A New and Perfect Planet

AWAKENING

Chapter 1 – The Arrival

The plane was ascending straight upwards into the sky. It was not leveling out and ascending gradually, but was pointed straight up like a rocket ship and it was shooting into the atmosphere. The passengers were thrust back against their seats and were silent – too astounded to utter a sound. Most of them were looking at the ceiling of the plane with frightened expressions. Gloria glanced across the aisle at her five year old son to see if he was okay and saw that he was giggling.

Mom, this is great, it is like a space ship. Are we going to the moon?

I don’t know, Noah, but keep your seat belt fastened tightly.

Then she checked her daughter, Crissa, in the seat beside her. Her two-year old was strapped into her car seat and looked okay. The passengers of the small fifty passenger commuter plane were beginning to be aware that their lives could be in danger. Objects that had been under the seats were sliding around. Gloria’s purse was entwined around her foot or it would have been gone. She couldn’t see what had happened to her diaper bag. The passengers were starting to voice their concerns. Some were loudly demanding action from the crew, some looked like they were praying, with hands clutched together, heads bowed, lips moving, some were crying softly with tears streaming down their faces, and some just sat silently.

One lady two rows in front of Gloria was yelling, What is going on here, get this plane down, I demand that you do something. Somebody, do something now! She just kept screaming and the little boy next to her starting crying. Then, the man across the aisle from her reached across and grabbed her arm and shook her, Lady, stop it! Calm down and get control of yourself. You are scaring your little boy. Stop it now and be quiet! The lady soon quieted to the relief of those around her. However, by now, the passengers were starting to get louder.

Gloria thought to herself, What is happening – why haven’t we leveled out? Why doesn’t the pilot do something? I don’t get it – we’re going way too fast.

Just then the pilot came over the intercom and began speaking to them. Ladies and gentlemen, I wish I could tell you what is happening to this aircraft but unfortunately, I can’t. I have no idea what is happening. The co-pilot and I have tried everything we can to get this plane to level out or descend, and to slow in speed but none of our controls are responding. We actually shut down the engines in an effort to get the plane to descend, but it didn’t. The plane is now flying without any power or guidance. We are helpless. We are also flying much faster than this craft is capable of flying. We should be reaching the point of no oxygen and very cold air and yet our cabin has a normal oxygen content and a cozy 73 degrees in temperature. That shouldn’t be possible. Also, soon, if we continue at this rate, we will be passing through the earth’s atmospheric shield, and without thermal protection, we should not be able to get through it safely, but I have the feeling that we will. I don’t know what or who has control of this aircraft or why, but I’m sure we will all find out eventually. In the meantime, please try not to panic, although I know that will be difficult, and keep your seat belts fastened. If any of you are the praying type, now would be a good time to do so. Please try to secure all loose items as we could reach the non-gravity area of space. Parents, keep your children tightly fastened in their seats. Thank you. If I receive any communication, I will pass it on to you. Obviously, the flight attendants will not be able to give you any assistance.

The inside of the plane was now bathed in a blue glow that seemed to come from nowhere. Then soft music began to play and the air became a bit warmer. Gloria felt like she was on the beach at twilight and could hear an orchestra in the distance. It was soothing and yet the passengers were becoming more alarmed by the minute. The pilot came back on the speaker. Folks, I again don’t know what to tell you – the blue light and music are not any of our doing. This plane is flying without power but is gaining speed every second. The only advice I can give is to try to stay calm and stay seated. Thank you.

After this announcement, people were even noisier, and all talking at once, some loudly, some sobbing, some praying aloud. Gloria glanced again at Noah but he seemed to be enjoying the ride. Crissa had fallen asleep. She cautioned Noah again to keep his seat belt tightly fastened. Then she began to pray. She felt like screaming, but that would frighten her children and wouldn’t help, so she just prayed, God, please help us, please God, be with us, please don’t let us die, please God, help us. After she had prayed she felt a bit calmer.

