Sarah was speechless and suddenly pale as she struggled to whisper, "How could it be? That's impossible. I, ah, would have known or suspected something. My father was a great—"
Her distress was broken by Greg's thoughts. ::Sarah, please hurry. I have a feeling that we don't have much time!::
He received only silence, and then thought with concern. ::Sarah, can you hear me?::
Sarah, trying to regain her composure, thought back, ::Uh, yes, Greg. We're coming.:: She resumed walking quickly with Leumas in tow. Silence between the two was the only conversation, both deep in their own thoughts. ::Greg?:: Sarah called. ::I have to tell you something that Leumas just told me. It can't wait. My, I mean our, fathers…::
Calmly Greg said, ::I already know, Sarah. Yes, and it's all—true. I just found out. Both of our fathers were not human.::
::But how could it—::
::Sarah, I know it hurts and it will be hard not to think about it now. But we're going to have to deal with the matter at hand first. Just keep coming and please hurry.::
She sensed the urgency in his voice, and they picked up their pace. The crowd was thinning somewhat as their distance from the campaign headquarters increased, making their headway somewhat easier. As her analytical mind returned, she suddenly asked Leumas, "The reason we were picked for the UCDW was because of our mixed heritage?"
"That, I'm sure, was half the reason," Leumas replied. "The other half was because you were a mistake that had to be removed. Copolla didn't want to leave anything to chance." He continued to put his suspicions into words. "He probably suspected that I might find out about it and exploit the information. And if I divulged it to the Council, he would fall from favor. As far as the Council knows, you were chosen randomly based upon your beliefs and characteristics."
"Why not just kill us?" she asked simply.
Leumas, elbowing his way through the crowd, continued, "Copolla wasn't sure of how much of a risk you and Greg were. Plus, I think he was waiting to see if you did develop any interesting abilities because of the mixtures of DNA. When he didn't see any and you became a risk, he saw an opportunity to get rid of you. In fact, as far as Copolla knows, you two are dead. He thinks you were killed during the memory wipe."
"So how did we get back here?" she asked.
"I brought you here," he responded simply. "I felt you deserved to resume your lives here on Earth, and I just didn't mention it to anyone."
Sarah smiled appreciatively, her feelings for Leumas softened somewhat from earlier. But that still didn't explain his presence. "Why are you here on Earth?"
He cleared his throat. "Because of my failure to indoctrinate you successfully into the Council, I was sent here under the premise to move the planet Earth forward into space exploration and development." He smiled cynically and continued, "At least, that is what the Council was lead to believe, anyway. Copolla knows that it will probably take the rest of my life to accomplish that. I realize now that the people of Earth are not ready just yet for that big of a jump."
Leumas paused, and shrugged. "So, you're out of the way, Greg is out of the way, and I am out of the way. Copolla has free run of Zire and the Council, and he does not have to worry about his past."
"So your sentence is to serve your time here on Earth," she said.
Leumas nodded. "That's it."
Sarah seeing that they were nearly to the meeting point, quickened her step, tugging at Leumas’s shirtsleeve.
He chuckled, "Sentence is a kind word. This is Copolla's way of eliminating the competition, you might say. I am, or was, too well known to be suddenly killed, so this is the next best thing, banishment from Zire." He smiled and continued. "But, hey, you never know, I have a better than fifty-fifty shot at making this work. Perhaps I can move Earth forward in unity to the exploration and utilization of space and its vast resources." Then, sarcastically, "I might make it back to the Council and pursue Copolla when I am old and decrepit. That is, of course, if I can accomplish this before the Earth kills itself directly in conflict or depletes its resources beyond a safe point of return."
Sarah was about to comment, but they had stopped. They were now at the point that Greg had mentioned, at the base of the pillar. They scanned the crowd, not seeing Greg or Journo.
