Sentinels of the Cosmos Trilogy (22 page)

And then the vision disappears and Charles is again
alone in his vault sobbing. Suddenly, through his
tears, Beneizen appears in front of him. "So, are you
gloating at my misery?" Charles asks.
"No Charles, I feel great compassion for you. Don't
go through with this procedure. You still have a
chance for redemption."
"No Beneizen, there is no chance for me. There is no
redemption. I sense the momentum of my fate,”
Charles says.
"Listen to me Charles," Beneizen pleads.
"No, no, I hear another path calling me," Charles
returns sadly.

Juan slowly awakened very groggy to find himself
lying on the floor of his Washington apartment. His
first instinct was to move, but he knew they would
see and just put him out again or worse. Tom and
Harry were in the kitchen eating and talking.
“I like this Spanish food, it’s got some fat in it and
tastes like something, you know?” Tom says.
“Juan has some great eats here; I think we should kill
him now,” Harry says.
“I don’t have the order to do that yet, besides that we
want him awake,” Tom replies.
“When do you think we’re going to get our orders?”
The cell phone on the table rings. Tom looks at it.
“Are you expecting a call?” Tom asks Harry.
“No,” Harry says.
“Then it must be for me,” Tom says and answers.
“Juan, we need you in the office right now?” Trip
says.
Tom just puts the receiver down. “It was for Juan.
Trip wants him the office now.”
Juan reaches into his pocket ever so slowly for the
small black box on the end of his key chain and holds
it in his hand with his finger on the button.
Tom comes over to Juan and stands over him. He
watches him very carefully for a few moments. Juan
remains very still. Tom then moves away into the
kitchen as Juan slowly slips the device out of his
pocket.
Tom noticed the slight movement from Juan and
moves quickly towards him as he calls out, “He’s
awake.”
Harry’s head snaps to attention and both of them
move with lightning speed to stop him, but they were
too late. Juan pushes the button on the black box and
both Tom and Harry drop to the floor and appear
lifeless. Their eyes are wide open. They are trying to
move, but can't.
"Handy little device. I'm sure you were
communicating with whomever or whatever is
controlling you," says Juan as he moves down very
close to Tom's face, and says, "The FBI now knows
all about you. Not only you Tom, but
you
… you way
back in there watching and controlling: I'm going to
get all of you. I'm going to put you all down like sick
dogs!" Juan says, then straightens up, goes into the
bathroom and splashes water on his face. He looks in
the mirror and then the phone rings again. He slowly
moves into the other room and picks up the phone.
“Juan, why did you hang up on me?” Trip asks.
“I didn’t, Tom and Harry, are both Guards, they were
going to kill me and your call gave me just the instant
I needed to take them down,” Juan says with a trace
of satisfaction in his voice.

“Where are they now?” Trip asks.
“Out cold,” Juan says.
"How did you do that?" Trip asks.
"Nifty trick," Juan replies.
“Get out of there, we need you here immediately, you
were right about New York City; in fact you were
right about everything," Trip admits grudgingly.
“OK, see you soon.” Juan hangs up the phone. He
looks down at the two Guards and wonders how long
they will be out, but he still needed to call his wife
and get her and the children out of Brooklyn, so he
took the chance and picked up the phone and dialed
the number. The phone rang and finally answered
with a message.
Juan put the phone down, looked at the two
motionless Guards and then left. But walking down
the hall towards the elevator he decides to try again,
He dials Esperanza and she answers.
"Honey," he says out of breath.
"You OK, you get shot again?" she opens.
"No, I'm OK," he returns.
"Fine, you sound terrible. Maria is having
complications. I have to take her and the kids to the
hospital this afternoon," she says.
"What's wrong with her?" he asks.
"The printer made her a new spine but they say her
body is having adjustment problems. I think it'll be
OK! It's probably just a snag. When are you coming
home?"
"Soon but listen, don't go home, stay at the hospital
until I get there!" he says.
"Juan, what's going on?" she asks.
"I can't tell you, just do as I say for once, please!" he
begs.
"Juan, what's happening," she pleads.
"Just do what I say, I have to go!" he hangs up the
phone and runs into the street.

Juan entered FBI headquarters and walked down the
long hall to Trip’s office. He sees him through the
glass speaking in a very animated manner with a
young woman sitting in his office. Juan goes in
reluctantly.
