That story was a cover.
She would meet with a few buyers, show them a phony egg. She would give the real one to Avalon and Silas—with a secret item inside of it.
Heinrich was forced to comply with Avalon’s request.
He couldn’t say no to any World Vault cardholder. The black card wasn’t even available to many of the wealthy 1% . Whoever gave her that card had access to the secret wealth of the world—wealth that required security clearance near that of a world leader. Avalon (Ariel) was connected to the secret societies vis this card.
"Stay here,” Heinrich said as he walked out of the room. The door closed behind him.
Silas let out a deeply held breath. Avalon squeezed him on the shoulder.
“We’re good.”
“What is that card about?”
“It’s a passport—to a wealth of priceless secrets that a small number of people have access to.”
Silas didn’t quite understand. He did know, however, that he was entering into a world he never fathomed. He wanted so bad to press her for more answers, but knew better. It’s a good thing Heinrich’s crushed ego didn’t get in the way of their quest, for now.
They waited for what seemed like an hour, but it was only 20 minutes. Silas was seated at the table tapping his foot. He’s a bundle of nerves. Avalon stood. The door opened. Heinrich entered. Behind him followed a woman in a wheelchair. A black velvet bag was on her lap. Avalon felt an instant kinship with her. The woman winked at her.
“Ms. Simeon, this is Avalon and Silas.”
Eileena rolled up to the two buyers. When she stopped, she grabbed Avalon’s hand.
“Ariel and Julian, I saw you two arrive earlier,” said Eileena. “Heinrich, leave us please.”
Heinrich obeyed. After he closed the door behind him. Eileena wheeled herself up to the table.
“Let’s have a seat.”
Avalon and Silas grabbed a seat across from her.
Eileena’s hair was pulled back in a blond bun. Wise beyond her 32 years, she began revealing the secret in the jeweled egg. As she slipped a purple box out of her black bag, she spoke.
The Story Of Sarah
“I’ve waited a long time for this,” she said kindly. She had a peaceful nature—a light radiating from her that came from the deep. Avalon have seen only a few people like this. This came from having a peaceful spirit. Silas felt the same peace, but wasn’t as familiar with it.
Eileena opened the box on the table. A glimmering light radiated from it. Revealed was a brilliantly jewel-encrusted egg with rubies and diamonds. Silas mouthed the word “Wow.”
Avalon pulled on the white gloves Eileena had for them. She awaited Eileena’s permission before touching the egg.
“My 12-year old niece was gravely ill for ten—.”
Avalon stopped her while looking around. “Eileena, we should reschedule our meeting for a more private—.”
Eileena shook her head. “No. Out meeting is private.”
Before Avalon could challenge her, Eileena showed her wristwatch. “The wonders of technology. No one will know what we say.”
Avalon relaxed. The watch had a small window on the right side with coordinates changing every second. It was a scrambler.
As Avalon was examining it, Silas asked, “Is it a new watch?”
“A test model, but it takes care of our needs.”
“Good,” he replied. Although Silas was a newbie, he knew the watch was a surveillance blocker.
Eileena continued her story. She told that her niece was ill from an unknown blood disorder. The blood was poisoned with toxins that the doctors could not identify. She was horribly weak and could not eat much. She was fed through a needle sometimes. Her name was Sarah.
Sarah attended the local synagogue regularly in Tel Aviv. She prayed and prayed for help, or to at least have the strength to keep living. She loved school and wanted to be a doctor. The excruciating pain that Sarah felt was horrifying.
Eileena witnessed her niece’s pain during her weekly visit. Eileena would sometimes excuse herself to the bathroom to breakdown and cry. One day, after another frightening episode with Sarah writhing in pain, Eileena made a drastic decision. That night she jumped on a flight to Brooklyn, New York to see a childhood friend of hers—a scientist. Her name was Ruth Malachi.
