Aspeans The Beginning

By Roy Dias

James spent his whole life just trying to be normal, to be accepted, to fit in, and now he finds out that he and his family are freaks. Just having Asperger’s syndrome had been bad enough, but according to what his father told him, he, his brother David, and James himself were all alien hybrids.

His father had managed to escape from a military base with this unwelcome information. People with Asperger’s descended from an alien species, so the government wanted to track down, monitor, and sterilize every individual with Asperger’s, keeping them under control. But for this very ambitious plan to work, the government had to guarantee total secrecy, and that had been lost with his father’s escape.

Now James and his family were being hunted down like animals. As James tried to make sense of it all, his father continued supplying them with more unwanted information. This alien species had been coming to earth since the dawn of man. They had sent breeders to seed and observers to watch, and there was more: before escaping, his father was able to decipher an alien symbol, and he discovered that on three occasions this alien species had sent one of their own to live among humans to influence their evolution. The outcome of the first visit was Isaac Newton, the outcome of the second visit was Albert Einstein, and the outcome of the third visit was James and David.
Would James and his family manage to find safety? Even then, what were they meant to do? And what did it have to do with the future of the human race?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Roy Dias
• Release date: Sep 27, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311582485

Roy Dias

Roy Dias was born in Vancouver Canada, where he lived until he was fifteen. He then moved to Portugal where he completed a degree in Polymer Engineering. He is currently a franchisee of Wall Street English, a school that teaches English as a second language.He lives in Vila Verde Portugal, with his wife, two ‘Aspean’ kids, a dog, three birds, some fish, and four lazy cats that seem to think they own the place.Like his two sons, he also has Asperger’s syndrome.Follow Aspeans on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Aspeans001Visit: http://roysdias.com

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Table of Contents

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Dear Reader

Text copyright © 2014 Roy Dias

All Rights Reserved

Coverart © 2014 and design Indie Designz

Edited by Edit911.com

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except in the case of a reviewer, who may quote brief passages embodied in critical articles or in a review.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

To my wife and my two Aspean kids

for their unconditional love and support

I

SEATTLE, Washington—George

George just stood there, enjoying his cigarette as he stared at the black, forty-foot sphere. The spaceship almost seemed to transmit tranquility as it rested on three metallic legs. But what impressed George was the smell. The spaceship had been placed in an underground bunker the size of a football field, which the guards called the Cave. Yet, despite the size of the bunker, there was always a scent of fresh rain in the air.

What the hell are you doing? You know you can’t smoke in here!

George turned around to face the man in charge of this project, a red-haired thirty-year-old who tried desperately to hide his insecurity and youth behind a dense beard.

Look, Wade. I’m tired and cranky, so let’s pretend you didn’t see me smoking. Do you think you could do that? George asked.

George noticed that Wade immediately avoided eye contact. What does NASA see in this guy anyway? he wondered.

Try to be reasonable, George. You know the rules.

OK, let’s be reasonable. I was summoned to be part of this project because of my expertise in biomedical engineering. I left my job at the NSF, where I held a very influential position among all academic institutes operating in Seattle. Every university there depended on me to receive their funds. So I was naturally expecting to be head of this operation. Don’t you think that’s reasonable?

But you’re in charge of every detail regarding the alien pilot. That’s why you’re here, Wade responded as he pulled at his beard.

That would make perfect sense if I actually had access to the alien pilot!

We are trying our best to open the inner compartment. You just have to be patient.

That doesn’t cut it, Wade. I’m not a patient man, and being responsible for analyzing the alien pilot is not enough. I want your position, and I’m eventually going to get it. It’s just a matter of time, that’s all.

Wade opened his mouth as if to say something, but nothing came out. He then turned around and left the premises as George stood there smoking.

Maybe I overdid it this time, thought George as he took two more drags from his cigarette. He was becoming impatient. They had managed to open the spaceship’s outer hatch, but somehow they couldn’t open the inner compartment where they believed the pilot was. This is too ridiculous to be true.

