The Two Worlds of Billy Callahan

by Richard Friedman

  “That was a pleasant visit. It must be reassuring to know he cares for you despite the passage of time.”

  “How long have I been with you? It seems like a few weeks. Greg sounds older than I recall. I’m missing something.”

  “You and I have known each other for nearly fifty of your Earth years.”

  “That can’t be true. That would mean I’m over sixty years old. When I look at myself when I’m with you, I’m still the boy who survived the earthquake.”

  “That’s our sophisticated programming. You are much older than you appear to yourself in our journeys together. I have been able to slow down many of your life functioning systems and you will not have aged in the same way as your friend Greg. It was not my intention to deceive you.”

  The teacher took Billy on another tour of the planet.

  “There isn’t much more for you to witness. Our time together is almost over,” said the teacher.

  Hundreds of years of fighting left the planet scarred and permanently damaged. He and the teacher assessed the damage.

  “There doesn’t seem to be anything left to fight for,” said Billy.

  “Are you ready to return to the room where Talath and Arani once spoke of peace?”

  “If it gets me outta here, the answer is yes.”

  They returned to the same meeting room from long ago. The furniture was different, and the windows broken. Misshaped pieces of metal failed to block the cold air that rushed in.

  The first time the teacher brought him to this room it was full of hostility and anger. Ten years passed in Billy’s world. A woman and a man occupied the room. The building was void of security guards and foul tempered assistants seeking revenge.

  The woman, named Leeta, was dressed in black. Her counterpart, a man named Rerick, stood with his muscular forearms folded and a furrowed brow above his blue eyes.

  Leeta stood by the window, and observed the ruined landscape, “Once we leave, without proper maintenance, the buildings will decay and rumble. With each passing season, the ground will swallow whatever else remains. Centuries from now there won’t be any record of us setting foot on this place.”

  Rerick retorted, “I reviewed scenes from the first orb last night and studied the passages of the first year we landed. There was a man named Hargudus. He led the landing party.”

  “I never heard of him,” said Leeta.

  “The orb showed him and his peers. They were proud. In their era, it was an achievement to land on another planet. Now it’s commonplace. The solar system is full of planets that sustain life. I can’t predict where our people will go, but I can predict more pain and suffering.”

  “Rerick, the history books describe the ships that arrived here and the newly erected buildings. This place had potential to be the saving grace for our planet. I understand our star has thousands of years remaining before it explodes, but scientists can’t guarantee a precise timeline.”

  Rerick moved to the window. Disappointment filled his heart. “This should have been an ideal place for us. Perhaps a bit undersized, this planet is an easy place to relocate our populaces, at least the ones chosen to leave our home and have a chance at life here. The entire colonization project is under review. This land won’t be inhabitable again for millions of years. The damage we’ve done is incalculable. A few of my top scientists believe the ecological damage of drilling deep into the core will cause the land mass to separate. I wouldn’t want to be here if that happens. We’ve done a terrible thing here. What a shame. However, we must move on. Have you read the terms of the truce?”

  “I did, what do you plan do about paragraph 10?” asked Leeta.

  “We’re going to set fire to anything that isn’t already destroyed. The contamination level is so high that you and I will probably die of radiation poisoning on the trip back home. There’s not enough medicine for all of us. I have a contact who works in the clinic. I’ve offered an absurd amount of money for additional pills. I’ll be in contact with you if I can get my hands on them. The planet has been designated a disaster zone and quarantined. The leaders don’t want evidence left behind.”

  Leeta wasn’t prepared to trust Rerick. “Selfishness cost us a million lives and this entire planet. Don’t insult me and tell me that you have my interests in your heart. I’m not buying that line. We’re not friends and never will be. I’ll secure medicine for my family without aid from the likes of you.”

  Her words registered no impact on Rerick. He moved on to the next point on his list.

  “The last item on the peace treaty is to monitor how your side will remove any remains from your half of the planet prior to our departure. Have you finalized the plans?”

  “You can be assured we’ve taken precautions to eliminate any remnants of our presence. We’ve agreed to split the orbs. We’re each taking one of them. It may be useful when re-colonization is discussed,” said Leeta.

  Rerick gave her a stern glance, “The inter-galaxy review board will download the information within the orbs and see who is to blame for our situation. That would be regrettable. Neither one of us would come out of it unsoiled. There could be grave repercussions if the wrong people get a hold of those orbs. Lawyers on both sides can debate the written record. It’s those damn orbs. We’d have difficulty explaining our actions.”

  Leeta asked him, “Are you saying we should eliminate the orbs?”

  Rerick gave her the official government line, “That would be highly irregular and against the code of conduct oath we both signed for our respective sides of this conflict.”

  “What if they disappeared and we had no idea where they were?” she asked.

  “The board won’t be pleased. They’ll have the written records to review. Let’s be realistic, the orbs show terrible crimes. The weapons used on this planet have left it scarred and barren. This may be the only viable exit strategy for us. You should be working on our side of the conflict. We would have avoided a catastrophe if you had switched sides,” said Rerick.

  Leeta voice rose in anger, “That would never have happened. You’re a savage! I could never have worked alongside you.”

