Godschild Covenant: Return of Nibiru

by Marshall Masters

  They quietly listened to the music and spoke tender words of love to each other until she finally said, “we're going to turn into a couple of cold prunes. Besides, I'm getting a little hungry. What about you?"

  “I'm famished!"

  Tanya stepped out the tub and wrapped a large bath towel around herself, holding another out to Anthony. “Let's see what I can whip up in the kitchen, shall we?"

  “Sounds like a wonderful idea to me,” Anthony said as he stepped out of the tub and took the extra large bath towel from her hand. It was warm and dry and it felt good as he ran it along his body.

  Tanya turned up the main interior lights of the dome to half intensity and disappeared into the kitchen as Anthony finished drying himself. They snacked on a variety of tasty snacks she had prepared beforehand, washing them down with a slightly chilled California chardonnay that delighted their palettes with rich, crisp, citrus and apple flavors.

  Since his family had perished in that awful accident, Anthony had always kept his emotional distance, fearing to be vulnerable, fearing to trust. It was a part of his life that had to end, so he drew up the courage to fight back his well-ingrained emotional defenses. “Tanya darling, something troubling is on my mind, and I've got to share it with you. I feel clumsy by bringing this up at a time like this, but it seems like a voice inside me keep pushing me. I guess it was one of those Johnny Mathis songs."

  Tanya placed her hand on his arm, “If we are to share our lives, we cannot pick and choose our times to be honest with each other, and our secrets must be shared between us and with no others. Tell me, dear. Don't let this build inside you."

  “Just before coming to Los Gatos, I learned that I had a son by a former lover years ago. His name is Russell, and he is in great danger now.” Mesmerized by his revelation, Tanya remained silent as he refilled his glass and drained it, gathering up the resolve to continue. “The short story is that Secretary General De Bono kidnapped him and is holding him hostage, and Vigo and I are planning to rescue him."

  Tanya clasped her cheeks, “My God. I've sensed that there was a dark secret within you, but this is something I could have never imagined. Yet, it does explain two things that have puzzled me. The first is that now I know why you refused De Bono in our interview this morning."

  “And the second?"

  “One of the last things that Henry told me is that a man would come from far away to help you, and he asked me to help you to trust him."

  Anthony was astonished. “Henry said that?"

  “Yes, he did, and it didn't make a lick of sense to me until this very minute. Anthony, we have to rescue your son, no matter what the risks. You must tell me everything. We've got to save Russell!"

  “When you say ‘we’ are you including yourself?"

  “I'm in this all the way now, and there will be hell to pay if you try and keep me out of it! Now, fill me in on everything, and I mean everything."

  * * *

  The Mystery Spot

  EXHAUSTED WITH TRAVEL, Vigo pulled up his truck next to Charlie Gibbs’ tent. He crawled out of the cab and walked around to the back of the truck where Gibbs met him. A mumbled hello fell out of his mouth as he lowered the tailgate. “Charlie, I've got a few things that need your consummate gunsmithing skills, my young private."

  Charlie pointed at his collar lapel. “Check it out, Sarge."

  Vigo saw the three chevrons of a brand new buck sergeant. “Well, congratulations, and what kind of butt did you have to kiss for that?"

  The young man grinned from ear-to-ear. “Well I could feed you a line about how I've been such a good soldier and all, but the truth is that Captain Jarman decided that I deserve to drink in the NCO club the next time I'm in Port Ord."

  “You're in for a disappointment on that one, but congratulations on the promotion anyway,” Vigo laughed as he pulled out the first of two long, rectangular black aluminum hard cases and a .50-caliber ammunition can. “Here,” he grunted as he handed them to Charlie. “Let's get this stuff in your tent right quick."

  Vigo brought the second black case into the tent and laid it on top of Charlie's workbench. Popping the latches, he opened the case to reveal a massive .50-caliber sniper rifle.

