by JB Penrose
“If I stand with the innocent, as Gail, then again, I have chosen.”
“The Spokesmon will be called upon to judge others, and be judged by them. You will be forced to lead when you are lost. Your own faith will be challenged while others question their faith in you.”
“I have already chosen; it was agreed before this human birth. I remember now; I am the Spokesmon. i must help her.” Although Rachel’s heart was filled with love it was breaking at the thought of Gail’s misfortune, and it was an urgency she couldn’t ignore.
“Three times you have chosen. Your acceptance marks the beginning of the Awakening." Uri paused. “I have always walked by your side, just as others are by your side now. Keep your faith strong and you will receive that reward which is your Inheritance.”
She pressed two fingers to Rachel’s forehead. Dizzy images and hidden secrets surged in and out of her consciousness. Questions, answers. Purpose. Rachel finally understood who, and what, she was. For an instant the world was her canvass and a single broad stroke could change everything.
“I accept,” she whispered.
A clear vision of Gail flashed in Rachel's mind. “Peter?” Her cry was involuntary, but the panic was real. “Something's happened!”
She woke from the inspiring dream like the nightmare it was and jumped out of bed, disoriented. Lucas steadied Rachel by her shoulders.
Peter had already reached for his valise to uncover the crystal. The voice he sensed was Andrew's. And he understood its tone, danger. “Morrow!”
“What’s happened?” Lucas asked. “What are you doing?”
"We can listen through the tasht." Peter explained.
Rachel pressed her hands against the crystal hoping to hear more. “We’ve got to help them!”
The globe crackled at her touch. Flashes at the edge of her vision melted into the iridescent bolts of lightening that encompassed her. She did recall, momentarily, how similar it felt to regeneration when she boarded the Aurora.
Peter’s hands cover hers, and a third pair of hands covered theirs. Rachel recognized the Cardinal’s ring.
“Be alert.” She heard Peter’s warning just before the tasht’s transport.
* * *
The faint sound of static behind him surprised Frank. He turned, jerking Gail around with his movement. Bravery was not an adjective Gail used to describe herself, but the plan formed as the information came to her, Frank’s medical discharge. With all the force she could muster, she aimed her kick at Frank’s kneecap. The netting tripped her again, but she felt a note of satisfaction when her foot made contact with its target.
“Gail!” She recognized Donnally’s voice.
“Bitch.” She recognized Frank’s voice, too.
Gail closed her eyes at the flash of laserfire. The sound from that shot came much later, even later than the burning she felt in her chest.
She gasped for air, and everything went black.
* * *
The trio re-generated into the Aurora’s cargo bay. Before her vision adapted to the light Rachel was in motion, her eyes fixed to the body lying in a bloody pool at Morrow’s feet.
The surprise of their arrival cost Morrow a second of reaction time; he stumbled over Gail’s body. As he fell Peter tackled him with momentous fury and pinned him to the ground.
Rachel watched it happen from the edge of her sight; her attention was focused on Gail. She pulled the lifeless body into her lap. “Why did it have to be Gail?” she cried. A cold vacuum of darkness had replaced Gail’s usual exuberance.
This was not what Rachel had sent her to do. This was not supposed to happen. Rachel knew it was wrong. She rocked slightly, and tetered on the edge of remembering.
Silently, fervently, Rachel recalled her strength and faith. “I accept,” she kept repeating.
Rachel’s senses reached deep into the River of Consciousness for any vibration of her friend.
Gail?
Her words echoed through a black eternity until she focused on a pond in a clearing of thick woods. Rachel saw her friend standing at the water’s edge.
Gail turned at her approach.
“I was hoping I'd find you” Rachel said calmly.
“Where am I?” Gail asked.
“It’s a place where you can think about things, make some choices. Like whether or not you want to go with them.”
“On the Aurora? Oh, yes, can I?”
“There’s just one thing. You have to tell them yourself.” Rachel squeezed her hand. “Do you know the way back?”
“I think so. Oh, thank you!” Gail said before she closed her eyes.
“Rachel says I can go with you on the Aurora! I’m going to be a crew member.”
Just the sound of Gail’s announcement brought Rachel back to her senses. She felt the weight being pulled from her lap and Rachel opened her eyes.
"You did it! Oh, thank you!" Donnally hugged Gail tightly and the relief on his face brought tears to her eyes.
“She’s coming with us?” John’s question stopped the conversation.
Rachel nodded. “And Donnally. You’ll need them both.”
“I’m going too?” Donnally gave Gail a hearty hug at the news. The blood on her chest was still wet and it stained Donnally’s clothes where they touched. Gail tested a smear with her fingertips. There was a tear in her jumpsuit, but there was no wound. She turned to Rachel, speechless.
Rachel laughed at the look on her face. “You’re welcome.”
"How can this be?" Gail asked.
"All things are possible in God's Kingdom," Rachel told her.
Gail touched her chest again and then looked up. “You’re sure it’s alright if I go with them?”
“If you’re asking me if it’s all right because you’re not an astronaut, you’ll do just fine. But if you’re asking me if it’s a good thing to follow your heart, that much, I assure you, is according to plan.” Rachel sank into Peter’s support but recovered her strength quickly.
