Partially Human by Dwayne Anderson

Prologue
Partially Human

It was a clear evening on November 15th, 1979 in Los Angeles, California. The sky sparkled with the beauty of thousands of stars. All was calm except for a slight breeze.
Somewhere along the outskirts of the city, a black car pulled up in front of an abandoned house. Out stepped a man in his early forties, dressed in a black suit with a red tie. He was a police officer with the LAPD.
During the past fourteen months, a gang of teenage drug dealers had been supplying high school students with alcohol, cigarettes, cocaine, heroin, and other illegal substances. Numerous complaints by parents forced the police to take action.
The officer closed the door to his car and quietly approached the building.
Standing before the door, he pulled out a small handheld radio and turned it on.
“Charlie Urtoma here. I have arrived at my destination.”
“Good,” came a reply, “backup is on the way to offer any assistance in the upcoming arrests. Proceed with caution.”
Charlie turned off the radio and gripped the door handle. With trembling hands, he turned the knob and opened the door.
Inside, Charlie found himself in a dark room lit only by the moonlight through a window. Turning on his flashlight, he stepped further inside.
Something caught his eye on the floor. Shining his flashlight down, he saw a pile of empty bullets, evidence of a gunfight. Charlie felt a queasy feeling in his stomach.
He pulled the chain of a light bulb above him and turned off his flashlight.
Charlie took a few moments to survey his surroundings. He was standing in a small room with a wooden table in front of him, surrounded by five chairs. Four of them were overturned. A nearby doorway led into a larger room.
In the middle of the table, was a small box. Upon opening it, Charlie found numerous small bags filled with a white powder.
“It must be cocaine” he said to himself. “I should confiscate this and submit it into evidence!”
His attention was drawn to several small red stains on the floor. Charlie knelt down and touched one of them. To his horror, the substance was wet. It looked like fresh blood.
The room beyond the doorway was dark, forcing him to turn on his flashlight again. A trail of blood drops decorated the floor, leading to the stairs.
Charlie gulped. He had a bad feeling about this.
The trail led Charlie upstairs to another empty room. As he entered, he noticed another pile of empty bullets on the floor.
Using his flashlight, Charlie found a light switch and turned it on.
What he saw next, made his blood run cold.
Two male bodies were sprawled across the floor. A female corpse was lying near a few crumpled boxes. Each of them had been shot several times.
Charlie had found the teenage drug dealers hideout, but it seemed that someone else had beaten him to this location.
“What happened in here?” he said to himself. “What is going on?!”
Suddenly, Charlie heard what sounded like moaning.
“Where was it coming from?” he asked himself.
“Over here!” a faint voice spoke.
Charlie stepped past the two bodies lying on the floor. In the closet with his back against the wall, was a bald teenager. His shirt was mildly stained with blood.
“My name is Charlie Urtoma,” said Charlie as he showed the wounded teenager his badge, “I’m with the Los Angeles Police Department.”
“My name is Cody Wonks” the teenager spoke.
“What happened in here?” asked Charlie. “Who did this to you and your partners?”
“Someone who calls herself The Prejudice” said Cody.
“What happened?”
“We were seated at the table downstairs planning our next deal, when suddenly, the door was thrown open and she came in. Brandishing a sub-machine gun, she opened fire. Some of us were hit as we fled. We attempted to hide from her wrath, but she was relentless and gunned us down without mercy.”
“I must to get you to a hospital!”
“No, I’m not going to make it.”
“When did The Prejudice strike?”
“A few minutes ago, just before you came. She’s... still--”
Before Cody could finish, his head fell back. He was dead.
Charlie stood and turned on his radio.
“Charlie to headquarters. Can you hear me?”
“What is your report?”
“I have some bad news. Someone was here a few minutes ago and gunned down four teenagers. One lived long enough to identify the killer, a woman calling herself The Prejudice.”
“Oh great, just what this city needs, another serial killer.”
While Charlie was giving out his report, a mysterious hand reached through the doorway and turned off the light switch.
“What’s going on?! Who’s there?!” Charlie cried as he dropped the radio and pulled out his handgun.
“Only me” a mysterious female voice spoke behind him.
“That voice!” Charlie said as he turned around. “No! It can’t be you! I never thought a former LAPD officer would do such a thing! You’ll never get away with this!”
“Wrong!” said the mysterious figure. Then before Charlie could react, the intruder pulled out a revolver and opened fire. As he collapsed from two gunshot wounds to his chest, Charlie heard a voice on the radio.
“Charlie? Are you alright? Charlie?!”
But there would be no answer from Charlie Urtoma ever again.