  “Oh, yeah,” Charlie reverently moaned as he hefted the large military rifle out of its case. “A Barrett M82A1, semi-automatic 50 caliber with ten-round magazine, self-leveling bi-pod and 29 inches of hell on earth. I shot one of these once. It can take out a thin-skinned armored personnel carrier and yet the recoil is no worse than a 12-gauge shotgun.” He drew back the bolt set the safety and quickly eyeballed the inner working parts of the rifle. “This hasn't been shot in long time and it's a little dirty. Nothing too nasty.” He laid the rifle down on his workbench, pulled the scope and silencer out of the case and examined them as well. “A 110 mm F1,6 Night Scope with built in infra-red illuminator. Old stuff, but great optics! Some new batteries and a little cleaning will do, but these custom made Turbodyne silencers look brand new."

  “Sounds like you've got the situation in hand.” Vigo opened the ammunition can and pulled out a cardboard package. “We've got 100 rounds of match load, armor-piercing, non-incendiary. Once you're ready to test fire them babies, make sure you leave us 20 each for the mission."

  Charlie pursed his lips. “What distances are we talking about here?"

  “About 250 yards."

  “Then why not something lighter than a .50?"

  “Because they'll be wearing those new synthetic spider silk vests."

  “Yeah, well, a fifty will still pierce any kind of body armor out there.” Charlie examined Vigo's bloodshot eyes closely. “I'll have these ready in a day or two.” He laid the rifle down and gave Vigo the once over. “I hate to say it, Sarge, but you look like you've been dragged through hell and back. Why don't you grab some grub before they shut down the mess hall and get some sack time? Heck, I'll even gas up your truck and park it in the motor pool for you."

  “That's a good idea.” Vigo rubbed his eyes. “Yeah, this last trip was a real bitch, and I forgot when I last ate. Here are the keys to the truck. Lock her up for me. I'll come back later this evening for the keys."

  Charlie took the keys, and winked. “Better get them powdered eggs while their still kinda warm. They taste like crap when they're cold."

  “Don't remind me,” Vigo growled as he left for the mess tent.

  Dragging his feet with exhaustion, all he wanted was to eat and get some sleep. Maybe, just maybe if he had enough ambition he'd take a shower before crashing on his cot. “I'm getting too old for this,” he mumbled to himself as Ann-Marie Bournelle slapped him on the back.

  “Well, look what the cat the dragged in,” she teased. He turned to face her and she looked him over. “You've been gone almost a whole week now, and while I've seen you drag your sorry butt through here more times than I can remember, this time takes the cake."

  “I'm too tired for this,” he growled.

  “Oh, feeling a little testy, are we? Well, no matter, because you must live right. I have the morning off, and my dome is free all day.” She fished the door key out of her pocket and placed it in his hand. “You go to my dome right now, get a shower and get that stink off you. While you're doing that, I'll bring you something to eat from the mess tent and give you a back rub to help you sleep."

  “That sounds wonderful, Ann-Marie. You sure this won't mess up your day?"

  “No, it won't. Now stop your drooling, get moving, and remember that my soap is in the blue squeeze bottle. You accidentally used one of the other girl's soap the last time and she ragged me about it for a whole day."

  “Blue squeeze bottle. Got it."

  She slapped him lightly on the butt. “Like I said, get moving!"

  * * * *

  THE COMBINATION OF a bath and a hot meal had worked wonders for him. As he lay face down on the cool linen sheets of Ann-Marie's bed, she lovingly rubbed the soreness out of his back and shoulders.

  “Looks li
ke things are pretty well set on this end,” she said nonchalantly. “I'm really glad that Anthony and Tanya let me volunteer for this deal."

  Vigo spun around onto his back. “What are we talking about, here?"

  “The mission to go save Anthony's son, of course. I'll be on the medical team with Jim Boole and Ramona Baker."

  “What the hell is going on here? How many people are in this deal now?"

  “Besides Anthony and Tanya, there is you, myself, Charlie, Jim and Ramona. A nice, tight crew."

  “Oh yeah, and now this rescue effort is about as clandestine as a Thanksgiving pot luck dinner."

  “Don't worry; nobody else knows."

  “Not even Colonel Henry Tzu at Port Ord?"

  “Heavens, no! Why would you ask such a thing?"

  Vigo sat upright with a serious expression on his face. “Let's cut the crap, Ann-Marie. I know you're spying on me for Tzu."

  “What are you talking about?"

