The Fallen and the Elect

by Jerry J. K. Rogers

  * * * *

  Gary entered the Father’s small office and looked visibly disgusted at the size and ascetic nature of the furniture. “Kinda small isn’t it Father? Needs a little pizzazz?” he chided.

  “Humility. I’m not one for excess. If I were, I wouldn’t be doing this job. The less I have of this world to encumber me, the closer to God I feel. May I help you?” Father Hernandez responded to the tall, thin, moderately gray-haired visitor wearing an Italian double-breasted suit.

  Gary closed the office door and sat down before being offered a seat. Father Hernandez ignored the actions of his impolite visitor. “Father, I’m Gary Applethorpe. I work for Everest Bio-Medical Group, vice president in charge of R&D operations.”

  “Yes, I believe I’m aware of who you are.”

  “I understand you talked to a patient named Dr. Justin Cochrane a couple of days ago.”

  “Yes, there was quite a bit on his soul to confess. Plus he didn’t seem to be mentally astute and cogent enough to focus on the stresses he’d undergone.”

  Gary responded with a little chuckle, somewhat insincere, liking the euphemism Father Hernandez selected in describing the doctor’s mental state. “I like that, loss of focus, no longer mentally astute and cogent. Most wouldn’t be so politically correct and would just say he snapped or went crazy. Sometimes we need to call things as they are.”

  Father Hernandez didn’t want to mention to Gary that the catalyst for the departure from sanity for Dr. Cochrane might have been the experience of a possible angelic visit in Mexico. Nor did he want to bring up the possible event during one of earlier evenings as reported by the orderlies. Not sure if Gary was aware of this information, the Father decided not to tell him.

  “So Father, are you going to tell me what Dr. Cochrane told you during your private time together?” Gary queried, jumping straight to the point.

  Father Hernandez flashed a scowl at Gary, who was unaffected by the gesture. “You know I can’t reveal what he discussed with me in private. What’s said between a priest and parishioner cannot be told to anyone else. The doctor has full confidentiality for what he confessed.” The Father knew this was a lie since Dr. Cochrane didn’t reveal the information during an official confession.

  “Look Father, I’m not gonna play around here. We both know why you‘re here in this shithole of an assignment. You know a little too much about what’s going on with our company. Somehow, that information was revealed to you. I know because Cardinal Millhouse told me as much.”

  “Believe it or not, I’m still in the dark as to why your company is doing what it’s doing and why the angels seem to be against you.”

  Staring at the father for a moment to garner his body language as to if he was disingenuous, Gary laughed. “You don’t know do you?”

  “Know what?”

  “It’s because of an angel we’re doing what we’re doing. We’re working under divine inspiration, serving a higher calling of the Church that reinforces our beliefs.”

  Father Hernandez was extremely confused. Not because Gary didn’t fully understand, there could be more than one perspective based on the unique events but because Gary was overly zealous in his purpose of serving the Church. The dialogue with Ashere along with the events in the hospital chapel, the dialogue of Dr. Cochrane in the dayroom, coupled with his recent studies and interpretations from verses in the Bible led the Father to believe that their angelic revealer Aurora could have deceived the Church. I wonder if this is how Martin Luther felt? Father Hernandez thought. “What do you mean?” Father Hernandez asked.

  “Let’s make a deal. I tell you what I know, and you tell me what our friend said.”

  Father Hernandez felt alarmed knowing that Dr. Cochrane could be viewed as inconsequential or worse yet; a major threat by Gary and Everest if damaging information concerning the project had been released. That wouldn’t bode well for his survival. “Well let’s be real, you’ll probably find a way of, dare I say, liberating Dr. Cochrane from being a burden to you.”

  “Still being politically correct Father? We haven’t decided what’s going to happen at this point. Now what about that deal?”

  “I don’t see the benefit of any deal.”

  Gary sat and stared at the Father for a couple of minutes. “Don’t let it be said that what I’m about to tell you won’t whet your curiosity to know more about what’s going on,” Gary commented.

  “How do you know I won’t tell the authorities what you’ve planned, especially if it’s malevolent?” Father Hernandez asked, knowing the information was already gathered and, when aggregated, sounded disturbing.

