章 9: Australia's Need & Information Found

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~~~(POV: Dannon Mayer)~~~

~~~(Location: Melbourne, Belgrave Heights, Australia)~~~

~~~(Date, Time, Year: April 24th, 12:41 AM ACT, 2022)~~~

~~~(Current Age: 21 Years)~~~

In the silence surrounding me, I look at the nametag of the Captain I'm speaking to. He's frozen in place as I hover in the air. I don't know what I'm supposed to say... This is the first time I'm doing something like this.

Only one phrase comes to mind as he stares at me wide-eyed.

"How can I help?"

The stiffening of his body and the increasing heart rate tells me he's heard me. His blood pressure is almost at unhealthy levels, but considering the circumstances, it's understandable. I listen to him gulp from under his breathing mask.

A quick clearing of his voice happens instantly, and he takes on a more serious expression. One that only holds concern for the fires and people involved with them.

He's not scared of me...

"The Western side of the hill is throwin' more fires at us than we can put out. If we can't stop it 'ere, it's gonna burn through and hit more homes than it already has."

The Australian accent of the Captain is thick, but I can clearly understand him. My head turns in the Western direction, and the fires burn hotter there. My x-ray vision shows fire engines and firefighters doing their damndest to put it out.

My body slowly turns in the air toward the Western fires. Before heading there, I turn my head to look at the Captain again.

"Captain Jackson, tell your firefighters to get out of there."

His eyes gain a confused squint to them, unaware I can see his nametag on his uniform. He shakes the confusion away and picks up his radio.

BAAAABBBOOOOOOOOMMM!!

The air around me cracks as I instantly reach the Western site. The Captain warns his men as I arrive. Floating in the middle of the burning homes and trees. Firefighters below and around me are rushing back to their fire engines.

The thumping of their hearts and the labored breaths they release drown out the world for me. I channel out the sound, using x-ray vision a second later. Allowing me to scan the area. Looking for any survivors or firefighters left behind.

"HELP!! ANYONE, PLEASE HELP!!!"

It's not my eyes but my ears that pick up the cries for help.

The Australian accent of a woman takes my attention, and my vision turns in the direction it came from. A house set ablaze and surrounded by flames is what I see. A woman is standing on the roof...

A baby in a bundle in her arms. The world slows down to a halt as I float through the air. As I finish my approach. The desperate tears and saliva from her mouth are frozen like the world around me.

Standard speed returns to the world, and a large crack follows me. She loses her balance on the roof at the sudden arrival and loud sound. But before she falls, I catch her in my arms.

Slowly floating above the houses and trees and fires. She stares at me with eyes, not believing what she's seeing. Black soot and burn marks are present on her face and skin.

Panicked and rushed breaths entering and exiting her. I gently fly to the nearest firefighters and paramedics.

Landing in the middle of the road away from some of the most violent fires. My landing is soft, with one foot followed by another. I walk toward the ambulance with the woman and baby in my arms.

"My baby... Is she safe... Please, tell me she's safe..."

I softly place her on the gurney; the female paramedics gently take the baby girl out of her arms.

Her words aren't directed at the men tending to her. But to me. The desperation in her eyes speaks volumes to me... An innocent woman who's already lost her home. Afraid she's lost something far more precious.

My eyes land on the baby that some female paramedics are tending to, and I can see she's not breathing.

The sorry and pitiful looks on the features of the women around the baby answer her. But that doesn't mean it's over.

"Hand her to me."

I hold my hands out to the paramedics, and the Mother begins to panic, realizing the truth. Her baby isn't breathing. They're very reluctant, but that doesn't last long.

"GIVE HER TO 'IM!!!"

The pain and despair in the Mother's voice force an instant reaction from the women, and they gently hand the baby to me. My eyes run along the length of her infant form. She's only a few weeks old...

Her lungs are damaged from the smoke, and her heart has stopped... There is something I can do to start her heart again... My right index finger rests on the spot above her heart...

Pushing on it gently several hundreds of times in a second. Ensuring I'm using the proper pressure not to harm her or her heart. After another half second, that's when her heart starts back up.

"WAAAHH!!"

The cry is loud but has a raspy edge to it. The hopelessness in the Mother's eyes disappears, and I hand the baby back to the paramedics.

"You need to get them to a hospital as soon as possible. The baby's lungs are damaged, and I can't fix them here."

As much as my powers allow, I can't help people by touching them. They nod their heads, and the paramedics load into the ambulance and close the doors behind them. Taking off down the road and away from the fires.

I'm left alone with the remaining firefighters circled around me and staring. Instead of saying anything to them, I lift off the ground slowly and head back to the massive fires causing Captain Jackson's problems.

Once I reach the center of the fires, I spread out my arms. Homes, trees, and grass below me burn. There are no survivors from what I can hear or see, so it's time I put out the flames.

Suddenly, the skies roar, and winds howl as I spin around. Forming a powerful artificial tornado using my powers in speed.

This should do the trick.