  “You thought I was asleep when I saw you taking photographs of my medallion out of the corner of my eye, so I bugged your webpad."

  Her eyes shot wide open. “You son-of-a-bitch!"

  “So, what if I am? What does Tzu know about this?"

  “Nothing, and we couldn't figure out what that medallion thing is either, so we gave up on it. You can check your damn bug if you don't believe me.” She turned away from him to hide her pained expression.

  “Look, you didn't do anything wrong, and the intelligence was helpful for me too. I'm not worried about Tzu. He just wants what is best for Anthony, as do I."

  She covered her face with her hands. “So, we're both still a couple of slime balls. Still the same, you can't believe how cheap I feel right now."

  “It's OK. It doesn't change anything between us. Besides, I should have said something long ago, but old habits are hard to break."

  “You know what really hurts?"

  “What?"

  “I thought we had something special going, you and me. You've been the only man in my life since I walked into this horrible place, and for the first time in a long time, I thought I knew what it felt to be an honest woman. Now, I know that you were just using me like an old, worn-out whore. Hell, who could blame you? I've been such a fool."

  Vigo placed his arm around her shoulder. “Ann-Marie, please look at me.” She resisted, and he asked again. When she turned to face him, he could see the tears welling up in her eyes. “You are an honest woman for me, and we do have something special going. I want you to know that."

  “But the past. It always follows us."

  “The people we were in the before times are dead and gone, Ann-Marie. If all this misery doesn't entitle us both to a fresh start in life, what does?"

  “I don't know what to say. This morning, I thought I knew what I was feeling, but now, it seems like I don't even know who I am."

  “You're someone I care for very much, and I want you to know that I've been faithful to you as well.” He ran his hand gently through her hair. “You and I have spent most of our lives selling love and romance for one reason or another. I do not know that we could ever think about it like young kids in love for the very first time, but I do know one thing; if I lost you, I know my life would be so very empty."

  “You'd live."

  “No; I would just exist, but with you, I know that I could live. Let's make it work, Ann-Marie; no more secrets, no more games—just us."

  The tears began to stream down her face as she sat silently with trembling lips. Vigo leaned forward and began kissing the moist tears from her cheeks. “Right here. Right now. Let's agree to put the past behind us and make a fresh start in life—together."

  “Oh, yes Vigo,” she sighed passionately. Their lips met as she melted into his arms. After a long, passionate kiss, he gave her one last hug.

  “My spirit is willing, Ann-Marie, but I'm just whipped,” he said with droopy eyes.

  “That's OK. Just roll over, and let me rub you to sleep.” He kissed her again and rolled back onto his stomach as she resumed the back rub.

  “Oh by the way,” he said as he felt a deep sleep overcoming him. “We'll be getting a visitor later this afternoon. He's a computer genius by the name of LeBlanc. He's coming here to see Anthony. Be a dear, and make sure to wake me up before noon."

  “Noon it is. Now get some sleep, soldier. You've earned it."

  * * * *

  WHILE STROLLING OUT of the mess hall, Tanya looked up to see one of the Jet Ranger helicopters from Port Ord on its approach to the landing pad. “That's odd,” she said to Anthony. “That's him. Colonel Tzu told me to expect a visitor about now, but didn't tell me anything about him. Let's go see who it is."

  “Sorry, but you're on your own, Tanya. Even though I've only got a few cases this afternoon, I do not want to make them wait."

  “How long will you be?"

  “No more than an hour, thank God. I'm really beginning to feel like we're close to shutting this miserable place down once and for all."

  “So am I,” she heartily agreed. “When you're finished, be sure to swing by my office, will you?"

  He saw Charlie driving one of the electric carts his way and flagged him down. As his orderly stopped the cart, he jumped in and said, “You can count on it. Keep the coffee hot."

  She waved at him and decided to walk up the hill to the landing pad as the Jet Ranger slowly settled down on the yellow landing markers. Reaching the top of the hill, she was surprised to see that Vigo had beaten her to the punch with a small electric truck and was helping a man dressed as a military doctor to unload several aluminum equipment cases from the helicopter onto the truck.

  Vigo noticed her as she approached, tapped on the other man's shoulder and called out to her, “Colonel Wheelwright."

