The Reluctant Prophet_A Love Story

by Karl Morgan

  "I am not a fraud, Mr. Marshall," Zeke growled.

  "That's not what the director meant, Zeke," Anderson interjected. "Zeke, please call me Nat. You and I will probably be spending lots of time together soon. That idea is just to discourage foreign governments from trying to kidnap you, but if you don't like it, that's fine. The other option is to stop altogether for a while. In a few weeks, you'll be old news."

  "But I can help people," Zeke countered. "If I say nothing, I'll be allowing bad shit to happen."

  "Zeke, we want you to help people, please believe me," Tony said. "But it might be better if it was a little under the table to keep the press and others from broadcasting it and making you an even bigger target."

  "Zeke, do you want to be a celebrity?" Natalie asked. "You will lose all privacy and have big security concerns for the rest of your life. And most celebrities are actors, models, and athletes. They have their moment in the sun and fade away. You can see the future! That skill may last forever. Is that what you want?"

  He sat back and considered what was happening. "What do you think, Mom and Dad? Are you willing to be stuck in the Maui house for months while my headlines cool off?"

  "Oh boy!" Sarah exclaimed. "You can't imagine how many distant relatives and friends of friends have been hounding us since we won the lottery. That doorbell and our phones ring all day long. First they talk to Abe and everyone loves him. Then I take the phone and tell them to drop dead and they all hate me. It's not their money, but I'm the bitch who won't give it all to them."

  Abe chuckled softly and said, "Zeke, my boy, if we can get a little peace and quiet and get away from the damned freeloaders, it will be a blessing from God. You said I should write a book, and all I do is answer the door, smile, and get your mother."

  Zeke stood up and extended his hand to the director. "Tony, Nat, it looks like you have yourselves a deal."

  "You won't regret it, son," Marshall said as he shook Zeke's hand, but Zeke already did.

  §

  The Thompsons sat in the back of the black SUV as it traveled north toward the Coronado Bay Bridge. Natalie Anderson sat in the front passenger seat. Director Marshall told them a crew would pack up and move all their possessions to the new house immediately. For security reasons, they had to leave the only home Zeke had ever known within minutes of agreeing to the deal. Abe's and Sarah's cell phones had been confiscated and new secure government phones had been given to everyone. Zeke told Tony that he lost his phone in the gunfight in Idaho. The truth would have been too hard to believe. The SUVs took the off-ramp and began to rise over the city on the long graceful arch that is the Coronado Bay Bridge. Zeke could hear worried tones from the driver who was speaking to the other cars in the group. He thought another driver mentioned a rocket attack from a helicopter. They descended into the city of Coronado without incident.

  "Zeke, can you hear me?" Bea's voice said in his mind.

  "Yes, is something wrong?" he thought back.

  There was an agonizingly long pause. Finally, she said, "Maybe."

  "That's not very reassuring, Bea."

  "Zeke, I was just leading a discussion group on your first book, and twenty pages became illegible in each book. Something's changing and I don't know what to do."

  "First of all, just relax. It could be a good change."

  "God, I hope so. Please be careful. Bye."

  The line of SUVs passed through the gates to the North Island Naval Station. Military police officers saluted as they moved past. They moved quickly through the base and out onto the tarmac of the airfield. The vehicles pulled to a stop near two small jets. "This is our ride," Natalie said as she opened the door and stepped out. The Thompsons followed her.

  Director Marshall had already climbed out of a second vehicle and stood talking to two men in black suits. As they approached him, he turned and shook their hands again, saying, "The front jet is my ride back to Washington. The other will take you to the commercial airport on Maui where a car will be waiting for you. Have a safe trip." He turned and walked to the plane, then quickly stepped up the gangway and disappeared.

  "Let's go," Natalie said as she turned to the other plane. The Thompsons followed right behind her and up the gangway. One of the men in black suits followed them and closed the door.

