“We really should get you to a hospital Judith,” Layla said.
“There will be police. I don’t want to put authorities on the trail of a woman who had the guts and know how to beat these brutal fucks, pardon my language.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. Come one, let us get you some medical attention.”
“I think you are right. I’m not sure if I could stand up alone.”
Layla found her purse and they helped her to the car. Denise hopped in the back seat.
“Do you have a hospital preference?”
“George Washington.”
“Have you any cash on you if you need it?” Denise asked.
“I’m fine. They didn’t get near my purse or valuables. My phone though, geez.”
“Well, if they use it that may make them easier to find.”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Yes.”
“Was bloodshed necessary to find your friends?”
“Unfortunately,” Denise said.
“Good.”
Denise gently massaged her mind to remember the attack on her as a theft and nothing more, that she was attacked getting into her car in the garage, and that they took her phone and cash and ran off after.”
“We are here. Hang on, let me get someone for you,” Layla said.
She returned with two members of the Emergency Room and a wheel chair.
They followed her into the hospital just long enough to make sure she was okay, and able to give them the information they needed to treat her before they made their exit back to the Mustang.
“They’ll find us all with our numbers you know,” Layla said.
“I’m beginning to hope they find us first.”
“Where to?”
“Makanda.”
“The way I see it, there is no way they can beat us back there.”
“One advantage of living in the sticks,” Denise laughed.
“Fasten your seatbelt.”
“I already have.”
45
New Phone
“I have an idea,” Denise said.
“Yes.”
“We must go here,” she said, pointing to her phone and a map of Wal-Mart’s in the area.
“Okay.”
“It’s just outside Charleston on Hwy 64.”
Layla brought the Mustang that still appeared to be a Ford Taurus out of stealth on the Highway and drove to the Wal-Mart.
“I’ll be right back,” Denise said, walking quickly into the store.
She returned with a Samsung Android prepaid Smartphone.
“That was fast.”
“The sales clerk needed a little nudge,” Denise giggled.
“Pull over to an emptier spot in the lot.”
Within minutes she had her iPhone and the new phone ready.
“What is that exactly?”
“Oh just Google Maps, sort of.”
“Really?”
“Shhh, but keep the music on, I like that song.” The sound of Led Zeppelin’s Misty Mountain Hop was playing on the radio.
On the fourth ring the phone was answered. No one spoke. They could hear someone talking on the radio.
“Judith it is Janey. Are you there? Did you drop your phone again? Are we still on for pizza tonight?”
“She is sleeping. I will have her call you back when she wakes up. Please don’t call back and wake her, she is sick.” The call was then terminated.
“That was no guy, was it?” Layla asked.
“No, it certainly wasn’t.”
“What is that, exactly?”
“Come on, keep it on, keep it on. YES.”
“Hmm?”
“A program I bought a while ago. They are in Kentucky, just over the border.”
“Gee, I wonder where they are going?”
“Come on, let’s get out of here, preferably unseen.”
“A spying program? Have you been spying on me too?”
“Yes, all the time. You are usually SO far away.”
Layla threw the Mustang that appeared as a Taurus into stealth and programmed a course to the last location of Judith’s cel phone.
“They are going to be right about here by now,” Denise said. They were just west of Carter Kentucky when they came out of stealth on Highway 64. “They have still got her phone on.”
“Well they are either brain dead, or unaware of the fact they can be tracked if it is on, or they simply don’t give a shit,” Layla said.
“Or they want whoever might be tracking them to find them.”
“There’s that too.”
“They should be just up ahead.”
“Baby, what if they have the same technology and know exactly where we are?”
“I’m hoping they do.”
As they cruised around a heavily wooded curve a black BMW came into view.
“Shields up Captain?”
“Not yet. Let’s just follow for a bit at a safe distance.”
“Not a very busy stretch of highway is it?”
“No. Really thick though, just look at all those trees.”
“That sun is really bright. Could you hand me my shades?” Layla asked.
“Here you are. It really is bright, driving west and all. I’m concerned about the female. What if is someone innocent they forced to come along?”
“You think they would?”
“I wouldn’t put anything past them.”
Denise opened Google on her iPhone.
“What do you think about doing this again?” Denise asked, showing Layla a picture of three Kentucky State Troopers standing next to their car.
“Only if we both get out this time.”
“You got it. Let’s give it a few more miles, it looks a bit more remote up ahead.”
“Yeah, and that sun is going to be at eye level.”
When they came around the next curve Denise shouted. “That’s them, they pulled over.”
“We’re going to have to keep going right on past them.”
“It’s okay. Put it in stealth as soon as you can and we’ll double back.”
“A man and a woman on the passenger side got out,” Layla said, looking back through her rear view mirror.
“I see. She is heading for the trees with him.”
“Maybe they have to pee.”
“Maybe.”
Around another curve and out of sight, Layla threw the Mustang into stealth and headed back in the air.
“What are they up to, can you see them?”
