The Chronicles of Amon book 1 LINK

  Chapter 2.

  “See how they fear to approach! They fear you!” Sef’s father manipulated his arm gingerly, winching as the pain shot through his swollen shoulder. Signing with one hand was difficult, but he managed to make his point understood.

  “I think they do not fear me, father.” Sef signed. “I think they keep their distance because they fear and respect you. They saw how their leader flung me aside as though I were nothing. They saw how he died just as victory was seemingly in his grasp. That is what they saw, that is what they believe.”

  “My victory over their leader was none of my doing. Had it not been for fate I might just as easily have been the one to die.”

  “But, my father, they do not know this. To them you are the rightful victor. They have not been changed as you have. They do not comprehend as you do.”

  “Yes. I forget. My “change” has been with me so long now that I rarely think about it.”

  “But you MUST remember it now. You are their new leader. You must fill that role in a manner which they recognize and expect. If you were to deviate from that role, who knows what their reaction might be.”

  “But what of you, my son? What will you do now that your existence is known among my people?”

  “I perceive there is little I CAN do. I am accepted here only because in their eyes YOU accept me. Had you lost the battle I am sure I would have been driven off or killed. Such may well still be the case if they sense something amiss. For that reason I must play a subservient role. I must not be suspected of challenging your authority. So long as I am here, I must refrain from speaking. I must display obeisance to you at all times.”

  “This is wisdom, my son. However, it has been long since I was among my people. I fear I may have forgotten their customs.”

  Sef was unsure how to approach this potentially sensitive part of their discussion.

  “To begin with, my Father, you must do all you can to discard all that within you which has come about as a result of your “change.” You must not acknowledge me as your son. You must not display affection toward me in any overt way. More importantly, you must stop referring to ‘them’ as ‘your people.’”

  The old simian started at the suggestion. Sef knew he must quickly find a way to explain so that his father would not be offended.

  “My father, you are no longer as they are. They cannot think the way you do. They cannot reason as you do. They cannot communicate as you do. The changes you have received set you apart from them. This will ever be so.”

  The stark realization of what his son said hit the old simian hard. As he absorbed it, the implication became startlingly obvious.

  “What you say is true, my Son. I am not like them! And I am not like you either. I am . . . alone! Alone now, more than I have ever been!”

  Almost overnight life among the simians returned to normal. Sef’s presence had little or no effect on their routine. Almost immediately he was pushed to the periphery, not being allowed to approach his father or any of the others. Only when his father approached him did the others in the clan tolerate it.

  One day when the two were on separate sides of the clan, a female cautiously began moving toward Sef’s father. Sef was filled with apprehension as he saw the female settle herself a few arm lengths from the new alpha male. Sef knew immediately what was about to happen. Anxiously he gestured toward his father, desperate to get his attention without alarming the others.

  “Father! Be careful! The female wants you! You must not!” he signed.

  “I know, son!” The old simian shifted nervously, pretending not to notice the female’s approach. “But what can I do? I dare not refuse! The others will notice!”

  “You cannot do this, Father! You are no longer like the other males in your family. You have been . . . ‘changed.’ . . .”

  When Sef’s father was “seeded,” the genetic/chromosomal code in his sperm was modified. The “seeded” females underwent similar procedures. Both of their reproductive systems were modified so that they could produce only human offspring.

  Amon had warned emphatically that mating with members of the “old family” was forbidden. He had briefly described how he and the other humans had come to be, but had never gone into detail.

  The female simian, estrus now in full bloom, edged her way closer. Father could no longer ignore her advances. He was, after all, still simian. Now, as alpha male, he no longer needed to suppress his lust. He was now free to act. The female’s scent, her body language, tempted him beyond endurance. Finally yielding to the overpowering drive within him, he seized her, drove himself into her again and again.

  Sef watched in horror as his father, hair standing up on his shoulders and the back of his neck, screamed his climax.

