The entire event only took a little over an hour from start to finish. After thanking the captain and crew for the tour, the human observers said goodbye and waited near the top of the hill where the van was parked.
The technical team continued photographing while the ship quietly ascended. The conditions couldn’t have been more perfect for the technical team. It was a clear, dry night and the nearly full moon helped to brighten up the sky. At the point the ship lifted up higher than the surrounding hills, the reflection of the moonlight on the ship made the entire scene look like an alien landscape. It was impressive and I felt some pride that we had come that far with our space travel technology. FBI Director Felder told us he would be in touch to arrange the next meeting. The purpose of the meeting would involve communication with Moscow.
The next few meetings were held at the White House. President Hawkins wanted and needed to be there. The fourth meeting included a video conference with Moscow. The Ranjisi team in Moscow was a mirror of our own group, consisting of Ranjisan government officials and medical specialists. Russian President Yevgeni Pasternak spoke English and didn’t need a translator which made things infinitely easier. The main focus of the conferences was to decide how we would bring the other nations into the discussions. It seemed it was a natural reaction for both the US and Russia to want to proceed without the other nations but we were gently calling the shots. It was a part of the learning curve and the evolution of thought. Both world powers needed to think beyond their natural rivalry. They needed to view the human race as one race and the Earth as one community. This was part of our agenda. If the human race wanted to cure disease and end tribal wars, they needed to evolve and the time had come.
As far as the details of how, when and where, it was up to the US and Russia. They knew best how to move forward with these life changing discussions while still managing to keep it all a secret. The UN in New York wouldn’t work. It would create too much publicity. The Hague in South Holland was considered next. The natural choice would be the Lex building in Brussels but that would also arouse too much attention. As I listened to the discussions, I wondered about the CIPE secret facility on Easter Island. So far, we had not told the humans about it and it hadn’t occurred to me to ask Atik about it. I decided to keep quiet.
Finally everyone agreed on a meeting site. The meeting would be held at a resort outside the town of Ponta Delgada on the island of São Miguel in the Azores. It was the perfect location. The Azores are secluded and yet they are centrally located for most of the delegations that would be asked to attend. The next step would be the communication between the US, Russia and the rest of the nations. We left the guest list up to the humans but they assured us they would contact every member of the United Nations. It would be difficult. The communication would be short and simple:
On behalf of the US and Russian governments, we request a representative of your nation at a special conference to be held in the Azores. The importance of this conference cannot be described in any human language. An announcement will be made which will be the most significant announcement in the history of the human race. RSVP. We will forward additional attendance information within the coming weeks.
Signed, US/Russian organizing committee.
Being Ranjisi, our expectations about how long it would take to organize the conference were unrealistic. At the end of the second week since the invitations were sent, we decided there was no need to remain at the hotel in DC. We could either go straight to the Azores or we could spend the remaining time at the CIPE facility on Easter Island.
We decided we would spend a couple of weeks at CIPE and then arrive early for the conference in the Azores. This time there would be eight Ranjisi traveling to the same location. Atik contacted CIPE and we divided up the flights into four separate itineraries. I wondered if it would be better or worse after our existence and presence was made public. On the one hand, we wouldn’t have to keep it a secret anymore. People would be more likely to pick us out in a crowd, looking like a family of Swedish cousins, all with shortness of breath as we traversed the airport terminals. We would become novelties. People would probably overwhelm us with gawking and questions.
Although the Russian group would be leaving from Moscow, all eight of us would be changing at Benítez Airport in Santiago and traveling on to Mataveri International Airport on the Island. The first Ranjisi team coming from Moscow consisted of Turais Oriel-Torcularis of the Council of Provinces and cell disease specialist Azha Oriel-Canopus. Following close behind on a separate flight was Enif Arial-Zavijah of the Council of Provinces and infectious disease specialist Mesarthim Oriel-Matar.
Our group was also divided in two. Atik would travel with Gomeisa and I would travel with Chara. I watched from the balcony dining area as Atik and Gomeisa excitedly jumped up to greet the cab that had just pulled up in front of the hotel lobby. A half hour later, Chara pulled her suitcase out the front door and sat on the bench, waiting for our cab. I knew the cab would be there any moment so I went outside and stood on the opposite side of the valet area. Finally the cab pulled up. When the driver was putting Chara’s luggage in the trunk I hurried up behind him and asked him if he was going to the airport. The driver turned around and took a long look at me and lifted my bag into the trunk.
We were about half way to the airport when the driver asked us what time our flights left. “Would you mind if I make a quick stop along the way?” the driver asked. “I have this medical condition and I have to stop often. I guess it’s the medication. It’s becoming a nuisance but I still need to work.”
“No problem,” I said in my best New York accent.
There was a gas station and quick mart in the center island so we didn’t need to exit the highway. The driver pulled the car around to the truck parking lot and quickly jumped out. After about ten minutes I began to wonder about him. “He’s been gone quite a while,” I said to Chara.
“Yes. If he’s not back in a few more minutes, maybe you could go and see what happened to him.”
