To Earth and Back

  “Will do,” Jack said, “but right now you need to lie down, and let them take care of you.”

  Walt and Katie helped Ari onto the gurney, laying him on his stomach facing Adie. On the wall beside him, the medical display came to life.

  Fighting to stay conscious, Ari glanced up at Katie, and said, ”Before you get started, I need a moment with Walt.”

  Though hesitant, Katie consented, stepped back, and energized the barrier.

  His voice weakening, Ari was determined to get his last thoughts out. “Walt, right now, you and I are the only ones who know of Adie’s cancer. I loaded microbiotics into one of the auto-injector chambers. Don’t let them use it unless Adie wants to return to the surface, and then, only with her permission. I don’t know what strain of cancer she has, so I just used a broad spectrum approach—not the best way to get at it.”

  “I understand,” Walt said. “I won’t mention it unless it becomes an issue.”

  “Thanks, my friend,” Ari said, fading. “My future is in your hands...go easy...and try not to scare her, you big lug.” He smiled weakly.

  “I won’t let you down,” Walt said. “Now rest well and let these nurses do what they do best.”

  Ari passed out before Walt finished the sentence.

  CHAPTER 32

  Walt dismissed the barrier and beckoned to Katie. “The doc just passed out...I’ll leave you to it.” He gave Katie a pat on the shoulder and moved across to Adie’s gurney.

  Brooke, seeing how Walt towered over Adie, gave a verbal command to Conrad, the landing craft interface, causing a telescoping stool to rise from the floor beside Adie. Walt thanked her and took the seat.

  Stepping in beside Katie, Brooke used a parting tool to cut away Ari’s undergarment, enabling Katie to treat and bandage his wounds. Brooke then covered Ari with a sheet and took a moment to study his med display. “My word, he’s lost a lot of blood—down nearly five units. We need to get that transfusion going pronto. Why don’t I deal with that while you start an IV?”

  Jack turned to address Walt. “You know, Doc, if this is going to work without raising suspicion, Doc Stratford needs to be ambulatory. If they find out he’s been seriously wounded, we’re going to take a lot of heat, and justifiably so.”

  Walt smiled. “The Lord knows what’s going on. I’m sure He’ll take care of it. Let’s give the nurses a chance to do their work.”

  “Of course...you’re right,” Jack agreed, scratching his head. “Just a little paranoia, I guess.” He glanced back at his console to see an update on their mission status. “Merrick, we have confirmation for a three-hour delay. What’s your plan?”

  “Well, right now the ship’s on the opposite side of the earth,” Merrick said. “No matter where we punch out of the atmosphere, we’ll have roughly the same transit time back. So I figured I’d just take us up to 3,000 feet, cruise out over the Mediterranean, and wait until Adie makes her decision. Now, we’ll need that decision by the two and a half hour mark in order to make the five-hour deadline. The way I see it, if she says no, we’ll have a half hour to return her to a safe place on the surface. If she says yes, we’ll have that same time to prepare her for the transit back to the ship.”

  “What if she wants to be dropped off somewhere else,” Jack asked, ”like the United States?”

  “Then she’ll have to come with us to the ship anyway. Right now, it’s daytime in most of the places she’d want to go. I think we can all agree, the best bet would be to set her down under cover of darkness. Right now, that makes Israel the most likely choice.”

  Katie started the IV and moved out of the way so Brooke could monitor Ari’s condition. Then, remembering Ari’s request, she used the med console to search the database for a suitable eye patch. Finding one, she put in the request, retrieved the patch from the cyclic, and stepped over to Adie’s gurney.

  As Katie secured the patch, Walt pondered how to address Adie. “I’m not usually at a loss for words,” he said. “For Ari’s sake, I want to get this right.”

  Brooke turned slightly, and said, “You’ll know what to say when the time comes, Doc. You’re a trained psychologist.”

  “Might start with a prayer,” Katie suggested. “She’s a Christian. She’ll like that. And Doc, you should lower your seat. You’re going to scare the poor girl.”

  Walt nodded gratefully. Then, seeing Adie stir, he motioned for quiet. Aside from the constellation of annunciator lights throughout the cabin, the light above Adie was the only one burning, leaving the crew, for the most part, in darkness.

