by A. D. Winch
Johan looked at him quizzically.
“There is nothing alien about them? Did you ever see anything similar before or since then? They look like no other craft on Earth, except one, and that is alien. Inside were two children who, you have proven, are unique on this planet.”
Alexander stopped pacing as Johan’s words began to sink in.
“You hid a baby who is partly alien, Alexander. You hid a ship that was partly alien. If this is all a science fiction story then you are one of the main characters.”
For a while, Alexander just stood and thought. He looked at the dry ground and kicked at the dirt.
“It goes against everything I believe but,” he paused and looked up towards the darkening sky, trying to find his next words.
“In German we have a proverb,” interrupted Johan. It says, ‘Du siehst den Wald vor lauter Bäumen nicht.’”
“You’re saying that I can’t see the wood for the trees.”
“I did not know you understood German. Yes, that is what I am saying.”
“I still can’t believe all this talk of aliens and UFOs. But I must believe it if we are going to help Eric and Ursula.”
“I can give you evidence to support what I say,” Johan suggested and pulled out the memory stick from under his shirt. “It is all here. Everything you need to know about aliens, UFOs and the OSS. You can try to open it on the computer back in the house, but it will take you weeks to read through, so I think it is best that you trust me. What is your hypothesis?”
“If what you are telling me is true then maybe we have a way to help Eric and Ursula. I have been trying to help them using what I can find on Earth, but what if the solution lies beyond?”
“You want to fly to another planet, to try and find a cure?”
“No, I want to get hold of one of those alien bodies. Over a million years of evolution, our bodies have adapted to deal with viruses, disease and even old age, to some extent. If we become sick, we take medicine that gives our anti-bodies a boost and helps us to fight whatever we are suffering from,” he paused to think. “What if we can use blood cells or DNA from the alien to create a medicine for Eric and Ursula?”
“It is a good hypothesis and one worth pursuing. A few years ago, I was asked to write up all my memories about the dissections and the dead alien. They are here too,” Johan tapped the flash drive. “These will be helpful, but they are useless by themselves. You will need an alien body.”
“What happened to the one that you were dissecting? After the explosion in your lab?”
Johan tried to keep his voice steady, but it was difficult, “The fire raged for days, and when it was finally out the only thing they found was the alien’s body. I was told it was untouched, though I never saw it again.”
“What happened to the other alien?”
“Until I met Eric Meyer and read that extract from Ingrid’s diary I had no idea. This has changed. I do not want to tell you what I now feel,” he coughed. “I suggest you show Eric Meyer the diary, and then we can draw our conclusions from what he says.”
“Let’s go then.”
The walk back to the house was uphill. Alexander set a much faster pace than Johan was capable of, and the old man was soon left behind. He didn’t mind though. It felt good to be back in Europe, and felt even better to be free.
The sun had virtually set behind one of the mountains in the distance, and darkness was rapidly falling. Eric and Ursula were sat on the bench outside the house whispering in the diminishing light.
“So, it’s not just me then,” whispered Eric.
“No,” whispered Ursula, “I feel the same. We’ll have to be careful what we say or do around…”
She stopped speaking when she saw the black silhouette coming towards them from the forest. The both stood quickly and got ready to run.
Alexander appeared from the shadows. He was puffing and out of breath.
“Where’s Johan?” asked Eric, concerned.
“He’s coming,” replied Alexander and pointed to a small shape much further down the path.
“You can’t just leave him,” scolded Eric and ran off to help.
Alexander flopped down onto the bench next to Ursula.
“What’s his problem?” he asked.
“From what Eric has told me, your father could have left Eric to die in that base but he risked everything to get him out. I think Eric feels he owes him.”
“Where’s Sasha?”
“Walking around the village and trying to find a signal for her phone. She’s not happy.”
“Oh well.”
They waited in silence, watching a long line of large ants marching across the road. Johan and Eric took their time. They were chatting seriously as they walked towards the others.
When they reached the house, Eric said, “Let your Dad sit down and show me the diary.”
Alexander did as he was told, stepping over the line of ants as he did so.
Eric read through the passage that Alexander gave him. The words struck a chord and brought back unpleasant memories. He was in a wheelchair. A bag was over his head, and he was losing his mind. Memories came flooding back that he had no control over. Ones that he had tried to forget flashed through his head like a strobe light. The being had tried to overpower him mentally, but he had battled to regain control and had succeeded.
“What do you want to know?” he asked as he handed back the diary.
“Johan said I should speak to you about that entry.”
“A similar thing happened to me. It tried to take hold of my mind. I had to fight it.”
“Who did it to you? Was it an… alien?”
“I don’t know. I had a bag over my head. There was a rasping, breathing noise. It’s difficult to explain. I had never heard anything like it.”
“Do you think it was human?”
Eric shrugged his shoulders, “I had a bag over my head.”
“But from what you heard, do you think it was?”
Eric shrugged again, “I don’t know, but I’ve never heard someone makes noises like that. It might be human, but it might be one of those aliens, who knows.”
“I didn’t believe in aliens and UFOs and all that nonsense, but I now have three encounters told to me by people I know.” Alexander looked confused. “To be honest, it doesn’t matter what I believe but what does matter is that we may have a solution to your health issues.”
