by A. D. Winch
“Don’t get caught,” Alexander shouted after her.
“Don’t worry. She won’t,” reassured Sasha.
Down on the road, Ursula hid behind recycling bins opposite the port’s entrance. She had chosen her hiding place well but continued to check around her to make sure that she was not being watched. She tied a bandana around her mouth, pulled her cap further down towards her eyes and made sure she had the mobile phone. The moment she saw them leave the port, she took her scooter and followed.
Eric and Johan ambled down the Avenida del Descrubimiento and towards the town. The old man held a map in his hands and was looking between it and the street names on buildings.
Ursula kicked and kicked until the scooter was moving fast, and she rapidly approached them. Up in the high-rise Alexander watched with bated breath. If this was a trap, the hunters were keeping themselves very well hidden, or they suspected nothing. He held his mobile phone in his hand, waiting to call and trying not to bite his nails.
“Muévete!” Ursula shouted when she was right behind them.
Eric and the old man jumped away as she zoomed between them. She leaned towards Eric and flung the mobile phone into his chest as she shot past.
Eric thought he had been punched but still caught the mobile phone before it hit the floor.
“What’s that?” asked Johan, stepping towards him.
“I don’t…”
The mobile phone rang, startling them both, and Eric answered it.
“Spoilt Brat, this is Nail Biter. Can you hear me?”
“Alexander?” asked Eric, doubtfully.
“Yes, it’s me. Is this a trap?”
Eric looked confused and looked to Johan for help, but he was none the wiser.
“No,” he replied. “It’s a mobile phone.”
“Not what you’re holding. I mean, is this situation a trap?”
“No.”
There was a pause, and only background noise could be heard.
“Good but we need to make sure. Wait there for two minutes and then walk into the city centre. When you are there, find a busy restaurant. We will follow you. If everything appears as it should, we will join you,” instructed Alexander.
The phone went dead. Eric relayed the conversation to Johan, and they waited.
“Was that truly my son?” asked Johan.
“Yes,” replied Eric.
“Is he always this paranoid?”
“Yes,” replied the old Eric but then the new one added, “but he kept us safe.”
After two minutes, they followed Alexander’s instructions and continued towards the city centre. It was pleasant to be on land again, but it still felt as if the ground was swaying under their feet.
They walked into the town until they reached Plaza de Mina. Old apartment blocks lined the sides of the square and overlooked a park filled with trees. There were plenty of parked motorbikes and scooters on the path. Eric and Johan had to squeeze through some in order to reach a busy restaurant on the corner of the square. They sat at a table for four underneath the trees, and a waiter soon arrived. They ordered drinks and talked while waiting. The phone did not ring again.
People strolled across the square and motorbikes sped around it, but there was no sign of Alexander and Ursula. After a while, conversation stopped. Eric moved to sit beside Johan, and they both sat and looked for Alexander and Ursula.
A woman approached and sat on a table near to them. She was glued to her mobile phone. Apart from her choice of clothing, Eric and Johan did not give her a second look. They continued to scan the square. Eric wanted to see Ursula while Johan wanted to lay eyes on his son.
A female voice behind them said, “Hola. Would you like to order?”
Eric turned around, and Ursula was standing right behind him. She jumped onto his lap and put her arms around him.
“Thank you,” she whispered, and her eyes filled with tears.
Eric did not know what to do and put his arms around her.
“What for?” he asked.
“Saving me in Ireland.”
They sat there for a minute, and Eric fought back the urge to push Ursula off. It was good to have her there. Despite their differences, he had missed her. “Isn’t this what friends do?” he asked himself, thinking about why Ursula was sat on top of him.
“Yes,” she replied.
“Sorry for being,” he paused, “well you know.”
“What’s this?” she asked, looking at his denim jacket and Mexican football cap. “Azteca?”
“There’s a long story about these, but I’ll tell you later.”
She squeezed him and then sat opposite Johan, who was coughing.
“Hello, I’m Ursula,” she said and offered him her hand to shake.
Johan took it and replied, “It is a pleasure to meet you, young lady. Eric has told me much about you. My name is Johan.”
“Did you meet on the boat?”
Eric leant across the table and answered the question before Johan got the chance, “It’s another long story but guess what?”
“What?”
“Johan is Alexander’s father,” he whispered.
Without thinking, Ursula replied, “But Alexander doesn’t have a dad.”
“Yes he does,” and Eric pointed at Johan.
“But how?”
This time it was Johan’s turn to answer before Eric, “It is a long story.”
They all laughed.
Ursula liked Johan already. There was something about him that was real. She sensed sadness but much excitement too, as if he was much younger and still discovering the world.
“Where is Alexander?” asked Johan.
“He’s still hiding. He’ll come out soon. He’s just very careful.”
“Paranoid,” Eric and Johan said at the same time, they looked at each other and laughed.
Ursula had never seen Eric so comfortable with someone before. She could sense that he trusted the old man, and the old man trusted him.
“How long have you two known each other?” she asked.
“About two weeks,” answered Johan.
“But we had met before then,” added Eric.
“And where are you from, Johan?” asked Ursula.
