The Leader (8 page)

Opening his eyes, he turned his
attention to the window next to the mother and leaned forward.
Silver discs flew out of the light.

“
What does it mean?” a
woman behind him asked her companion.

“
I don’t know. Maybe when
we land, we’ll find out,” her companion replied.

That’s all they could do, Devon
thought. Wait and see what this meant because nothing the aliens
planned…nothing the world governments planned…was anything like
this.

***

Autumn picked up her phone when it
rang again. “Alicia, are seeing what I’m seeing?” she asked her
friend, still uncertain as to what this new development
meant.

“
Yes. More aliens. But
these are different. Do we trust them?”

Autumn thought of the angels. Was it
possible these aliens were really angels? “I don’t know. I don’t
know anything anymore.”

***

The pressure in Alex’s mind departed.
He gasped with relief. The pain was gone. Mercifully gone. He
opened his eyes and saw the dead alien lying on the floor four feet
from him. Startled, he turned his head and saw a tall blond woman
standing before him. She wore a long blue dress that covered her
from head to toe, and her hair hung in soft waves around her
shoulders.

“
What just happened?” he
asked.

“
They have been destroyed.
They will not afflict mankind anymore. We came in time.” She held
her hand out to him.

Still unsure but not sensing any
malice from this alien, he took her hand and stood up. For the
first time since May, he felt a renewed calm flow through his body.
After the hell he’d been through, this was the most wonderful
feeling in the world.

“
Who are you?” he dared to
ask.

“
The Sumarians called us
the Anunnaki. We are the Ancients who created you. We built the
pyramids as a sign we would one day return.”

“
But the other aliens
claimed the same.”

“
It is in their nature to
lie, to assume the role of the creator when they are the created.
There are many intelligent life forms out there, but not all should
be trusted.”

She touched his head and a light
sparked from her fingers and traveled through the synapses of his
mind. At first, it was soothing and healing, erasing the damage the
pills and alien had done over the past months. But then, something
in his mind seemed to open, and he understood every minute detail
of how the human body worked. In that instant, he became aware of
every cell in his body, and he became aware of the malignant tumor
growing in his mind.

“
I’m dying,” he
whispered.

“
No. Not now. Being the
creators, we have the power over life and death.”

Her hands caressed the back of his
head, and she hummed a soft and beautiful tune that reminded him of
bells. Then he felt it. The healing power reaching out from her and
seeping into him. The tumor shrunk until it was gone. The healing
reached out to everything in his body, healing old scars from
childhood, the cavities in his teeth, and the carpel tunnel in his
wrist. His body felt vibrant and new, and he’d never felt more
alive than he did at that moment.

“
You have been restored,”
she announced.

He blinked, unable to believe what had
just happened to him.

“
You are safe now,” she
said. “We come in peace.”

***

The leader emerged from his ship in
front of the United Nations, aware that the world watched and
waited for him to speak. He stood six feet three inches tall, lean,
and handsome. He wore a blue robe that shimmered in the lights that
shone down on him from the building. His steps were slow but
purposeful. Should there be the perfect image of mortal man, he
filled the necessary requirements, and by the smile on his face,
the discerning person could detect his pride.

He stood still for a minute, examining
a wall that contained words that embodied the supposed purpose of
the United Nations. He turned to the nearest camera and quoted,
“They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears
into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation.
Neither shall they learn war any more.” He made a shooing motion to
the flags and one by one they fell off the poles. “Today this is
fulfilled before your very eyes.” He paused for a moment and
glanced at the wall before he turned his attention back to those
who watched him. “I have returned.”

Novella #4

Coming January 2011

Title and cover to be
determined…