* * *
The murders were on the front page of the newspaper the following morning. News of a new serial killer in the city, instilled fear in the hearts of its citizens. Numerous high school parents felt relieved that the gang of teenage drug dealers were eliminated.
The LAPD mourned the loss of one of its finest officers. They vowed to find his killer and bring her to justice.
* * *
That afternoon, a father and his teenage daughter were at the Torrance Memorial Medical Center. The girl was feeling sick to her stomach. Concerned, her father arranged for an appointment.
The girl was Alicia Plofhard, a pretty young lady of sixteen years with medium length black hair and blue eyes. Her father, Kevin, was a man in his late thirties, with brown hair, and hazel eyes.
“Well Mr. Plofhard, I have finished the examination” said Hector Koleman, a young doctor in his early forties. “I found the reason why she’s been throwing up this morning.”
“What is it doctor?” asked Kevin.
“Mr. Plofhard, you’re going to become a grandfather!”
Kevin was shocked. “What?!” he said. “That can’t be! My daughter can’t be pregnant! She’s only sixteen, going on seventeen in December!”
“Do you know who the father is?” asked Hector. “Do you know when you conceived?”
“Well, I was with Joshua in late October at the drive-in movie theater and--”
“I knew it!” Kevin said angrily. “I knew that boy was trouble from the moment I met him!”
“But dad--!”
“No buts Alicia! I warned you about him, but you wouldn’t listen! Now, you’ll have to live with it for the rest of your life! For my dear departed wife’s sake, I will not let our family’s name be shamed! You’ll have to marry him and provide a father to the baby!”
Alicia sighed. “Alright dad” she said. “I’ll tell Joshua when I see him tonight.”
* * *
That night, Alicia drove up to a tavern called the Warris Heaven. It’s name was printed on a neon sign that shone bright blue. The building wasn’t just a bar, it was also a motel.
She climbed out of her car and opened the front door.
“Hello there,” said Lou, the African American bartender and owner of Warris Heaven, “and welcome to the Waris Heaven. Can I be of service?”
“Is Joshua Valkron here?” asked Alicia. “I’m a friend of his.”
“He’s upstairs in his room. It’s the third door to the left on the second floor.”
* * *
Joshua Valkron, was a young man of seventeen, with bleached blonde hair, and blue eyes. He was watching the news describing last night’s murders, when suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
“I’m coming!” he said. He stood and walked over to the door and opened it.
“Oh hi Alicia” he said. “Please, come in and take a seat!”
Alicia stepped inside. Joshua closed the door behind her.
“Joshua, I have something I need to tell you” she said as she sat down on an old brown couch.
“What is it?” asked Joshua as he turned off the television.
“I was at the clinic today” said Alicia. “I woke up feeling queasy and had to throw up in the bathroom.”
“Are you sick or something?”
“No, not really. It’s just that...well, do you remember the night we were at the drive-in last month?”
“I remember.”
“Well, I don’t know how to tell you this...but…”
“You can say it to me.”
Alicia breathed a heavy sigh. “…I’m pregnant.”
Joshua could not believe a word he had heard.
“So, is this what you wanted to tell me?”
“Yes. I’ll have to quit school and earn my diploma through correspondence. Then I can get a good job to support me and the baby. Dad would probably have to help me until that actually happened.”
“What about me? After all, I’m the father aren’t I?”
“My father wants us to get married so the baby will have a father.”
“Well, if that’s what he wants, that’s what he’ll get. I know that single parenthood among teenagers is frowned upon in society, and I wouldn’t want to you to bring shame upon your family name.”
“Why don’t we go over to my house to discuss everything with dad?”
“Alright. Let’s go talk to your dad about our plans.”
* * *
The wedding was arranged to be held the following week. Kevin invited a minister to the house to perform the ceremony.
Alicia stood in her bedroom before the mirror, wearing a white wedding gown that her mother had worn on her wedding day. Today, she and Joshua would be getting married. Tonight, they would become husband and wife.
* * *
Joshua adjusted his tie and smoothed the wrinkles from his suit. He washed his hands and ran a comb through his hair. He wanted to look his best for their wedding.
Alicia had arranged for her father to pick him up in front of the Warris Heaven.
* * *
While waiting outside, and thinking of his bride to be, he took a few moments to gaze upon the night sky.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a green car quietly parked itself next to him.
“Are you Joshua Valkron?” asked a female voice from within.
“I am” said Joshua.
A second after he spoke, a shot rang out from the inside of the car. Joshua gasped, clutching his chest.
As he keeled over, Joshua heard a voice from inside the vehicle.
“Good riddance Joshua! Join your former partners in the afterlife!”
The window rolled up as the car drove away.
Joshua lay on the sidewalk, his life slipping away. A small bloodstain had formed where he had been shot. In the final moments of his life, it was clear to him that he had become a victim of The Prejudice.
