Immortal (38 page)

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the
earth.

Matthew 5:5

Alas, we can only hope that Jericho and
Gabrielle have survived the ending, and who is to say that if they
did, that their journey stops here. Be fruitful and multiply has a
nice ring to it, so maybe, just maybe, we might hear from them
again. But it would have to be another epic journey in order for me
to seriously consider the thought. As I went through their journey
with them, so often I was amazed with their innocence, and sheer
goodness at heart. But even when things looked dire, they still
forged ahead, driven by their love and their sense of need to right
the wrongs committed against their society. Oh, and I cannot forget
Roger, bless his evil narcissistic soul. As dynamic an antagonist
as he was, I could not help but to think of many painful ways to
finish him off. It felt awfully good when he finally got what he
deserved.

About the concept of Immortal, it is a true
“Have” versus “Have Not” story if there ever was one. From the very
beginning I was enthralled with the idea that in a post-apocalyptic
world, man could find not just one, but two ways to endure the
survival of the species. But the essence of Man is much more than
just about survival. To survive, is only to be blessed with the
opportunity to continue to explore what it means to be human. And
it is this exploration, this expansion of mind and soul, that is
truly the collection of wealth that we call humanity.

Also by Kelvin Kelley

As the wife of a front running presidential
candidate, Grace Alexander knows all too well the sacrifices
required in a race for the highest office. In a future where
candidates face frequent deadly attacks, she reluctantly embraces a
new fully immersive virtual technology that allows her to remotely
interact with her family, while they remain at a safe distance.

But when she uncovers evidence that her
husband is not the man she thought he was, and is bent on wiping
out a third of the population once he wins the election, she must
make the impossible choice between her loyalty to the man she once
loved, and the future of not only her family, but the entire
country.

She moved to the side as he stepped up behind
the podium. Hands clasped, her smile beamed for the cameras. She
glanced about the great hall, as the roar of the applause
continued. He nodded, he waived, he smiled. His magazine cover
picture perfect smile beamed across the airwaves and conduits,
appearing in living rooms across America, and across the world. At
her side was her daughter, her son-in-law, and the light of her
life, her granddaughter. The little darling stood just in front of
them, her tiny hand raised in a wave. The great hall thundered with
applause. Grace Alexander was humbled by the crowd’s adoration of
her husband. It had been a long campaign trail to reach this point.
After so many appearances, in so many venues, and so many
sacrifices, the time had finally come. Debate after debate, had
finally lead up to this pinnacle. It was the final point of the
preliminary elections in this political race. Mason Alexander was
about to accept the nomination from his party.

He raised his hands, yet the teaming mass of
waving flags and banners beneath the stage continued to vibrate.
The cheering grew louder, even as he sought to bring them to
silence. He smiled. He nodded, and once again raised his arms into
the air. The crowd began to quiet. He nodded, looked around the
room, and brought his hands down to the podium. The room went
completely silent.

“Hallelujah!” He said into the microphone.
The crowd exploded into a frenzy. He glanced at Grace, saw her
smile, and the tears in her eyes. His smile grew even brighter. He
cast his gaze across the crowd, and raised one hand. The applause
began to diminish, until once again the room was silent. He looked
down at the podium for a measured count. “Ladies and gentlemen,
honored Senators, fellow members of the Freedom Republic
Party...and my brothers and sisters in the eyes of our Lord...I
accept your nomination as your candidate, for the President of the
Republic of America.” Again the crowd erupted into applause.
Confetti began to fall from the ceiling, raining down into the
celebration below. News directors quickly directed scene cuts to
show multiple shots of the screaming and applauding people within
the crowd. They hugged, they danced, they waived banners over their
heads. On cue, the scene cut back to the podium.

