Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Primeval Rebirth
    Primeval Rebirth
    Primeval Rebirth
    Ebook354 pages5 hours

    Primeval Rebirth

    By Aaron Pery

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    After millions of years of existing without evolving as most other earth creatures did, a protoplasmic creature, the last of its kind, becomes a symbiotic part of a primate. Acquiring an ability to move from host to host, it survives for thousands of years as an observer until it attains Robin Bender as its newest host. It quickly decides to merge with him and become an integral part of his life.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAaron Pery
    Release dateOct 29, 2010
    ISBN9781452362342
    Primeval Rebirth
    Author

    Aaron Pery

    As most authors might claim, I was always been a natural storyteller and voracious book reader. Somehow, I also knew that some day I would sit down and write a book, which I did quite recently.When I finally sat in front of my computer monitor to do just that, the words literally came pouring out. Before very long, I had written many books in various genres.At first, my prolific writing was mainly for the pleasure and self-entertainment involved, until I discocered Smashwords and ebooks, and here I am, a published author with a long list of books to my credit. And many more to come.

    Read more from Aaron Pery

    Related to Primeval Rebirth

    Related ebooks

    Performing Arts For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Summers Of Urchins And Love

      Jul 29, 2019

      Summers Of Urchins And Love
      14 min read

    • Article

      The Power Of AWE

      Feb 14, 2023

      The Power Of AWE
      6 min read

    • Article

      Us Animals: Writing the Natural World Back into the Human

      Apr 25, 2018

      There are so many ways for a nest to fail. So many ways for a sentence to fail. In my years as a field biologist I watched how the natural world dealt with the inevitability of failure—in life, mating, reproduction, predation. Unaware, I began to tra

      6 min read

    • Article

      The Age of the Entangled Self

      May 27, 2022

      The Age of the Entangled Self
      3 min read

    • Article

      On Healing

      Sep 4, 2020

      In 2016 my partner and I bought a wooden cottage on 10 acres of land, on an ecotone where the woodlands meet the foothills of the mountains. The area had been logged relentlessly in the 1950s. One by one, the tall trees of the old growth cedar forest

      7 min read

    • Article

      A Symposium On The Mysterious

      Sep 1, 2023

      A Symposium On The Mysterious
      24 min read

    • Article

      Acorns and Octavia

      Nov 25, 2022

      Acorns and Octavia
      10 min read

    • Article

      The Cosmopolitan Ape: Empathy, morality, community, culture—apes can have it all!

      Apr 29, 2013

      The next time you mutter under your breath about the big gorilla in the next office, you might want to reconsider. The insult may reflect badly on you. Renowned primatologist Frans de Waal has spent decades studying chimpanzees and bonobos and found

      14 min read

    • Article

      The Seven Absent Sins

      Apr 10, 2022

      The compiled knowledge of the 89 species in the Galactic Confederation of Intelligences has never been a priority for earthbound scholars. Our collective ignorance has metastasized ever since the Declaration of Terran Egress, which has now kept us in

      12 min read

    • Article

      Claire Fuller’s Visions of Multispecies Justice

      Aug 2, 2023

      In 'The Memory of Animals,' justice for animals does not have to come at the expense of justice for humans, and vice versa. The post Claire Fuller’s Visions of Multispecies Justice appeared first on The Millions.

      6 min read

    • Article

      Hernan Diaz, Fiction

      Mar 20, 2019

      Hernan Diaz, Fiction
      2 min read

    • Article

      Matters Of The Heart

      Jan 17, 2022

      Matters Of The Heart
      5 min read

    • Article

      Bower Bird Blues

      Jan 9, 2020

      Bower Bird Blues
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Heart Of A Story

      Mar 22, 2022

      The Heart Of A Story
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Last Word with Jonathan Weiner: The more science knows, the more rich and mysterious the world becomes.

