William recovered from his head injury, a matter of a splitting headache for several days and several stitches. William's main concern was for his son's well being. Gene required more help than anyone realized, with constant observation his doctor was able to come up with a diagnosis of Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED). A behavioral disorder characterized by extreme expressions of anger, often to the point of uncontrollable, unpremeditated rage disproportionate to the situation whether real or imagined. Gene's doctor has started him on relaxation training, cognitive restructuring and exposure therapy to help Gene deal with stressful situations. William still worried over the statics he found on the internet that individuals with IED were four times more likely to develop depressive/anxiety disorders and were three times more likely to become substance abusers. Every time William visited Gene at the hospital, Gene would either talk animatedly or would scowl at him depending upon whatever mood he was in at the time.
One night following a visit with Gene, William was feeling more than the usual amount of anxiety and with a sinking heart he realized the aliens were coming. He slept fitfully expecting to be pulled from his bed at any moment but morning came and the aliens hadn't come. Each night that passed and the aliens still didn't come, William tried to convince himself that it was worry over Gene that was causing his anxiety to sky rocket. As much as he tried to dismiss it he knew he was right, after all the years he recognized the uneasiness that always preceded their presence.
William was startled from his fitful sleep by a noise outside. Getting up as silently as he could so as not to disturb Jessica sleeping beside him, he went outside to face his fate. Heart pounding, William confronted the alien coming towards him.
"Why can't you leave me alone?" years of frustration and fear prompted William to question the alien.
"We cannot. You are too important to the future of our people."
"What? I ..." astonished that the alien spoke and he understood what it said, William was momentarily unable to speak. Recovering from his shock William continued "I don't understand. Why am I so important?"
"You are essential to our research into reproduction. My people are dying unable to reproduce soon we will be extinct. It is our hope to learn how to duplicate your procedure on others. Once it has been perfected we will move on to more important subjects."
William was overwhelmed with the knowledge he was given. He couldn't help but ask "Are there others like me?"
"Other specimens yes but none as successful. We have isolated the DNA markers we feel contribute to your success. Now we must find other specimens that share it."
"What gives you the right to use people as lab rats?"
"We are fighting to survive. Nothing else matters."
"What good is surviving if you've become a race of monsters preying on others?"
Cocking it's head to the side the alien responded "That is irrelevant. A luxury we do not have. If we succeed the survivors will rebuild and become what they will be. Our race will survive. Whether the same or changed we will be."
"You will be a race of beings who think they can take and do whatever they want regardless of how it effects others."
"The feelings of inferior creatures is irrelevant."
William sighed knowing he couldn't win this argument. Resignation settled over him as he asked "Will you be taking me again?"
The alien conferred with someone unseen then said "No we will not. We will be back for you at another time. However we will be back sooner for one of your male progeny, a most promising specimen."
"No you can't. Take me. Do what you want with me but leave my children alone!" William's pleas fell upon deaf ears.
"He will have no choice when the time comes. No more than your mother or you had when it we came for you." William lunged forward to grab the alien as a beam of light came and left William grabbing air.
William stood there looking up into the night sky unphased by the beauty all around him. All he could see was a monstrous threat to all he held dear. Which of his sons were going to experience that threat first hand? Will they be strong enough to survive the mental and emotional anguish? Gulping compulsively William prayed 'Please god don't let it be Gene?"
Shocked into silence, William couldn't believe he had just done that. He didn't want any of his son's to experience what he went through. However he couldn't imagine how Gene would be able to cope with the trauma when he couldn't cope with the stresses of life without aliens in it. Hopefully he was safe in the hospital, but that still left Robert, Casey and even little Michael as targets.
Shivering in the cool night air William blindly found his way back to bed, his mind a million miles away with the hidden dangers of the night sky. Snuggling close to Jessica he fell into a an exhausted dream where he was strapped helplessly on a table surrounded by aliens.
"The aliens are back," William told Jessica the following morning.
"No William, no. It's just your anxiety. Have you been taking your anxiety pills? You've been stressed out about Gene. The aliens don't even know we're here."
Rolling his eyes and fighting the urge to yell at her, William said in a firm but calm voice "It's not anxiety. They were here last night. I spoke with one of them."
Jessica looked at him as if he had lost his mind. "No you must be imagining things. Maybe you should see the doctor Gene is seeing."
