by S V Hurn
“You have two weeks; I trust it will be done.”
Hans responded with assurance, “Yes, we are very close to completion.”
Lucca rubbed his tired eyes, “Good then. Godspeed.” And the meeting was over.
Lori picked Alex up at the airport, and when she caught her first glimpse of him, she was stunned by his appearance. As she gave him a hug, she could feel his ribs through his shirt. “Oh, Alex it breaks my heart to see you like this.”
He had no response, he simply picked up his case and threw it into the trunk of her car.
Alex ran his hand over his thick overgrown beard said, “How is Stu doing?” Lori knew it was pointless to ask how he was coping with his loss. It was apparent to anyone who looked closely enough how he was coping—not well. He had been struck down, his soul crippled by the pain, so she let it lie.
“He’s resting at home. The police and INTERPOL want to question him, but he refuses to talk about it to anyone. He just keeps saying he needs to talk to you, especially after he heard about . . . Dorathy.” Her voice trailed off. That subject may be too much for him to bear.
Lori tried to cheer Alex up, but failed miserably. He stared out the car window, alone with his thoughts. Would he ever recover from this loss? He looked like he had been shattered into pieces by a blow far too great, the wound far too deep.
When she dropped him at the Kern home everything seemed surprisingly calm. Alex walked around the house into the backyard and found Stuart and Tracey playing with their son. Stuart tried desperately not to look alarmed by Alex’s appearance; he clasped Alex’s arm for a moment then pulled him in for a solid embrace.
Tracey decided this would be a good time to put their son down for his nap. Tracey gave Alex a rub on the shoulder and said with affection, “It’s so good to see you Alex. I’m so sorry for your loss . . . such a tragedy.” That was all she could muster, afraid anymore said would be too much.
When they were alone Stuart said, “Buddy, looks like we’ve both been through hell. I’m relieved you’re here because what I must tell you is going to blow your mind and it can’t be discussed openly. What are you drinking these days? By the looks of it I’d say anything goes well with what’s ailing you, my friend.” Stuart retrieved a bottle of what he thought might do the job and set it and a glass filled with ice on the table. Alex poured to the top thinking he was going to need every drop.
Alex took a long draught, letting it slide smoothly down his throat and settle. Liquor had become his pain killer of choice. “Now tell me, Stu, what the hell is going on and where the hell have you been? Who the hell took you and why?”
Stuart poured himself a tall one as he spoke. “Cryogenics. They needed me to freeze four of their people. Your technique is the only one that has been successful. I realize this is your method and it’s something you don’t put out there for all to know, but I don’t think they intend on using it on a commercial level.”
“That’s fine, but who the hell did they freeze and why?”
“Oh man, are you ready for this? Crap, where do I even start?” Stuart took another slug and ran his hands through his long, unruly hair. “Shit, I don’t even believe what I’m about to say, but here it goes.
I hope you’re ready for this. One of their team members is a Russian scientist who discovered an ancient specimen under the ice in the Antarctic. It was alien DNA, but that’s only the half of it.”
Alex shook his head while he thought it through, but he couldn’t think of a connection between that and the events at hand. “Hell, you got my attention, get on with it.”
“Here goes—the alien DNA is human and predates us by one and a half billion years!”
Alex looked at Stuart as if he had gone mad. “Are you kidding me? You’re telling me we, Earth, were seeded somehow?”
“That’s exactly what I’m—they’re—saying. But look that’s not such a farfetched idea; scientists have been speculating for years that’s one possible theory to explain our origin.”
“Yeah, I know. So now they have proof; guess that sorta throws the whole creation theory out the window, and it doesn’t say much for Darwinism either.”
“Well listen to this—it gets better. It appears there is a gene sequence buried in our un-coded DNA. It’s ‘time’ coded!”
Alex slammed his drink down on the table. “Christ, people have been trying to figure out for years why the majority of our DNA was coined ‘junk’. In fact a few years ago I read about a Russian team having deciphered it as a type of language. Didn’t see anything else, after that came out.”
