ORiGiN

Phase One ofThe Heritage Files

Which do you Believe in?

Creation… Or the Theory of Evolution.
There is a third alternative.

It leads to an uncertain and terrifying future.

John Barnes is just a normal guy who takes his pet dog out for a walk on his fiftieth birthday. Together they find something that leads him to discover the true history of mankind - and its destiny. His life changes forever, in many ways, as do the lives of Earth’s entire population as they are drawn inexorably into a battle for survival that spans not only this galaxy, but beyond. Fighting an evil and merciless enemy, Earth has but one ally, an ally with more humanity than her creators could have wished for – or has she?

Barnes was mentally drained by eight thirty. The Heads of State summit meeting had commenced at nine that morning, nearly twelve stress-filled hours before. Gazing around the conference room in frustration, and only half-heartedly listening to their political rhetoric, he was forced to stifle a yawn. They were trying to save face, which was obvious, but did they have to be so long-winded about it? A simple apology to the people of Earth would carry far more weight and might even help to restore their trust, he thought. Taking a sip of water, he sank back into his leather chair with a tormented sigh, having decided to allow them just thirty more minutes to agree. To pass the time, Barnes let his thoughts wander, casting his mind back to when this had all begun. It had all started on his birthday back in January, just five short months before, but so much had happened, and his life had changed so dramatically that it felt more as though a lifetime had flown by.

As his mind focused on that day his eyes were drawn to the panoramic view of Earth that filled the wall opposite. Its stunning beauty, when viewed from the orbiting starship, was a scene of which he could never grow tired.

***

Sunday January 30th started like any other Sunday. John Barnes was the first to get up and, as was his custom, he went downstairs to the kitchen and cooked breakfast for himself, his wife, Suzanne, and his daughter, Helen. The only thing that marked the day as being any different was the fact that it was his fiftieth birthday, and his family had planned most of the day for him.

He did have a couple of hours free in the morning though, so he decided to take his daughter’s nine-month-old puppy, Kana, for a run on the downs. He loved the countryside, and the exercise would do them both good, he thought. Little did he know that such a simple decision would change his life forever.

It was an eight-kilometre drive to Dunstable Downs, but at 8 a.m. on a Sunday morning, traffic was sparse. Fifteen minutes later he was pulling into the small car park next to the café and picnic area. The café would not be open until 9 a.m., and being wintertime the car park was completely empty. He reversed his black BMW into the bay closest to the café, next to the path leading out and across the downs.

The car was his pride and joy; he had purchased it six months previously and it was the first brand new car he had ever owned. He had overstretched his budget a little, but at his age he probably would not be buying many more cars anyway, so in a way he looked at it as his last chance.

Barnes got out of the car, attached an extendable lead to Kana’s collar to give her more freedom then picked up a small bag containing a bottle of water and bowl for the dog, plastic bags and a pooper scooper. He did not enjoy that part of these walks, but to be honest he did not fancy the hefty one thousand pound fine if he was caught not clearing it up. Anyway, he had been unfortunate enough to step in it once or twice over the years and would not condemn anyone else to the same fate.

They started down the path together, and Barnes extended the lead to its maximum to give Kana some freedom. It was a cold crispy morning with a clear blue sky, typical of late January in England. There had been an overnight frost, mostly gone now, but still visible in the shaded areas around the trees and bushes. A gentle breeze came from the north, heralding the snow forecast for the next day.

You could still see the puppy in Kana; everything was still new to her and had to be sniffed and explored, and if possible tasted too. She was a cross-breed, part whippet, part Alsatian, and to be truthful, parts of several other breeds too, medium in size and jet black, with dark tan eyebrows and cheeks, and tan flecks down her legs too. John’s daughter, Helen, had bought her from an RSPCA Rescue Centre eight weeks before, and she had fitted in with the family perfectly.

They had walked along the path together for nearly three kilometres before Barnes decided it was time to head back to the car. When he had left home, his wife, Suzanne had told him to be home by 11 a.m. at the latest, as they were taking him out somewhere special for the day to celebrate.

Before starting back, he opened his bag and took out the bowl and bottle of water, poured some water into the bowl and put it down for Kana to drink. Standing up again Barnes looked around in contentment, soaking up the views as he gazed down from his vantage point on the Chiltern hillside. He had always loved the countryside, the peace and tranquility that it normally provided acting almost like a magic potion in its ability to banish the pressures of his job.

Kana finished drinking and looked up at him expectantly, ready to resume her exploring. Barnes smiled, put away the bowl and gently stroked her head. Since there was still no one else in sight, he decided to give Kana a bit more freedom, so slipping off her lead, he picked up his bag and they headed back towards the car. They had walked about fifty metres, with Kana by his heels, when suddenly the puppy’s ears pricked up. She barked once and then bolted straight into an enormous copse of bushes. It took Barnes completely by surprise, and it happened so quickly that he had no time to react.

