Between HeVan and Hell

by Lucy Kelly

  “And the fact that it was positioned just so?” asked the still skeptical officer.

  “I’m an inventor and artist. I never know when I’m going to see something that generates an idea. Most of my clothing is especially sewn for such a purpose. Since I’m also physically active, there is an elastic holder as well so it won’t fall out. In this one instance, it worked in my favor. I have several other recordings on here, if you care to look,” said Jett; he’d made most of them that day.

  “That’s alright, it won’t be necessary. I will have to take the phone into evidence, though.”

  “That’s fine. I had assumed you would need to do that. I’ve already e-mailed myself all my recordings so I have my own copies, as well as backed up my contacts list. Do you know how long you’ll need to have the phone in your possession?” Jett asked.

  He’d also carefully deleted the HeVanian software he’d added. Now it was simply a cell phone again.

  Ten minutes later, Captain Udaka arrived. The reference to the Kadyrovs over the radio was enough for him to be alerted. He wasn’t very happy to see Jett, however. He ordered the officer to move the questioning to the precinct house. The seven attackers that had been caught would have police escorts at the hospital until they awakened. Several were already groaning as they started to wake up. There were four with broken bones that would need to be set and put in casts.

  It was nearly two-thirty in the morning when Captain Udaka pulled Jett into his office. Jett could tell the Captain wanted to assert his authority over Jett’s interference in his operation. Jett quickly pulled out a slim black case and held up one hand.

  “You wanted to speak with me, Captain Udaka?” he asked, as he extended a slim wand and pressed a few places on the small screen. “We’re all clear, no listening devices. Feel free to say what you’d like, though if you wish to yell, I hope you don’t. We don’t know if anyone on the squad is in the pay of the Kadyrovs. Wasn’t that one of the reasons you pulled in Grace?”

  Udaka sat down in his chair. “What are you up to, Contadina? Is Interpol trying to horn in on this case?”

  Jett sat down in the visitor’s chair and said, “The listening devices we planted are only good for five to eight days. If we push them, then we have a better chance of catching them on tape planning something.”

  He then shrugged and added, “Also, I admit to still being angry with his attack on Gilda Levin. I abhor any kind of violence against women.”

  Udaka gave Jett a searching look. He’d been a cop for a long time; he knew when someone was holding something back. “You’re not being entirely straight with me. If you can’t do that, then I’m going to have to kick you off the assignment; your brothers, too—if they are your brothers.”

  Jett had been checking out the Captain at the same time the Captain was looking at him. Then he looked around the office. Piles of files and documents on the desk reflected how much the man had to do during the day. Plaques and medals on the walls, not only for himself but the members of his squad, told him that the man took pride in his achievements and those who served with him.

  “Anton Kadyrov is obsessed with Grace, personally. That goes beyond finding out whether or not she is a cop or a spy of some sort. He wants her. He’s not known for backing off when told no. I still made the effort,” he said, showing the Captain his shark’s grin.

  “His file is filled with missing women. He’s a predator, and I suspect a sadistic, serial rapist and killer. Over and over again, he collects a girlfriend or shows interest in a woman. They may even go out, though usually it’s someone who has spurned his advances. The woman goes missing, and weeks or months later, shows up as a tortured, mutilated corpse."

  “My brothers and I will not allow the next victim to be Grace. He followed her all day yesterday. He went into the jewelry store and upon learning of her engagement to my brother, was so angry that he struck the jeweler, an old woman, to the floor. He’s losing control.”

  “What jeweler? Why don’t I know about this? Are you speaking of this Gilda person you mentioned before?” asked the Captain.

  “Yes, Gilda Levin owns and operates a small store in the Diamond District. She also thought of Grace’s welfare. When she phoned us to warn us of the man, she said she was filing a report with the police. She called us back when the officers recognized Anton Kadyrov from a picture she drew of her attacker. She was worried for the safety of her granddaughter. We’ve moved them to a safe place. The two officers that took her statement were immediately aware of the danger and acted in her interest. I believe the officers were going to delay the report so that any internal leaks wouldn’t reach the Kadyrovs until we had a chance to get them to a safe place.