~~~(POV: Kai Jackson)~~~

~~~(Location: Melbourne, Belgrave Heights, Australia)~~~

~~~(Date, Time, Year: April 24th, 1:00 AM ACT, 2022)~~~

~~~(Current Age: 43 Years)~~~

RRRRROOOOOAAAAAA!!!

The roaring winds and sky force me to brace myself against the fire engine. Off on the Western side, a powerful funnel forms. Sucking the life out of the blazing fire. I received a report on my radio less than a minute ago about a woman and her baby.

He really is 'ere to help us... I know I've taken a big risk trustin' this guy... Can't say I do trust him... But we're not capable of fighting fires of this magnitude... Multiple departments together or not.

My eyes take in the scene as the flames die out and the funnel dissipates. Ending the largest concern for us.

CRAAAAACCKKK!!

Less than a second later, the sky cracks, and the man floats above us again. He slowly descends and actually lands on the ground this time. He lands with his left foot first and heads straight into a calm, slow walk.

Heading right for me. I unconsciously straighten my back. Almost as if I'm about to be addressed by a superior.

Once, he's in front of me and on the ground. I get a better look at his size. He's easily between 6'4 and 6'5. His hair is darker, and he has a vibrant hazel to his eyes.

"Captain Jackson, is there anything else I should be doing right now?"

Now that I know he's really 'ere to help us. We'll get these fires put out faster than a kangaroo jumpin' away from a mamba.

~~~(POV: Eloise Mayer)~~~

~~~(Location: Mayer Ranch, Umatilla County, Oregon)~~~

~~~(Date, Time, Year: April 23rd, 2:13 PM PST, 2022)~~~

~~~(Current Age: 38 Years)~~~

"Today is a day of historical proportions, ladies and gentlemen. At 12:36 AM ATC or Australian time, the Alien entity from the Antarctic videos has made an appearance, and one that has us all stunned."

His voice is low and slow speaking. Trying to encapsulate the importance of the events today. I wonder how many people are paying attention to what's going on.

The man anchoring this report on NBC is doing the same as every other news station in America... All around the world... Dannon has shown himself... He's done it in a good way too. There are clips of him all over Australia.

Helping people from burning buildings. Lifting vast amounts of debris off survivors. Flying around. Floating in front of people as they record him. A person is always in his arms as it happens.

It's been several hours since Dannon left to help with the bushfires in Australia. Eight hours straight, he's been helping people.

I couldn't be prouder. It's putting me at ease, actually... My stress is melting away as the hours go by...

"This unnamed and unknown Alien has been to every majorly affected area of Australia. Appearing in one location, and within seconds, several hundred miles at the next."

The world will slowly piece together what Dannon is capable of. It'll take time. They'll see that his powers are almost identical to Superman's from DC comics. They'll draw comparisons to him. But they'll not name him the same.

"Reports on the field have come back saying the Alien has an American accent. Providing proof that he, at the very least, has called America home during his time on Earth."

I can't help the frown from forming on my features. It's hard to take these people seriously... They're already sticking an agenda to my son... An alliance that doesn't exist... Dannon doesn't belong to America.

He doesn't belong to anyone. He's as free as anyone else. That won't be taken away from him. But for now, I'll enjoy the nice things they say about my son.

He's earned it.

"You can see in these videos captured by people witnessing his actions and putting out fires. He's capable of lifting unbelievably amounts of weight. Moving at speeds far greater than anything we can produce with aircraft."

I've watched my son learn and master his abilities all his life. To me, they're everyday things. It's a part of the normal for me. To everyone else, it's incredible and frightening at the same time.

As he speaks, the video shows him lifting and moving several trees from a home that's on fire. Cracks and booms are heard as he moves. The only times he moves slowly are when people are in his arms.

Old and young. Male and female. Weak and strong. Dannon is saving all. It's amazing to see this after so many years.

I wonder if this is what his biological parents wanted... Something I'll never know...

My hand covers my mouth as a slight gasp leaves my lips... As Dannon slowly and calmly walks through a crowd of people with an injured man in his arms, they all have their phones out, recording him.

Almost to the point that they're shoving the lens into his face, but he wears a calm and pleasant expression all the same.

This will be his life from now on... He'll have to deal with this whenever he leaves the ranch... Or when he wants to be alone somewhere in the world...

My life, too... This changes my life, too... Who knows if I can get in trouble for raising an Alien? I'm sure when Congress has their hearings, I'll be forced to go.

Well, maybe not forced, but definitely asked. It's a lot to think about now.

