“MAJOR!!! I have just been told that a member of my tribe, a US citizen has all but been kidnapped off the streets of the town by military personnel!!! First you destroy our landmark and now you’re kidnapping our people.”

“Mr. Talltrees….yes….yes….you can’t……no…..” The Major was talking into a walkie talkie, they still use those, and trying to talk to me while members of his group tried to hand him their walkie talkies to take up other conversations. “Mr. Talltrees I still swear to you I have no idea what is going on. We have been recalled to the base. And there is talk of a person of interest being taken into custody.”

“Person of interest!!!???!”

“That’s all I have now sir. I will contact you once there is more information. I apologize but I must leave. Look, give me an hour, if I can I’ll call you with what I find out.”

And with that they were gone. Shit, shit and have I mentioned shit? OK first, I have to get home. As much as I love this horse, he’s going too slow. Needed to be there 5 minutes before I even left.

As crazy as the situation was in theory, it was even more so in reality once I got home. Rich was uncontrollable. Completely freaked out by Tak being snatched off the street. Blue was in more than bad shape. The look of confusion in his eyes was undeniable.

“Blue, do you want me to remove the spell? Is that hurting you?”

“No, don’t. I think. I think it’s what holding me together. A place to hold the energy. Without the shell it would dissipate quicker. Must get back to the ship. Something is very wrong.”

“Yea, OK, just a minute. Sit still. De’, Stoney in the kitchen please.”

“What about TAK!!! They could be dissecting him right now!!” Rich started screaming. “If you’re not going to do something...”

Stoney reached into a bag he had off to the side, brought out a handful of powered and blew it into Rich’s face before he could do anything about it. In an instant Rich collapsed on the floor asleep.

“Sorry, he needed to be stopped.” Stoney said returning the rest of his power to the bag.

“No, good move. We need to talk though. Ricardo keep an eye on them OK? We’ll be right back.”

“Sure I’ll move him to the couch.”

Once in the kitchen I filled the guys in on what I found out at Crying Woman. Not a happy response.

“Holy crap how are we suppose to take care of all this? No way can we break into a military base….well and not get either captured or shot ourselves.” De said as the reality of the situation sunk in all the more.

“And Ah’ll tell you. Blue was doing OK being apart from the ship. Ah don’t think bringing the walls down around it would break the connection. Ah think he’s in this shape because the ship got destroyed. There’s nothing for him to go back to even if he can make it back to where the ship was.”

“This is just a nightmare.”

“Look…..what if….what if you turned up into soldiers of some kind. We could wait till tonight and get over the fence somehow….then you could track….why don’t I just give up now, that’s not going to work.” Stoney said giving it his best.

“We have other witnesses to Tak’s abduction so Dad and the council might be able to bring up a big enough stink but, shit, Ah’m having enough trouble keeping the spell Ah’ve got on him going, can’t keep it up forever.”

“And you know once he gets a chance Tak’s going to be trying to blast his way out of there.” “If he hasn’t already.”

“Shit, shit and shit.”

A commotion from down the hall into the living room turned out to be Ricardo trying to keep Blue still, but he wasn’t having anything to do with standing still.

“Have to get back. It’s all going. Can’t connect…..” he kept mumbling as he headed to the back door.

“Blue stop.” De’ tried but was thrown across the room.

“I thank you for your hospitality but I must leave.” He continued out the back and across the porch to the back steps into the yard. Stoney and Ricardo were taking care of De’ so I figured I had nothing to lose but catch up and tell him the truth.

“Blue, please stop. It’s…it’s gone. The military brought the side of the cliff down before Ah got there this morning. There’s no way back into the mountain and Ah’m pretty sure you’re ship couldn’t have survived the implosion.”

“Oh.” Blue said suddenly stopping in his tracks. “That would explain the loss of…..files.” He turned, looked around and went over to sit on the end of our picnic table. “If you don’t mind. Please remove this covering. It is keeping me alive.”

“We have to think of something, we’re not just going to let you...”

“Spice. The human life is made up of its experiences. Our people only experience what we can monitor. That is why I wanted to experience…life as this. But without a link to the information I’ve gathered, I am nothing. I do not want to die slowly…..”

“No, no we…” But I had nothing.

“There is an answer to all this.” I heard from behind me.

“Like I need this now. No time for cryptic shit Gramps, what do you have?”

My Grandfather’s spirit came across the yard, thankfully not with his usual Cheshire Cat grin that he wore when he was pulling one of his bits. “What is keeping you from using your gift to bring him fully into the human world?”

“If anyone knows how this shit works you should. He looks human now but he’s not. I can’t just create out of nothing.”

“He has a spirit, and he wants to live, despite his wishes not to go on as he currently is.”

“Yes but he has no flesh. It was different with the Coyote spirit, he had to turn partially human for the spell to work. I could build from that. Even if I started him as a baby I can’t even warp reality enough to back that up. I can’t just create an entire life, all the memor…. and for him to have….”

My hand shot up in the air calling my casting stick. Now Gramps had his grin. I’ll pay my folks to fix the window the stick broke flying out of the house. In an instant it was in my hands.

“Blue, hold on. This’ll work.”

I took the end of the staff and as my Grandfather had done to me months ago, inserted the end into Blue’s head.

The power flowed like never before. A release that I would never be able to capture again but DAMN was it something while it happened. Complete and total release, no holds barred use of my powers.