  “She is willing to testify against him. She’s a solid witness and full of courage, so there’s a good chance the charges would stick. The question would be whether or not it even made it to trial. Because in the meantime, the Kadyrovs will be doing everything in their power to find her and shut her up as an example to others.

  “You and I both know, Captain, with this attack on me, that the charges you can now bring against him are stronger and more viable, and the City’s Attorney can add to them. A little more pressure applied in the right places, and Anton Kadyrov will break. Once you have the grandson, then the old man will follow. He’d do anything for his grandson, even if it hurts his own business. He’ll begin to make mistakes. Vasily Kadyrov is ten times worse than his grandson because he’s sane. He is a cold, vicious killer.”

  Captain Udaka sat back in his chair and went over all that Jett had said. Most of it was a reiteration of what he knew to be the truth, proving it was the crux of the matter. He had not had a chance to read over all of the files that Interpol had on the Kadyrov family and their criminal enterprises. What he had compiled from their actions here in the States was plenty. He couldn’t understand why they’d even been allowed in this country. While the Captain was thinking, Jett’s other phone began to vibrate.

  He pulled it from his pocket and saw that Jalen was trying to reach him. For security’s sake, he reverted to speaking HeVanian, “Hello, Jalen. I’m at the police station with Captain Udaka.”

  “Why are you there, Jett; what have you done?” asked Jalen.

  “I was still angry about the treatment Gilda received from him, and you saw how that animal looked at Grace. I could not allow her to be continually in harm’s way in that place. I prodded him. He sent some men to kill me.”

  “Are you unharmed? Grace is worried,” Jalen answered.

  “I’m fine. They were untrained; no match for our kind. Plus, I had my body shield activated. Have you heard from Justyn?”

  “Yes, he’s on his way. Rune is driving him in to the City. The others should arrive soon and Arjun convinced him he didn’t have to wait. He, Kylan and Suzanna will protect the household until the pod arrives. They expect the change of personnel to go smoothly,” said Jalen.

  “Good, I knew he couldn’t hold out for long. I’m going to speak with the Captain about downloading the data; if we decide to download tonight, we have to go to two locations so it will take a couple of hours. Justyn may arrive before me. My back is itching quite fiercely. Do you think it will be alright for all three of us to be together?”

  “We’ll be fine for three or four days, then we should separate again until the Joining, just to be safe,” said Jalen.

  “I agree. I don’t wish to use Addie’s method of choosing, though.” Jett heard Jalen laugh. The three of them had gotten a kick out of watching Addie’s Ankida playing roshambo, or rock-paper-scissors game, for making decisions. It was her way of being fair.

  “Alright, brother, we’ll think of something else. With luck, we’ll be able to go somewhere remote and perform the Joining Ceremony. In the meantime, I’ll make sure Grace understands you’re okay and that you’ll be here as soon as you can.”

  They said their goodbyes and Jett hung up the phone. He looked up at Captain Udaka, who was looking at him stra
ngely.

  “What language is that?” the Captain asked.

  “Our father was a scholar of ancient languages. He decided to teach us several dead languages when we were children. As children do, we put them all together into a language of our own. It’s a mixture of Ancient Sumerian, Babylonian, Sanskrit, Greek and Latin, with a few others added in over the years. A professor of languages might be able to recognize a word here and there, but he’d have trouble recognizing them all. As we grew older, we made it more complex and added our own syntax and grammar. We’re the only three people in the world who understand it,” he lied smoothly.

  “Now, it grows late. It’s time to download the information from the devices we planted earlier, if you still wish to get it nightly,” said Jett.

  “Why wouldn’t we want it right away? We may overhear plans being made for a robbery or exchange of drugs or money. We’ll need time to coordinate things on our end,” Udaka said.

