by JC Ryan
“You just say where and when, and I will be there. Would it be okay if my wife Alison joins me?” Owen asked.
“No problem at all. I was going to ask if she would mind joining you. And I was wondering if you would mind having the interview on your farm in Nucla,” Kelly inquired.
“That will be very convenient for us. We’ll be more than happy to do it here. When did you have in mind?” Owen replied.
“I was wondering if we could do it the Wednesday of the week after next. How would that suit you?” Kelly asked.
“That suits us fine. I take it you’ll be flying out here. Can we fetch you from the airport?” Owen wanted to know.
Kelly replied, “I’ll be bringing a cameraman and sound engineer with me. We'll rent a vehicle at the airport and will stay in Naturita. The day after the interview, I’m going to disappear from society for two weeks, my yearly break. So my crew will return without me,” Kelly said.
“Thank you for the call. We’ll be looking forward to meeting you. Please let us know if there is anything that we have to do in preparation,” Owen said as they ended the call.
Kelly went out to Naturita with her crew on the day before the interview and early the next morning they drove the few miles to Nucla and then on to the farm. Owen and Alison showed them around the farm before they went inside, where Alison had a feast of cake, cookies and freshly baked farm bread ready for them.
Kelly and her crew left after lunch, and as they walked out the front door, Owen slipped an envelope into her handbag, unnoticed by her crew. They drove out to Montrose Airport, from where her staff would take a flight back to New York via Denver. When they left, Kelly opened the envelope and found her instructions and a ticket booked on a private chartered flight to Billings, Montana. It was the first time she learned where she was going to spend the next two weeks. She would hire a car in Billings and drive out to a farm – the map to get there was in the envelope. Before she got on the plane, she went to the restroom, where she switched her mobile phone off and removed the battery and sim card.
She was on leave. To her staff at the office that meant she would not be contactable for the next two weeks. Neither did they know where she was.
Peter arrived at Mount Ararat the day before Kelly. He was excited to meet Kelly Edwards, something he wished for a while ago, but there had never been an occasion. Sam informed him that she knew nothing about their connection, nor did she know anything about the Rabbit Hole and its inhabitants. She would know that he was at Mount Ararat and that she would get further instructions once she got there. Both of them knew what the other looked like, and just as an extra security measure, she would be wearing a gold necklace and he would be wearing a black baseball cap when they met.
When Kelly arrived, Peter was waiting for her outside, and when she got out of the car he felt his heart miss a beat - maybe even a few. He wasn’t sure how many. The woman was stunning. He felt a flutter in his stomach, something that he hadn’t felt in many years. He managed to keep his composure as he walked up to the car to welcome her and help her carry her luggage to her room.
He was smiling at himself when he started the espresso machine to make them coffee. He was so nervous, he felt like a schoolboy on his first date with the most beautiful and graceful girl in school. He tried to get control of his thoughts. Man, come on, pull yourself together. We’re here to do a job, that’s all. Besides, she probably already has a man in her life – no woman that beautiful would be single for long.
Kelly was watching Peter while he made the coffee. She blushed when she caught herself thinking that Sam didn’t make a bad choice when he picked her handler. He was quite a good-looking man, tall, well built, and charming.
Peter showed her around the farm. Later when they returned home, she helped him to prepare dinner, which consisted of heating up prepackaged frozen meals. He again caught himself thinking how nice it would be to have her around for dinner every night. They were both surprised how easily they conversed with each other, given that they only met a few hours ago. They had many common interests and soon found themselves talking like old acquaintances.
Kelly was wondering when Peter would start talking about the reason for her visit and what was expected of her, but he didn’t mention anything. Maybe he would talk about it the next day. Later that night Peter asked her if she knew anything about fly-fishing.
“No, I've watched people do it and always thought it looks like a lot of fun,” she replied.
“Would you like to try it? I know of a great spot. It's a bit of a hike to get there, but I can assure you the fishing is excellent and the scenery is breathtaking. The only thing is, we’ll have to camp out for a day or two to make it worthwhile.” Peter smiled.
