The Crystal Visions Part 5

Shaley ran to her Bestie. This was not how their little adventure was supposed to turn out. She knelt down beside her and cradled Pippi in her arms. "Are you ok Pippi?" She asked. "Who? What?" Pippi mumbled. Shaley held up three fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up?" She asked hopefully. Pippi looked back and forth between Shaleys worried face and her hand. "Banana?" Pippi answered. "Auntie come help Pippi!" Shaley exclaimed as a look of terror took over her face. "Im ok Shay. I was just messing with you. Help me get up." Pippi smiled.

Markie and Sunny were confronting Trish and Cathy. "What the h.e.l.l is your problem? You could have burned the whole place down." Markie shouted at the woman. "Im calling the cops." Sunny said pulling out her cell phone. Shaley helped her friend to her feet then went over to the duffle bag. The girls had watched the whole thing from their vantage point in the rafters. She picked up the bag and retrieved the digital camera. Cathy lunged for the camera but Shaley saw her coming and held it out of reach. "Get over there. Youve caused enough damage tonight." Sunny said to Cathy while pointing for her to return to her Mothers side.

Sunny was about to dial 911. "Wait!" Markie said to her friend. Sunny stopped and looked at her. "We dont need the cops. No real harm was done here." Markie said stepping closer to Trish. Sona wandered into the Church. "What the h.e.l.l?" She shouted. Markie just held her hand up to Sona to let her know she had it covered. Shaley went through the pictures on the camera and deleted the ones from the Church while Sona checked Pippi out. "Come to the house so I can put some peroxide on that sc.r.a.pe on your knee." She told Pip. Pippi was still quite the sight in her white gown and crumpled wings, her hair disheveled with dirt and blood on various parts of her body. "Well talk about this later." Sona said glaring at Shaley. "Yes Maam." Shaley replied politely but she didnt immediately follow Sona and Pippi back to the house. She was very curious to find out what was going to happen to the vandals.

Markie stood with her hands on her hips. "Is this what you want to teach your daughter?" She asked Trish. "You would never have gotten away with it. We have video surveillance cameras all over this place and it wouldnt have ended well for either of you. You could have killed someone or ended up in jail and your kids put in care. Is that what you want?" Markie asked trying very hard not to raise her voice.

Trish just shuffled her feet uncomfortably. "I dont want to see your face around here again. I dont want you near me or my family and if you dare try anything again Ill have you arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Do I make myself clear?" Markie looked directly into Trishs eyes. Trish for her part just stood clenching her jaw repeatedly and glaring at Markie. "And you young lady stay away too." Markie said to Cathy. "Now get your c.r.a.p and get the h.e.l.l off my property!"

Sunny moved to stand beside her friend. "Ill make sure they get to their car safely." Sunny said sarcastically as she guided the vandals out the door. Markie went to the drawing on her nicely finished hardwoods. "All this mess for what?" Markie said spreading her arms out to encompa.s.s the entire scene. "Thats the girl Aunt Sona rejected for the after school program... and her mother. I guess she didnt like being told no." Shaley offered. Markie went behind the pulpit and found a cardboard box. She picked up each item and placed it in... all except the chicken. That she intended to bury in the yard along with the evil intentions of the intruders. *

Epilogue.

Shaley and Pippi sat on the front porch talking about their recent adventures. "I see your knees have healed after your Flying Nun imitation." Shaley pointed to Pippis legs. Pippi looked down at her nearly healed scabs and picked at them absently. "Im sure theyll be fine soon. I still cant forget the look on their faces, it was priceless." Pippi giggled. Shaley couldnt help picturing in her minds eye the image of Pippi in her Angel costume and didnt even try to stifle her own giggle. "I thought I was going to pee my pants when you landed on top of them!" Shaley broke out laughing. "And and and the look on your Aunts face. Hahahaha" Pippi laughed as tears started to stream down her cheeks.