      Nov 27, 2014

      Jonathan Weiner is one of our favorite science writers. He animates topics like evolution and genetics with personal stories about pioneer scientists that read like adventures you don’t want to end. You can go to the Galapagos Islands to marvel at bl

      6 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Primeval Rebirth

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Primeval Rebirth - Aaron Pery

      Primeval Rebirth

      By Aaron Pery

      www.airper@aol.com

      Smashwords ebook Edition

      All Rights Reserved

      Copyright 2010 by Aaron Pery

      ISBN: #

      License Notes:

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or if it was not purchased for your use only, please return to smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Also by the same author:

      The Centaurs

      The Royals

      The Patriots

      Second Putsch

      Playmoney

      Pogrom Progeny

      The Queen's Legacy

      Phoenix Bloodline

      Abduction Revenge

      Primeval Rebirth

      Prologue

      A disturbance in the periphery of its sodden surroundings awakened the organism from its energy preserving, near perpetual slumber, and reached to the fringes of its awareness. It sent out perception feelers toward the source of the unfamiliar disorder in its environment and observed it with interest. It was the first time ever that the organism was able to sense anything beyond its adjacent surroundings, where it had lain for eons while instinctively feeding and developing mindlessly. It was now fully roused, though it knew nothing of its powers nor was it consciously aware of any personal wishes or desires. It was just a lump of viscous material enclosed within a hard shell exoskeleton and devoid of any emotion other than an overriding instinct to feed and survive. It understood with a sudden, hitherto dormant cognizance, that its existence was threatened for quite a long while as its watery habitat was slowly drying up. Its awakened, raw faculties, perceived that it must extricate itself from its environment or perish very soon.

      The coagulated lump of nearly pure plasma existed in the ever receding pool of an ancient ocean that had been born at the dawn of terrestrial time. It had been created, as were many others of its kind, by an accidental merging of two tiny, single-celled zygotes in the thick primordial soup of an inland sea. Other, similar matings, had grown and developed into the creatures that crawled out of the oceans to evolve into the myriad creatures that had later inhabited the earth. They had advanced quickly in comparison to this organism, which took millions of years to progress into what it had now become—a cognizant being encased in an immobile blob within a hard shell that was quite similar in size and shape to the many types of grubs that lived within its surroundings.

      A group of semi-erect, shuffling-gated primates that waded through the pool of the stinking water in the depths of the primeval forest dislodged the by now tenuously held being from the ancient rock to which it was anchored for so long. It floated to the surface and was pushed to the edge of the pool by the wavelets created by these waders. The last member of the crossing troupe, an aging female, glimpsed the plump morsel at the edge of the pool, grabbed it, and popped it into her wide mouth, swallowing it whole.

      Once stripped of its outer shell by the digestive juices within the female’s stomach, the core of the being, sensing its demise unless it escaped from its devouring detention, quickly clung to one of the walls and climbed upward. Once away from danger, it stopped moving and surveyed its new surroundings for a moment, discovering that it was resting over a pulsating tube that carried the life-giving fluids of its host. Somehow, without any clear understanding of what it was or how it managed to do it, the being reshaped itself into a long, very thin strand to enable it to breach the artery, and then let itself be carried by the moving stream as it nourished itself.

      The being ended its voyage in the upper reaches of the primate’s brain, to embed itself within its even more nourishing substance. Its needs were slight so that it had no effect on the health of its host nor its mental capacity, such as it was. After a while, once it became used to its existence within this new environment, the being began sending tiny tendrils into the living body that it had acquired, savoring its mobility and myriad corporeal senses. Yet, despite its ability to incorporate itself into the host’s body, and hard as it tried to do it, the being could not control its actions and movements.

      This raw intelligence learned quickly to adapt to its new surroundings and manner of living. Then, after a while, when it realized that the body of its first host reached a weakened physical state and was about to expire, a dominant self preservation instinct found a way for it to vault into the nearest primate body in a great burst of energy. It took many thousands of years of constantly moving from one dying primitive into the next to for it to comprehend its environment. As its intellect expanded, this symbiotic parasite found that its position in the primitive pack, always within a body of a lagging host, may be hazardous to its existence—a mindless, instinctive process to duplicate its first host’s type and position in the troupe.

