by Jim Reilly
She continued, “Later today we will move you to another location to continue your rehabilitation. Due to the security concerns, you have been moved from one hospital to another, and we are trying to stay one step ahead of the terrorists while keeping the healthcare personnel around you safe. At the moment you are registered under a different name, and only a few select people know who you are, but sometimes secrets do manage to get out. Some of the caregivers have been hired from the beginning of your care to accompany you from location to location so you could receive consistent treatment. Those people are working under false identities for their protection. We only get a few hours’ notice from the security firm we hired when they decide to move you. But they say…”
As Ann Marie continued, she noticed that James was not that interested, and as mothers do, that something was bothering him.
“James, what’s the matter, honey? You seem down today. Are you feeling OK?” she asked him. He didn’t respond to her right away. She persisted, “Come on, James. What’s bothering you?”
Knowing that she always seemed to be able to tell what he was feeling and was perhaps the one person he could confide in, he blurted out, “Is it my fault? Did I cause all of this turmoil?”
His mother, not wanting to blame him but wanting to help him resolve his question, said, “Who’s to tell? If you hadn’t discovered the spacecraft then someone else would have eventually, and you were not the first to speculate about alien influence in mankind’s development. I don’t know. Maybe it was the way you went about it. Maybe you could have used a little more understanding before you promoted your ideas and thought about the reaction some might have to them, as well as the consequences.”
Shaking his head from side to side, he said, “I was so sure my theories were right.”
Patrick then walked in the room and jumped into the conversation. “Your analysis of the facts is your perception, and showing someone else the facts could lead them to a different conclusion. All we can do is keep learning more. In the study of ancient man, we believe we have a handle on how we have developed, and much of the proof seems undeniable, but our beliefs are still theories. The fossilized remains we find buried in the ground are just a fraction of what walked and grew on this planet. Most lived, died, and perished without any trace they existed in history.
“Do I believe we evolved from a primitive primate, and it took millions of years for us to evolve into the species we are today? Yes, but we still have a long way to go to understand fully not only our existence here on Earth, but all the mysteries of the universe we inhabit.”
Ann Marie jumped in, “In the religious world, perception is a critical element in understanding God and what He has asked us to do. The terrorists perceive themselves as fighting for the sake of God without breaking God’s laws. We as children of God have a lot to learn. Do you think God ordered the Crusades or the Inquisition? No, it was man’s perception of what needed to be done. Think back to Moses’ coming down from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments and finding the people losing their faith. He slew the people who were weak in their convictions. Maybe that was his perception of God’s intent even though the Commandments forbade killing. What we are saying is that people perceive things and situations differently. Some will agree with you, and some will not.”
James was dismayed, and there was not much he could do. The weight of his part in instigating the response from the attackers weighed down on him heavily. Thinking about all his interviews and lectures, and how his mother had always remained steadfast, he asked her, “With all your religious convictions and your strong beliefs, did my conclusions ever upset you?”
With a caring smile she told him, “Not at all. My faith is as strong as ever.”
“But there is proof that the human race has been influenced by an alien people, and science has uncovered evidence that contradicts the Bible,” he added. “Evolution is not a myth. There is factual evidence, but you still believe. Why?”
“Well,” she said, looking at her confused son. “I saw nothing that refutes the existence of God. Look, James, scientists cannot prove that God does not exist. There will never be any mathematical equation or lab experiment that will prove without doubt that a divine hand did not make the universe and all that is in it. It is not possible. On the other hand, religious people can’t prove that God does exist. What it comes down to is that it is up to each person to decide for him or herself to have faith or not in God. I personally believe and continue to grow spiritually. Do I believe that everything in the Bible is a factual event? No. I believe that much of what was written was the perception of those who wrote it. But I do believe that the essence of what is written is a message from God as to how we should live.
“If you look at not just Christian faith, but all faiths, what God gave us was how we should ethically behave. Most of the Ten Commandments were rules on ethics, and if you look at most faiths, ethics are much of their message. Imagine what history would be like without the ethical hand of religion helping along the way. Sure, people have used religion to do horrific things, but that might have been their interpretation of God’s intent, or they just maliciously used the people’s belief in God to get them to do those horrible things.”
She walked over to the window and continued, “James, I believe that science and religion have the same goal: finding out the truth. Religious people should not be afraid of scientists because God is a scientist, the greatest scientist, I believe. If He made all of this, He has to be. From the smallest molecule to the farthest galaxies, His imagination dwarfs our greatest minds.”
Patrick added, “Just the invention of gravity is amazing. It holds the universe together.”
Ann Marie continued, “You have not killed religion, and don’t count it out. It has been with man since the beginning and will continue to be with him until the end of time.”
Then she remembered, “You went to church with me every Sunday and listened to the gospels. Do you believe with all your heart that God was not listening to your prayers?”
