Chapter Thirteen
San Francisco, Today
I found myself standing in my tiny two roomed apartment overlooking the San Francisco bay. All three rocks were still in my sweaty palms. Panting, I felt for gunshot wounds in my chest and face but there was none. The television was streaming news about some deadly virus. But first, where is Uncle Henry? Doctor Lynn? I picked my phone off the top of my bed, switched it on and dialed Uncle Henry's number.
I had had the stones hidden away in my palms as I handed over the boots to the guard and had struck them together just as the Commandant gave the order to fire.
'Danny my boy,' Uncle Henry's deep voice came into the phone, 'I have been trying to reach you on your cellphone but it seemed switched off.' He said. 'So, I was just about to call your work.’
‘Uncle Henry!' I answered excitedly 'Am so happy to hear your voice! Where are you?’ I asked. I couldn't believe he was still alive. 'I thought I had lost you!' I said.
'Danny,' he cut in, 'and the reason I wanted to call is, someone from the US government is here to take me back to Washington. He says it’s something important, something to do with possible extraterrestrial contact and I must admit you've always been interested in…'
'Uncle Henry wait!' I interrupted sharply, panting,' don't you go anywhere with that man!'
'Danny what's gotten into you?’
'Uncle Henry, listen to me and listen very carefully. That man is a CIA assassin called Asmir Mandić. He is thirty seven years old, has a light mustache, no beard and has a blue scar running right from under his left eye.'
'Danny, you are frightening me.' Uncle Henry spoke into the phone. 'What can I do? My boss has already instructed that I go with the man. But how do you know him so well?'
'Tell him you have some pressing issue that cannot wait.' I interrupted nervously, 'Say you will be in Washington tomorrow, not today and please Uncle, insist on it.'
'Why Danny?'
'Because your life depends on it Uncle, believe me. I have seen you and Doctor Diana Lynn get shot in a Nazi camp.'
'Danny, how did you know Doctor Lynn? I've never introduced you to her.' I could hear him breathing heavily over the phone.
'It’s a long story Uncle, just don’t go to Washington. Rather, you might want to come over to San Francisco.'
'Here he comes,' I heard Uncle Henry say into the phone; 'I got to go.'
‘Uncle Henry?’
The line had clicked off.
My heart raced inside my chest.
Relax DS, I told myself, calm down. Think.Now, everything had, it seems reset themselves. I had reappeared back in San Francisco before all these events had even begun or were about to begin. I had to do something or could I? Why wasn’t I able to persuade Uncle? Maybe it was impossible to alter fate, or other people's fate. But then, I thought, if I couldn't alter other peoples' fate or decisions before they occurred, what about my own?
I stared at my open laptop. I could see a message icon in my inbox. I knew it was Eel's message, the one that had sparked off the all ill-fated race against time. I turned the computer off and sat staring at its blank screen. What if I called in sick at work? What would it change? Nothing I thought. My supervisor Cliff at times doubled as the chef. What if I didn’t make reservations on that late Flight to Washington? I decided to call Cliff.
'Morning Cliff,'
'Yeah DS'
'Am feeling a little under the weather, I think am coming down with a cold or something.'
'Ah, calling in sick today? Again?' His voice sounding sarcastic 'Am cool. We'll manage DS.'
'Thanks Cliff. I appreciate.'
'Alright, see you when you get here.'
I had to stay put in my flat and think.
A message suddenly popped onto my phone screen. Instinctively, I opened it. It was Eel. Same message. I pressed delete. Another message popped again on the phone screen.
This time it read.
Ds, I know you are back.
He was driving me insane. I decided to dial 911.
'911 emergency may I help you?' a flat female voice answered into the phone.
'Yeah, my Name is Daniel Snow from Fifth Avenue San Francisco, someone is stalking me.'
'Are they with you right now or you simply believe they’re stalking you?'
'This person keeps sending strange messages in my email and on my phone.'
'Are these threatening messages or deemed inappropriate?'
'Am just fed up of these messages, and I want him to stop.'
'Okay Daniel, could you read me what the messages say so I can get a clear picture?'
I hang up. She wasn’t going to help with this. Just then, another message popped up.
Ds, it's of no use trying to stay away.
I had to respond.
What do you want Eel?
You have something of mine.
I turned and stared at the rocks on the table. I thought of Uncle Henry. A thought occurred to me. Reaching out and grabbing the rocks, I held them tightly and smacked them together.
Atacama Desert, Chile
The astronomy observation facility in Atacama Desert is a really hot place. My nostrils immediately hurt from the dry winds as I stood in the blistering heat but I was here after all. I felt light.
'Danny! What in the world are you doing here?' Uncle Henry exclaimed as soon as he recognized me.
'How did you get here?' He asked looking perplexed. He was standing between two men. The older looking man I guessed was Professor Ted Borelli, his boss and the other dressed in a long grey overcoat with a blue scar running right from under his left eye was the CIA assassin.
'Professor,' the CIA man said in a strange accent, 'we have to go now.'
'No!' protested Uncle Henry, 'I need to speak to my nephew here first.'
He spoke while coming towards me. He grabbed my left arm walking with me a fair distance away from the two men, away from any eavesdropping before he turned to face me. His big blue eyes stared at me in amazement.
'Danny what is going on?' He asked. Before I could answer the CIA man called to him.
'Professor, we are running out of time.'
Uncle Henry ignored him.
'You seemed to appear just out of the blue Danny!' He was breathing hard.
'Uncle, that's the point. Something big, something awful is about to happen and only me can stop it.'
'Danny, what are you talking about?'
'The world as we know it is about to end. I was contacted by an extraterrestrial called Eel, and he says another civilization is on its way here as we speak to take the sun away.'
The look on my Uncle's face transformed.
'Danny, are you on drugs?'
'Professor, time's up.' the Bosnian said. He was coming towards us.
‘I’m very disappointed in you Danny.' Uncle Henry said. 'Stay here with Professor Ted and we will talk when I get back from Washington.'
'Uncle you don’t understand.' I protested.
'I very well do understand Danny.' He interrupted sharply. 'Who in the world travels all the way from San Francisco to south America only to say the goddamn sun is about to be confiscated by aliens unless that person is high on something! Danny, I didn’t sign up to take care of you but I did take care of you anyway. At least you could have shown me the courtesy of staying sober even after all the other countless disappointments you have brought me. As if those disappointments weren’t already enough, you had to travel down here to embarrass me further to my face, in front of my boss and denying me the last little joy of winning a Nobel Prize.'
'Am sorry for having disappointed you Uncle but you are wrong about me, very wrong and I will prove you wrong.' I said as a lump tagged in my throat. Uncle Henry had said very hurtful words to me and worse, he didn’t believe a word I had said.
I stood and watched in silence as the black chopper carrying him and the CIA man lifted off the pad into the bright afternoon sun, a sun we might soon never see eve
r again.