There was only one real problem. Heyworth had told D point blank what he wanted of him…of course the boy rejected him utterly, but that didn’t take away the knowledge…and now Dawkins had gone and stolen the boy. If D confided in anyone; if somehow word got out what Heyworth was trying to do, it was a near certainty that everyone would try to stop him. There were a multitude of sinners in the country and a great many of them were in positions of power. The Holy Plan must remain a secret until the boy was created just right, only then could it be brought into the light. If Cryogen could somehow engineer the perfect specimen, well then everything would fall into place and nothing on this earth could stop the rapture. But until that perfect specimen was created Heyworth could not be tied to Cryogen, could not be tied to genetic engineering, and he certainly could not be tied to D17. If such information got out, his followers would dry up like a summer rain in Arizona. They would not understand, and he could not enlighten them until the savior was come again, returned to this earth. Yes, they were close. Dawkins was close. They were so close to succeeding.
Heyworth’s face began to glow from just the thought of success, but then he frowned. D17 threatened everything.
‘That boy must be cancelled. This experiment must be terminated,’ he thought as he punched a button on his console and said in a slow, clear voice.
“Nico Torres.”
“Calling,” the car replied and a dial tone sounded over the car’s eight stereo speakers then the singsong notes of a phone number. After two rings a deep but soft spoken voice answered.
“Nico,” the voice said.
“I have another job for you,” Heyworth said in place of a greeting.
There was a pause on the line.
“Of course Reverend,” the man said. He was surprised, though from his voice you would never have known it. After his last job, the Reverend had told him his services would no longer be needed, but apparently the Reverend had been mistaken.
“How soon can you get to Albuquerque?”
“I can be there tomorrow,” Nico replied with a slight smile and wondered if the weather in New Mexico was any better than in Vegas.
“Good…I’m at the Doubletree north of the airport,” Heyworth said. “Call me when you get in and I’ll send a car.”
“Right,” Nico answered and was about to hang up.
“And if you do this job right,” Heyworth added. “I’ll double your normal salary.”
Nico raised his eyebrows and then became suspicious.
“A dangerous job?”
Heyworth laughed. “No…not dangerous…just very important. I’ll explain tomorrow.”
“Right,” Nico sounded, “I’ll have to clear it with my brother, but I don’t expect any problems,” he added and then hung up.
Heyworth almost immediately relaxed and quickly became very sleepy. He rolled down the driver’s side window and cold air buffeted the inside of the car as he drove. There was a Holiday Inn in Socorro. He would stop there and spend the day sleeping before heading for Albuquerque in the evening. God he was tired, but calling Nico allowed him some peace of mind. If anyone could track down the boy, it was Nico. Nico and his brother Alberto had never let him down and had shown no qualms at all about whatever dirty job needed doing, whether his flock needed a clinic bombing or the assassination of a particularly troublesome doctor. They were discreet; they were professional; they were believers and they were deadly…very deadly. D17 had to be found; Lord knew he couldn’t leave a job of such importance to the feds. Hell, the government had a way of ruining everything.
Heyworth pushed the accelerator until the car was doing just over ninety. The road ahead was empty, straight and flat and the Reverend felt better for the speed. The blur of the landscape was exhilarating and somehow helped the Reverend to relax. Speed was necessary; the Reverend could feel it. The boy must die and quickly.
‘Nico will see to it. Nico, the faithful,’ the Reverend thought and smiled. The good Lord had a way of helping those in need, and right now he was in desperate need.
Heyworth, though anxious, was far from panic stricken; after all, his prayers were nearly always answered and those prayers that God chose to ignore…well Heyworth himself would answer those.
†
They spent the second night in a Holiday Inn in Fenton, Missouri almost directly across I-44 from an old Chrysler plant. They arrived at the hotel late; it was already very dark. Christine was tired. She’d driven the last six hours; she had a headache and her neck was stiff. She was glad to be stopping, but not nearly so as D. The boy was acting strange, very strange. His odd behavior really intensified about the time they passed a dark and closed Six Flags in Eureka, maybe ten miles back.
“We’re close,” D said excitedly from the back.
Adam, who’d been dozing in the front passenger seat stirred and glanced back at the boy. D smiled at him happily and Adam had little choice but to smile back. The boy’s good nature was contagious.
“Yes,” Adam confirmed, “we’ll be stopping soon.”
D nodded and continued to smile. “We’re close,” he repeated and then rolled down the window next to his seat.
“Hey!” Adam said loudly. It was cold out, upper forties, too cold to have the windows down when driving near seventy miles an hour. The wind whipped through the interior and sent Christine’s long hair flying in all directions.
“D!” She said loudly. “Roll the window up.”
“We’re close!” D yelled back and then poked his head out the window and took a deep breath. “The air is very thin.”
“Hey Galen…it’s freezing roll the window up,” Adam said as he leaned back and grabbed the boy by the arm. He gently pulled his head and shoulders back inside the car. Christine flinched at the slip of the tongue, but Adam appeared not to realize he’d just called D by his late son’s name so she refrained from mentioning it.
