Children Of The World

Children Of The World
By
Cal

Chapter 1

*The Ryder family, Steven 37, Jill 35, Angelica 13, Craig 11, Joshua 7, and Christian 18 months.


Steve and Jill had gone out for a ride that fateful Sunday afternoon and Angelica had been charged with watching her younger brothers.

The time the Ryder parents took on Sundays was a much needed, much deserved break away from the everyday living on a farm. Life in the country was often hard and the young couple still needed time alone to keep their marriage fresh.

*** Break to 4:43 PM, Sunday


Angel was putting Christian down for his nap when she heard the crash. She was to learn in a few minutes the noise was that of a car hitting a tree.

She put Christian in his crib and ran to the front door. She could see something big in the road but couldn’t quite determine what it was. She slowly opened the screen. It looked like Tiny, the young calf that her daddy had bought at the auction last Friday. Angelica felt uneasy as she walked toward the calf.

As she got closer to the calf she saw the jeep. The left back tire was still spinning. Oh God it was her dad’s jeep. She felt her heart sink, there was her dad. She walked closer and felt his wrist for a heart beat, there was none.

Angelica heard a moan and turned around to find her mom beneath the tree. Jill had been thrown from the jeep and from the looks of it, her head must have hit the tree. There was a gash in her forehead and a trickling of blood on the ground beneath her.

Angel was to learn later that the gash in her mother’s forehead was just a minor wound. The bump on the back of Jill Ryder’s head seemed huge.

Angel ran to her mom and could see recognition in her eyes. She lifted her mom’s hand and kissed it. Jill moaned and immediately told her daughter to take her home. She then asked about her husband.

Tears welled up in Angelica’s eyes. Jill knew from the stricken look on her daughter’s face that her oldest child thought Steve was gone. No time to waste on that.

”Get me home baby, we have work to do.”

Angel couldn’t believe her mom. She would learn in the next couple of days why her mother had acted so strangely. Angel ran home and got the riding mower. She attached the flatbed her dad had built to the mower. She ran in the house and grabbed a bunch of blankets to make her mom comfortable.

After she had thrown the blankets on the mower, she ran to the back yard and started yelling out orders. ”Craig, you come with me, Josh watch Christian NOW.” Having said that, she grabbed Craig’s hand and took him outside.

”Craig, Mom’s hurt, she left it at that. We’ve got work to do.” Angel didn’t pick up the phone like she wanted to do. Her mom had specifically told her not to call for help. Instead she jumped on the mower and drove toward the accident site. Jill was still alive when the kids arrived. Angel
and Craig loaded their mother very gently onto the covered flatbed.

Jill was formulating a plan as the kids took her home. She knew she had to think quickly as she wasn’t going to be around long. She would convey all of the information to her daughter as soon as possible. She had to prepare Angelica for what was to come after she was gone.


Chapter 2

Jill was an only child and at the very young age had been removed from her parent’s home. Her parents had been alcoholics and couldn’t care for her properly. She had been in several foster homes from the age of eight till she turned eighteen. On her eighteenth birthday she had walked out of her
eleventh foster home onto the street. She was ready for the world.

As she lay on the couch she remembered her past. Jill knew what she had endured and she would not, could not, allow the same fate to happen to her own flesh and blood. She would teach Angel everything she knew and she would do it quickly.

”Get my address book and calendar, sweetie,” she directed her daughter. ”There is a number for Robert Stealth in the address book. You’ll need that.”

”Here it is Mom,” Angel answered.

”Write his number down and put it some place that you will remember easily.
You will need it soon.”

”Princess, you know I’m going to be leaving you, don’t you? I can’t stay, I’m getting weaker by the minute and you have to understand the importance of what we are doing right now.”

”Yes, I know Mom.”

”OK sweetie we must make preparations for when I’m gone. You have to know what to do and how to manage the children. I’m here now and in the next day or so, I will teach you what you need to know when I’m gone.”

”You will need to call Robert in the next few weeks when things have calmed a bit. He will be able to help you for a while until you are on your feet. You can trust him dear.”

”I met him in one of the foster homes and he and I have stayed close. We talk frequently and in the past we’ve discussed what to do in case anything like this ever happened.”

”Sit down at the computer now and let’s begin our journey. We have lots to do and not much time.”


”Craig, come here and listen to me. You watch the children and give them peanut butter sandwiches and milk for dinner. It’s ok but just for tonight. Tomorrow they will need to get back on track eating a healthy diet. For right now, the sandwiches are just going to have to do.”

”Angel, after tonight I want you to make sure that the family eats properly. The key to a healthy life is; good food, lots of water, and daily exercise. Stick with that program child, and you will succeed in the mission that the higher power has seen fit to put on you.”

”Oh and another thing, give thanks often and ask for personal guidance.... It’ll come in handy while trying to survive the every day life of raising this little group.”

”Sweet daughter of mine, remember this always; stop and smell the roses, treasure the good times, and teach that to the others. Family and friends and the love you have for them are the most important things that you will ever have in this lifetime.”

”Craig Simon, you quit sniveling right this minute and feed your brothers.”

Jill knew her eldest son hated it when she teased him about his sniveling. This time she did it to make him angry and strong. She knew her daughter would need Craig’s support to get through the next couple of days.

”Ok Angelica, turn on the computer and sit. It’s time we get down to business.”

”Open my documents file and go into the phone listings. You will find old doc Swenson’s number and also a number for Crandel Murphy. You’ll need those numbers in the days ahead.”

”Don’t cry baby, we don’t have much time. You have to get through this ordeal and then you can cry. Try to wait until Robert gets here and then go out to the old tree house by the barn. Give yourself some time and let it all out.”

”Don’t let the mourning phase linger Angel, get through it as quickly as possible and get back to business. You have to keep this family together darling and it’s going to take all of the strength
you have.”

”Ok, write this down: call Robert first thing.”

”Now Angelica, you have to listen very carefully to this part. You are going to have to take care of your father and me. You will need to bury him first as he’s been gone the longest. Take us out into the woods as far as you can and prepare the graves. Dig his first and cover him up. When you’ve finished with your father, do the same with me.”

”Don’t ask Craig to help, he won’t be able to keep his emotions in check
and in order to get through this you must be strong. The next few weeks will be a crucial time for you so try and make it as easy as possible on yourself.”

”Now, inside of the document file is everything you should need to get by. There’s a bill file and a password file. You will need those for the bills that aren’t on the computer yet. You will have to figure it out but I think Robert can help if you ask him.”

Insert...

***Robert Stealth, of ”Children of the Land” fame.

History:

a) Robert legally changed his name from Smith to Stealth when he came of age.

.... 1)
Robert became interested in computers at a very early age, it was something he could do that he was very good at. He loved it and he excelled in it. He played around on computers so much it was like he became an extension of the machine. His life became better in the foster homes when he was online. It was his out and he loved it. He could create things and they worked. Robert
found his niche.

.......

”Angel, you know that I answer the phones at night. ’My Job’ file is on the computer with a ’direct deposit’ file that you will need soon.”

”The money I make from my job has gotten this family by. We’ve never needed a whole lot of money living the way we do. Your father has worked hard to make it all flow together for us.”

”Angel, please remember your daddy and me lovingly, k? You were our first born and as such, we learned all about being the people we’ve grown into.”

”Baby, thank you for being the wonderful young woman you’ve grown into.”

”Back to business now, no time to reminisce; too much for us to do. Do you know what direct deposits are?”

”Mom I’ve seen the file and I’ll read about it. If I need more information, I’ll look it up on the computer. Let’s not worry about that now, all right? I think I can figure it out.”

Jill could tell her daughter was catching on. She continued on with her instructions.

Steve and Jill had moved to the country to get away from the city and what it had become. They were afraid to bring children into this world. What with drive by shootings, kidnappings and guns in the schools, it was frightening to think of having children in this day and age. The Ryders had become very self sufficient in the last fourteen years.

Mainstream America was a part of the past for Jill and Steve by the time their firstborn made her appearance. They’d lived on the ranch for less than a year when Jill gave birth to the little bundle of joy they named Angelica.

Chapter 3

Steve Ryder and Jill Hawthorne met in college. He was in his last year of college and Jill was a junior. Steve’s major was animal husbandry and Jill’s was horticulture. They met at a local
fast food restaurant while attending Cal Poly at San Luis Obispo, CA.
Angelica is in a kid’s group on the net. She makes friends easily and Charity,
Angel’s friend from Florida, started calling her Angel the first day they spoke.

Angel was taught everything Jill and Steve could possibly think of teaching their oldest child.
She knows farm animals and plants almost as well as the back of her hand. She was raised on home
grown-vegetables and fruits.
Steve taught her to milk cows at the age of six and she gathered eggs with her mom when she was
a wee bit of a toddler.

When Angel was seven her father taught her to clean a fish. He took her to the lake and they would
fish and whenever she caught a fish, Steve helped her clean it.

By the time she was seven and a half she was proficient at it. In the last year and a half,
Angel would take the boys on fishing expeditions. This was to help her mom and
get them out of her hair for a while.

Angel often took a picnic lunch for the children when they went fishing. It was fun for the boys
and she loved being out doors and away from the ranch.

Jill jolted her daughter back to reality with a tiny chuckle. Angel was startled when she heard
her mother making that sound.

”What’s so funny, Mom?”

”Oh sweetie, you still have that way of disappearing without ever leaving the room. Just now you
were a million miles away and it brought back so many fond memories for me. Back to business, ok,
honey?”

Jill knew she didn’t have much time and if she was going to teach her kid everything she needed
to know, she had to work fast.

”You know all there is to know about the ranch already. The only thing I’m really worried about
is the information you will need when dealing with the outside world. Every thing you will ever
need is filed on the computer. You will just need to figure out my filing system and you’ll be
fine.”

”Let me sit in front of the PC for a moment. Here’s a printout of all the things you’ll need till
you settle in. I have complete confidence that you’ll learn as the need to know arises.”

”Try and do menus weekly, Ange, it’ll make your life a lot easier. I’ve been doing that for about
a year now and it works great. In fact, there’s a file in the menu documents that has the weeklies
on it.”

”Ok, now down to the business at hand. Here are the five lessons on my job. You will have to log
in and retrieve a new password periodically. You can do it. Just don’t keep the girls from dispatch
on the phone too long. We don’t want them hearing that young voice any more than necessary.”


”Here are the work procedures and the phone numbers you’ll need to record your time. Don’t worry,
you’ll be talking after a recording and you won’t have to speak to anyone. If you forget to do
it on Friday, input the information as soon as you can on Monday morning. That way, you will be
sure and have the direct deposit in your next check.”

”Now Ange, you have to sit with me, this is very important. I have what is known as Gold accounts
on the internet. I usually reserve Tuesday night to do my input on these. Here’s a list of the
places to go. You need to sit and read it over now and see if you understand it. You have got
to understand it before I go.”

”I’m going to write down a couple of numbers to call if you have a need for help with the accounts.
They are numbers of people I have worked with for the last year and they should be willing to help
if you explain the problem. If they ask any questions regarding my whereabouts, just tell them
I ran off with another man and you now live with your father. Tell them how interested you are
in learning about the programs and leave it at that.”

”Here, take my place. Read now sweetie and I’m going to rest. When I wake up, we’ll continue your
lessons. Oh and by the way, the boys lessons are in the web file, www.lessons.com. If you get
a chance, check that file out too while you are waiting for me to wake from my nap. You will need
to memorize the file it’s critical. You will use it daily when logging on for your class as well
as the boys.”

”I’m really tired honey. Come give your mommy a kiss.”

Jill knew it was almost time to go. ”Sweetheart, I’m going to be with your daddy soon. It’s going to
be tough but don’t let that stop you. You’re a strong young woman and you’ll be fine.”

Angelica walked over to her mother and leaned down to kiss her cheek. As she pulled back from that
kiss she saw her mom’s eyes flutter and her mom went on to meet with the love of her life. At
least that’s how it appeared to her daughter.

Angel began to cry, it was the first time since the accident. She dropped to her knees, closed
her eyes, and prayed for help.

She returned to the computer. She would wait till nightfall to take her mom outside. It was 4:30
in the afternoon and she needed to finish reading the file and then she wanted to nap for a bit.
It would be a long and tiring night and she was exhausted.

”Craig, I have something to do, wake up and watch the kids.”

Time was moving right along and even though it was only 7:30 they both had slept for a couple of
hours by now. The two other kids were asleep too. Angel had put them both in Josh’s bed when she
lay down and they slept peacefully in their innocent slumber.

”Ah heck Angie, you watch them, I’m sleepy. Why the heck did you wake me anyway, tell mom to watch
them.”

”Craig,” Angel spoke sternly to her younger brother, ”get in the kids room NOW. I have to go out
for a while and I need you to watch the children. We’ll talk about Mom later. Just do it and don’t
ask any questions, Craig, please do it now.”

Craig could hear desperation in his sister’s voice and for once he paid attention. He took his
favorite pillow and his blanket to the kid’s room and climbed in bed with Josh and Christian.

Angelica began her task. She would take her mother out to the woods. She dragged it to the mower
and put it on the flat bed.

Angel took her mom straight to the final resting place. She would come back and pick up her father
and she would do as her mom had asked and bury him first. She knew exactly where she would bury
them.

She remembered when she was three walking in the woods with her parents. There was a waterfall
at the lake. She could remember her daddy kissing her mommy. It was about half a mile from the
house and it was close enough to take the kids to visit when they started asking questions.


She would lay her parents together in the place where they had been so happy, so in love. Angel
remembered over hearing her mom tell her daddy that brother Craig was conceived by the waterfall.

She also remembered hearing her father laugh and say, ”Yes sir re sugar, while our oldest Angel
napped, we made our second baby angel.” That’s where her parents would be.

Together they would sleep through all of eternity. She drove on and as she moved closer to the
waterfall she saw the tree. That’s where she had napped that day so long ago. That’s where she
would bury her parents.

Angel gently removed her mom from the back of the lawnmower. She laid her on a heap of leaves and
covered her with a blanket. She dropped to her knees and took the blanket from her mother’s face.
Angel leaned down and kissed her mom on the cheek one last time. Her mom still felt warm to the
touch. It was a fleeting thought but Angel was to think of this later.

She turned around and climbed back on the mower. She sat for a moment realizing that after today,
she would never see her parents again. She started the mower and returned to the scene of the accident
to pick up her daddy.

It was about 9:45 PM when she returned to the house. She would begin digging tomorrow night after
dinner. She would read the younger kids a story before going on to the business at hand.

The babies needed something normal and she would read to them just like her mom had done so many
times in the past.

Angel slept off and on during the next day. At around 3:30 PM she asked Craig to watch the children
again. She wanted to take some things out to the sight.

Angelica knew her mom didn’t wear her wedding ring around the ranch and she wanted to place it on
her finger where it rightfully belonged. She also wanted to put her Mother’s Ring on. It had all
the kid’s birthstones and she knew her mom would want that with her.

When Angel got to the site she was suddenly very very sad. She reached down and picked her
mother’s hand up to put the rings on. She couldn’t do it. She reached around and unfastened the
gold chain that held her cross. She put the rings on the chain and put them around Jill’s neck,
and as an after thought she placed her cross back on the chain too. That would have to do.

She smoothed her mom’s hair one last time and then she wrapped her in the blanket. She bent over
and kissed her daddy. She ran her fingers over his eyelids and nose and then around his lips. She
would treasure the last touch of his face forever.

She wrapped her dad in the other blanket and turned and climbed on the mower for her trip back to
the house.

”Angelica, where are Mom and Dad,” Craig inquired immediately as she walked through the door.

Angel made a decision right then and there, she’d tell her brother. She needed his help and he’d
have to know.

Angel was surprised at her brother’s response. He didn’t cry he didn’t run and he was totally calm.
He did look stricken but he very softly walked to his big sister and he hugged her. He smoothed
her hair and he kissed her gently on the cheek. He turned and walked into the kitchen.

Craig became a different boy that night. He knew he had to grow up quickly and he showed his manhood
straight away. He picked Christian up and walked to the baby’s room and changed his diaper.

Angel smiled it had been a wise choice telling Craig. He was, after all, his father’s son. They
talked after the others were asleep.

They decided they would take turns digging. Angelica would start at 7:00 PM while it was still
light outside. She would take a lantern with her to the site where her parents waited.

At 10:00 she would return and Craig would take her place. They would each work three hours
until the job was finished. They had to do it swiftly now.

The calf had to be dealt with too. It was important that they handle it as soon as humanly possible.

The first shift was coming close to being over when Angel decided to move the calf. It was nearing
9:30 when she left the site.

She arrived at the road and was stumped. How could she move the little fellow? The calf was much
heavier than her parents and it might be a bigger task than both of them. She couldn’t think.

’Whatever’ she muttered to herself, she had been through a lot and the calf was the least of her
worries now. She was very tired. She asked Craig what he thought about the calf and then walked
away without hearing his reply.

Craig followed his sister into her room almost immediately. He was surprised that she was sleeping
already.

When Angel awoke around 2:00 AM Craig was just walking in the door. He handed her the key to the
mower. They never spoke of the calf again. It was gone when she headed out again and she never
asked her brother about it.

As she drove over to the site where the accident had happened, not only did she notice the calf
gone but the jeep was nowhere to be seen either.

She didn’t care she drove on to the mission at hand. She had lots to do and the fact that a few
of the problems had been resolved didn’t impact her much.

When she arrived at her final destination, she was astounded, the bodies were covered and the hole
was almost filled. She began to shovel. She worked a little over an hour and the job was complete.

Angel and Craig would place head stones later. She needed to rest. Tomorrow was another day.
She would begin her mom’s job the day after tomorrow. Angel walked into the bathroom and showered
and then put on her nightgown. It was the first shower since the accident. She bent over
and kissed her younger brother on the cheek. She curled up on the floor by Josh’s bed and fell
asleep.

She dreamed that night of the day with her parents by the waterfall. The only difference was
her parents were dressed in white and they seemed to float as they walked with her.

When she awoke, she smelled something cooking. She got up to Craig preparing pancakes for Josh
and Christian. He had them up and seated at the table.

Christian was in his high chair drinking apple juice from his baby cup.

The eldest Ryder child was amazed at the change in her brother.

It was the first time she truly understood her parent’s pride in the children.

It was Thursday and the accident had occurred four days earlier, where had the time gone? How had
the children been cared for? She couldn’t remember much. Right now, there were things to do and
remembering could come later.

Angelica was doing the dishes when the phone rang. It was a service rep from Billing’s Jeep. It
was time for the jeep to be serviced. She took the call and asked the CSR to call back later in
the week as her dad wasn’t home at the moment.

The call had caught her off guard. Next time voice mail could take the call. As a matter of fact
it could take all the calls until Angel had time to figure out how to handle these things.

There was much to learn about this new life the children were forced to live now.

It was time for the children to start their lessons. Angel realized she had to get organized.
It was imperative if her mother’s plan was to work. She got her mom’s calendar out. Thank goodness,
Angel whispered to herself the schedule was on the weekly list of to do’s.

Angel now truly began to appreciate her mother’s attention to detail. Along with the lessons,
Angelica found articles and information on home schooling.

Jill was always interested in keeping current on things dealing with her children.

Angel found diet, medical information and schooling information in her mom’s files.

LESSONS: Josh 8:30-10:30 (jschool.com)
Craig 10:45-12:45 (cschool.com)
Angel 2:00-3:00
1) http://www.city-journal.org/html/10_3_an_a_for_home.html
2) http://www.gomilpitas.com/homeschooling/regional/California Trips.htm
3) The Children’s Discovery Museum 180 Oz Way, San Jose 408-298-5437
4) Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Art, History, and Science 1515 Van Ness Avenue, Fresno, CA 93721,
(209) 441-1444 5) Sacramento Museum of History, Science, and Technology (DBA: Discovery Museum)
101 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814

(Put all of the paperwork on the computer.)

**Excerpt from Jill’s online calendar 2 days before the accident.

1) Look into the trip to The Children’s Discovery Museum next Tuesday 408-298-5437.
2) Call Library in San Francisco and inquire to the latest Harry Potter book.
3) Call Robert and see if he can meet in Capitola for lunch on the 27th.
4) Ask if Robert can send me download file on the newest foster care facility in Santa Cruz.


Angel sat at the computer pondering this Stealth guy, who is he? Why did her mom direct her to
him? She couldn’t remember any mention of his name. Angel was intrigued she wanted to know if
there was any reference of him on the computer. She would dig in and check all the files, maybe
he was hidden someplace.

Angel knew her mom didn’t think like others. She often wondered if that was why her daddy had fallen
in love with her. Come to think of it what about their lifestyle. From what she had gathered, not
one of her friends lived anything like the Ryder’s. NOT ONE.

Patience, Charity, Hope and Faith and even Peace (Pebbles) had a hard time relating to Angel’s upbringing.


UH oh, maybe she found something, a file of on the Stealth bomber. (Angelica was
trying to think like her mom.) Why on earth would her mother, the peaceful woman that she was,
have a file on that particular subject?

Nope, doesn’t look like this has anything to do with this Stealth person. Well dang, Angel
thought, why would she have this file??? It goes deeper than that. Angel decided not to give up.


The information she was seeking was here, she just knew it. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8, 9,10......... hum,
this looks funny. On Page 11, line 4 there is reference to a Robot, named Robbie.

What’s this, ”Robbie the Robot” doing testing on a simulator (Funny, this looks like something
someone has input into the file, doesn’t look like the original file.) Angel was getting tired.
She closed out the file and made a note of it in her memory.

Angel was curious, her mom’s thought process intrigued her. Why the eleventh page and why line
four? She knew her mom; there was something to it? Her mom always had ways to remember
things and there was something significant here. Oh well, she was tired and she would figure it out
later. She got ready for bed.

The mere thought of this guy, “Stealth” fascinated her. Why had her mother kept her friendship with him so secretive?

Angel tossed and turned all night. There was something that didn’t quite add up. WHAT was it?

Thirteen was a very young age to have all of this responsibility thrust upon her. It was morning
when she opened her eyes. She glanced at the clock OMG, it was 8:30 and the alarm was going off.
(It must have been buzzing for over an hour.) Angel jumped out of bed. She turned off the alarm.
She had things to do, places to go and she was running late.

Craig was in the kitchen again this morning with the boys. He had squeezed some oranges and Josh
had helped him make biscuits.

The kitchen was a disaster but Angel didn’t even notice. Her brothers were smiling when she walked
in. Then, she looked at the baby. Christian was sitting in his high chair with flour everywhere.
it was in his hair, it was on his pajamas , and he looked like a ghost. But, and Angel took note
of this, he was gleefully laughing. Today that was all that mattered.

Angel sat down to biscuits, lumpy gravy, eggs and orange juice. It was wonderful. They could clean
the kitchen later. That didn’t matter right now. The love in the Ryder household was safe.

The children would make it they would survive.

Angel walked out of the kitchen and to the front porch. She stood there for a minute looking at
the ranch that now belonged to four children. It was going to be a lot of work, she knew and she
smiled.

The children’s parents were gone. This was going to be quite a journey but she could feel in her
heart, it would be ok.

She looked up and right there was a couple of doves sitting in a tree. They flew away as she watched.
She felt a certain comfort in that.

Jill had told Angel a story about doves a few weeks before the accident. Doves mated for life and
just seeing them this morning made Angel think of her mom and daddy.

One thing about her folks, even when they fought, they always seemed to do it with respect for one
another. In all of Angel’s life, she had never, not once, seen her mom or her dad sleep on the
couch. She had never seen them go to bed alone; well, on occasion her mom would stay up till her
daddy was asleep but her mom always retired to the bedroom once she was sure her partner was sleeping.

Angel thought to herself as she stared after the doves. Even though she hadn’t had her parents
very long, she felt they had taught her much. She knew she would keep the family together no matter
what.

Angel turned and walked to the barn. She turned back and ran to the house. What about the baby?

She walked in as Craig was sweeping the last of the flour into the dust pan, he had placed the mop
in the sink. She walked over and took Christian from his chair.

“Craig, what time was he up this morning?”

“Sis, I got him up about 6:00”, Craig replied.

”Good, I’ll bathe him and then he’ll be ready to go down for his nap.”

“Craig, after you mop the floor, do you want to watch the babies and I’ll go out and do the chores?”

”That’ll work just fine sis, I’ll take a nap myself as I’ve been up since four. Think I’ll take
a quick shower before you take off, I think I smell bad. Funny how some of the mundane things we
always took for granted don’t seem to matter right now. Hey Ange, you like that word, MUNDANE?
It’s the first time in my life I ever used it. I saw it in a commercial the other night on the
tube.”

Angel smiled, even in the midst of crisis, her little brother could make her smile. Her mom would
be proud;, he was learning new things every day and that was important to her mother. She walked
to her room and clipped her hair up. She turned on the computer. She would do a few things before
going out and starting her day as a rancher/farmer.

”Where was I with that Stealth guy? Oh yes, the bomber file.”

Eggs gathered, cows fed and Bertha milked. Ange wondered out loud to herself, ”Which one of
my parents, named her Bertha? Must have been dad, he always named everything weird names. Jonah
the pig, humph. Angelica moaned then as she came back to reality.

Daddy was not here nor would he ever be again. Angel sniffled. ”No time for that now, Angelica
Ryder, wipe Bert’s teet girl and get on with it.”

She picked up the eggs and headed to the house. ”Drat, I forgot the stupid milk.” Angel kicked
a rock and turned back to the barn. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the land rover.

It was in the trees and had it not been for the sun’s reflection on the mirror, she would never
have glimpsed it.

Angel had a funny feeling about the vehicle. There was something going on, she could feel it.

NO one ever drove up here. Even on occasion when people were lost, they never drove into the
bushes and trees like that. That just didn’t happen, nobody in their right mind would drive over
the rocks and bushes out there.

She didn’t change her gait she just kept walking toward the house. When she got inside, she crept
to the window. She knew the sun was in such a place that the people in the car couldn’t possibly
see her.

Who was it? It was gone. Angel felt uneasy, this wasn’t something to let go of lightly. When
she got inside the house, she looked up his number. She needed some help now and Robert Stealth
was the only person in the world she could think of to call. She took the phone into her room.
She dialed the number. It was voicemail. He has a nice voice she thought. She left this message;
”Hi Mr. Stealth, my name is Angelica Ryder and I would appreciate it if you could call me back,
my number is 408-371-5849.”

Angelica had no more than hung up the phone than it rang again. She answered it right away as she
was caught off guard by the loudness of the ring. ”Hello, yes this is the Ryder residence. No,
my dad isn’t here at the moment, may I take a message? Billings Jeep. Yes I told him and
he will have to call you back. Oh, by the way, do you have an email, he may be able to handle this
on the computer OK, then I’ll be sure to give him the message and have him CALL you.”

”No, I don’t know anything about a late payment. Sir, I’m thirteen and I don’t have any idea why
the payment is late.”

Angel went directly to the computer to check the status of the bill. If that were a legitimate
call, why, when this guy called the other day, did he say it was a service call?

Angel was feeling uneasy about this whole thing. Not only had she lost her parents something just
wasn’t right in her world. Things were just not adding up since the accident.

First there was the car in the trees and now this stupid call. She accessed the bill file. Nope, there
it was, right there, the payment to Billings Jeep had been made right on the due date.

Angelica felt extremely uneasy. She heard a motor far away. What now, she thought to herself?

She listened but it seemed to be getting further away. Good, now she could work on fixing lunch.
She heard the baby crying and went in and picked him up. He had been such a good baby these last
few days.

She could smell him, no wonder he was crying. Poor baby. She changed his diaper and put him on
the floor in the family room where he could play and not get hurt. She put the gates in place and
could see him from the kitchen.

Angel got out the macaroni and cheese box, ”Oh mom, I’m sorry, but I can’t worry about diet right now.
I’ll do it when I have a better idea of what to do with all of these new responsibilities.”

She put on the water and she got out some peanut butter and celery. That’s good food she thought.
The kids could have that and apple juice and there was even some homemade ice cream in the freezer.

Maybe she would mix some peanut butter with the ice cream, sounded good to her. Craig walked in
right then and laughed.

”What are you laughing about mister?”

”Mom would turn over in her grave, if she saw this little meal you are preparing.” He looked stricken.
He couldn’t believe he had just blurted that out.

”Craig, mom would love it. Don’t feel bad, it happens.”

”I’m sorry sis.” Craig coughed and turned to go to the bathroom. He didn’t want his sister to
see him cry. Angel turned off the water. She walked to the bathroom door and heard her little brother
sobbing. She walked back to the kitchen.

”Hey Craig, can you bring the kids in? Lunch is served.”

Craig gathered up Josh and Christian and walked to the table. He looked at Josh and shook his head.

”Josh, get in the bathroom and wash up.”

He put Christian in the high chair. Christian reached up and pulled his brother’s hair gleefully.

Angel put the macaroni and cheese on each plate and spread the peanut butter on the celery, she poured
the apple juice and watered Christian’s down a bit. She sat down as Josh walked back in the kitchen.

”Hey kid, I forgot the napkins will you bring some with you. I think I got them out and put them
on the counter.” He picked up the napkins and handed them to his sister.

”Hey guys, let’s eat.” When lunch was over, Angel suggested they all lay down for a while.

She was pooped. When she got up, she would address the dishes and she would try to call Robert
again.

She awoke around 12:45 and went directly to the phone. She pressed the button on the computer
as she walked by it. She then dialed Stealth’s number and this time he answered.


Chapter 4


Robert was taking a break from work when the call came in. He was wishing he could be snowboarding but that would come later when the work was finished.

Robert had been doing some research for Jill. It wasn’t always easy working around her thought process. Often times she erased things that he needed but he was patient. He realized that she didn’t always know what he was up to till after the fact. Little things like dotted I’s and crossed t’s were flags for him. His mind was brilliant and he understood but sometimes he wished her mind worked differently. Maybe, in the long run, it could come in handy but for now, it was a pain in the butt.


”Hello.”

”Hello, is this Robert Stealth?”

”Well, hello there, Little Miss Muffett.”

Angel froze. Her mother had been the only person that called her that name and only then when something
was up. It was a special code that only she and her mom shared.

Angel tried to think fast. What could she say?

”Hi Robert, my mom asked me to give you a call about the meeting you have with her on the 12th.”

”Well little girl, tell your mom it’s still on and tell her to call me at Droid’s tomorrow night,
she has the number.”

”You sound a lot like your mother on the phone Angel. I hope we can meet real soon. Hey kid, I’m
on my way out the door to meet a friend and I need to get going. Maybe we’ll talk again, always
did want to meet the off-spring of that mother of yours. Bye for now pumpkin.”

”OK Robert, I’ll have her call you tomorrow.”

”Droid’s, where have I seen that name before,” Angelica questioned out loud.

Oh no, he didn’t tell me what time.

Angelica walked away from the phone. She’d call and ask about a time when she found out more information.

For now all she could do was see what she could come up with. She opened the numbers file scanned
over it and found nothing. Darn, what now?

She opened the desk drawer and looked down for the rolodex D. d. d...... no Droid there.

She looked up and right in front of her on the shelf above the computer a comic book, ”DROIDS”.
Just a coincidence? She grabbed the book and sure enough there was a bookmark with a number
written on it.

WHAT in the heck is going on? Angel sighed.

The number didn’t look like any area code she recognized. It was a very different number she was
to find out later it was a number for a cell phone.

”Angelica, if you ever need to call this number, don’t and I repeat don’t use the phone in the house.
Call old doc Swenson and ask him to come by. Tell him your mom asked you to call and let him know
you need him immediately as one of the boys has the croup. He won’t say much, he’ll just give you
a time he’ll be there and you can count on it, he’ll be there.

He’ll understand and he won’t ask any questions. He’ll bring you an envelope. Inside the envelope
there will be a set of instructions, read them carefully.”

Angel went online and looked up phone numbers again... old doc Swenson she wrote it down in a note
to herself and decided to call it a day.

She walked over to the mirror and the reflection looking back was her mom’s. It only lasted a moment
but it was so real. She smiled to herself then. It wasn’t the first time it happened. It was however
the first time since her parents were gone. It gave her a warm feeling inside and she twisted
her hair. It was a habit she’d picked up from her mom and now it was soothing.

Angel changed her clothes and picked up the baby. He had been toddling around after her all night.
He was such a cutie. Angel kissed him on the cheek and laid him on the bed and changed his diaper
and put on his pajamas. He giggled and she gave him his blanket.

Tonight Christian was going to sleep in his playpen in Angel’s room. She had moved it this afternoon
after cleaning up the lunch mess.

She put the baby in the playpen and he immediately turned on his tummy and within five minutes his
breathing was even. He was such a good baby.

Angelica turned on the nightlight and closed her eyes. Tomorrow was another day and with it a
whole new set of circumstances, of this she was sure.

”Sis, sis, wake up......” it was Craig. ”Sis, the dogs are barking, I think there is something outside.”


”Dang it all, Craig, what does it take for a girl to get a bit of sleep around here?”

”Hey, I heard the dogs growling and I thought I heard voices. So ok already if you don’t want to
be bothered then go on back to sleep and maybe we’ll be murdered by some alien beings by morning.”


Angel got out of bed. She tiptoed over to the window and sure enough the dogs were growling at something.
The moon was full and she saw the owl in the tree above the dogs. Sure enough when the owl hooted,
the dogs growled.

”Hey scared e cat, it’s an owl. Look for yourself, see the dogs, now look what they are doing.
They are looking right at Old Mister Owl and that is what they are growling at, you happy now, Mister
Brave Heart?”

”Fine, sis, make fun of me. You’re just like mom. She used to tell me to quit sniveling and now
you’re making fun of me. Hey, it’s a damn owl, I’ll give you that but it could have been something
else.”

”HEY bud, don’t be cussing at me...” Angel lunged for her brother and they both fell on her bed.
They laughed and Craig pulled Angel’s hair then jumped up and ran out of the room.

”Craig, I’m glad we’re in this together. You’re a good kid and a great brother and if I had to pick
someone to share this with me, it would be you. You’re ok, I don’t care what anyone says.”

Angel ran back and jumped into her bed and under the covers.

The rooster crowed; it was sun up.

*Note to self, look up these numbers: Old doc Swenson/Crandell Murphy


The first thought in Angel’s brain was to find out the time for tonight’s call. First, she would
call ’old doc Swenson’.

Angelica had written the number down and looked it up. She dialed it only to get his voice mail.

OMG, she thought to herself, it’s only 6 AM no wonder he didn’t answer.

She decided to get the chores done. She was sure Craig would hear the baby if he woke up. She set
the alarm by Craig’s bed to guarantee he was up when she got back.

As she was walking out the door, Josh walked into the living room.

”Hey sis, can I go with you and milk Bertie?”

”Sure Josh, let’s put your tennis shoes on and you can come along with me.”

Josh ran back to his room and came back with his rubber boots.

”Josh, I said your tennis shoes,” his sister whispered. ”I almost forgot about those boots Josh. Daddy
just ordered them from Sears a couple of weeks ago. Come on, I’ll help you pull them on. Josh, don’t
you think jeans would look better than those shorts with your new boots?”

”Aw sis, I wore these same shorts last time Dad and I milked Bert. I think it’s ok, who the heck
cares how I look anyways? If I step in some cow Shit it ain’t a gonna matter, is it?”

”Josh Ryder, don’t you say that ’S’ word. What’s the matter with you?”

”Sissy, daddy called it cow shit the other day when I off and stepped in it, so why shouldn’t I
call a spade a spade. Don’t go hog wild over it, ain’t nothin new to me, just ask Craig.”

”Joshua, what kind of language have you picked up around this farm anyway? Dad never talked like
that when I was with him.”

”Well sis, Daddy never did a lot of things front of you and Maw that he did around me and Craig.”

”He ever pull out his tally whacker and pee in front of you? Well, guess what big sis, he did it
all the time in front of me and Craig.”

”He ever spit a big loogie in front of you? Hmmmmm, must be different being a girl. Dad was always
doing MEN things round us boys. Yep, that’s what he called em, MEN things.”

”Dang it all girl, me and Dad and Craig had a pissing contest once, to see who could piss the furtherest...hahaha!
Well, did he ever fart in front of you............. huuuuummmmmmmm, just ask Craig about that one?”


”Josh, I’ve heard about enough, you want to help me milk Bertha or do you want to stay here and
wash your mouth out with soap?”

”Ah heck Sis, you might as well let me go along with you so you can find out about our dad from
his number one pupil.......... ME. Cause Craig never did get much into the MEN stuff like me and
Dad.”

”Craig likes the farm stuff. He likes the fishing and the hunting. Hey I bet you didn’t know that
my Big Tough brother once shot a dove and then started bawlin like a baby..... Dad felt awful and
he helped Craig bury the ol dead bird. Hey, while we’re out with Bert, want me to show you where
we buried the dumb bird?”

”Guess Craigy got over that though cause he’s shot many a bird since then.”

”Maw never knew bout it cause Dad used to take em over to that ol Harpie lady out in the bushes
near the dead oak tree.”

”OOOppps, I wasn’t sposed to tell you bout her. Dad brought her out there one day and for about
20 or 30 days, he worked on a little shack for her.”

”He feeds her now and again with birds and with some of Maw’s veggies. He takes em to her bout once
or twice a week. Maw don’t know nothin bout her but Daddy takes good care of her. He gets her fish
and when the corn is full growd, he’s gonna give her some.”

”Josh, what in the world are you talking about. And what is up with the way you talk? I never noticed
you talking like a hillbilly before.”

”Aw shucks Sis, me and Dad and Craig used to chew the fat all the time like this. We sort of made
it a game between us. We’d have contests to see who could throw a stone across the lake and make
the most ripples. Would you like to test me Sis? I bet you my whole allowance I can make more
ripples than you can.

BUT, you gotta promise me that if I win I don’t have to buy something on the darned ol puter like
Dad always did. I want to go into town and buy something, maybe a kite or maybe some bubbles. I
think Christian would like those bubble blowers, don’t you Ange?”

Angelica smiled broadly. Josh was thinking about the baby even now. He loved to make Christian laugh
and he always laid with him when he needed a nap and couldn’t fall of to sleep.

”Nother thing I bet you didn’t know, Daddy was a great marble player. He has a sack of steelies
that he hid off in the barn and we’d play marbles almost every Wednesday night. Maw would go to
work early and he would sneak us out of our rooms to play marbles with him.”

”Well aren’t you just the barrel of information, Joshua Ryder, a bundle of hodge podge for sure.”

”I’m gonna have a talk with Craig and see what he knows about all these little tidbits of things
you’ve just shared with me.”

”Hey Angelica, don’t do that right now, ok, I don’t want Craig to womp on me. Could you just wait
till I’m bigger than him. Pa always said in a couple years I was gonna be the biggest of the Ryder
clan, he even said, oh never mind, I ain’t a gonna say it. You’ll just tell me that yer a gonna
warsh my mouth out with soap again.”

”OK, Sis, I’m ready, let’s go see if Bert’s gonna give us some of that tit water.”

”Little man, come on then and let’s get busy....” Angel ruffled her little brother’s hair. She thought
to herself that she had to take Josh along more often and find out what in the world she’d been
missing.

Bertha was waiting for the children. It was like she could tell something was different. She jumped
a bit when Angel put the bucket under her. She calmed down when Angel patted her backside.

The day had begun at the Ryder Farm... it had started out a little different than the days before
the accident. Her brother’s sharing of his life, as a Ryder man was indeed a new experience for
Angel. It had been enlightening for sure. She knew more about her dad now and smiled as she thought
about all the stuff Josh had told her.

Boys will be boys her mom used to say when the boys acted up. Now she was starting to understand.


Tally Whacker, indeed, what kind of wording was that anyways????? She’d send an email off to her
friends and see what they had to say about that one.

Angel had started her mom’s job a few nights ago. She was trying to do too much she could tell.
After she and Josh had milked Bert earlier she was very tired. She had put in a mere four and one
half hours on the phone but now she was just tired.

When she and Joshua returned home, Craig and the baby were up and eating breakfast. Craig had made
oatmeal and toast. Christian had the bowl upside down but was managing to get most of the oatmeal
in his mouth. He did have the spoon working. It was just that the oatmeal was all over the tray.


Angelica walked back to her bedroom. She needed to get some sleep. It was 7:00 and old doc Swenson
would be by at 2:00. She should be able to get plenty of sleep between now and then.

Craig had agreed to watch the boys till 11:00 and that was going to work out great, Angel could
get three or four hours sleep by then.

Angel woke up at 10:53 and was refreshed. She got up and showered and got a bite to eat. She had
learned form her mother’s files that she could work anytime she wanted so she checked on the boys
and asked Craig if he was ok to watch them for a while longer. She needed to get in some hours.

Robert Stealth was in the city today. He had to work on the new program and he needed to get it
done before the call came this afternoon.

”What is going on with Jill?” Robert asked himself. He had heard the scuttlebutt on the
Internet and he couldn’t believe what he’d heard.

The government had been cracking down on the banking industry. In his last conversation with Jill
he had learned that she was in pretty deep. He was worried about her and her husband. This call
from Jill’s daughter didn’t help his uneasy feelings.

The telephone rang. ”Hello, this is Robert Stealth, how may I help you?”
”Hey, I was just thinking about you, what’s up? No, I haven’t been to Bailey’s bar since the last
time. Yeah Connie, I’ll see you there. OK, 7:00 tonight.”

Well, Connie’s in town. That’s interesting. I haven’t seen her in a while. I wonder what she wants?
The last time we had lunch, she wanted me to redo the program the agency was using to track explosives.


Robert looked at his watch, it was nearing 1:30 and he had to get the phone out of the box. He used
a new phone every time something like this came up. He knew his friend Jill and he knew that it
would be ONE OF THOSE calls.

The phone rang. It was Jill’s daughter, Angelica.

”Hi little one, I see you figured it out. WHAT, NO, oh God NO. Sweetheart, don’t cry, tell me what
happened.”

”Yes, last week you say. Tell me exactly what happened alright.”

”Honey, you have to stop crying I can’t understand a thing you are saying.”

”A car accident you say. No, listen Angel, when you get off this phone, you have to destroy it.
I will be getting some information to you and then I want you to meet me on the 12th like your mom
and I planned. Yes, we’ll handle it the same way. You get the phone for the next call exactly like
you did this one.”

”I have to go now sweetie. I’ll figure out how to go forward with this and we’ll talk again soon.
Until I do we have to keep this our secret, do you understand, WE have got to keep this a secret
till I can figure it out.

”Angel, don’t tell your brothers about this either or the guy that gave you the phone. Don’t tell
anyone about me. In order for me to help you, you have to know that YOU DON’T KNOW me. I’ll start
work on this as soon as I get back to my office. I’ll see what I can find out. By the way Angelica,
where are YOUR parents.”

”Before we go can you think of anything else I should know? What, what did you say, a black Land
Rover, ok. You didn’t by chance see the license plate did you? No it’s ok, no really little girl,
it’s ok. You’ve had a lot going on and we can only do what we can do. Now I really do have to go.
I’ll get the information for our next contact and we’ll be in touch.”

Robert went in the side door and to his computer. He needed to do some work on the new program.
He knew the folks at the site were waiting for his file and he had to give them something today.


He typed for a while and then he had a thought. Something isn’t right. He couldn’t quite figure
it out but he knew something just wasn’t right. He could feel it, damn it, what is it?

Robert got up and went to the coffee machine. Thank goodness for the new machine, it was so nice
having good coffee for a change. He sipped the coffee as he returned to his desk.

Connie, something about that call didn’t ring true to Robert. It didn’t sound like Connie. Now
he was really confused, he recognized the voice but it wasn’t Connie, he knew that as sure as he
knew his own name.

Robert went back to work on the input. He hated boring input, he would much rather be programming
new things. This project was one he couldn’t afford to let anyone else touch. He had to do it no
matter how much he hated it.

Robert looked at his watch, he would continue this at home. He could get home and wrap this up
and then be back in town for the meeting. Hmmmmm, this meeting should be interesting. He was stumped
by the call but it would be explained tonight when he met with ’Connie’

Angel did nothing the rest of the day. She moped around the house and played with the boys.

To acknowledge the loss of her parents was only recent in her mind. She had been so busy since the
accident she hadn’t really had time to adjust to what the implications were.

The kids were busy watching ”Big Daddy”. It was their favorite movie and Angelica knew they would
be spell-bound and she could take a break. She needed it.

Robert left the house after finishing off the input. He was ready for a break. If only he knew what
he had in store at the club. He was in for the shock of his life.

Connie was there ahead of Robert and winked at him as he walked toward her table. He was happy
to see her. She looked good as ever but there was something different. It wasn’t until she spoke
that he realized what it was. Connie wasn’t Connie, she was in fact Jill Ryder in Connie’s body.

The voice was a dead give away..... no pun intended.

Jill took Robert’s hand and ordered him a Corona. She knew his preferences. Robert downed the beer
in one gulp.

”Connie”, he almost choked on the name, ”What the hell is going on?”

Connie responded with a nod and looked into Robert’s eyes.

”Robert, would you like to take a long lost friend on a moonlit drive?”

”Oh yes indeed I would Connie, ladies first.”

Connie stood up from the table and walked toward the door, Robert was right behind her.

Robert pointed to his car but Connie declined with a shake of her head. ”No Robert, this way.”

Robert was taken around the corner where a car awaited them. Jill, or Connie, reached under the
car and found the key. Everything was to be new whenever she was away from a vehicle or a phone.

No two phones were ever used and no two autos. The task at hand was safety and you could never be
too safe with what Jill had in her head.

Jill drove away in silence and Robert was too shocked to form a thought much less to mutter a word.

She drove for fifteen minutes and then they changed cars again. This time it was a black Land Rover.

Jill smiled as she saw recognition in Robert’s eyes. Good, he was as astute as ever and she knew
that Angel had revealed to him the presence of the vehicle. It was soothing to know they were still
of like minds.

”Connie, Jill, what do I call you?”

”NO matter, how could you do that to your own children? Your kids think you are dead.”

