Sentinels of the Cosmos Trilogy (2 page)

Juan’s wife, Esperanza pulled her SUV into ShopCity
a large supermarket chain in the Bronx New York
with her three kids in tow. She was pretty with an
athletic build and mysterious black eyes. Her
youngest daughter Yolanda yelled from the back seat.
”Mom I’m hungry!”
”Sit back dear we’re all hungry.” she replies as she
pulls into the parking lot. Hordes of people standing
with protest signs with slogans like “Where has all
our food gone? The government is holding our food!”
and “Act now -the food belongs to the people!”
No one knew where all the food had gone, or why
there were such terrible shortages. Meats were slowly
becoming a rare commodity; certain vegetables
hardly ever showed up and often were of poor quality
if they did. You paid whatever they charged.
Esperanza grabbed her children from her car and
charged through the crowd. She was not shy and
pushed through like a lawnmower. She turned to
Maria her oldest and saw a drop of blood coming
from her nose.
”Are you going to be alright?” she asks.
”I’m fine, it’s just the chemo!” Maria says softly.
”Are you sure?” She asks very concerned.
”No really, let’s go, I’m fine. We have to get food!”
Maria says like a trooper.
Esperanza charges into the store. The dull sound of
Muzak can be heard. She grabbed a cart and looked
around at the rows of shelves.
Every week something else they used disappeared.
Last week was hot sauce. She wondered what it
would be today. It was subtle - she as always went
first to the meat section to see what was available.
There were a few packages of cheap fatty hamburger
meat and almost nothing else. She quickly moved to
the produce aisle and there were no carrots. That
bothered her - there were almost always carrots. It
was strange how the choices started to disappear.
Maria her oldest daughter had a rare form of
leukaemia, a sweet teenager who never complained or
felt life had cheated her in any way. Jorge her 8 year
old son was the opposite - always complaining,
always uncomfortable but very protective of his big
sister. He would challenge someone twice his size if
they threatened Maria. Maria’s survival now
depended on a new technology that was only
available to a few. Juan had arranged the treatment
and the price he had to pay for the treatment bothered
her. After the short and frustrating shopping was
finished Esperanza noticed that the crowd outside was
becoming more and more unruly. Yelling and
screaming had progressed to throwing eggs at the
front of the store. Esperanza was becoming more and
more anxious as the protest regressed into a riot.
She quickly called her husband Juan and said, “I’m
getting very nervous. I’m here at ShopCity with the
kids and there are mobs of people throwing things at
the windows of the store,” she told Juan.
”You want me there? “Juan asks.
”Yes I want you here now, why do you think I'm
calling?” she retorts.
”You have your gun?” Juan asks.
”No.” she says.
”Smart, what the hell you doing going out without
your gun?” he yells.
”I’m at the grocery store, not the Middle East war.”
she screams.
”Alright, alright I’m on my way. And Chase is with
me. “Juan says.
”Great, Maria will be happy!” she says cynically.
”I heard that,” Maria yells.
”Yeah, I heard that too!” Jorge says.
Esperanza hangs up the phone just as a brick sails
through the store window. She grabs the kids and
heads to the back of the store. People begin pouring
into the store through both the broken window and
the door. Children begin screaming, becoming more
and more terrified. Esperanza, who was ex-military a
T5 in the Army MP’s, jumped into action
immediately, easily keeping the insanity of the mob
from coming near her family! Out of the chaos that
followed Juan and Chase appear almost as an
apparition.
”Nice you could show up,” Esperanza says.
”Why are you here?” Juan screams.
”We have to eat, that’s why - where am I supposed to
shop?” she says.
”The NYPD departmental store, it’s guarded. Let's
get you and the kids out of here, we can discuss this
at home,” Juan says.
”I’m going with Chase,” Maria says and she runs into
his arms. Chase picks her up like a small twig.
Esperanza and Juan look at each other and Juan says,”
it’s like the Hulk meets Tinker Bell. “
”I hate it,” she says with obvious disapproval.
”He makes Maria feel safe, it’s harmless. Maybe his
strength nourishes her,” Juan says.
”I love you Chase - will you marry me?” Maria asks.
”No, you’re a child,” Chase responds.
”I’ll go first,” Chase says. He picks up Jorge with the
other arm. Maria hung around his neck with both
arms. Juan holds baby Hector,” as Chase parts the
crowd while exiting the supermarket with Juan and
family in tow. No one challenges their exit. Juan calls
the riot squad as they pull out of the parking lot in a
two car convoy.

After Juan and Chase accompany Esperanza and the
children to their home it's late but they have to go
back to work.
It was 3 AM when their real story began, they were
driving down Fifth Avenue when an old woman
suddenly jumped out of the bushes of Central Park,
screaming "I’ve been raped, I've been raped.”
