Evolution

by Jim Reilly

  Over the audience’s dismay, Jennifer asked, “Matt, do you think that with this knowledge our descendants might be able to prepare to defend themselves? The technological innovations at that time might give our people a fighting chance.”

  Looking as if he wanted to say yes and couldn’t, Matt said what he was thinking. “I don’t know. Maybe. But the Ancient Visitors’ technology is billions of years ahead of ours. We have only had the use of computing for less than one hundred years, while they have been traveling the universe for billions of years on ships with technology we would never have dreamed of. So we have our work to do, and maybe we can use our intellects to find a way to stop them. They were surprised to find out how intelligent we were, so maybe we can do something to surprise them even more.”

  Jennifer then looked toward the audience and said, “Then like Matt said, we have our work to do, and we will have to plan a strategy that may take generations to perfect.”

  As Jennifer started an attempt to organize the scientists in the audience, Matt hesitated, but blurted out. “There is one more thing. When the four ships combine their power and energy as they speed toward the center of the universe to break through to the other plane of existence, this universe will come to an end.”

  Jennifer responded, “Then we need to do something so we can save the future!”

  Shaking his head, Matt said, “You don’t understand. When this universe comes to an end, not only will the future end, so will the present and the past. All of time will end. So it is imperative that we stop them!”

  Jennifer and the audience were eerily quiet as they tried to comprehend what that meant. Would this create a paradox? Was the end of time predestined, or were the laws of nature too enormous for man to understand? The possibilities were endless.

  After a break, during which Jennifer consulted with some of the renowned scientists in the audience, she walked back over to Matt. “Matt, we appreciate that you have come here to speak with us today, but we have a few more questions. I want to ask you about this ruler whom the Ancient Visitors have this war with. So what do you know about the ruler? Should we worry about him?”

  “Well,” he said. “As far as they are concerned, the Ruler of the Realm is in the way of their ultimate goal of gaining control of all of existence. They did not tell me much about him or her, other than to say that the entity does not have a solid form like we have, and he or she has been screwing with the Ancient Visitors’ plan for the human race. Also, the entity does not have a linear existence, meaning that it can slip through time. I suppose it is as if time was a book, and this entity can easily move between pages at will. Just like the Ancient Visitors, this entity has influenced human development and interfered with their designs for our development. Lango said that it was like a tug-of-war between them. The Ancient Visitors are on one side, developing us to be aggressive in order to be better fighters, and the Ruler of the Realm thwarts those efforts joined with those who remained loyal. Lango believes that this interference might be the reason we turned out to be more intelligent than the other races they are developing for the battle.”

  Jennifer looked down at some notes on her PDA from consulting with scientists in the audience and asked what many wanted to know: “Are the Ancient Visitors our creators?”

  Shaking his head from side to side, he answered, “No, but they have tried to influence us throughout our history. They are not responsible for all things, but they think all things belong to them to do with as they like. What they did to change the abducted captives like myself is what humans would have evolved to be anyway. They just sped up the process because they are pressed for time. They have throughout history manipulated our culture because they wanted to keep us aggressive, as they have done with other species throughout the universe. So they have been here since our beginning, and the discovery of the spacecraft only sped up their timetable a little bit.”

  “OK,” she said. “What else do you know about this Ruler of the Realm?”

  “My impression from Lango,” he said, “is that the Ruler was in conflict with the Prince and his followers’ belief of where their position in all of existence should be. I do know the entity started this universe to put the Prince and his followers in it. Lango also mentioned that the Ruler of the Realm has influenced man throughout history as well. He would counter their plan to develop human aggressiveness with more non-aggressive behavior. I was confused when he said that the Ruler of the Realm acquired life energies of humans. He did not elaborate any further during my time with him. Sorry.”

  An overburdened Matt looked at Jennifer and the audience as if to say he was sorry for the predicament the human race was in, but he couldn’t do anything about it. He said, “I wish I could help more.”

  An appreciative Jennifer was quick to say, “You have really helped a lot, and we all appreciate your coming here to speak to us today, especially after all you have gone through. For the rest of us, we need to digest this information to understand the landscape and try to formulate options, if there are any. I hope and pray that we are able to do something where our people have a future not of servitude to another race but of hope. If not, then instead of being able to tell our children that the future is bright, we will be leaving each generation a little bleaker than the last. God help us all.”

  Then the broadcast came to an end, and the newscasters from every news organization on Earth immediately started to dissect everything Matt had said and what the implications were for mankind. One person watching the broadcast was sitting in his modest Scottsdale, Arizona home, and he turned it off as the newscasters came on to speak. He thought about the Revelation that Matt spoke about regarding the Ancient Visitors’ plans and the ordeal the abducted had had to go through to survive. Then there was his friend Jennifer trying to make sense of it all. But most of all, he was thinking of how he could possibly help. Up until now he had not helped at all. On the contrary, he had been a hindrance to himself, his family, his friends, and the human race. His selfishness had caused much grief and despair for a wide range of people. He couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if instead of stepping to the left on that hill in the Kibish formation he had stepped to the right. Whether it would had have changed anything, he was not sure, but at least he wouldn’t be responsible for people’s lost faith or people’s being abducted or the destruction perpetrated by the terrorists. It took time, but he had come to understand his responsibility, and he now had regrets.

