by Todd Fries
“Help me turn him on his side.”
They gingerly rolled him over and Nicolas felt along the back of his head. He could feel a small wet spot and when he examined it closely, he noticed a small hole at the base of the skull. It was almost as if an ice pick had been thrust up under the skull. If so, he would have died instantly.
“Who found him?”
Hannah pointed toward Kathi. Nickolas walked in and sat down beside her, but she was hysterical. The sobs were deep and mournful and he couldn’t imagine anything worse. This wasn’t what she planned on doing today. He surmised that she must have dropped the vase when she saw him. He could only imagine the shock and pain she must be experiencing and being empathetic to her plight, he gently took her hand and held it tight for a few moments.
“I’m so sorry Kathi. I can’t imagine what you’re feeling right now, but Hannah and I are here and we’re not going anywhere.”
He looked up at Hannah, but she was just as upset, the makeup streaming down her face and the water soaking the neckline of her dress. This was almost too much to bear. The sudden shock made him numb and he wished this was all a bad dream. One moment he didn’t have a care in the world and the next, his life came tumbling down around him.
In this moment he felt so helpless. There was nothing he could do for either of them. Least of all the General. So many things started to run through his mind. Who could have done this to him and what did Kathi see? Moving closer, he gently probed her with a question.
“Can you tell me what happened?”
Her body trembled as if she were as cold as ice, but between sobs, she gasped for the words.
“I got a call to pick up some flowers at the florist. I told him…..”
Her voice trailed off and then returned.
“I told him I’d be right back. When I returned, I saw him collapsed over the side of the bed and I dropped everything to help him, but it was too late.”
Nickolas looked into the bedroom. The General was flat on his back and appeared so peaceful. His tuxedo jacket was sprawled across the floor as if it he had tossed it aside after a long night of celebrating. If there had been a struggle, there was no evidence other than his jacket and the flowers on the floor. Whatever happened; happened quickly. Perhaps someone snuck up behind him and before his body could react; he was dead.
“What am I going to do?”
Kathi sobbed into his vest as he tried to comfort her. Hannah sat on the other side and stroked her back, but it was a good question. What was she going to do? What were they all going to do? This was their boss, friend and mentor and now he was gone. It was impossible to come to grips with reality, but he was dead.
At that moment Major Brooks came running in to the room.
“I just got a message from Hannah. What happened?”
Nickolas pointed into the bedroom and watched as Caleb’s face dropped. The instant he looked into that room he knew the truth. The General wasn’t sleeping.
“What the hell?”
He stormed into the bedroom as Nickolas turned back to Kathi.
“We’re going to figure out what’s going on. I promise. But right now, you’re the most important thing and everyone is going to support you in any way possible.”
Hannah was finally able to get her own emotions under control.
“Yes. We’re all here for you. Oh honey, I feel so bad. This is so unfair.”
Nickolas excused himself and joined Caleb in the bedroom.
“What do you think?”
Major Brooks put his hand to his chin.
“Did you examine the body?”
“Yes. He’s bleeding from the back of his skull. I found a small puncture that could be from a thin, sharp object like an ice pick?”
“Ice pick? Murder?”
“If I were to guess. I mean he could have fallen and caught the back of his head on a sharp corner, but the wound doesn’t seem to match anything in the immediate area?”
“Could he have fallen somewhere else and then walked this far before collapsing?”
Major Brooks felt around the injury for himself.
“I think you’re right, but they’ll have to do an autopsy.”
Nickolas nodded before continuing.
“We’ll have to call base command and report the death. They’ll send an investigative team to explore what happened. I think it’s all we can do for the moment.”
As he bent over to pick up the General’s jacket, he heard voices in the other room. They both peered out, only to see two MP’s and a four star general. Major Brooks spoke up.
“Who are you?”
“General Alfred Taylor. Commanding!”
“Commanding? Commanding what!?” Exploded Caleb.
“Commanding this base. Haven’t you been informed?”
He waved to the MP’s who walked past them into the bedroom. The General continued.
“This room is now off limits to all personnel. You’ll leave immediately! Take nothing with you!”
Nickolas realized that he still had Samuel’s tuxedo jacket in his hands. Fortunately, being part of the wedding party, it matched his vest and pants, so without appearing too obvious, he slipped on the jacket. It was a little large, but he hoped they wouldn’t notice. Hannah helped Kathi to her feet and as they shuffled out of the room, the General turned his attention back to Nickolas and Caleb.
“I’m sorry for your loss, but we need to move the body and clean out the area. You understand?”
The two of them nodded. They didn’t know what else to do in that moment and being so overwhelmed by the Generals death, it barely registered that this man had announced himself as the new base commander. What was he talking about? There had been no announcement of a change in command. Things like that were typically declared in advance with plenty of time for transition. There hadn’t been a change in command in over a decade. Why now?
