The Gods and the Builders

by Brandon Hale

  Arthur stared at the television, absorbing the President’s words. “Somebody died,” he finally said.

  “What are you talking about?” Lauren asked.

  “That’s what he’s dancing around,” Arthur said. “That’s got to be what he means by a failed attempt to communicate. Somebody tried to talk to them telepathically, and it killed them.”

  “That’s a little reactionary,” Alice said.

  “It has merit,” Jerry said.

  “Did they communicate with you?” Arthur asked.

  “If they did,” Jerry said, “I don’t remember.”

  “A failed communication attempt doesn’t automatically equal death,” Lauren said. “There are a dozen other possibilities.”

  “But not many that he would be avoiding so vehemently,” Arthur said. “Perhaps insanity.”

  “Hush,” Alice said. “They’re talking about Jerry.”

  Jerry looked at her. “Huh?”

  “Not specifically,” she said. “Hush.”

  “Abductions,” the reporter repeated. “If their appearance matches the descriptions of abductees, doesn’t that lend credibility to their claims?”

  “It does,” The President said. “It’s still speculation, of course, but the stories carry more weight now. Once we open the lines of communication, we’ll know more. For now, we’ll have to just wait and see.” He pointed to another reporter, “Shelley, you get the last question for now. I think I need to wrap this up and get back to work.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Shelley said. “I have a hundred questions, but since this is the last, I’ll get to what I think is the most important one. If they open their doors before you get back to us… if they step from their vessels… what should we do?”

  The President stared at her for a few moments, then said, “We think they’re waiting on a communication breakthrough before they do that. They’re trying to communicate with us so we can tell you the most appropriate action. Let me reiterate, we’ve been given no indication that they intend harm. They seem to be trying as hard as we are.”

  “But if they do come down from their ships,” Shelley said. “Do you have any recommendations?”

  The President looked at a man standing beside him. The man very subtly shook his head from side to side. The President looked back at the reporters. The worry on his face was unmistakable. Finally, he took a deep breath and said, “Don’t look into their eyes.”

  The man standing beside him groaned.

  “What the fuck was that about?” Arthur asked.

  “I guess we shouldn’t look them in the eyes,” Jerry said.

  “What the hell,” Arthur said. “He ends the press conference with that?”

  “Did you see the guy beside him?” Lauren asked to nobody in particular. “That guy was horrified by the statement.”

  “Had to be an advisor,” Alice said. “If it wasn’t so damn scary, it would’ve been funny.”

  “Seriously,” Arthur said. “Who ends a press conference with a bomb like that?”

  “The President,” Jerry said.

  “Now’s not the time,” Arthur said, standing up. He began to pace around the living room. “Is looking them in the eyes dangerous?”

  “If I had to venture a guess,” Lauren said, “I’d say yes. It’s probably dangerous.”

  “Most likely,” Jerry added, “it’s what you were saying earlier. Someone tried to communicate by looking them in the eyes, and it went badly.”

  “So do you feel vindicated?” Alice asked Jerry. “Every person that thought you were crazy owes you an apology.”

  “It’s not like I told that many people.”

  “Well,” Alice said, “I never thought you were crazy.”

  “Careful,” Jerry said. “I think you’re upsetting your boyfriend.”

  Lauren laughed.

  “Respectfully,” Arthur said, “the relationship stuff seems a bit silly at this point.”

  “Funny,” Lauren said, “a few hours ago you were saying the exact opposite.”

  Arthur shook his head. “A few hours ago, we were dealing with a power outage. Now we‘re dealing with aliens that can kill you with a glance. That can change a man‘s perspective.”

  “I’m still waiting on my apology from you,” Jerry said.

  Lauren laughed again.

  “What the hell is wrong with you people?” Arthur asked. “The world just changed. The entire world. Everything we knew, everything we were. It’s all gone. Fucking aliens have come to our planet and you’re making jokes.”

