Out of breath, and temporarily safe inside the trees, he called Vincent. The silver ship appeared at the base of a large oak and bathed him in the light. Seconds later he was inside, and they were airborne.
****
Jim plopped into the Pilot’s chair scared and out of breath. When the adrenalin pumping through his veins ran out, he began to get angry. It was obvious there was more to Vincent’s story. He removed the key from his pocket and showed it to the ship. “Here is your key thing. Our mission is complete. I have probably ruined the career of a promising girlfriend and historian, along with that of a security officer—not to mention the possibility of jail time for all of us. Regardless, I managed to steal your device. Now, tell me why those men were chasing us.”
A section of the hull slid open below the view screen. “Please deposit the device into the opening. I will keep it safe.”
Jim took a closer look at the small block used to activate a device that could make or break a planet. The method used to hide its true purpose was convincing. If he did not know better, the object could pass for a simple stone block. The weight seemed a little light. Otherwise, it could have come from any dig site on Earth.
“Why were those men chasing us, Vincent?”
“You must trust me. Please deposit the key into the receptacle.”
“I’ll give it to you if you tell me what is really going on. For all I know, you could be the bad guy here. Trust is an earned privilege, and after what I just went through, I don’t believe you deserve it.”
Jim watched the landscape passing below them on the large screen, waiting for a response. The ship was quiet. Jim assumed Vincent was considering how to answer. Finally, the disembodied voice replied, “I am sorry it was necessary to deceive you, James Thompson. Exclusion of some information was required. I have concluded it would now be advantageous to complete your indoctrination. You have fulfilled the necessary requirements of the first phase.”
“First phase? You mean all this has been to prepare for something else?”
“Yes. I am afraid I was too naive on my arrival and made some critical errors. My first candidate proved to be untrustworthy. I had to limit the amount of information available to the following candidates accordingly.”
“He’s the reason for all this secrecy? What happened?”
“Before I explain myself, is there somewhere specific you would like to go—and would you like something to drink or some nourishment?”
“Do you know where Claire Haversham lives?”
“I do. A small home on the south side of town.”
Jim could not forget the look on Claire’s face when she drove away. He felt he needed to explain. “I think we should tell Claire. She is a part of this now, and I owe her an explanation.”
“Do you want to know what it is she might become involved with first?”
“Yeah—that would be helpful. Let’s go to her house and circle overhead while you fill me in. Then we can decide. As for food and drink, I’ll just have a glass of water. I’m still too upset to eat.”
****
“Jack Smith was the first subject I recruited. Initially, I picked him because available information portrayed him as a leader. He was an ex-state senator with a reputation for honesty and commitment to the less fortunate.”
Vincent explained his mistake of taking the information on the Earth’s internet as factual. While the ship talked, it projected recorded images and videos of the man onto the view screen. Jim saw a short, white-haired, out of a job civil servant and tried not to laugh. “You don’t know much about politicians—do you?”
“I did not at the time. I was new to this planet and in a hurry to fulfill the required tasks. Further study revealed my impatience to be unwise. The man I picked to assist me was made aware of critical information prematurely, and used that information to his own ends.”
“Did you offer him anything he wanted? Like you did me?”
“Yes, and that is how he fooled me. Jack Smith did not ask for money, or anything tangible. He refused to make any choice until the mission was complete. In the end, I did not have to fulfill a wish. He took what he wanted.”
“Which was?” asked Jim.
The background buzz returned. Vincent’s voice changed, becoming slightly lower in pitch. “I made an error. The key you hold is not the only piece of technology I was sent to retrieve. In the beginning, I chose to focus on the machine first as it was the higher priority target. I provided a full disclosure to Jack Shaw, which gave him the means to gain control.”
“That is not your fault. How could you know how devious some humans can be? I should probably point out that most of us are not bad people. You happened to pick one that was.”
“The second candidate asked for money. He was what you call a ‘Stock Broker.’ The subject requested a sizable sum of money to start an investment company. After he received what he wanted, he showed no interest in completing the mission and confessed to being afraid. In choosing him, I made another error.”
“Again. Not your fault. Wall Street is well known for turning people to the dark side.”
“The dark side?”
“The side of us that we don’t like. The not-so-good side.”
The added static in the background faded, and the ship’s voice returned to normal. “My experience on your planet to this point has been confusing and illogical. Your actions have given me reason for hope, and I am encouraged by your honesty and dedication to doing the right thing.”
“You are beating around the bush. What is it we still have to do?”
Jim knew a disembodied entity could not take a breath. The hesitation he heard was caused by an incredibly sophisticated computer resetting itself to answer a difficult question. It just seemed like the ship took a deep breath.
“When I chose you, I decided to concentrate on the activation key. The key was the easier target, and the machine is useless without it. Now that it is in our possession, we can concentrate on procuring the primary goal. The machine the key controls is on Earth. Jack Smith has taken the device and is actively searching for the key. Indicators point to him using the device as leverage to gain power. The men chasing you work for him. Somehow, they discovered you are working with me.”