“Health issues,” laughed Eric. “You mean the fact that you think we are going to die?”
“Yes,” replied Alexander. “If we can get hold of that alien we may be able to use it to cure you.”
“But that means going back to Roswell,” said Eric quietly, with conflicting emotions. Returning was an opportunity for revenge, but he was not keen to go back.
“What about my grandparents,” asked Ursula.
“We’re not going to do it,” the children said together.
“Oh,” replied Alexander sullenly. “But this could save your life.”
“Or kill us,” argued Eric.
“Only two of us escaped from the base in Poland in one piece,” Ursula said seriously.
“But you would happily go to the OSS base in Morocco to attempt a rescue of your grandparents.”
“That’s different,” said Ursula and Eric.
Johan sighed, “The odds are against you. You are three people. To attack one military base and escape was fortunate. To plan to attack a second, or possibly a third, is either foolish or suicidal. I do not think you should do it.”
“But they’ll die if we don’t try this,” shouted Alexander.
There was a stony silence. The sun set behind the mountain, and the cicadas seemed to turn the volume up as night fell. Amongst the chirping, a clip-clopping could just be heard. It was getting louder as it came nearer. Around the corner of the street, Sasha appeared with two plastic bags in her hands that were full of food. Her high heels tapped against the road as she walked, and she was soon wi
th them.
“We go to Morocco,” she told everyone.
“I’m not so sure about that Sas…”
She cut him off, “My old friends at KGB have given me information. We do not talk. We go to Morocco.”
“What is the information, Sasha?” Ursula asked.
“On the morning seventh June, the Americans will move your grandparents from the base at Temara. They go into the Atlas mountains and will be killed.”
“What?” asked Ursula, her voice shaking.
“We can stop them,” Sasha replied. “Security will not be strong. They are two old people. All we need to do is follow their vehicle, stop it and remove Mr. and Mrs Benjamin.”
“You make it sound so easy,” Johan said disbelievingly.
“It is ‘so easy.’”
“How did you find out this information?” asked Eric doubtfully.
“I worked for KGB. My old comrades like to annoy the Americans.”
“It looks like our next move has been made for us,” concluded Johan.
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***
Chapter 29 – Johan’s Plan
That evening, they ate in the dining room. Cécile’s landscape paintings were scattered over the white walls but, except for Ursula, no one looked at them. The table had already been set, and a bottle of Spanish red wine had been left to breathe on the table. Johan and Alexander immediately headed for it.
“We have something in common,” Johan said, pouring Alexander a glass.
Sasha pushed a large bowl of Stroganoff through a hatch joining the kitchen to the dining room and served them all with a smile.
Eric tried to smile back but couldn’t.
The Stroganoff was enjoyed by all, and they washed it down with glasses of red wine. Both Eric and Ursula had a glass each. At first, Ursula had been reluctant to drink. In her head, she could hear Mémé scolding her, but Johan insisted. Alexander did not approve, but he kept his thoughts to himself. The mood around the table was more relaxed than their first meal together, and he did not want to spoil this.
After the main course had been finished, Sasha put fresh figs on the table.
“Thank you for a wonderful meal,” said Johan. He lifted his glass in the air and toasted, “To Sasha.”
Everyone around the table did the same, even Eric.
“Tomorrow is the second of June,” began Alexander. “If Sasha’s intelligence is correct, we need to rescue the Benjamins on the seventh. That gives us six days to make a plan and get to Morocco unless, of course, we try to get onto the base before then.”
“I’m not doing that again,” said Ursula more assertively than usual, and she took another sip of wine.
“I’m not going back on a military base until I absolutely have to,” Eric added.
“Why we go on the base?” queried Sasha. “My KGB friends said the Benjamins are going off the base and killed in Atlas Mountains…”
Ursula blinked back at a tear at the thought of her grandparents gone forever, and Sasha noticed.
“…unless we save them. We don’t go onto the base.”
“It is difficult to plan a mission to save the Benjamins without the internet,” said Alexander. “We have no idea what we are getting ourselves into. I can’t believe that Captain Hudson has a place without an internet connection and almost no mobile phone signal.”
I can, thought Ursula, who had been brought up without a computer or a mobile phone. It’s his escape.
Everyone around the table silently contemplated what they should do.
“There are too many unknowns,” Alexander said, biting his nails.
Johan stood up, “You young people and your addiction to the internet! Unless you get told what to buy or where to go or what to do, you’re totally lost.” He coughed before continuing. “If we break the problem down into its basic parts it is quite simple. The problem is this – you have to go to Morocco and rescue Mr. and Mrs Benjamin. To do this, you must first travel from here to the nearest port. Second, you hire a boat or get on a ferry that takes you over the water to Morocco. Third, you get your hands on a vehicle or probably two. Fourth, you wait in your vehicle outside the base and watch. Fifth, you follow a vehicle that leaves the base and drives towards the Atlas Mountains. Sixth, you stop this vehicle and rescue Ursula’s grandparents. Seventh, you leave the country.”