  “You’re talking about doing that precise thing. My grandfather told me never to say ‘Never.’”

  Leeta ignored his comments and moved on to the problem of the orbs and their visual record of the Aliens life on Earth.

  “The orbs have a tracking device, it would be difficult to hide them,” she said.

  “Let me deliberate this plan. I’ll contact you in a day or two.”

  CHAPTER 13

  Two days passed without incident. Billy remained under the teachers spell.

  Images of fires and explosions returned to his head. Transport ships loaded individuals on entrance ramps and whisked them away to waiting ships in orbit. Tragically, enough people had perished during the decades long fighting that ordering the evacuation of the planet was a viable option for those who remained alive.

  The orb returned to the meeting room where Leeta and Rerick had come to conclude their business.

  “Is it done?” asked Leeta.

  “Not yet, the ships are not in position. I’ve paid handsomely for the controls of the orb to convert to their manual settings. My men will call me from the desert when it’s time.

  Rerick turned on his communication device and listened. Background noise on the other end of the call made it tough to comprehend.

  “Sir, this is Quane. Dreks and I are calling in as scheduled. Are you ready on your end?”

  “Ready to go,” said Rerick.

  Leeta asked, “Is it time?”

  “You’ll hear in a second.”

  The clang of an explosion blasted over the speaker.

  A minute passed without a whisper in the room.

  “What’s happening? Demanded Leeta.

  “Quiet, I can’t hear him,” said Rerick.

  Another minute passed.

  “Sir, Quane here. We’re done. Mission accomplished. We buried the
Orb deep inside the hole. That will block the built-in satellite locators. It’s deep and covered with rocks and dirt I don’t believe any ship can track its location.”

  “Excellent. You remember the plan, we never met, and you didn’t speak to me about the orb.”

  “Yes sir.”

  Rerick appeared pleased. “The money is transferring to your bank account. Tell Dreks his money is on the way too.”

  “Will you tell me what is happening?” asked Leeta.

  “In one moment. Give me one more second to make this call.”

  Rerick called another number.

  “This is Rerick. Kill them both right away. They should be coming through the entrance in less than three minutes, four tops. No excuses.”

  There was a slight pause in the discussion. Rerick spoke again. “No, you’ve never disappointed me. You’re the one I can count on. Call me on this number when you’re task is complete.”

  “You ordered him to kill them? They did exactly as you instructed. Why did you do that?” asked Leeta.

  “Too many witnesses. They’re dead to me. I trust Chun explicitly. He’s a soldier. Those other two clowns, maybe yes, maybe no. I’m not taking any chances with this.”

  “What about me? I’m a witness too,” questioned Leeta. She stroked her weapon under her coat. Rerick assumed she came armed, but his actions showed little concern.

  “You have as much at stake as I do. I trust you. Where is your orb?” asked Rerick.

  “It’s circling the building as we speak. I’ve altered the audio feed. It will be impossible to understand what we’ve said.”

  Rerick saw it sail passed the window, “You were to have it destroyed! You lied to me. I knew you couldn’t be trusted!” yelled Rerick. Gunfire raged in Billy’s head. It traveled from one ear to another. He begged it to stop. The sounds reminded him of standing too close to fireworks on the fourth of July. After ten minutes, Leeta called her assistant waiting outside the building.

  “This is Leeta. I must dispose of Rerick’s body. Meet me in the lobby in ten minutes. You can de- activate the fake orb. He fell for it completely. The original is in 1,000 pieces.”

  Billy had trouble making out the rest of the conversation. The voices grew dim.

  “Billy…our time is done. There is nothing left to see. I am going to return you to your own time now. Many years have passed. The adults you knew as a child have died. The only human left that was close to you as a child still alive is Greg.”

  “How many years has it been teacher?”

  “Approximately 50 of your Earth years.”

  Billy didn’t respond.

  “You will gradually assimilate back into your world. I will always be part of you, but in a different form. I will no longer be able to stop your thoughts, or your sight, or your movements, you will be, more or less, back to normal. It is vital that you tell others of what you have seen.”

  “Nobody will believe what I say,” said the former boy, now a grown man.

  “It won’t be easy. Fifty years ago, people were interested in your father’s television show. As you return from silence, the national media will have a high interest in what you have to say. There will be skeptics, but in the end, the fate of your civilization may rest on the lessons that you can teach your world.”

  Billy said, “What can I possibly teach the world that will save it? And save it from what?

  “You saw how greed corrupted our leaders. You were an eye witness to the horrors of war. You were there when businesses blindly neglected rules that were in place to protect the environment and severe damage was inflicted on the land, the air, and the sea.”

  Billy confronted the teacher, “We have people who speak out on those issues. Hardly anyone listens to them. People think they’re a bunch of kooks.”

  “You have a distinct advantage over those people. People in your time see the degradation of the earth in small doses; it’s difficult to appreciate it as each day runs into the next. You have seen the entire life cycle of a race. You were next to Hardugus when he arrived on the planet. The land was pristine and picturesque. You saw the transformation of the world shift to fighting when precious recourses became scarce and people fought for control of them, and sadly, regardless of your age, I was forced to show you how it ended for my people on Tenegraw when rational minds couldn’t be found. Death and destruction filled the land. Our people are dying. Those that escaped to the ships will die en route to their original home worlds from their illnesses. What a sad legacy for Hardugus and his ancestors.”

