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Adam closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Time slowed to a creeping halt, and with all the strength he could muster Adam raised his long leg and kicked backwards. His powerful kick landed squarely on the knee of Johann's injured leg. When it connected, there was a loud crack, like that of a tree branch breaking, and Johann’s knee immediately folded backwards at a sharp forty-five degree angle.
The air rang with the sharpness of Johann's cries as he collapsed into a cloud of red rock dust. Free from Johann’s grasp, Adam dashed towards Ikeda, and Bear dove forward, landing on top of Johann as he tried to level his gun at Adam.
One single shot was fired from the blue steel pistol before Bear ended Johann's life.
As Bear lay there, the look on his face revealed the horror of having to do it.
“Please do not blame yourself. It was for the greater good, son,” Ikeda whispered.
As he made his way to his feet, Adam looked down at Bear’s abdomen as a small blood stain grew larger and larger.
Bear reached down, touched it, and then held up his blood-soaked hand. “I've been s-sh—” Bear said as his eyes fluttered and he collapsed back to the ground. Ikeda hobbled over and sat down beside him.
“Brave son. My brave son,” he said, rocking back and forth as he stroked Bear's forehead.
As his life gradually left him, Bear watched as Ikeda raised his shirt, already wet with blood. Ikeda laid his tiny hands on the gushing gunshot wound and closed his eyes. Although nearly unconscious and going into shock, Bear instantly felt an intense warmth and was enveloped in a sense of great calm. Adam and Evelyn watched in amazement as a blood covered bullet worked its way up from deep within the flesh, as if being pulled by a magnet, and fell to the ground.
The color was quickly draining from Ikeda's face. As he concentrated harder, his skin became almost transparent. Blue veins became visible in his throbbing temples. The wound on Bear's abdomen was slowly fading away as was Ikeda's life.
“Ikeda, stop!” Adam cried.
Ikeda smiled as he hunched over where he sat, now too weak to even sit up straight. “It is my time, Adam. No one can stop it. I can think of no better way to use the last of my life.”
Bear sat up, speechless, touching his abdomen that only moments before had been ripped open by the bullet and marked by gushing blood.
Bear, Adam, and Evelyn surrounded Ikeda, holding onto him gently. Ikeda's breathing became labored. He looked up through half-closed eyes and smiled.
“Take this,” He whispered, placing a small, postage stamp-sized computer chip in Evelyn’s hand. “Plug this into the slot . . . on the console . . . as soon as everyone's aboard. The craft is programmed to do the rest. Do not be sad,” Ikeda smiled. “For where I'm going now is more real than this world you know. I will be forever with you. Just think of me and I will be there. See me and you see yourselves. This is what you are to become.” His gazed settled on Adam’s eyes. “N-n-namaste, my son.”
With these last words, a smile formed on his thin lips, and Ikeda fell limp in Adam’s arms. Suddenly his whole body began to glow. It appeared that his solid form was transforming into a bright white light.
The three slowly backed away as the light became brighter and then began to collapse in on itself. The light grew to a blinding intensity as it shrank until it was the size of a light bulb and then no larger than the head of a pin. In the matter of just a few seconds Ikeda’s physical form disappeared entirely from their view.
CHAPTER 26
Adam led Evelyn and Bear up the ramp of the craft. All of Ikeda's children were seated quietly on the long benches that encircled the interior edge of the craft. Adam felt such a sense of knowing and interconnectedness that he didn’t want to spoil it with words.
Bear made his way to the middle of the cabin and lifted up a small panel in the floor. He slid the small metal combustion chamber into the compartment and made sure it was secure. The part was a perfect fit.
Evelyn plugged the silicon chip into the slot on the craft’s console, as Ikeda had instructed. As she did, the hatch immediately closed, and the craft’s engines began to softly whine and then growing to a whisper quiet.
Adam could feel that the craft was leaving the ground. In a flash a holographic image appeared in the middle of the cabin, displaying a clear, almost 360 degree view of the outside of the craft. He noticed the children taking one long last look at the only world they had ever known, watching as it slowly shrank in size.
The craft climbed ever more rapidly and as it gained altitude. The planet looked sinister as dark gray clouds completely enveloped it and lightning strikes flashed across its surface every few seconds. Adam glanced at his watch; it was exactly 1:11, to him a very good omen. When the interior lights dimmed, everyone’s attention was drawn to the center of the craft where a projection of Ikeda appeared, superimposed over top of the blackness and twinkling stars of deep space.
“Welcome," he said, "if you see me now, we were successful!"
