Ark

By Phil Penhallow

An unstoppable extinction level event (ELE) approaches the Earth.This impending disaster emanates from within our own solar system, yet to be formally identified by astronomers, is the vast planet named Ark. The 3400 year orbital path of this colossal Earth-like celestial body maintains catastrophic potential which is capable of destroying human life as we know it.For a privileged few, preparations have been under way for many years to save their own lives, the rest of us will perish. In a race against time to save as many as possible humans and alien races work both for and against each other, as a complex web of deceit and mistrust unfolds, to save or “use” as many humans as they can.
Centring on a variety of interconnected characters the book paints an intricate and personal picture of each, driven to great lengths, with their frantic actions demonstrating the challenging and dire state of Earth. Two such characters are those of Geoff and Spike, standing at 7 foot tall, green skinned, yet human looking, these Eridanian’s are equipped with telepathic capability and an understanding of incredibly advanced technology. Sent to a deep underground base in a normal exchange program they carry out undercover work, however while there they discover the true nature of the base. It is a vile breeding ground where humans are grown from embryos previously extracted from Terran mothers without their knowledge. Parents are pre-selected for high IQ, impeccable health records and a stable socio-political background, creating a new race of super humans who will inherit the earth after ELE.
As the tension rises and natural disasters increasingly announce the impending doom, an unlikely hero emerges, whose survival is crucial for the future of mankind. Brian, must swiftly learn that society as he knows it is all a lie.He must put aside all that he has learned and prepare for a new future, but first he must secure the future of those he loves….

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jun 16, 2014
• ISBN: 9781483531106

Book preview

Sarah.

Chapter 1

Geoff was deep in thought as he turned and walked down the main corridor, determined to complete the task ahead without raising suspicions. As if from nowhere, a baseball-sized glowing orb appeared in front of him, clearly blocking his path. He stood perfectly still and waited while the orb floated slowly from side to side with a slight humming sound, then circled him gradually and deliberately. The orbs were sophisticated and very sensitive security devices that roamed free in the corridors of the complex, particularly from Level Three downwards. They had full sensory capability; basically, you couldn’t even fart without one of these devices detecting it and coming to investigate. Not a problem for him, but for the humans, it sometimes proved quite embarrassing. In fact, when they were first introduced, rumour had it there were quite often high concentrations of the globes in the restrooms, leaving the rest of the complex exposed. Someone forgot to tell the globes that going for a crap was normal human behaviour. Geoff waited as the orb completed a three hundred sixty-degree sweep, paused, and then carried on down the main corridor.

As the orb disappeared around the corner and out of sight at the far end of the passageway, Geoff continued forward again until he reached the number he was looking for. A big red number eight was emblazoned on the wall—this was the right one. He turned left, and the wall opened to reveal a large room that could not be seen from the outside.

Geoff walked into the laboratory and took a quick look around. On a far bench was a man in a white coat, busy with a micropipette. He was so thoroughly engrossed in his work, he appeared not to even notice Geoff's entrance. Geoff paused for a brief moment and took in his surroundings. He was in a laboratory full of the right equipment to carry out the type of research he was here to assist with. It was interesting that most of it looked new and unused, but there was enough to keep six or more researchers fully occupied. Geoff started to walk around the bench to introduce himself. As he did so, the man finally looked up, stopped what he was working on, and took off his thin surgical gloves. His look of intense concentration evaporated and was replaced by a broad and friendly smile. He moved quickly to greet Geoff.

Sorry; I didn’t see you standing there. Before Geoff could reply, he continued, Good morning, my name is Dr Fumio Sasaki. Fumio reached forward to offer his hand. I assume this is your first visit to Level 41?

Pleased to meet you, and yes, it is. My name is Geoff Thomas.

The two men shook hands. Fumio was of Oriental ethnicity, standing at about five feet eight inches tall (1.73 metres). He was of medium build and had thick dark hair. His boyish good looks suggested his age as somewhere in his late twenties.

Welcome, Geoff. I hope you had a pleasant journey over. We have a lot to get through this morning, so if you don’t mind, I would like to make a start right away. I am not sure how well you have been briefed, but do feel free to ask questions as we go along.