D continued to smile, but rolled the window up in any case. When it snapped shut the car was unusually quiet. “It’s thin here,” D repeated. “Can you smell it in the air?”
Christine frowned and glanced at her brother, but he just shrugged, equally perplexed. If anything, the air was heavier here in St. Louis than up on the Colorado Plateau. The city was much closer to sea level.
“What do you mean D?” Christine finally asked, curious.
“The air is thin,” D insisted. “We’re very close…this place is the gateway. Thank you. Thank you Christine. Thank you Adam.”
Christine continued to frown at the boy’s cryptic answer. “D…I don’t understand what you’re trying to say.”
D laughed and reached forward and patted her hair. “We’re very close…this must be the place,” he said obviously very happy. “They are coming.”
Christine frowned and looked over to her brother, who shrugged again.
“Who’s coming D?” She asked, becoming slightly uneasy by the boy’s behavior. She pulled off the interstate and headed along the outer road for the Holiday Inn, but kept one eye fixed to the rearview mirror and D’s reflection.
“My…I’m not sure what to call them…my angels,” he finally settled on. “My angels are coming. I’m not strong enough yet,” the boy explained then said no more. Christine and Adam drove in stunned silence until they pulled up in front of the hotel. Adam quickly got out of the car but took a long hard look at the boy before he left to check in.
‘Something’s unbalanced the boy,’ Adam thought and his hand automatically went to the butt of the gun he had hidden in the back of his jeans. ‘If he becomes a danger Christine may just lose him yet.’
†
All the next day Adam closely watched the activities in and around Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, looking for any sign that it was being watched by federal agents. He spotted nothing out of the ordinary, but that was no real guarantee since the facility was as large as a small town. Toward late afternoon he decided that he would never truly know if it was safe without pushing forward.
“Alright let’s go,” he told Christine who was dozing in the seat next to him. D was happily reading in the back seat, completely oblivious to the fact that he’d been cooped up in the car all day. He liked cars. He liked them a lot.
Christine came awake immediately as Adam pulled into the parking garage and quickly found a spot close to the main doors.
“Our lucky day,” Christine mumbled. “D…let’s leave your reader here,” she said and took it from him and placed it gently into the glove box. He gave it up willingly and even smiled at her as she climbed out of the car and opened the back door.
“There will be a lot of people here D…stay close,” she told him and took a hold of his hand. D nodded up to her solemnly but with an air of excitement.
“What are we doing?” D asked innocently.
“We’re here to see my friend Paula…you’ll like her. She’s very nice,” Christine explained. They’d spent the morning buying a cheap pay-as-you-go phone and they’d gotten Paula’s number off the internet at the public library. She’d called Paula right away, who was excited and pleased by the surprise visit.
“We’ll stop by your office,” Christine told her not realizing that it would be so late in the day.
They entered the main lobby of the building and they were all immediately struck by the sheer size of the area they were now in. The lobby was easily four stories high. There were a number of large silver mobiles hanging from the high ceiling and four open escalators dominated the central space. There was also a pair of elevator tubes running along the far wall of windows. Two receptionists were sitting inside a circular information booth directly in front of the elevators. At the moment the receptionists were helping an elderly couple who looked lost and perplexed. Throughout the lobby another two dozen people were either milling about or quickly passing through.
“Give me your hand Galen,” Adam said absently and took the boy’s small hand in his own. They walked to the elevators slowly but steadily, Adam keeping a discreet eye on everyone who was not clearly moving toward some unknown destination.
“Stop looking so suspicious,” Christine whispered to him as they reached the silver doors. She pushed the up button and they all waited, Adam with his back to the doors. He continued to survey the area despite her advice.
“You worry about Gal…D, let me worry about everything else,” he whispered back.
The doors to an elevator finally opened and an elderly lady shuffled out with the help of a young black nurse. D smiled up at them angelically, and the two couldn’t help but smile back, each warmed by the happy boy greeting them and though both women were having a rough day in their own personal way, each felt a bit better from their encounter with the smiling boy.
“What a lovely young man,” the old woman said and patted D on the head as she passed by.
“Come D, this is an elevator,” Christine said and pulled him into the contraption. “It will take us up to the seventh floor where Paula works.”
“I think I can walk on my own Nancy…I’m feeling stronger now,” they heard the old woman say just as the doors to the elevator closed.
The elevator had a glass back that looked out onto a small park like area behind the lobby and then out to the massive complex that was the hospital. D immediately turned and watched as the elevator took them smoothly up.
“Wow!” He commented and Christine smiled at Adam, who relaxed a little and smiled back.
“Adam,” Christine said very carefully. “You’ve called him Galen twice now.”
Adam just stared at her, thinking of his lost son and wife.
“And it’s got me thinking,” Christine continued when her brother showed no reaction. “I think D needs a name…a real name.”
Adam still said nothing, but his eyes went to the boy staring out the back of the elevator as they ascended.
“I was thinking we could call him Galen,” Christine said softly. “It’s a good name.”
Adam frowned, unsure how he felt about the idea.
