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Revenge of AureliusBy JV Deacon

Chapter One

Life is rarely what we think it is. I don’t know of one person who is not surrounded by

illusions or delusions. Some are fabricated and encouraged by the community around them but most are created by the individual themselves. How many times do we see a

lady who has spent well beyond sixty years on this world with a jet black wig? How many

sideburns have been combed over to their extreme limits in an attempt to conceal far toomuch area? How many deficiencies in personalities and physical attributes have led to

the purchase of a muscle car or the coolest fashions? How many miracle creams and

gels sit in your make up drawer? Einstein did not really struggle that much in school;

only with the subjects that bored him, but it is a known fact that he did—just ask anyone.These are the easy ones to spot; most take some effort. It is a real effort to get beyond the

limits of the box which encapsulates most of our lives.

He stood at the bus stop talking to his friends. In the sky, the sun hung brightly,warming the young day. She felt the warmth radiating through the window; she felt it onthe soft morning air as it drifted through the screen which was exposed by the openedlower sash as she watched him from her bedroom on the second floor. The curtain swungin and back slightly from the light breeze while she watched. He seemed to be so small toher at this distance. She still thought of him as the baby she had first held in that Texashospital twelve years ago. He was her most prized possession and she needed to keep aneye on him. She needed to do it for him. She needed to do it for her. The world could be avery dangerous place; especially for someone who was too young to know that it could be a dangerous place.

He knew that she was there. He just continued to talk to his friends on this warmspring morning. She was always there, keeping an eye on him. He thought that it wasokay. He loved his mom and understood her need. He also had his needs. One such needwas to be cool in the eyes of his friends. She used to stand at the stop with him. When heturned ten, he started to become embarrassed by his mommy standing there. He started tothink of what the other boys would start saying. He had talked with her about it severaltimes. She finally relented and they compromised with the current arrangement. Itsatisfied them both. The bus stop was only across the street and three houses down fromtheirs in the development.

She saw a girl walking up to the group from the far end of the simple cul de sacdevelopment of two story homes. She had seen her before, for the first time, about two

weeks ago and had asked her son about her. Ben told his mom that she was in his classand had moved to the development when her family had made the winning bid for ahome at the end of the lane that had been foreclosed. She thought that the girl looked cutefrom her window. She wondered if Ben might be attracted to her. She had wanted to ask him but decided against it thinking that it might embarrass and scare him. She just smiledthinking that they made a cute couple and started to drift off to reminisce about her earlyromances but snapped back to this world when she got to Tom. She lost all concern for the rest of the world as the stinging emotional residue wore off while suppressing the



memories. She continued her vigilance and changed the subject to thoughts of why Bennever looked up at the window where she stood.

A rumbling noise disturbed the peace of the scene heralding the arrival of the bus.It’s flashing lights changed from yellow to red as it came to a stop with squealing wheelsand other noises. The doors opened. She watched the little stop sign beneath the driver’s

window spring to life and swing out perpendicular to the rest of the vehicle. She couldonly see the top half of her son. The bottom half was hidden by the hood of the bus. Shecould see the children forming a line to board the invading yellow leviathan. She watchedBen back up a little to let the new girl in line in front of him and said to herself quietly,“That little bugger! He is sweet on her.” She felt her face giving up a slight smile; allmemories of Tom had faded. When the bus disappeared from view, she continued tostand there staring at the spot where the group of scholars had been only seconds beforeand decided it was time to get to work.

Jessica picked up the empty mug that had been sitting on the night stand andheaded downstairs to put it in the sink for later. She then returned to the bedroom and puther shoulder length black hair with silver flecks back in a ponytail. A year ago, she would

have worn it very short and have it parted on the right. She liked her hair short. She lovedthe trips to the stylist. She enjoyed the afternoon or early evening visits full of pampering.She loved the stories and the gossips. However, in an attempt to help reduce cost she haddecided to let it grow. She missed her trips to the stylists in Estabanio, but she felt that itwas something she could live without. Besides, when things picked up again she would be able to go. She already had it all planned out in her mind. She would get everything;facial, pedicure, manicure, and maybe, just maybe she would use her long hair todiscover a new style, a whole new look for a whole new future.