Again, Geoff noted how he was not really given time to answer whether he'd had a pleasant journey or not. Dr Sasaki was clearly a man in a hurry.

Fumio smiled and continued while he checked some samples on the laboratory worktop. We are going to be spending a considerable amount of time together over the next few months, and possibly longer; however, that’s a discussion for a little farther down the line. Forgive me for asking, but I assume you are a geneticist?

Geoff looked a little puzzled by the question but answered, Yes, I am. Fumio had specifically asked for a geneticist when the exchange was set up, so it was not one of the questions he anticipated.

Good, said Fumio. I don’t intend to spend much time briefing you today as I believe we can learn most of the tasks as we go forward. I will, however, give you a little bit of background information to begin with. How much do you know about Level 41?

Not very much, replied Geoff. I was transferred this morning and have spent most of the rest of my career working at Erythrania, but I have visited the upper levels before.

He had visited the complex only once before, just after the upper part was completed. It had undergone considerable expansion since then, with many levels added. There were a total of 43 at this base, going down one and a quarter miles (two km) into the side of a mountain. Geoff knew that this whole complex was one of many underground facilities throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Africa. All were networked together with secure underground communications and a Mach two transit system.

The bases were inhabited by a population known collectively as the Endopopulace (ENP). There were three levels to the ENP, with Level One being the highest, and each one was run by an appointed council. Most of this base was at Endo Level One. The population on the surface, which represented the majority of humans on Earth, were collectively known as the Exopopulace (EXP)—basically, you and me. The EXP are led by various governments and political leaders around the world. For example, in the United States, the president is normally the leader of the EXP. There are multiple security levels, and it does not necessarily follow that any president of any country would know all the information at all levels. There was heavy compartmentalisation of the information, which was strictly on a need-to-know basis. To maintain utmost secrecy, security was broken down into different clearance levels, depending on where you worked and what you were working on. Basically, everything worked on a need-to-know basis.

Is Erythrania the base under the Amazon River? asked Fumio.

Geoff surveyed the laboratory, again noting that the equipment seemed up to date and incorporated the latest ENP technology. He turned to face Fumio before answering so as not to appear rude. Yes, it is.

What were you working on? enquired Fumio.

I carried out considerable research into DNA, and in particular, skin pigmentation, for obvious reasons.

Fumio chuckled, then said, Forgive me, I didn’t mean to cause offence.

Geoff also laughed. None taken, he replied.

Fumio turned and walked through to his office, where he motioned for Geoff to take a seat, then sat down himself. Geoff continued, Anyway, we have made considerable progress in the last few years, particularly because of our collaboration with the ENP.

Have you managed to compensate for the relatively low UV radiation of our star? asked Fumio.

Almost, said Geoff, but it is frustrating that this issue has caused us so many problems, especially considering our level of technology, and in particular, advanced genetics. As I am sure you are aware, our home star of Epsilon Eridani in the Eridanus constellation is a young star and gives off considerably more UV light than your Sun.

Yes, indeed. Fumio acknowledged the problem and was obviously well aware of the difficulty it caused.

At that moment, a computerised voice from within the room broke into the conversation.

"Incoming communication for Dr Sasaki."

Excuse me for a moment, Geoff. I think the briefing will have to wait for a while, said Fumio, smiling.

Geoff took the chance to study the laboratory further. A typical laboratory setup, he thought, with an annexed office that had 180-degree vision looking back into the laboratory through one-way glass. The lab itself was a rectangular shape and had a central worktop, and at each end sat digital binocular microscopes. Crafted from beautifully polished dark glass, the central worktop island ran through the middle of the lab, creating two aisles either side. One aisle housed more worktops on the back wall, either side of two centrally positioned extraction fume cupboards. The other aisle had a small centrifuge and a couple of controlled atmosphere glove boxes. There were numerous petri dishes labelled in the glove box and on the worktops beside racks of coloured micropipettes. On the far wall opposite the entrance was an incubator and cryogenic suspension tank. Pristine equipment adorned every surface.