Greg's amused voice surprised them. "Well, well, well. If it isn't our good alien friend and neighbor, Leumas," he said as he walked toward them with Journo by his side. "Allow me to introduce my good friend Journo. He has come to help us—" Before Greg could finish his statement, there was a sudden blinding flash of bright light and intense heat emitting from Journo.
They shielded their eyes against the momentary flash of light and heat. In an instant, where Journo had been standing, there was now nothing but a pile of black ash lying on the cement. Sarah and Greg stood in speechless horror. They had never seen what happened when an internal loyalty device was activated. Leumas had and he immediately realized what had happened.
"Is this what membership in the Council brings?" Sarah asked. "Death!" Her voice full of fear and anger.
"This is not the work of the Council," Leumas began, angry over this senseless loss. "This is Copolla's filthy doing."
Greg silently shook his head in disbelief and sympathy for what had just happened. He knew the curiosity of the crowd would bring them to the site in a matter of moments. What had to be done had to be done quickly.
"Well, that's it, then," Leumas said, disgustedly, staring at the pile of ash. Inside, the glimmer of hope was extinguished, along with his plans of using Journo to bring about Copolla's downfall.
"Maybe not, Leumas," Greg said. "I know what you wanted from him."
Leumas looked curiously at Greg, then asked skeptically, "Do you now? And how, might I ask, do you—"
Greg jumped into Leumas’s mind and answered his question loud and clear. ::The computer core from the archives with the information about Copolla's wrongdoing.::
Leumas grabbed his temples, wincing from the pain that Greg had inflicted unmercifully to ensure he understood. Greg quickly turned toward Sarah. ::Just follow along, Sarah; you're going to have to trust me on this one.::
::I do,:: she replied. ::With all my heart.::
"Now look, Leumas, we only have a minute, if that," Greg said out loud, eyeing the curious crowd starting to meander its way toward us. Telepathically, he said, ::You want what Journo had. I have it now. We can either make a deal, or I can erase this with a mere thought.:: He held up the computer core and watched Leumas gaze at it with envy, knowing this was the answer to all of his problems.
::But does it have all the…:: Leumas began to think in his mind.
Greg finished the thought, ::Yes; it has all the information that you need to end Copolla's dictatorship.::
Leumas knew Greg wasn't lying. He was also amazed at the amount of telepathic ability Greg possessed. Leumas had not met a Zirean or any other alien in all of his travels who possessed such strength.
"What do you have in mind, Greg?" he asked, trying to feel out his motive.
Greg looked Leumas dead in his eyes and said, "I will give you the core if you agree to get off the Earth and not come back until you are explicitly invited."
"Is that all? It's that simple?" Leumas asked, smiling at the irony.
"Almost. You also have to assume Journo's appearance so that the mysterious disappearance of Mr. David Wright will be a mystery that will never be answered. This will take care of the influence problem and eliminate your identity all in one clean swoop."
"My…we've thought of everything, haven't we?" Leumas said, impressed, as he stared intently at them.
"More than you can imagine," Greg responded, looking at his watch. "You have about ten seconds to decide."
Leumas responded by quickly turning into Journo. It was a perfect replica, even down to the dark, fathomless eyes.
"Fair enough?" he asked, smoothing back his now dark shiny hair. "Now, give me the core, and I will be on my way."
"Perfect," Greg replied, extending the core to Leumas/Journo. He accepted quickly and turned to leave, but Greg grabbed his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. He stared into Leumas’s eyes and said, "Now, remember, not until you are asked to return. Earth is to be left alone! Do you understand?"
Leumas/Journo saw the new look of confidence and power in Greg's eyes. This was certainly a change from the Greg he had met only a few months earlier. By the look on his face, he wondered briefly, as he glanced towards Sarah, if it was just the telepathic power that caused such a difference in Greg's attitude, or if there was more to it then that.
"Yes, I understand completely," he responded carefully.
Greg released his firm hold on Leumas’s shoulder, and watched as he quickly disappeared into the crowd. Sarah touched his arm and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Where did all that come from?" she asked with a certain amount of admiration in her voice for the way he had handled Leumas.