Shaley watched her friend laughing with fascination. She watching her friend laughing so hard it made her burst into hysterical laughter herself. "Shay there is never a dull moment around here. Im so glad you came to live here. Youre the best!" Pippi said wiping a tear from her cheek. "Nope!" Shaley said. "Im you Bestie and youre mine."

Pippi sat on the step with her back against the rail frowning. "What do you think made Ms. Lawson go off the rails like that?" Pippi said picking a piece of lint off her trowsers. "I dont know. I just hope I dont ever get to that point. Im incredibly lucky to have so many great people in my life that I can talk to. I am blessed." Shaley said smiling. Pippi thought about her friends comment. She knew her friend had been through more than most people and still she found a way to feel blessed. Pippi wanted to find a way to be more grateful. *

School was out but many of Sonas kids still came by the Church. She loved her peeps and enjoyed having them around on a part time basis. Shaley spied the special needs school bus that transported the kids to summer school then dropped them off at the Church afterwards. It was hard for some of the families to find alternate care for their kids in the summer. They were allotted only so many hours of Personal Support care depending on the severity of their childs disability so they had to schedule wisely.

Shaley and Pippi ran to the end of the driveway to walk the kids to the back door of the Church. Some days Shaley would stick around and play video games or do crafts with them but not today. Today she was going to spend the afternoon with her best friend in the whole world. The bus lumbered to a stop at the end of the driveway. Its electric door opened smoothly to reveal the occupants inside. For a school bus the special needs school bus was eerily quiet as many of the kids were non-verbal.

Shaley and Pippi peered into the interior and saw Mrs. Fisher the driver and her kind smiling face seated in the drivers seat. Some people underestimated bus drivers but Shaley knew many of them had other jobs or were retired. One man she knew had been a foreman at a steel plant down south, another woman was a writer and still another man was a Minister. To some it was just a job but to the majority they did it because they loved kids. They certainly didnt stick around for the pay. Mrs. Fisher was a widow whose kids were all grown but she still wanted to feel useful.

She especially loved working with special needs children as they were gifts from G.o.d she would say. Shaley greeted each child that came off the bus with a h.e.l.lo or pat on the back followed by a big smile. She honestly loved Spencer and Elizabeth, Brandon, Reuben, Taehoon and Connor. They each had found a place in her heart. The kids started walking up the drive as Shaley turned to thank Mrs. Fisher. In the seat directly behind the driver sat a young man that Shaley hadnt noticed nor remembered seeing before.

He sat with his head down and a stringer of spittle hung from his lower lip. He lifted his head and looked Shaley directly in the eyes and smiled a wicked evil grin. His teeth appeared to be stained red and his eyes shone garnet red as though they were lit from within. Shaleys heart sank and she was momentarily speechless. Mrs. Fisher was bidding her a good day and would see her tomorrow. Shaley stood motionless as the driver closed the service door. Suddenly Shaley felt panicked and needed to warn Mrs. Fisher. The movement of the closing door snapped her out of her catatonia. "Wait Mrs. Fisher." Shaley started to say but it was too late. The bus had already started pulling away. "No Mrs. Fisher...wait!" She called after the bus but to no avail.

Pippi who had been walking with the kids turned when she heard her friends voice. She stopped and came back to stand beside Shaley. "Whats wrong?" Pippi asked with a concerned look on her face. Shaley turned toward her friend with her mouth still agape. "I...I...I just needed to tell the driver something." She stammered. Pippis eyebrows knit together, something was going on. Shaley would probably tell her later. "Pip cmon." Spencer called to Pippi. She smiled and ran up the drive toward the Church. Shaley stood watching the retreating bus. "What the h.e.l.l was that?" She said softly to herself.

She turned and sprinted to the Church as well. She needed to talk to Auntie Sona. "I hope Auntie Sona has the bus drivers phone number. I need to know she made it home safe." She told Pippi as she ran by. An ice cold chill migrated up Shaleys spine leaving her anxious and a little nauseated. The image of that horrifying face terrified her and Shaley needed to talk to Naomi... Now! *

Another Series by B J Somerville.