She glanced around her seat to the people behind her and asked them if they had seen her diaper bag. She needed it to get Crissa’s sippy cup out of it. They had – it had hung up on one of their seats and the man managed to reach down and free it and pass it to her. She secured it by putting the handle through her seat belt. Others were passing belongings here and there to their rightful owners if they could identify what belonged to whom. This was difficult as they were kept pinned into their seats. Gloria pulled her light blue dress jacket tightly around her. She wished that she had worn a heavier one. At least the jeans she had worn were warm. It wasn’t cold in the plane but she was shivering with nervousness. The plane continued barreling at a tremendous speed straight up into the heavens. It soon became very dark but the blue light stayed on in their cabin. They still had warmth and oxygen. They could no longer see the earth. Then the strangest of all events occurred – one by one, the passengers began to fall asleep – their eyes closed and their heads lolled to one side. When Gloria noticed the other passengers, at first she was worried that people were fainting from lack of oxygen but then she began to get sleepy also. The plane was now completely quiet and continued hurtling through space.

The passengers were oblivious to their conditions or how long this lasted. There was no one awake to know. It could have been a day, a week, a month, or longer when the pilot awoke and noticed a planet coming into view. He shook his co-pilot awake and pointed to it. They felt refreshed and comfortable. The passengers began to wake also, one by one opening their eyes and becoming aware. The pilot tried his intercom again. Ladies and gentlemen, we seem to be approaching a planet of some kind and are descending towards it. I hope all of you feel refreshed after your naps. I have no idea how long all of us slept or why. Please stay in your seats with belts fastened and belongings secured until further notice.

Gloria noticed that Crissa was waking up but was not crying. Noah was also awake and curiously trying to see out of the window. Mom, where are we?

I don’t know, Noah, we will just need to wait and find out when we land. Stay in your seat and keep your belt fastened, okay? I think we will be down soon.

Do you think grandma and grandpa will be there to meet us?

I don’t think so, honey, I think we are not going to be landing in Denver, but in a different place where we haven’t been before this.

They were. They approached a very modern airport and the plane glided down smoothly, without any help from the pilots, and without any power. It came to rest in front of a large, white steel building. Soon the main door at the front of the plane was opened and the steps were lowered. The pilot received instructions over his radio and passed them on to his passengers.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have just been instructed to have you exit the plane in a single file and that parents should hold the hands of their children. Please leave all belongings on the plane – I repeat, please leave all belongings on the plane. Do not attempt to take ANYTHING with you. We will begin the exit now. Please be quiet and orderly and follow the man at the bottom of the stairs. I would advise that you follow all instructions as given to you very carefully. We do not know where we are or who these people are or why we have been brought here. And for your information, we have been brought here by some force that is not understandable to us. For your survival and safety, please do as they asked. I would alert you again, please do whatever you are advised and asked to do and do not argue. Thank you and good luck. May God be with all of you.

Gloria unfastened her seat belt, then took Crissa from her car seat and held her, and noticed that she did not have a wet diaper which seemed strange. Then she stood and unfastened Noah’s belt and took his hand. They joined the line to exit the plane. Mama, where are we?

Gloria bent down and quietly told Noah, Honey, I don’t know, but please don’t talk, okay. Just be really quiet for a while and do as Mama ask so we don’t get into trouble. I don’t know where we are or who the people here are, so just hold on to me and be quiet. We don’t want to make them angry, okay? You know how you have watched the space movies, like Star Trek, well I think we might be on our very own space trip. That will be fun, huh?

Okay, but I’m a little bit scared.

I know but just remember, God will take care of you. You just keep telling yourself that.

They made their way out of the plane, down the steps, and into the building. The tall, rather dark skinned man who had been leading them spoke, Please be seated over there, and please don’t talk at this time. I understand that you have questions, but after your indoctrination, your questions will be answered.

