“Anyone wishing to emigrate will be welcome. I don’t know if you’ve read the books, but at last count, the population of HeVan, a planet larger than Earth, is less than twenty million.
“I’m offering the same deal the Federal Government offered the early settlers here in America. You can emigrate and acquire farmland in the country or have a business in one of the cities.
“If people choose to stay here, we will be farming up in Wisconsin to raise supplies and fresh food for the Far Star Space Station, currently sitting at the edge of our solar system. In addition, we’re opening a retreat for abused women and their children.
“My job is to rebuild a world and we want to do it without exposing the Nephilim to the vagaries of world politics and various government agencies. You could say it’s my version of the Prime Directive. I guess I am asking for something. I’m asking for you to keep our secret.”
“We’ll keep your secret. As for the rest, I’ll speak to her mother. I’ve read enough science fiction to know that having someone like Cassandra around would be a big deal for you,” he said.
“I don’t believe in sacrificing the needs of one for the needs of the many. I won’t ever ask someone to do something I wouldn’t do myself if I could. It would be wrong even to ask, as that in itself is a burden. Your choices, your wife’s choices and Cassandra’s choices must be your own.”
She took a minute to gather her thoughts. Reaching forward, Addie put her hand over his.
“These subjects are heavy. They have consequences. These decisions shouldn’t be made quickly, but with deliberation. And in your family’s case, they should be unanimous. I wouldn’t want to harm your family harmony. I can tell that you’re all very close.”
Cassie began to stir. All at once she came awake with a gasp, clutching at Addie’s hand as she spoke. “The lady, she was in the line, she’s going to be hurt. You have to tell her not to go into that place,” she said desperately.
“Slow down, Cassie, it will be alright. First, tell me what the lady looks like, what she is wearing?” asked Addie.
“She has blonde hair and she’s my height, I’m five-foot-three. Umm - she’s wearing a black dress. It’s short. The hem is above the knee and it had those folds - you know how they do…here,” she said, gesturing to her hip area.
“Umm - she’s a little curvier than I am…Oh, and they pulled her out of the line.”
“What do you mean by pulled her out?” asked her father.
“I mean, she didn’t go up to the table right away. Some of the men - I think three of them - came and took her and a friend away. Just a minute,” she said. Holding on to her father’s shoulder, she climbed up on a chair and started to look around the room.
“There she is! She’s sitting at that table in the back by itself. Only her hair is different. Tell her that after she cuts her hair and colors it like Marilyn Monroe, she has to stay home. No traveling to foreign countries or she’s going to be kidnapped.”
“Kidnapped! Did you see anything else?” asked Addie in a worried voice, because now she knew who they were talking about.
“I’m sorry. I only know they’re going to hurt her really bad if they get her. I think she gets away but it would be better if she didn’t go.”
“I know who you’re talking about. The other lady in the corner is her twin sister. I have to try to find her. I’ll leave you now. Here is a number you can call if you have any more questions.
“Johanna, Miranda, and Becky, the woman Cassie just saw in her vision will all be staying here on Earth. Not everyone is leaving.
“And of course, you’re welcome to pay a visit to the space station if you’d like,” said Addie, before getting up to find Grace. Grace had her cell phone with her.
“I hope she finds her. Can we go home now?” she asked her father.
“Sure, sweetie. Your mom’s probably wondering what’s become of us. It looks like we need to have a family conference. We have a lot to talk about.”
***
Becky stopped off in a ladies room one floor down when she realized people were looking at her strangely. After splashing cold water on her face, she headed back out to get a cab. As she was crossing the convention floor, she saw two familiar faces coming towards her.
She realized, in a moment of clarity, what a complete idiot she had been. She was a fighter. Besides, they were hers. So what if she couldn’t cook, all her plants died and she was allergic to dogs and cats? That didn’t mean she couldn’t be a great wife and mother.
Suddenly the future looked a hell of a lot brighter. She sent a quick text to Grace— I have to go out and play. Too bad, I just realized I’m an idiot. Tell them I love them.
She hit send just as the men reached her. Grace was the only one that knew she worked for the CIA and ‘going out to play’ was the phrase she used to tell Grace she had an assignment.
I hope Grace tells the guys that I came to my senses before I even left the building, thought Becky.
Chapter Eighteen
“Becky Anderson - long time no see. How long has it been?” asked Steve Weston, her boss with the CIA. The agent at his side stayed silent.
“It has to have been a month, maybe five weeks?” she said, giving the correct response code.
“What do you say we get a drink and catch up?”
“Lead the way. I’m all yours.”
None of them said another word as they walked to the nearest exit. They left the Convention Center and crossed the sidewalk to climb into a black Chevy Suburban with tinted windows. The silence continued until they reached a small private airstrip south of Chicago.
“You know the routine,” said Steve, holding up a plastic pouch.
Becky dropped in her clutch purse, then quickly removed all of her jewelry and added it to the pouch. Sealing the pouch, they both signed it and he handed it off to the driver. Then the three of them exited the vehicle and walked over the tarmac to climb the stairs of a jet standing by.
