The Lost Tribes, page 32
— and not human.
The resulting explosion knocked Ben’s uncle off the platform. The control room was thrown into darkness before back-up systems came on-line. Kavera narrowly missed falling into the pool. Aurelia rushed over to help. Face strained in anger, Uncle Henry waved her away. Volari emerged again and shook his head. Ben already knew what he had been looking for. There would be no more jewels found.
The chamber grew silent. Auxiliary lights bathed the room in a soft blue glow. The Xenobian warriors arched their arms, raised them toward the ceiling, then crouched again and crossed their arms against their chests. The Casmirian warriors remained upright; one fist against their chests, their swords raised high into the air with the other. The Casmirian leader shouted something unintelligible as he gazed into the holographic sky.
Aurelia quietly called. The room responded. She called again, the room responded. Ben couldn’t translate the language. It was mournful, and yet beautiful as the voices rose and blended in an interplanetary chorus.
They were praying for the lost souls. The ship was destroyed. Everyone on it — Ben choked even as the words formed — had died. That could have been him. That should have been him. Hundreds of scientists fleeing to safety. Doomed by a thoughtless and reckless act. A cat collar tossed into a pile of backpacks.
By Ben.
Uncle Henry wasn’t tracking them through the collar. Then who?
“Not who, but what?”
Wracked with more guilt than he could bear, Ben fled from the room. He wished he had died too.
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
Miracles
To change the world we must first change ourselves.
Tibetan Proverb
Ben sank to the floor, his back against one of the many columns lining the chamber. An overhead balcony created enough shadow to conceal his location if anyone entered. He didn’t know where he was in the complex. A single light illuminated a plain, marble platform. Behind it, hundreds of glistening rods dripped from the ceiling like rain. The only sound besides his erratic breathing was a gentle swooshing, as if the room were surrounded by water.
He replayed the scene over and over in slow motion.
The ship … gleaming … escaping …
Destroyed.
The jewel.
His uncle … probing … exploding in rage … something monstrous materializing in the beam.
The prayers.
Nothing he could do, nothing he could say, would bring those people back.
And what about April? And his friends?
They depended on him. Should he have kept his promise and gotten on the ship? Would a quick death have been better than a slow one? Some leader he turned out to be. What was the saying? Be careful what you wish for? Now they were all stranded on Earth with missing parents, a space station full of extraterrestrial beings and an uncle as cold and heartless as the iceberg that sank the Titanic.
He was jolted out of his reflection by the sound of footsteps. Hiding behind the column brought a sense of deja vu. He steeled himself. No foul smell. No odd noises. Just the same, he tucked his legs to minimize his exposed surface area.
Aurelia and Kavera approached the platform. They knelt on the marble and crossed their arms across their chests. Ben drew further into the shadows and waited for them to leave.
He closed his eyes and prayed for the lost souls. He also prayed for forgiveness and for an answer that would relieve his agony.
As if in response to his request he felt a hand on his shoulder. He recoiled and found Kavera and Aurelia crouching beside him, both barefoot.
“You picked an appropriate place for prayer, my young prince,” Aurelia said. “Your instincts brought you to our place of healing. Your parents would be proud.”
Kavera remained silent but his eyes exuded warmth, comfort and friendship.
“I sense your distress. May I assist you?” Aurelia pulled a necklace from beneath her shirt. An ankh, like his mother’s. She squeezed it in her hand while extending the other.
Remembering his uncle’s reaction to his mother’s gesture, Ben shoved his hands into his lap.
Aurelia looked at him curiously. “Your mother has never versed you in our ways?”
“I understand how to pray,” Ben said.
Aurelia frowned and took several steps backward.
Kavera’s dreads cascaded down his shoulders and framed his round face. “Your uncle will be relieved to see you, Ben. Why do you choose to hide in the shadows?”
Ben felt his chest tighten. He didn’t respond. He couldn’t respond. What would he say? He should be dead, like all the others.
