by Valera Titov
“This is ludicrous, Mr President,” burst out Shaun.
“Some unknown archeologist is arrested while on the run from the FBI and then he expects us to believe that artefacts that could save human life, which could really be just plain rock, are at a river bed at the Amazon River in Colombia!” I hope you are not taking this seriously, Sir?”
John Carmichael III wiped his brow with his handkerchief and stood up from his chair, as he began pacing up and down the office area.
It was a good minute before he spoke.
“Do you have any better suggestions, Shaun?” he eventually asked.
Shaun s/*tood up and joined his President in the pacing process. Both were deep in thought.
Eventually, Shaun had to concede defeat.
“No, Sir,” he responded.
“Then it is settled,” said the US President.
“Let’s get this artefact analyzed by a laboratory as a matter of urgency and if the answers that we are receive are the same as what Mr Kennedy has told us, we need to move forward with his revelations.”
Adam glanced at Glory.
“Sir, I am reluctant to let that artefact leave the room here as millions of people around the world are looking for it. I understand that you want it to be tested, but then you would need to place half your military to ensure its safety. Also, anything that I have mentioned here today needs to be kept top secret.”
“You have my word,” remarked the President.
He glanced at Myles, Shaun and then Glory.”
“Rather, you have our word,” he added.
John Carmichael III put Myles Jenkins in charge of ensuring the safety arrangements with regard to the artefact and it was swiftly removed from the room by five heavily armed FBI agents.
Glory took Adam aside.
“You have done the right thing, Adam,” she said with a tear in her eye.
Adam looked at her.
“Yeah then if it’s the right thing, why does it feel so wrong?”
Chapter Fourteen
Legend of the Fog
Adam Kennedy was allowed to meet with Glory in her room inside the old fort on Angel Island.
It seemed that since the latest meeting with the US President and his ‘wise men’, faith had been restored in them. They were no longer seen as criminals or potential sell outs to the Russians or a ‘third force’.
Glory offered Adam a small bottle of mineral water that was positioned on her bedside table. Adam was grateful for it as the weather conditions were pretty steamy.
“Do you want to know what my guess is, Mr Kennedy?” questioned Glory in a teasing tone.
“My guess is that you didn’t reveal all your information to the President and his men in the office today.”
Adam grinned.
“You know me too well, Mrs Falcon,” he quipped.
Mrs Falcon? Did he just say that, he thought. How he hated the sound of Glory’s surname. By rights, he should be the husband to Glory, after all he was the father to their twins.
“Spill the beans,” Glory.
“All of it.”
Adam sat down on the bed besides Glory and took in a sip of mineral water before telling of his adventure in the Amazon.
“Before I start, where are the twins?” he asked.
Glory tapped her Tablet mobile device.
“I got a text message from my housekeeper Joey Lawrence last night. She said that the children are on their best behavior at my home at Cocoa Beach. Two FBI agents are patrolling the area 24/7 to make sure that all is well.”
For a moment, Adam nearly quipped a bitter remark like ‘ýou mean Alan Falcon’s home’ but he thought better of it.
“All-right, Glory, do you know the ‘Legend of the Fog’?” he asked.
Glory shook her head. Adam began to explain.
*“I researched the Amazon trip for quite some time and when I got to Leticia in Colombia, all of the pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place. I met an Aborigine man who was in his seventies in terms of age. He told me parts of the story that I didn’t already know.”
Glory listened intently as Adam continued.
“The artefact is nickname ‘the Talisman’. The US laboratory will soon discover that there is a metal plate tucked inside the rocky out-layers of the sample that I brought back from the Amazon. The story that I was told goes like this: there was a border world. This was a time when people served personnel at space stations. Remember there was no gravity and people needed an extra pair of hands and a tail to remain upright. Many of the bodies of these people were quite damaged through radiation too.”
“Over the years, a meteorite of large diameter was formed, probably through explosions over the years. Anyway, a large number of people lived inside this area, which was a place of protection from enemies and radiation. Water sources were formed, buildings were built, even churches, with people of faith guarding their respective buildings for prayer.”
Glory was amazed at what she was hearing. It was like a fairytale, but she somehow imagines that the storyline would soon take a horrible twist.
“Inside this funnel-like living area called a world, there was a constant fog that appeared daily until around lunch time,” continued Adam.
“When the fog wasn’t there, a translucent haze appeared. When the sun set, the fog returned. Due to the haze, people who lived there were basically invisible to the human eye. One could only see them in the times of fog. People then began to dig underground tunnels inside the crater and extracted gold and other valuable materials for resource collectors.”
Adam took in another sip of mineral water.
“Wait Glory, the best part is yet to come. These people added something to the gold, and the result protected aliens from radiation. During the production of this material, a fog that guarded against radiation also stood out. Aborigines still believe that this fog in the funnel has remained from the aliens from other worlds. It's a reminder that they were here and that people remembered this.”