When Ruth learned of Sarah’s condition, the she made a call on Eileena’s behalf. Ruth called her former boss Dr. Ezra Benjamin. She worked under him for a project in Washington, DC during his short residency a few years back. Ruth learned so much about the possibilities of altering genes for disease prevention.
One afternoon, she was walking to a lab in Johns Hopkins where she worked. She began overhearing Ezra talking to his assistant. She stopped at the edge of the door.
Ezra said to the assistant “If this phenomenon is what it is, then diseases could be a thing of the past.”
The assistant cautioned, “First, we need to see how it affected her blood.”
“Gene editing by unexplained occurrence.”
Ruth held her breath—afraid they would hear her. Their conversation quickly turned to today’s lab work. She waited a few minutes before she entered the lab. When she did, Ezra gave her a hearty greeting. They began their work running tests on blood samples for glucose.
Ruth was recording the test results a few hours later, Ezra asked, “I’m leaving my residency early.” “Early? Why?”
“A new research project.”
Ruth looked up from her work. “What is the project?”
“We’re researching the improvement of a woman with sickle cell.”
Ruth put down her notebook, “A new treatment?”
Ezra explained, “Yes—well—we don’t know what to think just yet.”
“Well, it was great working with you?”
Ezra extended his hand and Ruth took it. As they shook hands, Ruth went over in her mind the conversation between Ezra and his assistant. This project could indeed be a breakthrough, but how would their colleagues accept it?
After Ruth told Eileena this experience, she gave her Ezra’s cell number. She told Eileena that Ezra was in San Diego the last she heard a few weeks ago.
Eileena called Ezra the next day. He returned her call the following week.
When she told him her story, he got on the next flight to Tel Aviv to examine Sarah.
Ezra warned Eileena that these examinations must be secret. No one can know what he was doing—examining her condition for the unexplained gene editing.
What Ezra found in her blood samples were similar to Evelyn Meyers’ sickle cell healing. He compared her previous tests, which her horrendous, to the current test that he ran. The mutations and cancer-like growths and abnormalities that Sarah had were gone!
This disease that she had ever since birth was gone.
Back To The Gallery Meeting
Eileena took a quick pause. Silas and Avalon allowed her remarkable story to sink in. Both had plenty of questions, but only one could be first.
Avalon asked quietly, “What’s in it?”
Eileena opened the dazzling egg. Inside was a luxurious velvet lining with a slit pocket in the middle. Poking out of that slit was a very thin plastic object. Eileena slipped the object out and gave it to Avalon.
“This is a USB from Dr. Ezra.”
Avalon examined it in between her fingers. It was the size of her top forefinger—a little thicker than the top portion of her pinky finger.
“Will this tell us where he is?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t tell me?”
Silas and Avalon stopped cold. Silas blurted, “How long ago did he give this to you?”
“Someone slipped it into my handbag while I was grocery shopping weeks after he left. It was originally in a purple pouch and—.”
Avalon interrupted, “A purple pouch?”
“Yes. It had some gold writing on it.”
“Do you have the pouch?”
Eileen
a stuck her hand in the handbag and pulled out the pouch. She handed it to Avalon.
The velvet surface was smooth and cool to the touch. As Avalon turned the pouch over, she saw writing on the back surface. It was sewn in gold letters. She could make out a portion of it as Hebrew, but it was mixed with something else. She wasn’t familiar with the symbols in that mystery language.
“What language is this?”
Eileena shrugged, “Part of it is Hebrew, but don’t know the rest. The Hebrew mentions blood, life, and eyes.”
“We have a linguist—a specialist in ancient languages and symbols. Can we have her to examine it?”
“Of course.”
Avalon placed the egg, USB, and pouch in her briefcase and locked it. Eileena gave a warning.
“You don’t have a lot of time.”
There was a loud knock on the door. It startled them. Avalon opened the door. It was Heinrich.
“Eileena, there is another buyer here to see you now.”
Without arguing, Eileena quietly got up and thanked both Avalon and Silas.