“Move it!”
The General ordered them out into the hall. They glanced behind them to see the MP’s glaring in their direction, so with no other options, they exited into the hallway. Nickolas turned to Major Brooks.
“What just happened? I feel like we’ve been invaded.”
“What about the General?”
“Which one?”
“Samuel?”
“I don’t know.”
Nickolas looked at Major Brooks
“Did you call anyone and alert them to the death?”
“Not me. I thought you did.”
“No. I never got the chance. Maybe Kathi did before we arrived. Or Hannah?”
They spotted the girls sitting on a bench nearby. As they approached, they pulled Hannah aside.
“Did you call anyone besides us?”
She nodded her head no and looked at them in confusion.
“Why are you asking?”
Major Brooks answered.
“How did they know the General was dead? If you didn’t call then who did? Kathi?”
She turned to look at her friend.
“She only called me.”
The three of them stood in silence, wondering at the most recent set of events. This was just too coincidental. General Taylor and the MP’s had perfect timing and they seemed to already know he was dead. The Major questioned Nickolas.
“Are you going to tell them what you found? That you suspect foul play?”
Nickolas didn’t answer at first and as he pulled on his coat he felt a bulge in his pocket. When he reached in, it felt like an envelope. Not knowing what to do, he quickly pulled his hand out and turned his head in the direction of the apartment.
“No. Let it be for now. Let’s get Kathi somewhere private and we’ll decide what to do.”
So with no more discussion, they walked to Hannah’s apartment and started sorting out their next moves.
THEFT
Jacob sat deep in thought. The last few weeks had been so exciting and he just wanted to keep going. Every day he found something new in the scriptu
re and each tiny revelation just added more to his wealth of knowledge. Even if he spent his entire life unlocking the mysteries hidden within each symbol, he’d never begin to scratch the surface. The volumes of data compressed within each glyph might require a super computer to fully understand it all.
Hannah had been successful in creating a literal translation of the text and even converted the data into digital code, but that task would be much harder for him. While she had hundreds of individual glyphs, he had millions of possible symbolic “meanings” that could be interpreted in so many ways. If he could “clone” himself a hundred times over, he might stand a chance. But as it stood now, he was the only one capable of fully realizing the hidden messages within the formatted icons.
For all he knew, there might be detailed instructions on what to take on a celestial journey. All he needed was more time, but time was something unforgiving and finite. A rare commodity that slipped through ones fingers like sand through an hour glass. And as each hour passed, he realized that the actual amount of time he could spend doing deep study was not only limited by his physical abilities, but by his patience and commitment to seeing this through to the end.
He wasn’t worried about dedication, but patience and fatigue were an issue. He needed to eat and sleep and he needed to step away from his work from time to time in order to clear his mind and re-organize his thoughts. After all, he wasn’t a machine, so what could he expect to accomplish by pushing himself too hard? If he was aggravated or tired, he might miss things that were critically important, so the research had to be measured out slowly. With great care, he dissected each tiny embossing, comparing it to similar Hebrew characters and sifting through tons of data in his quest to find the truth.
The alien books were scattered all around the room. Hannah possessed the remaining volumes and between the two of them, they traded publications as needed to advance their work. In many ways they were a team, taking great leaps every day, but being the best and brightest in their fields, there was no one else to turn to for opinions. So they had to rely on each other for criticism, suggestions and other points of view. It wasn’t the best scenario, but if all they had were each other, they needed to take advantage in every possible way.
Today was no different, but he had one ace up his sleeve. He was going to attend a wedding and then a reception, which would provide the break he needed. If left to himself, he might keep pushing onward with no regard for his physical needs, so being forced to focus on something else was a blessing in disguise. And if he had to choose a distraction, he couldn’t think of a better one.
He hadn’t known General Reynolds for long, but he could see how his friends loved and respected him. This had to count for something. The effect of a leader on his people was a good measure of character and the General possessed great integrity; all of which commanded a level of respect like he’d never seen before. It seemed he landed in a very good working situation and he thanked God for his many favors.
As was his nature, he stopped a moment to pray. He thanked the Lord for his blessings and thanked Him for everything he had accomplished in his life. Jacob fully understood that his talents were a gift from God and he recognized the Maker of all things as his Lord and acknowledged Him as the ultimate authority of his life.
Finally he prayed for Wisdom and that God might open a door to the knowledge contained in His words. Only by divine revelation could he ever hope to understand, and if he was a tool to get this done, then so be it. He would dedicate his life to the words and sacrifice his time on Earth for the wonders they contained. And as if by an answer to his prayer, he heard a knock at his door.
He let out a deep sigh and setting aside his laptop, he strolled over to the door and opened it, but before he could fully reveal the person on the other side, he was thrust backward by two men dressed as military police, and behind them was a stern looking General who crossed his threshold without so much as a word of greeting or apology.
