The Good Reaper (2 page)

“It just hovered here for a few minutes and then they shined
a light beam on LeAnne,” Madeline said. “It was frightening but LeAnne is okay.
You are okay aren’t you LeAnne?”

“Yes, I don’t feel any different. Why do you suppose they
only shined the light on me?”

Everyone stood quietly, glancing from one to the other. No
one said out loud what everyone was probably thinking. Did it have something to
do with LeAnne’s medical condition? Were they curious about the wheelchair?

“Come on,” Carl said breaking the awkward silence. “Let’s go
in and have a drink or two.”

Carl and Jack had gradually become close friends. They had
shared a few life changing experiences.  Recent events had made their
political differences seem trivial and insignificant. “I sure could use a drink
Carl,” Jack agreed.

As the weeks went by, no one said anything but Carl,
Madeline and LeAnne spent a lot of time peeking out the sliding glass door that
led from the dining room out to the deck. On those nights when the rain and
wind cooperated, LeAnne sat out on the rear deck for an hour or two just
looking up at the sky and daydreaming. Sometimes her father would come out and
sit silently with her. Even though they were each lost in their own imagination
they were happy to be spending time together. But Carl’s thoughts were like a
funnel that always led down to the same place, wondering about LeAnne’s future.

“Dad did you ever wonder about them, I mean have you ever
wondered just how advanced they are? They’ve come here from who knows where.
They are obviously of superior intelligence. What if they hold the secret to
the cure for cancer?”

“They may have even eliminated all sickness and disease on
their world.”

“But why can’t they just come down here and cure us?” LeAnne
asked.

“Maybe someday LeAnne.
At least we know
they are real. If they wanted to hurt us, they could, anytime they want to.
Maybe they will cure our diseases someday. At least there is hope. They don’t
seem to have bad intentions toward us. I wonder if the beings inside that ship
are those little grey people we see on those alien documentaries.”

There was no sign of the odd ship that hovered over the
Pearson home that chilly night in September. But the strange night of the light
beam was not to be forgotten. It was the kind of thing that could be quietly
referred to with a nod or a wink. It was a secret adventure, quietly shared by
the Pearson and Cavanaugh families. But it wasn’t talked about much, at least
not until LeAnne’s health began to spiral downward.

LeAnne had one of those newer digital oxygen tanks. As long
as the battery was charged it worked like a charm. It was about 3:00 AM the
night Madeline heard her gasping for air. Madeline reached LeAnne’s room in a
matter of seconds with Carl right behind her. “Is something wrong with the
tank?” Carl yelled. “How’s the battery?”

“The battery is okay. She’s getting oxygen. I don’t know
what’s wrong,” Madeline said, sounding as if she was on the verge of panic.

LeAnne appeared to be slipping in and out of consciousness.
“Can you hear me LeAnne?” There was no response. LeAnne’s eyes looked unfocused
and far away.

“I’m calling 911,” Carl said as he ran back to the other
bedroom to grab his phone. The ambulance was there in less than six minutes.
The Pearsons arrived at the hospital just behind the ambulance which was still
parked in front of the ER entrance.

Carl and Madeline were relieved to see LeAnne wide awake
when they arrived at the hospital. After a brief exam by the ER doctor, LeAnne
was wheeled away for more tests.

Two hours later a different doctor came into the waiting
room. “Are you the Pearsons?”

Carl and Madeline were exhausted and sleepy but they jumped
up to greet the doctor. “Yes, Carl and Madeline Pearson,” Madeline answered.

“I’m Doctor Ross, the staff oncologist. I would like to admit
LeAnne for more tests tomorrow.”

“Sure, whatever you think is best doctor,” Carl responded.

“Let’s go see her,” Doctor Ross said. Carl and Madeline
followed the doctor to a large room down the hall and listened while the doctor
explained some of the tests he wanted to perform on LeAnne the following day.
LeAnne looked tired but comfortable.

