Yes, they’d had little spats over the years, but Adrasteia was usually the one to always give in to him. Usually the first and only one to say ‘I’m sorry’. Jay never apologized for anything. Since he always deemed himself as the one in the right, he never felt he had to.
Whether Adrasteia knew it or not, Jay had married her for three simple reasons. She was from a prestigious family, was just as shallow as him, and was very accommodating to his will. Unlike Juna, who’d seemed shallow and accommodating for years only to one day reveal a depth of spirit and a will of steel that had been highly stimulating, yet highly irritating at the same time. Jay never was able to break either one.
With Franko now firmly on her lap, Adrasteia began to stroke his thick shaded silver fur. Usually that soothed her, but today it rendered her motionless…completely and utterly motionless.
What?!
Adrasteia literally could not feel her arms or her legs now. And her tongue felt too heavy to move. Am I having a stroke? she wondered as ‘Franko’ leaped off her lap. She had been under a lot more stress lately.
Maybe I’m losing my mind, too, Adrasteia mused as she helplessly watched her cat leap up to the television on the wall and turn it on. He’d never done that before.
“I thought you might want to see the show, Mrs. Horrell,” Nasiir said, before running his paw over the hidden transporter collar at his neck. He made a mental note to tell the others that he’d smelled Lakota’s bloodline in Adrasteia’s veins, which meant that somehow the two women were related.
Yes, I am definitely losing my mind, Adrasteia thought as she then watched her talking cat vanish into thin air.
Appearing in the room where a waiting Badru was, Nasiir said only three words, “It is time.” Then he transformed back into Doberman form and prepared to lead this particular Earth friend into battle.
________________________________________
[i] Exodus 14:13
[ii] Proverbs 12:10
Chapter 30
In the country-blue and white kitchen, Jay hummed a happy tune as he prepared to fix himself a salami and mustard sandwich on rye. Once upon a time, this type of sandwich was a part of everyday life. Now it was a delicacy. A delicacy that Jay enjoyed as often as he wished. Even if the rest of the world went hungry, he’d still make sure he had the fixings for a salami and mustard sandwich on rye.
“Still eating unhealthy foods, huh? It’s a wonder you’re still alive,” Badru said from his standing position behind the white-topped oak island in the center of the room.
“What the…?” Jay dropped the salami roll in his hands and turned away from the wooden carving block and knife he’d been about to use. “How did you get in here?” He glared at Badru, only briefly noticing the large dog with him.
So focused on his longtime enemy, Jay missed the small electronic device that shot from the dog’s mouth up to the ceiling. With a brief press of a button at Nasiir’s paw, this covert meeting was now traveling all over the world’s airwaves.
“It’s a secret,” Badru replied. “But then again, you know all about keeping secrets, don’t you, Jay?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Red spots began to appear in Jay’s cheeks, deepening the freckles there.
“Yes, you do,” Badru replied, noting the color changes in the other man’s face. “Remember the secret virus you planted in the last satellite message to the Mannings? The same smart virus that attacked the spacecraft’s mainframe on their way home and made it impossible for them to return to Earth safely.”
“I still don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jay lied, maintaining his innocence even now. For all he knew Badru could be part of an undercover sting. How else could he have gotten past his bodyguards and into his home? Perhaps even Adrasteia was in on it. She had been acting funny lately.
“Yes, you do. On the day my daughter was born, you were called upon to assist with the satellite message in my absence. You knew I’d be out of the office all day and probably wouldn’t be able to double check the message before it was sent. Thus you used that time to sabotage the Mannings’ mission,” Badru continued.
“Never did such a thing,” Jay contended. He suddenly became very aware of the dog in their presence when Nasiir growled. As a result, Jay secretly reached behind him for the knife on the counter.
“Oh, but you did. But what you didn’t know was that this particular virus had a way of telling on its creator. Like all vegetation points towards the sun, that smart virus pointed to its creator by holding within it the time, date, and computer ID from which it was created.”
Jay turned even redder in the face. Yet he remained silent in order not to jeopardize his career goals in any way. If his high-priced lawyers were here, they would have advised him to do that very same thing.
“Although your virus was created on the computer that I normally used, it was done during the hours that I was at the hospital coaching my wife through her delivery. My daughter’s birth certificate can verify that, as well. If H-NASA had only investigated deep enough, they would have found this out.” Badru smirked. “But you made sure that didn’t happen, didn’t you? You made sure the investigation was called off before the real truth came out.”
“Don’t try to blame me for your incompetence,” Jay retorted as his anger rose. “Now get out of my home before I call the police!” He tried to bring a swift end to this conversation just in case it was being heard by others. He could not afford to have his enemies use this information to thrust his bid for the presidency, even at this late date.
Jay still had no idea that every television set, every radio, electronic billboard, and every other communication device all over the English-speaking world was receiving this broadcast.
Seeing that his enemy was not going to loosen his lips without the right kind of provocation, Badru tried another approach. “I’m leaving, but before I go, I think you need to know that Juna knew exactly who sabotaged their mission before she died.”
