The Revelation Chronicles: Evolution Page 5

  Chapter 17

  Agent Simmons observed as the tactical squads finished clearing the remaining buildings. He had little hope they would find Charlie Reese and his friends in any of them, but protocol dictated the search.

  He ran a hand over his bald dome as he tried to stave off the mounting frustration. Months of chasing a suspect without results will do that to you, something foreign, or alien to such an accomplished agent as himself. The proverbial clock was ticking and he was no closer to finding them.

  The Bluetooth device in his ear buzzed and he tapped the side. It was Agent Hill, the unit’s lead mobile tech.

  “Agent Simmons,” he answered in his usual all-about-business tone.

  “Sir, the Secretary’s office just called. Secretary Proctor is requesting a video conference with you as soon as possible.”

  Agent Simmons sighed. Time to go answer to the brass.

  “Call them back and let ‘em know I’ll be ready in ten.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  He pressed the Bluetooth and ended the call. The secretary wouldn’t be happy with the details of the latest escape. He had little to show for their efforts so far, but remained hopeful things would change soon. All he needed was one good, solid lead—and a seriously massive boatload of luck.

  Agent Simmons opened the door and climbed inside the mobile unit, which was a large, spacious RV filled with state-of-the-art equipment and modifications. A trio of techs operated in the rear, pouring over data printouts and manning the FBI tip hotline. No stone was left unturned. Numerous cases were broken every year through the assistance of leads phoned in to the hotline.

  “We’re connected, sir,” said Agent Hill, a twenty-two-year-old rookie fresh out of Princeton. He was a bright kid with an even brighter future. He was sure to go places within the Bureau. The secretary himself requested Agent Hill be part of the manhunt.

  Agent Simmons nodded and took a seat next to him, staring at the image of an empty conference room through the LED monitor as he awaited the arrival of the secretary. He didn’t have to wait long before Secretary Proctor entered and took a seat, followed closely by a man Agent Simmons recognized, and not in a good way.

  He was known only as Harken. It was difficult to determine what was truth and what was mere fabrication about the man. His exploits were the stuff of legend throughout the intelligence community. He finished jobs thought impossible or those needing to be kept off the books. Harken had been running black ops missions since the Cold War, and rumor had it the agent had executed over 100 targets through the years. He usually operated with extreme prejudice.

  Simmons had only met the man once and had gotten an extremely unpleasant vibe from the encounter—like ‘sharing the same breathing space with a convicted serial killer’ kind of vibe. If he was here now, it didn’t bode well for the manhunt moving forward, that much was for damn certain.

  “Mr. Secretary,” Agent Simmons said.

  “Skip the pleasantries, Simmons,” Secretary Proctor said bluntly. “Are you any closer to finding these extraterrestrials?”

  “Well, sir, setting up surveillance on the Archer woman proved fruitful, just as I thought it would. One of the subjects attempted to contact her at the college she attends. We tried to subdue the subject peacefully, but he was able to use some sort of ignition device or gadget that produced massive flames. We were unable to apprehend. They used the flames to cover their escape.”

  “They?” Secretary Proctor interrupted with a look of confusion.

  “The girl escaped with him. And from the looks of it, she did so under her own volition.”

  Secretary Proctor was fuming. Agent Simmons didn't need to see his face to know that.

  “So now we have humans aiding these beings? How could you let this happen, Simmons?”

  Agent Simmons pretended not to hear the question and resumed his briefing.

  “We were able to use CCTV and traffic cams located throughout the city to discover their destination, but they were already gone by the time we arrived. A sweep of the surrounding area also proved fruitless.”

  “So you’re no closer to finding them?”

  “We’re working around the clock and running down every lead.”

  “You know what’s at stake here. Get results: that’s your job. If you can’t do your job, then I will send someone who can.”

  The video transmission ended abruptly, leaving Agent Simmons staring at his own reflection on the blank screen. He had to get a handle on the situation. If Harken was allowed to intervene, there was no telling how red the streets would run with blood before it was all over. And that he couldn’t allow.

  Chapter 18

  I keeled over, barely able to stop myself from throwing up. Traveling with Standeval was a lot like using the pendant I wore around my neck to visit my mom in an alternate reality—only worse. He didn’t make the experience any easier, leaning on his cane next to me in obvious amusement.

  I slowly stood upright and took in our surroundings. We were outside a quaint little farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by acres and acres of nothing. I managed to smile, admiring how Kara had once again done an excellent job of finding us a place to lay low for the time being. She really had a knack for such things.

  I made a mental note to compliment her later, then saw the door swing open. Kara rushed down the steps towards us and I suddenly realized I wouldn’t have to. She’d felt the emotion. Heard the thought from inside the house. Our connection appeared to be growing stronger with each passing day.

  She approached me and we embraced; a gentle, subtle embrace that we both took caution not to prolong any further than we had to. You know, appearances are everything.

  “I’m glad to see you made it back in one piece,” she said softly, looking up into my eyes. “And I see you found Standeval OK.” She glanced at the illusionist who seemed to be enjoying our exchange a little too much.