  Adie took in a deep breath and regained consciousness. Her memory came rushing back. She cautiously exhaled and lay motionless. Walt gently placed his hand on her arm and bowed his head. “Father in heaven, who is there like You? You have created the heavens and cloaked them in majesty. You have created man in Your likeness and in great variety, giving him an intelligent mind and the ability to reason. I know it grieves Your Holy Spirit to see so much trouble on Earth. And Lord, we have witnessed great trouble today. We know that lives were lost at the hand of the Syrian Army, and even now the killing continues. We pray that You would protect Israel. We pray for her deliverance. And Father, we thank You for delivering us from the violence this evening, and for enabling my friend to rescue this precious one lying before me. Lord, as You know, our mission was not without mishap. This young woman was injured and our friend, badly wounded. Help us now, Dear Lord. We need Your wisdom. We need Your healing and Your provision. Calm our spirits and give us Your peace. Pour out Your grace upon us, for I am asking these things in the Name of Your precious Son, Jesus.”

  Katie glanced up at Adie’s med display, leaned in, and whispered in Walt’s ear. “Her eyes are closed, but she’s listening.”

  Walt thought for a moment, then in a warm calming tone, offered his first words to Adie. “Sweetheart, I know you’re hurting, and I know you’re frightened…. Even so, I assure you there is no need for fear. No harm can come to you here.

  “A little while ago, you fainted, and you have a pretty good bump on your head. Now, we’re going to treat that in a moment, but I need to tell you a few things first.” Sensing that Adie was afraid to open her eyes, Walt reached and took her hand. “If you’re okay with what I’ve said, why don’t you squeeze my hand?” A smile formed on Walt’s face as her hand slowly tightened around his. “You are onboard a small Marcovan vessel and in the company of six very nice people, all of whom wish you well. Now...when you look around the cabin, you’re going to see many unfamiliar things. I don’t want you to be alarmed. You are among friends. Oh, yes, one more thing; your friends here, well, we’re all fairly tall and our clothing may seem a little strange. If you’re okay with this, squeeze my hand.” Once again, Adie responded. “Well, then young lady, if it’s all right with you, would you mind looking at me for a moment?” As her eyes began to open, Walt gathered every bit of kindness he could muster and projected it through his expression and tone of voice. “Hello, is there something you would like to say?”

  Adie slowly rolled her head to the left. Without her glasses, she could make out just enough of Walt’s face to see his warm smile, and it set her at ease. “Are you an angel?” she asked.

  Walt was amazed at the comment and drank in the rarity of the moment. “That’s funny; I was going to ask you the same thing.”

  Katie leaned over and whispered to Brooke. “Isn’t her voice the sweetest thing?”

  Hearing muffled conversation, Adie said, “I think I hear someone.”

  “I’m sorry;” Walt said, “let me introduce you to the crew. Jack, would you bring the cabin lights up a little?” The lights brightened, giving form to the cabin interior. “This woman behind me is Brooke Hayden, our senior nurse.”

  Brooke stepped forward and took Adie’s hand. “I’m honored to know you,” she said.

  “I’m Adie Behr. It’s nice to know you, too.”

  “Well, I hope you’ll excuse me, honey,” Brooke said. “I
have a few things I need to attend to.”

  Adie nodded and Brooke returned to Ari, who was blocked from Adie’s view by Walt’s broad shoulders. Brooke re-energized the barrier and began to transfuse Ari’s second unit of blood.

  “And this is Katie Warren,” Walt said. “She’s also a nurse.”

  Katie was at the gurney before Walt finished the introduction. “Can I ask you a question?” With Adie’s nod, Katie bent down to whisper in her ear. “What’s that you’re wearing? It’s a lovely scent.”

  The question formed an instant bond.

  “I wish I could tell you,” Adie said. “When my mother gave it to me, the label was worn off.”

  “Well, it smells divine,” Katie said.

  “Moving right along,” Walt injected. “This fellow to my right is Jack Corban, our operations officer.”

  Jack left his console and moved around his seat to stand beside Walt. “Welcome,” he said. “It’s a pleasure to have you with us. And, I must say, Katie’s right about the perfume.”

