The Watcher Read online

  “Really?”

  Charles shrugged, “I assisted them in building the higher levels of the first Pyramid. They were pretty good and all they needed were a few suggestions on the use of fulcrums and using sand as a lubricant to move the huge stones.” Nicole stared at Charles and he gave a quick shrug, “I allowed myself to be captured and I was taken to the site of the pyramid as a slave to work as a manual laborer. I managed to convince the slave master to allow me to speak to the lead builder and, though he refused at first, my descriptions of what I saw finally convinced him to take me to him; he was intrigued by my suggestions. I was given a position working with him and not long afterwards, I was promoted to a high position and given a royal title, of sorts.”

  “So there weren’t any aliens using antigravity to build them?”

  “I can only speak for the one I worked on; there were no advanced aliens around when I was there.”

  “What was it like to live in Egypt?”

  “If you were fortunate to be born an Egyptian, it was really good. Egypt was the wealthiest civilization in the world at that time and it came from the industrious population that lived there. If you had the misfortune to be a slave…well…life was short and full of pain. Everyone believed the Pharaoh was a god and he possessed complete power over this society. However, he was insulated from the population at large by those advisors surrounding him and most of the common people never saw him.”

  Nicole was silent for a moment and asked, “Were you there when the Exodus mentioned in the Bible took place?”

  “No, l had to leave long before that.”

  “Why?”

  “I wasn’t aging, and I discovered in Sumer that it would be noticed. I colored my hair grey and did other things to add age to my appearance but there was only so much I could do before it caused issues. I left a thousand years before the Exodus in the Bible took place.”

  “Where did you go then?”

  “I made visits to China, South America, and North America.”

  Nicole blinked, “You went to America?”

  “Yes. And at that time, most humans were still hunters and gatherers. They followed the prey herds and lived on the meat they gathered. This continued for a lot of the humans in North America until the Europeans began arriving. Most of the populations south of America learned how to farm and grow crops.”

  “What were the Native Americans like?”

  “Most of the time, they lived in peace among the tribes in their nations but there were constant wars over the territory where the prey herds roamed with other tribes. There were some exceptions. You’re from Georgia, aren’t you?” Nicole nodded. “A band of Native Americans began settling on the rivers in central Georgia and over several thousand years, their numbers grew close to a million inhabitants along the Okmulgee River in central Georgia. They learned to farm, and they built mounds to worship their gods on the banks of the river. Other tribes learned to farm as well, but they didn’t know how constant farming could deplete the minerals needed for their crops to grow. They’d farm the ground until it was worthless and then move on to a new location and continue the process. The Native Americans, for the most part, lived a primitive life. Would you like to see some images of them?”

  “Can you do that?!”

  Charles smiled, “Computer, show Nicole some of the images in your memory banks taken from that time.”

  Nicole started seeing images in her mind and was fascinated by them. She closed her eyes and Charles turned to the television. A short time later, he sat up straight and turned up the volume. Nicole opened her eyes and heard a news reporter saying, “…knows what happened to Danielle Wood. Her family says she went out to go to the grocery store and never came back. Here is a picture of Danielle; she’s five-foot- seven inches tall, weighs about a hundred and twenty-five pounds. She has long reddish colored hair and green eyes. If anyone sees her or has information about her disappearance, contact us immediately at the number on the bottom of the screen.”

  The images stopped in Nicole’s mind and Charles turned to her, “She looks very much like you.” Nicole could only nod and felt a cold shiver run down her spine. Charles looked up, “I thought you said they reprogrammed their satellites!”

  “The order went out for them to do so. It appears the satellite over Plymouth wasn’t reprogrammed.”

  “Why didn’t it see Nicole when we went out this morning?”

  “It must be focused only on Plymouth,” the computer replied.

  “Track all of the Eastern’s communications!”

  “I’m already doing that, and nothing has been said about it.”

  “Keep listening!”

  • • •

  “Are you responsible for taking that woman in Plymouth?” the man said in a silky-smooth voice.

  The Lead Agent knew he was in trouble, “Yes. I had her picked up and questioned.”

  “And exactly why did you do that?”

  “The satellite made a match of her with the woman we were pursuing.”

  “So…you are of the opinion that she didn’t die in the explosion?”

  “I wanted to make sure, Excellency.”

  “The photographic evidence wasn’t enough for you? Did you not see the woman was in the car when the explosion took place?”

  “Yes, I saw it.”

  “And if by some miracle, that woman did survive the explosion, do you not think she would have reported into her Agency and they would have ordered her to leave Plymouth?!”

  “She was an exact match for the woman!”

  “Is that what you found when you collected her?” The agent was silent, and the man’s voice turned hard, “WAS IT?!”

  “No, Excellency.”

  “Where is she now?”

  The agent hesitated and then replied, “Her interrogators were somewhat heavy handed, and she died under questioning.”

  “Is it possible to make it look like she died from natural causes?”

  The Agent blew out a breath, “No, she was in bad shape when she died.”

  “You will make sure the body is not found!”

