Chapter 49

Two and a half hours later we landed like the Star Trek version of a Klingon Bird of Prey. We even did it the way it was in the movie with a needless partial turn just before touching down.

Roman said, "You have to let me fly some of the time. How high can we go? How fast?"

Vasiliy whispered but his thoughts came through as if he hadn't. "It's hard to tell Roman. We were flying a 2000 tonne frigate so high that even with the big scoops we could not get enough air. We were so high that we had to be going at least Mach fifteen. Not bad for a light cruiser. Our boss promised me a ship that can leave the atmosphere. I want something small to start, maybe seven to ten million tonnes."

"Tonnes?"

"We have no mass so it doesn't matter. I figure the boss and his family want to go places in style. I can't take them there in something shabby."

"Do you need a co-pilot. My wife can cook."

"We have to build this monster first. I don't know where we are going to get the material."

"That would take years."

"Hell, no. There are kids of three carrying gun turrets for us. You treat them nice and they do all the heavy work. Camsa picked up that hundred and thirty five metre ship with one hand. In a few months, I hope to do the same thing."

"Can anybody learn?"

"The boss is not hiding anything from us. If you learn, you probably will not fit in back on Earth."

It was quiet for a while as they both did some thinking.

We had settled fairly high in the Pyrenees mountains. Winter was here almost year-round. Floating below our stall speed allowed us to find the first nexus. But if somebody looked up they would have seen us hanging there almost noiselessly. There was still a lot of daylight left.

When we parked the plane, Tiffany put covers over the intake and exhaust ports of the jet engines. We floated out to a road that was deeply snow covered but well packed. We looked around but we could not see the plane because of its location. Cars drove by with skis strapped to them. Roman had received his own medallion to exit the plane and a shield was erected to keep him safe.

Our duties were split up so we could carry those of us who could not manage the fulcrums. In case somebody was looking, we slid across the snow as if we were on cross-country skis. Tiffany's wheelchair looked to have skis on the bottom of the wheels.

The village we wanted was only five klicks away. When there was too much traffic, we began to use our feet. This town catered to tourists so we could fit in with little problem. Osston carried our smallest portal trying to find the centre of this nexus. Apparently all of the town was built on this feature.

There was only one really good home in the city and I figured the person to own it had to be rich through the use of the portal. We stopped in at a restaurant and we found someone who could speak English and they could also speak Russian. Why were Europeans like this? Not long ago I only knew one language and many here know three or more.

We ordered a light meal and I got the waitress to sit with us because it wasn't busy.

"This is a very beautiful village. There must be thousands of pictures taken of it."

"Oh, there is. It's even more beautiful in the spring but that's my opinion."

"I can see that. Some of the houses are very beautiful too." I slid over an American twenty and said, "Would you mind letting us have some of your time and tell me about some of them and the history of the village?"

The woman smiled as the money disappeared. "I'd love to."

The village had roots here for at least a few thousand years. It apparently was here far before the Romans. We got the oldest history first then it came to the major wars and to the present.

I asked, "What about the large home? Does the mayor own that?"

"No, it belongs to a wealthy man that never comes here to live in it. The caretaker, his wife and their two children live there."

"Who would own such a home and not live there?"

"His name is Herr Schluter. He lives in Germany. He's so rich he could buy any house in the village. I hear he owns a shop in Hamburg that repairs large trucks."

"Is the house a bed-and-breakfast?"

The woman leaned forward and said, "The caretaker has had a heart attack and they need some extra money. The owner is never home."

"I understand. Would you be so kind and phone ahead and ask them if they can put us up for one night? We'll be discrete. I love old buildings."

When the waitress came back she was not smiling. "Diego is not doing well. Isleta says she would love to help you but she has to spend most of her time taking care of her husband."

I saw this chance slipping away. I quickly said, "I'm a doctor. Perhaps I can help for a stay of one night."

The waitress now smiled and made the phone call. When she came back, she said, "You and your people are very welcome to stay the night. Isleta still warns you that she can do little to help if her husband stays the way he is."

We walked two blocks in the snow and found the large house more inviting. The walks and roadways were the responsibility of the homeowner. These were not taken care of.

The door opened when we approached and a woman of thirty five stood before us. She had a worried look and her hands were being rung in her apron. I smiled and walked forward and the woman backed up to let us in. I didn't need to be too specific when I said, "Diego?"

She ran into the house and I followed in my snow-covered footwear. Diego was in bed and unconscious. I felt his head and pretended to count his pulse while I was using the heart on him. His heartbeat was rapid and his complexion was pallid and waxy. Sonna came in and tried to get Isleta out. She used her fair English and Isleta got the idea to heat water and bring a basin.

