Flight of Fancy

Chapter XXXIX: AFTERMATH

There were embraces all over as the shuttle flew up to the main ship. It was as if nobody knew what to say, but that was fine – words seemed unnecessary. When the initial excitement faded a little, David took Ana in his arms and held her there for a long time.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I should have told you.”

“It’s okay, David,” she whispered into his ear. “It was a stupid argument.”

“But I should have told you why I was being so secretive and reserved,” David explained. “You knew there was something going on.”

“I always know,” Ana said knowingly. “You know there’s nothing we can hide from each other.”

David merely smiled at that. Finally, Ana and he left the warmth of the embrace and David put his arms out, showing the shuttle: “So, what do you think of my secret?”

“Your secret?” asked his mother. “What are you talking about?”

David smiled: “This is what I was building in the forest when I was supposed to be cutting the wood. I mean, I did some firewood as well, but most of my time was spent on this.”

“You built this machine?” asked his father. “That’s very impressive, son.”

“Not exactly,” replied David. “I built a device that then continued growing into a space ship, if that makes any sense.”

“Yes,” replied Ana. “It does to me. Is the ship an organic entity that can expand?”

“Hmm,” said David. “I’m not sure…”

“Let me explain, if I may,” said a voice David knew very well and Ana also recognised.”

“Who’s that?” asked David’s mother.

“That’s Wolf,” explained David. “I suppose you can think of him as the computer.”

Oh, thank you, David,” said Wolf sarcastically. “It’s so good to feel appreciated.”

“You know what I mean,” replied David.

“No offence taken,” joked Wolf. “Even though I’m anything but a computer. Right, let me explain about the ship. The ship started off as an inorganic entity, but then as it started expanding, organic elements were attached and now it’s a mixture of organic and inorganic. The ship, in any case, is a sentient entity and highly empathic, especially to the needs of the people who live on the ship.”

“I don’t quite get it,” said David’s mother. “But I guess I will eventually. It doesn’t really matter.”

“So is this the ship?” asked David’s father.

“Not quite,” replied Wolfe. “We’re just coming up to the ship now. This is just a shuttle that we used to come to Earth. Taking a ship down unnoticed might be a bit difficult.”

“Why?” asked Ana.

“You’ll see once you have a look around,” interrupted David. “The ship is huge. Even though it’s invisible to the naked eye, the size itself would probably get it noticed.”

“Indeed,” said Wolf. “We wanted a clean getaway.”

“About that,” said David with a rather angry tone. “Why did you leave it so late? Why didn’t we pick them up earlier? It’s not as if the timing wasn’t right. And don’t give me any shit about the stars not being aligned.”

“Certain things needed to happen before we picked them up,” explained Wolf. “It’s not something that you would understand.”

“Because I’m physically challenged?” asked David defensively.

“Well, there are certain things you can’t see and foresee,” explained Wolf.

“Oh, don’t be patronising,” argued David. “I think you got some sort of sick satisfaction by the agents’ reaction when they saw me and the shuttle. You wanted them to know that something big was going on, even though you pretend you didn’t. This isn’t some game, you know. Ana could have gotten killed. There was a gun in her face.”

“David,” calmed Wolf. “Ana was never in danger. I think you can sense that. But if you feel better by blaming me, by all means, feel free to do so.”

David was furious at how Wolf had turned the tables and had made David look like the irrational one, but he knew this wasn’t the right time to argue his case longer.

“It’s okay, David,” said Ana. “As long as we’re all okay, it doesn’t matter.”

“I suppose,” agreed David reluctantly. “It’s so good to have you all here.”

David pointed at his parents with his head: “I’m surprised you decided to join us.”

“Well,” replied his mother, “we weren’t going to at first, but when we saw you, we somehow knew it was the right thing to do.”

“The world is going through more changes,” explained Wolf. “The tyranny of the elites will merely increase. You wouldn’t be safe back on your farm.”

“It’s a good thing we came, then,” said David’s father. “Where are we moving to? South America?”

“I don’t think we’ll be going quite that close,” responded David. “I think the ship will take us to an uninhabited planet.”

“Planet…” said his father, his eyes shining. David didn’t even know his father was that adventurous, but the look in his eyes said it all.

They’ll be fine.

“So…,” started Ana. “What’s next?”

“The next thing we do is get all the people who are willing to change their lives and get them onto the ship,” explained David. “Sounds simple, eh?” he added sarcastically.

“I already know who’d be willing to join us,” replied Ana. “They’ll finally be able to lead a normal life.” She looked around her and continued: “Well… sort of normal, anyway.”

“In any case, better than before,” agreed David.

“What about our relatives?” asked David’s mother.

“I think you know most of them wouldn’t leave their lives,” said David. “They’re too entrenched in the world the elites have created and believe it’s the only way to live. Most people don’t understand that life is possible without the pursuit for money and constantly searching for work that they usually hate. Here, we can do work that we actually enjoy and that is beneficial to all of us.”

Ana smiled at David. She liked seeing him passionate about something again.