”Hush Robert, don’t talk just yet, we have to get to our destination and then I will reveal to you
what is going on. Till then my sweet friend, you mustn’t project your thoughts into the universe
you never know they might come true. Don’t you remember in the Smith’s house when you would get
upset with me only to find out I had our best interests at heart?”

As they approached the turn off leading to the house, Connie opened the gates. The house was about
five miles down a winding road. It was in the Santa Cruz hills and located of Highway 1. It was
a beautiful home and nothing at all like the farm where the Ryder’s had lived.

The residence was in escrow for several months when the prospective buyer dropped dead of a heart
attack. Connie saw the ad on the internet, called her husband, made an offer, and it was accepted
immediately.

The estate was a deal of a lifetime. The property value alone was easily $450,000. The proposal
was far less but the owner had committed to a job over seas. He was down to the wire when the Smith’s
offer came in.

In reality the Ryder farm and the home that Robert was now entering were physically five and a half
miles apart. Access to the farm was created less than two weeks ago, just prior to the automobile
accident.

Robert didn’t have any facts. He had never been to the Ryder farm nor had he been here before. He was to
learn much in the next six hours about his former roommate/companion.

Robert took a seat in the huge living room and tried to relax. Connie asked that he make himself
comfortable.

”Hey Rob, would you like a milk shake? I think I’ll have one myself and if you’ll join me, I’ll
double the batch.”

”Yes, I don’t mind if I do.” Rob remembered a milk shake or two at the Smith’s when he was growing
up. She would mix up some incredible concoctions with that imagination of hers. He was always pleasantly
surprised with the taste... and as such, never asked where she got her recipes.

”Robert Stealth, how did you ever come up with that name? Yes now I remember, my crystal ball tells
me it had something to do with a video game.

Robert leaned back and accepted the milkshake. True to her style Connie
had made quite the drink.

Robert was continually amazed in the presence of his friend.

The woman could cook, she could clean and from all indications she could grow intellectually superior children. He was
impressed with her daughter on the phone.

Robert sipped the drink. He knew Jill and he knew when she started talking, it was going to be something big. Bracing himself for the
onslaught of information, Rob took a deep breath.

She sat down in the chair opposite him and began unraveling the story. Just as quickly as she had plopped down in the chair and started
talking, she jumped to her feet and exclaimed.

”Rob, I need to take you step by step through this so you understand what we are up against here.”

”Excuse me for a moment, will you? I need to change.”

Jill returned dressed in a flannel shirt and jeans and her Nikes.

Rob smiled, he recognized her now, this was the girl he had grown to love and respect back in the old days. She may not look like
the Jill of olden times but he could tell by the way she carried herself this was indeed Jill.

”Rob, come with me, I have to take you somewhere.”

Jill took his hand and proceeded up the stairs to the second floor bathroom. She told him to follow her. Oh sure, Robert
knew some of the pranks of her younger days and he knew he was in for it.

The laundry shoot, OMG, she’s climbing into the laundry shoot. He followed her. He shot halfway to the basement when all of
a sudden the route changed abruptly. She had a remote control that opened the other door. But in the darkness, if no one
knew of the passage, it would be totally overlooked.

They ended up outside under a very beautiful full moon and in a pile of sand.

”Damn it Jill, why sand?” Robert got to his feet with sand in his shoes, in his shorts and in his hair.

”Bitch bitch bitch, Robbie, it could have been worse, it could have been cow shit. Now come on, we have a ways to go.”

Jill led him down a path to the lake. She pushed a button on the same remote she had used back at
the house and a waterproof rectangular box emerged from the water. She hit the other button and the box opened. A
strange looking vessel appeared. It was functional but it wasn’t pretty.

”Climb in my friend, we’re going for a little cruise.”

”Listen Rob, when we get to the other side, I’ll have to take care and hide the boat. We cannot jeopardize security ever.
My kids are involved and I need to guarantee their safety at all times.”

”The reason I’m telling you this now is because the hiding place is not your ordinary sand dune so prepare yourself.”

Sure enough, when they banked the boat, Robert wasn’t prepared for the hiding place. With a few adjustments here and there,
the boat became a riding lawnmower. Rob didn’t flinch. He
would learn later that the mowers were an important part of
the ”Farm.”

It was nothing around the Ryder property to see a lawnmower on the side of the road piled high with hay. They had been
using the mowers for two years now. It was a great way to transport crops, to move boulders and with a few minor
alterations, this mower seemed to be a great little aquatic vehicle.

Robert didn’t know the hardness that Jill had acquired. It didn’t come from her family life, she
loved her husband and her children. It came from the dirty world that surrounded her. She had gotten
into some very dark places on the internet.

Robert had no idea that Jill had a file on him. He didn’t realize the depth of her involvement.
Even though he felt it must be very deep to fake the accident and put her children out on their
own. He didn’t have any inclination what she had run across on the internet that had made her act
the way she had.

Jill knew of Rob’s dealings on the internet and she knew what his capabilities were. In the circles
she ran with she was sure she knew his vulnerabilities.

Jill wanted to trust this man whom she remembered with fond memories. She knew, from previous
experience not to trust anyone.

As they neared the farmhouse, Jill told Rob of the old woman.

Steve had planted her there to help stage the accident. She was an agent and she was vital in the
plan to kill off the Ryder couple.

Steve had given himself the injection on impact. It slowed down his heart rate and it gave him the
appearance of death. It wasn’t hard to fool Angel, they had counted on the shock value to win her
over.

Jill knew her part was going to be harder but she knew she had to pull it off. This was different.
It wasn’t going to change. She was out of her children’s lives now and there was no going back.
It wasn’t like a bad dream it was like an ongoing nightmare.

Jill had to learn about Robert now. She had to know if he was made out of the right stuff. She had
to know if he would step in and raise her children. She didn’t have a lot of alternatives. She had
to find out if the boy he was had turned into a hardened man.

She had read the file over and over. She remembered the conversations they had on the internet.
She knew he was a hacker. She knew he listened to her when she talked to others. She knew he was
capable of being a modern day Robin Hood. But she knew the dark side too.

She didn’t know if he had any idea that she had talked to him on the net. She was sure she had covered
her tracks but she wasn’t positive. Had she slipped up? Had she given herself away? She knew she
had always talked to him on the isolated computer. The computer was on a different server but she
wasn’t the expert and no matter what, she would never underestimate Robert.

She had on occasion been tempted to connect with him on her laptop but not once had she done it.
She didn’t have the computer skills she knew he possessed. He was a genius and she knew this.

She was fairly positive that she was ok. She wanted very much to believe that even if he did know
about her he would still step up to the plate for her. She had, after all saved his life while they
lived at the Smith’s.

Jill remembered back to that day many years ago. Rob had been mowing the lawn when the youngest
Smith child had thrown the ball. It rolled into the street and the baby ran toward it. Rob saw the
ball and the car about the same time. He ran straight into the path of the oncoming car. Jill was
in the driver’s seat backing out when she saw it happen. The only thing she could think was to back
up quick and knock the car away. It worked. Rob and the baby were shaken but unhurt.

She knew he had been hurt in life and he had the capability to turn cold as ice. Had he? She had
to think faster and smarter than Rob. She had to figure it out and she didn’t have much time. She
needed to know and she had to know tonight.

Did he still have enough humanity to let the goodness prevail?

Jill led Rob to the window. They peered into the house together. How Jill longed to walk in and take the pain away from her children. She knew that wasn’t going to happen. If she did
it now, the children would be used in capturing her and Steve. They were at risk and NOTHING in
her life was worth her children. NOTHING.

The bad guys were heartless. It had been apparent from the beginning. The attacks, the thefts on
the internet. It all was just too much to comprehend and she didn’t have the time now to get into
it.

If the whole story wasn’t so sad, it would have made a great thriller. It could be a good novel
but that wasn’t the case, this was real to Jill. It was her life and she had to take control.

She looked up into Rob’s face as he stared in the window. She was trying to get a feel for what
his thoughts were.

Was he a good guy? Was he going to understand the story she was about to reveal to him? Was he going
to work with her toward a solution?

She remembered one particular conversation she had with him on the net. He was into some very high
stake deals in his business. He was making a lot of money and she wasn’t sure he was above board
with all of the things he did.

She had the feeling that he had been hurt deeply and he was becoming reckless because of it.

Jill turned to walk away and Robert stopped her. He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips.
He smiled as he whispered, ”good job lady.” She knew what he meant. It hadn’t been a sexual kiss,
it had been a friend kiss and she knew it. They were on the same track. She knew she trusted him.
It had all been said in the kiss.

As Jill drove toward the city she started thinking about the IMs she had connected on. She wondered,
”Was it ever him?” She was sure he would do that. She was also sure he could find out where she
was and he could track her down.

”Robert, did you ever engage me in IM conversations on the net?”

”Huh, what are you talking about sis?”

”Hey, did you or didn’t you?”

”Jill, why would you ever think I would do that?”

”We’re friends Rob and I’m asking you straight up, did you do that?”

”Nope, not me.”

”Robert Stealth, if you’re lying to me, your nose is going to grow bigger than your foot...heheheh,
remember the reference to the size of your shoe? Which kid was that at the Smith’s house that used
to say that?”

”It was Tom Anderson, the guy with the curly hair and the BIG Feet, HA!”

”Rob, did you ever do it? Did we talk in IMs? Please, if we did, tell me now, I need to know.”

”OK, all right already, maybe once or twice. I sent you a couple of urls that were porn sites. You
happy now, I’ve fessed up?”

”That was you? I ought to stop this thing and kick your ass. That wasn’t you that sent me the web
cam thing, was it?”

”What web cam thing?”

”Robert Stealth, if that was you, I don’t ever want to know that was totally disgusting!”

”Was it you?”

”Thought you said if it was, you didn’t want to know.”

”That’s right, let’s leave it at that, I don’t EVER need to think that was you.”

Jill thought to herself. ”If it really was Rob that sent me that stuff, at least I know he’s
still playful and he’s not too far gone.”

Jill forgot in her excitement over being with Rob to get a new phone. She picked the phone up to
call Steve and instantly realized her error. She threw the phone so hard on the floor it broke into
pieces.

Rob looked startled. He didn’t understand the importance of each little detail being adhered to. She could not afford to screw up, the stakes were too high.

Rob opened the door and got out, closed the door and waited. He thought she was going to get out.
She drove away.

He walked toward his car and drove home. It was 3:17 AM when he walked in his door. He was beat.


Jill gave herself a good talking to on the way back to the house.

OMG, the gate was open. Had she left it open when she left, she couldn’t remember. She didn’t have
a fresh phone to check, she had to be certain. She turned the Rover around and headed back into
town. She would think of something. She had the printout with the phone numbers. Steve would have
the next one on the list she was sure.

She took out the paper and deciphered the code. She dialed from the payphone. He picked it up on
the first ring.

”Hello baby, you ok?”

”Honey, I screwed up I think. The gate was open when I drove up to the drive, did I forget to close
it?”

”It’s ok baby, I had opened it and I think I was just ahead of you when you were driving in. It’s
all clear now come on home. The gate will be closed this time when you get here.”

”Ok I’ll be there in about 25 minutes.” Steve drove up to the gate and opened it again. This time
he drove in.

She had showed her hand. She had opened up to Robert, she remembered her relationship with Mark.
It was right before she married Steve. In fact she was engaged to Steve at the time. She had met
Mark when she was in school.

He came into her life and swept her off of her feet. As it turned out, he was a con artist. No matter,
her recollection of the adventure was great. It had cost her dearly but had taught her much. ”Things
are not always as they seem.”

Back to the present. She had definitely left herself wide open to Rob. Now, the ball was in his
court, would he come through for her? Only time would tell.

The internet was similar to the ”Old West”. Would it turn out that Jill would fall victim to such
bad guys of the old west as Robert Orlinger, a famous killer and sheriff? Orlinger had been sent to hell at the
hands of ”William H. Bonney” or as he was better known Billy the Kid?

Or, would she end up companions to someone resembling Robert Goddard, still of the old west but
much later ie; during the Roswell, New Mexico incident. Goddard became known as ”Moon Man” around
Roswell.

Jill favored Goddard he seemed more similar to Robert. However, in her life’s journey so far,
it was still open for discussion.

Jill had studied Goddard early on in her search for truth. Here’s an excerpt of her research paper
in college. *Note: This was before her choice of major.

Robert Goddard:

The background of his life offers insight into his contribution to the space program. His schooling
was haphazard due to poor health, so he resorted to self-education by studying scientific and mathematical
texts. When he entered high school he was two years older than his classmates. He gave the commencement
address at graduation, ending with; ”It has often proved true that the dream of yesterday is the
hope of today and the reality of tomorrow.”
It was perhaps prophetic of his life......

(Did this resemble her own Robert’s pioneering spirit on the internet....... only time would tell.)

You surely must understand now, her wish that HER Rob resembled, if only in her mind Robert Goddard.

The dye had been cast. Jill would have to let Robert sleep on the situation. He was an important
part of her children’s future and she needed to know if he was up for it.

Jill knew her safety was in Rob’s hands. She couldn’t leave the country knowing the kids didn’t
have someone to watch out for them.

Jill was reluctant to leave the children without adult supervision even though she knew Angel was
capable of handling the situation. She had demonstrated her maturity in the past, time and time
again.

Angel was a confident and independent young woman but even so, thirteen was still very young to
have the responsibilities of head of household thrust upon her.

The new house was Jill and Steve’s cover for the time being. They had to be assured of their children’s safety
before moving on to the next step. After that, they would head out of the country.

Jill handed Rob a piece of paper on their way out that night. On it she had written her requests. She hadn’t
logged onto the computer since the accident. She had to be confident that she was safe and the only
way to ensure her safety was to stay off of the net completely.

Jill had written two specific requests on the paper she handed to Rob. First, it asked that he find
and supply her information on Belgium. Second, Jill requested that he find some info about a tutor,
they could trust, that could quickly teach her to speak French.

The plan was to settle in Belgium in the province of Luxembourg. The decision on Luxembourg was
arrived at from the fact that Luxembourg was oriented towards tourism, agriculture and wood. It
also had advanced industries in the agri-food stuffs sector. It fit right in with Jill and Steve’s
lifestyle.

Luxembourg, a French speaking province made it imperative that Jill learn French as soon as possible.


Rob was busy at work but still he took the time, using his web contacts, to find a tutor for Jill.
He then proceeded to research Belgium and jotted that info down also.

It was a real pain for Rob to write the information longhand. He was used to emailing everything
and being the adept programmer that he was, he was confident that he could have taught Jill to be
secure while using the net. All she had to do was adhere to his exact instructions and it would
have been a piece of cake only problem, not enough time in the day to do what was already on his
plate, much less, teach. (In the long run, writing the info down was the lesser of two evils.)

*Note to self and Jill:

Included please find url for French Class (tutor info to come) and Belgium info.

1) http://members.aol.com/Chicolynn/french1.html# useful
2) http://belgium.fgov.be/ (American Embassy)

Rob then headed out and after locking the door realized he had forgotten to pick up the note.

”Let’s try this again,” he muttered aloud as he walked out.

Chapter 5

Jill hadn’t brought much to the new place. She didn’t have time before the death scene. She did
however grab the one thing that she took with her always. It was a love poem written long ago by
someone she cherished. It brought tears to her eyes again as it had so many times in the past.

She read it as she prepared for bed. She really didn’t have to read it as she’d memorized it years
ago.. but she always held the faded paper as she recited it to herself.

******************************************************

Together We Will Soar

I touch your face
And I hold you tight
I know how you taste
And feel your warmth at night
You’re the woman I dream of each and every day
I’m amazed how you’ve touched me in that special way
Heaven opened and a dream fell that night
A new star appeared, what a lovely sight
It took away all of those lonely years
My eyes welled up with unshed tears
I whisper your name inside of my head
I hear your voice and the sweet things
you’ve said
I feel your touch deep within my soul
Your love has been my lifelong goal
Our love grows sweeter and constantly stronger
The passion I feel can’t wait much longer
You feel my soft breath against your cheek
My heart beats wildly and my knees go weak
The desire you feel comes from my touch
The comfort you want and you need so much
The precious star has found it’s rightful place
Our love will grow strong from a solid base
In my arms and my heart I’ll hold you tight
forever we’ll burn our love’s eternal light

******************************************************

She brushed her hair and put the paper inside the locket. She nestled down in bed and touched
her husband’s gentle face. She whispered into his ear as she snuggled close...... ”You are my
eternal light sweet Ryder of wild horses and dreamer of dreams.” Jill dreamed of a waterfall that
night.

Morning came early for the Ryder children. Chores had to be done and it was time to get up.

Angelica didn’t see the man watching her. She didn’t see the tears in his eyes. He had gotten
up early and he had made the trip across the lake. He had built this place at the same time he
had built the hut for the old woman. He wanted to guarantee that he could see his children even
after the accident.

Angel began collecting the eggs and he could hear her whistling the song. It was a song he had
taught her when she first learned to whistle.

He reminisced about those times. What a glorious life they had. Their first baby taught them
much. They learned how to love and nourish together and it was a beautiful loving experience.

The tears rolled down his cheek. What a beautiful young woman
his child had become.

He had been here the night Jill had brought Robert here. He had seen them. He had watched as Robert
Stealth had kissed his wife.

He had returned home in time to take a short drive. He was the one that forgot to close the gate.
He could never share that night with his wife. He didn’t know yet how he felt about the kiss.

He wavered did he feel betrayed? Did he believe it was anything more than old friends reuniting
in one quick fleeting moment.

Jill didn’t seem any different. She still felt warm at night, she still made love with him with
the same passion. He would save judgment till later. He would watch her and decide what her true
feelings were about this man, this Robert Stealth.

The beginning of the trip from Monterey to San Jose had been grueling. Within twenty minutes the
visibility was zero and Robert decided to stop off at Big Sur. He would wait till morning to continue.

He was pleasantly surprised when he saw the vacancy sign blinking at the office at least one thing
was in his favor. He stopped the car and went in.

Gina was awake when Robert got in to move the car.

”Rob, what are you doing?”

”Not to worry Gina, it’s just too damn foggy to make it home tonight.”

”The cabin has two beds Gina.”

”What will the people at work think, Rob?”

”Well Gina sweet Gina, since you and I are the only ones here tonight, I won’t tell if you won’t.”

”Good idea.”

Robert walked in, kicked off his shoes and promptly fell asleep on the bed.

When Robert awoke the next morning, the fog was gone and Gina was no where to be found. Robert
checked the bathroom but no Gina.

He washed his face and walked outside. Gina was talking to the manager.

”Good morning Gina and good morning to you sir.”

”Good morning Robert, this is Allen.”

”Pleased to meet you Allen.”

”Gina, we probably should get going. Do you need to do anything in the room or should I just hand
the key over to Allen now?”

”I’m good to go Robert.”

”Pleasure meeting you Allen.”

”Pleasure is all mine, I’m sure.”

”Thanks for the coffee Allen.”

”You’re welcome, Miss Gina, hope to see you again.”

Robert opened Gina’s door and closed it behind her. He walked around the car and seated himself,
buckled up and drove on toward their destination.

”Do you want to stop and pick up some breakfast?”

”There’s a restaurant right around this curve.”

”Would you mind too much if we just got the order to go? I need to get home. I have an appointment
at the office in an hour and a half and I need to change before I go in.”

”That’s fine Robert. Like I said last night, I don’t have to be at work till Monday. That makes
me free as a bird.”

”Thanks Gina.”

”Thank you Robert for agreeing to pick me up.”

Forty-five minutes later Robert dropped Gina off at her place.

Robert walked into the office ten minutes after ten. His appointment was scheduled to arrive at
10:15.

Mr. Greenley promptly arrived at 10:15 and Robert invited him into his office.

”Yes Ryan, the program is all set for release. Please sit down at my desk and I’ll show you what
it does.”

The phone in Robert’s office rang.

”Excuse me Ryan I need to take that call.”

”Hey there woman, what’s up?”

”Rob, don’t talk, just listen. I have to learn French right away. The date of departure has been
moved up to next Saturday.”

”Yes, I made the arrangements last night, I’ll call you later and let you know what I can find out.
OK. Yes, I’ll be here, 2:30 this afternoon, see you then.” Rob had agreed to meet with Jill
that afternoon.

”Sorry for the interruption Ryan.”

”What do you think? Does it fit your specifications?”

”Yes, and it exceeds my expectations. I’ll give the receptionist a check on the way out. Thanks
again, Robert. I’ll be calling you in a week or two and touching base with you regarding the other
program.”

As soon as Ryan had left the office, Robert placed the call.

”Hello, is Luce there? Oh yes, here’s my number, could you have her give me a call as soon as she
returns?”

Yes, my name is Robert Stealth. Let her know that I am the one she had dinner with last night.
Thanks.”

Just as Robert was walking out of the office the phone rang. After some thought, he decided to
answer.

”Hello, oh hello Luce. Yes I did call. Do you think you could meet with me again tonight? I’ll
have my friend with me.”

Robert would not have agreed to the trip for anyone else. Returning to Monterey the same day would
not have been an option. (Except for the fact that he knew Jill needed the French lessons. She
had always been there for him when he was a kid and in a very small way helping her in this time
of need was helping to repay an old debt.)

”Yes, we’ll be staying over in Monterey until Wednesday, do you think that’ll be enough time to
teach her the basics? Ok, we’ll see you then.”

Jill kissed Steve as she put on her Wranglers. She already had her shirt on. It was one of Steve’s
denim shirts and Steve thought his wife looked great. As she tucked in the shirt and zipped up
her jeans, he stood behind her and nibbled on her neck.

”Sweetie, I need to get my boots out of the closet, now please stop that.”

”Honey let’s make love before you go, please.”

”Steven Ryder, we just got out of bed not more than twenty minutes ago.”

”I know my love but you’re going to be gone till next Wednesday.”

”You know I don’t have time. Robert will be waiting and I still have to get the phone I’m taking
and have it activated.

”Kiss me then you little wench.”

Jill stood on her tiptoes and kissed her husband full on the lips.

”You aren’t meeting him at Droids are you? You are being careful aren’t you, Jill?”

”Of course I’m being careful.”

========================

Angelica saw the Ford Ranger driving up.

She walked outside with Christian in her arms.

”May I help you”, she asked the man behind the wheel.

”Is your mom here?”

”My mother is taking a nap at the moment and I can’t wake her. She’s had a slight case of the flu
and hasn’t slept much in the last few days.”

”Is your dad around then?”

”He’s out feeding the stock right now, is there anything I can do?”

”Would you give your mother my card and ask her to give me a call?”

”Sure, I’ll give her your message.”

Ryan Greenley got back in the Ranger, backed up and left.

”Whew, Christian, that was a close one,” Angel muttered to the baby.

Angel went back in the house and started peeling the corn for dinner. She took the pie out of the
oven. It was nice and brown and looked wonderful.

It was the last pie her mom ever made. Actually she had made two but the family had eaten the first
one for dinner the night before the accident. Jill always baked two pies at once. That way she
could freeze one.

========================

Jill grabbed her bag and walked out to the rented car. She would ask Robert to return it in Monterey.
She would fly back to San Jose on her return trip and then rent another car at the airport.


Robert would return the day before Jill. He had another appointment with Ryan Greenley on Tuesday.


Robert couldn’t get Greenley out of his mind. There was something about him. He just couldn’t
quite put his finger on it.

========================

Ryan Greenley had been surfing the net earlier that year, it must have been the last week in February
or the first week or so in March.

He had come across a name that sounded familiar. Stealth Enterprises. An interesting name for
sure, and one he thought deserving of some investigation. He had been looking for a programming
business to do some work for him.

Ryan had been in touch with the Smiths and he knew Robert’s last name. He definitely wanted to
look him up. If it hadn’t been for Robert, Ryan might be dead now.

Ryan called the number and made the appointment. He met with Robert and he gave him the project.
Ryan didn’t feel comfortable at first telling Robert who he was. He would wait and see if Robert
recognized him.

Ryan had visited the Smith’s during the holidays. Several of the Smith’s foster children had been
there and it was quite a reunion.

After a very nice turkey dinner Ryan had pulled aside Mother Smith and asked about Robert. He would
never forget how Robert had saved his life.

Mother Smith was full of information and proceeded to tell Ryan all about the Smith children. She
found it funny that Ryan didn’t ask about Jill. With a little prodding and poking she finally came
to the conclusion that Ryan didn’t know that Jill also had a hand in saving his life that day.

Maryanne Smith pulled out a photo album and showed Ryan some pictures of when he was a baby. He
asked about the girl who held him. That’s when Maryanne spoke of Jill. She told Ryan the full
story about the day of the near tragedy. Ryan left the Smith’s full of questions. He wanted to
see if he could find Robert and now he was curious about Jill.

Mother Smith had Jill’s address. She remembered the day Jill had come to talk to her about Steve.
Jill had kept in touch from that day forward.

Jill had mailed Mother Smith a letter with the new address when they had moved out of the city.
She had also sent Mother Smith birth announcements for each and every one of the Ryder children.

Steve was gone when Jill walked into the house. She worried about him incessantly as he seemed
to have slumped into a depression since the accident.

He was at the farm again watching the children. He didn’t seem to be able to get enough of them.


He had formed such a bond with the children that he thought he would die when he had to leave them.


He remembered his own childhood with sweet memories. He remembered throwing stones across the river
with his grandfather. He remembered hearing his Gramps and his Gram bickering on occasion about
the boys.

Gramps would look at her and wink sometimes it worked sometimes not. When it didn’t he would just
mumble and walk away always whispering the same thing.”Boys will be boys Aley.”

She would hear him mumble and as loud as could be she would holler, ”HEY John, the name’s Aleine
not Aley.... got that ol man, we been married ni onto 40 years and you can’t even remember my name.”

He’d hear his grandpa say under his breath, ”Aley hell, that
ol woman’s name should of been Alien.......HA!”

Steve walked back to the lake and drove away on the aquatic Titan.

When he was walking up the walk to the house Jill was pulling out in the LandRover. She stopped
and said, ”Hi hon, didn’t know if you’d be back before I left, dinner’s in the oven. I’m going
to meet Robert and get that information he’s gathered for me. I should be home before 9:00.”


Robert had been fortunate he had found a tutor easily enough. It was Scott Le Trek. Scott’s family
owned Le Trek Travel out of Reno-Sparks and Northern Nevada.

Robert met Scott at the airport in Monterey when he had to pick up a co-worker from the airport.


Robert spotted Gina from across the terminal. She was walking with a gentleman that looked to be
about Robert’s age. Gina introduced them and asked if Robert would like to join them for a drink
at the bar.

Scott handed Robert his business card.
<<< Scott LeTrek <<< 750 No. McCarran Blvd. <<< Sparks Agency Phone : 775 331-3833 <<< Nevada Toll Free: 800 332-9759 <<< Fax: 775 331-4937 <<< Email: letrek@powernet.net Robert noticed the name right away and inquired if Scott spoke French. ”Oui” Scott was in Monterey scouting for an office for LeTrek travel. They were planning on merging with a company in Carmel. Robert sat and listened intently as Gina and Scott conversed in French. ”You seem to speak fluent French Inspector Clouseau,” Robert teased. Scott it seems is an avid fan of the great Inspector Clouseau of Pink Panther fame. ”Oui” Robert asked if Scott knew anyone around Monterey that might be able to do some tutoring. ”Qui” Robert was getting a bit sick of Scott’s retort of Qui but kept his cool. Scott finally acknowledged Robert’s presence and began to speak freely with him. ”I do have a friend in the travel business here in Monterey that may be available for tutoring.” Scott pulled out his wallet and with it his business card holder. He took out the cards and handed Robert the card with Luce LeDoux’s information. Luce LeDoux tel. +1 831.624.2669 8940 Carmel Valley Road Carmel, CA 93923 email: luceledoux@yahoo.com ”Luce works part time at Highland’s Inn as a hostess so you might want to inquire when you call about her hours. She doesn’t have voice mail and it might be hard to touch base with her.” ”Hey, better yet folks, why don’t we go on over to Carmel and have dinner and I’ll introduce you to Luce.” ”I’m up for it, you Gina?” ”Hey, don’t have to be to work again till Monday, so why not.” ”Luce this is Gina Gragnani and her friend Robert Stealth. Robert, Gina, this is Luce LeDoux.” ”Scott tells me you might be up for a tutoring job, is that correct?” ”Depends on the situation I guess.” ”Here’s the deal, I have a friend leaving for France in two weeks and she needs to get the basics.” ”Can this friend come here? If so, I’d be happy to offer my services.” ”Deal?” ”Deal!” ”Can I get hold of you on the number Scott gave me?” ”Yes and if I’m not there, I’ll call you back with-in the hour. I don’t have much of a life these days except work work work.” ”Great idea about dinner Scott, thanks. Come on Gina, we need to get going, it’s a bit of a distance and it seems the fog is rolling in.” ”Night Scott it was nice meeting you.” ”Same here Robert. Gina, it was my pleasure, I’ll give you a call.” Jill met Robert at The Old Alligator Bar and Grill in Los Gatos. They had planned their meeting the last time they talked. They weren’t sure when they would meet but they did decide on the rendezvous place. It was a quaint little restaurant upstairs on the main street of Los Gatos, California. It had a Mardi Gras atmosphere and specialized in Cajun food. Robert ordered oysters and Jill made a face when they arrived. She had never eaten oysters and from the looks of the things in front of her friend, she wouldn’t try them now. She ordered cheese sticks instead, and onion rings. Robert paid the bill and they left the restaurant. Gina had dropped him at the airport and he had taken a cab from the airport to the restaurant. He still wasn’t sure what was going on with Jill but he did know it was big. Why else would his friend change her looks. Besides that, what on earth would ever possess her to leave her children? She would come clean with him at some point or she wouldn’t. It was as simple as that. He knew he trusted her and if she wanted to open up to him, he would be there for her. They drove in silence to the summit. Jill asked Rob to pull off the road. He proceeded to pull into a gas station and promptly ran into the men’s room. Upon his return Jill opened up to him. ”Rob, I want to start by saying thank you for being here for me. I have much that I want to tell you. You must be aware that it could be dangerous for you. In fact, just knowing me might turn out to be hazardous to your health.” ”Well, if that’s the case, then telling me isn’t going to hurt either way, is it?” ”Guess you’re right.” ”Here goes.” ”You know I do all of our family business on the internet, right?” ”Yes, I picked up on that from bits and pieces of the conversations we’ve shared.” ”Well, Robert, I have found some programs on the net that I really think will grow into something big. However, I think I’ve discovered a hornet’s nest out on the web.” ”Do you follow me, Rob?” ”Jill, I am not entirely ignorant of the goings on in cyber space.” ”Good, then I won’t go into great detail. I will tell you that I think there is a conspiracy to shut down financial gain on the net. I think it’s big Robert and I think I may have stirred up some folks in high places.” ”You could be right Jill but I don’t get it, what has happened that you believe you need to stage your own death and leave the country? More importantly than that, my friend, how can you leave your children?” ”Never mind, Jill, that is none of my business and I don’t want to intimate anything.” ”Damn it all, Jill, leaving your kids, after all we went through as youngsters doesn’t make any sense at all.” ”Robert, I can’t explain it. It would take days to tell you the reasons I’ve come to the conclusions that I have. Eventually I am hoping it will all make sense and you will understand. Right now I have to take it one day at a time and my actions now will protect my children in the long run.” ”I will tell you this; Steve and I are in grave danger and getting out of the country is our number one priority now.” ”They’ve already tried to kill us once Robert. I have proof of it but what good is proof when the players are ’The Powers That Be’?” ”Before we go any further, Robert, I need you to do something for me. Can I count on you?” ”Jill, you know you can, what is it?” ”I know you’re a programming genius Rob. I need you to see if you can get into some files? Are you that good, Robert? The files are extremely sensitive and if what I think is true, you had better cover your ass.” ”Are you smarter than their best programmers? They’ve been trained and they’ve been updated on any and all of the techie stuff out there.” ”You’ve got to know that if you decide to help me, you’re going to be in trouble too.” ”I’ve got the expertise Jill, now what is it?” ”Listen, let’s get this week out of the way and we’ll meet up again and discuss your involvement when I return from Monterey.” How could it be that Jill felt the connection with Robert. It had been there from the beginning. She remembered it from the first time she had held him at the Smith’s. She tired very easily of trying to converse with people. It was boring. Similar minds seemed to meet on a different plane. It wasn’t something one spoke about with everyone. Hell, Jill didn’t understand it herself. How could she explain it to others? Robert had Jill’s email address and had communicated frequently with her before the accident. They spoke of the bond a few times when emailing back and forth. He was reluctant to admit it existed. Jill knew Robert was intrigued with the concept of telepathic communications. She could feel him testing it on occasion. The problems the two of them had with the concept was simple and basic, it was ”human nature” . Even if he did believe, it was not something one discussed at dinner at the neighbor’s house. Neither Jill nor Robert trusted of other people. How could they? Jill had moved out of mainstream America because of the dishonesty. The lack of humanity in the world was down right ugly. Robert, on the other hand, had taken stock of his life and decided to live it in virtual reality. It was much better than trying to survive the greed and hypocricy of the ”real world”. At least on the internet, you didn’t come face to face with the enemy daily. They took on many identities and in doing so became the masses of the unknown. Somehow it took the human factor out of the picture. Hell, if you didn’t want to talk to them, you could ignore them, if you wanted to become young, you lied about your age, if you wanted to become beautiful you put someone else’s picture in your profile. You could become anything you liked on the net. It was an open forum and anybody could join. It drew people from all walks of life. Similar to the environment of the real corporate world, business became even more sleezy but NOT quite so real. If you couldn’t put a face to the people, how could you feel any kind of connection? How could you feel any responsibility? It reminded you of the eras of the past. People ran helter skelter and didn’t live by any rules. The net provided many things to many people and the amount of knowledge you could find was infinitesimal. Decency didn’t matter in virtual reality. You could switch off the PC and become the person you pretended to be in real time. You may be the biggest rogue on the internet but the best dad in the world at home. You could be a CEO’s assistant from nine to five and a porn star at http://pornforhire.net, in the twilight hours. Amazing as it seems, even the angels of the earth became someone different when the opportunity presented itself. Virtual reality became home of the paranoid, the abusers, the stalkers, the users and the wannabes. It wasn’t a pretty picture but somehow because of the anonimity it drew people in by the droves. ================= After Jill left the house, Steve quickly dressed and headed to the farm. He knew his days of watching the children were numbered. He wanted to take in as much as possible before leaving. He didn’t know if he would ever see his children again. He was having a very difficult time coming to terms with that. Steve was not prepared for what he encountered. The farm was under siege. They were exuuming the bodies and the kids were being held at the house. He desperately wanted to go to his children’s aid but knew it wasn’t possible. He knew it would be futile and no matter what, he had to try and get away. He couldn’t believe he had gotten this far. Steve took the phone out. OMG, it was the same one he had used last time. OH well, it was a chance he had to take. At least if he got to her and told her about the phone she would know to revert to the back-up plan. Steve moved back to the lake and dialed. ”Hello, oh hi babes. Noooooooooooo, Steve, tell me it isn’t so.” ”Stevvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeeee, honey, Steve.” Jill could hear commotion on the other end. She heard a shuffle going on and then she heard voices and leaves rustling. Then she heard a voice. ”Hello........ Mrs. Ryder, this is agent Terance Mason. Where are you Mrs. Ryder?” The phone went dead. Jill put the phone on the floor of the rental and stomped it to pieces and then flung it out the window. ”Robert, we need to change our plans. I have to use your phone and make a call. I have 3 other phones in my bag but now, yours will have to do.” ”Robert, they have Steve and the children but.....” Jill burst into tears but regained her composure almost immediately. ”Listen Rob, can you call Connie, I need her NOW! If you make the call to her after I set the plans in place she should be able to meet us there when we arrive.” ”We need to stop for lunch, that’ll give her time. Let’s go to Capitola and to Marguiritaville”. Rob parked the rental and they walked into the restaurant. ”Thank you, Miss, we’ll go ahead and order now. I’ll have the Clam Chowder in a Bread Bowl. Robert, what will you have? Robert, Never mind Miss, two Clam Chowders please. No, nothing to drink well, yes two waters.” ”Hewo Jill, I would have preferred the chili in a bowl.” ”Well damn it Robert, just like when you were a kid just a little too much, too little too late for my liking.” Jill had a fleeting thought even then of the car incident when he almost got himself and Ryan killed. If it hadn’t been for her quick thinking they would have been flatter than a damn pancake. This was one of those take charge kind of things and Jill wasn’t about to wait for anybody. She had a mission. ”Bitch bitch bitch, missy.” Robert muttered under his breath. (Thinking to himself ’she always has to be in charge, in control.’) To himself once again. I cannot get off topic like that. He knew better than to let personal feelings interfere.. IT WOULDN’T happen again, it could jeopordize their lives. ”You know we can’t go to Monterey now. Listen Danny’s folks have a cabin here in Santa Cruz. Better yet, Danny still lives in Berkeley. Yes, we can have Connie meet us there but we have to hurry. I need to figure this all out now and get to the meat of the back-up.” ”Surely we can bide some time somehow. I’ll talk to Dan, then we’ll call Shirley in Napa.... ”Who the Hell is Shirley? Now Jill don’t go making this too complicated. We have to be rational about it. I realize with all that you have going on right now, your mind is a bit scattered but we have to focus. If we are to succeed in getting you somewhere safe, we have to lay out a plan and stick to it.” One thing Jill and Rob both knew was this; capturing Steve had taken the time factor out of the equation. Identifying the bodies wasn’t necessary now. Autopsies wouldn’t give them any extra time. (There would definitely be autopsies of this Jill was certain.) After all, if the agents thought Steve and Jill had murdered someone, they could use that against them in any court. Boy, were they in for a surprise oh well, that’s an entirely different story and once forensic medicine kicked in, that’s one story that won’t be front page news. (To think the Ryder’s had used the research of the big guys to implement even part of this plan was going to knock the bad boys off their high horses.) ”OMG, Jill turn around, look at the TV screen. It’s my robots.” ”Miss, miss, could you change the channels, please. Miss, I don’t give a rat’s ass about the game and if everybody and their brother wants to see the damn Lakers. Sorry, please just switch the channels.” ”Listen lady, as you can see they’ve pre-empted the game now anyway with this late breaking news, please, can we just see what they are saying on ABC?” ”Jill, we need to get you situated, I need to find out what this is all about.” Robert’s phone rings. ”Yes, Jon, I’m watching it right now.” ”I can’t now...... I can’t drop everything and fly there.” ”You don’t understand, I have a crisis here.” ”Yes I’ll be on the first plane out AS soon as I can.” ”YES Jon, I will and I do understand the implications.” ”OK, talk to you then. Hey Jon, let me be the one that calls you, alright? Yes, I do understand that we’re partners but YOU have to trust me on this. OK, yes, I’ll call you within the hour and let you know.” Rob thinks to himself. ”Did it look credible? Does Jill think something’s up, does Jon?????” Robert did understand the significance of Jill’s predicament. When he realized how big her story really was, he knew he had to do something. He had done his research. Ryan had tried to follow in Rob’s footsteps, he made all the connections to get the robots programmed for the caper. (Rob had counted on Ryan to do the do..... He had to trust someone and once he realized what Ryan did for a living he’d done his own due diligence. He found Ryan to be almost a clone of himself. Ryan had studied everything he could about his BIG brother he had stayed up nights, he had been an active member in the program Robert co-founded. Tell me this, who would ever have thought an SUV full of robots would show up robbing a bank. Robert had out done himself again. (AND to think folks out in cyber space thought he was a mere genius....... he’s damn AWESOME to the letter.) (Hey, Rob, you out there, how do u like it so far........ I know, I know a little scattered but hey, a little fine tuning and we got the best story line on the net!!! *** Now, audience, remember this, Robert can program the robots to do anything he wants including, but not limited to deletion of information .... He’s good, you gotta admit that. He thinks fast and, well shucks, what else can we expect from Robo man....... hehehehehehehe.....!!! Angel was frightened by the way those people stormed in and grabbed up the baby. Christian started wailing. He was jerked out of his crib and grasped so tightly that he was all but hysterical. ”Excuse me miss, may I please have my baby brother? He is really scared and if you let me have him I’m sure I can quiet him down.” ”Thank you, I can tell you aren’t a mother. Otherwise the little bit of pee running down your arm wouldn’t freak you out so much. OOOOOps, is that spit up on your blouse, sorry, he does that on occasion. No, it isn’t that he doesn’t like you, MUCH, he just regurgitates when he’s swung around like a rag doll.” ”OMG, what did that brat do to me?” ”Excuse me, Miss Etiquette, my little brother IS not and I repeat IS NOT a brat. What if some monster came into your bedroom while you were sleeping peacefully and grabbed you up? Would it not scare the piss out of you?” ”OMG,” Angel thinks to herself, ”I’m starting to sound just like Josh.” ”Listen you little snot, I’m an agent and I won’t have you talking to me like that. Get me a wash cloth now so I can clean this puke off of my blouse.” ”I’m sorry, I haven’t had time to wash clothes in the last couple of weeks. I don’t have a wash cloth. Here though, you might wanna use this, it’s called a BABY WIPE...... ASIF you would know what that is.” ”Listen to me missy, keep your trap shut or I’ll.......” ”Or you’ll what? Gonna sling me around like you did my brother? Gonna black my eye and say I caused it? Go right ahead, take your best shot bitch.” Angel whispered this to the female agent as she didn’t want others to hear what she was doing. The agent walked away muttering under her breath. ”What the hell is going on, I just got a call. Grab the kids and we’re out of here......... OH HELL NO, leave the kids, the boss said we have to fly out on the double. If we take them we’ll have to go through all the red tape of the child protection services.” ”Yeah, yeah, take him..... this way, maybe we can bait the wife back here. She’ll wonder what’s going on and maybe try to contact the children. We’ll be waiting for the call.” ”No, we already have the phone tapped, that won’t be a problem.” ”Ok little girl, we know you have a cell phone, where is it?” ”Which one, damn damn damn........” Angel whispers. ”AH, let’s have all the cell phones.” ”Ok Craig, get the phone mom got you for your birthday. Yes, and the one she had put up for Dad’s father’s day present.” ”Here, are you happy now?” Angel was aware of the stash of cell phones. It was well hidden inside the walls of the pantry, and one was even hidden in a cereal box. Her mom’s directions were to use only the phones that the doc gave her. But now, because of the incidents of late, she had to call Robert and she had to do it now. (What Angelica didn’t know was that her mom had taken the phones except for the one in the cereal box.) The agents didn’t know the cunning of this thirteen year old. They were in for a big surprise when all was said and done what this young woman child could accomplish. The agents left as abruptly as they had arrived. The children didn’t know about their father. He had been remanded into custody and raced away to an unknown location. Angel had heard the agent on the phone say something, ”Yeah, yeah, take him..... this way, maybe we can bait the wife back here.” ”What was that about”, she wondered to herself? ”There is something going on here.” Angel sat in the rocker and rocked the baby for a bit. ”Craig, come here please. Watch the boys for me, would ya? I have to go out for about an hour. No, we will definitely talk when I get back. I just need to check something and I don’t have time to talk about it right at the moment.” Angel slammed out the screen door and ran to the waterfall. ”OMG, what is going on? What did those bastards do?” Angel ran as fast as she could back to the house. ”They took mom and dad, Craig.” ”No, NO, wait, I have to think. Craig please shut up. OMG, Craig, they are alive. Mom and Dad are alive.” ”They have dad, I just know it. BUT, where is mom? How can this be?” ”Craig, Mom and Dad are alive, I just know it!!!!!” Angelica was out of breath but also very excited. She knew it was true, she could feel it. Angel knew Robert was the key. He was the link that would connect her back with her mother. She turned on the television. It always seemed to sooth her when she needed to think. The lull in the background helped her to concentrate better. Angelica looked at the screen and didn’t take it in at first. What, a sky fi flick? No, that looked like the regulars on the ABC News. What the heck? ”Craig come here”, she yelled to her brother. ”What do you see?” ”Looks like four robots to me, sis.” ”Yes Craig, is that all?” ”Get to the point Angel, what do you want me to say? I told you it looks like four robots......in a bank jeese, looks like those robots are robbing that bank!” ”What do you make of it sis?” ”I don’t know, but I do know this, those people that left out of here a while ago were mumbling something and I thought I heard robots mentioned.” ”Craig, I want you to watch the boys. I am going to call Ol Doc Swenson and have him drop by. I can’t use this phone either and I’m going out by the lake. I’m going to use one of the cell phones mom hid.” ”I’ll be back in a little while. Put the boys to bed at 7:30 and I should be back by eight.” Angel’s mother and father read constantly.... She grew up with the following quotes posted on the bulletin board in the kitchen. A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves. -- E.R. Murrow You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you mad. -Aldous Huxley You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try. -Beverly Sills When her mom or dad found a new quote it was posted to the board. They would play a game with the children to let them know something new had been added. Tiny red white and blue American flags would be placed around the house. Angelica remembered the first time this was done. Her mom had made napkins with red white and blue colors. On another occasion, her mom had a red white and blue tie dyed shirt on. Even though her parents loved the United States they believed there was much work to be done to make it representative of the American Constitution. Jill and Steve no longer believed America was truly ”The Land of the Free.” They knew it was the Home of the Brave but WAS it true to the American spirit? In all of her thirteen years Angel had never heard her mom or her dad say they hated their country. She would hear conversations about the sad state of affairs. She would hear them discuss politics on occasion....... and time and time again, she heard this phrase, it was said so often she swore she heard it in her sleep...... ”WE must Love America and Fix It”. Were the children of the country being led astray by the RULERS that be? Were they blindly being led to war by GREED? How does one find the answers? The state of the land where Angel lived was truly free. The family grew their own food and lived independently of the political forces that existed except of course till now. Angel and her brothers were due to learn of the real world in the next few weeks. It was to be an extraordinary experience. Were the children prepared for the topsy turvy world they would soon encounter? Chapter 6 Angelica was remembering tonight. What had she heard her mother say? It was something about the reason people had come to the new land to begin with. What had that quote been, ”Taxation without representation.” Angel decided to look that up............. What did it mean? She remembered the night when her parents seemed to be arguing. Now looking back, she understood one thing. Her mom wasn’t arguing, she was upset and she was ’Venting’. Venting WAS different than arguing and now she understood. When she was upset these days and just wanted to voice an opinion, it very much resembled being argumentative. (She would try and explain that to Craig. He seemed to be constantly on the defense with her lately and she only just now understood the reason.) She would have to sit with her brother and explain all of this. She didn’t want to alienate him. She loved her brother and she wanted him to be her ally in this journey they now had encountered. Angel found the following advertisement while looking through her mom’s files. It was so typical of her mom to keep something like this. Knowing her mom as she did she knew at some point she would have used it to influence her kids in their growth. Angelica Ryder worshipped her parents. Everything they stood for represented what Angel hoped to grow into. Excerpt: Computer advertisement 1991 If there was ever a time to dare to make a difference and to embark on something worth doing, it is now. Don’t do it for any grand cause, do it for something that tugs at your heart and is your aspiration. Dream your dream and fulfill it. You owe it to yourself to make your days count. Have fun, dig deep, stretch and dream big. Recognize however, that things worth doing seldom come easy. There will be good days and there will be times when you want to turn around, pack it up, and call it quits. When those days happen, tell yourself, you are not afraid to learn by trying. ’Persist’. With an idea, determination, and the right tools, you can do great things. Let your instincts, your intellect, and your heart guide you. ’Trust’. Believe in the incredible power of the human mind. Believe in doing something that makes a difference. Believe in working hard, laughing and hoping. Believe in lazy afternoons and of lasting friends. Believe in all of the things that will cross your path this year. The start of something new brings the hope of something great. Anything is possible. There is only one you and you will pass this way only once. ’Do it right’. Ryan had come across the following advertisement when he was surfing the net that day. He would have missed it but for the lightening storm outside his office. It was strange that the thunder caught his attention. He was surprised the computer hadn’t shut down. He stepped up to the window to view the lightening and noticed the second paragraph of the add when he sat back down at his desk. He was in the process of looking for a tool online to help him with a project when he happened on this particular page. STANDARD WEBSITE REDIRECTION http://www.myexample.com http://www.someisp.com/user/ Enter Your Domain > Displays Specified Site
Your domain automatically redirects to the site of your choice

STEALTH WEBSITE REDIRECTION
http://www.myexample.com http://www.myexample.com
Enter Your Domain > Maintains your domain while displaying
specified site Your domain automatically redirects to the
site of your choice and retains your domain’s address in the
web browser Ryan had come across the following advertisement
when he was surfing the net that day. He would have missed
it but for the lightening storm outside his office. It was strange
that the thunder caught his attention. He was surprised the
computer hadn’t shut down. He stepped up to the window to
view the lightening and noticed the second paragraph of the
add when he sat back down at his desk. He was in the process
of looking for a tool online to help him with a project when
he happened on this particular page.