The Secret Book One of the Marcus II Series.

Prologue.

"Im telling you right now Conrad, those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds are not going to highjack this project. It was conceived by us, it has been planned by us and we will not give up our autonomy to any of those d.a.m.n talking heads, not now, not ever. Their threat to withdraw funding or deny access to state of the art equipment will not deter us. They want to turn Marcus II into their own personal bank account. If we make a deal with them they will strip that planet of its minerals, forests and anything else they can sell to make a profit. Marcus II will become a wasteland; future explorers will think its a twin to Terra. You can see with your own eyes what the result will be if they have any hand in this project, My project. They will not have the opportunity to exploit the resources of that planet." Moira Murray ranted. This particular argument was ongoing, this was the tenth time the government had tried to force the researchers into playing the game of politics.

Special interest groups were owed a favor and they wanted the Government to grant them exclusive rights to any and all of the resources on Marcus II and they werent against using the threat of removal of funding to get their way. "Moira please dont upset yourself, Im asking you to be practical; we need that money." Conrad Drummond proclaimed. "There is no project without a vast influx of capital, you know that as well as I do and you know how to play the game."

"I know how it has been in the past; researchers have had to prost.i.tute themselves to be able to follow their projects through to the end. The original proposal was clear, it stated unequivocally that every aspect of this colonization, every decision was ours to make, Period! Now they think they can change the rules. That will not happen Conrad, do you understand me? That is one thing I will not compromise on!" Moira stated adamantly.

Conrad paced back and forth. He knew there was no changing her mind, not about this. He struggled to find a way to salvage the project, six years had already been invested into its planning. Possibly thousands of man hours would be wasted if they couldnt secure the funds necessary, and this latest stunt of the governing body overseeing the allocation of funding was disastrous. Moira went over to Conrad and gently patted him on the shoulder. "Dont worry Conrad. Have I ever let you down? I didnt come into this with my eyes closed, I was well aware they might try to take over. I have always had an alternative plan. We will get to Marcus II and will have our colony the way we want it." Moira said with a slight smirk.

Months later on the transport vessel Moira paced the bridge as they neared Marcus II: "Dr. Murray, there seems to have been some sort of c.o.c.k up with the original survey of Marcus II. The science vessel Audra surveyed the five planets in this sector and they concluded that Marcus I and Marcus II were possible sites for a human settlement. Both have moderate climates, thick vegetation and several sites suitable for settlements. Marcus I is an M Cla.s.s planet that has a primate species with the potential for evolving into a humanoid life form. Or at least it did Maam." The extremely young looking Technical Officer of the transport ship informed Moira. That sentence caught Moiras attention and her head snapped around.

"It looks like Marcus I has had a significant impact Maam. It looks bad." He concluded. "Could you show me on the large viewer?" Moira asked. The Tech looked to the Captain for confirmation, the Captain nodded. The viewer came to life showing the enormous crater similar in size to the Barringer Crater in Arizona. Moira moved closer to examine the image. "Can we get a better resolution on that image?" She said squinting at the screen. "No maam, our equipment isnt that sensitive; this is just a transport vessel. We only carry an outdated first generation THEMIS Imaging System. Thats the best image we have, Im sorry." The scruffy haired Tech looked away embarra.s.sed. Moira tried to reconcile what such a significant impact might mean to her project. Granted it wasnt on Marcus II but it could have significant repercussions. She turned to the tech and noticed a sheepish look on his face. "What are you not saying young man?" Moira asked. After taking a deep breath he replied. "The data sent in the original reports were somehow transposed, its almost impossible to separate the two. Images and data from Marcus I are in the Marcus II report and vice versa." The tech concluded. "d.a.m.n d.a.m.n d.a.m.n." Moira said under her breath while resisting the urge to slam her hand down on the console. She had to find a way to salvage this mission; there was no turning back now. Everyone had given everything they had, gathered their families and even brought genetic material to grow their own livestock. This colony was their dream and it had to happen, there was no other option. Moira had a.s.sembled some of the most brilliant minds she knew and they would have to utilize their combined intellect to make this colonization a success. Moira rubbed her forehead and turned to the Captain. "Captain, could I use your conference room please?" She asked. "Yes Doctor of course." He said motioning to her toward the doorway. "And Captain if its not too much trouble could I have any information your people can pick up of the Planet sent there please?" The Captain smiled and nodded encouragingly. He had become quite fond of Dr. Murray in their time together and wanted to help in any way he could.