Once her hair was set, she started by turning her CD player on and began makingMark’s and her bed. She picked up some clothes and placed them in the bathroomhamper. She took it downstairs and out to the garage to start a load of laundry. Back upstairs, she dusted and vacuumed. When she finished the master bedroom, she thenattacked their bathroom. She scrubbed and polished everything that she could. Once thatwas done, she put out fresh towels and washcloths. She changed the trash bag in the small bathroom trashcan and put the old one on the floor by the door of the bedroom leading tothe hallway. She then repeated the work in Ben’s room and then turned her full attentionon the main bathroom which was between the two bedrooms. After completing the main bathroom she took its hamper downstairs to join the other. Both of the hampers had not been too heavy for her small five foot four frame. They each only contained about onemedium wash load combined. She then returned to vacuum the hallway and collect thetrash bags from the bathrooms; returning once again to vacuum down the stairs.

It seemed like a lot of exertion, but she enjoyed the workout. She had joined agym with her husband. They both loved staying in shape and getting exercise. It seemedto Jessica that most of the members at the gym had joined to merely socialize and impressothers. There was a word for it she thought once and it came to her “ConspicuousConsumption” and quickly started to try to forget it. It had been a word Tom would useand as hard as she tried to erase him from her memory banks, he would constantly popinto her mind. She found it to be a place where other people looked at it as just a kind of singles bar. Mark and Jessica really did use their membership to workout and relax fromthe stresses of everyday life. Yes, they did meet people at the gym, but they were there



for each other. They love to workout with the various types of different equipment buttheir favorite was swimming in the pool together. They had often talked about gettingtheir own in ground pool for the development but just never seemed to get the moneytogether.

They had had a lot of fun together. They had met in Georgia while they were both

going to school and quickly became the best of friends. They did everything together.They would go for walks, dine, go dancing, and talk for hours. One night they went alittle further and before they knew it Ben was on his way. Jessica was scared but Mark stood beside her and they were married shortly after they took care of a problem she hadin her home state of Pennsylvania. After moving from Georgia to Texas and several other places, they had settled in a new development in Mississippi—Mark’s home state. Here iswhere they decided to build a life together and raise their son. Jessica just fell in lovewith the area. She loved the seclusion of the development. She loved the acres upon acresof pine forest and cottonwoods. She liked the reddish soil, the warm weather, and lowhills. She loved the charm of the southern accent; it had such a warm and familiar feel.She loved that the Great Mississippi was nearby; it gave her thoughts of Mark Twain and

the adventures he had Tom Sawyer, Becky Thatcher, Joe, and Huckleberry Finn. She justfell in love with this part of the country; it was so different from the congestion and coldwinters of Lancaster County.

Mark had gotten a job at a local firm as a salesman. He wasn’t sure about being asalesman but Jessica convinced him to try it when she told him that he was a goodsalesman, a natural. After all, hadn’t he sold her? Jessica found employment at a localelectronics producer in the quality control department. She had wanted something morein line with her training in programming and upgrading, but there was nothing to befound in the area. She eventually learned to like her job checking the operation of the products. She found that she did not mind the repetition. Jessica loved to knit and doother crafts that were in the realm of repetition. She didn’t like that she couldn’t talk during work hours or that the place had no windows. She just sat along an assembly line picking products to run a function test and fill out the required paperwork with nothing but white walls to stare at, beyond the other drones of her section. She didn’t like it atfirst and sometimes cried on the way home, but she needed to do her part so that Mark and she could build their lives. As time went by, she did keep an eye out for other opportunities, she eventually got use to the routine and the place. It was almost like goingto work there had become second nature to her as the years flowed by. It did make gettinghome at the end of the day a wonderful experience for her.

She loved being home with her son and husband. The average day would begetting Ben to school and then going to work. At four, she would rush home from her company in Estabanio to her little cul de sac to find and lose herself in the warm embraceof her family. Their afternoons would be getting dinner ready in anticipation of Mark’sreturn at six while Ben did his chores or burned off extra energy playing with his friends.After eating dinner in the dining room as a family, they would all sit down to take care of personal business such as going over the budget, paying bills, and helping Ben with hishomework. Once this was completed and checked, they would either go for a stroll or play games; topping off the evening with some television or just light conversation. Benwould more than likely visit friends until his curfew at nine. At bed time, Jessica loved toread a book before dozing off to recharge for a new day.



introduced him to her paints and painted landscapes with him. She took him to museums,zoos, and shows. She loved having the time to spend with him. She and Mark liked themoney that they were saving from her daily commute and the summer child care for Ben.She was okay until the day of her last unemployment check started to approach quickly.

