Jubal and Tetly walked outside. The huge doors closed behind them. “Are those your cars at the house?”
“No. I told the Nachey I was coming home tonight. I made Kisah promise it would be a small group and that I had work to do.”
“Who’s Kisah and do they know about me?”
“Pret’s sister and no.”
Your first kiss girl? And you didn’t tell her about me. This should be fun.
Jubal used a retinal scan, and sixteen-digit code to open the door to the house. The lights came on outside and the door swung open. Then the sexy voice of Black Widow came from all around. “Welcome home TB. I‘ve missed you. What can I get for you?”
Jubal stopped, looked at the nearest camera, and turned red. “Discontinue voice protocol until further notice Natasha.”
Tetly tried to keep a straight face but couldn’t do it. As Jubal turned to face her, she let the big grin fill her face. Jubal shook his head, dropped his shoulders, and began to turn around. The sound of rapid footsteps came from inside. Tetly could see a woman with long black hair running at them. She tensed her muscles preparing to fight.
“Oh Jubal, how I’ve missed you.” The woman yelled as she jumped into Jubal’s arms, frantically hugging and kissing him.
Tetly looked at the woman to make sure she was real and not some weird sex robot Jubal had built. Convinced she was real Tetly cleared her throat. Tetly had to clear her throat a second time for the woman to climb off Jubal. Tetly glared at the back of Jubal’s head. Tetly moved to face the beautiful woman. “I bet you’re Kisah.”
“That’s right. Funny Jubal didn’t mention he was bringing a friend.”
Tetly wanted Jubal to say something but he was too flustered.
“That is funny. I’m Tetly.”
“So how do you know my fiancé?”
Tetly looked from Jubal to Kisah and back again. Thankfully Jubal found his tongue. “Kisah, cut that out. You know that engagement wasn’t real.”
Kisah’s face sunk into a pout. “It was real to me. You promised to marry me.”
“When I was fourteen and you were twelve. I don’t think that counts.”
“What about when you promised again last year?”
“I was in a bad place and we were drunk.”
“It still counts.”
“Maybe, but I have until my twenty-eighth birthday as we agreed. If I’m still single then we can talk.”
“I hoped we would do more than talk tonight.”
Jubal looked at Tely and then back at Kisah feeling trapped. “Is your mom here?”
“Can’t you smell her famous tamales? Come on, dinner’s ready. I guess we can squeeze your little friend between Tarak and Karno.”
Jubal shrugged his shoulders at Tetly as they headed into the home. The house ran east to west longways. The dining room was on the south side. Most of the outer walls were smart glass where opacity could be changed. The view was desert grassland, stark and unending to the horizon. It was sort of lonely yet peaceful.
Two men and two women greeted Jubal warmly as they entered the dining room. The table was light wood and big enough for twenty. There were six places set at the far end of the table closest to the kitchen.
Jubal introduced everyone. Maa-ya-ha was the mother of them all. She had long black hair like her daughters. Her daughters were Kisah and her older sister, Cora. The sons were Tarak and Karno. Both lean strong young men whose hair was almost as long as their sisters. Everyone hugged Jubal and then the attention turned to Tetly. Everyone looked to Jubal to explain who she was. At that moment, Jubal wasn’t even sure himself who she was to him. “Tetly has been helping me with my latest project. She is part of the team I am forming.”
Kisah focused on Tetly. “Are you a computer wiz too?”
“No. My skills lean toward the physical and morale boosting.”
“I bet they do,” Kisah said under her breath but everyone heard.
“We are always glad to meet a friend of Jubal,” Maa-ya-ha said. “Let’s all sit down and eat.”
Tetly tried to protest but ended up sitting between the brothers who flirted with her constantly.
Maa-ya-ha sat at the head of the table. Jubal sat to her right, then Kisah and Cora. The other side of the table was Tarak, Tetly, and Karno. The food was all homemade and excellent. It included tamales, rice, rabbit stew, fresh berries, and fry bread.
The talk wandered from what everyone had been doing the last year to embarrassing stories from the past mostly involving Jubal. Everyone laughed, ate, and had a good time. Tetly felt like an outsider but Karno and Tarak kept her involved and a part of the conversation.
After dinner, dishes were washed and put away. Karno, Tarak, and Tetly went outside and built a fire in the firepit. Tetly pitched in as this was something she was comfortable doing. The brothers were handsome but Tetly was not interested except to maybe make Jubal jealous. Kisah hanging all over Jubal was her primary focus.
Everyone sat around the fire and told stories. Tetly enjoyed seeing this new aspect of Jubal. He was animated, talkative, and funny. She never thought of him being part of a big family. By the end of the night, Tetly was ready to punch Kisah if she touched Jubal one more time.
Everyone got in the jeep except Kisah who hopped in the truck. They all waved one last time and drove off.
“I see Kisah drove her own vehicle. Probably so she could stay late.”
“Maybe.”
“Is that all you are going to say?”
“What do you want me to say? I know they are a little much but they are my family.”
“What about Kisah?”
“What about her? At least I know how she feels.”
Tetly turned and started walking away. “It’s late and Vera will be here in the morning. I’m going to bed.”
Jubal stood in the driveway watching Tetly go. He wanted to rush after her and take her in his arms and kiss her. He knew in his heart that Tetly liked him but he didn’t think she knew it. Until she admitted she wanted to be with him he would hold back.