Gloria noted after they were seated on hard metal benches, and a man was standing in front of them, that he was a pleasant appearing person, obviously human, and probably around forty years of age. She was trying to be calm so that Noah and Crissa wouldn’t be frightened, but it was difficult not to shake with fright. Her mind was whirling with confusion and questions.

Welcome to Quell, your new world. My name is Elat and I am your greeter. I am going to read your names now and divide you into three groups. As I read your name, I will tell you what group you are to be in. Group one – please go sit over there to the your right; group two, go sit over there to your left; and group three, stay where you are. Now then, let us get started as I am sure most of you would like to have some food, water, and a restroom. Just be patient a bit longer. Do NOT try to move anywhere except where you have been instructed.

When Gloria heard her name, she rose to move to the chairs for group one. She was instructed to take her children with her. Soon the groups were allotted. She noticed that her group was by far the largest. A young lady walked to the front of their group. She was slender, of rather dark complexion and of average looks.

Hello, my name is Puli, and I wish for you to follow me to the next building where you will begin your indoctrination and also receive nourishment and time to visit a restroom. Please DO NOT attempt to stray. Parents, please continue to hold the hands of your children or carry them. Thank you.

Group one followed Puli out of the building. Then, another lady appeared before group two. She also was of the same rather dark skin, with dark hair. I am Proa, and I will lead you to your evaluation room, so please follow me. You will have your requirements met there, so please come with me.

After group two left, Elat once more stood before group three which consisted of 12 people. Now then, I will lead this group back to the plane soon. First, you may have a restroom break and some food and water. When you enter the plane, please go to the seats that you previously occupied and you will find your belongings there. There will be new passengers joining you. The belongings of the passengers staying here have been removed from the plane and the belongings of the new passengers have been loaded. You will be taken back to earth and will have no memory of this adventure. You will arrive at the destination for which you were headed at the approximate time that you would have arrived there. Your lives on earth will continue as before this impromptu adventure as predestined. Now then, the restrooms are located just to your left, and the dining hall, to your far right. You will be instructed when to meet back here. Thank you.

Gloria and her group arrived at another building that was somewhat larger and appeared to be a bit more comfortable. Instead of metal benches, they had padded seats in which to sit and the floor was of some kind of marble material instead of just cement. Puli told them, First, you may visit the restrooms just over there, and then please come to the dining hall at the right end of the room. You are allotted 15 minutes for this. Do NOT attempt to go any other place. I must warn you that if you disobey orders and attempt to go where you should not, you will be apprehended and held in custody until other arrangements are made for you. I will see you in a few minutes. The passengers looked at each other with concern and fear, but went silently as instructed.

Gloria took her children to the restroom that was a bit more modern than the ones on earth. Noah was fascinated with the facility especially the light that they held their hands under to decontaminate them. Gloria would have liked to comb her hair but had no comb, so they left the restroom and went as instructed to the dining hall. She was really too distracted and concerned to be hungry but the food that was put in front of them smelled great, so she tried a bite. She found it delicious and ate all of it. Noah seemed to enjoy his also. She was brought some junior baby food for Crissa and a small spoon. Crissa was able to feed herself fairly well. When they had all finished eating, they were taken to another room in the same building and seated once again in rows. A new lady of the same complexion and hair color came and stood in front of them and signaled for their attention so that she could talk to them.

"Greetings, my name is Aura and I will be instructing you concerning this planet, why you have been selected to live here, and how we proceed living here. Please do not interrupt with questions as I will answer them all. First I will explain where you are; this is the planet Quell, which like all else in the universe was created by God. It is a rather new planet and is an experiment by God. This planet has the same atmosphere as earth, and has land masses and oceans. However, as you will discover when you study the planet’s geography, the land masses are shaped differently than those on earth.