Fumio paused briefly, and he seemed to compose himself slightly before stating, Dr Sasaki speaking.

This time, a non-computerised voice in the room said, Dr Sasaki, sorry to disturb you. This is Sergeant Reynolds from ENP operations on Level Two. We have an incoming within the next 10 minutes; are you able to examine?

Yes, said Dr Sasaki. Confirmation code Alpha Epsilon 4126528.

Confirmed and allocated, said Reynolds. ETA 09 minutes; please start prep phase. Details have been sent to your lab terminal under code AE4126528. Reynolds out.

Geoff noted without hesitation how smoothly the process had been completed, seemingly a common occurrence based on a familiar routine.

Fumio turned to Geoff with a rueful look. I was warned there could be a patient in at any time, which is why I asked you here at such an early hour. My apologies, Geoff.

Geoff smiled in response. Honestly, it’s no problem; glad to be of assistance, he humbly replied.

Fumio raised his dark eyebrows. It looks like the briefing will have to wait.

The lab was designed very much like a standard laboratory. Fumio’s office was positioned to the side, with an extra room attached to the end accessible via a preparation area. This led through to an examination room, which was kept in an atmosphere similar to the surface and was therefore isolated from the rest of the clean base environment. To enter, it was necessary to go through a decontamination chamber with air locks at each end. Fumio indicated to Geoff that time was now of the essence, and they needed to prepare quite quickly.

Fumio was already moving towards the prep area. Just follow my lead, he said as he chuckled. He was already half out of his clothes when Geoff caught up with him, like he was stripping off for a swim. Geoff quickly followed suit.

Fumio led the way through the first decontamination area, where they were sprayed with Nanomer fluid, subjected to a strong magnetic field, and then irradiated with low dose radiation. This process was familiar to Geoff as it was all standard when carrying out work associated with anything outside the ENP buildings or when dealing with anything EXP. He also assumed it was protocol at all other bases, but he was not completely sure. He knew it was harmless to him, as his tolerance of radiation was higher than a normal human, and he had also read that ENP humans were genetically altered to increase their radiation tolerance, another consequence of the collaboration. The magnetic field was applied to align the Nanomer fluid, thereby improving the efficiency of the low dose radiation and rendering it harmless. Even on the first pass, the process was 99.9% effective at killing surface contaminants and germs, mainly because the Nanophage cells present in the fluid were very specific in their work and what they targeted for removal. What had always irritated Geoff slightly was the need to run the process twice, as they were now to put on sealed suits. Plus, the whole complex was quite a sterile environment already. The truth was, the process left his skin feeling like cardboard, and he hated it. Anyway, for now, it was best to just do as Fumio told him.

Once they had placed their suits on and were in the second decontamination area, Fumio explained that the environment in the examination room was under EXP conditions. The suits had a built-in intercom system with toggle switch activated by the user from person to person. Or from person to computer by touching the glove tips of index finger and thumb together.

Geoff, for precautionary reasons, you must keep your visor down at all times, Fumio ordered. The visors were constructed of one-way glass; before lowering his, Geoff gave Fumio a look of indignation.

Fumio duly noted this and followed up his comment quickly. I will also keep my visor down, Geoff. It has nothing to do with your skin being green. In the unlikely event that the subject remembers the examination, it is better that there are as few reference points as possible.

Geoff’s expression relaxed a little, and he nodded in approval.

Please confirm verbally, Geoff.

Sorry. I understand, Fumio; visor down at all times.

Good. Remember, time is quite limited, so we must work efficiently and effectively. The subject is female, aged 34, and from Palmer, Alaska. Which is why time is a little less than the average.

Geoff said nothing.

When the door to the second decontamination chamber opened, Geoff walked into a very bland room with a colour scheme of a 1960s hospital ward. There was no furniture except a hospital-type bed in the middle of the room, on which the woman lay, uncovered and clearly still in her nightgown. The bed was suspended about 1.6 feet (0.5 metres) from the floor, just floating, with an electronic console built in at the foot. It was parked above a yellow cross on the floor, flanked by two yellow lines about four feet (1.25 metres) apart that travelled from the centre of the room and disappeared through the wall. Clearly a concealed door, thought Geoff. This whole complex was full of them.