But Johan had stopped listening. His eyes were staring intently as a man walked between the trees and through the shadows towards them. He was wearing a blue baseball cap, a matching tight T-shirt and mirror sunglasses. The scar on his cheek could just be made out as he came closer. Even though, Johan had never seen him before he knew it was his son. The way Alexander walked was just like his mother, and his physique was too dissimilar to his own when he was that age. Johan sunk into his chair, and tears silently poured down his cheeks. They flowed like rivers, and he stared as Alexander approached them. Gradually, Alexander blurred into the tears but Johan continued to watch and didn’t move in case this moment would suddenly vanish forever.
Alexander walked up to Eric, who stood and faced him.
“It’s good to see you, spoilt brat,” said Alexander and punched him lightly on the shoulder.
“It’s good to see you too, nail biter,” replied Eric and punched Alexander on the shoulder too. “I brought you a present.”
Alexander was taken aback, “You have changed! Ursula was right. A present, um, well, um, that’s unexpected.”
Eric led Alexander around the table until they stood in front of Johan. Alexander looked at the crying old man with his red eyes, and wondered what Eric was up to. He realized just before Eric spoke.
“Alexander Johansen, allow me to introduce your father.”
Johan did not move. He was paralysed with fear and kept his sights on his son. Neither of them spoke, but Alexander slowly removed his glasses. His eyes sparkled like this mother’s.
“You’re my father?” he asked incredulously, wanting to believe but unable to.
“My name is Johan Schwarzkopf. Your mother is Ingrid Larsen.” Tears continued to stream down his fac
e. “You were born in nineteen sixty-seven, according to my calculations, but I never knew of you until very recently. I am sorry that I was never there for you, but I never knew.”
Alexander fell back into the chair. He was dumbstruck. There was so much that he wanted to say that he couldn’t find the words. His head drooped towards the table, and he supported it in his hand. Still no words came to him. He removed his cap to run his fingers through his hair. Johan saw that Alexander’s black and grey hair was thinning, and he was starting to go bald in the same place he had.
Eric and Ursula looked at the two men. The situation was unusual, and neither of them knew what to do. They felt both helpless and embarrassed.
Johan put out his hand and placed it gently on Alexander’s head. Alexander did not move.
On the next table, Sasha watched. She didn’t know what to do either.
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Chapter 26 – Saving a Fish
The waiter returned to the table and asked if they would like any more drinks or to order food. He broke the moment. Alexander sat back and placed his cap back on his head. Johan took a napkin and the two men gazed at each other.
Suddenly, Alexander jumped up. He sprang towards the lady on the table next to theirs and then dragged Sasha back to meet Johan. It was so unexpected that she left her phone on the table.
“This is Sasha,” Alexander said eagerly. “She’s your daughter.”
Like Alexander, Sasha was unable to speak. After an uncomfortable silence, she dropped to her knees, placed her head in Johan’s lap and sobbed quietly while repeating, “Papa, Papa.”
Johan ran his fingers through his daughter’s hair and was lost for words.
“I’ll come back,” said the waiter, in accented English.
Eric and Ursula just looked at each other, hoping that someone would say something at some point. People on tables near them had started to turn around and stare.
Alexander found a free chair and placed it near to Johan. A few minutes later, Sasha stood and sat opposite Eric. Her eyes looked tired, but there was no sign of tears.
“I’m Sasha,” she said, her voice unsteady.
“Eric,” he replied without any attempt at further conversation and pulled the menu up to his face. “I’m starving.” He looked at the specials for the day. “Shall we all share some Tapas? Or the Paella looks good?”
Everyone followed Eric’s lead and picked up their menus.
Over their meals, Ursula quizzed Eric about what had happened to him. He was reluctant to say too much and would only speak about being locked in a cell. Ursula wanted to know everything, and her enthusiasm was hard for Eric to deal with. She continually questioned and, without meaning to, became quite insistent. Johan had to rescue Eric before Ursula took him to places that he was not ready to go to. He skilfully brought the conversation back to what had happened to Eric before he had arrived in Roswell.
“You were in Temara, Morocco,” Ursula said excitedly.
“How do you know?” Eric asked.
“You told me. Sort of. I typed ‘US secret military bases’ into the computer and then used GoogleEarth until I found the one you were at. It was pentagonal shaped, wasn’t it?”
“Yes,” said Eric, somewhat perplexed.
“And you were with my grandparents?” Her voice was expectant, and she was desperate to hear about them.
Eric was only too pleased to move the conversation away from him. “Yes, they were fine when I left. The OSS, at least I think it was the OSS, treated them well. They even looked after me until I tried to escape. I don’t think your grandparents will do that.”
“What did they want with Mr. and Mrs Benjamin?” asked Alexander.
“The OSS were asking them questions about Ursula. They wanted to know everything about her. I think in some ways, Jerome and Mémé were quite enjoying themselves. After so many years in their little apartment in Paris, having to worry about money and other things, I think they liked having their food provided and the change of scenery.”
Ursula couldn’t help but glare at Eric. Here he was again, going on about her ‘little’ home and how poor she was.