Now one might ask, yeah right robots robbing a bank?


Consider this, the country is in the middle of a war in the Middle East. The biggest financial
fiasco the world has ever seen is being played out on Wall Street. What makes anyone think a robot
bank robbery is so unbelievable?

Robert knew it would have to be something big and something
unexpected. He knew it would have to divert attention from
Jill. It had to get the FBI away from the farm. Nothing
less than a major catastrophe seemed big enough. He had to
get the people of America centered and he had to do it in a grandiose
way. Why not in such a way as to have a good laugh on the government and at the same time, not devastate
the people? Why not
a practical joke that could, in the long run ease the tension of the masses?

Why not the robots? It definitely got the press’s attention.
It was on every affiliate television station countrywide and within an hour or two, it would be
seen round the world.

The politicians would be forced to pull out the big guns or
be made a laughing stock. (In doing so the attention would
be diverted from the farm.)

The FBI, CIA and the Pentagon were already under fire. They seem to have an ongoing feud that often
times led them to contemptuous behavior amongst themselves. This frequently takes the focus away
from their main objectives.

Competition within the individual agencies was no different.
The rivalry between agents was well known in political circles.
(Politicians often times used these differences to their own means.)

Robert, being privy to this information, recognized that an incident as outrageous as a handful
of bank robbing Robots would wreck havoc within the government. How could something as ridiculous
as this happen when the country was under siege?

Why hadn’t someone within the three agencies heard something or at the very least, seen something?
After all, it wasn’t every day that a bunch of robots frequent the streets of New York City. Why
had no one reported it? Was the country in such a state of chaos that no one believed what their
eyes told them?


Following please find information gathered by Robert and Ryan in their pursuit of an answer to the
above question. It also demonstrates the state of unrest within the agencies in charge of America’s
security.


REPORT: CIA/FBI/PENTAGON issues #14 (Excerpt from Pentagon file)

One Pentagon official said the antagonism between Defense and
CIA operatives is the result of each side preparing to blame the other when there is a question.


”When no one is having a great deal of success, there is always
a lot of moaning and pointing fingers,” says Joseph Coehlo, a former CIA counter terrorism chief.


Right now, none are covered with glory. Senior officials at the
Pentagon, CIA and FBI say they are unaware of any difficulties between their agencies.

”Everything we have heard has indicated to us that they are very pleased with the level of cooperation
we have given them,”
CIA spokesman Ben Carrington says. But other sources say the tension reaches all the way to Kennedy
and CIA Director George Wellington.

The CIA and the Pentagon have voiced strong opposition to the
way the FBI has handled home front issues. Accusations that the
FBI knew before hand of the events of the last two years has
been tabled due to unresolved issues amongst the agencies.
(It’s as if they don’t want to wash each other’s dirty laundry
in public for fear of retaliation from the other guys.)



BULLETIN: Four robots filmed outside the Bank Of New York
at 277 Park Avenue this morning at 11:30 Eastern Time.

”We interrupt this program to bring you live coverage at the
site of the country’s latest bank heist. Stuart Sandavol
speaking to you now from 277 Park Avenue New York City.”

”Stuart, what have you got for us?”

”Dan, I am standing here with an eye witness who encountered the
robots on their way out of the bank.”

”Sean Resnick, I understand that you were in the vicinity of the
bank when the perpetrators were viewed leaving the scene of
the crime?”

”Yes, Sir, I did. They walked right in front of me as I was going over to see one of the live talk
shows here in New York.”

“Sir, do you suppose I could get a replacement for those tickets?
I’ll be in town for a couple of more days before I have to return home, I’ve never been out of my
home town before and I may never get to New York again.”

“Mr. Resnick, did you notice anything different about these robots?”

“Well yes as a matter of fact I did, I’ve never seen a real robot before.
I‘ve seen them on television shows and at the movies but to my knowledge, today is the first time
I’ve ever seen one face to face.”

“Thank you very much for your time Mr. Resnick, now back to our studio.”

”Stuart. Dan here, have you been able to speak with any of the bank officials?”

”No Dan I haven’t, it seems there are several eye witnesses that were
detained by the robots while the robbery was going on. The police are with them now and we haven’t
been allowed in as yet.”


”Thank you Stuart, we’ll be back with you and any late breaking news as we learn it.”

”You’re welcome Dan. I’ll be standing by.”

”This is Dan Hollingworth, and I will standing by with any updates.”

”Please join us later tonight on our regularly scheduled NEWS hour
at 5:00 Eastern. We will be bringing you updates throughout the day
on this ongoing story of the Robbery of the Century here in New York
City.”

”Dan, are we off camera now?”

”Yes, Stuart, we are.”

”Dan, what will they do if they catch the robots? How do you punish robots?”

“Stuart, I think the culprit is the programmer, not the physical
robots. I think the police department will be more interested
in finding the programmer than the robots, wouldn’t you agree?”

”Dan, I just got something over the radio. It seems they have
found the SUV the robots used to pull off this heist.”

”Sir, this is Stuart Resnick and I am with ABC television, can
I have a word with you?”

”Excuse me, excuse me, we are clearing the area......... I’m Terance Mason of the FBI. Tape off
this area now boys, it is now a crime scene.”

”Well, Dan, I have been asked to leave the site so will be headed
back in to the office now.”

”Stuart, can you see anything? Do you see anything slightly resembling robots?”

”Dan, it looks from here like the doors of the SUV were left open, as if the occupants were in a
hurry to get away. I can’t say for sure though as I’ve never known of a crime where robots had
to flee the scene.”

”The forensic team is just arriving and everyone has been asked to disburse the scene.”

”Dan, this is something we might consider interesting, the SUV seems to have a United States Government
license plate on it.”

”Sir, sir, you there, would you mind to move aside now?”

”Dan, as I was relaying that information to you about the plates, the man in charge seemed to have
picked up on my observation regarding the plates. He is now having one of the techs place something
in front of it. No, I can’t see what it is, it appears to be a sign of sorts but from here I can’t
be sure.”

”Dan, he dropped the object and it looks like it is a Michigan plate. I think he replaced the Government
plates with the Michigan ones sir.”

”No I can’t be sure.......... oh yes I can, Dan, the plates are now Michigan plates. What do you
mean, am I sure? Dan, the plates that I see now say Michigan. OK, I’ll see if I can get a picture.


Ahhhhh, there’s a spectator over on the sidewalk and she is
taking a photo. I’ll walk on over and see what I can do.
Maybe I can buy the film off of her.

”Dan, I don’t know, unless there is some evidence at the bank,
I can’t prove there were ever government plates on that SUV.”

”OK, yes my wife’s brother is married to a New York traffic
cop. Yes, I’m sure she may have the access needed to get
that information.”

”You’re right, I better beat it over there before one of
the feds thinks of that.”

”OK already, Dan, give me the addresses of the intersections
of a 4 block radius of the crime scene and I’ll see what I
can do.”

”Dan, I have to go, it’s my wife, she’s probably frantic
with all of this going on.”

”OH hi sweetheart, yes, I’m fine. I think I’ll be home for
dinner, what time is it? Oh sure, that shouldn’t be a problem.”

Hey Rosie, why don’t you call Toni and ask her to stop over. Tell her to pick up a 12 pak of Coronas.......
ok, alright, ok already Rosie, I’ll call the pizza place and have three pizzas delivered. YOU
DON’T have any money, Rosie, I just gave you, yes, Rosie, I’ll pick the pizzas up. I’m leaving
right now on an assignment but I should be home by 7:15.”

”Yes, Rosie, I’ll get Pepperoni for you, a Salami and Mushroom for me and the kids and I’ll get
cheese for Toni, Ranch dressing/red pepper........ yuck, Rosie, ok already, I’ll get a side of
those damn anchovies too for that nut case Toni........ OK, yes, Rosie, I’ll give the girl a tip.
I remember how hard it was for you to get through school..”

”Toni Pedroni please?”

”Hey Toni, what’s up girl? I have something I need to ask you and I need you to get right on it,
I need it before the feds get to your building and if I’m not mistaken they are probably on the
steps right there as I speak.”

”There’s a radius around 277 Park Avenue that I need the camera stills for. OH heck Toni, I can’t
be sure, probably a six block radius. Yes Toni, all of them if you can. You have got to hurry
though Toni as the Feds are bound to be hot on this. Sweep them if you must. Hell, Toni, think
of something, this is big. OK, and by the way, bring the evidence with you when you stop over for
pizza tonight. YEAH, I know cheese and lots of little fishy creepy things, oh yeah right, anchovies.”

”Toni, I’ll owe you for life for this one.”

”Yeah, Toni if there’s anyway to make copies, do it, you better cover your butt on this one girl.
OK, see you tonight.”

Toni got the tapes of the morning and had them all copied and back in place in twenty minutes.
She had been a cop for a long time and she had been on the internet almost as long as some of the
seasoned cops had been on the streets. She knew urgency when it knocked.

Toni was just stacking the new inventory as the Feds walked in. She had already had the courier
take the tapes to the field office where she would pick them up later.

”Excuse me miss, you’ll have to help us box all of today’s film up for a federal investigation.”


”What did you say,” Toni asked?

”You heard me, we have jurisdiction over these tapes now and we will need them as soon as possible
for deliverance to FBI headquarters.”

”Do you have paperwork on this, Sir?”

”Here’s my badge, that should be enough paper work for you Miss Pedroni,” the agent retorted.


”Well, I’m afraid it isn’t sir. If you don’t mind, I need to call my super on this. Excuse me,
may I please get to the phone?”

”Helen, Toni here, there’s a guy here that wants our film. Oh, ok then, I’ll help him and in the
mean time you’ll bring me the signed paperwork. Thanks Helen, I’ll do it right away.”

”Excuse me, you might just want to stand back while I do my job. I’ve been doing it for years
now and it’ll take me less than twenty minutes if you don’t get in the way.”

”Yes, as a matter of fact, I am taken. My boy friend is a Body Guard for Mayor Giovessi.”

”No, it’s ok, I get it all the time.”

*** The Girl Robots Ready for the Fashion Show

Robert is no fool and as such, the Robots doing the heist is just the
beginning.

Agent Mason arrived home in time to catch the excitement from his
daughter.

“Mom, I have to be able to watch it. It’s the first fashion show for teens and it’s on the internet
tonight. Mom, it starts at 8:30 and it’s over at 9:30, please, mom, please?”

“What is this all about?” Terrance asks his wife as he walks in the
door.

“Oh, it’s nothing dear, something Kendra heard at school today.
It’s a fashion show of sorts that’s going to be done on the internet. She says it’s going to show
some wild and crazy new fashions
for teens and she wants to be one of the first to see it.”

“Why is that so wild and crazy?” Terry asks his wife. “It seems tame enough for me.”

“It isn’t all that crazy sweetie, it’s just that all of the models are robots.”

“ROBOTS, NO, it’s out of the question, I’ve had my fill of robots and my daughter is not going to
be watching some stupid robots on some stupid fashion show, not tonight, not ever.”

“Kendra, the answer is NO, you go to bed at 9:00 as usual, they’ll be NO robot fashion show for
my daughter.”

“Terrance, don’t you think you are over-reacting just a bit? For crying out loud, sweetheart, you
just bit your daughter’s head off and now she’s crying and doesn’t know what is going on. For that
matter, either do I?”

“Let me sit down for a minute and get my thoughts together honey, I’ll see to Kendra in a minute.
I’ll make it up to her, I promise. I’ve just had a day from hell and now this.”

“Kendra, honey, unlock your door. Kendra, Kendra.”

“Sara, please come and have Kendra open the door, maybe she’ll open up for
you.”

“Kendra let me in. Your father is sorry and he’d like to talk to you.”

“Kendra, sweetheart, let me in.”

“Terry, she won’t answer and I can’t hear a thing. Usually when she’s upset, she’ll play her music.”


“Kendra, open this door this minute young lady.”

“Sara, I’m going outside and I’ll climb in through her window if I must.”

“She’s not in here honey, she must have climbed out the window as it was open when I got out side.”

“She’s probably just gone over to Charity’s. I’ll go give the family a call.”

“Terrance, she’s not there, and Charity hasn’t heard from her.”

*** The Fashion Show Begins

“Come on in Kendra, the show is about to start, isn’t this great?”

“Hi Ryan, didn’t know you would be here, how’s business? I heard you were in town.”

“I can’t complain. Isn’t this exciting about this show? I really haven’t heard much about robots
until this thing with the bank robbery and NOW this.”

“It is sort of remarkable, or maybe just a sheer coincidence.”

“Well, rumor has it that there are robots being seen in a few different places. I heard from one
of the older boys at school that there was a robot dancing at the club he goes to night before last,”
Faith interjects.

“No kidding, how cool,” says Kendra.

“Here it is, look at that hair, OMG, I love it.” Faith.

“Mom, come here, look at these clothes, I want that blouse.”

“MOM, get in here, please mom, you can fix popcorn after the show, you have got to see these clothes.”


“Kendra, that headband is awesome and with your hair, it would look so kewl, Charity.

“I wish we could get through to Angelica and have her watch this. I wish I knew where she lived.”



“Maybe we could get it downloaded somehow and send it to her. She would love this.” Faith.


The kids loved the show, it was a hit. Kendra knew she had to go home. Her parents would be frantic.
Ryan volunteered to walk her home.

When they got outside Kendra burst into tears.

”What’s wrong lil girl?” Ryan inquired.

”Why don’t they see what they are doing?”

”Who?”

”People, Ryan, people?”

”Sweetie, you are going to have to be a little more specific than that.”

”Ry, what have we done to our earth?”

”Kendra, you can’t be taking on the weight of the world”

”But Ryan, my parents generation isn’t doing a whole lot about it.”

”Do you read the papers? The US is going to go to war Ry and the people don’t seem to even know
bit.”

”I have some Muslim friends Ry. Can you imagine how they feel living here? My friend at school is
frightened all the time. Her family moved here to live in peace and harmony.”

”I have a friend in Arizona who emails me Ry, do you know a man was killed in Mesa because he wore
a turban. Ry, he was Indian. No sooner had the family buried him and his brother was killed in San
Francisco.”

”My friend told me that the guy in Arizona was such a good guy. He used to help the poor kids in
the neighborhood. Once right before he died a friend of hers didn’t have enough money to buy a loaf
of bread, the owner gave him the bread and told him to forget it.”


”Can you imagine that poor family? Ryan, his brother was a taxi driver in San Francisco and he
was just murdered last week.”

”My dad is an FBI agent Ry, he’s a good guy but I don’t believe in what he does. I love my daddy
but he believes all the crap that the government tells him.”

”Kendra, maybe things will change.”

”Ryan, please, we have to wake up. It’s time for the whole world to wake up. I’m only thirteen and
I see it.”

”How do we get the world to help us? The kids at school see it. They cannot believe how naive our
parents are. When are we going to take our country back? But then again, when did we ever really
have it.”

”Ryan, have you ever studied history?”

”There are so many cover-ups and the American people just accept it.”

”I’ve heard my dad talk about the Kennedy assisination. Ryan, how stupid is that? They locked away
everything on it and the public has no idea what really happened.”

”You know what I think Ry, I think our government killed our own president.”

”Kendra, you have no proof of that.”

”Well duh, Ryan, how can anybody prove it when the government locked up all the proof.”

”Kendra, how did you get so smart, you’re only thirteen?”

”Ryan, my parents are busy all the time and I have a straight A average in school and I am bored
out of my mind. I go onto the internet and my friend Angelica got me interested in history.”

”Angelica? That’s a beautiful name.” Ryan thinks something is really strange here. In the last couple
of weeks he’s heard Robert speak of Angerlica and now this.

”Ryan, do you hear all the kidnappings and murders of young girls? What about the Priests in the
Catholic church? Ryan, my grandpa is Catholic.?”

”Did you know last week that they found a Japanese submarine ship that proves that we started WWII?
The news media is making light of it but, Ryan, but it proves our country has been doing this for
years.”

”Ryan, how much of our history that we’ve studied in school is true, is our whole country based
on lies?”

”Hey, Ryan, here’s a joke I got from one of the boys in my class today, maybe you’ll understand
it....... oh and remember this, Kennedy was assasinated in Dallas, Texas, and our President’s family
is from Texas, k?”

”Kendra, stop, you are working yourself up.”

”Ryan, the Presiden’t father was in the CIA during President Kennedy’s presidency, hmmmmmmmmmm.
Did you know there were rumors that maybe the CIA and Castro or was it Kennedy’s Vice President
or was it the CIA and the mob had Kennedy killed?”

”I’m sorry, Ry, my friend in California got me started and it was like I became addicted. I want
to know what my life is going to be like. Ryan, maybe I’ll move to another country. I’m sure it’s
not much better in other countries Ryan but at least I’ll know not to study and learn all of this
crap. Maybe, I’ll just let it go and watch my world end by the time I’m twenty.?

”Here’s the joke Ry.”

Three strangers at a small terminal in the Texas Panhandle are
awaiting their shuttle flight. One is a Native American Indian
passing through from Oklahoma.

Another, a local ranch hand on his way to Fort Worth for a stock
show.

The third passenger is a fundamentalist Arab student, newly
arrived at the Texas oil patch from the Middle East.

To pass the time they strike up a conversation on recent events,
and the discussion drifts to their diverse cultures. Soon the
Westerners learn that the Arab is a devout radical Muslim.

The conversation falls into an uneasy lull.

The cowpoke leans back in his chair, crosses his boots on a
magazine table, tips his big sweat-stained hat forward over his face.
The wind outside blows tumbleweeds and the old windsock flaps.

Finally, The Native American clears his throat and softly, he
speaks: ”Once, my people were many, now we are few”.

The radical Muslim raises an eyebrow and leans forward, ”Once my
people were few,” he sneers, ”and now we are many. Why do you
suppose that is?”

The Texan shifts the toothpick to one side of his mouth and from
the darkness beneath his Stetson says in a drawl, ”That’s ’cause
we ain’t played Cowboys and Muslims yet.................”

”Good joke, huh Ryan? I cried all day cause I thought the kid that sent it to me was an understanding
person. Hmmmmmmmmm, what a thought, someone who could understand what I think of the whole world.”


”I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have told you all of this. My dad would be so mad if he knew how I felt.


He’s a proud man Ryan and he’s not a bad guy. I feel that he’s sort of like the people in our military,
he’s been duped.”

”Kendra, you are wise beyond your years my dear. I don’t know what to tell you. How do you deal
with all of these things? Are you in counseling?”

”Actually, I do see and counselor at school. She’s amazed that I see all of this. She thinks I have
a lot to deal with and she also thinks I’m a bit of a nut.”

”I don’t give a damn what she thinks, She’s old enough to be my grandmother and she won’t be around
to go through MY life. You know what, Ryan, there’s not a damn thing I can do about any of this,is
there?”

”Kendra, honey, we’re here.”

”Ryan, you better not come into the house with me, my dad may not understand, isn’t that a joke?
He lives with his head up his ass and thinks our government is the good guys. He would have a heart
attack if he thought I was with a boy.”

”Wouldn’t he just crap if he thought I might have sex at thirteen or fourteen because I may not
have a world by the time I’m sixteen.”

Ryan walks around the corner as the door opens and Kendra’s father takes her in his arms.

”Now Kendra, my baby, thank God you are alright. Now what the hell were you thinking?”

”Daddy I’m sorry, I just wanted to watch a stupid fashion show.”

”I know baby and I over-reacted, I’m sorry. We’ll talk about this later, right now, you need to
go to bed. I’ll see you at breakfast and we’ll discuss your punishment.”

”Dad, what about your punishment for not being reasonable?”

”Ok, Kendra, we’ll talk about that in the morning also. Right now to bed with you. I’ll be by to
tuck you in.”

”Kendra, I love you.”

”I love you too Daddy.”

Chapter 7


Kendra turned on her light after her dad left the room. She pulled out the robot book and began
to read. Her dad would really have a fit if he knew of the book. Oh well, it was more fun than anything
else at the moment. Except of course the internet, but the computer was in the other room and it
was her bed time.

She’d only read a couple of paragraphs when the idea came to her. She would make copies and give
them to her friends. They would love it after the fashion show. Maybe, if all turned out nice enough,
she would give the books as Christmas gifts.

She started to read again and another idea. She could make up the books at school. It wasn’t like
she would be abusing any copywrite laws, the book was bought at a yard sale and from the looks of
it, it was homemade too.

She knew from the tour of the library at her new school that they had the material to make the books.
She would ask the librarian to show her how to do it. She remembered seeing the cones and the hole
punch and it didn’t look very hard.

Kendra wondered to herself what this book was really about. Parts of it didn’t make sense. She had
really liked the content up to this point and even though she didn’t understand the origination
she decided to continue. (She reminded herself to inform the girls and Ryan that if they got into
the book they would like it.) She couldn’t think of anything else to say.

Kendra began where she left off a few days ago. She had really been interested after the boy at
school had made that comment about seeing a
robot at a club.

.........the story continues

AUDRA and the Robots

I had been so involved in business that I seemed to have been negligent in my care of the robots.


That being said, I took most of yesterday and all of last night updating myself on the activities
of our much beloved robots. I must admit this was not an easy task. I had to adjust my schedule
to theirs. That in itself is a feat for wonderwoman. What with delivering to the membership, I found
out the robots still pursue an outside life.

I spent yesterday with R2INU and Goldie. R2 has become very involved in the world of BMX. We spent
part of the time at a competition in Kentucky. The competition we watched yesterday is exhibition
riding. I must tell you it is something to watch. Those young men are very skilled and talented
and I was very impressed. R2 was glued to his seat and seemed to be in awe of the young men performing.

Goldie was in and out for the first hour we were there. She was unavailable for communication until
it was time for her to retrieve R2 and me from the competition.

When R2 and I arrived at the SUV, we were surprised to see the whole interior full of toys and gifts.
I inquired of Goldie about the presents. Boy was I in for a shock. So too was R2, he didn’t know
this part of Goldie either. Following you will find a most heartwarming story of our rich, flashy
robot that will indeed bring tears to your eyes.

It seems when Goldie left the competition for that first hour she was headed over to the Ronald
McDonald house in Louisville. She got a list from the administrator of the toys and gifts that the
children wanted. She then went out with her assigned credit card and purchased all of the things
the children asked for.

Were we in for a treat. While Goldie was out on her shopping excursion the volunteers at the house
were busy decorating. Guess what we found when we walked in the door? You betcha, a giant tree…..
not exactly your typical Christmas tree, but who knew? The decorations that covered the tree far
made up for it not being a boring pine tree.

In the short time that Goldie had been out and about the people at the house pulled together and
got busy making decorations. It was beautiful. It did have the traditional Christmas tree lights….
That being said, the other decorations were anything but traditional. I won’t even try to describe
the tree, it was the most beautiful tree I have ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on.

The children were excited and I must say the excitement was contagious. Everyone in the room seemed
to be star struck. It was almost as if there was a presence that exuded a golden aura throughout
the room. It was truly dreamlike.

Goldie seemed to be partial to one of the little girls in a wheel chair. From the looks of Audra,
you could feel that maybe the GLOW was there for Audra.

The presents were given out and Audra received the first one. Audra’s mom knelt beside Audra as
she opened the gift. It was last year’s Christmas Barbie. Audra smiled and you could see a tear
on her mom’s cheek.

Audra looked very tired and after opening the gift her mom excused herself and Audra they went back
to Audra’s room.

Audra’s mom returned a little while later to enjoy the rest of the celebration. Audra had gone home
to Her Father.

Goldie looked at me for some sort of explanation. R2 was spellbound with a bike book one of the
boys had given him.

I walked over to Audra’s mom and hugged her. She smiled and said it was time. Audra was tired. She
also smiled and said, ”I am tired too. I can go home now and see to my other three children and
give them some solace that Audra is not in pain now.”

Goldie looked at me and said we had to go. She gave Audra’s mom a big hug and told her to email
her and handed her a small piece of paper. I’m not sure but I don’t think Goldie understood any
of it. She just knew that Audra seemed to need the party and knew she was able to give it to her.

I got into the SUV and waved at the children. R2 was still excited about the little boys bike and
Goldie drove off with a sweet smile on her lips.

I’m proud of our robots, they are growing into fine young adult robots……

Thank you for letting me be a part of their growth.

=================

Kendra put the book back in the drawer and turned off the lights. She hugged her stuffed Elmo and
closed her eyes. It had been a tough day and it wasn’t long before she fell asleep.

”Kendra, wake up, what is Elmo doing on the floor?” Kendra’s mom asked with a grin.

”Ma, give me Elmo. You know those big ol eyes of his poke me sometimes in my sleep.”

”Well sweet angel of mine, why do you insist on sleeping with him?”

”Don’t you remember how I found him in the back of Uncle Fred’s truck?”

”No honey, I don’t remember that story. Do you want to remind me?”

”Mother, for crying out loud, can’t you remember anything? I’m sorry Mom. Mom, I’m sorry, please
don’t cry. I forget sometimes.”

Kendra jumped up from bed and gave her mom a big hug and brushed away the tear.

”Mom, I’m just a kid, remember, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I forget sometimes about it.
You always seem so smart and when you forget things, it seems funny.”

”Ma, do you forgive me?”

”Ok, one day, I was over at Uncle Fred and Aunt Carol’s. I was getting ready to get in the car with
dad when I saw Elmo, still in the package in the back of Uncle Fred’s truck. I asked him what Elmo
was doing there.”

”Uncle Fred looked at me and laughed and told me he was there for the next time he went to target
shoot. He told me he was going to use Elmo for target practice.”

”I just put the package down on the seat of the truck and gave Uncle Fred a big hug and asked him
if I could please take Elmo home.”

”Do you remember now Mom?”

”Yes, honey, now I remember.”

”You better get going, your dad is running late and he wanted to talk to you this morning.”

”I’ll hurry Momma, I already know what I’m going to wear today. It looks a little like one of the
outfits one of the robots had on in that fashion show last night.”

”Tell Dad I’ll be right there.”

”Claire, is my dad there,” Kendra asks of the receptionist at FBI headquarters.

”Claire, if I could get him on the cell phone..... GET ME MY DADDY damn it!”

”I don’t care, get him out of the damn meeting and do it now, it’s an emergency. Claire, I’m sorry,
I need daddy and I need him NOW.”

”Daddy,” Kendra is crying, ”do you know where Mom is? Daddy, I think she’s going to kill herself.
Daddy, just come home I’m going out and see if I can find her. Daddy, do you have a gun in the
house? DO YOU OR DON’T YOU?”

”Just come home, I’ll find her by myself.” Click.

”Mom, are you here? Mom, where are you? Mommie, wake up. Mommie, please wake up.”

Kendra picks up the phone and dials 911.

”I need help, sniff, sniff, ”I think my mom is going to die, she’s out cold and I can’t wake her
up. Yes, it’s 110769 Thomas Drive, I’m out by the greenhouse. Yes, she’s still breathing but it
seems shallow. NO, I’m with her now and I’m shaking her.”

”She’s on medication for depression. No, I don’t know the name of the drug.”

”Can’t you just get over here now? Oh, ok, they are already on their way. OK, I hear a siren now,
ok, thanks.” click.

”This way, she’s out by the greenhouse in the lounge. Yes, I’ll see if I can find the bottle. No,
I don’t know. All I know is I found this note on the computer. That’s when I started to look for
her. Yes my dad is on his way.”

”Miss, could you just step aside and we’ll see what we can do.”

”Yes, vitals are good. Yes, she seems to be breathing fine, a little shallow but I think she’s ok.
Yep, ETA, seven minutes. We’re on our way.”

”Miss, do you want to go along with your mother?”

”I think my daddy just drove up and if he did, we’ll follow, ok?”

”Jim, grab the printout of the note and bring it with us. Miss, can I have the bottle please, is
there anymore?”

=========================

”Insight Into Insanity All the things I learned growing up VOID
Rearranging my thought processes to include Change Constant and continual Change.

MY Mother Cancer What Cancer? Yes Radiation.

MY Father What Chemotherapy What? Medication is worse than the disease If the disease doesn’t kill
me the medication will!

They won’t take their child to the doctor. Natural is better. Put them in jail. Doctors know best.

>RACING THOUGHTS - doctor patient conversation<

*Take this drug.

*NOOOOOOOO, I won’t.

*Take it or you won’t get the care you need to survive.

*Noooooooooo, I won’t.

*Fine then, be damned.

*Alright I’ll try it, NO it makes me sick.

*You didn’t give it time.

*It made me vomit

*Take it, give it time, and if it still doesn’t work…… We’ll try another.

*OK, I’ve been on it a month and I vomit every day.

*OK, let’s try this one.

*OK Doctor, I have a rash

*Come to my office in three weeks.

*What about help till then?

*Take the drug I gave you and I’ll give you an anti rash drug too.

*Doctor, I’m going to get fired, the meds you gave me make me sleep and I cannot get up. (How many
times do I have to do this to find the right one, how many times does my family have to endure this?
Doctors are jerks and I wish he’d get hurt so he knows how it feels.. I wish he’d have to have
medication that some dumb doctor gave him, I wish someone understood.)

*Two days later. Doctor, I had to go to emergency

*Why?

*My heart hurt.

*It’s in your head. Cut the dosage in half. I’ll call the pharmacy.

*Doctor, I can’t sleep.

*It’s only a week till your appointment.

*Doctor. Doctor. Answering machine.

*Doctor, I couldn’t wait the week. The vomiting, the rash, the insomnia, MY HEART? BANG!!!!!!!

==========================

Kendra and Terrance followed the ambulance to the hospital.

.......two hours later..

”She’s going to be fine. She didn’t take too much. It looks to me like she just wanted to sleep
and it looks like she took just enough to get her into the deep sleep. We’ll keep her here for the
night.”

”Yes, you can see her. She’s still groggy and she probably will be till tomorrow. In my opinion,
she’ll sleep fine and she’ll just have to watch corners for a bit. She’ll be a bit off center for
a couple of days but that’s normal.”

”Mom, you scared me half to death. Was it what I said this morning? Mommie, I am so sorry.”

”Kendra, it wasn’t what you said. I didn’t realize those new pills were so strong. The doctor told
me to take three a day and I haven’t been able to sleep so I just took the three.”

”Sara, what was that note?”

”What note dear?”

”The one about you know, the suicide note?”

”Honey, I don’t know what you are talking about.”

”The note on the computer Mom!”

”Oh my goodness, I had copied that from a long time ago when I was having trouble with that doctor.
I printed it out today and wanted to file it into my meds file. I wanted to remember what it was
like when I was under that other doctor’s care.? Did I forget to file it?”

”No Mom, when I couldn’t find you I picked up the file on the desk and it fell out. I was looking
to see if you had gone for a walk or something and left a message.”

”Kendra, I’m so sorry, I am so sorry, baby. I didn’t even think about that. I never thought you’d
ever see that note. I can barely remember writing it now but when I found it, I wanted to remember
and I was going to file it and keep it.”

”Baby, I never want to leave you. I’m just now finding out about the illness and it’s helping.
You know what, sweetie? The reason I finally started doing the research is because you seem so excited
about the internet. I’ve learned so much and it’s all been because of my own sweet Kendra.”

”Terry, honey, I’m sorry, I know you......................zzzzzzzzzzzz....”

”Daddy, we might as well go home now.”

”Daddy, are you crying?”

”Daddy, she’s fine now, we’ll be fine.”

”Kendra, will you teach me that internet stuff?”

”What are you talking about, Daddy, don’t you know all of that internet stuff. I would think on
your job, you’d have to know.?

”Yes, I do use a computer at work but this is different. I’m not in a department that uses that
stuff. I very rarely access the internet. They have a whole ’new age’ younger department that ONLY
does that.”

”Daddy, we’ll switch it on when we get home and I’ll get you started. Do you want to start learning
about Mom’s illness? I think it’s time we do it together. This can bring us closer and surely help
Mom if we can support her with better knowledge.”

”Dad, did I ever tell you, I think you’re a pretty cool ol man?”

”I love you baby.”

”I love you too Daddy.”

Chapter 8

Robert is wondering about Ryan. What is going on with Ryan, he thinks to himself? He comes back
into my life and now, he seems uninterested. I really thought he was going to stick around. I wonder
what happened.

In the mean time, Ryan is working on finding out if Kendra, from New York and Angelica, from California
are friends. It all didn’t quite fit together yet but he wanted to know now. It seemed more than
a coincidence.

”Hey Rob, what are you doing,” Ryan asked.

”Who is this?”

”Rob, don’t give me that, it’s Ryan Greenley, of course. You know, your little brother.”

”Well, it’s been a while Ryan. I thought after what we did with the robots I would have heard from
you.”

”I didn’t really want to make anybody suspicious, so I just stayed away for a while.”

”Rob, I have a question.”

”Yes Ryan.”

”Is there any possibility at all that an FBI agent that was out at the farm could possibly have
connections with the Ryders?”

”What are you talking about?”

”Here’s the deal. I know a little girl in NY that knows another young girl in California and her
name is Angelica.”

”Ryan, how young are we talking here?”

”Rob, it isn’t like that. I just know this kid. Robert, I think there’s a connection between the
two. I think this Angel Ryder and Kendra Mason are friends. I think they met on the internet and
I think Kendra’s old man was out at the farm.”

”Ryan, that is just way too much of a coincidence. It’s almost an impossibility.”

”Robert, what if somehow, some way these two girls got connected. Maybe they have something in common.
Maybe, I don’t know, maybe there is something they are both interested in and they hooked up on
the net.”

”Well, Ryan, after what we went through with the robot incident, you do know I may have a way of
finding out. Let me see if I can ask around. I have some people I know and they know some people
in the bay area.”

”Sure Rob, I’ll leave it in your hands.”

Ryan to self, ”He is quite the networker,isn’t he? He thinks I don’t know that he doesn’t have to
lift a phone or go online and email someone else. That man has capabilities that far exceed your
average bear. Oh well, one day if he trusts me enough, he’ll tell me, or he won’t.”

”Listen guy, I’m gonna head out. You will let me know when you talk to your friends in California,
won’t you. I’d really like to know if what I think is real.”

”Sure Ryan, give me a few days and I’ll get back to you.”

Robert thinks it over and decides this might not be a good thing. What if Ryan finds out the truth.
That could put the kid in danger.

Robert gets on his computer right away and starts doing what he does best.

====================
Now ladies and gents out in Storyland, we won’t give any secrets away here but Robert Stealth is
a genius on the computer. He can do things that other’s only dream of.

If the FBI thinks they can train youngsters to do what he does, well they can keep on dreaming.
Nuff said on that subject.

====================

Robert defies human capabilities and within four hours realizes what Ryan believes is true. He now
knows that Kendra Mason and Jill’s daughter Angelica are indeed friends. (He’s known it all along
but fact is, that was just too easy.)

Robert has to do something. He has got to warn the Ryder’s. It may not ever turn into anything but
Steve and Jill need to know. At least, they will know what to look out for and not be caught off
guard if and when something happens.

+++++++++

The fashion show was a success. There were quite a few watchers. The counters showed 1013 viewers
in 3 days. That wasn’t bad for not advertising the show. Word of mouth got the show watched and
with the 1013 viewers and the next show due out in five days, maybe the numbers would increase substantially.


Kids of today are very savvy on the net. They enjoy instant gratification. They also like science
fiction. The robot fashion show combined not only those two elements but it brought in fashion,
something teenagers world wide absolutely crave.

Judging from the small party that Kendra Mason attended, the accessories were a very important item.


The headbands seem to be a real hit. If the kids only knew that the headbands were a mere cover
for maintenance. They would probably like that even more. Maybe that is a tidbit of information
that might be considered leaking to the teens.

The designer of the clothes is considering a boys line too. That will be somewhere in the future.
At the moment the market is directed at the younger teenage girl population.

The feathery look seems to be a hit. Several of the outfits are adorned with the feathers and the
kids commented postitively on that.

Jill had figured out what Angel was doing. She had gone underground so to speak and taken over her
daughter’s identity when she found out Angel was talking to an FBI agent’s daughter.

She had uncovered lots of information. She had the skills and connections to find out the truth.


The first time she and Steve were run off the road, the wreck looked for all intensive purposes
that it had taken them out.

What the agents didn’t know was that there was a ledge about four hundred and fifty feet down the
hill. How she and Steve were both thrown out of the way, is a miracle. Maybe someone was watching
over them that day. Jill had been sitting on the console beside her husband and didn’t have on
her seat belt. Steve had taken a safety class and instinct that day told him to get out of his.
They were both scratched and shaken but, no broken bones and no major injuries.

When Jill had arrived home that day, she took things into her own hands. She had started planning
the REAL accident that was to take their lives. She had all of the plan well laid out before she
shared it with her husband.

Steve was shocked that Jill was that fastidious in her plan. It was worked out to a T. He was very
impressed with his beautiful intelligent wife. He would never have been able to conjure up such
a plan.

Unbeknownst to Terrance Mason, the plan to kill the Ryders was put into place. His internet line
at home had been hacked. Someone knew of the connection and Jill was just thankful she had taken
over Angel’s friendship with Kendra.

When Jill had first started connecting with Kendra, it was apparent she had to learn a bit about
being young again. She was already in the habit of spending lots of time with Angelica but after
she learned of their friendship, it took on a whole new meaning.

Jill became an undercover cop in her own right. She had to learn how to hide files from her daughter,
she had to learn to take on her daughter’s identity. There was much she had to do to protect her
children.

Looking back it was amazing that she had pulled it off. Angel never seemed to suspect anything.
Maybe because Jill had always been able to get her friend to help.

There weren’t too many folks in the world that Jill Ryder trusted. If the truth were known, she
would trust her friend more so than her husband in this particular area. Not to say that Jill wasn’t
in love with Steve. He just didn’t have the aptitude that Stealth had for what she needed.

As Robert began to reflect on his relationship with Jill Ryder, it had never been dull. That is
for sure. He still thought of the accident Jill diverted in their youth.

What next? What can she get into next, Robert wondered?

Robert hadn’t heard from her in a while and he thought he better try and touch base. If he knew
her, she would be into mischievous by now......

Kendra had her father in the right place. She had found a few sites her mom had put on-line.

http://www.nami.org/
http://www.healthyplace.com/

She was confident that he would be busy for a while. She pulled out the next volume of the series
of robot books.

Kendra really liked these books. The more she read, the more she liked.

Audra had been a sad story but in a way, it made her smile. She liked the way the author did the
robots. She knew they weren’t real people and in some ways they seemed very sensitive and yet non-human.


Kendra really liked that the robots seemed to be kind, polite, courteous and respectful of not only
each other but to REAL people too.

Kendra put the book down. She forgot to brush her teeth. She would do that, check on her dad, and
get a glass of water and then she was good to go.

She climbed back into bed and realized that Elmo was across the room, wrapped in a blanket and neatly
tucked into the chair, as if someone had done it with a great deal of love. ”Mom, I love you”, Kendra
whispered as she picked up Elmo and gently slid him under her covers.

She opened the book and began to read...

PRINCESS IN DISTRESS

No one knew of her existence. As history would have it, she had left Phoenix long ago.

The robots had come to Phoenix on one of their many trips to visit. It seems with the program being
on hold for the time being, they needed to get away. Robert had agreed that it would be a good time
to take a trip to Phoenix.

Canada is very cold during the winter months and anyone who knows anything at all about robots knows
that the moisture in the air isn’t good for them.

........ Robots arrive in Phoenix

She was happy to see the bots. It had been New Year’s Eve when they had last been here. With her
son and his family living with her, she hadn’t much time to think about her robot family. It was
a treat to see them pull up.

She had heard the rumors about the castle being found. She suggested to Linus that it might be a
fun outing for the bots to see what the big hullabaloo was about. It had been plastered all over
the papers and it had been a great find for history.

As the story goes, the castle had burned down centuries ago. It was in such a remote part of Phoenix
that the find was indeed remarkable. The shrubs, bushes, weeds, trees and greenery were unbelievable
in the Phoenix area. No one would ever have known except for the car accident.

There had been numerous papers written on the Princess of Phoenix.

PRINCESS IN DISTRESS the story

The princess lived in the high tower of Phoenix. She lived alone for hundreds of years never aging
and always longing for her knight ’in shining armor’ to come to her rescue. (Unknown to anyone how
shining armor might present itself.)

On occasion Phoenix would crash and burn only to be rebuilt around the tower where the princess
resided.

Much the same as the princess the tower seemed to be indestructible. It would survive violent flames
and never burn when all about it crumbled.

The princess longed for companionship and to grow old naturally. She spent many hours on the phone
connecting with people all over the world. Making friends came easy for her as she was a true people
”person” and could empathize with most everyone she met.

The only problem with the invention of the phone system was that she would make friends and time
would pass and the friends would disappear. As the princess never aged, she never understood, much
the same as Puff the magic dragon, her friends would pass on and she would be left wondering.

She often times connected via conversations and craved the touch of another. In all of the hundreds
of years, it evaded her. She often thought that in past lives she had angered the gods and this
was her eternity of punishment.

There were times, like now, when she longed for a one on one interaction.

Had the princess only known what the day had in store. Had she known that history was about to be
made in the form of an SUV full of Robots. .............the story begins

The princess, sitting high in her tower had resolved herself to a life time of loneliness and was
virtually sipping on her virtual second cup of coffee when she heard the SUV pull up. She was used
to the tourists by now, the accident had happened a week ago. It had been chaos.

The city had sent over a crew to clean up the litter and another to cut the weeds, shrubs, trees,
and vines. Boy, were they in for a surprise when they came upon the structure. Who would have thought
that there was a castle hidden away behind all of the greenery.

The robots excitedly got out of the SUV. R2 was driving today as Goldie had wanted to view Phoenix
this time instead of drive.

LINUS seemed quieter than usual and had any one of the robots been noticing, he seemed to be in
a trance (that’s quite a task for a robot, but none the less, he was not exactly LINUS-like today.)~~~

For any of you newbies out in storyland, LINUS is the manager of the robots and on the quiet side.
He’s always in the shadows watching and making sure our famous robots are carrying on in an acceptable
manner.

As this was not so out of character for LINUS, the other bots went about their business.

LINUS looked up at the window where the princess was watching. As he gazed upward a spot of moisture
appeared near his eye socket maybe a drop of moisture from the sill above.

LINUS moved slowly toward the archway. His memory bank was going over and over information. Somewhere
he knew there was information concerning this place. He stopped and he seemed to be thinking........

0110001010001010100010110101010.

LINUS flew into action. The other robots were startled, they had never seen LINUS move so fast in
all of the time they had known him. He ran past Robbie, R2 and Golda. He almost knocked Goldie down
as he plowed right into her and when he ran past m0bot, he knocked off m0’s little digit on his
left hand. m0 didn’t flinch, he had been there before. He leaned down and picked it up and put it
in his pocket and made note in his memory bank to have R2 stop by RobotsRus on the way back to her
place.

LINUS ran up the stair case and into the master bedroom. Princess Olivia still sat on the balcony.
She turned when the intruder threw open the door. She was taken aback, who was this creature? Princess
Olivia shook her head as if to clear the cobwebs. She recognized this strange looking robot.

When the princess awoke, she looked around. There stood Goldie, Golda, and m0. She seemed to be
dazed. As she looked at the female bots, she recognized herself in each one. She saw Golda, with
the red hair and she thought of her own mother bot.

