Flight of Fancy

David was given food to eat shortly after they put him in the jail cell and it was made clear that would be the last meal of the day. It was some sort of sludge that couldn’t really be defined. Just looking at it made him feel sick to his stomach. He was hungry, but not that much. He was sure that quite soon there would come a time when hunger would get the better of him and he would be forced by his body to eat something that looked and smelled disgusting. It was even worse because they were used to home food and organic food from the supermarket. This processed gruel was an insult to his senses.

That’s what they want.

They wanted to break him down both physically and mentally, so that it would be easier to get information out of him. In truth, there wasn’t any information to share. He could tell them about the device, but the strange surrounding and happenings around it would most likely be too much to handle for the strict agents and David would be proclaimed insane.

Even as it was, he wasn’t certain he would ever see daylight or his family again, but would instead rot in a prison cell for the rest of his life, until there was nothing left but a husk of his former self.

He looked at the food again and picked up the plate again to see and smell if it appeared any more palatable.

Disgusting!

His whole face and nose scrunched up in distaste from the foul odour coming from the paper plate. They were definitely doing this on purpose, trying to starve him and make him weak.

Oh well, they’ll be surprised when I tell them everything.

Somewhere deep inside him, he knew the truth. Although he tried to encourage himself that they wouldn’t do anything if he told them everything, he realised they wouldn’t be satisfied with that.

How can they know if I’m telling the truth?

There was certainty in his mind that the next few days would involve some sort of torture.

God help me!

He didn’t believe in any higher power, a man-made divinity dissociated from humanity, but he believed in the quantum connectedness of humanity on some spiritual level and he hoped his prayers and appeals would reach someone or someones out there.

He bowed his head and started meditating. At first this was difficult because the gravity of the situation was weighing heavy on his body and mind, however he eventually managed to relax enough to fall into a light trance and make his mind float away.

Ana didn’t really sleep that night and believed neither did David’s parents. As for David himself, she was sure he was having a much harder time than all of them.

Where is he? What is he doing?

The few moments that her mind floated into restless slumber, she saw David as clear as daylight, his face shimmering in front of her as if it was a projection. After these moments, she would wake up and check the clock. Only a few minutes or half an hour at most had passed.

When morning finally arrived, her body and mind felt no rest. She was completely drained and could barely walk around without stumbling on the flat floor of their lovely apartment, the apartment she couldn’t appreciate when they had moved there and resented it. Now she would do anything for them to be happy there, for David to return into her arms.

But something was wrong with David. It wasn’t just because of the American agents. Something else was distracting his mind.

Could it be…

Perhaps there really was something to the whole story and David was secretly planting cannabis in the forest. She wouldn’t have minded, however she would have preferred for David to tell her and they could share in the experience. As it was, he seemed to have floated away, or at least part of him.

Was it possible?

They had talked many times about trying something with marijuana, however it was always the plan for them to do it together and she couldn’t see David hiding something like this from her.

She knew he had tried it and even smoked it regularly at one point, but gave it up because it made him paranoid and had no intention of going back to it “full time”.

No. I don’t believe it. There must be some other issue.

Perhaps it was too late anyway and she regretted pushing him so far that they had a bad fight. She didn’t want that to be her last memory of David and David’s last memory of her.

There has to be a way!

She got up and walked to the bathroom. It was way too early to call the embassy and she needed to clear her head before making such an important call anyway. There was a deep-set doubt in her mind that she wouldn’t actually find out anything from the embassy and this nightmare would continue.

How long?

She didn’t know if she could take much more of this, but she had to be strong – for David’s parents, for David and for herself. This wasn’t the time to give in to depression, it was a time when she had to step into action and organise things because nobody else would. That was one of her strengths and everyone relied on it. Everyone believed that her character was so strong and persistent, some would say stubborn, constantly pushing until reaching the goal. Only David knew another side of her, the soft and weak one, the one who wanted to be helped and not the one constantly leading the battle. Yet she would have to put on her battle armour once more and be strong for everyone. Only in her moments of solitude could she afford to break down, unfasten her armour and cry like a little girl she sometimes wanted to be.

She washed herself in the bathroom, looked in the mirror and saw a pale shell of her former self. There were bags under her eyes and she’d seen more blood in the face of a corpse.