Porta found clean sheets and brought them. Diego was in rough shape but we might have got him in time. I was used to severe trauma but I could work on the man's ailments. I used the headband and searched his body looking for additional problems. It was good that I started at his heart because a blood clot was blocking one of the vessels. Very little blood was getting by.

I said mentally, "Porta, stall the woman a bit if you can. I need to have an emergency operation."

"Yes, Husband. I'll do my best."

The stand with a small chain was set up over Diego's chest. I had not tried this before but it may be needed this time. I took control of the Heart of Opfu and used it to stop Diego's heart from beating. As still as I could, I opened the gate and pulled out a portion of the loose scab then I had to close the gate and reopen it to get the next piece. I had a quick look and then worked to get the heart started once more. This took a few false starts until it worked.

Diego's pulse raced for a minute then slowed down. I noticed that his colour was returning. I searched Diego's brain but found none of the conditioning that I had found with people the Church used. I had not had enough time to clean up all the blood when Isleta returned. When she saw the colour she ran to her husband. It took her a moment to see that Diego was doing much better.

Isleta soon looked at me and said, "What did you do? He has regained his colour. He looks to be just sleeping now."

"I can understand what you are saying but I can't speak your language." She looked at me oddly and I added, "Diego had a heart attack. There is something in the blood veins called plaque. This deposit broke loose and plugged up an artery. The area this artery served was starved for oxygen and slowly dying. This area is now recovering. I have strengthened Diego's heart and lungs. To make his life easier I have adjusted his body to start removing the buildup or fatty tissue and plaque in his bloodstream."

She took a while for her to digest these ideas and perhaps deduce what I had said. Her English was not very good but my Spanish was limited to what I had learned on cowboy shows when I was young.

She said, "How could you do this? I see no pills." She looked at the bedside table and found a clean ashtray with the blood clot in it. She picked it up and looked closer. She looked at me and said, "Was this in my husband's heart?"

"Close to his heart."

Isleta pulled down the sheet and opened Diego's bed shirt. There was no evidence of an operation. Isleta looked at me then came to a decision. She started to mumble her catechism. I let her go for a minute but it didn't stop. I didn't want to be a hypocrite any more than I had to.

"Isleta, stop." It took a while for her to do this and I had to put my hand on her shoulder to get her to react to what was here and now. "Isleta, I am not a religious person. You are free to believe just what you want."

She started to understand, I hope, and I added, "I have some special tools that I use a lot to save lives. I can see into your husband's body and found the problem. I then worked with a tool that goes through more than the usual three dimensions to remove the clot. To me, it's simple."

Isleta slid off the bed and got to her knees and used her right hand to make a gesture of the Roman Catholic faith. I had to bend over and pick her up. She didn't want to stand but did after she realised what she was doing.

"Isleta, where I come from I am part of the nobility. You are not in my country and you are not one of our citizens. I am definitely not a deity or an agent of one. I had not planned for you to find out that I cured your husband this way. Now that you know you will have to keep our secret."

"God sent you."

"Isleta!" I said loudly. She was shocked. "I came for other reasons. I have lots of problems with fools and fools being lead by religion. You promised a room for the night if I helped and I have done so."

Isleta was shocked enough that she fell out of her rut and said, "I'm sorry for acting that way. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving my husband."

"You are welcome, Isleta. Now let's have a seat in the other room and we can get our coats off."

We hung our coats up and Isleta insisted on helping me. I let her and thanked her. I made introductions. Tiffany, Porta, and Sonna were introduced as my wives. This shocked the woman and pleased my family. The woman could understand the term 'security detail' but not the reasons for it.

She asked, "What is your name? You never told me."

"Hugh."

The woman's mouth opened and her eyes glanced at the television and back again.

I said, "Yes, I'm afraid that I am that one. Do you want us to leave?"

She had to think for a moment then she said, "Are you from the stars?"

"I was born in Canada. I'm as Human as you are."

"What about that witch?"

I had to smile. "That little witch is as Human as you. She learned how to use some powerful tools. The broom was only a broom but she had something that allowed her to float."

"Can you float?"

"Sure, but let's float Diego so he can get cleaned?"

"You won't hurt him?"

"I just cured him. Why would I cause him pain? You will learn a fact and it helps you at the same time."

We walked into the bedroom and Osston elevated the man. Isleta stood shocked until Porta handed her the warm water and the basin. The woman cleaned her husband though she was embarrassed to do so in front of us.

Tiffany said to me, "The woman was shocked enough at this that I believe that she had nothing to do with the Church, at least not the one on Bejek."

"I was looking for that too. It doesn't change the fact that she may have a portal in the house."