There were a few instruments in the room. Some, he knew, were to monitor the environment and keep a very close eye on the room conditions, and others were to oversee the health of the subject. On each side of the bed were holographic images that floated about 3.3 feet (1 metre) off the ground. On the left, room conditions were displayed, indicating temperature, humidity, gas content, and composition. On the right, the woman’s vital signs were displayed, including her heart rate, skin temperature, brain activity, blood pressure, and metabolic rate, with touch panels to display other data on command.

The ceiling had large vent grilles over most of its surface. Also, on the right, was the 3DNAnalyser, a machine that Geoff knew really well as he had helped design and manufacture it as part of the collaboration. For ENP technology, it was now considered routine, but compared to that available to EXP, it was way beyond the norm. It could analyse solids and liquids in a matter of less than a minute, giving a read-out of all the DNA sequence of base pairs on any of the proteins, enzymes, tissues, muscles, etc. contained in the sample. It gave detailed 3D shape and breakdown of the proteins, hormones, and enzymes, how they fold, and what chemical bond types are holding the shape together e.g. sulphur bridges, hydrogen bonds, and hydrophobic/hydrophilic interactions. In other words, it could determine their 3D structural integrity and crucially, if they were normal. Perhaps most important of all, its user could trace the chain of amino acids for any of the material present, like travelling down a railway track in 3D. In short, it was a very powerful qualitative analysis tool, but it was also quantitative and could give readouts of the amounts of each type of protein, hormone, or enzyme present. Such ability was vital for the type of work they were carrying out. The capabilities of this one machine would only be possible by lengthy separate analysis and research carried out by multiple teams in EXP science, a fact that had not been lost on Geoff, and one he did not feel comfortable with.

Display details, Fumio said as he walked in.

In the centre of the room, an image appeared, showing a photograph and personal file for the woman on the bed. Dr Caroline Rodgers, 34 years of age, was married with no children. She was the GP for the Valley Medical Centre in the city of Palmer, Alaska. Dedicated to her job and the care of nearly 8,500 inhabitants of the city, she was well respected and liked for her honesty and willingness to help provide healthcare to all.

Geoff noticed the case history below the personal data, which suggested she had been here on a number of occasions. Her husband was listed as Professor Mark Rodgers, an eminent leader in the field of Oncology based at the Alaska Regional Hospital in Anchorage, about 35 miles southwest of Palmer. An expert in both medical and surgical oncology, he was world renowned for the latter. The word embryo caught Geoff’s eye in the case history, but unfortunately, at that precise moment, his concentration was interrupted.

Time of extraction, Fumio said.

The personal file switched to the extraction process history, including the most recent, giving time and the maximum safe time before replacement.

As he looked at the extraction data, Geoff thought how short the time window allowed for examination appeared to be, probably to keep the time away from normal sleep to a minimum. It was intriguing that Dr Rodgers had been here on a number of previous occasions. He wondered what any of this had to do with embryos.

A voice on the intercom said, "Subject was extracted this morning at 0115 hours. Time since extraction is 17 minutes."

Drugs administered?

"Strong sedative and short-term anaesthetic."

Why an anaesthetic? Geoff wondered.

Good, said Fumio, turning to Geoff. Let’s begin. You are to just observe at this point unless asked to help. Is that understood?

Geoff nodded.

Is that understood? repeated Fumio in a firm tone.

Yes, responded Geoff, his voice equally firm.

Considering this was supposed to be a routine EXP health check, the atmosphere appeared to change to a more formal and serious one. Judging by her previous attendances and the change in Fumio’s manner, Geoff suspected that this was anything but the routine inspection or procedure that it was supposed to be.