“Yeah well, this Russian guy was part of that team and he’s the one who broke the code. Get this, not only is there a timed sequence for the development of technology embedded in there . . . but also coordinates.”
Alex leaned back in his chair and although he thought he knew the answer, asked, “To where?”
Stuart looked at him and knew exactly what he was thinking, “The other side, man—the other side.”
Alex scratched at his scruffy beard, “Jesus Christ!”
“No, l don’t think Jesus lives there. It’s deep space, and not in this reality. They called it the Prime Reality.”
They sat in silence. Alex needed time to take it all in. He swirled his drink around, staring blankly at the ice cubes and finally asked, “Who did they freeze and why did they need to freeze them in the first place?”
“I hope you’re ready for this one. Four scientists that were . . . shit . . . I don’t even know how to describe it . . . they were 3D printed out of synthetic alien DNA!”
“What the hell are you even talking about? What the hell? Stu we’ve been friends for a long time, but I think you might need your head examined. Are you losing it?”
“Nope. I’m telling you they 3D bio fabricated entirely new bodies constructed of the same material, synthetically, as the alien DNA; right down to the exact molecular structure, vibrating at the same frequency. They then had their consciousness—their souls—uploaded. Everything was uploaded into their new bodies then I froze them for the trip.”
Alex reacted to the information Stu was throwing at him. “We don’t have that kind of technology!”
“Not us, but they fucking do, I’m telling you! You gotta believe me!”
“Who the hell are ‘they’?” Alex shouted.
Stuart exhaled, his shoulders slumping, not knowing how Alex would take the information he was about to share. He said, bluntly, “The Illuminati.” Alex stared directly into Stuart’s eyes for long moments looking for the truth. “Alex, you know I’m telling you the truth. Alex, they have a ship and it’s almost ready to fly. I helped them design an automated system to do the reviving once they reach their destination.”
Stuart added, “The Illuminati are an international network of scholars, heads of state—the wealthiest one percent. Their interests are far-reaching, and they are thoroughly imbedded in the global economy. It wouldn’t surprise me to find at least one of them on the board of the Rosen Foundation.”
Alex’s eyes went wide, his emotions wild. “And what if Dorathy’s death wasn’t from natural causes? God, could it be possible, could they have wanted her out of the way? And what of Athena?”
“I don’t have those answers for you Alex. I simply don’t know. That part’s just speculation.”
Alex’s head was spinning. “If they have the technology to do what you’re saying, they can heal and revive Dorathy! Oh my God! Alex dropped his drink, sending shards of glass across the patio and stood, suddenly flinging the chair backwards into the grass.
“Where are they? Where were you? You have to take me to them!”
“I don’t know exactly. All I know is that I was in a huge sinkhole in the French Alps outside of CERN! And I only know that much because Dr. Hyden told me before she was tasked to erase my memory. She didn’t affect the erasure because she wanted people to know; to know of their sacrifice.”
Alex was frantic. “We have to go there now! There are
ways of finding them with satellite topography, infrared, drones . . . something, anything . . . I have to try!”
“Alex, Dorathy’s gone. She’s well into deep space. How the hell are you going to find her out there? And if you did find her, how the hell are you going to get her back? You got to think it through!”
“Stu, I will stop at nothing. Athena and I would give every dime of what’s left of the foundation to get her back. I need your help, but I’ll do it alone if I have to, I’ve gone it alone before.”
“You know I’ve got your back, but I don’t know how much help I can be.”
“Can I count on you? Because we have to leave for CERN now!”
“All right. I’m with you, buddy, but I think this is bigger than both of us.”
