Chapter 15
***Valeri***
Arriving at the air transport station, Valeri, Ohber, and the children were upset to see protesters carrying large signs at the main entrance. According to the wording on the posters, an alien had applied for a job as a pilot. The air transport must have taken the application seriously because the protesters were very angry at the idea of giving an alien such a prestigiousjob.
Valeri herded her family toward a private entrance and said, "Thank goodness the president thought it was a bad idea for us to fly in a public transport. We would have been fighting our way through that mess. It would have been an enormous issue with the kidsinvolved."
Ohber replied, "We will have to thank her again for hiring a private air transport to take us to see your father. She has been very kind about everything. It is difficult to believe there are such terrible problems on Earth when its leaders are so understanding. I know that I ranted and raved against the government while I was held captive in the lab, but I had no way of knowing that the true leaders were unaware of the experiments. Now that I have met them, my anger isgone."
"Then the trip here was worth it,” Valeri stated. "I hope I can find the same closure once I speak with my dad. Last time I saw him, he was still claiming he had done nothingwrong."
Vouchers bearing President Bolton's seal and signature got them priority assistance. They were put aboard the private transport and settled in luxury seats within minutes of their arrival. They didn't have to stand in lines, fight crowds, or go through security. The president had made it as easy as possible for them. The seats were wide and soft. The carpeted floor blocked out the sound of the engines. A hostess was provided to see to their every need. She didn't appear to care that most of her passengers werealiens.
The flight was a short one. Air transports had come a long way in the years Valeri had been on Milisaria. She was glad it was so much faster. The children were disruptive despite the comfortable surroundings. They needed to be off the transport as soon as possible. Valeri was sorry she had left their nursemaid behind on the spaceship, but she had decided the woman deserved some time to explore Washington D.C. She hadn't left the ship since they hadlanded.
A sleek black car was waiting when the transport landed. The driver took the bags they carried and guided them to their seats. The automobile sped silently through the streets and stopped before a large brick house. Valeri and her family were to stay here for the night. Guards would arrive early the next morning in anticipation of the prisoner. An armored van would bring Reginald Cavanaugh to meet his grandchildren. He would remain for three hours and then be whisked back to prison. To keep the children from being frightened or even knowing their grandfather was a prisoner, he would not be wearing the standard prison clothing or shackles. Beneath his suit coat and pants, there would be electronic devices that would render him unable to move if he tried to escape. Valeri didn't think they were necessary. Her father wasn't a violent criminal and had aged badly during hisincarceration.
As Valeri put her small children to bed that night, she thought back to the time she had met their father. He was a prisoner in the experimental lab controlled by her own father. Ohber was tortured repeatedly by the scientists at the lab. She regretted her father's involvement and her own slow actions in freeing him. For years she had never considered visiting her father. She had thought their relationship was over forever. Having children and a loving husband changed all that. Ohber had forgiven Reginald and was willing to allow him to meet his grandchildren, so why shouldn't Valeri be as understanding? Forgiveness wasn't easy, and forgetting would be impossible. The evidence of Reginald's treachery was a constant part of her life. Because of the experiments, Ohber had been forced to retire as a Milisarian Knight. He was a young man, and it hurt his body and soul to be unable to defend hisworld.
Ohber came looking for her. He knew exactly what she was brooding over. They had discussed this many times, never finding an answer to her pain. He hoped seeing Reginald and realizing he was no longer the strong, defiant man that had run the lab would give her closure. He wanted her free to be happy, without the clouds of the past hanging over her. Giving her a quick hug and a kiss on the head, he whispered, "We have a visitor. Victor ishere!"
Valeri raced down the stairs and flung herself into her brother's arms. She had missed him terribly. Ohber had added a room to their home just for Victor, but her brother had refused the invitation to live on Milisaria. He loved his job with the FBI, going all over the world on secret assignments. He sent Valeri occasional messages that never explained where he was or what he was working on. Without his computer genius, she would never have been able to rescue Ohber or escapeEarth.
Victor held his sister at arm's length and studied her. "You've changed in so many ways, but in others, you're still the same. I can't believe you're a mom. That blows mymind."
