Divine Destruction (The Return of Divinity Book 1) (9 page)

Frank grasped the good doctor was beginning to churn out imaginings and cut him of.

“I understand Doctor. We’ll talk more tomorrow. Thank you for your discretion,” Frank said.

“Good day, Frank,” Matt said.

Frank set the phone down and noticed he was standing. He never stood at his battleship of a desk.

Farewells

Itishree looked around the kitchen and found nothing else to chop or peel. Washing her hands she paused at the sink gazing into the darkness beyond the kitchen window. Itishree saw her mother’s reflection studying her. She slumped. Even as a reflection Itishree understood that look. She had left an important something undone. Her and her mother both knew it. Itishree came to the harsh reality she had to face Suresh on her own. Itishree looked at her mother like a defeated animal. But when her mother straightened and put her hands on her hips, Itishree understood. She left the kitchen.

She wove her way through the party collecting well wishes, blessings, hugs, and the occasional tear. In no time at all, Itishree found herself face to face with Suresh. She took his hand and led him back out onto the back patio. After setting him down on the bench farthest from the house, Itishree removed her hand and looked off into nowhere. She could almost hear her father’s words.

“Itishree, one of the most important lessons you will learn is where you are in the stream of time.”

Her father had began this talk on a similar bench but in a park not far from the house.

“You and I are here now, but we will be in a new tomorrow somewhere, do you understand?”

“No Pappi,” Itishree said as that little girl.

“That’s all right baby.” Her father said, stroking her hair and cheek in one motion. “Do you remember yesterday?”

“Yes, we had those orange sweets after supper,” Itishree said.

Her father laughed.

“Yes, you liked those orange balls?” he asked.

“Oh yes,” the younger Itishree shot back.

“Today is yesterday's tomorrow,” he said. ”Understand?”

“Yes,” she said. “One day compared to the next.”

Itishree remembered her father giving her a huge smile then. The smile was warm and gentle. He pressed on, “Every day has a tomorrow, and as you imagine many tomorrows, you are in the future. Next week is the future, and when you start school again, that too is the future.”

The miniature Itishree nodded.

“What we don't know about the future is who or what will be in our futures or where we shall be when we arrive,” her father finished.

Itishree's little brow furrowed as if her father had listed the first postulate of trigonometry.

Her father smiled at her. “That’s not the important part of this lesson, daughter,” he said. “The important part to remember is be kind to those in your life today, this moment.”

She had known her father was aware she wasn’t getting the lesson and Itishree attempted to pacify her father by nodding. The nods didn’t work.

“You don't know if they will be in your tomorrow, and you don't wish any person, animal, or thing to be vengeful, angry, jealous, or unkind to you in any of your tomorrow's, do you?” he asked.

Itishree looked toward Suresh in silence. Her gut wanted her to ask why he was there. Putting herself aside, Itishree thought carefully on her words. She knew that emotions, her's or Suresh’s, were beside the point now.

“Suresh, thank you for coming tonight even though my best efforts were for you and I not to have this conversation,” Itishree said. Suresh inhaled but Itishree held up a finger to stop him. Suresh was in Itishree’s world now, and in her world, Itishree made the rules.

“I am going to Pittsburgh,” She said. “For years I have been drawn to leaving my home, this place, my family and friends.” Again Itishree paused to think. She saw the look of desire wash across Suresh’s face.

“I am going to Pittsburgh, and nothing will change my decision.” Instead of yearning, a fixed determination appeared on Itishree’s face. She felt the bittersweet joy seep through her. “I’ve felt, for this past year, the world has fallen into place to let me go,” she continued. “Every part of me wants this, Suresh.”

She watched as Suresh deflated. His gaze crashed toward the lawn.

Itishree reached out, touched his shoulder, and smiled. “This isn't about you or me. I’m leaving to do what the universe needs me to do, to a place and time I was meant to be,” she said. “Can you understand and be happy for me?” Itishree held her smile even as it became heavy on her soul.

“I can,” Suresh replied quietly. With that Itishree let go of Suresh's shoulder and loneliness came to them both. One embraced the independence, the other shunned the emotional darkness.

Itishree sat on the bench taking in the back yard without noticing it at all, staring into the mystery of her future. Suresh joined her. Itishree acknowledged the voices and music coming from the house. It was Suresh who spoke next.

“I will miss you,” he said.

Itishree's smile came back. “Thank you Suresh”. When the sound of those words mixed with her swirl of feelings Itishree realized she liked the sound of his name. She liked saying his name. Doubt came again.

“Our parents have tried very hard to put us together,” she continued.

“They’re good at that,” Suresh replied.

After a short awkward pause, Itishree said, ”Let's go back inside, they'll think we finally ran off together.”

“That would be fine by me,” Suresh unselfishly replied.

“Stop that,” she said with another disarming smile as she stood and hoisted Suresh to his feet.

“After I'm gone the girls will fall from the sky for you, you'll see.” She held onto his arm as they made their way back inside.

“I’ll still miss you,” Suresh pined.

“You’ll be fine,” Itishree reassured, with more petting. Doubt gone.

As they came back into the folds of the party and Itishree let go of Suresh, she was glad he came. Itishree knew he was the one soul she needed to appease before she could put all of this behind her. For a moment, she felt guilt for hurting Suresh. But it had to be done. She wrapped herself within her conviction and pressed on into the celebration.

