Variations on Humanity

by Paul Eslinger

  Understanding flowed through Rhona as strongly as if she had just grabbed an electric fence barehanded. She stiffened and every muscle twitched. After arriving in 1801, the Abantu would have needed very little time to determine that humans were still cantankerous. Laura’s comment that strife and bloodshed defined human culture was correct. However, the Abantu had stayed a long time. The uranium mining operation, while important for Mars, didn’t need anything from Ceres. They had stayed for over 200 years hunting for these elusive beings of power.

  “What–” Keene cut off his question when Rhona grabbed his shoulder.

  Rhona focused her attention on Nanda like a cat stalking a mouse. “Did you find any of these beings of power, these Nephilim?”

  Nanda shrugged and held out her hands. “I said I met one.”

  “No, no, no,” Rhona barked. “That was millennia ago. Did you find one on this visit?”

  “Uh…” Nanda seemed surprised at Rhona’s vehement question. “Not on this trip.”

  “How about the second visit?”

  “No. But, there were stories of Nephilim being around about a thousand years before my second visit.”

  “What about the guy at the motel?” Rhona asked. “The man with the double mind. Could it be related to these Nephilim?”

  Nanda seemed cautious. “This seems different.”

  “Okay.” Rhona spread out both hands and looked at the others with raised eyebrows. “What should we do about this guy?”

  “That’s easy,” Sam countered. “We warn Andrea to be careful, we have Dulcis watch the guy, and we send out a couple of canis with tranquilizer darts. They can trail him until he leaves.”

  They had just finished implementing Sam’s suggestions when Trixie joined them. “We just found Rucker,” she announced with a triumphant smile.

  Keene’s eyes widened with excitement. “Where is he?”

  “He’s in a motel in Lexington, Nebraska.”

  “He’s not using his real name, is he?” Keene asked.

  “No, but the guy who just checked in at the Lodge stayed at the same motel in Lexington last night. We identified him and Rucker when we were looking through their surveillance videos. They spent time together but we don’t have a voice transcript.”

  “Is Operation Tag a go?” Rhona asked.

  “Yes,” Nanda responded. “I already have two canis prepped.”

  “Let’s move,” Rhona said and turned towards the door.

  “Just a moment,” Keene remonstrated. “I also want to take four canis with these new sensors. I want to map Rucker while Rhona tags him.”

  Ten minutes later, three chariots lifted into the afternoon sky and zoomed north. The travel distance was less than 200 miles, so they arrived over Lexington about 20 minutes after leaving Jetmore.

  Rhona checked the chariot sensors from her position in the rear seat. Damaris was piloting so Rhona could focus on the delivery. “Rucker’s still at the motel,” she reported while they drifted lower, still cloaked, and circled the building.

  Sam joined the conversation. “The parking lot is nearly empty. We can drop the canis without leaving any visual clues.”

  “Do it,” Rhona said, even though she knew Keene was in charge of the operation.

  Trixie lowered her cloaked chariot until it touched the pavement. Six canis dropped to the ground and scuttled away, invisible except to the observers in the hidden aircraft. Moments later, she lifted to about 200 feet above the ground.

  The four canis with the new sensors began broadcasting data. A display in front of Rhona came to life. The data went from the canis to Trixie’s chariot and from there to Jetmore. Dulcis processed the data and shot it back to all three chariots with no discernible lag in time. Rhona studied the display. “There are five people in the building,” she said.

  “Where?” Sam asked.

  “One is at the front desk and one is in a laundry room. Three guests are in adjacent rooms.”

  “Which one is Rucker?” Keene asked.

  “He’s registered for the middle room–room 117–with the name Andrew Gross,” Rhona replied. “There’s one person in that room sitting in a reclining chair with their feet on a stool.”

  “Can we get inside?” Sam asked.

  “Sure,” Keene responded. “There isn’t anyone in the hall. Go in through the back exit.”

  Rhona touched a control and started looking through the eyes of a canis. The disorientation caused by shifting perspectives passed quickly. She watched from a point about two feet above the ground as her canis moved around the back of the building. The canis skirted piles of offal left by prairie dogs and Rhona was glad she wasn’t there in person.

  The canis reached the door and extended its legs, bringing the visual sensors even with the door handle. “I need to swipe a card to open the door,” Rhona said.

  “No problem,” Sam responded. “We put a new code in the hotel computer and sent it to your canis. The hall is still clear.”

  “Oh, yeah.” Rhona watched the tail of the canis move up next to the card reader. The tail flattened and then swiped through the slit in the reader. The small red light turned green.

  The front leg of the canis changed shape from a padded paw to stubby fingers as it reached for the door handle. Moments later, it was inside. It paused long enough to make sure the door didn’t slam and then headed up the hall.

  “We need to get in without opening Rucker’s door,” Rhona mused. “Sam, do you have the code for Rucker’s door?” she asked. “Not that I want to use it yet.”

  “We got it,” he replied.

  “I’m going to look under the door,” she responded. “There’s a big gap at the bottom.”