"She does, I looked."

"Any icons?"

"Can't see in that detail from this distance. Do you think she's a relative?"

"I can only ask and see what we find."

Diego was cleaned and changed. Then Porta helped with the bed. Osston lowered the man down and then brought up the sheet and blanket. I had kept a tenuous connection to the man. He was going to wake up at the movement but I worked to keep him asleep a bit longer.

Isleta sat in the dining room with us and said, "Thank you for helping me but if you don't mind, why did you come here?"

"I came for a few reasons but I want to progress with some questions of my own first if they are not too difficult."

"I'll answer what I can."

"I'll start off fairly easy. How did the current owner get possession of this house?"

"Why, he bought it."

"Who did he purchase it from?"

"From Rogelio Perez. He is a second cousin of Diego."

"Do you know why it was sold?"

"Rogelio wanted to start a business in Madrid. He didn't need the house and he needed the money."

"What can you tell me about the Perez family history? Please go back as far as you can."

The front door opened and security were instantly on their feet but had not drawn any guns. From the other room we heard clothing being put away.

Isleta said, "I would like to introduce my children."

"We'd like to meet them. Now this is important, I only gave Diego some medicine I had. I'm a doctor from — the United States."

Isleta looked at me as if I were crazy and called her children in. The first was a young man named Vidal of about seventeen. Nina was a short and chubby girl of perhaps fifteen. Isleta started the introductions but the way the two kids looked at me, I guess they knew who I really was. They gave a long look at Vasiliy, Moltatas, and Addas.

Isleta could see that the story would not hold water so I asked, "Can either of you speak English?" I got two nods from heads with open mouths.

"Good. My name is Hugh Driscott. You saw through our disguises fairly quickly."

They didn't look like they were ready to talk so I got them to sit down and I got Isleta to continue with her story. She knew about a lot of the family because almost everybody here in the town was related in one way or another. She didn't know much beyond a hundred and thirty years ago but there was a family bible, or I should say a lot of bibles, with notes on lined pages and more scribbled in the margins about deaths, births and baptisms. Nobody in the village was fantastically rich though Isleta conception of this was far from what mine had been even before I found out about the portals.

"My next question concerns this home. Do you think the present owner would sell it to us?"

"He has only been here five times in seven years. He has said on many occasions that he was going to come but has not arrived. His business occupies much of his life. If I were him, I would sell this place if someone offered a good price."

"What is a good price?"

"He paid 120,000 Euros seven years ago. If he were doing well in business, he would be here more. You might offer him the same amount."

Isleta was now very worried and I could guess why. I said, "If I purchased this property, would you and your family stay on and watch the house? I'm busy with business, too, but I would try to come a lot more than Herr Schluter."

I was going to ask about the portal but Porta told me that the mirror was built into the wall and showed no silver at all. The house was old but we didn't know how old. The frame had to be built in."

Isleta knew little German and Schluter didn't know much Spanish or Basque. Roman and Vasiliy knew German quite well though. Isleta got on the phone and used the number she was given to reach the home owner. After some polite preliminaries, Isleta handed the phone over to Roman. He was now Isleta's cousin. He was getting married to the most beautiful woman in the world and wanted to live in this house.

When Roman hung up, he said to me, "I think he will take 145,000 Euros. If it goes into a numbered account like I promised, it will be a sure bet, I think."

"Good work, Roman. You'll have to sign the papers for me."

"I will gladly do that for you, Sir."

Isleta got in touch with a lawyer in the next village and asked him to represent a third cousin from Russia that wished to purchase the home. The man agreed and was able to have the papers ready by tomorrow at noon.

With all this done, I went in to check on Diego and then allowed him to awake. He surprised his family by coming out and walking normally. His family hugged and kissed him and his wife cried. Diego was surprised, too, and had to go back and change his clothing.

Diego learned that I used a drug on him that removed the clot. He was very happy but not nearly as much as his wife had been. He learned of the agreement and had his wife and daughter prepare a meal. Porta went out to help too.

Diego said in poor English, "What brings you here if I may ask?"

"I'm a tourist. I find your village beautiful."

"I talked to Isleta about Herr Schluter. I like this house and they way you have kept it. I asked Herr Schluter if he would sell it to me. I hope you and your wife would continue to stay here and look after the house."

This was a lot to swallow in one gulp but the man did smile. He was losing nothing by this transaction.

"I think that can be arranged."

With that commitment, Diego nodded off. As an employee, he got the standard treatment. Vidal was sitting with us and he was second. He was too jumpy for us to let him out of our sight. He may not want to turn us in but might want to tell just one friend. This would have the same outcome. We had a nice meal then Nina was done by Porta and Isleta by Tiffany.