He took two more soothing pulls from his smoke and let his mind wander. Soon enough, he ended up thinking about Rachel, his best friend’s wife.

He couldn’t avoid it. No matter how hard he tried to convince himself that he had lost the battle to his best friend, that she had fallen in love with Allan and not with him, strange things kept telling him not to give up. Just three days ago he had been in a meeting in Portland, and when he entered a random diner for a coffee, whom did he find having coffee in that same diner? Rachel. She had been in Portland renovating a hotel.

What are the odds? he thought. It couldn’t be a coincidence, and he couldn’t keep ignoring the signs.

But Allan was his best friend, and despite his attraction for Rachel George had always respected Allan. He even got him a job at Seattle University and Rachel a job as the lead interior decorator at Creative Concepts Interior Design, and he did this to prove his loyalty, his friendship towards Allan.

At least, that is what he kept telling himself, but he knew that the only reason he did what he did was to be near Rachel.

Holy shit! It’s open! Mr. Silva, it’s open! shouted Marvin, one of the engineers assigned to open the compartment.

George quickly put out his cigarette on the sole of his shoe and headed for the sphere. He climbed the small ladder, and the first thing he saw was Marvin, staring into the dark compartment.

How did you get it open? George demanded.

I don’t know, the man said. I mean, it just opened!

You had to have done something. It wouldn’t just open like that.

I swear, it just opened!

OK. OK. That’s not important right now, George said. Get Dr. Wade to come here immediately and bring me a set of protective gear.

Marvin quickly did as he was told, leaving George alone in front of the compartment, staring into the darkness.

Marvin reappeared with Wade and three other NASA scientists. They all geared up, and George said, I’m going to be the first one to go in, and once inside nobody can touch anything without my consent. Do you all understand?

Everybody nodded, so George turned around, faced the compartment, and then stepped inside.

As he entered, the compartment lit up. George heard the sound of decompressing air as his ears popped. The lighting was very bright and reflected off the white walls, making it difficult to keep his eyes open.

As his eyes adjusted, he saw a man lying on the ground fifteen feet ahead of him and dressed in a white uniform. He walked up to him and stared at his motionless body.

It’s human. I mean, it looks like a human, whispered Wade.

Yes, it does look human, and judging from its shoulder patches, and its military haircut, it was here on a mission, George then kneeled next to the alien body. I want to take the body to one of our observation rooms. I’m going to remove his clothing, and I want to dress him in a hospital gown, and I’m going to need help. Is anyone registering this?

George turned around expecting to hear an answer, but there was no answer, Wade and the other scientists were just standing there in silence, and as George stared at their astonished faces, he instinctively became aware of why they were so silent. He quickly turned back to face the alien, and as their eyes met, George started slowly to back away, maintaining eye contact, staring into the alien’s humanlike eyes. The alien was obviously in pain, dragging his body across the floor, trying desperately to reach George. George began to panic; everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. His heart rate started to accelerate, and he was having difficulty in breathing. No matter how hard he tried, he wasn’t able to drag himself fast enough. The alien was determined, focused, and George was scared, hopelessly vulnerable. He tried to get up, but couldn’t. He wanted to reach Wade and the others, but the alien was getting closer and closer, yelling something incomprehensible. Then it shook its head and seemed to repeat itself, but this time in English:

 They shot the ship down for a reason. The third visit is essential! You must keep them safe. Promise me that you will keep them safe!

Now the alien was only two feet from George, blood leaking from its ears. It stretched out his hand and grabbed George’s arm. George was able to read the despair in its eyes, and then it let go. The determination was gone, and the alien just lay there, looking at George in disbelief,

 It is you! How can this be? It is you! You will be the cause! Because of you, man will fall! It is you!

The alien seemed to have no more strength left in it, and after a deep breath, it rolled over, hitting its head hard on the metallic floor.

