Chapter 2 – We Are One

Wait a minute! What do you mean, ‘we are one’? What happened when I picked up that thing?

<<I do not know what happened. A death pod has never been handled by a primitive life form before. I should be dead and my memories preserved until they could be retrieved. However, I can deduce what may have transpired when you picked up the pod by your appearance. Other than your odd form and strange appendages, you appear to be covered by energy cells. In fact, if it were not for your shape, you look like a young Shiza-haran.>>

Shiz- what?

<<Shiza-haran. Perhaps I should start at the beginning?>>

Perhaps yes! Wait a minute. I hear something.

The sound of a car pulling up into the driveway could be heard over the sound of chirping birds. A car door slammed, and soon, someone was fiddling with keys at the front door.

That must be Serena! She can’t see me like this. She’s gonna freak! I gotta get outta here!

<<Please do not panic. If you leave now, would she not call the authorities?>>

Oh my god, what am I gonna do?

Michael could hear footsteps outside his door. There was a knock, and Serena’s voice called out, ‘Michael, are you in there? I saw the broken window. Are you OK?’

‘I’m fine. There’s still glass everywhere. Some dumb kid threw a rock through my window. Please don’t come in’, said Michael in a nervous voice.

‘If there’s glass on the floor, then you shouldn’t be in there too. Come out so that I can clean up’, said Serena. ‘I’m coming in, hope you’re decent!’

‘No wait!’ sputtered Michael, but it was too late. Serena was not the kind of woman who takes no for an answer - especially from a 16-year-old teen.

Serena opened the door and walked in. Her jet black hair waved slightly with the passage of the opening door, full red lips grimaced as her coal black eyes calmly surveyed the scene of destruction that used to be Michael’s room. Then, her eyes rested on Michael.

”Nice costume. Isn’t it early to be putting on your costume? Are you going to wear that for Halloween tonight?” It appeared that Serena was totally unfazed by Michael’s appearance.

“Uh, yeah! There’s a dance at school with a door prize for the best costume,” said Michael, thinking fast.

“What’re you supposed to be - an angel or something? How did you get those wings to stand up?”

Wings? What wings?

”Oh, you know, couple of sticks and lots of glue. I gotta jet. See you later ok?”

Michael quickly slipped by Serena and made his way downstairs. He was glad to get away from Serena and not just because of his appearance. Serena was a raven haired beauty of 23 who went to Ryerson University downtown. She worked as a housekeeper for several houses in the neighborhood to pay her way through school. She also tutored Spanish at the university. Michael had a secret crush on her ever since he first saw her last year when she interviewed with his parents. He had been both euphoric and terrified when she got the job. In addition to cleaning the house, she was also responsible for keeping an eye on Michael when his parents were away. This usually meant more time spent in her company, but Michael was way too intimidated by her beauty.

”Don’t forget to eat breakfast!” She called from upstairs.

”I’ll pick up something at McDonalds!” He called back. He grabbed his school bag and virtually ran out the door.

I gotta find a place to hide. It’s still early; I’ll try the park.

A couple of minutes of running brought Michael to one of his favourite spots. It was the local park and at this time of morning, it was almost empty. He took the path that led to his secret hiding spot. A dense tree-packed area of the park that few people bothered to visit. He had to make his way off the path, wade through knee high weeds and grass before he saw the trees up ahead. The sun was overhead now and he could feel the warmth on his back. He looked up. It was October 31. There’s no way the sun should feel this warm. He carefully made his way through the trees until he came upon a clearing. He sat down and decided to confront the entity in his head.

All right, we’re alone. What the hell is going on?

<<Near the galactic core, there are 2 very advanced civilizations engaged in a bitter war that has lasted for millennia. It has lasted so long now that neither my masters the Pracetorians nor their enemies the Valeans remember what started the war. However, the war was coming to an end soon. The Pracetorians had been steadily losing ground to the more technologically adept Valeans. In a desperate attempt to preserve their civilization, the Pracetorians dispatched the Shiza-haran to locate an escape route and a safe haven. Knowing this, the Valeans have been systematically hunting down and killing all of the Shiza-haran.>>

Ok, that explains why those things were trying to kill you. But what exactly are you? You mentioned something about bio-engineering?

<<Very early in the war, the Pracetorians recognized the need for scouts that can function in deep space without the need for home base support for long periods of time. Due to their technological proficiency, the Valeans used gigantic spaceships to explore space and search out and destroy Pracetorian settlements. The Pracetorians relied heavily on bio-engineering. So, they created a race of beings that can thrive in deep space. Shiza-haran means ‘space flyer’. We have the ability to harness and absorb energy from nearby stars.. This allows us to survive and to use our other abilities.>>

What abilities? Are you referring to how you destroyed those Valeans?

