Eve: I don't know if I already explained or have yet to explain since I wrote this thing over a year ago but no, Cal's men are NOT aliens. He has put a protective shield over them and yes he does trust them implicitly. With what they get paid why wouldn't they be trustworthy?
Anyway, the skins, Kivar and maybe another threat looms over them. I think I've already disclosed Cal's warning to the adults about the FBI and the special unit. That is also a problem. Carolyn: I don't miss the pompous turd, not at all, that's why he's gone!
Sorry...a little. Alix: You know that dude that Kivar possessed, for lack of a better term, or took over...whatever, he wasn't too bad but the character Kivar was one nasty creep. Anyway, in my story, here he is an aging creep that needs to be dealt with. We'll see how that goes?
I'm a couple of days early here but I'll be back next week some time...not sure just when, going to a wedding you see!!!
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Chapter: 21
Jim Valenti called Councilman Benning at his office right after lunch and asked for a special meeting to which he was granted of course.
“Councilman, that carnival was released earlier this week to move on and they are still at the fairgrounds. Aren’t there any other events planned for that space and are they paying for the added time?”
“Jim, I wasn’t aware that they hadn’t moved on. Let me check into it and I’ll get back to you. We may have to serve an eviction notice on them, which I don’t think we have ever done before. Let me check with Philip Evans’ office and see what he has to say about the legalities of this.”
“Great, it just doesn’t sit right with me that these people would be taking up a space that was only allotted to them for last week, they had that problem with the Ferris Wheel that had two of our teens trapped and now they are still here a week later. Something’s just not right here.”
“I agree Jim. Has there been any increase in crime in the past week?”
“No, not really, that part seems quite normal. The usual traffic violations and rowdy teenagers but that’s it. I just don’t like that kind hanging around for no reason.”
“I understand perfectly Jim. I’ll get back to you.”
Jim wasn’t really sure if what he was doing was the wisest thing but if they could get these beings out of town and away from the population it would be easier to dispose of them. He would talk with Cal when they all met this evening at the Harding’s.
In the meantime Nicholas was pacing as usual and Tom Greer was sitting there adding up the tally of the week-end receipts before the Ferris wheel incident and things didn’t look good at all.
“Nicholas, we have to move this circus to the next town or abandon it. It’s costing us money and we are getting nowhere fast on this hunting expedition. We’re losing battles and we need to regroup and decide how we are going to deal with this.”
“If we abandon the equipment we will bring the local as well as the state government down on us. Let’s just get this packed up and head on back to Copper Summit and pick up the rest of our group and take to the caves until we come up with a fool proof plan. We can move in on those kids as a group while they are at school, a common ground for them, and get them to talk to us one way or the other. Right now we’re just wasting our time and losing our people one by one.”
“Okay, pack it up; I’ll make the call to headquarters and tell them to be ready. We’ll dump this show out in the desert on our way.”
“Fair enough…” And with that Tom Greer left the office to inform the skins they were moving on.
*
Out at the stone quarry a group of worn out teenagers crawled into a 15 passenger van and were being shuttled back to their vehicles in the school parking lot when Kyle spotted a caravan of carnival semis headed for the highway.
“Hey, aren’t those the guys the reason why we’re practicing this Ninja crap?”
Chuck was the one driving the van today and he looked in his mirror and decided the kid was right and nodded to Jess to call the boss. Cal had left the group earlier after setting up his plan and was most likely supervising the new duties of everyone.
“Hey boss, Nicholas is on the move, or at least the carnival is. Head on out to 275 and see what they’re up to.”
“Okay Chuck, are you sure?”
“There’s only one carnival in town and it’s on the move.”
“Fair enough, I’ll send John since Nancy is still here. There are enough of us to take care of her. I’ll send four more to the school to wait for the kids. Be careful.”
“You know it boss, you too.”
And Chuck continued on his way back to town with the teenagers, all worn out but safe.
John and Jess took an SUV and headed right on out to highway 275, picked up the carnival caravan and followed discreetly behind a vehicle well behind the convoy and when the semis headed out to a remote area of the desert John called Cal.
“Hey boss, I think they’re going to dump those rides out there in the middle of nowhere; probably going to disintegrate them so they’ll never be found.”
“Mark the area and get back here. I don’t trust that little psychopath at all.”
