The Called Read online

  "Alright Nick, did you plant the tracking device in the apple?"

  "Yes sir. I did."

  "Boy, you better stop calling me sir... it makes me feel old."

  "You are ol...never mind. Are you ready?"

  Charles rolled his eyes. "Yeah kid. Let's do it."

  Nick sat the apple on the concrete floor fifty feet down what looked like a shooting range. He quickly scampered away and stood nervously behind Charles waiting for him to slowly move the touch screen dial on the device.

  He gently put his finger on the screen and moved it forward cautiously. The lights began to flicker as energy surged throughout the building. A black circle about the size of a baseball opened up right behind the apple about three feet off the ground. As Charles increased the intensity of the invisible beam of energy, the circle grew until it was the size of a hoola hoop. This was the largest portal that they had been able to open up yet without causing a blast of energy to level everything in the room.

  The apple lifted off of the ground and floated toward the black hole in the room. The two men's eyes followed it closely, not wanting to miss one moment of this awesome experience.

  "We are at three feet...now at two feet.... one..."

  SCREEEEEEECH!

  The worst sound they had ever heard, like a hundred nails on a chalkboard seemed to fill the entire room where they stood. They both fell to the ground behind the large metal desk, covering their ears.

  Charles looked up just in time to see what appeared to be a hand come out of the wormhole and grab the apple.

  "Huh?"

  He kneeled there in shock as the small, slender hand took the apple. He stood up expectantly waiting to see what was on the other side. The terrible shrieking sound was still echoing throughout the long steel room.

  Nick, reached over and grabbed the device and quickly shut the portal. The room when silent and dark. The only sound they could hear was the ringing in their ears. They laid there dazed in the dark for what seemed like several seconds.

  Finally, the lights came back on and Nick sat up to see Professor Billingsley curled up on the ground with tears running onto the cold floor.

  "Chuck... hey Chucky... it's alright. We're okay man."

  Charles looked at him with his face as pale as a ghost. "I think I just saw...my wife."

  CHAPTER 2

  Abbie Clark was standing in the Nashville rain outside of the third bar this week. Her thoughts drifted back to a warm sunny day in northern Arkansas seven years ago.

  "Momma, I'm packing my bags and going to Nashville." she said as she loaded up the trunk of her car.

  "The hell you are child. You've got four years of school ahead of you here. You need to be gettin' your college education, not chasin' some one in a million pipe dream. Haven't I raised you with any common sense?"

  "Mom, I can't spend the rest of my life wondering 'what if'. School will always be there waiting on me, but this opportunity could pass me by in the blink of an eye."

  "Listen Abbie, it might seem like all fun and glitz and glamour, but a place like that can chew you up and spit you out. You don't know what you are gettin' yourself into."

  "Mom, you raised me to take care of myself. I will be just fine. Besides, Lexie and Jenna are coming with me."

  She left on that warm summer day seven years ago to pursue her dream of becoming a famous country singer. Just a week after high school graduation, she felt like she could conquer the world. She never would have thought that the world would conquer her.

  "Abbie, could you open up the back of the van? I've got to put my guitar in before my case gets ruined."

  She jumped as she snapped out of her daydream. "Sure Jen."

  "Why are you standing out here in the rain girl?"

  "Well, I was already soaked before we ever went inside to play. Once you're that wet, you can't really get any wetter, so I figured I might as well."

  "Honey, are you alright? I know something is on your mind.

  "Oh yea, you know me. I'm fine. Just living in my head for a minute."

  "Yea, that's right. I do know you and I know when something is up. Do you want to talk about it?"

  "It's just that... I really thought that we would be a lot farther along than we are now. I mean, it's been fun and all, but I figured we would be lightin' up arenas across the country, not still playing in bars and clubs for peanuts. On top of that, I think that Lexie has decided to go back and stay in Arkansas to finish up school and start building a family. Maybe it's time that we gave up on it and went back."

  "I know how you feel," Jenna said. "But, you've got to listen to yourself for a minute. This is what we both wanted for as long as we can remember. Do you remember us singing together in grade school and playing with our little toy instruments? It's all about the journey Abbie. If most of the famous artists out here would have given up after seven years, they would have missed their big break. It could be just around the corner. Let's just give it another year Abbs. Pretty please?" Jenna stood there twirling her curly brown hair, waiting on an answer.

  Abbie smiled and brushed the rain and tears from her eyes, "Well, I guess we can. What good is a life not doing what you love to do anyway?"

  "Darn right, girl.” she said smiling. "Come on, let's get back to the apartment and get dry."

  "Yea, let's get out of here. The guy over there in that pickup has been checking me out since we got here. It's starting to give me the creeps."

  They both got into the car and headed home. "Are you still trying to get over Kyle?"

  "It's only been a week and yes. He is the third boyfriend I have had over here in seven years. They always end up being cheating jerks or they take off and leave. I'm pretty much over guys right now."