  Adie blushed as Walt continued the introductions. “Now that very powerful looking fellow up there in front is Merrick Borgan, our pilot.”

  Adie tilted her head back to see.

  “Oh, that’s okay, sweetheart,” Walt said, “he’s coming.”

  Merrick, having set the autopilot, approached the gurney and came down on one knee. Then, with a disarming smile, he carefully lifted and kissed Adie’s hand. “We are so happy to have you among us, m’lady.”

  “My goodness,” Adie said, alluding to his chivalry and imposing stature.

  Merrick gave her hand a gentle pat, excused himself, and returned to the cockpit.

  Looking at Walt, Adie said, “He reminds me of a knight—like he was chiseled out of marble.”

  Katie suppressed a giggle, both humored and gratified by Adie’s description.

  “He does, indeed,” Walt said, glancing briefly at Merrick. “And my name is Walt Maran. I’m a counselor.”

  As Walt rose from his seat, Adie’s eye opened wide. Referring to his colossal stature, she said, “My goodness...you should be a basketball player.”

  Walt smiled. “Well, what a nice thing to say, but alas, I’m afraid any skills I may have lie elsewhere.” He glanced back to see a barrier around the other gurney. “Now we have one other crewmember I would like you to meet; however, we have to hold off for now. He’s not feeling very well.”

  With a look of concern, Adie said, “Is he going to be all right? In your prayer you mentioned that someone was wounded.”

  “Listen, I know you have many questions, and I assure you we will answer everything we can, except, right now we need to attend to that bump on your head and make sure you’re okay. So I’m going to leave you in Katie's capable hands. And Katie, if you want to answer some of Adie’s questions, that would be fine.” Walt moved out of the way and took a seat at the med console.

  Merrick noticed Walt’s look of concern. In almost a whisper, he said, “Doc, you did good back there, very good...way better than any of us could have.”

  “I just hope it was good enough,” Walt said. “But thanks for the encouragement. Katie has her now. I felt a kindred spirit between those two. Let’s hope my hunch is right.”

  Katie perched on the seat beside Adie’s gurney and took her hand. “If you don’t mind, I’d like you to close your eyes for a second.”

  The moment Adie’s eye closed, Katie extended a small control panel on the side of Adie’s gurney and touched an icon, forming a barrier around them. “Okay, you can look now.”

  Adie noticed the barrier immediately. “Where did that come from? I didn’t hear anything.”

  “That’s a privacy barrier,” Katie said. “As long as it’s in place, no one outside can see or hear what’s going on in here. We’re completely isolated.”

  “How on Earth does that work?”

  “Well, it’s fairly complicated. I’ll have Jack explain it to you a little later if you’re interested. For now, though, we need to work on making you feel better. So what I want you to do is turn your head toward me and hold still for a second. I need to focus a beam of light on that bump.” Katie touched an icon on the side of Adie’s gurney and a small control display extended from a hidden panel. She zoomed in, centered a crosshair on Adie’s injury, and initiated tissue stimulation. An intense blue energy beam slowly descended on the targeted area. “All you will feel here is the pain start to go away.”

  “What’s it doing?” Adie asked, a little concerned.

  “It’s speeding up the healing process. We call it tissue stimulation…. You don’t have to be still anymore.”

  As Adie turned her head to look at Katie, the beam followed, maintaining focus on the affected area.

  “It’s going to take a few minutes,” Katie said, “so while we’re waiting, I’d like to give you an examination. Do you mind?”

  With Adie’s consent, Katie energized the overhead sensors and perused the med display on the wall. Vital signs read out across the top of the display. The center portion showed a full body-scan with problem areas highlighted in red. Details concerning the problem areas scrolled across the bottom. Adie’s poor vision rendered the alien verbiage indiscernible.

  “So, how is it that you all speak Hebrew, yet you don’t seem to be Israeli?” Adie asked, feeling a little less timid.

