“From the earthquake and up to an hour after.”
They were treated to Noosa hospitality by Tom’s wife while he retrieved the appropriate files and set them up on a laptop. They started watching in fast forward mode, and it wasn’t long before a white BMW sedan pulled up and a man dressed in brown knee-length shorts and a Hawaiian shirt knocked on Sheila’s door. He came out not long after with Wiley in tow. The man’s head was turned, so they didn’t get a clear shot of his face. Neither did they get a glimpse of the BMWs number plates because of the angle.
“That’s great, Tom. Thank you both for your assistance,” Cath said.
“You’re welcome.”
They headed back to the car. “Cath, ask the team to investigate community, business and transport CCTV footage on the police system and see if they can track the BMW.”
“Sure. Let’s hope the earthquake hasn’t disrupted the records.”
“We may as well head home. The local police are stretched. They don’t need us bothering them.”
They saw Sheila was pottering in her front yard, so they wandered over.
Sheila saw them coming and gave a wave. “You coming to get more limes?”
“No.” Cath smiled. “Just about to head back. Saw you, so thought we’d say our cheerio’s.”
“That’s nice. Any luck finding Thomas?”
“Still working on it. Apparently someone came and picked him up.”
“Really? I didn’t think he knew anyone here. Maybe it was the person who called.”
Jack raised his eyebrows and looked at Cath.
“Did you want to come in for a drink?”
“We’d love to, Sheila, but we need to get back to the city.” Cath gave her a hug. “You be careful.”
“I will.” She pointed to the sky. “I think that thing up there is not of this world. I’m not fearful—in fact, I feel peaceful. Something strange happened last night. I had a vision of a city coming down from the sky.”
Cath’s eyes lit up. “Some prophets of old spoke about sons and daughters prophesying in the last days. Could be what’s happening. They also spoke about displaying wonders in the sky and a city coming out of heaven down to earth. It’s all in the Bible.” Cath paused. “Do you have a Bible?’
“I do, and I’m reading it.” Sheila seemed pleased to declare this. “But haven’t read what I dreamed about.”
“Yet. It’s all there, Sheila. I’ll email you something to help you understand things a bit better.”
They said their goodbyes and made their way back to their vehicle.
All things were becoming insignificant in comparison to what he was hearing. The last days. A city coming down from the sky. How could Sheila know? Jack had no idea.
In the car, they buckled up. “Big morning, hey?” Cath said. “Bit overwhelming. I think Sheila confirmed Dad’s images. We’re in for some interesting times. Jack, regardless of what happens, know God is in control. That’s where I get my peace from, and you need to remember that.”
This thing in the sky was fighting for Jack’s thoughts. He didn’t want to believe. His wife once told him he had a veil over his eyes. She said he couldn’t see the supernatural because he was focused on the natural.
How does one lift the veil?
A voice spoke within. Man can’t but God can.
Part Three – The journey
Soft bleeps sounded in the darkness. Mechanical sounds of machinery adjusting. Yes, creative man. Billions spent to search out meaning, but the heavens declare my glory and the expanse shows the work of my hands—it’s there to see.
How evil still lurked in man’s heart. Blinding the lost. But it will soon be gone. Images will be taken and travel back to your fallen planet. What will you see?
But you still will not believe. Only I can open your eyes and then you will believe.
The day is near.
22 - The media and the spin
Sarge sat on an expensive leather couch with his arms outstretched along the couch top observing his leader—a leader he didn’t hold in high esteem—ranting and raving about the world.
“We’re a media conglomerate. Our goal is to control the media so the world can be manipulated.” Edward Lee, the CEO of Star Media, stood staring at the large map on his office wall. “It’s all about digital misinformation and manipulation. We will censor and attack. How?”
He moved to his desk, checked his phone, and walked back to the map. “See these red pins?” Lee moved his hand from pin to pin. “International media contacts who support our cause. This is how we’re going to contain the current situation.”
Sarge nodded. The fake news world.
The phone rang. The private phone. It was either Lee’s boyfriend or girlfriend. Sarge wasn’t sure where Lee stood. But he knew Lee was right about one thing. The world could be manipulated—some would say put right. Something similar was about to take place with this thing in the sky.
“Jules. Long time no hear. Must be important, considering you’re calling on my private number.” Lee looked at Sarge and wiggled his eyebrows, but his demeanour soon changed. He arched his back and straightened up and rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, we need to stop those pictures getting out and deal with the people who have seen them. Just do that.” His tone was tense.
Who was Jules? It was a name the Sarge hadn’t encountered before. Lee’s gaze bounced from the wall map to the Sarge, to the view outside, and back to the map.
“You’ll have to send me a glossary of all those terms you used, but I trust you. That’s why I pay you the big bucks. Get it done and keep me informed.”
He disconnected the call, threw his phone on to the desk, and looked at Sarge.
“You know what a bot is?”
“No idea.” He did but didn’t want to give too much away about his line of work.
“Apparently it’s short for ‘web robot’ and they rule the world.” Lee walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked outside. The sky was blue and cloudless. “No sign of our friend today.” He turned and gave a soft shake of his head. “You ready for this?” He took a deep breath. “The asteroid is an alien craft.”
Sarge laughed. War of the Worlds? Mars Attacks?
“Jules says there are images circulating that show the outline of an alien vessel inside the asteroid?”
“Doctored images?”
“That’s the message we’ll get out there. But Jules says they’re not doctored images. They’re real. From NASA.”
“Images from NASA can still be doctored.” He’d had a few doctored images land in his email box over the years. Altered images had existed since long before Photoshop was invented. The question was who was producing these images.
“You’re right.” Lee sat down, rested his elbows on the desk, and ran his hand through his hair. “But it still leaves the question. What is that thing in the sky?”
