We've Seen the Enemy

by Paul Dayton

  Timothy went into details of his find of the base and his fear of the machines inside. Peter the Elder asked what the machines were like, and after a brief description he commented that they appeared to function as the Tests of Faith did. The similarities were not lost on the others either, as some nodded in understanding of the point Peter was trying to make.

  Timothy continued.

  He explained how he broke his leg and showed them the large hump and scar still visible from the healing.

  “Timothy,” Elder Daniel said, “You’ve only been gone a little over a week.” Everyone knew at least three weeks were needed to walk after a broken leg, and more if the bone protruded outside the skin.

  “Elder Daniel, many of you have seen me in my work shorts splitting wood just over a week ago. This injury is obvious and couldn’t be hidden, so it’s obvious it happened just this past week. The base robotic doctor gave me medicine that allowed the injury to heal quickly. As you can see, the facts can’t be denied.”

  “Just wanted that cleared up Timothy, I didn’t mean anything by it.”

  He continued telling them of how Ruth followed and had saved him from certain death (Ruth scoffed at this), how they discovered a hospital room with a dead ‘agent’ inside, and he paused while the Tribe whispered over this information.

  Next he went on about the base itself, the amazing source of energy found inside, the machines appearing subservient to them, and the things they learned as they stayed there.

  The tribe was especially excited when they heard that these agents of God weren’t really that, but rather another life, just like the insects around them, but larger and from space, not Earth. Once again some scoffed, others thought them insane while the rest of the tribe muttered and talked. He then told them about how they all were in danger, but not from God himself, and how these creatures were acting in their own interests only.

  John, having calmed down from his anger spoke up and said, “Well Timothy, I must say that the story was very entertaining, just as you said. Now look. We all feel bad about the events this past afternoon, and I’m sure the others will agree that the evidence implicating you in the death of Naomi appeared slim at best.”

  Timothy could clearly see John’s deviousness, but he let him speak. “But what you’re saying is heresy! Agents of God being these ‘aliens’? You controlling these machines? How much of this is fantasy and how much is reality? Really, Timothy…” and John started laughing, with some others joining in.

  Timothy waited until they had stopped laughing, and an uncomfortable silence followed as he stared at John and then the others one by one. After having looked each person in the eye, he then spoke up, saying, “I understand how you feel. It is a difficult thing to believe. I can still hardly believe it myself. And I understand that I am prone to exaggerations in my description of things…” At this the all members of the tribe looked at each other because they all knew Timothy to be a level headed, careful thinker.

  He continued, “So, I suppose that the best thing Ruth and I could do is show you. Show all of you the base, the machines, the alien, everything.”

  John now appeared worried, and Timothy knew why. He feared the loss of control over the Tribe. Up until now, the tribe was kept under control by their fear of these agents of God. But now John realized that if Timothy was right, then this fear was misplaced. Those elders that needed fear to rule would lose their primary weapon. They would all be in the same situation. Except for Timothy.

  Timothy could see John summing this all up. “Timothy, I’m afraid things have gone too far. You have tested God, and you have tried to lead the tribe astray, although not on purpose,” John added so as not to alienate anyone further. I could have accepted your story as merely an overactive imagination, but seeing as you insist that it’s true, I can’t allow this to continue. Elders…”

  Timothy didn’t let him finish. “YOU can’t allow? I wasn’t aware you have decided for all of us. It brings me to the question of why are you trying to hide the truth from the Tribe. Don’t you think the Tribe is capable of seeing these things for themselves?”

  “Timothy!” Some of the elders cried out.

  Peter the Elder continued, “Really Timothy. Can you expect us to believe that you have mastery over machines now? Perhaps you can fly too!”

  “As a matter of fact Peter, I can.” The whole Tribe was scoffing at him now, but Timothy quietly tapped his arm twice. As they all laughed, a dark shadow blacked out the stars and started descending toward them, although nobody noticed at first. Timothy knew it was there but all he did was smile along with everyone else as they laughed. He was happy to see that both Sam, Daniel and the younger Peter were not joining in on the mockery, but instead sat there staring at the reaction of the others.