“How would you know that? All reports say that they died in space.” Jay was waiting on the man to reveal that Juna and Elexander were still alive somewhere and had raised their son after all. How else could one explain the Elexander look-alike he’d seen pictures of?
Badru shook his head disapprovingly. “That’s another reason I never wanted you on my team. You never paid enough attention to the small details. Those reports only indicated that the Mannings launched their testament pod in space before they died. They didn’t say that they actually died in space. If you had paid even closer attention to the reports, you would have seen that the launch date of the pod was months after their departure from Nico-1. Therefore, Elexander and Juna would have had time to figure out exactly who sabotaged their mission home.”
“No!” Jay bellowed, clenching the knife behind his back tighter. “Juna died believing only the best of me!”
“She died finally seeing you for the monster that you really are!” Badru retorted. “She also died still deeply in love with another man. Juna must have mentioned how much she loved Elexander at least twenty times in her digital will.”
“Juna was deceived by his brilliance. She didn’t really love him. She loved me.” Jay didn’t care if the whole world heard him now.
If only he knew that half the world was listening to him, and very intently at that. At this very moment, traffic had stopped all over the United States and even in other English-speaking countries as they all waited on pins and needles to see what would happen next.
~~~ >< ~~~
“As you say on Earth, he is about to lose it completely now,” Xander said concerning Jay. Like countless other viewers, he and Afua had watched this significant meeting between old enemies from the first second it aired. They watched from the monitors in the control room.
“I know,” Afua said through clenched teeth as she stood to her feet. She couldn’t sit still any longer while her father was in harm’s way. As a result, she got up and
began to pace the floor in the circular room.
“You’re the deceived one,” Afua heard her father say. “You actually thought that Elexander took Juna away from you. You have no idea that you would have lost her anyway.”
“You lie!” Jay growled like an animal. “Juna would have never left me, if it had not been for him messing with her head, convincing her that her life with me was without meaning.”
Badru scoffed. “Juna had come to that conclusion all by herself. In fact, she was ready to kill herself the night she met Elexander. If it hadn’t been for the Lord saving her and sending Elexander her way, she would have died over thirty years ago instead of twenty.”
Without even looking at the monitor, Afua knew when Jay went over the edge. It was in the cold hardness of his voice as he said, “You should have died with the rest of your friends.”
“Which friends are those?” Badru asked. “The Mannings? All my associates working on the Nico-1 mission? Or my wife? All whose deaths you are personally responsible for!” His nostrils flared at the memory of all those he’d lost to such evil.
Jay’s face actually looked demonic in nature now. He growled again, yet no words came out this time.
Dr. Karson continued, despite the appearance of pure evil in front of him. No doubt Jay had been demon possessed for years. “But those aren’t the only deaths that were going to be on your head, were they, Mr. Vice President? No, because once you became President, you were going to take over the whole world, killing anyone that stood in your way. Then you were going to turn the world’s space program into a mad conquering machine in order to systemically take over other planets, too.”
Badru laughed. “But not now. Now the whole world will know your evil plans, because this conversation has been aired from the moment I entered this room. Now you will be stopped once and for all!”
Realizing that his plans had been utterly exposed though he knew not how, Jay actually roared out his rage at this point. Then he prepared to do another unthinkable thing in front of millions of viewers.
Simultaneously, Afua pressed the button on her transporter and vanished from the spacecraft. She could not stand back and let another parent die without doing something to prevent it. Something now, not later!
Chapter 31
Xander could not believe his eyes as he watched Afua’s purple-clad figure suddenly appear on the monitor. Fortunately, she materialized near the doorway of Jay’s kitchen so most viewers would not be able to tell if she’d appeared out of thin air or simply entered from another room.
Unfortunately, Afua ran and leaped in front of her father just as Jay threw a large knife at him. Instead of Badru, the knife found her midriff and sunk in deep. With a look of shock, followed by one of realization, Afua dropped to the floor in a heap.
“No!” Xander yelled, pressing buttons on his transporter as fast as his fingers would go.
Why did they ever teach Afua how to use a transporter?
Why didn’t she obey the Lord and just stand still? God’s salvation would have come. He promised it would!
Xander would upload his file of documented evidence at a later time. Right now he had to get to Afua.
~~~ >< ~~~
Meanwhile, Jay, Nasiir, and Badru were speechless for different reasons at the sudden appearance of Afua. Jay, because he’d just seen someone materialize out of nowhere. Nasiir, because speech from him at this moment would expose him and ultimately his people to a world that wasn’t ready for them. Badru was speechless because he just realized who it was that was destined to be hurt today.
Rushing over to his daughter, a grief-stricken Badru held her limp body in his arms. “Oh, Afua. Why didn’t you stay put, baby girl?” It pained him to his heart to see her so unresponsive, even though it had been prophesied that she would make it. If Badru hadn’t had that word of comfort to hold on to right now, he would have surely thought she was dying from all the blood leaking out of her side.
Simultaneously, Xander appeared in a kneeling position under the large oval-shaped kitchen table. That was done to hide his sudden appearance from plain view. It was also done because that was near where Afua had fallen.
