by Saxon Andrew
The sun moved below the horizon and Stella said, “The man and women are moving toward the road.” Emily looked at them through the rifle’s scope and watched them as they passed the three dead men. The women stopped but the man grabbed their arms and pulled them toward the road. They went to the van and took several suitcases and boxes out of it. They threw the items into the pickup’s bed and the man helped them into the cabin. He turned to leave and looked back at the forest. He bowed and then jumped into the truck. He turned around and drove the truck back toward the road.
“Why didn’t they stay?”
“I suspect they are fleeing to a place where they think they’ll be safe. The men in that truck must have started chasing them on the highway.” Emily kept her scope on the van and she saw Essay get in the van and drive it away.
“Where’s he taking that van?”
“He’s going to drive it off the cliff at the end of the road.” Emily looked at Stella, “Are you ok?”
Stella sighed, “I’m twelve years old, Emily, but I know what kind of fun they were planning for the two women. I’ve never seen anyone die like that. But those men deserved to die.”
Emily wrapped Stella up in her arms, “You’re right and I wish I could have spared your seeing this.”
Stella put her head on Emily’s chest and shook her head, “I think I understand why Dad is keeping us here. I needed to see the evil that is out there.” Emily held her until Essay arrived. Jim and Michael had already come up when they heard the shots.
Essay picked up Stella and hugged her tightly. He looked at Emily, “Good shooting.”
“The rifle made it easy. The wind gauge on the tripod automatically adjusted the scope. Jack chose well when he procured it.”
Essay smiled softly, “Indeed he did. I’ll take the first watch. Why don’t you take the kids below and start supper?” Emily nodded and kissed Essay on the cheek as she went to the rope ladder.
• • •
Living in the cave became a way of life and a year passed before the distant sounds of rifles being fired began to diminish.
• • •
Hodges looked at Admiral Whitehall, “Do you know where he is?”
“No, Mr. President, I do not.”
“Find him!”
Whitehall nodded and left the oval office. He went to the War Room and found the technician he needed. After a brief discussion, he ordered two Radar Planes to lift and head out from Washington. They began crisscrossing the mountains searching for a signal they hoped still existed.
• • •
Stella and Jim were on top of the hill and Stella looked up, “Helicopter. Big one moving this way.”
Jim grabbed the sniper rifle and jumped up, “Off the hill, now!” They scrambled down the rope ladder and ran into the cave. Essay looked up, “What’s up?”
“Stella hears a large helicopter moving this way.”
Essay jumped up and ran to the cave’s entrance. He could hear it and it was getting louder by the second. He stared out of the entrance and looked out over the trees. The helicopter was moving toward the clearing and he saw Air Force One written on it as it disappeared below the tree line. Emily was looking over his shoulder, “What’s going on?”
“That helicopter belongs to the President. I don’t know what it’s doing here.”
“What are you going to do?”
Essay tilted his head, “The government hasn’t been overthrown. At least the radio broadcasts says it hasn’t. I’m going to see what they want.”
“ESSAY!”
“That helicopter has the most sophisticated sensors in existence. If they’re here to find us, they will.”
“I’m going with you.”
Essay started to say no but saw her expression. She also saw Jim holding the sniper rifle with an adamant expression on his face. He shook his head, “Just make sure you stay out of sight.”
“You’re not leaving us behind.”
Essay sighed and looked at Michael, “Can you be silent?” Michael nodded. “Stella, make sure he stays safe. Michael, you will do whatever Stella says.” Michael looked at Stella and then back to Essay. “Promise me, Michael!” The six year old stared at his father as he lifted his pinky. Michael raised his hand and wrapped his pinky around Essay’s little finger. “Stay hidden!”
“We will.” Essay kissed Emily on the mouth and exited the cave’s entrance. Emily looked at the children, “We’re going to the clearing from the east. Stay with me and keep low.” She moved out of the entrance and the three children spread out behind her.
Chapter Six
Essay walked through the forest and was reasonably certain that the defense systems on the helicopter saw him approaching. He took his time to allow his family to arrive ahead of him. He suspected they were moving in from the east. That direction offered the best cover. He walked out of the trees and raised his hands over his head. He saw a tall man in a military uniform standing outside the huge helicopter. He glanced to the left and saw two armed soldiers with their rifles raised. He heard the tall man say, “Drop your weapons.” The two soldiers lowered their rifles and Essay realized that the man was Admiral Whitehall. He walked up and stopped in front him. “You can lower your hands.” Essay lowered his hands and Whitehall smiled, “Have you taken care of my daughter?”
Essay smiled and nodded, “I have, Sir.”
“Where is she?”
“She and my children are in the trees with sniper rifles trained on the two soldiers.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes Sir, it is.”
Whitehall looked around and yelled, “Emily, show yourself.” Nothing happened and Whitehall looked at Essay.
“She’ll come out when I tell her it’s safe. Admiral, why are you here?”