As you will have noticed, all of the people you have seen thus far have the same skin color, hair color, and eye color. That is because all the people on this planet are that way – with the same skin, hair and eye color; which as you have noticed is a light brown skin, dark brown hair, and brown eyes. When you go through your medical evaluations and examinations, you will be processed to look the same. Your facial features will not be altered unless you have slanted eyes, then those will be rounded. Also, if you have a wide or large nose, that will be narrowed. This is done so that there is only one race on this planet – that all people here look the same. You will have varying facial features and still have your height and build unless you are overweight, then your weight will be reduced to normal. The scientific development on this planet is much more sophisticated than on earth, and it is not difficult or painful to change your skin, hair and eye color. It is not necessary to have surgery to change the shape of your eyes or nose or for your weight to be altered. God does not want to have various races of humans on this planet, but have only one race. We are all known as Quellians."

Gloria had noticed that Aura was a little older than the other girl, Puli, and was tall and slender and very pretty. Gloria observed that even though everyone here had the same hair, skin, and eye color, they did have various facial features. They were all slender, but had various heights and builds.

"Now, I will explain to you the reason for this new world and your place on it. God has looked at the planet earth and has become very dissatisfied with it and with much of the human race that resides there. He had desired a much different outcome when He endowed humans with the power of free choice. Unfortunately, the Devil entered the picture there so that humans have the ability, as you know, to make good or evil choices. God had hoped through His word and His Son that the majority of humans would come to believe in Him and learn to make mostly good choices. Many have, but many have not and evil still rages over much of earth. He expected all humans to make some poor choices and to sin, but He did not foresee that so many would give their souls to the Devil and make evil choices. Therefore, God has chosen to establish a new planet where humans will not have the ability to sin or to be evil. Of course, that means that each of you will have very little ability to make choices. The Devil does not have a presence on planet Quell. God has banned him from this planet. Naturally, all humans on this planet believe in God as all of you do. That is why you have been chosen to be here. God is populating this planet with only Christians. When I say Christians, I mean those that have a firm, unshakable belief in God. I am not referring to those that have religion. There are good religions and bad ones. There is only one doctrine here and that is the word of God as He wants you to understand and believe it. On Quell there are not all the various religions and denominations that exist on earth.

As you will have noticed, some of the passengers on your plane are not with us. A few – those who are believers, but are not as committed to that belief as all of you are, have been taken to a separate room for their indoctrination as it will be necessary for them to strengthen their faith. They will receive special instruction. Those who were not believers were sent back to earth to live out their lives. They will have no memory of this trip. Now, I am going to turn this over to Muir and he will explain to you the next steps of your journey to becoming citizens of Quell. Thank you for your attention."

Muir then approached the front of the group. He was a large man, tall and muscular with very short hair. Gloria thought he might have been a football player. "Thank you and hello to all of you. You will find that the way we live here on Quell is quite a variance from how you lived on earth. However, that will not bother you for long as your memory of life on earth will be eradicated. You will have a type of amnesia. Your long term memories will be adjusted and will begin after you have completed indoctrination and have been established as citizens of Quell. You will have no memory of any previous life on earth or of this indoctrination process. And yes, there are a very few of us here who know of earth, but that is necessary for us to lead you through your indoctrinations. We that have the knowledge of earth, reside only in this area and do not mingle with other inhabitants on Quell. That prevents us from being tempted to speak of our knowledge. When you leave here in a few minutes, you will be taken to a hospital where you will proceed through a battery of tests to assure your health status. If you are sick in any form, you will be made whole and healthy if at all possible. Parents, your children will stay with you most of the time and will be restored to you at the end of this process.

After you complete the health examinations, you will be taken to a wing in the hospital where your appearance will be changed so that you will become of the Quellian race in appearance. Be assured this is not painful nor does it require surgery. After all, skin, hair and eye color are only pigmentation. If your eyes and/or nose need altered, this process will then be completed – this is a bit more complicated but again, not painful. After this, you will complete your mind evaluation tests and your memories will be altered. This will all be completed in a few hours. The last process of your indoctrination will be the information infusion lab where your mind will be filled with the knowledge of the planet Quell and how we reside here. Then you will be taken to your quarters. Again, you will not remember any of this indoctrination process. The reasoning for that is so you will not be uncomfortable or anxious about living here. From the time that your new memory processes begin, you will know that you are a part of the population here and that this is your home. Now, if you will follow me, we will head to the hospital."