“I do hope to see you in the near future.”
Avalon smiled warmly,”“It was a pleasure.”
Silas lifted up Eileena’s hand in both of his in a reassuring handshake. “Take good care.”
Eileena left the room with Avalon and Silas following behind. Heinrich, however, stopped them.
“There is a piece that you must see. Could you wait for another hour after we close?”
Avalon was skeptical.
“We have a flight tomorrow afternoon.”
“It won’t take long. Please.”
Avalon and Silas agreed.
Both of them joined the other attendees and explored the main exhibit in the meantime.
The Gatekeeper Enters
Heinrich led the two faux buyers to a private room on the second floor. This room was an office, but had a long display case. The case had only one object, which glimmered in red. Heinrich took a small key from his pant pocket.
He unlocked the case and slid open the glass door on the side. He took out two white gloves from his other pant pocket-slipped them on carefully. All of this was done in silence.
Avalon checked out the room to mentally document every possible exit, noticeable security cameras, furniture blocking a clean passage to the door, and any other obstacles.
Heinrich came to Avalon first and opened his cupped hands to reveal a ruby bracelet.
It was magnificent.
Wrapped in rubies and diamonds, the delicate necklace was quite spectacular.
“Silas, could you go to my desk and grab two pairs of the white gloves for you and Avalon?”
Silas complied and placed his hand on the silver knob to open the desk drawer.
An electric current shocked him. Silas collapsed.
“Silas!”
Heinrich grabbed Avalon by the hair—yanked her backwards. She stumbled back. She then saw a flash of silver against her bare neck.
A knife.
The room suddenly lit up in red flashing lights. A deafening siren blasted! Heinrich was knocked off balance grabbing his ears. Avalon drew back her fist, then punched his neck. She hit his nerve. Heinrich fell to the ground paralyzed in pain.
Avalon ran to the barely conscious Silas. She dropped down and pulled him over her shoulder. Lifting herself up with her legs, she bolted out the room with Silas in tow.
She ran down the stairs—taking no chances getting trapped in the elevator. She and Silas made it to the ground floor. Two security guards apprehended her. Avalon struggled to hold onto Silas as the guards pulled him away. Silas was thrown to the ground. He moaned in pain.
“Hang on to her!”
Avalon heard Heinrich calling out from behind.
“We didn’t do anything,” Avalon barked.
Heinrich approached Avalon. His hand grabbed her neck.
“YOU know better than that,” a women’s voice growled.
Heinrich jumped. Everyone snapped their heads to the right. A hazelnut complexion woman, barely 30, stood in the entrance. Her razor sharp eyes sucked all of the oxygen out of the room.
“Morgan,” Heinrich hissed.
It was her! Avalon smirked.
“You have two choices,” Morgan warned.
She cruised in with eyes fixed on Heinrich. She didn’t even acknowledge the guards.
“Get out,” Heinrich bellowed.
Morgan smiled, “Your first choice is to let her go. Second choice—.”
One security guard let Avalon go. He started at Morgan. Heinrich waved his hand. The guard stopped in his tracks.
Morgan didn’t take her eyes off of Heinrich. “Where is your red diamond?”
Heinrich’s face went fiery red. Morgan reached inside her eggplant overcoat. Heinrich charged at her. The second guard grabbed Heinrich. “It’s not worth it!”
Morgan was amused,“You don’t have the manpower to do that..or woman power.”
“Kent! Check on the diamonds,” Heinrich blasted. The same security guard reluctantly let his boss go. He got on his cell phone to call up the front desk. Morgan turned at Avalon. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just a little sore,” Avalon smirked in a strain.
“Boss, it’s still there,” Kent called out.
Morgan laughed. “You actually thought you could frame them for theft?”
Heinrich face was red as a beet. “Your arrogance is going to get you killed little girl.”
“That’s some serious projection there,” Morgan taunted. “What’s the real reason you attempted murder on my friends here?”