  Katie hesitated, surprised by the direct approach. “Oh my, that’s a really big question,” she said, finishing her medical assessment and lowering her seat to Adie’s level. “And I’m going to answer that, but first I need to say a few things…. I want you to know, you can always count on the truth from me and from everyone on this crew. We are all Christians here, except for Brooke.” Katie smiled. “We’re still working on her…. Anyway, you have nothing to fear. We will not force you to do anything against your will. You have been rescued, not abducted.” She took Adie’s hand. “You are safe with us. We have and will continue to protect you with our lives. Can you accept what I just said? Do you believe me?”

  Adie nodded.

  “Do you trust me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay then. To answer your question, we’re not Hebrew. We’re Marcovan.”

  Puzzled, Adie said, “I’ve never heard of Marcov—”

  “Marcova? Well, don’t feel alone, no one else on Earth has, either.... Adie, where have you ever seen equipment like this on Earth? And where have you ever seen six people as tall as we are, all in the same place?” Katie looked up at the display to see Adie’s heart rate and blood pressure start to rise. She leaned in and kissed Adie on the cheek. “I promise; you are safe. I want to be your friend. Say something...anything.”

  Adie took a breath. “Then, where are you from?”

  “Well, we’re from a moon called Marcova that circles a planet about seventy-trillion miles from here.”

  Adie’s mouth opened as thoughts raced through her mind. “You’re kidding. You have to be kidding.”

  Katie shook her head. “The truth, Adie...remember, I promised.”

  At a loss for words, all Adie could do was state the obvious. “I say, aren’t you a long way from home?”

  The unexpected humor caught Katie off guard, and she started to giggle. Then Adie, unable to control her nervous energy, joined in. The giggling quickly intensified into uncontrollable laughter. Within seconds their faces were beet red—eyes watering—stomach muscles tightening. Katie put her hand on Adie’s arm. “Stop now, stop. It hurts.” The laughter slowly subsided. “There, that’s better,” Katie said. Both of them took a deep breath and regained their composure. Katie reached up and turned off the blue energy beam. “Let’s have a look at that bump. I guess it wasn’t all that bad.” As she leaned in, Adie started giggling again. “Now don’t you start.”

  “Sorry,” Adie said. She covered her mouth and held her breath, but to no avail. Once again they were convulsing in laughter, with Katie now doubled over, her head pressing on Adie’s arm.
r />   She reached up and took hold of Adie’s hand. “Have mercy—I surrender. Be nice!” The levity continued for the better part of a minute and then once again subsided. “Well, so much for professionalism,” Katie said. “What do you say we change the subject?”

  “Good idea,” Adie said, feeling for the bump on her head. “Isn’t that something? It’s gone—and the pain—how amazing.”

  “Uh-huh.” Katie ended the stimulation. “Listen, I noticed you’re a diabetic...when was your last injection?”

  The question jogged Adie’s memory and drew a concerned look. “I missed it...I must have left my medicine behind.”

  “Well, let’s take care of that right now.” Katie removed the auto-injector from her waist-belt and cleaned a spot on Adie’s forearm.

  “What’s that?”

  “It’s like a syringe...only better. Are you okay with this?”

  Initially hesitant, Adie reconsidered and gave her consent.

  Katie administered the medication and stored the auto-injector.

  “Thanks,” Adie said. “I didn’t feel anything.”

  After another check of the med display, Katie said, “Your glasses didn’t make it either. I got you an eye patch, but how’s the vision in your good eye? For example, can you see the color of my eyes?”

  Adie shook her head. “All I see are blurry shapes. I can see you have long hair, and I can see when you’re smiling.”

  Katie set the control panel for an optical exam. A small clear cylinder extended down from the overhead panel. “Then is it okay if I take a look at your eye?”

  Adie noticed the movement in the overhead panel and gave a quick nod.

  “Okay, why don’t you open your eyes really wide and look at that sensor up there?” The tube emitted a soft green light and retracted back into the panel. A graphic image of Adie’s eye appeared on the med-display. “Well, I see the problem. It looks like your cornea is a little distorted. I can reshape it if you’d like.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. The cornea is like a clear lens on the outer part of your eye. Sometimes, as people age, it gets a little out of shape, and makes it difficult to see clearly. Now, I have an instrument that will fix that for you and allow your eye focus the way it should. What do you think?”