Acting President Green scheduled a fifteen-minute broadcast to speak to the American people. By extension, his words would reach out across the world, addressing the wild stories and rumours in circulation.

There was no intent on Bill Green’s part to share everything known to the government, just enough information to mitigate the rampant rumours running amok, which threatened to cause panic and violence.

While Acting President Green prepared to deliver his speech to a waiting world, technical crew moving back and forth in the Oval Office making a seemingly endless array of connections, eight hundred miles south-southwest of Washington, David Salston sat with Dorothy Salston, his first visit with his mom in eighteen months.

Known to friends and family as Dottie, she remained as active at 64 as she was at 30.

Gardening was her forte, her comfortable Tampa home displayed the best gardens in the neighbourhood, and the gardens were a direct result of her daily effort, care, and love.

Dottie liked to work out of doors in the early morning hours, when the heat of a Florida summer’s day was at its nadir. Sometimes she would go for a second round of gardening in the hour or so before sunset, when cooling shadows crept long across the gardens, blocking her from exposure to the full intensity of the relentless rays of the sun.

With darkness now blanketing eastern North America, Dottie’s garden work had ended hours before. After finishing in the garden, she took to her kitchen, looking for something for dinner that tickled her interest and that could be quickly fashioned together; her search paused as Dottie heard the telling call of her doorbell.

Moving to the door, she was surprised to find David standing at the door, bag in hand, and even more surprised when two government investigators showed an hour later, their purpose to run back through her memories of Timothy, from birth to adulthood.

Dottie shared her extensive memories, not at all happy at what she sensed others were attempting to suggest – that her memory of Tim carried significant flaws, to the extreme extent of fabrication.

The President would speak in just a few minutes, and she and David would be the most intent viewers in the nation, his words carrying direct bearing on all that swirled within them.

Earlier, David outlined what he knew, but to Dottie, it seemed like so much nonsense – she knew her memories of her sweet child, there was no way they were fabrication. If only she could speak with Tim.

Her thoughts shifted back to her surroundings as the President came on-air. “Good evening fellow Americans. Over the last week, an event has unfolded which is the subject of countless rumours, the source of wild speculation.

I would like to share with you what we know to this point. I hope that the truth will serve to dissipate rumour and mitigate speculation, though I understand we will much discuss the subject in the coming days, weeks, and months.

On Tuesday, 24 July, a therapist in northern New Hampshire met with one of her regular clients. HIPAA law prohibits me from sharing some details, but I can share what unfolded that is in the public domain.

An anomalous event occurred on that day, the nature of which we cannot explain, at least at this time. Spontaneous genetic mutation occurred, transforming the person meeting with the therapist. The person involved shares a story explaining why, though we have no way of ascertaining whether it is true.

Given the circumstances, we accept it as truth, absent contrary proof. We can say up front that DNA testing confirms this person has no direct relation to any other human currently on this planet, though there are historical ties dating to 15,000 years ago.

This is a summation of the story: her world suffered through injustices, and as an outspoken advocate for change, the leader of that world sent her into exile, first using genetic masking to change her physically, as well as mask her thoughts. Apparently, the process was highly experimental, and as such, flawed.

Over the years, her actual memory worked at the flaws, the internal pressure of her repressed memory finally exploding outward, resulting in the anomalous event.

This person is in our protective care, as is her family. She assures us her world is otherwise peaceful, albeit the social injustices that led to her exile. It is prudent for us to attempt to ascertain the truth of this, of all she has told us, and I am confident we will find it to be as she suggests.

There are important ramifications for our world. Our scientists have long speculated on alien life, and many people have long speculated on such life visiting us here. Well, it looks like they were right, but few that I am aware of ever suspected those with whom we made first contact would be our cousins.

It is vital that we evaluate this altered circumstance intelligently and calmly, and come to a good place with this new reality, not of one interwoven with fear.

Rest assured I will act prudently and presciently, but the bottom line is we have to learn to accept that our universe is full of life and sentience. Perhaps now we begin to lay the groundwork to a new era of life and humanity, where we connect and interact with those from other lands. Consider this… is 1492, and… this time, this time we have to get it right, not create yet another painful history.

President Ellenwood mandated that this person was her guest, and I honour her mandate, excepting we must ascertain the truth such that we make wise choices to protect the interests of all people.

Thank you for your time, and may heaven smile upon the peoples of the universe.”

David looked over at his mom, whose face wore a look of great shock.

For Dottie, the President of the United States just called out her memory as a complete fabrication. Either that or this… alien took Tim’s body, and destroyed her son. In her mind, this was the most likely happening and explanation, and her shock quickly mixed with full-blown outrage and hate.

Dottie began to shake; the shaking increased in intensity, reaching a point where David could see her entire body quiver. He began to move as her colouring dropped away toward pale. His mom’s breathing began to seize, leaving her gasping for air, her consciousness visibly waning. David hurriedly dialled nine-one-one, requesting immediate medical response.

Emergency medical technicians arrived seven minutes later, stabilised Dottie’s breathing, placed her on a litter, and whisked her off to the closest medical centre, David riding with his mom.

Riding along in the rapidly moving ambulance, David looked at his unconscious mother, and the feelings the image created in his mind matched the rolling and jarring that came with a vehicle moving along the ups and downs of uneven road pavement. The entire sordid story was incomprehensible and beyond reason; how this… this… alien messed with his family, and by doing so now harmed his mom, threatening her life.

For David in this moment, let outrage take control of his mind. He hoped with every atom of his being that the person he once knew, the brother he called Tim, would rot in hell for all eternity, insufficient payment for what he did to the Salston family; but he could think of no greater punishment with which to find satisfaction.