Whitehall looked angry but he looked Essay in the eyes and said, “The President needs you.”
“For what?”
“The violence is starting to abate but there has been a demand from many around the planet to hear what you have to say about our current situation.”
“What?”
“Every person on the planet heard the Prophet say that you are the sanest person on the planet.”
“I think he said I was the sanest in that room.”
“I think he said you were the sanest of every one attending the meetings.” Essay raised a shoulder and tilted his head. “People around the planet want to hear what you have to say.”
Essay stared at Whitehall and started shaking his head, “You’ve got to be kidding me!”
“No, I’m not. This is deadly serious. Everyone on the planet knows who you are even if they don’t know the others that participated in the meetings. The President needs you to come and speak to them.”
“How did you find me?”
“The transponder on the helicopter I allowed you to take. It was a very weak signal but we were able to find it. I felt that you had to be near it.”
Essay tilted his head, “I didn’t even think about the transponder.”
“Colonel, you owe me. I provided the means for you to go to your children.”
“You could just order me to do it.”
“You know as well as I do that doesn’t carry any weight in this new world.”
Essay took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Will my family be safe?”
“They will.”
“Do I have your pledge on that?”
“You do.”
Essay raised his little finger and said, “This probably won’t make any sense to you but my children need to see it.”
Whitehall took the little finger on his right hand and twisted it around Essay’s, “I know what a pinky promise is.” Essay smiled and waved toward the trees. The three children came running out of the forest and Emily followed them carrying the two sniper rifles. She walked up to her father and put her arm around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.
“Why didn’t you come out when I called you?”
&
nbsp; Emily looked into his eyes, “You are sometimes forced to carry out orders you don’t agree with. I had to be sure this wasn’t one of those times.”
Whitehall stared at her, “Do you love him?”
Emily looked at Essay and then back at her father, “I do.”
Whitehall smiled and took her in his arms, “You have no idea how happy that makes me.”
“I know you’ve blamed yourself for Jack’s death…”
Whitehall leaned back, “I could have stopped him from going.”
“And he would have hated you for it. His place was with his brothers and he would not have accepted special treatment.” Emily sighed, “I also blamed you for it but eventually came to understand that this happened because of the world we live in. It wasn’t anybody’s fault.”
Essay looked at Whitehall, “What happens now?”
“I will take you to the President.”
Emily looked at Essay and he said, “I’ll explain it on the flight.” Essay looked at the children, “Is there anything you need to take with you?” Stella looked at Jim and they turned back to Essay and shook their heads. Essay looked at Michael and saw his lip pushed out as he stared at the ground. “What’s wrong, Michael?”
“Nothing!”
Essay shook his head and Emily’s eyes went wide, “You want to take blankey with you.” Michael looked at her and nodded.
Essay shook his head, “I should have thought of that. Jim, why don’t you go back to the cave and shut down everything and bring Michael’s blankey with you.” Essay took the two sniper rifles from Emily and said, “Take these back with you.”
Whitehall looked at Essay with raised eyebrows. Emily smiled, “We might have to come back when we see what’s happening.” Jim picked up one rifle and pushed the safety. He handed it to Stella and lifted the second rifle and pushed the safety on. They left the clearing with the rifles slung over their shoulders.
“They look like they’re familiar with the rifles.”
Emily nodded, “Both of them can hit a six inch bullseye at three hundred yards.”
“Have they had to do it?” Emily sighed and nodded. Whitehall looked at Essay, “Let us hope they won’t have to do it again.”
“That’s why I’m coming with you, Admiral.”
Essay looked at Emily, “I’m going to help them shut things down. We’ll be back shortly.” He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. He jogged away and Emily stared at him until he disappeared into the trees.
“You really love him a lot.”
Emily continued to stare at the trees, “He’s more than I could ever deserve. His children adore him and he’s the best father I’ve ever seen. I’m so lucky I found him.”
“It wasn’t luck.” Emily looked at him. “Why do you think I sent you to care for his children? I saw he was special when he showed up with the photographs.”
Emily stared at him for a long moment and then started shaking her head, “Thank you, Father.” Whitehall nodded and looked at the forest. Could he really make a difference? He hoped he could. The world needed it.
• • •
Essay and the two children appeared out of the tree line carrying three heavy bags. Emily looked at them and Jim shrugged, “I guess there were some things we want to take.”
Essay looked at Whitehall, “What do you want to do about the MH-6?”
“Where is it?”
“I have it hidden in a cut in the hillside.”
“Can two people handle it?”
“Two adults should be able to move it out of the cut.”
The Admiral looked at the two soldiers, “Captain Taki, take Sgt. Tomlin with you and retrieve the MH-6.” White hall looked at Essay, “How do they find it?”
Essay looked at them and pointed at the row of hills to the east, “Go to those hills and follow them south for about a half a mile. You’ll find a large pile of brush with some small trees growing in front of it. You should be able to pull the trees out of the ground and remove the brush without much problem. The Little Bird is behind the brush.”