After finishing in the bathroom, she forced herself to eat some breakfast. The bites went down like bricks, but she managed to keep the food down and at least some sustenance would enter her system to give her some of that famous strength she was supposed to possess.

After finishing with the meagre breakfast, she looked at the clock.

It’s nearly time.

In a way, she was glad to finally do something constructive, however she was also dreading it. If nothing came of the telephone conversation, there was nowhere to turn. Still, it needed to be done.

Here we go…

Jack Dawson was relaxing in his little room. Well, he was trying to relax. The waiting was excruciating. After arresting David and being part of the action, he was ready to get into the thick of it, to question the young man.

Orders are orders.

They were to wait for a long time before proceeding with the interrogation. It was supposed to make the process more effective. Dawson understood this and knew that orders had to be followed, there was just nothing to do in this military base. There was no type of entertainment whatsoever and the soldiers weren’t exactly a barrel of laughs. So he decided to stay in his little room and try to wait for further instructions.

He guessed his troop of merry men and women found some sort of fun, as they were as easily entertained as the soldiers. They didn’t mind waiting, however for him patience had not been learned yet.

Patience is a virtue.

Dawson knew the theory behind it, however it was all to exciting for him and he couldn’t relax. There was no problem when he was at home. He could relax with the best of them – go out for a beer, watch TV, catch a movie, you name it. Here though, the TV was all in their local language or full of movies he’d already seen and the bars would probably be full of local people he didn’t particularly want to talk to. Besides, he was still officially on duty and on call. This whole mission had to go down without a hitch and there was no time and place for relaxation.

I have to be on my toes.

You never knew when the bosses would call and give a new command. If he was drunk or indisposed at the time, they might consider him to be irresponsible and not worthy to be trusted with a mission like this ever again. It was best just to make due and try to stay sharp.

In the meantime, his team had been giving him lessons on proper interrogation techniques. It wasn’t exactly in any agent manual. Some of the procedures weren’t strictly legal and were quite unexpected. He didn’t realise there was a whole science behind it and he tried running everything in his head. He’d made some notes, but he wanted to learn it by heart, so it would be like second nature. The rest of the team seemed to be very familiar with it, so as the leader he would have to be just as good.

He had assumed that not all techniques agents used were strictly by the book or even legal, however this was like entering a whole new territory. There was almost a feeling of pity for David.

Almost. Poor kid doesn’t know what’s going to hit him.

For the techniques to work properly they would have to wait a bit longer, that’s what his whole team said.

Fine. Let’s wait.

They had all the time in the world. Or so they thought.

Ana picked up the telephone. She felt a lot of apprehension. In a way, not knowing seemed better than finding out something awful. If David had somehow been hurt or even killed, that was something she wasn’t sure she could take. Still, in her heart she felt he was alive. The connection had not been broken.

Unless these connections work past the physical realm and through time and dimensions?

She dialled the number of the US embassy.

An arrogant sounding voice picked up: “US Embassy, how can I help you?”

She hadn’t prepared, but somehow managed to get something out: “Hello, my name is Ivana.”

“Hello,” the voice interrupted.

“I’m calling on behalf of my husband,” Ana paused for a second then continued. “It appears some American agents put him under arrest and took him somewhere. Our police has no idea where they went.”

“I see,” said the man’s voice, not showing any empathy, only acknowledging what had been said.

“I was hoping you could help me find out more,” Ana finished.

“Right,” said the voice. “Do you have the names of the agents?”

Ana had the fortune of finding that bit if information from the local police. They had the leading agent’s details.

Well, a name!

“And could you tell us your husband’s name,” demanded the voice on the other line almost impatiently.

Ana spelled it out with some difficulty, but eventually they got there.

“Okay,” said the American voice. “We will contact the United States and see what’s going on.”

“Okay,” replied Ana.

“Now,” continued the embassy employee. “We don’t usually get replies very soon, so we’re looking to find something out tomorrow at the earliest because they have to check things on their side and there’s the time difference as well. Once we get some information, we will give you a call.”

“Please do,” insisted Ana.

“Speak to you soon,” concluded the man on the other line.

Ana hung up and felt even more apprehension. Nothing had been ascertained. There was no new information. She was still left wandering in the dark.