Chapter 2

Jack was on his way to see the President of the United States for a special presidential daily briefing. As Director of National Intelligence (DNI), he was responsible for the entire United States Intelligence community. His job was to read the intelligence reports from the various agencies and include the most important or significant for the presidential briefing. This was a big responsibility, but one he quite often shared with Don Scott, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (D/CIA), who was a good friend and colleague he had worked with for many years. They would normally formulate and present the briefing together. Previous to the 9/11 terrorist attack, this responsibility had been the job of the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI), who was usually also the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). However, because of the major intelligence failures that led to the attacks on the twin towers, the 9/11 commission recommended the creation of the DNI and that the post holder be excluded from serving as the CIA Director or any other Intelligence Community head. Ultimately, this meant Jack Richards was the designated leader of the United States Intelligence Community.

Jack had been a retired four-star navy admiral before he had been appointed by President Freeman the previous month. He knew Bill Freeman from many years ago, when they had both been at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland; although their careers took quite a diverging course, they had remained good friends. It was probably not a surprise when Bill persuaded Jack to come out of retirement and nominated him for the position. Senate approval was confirmed in January 2021 to serve in the Freeman administration. As a former Director of Naval Intelligence, Jack was familiar with many top secret projects and installations, but was not briefed as fully as he would like, so he had spent the last few weeks reading many documents that had, on a number of occasions, caused a raised eyebrow or two. In particular, he had read a great deal of material on today’s special meeting, which would not normally be part of a president's daily briefings book. Yet, this was no ordinary briefing. The main topics were Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) and Extraterrestrials (ETs).

As Jack walked up the stairs in the West Wing of the White House and around the corridor to the Oval Office, he felt an uncharacteristic sense of trepidation. He was nervous. The dilemma he faced was just how much should he tell his old friend? As a custodian and a member of the second ENP council, he knew far more than his government position would normally allow. There was, and never could be, any intention on his part to tell Bill anything like the truth, so he had already decided to play this one by ear, with a constant reminder to himself that Bill was a religious man.

Scrutinised by the secret service agents every step of the way, with no outward sign of emotion or acknowledgement from any of them, Jack walked up to the door of the Oval Office and knocked.

Chapter 3

Brian Hansen was six feet one inch (1.85 metres) tall, with dark hair just beginning to show signs of greying which, according to Brian, was a result of him having regular grey highlights added. His hair was short, but often messy and unkempt. He had an angular jaw, with a chiselled face that had strong lines and a slightly weathered look for his forty-one years. An overall angular body shape suggested he had been in the habit of looking after himself but showed signs of recent neglect.

Brian and his wife, Sue, had been very well known in the community for their charity work. More so Sue, as Brian spent most of his time building his own business in the haulage industry. They lived in the city of Amarillo, Texas, and had many friends and an active social life. Unfortunately, Sue could not have children, and although they had considered adoption, they never completed the process. Sue always maintained Brian had never really been completely for the idea as he was more In love with his company than anything else. In fact, this had always been a constant source of friction between them and had even threatened to break up their marriage. Brian found it difficult to understand why, as he had never stood in the way of anything she wanted to do. Besides, how could she seem so unhappy when he provided her with a very affluent, comfortable lifestyle?

Sue did keep herself very busy as a member of Amarillo’s City Commission, whose job it is to adopt regulations, pass ordinances, and appoint city officials. Unfortunately, this meant Sue developed a completely different set of social friends to Brian. He had his own friends, but nearly all were connected with his business and his previous time as an engineer in the United States Navy. There was little joint socialising, a fact that had not gone unnoticed by both social groups, who constantly encouraged them to attend events as a couple.

Inevitably, this had all come to head one Sunday evening, almost five years ago. They'd had a big row over the separate lives they were both living and revelations that neither of them were happy with how little they saw of each other. Also, Brian was suspicious that his wife was having an affair, and although he had stopped short of accusing her, he had intimated as much during the row, which only served to deepen the rift.

Sue walked out and left him. Thankfully, the separation had not been permanent; in fact, it had been for only 10 days. But it made Brian realise how much he loved her and what a fool he had been totally immersing himself in his business just about every waking hour of the day and not really doing his health any good either. After having some time to think it over, he had contacted Sue and told her he would sell the business. What followed was the best two years of their lives together. It was the healthiest their relationship had been since they had first gotten married, with Brian getting more involved in the charity work and Sue’s circle of friends. But it wasn’t enough.