“The machine that can melt vast areas of ice is here—on Earth?”
“Yes. However, its location is currently unknown.”
Jim took a closer look at the cube he held in his hand and held it up to the light. In his hand, he held the key to his planet’s destruction, and the realization of its importance finally sank in. Gingerly, he placed the artifact in the receptacle, and it disappeared into the ship. The key was now Vincent’s responsibility.
Chapter Seven
“I think we should ask her,” argued Jim. “Let Claire make the choice whether to help or not. She is already involved and probably in danger. What happens if those two goons find out where she lives?”
“The tasks before us will be hazardous, and Jack Smith has extensive resources he will use to assure his success. Are you positive this is what you want?”
“I’m not sure what I want, but I don’t think it’s wise to abandon her. After what happened today, I need to talk to her.”
“If you tell her the truth, she will not believe you. There are many aspects of our situation that require an open mind.”
“I have a plan for that. She will believe.”
Shortly after sundown, they came down for a visit. The house Claire called home was a narrow shotgun brick building in a row of identical red brick homes. A large porch attached to the front allowed Vincent to land and bring Jim to full size. He did not take the time to clean up or change clothes, and knocked on her door looking as tired and rattled as he did when she last saw him. Her surprise was apparent when she turned on the porch light and answered the door. A frown accompanied her question. “What are you doing here, and how did you find out where I live?”
Jim saw her growing suspicion
and rushed to explain. “I’m sorry, Claire, that I had to run off as I did. I looked up your address on the internet. Something extraordinary has happened to me, and I’d like to share it with you. I need you to know why I’m acting so crazy.”
Claire stepped back and reached for the door. Jim pleaded, “The only way to speed this up is to show you. Turn the porch light off and come out here for a minute. If you are the person I hope you are, you will like what I have to show you.”
She looked around the empty porch for whatever it was he was talking about and saw nothing out of the ordinary. “Why turn the light out? Can’t you show me with it on?”
“You’ll understand if you come outside. I promise nothing bad will happen.”
She thought of a dozen things that could go wrong; kidnapping, robbery, and even more serious consequences. She could not deny she liked him, until their unexpected departure from the museum. Reluctantly, she did as he asked. When they were standing side-by-side, facing the other end of the porch, Jim said, “Okay, Vincent. Let’s let her see.”
In the dim moonlight, the ship became visible, and her hands came up to cover her gasp. “Oh—where did that come from? It’s a toy drone.” She spun to look him in the eyes and asked, “How’d you do that?”
“Wasn’t me. It’s all him.”
Claire cautiously stepped forward. “Where are the blades? Shouldn’t it have propellers?”
“He doesn’t need them.”
“He?”
“Do you want to go inside?”
She looked at him with alarm and reversed her steps, moving gradually away from both the craft and Jim. “You cannot be serious.”
Jim could no longer hide his excitement. He stepped back to stand again at her side and said, “Don’t be frightened. It doesn’t hurt at all.” He did not wait for a reply. Addressing the ship, Jim said, “Okay Vincent. We’re ready.”
The beam of warming light washed over them and shrunk them to ship-size humans. Claire was too amazed to speak or move and stood frozen with her mouth open. He grabbed her hand and hurried her into the ship. He was looking forward to sharing his exciting experience.
The interior was as before; white and featureless, and the armchair stationed in the center drew her attention. Her legs were unsteady, and it was her turn for the chair to beckon. Jim guided her to the seat and suggested she sit. She looked around with her blue eyes wide open and settled into the armchair. “I have always liked science fiction,” she said. “I never thought I would be living it.”
Jim stood next to the chair, his hand on her shoulder. Thoroughly enjoying himself, he asked, “Do you want to meet our host?”
“There is someone here?”
“Say hello, Vincent.”
The calm, confident voice of the ship obliged, “Hello, Claire Haversham. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
A single large view screen sprang to life before her, giving the astonished woman a picture of her expansive porch, with the front door still ajar.
“Where are you? I need to see who I’m talking to.”
Jim interrupted. “Vincent is the ship, Claire. He’s an AI.”
“Vincent is a spaceship?”
“Actually a starship—believe it or not.”
Claire found the whole scenario unbelievable. One of her earlier fears resurfaced and brought goosebumps to her skin. “Umm…am I being abducted?”
“No-no, you can leave whenever you like,” Vincent reassured her. “We wish to account for our actions.”
“You mean like why we had to run out of the museum and why I was chased away?”
Jim did not sugarcoat his confession. She needed to know the truth before they could move on. “I stole something, Claire. I had to.”
“You stole something from the museum? Do you realize that will get me fired?”
“There was something important in there we needed to retrieve. It was the little stone cube you showed me right before we left. I’m awfully sorry, Claire—I couldn’t think of any other way.”
“Why would you take the stone block? I don’t believe it’s worth anything.”