****
Vera could see a large area of light pollution to the north and knew it must be Albuquerque, NM. They were landing well out of town at a small private airstrip that the individual on the phone arranged. The landing was smoother than what they had been used to and the plane taxied right into an open hanger.
Burk supervised the removal of Phoebe’s body to a hearse. Vera was grateful all travel and legal arrangements were handled by her benefactor.
Burk, Chris, and Vera strapped the crate to a dolly for easy movement. The crate was loaded in the back of a plain white van. The three of them drove to the outskirts of town and stayed overnight in a motel. Vera fitfully slept. Chris and Burk took turns standing guard and catching some zzzs.
Before 7 am the three were headed into Albuquerque. They had very specific instructions to follow. They went to a parking garage, switched vehicles, transferred the crate on the dolly, and headed to the next parking garage. Unknown to them, a tired hacker worked to disable cameras and switch off power to mask their movements.
Burk, Chris, and Vera went to five different parking garages all over the city. Sometimes they walked through underground tunnels that connected to another parking structure pulling the loaded dolly. At the fifth switch, Chris and Vera took an SUV and Burk a van. Separately they went to different parking structures. Chris let Vera out with her precious cargo strapped on the dolly. She was to go on alone from this point but he was not to see her vehicle.
“This is some serious paranoia. You sure you can handle that crate on your own?”
“I’ll be ok,” Vera said. She just wanted this to be over and to finally get some answers.
“Here. Take this taser, some pepper spray, and my number. I don’t have any way to contact you but I want you to have a way to reach out if you get in trouble.”
Vera hugged Chris and pocketed the items. “You take care.”
Vera pushed the crate around the corner and heard Chris drive away. She was alone. Fear crept up and started to overwhelm her. She spied the van she was looking for. She looked all around before retrieving the keys and unlocking the back. She struggled to load the crate and dolly but got them in. She headed out of town and got a text with the first part of the directions. She followed her instructions obediently and the next two sets she received. She parked behind a little abandoned gas station and waited. A few minutes later a sliver Tesla truck pulled up without a driver. As instructed, she took the bug and tracker detection wands from the front seat and ran them all over herself and the crate and dolly. She loaded them in the back. The bed cover slid over the crate by itself fully concealing the contents of the truck bed. Vera got in and the truck drove off. An hour later Vera passed through a large gate into a restricted area. About twenty minutes later, she saw a runway and a large hanger. Robotic forklifts were moving a couple of the many large unopened pallets of equipment and supplies that sat next to the hanger. The forklifts were taking the pallets up the road to other large buildings. Vera saw a glint in the sky and could make out a large drone flying overhead.
The truck pulled up next to the second of three buildings. The first was a huge adobe garage and the second was a large adobe building. The third looked to be an earthship home.
A door in the second building slid open and a young dark-haired man stepped out and waved. He was wearing a purple shirt with a dinosaur on it, khaki shorts, and Birkenstock sandals. Behind him, an athletic blond stepped out. She was dressed in a V-neck pink shirt, short jean shorts, and sandals.
Vera got out and the young man walked up hand outstretched. “Hi, Vera. I’m so glad you are here. I’m Jubal and this is Tetly.” Tetly offered a wave.
Vera shook Jubal’s hand. “Who are you exactly?”
“Maybe this will help.” He pulled out a tablet and typed on it.
Vera’s sat phone buzzed and she looked at the screen. “The man behind the curtain.”
“You are the one who called and texted and arranged everything?”
“Yep. I know I’m probably not what you expected.”
“Is it just you two?”
“For now but I hope you and some other will join us.”
“Join you for what?”
“For solving the mystery of the horn of Jericho and other items that generate a similar energy.”
“What energy? You need to explain.”
Tetly stepped forward. “Why don’t we go inside the lab and sit down. We will try to explain.”
Vera followed along, more confused than ever. Then the lab filled her eyes and some of her doubts washed away. Every piece of testing equipment she had used or read about was in this huge space and the forklifts were bringing more. It was a scientist's dream lab and far more sophisticated than the one at the university. It was split into three distinct areas. The first was for her kind of examinations that could be dirty and deal with bigger objects. The second was a medical bay that had everything from life support to gene sequencers. The last was a biohazard area complete with a containment area and decontamination chamber.
Jubal and Tetly sat at a table, Vera across from them. Tetly started. “Jubal has developed a way of tracking a new kind of energy that has previously been unknown. As far as we know, he is the only one in the world who can track it.”
“Then how did someone come to the dig site after the horn sounded?” Vera asked.
“I don’t know. However they do seem to be able to track the horn even when it is not active, which I am yet unable to do,” Jubal said.
“You spoke of other items?”
“Yes. I know of two more currently but am sure it is only a matter of time before more are discovered. So far the only common thread linking the objects is they are all religious.” Jubal said, making sure to not refer to aliens as Tetly had suggested.
“You think you are tracking divine energy?”
“Possibly, but I am a man of science but will not rule out other possibilities.”
“This is all a little much. Who do you work for? Who pays for all this stuff?”
“I don’t work for anyone and I paid for it all.”
“You? You must be younger than my grad students. This is all you and your, um, friend?”
“Yes, it is just us. And yes we are both younger. I got a doctorate from Caltech in Mathematics and Computer Science when I was 19. I have developed and sold many apps, started several companies, am a world-class hacker, and contracted for the NSA.”
Jubal continued to brag. “I developed the energy tracking software, tracked the horn blast, saw you were in trouble, and tried to help. Now I hope you will stick around, let me examine the horn and body and take a look at the other things we have discovered.”
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