“I am a city girl and don’t have much, or let me rather say, any knowledge of the outdoors, but I always wanted to do it. I’m game, as long as you know what to do. I think it could be a perfect break for me. But I didn’t bring any camping or fishing gear with me,” she said.
“Don’t worry about that. I’ve done it many times. I have all the gear we need, including two one-man tents and fishing gear. I suggest we head out tomorrow morning as soon as we’ve had breakfast. We can pack our stuff tomorrow. It’s about ten miles into the Gallatin National Forest. It will take roughly five hours, if we go slowly and enjoy the scenery along the way. That’s assuming the altitude doesn’t bother you, but it gives us time before dark to stop and rest if it does. And it still leaves us with enough time to set up camp and get a bit of fishing done before nightfall. You could be eating fresh trout tomorrow night.” He laughed.
“That sounds exciting! I just hope I won't be a burden for you with my inexperience.” She said.
“We all had a first time. I am sure you’ll enjoy it,” he replied.
They decided it was time to get some sleep. When Kelly had gone to her room, Peter called the Rabbit Hole and told Sam to expect them by nightfall the next day.
Peter was up early in the morning and started making breakfast. The aroma of something she hadn’t experienced in a very long time - bacon, eggs, toast and coffee - awakened Kelly.
She surprised Peter, who had his back turned to the kitchen door when she walked in. “Good morning. I could not believe what I smelled and had to come and see if it was true!”
Peter’s heart skipped a few beats when he turned around and looked at Kelly. She was still as breathtaking without makeup and uncombed hair as she was yesterday when she stepped out of the car. “Good morning, Kelly. Did you sleep well?” was the best he could get out when he handed her a mug of coffee.
“Like a baby. I can’t remember when was the last time I slept so well and awakened to the aroma of bacon and coffee. You seem very skilled around a kitchen for a bachelor,” she quipped.
“I can help myself in a kitchen if it’s necessary. You should see me with a microwave and a can opener.” Peter laughed.
Later in the morning, they packed their gear for the camping trip and headed out.
A spine-chilling scream
By the time the mountains were casting long shadows on the east side, Peter and Kelly arrived at the fishing spot that was about five hundred yards from the main entrance to the Rabbit Hole. They took their backpacks off and looked around for a good place to pitch their tents. Sam had arranged that no one from the Rabbit Hole would be outside.
As soon as they unpacked their stuff, Peter took the fishing rods and asked if Kelly would like to follow him to the stream. “If we want to have trout for dinner, we’d better get our lines in the water.”
Kelly went with him, and Peter demonstrated to her how it was done and told her he would be moving a little downstream from her. “How will I know when I have hooked a fish?” the worried Kelly wanted to know.
Peter laughed, “Kelly, you will know immediately, it’s a feeling that you will never forget. I can’t describe it to you; you have to experience it for yourself. I promise you won’t catch a fish without knowing abou
t it.”
“Okay, well, so what then if it’s hooked? What do I do then?” she wanted to know.
You bring it in, but don’t break the line or rip the hook out of its mouth … Wait, tell you what - instead of me trying to tell you everything that you should do, I’ll be just a few yards from you. Call me and I’ll come and talk you through it.” Peter was struggling not to laugh too much.
He coached her to cast, and after a few attempts, she got the hang of it. “Ok, good. Now, once your line hits the water you start to reel it in … slowly, slowly. The idea is to mimic an insect moving on the water … that’s it … yes, you’ve got it. You’re a natural!”
He turned around, got his fishing rod and walked a few yards away. Before he reached the spot, he was stopped in his tracks by a spine-chilling scream, “Peter! Something’s trying to drag the rod out of my hands! Come quickly! What is it?” she screamed, with her eyes as wide as saucers.