“What’s the meaning of this?”
He was shocked by the sudden intrusion and felt like his privacy was being invaded and it was. By the time he turned around, the two MP’s were emptying his drawers, tossing aside pillows and gathering all of his artifacts and notes. He was indignant.
“Stop that! What do you think you’re doing? Those are valuable?”
The General extended his arm and stopped him from going any further.
“You’ll stand where you are. They’re following my orders and you’ll do the same.”
“Who are you?”
“General Taylor.”
“Where’s General Reynolds? I want to talk to him immediately!”
“General Reynolds is no longer in charge. I am.”
“You! When? How? I wasn’t informed!”
“Consider yourself informed. I’m collecting anything related to SM1 and your cooperation is appreciated.”
Jacob could see a wry smile cut across his face and he felt a tinge of fear as he looked into those eyes. He had many questions, least of which was how he could just storm in and confiscate all of his work. This wasn’t normal by any means. He then wondered if he had done something wrong or perhaps he’d been accused of doing something illegal. Maybe they thought he was a spy or had leaked information? If so, their response would be justified. He inquired of the General.
“Have I done something wrong?”
The General ignored him. He repeated the question.
“Am I being accused of something? Why the heavy handed intrusion? What’s happening?”
General Taylor looked at him and answered.
“You’re in no position to ask any questions.”
“Am I under arrest?”
“Effective immediately you are on administrative leave. You’ll cease all research regarding SM1 and refrain from talking to anyone about this project or what happened here today. Do you understand?”
Jacob recoiled at the cold words. But what could he do. The guy was a general and he was obligated to follow his orders. As soon as they left, he’d seek out General Reynolds to get his answers, but for now all he could do was watch as they packed the remaining books, unplugged his laptop and marched out with everything he’d been working on for months.
When he saw his blood stained bible on top of his laptop, he grabbed it just as the MP walked past, and in the next instant found himself on the floor dazed and stunned. He stared up to see the General looking down at him and remembered that day when his brothers peered over the window ledge, watching him as he lay on the street in his own blood. The General picked up his bible and flipped through the pages and seeing nothing related to SM1, tossed the publication onto his chest and stormed out the way he had come.
He reached up to rub a knot on his head and wondered at the quick change of events. If this was an answer to prayer, then what was God’s plan in all this? He rolled onto his side and stood up, brushing himself off as he steadied himself on his feet. As soon as his head stopped spinning, he’d seek out General Reynolds.
CONFUSION
As they approached Hannah’s room, she could see the door was open. She puzzled to herself and wondered if she forgot to close it in her haste to get to Kathi. It was possible. Things had happened so quickly that she couldn’t believe that any of this was real. One moment she was happy and in the next was devastated by the recent turn of events. The world was a different place in the space of one hour.
They helped Kathi into the living room and when she examined her surroundings, her heart sank with fear. She had been robbed. Not only robbed, but they had tossed everything in their search for valuables. Who would do such a thing here? This was the safest and most secure facility in the country, so who would stoop to such opportunistic crime. It inspired a growing anger in her soul.
After ensuring that Kathi was comfortable on the couch, she turned to consider her surroundings. Nickolas and Caleb were probably wondering if this was how she kept her apartment. How embarrassing. They probably though
t she was a slob. She announced her conclusions.
“If you’re wondering about the mess, I’ve been robbed.”
“Robbed? That’s crazy! Did you leave your door open?”
“I don’t know. I got the call from Kathi and rushed out of here as fast as possible. I thought I closed the door, but who knows. Anyway, who would do such a thing? We’ve got the highest security in the country with camera’s everywhere. This day is just getting worse and worse.”
Nickolas was concerned.
“Did they take any cash or jewelry?”
She shrugged her shoulders. Together they walked into her bedroom where she examined her jewelry box, but everything was accounted for and the cash she had sitting on the bureau was still where she left it, yet all of her drawers had been emptied. This wasn’t making any sense. Everywhere they looked, the rooms had been turned upside down, but all of her valuables were still secure. What were they looking for?
In that instant she realized her books from SM1 were missing, as was her computer and all of her notes regarding the project. She felt beads of cold sweat forming on her brow and in that moment, hastened to find anything related to her work, but nothing remained. Major Brooks questioned her.
“What’s wrong?”
“They took all of my research and artifacts regarding SM1. All of my work, my notes and my files are missing. I can’t find anything related to my translation of the triune language.”
Nickolas pondered.
“Do you think this is related to General Taylor?”
Major Brooks responded.
“It would make sense. If this guy was taking over the project, he might want to strike fast to ensure we couldn’t hide anything before he got his hands on it. He doesn’t know us from a hill of beans and if he had a different agenda, he may be setting up his own team of experts.”