“They tried to take something that doesn’t belong to them—or you.”
“Avalon and Silas were here to buy an egg from a seller, nothing more or less.”
Heinrich snapped, “I know better than that when you’re involved.”
“Did she burn this so-called gallery to the ground?”
Heinrich was silenced:.
“Well then! They were here on my behalf to buy a donation piece for a collection."
Heinrich motioned to Kent and the other guard. “Get them out.”
Avalon pulled Silas up.
“Hang onto me.”
Silas leaned on Avalon. Morgan held him up on the other side. As they walked past Heinrich, Morgan side-eyed him with a grin.
“Thank you for your business.”
Misha’s
20 miles away from the gallery, the three had a late dinner in a private dining room at Mischa’s. Morgan knew the pub owner who accommodated their privacy. Two guards stood outside the closed doors of the soundproof room on the lower floor. A corner fireplace crackled with a cozy flame.
The two women and a woozy Silas ate roast, potatoes, and baked carrots. Silas slowly sipped his red wine. The two women had ginger ale and carrot juice. Much of the meal carried small talk for relaxation.
After the three finished eating, the conversation turned to business.
Morgan, with elbows on the table, rubbed her hands together. “Quite a pickle you got yourself into.”
Avalon looked to the side, “Hey, I’m sorry. I should have been more prepared to defend us.”
“No. Don’t you blame yourself,” Morgan argued. “Heinrich will pay a price for that.”
“I was caught off guard.”
Silas held Avalon’s hand. “You saved my life.”
Morgan grinned. “You did everything right. Heinrich was more dangerous than you know.”
Avalon and Silas listened eagerly. Having their undivided attention, Morgan continued. “We believe he was involved in a range of executions including Dr. Amahl and—.”
Morgan zoned out for a moment.
Avalon whispered, “Morgan.”
Morgan snapped out of it and cleared her throat, “And the attempted murder of Magellan.”
Avalon went back in her seat with a sigh. “Oh, I see.”
Silas interrupted in confusion, “Francisco Magellan?�
�
Morgan slowly nodded her head.
“Was that why he up and left Aberdeen so quickly?”
“Among other things, Silas,” mumbled Morgan.
Avalon reached for Morgan’s arm. “Can we—.”
“Yeah, I’ll tell him.”
Silas spoke up, “No one outside this room will know.”
Avalon chuckled, “Well, only a few people know, but we’re a tight group, keeping it close to our vests.”
Morgan smiled, but inside her was the screaming voice of truth. She held too many secrets about him. No one, outside of her and Magellan, will know them all—with one exception.
You, the reader of this book, will see these secrets revealed.
“Now, things are going to start happening fast.”
Avalon tapped her fingers on the table. “We’re ready.”
Silas agreed. “We got it.”
“Good. You won’t be alone. We’re setting up monitors in every location where you’ll be.”
Morgan slightly leaned downwards to the left side of her chair. Her hand reached down and picked up a brown box with a handle and lock. She punched a few numbers on the lock. It opened. She opened the box and pulled out a black leather folder. She opened the folder, which protected a classified document.
“We found Ezra.”
Gasp! Avalon and Silas were both stunned!
“Alive,” Silas shrieked.
“Yes,” Morgan proudly confirmed. “He was hiding on a secluded island off the coast of Iceland. The terrorists found and ambushed him— shot him point blank. They thought they killed him and actually put him on the back of a truck they rented.
Silas piped up “Wait, they didn’t check his heart rate?”
Morgan grinned. “They couldn’t find a heart rate.”
Avalon smiled. “He took something to make his rate too slow.”
Morgan answered “Unidentifiable.”
“What happened with the body,” Avalon responded.
Morgan continued with this amazing story. “Three assassins hauled his body to a small beach. The others left the island. The three were about to set Ezra on fire to dispose his ashes in the ocean.
“Cremation,” Silas whispered.
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