In the Captains conference room the scientists were gathered, engaged in a heated discussion about what would be the best way to proceed. After reviewing the new data the majority believed the expedition could continue, with a slightly modified plan. A small but very vocal group on the other hand wanted to pack it in and return to Terra. "I dont think we can cavalierly make such a serious decision. I brought my entire family here; I am not going to put them in jeopardy." Dr. Sharma proclaimed. "Then you should return to Terra, after the rest of us go down to the planet. Its your decision." Dr. Morgan commented with barely disguised contempt. "Dr. Suzuki, is there any animal life on either of the planets that will make settlement impossible or dangerous?" Moira asked. "The survey that we now know was a complete shambles shows what appear to be large primates on Marcus I. There are large mammals detected..." Dr. Suzuki started but was interrupted by Dr. Dunkin "We cant use any of that data, it has been corrupted and we dont have the time to do a complete survey of our own. We have to start fresh with the equipment we have and hope that is enough."

The new Planetary Survey was distributed to all the scientists. It would take time to a.n.a.lyze all this new information. After two days the council was reconvened and the decision was made to proceed, minus Dr. Sharma and his family. They had decided to return to Terra. The word was sent out to begin the disembarkation protocols for the rest of the scientists and their families. They were proceeding; the THEMIS Imaging System had located a suitable site for their colony that had all the ingredients needed for their endeavor. The scientists dispersed to carry out their a.s.signed duties for preparation to make landfall. Moira sifted through the copious amount of new data that continued to come in. She had a slight headache and leaned back in her chair ma.s.saging her temples.

Dr. Conrad Drummond came up behind her cautiously trying not to startle her. Before he had a chance to say anything Moira asked. "What is it now Conrad, it better not be any more bad news!" Conrad shuffled his feet and waited; he leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Im sorry Moira its worse than that. Can I speak with you in private?" This day was going from bad to worse. There was so much they didnt know. She motioned for the others still mingling in the room to leave and close the door. "What is it?" She said impatiently.

"Its about the original survey; there is evidence that the mix up wasnt an accident. It looks like the data was deliberately scrambled by someone. The question is if it was done to deliberately sabotage us specifically or someone just being a prat." Moira spun around in her chair. "You have got to be kidding me!" Moira sighed. By the look on Conrads face she knew instinctively that was not all. She made a circular movement with her hand motioning him to proceed.

"I have indisputable evidence that this so called mix up was not only known by Bellinger but was ordered by him. He wanted us to fail so he could swoop in and take Marcus II away from us." Conrads eyes met Moiras squinting glare. "That little b.a.s.t.a.r.d; Id like to wring his frigging neck. If he were here now I would. He said he would sink this project and it appears he has made his best effort." She said. Conrad looked like he was going to have a coronary. Moira stood and put her hand on his shoulder and gave it a firm rea.s.suring squeeze.