Whitehall looked at Taki, “Take a communicator with you and call for help if you need it.”
“Yes Sir.” The two solders moved out toward the row of hills.
Whitehall turned to Essay, “Ready to go?”
Essay looked at the expectant faces of his children and nodded. Michael was hugging his blanket as Jim held him. He took Emily and Stella’s hands and said, “Let’s go.”
As they entered the Helicopter, Whitehall said, “I meant to ask you but never got the chance.” Essay looked at him. “Why did your parents name you Essay?”
Essay looked at Emily and shrugged, “My birth name is Stephen Alexander Connor. My parents disagreed on whether to call me Steve or Alex so they compromised and called me by my initials, S A. During elementary school, everyone called me Essay and spelled it that way. When I won an English contest for the best essay on the Industrial Revolution, that pretty much sealed the deal.”
Emily looked at him, “Steven Alexander?” Essay shrugged. “I think I’ll stick with Essay.”
“I really hope you do.” They buckled in and saw the ground falling away below them.
• • •
Whitehall went into the helicopter’s cockpit and lifted a microphone and looked at the pilot, who nodded. He pressed the button, “Mr. President.”
“What have you found, Admiral?”
“He’s onboard now. We’ll arrive at the White House in two hours.”
“Land the bird on the South Lawn.”
“Then we should be there in forty five minutes.”
The President looked at his Chief of Staff and ordered that all the Leaders of the planets nations be notified that the…he hesitated and then smiled. The Prophet’s Apostle would address humanity tomorrow evening at nine PM. The Chief of Staff left the room and within ten minutes the Russian President and Chinese Premier appeared on his monitor. “Is this true?”
“It is. We found him.”
Michaelov shook his head, “Where was he?”
“Living in a cave with his family.”
The Premier’s eyes narrowed, “Do you know what he’s going to say?”
“No, why do you ask?”
“If he says all of our governments should be shut down…”
“Then we’ll shut them down if it brings the planet together. Or do either of you feel differently?” They two leaders looked at each other and the Premier slowly nodded, “I will do whatever needs doing to bring peace. We only have eleven months left before the Prophet returns. That doesn’t give us much time.”
Hodges smiled, “I suspect we will be listening attentively with the rest of the planet.”
Michaelov laughed, “I’ll have it at full volume. Let us hope he can bring us together.”
“Words are powerful things, my friends. Let us fervently hope he has the ones we need.”
• • •
Essay sat in his room with Emily and read a document from a large stack that described all that had happened while he was hiding in the cave. Numerous governments had toppled over the last seventeen months. Violence still raged across the planet and the news articles described the dread and hopelessness that humanity was feeling. After several hours, Emily stood up and Essay said, “I need you to stay with me.” Emily looked at him. “I know we’ve not slept close together but I need the comfort you give me.”
“You’re frightened.”
“Out of my mind. I don’t know where they’ve come up with this Prophet’s Apostle hogwash but I’m not what they think I am.”
Emily sat down beside him on the bed, took his hand, and started massaging his fingers. He sighed and closed his eyes, “I love it when you do this.”
“Who are you, Essay?” Essay opened his eyes and tilted his head. “Ok, you’re not some Prophet’s Apostle, I can see that. But if you’re not that, who are you?”
Essay looked at her and struggled with the question. She c
ontinued to rub his hand and after a while he said, “I’m a father doing everything I can to keep my children from harm.”
“Then that is what you tell them. Don’t pretend to be something you’re not. Tell the world who you are and perhaps the world will hear what they need.”
Essay held out his arms and Emily moved into them. “This is part of who I am, Emily. I love you.” Emily put her head on his chest and closed her eyes. She needed to hear him say it. Now she could release her fears and find comfort in his embrace. Essay slept better that night than he had in months. He found release in deciding to move into the future with Emily beside him.
In the morning, Essay lifted the handset and a voice said, “How may I be of service, Col. Connor?”
“Please notify Admiral Whitehall that I will address the planet from the main hall in the United Nations building.”
“I’ll let him know.”
• • •
“HE WHAT?!?”
“He has notified me that he will address the planet from the main hall in the United Nations Building in New York City.”
“It’s too late to make the change. Tell him it can’t be done!”
“He has further asked that all the leaders of every nation be present when he does.”
Hodges shook his head. He looked at Whitehall and the Admiral said, “Send out word the Apostle has chosen to speak from the United Nations building and his speech will be delayed for twenty four more hours so the leaders of every nation can be present.”
Hodges stared at Whitehall and shook his head, “There’s been no meetings at the United Nations since the Alien left.”
Whitehall smiled, “Perhaps now is the time for one to happen.” Hodges leaned back in his chair and shook his head. He called In Graylin and looked at his Chief of Staff, “Change of plans. Change the time of the meeting to tomorrow evening at 9 PM. He will speak from the United Nations.”
Graylin stared at the President and shook his head, “Do you know what it’s going to take to make this happen?”