When she looked at the outrageous clothes that Goldie had on, she could see her aunt Bara bot looking
back at her.

She saw LINUS standing near the door and once again she felt light headed. She put her hand to her
forehead and wondered if she was dreaming.

Who was this robot that brought back something from Olivia’s past? She knew him and he had brought
these familiar fembots to this place.

The princess reached up and switched the on/off key into the off position. She was now at peace.
Her programs would be safe and her memory bank could do the search.

LINUS walked over and asked that the bots please leave them alone. He left Olivia’s switch off until
the others had gone.

He hesitantly turned the switch to the on position. She opened her eyes and stared into his. She
smiled that robot smile that he knew so well. He gleamed, as if just having an oil change.

OliviaBot struggled to an upright position. LINUS helped her to stand. LINUS brushed her golden
tresses away from her face. Olivia smiled and turned to walk away. Not before LINUS saw the moisture
on her golden cheek beside her nostril.

LINUS cleared his throat. ”Princess, princess, Princess Olivia, come to me.”

The princess strolled out the door away from LINUS. She yearned to know the other bots. She wanted
input, who were these robots that looked like her family of bots?

The years disappeared and Olivia was running down the stairs in the castle. Her love, the King was
at the bottom of the stairs and Olivia nearly crashed into him.

”PaPa, where are my children bots?” Olivia inquired. (She often times called the King PaPa as that
is how she referred to him when speaking to the children.)

The KING flinched. How could he tell his beautiful princess (he hated the word Queen and he always
referred to his love as his princess, except in public when it was required) that the need for the
robots had come to an end. How could he tell the love of his life that he would save her but their

babies had to be stored?

Thus began the story of the princess that you are reading today. Queen Olivia had been the only
one of the Royal family to survive the budget cuts. The KING had made sure of that. He had his servants
switch her to off and hide her during the time the children had been taken. He had Goldie impersonate

her mother when the time came to leave. The imbeciles that had been sent for the robots didn’t have
a proper count when they arrived.

Unbeknownst to the Queen, Goldie had been built by the servants of the castle under the King’s guidance.

He never trusted the government and had spies in important places to keep abreast of hidden political
agendas. ............. back to the present

When Robert and his partner had decided to create the program they had gone to a warehouse that
stored robots and robot parts. Robert had a strange feeling when he came upon LINUS, it was almost
like a premonition. He felt warmness in his heart. His partner had been aloof but when he met LINUS,
he too felt something akin to De javu.

When Robert insisted on the robots, his partner agreed without hesitation hence, the Robots. ...............


Kendra wondered, was this someone’s wild imagination? It read strangely and then ended abruptly.

.................... back to the present.

It obviously is someone’s imagination but I sure wish I knew what it was all about. Oh well, I’ll
just enjoy these stories. I do definitely want to copy them for my friends. It’ll give us yet another
thing to talk about online. I wish there was a picture in the book of the robots. I would love to
see what the ”Princess” looks like.

Kendra closed her eyes and said her nightly blessings. She smiled tonight thanking her higher power
for her mom. She also didn’t forget to say thanks for her dad. He seemed to have a side to him that
she was only just now learning about.

”Thanks”............ ”Good-night Sweet Elmo, please don’t poke me tonight with those giant eyes.”


Kendra’s mom was tired. She had found ways to find happiness, even with the illness. She loved to
draw and she loved to write.

It’s funny, because the day Kendra had met with the doctor and her mom, he seemed sensitive. Today,
it was a different story.

Sara reflecting on her doctor’s appointment. ”I took the pictures to the shrink.......I tried to
explain how it helps to draw the pictures and write the stories and guess what his attitude is?”


”Can you make any money doing this?” The same old sensitivity flairs up again.

”NOPE, can’t make a damn dime........!” Sara blurted out.

Sara’s whole problem with his reaction was that he didn’t understand the importance of her drawings
and writings to her mental health. Just once it would be nice if someone understood how it made
her feel good.

Why is it different from someone who enjoys bowling or golf. If a man were to sit here and tell
the doctor of his golf score, would he be asked if he made money doing it?

This doctor was the one that shared with Sara and Kendra the suicide rate of bp. Looking at it now,
he is probably tired of the disease too.

He seems like he really cares about people but maybe some days, it is just mechanical to him. He
doesn’t question the issues of money. You can tell by the patients he has.

I saw him get into his car after my appointment, he drives a Tauras. Funny, I was impressed.

I would imagine with this new guy that he can’t always carry the weight of the world. He has to
deal with insurance companies and day to day garbage too.

I guess my biggest problem is always the optimism. Huh, always hope I guess. Of course, there has
to be, I have a beautiful daughter and a loving husband and I have much.

Took one of the sleeper pills today. I guess it shows in my pity party attitude. I wish I could
convince this new shrink that I’m just fine on my Parnate. It seems I function fairly well on them.


I thought of Frank today. He was my first therapist. It was long before I met Terrance. I learned
more from him than I did all the others put together.

It really hurt when he told me he couldn’t see me anymore. I didn’t know how he could do that.
We went to lunch that day and he explained it.

He was married and had three small children and he didn’t think it was fair to them or to him how
he had come to feel about me. Nothing would ever come of it because I didn’t reciprocate his feelings.

I guess I was oblivious to his situation. I hadn’t considered a psychiatrist could be interested
in me. I had been raised thinking doctors were gods. As such, I didn’t think one would walk away
from a doctor, patient relationship. I didn’t have a clue that he had feelings like that. Frank
was a very decent man and at least he was honest.

I never told Terry the whole story, what good would it have done. Frank was a part of my past.

Damn the tears...... damn the feelings, wish it all would STOP!

Yes, when I feel like this, I do wish it would stop. When the morning dawns and I see my daughter’s
beautiful young face, I know it’s all been worth it.

One day, hopefully within my life time, there will be answers to some of our questions. I would
like for Terry to take some time off and go with me to the West Coast.

I understand there is a doctor in Palo Alto, Ca. who is having wonderful results with some testing
he is doing. He takes a hair strand and if I’m not mistaken, he does something similar to a DNA
test. He has a small following that raves about his success on the net.

He has been written up in the AMA. He is working closely with a Chinese student who is studying
under some of the best known doctors in the world.

Maybe there is hope.

”Kendra, honey, when did you say the next fashion show is? Maybe, you and I can watch it together.
I think I’d like that.”

”Oh, it’s tonight mom. I would like it very much if we watched it together.
Would it be alright if I have the girls come over and watch it too? I’d like them to start coming
to my house for a change. Since Faith first moved here three months ago, she hasn’t visited us yet.”


”Mom, I was kind of scared to ask them over before. I didn’t want anybody to upset you.”

”By all means, Kendra, call your friends. Should I run to the store and pick up something to munch
on? I’d like to do that.”

”Mom, I’ll go with you and we’ll have a chance to get in a little bit of girl talk too. I can’t
wait to show you some of the accessories this designer does.”

”Honey, are you home? Kendra and I just went out for a bit shopping for some munchies. Terrance,
are you here?”

”Hi honey, hi baby. Yep, I just walked in. I cut the day a bit short and decided I’d just hang
out at home tonight, maybe be just a couch potato and watch tv for a while. Do you girls think
that’s ok?”

”Sure Dad, if you don’t mind watching in the bedroom. Mom and I are having a little girl group
over tonight for the fashion show.”

”That’s fine sweetie, I think I’d like to just hang out in my boxers in my room. Ahhhh, but you
will bring me a bowl of popcorn won’t you little girl?”

”Sure Daddy, anything, just Pleeeeaaaaazzzzzze don’t come out in your boxers, k?”

”OK, if you promise to keep me supplied in popcorn and soda?”

”Terry, there is a doctor in Palo Alto, CA that is doing some testing on bp’s. I would like to know
if you’d like to take a week or two and go with me to do some testing?”

Terrance Mason considers for a moment what his wife is saying. The Ryders farm isn’t far from Palo
Alto.

”I can take some time in about a month sweetheart.”

Terrance considers all of the pre work he needs to do and he could possibly pull it together in
a month. He didn’t want his wife to be suspicious and he did need to get it cleared.

”Sara, honey, what about Kendra? What will she do?”

”I’m not sure at the moment but we’ll figure it out.”

”I think I’ll call your mom and see if she will consider coming here and staying with Kendra.”

Terry is thinking in the back of his mind about the trip to Ca. It may resolve some of the problems
of the last month if he goes to Ca and does some
work on his own.

”Sara, I think I’ve changed my mind, I’m going to go over to the office tonight if the girls are
going to be here. I have some work that I can catch up on. As long as you are ok with it, I might
as well do it while you are having a girls night with Kendra.”

”Oh, Terry, thanks for understanding. After spending the night in the hospital the other night,
this might make it up to Kendra.”

”Great then, it’s a deal. I think I’ll leave about 6:15. I should be back around 9:00 if that’s
ok with you?”

”That sounds perfect. Thanks for being so understanding. It really helps with all that’s happened
in the last few days. You’re a good man Terrance Mason.”

Chapter 9

Robert is programming steadily these days and hasn’t had much extra time. He gets caught up in things
and loses sight of time and days.

Jill is working her way to New York..... The latest news report only strengthens her theory.

Excerpt.....

AP) - Intelligence agencies failed to anticipate terrorists flying planes into buildings despite
a dozen clues in the years before the Sept. 11 attacks that Osama bin Laden or others might use
aircraft as bombs, a congressional investigator told lawmakers Wednesday as they began public hearings

into the attacks. Just a month before the attacks, intelligence agencies were told of a possible
bin Laden plot to hit the U.S. Embassy in Kenya or crash a plane into it.

========================

Jill wonders if the reports will get worse? How can that be?

She is driving this time. It is easier on her and with everything going on, she needs the time to
rehash what she’s learned.

Angelica’s friend Kendra is the first project upon arrival in NY. ”How am I going to get this little
girl away from her family and friends and see if she can help with my ideas? I’ve got some thinking
to do on this trip.”

Jill printed out the directions, she erased the ones in Ca. as she knew how to get out of the state.


She would get to New York and then she could get her bearings. She took the paper w/the directions
and the computer print out of the map and stuffed them in her purse.

=======================

16. Continue on US-101 11.4
17. Continue on I-10 CONNECTOR EAST 1.0
18. Continue on I-10 EAST 39.0
19. Take the I-15 NORTH exit 0.9
20. Merge on I-15 NORTH 468.9
21. Take the Exit 132 exit 0.1
22. Continue on RAMP 0.3
23. Merge on I-70 EAST 305.4
24. Continue on I-70 WEST 0.2
25. Continue on I-70 EAST 194.8
26. Take the Exit 269B exit 0.0
27. Continue on RAMP 0.4
28. Merge on I-76 EAST 185.6
29. Take the Exit 102 exit 0.2
30. Continue on RAMP 0.6
31. Merge on I-80 EAST 352.0
32. Continue on I-29 SOUTH 2.6
33. Continue on I-80 EAST 118.8
34. Continue on I-235 NORTH 14.0
35. Take the I-80 EAST exit 0.3
36. Merge on I-80 EAST 151.1
37. Take the Exit 290 exit 0.5
38. Continue on RAMP 0.1
39. Merge on I-280 EAST 17.3
40. Continue on I-74 EAST 9.5
41. Continue on I-80 EAST 168.0
42. Take the Exit 16 exit 0.1
43. Continue on RAMP 1.1
44. Merge on I-80 EAST 353.1
45. Take the Exit 15 exit 0.1
46. Continue on RAMP 1.5
47. Merge on I-80 EAST 4.
48. Take the Exit 226 exit 0.1
49. Continue on RAMP 0.1
50. Merge on I-80 EAST 390.9
51. Continue on I-95 NORTH 5.9
52. Take the Exit 1C exit 0.0
53. Continue on RAMP 0.7
54. Merge on I-87 SOUTH 2.7
55. Take the Exit 1 exit 0.1
56. Continue on RAMP 0.2
57. Merge on I-278 3.2

=======================

She decided to rent the car at the station by IBM on Cottle. She had never used it before and it
would be a good starting place. She would drive the first leg to LA. She would call Robert from
there and get his suggestions about another rental. He was always good for these things.

She had made arrangements to get several credit cards. As it turned out Robert helped her get around
part of that with the new anonymous debit card. She didn’t have to leave much of a paper trail.
(She had practiced and practiced the signatures.)

She wouldn’t use the credit cards for anything but the cars.

He was definitely a sleuth that’s for sure. She had become very educated on the net but he always
seemed to be way ahead of her. Thank goodness.

She knew that the auto place would require a credit card for id. She pulled out the one she had
Luce get for her in Monterey. After she used it, she decided she would destroy it in LA after picking
up the second vehicle.

She had the new phones stashed by her seat. She had bought them over the net and had them mailed
to a friend in Florida. Dan then sent them on to Jeani and then Jeani sent them directly to one
of Jill’s friends in Hollister.

Jill often thought she was a tad paranoid but one could never be too safe. She had learned that
the hard way. The first accident had taught her much.
Jill wondered to herself if she would do it all again if the option presented itself???? She didn’t
wonder long... ”Of course I would do it all again. I have my kids to consider and their future rests
on what we do about our country now.”

Steve and Jill had spent their last night together in a wonderous thunder of wild love making. It
always amazed Jill how they still loved each other after all this time.

Steve was reluctant to let Jill go. He knew, as always, it could be the last time he would ever
see his beautiful mate. He also knew that he had been through the last couple of years at her side.


Steve always asked for guidance. He knew their life together had been a blessing. He knew others
NEVER got to have what he had with his lovely wife. He was thankful too for the children.

Jill kissed her husband. They were at Sizzler’s on Cottle. They ate together and were going to part
company now. Jill stood back and looked at Steve. He had a tear welling up in his eye. She stood
on her tiptoes and kissed his nose. He laughed.

Steve leaned down and Jill wiped the tear away. It was on his cheek now and he didn’t care if the
world saw it. He was a strong man. He loved his wife dearly and no matter what, a dang tear was
the least he could feel with the situation.


Steve pulled Jill into the men’s room on their way out. Jill was amazed that he was actually still
trying to get in her pants.

”Honey, this is crazy.”

”OK, but kiss me you sweet vamp and I promise I’ll sneak out the door quietly and see you when you
get back.”

Jill looked up at her husband and pulled his head to her’s. The kiss was soulful and deep.

”Aha, excuse me.”

”OMG, I am so sorry,” Jill stuttered.

Steve laughed and went over to the urinal.

Jill walked out the door and headed to the 76 station to pick up the car.

Steve drove in the opposite direction but kept his eye on the rear view mirror. He looked at that
cute butt walking toward the station until it disappeared.

They had taken a chance being in public. It was the first time since Jill had the surgery that they
had chanced it.

There were just days that one had to put things away and try to live as normal as possible. This
had been one of those times.

Robert was at his desk when he got the call from Jill.

”Hello.”

”Hi Stealth, s’up?”

”Well hello there Ms. Ryder.”

”I need you to do me a favor Rob.”

”Oh sure, always wanting something from me. Do you suppose you could just call once in a while and
ask how I am?”

”Stealth, don’t give me any nonsence. Can you help me get a car in LA?”

”Huh?”

”I need an address of an out of the way rental place where I can rent a car.”

”OK, hold on.”

”How bout East LA, sweetie, that out of the way enough for you?”

”Get real Robert. I’m just on the out skirts and I need a place that won’t be high visibility.
NOT one where I’ll stick out like a sore thumb.”

”Ok, me lady, let me do a search and see what I can come up with.”

”Should I let you go and you call me back in say, ten minutes?”

”That’ll work for me. Let’s make sure our time is the same.”

”I have 4:23, how about you?”

”I have 4:17. Ok, I’ll call you back in ten minutes.”

Robert hung up the phone and wondered about her thought process. Their times weren’t ”right on”.
Oh well, with the way she thinks, he’ll get the call at 4:23 his time. He could deal with that.
After all he wasn’t going anywhere. He was working from home and it would be nice just to hear her
voice again.

Stealth accessess the web. Ok, one on 14 street and Blair. It’s only 3 blocks from the freeway.
Here’s another one at 75th and Juniper.

”Ok, just to be safe, I’ll get one more.”

142nd and Locust........ ”Na, don’t like the name,” he thinks out loud.
93rd and Bedrock. ”Yessssssss, that’s it.”

Phone rings at precisely 4:23.

”Hello, I have three addresses.”

”OK, I’m near a turn off right here, what do you have?”

”Fourteenth and Blair.”

”Nope, that won’t work, I’m past it already. If I know anything at all about LA, I don’t want to
try and turn around out here.”

”Where are you exactly then so we can do this right?”

”I’m near the 91st Exit.”

”GREAT, then it’s Bedrock and 93rd for you.”

”Can you get me there?”

”Woman, I can get you anywhere.”

”Take that 91st Exit and go north two blocks and take a right, go around the corner and make a left
and then take an immediate right and drive 3 miles to Juniper and then .......... HA!”

”Robert Stealth stop that, come on, I’m on the exit now.”

”OK, take a left at the stop light as you’re getting off the freeway. Drive past the first red light
and there will be a Circle K on the right. When you see that, look directly across the street to
the left a couple of buildings and there should be a Sure Rental. I think they are Alamo. That
is what you’re using isn’t it?”

”How did you know that?”

”I’ll never tell.”

”OK, Rob, I’m here, I’ll talk to you later. Thanks for your help cuteguy.”

Robert sits at his desk thinking about things. He knows that on occasion he does what he has to
do to get by in the world he lives. The internet world is indeed like the wild west of long ago.


There is a big difference in that the population has grown so much. In reality, the wild west was
probably mild in comparison.

That surely doesn’t make it easy.

He thinks about the call from Jill. ”She’s at it again, I wonder what she’s getting herself into
this time? I wonder if she’s going to need my assistance in getting out?”

He picks up his water and walks to the window. He shakes his right leg and then his left. He’s been
at the computer for over 9 hours today and his legs are tired. He reaches up and massages his shoulder,
it still hurts. He walks out to the kitchen and pours himself a glass of bourbon.


The bourbon helps relax him. He sips it on the way back to the computer as he thinks to himself,
”another long night.” He sits the glass down.

He walks back to the window and looks out. His bike is propped up against the pole. He smiles to
himself and thinks about what life would be like without computers. What would his life be like?
He can’t imagine.

He turns around to sit back down and decides to move his bike. The weather can’t be good for it
and he needs to put it inside. He slips on his shoes and walks out to the bike.

He takes it by the handle bars and on impulse climbs on. A ride will feel good. He pedals off and
inhales a nice breath of fresh air.

He starts to think about all of the things on his plate at the moment. He pedals on and puts the
thoughts of work behind him.

Back at the house, Jill is leaving a message on his voice mail.

”Hey Stealth, it’s me. I have a favor to ask. Could you meet me in New York on the 27th?”

”I know, I know, who the heck do I think I am? I’ll call you later to firm up your trip..........
HA, that’s what I call a positive attitude, don’t cha think?”

”It’s now about 4:00 Pacific time, I’ll give you a call back around 6:30. That should give me time
to get to a Oklahoma City. I think I’ll stop and grab a bite before finding a room.”

”I guess I need to change my watch but heck, by the time I get to New York, I’ll just have to change
it again”, Jill thinks aloud as she puts the phone down.

Robert is enjoying the ride, it helps his body. His legs are getting a work out and his neck doesn’t
hurt as much. He pedals on enjoying the outdoors.

Robert puts his bike inside. He walks to the door and opens it. The phone is ringing.

”Hello, oh hello again.”

”Robert, what do you think, can you meet me in New York?”

”What are you talking about?”

”Rob, the message I left earlier.........like hello, where have you been?
Never mind, it’s none of my concern.”

”I still do not know what you are talking about, would you mind to share?”

”Could you meet me in New York on the 27th?”

”HUH?”

”I need your help Rob. BTW, cuteguy, would you mind to bring 2 laptops, mine seems to be failing
me at the moment. I don’t have time to take it to the shop and wait for it to be fixed. I know you
can’t possibly live without your’s so that means you’ll have to bring two.”

”Jill, wait just a minute, I need to sit down and have a sip of bourbon.”

”OK, now, what about New York? Let’s start this whole conversation over again, alright?”

”What makes you think I can drop everything and fly out to New York. I do have a life and at the
moment I am bombarded with unfinished projects that need my attention.”

”Hmmmmmmm, Rob, I think a flight into JFK is the best bet, don’t you?”

”Jill, were you listening to me? I’m not sure I can make New York on Friday.”

”Alright then, I’ll figure out another way around it.”

”Rob, do you think it would be safe for me to talk to Kenra Mason? I really need to talk to her.”

”Jill, who is Kendra Mason?”

”Rob, Angelica’s friend in New York, the FBI agents daughter. Do you remember now?”

”Jill, listen, I can be in New York on Sunday. Don’t do anything about Mason’s daughter until I
get there.”

”Let me get a flight and we’ll meet. No, I don’t want you picking me up at the airport. I’ll get
a rental and we’ll talk then.”

”Jill, my plan is to be in New York around 11:00 their time.”

”I need to check on something while I’m there anyway. This will give me the chance.”

”Ok, don’t do anything about the FED’s daughter till we meet.”

”I’ll pick up the rental and call you as soon as I get out of the airport.”

”Ok, call me if you need me. I am assuming you are covering your ass with the phones, right?”


”Ok Jill, talk to you soon, bye.”

I need to call Ryan and find out where the robots are in New York. I’ll find them and have them
shipped home. It’s probably a good thing that Jill asked me to meet her in New York. I hadn’t even
thought of the robots in a while.

”Hey Greenley, how are you?”

”Hi Robert, I’m fine, how are you doing.”

”I’m well Ryan, thank you. Could you drop by my office tomorrow, I have some new additions to the
job I was working on for you.”

”Of course Mr. Stealth. What’s a good time?”

”I have a 10:30 appointment and then I will be open until 1:00. Would you like to have a quick lunch?”


”Let me check my schedule and see, just a second, the computer is already on so should only take
a second.”

”How is 11:45? That will give me plenty of time to get there from the airport.”

”You’re coming from the airport?”

”Yes, I have to make a quick red eye to Portland tonight. My aunt had a stroke and I am going to
check on her.”

”Eleven forty-five sounds fine. I’ll see you then Ryan. Oh and by the way, I’m sorry to hear about
your aunt.”

Jill had taken her time crossing the country. She now had the worry of getting into New York before
Robert. She had no real time frame except of course to be there when he got there.

She wasn’t going to do much until she met with him on Sunday. She knew that two heads were better
than one and if she was going to have any success at all on this trip, she needed to put some kind
of plan in place.

Robert will be very upset if he arrives before she does. She knows him and after the fit to get
him to meet her, she better at least be in the vicinity.

Maybe she should call and let him know. Naaaaaaa, that won’t work.

Jill had been adhering to the speed limits the whole trip. She sped up now trying to make up for
lost time.

She noticed a car behind her and decided to let up on the gas. She knew better, a tiny little thing
like a speeding ticket could be disasterous now.

The car passed and she breathed a sigh of relief. What had she been thinking?

If Robert made it to New York before she did, so be it. The least she could do was arrive safely.
Even if he was a bit peeved at her, it was better than the alternative.

Jill drove on. She turned on her headlights and headed into the turnpike. She decided her timing
wasn’t that far off. She was doing ok and with that, she relaxed.

Robert had a paperless ticket and was good to go. He would call Jill as soon as he got off the plane
and they could set up a meeting. It was better that way.

He made the decision to call her while still at the airport after much consideration. When he had
spoken to her last, he told her he would call her after picking up the rental. Now, however, it
seemed that it would work better if he called her asap. That would give them both more time to get
to the address of the rendezvous.

He had been thinking about the meeting place and decided it should be close to the robot location.


He knew where they were stashed, and strange as it sounds, he was anxious to turn their buttons
back to the ’on’ position.

He missed those robots. It was funny how attached he had become to them. He had been their creator
and he felt fatherly toward them. He admired his own work when it came to the bots.

He had taken bits.........(hehehe, no pun intended)...... and pieces and he had programmed the bots
to be wholesome and good. He was damn proud of those robots.

This trip was really going to be a reunion. Who would have thought, after everything, that the RockinRobots
would be a part of his life again. He had put them behind him for a while. It was now time to reopen
the book, to write a new chapter.

This trip to meet his old friend Jill took on new meaning for Robert. He had a mission of his own
now.

Jill drove into the New York City Limits at 8:45 PM Saturday night. She had done it.

Jill pulled into a station to get gas and took out the directions to the airport. Her locket fell
out of her purse and she took it as a sign. She took the poem out and held it to her chest.

The children and Steve, and yes, Robert too and even baby Ryan. Those were the important things
in life. They kept her going when all else failed. Her love of her family would get her through
whatever the next few days held.

Jill wasn’t quite sure she was up to learning the truth but she had to know. She had to understand
at least in part what was going on.

She took the money out of her purse to pay for gas. She walked inside and paid and then returned
to the rental. The attendant wore a turban and made Jill very aware of the reason for this trip.


As she pumped the gas she realized she didn’t have a plan. Robert would be helpful.

First things first. She would get as close to the airport as possible before renting a room.

She walked back in and asked the attendant for a map. She paid for it and then asked him how to
get to JFK. A general idea of where she was in relationship to the airport would help in reading
the map and figuring out her next move.

She walked to the car and opened the door. She was fatigued now and ready to sleep. Thank goodness
Robert was getting in close to noon. That would give her time to rest up.

. Chapter 10

Jill drove on and yawned as she got closer to her destination.

Tomorrow is another day she thought to herself. She thought of Angelica and wondered how she was
doing with the boys. She turned on the radio and opened the window.

The radio was on a classic rock station and Abraham, Martin and John was playing. Hmmmmmmm, funny
how life is, Jill thinks............

http://www.clinton.net/~sammy/abraham.htm

Abraham, Martin, and John
( Dion )

Anybody here seen my old friend Abraham?
Can you tell me where he’s gone?
He freed a lot of people but it seems the good they die young
You know I just looked around and he’s gone

Anybody here seen my old friend John?
Can you tell me where he’s gone?
He freed a lot of people but it seems the good they die young
I just looked around and he’s gone

Anybody here seen my old friend Martin?
Can you tell me where he’s gone?
He freed a lot of people but it seems the good they die young
I just looked around and he’s gone

Didn’t you love the things that they stood for?
Didn’t they try to find some good for you and me?
And we’ll be free
Some day soon, it’s gonna be one day

Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he’s gone?
I thought I saw him walkin’ up over the hill
With Abraham, Martin, and John

Jill to self, ”did they all get Ambushed??? Maybe not Abe? Hmmmmmm.”

It’s time for some answers, America’s people deserves that.

The phone rang, it was Robert and he was in New York. He wanted to get to the place where the robots
were stored.

”Like hello yourself Robert. So glad you’re concerned with me.”

”Sorry sweetie. Now that I’m here, I’m anxious to get to the robots. I need to see if I should have
Ryan working on them. They may need a little tweaking before I take them home.”

”Sure, Rob, whatever you say.”

”How was your flight?”

”Fine, and your trip, Jill, how was that?”

”Uneventful. I’m sure glad to be here though.”

”Here’s the address, Jill, I’m headed there now and I’ll meet you when you get there.”

”Whew, guess that means I can take my time getting ready. I know you and you’ll want to play with
the bots for a while.”

”Yes, Jill, take your time. There are four of them here so I’ll be busy for a bit checking and making
sure they are in peak condition.”

”I might just rent a car and take them home instead of shipping them.”

”You do remember what they are doing here?”

”Renting a vehicle sounds like the only way to go really, now that I think of it.”

”Yes, indeed it does Robert. They did rob a bank after all and the secrecy might be better kept
if you take them home personally.”

”After September 11, they might call attention to themselves what with the metal and all in their
make-up. If they get screened, it might not be a good thing.”

”Yes, I have a couple of days till I go home so I’ll think it over. Maybe I could ship them privately
on a plane. I’ll think it over and weigh the pros and cons.”

”Jill, I’ll see you when you get here. Drive safely and take your time.”

”Not to worry Rob, I’m going to shower and dress and then I’ll be over there.”

”Do you want to have lunch somewhere?” Jill.

”Would you mind to stop and pick up a sandwich or Chinese or something easy? I really would like
to spend as much time going over the robots as I can today. I’ve really missed them.”

”Rob, I’ll get there in about an hour or a little longer. I’m really looking forward to seeing you.”


”Right.”

”Bye Rob.”

”Bye Jill.”

Jill could tell where Rob’s mind was. It wasn’t on her and her plight at the moment. That was ok
though, he was at least here. Sometimes she had to remind herself that even though it didn’t show
through, he did care a great deal about her.

Jill knew Rob so well. He had such a good heart but getting to see it could be a BIG challenge.

Robert was excited. Seeing the bots again would be good. It had been a while and he wondered how
it had worked out when they got to the hiding place.

Robert walked through the gate and up the first flight of stairs. He then went into the second building.
He had the combination and after going up the supply elevator, he took out the paper. Three turns
left to the 11 one turn back to the 4 and then two turns to the 1.

He tried the door and it opened. There they were. But, only the girls were there. (The girls had
been disguised and looked quite different but Rob had changed the looks so he knew.)

He started to panic. He flicked on Goldie’s switch.

”Where is Rob and R2, Goldie?”

”Hello Robert, how are you?”

”Goldie, do you know where R2 and Robbie are?”

”Robert, Robbie was instructed to turn off our switches, so I don’t know anything after that.”

Robert flicked on Haley’s switch.

”Haley, do you know where the boys are?”

”Hello Robert. How are you? Good to see you.” Haley.

”HaleyBot, do you know where the boys are?”

”Robert, is it time to go home now?”

”HaleyBot, do you know something about R2 and Robbie?”

”Robert, I would like to have a word with you in private.”

”HaleyBot, DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE BOYS, answer me NOW.”

”My my Robert are you having a bad day, I detect agitation in your voice.”

”HALEYBOT, I can dismantle you right here and right now if you don’t answer me pronto.”

”Robert, Robbie and R2 will be back in 2 hours 32 minutes and 12 seconds.”

”Haley, where are they and how did this happen?”

”Robert, may I have a human heart?”

”Haley, how did this happen, how did the boys get switched on?”

”Robert, you of all people should know the answer to that question.”

”What do you mean Haley?”

”You programmed Robbie to be your clone in robot form, did you not?”

”What exactly are you getting at, Haley?”

”Robbie is very ingenius Robert, and very creative.”

”Haley, get to the point.”

”Robert, I am not sure how he did it. I do know that when Ryan shut us down after the heist that
I was awakened by Robbie a few days later.”

”Haley, why do you have that silly look on your face?”

”I don’t understand Robert, what do you mean, silly look?”

”I’ve seen that look before Haley.”

”Haley, I am going to switch you off for a time and run some diagnostics and see if you need any
work before going home.”

”Whatever you say Robert.” Robert switched off HaleyBot.

”What has he done?” Robert wonders to himself.

”How did he do it, he’s just a mere robot and how did he figure out how to turn himself back on
once Ryan programmed him off.”

Robert knew that HaleyBot wouldn’t have the answers. He knew how his own mind worked and he was
sure that Robbie was the only one with any answers to this HUGE question. IF anything, Robbie would
have told R2 what was going on before the girls.

How could it be a gender issue? Yet Robert knew it was. He knew how his own mind worked and it WAS
a gender question.

Robert began the examination on Haley. He was sure she had more answers than Goldie. He knew that
for whatever reasons, Robbie had chosen Haley as the chosen one.

He ran the tests and nothing unusual turned up. He started the second tests and found out why the
silly smile.

Robbie is a sly one, that is sure. Haley had no recollection of m0bot. She did have some very interesting
data since the bank robbery however. Haley was now very much involved with Robbie. That robot.
Robert smiled to himself. He saw himself in Robbie now more than ever.

The tests on Haley could wait. Robert wanted to see what Goldie had in her memory bank.

He started the tests on Goldie only to find that she had very little data since the robbery. It
looked in fact like she hadn’t been switched on except one other time since that day.

Robert was anxious now for the boys return. He wanted to call Ryan but decided against it till after
his initial exam of the other bots.

He flicked on the girl’s switches and had them do the physical exercises to see if all of the parts
were funtional.

Haley distributed some very different movements than Goldie.

Robert was becoming fascinated. Haley acted very womanly and even though she was just a robot, Robert
got the distinct impression that HaleyBot understood what being a woman was all about.

Robert switched Goldie off again and decided to do some extensive testing on HaleyBot.

”Haley, I have some questions I would like you to answer for me.”

”Yes Robert, anything you say.”

”Haley, what date is Christmas?”

”December 25.”

”What is the capital of Arizona?”

”Phoenix, Arizona.”

”What is 12 x 12?”

”One hundred forty four.”

”What is love?”

”It is wonderful.”

”What is sex?”

”Sex is the act of making love for procreational purposes.”

”Do you love Robbie, HaleyBot?”

”I feel wonderful.”

”Does that mean yes, Miss HaleyBot?”

”I don’t understand the question, Robert.”

”I asked you if you love Robbie?”

”I do not know Robert. I do know that I enjoy spending time with him very much. I do know that he
is very creative and I admire him. I do know that he reminds me very much of you, sir.”

Robbie and R2 walked into the room....

”Hi there boys, how are things?”

”Robert, what are you doing here? I thought you were going to have a delivery company take us home.”

”Yes Robbie, I just bet you did. How do you explain this Robbie?”

”What sir?”

”You Robbie, how do you explain the fact that you were out who knows where, jeopardizing everything
we’ve worked for?”

”Robert, I wouldn’t do that. R2 and I weren’t far, we were just in another room in this very building.
We do get bored you know.”

”Robbie, you are a robot, for crying out loud, how do you get bored and how did you manage to get
turned on without......... ahhhhhhh, you talked Ryan into it, didn’t you?”

”Boss man, please don’t blame Ryan for this. He just trusted me. He knows I’m a trustworthy sort,
right R2?”

”Rob, I am not getting in the middle of this.”

”R2, you are in just as much trouble as Robbie in this situation, so don’t think differently. OMG,
I am acting like you two are human, and talking to you as if you are.”

Robert reaches over and switches the robots off.

Robert starts his diagnostics.

Since he knows where to look and what to look for, the trail runs right back to Ryan. ”Yes, I’m
going to have to talk to that young man too.”

Robert looks at his watch and decides now is as good a time as any.

Robert starts to dial his phone and then thinks better of it.

He’ll call Ryan later, Ryan is not what this trip is about. He thinks of Jill and decides to disconnect
the robots completely. Even if they are programmed to activate at a given time, NOW they won’t.


Robert again considers flying the bots home on a private plane. ”Yes, that’s what I think I’ll do.”


Robert takes out his palm pilot and type himself a reminder.

Robert looks around the room and considers taking the robots tonight. No, that won’t work. He will
have to pick up the packing material and package the robots for travel. UNLESS of course, he can,
NO, he will need to package them.

He thinks of a company. AHHHHHHHHH, he remembers the trip to Monterey and he thinks of.... ”Hmmmmmmm,
do I still have that business card, ahh yes, here it is.... I’ll give this guy a call tomorrow and
see if he’ll do it, he seemed like a trustworthy sort.”

Robert considers a local transport.

”I’ll decide tomorrow after I’ve rested for a bit. I’ll be fresh and better able to make good decisions.”


Robert hurries down the stairs after locking the robots in. He’ll call Jill once he gets in the
car.

Robert headed out away from the robots secure in the fact that they were safely turned off this
time. Let Ryan try and log them back on now.

Robert took out his cell phone and called the number he had for Jill. No answer. ”Where is that
woman?” he asked himself.

Jill knew when she left California she wasn’t coming back. Her plan was to go on to Belgium. She
would meet up with the others from the group. The only way to fight for the US was outside of the
US. She had figured that out long ago.

Around 6:00 PM Jill had called Maggie Hott (code name). Maggie had agreed to pick Jill up. The car
would be driven over to the airport and dropped off by one of Maggie’s friends. It was a deal Maggie
had with Thomas. It had worked numerous times in the past and he no doubt would make it
work this time.

Jill knew the plan was to meet with another member of the group, she just didn’t know yet who it
was to be. She had spoken several times to a couple of the women but she wasn’t sure this time who
she would be introduced to.

Maggie drove around the neighborhood several times before she parked. She took Jill into the house.
Maggie kept walking and Jill was getting confused. Maggie walked through the house and proceeded
down the stairwell into the cellar. Jill didn’t question, she just followed.

The cellar was dark and damp. Maggie moved a huge oak barrel and there was another on the floor
on it’s side. Maggie took the lid off of the barrel and instructed Jill to follow her. She crawled
through the barrel and then stood on the other side. As soon as Jill was through the barrel, Maggie

pulled the rope and closed the barrel lid. (”That is ingenious,” Jill thought to herself.)

Maggie looked around the shed they had entered. Jill was amazed, they were standing in an old shed
and Maggie once again created a door from nowhere. This time, there was an old engine of a car sitting
on a rack. Maggie walked over and moved it with one hand. Jill stuttered something and then touched
the engine. It was made of something very light. Maggie was to explain later that
the group had these things built for a play they put on at the local school, a school the children
attended.

This time, when the women got on the other sideof the door, Jill realized they were in a closet
in a house. Maggie listened at the door for a moment and then opened it.

”Jill Ryder, this is Sara Mason, Sara, Jill Ryder.” Maggie introduced the ladies.

Jill looked for an exit immediately. She recognized the name. This was the woman she had come to
find in New York. This was the FBI agent’s wife.

”Won’t you sit down Jill?” Sara suggested.

”If you don’t mind, I think I’d like to leave.”

”Jill, let me explain. Please.”

”Explain what?”

”Jill, I know what you’re thinking.”

”I don’t think you do.”

”Yes, I know all about the surgery and I know all about the attempted murders of you and your husband.”

”Well, then you must know why I’d like to leave this place.”

”Jill, I also understand that you came to New York looking to find me.”

”How do you know that Mrs. Mason?”

”I can’t explain now. We have too much material to cover and that is a mute issue. Please, won’t
you sit down?”

”Do I have a choice?”

”Yes, you can go back with Maggie now if you’d like, but I think it would make more sense to stay
and listen to what I have to say since you are here.”

”Shoot...... hmmmmmmm, guess that’s a dumb thing for me to say, isn’t it?”

”Jill, you have nothing to worry about.”

”That remains to be seen I would say.”

”Here, sit with me.”

Jill took a deep breath and sat down.

”Jill, I have some very interesting things for us to discuss tonight and if you’ll relax and absorb
this information, I think you’ll agree to what I’m offering.”

”As you know, my husband Terrance is an FBI agent. Now let’s put that issue to bed.”

”My husband is a good man Mrs. Ryder, he really is and before it’s over, you’ll realize the risks
he’s taken to get you safely here to me.”

”Let me begin by explaining that Terry didn’t know about the group, he found out quite by accident
right before your alleged death.”

”My husband was furious with me, Jill. He didn’t understand how I could become involved in a covert
group like the lilgirls.”

”I explained to him about some information I had come across on the internet. I showed him the files
and I downloaded everything I could and I convinced him that I needed to do what I was doing.”


”Mrs. Ryder, I can assure you, the best protection you can possibly get from now until you reach
your destination is through our efforts. My husband has done his homework on the internet and he
knows what the government is up to. He is still employed and he is in constant danger and feels
like a double agent of sorts.”

”Since my husband began this quest he has uncovered crimes by our government going back forty years
in history, detailing dirty unspeakable deeds. He has become a devout supporter of our cause.”

”Now, having said that, I know that you must realize in order to have gotten to my home, you were
indeed prioritized by our group.”

”We will be supporting you every step of the way from now until you walk off of the plane at your
destination. You must however realize when you get off of the plane you’re on your own. We cannot
help you at the other end of your journey.”

”I’m not saying there aren’t people on the ground waiting to help you. There are, but to safeguard
you, it is best that our responsibility ends there. We won’t know where you are staying, we won’t
know what you are doing and as far as we are concerned our job is done.”

”There are many sectors of our group world wide and none of them exist to each other. It is only
on rare occasions that we even acknowledge the existence of one another.”

”Jill, do you have any questions?”

”I have your passport and your identification. The flight arrangements have already been made and
you will be picking those up in the morning at half past eight. I do not know nor do the other lilgirls
where you are going or what time your flight is leaving. Those arrangements were made by another
sector in New York. You will be meeting with one of their lilgirls from that group tonight at 11:50.
Maggie will drive you to another address tonight and a taxi is due there at 11:27 to take you to
your next appointment.”

”Now, do you have any questions my dear?”

”Why should I trust you, Mrs. Mason?”

”I will tell you as I told my husband the night he discovered my involvement with the lilgirls group.
”Children of the Land”, I do this for my daughter, Mrs. Ryder. I do this for your daughter and
I do this for all of the children of the world.”

”Our children are our heritage and if I know anything at all about you Jill, it is that you love
your kids. I love my daughter more than my own life and I do it for her future. I cannot say anything
more on the subject, if you look into my eyes, you will see truth there, Jill Ryder and you will

know in your heart that you are in good hands in my home and in my care.”

”Go with God’s blessings Jill and do what you can for our ”Children of the Land” and make a difference.
Make the people listen, make them understand the seriousness of the situation.”

Chapter 11

Jill looked into Sara Mason’s eyes and she saw a tear forming. It was a tear of sadness at the state
of the world their kids faced. Jill knew she was safe in this house. She knew she would be safe
on her trip to Belgium, as she had God’s work to do.

Jill leaned down and kissed Sara on the cheek. Sara embraced her friend and kissed her cheek lightly
and the tear slid down her face. The world had indeed changed. The day of reckoning was fast approaching
and Jill and Sara shared that knowledge now.

Mothers of the world, this message is to you; stand up and make a difference. The time for sitting
still is past. You must wake up the world. It is imperative for your children’s sake to take time
to SHOUT STOP.... and make your presence known.

================
Two days after Jill’s departure to Belgium, headlines in New York Times.
================

”FBI Agent’s Wife Murdered By Sniper in McPherson’s Parking Lot”

...... Just released, Sara Mason, wife of FBI agent Terrance Mason was shot and killed as the couple
were loading building material into their vehicle in the McPherson parking lot.

The shooting appears to be unrelated to the fact that Mr. Mason is an FBI agent. It does however
have the earmarks of the twelve shootings as late in the New York area.

Mrs. Mason is survived by husband Terrance and a thirteen year old daughter.

Sara is proceeded in death by her mother, June Forester and father Jack.

Sara Mason was born November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. Internment arrangements are pending. The
family has asked that instead of flowers and donations a moment of silence be observed.

Terrance Mason shared his thoughts on his wife and his comment to us follows.

”Sara Arlene Mason Was God’s Angel. She lives on in our hearts and in our pursuance of Freedom and
Truth. She dared to go where our country’s people today are afraid of treading. May my beautiful
Angel rest in PEACE.”

Terrance had gotten the word on the internet about the
intent to do harm to his family. There are secret places
on the net that he had found and he had run across the plan
quite by accident. He was researching information for
Jill’s trip.

Sara Mason walked off of the same plane that Jill had
been on. She was disguised and Jill as yet wasn’t aware
of Sara’s presence. She had in fact just read the
headlines and was feeling sad at the world’s loss.
It would be later in the week that Jill would spot
Sara as they were both getting on a bus.

“What are you doing here? I thought you were dead,”
Jill whispered to the lady sitting next to her on the bus.

“Please can we discuss this when we are in private?
I’ve just been through hell and I’d like to tell you
about it when I am in better spirits.”

“What do you suggest?”

“I’ll get off at the next stop and I’ll meet you at the
restaurant around the corner from the INN. I didn’t know
you were there until this morning. Terrance and I didn’t
have much time to make arrangements for this trip so when
it got down to the wire, we decided you had some experience
in this undercover life and that I might be safe if I tried
to connect with you.”

“I’m sorry if I startled you. That was not my intent.
This is all so new to me and I am not sure I’m prepared
for this change in lifestyle.”

“Do you think I am? I don’t have a clue how to go about
any of this. At least now, we can have two brains to try
and work it out instead of one. By the way, Mrs. Mason,
welcome to the living!”

”Thanks Jill, it looks like we may be in this together for
a while. Have you met with any of the people yet from our
talk? I really don’t know anything about the plan they have
in store for you.”

“Sara, we’ll talk at the Inn.”

The ladies went their separate ways and met later at the Inn.

“Hi, glad to see you made it.”

Sara took Jill’s hand and hung tightly to it for just a moment
longer than Jill had anticipated.

“It’s ok, Sara, you can let go of my hand now.”

“I’m sorry, I’m just so glad that I have you here with me.
I haven’t traveled much inside of the states and never been
to a foreign country before so you’re being here is definitely
something I am pleased with.”

“I understand, Sara, now, let’s talk a bit.”

“I haven’t been in touch with the group yet. I did get a
message in my box at the inn and I am to meet with them tomorrow.”

“Let’s take this slow, shall we Sara? I’ll meet with them
and get the feel for what we are up against and then you
and I can talk again. We should make a tentative plan
for the day after tomorrow to meet.”

“Just tell me where and when and I’ll be there. I have
a problem with French but have been able to get by with
the little I remember from school.”

“YOU took French in school?”

“THANK GOD, I have absolutely no knowledge of the language
at all.”

“We’ll talk about getting us a tutor when we meet next time.
It seems that we need it now and we might as well get started
with learning the language as soon as possible.”

“Before we leave here today, what are you doing about a
residence? I know you are at the inn now but what about
your long range plans?”

“Jill, I have no long range plans. The fact that I’m
alive and sitting here with you is a miracle and I am
just taking this adventure one day at a time. Terrance
and I didn’t have much warning before we knew I had to
leave the country.”

“OK, I have a notepad here, we will start taking notes
and I will try and think of a plan of action when next
we meet. Would you kindly do the same?”

“I have a cottage that I am looking at this week-end.
Maybe we should consider sharing a place for the time
being until we decide on a more secure long range plan.”

“I would like that Jill, I feel very much out of my
element here and I’m frightened.”

“Ditto, Sara, but we’re two strong women and we’ll
figure it out as we go.”