  “Yes,” I said. “He was actually very easy to find. Didn’t take me long at all.”

  I didn’t have to see Standeval’s face to know what I’d said would wipe that stupid smirk off of it.

  “Well, you guys come on inside. Everyone’s waiting.”

  We followed Kara back into the house while Standeval gave me the ‘how dare you’ look. I grinned, gloating over my small victory. I mean, that’s what it’s all about sometimes.

  However, that victory was quickly followed by a crushing defeat when the door opened. I was greeted by the gag-worthy sight of Allison and Michael off by themselves, as cheery and happy as could be.

  I tried not to let my disappointment show, but I was certain it was radiating like a neon sign on the Las Vegas strip. So I shifted my attention instead to Nick, who, as fate would have it, was entertaining himself by balancing a spoon on his nose.

  “That’s a good look for you,” I jabbed.

  “Shove it, flyboy,” he fired back after his concentration was broken and the spoon clanked off the floor. He looked about as annoyed as a kid who’d gotten his build-a-blocks knocked over before finishing a replica of the Golden Gate Bridge.

  Nick picked up the spoon and continued the balancing act, eyeing me defiantly. He wasn’t going to let me break his spirit. That’s what made him so special. He was always upbeat and viewed the glass with a half-full mentality. Or maybe for him it was spilling over the sides, because his confidence never seemed to wane.

  “This is a nice place you have here,” remarked Standeval dryly. He looked around at the house rather distastefully, running a finger along a piece of furniture, before quickly reaching for his handkerchief to remove the filth.

  Setting his hat on the table gingerly, Standeval took a seat. He kept his suit jacket pulled in close, as if he might possibly catch some deadly contagion. “Let me know when you’re all ready to leave this dreadful place.”

  “Have you found Arthur and the others already?” I asked, surprised.

  “I never lost them,” he said with clarity.


  I had been under the false assumption some kind of magic or séance would be required to locate them when he’d known where they were all along.

  “Why didn’t you just tell me that?”

  “You didn’t ask,” he replied callously.

  I set my jaw as my ears burned from the anger and irritation boiling up inside me. You know how sometimes you have a genuine dislike for someone and don’t really know why? There’s never really one obvious thing you can pinpoint… you just do? Well—I didn’t have that problem with Standeval. I knew exactly why I disliked him. And those reasons were now on full display.

  “I’d like to go now, if it isn’t too much of an inconvenience for you,” I said.

  Standeval rose from the table and lazily extended his hand.

  “Well then, let’s get a move on. No need to waste any more time. Gather your cohorts and let’s be off.”

  The others collected what little belongings they’d brought along and we formed a semi-circle around Standeval. Seemed they were more eager to leave than he was.

  “Now, now; don’t be shy,” Standeval insisted, placing the bowler hat softly on his head. “Reach down and hold hands like you actually care for one another. We need to be linked in order for this to work properly. Otherwise, one of you could end up in North Korea or someplace more unpleasant for that matter.”

  I took Kara’s hand in mine and she took hold of Nick’s. He grasped Michael’s hand awkwardly as Allison’s tiny fingers disappeared in the latter’s large mitt.

  “Now, dear,” Standeval said politely to Allison, “place your hand on top of mine firmly, and whatever you do… don’t let go.”

  With Allison’s hand securely attached to his, Standeval raised the cane and brought it down with force onto the living room floor, creating an arching ray of blinding crimson light.

  In an instant, we were off, leaving the farmhouse far behind.

  Chapter 19

  Faster than a hiccup, we were there. By “there”, I mean not on the farm anymore. Actually, I had no idea where in the world we were. All I could determine was that we were on a hill somewhere overlooking a small, peaceful town. I glanced around at the others who seemed to share the same ill-effects of my previous experience traveling with Standeval. All, that is, except Nick.

  “WOW, that was quite a rush!” he exclaimed.

  “Are you OK?” I asked Kara, helping her up with the palm of my hand at the small of her back.

  “I—I’ll be alright,” she said a bit shakily. “Thanks.”

  “Welcome to the town of Port Haven,” Standeval proclaimed, sweeping his arm forward like the great showman he aspired to be.

  “Where exactly are we?” Nick asked. “This place looks like we just landed in the middle of Pleasantville.”

  “We’re about a hundred and fifty miles outside of Grand Rapids. You wanted to find your friends; well, here they are. Right down there.”

  I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised, really. It seemed to be a more than ideal location for Robert and the others to hide out and avoid detection. What better place than a small farming community in the middle of nowhere?

  “Let’s go,” said Standeval, motioning for us to follow. “Time’s a-wasting.”

  We descended toward the town together with Standeval in the lead.

  “Try not to look so uptight,” he suggested to Michael off-handedly. “You’ll make the locals nervous.”

  Michael scowled in response, which made me smile. Another check in the win column for me.

  It was sometime after noon and the streets were mostly desolate, except for the occasional resident who eyed our party with guarded curiosity.

  “Hopefully, no one here recognizes us,’ said Kara.