  “Really? Who’d believe you? What’re you gonna tell them? We both loyally serve the same Church. It was the Church that was the primary sponsor for the research and work we’ve accomplished over the years. Other governments, private entities, and religious organizations provided portions of the resources; however, the Church provided a majority of the funding and inspiration. In the end, you’d just be implicating your Church and its leadership.”

  “What are you talking about?

  “Look, I already know you’re aware of our cloning project. The work we do is to cement the bridge between all religions and beliefs. The events ten years ago shattered many beliefs, left many governments on the brink of collapse. The world had been simmering in chaos even before the mass disappearance. It was then that Rome received its divine inspiration from Aurora.”

  “What do you mean from Aurora? We thought Aurora was just the name of your project.” Father Hernandez lied, not wanting to reveal that he knew more than Gary anticipated.

  Gary presented Father Hernandez with a sardonic smile. “You really don’t know, do you? Aurora is the name given to the angel that visited the High Holy Bishop of Rome and several members of the College of Cardinals at the Vatican. From that inspiration, we used the name as the fountainhead of our inspired core projects.”

  Father Hernandez forgot this part of the information that Gary had just provided. “So, is this why the Church is so involved with sponsoring patronage toward Everest?”

  “Remember, it’s part of the Church's doctrine that the laity is to be her direct influence in secular society. They’re to take what Catholics are supposed to believe and apply it to everyday life. The Church may only influence society; however, it’s through the laity that the Church may affect society directly. The Church doesn't become involved in the politics, but the laity does. As a result, through our humble efforts, a perfect child will grow and become the perfect man born of the Church, to lead the society backed by the Church. You can truly say you’ll have an infallible New World leader.”

  “How would that bridge the Church and society? Man by his very nature is rebellious; he’ll rebel against the Church and this man. Man is flaky to say the least.”

  “This one man will be able to attract all religions and all nations to follow. Most important, he genetically has no propensities for doing anything wrong. Remember that over the years we’ve found, with genetic mapping, the locations of the impulse to steal, lie--you name it. We corrected this in his genetic code. He’s super intelligent, already more intelligent than any of us imagined. Like the meaning of Aurora, we are seeing the dawn of a bright future for the Church and mankind, and we’re a part of it. Hell, he’s already charismatic. For all intents and purposes, he appears to be the perfect child, who will become the perfect man--the masses so awed, they would be willing to worship and serve the one who’d stand side by side with the Holy Father. I must say, this project has been very close to my heart,” Gary boasted. “It’s an honor for Everest to be appointed for such a historic purpose.”

  Father Hernandez disdained the self-importance and arrogance Gary exuded and didn’t want to continue a theological discussion on misplaced veneration toward a man instead of toward the Holy Mother, the Holy Father, and the Holy Spirit. He decided to change the directi
on of the conversation. When Gary mentioned the project being close to his heart, the Father realized something he had learned early on. “Is there something about him having two hearts? And I’m not going to say where I heard this information, but why would this grand plan of yours with Aurora and the child with two hearts? And why the need for viruses?”

  Astonished, Gary gazed at Father Hernandez for a couple of minutes before answering but guessed the source of the question was Dr. Cochrane. “So you know about that do you?”

  “Not necessarily. We can never be sure of anything we learn,” Father Hernandez responded with a small smile. “We are talking about a crazy man.”

  Gary reciprocated with a small smile of his own. “There are those who may be against the Church and all that we seek to accomplish. The inspiration of Aurora has been quite … unique … our purpose is truly divine.”

  “Divine? Really? To create something that could be considered evil?”

  “And how do you know its evil?”

  “Why would you think that what you’re doing is not evil?” Father Hernandez inquired; intrigued by the fact that Gary exhibited true dedication and religious fervor.

  Gary raised an eyebrow. “What evil are you talking about?” he asked.

  “What’s to say that you and the Church aren’t being inspired by evil?

  “Why would you say that against your own Church? According to Church leadership, Aurora said we would be successful in creating all that was prophesized. We would see setbacks and attempts to subvert our grand plan. And we do know in our own hearts that, in the end, those against Aurora will experience defeat. Those fatalistic angels along the way were just bumps in the road.”

  “Well, Mr. Applethorpe, in studying angels and other Church doctrine, I’d be remiss if I didn’t look at everything from every angle. In doing so, I’d like to think I’d be validating my own beliefs and faith. I don’t know if you realize, one possibility is that the angels you called road bumps have names as well, and they may reveal more than you realize,” Father Hernandez said.