  Zeke was not surprised that this jet was almost identical to the one he took back from Maui with the FBI agents. He only hoped this experience would end better. Everyone sat down and buckled their seatbelts, except the man in the suit, who opened the cockpit door, said something, and then closed it again. He sat in the front seat and buckled himself in. The jet powered up and moved over to the runway. The pilot pushed the throttles and the plane surged ahead, took off into the late morning San Diego sky and headed west.

  Zeke sat looking out the window for a long time. He could hear his parents talking excitedly about Hawaii. He remembered going there on vacation years ago, when he and Rachel were much younger. He tried to recall if he was ten or twelve at the time, but gave up. After about an hour airborne, Zeke noticed his folks had stopped talking. He looked over and saw them sleeping. He envied them for that. He always had a hard time sleeping on airplanes. He put his head against the side of the fuselage and looked at the clouds below. A few more hours and I'll be officially at our Maui house, he thought and smiled. A movement ahead caught his eye. The man in the front row seemed to have removed something from his pocket and put it over his face. "What's going on?" he wondered out loud. Suddenly, severe weariness overtook him. He struggled to stay awake. He tried to call out to Bea, but in less than the second it took to say her name, he had passed out.

  §

  Zeke woke with a crushing headache. Every muscle in his body felt drained and he struggled to open his eyes. When he did, he saw iron bars, and realized he had been kidnapped again. Through the bars and across a narrow corridor, there was another cell where Abe Thompson sat holding his head in his hands. "Dad!"

  The other man stood slowly, as though trudging through deep snow. Zeke forced his body to get up. When he first stood, the pain was so great that he buckled, grabbed his temples with both hands, and groaned audibly. "Take it easy, Zeke. Go slow," he father called out to him.

  Zeke trudged over to the bars and rested his body against them. "What do you think happened?"

  "I don't think the crew of that damned plane works for our government."

  "Dad, it could have been our government. I don't trust anyone anymore. I am so sorry I got you both into this. Where is Mom?"

  "She and that Anderson woman are in two cells further down the corridor. Your mother says Natalie looks like she's been severely beaten," Abe reported.

  "Definitely not our government then," Zeke acknowledged.

  "Son, I'm worried. Anyone who could commandeer an official government jet has many connections in Washington. No ordinary criminal could have arranged this."

  "Let me see what I can do to help," Zeke said as he shuffled back to the cot and sat down. He closed his eyes and thought of Bea. "Bea, we're in trouble."

  "Hold on for a second, Zeke. We're trying to triangulate your location and time stamp. Sit tight," she thought back.

  Zeke stood again and walked over to the bars. His headache was abating and he was feeling almost normal again. "How are you feeling, Dad? I'm getting better already."

  "Not too bad now," Abe replied. "Sarah, how do you feel?"

  A voice down the corridor said, "I feel okay, honey, but Natalie still looks unconscious. Something's happening now, Abe. I feel an electric current running through my body. What do you think that is?"

  "What the hell is that?" Abe gasped. A small black circle hung in the air between his and Zeke's cells.

  "Don't worry, Dad. I think it's the cavalry coming to help us." The circle swelled to seven feet in diameter and floated in absolute quiet. Everyone could feel the energy. A foot appeared stepping out of the circle. Then a man stepped through. He was dressed in black with a balaclava obsc
uring his face. He carried strange-looking pistols in each hand, and crouched down a few feet away from the circle. A woman stepped through, dressed the same as the man. She carried one pistol and a small tablet.

  "Are we clear?" she asked the man.

  "All clear so far," he replied.

  Bea Watson pulled off her face mask and moved over to Zeke, kissing him softly through the bars. "One rescue per your order, Zeke."

  "Bea?" Abe gasped. "What's going on here? What is that black thing?"

  "No time for questions, sir," the man said. "Bea, we have only a couple minutes."

  "Cut open the locks, Kally," she replied.

  "Wait," Zeke interjected. Kally turned to face him. "Natalie and I have to stay. We need to be here for the events to unfold as they need to. Just take my parents somewhere safe."

  "Are you sure, Zeke?" Bea asked. "I don't want anything to happen to you."

  "This is the way it has to be, Bea. I don't really know why, but something in the back of my head is telling me to stay."