Juan slammed on the brakes and jumped out of the
car. "Are you alright lady?" he blurted out.
"Of course I'm not alright, I was just raped!" The old
woman bellowed.
"Excuse me lady, but we are the police."
"Really, then get out there and find him," she scolds.
"Can you give us a description?” Chase entered in.
"Small skinny man on a bicycle carrying a large red
purse, my purse," she snorted.”
Chase helped her into the back of the cab and Juan
got back behind the steering wheel. At the 72nd Street
entrance into Central Park Juan eased the car into the
park and started uptown on the park drive. In the
distance on the sidewalk pedaling uptown, was a
small man on a bicycle with a large flat red purse
draped from the handle bars.
“There he is!” she shouted, "Get him, he violated
me... I'm ruined!"
Juan stepped on the gas and the car squealed as it
leaped over the curb onto the grass and onto the
sidewalk. The alleged rapist tried peddling harder but
he couldn't out-pedal a speeding car. He dumped the
bike and proceeded on foot into the bushes. Chase
jumped out of the car and tackled him quickly. He
went down without a fight. Chase was sitting on him
with a gun at his throat when Juan turned on his
flashlight.
“Chase, its Willie, Willie the Putz! We sent this guy
up five or six months ago," said Juan incredulously.
Juan couldn't believe his eyes saying, "Chase, this
guy almost killed you the last time we arrested him
for raping a seventy year old granny from Oxford,
England, and he’s out on the street after 5 months!"
Chase says, “Interesting, I don’t remember that at
all.”
The old lady gets out of the car and says, "That's the
man officer... he's the one that did it... aren’t you
going to arrest him?"
Willie looked up, saying, "Hey Juan, what's
happening man. I surrender... read me my rights!"
“I’m in the mood for a little justice,” Chase says.
He felt a little snap in his emotions as though
something had broken free or let go. He stood up and
walked to the car, got in and put it in gear. Then he
drove right over Willie and then backed up and did it
again. Juan was horrified, but the old lady cheered.
“Run over him again, officer!" she yelled.
Chase was out of control and he knew it, but there
was a kind of serenity in his violence. Something in
him seemed to be in perfect control as though he was
watching from a far off place. He then stopped the
car, got out, took his gun out of its holster and shot
Willie in the right leg.
"You have the right to remain silent, "he said as he
shot him in the other leg, continuing, "You have the
right to an attorney."
Juan pushed the gun away before Chase could fire a
third fatal shot, saying, "Chase, you're out of control...
put the gun down.”
Chase swung the gun to Juan's head and pulled back
the large hammer of the Glock. Juan's eyes flooded
with fear, sweat streamed down his face. He looked
into Juan’s white face. Suddenly Chase imagined he
was looking through the scope of a rifle and realized
it was a dream. He saw Juan’s eye in the crosshairs of
the scope. He was in another world, serene, at peace,
just squeeze the trigger and you can go home, your
mission is over, he heard in his head. But then a very
serene round face appeared in front of him smiling
kindly with benevolence.
"Chase, you're out of control... put the gun down,"
Juan said in a firm but calm voice.
Juan’s face came into Chase's focus. “Oh my God,”
he said and slowly lowered the gun. ”I’m sorry Juan,
I’m so sorry,” Chase cried.
The old woman looked disappointed. “Aren't you
going to finish him officer, he raped me, an 87 year
old woman. I’m fragile," she screamed.
Chase wasn't listening to her. “Juan, let's get this guy
to the hospital before he bleeds to death," he said.
Juan was shaking like a leaf. "What came over you
man, you almost killed me? I got three kids you piece
of garbage."
"I wouldn't have killed you," Chase calmly replied.
“I don’t believe you. You’re nuts and you’re
dangerous, Jesus Christ! You scared me to death.
What the hell happened?” Juan screamed.
“I don’t know, but something in my subconscious
intervened,” Chase replied.
Really, are you kidding me? Juan screamed.
Chase had just acted as judge, jury and executioner,
and that is against the law, and they were both going
to have to explain this to the Lieutenant. Chase wasn't
in the habit of lying, and Juan would tell the truth no
matter what happened. Chase was in deep-deep.
There he was sitting in the back seat of a taxi with
Willie bleeding all over him, Juan up in the front seat
with an eighty year old granny scolding them for not
killing the little thief. He drifted away into thoughts
about a tropical paradise that he somehow knew,
although he had never been there.
Juan took a cigarette and laid it on his lips, his hands
still shaking, and asked, “Lady, just answer me one
question. What were you doing in Central Park at
three AM?"
"Why, I was taking a walk.” the old lady replied.
"Did you know Central Park is a dangerous place
after sunset?" Juan replied.