CHAPTER 23
A day later they were sitting in Dorathy’s jet on their way to Washington D.C. to meet up with Hugo, who had been there for a conference. Athena insisted on joining them after hearing the details of Stuart’s abduction. Kevin had not been pleased when she insisted on going without him. He was forced to wonder why she was adamant in her decision to leave him behind. He could sense there was something not quite right, something she was hiding and that for whatever reason she needed to do this alone. He knew Athena would eventually reveal whatever it was and did not push the issue. He knew well enough to let it be. Athena was after all her mother’s daughter.
“Please, Alex, tell me everything I need to know about what happened to my mother. I can’t just sit back and let things play out however they may. Anyway, you guys might need me. A woman’s touch can go a long way. I may be young, but I have a lot of my mother in me so you’re just going to have to deal with me!”
Alex had to smile. He could hear Dorathy coming through loud and clear. “There’s no doubt the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree.”
“Indeed, I didn’t. And as the head of the Rosen Foundation, I need to know what’s going on. I also need to know more about the members of the board. A few have been there since my grandfather was in charge.”
Alex put his hand on top of Athena’s. “We’ll get to the bottom of this and I promise you, I’ll stop at nothing if it means getting your mom back. If there is the remotest chance, I will find a way.”
Athena looked up at him and her eyes started to well up. She knew it was a longshot but hoped that Alex would be able to pull it off. “I know and I’m here to help however I can.”
Hendrik’s voice came over the intercom. “Dr. Mason, you have a call on the secure line.”
Alex rose from the plush leather sectional. As he looked out the window of the jet, he could see a storm brewing over the central plains—he figured somewhere over Kansas. He sat at the desk across the aisle from his seat and picked up the receiver. “Alex here.”
“Hi compadre. Hugo here. Hey y’all, we need to meet in a private locale. I’ve been doin’ my fair share of diggin’ around these parts and with the help of a buddy of mine have come up with a cast of some pretty interestin’ characters. With the info Stu gave me I was able to run it in for a touchdown. When you folks land let’s plan to meet at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on the National Mall. I’ll be feeding the pigeons near the Washington Monument end of the Pool. I’ll fill you in then on what I came up with.”
“Right, Hugo, sounds good and thanks.”
“I loved Dora like one of my own. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her or for her family.”
The jet landed on time at Dulles International Airport, where the group climbed into a private car to take them to their destination. Hugo was already there taking in the view of the Washington Monument, which was beautifully reflected on the perfectly still water of the pool. The sky overhead was a clear blue, making the water look like a window into another reality. The cherry blossoms that had replaced the shade trees of the past were in bloom, casting a pale pink haze of light onto the stark white of the stone obelisk.
Athena called out and Hugo was jolted by her resemblance to Dorathy. “Hey y’all, good to see you again. Alex . . . you look like hell! Athena you’re the spittin’ image of your mother, breathtaking. And you must be Stu. Nice to finally meet you. Let’s find a quiet place to chat.”
The group walked toward a tree in full bloom, its leaves rustling in the warm spring breeze. Hugo looked around to make sure no one had been following them. “This bench seems to be as good as any.”
“Athena darlin’, what do you know of your grandfather?”
She was caught off guard and answered slowly while thinking back, “Well, not a whole lot, he was killed soon after I was born. Why do you ask?”
Hugo pulled a file of photos out of his briefcase. “I was able to get copies of these.”
Athena examined each one carefully. “These are all old pictures of my grandfather and his original board of directors.”
“Yes. Now look at the last one.”
Athena shuffled through a dozen or so until she came upon a photo that had been zoomed in on a gold ring. Athena deliberated for a moment then recognition brought her head up. “I remember this ring. I’ve seen pictures of my granddad wearing it on his left ring finger, and so did this man.” She flipped through the photos, stopping when she came to an image of a group of men. She pointed to a young, balding man that was standing to the far right of the group. She squinted and said, “You can almost make it out, he’s wearing it here.”
Hugo looked as if he was about to burst. “Athena honey, do you know what it means?”
“No not really. I think it has something to do with my namesake and Greek Mythology.”