"Dont worry Conrad, that a.s.shole has made his biggest mistake ever. He has greatly underestimated me. We will continue with our plan, this changes nothing." Moira turned her attention back to the a.n.a.lysis reports. "Moira, there is one more thing I would like to discuss with you. Its about the impact on Marcus I. It has caused considerable stress on the primate species we discussed earlier as well as two or three other species in the immediate vicinity of the crater. They would be considered endangered at this point. I have only been able to identify approximately one-thousand individuals. I would hate to see such a unique and promising species become extinct." "Fine Conrad, what are you proposing?" Moira looked intrigued. "I would like to lead a team to relocate a number of representatives from those species and have them brought to Marcus II." Moira breathed out heavily. "If you can get a consensus and some volunteers without our schedule being affected you have my ok."

"How did the collection process go Conrad, do you have enough numbers to create a viable seed population?" Moira questioned a few days later. "Yes Moira, I am confident we have enough individuals as well as sufficiently diverse genetic material to support my plans for rehabilitation and reintroduction. We already have the crio-units for storage of human genetic material brought from Terra. There is plenty of room for those specimens as well. The only consideration at this time is that we use them in plenty of time before their internal power sources run out. If those units fail not only will we lose the specimens from Marcus I but our own samples as well." "Conrad, we have numerous units but lets not take any chances. Lets evenly distribute the specimens among several units as there is always the possibility of the crio-cylinders failing." "Good thinking Moira. Ill get right on it. See you on the planet."

"Oh and Conrad... could you please ask Dr. Sharma to join me in the conference room? I need to speak with him before we depart." Conrad nodded before turning and exiting. Shortly Dr. Sharma arrived. "You wished to see me Dr. Murray?" He inquired. Moira turned in her chair and took the measure of the man in front of her. She had a.s.sembled and handpicked these scientists for their skill and expertise. He was highly regarded by everyone who knew him and she mourned the loss of such an important member of her team but it couldnt be helped. "Yes Dr. Sharma we will be disembarking within the hour and I would like to take my leave of you." "If this is about my returning to Terra, my mind is made up Im afraid." Dr. Sharma said sternly. "No no Doctor, I respect your decision and wish you luck in your future endeavors. Ive asked you here on a completely different matter. I need a favor and youre the only one I trust." Dr. Sharma looked confused. "If there is anything I can do for you Dr. Murray all you have to do is name it." Handing him a memory storage device she asked. "I need you to contact Commodore Fitzgerald as soon as you return to Terra and give him this. It is very important and confidential." Dr. Sharma looked at the device and slipped it into his pocket. "Yes Doctor you can count on me, you have my word." "Very good Dr. Sharma, Bon Voyage." Moira hoped she was doing the right thing. Dr. Sharma bent at the waist and left the room. Moira sat down heavily in her chair. The fun was just about to begin and as she was gathering her belongings the Captain entered to wish her good luck and escort her to the last shuttle.

"h.e.l.lo Dr. Murray, are you ready to depart?" He enquired smiling broadly. "As ready as Ill ever be thank you Captain." Moira replied. "I'm going to miss you and your team. Its been a pleasure having you aboard. I think Ill especially miss you, I consider you a friend." The Captain looked at her with a sheepish grin. He had been good-naturedly flirting with Moira at almost every opportunity. She smiled genuinely at him. "Ill miss you as well. There is one thing you can do for me if its not too much trouble. Could you take this report to my Uncle, Commodore Fitzgerald and give it to him personally when you return to Terra. It would set my mind at ease." He took the storage device. "It would be my pleasure Doctor... Moira, good luck again." With that they went to the hanger deck for departure to Marcus II. Moira wasnt taking any chances with this project, her insurance policy had been successfully delivered and now it was time to begin the work.

The journey to the planet went without a hitch. It had been a dream of Moiras to find a planet to do her research. Her Father had planted that dream and she would be the one who would finally fulfill it. Before leaving the bridge of the Artimus for the last time she had taken the time to observe their new home from orbit. Marcus II was in some ways very much like Terra, its atmosphere highly suitable for humans. Terra was the home of her ancestors but in her soul she knew that Marcus II would become the home of her children and grandchildren.

