by A. D. Winch
"Try and get me out," he shouted in the darkness.
The sarcophagi shook and the corrugated metal was pulled, but as long as he held onto it, they could not get him out. Pleased with his accomplishments, he tested out the other two and then added them to the pile that by now was as big as a car. There were jet black objects that looked as if they had sucked in all colour. Smaller objects that looked as if they belonged in another world's tool box. Larger pieces that resembled panelling from a car that had been forged in space rather than a furnace. All the pieces could be easily carried by hand, and collectively they did not weigh much.
Once they had finished, they returned upstairs. Before dinner, Eric and Ursula needed to have another blood transfusion. They sat in the dark living room in large leather chairs and tried to relax as Andrea placed needles into their veins. During the transfusion, the children practised further communication without speaking. They were continuing to improve this ability, and they were managing whole conversations before their minds wandered to other things. As this started to happen, Johan entered with a laptop. He placed it in front of them and turned it on.
"This is disc five. We all feel it is time that you watch it," he said and sat down beside Eric.
Professor Larsen appeared on the screen, but she looked different from the other CDs. The children watched in silence, listening to her every word until she finished by saying 'sorry.' Before they could ask any questions, Johan started speaking referring to the disc as he spoke.
"At the time, I thought the creation of Identical Hybrid Beings would be a great leap forward for mankind. If the human/alien hybrids had all come out like you two, then I would have been delighted. However, it would never have been like that. Buddy Angel would not have allowed it. I realise this now, and I am ashamed of my involvement. In many ways, my work was responsible for you two. I want you to live long, happy and successful lives, to make up for my failings. I don't want you to die in three or four months, like the rats Ingrid referred to. You have my word that I will do everything I can to prevent this. If we can get hold of an alien sample, I am sure that we can use it to lengthen your lifespan."
Before he could say anything else, Andrea and Alexander entered, and he left. They took a small sample of blood from the children. The analysis proved that they were battling the aging process but only slowing it down marginally. Eric and Ursula wondered whether slowing it down by a few weeks was worth it, but the adults insisted that this extra time may make all the difference in their chances of survival.
Next day, the alien artefacts had to be moved upstairs, ready to be taken to the airport. While this was being completed, Andrea left the villa.
Eric and Ursula did most of the carrying and raced each other up and down the steps until there was nothing left to move. After a morning's work, the objects stood on the Persian rug in the hallway and almost reached the chandelier. There was one last piece left - an elliptical rainbow - that Eric challenged Ursula to throw on to the top of the pile. She tried, but each time it fell, bounced back over the other objects and returned to her. Eric took it and carefully threw it towards the peak. It landed on the edge of a flimsy-looking piston and balanced precariously. For a few seconds, it wobbled before coming to rest.
"Yes!" said Eric enthusiastically, acknowledging a large invisible crowd. "Eric Meyer does it again!"
"Always a competition," Ursula sighed.
"Well done, Eric," applauded Johan.
"You are a show-off," said Alexander. "Anyway, I'm thirsty. Who would like a drink?"
They all followed Alexander to the kitchen. On the way, they passed Eric's bedroom. Eric looked longingly at his guitar and Alexander at the drum kit. They took a step towards them.
"Don't even think about it," Ursula told them and pushed the deprived musicians away. "We are trying to avoid unwanted attention."
Madam Benjamin poured everyone juices that she had found unopened in the fridge. While they drank, Johan opened a window to allow fresh air into the room and to cool them down after all their work.
The draft blew through the kitchen, down the hallway and towards the pile of alien artefacts. The elliptical rainbow piece wobbled and then dropped backwards towards the door. It fell onto a sensor that Andrea had doctored and came to rest. The jolt moved a circuit board inside, and it began to transmit on a different frequency. Nobody noticed.
Shortly after, Andrea returned with takeaway Thai Curry. They all sat around the ebony dining room table, and the younger diners ate hungrily. The Benjamins and Johan were, initially at least, not as enthusiastic.
"What is it?" asked Mémé in French
"Thai Curry," replied Ursula. "It's delicious."
Granddad Benjamin was the first to venture into the unknown and took a large spoon of the red curry. Before he had even swallowed, he had started to suck in great mouthfuls of air. Great gulps of water quickly followed as beads of sweat appeared on his bald head.
"It's got a kick," he said, once he had regained control of his voice.
His second bite consisted of more rice and less curry. Johan and Mémé followed his lead and found it much more palatable.
"We have worked well," Andrea said matter-of-factly. "Are you ready to go to America?"
"I wasn't," Eric replied, "but now I'm looking forward to getting my own back."
"You must follow the plan, Eric."
"Don't worry, I'll follow the plan. I just might be a little more," he searched for the word, "vengeful. But only if the situation presents itself."
Andrea gave Eric a look that he guiltily interpreted as disapproval, and he lowered his eyes to the meal.
They all cleared the table after the meal and returned to the hallway.
