← Previous INTRAGALACTIC FRONTIER Next →

Chapter 19: Chapter 19

Redim’s contribution

Frank got up by six and immediately called both Redim and

Richard and reminded them they had to be ready by nine in

the morning .Both said they would be ready by eight and

come down for breakfast..

Frank got ready and came down before eight ..

Surprisingly, he could see his father talking to the villagers

When Francis saw his son, he said , ‘ Frank , the Interpol

came early at around 3 and taken the men in their custody.

They had brought along with them the IGP too.. so we need

not worry about the local rules of law..’

Frank wished that he was called but he thought it was for

the better as he didn’t want any publicity nor have any

interest to work with the police ..

Philomena was still confused and she warned them not to

take risk when he told her he had to go USA to finish his

project. She was happy to see Richard ,as she thought he

would keep her son out of danger..

Frank spoke to his father few words and thanked him once

again .

The drive to the airport was a tedious as they got caught in

the morning traffic. The driver took them through a short

cut and they reached the airport in record time..

Frank was wondering if he had to connect with Re and

decided to do so. He moved a little distance and closed his

eyes ,thinking about Re…The Link came to life .. he told

him that they were in the airport and Re said, they had been

waiting for an hour and not to connect with him again ..

A young boy was looking at Frank and asked him ,’are you

talking to yourself or God .. It was funny’ Frank laughed

with him ..

Their travel went on smoothly. The transfer in Dubai was a

bit dreary but flawless.. the duration of the flight was about

6 hours ..a very long trip. They knew they would

experience jet lag when they landed as the time difference

was nine and half hours ahead .

When they reached the Orlando airport ,they met Mr.

ArulRaj ,the PRO of FT Group in USA. He was a very

cordial and it was clear that he was a highly influential

person ..

He told them that they have been allotted the FT guest

house which was just less than thirty minutes drive from

NASA Kennedy Space Center. The appointment to meet Dr

Ashwin Vasudevan was for the next day morning as they

need time to acclimatise and come out of the jetlag.. But if

they wanted to go out ,they could call him. He would at

their disposal during their stay ..

Richard said , ‘ do we cook there in the house?’

ArulRaj laughed , ‘ sorry sir, I should have told you ..you

can order and get anything you want from your apartment.’

Richard , ‘ by the way ..who is Sir here?’

All of them laughed and Frank said , ‘ don’t mind him Mr

Arul’

They were actually more than satisfied at the arrangements

especially to know that the appointment was only the next

day made them perky as they were tired ..

They reached the apartment in no time . It was in the 30th

floor , and the apartment occupied the entire floor .It was

more than adequate .. furnished like a five star hotel with

well stocked refrigerator . ArulRaj had been already

informed that all the guests would be teetotallers and the

refrigerator was filled to its capacity with soda ,ice creams

and many more items

ArulRaj left them and said that he would be in the office

which was in the next building and they could call him at

any time. He said lunch and dinner had been ordered for

today and asked them to change the time to 3.15 am ,the

time difference was nine and an hour behind..

They were finally left alone . Richard was overjoyed to see

the Refrigerator and served them whatever they wanted .

Redim slept on the hall couch itself and Frank picked her

up made her sleep on the bed in her room .. he told Richard

to go and sleep as they had a full day to adjust and Richard

said he was too excited to sleep and he would watch TV for

some time .

Frank slept immediately .. His sleep was disrupted by

Richard’s scream. Frank was disoriented ,could not focus

for some time ,then he realised where he was and the

scream was coming from the hall ..when he entered the hall

he saw Richard standing on the couch and looking down

with horror and revulsion Frank could see why he was so

horrified ! He remembered his reaction when he first met

Re in a dwarf form!

Now he could see four of the dwarfs , two males and two

females standing beside the couch. They were smaller than

Re and so exquisitely lovely.. In the bright lights in the hall,

they looked like wax models ..One male moved towards

him and said ‘ Hello Frank’ and he recognised the voice.. It

was Zo.

Frank bent down to shake hands of Zo ..