"You look different too. You're still my handsome brother, but more muscular and adult. Where did the computer geekgo?"
Victor laughed and replied, "Believe me, he's still inside. He just has a better cover now. I can't look like I know all about computers if I want to be a secret spy, so I chose to be a moviestar."
"Now you've gone overboard with your teasing. It's definitely you in there. I'd know my brother's ridiculous overconfidence anywhere,” Valeri exclaimed. "Sit down and have some coffee. Are you ready to seedad?"
"I've seen him twice already. We didn't speak. In fact, he didn't see me. I was on an assignment at the prison. He looks pretty bad. His hair is white and scruffy. He's very thin and hunches over when he stands. He keeps his eyes on the floor. It may be that he's forced to. I'm really not sure. It will be interesting to see what he has to say for himself. He better not reject your kids or he'll have to face my anger,” Victordeclared.
"If he says or does anything to cause my children pain, he will not make it back to prison. That is a promise,” Ohber stated. They all agreed on thatpoint.
Morning came, and with it a bevy of guards. They were dressed casually, taking up various places in the house and on the grounds. They pretended to be electricians, plumbers, and groundskeepers. They could never fool an adult, but the children were completely unaware of their true reason for beingthere.
The twins greeted their Uncle Victor with gusto. He was soon on the floor wrestling the boys. His tiny niece stared at him with the intelligence of an adult. Her concentration on his face and the frown lines between her eyes made him laugh. The laughter brought a toothless smile to herface.
The sound of the van made Valeri tense up. She sent Ohber and the children from the room. She needed to see how her father would react to her before she even considered letting him meet her family. Victor stood at her side as she opened the front door. Though she had been warned, Reginald's appearance shocked her. The prison had tried to make him look like a businessman by pulling his stringy, white hair into a ponytail at the nape of his neck and dressing him in a suit. But, they couldn't hide his gray pallor or the extreme thinness of his body. He continued to stare at his feet until Valeri said, "Come inside, dad. It's time wetalked."
Slowly, Reginald raised his head. The sight of both of his children brought a single tear from his eye. He cleared his throat and in a gravelly, seldom used voice said, "I never thought I would see either of you again. They said I was coming to meet you, but I imagined it was a ruse." He walked with a shuffle to the couch and took a seat on its edge. He didn't lean back but sat as if ready to take flight at any time. His guards left theroom.
"You both seem to have done well for yourselves. I've heard rumors about what you've been up to. I never put much credence in rumors, so tell me what's happened in your lives,” Reginaldbegan.
Valeri replied, "I live on Milisaria. I'm using my scientific knowledge and medical training there. I married the Milisarian Knight you held captive: Ohber. Victor works for theFBI."
Reginald flinched slightly at the news. He answered, "The rumors were true. Does that mean the other things I've heard are true as well? Are there more experiments goingon?"
"Yes, dad. There were labs all over the world, hidden and secret, just like yours. Earth is in a really bad spot right now. Finding out the governments had failed to find so many of these places has caused rioting worldwide. That's why I'm here. Milisaria sent a contingent to aid in the resolution of this issue and give help to thealiens."
Reginald nodded, "You are the one to do that. You did a fine job in closing my lab and taking care of the aliens. You helped too, didn't you,Victor?'
"I did,” Victor replied. "Once I knew what was truly happening in your lab, I couldn't turn my back. It was wrong. You should never have let greed and prejudice make you treat aliens thatway."
"You are both angry and have every right to be,” Reginald stated. "I did terrible things that I'm ashamed of. Did you know that some aliens work at the prison? Oddly, they have not held my wrongdoings against me. They could have poisoned me or had me beaten anytime they pleased, but they have been kind and forgiving. Their attitudes have changed me more than punishment ever could. If there is anything I can do to aid in Earth's predicament, I'm willing. I swear, I didn't know about the other labs. I'm guessing each lab thought that they werealone."
To their surprise, Valeri and Victor believed him. So, Valeri asked, "Would you like to meet yourgrandchildren?"