      It learned that its first host and the long succession of the new ones afterward, were all aging females beyond child-bearing years who could barely keep up with the movements of their troupe—most likely to perish either by natural causes or easy prey to predators. Once it understood this fact it changed its manner of existence by moving to a body of a very young female. Once moving into its first such host, it not only discovered that this kind lived much longer but actually derived a painless pleasure from its existence. The entity learned to like residing within a young, vibrant body that afforded a longer and more heightened ability to learn—an ever growing wish that it had acquired along the way.

      The desire to learn, it quickly discovered, was greatly enhanced by a new form—that of constant close physical contact with other, much stronger members of the group. The need to procreate, forced on the males by its female hosts via their estrous phases, greatly improved its mental and social learning curve. It was so delighted by this discovery that it began to acquire ever-stronger hosts until it reached the position of the Alpha—the dominant female.

      It remained in this position while the troupe it belonged to kept advancing upward on the evolutionary ladder, taking pleasure and benefiting from an ever increasing intelligence. Yet, in all the millennias of its silent existence in bodies of host after host, the being rarely took on any males unless it was forced on it by circumstances of survival—after which it quickly reverted to a female again. For reasons it did not understand nor contemplate, its preferred mode of existence continued through the phases from primates to Homo-Sapiens, up to modern man.

      Its intellect and understanding of its powers grew faster once it began to possess human hosts as they wandered throughout their small, limited world during countless generations. It remained in the background of its hosts, never interfering with their lives even after it finally learned that it possessed the capacity to do so, even repair bodies on occasion. It enjoyed this obscure, vicarious existence—a parallel life without intervention. And whenever a new host was found unsuitable, it switched to another quickly, never harming the discarded one. Over the ages, as its intelligence expanded, the being became ever more refined in dealing with its human environment, finally becoming as human as its hosts had become through a constant evolution and learning processes.

      Chapter 1

      Sitting in the luxuriously appointed reception area of International Cruises headquarters in Los Angeles' Century City, Robin Bender waited with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach for the interview with Walter Deming, the line's chief of operations. He had been greatly surprised when he was whisked away to the office in a company car the moment his ship docked in the port of San Pedro without being told for what purpose he was being called in.

      I hope to God I hadn't screwed up on something drastic and am about to get myself kicked out, he thought, feeling worse by the minute. It had been Robin's lifelong ambition to become a sailor, ever since reading his first of many sea adventure books which he had collected and re-read constantly all of his life. Yet, despite his yearnings and considering joining the navy once he was six months away from graduating high school, he had had to give up the idea when his mother suffered a bad heart attack the moment he brought up his wish to enlist. Although he knew even before her doctor told him that she was not truly sick, he gave up his attempt to get away from home and, as his mother had wanted him to do, he enrolled at UCLA instead.

      Robin was the only son of Mary, who had married Robin Bender Sr. just a year after her father, whom she took care of for twenty years until his death, passed away. She had met his father, a tough insurance executive on his way up the ladder of corporate management, during a Christmas gathering at the home of her cousin. They married a month later, on her thirty-sixth birthday, and she became immediately pregnant and then gave birth to Robin. He was quite sickly until he reached age two and his mother, used to taking care of her ailing father, devoted herself completely to doing the same for him—to the exclusion of anything and everything else.

      Frustrated by her neglect of his physical and emotional needs in favor of his son, Robin's father divorced her when he was offered a higher and better position in New York City after she refused to move with him. And, though he took care of them financially, they had never had any contact with him directly ever again. It took Robin years to understand what a stifling environment his mother had created for him since he was never allowed to have any friends or play any sports. Yet, since he knew no other way of life he acquiesced to her wishes to stay with a domineering hypochondriac who became violently sick whenever he tried to exert his own needs or wishes on her.

      Even college life did not change his lifestyle much as they lived in a small house in the heart of Westwood within short walking distance of UCLA, a fact he easily understood, that had determined his going there. And, worse, once he received his degree in finance, she had urged him to take a job within walking distance, as accountant for a large finance company. During the next twenty years he had led a lackluster existence socially and professionally as he never went out with anyone other than his mother and, even though he had taken graduate night courses to become a CPA, he was not promoted at work.