We asked for a tour of the house and it turned out to be four tours where each room was looked at four times. The home had a basement which few homes built on rock did. We could find no hidden chambers. But the root cellar was larger than normal. This turned out to have a secret passage that didn't look used for centuries.

Both structures had heavy lightning rods and one of the conductors seemed to go deep into the soil and it was insulated with ten centimetres of pitch.

Our beds were made up and the master bedroom happened to be the largest room. This is the one with the mirror. With the door locked, Tiffany, Porta, and Sonna set up a portal to Woodland. I had some extra guests that night. I changed the other portal for two way viewing and I saw the inside of the room for the station in the Himalayas.

I woke up far from refreshed. Caiti and Camsa ran off with the DVD's to see how famous they were. I knew Moltatas and Addas wanted to see as well.

After a good breakfast, Osston and Vasiliy ported to the root cellar and then behind the wall. I listened to Diego and Isleta talk before Nina and Vidal had to leave to catch the bus for school.

From deep down I heard Osston say, "We found a portal and a key that fits it. There is lots of stuff here but its all rusted or rotted except for the gold and silver."

"You better get Section M to come and take pictures or you two will be in trouble."

"We did, Master. They are bitching about how poorly everything is preserved instead of what we did or did not do."

"It's almost like being married, Osston. You have to toe the line."

We spent the day searching the village for a cave with a portal because the chamber under the root cellar was not it. Section M people had a chance to visit Earth while they assisted in the search. The keyed portal went to a world of blue trees. I figured I knew just which one it might be. The other side of the portal was in another cave. The reason we knew was because Osston went through the portal to find out. I was angry at him because he was so impulsive. I didn't want him hurt. He was very intelligent at times and so stupid at others. I guess I looked at him like a son even though he was near my age.

Roman and an even more disguised Vasiliy got a lift into the next village. Roman sent off an official offer on the property and put 5,000 Euros down as a deposit. The lawyer 'just happened to have a numbered account'. 142,000 Euros went into this from one of my accounts and the lawyer would look after the rest.

Diego had been told our real names but he had been bedridden during the time I became notorious. One of the news programs even had our photos as they explored the possibilities that we had come to Earth to save it. Diego was only a little upset and I showed him how I really cured him.

He said, "Why did you do this, Sir?"

"This property is important to me because of its location. I'm searching for my ancestors. Usually they would find these locations and begin a business. I was thinking that perhaps we are related very distantly. Sometimes I find written documentation but its's hard to find something that can be centuries old."

"I can't help with the books but we have nobody that looks like you here."

"What about 600 or more years ago? The village was here for a few thousand years. I think my ancestors may have chosen this place to settle."

Later that day some of Vasiliy's people came and set up a low frequency transmitter on World #4. At the same time a receiver was set up in the station and a bearing found. Camsa ported the Ilyushin through the portal until a fix was made. The location turned out to be only a few thousand klicks away. Along the way they found cities and other aircraft so they climbed as high as they could and hurried back after plotting the point.

Diego and Isleta were given a paying job to be the village historians. They were to collect all the data they could and build a family tree. A secondary job was to see if they could find some silver icons or any old documents that might shed some light on my family.

Nina and Vidal came home and were given jobs helping their parents put the data on their computer. After a short talk on secrecy we ported to the plane. In a few minutes we were heading along the spine of the Pyrenees again. This time we stayed low looking for more sites that would trigger our portal.

The only spot we found was the one on our map. The area here was just as beautiful as the one we had left but the people spoke French. The buildings were distinctly mediaeval. A town was only a few kilometres away.

Finding a place to put the plane was more difficult and we ended up much further from our objective. We arrived during the last of the daylight. I was surprised to see that the building was a Church dedicated to Saint Gallicanus. The fact that it was a Roman Catholic religion instead of the god Ragnus didn't seem to matter much. I was still worried.

Vasiliy said, "What do you plan on doing, Sir?"

"I don't really know. There is a wall around the place so I get the feeling that it some purpose other than getting married or buried. The wall reminds me of a fortification and that infers there will be a defence."

"This may be a monastery or a seminary. If that is so they may have prayers at regular times throughout the day. I can't see the library being used at all hours. Important books would be in a separate library that could be reached with your gates."

"Bookkeeping ledgers with accounts dealing with Bejek could be easy then. I'd like to find out about family. Most of those books and letters would be written in Latin and possibly some old dialect of French. Can you read those languages?"

"Only a little Latin and modern French I'm afraid."

"I wish I had been born in Europe. There is a lot more opportunity to learn more languages."