Kavera took his hand, only for a moment. Ben tried to pull away.
“There is nothing to fear, Benjamin.” Kavera squeezed his hand, closed his eyes then released. “I understand,” was all he said. He held his hand out toward Aurelia who helped him up to his feet.
“Your uncle will need to be told of your presence at the complex,” she said. “We could do it for you, but the news should come from you, don’t you agree?”
Ben shook his head. “He’ll kill me.”
“He is many things,” Aurelia said. “The killer of children is not one of them.”
“You haven’t seen his temper. He hates me.”
“I think not,” Kavera said. “Aurelia and I have known your uncle for more years than you have walked this earth. His way is not always Xenobian, but our paths and passions circle back to the same spiritual core.”
“Your uncle makes a loud noise,” Aurelia said. “Ultimately, however, he does care for you. Of that much I am sure.”
Ben just looked away. They didn’t understand how he felt. They couldn’t understand.
“You are young. One day you will come to understand that not all is what it seems.” Aurelia offered her hand. “Come. Your friends are waiting. It is time to face your greatest fear, Benjamin Webster. It is time to face your uncle.”
Flanked by Aurelia and Kavera, Ben and his friends shuffled forward like prisoners headed for execution.
Aurelia led them to the Xenobian courtyard. Aris and Bastet waited outside the arboretum. As if pushed by invisible hands, the stained glass doors opened inward to reveal a lush garden. Birds chirped. Crickets clicked in the distance. Butterflies fluttered past him to light on nearby plants.
Hundreds, maybe thousands of exotic plant species lined the stone path that wound through the garden. Twenty feet away he saw his uncle kneeling at a fountain, deep in meditation, robes puddled in soft folds at his bare feet.
Aurelia gestured for everyone to remain by the door. She shot a look of concern at Kavera who nodded, but said nothing. She studied Ben’s uncle for several minutes before speaking.
“Kurosh? May I offer assistance?”
Ben found it odd that she now referred to him by his first name when the others referred to him as Jemadari or Commander.
“Why do you continue to address me in this primitive language?”
“I need the practice.”
“Leave me.” Uncle Henry’s voice was quiet but brusque. “I wish to be alone.”
Aurelia maintained a gentle edge to her voice. “Kurosh. May I recommend temple for your prayers?”
“I have no need for prayer.”
“Perhaps. Perhaps not. If you were not so quick to reject our ways, if you had gone to pray in temple as is our custom, you might have been granted a miracle.”
“I no longer believe in miracles,” Uncle Henry said, his voice devoid of emotion.
“That is not our way. There is always hope even in the face of a great tragedy.”
“I am not in need of religious lecturing from a Shaman!” He growled and tipped his head to the side but did not look at her. His eyes remained closed.
“Then would you accept a symbol of hope from a friend?”
“I am your superior officer!” His booming voice thundered across the foliage. “I order you to return to your duties!” He turned and froze as his eyes fell upon Ben.
Ben braced for the wrath he knew was coming. Instead his uncle seemed stricken as if he was seeing a ghost.
Aurelia placed her hand on Ben’s shoulder. “As I said. If, on occasion, one seeks solace in a place of worship, one may find a miracle. Behold who I found there seeking his own absolution. It appears that Ben is very much like his uncle in his determination to follow a difficult path.”
“How?” Uncle Henry’s face became a mass of conflict. “How did you get off the ship?”
“We never went up,” Ben said, nearly choking on the words.
Uncle Henry walked toward him in small, measured steps. The others instinctively took a step backward, but Ben and April held their ground. Uncle Henry stopped ten feet from Ben and scanned him with a device. His face registered caution and disbelief as his eyes probed Ben for clues. He studied his prayer beads then looped them back on his belt. “Explain.”
Aurelia squeezed Ben’s shoulder and gestured for him to continue.
“I used my father’s compass to dial out of the beam.”