When will this nightmare end?

She sat down on the couch, the couch when she and David watched TV, where they hugged and had their dinner sometimes. David’s absence felt like a spear in her heart and she wept. She wept for several minutes, but once the tears dried out she felt better – recharged. She made a decision.

I’m not going to wait for them.

She decided she would ring the embassy tomorrow until they gave her some new piece of information. There would be no rest until something was found out about David’s disappearance.

She put on her crocs and went downstairs to tell the news or lack of news to David’s parents. His father wouldn’t cope well. He wouldn’t be happy at all.

Major Tom Peterson didn’t like being stationed in this backward country, not one bit. However, as part of his promotion there was no other choice but to accept. Luckily, there was no family to tie him down. The bitch had filed for divorce more than ten years ago and there was no sense of starting another family. The kids showed no interest in seeing him either. They saw him on holidays, always excepting money or presents from him. As there really was nothing else to give, that was exactly what they got.

Did they show any gratitude? Like hell they did.

They showed him as much affection as he showed them – hardly any. The relationship was strained and very formal, with a good deal of resentment bubbling underneath the surface – on all sides.

Family! They just tie you down anyway.

And now here he was. Slovenia of all places! He had never even heard of the country prior to coming here and now he had to live here and look after their military base in this Godforsaken place.

Three more years.

After that time he would be able to return back home and resume his duties there. It didn’t matter anyway. There was nothing waiting for him there either. The surroundings were merely more familiar. All of his family was gone, except a few uncles, nephews and nieces and of course his children. But they hadn’t kept in touch with him. It seemed that his military persona frightened most people.

Fucking pussies! Can’t handle a real man!

There was nothing to running a place like this. Once his officers got into a routine, the place ran like clockwork and all that was really left for him to do was supervise. All day long. It was boring, but in a way the routine calmed his wild spirit.

Wild spirit. That’s what the ex says. What she doesn’t understand is that my spirit is fine, it was her stupid jabbering that always started problems.

She called him an accident waiting to happen. Bullshit. He was the most balanced and composed person in the world and she resented that. He was teaching a whole new generation of men and now even women (for Christ’s sake) how to become proud citizens. It was the most honourable profession he could think of. Even in this country, he was still proud of the job.

Today, the routine was slightly different. Some agents brought in a prisoner, which disrupted the regular run of the place somewhat. Not too much, just enough to be a bit more exciting. It didn’t affect him much as the prisoner was out of reach for him. Still, it was something new and different.

The main agent was an inexperienced man, though.

God knows how he came to that position!

He had heard the agent was getting lessons in interrogation techniques.

What a fucking joke!

This was supposed to be an important person and he didn’t even know the basics. He had to laugh really. Sometimes it was all about politics, about who you knew.

This guy must have an uncle as a senator or something.

The major rubbed his eyes and stroked his head. There seemed to be a headache coming on, even though he was fine even a few seconds ago. His mind was going blank and he was feeling faint. It was unlike anything he’d felt before. He was in superior physical shape, so how could he possibly faint? Then, all of a sudden, the world was fine again and the major steadied. There was still a strange feeling in his head, as if his mind wasn’t completely his own, as if a part of it was in a haze.

Oh well, it’ll pass.

He was thinking clearly and that’s all that mattered. He knew what he had to do now. Why didn’t he think of it sooner? He would go see the prisoner and talk to him. It wasn’t really his case, but there wouldn’t be any harm.

The first time in his career as a commanding officer, major Peterson changed his routine and went to do something completely against his nature.

David was lying in his bed in the little cell. There was nobody else in this part of the military complex.

I must be the only prisoner.

He guessed there weren’t that many international criminals in Slovenia, perhaps that he was even the only one at this moment.

At least the only one wanted by the American government.

Still, nothing made sense. What would the all-powerful American world police want with him? The only thing that happened was the assembly of that ugly-looking device, which transformed into something peculiar.

Not sure if peculiar good or bad…

But how could they know he’d assembled something? Well, with all sorts of surveillance everywhere these days, he shouldn’t have been surprised. With people getting sent to jail for building their own solar panels, wind generators and collecting rain water, this situation was very logical for a world that didn’t make any sense. The sad thing was that most people just accepted this and lived their lives in a sort of happy oblivion or ignorance.

