Chapter 23

“Care to explain that one, Son?” Earl asked.

“Everyone here knows that Tobias Kennedy is helping Toby, right? Good. He told me a while back that they’re not bound by temporal guidelines, which I take to mean they can see into the future or the past, as need be. He also mentioned that they ... the souls of the departed ... didn’t see me showing up at all. For some reason, they knew that next year’s visit by Halley’s Comet would be a bad thing for the world, so they did something about it. Thus, Holly.”

Gloria frowned. “What do you mean, thus, Holly?”

“Mom, I ... I thought I was a freak. I’m stronger and faster than the kids my age, and I can see through things, see things far away, or close up. I know Helen has been able to know things before they happen forever, so I know that our family is different, our people are different. I just wanted to be a teenager. Not someone with a spirit that’s been talking to me about things since days after I was born, telling me about my destiny and crap like that.”

“In case anyone is curious, Holly picked up 500 pounds with some effort, can sling a ball at about a fifth of my speed, and as she mentioned, has telescopic, microscopic, and see through vision, at about a fourth of what Beth does. Her main three lobes measure at 38.3, which puts her well into the super-genius category, but her fourth lobe measures at 183.2, and she’s a 46% genetic match to me.”

“What I think this means is that we’ve been looking at the whole vestigial organ thing wrong, as well as how Shiva had and did his thing.”

My ladies simply sat back on the sofa and chairs, waiting for my explanation. Earl and Elroy both leaned forward, in nearly identical poses. I saw that and chuckled. Gloria laughed, patting her knee for Holly to come sit down by her.

“That’s their, ‘please, we’re waiting for you to present evidence’ pose. Please don’t ask how I got to know that. It’s embarrassing.”

“Okay, I won’t. However, I need to ask your indulgence for about ten minutes. Gloria, I presume Jeffrey, Mahlee, and Andrew are at Harry and Emily’s?”

She nodded. “Mahlee is making a couple of traditional holiday dishes for tomorrow.”

“Excellent. I look forward to tasting them. Beth, Holly, would the two of you please come with me? Don’t worry, we’ll be back shortly.”

We walked down the driveway, then knocked on their door. After a couple of seconds, Harry let us in. “What’s going on? Oh, hello, Holly. Sorry, I didn’t get to talk to you before. I’m Harry, Betty’s Dad.”

“Pleasure to meet you. Hey, rock head, come here a sec.”

Jeffrey looked up from where he was sitting, reading a novel. “Hey, squirt. What’s going on?” He didn’t get up.

Beth moved into the room, glanced at Jeffrey, then at everyone else. “Andrew, you’re a cousin to Gloria, correct?”

“Technically, Mahlee and I both are. Our families are all sort of related, going back not that many generations.”

“Okay, that makes sense. You’re right, Cal. Jeffrey is Gloria’s brother, in all ways.”

Jeffrey set the novel down. “What the bloody hell are you talking about?”

“We’re having a bit of a discussion regarding the old one, as well as the discovery of some new evidence that has made me reconsider some things. Politely, there was the question about some genetic evidence, and the only way to confirm it was by coming here and checking in person.”

Holly nodded. “Don’t worry too much about it, rock head. Cal’s ... right.”

I’d noticed her eyes flicker and look around at everyone, saw that she was using her vision. Her eyes both widened and softened when she glanced inside Emily. “She’s a beautiful little girl, Emily. You and Harry are very lucky.”

Emily stopped and did a double take. “Wait. Cal...”

“Oh, that’s a minor detail we forgot to mention. I have ... some of the same abilities as Cal does, naturally. We’re still figuring things out.”

Harry just shook his head. “In the bottom cabinet, on your left, Andrew. Pick your poison, I’ll get the glasses.”

We left them to their befuddlement and alcohol, walking back to our house.

There were now some pretzels and chips in bowls, along with additional glasses of tea and pop for everyone, waiting on us.

“For those of us who aren’t mentally linked with each other, I presume you found what you were expecting?”

“Yeah. Andrew and Mahlee have a small nub of the organ. Jeffrey has one the same size that Gloria has within her, which is basically half the size of the one in Holly, Helen, or any of the rest of us.”

