The Door

by Tony Harmsworth

  ‘The time has come, then?’ he asked.

  ‘The time has come. You still okay with this? Now’s the last chance you’ll get to back out.’

  ‘Let’s get on with it,’ he said.

  Greg looked around at the rest of the executive, ‘Right, point of no return, guys. We’ll just run through Roy’s task one final time before moving on.’

  The six of us, plus Roy, returned to the rear garden and huddled.

  13 Carjacking

  The plan discussed and finalised and all of us satisfied we had thought of as many eventualities as we could, we filed back into the lounge and Greg sat facing our guest.

  ‘Right, Ski. We are not going to try to learn more about the project for the time being, but we need other information,’ said Greg.

  ‘I will answer if I can.’

  ‘How are the vehicles controlled?’

  ‘We use our minds to instruct them, then they operate autonomously.’

  ‘Could I drive your vehicle?’

  ‘No. It only operates on mind control.’

  We had assumed as much, so this didn’t really surprise us. It just made things more difficult.

  ‘Do you speak, mentally or otherwise, to the guards when you leave?’

  ‘Mentally. Why?’

  ‘Never you mind why,’ said John shaking our prisoner. Again, he cringed back into the sofa.

  Greg continued, ‘One of us is going to leave with you. He will be crouched behind your seat with an extremely sharp carving knife. This is the knife.’

  Roy held the knife in front of our captive’s face.

  ‘Can you see it?’ asked Greg.

  ‘Yes,’ nervously.

  ‘You need to understand that Roy is dying of cancer. Do you know what that is?’

  ‘Yes. We wished we could have dealt with it, but it was too advanced.’

  Now, that was a surprise. This guard was not only aware of who Roy was, but also that the cancer was in both his lungs and liver.

  ‘Roy has nothing to lose. He is a very brave man and he knows he is going to die. For that reason, he will have no hesitation in killing you with the knife if you do not do what we ask. Do you understand?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘We know we will have to remove your hood to let you leave, so that you can communicate with the guards and operate the vehicle. However, we have tested Roy’s hood and we know that your force field is ineffective as long as he wears his own. Do you understand?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘So, if you don’t do exactly as you are told, you will be stabbed in the back and your throat will be slit. You will be unable to stop that. Do you understand that, too?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘When you leave the compound, you will thank the guards completely normally and drive back to the city with Roy.’

  He didn’t respond.

  ‘Do you understand?’ asked John, shaking him again.

  ‘Yes, yes.’

  ‘Right. Now, one final question. The transport system we used to arrive in your city – can it also return us to Earth?’ asked Greg.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And only you can call for the bell jar and control it?’

  ‘Any of us, yes.’

  ‘Can we call and control it?’

  ‘No.’

  Greg signalled us to leave the room and other members continued to look after our captive. Greg told them to ask him if he had any needs, like food, a drink, or to use the toilet. They were all fully aware of how to keep Ski secured and one of the members had the second stolen pistol.

  Out in the garden, the six executive committee members plus Roy went through the plan one final time. We all thanked Roy for his bravery, gave him a holdall containing food and water, and went to the vehicle.

  ‘Just check you can crouch unhidden behind Ski’s seat,’ said Greg as we approached the open side.

  Roy sat in the footwell behind the main seat and we all walked around the closed side of the vehicle. We felt he was well enough hidden. Next Roy thrust the knife several times through the seat so that we could be sure it would penetrate Ski’s body.

  ‘You know what to do if it goes awry?’ asked Greg.

  ‘Two thrusts through the top centre of the seat then jump up and slash his throat,’ said Roy, actually demonstrating the actions.

  ‘I hope you don’t have to do that,’ I said.

  ‘You and me both,’ said Roy as he sat back into the rear seat.

  ‘Okay,’ said Greg, ‘we’ll go and fetch him. Good luck and hopefully you’ll meet up with the others later, if their part of the plan also goes well.’

  ‘Good luck to you guys too,’ Roy said.

  John and Greg returned to the house and brought Ski to the vehicle and helped him sit in the usual front seat.

  ‘I remind you, Ski, that we have tested the capabilities of Roy’s mask and you will not be able to stop him from killing you. Because of his illness, he will have no hesitation. You are to pass through the gates keeping conversation with the guards to an absolute minimum, then drive on to the city. You understand?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘None of us wish to hurt you, Ski, but you can be sure you will be very dead if anything goes wrong, so through the gates as fast as you can and away along the road. Okay?’

  He didn’t answer.

  ‘Okay?’ asked John angrily.

  ‘Yes. Yes, I will do as I’m told. I have a family. I do not want to die.’

  Greg waved the others away from the car. He held the pistol pointing at Ski and I removed the heavy-duty balaclava from him and gave it to Roy. Instantly I felt the force field trying to freeze my limbs.

  ‘Stop it!’ shouted John, stepping forward and delivering a painful punch to Ski's cheek to prove the force field was ineffective. ‘It will not work and we won’t tolerate it. Don’t try again!’

  The force field vanished.

  ‘Ski. When you reach the city, Roy will give you further instructions. Remember he has nothing to lose,’ said Greg.