“You guys can go home and get some rest,” LeAnne said. “I’m
exhausted anyway. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Carl and Madeline watched as they
wheeled LeAnne away.

The following day Carl and Madeline arrived at the hospital
early. As soon as they walked into LeAnne’s room a nurse walked in behind them.
“Doctor Ross will be here around 10:00 to talk to the three of you.”

“What about?”
Carl asked. “How is
LeAnne doing?”

“Doctor Ross will explain everything when he gets here,”
Nurse Carrie said, just before she quickly scooted out of the room.

“I’m getting the feeling that there is more going on than we
already know. I hope there will be some good news.” Madeline said, looking at
LeAnne who seemed to be in a bit of a fog. “Are you feeling okay? Have they
given you some kind of pain killer or sedative?”

LeAnne nodded. Her eyelids looked heavy and it looked like
she was trying hard to stay awake. After about twenty minutes she was out cold.
“Well, we’ve still got two hours before the doctor gets here. I guess it’s a
good time to get something to eat,” Carl said. LeAnne’s parents took their time
making their way to the cafeteria. Carl kept looking at his watch every few
minutes. They were anxious to know what was on the doctor’s mind but they
couldn’t do anything but watch the minutes slowly tick by. They waited until
just after 9:30 before returning to LeAnne’s room. When they got there LeAnne
was still asleep so they quietly sat watching television while waiting for the
doctor to arrive.

Doctor Ross was a punctual man and stepped into LeAnne’s
room at exactly 10:00 AM. “Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Pearson. Has she been
sleeping long?” he asked while looking down at LeAnne.

“We got here around 8:00 this morning and she’s been
sleeping ever since,” Madeline said.

“LeAnne?” Doctor Ross said softly bending over LeAnne and
resting his arm over the top of her pillow. LeAnne opened her eyes and looked
up at the doctor. She looked awake and rested.

After a few minutes of small talk, Doctor Ross’s demeanor
changed. He looked serious. “LeAnne, we have a wonderful staff here. We have
some of the best specialists in the area like Doctor
Ahn
the cardiologist and Doctor Rosen the vascular surgeon. But as good as they are
,
there are world renowned specialists in many areas of
study who have been proven to produce dramatic and extraordinary results,
particularly in the area of lung diseases. There is such a specialist who
practices downstate in New York City. You may have even heard of him. He has
been on several talk shows and has written several well-known research papers
on your specific condition. In short, he is the world leader in treating LAM.”

Doctor Ross opened the folder he was carrying and handed
Mrs. Pearson a multi-page bio of the world renowned specialist who he was about
to refer LeAnne to. “Doctor James Sandoval. To put it simply, he is the best
there is. I do believe in my heart that this is the best thing for you. I am
recommending that you become a patient of Doctor Sandoval. I have all the forms
here. If you agree, I can get them faxed to him this morning. Doctor Sandoval
has some amazing success stories with patients who were considered incurable.”

LeAnne cleared her throat and tried to speak. After clearing
her throat a few more times and coughing, the words finally came out. “Okay
doc. I can see where you are going with this. It would be kind of impossible
for me to commute to New York.”

“You won’t have to commute. You will stay in a private room
at the St. Elizabeth Medical Center in New York.” Doctor Ross turned to
Madeline and Carl. “Don’t worry about insurance. It won’t cost you a dime. You
can come down on weekends and stay at Franklin Suites. Saturday and Sunday will
be paid for by Doctor Sandoval’s research department.”

“Can you tell me Doctor Ross, has my condition gotten
worse?”

There was a long period of silence. The three of them looked
at the doctor. Delivering sad and disturbing news to patients was nothing new
for the doctor but he seemed to be wrestling with it. He frowned and it almost
seemed as if his eyes were watery. “There is no easy way to say this LeAnne.”
He paused for a moment and continued, “What’s happening in your lungs is very
aggressive. Since the last time we examined you, your condition has
deteriorated much faster than I expected. I do believe Doctor Sandoval may be
your last chance.”

