by Hal Annas
The older nurse came into the bedroom. “Don’t dare touch that patient again,” she warned peremptorily. “You may be important in your own business, but that patient is in our charge, and in a moment someone will be here to restrain you.”
Driscoll knew the futility of trying to explain. He picked up Vivi, shook the nurses off, went into the second bedroom, drew the door shut and held it. He ignored the screaming and pounding on the door, and as soon as they stopped carried the girl to the bed and gently lowered her.
A second door opened and the older nurse stormed through the doorway, came to the side of the girl, leaned over her. Driscoll hurried to close the door, saw no imprints, but before he could accomplish his purpose and return to the bed the door to the first bedroom opened and this time the imprints came in with the younger nurse.
“Goddamn people who won’t close doors!” he snarled. “I’m taking the girl back into the other bedroom.”
“You’re doing no such thing,” the older nurse snapped.
“Maybe we’d better humor him,” said the other.
“Keep quiet a minute,” Driscoll ordered. “I’m taking her back. You may come in there if you’ll close the door before those imprints get through the doorway.”
The nurses looked at one another, nodded knowingly as though to say, “A violent obsession. Sidetrack it till help comes.”
“We’ll take her in there,” the older said. “You stay here. Somebody will come soon to keep you company.”
And then Driscoll saw another phenomenon. The imprints moved toward the door to the first bedroom as though to take advantage of whatever decision was made.
He held up a hand to stop the nurses. They were already lifting the girl between them. He knew he had to outwit both the nurses and the thing pursuing the sleeping girl. He would not get any help or cooperation. And somebody soon would come to see that he didn’t accomplish his purpose.
Watching the imprints, he placed himself across the doorway. The nurses, carrying the girl, started toward him.
“Through the other doorway,” he ordered.
Instantly the imprints turned to go in that direction.
“Go on before I kick you,” Driscoll snarled at the nurses.
They hurried through the other doorway. He was right behind them, slammed the door. The imprints were still here, now turned back toward the first bedroom. He didn’t reach that door in time to close it, but went through the doorway with the imprints, hurried to the second door, slammed it.
“Put her on the sofa,” he called to the nurses. “And if either of you opens another door I’ll lift your skirt and take your pants down and tan the broadest part of your body.”
He turned back to the imprints. “Now,” he said, “goddamn your tricky shadow! Come up to visibility or I’m going to set you afire.”
AND all the time he was carrying me back and forth,” said Vivi, “I was trying to scream, Tire. Threaten to burn it.’ But I couldn’t make my lips move, my tongue work.”
“What gave you an illusion like that?” asked the doctor.
The man who had questioned Vivi in the underground room pushed the doctor aside, said, “Has she recovered from the effect of the drugs?”
The doctor nodded. “Possibly some complication—”
“Then get out and get those nurses out of here,” the man interrupted. “We’ll ask the questions without further supervision.”
“But that patient—”
“Is no longer a patient Get out and take the nurses with you.” The doctor and the nurses neither hurried nor delayed. Instead of taking offense, the doctor seemed tolerantly amused, but the nurses kept their noses in the air, secure in their own thoughts that everyone in the room was crazy except them. They left the door open as they departed.
Driscoll closed the door and returned to Vivi’s side.
“Now,” said the other man, “can you tell us what made you want to scream ‘Fire’ ?”
The girl parted the red hair above her forehead, revealed the diadem. Driscoll bent over her as did the other man.
“Did they shave part of your head?” the man asked.
“No,” Vivi said. “They didn’t remove a hair. But it rests against the scalp.”
“How is it fastened?”
“Pull on it. Wait! Let Edward—I mean, Mr. Driscoll. He has a very light touch, and it mustn’t come loose.”
“What holds it?”
“It has some attraction of its own. I’ve had it off once, but have been warned not to remove it more than three times. It breaks some sort of connection. Do you want me to remove it now?”
The man shook his head. “I’d rather not do any tampering. Do you know what that invisible creature was after?”
“Not exactly. I know it terrified me. When it leaned over me the first time I thought Edward would never get there. I thought I was going to suffocate.”
“You think something would have happened if he hadn’t brought you out?”
“I’m positive of it. Something horrible.”
“Do you think that creature influenced the nurses and later the doctor?”
“I don’t know. I got the impression everyone but Edward was doing what it wanted.”
The man turned to Driscoll. “What happened after you threatened to burn it?”
“It became visible.”
“You saw it? What was it?” Driscoll weighed his words carefully. “Just a dark outline. The point is it took on substance when it became visible. When I swung at it, it leaped back and knocked the table over.”
“Did you manage to get in a blow at all?”
“I landed all right. When I got it pinned against the wall and let it have one my fist sank up past my wrist. It was like hitting something inflated with air.”
“Did it fight back?”
“Not in the way a human would. Something like air pressure kept striking me. Not light blows. They were enough to knock me off balance. And it seemed to be sucking the breath out of my lungs.”
“Did you think it was winning—that it would wear you down?”
“I felt that it was weakening, especially after I got it against the wall. I can’t be positive I was hurting it before that because it was just like hitting into a stream of compressed air.”