  "Aw, come on Abbie. Surely, there is a good guy left out there for you. They just haven't made it to you yet."

  Abbie just shook her head and stared out the window at the bright lights of Music City. "My first real memory of a man was my stepdad. I remember him being around one week and then being gone for a whole week. My momma never knowing where he was at. He would come home drunk half the time that he was staying with us. One day, he just left and never came back. I watched my momma struggle to raise me and my brother. She did the best she could, but that experience pretty much set the tone for all men in my life it seems. Besides that, I never even knew my biological father. He left and moved off to New York when I was a baby."

  “Well, Abbie. Not all of them are that way. You’ll see.”

  John stood frozen with fear as he stared into the headlights shining in his eyes for what seemed like an eternity. The former navy seal turned and ran as fast as he could down the quiet street with his backpack flopping back and forth across his back. The black car gave chase, quickly accelerating and smoothly gliding a foot above the road thanks to the magnetic field between the vehicle and the pavement.

  He ran into a neighborhood that looked like a slum. There were several condemned buildings that looked like nobody would be living in them. He dove into an alley just as the car was literally on his heels. The car came to an abrupt stop about ten feet past the alley and the two agents scrambled out of the vehicle with weapons drawn. Right before they rounded the corner, John went inside of one of the buildings.

  He tried to control his breathing as he slowly made his way across the dusty floor. He could faintly hear the voices outside.

  "Tom, did you see where he went?"

  "Uh... Rakeem, if I did, don't you think I would be running in that general direction?"

  "Alright man, simmer down. He couldn't have gotten too far."

  "Alright, you take the right side and I'll take the left. We will just have to go into each building and search. I'm pretty sure he didn't have time to make it all the way out the other side of the alley”, Tom said assuredly. “You are authorized to use deadly force if necessary. Remember, he is a highly trained individual and he is dangerous."

  Rakeem Jackson was an athletic man in his
early thirties. He was of African descent and wore a sleeve of tattoos down his left arm. Not as experienced as his staunch partner, he was prone to getting spooked rather easily in situations like this.

  “Hello?"

  "If you are in this building John Roberts, we have got you surrounded. Surrender now and you will get the help that you need."

  As he stepped into the building, an old board creaked. His heart skipped a beat as he looked around for a minute with his eyes wide open darting back and forth.

  He searched every foot of that old abandoned building and there was no trace of John. Finally giving up on it, he headed to the next building.

  Tom slowly walked through the hallways of the condemned building with beads of sweat glistening on his bald head. The red dot at the end of his laser sight swinging back and forth. As he walked, he was thinking about how livid he was about this situation. They had let John get away once before. They could not go back empty handed again. "John, I advise that if you can hear me that you come out. We would rather take you out of here alive." Moments after having said that, he heard a faint knocking sound. He turned around and stood there waiting for someone to walk through the old doorway.

  John was slowly moving toward the back of the building. He was in what appeared to be an old sports bar. His breathing had slowed down and he eyes were adjusting to the darkness with just a faint light coming in from the full moon outside.

  He took a deep breath and turned toward the old bar to see a shadowy figure standing five feet away from him. He heard a familiar clicking sound as a round was chambered into the gun. John dropped his bag and held his breath waiting for the hot bullet to rip into him.

  Joanna Vasquez stood looking at her nine year old son with concern on her face. "What did you see Ryan?"

  "I saw a king sitting on a throne with really big creatures with wings flying around him. He made so much light, that it lit up everything."

  "Buddy, that sounds exciting. You are getting more and more brave all the time.” his father said.

  His mother asked, "Can you remember anything else about your dream?"

  "No", Ryan said. "That's all I can remember right now."

  The boy's father, Noah, crouched down beside his bed and looked at him in his eyes. "You know son, what you have is a gift. You have been right on so many occasions about things. I know that there is a God out there and He is trying to tell us something through your dreams. I am so proud of you son."

  "Thanks dad. I think it has something to do with the man in my dream. I don't know who he is, but he made me feel better."

  "Well darling, we are going to let you get back to sleep. Your dad and I love you very much. Sweet dreams honey."

  Noah and Joanna tucked their son back into bed as he yawned and rubbed his eyes. For the last two years, he had been having recurring dreams that seemed to mean something. They first noticed that these weren't just normal childhood dreams when some of the events he had dreamed about actually started to happen. They had wondered why he was chosen at such a young age to carry this burden. All they knew was that their grandparents had talked about God when they were young.

  They were intelligent enough to know that there had to be something to those old stories that were real. The government had tried too hard to get rid of any mention of deity in the public arena over the last sixty years. Through the arrests, the confiscating of religious literature, and the closing of places of worship; they had basically wiped out thousands of years of human history. Even their own grandparents had seen it coming for several decades. Year by year, the government slowly purged religion from daily life until they were ready to take the final steps.