“I must say good night for now, I’m rather tired and
I need to be fresh in the morning.”

“Jill, before you go, what would you suggest I do if
I need to visit a doctor?”

“Are you ill, Sara?”

“No, but I am almost out of my prescription and I will
need a refill very soon.”

“Let’s put that on our list. It’ll be easier once we
settle into a place of our own. We can then focus on
our every day lives.”

“It’s time to go now, I’ll meet you back here day after
tomorrow same time.”

“I would suggest you lay low till then. Do as little
as possible and try and not go out unless you have to.
We need to figure out a plan of action. We need to know,
other than your husband if anyone else knows you are still
alive. It will make it easier and we can get a better
idea of our situation. If folks are looking for you, we
need to know that.”

“It will be nice if we know we have free reign without
outside intervention. It will certainly make our life
style less hectic if we can rest up for a while before
beginning a new chapter in our lives.”

“I’ll pick up enough food till our meeting and I’ll sit
tight till then.”

“Good idea. I’ll be in touch if anything changes.”

“You go ahead of me, Sara. I’ll hang back and take a
walk before I go back to the inn. I’ll see you later.”

“Sara.”

“Yes Jill.”

“We’re going to be fine, we’ll find our way and we’ll
be back on track soon.”

“Jill, do you miss your family?” Sara inquired.

”Sara, my family is the whole reason for this predicament.
I love my children and my husband more than life itself.
I have to keep thinking that to go on. I’ve been away
from my children now for some time and there isn’t a
moment in the day that I don’t hurt inside with THAT loss.”

“Sara, we’ll beat this and one day, hopefully in the
near future, we’ll be reunited with our families.”

“Thanks Jill, I needed to hear that.”

Terance and Kendra proceeded with their lives as if
Sara was indeed dead. It wasn’t easy for a child of
Kendra’s age to live in this world without her mom’s
guidance but she knew she had to do it.

Kendra worried that her mom wouldn’t take the proper
care of herself. She knew with the Bipolar that her
mom was indeed vulnerable to deep depression. She
prayed every day for her mom’s safety. It was something
she was growing to depend on in her life. Prayer was,
after all, the only thing she had left to cling to,
except of course her daddy. She prayed for him too.
He needed every bit of strength he had to continue on
without her mom.

For her age, Kendra had lived a lot in the last few weeks.
Her parents had briefed her on the plan. They didn’t want
Kendra to believe her mom was dead.

It was enough to ask a child of her age to go through what
they had planned but at least, they knew if Kendra could
keep the faith, it would give her strength to endure the future.

A child needs truth in today’s world and Sara and Terance
had believed enough in their offspring to know she would
keep their secret safe. After all, it was her secret
too. It was their family unit as a whole that would
make it succeed.

Kendra prayed tonight for strength. She was returning
to school tomorrow. It would be difficult to maintain
the secret but she knew in her heart it was worth it.
She knew that if she could get through the next few weeks
things would be fine.

“Jesus, please keep me strong and safe and oversee
everything my family is going through. Help my mom to
stay healthy through this. PLEASE guide my daddy in
his life too. He needs that now and, Jesus, please help me
to keep the faith. Amen.”

Kendra turned over and hugged Elmo and closed her eyes.
Chapter 12
Earth’s Children.......

Come what may, the children were survivors.
If Armageddon was upon the world, the children
hadn’t been told yet. They were strong, this new
generation. They hadn’t been raised on the internet
for nothing. They had learned and what the opposition
didn’t realize was they had implemented plans far ahead in time.

They were the hackers, they were the caretakers too.
They had built their own morals and they had grown
excellence where excellence was required.

The children were intent on working a deal with the
BAD guys. They now had the power within their reach.
The money was there for the taking. They had the
advantage of youth. The opposition, although not
always the elders, were much older and as such, not as quick.

The children of the opposition had been raised in wealth......
but, not with love. The children on the net had united and
as such, the tyrants own bloodline had covertly joined
’Earth’s Children’. (They learned very early on in life
how to manipulate the system. This was to be a huge
advantage to the children’s cause.)

The time for overcoming the media had arrived. It wasn’t
the children that were hynotized by the hype. It wasn’t
the children that had followed blindly down the path of
destruction. IT was however the children that would put
a stop to the insanity. They would use what it took to
take back the Earth. They would survive and they would
seek out the supporters of their movement.

The time for sitting around and watching the boob tube
was past. It was an evil medium and as such, it had to
be stopped. The internet also had the commercialism BUT,
it had the truth also. It was often hidden but if the
urge to find it was within one, it could be found.

The thirst for knowledge although deeply hidden in some,
was still there. The net provided it in most forms and
yes, one could go the wrong route and be overtaken by
THE evil. Children, being children however didn’t always
take the path of least resistance.

There were enough children that recognized the impending
danger who struck out for truth. Many children from many
lands had connected on the net. Many children had learned
the evils of mainstream America and as such had connected
to save the earth.

It was to be an exciting time for the Earth Children. They
had many advantages over their enemy. They not only had youth
they had LOVE in their hearts. The love of children worldwide
had been developed and nurtured.....

If the leaders of this giant fiasco believed they could out
smart these youngsters, they had another think coming.

PEER pressure was unheard of in the land of Earth’s children.
Nothing was going to over power these kids and it was obvious
from their daily ritual of prayer that they would work toward
Earth’s unity.

It was understood early on, in the children’s endeavor to
take the Earth back, that each child would pray to his/her
own higher power.

This was never questioned by Earth’s Children. Each one
of the children accepted the differences of Earth’s People
and as such, accepted the different religions. It was
imperative for them to do that if they were to succeed.

The Highest Spirit had intervened with this generation of
Earth’s children. It was obvious when you heard their
conversations. They weren’t hell bent on competing,
they weren’t hell bent on destruction. They were content
to work toward a peaceful co-existance that worked for all.

It was asif the higher powers of the Heavens had united
when creating this generation of children. There was
something angelic about the children and it showed in
the patience and care they exibited in their dealings
with one another.

Satan still lurked in the form of the ’Powers That Be’
and as such, was only biding time to attack the youth
of the world.

He watched and he sent his own to intervene when he
thought he could accomplish his work.

The daily prayer ritual of the children worked to their
advantage however. Satan had a much harder time accessing
the children when their spirits and souls were engaged in
uniting world wide for PEACE.

There were the few children who had been born under Satan’s
spell. These children infiltrated the Group but were easily
identified and dealt with. It will be interesting to see
the outcome of this story. How will these individuals fair
in the environment the Earth Children provides for the
tormented souls of these youths?

The children will be known worldwide as the bearers of Peace.

Hope prevails in the lives of Earth’s Children.

The children had something none of their parents
or ancestors had, they had each other. They had
the openess to communicate over the net.

They wouldn’t be fooled by false advertisements. They
couldn’t be fooled by their parents values.

The children searched far and wide for ways to avail
the less fortunate of food and clothing until the
resolutions of the elders were found.

It wasn’t that all of the elders were the enemies but
there were those that were.

During the holidays in the year 2002, the children
worked in soup houses. The children volunteered their
time to the needy. They struck out to find safe places
for the homeless. They found empty stores and they
scrounged for food.

They went to the supermarkets and met with like minded
children who worked in the stores. They snuck around at
night and when busted by the police, they did the time.

Doing time often times meant meeting up with the others
from the group. It meant finding old friends and more
often than ot it meant making new friends.

The children had ideas that went over and above what
adults would think of. One day two weeks before
Christmas they decided to go from house to house and see
about collecting pennies.

It worked, at the end of the day in Phoenix alone,
they collected 12,000$. It was put into coffee cans
on that day and then a meeting was held.

”What shall we do with the money?”

One of the children’s dad is an accountant. He asked
his dad for advice. He asked him if somehow he had
gotten a huge amount of money what would be the best
way to increase it.

His dad was open with him thinking he was eager to learn.

The teenager then took the money and invested it as his
dad had suggested.

The plan was to build a home for the homeless. There
were projects and as such, the children would look into
them.

With so many children involved, they always knew that
the information would be not long in coming. You could
always count on the children to come up with resolutions.
It wasn’t the same as the days of old when
fights would ensue, they all had a common goal now.

Saving the world seemed like a monumental task for
grown-ups. They couldn’t think of it as a reality.
It was TOO late they thought.

They hadn’t given the children much thought, credit or
responsibilities to think the children would be the ones
who would accomplish it.

Even the best of parents still had the baggage from
their own lives. The children had learned early on to
put that away. They had learned early on to pray for
guidance. They had learned early on that the only real
chance the earth had was them. They knew that their
parents hadn’t really understood but they did.

THE earth came first, it had to. It had to be nourished.
It had to be nurtured and it had to be rebuilt in it’s
natural habitat.

Returning the earth to nature wasn’t going to be easy
but it could be done. There were laws to unlearn and
rules to be broken in order for it to be accomplished,
but it could be.

The children knew this from their prayers. They
often times over lapped their prayers with each other’s
HPs. They tried to incorporate good things from each
religion to make it work world wide for peace.

The first time the children realized one of theirs had
been killed the reaction was devastating. He had been a
great mind and he had a woderful spirit and his name had
been Zachery.

The children didn’t mourn for long over Zachery though
as in his religion, it wasn’t a bad thing to go to the
other side. He was well known for his thoughts on that
issue and as such, his spirit wasn’t earth bound for long.

Zachery had been thought of in the highest regard as
were the majority of the children.

Zachery had been killed by one of Satan’s deciples
and a youngster at that. Jordan had been ruthless
since birth. It was a well known fact that Jordan
worshipped the devil. He didn’t try to hide
it and in fact flaunted it.

Jordan was taken aside the day Zachery was freed
and given advice. Jordan laughed his evil laugh and
went about his business, eyeing his soon to be next victim....
he assumed.

Jordan was to be watched. He was to be followed and the next
incident, Jordan was to be dealt with.

It happened not long after Zachery’s departure. Jordan
met Ann in an alley. He accosted her and pulled his knife
out. At the same time Jordan opened the switch-blade, he
was surrounded.

Jordan was taken into custody by the children. He was
taken a work farm and kept. Jordan was watched over
by many of Earth’s Children at the farm.

The children had many tools to use and as such implemented
them as time progressed. (It is hard to understand the
true power of love until one is surrounded with it daily.)

Jordan progresed nicely in his new environment. He walked
with the children that had come before him. He was openly
hostile at first. This was to be expected. The love never
waivered however as miracles were rampant at the farm.

Jordan now is one of the providers at the farm and has decided
to reside there for the time being and help others.

LOVE and the power of our Great Provider is boundless at the
farm. It is the driving force that dwells in the hearts of
all that have the opportunity and good fortune to visit.

The farm has many faces of the Children of the Land. There
are kids from all lands. There are kids with handicaps and
broken hearts. There are orphans, and there are rich kids.
One thing in common at the farm is the LOVE they all share.

It is miraculous and love is felt everywhere............ it is
truly a wonderful refuge for children of all races and colors.
It gives the to the ones that had none upon their arrival. It
also gives the children of the privileged the opportunity to
give of themselves and find their TRUE humanity.

As of this writing the success rate has been 100%. The Children of
the Land are truly living in the spirit of perfect unity.

Bless the farm and bless the children. Continued success is
expected as the farm is watched over personally .......... by
HOPE/Charity/Love/Peace and Thanksgiving daily.

Chapter 13
The children had been doing fine at the farm but when the war hit, there were decisions to be made.
Angelica and the girls decided to get in touch with
Robert.

Angel knew that she needed an adult to help her. The kids wanted to do all they could to help the
people of Iraq. They didn’t know where to start.

Angel knew something was going on at the castle and one night she and the others decided to find
out what it was. They sneaked up to the castle and saw the robots working. It looked similar to
a hospital now.

Angel had moved to Arizona with the family a while back. It was better as Cal, one of Jill’s long
time friends, lived in Phoenix and could check on the kids periodically.

Pebbles, Angel’s friend from the internet, also lived in Phoenix so that was a plus too. When Angel
needed a friend to confide in, she could pick up the phone and ask Peb to come over or just talk
on the phone.

Robert had gotten the money together for the move through one of his programs. It hadn’t been easy
but it worked. He had been in contact with Jill and knew she was sending the money as she could.
She often time just transferred it into Rob’s egold account on the net.

Although Robert had been appointed as the executor of the kids trust, he didn’t want to use the
money except if it was absolutely necessary. That had been a decision he and Jill made together.


Angel could see that there was a kid in one of the rooms. She didn’t have one of her arms. Just
then, she saw Robert walk into the room with a guy that looked like a doctor. The man sat on the
edge of the
bed and showed the girl something resembling an arm. Robert walked
over to the bed and took the artificial limb from the man.

Robert smiled as he started moving the fingers and the hand. He’d done good. Wow, that is like
the coolest thing, Angelica thought to herself. With that she motioned for one of the others to
join her and check out the scene in the room.

The war had begun about six weeks ago and the young girl had been one of the victims. The hospital
was being renovated for this very cause. The girl was the first patient of Robert’s, if you could
call her that. After all, Robert Stealth is a programmer and computer nerds aren’t famous for having
patients.

Angel could tell Cal had been around. The room was decorated completely with toys and paints of
all different colors. It also had drawings of Cal’s everywhere. There were pictures of Robbie
and Haley; before and after. If one didn’t know better, one might believe Cal had copied the decor
from her own place.

There were different pictures of castles that Cal had dreamed of and drawn up. The room reminded
you of a house built just for children. There were books and there were appliances everywhere with
the robots smiling out at you. It looked great and Angel laughed when she climbed down. It doesn’t
take Cal long to get her way.

It was obvious to Rob and Olivia that Cal knew her stuff when it came to children. She knew how
to be a child and as such was sure the children would be pleased with the warmth that presented
itself in the castle. There was soft lighting around too. That made the ambiance complete.

Cal also had a fountain ordered for each of the rooms. The water trickling would bring calm to
the children as it did to Cal at her place. She had ordered the materials needed for the fountains
but except for the one in this room, she would build each and every one for the kids. That was
the least she could do after what the children had suffered and endured.

================
Back to the beginning. ........... Angel had been reading about the war on the net. She knew the
places to find the real stats and as such, she had been aghast at what was really going on. It
was asif the TV and newspapers weren’t even reporting on the same events regarding the war as she
was seeing.

Robert had talked to Angel about Olivia when he had come out to check on the family. He had told
her of an impending plan. He promised when he knew more she would know. He knew that Angel was
still very young, but he also knew she would want to be a part of the rehabilitation of the youngsters.
He trusted Jill’s daughter as he did her mom. She was a beautiful young woman
with the best heart and mind in the world. Not only that, but she seemed to surround herself with
like minded individuals.

The terrorist attacks had stirred up America and well it
should. It was devastating to the people and it was a horrific
tragedy.

The politicians seemed to take advantage of the psychology in America after the tragedy of September
11, 2001. They plotted to engage a war in the Middle East and without proper agreement went forward.


The general population of the American people were oblivious to the
War and it’s true reasons.

The military had been programmed by the evil doers and as such did
not hold the responsibiliy for these attrocities. They would learn
later in their lives that their deeds were planned and implemented in
a fashion that they would never fully understand.

America was content for a while but not the leaders. They wanted
more blood and took full advantage of the people’s hysteria. Money and oil
were the objects of this horrific deed, but that wasn’t what was presented to the American people.


The Iraqi people needed to be liberated from their evil leader. This was the reason used by the
government to wage war against a sovereign nation.

What the American people didn’t know was that all of it was a ploy to take over the rich land of
Iraq. The war was an excuse to claim the oil in Iraq and therefore trillions of dollars.

It was also reason for the government to take more and more control of the American people and their
own freedoms. The Constitution may as well have laid shredded on the floor of the White House.
That is how it was treated by the leaders of the country.

Many lives were lost including American military lives but the
horrible war didn’t last long. It was a grand show for the American
government. It showed the world who had the fittest military. It
showed the world who had the most sophisticated weapons.

The people in power flaunted their superiority on many levels.
The Iraq history was virtually wiped out as looters and thieves
burned and ravaged the cities. Museums were destroyed to such a
degree that it was impossible to identify the buildings, much less
the treasures that formerly had been housed in these buildings.

The Iraqi people were homeless and without food or water for many
many days. Cholera set in and had begun to kill the children. The
hospitals were already full. The war had maimed and dismembered
many people and the future of these already devastated people looked very bleak.

The children suffered the most. Many of the bombs used lay
unexploded all over the land. The children were fascinated with the
brightly colored objects and would pick them up. Some were blown up while others were injured by
the flying parts. Many
arms and legs were lost in the terrible explosions and much internal damage incurred.

Much of the ammonition used by the military contained depleted uranium and this would affect the
population of Iraq for generations. It would also affect the military from America. This had been
proven during the first Gulf War but that didn’t stop the use of these terrible weapons.

It was a life of much sorrow and pain for the Iraqi people. It
seemed to be never ending. This war was just a rehash of one that
had been fought in Iraq only nine years earlier. The
country and it’s people had not recovered from the last one when this
one was forced on it.

One report that Angel read was of a mother who had lost her only son in the first Gulf War. She
was pregnant during this war and worried that she would lose this child to the new war.

Princess Olivia cried daily as she read of the war. After all, her
main concern in life had always been her children. She saw the
devastation of the land of Iraq and she felt the pain as only a
mother can.

One night she cried herself to sleep and dreamed of her
castle. (Robert had outdone himself with this robot, she was even programmed to dream. Could it
be that Robert had dreams of the war?)

Olivia dreamed of a little girl with only one arm and it came to be with the first Iraqi child’s
arrival. Olivia had seen the girl vividly in her dream.

When the princess awoke, she was delirious with anticipation. She
couldn’t wait to begin work.

First things first. She had to call and talk to Linus. She was excited to share her news with him.
She also wanted to speak with Robert.

The renovation would be taxing but she wouldn’t consider that
now. She was sure she would be able to get it done.

The material was the only real issue and she was sure there was enough of the original bricks in
the shed to accomplish the job. She thought about labor for the work. The robots had done it all
so far and she was sure Robert wouldn’t mind if they continued.

She wondered how Robert would fit into the plan. She knew she wanted
him to do the artificial limb work. He was the only PERSON she trusted to do the job. Robert was
the only humanoid she truly had enough confidence in to take care of the children with just the
right amount of care and tenderness.

Olivia would do most of the ground work. She would get the children here, with assistance from
Cal, Jill and Sara. She would do the paper work and the travel plans. She spoke with Cal first
and asked if her plan was feasible?
She knew if anybody would be realistic about such a plan, it would be Cal.

Olivia started drawing up the blue prints for the hospital. The
rooms needed the most work. The children had to be comfortable and secure.

After what those darling youngsters had been through, it
was imperative that their stay at the hospital be as positive and
upbeat as possible.

Olivia knew she had tons of toys, and what she didn’t have, she was sure Cal had. After all, Cal
had been drawing and building and sewing for many years.

The theme for the hospital would be Joy in Toyland. It would be Cal’s art and her toys and her creations
that filled the children’s hearts and surrounded them while they visited the hospital.

Olivia had been adamant about that. After all Corporate America had
brought the children to her in the first place and all of the theme
parks in America and around the world were big business.

Cal’s work was not and never would be. NO ONE would take the SPIRIT out of her work, Olivia would
see to it. It was from her heart and built for just such an occasion and Olivia sensed that from
the beginning.

It would be their gift to the children. Her’s, Cal’s and Robert’s. After
all, Robert had been partner in all of it. He had been an
inspiration and he didn’t even know it. But on occasion she was sure
he sensed it.

No, Olivia was not made from the rib of a man but she was made from
the union of a man and woman. She was Robert and Cal’s ultimate
achievment. She was sensitive and creative, loving and giving and
strong. She was the perfect woman, altho a robot.

Olivia looked outside, it was dark. She had not talked to Robert and
she had not been aware that the day had already passed. She had her
work and she had held steadfast to it through the day.

She picked up the pages she had been working on and filed them in the
drawer. She would try and call Robert tomorrow.

Olivia climbed the stairs to her room. She walked over and opened
the patio door and stepped outside. The sky was lovely. She sat in
her chair and she gazed at the moon.

=====

It was late in New York and Kendra was sleeping peacefully. Thomas was on the internet reading
the Arabian News.

Jill and Sara had just sat down to eat. Belgium had proved to be a nice place for them. It had
many beautiful sights and it had given them freedom to create their own life style.

Jill had finally learned enough French to get by. Sara had been a patient teacher. Sara, after
all, knew much of patience with her illness.

Jill was very impressed with Sara Mason. She proved to be Jill’s best friend and supporter. It
was important to have that in their similar situations.

Sara had her bouts with her illness but she always seemed to maintain and come out of it with Jill’s
loving help. Jill, after all understood as she often times longed for her children and found herself
depressed too.

One day they would be able to either bring their families to Belgium or France or they would feel
safe enough to return to America.

============

Pebbles was restless and couldn’t sleep. It was one of those nights for her and she had decided
to see who was on the net. There was Cal.

peb: u busy?
cal: sorta kinda, y, what u need?
peb: nothing, i just can’t sleep.
cal: well, i’m going to be logging out soon and try to sleep
do u need to talk? call me and let’s talk a bit before i go to bed.
peb: it’s ok, u go on to sleep
cal: no, if u need to talk, let’s do it, k?
I don’t want u having a bad nite cause we didn’t talk
peb: ok, i’ll call u
cal: give me 10 mins then i’ll log off. i need to read my email
peb: ok
cal: gotta go cya bye ttys
peb: byeeeeeeeeeee

10 mins later and peb doesn’t call so Cal calls her........... talk talk talk, chat chat, chat...........
click

Chapter 14

Robert walked into the hospital room where the young patient lay sleeping. He had a surprise for
her. He had twin baby robots. They were much like Haley before she decided to look like a regular
bot again. They looked very human.

The babies were teeny tiny and they would keep the young patient company. Robert knew the youngster
had lost her younger brother and sister. These tiny bots would give her something to do with the
time she had to spend here.

Robert had given Cal the specs for the children. He knew Cal didn’t understand specs per se but
boy, could she create good souls and high spirits within the artificial bodies he created. He knew
he would do the programming but he could always depend on Cal to come up with very unique personalities
to go along with his genius prototypes.

The patient woke up soon after Robert departed. She saw the baby bots and started to smile. Robert
had left the tell tale paperwork on her visitor’s chair to inform the young lady that the roboBabies
were indeed robots.

She picked up one of the remote controls and watched the baby come to life. It was the little girl
bot. She picked up the paperwork to see if they had names and sure enough Robert had named her
HopeBot after Angelica’s friend.

She looked at the name for the boy and Mr. Stealth had named the baby boybot Scott. He had always
liked that name and it reminded him of Scotty from Star Trek.

She activated the little boy too. That didn’t last long as the two of the them proved to be too
much for the one armed little girl. That would pass though as soon as Robert had the time to finish
up the programming.

She turned off the remotes and lay down to nap. She had placed the babies in bed with her in their
little blankies and she snuggled right down and fell asleep.

Robert walked into the room before he left for the night and tucked the blanket over his first little
patient. He smiled as he looked at the babies. They looked so darn real. He would take them in
and work on their programs. He would make them appear to be human too while sleeping. It would
be his sleep program. He was having fun with this new project.

Robert began to remember RoboGold and his creation of Robbie, R2INU, Goldie, Golda and Linus and
moBot, the M zero robot. That had been great. There was much excitement then and yes, there had
been sadness too but it was all new to us then.

Robert felt the same glow within when he thought of the baby bots. He had always planned on doing
a little RobbieBot to be his partner but he hadn’t ever gotten around to that.

The only real robot that he’d actually created and still worked for him is Haley. She still works
at OGP and she stays busy.

Of course Robbie and the group still sing and get together on occasion and do gigs. I think there’s
a DJ in Canada that actually plays their songs too. He must have taken a liking to the music way
back when.

Robbie and Haley still write music together and Haley writes her heart out in poetry. Maybe one
day, she’ll even write something about Robert’s patient. She does so like to be involved.

===============

Robert had rented a truck on that long ago day when he brought the robots back from New York. He
decided it was the only way not to raise suspicion.

The reason for the inference to the NY trip is that Robert is looking to bring the rest of the medical
supplies and furniture to the hospital and he needs to have a transport for it.

He’s also considering buying the truck and renovating it to carry the children to the hospital.
It has to be kept secret as the government has made it known that there will be no interference
in the caring of the people of Iraq. It will all be done through the military and the money spent
will be minimal.

In a news report, the president made it known that the recovery of the people of Iraq was not to
be high on his priority list.

Robert didn’t care what the reports had said. After meeting this young lady with the missing arm,
THE children would be high on his list. That’s just the kind of man he is. He would do what it
takes to help this girl and the others be as normal as possible with the cards fate had dealt them.

Cal’s cell phone rang, it was Jill. ”When will you all be ready for your next patient? I have a
baby, only 18 months old that needs to be there immediately. If we don’t get him fixed up soon,
I’m afraid we’ll lose him.”

”You just get him here my dear. I’ll get done what needs to be done to fix him right up. I’ll
call Linus and the doctor as soon as we hang up and they’ll be someone at the airport as soon as
we hear back from you.”

”Great. How’s the kids?”

”Your kids are great Jill. I talk to Angelica almost every day and when I don’t I hear from Pebbles
and she always updates me on them. Robert asks every time he calls so I try and keep him informed.
Steve called the other day too. Is he there with you?”

”Yes, thank goodness, he finally made it over here about two months ago, it has been heaven. Now
all we have to do is get the children here and my life will be wonderful again...... all in good
time, all in good time.”

”What about Sara, is her husband going to be moving over there too?”

”Yes, Kendra is here already and they are working on a way for Terrance to come over now. It shouldn’t
be much longer.”

”In fact, if all goes as we’ve planned, he may be bringing the kids to me. That’s another story
though and I’m still afraid to hope. BUT, who knows, maybe a miracle for all of us. It’s time
something like that happened for this family.”

”Yes it is, Jill, you’ve been so strong through this whole thing, I have to say I admire your guts.
That had to be the hardest thing in the world.”

”It was, I had great faith that our HP would see us through and knock on wood, he has.”

”Listen, Jill, I need to run. I have much to do to prepare for the kids you’re sending next. Oh,
did I tell you about the twin bots that Robert built for our first little patient. He’s still that
same wonderful man that you and I both know and luv. HA!!! Wouldn’t he just love hearing me talking
like that about him. After all, I’ve mothered him to pieces since you left. He’s easy to mother
you know.”

”Ahhhhhh, come on Cal, you know you love it. You love mothering everybody, that’s your biggest
asset my dear. I always felt it when we were around you, it shows. You and those mother hen ways.
We’ll have to make sure when you die that it’s on your tombstone...... Here lies the mother of
all the Stealth Robots and the Ryder kids ........ HA!!!”

”Listen Jill, tell Sara hi and we’ll talk again soon. Do you want me to mention to Angel that we
talked?”

”Sure, if you talk to her, let her know I’ll call her tomorrow night at 8:00 her time.”

”Ok, ttys.......”

Chapter 15

Kendra in Belgium.....

Kendra joined her Mom and Jill in Belgium. She was sad to leave her homeland and especially Ryan.
They had grown close on the net even though there was a huge age difference, it didn’t seem to
matter. She was old beyond her years. She had lived much, what with her mom’s illness and going
through the staged murder this last year.

Ryan had been aware that she was indeed still a child. He worried about her.
He knew at her age she was probably very vulnerable and only wanted her well being and so he oversaw
every thing she did on the net.

Little did he know he would become so involved with a woman child. He felt like a big brother and
he couldn’t help but be concerned.

When he was alerted to the man who was in contact with her, he did his research and found the man
a very dangerous sort.

Ryan, took a plane to New York at that time and arranged to meet with Terrance Mason; Kendra’s father.


After he laid out his cards and told Terry what was happening, Terry trusted this young man to help
protect his daughter.

Little did Ryan realize the depth of this child-woman’s feelings for him. He watched over her daily
and until the last few weeks was a constant in her life.

Kendra had become very dependant on him and as such was bewildered when his watch slowed. She cried
and wrote in her diary and thus, the following poem came to be.



GOD’S SPECIAL WATCH

I hurt so much when he’s not around my heart beats with a different pound.

The warmth inside feels oh so cold, that’s what I get for being bold.

I remember the times he was everywhere, I’d hardly log on and he’d be right
there.

But now it’s different, he’s gone away, I said too much and he couldn’t stay

But deep inside my spirit; My God speaks to me, you’ll be ok and so will he.

I’m here for you and also for him, so go forward my dear it isn’t so grim.

Your journey with him isn’t finished you know, so hand it to me AND TAKE IT SLOW

You’re special to him and he to me, I set it up and that’s the way it’s to be.

You give to him and he to you, it was meant to be and it’ll get you through.

Encourage him and watch him, it’ll make him smile and it’ll help you grow.

He’s a special guy and you know it too, give him support and he’ll shine for you.

Now my child it’s up to you, you know your journey and he does too.

You’ll make a difference walking hand in hand. You’ll leave four footprints in the sand.

It isn’t like when I carry you through, you’re a girl and a guy and it’s meant to be. Your love for each other sets the both of you free.

Be patient my child you’ve a ways to go. With him by your side YOU’LL LEARN TO FLOW.

He already cares but in a different way, now let it go and he’ll never stray.
The difference my child is Me, it’s the way I’ve planned it to be.

So stay in touch with the guy that you love, he’ll realize one day that it’s
was sent from above.


”Elmo, it’s time to sleep now so watch those eyes, k?”

”Mom, I am so glad to be here. I missed you terribly.”

”Oh sweet daughter of mine, I cannot express my happiness at finally having my little girl back
in my life. Does Elmo still get thrown against the wall on occasion?”

”Mom, he pokes me with those big ol round eyes of his, of course I accidently knock him off the
bed sometimes. The only difference was that no one was around for a while that understood. You
know dad, he’d just pick him up when he checked on me and he’d throw him in the window box with
the rest of my stuff. Elmo really missed your tender loving care Mom, same as me.”

”Ahhhhh, Kendra, I’m so glad you’re here.”

”Me too mom. Good-night, sleep tight and....... hey mom.. ”

”Yes sweet daughter o mine?”

”I luv you mom!”

”I luv you more Kendra.”
Chapter 16

Olivia was devastated, she’d received the info in an email from Cal. She had learned much in the
last year and it wasn’t to her liking.

She didn’t realize the situation was so far reaching. The email was in regards to Viet Nam. It
seems the war of three generations ago still is impacting the births of babies. They are still
being born without arms, legs, and some have their stomachs on the outside of their bodies. Others
have heart problems and no money to get help.

Olivia was now sure that the hospital would be built for others besides just the Iraqi children.
She would see to that. She had the url for the Red Cross in Viet Nam and she would contact them
first thing in the morning. She had the names of three children too that she would inquire about.

It isn’t a job for Robert this time. It’s Olivia’s own plight. The heart surgeries would not require
Robert’s programming. Either would the issues of the stomachs. Olivia didn’t know what she would
do about that but she would deal with it.

She would talk over the children’s limb issues with Robert. He would want to be involved in that,
of this she was sure. She didn’t know if the process would be different for him with the children
being born disfigured. The Iraqi children had recently lost their limbs but these children had never
had them.

Olivia had the names of the doctors in Germany. That would be a starting point for her. She also
would inquire when calling the Red Cross about doctors and staff that cared for the children in
their own country. She made a list and she would start on it tomorrow. She had forgotten tomorrow
was Sunday but that didn’t matter at the moment. Her priority was the list for now.

Putting things in order was the task at hand tonight. It was important to make the arrangements
as soon as possible. For now the Iraqi situation was going slowly. It would be a good idea to
try and get the others here before a big influx of the newly injured children showed up.

Olivia was adamant about this. PEACE and recovery had to begin now. How could God’s children do
such things to each other? It was beyond Olivia’s comprehension.

”I am only a robot”, she thought to hereself, ”but I could never hurt a living being the way these
humanoids do. How is it possible that I have more heart and spirit than live beings have?”

”I must now check on my patient.”

The little girl slepts as Olivia walked into the room. Olivia smoothed her hair and glanced out
the window. Robbie was still on the roof working. She also noticed Haley in the moon light. She
watched as Haley handed Robbie the tools he needed.

Once again, Olivia ponders...... robots vs humans. She watched the gentle way that Rob treated
Haley and she marveled that her robots are so caring. She is thankful that they all have Robert
and Cal to do their internal and external work. They are fortunate that the two of them are together.
They seem to compliment each other in their skills.

Robert is growing weary, it’s been a long day. He’s been busy building his new program and he works
far too many hours. He does however take great pride in his work and he knows he does it for the
right reasons.

His eyes grow heavy and he realizes he needs to sleep. He finishes up his tasks at hand and he
walks to the kitchen to get a drink. He’ll unwind with a glass of bourbon and watch the beginning
of a movie. When the bourbon is gone, he’ll probably be sleeping in his chair.

Cal’s eyes are tired too. She’s been on the net all day doing research and relaying all she’s found
to Olivia. She’s thinking of calling Pebbles and talking for a bit as that usually helps her mind
slow down.

Maybe she’ll sew for a bit or even draw a picture. She has so many things going on it’s hard to
decide.

She thinks of Olivia and realizes that she’s probably opened a whole new can of worms with the email.
She doesn’t care. It hurts her to think of the children. She can’t stand the thought that newborns
and young children are in the middle of such a horrific world.

These people that start a war and do devastating things to one another, how can it be? How can
they drop bombs on innocent people? How can they kill and maim children and their parents. It
does not compute.

Olivia hangs her head and there are droplets of moisture that comes to her eyes. Olivia does not
understand where the moisture comes from but she knows that it begins inside of her chest. She
feels the pain as if she were human. She knows that feeling, she remembers it well.

Olivia does not like experiencing these human feelings. She reaches up and turns her on button
to off..............

Cal stands up and logs off. She walks to the bedroom and turns on her light. She picks up her
phone and she turns off the light in the kitchen. It’s time to retire for the night.

She changes her clothes and climbs into bed. She closes her eyes and she opens them again and
finds HER Elmo. Yes, she has an Elmo also, same as Kendra. She lays him gently beside her and
covers both of their bodies. She closes her eyes and her mind starts to race.

She opens her eyes and looks at the phone. Should she call Peb? It’s late but she knows Pebbles
always likes hearing from her. No, not tonight, she’ll try a little harder to sleep now. Maybe
if she makes up her mind, it’ll just come. She knows that it doesn’t happen like that most of the
time, but who knows, maybe it will tonight.

Robert dozes off in his chair. He had not even turned on the movie. He knew he was a tired lad
tonight and he had barely sat down in his chair when he nodded off.

The quiet came for Cal too. She fell into a deep slumber and it hadn’t been that much of an ordeal
tonight. It usually happened equally as often as not being able to sleep so all in all, it wasn’t
a bad thing. At least she had the medication that worked for her and that was goodness.

The morning light came quickly for Robert. He was eager to get on with his programming. It’s his
life and he feels alive when he is working. He felt refreshed even though he had spent the whole
night in his chair.

Cal slept like a baby too. She would get up in the morning and try and get out and about. She
knew from her counseling that getting out of the apartment was important. It was something she
had to make herself do. She was determined to get out today though as she hadn’t even seen the
sun yesterday.

Maybe, since it was Sunday, she would do some grocery shopping. She was, after all, completely
out of food. That didn’t usually bother her as food isn’t one of her priorities.

Cal gets up and makes coffee and takes her meds. She makes the coffee strong as she knows that
it’ll get her off on the right foot. She loves that first cup in the morning. It tastes so rich
and it gives her the jolt she needs to go forward with her day.

She walks by her PC and leans over to turn it on. She thinks better of it. If she turns it on,
she knows she won’t get out. She probably won’t even get into the bath till afternoon. It’s hard
to walk by it but she does and she feels a certain since of satisfaction knowing she’s conquered
that obsession, at least for the moment.

She will go out for a while and return and then she’ll log on. That way, she will feel good about
her research. She’ll try and talk to Olivia too. Maybe instead of turning on the PC, she’ll drive
out to the castle. That would be a good thing. That way, she can talk directly to Olivia and help
her with any projects that might need tending.

Cal climbs into the bath and leans back and closes her eyes. She takes a sip of her coffee. It
is so good and she savors the moment. It’s Sunday and she’ll have to get back on her regular schedule
tomorrow but for now, she’s going to enjoy the bath and the coffee.

Robbie walks out on the veranda and switches on Olivia’s button. Olivia’s eyes flutter open.

”Hello, my sweet roboman.”

”Hello to you too Princess Olivia.”

”You need not call me Princess, Rob.”

”I know but it sounds good and you always look like such a princess, I cannot help myself.”

”Why thank you kind sir.”

”You’re very welcome, Ms. Olivia.”

”I’m finishing up on the last of the tasks that you’ve assigned me. I probably have about another
two hours and then I’ll be done.”

”Oh, that is good news.”

”Do you have my next assignment written up yet?”

”Yes, I do sweet Robbie. I’m going to have you do some remodeling in the storage area next. That
way, I can have the servants move the older furniture in there till I decide what to do with it.”


”Are you sure, Olivia that we should do that next? I would think you might want another room or
two finished up.”

”I’ll think on it today and give you my answer tonight when you check in. Now, I’d like it if you
took Haley out for a while and got away from the castle. I think it’ll do you both good. Why not
take her into Phoenix and visit with Cal or Pebbles.”

”I think I’ll do just that. I’ll call and see if Cal is going to be home later and maybe we’ll
stop over there for a while and visit with her. I haven’t seen her in a while.”

”I left my guitar at her apartment last time I was there. I’d really like to pick it up today
so I’ll have it with me in case we decide to jam for a bit later in the week.

”Well, Ms. Olivia, if you don’t mind, I think I’ll go over and pick up Ms. HaleyBot and we’ll head
on into town for a while. I think I’ll stop and fill the truck up with gas before I pick her up,
that way, she’ll have some time alone before we head into town.”

”Thanks Robbie, take good care of the girls, k?”

”Not to worry, Ms. Olivia, that is my main concern in this life.”

”Bye Robbie.”

”Bye Olivia....... you sweet lady robot of the net.”

Chapter 17

When I visit http://www.vnrc.org.vn (Vietnam Red Cross) and
http://www.ogcdc.org, and contact a doctor who talked to the Guardian
reporters, his e-mail messages back to me end with gentle good wishes
for my family. I am stricken by this man’s courtesy to an American who
lives happily with her health intact.

He needs money to pay for operations on damaged children. He runs the OGCDC (Office of Genetic Counseling
and Disabled Children) at Hue Medical College
with small donations from around the world. And there you have it.

Agent Orange was the second time the United States used a WMD, the first being Hiroshima, but its
effects were worse. It fits the Bush-Rumsfeld-Powell definition because poison is still flowing
now.

I was able to talk to the doctor this morning on the phone and gave me the names of four children
that need surgery. I will talk with him again on Wednesday and see how I may proceed.

I will talk to Cal and see if she has any ideas, with the two of us working on it, maybe we can
help these children. She’ll probably want to get in touch with her friends in Belgium.

I think I’ll also bring it to Robert’s attention. He’s always a good one to bounce my thoughts
off of. He’s a good listener and if he has any ideas, he’ll let me know. I like that about him.
Funny that I talk about him like this as he is my programmer but he programmed me this way so it
must be OK.

Here are the names of the four children in case I need it for reference.
Le Xuan Dat
Nguyen Ba Toan
Nguyen Thi Sau
Tran Thi Thu

I want to gather Haley and Rob and all of the robots tonight and I want to read them the following
that I borrowed from one of my groups. It is beautiful and it will be good for the robots and our
little patient.

I hear Rob’s truck now. Ahhhh, and Haley is by his side, that is good. I wonder if R2INU and m0bot
and Goldie are with them? I don’t see them but they didn’t have another vehicle to travel in so
maybe Rob dropped them off.

”Hi Princess Olivia.”

”Hi RobbieMi`Robot and Good Evening to you Miss HaleyBot. Where is the rest of your crew, Misseur
RobbieBot?”

”I dropped them off at the Pool House. I think Goldie wanted to change before she came up.”

”Oh good, I have something I want to share with all of you. Would you like to play chess till they
get here? I’ve been practicing.”

”Ms. Olivia, I would love that.”

”I have it all set up out on the veranda.”

”Ladies first.”

”Haley, will you join us out here?”

”Miss Olivia, I am going back and reading Tomar a story tonight. You don’t mind, do you?”

”Not at all Miss Haley. That is very kind of you. I think that little girl is going to like staying
here. Will you be back in time to hear my story?”

”I certainly hope so Miss Olivia, I always love to hear you read.”

”I’ll run along now and I’ll be back as soon as I can. Please don’t start without me. If I take
longer than I think I will, I’ll call you on the cell phone, ok?”

”That will be just fine missy. Now run on and spend some quality time with our little patient.”

Robbie and Miss Olivia begin their chess game. They are both very intent on the game and don’t
even notice when the others walk in.

”Hi Mom,” Goldie says.

”Why Hello there lil miss GoldieBot, my my my don’t you look stunning tonight?”

”Thanks Mom, it’s just that I always like feeling like a princess when I come here. You always
make me glow and I love it. Having a Mom around is a good thing and it makes me feel wonderful
when I see your eyes light up.”

”Oh Princess, thank you. And how are you boys tonight? You R2, how you doing?”

”I’m just fine Miss Olivia. You’re looking smashing tonight.”

”Ohhhhhhh, why thanks young man, that is so sweet.”

”m0bot, how are you dear?”

”I’m ok, thanks for asking, now if you don’t mind, where is it you’d like me to sit?”

”My oh my boy, are you in a hurry?”

”No Miss Olivia, but I am always stumbling and I want to sit down before I break something. I’ve
been told I’m like a bull in a China shop and I surely don’t want to break any of your fine things.”

”Ahhhh, I understand. Can’t you ask Robert to fix that, m0bot?”

”I have but he tells me it’s part of the program for me and that it is part of who I am. In other
words, if I become human one day like Pinnochio, I would still be a klutz.”

”I see, then why not sit right there on the sofa and I’ll gather the rest of my children.”

”Ok children. Tonight I have a very special piece that I’d like to read to you and I also have
some exciting news to share with you.”

”I am going to be bringing some children here from Viet Nam that are very very ill. I am going
to engage a few doctors and a few friends and we are going to be helping the children to good health.”

”Having said that, I would like to put a little pressure on you all to finish up a few rooms for
me before the next fortenight. It will probably take me that long to get all of their paperwork
and get them transferred here from their country.”

”Miss Olivia?”

”Yes R2.”

”What is a fortenight?”

”It’s two weeks, R2.”

”Thank you mam.”

”You’re welcome, R2.”

”Are all of you comfortable now, may I begin reading what I have to share with you?”

The robots speak in unison, ”Yes Miss Olivia.”

John Dear

http://www.fatherjohndear.org/


”Now children, I am going to read this in the first person as if I am the author.”

The Common Ground of Interfaith Nonviolence
By John Dear

Before moving to New Mexico, I served as director of the Fellowship
of Reconciliation, the largest, interfaith peace organization in the
United States. Once, I called a meeting of all the leaders of the
various religious fellowships. For several days, we gathered to share
our stories, exchange our vision of peace, and plan new ways to
pursue disarmament and justice together. We were Buddhists, Muslims,
Jews, Hindus, Native Americans, Bahai, Baptists, Presbyterians,
Lutherans, Episcopalians, Catholics, Methodists and Mennonites.

I will never forget those days. More than a conference or a meeting,
it was a spiritual experience. As peace activists and seekers from
various religious traditions, we sat around a table as friends
sharing a similar spiritual journey to peace. We discovered that we
stood on the common ground of nonviolence. To the delight of
everyone, each religious activist explained how nonviolence was at
the core of their tradition. We also heard how each one shares the
same struggle to claim nonviolence in the face of massive opposition--
within their own community.

Muslims explained that ”Islam” means peace, that they are required to
live at peace with others. Buddhists spoke of the way of compassion
and respect toward all living beings. Jews spoke of the vision of
Shalom, and Isaiah’s call that we ”beat swords into plowshares”
and ”study war no more.” We Christians confessed that Jesus is
nonviolent, that he called us to love our enemies, that he blessed
peacemakers, that his last words before his martyrdom were ”Put down
the sword,” and that his first words after his resurrection were ”
Peace be with you!”

I remember apologizing to the group for the failure of Christians to
practice the nonviolence of Jesus, for Christian crusades past and
present, for the heresy of the just war theory, and ”Christian”
government leaders who wage war and stockpile nuclear weapons in the
name of the nonviolent Jesus.

In response, every one confessed that their own tradition had also
failed the summons of faith-based nonviolence. I was especially
struck by the Buddhist leaders who said that Buddhists were some of
the most violent people in the world, that the massacre of thousands
of people in Sri Lanka in recent years, has been led by Buddhists in
the name of Buddha, often by monks. (On other occasions, Thich Nhat
Hanh and I have discussed this failure among our people, even though
the vision of nonviolence is so clear in our respective traditions.)
I realized then that we had all failed the wisdom of nonviolence.

But what was so heartening was the discovery that nonviolence is at
the core of every religion, regardless of what the world says, or
what religious bigotry, fundamentalism and misconceptions have bred.
At the heart of each major religion is the vision of peace, the ideal
of a reconciled humanity, the way of compassion and love and justice,
the fundamental truth of nonviolence.

Mahatma Gandhi was the first to point toward interfaith nonviolence.
He broke new ground in so many ways, from fighting segregation in
South Africa through satyagraha and nonviolent resistance, to leading
a peaceful revolution against British imperialism in India. But he
saw early on the equality of the world’s religions because of the
common ground of nonviolence. He later professed a vow of tolerance
toward all religions and openness to the truth of nonviolence within
each religion.

Recently, I published a collection of Gandhi’s spiritual writings on
nonviolence. Over the last few years, I read the entire 95 volumes of
his collected writings, an amazing experience in itself. I was d
elighted to see the progress in his spiritual journey, as he formed a
community ashram of nonviolence in South Africa and decided to hold
morning and evening communal, contemplative prayer services.

