Hybrid, Chapter 11: Half Human

Chapter 11:
Half-Human

September 18, 2343

    "Dr. Veelet, please report to Med Lab 264." Dr. Marshall announced in the intercom.

    Dr. Veelet entered the medical lab and found Dr. Marshall in his chair. Dr. Veelet wanted to know what species Alexander belonged to. Hopefully his DNA from his blood sample would them the answer.

    "Glad you can make it," said Dr. Marshall shook his hand.

    Dr. Veelet asked, "Did you find any more information about Alexander in the blood sample?"

    "Yes I did," said Dr. Marshall as he walked back to his computer. "I extracted his DNA from his blood cells, analyzed the sample in the DNA simulator, and found that his DNA structure did not match with the DNA of races we encountered. There must be another race we have not yet made contact with."

    "Could you tell me more?" Dr. Veelet asked.

    Dr. Marshall clicked on an icon to open Alexander's medical records. "When I extracted his DNA, I found that half of his DNA was detected as Human and the other half unknown."

    "Alexander is a hybrid?" Dr. Veelet raised his eyebrows.

    Dr. Marshall nodded, "Based on the structure and the components of his DNA, he is. Let me show you."

    Dr. Marshall walked to his projector table and the image of Alexander's DNA emerged from the table. His DNA swirled around until Dr. Marshall typed a code and untwisted his DNA. Then it flatten like a ladder as they began to examine the components.

    "What components are Human?" asked Dr. Veelet.

    Marshall pointed out his laser pointer at the structure. "His human components are the adenine, cytosine, guanine, and tyrosine. Between the adenine and the tyrosine and between the cytosine and the guanine, there is an unknown component that holds them together. The rails of his DNA are made of unknown components linked with phosphorous and hydrogen molecules. This shows us that he is a hybrid."

    Dr. Veelet was really amazed to see how Alexander's DNA looked. He felt as though they needed to get more information. "You sure that you can't find his other half?"

    "I tried," said Dr. Marshall. "I looked through every DNA structure of each race we had encountered. I deleted the Human components and replicated the others to reconstruct a DNA from this unknown race."

    Doctor Veelet turned around as Dr. Marshall typed more codes onto the computer. The Human components disappear, leaving the unknown components remaining. Those components were then rearranged to form half of a ladder. The second half of the ladder emerged from the table. As the two halves were combined together, the DNA was then twisted. He could barely speak.

    "What race has this DNA?" Doctor Veelet asked.

    "This is the problem," said Doctor Marshall. "None of the races we know have this kind of structure. This is all I could do from here."

    "At least we know what he is," Doctor Veelet shook his hand. "Thank you!"

**********

    Meanwhile, Alexander, Alice, and Hobbes went on a hike to the top of Mount Kobe, just about five miles from their house. The mountain was twenty thousand feet high with a perfect view of the ocean. A couple hikers walked passed them, carrying small backpacks. Half way up, they got to the narrow trail that had no railing. Purple vines grew out of the joints of an outcrop. So they used them to hold onto and continued to venture. When they got out of the narrow trail, they managed to get to the top.

    When they got to the top of the mountain, they had a great view of the ocean. Alexander saw the beach where he met Vyla. He spotted their house sticking out of the jungle. The ocean stretched into the horizon as far as his eyes could see. The 023 Newbury could be seen floating high above the clouds. He felt like he was on top of the world.

    "This is amazing!" Alexander said feeling excited. "It’s like looking at a painting of the landscape."

    "It sure is," Alice agreed.

    "I can paint the scenery with my eyes closed," he said.

    "Maybe when you learn how to paint like a master," she said.

    Alice's ear phone rang and she answered, "Hello."

    While Alice was talking to someone, Alexander continued to look down from the cliff. He could see a pod of whales spewing columns of air as they surfaced. A huge amount of people in the beach were leaving the beach as it was close to the end of the day. Birds shot out of the trees and flew over the hills.

    "Hey Alex," Alice hung up her ear phone. "That was Doctor Veelet."

    "What did he want?" Alexander asked.

    Alice said, "They ran some tests and it turns out you have a hybrid."

    Alexander looked puzzled. "What did he mean I am a hybrid?"

    Alice cleared her throat. "A hybrid is an organism that is a cross breed between two different species. Your mother was a Human and your father may have been an unknown extra-terrestrial."

    "How did they know?"

    "They examined your DNA from your blood sample."

    "What is DNA?"

    "It's what carries the information and controls the functions in our bodies."

