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WITHIN MOMENTS OF BOARDING the SAAB 350B turbo prop, the aircraft was taxiing down the runway, picking up speed.
Dominic and Tonita had just snapped the seatbelt latch into the metal holder, when the plane lifted off at an angle toward the heavens.
Unlike commercial flights, there was no announcement offering safety instructions and the reminder to bring seat backs and tray tables upright and into the fully locked position. The interior of the aircraft was more like that of an executive office than that of an airplane.
“This plane reminds me of Air Force One,” Tonita said, taking in the opulent interior of the aircraft.
“Really.” Dominic looked about the plane. “And you’ve been on Air Force One?”
Tonita glared at him. “Pictures, stupid.”
“Oh,” Dominic said, a bit embarrassed.
“Dom, I really wonder about you.” Tonita shook her head.
Senator Scott pushed down on the lever attached to the side of his seat and swiveled the cream colored, leather chair around, coming face to face with Dominic and Tonita. “We have been experimenting for a very long time,” he began, without any preamble. “You have no doubt heard about many of the experiments that we have conducted into time travel.”
“Well, honestly, Senator, no.” Dominic shrugged. “I don’t know much about any experiments.” He turned his head counting the rows from the front of the plane to the nearest emergency exit, a habit he had when flying, and then to the back of the plane, making a mental note of the dark teak stained door marked ‘lavatory’ behind the last few seats. “Cardinal Celent did say something about Roswell and an experiment there, but that’s it. And everyone has heard of Roswell.” Dominic immediately felt foolish and internally chastised himself for the comment.
Senator Scott cocked his head and squinted his eyes slightly, looking at Dominic. “Yes, well, that is not quite true. Everyone may have heard about Roswell and the aliens who crashed there, but they don’t know the truth behind it. You see, Roswell was the result of an experiment, not exactly the experiment itself.”
“Result?” Dominic glanced at Tonita.
“So Roswell is not a crash site?” Tonita asked shrugging her shoulders.
“Then why go there?” Dominic’s tone was matter of fact. “I’m sure you know, Senator, that Cardinal Celent had shown us a book on Roswell before he died.”
“I did not know that.”
“I’m confused, Senator. Forgive me, but if a friend has sent you...?”
“You have every right Dominic,” Senator Scott said cutting Dominic off. “You don’t know me and you should question why I’m here.” He inhaled heavily. “We are people of secrets, you see. I have secrets that I have kept, even from those closest to me. Like Bill,” he hesitated, “I mean of course, Cardinal Celent. I can assure you that he has secrets he too must keep even from me. It is safer that way. The truth is a terrible burden when you must keep it all. We share in keeping parts of the truth so that no one will bear the entire burden.”
“And what is that truth?” Dominic leaned forward in his seat.
“I’m afraid that I am only able to help you find it. I cannot tell you of it.”
“Why?”
“Because you would not believe me. No one would. The truth cannot be told—it must be learned.” Senator Scott stared into Dominic’s eyes. “I am here to help you find that truth, but you must trust in me, as Cardinal Celent and God have done for more than sixty years.”
“We found a page in the book on Roswell that we believe is a map.” Dominic looked back at Tonita and was confronted with a look of confusion. Maybe, he thought, that he had been too quick to trust the man.
“I am aware of the book that Cardinal Celent spoke to you about, I have read it. But I must confess that I was not aware of a map hidden inside that the book.”
Tonita cleared her throat, causing Dominic to look at her again. “I don’t think that the map was placed in all the books printed.”
“Tonita’s right. I think Cardinal Celent put the map there.” Dominic sat back and glanced out the window at the moisture laden clouds below.
“Well, it’s not really much of map, Senator,” Tonita offered.
Tonita was being cautious, Dominic thought deciding that it might be a better course for the moment. “Yes, more of a drawing...” Dominic began.
“May I see it?” Senator Scott did not wait for Dominic to finish speaking. He extended his hand to neither Tonita nor Dominic, but instead, between them.
Dominic’s face registered the internal battle. He looked quickly to the sky, “I am Abraham,” he said.
Tonita placed a hand gently onto Dominic’s and smiled reassuringly.
Dominic reached inside his pocket and pulled out the page that he had removed from the book. He looked at it briefly, before handing it to the Senator.
Senator Scott took the page and carefully inspected one side. He held it up to the light and then turned it over, giving the other side the same attention.
“The lines were not there when we found the page in the book that Cardinal Celent had given us.”
“Shown to us really,” Tonita added. “He didn’t give us the book. We took it,” she said, knowing very well that she was not being honest with the Senator as Cardinal Celent was very clear on their taking the book with them.
“I’m sure that the Cardinal wanted us to have the book, or at least this page from it. He made of point of finding the book and showing it to us,” Dominic offered in explanation, giving Tonita a quizzical look.
“I’m sure you are correct Dominic,” Senator Scott spoke without taking his eyes from the page. “Cardinal Celent wanted you to know of the importance of this book. This page. It must have been very important to him to have kept the secret even from me.”
“The page was no different than the others in the book, just another page of text, a little thicker than the other pages. That’s all. But that’s what caught my attention.”
Senator Scott shook his head up and down, continuing with his examination of the page. “Why do you call it a map?” After several minutes of close scrutiny, Senator Scott asked, “It does not have any notations or landmarks on it. And I can find no key to explain the lines.”
“We don’t honestly know that it is a map,” Tonita said.
“It just looks like it should be,” Dominic added.
Senator Scott exhaled heavily. “A map to where?”
“Or what?” Tonita said.
Both Dominic and Senator Scott turned in her direction.
“Very good, Tonita,” Senator Scott said. “This could be a map of something not to something.” He turned the page around and over, inspecting the lines for some other clue. “You said that this was in the book on Roswell and that the page did not look like this when you found it.”
“Right. It was in the book, looking like just one of the pages of the book. Text was the same. The history of Roswell was written on the page continuing the story from the page before.” Dominic mimed the book in his hand. “As I flipped through the book in Cardinal Celent’s apartment, I noticed that the page, well, a page, I wasn’t sure which at the time, felt different.”
“And you tore it out?”
“Not then, in the Cardinal’s apartment. But, yes. I tore it out,” Dominic answered the Senator’s question.
“But you said it did not look like this.” Senator Scott manipulated the page between his fingers.
“Right.”
“And how did it...” Senator Scott hesitated. “Change?”
Dominic looked to Tonita to answer when she didn’t—he spoke, “We put it in water.”
“So then the ink washed from the page?”
“Yes.”
Senator Scott let out a small laugh. “My friend, the Cardinal is using some old tricks,” he said, continuing to laugh. “We used that ink many times during our experiments to hide pertinent information from those around us. There were many involved in the experiments that we did not want to know the truth about what we were doing. It was a simple enough way to cover up the documents. After all, no one would dare place a document stamped, “Top Secret,” into water. We were fairly secure in the deception.” He unsnapped the seatbelt and adjusted his position in the chair. “As a matter of fact, no one ever discovered it.”
“What were you hiding?” Tonita sat up in her chair and like the Senator, unsnapped the seatbelt.
“Hiding isn’t exactly the word I’d use. More like protecting. But whatever words you choose to describe the act, we did not want many to know.” Senator Scott stared at Dominic, then directly into Tonita’s eyes. “We still don’t. You are among the very few who will know the truth.”