  "Don't be a fool, son," Abe said. "Come with us."

  "It will be okay, Dad. At some point, people need to realize there are consequences for trying to know their future. Cut them out, Bea." Kally used one of his pistols to cut the locks on the cells holding Sarah and Abe.

  Meanwhile, Bea tapped new coordinates on her tablet. The black circle glistened and began to change. The blackness faded away and was replaced by a bedroom in the Maui house. "Okay, Zeke, I've set the transit portal for the current time at the Maui house. Ten agents are outside, but the inside is empty. Your folks should have time to step through," Bea reported. She turned to Abe and Sarah and said, "You need to step through this circle and then you'll be in Hawaii. Stepping through it might make you nauseous or tired, so I set the end point to the bedroom. When you talk to the guards, tell them you just woke up there and have no idea how you got there."

  "What is that thing?" Sarah asked.

  "It's better that you don't know, Sarah," Bea noted.

  "We're running out of time, Bea!"

  "I know, Kally. Abe, take your wife's hand and just step through. It will be okay." Abe turned to his son and thought about saying something, but did not. He took Sarah's hand and they stepped through the circle. When Bea saw them safely walking on the other side, she pressed more keys on the tablet. The Maui house faded back into the inky blackness. "We're clear, Kally." Kally looked at Zeke, saluted and walked into nothingness. Bea kissed Zeke again and smiled, but she was filled with concern and Zeke could tell.

  "It will be okay, Bea," he whispered. She stroked his cheek with her hand, turned and walked through the circle. Zeke heard a key turning a lock and the black circle was still hovering there. There was the sound of a door creaking open as the circle shrank. It disappeared in a flash as voices speaking in Spanish approached. The voices began to shout and rushed forward.

  Two men stopped at Zeke's cell and pointed their rifles at him. "Where are the others?" the older of the two men demanded.

  "I don't know," Zeke lied. "I just woke up." He shook the bars of his cell to show he was still locked inside. "They left me here. Why would they leave me here?"

  "Rafael, unlock the cells. We need to take these two to El Presidente before they disappear too," the older man said.

  "Si, Antonio," Rafael replied.

  Zeke and Natalie were handcuffed and led out of the jail. Natalie did look awful. She had a welt on her forehead, a black eye and split lip. Her clothing was torn by long gashes that looked like she had been whipped, and she limped. "What did they do to you?" Zeke whispered.

  "You don't want to know," she replied. "I'm so sorry about this, Zeke."

  "You two be quiet. You can talk when El Presidente says you can speak," Antonio barked.

  They followed the guards out of the jail building. The air was hot and humid. The area appeared to be surrounded by a heavy forest or jungle. Several short buildings sat on a large lawn crisscrossed with asphalt roads. Small groups of soldiers appeared to patrol the area. They wore battle gear with camouflage uniforms, ballistic helmets and carried automatic rifles. Where the lawn gave way to the trees, a twelve-foot fence was topped by a coil of razor wire. They walked along a curving road for some time. Zeke could see that Natalie was having a difficult time keeping up, so he stood on her weak side so she could lean against him for support. As they continued along the road, a large white structure began to appear around the bend. The closer they approached, the more the building looked like the White House. That struck Zeke as very peculiar that a foreign president would model one of his residences on the United States. Zeke could feel his clothes becoming soaked in sweat in the blistering heat. The guards led them up a few steps, across the portico and through the front doors, where a blast of air conditioning was very welcomed. The guards led them through a few rooms and then down a long corridor. Antonio stopped and tapped on a door, then opened it. They moved into a large reception room where four assistants were typing on their keyboards. A single large male guard stood by a second door. He smiled as the group approached and opened another door for them to pass through.

  The room they were now in was a replica of the Oval Office. It looked remarkably correct in even the smallest details, except the large, Hispanic man sitting at the Resolute desk was not the president of the United States. He stood up and frowned. "Where are the others?"

  "Their cells were cut open, Presidente. My men are checking the grounds, but no one has seen any sign of them yet," Antonio reported.

  "What happened to your parents, Mr. Thompson?" Presidente asked.

