Chapter 2 Farewell

Gabriel Venegas silently played the video again.

Alejandro watched it with much greater concentration than the first time.

He did, in fact, see his own image—at least that part was real—but he hadn’t seen the escalator at that moment; of that he was certain…

Even though his mind was in chaos and spinning like a merry-go-round.

Suddenly, the little girl’s face filled his soul.

The girl was barely visible—her face appeared only for a few moments—but he studied her so intently that he thought he could recognize those features, almost perfect and very beautiful. The girl was petite, slender, with fair skin, long, golden hair that was slightly wavy—because to him it didn’t look straight—and she had incredibly light-colored eyes.

He observed all of this in passing, because the image never lingered on the girl, which led Alejandro to conclude that the video was genuine.

He shuddered in spite of himself.

Were there multiple dimensions?

Wasn’t thinking this way just the delusion of a madman?

He didn’t know if he was being manipulated.

He thought he might have taken something, that he’d been drugged, but that didn’t make sense either. The situation

was very confusing; he didn’t know if it was a cruel reality, mocking him, because nothing made sense.

Everything Alejandro had thought about Venegas came to nothing in the face of the evidence presented, even though he had many doubts.

“The woman of his destiny”?

He said that after hinting that he might fall in love with that woman, who, as he calculated at the time, must have been a teenager.

That was completely outlandish.

Would she be a different age in another dimension?

Alejandro had no intention of falling in love or being in a relationship; for the time being, that wasn’t an option for him, because he felt too young and wanted to enjoy life.

His intention was to have fun, go out, and feel free—he already had enough to deal with in the military.

Because, in reality, he was drawn to the military, but all that protocol sometimes annoyed him.

Alejandro was both fascinated and afraid.

If that really existed, very few people knew about it.

Those women—the ones who kidnapped the girl—undoubtedly knew.

It was all so far-fetched.

They watched the video several times, and our psychologist no longer had any doubts that it was all real. “What

do I have to do?

” Venegas smiled.

He’d been expecting that question for quite a while.

“You’ll have to rescue her and bring her back home…” “I’d have to find her

, but I have a feeling you’ve already done that.” “That’s

true.” “So

you’d give me the address and…” “No

,

” the General said firmly. “Then

what?

” “You’re going to find her, and you’re going to take it upon yourself to bring her back.” “Find her?

” He repeated his words. “Yes

, we’re going to station you in the places where she usually goes.” “Is

this some kind of game?

” Alejandro asked, quite annoyed.

“No, but we have to prove, somehow, that when a woman is destined for a man, no matter how many chance events occur, that destiny remains unchanged.”

Alejandro thought that was nonsense, and that if he ever fell in love, he would be the one to choose the woman.

From his superior’s words, it seemed as though this woman was being forced upon him.—

However, I’ll take the liberty of telling you that I don’t believe in predestined love.

Venegas shook his head. “It’s not

about what you believe, because until recently you thought I was crazy and had almost mystical delusions.”

Alejandro thought there was no point in denying it, since just moments earlier, Venegas himself had told him that he had access to everything he wrote on his computer; in a way, he felt violated—he had even less privacy than the prisoners themselves.

“We’re not spying on you—I give you my word. We only have access to the notes you write about military personnel of a certain rank and above, and since everything is processed through artificial intelligence, we only detect and intervene if your notes are directly related to national security.”

Alejandro looked at him in disbelief.

“Except for your notes about me.”

The psychologist thought that while he didn’t like the fact that they were meddling directly in his work, he understood that national security was paramount.

He knew the secrets of many officers; he knew the most intimate fears of many men, some of whom were even feared by their subordinates.

He even knew each of their weaknesses.

Suddenly he realized he held in his hands a great many secrets about terribly powerful people, but that never caused him the slightest regret; he would never speak to anyone—not even his colleagues—because he understood the sensitivity of the matter.

Even Venegas trusted him!

Unless they’d drugged him.

Mentally, he went over everything he’d ingested.

Of course, at this level, everything could have been tampered with.

So…

He tried to conduct tests to determine if he was conscious.

He discreetly looked at some objects, trying to make out their details; he wanted to know if any of them “spoke” or if they at least moved on their own.