“I’m not being disrespectful,” Eric added quickly on seeing her face. “I am just saying what they told me and what I guessed from the morse code conversations with your Granddad.”
“What conversation?”
“I discovered that they were being kept nearby. We used Morse code on the radiators and pipes to talk.” He paused and looked pensive, “I really missed them when the OSS moved me to Roswell.”
Johan moved the discussion on, “But that is all from Eric for the time being. He has been through enough and there is no need to relive it all. I think we will come back to it when he wants.” Johan stressed ‘he’ and put a wrinkled hand on Eric’s shoulder. “What about you, Ursula? You have told us nothing about the last few months for you, and Eric told me that he has been worrying about you.”
Ursula explained everything that had happened to her but left out the bits regarding Andrea. These omissions were obvious, and unsurprisingly Eric picked up on them. He asked questions that Ursula felt uncomfortable in replying to. She looked across at Alexander for help, and he removed his fingers from his mouth to answer.
“I have some rather startling news regarding Andrea,” he said hesitantly.
“She’s not dead, is she?” Eric’s face dropped.
“No, she’s not dead.”
“Then what is it?”
Alexander breathed in deeply, “There is no easy way to tell you this, Eric. Andrea is an advanced artificially intelligent being.”
“A what? Are you saying she’s a robot?”
“Well yes and no. She was originally called Android Una, but you knew her as Andrea Duna.”
Eric leant back in his chair, breathed out and grinned. “Wow, how cool is that! I knew there was something odd about her. She never seemed to sleep, never felt hot or cold, and never wanted to eat with me. Wow! So, where is she? Is she okay?”
Alexander explained the damage to her and what he was trying to do to fix it.
“Can I help?” Eric asked earnestly.
“I don’t see why not.”
“I would like to help, too, if I may,” added Johan. “Ingrid, my wife and your mother, worked on cybernetics and artificial intelligence at Roswell. I was not fully aware of her work, but she sometimes talked about it. Also, I was able to read about all the research being undertaken on the base due to my position.”
“It was Ingrid who built Andrea. I wondered how she could have known so much. If you could help, that would be much appreciated.” Alexander stopped and looked at his father. There was so much he didn’t know about his mother’s past, and he knew nothing about Johan, except that his mother loved him dearly. “Thank you both for offering to help. I think I have the correct parts but maybe you can take a look before we leave Cádiz. I can also show you Ingrid’s designs and her notes.”
“I would love to see them,” Johan said eagerly.
The waiter returned and took their coffee orders. While they waited for the hot drinks to be brought, the discussion around the table gradually became stilted. Everyone was unsure of what to say. There was no flow to the conversation, and it continued to start and stop.
Coffees soon arrived and were accompanied by a cheese platter which also gave them a reason not to talk. Instead, they could concentrate on their own thoughts and feelings towards the day’s events.
Eric finished his drink first; waved a cheese knife aimlessly in front of him and started to speak. “I’ve been thinking. We can’t stay in Cádiz. The OSS may not know where you are,” he pointed to Ursula, Sasha and Alexander, “but they are definitely going to be looking for Johan and me. We need to leave and find somewhere safe but,” his face became very stern, “I am not hiding forever. I want my life back, and I want revenge.”
“Revenge does not solve anything,” Alexander lectured.
> The knife in Eric’s hand suddenly looked deadly. He pointed it at Alexander, jabbing it towards him with every word he said.
“This is not a suggestion.” His eyes were as cold and as hard as steel. He did not blink; his body had become rigid, and he challenged Alexander to contradict him. “I am going to get my own back, with or without you.”
“We’ll need to discuss that,” Alexander dared to say.
The knife was flung down onto the table and embedded firmly in the wood.
“No we don’t.”
“I think Alexander is right,” Sasha added.
An intimidating finger was pointed into Sasha’s face, and Eric uttered, “This has absolutely nothing to do with you, so stay out of it.”
Silence fell around the table.
Johan placed his hand on Eric’s shoulder and said softly, “We will right the wrongs, have no fear. I promise you.”
Eric withdrew his finger but continued to seethe.
“As Eric said, we need to leave,” repeated Johan.
“We will leave as soon as possible,” replied Alexander shakily, “but first, I need to get some more plankton. We have a place we can go to. Captain Hudson has given us the key to his Spanish house in a place called…”
“Benarraba, in Serannia de Ronda,” helped Ursula. “We think it is about two or three hours from here.”
By the time they left the restaurant it was dark, and Alexander did not want to leave Cádiz until the morning. They all spent one last night in the hotel, and Alexander paid the owner well for his troubles. The missing passports were not mentioned.
Next morning, Alexander hired a minibus that took them halfway towards Benarraba. Sasha was in a foul mood as she had lost her phone, but Alexander promised to buy her a new, and more importantly a better one at their first stop.
He was very wary of having someone take them all the way to Benerraba, in case the OSS somehow discovered their trail. The minibus dropped them off in the small town of San Roque near Gibraltar where he found a phone shop and also hired another minibus. This one took them all the way to Gaucin, a large village five kilometres away from their destination. They had lunch in one of the numerous white-washed buildings and then split into two groups.