The question she asked was better left for the end of the story, and Jim needed to start at the beginning. The fact that everything they had been through was recorded gave Jim an idea. “Why don’t you show her what you’ve put me through, Vincent?”
The view screen changed to show Jim rooting through a dumpster, and with an occasional remark from Vincent, Jim narrated what she saw. She saw his first encounter of the third kind. She watched him drag the ship back to his truck and the remarkable transformations that followed. Vincent explained his reasoning behind the test, and they watched Jim as he went about fulfilling his tasks. She watched him cut his hair with the child’s scissors. “So that’s what happened to your hair. I was wondering who gave you that terrible haircut,” she admitted.
Jim apologized for frightening her dressed as a mouse. She told him how puzzled she was when she found his escape rope. They told her of the cube, and its purpose, and the machine they still needed to seek out and recover.
“I was planning on sneaking into the museum as a little person and stealing the key. Then I met you, and it gave me the perfect opportunity to accomplish my mission without all the risk. I’m glad I met you, but I feel bad about deceiving you.”
For two hours they told her their story until it all boiled down to one simple question. Jim asked her the question he wanted to ask all along, “Do you want to join us on our mission? We could really use your help.”
She looked around her. The last image was still on the screen and showed Jim’s face as he sat in the chair after the theft of the cube and their abrupt escape. He was not smiling, and his show of concern convinced her. “How long will we be gone?”
Jim took this as a positive sign. “A week or two? We’re not exactly sure.”
There were preparations to make before she could leave. She made her decision and voiced her thoughts. “I will need to take the animals to a friend’s house and pack a few things…I can be ready by tomorrow afternoon.”
“Are you sure?” asked Jim.
There was that touch of mischief in her eyes again. She said, “Well, my career is over, and I can never go back to the museum. If I stay here, the police are bound to come knocking on my door, and I’ll go to jail. Besides, how on Earth could I say no to an adventure in an alien starship?”
She was without a doubt—a science fiction fan.
****
After a restless night’s sleep and an afternoon filled with searching for Jack Smith’s whereabouts, they picked Claire up in an abandoned lot behind her house as agreed. Tall weeds and trash littered the grounds with a narrow path winding its way to a clearing in the center.
Under a cloudless sky on a sunny day they found her waiting with an overnight bag dressed in blue jeans, a black shirt, and her red jacket; like a little girl running away from home. She did not see them arrive, but when the ship grew close and landed, it became visible as it touched the ground. She smiled and closed her eyes, anticipating what was coming. Vincent activated the size-adjusting beam and Claire was made small. Jim slid down the ladder and ran to help her across the now king-sized landscape.
They entered the bridge and inside were two identical armchairs stationed side by side in the center of the empty egg shell. They were both too excited to sit, so they stood while they talked.
“Where are we going? Do you have a location yet?” asked Claire.
Jim replied, “No. We couldn’t find anything on where he might have taken the machine. I’m nowhere near as good searching the internet as Vincent is, and even he struck out.”
“Maybe I can help,” she suggested. “Can I have access to a computer here?”
Vincent asked, “What will you do that we have not already attempted?”
She smiled and said, “I’m a historian. I do research for a living, and I know of places that are not easily accessible. Plus, I’m a gamer on occasio
n. So…can I get online or not?”
Vincent suggested, “We should leave this vicinity. It is clear the community use this path to move around the neighborhood, and we could be discovered. Where would you like to go?”
“Does it matter?” Jim answered as he sat down in a chair and motioned Claire to do the same. “Just get us somewhere we won’t be bothered.”
The seatbelts strapped them in, and one second later the forward view screens lit up with an image of the ground dwindling in the distance. Mesmerized, they watched Claire’s house grow smaller and smaller until it merged with the landscape. Despite the speed of their ascent, they felt little of the effect as they raced into space. Within minutes they were looking at a slowly spinning Earth in its entirety.
Neither of the passengers said anything while they marveled at the world that was their home. Deep black space dotted with stars surrounded the glowing blue outline of the revolving orb, and the passengers took turns guessing at the continents.
They were experiencing a sight only a select few are allowed. Most inhabitants of Earth spend their lives without ever having the opportunity to see the Earth from space. They had seen the NASA videos from the space station, and both agreed the photographs and artistic renditions of the rare blue planet could not do justice to the real thing.
Vincent gave the humans thirty minutes to talk and become comfortable. He asked if they would like food and drink and surprised them with some of their favorites. When the little round table rose next to Claire’s chair, and the food materialized, she asked, “How did you know I like ice-cream?” asked Claire.
Vincent replied in a matter-of-fact voice, “You have posted much useful information on your social media accounts. A number of entries involved the ice-cream substance. It was a simple hypothesis.”
Jim recieved cookies and milk. Vincent informed him, “The round confections are called by many names on your planet. This variation is from Great Britain where they are called biscuits. The mother’s milk of a cow is something I do not understand. However, the consumption of it appears to be a common practice.”
Vincent Page 7