  “Welcome to my world,” Jerry said, suddenly serious. “The world has changed for you. Everything has changed for you. I went through all of this years ago. As far as I’m concerned, the world is just catching up.”

  “Then I do owe you an apology,” Arthur said. “I guess this is what I deserve for dismissing you and your experiences.”

  “You don’t owe me shit,” Jerry said. “You don’t even know me. I was just being an ass. And you don’t deserve this. Nobody does. At least you’re not dealing with this alone.”

  “You weren’t alone, either,” Alice said.

  “I know,” Jerry said. “I just didn’t realize it at the time. I don’t know if I ever thanked you for being there with me for so long.”

  Alice smiled. “You’re welcome.”

  “Okay,” Arthur said. “I admit, I’m a little jealous.”

  “Is anybody else sleepy?” Jerry asked.

  “No,” Arthur said. “How could you possibly be sleepy?”

  “I don’t know,” Jerry said. “But I am.”

  “Wow,” Alice said. “You’ve not been sleepy for years.”

  “I know!” Jerry said with a smile. “It just hit me. I could really use a good night’s rest.”

  “We have a day bed in the guest room,” Lauren said. “You’re welcome to it. Earlier today, I was thinking it would be Art’s bed tonight, but he can sleep in his recliner. He sleeps there half the time anyway. Alice, you can have the couch. I’d offer you my bed, but I think it might be weird for you.”

  “Yeah,” Alice said. “The couch is fine.”

  “I don’t think going without sleep will do us any good,” Lauren continued. “I’m going to try to get a few hours. I recommend you all do the same.” She looked at Alice, then at Arthur. “And I’m going to trust that you two have the common decency to keep your hands to yourselves while you’re under my roof.”

  “I’m not sure if you’re joking or not,” Alice said.

  Lauren cocked an eyebrow. “Me either,” she said.

  “You have nothing to worry about,” Alice said.

  Arthur looked at Alice and said, “Will it bother you if I watch the news. I’m not feeling very sleepy right now.”

  “It’s fine,” Alice said.

  “Well, let’s all get some rest,” Lauren said. “Big day tomorrow.” She looked around the room. “Where’s Jerry?”

  “I don’t know,” Alice said. He was standing by the hallway a minute ago.

  Lauren checked the bathroom, but it was empty. She checked her own bedroom and found it empty as well. “Maybe he found the guest room,” she said. She walked to the end of the hallway and looked in the guest room.

  Jerry was on the small bed, one arm and one leg hanging over the side. His eyes were closed and his mouth was wide open. His breathing was deep and rhythmic.

  Lauren smiled. “Sleep well,” she whispered, then turned around and walked back toward her own bedroom.

  Chapter 3

  Waiting for Contact

  “Welcome back,” Chris Hamilton said to the camera, “to Alien Watch.”

  Fred Banks, who was sitting beside him, said, “It’s been three days since the vehicles arrived. We’ve still made no direct contact, and the White House is reporting that they’ve had no success in communicating with the visitors.”

  “Frankly,” Hamilton said to his co-host, “I’m not sure how much longer the country can wait on this.
Most people haven’t been to work. Most businesses have been closed.”

  “Yeah,” Banks said. “I tried to call in Alien today, but the station wouldn’t let me.”

  Hamilton chuckled. “Personally,” he said, “I’m beginning to think there will be no contact. We have no idea why they’re here. Eventual contact is really nothing more than an assumption.”

  “Why would they come here, land in our back yards, hover in our skies, and not make contact?” Banks asked. “As usual, your theories make no sense.”

  “As usual,” Hamilton retorted, “you’re taking a very arrogant and close-minded view. My point is we have no idea why they’re here. Maybe they’re just observing. Maybe they’re taking soil samples. Maybe they don’t consider humanity worth studying. It’s our own arrogance that assumes they’re here for us.”

  “Yeah,” Banks said sardonically. “They came from light years away, just so they can study our dirt.”