Facing Reality

Gabriel continued to chase the small blue dot ahead. His robotic version searched for the error. The instructions that brought out the scene of the river bank, and the children, from another universe could not have been possible. The instructions clearly indicated another contact with the vessel Griffin DeLuca to reinforce the connection between the himself and the vessel. He read the instructions over and over but found no code for containing the vessel within his mind, and allowing it to dwell within his duties on Banth. Within... HIS... mind. Gabriel's machine self began to look for “self.” Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. But the children, the riverbank, play, laughter, these memories had feeling to them. His feelings. HIS. There was a warmth there, a familiarity Gabriel could embrace. Inside the pure-energy coded mind, Gabriel reached for the bond. Nothing. The “self,” the container of awareness, wasn't available to hold any emotion whatsoever.

For a while there was only travel. Gabriel's form raced through the solar system, thoughtless. No sound, no thought, only light from a single source. Gabriel let go of the sensation he could not know in this state - frustration. Immediately the code took over and reminded him of a priority task — make contact with the vessel, Griffin DeLuca, once more.

It was late evening when the phone rang.

“Doctor Lovas,” Frank said without effort.

“Frank, Matt Fountain.” Frank stiffened. It was the special liaison to the White House, NASA Space Telescope Institute. And he was late calling in today. Matt’s update should have been in the morning. Frank felt his face flush.

“Matt, you've left me with my thumb in my ass all afternoon. Why haven't you called me back until now?” Frank barked. He wasn't used to being angry at work.

“I have military and Presidential advisors swimming around my desk like starving piranha.”

“Sorry Frank, there has been in interesting development and I had to have this new data confirmed…”, Dr. Matt Fountain said, appearing to be apologetic. But Frank imagined Matt had an important update.

“And just what is so fucking interesting, Matt?” Frank said.

“Well, Frank there is good news, and interesting news. Which do you want shoveled first?” Matt shot back.

“Give me the good news, after all I've waited all fucking day,” Frank said. He could feel himself giving in.

Matt nearly walked on top of Frank's last with, "It's too small to survive the atmosphere. The JPL boys have had time to make precise measurements and whatever is inside the core of that comet is less than 10 meters across. Honestly, I don't see how it's made the journey this far without exhausting itself. It is theorized to be made out of metal or diamond.”

Frank thought how interesting life would get if Pittsburgh had a fall rain of pure diamonds. There would be murders by the hundreds.

“And the interesting news?” Frank asked.

“It wobbles and changes speed,” Matt blurted out.

Frank found himself standing again. "It fucking does what?" Frank heard Matt clear his throat.

"We believe it has an irregular core shape which is causing it to wobble, change course slightly now and then, in no perceived pattern,” Matt continued. "The change in speed, actually slowing down, we can't seem to explain to my satisfaction. Some of my colleagues believe it is because of the irregular shape. I'm not sold.”

Frank pinched the bridge of his nose and asked, “Matt, what the fuck does that mean, exactly?”

On the other end of the line, Matt paused. “Well, it could be from an irregular shape trapping solar wind, or small particle debris causing course and speed anomalies, the universe's smallest alien spacecraft, or I don't know. My money is on C for now, Frank,” Matt said with a teaspoon of sarcasm.

“Okay, Matt... I must tell the stiffer collars around here the news, so what’s your official blurb du jour?”

“Give them this, Frank,” Matt said. Frank heard him clear his throat a second time. “Very small asteroid with a solid core that will not survive the atmosphere. Should make a pretty light show over Kentucky and West Virginia, and a nice sonic boom over western Pennsylvania border, if it makes it that far. I would inform the Generals to avoid high altitude air sorties over the northern mid Atlantic unless they want pilots coming back with their suits skid marked.”

Frank nodded and looked at the notes on his desk pad. “Matt, what are you telling the public?” He needed to relay this to the Presidential advisers too.

“I’m going to let the FAA know to delay traffic to Cleveland, Pittsburgh, maybe Harrisburg in a specific time window. Have the commercial flights carry more fuel and do a couple of laps. That sort of thing. Flights between Chicago and New York will fly over the Great Lakes. Those going to St. Louis will get a good look at Tennessee,” Matt said with practiced ease, Frank noticed. "I'll make sure the news is leaked through our usual busybodies so the national TV news folks have something interesting to tell."

Frank knew Matt liked being important on the national news. Matt would probably ensure he would be interviewed on at least two of the major networks. That NASA fathead, Frank mused. He needed to end this call and do the communication walk before he could leave for the night. “Matt, thanks for the call. Glad I don't have to tell the President a crater story.”

“Get some sleep, Frank.” Matt had been around long enough to take the hint.

Both hung up. Frank tightened his tie and left his office, dismissing the assistant on the way out. It was late. Frank ran through what he wrote down, now committed to memory. He rehearsed what he was going to report to the White House as he found a staircase. He wondered if he could make it home before dinner got cold.

Earth filled Gabriel's view. God's messenger and weapon had been mindfully following a specific course. All had been given him on Heaven. Without conscious thought Gabriel merely had to fly in a straight line now, and the Earth would bring his target to him. Once near ground Gabriel would make contact with his vessel for a final location, dispel his energy, reform as a corporeal shape, and take a body for his work.

Local Eastern Standard Time was 1:13 am.

The Pan-STARRS array, Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System, had been tasked to look for the small rogue comet, Green X2018d, at midnight EDT. Extra duty officers had stayed awake just as precaution. They were to report up the management chain incase Green X2018d was more than just another “non-event”. Showing the world America had everything under control.

Gabriel had been at sub-light speed since inside Saturn's orbit and would be easy to track optically just above the stratosphere. As predicted an east coast array picked up Green X2018d, Gabriel, and began digitally tracking him. Computers slaved to telescopes reported information directly to NASA JPL, which was simultaneously shared to DARPA and a select few college campuses. This information was filtered, then leaked to local news outlets, and passed onto their master affiliate networks. By 1:31 am EST, networks began showing the video footage to over-caffeinated Americans.