* * *
Dr. Stanovitch, having recalled the probe, reached for his phone and called a contact in Karachi. He gave him a flight number and arrival time, and told him to meet an Irishman by the name of Ernest Magawan, and a Malaysian named Tan May Lin. They were international terrorists who must be stopped and apprehended at all costs.
Then he called his contact at Interpol.
* * *
A few hours later, the plane made it's final approach, not to Karachi, but Peshawar. The captain made this announcement:
'It appears that something has interfered with our navigation system. Some unknown phenomena produced electro-magnetic disturbance over India, which affected our navigation system, so we have overshot our intended destination of Karachi, and are now making our approach to Peshawar. I have requested permission for an emergency landing here, as it will be necessary to have our plane thoroughly checked for safety before going any farther. I deeply apologise on behalf of the airlines. We will arrange for your onward journey to Karachi by the most speedy means possible.'
There was a murmur among the passengers. Some said it was a UFO. One old man insisted that the Indian air force was testing a secret weapon on them. Others were sure it was Vishnu or Kali, or an angelic being.
They landed, and everyone was asked to disembark to a passenger lounge. To get there, they had to go down the gangway and cross the pavement to a terminal.
It was still night, and arrangements had been hastily thrown together. Ernie and May Lin managed to go the wrong way and came out in a different part of the terminal. There, they found a money changer where May Lin changed some of the cash she had withdrawn in Bangkok. Then, they caught a taxi to a guest-house in town.
The only hitch was, their passports hadn't been stamped. They were in the country illegally.
Chapter 16
At the guest-house, they checked into separate rooms and grabbed some much needed sleep.
Later, they took breakfast in the coffee shop and went out to see the town. The Smugglers Bazaar was not far from their guest house.
'So now we look for twelve-year-old boy one, ah?' said May Lin.
'I guess so,' answered Ernie.
'And we look where? -- Besides "somewhere in Pakistan or Afghanistan"?'
'It seemed natural to rout the plane here to Peshawar, so I suppose this is the place to begin.'
'And when we find him, how do we know?' said May Lin.
'I found you by following a hunch. I just felt like walking through the university campus, and there you were. I got curious about you, and it turned out you were the right one.'
As they browsed through the numerous stalls, their foreign features attracted several children, some of them beggars who wanted handouts.
'Maybe one of these, ah?' said May Lin.
'I don't know. None of them particularly stands out. I understand that there is a refugee camp close by here though, so it would be likely.'
Most of the market was dedicated to imported goods of every sort, from electric fans to tins of peaches to switch blades. There were brand names they had never seen before, some manufactured locally, some in China and other nearby countries. The toothpaste they bought appeared to be a Russian brand.
Just now, they were coming into the garment section. There were many western style clothes on display as well as local.
'We should buy something to change, you know?' said May Lin. 'I'm sure I'm a bit the smelly one!'
'You? What about me?' said Ernie.
Now, May Lin was trying to haggle with the merchant over the price of a local style woman's dress.
Ernie looked about at the other stalls, wondering how he'd look in a long shirt and a turban. The beggars and vendors carrying their wares were still approaching them from time to time. One man, dressed in one of the local styles, but with slightly Chinese features, offered him a rug.
Ernie turned it down.
Now, a group of little boys came with their hands out looking at him expectantly.
'No money!' he said.
He was right. May Lin was the only one who had any local currency.
One boy standing father back just stood, looking at him. As soon as Ernie returned his gaze he disappeared behind some rolls of material.
Now, back to May Lin.
'I think I got a good price on this. How does it look on me?'
'Looks smart,' Ernie said automatically. That was how he had conditioned himself to answer any woman who asked a question like that.
'How about you lah? Get something in local style so we won't stick out so.'
They walked down the path some more.
More beggars, more vendors, a chance to buy local jewellery...
Now they were at a shop selling men's wear -- local style.