“Today,” Mason began, but waited for the room
to fall quiet. “Today, is just the beginning. There are many months
to go, many rows to hoe, and miles to walk before I sleep. Today,
we embark on this journey...we do this together...we do this for
our nation. And when I say we, I mean we!” Once again the applause
filled the room, before falling back into silence. “With your help,
with your support, we can win this election, and take back the
Whitehouse. We can undo the wrongs done by the current
administration. We can put right the injustices that have befallen
our nation. We can again rise up to the greatness that our nation
once enjoyed. We can again become a shining example in the world
community. And once and for all, we can put the power back in the
hands of we, the people!”

Each of the audience members received
simultaneous message alerts on their Smart Contact, a small contact
lense like device, that delivered real time data superimposed
across their vision. The message said, applause. The crowd erupted
with cheers. Mason scanned the room, giving the applause the full
five seconds, as scripted, before he began again. On the mark,
audience members received another message. Silence. The crowd fell
silent. The next part of Mason’s speech began to scroll across his
vision.

“It is a time of change in our great nation.
A time to turn back the clock to a better life. A time to bring
American jobs home again. A time to put a stop to the forced
conscription of our children into the armed services. A time to
restore the freedoms that our mothers, fathers, sons and daughters
have fought and died for. And a time to stop the religious
persecution of Christians in this nation!” The crowd erupted. “This
nation...” he yelled into the mike, “Under God...” The crowd
continued to roar. “Shall have a new birth of freedom!”

Tears streamed down Grace’s face, as she held
little Bradlie tight in front of her. A quick glance at her
daughter, and she could see tears in Sarah’s eyes as well. Even
John, all six foot two of him, had a glistening in his eyes, as he
held tightly to Sarah’s hand. True, it was not the first time that
Grace had heard this speech. Not even the second time, since Mason
had been practicing it for weeks. But it was the first time she had
really experienced it, and the emotion of it overwhelmed her. She
held her granddaughter tighter as she began to realize what the
words her husband spoke so eloquently would mean to Bradlie’s
future. If there was even the slightest chance, that her precious
little Bradlie could escape the mandatory military service once she
graduated high school, or that she could openly worship God without
risk of attack, or that she might one day know the freedom to
choose her own destiny, Grace would do anything to help. Mason
raised his hands, and the crowd went quiet.

“I say to you, that with your help, we will
bring about change. Change that will return this government to the
people. That, once again, we will become a government of the
people, by the people, and for the people. And that on my watch,
this government shall not perish from the earth.” A brief applause
erupted and then quickly went silent. “It is you that have brought
me to this place, this threshold in human history. And it is by the
hand of the Lord that I stand before you, ready to fight these
battles, these injustices. And it is by Grace...” He paused and
motioned towards his wife. Grace stepped towards him, and he
wrapped his arm around her. “It is by Grace, both the grace of God,
and my lovely wife here, right honey?” She smiled and nodded. “It
is by Grace, that I accept your nomination.” The crowd cheered,
reacting to the messages received on their Smart Contacts. Mason
and Grace waived to the room, and to the cameras. Sarah and John
waived to the crowd. Little Bradlie skipped the few steps to reach
her grandmother, and wrapped her arms around her legs in a big hug.
Grace smiled.

Within minutes, the primary news networks had
cut their feeds, most cutting to the breaking news at the
California/Southwestern Union border, where Chinese troops were
said to be amassing for military exercises. For over fifty years,
the Chinese had occupied what was once the state of California, and
defending that border from invasion had cost countless American
lives. The pundits on the variety of news channels assured the
viewers that the newest developments could lead to full scale war
at any moment, and that viewers should continue to watch their
coverage for the latest information.

“This body armor is killing me.” Mason told
the two agents from his personal Secret Service detail as they
surrounded him on stage. Frank Lee, the older agent, ignored his
complaint, as he carefully eyed the audience while they filed out
of the auditorium.

“No.” Steve Wells, the other agent
interjected. “It is saving you.”

“Come on, guys. The whole crowd was
thoroughly vetted.”

“There’s no such thing.” Lee said. Wells
nodded in agreement.

“Hon?” Grace said. “We’re going to head back
to the hotel.”