  After a few seconds, he started feeling lightheaded, but he knew it was the effect caused by close proximity to a gravity nullifier. This ship was large, enough to carry the whole tribe, and everyone around him felt the effects too. They laughed as they saw each other’s hair stand up, and then uneasiness cut the laughter short.

  “Don’t be alarmed, this feeling you have will pass as soon as my wings come,” Timothy said.

  Ruth, who had been standing by Timothy, now walked over to Sam and said, “Do you see the Gravplane?”

  “What Gravplane?”

  Timothy pointed up and said, “THAT Gravplane.”

  “Everyone looked up and gasped as they saw this monstrous shade of black just a few meters above their heads. The smoke from the fire pit curled up and spread out along the underbelly of the craft hovering above, while everyone scrambled out of the way with fear.

  “Quick Sam, it’s getting late. Douse the fire with water, so that the Gravplane can land.”

  Sam did as he was told, too stunned to question anything. As he reached the fire pit, fear gripped him as he watched this huge machine hovering just above his head.

  John looked at it with fear and hatred, knowing full well that power had slipped out of his grasp. He had waited for so long for Rat to kill Pliny, spending long nights with the infernal creature trying to work out some sort of plan, and when it finally happened everything had come out wrong. He looked with unconcealed hatred at Timothy and yelled out, “Don’t listen to him! It’s a trap!” but the tribe was too astonished at the Gravplane to pay him any attention.

  “Please don’t worry,” Ruth said. “This ship is perfectly safe, and it’s here for our protection!”

  By this time the fire was out, and a cloud of steam was rising out of the pit. Sam scrambled out of the way as the Gravplane extended landing wheels and came down to a soft landing.

  “I know that this is all unusual to you, but it’s perfectly safe. I’ve flown one myself. I assure you that aliens are coming, although I don’t know when. But we all need to know about them, and about ourselves too – where we came from, and where we’re going.”

  Ruth added, “This Gravplane will take you to the place Timothy told you about, and you will find a comfortable living area and some food to last a day or two. Then it will bring you back. It’s here for anyone that wants to know the truth about why Naomi died, and about who our real enemies are.”

  At this point the bay doors opened on the craft and the tribe came around to get a better view of the inside. They could clearly see the metal ribs that lined the well lit interior, and the comfortable looking seats spaced in neat rows.

  John was now pacing to and fro along the outer edge of the craft as he mumbled to himself. Timothy was surprised to see the degree at which he resisted, and watched as he mumbled louder and louder until he could be clearly heard by the tribe. They had all stopped gawking at the craft and were now looking at John instead.

  Once he noticed their gaze, he stopped his chattering and said desperately, “Fellow brothers, don’t allow this heathen to endanger your life. This is another Test of Faith, and by going into it your life is in danger! Stay away from it!”

  He grabbed o
ne of the torches from the perimeter of the clearing and ran up to throw it into the Gravplane. Sam was about to stop John but Timothy told him not to. John stopped just at the entrance and threw the torch in as hard as he could. Embers trailed as the torch flew a few feet and then bounced off of a now closed entry door.

  “John, if this is a Test of Faith, why are you trying to destroy it? Wouldn’t that be blasphemy?” Peter asked curiously, but it only made John angrier as he grabbed another torch.

  HAL opened a gun port and targeted him. John heard the noise and then saw the enormous gun poking out and quickly threw down the torch again, as those watching laughed.

  They were growing tired of John’s rant, but they still didn’t want to show disrespect for a prominent elder. Some of the other elders were tired of it too though, and Ruth finally spoke up. “Elder John, did you really think you could damage a craft of this type? And don’t you think that it could destroy you in a blink of an eye if we so commanded?”

  “Command a Test of Faith! Of all the ridiculous, blasphemous things!” John said furiously. Ruth could see that his livid anger made any argument on their part useless, but she realized that some in the crowd still needed proof, so she said, “Very well. I ask you John, are Tests of Faith from God?”

  “Yes!” he yelled out emphatically as he eyed the gun still pointed at him.