Earl said, “Then you’re going to completely throw out everything you thought you knew about Shiva and the colonization of Earth?”

“No, only most of it. The only thing that doesn’t make a lot of sense to me ... Mike, during the second FTL trip here, all of those records are gone, right?”

“The records that were in my storage facilities don’t include that information. However, when you were using the devices to enhance Dora and Eve, I was able to link with them and perform a scan of them. Due to the sheer volume of data ... the devices have been active for more than fifty thousand years ... I was not able to complete a full analysis of them. Nor was I able to do what you do with a book, which is ‘snapshot’ the information for later analysis. I simply haven’t had time to discuss with you the implications of what I’ve learned; it didn’t seem to be pressing to do so.”

“We have been a little busy, haven’t we? Can you do about a two minute synopsis of what you HAVE found, so we can all discuss that?”

“Give me just a moment, to prioritize.” He was quiet for a couple of seconds, while I sat down next to Helen in a chair. Toby was sitting on the floor and patted next to him for Holly to sit down. She shrugged, then did so.

“The vestigial organ is a genetic modification, done to our people 250,000 years ago, to help lengthen their lives and alleviate the effects of our ... my ... sun’s radiation. These devices ... and based upon individual ID’s, there appear to have been twenty of them ... were created to assist those few people that were born without the modification. The being we call Shiva was born without the modification. These devices had not been needed for approximately five thousand years before his birth; he was regarded as an anomaly and a curiosity. I don’t know how, or why, but he was able to link all twenty of them and with their computing power, they formed an unstable AI.”

“There is much missing, but there is data I found showing he utilized this AI to have an FTL ship built. He was not alone on this ship, although I do not believe the others went willingly. He ended up in India, with thirteen of the devices. The other seven were in Australia, with the people who came with him.”

Gloria, Helen, and Holly exchanged glances at that. I shook my head so they wouldn’t interrupt the briefing.

“Here on Earth, as we’ve surmised, the medical stones gave Shiva the powers of a god. I saw a brief glimpse of a huge battle, that included kinetic energy weapon strikes in the ocean both north and south of Australia, as well as the Bay of Bengal. As you’re all no doubt aware, a kinetic energy strike upon a bay will cause incredible flooding along the coasts and for many miles inland.”

“The stones that Sophia knew of, her people stole from Shiva. The Romany were all descended from the original people who settled this planet. Due to the genetic markers, I believe that they were experimented upon by Shiva, in an attempt to create beings with his powers, perhaps as an army for him. I find no records of what happened to any stones that your people had, Gloria. You, and all of your people, are descended from those who accompanied Shiva, whether voluntarily or not.”

“I’m going to go with, not,” Gloria said. “That would explain why we’ve known about the Sacred Souls in Uluru for so long; we remembered at least a part of our people’s history from Star Home. And even though we’ve mixed with, bred with, others over the years, we have the organ naturally.”

“Retro-viral DNA would explain why, after intimate exposure to Cal, our bodies were modified to be able to utilize the stones that we have, to medically change our bodies. We would have eventually grown the organ anyway, like those three are doing now that they’re pregnant. Shiva never had the organ; never had the ability to have one; he was a genetic mutation and throwback. So no matter how smart he was, he couldn’t pass his genes on that way,” Beth said.

“That explains why when mi Abuela held them, she couldn’t activate them, only feel them inside her a little. Whereas you ... the three of us ... were being changed by Cal.”

“That doesn’t explain why you called me the Planetary Guardian, though.”

“My use of the term Planetary Guardian may be a little overstated, but we know several things that have a bearing upon it. We know from Tobias that souls are not bound by temporal rules. They can, for lack of a better word, ‘see’ forward in time. They have limits, though. They didn’t see me showing up, for example.

“We know that Lara ... which is not her real name, but in accordance with the tradition, I will not mention her real name ... is the soul of someone who is considered one of the founding gods of the indigenous People.”

“Hang on, she’s never told me that,” Holly protested.

“Ask her.”

Holly was quiet for a second, then quietly said, “Oh. You’re right.”

