The Final Call

by Craig A. Falconer

  “That explains the clarity, but how does it work with no cable?” he pushed, still holding his middle finger to his thumb and pointing at the Messengers with his index finger; clearly, this was important. “What were those things on my neck and under my fingers... and what did you do to me, turn my body into a transceiver?”

  We have enabled you to interpret the frequency of our communications and to return your own thoughts, that is all.

  “Return my own thoughts? So you can read my thoughts now, but you couldn’t before? And you can’t read anyone else’s?”

  Only your brainwaves have been studied, only your thought patterns have been modelled. This is untested on other humans.

  Even with the huge jump in clarity, the Messengers still had an odd syntax to their ‘speech’ and a flair for repetition, Dan thought.

  Interspecies communication is not easy.

  Dan opened his hand, breaking the connection between his thumb and finger and no longer pointing at the Messengers. “Can you hear me now?” he asked, curious rather than challenging, having momentarily forgotten they could hear his thoughts as well as his speech and thus having been caught off guard by their reply to his silent thought about their syntax.

  No reply came.

  Dan touched his middle finger to his thumb once more and pointed at the Messengers with his index finger.

  We heard, but you could not hear our reply — not until you physically re-declared your intention to communicate. Your mental dexterity will improve in time, but for now our abilities are not equal.

  “How come it’s not equal?”

  Our minds are well-practiced in telepathic communications. We can filter out noise, and we can typically direct our thoughts without difficulty. Without the physical filter of an ‘on switch’ and without a directional pointer, your mind would be overwhelmed.

  “Telepathic communications,” Dan said. Considering that word, distinct from the phenomenon itself, gave him real pause. “We’re communicating telepathically. This is telepathy.”

  Exactly.

  Dan shook his head in near disbelief, until the pressing thought of the hour returned like a boomerang smacking him in the face: “So what’s the deal with these damn triangles?”

  There is a problem on New Kerguelen.

  “New Kerguelen?”

  Isn’t this the shorthand name by which you know and consider our home world? On New Kerguelen, there is a problem with our Elders. We are trying to deal with this problem.

  “The Elders who tell you what you can and can’t do? The ones who set the ‘minimal necessary intervention’ rule and eventually let you stop the comet?”

  Precisely.

  “So what’s the problem?”

  Although you think of us as ‘Messengers’, among our kind we are designated Interpreters. Our core task on New Kerguelen is interpreting the will of our Elders, and since initial contact our core external task has been interpreting the intentions of your kind and the level of threat those intentions may pose. But lately the clarity of our Elders’ decisions has led to disagreement among our fellow Interpreters and disagreements among our wider population. Erraticism and indecision have become increasingly common in the words of our Elders, and discontent has followed.

  “Tell me about the triangles,” Dan said. “Who put them there: you, the ELF, or the GeoSovs?”

  As Interpreters, we are unable to engage in this conversation.

  “What?”

  We made an independent decision to visit on this occasion. We did this in order to protect the possibility of further contact if visitation becomes difficult due to our ongoing complications in interpreting the will of our Elders. We cannot make an independent decision to engage in that conversation.

  “So if the Elders aren’t being clear about anything, you obviously didn’t get permission to place these triangles, right? So can you at least tell me who did, since you’re already here? Was it the ELF or the GeoSovs? After all, you warned me about the first triangle in the vision, with the marking you showed me. Surely you can go a tiny bit further and fill me in on what the hell is actually going on?”

  We made an independent decision to ensure the possibility of further contact. But at this stage, we as Interpreters cannot make an independent decision to engage in this conversation. Without permission from the Elders, we as Interpreters cannot interfere in such a way.

  “How does that even make sense? How is it more of an intervention to tell me who’s behind the triangles than it is to come into my house and give me the ability to communicate with you telepathically?”

  This action was not taken lightly, and only to ensure the possibility of future contact should our complications in interpreting the word of our Elders continue, particularly if a disagreement over our interpretation prevents visitation in an emergency situation.

  “So what about when you warned me about Slater being taken hostage? Did the Elders give permission for that?”

  That action was taken to prevent an imminent event which would have immediately destabilised your planet in a manner which would have unacceptably increased the likelihood of atomic detonations. Such interventions are irrevocably pre-approved.

  “These stupid triangles could start a war just the same as Slater being killed could have!” Dan replied. “Please, I’m begging you… just tell me who’s responsible.”

  As Interpreters, we are not authorised to act in such instances. You were warned of a specific one-time event, which could be stopped very easily. In such cases, when pre-set conditions of specificity and urgency are met, we are pre-approved to prevent catastrophes which have no immediate side-effect. We cannot engage in a conversation on the topic you raise.

  “But you didn’t put them here? We’re clear on that?”

  As Interpreters, we are bound by the will of our Elders and are unable to intervene in any publicly visible way without explicit permission, pre-approved or ongoing.