  She shifted her attention to a different screen in the chariot while the canis extended a small optical sensor under the door using its tail. “Rucker’s still sitting in the chair,” she told the others.

  “Be careful,” Keene warned. “He has a double-mind image.”

  Nanda’s interpretation about mind maps played through Rhona’s mind. “Is he asleep?” she asked.

  “Yes … and no.” Keene sounded confused. “One of the mind maps looks just like the one Nanda showed us of a sleeping human. The other one is much more active.”

  “I’m moving in,” Rhona said. The tail of the canis slithered on the caret as it telescoped across the room and rose beside Rucker’s exposed shin like the head of a cobra. It spat a miniscule amount of topical anesthetic on his leg. Thirty seconds later–an eternity to Rhona–it reached out with a microscopic needle and made a quick injection. After a quit spit of coagulant, the tail slithered back across the room and under the door.

  “Rucker didn’t even wake up,” Rhona said triumphantly.

  “He didn’t,” Keene agreed. “But the other mind just got a lot more active.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I don’t have a clue,” Keene responded.

  * * *

  “That was anticlimactic,” Rhona muttered when they gathered in the Intelligence Center about an hour later. They had considered also tagging Rucker’s companions, but both men had been awake. They had withdrawn without making the attempt.

  “Where is Rucker now?” Rhona asked.

  “He’s moving,” Adara said. “He, and the other two, just stopped at Kirk’s Nebraskaland Restaurant at the intersection of I-80 and US 283.” Another display showed the view from a restaurant security camera. They could see all three men, but they were sitting with their backs to the camera.

  “Can we hear them?”

  “Their phones are powered down but we can hear them by using speakers on other phones,” Adara replied. “They all ordered rare steaks and they’ve only talked about food.”

  Rhona turned to Nanda. “Can you explain Rucker’s mind map?”

  The ancient
Abantu looked perplexed. “No, other than to say we appear to have empirical evidence of two other minds.”

  “Other minds associated with bad people,” Sam added.

  “Yeah,” Nanda concurred. “There is one other thing,” she added. “You deployed a lot of sensors, so we just scanned every mind in the county.”

  The two double-mind traces were bothering Rhona. Memories of the depiction of the parasitic System Lords in the old Stargate TV shows clenched her stomach in a knot. “Did you find any more double ones?” she asked.

  “No more doubles.”

  “Could they be a parasite?”

  Nanda frowned at Rhona and shook her head. “Not in a physical sense. We scanned both of them down to the cellular level. Nothing else physically lives in their bodies. Rucker has some precancerous polyps.”

  “Oh.” Rhona pulled on her pursed lips with her fingertips as she turned away, deeply disturbed.

  “We did see something interesting when we displayed all of the maps ranked by the Karthi Index.” Nanda flicked her fingers and a large number of small images appeared in the air. “High Karthi values are on top,” she added.

  Rhona pushed aside the other thoughts as she turned back and focused on the new data. “Ah. There’s a pattern.”

  “Yes.” Nanda touched one image and expanded it. “We think this ridge on the right has something to do with aggression.”

  “If so, Rucker and the guy over at the Lodge have a lot of aggression,” Rhona replied.

  Nanda nodded. “I agree. However, I don’t have a clue how to use this information to our advantage.”

  Chapter 37 – Rehearsal

  A couple of weeks later, Keene stepped close to Rhona and pointed to a large display they were studying together in the Intelligence Center. “I’m starting to get nervous,” he said.

  She looked at the display and then deep into his hazel eyes. The DNA treatments over the last three months had removed all the age-related wrinkles from his face. He didn’t look nervous. “About what?”

  “Our wedding rehearsal is tomorrow.”

  She chuckled. “You don’t have to worry. Dulcis has everything timed down to the nanosecond and Diana, Beverly, Elaine and my mother are all over it. I’m hoping to have a relaxing time.”

  He pulled her close for a long kiss, even though it was during working hours. “I love you, and the way you think, but I was worried about something else.”

  “Keep talking,” Rhona said without trying to move in the circle of his arms.

  “You gave the information about Breneman planning a coup to the president. Nothing has happened yet.”

  “He’s been investigating,” Rhona protested.

  “I know. We’re still following the developments and his people have been thorough. I’d like to see a resolution before the wedding.”

  “I would too.” Rhona intertwined her fingers with Keene’s fingers. “We’re going to have to leave this in his hands.”

  “I’m way beyond the place where a pun will make me laugh,” he grumped.

  Rhona noticed a twitch in the corner of his mouth. She slapped his arm playfully. “You don’t lie very well.”

  Dulcis’ perfectly modulated voice broke into the playful moment. “Incoming call for Rhona from David Beganovic.”

  “Put him through,” Rhona replied. She liked to keep David slightly off guard, so she continued almost without a pause, “Hello, David.”

  “Hello, Rhona,” David replied without a hint of hesitation. He seemed to ignore her little ploy. “How are the preparations going for the big day?”

  “Fine, thank you.”

  “The people heading up the secret service have their trousers in a knot. They are strongly urging the president to cancel his visit.”