“But when you got it against the wall you nailed it?”
“Pretty hard. I thought it had been riding with my blows and I knew I had it where it couldn’t back up and so I uncorked a couple”
“Did you feel you had hurt it bad?”
“That was the impression I got. I thought it was slumping and the thing that stood out in my mind was to get out my lighter and burn it.”
“Then what happened?”
“That was when the doctor came in with those nurses. They all grabbed me.”
“Couldn’t they see this thing?”
“Apparently not. When I nailed it against the wall it stopped being visible. That’s the reason I wanted to burn it, to make it become visible again.”
“And the doctor and nurses jumped on you?”
“They thought I’d lost my mind. Wanted to keep me from hurting myself.”
“I’m glad you didn’t uncork one at the doctor.”
“So am I. But I was boiling and I did rough them up a little. If you hadn’t come at that moment someone might’ve got hurt.”
“No harm done. I think the doctor was proud he could stand up to a man like you. But to get back: that was the last you saw of that thing?”
“Yes. And there are no imprints about. I’ve been waiting to ask if you left the door open when you came from the corridor.”
“No. But I know how it got open. One of the nurses ran to the door to scream for help when you were roughing up the doctor. That’s probably when the thing escaped.”
“We still don’t know how it got in.”
“I think we do. There are two entrances to this apartment. Two nurses were on duty. They watched in turns. One went back to the s
econd bedroom where she would be within call. Maybe she decided to step out for something, cigaret, drink, anything. That’s the way it figures.”
“Did you ask them?”
The man shook his head. “No use to put them on the spot. They don’t know what it’s all about. Nothing has been explained to the general public.”
“What do we do now?”
The girl broke in, “I don’t know what you two have in mind, but I’m going back to the kitchen and cook breakfast. Shall I make it for three?”
Driscoll nodded. The other man grinned. “From this moment on,” he said, “I cease to be simply a government man. Call me Boxer. The last name is Winslow.”
“Boxer?” Vivi lifted an eyebrow. “Comes from Boxley. My parents had a dog named Boxer. It got killed by a car. They named me Boxley after the dog. They even liked me as well as the dog and soon began calling me Boxer. It’s been both a handicap and an asset. Had it been different I might have been treated like any child and not received the special treatment a dog gets. I might have turned out to be average.”
“You aren’t average?” Vivi asked.
“No more so than Driscoll. You can’t be average and hold our jobs. There’s no point in concealing it longer. We’re both Intelligence Operatives in the State Department of the United States Government. I suppose you know what that means?”
“No. What does it?”
“Our job is to keep the State Department informed well in advance of enemy action.”
“Dangerous?”
“Not a bit of it. A spy-is promptly executed except in this country. All we have to do to remain alive is never make a mistake. We aren’t going to make one with you. I’m on this job with Driscoll now.”
“Spying on me?”
“By no means. We’re convinced you’re sincere. Our job is to help you.”
“In that case I’ll fix breakfast for three.”
They followed her to the kitchen.
Boxer stopped suddenly. “Would you know if that thing is near?”
“Not unless I was fighting it.”
“I think I would,” Vivi said. “If it threatened me—” She paused, stood in a listening attitude. The color drained from her features. Then: “Hurry!” She raised her voice. “Something terrible is closing in on us. She seemed to listen again. “We must get to the plane. We haven’t a moment to lose.” Driscoll turned in a circle, studying ever niche in the room. Boxer stared at the girl. She trembled.
“Okay,” Boxer said. “I’ve a car downstairs and a good man at the wheel. If you say go—we go.” Driscoll brought up the rear, reluctant to leave the apartment. He felt a tingling in his body and an itching in his palms. His hands involuntarily knotted into fists. He noticed that Boxer had unbuttoned his jacket and that his left shoulder-hunched forward. It meant that he was cleared for action, that he could get to that shoulder holster in a split second.
Nothing visible followed them, but Driscoll experienced the uneasy feeling that their every move was watched by some alien presence awaiting a propitious time to strike. Nor did the feeling leave him as the heavy car carried them to Bolling Field.
THE jetplane rose on multiple plumes of vapor, preceded its sound across the sky, almost held its own in a westward race with the sun.
Boxer leaned across the aisle and spoke to Driscoll. “Forget about orders for a moment. They’re flexible and we can use our own judgment. The thing to keep in mind is what we’re going to see.”
“The spaceship?” Driscoll said. “Why haven’t men seen it already?”
“Some sort of light-distortion field.” Boxer nodded toward the girl. “She thinks they’ll drop it when we approach. But she doesn’t know what’s going to happen. That’s the question. Why do they want us at the spaceship?”
Driscoll studied briefly. “She said she got the impression something important is to take place there.”
“Yes. But what? I don’t like to walk into something blind. I trust the girl, but not enough information is coming through. We don’t know what the gods are planning and we don’t know what the United Nations is going to do. We’re pawns in something gigantic, the biggest thing ever to happen on the planet. That means we are expendable.”
“You forgot to mention the Darklings.”
“Yeah. It’s because they don’t seem real to me. I’m not doubting your word, but I haven’t bumped up against them. I get a cold feeling that maybe they are hallucinations or some mental smokescreen to cover up something else.”