“It won’t be long.” Mason replied. “They just
want a few publicity shots.” He said, as he nodded towards the
approaching photographer. He gave her a quick kiss, before he
turned and shook the photographer’s hand. Grace held Bradlie’s hand
as they made their way back stage, with Sarah and John close
behind

“Grandma?” Bradlie asked.

“Yes, sweety?” Grace replied.

“Are you coming home with us?”

“Not right now, sweety. We’re headed back to
the hotel.”

“Not tonight, silly. I mean tomorrow. Are you
coming home with us tomorrow?”

“I wish I could, Bradlie. I wish I
could.”

“But, Grandma...you said.”

“I know, sweety, and I promise I
will...soon.”

“But, Grandma...that’s what you always
say!”

“I know dear, I know. But I need to help
Grandpa. He needs me.”

“I need you, Grandma.” The words stabbed her
through the heart. Grace needed her too. They had been campaigning
for almost two years so far, and there was still another six months
to go. Bradlie was only six. Grace had been separated from her for
a full third of her short life, with no immediate end in site.

“I know, sweety. And Grandma needs you too.”
Her vision blurred as she fought back her tears.

“Hey, Mom.” Sarah called from behind.

“Yeah, baby.”

“Why don’t you get VirtuaScape? That way you
can visit her all the time.”

“Virtua...” Grace began.

“VirtuaScape.” John interjected. “It’s a new
gadget, kinda of like 3-d, a little like the Smart Contact
augmented reality, but way more impressive.”

“I vid with her all the time already.” Grace
replied. “I don’t need 3-d to see how beautiful she is.” She said,
and gave Bradlie a big smile.

“Oh, Grandma, it’s a lot cooler than 3-d.”
She answered, a big grin on her face. “It’s real.”

“Oh, is it little lady. And just what do you
know about it? You’re only six.”

“And a half! I’m practically seven,
Grandma.”

“She uses it for tutoring.” Sarah said.

“Tutoring?” Grace asked.

“Yeah.” John answered. “Bradlie’s teacher
gave us a heads up that she was falling behind on her math
skills.”

“She’s only in the first grade!” Grace
exclaimed.

“Mom, there is math in the first grade, you
know.”

“But it can’t be that hard.”

“It’s not. Unless you don’t understand it.”
Sarah replied.

“I didn’t unnerstand it, Grandma.” Bradlie
said, shaking her head.

“The school added VirtuaScape tutoring last
year.” John said. “And I already had the unit. We use it in my
job.”

“Medical research? How does 3-d help with
that.”

“Like Bradlie said, Grace. It’s a lot more
than 3-d. It’s a completely immersive experience. We use it to run
virtual lab tests, and test theories before proceeding in the real
world.”

“And the Bradster here,” began Sarah, “uses
it for tutoring.”

“It’s really cool, Grandma. It’s just like
being there with the teacher. And when I do good, I get to play
games with it too!”

“Oh come on, games?” Grace asked, rolling her
eyes. “Who has time to play games?”

“You do, Grandma. And you can play them with
me!”

“She’s right, you know.” Sarah said. “I just
downloaded a princess tea party plugin. Both of you could sit down
and have a virtual tea party, no matter where you were, Mom.”

“Really, Mom? We could?” Bradlie asked Sarah
excitedly. “Awe, Grandma, you just gotta!”

“I don’t know, sweetheart. It took me forever
to figure how to use the video app.”

“Nothing to it, Grace. I’ll get you set up
before we leave tomorrow.” John said. “It’s really easy to
use.”

“See Grandma, Daddy said he will set it up
for you. Please?” Grace stopped walking. She bent down and grabbed
her granddaughter in her arms and lifted her up. With a smile, she
kissed her nose.

“For you buttercup, I think I will.”

“Promise?” Bradlie asked. Grace smiled.

“Promise.” She said. Suddenly her answer was
cut off by a muffled explosion that rocked the building. Bits of
debris rained down on them in the narrow hallway.