Helen raised an eyebrow in a move worthy of Mister Spock. “I wish you’d told me of this sooner, my sister.”

“You’re seven years older than I am. By the time I was able to figure out that I wasn’t the only one in me head, you were tied up with schooling and learning everything that Mum could teach you about our history. I just let Lara do her thing, help me a little, since our world is so different from hers.”

Gloria sadly smiled. “I wish I’d realized that your imaginary friend wasn’t imaginary.”

“In any event, we know there are stones on Halley’s Comet. I very seriously suspect that the global organization may have a couple ... or more ... of the remaining stones, and are using them for their own ends,” I said.

“Great. This isn’t a conversation we need to have tomorrow. It is still Christmas.”

“Speaking of that, is it time yet?” Toby asked.

Jennifer smiled. “Actually, it is. Elroy, would you turn the TV on? The remote is on the couch, next to you. CBS.”

Eve got down on the floor next to her little brother and Holly. “Every Christmas Eve, right?”

Elroy pushed the button. Once the TV came up, and he put it on the right channel, there was a commercial for Dolly Madison that came up. After that, the cartoon appeared with the music playing for ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas.’ We all sat quietly while the show played, even during the commercials. I realized something while watching it I had noticed before. Only reading about something didn’t quite give me understanding of it.

Especially when Charlie Brown exclaimed, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?”

Then Linus, blanket in hand, said, “True, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about.” He walked to the center of the stage, said, “Lights, please.” A spotlight came up on him while the house lights lowered.

“And there were in the same country, shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men.”

“He was trying. Now I understand. Peace and good will towards men. Down at the Wichita library, I found a screenplay that intrigued me so much that I watched a movie they had on tape, based upon that screenplay. It was a musical. I think they got a lot right in the musical, without realizing it. It’s not sacrilegious, like they claimed. It makes me wonder if they got it right that Judas was black; not African black, but Australian.”

Margie sang, “Why’d you choose such a backwards time and such a strange land? If you’d come today, you could have reached a whole nation; Israel in 4 BC had no mass communication.”

Marcia turned to her. “Hang on. I know those lyrics because, well, Hollywood. How is it that the Kansas farm girl knows those lyrics?”

Margie giggled. “Knowledge is action. One of the girls had the records, so I heard it way more than once.”

Elroy quietly said, “I think I get it. He existed. He had the stones, and had some power in what you call the fourth lobe. He could heal the sick; he could raise the dead. But he didn’t know how or why he could. His culture had to attribute things to the actions of gods, because they didn’t understand technology. He tried to do what you’re doing now, to be a Messenger of Peace for the world. And we killed him for it.”

Marcia had tears in her eyes. “Yes, we did. Oh, Cal, I’m so sorry.” She came running across the room to me. “You’re definitely not like Hitler.” She wrapped her arms around me, holding me.

Helen stuffed some tissues into my hand, so I used those to blot Marcia’s eyes.

Elroy had been a little weepy himself, but at what Marcia said, his usual self came back quickly. “Wait a minute. Is there something the three of us missed here?”

Margie asked, “You didn’t bother to ask about the gold and gems?”

“Actually, got a little busy ourselves. I listened to Emily talk about a huge pile of gems, and obviously there’s thirty some-odd more tons of gold sitting in my ... your ... bank.”

Beth quickly got up, ran to the garage using her speed, and came back in. She handed one of the bars to Elroy.

He glanced at it, then handed it to Earl. “Nice scrap metal. Not the first time we’ve seen one of those. Thirty tons of them, huh?” He turned to Earl. “What do you think?”

Earl said, “With all the jewels? Got to be Lake Toplitz. The train in Poland was a myth. The two submarines that made it to Argentina couldn’t carry that much gold. We found all three sites within Germany that they’d used.”

Elroy countered, “We think the train in Poland was a myth. We know there had been a train, but evidence shows that’s part of what we found at Merkers and the other two mines.”

“Other mines? I only read about Merkers,” I said.

Earl grinned. “That’s because those didn’t get reported via regular channels. There wasn’t nearly as much in them as at Merkers, anyway. They hadn’t managed to run all of it through the smelters. We had to give that gold back. The ones in these bars, we kept.”