I got Tiffany to open a gate to Woodland and we found some students and Section M ready to help. The girls were small and quick. They reminded me of a junior paratrooper squad. When the library was found, we ported in and began our search. I was happy that this place was fairly progressive because I worried that they would not allow electricity in the building.

We found two smaller collections of books but none were ledgers. We looked through walls and searched floors and ceilings. There were some hiding spots but nothing usable or even recent was in them.

There was an alarm system but I had enough knowledge by now to defeat the system with the use of gates. Ledgers may well be kept in the personal effects of the one in charge and this should be the Father or senior monk.

We left before dawn and I thanked Section M and the other students for helping us. I hid the fact that I knew for a fact that they loved this sort of work. It was like a giant treasure hunt.

After those in the buildings had their breakfast, I approached the front door and used the brass knocker. A young man came to the door in the larger gate and opened it. He said in French, "Good morning to you. How may I help you?"

I said in English, "And a very good morning to you too. I would like a few moments to talk to the person in charge if that is permitted."

The young man switched gears quickly and said in accented English, "That would be Brother Arnaud. Will you come with me please?"

"Thank you. By the way, may I ask your name?"

I got a small smile. "Brother Gilbert, Sir."

"Thank you, Brother Gilbert. If more people learned the rules of social interaction then there would not be as much fighting. My name is Hugh and my friend is called Vasiliy."

"I am glad to meet you both." There didn't seem to be any recognition and Vasiliy didn't flinch at any action of Brother Gilbert.

Brother Arnaud was at his desk, and we were introduced in English. I shook hands with the man and formed a link. There was no tampering with this man's brain. Vasiliy shook hands as I thanked Brother Gilbert. This man had no tampering either.

Brother Arnaud smiled and said, "What may I help you with, gentlemen?"

I said, "Brother Arnaud, I recently came into possession of some documents relating to my ancestors. I'm now on a quest to find out more. Would you please donate some of your valuable time to talk about the history of this particular location. In return I will do some good work of my own to recompense your work here."

"You want to know how our order started, Hugh?"

"Perhaps before that. It is the property I am interested in. How was it acquired?"

The man now looked worried. "Why is it that you wish to know?"

"My family has spread out all over the world. We found spots like this to put up our homes. Usually, we begin to trade from those locations. I am after only the information."

"The first building put up here was in 336 A.D. Do you have information back to that time"

"All families go back to the first people. Most of us know so few details. I know nothing of this particular time."

"I believe a family bequeathed this land to our order in 315. The first church was destroyed by Gauls. They looted and robbed this entire area.

"Would you give us the name of the family and as much data as you can on them?"

"It was the Gundegisil family. It is an old Frankish name. If this man is your ancestor then you should be proud. He fought to gain this land for us. The Romans heaped glory on this man because of the way he fought to preserve the empire."

"Are there documents I might view?"

"I'm afraid that everything relating to the family was sent to what was Constantinople at the time. It may well be there or in the Vatican or Istanbul. Is there something you were especially interested in?"

"There are a great many things I'm interest in but mostly it is just old information about my family. The other matter was the shipments of marine diesels and the men that had to be sent to install them into wooden hulls."

Brother Arnaud didn't flinch in any way so I assumed he was a good actor or man that knew nothing about this. He said, "Marine diesels in the mountains. What would they be used for?"

"War, Brother Arnaud, war."

"What war?"

"A war far away. One side wishes to conquer the weak and turn them into puppets."

"Which war are you referring to?"

"You would not know the location in any case. If I offered a suitable endowment would you compile some copies of the documents I wish to see?"

"I'm an old man and I doubt if the people that tend the archives will allow me to delve through their treasures."

"I can help in a way." I extended my hand and Brother Arnaud sat up to shake it. I used the Heart of Opfu to get him to sit back and relax. I now stood and went around the desk and layed my hands on the man's shoulders. This man was old and worn. I began the process of healing the man's body from joints to heart.

It must have been a half hour later that I retook my seat and waited for Brother Arnaud to recover. When he awoke, he said, "What did you do?"

"I am a naturalist that believes in what I see. I assume that you have not discarded your faith by now. I have come into possession of some machines that do some amazing things. One takes control of the portion of your brain and some of your body. My purpose is to rebuild what has been destroyed by age or accident. You will have to take it on faith that these machines were probably not made by man but they could have been."

The man just stared at me with his eyes bugging out.

"Brother Arnaud, I helped you as a reward for your help. Call it a benediction given by some aliens who came here to help themselves and in turn helped man. My family was involved in trade with these aliens and Humans on other worlds. The Christian Church keeps lots of facts and I think you know a lot more that you have not told me."