Richard opened his mouth ,but no words came out and

Frank laughed at him , ‘ come down Richard ..I will

introduce them to you .. Zo and his friends . Zo could you

introduce your friends to us?’

Zo so elaborately curtsied to remove the fear from Richard

He called his friends and introduced them. The females

were Nass and Sass and the male was Da. They all nodded

their head and finally Richard got his voice ..

‘Frank who are they? Did they come with us?’

Frank smiled and said , ‘ Yes … They may need something

to eat ..they are here to help us..Show them the kitchen and

fridge .. Zo you can have something to eat and take rest .. I

am glad you were not birds , birds are not allowed here in

the apartments’

Da said , ‘we had come here several times previously ..we

used to be invisible all the time and that made us lose all

our energy . Now knowing some giants really is so helpful’

Richard was offended, ‘ giants !’

Nass replied in a musical voice , ‘He means that we are

very small ..no offence’

Richard couldn’t believe his eyes and he squatted to have a

look at these beautiful creatures and Zo and Da jumped on

him asking him to take them to the kitchen…Frank could

see Richard had become so engrossed and friendly with

those lovely beings and it showed in the way he picked up

all the four to go to the kitchen..He completely forgot that

Frank was standing and watching.. he vowed himself that

he must help them to lead a happy life.

Redim got up earlier than others and got ready . She

thought she could use some strong coffee and went the

kitchen o prepare when she saw all these little ones huddled

on the coach.. She remembered Frank describing Re so

vividly that she was not surprised to see them here .. She

admired them for some time and then prepared a coffee .

She took her cup and turned and there standing and

watching her was Zo.. She coolly said , ‘good morning’

Zo was wondering how this lady was so cool when all the

others would be either afraid or surprised !

‘Good morning I am Zo’

Do you want coffee? She asked and thought how heavy the

cup would be in their hand !

No we don’t drink coffee but milk .. Love to drink cold

milk.. I will help myself don’t mind us!

She laughed and said, ‘ Frank had prepared me well to meet

you…in this form and your voice was very familiar Zo..

They both laughed together …

The day went off quickly and none of the wanted to go out

including Richard . He was happy to be with people whom

he cared as he lost his parents when he was young and he

did not want to stay with any of his relatives. He had

stayed alone and the villagers took care of him. Parents had

left money and property so he never had to do any work

and dropped out from the school. Now he understood the

need of the family..Even Zo and group followed him

everywhere …

In the night they formed a strategy. ArulRaj said he would

be arriving at nine in the morning to take them to Kennedy

Space Centre .

They slept peacefully for sometime as the jetlag was

wearing off and the next day morning all woke up fresh.

ArulRaj came on time and they all were taken to the

Kennedy Space Centre . They had not seen Zo and group

since morning and they thought they would have gone on to

the centre ahead of them.. They listened carefully what they

were planning but they never volunteered any information

to them…

They could see that they were travelling on SR405 and sign

boards were there . It was cold and they had to wear their

jackets . ArulRaj was telling them , ‘ we will not go

through the regular tour operators but Dr Ashwin

Vasudevan would meet them in the visitors’ area and

would be taken in . You had asked to see only the Research

and technology wing and Dr Ashwin works in the

technology section where they keep tracking the signals

from space’

When they arrived in the visitors’ area ,ArulRaj went to the

helpdesk and asked for Dr Ashwin Vasudevan. They asked

them to wait while they checked ..

After few minutes a person in uniform came out and called

up ArulRaj name and when he introduced himself he

checked their identities and took them to meet the scientist

Dr Ashwin Vasudevan office was in another block .and

they met him in the office . He was very happy to receive

Francis Timothy’s son Frank and after all the niceties were

over he asked their intention , Frank was expecting it but

before he could answer Redim said , ‘ I am doctor

Redimita doing my double graduation MD and MS in UK..