“Oh! It’s you, take your gun and badge back,” Trip
opens.
Juan just looks at him with amazement and says, “I’m
glad you finally see the light but I’m confused, is all
forgiven?
Trip replies tartly, “Yes let’s move on, I’ll explain
everything later.”
“OK, now who’s she?” Juan asks.
“Oh, this is Agent Knowing,” Trips says.
Ruth stands and puts out her hand and says, “Ruth
Knowing, I’ve heard about you, I’ve been an admirer
for a long time.”
“Really,” Juan says cynically.
She is petite, a genetic combination of Asian and
American genes; very pretty with not an ounce of fat
on her body. Juan could tell by the way she took his
hand that she was even an expert in martial arts.
Juan takes the black box out of his pocket and pushes
the button.
“What the hell is that? “ Trip asks.
“Think of it as a Guard monitor," Juan says.
Trip asks “What the hell you pointing that thing at us
for, oh you think
we
might be Guards?”
“That’s right you never know, now watch this” Juan
says as he opens Trip’s office door, points the black
box into the center pool of the room and pushes the
button. Two agents and a clerk fall to the ground.
“Pretty cool,” Juan turns to Trip, continuing, “this
isn’t some Star Trek episode, this is real, and these
things
are everywhere, even the government and
maybe industry too; who knows how far this goes?
How close are you with Charles Dean?” Juan asks.
“I don’t like your tone. Sit down, and I’ll ask the
questions,” replies Trip.
“Sorry boss but I was sure glad to see that you’re
human,” Juan says and sits down.
"Where did you get that device?" Trip asks
"I took it from a Guard, I guess it takes one to know
one," Juan returns.
Trip gets up and walks out to see which agents had
fallen to the floor.
“What just happened?” asked one of the agents who
had rushed over to help.
He looks down on the fallen agents saying, “Well,
you just never know.” Trip looks at the other agents
standing around. “Haven’t you ever seen a fallen
agent, these three are fine, just passed out, I’ll explain
the whole thing later,” he says nonchalantly as he
walks back into his office.
“What’s she doing here?” Juan asks, pointing to Ruth.
“Her name is Ruth and she found this,” Trip reaches
into his drawer and pulls out a plastic evidence bag
containing a Guard implant. "Ruth was sent over by
the CIA to help us analyze it. We all think the FBI lab
could do a better job of analyzing it but we believe
it’s a complete Guard implant! You know how I got
it? Kathryn Bennett, yep, a US senator, called me
from the side of the road. Charles had directed a
Guard chauffeuring their limousine to drive them
over a cliff but she and Robert suspected something
or as Katherine put it, had a premonition and jumped
out just in time. She's a mess, but came completely
clean about EOJ. She told me everything; thatt the
President is a Guard, the directive to reduce world
population using New York City as a test is pending,
the whole thing. She spilled her guts!”
“Man, so that’s what they have inside,” Juan stands
up and looks at it more closely. “Does it work?”
“Don’t know, Charles has probably disabled it, or it
could be transmitting video of us right now. I’m
going to send it to the lab, and see what they can tell
us about it, I’ve also formally asked the President for
a full investigation of EOJ, good chance of that
happening,” Trip says sarcastically.
Juan hesitates and says, "Interesting, the President?
Good luck with that, he's a machine! Listen Trip,
they’re really planning to kill whole zip codes of
people in Brooklyn and the Bronx. Chase told me
that. It’s one of the directives of EOJ. I don’t know
how they’re going to do it or who is involved.”
Trip cuts Juan off and says, “OK I get it. Ruth has
told me through their own CIA counterintelligence
the same information was obtained mysteriously from
the EOJ computers. Someone sent it to our computer
just before we came into the office this morning;
pages and pages of information on EOJ."
"Probably from Chase, Ally or Sam," Juan volunteers.
"I want you to work with Ruth and anyone you need
from the New York office to stop whatever danger
there might be there. Meanwhile, I’m going to pay
Congressman Dean a little visit. You know Chase and
Ally came out of the Leesburg Armory. I wonder
what’s in there,” Trip says thoughtfully.
“I don’t know, but we’re finally asking the right
questions? It's going to be a problem finding out who
is a Guard and who isn't, but you can ask everyone to
have a CT scan and that should solve the problem, at
least inhouse,” Juan says.