During the afternoon, they packaged the alien items as modern art and had great pleasure in writing elaborate names on each box that alluded to the marvellous sculptures stored inside. Andrea did not participate. She could not understand why writing – 'The Tongue of Shame' or 'Splat!' or 'Golden Hate Fridge' was in any way entertaining. The last piece to go into a box was the elliptical rainbow. Ursula picked it up, but her hands were sweaty, and it fell back onto the sensor. Unbeknownst to anybody, the sensor changed back to its original frequency.
Andrea collected the campervan and drove it up the driveway. She parked it between the fountain and the staircase that led up to the main entrance, and opened the camper's rear door. Johan and the Benjamins supervised as boxes were placed inside. The movers worked as quickly as possible but, by the time they had finished, the sun had set.
"You will eat, and then you must all rest," Andrea told them. "I will drive the campervan to the airport tonight. I have arranged for a private jet to take Mr. and Mrs Benjamin back to Paris. Also, I have arranged that the boxes we have loaded can be left in a hangar in order that customs' officials can verify the contents."
"Do you need any help?" Eric and Ursula asked together. Neither of them wanted the Benjamins to go.
"There is no need. I will return later. Tomorrow morning, you must be ready to leave by six. We will all drive to the airport in the campervan. Captain Hudson has made it clear that we must leave Prague before zero nine hundred hours."
The Benjamins did not want to say goodbye again. Once, not too long ago, they had stood inside their little apartment and had watched Ursula fall away from them. They had assumed and had hoped that she was heading for a better life. Initially, this had been the case but as soon as Eric's parents were killed, Ursula's life and their own had changed forever. For a time, they had worried they would never see their granddaughter again. Fortunately, they had, but after a wonderful summer together, they were reticent to bring it to a close.
"Be good, ma cherie, and we'll see you soon," Mémé told Ursula, holding back the tears and holding onto her. Eventually, she let her granddaughter go and said goodbye to the others, giving Eric an extra-long cuddle as she did so.
Granddad Benjamin then had his turn.
"You can do anyt
hing that you want to do," he whispered to Ursula and Eric. "And remember to use your instincts."
He shook hands with Alexander and asked him to watch over the children before bidding him 'au revoir.' He moved along the line, and lastly he stood in front of Johan. The two men exchanged knowing looks, and Granddad Benjamin said, "It was a pleasure to meet you, Professor Schwarzkopf."
"And you, Mr. Benjamin."
They shook solemnly and for slightly longer than seemed appropriate, before Granddad Benjamin got in the campervan.
Andrea started the engine and pulled slowly away. The Benjamins watched Alexander, Johan, Eric and Ursula through the wing mirrors. The four of them stood by the entrance and waved until the campervan left the driveway and began its journey to the airport.
The Benjamin's flight would leave as soon as they arrived at the private plane terminal, but Andrea had told the others she would not be back until midnight. On the way to the airport, Granddad Benjamin checked with Andrea the role that the Benjamins were to play when they arrived back in Paris.
"Could I go through this one last time," he said. "When we get back, we need to speak to this man, Jason or Dilem or whatever his name is, who lives in in our apartment block." He pointed to the address on the piece of paper that Ursula had given him. "He is to send the information on the flash SUB stick, to all those people and websites you have written down for us. You will let us know when, but we should keep this phone," he took a mobile from his pocket, "next to our bed at night. In case you call."
"It won't make any difference where you put the phone. If we're in bed, you'll be asleep, and I'll have to answer it," interjected Mémé.
"Well, one of us will answer it," Granddad Benjamin added.
"This is correct," Andrea replied. "It does not appear much that you have to do. However, your role is of vital importance."
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Chapter 13 – Split-up
The grandfather clock in the lounge struck one as Andrea entered the hallway. It broke the silence and reverberated around the dark house. She did not need to turn the light on. An unexpected light or noise could bring unwanted attention. She had parked the campervan out on the road for the same reason.
Andrea checked on Eric and Ursula. They had followed her instructions and were both fast asleep in their clothes. She collected a flash drive from her room and went down to the cellar. She found Alexander in the small computer room, yawning in front of screens while monitoring that the building was secure.
"I will take over. Go and sleep," she instructed.
Alexander did as he was told without question.
Once she was sat down, Andrea ran a security check. All the sensors were still transmitting what she wanted, and the Meyer's security cameras showed that all was still outside. It remained that way for another three hours.
Prague Airport was virtually empty. All the passenger flights had finished for the day, and there was a brief respite before the early morning flights began. Cleaning and maintenance crews worked quickly both inside and outside the airport. Nobody looked up as the Learjet landed.
"We have arrived in Prague," Agent Yamasee informed Agent Hoover as she stepped off the plane and into the light drizzle. She approached the waiting motorbikes with the rest of the team.
"Proceed directly to the Meyer residence. I have checked the sensor readings. They are on a barely detectable loop. Somebody has hacked our equipment. Enter the building but proceed with extreme caution. Possible targets inside."
"Affirmative."