"Yes, but I felt lucky"
“Lucky! You got raped,” Juan said, “I guess we were
both lucky,” looking pointedly at Chase.
Willie raised his head and said: " You shot me man,
isn’t that illegal? But I won't tell nobody if you take
me to Bellevue and not Metro Hospital."
Juan and Chase left Willie in the emergency room at
Bellevue and took the old lady back to the precinct
after she had been inspected by the doctors. It seems
that she had indeed been raped. They couldn’t
imagine why or how someone could rape an 87 year
old woman. Juan was quiet and was obviously upset
as they filled out the endless paperwork.
"I'm not protecting you," Juan said emphatically.
"I'm not expecting you to," replied Chase, "Juan; I
have no idea why I behaved that way. I've been
having nightmares lately."
"Tell it to your shrink," Juan blustered as he got up
went to get the old lady to sign her statement.
*****

Chase lived in Sloatsburg, NY about an hour out of
the city; a little far for a daily commute into
Manhattan, but he liked the serenity at his small ‘A’
frame on two secluded acres.
Chase thought to himself, “I don't know how I own
this house, I don’t remember buying it but I was just
told it was mine.” He drove up the short driveway,
stopped the car and just sat behind the wheel trying to
realize the possible consequences of his actions.
There was a good chance that he was going to be
suspended, maybe worse.”
He felt the sharp pain in his head return. It was as
though someone was drilling directly into the front of
his head and then the illusion appeared clearly. Chase
was seeing a man walking towards him, his head in
the crosshairs of a sniper-scope. He was very calm
and slowly pulled the trigger. The man's head
exploded and then as suddenly as it had begun the
illusion vanished and he was back in his car breathing
hard. He got out and walked up the stairs to his
porch, through the front door and into the house.
There was mail all over the floor. His mailman got his
kicks out of opening the mail slot and flicking the
mail as far as he could into the room. He picked it all
up in good spirits and stacked it neatly next to the
phone then noticed there were messages on his old
fashioned answering machine and listened to them.

“Chase, this is Bryan. Appear in my office at 9 am.
You really messed up, and call me tonight if you get
in, are you all right?"
Chase liked Bryan; a typical lieutenant: a total
schizoid. One minute you’re a piece of crap and the
next he wants to be your father. He waited for the
next message. "Chase, are you alright, this is Susan. I
heard what happened? I want you here in my office
tomorrow at 10 AM, got it! Are you alright? Are you
there?”
The last message was, “Chase 1428571.” It was a
deep voice and then they hung up. He erased it with
the rest of them.
Chase was tired but he needed to feed his fish.
Watching his aquarium relaxed him in times of stress
which was all the time lately. He had a 230 gallon
tank across the back of the living room with only two
fish; one a Lionfish, a rather large creature with
feather-like protrusions on its back side. Each spine
was highly venomous and could give a very painful
and even fatal sting to humans. The Lionfish liked to
eat live food, usually live goldfish or anything else
alive that will fit into its large expansive mouth. He
fed it guppies; sometimes even roaches. The only
other fish that had been able to live with it was Trixie,
a Clown Trigger fish, also very nasty, but beautiful
and colorful. It hated company and has killed after
long and merciless torture any other fish large or
small that Chase put in the tank with him. They both
liked guppies and goldfish. Chase made his way to
the bedroom, fell back on the bed and looked up at
the high ceiling with a small fan that was turning
slowly. He fixated on the fan and it slowly became
the beating blades of a helicopter. The sound of the
blades was deafening.
The phone rang. He automatically picked it up.
"Yes," he said
"Chase, are you all right man?" It was Juan.
"Yeah, But I've been having these dreams, like
flashes; maybe I’m trying to remember something,
but Juan they're so real. It's scary. Everyone tells me I
was in a coma, but I don’t believe it. Something else
happened."
Juan says, "Chase maybe you need a vacation or your
shrink. Call Susan, she's a shrink and she's free,
compliments of NYPD."
"Maybe you're right, Juan, I don't know. I’m also still
having these headaches. Did you talk to Bryan?"
Chase says.
"Yeah, he's concerned. It was weird though. He
wasn't angry, he was scared. I mean what you did
really spooked him. Anyway boss man I'll see you at
nine. He wants me there too. Listen; tomorrow
Esperanza is making chicken and rice with those
beans you like. You’ll come to dinner?" Juan said
affectionately.
"Juan I have to go, I've got to sleep... I'm only getting
two hours."
"Yeah, see you soon, Chase.” There’s a short pause
and Juan asks pleadingly “Would you have done it - I
mean, shot me, I’ve got a family man?”
“I don’t think so, no – It was like I was ordered to do
it, I don’t know. We’ll talk about it tomorrow,” Chase
says quietly.
“What do you mean you were ordered to do it?” Juan
asked nervously.