“Not yet.”
“That’s a long pee,” Layla said.
“He’s walking back to the car alone.”
“What if he killed her?”
“Nope, here she comes.”
“I’ve been thinking. Why attract attention with flashing lights. It’s pretty obvious they are making their way to us.”
Denise looked at her and sighed. “I know you’ve been dying to use it, so go ahead. Let’s leave them here.”
“Agreed.”
Layla positioned the Mustang directly above the BMW. Before it could move, Layla fired the pulse weapon at the vehicle. With a hum, a whoosh and a crashing thud, the BMW’s roof was caved in. All of the car windows blew away from the vehicle in tiny shattered pieces. The tires were flattened and the electrical system fried. “Okay, they’re not going anywhere in that thing.”
“Let’s make sure they forget where they were going and why.”
Layla landed the Mustang in the front of the BMW. She and Denise slipped out and walked up to the car, their medallions activated to stealth.
“I cannot open the fucking door,” the man in the passenger seat screamed.
“Sjebano,” the woman from the back seat shouted.
Where were you going?
“To kill a few nosey cunts,” the driver said.
“Who the fuck are you talking to?” the man in the passenger seat said.
“No one.”
W
ho do you work for?
“Stucco.”
“Yeah, what about her?” the driver asked.
“Who?”
“Stucco who else?”
“I can tell you she is going to be pissed.”
Where can someone find Stucco?
“Rome.”
“I wish I was in fucking Rome right now. What the fuck happened?” the man in the passenger seat said.
“Jebena seljacina,” the driver shouted when a car going in the opposite direction slowed to see what was going on.
Where in Rome?
“Everywhere in Rome,” The driver said.
Who is the woman in the back seat?
“My bitch Nadya. I love to take her along for a good fuck.”
“Who are you talking to?” Nadya asked.
“No one shut up.”
Nadya, do you want to stay with these men?
“Yeah, I got nothing better to do?”
“You better be trying to squeeze your skinny ass out that back window to help get one of these doors open,” the driver shouted.
“I’ll never get through there, guzica,” Nadya laughed.
“I told you don’t call me that,” the driver said.
Seen enough? Layla asked.
Yes.
Denise scraped through each of their minds individually, erasing any memories they had about them, or Coventina, Judith or where they were heading and why. Before she worked on the girl she told her to collect all their phones and slide them out the small slits that were once windows. As she did Layla caught all four of them before they hit the ground. She finished up with the girl and planted a suggestion in them that help was on the way.
“This one’s got to be Judith’s,” Layla said, handing Denise a Blackberry.
“It is. We’ll make sure it gets back to her.”
Layla laid in a course for home as the Mustang rose above the darkening forest below.
Denise used the Wal-Mart phone to call in a dreadful accident on Highway 64, doing so “Only for the woman in the back seat,” as she put it.
“I’m hungry. Pizza?” Layla asked.
“Sounds perfect.” Denise said, hiding the feeling of dread she simply could not shake.
46
Upstairs
“It takes a little getting used to,” Lucilla said.
“How so?” Coventina asked.
“Well, apparently they do not speak when they communicate. You’ll hear them in your head. Your immediate reaction will be to speak in reply, but it is unnecessary. You can simply think it and they will get the message.”
“Appearance? Is it much of a shock, I mean I would not want to embarrass us?”
“Pleasing. You shouldn’t have a problem with that.”
Marcus and Quintus entered through a door that quietly hissed open.
“We’ve been invited to dinner,” Marcus said.
“Delightful. When?” Lucilla asked.
“Now. The others are already en route.”
“I love these doors,” Coventina said as they walked to the dining area.
“As do I,” Quintus said.
“Tell me, can they read all our thoughts?”
“I am uncertain. Denise believes they can,” Lucilla said.
Another door opened to reveal a large dining table. Anna was seated next to Odumnus, Diana by Venutius, Petilius with Maria who was laughing and feeling his arm muscles. Lucius was the only one without a dinner guest.
A rather large feast was laid out on the table.
“Will our hosts be joining us?” Marcus asked.
“Not for dinner,” Quintus replied.
Alongside dishes that looked and tasted like pork, chicken and fish was an assortment of vegetables, pasta dishes and fruits.
“Where do they shop for groceries? This is all so delicious,” Coventina said.
“The meals are, created,” Lucius said.
“Created?”
“Reproduced from a growing database of some kind apparently, complete with all or most of the nutrients our bodies need to stay healthy,” Lucilla said.
“She knows more about our hosts than we do,” Marcus laughed.
“Coventina, what is your first impression of being up here?” Diana asked.
“Well, I haven’t seen anything outside of the interior of this ship, but I am fascinated.”
May we have a view please? Quintus asked.
A large window opened with a quiet hum a few seconds later.
“Dear Goddess,” Coventina said when she looked up from her plate.
“How incredibly beautiful,” Maria said.