George just sat there, trying to recover from this unexpected experience. He was shaking and desperately in need of a cigarette. He kept his eyes on the alien as one of the other scientists slowly approached it and pressed fingers to the alien’s neck.

There’s no pulse. I think he’s dead.

George then slowly got up and stared at its motionless body,

We can’t let this affect us. The alien is dead. We just have to proceed as planned.

Wade shook his head. What about what the alien said?

George grabbed Wade by the shoulder. It’s not important. He was bleeding from his ears, delusional. What he said is meaningless. Let’s just take him to an observation room.

George then kneeled next to the alien body and helped one of the scientists undress it. As they turned the body over, George ended up staring at its naked back.

How could this be happening? What are the odds? he wondered as he let himself fall backwards in disbelief. His heart rate was starting to accelerate again, but now it was for a completely different reason.

Are you OK? asked Wade with a concerned look.

George got up slowly and faced the program’s leader. It’s vital that I invite a friend of mine to be part of this project. He is a trustworthy person, and the success of this project depends on it.

How did you reach that conclusion all of a sudden?

George stared one last time at the alien’s back. He couldn’t help feel a little guilty for what he was about to do, but he couldn’t let his friendship get in the way. This was more important. It was his duty, and he had no choice, and once again there was Rachel.

If bringing him on doesn’t result in a major breakthrough, I’ll leave, and I’ll put that in writing.

If you put that in writing, it’s settled then. Wade shook George’s hand.

George smiled. There were no such things as coincidences. Meeting Rachel at a random diner and now this. He definitely couldn’t ignore the signs.

II

SEATTLE, Washington—Allan

Allan raced downstairs to join his children for breakfast. As he entered the kitchen, he realized that they had managed to improvise. The kitchen was a mess and there were no cereal bowls available, so they were both sitting at the small table facing the window eating out of Tupperware. He’d been delaying cleaning up for too long, and as he stared at the pile of dishes he promised himself that he would take care of it when he got back from work.

He sat down and poured himself a glass of orange juice.

We have to hurry. We don’t want to be late, he said as he stared at his two children, but they just ignored him.

Allan felt he had to say something; he’d been avoiding this conversation for too long.

I know it’s been hard, but you guys have to be patient. You’ll soon adapt to Seattle, and in no time at all you’ll be making new friends.

James looked up from his Tupperware. You know it isn’t that easy. We’ve got Asperger’s, remember?

I know you two have Asperger’s, and I know exactly what it’s like to have Asperger’s, Allan replied as David kept his head low, staying out of the conversation.

Then you should know how hard it is!

I didn’t say it was going to be easy, but you guys just have to try harder. How do you think I’ve been adapting? I’ve worked hard at it, that’s how. I’ve made an effort to study facial expressions, to show interest in other subjects so I could make small talk. It all takes hard work. You have to leave your comfort zones and stop isolating yourselves because, if you don’t, it will only get worse!

Just as the words left his mouth, Allan realized that he had probably gone too far.

It’s just not fair, said James, raising his voice. We should have never left Portugal! All our friends are there!"

You have to give this all a chance. George got me and your mother great jobs here. Thanks to him, our lives are going to improve. We just have to adapt and settle in, that’s all.

Yeah, thanks to George! James ranted. Well, I don’t like George. I don’t like the way he looks at Mom!

 I don’t know what you mean! Yes, George used to like Mom in a special way, but once me and your Mom got married, he accepted it. Sure, he likes your mother, but in a good way, like he would like his sister. He was my best man at my wedding, and if there’s ever a person you can trust, that person is George!

James lowered his head and stared into his bowl.

I miss Mom, David said, finally joining the conversation.

Allan smiled at him. I miss her too. It’s been a long week, but I bet her project is almost over, and I’m sure she’ll be coming home soon.

Allan realized that James had calmed down. His son was staring at him with a sympathetic smile on his face at which he smiled back.

I’m going to take the car out of the garage, Allan said. Finish your cereal, put the bowls in the sink, grab your backpacks, and meet me outside.

