Michelle took the new information in stride. Cass pressed on.
“Was there a star-portal here?”
“I think so … the ground shifted and hid the direct access. The people who knew the location of the portal and were able to teleport into the portal died out.
“We need to go back to the Temple Mount. There are people there who have maintained the lineage of information for two thousand years. Someone in Jerusalem knows more than all the major religions combined.
“Someone is keeping a secret. We are going to find it.”
The trio walked back along the underground tunnels toward the surface. In the bright sun, Corb led them to a secluded alcove, out of sight of any tourist. Corb teleported the trio to the hotel room he shared with Michelle in Jerusalem. Michelle immediately headed toward a hot shower, closing the door behind herself. Before Cass left for her adjoining room, she asked a question that had been asked dozens of times by the Coterie.
“Corb, when you step into the dark matter realm to teleport, how do you know where to emerge? All I see is weird blue-green color patterns and, bam, we are where we are supposed to be. You go to and from the Jaguar in orbit. In orbit! You can go to the bridge or your quarters on the Jaguar and not end up in a wall. Everything, everywhere, is in freefall, but you never miss. Janish can teleport also but she’s too nervous to do it comfortably. For you it is like breathing. You must have thought about it.”
Corb’s usual response to the same question was simplistic. His canned response was I do what feels right. This time, Corb’s answer was different.
“Cass, I see the destination in my mind’s eye. I step into the dark matter realm and I course correct in the final few meters. I can see, or I assume I can see, the destination from the dark matter when I get close. When I teleported from the starship Marissa to Earth … I was lucky.
“I spoke to Landry and we analyzed the quantum physics. His conclusion makes sense. We were close enough for me to tap into the micro-wormhole connecting the star-portals on K’an and Earth.
“Without knowing it, using pure dumb luck, I connected to the existing dark matter pathway. It is hard to explain. My ability to teleport has been enhanced and is linked to the star-portal symbols on the Jaguar.
“Janish has some of the same thoughts and conclusions about the symbols. Lucinda is unsure and not willing to open up to the idea that the symbols have power. Thinking about the symbols enhances our ability to teleport.”
Corb stopped and noticed Cass was in a rapt focus, listening to his explanation. He continued.
“There is more. Cass, I want you to start thinking about something. What if the Overlords did not exist? What if the concept of Overlords manipulating the galaxy is contrived?”
Considering Corb’s words, Cass grabbed the door handle to exit, but stopped. Holding the door handle, twisting toward Corb, she asked the correct question.
“The symbols are the key?”
“Yes, Cass. The symbols are the key.”
Chapter Seven
ᛍᚼᛆᛕᛐᚱ ᛌᚿ
“My little darlin’ is a firecracker.”
Josh Turner
“We have been in these tunnels for days. There is nothing here.”
Frustrated, Michelle had grown weary of searching dark, dusty catacombs. Despite the frustration of not finding hard data, Cass loved the adventure and learning new things. Michelle’s impatience bubbled over.
“These are the oldest accessible areas. According to the map, we will run out of tunnels to explore at the next intersection. Face it, Corb, this is a dead end. There is nothing here.”
Holding his lantern high, Corb grinned to himself. An unknown person wearing old garments was walking from the last tunnel toward the trio. The ancient person stopped three paces from Corb and knelt in genuflection.
Unprompted, in heavily accented English, the ancient one spoke with solemn reverence.
“Enlightened One, we have waited for your return.”
Corb assumed a regal aura with a straighter spine and his palm arcing upward, bidding the ancient guardian to rise.
“Tell me, old one, where are the scrolls?”
“Enlightened One, the manuscripts you seek are in the star chamber.”
“Landry is insisting I stay but I want to leave. He wants me to stay. He wants me to be his eyes and ears. I do not want to be connected to Landry. I do not know …”
In tears, Michelle had demanded Corb teleport her out of the subterranean star-portal. The ancient one had led the trio to the star-portal and an adjacent inner sanctum. Similar to the library under Xunantunich, the inner sanctum, a library chamber under Jerusalem, was dusty, dark, cool, and brimming with scrolls and books. For five hours, Corb was questioning the ancient one while Cass tried desperately to create a pictorial catalog of the antechamber’s contents. Corb told Cassandra to stay and continue the pictorial catalog before he and Michelle teleported out of the star chamber.
Corb understood Michelle was experiencing a crisis of conscience. Michelle realized they were close to existential proof of the fallacy of most of Earth’s religious dogma. Michelle’s master’s degree in evangelical studies had not prepared her for what she now understood about humanity’s place in the universe.
After teleporting close the surface, near the catacomb’s entrance, Michelle had run out of the catacombs and found an unoccupied park bench next to a scrawny willow tree. The shock of going from the cool catacombs into the blaring heat of the middle-east sun went unnoticed. Slowly approaching and sitting next to Michelle, Corb waited for her to continue. Michelle noiselessly cried, tears flowing, unable to articulate the emotional pain she was experiencing. After several long moments, Corb spoke tenderly.
“Michelle, no one is forcing you. I know this new information has been hard on your personal faith. Do you want me to take you back to the ship?”