"I'm not crazy," William yelled at her "I know what I saw last night. Would it be more believable if they had abducted me instead? Or would you think that I had just wondered off in a daze? Better yet once they decided to bring me back and I was pregnant again and gave Evelyn a brother or sister just like her. Would you still think I was crazy, imagining things?"
Disgusted by her, William walked away scared and alone. Jessica stood there trembling, wondering why she had just accused her husband of being crazy. She knew the aliens were real, a threat to her family. She even spoke to one years ago who told her they would be back for .... Her sons? What if, oh god no.... "William" she shouted at his retreating back.
Stopping at the sound of her voice, he asked "What?" refusing to turn around and look at her.
Walking jerkily in front of William, Jessica shakily asked "Have they come to take one of our sons?"
"Yes, they ..." stopping as he realized what she said William asked "How did you know?"
"William I'm sorry I should never have said those awful things. I know your not crazy but I had hoped, needed to believe the aliens wouldn't find us here."
"But how did you know about them coming to take our son?"
"They told me," Jessica whispered as she began to cry "What are we going to do?"
Taking her into his arms William said "I don't know. I don't think we have a choice and we can't hide." William held her as her body jerked in unrestrained sobs. He felt so helpless and powerless to protect his family.
The following week William was looking forward to visiting Gene. He tried without success to have Jessica come with him but her feelings were still strong and unforgiving. William knew one day she would regret closing herself off from Gene but there didn't seem to be anything he could do to prevent it. William struggled to reason with her as she harped on him about the safety of the family and how she strongly believed that Gene with his IED was an unacceptable danger. William refused to entertain Jessica's suggestion that they send Gene away to a specialized school for emotionally disturbed children. William knew his son had problems but he agreed with the doctor that to send him away would reinforce his low opinion of himself and his condition would continue to spiral out of control. William firmly believed that Gene hadn't meant any harm to him that night and it was just their bad luck that he hit his head at the angle that he had. There was no way he was sending his son away. He was coming home and he was going to feel safe and accepted. Jessica would have to deal with it the best she could.
William hoped that while he was away the aliens wouldn't come back but he knew whether he was there or not wouldn't make a difference. After William left, Robert was finding it difficult to sleep and was plagued by nightmares every night. Robert opened his eyes after another unsettling dream of faceless monsters, he sighed wishing his Dad was there. At least then he'd have someone to talk to about his dreams. He didn't feel comfortable talking to his mom, not after what happened with Gene. She had a way of looking at him, like she was somehow afraid of him. He couldn't explain it but on top of the dreams he felt alone and scared.
Peering at the alarm clock, Robert moaned in dismay when he saw it was almost two in the morning. He needed sleep, his mind and body were crying out for it and yet when he did sleep his dreams sent him screaming to consciousness. Silently he got up so as not to disturb Michael; although we wondered why he bothered, the kid could sleep through a hurricane. He decided it was time to try some warm milk, it sounded disgusting but he hoped it would help him sleep. Shuffling into the kitchen, Robert tried not to think about the night he struggled with Gene over the knife. He had been more brutal then he meant to be but he had been desperate. He wasn't going to lose another sibling not when there was something he could do about it. Shaking his head he tried to get the image of his mother out of his mind. That distrustful, fearful look she had been giving him ever since bothered him. He wondered if she felt he had chosen Gene over his Dad. Whatever her reasons were it always made him uneasy and kept him from turning to her for help.
Shaking his head Robert tried to dispel these unsettling feelings he had towards his mom. Sometimes he just didn't understand how his Dad was able to cope with her; especially after the events surrounding that doctor in Aurora Skies. He knew if he had been in his Dad's shoes he'd never be able to trust her again. Things had settled down when they moved to Barnacle Bay until Gene tried to commit suicide and pushed their Dad. Now Mom was up to her old tricks again trying to get Dad to send Gene away, trying to convince him that Gene wasn't safe to have around the family. Maybe she felt the same about him, maybe the family would be better off without him too. That's the message he was getting from the nasty fearful looks she was giving him.
Setting the milk on the counter Robert was overwhelmed with a desire to go outside. He didn't understand and despite his best efforts to go back to bed, his footsteps carried him out the front door. Looking up Robert saw a bright beam of light coming towards him, he wanted to run, to scream, anything but he was paralyzed. A figure came up beside him, trying to push him away from the beam. It proved to powerful and while both stood in the beam only one remained when the beam vanished. The figure crumpled in upon itself on the ground letting out an anguished cry "Why did you take him and not me?"