Greg shrugged, liking the feel of her warmth on his shoulder. "It just seemed to flow into me spontaneously. Anyhow, it worked. Leumas is gone, and Earth is back on its own. No influence required." However, in his own thoughts, he had to admit that he had changed. He was no longer the simple and unmotivated person he had been. He felt like he had a purpose, and it felt so right to be here right now with Sarah and having just saved the world from whatever Leumas and his Council cronies had in mind.
The crowd had now reached them, and curious eyes searched about for the source of the flash of light that had claimed Journo's life. Questions were voiced, but were left unanswered. Sarah and Greg decided to blend into the crowd, and then they slowly drifted off in the opposite direction.
The ashen remains of Journo were scattered by the scuffle of the crowd's feet, and taken aloft by a gentle breeze. The site of those ashes made Greg feel sad, because he knew from Journo's mind that all he had wanted was to try and atone for all the sorrow he had caused while he lived in his sphere of anger and hate. He had traveled down the halls of Journo's mind, searching for the key to help unlock his buried feelings. He had been able to assure Journo that he would help him, and he would help this world. Journo had known that Copolla realized that he had fled, and his time on Earth and his life was short.
As the ashes blew around into the wind, Greg still felt a great surge of sorrow for Journo, but he also felt happiness for the alien. Journo was now released from all the pain and sorrow he had felt inside for so long.
Greg shared his thoughts with Sarah, and he saw her eyes fill with moisture, and then her lips broke into a beautiful smile. He had almost forgotten what a lovely smile she had. Maybe it was time he remembered.
* * * *
Everything that could possibly be done had been done, Leumas thought, as the Blessed now entered inside Planet Zire's communication range. Even though he relished the thought of what he was about to do, he was still worried. Sometimes one could not predict what a wild animal would do if it was backed into a corner, and that was exactly what he planned to do with Copolla—set a trap to snare him.
He had carefully and methodically reviewed the entire contents of the computer core and had recorded the information he would dangle in front of Copolla, with the rest to be stored for later. He took a deep breath and dialed up a secure communication channel. Moments later, Copolla's ominous visage appeared on the screen. His face was a mixture of surprise and disgust.
He scowled, and said, "Leumas! What do you want? You are in violation of the Council’s decision by being off the planet Earth!"
Leumas smiled, and said clearly and slowly, "I want to do something for you that you did not do for me, Copolla."
"And what might that be?" Copolla sneered.
Leumas still smiled and said simply, "I want to give you a chance to resign before you are disgraced in front of the entire Council."
Copolla's facial expression never changed. Instead, he just stared at Leumas, the same sneer still playing about his lips. Leumas never lost eye contact with him and was now ready to play his cards.
Leumas moved closer to the screen, and continued, "I have the archive records that show everything. It proves your mishandling of the entire Earth affair, from the very beginning." He paused for effect, wanting his words to sink in one by one. The silence hung in the air like a thunderstorm ready to burst wide open. The sneer had now left Copolla's face, and was replaced with a tight-lipped frown.
Leumas finally continued, "It clearly documents your positioning of agents on Earth after the Hitler catastrophe, and the violation of the rule of alien/human contact. Also, it proves all you have done to cover your tracks and mislead the Council all these years. And, it shows your attempts on the lives of the two Earth subjects', and your implication in the murder of Robise, Greta and several others."
Copolla's face turned a deep red. "You're lying, Leumas!" he yelled. "This is just some kind of bluff. What are you trying to pull? Those records were all destroyed!"
Leumas’s fingers danced over the keyboard. Images suddenly appeared in the lower portion of his screen; they appeared on Copolla's as well. Leumas sneered into the screen. "Look for yourself, Copolla. They seem to all be here."
The images verified everything Leumas had said. All the records and file reports that had been in the archives were stored on this computer core. Incriminating signed directives from Copolla flashed across the screen. After a few moments, the screen returned to its full view of each of them and the two adversaries faced each other. Copolla's eyes now carried a new expression that Leumas had never seen before—fear.