  He wondered what he should do now. Maybe he should approach Jennifer and offer to help. But what value could he bring that could help the world-renowned scientists and the intellectuals working to defend Earth? If he had anything to offer, his credibility, unfortunately, was low with them. The religious community’s trust in him was even lower, but the problem the world was facing was not solely going to be remedied by just a scientific solution. After watching Matt’s interview he believed the world would need a much broader approach, and maybe that was where he could help.

  In the morning he would need to contact his mother and ask for her help to make introductions to people who wouldn’t be too happy to talk to him. From there he would need to work hard in order to be helpful. Redemption, if it were possible, would take much longer.

  Chapter 8

  At Pastor Charles Robinson’s house it was about four in the morning, and he could not sleep because his mind was running with ideas he had after hearing the broadcast of the interview with Matt Schaeffer. The interview really affected the pastor in a way that made him feel good. He even thought to himself, “I can’t believe that impending doom has got me excited, but this is amazing, and I can’t stop thinking about it”. He had not been this excited since before the discovery of the spacecraft so many years ago. Sure, the outlook for the human race seemed bleak, but Reverend Charles Robinson could not believe his ears as Matt told his story because it was very familiar.

  Hours later he heard his wife say, “You are up already? I usually h
ave to threaten you with the wrath of God just to get you on time for breakfast.”

  Then she looked around the family study to see many of her husband’s old books open on the tables and spread out on the floor. He was sitting there typing away at the virtual computer screen he seldom used. She could tell he was doing a lot of thinking, and she knew every time he came up with an idea because he would jiggle his index finger in the air. She just looked at him as he hopped up and quickly moved around the room, picking up the books to read a passage, and then grabbing another and then another.

  The pastor’s wife stood there mystified because she had not seen him run around this much in years. It was like going back in time to the days when he was a little younger, not now as a semi-retired pastor. He had handed the keys to the church to his son Charles Junior, and he was now a prominent member of the World Interfaith Council. He was now a church elder, and his son carried on the daily duties of running the First Congregation Church.

  Though the church had been close to closing its doors for good, he had turned the tide with hard work and grit. The hard work paid off, and the congregation began to increase once again. It wasn’t back to the levels he had seen when he first came to the church, but considering the reduction of congregations around the world, he had done an incredible job to get even a portion of the membership back. He now spent his time conferring with the council as they tried to bring faith back to a now-skeptical world. The council tried to understand how, with what was left of the different faiths, to recognize how they could deal with the changes in the world and each other. They hoped the work they did could help bring people back.

  It had been a tough road, though, since the discovery of the spacecraft. Knowledge of alien interference in man’s development had made people rethink what they believed in. It was tough to proclaim that the hand of God had influenced human development when the alien presence might have been pivotal in human growth. People just didn’t know what to believe.

  “You old fool,” his wife yelled. “What in God’s heaven are you doing? Did you finally lose your mind? I am going to call a doctor ‘cause you are off your rocker. I knew this would happen someday. I only thought it would be later in life!”

  “Will you cool your jets, old woman? I am as sane as I’ve ever been,” he said.

  “Well, that’s not saying much,” she quickly responded. “Now tell me, what on earth are you doing?”

  After a deep, relaxing breath, he replied, “I am researching. Then I’m going to call for a council meeting. Then we will have much to discuss. So please let me be, and I’ll be down for breakfast in a few minutes.”

  A few weeks later in Chicago, Pastor Charles entered with vigor in his step and determination in his mind. He walked through the doors of the Ambassador Hotel followed by his trusted assistant Sha’nay Barnwell, who was between semesters of her studies at the Wake Forest University school of divinity. As soon as he walked in the door, two familiar people acknowledged him. He put his arms around them and asked, “How are you two? It is good to see you.”

  One of them was a short Asian woman dressed very conservatively, and the other was a Caucasian man in business dress carrying a briefcase. They smiled at the pastor and responded happily.

  Pastor Charles then grabbed Sha’nay by the shoulder and brought her over to meet his friends. “This is Reverend Sandy Chen,” he said.

  Sha’nay bowed and shook her hand while saying, “I am so happy to meet you. I’ve been a fan of yours. Your televised sermons are accessible where I live, and I enjoy watching your passionate, inspirational sermons. I hope someday to have a congregation of my own, and I’d be happy to have a fraction of your talent as a teacher of the faith.”

  A now-bashful Sandy said, “Oh, you are helping feed my prideful side,” as they all laughed.

  Pastor Charles put his hand on the man’s shoulder and said, “Sha’nay, this is Cardinal Dan Polanski.”