  “So what does that have to do with this?”

  “The names of the primary angels we know of are Abriel and Gishmael. And the interesting thing about their names is the last part, the ‘el.’ Do you know what it means?”

  “No, why don’t you tell me?” Gary answered incensed that Father Hernandez projected theological superiority. The names held no significance to him.

  “Well, what myself and my companions found is that names ending in ‘-el’ mean ‘of God.’ These are the ones having a higher purpose in service to God. So why those ‘of God’ would be interested in …”

  “I don’t see how this is important,” Gary interrupted.

  “Well, also understand, I just happened to come across this the other night during my studies that even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light and ...”

  “So you’re saying then that the Church is sponsoring Satan? Do you know how silly that sounds?”

  “I understand that he may misguide those who think they’re following a divine revelation when they actually aren’t. Many false religions and movements within the Church started under false premises, many because of an angel considered to be fal...”

  “So, I understand a couple of your friends from Los Angeles are out here visiting?” Gary inquired, interrupting Father Hernandez yet again to sway the conversation from theology. Father Hernandez became perturbed and also worried about how Gary knew Michael and Sister Justine were in New Mexico.

  “I think our conversation is done,” Father Hernandez said austerely, emphasizing that Gary shouldn’t try to ask any other questions or attempt to garner any additional information. Father Hernandez’s biggest concern was not to further expose Sister Justine or Michael if Gary wasn’t actually discussing the two. Gary didn’t mind terminating the conversation and didn’t want to carry on too much longer, apprehensive he could accidently reveal the possibility that the live virus was sitting in a secure storage container under guard at the local airport.

  “I agree Father, this conversation is done,” Gary commented. “Maybe one day you’ll see the benefit of what we’re trying to do for the Church and human history.”

  Just as Gary raised himself from the chair and was ready to leave, Father Hernandez assailed one final question. “Why tell me so much of what you just said?”

  “With the successes we’ve made, I’ve come to realize you’re not threat to our progress.”

  With that, Gary left the Father’s office. Father Hernandez was fascinated by Gary’s surplus confidence and proud boasting during their conversation on the work his company was accomplishing as if it were the greatest invention since the wheel, even implying the clone could be equal to the life of Jesus. After a few more minutes of reflection, he decided to check his schedule. With no counseling sessions or confessions scheduled for the morning, Father Hernandez left to see if Michael and Sister Justine had returned from breakfast. He found his two companions several minutes later just as they were entering the hospital. Michael bore a sweaty face and a small smile showing he must have been satiated from his morning meal. Nonetheless, the heat from his spicy breakfast continued to inflame his mouth. Michael desperately wanted to find the cool relief of something to drink to help soothe the irritation that, although lessening, was still agonizing.

  “Padre, where can I find some water?” Michael asked.

  “Breakfast must have been good?” the Father responded, enjoying seeing Michael suffer and not directly answering his question.

  “It was damn good, but spicy as hell.”

  “There’s a break room nearby, just down the hall next to one of the waiting areas. You should be able to find something in there,” he said pointing down the hallway through the admin building.

  In the sparsely populated vending machine room, Michael passed by Gary and Dr. Petroyev, who were sitting at a table talking near the water fountain. Consumed with their conversation, they weren’t interested in the few passersby milling around. Slurping water from the fountain, Michael determined he now wanted a bottle of flavored water, so he started scanning the vending machine for a flavor-infused drink. He narrowed the decision to lemon flavored or vitamin-infused Apple Pear flavor, but had a hard time deciding.

  “What about the cleanup down in Mexico?” Gary asked the doctor.

  “Everything at the El Refugio site is pretty much done. And we cleaned up the loose ends with the local authorities there and in Aguascalientes,” Dr. Petroyev replied.

  Michael’s curiosity embraced him as he listened to the two men sitting chatting, especially hearing the names of cities he was familiar with. He prevented himself from showing any interest in the two strangers’ conversation.

  “So any problems with the surviving specimen?” Gary continued with his questioning.

  “Nope, the package is secured on board the plane now. Things went smoothly and should be the same up through Canada.”

  “Good. And the passport for our passenger pickup today?”

  “Found it at the lab site. We’re good to go.”

