Chapter 10: Frank arrives

It was about 1:30 when Kristy said Frank had arrived at the airport; I was going to send Jessica down for him but then remembered the sheriff's officers and walked over to the office. I asked the dispatcher if there was a free office near the airport to give someone directions here; she said she would take care of it. So I went back to the porch and my swing until, a half hour or so later, Kristy said he was on his way to the ranch. It was still raining when Frank arrived, so I opened the gate and directed him to the porch. After the car stopped I went down to the passenger side and helped Frank up to the swing. Jessica came over and joined us, sitting next to him.

"I'm glad you made it, not the best day for a drive I'm sure," I said.

"No. I didn't realize how bad it was when I was in the hospital; the world is really going to hell."

"Yes it is, but I carved out my little slice of paradise and I'm keeping it at all costs. Jessica it's nice to meet you I'm sure Frank has told you about me, what little he knows anyway."

"He has told me about his dreams, well some of them anyway," she said.

I looked at Frank; he said, "I haven't told her about 'IT', just about my dream in general, I needed to be sure first."

"I understand, let me introduce you to your proof. Kristy please show yourself." I said and Kristy appeared on the porch.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you Frank and you Jessica."

"Who, what are you?" Frank asked.

"I am an AI, what you would call a hologram. I was created by an organization called the POG group, basically a group of aliens that monitor other less advanced races."

Jessica and Frank just sat there looking at Kristy as she started on her story right from the beginning. Finally she got into the information on the Lodi Drone in orbit, and the fact it had just contacted another person, named Mike Monahan.

"That guy was in my dream; I even called to make sure he was real too," Frank said.

"Yes we know. We also now know he will have a dream like you as well; we will contact him the same way we did you and see if he will join us," I said.

"Can we invite others here to join us?" Frank asked.

"People like your friend Dan? I think that would be great. We have room for maybe a hundred in the housing, but the storage area can temporarily hold five hundred or so."

"If we know this is going to occur, is there a way to stop it?" Frank asked.

"You know Frank I'm sorry to say I never thought of that, Kristy what do you think of that?"

"I could access the drone and set it to broadcast a signal to the Lodi when they arrive, it may give them enough time to leave before the others arrive. This however would alert the Lodi to my presence, not that it would cause any problems," she said.

"If there is a possibility of it working then do it, but don't let the enemy detect you under any circumstances."

"I will make the alterations after the drone makes its next dream connection."

"Boy Kristy you're pretty good! I'd ask you to help me on the stock market, but I think it's going to crash soon," Frank said.

"Yes I'm sure it will. It's already down a bit; it will last a few weeks at most," she said.

"Well I guess I should pull my money out then," Frank said.

"You can, but it does not really matter, my company has unlimited funds thanks to Kristy and money won't be worth much soon. Just use everything you have to get every good person you know here as soon as possible, that is a good use of funds. Now if you will follow me, I can show you around a bit. I saved a spot for you in our house until you can get around better."

I got a wheelchair for him, and it was much easier then as I showed him and Jessica around. They were dumbfounded about the amount of underground construction I had done, and the pool was amazing to them. I showed them our main house and said, "We will bring in your stuff and put it in the back bedroom; you can sort it later."

I pushed him into the cafeteria so they could get some lunch, and as they were eating he asked if there was a phone he could use. I had Kristy make him one of the com units and gave him the phone number and Extension. number for it. I showed him how to use it for calling and for security. I had one made for Jessica as well. We left them to their lunch and phone calls; they were going to be interesting.

I was on my way back to the house when Kristy messaged me that there was a shooting at city hall just now. I turned myself around and ran into the Agency office where I listened to the dispatchers; the mayor was dead, shot in the head, and one officer was hit in the chest. The subject had managed to escape, and the remaining officers had lost him in the woods. They were trying to find a helicopter to take the officer down the hill to the hospital since Big Bear had no power.

"I have a chopper. Tell them it will be out front in a few minutes and have them clear the area," I said.

Kristy had already launched the chopper and it was headed to city hall before I realized there was no pilot in it! I hoped Kristy had thought about. Alyssa suited up as a nurse; Kristy could do the actual operation.

"Is his wife here?" I asked.

"Yes and she does not know yet," the dispatcher said.

I found out it was my friend Officer Delmore and went to find Pat; she was with Frank and Jessica in the cafeteria. I ran in, bent down, and whispered in her ear. She jumped up and took off at a run, leaving me to fill out guests in. "Frank, Jessica; the mayor has just been shot and killed, and one of the officers we know has been wounded. I sent a helicopter for him and he is on his way here. I will be back later to let you know what happened."

I took off out back to the pad to wait for the chopper where I found Alyssa, Kristy and a few people I didn't know, all waiting along with Pat and Officer Delmore's crying wife. As soon as the helicopter landed the door opened and someone jumped out asking for help. Kristy and Alyssa went up first and checked him out, and then the guys carried him into the clinic.

Though I didn't say as much, I knew that so long as he was alive and being worked on, I was not too worried. Now that Kristy had him, I was pretty sure he would be ok, but I was not too sure he would be 100% human when she was done.