* * *
“I can’t believe it!” cried Alicia. “Joshua is dead! Now who will help me raise the baby?!”
“I’m sorry Alicia” said Kevin. “I found Joshua near the Warris Heaven. He had been shot in the chest.”
“What am I gonna do now?!” she cried.
“You ruined your own life, and you’re going have to live with it. If word gets out that my teenage daughter is pregnant, our family will be shamed forever!”
“I’m sorry dad. Is there anything I can do?”
“Yes. Pack up.”
“Huh?”
“You heard me. I want you out of this house. As of now, I have no daughter!”
* * *
Four months later, on February 14th, 1980, Alicia was in her room in a suburban house that she and three other girls were renting. Since Alicia had no job, she received a welfare cheque once every month.
Alicia was now four months pregnant and seventeen years of age. Her girlfriends Theresa, Belinda, and Nicole were out with their boyfriends. Alicia was left alone in the house.
It was a beautiful night, with stars lighting up the sky. It reminded her of the night she first met Joshua. She missed him.
Since she had nothing better do to, she decided to go out for a drive.
* * *
About ten minutes later, Alicia arrived in a large meadow just outside the city.
After his murder, Joshua had been laid to rest here. Alicia had chosen this location to bury him because it was his favorite spot.
She climbed out of the car and walked through the short grass, to a tombstone about fifty yards away.
Written on the granite slab were these words:
Joshua Valkron
Born June 24th, 1962
Killed November 24th, 1979
Alicia knelt before the tombstone where her first love was buried. She lay a bouquet of flowers on the ground in front of the slab.
Suddenly, she heard a low humming sound from something slowly descending from the sky.
Alicia stood and stepped back, hoping to get a better view.
The humming sound grew louder as the mysterious object descended downwards. The surrounding sky gradually turned blue and purple.
Then, Alicia saw a huge alien spacecraft, taller than the tallest building in Los Angeles. It resembled a humanoid alien, whose body, head, arms, and legs were made of bright blue crystal. The face was black, with only purple colored eyes showing. The head was surrounded by a halo made of shiny smooth amethyst, illuminating the area around with a bright purple aura. Imbedded in the forehead was an octagon shaped purple amethyst crystal gem. Attached to the area below the neck were the wings of a holy angel which enveloped the back. They were made of brightly colored purple amethyst crystals. Where the heart would have been in a human, was a round cavity, where an amethyst triangular gem slowly spun around. The feet resembled crystallized boots, placed together with the legs forming a “V” shape with steep sides. The ship’s arms were crossed.
The ship slowly flapped its wings as it descended towards the ground. The feet separated from each other as the spacecraft touched down. The arms became uncrossed and rested beside the body. The wings stopped flapping, then outstretched to the sides before being withdrawn to the back, enveloping it like a cape.
The head of the ship gazed down towards Alicia where she stood twenty yards away.
Alicia stood awestruck with a look of astonishment on her face. In front of her stood a titanic alien spacecraft, made entirely of crystal! She could still hear a humming sound.
Suddenly, the gem in the forehead began to open like a pie cut into pieces which were then removed.
Once the forehead was completely open, Alicia could see a bright blue light inside.
Then suddenly, a beam of transparent blue light shot out and landed on the ground several yards away from her. She noticed something coming down from within the light.
Upon closer examination, Alicia noticed two creatures descending from the ship, the exact appearance of the alien spacecraft.
Finally, the mysterious entities touched down onto the ground and walked out of the light pillar.
Alicia stood silently. She was afraid, but was too awestruck to run. They were the most extraordinary creatures she had ever seen.
The two aliens approached her but stood several feet away from her.
For several moments, nothing happened. Then, one of them held up its right hand in a gesture of peace, and spoke with a voice that sounded like a man speaking through a hollow metal pipe.
“Please, don’t be afraid. We mean you no harm. Just hear us out.”
Alicia felt her fear disappear.
“We are the Krystalphoids, once a thriving race, but now, in danger of extinction. We need your help.”
“Come with us” said the second alien. “We will take you into the ship, known as Gemini.”
Alicia slowly stepped forward. When she was close enough, the aliens took her by the arms and led her towards the light pillar from where they had come.
At once, Alicia felt herself rising up into the sky, along with the aliens, towards the forehead from where the light was originating.
When they were finally inside, the forehead began to close in the same manner as it had opened. The light pillar faded.
* * *
Alicia stood in awe at what she saw. Everything inside the ship was made of smooth brightly colored blue crystal. The walls, ceilings, and floor sparkled like stars.
“We will now take you to our leader” said one of the aliens. “He will explain our plight to you and what you can do to help.”