“He doesn’t mean us, personally. Not much, anyway. We could only get about ten pounds, each. The rest went to Uncle Sugar. There was just gold in both places, so it never got the publicity, and only a couple dozen tons, total,” Earl explained. He looked at Marcia. “No, Merkers was the only place with dental jewelry and wedding rings. This stuff was gold from churches, or state treasuries. Toplitz was supposed to have all the jewels from Antwerp and the gold from Belgium in it.”

“It did. It also had Soman nerve gas, and was flooded,” Eve said.

Elroy nodded. “I wondered where you’d found all that. Makes sense. What do you plan to do with it?”

“Help people, of course. We’re obviously going to have to pay for a LOT of equipment after the first of the year. We’ll sell the gems and use that money to help with the world government, or whatever it is that replaces the UN.”

“It doesn’t hurt that Mike Douglas thinks that Cal was created in some secret government lab, and all of this is their way of getting rid of extra stuff before the Messenger finds out about it and them. You’ve even helped his theories.”

“I have? How so, Elizabeth?”

“You said you had the clearances as a Lieutenant General. He knows already you’re a devious bastard. He admires you for it, actually.”

“Great. Well, here. Take this back.” He took the bar from Gloria, tossed it back to Beth. She caught it out of the air.

“Marcia ... I’ve known Leonard Poulson for a long time. If he knew your Dad, and was friends with him, then I’m jealous that I never got to meet your folks. Your ... husband ... isn’t like Adolph Hitler. He took no joy in what he had to do. He’s doing what needs to be done, even if he didn’t intend it, to effectively continue to spread the works of Jesus. He’s doing what Reagan talked about in that article that was in the paper today, where he publicly charged Castro with working to kill Kennedy. Only one more to go. End the fighting. Live in peace. Merry Christmas, everyone.”

They got up and left, taking Holly with them.

Beth put the bar of gold back.

“Dad, can we go drive around and look at all the Christmas lights?”

Jennifer started to say something, then obviously changed her mind. “I think that’s a great idea. Just the two of you. We didn’t get any put up here this year, did we?”

I had no idea what they were talking about. I’d planned on talking more with Mike. But I was smart enough to know that this was something I needed to do with Toby. “Sure, Tiger. Grab your jacket. It’s chilly outside.”

We went out, got in my truck. I stopped at the guard shack. “Toby wants to check out Christmas lights,” I told the guard.

“I don’t blame him. They’ve got a drive-through set up at the Fairgrounds, plus those neighborhoods around there should be done up right.”

I really hadn’t paid any attention. As we got closer to the center of town, I started seeing houses, outlined in strands of lights. I turned off, like I was going to the school. More houses had windows outlined with lights. There were some trees outside that were also decorated with lights.

Some people had signs in the yard, saying ‘Merry Christmas,’ Others had scenes with a rough building, and some figures standing around, looking inside a box of some kind. It finally hit me that they were standing around a primitive manger.

“Dad, look, they’re doing a living Nativity,” Toby said. I slowed down, and he rolled his window down. I could hear soft music playing. The entrance to the church lot was open, so you could get in closer. I pulled in, turning my headlights off. There were half a dozen cars in the line.

There were a man holding the reins of a donkey, a woman sitting on it. The next scene was another donkey, with three men dressed in robes, looking and pointing at a star illuminated high above them. The next scene had a horse, cow, and donkey in a barn, with three men bowing and worshiping at a baby that was being held by a woman.

“Wow, that’s what Linus was talking about, wasn’t it, Dad?”

I found that my throat was a little tight, and it took me a couple of seconds to speak. I also had to blink a couple of tears out of my eyes. “Yes, Son, I think it was.”

We drove through more streets, the houses gaily lit with flickering lights. I could see many of them had a tree inside, also covered in lights. We got to the Fairgrounds. There was a police officer directing traffic, sending us on a one way path through the streets.

The buildings were all lit up. In addition, there were lights set up as figures. Some as angels, wings lit with pure white. Others were red, Santa Claus and his elves. The high school choir was on a set of bleachers, singing. I had to nearly stop, so I could hear them.