With some help from May Lin, and from the merchant who knew a bit of English, he outfitted himself in a whole suit, with a turban and all. He put it on over his regular clothes
'Wah! You look saht saht boh chioh one lah!' exclaimed May Lin.
'Huh?'
'That's cool threads man!'
As May Lin paid the merchant Ernie turned towards the path.
There was that boy again, watching him and May Lin. Again, he disappeared as soon as he was detected.
May Lin decided it was 'makan' time. Ernie remembered that was Malay for food.
They found a place selling tea and local flat bread (nan) and chicken korma, and sat down.
This was rather nice.
'You know, we do all this running about but I hardly know you la,' said May Lin, after their food had arrived.
'But we knew each other for aeons of time before we arrived on Earth.'
'Oh, yes, we know each other as Zondon, but as humans, we live through a lot we haven't shared.'
'So, are we human, or Zondon?' said Ernie.
'Right now, I feel more like human. I have human body, and a history that dates all the way back to when I was born a human. Right now, that seems like a long time.'
'So you don't think we just borrow these bodies than?'
'Only same as everyone borrows the body they're born in,' answered May Lin. 'I still have a twin sister, that I love, even if she thinks I'm siow ting tong sometimes, I love my parents, I love Chinese food, I think Penang the greatest place in the universe...'
'You used to think the Amierooian planet was the greatest.'
'Oh! Did I? I guess I did -- but you know, only one problem la. They don't grow any durian there!'
'I guess you have a point,' admitted Ernie, who had also acquired a taste for durian.
Then, Ernie noticed that boy again. He smiled. This time, after some hesitation, the boy smiled back. He was of a slightly fairer complexion from most of the locals. Perhaps he was from the North. It looked as though he were carrying everything he owned on his back.
* * *
Ibrahim worked up his courage and stepped to the table where the two foreigners were sitting. Now, he was more convinced than ever that this was the man and woman he had seen in his dream.
Then, he tried something else he'd never done before. He had learned just a bit of English, but he'd never used it on a foreigner.
'What - is - you - name?' he managed.
The smiling man, who looked a bit awkward in his Pashtun style clothes answered back slowly and clearly, 'I'm Ernie, and this is May Lin.'
That wasn't the answer he had hoped for. Maybe it was too good to be true.
The man must have noticed Ibrahim's fallen expression. After a few seconds, he tried again.
'Phondesh,' the man said, pointing at himself, 'and Zhondri.'
Ibrahim couldn't contain himself. He jumped up and down, patting his chest, saying, 'I Tsav! I Tsav! I Tsav!'
The two at the table ecstatic. They pulled a stool over from an empty table and sat him down. They talked between themselves, and rightly judged he was hungry. They offered him the last nan on the dish, which he eagerly accepted. He then
began dipping it into what was left of the chicken korma.
'Tank - you,' he managed to say.
When he had finished eating, they got up and departed down a road leading away from the market. The man Ibrahim knew as Phondesh, but called himself Ernie, carried his things for him.
Ahead, Ibrahim could see a three story building. The sign in the front had a line in Arabic as well as English and Urdu, that read, 'Guest House'. A few foreigners were about. One was talking to a policeman. Police vehicles were parked outside.
The closer they got, the more uneasy Ibrahim felt.
His two new found friends were talking among themselves as though suddenly concerned about the same thing.
Now, Ibrahim was sure danger lay ahead. He pulled them both by the hand, so that they stopped.
'No, no,' he said, pointing to the building. Then he pulled them in the opposite direction.
They followed.
* * *
Ernie and May Lin agreed that taking a taxi to Islamabad was the best choice. They were still carrying everything they had brought to Peshawar, plus what they had bought at the bazaar. They flagged down the next taxi they saw and bargained with the driver until they thought they had a good price, and got in.
Ibrahim got in without any hesitation.
They settled down in the back seat of the taxi. Then the precariousness of their situation caught up with them.
'Now we in a fine stew, ah?' said May Lin, just loud enough to be heard in the back seat. 'Not only Ah Beng hot on our trail, but we have no visa, and now have stray boy one, no letter from his mamma saying can travel.'