“Well, I’m okay with that, if you say we’ll need them,” John shook Donnally’s hand.
“You’ll need them because we’re staying with Rachel.” Dalyn was conscious, but weak. James and Andrew knelt beside her.
“Mother?” Rachel’s heart leapt into her throat, finally sensing her mother’s weakened state.
At the sound of her daughter’s voice Mag’Dalyn tried to sit up. “We’re staying on Earth with you.” She fell back with relief at Rachel’s appearance. “I could never bring myself to say goodbye to you again.”
Rachel knelt beside her mother and kissed her cheek. “Nor could I. Now, let me see what I can do for you.”
Andrew cocked his head in wonder. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of us bleed. Where is that Divine Protection when we need it?”
“Can you believe this? I haven’t needed a doctor for a thousand years.”
“I haven’t been a doctor for at least a century,” Rachel joked. She felt Peter’s quick intake but her mother laughed outright, and then had to force herself to stop for the pain.
“You’ve lost a lot of blood.” Rachel knelt at her mother’s side. With a movement of her hands she drew a cloak of Light around them that was visible to the others and held her mother’s shoulder between the palms of her hands. As she willed love and warmth to flow into Dalyn’s body, a ruby-red ray of heat penetrated the wound. Rachel drew upon the River of Consciousness like a fountain pouring into a pond, refreshing as well as draining. She knew it was a request that her Faith would provide.
Within moments Dalyn sat up without assistance. She smiled and tested her shoulder. “That’s wonderful dear.”
Rachel’s touch turned into a hug, and relief poured out in half-laughter and half-sobs from both of them. James and Peter helped the women to their feet and suddenly the cargo bay buzzed with conversation.
“I’m glad we arrived when we did,” Peter said.
“It’s a good thing for me you were here at all.” Gail’s smi
le was as permanently affixed as was Donnally’s arm around her waist.
“I can’t believe it,” Lucas Jackson dropped to his knees at Mag’Dalyn’s standing. “I pray every night for a chance to see you again.”
“My son,” Dalyn bid him rise. “You may come home any time.” She embraced him fondly. There was a striking difference between the son’s age and the mother’s youth, but the affection was genuine.
“Thank you, Mother.”
Donnally waited within the circle, but when Mag’Dalyn’s gaze fell upon him he left Gail’s side for the first time and hugged his Mother in reunion. She half-laughed and half-cried as she returned the love from her prodigal sons.
“This is Gail.” Donnally pulled her to his side. “We couldn’t have done it without her.
Gail scanned the faces of the crewmembers, awed that she stood among history. Eye contact or a smile gave her a chill; she didn’t know if it was from knowing who they were, or what they were, she only knew it was difficult to act normal. Her lips moved, but the words coming out of her mouth were unintelligible.
“Don’t think about it, dear. I’m just the person standing beside you.” Dalyn’s smile turned to Rachel. “You said that wasn’t going to be our last goodbye.”
“What happened?” Peter asked. “How was it that Frank Morrow, of all people, was able to get control here?”
“He had Mags,” James shrugged, “and she was bleeding. Things got out of hand.”
“It was a trap,” Andrew said. “When John and I arrived, all we saw was Mags on the floor and James bound and gagged.”
“As soon as we came to their aide Morrow dropped the net over us.”
“What should we do about him?” Lucas wondered. “We can’t charge him with shooting Gail.”
“I certainly won’t be around to testify,” Gail laughed.
“And even if I am,” Dalyn agreed, “I don’t want to bring that kind of attention to myself.”
“Gail found more proof he is working with Iscar; a bank account.” John said. “We sent a link to your net address. Even without Iscar you can convict him for the involvement.
“The password we used is ‘Honey’.” Gail spoke in a shy voice. “He said you’d know where to find the file.”
Peter nodded. “We’ll have Morrow arrested for treason the moment we return.”
“He told us Iscar planted a virus in the conference computer,” John said. “You should be prepared for the fall-out from that, too.”
“At the least,” Lucas swore, “he’ll get what’s due him, that much I’ll guarantee.”
“Too bad treason isn’t still a hanging offense,” John lamented.
“We’ll add it to the evidence Gail has already given us.” Peter smiled. “If we’re lucky, Iscar has planted something to connect Morrow to the bombing, or the virus. It would be just like him to cover his involvement that way.”
“I doubt Iscar’s image will even appear on the security video at the conference. Divine protection doesn’t always work in our favor.” Andrew shook his head.
Frank was beginning to wake and Andrew placed a heavy foot on the back of Frank’s neck to keep him pinned. “What should we do with him now?”
John slapped a piece of tape over Frank Morrow’s mouth. He was in a daze, barely aware of his captivity
“I’ll put ack to sleep for the moment. We’ll decide what to do with him later.” John pinched a nerve in Frank’s neck to shoulder and Morrow slumped into an unconscious heap. “Sweet dreams.”
“We’ll take him back with us,” Peter said.
“How are we going to do that?” Lucas asked. “We didn’t exactly take the bus here.”