When he moved to India, and saw again the deep hostility between
Hindus and Muslims, he made interfaith nonviolence the core of his
daily worship. Each day when his community gathered for prayer, they
read excerpts from the Hindu and Muslim scriptures, from the Sermon
on the Mount and the Hebrew Bible. Then, they sat in silence for
forty five minutes. They concluded usually with a hymn about the all-
inclusive love that reconciles everyone, the love even for one’s
enemies. Forty years of interfaith, contemplative prayer transformed
him into a universal spirit, as all the major religious scriptures
hope for all of us.

To the end, however, his interfaith nonviolence was a scandal. In
January 1948, during the last four weeks of his life, he held an open
prayer service every night in New Delhi at the Birla House. He
received daily death threats, and one night, during the interfaith
prayer service, a bomb went off, just missing Gandhi. Finally, on
January 30th, as he walked toward that interfaith prayer service,
peacefully, carefully, mindfully walking the way of nonviolence, he
was shot and killed by a Hindu fundamentalist, angered by his
association with Muslims.

Gandhi was preparing to host a gathering of the International
Fellowship of Reconciliation at the time of his death. Peacemakers of
all faiths, including peace movement leaders from the U.S., were
planning to fly to his ashram in October, 1948 to spend a week with
Gandhi discussing interfaith nonviolence.

”Religions are different roads converging to the same point,” Gandhi
once wrote. ”What does it matter that we take different roads, so
long as we reach the same goal?… I believe that, if only we could all
read the scriptures of different faiths, we should find that they are
at bottom all one and were all helpful to one another…. There will be
no lasting peace on earth unless we learn not merely to tolerate but
even to respect other faiths as our own.”

As we learn from each others religion, Gandhi discovered, we can help
each other deepen in the faith of our own personal tradition. His
critique of organized Christianity--that it rejected the nonviolence
of Jesus and has become an imperial religion based on the Roman
empire--has helped innumerable Christians return to the core
teachings of Jesus, beginning with the Sermon on the Mount. The
Baptist Martin Luther King, Jr. testified that the Hindu Gandhi
helped him more than anyone else to follow Christ.

Gandhi teaches us that we share a common spirituality of nonviolence.
That leads me to conclude that nonviolence is a key to understanding
not only the religious, social, political, economic and spiritual
dimensions of life, but what it means to be human. Contrary to what
most people think, I believe we were created to live nonviolently, to
be at peace with one another and creation, and that it is possible
for the whole human race to live together nonviolently. Indeed, it is
our only hope if we are to survive.

The challenge therefore is to practice the contemplative, active and
prophetic nonviolence at the core of our respective traditions. For
Christians, that means sitting daily with the God of peace, allowing
God to disarm our hearts, letting God use us as instruments of God’s
disarming love, loving even our enemies, and taking up the cross of
nonviolent resistance to injustice, as Jesus did.

If we can each plumb the depths of nonviolence in our religious
traditions, we will unleash the contemplative springs of nonviolence
within us and peace will blossom among us.

If we dare open our hearts to the wisdom of nonviolence in other
religious traditions, as Gandhi did, we will discover that not only
should religion not be a cause of war and division, it can be the a
healing path toward unity, reconciliation, and global disarmament.

If we can appreciate the spiritualities of nonviolence flowing from
other religions, we will deepen our own particular spirituality of
nonviolence.

For the last twenty years, I have experienced the deepest
multicultural and interfaith connections through my work in the peace
movement. I have developed many friendships across cultural and
religious boundaries because of our shared vision of nonviolence.
This interfaith peacemaking sprang from the civil rights movement,
when Dr. King called religious leaders to march with him to Selma.
The friendship modeled between Dr. King, Rabbi Abraham Heschel and
Thich Nhat Hanh still bears good fruit in our world and exemplifies
the journey we must all make.

As the world hangs on the brink of nuclear and environmental
destruction, as we wage war in the name of religion, we need to
explore the religious roots of nonviolence, just as Gandhi did.
Perhaps then, we will hear the call to disarm, to embrace one another
as sisters and brothers, and welcome the gift of peace that has been
already given.

This web site was created and maintained by Hopeworks ’N Camden.
www.hopeworks.org

”So children, what do you think? Should I read this to all of the children that come into our place?
Did you like it?”

Haley and Tomar had slipped in right after Olivia had begun reading and listened too.

Tomar speaks up at the end of the reading and this is what she says.

”Miss Olivia, I think that is a lovely thought. I just wish that all people believed it. You see,
the way Mr. Ghandi was murdered though, I think that is what happens in today’s world also. It
is not a safe world.”

”Oh my sweet Tomar, I realize that. All we can do is practice it here and try to make things better
for others we know and love. I do absolutely appreciate what you’ve said here tonight though.
It gives me an insight into the thoughts of children.”

”Mis Olivia, we must be going now.” Rob.

”Ok RobbieBot, thanks ever so much for you help. Will I be seeing you tomorrow?”

”Yes, of course you will Miss Olivia, I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

”Good night children.........” Olivia waves goodnight.

”Byeeeeeeeeeeee Miss Olivia, we’ll see you bright and early tomorrow.”

Chapter 18

What will today hold? It is lovely sitting in the peace and quiet and chatting a bit with a friend,
Cal is thinking to herself.

I am truly a blessed woman. I have a wonderful family and we all have our health. I have friends
that make my days bright and give me strength to move forward in this journey called life. I have
my storeis, my art and I have the robots. What more could anyone asked?

Ahhhhhh, sorry. First last and foremost I have my faith and belief and with that, all of the aformentioned
is a blessing from above.

Mmmmmmmmmm and last but not least I have my coffee and META. Thank YOU for everything. I never
want to take for granted the life I’ve had and the blessings bestowed on me by my loving Higher
Power.

The time is moving right along and I will call and check on Olivia as soon as the time seems appropriate.


You would think it wouldn’t matter, what with her being a robot and all but that woman doesn’t know
she’s a bot. She frowns on unacceptable behavior as if she is the ettiquette Princess of the world.


I shant complain, as she is the total woman she is because of her respect for the human condition.
So, I will wait until an acceptable time to ring her up and chat.

I’ll do my WRAP for the morning and that will get me on the right track for success for the day.
(For those of you in my audience...... hahahahaha, WRAP is a way of life for the mentally handicapped
on their quest for recovery..... it stands for ”Wellness Recovery Action Plan”.)

Writing my story is a big part of my own personal WRAP. It is a fun thing that I do for myself
and it is instumental in my growth toward being the total person that I can be. Some days, it is
journaling as this appears to be and some days it is far more exciting; it is imagination gone
wild and it is a fun thing I do for myself.

Story Time now..............

The robots are back at the castle. Those younger bots seem to have no respect for time as it is
only 6:00 AM in Phoenix and Robbie is already on the roof of the hospital/castle.

Haley is visiting with Tomar for a bit as it seems the young patient had a rough night. She had
pain during the night and had to call the nurse to help her rearrange her pillows and take her blankets
off of her body. The weight of the blanket was too much on her wounds.

Haley touched the tear stained face of the young girl and inquired of the child what was wrong?


”Haley, it is something I don’t think you, being a robot, can understand.”

”Tomar, I will asked Robert to program pain into my body so I might better be able to comprehend
you. I do not know if it is possible but I want to truly understand so I might be of better service
to you and the future residents of our hospital.”

”Tomar, may I ask you a question?”

Tomar sniffs as her pain has still not subsided.

”I’m sorry, Haley, will you ring for the nurse again, I cannot stand the pain and I can’t talk right
now because of it.”

”I will get her instead of ringing for her. You seem to need attention right now, Miss Tomar.”

”Thanks Haley, please hurry.”

As Haley hurries out the door she almost knocks Kristin down.

”Oh good, there you are, Missy Tomar needs you asap. She is in much pain and I don’t understand.
Please do something for her.”

”Haley, please step into the other room and I’ll take good care of our young patient.”

”May I stay with her? Tomar, please.”

”Yes Kristin, please let Haley stay.”

”All righty then Haley. You might want to sit over there.”

”Where is it hurting Tomar?”

”My leg hurts Ms. Kristin. Right there.”

”Ahhhhh, I’ve heard of that, I will give you something for the pain right now Tomar. It will not
take it totally away as I want the doctor to talk to you and he won’t be here for another hour.
This should make it bearable for you and not affect what he needs to do when he arrives.”

”There, my dear, it should work right away. Like I said, you will still feel a minor pain but it
won’t be as severe as before.”

”That does feel much better. Kristin?”

”Yes Tomar?”

”How can my leg hurt? It isn’t there anymore?”

”Tomar, I would rather wait for the doctor to explain that to you. That is why I gave you a light
dose of medication instead of something heavier. I want you to understand when he explains the
phenomenon to you. If you are too heavily sedated, you won’t.”

”Haley, I notice you have a book with you. Why don’t you pick something to read to Missy Tomar
and maybe it’ll take her mind off of the pain until the medication kicks in?”

”Tomar, would you like that?”

”Yes, Haley, I would very much appreciate it.”

”Well, I haven’t really had a chance to look this book of poems over but I borrowed it from Miss
Olivia last night so I’ll just open it to a page and read you one or two of the poems I find. How
would you like that?”

”Please, read to me now, Miss HaleyBot.”

”Here goes lil friend.”

LEAVETAKING
On the morning they left we said goodbye filled with sadness for the absence to come.

Inside the palanquins on the camels’ backs I saw their faces beautiful as moons behind veils of
golden cloth.

Beneath the veils tears crept like scorpions over the fragrant roses of their cheeks.

These scorpions do not harm the cheek they mark.

They save their sting for the heart of the sorrowful lover.
(translated by Emilio Garcia Gomez & Cola Franzen)Return to:
Shaad’s Home Page Revised: February 28, 1996

”I’m sorry, Tomar, that wasn’t the most uplifting poem I could have picked, here let me find another.”

”Ah, I think I like this one, are you ready?”

”Yes, please go on.”


YOU

I love your throat, so fragrant, fair,
The little pulses beating there;
Your eye-brows’ shy and questioning air;
I love your shadowed hair.

I love your flame-touched ivory skin;
Your little fingers frail and thin;
Your dimple creeping out and in;
I love your pointed chin.

I love the way you move, you rise;
Your fluttering gestures, just-caught cries;
I am not sane, I am not wise,
God! how I love your eyes!

”There, that was much better.” Haley glances at Tomar only to see the frail patient dozine off.”


Haley takes her book to the nurses make-shift station.

”Kristin, is she alright now? I do not understand how she can feel pain in a leg that is not there?”

”Haley, don’t try and figure it out. When the doctor arrives would you like to come back and listen
to his explanation to her?”

”Do you think that would be ok, Miss Kristin?”

”I think you might ask Tomar if she minds. If she doesn’t, by all means, listen to what the doctor
has to say.”

”If you learn from what the doctor says, you may be able to help someone else one day in their understanding.”


”Yes, you are right. Oh, by the way, Tomar fell asleep while I was reading.”

”Good, that way, maybe she’ll sleep until the doctor arrives and she won’t experience the pain any
more.”

”I surely hope so, Miss Kristin. I do not like it when someone has pain.”

”I myself do not understand the concept at all being a robot, but I think it isn’t a good thing.”


”I am going to ask my programmer to install a program so I might experience pain.”

”That way, I will be able to relate when people describe feelings. I always like to have a better
understanding of human beings.”

”I think your programmer has done a wonderful job so far, Haley. You seem to be very empathetic
with what Tomar is going through.”

”Thank you Kristin. I have been fortunate to have a wonderful programmer. Cal is excellent in
her communication skills to Robert and she develops our personalities with great care and love.
I think she asks that he program us the way she would like people of the earth to be.”

”Robert is intuitive and he seems to comprehend her requests as I believe he has the same ideas
as Cal regarding mankind.”

”Cal and Ms. Olivia have given me a plaque that I read every morning before I leave my place.”


”Do onto others as you would have them do onto you.”

”Yes, Haley, I recognize that. Do you know what they call that verse?”

”It is called; ’The Golden Rule’, is it not?”

”Yes, it is. If you live by it and others abide by it, the world will be a beautiful place. It
will be a place that we all will be proud of.”

”The only problem at this point is to teach all the world to live life by those eleven words.”

”Yes, Kristin, if we could do that the world would be a much better place. I surely wish that one
day, the world will be like that.”

”There is much work to do before that time comes Ms. Haleybot.”

”Yes, you are right on that, Ms. Kristin. If it were true already, Tomar would not even be here,
would she?”

”No, Haley, she wouldn’t.”

”Look who’s here, it’s Dr. Batten.”

”Hi ladies, how’s our patient?”

”She just fell asleep about twenty minutes ago, Dr. Batten.”

”Well then, let her sleep for the moment and I’ll run up to the main house and see Ms. Olivia.”

”Ok, should I call you if she wakes up?”

”Yes, please do. I would like to talk to her and make her understand the pain in her leg.”

”Ok, it’s a deal, if she wakes up, I’ll call you on your cell.”

”Would you mind to call me on Olivia’s number. My cell is not working at the moment. I’m not sure
but think it may be the confides of the castle.”

”Will do, doc.”

Doctor Batten walks out and heads to the main house.

Olivia is sipping coffee on the veranda and talking on the phone when she sees the doctor walking
toward the house.

She waves at him and rings for Jeri to let him in.

”Good morning Ben.”

”Good morning beautiful Ms. Olivia.”

”I was just on the phone with Jill in Belgium.”

”Yes, and did she have any news about the children?”

”Not at this time but I wasn’t speaking to her regarding the children from Iraq. Have I talked
to you yet about the four children from Viet Nam that I want to bring here?”

”No. What is this all about Olivia?”

”Have a seat. Would you like coffee or a cup of tea?”

”No, but I will have a glass of water please. I just had breakfast on the way out here and you
know my quota for coffee is now two cups and I had that with my pancakes.”

”Let me have Jeri get your water and then I will explain my plan.”

Chapter 19

Olivia hears the soft muffled crying. She gazes down and there is a heap of something right over
by the bushes. She sees it move.

Lee is laying in a fetal position and doesn’t hear when Olivia asks, ”Who’s there?”

Olivia edges nearer to Lee, she doesn’t know it’s a person yet but as she gets closer she is starting
to recognize the form of a woman. She leans down and tries to uncover the woman. Now, there is
constant movement. The person is shivering as if she is freezing.

Olivia softly asks, ”May I help you?”

The body can’t seem to comprehend.

”I have a doctor in the house in the back, should I go get him?”

”NoOooooOoooo, please, I’m OoOoKkkkK.”

”Here then, let me help you up.”

”NO, please just a minute and I’ll get up and leave.”

”You don’t have to leave, just please, let me help you,” Olivia moves closer.

”NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO,” the figure screams when she’s touched.

”Young woman, please do not scream at me. I will not hurt you.”

”Ahhhhh, mmmm, I i I’m sorry, please, just give me a minute. I had a hard time that’s all and I’ll
be better in just a minute.”

”Ok then.” Lee stumbles to her feet.

”I’m sorry, may I take a moment, I don’t know how I got here.”

”Well, from the looks of that line in the dirt over there, it looks like you walked here in that
blanket.”

”I don’t remember.”

”May I help you into my home?”

”Miss, do I know you?”

”No, I don’t think so.”

”Cal, is that you?”

”Excuse me, my name is Lee.”

”Cal, quit fooling with me, this is Olivia. I’ve seen your picture.”

The woman falls again into a heap. She has passed out or something. Olivia cannot quite figure
it out.

”I’m getting Robbie here now”, Olivia whispers to herself.

Olivia calls Rob on the cell phone.

”Robbie, please come to the main house now.”

”I’ll be right there.”

”Yes mi lady?”

”Do you recognize this person?”

”Oh my God, Olivia, it’s Cal.”

”Just what I thought.”

”Robbie, take her into the guest house please.”

Cal’s eyes open and she sees Rob.

”Hey RobbieMi`Robot, what??????”

”Shhhhhhhhhhhh Cal, you’ll be fine.”

”What is going on?”

”Nobody knows at this time, Cal.”

”Cal, who is Lee?” asks Olivia.

”Lee is my middle name but why do you ask?”

”Never mind, my dear, just rest for a bit.”

”Oh my God, oh my God..... I can’t believe it, now I remember.”

”Cal, what do you remember?”

”What did you call me, my name is Lee.”

”Cal, quit that,” Robbie insists.

”Quit what, my name is Lee.”

”What did you remember, Cal?”

”I told you my name - IS NOT CAL, it’s Lee.”

”Ok, what did you remember?”

”What are you talking about?”

”STOP THAT right now!”

”Listen, who ever or what ever you are, You stop it.”

”Do you mind if I rest a bit?”

”Sure, go right ahead.”

Cal lays back on the pillow and soon is sleeping soundly.

”Rob, what do you suppose is going on?” Olivia asks softly.

”I think we should tell the doctor what just happened when he’s finished with
Tomar and have him talk to Cal.”

”Sounds like a fine idea to me.”

”I’ll go check and see how things are going with him and our lil patient.”

”Ok my son. I’ll stay close here and keep an eye on our visitor.”

................ I am changing to first person now as it is how I need to be to get through this
part. If I change mid stream it is because I need to in order to relay the information I have to
share.
................

My eyes open and Miss Olivia is standing above me.

”May I ask with whom I am speaking?”

”Hi Ms. Olivia, I’m Cal.”

”Good, do you know where you are.”

”Yes, my short nap gave my brain some time out and now I am ready to
share with you.”

”You met Lee, didn’t you?” Cal asks?

”Excuse me young lady, what do you mean, I met you.”

”No, I’m sorry, you met Lee, now let me explain.”

”Humph..... well then explain.”

”It’s a long story Ms. Olivia but I will try and shorten it for you.”

”I had a flash back last night and I relapsed.”

”Let me make this as short as I can so you’ll understand.”

”When I was a child, I was abused and in order to get through it, I became another person. It happens
frequently in the mental health community and I have what they call a borderline personality.”

”They are still testing me to see if indeed it is borderline or multiples. I tell them it isn’t
multiples as usually I am aware, just not totally me anymore. Well, I guess you know I’m not me
at all but the doctors don’t need to know that. As long as I can handle it when I wake up.”

”I see, you’re pulling my leg, right?”

”No no I’m not. I won’t say I wish I were because if that were the case, I probably would not have
survived. I become Lee when Cal is in danger.”

”Were you in danger when you ended up here?”

”Are you sure you want to hear this?”

”Yes, my dear, I am very interested.”

”OK, then here goes.”

”When I was a child, I liked to run around naked and I would pose in front of the mirror and I would
play like that until my mother caught me. Then she would belittle me and she would spank me and
she would tell me I was naughty and ugly. She would say I was bad and I should not look at myself
and I should always cover my body.”

”Miss Olivia, I didn’t think I was any of those things. I thought I was pretty and I liked to see
my own body and I guess I got very confused. Do you think I am ugly Miss Olivia?”

”My my my Cal, I don’t have an opinion one way or the other.”

”Well, it got worse. After a while, I couldn’t tell if I was pretty, which I thought, or ugly which
she thought. I guess that’s when Lee came out. She would tell me I was pretty and she would take
my clothes off and she would kiss the mirror and she played like I used to play.”

”One day I woke up on the floor and my clothes were on me all buttoned wrong and I had a big gash
in my lip and I had bruises and I hurt.”

”I got up and my mother started yelling at me. I went in the bathroom and threw up and I changed
my clothes.”

”I threw up all the time then. I couldn’t eat. I guess Lee would eat because sometimes I would
find myself in the bathroom throwing up.”

”My mother and father took me to a special doctor and the doctor made an appointment at the lab
to have some tests. I had to return another day and not eat or drink any liquids.”

”I had to drink this awful stuff at the hospital and they took x-rays or something and ran a whole
bunch of tests.”

”The doctor told my mother I was allergic to different foods. I think I was allergic to myself.”


”I still threw up. I remember one day, we had watched a movie in school and we had ice cream and
as I was walking out the door, I threw up all over myself, I was so embarassed.”

”One other time, I was in the kitchen and when I turned around my mother had a knife in her hand
and she was shaking it at me and told me if she caught me one more time naked, she was going to
show me. The next thing I knew the knife was flying at me.”

”I guess Lee had been posing again as my hair was in a ponytail and I never wore it that way.”


”Olivia, I think I’m pretty but I don’t know. Sometimes when people compliment me, I get scared.
I think maybe they see something that I don’t. I have pictures of myself and I don’t think they
are me.”

”So, now, here’s what’s going on, ok? I have someone who wants to meet me and see what I look like.
Olivia, I don’t know what I look like. I don’t know if he’ll like me or not because I just don’t
know.”

”He is so special to me that I am afraid. I threw up two days ago and now it’s back. Not just
that, but Lee keeps coming out too and I’m scared.”

”My dear, please don’t worry. You’re very lovely.”

”You say that and often times I know that but sometimes when I look in the mirror I see my mother.
She is glaring at me and she is telling me I am ugly and I should not be looking at myself.”

”To tell you the truth I don’t talk to my doctors about this. I don’t want another medication if
I am diagnosed with multiples. I don’t care as long as I’m alone what I look like. I think I’m
fine but I really like this man and I don’t want him to think I’m ugly. In my heart, I know I’m
not but I don’t even want to address it anymore. I’m tired after all of these years.”

”Hi doc.”

”May I help you Miss Olivia, Robbie said you wanted me to talk to someone.”

”I think we’re fine now, aren’t we Cal?”

”Yes, thank you. I think I’m ok now.”

”Well, I’ll get back to Tomar if you don’t need me. It was nice meeting you, is it Cal?”

”Yes, Cal will do just fine.”

”Olivia, would you mind if I ask for a glass of water? I have to take my medication. Oh, never
mind, I must have left them at home.”

”Cal, how did you get here?”

”I’m not sure, Miss Olivia. I think Lee must have been out.”

”I think we’re too far out for you to have walked, let me send Rob out to see if he can find out
how you got here. Maybe you drove.”

”Thanks, if I did, and my purse is in the car, my meds will be in it. That will be goodness as
I think I need them now.”

”Rob, would you come to the guest house please?”

”Never mind, would you drive around the castle and see if you can find Cal’s car?”

”Do you have any keys on you, Cal?”

”Hmmmmmm, yes, here they are in my pocket. Wow, I am impressed, in the middle of this, I actually
brought my keys. I amaze myself sometimes.”

”We found them. Will you take Haley with you to drive it back? Ok, we’ll be here. I think she’s
going to take a nap and then maybe if we treat her very nicely, she’ll stay for dinner. She can
eat with Tomar and the nurse. I’ll have something made up for them as soon as you get back.”

Chapter 20 Next

Chapter 20

Haley is very excited. Robbie has a gift for his princess and now he has blindfolded her and is
walking her outdoors at Cal’s place. He has been keeping it there to surprise her.

You see, it is Haley’s birthday this week-end. She was created by Cal to be a friend to the INU
robots.

Rob takes the blindfold off and Haley’s new red car sits in front of her.

”Robbie, what is this?” Haley asks.

”It is your present mi`sweet lady.”

”But Rob, you know how I feel about expensive things these days, what with the war and all. You
know I cannot accept it.”

”Ah, but sweet sweet HaleyOMine, the car was not expensive. I built most of it myself and it was
built to be energy efficient. I ask for Robert’s help and he was very familiar with a man who knows
all about those things.”

”Haley, mi`luv, you know we have spoken of you going back to work as a model to help with the expense
of the hospital.”

”Yes, Robbie, that is why I am no longer similar to you in looks. I decided to make my priority
the hospital. It is getting very expensive and the only way for me to truly be able to contribute
I have to return to designing and modelling again.”

”Yes, well, HaleyLuv, now you will look very chic in your new car. Besides won’t this be the perfect
opportunity to endorse energy conservation?”

”If Robert and I and his friend can make this into a thriving business, we will be able to afford
to help all of the needy children. Olivia thought it was a great idea. She even helped scheduling
our time so as not to alert you to our work. She has been wonderful.”

”Oh RobbieMi`Robot, I luv you!”

”Oh Princess Haley, I luv you too!”

”Robbie, may we go for a drive in my new RED car now. Oooooops, Rob, does it drive the same as
a regular car?”

”Yes, mi`sweets. It is different in that it runs on electricity and gas. BUT, it gets miles and
miles and miles to the gallon. It is a wonderful invention and even though the original idea wasn’t
our’s, I am still pleased that this car is OUR first project and it is a beginning.”

”Robert is a pure genius, not only does he have friends that know everything about everything, he
installed the best radio available and it was free. You know how I love listening to music and
this station is the best.”

”Do you know that the radio station is owned by a group of Robert’s friends and it has absolutely
NO commercials. It isn’t owned by the media moguls of the world either and that is something in
this day and age.”

”Robbie, are you upset because I am going back to work for them?”

”Haley, right now, we have to do what we have to do to get this hospital up and running. You do
what you have to and we will join the children every night and ask our Higher Power for guidance.
He will keep us on the right track.”

”HaleyMi`Sweets?”

”Yes, Robbie.”

”Let’s go for a drive. Are you ready to go for a spin in your lovely new car?”

”Robbie, will you do me one more favor first?”

”Of course, what is it?”

”Will you take a picture of me behind the wheel of my shiny car?”

”YES, I will. You are going to look beautiful.”


”Robbie, one more thing.”

”Yes.”

”I want to run in and change my clothes for this picture. I have a perfect outfit that will look
wonderful.”

”Oh yes, run and I’ll wait right here.”

”Cal, Cal, do you know where that red and black outfit is? I left it here a couple of weeks ago
for you to take to the cleaners when you took your stuff.”

”You remember the one, the one that I am going to wear on my first day back at modelling?”

”Yes, Haley, I cleaned out a spot just for you in the coat closet. I don’t have much use for that
space here in Arizona. Jackets aren’t even required in the winter most often.”

”Oh, Cal, you are so thoughtful, thanks.”

”Here it is all nice and beautiful.”

”Oh no, Cal, what shoes am I going to wear? I have none here that will match, all of mine are at
home.”

”Not to worry, Haley, I’ve know about the car since the beginning and I knew you were going to start
modelling again. I took the liberty last week when I picked up the laundry to stop over and buy
you this nice little pair of sandle that will go perfectly.

”Cal, you are the greatest. Oh my goodness, Cal, they are perfect, thank you!”

Cal whispers to herself under her breath, ”Sometimes that girl truly amazes me, you’d think she’d
know by now that I am the brains behind her creations and that I pick out the stuff..... Oh gee,
maybe I should ask Robert, maybe he has her programmed so she isn’t aware that I do the actual designing.
Oh well, it doesn’t matter as long as she’s happy.”

Ring ring.

”Hello, oh hi Olivia, yes they are still here. No No, that’s ok, I’ll tell Rob and he can call
you a bit later. He and Haley are going out for a ride in the new car now. Yes, I’ll be sure and
have him call..”

”Thank you Ms. Olivia, you too. Yes, we’ll talk again real soon. Well thank you, I just might
do that. It would do me good to listen to the children on-line. I haven’t experienced it yet and
I think it is the greatest idea ever.”

”Yes, having a prayer time for all the children of the world is ingenius. Ok, I’ll think about
it and I just might join you. If not tonight then one night real soon.”

”Cal, how do I look?”

”Haley, you look wonderful as usual.”

”By the way, Haley, when you get back from your drive, would you have Robbie call Ms. Olivia. I
think she would like to know if you two will be there for prayer tonight.”

”Yes, I’ll call her the minute we get back... bye Cal, we’ll see you in a little while. Cal, how
do I look?”

”HaleyBot, you are a vision of luvliness.”

”Do you think Robbie will like the way I look? I think he was just getting used to the new look
when I switched back.”

”Miss HaleyBot, Robbie luvs you just the way you are all the time. He wouldn’t change one little
screw in your fingernails. If you want to look like a robot, he luvs you like that. If you want
to look like a model, he loves that part of you also.”

”If I were you, I’d consider what Robert thinks Haley. You know he is the one that has to do all
of the work when you change from one body to the other. It may be him you should thank.”

”Cal, you are so right. I will remember that when I talk to Robert next. Thanks for always giving
me advice. I need it.”

”You’re welcome now Ms. HaleyBot now run along and don’t keep your sweet Robbie waiting another
minute. I know he can’t wait to see what you think of his gift.”

”Smile Haley, say cheese.”

”OK sweet RoboRobbie, let’s be off in my new Auto.”

”First, may I have a kiss?”

”Oh yes yes yes. I will give you all of my kisses RobbieMi`Robot. You are my special angel and
I will kiss you till you are weary of my lips.”

”Yeah right HaleyBot, I will never grow weary of your kisses and those beautiful lips will be numb
before I stop doing this....... cling, clank kiss, kiss kiss................ ummmm, now we must
go so we will be back to the castle before prayer time tonight.”

”Robbie, how is Tomar? Did you see her today?”

”Yes, Ms. HaleyBot, and I wasn’t going to talk of this to you till later but since you asked. Tomar
had a very rough day. Her temperature was very high and the doctor is worried.”

”Oh Robbie, she’s going to be ok, isn’t she?”

”HaleyBot, the doctor was very honest and he said that it is a crucial time in her recovery right
now and this is part of that. There will be pain and there may be rejection of the new parts they
have for her.”

”Tomar is not like us Haley, she has human parts and sometimes they won’t be compatible with the
new parts that she is having attached. It is just a fact.

”I will tell you this though, the kids have been on the net all day and they are all praying and
communicating on Tomar’s behalf. Tomar is a beginning of something grand Haley and her success
is vital to all of us. If Tomar succeeds in this, it will give the children of the world hope.”


”Robbie, I’m going to stop the car for a minute. The sunset is lovely and I feel that this is truly
a place of love. Will you join me right now in our own words to our Higher Power.”

”Haley, have I told you how proud of the woman you are?”

”Hold my hand and let’s pray for Tomar’s total recovery.”

”Dear One, please take our friend Tomar and heal her...... She is a light that will brighten many
lives one day and we need her to be blessed by you this day and every day forward. Help her to be
strong of body, mind and spirit and give her the strength she needs to endure this time in her life.
Amen.”

Robbie squeezes Haley’s hand and they walk silently back to the car.
Haley turns on the radio and glances at Robbie. It is one of their favorite tunes and she smiles.


Chapter 21

Olivia called the bots together read ’Understanding Islam’ the Muslim faith. She wanted to educate
everyone on the different religions of the world. She had talked it over with Cal and decided that
Tomar might benefit from it. Tomar was wheeled into the room and upon hearing the topic for
the evening a big smile crossed her face. She was doing much better than the last time the group
gathered.

Olivia is reading the excerpts from the article she had borrowed and would leave the reading of
the Quran to the individuals.

Olivia smiled over at Tomar and winked. It looked as if the topic tonight was a good choice. Olivia
would be sure to talk to Tomar more about it after the others went home.

*** The storyline continues on the next page if you get tired of reading about Muslims. Please,
come back and finish it as it is imperative to the understanding of others in our quest for PEACE.


”Who Are Muslims?” Olivia begins reading.
One billion people from a vast range of races, nationalities and cultures across the globe - from
the southern Philippines to Nigeria - are united by their common Islamic faith. About 18% live in
the Arab world; the world’s largest Muslim community is in Indonesia; substantial parts of Asia
and most of Africa are Muslim, while significant minorities are to be found in the Soviet Union,
China, North and South America, and Europe.

What do Muslims believe? Muslims believe in One, Unique, Incomparable God; in the Angels created
by Him; in the prophets through whom His revelations were brought to mankind; in the Day of Judgement
and individual accountability for actions; in God’s complete authority over human destiny and in
life after death. Muslims believe in a chain of prophets starting with Adam and including Noah,
Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, Elias, Jonah, John the
Baptist, and Jesus, peace be upon them. But God’s final message to man, a reconfirmation of the
eternal message and a summing-up of all that has gone before was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad
through Gabriel.


What Does Islam Mean?The Arabic word ’Islam’ simply means ’submission’, and derives from a word
meaning ’peace’. In a religious context it means complete submission to the will of God. ’Mohammedanism’
is thus a misnomer because it suggests that Muslims worship Muhammad rather than God. ’Allah’ is
the Arabic name for God, which is used by Arab Muslims and Christians alike.

Why Does Islam Often Seem Strange?
Islam may seem exotic or even extreme in the modern world. Perhaps this is because religion does
not dominate everyday life in the West today, whereas Muslims have religion always uppermost in
their minds, and make no division between secular and sacred. They believe that the Divine Law,
the Shari'a, should be taken very seriously, which is why issues related to religion are still
so important.

Who Is Muhammad?
Muhammad, was born in Makkah in the year 570, at a time when Christianity was not yet fully established
in Europe. Since his father died before his birth, and his mother shortly afterwards, he was raised
by his uncle from the respected tribe of Quraysh. As he grew up, he became known for his truthfulness,
generosity and sincerity, so that he was sought after for his ability to arbitrate in disputes.
The historians describe him as calm and meditative.Muhammad was of a deeply religious nature, and
had long detested the decadence of his society. It became his habit to meditate from time to time
in the Cave of Hira near the summit of Jabal al-Nur, the ’Mountain of Light’ near Makkah.

What is the Ka’aba?
The Ka`ba is the place of worship which God commanded Abraham and Ishmael to build over four thousand
years ago. The building was constructed of stone on what many believe was the original site of a
sanctuary established by Adam. God commanded Abraham to summon all mankind to visit this place,
and when pilgrims go there today they say ’At Thy service, O Lord’, in response to Abraham’s summons.


How did Muhammad become a prophet and a messenger of God?
At the age of 40, while engaged in a meditative retreat, Muhammad received his first revelation
from God through the Angel Gabriel. This revelation, which continued for twenty-three years, is
known as the Quran.e Mountain of Light where Gabriel came to Prophet Muhammad.

As soon as he began to recite the words he heard from Gabriel, and to preach the truth which God
had revealed to him, he and his small group of followers suffered bitter persecution, which grew
so fierce that in the year 622 God gave them the command to emigrate. This event, the Hijra, ’migration’,
in which they left Makkah for the city of Madinah some 260 miles to the north, marks the beginning
of the Muslim calendar.After several years, the Prophet and his followers were able to return to
Makkah, where they forgave their enemies and established Islam definitively. Before the Prophet
died at the age of 63, the greater part of Arabia was Muslim, and within a century of his death
Islam had spread to Spain in the West and as far East as China.The Prophet’s Mosque, Madinah, the
dome indicates the place where his house stood and where he is buried.

How did Spread The Spread Of Islam Affect The World?
Among the reasons for the rapid and peaceful spread of Islam was the simplicity of its doctrine
- Islam calls for faith in only One God worthy of worship. It also repeatedly instructs man to use
his powers of intelligence and observation.Taj Mahal, India. Hui Shen Mosque, China, Built in the
7th Century. Within a few years, great civilizations and universities were flourishing, for according
to the Prophet, ’seeking knowledge is an obligation for every Muslim man and woman’. The synthesis
of Eastern and Western ideas and of new thought with old, brought about great advances in medicine,
mathematics, physics, astronomy, geography, architecture, art, literature, and history. Many crucial
systems such as algebra, the Arabic numerals, and also the concept of the zero (vital to the advancement
of mathematics), were transmitted to medieval Europe from Islam. Sophisticated instruments which
were to make possible the European voyages of discovery were developed, including the astrolabe,
the quadrant and good navigational maps.

What is the Qur’an?
The Quran is a record of the exact words revealed by God through the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet
Muhammad. It was memorized by Muhammad and then dictated to his Companions, and written down by
scribes, who cross-checked it during his lifetime. Not one word of its 114 chapters, Suras, has
been changed over the centuries, so that the Quran is in every detail the unique and miraculous
text which was revealed to Muhammad fourteen centuries ago.

http://johnw.host.sk/understandingislam/index.html


Chapter 22

Haley and Cal had quite a time the last few days. Haley had a lot going on. Cal was staying busy
just trying to keep the pace needed to help.

Haley insisted on a pose that Cal wasn’t sure about. It was a pose right out of the 60’s about
Love and Peace. However Haley incorporated her own thoughts on the war into the shot. She appears
with a LOVE poster and a Peace sign standing behind a fence that isriddled with bullets and glass
and lots of blood. Below the shot are the words ”Shock and Awed enough!” Haley seems to be trying
to make a point.

Cal is in total agreement but unsure the general public in the USA will agree. Cal was adamant
in her thoughts that the owners of the agency might not like the inference of the poses.

The wedding scene was wonderful. Haley and Cal designed the dress and veil and Haley was a vision
of loveliness in it. The two ladies certainily seem to work hand in hand on designs. One might
think that Cal does the programming and therefore Haley’s taste are a true reflection of Cal. That
might sound legitimate but in reality Haley does have her own style. She is open for suggestions
from Cal but when the final decisions are made regarding her modelling career, Haley is the one
in charge.

The two poses were extremely opposite and had one not been aware of Haley’s versatility, one might
not believe that the model doing the two shots were one and the same.

Cal was impressed. However, she wasn’t sure Haley’s superiors would be.

Haley commented to Cal that if they didn’t agree with the shots she would eliminate them from her
portfolio. She also stated that she would take the shots elsewhere on her own. She was sure there
was an audience for the pictures and she would find it.

The two females had worked all day on the wardrobe for the two poses. Haley still wanted to do
a shot beside her new car. She wanted Rob to realize the importance of his love and his gift.


Haley is in awe of her man. He not only gives her the car of her dreams, he recognizes the importance
of it being energy efficient too. That showed her that Robbie knew her and supported her and respected
her wishes. She felt blessed by his attention to the details that really mattered in life.

It was hard at times to believe that the two of them were robots. They had such a high level of
wonderful human characteristics and they enjoy the male female differences.

Haley always feels the necessity to compliment Robbie and let him know how absolutely wonderful
she thinks he is. It’s true so it doesn’t matter to her that she often times does it repeatedly.
She thinks her cuteguy walks on water. Ahhhhhh, she knows he doesn’t but that’s ok, he is, after
all, a mere mortal man ............... hahahaha..... oooooops, she often times forgets he is just
a robot and a figment of her’s and Cal’s imagination. But not to worry, he still shines in their
eyes.

Haley was the one who took it upon herself last year to stop modelling for a while. She did the
OGP messenger as a part time gig and spent most of her time with Robbie. Their relationship is
first and foremost in Haley’s mind and she doesn’t mind sharing that. It might have been different
except that Haley truly believes like minded individuals don’t have to work hard at being together.
They just do what works.

Haley decides that she wants to do a few more shots today. She knows how Cal loves Harley Davidson
things so she’s decided to do a shot with a Harley theme. She slso has decided to have some shots
done by her car. She can’t wait, that will please Rob so much.

She really wants to do a couple of shots by the castle but at this time is unsure that is wise.
Could she pull it off as just a photo shoot or would the public become inquisitive and want to
visit.

The hoopla had come to an amazing stand still after the find of the property when the fire happened.
The reason may be that the castle is located in a rather remote area and the trip is treacherous
if you are not a seasoned Arizona driver.

The reason Robbie had purchased the ol jalopy truck was because of the drive to the castle. Although
the truck is old and not the finest on the road, it is sturdy and can make the trip easily.

Haley wants to talk it over with Rob and see if he can suggest a way to transfer her new beautiful
car to the castle so she can have a couple of shots of the two together. Haley thinks that it will
be a fun thing to do and if it isn’t too dangerous, she definitely wants to do it. Maybe she’ll
wear her Harley outfit for the castle shoot too.

Cal has been working on a Haley doll to match her new/old image. She will surprise Haley if things
work out. She has Olivia and Tomar involved and if things goes well, she’ll present the doll to
Haley later in the week.

Tomar is improving daily and it shows. She is such a lovely girl. She often asks when the other
children will arrive and is genuinely interested.

Cal hasn’t told Tomar that the Viet Nam children will not be coming. She knows Tomar longs for
her siblings and other children around would definitely help her spirits.

The twin robots are good company for her. They have the cutest cooing sounds and when Tomar seems
to be depressed, the nurse often times hears the cooing sounds. Tomar cuddles the twins as if they
are truly humans. It takes quite a lot for her to manuever the twins with her handicap but she
isn’t afraid to ask for assistance from the nurse when needed.

Olivia has been known to go into Tomar’s room and sing her to sleep on occasion. She also checks
nightly to tuck her in and turn off the babies. Tomar seems to have bonded with the twins and often
times when Olivia enters the room, the twins are tossing and squirming. The sound button is on
off but the moving button is on. It’s as if Tomar wants the feel of someone else in her room.

Robert is to be in town tomorrow and that will be a good thing. He has been improving on the artificial
arms and legs. He has the programs down now and he wants to try them on Tomar and see the fit.

He will bring Ryan with him to help him set up Tomar. He called the doctor and Tomar will be slightly
sedated for the process. It isn’t usually a painful process but it may be stressful and he wants
Tomar to be as comfortable as possible for this endeavor. She’s been through so much.

Robert is really sensitive when he’s in Tomar’s room. Cal noticed once or twice a tear in his eye
when he was working with Tomar. The first time, he had hurt her through no fault of his own. He
turned and left the room for a few minutes and when he returned, it was obvious he wasn’t over the
ordeal.

Robert knows though that this will happen and he must deal with it. It is something he had to reconcile
himself with when he agreed to do the project. He had gone over the different scenerios and this
was one of them. He knew that when it happened, he would just have to deal with it one step at
a time. The results of what he was trying to do far out weighed his own hurt feelings in the matter.


Ryan on the other hand, hadn’t thought through what this might entail. He just agreed to join Robert
because Robert had asked.

Robert called Cal and asked her to talk to Ryan about the possibility that Ryan may get emotional
when something happened and Tomar was hurt.

Cal called Ryan and realized that he wasn’t really comprehending the whole picture. She decided
to call Jill in Belgium and see if perhaps she would talk to Ryan. Jill agreed.

When Robert and Ryan arrived, the call went through to Jill. Cal put Ryan on the phone and gave
him the low down. Ryan winced a couple of times as Jill has a way of being very blunt but Ryan
only shook his head. He would help Robert with this and he understood the implications now.

They hung up and Ryan walked outside for a bit. Cal noticed him walking toward Tomar’s room. Ryan
wanted to introduce himself and see what he was up against.

Tomar had been given the sedative and was a bit groggy when Ryan arrived. She smiled at him and
nodded.

Ryan had not been prepared for her injury. He was aghast at the vision of this girl that was only
half a body. He knew it showed in his face but Tomar let him down easily.

”Hi, you must be Ryan, I’ve heard so many good things about you, I’m Tomar, your new friend.”

That put Ryan at ease and he opened up a bit and started talking.

The nurse came in and covered Tomar when she saw the pale look on Ryan’s face. It would be easier
in the operating room for Ryan to adjust. It was a clinical environment and as such it had a different
impact on visitors.

Ryan walked out and ran right into Robert. He almost knocked him down.

”Hey, little brother, what’s up?”

”I just met Tomar. I hadn’t expected what I saw, Robert. I’m not so sure I can be of help to you.”

”Oh, sure you can Ryan, you’ll be working the computer and it won’t be any different than when you
normally program. If I see you in distress, I’ll take over, how’s that?”

”Are you sure you trust me with this task, Rob?”

”I wouldn’t trust anybody more, Ry. You’re the guy.”

”Well, if you’re sure, I’ll give it all I’ve got. You know me, always in for the duration.”

”That’s what families are all about Ryan and remember, we may not be blood brothers but WE ARE FAMILY.
We’re all we got and of course, there’s Jill and the Smiths but hey, that’s a lot more than what
Tomar has right now.”

”You’re right Robert and that’s why I’m sticking like glue to this plan. Maybe Tomar will end up
being a part of our extended family after this.”

”Wouldn’t that be great?”

”Well, little brother, I think Olivia has one of her stories she’d like us to listen to. From what
I gather, she has gathering every night and new information to share. I guess we’ll sit in tonight
and find out what it’s all about. I wonder what’s for dinner?”

Olivia has called Haley and asked her to stop and pick up some lunch meat for dinner and a couple
of salads. She made strawberry shortcake for dessert and ice tea for drinks. She hoped that would
suffice. She isn’t accustomed to having real humans for dinner and as such, not sure what they
enjoy. If this is to be a regular occurance, she will ask Robert to program her with a dieticians
skills.

Haley arrives and looks so sweet in her new car. She has the groceries in hand and she’s smiling
beautifully as she enters the castle. Robbie is behind the door and jumps out, ”boo”.

Haley laughs and throws him a kiss.

Haley, Olivia, Cal and IOT2 prepares the food. (You all don’t know IOT2 yet but you’ll be introduced
later.)

”Dinner is served.”

”Dinner was wonderful, Olivia.”

”Why, thank you Robert. I’m so glad you finally got to visit.”

”Yes, me too. May I ask what the topic is tonight for your reading?”

”Yes, of course, it’s a very short one tonight, just a Mission Statement.
Why don’t you just sit right there and I’ll call the others in and we’ll do it quickly tonight so
you all have a chance to visit.”

”Welcome to my friends and family. Tonight is a short reading and I’m not familiar with the topic.
I did want to keep with our new tradition though and I printed it out and here it is. I’m going
to research it a bit after cleaning the dishes and will know more the next time we meet. Tonight
I will just share what I know at this point.”

”I will hand out the url after the reading in case one or more of you might like to look it up.”