  Stunned and shaken, Sef retreated into the undergrowth, hid himself from the clan. His mind was reeling from the spectacle he had just witnessed. What must he do now? What would become of him and his father now that this had happened? What would be the result of this un-natural union? The implications were beyond his comprehension.

  Sometime later, toward evening, his father found him hiding in the undergrowth. (It was acceptable for the alpha to make contact with the human now that he was the leader. For Sef to have initiated contact would have caused the others to rise up against him).

  “Father!” Sef signed emphatically. “Why did you do that? You knew it was forbidden.”

  “My son, fear not. The clan has accepted me fully now. Had I refused to mate, I’m certain another male would have risen up to challenge. Now, so long as I can maintain dominance, we will be safe.”

  “But Father! What if the female conceives? What will her . . . YOUR offspring be? You have been ‘changed.’ We were warned!”

  “Regardless, my son; what is done . . . is done.” Father turned away, refusing to look his son in the eye. The unspoken truth was that Father actually relished the prestige he received as alpha male.

  In the time before his ‘change,’ he had never been considered worthy or strong enough to compete for high rank within his clan. Time and again he had watched as challenges were brought, as the ‘alpha’ position was contested. Time and again he sat by quietly, submissively, longingly, watching, but pretending not to watch as the alpha male asserted his dominance over the clan. Always he was fearful to issue a challenge himself.

  Even in his primitive, ‘pre-changed’ mind, he lacked confidence enough to assert himself. Though he never knew it, it was precisely his unobtrusive nature that had qualified him for ‘seeding.’ As a submissive member of his clan, he was in a perfect position. He would not draw attention to himself once the ‘change’ had been made.

  After the death of his mate, his feelings of inadequacy again surfaced. He became increasingly convinced that his presence within the human clan could not continue. He felt that he didn’t belong.

  He longed for the familiarity of his own clan, even if it meant reverting to a subservient role. By simian standards he was beyond his prime. He understood this and was willing to accept it, if only he could return to the comfortable surroundings he so longed for.

  But now, as alpha male, all his suppressed desires and longings surfaced. He now enjoyed prestige and influence which he never could have imagined possible.

  “We will do what is necessary for our survival,” he said as he rose to leave. “As leader, I am now in a better position to protect us. Be patient. All will be well.”

  Unable to find words sufficient to penetrate his fathers conviction, Sef sat once again in silent frustration, watching as his father sauntered back toward his ‘people.’

  Days ran together in a blur, unreal, beyond Sef’s ability to absorb. He watched helplessly as one and then another female simian came to his father. The alpha male seemed oblivious to his son, totally consumed by the power and privilege of his position.

  Days became months. Still Sef watched, distanced physically as well as emotionally from his father. Females kep
t coming. Father kept obliging.

  On a few occasions Sef noticed male simians cautiously approaching his father. But never did any of them challenge. It seemed that his father was somehow able to anticipate their advances and thwart them well before they became a serious threat.

  Sef knew that soon the pregnant females would begin giving birth. The thought of that was almost more than he could bear. What would be the result of these ‘un-natural’ unions? Would they be human? No! That was not possible. The females were not . . . not like his father. Would they be simian. . . .?

  Sef tried desperately to push these thoughts from his mind, but the sight of more and more swollen simian bellies wouldn’t allow it.

  One night Sef decided to make his bed farther away from the clan than usual. Maybe, he thought, the distance between him and them would help him to clear his mind. Restless, unable to sleep, he tossed and turned in his bed. The usual sounds of the night seeming to grow louder, the harder he tried to ignore them.

  Suddenly the forest grew deathly silent. At first he thought he had actually dozed off. He lay there, eyes closed, hoping that very quickly he would indeed drift back to sleep.

  But, no! There WAS a noise . . . ever so quiet . . . almost inaudible. A low-pitched whirring sound, so quiet that it would have ordinarily gone unnoticed.