  “Explicit permission which you’ve not been able to get recently, because of the problems you’ve had interpreting your Elders?” Dan said, drilling down on this point again. “So reading between the lines, you’re telling me without telling me. You didn’t do it.”

  The Messengers’ faces, always expressionless, continued to give nothing away.

  “So can I talk to you at any time from now on, and you can talk to me?” Dan asked.

  We can talk to you. As Interpreters, we pay close attention. If you want to reach us, we will know. Whether we can reply is situationally dependent, and whether we can act in accordance with any requests or suggestions depends on how we fare in improving the clarity of our Elders’ decisions.

  “And tonight, am I going to have to deal with agents who know you just reached out to me? Because I felt the pain like hell before you showed up.”

  No; a forcefield was in place to prevent any communication from the device in your neck. In the future, no other human will know you have been contacted until you make it known to them.

  “So am I just going to suddenly hear thoughts in my head whenever you decide to talk to me again?”

  You will hear a call. We will never force thoughts into your mind. An alert will signal our intention to communicate; if you focus your mind and physically signal willingness with a digital connection, contact can commence.

  “Digital as in fingers… those kind of digits? So if I hear from you with some small alert, I need to focus my mind and touch my finger to my thumb?” Dan sought to clarify. It sounded utterly insane, but only because it was.

  Precisely. Until you grow more accustomed to the process, a digital connection is required. But your progress will be quick.

  “Okay. I can tell you want to leave, but can you just quickly give me a one-word answer about these triangles? They’re destabilising the world in a way you don’t seem to understand, and they’re empowering people who aren’t going to use that power well.”

  Farewell, Dan McCarthy. Stay true to your convictions. We
have gifted you this communicational ability because you chose to help your fellow man in a manner costly to yourself by returning to the public arena. When you can help, you do what you can… as we ourselves strive to do.

  Dan was surprised by the nature of these closing comments; but before he could even think about replying, the cocoon of whiteness was gone and he was back in his bedroom.

  He found himself on the inside of the closed door, with Emma still sleeping soundly.

  Am I tripping? he wondered, sure that what he thought had just happened couldn’t really have just happened. What the hell was really in that pill Tara gave me?

  But when Dan turned on the light and looked at the fingers of his right hand, he saw large pin-prick like marks. Just like the initial marks on Dan and Emma’s necks had convinced Clark that they hadn’t imagined their physical connection with the Messengers at Lolo, these markings settled it in Dan’s mind.

  “Emma!” he called, shaking her legs to hasten the wake-up. “Wake up! You’re never gonna believe what just happened…”

  V minus 61

  Ford Residence

  Birchwood, Colorado

  “So let me get this straight,” Emma said, sitting with Dan at the kitchen table having listened to the whole story twice. “They can’t tell you anything about the triangles, but they basically implied it wasn’t them?”

  “Right.”

  “And they’re having a problem interpreting their Elders, which might somehow stop them from being able to visit again even if they feel like they need to, but now they can contact you remotely to initiate a two-way conversation whenever they want?”

  Dan nodded again. “Right.”

  “And they pretty much said they gifted you this ability because you did Focus 20/20, which was an active step back into the public sphere that you didn’t want to take but one you took for the greater good… because they saw that as an expression of your willingness to be involved again?”

  “I know how it sounds, but it happened. Just look at my fingertips.”

  Dan reached for a glass of water with his left hand, lifting it off the table while Emma studied his fingertips.

  “And when they want to talk, you have to touch your thumb against your finger to ‘let’ their thoughts in?”

  “Uh-huh,” Dan uttered, midway through a gulp of water. He demonstrated the finger position.

  Two seconds later, his left hand involuntarily released the glass of water.

  As the glass loudly smashed on the floor and Emma jumped up in an instinctive reaction, Dan hurriedly backed away like a dog fleeing a hose and didn’t stop until he was leaning against the wall. He looked like he’d seen a ghost.

  “It’s okay,” Emma insisted. “I think doing the thing with your fingers just made you drop the glass with your other hand. Take it easy for a while. You’ve been through a lot… just breathe.”

  Dan shook his head and gulped. His eyes then darted around the room as if making sure no one else was there to hear what he knew was going to be the craziest thing he’d ever said.

  “Emma…” he began, still holding his hand in the communication position.

  “Yeah?” she asked, uneasy at a look in his eyes that seemed less like shock than terror.

  “… I can hear your thoughts.”

  V minus 60

  GCC Headquarters

  Buenos Aires, Argentina

  “That should be enough,” GCC Chairman Godfrey spoke into his phone, delighted to hear that President Slater had done her part in persuading some wavering delegates to vote the right way at the following morning’s emergency meeting.

  What Godfrey perceived as a muzzle was soon to be removed, and he would be as free as Ding Ziyang and John Cole to make statements on any and all contact-related matters without requiring approval from his organisation’s members before any substantive new statement.

  With that restriction soon to be a thing of the past just in time for Godfrey to call out the ELF’s outrageously obvious triangle-related shenanigans, he had no doubt that he could effectively and decisively deal with the barrage of provocation that had recently come his way from Zanzibar and Vanuatu.

