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with you now in this way. You are not threatened when we communicate in this way. You may ask this
entity questions now." The voice stopped and Sara sat silently before them-like a robot waiting to
perform.
Daniel said, "I have been impressed with your technology. I am grateful you saved my life. Thank you."
"The one you call the doctor needs you."
"Why does he need us?" Daniel asked.
"That question is best left to another. It will be answered soon. Have you another question?"
"Yes," Daniel said. "Is our baby alive?" He felt his voice tremble when he asked it.
There was silence in the room. Sara sat still as stone. Then she began, "Your baby is alive. It is being
prepared to be placed into ta'Sara's womb. She will carry the baby to full term."
Daniel began to shake. He could feel Chumaya's hand on his shoulder, but Sara sat, wooden, not
reacting to this good news she had so longed to hear. Daniel choked back tears as he began to voice the
question Rachel was now signing to him. "Is Rachel's baby alive?"
"Your daughter's baby is not alive."
"I don't believe you!" Rachel signed angrily. "If you could save my father, if you could bring him back
from the edge of death, you could have saved my baby!"
"Allow this entity to rephrase the answer. Your baby is alive on our ship, but your baby has too much
Zeta DNA to grow and prosper in open human society. Perhaps with the others, however . . ." Sara's
voice trailed off.
"What?" Daniel asked angrily. "What do you mean 'Perhaps with the others?'"
"That question is best left with another. Please ask your next question."
Daniel looked at Chumaya. "Ask it, Daniel. We both want to know."
Daniel said, "The insectoid being gave us enigmatic riddles that frankly I'm sick and tired of trying to
decipher."
"You are referring to the glass spheres put into your hearts?"
"Yes," Daniel said. "What did this exercise in fear and frustration accomplish?"
"The clear but fractured sphere placed into ta'Sara was allegorical as were the two black spheres placed
into you. You and Chumaya have already deciphered, as you say, the meaning. You, the imperfect one,
are represented by the cracked sphere. You are not whole, yet you are whole. You must learn to live
with your body as it is and consider it whole." The voice through Sara sounded like a strict teacher
instructing a student.
"But I want my body to continue to improve, damn it! I don't want your people to reverse what Santoo
has done for me." He felt Santoo lightly touch his arm in way of calming him.
"You will not lose your strength, Daniel, and you will live as long as ta'Sara. You will, however, retain
your distinctive limp so that no one will know you have this wonderful body. You will no longer need the
exoskeleton; it has served its purpose. But your lesson in this lifetime is to excel in spite of your disability.
The reason you and ta'Sara have been called to this mission is because neither of you is perfect. The
black spheres were given to you as a reminder that ta'Sara's black eyes are a great disability to her, even
though the disability is only in her mind. Her eyes, as well as your body, are not disabled. It is only how
you perceive yourselves that disables you."
Still Sara didn't react to the words she was speaking. The information coming through her would have
surely affected her had she been aware, but Daniel supposed she was temporarily switched off so she
could relay information without distractions.
"And what about the eagle? What does the eagle mean?"
"The eagle is a magnificent creature. It is strong and cunning. It is also compassionate to its young. A
mother eagle teaches her babies to fly by a most peculiar method. She pushes them out of the nest. Then
she dives down below them and catches the babies on her back. The babies experience great fear when
they fall, but eventually, as the mother eagle does this over and over again, they overcome their fear and
learn to fly. You have all learned to fly. You are angry with us, but when you learn why we need you,
your anger will disappear. Do you have still more questions?" Sara's voice was flat and emotionless.
Daniel looked at Santoo, then Chumaya. They shook their heads. The rest of them did the same. Now
Daniel felt a warm little boy on his lap. He hugged Eric to him. "No," Daniel said. "I believe that's all the
questions we have for now."
"Excellent. This entity has a request. It is necessary you comply."
"Ask," Daniel said.
"All those in this room are requested to gather tomorrow evening at the top of the bluff area that you call
'the hotel'. All others who are to be involved will be notified of this request. You already know who these
people are. They are the ones close to you. Please insist they come."
"We'll come," Daniel said.
"Excellent. Daniel, you need rest, and by tomorrow you will be able to walk unassisted.
Sara's blank stare disappeared. She looked at them all and began to sob uncontrollably.
Chapter Thirty-Three
"Aznar!" Eric shouted happily.
Daniel tried to stop Eric, but Eric bolted from him and ran across the grass to the figure standing there.
Dusk offered no details; Daniel could see only the shape of what looked to be a man.
As the man came closer Daniel could make out larger than normal eyes set into his very pale face,
although the low light could have misrepresented what was there. His nose was half as large as a normal
nose might be, and his mouth was small with thin lips. His head had the distinctive shape of a Zeta, but he
also had human features that made his face look far less frightening. The man's limbs were thin, but not
overly, and his trunk was adequately robust. "May I approach?" the being asked. Eric had the being's
five-fingered hand clutched in his own as he happily walked beside him.
"You may," Daniel said. He looked at his friends. They appeared calm, if not intrigued by their visitor.
The being came to them. "Sit down," Roger said, as if he were asking the being to sit and have a beer.
Daniel couldn't keep himself from grinning.
The being sat at the table with them. The crickets and frogs were beginning their nocturnal concert. "I
apologize if my appearance makes you uncomfortable," he began, "but the one you call the doctor knew
he wasn't the one who should talk with you. I have been elected, so to speak, to be his voice. Is this
acceptable to you?"
They all murmured their acceptance. The being laughed. "I suppose almost anyone is acceptable over
the doctor!"
Sara said, "He's caused all of us a lot of pain."
The being put its head down. "Yes, I know. Perhaps my manner will be more representative of what the
doctor has in mind. I am Aznar." Aznar looked at Eric who was hanging on his every word. "To begin, I
am sure you are all curious about me, so I will tell you that I am a hybrid. I am part Zeta and part human.
I cannot live on your planet in open society because those who see me would consider my appearance
monstrous. I cannot live in pure Zeta society because I am equally monstrous there."
Daniel immediately felt sorry for this man. It appeared he was truly isolated from everyone.
The being continued. "The Zeta have been experimenting with human and Zeta DNA for a number of
years. They are convinced that they can recover the emotions they deliberately bred out of themselves in
the far, distant past, and they are using human DNA to do this. They feel that mixing these two species,
Zeta and human, will give them a race that can again procreate. They also seem to need your emotions.
They have discovered that emotions are key to procreation and continued survival. If they again [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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