Episode Twenty-Three Molly Kasjak

Episode Twenty-Three   Molly Kasjak

    “Father, you were aware of this technology?”

    “Yes, yes, of course we are, Bella.  That’s how I sent you to Demby.  But, unlike the Galts, we don’t jump back and forth through the damn thing.  We use it only in extreme emergencies.  It’s rather creepy.  And I believe it jangles up one’s brainwaves.”  She rolled her eyes.

    “Are you the best tracker the Galts have, the best on the planet?” she asked.  His head bobbed left and right.

    “Father! I want to hear his explanation.”  King Frederick nodded.

    “They SAY so, I don’t really know,” he said modestly.  “I know I’m good, I don’t know if I’m the best.  I can sense body signals.  And I can communicate with the animals and plants on most planets.  That gives me a definite edge.  I’m a tracker,” Tarek looked directly at the king,  “but I am not a killer.” He moved closer to Samantha. 

    “Sam, Baby, get out of here,” he whispered.  “Go home.  Find the portal and get out of here.  If I know you’re home safe and waiting for me, I can survive this and I’ll get back home to you as soon as I can,” he whispered.  She nodded.  He looked very tired and stressed.

    “What’s all this whispering about?” croaked the king, rearming the device.

    “This will be over soon.  Do you need some water?” she spoke softly.  He shook his head no.

    “What do you need, Sweetie?”

    “Just you,” he said, wincing from the shock collar.

    “Sh,” she put her finger to his lips.

    “Father, please!”  She cried at the king, who moaned but held down the bypass button.

    “Were you hired to find me and kill me?”

    “I was given that assignment by the Galtari National High Council.”

    “And you accepted it?”

    “I had no choice in the matter.  It was not a request.  One may not refuse a command from the Galt High Council and live.”

    “And you tracked me to Earth?”

    “Yes.  The High Council determined King Frederick sent you to Earth, where you would fit in very well.  So, they sent me to Earth, where I picked up your signal and followed it to… you.  You were living there as Molly Kasjak.  And… I watched you.”

    “Molly Kasjak?  That’s what Werner called me?  Who is this Molly Kasjak?”

    “You, in Demby.  A mathematical genius.”

    “How long did you watch me in Demby?”

    “A long time.  In Earth-time, six months, maybe longer, before we began a relationship.  We were close, very close.  At first I just watched you walk from your apartment to work in the morning at the trucking company, Trafford Trucking.”

    “I remember Trafford.  Mr. Trafford.  Jim.  Not a very friendly guy, but I know he liked me and looked out for me.  He hired me because I was a mathematical genius?  Here I thought I was just office help.  I should’ve asked for a raise.” 

    “I watched you eat lunch alone in your office, the lunch you packed.  I watched you walk home after work to your small apartment above the legal office.  Alone.  I tailed your co-workers to the bar around the corner one evening, and I listened to what they said about you.”

    “My co-workers talked about me at ‘The Bleak Horizon’?”