As they strapped into their seats for take-off, Becky asked the question that was burning a hole in her gut.
“How long have you known that I have a twin sister, Steve?”
“Since you started working for us,” he answered.
“And you didn’t think I deserved to know?”
“Not my call, Blondie. Now, that’s enough of the personal stuff. We have a situation…”
Becky struggled to pay attention as Steve outlined the mission brief. The knowledge that he’d known and hadn’t mentioned it - she thought they were friends. She placed a hand on her stomach; her dinner wasn’t sitting too well.
***
Grace was at a table speaking with a group of women when Addie walked up. It took them a few minutes to break away.
“Grace, would you call Becky’s cell? She’s disappeared and Cassie just had a vision that she was going to be in danger,” said Addie in a low voice.
Grace immediately pulled her cell phone out of her bag. She’d turned it off earlier and it took a minute to turn on and boot up.
“There’s a text message here from Becky.”
She opened it up and read it.
“Damn it!” She immediately called Becky’s phone. While it was ringing, she asked Addie what type of danger Cassie had foreseen.
“She said Becky would be traveling to a foreign country, get kidnapped, and then be hurt. She also said she would get away but not before being hurt badly. You know something Grace. What aren’t you telling me?” asked Addie.
“You know the reason why Becky is able to do so much for us - get all the identifications and make up all the backgrounds and put them in place?” asked Grace. She disconnected when she got voicemail and tried calling again.
“Well, she was caught hacking into a federal database when she was fourteen. Instead of sending her to jail, they made her a deal. She’s been on the government’s payroll ever since. She has legitimate access to all the databases she needs.
“They put her thro
ugh basic training. They paid for her to go to school. It wasn’t a scholarship. When they call, she goes. In the meantime, she does consulting for them and helps keep out other hackers from their systems,” said Grace.
Becky still hadn’t answered. She tried sending a text. ‘Becky, Seer says job will go south. Danger! Back out now!’
“Why didn’t she tell me? How come you know all this and I don’t?” Addie asked, getting more upset.
She put out a golden aura, and her eyes began to glow.
“I found out accidentally. The CIA loaned her out to the FBI on a local case that had a crossover with one of mine. She swore me to secrecy. That was when we worked out the code. She’d send me a coded text whenever she’d have to leave town suddenly on one of their jobs. The text I received means that she’s been called in.
“For every job, she turns over all identification and goes in wherever with fake credentials.” Grace took a deep breath and let it out.
“It’s too late, Addie; she’s already gone. I have no way to contact anyone else. All we can do is pray,” she said.
Addie started to cry, her Ankida were instantly there to take her in their arms. Since she was obviously pregnant, they explained the tears as hormones run amok to any who asked.
Granny Mac came over from where she was sitting to help get her out of the room until such time as she could calm down.
Grace went over to the table where Becky’s Joins were sitting with her twin sister and the others. She explained to them what had happened and made sure they understood that before she left, Becky had wanted them to know that she was coming back to them and that she loved them.
“Exactly how much danger is she in, Becky?” asked Ishme.
“Cassie wasn’t sure. She only knew that Becky would be hurt before she got away. If she’s strong enough to get away, her injuries won’t be life threatening. You have to hold on to that.
“When we get her back, we’ll do whatever it takes to make her whole again. In the meantime, I’m going to reach out to all of my contacts and see if I can’t prevent her from being taken. I’ll start with the FBI agents I worked with when I found out about Becky’s job.
“I’ll keep you informed,” she said and left.
“Have hope, stay strong,” said Markus.
Tammy reached over and took Markus’s hand.
“I don’t know what Becky is doing or where she’s being deployed, but this country looks after its own and never leaves a man behind. She won’t be alone, she’s probably on a team. She’ll have people watching her back,” Tammy said.
Ishme and Nyal were in shock. The woman they loved had just walked away from them and put herself in harm’s way for her country because her country asked it of her. They were worried and proud at the same time. They wouldn’t rest easy until she was returned to them.
Chapter Nineteen
Markus was walking through Becky’s house, checking to see that all the windows and doors were locked. He set the alarm and turned to walk up the stairs. As he went up, he thought of the day he’d spent with Tammy and her two beautiful daughters. He approved of this Thanksgiving Holiday; all people should take time to give thanks for what they had.
He believed he was making progress there. Tammy and he had become lovers almost immediately upon meeting. In the ways of the Nephilim, they were already Joined. However, she didn’t want to make the commitment of merging their lives fully until more time had passed and until Leah and Laura had adjusted to him.
He agreed that Leah and Laura were important. He loved them as much as he’d come to love their mother. Now he just needed to convince Tammy of that.
He’d kicked off his shoes and taken off his sweater when he heard a car in the drive. Walking over to his window, he looked out over the front of the house. A large black vehicle he didn’t recognize was pulling up under the front portico.
He hoped it was finally Becky coming home. The weeks since she left had dragged on. Ishme and Nyal had returned to the Space Station to be put into stasis until her return their wings would not emerge before it was time.
