Chapter 26

            Keller awoke with a start. A jinni, in bland human form, stood beside his bed.

            “It is time to meet the leadership,” the jinni said.

            “Wake-up call, eh?” Keller said as he rolled from the broad couch. The jinni did not reply; he vanished.

            Keller moved to the small hammam, or bathroom, provided for his morning ablutions. Before long, he was striding down the hall. Others from his team joined him on the way, and they all gathered in an expansive majlis. They sat on curved banquettes around a circular table loaded with Arabian breakfast items. The expedition members ripped open fragrant disks of warm pita bread and dug into bowls of lemony, garlicky broad beans, garnished with slices of onion and hard-boiled egg, plates of roasted and pureed eggplant and of hummus drizzled with olive oil, a dazzling array of sweet and savory pastries and small mountains of fresh fruit. They were served small cups of Arabian light roast or Turkish dark roast coffee, followed up by tiny glasses of piping hot mint tea.

            Keller looked at Emily Goddard. She was very thoughtful, very quiet this morning. She looked frequently at Mubarak Awda. They were communicating with glances. It was clear they shared a secret. Were they lovers?

            Dan thought about his own relationships, or lack of them, and wondered if he had a chance with that Marine, Vanessa Willis. She seemed much deeper, more thoughtful, than most young soldiers. She was something of an “old soul,” Dan had concluded, and this fascinated him. He enjoyed speaking with her, and she seemed to like him as well. She was quite pretty as well, and that never hurt.

            Pvt. Willis stood up suddenly, and excused herself from the table. Clearly she was restless, and was about to walk off some energy. She strode off down the hall. After a decent interval, Dan got to his feet and sauntered off in the same direction.

            Keller wasn’t sure how it happened (Jinn magic? Three wishes from the genie in the lamp?), but before too long he found himself in a private alcove, seated on a plush divan, amid overstuffed Oriental pillows, deep in conversation with Vanessa. They spoke about the long, twisting roads that had brought them each to Arabia. Vanessa seemed actually interested in Dan’s Army background – as a harried MP in Faluja and Kabul – and his subsequent career as a security officer. He was fascinated by the story of her life – how the eldest daughter of two distinguished high school teachers in Baton Rouge broke with family tradition and abandoned a career in education for one in the Marines. It must have been Wanderlust, Vanessa said; she had always wanted to travel the world, to see the lands she had learned about in school and books.

            As they spoke with each other, their mutual attraction grew. Vanessa, emphasizing a point, laid her hand gently on Keller’s knee. It was if some kind of psychic current shot through his body.

            “Vanessa,” he said softly.

            She smiled at him. Her liquid brown eyes sparkled.

            “Shush,” she said, as she leaned forward.

            Her soft lips met his, and for a brief moment, Keller was transported from Iram, City of the Pillars, to a far more real and significant place.

            When breakfast was over, the plates were cleared away. As the expedition members continued to talk, Keller and Willis, together, returned quietly to the table. In a few minutes, the team members were escorted to Ubar’s version of a small auditorium: ten rows of curved white benches, with backs, surrounding a central space, about ten meters across, where the three-member jinn “executive committee” awaited them. The human visitors took seats in the front rows. They studied their hosts and the vaulted green dome that rose high over their heads. The leader named Miriam addressed them.

            “Now that you have been briefed on our people and our city, we would like to share with you our intentions. Please convey these plans to your own leaderships, particularly in the United States of America.

            “After spending thousands of years side-by-side with the human species, providing you with covert guidance and hidden knowledge, the time has come for our people to leave this planet, and begin a similar mission on another. We are convinced that you no longer need our help – that in fact any further assistance would only make you dependent upon us, and thus hinder your future development. The human species has reached a crucial takeoff point. You are ready for the universe and for the adventures that await you. We congratulate you. And now it is our destiny to depart. Please convey this message to those who lead you.”

            Silence followed. The team of humans sat stunned. Each of them shared the same thought: They finally make direct contact with Earth’s other intelligent species, only to learn that that species is leaving.

            “You can’t be bloody serious,” Lasser said, almost under his breath, staring at the three jinn leaders as he spoke.

            The jinn leader with the reddish hair – Denis – gave Lasser a semi-smile and replied: “We do understand this may come as a shock to you. After all, you have expended much time and effort searching for us, finally reaching our city, and one of the first things you hear from us is ‘Good-bye.’ But if you give it some thought, you will realize that our departure makes eminent sense. The fact that you have been able to track us down is proof that you have grown as a species, in intelligence and wisdom, and no longer need our presence. Your discovery of our city is the trigger, so to speak, that activates our departure. It has always been thus.”

            Emily Goddard stood up, her hands on her hips. She seemed very angry.

            “You can’t do this!” she exclaimed. “We have so much more to learn from you!”

            The “Chinese” jinn leader, Lee, whose facial features and even gender were difficult to define, responded: “You wish to study us? That’s admirable in a sense, but not a priority for us. We have a new mission to undertake. We will bequeath to you this city and its artifacts, as well as a complete record of our existence here. There is much you can learn from what we leave behind. We are confident you will be satisfied.”

            Devereaux stood. His face was pale, and his hands trembled. But his eyes showed determination.

            “I represent the American president,” he said. “Our leaders are anxious to speak with you. You must stay long enough for us to arrange that.”

            “The protocol of such meetings does not interest us,” said Miriam with a slight smile. “Nor does the politics. If we need to communicate directly with your leaders, we shall do so. For now, however, we are happy to deal with you.”

            Dan Keller stood up and addressed the jinn leaders. “There’s something I need to know. Two employees at my company, Aramco, have been killed while trying to identify the anomaly that turned out to be your city. Why were they killed, if you wanted to meet us?”

            Miriam frowned. “We did not kill your people. They were killed by renegade jinn working with a few humans. Regrettably, there were some among us – not many – who wished to keep the city’s location secret and remain on the Earth. They tried to stop you from reaching us. They have been foiled, and will no longer be a problem.”

            Emily asked: “What will happen to these rebels?”

            “They will depart with us,” said Miriam. “We have managed to ‘rehabilitate’ most of them – particularly since our city’s location is no longer a secret. A handful of the renegades, the most incorrigible, will remain in custody.” She smiled slightly. “I believe you would refer to them as ‘maximum security prisoners.’ ”

            There was a moment of silence. The two parties studied each other.

            Finally, Miriam said: “We leave Earth at dawn tomorrow. We have much to tell you before we depart. This city will be yours, and you will need a ‘user’s manual,’ if you will.”

            The President of the United States sat at the head of the conference table, accompanied by his key aides. He tapped the button on the speakerphone and a tinny, attenuated version of Frank Devereaux’s voice emerged from the speaker.

            “Where are you, Frank?” the President asked.

            “I am in the jinn’s city, beneath the desert, sir. They have facilitated my call. Normally, cells don’t work down here.”

            “Where do things stand? Are you and the others safe?”

            “Yes, sir. All threats to our expedition have been – shall we say, removed.”

            “When can I meet the jinn’s leader?”

            “Well, Mr. President, they don’t have a single leader. They have a council. And I don’t think you’ll get a chance to meet them.”

            “Why not?”

            “Because, sir, they’re leaving.”

            “What?”

            “The jinn are leaving the Earth tomorrow morning – forever.”

            The President was silent.

            “Mr. President?”

            “It’s as if it never happened. They will leave, and all our efforts will have to remain a secret.”

            “No, sir.”

            “What’s that, Frank?”

            “You’ll have something to tell the world.”

            “What?”

            “Mr. President, they’re leaving their city – and all their technology – behind. They’re leaving it to us. It’s a bequest. A gift.”
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