    "Oh my," Alexander started to pace. "My mother knew I was a hybrid."

    Alexander hesitated for a moment to think. He really missed his mother so much, but knew nothing about her. "Why didn't she tell me?"

    "What could you tell me about her?" she asked. "If there are only one or two things, that's ok."

    "Ok, then," he paused. "My mother' name was Helen. She gave birth to me at the Temple of Teren. But she never told me how she got there. She was a very secretive woman."

    "What did she look like?"

    "She had black hair like a raven, her skin was pale, and her eyes were amber. She was really beautiful, very caring, young, and protective."

    "What about your father?"

    "I never knew my father. My mother never told me about him."

    "Why would she not tell you what you are?"

    He paced faster and pulled out his amulet. "I really don't know why."

    "What about that amulet your mother gave you?" she asked pointing to it.

    He explained. "This amulet, she gave it to me right before she died. She told me that it would guide me, but I still don't understand how. All I know is that it helps me remember her."

    "I'm truly sorry about her," she said softly. "Do you think there was something awful she went through?"

    "I really don't know!" he clutched his fists and stomped into the ground. "I really don't know her at all! I don't know what she did in the past! I don't anything!"

    Alexander was now angry at his dead mother. Why she never told me that I am a hybrid? He picked up a couple rocks, threw them over the cliff, and shouted, "I don't know her! Why would she not tell me?! Why I don't understand anything about myself! She had been making me question my life! I hate it! I really do!"

    He dropped himself to the ground. He sat back to a boulder and covered his face mumbling, "She's not a good mother. She's not a good mother."

    Hobbes came up to him, rubbed his head on Alexander's legs, and purred.

    Alice slowly approached him. "Alex, she might have gone through something that was traumatic and she was too scared to tell you."

    "Like what?"

    "Maybe there was a war or any kind of conflict she may have been involved in."

    Alexander took a couple of deep breaths and hesitated. He didn't have the information about himself, but learned he was a hybrid. He felt that he would never know his family's past.

    "You know," said Alice. "Not many people know about their family's past. Some people would discover their past later in their lives and others would not. Maybe someday you would learn, just give it time."

    "Ok," he said slowly got back up.

    "It's getting late, we should probably head back," she said.

    Then they heard a series of growls coming from the loose rocks. Hobbes stood in front of them and growled like a guard dog. Alice took out her laser pistol and aimed at where they were hearing the growling. A few ratters popped out of the rocks. They had a form of a squirrel, but claws of a raptor. Their mouths filled with bare teeth. The sun was setting and they were hungry.

    Alice fired her pistol at the ratters to scare them away, but they howled in reinforcements. Five more ratters answered and they were outnumbered. Two ratters charged and she shot them in the head. That made the choppers angry and they charged at them.

    "Run!" Alice screamed.

    Alice kept shooting at the ratters as they chased them down the slope. They didn't stop to catch their breath. As they ran, the ratters slowed down because of their curved claws. If they ran, they might slip and fall.

    When Alice and Alexander got to the narrow trail, they swung to the other side with the vines. They got to the other side, Alice shot the narrow trail and it collapsed so the ratters would not get to the other side. A couple of the ratters slipped off and fell to their deaths and Alice shot a few ratters that she saw. They were safe, for now. They managed to catch their breath and Alice looked around to see any ratters lurking. She took out her earphone to call for help.

    "This is 911, what is your emergency?"

    "We were chased by ratters on Mount Kobe and we can't continue going on the trail home. We are at the elevation of about 14, 380 feet and I have my flasher. Please send help!"

    "I am sending a hovercopter to your area. Use your flasher when you see us. Wait there!"

    "Alex, we have to wait until the hovercopter comes to pick us up," Alice said.

    "What if the ratters come?" worried Alexander.

    "I will blow their heads off with my gun. We will get home, I promise!" said Alice.

    Then a ratter leaped out of the bushes and Alice shot it in the air. Two more came out of the bushes and Hobbes fought them off and snapped one of the ratter's necks and she shot the other one. Alexander swung a long stick to these creatures away from them. More ratters came up the trail and she kept shooting at them. To Alexander, they kept appearing whenever she kills one.

    "They just keeping coming!" he yelled.

    "The hovercopter will be here soon!" she yelled.

    Alice's pistol vibrated violently telling her that the battery power was out. So she ejected the dead battery and inserted another battery and continued to fire at the ratters. She took out the flasher to signal the hovercopter. They needed to get off this mountain as soon as possible. But then the flasher slipped from her hand and fell off the cliff.