“No, Corb, you are missing the point. I want to go home.”
“Home? To Postahoka? To Texas?”
“Yes.”
Michelle leaned over, placed her head on Corb’s shoulder, and intertwined her fingers with his right hand, their laced fingers a symbol of their permanent bond. She waited for Corb’s response.
“I will take you home. When you are ready, I will come get you. This is about faith. You have learned the truth of our history. Now you know the original foundation of your faith is not coming back. There could still be a God, and this could all be his or her grand design.
“Michelle, faith does not require adherence to a specified religious dogma. Faith requires acceptance of what is real and trust in beliefs that cannot be proven.”
“Yes, Corb. I understand. Intellectually, I understand. Emotionally … I guess … I retained the idea that my deep faith would return. Now, I know it is gone forever. No, that is not correct. My faith … it is not gone … it is different.”
“Will you insist Landry break the connection to you?”
“I stopped the connection when I left the inner sanctum. I am not going to let him reconnect.”
“Michelle, you still have your faith. It is still who you are … It is what makes you the kind soul we all love and admire. You are never going to lose your faith. It is not an either-or question. Accept the new knowledge and keep your faith in God and the grand design.”
Michelle smiled and gripped Corb’s hand a little more tightly. Looking up, she saw tears welling in Corb’s eyes. They had not been apart for more than a couple of days in several years. Their close bond made each other stronger. Facing the possibility of this being the end for them wrenched at their souls.
“Michelle, your connection is still bright when I look for it.”
“Of course, bozo. I will never stop loving you.”
They stared longingly at each other until Michelle squeezed Corb’s hand, signaling she was ready to go.
“Michelle, whatever you do, please do not ignore the visions. You have been given a gift. What your grandmother and y
our mother call the Sight is a gift. Do not ignore its messages.”
“I plan to speak to my grandmother and my mother. Mostly my grandmother. She may know more than she has shared with me. You are correct, I need to reconcile my faith with all that I have learned and my ability to understand the Sight.”
Reaching up with her free hand, Michelle gently wiped the tears from Corb’s face. Corb looked to Michelle, deliberately oozing the charm and a smooth southern drawl that he knew she adored.
“Michelle, you’ve got some snap in your garters. Might as well...”
Michelle finished Corb’s southernism.
“Hell, why not, you can’t dance, I might never be a singer, and it’s too wet to plow.”
Looking sideways at Michelle, she had repeated some of the first words she said to him as a couple. With the best cowboy smile Michelle had ever seen, Corb simply said, “Thank you.”
They reappeared on the porch of her mother’s house in Postahoka, Texas.
Embracing, Corb kissed Michelle’s forehead. Gently pushing away, she pulled the screen door open at the same time as her mother opened the front door.
While Michelle was embracing her mother, Corb stepped off the porch and back to the park bench under the sad willow tree near the entrance to the ancient catacombs.
Cass had requested the guardian lead her out of the inner sanctum and was standing outside the catacomb’s metal entrance grate. Through the glaring haze of radiant heat, Cass could see the pain on Corb’s face and decided to stand fast. She stood, waiting, stoic. She was fighting the tears of knowing her friends would never be the same.
After many minutes of unspoken pain, Corb stood, walked over, and hugged Cass. Corb said nothing as they both walked back into the catacombs. Out of sight of any tourist, they teleported back to the dormant star-portal and stepped into the inner sanctum. The ancient one was exuberant at their return. Cass spoke softly to Corb.
“The scrolls are there, but the sage is hesitant to discuss them with me. It is the treasure for which everyone has been searching. The scrolls are the Holy Grail.”
Nodding, Corb turned to the old man.
“Old one, are you the last?”
“No, Enlightened One, I am not the last. You have met Ire and Yari. There are a few others who maintain the secret. They are few, but more will join when they learn the legend of the Enlightened One is upon us. The scrolls are here. There is a great wisdom in this place. The secret… The secret is not here. Centuries of searching. Hundreds have read the scrolls.
“No one found the secret.”
Corb remained calm allowing Cass to gently ask a simple question.
“Do the scrolls indicate the secret exists?”
“Yes, Doctor Brady, the scrolls tell us it exists but not how to access it. The scrolls are not the Holy Grail, Doctor Brady. The secret is the grail. The scrolls are merely a guide.”
“Old one, do you know where it is hidden?”
“Enlightened One, the scrolls tell us of a place that no longer exists.”
“How many scrolls are there, old one?”
The old man twisted his head and looked at Corb with an expression of exasperation, but he answered, nonetheless. “There are thousands of scrolls.”
With an overwhelming enlightenment of understanding, Corb pressed on. “How many scrolls reference the Enlightened One?”
Standing a little straighter, with brighter eyes, the old man responded, “There are nine that contain the words Enlightened One.”
“Please, old one, take me to the nine scrolls.”
The ancient sage turned, and with an invigorated pep in his step, he zipped around the inner sanctum, pulling scrolls from shelves. When he had collected the nine specific scrolls, he placed them on the dusty stone table.
Cass’s exuberance gushed. “Why those nine scrolls? I mean, other than the reference to you, what do you think they contain? What makes them special?”