Still, he never thought he would be at the end of one such conspiracy, a puppet in a sick game somebody was playing. Reading about them was all fine, but one of them actually happening to you was a bit too close to home.

Pointless!

Such thoughts weren’t productive at all. He needed to start thinking of ways to get out of this place. Whenever he tried focusing on finding an answer or a possible way out, his mind came up blank or it started drifting towards conspiracies again or different ways they might start torturing him soon.

There was a little squeak as the door slowly opened. David shot up in bed and became very aware of all his senses.

This is it! They’ve come for me!

He wasn’t much of a fighter, but he wondered if he would try to incapacitate anyone and make a run for it. It probably didn’t make much sense. They were all combat trained and the only thing he could count on was his speed and stamina, which the military or government agents probably didn’t lack either.

No, there won’t be any fighting! Unless a proper opportunity presents itself, that is!

David waited with bated breath to see who would enter through the door. He expected to see the annoying American agent who probably put him in this situation and literally planted drugs to get him arrested.

Instead of that, there came a grey head of hair through the thick metal door, the head of a massive man, probably standing at over 6 feet and with a very muscular body. The man appeared to be around 50 years of age, yet was a top physical specimen. David decided there would be no fighting or running, as this monster would probably crush him into dust.

The man was obviously somebody important, wearing the military insignia of a high ranking officer, or so David thought. This person didn’t look at David, yet was looking around the room as if not recognising the surroundings. It was strange to see a military man so unfocused.

He looks lost.

That would be unusual for a man who probably worked there. The grey-haired man finally settled down a little bit and looked at David. David didn’t know if this made him feel any better or just made him scared. He realised he hadn’t urinated in a while and now his bladder was pressing against his front.

This just might be the way they work, to make you talk.

The man didn’t say anything, just looked at David for longer, making David very uncomfortable and forcing him to avert his eyes.

“How are you, David?” asked the officer.

David thought about it and didn’t know what would be better – to answer or stay quiet. He decided on the first option.

“Okay,” David almost whispered, realising he was more scared than he had previously thought, his voice hardly audible and breaking between the two syllables.

“I know what you must be thinking,” said the military man. “You’re probably thinking that this is the way we’re going to break you, with some unusual techniques.”

David just looked at him in confusion, too dumbfounded to say anything back.

“You’re right to be careful,” continued the officer. David could now read the tag on his green uniform – ‘Major Peterson’. “Who knows what they have in store for you? But it’s not up to me. I just brought you some food.”

David only now realised that the major was holding a bowl in his hand and could tell that this was something that actually looked edible.

There’s probably poison in there, or something to make me talk…

“You’re probably thinking I’m trying to trick you,” the major read his mind. “Who could blame you? With all the tricking going on these days and false accusations, you’re right not to trust anybody.”

The major paused, as if unsure this had just come out of his mouth. David looked into his eyes and could swear there was a haze forming in them before they became crystal clear again. David thought that the eyes were kind, not those of a hardened and emotionless army officer.

“Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith,” said the major. “Like when you fall in love or make friends. Sometimes you have to put your faith in people. Often, they will disappoint you, but on some occasions your trust will be rewarded. That’s what makes humanity worthwhile, despite all its shortfalls and faults.”

David was very confused. He didn’t know what to make of this man in military clothes, but who spoke like a philosopher.

“It’s just common sense,” carried on the major. “People need to work together. However, only the people who can trust one another. But how to find them? I’m sure you’ve come across people that you instantly feel a connection with and think you can trust. Society is trying to divide people by making them so occupied by trivial things, like jobs and money, that people have a hard time making meaningful connections, especially good people, people with the potential to be friends. So instead of forming friendships, we forget about these people and are forced to chase dreams implanted into our heads by society, dreams that aren’t even our own. We think money and a job will make us happy, while these kinds of friends have to wait. At the end of the day, we don’t really have a choice. Society makes us follow trivial pursuits, while noble goals, such as true friendship and enlightenment are put on the back burner.”

The major shook his head, as if trying to get rid of a headache, then looked at David again.

“Listen to me go on,” he said. “I only came in to give you your food. Eat it if you want, leave it if you don’t.”