Adam went on.
“The main threat to people is radiation. This is called foggy days or something similar. This is a landmark day and an event for people. People should do everything possible and impossible to prevent this.”
“People searched for the funnel area for centuries, but it was covered with the fog and underground, so the resource there were missing for many more years,” went on Adam.
“It sounds like an old wife’s tale to me,” said Glory.
“I bet you could make lots of money out of it if you sold it to Walt Disney Studios.”
Adam giggled.
“Glory, at first, I also thought that the story was something that someone had made up after having consumed too much alcohol, but I had travelled so far already that I opted to search for the place and guess what?”
“We found the place! I saw the clay plates with different patterns. Most of the treasures that I found were lined with gold. If you take a closer look at the artefact that I brought back, you will find gold traces on it. I hid the artefact away as I didn’t want people to find it on me. I believe that radiation mixed with some help from the Gods, made this material. It’s something that I have never seen before.”
Adam’s eyes stretched wider as he spoke.
“Then I realized something about this radiation. If people on this Stronghold known as ‘Platsdarm’ survived using the materials, then we can too. It is the answer to many to avoid illness as radiation and partial withdrawal of gravity leads to many heart diseases.”
Glory’s mind was racing five steps ahead.
“So are you suggesting that people going through the Corridor to the Strongholds could be vulnerable if the material is not used as a part of their space suits?” she asked.
Adam nodded.
“Nothing gets past you, Glory, I can see why you got all A’s at the University of Chicago,” he teased.
“Of course the bad people are after the material too as there is a lot of mone
y to be made from it. Glory, without the material, this is the Apocalypse for the Planet Earth and everything that exists on it. The recovery of the Planet Earth is increasingly difficult. It will be restored long time under one condition - if the planet still exists.”
Glory shook her head aggressively.
“It is like a bad dose of fiction, isn’t it?” she said as she pushed her black hair away from her face.
“There is one question that I still have though. Why didn’t you come back to me straight after your return from the Amazon?”
Adam gulped and she could see a sense of sadness flowing over his face.
“When I was declared missing in action, my parents’ health went into reverse. They were both so in love and I was their only child. My mother died of a broken heart thinking that I would not return and my father went the same way two days later.”
Glory held his right hand as he spoke and could feel it quivering.
“I feel that I am guilty for their premature deaths,” said Adam.
“Then I heard that you had married Alan Falcon, even though you had twins from me and…”
Glory tried to interrupt him.
“Adam, I…”
“Don’t worry, I realize that you also thought that I was gone forever. I was in such a state by then that I just wanted to get away from everyone and everything and so I joined the US army. It’s nobody’s fault but my own. If I came home immediately, my parents would be alive today and we would be happily married. My parents knew about you. They wanted to meet you and bless us for a life together. It’s my fault that things didn’t fall into place like they should have. ”
“At least I still have twins with you, Glory that will never change. I love you today as much as the first time that I laid eyes on you.”
Glory held Adam tight in her arms. The tough-as-teak archeologist was crying like a baby. There was very little that she could say or do to change things. Sometimes life doesn’t work out the way that you expect it too.
Once has had pulled himself together, he reached for a satellite phone which was stored in the inside pocket of his coat that had been folded over a chair in Glory’s room.
Adam dialed a few digits and then spoke briefly to a former military colleague.
Suddenly, his face turned grey in a state of shock.
Glory waited for Adam to end the call and then further waited for him to speak.
"Glory, you saw debris of destroyed objects floating in the solar system at the time that the light blinded you?” said Adam.
“The fragments that accompany Planet X are fragments of alien bodies and ships which were involved in wars in years gone by. Glory, I would say that we have around three years to evacuate the earth and send billions of people to Strongholds.”
Glory looked at Adam. How was it possible that the two of them were sitting in her room on Angel Island with more information than the US government, unless there were informers, better known as ‘Rats’ inside the US governmental systems, who were either passing on key information to bad people, or hiding important information from the leaders of the country.
“Glory, we need to get out of here and get to the material before the wrong people do,” said Adam.
“Get out of here?” exclaimed Glory.
“Firstly, we have half the President’s VIP protection unit watching our every move. Secondly, having escaped from Camp David last time to meet with you, the chances of it happening again are zero and nothing.”
“Glory, if we don’t get to the material before the wrong people do, billions of lives could be in danger,” commented Adam.
Glory brushed her hair away from her face again.
Adam, do you think the Russians may do a u-turn on the deal with the US President and take the material for themselves, which could see millions of US and other lives lost?”
Adam wiped his hands over his face.
“Right now I don’t know what to think, but I have been around on this earth long enough to live by the slogan of ‘never-say-never,” he replied.
Suddenly, Adam had a change of plan.
Äs soon as the artefact arrived back from the US laboratory, you must take grab the twins and travel with the artefact, to Mars for safety,” he said.