“Hark! The herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the new-born King!’ Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled. Joyful, all ye nations rise, Join the triumph of the skies; With angelic host proclaim, ‘Christ is born in Bethlehem.’”

They paused, while the music kept playing. I didn’t realize I’d completely stopped until a police officer came up to the window. “Sorry, sir, we need you all to keep moving.”

I sniffed a little, nodding my head. There were more light decorations, different songs being played by hidden speaker systems this time. The sides were open on one of the barns, so you could see cows, sheep, llamas, and goats, all surrounding a woman, rocking a manger. The music system here was playing a different song.

“Silent Night, Holy Night! All is calm, all is bright. Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child. Holy infant, so tender and mild. Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace.”

Once we were past this, there were some people dressed up in bright and colorful costumes that seemed to be making things. Two of them were also standing near the pathway, waving at the cars. Toby started waving back at them. As I got closer, the one on my side said, “Just the one boy?” I nodded. “How old?”

Toby said, “I’m nine!”

The helper had a radio in his mitten. “One boy, age nine.” I pulled forward a little more, and through my hearing, I could hear the man say, “It’s Toby Kennedy, with Cal Lewis.”

We turned a corner, and there was a jolly man with a big belly and a red coat. “Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas, Toby! Merry Christmas, Cal! I bet you didn’t think Santa would know who you are, did you?”

Toby went, “Wow!”

“I don’t quite have what you asked for on your Christmas list, Toby, but here you go!” He pulled a small, wooden train engine and caboose out of a sack, handing it to Toby.

“Gee, thanks, Santa! I already got my best Christmas present, anyway. I got me a new Dad that loves me!”

I wasn’t the only one that choked up on hearing that; so did Santa. He coughed, then I could hear in his voice, “Glad I could help with that, Son.” I recognized the voice of Detective Galloway, under all that make-up. “Mer ... Merry Christmas, to both of you.”

I nodded, pulling forward and then over to one side, so I could wipe my eyes.

“You okay, Dad? Are you sad that Santa didn’t give you a present?”

“No, Son. He did. He gave me a family to love, and a Son to raise.” I took Toby in my arms and gave him a big hug. It took me another minute or so to get my emotions under control, then I got back on the path leading out.

Before we got to the end, there were some boys and girls in blue jackets, holding signs. One read, ‘Don’t forget to turn your lights on’. Another said, ‘Hot cocoa, sponsored by Reno County FFA.’ My window was still down.

“Hot cocoa sounds good. We’ll take two!”

The girl standing by the drive turned behind her, taking two that were just poured. “That’s fifty cents!”

I pulled out a hundred. “Keep the change for the FFA.” I handed Toby his cocoa, flipped my headlights on, and we drove off while she was still standing there in shock.

We spent another ten minutes driving around, then Toby started yawning. I headed back to the house, pulling in quietly. He’d finished his cocoa and had then fallen asleep. I carefully carried him in, where Jennifer was waiting with his pajamas. I shook my head. I took his coat and clothes off, then I put his pajamas on him and carried him in, to bed. I put the train that Santa had given him on his nightstand. Once he was in bed, I just spent a couple of minutes, standing in his room, looking at him.

I finally felt Jennifer pulling on my arm, taking me out of his room. “You’re eyes are red, love. I’m guessing you had a bit of an epiphany.”

“I did. And I owe someone an apology.”

“It’s eight hours difference. They would have finished Christmas mass five hours ago. I’d wait at least a couple of hours, so he can get a good night’s sleep.”

“I hope he is. No, you know what? I’m going now. I bet he’s not been sleeping well since our talk. I’m not going to cause him more stress.”

Dora, Eve, and Beth walked out of our bedroom, already in their uniforms. “Here. We’re going, too. And Spic had a thought.”

Dora held her hands out. She was holding the jewelry that had held the stones. “If he recognizes the jewelry, you’ll know he knows the truth. If he doesn’t, then you can give it to him, so he can use it to help others.”

“I didn’t realize we’d kept those; I thought Sophia took them.”