That had been over three months ago. Mark and Jessica had started making severe

cut backs several months before that. That is when Ben switched from being driven toschool to riding the bus again. That is when they had sold Jessica’s car. That is when shehad to give up her crafts and art because they were expensive. That is when Ben started tocarry lunch to school. About a month after the last check, they both became alarmed athow fast the nest egg began to disappear.

Throughout the entire period since her last work day, Mark and Jessica hadsearched diligently for a new job; a job with which Jessica would accept and could behappy. Most of the local positions were part time cashiers at local retailers; all of which paid only a few cents above minimum wage and offered just ten to fifteen hours a week.A few positions were full time and paid well, but they were skilled labor such aselectrician or plumber. Jessica did check into the electrician position but the owner of the

business was interested in experience and not theory. They had found a few that werevery tempting, but the closest was a commute of over fifty miles one way. Jess ended upaccepting a supper time waitress at a nearby diner.

The position turned out to be okay. She had worked Tuesdays, Thursdays,Saturdays, and every other Sunday from four to eight. Most of the customers werefriendly and tolerable while the staff was very nice. She had been very nervous the veryfirst night but the owner and the other employees had been very patient and helpful. Butshe hated losing those evenings she could have spent with her boys. Yet, it was moneythey needed and she stuck in there while continuing her search for something better. Itmade her think and feel like she was part of that old television show “Alice” where a ladyis moving west takes a temporary job as a waitress to earn the money to make it but endsup working for years at the diner.

Things did go well as the days went by and Jessica became more acclimated tothe job. The four hours she worked each of the days went fast since it was one of the busiest times for the establishment. Her spirits began to raise a bit as she started to bringhome her check and tips. She became even more at ease and confident after she got toknow the regulars and began making friends. She started to enjoy their conversations andeven joined in on a few when she had the time. She started to forget her worries and wasable to once again ignore the dreams and feelings that would envelope her once in awhile. However, after the first month, she noticed that business started dropping off asthe economy continued to slip. Eventually, the owner had to cut back and Jessica went toone Saturday a month.

Jessica used to enjoy watching television, listening to the radio, and reading the paper. She could handle the news and its stories. As the economy got worst, she foundthat watching or listening to the news just became stressful. When a story is about anevent on the other side of the world, nation, or state it is awful or just too bad, but whenyou are in the center of it, it is an unbearable nightmare. She never claimed to understandwhat exactly was going on but thought that Tom would when she had her feelings andwould try to shake them off. To keep her mind off of things, Jessica listened to her CD’s,watch DVD’s, and read her books for entertainment. She did watch some TV shows but



no news. It was just too much. She just felt so helpless. Two of their neighbors had losttheir homes to the bank already. One remained vacant and the other had been bought bythe family of the new girl on the bus. Jessica felt the stress and relieved it by cleaning thehouse. She could just clean for some activity while her boys were gone. She had given upthe crafts to save money. Cleaning made the house hers. She believed that. She had read

that in the Old West, ownership was granted to homesteaders after they mixed their sweatwith the soil for a year. She knew that down deep it would work in this case. It was her home, she took care of it, she loved it, and only a true bastard would take it away. So, tocalm her nerves, to feel secure, to know that it was hers; she cleaned.

Mark knew how she felt. He knew that she was riddled with worry. It had taken alot out of him supporting his family and having to lift Jessica’s spirit. He also had hisworries. They had been almost late on the mortgage payment twice. Not consecutivelythough, it had been the most recent and one two months ago. Everything was okay, butthey had been close calls. They were almost missed because of his commissionsfluctuating pretty wildly in the past quarter. The owners had been talking about retiringand relocating to the west coast. He did not know how to tell Jessica any of this. Mark

knew that she was already on the verge of a meltdown even though she did put on a bravefaçade. He sometimes heard her fighting with someone in her dreams. Mark just assumedthat it was the stress bubbling up from deep within. She did have a very bad habit of burying problems deep inside her psyche and try to forget about them. He thought abouttrying to get her to open up but decided, that at the best case scenario only increase the pressure she was under. Mark thought that she cleaned as a way to hang on to all thatthey had worked so hard. It did seem to keep her calm and he thought that it was best justto let her deal with it on her own terms.

He felt tired. It had taken its toll on him too and he was glad to be pulling into thegarage when he made it home. Mark had saw that the door was up and thought Jessicahad cleaned the garage again. He just wished that there was something that he could do tomake sure that his family would be okay. After turning off the engine, he sat for amoment and sighed. He thought this was Jessica’s weekend off and they could go to LakeArkabutla for a hike and cookout. In an instant, he decided to do that. It would be goodfor all three of them he thought. It would just be the expense of the gas and the food for the cookout. Smiling, he got out of the car and went into the kitchen after closing thegarage door and found Jessica finishing up dinner. He went to her and gave her a big kissand hug. It had surprised her and she didn’t even notice that he was home half an hour earlier.