“We couldn’t leave without our parents,” April said gripping Ben’s hand tightly.
“We agreed,” Grace volunteered.
“All of us,” Carlos said.
Serise nodded. “We’re a team.”
Tears streamed down Ben’s face. “My father said one day I’d have to make a choice. I made it. Didn’t you make that decision when you decided to stay behind?”
Uncle Henry moved closer and touched Ben’s forehead with the his fingertips. He closed his eyes, then moved his hand away. His only reaction was one of sadness. For one brief moment Ben’s uncle looked so … vulnerable
“The black stones? You sent them to the ship?”
Ben nodded. The words stung as he attempted to answer out loud. His uncle raised a single index finger. Ben understood and switched modes.
“I didn’t know what they were. They were on a collar we found in Peru. I thought you put it there on purpose so you could track us.” Ben was nearly inconsolable. “I thought if I sent it up with our packs, you would think we were on the ship. No one else knew about the collar. No one knows what I did. It’s my fault. Just mine. All those people died because of what I did. I’m so sorry.”
His uncle remained stoic and took hold of his arms. There was no pressure in his grip. He peered into Ben’s eyes as he spoke out loud. “You never went up to the ship? You didn’t see what went with them?”
Ben shook his head. No.
He couldn’t read his uncle’s expression through the soft haze of tears that streamed from down his face. His uncle abruptly released his grip. Ben closed his eyes and waited for whatever violence was to follow …
“You weren’t the cause of the explosion.”
… and found himself in the first hug he had ever received from his uncle.
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
Resolutions
“Unity, in variety, is the plan of the universe.”
Vivickenanda, India
Ben stayed in his uncle’s tight embrace for only a few seconds but it seemed like forever. Every emotion he had harbored over the years came pouring out. He had craved his uncle’s affection and now that he had it, he didn’t know what to make of it. Was this relief? Approval? He didn’t care. He just wanted to relish it for a few minutes before it slipped away.
Uncle Henry gathered April into his arms.
“You chose wisely, Ben. If you had followed my orders, you and your friends would be dead and I would never have forgiven myself.” He released them. “I am truly sorry. For everything. I should have told you the truth earlier.”
“Me too. I should have let you know we were in the complex as soon as we got back from Islas Ballestas.”
Uncle Henry let out a soft, sad chuckle. “Is that where you were hiding?”
Ben nodded.
“A hundred options and you chose …” Uncle Henry paused. “Never mind. You have returned to us safely. For that I am truly grateful. But I’m afraid little has changed. We’ve only got a few days, maybe a week, before the chain reaction is irreversible. To stay may still be a death sentence.” There was no anger in his voice.
Ben forced a sad smile, received one in return and felt his stress melt away. “I told Aurelia about eight beacons we found. I think it’s our parents.”
Uncle Henry glanced at Aurelia who shook her head sadly. Not them.
“I went back to get something on the island.” He pulled the silver rod from his pocket.
Uncle Henry froze then snatched it out of Ben’s hands. Ben couldn’t read the reaction on his face.
“You found this? Where?”
“Hidden in a crack in the wall. Behind the fake skeleton,” April said. “It fell out of an old pole. We thought we’d broken it.”
“Do these markings mean something?” Grace asked.
Uncle Henry didn’t answer. He rolled the rod in his hand, reading the tiny Rongorongo markings, then passed it to Kavera who scanned it with a device and waited for results. After a long few minutes, he nodded, his face beaming.
Aurelia bowed. “Commander. We shall take our leave of you. There is much work to do.”
“Aurelia. Kavera. You have my gratitude for returning the children to me. Today we have, indeed, been granted two miracles.”
The two warriors bowed again, then rushed out of the chamber at a dead run, the rod in their possession.
“What does it mean?” Ben asked. “Does it help?”
Uncle Henry nodded, his eyes still focused on the now closed door. “That rod activates the dormant terraformers on Rapa Nui. Bringing them online will buy us at least another year. Maybe more.”