“What about you, Adam, I can’t leave Planet Earth without you,” remarked a stressed-out Glory.’
Ïf we have three years before Planet X strikes our planet, surely I can go with you to the Amazon to collect more material?”
Adam shook his head.
“The three year period is an estimate, Glory,” he remarked.
“There are no guarantees in this world. I need to know that you are safely on Mars with the twins. I have already lost both my parents and you once, and I can’t suffer any more heartache. Please just do as I say.”
Glory embraced Adam and gave him a passionate kiss.
“So you going to try and escape the FBI on your own?” she asked.
Adam smiled and winked at her.
“Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” he remarked with a smile.
“After all, the US is known as ‘Land of the Free’.”
Glory giggled.
Adam would have to deliver his A-Game if he was to outsmart the FBI agents, but she was sure that they would not kill him. In the current state of chaos, he was needed alive if the US and other citizens were to stand a chance of surviving the onslaught of the dreaded Planet X!
Chapter Fifteen
Solid as a Rock
Twelve hours passed by and the artefact had made its way back to the President’s office under FBI guard. Along with the most treasured possession came archeology Professor, Clark Johnson from the Pennsylvania State University. Based on his experience, the Professor had been called in to assist with the analyzing of the artefact at the laboratory.
Shaun Kelly sat to the right of the US President John Carmichael III as the Professor delivered his report on the artefact.
The analysis had noted the metal plate on the artefact and had even managed to detect extraterrestrial sketches on it.
The Professor had done much research on the matter over the years and gave a shortened version of the ‘Legend of the Fog’ story, very similar to what Adam had revealed to Glory in her room the night before.
After the Professor had completed speaking, Shaun Kelly stood up from his chair.
“Let me get this straight, Professor, you believe that this piece of rock is actually able to take decisions for itself which can have a major influence on the survival of the human race?” inquired the space program advisor.
“Sir, it is a lot more than just a piece of rock,” replied the Professor.
“It seems that lots of people, both good and bad, have been searching for this treasure and I stand to believe that there are many more like this one in the area where it was found, that is if the ‘Legend of the Fog’ story is to be believed.”
Shaun ran his hands over his face and then looked at the President.
“First we have a crackpot in Adam Kennedy in here telling us that the artefact can produce material that can make space suits withstand radiation and now you are telling us that the artefact has a mind of its own in order to take decisions. Are you and Kennedy drinking the same liquor or smoking the same stuff?”
Professor Johnson ignored Shaun Kelly and spoke directly with the President.
Ï believe what Mr Kennedy is saying about the artefact creating material that can withstand radiation and I think it is important that the US government gets permission from their Colombian counterparts to get a team down to Leticia to search for more of these artefacts before they end up in the wrong hands.”
The President nodded in agreement.
“The only person on our team who knows exactly where the artefact was found is Mr Kennedy so I am going to ask one of my agents to bring him in to join this meeting,” remarked John Carmichael III.
The President pushed a button on a telephone on his desk and orde
red the FBI to bring Adam Kennedy from his room to the office.
A minute later the President’s telephone rang. The FBI had bad news for him.
“What do you mean Adam Kennedy is nowhere to be found in the building? Have you checked his room and that of Glory Falcon?”
John Carmichael III slammed the phone down.
Outside the President’s office, FBI agents were searching every corner of the old fort in a bid to find Adam Kennedy.
There were only three ways that Adam could have left Angel Island – by aircraft, boat or a swim to the mainland.
An hour passed by and a FBI agent called the President to provide him with an update.
“Sir, Kennedy is nowhere to be found,” he said.
“We have checked all of the video surveillance tapes and there is no sign of anyone leaving the island by any means. It’s freaky. We have 120 FBI agents here and not one saw him after he went to his room last night, after earlier having met with Ms Falcon in her room.”
“Please bring Ms Falcon to my office,” commanded the President.
“Yes, Sir, right away,” replied the FBI man.
Ten minutes later, Glory Falcon was seated in the office opposite the US President.
“Ms Falcon, you know exactly where Mr Kennedy is as you were the last person to communicate with him last night, so I suggest in the interest of his own safety, that you divulge his exact location to us,” said John Carmichael III.
Glory stared at the US President. She could hardly say that she knew that Adam was planning on escaping from the island to get back to the Amazon in search of more of the artefacts.
Ït was as if the President could read her mind.
“He is making a move to get back to the Amazon to collect more artefacts, isn’t he?” enquired the US No 1.
“That much I am sure of. The question I have is how did he manage to give over one hundred FBI agents the slip and get off the island?”
Glory did not respond. She, like the President, did not know the answer to that question. In fact she wasn’t even sure if Adam had made it to the mainland from Angel Island.
John Carmichael picked up his mobile phone and dialed the number of the US Foreign Secretary, Tyson Conroy.