He took a few steps and started giving her instructions, “You’ve got one! It looks like a nice big one. Ok, listen carefully. You mustn't allow the line to go slack … reel it in slowly … yes, like that. Now give it just a little bit of slack. Yes, let the line run out but keep it tight … okay now reel it in again … yes like that. Just keep the line tight, and every time he wants to make a run, let him do it. But make him fight for it … there, it stopped … okay now reel it in again. Kelly, you are a born angler.” Peter smiled.
Slowly Kelly got over her first adrenaline shot caused by the scare and shock when the fish grabbed the hook. She got better control of her hands and a sense of the line. "Now I know why you were laughing at me when I asked how I will know that I have hooked a fish. Does it feel like that every time when you hook one?” she asked, while fighting the trout at the end of the line as Peter kept on instructing her.
‘Yes, every time. I've fished, ever since I was a boy. And that excitement is still there every time it happens,” Peter told her.
Kelly was smiling from ear to ear, “I can get hooked on that feeling! It’s like you said, it’s an indescribable feeling that I'll never forget.”
Ten minutes later Peter took the net and scooped the trout out of the water, “Nice one! You have been fishing for less than an hour and you land a two pounder! I won’t even tell you how small my first one was.” Peter laughed, and Kelly was hooked on fly-fishing.
It was almost dark, so they decided to get back to the tents to cook their dinner.
He was delighted at having a fishing partner as enthralled as her. “Kelly, I hope you know how to gut, scale and fillet a fish. I don’t know how to. My mother and other people always did that part for me,” Peter joked.
“Well, in that case, let’s put it back in the water, I have never caught a fish before, let alone cut it up!” She sounded concerned.
He laughed, “Don’t worry. I was just pulling your leg. I'll do it. Would you like me to show you how?”
“I guess if I'm going to drag them out of the water I must be able to make a meal out of them as well.” She said with a smile.
While Peter was showing her how to prepare the fish, he looked up over her shoulder where she was sitting across from him and saw Sam Lewis standing about two yards behind her. When he caught Peter’s eye, he placed his finger on his mouth to show him to be quiet. Peter knew what was coming and had a hard time to keep his poise.
Sam suddenly spoke in a loud voice. ”Aha! I see you discovered my fishing spot.”
Kelly landed on top of Peter, crushing him to the ground. By the time he got up, she was standing two yards behind him, and Sam was sitting flat on the ground screaming with laughter.
Kelly looked at Peter, saw him laughing and then looked at the man sitting on a log, recognized him, and rushed towards him. She threw him over, pinned him down, and sat on top of him.
“Sam Lewis, you bastard! I almost wet my pants! I’ll get you back for this! Where did you come from? How long have you been here?” Kelly yelled as she pounded him on the chest.
It took a while for Sam to get out of Kelly’s grip. He got up and finally managed to stop laughing. “From your reaction, I guess you’re not happy to see me?”
Kelly turned and looked at Peter, “You Judas! Wipe that smile off your face, you traitor! You planned it - led an innocent girl into the wilderness just to scare the living daylights out of her. I have a strong inclination to break your leg!” she yelled, while moving towards a retreating Peter, but then she gave in to the impulse to burst out laughing.
When they finally got back to normal, Sam had not answered Kelly’s questions, but he had a suggestion. “Why don’t you two join me at my camping place? I can assure you, it’s much more comfortable than yours.”
Peter smiled as he looked at Kelly questioningly. “Yes, that will be good. I guess after a shock like that, I can do with a comfortable place to sleep.” Kelly replied.
If Kelly knew what the next surprise was that the two mischief-makers had in store for her, she would definitely have broken some of their limbs. They packed all their gear and followed Sam. He led them into the cave, and when they walked around the corner into the entrance hall, the lights went on. Kelly froze in her tracks and stared at the smiling faces in front of her in shock and awe.
She was speechless as she slowly turned to Peter standing a pace away from her with a big smile on his face, looking at her. She started moving towards him. He knew what was coming and tried to get away, but she caught him by the wrist and said, “I should have broken your leg. You planned this whole thing with that scoundrel, Sam Lewis! Who are these people?”