He thought about it for a little while and said, “I guess I stopped thinking about it.”
She said, “Maybe you should look at it again. Not all the answers we seek can be found in the physical world.” Then she handed him the Bible she carried with her.
At that moment the security guard signaled to Patrick that it was time to leave, and he said to James and Ann Marie, “It’s time to go. They will be here in a few seconds. Remember, the faster we move the less likely we will be discovered.”
James was quickly moved from his room and taken to a transport vehicle for the trip to a secure location for his rehabilitation. Everyone moved in haste, and they prepared James for the trip. It was into the transport vehicle, then to an airport. He estimated that they were in the air for a good four hours, and when he was put in the transport vehicle at the next airport he noticed how warm it was.
Peering out the window, he saw mountains and asked the attendant, “Where are we?”
He responded, “You are in Phoenix, Arizona, and your rehabilitation will be at a small place in Scottsdale that is a little north of here.”
James then looked out the window of the vehicle and braced himself for the long recuperation, which he knew would not only be for his body. This rehab would be for his mind as well.
Two weeks later, James’ ability to move was improving significantly. The nurse he had in the university hospital was still his primary care nurse. James’ family, through the security service they had employed for his safety, had hired Lauren Ritter. She put him through a strenuous physical therapy program. Along the way they got to know each other, as they were together for many hours a day. She was very focused on her job all the time, while politics and world events were of little interest to her. She hardly knew who James was or why he was famous or infamous to some. Her focus was on helping other people. James felt calm and comfortable around her and could drop his persona as this “great discoverer.”
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br /> At the end of a long day of rehab he asked her, “Would you mind sitting with me at dinner and eating with me?” He had been eating in his room now for weeks and longed for some normal conversation. She was very down to earth, and this intrigued him.
James welcomed it when she said, “Sure.”
They talked through dinner that night and every night for the next few weeks as his rehab progressed, and they became friends. Developing friendships was not something James did well; typically he was looking at what he got out of it and not at the value of having a friend.
She noticed his mood change as he watched the news one morning, and asked him not as a healthcare provider but a person who cared about him, “What’s the matter, James?”
He flung his hands in the air. “I can’t understand why we can’t combat these religious fanatics.”
Without giving much thought, she said, “Maybe we should learn to understand what they are like. You know, understand their hopes and desires and what bothers them. The proverbial ‘walk a mile in their shoes’ in order to get to know them. Any conflict I have ever been in usually started because of a misunderstanding.”
James thought about what Lauren said about understanding and his mother said about perception. He looked over on his nightstand and saw the Bible his mother had given him and thought that maybe it was time to be reacquainted with it and try to get a feel for the people he had angered. He thought, ah, what the heck. I have a lot of time on my hands now.
So he picked up the book and tried to put any preconceived convictions out of his mind. He turned to the first page of the book that he had spent years trying to discredit and started reading the Old Testament. He not only started reading the words, he also began to research their place in history for a better understanding of the different passages and their context. What started that day would continue to be a learning experience for James, a onetime believer.
Chapter 7
Steven Moran opened his eyes to a bright sun, and a warm breeze blew across his face. Even though he did not know where he was, he was happy he was not still on the massive alien ship. All he could think about was that he wished he had never been returned to that cold, impersonal place. Around him he saw vegetation similar to the last time he was in Africa, and as his eyes focused he recalled the same mountain range in the distance he had seen the last time the Ancient Visitors returned them. He sat up and said, “This is Ethiopia again.”
Then D’Shawn Williams sat up near him, “Thank God. I love Ethiopia. Oh, I love Ethiopia.” They got up, looking around to see who made it back in a group of people that was definitely smaller than the one on the ship.
“I count about 280 people,” said Steven as he looked around.
“Two hundred and eighty-three, to be exact,” said D’Shawn.
“Oh, my,” moaned Steven. “Then a total of 122 people didn’t make it back with us. God help them. I’m so glad we did.” After a moment of thinking about the people left behind, they thought about their fate, and both felt colder.
Marcus Latterri, now fully awake, noticed a craft of some kind heading to their location, followed by two more.
Matt Schaeffer looked over to Marcus, “Do you recognize it? Is it friend or foe?”
Marcus replied, “I don’t recall that kind of ship. It must be a new design since we left. My guess is someone utilized the Ancient Visitor’s technology. How long do you think we were gone this time?”
Matt shook his head. “I’m not sure.” Then the lead craft hovered over the group.
Marcus pointed out to Matt, “There’s a United Nations decal on the side of the craft, but I’m not sure if that means they are friendly. Much could have changed since we were taken.”
As they looked at it, a voice was amplified over the returnees, “Welcome home.” Then the crafts landed and out walked UN security and medical personnel. They brought out food and water to all the returned people.