“We are coming up on the home of Denise and Layla. Hello down there,” Lucilla waved.
“It all looks so peaceful from up hear, a beautiful jewel in the heavens teaming with life,” Diana said.
“Looks are deceiving when it comes to the human race,” Anna said.
“I have wondered how different our lives would have been if people of our time had been able to view our world as we can now?” Venutius said.
“It doesn’t seem to help in our time,” Maria sneered.
“Tell us about this other world Quintus,” Coventina said.
“It is a place of magnificent beauty.”
“Peaceful,” Marcus said.
“Quiet, vast and quiet,” Lucius smiled.
“Are there oceans?” Anna asked.
“Yes. It is very much like this world, but smaller,” Marcus said.
“Are there other humans there?” Maria asked.
“No,” Petilius answered.
“I think you’d say anything to get me to go with you if that is what you decide,” Maria laughed. “I was asking the others.”
Quintus answered once the laughs subsided. “No Maria, there are no humans there.”
“Not yet,” Marcus said.
“Animals?”
“There is an abundance of life,” Petilius said, looking at Maria as if he was about to get smacked.
“Birds? I love birds,” Maria said.
“Many birds,” Petilius smiled.
“It is a beautiful world. I’m not sure there is a place for us here any more,” Venutius said.
There was a shared silence at the table before Quintus spoke. “We are going to join Aya and the others. Is anyone else interested in coming along? You are all invited.”
All of the others decided to remain to clean up and retire.
“Shall we?” Quintus said.
“Yes.” Coventina smiled.
Aya and Mys were waiting in a section of the ship that appeared to be a lounge.
Greetings, Aya said.
“Hello Aya. Thank you so much for your hospitality and kindness,” Lucilla said.
We are pleased to be of assistance.
It is a delight to meet more females of your species. Welcome Coventina, Mys said.
Coventina looked at them and smiled. “Thank you, for everything.”
“Please, make yourself comfortable,” Quintus said.
They relaxed and shared a wonderful communion. At one point glasses full of a delicious beverage appeared on the table in front of them.
You’ve been wondering about our age Lucilla, Mys said.
“Yes, and so much more.”
If you are infants, we are but college graduates. There is so much more to the universe that is unknown and may never be known, older than either of our species, perhaps to the point of refusing contact.
“We are but infants,” Coventina said, wearing a worried look on her face.
Something is disturbing you? Aya asked.
“Yes, I cannot explain it, but I have a horrible feeling of dread for some reason.”
“It is late. We’ve had a long day,” Lucilla said.
“Yes, it has been a long day, a marvelous long day,” Coventina smiled.
Lucilla and Marcus walked in a different direction to their room.
“I’ve arranged for you to have a room of you
r own,” Quintus said.
“That was very thoughtful of you Quintus,” she said, reaching for his hand, “but I would rather not be alone this night.” She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him deeply.
The door to Quintus’ room hummed open, closing behind them after they entered.
47
AC
After a breakfast of biscuits and gravy at Mary Lou’s, Denise and Layla headed west towards Highway 3 where they would head north.
“You can drive from St. Louis okay?” Denise said.
“Our original two-lane heaven. I am enjoying the memories.”
“Me too.”
“Where exactly are we going again?” Layla asked.
“Chicago.”
“I know Chicago but where exactly?”
“To a tall building.”
“Well, that narrows it down,” Layla laughed. “Ready for your latte yet?”
“Yes I am, thank you.”
The drive up Highway 3 was over too quickly to suit Denise. She knew where they were going and why, and could not help but wonder where it might lead.
“Do you mind if we stop at the Arch?” Denise asked.
“Not at all. Get off at the next exit once we get across the bridge.”
Denise parked the Mustang alongside the Mississippi River.
“It is much larger right here, in person,” Denise said.
“I take it we are not in a hurry?”
“We have time.”
They strolled up the stairs to the magnificent structure.
“Amazing isn’t it?”
“Yes. What is that way up there?”
“An observation deck. Takes far too long to get up there though since they can’t take too many at a time.”
“How do they get up there?”
“A rather ingenious type of rail car that shimmies up and turns as it does.”
“We used to do such big things, amazing things,” Denise sighed.
“Follow me.”
Layla led her to the south base of the arch. “Okay, now rest your back against the base.”
“Okay.”
“Now, look up.”
“Impressive. Most impressive.” She then stared out across the field to the base on the other side of the grass covered field. “How far away is that?”
“As far as it is tall, 630 feet.”
“Let me guess, you did a paper on it?” Denise laughed.
“Science project in grade school,” Layla grinned.
“How do you think this compares in size to what our friends upstairs are using to get around?”
“Hard to say,” Layla said looking up.
“Oh, the one you’ve been traveling around in this past week is not quite as large.”
Denise and Layla turned to see a woman strolling by. She was taller than Denise, with long, straight black hair that ended at the base of her spine. The dress she wore had an indigenous style, as did the sandals on her feet.
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