      When his mother died a month after his fortieth birthday, Robin literally breathed a sigh of relief even though he had loved her very much. A few days later, while surfing the internet, it occurred to him that maybe it was time for him to make a drastic change in his life. Excited by the idea, he looked through all the job sites and found nothing of interest until, while instinctively going through listings of accounting positions he found one that piqued his interest. Clicking on the job description his heart skipped a beat when he saw that it was not a position in an office but, rather, on board a cruise ship. And it was not strictly an accounting job but that of an assistant bursar. He had no idea what that meant but from the itemized list of requirements it was obvious to him that he was quite well qualified for the job—overqualified, in fact.

      Since he had worked in the same place for twenty years and did not have a resume available, he quickly put one together and e-mailed it ten minutes later even though he was sure that he would never receive a response. Once it was done, Robin went to the living room and sat down to consider what he had just done and he suddenly chuckled out loud.

      That was a really daring thing to do, he thought. Oh, God, am I ever stupid to feel this way but, after all, I'd led an utterly sheltered life from the moment that I was born, with Mom overseeing everything I'd ever done or wanted. Poor woman. She was a stifling tyrant but I still loved her and didn't want to hurt her in any way so I did what she told me to do while dreaming of the day that I'd be on my own. And now it's arrived and there's nothing to stop me from going to sea if I want to, even as a glorified accounting clerk. I guess that's why I took a thirty day bereavement leave from work, because I subconsciously needed to reevaluate my life.

      To Robin's great surprise, he received a call the next day from the personnel clerk at International Cruises located in Century City, who set up an appointment for next morning at ten with the human resources manager. Wow, he yelled the moment he got off the phone, here my adventure begins. But what am I going to wear to the interview? All that I got are my drab work suites that look pathetic and make me look even mousier than I really am. No, I must get something that will make me look the part of someone suitable for this type job. So I need to go to the men's store down the street to buy a few nice outfits. He nearly turned around to run out of the store the moment he entered it, but steeled himself to remain and smiled at the well-dressed man who came over to him.

      The salesman smiled back. How can I help you, sir?

      I need to buy a couple of suites. Oh, and some shirts, ties, and shoes.

      Did you have anything specific in mind?

      Deciding to continue in his new daring attitude, Robin blurted out. I got an important job interview tomorrow and I need to look my best. Actually, I'd love to buy stuff like what you're wearing.

      I see. Give me a minute to estimate your sizes. The man scrutinized his customer's mousey, nondescript appearance closely. I'd say you're five-ten, weigh about one-fifty, with pant size 32-30, and shirt 16-32. Am I right?

      Yes, and shoes size ten. Can you fix me up with a few good setups?

      Of course. Stuff that'll match up your size and complexion perfectly. But it's going to be kind of expensive, you know.

      I trust you to be fair about cost so I don't mind. Even accountants got to dress well on occasion, you know, so I'm utterly in your hands. And please don't screw me too bad. I hope.

      The man grinned. Was that a money-man's subtle warning for me to go easy on the prices?

      Robin grinned back. Of course, but still from one gentleman to another.

      Though quite shocked at the final tab of over four thousand dollars which was more than he had ever paid for clothes in his entire life, he signed the credit card slip without giving it a second thought. He had just bought three suites, blue, charcoal gray, and light green, with matching seven shirts, ties, shoes, and socks—all of which seemed soft and pliable against his skin, a feeling he had never before experienced. In addition, he purchased two blazers with four sets of slacks. To his pleasure, the salesman gave him a listing of what accoutrements to wear with each outfit, which he appreciated greatly.

      Come back in a couple of hours to pick up the things that my tailor has to alter for you. Will that be a problem?

      Not at all since I live practically around the corner from here. I'll take the other things home right now and be back later for the rest.

      Where do you live? There are no apartment houses this close.

      It's a house, probably one of the last developers' holdouts.

      Oh, my God. Between the two big office buildings?

      Yeah, and it sure pisseses them off to have such a big piece of land go to waste as far as they're concerned.

      Must be worth millions, I guess, so I should've charged you double.

      And lost the business? I doubt that you would have.

      Just joking, Mr. Bender.

      I know, and appreciate your service even at a sixty percent markup.