Oh Hell, what’s she gone after now? he thought, and then started calling her back. He called and whistled for more than two minutes with no response before deciding that he had better go in after her. The bushes were all thick brambles and blackberry bushes, standing a good three metres high. Kana had charged in through a small gap at the base barely larger than herself. Optimistically he peered into the gap, but there was no sign of her and no way in for him there. Looking to his left, he could again see no way through, but ten metres to his right the bushes thinned a little where two joined.

He thought he could just squeeze through without getting too many scratches from the myriad of thorns. As it happened he was quite wrong, but eventually he got through anyway. The thought that his daughter would probably kill him if anything happened to her Kana, and the recognition that it had been thoughtless of him to let her off her lead anyway, was the driving force that spurred him on, together with his genuine love of the animal.

Once through the outer ring of bushes they thinned considerably and, much to his annoyance, he saw that had he walked around another thirty metres there was a clear pathway through to where he now stood. Rubbing his scratched legs to ease the pain he looked around for any signs of Kana.

In the centre of the clearing, he was surprised to see an old single-story cottage, the bushes having concealed its presence completely. He had walked this route several times with Kana over the past few weeks totally unaware of its existence. The cottage had clearly suffered a major fire in the distant past and been abandoned. The remains of the roof had collapsed into the shell of the house, and the window frames had those telltale signs of soot above them. He could see that the stonework was crumbling away in places too, from the effects of the fire and its age. He guessed that the cottage must have been two or three hundred years old.

Kana was in what used to be the front garden, up to her haunches in a hole and digging furiously with her front paws. Tail wagging, she had clearly discovered something of, to her at least, great interest. Probably found a rabbit warren, he thought, and walked slowly over to her side.

‘Oi… gone deaf have we?’ he said, with a hint of sarcasm.

Kana looked up at him then, a little sheepishly, knowing that she had ignored his calls. Her muzzle was covered in mud where she had been forcing it into the ground to get a better scent, and her eyes were full of the excitement of discovery. Barnes smiled, and then laughed aloud.

‘You won’t win any beauty contest looking like that, Kana, come here, let’s clean you up,’ he said affectionately.

He stooped down, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket as he did so, and started to wipe the mud from Kana’s nose, then something caught his eye in the bottom of the hole Kana had been digging. He finished cleaning the dog’s face and then stooped lower to examine what had caught his attention. It was about thirty centimetres below the surface, gleaming white in colour and gave the impression of being metallic. He picked up a small stick that was lying nearby and started digging at the edges of the hole. Whatever it was, it extended farther than his stick would allow him to excavate.

‘What on earth’s that?’ he said quietly to himself, and tapped it with his knuckles.

There was a slight, but distinct echo, which only served to raise his curiosity. Slowly he stood up and looked at his watch; it was five minutes to ten.

‘Sorry, Kana, time to head back to the car,’ he said absent-mindedly, staring at the hole in puzzlement, and fighting an irrational desire to kneel down and start tearing at it with his bare hands.

The last thing he wanted was to be late, for he was quite looking forward to whatever surprises his family had planned for him. He slipped the lead back onto Kana’s collar, took a last quizzical look at the hole and then headed out of the copse – the easy way. He turned left out of the copse by mistake, and after walking ten metres he saw the road a further twenty metres ahead. He realised his error, but decided to follow the road back to the car park instead of the winding route by which they had come.

Once on the road he glanced back once more towards the cottage, but it was invisible now behind its screen of bushes, then he set off back towards the car park. Shorter by a good half kilometre it was a good choice, they were back in the car by 10.25 a.m. and home by ten to eleven.

The house was empty when they arrived, so Barnes decided that he had time to take a quick shower. Afterwards, while he was drying himself, he heard the front door open downstairs as his wife came back in from town.

‘Enjoy your walk?’ she called up to him, from the hallway.

‘Yes thanks, I’m just getting changed,’ he replied as he crossed into their bedroom.

He dressed in the casual clothes his wife had laid out for him; black trousers and shoes, white polo-necked shirt and a dark green jersey. Remembering Suzanne’s parting words as he had left that morning he was forced to smile. ‘I want you to look nice today as it’s your birthday, so I’ll lay out some clothes while you’re out with Kana. Not those bloody jeans and trainers again!’ she had told him.

He was just putting on his shoes when the doorbell rang. This was followed by barks of alarm and then delight from Kana, then the unmistakable voices of his daughter, Helen, and her boyfriend, Paul, asking where the birthday boy was. He went downstairs, slightly embarrassed, to a rendering of Happy Birthday from his family.

He had a brilliant day out. They took him down to London; first to the London Eye, something that he had promised himself to go on, but never quite got around to, then to the London Planetarium, again somewhere that he had never visited. Next, they took him to the Dominion Theatre to see the Queen musical, We Will Rock You, from front row seats.

Barnes had been a Queen fan for years and had all their records, but he had never managed to see them perform live. Now it was too late, but to him this was the next best thing. After the show they rounded off the evening with a meal in a West End restaurant before driving back home.

***

As he lay in bed that night, before drifting off to sleep he replayed the day’s highlights in his mind, savoring the memories before they faded. I am a lucky man, he thought to himself, to have such a loving and caring family.

His final thought, before sleep claimed him was:

What the Hell was buried in that garden?