The two aliens led Alicia down a short hallway to a circular shaped room. On the floor was a large obsidian symbol which looked like two triangles put together to form a star.
As they stood upon it, the floor of the room began to lower down like an elevator.
For several seconds, they stood silent, until finally, the floor stopped descending. Alicia looked up to see the ceiling high above.
A crystal door opened in front of them.
“Follow us,” said one of the aliens, “our leader awaits.”
* * *
The aliens led Alicia into their leader’s chamber. Situated in the center of the ceiling was a large triangular amethyst crystal with a square base. Under the clear crystal floor, Alicia could see the rotating gem outside in its cavity. Numerous amethyst pillars with obsidian bases, stood along the walls. A small set of sapphire stairs led up to a throne of amethyst and obsidian where another alien was seated. Numerous aliens stood nearby, guarding their leader.
Of all the rooms Alicia had seen in the spacecraft, this was the most beautiful.
“This is our leader” said one of the aliens.
“Greetings human” said the alien leader as he rose from his throne. “I am Jeklo, ruler of the Krystalphoids, and I welcome you on board the Gemini. We are a species whose physical bodies are constructed entirely out of crystal. For many years, we have been a thriving race, possessing many wonderous abilities such the power to heal the sick and wounded, transforming anything we touch into crystal then passing through it, applying powerful kinetic energy to any object we put into motion, and using telepathy to communicate across great distances. We are also physically immune to pain and telekinetic. Each of these abilities and powers serves us well in our existence. Recently however, the last of our females, along with much of our race have died due to a meteor’s impact upon our home planet seven decades ago. Now, unless something is done, we will become extinct in approximately one hundred years.”
He walked down the stairs and stood before Alicia. “I sense that you are carrying another lifeform within you. Am I correct?”
“Yes” said Alicia.
“To save our species, we need to implant female DNA into another living organism before it is born.”
“Will this hurt my baby in any way?”
“No physical harm will come to your unborn child, but the baby will produce the DNA we require to create a female Krstalphoid. On the nineteenth anniversary of your child’s birth, we will need to extract the alien DNA from the body to complete our mission.”
Alicia felt sympathetic towards their plight and decided to help them. “Alright, I’ll do it.”
Jeklo raised his right arm towards the triangular crystal on the ceiling.
As if activated by some unseen force, the crystal slowly opened like a square, cut into four triangles of equal sizes. Inside, a sphere of blue light began to sparkle, and then glow brighter.
“Stand under there” he said.
Alicia stepped forward and stood beneath the crystal. Then, she gazed upwards at the sphere as it continued to glow.
The next thing Alicia knew, she was encased in a transparent pillar of blue light.
* * *
A few minutes later, Alicia found herself standing in the meadow where the ship was located.
One of her alien escorts spoke.
“Thank you. You have taken the first step in helping us preserve our species. On the eve of your child’s nineteenth birthday, he must come to this meadow, so that we extract the alien DNA to save our species. Once this is done, he will be returned to Earth to continue his life as a normal human being. Remember this.”
The two aliens returned to the spacecraft. Once they were inside, the forehead closed and the light pillar faded as the Gemini became alive again. The wings outstretched themselves and flapped repeatedly as the ship lifted off the ground and up into the sky. The humming sound diminished as the alien ship vanished into the outer regions of space from where it had come.
“I will remember” Alicia whispered.
She moved her hand across her abdomen where her unborn child was growing. Alicia wondered just how different her baby would be from others.
* * *
In the late afternoon of July 16th, exactly a year after she had met Joshua, Alicia was sitting on the couch watching television, when suddenly, she felt intense pain throughout her body. She knew that it was time for the baby to be born.
“Nicole! Belinda! Theresa! My contractions have started! It’s time for me to go to the hospital!” she cried.
Upon hearing her voice, Alicia’s girlfriends hurried to the living room.
“I’ll get the car!” said Belinda.
“I’ll call the doctor!” said Nicole.
“I’ll get Alicia off the couch!” said Theresa.
“Please hurry” said Alicia. “Let’s go!”
* * *
“Congratulations Miss Plofhard!” said Dr. Hector Koleman. “It’s a boy!”
A nurse handed him a pair of scissors and a blue towel. Hector cut the umbilica cord and began wrapping the baby up in the towel. Then he handed the baby to Alicia. She pulled back the towel covering the face of her newborn son.
The infant had inherited his father’s bleached blonde hair and his mother’s blue eyes.
“What are you going to call him?” asked Hector
Alicia looked at her newborn son. She could only think of one name.
“I’m calling him Joshua Valkron Plofhard, after his father. Whatever the future holds in store for him, I’ll always be there for him.”