The sphere that filled the view screen was ma.s.sive and spectacular and the sheer magnitude of the challenge was a little daunting but she and her people were up for it. Its sea green oceans dotted with islands and continents, mountain ranges and mighty rivers. The atmosphere was as strange as it was beautiful. Her heart raced knowing all their hard work was finally coming to fruition. Her heart felt as though it might jump out of her chest: like a teenager seeing the sight of their lovers naked form for the first time it was beautiful and inspiring and captivating. She stood there a long time unmoving until she realized she had been holding her breath.

Planet side Moira and the team stood mesmerized. Her lungs ached after having only had recycled air for so long. The atmosphere on Marcus II was much more dense, her head felt light and she had to steady herself. She was invigorated; this planet was so much more than she had imagined. She sat down for a moment trying to catch her breath. She reached down and took a handful of soil in her hand: her smile irrepressible. The soil was warm and its smell pungent, its texture luxurious.

All her senses were overloaded being almost more than she could bear. She suspected there werent even names for the colors she was seeing. The vivid greens, golds and reds of the foliage, the sea green color of the water almost like the glacier fed lakes on Terra. The colors of the sky were pinks and purples and again so numerous she didnt even know if there were words in the human vocabulary to describe them. The sheer beauty of the sight in front of her overwhelmed every sense she had and even some she didnt even know she possessed. Still sitting Moira scanned the area nearest to her, her senses were completely overloaded. The teams doctor approached and ran her portable medical device over her. "Stay seated Dr. Murray until you regain your equilibrium. There doesnt seem to be anything physically wrong with us, we just have a case of sensory overload." The Doctor squeezed Moiras shoulder and gave her a rea.s.suring smile. Moira smiled and nodded.

Moira eventually stood once more trying to absorb all of her surroundings. The colors she saw seemed almost too much for her brain to a.n.a.lyze, the colors so vivid she had to squint. Not from the actual images before her but the feeling she had deep within her brain as though they had turned on circuits not normally in use. The smell of the air and vegetation, the sound of the rushing water, birds and animals, they all seemed to awaken previously unrealized portions of her being. She suspected that there were not words for what her and her crew was experiencing except possibly ecstasy in its purest form. A feeling of an altered state of consciousness, rapture or exaltation were the only terms she could think of to properly describe what they were going through.

This was so much more than she had expected, more than she had experienced previously on other colony planets she had visited. She couldnt seem to wipe the stupid grin off her face.

When she looked around everyone in her landing party had the same look on their face. She chuckled to herself as she turned her attention to the river. What was living in the depths of that river, or in the forest? When she finally recovered sufficiently she remembered they had a lot of work to do before nightfall and they had better get cracking. She clapped her hands to get their attention. "People I know this is all a little overwhelming but we need to get to work on the basics of survival, shelter, fire and water. You know what you are supposed to be doing, lets get to it shall we! The sooner we have those things sorted the sooner we can explore our new home." *

Other Books by B J Somerville.

Fantasy.

The Secret Book One of the Marcus II Series 978-0-9916881-2-8.

The Creature Book Two of the Marcus II Series 978-0-9916881-1-1 The Reprisal Book Three of the Marcus II Series 978-0-9916881-0-4 The Prison Ship - Book Four of the Marcus II Series 978-0-9916881-4-2.

Romance.

My Neighbour Dana A Modern Day Romance 978-0-9916881-3-5.

Paranormal.

Burks Falls A Familys Journey Volume 1 978-0-9916881-5-9.

The Crystal Visions A familys Journey Volume 2 978-0-9916881-6-6.

About the Author.

B J has spent the better part of twenty years exploring her spiritual path, building a solid foundation and consciously working every day to remove the obstacles that obscure her inner light. With a loving heart and an open mind she embraces her path and journey and honors and respects others journeys. She reminds herself every day to be grateful and give thanks for everything life has given her.

end.