Another ten minutes passed without any sign of the driver. “Okay. I’m going to see what happened to him.”
I was just pushing the door open when out of the corner of my eye I saw the three men stepping around the side of one of the big rigs parked toward the rear of the lot. They seemed to be approaching us. I was immediately overcome with a feeling of fear. Something wasn’t right about the whole thing. First the driver disappeared and then the three serious looking men were approaching the car. When they got to within twenty feet from us the mystery was over. All three pulled out large handguns and began firing at us. There was no noise and I don’t think anyone at the service station even knew what was happening as the windows of the car began to shatter.
Neither one of us actually had a driver’s license but I had at least spent enough time on Earth to know what I was supposed to do. I leaped headfirst into the driver’s seat and stepped on the gas. It’s funny how the mind works when adrenalin begins to pump through your mind and body. My mind flashed a fast-forward slide show and all I could see were people moving the gear shift on the steering wheel. I kept my foot on the gas and moved the shift lever from one letter to the next until I heard the wheels spinning. The car jerked forward about twenty feet and came to a stop as I shifted my body around so that I was sitting in the driver’s seat.
At that point, we were beginning to make a scene and although I was focused on the three men, my subconscious registered a few people watching us from the car parking lot. It was enough to make the men put away their guns. I could see in the rear view mirror that they were running. There was no doubt in my mind that they were going to get back in their car and chase us. I had to learn to drive and I had to do it fast. I tested the brake and gas a few times and floored it.
I had no idea how fast we were going but the more miles I put between us and the three assassins, the more relaxed I felt. My breathing and thinking finally slowed down to almost normal and I began to t
hink more clearly. For a split second I wondered why Chara was so quiet. “Chara, I think we may have lost them. My biggest problem now is that I have no idea how to get to the airport.”
There was no answer from Chara. I was driving too fast to turn around and I was afraid to pull over and stop. “Chara,” I called out. There was still no answer. I figured out how to adjust the rear view mirror and I could see there was no one behind us for at least a mile so I pulled over and stepped on the brakes. The car came to a full screeching stop just off the side of the road. I was horrified when I turned my body around completely and looked in the back seat. Chara appeared to be unconscious and there was blood everywhere.
22 – Is the human race ready?
I was confused. I didn’t understand. I wondered why someone would want to shoot at us. Why would someone want to kill us? I could see that Chara was breathing but she was unconscious and bleeding badly. I knew I had to get her to a hospital but I had no idea where to go. As I started to drive away, I could see two vehicles slowing down to pull over. They had their turn signals on and pulled off to the side of the road about a half mile behind us. At first I hoped it was some Good Samaritan who just wanted to help but I realized that if it was, they would have stopped right behind us. I was sure it was the assassins. The assassins were only about fifty yards behind us when all of a sudden they pulled onto the highway and drove off. As they passed us by, I wondered if they were going to shoot at us again but they just looked at us blankly as they drove by us.
I was content to let them drive off away from us but I knew I had to get to a hospital. Just as I was wondering why they drove off, I got my answer. A Virginia state trooper had pulled up quickly and stopped right behind us. Finally our luck had changed. The appearance of the trooper had scared off the assassins. I hoped the trooper would be able to help us get to a hospital. I jumped out of the car as the tall trooper walked toward me. He could see I was excited and put his hand on his holster. “I need to get to a hospital,” I called out as he approached. “My friend has been shot.”
I knew the entire event would cause a chain reaction of problems for us but the only thing that mattered was getting Chara to a hospital. I opened the rear door so the trooper could get a good look at Chara. The trooper seemed to be a seasoned professional. Instead of getting excited, he seemed to switch into a higher mental state. He was thinking, moving and talking quickly and efficiently. I felt safer with the trooper there. He was still talking to the dispatcher when I heard the faint sound of the siren. “Do you want to go in the ambulance with her?” the trooper asked me while the ambulance screeched to a halt right next to the cab.
“Yes, if that’s okay,” I said.
“Just a couple of quick questions while they are getting ready to transport her. Is this where you were when she was shot? Did you see the shooter? Is this your cab and is the woman a customer?”
“No, it isn’t my cab. The woman and I are both customers. We were going to the airport when the cabbie said he had a medical condition and he had to stop at a rest area. He stopped at the rest area a few miles back and went inside to use the restroom. He went in and never came back out. Several men attacked us in the rest area parking lot. I jumped into the driver’s seat and headed for the highway while the shooters followed us.”
“Do you have any idea why they were shooting at you?” the trooper asked. “Deep inside, I knew it had to have something to do with who and what we were. It wasn’t a robbery. But it wasn’t a time for truthfulness. It was a time of urgency. As I talked to the trooper I left out the most important details.
“I have no idea why they shot at us.” I said.
“Okay, it looks like the EMTs are getting ready to leave. May I see your driver’s license?”
I was wondering what I was going to say when an unmarked police car pulled up. “I’ll fill you in as soon as I get some contact information from this gentleman,” the trooper told the two detectives.