The clock struck 6:00 p.m., and the bells of that ancient wall clock chimed softly, their sound accompanied by a slight movement.

That’s good.

He thought after staring at the clock for a few seconds. “Sign

here,

” said the General, holding out some documents.

“Could this be my own death certificate?

” Alejandro wondered. “These

are documents of trust, though I know for a fact that you never spoke to anyone about the weaknesses of the men of our homeland.”

“Homeland? Country? Continent? World? Dimension?

” He couldn’t quite grasp the situation and, of course, hesitated to sign. “At

this point, you have to go out into the streets, get involved wherever you’re needed… and perhaps you’ll find her where you least expect it.” “Will

I continue practicing my profession?

” Alejandro saw a “no” coming, but was surprised by the answer.

“Of course, except that your priority will be to find her.” “Yes

, that’s clear to me, sir.” “You

know how to fly a plane.”

Alejandro thought his superior knew the answer perfectly well.

“Yes, Brigadier, I do, although I don’t practice it regularly.” “I

know. You’ll be traveling accompanied by a captain and someone from your inner circle at the barracks.” “And

my family?

”He asked, assuming that his mission had already begun.

Venegas pulled out a cell phone—one that was different from the others—

and the device immediately caught Alejandro’s attention. “You’ll be able to contact them only on special occasions, just like on any mission, but I’m going to make the biggest exception of my life. Never before has anyone who already knew their mission left my office to say goodbye to their family. I trust you. today Germán will accompany you to your parents’ house. The mission could last for years; however, if necessary, we’ll temporarily pull you out, but it will end—only,” he emphasized, “when you find her and are sure she’s the woman you’re looking for—your Predestined Lady.” “And

what’s her name?” “We

don’t have her current name.”

That is, if they’ve even located her—it seemed almost impossible to him that they wouldn’t know.—Remember

, you’re going to fall in love with her.

Those words drove Alejandro crazy, but he was very careful not to show it.

It could be any woman he brought back…

“Son! I’m so happy to see you!

” His mother embraced him the moment she saw him, though she was used to seeing him rarely—her husband was also in the military, and she knew how the military system worked.—

I’m happy to see you, too…—What’s

going on?

—I’m leaving on a mission.—But you’re

a psychologist!

—Yes, Mother, but I’m also in the military.—When

will you be back?

—I don’t know.—Is

it dangerous?

—Not at all, I promise.

he said confidently.—Are

you sure?

—Absolutely.

His mother knew she couldn’t ask any more questions, and even if she did, she would never know where he was headed.

He said goodbye to her and also to his father, who watched him calmly, because he could tell that Alejandro was very calm.

His father was a general held in very high esteem and was one of the few people who knew about the case his son had just become involved in; however, he hadn’t even discussed it with his wife, nor hinted at it—there are secrets that are precisely that: secrets.

However, although he was guessing at his son’s mission, he had not yet been briefed on the matter by his superiors. “We don’t

need to stop by your house; your belongings are waiting for you in Hangar 205.” “I figured as much

,

” he replied, because he was almost certain that’s how it would be.

He was still amazed that they’d allowed him to say goodbye to his family, though that told him just how long his mission was going to be.

He recognized that they’d also made an exception on that point, and he wasn’t sure why that had been the case.

Alejandro had many doubts and no answers.

His father was a general in the inner circle, as they say, but… Did that mean his father knew another dimension existed?

If so, did he know about his mission?

Alejandro couldn’t stop asking himself those questions. They arrived at Hangar 205.

“Thanks

, buddy,

” he said to Germán.

The driver didn’t reply. “See you

when I get back.”

His friend shook his head. “What

?” “I came all the way here

for a reason…” “I don’t

understand.” “I’m

a traveling companion.” “What

?

” he asked, astonished.

“Now that I know about this hangar, I have two options… I either come with you or I somehow disappear,

” he said jokingly, though Alejandro wondered if it was really a joke.

They got out of the car and set off, walking for a few hours—not too many—and by following the instructions each had received separately and simply piecing them together, they managed to reach…

an escalator.

Alejandro’s heart was racing…

He thought—or at least Venegas wanted him to think—that he was going to board some kind of spaceship, or at least one shaped like an airplane.

Was it really that simple to cross over into another dimension?

An escalator?