“How did you get here?” John finally thought to ask. “Your timing was perfect.”
“We traveled the distance instantly,” Peter told them, “and even brought Lucas with us.” He clapped the Cardinal on his back.
“I can’t believe what I’ve just experienced, but I should have expected something this miraculous.” Lucas carried Peter's tasht in his scapular, ripped and knotted to make a sling. "Would you take this? I don't really know what to do with it." His eyes were wide with amazement but his flushed cheeks made him look decades younger than his years.
“Did you know I can hear through the tasht?” Peter asked. “Now we know it can transport people, too - with the focus of the Spokesmon,” he added.
“I suppose I could do that again,” Rachel mused.
“That’s not necessary. There’s a truck with room for all of you parked not far from here,” Donnally said. “I’ll help you get Morrow secured, if you think you can handle him after that.”
“I won’t have any trouble keeping him secured,” Lucas smiled. “I still remember my training.”
“And remember we’ll be going along with you.” James smiled as he pulled Dalyn closer with his arm around her waist. “It’s been a long time since we were in the States.”
“You can stay with us at the cabin,” Rachel said. “We have so much to catch up on.”
“No, dear. We shouldn’t.” Her mother smiled. “Newlyweds need their privacy.”
“You’re married now?” Donnally and Gail were both surprised. “That’s wonderful!”
“I’d offer the Gemini Estate, but it’s probably already up for auction. I’m sorry. I never thought any of us would be staying behind.”
“That’s alright,” Dalyn told him. “There’s always the School.”
“You could have my apartment,” Gail volunteered suddenly. “I haven’t really unpacked, but you’re welcome to everything I have.” She smiled. “I have a cat, if you don’t mind taking care of her. Her name is Honey.”
“That’s a perfect idea. Thank you, my dear.” Dalyn hugged Gail. “And I love cats.”
“I hope you’ll be comfortable. I’m sorry – I mean, I still have my menorah on the mantle. It’s a family heirloom,” she added hastily.
“I’ll be sure to pack it safely for you.” Mags patted her cheek. “Don’t worry dear, I’ve owned a menorah several times in my many lives.”
“Now that it’s settled,” James said. “We should probably get moving along. I don’t want to give Morrow too much time to plan anything else.”
“You should never trust him,” Gail said earnestly. “He always has a back-up plan.”
“Now we know he was working with Iscar,” James said. “He admitted as much. Iscar probably has him on a short leash. We’ll have to be careful.”
“Why don’t you get him settled in the truck,” Dayln suggested, “and I’ll pack the few things I want from the ship. It will give me a chance to show Gail her new quarters. You haven’t seen anything but the cargo bay, I take it?”
Gail nodded with excitement.
“Well, I suppose we should get started,” Rachel admitted. “I admit I was hoping to see the Aurora launch.”
“There’s a small hoverjet in some caves not far from here,” Andrew told them. “Not large enough for all of you, but I try to stay prepared for most situations. I should show it to you before you leave, anyway, Peter, just in case,” he added.
“You stay for the launch,” James told them. “We can handle the trip back. I look forward to a road trip after all this time.”
“And you could help with the repairs,” John told Peter. “I’d like to get going as soon as possible.”
“I don’t suppose you brought an extra jehu relay?” James asked. “You’re going to need it.”
“It’s in there.” Andrew laughed at James’s surprise. “Peter told me you needed one.”
“How did Peter know?” James wondered. “Oh yes, the tasht; interesting.”
“You can discuss it later. Right now we’ve got a ship to repair, and daylight fading. Let’s get busy,” John announced.
Donnally slipped off his wristwatch and pushed a few buttons. “Say your name,” he instructed Gail.
“Gail?” Her voice trembled enough to sound strange to her, and ended with a n
ervous laugh.
“Perfect.” He handed the device to her. “If you need me, or when you’re ready, I’ve programmed the control device to accept your voice command. Access it by saying the ship’s name, and then the command, such as, exit.”
Gail nodded, and tried to slip the unit on her slender wrist. Her hands trembled with excitement. “I’ll be fine.”
“Of course you will; you’re part of the crew.” Donnally tweaked her chin affectionately. He moved to where Morrow was sprawled unconscious on the floor and bent over to pick him up. He tossed the limp body over his shoulder.
“Don’t you want to wake him?” Lucas asked. “He could make the climb himself.”
“Nah, we’ve already got the climbing gear outside.” Donnally shifted the weight he carried. “He’ll be easier to handle like this.” he turned around, carelessly bumping Frank’s head on one of the storage bins, “Oh, I’m so sorry.” The apology was not sincere.
“I can see he’s going to be fun to travel with,” Andrew laughed.
John reached into Frank’s breast pocket for the control unit. “He won’tbe needing this.”
“Let’s get going,” James said. “Lucas, are you coming with us?” The Cardinal stood beside them and James programmed his wrist unit. “Aurora, four to exit.”
They disappeared in a blue-static mist. Gail wondered how long it took to be that comfortable with that mode of transportation. “That tickles,” she said, recalling the entry when she first arrived.