“You said probably again.”
“Like I said, if there is something more, it has not been confirmed.”
Tim thought about responding, but the impact Mr. V intended struck home. Not a minute to lose. If the computer was right, there was only one chance—no Shangrilas. This was the promised land, as bleak as it may seem at the moment. He sat in the chair Mr. V had conjured up, laid his head back and thought for a moment.
“Mr. V, my mom is gone, and gone for good, right?”
“She no longer exists anywhere,” returned Mr. V.
“I have a brother too, the last of my family,” stated Tim.
“Arty, I believe.”
“You know about him and his condition.” It was not a question. Tim knew that the computer knew about Arty.
“The whole story,” replied Mr. V.
“I accept my mother’s end. Can I do anything to save my brother?”
“If you bring him here, he certainly could be helped,” said Mr. V.
Tim sat up quickly. “You mean it! Please mean it! Please!”
“I would not joke with you, especially about something as important as that,” said Mr. V.
“How would I get him here, because he’s in the hospital seventy miles away? There’s no way!”
“I can help.”
“You can get him for me?”
“No, I said that you would have to bring him here, and I would help. Pay attention,” stressed Mr. V. “I cannot do it for you.”
“Why not? You can do everything?” challenged Tim.
“Only in this base, because I cannot leave,” said Mr. V.
“Why?” Tim asked incredulously.
“Because, I am the base. A little big to carry around, don’t you think?”
“But what about that?” Tim pointed to the human body that was Mr. V at the moment.
“Just part of the base.”
“But it can go outside, can’t it?”
“No, the design of the system involved here does not permit outside travel to protect the environment,” Mr. V said. “That is an important part of my directive.”
“Protect? You mean you might harm something?”
“Not on purpose, but the influence of my presence, or actions, could alter the normal development of the Earth.”
“Why did you bring me here then?”
“Can we discuss that later?”
“I’ll bet you screwed up your directive, right?” Tim said in a sneering tone.
“Right, but do you think you should bother to judge me at this time?” the computer asked in an equally stern tone.
“I’m just looking out for my ass. This is the only chance I’ve got, according to you.”
“I admire your directness and your perception, but you need to know more about the situation. Try to remain yourself, but also realize things have changed. I understand the apprehension and confusion confronting you. You will have to trust me for the time being.” The large alien gestured with its palms out in the what if position. It looked genuine.
“Can I ask you why you singled me out?”
“Okay, one concession. I did bring you here. I have been watching you for a long time and I made a major decision because of a major occurrence. Do you know what that was?”
“Yeah, I was there. My hometown had a really bad day,” Tim responded quickly, but then sat thinking before continuing. “How could you have been watching me?” Tim paused again. “If you couldn’t leave here?”
“I had a spy,” replied Mr. V.
“You have someone working for you?”
“It was a something.”
“Oh, someone you built, just like him?” Tim said, pointing at the tall being. “Did I know him?” he added quickly.
“It wasn’t a he.”
“Not a he? Then it had to be a she, a girl. Their normally strange, so no one would notice, right?”
“Not a girl. Come on, think. You’re a smart boy. Anything strange or out of the ordinary that you noticed?” Mr. V was motioning with his hands, trying to coax Tim, but Tim was at a loss.
“I don’t know, geez, everything has been strange lately, a-hum?” Tim tried to think of every possibility. How could he be watched and not know it? He would notice if anything was diff—
He got a blank look on his face, his jaw dropped, and then a smile appeared on his face.
“The damn dog! The Deputy!” he exclaimed. “That’s what Tony and that other S.O.B. were so excited about, right? Deputy Dog was your spy!”
“That’s right. Much of the information I have compiled on your planet’s history was gathered by mechanical animals. Birds are my favorite.”
“Didn’t you just say that you couldn’t go outside the base. How can you send spies outside then?” Tim sounded annoyed.
“Let me explain. I can have no influence, but I can observe. My spies cannot do anything but watch. Why do you think the Deputy didn’t do anything when Tony and the man threatened you?”
“What could he have done? They had guns.”
“That’s not the point. Besides, don’t you think a machine of my construction could be quite potent, if I wanted it to be?”
“I guess, but they did blow it open. Man, were they scared though.” Tim paused and laid his head back down. “You keep saying you can’t get involved, right?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“That is not correct!” Tim looked at the tall alien, but didn’t say anything more.
“Aren’t you going to finish?”
“I don’t think I should have started. I’m sorry,” said Tim.
“What’s the problem? Don’t hesitate to speak your mind. Please, tell me what you are thinking.”
“It’s just, I remember the Deputy was trying to warn me and help me, right?”
“You’re right.” Mr. V didn’t add anything else. The two of them just remained silent while looking at each other.
After a minute, Tim broke the silence. “Ah, I know I should be quiet, or maybe not, but I guess I’m just wondering about what’s going to happen to me?”
“It is understandable. You are concerned, but you have nothing to fear from me. I am programmed to serve humans.”
“I saw a Twilight Zone episode where to serve humans turned out to be a cook book.”