I need to collect some information about the possibilities of

life on our Milky way and especially to check out the

nearest solar system Alpha Centauri . Frank is my fiancé

and actually he wanted to come here for his Postgraduates

project in aerospace engineering but I came along with

him’

Frank was speechless.. He didn’t know that Redim could

tell lies in a believable manner..But he took the cue ,’ yes

doctor .. my interest is in the radio signals that come from

the space . I heard about the recent signal that came from

space and I am actually trying to find the location and the

type of the signal’

The scientist was beaming , ‘ you have come to the right

place .. I am happy to see youngsters showing interest in

space as we know the future progress is in space. Frank you

are actually lucky because the signal still coming through

even though it is not as strong as before. We believe it is

specific signal for someone lost perhaps .. I will take you

to the radio control area just now..’

He continued , ‘But doctor your project is not so easy.. It is

an ongoing research as Alpha Centauri is 4.37 light years

away .. but we are interested in Proxima Centauri as it has

two planets of which one seems to habitable .. But we

could never go there unless we have vehicle that travels at

the speed of light..’

Frank blurted out , ‘ we are still very primitive in space

travel and still we use liquid hydrogen as fuel..’

The scientist looked at him strangely…, ‘ Primitive ..I

wouldn’t call it so.. Well anyhow I will take you the control

room now’

Dr Ashwin called someone to inform them that he would be

bringing visitors and when got the affirmation he took them

to another block.

It was absolutely silent in the control room other than a

some beep sound and humming … The scientist took them

to one particular area from where the pulsing sound being

emitted …The young technician was recording the sound,

he was eager to see some visitors and he explained how the

signal was different from other signals..

He took to nearby console and the beep that was emanating

was short and repetitive but the first one was long and

pulsing non-uniformly .. Frank asked whether it could be

tracked…

The technician replied , ‘ it is so strange ..it has been

coming for weeks but yet we could not pinpoint the area …

We believe that it must be emanating from a spaceship

which is on the move’

Redim asked , ‘ it may come from some nearby solar

system’

He smiled at her and said , ‘ yes ..even if it is from a planet

we could have the same result ..

Suddenly all hell broke loose! A peculiar sound came from

the radio ..The technician and others could see the send

message indicator light was on .. and in the nearby

computer the cursor was moving randomly here and there ..

There was an absolute silence and then some staccato of

noise started coming .. and there was a big blast that threw

all of them some feet away.. Redim was the one who was

standing close to the technician and she could see Zo ,now

partially visible was thrown further away from them .. She

immediately picked herself up and walked up to the slightly

visible Zo , She picked and placed him inside her jacket

inner pocket and went back where others were fallen ..

All of them came running and stood around the radio ..few

securities started checking for intruders and Richard was

visibly upset . Frank and the scientist moved away when a

security stopped them. He asked them what happened and

the scientist replied with conviction . He told them , ‘ the

technician was explaining when it started acting up

.definitely it must have been a faulty circuit..Check it out..

I am taking my guests out’

The security was reluctant and he said , ‘ Sir we need to

check you before letting you go’

Dr Ashwin agreed to that as it would be first thing anyone

would ask..

Redim was nervous..if they checked her ,Zo would be

found. He was visible but unconscious ..there was no

movement from him ..she couldn’t leave him anywhere as

the place would be thoroughly checked ..she quickly

thought as in front of her the scientist was being checked

and next Frank was there.

Redim tried to wake Zo up but there was no response. She

went and stood behind Richard .. Nothing was found on

anyone..

It was her turn now and she prayed for some miracle.. The

security found Zo and Redim gave one of her most

beautiful smile and said with her most girlish voice as if

she was very ashamed..

‘

Yes sir..I bought this doll and I couldn’t leave it in the car

.so carried it along with me.. don’t you think it looks so

life like .. I have never seen such a beautiful combination of

colours nor the texture .. do you like it?..

The security couldn’t help but to smile.. he gave it back to

her and immediately she placed Zo in her inner pocket..

The security told her , ‘ since you accompanied the scientist

the doll escaped from confiscation because any

belongings are forbidden’

Redim smiled again and apologised for her foolishness..

