V is for Victim

Chapter 2
Chapter Two

Chapter Two

In the year 2009, human scientists were contacted by what they had thought was an alien race. The contact was not subtle, as messages in every conceivable human language flashed across television screens, over radios, and on the internet. The words were simple: “YOU ARE NOT ALONE.” The world shook, politicians screamed hoax, the superstitious claimed the end was here. A full year passed after that initial message without anything further, and mankind generally regarded that first transmission as an elaborate prank.

Until they came in force.

When the Theran first arrived, presenting themselves to famous men and women, they looked as though they came straight out of a bad science-fiction novel. Dark, rubber-like suits encased their tall forms, and the voices they spoke in echoed hollowly, like a robots. They did not come in ships, rather, flashes of bright light preceded only by a terrible humming sound. In our own languages, they spoke to us of peace. They explained that in no way was this an invasion, rather, the Theran race had discovered the existence of Humans some time ago, and had been watching us for years. After countless trys to communicate, the Contact message was the first one to bridge the gap between the two. Without getting into it (it’s believed that the Theran didn’t think we’d quite understand) they told us they’d been able to make ?Portals’ between our world and theirs. As of yet, this was a one-way trip, but the Theran who had come (the final count was five hundred and forty seven, minus three unfortunate casualties due to arriving over water) were dedicated to working with the humans to create the portals here on Earth, back to Thera.

If you know anything about Human nature, it’s that we are a suspicious, cowardly lot. There was panic in the streets as these extraterrestrial invaders landed, and the fact they wanted our help creating ?holes’ to another dimension was met with almost violent resistance. Some wanted to capture the Thera and study them in better detail, others feared new diseases from Outer Space, and again, the superstitious clamored that this was the end of days. Seven foot tall, blue rubber space suit wearing robots fulfilled some prophecy of Apocalypse, if you can believe that.

The Thera, who were for the most part soft spoken and kindly, seemed to anticipate this reaction. They gathered together, all of them, right here in the United States, and as one, began the Gifting. Working with the unbiased men and women of science, within a month, they developed a clean, unlimited energy supply that ran on human waste product. No longer did the muck end up within our oceans, it powered our homes and vehicles. Within the second month, they created a means to naturally restore dead land to its fertile roots. Food grown in this soil was bigger, healthier, and completely chemical free. World hunger was in no way completely abated by this, but it was a start.

In the third month, they presented the cure for AIDS.

By this time, the majority of the world was prepared to accept the Therans for what they were; friends and benefactors. There were still some detractors that smelled foul play, but they were a minority indeed. The 547, as they were called, were by now global heroes, and many knew each of their long, musical names by heart. The Portals were being constructed, and each of them were looking forward to at last, being able to go home.

Mayianri Huyan was one of the 547 who specialized in Pediatric science. While touring an elementary school, she inadvertently painted a picture of the forms they held beneath their rubber suits. . Observing a first grade class in the middle of their art course, she noticed a young girl drawing a picture of a raccoon. As she approached, the girl drew back, scared of the sounds the ventilator on Mayi’s suit was making. Pointing at the drawing, Mayi told the child that the picture was awfully close to what she looked like beneath the mask, and that there was nothing to be afraid of. A few more pointed questions later, (which oddly, had never been asked...humans can be so awkward about things) and it was discovered that the Thera, beneath their rubber robot suits, were tall, bipedal humanoids that shared characteristics with Earth’s animals. Some were mammals, some avian, some reptile, some amphibian. All races co-existed in harmony, segregated only by what climates the individual species could handle.

It must be said that even after the Portals were built, there was no mass exodus to Thera, nor the other way around. Though the gates now existed, travel between the worlds was horrifically expensive and dangerous. The Thera wore their rubber suits because Earth’s atmosphere was poisonous and toxic to them, and various experiments proved that Thera was likely just as bad for humans. At first, only ambassadors and diplomats were allowed to make the journey, then influential personages and celebrities. Still, the Theran people expressed some measure of disappointment in the project...they had been hoping for more then just casual contact between the two races. A year passed, and relations began to break down, the common man unable to glimpse this magical world so frequently spoken about by people above their own in station. Thera was viewed as some ultra-posh resort for the wealthy, out of reach for everyone else. This was perhaps furthest from what the Thera had intended to accomplish.

It was a human scientist that discovered the key.

Though the human genome had been completely mapped out by this time (same as the Theran one) there were still little bits in there that science had been unable to completely explain. Comparing the two sets of data, human and thera, it was discovered that they were almost completely similar in some instances, regardless of the species or race of the human or thera. It was as though a miniature Thera existed within every human, and vice versa. Imputing this knowledge into the technology behind the Portals, it was discovered that by ?laying bare’ this set of genomes during the transfer between worlds, the person coming through would take on the shape of the world’s inhabitants. Humans would sprout fur or feathers and grow tails, and the Thera would lose their pelts in exchange for white, black, brown or red skin. It made the passage much safer, easier to facilitate, and open to all. Soon, going to Thera was akin to going to Mexico...all you needed was your passport and some money for an entry visa, which wasn’t cheap, but it wasn’t ridiculous.

Special permits were required to actually take anything over with you, such as cameras and spare film, but Addison had been supplied these credentials by the newspaper he worked part time for. Though he’d give an arm and leg to become a full-fledged teacher, substitute work did not pay all the bills. An artist at heart, the young man found he had a talent for photography, and generally received fairly good money selling his pictures to the Canyon Herald. They had a monthly special on ?The Beauty of Thera’, and Addison’s photos were some of the best they featured. The money they paid was generous, and always more then paid for the visa to get in, allowing him some extra cash for R and R. Addison had an appointment with a dear friend today, and he looked forward to that immensely. Theresa hadn’t been around the last time he had made the trip, last month, but rumor had it that she was now one of the managers of the Reception site that he’d be using to travel. He’d sent her a few emails, asking her to lunch in a round-about way, and together, they’d set a date up under the pretense of a photo-gathering session.

A stray trickle of rain hit him on the forehead, and he quickened his pace, sighing. No time for introspection, I suppose, he thought as he hurried along.