“We have to call him something,” she said in the silence.
“I like Galen,” D said. He’d turned around to face them. He’d been following the conversation without either of them noticing.
Adam looked down at the boy, who smiled up at him then he looked at his sister whose eyes showed a mixture of happiness and pain.
“I like Galen too,” Adam whispered, his throat constricting slightly as memories of his lost little boy floated across his mind’s eye. Adam said nothing, but cleared his throat loudly just as the doors opened.
Together the three stepped off the elevator and onto the seventh floor. The directory informed them that Dr. Paula Ratner was in room 726.
They checked their bearings then turned right and moved down a long carpeted hallway. Everything was very quiet and muffled and they passed only a few people who all smiled down at…Galen.
Room 726 was actually a small complex of doctor’s offices. There was a large waiting room and a long desk full of receptionists all sitting before a large bank of filing cabinets.
The waiting room was busy but not completely full. There were a few children but most of the occupants were adults.
Adam took D…Galen over to a row of empty chairs and sat down while Christine moved forward to the front desk.
Adam took a seat, but Galen stood transfixed watching the children as some played with a large Lego table while others sat quietly reading picture books…and a few just sat staring back at Galen as he stared and smiled at them.
“You’ve never seen another child have you?” Adam whispered and Galen shook his head.
“I like them,” the boy answered.
“There you are!” A loud voice erupted from behind them. Paula emerged from some hitherto secret hallway that led to the mysterious back offices and hugged Christine, nearly lifting her from the floor. Paula was a tall and very broad shouldered for a woman with thick legs and a strong back. Her hair was a lifeless brown that hung limply from her scalp and she rarely did anything to alter the situation. But her face was clean and strong, maybe a bit too square to be attractive, but pleasant enough in a friendly, open way.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Paula said as Adam stood and took Galen by the hand. “How long will you be in town?”
Christine broke away and shook her head. “We’re not sure,” she answered, “a few weeks anyway. You remember Adam?”
Paula smiled and shook Adam’s hand. “Of course,” she said and wondered if she should mention his loss in front of all those in the waiting room. She quickly decided to save it. “Listen Christine, I only have two more appointments today, can you wait?”
Christine smiled. “We can wait,” she replied but refrained from mentioning the fact that Paula was the only reason they were in town in the first place.
†
Dr. Paula Ratner lived on the nineteenth floor of the Dorchester apartments, located on the opposite side of the beautiful Forest Park from Barnes Hospital. Adam followed Paula’s red Jetta as they circled their way slowly through the park. Christine rode with her friend while Galen sat happily in the front seat next to Adam. The boy was leaning forward and gawking out the window at the multitude enjoying the park. It was crowded though the weather was still quite chilly. Adam stuck close behind Paula as she pulled up to the front of the apartment building and handed her keys to a valet who stepped up to her car almost immediately.
“Kevin, this is my friend Christine,” Paula said and Christine wondered if she introduced all her friends to the valet. Paula nodded to Adam. “Her brother’s behind us…could you see to his car as well?”
“Of course ma’am,” the valet answered and discreetly took the tip Paula offered him for the extra service.
“Come on boys,” she hollered back to Adam and Galen and they climbed from the car. With a smile, she led them all inside. She introduced them to Stephen, the young handsome doorman and then they crossed the plush lobby over to a pair of elevators
.
“These are elevators,” Galen said knowingly.
Christine beamed at him, but Paula gave the boy a strange look. For a child of twelve or thirteen, elevators should not be such a great novelty. But when the boy glanced up at her and smiled, Paula lost all suspicion and felt suddenly warm.
“So how’s New Mexico?” Paula asked as they rode smoothly up. She envied Christine’s position as a researcher, though as they stepped out into the tastefully decorated hallway and moved to her apartment, she admitted to herself that a practice had its own special benefits.
“Interesting,” Christine replied after a moment’s hesitation. She followed as her friend unlocked the door to apartment 1910 and stepped inside. The apartment was spacious and gorgeously decorated, with a fireplace and a good sized balcony that overlooked the park; the gateway arch was plainly visible in the distance, reflecting the quickly ebbing light of the sunset.
“Oh Paula…this place is fabulous,” Christine exclaimed as Galen broke away from her and ran to the back window.
“Galen,” Adam said from behind, but the boy did not slow. He ran and pressed his face up against the glass, breathing hard and clearly excited.
“Thanks…it’s alright, the view has a way of doing that to people,” Paula answered indulgently, smiling as she watched the boy. She loved her apartment and the affect it had on her visitors.
“I knew it!” Galen said very loudly. “I knew it. This is the place…can you feel it Christine? Can’t you all feel it? The air is thin here; magical…I knew this was the place. I knew it!”
Paula frowned and both Christine and Adam looked perplexed as Galen finally turned back towards them, his face alight with joy.
“What does he mean?” Paula asked, though sometimes she too believed this place to be magical. “Christine, who is this boy? Galen…” she continued with a cautious glance at Adam. “You told me Galen died.”
The Best of All Possible Worlds Page 12