A booming voice came from the other side of the door. It was the agent checking to see if Billy needed anything.
“You alright in there?”
“Great, thanks. I would like you to take down that crap on the windows, replace the batteries in the remote, fix the television, and when is the social hour with all the other guests?”
The guard did not respond.
Billy opened the drawer of the cabinet underneath the telephone and grabbed a book. It was a tattered and torn copy of the Bible, circa 2048.
“I’ve never read this book before.”
Billy flipped open the pages and read the first paragraph.
“Jeremiah 44:22 - The Lord could no longer bear your evil deeds and the abominations that you committed. Therefore your land has become desolate and a waste and a curse, without inhabitant, as it is this day.” He slammed the book closed and didn’t touch it again.
Late in the evening of November 2nd, while millions of Americans sat glued to their television sets, the agent came back into the room and replaced the batteries in the remote, fixed the television, and turned the set to 3N, where the panel of hosts prepared to declare President Dodge the winner of the 2060 election.
The guard snickered as Billy sat in stunned silence in Colorado while the President and his minions celebrated his victory at a swank resort in Bethesda, Maryland.
President Dodge was on stage waving a small American flag in one hand and a smirk on his face. Billy could have sworn the President fixed his eyes on an old man locked in a hotel somewhere on the outskirts of Durango, Colorado.
CHAPTER 31
November 2, 2060
The media expected the election results to be closer than President Dodge’s margin of victory from four years earlier.
Greg sat on the couch, viewing polling results, and wondering when he would see his friend again. When California tabulated their final ballots, 3N declared President Dodge the victor in that state, and those Electoral College votes would push him over the top to secure his re-election.
Almost at the same instant, the same black truck from days ago pulled into Greg’s driveway.
Inside the vehicle, the guard opened his vest and exposed a small hand gun. Billy knew nothing about guns, but his recent experience with these men was not pleasant and assumed the weapon was real.
The guard grabbed Billy by the collar and pulled him close to his mouth. He whispered a deadly threat.
“You don’t ever speak of what happened to you. Is that clear?”
Billy nodded.
“I can’t hear you,” said the thug.
“Yea, I got it. Not a word.”
The guard had one last warning for Billy.
“Your friend Greg will pay the price if you mention any of this. The way the President sees it, Greg saved your life, and now you get a chance to save his. Understand?”
Billy nodded again. The guard released his hold on Billy and pushed him out of the car. Billy stumbled, but didn’t fall, and walked slowly to the house. He rang the doorbell twice and when Greg opened the door and spotted his friend Billy, slightly thinner than a few days ago, but otherwise in good shape, he wrapped his arms around him and gave him a warm hug.
Billy waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, “I’m tired, angry, and want to get some sleep.”
“Jesus Christ, man, where in the hell did you go? Who did this to you? Was it Dodge? Come on, tell me what happened!”
“I can’t talk about it,” whispered Billy.
Greg’s frustration level rose with each question, “You get taken out of here, I can’t find out if you’re alive or dead, you just show up, and you say can’t talk about it? I want to know what the hell happened to you?”
Billy avoided making eye contact, and repeated his suggested reply. “I said I can’t talk about it. I’m sorry, you’ll just have to understand that’s all I can say.”
Billy headed down the hallway toward his bedroom, but Greg wasn’t through with his interrogation, grabbing Billy by the shoulders and facing him directly.
“I’m serious, during this entire journey with you, I’ve never asked for anything, but tonight I want to know what happened to you. I think I deserve an answer.”
Billy found a way to release some of the story.
“I’m not injured. I’m exhausted, and, oh, by the way, they’ll kill you if I tell you anything more than that. Does that help end the discussion?”
Greg’s face froze in terror when he heard that. He released the grip on Billy’s shoulders and watched helplessly as his friend walked quietly into his bedroom.
CHAPTER 32
November 7, 2060
Ballard came into Billy’s room and flicked the lights on and off, “its noon, and time to get up.”
“Turn off the lights!” requested Billy.
Ballard saw Billy planted face down on the mattress and detected the obvious, “I think you’re experiencing another ‘first.’ ”
Billy uttered, “What is it?”
“You’re hungover, even though you hardly drank last night. I guess the taste of beer is growing on you, huh?”
“I don’t know what ‘hungover’ is, but my head is pounding and it’s so bright in here. Was I dreaming or did Dodge win re-election?
“That was several days ago. Dodge is the President for another four years,” said Ballard.
Billy groaned, pulled the covers over his head, and said, “Can you at least close the curtains?”
Ballard acquiesced and pulled the orange and blue curtains closed, stretching the fabric to the limit, and exposing the mural. Billy removed the covers from his head and saw an equally scary sight.
“John Elway curtains? How old is this house?” said Billy.
“My dad bought them as a gag from an online store that specializes in sports memorabilia,” said Ballard.
“My dad hated that guy, but I’m glad he’s blocking out the sun,” said Billy.
“Meet us in the study when you’re dressed,” said Greg. “We dug a box out from the basement earlier today. I haven’t gone through it entirely, and I’m anxious to see if anything rings a bell with you. I think you’re ready to see the contents.”