“No. She was too mesmerized by the possibility of gaining your powers. I don’t think mi Abuela is immune to the seductiveness of the power we have.”

“What about you?”

“Worry about something important, like the earth may quit spinning. You are mi amor. I read in a psychology book a discussion about whether labeling theory is valid. It’s a positive feedback cycle, and a false premise. We are more the product of our upbringing and our environment.”

While I took a few seconds to put my own uniform on, Marcia went over to a case of hers. She dug in for a second, then pulled something out. “Give this to him.” It was a wooden Star of David.

“That looks old,” I said.

“It ... is. There’s no words on it, nothing to give away where it once belonged. Give this to him as a reminder of Jesus’ message.”

Margie looked at her. “I think the Pope is well aware of that. But a simple Star of David ... oh, honey, that’s an heirloom, no...”

“Where better for it?”

Jennifer laughed. “You know what? As a Christmas present, especially considering who it’s coming from, it’s perfect.” She went over to Marcia and gave her a kiss.

“You’re still wearing your cross that Hiram gave you, aren’t you?”

“Of course, Margie. And ever since I found out that metal doesn’t show through my uniform, I’ve not taken off what SJ gave me, either.”

I saw Helen standing back a bit, rather quiet. “Are you okay, hon?”

She pulled a necklace off. “Give this to him as well. You can put the Star on it; there will be no offense.”

I looked at the necklace she handed me. It was of simple leather. There was a piece of rock with a very small hole in it, that the leather strap went through. “That’s a piece of Uluru, and there’s someone in it,” I said.

“I know. Tell him it’s from the First People. Tell him that just because we don’t believe his ways that we’re not primitive.”

I nodded. I put the things in my pouch. The four of us went out back, then took off when it was clear. I didn’t think any of them would have trouble keeping up with me, and I was right. Less than five minutes after taking off, we were hovering over Saint Peters Square. I landed on top of the obelisk, Dora and Eve hovering on either side of me, Beth above me.

“He’s in his bedroom. It looks like he’s just woken up. There, on the top floor of the corner of that building, Sir.”

“Thank you, Evabethia. Would the three of you please remain here?”

“Of course, Sir.”

I flew over to his bedroom window. It was locked. Rather than be impolite, I simply knocked on the window. I was watching through the walls as he shook his head, like he’d heard something he wasn’t sure of. I knocked again, then said in Polish, loud enough to be heard through the glass, “I beg your pardon, I know you’re just waking up, but I need to talk to you.”

He opened his eyes quickly, then came over to the window. “Excuse me, I ... I actually don’t know how to open this.”

“That’s okay, I’ve got this,” I said. There were two latches on the top, as well as two more on the side. I held my hands out, using my mind to operate all four latches, then raising the window.

I saw that opening the window tripped a silent alarm in the building. “You might want to put a robe and slippers on. You’re about to get company.”

He walked back over to his bed, taking his robe off the end and putting it on, while putting his feet into slippers.

Less than ten seconds later, the doorway to his bedroom flew open, with a heavily armed guard running in, then stopping. “HOLD!” he yelled. “Your Holiness, stand back.”

“No, my son. While our visitor chooses odd times, he is always welcome here.”

About then, the guard realized that I was simply standing on thin air, outside the window. “Oh. One moment, please.” He got on his radio, reporting what was going on.

In the meantime, the Pope came back over to me. “What can I do for you today, Sir?”

“Two things, actually. One is that you can accept my sincere apology for my treatment of you the last time I was here. We’ve known things for so long that we’ve forgotten that if you don’t have that knowledge, you have to take things on faith. I shouldn’t have ridiculed you because of your faith. That’s the only thing you’ve known until now. That was wrong, very wrong of me. I specifically wanted to do this today, on this day that you celebrate the anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ.”

“I accept your apology, of course. May I ask ... never mind that. Why did you feel the need to make this apology?”

I chuckled a little. “You’re quite a sharp man. I’ve been busy. One thing I cannot do is help when I don’t know I’m needed. You might mention that in an announcement to the people of India, regarding Bhopal. The damage was already done before I even knew about it, in case someone wonders why I didn’t stop the tragedy there.”