The trooper turned back to me and noticed I was just standing there. He expected me to be handing him a driver’s license but I was just standing there looking at him. “I don’t have a driver’s license,” I said. “After the shooting I jumped into the front seat and did the best I could to get away from them. I only stopped here when I realized that my friend had been shot.”
“I’m going to need a lot more information. Please get in the police cruiser and I’ll take you to the hospital,” the trooper said. I did as I was told and waited in the police cruiser while the trooper shared everything he knew about the incident with the two detectives.
When he was finished talking to the detectives, the officer jumped into the driver’s seat. “I’m Officer Flynn. What’s your name?”
“Luke Riley.” I knew at some point Officer Flynn would want to know everything. I wasn’t sure how much I should tell him.
“So you and your friend were on the way to the airport? Where were you going?”
I made a quick decision to tell a stripped down version of the truth. I decided I would tell the truth but I would leave things out. “Chile.”
“Vacation or business?” Officer Flynn asked.
“Vacation and business I guess. We were meeting some friends there.”
Officer Flynn weaved in and out of traffic to get to the hospital. He left his car a few feet from the valet entrance and we hurried in. Chara had already been moved up to the surgical unit so there wasn’t much to do except wait in the recovery area waiting room on the third floor. I knew it was time. Officer Flynn pointed to a dining table and chairs set apart from the sofa and soft chairs. Since I didn’t have a driver’s license I showed Officer Flynn an expired NY State ID card and bank debit card with my name on it.
“Both of these cards are expired Luke. Do you have anything else?”
“No, I’m afraid I don’t.”
“Okay. This is all getting weird. Someone tried to kill you out on the highway. It appears the cab driver may have been in on it so it must have been planned which means there is much more going on here than a random robbery. To add to the mystery, you have no current identification.” Officer Flynn paused for a moment and continued, “I need to know right now, what exactly is going on.”
I looked around the room. A family had just come in and sat on the sofas. “It’s a bit complicated and difficult to explain Officer Flynn.”
“Try me!” Officer Flynn sounded a bit annoyed.
My mind was racing. If I told him the truth it would just make him angry. I had an idea. It was kind of desperate but it was all I could think of. I reached into my wallet and looked for Assistant Director Abbott’s business card. “I’m going to contact someone and I hope he will be willing to explain it to you.”
I was relieved to hear Abbott’s voice on the other end. He recognized my name and number which appeared as Luke Riley on his phone. “Yes, what’s up Luke?” I wanted to put the phone on “speaker” but I couldn’t because of the family sitting a few feet away.
“Something terrible has happened and I need your help.” Officer Flynn sat listening to one side of the conversation.
“Someone tried to kill me and Chara on our way to the airport.”
“We took a cab. The driver said he had to stop at a restroom. While he was in the restroom, three men attacked us with silenced weapons. They hit Chara before I was able to jump into the driver’s seat and escape.”
“No. We’re at the hospital now. I don’t know her condition. She’s in surgery now.”
“I’m in the surgical recovery waiting room with the officer who pretty much saved our lives. I’ll explain that in more detail later. For now, I need some help or advice, explaining everything to the officer. I don’t have any current identification. My old ID card is from when I was here a few years ago.”
Assistant Director Abbott was quiet for at least two minutes while I sat there awkwardly with Officer Flynn staring at me. Finally, Assistant Director Abbott asked me to tell the officer who was on the oth
er end of the line and then hand him the phone.
“I have on the phone, the assistant director of the FBI, Assistant Director Abbott. He wants to talk to you.” Officer Flynn looked like a rabbit in the headlights when I handed him the phone. I sat there quietly listening. I could hear Assistant Director Abbott’s voice on the other end but I couldn’t make out what he was saying. Officer Flynn didn’t say a word until the conversation was over.
“I understand Director Abbott. Whatever you say. Thank you very much,” Officer Flynn said before hanging up the phone and giving it back to me.
Officer Flynn looked stunned and confused. “What did he tell you?” I asked quietly. I wondered how much of the truth the assistant director had told him.
“He said you are a in the Witness Protection Program and I should not ask you any questions. He told me what I really needed to do was protect you and the woman. He verified his identity through some security application using his voice. It was really the assistant director.”
Officer Flynn waited there with me until well after his shift had ended. Finally about 11:00 PM a doctor came out into the waiting room to greet us. “I’m doctor Mulroy. We removed two bullets from her neck and upper chest. She will make a full recovery but she will be here for at least five days.”
“Five days is fine with me,” I said. Office Flynn looked as happy as I did.
The doctor started to leave and then suddenly stopped and turned around to face me. “When she gets assigned to a room, can you help the staff with her information? We know nothing about her. I was hoping she is your wife and maybe you can tell us something.”
“She’s not my wife. She is just a friend and colleague. What is it you need to know?”
“She needed several units of blood. We couldn’t ‘type’ her blood. It doesn’t fit any of the classifications. I was wondering if you knew anything about that. I know it’s a longshot but do you happen to know what type her blood is?”
The Good Reaper Page 21