One young man waved his arm and started to ask a question, but Muir silenced him. Sir, there is no need for questions. I understand that all of you have many but you will receive the answers that you need to know.

Gloria was so scared that her trembling legs almost wouldn’t hold her up and she gripped Noah’s hand so tightly that he fussed, Mama, you are holding my hand too hard, it hurts.

Oh, I’m so sorry, Noah, I didn’t realize. I just don’t want to lose you.

I’ll stay with you, Mama, don’t worry.

Okay, sweetheart, I know you will. Now, I am not sure what is going to happen with us next, so you be a brave boy, okay. The people here won’t hurt you so just be nice.

I will, Mama, but I wish we hadn’t come on that rocket ship and had gone to Denver to see grandma and grandpa. They might be worried.

Well, we certainly hope they aren’t. I think it will all be okay.

The group of which Gloi and her children were a part had reached the hospital building and were ushered inside and each person was taken to a separate room. The children were allowed to stay with Gloria. The rooms were inviting and a bit more like the rooms in a hospital lobby on earth would be, with comfortable padded chairs and lounges. Soon a lady that Gloria assumed was a nurse came into the room. Again she was slender, dark, and of average appearance. Hello, there, I am Neve and I will be doing your medical evaluation. First I need some information. I believe that your name is Gloria, is that correct?

Yes, it is.

Good, I have the right room. Now, you are 28 years old – and of the Caucasian race – correct?

Yes, that is right.

Hmm, you have blond hair, blue eyes, are slender, and five foot, eight inches tall, correct?

That’s right.

Let’s have you step right over here and face into this flat looking panel.

Gloria sat Crissa down on the lounge and walked to the panel and stood before it. She heard a faint buzz.

Now then, you are five feet, eight inches in height, and 118 pounds in weight. Very slender, I would say. Your vitals are normal or would be if you weren’t so nervous. I am going to push a button here and you will see a glow as I complete the exam. Please try to stand still.

A few minutes later, Neve told Gloria that she could return to her seat. Very good, you seem to be in quite good health. I notice a small stomach ulcer, and a scar, probably due to the delivery of one of your children. Those will be removed. Now, then, Noah, if you will come over here and stand where your mother was standing, I would be happy.

Noah looked at his mother to see if he should do that and she told him to go ahead. He really wanted to go as he was interested in the glow from the panel on the wall. He was checked and pronounced to be healthy. Next, it was Crissa’s turn. Gloria took her and stood her in front of the panel and told her to stay still for just a few minutes. Gloria stood just behind and to the side of Crissa. She also was examined and pronounced healthy.

Now, then, Gloria, I need for you to come over and lie down on this table for a few minutes so that we can have a machine remove your ulcer and scar. It won’t hurt – you won’t feel a thing.

True to the word of Neve, Gloria didn’t feel anything. She was amazed at the technology here on Quell and wondered how long it would take for this technology to be available on earth. She was also amazed at how quiet and good the children were being. Usually, Crissa would be fussy by now and Noah would be running around. She wanted to ask why her children were being this controlled but didn’t.

Now, you three, I would like for you to follow me to the next stage of your indoctrination process.

Why – why are you people doing this to us? What is this place and why are we here?

I believe you have been told that this is the planet of Quell. The people here are doing what they have been instructed to do, just as I have, so please, come with me.

Since there wasn’t a choice, Gloria picked up Crissa and took hold of Noah’s hand and they followed Neve to the next place, just down the hallway. The hallways were wide and tiled with the same marble material and the walls covered with what looked to be a thin rock-like material.

"Here we are – this is Orer