Brian became increasingly unhappy and agitated, partly because he had a very active mind that constantly needed to be fed information, but also because of the new social circles he was frequenting. He thought that he didn’t really fit in and never felt fully occupied like he had when he was running his own business. Plus, he missed the adrenalin rush he used to get with each new deal or client that was successfully negotiated. He was conveniently forgetting all the long hours and stress also associated with running your own company, though. Add in the fact they were also very well off, with large sums of money that had been well invested from the sale of his business, and it’s probably not surprising he was restless, especially for someone so used to being the centre of attention. Brian decided it was once again time to put all this money to good use.

Like any business, the haulage industry is a very competitive one. The typical modern transport business consists of warehousing and logistics services, all tied together with state-of-the-art electronic monitoring and on-board tracking systems. Essential technology needed to remain competitive, and so it was with interest that Brian heard of a company in Los Angeles called Hayes Trucking and Storage Inc. It was run by two brothers and open to a buyout. They had inherited the company from their father, whom Brian had known personally when he was running his own business, and had a great deal of respect for. When he died suddenly of a heart attack, it highlighted to Brian and many others in the industry the enormous pressure and stress that can be associated with running a company. However, at this precise time in his life, it did present an opportunity for Brian, as the company was doing very well, with established clients and a fully occupied fleet. What the company needed was some investment for modernisation of its transport fleet and the management systems, together with the base operations and warehousing facilities. It also had a very reasonable guide price.

After quite short negotiations, Brian purchased 90% of the stock, with the brothers keeping 5% each and agreeing to stay with the company to help during an unspecified transition period. Brian also modernised the fleet, management, and warehousing systems with state-of-the-art technology to improve efficiency. Everything seemed to be going great for the first six months. Except for Sue, who had not been informed of any of the above until the deal was complete, all were happy. Before long, however, the brothers began disagreeing with Brian and falling out about quite trivial problems on a daily basis. So much that it soon came to head, and they left, selling their stock to Brian at an inflated price. In the end, it got so bad, he was glad to see the back of the both of them and much happier to get on with running the business properly on his own.

Sue understood that Brian needed to be doing something, so this new decision did not cause a serious rift between them. However, Brian never told her the truth about how much of their money he had invested in the company, which was pretty much all of it.

Then it all went wrong. It was slow at first, with just the odd client cancelling contracts, but rapidly grew to some of them cancelling their whole accounts. This just got worse as time went on, and within four months, they had lost 58% of their original client accounts and only managed to replace that with 4% of new business. Brian realised too late what was happening. He had always considered himself to be an astute and intelligent man, but this failure to safeguard his new company's future had haunted him ever since. The brothers had set up a new haulage company in the Randall County part of Amarillo immediately after they had left him. In fact, it appeared to have been in preparation many months prior to their withdrawal, but there was nothing he could prove. They subsequently stole all his best clients and, wherever they could, undercut his prices on all the most profitable routes.

Within two more months, he had to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the American courts, with a view to reorganisation; unfortunately, it was clear before the allotted 120 days that the debts were too severe, and liquidation followed. From that moment on, Brian’s life took the path of one big downwards spiral. There was one small crumb of comfort that, in the state of Texas, the property exemption allowed him to keep his house. The drinking and depression that followed soon deprived him of even this, though, as Sue kicked him out and filed for a divorce. Brian had reached such a low point in his life that he put up little resistance. When she subsequently remarried, it was the trigger he needed to take a long, hard look in the mirror. As a consequence, he awoke from his stupor and decided to sort himself out. He decided that the best way was a clean break, so he moved away to begin his life again. The friends and social circles had long since stopped visiting or taking any interest in his life, and there was little to keep him there. He moved west to California, not quite on the Coast as he had always envisaged, but close enough, to a city called Lancaster.