  “Yes Excellency.”

  • • •

  The man turned to an associate and said, “Reprogram the satellite immediately and after the woman’s body is taken care of, have that agent demoted.”

  “I’ll have his body hidden with the woman.”

  “That is a good idea.”

  • • •

  “An order was just given to reprogram the satellite,” the computer announced. “The woman died during questioning.”

  Charles shook his head and Nicole put her head in her hands and shook it, “This is my fault.”

  Charles snorted. Nicole looked up at him and he remarked, “You’re a smart woman; figure out who is really to blame for this and get back to me.”

  Nicole’s tears started as she said, “If I hadn’t reported your existence, she would still be alive! I should have just ignored it and treated it as a computer error!”

  Charles stared at her, started shaking his head, and blew out a breath, “I’m really tempted to allow you to blame yourself for this. But for you and your computer, I would still be in Virginia living in peace.” Nicole stared at him as she wiped her tears. “But…the information would have come out anyway.”

  “How can you say that?”

  “Your boss ordered that anything you deleted from your reports would be sent to him immediately. He already knew about the evidence you collected prior to your asking him for a meeting.” Nicole’s eyes widened and Charles shrugged, “He doesn’t trust anyone not to be a possible Eastern agent, even you. If you hadn’t asked for a meeting, he would have placed you in the most watched category. It was your asking for that meeting that convinced him you could be trusted.”

  Nicole stared at Charles before she asked, “How do you know this?”

  “He had a conversation with the President about it after you were sent looking for me.”

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sp; Nicole’s eyes narrowed and she said angrily, “No one is safe anymore!”

  “I’ve told you that, but you’ve not paid attention. War is coming and there’s no avoiding it.” Charles paused and added, “If you hadn’t reported on the data you found about me, someone else would have been sent to find me. That would mean the woman that just died probably would still be alive but someone else would die in her place. I also suspect you would have been questioned rather harshly to see why you didn’t report the data about me.”

  “But it was me that found your musket!”

  “It would have been found anyway by the ones going through my house. Everything you’ve done could have been done by anyone that took your place in the investigation.”

  Nicole’s tears had stopped, “It’s not my fault.”

  “No, it’s not.”

  “I need a break.”

  Charles stood up and said, “Do you like seafood?” Nicole nodded. “Now that the satellite has been reprogrammed, why don’t we take BV and go out for lunch?”

  “BV?” Nicole asked with raised eyebrows.”

  “I’ve named the mustang Bad View.” Nicole managed a laugh and stood up, went to the bedroom, and put on her disguise. She followed Charles out of the camper and got in the old car. “You probably don’t need that disguise anymore.”

  “I’d rather be safe than sorry.” Charles shrugged and drove out of the campground.

  • • •

  Charles took her down to Plymouth Center and parked across the street from the New World Tavern. “Why do you keep going to that bar?”

  “They have the best clam chowder I’ve ever tasted. They also have an outstanding fish sandwich.”

  Nicole smiled and glanced at a new patch in the pavement fifty yards behind them. She looked at the buildings lining the streets and saw most of their windows were covered in plastic. She looked at Charles and he said, “You missed seeing the explosion that destroyed your flyer.”

  “I listened to a description of it on the TV and I’m surprised some of the buildings weren’t damaged.” Charles tilted his head and then straightened it. “What?”

  Charles stopped, “What, what?”

  “Why weren’t the buildings damaged?”

  “Boy! You are starting to read me like a book!”

  “Why weren’t they damaged?”

  “I had the computer place a force field on the passenger side of your flyer and it diverted the majority of the blast out toward the bay.” Nicole stared at him and he smiled, “Can’t let my home get inadvertently damaged.”

  They entered the New World Tavern and the receptionist led them to a table. They sat down and ordered, and Nicole noticed Charles looking at a man sitting at the bar. After a few minutes, he said over his link and Nicole heard him in her mind, “Computer, scan the man…”

  “I’ve already scanned everyone in the building,” the computer interrupted. The man in question has an Eastern Force communicator in his pocket.”

  Nicole felt her fear rise as she saw the man staring at them and Charles put his hand on her arm, “You don’t need to worry.” Nicole looked at him and he added, “Over the millennia I’ve learned how to read human’s expressions. He’s not suspicious, he’s just really attracted to you.” Nicole’s eyes narrowed and Charles said, “Some men like women with small chests. That purple hair makes you stand out.”

  Their food arrived and Nicole saw the man at the bar take his communicator out of his pocket and listen for a few moments. He paid his tab and walked out of the bar. Charles thought, “Computer…”

  “He’s been ordered to meet another agent. He’s being reassigned to New York.” Charles nodded and the computer continued, “He’s being followed.”

  “What?”

  “A man and a woman are tracking him and they’re really good at it.”

  Charles almost began inquiring about Eastern Agents being followed but Nicole said, “Can we put this aside and just enjoy our meal?” Charles picked up his sandwich, took a bite, and nodded.