“Cass, those are the questions we are trying to answer.”
Corb stopped with a realization. Something leaking from his subconscious had forced an understanding. He recognized the inner sanctum was not adjacent to the star-portal chamber. The passageway from the star-portal to the inner sanctum was itself a teleportation portal.
“Old one, we are no longer in Jerusalem. The grail has never been found because you hid the passageway, and no one knew this place existed until twenty-five years ago.”
“That is correct, Enlightened One.”
“Where are we, Corb?”
“Cass, this library is below Göbekli Tepe.”
Cassandra’s mouth distorted in awe.
After several moments, the old one rearranged the nine vellum scrolls into a neat pile on the dusty stone table. He paused in a moment of contemplation before looking to Corb for approval.
Corb nodded endorsement, and using his nanobot connection, he contacted Landry.
“Landry, can the light emitters on the Jaguar change the light spectrum? Are they able to emit the visible and invisible light spectrum?”
The ancient one and Cassandra waited while Corb nodded and acknowledged a conversation they could not hear.
“Yes, the emitters are capable of producing a wide spectrum of light. But it would be better for you to ingest the new nanobots and use augmented eyes.”
“Do you know what I am about to try?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Thank you. Make the galley ready. I will be there in a few minutes. I am bringing Cassandra with me. Contact Janish, tell her to find Lucinda, and have them meet me on the Jaguar.”
“Old one, the scrolls will be returned to you undamaged. I will not let them leave my sight.”
“Enlightened One, they are yours to use as you deem necessary. All of this … it is yours.”
Corb pulled an old hemp sack from a shelf, loaded it with the nine scrolls, and tucked it under his left arm. Nodding an unspoken thank you to the ancient one, he stuck out his right elbow for Cassandra to grab.
They both appeared in the galley on the Jaguar.
Chapter Eight
ᛍᚼᛆᛕᛐᚱ ᛁᚼᛐ
“The right thing to do never requires any subterfuge, it is always simple and direct.”
Calvin Coolidge
TCCC Assembly Chamber — Geneva
“Miss Wilbon, thank you for meeting with us. We have several questions for you that will help us understand what happened while the Jaguar was traveling to and from Zerain. We appreciate your perspective. Your input will help us understand how to control Mister Johnson.”
Less than a week after she arrived home, the TCCC had convinced Michelle to travel to the new head office building for the Terra Carina Celestial Council in Geneva. Sitting in the center of a large, amphitheater-style conference room, Michelle was sure she was about to be grilled. But Chairman Barnes made a mistake and gave away the real nature of the briefing in his opening three sentences, and her nervousness washed away in an instant.
“Chairman Barnes, distinguished council, interrogating me will not lead you to a path of control over Corb. Interrogating me will only annoy me and, if I choose, bring forth Corb’s ire.
“Chairman Barnes, I strongly urge you to start again. I will determine if there is value in my continued cooperation with the Celestial Council.”
When she finished, the chairman reached up and pressed a button on the small console under his microphone. The six sets of double doors on the periphery of the assembly chamber opened and in stepped six armed guards.
Watching the overt show of force, Michelle smiled and mentally switched on her nanobots and connected to the FTL communication device at Q’eqchi. The device immediately initiated an FTL connection to the Jaguar.
“You see, Miss Wilbon, we must insist you answer our questions and the Jaguar will return to the control of the TCCC.”
Not taking her eyes from the chairman, suppressing a giggle, Michelle asked a question. She did not need to say it out loud fo
r the assembly but knew the effect would be interesting.
“Landry, do you know where I am located?”
In her head, she heard Landry’s response.
“Yes, Michelle, you are in the TCCC main assembly hall in Geneva, Switzerland.”
“Can you access the speakers in this assembly hall?”
“Yes, Michelle, I have access to the TCCC network.”
“Landry, please process your responses through the audio system here in the assembly hall.”
“Yes, Michelle.”
The twelve-member TCCC sat in subdued silence. Waiting.
“Landry, please record the remainder of the interrogation.”
“Recording.”
“Chairman Barnes, please continue.”
“Miss Wilbon, a recording of our questions will not be necessary.”
“No? Why the show of force when I suggested this interrogation would not proceed as you designed? Landry, please pipe this to Q’eqchi for Davinder, Jan, and Himari.”
“Done, but you will have to wait a few minutes for Jan to finish his shower.”
“No need. He can catch up with Davinder and Himari.”
“Miss Wilbon, we have the power to detain you and force you to answer our questions.”
“Whoa, I thought it would take a while before you resorted to overt threats of physical force. What happened to softball questions leading to the hard stuff? So be it.”
She raised her right hand and waved it to the guard directly to her right, who dropped to the floor, unconscious. The remaining five guards raised their rifles and pointed them at Michelle.
“Chairman Barnes, council, this is your last opportunity to be reasonable. I will answer your questions and provide any appropriate information. However, if your goal here is to exert control over me to gain a position of influence with Corb, you miscalculated.”
One of the three councilwomen looked to the chairman and received dismissive waves of approval. She turned to Michelle with her questions.
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