“Give me five minutes…no, ten minutes,” said Billy.
After showering, Billy walked into the study.
Revitalized, he entered the study. A tall bookcase encompassed the entire south wall of the room. The solid oak piece held an assortment of books ranging from art, music, science, religion, and politics. Billy ran his fingers over the bindings.
A glass table sat next to the leather recliner. Ballard flicked on the lamp. Two folding chairs were in place next to Billy. Greg pulled his chair closer to the table and asked, “Shall we?”
“So, what’s in the box?” asked Billy.
The cardboard box had the logo of an Israeli shipping company stamped on it. Greg cut the cellophane tape that kept the top pieces secured in place. Time had dissolved the adhesive and the box practically opened itself with one slight tug from Greg.
They all inched forward and peered inside. Ballard seized control.
“It’s from Israel. We received it many years ago. You were, eh, out of commission, I guess that’s the best way to say it.”
He reached in and took out two small blue packets. They were identical. Each stamped, “United States of America.”
Ballard opened the packet. “It’s your passport. The other one belongs to your dad.”
Billy grabbed the passport and fumbled through the pages. The first sheet had his name and address, height and weight from 2012. The second page had a stamp he got when he entered Canada, and one from Mexico, and a third from Brazil. The next page had a stamp from England, and one from Israel, the final stop on his fateful trip.
“If people saw these stamps, they’d think I spent a lifetime traveling the world, but all that happened before I could learn to drive a car,” said Billy.
“I’d say you traveled more than an
yone in the world. You don’t get a stamp for the places and things you saw. That might have been helpful. You’d need a book as thick as the United States budget to accommodate your travel stamps. Next time you see that Hargudus fellow, ask him for a stamp,” said Greg, offering a surprising bit of encouragement for Billy’s story of transportation from one era to another.
Billy flipped through his father’s passport. Each stamp-filled page represented a different “Mud Man” episode.
He handed it to Greg, who spun the pages and said to Billy, “It’s like he traveled the entire world.”
“Everywhere except Antarctica,” replied Billy.
Ballard reached in the box. This time he pulled out a leather-bound folder, tied shut with threadlike strips of hemp. “Cool! Check it out,” said Ballard.
When he opened the folder, a map slid out.
Ballard gently placed the map on to the table. He opened it and it covered most of the table.
“What is it? asked Greg.
“That was the map we used in Israel,” said Billy. “It’s in perfect shape. After all these years it looks like it did the last time I saw it. My dad and I were poring over the pictures of the surroundings, and comparing them to pictures from before the flood.”
Ballard reached into the box and withdrew a set of photographs. “You mean these?”
Billy stared at the collection in Ballard’s hands, “Can I see them, please?”
He passed the pictures to Billy with the gentle touch as if he was handing over a newborn to its mother for the first time.
Billy scanned each one silently until he said, “I don’t think I can take any more of this.”
Greg agreed, “Let’s put an end to this segment of your life, once and for all. Ballard, put everything back in the box and seal it up, please.”
“I have to show you one more thing before we call it a day,” said Ballard.
Ballard put away the map, the passports, and the pictures. He took out a document that had the official seal of the Prime Minister of Israel.
Ballard read, “‘To Whom It May Concern, the contents of this box belonged to Jack Callahan. He perished during the earthquake. The items will remain in the possession of Marrick Kon, until such time as remaining Callahan heir, William Callahan, makes a sufficient recovery to receive said items.” Signed, Jacob Isaacson, Commissioner of Documents or land deals approved by the Prime Minister of Israel.’”
He continued. “Marrick was the guy that you met with your dad. The Israeli government gave all your clothes, and extra supplies to him after you left the country. He gave that package to his son, Rafael. When he died, they shipped it to the Keller Institute for a time, and finally it came here.”
“Do you have suggestions what two old men are going to do with some old maps?” asked Billy, with a wry smile.
Greg said, “Why don’t we use these maps to re-enact your trip? You said that the ‘teacher’ instructed you to find that orb. This will certainly narrow the target area. Your story had a beginning, middle, and it needs an end. We’ll all go. Ballard can handle the arrangements, can’t you?”
Ballard kept reading. “Section four focuses on how Marrick Kon paid for the land rights for the area that Jack died in. I think Billy could make a claim on that land. I’ll have to check with my lawyer. His firm could take a look at it. It’s promising, but I don’t know dad, aren’t you guys are a bit past your prime to go gallivanting in the Israeli desert?”
Greg scoffed the suggestion. “Paste my prime? Nonsense! What do you think Billy?”
“I lost my father in Israel. His quick thinking saved my life. If I hadn’t been so scared we might both have survived that day. The teacher told me that finding the orb is the key to saving mankind. I have to go back and try to find it. Can you make it happen?”
CHAPTER 33
November 8, 2060
“I met with my attorney this morning and it’s true, sort of,” said Ballard. “You don’t own the land, but you are the only one who has the right to excavate on that small parcel in Israel. When you die, the rights return to the Israeli government. They’ve been in no particular hurry to force the issue because the land is in the middle of nowhere.”