'I suppose with our expanded Zondon senses we could get around a few of the obstacles, like we did getting here.'
'We listen to Wisdom, better.'
'At least let's awaken the boy,.' said Ernie.
May Lin pulled out the crystal and showed it to Ibrahim, who nodded his head excitedly. He held it in his hand, and said, 'Vratzan Ghish Tsav.'
It began to hum, and then glow. As Ernie and May Lin had done, so did Ibrahim. He was sitting directly behind the driver so he wouldn't notice anything unusual.
For Ibrahim, the crystal stayed on longer than it had for Ernie or May Lin. After he had his go at rembering his Zondon life, Wisdom began to speak to the three of them.
Take care of Tsav, as in his human form, he is still a child. His Zondon senses will be as developed as anyone's, but only when using the crystal. As a human he still needs fathering and mothering, which, for the time being, is both of your job. You can speak to him in Zondon, and through his Zondon sense, he will quickly pick up other languages. He will be of great value to the mission. You already witnessed one of his gifts today at the guest-house -- it was you that the police were looking for -- that and his intuition in finding you.
You are indeed human. The only difference between you and others is that most humans have not passed anywhere else before being born in their present state. Birth into a human body is what defines humanity, and with it, the right of abode on Earth. As a human you have authority and inherent abilities that are more profound than the possession of this crystal, which is why humanity was chosen as your medium of activity.
Now, you must find Drovshi, a woman living in Central California in America. To get there from here, you must enlist the help of Abdul. Be careful, because the Glaat has informed the authorities that you are dangerous international terrorists.
He is half right. You are, indeed, a danger to many powers-that-be, a terrorist's garb will be your disguise, but your way is not to be that of terror.
When it finished, Ibrahim was fluent in Zondon.
Ernie and May Lin hadn't begun to use their pre-human language yet, but now that it was the only one the three had in common, it became their default means of communication. To use it, Ernie and May Lin had to tune out their left brain, and let it flow as freely as their thoughts. The moment they tried to understand the grammar or individual words, their tongue got tied. It came more naturally for Ibrahim.
After a three hour drive, they walked around Islamabad until they found a second rate hotel -- one that didn't check documents carefully. They took a room with two singles plus a trundle bed.
The next thing on the agenda was for Ibrahim to take good bath. Ernie had to show him how to use the bath tub.
When they were finished, Ernie and Ibrahim discovered that May Lin had been at work stringing up the bed sheets to curtain off her own bed from the rest of the room.
'The Muslim boy has probably never seen unmarried couples sleep in the same room before,' she explained in English.
Sure enough, Ibrahim looked relieved.
After that, Ernie phoned Abdul. His mobile phone was set on roaming, and he felt confident it wouldn't be monitored as he had hardly used it since leaving Ireland. He set it to block his caller ID.
The time of day was right for a call to Egypt.
'Hello?' came Abdul's voice.
'Uncle Abdul! It's me here, I need a bit of help. I'm in Pakistan,' said Ernie, avoiding the use of his name over the phone, and hoping to keep Abdul from saying it.
'Is that you...'
'Yeah! Yeah! The one you sent away from Egypt last week. There are -- er -- other ears about -- so...'
He got the hint.
'Allah be praised! I was worried about you. What is it you need?' said Abdul.
'I've been told by -- er -- Allah's messenger, that you can help me. Can you come to Islamabad?'
There was a pause.
'Me? To Islamabad?'
'Yes.'
Another pause.
'Quite obviously urgent, or you wouldn't be calling me like this...'
'Yes, very urgent.'
'Yes,' said Abdul, finally. 'I'll have to give your brother a good reason for having to leave. He's already wondering what's keeping you so long. I'll call you on this number as soon as I arrive.'
That was that.
Then it was time to buy some clothes.
Outfitted in the latest styles and a smart haircut, Ibrahim could have passed for a European boy. The video arcade also played a part in his transformation, but Ernie made sure it didn't go over the top..