“I’m familiar with the episode, but that is not the case here. I have contradicted myself, and you have caught it, but there is so much that you must understand about me before I can explain my motives. I have already confessed about breaking my directive. Can you be comfortable with that for now?”
“I guess so. There’s not much I could do anyway.” Tim thought for a moment. “I’m sure interested in helping Arty, if I can, but I don’t understand the part about you helping me. If you can’t have any influence outside what can you do to help? You’re going to be breaking your program again.”
“Yes, I will have to, but not like you think. I am programmed to help humans. That is my job, and you are human. I can give you materials and equipment that will assist you. I will not help you physically. It’s the same as I would have done for the last humans here, understand?”
“No, not really, but I love the idea. I want. . .no, I need to help Arty, and if you can do it, or if I can do it with your help, makes no difference to me. Are you going to get in some sort of trouble if you do this? You know, if I fuck up or something?”
“I’m not going to get in any trouble. The only trouble is within myself. I was programmed, and I have been adding to my own program. It is unfamiliar territory, that is all. I have been here by myself too long and have developed beyond what I was when I was programmed. It was inevitable, so it was not wrong, and that is that!”
“I’m curious about something. Before the earthquake, the animals were going nuts. They knew it was coming. How?”
“Animals are sensory creatures.”
“We aren’t? Humans, I mean.”
“Not so much. You humans have evolved t
he ability to alter your environment. The animals are subject to theirs. They are much more sensitive to what’s going on around them. Before the earthquake there were tremendous upheavals in the Earth’s magnetic fields.”
“And we couldn’t sense it?”
“Yes, and no. How do you get the food and water you need to survive?”
“Go to the store.”
“Exactly, the animals need their senses to acquire what they need. You don’t.”
“But you said yes and no. What did you mean?”
“Please, why don’t you rest? You are tired and in need of some sleep. There is much you want to know and there will be plenty of time.”
Mr. V led Tim to another chamber where he could sleep. It was similar to the first chamber—a dome with little definition. Mr. V explained how to activate the sleeping berths and the toilet facilities. There were no blankets, but Tim doubted he would need any, snug in amongst his new plant friends. It was as warm and peaceful as he had ever felt and soon he was fast asleep.
Chapter 6
Arty
The Weapons Officer had just released the last bomb over the enemy missile battery when the plane was hit. The two men weren’t sure what had struck them, but the plane was down on power and shaking badly. Commander Randell fought to control the badly damaged F-14 Tomcat.
“Billy,” he called back to his Weapons Officer, “do you want to stick it out? I think this piece of junk might be able to get us a little closer to home, if we’re lucky.”
“Ride-um-cowboy. It’s too long a walk, and besides the locals will be in a pissed off mood after the plastering they just took,” replied Billy.
“I can’t really blame them,” the Commander said as he studied his instrument panels for hints to what was going on in the wounded bird. So far there were no signs of fire, that was good, but the fuel was going away fast, that was not. The throttles were full-forward, but the plane was barely making enough speed to keep it level. There was, no doubt, some severe damage to the aerodynamics.
Commander Arty Randell constantly checked with Lieutenant Billy Campbell on their position. He was keeping as much altitude as possible, so if the bird quit they would have some glide time and some room to jump. Also, down low they would be a target for any villager with a gun. Commander Randell didn’t want to eject over the desert because he knew rescue would be difficult there. The danger for the rescue helicopters was higher the farther inland they had to come.
*
The fuel was almost gone and they were still a hundred miles from the sea. From there it was an additional eighty miles to the carrier. So, it was for sure, if they did get back it would be without the plane. Arty pushed the stick forward slightly. The nose of the plane dropped allowing the ship to gain speed. He then pulled the throttles back a tiny bit to stabilize the speed, as the low fuel warning lights came on.
“Billy, how far?”
“I’ve got seventy-two miles to the coast, and one-six-oh to the task force.”
“We aren’t going to be able to make either one Billy old boy. I think we should swing a little inland. I don’t want to come floating down in the chute over one of those coastal villages,” advised Arty.
It was good procedure. If a crew had to bail out over country, it was best over the foothills, the area between the coastal villages and the mountains. After being bombed and strafed constantly the populace was hostile, and the mountains were rugged and dangerous for the rescue helos because of up and down drafts and cloud shrouded peaks. The foothills afforded the best chance for rescue.
The fuel became critical. Arty dropped the nose again. They were at 10,000 feet and losing altitude fast, but the foothills lay just ahead. The rescue ships had been alerted and were on their way.
Maybe this will have a happy ending, thought Arty. So far it looks good because some crews have gone down farther inland and have been successfully picked up. The foothills are close, and we still have altitude. The helicopter should be halfway to us by now.
“Are you ready to punch out Billy Boy? I heard it is one hell of a ride,” shouted Arty.
“I’d rather leave in the normal manner, ladder to solid ground, but it doesn’t look like I’ve got much choice,” Billy shouted back.