  Gary glanced at his watch. “Good, I just got word a short while ago that the release paperwork should be ready about now.”

  The two men got up and left the break room, which left Michael unable to capture any more of the conversation. Forgetting about buying flavored water from the vending machine, he hastily drank enough water to make the burning sensation in his mouth subside and went to meet up with Father Hernandez and Sister Justine. It was odd he found himself following the same path as the two men whose conversation he’d overheard. Both men stopped to discuss some paperwork they were carrying when a man wearing a casual outfit joined them. Michael passed them and continued toward Father Hernandez and Sister Justine, who were both waiting further down the corridor suddenly frenzied with activity. Father Hernandez waited until Michael came up to him and the Sister then directed his
companion’s attention toward Gary talking to Dr. Petroyev.

  “You see the two men down the hallway, tall thin one with the nice suit?” Father Hernandez asked his companions. They both acknowledged they did.

  “That’s Gary Applethorpe, he works for Everest. Extremely arrogant. He stopped by my office earlier and had the gall to pretty much tell me his entire plan knowing there’s nothing I could do to stop him. He probably knew no one would believe me because it sounds so preposterous. He told me about the cloning project and implied quite a bit about the virus. He even came out and said that the Church and other backers were behind much of the project.”

  “You know those two?” Michael whispered and both Father Hernandez and Sister Justine heard fear in his voice. Understanding who at least one of the two was, the context of their discussion in the break room was illuminated.

  “He was the one talking about the virus?” Michael continued with his questioning.

  “Yeah. Why?” Father Hernandez answered.

  “I could be crazy, but I overheard a bit of what those two were talking about in the break room, and I think a sample of the virus may be here in town on a plane at the airport,” Michael said with intensity as he watched the two men in the hall.

  “You’re not crazy; that’s why they were working in Mexico, not to have to deal with U.S. laws.”

  “They mentioned something about the site in Mexico having to be cleaned. Then they started talking about moving their work to Canada. What if something happened down there, something bad? Especially with what your irrational friend said?” Michael whispered apprehensively, thinking Gary and his associates would be able to hear him from down the busy hallway.

  “Why would you think something bad must have happened?” Sister Justine asked.

  “Duhhhh, remember you have a nut ball doctor who you mentioned spouts on sporadically about a virus and other weird stuff. He mentions Mexico, and those two mention they found a passport and it’s for a pickup they’re doing today, and who is being released today I bet?” Michael answered, and while he was expressing his opinion, the three saw Gary take a quick nonchalant glimpse in their direction while talking to Dr. Petroyev. Gary observed the three church investigators. At first considering them background noise, part of the crowd of doctors, orderlies, janitorial crew, and counselees going to and from the counseling rooms in the hallway, he recognized Michael as a bystander in the break room a few moments ago talking to the man he recognized as Father Hernandez. Even though there were nuns working in the institute, the woman next to the two men in casual street clothes was wearing a modified simple coif and veil covering her hair; Gary surmised she was the nun initially charged with investigating the angelic events as reported to him by Cardinal Millhouse. Noticing Gary’s eyes widen staring down the hallway, Dr. Petroyev was now interested in the three who were the objects of Gary’s attention.

  “What is it Gary? You look worried about something. You know them?” Dr. Petroyev asked.

  Gary regained his composure. “Damn. That priest is Father Hernandez. I just met him. And those two with him may be a problem. I bet they’re the ones who’re with him investigating for the Church. We may have to change our plans and expedite everything. Let’s go see.” Gary raised his hand and waved to Father Hernandez. Father Hernandez reciprocated the wave.

  “So who are they?” Dr. Petroyev asked.

  “Sshhh. Just keep quiet,” Gary whispered as he approached the three. “Father Hernandez, good to see you again,” Gary roared confidently and reached out to shake Father Hernandez’s hand. Everybody noticed the mild insincerity in his forced greeting. “Thank you for your time earlier today. I hope you found the conversation enlightening. By the way, who are your friends here?” Gary queried, presenting the three with a forced counterfeit smile.

  Father Hernandez reluctantly introduced Michael and Sister Justine, then realized he should have given fictitious names. Gary purposefully didn’t introduce Dr. Petroyev.