  ‘Good luck,’ we said to Roy.

  ‘Thanks,’ said Roy with a wry smile.

  ‘Off you go,’ said Greg.

  The side of the vehicle re-materialised and the car body swivelled on its axis to face the way it had come. It made its way sedately along the street.

  Everyone rushed out of the house to watch. There was the anxious moment when the car was out of sight, then we saw it approaching the gate and slowing to a standstill before the gates opened and the vehicle passed through and began to accelerate along the tunnel.

  We continued to watch until we saw the bell jar arrive. The guards entered it entirely normally, it filled with the swirling mist and vanished.

  We hoped Ski had not given the guards a secret detailed explanation of what had happened. If he had, our plan was in trouble.

  The car disappeared into the distance and now it would be our turn. Both parts of our plan had to work perfectly.

  14 Stowing Away

  ‘You’ll be careful, won’t you?’ said Hazel.

  ‘It’s got to be done. Our whole way of life might be in danger and if we don’t stand against it, who will?’

  ‘We might never see each other again,’ she said, squeezing me tightly.

  ‘I’m sure we will. I don’t think they’ll be vindictive, even if we get caught. I’ll find my way back to you somehow. I’m so sorry I got us involved in all of this.’

  ‘Well, now we know its importance, it doesn’t seem so bad. Go and save the world, darling.’

  We kissed, exchanged final words of love, and I walked down the street to join the others for the stowaway phase of our mission.

  I heard her last shout of ‘love you’ and met up with John. Four doors further down the road, Jennifer was wishing her husband goodbye and our little gang-of-three headed towards the supermarket.

  Greg was staying behind to continue as leader of the group, so it was John, the police inspector, and Jennifer, the kara
te black belt, who would accompany me. We all had heavy-duty balaclavas plus several spares without eyeholes for any aliens we encountered. Each of us had a litre of water and some non-perishable food, and I also carried a hunting knife and smaller penknife. John had the pistol, and Jennifer, her lethal hands and feet.

  We had timed our arrival to coincide with the supermarket undergoing its usual restocking, which occurred late in the morning each day. The robots paid no attention to us, but we were still careful not to do or say anything important when they were present in case they were on the alert for any keywords.

  Their shape could best be described as like two four-drawer filing cabinets side by side. Spindly, jointed metal arms emerged as required and filled their drawers from the transport vehicle. They trundled, extraordinarily quickly, to the correct location in the store and neatly stacked everything on the shelves, bringing older items to the front. Wonderful to see such a mundane job undertaken by technology.

  We watched two robots entering the store and we slipped through the door to the rear yard where the transport was standing. It was almost empty. Another couple of trips would clear it. Previous observations had revealed that once the last load had been removed, the doors automatically closed and the vehicle drove off. The robots remained in the store, immobile in one corner, from where they carried out cleaning and shelf tidying duties from time to time.

  The escape committee had already checked that the doors could be opened from the inside using a simple lever. All we had to do was wait for the last two robots to remove their stock. As usual, waiting seemed interminable.

  ‘Had you not considered getting an alien to take us to the city in a bell jar?’ I asked.

  Jennifer replied, ‘Yes, but it was considered that we might be taken to somewhere where we could be overpowered physically, so stowing away was considered the best method.’

  ‘Just thought about it when I watched the guards disappear outside the gates.’

  ‘Yes, would’ve saved a lot of trouble, but not worth the risk,’ said John, who dabbed the outside of the transport with red paint so it could be identified later if we needed the same route back or if Roy had trouble finding us.

  One of the robots reappeared. It stood at the rear of the transport, lifted itself on two telescopic legs, moved forward, retracted the legs, and travelled the length of the truck to the remaining products. It filled its drawers leaving about half a load, returned to the back of the truck and reversed the climbing-in process.

  ‘Just be ready in case the doors close,’ John said as the robot entered the store.

  We didn’t think it would leave with products still on board but wanted to be prepared. A minute later a second robot arrived, boarded the vehicle, loaded the last of the goods, and headed into the store.

  As quickly as possible we clambered aboard, attached straps to bars which ran the length of the inside, and hooked them to our belts. We had no idea if we would be in darkness inside but assumed we would. We had an LED torch which had been cobbled together from parts ordered through the shop robot, but it would give very little light. We were intending only to use it in an emergency. The larger alien lighting units were thought impracticable to carry with us.

  A minute later the tailgate slid out of the roof structure and closed the back of the vehicle. We felt the transport move and, simultaneously, were plunged into darkness.

  ‘Here we go,’ said John.

  In a vehicle, in the dark, it is only natural to try to figure out where it is in the world. There were four or five changes of direction in the first minute, an acceleration, and a slow to a stop. That must be the gates, I thought. Another acceleration. We were through the gates and speeding up as we travelled on a dead straight line which had to be the glass tunnel.

  The journey was extremely smooth and we spent most of the time talking about our backgrounds, families, and interests. Jennifer had brought one of our clocks with her so we had a good idea how close we might be coming to our destination. We knew how far the destination was from the test on a previous vehicle but had no concept of our speed. We made our best estimate.