Hugo looked into her big green eyes and said, “There’s an owl sitting on a book. It’s the ‘Owl of Minerva,’ also known as the ‘Owl of Athena.’ It’s the original insignia of the Bavarian Illuminati.”
Stuart leaned back against, crossed fingers at the back of his head as he always did when he felt his ideas have been validated. Alex turned pale with alarm. “Hugo are you telling us that somehow the Rosen Foundation is involved with this madness?”
Athena looked as if she was going to faint. “Oh my God, this man in the photo has been on the Board of Directors for many years!”
Hugo gently put his hand on Athena’s to calm her. “There’s a lot I’ve been able to uncover concerning your grandfather’s involvement with this secret society, although much of the information available to the public is pure horseshit. I found loads of conspiracy theories, but what truth I have been able to gather from Intel at Langley is that your grandfather was part of the Bilderberg Group, where the top 1% has been operating behind closed doors since 1954. Many members of this group are in fact part of the Illuminati.
Hugo inhaled on a whistle. He chose his next words carefully. “How I see it is that the Illuminati and the Bilderberg Group are about a ‘New World Order’ to use science and the progression of science to control religious conflicts. They’ve joined with the Russians, who appear to have cracked a code in human DNA. They’ve found etymology that seems to lead from what looks to be very much like a precursor to Hebrew, all the way back to before the Sumerian language. Your grandfather was a part of that sect and I believe he was killed by a rogue agent of the opposition.”
“The opposition being who?” Athena asked with desperation.
Hugo leaned back against the cold wooden planks of the bench. “The opposition have always been religious fundamentalists. Given the information Stuart has provided, I think it’s safe to say that the Illuminati are well on their way to confirming the origin of life on this planet as well as the mysteries of the afterlife, the truth of which has heretofore been shrouded in the holy cloth of religion.”
Stuart’s eyes became suddenly clear. “Athena, can you imagine how the world would change if they were to bring back proof of the order of the universe? The meaning of life itself?”
Alex whispered to himself, but he came through loud and clear, “A New World Order.”
Hugo went on to clarify
for Athena. “It comes down to the almighty buck, I’m afraid. A mission of this scale didn’t come about at wholesale prices. I’m pretty sure they wanted the whole kit and caboodle for themselves, so they presented their proposal like a carrot on a stick to your mom, which means they either need to get you on board with their plan or get rid of you. Sadly, your mom’s demise may have been on the agenda.”
“Oh, Jesus.” Athena slumped over and put her face in her hands. “What are we going to do, how can we fix this? Are they capable or even willing to bring my mom back? What if I give up control of the Foundation and trade it for my mom . . . if that’s even possible, given the fact that she has been sent into a part of space unknown to us?”
Hugo edged in, “We put a trackin’ device on her capsule and lost contact when she crossed over down through the wormhole. That was pretty much what we expected to happen. But what we do have is her last known trajectory.
Now my guy at the Pentagon has a pretty good idea of where their secret operation may be located. He’s been tryin’ to get permission from the higher ups on redirectin’ a spy satellite, so we can get a closer look at the area. We can go to CERN and do our own sniffin’ around and see what we come up with while he tackles the local bureaucrats and hopefully cuts through all that dang red tape. But for the time being all this info has been labeled classified. Christ, if all this bullshit got out the holy rollers would be chantin’ on the streets in front of the goddamned White House.”
Athena looked at Hugo, feeling a tiny bit of relief. “Does that mean you’re coming with us?”
“Hell yeah. I called Jack and put him in charge back at JPL. Y’all are goin’ to need me. I have some military pull and security clearance.” As one, the group looked at Hugo, perplexed. “Well ya didn’t think JPL only worked on privately funded projects solely for commercial use, did ya?” Hugo looked around and saw blank looks on their brows and reluctantly announced, “Oh, for Christ’s sake. I work for the Department of Defense, so this convoluted space mission to change the ‘Order’ of things is right up my goddamned alley.”