“You don’t have to decide now, but I do advise you not to
wait too long,” Doctor Ross said.

“I’ve already decided doc,” LeAnne said. “When do we leave?”

Earth is known as Q76-P3. The planet is classified as “Level
3 Secondary.” Inhabitants have developed moderately good communication and
transportation skills and some basic medical science but they are still
primitive in many ways. Upon my arrival there would be a total of 245 Ranjisi
there. Most of the Q76-P3 recruits were assigned to the cultural-tribal study
group and about a third of the team were assigned to the environmental study
group. I was happy I was assigned to the medical science group. There were only
15 of us in the medical group and some of them would be rotating back to
Ranjisan when I arrived. I knew I would be busy but I was happy that I wasn’t assigned
to the cultural-tribal study group which studied war and tribal loyalty
patterns and religion.

I was part of Phase II of the CIPE Q76-P3 Exploration &
Discovery Project, also known as the Gamma Anadeia Alliance. Phase I which
lasted several decades consisted only of aerial observation. There was no
contact with humans. Phase II which I was a part of took our observation to the
next logical level. It consisted of infiltration by CIPE Phase II agents into
the working world of the human race. Phase II was intended to be a long,
intense period of observation.

Phase III was not scheduled to begin for another five to ten
years, depending on the findings of the Phase II study. Phase III would be the
“first contact” part of the project.
 
Phase III would begin with our introduction and announcement to the
human race that we exist and we have come to planet Earth. Our goal was that
after our introduction, the human race would join our alliance of races.

I was almost finished with a full calendar year of training
and studying at the Center for Inter-Planetary Exploration (CIPE). Most of my
time was spent studying the two main languages I would be using on P3 plus the
history of the sections of the planet I was assigned to. The primary language I
would be speaking when I arrived would be what the inhabitants called
“English.” I would also be capable of speaking Spanish but my English would
need to be flawless with no accent. I needed to be completely comfortable with
all of the language variations and cultural differences.

The inhabitants of P3 referred to their planet as “Earth”
and their race as “human.” During the last stages of my training, I talked,
ate, slept as if I was one of them. I tried to feel and be human.

Physical interaction with other Ranjisi was strictly
prohibited for one simple reason. Our physical differences would not appear
unusual as long as we were not seen with other Ranjisi. The physical
differences between Ranjisi and humans are almost entirely unnoticeable. The
only real difference is in the weakness of Ranjisi legs compared to humans.
This is due to the lower gravitational pull on Ranjisan which is just over half
what it is on P3. Although we can adjust to the difference in oxygen levels on
P3, what appears as weakness in our legs is due to millions of years of
evolution on a planet with a relatively low gravitational pull.

Also, since our race is so much older than the human race,
there is not too much variation in our overall appearance. We are average in
height, five feet, six to six feet, five for males and five feet, four to five
feet, nine for females. Our hair can be straight or curly but it almost always
ranges from light brown to dark brown. Both males and females color their hair
on Ranjisan. It seems to depend more on what people do for a living rather than
gender. People who work in offices are more likely to color their hair. I guess
that’s because they are usually neatly dressed and groomed.

Ranjisi all have just about the same pale white skin tone
and the same almond shaped eyes. We have varying degrees of what humans would
call a Roman nose with a prominent bony bridge. Our ears look a bit different
with fewer folds, giving them a slightly smoother look. So in a sense, we all
look like distant cousins. If you see a bunch of us in a group, it may look
like a family reunion. If you see a bunch of us in a group walking and looking
like we are having trouble breathing, we become an oddity. For this reason we
have been ordered not to socialize with each other when we arrive on Earth.