  She then turned to the Tribe and said, “If a Test of Faith is truly from God, can it be commanded? Do we have the power to command God to do our will?”

  The tribe stood quiet as most realized that Tests of Faith had been used by Rat to destroy a good portion of the elder body. Even John in his anger realized where she was going and knew that there was no answer to her question.

  “Very well, to prove that this is not a Test of Faith, to prove that Timothy and I command the craft, to prove that this Gravplane can be used for our protection against the creatures Timothy talked about, I’ll put on a small demonstration. Do you see that outcrop 2 kilometers away?” Ruth pointed at a dim outline of a ridge illuminated by moonlight off in the distance.

  She waited for a response but John refused to give it. “That outcrop will be destroyed. HAL, target the outcrop I’m pointing at and destroy the upper two meters of rock.” Ruth and Timothy had made an obvious show of plugging their ears. Sam copied them, and the rest of the tribe, although confused, did the same. Only John stood out as the loner rebel, looking worriedly at the Gravplane.

  The tribe heard a hum start up inside the craft, building into a steady pitch. They looked at the rock. A second later, a projectile launched by a magnetic rail gun fired off, reached supersonic speed in a tenth of a second and exploded the upper half of the ridge as the sonic boom washed over them.

  “Seems to me that Ruth ordered this Test of Faith to destroy that rock, wouldn’t you say John?” Timothy said, but John didn’t reply as he struggled to recover from the sonic boom.

  “Seems a little flustered to me Tim,” Ruth said. They both tried to hide their laughter but weren’t very successful. John, realizing that the craft listened to human voices, said out loud, “Al, destroy these heathens!” and he pointed to Ruth and Timothy.

  The tribe was surprised at John’s command, and even the elders were now distancing themselves from John.

  “Al, I order you to destroy these people!” John repeated, but the Gravplane’s magnetic rail gun was now powering down. Timothy made of point of visibly shaking his head in sadness, and then walked up the ramp of the Gravplane.

  Stopping at the entrance he said, “John, the name of the machine is HAL, not Al, and it won’t listen to you. It’s been watching you for a long time and knows all the things you have been doing, both good and bad. And it has recorded everything, including your conspiring with Raymond to kill Elder Pliny and the others.”

  HAL projected an image of the conspiracy in three dimensions, and the tribe gasped as the incriminating scene was played. It then played the scene where Raymond set up the Test of Faith that mistakenly killed Naomi, and his preparations at the hollow. The final scene, where Raymond told his father everything was ready, was the final straw. Tribal rules didn’t include the death penalty, but people were talking lynching nonetheless. John was livid again, his eyes dancing wildly with anger.

  “Everyone, please, follow me and don’t be afraid. From this moment on, a new era has dawned on human society, an era of knowledge and power, an era that will see us no longer afraid of the dark, no longer worried about the poisonous mists, and no longer in terror of any ‘agents of God!’ It’s time we set our own future! It’s time that we follow our own path, humankind’s path and NOT the path of fear! It’s time we put OUR destiny in OUR own hands!”

  Sam was the first to react and he walked up the ramp, tentatively at first, but more assured as he neared the top. After stealing a glance at John, Peter came next, followed by the other elders. Peter the elder also came forward and walked directly up the steps, but John looked at him and said, “Apostate!”

  Peter stopped, looked at John and said, “It’s obvious that the only apostate here still alive is you!” He turned his back on John and continued up the ramp. John charged up to Peter as he entered the Gravplane, but before he could get near him the door closed again and John bounced off it and rolled down the ramp.

  Those watching started laughing while John stomped away into the forest, his anger blazing as he muttered “Apostates! I’ll show you!”

  “Where did he go?” Sam asked Timothy. Timothy thought of the information he had gained and of what he knew of John’s objectives. “Who knows, Sam…But I’m guessing we haven’t seen the last of him.”