The ship started slowing down.

“We’re just preparing to board the ship,” explained Wolf. “No need to hang on. It will be a smooth landing.”

The family didn’t even know it when the shuttle stopped and the door opened to a huge hangar. The family’s eyes were wide open with awe.

“This is nothing,” said David. “It’s just the hangar. Let me show you the rest of the ship.”

The future awaited.

Dawson woke up in his hotel room, the blinds on the windows still open. His memory was still a bit fuzzy, but images were starting to flood back. He remembered going to the family farm and getting ready to shoot at the girl. It would have been sweet. But then his mind went blank.

What happened?

His head was still groggy and he wanted to give himself a bit more time to come to, however he managed to turn in bed. When turning to his right, he noticed a figure sitting in the chair in the room. The room was dark, so he didn’t know who it could be: “Who’s there?”

“It’s me, Glenn,” was the immediate response. “Are you alright sir?”

Ah, the reliable Glenn.

“What happened?” asked Dawson. “I can’t remember anything after trying to shoot at the…” He paused and corrected himself: “…at the fugitive. He was going to get away.”

“He did get away,” replied Glenn emotionlessly. “The whole family did.”

“I can’t remember,” replied Dawson.

“That’s because you were incapacitated,” explained Glenn. “You were unconscious.”

“What the hell?” Dawson became angry. “How could I just collapse on my own?”

“Well, it wasn’t exactly on your own.” Glenn seemed embarrassed, if that was even possible. “You were taken down by Jane.”

“Jane!” Dawson was furious now. “Jane! Fucking Jane! She’s supposed to be working for us!”

Of course it would have to be Jane. She was a thorn in his side and now her true nature had come out. Overshadowed by his intellect and leadership abilities, she felt so threatened that she reacted in an irrational way, by trying to take out the team leader.

Typical women.

It was really a blessing in disguise for Dawson, as Jane was now out of the picture and wouldn’t pose a threat. Still, the mission was a failure and he would probably go back to his dreary old job.

“Where is Jane now?” asked Dawson.

“She is in our military prison, near the coast,” replied Glenn. “She will be sent back to the States tomorrow, to be tried.”

“Good,” was all that Dawson could come up with.

The fucking bitch deserves to hang.

“We’ve been recalled back,” said Glenn. “There was a call from HQ and they said that for the time being we’re pulling out all our agents.”

“What does that mean?” asked Dawson.

“Hard to say,” was the secretive answer. Glenn saw that Dawson wasn’t satisfied with the answer, so he tried explaining. “It usually doesn’t mean anything good. It might mean that the leading men are expecting an attack on the States. Considering they’re recalling all the agents all over the world, it could be quite serious.”

“Jesus,” said Dawson.

“That’s all I can say without guessing,” said Glenn. “I think there could be some tough times ahead for all of us.”

It seemed like the terrorists were winning. Whatever they saw back there on the farm was far more advanced than anything American could offer.

“What was that thing on the farm?” asked Dawson. “Was it aliens? Terrorists?”

“I really couldn’t say,” Glenn replied. “But it was definitely technology we haven’t seen before. It looked like it was centuries ahead of us.”

“Basically, if those things decided to attack us, we’d be screwed,” said Dawson.

“Pretty much,” agreed Glenn.

“So, when’s our flight?” asked Dawson.

“We’re on the same flight as Jane,” explained Glenn. “Military transport.”

“I don’t really want to look at her face,” said Dawson with disgust.

“So, are you okay sir?” asked Glenn. “Is it alright if I retire to my room now?”

“Yes, Glenn,” smiled Dawson. “I don’t think there are any permanent consequences.”

“Right,” said Glenn with what seemed like a hint of a smile. “I’ll leave you to it, then.”

“Thanks, Glenn,” said Dawson. “And I mean it.”

“Don’t mention it, sir.” With that, Glenn went out of the room and left Dawson alone with his thoughts.

I’m going to miss that guy.

Keffler felt like his career was over. As soon as all the missions all over the world were finished and failed, there was a shower of telephone calls. After about three of them, there was no need for further explanations. All the additional phone calls merely confirmed what the previous had said – it was all one big cock up. There were no arrests and the people had vanished, usually in front of the agents’ eyes, using technology that they could only dream of. It seemed to be some sort of alien invisibility cloak and also a very special space craft technology as well. It was light years ahead of anything he had seen and he’d seen pretty much everything modern science had to offer.

It’s over.

To be fair, he’d had a good run and had handled all the crises in a cool and calm manner. This was something beyond him, beyond even his superiors, who seemed to know everything about anything.

Keffler was expecting a phone call any day, telling him that either the Emissaries or his superiors themselves would pay him a visit. They would explain that they needed new blood. He might be allowed to retire gracefully, or he might simply vanish. Anything was possible with them. There was just no telling. If they decided to spare him, it wouldn’t have anything to do with mercy. They would decide they still needed his services.

There’s no point worrying.