Ranjisi living on P3 often experience shortness of breath.
This is not due to the oxygen level on P3 but rather it is a result of the
physical exertion it takes to perform strenuous activities. The gravitational
pull on Ranjisan is about half what it is on Earth. This is not something that
anyone can adjust to quickly. It has more to do with our lack of physical
strength. If a group of Ranjisi were to attempt to participate in a physical
sport such as beach volley ball or football, they would soon be gasping for
air. During our training we are taught to avoid strenuous physical activities
on P3. We can easily make excuses when socializing with humans but if we were
in a group, it would become an oddity. Humans would find it peculiar that
several people suffered from the same affliction at the same time. This all
meant that part of the challenge of the assignment would be separation and
isolation from members of our own species. I knew that the only way I could
prevent loneliness and perhaps depression would be to form relationships with
humans.

But Ranjisan is not a utopia. Our scientists have made
amazing discoveries in science and medicine over the centuries but they haven’t
been able to solve everything.  One of the problems they have not been
able to solve is why the ratio of male to female childbirths has gradually
become so out of balance. If left to natural fertilization, 8 to 12 males would
be born for every female. Ranjisan scientists have developed a simple procedure
to modify Y chromosomes so that families could have as many females as they
desired.

However, my parents opted to take the natural route so I had
nine brothers and one sister. Naturally my sister Alula was everyone’s
favorite. Alula was the planner and organizer of my departure party.

I had been away at Ranjisan’s Global Exploratorium Campus so
Alula, my parents and my brothers were a little shocked to see me when I
returned. During my cultural study of planet Earth I became intrigued with what
humans refer to as the punk counter-culture. I was attracted to the
rebelliousness and I liked the loud music. I thought it had a kind of angry
honesty to it. Although I didn’t entirely understand why many of the young
humans were angry rebels, I assumed their disillusionment had something to do
with the endless tribal wars of planet Earth. I wasn’t completely sure I
intended to stick with my new punkish persona but at least for my initial
arrival on planet Earth, I would appear as one of them. I would be an alien
punk.

“Naos, what did you do to yourself?” Alula screamed when she
first saw me on the rear terrace of my parent’s avior. Avior’s are a modern
type of dwelling on Ranjisan. They are built of a semi-soft flexible
translucent material known as gelaeno that absorbs sunlight directly into the
avior’s power system. My parent’s avior is built into the side of an old low
mountain covered mostly in kokab white needle trees that grow at all different
twisted angles. From the inside of the avior looking out, the structure is 90%
invisible so it appears as if you are living in the middle of a white kokab
forest. From the outside, the gelaeno appears solid. From inside, we can see
out but from the outside, you can’t see in. Our family loves it but there are
many Ranjisi who prefer more traditional dwellings. I hadn’t lived at my
parent’s house for a few seasons and I had forgotten how cool living in an
avior in the forest was. Looking out at the white-bark kokab trees with their
yellow, red and green leaves was hypnotizing.

I was lost in a daydream but Alula’s voice snapped me back
to reality. “What did you do to your hair? Why did you shave your head on the
one side?” In my effort to identify with the young rebels on planet Earth, I
had shaved my head on my right side all the way up to the top and dyed my hair
white. I considered piercings and tattoos but I decided I would wait until I
got to Earth since I didn’t fully understand the meaning of the tattoos.

“When I get to Earth, I’m going to identify with the punks
and other outcasts of society. I think I look pretty good. I may be a bit old
to really fit in, but I don’t care.
The white hair kind of
goes with my tall skinny frame, azure eyes and pale skin.
You don’t like
it?”

“It’s different,” Altair my youngest brother said. “So what
do you have to rebel about?”

“I guess I don’t really know Altair. Maybe I’ll understand
after I’ve lived with humans for a while.”

“Well I like it,” Syrma said. “So what’s a punk?” Syrma and
I were childhood friends who grew up together. My parents still expected us to
get married someday but I had never thought of Syrma in a romantic way. She had
grown into a beautiful Ranjisi female but we were more like brother and sister
than boyfriend and girlfriend.

“Punks are kind of like our islanders except that islanders
actually withdraw from society and live primitively. Punks seem to be angrier
and they still live within human society. However, you must understand that
Earth is less evolved than Ranjisan. I think humans have a lot more to be angry
about.”

