Harry's Sacrifice (22 page)

On the street outside the building that was their destination, Hara climbed the steps and faced the assembly. Harry turned with him and was shocked to see the streets filled to capacity with Alvians. Every possible space was occupied and some were climbing on top of things to get a better look. It was a quiet gathering for such a large group, which made Harry uneasy, but when he looked at Hara, the ancient had a sort of grim set to his mouth. Harry could feel a little of his emotional state and it felt like Hara was dismayed and angered to see how little emotion remained in his native race. He also felt determined and Harry could only guess that Hara was setting his sights on changing things for his people and, by consequence, the entire planet.

“Good people,” Hara began speaking, addressing the throng who had come to see him. “As you already know, I am Hara. Leader of the expedition that found places for our people to go when it became clear that Alvia Prime was doomed. I chose Earth as my place to settle and have waited in stasis for these many centuries for you to arrive.”

“Why did you not come out of stasis sooner?” one brave soul on the edge of the crowd asked in a slightly puzzled tone.

“We could not. As a safety measure, I designed it so that the pod we sealed ourselves into could only be opened by one of my direct genetic line. This man here.” Hara clasped Harry’s shoulder, shifting attention to him that he didn’t necessarily want. “This man, called Hara by his mother, Mara 12, and Harry by his human family, is a blend of our two races. His mother is a Mara, but his human family descends from one of my children here on Earth.” The crowd began to mutter and whisper at this revelation. “The Council has known this for many years but chose not to share the information with the general populace. My crew settled here on Earth and took human mates. We had children with humans. Have you never noticed the similarity in the surnames some of the humans had and our own? Harry’s father is named Justin O’Hara. His human family took
my
name as their surname. How many of you have had dealings with humans—those you call Breeds—and not noticed how many O’Maras, O’Keefes, McDougals and the like existed on Earth before you arrived? This is not coincidence. They are the progeny of a Mara, Keefe, Dougal and many others who were part of my original crew. We have killed many of our own in what we did to the Earth, my Brethren. It is time you all knew the truth of it.”

Harry watched the cameras whirl to take in different viewpoints as they hovered in the air. Many more bots had joined the two that had followed them from the Council chamber. Several dozen hovered above the heads of the crowd, taking in all the angles. And above that, the three winged and now heavily armed
Zxerah
were perched on rooftops, watching the crowd for any sign of threat toward the ancients.

“And why are they called Breeds in the first place?” Hara went on. “That is not an Alvian word. It is a shortening of the human word half-breed, first used by the genetic researchers who discovered the link shortly after they landed here. They thought to use a human word to disguise exactly what they had discovered until such time as the Council decided to make the information known. It’s been decades and still the Council has not deigned to share this information with the rest of the Alvian population. I ask why? Is it that they fear your reaction once it is understood that they have systematically captured and tested human subjects against their will? What would happen if such atrocities were committed against an Alvian?” Hara asked the person nearest him in the crowd.

The woman thought about it then answered in a clear voice. “The Councilors responsible would be ousted from office after investigation. At the very least, they would be suspended while the facts were gathered and evidence produced.”

“Right,” Hara thanked the woman, turning again to the crowd. “Is it that they feared losing power? Is that why you have all been kept in the dark? Ask yourselves these questions and do what you think is best.” He paused as that suggestion sank in. The soldiers in the crowd looked grim but determined. The rest of the people looked thoughtful, Harry noted. “For now,” Hara went on a long moment later, “I would like to meet my descendants in private. I hope you will understand. I have slept a very long time and much has changed both here on Earth, my adopted home, and among my people—both human and Alvian. I would like some time to adjust.”

“But surely such important events should be recorded for posterity,” one clerical-looking woman objected as Hara made to turn away from the crowd. He paused and turned back for a moment.