  “All true; be aware that downloading the information will most likely give the subjects severe headaches. They will grow suspicious if they have one every day for a week or more,” said Jett.

  “That worries me, their lawyers may argue that this technology is damaging to their brains and sue us. What kind of data can you provide that it doesn’t?” he asked.

  “If necessary, I can bring in medical data that proves there is no harm done to the brain. You’ll have no worries there, the research is very thorough,” he said.

  “Alright then, let’s get tonight’s data and see if you got anything we can use. But before we leave, where did you stash this jeweler? The S.A. is going to want to interview her,” said the Captain.

  “She’s moving now and will be kept moving for at least a week. Though she will be available by phone, specific times have been set for her to call in. If given notice, she’ll be ready to come back in when the trial date is set. Between you and me, I hope you won’t need her testimony.”

  “This is highly irregular,” said Captain Udaka, “and the US Marshalls may have something to say about it. Personally, I’m glad you got her away. I hope you don’t have any leaks. Exactly how many Interpol agents are there in the US right now?” he thought to ask. “And why would your people get involved with this?” the Captain added.

  Jett leaned back in his chair and crossed his leg over his knee before continuing. “We are all volunteers, on our own time. This is not an official Interpol operation as it would not be legal for us to operate within your jurisdiction without some formal arrangement and standing. So you can view us as concerned citizens and visitors with a helpful skill set. Violence against women and the trafficking of young girls has touched all of our lives. That’s the glue that holds us together. Bringing down Kadyrov is a priority for us. As a group, we’re using this as a test case. If we can help you bring him down with a successful outcome in court, we will contact other police departments in your country and repeat the process. Currently there are a dozen of us here, though that number does go up and down with need.”

  Captain Udaka gave him a sharp look. “I’m not sure how I feel about a dozen foreign off-duty cops working undercover in my country without prior arrangement. It smacks of vigilantism. If we nail these bastards and bring down this organization, it will be worth it to me. Others won’t see it that way, so you should tread very lightly. I expect you to keep your people in line. I don’t want vigilante justice on my hands. Everything goes through the courts.

  “Now, getting back to these listening devices you planted. The receiving station we set up a mile from the club hasn’t picked up a thing. Why is that?” asked the Captain.

  “You have to put in a pass-code and tell the device to transmit. Currently the pass-code is my thumbprint. It’s one of the reasons it’s so hard to detect. It doesn’t actively transmit data, it stores it up and then when we tell it to transmit, it does. The best time is when the subject is sleeping so he won’t notice. I think we should swing by the senior Mr. Kadyrov’s house first, as he’s more likely to be asleep. Then in an hour or so, we can drive by and download from the younger Kadyrov. It’s what, two A.M. now?,” asked Jett.

  “About that,” he said, glancing at his watch.

  The Captain stood and headed to the door. “Well, let’s get started. I’d like to get home to my wife sometime tonight. You and your brothers are strange men. You seem bigger, stronger, and these gadgets you have…if I had time to think about it, I’d probably be worried. As it is, I’m just glad you’re on the side of the angels.”

  Jett gave him a big smile. “Oh, we’re definitely on the side of the angels; why, you could almost say we have wings.”

  Chapter Nine

  At the farmhouse, the moon was nearly full and the sky was clear, so they took the risk of having the shuttle pod Jett had called for land in the backyard. Arjun had faith in Jeze’s abilities to navigate a clear path. The jammers and shields would hide them from the radar, sonar, and other technologies of Earth. The holographic plating of the hull automatically camouflaged itself, so eyes looking up would not see a ship obstructing their view.

  And as it approached closer to the surface, the crew had scanned for any living entity greater than fifty pounds, making sure they were unseen by anything larger. The fact that Addie lived in such a rural area made it possible. Unfortunately, it wasn’t remote enough for frequent trips.