Chapter Ten

Tyme had just reached his hotel room when he got the call. He had just openedthe door to his room when he heard the first ring. He quickly closed the door behind him,walked over to the bed and placed his briefcase and bag on the bed. He fished into his

pocket and retrieved the phone. He opened it and answered.“Tyme Roberts here,” he spoke clearly into the transmitter.“Hello,” she answered very nervously. “This is Jessica Lernt.” There was a

distinctive quavering in her voice.“Nervous?”She was quiet for a few seconds not quite knowing what to say.“Hello?” asked Tyme because of the silence.“I’m here,” she stumbled.Before she could add anything to that, Tyme said, “It’s okay, I understand that the

message I left yesterday might have been a little iffy, may be even intimidating. It is perfectly fine to be nervous.”

She was amazed that his smooth masculine voice sounding out these wordshelped to put her at ease. “I’m okay,” she paused for a second then added with a slightsmile, “Now.”

“Would you be able to meet me today, say for lunch?”She froze for a second. She really did not know what to say.“Hello?” he asked again when he heard no sign of life on the other end.“I’m here,” she said quickly. “I can’t. I don’t have a car.”“Well, it is imperative that we get things rolling as fast as possible. Your country

needs you. If you want, I can come and get you.”Jessica thought for a few moments and responded with, “I don’t think that I would

be comfortable with that. I would come if I could get a ride and if I could only meet youin a public place.”

“Fair enough, you don’t know me. ID’s can be faked,” said Tyme. He sighed andcontinued, “I really need to talk to you. This is of national importance.”

“What could I have to do with national importance?” she asked slowly.“I can’t tell you anything over the phone. It has to be done in person and in

private. I am not sure if this is something that your husband needs to know about. I couldcome to your home.”

“I don’t know you.”“Again, that is fair and I understand fully.”“Can I turn down anything that you want me to do?”“Yes, you didn’t even have to call me,” he sighed again and finished, “I need you

to at least hear what I have to propose. There is nothing I can do, to make you do what Iwant. I will tell you that if you succeed, the nation will be very grateful to you and your family.”

“Is it dangerous?” came a very small voice across the airwave wafting into hisear.

“I wouldn’t be asking anything of you if I thought that in the slightest,” answeredTyme in his smooth voice softly. “If you would like, I could arrange a cab or even a



police car to pick you up and bring you to this fine restaurant down the block from mymotel. The cop could even sit at a table near us and then take you home.”

This took her back quite a bit. “A policeman?” she asked in a bit of a shockedvoice. She actually had a tingling sensation run through her. This statement had really peaked her interest. She felt compelled to find out what this was all about.

“Yes, I have the authority to enlist their aid.”“What can I say? Okay, that would be fine,” she finally gave in with a littlereluctance but amazement in her voice. She hung up the phone in a kind of state. Shewalked slowly upstairs to change. Tyme just looked at his phone when he heard the linego dead after Jessica hung up. He smiled and hit his ‘END’ button then touched thescreen to bring up the local directory to do a conference call with the local police and hishome office to arrange the car.Jessica found herself standing in front of the bathroom mirror when she came back homefrom the awe that she had been hit with while on the phone with Tyme. She looked atherself searchingly while she thought about everything that had just transpired. After several moments, she thought that she needed to get moving; the car could arrive

anytime. She chose a nice pair of jeans and a simple designed top. The car did arrive justas she made it back downstairs. She looked around the living room found her wallet andthen went out. It was an unmarked car from the Estabanio Sheriff’s Office. Sherecognized it by the search light on the driver’s door and from spotting it in speed traps.She even recognized the officer from those traps. She was never pulled over, but shewould see him sitting there from time to time. Even so, she looked carefully at his ID before getting in the passenger seat.

The trip was very uneventful. About halfway to Senatobia the deputy asked, “Iseverything okay?” He had noticed that she was just staring out of the window.

“I’m fine. I’m just kind of thinking about everything. Do you know what this isall about?” she asked in a cautious way for the first half and much more perkier in thefinal question.

“No, I was told to not even ask you about it. I’m just to drive you to Senatobia,eat lunch at a nearby table and then return you to your home safe and sound.”