The major put the food on the floor, then headed towards the door. He walked slowly and when grabbing the door handle stopped for a moment to shake his head again as if in a state of confusion before disappearing.

David didn’t know what to think of the whole situation, but he realised his stomach was growling.

I’ll eat it no matter what. If it’s some kind of poison, so be it.

He grabbed the bowl and ate greedily, for the first time in a long while feeling a shred of optimism.

After eating the delicious food, a mixture of stir-fried vegetables and some pasta, David lay down on the bed again. There was no plan to sleep because it seemed very unlikely, it merely seemed like a good idea. After some more time contemplating the affairs of the messed-up world, David actually fell into a worn-out sleep. Surprisingly, panic didn’t wake him up soon after as it usually did when he was under a great deal of stress. Instead, he slept peacefully.

It was the middle of the night when he woke up. The barred window revealed the stars, with no signs of dawn approaching. David sighed and went to relieve himself into the toilet in the corner. All of a sudden, he had a feeling he wasn’t alone and he turned toward the jail cell next to him. In it was a man in his sixties of a slight physique and tidy appearance. David decided not to urinate at that point.

“Don’t mind me,” said the elderly gentleman in English. “I’m not going to watch.”

As David really did need to go, he turned his back toward the man and emptied his bladder, letting out a sigh of relief.

“Strange place for a man like you to find yourself,” said the gentleman. “You don’t really strike me as the type of person to belong in prison.”

David took a long look at the man, while at the same time trying to hide the fact that he was studying him. The gentleman seemed like a good-hearted spirit, with a faintly familiar flicker in his eyes and a friendly gaze, which met his every time with warm acceptance.

“I could say the same for you,” said David.

“Oh well,” replied the old man. “You never know the trouble a person gets in. Sometimes it’s enough to step on the wrong toes.”

David thought about this for a while and realised the phrasing of this man reminded him of something as well. It was suspicious.

“I know what you’re thinking,” said the old man. “You’re wondering if I’m a spy sent to see if I can get any information from you. I could say the same about you.”

“I was here first,” was all David could think of.

“Doesn’t matter,” came the reply. “You could have been put in here as a decoy, to make me think I could trust you.”

The old man smiled and David relaxed a little as well. The silver-haired gentleman hardly qualified as the spy type and he didn’t look like a spy either.

What do spies look like?

“Anyway,” the old man interrupted David’s thoughts, “I think you’re not a spy. Your eyes are too kind.”

It seemed ages since David last experienced any form of kindness and it opened his heart slightly. He hated false flattery, however the old man appeared sincere and there was nothing nicer than an honest compliment.

“Same to you, sir,” said David.

“Oh, nonsense,” replied the gentleman from the other cell. “You can call me Wolf.”

“Wolf,” echoed David. “That’s a strange name. Are you Native American or something?”

“No,” replied Wolf, “but I have spent a lot of time with them and this is the name they came up with for me.”

“Do you have a real name?” inquired David.

“Wolf is as real as it gets,” answered Wolf evasively. “I let go of my other names a long time ago. I decided I don’t want to be called something that somebody decided for me, I prefer a name that reflects my character.”

David thought about this and agreed, however Wolf still seemed like an ominous animal to be associated with.

As if reading David’s thoughts, Wolf replied: “I know people usually associate Wolves with death and killing, but the tribe that gave me the name associates it with tranquillity, nobility and being alone. It’s a pretty good description of me, actually. I’ve always been the lone wolf, finding my own way in the universe.”

“I guess that’s the best way,” agreed David. “Way too many people just follow the crowd.”

“Right you are,” continued Wolf. “You meet some friends on your path, make long-lasting relationships, but essentially the path is yours to travel and yours alone. In the end, nobody makes the same journey as you. Even your life partner can walk with you most of the way, but they’ll veer off onto smaller paths along the way. They will join you on your path most of the time, but they have their own aspirations and goals. Thus, some parts of the journey you must travel alone.”

David thought about this and it made sense. He smiled at the old man and the old man smiled back.

Those eyes!

David finally recognised them. They were the same as the eyes of the major who had come to see him earlier. There was something strange happening, but David wasn’t afraid. It appeared his fate wasn’t sealed after all. The old man merely continued smiling, as if reading David’s thoughts.