    "No, The flasher!" Alice shouted as their hope for rescue was fading.

    One of the ratters leaped over her and he dodged out of its way. The ratter fell off the cliff, but his dodge made him lose his balance. She turned around and saw him about to fall. He lost his balance and fell off the cliff.

    "Alex!" Alice screamed.

    He fell off the cliff. His life flashed before his eyes. Falling off twenty stories, but he unexpectedly landed. Moved his limbs around and nothing were broken.

    "Alex! Can you hear me?!" she yelled from the top.

    "I am fine!" he shouted back.

    "Stay right there! I am climbing down with a vine to get you," she shouted.

    "I found the flasher!" he shouted.

    "Turn it on so I can see you," she said.

    Alexander began to turn on the flasher when a ratter leaped on to him. The ratter got its claws on his shoulders and was going to snap off his head. But he got a good grip on the ratter's jaws and tried to push the chopper off of him. He whacked it in the face with his amulet. The ratter went rigid in one big spasm, sparks leaping away like fireflies before it fell away. Another ratter leaped out of the bushes and he killed it with the amulet. He held the amulet out as if it was a gun and waited for more ratters to come out.

    More choppers leaped in every direction and surrounded him. He then decided to hold the sides of the amulet, which released a massive blue light. The ratters looked at the blue light with horror and leaped away from Alexander and ran away as fast as possible. Alexander looked up and saw the hovercopter descending into the floor.

    "Alex!" Alice ran up to him and gave a tight hug. "Are you ok?"

    "Just hurt, but I am alive! This amulet saved us!" Alexander shouted.

   Then pilot of the hovercopter flashed the lights at Alexander and Alice and said, "Come on board!" They jumped onto the hovercopter, flew out of the jungle, and made it to base. Alice treated the wounds he received from the choppers before heading home.

    "Alex, next time we are taking shorter hikes and starting them in the morning," she said. "How did you turn it into a weapon?"

    Alexander explained, "I whacked the ratter in the head with the amulet before it tried to bite my head off and it died of some kind of shock. Then more choppers surrounded me, but I held the sides of the amulet and it released a massive light which scared off the choppers and attracted the hovercopter."

    "I am so glad that your mother gave that to you! You are going to really need it!"

**********

    When the rescuers escorted them back home, Alexander better knowing that his amulet had a defense mechanism. Alice thought if that could work against the ratters, then that would work against the Threshers. They got home and Alice put Alexander to bed after an exciting day.

    "Hey Alex, I have something for you," she said.

    "What is it?" he asked.

    She took a book out of her bag and handed it to him. He opened it, but there was nothing written on it. He was puzzled, but then she explained, "It's a diary. It is a special kind of notebook where you write what is up in your mind, like saving us from the choppers, you can write a short story, and you can pretty much write whatever you want in it."

    "That sounds like a great idea," he smiled.

    "I am glad to hear it. Would you like to write something in it before going to bed?" she asked.

    "Sure," he nodded.

    He took out his pencil, she gave him the diary, and he started writing on it. He wrote:

"Dear Diary,

    My name is Alexander McAuliffe. I am 9 years old. I was born on a planet called Chartorla of the Vega System. My home was destroyed by an army of machines called Threshers. I lost everything on my world. My Cobain Uncle was killed and my mother was the most important person in my life that was killed that day. I really don't know about her. She came from somewhere and gave birth to me at my planet. She never told me about what I am. She was human and I am a hybrid. I am a cross breed between Human and unknown alien being. She never told me about my father. Alice thinks she might have gone through terrible times and maybe that is why she decided not to tell me. She was scared for me and my future. She was the most caring and protective person I know. She was brave enough to risk her life to save mine. Right before she died, she gave me her amulet and said it will guide me. Her amulet saved me and Alice while we were attacked by a pack of ratters. It shocked the ratters and released a huge blue light to scare them off and attracted the rescuers. Even though I learned about my abilities and what the amulet does, I still don't know who my father was and why I am a hybrid. I probably am going to spend most of life trying to find out. If that is going to be the case, so be it then. Alice and my friends will support me as I will be growing up and learning more about myself. Wish me luck!"

    Alexander stopped writing to think. He felt more confused about his life than ever. His life so far filled with questions he needed answered. Who’s his father? How did his mother make it to Chartorla? Why a hybrid? What's his purpose and why? One day, he will find the answers. Just needs to give it time.