“I read that they still have wars,” My brother Minkar said.
“Is that true?”

“Yes. As far as I know from reading Earth’s history, there
has never been a period in time when there wasn’t a war raging in one part of
the planet or another.”

“So why did you volunteer to go there?” Alula asked. “It
doesn’t seem like a very nice place.”

“Ranjisan once had tribal wars, but that was many, many
centuries ago,” I said. “There are things I like about humans.” I paused for a
moment and continued, “I think it’s their passion.” Everyone was nodding and
making thoughtful noises as if they were deep in thought.

“Without passion, there is no life,” my father said loudly
as he entered the room. “Come. Let’s sit in the dining room. It will be the
first time we’ve all been seated at the round table in almost two years.” My
father had just passed his 100
^th
birthday which was kind of middle
aged for a Ranjisi. He was in great shape and exercised and jogged almost every
day. He considered himself a progressive, open minded thinker so I wasn’t
surprised he appeared not to notice my new hairdo. My mother’s only reaction
was to raise one eyebrow and stare for a few moments without saying anything.

We spent the rest of the night sipping fermented spica syrup
and talking about old times until late in the night.

***

I spent my last day on Ranjisan just relaxing with Alula,
Altair and my parents. The following morning the Exploratorium shuttle was
their before dawn. As we stepped outside and were about to say our final
goodbyes I was surprised to see Syrma standing there. “Syrma you didn’t have to
get up so early. We did say goodbye the other night.”

“It’s okay. I wanted to give you something.” Syrma handed me
a small sparkling silver box. I looked suspiciously up at Syrma as I opened it.
Inside was a chain that matched the box. It shimmered and seemed to change
colors as I lifted it out of the box. At the end of the chain was a small
pendant in the shape of a Shelyak. A Shelyak is a tiny winged animal that had been
brought back from near extinction on Ranjisan. It was known as the most valued
vegetation cross-pollinator on Ranjisan. As the Shelyak began dying off, many
families of trees and flowers began to disappear. When the Shelyak made its
comeback, Ranjisan went through the most amazing and beautiful period of plant
growth. Hundreds of new families of colorful flowers and flowering trees began
appearing. The Shelyak became known as the symbol of life, love and rebirth.

The pendant had a tiny button on the bottom. When I pressed
the button I was speechless when I looked inside. There was what appeared to be
a tiny hand-painted portrait of Syrma and me holding hands. I was speechless
and somewhat awestruck. I wasn’t sure exactly what it meant. I knew we were friends
for life but I was suddenly faced with a haunting question that had never
occurred to me before. Did Syrma think of me as more than a friend? We hugged
tightly for several moments before I hopped into the shuttle. I would have two
years to think about that very question as I began the next chapter of my life.

The voyage to planet Earth was primarily a period of rest
and meditation. I had been to the ship several times during my training so I
felt completely ready for the journey. We have several ship designs but most of
them are circular and saucer shaped. Humans have been photographing them for
decades while their governments deny our existence. I confess
,
we haven’t been very good at being stealthy, certainly not as clandestine as
the Greys. But at least as far as I know, our physical forms have never been
photographed by humans. Not so for the Greys who seem to be photographed all
over the place. But that is because they apparently land and perform
experiments on humans, always without consent. The Greys are indeed a strange
race. I’ll tell you more about them later.

I sometimes go off on tangents but I wanted to say a few
things about the ship, crew and passengers. The ship was one of our smaller
transport ships in the
Shuja
series. It holds about twenty
passengers comfortably. The crew consisted of the Captain Oriel-Meissa, Second
Captain Arial-
Alterf
, Engineers Arial-
Kuma
, Arial-
Baham
and Chef Oriel-
Ascella
. The passenger list included me and eight other
Phase II cadets. I was disappointed when I learned there were no other medical
team cadets. The others were all part of the cultural-tribal study group so I
was a bit out of the conversation loop. But I did find it interesting listening
to all the conversation about Earthly wars.