Tammy had given them all tips on waiting while a loved one was away. Markus had only known Becky for four days and she had quickly turned into a friend, a person he admired.
Home again, home again, jiggety-jig, thought Becky, as she lolled in the passenger seat.
She opened the door to step out.
“Don’t forget your things, Ms. Anderson. You may want to check your cell phone. You’ll have to charge the battery first. It kept going off just after you left to get on the jet,” the driver said.
“Thank you. It’ll be fine. You needn’t wait,” she said, taking the plastic pouch from his hands.
He gave her a sharp look. She was wearing the same clothing she had on back in October when he’d picked her up and driven her, another agent, and the Director to the airfield. Only now, the dress hung on her.
He heard she’d refused additional medical care and had checked herself out of the hospital against doctor’s orders. All she wanted to do was go home, so she kept insisting and the Director finally agreed she could leave.
“There’s a light on upstairs. Do you want me to check the house?” the driver asked.
“I had guests. I hope they went out and bought groceries,” she said.
Go away, go away, she thought, before closing the door and walking slowly up the driveway.
It wasn’t snowing yet, but it was in the air. The little black dress she wore didn’t do much to keep out the freezing wind. She’d left the Convention Center without her coat.
It seemed like so long ago now but it had actually been what - six weeks? she thought.
She opened the door, waved goodbye, and closed herself in. Seeing the alarm was set, she entered the code. Turning to the stairs, she saw a dark figure descending. She tried to speak but wasn’t able to. She’d pushed herself to come home. Now that she was here and safe, she could let go.
Markus was halfway down the stairs. When he saw her begin to collapse, he leapt down the remainder of the flight but was too late to catch her before she hit the floor.
“What have you been doing to yourself now, Becky?” he muttered under his breath.
He picked her up and carried her upstairs to her room. Laying her down on the bed, he reached for the comforter and bundled her up. He went to his room to get his scanning equipment. Hurrying back to her room, he decided that since she was unconscious, he could do a complete work-up on her, including DNA and medical history.
When the scans were complete and he was reviewing the data, he was appalled.
He reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out his cell phone. Pressing three on the speed dial, he waited for it to answer.
“Is she back?” asked Sarah.
“Yes. It’s not good. She’s been tortured, Sarah,” he said, his voice roughened by tears. “I’m going to put her in stasis and call for a pod.”
“Is it that serious?” she asked.
“I can do more for her there than I can here. She may need soul healing and only Addie can offer that. We’ll be gone for a month, maybe six weeks. I’ll definitely be back before Christmas but I’m not sure if Becky will. I’ll call Tammy next and explain,” he said.
“We’ll miss you. Take care of them all, Markus. They’re very dear to me. We’ll be heading back to Wisconsin in the morning. Jack decided to come and visit for a while. We’ll come down the week before Christmas and get the house ready - unless you get in touch and tell us to come sooner,” she said.
“Alright. Sorry if I woke you,” he said.
“I’m glad you called, take care,” she said, hanging up the phone.
Sarah turned to look at Kai and Ari. They had just begun to make love when the phone rang.
There were tears in her eyes when she spoke, “He’s taking her up to the station. He says she’s been tortured. What was she thinking, working for the damn CIA? She’s no spy!” she cried out.
Her Ankida gathered her into their arms, holding her through a torrent of tears. They had all been worried when Grace let them know about her text and what it meant.
For Ishme and Nyal, even as they hoped for a future with her, this was a threat from another source.
“It is good news that she has returned,” said Ari, as he rubbed her back.
They continued to hold her and reassure her that her newfound sister was back and safe once again.
Sarah held on to her men. She never thought to find the deep love and connection she had with these two. She considered herself a lucky woman. Her best friend was here and she intended to convince Jack to move. She had the two most handsome men and the best lovers in the universe as her Ankida.
She’d made a new friend in Tammy and they’d only gotten closer to each other. In addition, she’d found a long-lost sister - lost her again and now found her again. She stopped her weeping. Taking the Kleenex Kai handed her, she wiped her eyes and then blew her nose.
“What’s soul healing?” she asked.
“Markus said Becky needed soul healing?” asked Kai.
“Yes. He said she might need it and only Addie could give it to her. I’m glad Addie delayed her departure until we received word on Becky.”
“It is for those who need to overcome horror. If they’ve participated in a war and had to take a life, or some other equally soul-damaging event, a person would need soul healing in order to recover from the trauma and lead a happy and productive life again,” said Ari.
“Like torture?” she asked in a whisper.
“Becky was tortured?” asked Kai, his voice growing rough with emotion.
Sarah nodded, afraid to speak lest she begin crying again.
“Your planet is a terrible place, Sarah. I don’t know why anyone would want to remain here,” said Ari.
“It’s true but it’s not the planet. It’s the people. We haven’t evolved into a functioning global society yet. I’ve read your history remember. Ten thousand years ago, your society wasn’t much better,” said Sarah.
Lucy Kelly Page 19