Keffler had resigned to his fate. Whatever it was, he would face it like a man. He wouldn’t beg for his life because that wouldn’t have any effect. His superiors wouldn’t care. He might as well use the time he had in the best possible way. He had called his agency and booked his favourite girl. She didn’t mind being punished and he definitely felt like somebody needed punishing for this shitty mess. It might as well be her ass. He paid good money for the privilege.

There was no use working on any other cases now. It all seemed so trivial with what had just occurred. He decided he would merely sit at his desk for the last hour of his work day, ignoring any incoming calls, unless they came from his superiors.

Already thinking up a plan for the evening entertainment with his favourite girl, Keffler actually seemed quite content sitting at his desk, staring into space with an erection hidden in the creases of his trousers.

Number One thought he might as well watch some of the action happening live. It was impossible to see all the teams in the field, but he split the screen into some of the more important regions. Even the agencies had no idea that the Sages were capable of watching in, but it was important for them to keep tabs on all the proceedings.

At first, there was nothing of particular interest happening. The teams were proceeding per plan and it appeared like it would be a series of routine arrests, with low-key stories from the media, which wouldn’t be difficult seeing as most of the big media outlets were in their control, one way or another. A lot of the action was happening simultaneously and that’s how they had wanted it. The agents were just on their way to the various houses, then all hell broke loose. The cameras continued recording, even though on previous occasions of strange phenomena they were disabled. It was almost as if somebody was rubbing their nose in the fact that the Sages were technologically sub par and no match for the force which was coming. Number One saw strange shimmerings in the air and then in a few moments he saw beings appear from behind the shimmering curtain. He recognised their faces as the escaped prisoners. They were obviously somehow involved with this alien technology or at least utilising it.

In some instances, the agents tried firing at the prisoners and their families, but somehow to no affect, the bullets vanishing to who knew where. In other cases, the agents merely watched on in astonishment as the groups of people (or were they people at all?) escaped and disappeared behind the then invisible screen, probably to fly high into the atmosphere.

The mission success was zero. There were no arrests, no kills. There were merely empty houses and a lot of missing people. How would they explain that? Oh, they would find a way. Most people would believe anything if it was wrapped neatly enough. Number One just hoped the disappearances would not continue because then they would have to issue some sort of statement with a slightly more ominous overtone.

After the fiasco with the mission, the Sages arranged for a meeting in their hall. He was not anticipating it with particular excitement.

Will it be my death toll?

Even though the plan was agreed with, it was still his responsibility, regardless of how it turned out. As he made way to the hall, the anxious faces of his brothers looked down at his from their seats, not in scorn but in anxious fear, which was a sight Number One was unaccustomed to seeing.

As he sat in his chair, surrounded by his two most trusted Sages, words were failing him. He did not know how to explain what had happened and where it had gone wrong. His fate was in their hands.

There was no other course of action than to begin: “As you probably know by now, our mission was a complete failure – in all parts of the world. Most of you have seen the footage by now and know that the forces we are dealing with are toying with us, playing a game of cat and mouse with us. They revealed their technology only slightly, to mock us and our inadequacies. The next course of action is unclear to me, but I feel that we need to keep some sort of control over the people left on Earth. We need to keep our position of power. If that is taken away from us by this alien force, so be it, however we shall not go lightly. We will do everything we have done so far to keep human beings under control. If this alien force removes us, at least we will know we have done everything in our power to keep our status and dignity until the very end.”

Number One looked around the room, seeing the nervous faces of the other Sages, most of them unwilling to look into his eyes. There was one, however, who looked back. It was, of course, Number Five. He had not expected anything less.

“Like I said,” Number One went on, “the next course of action is unclear to me. I know what we have to do to keep matters under control without alien involvement and that can be implemented. However, the actions of the alien force cannot be predicted, therefore I ask of you to tell me if you wish for me to continue in my function, or would you rather that some other Sage guide you in these difficult times?”

He had not planned on asking the question, but it seemed like a logical conclusion and a dignified way to hand over his throne.

There were confused looks in the hall and nobody dared to speak. Finally, Number One continued: “If nobody has anything to say, we will put it to a secret vote.”

“Actually,” interrupted Number Five, “I have something to say.”

The faces of the Sages turned toward Number Five, but he was unperturbed. He continued with self-confidence and a slight arrogance: “I agree that this whole mission was a colossal failure and the blame in such matters falls on the chairman, which ha has conceded. Still, the plan was agreed by all of us and the actual mission could not have been carried out more professionally. None of us suggested any better option. Therefore, I feel that this is no time for placing blame and disturbing the ocean even further in this time of a great storm. The captain should remain at the helm because he is the most competent one to steer the boat to safety. We must place our fate into his hands. He has always done everything possible to keep our ship intact. I therefore reject the idea of finding a new leader.”

With that, Number Five sat down. The hall was silent for a while, then the Sages started clapping one by one and Number One knew that there would be no secret vote on this day. He was not certain if this made him content or not. There were extremely difficult times ahead and he would have to be the one everyone looked to for advice.