”As you all know I am looking for ways to implement Peace and this statement seemed appropriate
in it’s content for tonight.”


http://www.nowacumig.org/
~~~Mission Statement~~~

To establish peace among the races through education. To share values and traditions, and in doing
that, to find a common ground. To build on this foundation of respect, understanding, and love
so that future generations of every race enjoy the differences of each group while inherently embracing
the human family as one.

To build up and sustain the welfare, pride, and condition of indigenous communities by establishing
Native businesses based on local historic cultural practices of food gathering, production, processing
and distribution ........


”Now, with that, I will retire for the evening and leave all of you youngsters to visit and enjoy.
The rooms are ready for you and Haley and Robbie have nstructions as to how to help you get situated.”

”Breakfast will be served at 6:00AM in the morning as I understand the doctor will be ready to take
Tomar in at 7:00AM. Good night and sleep well my children.”


Chapter 23

Jill and Sara are working now at trying to connect with a doctor in Iraq. It is not an easy task
as there is much surveillance going on and the internet is not a safe place for either of them if
they are to succeed.

Jill has friends that she has looking into the transportation. She has been advised second hand
that there are three children that may be candidates for the trip to Belgium.

Jill is hesitant to have the children come into Belgium as this will lead directly back to her and
Sara. It would be to their advantage if they could arrange to have them flown non-stop to Germany.
She is working on that aspect too.

The doctor has put out feelers and wants very much to remove the children from the situation in
Iraq. There are two other groups that are willing to help him remove the kids.

Jill and Sara met a woman willing to handle the communications with the doctor. She is in the military
and a nurse. She has her orders and will be shipped out July 13th. Her name is Samantha Jones
and she will be stationed in Baghdad.

The two women had met Sam at the restaurant they frequent and she understood their cause and volunteered
to do what she could. She knew that she might come under scrutiny if any of her fellow Army buds
found out about her involvement.

Sam explained to Jill and Sara that the military is getting a lot of flack these days. It seems
that the families back home are realizing that their loved ones were sent over to Iraq under false
pretenses. The war was supposedly over and yet the troops are now still there policing the cities.

The families initially thought the war would be over quickly. Indeed that is supposedly what happened
as the president has declared that it is over. However more and more deaths are happening as the
Iraqi people are not happy with their situation and the Americans are NOW the enemy.

Sam agrees to get involved in Jill, Sara and the children’s plight. Jill asks Sam to join them
at the apartment the day after tomorrow to view some pictures of the children. She did not want
Sam to be surprised by the condition of the children. It is imperative that she be aware of the
injuries these children have sustained.

Jill gives Sam the address and directions and asked that she be there at 11:30 AM.

Sam had been stationed in Iraq during the first Gulf War but she hadn’t been a mother back then.
She had done what had to be done but now, there was a big difference. Whenever she looked into
these children’s eyes, she was to think ...... ”If not by the Grace of God..... ”

Not to say that she hadn’t had her share of heartache during the first war. Her brother had been
there also and had returned home with very ugly battle scars.

She still stood firm in her commitment to helping. It was something she now felt she had to do.
If it was at all possible, Sam wanted to be able to attend the children on their journey from Iraq
to Belgium or to Germany, whichever destination was chosen.

Sam had often times traveled with patients in the past. During the first Gulf War, she had attended
nearly two hundred and fifty men and women of the military.

She wasn’t sure how she was going to be able to pull it off. After all, these children would be
moved secretly and if she was to be in attendance, she would have to figure out a plan. It wouldn’t
be easy and maybe impossible but for now, she would think it over.

Sam mentioned to Jill and Sara that she would work on a plan to help move the children. They agreed
that if they could come to a safe solution, Sam would be perfect for the task.

Jill explained to Sam that if there was any chance at all that she would be caught, they would call
it off. It would be better to forego the trip and have her safely imbedded in the hospital for
the next group of children.

Sam went back to her apartment across town and Jill and Sara sat for a while and discussed this
new turn of events.

”Do you think we did the right thing talking to this woman about our plan,” Sara asked?

”Sara, my dear, we have to trust someone sometime. It is such a huge risk that we are taking.
I would much rather try it with an insider’s help if we can.”

”I guess you’re right. Maybe, this Sam person has her head in the right place. I cannot imagine
a mother not wanting to be involved but there are many things these days I can’t imagine.”

”I’m sorry Jill. I don’t mean to be negative but my whole world has been topsy turvy for so long
and I hesitate to trust others at this point.”

”Sara, I do understand. I will share with you this thought. I had this Samantha person checked
out. I have a friend who has a friend who is very active in the PEACE movement. He did some in
depth data search on her. He’s very sure that we can trust her.”

”I know I know, you think because she’s military that maybe her allegiance is to the service. I
think in reality it is. That is just my take on her. I will say however that she sees the bigger
picture. It is her quest to help get the boys and girls home safely.”

”Now, sweet lady, I’ll let you in on another little secret. Sam’s brother was an MIA in Iraq and
then found. She’s here on her own search. He was taken prisoner in the last Gulf War and she wants
to find closure. She isn’t in this for her health I assure you. She knows the consequences.”

”Samantha Jone’s mother is a breast cancer survivor. She had cancer in 1999 and seems to be doing
well. Sam however knows the stress that she has endured because of her brother and she wants closure
for her mom. That is what she’s doing here. She’s trying to find out what happened to her brother
and why he is in such bad shape now.”

”Sam believes her brother got involved in some very ugly scenerios and that it destroyed his mind.
She’s searching on her own to find the demons that possess her brother. She has some ideas but
until she can verify her suspisions, she is hell bent on this search.”

”Sam asked to be assigned to Iraq. She didn’t ask to go straight into the war. She inquired after
the war supposedly ended and found that the US troops would probably be there for at least 2-5 years.
That is when she asked for this assignment.”


”It must be very hard for Samantha. On the one hand, she is in the very place her brother was traumatized.
That has got to make her nervous about her own safety. On the other hand there has got to be that
thought that she won’t find the answers she’s seeking.”

”Are you ready to head home. I’m tired and need to get to sleep.”

”Oh yes, I am ready. I am sleepy also.”

”Let me get the check.”

”Of course, you do that. You know how I hate trying to figure out those dumb things. I’ll pay you
back later.”

”You know that won’t be necessary. After all, it seems it all goes to the same place anyway.”

”Ok, then I won’t pay you back. Thanks.”

=====

”Oh my goodness, doesn’t it feel great to be home?”

”Yes it does, I always feel much better when I walk in that door. I feel so comfortable here and
it does feel like home now, doesn’t it?”

”It sure does. I was so afraid it would never feel like home but now that it does, I’m glad we’re
here.”

”Me too. Listen Sara, you sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite, ok?”

”I won’t. Sleep well too Jill and we’ll talk more about what transpired tonight over breakfast.”


”Yawn............... ”

Go to Original (The Original was missing when I searched..... the stories they don’t want
us to hear.)

Iraq: the Human Toll
Ed Vulliamy
The Observer

As news reporters tracked troops on the road to Baghdad, much of the suffering and loss of ordinary
Iraqi civilians was left untold. Until now. Here, in a compelling dispatch, award-winning foreign
correspondent Ed Vulliamy goes in search of their stories.

Sunday July 6, 2003

It was Rahad’s turn to hide. The nine-year-old girl found a good place to conceal herself from
her playmates, the game of hide and seek having lasted some two hours along a quiet residential
street in the town of Fallujah, on the banks of the Euphrates. But while Rahad crouched behind the
wall of a neighbour’s house, someone else - not playing the game - had spotted her, and her friends;
someone above. The pilot of an American A-10 ’tank-buster’ aircraft, hovering in a figure of eight.
He was flying an airborne weapon equipped with some of the most advanced and accurate equipment
for ’precision target recognition’ in the Pentagon’s arsenal. And at 5.30pm on 29 March, he launched
his weapon at the street scene below.

The ’daisy-cutter’ bounced and exploded a few feet above ground, blasting red-hot shrapnel into
the walls not of a tank but of houses. Rahad Septi and 10 other children lost their lives; another
12 were injured. Three adults were also killed.

Juma Septi, father to Rahad, holds a photograph of his daughter in the palm of his hand as he
recalls the afternoon he lost his ’little flower’. A carpenter, Septi had been a lifelong opponent
of Saddam Hussein - an activist in the Islamic Accord Party, for which he had been imprisoned, then
exiled to Jordan in 1995. Last October, Septi had returned under an armistice to start a new life
in his home town, reunited with his family. ’I don’t really know what to think now,’ he says. ’We
have lost Saddam Hussein, but I have lost my daughter. They came to kill him, but killed her and
the other children instead. What am I supposed to make of that?’

Jamal Abbas joins the conversation. ’I was driving my taxi and heard the noise like thunder,
when someone told me, ”Jamal, they’ve bombed your street!” When I got back here, the smoke was so
thick it was like night - children lying wounded and women screaming.’ Abbas learnt that his niece
- 11-year-old Arij Haki, visiting from Baghdad - had been killed immediately. ’She was playing a
guessing game with her cousins,’ says the child’s father Abdullah Mohammed, ’when the top half of
her head was blown off.’

’But there was no sign of my daughter,’ says Jamal Abbas, ’so I went outside to search in that
madness; it was half an hour before I found her, right there, on the ground.’ Miad Jamal Abbas,
aged 11, her body bloody and ripped, was taken to the same hospital ward as Rahad Septi. The two
fathers accordingly sat in vigil together. ’They died together, just as they had played together,
in the same room,’ says Abbas. ’We were close before, now we are bound together.’

’It’s not easy now to think about what they were like when they were alive,’ says Septi, making
to retreat into the shadows of his home. ’I have to think that this was my fate and the will of
God. Otherwise, I would go mad. Rahad had a tongue in her head, for sure. She talked too much. She
was very little, really, but understood things quickly.’

At the cemetery on the edge of the town, where Fallujah dissipates into desert, 11 small mounds
of earth have been dug, awaiting proper headstones. The children have been buried together rather
than in family plots. Saad Ibrahim whose father, Hussein, was killed in the corner shop he kept,
has a few caustic questions for the tank-buster’s pilot: ’I want to ask him: what exactly did you
see that day that you had to kill my father and those kids? Do you have good eyesight? Is your computer
working well? If not... well, that’s your business. But there was no military activity in this area.
There was no shooting. This is not a military camp. These are houses with children playing in the
street.’

The total figure of civilian deaths in the Iraqi conflict may never be known, but an investigation
of random incidents reveals that whatever the total, the proportion of civilian to military deaths
among Iraqis is overwhelming. A graphic illustration of this can be found in the corner of the Abu
Graib cemetery on the edge of Baghdad. Here, during the days after the fall of Saddam’s regime,
families came to disinter the grievous legacy of that tyranny, in the form of their relatives’ skeletons.
But other huddles of people came, too - to bury, not recover, their dead. Most did so in family
plots, but some were too poor to own such patches of land and instead placed their cadavers beneath
mounds of earth in a paupers’ plot outside the cemetery. The grave digger, Akef Aziz, explains that
those from the military, or Fedayeen Saddam units, were also covered with an Iraqi flag. Out of
a total of 916 graves in this plot, 17 are those of fighters. ’They were coming in at least 30 or
40 a day,’ recalls Aziz. ’They were good times for us, because we are paid by the body.’

In war, collateral damage - as the parlance describes civilian casualties - has no human face,
nor does it have a name. But here, on the following pages, are some of their stories. This is the
bitter - but hidden - reckoning of war’s aftermath.

The southern Iraqi town of Nasiriyah, where the American ground offensive began in earnest during
the last days of March, will before long be the best known in all Iraq. This will not be because
Nasiriyah was once the cradle of the Sumer dynasty and thus of civilisation; not because here, 6,000
years ago, the first syllabic alphabet was devised and first mathematical schema developed (around
the figure 60, still the modern world’s measurement of time). And not because the first legal code
- including laws governing the conduct of war - was written and enforced. Nor will this renown be
because the town of Nasiriyah is now rife with disease arising from putrid water and stinking rubbish
through which children pick, looking for things to sell.

No, Nasiriyah’s fame will be enshrined in Hollywood lore because it was here that US special
forces rescued Jessica Lynch of the 507th Ordnance Maintenance Company, who went astray and was
captured by the Iraqis. And most famous of all will be the first floor of Nasiriyah General Hospital,
where Private Lynch was being treated when snatched in what the story emblazoned across cinema screens
will narrate as a raid of daring heroism (although doctors and ancillary staff recall the episode
differently: as the Americans blasted and kicked their way in, they were welcomed and shown to Private
Lynch’s ward, with no resistance offered). Every major American television network has since dutifully
traipsed through this corridor, anxious to relive the fantasy version of the drama.

None of them, however, bothered to visit ward 114, a few doors down from Jessica’s. In there,
separated by a curtain, lie Daham Kassim, aged 46, and his 37-year-old wife Gufran Ibed Kassim.
Daham has his arms bound, and a stump where his right leg used to be. Gufran cannot move her arms,
wounded by gunshots, and probably never will. But the pain is not in their bodies, it is in their
faces.

It is impossible to ’interview’ Kassim. He dismisses questions, driving his narrative, like
a man possessed, towards its conclusion. He speaks in English, an educated man and, until a few
months ago, director of the Southeastern electricity board. His torment began on the evening of
24 March, when - after heavy US bombing in his Mutanaza neighbourhood - Kassim told his family to
prepare to depart in the morning. They would leave Nasiriyah for the safety of his parents’ farm
70 miles away. ’We packed anything valuable, and the children were allowed to take a few toys each.’

Departure was delayed by a sandstorm, and the family - the four children in the back - set off
shortly after noon in Kassim’s new car. A few minutes later they reached the American checkpoint
at the northern gate to the city. (Significantly, the suicide bomb which killed four US soldiers
at a road block and was credited with inflaming American behaviour at check points, occurred a full
four days later on 29 March at Najaf. This was the incident described by the Washington Post as,
’The first such attack of the war.’) ’I could see two tanks,’ recalls Kassim. ’They were sand-coloured,
with markings on them. I was afraid and stopped my car 60m away. Less than a minute passed. They
did not open anything, I saw no one. It was silent.’ [The American tanks kept their hatches down.
The Marines inside would have been looking through their green-tinted rectangular window, at a civilian
car carrying a couple and four children.] ’I was frozen with fear,’ continues Kassim. ’I could see
their guns moving down. Then there was a terrible noise, and my car was buried in shooting.’

Kassim’s voice begins to crack. ’I saw my eldest daughter, Mawra, die. She was nine; I saw it
with my eyes: she took the first shot, opened her eyes, and closed them again.’ Gufran, his second
daughter, was also killed immediately. ’But my son Mohammed, he was six and in the first year of
primary school, he was still breathing. And my Zainab, she is five, was also still alive, although
she had been shot in the head.’

Two Americans approached the car. ’They were called Chris and Joe. They took out my two dead
children, then tried to give my son oxygen, but it was no use. He died there, at that moment. I
asked for a helicopter to take us to hospital. They refused, but Joe gave us some morphine in exchange
for my gold watch. They tied my bad leg to the other, then took us to their base.’

There, the Americans had established a field hospital, where they bandaged up the surviving
child, father and mother. For two nights, the remains of the family slept in a bed. It appears that
the story is reaching an end. ’Wait!’ insists Kassim, his tears preparing themselves for what is
to come, as if his trials could get any worse. ’Don’t ask me questions. I will tell you what happened.’

On the third night, that of 27 March, ’there were some Americans wounded that night, in the
fighting. Maybe they needed the beds. So they told us we had to go outside. I heard the order -
”put them out” - and they carried us like dogs, out into the cold, without shelter, or a blanket.
It was the days of the sandstorms and freezing at night. And I heard Zainab crying: ”Papa, Papa,
I am cold, I am cold.” Then she went silent. Completely silent.’

Kassim breaks off in anguish. His wife continues the story of the night. ’What could we do?
She kept saying she was cold. My arms were broken, I could not lift or hold her. If they had given
us even a blanket, we might have put it over her. We had to sit there, and listen to her die.’

’We’d had trouble having children,’ Kassim re-enters the conversation. ’We’d been trying for
six years without success and given up hope. But then God blessed us, and everything went right.
Four little flowers - and now four little flowers cut down. What for? For oil and a strategic place
for America? Do they know God, these people? Why did they put my Zainab out into the cold? I tell
you Mister, she died of cold, she died of cold.’

There is urgent business, however. Kassim has still not concluded - indeed he is reaching his
purpose. The three Kassim children put to death at the checkpoint had been buried at the site of
their shooting, but later taken to the holy city of Najaf for entombment, as is the mandatory custom
for Shia Islam. Zainab, however, had been interred inside the US base, ’and the question now,’ pleads
Kassim, revived by the urgency of the matter, ’is that we must get her to Najaf, where there is
a space for her there with her brother and sisters. Please, Mister, I cannot move; you must go and
ask how we can take my Zainab to Najaf.’

The US encampment and airstrip is under speedy construction, built to last, on a site chosen
alongside the world’s most ancient human creation, the Sumer ziggurat at Ur. ’There is no one buried
at this site,’ assures US Marine Sergeant Jarrell, offering nevertheless to put us through to the
authority able to deal with Kassim’s request, which turns out to be the Civil Affairs department.
The voice of Civil Affairs accordingly comes down his radio: ’Tell them this is a waste of Civil
Affairs’ time.’ We try again the next day, when a kindly woman, Private Hurst from the Medical Corps,
is more responsive.

’Oh yes,’ she says, rather nervously, ’we have three children buried here. Yes, I think I know
who you’re talking about.’

An examination of Kassim’s car shows this to have been a clinical and frontal piece of musketry.
A fusillade of heavy-calibre chain-gun tank fire attacked the vehicle, with some rounds twisting
into the metalwork, but most fired straight through the windows at its occupants. A neighbour, Taleb
Yasser, who retrieved the car, recalls how Kassim would make his way home of an evening, ’often
bringing chocolate for his children and others playing in the street’. He points out the bomb damage
that encouraged his friend to leave. ’We told him that it might be dangerous,’ says Yasser, ’that
the tanks were sitting there, but he would have none of it, and insisted on taking his family to
safety.’

Beyond a dilapidated fairground beyond Kassim’s now empty house are further homes hit by the
bombing, including the one Kadem Hashem had lived in since returning to his native Iraq. Hashem
was a consultant in computer and communications technology, born in Kuwait and well travelled across
the Arab world. But in 1996, he elected to join his parents and two brothers back in Nasiriyah,
bringing his wife, Salima, and six children. They lived in what Hashem remembers as ’a nice house,
with a TV, and comfortable’. He was, however, ’distrusted by the government of Saddam for being
away for so long. It seems,’ he says, ’that I was called back to accept my fate.’

That fate was a cruel one. Hashem surveys the wreckage of his ’nice house’, its walls imploded,
its roof collapsed. In the diwaniya, to which men would retire of an evening to smoke a hooker pipe,
singed cushions are still arranged on the ground, with burned pages of a Koran scattered in the
debris. Of the 14 members of Hashem’s family that shared or were visiting the house on 23 March,
only he and his youngest daughter survive.

The missile which destroyed Hashem’s family struck at 1.15 pm. ’I was outside and heard something
like the wind, a plane, and then something thrown at the house. I went flat on the floor, and felt
the heat on my body. When I looked up, the house was falling in, on fire. My eldest daughter Bashar
was buried beneath it. My father and mother, Ali Kadem and Reni, died but I did manage to wrap my
wife in a blanket and get her to the hospital, where she died that night.’

He finds a photograph in the cinders. ’This was my middle daughter, Hamadi. I found her burnt
to death by that doorway, she had shrunk to about a metre tall.’ And another picture, this one from
within his robe: ’This was my sister when she was little. She died over there, by the gate. My father
was killed where you are standing now, in the diwaniya; I loved him too much, I think. For three
days afterwards, I sat by the gate of my home. I didn’t sleep or go anywhere, I didn’t know who
or where I was.’

It is now twilight, a purple hue in the sky, and we decide to continue in the morning and also
to visit the one surviving daughter, Bedour.

’Bedour is 18 years old, but doesn’t look it,’ we are warned in advance, as the cockerel’s crow
heralds another day in Hashem’s laden life. ’In fact, she does not look like herself at all. She
cannot walk or talk, or sleep. She has something wrong in her head - she keeps talking nonsense
or crying out: ”Why did you all go away and leave me?”’

What remains of a beautiful girl called Bedour Hashem lies on a piece of floor at a relative’s
house, having been discharged by the American military hospital, with no room for her at the local
one. She is shrivelled and petrified like a dead cat. Her skin is like scorched parchment folded
over her bones. Unable to move, she appears as if in some troubled coma, but opens her eyes, with
difficulty, to issue an indecipherable cry like a wounded animal. Hashem understands it: ’We should
leave her.’

’She and I have something in common,’ he continues, outside the house, bright flowers climbing
its walls, ’which is that we have lost everyone else. Every time I look at her, I will always think
of my wife. But now I have to be a father, mother, brother, sister and grandparent to her, all in
one person, and I don’t know if I can manage that.’

Hashem has dug his own mass grave in the holy city: ’I collected them all and put them in a
single grave at Najaf; my money was burnt, too, and I couldn’t afford to bury them separately. Now
the holy men in town are at me for this, blaming me for doing something not in accordance with the
religion.’


(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to
those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and
educational purposes.)


© : t r u t h o u t 2003


Chapter 24

Jill and Sara decide to make pancakes for breakfast. They sit together and discuss their next steps.
The plan must be worked out and then incorporated. It will become easier as the two of them become
more familiar with it.

Jill asks Sara to write her thoughts down. Jill does same. Once they decide on the plan, Jill
will call Robert and run it past him. He will be able to find out the information easier as he
is much wiser on the net than either of the women.

Sara writes her list. It is imperative that the two are combined before mid afternoon and faxed
to Robert. Samantha is to leave soon and they must have the plan’s initial copy done before she
leaves.

The women have an insider in Baghdad and it will be possible to update the plan through this person.


The plan has to be fairly solid before Sam leaves. The less contact with her once she’s there,
the better.

Sara hands Jill her list. Jill combines the two and together they go over the information. There
are twenty-three suggestions on the list in the beginning. That is a good start. They should be
able to narrow it a few before faxing it to Robert. (It may be a good idea to include the extra
ones if they are significant.)

Sara laughs at Jill as she frowns over the paper.

”What pray tell, are you laughing at?”

”You look so serious.”

”Sara, this is important. It’s our mission to get those children out of that place.”

”Jill, I know, but after all this time living with you, it still amazes me that your face shows
every thing going on inside of you. I hear tell that your daughter is the same.”

”WHO told you that?”

”I’ll never tell.”

”It was Robert, wasn’t it? He’s been so good with the kids. He’s a God send that’s for sure.”


”Ok, it was him.”

”NOW leave me alone will you? I’m trying to narrow this list down.”

”You know, Sara, I think we have a good list. I think I’ll prioritize it but leave it as is to
send to Robert. If he thinks there is something to add or take away, he’ll let us know.”

”You’re damn good at this Sara.”

”Jill, it’s been our lives for quite some time now, I should be good at it.”

”We work well together you and I. Like you always said about you and Robert; ’Like minded individuals
think alike.’

”You’re right on there Sara.”

”Well, let’s type this up on the computer and then print it and fax it.”

”Why not email it, Jill?”

”No way, I don’t know if they can track fax but I dam well know they can check all of our emails.
I’ll do it in word and then I’m faxing it.”

”Jill, I’m sure they can track a fax too.”

”Well, then, it’ll be tracked like that. I’d snail mail it if I thought we had the time. At least
then, it might get through without someone reading it.”

”Robert is pretty good with security and he can protect himself but he can’t always protect me and
he knows that. He knows how I am and he just accepts it. I bet it’s hard on him occasionally.
Thank God he doesn’t show it anymore though. He just accepts it.”

”Ah, Jill, he knows your friendship is worth it. He’s a good guy and he wants to keep you around.
You’re an asset to him and he knows it. You believe in him and he in you. That’s some sort of
a relationship. I think you’re very lucky to have such a man in your life.”

”Yes, and I am very lucky my husband understands. I’ve had my hardships and problems but I think
I’m one lucky lady. I have a wonderful family and I have you and Robert. What more could a girl
ask?”

”Hey, are we a bit off track or what?”

”Yes, if you need to do something else, it shouldn’t take me long to get this to Robert. I hope
he’s around to get it right back to me asap.”

”I hope so too.”

”I am going to bathe and go out for a bit. I’ll probably be gone for a couple of hours. Do you
need anything from the store while I’m out?”

”Naa, I’ll go later if I need to. I’m probably not going to wait for Robert to fax me that info
right back. He’ll need a little time to address the list. I’ll probably go out myself after I
get the list in order and fax it.”

”OK, do you want to meet someplace and have lunch?”

”No, I can’t today. I have something in mind when I go out. Thanks for asking though. We’ll do
it later, k?”

”Of course. I always enjoy our lunches out. It’s always an adventure with you. You have such
a warm personality that people are drawn to you. I always know when we are in a public setting
you are going to meet up with someone new. That is fascinating to me and I enjoy it very much.”

”Well thank you Ms Sara, I’ll take that as a compliment.”

”It was meant as one.”

”Ok, do you need to use the bathroom before I start my bath?”

”No, go ahead. I’m going to work on this till it’s on it’s way.”

”Hey Sara.”

”Yes?”

”Since you’re in the kitchen, would you mind to bring me my water bottle out of the fridge?”

”Sure.”

”Thanks.”

”You’re welcome.”

=============

Angel is playing with the boys and messaging on the internet to Pebbles.

”What are you going to do today, Peb?”

”I was thinking about going over to Cal’s and going for a swim. It is supposed to be the hottest
day of the year today. If I go, I will go before it gets much later. It will be way too hot to
be in the sun even in the pool.”

”Ahhh, I wonder if I can talk Olivia into bringing me and the boys over to Cal’s?”

”Ask her.”

”brb”

”k”

”Olivia said she couldn’t bring us. She told me that Robbie will be here at 10:00 and maybe he
would. I think maybe that’s too late though. It’ll be too hot. We’ll have to plan it for another
time. I know the boys would love it.”

”I sure like Tomar. She’s really a cool girl.”

”I need to see if I can get out there and meet her. I bet I’d like her too.”

”You know, she’s been through a lot but she doesn’t seem angry at all. She has a very strong faith
and I think that Robert and his plan is going to make her life so much better.”

”Isn’t it wonderful what Robert and Olivia and the robots are doing for Tomar. I hope one day to
be able to help people like that.”

”Yes, that would certainly be something worth while to do with your life.”

”Listen, I’m going to call Cal now and see if she minds if I go over swimming. Maybe she’ll join
me. I might ask her to see if her grandson wants to go with me. That would be cool too. He’s
a cute kid.”

”OK, well, I’m going to stay on here a while and check my email and maybe I’ll see if I can message
Charity. I haven’t talked to her in a long long time.”

”Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could get Olivia to do an audio of the readings on the different religions?”


”That would be way cool. I wonder if there is a way?”

”Yes, there is but someone else would have to set it up and she won’t ask anyone. It’s ok though.
One day things will slow down and all of these things will fall into place.”

”I think you’re right.”

”Well, I’m going now so ttyl.”

”OK, ttyl.”

”byeeeeeeeeeeeeee”

”ditto”


Chapter 25

Jill’s other plan was to hook up with a staff person from NAMI. She had a conference call set in
place for 2:00.

She had seen this ad and she wanted to find out more. It would be important for Sara to read and
critique the material. Jill and Sara didn’t often speak of Sara’s illness but Jill was aware of
it.

She wanted to help Sara become informed since she had been talking of teaching classes to children
with Mentally Ill parents.

Jill realized from her own life experience how dibilitating mental illness can be. After all, even
though her folks had drinking problems, Jill had learned that most addicts, are dual diagnosed.
That means that most often a person with drug or alcohol problems already has a mental problem.


Sara would be an excellent teacher. The class she was to teach was in English but if all went well,
there would eventually be a French interpreter available too.

======================


http://www.healthyplace.com/Communities/Thought_Disorders/schizo/articles/books.htm

Mental Illness

Three Authors Honored By NAMI(July 5, 2003) Three new books provide important new perspectives on
the experience of children of parents with mental illnesses in confronting challenges at different
stages of life.

Sometimes My Mommy Gets Angry is a story for children about a young girl who learns how to cope
with difficult moments in her mother’s struggle with bipolar disorder.

The book will be released in September 2003. The book is written by best-selling author and National
Public Radio Morning Edition commentator, Bebe Moore Campbell.

The other two books are Rescuing Patty Hearst:
Memories from a Decade Gone Mad by Virginia Holman and Nature Lessons: A Novel by Lynette Brasfield.
Holman and Brasfield draw on their childhood experiences as daughters of mothers with schizophrenia
to explore similar themes—but with intriguing differences.

Holman’s Rescuing Patty Hearst is a memoir of her mother’s untreated schizophrenia. One year after
Patty Hearst was kidnapped and robbed a bank in 1974, Holman writes, “my mother lost her mind and
kidnapped my sister and me to our family cottage” in rural, coastal Virginia, because she believed
that they had been inducted into a secret army and were “trusted with setting up a field hospital.


We lived in that cottage for over three years.” Holman’s book also explores the ways that the legal
and clinical system during the 1970s and 80s prevented her family from getting her mother the treatment
that she desperately needed.
Holman has written for Redbook, Self, DoubleTake, USA Today, and the Washington Post.

A portion of Rescuing Patty Hearst received a Pushcart Prize in 2001.

In Brasfield’s novel, Nature Lessons: Novel, a woman returns to South Africa after 20 years to
search for her missing mother and truths about her family history under apartheid. It explores the
strain in family and social relationships that arise from paranoia that can be rooted in mental
illness or an oppressive political regime.

In June, Booksense 76 selected it for its list of Outstanding New Fiction for July and August 2003,
considered by independent booksellers to be “unique and provocative.”

Booklist has described the novel as “gripping…part mystery, part dark comedy, part harsh political
reality.” Both books show how psychotic delusions reflect a person’s surrounding culture; how what
is ”real” and what is ”paranoid”
may be confused, or depend on a person’s class or racial perspective; and the impact that each may
have on a child’s past, present, and future.

Brasfield, Campbell and Holman were recently honored at The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
(NAMI) convention.Click to buy: Sometimes My Mommy Gets Angry Rescuing Patty Hearst: Memories
from a Decade Gone Mad
Nature Lessons: A Novel

======================

Jill got all the information and decided to go ahead and order the books for Sara. She would be
thrilled.

Sara desparately wanted to help her child understand her illness also. Kendra had been raised in
Sara’s illness and it hadn’t been easy for her.

One thing different about Sara’s illness and her own mother’s was that Sara had learned from growing
up in a sick household. She had decided early on that she would NOT do to her own child what had
been done to her. There was no animosity toward her parents but there was a need to stop the madness.

Sara knew what it was like to come out of a home where everything was conditional. In her mind
it added to her own disease.

She knew from the first moment she held Kendra that her love for her own child would be UN-conditional.
It was something that would help in her own recovery. She knew it wouldn’t be easy as it wasn’t
something she knew about. BUT, she was determined. It would be.

Sara was fortunate and Kendra had been an easy baby. She hadn’t however been lucky enough not to
have post natal depression. That was a hard one. Except for the fact that her baby needed her,
Sara may not have made it throught that time.

Terrance hadn’t been around back then. He had been young and he had been away much of the time
learning his new JOB. The FBI was where it was for Terrance Mason. It was his heart’s desire to
be an FBI agent almost from the first moment he could remember.

He didn’t know of Sara’s disease at the time. Had he known things may have been easier on Sara.
However, as the story goes, Sara had to learn her own journey and it turned out to be rocky on
occasion.

Bipolar is not to be taken lightly. One in five people diagnosed doesn’t make it.

Sara almost didn’t survive it either. She felt very isolated and alone. She needed her husband
for support but that wasn’t to be the case.

It wasn’t as if it was all Terry’s fault. Sara didn’t share the bad times when he was home. It
was all goo goo and da da and smiles. Only once did Sara show her true hurt when Terrance was home.

He had been in Nevada investigating a mafia link. He had been away for ten days straight. When
he walked in the door, he heard his baby daughter crying. He couldn’t find his wife.

Terrance called and got a baby sitter to watch Kendra and he called his friend Dennis to help him
find his wife.

They went to every place Terry could think of that his wife might go. She wasn’t there.

Finally, all thoughts of where she was were exhausted and he dropped Denny off. He went home and
picked up the baby and the sitter and drove Lacy home.

When he got home Terrance was fuming. Where was his wife and what was wrong with her that she left
the baby alone? What kind of mother would do that. He was soon to find out.

His anger started to subside and he thought maybe something horrible had happened to Sara. He called
the office and took off for a week. He layed on the bed and began to doze off.

His eye caught something move under the closet door. He disregarded it. It was nothing. Then
he saw it again.

Terrance took out his gun and walked to the closet. He slowly opened the door and there on the
floor where she had been the whole time was his wife.

He looked at her and made a decision right then not to do what he wanted to do. He decided not
to scream bloody murder at her and hurt her more. In some part of his mind, he knew he was out
of his league here. He was going to be gentle and find out what was going on.

Terrance leaned down and whispered Sara’s name. She didn’t respond. She was rocking. Terry then
leaned down and took her arm and pulled her to her feet. She seemed to respond. She seemed to
be coming around. He could see the far away look in her eyes but they seem to be focussing a bit.


Terrance led her to the bed and just as he helped her to sit down, Sara started crying uncontrollably.


”Terry, I cannot do this. I can’t do it alone.”

”My baby is so sweet but honey, she cries and cries and I cannot make her stop. I wanted her to
stop today and when she didn’t I couldn’t cope another minute. I thought of awful things that I
wanted to do to my baby. I wanted to cover her mouth and make her hush. I wanted her to hush just
for a minute.”

”I remember sitting on the floor in the closet and I couldn’t hear her. I remember thinking I would
stay there forever, I wouldn’t come out.”

”Sweetheart, it’s ok. You’re ok now and we’ll make an appointment with the doctor tomorrow and
we’ll get you some help.”

”I’ll talk to my boss too and I’ll get another assignment where I can be home at night and not on
the road.”

”Oh honey, that would be so good. I really think I need some help. I love you and our little Kendra
so much.”

”Sara, why don’t you get ready for bed and I’ll get the baby a bottle and put her to sleep.”

”Oh, honey, that sounds wonderful.”

Terry went into the kitchen and heated a bottle and walked into the baby’s room. The baby was smiling
and cooing. He picked her up and sat in the rocking chair and started to rock his newborn. It
was a first for him.

Kendra was already three weeks old and not once had he even rocked her to sleep. He had held her
and he had fed her but he had been on such a tight schedule, he hadn’t really gotten to know her.
That was going to change.

The next day Terry’s boss called and told him it was unacceptable that he take this time off.

Terry compromised. He told his boss he could work 3 days a week for the next two weeks or he could
work half days.

His boss agreed finally but seemed to be upset at the situation. Terry didn’t care. His boss hadn’t
seen his beautiful wife hovering in the closet. He hadn’t seen his baby smiling. Terrance was
going to advocate for what was right for his family. He was going to do this because he finally
realized without his wife and baby all of it was for naught.

Terrance was determined he would not be like other men. He would not be divorced. He would not
be an absentee father to his child. He would do his job and he would give it his all but he would
not give up the rest of his life for it.

Terrance made a huge realization that night in his bedroom. A good woman and a family is the biggest
of God’s gifts. He realized it almost too late but he realized it, non the less. He hadn’t let
it go on longer. He hadn’t let it get out of hand. He’d been there for his family and he’d done
the right thing.

When Sara was stronger and the baby older, he could go out again on the road. It would not however
be that way all the time. He would never put his job before his family.

Chapter 26

Dominique, from Cal’s class had emailed this to Cal. Cal knew that Dominique humored her on occasion
and was truly trying to keep an open mind about the war. BUT, she knew of Cal’s interest and thought
she might enjoy this.


WAR AGAINST IRAQ TO YOUR PRECOCIOUS CHILD

HOW TO EXPLAIN THE WAR AGAINST IRAQ TO YOUR PRECOCIOUS DAUGHTER

Q: Daddy, why did we have to attack Iraq?
A: Because they had weapons of mass destruction.
Q: But the UN inspectors didn’t find any weapons of mass destruction.
A: That’s because the Iraqis were hiding them.
Q: And that’s why we invaded Iraq?
A: Yes. Invasions always work better than inspections.
Q: But after we invaded them, we STILL didn’t find any weapons of mass
destruction, did we?
A: That’s because the weapons are so well hidden. Don’t worry, the
occupying forces will find something, probably right before the 2004 election.
Q: Why did Iraq want all those weapons of mass destruction?
A: To use them in a war against their enemies, silly.
Q: I’m confused. If they had all those weapons that they planned to use
in a war, then why didn’t they use any of those weapons when the US and
Britain went to war against them? A: Well, obviously they didn’t want anyone to know they had those
weapons, so in order to confuse us they chose to die by
the thousands rather than defend themselves by using any of the weapons of
mass destruction.
Q: That doesn’t make sense. Why would they choose to die if they had
all those big weapons with which they could have fought back?
A: Iraq is in the Middle East. It’s a totally different culture. It’s
not supposed to make any sense to us in the West.
Q: I don’t know about you, but I don’t think they had any of those
weapons President Bush said they did.
A: Well, you know, it doesn’t really matter whether or not they had
weapons of mass destruction. President Bush had another good reason to launch a preemptive strike
against Iraq anyway.
Q: And what was that?
A: Even if Iraq didn’t have weapons of mass destruction, Saddam Hussein
was a cruel and vicious dictator, which is another good reason to invade his
country.
Q: Why? What does a cruel dictator do that makes it okay to invade his
country?
A: Well, for one thing, he tortured and killed his own people.
Q: Kind of like what they do in China?
A: Don’t go comparing China to Iraq. China is a good economic partner,
where millions of people work for low wages in sweatshops to help US
corporations achieve a high-profit margin. That helps all Americans.
Q: So if a country lets its people be exploited for American corporate
gain, it’s a good country, even if that country tortures and kills its own
people?
A: Right.
Q: Why were people in Iraq being tortured and killed?
A: For political crimes, mostly, like criticizing the government. People
who criticized the government in Iraq were sent to prison and tortured or
killed.
Q: Isn’t that exactly what happens in China?
A: I told you, China is different.
Q: What’s the difference between China and Iraq?
A: Well, for one thing, Iraq was ruled by the Ba’ath party, while China
is a Communist country.
Q: Didn’t you once tell me Communists were bad?
A: No, just Cuban Communists are bad.
Q: How are the Cuban Communists bad?
A: Well, for one thing, people who criticize the government in Cuba are
sent to prison and tortured.
Q: Like in Iraq?
A: Exactly.
Q: And like in China, too?
A: I told you, China’s a good economic partner. Cuba, on the other
hand, is not.
Q: How come Cuba isn’t a good economic partner?
A: Well, you see, back in the early 1960s, our government passed laws
that made it illegal for Americans to trade or do any business with Cuba
until they stopped being Communists and started being good capitalists like us.
Q: But if we repealed those laws, opened up trade with Cuba, and started
doing business with them, wouldn’t that help the Cubans become
capitalists?
A: Don’t be a smart-ass.
Q: I didn’t think I was being one.
A: Well, anyway, they also don’t have freedom of religion in Cuba.
Q: Kind of like China and the Falun Gong movement?
A: I told you, stop saying bad things about China. Anyway, Saddam
Hussein came to power through a military coup, so he’s not really a legitimate
leader anyway.
Q: What’s a military coup?
A: That’s when a military general takes over the government of a country
by force, instead of holding free elections like we do in the United
States.
Q: Didn’t the ruler of Pakistan come to power by a military coup?
A: You mean General Pervez Musharraf? Yes, he did, but Pakistan is our
friend.
Q: Why is Pakistan our friend if their leader is illegitimate?
A: I never said Pervez Musharraf was illegitimate.
Q: Didn’t you just say a military general who comes to power by forcibly
overthrowing the legitimate government of a nation is an illegitimate
leader?
A: Only Saddam Hussein. Pervez Musharraf is our friend because he
helped us invade Afghanistan and supported our invasion of Iraq. In fact, just
this week the US gave him several million dollars in foreign aid as a ’thank you’ for being part
of the Coalition of the Willing.
Q: Why did the US invade Afghanistan?
A: Because of what they did to us on September 11th.
Q: What did Afghanistan do to us on September 11th?
A: Well, on September 11th, nineteen men -- fifteen of them Saudi
Arabians - hijacked four airplanes and flew three of them into the World Trade
Center and the Pentagon, killing over 3,000 Americans.
Q: So how did Afghanistan figure into all that?
A: Afghanistan was where those bad men trained, under the oppressive
rule of the Taliban.
Q: Aren’t the Taliban those bad radical Islamics who chop off people’s
heads and hands?
A: Yes, that’s exactly who they are. Not only do they chop off people’s
heads and hands, but they oppress women, too.
Q: But didn’t President Bush give the Taliban $43 million in foreign aid
in May 2001?
A: Yes, but that money was a reward because the Taliban did such a good
job fighting drug smuggling.
Q: Fighting drugs? The Taliban helped with the US war on drugs?
A: Yes, the Taliban were very helpful in stopping people from growing
opium poppies.
Q: How did they do such a good job?
A: Simple. Â If people were caught growing opium poppies, the Taliban
would have their hands and heads cut off.
Q: So, when the Taliban cut off people’s heads and hands for growing
flowers, that was okay, but not if they cut people’s heads and hands off for
other reasons?
A: Exactly. It’s okay with President Bush if radical Islamic
fundamentalists cut off people’s hands for growing the wrong kind of
flowers, but it’s cruel if they cut off people’s hands for stealing bread.
Q: Don’t they also cut off people’s hands and heads in Saudi Arabia?
A: That’s different. Afghanistan was ruled by a tyrannical patriarchy
that oppressed women and forced them to wear burqas whenever they were in
public, with death by stoning as the penalty for women who did not comply.
Q: Don’t Saudi women have to wear burqas in public, too?
A: No, Saudi women merely wear a traditional Islamic body covering.
Q: What’s the difference?
A: The traditional Islamic covering worn by Saudi women is a modest yet
fashionable garment that covers all of a woman’s body except for her
eyes and fingers. The burqa, on the other hand, is an evil tool of patriarchal
oppression that covers all of a woman’s body except for her eyes and
fingers.
Q: It sounds like the same thing with a different name.
A: Now, don’t go comparing Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia. The Saudis are
our friends.
Q: But I thought you said 15 of the 19 hijackers on September 11th were
from Saudi Arabia.
A: Yes, but they were trained in Afghanistan.
Q: Who trained them?
A: An evil man named Osama bin Laden.
Q: Was he from Afghanistan?
A: No, he was from Saudi Arabia too. But he was a bad man, a very bad
man.
Q: I seem to recall he was our friend once.
A: Yes, when the US helped Osama and the Mujahadeen repel the Soviet
invasion of Afghanistan back in the 1980s.
Q: Who are the Soviets? Was that the Evil Communist Empire Ronald
Reagan talked about?
A: There are no more Soviets. The Soviet Union broke up in 1990 or
thereabouts, and now they have elections and capitalism like us. We
call them Russians now.
Q: So the Soviets - I mean, the Russians - are now our friends?
A: Well, not really. You see, they were our friends for many years
after they stopped being Soviets, but then they decided not to support our
invasion of Iraq, so we’re mad at them now. We’re also mad at the French and the Germans because
they didn’t help us invade Iraq either. None of the three would join the Coalition of Willing.
Q: So the French and Germans are evil, too?
A: Not exactly evil, but just bad enough, for example, that we had to
rename French fries and French toast to Freedom Fries and Freedom Toast.
Q: Do we always rename foods whenever another country doesn’t do what we
want them to do?
A: No, we just do that to our friends. Our enemies, we invade.
Q: But wasn’t Iraq one of our friends back in the 1980s?
A: Well, yes. For a while.
Q: Was Saddam Hussein the ruler of Iraq back then?
A: Yes, but at the time Saddam was fighting against Iran, which made him
our friend.
Q: Why did that make him our friend?
A: Because at that time, Iran was our enemy.
Q: Isn’t that when Saddam gassed the Kurds and killed them by the
thousands?
A: Yes, but since Saddam was fighting against Iran, we looked the other
way, to show him we were his friend.
Q: So anyone who fights against one of our enemies automatically becomes
our friend?
A: Most of the time, yes.
Q: And anyone who fights against one of our friends is automatically our
enemy?
A: Sometimes that’s true, too. However, if American munitions companies
can profit by selling weapons to both sides while the US manages not get
involved in the conflict, then that is even better.
Q: Why?
A: Because war is good for the economy, which means war is good for
America. Also, since G-d is always on America’s side, anyone who opposes war is a g-dless un-American
Communist. Do you understand now why we attacked
Iraq?
Q: I think so. We attacked Iraq because G-d wanted us to. Is that
correct?
A: Yes.
Q: But how do we know G-d wanted us to attack Iraq?
A: Well, you see, G-d personally speaks to President George W. Bush and
advises him what to do.
Q: So basically, what you’re saying is that we attacked Iraq because the
pResident hears voices?
A. Yes! You finally understand how the world works. And Now close your
eyes, and go to sleep. Good night.

Chapter 27

Robert had been giving much thought to the robots. Maybe it was time for more money to be taken.
He had read Cal’s notes and he knew that the People in power had the money stashed in a Puerto
Rican Bank. That would be the next target.

Robert had made some purchases unbeknownst to anyone else, he hadn’t even shared this information
with Cal. He didn’t want her in deeper. He knew she was shouldering plenty of responsibility for
this ongoing plight of theirs.

Robert was convinced he would be able to pull it off.

The way he had it planned, the crew in Phoenix nor the one in Belgium would know of this venture.
He would somehow get the money into an account for Cal and Jill to work with. He had an idea how
to do it, but he had to review it first before he tried to implement it.

Robert had touched base lightly with Ryan and knew that he could count on the boy when the time
came. He also had talked to Gina. They kept in touch even though Robert hadn’t worked with her
in quite some time.

Gina would contact Luce and they would meet and work on the arrangements together. It would be
better if Robert went to California to do this. He would inform Gina of the time and place and
make sure she and Luce were available. He would then make his reservations. He would have the
robots transported with the same truck he bought last time.

He decided he would hire another driver this time. He might even try and get the license plates
changed. Yes, that would be a good idea. He would arrange that tomorrow. It was good to do some
things prior to the actual time of the deed.

Robert had told Cal he was going on a small vacation and he would take that opportunity to pull
it all together. Of course, he would spend some of the time touring Napa Valley. He would see
if Shirley was still around and maybe he ........... no, that wouldn’t be a good idea, the fewer
people who knew of his plan, the better. He would only contact Gina and Luce and even then, he
wouldn’t divulge his true plans.

He would think of something to tell the two women. That way, if anything happened, they would be
free and clear.

Ryan was the only one that would know. He would share with Ryan on a ”need to know” basis as Robert