  A stocky, comb-over-balding man wearing a sports jacket approached the group and interjecting into the conversation by passing Gary an 8x11 manila envelope. “Mr. Applethorpe, Dr. Cochrane’s release paperwork is almost finalized, we forgot a couple of pieces. You and Dr. Petroyev can retrieve him after we get some final signatures. We’ll have one of our vehicles transport him to the airport for you in a couple of hours.”

  The look on Gary’s face acknowledged the bad timing on the lawyer’s part. “Thanks Mr. Lawrence. We appreciate you working with us so expeditiously.”

  “Well, when we get word from the …”

  “Uh thanks Mr. Lawrence,” Gary interrupted, “We’ve got it from here.”

  The lawyer became aware of the others around him and, taking the hint from Gary, departed.

  “Well as you can tell, my time here is done. Nice meeting all of you,” Gary said, prodding Dr. Petroyev. Gary, now sure of the two companions with Father Hernandez, knew he needed to accelerate his plans. He made a mental note to call Cardinal Millhouse to express his anger at him for not being able to keep a leash on his troops.

  With Gary and Dr. Petroyev walking away, all three stood speechless for a minute attempting to comprehend the preceding event.

  “What just happened?” Michael asked, flabbergasted by Gary’s unexpected maneuver.

  “I think he wanted to find out who we were, and now he knows.”

  “And from my discussion with Dr. Cochrane, Dr. Petroyev is probably a researcher on the virus portion of the project.”

  “You think he has the virus with him then?” Sister Justine asked.

  “If he does, we need to do something,” Michael responded.

  Father Hernandez became disappointed with himself for not putting together what Michael deduced.

  “What can we do?” Sister Justine questioned. “Would the police or anyone else believe us? A private plane has a deadly virus sponsored by the Church as part of a grand plan to control the world? Sometimes the truth is the best disguise.”

  “Do we think there’s a virus? What if he’s just bs’ing us?” Michael wondered aloud.

  “It could be why there was distress when we first went to Mexico, Michael. They could have been working on a virus all these years,” Sister Justine added.

  “And he seemed serious enough when I talked to him. Combine that with everything else, the man has an air of being a megalomaniac of sorts,” Father Hernandez said.

  “Now you’re being dramatic Father,” Michael responded.

  “Am I? I don’t know why, but I worry for the safety of whomever the virus is intended for.”

  “You seem to think there’s a specific purpose for its creation Father,” Sister Justine said with anxiety.

  “Why else create something so … I don’t know, he just made it sound like there was some sort of inappropriate use for the virus.”

  “Aren’t all viruses bad?” Michael asked.

  “I don’t know, is there such a thing as a good virus?” Father Hernandez replied. “What if they’re creating something beneficial for mankind?” Father Hernandez asked actually considering the possibility himself, directing the question to his two associates.

  Neither one could answer.

  “We need to find out. Let’s hurry and see if someone in the medical wing could answer that for us,” Sister Justine said.

  “I got one better. You two go wait in my office. I might know how to find out exactly what was going on in Mexico and the specific nature of the virus,” Father Hernandez said with animation, then went down the hallway toward the asylum wing, leaving Michael and Sister Justine dumbfounded.. They followed his directions and went to his office to wait.

  Almost ten minutes passed when Father Hernandez returned to his office to find both Sister Justine and Michael sitting patiently in his guest chairs. His natural golden-brown complexion had turned colorless, his skin clammy.

  “Father, everything
all right?”Sister Justine inquired.

  “We need to get to the airport and stop Gary Applethorpe from leaving.”

  “What’s wrong boy toy? You seem worried about something.”

  Father Hernandez could hear genuine thoughtfulness hidden in Michael’s voice. He didn’t call him by his nickname as a jibe. “We need to go now. Do you have a car here at the institution?”

  “Yeah, we’re parked on the other side of the treatment center,” Michael answered.

  “Good, let’s go. We can’t waste any time here, especially if we want to save the lives of thousands, or millions,” Father Hernandez said and grabbed his Bible, a stole embroidered with two crosses that was hanging in a small wardrobe cabinet in the corner, and something resembling a flask, embossed with a cross on each side. Michael and Sister Justine followed him out to the parking lot until Father Hernandez realized he didn’t know what type of car his two companions were driving.

  “Where’re you parked?” Father Hernandez asked.

  “We’re over there padre,” Michael responded, pointing to the west in the direction of a remote parking lot.