Adam, Evelyn and Bear smiled at one another.
Ikeda clapped his hands. “You are now on your way to your new home. This craft generates its own gravity, so you will be quite comfortable although you are traveling at great speed. You know this planet you are traveling to from your school lessons, but, as with many things, you weren't told the complete truth. They taught you this planet was lifeless, but this is not true.
The planet is pristine and bustling with a diverse mix of life on the land and in the oceans. Your new home, which we call Earth, is the third planet from your sun. Your planet was Mars, the fourth from the sun in a line of eight, so your old home and your new home have much in common. Your landing spot is ideal in every way, water is abundant, and temperatures are comfortable year-round.
Another species of humanoid is already populating this planet, but their numbers are few. They are intelligent, built a bit sturdier than you, but have very limited technology. You will land far enough so you may never even come in contact with them in your lifetimes. Packed in the craft is everything you will need: food, water-purifiers, and an extensive seed bank containing corn, wheat, and many other familiar plants. There are also very useful books on farming, survival, and several other topics that will be helpful. The children are highly trained in all of these areas and will be of great help.”
The holographic projection of Ikeda then took on a look of extreme seriousness, and the realism was striking. It was as though he was right before them.
Behind Ikeda’s image, Adam could see an enormous and beautiful bright blue, green, and white planet growing increasingly larger.
“Twenty minutes to arrival,” announced the craft’s computerized voice.
“Everyone, listen with your full attention. You have been given the great and rare privilege to begin again. Please never forget to respect this new home and the other life forms who share it. You, your planet, and all other lifeforms on the planet will share a very precious and symbiotic relationship. Be kind to them, and they will be kind to you. Never forget the need to maintain balance in life, and in order to learn what this is, you must meditate.
Make it a practice to retreat within yourselves daily and learn the language of your heart and the universe. Teach your children and your children's children this practice, and you cannot even comprehend what you will accomplish. It is your destiny. Learn, grow, and love one another, and I will assure you that one day you will join us to become a citizen of the great universe and share in all the wondrous mysteries it keeps. Namaste.”
The projection of Ikeda slowly faded away. The moment became a little more real as the craft began to subtly shake on its descent through the atmosphere of this striking planet called Earth. Adam stood up quickly to admire the lushness of the green vegetation and blue seas.
Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a neatly folded piece of parchment paper placed on the corner of the ship’s console. It crackled as he opened it, and when he did, he saw a poem scribbled in Ikeda’s hand. As the Earth’s surface grew closer, Adam read the words aloud for the others to hear.
“The past is present in all we are,
a living legacy of each joy and sorrow,
every struggle and victory,
however small and seemingly insignificant.
The way we laugh, a certain smile,
how we hold our hands or sweep the floor,
we are all new branches of the same tree of life
and this is our time to reach for the sun.”
The craft began its final descent and was now just a few hundred feet from the ground. Bear, Evelyn, and Adam looked at each other, and Adam read astonishment on their faces. He realized in his heart this would be a struggle, but still his eyes were wide in anticipation. Although fear lingered in the background of his mind, it only heightened the excitement of the moment. An unimaginable chance to start anew, and the freedom to create a life of their own design, filled with things of substance, things that mattered.
Bear, Evelyn, and Adam held hands as the craft gently touched down on what was to be their new world. The moment felt sacred to Adam. He glanced at the children who looked perfectly calm and happy, as if it was just another day. Only now, as things were settling and quiet, he was beginning to feel the weight of the incredible responsibility that Ikeda had entrusted him with. When the hatch opened the sun’s warmth touched Adam’s face and the first breath of fresh salt air filled his lungs.
Adam walked down the craft’s ramp, mesmerized by the birdsong and lush green grass swaying in the breeze, and he couldn’t hold back his tears. He slowly walked a few feet toward the grass and lowered himself onto the warm earth. As he lay there on his back, staring up at the bright blue sky it felt for a moment like he was all alone.
He had no idea what the future would hold for him and his new family here but he felt hopeful. Adam then closed his eyes and whispered one wish to the heavens. The wish was that time, freedom, and this beautiful world might heal them in such a way that they would never fall asleep again.
THE END
(All gifs sourced from Giphy.com)
I want to personally thank each and every one of you for the support and enthusiasm you’ve shown for my work over these past few months. I will never forget the excitement of Summer and Fall of 2016 and all of the dreams it brought to fruition. The sequel to Alarm Clock Dawn, Truth Is Stranger, will be ready next Spring (2017) and I am considering publishing it here on Steemit first.
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