  Once this was done at the turn of the century, there wasn't as much of a fight. The last to fall was Islam because so many extremists were willing to fight to the death. They had been basically wiped off the face of the earth and a new leader arose in the region who did not regard the god of his ancestors. The Hebrew God Yahweh, Islam's Allah, as well as every other modern day god had been removed as a part of culture and became only an afterthought like ancient mythology.

  Noah and Joanna were searching for something, but they weren't completely sure what they were looking for yet. They just knew that there had to be a higher being out there in the universe somewhere. Their belief in "intelligent design" was enough to have them shunned from society and questioned by authorities, so it was being kept like a dirty little secret there in their small home. A secret tucked away and hidden for now. They hoped one day that they would know what the truth was, but for now, they hung on to every crumb that fell from the dreams of their boy.

  Charles laid there on the cold hard floor for several minutes feeling ashamed that he had showed that type of emotion in front of Nick. He knew that his colleague was speaking to him, but it all sounded muffled as he just started off blankly into space. Was what he saw real? Was that really his wife in there or had he slipped out of consciousness and didn't even know it? Do the side effects of opening the portal cause hallucinations? He was left with so many questions and no real answers.

  The only thing that Charles knew was that he needed to study this further and find some valid explanation, or better yet... do it again. When his wife passed, he had felt the deepest grief that he could imagine. They were a rare commodity. Truly in love and loving life together. He felt like part of his life was robbed from him, and now, he had a chance to possibly access a gateway between life and death. This was something that he had pondered and thought about for years after her death. He could never have imagined that he may have stumbled upon answers.

  As he slowly traveled back to reality, Nick was looking at him with concern. "Do I need to call an ambulance?"

  "What? No. Of course not. I'm fine. I must have been knocked out for a moment.” He rose to his feet and started gathering his belongings.

  "Nick, if you don't mind cleaning up around here, I am going to take a few things and head home. I have some stuff to sort out. I will see you back here tomorrow bright and early."

  "Um... ok. Yes sir. Take all the time you need.” he said without hesitation. Nick was concerned that Dr. Billingsley had suffered some type of psychotic episode by seeing his dead wife. Charles never showed much emotion, but Nick was very perceptive. He knew that he had been grieving for quite some time and that it was hard on him to raise two girls and meet the deadlines at work.

  Nick began to clean the work area, and Charles non-chalantly picked up the wormhole generator and put it in his bag. If he was going to find out what happened, he would have to do it in the privacy of his own home. Whatever was on the other side of that portal, he owed it to himself to find out what it was. He quickly walked past security and headed home to his daughters.

  "Your majesty, would you like a cocktail for the trip to Damascus?"

  "No thank you Ms. Robertson. I am doing fine... and I insist...you may call me Samyaza or even Sam if that sounds more fitting to you."

  "Oh sir, that's very nice and humble of you. Pardon me for my nervousness. I have served the President and many other dignitaries on their flights but I have never had the pleasure of serving someone of your magnitude."

  "Well, I certainly appreciate your service to the World Council of Nations and I think I speak on behalf of everyone when I say that we appreciate the sacrifice of your husband, John. He gave his life in battle so that the entire world may be safe."

  Maggie held back tears as she recalled the day that two servicemen appeared at her home on a quiet Sunday afternoon. She answered the door and they stood there as stiff as two statues with solemn expressions on their faces. They didn't have to say anything. She just crumbled and knelt in front of them sobbing.

  "Thank you sir. But, how did you know this?"

  "Well, Ms. Robertson, I make it a point to know all I can about the people who are assigned to me. You are just as important in the grand scheme of things as I am."

  She swelled with gratitude and warmth as she smiled and
walked back down the aisle. "Enjoy your flight sir. I will be available if you need anything at all."

  Meanwhile, in a dark, dusty room, her very much alive husband was seeing his life flash before his eyes as the barrel of a gun was pointed directly at him. He saw his wife, his friends in the military, and his parents. Every one of his years seemed to go by in an instant. He was sorry that he wouldn't have another chance to see his wife. He could see her beautiful face before his eyes just as the snapshots of his life were interrupted with a loud bang. There was no pain. There was only silence.

  CHAPTER 3

  President Cain arrived back in the White House after the worldwide press conference in New York. He walked the halls looking at all of the past Presidents who had been in office throughout the nearly three-hundred and fifty year history of the United States. The decision to concede the sovereignty of the nation to the World Council and become second in command to al Assad had weighed on him for a very long time.

  As all Presidents before him, he had to make a difficult decision for the good of the many. He would still be the leader of the U.S. but would now be reporting to Assad and all of the nations in this union would be responsible to the others. The United Nations and the European Union had really set the tone for this to be possible years before. With the World Council being established, many nations had consolidated and then joined together to form this confederation of ten.