“I will agree to one recording bot following me,” he said quickly. “I will allow it to record the meeting with my family, but only to a certain point. And I will not allow it to transmit, unless we are in a public setting. Of course, when we are in public, you are free to employ whatever transmission devices you feel applicable, but please, do so within reason.” He looked significantly at the dozens of bots buzzing over the heads of the crowd. “I am not unfamiliar with being in the public eye and I understand your curiosity, but I would also appreciate your respect regarding my family and our personal interactions. Thank you all for coming out. This is a welcome I never could have envisioned and it touches me deeply.”

Hara turned decisively and went into the building, leaving the throng behind him. Harry followed, noting the single bot that flew behind their group. As the door to the building closed behind Cormac and the
Zxerah
honor guard, Hara paused and caught the small, floating device, doing something with some of the tiny dials and switches on its side. Harry supposed he was changing the settings to be sure their private family moments wouldn’t be streamed live to the populace.

Hara released it a moment later. “It’s in record mode now,” he told Harry, who stood at his side. “I will only allow small amounts of this footage to be made available to the people, and I only do that because they need to know how humans are currently being treated. They also need to see that humans are not the barbaric monsters Alvians have been led to believe.”

Harry nodded, satisfied that Hara knew what he was doing. He had, after all, been very much in the public eye before ever leaving Alvia Prime. He probably knew things about politics and diplomacy that Harry couldn’t even imagine. No doubt, he had the experience and skill to know how to handle this situation for the best. “Lead on, Harry. I’m not sure where Caleb’s apartment is exactly.” His eyes crinkled as he smiled, the friendly expression inviting Harry to do the same.

He led the way up into the large building where Mara 12 had her offices and labs. Caleb was housed on an upper floor that had been converted from office space into secure apartments for special test subjects. Caleb actually had it easier than the vast majority of human test subjects. Because of Harry’s status, he’d been able to negotiate a lot more amenities, though Caleb had no real freedom. He was confined to his apartment unless under guard and he probably hadn’t set foot outside the large building in over a year. What little outdoor time he had was accomplished by sitting on a tiny balcony that overlooked the vast city far below.

Harry knew Caleb spent a lot of time on that little enclosed balcony. His uncle loved the outdoors and had always lived on a ranch. Being cooped up inside was hard on him, but he’d agreed to the terms of his confinement to protect the rest of the family from Mara 12’s experiments. He did it so the rest of Harry’s half-siblings and their mother, Jane, could continue to live in peace with Harry’s father, Justin and Uncle Mick.

When the lift opened at Caleb’s floor, Harry wasn’t really surprised to see his mother there waiting by the door to Caleb’s apartment. She looked the same as usual. No apparent emotion. No hope. No worry. No welcome for her only son. Just the flat, emotionless Alvian façade Harry had come to expect from her. It always made him feel sad. His mother couldn’t love him. She simply didn’t know how.

“Hello, Mother. I guess you saw the broadcast,” Harry greeted her.

“Hara…2.” She stumbled over what to call him now that there was another Hara who clearly took precedence over her son. Harry cringed inwardly, but it was the ancient who interceded before she could say another word.

“No, dear lady. My grandson will not wear a number like the other emotionless Alvians of this generation. Hereafter, you will call him Harry. I’m Hara. Hara Prime, if you must have a designation, but none in my line will carry numbers. They are not interchangeable. Each is unique and has his or her own name. We will do as we have in the past, using surnames as the humans did. Poor Harry here got stuck with a rather redundant name, but I guess that can’t be helped now.”

“Redundant?” Mara 12’s head tilted to the side as she listened to the ancient Hara speak.

“Hara O’Hara. Duplicative, don’t you think? Which is why we will do as his human family does and modify his first name to Harry. Please do so in future.”

Mara 12 looked taken aback that Hara Prime would issue orders to her. He wasn’t in her chain of command, after all, but he was definitely something different. Something outside the norm. She was probably having a hard time figuring out where or how he would fit into the current hierarchical structure.

“I came to allow you access to Caleb O’Hara’s suite. I will also accompany your party as a scientific observer.” She turned toward the door, ready to open it as if her plan was settled.