  Rhona took a deep breath. She liked to say she didn’t care if world leaders attended her wedding, but a little knot of irritation gathering in her stomach exposed her real feelings. “He must be waffling, or you wouldn’t be calling.”

  “He is waffling. I don’t have his ear on the matter we discussed with you, but he hasn’t been able to pull the ripcord on it.”

  “We’ve been watching,” Rhona said.

  “I’m sure you have,” David acknowledged with a nasal twang. “Do you have any additional information you are willing to share?”

  “Of course,” Rhona replied. “But there probably isn’t time for your people to verify it before the wedding.”

  “That’s what the president predicted. He may have to–”

  “Wait,” Rhona interrupted. “We have an alternative transportation plan he could consider.”

  David sounded interested. “Go ahead.”

  “The original plan was for him to provide his own transportation, as are the other five world leaders planning to come. We can provide transportation for the president and the others.”

  “Keep talking.”

  Rhona sighed. “We initially cleared this with Laura as a backup evacuation plan. A number of Abantu are coming from Mars.”

  “I just read the message that said you were changing some of the music for the ceremony. Is this related?”

  “It is. They are arriving tomorrow afternoon in a freighter and bringing two more shuttles.”

  The others heard David’s sharp intake of breath. “Will there be another blizzard?” he asked.

  “Not unless Breneman orders a strike on the freighter, and probably not even then. They will file an incoming flight plan in about 12 hours. We’re hoping the military people keep their finger off the trigger.”

  “If they don’t?” David asked.

  “Use your imagination,” Rhona retorted. “By the way, Nana is coming from Ceres for the wedding. Our people also have their trousers in a knot, to use your words, making sure she is safe.”

  “Oh. I’m sure the president will want to know that.”

  “Pass it along. Anyway, we have a couple of transportation options. We will offer shuttle rides to every head of state. We can pick them up and deliver them home. The same offer holds for the president, with one possible variation.”

  “I’m sure it will be interesting.”

  “Have him shut down Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport for about twenty minutes. The freighter will land about where runways 15 and 19 cross each other. We’ll use a shuttle to pick the president up at the White House steps and ferry him over to the airport.”

  “That freighter is huge!”

  “I know,” Rhona acknowledged. “It’s over 1,200 feet long, 400 feet high and 800 feet wide. In this case, it will actually hover a few feet above the ground rather than touching down. The shuttle will enter through a loading dock.”

  “The military and secret service will go into an absolute frenzy over the idea of the president in an alien craft.”

  “I don’t personally deal with them,” Rhona said sweetly. “If the president agrees, that would help validate our transportation offers to the other leaders.”

  “Sure,” he replied in a subdued tone.

  “Do you have a question?” she asked.

  “Back… On the visit that caused the blizzard, the shuttles delivered cargo to a freighter while it was 67 miles above the Earth. Why come down so close this time?”

  “You deal with politicians and military people. Both of them like to show off.”

  Rhona and Andrea shared the winnings from the impromptu office pool when the president approved the options for the freighter to land at the airport. Rhona raised her hand with eight shiny quarters clenched between her thumb and finger. “Thank you for your generosity. I predict every other world leader will opt for a ride in a shuttle.”

  “I hope not,” Sam called out. “It will take all night to negotiate the timing and pickup points.”

  Rhona and Sam were both correct. The night c
rew finished the pickup preparations after the sun rose over Jetmore the next morning.

  * * *

  Rhona’s emotions surged and ebbed as rapidly as a moving Ferris wheel on the drive to the Jetmore High School gymnasium. They had abandoned the thought of a church wedding when the attendance list passed 350. It now stood at 742.

  “Thanks for the ride,” Rhona said when she exited the pilentum driven by Isadore. Clyde Boehler and Isadore Choudhury were the first two recruits for Craig’s budding security team. They were joining forces with Olga Booker and two of her deputies to ensure nobody crashed the rehearsal.

  Rhona paused with the gym door half open and looked around the huge room. Draperies covering the brick walls eliminated the boxy look. Banks of potted plants filled the normally drab interior with sunshine and cheer. Yellow burst from daffodils, forsythia, tulips, roses and pansies. Among them nestled white roses, daffodils, crocus, and tulips. Crocus, tulips, columbine, grape hyacinths, lavender, and huge alliums provided an accent of purple.

  The transformation was breathtaking. Rhona had gone over the list of flowers and the layout with Elaine and Diana, and then she had been so busy with security matters that she hadn’t asked how the decorations were proceeding. It looked like a flower farm in peak form.

  Trixie and Sam had checked every plant and pot. They located a few unsuspecting aphids and one pot with a small nest of ants. However, they also found six electronic bugs. Rhona hadn’t gotten as much sleep as she had planned while they followed the tortuous trail looking for the perpetrators. Four of the six bugs led to media organizations still irate because Laura denied them access to the embassy. The other two led to organizations with nefarious purposes.

  Keene greeted Rhona with a hug and a face-splitting smile just inside the gym door. “You’re looking wonderful today,” he said