Chapter 17
For the most part, the three played it low key. Because a twelve-year-old tends to be more susceptible to boredom than an adult, they did go out at least once a day. Usually they'd eat out, either for lunch or supper, and they'd stop for some amusement on the way.
To be sure, Ernie and May Lin also appreciated getting out. Staying cooped up in a cramped hotel room all day isn't anyone's idea of a life. The satellite TV was one diversion. It was also a way to condition Ibrahim to western life before arriving there. On the other hand, too much of it had its down side. However, Ibrahim's sensitivities were his protection. He soon discovered the remote, so whenever a scantily clad woman appeared, or a love making scene, he reverted to channel surfing. Ernie also bought some electronic games for him, as well as a few other toys and some stationery for drawing and colouring.
They bought the English language newspaper every day, which Ernie and May Lin read cover to cover. Ernie explained the funnies for Ibrahim -- what jokes could be translated -- so he began to develop familiarity with Snoopy and Garfield. Apart from Garfield's occasional rudeness, he thought they were pleasant stories, even if he didn't always realise they were supposed to be jokes.
Ibrahim also had a few jokes of his own, mostly about about a 'Mullah Nasruddin':
'One day, Mullah Nasruddin entered his favourite tea house and said, "The moon is more useful than the sun". An old man asked, "Why Mullah?" Nasruddin said, "We need the light more during the night than in the day."'
With nothing else to do but sit in the hotel room, there was plenty of time to learn of one another's history as a human, and then, to remember their own histories as Zondon, using the crystal.
With the three of them, the crystal responded more readily than when Ernie was on his own.
Every evening, they looked at the stars.
One evening, they went to the coffee shop of the Holiday Inn for dinner. Ernie made sure he got a business card from the front desk before they left.
A day later, Abdul called from the airport.
'Hello, is that you, "Rasheed Suliman"?' said Ernie, as soon as he recognised Abdul's voice.
Abdul took the hint. 'Oh, yes, good to hear your voice, "Joe". I've now arrived.'
'Can you meet us at the Holiday Inn coffee shop at six 'o clock?'
'Certainly. I'll see you there.'
At six o'clock, Ernie found a phone box and called the number of the Holiday Inn on the business card. He asked to be connected to the coffee shop. Once the line was transferred, he said he wished to speak to a diner named 'Rasheed Suliman'.
Sure, enough, Abdul's voice soon answered, addressing him as Joe. Ernie told him which hotel they were staying in, and the room number.
Not long after Ernie returned to the room, Abdul knocked on their door.
Immediately they embraced, and Ernie introduced him to May Lin and Ibrahim.
'So what is it you need help with?' said Abdul, as soon as introductions were out of the way.
'Three things,' began Ernie. 'First, we're in the country without a visa, as we had to slip out of the airport in Peshawar incognito before they took us all to Karachi. It's a long story, but the reason for the diversion is the second problem.'
'Which is...?'
'We have major opposition. A being, not unlike ourselves, but belonging to the dark forces trying to gain control of the universe, has taken on the guise of a Russian doctor, named Nicolai Stanovitch. He seems to have connections everywhere, and he has let it out that we are international terrorists.'
'International terrorists!' repeated Abdul.
'Yes. Now, the third problem is, Ibrahim is one of us, but has no passport, nor any documents that could allow him to travel with us. So, we're not only terrorists, but kidnappers as well!'
'Hmmm. And how am I to help?'
'I don't know. I learned from the green crystal that you were the one who could help us.'
'So -- Allah said the ball is in my court, did he?'
Abdul began to think, talking out loud at various intervals.
' ... let me see ... well, there's ... no, not him ... but ... hmmm ...what else? ... Allah's messenger said ... hmmm ... no, it can't be, I said I'd never ... hmmm ... but if Allah said so .... hmmm ... yes.' Whatever was going on inside Abdul's head was obviously quite agonising.