  “That was just an example,” Hamilton said. “I’m saying, making contact with us is just one of a million reasons they could be here.”

  “It’s the most likely reason,” Banks said. “They’re visiting world leaders, right now.”

  “They’re staring at world leaders right now,” Hamilton said. “That’s all we know. Who knows why they‘re doing it.”

  Jerry stepped from the shower and grabbed a towel. He dried off, got dressed, then walked into the living room.

  Arthur and Alice were on the couch, watching the TV. Lauren was sitting in the recliner. “Morning, sleepy-head,” she said. “There’s coffee in the kitchen.”

  “I don’t suppose anything new has happened,” Jerry said.

  “No,” Alice said. “Just the Banks guy and the Hamilton guy bickering as usual.”

  “I think I’m going home today,” Jerry said. “This could go on for months.”

  “I was thinking the same thing,” Lauren said. “I have church tomorrow. I don’t know how many people will show up, but I’m sure the ones that are there will be looking for comfort.”

  “Did you ever call that other minister back?” Arthur asked.

  “Crap,” Lauren said. “No. My mind’s been on other things.”

  They all had been staying together for the past three days. They ate, drank many cups of coffee every day, and watched the television, waiting. On the second morning, they had tried to drive to the fairgrounds, only to be stuck in traffic for four hours, then turned around by the police.

  “I think three days in front of the TV is enough for me,” Jerry said. “I’m going home.” He looked at Lauren. “Thank you for your hospitality.”

  “You’re leaving right now?” Lauren asked. “I was about to fix breakfast.”

  “That’s okay,” Jerry said with a smile. “I’m not a big breakfast guy.”

  “That’s because he’s usually not awake during breakfast time,” Alice said.

  “Yeah,” Jerry said. “That. Anybody need a ride anywhere?”

  “No thanks,” Alice said.

  “You know,” Jerry said, “if they don’t come out and say hello soon, we’ll have to get back to our normal lives of breaking up and finding new homes and stuff.”

  “They’ll come out soon,” Alice said. “I can feel it.”

  “Well,” Jerry said, “if anything happens, call me on my cell. I need to get to the apartment and do some alien sketches. I bet they’ll sell like hotcakes.”

  Arthur looked up. “Why do people say that?” he asked. “What is it about hotcakes that make them the standard to which all other sales are compared?”

  Jerry stared at him for a moment, then looked at Lauren and said, “Thanks again. This has been… weird.”

  “Yeah,” Lauren said. “That’s the right word, I think.”

  Jerry walked to his car. They had stopped by to pick it up from the coffee shop while they were out trying to see the fairgrounds. Before he opened the car door, he looked at the sky. There were no craft directly above him, but he could see several in the distance. They were in every direction, just hovering in the sky. “What do you want?” he said to the sky. “If you don’t do something soon, people will start to panic. Just letting you know so you don’t get all upset when people start shooting at you and stuff.”

  He cranked his car and sat in Lauren’s driveway, staring at the empty street in front of him. A piece of him didn’t want to leave. As bizarre as it sounded, the four of them had found some measure of comfort in each other’s company. They had been together when the shit hit the fan, and Jerry believed that had forged a bond of sorts. It had felt good to be in other people’s company when the world changed.

  “Maybe I’ll just pick up some clothes and come back,” he said to himself. That was what Alice had done the day before. “And my art supplies.”

  He reached down to turn on the radio but decided against it. A media blackout for a few minutes didn’t sound like a terrible idea to him. He had heard enough of aliens and spaceships for now.

  His cell phone rang.

  “Dammit,” Jerry said as he answered the phone. “I didn’t even put the car into drive.”

  “I think you’d better come back inside.” It was Alice.

  “Why?”

  “Because,” Alice said. “The other ships are landing. And they’re coming out.”

  On the street ahead, a car was driving by very slowly. A truck came up behind the car and smashed into it.