      More like thirty.

      Both burst into laughter, appreciating the other's sense of humor.

      Later that evening, when Robin tried his new clothes at leisure, he was pleased and amazed at the change in his general appearance. I almost look handsome, he thought, looking at himself in the mirror from every angle. He could barely sleep that night in anticipation of the interview, but was calm the next morning when he dressed for his appointment before taking a taxi over to Century City. Luckily I'd insisted on getting a license years ago even though Mom wouldn't let me buy a car, so I guess I better go look for one now that I'm on my own.

      Walter Deming, the manager in charge of financial personnel, scrutinized Robin's application closely before looking at him. Can I be candid with you?

      Of course, which I'm sure I'll appreciate.

      Then let me ask you what had prompted you to apply for this position? I mean, Mr. Green, why would a person with your qualifications and I'm sure a pretty viable future with a huge company such as you work for, want to take on a job on a cruise ship? It's not that I'm knocking my own group, but the job pays just a little over half of what you currently make, and you'll be working with a totally different kind of people.

      Maybe that's exactly why I want to make a career change. Look, let me be honest—I've worked for the same company for twenty years and I'm bored to death with what I'm doing. The truth is that I've been in love with everything nautical ever since I'd learned to read, and had seriously considered going into the navy right out of high school.

      C. S. Forrester, and Captain Kid?

      Exactly.

      I guess most of us, even in administration, have had such dreams. Then why didn't get in the navy?

      My mother. She became quite ill just about then and was barely functional in a physical way until she passed away a week ago.

      I know I'm digging into things that are none of my business, but didn't you have any other family members to take care of her?

      I don't mind. No, I was her only family so I had to take care of her.

      And now you want to go back to your youth and retrieve that dream?

      In the worst way, except that I'm no longer a starry eyed kid but a mature man with the kind of skills that I'm sure few in your business possess.

      Very true, which is why we're having this conversation despite the fact that you're way overqualified. God, man, starting salary for assistant bursars is low even with our rather generous uniform allowance.

      Uniform?

      Of course. If you're hired you'll be assigned as a junior officer which, as such, you'll be required to wear a merchant marine type uniform with the rank of lieutenant. Will that be a problem?

      I love it already, shitty salary and all. Imagine, me in uniform. Not at all. Actually, I'd greatly appreciate wearing a uniform. As to the salary, I'm quite a frugal man and need very little to live on, especially since I own my home outright and had saved quite a bit as well.

      Walter smiled. In other words, you want the job in the worst way?

      You bet I am. Practically begging for it.

      I understand how you feel. Okay, as far as I'm concerned you got it, after I talk to your boss, of course.

      Robin smiled as he got up and shook Walter's hand. I thank you. And if you want to, call Mitch right now to verify I had never killed or maimed anyone at work.

      How come you don't mind me calling him, did you quit already?

      Not yet, but I intend to tell him about it when we have lunch later today. Heck, he was pretty sure that I was going to when I asked for a bereavement leave. Besides, my assistant is ready to step into my position without a notice so it wouldn't be any hardship on Mitch if I never came back.

      Okay, go get yourself a cup of coffee while I try to reach him.

      Robin was called back into Walter's office twenty minutes later. Okay, Rob, may I call you that?

      Of course.

      And I'm Walt. Anyway, Mitch had nothing but praise for you. In fact, he was happy to hear that you've decided to make a career change.

      Did you tell him exactly what career I'm going into?

      No, I thought that was up to you. As far as he's concerned you'll work in our office as an accounting supervisor, which is in essence the truth except it'll be a floating one.

      Then I'll leave it at that as far as he's concerned. What happens next?

      Can you start in two days? We've got a two week shipboard accounting clerk course starting here at ten o'clock, which you'll join once you fill all the required paperwork.

      No problem whatsoever. And after that?

      You'll get your 'on the job' training on our LA to Ensenada Mexico cruise for two months before attending the required three months merchant marine officer course, from which you'll graduate with a lieutenant's rank.

      Fantastic.

      Walter got up and shook his hand. I like the way you just put it. I started working here in the same position you're taking, ten years ago after I decided to fulfill my own old dream, and never regretted it.