  Anticipating that she might be confused, Dan offered, “Due to my other career as a business analyst, I seldom wear my priest clothing.”

  Sha’nay recognized him. “I have seen you as contributing guest on CNBC. You give great insight!”

  “Ah yes,” he said. “By God’s good grace I have been able to forge a career and obtain enough extra money after my personal needs are taken care of to finance my charities. Since the finding of the spacecraft and the decline in church attendance, we priests have had to find employment to be able to get by. I’m afraid that the old days of living on the generous giving from the church collections at mass are long gone. The biggest shame is that our charities and the people they help have suffered.”

  “Well then, maybe we can turn the tide and bring people back to the faith,” Pastor Charles said.

  Sha’nay, Sandy, and Dan yelled out, “Halleluiah! Praise be to God.”

  “Now, let this old man get some rest, and we will see you at the conference in the morning. We have much to talk about,” said a suddenly tired Pastor Charles as they headed to their rooms.

  “Good morning, all my friends, and God be with you,” said a man with a long gray beard, black clothes, and a black turban. He was also the reigning president of the council and friends with all in the room.

  “May Allah be with you, Imam Mohammad Rashoni,” was heard in the room at the end of the table.

  “Thank you, Charles. Now, can you enlighten us as to why you have requested this meeting? We were not supposed to meet for another four months. Your insistence was quite vigorous. It is quite expensive for all of us to be here today. We could have done this by teleconference, but you insisted on a face-to-face meeting. So please, enlighten us.”

  Pastor Charles looked over the other members of the council. He saw representatives from most of the religions on earth. Before the spacecraft discovery, many of these religions had been in conflict with each other. Throughout history there were wars and unspeakable crimes done between many of the religions now working together in this room today. If one looked at the cause of almost every war ever fought, one would find that religious conflict was part of, if not the entire reason for, the conflict. Yet today the representatives of the different faiths sat in the same room. There were no conflicts there, as everyone was friendly and on a first-name basis.

  “Friends,” Pastor Charles said to the room. “We have been through a lot over the years. We have worked hard to stay relevant when scientific discoveries have put our religious foundations in doubt in the minds of many of the people. Throughout history, disagreements between our faiths have made us distant and intolerant of one another. Death and pain reigned. But today we sit here working together. At first I did not think that any good for religious faiths would come out of the spacecraft discovery, but as I look around, I see a miracle. I see brothers in faith before me with respect for all. It took having our churches, mosques, temples, and gathering places lose a great deal of our worshippers before we would understand. Before the discovery over twenty-two years ago, I would not have thought that this could happen, but it did.

  “Now we need to extend that tolerance to the scientific community. I know what you are thinking. They are our adversaries. Yes, science and religion have been at odds. But I say we need to cooperate with them to save the world. I believe it can be done. I know that some of you were thinking the same thing I was during the broadcast of Matt Schaeffer’s testimonial of his experiences with the Ancient Visitors. You heard it when he talked about the end of time, which I would call Armageddon. When he spoke about how the four ships would break through the center of the universe to end time, it brought to mind the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. When he spoke about how the Ancient Visitors were expelled and put in this universe, I remembered how Satan and his followers were cast out of heaven. The Prince? I heard Prince of Darkness. When he spoke about how the Ancient Visitors and the Ruler of the Realm interfere with the minds of man, I heard the conflict between good and evil. And the Ruler of the Realm: I heard the Kingdom of God.�
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  All those present nodded in agreement.

  Pastor Charles looked over the group, thinking of their similar experiences, and said, “I believe the world needs faith more than ever before, and we need to help serve those needs. But I also believe to save the world we need to work together. Not just with the faithful. We need to work with the scientists who are trying to figure out how to avoid Armageddon. The situation we are all in will need both the scientific and religious communities. Throughout history, religious organizations have defamed or arrested critical thinkers of science who questioned religious beliefs. Critical thinking that conflicted with our foundation of beliefs was hidden away and called heresy. We have always been afraid of science when we should have embraced it. As the saying goes, ‘The truth shall set you free.’ Many scientists look to prove religion wrong because they view us as a way for ignorant man to misunderstand the unknown. To them our understanding of the world is not backed up with scientific fact. What we learned from Matt was that God is very much relevant to the human race’s dilemma. I think that we need the scientists, and they need us. Together we can form a plan of action to attempt to save mankind.”

  “Charles,” said an inquisitive Imam Rashoni. “There is no question in my mind that that entity Matt was speaking about was God, and our knowledge about what was written in our ancient texts about the end of days could only help the powers here on Earth in their efforts in the human race’s survival. But our clout in world affairs is minimal at best. Many of the leaders of the world bunch us in with the Followers of Divinity. They look at us as fanatics and charlatans. So what makes you think they will want our help?”

  Cardinal Polanski spoke up, “I think someone whom I invited to be here can help us with this.” Then he acknowledged a woman whom they all recognized but hadn’t seen enter the room. “I know you all know Dr. Ann Marie Connor.”