  Zediah and his family had watched John walk away, and they stood on the edge of the ramp wondering if they should go in. Timothy saw the hesitation, then walked down the ramp and grabbed Zediah’s children by the hand. With a nod from Zediah, they all walked up the ramp together, followed afterwards by the rest of the Tribe, one by one, including the remaining elders. Once they were all safely inside, Timothy and Ruth sat at the controls and silently lifted the Gravplane off the ground. Electronic viewports had turned on, surprising those sitting in their seats. Where once had been a blank metallic wall, there now was a transparent surface showing the moonlit surface of the Earth quickly dropping away.

  The lights inside the Gravplane dimmed, and HAL’s disembodied voice spoke to the passengers. “Before we reach Base Freedom USA, would anyone like to see a view of the Earth from space?”

  The group was quiet but Sam finally asked, “What’s space?”

  HAL worked out an understandable answer and said, “High up in the sky, but not as high as the moon. It will take approximately half an hour. The view is… beautiful.”

  Timothy was surprised that HAL offered to show them that, but figured correctly that HAL must have had an objective in doing so. It took over the controls of the Gravplane and comfortably accelerated to eleven kilometers per second.

  Some of the young children inside were crying, but HAL’s voice came on again and calmly told everyone that the feelings they had were completely normal and a result of their incredible speed, and that soon gravity would diminish and they would start to feel light in weight. Most didn’t understand, but their extreme curiosity at what was happening and HAL’s calm voice reassured them.

  HAL continued, “I will be turning the floor filters on, and in a moment you will be able to see through them in certain areas, just as you can see through the walls now.”

  HAL set the crystalline aluminum vibrating at just the right frequency to allow light through, and the group gasped as they looked down to the surface far below. Most of the planet was dark except for a scattering of lights here and there.

  Within a few moments, they reached the point where they could see daylight, and now everyone could make out oceans and clouds, land masses that they didn’t know existed; a storm off a coast somewhere, and lightening flashing. The group was mesmerized and was surprised out of their reverie
by HAL’s voice announcing that in a few seconds they would be weightless, and that they could release their harnesses. The parents dutifully complied, and within seconds, they started lifting off their seats. Sam bumped his head on the ceiling and laughed, and Zediah’s children unhooked themselves after they saw their parents having so much fun. Even the elders unhooked their seat-belts to float around in stunned silence.

  Soon, the whole group was floating and laughing, pushing against each other as they floated across the interior of the Gravplane. All too soon HAL’s voice came back on and asked everyone to sit down again, as it was time to descend back to Earth. Most reluctantly did, except for Sam who asked for more time.

  “I’m sorry Sam, but we have to return. This ship is designed for atmospheric travel, and can only sustain short trips into a vacuum. Aside from that, we’re running low on fuel. Everyone, please keep in mind that re-entry into any atmosphere results in medium to severe buffeting, and that everyone must be strapped in. Re-entry will not be nearly as comfortable as the trip into space.”

  The group hurried to sit and strap themselves in, awkward in near zero gravity.

  Ruth and Timothy were lost in a stunned silence, holding hands and watching the incredibly bright stars glowing in the darkness of space. They turned to look below at the Earth and were torn between the two, wanting to look at both at the same time. They knew that what they were looking ‘through’ wasn’t actually a window, but the depth and realism of it surprised them both.

  HAL broke their reverie by saying, “Would either one of you like to take the controls for re-entry?”

  “Why don’t you try Ruth?” Timothy said nervously.

  Ruth laughed, but asked, “Will it jeopardize the passengers?” though she knew that HAL wouldn’t have offered her the chance to do it if it did.

  “No.”

  “Then let me at it!”

  HAL released the ship to her and she checked her horizon, attitude, pitch and angle of re-entry. Her speed was hovering at Mach 17, and HAL had plotted a re-entry point on the display in front of her, a faint red line with a large three dimensional ring showing where she was supposed to thread the ship through. There was a second display that could toggle from Bird’s Eye View to side view, and it showed a set of crosshairs in blue, with her actual position shown by lines in red, and she could see that the ship was slightly to starboard but descending at 2 degrees, the proper rate. The distance, attitude, pitch and yaw were also correct, and she could see the numbers counting down and the target ring growing larger. Timothy watched as her gentle hands guided the ship down until the red lines matched perfectly with the blue and the ship passed through the ring on the display.