  After an alien hour, there was some deceleration and we were turning corners, slowing, and increasing speed. We must travelling through the city.

  There were several more turns, we moved much more slowly, then the transport reversed. We all stood, unclipped our safety lines, and prepared for immediate action. We had no idea what sort of reception committee might be outside when the door opened.

  15 Industrial Estate

  Silence.

  We strained our ears.

  We could hear nothing outside the transport. We allowed twenty minutes to see if the vehicle was going to move again. When there was no motion nor any other sounds, we decided to make our move.

  John pulled the lever. The back panel of the truck clicked, began to open then stopped. Looking through the gap, we could see that the transport had parked tight against a wall. An eventuality we had certainly not considered.

  ‘I can get through,’ said Jennifer, and she slid her way between the door and the floor until she could drop to the ground. ‘Wait here, I’ll check the surroundings.’

  ‘I’m going to have trouble getting through that gap, Henry,’ said John.

  ‘Yes. I think I can, but it won’t be easy. Never thought of this possibility,’ I said.

  ‘I’m annoyed we didn’t think of it. If it had been any closer, we could have died in here. We should have brought some cutting equipment to get out through the side.’

  I nodded. We knew we’d been naïve and hoped our lack of foresight wouldn’t be our downfall during some other part of the plan. I was sure we’d eventually find a way to get John out of the transport, but he was right, it could have been a fatal error.

  Jennifer returned to the opening.

  ‘There’s no one around. Do you think you two can get out?’

  ‘I’ll possibly be able to, but John might not,’ I said and got myself into the gap, heaving against the door to try to squeeze myself through.

  There was no “play” in the door so it came down to forcing myself between the door and sill. Having removed my jacket and shirt. I ended up with missing layers of skin on my chest and shoulders, but finally dropped to the ground.

  ‘I’m stuck here unless you can move the truck,’ said John. ‘There’s no way I can get through there.’

  ‘We’ll scout around for something. A jack would do the job, probably,’ I said.

  ‘Here, take this,’ said John, handing over the pistol. ‘It has no safety and no trigger guard, so be careful you don’t shoot your own leg.’

  I said thanks and Jenifer and I made our way around the outside of the transport. I carried the gun in my inside jacket pocket.

  Our truck stood in a large parking area with four other similar vehicles, but the space could have coped with ten times that number. Each truck was backed up against the wall of a huge, featureless building. It appeared to be some sort of warehouse, but we were guessing. The interior could be anything at all.

  We moved to the left and could see the opposite side of the parking area had similarly featureless buildings so we assumed we would not be seen.

  We followed the wall of the building until we reached the corner, stopped, and peered around. It continued for twice the length of the first wall, but there seemed to be an opening halfway along. We progressed cautiously. I removed the pistol and carried it in my right hand between me and the wall, hidden from anyone watching us.

  The doorway opened as we reached it. Both of us jumped in fright, but quickly realised it was just an automatic door. There was no one within.

  ‘Wait here,’ said Jennifer. ‘I’ll go in and check it will open from the inside.’

  I nodded. Damn it all, I really need to wake my ideas up. Being locked inside hadn’t crossed my mind. I resolved to become more attentive to the potential dangers our alien surroundings could create.

  Jennifer stepped in
side. We both kept still and after a handful of seconds the door closed. I watched Jennifer move to the left and the doors opened at once. I joined her inside.

  The interior was as stark as the outer walls. There were many aisles of racking, but they held almost nothing. We wandered around looking for anything which would help us open the truck, but nothing came to hand. No tools, no pallet trucks, no jacks, nothing. It was an eerie sensation, exploring this deserted and barely used warehouse.

  At one point, we came across a lot of Earth provisions. Dry goods, nothing perishable. Coffee, biscuits, jars of preserves, and cleaning materials.

  We had just reached the far corner of the building when we heard a shout. ‘Henry, Jennifer, where are you?’ It was John’s voice.

  ‘Coming,’ I shouted.

  ‘How did he get out?’ asked Jennifer.

  I shrugged and we both ran towards the doorway.

  ‘Wait, Jen. It could be a trick,’ I said, having reminded myself that I needed to think of all eventualities.

  We made our way through the racking, rather than around it, using the light from the doorway as our directional guide.

  ‘Come on. Where are you?’ shouted John.

  ‘Don’t answer,’ I whispered. ‘We can’t be certain it is really him. Could be a trap.’

  ‘Okay,’ she said and we progressed stealthily in the direction of the doorway, hiding behind any pallets of goods stored on lower levels.

  As we got closer, we could see that it was really him and not some form of trick.

  There he was, but who was standing beside him? Jennifer and I pulled on our balaclavas as we approached the group.

  16 Going Home

  Our relief was tangible when we saw that Roy and Ski were standing with John a few metres inside the building.

  ‘How’d you get out?’ I asked.

  Roy answered, ‘I asked Ski to move the transport forward a couple of feet. Problem solved.’

  ‘Did you run into any difficulties?’

  ‘No and it seems we arrived here shortly after you. It took Ski a while to find out which depot the transport would return to.’