Chapter 12: Discovery

Day 47:

William

"What the fuck are you doing to my daughter?" screamed a voice from the shower door.

I stood up in surprise and winced in pain as Lisel slid of my lap and landed on the bathroom floor, and then I heard laughter as I turned towards the doorway. Standing in the doorway was an exact duplicate of Susan.

"Susan?" I asked.

"Mom?" Angela said in shock.

"No and yes," Shannon McCabe said as she walked into the bathroom and sat down on one of the toilets.

I reached for the towel to wrap around my waist, and she shook her head no. So I left it hanging there and sat down. "Mrs. McCabe, it's not..."

"What I think? I think it's exactly what I think. I think all of us have been screwed by these aliens. Yes, they make us younger, and give us these bodies to die for, but they rip families apart..." she said and then grabbed a piece of tissue and wiped her eyes.

"Mom, what's wrong? Is daddy coming?" Angela asked.

"Daddy is dead, sweetie. He was on an airplane that took off from Atlanta, and crashed into the 55-story Bank of America Plaza, which used to soar over our hometown at over a thousand feet. Daddy was flying out to California, when his plane was hijacked by terrorists. They killed all ninety people on board. The terrorists were after the president and daddy and a few others onboard got into the cockpit and started fighting them. The president was staying at one of the hotels and would have been killed if they hadn't clipped the building. He died on June 17th 2006..."

Shannon stopped talking as she bent over crying. I watched as Angela wrapped her arms around her mom, and then I walked over and hugged her as well.

"Mommy? Then daddy died the way he wanted to, he died a hero. We'll grieve for him, yes, but we must go on with our lives," Angela said through her tears.

"She's right," I said.

"I know. I just miss him. To all of our families and friends and even you, we have been dead for eleven years, and two years for my husband, your daddy. But to me, it's only been a few days, since we crashed here. Right now, I'm not ready for a man, but please take care of my daughters. When I am ready, I will..."

"I'll be here when you're ready," I finished for her. She smiled up at me, and I reached up and wiped her tears away with my thumb.

"Thanks," she said with a sad smile.

"Welcome. Why don't you take a shower, and I'll let Susan know you're here," I replied as I stood up.

Grabbing a towel and leaving Lisel and Angela to deal with Angela's mom, I went into the bedroom, and dried off. Pulling on some clean clothes, I slipped into a pair of sandals, and walked into the kitchen. Susan was bent over checking something in the oven when I walked in. The smells were making my stomach grumble as I stood there.

Sarla looked over from where she was mixing something in the bowl and asked, "William, you need something to hold you over?"

"No, but I need to talk with Susan for a minute," I replied as I walked over to Susan. She was checking a roast that she was basting in the oven, and I leaned over and said, "Susan, your mom is in the bathroom, crying. She needs you."

"What? Is she ok?" she asked as she looked at me with her eyes wide.

"Yes, she just got some bad news, and needs you," I replied.

I watched as she set the baster to the side, and left the kitchen. Before I could move, the rest of the girls left, and I scratched my head. Turning to the fridge, I opened it and grabbed a block of cheddar cheese. Walking to the counter, I grabbed a paring knife and went to the table. I started cutting slices off the block, and thinking as I ate them.

Sandi

I watched as Nancy left with her cousins and went back to organizing the special trailer. I had pulled dozens of boxes out and was repacking the books and teaching items inside when I felt as if I was being watched from somewhere. Turning, I walked out of the trailer and looked around the trailers and vehicles. Finding nothing, I went back to the trailer I was in and started moving the boxes around until I got to the lab equipment. Moving the boxes of medicines out of the way, I grabbed the first box of laptops and checked them. Moving the computers to the center of the trailer, I stacked the boxes of books along the floorboard and then repacked the rest of the items inside. When I was finished, I had five feet of room left, and I smiled as I now knew I had room for the last items I wanted.

Closing the door, I walked to the van with the twelve-foot trailer attached, and drove to the main doors. As I neared them, they opened, and I drove out of the warehouse. The doors closed as I headed across town to the shop I had visited the other day. I knew the kilns would come in handy for making dishes and bricks, but we would also need the glazes and paints as well.

Pulling into the shop, I backed up to the dock and went inside. Vickie was finishing up with a customer, so I waited until she was finished and the woman had left the shop.

"Hi, Sandi, what do you need?" Vickie Marlow asked.

"Hi, Vickie, I need some supplies and all you have. Plus molds if you have what I want," I said.

"Well, let's check," she replied as she pulled out her pad.

"I need sodium silicate, tin oxide, soda ash, copper carbonate, cobalt oxide," I said and then continued with more. When I was finished, I had named every item, I could think of, for the pottery shop I planned on setting up. I also took all five of her Brent model EJ Electric Kick Wheel Pottery Wheel's with the 110V-Splash pans and five of her Lockerbrie Models that also had the kick wheels and spare generators for them. I grabbed brushes, sponges, computer software on firing, books, and boxes of pottery tools. I was floored when in the back of the store. I found two brand new Amaco EXCEL EX-1850 KILNs, with 'Zone Control Select Fire', still in the boxes. Vickie explained they had been ordered by a customer, but she had passed away. I grabbed them as well, and we loaded everything into the trailer, and into the back of the van. It was a good thing she had a forklift, because between the kilns and the molds the suspension of the van and trailer were both seriously strained.

I drove back to the warehouse three hours later, and Nancy and the boys were back. Pulling in, I saw a look from Nancy, and I knew she was upset. Climbing out, I stopped her from yelling. I just walked to the special trailer and opened the back.

"See? I said I could get room," I said to her.

"Well, I will be a slut to William, I didn't think we had room," she said and then shook her head. Turning to her cousins, she shouted, "Hey, boys, let's get the van's cargo loaded into this trailer."

"Ok, Nancy," Jonas said as he came over.

The next four hours, we fought and tugged and bitched to get everything into the special trailer. The two kilns took up most of the space, and then we filled the insides with some of the supplies. Finally, we took the five-gallon containers of dyes and chemicals, and placed them on the top of the trailer. The bags of chemicals went inside around the kilns.

"Now I think we got everything," I said.

"You think? Shit we spent two million dollars, filled all these trailers, bought out stores of fabric, clothes, tools, sports equipment, electrical tools for wood and metal, a forge, kiln, wood looms, spinning wheels, fishing gear, three different types of boats, engines, parts for everything, computers, games, movies, books, and you think we got everything. Girl after you have your baby, I am going to thump you," Nancy snapped.

"What's gotten into you my love?" I asked.

With a sigh, she looked at me and replied, "Nothing, just hot, sweaty and tired. I need a long soak and a massage."

"Come on, I will help you with all three," I said, and we walked to the empty van.

Nadil

I was dragged into the medical room and picked up into the air.

"No! Please! Don't, it was an accident," I cried as I was placed on the table.

I was trying to get free when Kalib walked over to the table. A hydro syringe was in his hand as he looked down at me.

"I am sorry Nadil, but the law must be obeyed," he said as he adjusted the dose that would end my life.