was concerned for Ryan’s safety also. He didn’t want the Regime to think it was a terrorist taking
the money. It would be plain to them once Robert’s plan was set in place. He knew things they
didn’t think anyone knew. He knew of the lies and the deceipt. He knew about much more too. He
was a great detective and he was capable of alerting the Regime to his plan without their interference.
He had proof of some of the gory details of some of their misdeeds.

Robert walked into his shop and began work on the hardware for the new bots. There would only be
three this time. They were a modern version so very different from Robbie and his Rocking Robots.
They were a sleeker faster crew. Robbie was a relic now but because of the love that Cal had for
the bots, Robert would keep them activated.

As he thought of the Rockin Robots, Robert could not imagine doing away with them. After Cal had
taken over the responsibility of the robots, they had become as close to human as any robot ever
could.

Robert liked the fact that Cal’s bots were so humane and so good. He often thought Cal naive in
her creation of them. That wasn’t important thought as he knew it was representative of her and
of her thoughts of him.

Robert knew that even though he was only human the robots had high morals and often exhibited the
traits of real people living in a utopian universe. He rather liked that.

He found it complimentary that Cal made him out to be such a cool guy. That was hard to find in
the world today. Even though it was only in her imagination, it gave him strength to go forward
and strive for better. She was a good friend and he was happy that she supported his work. It
gave him a great since of pride.

He on the other hand, supported her too. He loved the fact that she wanted PEACE on earth. Even
though he was much more reserved in his politics, he knew she had the world’s best interest at heart
and he respected her for that.

Robert sat at the computer and began gathering the data he needed to program the new robots. He
could use some of the information he had used on the Rockin Robots last time. He would make some
minor changes but the basics could remain much the same.

He knew he would have to update some of the things for the new bots. They were, after all, a newer
version and with that came changes. He hoped most of the old things could be programmed right into
the new bots but he’d have to test them first.

The programs were similar in some aspects to the programs he did for the membership. He learned
with each new one and he tried to improve each one as he learned and watched.

He ran analysis each and every step so as to keep on top of things all the different variables.


As he began typing in the first program, he realized that there was much more work than he had anticipated.
The newer bots were faster, lighter and in need of some current changes. The field was growing
so fast, it was hard to keep abreast of things. He leaned back in his chair and considered what
to do.

He called Ryan. Ryan had been taking some classes and if the knowledge he had learned was applicable,
he would ask that Ryan teach him. He knew Ryan was capable of doing the programming but he wanted
the new knowledge for his future referrence too. If time allowed, Ryan could teach him all he knew,
if not, he would see if he could hire Ryan on as a consultant.

In the mean time, Olivia’s prayer sessions were in full swing as was Haley’s plans for her next
fashion show. Robbie was still working on the stucture of the hospital and Cal was decorating as
soon as new rooms opened up.

The hospital was growing and it was amazing the talent that the crew had found within it’s little
family.

Tomar had taken her place and it was such a beautiful sight watching her improve daily. She was
on her feet now and able to use her arms and hands to manuever around.

Jill and Sara were still working toward getting the other children out. It wasn’t as easy as they
initially thought. There were guards at the hospital when Sam arrived. Sam proved to be a very
big asset in her dealings with the doctors. The doctors were the ones who would ultimatley get
the children in Jill and Sara’s awaiting arms.

The doctors had singled out the children to be air lifted. It was important they nurtured the children
to be moved as not only their physical health but their mental and emotional state would see them
through.

The American nurses were undeniably falling in love with the children. It was as if the children
were their own. That in itself was a big asset. It not only gave the children the feelings of
being loved but it gave them the much needed strength to survive the trip and readjustment in America.

Cal was now looking forward to the arrival of the new kids. She had talked to Jill yesterday and
Jill told her that within the next week or so, they would have the children in Belgium. It was
decided that they had to go that route in order to provide the kids with the proper paperwork.


Little did Jill and Sara know that the flight from Belgium to Phoenix would not pass through customs.
They children were not going to be under constand scutiny by the police.

Cal had one of her friends on the net working on ids for the kids. They would have American names
and American lives once they hit America. It was to be a journey for all of the people involved.

Olivia drew the prayer session to an end. It was time to do some work around the hospital. A little
bit here and a little bit there was working out just fine. They children would arrive just in time
to see the finished product. Oh and what a product they would see. They were going to love the
Castle. It was truly a child’s dream come true.

Cal and Olivia fit together like a glove and hand. Once Olivia had the plan explained to her, she
was like a child herself. She had been waiting for a special time to take Tomar to the new wing.
She would do that on the week-end coming up. She couldn’t wait to see the little angel’s face.
She had planned a party with Angel and the boys and even had made arragnements for Angelica’s friends
to fly in. She was very pleased with herself.

Olivia often times thought she had missed much with her own children. She wanted to make up to
them for it. Haley and Robbie would be there as would the other bots. The new children would be
able to see their new home as it developed into a safe haven for them.

Haley was in the waiting room at the hospital making some changes to the fashion show. She had
the wedding dress and she had the style of the bridesmaid dresses but she hadn’t put them together
yet. She had to decide what the colors for the coming winter season were to be. She also had some
ideas for some very simple jewlery that she wanted to market. The wedding show would be the perfect
opportunity to show off the new line.

It was getting late and Haley walked out to the patio to see if Robbie was ready to go. He was
nowhere in sight and she decided to take this time to say good-night to Tomar.

As she walked toward Tomar’s room she could hear Robbie singing. It was a new song and she listened
to the words. It was about Rob’s love for her. When she got to the door she saw Tomar sleeping
with a beautiful grin on her face. Robbie was so good with people, it truly made Haley’s heart
swell with the love she felt for him.

She noticed Robbie had on the beret` she had recently brought him from Cal’s. Jill and Sara an
Kendra had picked it out on a trip to France and sent it with some other things to Haley.

They had also enclosed some fashion magazines for Haley’s perusal. Haley was always excited about
seeing fashion from other countries. It was good business to have an idea of what the great fashion
designers were showing each season.

Haley smiled when she saw Robbie finish up the song and pat Tomar’s hand. He was truly such a wonderful
caring robot. She loved him more with each day she knew him. Thank goodness she had been Goldie’s
friends in the early days.

Robbie turned toward the door and was startled to see Haley standing there. He asked her how long
she had been there.

Haley told Robbie she had just walked up. She had heard a bit of the song and wanted to know more.
What was it about? What were his intentions when he wrote the song.

Robbie told Haley that he would let her hear it as soon as he was finished writing it. It had special
meaning to him and he wanted her to hear it in it’s entirety.

Haley smiled and turned and walked out the door. Robbie followed her and watched as she opened
the door to her car. He thought she looked lovely in her car. He asked her where she was going.

”RobbieMi`Robot, let’s go on a moon lit ride, shall we?”

”Yes.”

Robbie opened the door and slid into the car. It still smelled like a brand new car and he was
pleased as punch that Haley seemed so happy with his present.

”Wait Haley, I forgot something.”

”OK.”

Robbie ran into the castle and on the kitchen table were Olivia’s roses.

”Olivia, Olivia..............”

”Yes, Rob, may I help you?”

”Olivia, may I have one of your roses for Haley?”

”Of course my son, take one and give it to our sweet sweet HaleyBot. She deserves to be treated
like a princess and I know you’ll treat her as such.”

”Thanks Olivia.”

”You’re welcome, sweet Robbie.”

”Night Olivia.”

”Night sweet Rob, see you in the morning.”

Chapter 28

It seems Robert isn’t the only person who has considered
bank robbery an option. Following is a story in today’s
news about 13 year olds that had the same idea. Hopefully
Robert’s adventure turns out differently.

................

Hanford, CA. (June 12) - Jan Smith was just another
financially strapped California homeowner until the
day she drove up to the First National Bank with her
13-year-old twin daughters.

Desperate to save her home from foreclosure, the
38-year-old mother of three served as the getaway
driver after the girls robbed the bank of $3,025.

The heist involved the entire family, according to
prosecutors. In addition to Smith and the twins, a
15-year-old daughter was arrested for conspiracy and
husband Deke was charged as an accessory.

But it was the participation of the girls that
stunned everyone.

``Thirteen-year-old girls rob drug stores and steal
small stuff, not rob banks,’’ said Detective Shawn Perry.
``The fact that such young girls - children, really -
were involved in such a serious crime does make you wonder.’’

Smith had already seen her share of upsets. A teenage
bride, she gave birth to her first child at 16 and
the twins at 18. After her first marriage ended,
she met Deke, who was working as a sheetrock installer.

She took odd jobs to help pay the bills for a family
unit that now included Deke’s disabled mother and,
his children from a previous relationship.

In 1998, they moved into a modest four-bedroom house.
Last year, they went for months at a time without
making the $950 mortgage payments. In October, Jan
filed for bankruptcy.

Things worsened in December, when Deke was hospitalized
with congestive heart failure and could not work.

After the mortgage company that held the note filed
a foreclosure notice, Jan Smith and her girls took
matters into their own hands, according to Deke.

``They discussed it and collectively decided that
if Daddy goes to work, he’s going to die. Let’s
go get the money,’’’ he said. ``It was the children
that thought this up, not Jan. She woke up and caught
them stealing the car to do the robbery. She drove
the car to make sure her kids were safe, that whatever
happened to them would happen to her.’’

Deke says he was asleep when they left on that fateful
morning, for the bank, about eight miles away.

There, the twins, identified in court papers only as
J.E. and R.R. - jumped out of the car. Both girls
had on Halloween masks. One carried a toy pistol.

``What is this, some kind of a joke?’’ the manager
asked.

``No, we are not joking,’’ one of the girls replied.
``Give us your money.’’ She handed a black plastic
bag to a service rep.

The rep stuffed the money in and the girls left, one
removed her mask as she ran past a drive thru window
before jumping into Jan’s 1987 Toyota Camry for the getaway.

Deke found out about the robbery when they got home.

``What was I supposed to do? Call the cops on my
wife and kids and tell them my family just robbed
a bank’? My only thought at the time was `What in
the world do we do now?’’’

The family drove to Reno, where the girls hung
out and the parents gambled in a casino. On the
ride home, Deke Smith threw the toy pistol in a
trash bin.

With help from the bank surveillance camera, the
suspects were identified immediately. Four days
after the robbery, a local SWAT team burst into
the house and the adventure was over.

The officers seized about $1,900 and arrested the
family, including the twins, who by description
were respectful and polite.

The youngsters’ story has not yet been shared.
They pleaded guilty in juvenile court and are
serving four-year terms. The Smith attorneys
have not returned calls from the media

Deke Smith, who is accused of helping cover up
the robbery, goes on trial in the next few months.

Jan pleaded guilty last month to robbery and using
minors to commit a crime. She faces up to 30 years
at sentencing. Mrs. Smith, who is being held without
bail, declined an interview.

The family says the robbery was completely out of
character for Jan. She has never been in trouble
with the law before.

``The prosecutors office knows about the family’s
financial difficulties,’’ Ms. Smith’s sister, Karen,
wrote to the judge. ``But what they don’t know is that
Jan was spiraling downward. She has been extremely
depressed in the months before the robbery. She
acted out of, desperation to save her house.’’

The house goes on the auction block at a sheriff’s
sale next month.

Today’s economy is going to get worse before it gets
better. Our society is not set up to handle financial
disasters for people.

There will be a gathering of friends at the Hanford
park on August 10th. A hat for donations will be at
the table and a meeting of the minds will begin at
11:00 AM. If you have any ideas how to help this
family - come on by and join us for Tea or Kool-aid.

There will also be time for a prayer at 10:45. If
that is something you’d enjoy, be there early. We
will not have a leader in prayer. It will be time
for quiet and diversity. All religions are welcome.

Chapter 29

So much beauty in the world. God’s creation
finally coming into the light as shared in a
personal story here. Is it worth fighting
for? you betcha. It’s worth the tears,
the anguish, the sleepless nights and the world.
God’s children uniting in solidarity for others
and for HIS miracle given freely and yet taken
for granted till now.

Fearlessness - finding courage ~ summer 2003

By Susan Griffin

In the first days of the war, it is hard to defend
oneself against ugliness. On the TV screen, the
pronouncements of military leaders and embedded
journalists have a flat quality, whether from
indifference to suffering, or indifference to truth,
one cannot say. Only that as the blithe dispatch of
continual contradictions, lies, and
hypocrisies morphs into chillingly banal accounts of
cruelty, an ugly state of mind prevails.

Even the anger one feels in response feels corrosive.
A corrosion that aligns itself to fear of all kinds.
One fears the use of nuclear weapons, biological weapons,
chemical weapons by either side. One fears everything
and anything from the start of World War III to a fierce
new wave of terrorist attacks, economic collapse, one’s
own demise, the loss of all one loves.

How can I write about fearlessness in such a time? Before
March 8 of this year, when I willingly committed an act of
civil disobedience against the war, I would not have
imagined choosing this subject. The very notion of lacking
fear has always distressed me. I associate this state of
mind with ignorance and foolhardiness, not courage.
Seasoned warriors apparently agree. Describing the psychology
of combat, Glenn Grey has written that experienced soldiers
learn to distrust whoever among them knows no fear.

Grey sees such fearlessness and eagerness for battle as a
symptom of psychosis. Those without fear are distrusted by
other soldiers because their behavior is not only suicidal
but dangerous to their compatriots.

Yet as I have come to understand only recently, there is
more than one kind of fearlessness. Just before the start of
the war, on International Women’s Day, after speaking at a
Code Pink for Peace rally against the war, and then marching
through Washington, DC, to the police barricades formed
around the public park that skirts the White House, for a
few blessed hours, I encountered the other side of
fearlessness.

A landscape of beauty

I do not think of myself as particularly brave. Ordinarily I
worry about more safety and health issues than can be
listed, including whether I will get enough sleep on a given
night or if I will have enough to eat or money to pay my
bills. I am not drawn to challenging sports such as downhill
skiing. I like to swim in calm waters and enjoy a
comfortable hotel.

I was grateful to have a chance to speak at the rally.
Though some consider speaking out to be courageous, for
me, since it is as natural as breathing, I do not feel
particularly brave when I speak. I am simply propelled by
the force of what I want to say.

In a speech crafted from shards of phrases and ideas that
would not let me sleep one night until I recorded them in
the journal beside my bed, I spoke of civilian deaths. The
thought of these deaths had troubled my sleep. Dreams are a
door through which many poems come to me. From some region
beyond my daily knowledge come siren songs with a force that
is at times seductive, other times compelling, and this time
filled with an undeniable anguish, carrying the tone of a
cry for help and a warning all at once.

For months, as with most of my friends, I would be seized at
night or early in the morning with weeping, thinking about
the course my country was taking and the suffering war would
cause. But if throughout this day, tears welled up in my
eyes, these were not just tears of sorrow.

We are all familiar with the words from Ecclesiastes,
”There is a time to weep and a time to laugh.” One might
add to this register of emotions that there are also many
different kinds of tears, appropriate to different times.
Though it came originally from a midnight sorrow and alarm,
when I read my speech at the rally - just as when later I
readied myself with 25 others to break the law - it was
another kind of tears that came to me, another emotion
I felt, one kindred to both sorrow and joy, but in the
territory of emotions a landscape unto itself. The word
that comes to mind here is beauty.

A beautiful landscape, though if I am thinking more of the
beauty of music now, it is because as Alice Walker and I,
who had come together to Washington, DC, were brought into
the capital, we saw the Washington and Lincoln monuments
light up against the night sky just as we chanced to hear
the voice of Mahalia Jackson on the radio. And when I think
of the landscape of feelings we were just beginning to enter
that night, the beauty that comes to mind reminds me of the
music sung in sanctuaries of all kinds, and even of the
beauty of these structures, built to serve the resonance of
congregations, places whose walls echo and thereby intensify
the collective sound of choirs, chants, and choruses.

Together with the brilliant activists Medea Benjamin and
Jodie Evans, who planned this event, those of us who had
come that day to protest the war found ourselves creating a
similar architecture, resonant with our very presence.
Whether because of the profound commitment to nonviolence we
shared or because of our respect for the more tender
emotional realms usually assigned to women, or for the same
mysterious reasons that some recipes work and others do not,
miraculously this ethereal structure seemed
to be holding, if even for a short time, the full
dimensionality of the terrible song that had in myriad ways
been keeping us all awake at night. Yet now all our nervous
voices of harrying worries, our muffled sounds of doubt, the
ragged shrieks of nightmare and horror that hounded us,
mixed and mutated into something beautiful. That is one of
the reasons why tears kept coming into my eyes.

And there was another reason. This beauty made of realistic
fears, hard truths, anger, resistance, uncensored speech,
compassion, good will (and even the playful, erotic,
irreverent use of the color pink) reached into a quiet
within me as deep as any I have ever known. I was calm. And
because one thing leads to another, that in turn is probably
why, despite my hunger and fatigue and the fact that I could
no longer bend my 60-year-old arthritic knees, all during
our arrest and the three hours it took to get us paddy
wagons, according to the friends who witnessed me, I had
such a fearless expression on my face.

Though in truth there were other reasons too for my
fearlessness. I felt joyous. The sun was out and we
were all in good humor. Maxine Hong Kingston’s face was
radiant. Alice Walker was smiling in a famously whimsical
way, as if the air itself had just whispered a delightful
secret to her. Nina Utne’s eyes were glistening. When
Terry Tempest Williams started to leave, she lingered,
had trouble tearing herself away, and then stayed. We were enjoying each other.

Fearlessness - the ground of peace

And then, besides the good mood we created, the day had
comic aspects of its own. When we were chosen by the march
organizers to pass the barricades and enter the park, we
were asked if we were willing to risk arrest. All of us
were, so after we assembled on Pennsylvania Avenue in front
of the White House, when asked by a police officer to leave,
we did not. A flurry of police activity followed. Brigades
appeared; uniformed men stood in columns, feet apart,
shoulders back. The officer returned to give us a
five-minute warning. Still we did not move except back and
forth, swaying as we sang, ”Give peace a chance,” helped in
our harmonies by the writer and singer Rachel Bagby’s
glorious voice.

Because many of us were feeling in a greater state of
peacefulness than we had during the many prior months of
near war, we smiled as we waited to be arrested. Smiled and
sang, as we waited. And waited, and waited five minutes, 10,
20, 40 minutes. Until finally we realized there were no more
columns; in fact there were hardly any police there at all.

But by now, because we were not only willing but resolved to
be arrested, very slowly we began to move past the yellow
tape that cordoned off Pennsylvania Avenue from the sidewalk
in front of the White House. Once on the sidewalk, the whole
program was repeated, warnings and columns, this time with
police in different, slightly more menacing regalia, warning
again, and then another five-minute deadline that stretched
out to more than 40 minutes, and finally, the police had
once again dispersed.

It was only after we moved still further, right in front of
the fence, to the zone that has been illegal since 9-11,
that without fanfare and with the greatest politeness and
consideration, the arrests finally began.

In the annals of resistance, we were not especially heroic.
We were not mistreated. There was of course discomfort. It
was 6 p.m. We had spoken and given interviews and marched
two miles, and we were all tired. The sun was going down.
Alice had left her coat with someone and was cold. Being on
California time, neither of us had had more than two or
three bites of food to eat, or anything to drink since early
in the morning. Beginning to suffer the symptoms of a
chronic illness I have had for years, my hands and face were
turning numb. Nevertheless we were happy and, it is true, we
were fearless.

What I learned that day was that the other side of
fearlessness does not come from any concept, no matter how
noble. Yes, we believed that we are all connected, that the
world is one, that peace and compassion are better than war
and hatred. But what made me fearless that day was that for
a few hours I was living in a state of peace. And thus a
protest I had joined to express my opinions brought me to a
deeper understanding than I ever expected to have, the
knowledge that fearlessness of this kind is not exclusive,
belongs to neither heroes nor saints alone but to all of us.
It is a mood, a cast of mind, that can be created in any
assembly. It is a mood of which all the world is capable.
Fearlessness is the ground of peace. A mood, a species of
beauty, and perhaps also a birthright.

Is it grandiose to conclude from this brief experience that
the ugliness that dogs our days is not inevitable? Or does
the grandiosity lie elsewhere - in plans designed to force
others toward a world order we claim will be peaceful? Is it
far-fetched to think beauty belongs to us still, just as it
did in the 11th century, when Japanese poet Izumi Shikibu
wrote,

Watching the moon,
at midnight
solitary, mid-sky
I knew myself completely,
no part left out.

The war starts. The activist Jodie Evans, my friend,
writes to me, ”My heart is broken and there is so much to do.”
The violence continues. Children, soldiers just barely grown,
start to die, while so much beauty waits within us.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Susan Griffin is author of Chorus of Stones: The Private
Life of War and other works of prose and poems. Translation
of Shikibu by Jane Hirshfield and Mariko Aratani as
published in Women in Praise of the Sacred, ed. Jane
Hirshfield (Harper Collins, 1994).

TO THE SOURCE:
http://www.yesmagazine.org/26courage/griffin.htm

==============

We feel so fortunate to be a part of the PEACE movement.
The horror and attrocities have brought the human race
together in a way that makes one proud to be alive.

We have much to do and many miles to go before we sleep
but if we march on to the beat of PEACE, maybe one day
we will be worthy of our Lord’s love.

Olivia closed her book and spoke softly to Robbie and Haley.
”It looks as if I’ve put all the children to sleep.”

”Sweet Lady,” Robbie interjects, ”they were tired from their
trip. They have not been this secure in a long long time,
maybe their entire lives. Now it is time for us to work
toward their complete healing. We will love them and show
them that they are special.”

”Ms Olivia”, Haley speaks softly, ”You are a wonderful lady
and we are all so fortunate that you have provided this safe
haven for the Children of the Land. Thank you from the bottom
of my robot heart.”

”Ah, Missy, you are a lovely girl. It is always my
pleasure to be in your presence. Robert did a fine job
when he programmed you. He and Cal have indeed made miracles
come to life in their united effort with you.”

”Well, ladies, it’s time for Haley and me to get out to the
shed now. I still need to turn off the lights and put away
the tools. I will begin tomorrow around 8:00. Thank goodness
robots don’t feel the heat. I understand tomorrow is to be
another hot one here in Phoenix.”

”Yes, we are fortunate that the heat doesn’t affect us.
I do have to keep the air conditioning on for the little
folks though. It’s hard sometimes to realize that all
of the robots are not human. They have such beautiful
spirits and great loving hearts.”

”Good night Ms. Olivia.”

”Good night Robbie, good night Miss HaleyBot. I’ll talk
to you tomorrow.”

”I am so excited to be able to have the children here. I
hope Robert has fixed my sleep pattern so I can sleep tonight.
It’s hard to think about falling asleep when I have so much
to look forward to.”

”Bye again, I’m sorry, I can’t seem to contain my excitement.”

”Ahhh Ms Olivia, you are wonderful and it’s ok that you are
excited, so am I.”

”Me too”, Haley chimes in.

”Night.”

”Good-night.”

Chapter 30

The children are starting to arrive daily. It’s good that
the arrangements were made ahead of time. It’s good that
the work was done too. Olivia was right in having Robbie
get right on the new rooms. Now, it’s going to be a real
job just keeping ahead of the arrivals.

Haley, Cal, and Pebbles have been working on the dolls and
blankets for the kids. Even the older children like the
little gifts. They seem to need to cling to their childhood
now.

Pebbles and Cal created the dolls while Pebbles was staying
with Cal. It was fun for them. The dolls are of Robbie
and Mikey. Mikey is named for Pebbles boyfriend. It
made her smile when Cal suggested the name.

The baby bots are so sweet. They represent the innocense
of pure childhood. The oldest boy is 15 and he has his
own RobbieMi`Robot. Olivia makes her rounds nightly and
always makes sure Hamar, the oldest boy, has his bot with
him in bed. She has passed by his room in the morning and
he is always very gentle with his baby bot. He seems to
need the security of something that represents childhood.

Tomar is up and about now and visits the others all day
long. She is an inspirtation to the them. She uses her
strength to show them what she has learned in the short
time she has been at the castle.

Tomar has been known to get around so much her body
is irritated at the end of the day. She has
experienced a few blisters on her torso. The
nurses in charge are impressed but have to
reprimand her occasionally and put her to bed.
Everyone at the hospital loves her. She is a
rock for the others and the staff knows that.

Olivia shocked the children last week. She
observed how they love Robbie and Haley in
their robot forms. Olivia talked to Robert and
had him create a robot body for her. She looked
beautiful. Her body, instead of the regular
silver color is gold. This is representative
of the RoboGold days. She also had Robert use
a crown and blonde hair. The kids were truly
impressed. One of the children inquired how
Olivia felt dressing up as a robot.

Olivia explained to the kids that she is a robot
and that her human form is only a body. Her true
self is indeed a robot and Robert, long ago had
created her whole family of bots in a human form.

The questions came very fast after Olivia’s revelation.
First of all, none of the kids knew that Olivia is a robot.
Second, they were curious about Olivian’s family.

Olivia’s visit with the children that night lasted
well past her usual hour. It went on into the wee
hours of the morning. The parents, by that time,
had joined the group. They too were engrossed in
conversation and had many of their own questions.

Robert joined the meeting at around 11:30 and stayed
till the final question had been answered. He was
very beneficial in his answers. He got into
programming a bit and was able to interest some
of the parents in the internet.

Robert hinted at starting a class for anyone involved.
He had several responses and he took that as a good sign.
He was amazed at the numbers of people who weren’t
computer literate. It was mostly the parents that he found
uninformed.

Robert gave out his number and decided if he had at
least three interested parties, he would teach a class.
He was surprised at his own willingness to get involved.

Robert realized that he had much knowledge to share
and if the parties were interested, he would be willing
to give up some of his own time to teach.

The meeting ended and Robert decided to spend the night
at the castle. He was beginning to like the interaction
going on in the healing of the bodies as well as the minds.
He was feeling a strong draw to the lifestyle that the
new project had created.

Robert watched the staff and the children interacting and
he wanted to remain a part of their lives. It was trulfy
a miracle when he observed the healing that was possible
through love.

He watched when Cal brought in the Meta team. It
was remarkable what these folks were capable of.

The feeling through out the castle and the hospital
was so giving. It went both ways. The children had
much to share with the staff.

The children shared about the history of their country
and their religion. They shared their religious beliefs
and their educational processes.

Robert could imagine being a part of this life forever.
There wasn’t one single human being or robot that didn’t
belong at the hospita..

Robert decided when he lay down for the night he
would go hunting tomorrow. There was a special
present he wanted for the castle group.

He would ask Cal to ride into Phoenix with him.
He would share with her his idea. He thought of
calling her up after the meeting but realized how
late it was and he could talk with her tomorrow about
his idea.

Robert lay down on the pillow and was asleep instantly.
He looked so peaceful in his slumber. ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz.

Robbie was still out and about. He was taking the cars
to be washed. He was checking on the status of the arrival
tomorrow. Four new patients were arriving at 8:00 AM the next day.

Haley was making sure the patients were all asleep.

Olivia was climbing into bed in her robot form only to
realize that she could not quite adjust to the clanking yet.

She got up and took back her human form. It was much better
and she was much more comfortable in her human body. After
all, she had never been in a true robot body before.

She put on her nightie and climbed into bed. There, she thought
to herself, much better.

Chapter 31

A Poem....... RobbieMi`Robot

RobbieMi`Robot came to me one night
His beret` was missing and he looked a fright.

I turned around to close the door
I heard the crash he had hit the floor.

I opened the section to check on his parts
To my amazement he had a human heart.

I tried to raise him, to no avail
How could I explain this incredible tale.

RobbieMi`Robot is human now
There’s much to do but I don’t know how.

I leaned down and whispered in his left ear
He opened his eyes and I saw a tear.

I asked him what had taken place
He looked at me with a human face.

He shook his head and whispered my name
I could tell from his expression he wasn’t the same.

I wanted to touch him and hold him near
I didn’t want him to feel any fear.

He smiled at me with a lopsided grin
I could no longer write his life with my pen.

He touched my cheek and looked into my face
It was different now he had a heart in place.

No body else would believe me I’m sure
RobbieMi`Robot was sent for my cure.

==================================

Dedicated to all those folks that need hope, and dreams and childlike
imagination when all else
seems dark.
(c)
Cal
Chapter 32

A song for the ”Children of the Land”.......



I’ve made up my own hand dance but line dance is appropriate as well.

I’ve invited several boards that I am a member of to join for this dance...... i thought it might
be fun....


My hand dance is ........ crossed in front of me and click fingers
........ straight out in front of me and click fingers
........ hands by my ears and click fingers

**** add other hand motions to your own beat....... as needed!!!

Saturday........
6:00 PM AZ time

http://makeashorterlink.com/?O25542B95

(Chorus)

Someday I’ll have my way

And on that day we’ll say

We’ll play that game no more

And put an end to War!!!

(Verse 1)

When I was young I used to play in my backyard

A little game just yesterday a game

played much before.

Now that I’ve grown up I Play the Man’s Game

But somehow the rules have all gone and changed

Somehow they’re no longer the same

(Chorus)

Those little toys we used as boys

Have now become so real.

Those cuts and wounds which we assumed

Now we all feel

Our dreams were all twisted

As they became true.

Leaving us no longer the same.

(Chorus)

These battle scars don’t seem so hard

To those who survived to the end

But what of the scars those deep inside

Carried by one’s friends.

Those who’ve lost a husband, a son or a friend

How do we ever make up for this sin?

As long as we keep playing this game

(Chorus)

Someday I’ll have my way

And on that day we’ll say

We’ll play that game no more

And put an end to War!!!

Howard Scott Pearlman

Copyright 1995 Pearlman

==========

join us
Cal.......
Chapter 33

Robert showed up today with his surprise. He brought a
puppy for the children. He also had a surprise for Haley
and Olivia. He had made an angel robot. He named her
Precious. He decided for once he would have the fun of
naming something. He liked the name anyway as it
reminded him of HaleyBot. She is a great
lady, even if she is a robot.

Robert had truly had an interesting day on the internet.
He had become involved on a board. He had joined to see
what he thought of Cal’s involvement in the Peace movement.
He was delighted and intrigued. He liked feeling like he
was doing something that bonded him closer to Cal and her life.

The children were excited when they saw the puppy.
Robert told them that the puppy needed a name. They
named it Doogie. It fit perfectly. The puppy jumped
up and down as they all called her name in unison.
She was delightful.

Tomar laughed as the puppy licked her. Robert had held
Precious up to Tomar and it jumped out of his arms right
into Tomar’s lap.

Robert cringed thinking the puppy might hurt the child but it
only brought joy to her face. He was happy he could do that
for the children. They had been through so much.

Robert picked up the puppy and took it to Cal. She was
sitting with Olivia and they were chatting. He saw a grin
slowly forming on Cal’s face. She looked almost as pleased
with the puppy as the children had been. She asked if she
could hold her.

Robert handed Doogie Dog to Cal and the puppy peed all over.
It only made Cal laugh. She handed the puppy back to Robert
and asked Olivia if she might have a change of shorts that
she could borrow.

”Of course my dear. Let me find a pair, come along
and we’ll get you all fixed up.”

Cal followed as Olivia climbed the stairs.

Cal laughed again when Olivia inquired about the puppy.

”You know I’ll probably take her home and bring her back
when I return tomorrow. I think that’ll be the safest thing,
don’t you?”

”Yes dear, I do. I cannot imagine what we’d do with a
puppy tonight. I will talk to Robbie and maybe he will
agree to building a dog house.”

”That’s a fine idea Miss Olivia. If I know Robbie, he’ll
be as pleased as the children with the puppy.”

”If you’d like, I will look on the net when I get home and
check into a school for the lil one. I think they will
house train her and teach her some manners.”

”Oh yes, Cal, if you wouldn’t mind, I’d really appreciate
that. I cannot imagine what Robert was thinking.”

”Oh Miss Olivia, I think he wanted to do something nice for
the children. He has the biggest heart and I’ve seen his eyes
well up many times when he sees them in pain.”

”Yes Cal, I suppose you are right. I would think a puppy
is a lot of work though. I guess with Robbie and Haley
here so much it won’t be a problem. I think HaleyBot will
love her as you do.”

”Yes, I cannot imagine that anyone wouldn’t love the little cutie.”

................

Robbie and Haley enter the room.

”What’s all the fuss Cal?”

”Oh Robbie, Robert stopped by this morning and gave us all a big
surprise. He presented the children with a real live puppy.”

”You’re kidding.”

”No, I’m not kidding, he really did give us a puppy. Not
to worry, I’ll take care of it till we get her some training.”

”Good idea, Cal. I cannot imagine a little puppy running
underfoot all the time when I’m trying to work.”

”Oh RobbieMi`Robot, I can’t believe you said that. I’ve seen
you with animals before and I know how much you enjoy them.”

”OK, ok, you’re right.... I thing Master Robert programmed me
in his own image. I think I view puppies the same way he does.
So, you’re not going to tell anybody are you Cal?”

”Who me, never........ unless I need a favor, then I’ll
blackmail you....... HA!!!”

”Cal, I have a question for you.”

”Yes Rob, what is it?”

”I want to contact the Rockin Robots and set up a meeting.
I want to try and do a few gigs and make some extra money
for the children.”

”Why Robbie, what ever brought this on?”

”Well, you know that Haley is working on a fashion show for
the holidays?”

”Yes, she’s mentioned it.”

”I want to ask Haley to be my wife.”

”HUH?”

”Well Cal, her fashion show is going to have a new creation
of hers. It’s a wedding dress that she’s working on. It’s the one
I’d like to see her in at our wedding.”

”Rob, you’re a robot dear.”

”Cal, I know that. You and Robert created me and Haley to be
together didn’t you? You made us perfect for one another in
every sense of the word, didn’t you?”

”Well, yes, I guess we did. Robert did reprogram you
when Goldie went on her own. He wanted a girl bot for you and
Haley was a perfect fit.”

”Yes, and for that I am forever grateful. I’m glad
that the programming is easier than what humans must endure
when a couple breaks up.”

”How do you know it was easier Master Rob?”

”I went to sleep one night and Robert did his thing and I loved
Haley from then on. I don’t think humans have it quite that
easy, do they, Cal?”

”You’re right on that one Rob. I guess you might as well be
married if you feel like that.”

”What does Robert say about the wedding?”

”I thought I’d ask you to talk to him Cal.”

”Why me?”

”OK, I’ll talk to him and I’ll ask Haley to join me.”

”I think you might ask for Haley’s hand in marriage first,
don’t you, Rob?”

”Oh, I never thought of that. I just thought I could talk with
Robert and he could work it into our future somehow. I guess
you are right though. I should ask her before I talk to Robert.
That way, we can talk to him together.”

”Cal, you will tell Robert to program Haley to accept, won’t
you?”

”Robbie, you sly dog, I’ll see what I can do for you.”

”Now, what about the Rocking Robots?”

”Oh, I have a couple of songs I want to sing with them. I also
have a song I am thinking of asking for the rights to sing.
It’s a wonderful song and I am going to contact the author
today sometime.”

”That’s nice Rob.”

”Ok Cal, I’m going to go now and check out this puppy. What was
it I heard Olivia talking to you about? Did I hear her say
the lil squirt had peed on you?”

”Oh yes you did. That is why I’m taking the little angel
home with me tonight and check into a dog’s school tomorrow.
I would like to put her in school first thing. Otherwise the
children will get attached and it’ll be hard on them when
she’s
gone for a while. I think the school lasts for about two
weeks.”

”Yes, I think that’s a good idea Cal.”

”Have you talked to Linus lately?”

”No I haven’t Robbie. I do have a number you should
be able to reach him at though.”

”Would you like me to get it for you?”

”Yes please.”

”I’ll be right back, my bag is in Miss Olivia’s room and
I have the number in my address book.”

”I’ll wait here then and then I’ll head out to the
shed and put up my tools. I want to see if Robert
will talk to me about the wedding before he leaves.”

”Here, here’s the number.”

”Thanks Cal.”

”I’m heading out now so we’ll talk soon.”

”Yes, let me know how the puppy is doing. I think
I’ll let Robert know that you are taking her and
placing her in a doggie school.”

”Yes, Master Rob, I’d appreciate that. Tell him the
duration of the class is at least two weeks.”

”I’ll touch base with Robert tomorrow and give him the
details.”

”OK Cal, bye for now.”

”Bye sweet RobbieMi`Robot, we’ll talk soon.”


A Poem for Lovers and other Strange Partners

ENJOY.

Yes, I luv you and you’re a part of me but you
are free to be who you are and I still luv you
so there!!! HA

Once there was a man who came into my life

He was a lonely man altho he had a wife.

He didn’t know me then, he only knew my name

He didn’t understand the meaning of the game

It only came to him once the cards were played

I knew that when we met that God had been our aid.

We were meant to be, of that I was sure

The only other thing was that our love was good and pure.

It wasn’t as before, the reality of it all

We are different, yet the same, it is to be our call.

He’s my heart’s beat and he knows it’s true

Another time, another place, another life will do.

So you see my sweet desire, you’re in my special space

And once we go and leave this world we’ll take our rightful place.


.... oh no, the RED pill, not that my luv, it’ll be too real..... as u r in my heart.

Chapter 34

The Castle was dark with gloom. A child had been lost.
It was bound to happen but the family at the castle was
not prepared for it.

The doctor had called on Robert to check when this particular
child's artificial limb would be ready. Yes the little boy
was only missing his right leg.

The problem had developed unbeknownst to the doctor. The young
child was malnourished before leaving Iraq. The doctors
in Germany had worked with the staff and built the boy's
body up. They had no idea that inside the little boy was
a living parasite that he had injested while drinking unclean
water.

Had the doctors done more intensive testing, it would have
shown up. The doctor in charge however had been working
sixteen to eighteen hour days. The child had come to him
August third at around 7 AM. He had been on the floor by then
about 15 hours. By the time he had x-rayed and resutured the
wound, he was exhausted.

The little boy was running a low grade fever at the time but the
doctor had assumed it was due to the opening in the wound.
It never crossed his mind that it was anything other than that.

The doctor in Germany would never know of the small boy's passing.
He had, by the time of the child's death seen more than 775
more patients.

Olivia had gone with the night nurse on rounds and she had
discovered the boy. He must have passed in his sleep. He looked
peaceful to the nurse and that was comforting.

The nurse asked Olivia what should be done. It was 3 AM and Olivia
decided to wait till morning to figure it out. After all, there
was nothing they could do now.

It had not crossed the minds of the people at the hospital how
to deal with this. Olivia would call Robert first thing
in the morning. Robert could handle it with Jill over the phone.

Arrangements would be made and followed the next day.

Olivia was not going to concern anyone at this hour of the
morning. After all, there was nothing to be done for the
child. It was already too late for that.

The doctor would perform the autopsy tomorrow as soon as he arrived.
Of this Olivia was sure. It was the only way to handle this
situation.

Burial would have to be near the castle. No one could know
about the death as no one on the outside knew of the existance
of the hospital/castle.

Olivia asked the nurse in charge to wheel the child's body to
the empty room down the hall. Arrangements had not been made
for this kind of ordeal.

The room though was very cool and it would suffice for this one
time as a holding room. It was the only thing Olivia could
think of at this late hour.

Olivia leaned down and kissed the child's cheek. For a robot,
she was the most sensitive entity that one would ever want
to encounter. There was a moist drop on her cheek as she
stood up. It was amazing that this happened to a robot but
nothing was ever taken for granted with the Robert/Cal robots.
They were notorious for their passion and feelings. They
had more heart than most living things.

Olivia slowly walked back up to the castle. She was ready to
have her buttons turned to the off position.

=============

Jill and Sara and Sara's family were packing up their things.

The trip home would be next Monday. It was Wednesday now and there
was much to do. The furniture had to be returned. The
automobile had to be serviced and taken back. The local phone
had to be disconnected and a small party was to be held on
Friday night for all of the local people that had become close
friends of Sara and Jill.

Kendra was going to have a sleep over on
Saturday night for her new found friends and that would be the
finale for the group’s social lives. It was going to be hard to leave.
They had made many friends and they had grown to feel as if Belgium
were their home.

Jill had learned French and it had turned into a wonderful
experience. French is a beautiful language and she couldn't wait
to share this with her family. She was giddy with excitement over
being reunited with her family.

Steve had visited Jill the first part of August and then he had
returned home. It was just too much for both of them
to be out of the country.

The children hadn't known he was close but he had never been more
than ten miles away from his kids. Even though he hadn't been
accessible to them he had been on call 24/7 since the beginning of this
unbearable separation.

Steve Ryder had also had a face lift when his wife had. He looked
absolutely nothing like he had the last time the children had
seen him. Not only that but his hair had grayed . He also had grown a full
beard and mustache.

When he had visited Jill in Belgium, she was waiting for him in
the waiting room. He walked right past her and she didn't flinch.

When he turned and called out her name, Jill blinked and was sure she
heard her name. She looked right at Steve and then around the room.
Steve walked up to her and only when she looked directly into his eyes
did she recognize him.

Now, it had been a while since the trip and she was sure she would be
fine with his new looks but at the time, Jill was astonished that
one man could change so much. It wasn't just the surgery. After
all, it had only entailed a few stitches here and there and
a slight nose job. It was the age that she couldn't believe. Her
husband is only 38 years old and after the last year he had aged at
least 20 years.

Jill wondered if she had aged? She felt good and she had kept her
young girlish figure but she had been through a lot too. Being
away from her kids had to have some impact on her.

She couldn't wait to hold her babies again. It was hard to believe
she was going back. It wouldn't be easy but she and the Masons had
decided they would be just as safe in the states as they were
in Belgium. The REGIME was everywhere and trying to hide wasn't
working now.

They had been found out and now the only thing left was to return to
the states. At least there, they could get much needed support from
the underground. They had made many contacts and Jill was sure, as
was Terrance, that they could figure out a better solution.

Jill was no longer afraid for her children's safety. The CIA had
made it known in no uncertain terms that her children weren't safe.

When Jill learned of this, it was decided that they would go back.

Jill needed to see the kids. She needed to be actively involved
in raising them and at this point, it didn't make sense to
be away from them. They were in danger either way.

It hadn't been a light decision for either the Ryders or the
Masons. They had thought it through and gone over every aspect.

Terrance knew exactly what they were up against. He had been on
the other side of the coin on many occasions and so now, it made
sense to him that they return.

Sara was the only one that was truly reluctant. She had, after all,
her family living with her. That made it much easier for her to
want to stay. That didn't mean she didn't understand Jill's desire
to return.

Sara had made some plans for Tuesday before they were to depart.
She had a family outing planned for Terrance and Kendra and herself.

No one was the least bit suspicious of this but Sara had big plans
for the outing. She had taken it upon herself to rent a farmhouse
in Scotland. She had made travel arrangements with her friend in the
Air Force. Sara, Terrance and Kendra Mason were set to travel to
Scotland and take up residence.

Sara had written a letter to Jill and she would have it delivered as
soon as they were on the plane.

Jill would travel by herself back to the states. The Masons
were not going home and Sara had decided never to return to that
place that held nothing but horrible memories for her and her
family.

Sara didn't feel that she was betraying Jill. She had come
to know Jill well enough to know that her friend would understand
this decision.

Sara would miss Jill though. She had been a wonderful
friend and supporter through the last year and she had learned
what true friendship really was by knowing Jill Ryder.

Chapter 35

Angel was in constant contact with her friends. The Children of the
World were genius with their connections.

The media called the group gatherings MOB meetings. This
Made it easier to manipulate the general public when and if it was necessary
to call grand attention to them. It was a psychological play on words that ‘if needed’
could be used to make the children appear to be trouble makers.

The children were well aware of this ploy. They worked diligently communicating
this to the people. It was imperative to keep communications open.

The children were aware, even if the adults weren’t that psychological mumble jumble was
what kept the world separate and they wouldn’t let it happen in their communiqués with one another.

Language barriers held problems for the kids but that still didn’t stop them from their tasks at hand.

Olivia, through the constant reading of the different bibles had clarified
several things to the children. Their beliefs were one and the same, their world
was at stake. They would unite in their beliefs. The Higher Power represents
Love/Peace/Charity and goodness, PERIOD.

On individual levels, they would be held accountable to their beliefs but
On their quest; their commonality, they would only be known for LOVE and
PEACE.

The boards that they frequented were often infiltrated by the others; the
‘UN PEACE’ people. Sometimes they were recognized right away and
Eliminated, sometimes they were just watchers. On
Other occasions they joined in and tried to make trouble. This was when
The children wished the Fish Wish. It may sound funny to you but it brought
Together in a unity unrecognized by anyone before. It alerted them that the time
For like minded individuals to unite spiritually had once again presented itself.

Now, so as not to keep you in the dark, the FISH WISH follows.

IF WISHES WERE FISHES

We wish for the fishes of the world to travel into all of the waters
of the earth; Every stream, creek, river, and
every ocean. Swim to the Fartherest places and go inland.
Go wherever a drop of water sits and wherever There is rain,
snow, mist, let there be little fishys spreading PEACE and
Love. The raindrops and snowflakes and hail will hold the love
of us as the Children Of the World.

What may not stand out in your mind is that when this is posted to the boards of the lurkers and UNPEACEFULS
they often times don’t take us seriously. This is goodness as they usually will retreat and go somewhere
they believe to be a true threat to their cause. It is one way that we can ‘pool’ our strengths and unite
in our CHILD. It is one way to alert the others that danger exists and we are doing our part to shield the
innocents and the LOVE/Peace people from harm’s way.

Angel’s address book consists of many names worldwide now. When her mother returns they will be able to
combine many of their skills and become stronger in their united goals.

Sara will be a great asset too as she will be meeting new and creative people in Scotland. This also
Applies to Terrance and Kendra. It will grow now in different parts of the world and their journeys will
Be enhanced by this new endeavor.

Once Sara and the family settle in, liby will introduce them to some of her friends on the net. It can only
Improve their chances for survival.

………….to be continued.