Blue did not get much taller, only up to 5’8”. His Native American features evened out some, the nose was not quite as prominent, and the cheekbones not as strong, but very familiar. Finally got to get his hair to grow in, think and black the bastard. Got kind of long, which was odd. Just like his build. I thought it would go down some, but it went up, like someone who had been hitting the gym a lot more than ever before. The shoulders got rounder and the pecs a bit heavier. A good dusting of hair started spreading across his chest and arms. It flowed down his stomach, which had a better 6 pack than before, and then to his dick. Which, THANKFULLY shrank down some. Yea buddy, you got the hair, I got the dick. The legs filled out some, but not much. Yea, this was a gym body. No one ever does the legs unless they’re obsessive like I am. I’ll help him with that if I ever see him again after this. Last to go on the physical side was the age. Up from late teens to, well by now, it would be 36. A few familiar lines in the face adding needed character, but better than most other guys his age.

Now that the body was set, time for the download. All of it went. All the baggage. All the memories. Right into his head. If he needed a life, I had an extra one in my head not doing me any good. He can have it all. He can free me. I can download it all into him. Almost crying at the thought of being released. Of being myself and myself alone for the first time.

And letting Blue with Yerllow but not Green live the life of Henry Talltrees.

The shock wave when we were done was expected. Landing on my ass again wasn’t. Buthaving Tak be the person who helped me to my feet was more than unexpected.

“Geez can’t you go a week without passing out?”

“Tak what are you doing here?”

“….helping your sorry ass to his feet AGAIN.”

“But you were taken into custody by the military after we…..stop lookin’ at me that way.”

“Yea, now who’s not been wearing his hat in the sun.”

Off to the side Gramps was still hanging around looking his evil self.

“You got an explanation for him?” I asked him. “And you better let them all see you cause they’re thinking ah’m crazy again, and maybe ah am too.”

“He’s your friend, if you don’t know why the kid’s a train wreck by now I can’t help. By the way, Good job.”

“Thanks for the idea. You know what I mean about Tak not being in custody.”

“The idea would have come to you. All the dominoes that were knocked over when you discovered the ship have now never been set back up. And because the alien has taken Henry’s vacated place, there was nothing there for you to find. In the new reality, you didn’t even try. Which means nothing for the military to track. No reason for them to go looking for Sparky here.”

“Hey”

“Like I have time to learn your name cow killer.”

“I only made the cow shit old man.”

“Yea, that’s a distinction.”

“So Blue is now Henry living in LA. And...not in my head!!! Grandpa Henry's not in my head any longer. Instead of my being my own older brother...I now HAVE an older brother. But wait. Isn’t this close to the whole ‘It was a dream Dorothy’ bit?”

“Eh, it’s a happy ending, let’s go with that. And it’s about to get happier.” Gramps said fading away. Past him, in the background where I could see the extension of the drive way, a very familiar car pulled up.

“Not that we don’t ask this a lot already Spice but what the hell is going on?”

“Ah’ll explain some other day. Right now go get everyone. There’s someone Ah want ya’ll to meet.”

Walking across the grass to the SUV that just pulled up, I think that was the first time I noticed it. Or didn’t notice it. I was free of everything that had been Henry. No more memories. No more conflicts in my head. To a certain extent even the memory of my ever being Henry was fading. Because there he was getting out of his car. My 36 year old brother Henry Talltrees.

“What the fuck? Ah can’t believe this. Did Mom and Dad know you were coming out here? They didn't say anything. Look at you little big brother, been working out!!” I grabbed Henry in a bear hug that rivaled anything my father could ever do.

“Can’t let you be the only Talltrees boy how hit the gym. Christ look at you big little brother. Nah, no one knew, big suprse...one of many I've got for you all. How’s the great Shaman?!?!”

“You know about that?”

“Haven’t been cut off from the family completely. As a matter of fact, well, that’s going to change.” Henry said giving me a hug back. “Came to my senses. Quit my job. Sold my shit and I’m moving back here. Going to take Dad up on his long time offer of being the lawyer for the tribe.”

“No shit!!! Ah man!!”

“Tired of being alone in the world man. Being the only one out there. Got a family, going to sponge off of them for a while.”

We were still laughing when the ground found us. Introductions were made all around and Mom was crying when she heard the news. Dad too, but we expect that from Dad. Might have been a bit overwhelming but, hey, I never thought I’d ever be able to introduce them to Henry.

“And Henry, this is De’”

“Oh so this is DeAndre. Well Mister I’m So Hot That My Teenage Brother Turned Queer For You….tell me about yourself. Just kidding man, nice to meet you.” De’ was still a bit in shock from the joke when they broke their hug. Henry pulled me aside to whisper in my ear. “Something else you should know. Also been coming to terms with my needing my own football player too, if you know what I mean.”

“Really? Ok. Umm, that’s cool. Have you met Stoney?”

“Yea you introduced us.”

“Yea well, go introduce yourself again.”

“Wait a minute, wait a minute…..one thing I’ve always wanted to know.” Tak said jumping into the middle of our conversation. “Nothing personal Mrs. Talltrees but with ALL these names for your kids, Spice, Petal, Cinnamon, Daisy…..why did you name the first one Henry?”

“Tell him your full name Bro.”

“Henry Blue Spaceman Talltrees” •