Richard was watching all these and he almost pissed on his

pants out of fear.. If the security had to give one look at

him , he would have understood that there was something

was amiss.

Frank and the scientist moved further away and she walked

quickly to catch up with them.. She did not look at Richard

as she could see he was in a breaking point.

Now she was worried about the security in the entrance …

If the same security was there , he would remember that she

did not have anything with her as he checked

meticulously..They were going through the same way as

they entered and the scientist was talking to the security .. It

was the same security. Redim’s heart sank and Richard

touched her on the shoulder and said , ‘ give him to me’ but

she refused and gave a warning look and told that he

should relax..

Frank was being checked and Redim was almost paralysed

out of fear when suddenly she felt her pocket lightweight.

she touched her pocket and it was empty ..she looked down

to see if she had dropped him.. The security noticed her and

asked her, ‘ why Ma’am, did you leave anything behind ?

You look worried’

Redim replied with the nervous laugh, ‘ I am not sure sir.. I

thought I brought my passport with me but my pocket is

empty’

Frank heard her and said, ‘ No Redim you left it in the

apartment along with mine ‘

‘Thank you Frank ..for a minute my heart stopped ‘ She

allowed herself to be checked and walked fast , passing

Frank and sat on a bench . Richard came and sat with her

and said

‘God, Redim you are amazing.. I could never do something

like this’

Frank was looking at them both weirdly as if they have

gone barmy. On the way Dr. Ashwin told Redim, ‘doctor

your interest in the nearest solar system comes under my

department..take my card and send me your queries .. I will

do anything for Timothy’s future daughter in law ..’

She thanked him profusely and said ,’ sir you have already

helped me . It would be easier to concentrate on Proxima

Centauri . I may require the exact coordinate on space and

perhaps even an imaginary route drawn from earth to

Proxima Centauri’

He laughed and said , we can never ever reach the nearest

solar system in our life time .. but it would be fun I guess.. I

will help you’

ArulRaj had left them once he had introduced them to the

scientist and now he was waiting in his office .. So they

thanked Dr. Ashwin Vasudevan and left..

Redim gestured Richard not to speak anything and Frank

was talking about what happened there and no one would

have expected in one of the sophisticated research centres

of the world to have a problem of short circuit..’ Redim

looked at him strangely!

ArulRaj charted their itinerary for the day and they decided

to follow it. Finally they were left in the apartment after

dinner.

As soon as ArulRaj left, Richard ran to Redim and shook

her hand

‘

Redim you are awesome .. simply awesome ..’

Frank looked at them both as if they have gone bonkers

.Redim told him everything and he was really shaken.. he

asked her , ‘ did you really gave Zo to security and

pretended it was a doll?’

Richard enacted the whole scene so perfectly that it was so

funny.. they were laughing when Zo and group appeared!

Zo ran to Redim and climbed on her lap and kissed her on

the cheek , ‘ I have learnt these show of affection from the

human.. thank you so much.. I am not sure what I would

have done in your place !most probably I would have

betrayed you…you were simply marvellous and we are

indebted to you’

Frank said, ‘ but you had placed all of us in jeopardy ..

there was no need to break the radio..’’

Sass replied, ‘ No sir it was not intentionally done . we

deciphered the message and it was a shocking message so

we tried to reply but couldn’t .. It was purely an accident ..’

Frank was curious, ‘ shocking news?’

Zo was very sombre when he replied , ‘ Frank the message

was ‘Re don’t come back’ The same message was repeated

again and again ..My guess is that it was a recorded

message and activated because it must have come closer or

activated for some reason after all the time ..’

They all sat thinking about everything that happened ..

Frank asked , ‘did you inform Re?’ What did he tell you?’

Zo , ‘ we don’t have the permission to tell you Frank .. We

will not go back with you when you returned tomorrow..

We have few things to do’

Richard said, ‘ Tomorrow, ArulRaj said he would be

coming by 10 in the morning.. we must take rest…

The return travel was dreary but they reached back home

after travelling nearly 20 hours almost one full day.

*********

← Previous Chapter Back to Novel Next Chapter →