~~~(POV: Naedra, Administrative Artificial Intelligence)~~~

~~~(Location: S-SS 919, Under Mayer Ranch, Umatilla County, Oregon)~~~

~~~(Date, Time, Year: April 23rd, 2:29 PM PST, 2022)~~~

~~~(Current Age: 25,022 Years)~~~

All the noise and information coursing through the internet about Jaecor is staggering. The internet is a valuable tool for me to get around, but there are drawbacks. The constant and persistent junk to sort through.

I eventually find my target and enter the Whitehouse, NSA, and Pentagon servers. Gaining access to everything they're doing to search for Jaecor.

In the last eight hours, and since the first video of Jaecor's face being recorded, they've been searching through every database they have.

They've found him.

His old student ID from the high school he attended has proved to be their golden goose. According to the security feed and cameras, the leaders of America are in a location called the Situation Room.

Sadly, there is no direct feed into said room, leaving me no choice but to use audio. They've got unsecured phones, and I will use them to learn what they know.

I doubt it's a lot. They have a face, an address, and a parent to tie him to. But that's it, and that was within the parameters of the calculations.

It's time for me to follow the orders I've been given from Celaxia all those years ago.

~~~(POV: Nick A. Marshall)~~~

~~~(Location: The Situation Room, Washington DC, West Virginia)~~~

~~~(Date, Time, Year: April 23rd, 2:32 PM PST, 2022)~~~

~~~(Current Age: 40 Years)~~~

Our eyes rest on the screen showing the student ID of the Alien we've learned existed among us during the Antarctic Incident. The footage of him in Australia has proven useful, and now we have a name to go with the face.

Dannon Mayer.

Only son of Eloise Mayer, there is no record of birth or visitation to appointments and hospitals. Meaning she's either an Alien Mother too, or an American who took in the Alien and raised it as her own.

I don't know how she got away with this for so long, and I assume she's had help. From whom, I don't know.

John holds a tablet as he stands next to the board. Only after a few seconds does he put it down and turn his attention to the table.

"Say hello to our Alien bogey from Antarctica, gentlemen. Footage from the aircraft during intercept has been compared, and body physiology matches."

It's amazing... He looks human.

"He's living on NE 447 Road, Umatilla County, Oregon. It's a ranch that belongs to the Mayer family. Only surviving daughter, Eloise Mayer, having inherited it."

That settles the question if she's an Alien or human.

"According to our geeks in the lab, she had to have taken the Alien in when she was 17. She's 38 at present time, and according to Dannon Mayer's records, he's 21."

Meaning she was a minor at the time of taking in the child... She was just a child when she took him in. Based on the math, Dannon was an infant when he arrived on Earth.

"I've had our lawyers search any law anywhere, and Elosie Mayer hasn't committed any known or documented crimes."

We know that's a lie since she got away with raising an Alien, but it's what you can prove. And we can't prove anything at the moment.

John takes our attention off Eloise and returns Dannon's picture on the screen.

"As far as our Alien goes, he's never been in a fight. Let alone in any trouble. There is no record of anything to suggest he suffers from deviant or criminal behavior."

We've got a lot to go through, and it's only a matter of time before the world finds out who Dannon Mayer is. The people he went to school with will recognize him, and they'll be looking to make a few million for interviews.

This is gonna get sticky in the next 72 hours. Here's to the premise that he's peaceful and not looking to conquer us.

But we don't know that for sure.