<<Yes. To a lesser extent, we can absorb the energy from the Valean weapons, and channel it through our bodies, and eventually throw it back. There is a limit to how much energy we can take in. Too much and we will die.>>

Ok, so what’s with the feathers? And why am I feeling so good sitting here in the sun?

<<Those are not feathers! They are energy cells that collect and store energy from the sun. The ‘wings’ that your housekeeper noticed are solar sails. In fact, they work like the energy cells, but to a much larger extent. They are also used in combat to absorb the harmful energies of Valean weapons.>>

Ok, now, how to I get rid of them? I can’t go to school looking like this! Halloween or no Halloween!

<<I do not know. Shiza-harans also had the ability to shape their bodies depending on situations. For example, we could hide our presence from Valean sensors in order to evade detection.>>

If you could hide yourself, how did you get caught?

<<Valean hunter packs are very efficient in what they do. They usually hunt with a battlecruiser for support. I managed destroy the battlecruiser, but in the end, I absorbed too much energy, and my body started to self destruct.>>

Huh?

<<What is our very life and blood is also our bane. Shiza-harans can harness raw energy in virtually any form, but there is a limit to how much our bodies can take. Too much and our bodies overload and explode. Usually quite spectacularly.>>

Bummer! So, that’s what happened to you. Well, that still doesn’t solve my dilemma. I can’t go walking around looking like this all day. How do I hide myself?

<<Usually we envision what form we wish to take and use some of our stored energy to power the transformation.>>

This stored energy, is that what this tingling feeling I have is?

<<Correct. Raise your solar sails to the sun. That will maximize energy collection.>>

Michael stood up and moved his wings up and down. No matter what the entity said, they looked like wings to him.

No wonder Serena thought I was dressed as an angel. I wonder if I can fly with these?

He raised his wings up over his head and stretched them as far and they would go. The sudden influx of power stunned him. It felt like the first time he ever ate a hot pepper, only without the pain. His entire body felt hot and was getting hotter.

I want to look like myself again. How do I do that? You said that you could change your shape?

<<Correct. We could not change our core appearance, but we could change our basic shape. We could become leaner for faster flight, broader for cruising, and we could extend our solar sails outward for combat. We could also bend light around ourselves to prevent detection. All of this takes vast amounts of stored energy. We envision what shape we wish to take, then apply the power that is within our bodies to bring about the change.>>

All right, but how do I change back?

<<Somehow when you handled the death pod, my essence and yours combined, turning you into a hybrid of some sort. Accept how you look. You will never be able to go back to the way you were.>>

No way man! I can’t accept that!

Michael called up an image of himself in his mind. It was easy picturing himself, because after all, like many teenage boys, he spent many hours posing in front of the mirror. There was no way he was going look like a freak for the rest of his life! Reaching inside for that reservoir of power, he applied it to the image in his mind. It felt like taking hold of a hot potato and smearing it on a painting of himself. For an instant, he swore he could almost feel another presence all around him, but before he could register it, it was gone. The next thing he was aware of was his body getting colder. Suddenly, he felt very cold indeed. He opened his eyes and looked at his body. He was naked.

I did it! Geez it’s cold. I think I’ve got a towel in my bag or something. Good thing I have gym last period today.

His teeth started to chatter, and his stomach growled. From his bag, he retrieved his gym shirt and shorts. He quickly pulled these on and then retrieved his towel too. He wrapped the large white towel around himself and started to feel moderately warmer.

Man, I’m hungry. But I can’t go to Mickey D’s looking like this. Serena should be done cleaning the house soon. I’d better go back and get some clothes.

I am impressed young one. You learn quickly. I did not think it would be possible for you to resume your original form. Perhaps being a hybrid has something to do with it.

Michael quickly became aware of 3 other things. First, his teeth had stopped chattering, and his stomach was no longer growling. Second, he was starting to warm up again, and third –

Hey wait a minute. I can see! I can see clearly! And I don’t have my glasses on. What the hell?

<<Clearly you may have resumed your form, but at the core, you are still Shiza-haran. Even now, your body is slowly gathering solar energy. A Shiza-haran does not have physical defects. A Shiza-haran does not even have eyes. I must ponder on this some more.>>

With that, the voice stopped talking and Michael was left to his own devices. Getting home and getting some more clothes was next on the agenda, but a boy running down the street wearing a large white towel in the middle of a cold Canadian autumn would attract too much unwanted attention. What was he going to do?