  “The gloves are off now, Valerie,” he said, smiling to himself in the quiet hours between very late and very early. “And if Ding and Cole want to fight dirty, they’ve picked the wrong man to push too far.”

  V minus 59

  Ford Residence

  Birchwood, Colorado

  “Are you guys okay?” Tara called, rushing out of the spare bedroom at the sound of smashing glass. Although she clearly hadn’t been sleeping, her words were largely drowned out by the unsettled barking of Rooster, who had been sleeping at the end of her bed. She looked down at the dog, who was frightened rather than aggressive, and immediately cottoned on. “Ohhhh…”

  Dan walked over to Rooster to try to calm him down. It seemed to have been the opening of the spare bedroom door that set the dog off, doubtless because this had removed the physical barrier between him and the recently-contacted Dan.

  “Rooster,” Dan called, crouching to the ground and holding his right hand outstretched. “It’s okay, they’re gone. See? It’s just me.”

  The dog stopped barking but still didn’t look sure. He looked up at Tara, as though trusting her more, and cautiously inched towards Dan only once she gave the go-ahead. He growled defensively at Dan’s fingers but settled as soon as Dan closed his fist. Within a few more seconds the dog was curled up on the kitchen floor, safely clear of the broken glass that Emma was now cleaning up.

  “So what happened?” Tara asked. “Tell me they explained everything about these stupid triangles that are causing so much trouble…”

  “Not exactly,” Dan replied, tipping his head in suggestion for her to take a seat. He then gave a rapid rundown of his conversation, focusing on the core point that the Messengers had explained they were unable to enter a conversation about the triangles without permission from their Elders — permission that was currently unobtainable due to a serious problem regarding their interpretation of those Elders’ typically explicit will.

  Listening intently, Tara tried to make sense of the logic that Dan himself was still struggling with.

  “But that wasn’t all,” he continued. “You know how they can talk to each other without speaking…. telepathically? They touched something against my neck and my fingers that lets me do that, too. And not just with them, but with other people. Think of a name I wouldn’t be able to guess. Don’t make it obvious, but make sure it’s only one name.”

  Wide-eyed at what she was hearing, Tara nodded her assent. “Okay, I’ve got one.”

  Dan pointed at her with his index finger, touching his thumb to the tip of his middle finger at the same time. “Easy. Jayson Moore.”

  Dumbstruck, Tara looked at Emma.

  “And now you’re thinking I could have guessed that,” Dan went on, “because you’re thinking that me and Emma might have talked about how obsessed with his TV show you used to be. And now you’re thinking I could have guessed that, too. Stop thinking about that and focus on why his name was in your head. Ah, there we go: because you’re going to meet him in a few days at a club opening you’re both invited to.”

  “I… I… I only heard about that a few hours ago,” Tara stammered. “Emma, this is real.”

  Dan turned to Emma. “Clear your mind; don’t think about anything that’s a secret you don’t want me to know. Focus completely on another name, and make sure it’s one I couldn’t possibly know.”

  “Ready,” she said.

  Dan touched his middle finger to his thumb again and pointed at Emma with his index finger. “Leslie Fowler,” he said, breaking the connection as soon as he had the name.

  Tara laughed. “Leslie?”

  “You two never shut up about Jayson Moore for that whole summer,” Emma reminisced. “You made that stupid fan club and everything!”

  Tara blinked several times, as though reality had just s
et in. “But how can this work? They didn’t do anything to change us, so how can we send you our thoughts?”

  “They said they were giving me the ability to interpret their frequency of communication,” Dan explained, doing the best he could given that it was far from clear in his own mind. “They also said I’d be able to return my thoughts to them, but that they’d only studied my thought patterns and the process was untested on other humans. But I guess maybe I’m innately familiar with human thought patterns in general, in a way they’re not? I don’t know. I don’t even know if they meant to do this. They wanted me to be able to communicate with them. This whole human-to-human part could be a side-effect they didn’t anticipate.”

  “You said the Messengers don’t make mistakes,” Tara said. “Last year. Remember?”

  Dan sat down. “Yeah, I did, but that was before Contact Day. That was before I knew that they’re nothing close to omniscient or omnipotent. Going right back to the start, they didn’t know how destabilising it would be when they destroyed DS-1 and then they had to ask Emma for advice on the fourth plaque. Okay, on one hand that tells us they’re smart enough to ask when they need help and they’re not too proud or stubborn to do it, which puts them ahead of a lot of people, but they’re not perfect. Even just before they finally showed up on Contact Day, they thought we could deal with Il Diavolo by ourselves… so their interpretation of human problems isn’t perfect, either. But more than that, they aren’t necessarily better than us. Billy Kendrick touches on this in his lecture tour, when he says we shouldn’t worship the Messengers because the evidence we have doesn’t point to them being any more moral or altruistic than we are. They’re basically us, just with better vehicles and better tech.”