  The Father darted off toward the car with his two companions trailing a couple of paces behind.

  “Father, why the rush?” Sister Justine asked.

  “They’re transferring Dr. Cochrane and we need to get to the airport right away.”

  “Is this wise padre?” Michael asked.

  “Yes, this is wise. If you both had learned what I have over the last couple of days, you might think I’m not acting fast enough. Which car are we going to take?”

  Sister Justine took the lead in directing the three to the rental vehicle. Having the keys, she jumped into the driver’s seat, with Michael in the passenger seat and Father Hernandez in the rear. Driving out of the parking lot, Sister Justine pressed with another question. “So, do you mind telling us what’s going on Father?”

  “Do you know where we’re going Sister?”

  “The airport? I remember seeing it on the outskirts of town along I-10 when we drove out here.”

  In the rearview mirror, Sister Justine saw Father Hernandez present a little smile. “So Father, please tell us why the big rush.”

  “Well, when I left you two in the office, I went to go visit Dr. Cochrane. They were just getting ready to sedate him for the trip. I convinced the staff to let me talk to him one final time in the guise of him wanting to give a confession and receive blessings in case something happened during the trip and not having a chance for final rites. Michael, it appears you were correct about what you heard in the break room.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Many of those in Everest believed the alleged divine inspiration, which led to the recruitment of many devout in the company. Over time, while working on the project, Dr. Cochrane started to question everything he was working on. Just when they were ready to confront him, four trespassers arrived at a highly secure site just outside of Aguascalientes. No one there knew who they were, where they came from, or why there were there. According to the doctor, they talked to him and knew about the project. Seeing him talk to the four, many thought the doctor was involved with their arrival. Then after that the entire staff at the site was killed by the virus.”

  “How’d he survive?”

  “Dr. Cochrane believes they were going to test the virus on him because they felt he was a risk. He mentioned they pretended they wanted to ask some questions regarding his loyalty to the project. They had isolated him in a hermetically sealed testing room as a temporary detainment location. That’s when everyone apparently died. The four visitors were unaffected by what happened and let him go. Seeing the dead bodies, he asked what happened. One of the four told him they were judged and for him to continue on his path of repentance. Traveling further away from the site, he thought more about what happened and began to feel extreme remorse for all those who’d died. He continued to reflect on everything they were working on, and began to consider it extremely evil. He said he started feeling like he lost it but all the while was working his way up back to the States and ended up here in New Mexico.”

  “Ok, that’s just too weird. Do you believe any of that?”

  “That’s not all he said. It’s more the target of the virus,” Father Hernandez’s noted in a somber voice.

  “What did he tell you?” Sister Justine asked.

  “The virus wasn’t necessarily to kill those against the Church’s progeny but to be genetically engineered, modified, and target as many racially pure Jews as possible, with the perfect child to be the deliverer for those who remained. Thus the survivors would see the Church as their salvation. He would bind all religions and races together, minus the one. The Church believes the deliverer would not be able to establish the Church universal and new kingdom on earth until the Jews were removed. For years, Jewish orthodoxy stiffened where they were focused only on the coming deliver, not wanting to join religiously with the Church.”

  Michael raised an eyebrow. “So your crazy man was lucid enough to tell you all this?” Michael asked skeptically. “That’s too fantastic to believe. And now you think they’re going to try and spirit him …”

  “And the virus.”

  “And the virus out of the country, and you’re gonna stop them?”

  Father Hernandez felt the old Michael returned. “Look, I can’t explain it, but we need to stop them.”

  “How do you think you’re gonna get out to the plane? Do you think they’re just gonna let you get on board? How would you know if they have the presumed virus on board? And how would you keep the plane from taking off if it was?” Michael continued with his cynical questioning.

  Father Hernandez hesitated in providing an answer. He hadn’t thought that far ahead and wasn’t sure how to respond to Michael’s questions. “Look, all I can say is that through all that we’ve experienced and learned thus far Michael, I believe we are in the middle of something serious. You have to believe me. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.”

  “We’re getting closer. Do we know what we’re looking for?” Sister Justine asked.

  “When we get to the airport, just look out for the center’s van. It’ll probably be at Gary Applethorpe’s plane,” Father Hernandez responded. “Knowing we know more than he would like, Gary is probably hurrying to get the doctor and virus out of town.”