"I can make you a very powerful man, Leumas. I can give you anything you want. Yours for the asking," Copolla said in desperation as his entire empire was crumbling around him. Leumas had him trapped.
Leumas said with disgust, "You have nothing I want, Copolla, except your resignation from the Council. My terms are simple. I won't expose the data if you go away quietly. Make up any story you like. I don't care. Just go away from Zire, forever."
Copolla screamed, his face turning into a contortion of rage. "I will have you killed!"
Leumas smiled wanly. "You may, but that won't stop the Council from getting this information. I have secured copies with certain contacts on several planets for safekeeping. If I die or disappear suddenly or mysteriously, they release the information to the Council. Plain and simple."
Copolla stared blankly at Leumas, then said almost dejectedly, "You seem to have covered yourself pretty well, Leumas. I admire such thoroughness." His face showed dullness that Leumas regarded as an acceptance of defeat. But there was something else in Copolla's eyes that Leumas just couldn't put his finger on.
Leumas snorted in pure disgust. "I don't want your admiration, Copolla. Like I've already said, I just want your resignation from the Council, and your absence."
Copolla was silent for several seconds, which felt like hours to Leumas, who wanted to end this whole thing quickly and get on with his life back on Zire.
Copolla's eyes had suddenly regained their evil light, and he said menacingly, "You have won this skirmish, Leumas, but I am not going to crawl out of this office in shame. It has taken too much time, money and effort to get where I am. I will not allow scum such as you and the other Council members to dictate terms to me."
Leumas saw something in Copolla's eyes that caused chills to run up and down his spine. Madness maybe?
"I never have been a very good loser, Leumas," he chuckled evilly. "So, you want the Council, do you? Well, you'll have to go out and get your own. That is, after you finish explaining how the first ones were all killed because of your rash presumptions." His chuckles turned into hysterical laughter.
"You wouldn't," Leumas said, his breath catching in his throat. "Not kill the entire Council. Not even you can be that sick, Copolla. Think about all the worlds that are represented and the importance of the diplomacy—"
Copolla screamed, "Who cares about that lump of useless alien flesh? You? Yes,
I guess you would." He began to laugh, and then said, "Well, too bad, you cocky piece of alien trash! Just remember, whatever happens will be on your head." He turned his head to do something out of Leumas’ view, but he turned back to look at the screen as if he had forgotten something. He had a child-like smile on his face, the madness now making itself clear. "One more thing, Leumas. After spending so much time on the sniveling planet Earth, you must have become familiar with their literature. There is a rhyme that I have come across. Would you like to hear it?"
Leumas continued to stare at Copolla, realizing that he had finally gone over the edge. "Have you lost your mind, Copolla?"
Copolla's lips slowly spread into a tight smile. He shrugged, and said amusedly, "Maybe so. But it doesn't really matter any more, does it? Now, where was I? Such foolish human things, these rhymes, yet they have some truth in them." He seemed to think for a moment, and continued, "I can think of one that fits this situation just perfectly. Well, with some minor modifications. Shall I recite it for you?"
Leumas realized that whatever strands were left of Copolla's mental stability were quickly snapping. He said carefully, "Now listen to me, Copolla. Just step aside quietly. We can get you some help."
Copolla screamed, "It's too late for that now." His face then changed back into his little child look. He continued smiling. "Just humor me for a few more seconds."
He began to chant in a singsong voice:
"The great Council sat on the wall,
the great Council had a great fall,
all the aliens in the galaxy
couldn't put the Council back together again."
He laughed hysterically at the little rhetoric he had so joyfully brought forth. He then moved away from the screen, which shortly winked out.
Leumas stared at the blank screen in pure fear. He had no idea what to think about Copolla's mad performance, and he suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. He did not know what Copolla might do next, and that scared him more than anything else.
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