by Rae Knightly
“So, tell me, what brings you to the city?”
Laura accepted a glass of water from Charlene and said, “I needed a change of setting. You know, to get away from the memories…”
“Yes, of course. Both of your parents passed away, if I remember correctly. There isn’t much holding you back on the West Coast, is there?”
Laura shook her head, going along with the small talk, wondering what she should say next.
“And…what is your line of work, exactly?”
Laura’s throat went dry, so she took a sip of water. “Oh, uh, I wasn’t much good in school. I didn’t get a degree or anything like that. I’ve been working odd jobs here and there.”
And taking care of Ben.
“I see. Well, if there’s anything I can do in that department, don’t hesitate. Charlene can set you up with Human Resources and look at your options…”
“Oh, no, no. There’s no need. I’ve already found a job. But, thank you.”
Hayward rubbed at his chin, then narrowed his small, green eyes. “Don’t let the media get to you, Laura. They are pure sensationalists, shouting to all who will hear that Victory Air is taking a dive. But they have no idea what I have in store for them. My company is at the dawn of its existence, not at its end.”
He stood and paced before the windows overlooking Toronto and Laura could hear the pride in his voice. “The media is not far from the truth, Laura. Oil is a thing of the past. It’s time to fuel our cars and planes with brand new, cutting-edge technology.”
His hand curled into a fist, as if he were holding a miniature Earth within it. “Victory Air holds that technology, the power to generate unlimited, low-cost energy for all!”
Laura felt the blood drain from her face.
So that’s what he’s after!
She understood everything now, Victor Hayward needed the alien to reveal the source of energy that fueled his spaceship. Hayward would use it for his own airplane company. Investors, governments, the military…all would flock to him to get their hands on the source of power.
She almost dropped her glass of water as she placed it on the edge of the table. She was no longer able to concentrate on the magnate’s self-centered speech, but nodded in what she considered were appropriate places.
Hayward sat heavily in the sofa, the leather squeaking under his weight. “But enough of that. This is our little secret, between you and me, and is a work in progress.” He tapped the tips of his fingers together and bore his eyes into hers.
She braced herself as she sensed more was coming, then picked up the glass again to keep her nervous hands busy.
“Tell me about The Cosmic Fall,” he said.
Laura lurched, spilling some water. “The…the what?”
He leant back as if he were suddenly tired. “The Cosmic Fall. You’ve heard of it, of course. Did you know it occurred on my land?”
“It..it did?”
“Yes. Picture this: some interstellar rocks lurch towards the Earth and, bingo! they fall right into my lap, so to speak. You’d think anything that landed on your property belonged to you, but no, the government stepped in and took it all away from me. I was wondering, did that happen to your father, too?”
What’s he getting at?
“Er...no, of course not…” she stammered.
He nodded, raising his eyes to the ceiling as if in deep thought. “I didn’t think so. However, considering your precarious financial situation, I am sure you will be happy to hear that I am interested in purchasing your father’s house and land, since you clearly have no further use for it. How would you like to step out of my office with a two million dollar check in your pocket?”
Laura’s jaw dropped.
She made a superhuman effort to close her mouth and swallow a large lump in her throat. “Th-that’s unexpected. I…um…would need to think about it.”
He waved his hand at her. “Of course! Of course! It’s a lot to take in. But my offer is on the table. You should take it while the deal is hot because I can’t promise it will still be there tomorrow.”
“Thank you.” Laura forced the words out. She was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
I need to finish this!
She stood hastily, as did he.
“Here’s my card,” he said. “Call me anytime. I’ll even add in an extra two hundred grand, as a last show of goodwill to my dear neighbour.”
She took the card hastily. “Thank you, Mr. Hayward. You’re very kind. I will consider your offer.” She needed to change the subject at once, or she would crumble.
It’s now or never!
She opened her handbag and said, “Talking about goodwill, I have something for you as well.”
She pulled out a square box, neatly wrapped in grey paper with a red ribbon around it. “It’s not as generous as your offer, of course, but I wanted you to have this.”
Hayward glanced at her in surprise, then proceeded to remove the wrapping. A velvet box appeared, resembling one that would contain a wedding ring. Only, this one was bigger.
“What’s this?” Hayward said, opening the lid.
“It was my father’s,” Laura explained. “I have no use for it. It’s a men’s model. I think Dad would have felt very honoured to have Victor Hayward wear it.”
The businessman pulled out a silver watch and studied it closely.
“You see?” Laura said, pointing to its centre. “It even has a diamond in it. Go on. I want to see it on your wrist.”
***
Inspector Hao burst into High Inspector George Tremblay’s office, located at level -1 of the Dugout, ignoring the assistant who tried to stop him.
“Why does Victor Hayward have access to the spaceship?” he blurted.
Documents slid out of his hands as he tried to keep a hold on his crutches. He swore, then bent with his cast leg teetering dangerously in the air, until he managed to recover the papers.
When he straightened again, the High Inspector–who cast a distasteful look his way–said into his phone, “I’ll call you back.” He hung up, then waved the assistant away.