A few minutes later, Allan got into his white Toyota, where the clock read 8:10.

It’s going to be close, but isn’t it always? he thought. As he did every morning, he promised that tomorrow was going to be different. Tomorrow he would wake up earlier.

The kids scrambled into the car, and he put the car in drive and raced off, wondering if today he would get his driver’s license suspended. Occasionally he would stare through the rearview mirror, trying to get a smile of approval from one of his sons, but it never happened.

Look, I’m going to promise you guys something. If you guys don’t adapt by the Christmas holidays, we will then decide what to do next, and we will do it together, whether it be to change schools, or if necessary return to Portugal. What do you guys say? Allan smiled at them both.

They replied in unison, Thanks, Dad!

They finally arrived at his sons’ school, and he parked the car. His watch read 8:30, on time for a change.

Quickly, kids, off you go, he said as they rushed out, and good luck on your test, James. Remember to focus!

The car doors slammed, and he sat watching his kids disappear into the crowd of students. He was about to put the car in drive when there was a knock on the window. Startled he looked up and saw James’ and David’s guidance teacher, Mr. Wong.

Mr. Alves, Wong said. Can I get in? It’s raining.

Sorry, of course. Come in. How can I help you? asked Allan.

Mr. Wong quickly got in the car and shut the door. He then removed his glasses and proceeded in cleaning them.

Well. It’s about your kids. I strongly believe that your children should be included in our special learning program. It would be the best for them.

Allan was shocked. It wasn’t totally unexpected, but he was strongly against his kids’ being removed from the normal program.

Are you labeling my children, Mr. Wong? Allan asked as the man continued to fiddle with his glasses. My children have Asperger’s syndrome, and I’m not sure you are aware of this, but while it’s on the autistic spectrum, it’s on the functional side. They have to be encouraged and kept on the normal program. My kids may have special needs but not curricular or academic needs. Einstein had Asperger’s syndrome, for God’s sakes, and he was a scientific genius!

Mr. Wong put on his glasses, and Allan noticed his hands were shaking.

Mr. Alves, I understand your point of view and your concerns, but I can use your same example by stating that Einstein dropped out of school.

My precise point. Don’t you think the system failed in relation to Einstein? God! And you need my authorization to include my sons in the special learning program, isn’t that right?

Mr. Wong stared at Allan and only managed to respond, Yes.

Well, you’re not going to get it, and if you don’t mind, I have to get to work.

Mr. Wong opened the door and got out, but before he closed the door he turned to Allan and said, Please, think this over, and I will call you next week to book a meeting. Have a nice day.

Too late now, he managed to say before driving off.

What an idiot, he thought. No matter how hard he tried, he knew that this was going to affect his whole day.

The first thing he did as he entered his small and excessively organized office, was check his email. Luckily there were no new projects to work on, leaving him time to conclude a pending project on injection molding. If things went as planned, it would leave him with the afternoon to work on a lecture he was going to deliver the following day.

He focused all his energies on the project, trying to keep his mind off the incident with his children’s guidance teacher. As he finished, his phone rang.

 Hello. Allan Alves speaking, he said, worrying that the call was from his kid’s school. But no. It wasn’t trouble. It wasn’t his kid’s guidance teacher. It was the familiar and comforting voice of his wife.

Do you always answer your office phone like that? asked Rachel.

Oh, honey. It’s great to hear your voice. How are things going in Portland?

I’m in Seattle. We finished earlier, and I decided to surprise you. Want to go for lunch?

Allan looked at his watch, surprised it was one o’clock already.

Harold’s in ten minutes? he asked.

Perfect!

When he arrived at Harold’s, a very cozy family restaurant, his wife was already sitting at their favorite table, looking beautiful as always and very well dressed. Her clothes always brought out her best female assets, while he always wore comfortable, worn-in blue jeans, a T-shirt, and a sweater. He supposed that made him, in that sense, a very predictable man. The restaurant was only half full, and as he approached his table he couldn’t help notice how quiet it was. This was one of the reasons he enjoyed Harold’s; the noise pollution was kept to a minimum.