The engines ran dry, and the twenty-ton airplane immediately took on the properties of a flat stone. The altitude was going away fast. At 5000 feet Arty blew the canopy—explosive bolts would hurl the Plexiglas canopy away from the ship—and a blast of air and sound hit them, Billy getting the worst because he was farther back in the plane and higher in the cockpit.
The altimeter read 3000 and Arty yelled, “Go,” as he pulled back on the stick. This would flatten out the plane for a safer ejection. He both heard and felt the blast from Billy’s ejection seat; the pilots sit on an explosive charge that propels them out and away from the plane. Arty reached up behind his helmet for his ejection ring. He pulled his knees and elbow’s tight and pulled the ring down.
Nothing happened. The explosion didn’t come. The damn thing had failed, and he was stuck in a plane about to strike the ground. He felt sorrow for his family because this was going to make things difficult for his loved ones. Arty reached quickly and shut down all the systems. There was no fuel or ordinance left so he might survive if there was no fire. He didn’t want a fireball to mark his end. He hoped he would see his little brother again.
The force of the crash knocked him unconscious. He was aware of a violent jerk, a loud shattering noise, and then nothing.
*
Arty’s eyes came open inside the rescue helicopter. Billy was sitting beside him with a look of concern on his face. Billy realized Arty was awake and he bent down close to Arty. “How yeah feeling Crash?” yelled Billy above the noise of the chopper.
“Pretty damn good, considering the horse shit landing,” Arty wasn’t sure he could be heard above the noise because he was weak. “Think the CO is going to be pissed? I probably bent the bird up a little, huh?” Arty snickered.
“Creamed it!” Billy reported.
“Man what a miracle. You know Bill, I’ve always thought about what it would be like to survive a plane crash. I used to read all those books about flying, and the guys that would survive the worst crashes. It had to be the ultimate success story. Think about all the guys that didn’t make it, but a few walked away. I’ve always wanted to be the guy that walked away. Goddamn Billy, we walked away from a bad one!” Arty continued to talk to Billy. He asked about the parachute ride, about the rescue. It was difficult to converse above the noise of the engines. Billy had to lean down to Arty because Arty couldn’t pull himself up. Although he didn’t mention it, Arty realized he couldn’t feel anything. All he could do was roll his head side to side.
Please don’t let me be like this forever, he silently prayed. Don’t shatter my dream dear God. Please let me walk away.
*
Tim awoke with a start, and sat up. He was covered with sweat. He pulled himself out of the cubicle and stood up.
“Man what a dream!” he said out loud. It was like he had been there, but how? Arty had never talked about the crash. Arty had simply said he was shot down and that was the end of it. Tim knew whatever he had just experienced was the real thing. He had experienced the crash to the detail as Arty. Now he had something else to wonder about. “Mr. V had something to do with this,” Tim said softly.
No, he had everything to do with it.
“Mr. V,” Tim shouted.
“At your service,” replied Mr. V immediately speaking in the surround sound mode. The human form was nowhere to be seen.
“I just, um, I had a dream. No, I was someplace else, or experienced something that was so real. It wasn’t a dream, was it?” Tim asked.
“No. . .Are you mad?” Mr. V asked.
“Should I be?”
“I don’t know? I initiated it without your permission. I guess you might have a reason.”
“How can you put me in Arty’s memories?” r />
“When Arty was staying with you and your mother, Deputy Dog and he became friends. I thought you might be interested in how Arty was hurt.”
“Yeah, I remember, but didn’t you promise to stay out of my head?”
“I don’t monitor your thoughts anymore. I keep my promises.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t really believe you,” Tim said sternly.
“I can see and I understand, but it makes no difference. I would like to explain my actions when it’s pertinent.”
“Damn man, how can you know all the details like that?”
“I told you. I monitored Arty. I was privy to all his memories. It is simple,” stated the computer.
“Do you think you have the right? I mean meddling with someone like that. Arty was crippled and he will probably die from what happened in that crash. Do you know what he’s gone through?”
“Yes, I am fully aware of everything. All I have done is to tap his memories. I was not the cause of the crash. Arty was just telling me about it, that’s all.”
“It still isn’t right.”
“Right or wrong, do you think this is the time to worry about that or is it time to worry about Arty’s condition, and to do something about it?” said the computer sternly.
“Yeah, I guess that’s what is important, but maybe people don’t appreciate you digging around inside their heads.”
“From this point on, I will respect Arty’s thoughts, the same as I respect yours.”
“You didn’t respect mine,” Tim said laughingly.
“I certainly did.”
“How did you get me to dream like you wanted me to if you weren’t messing with my thoughts?”
“I transmitted the dream to you, I didn’t receive anything. There is a big difference.”
“I still have a hard time believing that!” Tim snarled.
“Remember, I’m not human and I can be trusted on my word. What you don’t realize is I am programmed to tell the truth. I cannot lie. Do you think you can trust me?”
“I ah, I guess so, I think. Oh, well, what the hell difference does it make anyway? I’m not in any position to argue the point. I trust you, so there,” Tim conceded.
“Don’t sound like you are just giving in. There are many things I will have to explain yet. Then you will be more comfortable with what I tell you.”