“Oh, sorry, I don’t mean to get you into any trouble. I won’t say another word.”“We can talk; just not about what this meeting is about.”For the rest of the trip they just talked about the warm weather they been having

and about the businesses that had closed as they past their empty shells. The only signthat a business had even thrived in the now silent buildings was what remained of thegoing out of business signs. They brought Jessica’s mood down, especially when they past the company building where she had spent a good portion of her life.

Tyme had picked a very nice restaurant. It had private booths and there were anice spacing of tables. He had arranged for a private spot in the back with a nearby tablefor the deputy. He was standing near the front door when Jessica arrived. He knew that itwas her not only because of the unmarked squad car but from the photo in her file he had.He was not sure of when the photo was taken but she matched it perfectly except that her hair was longer. She was very pretty, he thought, with her black hair that reached to themiddle of her shoulders and green eyes. She smiled when he introduced himself at thedoor. The way her eyes kind of danced when she unleashed her pearly white teeth wouldstick with him the rest of his life. He showed her and the deputy to the tables. They sat



down, the waitress handed them their menus and asked if they wanted anything to drink.All requested water; Tyme chose mineral water.

Lunch had been light for all three. Basically, all three had soup and a sandwich.The conversation was light. It had been just an ice breaker. Other parties were in therestaurant but the staff kept them at least two tables away. During lunch, Jessica couldn’t

help feeling attracted to Tyme. His smile was very disarming. His smooth voice was veryinviting. She imagined that if he was very angry, it would still be pleasant to talk to him.She had almost forgotten about the deputy sitting nearby. If Tyme hadn’t signaled to himthat it was time for the conversation to change, she would have had him totally out of her mind. The officer moved to the far side of his table, placed ear buds in his ears, andturned on his MP4.

After looking around to insure their privacy, Tyme took a file out of his briefcasethat had been on the floor next to his chair. He opened it, retrieved a photo, looked at itfor a second, and then slid it across the table to Jessica. He asked, “What can you tell meabout him?”Jessica looked down at the photo as Tyme slid it over to her. It took her a few seconds but

she just froze when she recognized the person. It had been over a decade. He had gainedsome weight and had grown a mustache with a bit of a van dyke. There were flecks of gray in a totally different hair style than when she last saw him. The blue eyes were adefinite clue as to who it was. She just stared at it and felt chills racing up and down her back.

“Well, what can you tell me about him?” asked Tyme gently when she seemed tohave gone into a state of shock.

“What did he do?” asked Jessica quietly.“He is destroying the country; our way of life.”“It’s Tom Umberlin. He’s my ex husband. What has he done?”“You have heard of the Way?” asked Tyme.“Yeah, it’s that grass roots movement of forming communities. That is about all I

know about it. I have heard that they are one of the biggest reasons for the recessionlasting as long as it has.” She looked back down at the photo with an expression of tryingto understand as if it was written across Tom’s smiling face. “He is the economist. Hewould know far more than I could.”

“Economist?” said Tyme as he quickly rifled through the file for Tom’s personalinformation. “It says here that he studied Business Administration.”

“And economics, philosophy, political science, and military science,” respondedJessica. “He studied a lot of subjects in college and afterwards on his own, but these werethe ones in which he seemed to be most interested. Oh, and he loved to study other cultures, history. I think that he spoke like four languages fluently.”

“Good, good, this is stuff we need to know. What languages did he study?” saidTyme as he wrote it down on a legal pad.

“Well, English, French, German, and I think Russian. Oh, I think that he wasworking on Czech, Latin, and Italian. What did he do?” asked Jessica again.

Tyme looked up from his writing and looked at her for a few seconds. “What is helike?”



Jessica just seemed a little odd at the speed at which Tyme had switched from small talk and joking around to straight business. It had kind of thrown her off; making her take afew second pause. He looked up from his page when she had stopped talking.

When his eyes met hers she asked, “What do you mean?”Tyme thought for a second and realized that the question wasn’t very clear and

asked, “What was he like in your relationship?”Jessica thought for several seconds looking around the dining room as if theanswer she needed was to be found somewhere in it. Tyme just kept staring at her. Shefinally started, “He was horrible. Everything was about him. He had to be in control of everything. He was a complete control freak.” She sighed and then continued, “He wasconstantly playing games; trying to get over on people.” She took another break. Tymewas about to say something when she said in a more serious demeanor, “He abused me.”