Hi, honey! he said as she got up and threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

Missed you, she whispered in his ear.

Missed you too.

So how did things go in Portland? he asked once they were both sitting so he could stare into her mild brown eyes.

Very well, she said while browsing the menu. "We managed to establish exactly how the hotel is going to look—furniture, wallpaper, everything—and now I have Judie taking care of the rest, leaving me time to be a normal housewife for a change.

And what about you? she asked. How have you been coping, just you and the kids?

He immediately told her about Mr. Wong. As he finished telling her everything, she looked him in the eyes and smiled.

That’s why I love you, honey. You can solve so many problems, but when it comes to emotions and social behavior you really exaggerate sometimes. She put her hair behind her ears, which told him that she was about to give him all the facts and information he needed to resolve his predicaments. God, he loved this woman.

Don’t worry about Mr. Wong. I’ve spoken to him a couple of times in the past, and I’m sure I can get him to see our side of the story and understand what’s best for James and David. She smiled, reached for his hand, and asked, Did I help?

He squeezed her hand and responded, You always do.

The waiter appeared and asked what they would like. Allan looked at Rachel before they both responded, We’ll have the cod, and laughed.

After dessert, Rachel got up, kissed Allan, and said, Honey, I’m going shopping because I’m sure you and the kids are tired of eating pizza, hamburgers, and hotdogs. If you can pick up the kids, I’ll cook us a homemade meal. Anything you want in particular?

Allan smiled. Well, I would love to eat your vegetable lasagna for dinner and then, when the kids are asleep, have you for dessert.

Rachel looked at Allan, smiled, and responded, So it’s settled then.

When he arrived back at his office, all he could think about was Rachel. He was really lucky to have married her. She was perfect, and he wondered if his children would ever find someone who would understand Asperger’s syndrome and be able to adapt to it and help them out too. However, that was still a long way off and he had other problems to deal with. He had some variables to adjust in the blow molding simulator before tomorrow’s experiment in the lab, and it was already three o’clock. He had to be at the kid’s school no later than five, so basically he had one hour to adjust the variables. If things went as planned it should be enough time.

Allan disconnected from reality and became totally absorbed in his work. When he had tested the last variable, he looked at his watch and saw it was 4:30.

God, already? Now I have to run.

He turned off his computer, grabbed his coat, and raced to his car, but he still didn’t make it to the kids’ school before 5:15. He parked his car and walked to the main gate, keeping his eyes open for his kids. As he got closer to the gate he saw James and David talking to two other boys, so he decided not to call for them just yet. He observed the four boys talking, marveling that they were all laughing.

David noticed him and waved. He waved back and gestured to his watch. After what looked like their own unique handshake, his kids said goodbye and walked in his direction.

On their way back to the car Allan asked, Who were those two kids?

James answered with excitement, They’re Peter and Max, our two friends. We have actually known them for a while now, but we didn’t know it.

Allan stared at them with a puzzled look. Sorry, but you lost me.

He opened the car doors, and David responded as they got in, What James meant to say was that we had already played Assassin’s Creed with them online, but their online names are different, so we only figured out that they were our friends this afternoon

The pros and cons of PlayStation, Allan thought then turned back to face his kids. I’ve got a surprise for you: Mom’s home.

Yes! James and David said, and he put his car in drive. This time when Allan looked through his rearview mirror, he saw that his kids looked happy.

This was turning into a fantastic day, and he didn’t want to push it, but he had to ask, James, how did your test go?

Great. It was easy.

Wow, thought Allan, a truly fantastic day. As he parked, the kids flung open their doors and ran inside.

Once inside he took his jacket off and headed for the kitchen, where he was immediately involved in the savory smell of vegetable lasagna. The fragrance