Sam came to Peter’s rescue. “Kelly, sorry about all the scares and secrecy. Welcome to the Rabbit Hole, the home of the Rossler Foundation. Let me introduce you to everyone here and then we will answer all your questions.”
Sam made her name known and like all newcomers; Kelly received a hero’s welcome with hugs from all of the inhabitants. Kelly’s fame preceded her arrival, there was no one who hadn't seen her on TV and knew about her. They were honored and thrilled to have her there. Within minutes, she felt relaxed and overwhelmed by the warmth and care of the people. Peter was assigned to Daniel and Sarah’s quarters and Kelly to the Lewises. Sarah had dinner ready and invited the Lewises to join them for fresh trout and home grown organic vegetables.
Peter commented that he told her she would have fresh trout for dinner. Then he ducked away when she threw a playful punch at him. “Yes, you said that, but what you didn’t tell me was about you and Sam’s conspiracy, you scoundrel.”
Kelly had a thousand questions. Daniel, Sarah, Sam and Susan had their hands full to satisfy her inquisitive mind. Little Nicholas took an immediate liking to her and occupied her lap for the entire dinner, to her delight.
Afterwards Daniel said, “Kelly, we have a few more surprises for you. Don’t worry; it’s going to be nothing like these two have put you through. I promise you might even enjoy it. We like to give every novice the royal tour of our facilities, so now it’s your turn. If you feel up to it, let’s do it.”
“Absolutely, I’m burning to see all of it. After what Sam and Peter put me through, I can certainly do with a few less mortal surprises.” Kelly laughed.
Sarah is our HR and facilities manager, and she’ll lead the way,” Daniel said as he held his hand out for Sarah to lead them.
For the next hour, Kelly’s mouth was hanging open almost all of the time. Her journalistic talents were clear as she queried everything in minute detail. There was just way too much to assimilate, but there’d be more time to see it again. Peter explained that the plan was for them to stay there for the next seven days. She would have much more opportunity to revisit and spend time with Roy, Raj, Rebecca, and everyone else to familiarize herself with everything.
By the time they finished the quick tour, Kelly was drooping with exhaustion. “Folks, this is all amazing, and everything, but is there a bed for me somewhere? This joker,” she continued, nodding at Peter, “forc
e-marched me about a hundred miles before scaring the life out of me. I’m done for!”
“Of course. Oh, you poor dear.” Sarah turned to Daniel. “She won’t have been used to that kind of exertion, or the altitude. I’m surprised she’s still standing!”
“No, it’s okay,” Kelly protested. “I’ve loved every minute of it. Except the couple when I was having heart attacks, of course. But I’m afraid I’m going to feel it tomorrow.”
Before they retired for the night, Peter informed Kelly about the compulsory Pilates sessions and that it was not a good idea to skip it. The instructor, Roxanne, apparently did not take kindly to nonappearances. Then he added, so cheerfully that Kelly was ready to punch him, “That ought to help with any soreness from that little hike.”
“Little hike,” she muttered. “Right.”
Operation night owl
After Pilates and breakfast, Sam, Luke, Daniel, Salome, Peter, and Kelly gathered to start the final plan. Preparations for Operation Night Owl, as they dubbed the mission to get hold of the chips.
Kelly’s head was still spinning from all the revelations and surprises she went through in the past twenty-four hours. Like Peter on his first visit to the Rabbit Hole, she felt uninformed and overawed. Sam and the rest spent the first hour filling her in with as much background information as she could absorb. Daniel undertook to elaborate during dinner that night, the same as they did with Peter weeks ago on his first visit.
With the roadmap up on the screen, Daniel showed her the various stages of what they had in mind. “As you can see, we’re still just at the beginning. It took us a long time and a lot of effort to get to where we are now, and sometimes it felt like we were fighting a losing battle. Every time we made a bit of progress, the Supreme Council announced a new initiative that would put us a few steps back. However, lately, with the discovery of the space mirrors and the establishment of our communications network, we have finally started to gain ground on them as things began to move along faster.”