“No. You won’t.” Hara spoke firmly. Mara 12 was clearly surprised to be countermanded, though no true emotion showed in her quick turn back toward Hara and company.

“Caleb is my test subject. All of his actions are subject to my scrutiny. Access to him is at my sole discretion.”

Harry held up one hand to forestall any further disagreement between Hara and his mother. It was time she learned some harsh truths.

“I’m sorry, but that is not now, nor has it ever been strictly true.” Harry knocked on the door and received an answering knock in return from the otherwise well-soundproofed apartment. He proceeded to enter the secret code that would open Caleb’s door and was gratified to see his mother’s brows arch upward. She hadn’t known he had such access. “My uncle and I can communicate anytime, almost any place, telepathically, and I have had the codes to his rooms since he first came here. I have always been able to visit him whenever I needed counsel or just someone with whom to speak a friendly word.”

“I had no idea you were keeping such secrets from me, Har-ry.” She stumbled over the nickname she had never called him before, shooting a quick glance at Hara Prime. “Your interference may have contaminated my data. I am very disappointed upon learning this.”

She didn’t
sound
disappointed. Or angry. Or hurt. She didn’t display any of the emotions a human person would—or even an ancient Alvian would—upon having learned their son had been lying to them all these years. Harry stifled a sigh. He knew she couldn’t feel, but he still almost wished she could get angry at him. Even a parents’ anger would be comforting to him in this sterile, emotionless city. He hated it here. Uncle Caleb had been the only bright spot during his time here.

“I apologize. But you cannot understand what it’s like to have emotions and be surrounded on a daily basis by modern Alvians. Being able to communicate with Uncle Caleb has been the only thing keeping me sane at times.”

“I had no notion such was the case,” she said formally. “I would like to discuss this with you further.”

If only she meant that in a motherly way. But Harry knew she wasn’t concerned for his feelings, but for her own data-gathering purposes. He was too tired to belabor the point right now.

“Later. Right now we have a family reunion to enact.”

“And you are not invited, madam,” Hara added firmly.

Chapter Twelve

Harry turned away and finished entering the code. The door popped open to show Caleb waiting on the other side, a wide smile on his face.

“Harry.” Caleb reached out and took Harry into his arms for a bear hug. Harry basked for just a moment in the feeling of fatherly love and security Caleb’s thick arms represented.

Caleb was the clear leader of the O’Hara clan and he’d raised Harry as if he was his own son in every respect. Justin, the middle brother, was Harry’s biological father, and Mick, the youngest brother, was the family’s doctor and the strongest telepath Harry knew.

Mara 12 had insisted he call the O’Hara men by their proper titles. In Harry’s heart though, all three were his fathers, and their wife, Jane, was his mother regardless of the fact that she had not carried him in her womb. She was the mother of all his siblings and the matriarch of the O’Hara family. And she had raised him with the same love and happiness alongside his half-siblings as if he was just another member of her brood. He loved them all from the bottom of his heart for taking him in and making him welcome among them. He knew now, as an adult, it could easily have gone the other way.

Compassion was something the O’Haras had in abundance, and it had allowed him the closest thing to a normal childhood he could have had. They showed him love and taught him how to deal with both his emotions and his psychic abilities while his biological mother had seen to his more traditional education. He was truly a man of both races, but in his heart he would forever be the little boy who had been raised mostly among humans.

Caleb let him go and clapped him on the shoulder, smiling broadly.

“You did it, son,” he said in that deep, emotion-filled voice. There was a brightness in his eyes, and Harry could feel the joyful emotions running riot in both himself and in Papa Caleb. It didn’t take much of Harry’s empathic sense to tell that Caleb was feeling things intensely at the moment.

Caleb turned his attention to the ancient who stood just a little behind Harry. He was very aware of his mother still watching things from a few feet away, but introductions needed to be made, and maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing that Mara 12 see how beings with emotion interacted. Maybe she needed to see how the ancients of her own race reacted. She was nothing if not observant.