  “Look, so what are you gonna do if we find it?”

  “Don’t know, I’ll have to play it by ear.”

  “Well they’re not going to let you near that plane.”

  “If we’re lucky, I may be able to. Part of what I was doing when I left you both in the office was to talk to the team transporting the doctor. I told them he wanted to have the plane blessed for his trip. Because of religious confidentiality I asked them not to tell anyone.”

  “I can’t get over the fact that they believed you,” Sister Justine commented.

  “I was surprised myself, but they seemed to be buying it. Besides, over the years, you’d be surprised by what people have requested be blessed. I’ve blessed dogs, shoes, houses, jewelry, a swimming pool, ca...”

  Michael felt he needed to interrupt after hearing one of the objects in the liturgy of items the Father blessed. Never finishing seminary, he hadn’t fully trained to accommodate potential congregational blessing requests, so this was somewhat foreign to him. “You blessed somebody’s shoes? You gotta be kidding me!”

  “No, I’m not,” the Father replied. “I’ve blessed the shoes of those who were going out to do God’s work, for them to be successful in their undertakings.”

  Exiting the freeway and driving up to the airport, the three observed the collection of hangars, ramp access ways, and structures. Aircraft parking spaces were interspersed between the flight line buildings that acted as a barrier from the parallel main roadway. With nothing more than a five-foot chain-link fence bordering the open ramp areas, getti
ng onto the ramp if needed would be easier than anticipated. Scouting while driving along the roadway, the three saw a petite Beechcraft Lear-type jet near the small airport terminus with a fuel truck and connected fuel hose. During the next several minutes they observed a white van with Dawles Center painted on the door drive up near the building, so they felt confident the aircraft must be the anticipated transport for the virus and Dr. Cochrane.

  “OK, we’re here and we think we found the plane. Now what hot shots?” Michael asked.

  “Well let’s wait a minute. Gary could pull up any second. We need to figure on how to get around him,” Father Hernandez responded.

  Minutes passed, and even with the scattered number of vehicles scurrying on the airport road, none appeared to be transporting Gary. Apart from the driver of the van entering the terminal building, no one had exited the van to enter or carry anything into an aircraft. Then the driver returned to the van from the terminal with someone else carrying two laptop bags and something resembling a mail pouch. Getting into the van, the three in the car watched the two unknown men drive away from the airport.

  “Were those the men you talked to at the hospital who were supposed to bring the doctor here?” Sister Justine asked.

  “No, that’s not them. They must not have gotten here yet,” he answered.

  They waited patiently.

  “I got an idea,” Father Hernandez commented, breaking the silence after nearly twenty minutes in the vehicle since watching the activity with the van. “Sister, call the police and tell them there’s a bomb on board one of the planes out here at the airport. We can’t let them leave the airport.”

  “What? I don’t feel comfortable doing that Father,” Sister Justine reacted, her voice an octave higher in apprehension.

  “Well fine,” Father Hernandez retorted with a grunted sigh. “Hold on then until I get back. I’m gonna head over and see what I can find out.”

  The Father ignored Sister Justine’s look of disapproval. Putting on his stole and grabbing his ceremonial blessings book, he walked across the road from where the car was parked. He reconnoitered and found a simple swing gate opening in the fence next to the terminal. He purposefully strode across the pitch-colored ramp up to the aircraft the three deduced was for use by Everest. Michael and Sister Justine watched the Father confidently approach a young man wearing a well-pressed pilot’s uniform. After a couple of minutes, he walked around the airplane holding his book of blessings open and sprinkling water from his flask of holy water. After making an orbit around the jet, the two observed Father Hernandez converse with the pilot for several more minutes. The pilot bowed his head; the Father then rested his hand on the top of the pilot’s head and bowed his head as well. After witnessing what appeared to be Father Hernandez speaking several words, Michael and Sister Justine observed that both men made the sign of the cross and embraced in a swift hug. After a few more minutes of discussion between the two, they both entered the plane.

  “I’ll be damned. Boy toy managed to get on the plane,” Michael said, impressed.

  Both Michael and Sister Justine could sense their heart rates increasing with the possibility that Gary could drive up and find Father Hernandez on the plane. They knew he wouldn’t accept the blessing of the aircraft as an explanation for the Father being at the airport. They relaxed when the Father deplaned, shook the hand of the pilot at the base of the boarding stairs, and returned to the car.