So John took a GPS reading and turned off at the next road and headed back to Roswell. At least they knew Nicholas wasn’t using the carnival as a cover anymore which meant they needed to get to Copper Summit before the boy/man got there.
When the kids got back to their cars there was a small army of men waiting for them and they all just stood around and shook their heads…this was getting really scary and Maria was about to lose it when Liz noticed.
Liz immediately grabbed Maria by each side of her head and looked at her square in the eyes…
“Maria, Maria, look at me. We are all together and we are going to be fine. Mr. Langley is not going to let anything happen to any of us; understand? "
“I’m alright Liz honest, just a second of doubt that’s all. When I saw all of these suits and sunglasses I just got nervous.”
“I know, but it’s alright. Now let’s get over to Tess’s like we’re supposed to. Remember.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s the safest place for us. Maybe we should all just move in there with everyone else. Maybe Cal should buy another house.” And that brought a laugh to a small army of grown men, ‘she could be right’ Chuck thought to himself, but he also kept it to himself.
Soon they were all back at the Harding’s and Tess made her way into her own home and noticed that the only people present were a group of Cal’s men who seemed to be strategically placed at all entrances to the home. She immediately sought out Cal after having shown the girls where they would be sleeping and asked point blank.
“Cal, what’s changed since this morning and don’t lie to me; it’s neither the time nor the place for stories.”
Cal thought about the young girl’s statement for a while and then decided that the truth was definitely the best way to go…
“Okay Tess, two of the skins managed to get by us and Nasedo was killed. The skins have been eliminated but there was nothing I could do for Nasedo, he was too far gone.”
Tess suddenly felt frightened but not for the reasons Cal was thinking; she felt very comfortable in the fact that Cal’s men would protect them but Cal needed to know what Nasedo had been telling her for so many years.
“Cal, we need to have a private conversation. It’s important, as important as our protection. I think we need protected from the skins but we also need protected from Kivar. Nasedo promised Kivar that we would return on the Granolith with the heir. I was supposed to get pregnant with the kings heir and leave the planet with the Granolith. I think Kivar is waiting to hear from Nasedo.”
Cal looked at the young girl and nodded.
“Come with me Tess, we’ll find a quiet place and talk about this.”
And so Cal Langley led young Tess Harding to the room across from all the activity and sat down, making an invisible bubble around them, and started to speak.
“First of all Tess, I know what Nasedo has been filling your head with and believe me those rules no longer apply. Do you want to go back to Antar with the heir?”
Tess looked at Cal and thought about her answer long and hard.
“Cal, I’m only 16, I have never been allowed to have friends before and I like it. As far as getting pregnant and leaving Earth, NO! I don’t think that’s what I want to do and besides, I kind of like Kyle. The king is alright but he’s kind of uptight if you know what I mean.”
Cal Langley smiled his broad smile and nodded…
“Good. I don’t want you to go back to that horrible place either but I can understand why Nasedo wanted to leave Earth but we don’t have to worry about that anymore.”
“Why do you understand that Cal, what happened?”
“Nasedo was one of the beings that was captured and tortured by the American government. He’s the one that left the silver handprint on all of his victims, including many of the doctors that had been experimenting on him.
“In a way his existence has been a very unhappy one even though he has amassed a fortune, and he has. You are a very wealthy young woman Tess but you do not need to be concerned about that just yet; someday but not now.
"In the meantime, when all of this has been settled I will see to it that one of my guards and his wife moves in with you and you can live the rest of your life the way you want to. And if you ever decide you want to go back to Antar I will make the way possible for you. Do you understand?”
Tess smiled, she was sad that Nasedo had been “eliminated” but the man had never been anything more than a cold existence that kept her in food, clothes and a home. There was never a kind word or thought pass between them, lots of training to use her powers, lots of brain washing which she would not miss but she might miss the man some, that she knew. But, she was also looking forward to finding love and caring for someone more than she would miss having just the necessities in life and orders shouted her way.
She nodded to Cal, never saying a word, and made her way back to her own home to prepare to take a shower and to get ready for her first party of any kind ever. Then she had a sudden chill pass over her but it only lasted a second, she shook it off, and she was fine.
She would trust Cal Langley to take care of all the things she needed and she was looking forward to a happy life once all of this alien ‘stuff’ was taken care of.