“He abused you? How?”“Mentally; that’s what a counselor told me when I went to marriage counseling.”Tyme started to write down about the marriage counseling when he asked, “So,

I’m taking it that your divorce was not very amicable?”

“Oh God no, he was trying to control me all the way through the process. Wecould have been finalized a year sooner, but because he was playing his usual games, Benwas born out of wed lock.”

“To answer your earlier question, Tom is Jack Reauxdin—the founder andleading element in the Way Movement.” He looked down and sighed. He just sat theresilently thinking, staring at his legal pad. Jessica felt a little uneasy with the silence. Shesat back in her seat and quickly thought of something to say.

“My ex is the one who has started the movement which is wreaking havoc on thenation’s economy?”

Tyme looked up at her and answered, “Yes, he is and yes, that is why you arehere. We may need your help in exposing him as a fraud.”Jessica just stopped all motion and stared unbelievingly at him. He felt her stare as a physical touch across the distance of the table. Finally, she blinked and asked, “Exposehim? How do you mean?”

“We need his followers to see him as a con man, the Jim Jones we believe him to be. Our country needs his actions to stop if we are to remain the strong nation that weonce were. You served our nation once before and it needs your services again.”

“I.., I don’t know about this.”Tyme cut her off, “You did serve in the Army didn’t you?”“Well, not really, I went through the training and became pregnant before I

finished it. I basically had my hands full taking care of Ben before I really put in anytimeat my first duty station.”

“Exactly, your nation needs you and you have an opportunity to pay back thattraining the Army gave you.” Again they were surrounded by silence.

“I..,”Again Tyme cut her off by holding up his index finger. He reached into his valise

and pulled out an envelope with a paper. He handed the paper to Jessica and asked her tolook it over and sign it. Then he laid the envelope on the table next to her plate. As sheread, Tyme said, “We are planning to compensate you for your help with this issue. Inthese times, I am sure that we all could use a little help.”



Jessica looked at the paper and saw that it said she was receiving and accepting$5,000. She read that it was a condition of her accepting the assignment. She quicklygrabbed the envelope and pulled a banded bundle of one hundred dollar bills. She lookedup at Tyme.

“Yes, by all means you should count it.”

Jessica quickly counted fifty bills. She looked around the dining room whichother than the cop drinking his coffee and reading a newspaper and a couple of hostessesmilling about the room on their errands, it was empty. She replaced the bills in theenvelope and slid the paper and the envelope across the table to Tyme.

Looking a bit confused, Tyme asked her, “What is the problem?”“I can’t do this. This isn’t right.”“Here keep this,” said Tyme as he pushed the cash back to her. “Take a few days

and think about it. The offer on the table is to forgive all of your debt with a considerable bonus. But, keep this for your time with me today and give it serious thought. The life of your nation may very well depend on you. Go home, take a few days, think about it, andthen give me a call.” He paused and stared at her for a few seconds looking for anything

that could help him to persuade her. “Your nation needs you. We believe that if you justmake an appearance in the communities and he sees you, it will unravel his confidence.You can tell about your marriage. We will not let you be in a position that will harm you.I will keep an eye on you at all times. In the end, you will have your debt erased and havedone your nation a great service.”

“I will be protected? Can I take Mark?”“You could but I think the effect will be better if you don’t bring him. I assure

you that you will be protected from any harm. If you go and find it unbearable, you cancome home. You will get paid for your trouble but the debt and bonus are for only if youare a success.” Tyme sighed and continued, “Go home, take a few days and think aboutit. But remember, the nation is hurting because of his actions. At the moment, you are our only hope.”

“What is the bonus?”“One million dollars, tax free,” answered Tyme looking straight at her.“How long do I have to think about it?”“As long as you need; but remember, the longer you take the closer we are getting

to the breaking point. Not to mention, the affliction is spreading. The communities arestarting to appear in other nations around the world. Go home and think about it. I have tocall my home office with a report on this meeting. I am going to recommend you and thismission.”Jessica couldn’t think of anything to say. She just sat and thought, “Would I be able to atleast take a close friend?”

“Anyone except Mark or Ben, I think that they will just complicate and jeopardizethe mission.” Tyme signaled to get the attention of the officer. When he removed his ear buds, Tyme told him that she was ready. As they gathered up their items, Tyme said,“Please think about it. We really need your help. Now, I have to go. I have a lot to do.Call me and I will have all arrangements set up for you. However, I must tell you thatsome of that money is for your travel expenses should you decide to accept it. Now goand think about everything.”

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