Greg agreed. “I did some checking today with an associate who works with a man in the antiquities department for the State of Israel. It was determined years ago that the area in questions was worthless. After the quake, the Israeli Commission on Ancient Artifacts spent a lot of resources to understand why Marrick Kon insisted on receiving the rights to the land in an exchange for his donation to the Prime Minister, who needed money to run advertising campaigns against his opponent. The government would have screwed you over in a second if they found something of value. When they didn’t, they abandoned additional funding in the area.”
Billy asked, “Why did Kon insist on the land?
Greg shrugged, but speculated, “Maybe he did it on a hunch? I talked to my source about him. He said that if you knew anything about that guy, he took chances. Marrick occasionally struck gold. He didn’t need anything tangible from the current Prime Minister. The two were knee deep in each other’s pockets. It wouldn’t shock me if he did it on a lark, simply to see how much he could get the man to relinquish. A few ancient Canaanite cities were unearthed in another part of the country a month after the quake. They overlooked the entire area where they found you. I can make a call to my associate and clear the path, within reason. What do you think? Are you ready for it?”
Billy rubbed his eyes. They hadn’t quite returned to the dazzling blue of his youth, but they still showed expression and at this moment they showed confusion. “I’ve given it a lot of thought. I haven’t told you, but at night I have nightmares about the orb. Ballard, your dad told me about your skills in finding hidden treasures. Finding the orb would confirm my story, and make you the richest man in the world.”
Ballard squirmed at the thought of his father wasting money to dig into the middle of the desert looking for something he didn’t believe existed.
“Will you excuse me? I’d like to take a little rest.” Billy headed down the hall to the guest bedroom.
“No problem Billy, Ballard and I have some things to talk about.” When Billy closed the door, the sparks began to fly between father and son. The voices were inaudible at first, making sure that Billy didn’t hear them discuss his situation.
“What do we do now?” exclaimed Ballard, “I thought you were talking about a trip down memory lane to clear his head and allow him to move forward? How are we going to stand right over the spot he plummeted into in 2012 and not give him a chance to go digging for some imaginary piece of metal buried in the middle of the desert?”
Greg had an idea, “We’ll go there and hire a crew. We’ll give Billy the impression that everything’s legit. They’ll use their equipment, and Billy will be convinced that my efforts were sincere. The poor guy needs closure. Maybe being back in Israel will get this nonsensical orb talk out of his head, and he can move forward, not backwards.”
“Shhh, keep your voice down,” muttered Ballard.
“Don’t worry about it. He can’t hear us. I promised to take care of him, and I will.”
Down the hall, Billy eased away from the door. He felt more alone than ever. His unequivocal trust in Greg evaporated in a flash. In the heat of the argument, neither Miller heard Billy open the door enough to catch a few keys words from their conversation.
“Nonsensical orb talk? Oh, Greg, how could you?”
CHAPTER 34
November 23, 2060 - El Al Flight 0308
Denver to Tel Aviv
“I’m glad you decided to return to Israel, I think it’ll be good for you in the long run,” said Greg.
“I hope you’re right,” said Billy. “You guys made this happen so quickly. I can’t believe the Israeli government didn’t stop you. This is all part of my plan to spread the word. The teacher would be proud of me for doing this. That’s the only reason I agreed to go t
o Israel.”
Greg pulled out their itinerary, “We land at Ben-Gurien airport in 16 hours. There’s a car waiting for us. Our crew will meet us tomorrow at the hotel and take us to the Nitzana region, just like you and your dad did in 2012. We have the maps to recreate the trip.”
Billy grinned. “And we’ll get a chance to search the hole where I fell?”
“We’ll try to find it. The Israelis checked the area and found nothing; maybe we’ll be luckier than they were. Nobody’s looked for it in decades, there’s more hi-tech ground penetrating radar today than in 2012. The technology has changed dramatically.”
Billy gazed out the window from his seat in row 4. The plane accelerated and soared into the clouds. Billy had the oddest flashback to his time on the enormous ship orbiting the earth.
He dreamt for hours of his travels with Hargadus, and his family. That was the family that he remembered. His time with his own father ended so long ago that he could barely recall his father’s voice. A few fleeting moments popped in his head from time to time, but oddly, it was Hargadus that he thought of when the conversation turned to family. Billy assumed that the teacher showed him the world in sequential order, which meant that his experiences with the man in the blue clothes occurred back in the summer of 2012. He couldn’t understand why that seemed so recent? The doctors in Cleveland dismissed his story entirely. He hoped Corley believed him, but he wasn’t sure. Greg had given him a new lease on life and had the decency to care for him, to find a way to live out the rest of his life outside the confines of a nursing home. Billy would forever be grateful for that, even if Greg didn’t believe what happened to him. Billy would have to live with that unless he found the missing orb, and the odds of that happening were slim.
Billy awoke and spotted Greg working a crossword puzzle.
Greg pointed to the page. “4 Down… ‘Faith.’ A five letter word that starts and ends with a ‘t.’ ”
Billy glanced at the surrounding letters, “Trust.”
“Thanks,” said Greg, “Are you excited about the trip?”
The Two Worlds of Billy Callahan Page 14