“It’s not that simple,” grumbled Alexander. “We don’t know the terrain. We don’t know where we will stop them or how. We don’t know how many agents or soldiers will be with them.”
“And the internet will not tell you all that either! You will have to improvise. Do not doubt yourselves. I believe you can do it. The OSS will not expect you. They think you are busy hiding.” He walked towards the dining room door, “I am going to search the bookshelves and see if I can find a map.”
“I’ll help,” Eric offered.
“While we are gone, I suggest you fill in the details of my plan.”
Johan and Eric left the room. Initially, the others sat in silence
“When I worked for KGB we used taxi. Taxi goes anywhere,” Sasha said, starting the conversation. “You can follow in taxi. You can drive like crazy person in taxi. No one cares.”
By the time Johan and Eric had returned, the plan had been decided. Sasha, Eric and Ursula would be in one taxi, Alexander and Johan in the other. They would wait outside the base in shifts and watch every vehicle that left using binoculars. Once the Benjamins were spotted that would be their target. When the vehicles reached the Atlas Mountains, Sasha would overtake and drive into the distance. Once out of sight, she would block the road with her car. She would then pull up the bonnet and make it look as if the car had broken down. The military vehicle would be forced to stop, and Alexander would block them in from behind. At this point, they would try to rescue the Benjamins.
Johan listened to their ideas without comment. Once they had finished explaining, he said that he would not be going with them.
“I am too old to be of any use and I can stay here to repair the Android.”
Nobody disagreed with him.
“But I have a suggestion. Sasha, you must wear clothing that will distract the men accompanying the Benjamins.”
“What do you mean by distract?” she asked, adjusting the low cut top she was wearing.
“You need to wear clothes that men will find hard to ignore. Clothes that will mean they cannot keep their eyes off of you.”
Sasha shrugged, “I always do. If men are not looking at me then they must be homosexual.”
Eric started to laugh but stopped when he saw Alexander frowning at him.
“Dress to impress,” stated Johan. And then asked, “Do you know how many men will be guarding the Benjamins?”
Sasha's eyes moved to the right and towards Eric as she answered, “No, but it must only be one car. Two old people. Americans are not scared. They don’t know we come.”
“I see,” said Johan. “If we assume that there will only be two guards, how will you overpower them?”
“We hadn’t got that far yet,” Ursula replied sheepishly.
“I can try and buy guns in Spain, or when we arrive in Morocco,” Alexander suggested.
“And what if you do not? You will have no weapons, and they will be armed. You are at a disadvantage,” Johan said, “but you have the element of surprise. David did not beat Goliath with a sword or a spear but with a simple sling. I suggest that Sasha stops her car where there are significant hiding places. Eric and Ursula can hide behind rocks or trees and can shoot at the men using catapults.”
“That’s not going to work,” Eric disagreed. “As soon as they are hit they’ll turn and fire at us.”
“It depends on what you hit them with,” Johan said with a spark in his eye. “I agree that a stone will do limited damage unless you are lucky. However, what you need is a trained army to fight for you.”
“We’re not going to hire mercenaries,” said Alexander.
“You do not need to,” replied Johan. “When I was your age,” he looked at Eric and Ursula, “we used to make sugar balls. We made them the right weight for the catapult, but they would explode on impact. We would leave these by ant hills. Once the sugar ball was covered in ants, we would pick it up with a glove and then fire it at our enemies. The ball would explode as it made contact, unleashing angry, biting ants all over the target. There is sugar in the kitchen, and we can collect ants outside. From painful experience, I can assure you that it is difficult to fight back when you are being attacked by ants. If you want, we can try it. All we need to do is find a sturdy ‘Y’ shaped branch and some elastic. Before you leave, we can even collect some ants.”
“I am happy to do it,” said Eric, and Ursula agreed.
“We’ll make some tomorrow, and I’ll show you how to shoot straight,” Johan said and opened an atlas that he had brought into the dining room.
It was a large book and out of date. The Soviet Union and Yugoslavia still appeared, and there was no Slovakia or Slovenia or other, newer countries. For Johan’s purposes, this did not matter. Neither Spain nor Morocco had changed during this time, and he turned to those pages. The others gathered around him.
“From here to the port of,” he scanned the map, “Algeciras, will take you about two hours. The journey across the sea is only about twenty kilometres, so that is another one or two hours. From the north of Morocco down to Temara is about three hundred kilometres. I do not know what the roads or trains are like, but that should only take you three or four hours. You’ll be there in…” he added up in his head, “…eight hours but with stops and waiting, I would say twelve hours maximum.”
Nobody disagreed, and Alexander wanted to get into Morocco as soon as possible. He wanted to locate cars and weapons if possible, and also scout the area. Before anyone had a chance to say otherwise, Ursula backed him up and decided that they would leave the day after tomorrow.
The conversation was over, and they all left the dining room. Sasha went out to try and use her mobile phone again while Alexander took Johan to see the work he had already completed on Andrea.
In an empty room on the top floor, Andrea’s broken body had been placed on the wooden floorboards. The sheet was still under the body, and Professor Larsen’s plans lay around it. Johan couldn’t help but look at them as Alexander talked. He could see what needed to be done but let Alexander explain anyway.