Ben’s heartbeat kicked into overdrive. “Enough time to find my parents?” he asked.
“Perhaps,” Uncle Henry said. “And much more. By ignoring my orders, you and your friends may have saved us all.”
Grace exchanged high fives with Serise and Carlos. “I guess where you go, we go. You said it was important that we stay together.”
“I can make arrangements for you to live with families on the outside. You deserve better than what we have to offer here.” His voice was quiet and tinged with sadness.
“Are you kidding?” asked Carlos. “How are you going to explain our ‘transformations’ to our host families? There isn’t enough green glob to last that long.”
“Danine has the ability to replicate what is needed,” Uncle Henry said. “I fear the other tribes will be distracted by your presence at the complex. Outside, you would be able to live a normal life.”
Serise groaned in frustration. “Now that we’re just discovering our heritage you want to rip it away? How do we learn about our people if we don’t live with them? How do we live a normal life knowing life on Earth might end at any moment?”
“We don’t have any other options. We’ve got to stay here.” Ben tried to sound confident, but he still felt as terrified as his friends. “We aren’t breaking up the team.”
Uncle Henry sat on a bench and watched Ben closely. Despite the earlier, surreal group hug, Ben was still apprehensive and kept his feelings guarded.
“You said it yourself. No more transports. There are no other choices. Whatever destroyed that ship … whatever attacked my parents — is going to try again.”
“Yes.”
“And maybe come after us too, right?”
Uncle Henry nodded. Ben noted something new in his uncle’s expression — trust.
“We need to stick together,” He said out loud for the others to hear. He was concerned about this new revelation but would keep his uncle’s secret for now. No use alarming the others.
“I’ll need to consult with the Tribal Council.”
“Why?” asked April. “I thought you were the boss of the whole place. Just tell ‘em. We’re staying!”
Uncle Henry’s grim expression relaxed a micron as he let out a long slow exhale.
“Well, you are.” April wagged her finger at him. “Being bossy is what you’re good at. So tell ‘em.”
The sides of Uncle Henry’s mouth curved into a smile and he barked out a laugh. Soon after, he reverted back to the person Ben had always known — a drill sergeant. The change in demeanor was instantaneous, but the booming tone and the sharp edge were gone.
“All right then. Let’s get started. We’ve got a lot of work to do. Hard work. I will not go easy on you. You will train with the teams and live here at the complex. We will arrange quarters for you and most likely tutors and bodyguards. You will do what I say, when I say it, without question. Is that understood? I hear any whining or complaining and trust me, you won’t like the alternatives.”
“Agreed,” Ben said, relieved. He looked to the others for confirmation.
“All for one and one for all!” said Carlos.
“That’s a palindrome,” Serise said in a nervous reflex.
“Shut up!” replied the rest in a simultaneous chorus.
EPILOGUE
And So It Begins
“It is not where you begin, it is where you end that counts.”
Faith Littlefield
Uncle Henry paced like a restless predator. A final team stood before a transport tube that shimmered in shades of gold and silver. As each member stepped across the threshold, their clothing changed to those of Afghan villagers. They waited in perfect military formation.
Aurelia entered the control room, an elaborate tattoo visible on her right shoulder. She fastened a leather satchel onto the belt around her waist and prepared to step into the portal.
“Aureliana,” Uncle Henry said. “I would speak with you.”
Ben’s uncle gestured toward an antechamber on the far side of the control room. The barrier closed behind them. Shortly afterwards, Aurelia and Uncle Henry emerged followed by Kavera.
Aurelia and Kavera stepped into the glass tube and waited for the change. She rolled a bead between her thumb and index finger then held it up for Ben’s uncle to see before placing it into her satchel. Her slick leather uniform was instantly concealed by burlap cloth. The burqua obscured everything but her eyes. Even so, Ben could see a softening in her expression. Ben looked at his uncle’s belt. The violet prayer bead was gone.