"Or you could give me that little device of yours and
we go floor to floor and see who's real and who's
not," Trip replies.
“What will those Guards do when they wake up from
that stun?” Trip asks.
“I don’t even know if they do wake up, for all I know
they’re dead, but we should be prepared if they do
wake up. Maybe we should handcuff them,” Juan
says.
“Why did Chase and Ally leave if they had
information about this attack on New York?” Trip
asks.
“Everyone was trying to kill them, including us, even
me! They’re different, I’m not sure how or why
they’re different from the other Guards, but for some
reason they seem able to resist directives from EOJ.
Chase told me a great deal about the organization and
how it all works, but for now what we need to know
are the details of the directive from EOJ to reduce
world population. For all we know there may be plots
being carried out all over the country or even the
world,” Juan says.
“That must have comes from Charles’s wife. She was
always talking about the need to reduce world
population, but she lectured on the need for worldwide birth control, and family planning, never about
killing people. She said that world population could
be reduced very quickly simply through proper
planning. But this idea sounds like some much
distorted vision of Charles’, not Doris’. The Doris I
knew could never do this,” Trip says as he looks
around, saying, “We really don’t know where the
rabbit hole is or where it leads. We have no idea how
many people are involved in this, it could be
thousands we have to be prepared for anything.
Guards could have infiltrated the CIA, the military,
even the legislature. Give me that black doohickey.”
“Sure, but we don’t know how long it will be
effective, I'm sure EOJ is working on disabling it as
we speak,” Juan says, continuing, “Chase told me
that he and Ally were trying to find Beneizen to get
his help. Who knows, really, maybe he summoned
them. Actually we could really use them on our side,”
Juan said.
"Yeah, I don't get it. I'm confused fifty percent of the
time myself but I don't go off on some self-help
adventure in the middle of a world crisis," says Trip.
"But you're not them. Imagine waking up and finding
out you're not even human. At least you know you’re
human, how do you deal with that?" Juan says.
"Therapy, a lot of it, who says being human is so
great anyway?" Trip returns.
"OK, maybe Beneizen is their ‘therapist,’ too, he calls
them his children, who the hell knows that that
means," Juan retorts.
"Fair enough,” Trip says as a call comes in on his
monitor. He says, “It’s Charles; this ought to be
choice.” He pushes the icon and as Charles appears
on the wall screen Trip says, “Hello Charles, nice
weather we’re having.”

“Hello Trip, not enough sleet, rain or snow. I like
weather! I believe you have something of mine, and I
want it back,” Charles snarls.
“What’s that Charles?” Trip asks innocently.
“Don’t play stupid, we’re way past that, and I suggest
that you don’t get in my way, or I will terminate you
and your entire office, now - right now!” Charles
says.
“Is that a threat?” Trip says.
“It’s not a threat Trip, it’s a promise, and you have no
idea what you’re dealing with here. I know you have
others listening to this, but it isn’t going to matter.
Are you going to give it back?” Charles asks.
“I don’t think so, it's an excellent paper weight,” Trip
says.
“Then I need to get your attention,” Charles says.
There is a slight pause and suddenly without warning
the Guards that had been out cold wake up, arise and
take out two small balls from their vests. They throw
the two balls into the air. The room turns completely
white and when the flash is over everyone except the
Guards are lying on the floor dead. “Do I have your
attention?” Charles says.
“You have, how come we’re not dead?” Trip asks.
“Because it’s a particle bomb and the particles are too
large to pass through walls, that’s why! Cool? I have
technology that you cannot even image. I could rule
the world if I wish, but I want to share that
responsibility. I’m looking for good help, and, as they
say, good help is hard to find these days,” Charles
laughs.
“I’m a player,” Trip says to amuse Charles.
“No, you’re not, you’re an honest American, one of
the good guys, I’m sorry but I can’t trust you, and I’m
not going to; bye, bye for now. I want it on my desk
today and I'll have it with or without you.” Charles
hangs up.
The two agent Guards start to move towards Trip’s
office. One of the Guards shoots out the window of
the office where Juan, Trip and Ruth are and the other
takes out another of the small sphere’s and is just
about to throw it into the room when Ruth pulls out
her gun and while falling to the floor is able to make a
perfect shot into his forehead. The Guard falls to the
ground, and the lethal ball rolls across the floor and
stops next to the wall without exploding. The
remaining Guard takes out another ball and again
from the floor Ruth places a hole perfectly into the
middle of his forehead as well.