  Sef sat bolt upright in his bed. He was wide awake! He wasn’t dreaming! He KNEW it! What was that sound?! He could see nothing in this moonless darkness. Frozen with fear, he dared not move, lest his movement should cause some unknown horror to pounce upon him.

  Out of the corner of his eye he saw movement. His head snapped in that direction. Nothing. But WAIT! Something was there! He sensed, more than saw it. The whirring sound was coming from the same direction.

  Carefully, as quietly as he could, he fumbled in the darkness, trying to find the walking stick he always carried with him. He had never had the need to test it as a weapon, but it was all he had. His fingers brushed across his rucksack. It contained only a few pieces of wilting fruit and some edible roots. It was too light to be of any use in a fight.

  His fingers found the staff’s small end and closed on it like a vice. He sat unmoving, frozen with fear, poised to strike. He heard a faint pop, and was about to raise the staff in defense, when a soft voice came from the direction he was facing.

  “Sef. Don’t be afraid. We’re here to help you.” Out of the darkness a human face began to take shape. It was faint, translucent at first, but grew gradually brighter and more substantial as it continued to form, layer upon layer.

  Sef raised the staff over his head, then swung it forcefully downward toward the now fully formed image. The image flickered once as the staff passed through it. The staff rebounded with a dull thump as it bounced off some invisible object just below.

  “That won’t be necessary.” The face’s lips moved, synchronous with the voice. Sef drew the staff back, holding it with both hands in a defensive posture.

  “I am the ‘darkness,’ the ‘darkness’ Amon told you about. Do you remember? Don’t be afraid.”

  “I remember,” Sef said, his voice barely a whisper.

  “Good. Good. Here. There is someone who wants to talk to you.” The face disappeared. Sef thought he saw the face’s outline quickly fade in the sudden darkness. Then slowly, just as before, another face began to materialize in its place. The new voice was deeper, penetrating. Sef sat transfixed, unable even to raise his arms. His mouth hung open in astonishment.

  “Hello Sef,” the image spoke to him. This one’s eyes were captivating, gentle, but penetrating.

  “I am Evander. Do you remember? Our friend Amon spoke of me.” The eyes seemed gentle, reassuring. The tension is Sef’s grip began to decrease as he recalled what Amon had said.

  “Yes. I remember.” The muscles in his neck and back began to relax. He lowered the staff to his lap.

  “Good. Good,” Evander smiled slightly as he began. “We have been watching you for some time now.” His voice was quiet, reassuring. “Tell me. How is your father?”

  “How are you here?” Sef seemed not to hear the question. “Amon is far away from here. He told me of the ‘darkness.’. .of you; how he kept it with him always. You cannot be here and there too, can you?”

  “Perhaps I should explain.” Evander’s image paused momentarily, then continued.

  “What Amon did not tell you is that the ‘darkness,’ as you call it, is but a machine.” Evander could see the confusion on Sef’s face.

  “A machine is only a thing that a man has made, like your rucksack, but much more complex . . .” Sef’s head cocked slightly. It was evident he did not know the word.

  “This ‘machine’ has many, many more parts than a rucksack and does a different thing, something your rucksack cannot do. It makes images. Faces . . . but they are not real.”

  “Not real?” Sef responded. “But I can see you! How can you be not real?”

  “Perhaps this will help,” said Evander’s image. “Your rucksack can carry many things. You can put things in it, and you can take things out of it. This machine can also carry many things. . . . many many more things . . . but these things are very, very small. You cannot touch or hold them.”

  “How is that possible?” Sef was now fully engrossed. He wanted to understand.

  “Maybe it would be best to show you how this machine works, rather than try to explain. Remember how you tried to hit the image with your staff?” Sef nodded.

  “Did you see how the staff passed through the image without harming it? That is because the image wasn’t a real person. Also, do you remember how the image began very small and grew taller? The parts of the image built one upon the other until the face was complete, much as a rucksack becomes full when you put more things into it.”