Slowly, the leader of the craft spoke: “Hello, I am Captain Luis Contreras of the UN’s Global Security agency. We are happy you have returned safely. We’ve got a lot of questions for you when you settle in, but I’m sure you have plenty for us right now.”
Matt stepped up. “I guess for starters, how long were we gone?”
Luis slowly replied, “Six years and about two months.” This left the returning captives speechless for a few seconds as they realized what they had missed.
Steven then asked, “When we were taken there was an attack? Is my family OK?”
Luis raised his hands. “All your families are fine and secured, but the world has been through a war that has taken its toll on us all. It was a religious conflict that pitted brother against brother. Many were lost. Fortunately, we are slowly coming out of it. The UN controls and has secured about 70% of the world so far. There are still areas of conflict that need to be resolved, and we hope the tide is with us. The world political environment has changed, with more UN authority and less with the former superpower nations.”
Matt cut Luis off anxiously, “When can we return to our families?”
With a smile for the returning captives, Luis said, “It will probably be a few hours, after the medical examination and return interview.”
An impressed Matt said, “That’s pretty fast considering many of us are from around the world.”
As another transport landed, Luis proudly said, “You weren’t the only people getting faster. While you were gone, the religious conflict that did so much damage did, in fact, have a silver lining. We have seen more cooperation as we fought off the terrorists known as the Followers of Divinity. That cooperation extended into the world political arena and in innovation and technology as never before. Even though a portion of the world is still in their hands, you have fortunately landed in the safe zone. We have come a long way, but so have you, so let’s get you on board and back home as quickly as we can.” He and the other security personnel escorted them onto the transports and back to their families.
A few weeks later, back in Washington DC, a meeting was called with the President’s Alien Affairs Council and the United Nation’s Global Security Commission to discuss the interviews of the returned abductees and get the perspective of a leading member of the captives. Heading up the meeting was Dr. Jennifer La Mont, leader of the President’s council and a member of the UN’s Board on Alien Intervention.
“Good afternoon, all,” said Jennifer, both to the few in the audience there and to many more over the 3D teleconference system seen throughout the world. “Today we will hear firsthand from one of the captives about his experience on the alien craft while deep in space, and will find out what he was told regarding the fate of mankind. He partook in advanced educational studies between the two abductions, like many of the captives. Some got their PhDs or other advanced degrees in record time. Their grasp of linguistic skills is extraordinary. They could speak to someone in another culture and quickly understand their language. With that said, our guest will announce what he learned from conversations with the Ancient Visitors. Please welcome Matt Schaeffer, who has a story to tell us.”
The present council members and cameras from every news organization on earth focused in on him. Worldwide, almost every person able to view a PDA, headset television, or giant projection virtual reality link listened in. Making sure he was speaking slowly and clearly to the world, he began: “Thank you for having me today, and I hope to fill you in on what I know about the plans the Ancient Visitors have for the human race.”
After an uncomfortable pause, Jennifer asked, “Matt, could you please tell us in detail about your experiences and what you learned so that we can understand?”
Standing there with the weight of the world on his shoulders, Matt was relieved to answer what would be hard for all to hear: “I will be thorough in my description.” He then took a deep breath and began to explain, “This time when we woke up on the ship, we were not as confused as we had been the first time. Fortunately, there were no lan
guage barriers between us, and the confusion of the first time we were taken did not occur. We gathered ourselves and began to organize. Not only could we understand our world’s different languages, we were starting to understand the different alien races language as well…”
On the ship, Marcus walked over to Matt. “I think we have been here for a week now, and I’m starting to understand these creatures along the walls. As a matter of fact, I think they have a very simple set of languages and don’t appear too intelligent. It probably explains why the Ancient Visitors use them as minions. They use them for their brute strength, and the restraint collars keep these creatures from fighting back. At first they appeared to be in league with the Ancient Visitors, but from what little I can gather, they seem to be in the same boat we are, taken from their home worlds and made to serve the Ancient Visitors. While being taken back and forth between the examinations the Ancient Visitors are putting us through, I have had some time to converse with some of them. One creature took the time to explain that these Ancient Visitors have throughout their history repeatedly returned to abduct some of their people. He said his people considered them gods. I think the creature’s name was Uloog, and he said he has been here for a long time and claimed the Ancient Visitors have been training them for a battle.”
Matt interrupted him and asked, “Battle, what battle? What are we in the middle of?”
Marcus continued, “Uloog said he has no idea when or where the battle will take place. All he knows is that the Ancient Visitors have millions upon millions training on planets they rule. These creatures are from those planets, and all have been abducted from their home worlds. All they do is train for this inevitable battle. Uloog and the rest of the wall guards are the so-called cream of the crop and get assigned to the ship. It is not all roses being assigned to the ship because the Ancient Visitors treat them like we treat a herd of cattle and prod them with the electronic dog collars they have to wear.”