  "I don't know, sir. When I woke up from the anesthetic, I was alone in my cell. What happened, sir? Why did you risk an international incident to kidnap my family?"

  "Why would they run away and leave their precious son behind?"

  "I do not know that either, sir. What good could they have served you anyway?" Zeke asked.

  "Hostages always help, Mr. Thompson," Presidente noted. "But I have forgotten my manners. I am Tomas Gutierrez Martinez, President of San Tomas. Antonio, please remove their handcuffs. There is no chance they will escape." The guard did as he was told. "Please sit down," Tomas said pointing to a long couch in the center of the room. "You two guards can return to your posts, and let me know when the Thompsons are located."

  "Si, Presidente," Antonio replied and led the other man toward the door.

  "Antonio, please ask Dr. Sanchez Gomez to join us," Tomas said. The guards saluted and left the room.

  "Mr. President, with all due respect, we demand that you turn us over to our Ambassador," Natalie said.

  Tomas laughed. "You are in no position to demand anything, Ms. Anderson, or would you prefer another discussion with my men."

  "Leave her alone," Zeke fumed. "You do not have the right to kidnap and assault US citizens."

  The president laughed again. "Listen to me, boy, I am the law in my country. You show respect and help me out and you will live a decent life. Otherwise . . . " He drew his finger across his neck to simulate slitting a throat. There was a soft knock and a door opened. A slight man with gray hair and steely blue eyes stepped in. He bowed stiffly to his president and then sat on an armchair between the two couches. "Zeke, this is my friend, Doctor Angel Sanchez Gomez. He is going to try to understand your gift. If we can isolate the genes that gave you clairvoyance, we might be able to give others the same ability."

  "You're going to dissect me?" Zeke asked.

  "No!" the doctor exclaimed. "We will take some DNA samples and examine them. I will run you through a number of psychological examinations to find out what makes you tick, nothing more."

  "Plus, I require that you assist me as well," the president said. "We will discuss certain matters of State, and you will advise me. If there are any threats to me or my government, you will warn me."

  "What about Ms. Anderson?" Zeke asked.

  "Hmm. That is a good question, Zeke," Tomas replied. "We had hoped she woul
d be a CIA covert operative. She would be worth a lot of money then, but it seems she is just a paper-pusher from the White House. That makes the situation tenuous, don't you see."

  "That means they are going to kill me and bury me in the jungle, Zeke," Nat said.

  "I did not say that!" Tomas shouted. "But the jungle is a dangerous place."

  "Mr. President," Nat began, "you said this country was called San Tomas, but I am not aware of any country by that name. Where are we?"

  Tomas frowned and his face contorted as if he were going to scream at them. "Please, El Presidente, let me answer the question," Angel said. Tomas' face calmed and he nodded at the other man. "Miss Anderson, as you are aware, vast amounts of South America are claimed by various states that invest nothing in those regions and ignore the needs of the people. Those people are treated like second-class citizens with virtually no civil or legal rights. El Presidente is the voice and the hope of those people. San Tomas includes under-managed regions of Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, and Brazil. We are building our infrastructure and plan to declare independence in the coming months."

  Tomas stood and began to pace around the room. "No longer will our people be left to struggle to survive. No longer will their voices be ignored in colonialist bastions like Caracas, Bogota, Lima, and Brasilia! Finally the needs of these people, my people, will matter and be fulfilled! That is the promise of San Tomas!" Angel jumped to his feet and began to applaud.

  While the two exulted in their joy, Nat leaned over and whispered in Zeke's ear, "He is a warlord and drug dealer." Zeke stared at her odd response.

  When the two men were seated again, Zeke asked, "What can I do for you, El Presidente?"

  Tomas laughed and slapped Zeke on the knee. "That's better, my friend. I am making a televised speech in a few minutes. I want you to tell me the future so I can tell my people and the bastards in the capitals!" Zeke reached across the open space and touched the arm of the president for a moment, and then sat back with his eyes closed. After a minute, his eyes opened very wide. "Tell me the future, Zeke!"