  • • •

  They finally exited the tavern and Nicole stopped outside and looked at the replica of the Mayflower across the street. She shook her head and said, “It’s so small! The trip across the Atlantic had to of been miserable.”

  Charles nodded, “It was.” Nicole turned to him. “I came on the Fortune a year later and we only had thirty-seven colonist on board; the Mayflower had ninety-five. I spent most of my time on the deck assisting the sailors in their work.”

  “Wasn’t it a miserable experience?”

  “Not really.” Nicole’s head went back. “My human body is different from yours Nicole. It never gets tired and it handles cold and heat far better. I really enjoyed learning how the Fortune was sailed. I took the voyage because I wanted to know how those small ships were able to colonize the Americas.”

  Nicole shook her head, “You were being a Watcher.”

  Charles smiled, “That’s what I am.”

  They crossed the street and Nicole went to the bench she sat on the night her flyer was destroyed. Charles sat down beside her and they stared out at the bay. After a few minutes, Nicole turned to him, “What time in history did you find the most…entertaining?”

  Charles raised his shoulders, “That’s a hard question.”

  “Why?”

  “I think the time when Greece was developing into the first democracy was very interesting.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “I’m giving you the shortened version.”

  “Go ahead.”

  “The time when Greece was made up of city states that didn’t get along with each other was rather boring. But the advent of Persia invading Greece changed all of that. They were forced to come together to hold back the invasions of Darius and Xerxes.”

  “That’s when the battle of Thermopylae took place, wasn’t it?” Charles nodded. “The bravery and skill of the Spartans still lives in history until today,” Nicole remarked. Charles blew out a breath and rolled his eyes. Nicole tilted her head, “What? They held back the Persian army at Thermopylae!”

  “For only three days!” Charles retorted. “Every Spartan I ever met was dumb as a brick and they only focused on one thing.”

  “What was that?”

  “Learning how to kill other humans. They didn’t possess a sense of humor about anything but describing how someone they killed died. They were single-minded warriors that actively sought to die in glorious combat. Leonidas was somewhat smarter than other Spartans but even he was driven to die during a good fight.”

  “You knew Leonidas?”

  “I traveled with him to Thermopylae as one of the hoplites that joined his forces as they moved north out of Sparta.” Charles shook his head, “Boy! Those Spartans were incredibly tough and rugged! And oh my gosh but they were strong.”

  “Has anyone else come close to them?”

  “The Romans but that’s another story.”

  “Do you have an image of him?”

  Charles smiled, “Computer.”

  Nicole saw an image appear in her mind and she started shaking her head, “He was ripped. He looks like he was distracted by something.”

  “He had just stood on a cliff and saw the Persian forces approaching. He was wondering if he had messed up leaving Sparta to fight against what he saw.”

  “Why didn’t he just run?”

  “His men would have turned on him. Like I said, most Spartans weren’t that bright. He knew he had no option but to take them on.”

  “Did he say anything about it?”

  “I heard him tell one of his officers, ‘What the hell! It’s a long walk home from here and death couldn’t be much worse.’ Everyone that heard him laughed but I could see he was being serious. He knew he would not come out alive from the coming confrontation.”

  Nicole stared at him and said, “And this wasn’t the most entertaining time for you?”

  “No. I’d seen humans die in great nu
mbers so many times that there was no entertainment in watching more of it. It was the period after the Persian Wars that was intriguing and entertaining.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “Athens arose out of the Persian Wars as the foremost city in Greece. The defeat of the Persian Fleet at Salamis gave Athens a prominent role in the period after the war. It was called the Golden Age of Athens and it was during that time that democracy arose along with philosophers like Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and many others. It was an exciting time in Athens and modern western thinking is derived from the writings in ancient Greece.”

  Nicole smiled, “I imagine it was.”

  “It didn’t last.”

  “Why not?”

  Charles sat forward on the bench, “Without an external enemy threatening the cities in Greece, they turned on each other. Sparta didn’t like Athens’ supposed superiority and it was only a matter of time until the two cities were at each other’s throats. They fought against each other and in process weakened both of them along with the other cities that were allies of each. That opened the door for the most outrageous human I’ve ever seen.” Nicole stared at him and Charles said, “Alexander the Great.”

  “Why do you say he was outrageous?”

  “He should have been born a Spartan as much as he loved war. But he was probably too smart to have survived in their society. He was a brilliant tactician and an even better orator. He probably learned how to speak to crowds from Aristotle who was his personal tutor. He could convince a tomato to be a grape. He was energetic, loud, and loved battle. The Greeks in their weakened state stood no chance against his Macedonian armies. Truth be told, neither did the rest of the known world either. I can’t decide if he was insane or incredibly gifted. Alexander defeated the Persian Army that was five times the size of his by gifted tactics. The Persians ruled the middle east for more than two hundred years and Alexander removed them as a world power. He was really something else.

  Chapter Six

  Graham looked up at Milly Stevens and she said, “We’ve been able to track down all the electronic sources being used to monitor our communications.”

  “And?”

  “We’re taking them and their links out on the date you’ve given me.”