flipping it open he began rapidly typing. After sending his message, he stared blankly at the screen. Within minutes an answer came back.

'Hey,' he called out to Sheila and Pitt. 'I just contacted Dr. M. He's changed his mind. He's willing to meet us. What do you say?''

'I'm naturally skeptical,' Sheila admitted. 'The idea of putting our lives into the hands of somebody we only know as Doc M sounds absurd. But then again, he's been sending us intriguing data.'

'It's not as if we have a lot of choices,' Jonathan said.

'Let me see his latest message,' Pitt said. He moved over to Jonathan and read over his shoulder. Finishing, he glanced up at Sheila. 'I think we should take the chance. I can't imagine he's not legitimate. Hell, Dr. M has been as scared about us as we've been about him.'

'It's better than just going out on the road and wandering around,' Jonathan said. 'Besides, he's obviously connected to the Internet. That means we can leave a message here, so if my mom or the others come back they'll at least be able to contact us.'

'All right, you two,' Sheila said, relenting. 'I suppose it is a compromise. We'll meet this Dr. M, but it means getting the hell out of here, so let's get cracking.'

'Cassy, I know it is hard for you,' Beau Said. 'I don't look at myself in the mirror any more. But you have to get beyond that.'

Cassy was leaning on the balustrade, looking out over the halcyon view of the institute's grounds. The sun had come up and the morning dew was just about gone. Out in the driveway there was a steady single-file stream of infected people who were arriving from around the globe.

'We are building an amazing environment here,' Beau said. 'And it is about to spread around the world. It's truly a new beginning.'

'I was partial to our old world,' Cassy said.

'You can't mean that,' Beau said. 'Not with all the problems there were. Humans had steered the Earth into a collision course with self-destruction, especially over the last half century. And that shouldn't be, because the Earth is an amazing place. There are innumerable planets in the galaxy but few as warm and wet and as inviting as this one.'

Cassy closed her eyes. She was exhausted and needed sleep, yet some of the things Beau was saying did make a modicum of sense. She forced herself to try to think. 'When did the virus first come to Earth?' she asked.

'The very first invasion?' Beau asked. 'About three billion Earth years ago. It was back when conditions on Earth had reached a point where life was evolving at a fairly rapid clip. An explorer ship released the virions into the primordial seas, and they incorporated into the evolving DNA.'

'And this is the first time that a probe ship has returned?' Cassy asked.

'Heavens no,' Beau said. 'Every hundred million Earth years or so, a probe would return to reawaken the virus and see what form of life had evolved.'

'And the virus consciousness didn't remain?' Cassy asked.

'The virus itself remained,' Beau said. 'But you are right, the consciousness was allowed to lapse. The organisms were always so inconvenient.'

'When was the last stopover?' Cassy asked.

'Just about a hundred million Earth years ago,' Beau said. 'It was a disastrous visit. The Earth had become completely infested with large, reptilian creatures who preyed on each other cannibalistically.'

'You mean dinosaurs?' Cassy asked.

'Yes, I believe that is what you have labeled them,' Beau said. 'But whatever the name, it was a totally unacceptable situation for consciousness. So the infestation was terminated. However, genetic adjustments were made so that the reptilians would die out to allow other species to evolve.'

'Like human beings,' Cassy suggested.

'Exactly,' Beau said. 'These are wonderfully versatile bodies and reasonably sized brains. The downside is the emotions.'

Cassy let out a short laugh in spite of herself. The concept of an alien culture capable of ranging around the galaxy having trouble with human emotion was preposterous.

'It's true,' Beau said. 'Primacy of the emotions translates to an exaggerated importance of the individual, which is contrary to the collective good. From my dual perspective it is amazing humans have accomplished as much as they have. In a species in which each individual is striving to maximize his circumstance above and beyond basic needs, war and strife are inevitable. Peace becomes the aberration.'

'How many other species in the galaxy has the virus taken over?' Cassy asked.

'Thousands,' Beau said. 'Whenever we find a suitable envelope.'

Cassy continued to stare out into the distance. She didn't want to look at Beau because his appearance was so disturbing that it made it difficult to think, and she wanted to think. She couldn't help but believe that the more she knew the better chance she had of avoiding infection and staying herself. And she was learning a lot. The longer she'd talked with Beau the less she was hearing the human side and the more she was hearing the alien side.

'Where do you come from?' Cassy asked suddenly.

'Where is our home planet?' Beau repeated as if he'd not heard her question. He hesitated, trying to draw upon the collective information available to him. But the answer wasn't forthcoming. 'I guess I don't know. I don't even know what our original physical form was. Strange! The question has never come up.'

'Does it ever occur to the virus that it is somehow wrong to take over an organism that already has a consciousness?' Cassy asked.

'Not when we are offering something far better,' Beau said.

'How can you be so sure?' Cassy asked.

'Simple,' Beau said. 'I refer back to your history. Look at what you have done to each other and to this planet during your short reign as the dominant creature.'

Cassy nodded. Again there was some sense in what she was hearing.

'Come with me, Cassy,' Beau said. 'There is something I want to show you.' Beau went to the door leading to the bedroom and opened it.

Cassy made herself turn around. She steeled herself against Beau's appearance, which she found almost as shocking as when she'd first seen him. He was holding the door for her. He gestured and said, 'It's downstairs.'

They descended the main stairs. In contrast with the tranquility upstairs, the first floor was filled with busy, smiling people. No one paid any attention to Beau and Cassy. He took her to the ballroom where the level of the activity was almost frantic. It was difficult to comprehend how so many people could work together.

The floor, walls, and ceiling of the enormous room were covered with a maze of wiring. In the middle of the space was a huge structure that appeared to Cassy to be of an otherworldly design and purpose. At its core was a huge steel cylinder that looked vaguely reminiscent of a very large MRI machine. Steel girders angled off in various directions. This superstructure supported what looked to Cassy like equipment for the storage and transmission of high-voltage electricity. A command control center was off to the side, containing a bewildering number of monitors, dials, and switches.

At first Beau didn't speak. He just allowed Cassy to be overwhelmed by the scene.

'It is nearly finished,' Beau said finally.

'What is it?' Cassy asked.