It was just after four a.m. when Andrea saw movement amongst the trees in the park. The darkness made it difficult to make out, but it appeared much larger than an animal. Andrea made the logical assumption that it was human. For someone to be out in the park at such an early hour on the first day in November was not impossible but it was extremely rare. Therefore, Andrea made the logical deduction that something was amiss.
Andrea spent a further ten minutes carefully watching CCTV footage directly from the cameras on the building. Even though it was not possible to make out people clearly, she spotted shadowy figures in two other locations around the property. The three could be joined up to make an almost equilateral triangle; in the centre of which was the Meyer Villa. Andrea calculated that it was highly unlikely to be a random formation and placed a powerful torch in her pocket before waking the others. They congregated in Eric's unlit bedroom around his boxing glove beanbag.
"There is movement outside. We need to act quickly. We will head for the cellar, and once outside make our way to the airport. We will split into two groups. Do not forget that we must arrive before nine."
"Who is going with who?" Eric asked. "I want to be with Johan."
"You and Ursula will be one group. Alexander, Johan and I will be the other."
"Is this wise?" Alexander questioned.
Eric did not say anything, but he agreed with him.
"We will slow the children down," Andrea told him bluntly.
Eric would have sniggered at Andrea's unintentional put-down if a scraping noise in the kitchen had not distracted him.
The five of them stepped hastily into the hallway and were about to head towards the cellar when they heard another noise from the kitchen. Normally, they would have ignored it, but in the black the click sounded like an alarm telling them to flee.
"We leave in the same two groups," Andrea told them. "We will leave from the front. You," she pointed at the children, "must choose your exit point. I recommend the garden exit. Use your strengths and remember that we much rendez-vous at Prague airport before nine."
Immediately she had finished speaking, she led the two men to the front door. Alexander reluctantly followed. He couldn't help but think that they were irresponsibly leaving Eric and Ursula. But as he considered Andrea's words, he realized that she was right. He couldn't do what the children could do, even though it was hard to admit. In this instance, they were better off alone.
In the few seconds it had taken to reach the front door, Eric and Ursula had disappeared.
Andrea put her hand on the doorknob and slowly turned.
"Follow me."
The night was silent, and the rain was so light that it made no sound as it fell around them. Alexander adjusted his cap and pulled his rain jacket up around his chin. Unsurprisingly, Andrea did not touch her leathers. She did not notice the drizzle or the cold. To Alexander's dismay, she did not appear to have any sense of urgency either and walked at her usual speed along the driveway.
"Shouldn't we run?" Alexander whispered.
Without breaking stride, Andrea answered, "No. Firstly, I do not expect that your father can run. Secondly, we will walk and talk in a calm manner. If they are OSS agents, then they are highly trained. If we run, then they will hunt us down quickly. If we walk then it will appear that we do not know we are being watched. They will not act on instinct but will take a number of seconds to plan. This gives us an advantage as we have an element of surprise."
Alexander shrugged. He couldn't argue with her logic. "Sometimes, I find it disconcerting when you reduce human behaviour to 'if… then' clauses, Andrea. If we do this, then this will happen."
"We face a high probability of attack. However, you use the word 'disconcerting' to describe my use of English rather than your fear at our current situation. My understanding of human behaviour is not yet complete."
There was movement behind a tree ahead of them. Only Andrea saw it, but she continued walking.
"We will be intercepted in approximately thirty seconds. Alexander please take my hand, and Johan please take Alexander's."
Of all the things Andrea had requested Alexander to do, this was undoubtedly the strangest.
Was Andrea experiencing fear, he wondered. Did she feel the need for physical contact? Was she, in some way attracted to him? Or did she want him to reach out to his father?
Before he could answer any of these questions, Johan took one of h
is hands; Andrea took hold of the other, and she led them like a mother leads her children.
There was further movement behind the trees and this time the men saw it too. Involuntarily, Alexander tensed and squeezed Andrea's and Johan's hands.
"Don't move!" an American voice commanded. "We will shoot."
Two large figures emerged from behind a tree and stood in front of them.
"Put your hands up where we can see them. If you do not comply, we will shoot."
Andrea obeyed instantly but kept hold of Alexander's hand. As she raised her arms, she lifted the torch and turned it on. A powerful beam illuminated the two figures' faces and their night vision goggles for barely a second; then she turned it off.
The two agents were temporarily blinded. Negative silhouettes of the three targets had been burned into their retinas, and they shot in this direction. It was too late. Andrea had already led Alexander and Johan past them. The men turned towards the sound of steps, but Andrea flashed the torch again. More shots were fired, but the bullets embedded harmlessly in trees some distance away, splintering the bark as they entered.
The two agents didn't dare shoot again until their sight returned. It took several seconds and by this time Andrea, Alexander and Johan had already reached the campervan. She opened the door, pushed the men inside and jumped in.
"Lie down," she whispered as she silently shut the door before joining them.
The three of them lay between the chemical toilet and the fridge. Alexander could feel his heart beating against the plastic floor. He realized that he had unconsciously taken hold of Andrea's hand again. Slowly, he unlocked his fingers and placed his hand under his head. Beside him, Johan was struggling.