  The Mackeys had arrived around ten thirty with all of Gilda’s, Marta’s, and Heidi’s possessions. Suzanna had already packed up her mother’s and her own things. Her mother had kept very few things when she’d gone into the nursing home. And Suzanna traveled so much that she mostly lived out of a suitcase so she didn’t have a lot of personal possessions. Mostly she and her mother had clothes, some jewelry and smaller items, and a couple of old photo albums.

  The Mackeys said hello to Heidi and then left, wanting to get home. Arjun and Addie thanked them for their work and made the first overtures towards a more permanent relationship. They would need movers if and when they had more women willing to immigrate to HeVan.

  It was three am and the shuttle pod had just landed. Addie was sitting in the kitchen with the women while the men were out in the yard discussing how to load up the pod to fit everything safely for transport.

  Addie turned to them and said, “I guess men are the same throughout the galaxy. I remember when I was a kid and we’d be getting ready for the family vacation. My dad would stand next to the open car with all the bags and things around him on the ground while he figured out how to pack it all in.”

  “I’m still having trouble coming to grips with the fact that everything my grandmother’s been telling me for the last couple of years about the Nephilim and aliens has turned out to be true,” said Marta in a dazed voice.

  “Are you unhappy about having to leave Earth? We’re sending Gilda and Heidi because it’s the safest place for them. I don’t want you to feel that decisions are being made for you,” said Addie.

  “No, I want to go. I want to stay with grandmother and have a chance to get to know Suzanna and Great-Aunt Carol. Anyway, you said they’d bring me back if I asked,” said Marta.

  Just then there was a knock at the door. Suzanna got up to answer it. She instantly recognized the man standing on the other side. “Jeze,” she whispered.

  He took a step forward and she snapped back from her daze in time to take a step back and then close the door after him.

  All of the other women in the room had gone quiet, watching the tableau unfolding before them.

  “May I?” asked Jeze, holding out a hand.

  At Suzanna’s nod, he reached forward and slowly drew her into his arms until he was holding her tightly. “We never believed…after all this time…to actually hold you in my arms…”

  He was having a hard time finishing a sentence in his joy at seeing her and realizing she was real. Suzanna reached up a hand and wiped the tears that had fallen from his eyes.

  “I’m real; I can’t wait to meet you
r brother, too, and spend time alone with you,” she said. “When did you find out about me? Arjun only told me this morning.”

  “There have been no communications until tonight. I found out then; I’m still in shock. Tyr and I had a slight disagreement about which of us would pilot the shuttle pod tonight,” he said with a sheepish look.

  “Please don’t tell me you fought over me,” she said, even though it gave her a little thrill thinking it might be true.

  “I’ll just say we settled the matter with a little physical exertion, alright?”

  “From now on we’ll be together so it won’t matter,” she said. Then without thinking of anything else, she started to rise up, but he was too tall for her to reach. Realizing what she meant to do, he picked her up, as he brought his own head down. Their lips came together as if they’d been lovers for years. Suzanna wove one hand through his hair while the other held on. Her legs naturally wrapped around his waist as his hands went down and cupped her, squeezing her bottom.

  Who know what would have happened next if Carol hadn’t jumped up and begun hitting him across the back and shoulders.

  “You let go of my daughter right now! How dare you attack her like that!” she shouted, while she continued to strike him. The other men came running in when they heard the noise and the room became quite crowded. Seeing what was happening, all except for Rapha stepped back outside. They all were aware of Carol’s illness and didn’t wish to frighten her. Suzanna and Gilda would calm her with Rapha’s help. They were laughing at Jeze’s predicament as they went back to loading the shuttle pod.

  It took the combined efforts of Suzanna and a laughing Gilda to make Carol understand what was happening.

  “Well, I suppose it’s alright, if they’re going to get married. We never carried on like that in front of others when we were young ladies. Young people these days have no morals, Gilda. Where did I go wrong?” mourned Carol.