  “I doubt most of them even own a TV,” Nick joked.

  “Just as well, we’d better get off these streets,” I said. “How much further, Standeval?”

  “It’s just up ahead.”

  We walked about another two hundred meters before he stopped abruptly.

  “Why are we stopping?” I asked, confused. There was nothing of particular interest, save for a rundown two-story shanty that appeared by all accounts to be deserted. A rusted Chevy on blocks completed the depressing portrait of a view. Bullet holes riddled the barely intact windshield and all the passenger windows were shattered. No way was this where we were supposed to be.

  Standeval took a few steps toward the disaster of a house and paused before a large tree. He twirled his cane a few times before tapping gently on the weathered bark. Moving forward, he repeated the ritual twice more on trees along the property, while the rest of us looked on in utter confusion.

  All of a sudden, the landscape began to change. The house before us was no longer a dilapidated shanty a gentle sneeze away from falling over, but a beautiful two-story home. The rusted Chevy transformed into a spotless black Tahoe. My jaw dropped at what had just transpired right before my very eyes. I wouldn’t have believed it, had the others not been so equally in awe.

  “That was intense,” said Allison, sounding short of breath.

  “You have all officially fallen into the rabbit hole now, my dear Alice,” Standeval said with an air of irony that matched the situation perfectly.

  “How is this even possible?” I asked.

  “Smoke and mirrors, my boy. Smoke and mirrors,” said Standeval, smiling invitingly. “Come on.”

  We followed close behind as Standeval approached the door and rapped lightly with the tip of his cane.

  Seconds later, the door swung open and I breathed a huge sigh of relief as Robert’s frame filled the entrance. His face lit up as our eyes met.

  “Charlie! So good to see you!”

  The elderly man rushed forward and we embraced. It was like the prodigal son had finally returned home. All our present worries were placed on hold. But had we simply traded the frying pan for the oven? Only time would tell.

  Chapter 20

  “It’s so good to finally see you all after such a long time,” Robert said, upon exchanging pleasantries with everyone. “We’ve been worried sick about you. Glad to see you were able to make it here in one piece. Follow me, I'd like to show you around.”

  We huddled into the entryway and followed as Robert led us through the interior. The house was smaller than the mansion we called home before, but that was completely understandable, given the circumstances.

  Empty boxes and plastic bags filled to capacity lined the walls of a room that appeared to once be used as a laundry, I surmised by the unused water outlets.

  We entered a larger room that had been stripped of conventional furniture and now functioned as a sort of operations center. State-of-the-art computer equipment and monitors were everywhere, it seemed. I recognized another familiar face and cracked a smile.

  “Well, aren’t you just a sight for sore eyes!” said Jasmine, sliding her chair back from the console array she’d been working at. She ran over and gave Kara a big hug, following up with one for me and each of the others. She was a true genius with computers and cutting-edge technology. Those skills, among others, made her an invaluable asset.

  “How did the tech work for you? I hope it was to your liking.”

  “It was a lifesaver,” Kara said. “I don’t know if we’d be standing here today if it weren’t for you and the laptop you gave me.”

  “Excellent! I’d like to run some diagnostics and software updates for you as soon as possible.”

  “There will be plenty of time for that later, Jasmine,” said Robert quietly. “Let’s get them settled first.”

  “Right, right,” Jasmine said quickly, flattening her blue-jean skirt and taking a seat back at her console. “How inconsiderate of me. Welcome back.” She flashed a perky smile and adjusted her glasses before returning to the symphony of keystrokes.

  Robert led on through a narrow hallway that seemed to go on forever. I didn’t know if it was also a result of the pixie dust magic, but the house was much la
rger inside than it appeared.

  Next, we entered another room with several lounge chairs and couches. A large TV was mounted along the wall and currently aired the local news.

  “Charles Reese! Is that you?” I heard a familiar voice say. The old woman rose slowly from her chair. It was Ms. Parkman. A year ago, her voice would have made my skin crawl, but no more. Her voice was now as welcome as the warm sun upon my face on a spring day. I’d been alone for so long with no one to answer any of my burning questions or to give me any real guidance. It was nice to feel that safety net once again that I experienced whenever I was in her company.

  “Come here, let me get a closer look at you,” she said, summoning me to her with a slight quiver of her hand.

  I stood in front of her as she gripped both my arms tightly, just above the elbow, peering into my eyes with her own for what seemed an eternity.

  “You’ve changed,” she said finally. “You seem… troubled.”

  “How did you know that?” I asked. I was always surprised at how well she could read me.

  “I can sense it, child.”

  “I hate to break up this touching reunion, I really do,” interrupted Standeval. “But I do believe you’ll want to put your salutations on hold for just a moment and see this.”

  He pointed his cane in the direction of the TV on the wall as startling images flashed across the screen. “Looks like you have more pressing issues, my boy.”

  “Can you turn it up?” I asked Robert who was standing in front of the TV and watching intently with everyone else. He nodded and reached for the remote on the coffee table. The news reporter’s voice was high-pitched and excited as she described the details at the scene.

  Evolution had struck again.