Hao hopped inside the office and landed in the chair opposite his boss.
“James,” the High Inspector greeted, his voice absent of emotion. “I see you’re up and about.”
Hao dropped the documents on the desk and stabbed his finger at them. “Why does a civilian witness to The Cosmic Fall have access to the spaceship?” he repeated, ignoring the greeting.
The High Inspector remained impassive. “Agent Connelly is a civilian witness as well,” he noted. “And he has access to the spaceship.”
“Yes. But this is different. Why wasn’t I notified? Why did I have to go through the registry to find out?”
“Victor Hayward isn’t just anybody. After making his witness deposition, he offered us his own flight engineers–some of the best in the country. His navigational expertise can help us pierce the mysteries of the extraterrestrial spacecraft. Not to mention that he is one of our highest esteemed patriots who–by the way–deserves your utmost respect.”
Hao pressed his hands to his eyes. “I don’t believe this. You gave him clearance? Just because he knows some engineers? Do you realize he signed a billion dollar contract with the United States military last month? Don’t you find that a little suspicious?” His voice trailed off suddenly and his mouth fell open. “But you already knew this…”
The High Inspector humphed, clearly not in the mood for this conversation. “Canada and the United States have common goals. We have the technology, they have the manpower. It’s only natural we work together.”
Hao sat back and clenched his teeth. “What about the fugitives, then?”
“The ones whose bodies we never recovered from the avalanche?” the High Inspector jabbed. “What about them?”
Hao ignored the criticism and searched through the papers, then pointed at a list. “Ryan Archer, Wayne McGuillen, Susan Pickering, Thomas Nombeko… do you see any patter
n here?”
The High Inspector shrugged. “No. But I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”
“Over the past months, our fugitives have had contacts with all The Cosmic Fall witnesses on this list–save one. They even sought refuge with some of them.”
“So?”
Hao tried to remain patient. “So, our intel has told us the fugitives are alive and heading east.” His finger slid down to the last name on the list. “And who is the last witness we know is located in the east?”
The High Inspector bent forward to look at the name. “Victor Hayward,” he read.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Safe Haven
The ball hit Ben square in the cheek.
“Pay attention, squirt!” Bob yelled from a distance. “Are you ok?”
Ben rubbed the side of his head. “Yeah.” He picked up the soccer ball, checking his surroundings for the hundredth time, then spotted his mother. She was walking at a fast pace on the footpath that crossed Tommy Thompson Park.
Ben dropped the ball and ran over to meet her. “Did it work?”
She nodded, heading towards a tree where Ben and Bob had left their sweaters. She dropped to the ground and let out a long, shaky breath.
“Way to go, Mom!” Ben said, full of wonder. “Is he wearing…”
“Sh!” she warned, glancing over his shoulder.
Ben turned and found Bob jogging up to them.
“Hi, baby. How was your meeting?” Bob said, out of breath.
“Exhausting,” she answered, studying their green surroundings. “This is nice. I could take a nap, right here.” She grabbed the sweaters, rolled them up and placed them behind her neck, then closed her eyes.
“Come on,” Bob gestured to Ben. “Let’s give her a breather. Three-to-one. I’m winning, squirt. Better get at it!”
He bent to pick up the ball, but Ben called after him. “Thanks, Uncle Bob, but I don’t feel like playing anymore. I think I’ll go for a walk.”
Ben caught a brief look of disappointment on his uncle’s face, but the man shrugged and showed off his soccer skills by repeatedly kicking the ball on his knee and heel.
A small buzz near Ben’s ear made him raise his hand to it.
Hey! You’re tickling me.
Beetrix hovered in front of his face.
You’re going the wrong way, Benjamin Archer. We’ve searched this area already.
I know, I know. Bear with me for a minute. There’s something I need to do first.
Ben pushed through some shrubs until he was satisfied that no one could see him. Then he sat, Beetrix settling on a leaf nearby, observing him.
When Mesmo had indicated the glittering diamond in the centre of his grandfather’s watch, and had told him it allowed the alien to travel in spirit to Ben’s location, it had never crossed Ben’s mind that he might be the one who would, one day, need to use the device.
But could he? He had never attempted it, nor had he asked Mesmo if it was remotely possible for a human to disconnect his spirit from his physical body.
“I guess you are more than a normal Earth human now…” Mesmo had said, many months ago. Ben felt a pang of loss at the memory. He missed Mesmo more than he cared to admit.
Beetrix buzzed next to him, pulling him away from thoughts that threatened to drown him if he lingered on them for too long.
He moved restlessly, trying to find peace in body and mind. Would Mesmo realize that Victor Hayward was wearing the watch? Would Ben be able to connect to it?
The idea was completely crazy. If the plan didn’t work, they risked losing contact with Mesmo for good.
Why didn’t you send me?
Ben glanced at Beetrix sternly.
Don’t be silly. It would have been way too dangerous. Besides, we have to find your hive.
Ben was going to close his eyes again, but he changed his mind and shot an annoyed look at the insect again.
And stay out of my thoughts!
***
“So, you like it here?” Bob asked as Laura opened her eyes. He was sitting close to her, smiling.