“They’re real to me.”
“Yeah. But can you be certain you weren’t under hypnosis?”
Driscoll looked out the window. Fleecy vapor flashed past near at hand. In the distance great banks of clouds drifted slowly. Miles below, the earth seemed unmoving.
Turning back, he said, “I can’t be sure of anything. There’s nothing to get a grip on. I’m beginning to understand why the public hasn’t been informed. What we’re doing is insane. We aren’t functioning as rational people. And the thing goes all the way to the top. The world has suddenly gone mad.”
“And you and I are pawns moved by madmen.”
“That’s how it seems. But we’re trying to bring some sanity into the thing. We’re learning a little with each effort. We may be pawns and expendable, but in time we should be able to put the pieces of this thing in order. Our job is to collect data and protect the girl. I confess I’m looking forward to each new step, especially to seeing that spaceship.”
Boxer remained silent. The girl dozed or sat in silent meditation in the seat ahead. Driscoll looked at her from time to time. A faint uneasiness stirred in his chest. She had not taken time to dress. With a white silken wrap about her, she was still in pajamas. The shoulder-length fiery hair had not been brushed. She was a picture of primitive abandon. The thought was disturbing.
The plane seemed to move silently, but left thunder in its wake.
A hand touched Driscoll’s shoulder. “That round ball,” Boxer said. “It’s more than a hundred miles away. Look just under the inboard motor. It looks green from here, like a small planet.”
Driscoll studied the sphere as it grew in size. His breathing became labored.
“A planetoid!” he exclaimed. “An artificial planetoid. Why haven’t we thought of that? Earth itself is a spaceship. Why not make one like it in a small way?”
“But how would you keep the atmosphere from escaping?”
“It probably has a tremendous amount of artificial gravity. And maybe they have some means of pulling the atmosphere inside when they come within reach of a planet. Think of it? A planetoid. They can travel forever in space.”
“But how’s it powered?”
“Who knows? The idea is terrific. With dense atmosphere to reflect their own manufactured heat and light, they have a closed system, independent of a sun, and with power can go anywhere.”
“Maybe you’re right. Maybe we’ve been going at the spaceship idea the hard way. Our planet is a perfect model, but chained to the sun by gravity and our need for sunrays to sustain life. We’ll learn something down there.”
“Don’t get your hopes up. This jet job sets down at well above a hundred and needs a runway. No place down there to land.”
At that moment the speaker in the forward bulkhead blared: “Pilot to Mr. Winslow. The control surfaces have ceased to cut. The radio has stopped working. We’re in a long glide headed straight for that sphere. We can’t pull up. We’re idling the motors.”
Vivi turned round in her seat. “Tell him not to fight the controls,” she said. “I’m in contact. Our descent is controlled from the spaceship.”
It was the strangest landing ever made by an airplane on Earth. Of that Driscoll was certain. The plane lost flying speed, but didn’t fall off and go plunging out of control. It held steady, and in the last seconds came down vertically on top of the sphere which appeared to be two thousand feet in diameter.
The bulkhead to the pilot’s compartment o
pened and the pilot appeared breathing hard. “I’ve been holding my breath,” he gasped. “We’re down on our belly, but don’t ask how we did it. I don’t know.”
The trio unbuckled their straps. Vivi spoke, “Everybody must stay in the plane except Edward and me. We must go outside.”
Boxer said, “I don’t like it.” He brought a hand from beneath his arm, thrust a heavy automatic at Driscoll. “If you get in trouble fire two shots. I don’t know what I can do, but will try to do something. I’ve another gun and both the pilot and co-pilot are armed.”
Driscoll preceded the girl out of the plane, waited. Her hand crept into his and then he knew she was trembling.
“This way,” she said, leading him round the nose of the plane.
They went ten more paces and froze to a halt. To them it seemed they were on top of a hill two thousand feet in height. Underfoot seemed to be ordinary grass-grown earth. The thing that brought them to a stop was the realization that the hill grew steeper and steeper and finally vertical. They could not walk far, they realized, before they began sliding.
At that moment the heads of creatures like humans appeared above the horizon. Shoulders and bodies came into view, and then Driscoll understood. To them the center of gravity was the center of the sphere. They didn’t lean forward to come uphill, but walked upright as though on level ground.
Then the double perspective went into effect and the illusion of being on top of a hill vanished. They seemed to be on level ground—on another planet. And this time Driscoll got the illusion that he himself was a giant and at the same time a midget. By imagining he was on a planet he felt that he was a midget. By imagining he was on a planetoid he felt that he was a giant.
From inside his head came the order, “Close your eyes.” Vivi’s hand came up to touch his eyelids, and the next he knew he was inside a room with a turquoise motif and lighted by a golden glow which had no visible source. He knew he was inside the spaceship, but didn’t know how he knew.
From beside him Vivi spoke, “I know now that this is the final preparation. Here we will be given new powers and knowledge. Please don’t rebel. Let yourself be guided. The gods come.”
Precisely what happened was not clear. The beings came from somewhere and from then on Driscoll moved as in a dream. It seemed that he was powerless to govern his own actions.