  “I don’t understand teacher. What makes you think people will listen to me?”

  “I can’t promise that they will. But you must try. You must warn people not to fight over the land. Eons have passed since our time here, and your land is fruitful again. The natural resources have replenished. Now you imperil the planet with your poisons and threaten your own existence. Your world must work together to find alternative ways to live together or surely your people will face the same fate as my mine. I do not want history to repeat itself in this manner.”

  “My father said that history always repeats itself.”

  “Finding the orb is the key. It will be the proof to validate your story. Take the orb to your leaders so they may confirm what you have seen. Once they do that, surely they will change their ways. I have installed safety sequences that will unlock the mysteries of the orb. You are the only one that the orb will respond to. If you were to reattach to it, your leaders will see the blueprints embedded within you that will show your leaders how to improve existing technology. You had to experience it all so that you could relay the urgency to them. If they have the best interest of humanity in their hearts, they will understand. When you touched the orb it activated a homing beacon. My ancestors will know you found the orb and my programing initiated. They will come to retrieve the orb. They know a new race of people is here. They have been monitoring you. They will not be pleased. I’ve transmitted your memories to them. Our leaders will see mankind’s blatant disregard for the planet has escalated. They may attempt to eradicate you. It will depend on the current composition of the staff of minister’s view of mankind. If you can bring forth change to your world, the ministers may give you more time. They are in charge of our planetary colonization system. You’ve seen the deadly force we’re adept at using when pushed to the brink. I must leave you now. Good luck.”

  “NO, WAIT! I’m not ready for this! Teacher!!!! Eeka!!!Come back to me!”

  CHAPTER 14

  Billy listened to the clatter of the nurses in his room. They were making a fuss over him. When the doctors dropped by in the morning, he did not respond to their call of “good morning, Mr. Van Winkle.” They greeted him with that sarcastic phrase daily and today’s non response met with indifference. Dr. Davidson moved the flashlight back and forth, left to right and Billy’s eyes never moved from center. He’d done that hundreds of times before, but on this Thursday morning the world changed.

  “Nurse! Get in here! Now!” shouted the doctor.

  Corley rushed in, fearing the worst for her favorite patient.

  “What’s wrong, Doctor?”

  “I want you to see this. Come closer to him. Stand behind me.”

  She peered over Dr. Davidson’s shoulder as the doctor moved the light from Billy’s right eye to the left eye and for the first time in decades his eyes followed the beam.

  “Tell me I’m dreaming, nurse.”

  “If it’s a dream, don’t wake up. Do it again.”

  Corley grabbed Billy’s hand and sat beside him. She wondered what kind of life he would have had if fate had not intervened. A life where he might have met a nice girl, perhaps even a nurse, like herself. It was the first time someone held his hand with anticipation, not gloom, in years.

  Dr. Davidson was ecstatic. “Do you know what this means?” He didn’t wait for a response. “This means that there’s a chance he could come back to us. This is the first step, a small one to
be sure, but a step, nonetheless. I’m calling Gallagher. Keep an eye on him, I’ll be right back.”

  He rushed downstairs to his office and dialed the director of the facility, Dr. Stan Gallagher.

  “Dr. Gallagher, its Dr. Davidson, please come quickly. It’s Callahan. He responded to light. I’m not making this up. I had the nurse confirm it. He followed the light from right to left. The same test I’ve done for years… Thanks, I’ll see you soon.”

  Ten minutes later both doctors were giddy. It was the first bit of pleasant news for any patient inside that facility in years. Dr. Gallagher confirmed what Corley and Davidson, and the entire staff had seen for themselves…Billy’s eye responded to light. The “Keller Institute of Care” was a place for the impaired to go and die. Patients faded away. Patients entered old and afflicted with dementia or Alzheimer’s, and their condition progressively worsened.

  Today, Billy Callahan shocked the world.

  CHAPTER 15

  Billy’s eyes weren’t the only things returning to normal. When Corley entered the room the next day, she sat on the chair, next to the bed. This was part of the morning routine, and she held his left hand. She gave it a squeeze and spoke to him.

  “If the Lord is listening to me, Billy Callahan, squeeze my hand and let me know you’re in there.”

  A trickle of pressure struck the nurse’s ring finger. Nurses and doctors shouted in jubilation as they called to one another that “The Keller Institute Miracle” had occurred.

  Doctor Davidson concurred and decided to share the news with the one person left alive that would want to know.

  The Millers’ phone rang twice. Greg’s son Ballard, named after the man who found the wreckage of the RMS Titanic, Robert Ballard, answered the phone.

  “Hello, Miller residence, may I help you?”

  “I’m calling for Greg Miller.”

  “Sure, hold on a sec. May I ask who is calling?”

  “This is Dr. Davidson from The Keller Institute.”

  “Oh, hold on a minute.” The pleasant voice had turned to stone when he learned it was a doctor in Cleveland. He figured that meant grave news regarding Billy.