“That was some kind of shooting, what kind of gun is
that?” Juan says.
"It’s a particle beam, something like a laser but
different," Ruth replies.
"Outstanding," Juan says admiring the gun.
“You are a case Ruth; did the CIA teach you how to
shoot like that?” Trip asks.
“No, I did!” Ruth says.
“Let’s get those two balls, what the hell are they?”
“They appear to be some kind of particle bomb, a
type of nuclear fission, except for the neutrons being
very large, it produces a massive dose of radiation but
all the particles are absorbed or go dead. I'm not
really sure, but it works and it kills people really
efficiently without the risk of lingering fallout,” Ruth
says.
“How did you know that? It's not ours? Who are you
really?” Trip asks.
“I’m really Ruth Knowing, but I work for the CIA,
and we have been on to Charles and EOJ for a long
time."
Trip notices that there is a small hole in her arm and it
isn't bleeding. "You have something further you want
to tell us?" he says.
"I’m the CIA’s version of a Guard. Several years ago
the CIA got their hands on a Guard implant and
developed me. Pretty little Ruth, young, willing and
deadly,” she replies.
"What a world we live in, every government agency
is watching, copying, stealing from, lying to and
distrusting every other agency," Juan complains.
"How many of these drones, robots, and androids are
there; will there be any humans left?" Trip asks
sarcastically.
Ruth exits into the adjoining room, picks up the two
balls and then comes back into the office. She looks
at both Juan and Trip who are shaking their heads and
says, “Oh get a grip, a little inter-agency competition
is good for the country! So what’s the plan?”
“Doesn’t the CIA have a plan?” Trip responds.
“Yep, and you were right; we can get into EOJ
through the Armory. This is going to be a joint
operation. I’m here to get you guys up to speed and
I’m in charge,” Ruth answers.
Trip and Juan look at each other. "Not in my office
you're not," Trip says.
“What, you have a problem with that? Prejudice
against female robots, I might have known,” as Ruth
smiles her cutest smile.
"She is cute," Trip says.
"Adorable." Juan replies.
"I wouldn't let Esperanza see this one!" Trip says with
a grin.
"Finished with your political correctness? Let's get to
work," she demands.
Ed started to show signs of the virus about an hour
after licking the envelope. Hank noticed that he was
sweating and was starting to squint looking through
the enormous window of his Mack truck. The street
before him was becoming foggy.
“Ed is you alright?” Hank asks.
“No man, I’m feelin’ like crap, I think I'm coming
down with the flu,” Ed says with a slight cough.
“You want me to drive for a while?” Hank asks.
“Yeah, right, you can't even reach the pedals,” Ed
says, making fun of Hank’s size. “I’m having trouble
breathing man, there’s a hospital up about two
blocks,” Ed says as he begins to pour sweat.
“Stop the truck, Ed, do it now,” Hank orders.
Ed pulls the truck over to the curb and starts breathing
very hard. He is becoming shorter and shorter of
breath.
“Can you move over Ed, and I’ll drive?” Hank asks.
Ed has stopped speaking, he’s breathing very hard
and his eyes are beginning to glaze over. Then
suddenly Ed just stops breathing. He is so fat that his
head does not even drop forward. He’s just staring
ahead, and then his head just falls forward a few
inches, eyes wide open. Ed was dead.
“Ed are you alright, Ed! Ed! Shit man, oh Christ,
don’t die on me,” Hank screams. Hank jumps out of
the truck cab and starts screaming frantically for help.
He takes out his cell phone and dials 911.
Hank walks hurriedly into the 29
^th
precinct with the
box of envelopes, sets them on the desk of the duty
sergeant, and says, “These little suckers killed my
partner.”
The duty sergeant, a middle aged Irishman, still
clinging to a slight lilt of the old country looked up
from processing paperwork. He had seen everything
in his long and colorful career. “And who might you
be laddie?” asked the sergeant.
“I’m Hank, and these envelopes killed my partner,”
Hanks says.
“They did, did they; death by envelope?” asked the
sergeant.
“That’s right, smell it,” Hank takes out one of the
envelopes and tries to get the sergeant to smell it
saying, “Smells like fried chicken, right”?