  “Well, that’s definitely the Everest plane,” Father Hernandez said, jumping back into the rear seat of the car. “The pilot was kind enough to give me a quick tour of the plane when I told him I’ve never been in a private jet before. He showed me all the elaborate, cool amenities like the leather seating with inset entertainment system, refrigerator with ice, mini-bar, and microwave. It so cool,” the Father commented with giddiness.”

  “Boy toy, concentrate,” Michael interjected.

  “Sorry. Anyway, nothing that seems like it could contain the virus appears to be on board right now.”

  “I’m impressed boy toy,” Michael said. “You think our passengers and package are already dropped off and in the building? If they are, what if they saw you?”

  “He mentioned he was still waiting for his passengers and didn’t seem to know his scheduled destination. He’s going to file his flight plan when they get here.”

  “Odd. Shouldn’t the van or delivery vehicle with the doctor from the treatment center be here already?”

  No one could answer. Still waiting, nearly 20 minutes more passed. The three observed a Bombardier Learjet-styled plane, similar in size to the one they were watching, taxi down the ramp, then marshal and park near the first aircraft. None of the three noticed it had landed several minutes prior. At first they dismissed it as superfluous until a taxi pulled up on the street side of the terminus with Gary in the rear seat. He paid the driver, grabbed his luggage, and entered the building. After another quick minute, he exited directly onto the ramp way and walked up to the newly arrived jet that was opening up its door and locking the boarding stairs down in place. Gary boarded the aircraft after communicating with the pilot, who then stowed his luggage. The three observed Gary’s pilot walk over to the first aircraft, communicate with its pilot, and then return to his original aircraft to secure the boarding stairs door assembly, perform the engine start, and taxi toward the runway. Seeing the first pilot sprint into the building, Father Hernandez jumped out of the car and walked smartly toward the terminal.

  “What was that, and what the hell’s he doing?” Michael noted excitedly.

  “I don’t know, but something strange is going on. Where’s the van?” Sister Justine responded.

  As the Father got to the fence, he felt his heart racing with doubt that the pilot would again believe the premise of being there to bless to plane. Maybe he’d been warned by Gary or his staff not to communicate with anyone asking questions concerning the flights. The pilot exited the building as both of Father Hernandez’s companions observed him call out and talk with the pilot for a couple of minutes. Both nodded their heads and appeared to be praying; the Father made the sign of the cross, then each ran to his respective mode of transportation. As soon as Father Hernandez returned to the car, the three observed the remaining aircraft being secured by the ground crew, perform its engine start and begin taxiing toward the primary runway.

  “What the hell was that padre?” Michael asked.

  “Could one of you get on your phone’s GPS and find out how far El Paso is from here?”

  “What’s going on Father?” Sister Justine asked.

  “I told the pilot I’d try to stick around to bless his trip once he knew of his destination. Well he was just told he was being diverted to El Paso to pick up his passengers.”

  Michael and Sister Justine realized what had happened and gazed at one another knowing Father Hernandez thought the same.

  “They wouldn’t have done that would they?” Michael commented, the first to respond to the situation.

  Sister Justine pulled out her phone and searched on the map application for the distance from Las Cruces to El Paso. “From airport to airport, it’s about 55 to 60 miles.”

  “So if we left now, we should be there in a little less than an hour if we push it,” Father Hernandez said.

  “I don’t think so Father. If the van we saw did pick up the virus from here and head straight down to the El Paso airport, they’d already have probably a 30- or 40-minute head start. And chances are they took Dr. Cochrane straight down from the treatment center and not risk us seeing him here. So even if we sped, it would take us about 35 to 40 minutes to get there. Depending on the speed limit, they would be there in only another 15 or 20 minutes with all the time we wasted here. And we’re definitely not going to beat that airplane taking off now if that’s where it’s headed. So even if we sped at 100 miles an hour, they could already be airborne. We’re fucking screwed.”
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  “Michael!” Sister Justine snapped.

  “Sister, he’s right, even though I wouldn’t put it that way. There’s nothing more we can do. It’s in God’s hands.”

  The sound of the jet taking off in the background signaled to the three that they’d been outsmarted.