  “So this must be our mystery guest,” she replied as she noticed the medical insignia on Jeffrey LeBlanc's khaki uniform. “I don't know if you've been reading the news, but we're not hurting for doctors around here these days."

  Jeffrey held out his hand, “To be honest, that's just fine by me, as I'm not a doctor. May I introduce myself? I'm Jeffrey LeBlanc, and I'm no doctor. In fact, I'm only wearing this uniform because Colonel Tzu does not want me to be restricted by the quarantine. In real life, I design artificial intelligence programs."

  She took his hand. “And I'm Lieutenant Colonel Tanya Wheelwright and while you're still a mystery to me,” she glanced over at Vigo, “it appears that the sergeant here knows more about you than I do."

  Vigo stepped a little closer. “Tanya, he's come all the way from Russia to see Anthony. This is anything but a pleasure visit."

  Tanya smiled. So, this was the man Henry had told her about. Things were certainly taking an interesting turn. “Anthony will be available in about an hour or two. In the meantime, can I make you comfortable in my own office?"

  “I would certainly appreciate that,” Jeffrey replied. “And would there be a private place where I could set up my equipment? All I really need is a table and a few electrical outlets."

  “I think we can accommodate that.” Tanya nodded towards the truck. “Shall we?"

  * * * *

  CORPORAL SHARMA HELPED Vigo and LeBlanc to carry his aluminum equipment cases into Tanya's private office and sat them down behind the meeting table. Tanya motioned to them to sit down in the chairs facing her desk and asked, “Are you hungry?"

  “I haven't eaten since breakfast, if you can call two slices of dry, burnt toast breakfast,” Jeffrey replied.

  “Sunny,” Tanya said to her clerk, “could you get our guest a couple of nice, hot sandwiches from the mess tent and a large pitcher of coffee for us all."

  Sharma acknowledged her order and paused at the door. “Excuse me, doctor, but all we have now is saccharin and condensed milk, I'm afraid."

  “Thanks for asking, but it makes no difference to me. I take my coffee black,” LeBlanc replied.

  After Sharma left the room, Jeffrey began drawing the blind
s as Vigo took out a small electronic sweeper from his pants and began working his way around the office. Mindful what they were doing, Tanya quietly sat down in her chair and watched them with an amused smile. After closing the last blind, Jeffrey settled down into a chair and, after exchanging a mutual nod with Vigo, said. “I take it that Colonel Jones has already briefed you on the basic details?"

  “No, he hasn't. All I know is that Colonel Tzu told me to expect a visitor today but he wouldn't tell me any more than that."

  “I'm sorry about that, Tanya,” Vigo said as he settled into his own chair next to Jeffrey. “I was dog tired this morning and barely woke up in time for Jeffrey's arrival."

  “I hope you're feeling more rested now, Vigo,” she replied kindly. “So Mr. LeBlanc, what is this all about?"

  He scratched his eyebrow for a moment and said, “I was really hoping to have this conversation with Captain Jarman. You know, privately. No offense, I hope."

  “None taken,” she replied with a slight smile. She rose up out of her chair and walked to the window facing the helipad and pried open the blinds with her fingers. “Tell me, Mr. LeBlanc, is the pilot waiting for you before she leaves?"

  “I have the full use of the helicopter for as long as I'm here. Warrant Officer Gonzalez has her orders to take me wherever I want."

  Tanya tipped her head and hummed as she turned around to face him. “You must be a real VIP, then, Mr. LeBlanc, so if you're going to play games with me and Anthony Jarman, I suggest you get back in your helicopter and leave right now, because I run this center, and you're on my turf, hot shot."

  A man of great wealth in his own means, Jeffrey LeBlanc was not accustomed to such blunt rebukes and his cheeks began to glow red with anger. “If you want to go down on the mat with me, lady, you're going to lose, because I've got a little more pull than you think."

  Vigo jumped up from his chair. “Whoa, you two. Cease-fire right now, and I mean it! This misunderstanding is my fault because I was sawing logs when I should have been laying the groundwork for this meeting.” He looked down at Jeffrey, “We're all on the same side, here, and the colonel already knows a lot more than you think."