  It was clear that Sef didn’t completely understand, but Evander had only gone through the explanation to gain Sef’s confidence. What was more important was that Sef understand why Evander had revealed the presence of the transceiver.

  “My friend Sef, at the moment of our meeting you asked me how I was here. Do you recall?” Sef nodded.

  “Perhaps it would be best now to ask a different question. WHY am I here?” Again Sef agreed.

  “Recall me asking about your father? That is the reason why I’m here. You see, immediately after you and your father left, Amon contacted me. He was very concerned for your well-being. I too became concerned and sent another transce . . . another machine to follow you.

  “The machine was to remain hidden so that it’s presence would not interfere with your father’s integration back into his former family. You see, such a situation had never before happened. Once a ‘seeded.’. .”changed” individual separated from his or her clan, the individual formed a new family which remained independent and separate from the old family.

  “You and your father chose to return to his old family after the death of his mate . . . your mother. That was a great concern for us . . . that is, me, and others like me.”

  Sef obviously had no idea that there were ‘others’ but tried to comprehend.

  “Do you mean, like the face I saw before you came?”

  “Yes. Exactly. We have followed and watched you all this time, and even witnessed how your father came to be the leader.”

  “It was not father’s fault. . . .”

  “Yes, yes. We know that. It was of no concern to us then, and it still is not.”

  “Well, then. I will ask YOUR question. Why are you here?”

  “Our concern . . . MY concern is not what has gone before, but what has now happened. One of the females your father mated with has given birth.”

  “Then it is as I feared!” Sef’s concerns had now become reality. “My father has broken the taboo. He has done that which is forbidden.”

  “Yes. That is so. But be not concerned for the welfare of your father . . . at least not for now. My concern is for his offspring and how it is possible
that all this happened. You see, this has never happened before in all the time that ‘seeding’ has taken place. The modifications we made to others of your father’s species rendered them sterile after conception and successful birthing of a human. They could not reproduce after a successful pregnancy.

  But for some reason we don’t understand, you’re father’s sterilization didn’t work properly. He IS able to reproduce. However, his offspring has become an aberration; something other than normal.

  We don’t know anything about this new species . . . this new ‘person.’ Will it be like it’s mother . . . or it’s father? Or will it be different from either of them? We just don’t know.

  The only explanation we can come up with may have nothing to do with our sterilization technique, but rather with the procedure we used on your father when we learned of his desire to return to his clan.

  We were concerned that his knowledge of us, of our transceiver, might be inadvertently exposed. So we modified his memory. We erased that portion of his memory which had anything to do with our contact with him.

  It may be possible that when this procedure was done, we inadvertently modified a portion of his reproductive system. “

  “Much of what you say, I do not understand. If my parents are not really my parents, then who are my real parents? How is any of this possible?”

  “I understand your confusion and frustration. Your friend Amon had the same questions. It took him a long time to understand, but eventually his concerns were answered to his satisfaction. It will be so for you also, if you will but give it time.”

  “Amon is my friend. He trusts you. I will trust you also. For now I will put these concerns aside.”

  “Thank you, my friend,” said Evander. “Let us then focus on the fate of this new offspring.”

  “Yes. This we must do. I know not what will be the reaction within my father’s people. . . .” Sef felt uncomfortable with the word. “Within my father’s species, as you say. I am sure this is but the first of many. My father mated with every female that approached him. There were many, many.”

  “It will take time for us to know what will happen. We must be cautious not to disrupt this new situation. We must observe, but not interfere.”

  “Yes, Evander, my new friend. We must observe but not interfere. For me that will be easy. My presence is already known and accepted. But what about you?”

  “I . . . this machine . . . will remain hidden, but will continue to watch, just as has been done for all this time. It is best for you to continue as before. From time to time we will converse, but this machine . . . it’s called a ‘transceiver’ will remain hidden, even from your father. He must not know of its existence, lest he react inappropriately and disrupt his clan.”