Chapter 1

"Would anyone care for something else to drink?" Evelyn Templeton asked, looking at their neighbors and friends, Diane and Jack Connors as they reclined comfortably in lounge chairs in their well manicured, darkened back yard on a warm, Friday night.

"No, thank you," Jack said to the statuesque blonde, holding a serving tray.

"Please, sit down," Diane said to their hostess. "According to the meteorologists at the station, the asteroid should be coming along in just a few minutes."

"Do you think they're going to be accurate about when this asteroid is going to hit the atmosphere?" Evelyn asked the vivacious, redheaded anchor person.

"Oh, off the record, they'll probably be as accurate as they are with predicting the weather," Diane smiled.

Everyone chuckled.

"Sit down, honey," Clint said to his wife as he drew deeply on a beer. "Stop being the perfect hostess," he said, pointing to the lounge chair next to him.

Evelyn set the serving tray down on the glass patio table and sat next to her husband, stretching her long, slender legs on the comfortable lounge chair. She looked over at their teenage kids grouped together in the dark, looking at the night sky with binoculars and telescopes purchased when they were in grade school and smiled. "Do you think we spoiled our kids by purchasing each of them their own car when they turned sixteen?" she asked in general.

"Honey," Clint said, looking at his wife before anyone else could respond. "We can't help being born beautiful, and we sure as hell earned everything we've got, right Jack?"

Jack held up his hands not wanting to get involved.

Clint smiled at Jack's gesture and continued. "Jack put himself through med school, Diane's a very successful journalist, and you sell how many millions of dollars in real estate every year? And look at me," he shrugged. "I'm the all knowing attorney!"

Everyone chuckled. "Are Brandon and Tiffany going to attend the same college someday?" Diane asked, referring to the Templeton teenagers.

"They're undecided," Evelyn answered. "What about Ryan and Kelly?" she asked, referring to the Connors teenagers.

"Who knows," Diane responded.

"We are certainly blessed with beautiful kids," Evelyn said, looking at them out in the backyard. "They grow so fast."

"That's because of good genetics, right, Doc?" Clint asked Jack.

"That's quite accurate actually," Jack smiled. "The girls look like their mothers and the boys look like us!"

"Do you think we're in any danger?" Evelyn asked in general. "And the government won't say, or let anyone say anything about it," she smiled.

"You listen to those late night radio talkshows too much," Clint chuckled.

"I think they're fun!" Evelyn smiled. "I like being scared!"

"Is the 'National Enquirer' good journalism, Diane?" Clint asked.

"I actually enjoy reading it," she smiled. "I wish I could make up those fantastic stories and get paid for it!"

"They actually had one recently on the asteroid approaching us and the theory known as 'panspermia'," Jack said, taking a gulp of beer. "That was fairly accurate."

"'Panspermia, '" Evelyn smiled. "I like it already! What's it about, Jack?"

The parents laughed as their kids in the backyard yelled excitedly.

"It's here," Diane said quietly.

The parents got off of the lounge chairs and stood to watch the singular event.

It started as a small white blob in the night sky, roughly the size of the eraser on a pencil, directly overhead. It grew rapidly brighter until it became the size of a quarter and then vanished.

"It burned up in the atmosphere," Jack said quietly. "That sucked!" Brandon said loudly from the back yard. "What a load of hype and bullshit!"

"He gets that from you," Evelyn said to Clint.

The other teens made disgusted, disappointed comments more quietly.

Clint shrugged, "He's right. The news is Hollywood. No offense, Di," he quickly added.

"There's going to be a considerable number of pissed off viewers calling and complaining to the general manager, asking why we hyped this great event!" Diane said, staring at the sky.

"Well," Jack shrugged. "At least our atmosphere protected us from impact of any kind," he stated matter of factly.

"I'm turning the outside lights on," Clint said moving toward the house.

"I'm sorry this evening turned out to be so disappointing," Evelyn said apologetically.

"Stop it, Ev," Clint said.

"Do you want us to help clean up?" Diane offered.

"Oh, my no," Evelyn said.

The outside lights went on, illuminating the patio and part of the spacious, private backyard.

The kids turned and looked at their parents, then went back to their conversation.

"I think it's starting to rain," Evelyn said, touching something wet on her arm.

"It's supposed to be clear," Diane said, looking up. "Oh! Got one in the eye."

"Is that some kind of cloud up there?" Clint asked quietly, squinting.

"Mom! Dad!" Ryan called, pointing. "Look at that weird cloud up there!"

Everyone looked up, their heads tilted back, mouths open slightly, watching a faint, single cloud with numerous tendrils moving slowly, high overhead in the night sky.

They were suddenly showered with thick drops of a viscous, oily fluid that lasted only a few seconds.

"Oh, yuck!" Kelly exclaimed. "I got some in my mouth!"

"So did I!" Tiffany said. "Gross!"

"What a crappy taste!" Brandon said.

"It's like tasting slime," Ryan said.

"It does taste like you would imagine oil," Jack observed, touching his tongue to the roof of his mouth.

"I got some in my eyes and mouth," Evelyn said, wiping the corner of one eye with her hand.

"It does taste oily," Diane commented, rubbing it on her skin. "It goes right into your skin," she observed, smearing a small spot on an arm.

"God! I hope it doesn't stain," Evelyn said, brushing it on her shorts and blouse.

"I'm gonna have to wash my hair when I get home," Kelly said, touching her long red tresses with her fingers.

"I wonder if it's some kind of pollution," Clint said, rubbing his forearm.

"I don't think so," Jack said, frowning as he rubbed a drop of it on his forearm. "I-I think it may be-may be an-," he stammered as he, Diane, Evelyn, and Clint slowly slid to the patio floor, "-anesthesia."

Brandon, Tiffany, Ryan, and Kelly, collapsed slowly on the lawn.

The Templetons' and Connors' were perfectly anesthetized, breathing slowly, deeply, in a state of deep insensibility as the invading symbionts traveled through their bodily fluids, going directly to the brain tissues. They began moaning softly, their eyelids fluttering as the alien viral programs began processing. All memory was left intact. Many human social mores were retained, while others overridden for alien ones.

After the brain reprogramming was completed, the symbionts waited several minutes for their host to completely absorb and process the new information as being perfectly natural to them.

The viral programs then began the physical healing of the host body where it was deemed necessary. Scar tissue was repaired. Potential heart disease was repaired. The immune system of the symbionts replaced the human ones almost completely.

The symbionts then directed the viral programs to initiate the physical transformation of the extremeties, based on human and alien cultures. As cell tissue multiplied and skin stretched, Evelyn and Diane began moaning huskily, crying out softly as they spasmed and twitched on the patio floor. Tiffany and Kelly made similar higher pitched noises as they spasmed and twitched on the grass. Clint and Jack grunted and convulsed on the patio floor as Brandon and Ryan made similar primal noises, convulsing spasmodically on the lawn.

After the physical transformation was completed, the symbiont then relaxed within each host brain to allow their new bodies and minds to merge and heal as one natural whole.

Hours passed. It was still dark as the Templeton's and Connor's began to stir. They sat up slowly, almost simultaneously. The adults on the patio and teenagers on the lawn. They were all smiling broadly, looking at one another.