Meanwhile, a quick thinking Nasiir directed the overhead camera via a control device planted within his right paw to focus solely upon Jay now. The close-up of Jay revealed shock and horror as his wide eyes took in the most incredible things.
Jay couldn’t believe that he was now staring at Elexander’s look-alike. He’d been hunting this man for weeks and now here he was, right there in his very own kitchen. That man’s entrance couldn’t have been more unbelievable.
Jay watched speechless as that same look-alike scooped Badru’s wounded daughter up in his arms and disappeared with her as if they both had never even been there. If Afua’s blood wasn’t pooled upon the blue and white kitchen tiles and blotted upon Badru’s brown shirt, Jay would have thought he imagined the whole thing. It all still seemed like a dream. A very bad dream.
Even now Jay couldn’t shake the menacing look Elexander’s look-alike gave him right before he left. If the girl had not needed acute medical attention, Jay was convinced that the Greek-looking man would have killed him on the spot. He shuddered at that thought.
“That is the last person you will hurt that I love.” Badru stood to his feet.
With Afua safely with Xander, Dr. Karson lunged across the island that separated him from his enemy. His hands were in clench mode. His intent was to choke the life out of Jay and rid the world of him once and for all.
Yet Badru would never make it to the shocked man. Someone else wanted to take care of Jay[i]. A very powerful Someone else.
Suddenly, the Horrells’ lake house began to shake. It wasn’t a small shaking that gradually increased. This shaking started big from the very beginning and seemed prepared to disturb the house clear down to its very foundation.
Soon a large crack appeared in the kitchen floor, separating the righteous from the unrighteous. Badru and Nasiir stood on one side and held on to the sturdy island. Jay stood on the other, doing his best to stay away from the crack, even to the point of climbing upon the countertop. He was nearly in the wide sink now.
Meanwhile, the crack continued to get wider and wider until it seemed as if it would completely divide the house in sunder. Jay screamed in terror with each expansion. His mind began to fray at the edges as he sensed the inevitable.
Worse, there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Jay had crossed the wrong Person. He never felt more alone in his life. Even the gang of evil spirits that had possessed him and empowered him[ii] for years had abandoned him by now.
Though that crack in the kitchen floor did not divide the house, it did stop just wide enough for a particular purpose. That purpose would be shortly revealed as Badru, Nasiir, and most of the world watched as another powerful earthquake thrust a terrified Jay into the crack.
Simultaneously, a thick flame of fire rose from the abyss and lit upon the wicked man. Completely engulfed in flames, the screaming man tumbled downward, downward into a tormenting place.[iii] The ground moved only once more after that as it slammed closed upon Jay with a satisfied groan.
Even though Badru’s eyes were wide, he was not nearly as shocked as the rest of the world. After being around Xander and Nasiir for months, not to mention living with a prophetic daughter, he was rapidly becoming used to extraordinary occurrences.
Thinking of his daughter now, Badru turned to the monitoring device on the ceiling and announced the following to the English-speaking world, “As you have just seen, Jay Horrell met with a most appropriate end for all of his crimes against the Mannings, my family, and people everywhere. As for the things you witnessed today, I will be glad to talk to you about those at a later time. Right now I have to see about my daughter.”
With those words, Nasiir switched the monitoring device off with a swipe of his paw. With another swipe, the device dislodged from the ceiling and returned to him.
Then together, Nasiir and Badru used their transporters to return to the spacecraft.
~~~ >< ~~~
Meanwhile, Adrasteia remained in the master suite, still unable to move, still unable to speak. Yet she could see and thus she continued to watch the television monitor, which was now filling up with news reports to discuss what nearly everyone in the world had seen.
Tears dropped from Adrasteia’s cheeks to her red and black blouse. They had been coming out of her eyes for a while now as the reality of her husband’s wickedness continued to sink in. In the background, she could hear the house phone start to ring. A persistent knocking began at the front door.
Adrasteia wouldn’t be able to answer the phone or the door for another hour and ten minutes. Even if she could move, she wouldn’t go to either one, for on the other end of that phone and on the other side of that door was nothing but further heartache and sorrow for her.
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[i] Exodus 14:14
[ii] Luke 8:29-30
[iii] Numbers 16:25 -35
Chapter 32
Back on the ship, Badru and Nasiir entered Xander’s well-lit cabin. Afua lay on a flat surgical shulchan that had been hidden within one of the storage cabinets in the walls, along with all the necessary medical equipment. That was further evidence of just how much thought had gone into building this spacecraft.
Xander nodded to his friends just as he was sewing Afua’s wound closed with tiny sutures. It had taken nerves of steel and the use of every medical procedure he’d learned on Katan to operate on her. Yet Xander had done it. He’d done it well. However, he had not done it alone.
While using diamond-shaped Katanian body scanners to determine the extent of Afua’s injuries, Xander had seen angels posted from corner to corner in the room.[i] They all looked ready to pounce on any trace of evil that dared show up during Afua’s most vulnerable state. Especially now that the moment of disobedience had passed.
On top of all that, Xander saw bright rays of light literally coming from the anointed woman’s body. It was obvious that the Creator was most definitely working some things out within Afua and on her behalf.
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