      Then you're not really an HR puke?

      Far from it. I'm the chief operating officer of International Cruises. I was so intrigued by your resume that I decided to see you myself. Oh, and by the way, we pay for parking so have my secretary stamp your ticket.

      No need to do that today because I don't have a car since, as strange as it might sound for someone living in LA, I never needed one.

      You will now, I assure you.

      I intend getting one tomorrow now that I'm out of my old environment.

      Don't buy anything fancy because it'll be parked most of the time in our lot in San Pedro, where the dirt and sea air will ruin the exterior pretty quick.

      I'm glad you told me. And, again, Walt, thanks a lot.

      Don't mention it, just enjoy your new life to the hilt. Walter grinned at him suddenly. And don't do like I did and get yourself snared by a gorgeous shark like I did, which is why I've been beached three years ago when our son was born.

      Thanks for the advice, Walt. I'll be real slippery among the sharks.

      During the next five years Robin felt as though he had died and gone to heaven, as he constantly thought. Everything that he did was interesting and exciting, especially being part of the executive team on board his various ship postings where passengers were privileged to sit at his table during meals. And wearing his uniforms was quite a thrill once he had been promoted to a rank equal to that of naval lieutenant commander, which seemed to raise his stature among passengers and crew alike considerably.

      His pasty, indoor look quickly vanished as he acquired a healthy looking tan which he thought made him look extremely handsome in whites. Once he assumed that his job was to become his permanent occupation, he sold his house for what he thought of as an obscene price of ten million dollars, most of which he invested wisely. Despite the distance from San Pedro, he bought a three-bedroom luxurious condominium apartment near the Santa Monica Promenade with a clear view of the ocean. He hired an architect who refurbished the entire apartment in a modern style with mostly chrome, mirrors, and marble and filled it with very tasteful furnishings. Robin frequently enjoyed spending time in it while in town, especially sitting on the balcony and sipping expensive cognac while smoking Cuban cigars, for which he had developed an affinity.

      Robin began compensating for his many years of repressed loneliness by quickly becoming socially gregarious, establishing many friendships with his coworkers. As Walter had warned him would happen, he found out quickly that on board ship he was highly visible target for predatory females who were not shy about expressing their desire to jump into bed with him. At age forty, he could easily remember the few sexual experience he had had in his life, all of which were barely tolerable quick events with whores. And now, suddenly in an environment where he was being pursued by women, he happily gave in to their demands and went through many frivolous affairs. He avoided getting seriously involved with any of them as life was too fantastic as far as he was concerned to tie himself another person.

      chapter 2

      His mind turned now to a bizarre occurrence that had happened to him recently when he disembarked his ship on his return from a cruise along the Mexican coast. Putting on a raincoat and tightening it around his neck, Robin cursed the terrible weather that had began on the first day they had left port and had continued until their return. It had continued raining all along, which resulted in a ship full of cranky and highly disappointed passengers who kept putting irrational demands on the crew and fought among themselves constantly.

      As he hurried to his car Robin was thankful that he had found a close-by parking spot a week earlier. The heavy rain became a virtual storm by the time Robin reached San Diego Freeway, with loud thunder and lightening bolts literally shaking the world continuously. Visibility was barely a few feet and his windshield wipers could barely keep up with the heavy downpour. He was quite worried since most of the drivers ignored it and sped along in utter disregard to the danger that it posed to everyone.

      Inching slowly and cautiously along the extreme left lane, Robin suddenly heard the sound of metal crunching in an accident somewhere ahead of him, and pumped his brakes in preparation to reach a complete stop. Didn't do me a bit of good, he thought, hearing and feeling the thump behind him as he was rear ended. Everything seemed to happen as though in slow motion as a multitude of vehicles collided in a domino-like fashion, and some of them even bursting into flames despite the rain. His air bag activated immediately after being hit, which made him sigh in relief just before seeing in the glare of another lightening bolt the fiery debris flying at him. To his utter horror, it smashed into his windshield with force and then he felt the impact of it hitting his head before losing consciousness.

      When Robin regained his senses it felt

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1