Oh boy, he still has those deep, brown eyes. Not like Mesmo’s, but…
Laura rolled to a sitting position. She removed soil from her hands by wiping them together, then looked up at the trees with their fresh, spring leaves. “I could get used to living here, I guess…”
“Then do it,” Bob said.
“What?”
“Live here. Permanently. With me.” Seeing the look on her face, Bob raised his eyes to the sky. “Ok, ok. Not with me, then. But close, so I can spend more time with Ben.”
She squinted her eyes. “I hope you’re not considering joint custody.” It was meant as a joke, but she suddenly regretted saying the words.
Bob shrugged. “No. Yes. Maybe. Why not?” He glanced at her.
He’s thinking about it! she realized in shock.
He crossed his hands behind his head and lay down. “Oh, I don’t know. It’s just that, he and I, we’re bonding, you know? He’s a great kid–apart from his insect craze. But that will wear off. Those things always do.”
“I don’t think…” Laura began.
“Just look around you, Laura. There’s everything he needs here: good schools, good jobs. He’ll make tons of friends. He can come work for me later. ‘Jeez, for all I know, he could take over one day…”
“Bob, Bob!” Laura snapped. “You’re daydreaming. Bounce back to reality already!”
Bob straightened. “What? Does that sound so off the beaten track? Do you still think so low of me then? I could be a great dad, you know?”
“It’s not that easy,” Laura seethed.
“Of course it’s not that easy. But give me a chance to learn, Laura. Can you give me that, at least?”
Laura looked away. She felt like Ben was slipping away from her. After fighting so hard to stick together, she found this to be the toughest challenge she had yet faced.
Joint custody: one week with me, one week with Bob.
That’s what life would look like.
I can’t do it!
Her mind tripped over itself, searching for a way out.
I can’t keep Ben away from his dad, either.
She was so lost in an inner debate that she didn’t realize Ben had walked up to them until his shadow fell over her.
“Can we go home, now?” he said, his face looking crestfallen.
***
They sat on the bed opposite each other, their legs crossed, speaking in low voices so Bob wouldn’t hear them.
“This isn’t working, Mom,” Ben said, discouraged. “Mesmo isn’t connecting with me.”
Laura took his hands in her own. “Be patient. Mesmo may not have realized that Victor has the watch yet.”
“What if he does, but we aren’t able to make contact?”
“We talked about this. We decided it was worth the try. If it doesn’t work, we’ll think of something else. Let’s give it a rest for now. It’s late. You can try again tomorrow morning.”
Ben sighed in exasperation, then lay down on the bed.
“Come on,” Laura said. “Let’s get some sleep.”
She switched off the light and Ben stared at the dark with his eyes wide open.
“Mom?” he said softly, fighting a sudden lump in his throat.
“What?”
Around this time of night, Tike would be lying beside him–he could almost physically feel the dog’s warm body. But he reached out his hand and touched only emptiness. Feeling crushed, he said, “I wish Tike were still alive. I wish that police officer hadn’t shot him. I wish…”
“Shush,” Laura said in a hushed voice. He heard her turn to face him. “You know, I’ve been meaning to tell you, I don’t think that police officer meant to kill Tike. He was aiming at the grizzly. I don’t think he even realized Tike was there.”
“But it’s not fair, Tike never hurt anybody…” Ben sobbed.
“I know, honey,” she replied. “B
ut sometimes I wonder where we’d be, if it hadn’t been for that avalanche triggered by the shot…” She fell silent, then said after a while, “Ben?”
“What?” he sniffed.
“Remember when I promised you I’d find a place where we could belong?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Well,” she said. “What if that place was here?”
Ben raised his head from the cushion. “With Uncle Bob?”
Laura didn’t answer right away, but when she did, her voice was muffled. “Maybe not with Uncle Bob. But nearby. He can help us settle in. Would you like that?”
Ben thought about it. He liked Uncle Bob. They had their differences, but it was like having a piece of his dad. “Maybe,” he answered slowly.
“Let’s sleep on it,” Laura said. “You can check out your new school, and I’ll give my new job a try. We can talk about it again in a week.”
“After we’ve saved Mesmo,” Ben added.
“Yes,” Laura agreed. “After we’ve saved Mesmo.”
They fell silent. Ben stared at the darkness, lost in thought.
***
Victor Hayward paced the floor with his head down and his hands on his hips, while a younger assistant whispered the latest updates to him.
“Placing humans in induced coma gives their body a chance to heal. But that’s not the case with the alien. Every time we wake him up, he gets worse. We’re running out of options.”
Hayward removed his glasses and rubbed his face. “I’m running out of options.” He paced a moment longer, then put his glasses back on. “I’m going to deal with him, once and for all.”
“Boss!” the younger man warned, but Hayward picked up a grey object from an examination table and scanned a badge to unlock a metal door.
When he entered the almost bare room, the alien’s white hair stood out in the dim light. Observing the being from afar, Hayward had to admit it had a deathly look. The businessman approached the hospital bed. He held the metallic object inches away from the subject, and it began to levitate.