It was while in Lancaster that he found his feet again. He set up a small business as a Painter/Decorator and started to carry out jobs for private residents, and then he branched out into some larger projects for the Lancaster High School and Antelope Valley Hospital. While at the School, he met a young woman by the name of Mary Ward. She was an English teacher, and it was while working on a long-term contract there that they started to date each other. Mary was a 36-year-old divorcee of some nine years, and although there were many suitors, there had not been any meaningful relationships since. She and Brian just seemed to click from the moment they started talking to each other. Mary was a brunette and was about 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 metres), with a very petite frame. Her hair was short, with an almost boyish cut tight to her head, which accentuated her pretty features and gave her an even greater appearance of vulnerability. Her oval face had a quite pale complexion and a graceful taper from cheeks to chin. Dominated by the most beautiful deep blue eyes Brian had ever seen, it was complemented further by dark eyebrows, long natural eyelashes, and full lips.

Over the last few months, they had gone out together a number of times, allowing each of them to get to know the other a little bit more. Mary was an intelligent young woman with a feisty character that belied her size, a quality that made Brian like her even more. He told her all about Sue and their relationship and what ultimately caused the rift between them, together with details of his business. Mary reciprocated by telling Brian she had a daughter called Louise who was now 19 years old and studying Law at The University of California, Berkeley. She was obviously very proud of her and spent a considerable amount of time talking about her daughter, which Brian admired. Yet he also felt a tinge of jealousy at not having children of his own. Louise had been born when Mary was very young and still in high school with her first husband and childhood sweetheart, Kyle. Unfortunately, the marriage did not last, maybe because they were just too young, or possibly because Kyle was immature and made little effort to support the relationship, spending more time with his buddies than his wife. However, it did last nine rather tempestuous years, in which Kyle drank more and more and became increasingly violent. When she went into more detail, Brian was appalled at the treatment and physical abuse Mary had suffered and put up with for so long. Eventually, like Brian had previously, she decided a clean break was the only way forward. So she left Kyle, moving to California to begin a new life. The last she'd heard, Kyle had been imprisoned for a serious assault on his new girlfriend.

Brian met Louise on one occasion, and he was instantly struck by the resemblance between the two of them. They really did look like sisters; all the same, he resisted the temptation to use such an old cliché. Louise was every bit as beautiful as her mother, with an enthusiasm and zest for life backed up by the same feisty nature. A knowledgeable and intelligent girl who would do well at whatever career path she chose, she was a credit to her mother. Mary had brought up Louise on her own while working as a waitress for many hours a week and studying part time for a BA degree in English Language and Literature at the California State University, Bakersfield. She followed that by completing a distance learning Master of Education-English Second Other Language specialisation course. She had been working as a teacher at the school for nearly two years. Brian could feel himself helplessly falling for this remarkable woman, and it frightened him, as he was used to only being responsible for himself these days; still, he couldn’t help it.

Brian and Mary were at her apartment in the north-western part of the city late one Saturday night. It was the first time Brian had been invited over for a meal, which was delicious, and he was relaxing on the sofa with the TV on. He felt completely stuffed after having just consumed the best meal he had eaten in quite a few years. He sat thinking how there seemed no end to this woman’s talents when she popped her head around the kitchen door and asked if he wanted a coffee.

Yeah, please, he said as he took the trouble to survey the room. The furniture was quite sparse but functional, the most prominent piece being a wall unit with a few pictures of Louise and some of her certificates. There were also detailed landscape pictures hanging up on the wall, each lit up by an ornate cream lamp which rested on a small table next to the L-Shaped Sofa. The TV opposite appeared quite new but was not large in size, and this gave Brian the impression it was not watched often. He found it difficult to see the screen clearly, or maybe it was just his failing eyesight.

Mary came in with the coffee and asked, What you watching?

"A rerun of The Bill Cosby Show," Brian heard himself say, even though he wasn’t really watching it.

Mary placed her coffee on the small table and sat next to him. She cuddled up close, and they just relaxed together for a few moments. Brian found himself stroking her hair and studying her rather than watching the TV. He realised that he was the happiest he had been for many years and found himself thinking that, just maybe, he was finally getting his life back together. Realising the time, he thought he ought to go, as it was getting late. He intimated the same