  “Holy shit,” Jerry said as both vehicles came to a stop. The front of the truck looked undamaged. The car’s rear bumper was smashed in a bit, but the damage looked small.

  Both drivers stepped onto the road, but they didn’t look at the vehicles or each other. They were both staring straight ahead.

  Jerry stepped from his car and walked to the street, looking in the same direction as the other drivers.

  One of the ships was sitting in the middle of the road.

  Contact

  Jerry walked into the house and said, “You won’t believe what’s going on out there.”

  “All the ships are landing,” Arthur said. “Everywhere. Across the globe.”

  “Yeah,” Jerry said. “One of them is in the road in front of the house. They’re smaller than they look on TV.”

  Arthur jumped up from the couch. “Just outside?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” Jerry said. “About a quarter mile from the end of the driveway. Apparently, it just happened.”

  Arthur ran to the door, then looked back. “What are you all waiting for? Come on!”

  “I’m not sure that’s the best idea,” Lauren said, but Arthur was already outside. She followed him out.

  Alice ran to the door, saying, “Remember, the news is still saying to avoid looking them in the eyes!”

  Jerry stood by the door, looking at the empty house. “I leave, they call and tell me to come back in. I come back in, they leave.” He turned and stepped back outside.

  Arthur ran to the street with the others following him. The entire neighborhood was gathering on the road. “Mornin’, Frank,” he said to an older man walking among the others.

  “Crazy times, Professor,” Frank replied.

  Arthur looked down the road. The ship was sitting in the center of the street, blocking all four lanes of traffic. All in all, it was about the size of a small house. “Have they come out?” he asked Frank.

  “No,” Frank said. “But they will. On the news, they’re coming out all over the planet. Every ship is finding a place to land.”

  “They’ve given up on the world leaders,” Arthur suggested. “They couldn’t break the communication barriers with our leaders, so they’re going to try it with us directly.”

  “Reasonable theory,” Jerry said as he stepped up beside Arthur. “I say we stay back here.”

  Arthur turned to him. “Why?”

  “Are you seriously going to ask that?” Jerry said. “Aliens. With the death glance.”

  “I’ve been watching this shit for three
days,” Arthur said. “And thinking about it. Just think about what it would mean to be the first person to actually communicate with them.”

  Lauren was standing beside Jerry. Alice was beside her.

  “Think about what it would mean,” Lauren said, “to be one of the many idiots who died trying to be the first person to actually communicate with them.”

  “Point,” Arthur conceded.

  “How is it not tipping over?” Alice asked. “From the TV shots, I assumed there was landing gear. That thing looks like a top.”

  Jerry agreed. It did look like a spinning top, except the ship wasn‘t spinning. It sat on the narrow end on the bottom pyramid, perfectly balanced in the road. “I guess it has thrusters or something,” he said.

  There were about a dozen other people standing in the road watching the ship.

  “Fuck it,” Alice said. She walked toward the vessel. “I’m touching it.”

  “Alice, no,” Arthur said, but she ignored him.

  She stepped through the small crowd of neighbors and walked up to the ship. The neighbors watched her with anticipation. She looked up at the silver walls of the bottom half and said, “Hello, there. I don’t know if you can hear me, and if you can hear me, I don’t know if you understand me. If you can hear me, and if you can understand me, please know that your arrival has given many of us hope of a better world. I’m going to touch your ship now. I’m not doing it for any reason I can explain. It’s a human thing, I guess.”

  She stretched her arm toward the shiny metallic surface of the ship.

  The ship began to vibrate and a piece of the hull moved.

  “Holy shit!” Alice said, jumping. She turned and ran back to the crowd. “I’m sorry!”

  The piece of hull began to move down toward the road.

  “It’s a door,” Arthur whispered. “It’s a fucking door.”

  The piece lowered itself to the road, at first revealing the bottom of a pair of legs. As it continued down, the rest of the body came into view, ultimately revealing the entirety of the creature inside.