Vanessa

by David Howells

Chapter 26 – GOODBYE

  “Annie? Are you all right? Is it you?”

  “Yes, Dear, I’m alright. It’s nice of you to ask. How are you doing?”

  “Tired, very tired, but OK, I think. Ryan?”

  “I need a week in Jamaica, starting yesterday. Role call, minus the ghost vote, since they seem to be feeling reasonably chipper. Allen?”

  “Piece of cake, G cubed. Hoo man, but I’m dizzy though.”

  “Marianne?”

  “I want a raise, two months vacation and a company car.”

  “Your usual resilient self. Ralph?”

  “You didn’t tell me about the fine print.”

  “Hacks, never satisfied. Rachel?”

  “Was it good for you, too?”

  “MOTHER!”

  “Oops.”

  “You’ll be back on your feet soon too, I see. Melissa?”

  “Does it count against me that I can’t think of something witty?”

  “That will come in time. Being a wise ass is a requirement here, but you have wonderful role models. Gustav?”

  “I feel pretty good, Chief, better than ever in fact. But there’s a small, um, complication.”

  The weary smiles dropped. Everyone turned and looked at Gustav. He was standing on the side of the porch near the door next to the side railing. There was a most peculiar look on his face, and he was back in his three-piece suit. Gustav looked at them and pointed down over the side of the porch. Allen was nearest and, since he was also the youngest (or was until Melissa showed up), he was defacto elected to see what it was Gustav was pointing at.

  “Crap on a cupcake!”

  That perked Ralph’s curiosity enough to haul himself up and look. “Holy shit!”

  Melissa was next to arrive. “Oh my God, Allen!” She held onto him tightly. Marianne and Rachel both held onto Ralph and, for once, didn’t say a thing. Gustav had walked over to Ryan, Vanessa, Elijah and Annie. The five at the porch’s edge slowly turned and looked at the other five.

  Ryan asked, “Will someone please tell me what is going on here before the Guard arrives?” As it turned out, lead elements of that august group were only about fifteen minutes away. Police units had cordoned off the property and were funneling the refugees out and keeping the curious from getting in.

  When Allen managed to get a word out of his mouth, all he could say was, “He’s dead.”

  Ryan did a quick body count, and came up with the expected number. “Who’s dead?”

  “My dear Mr. Fitzgalen, it would appear that I am.” With that, Gustav turned and walked through the wall, then back out again the same way. “I always wanted to do that. Vanessa, Mrs. Edwards, and you must be Private Elijah Cooper. It’s a high price to pay to be able to finally see you, but I’m pleased.”

  Marianne was in tears. “GUSTAV! For God’s sake, we all can see them. Stop being so bloody cheerful, will you?”

  “You can all see them? Well that’s a bit of a disappointment. Too late to return the price of admission, I take it? Yes, all sales are final.”

  Ryan could only look at one more friend he had to say goodbye to. It was always that way, but that didn’t make it any the less sad. Gustav had been his closest friend. “I’ll miss you, you old shark fart.”

  Marianne was standing, mainly because Ralph was propping her up. “Gustav! Oh, God. What am I going to do without you?”

  “My dear lady, you will go on taking care of my family as you have done all along. A Mother Hen doesn’t cease her duties just because one of her chicks has left the nest.”

  Allen stepped forward of Melissa, who was resistant to approaching ghosts, for some reason. “Hey, think Heaven will make an exception and let a lawyer in? I’ll send along a great reference letter if you think it will help.”

  “Master Allen, before you and your mother came along, this was the Fitzgalen team. I am pleased to leave the Fitzgalen Family in your capable hands. As for Heaven letting me in, I can only hope for my day in court.”

  Rachel walked up to Allen’s side, placing her hand on his shoulder. “Oh, Gustav. I’ve known you for only a little while, but you’ve become like a father to me. I’ll miss you, too.”

  Rachel Hawthorn Gladstone. You are the one I grieve about leaving the most. You have so much unfinished business that I might have assisted with. Still, I’ve no doubt that the rest of my children will help you stumble through it. You have two families, dear one, and hard decisions to make, soon. I will pray for you.”

  Vanessa was silent, sitting with her friend as she recovered her strength. She knew Gustav would now move on. To say anything now would put her too close to saying her own goodbyes. She wanted to hold off on that as long as possible.

  Elijah spoke up. “Friends, as the last survivor of XX Corps, I thank each of you for saving us. Great Grandson, you have made me proud. Allen, I won’t try to figure out all the ‘greats’ between us, but I’m proud of you as well. To the rest of you, thanks, and Godspeed all of you on your journey. Lord willing, we will shake hands on the other side. The time has come for me to leave. I’ll walk, but Gustav, would you do me the honor of riding Freedom to the other side?”

  “Private, it would be my honor. Would Freedom accept this old German butt on his back?”

  “With pride, Gustav. Hop up.” With a military salute, Elijah paid his respects to his saviors and turned away. Gustav mounted, smiled and waved. Death wasn’t so bad. His last blessing on earth was to get in the last speech; a ‘gotcha last’.

  “Farewell my friends. I have loved you as my own children. Allen, take care of that wonderful young lady.” Fifty feet.

  “Ralph, take care of my Marianne. She was both a mother and a daughter to me.” Ralph and Marianne held each other and sobbed together. Sirens could be heard in the distance. Gustav was loving it. One hundred feet.

  “Ryan, your work is not yet done. Many still need your help. God has sent you my replacements to see that you do continue. You might notice it took three younger people to replace your resident old man. Rachel, settle your feelings with Frank. Until that is resolved, you will not be able to grow to your fullest potential and that would be a crime. You have so much to offer.” One hundred fifty feet.

  “Vanessa I don’t know what your fate will be. Follow me if you can or should. Annie, I know in my heart that all is forgiven, that you are whole and that there is a place for you on the other side. God bless and welcome you both.”

  Private Elijah Cooper began to glow, then winked out. Gustav waved one final time. Freedom began to glow and then winked out. Gustav hovered above the ground for a moment and fell to the dirt. Everyone was surprised, to say the least.

  “Vanessa, can you make out what he’s saying?” asked Ryan.

  “I think he’s cussing in German, Dear. Any clues?

  Ryan thought, while they watched Gustav get up and run around looking for a portal to cross through and cursing up a storm. Ryan went over each step of what had happened, going as far back as the Navy experiment. By the time Gustav had given up his attempts, wet-hen-mad that he was walking back after such a wonderful farewell speech, Ryan thought he had gotten the main points down.

  “You, flag pole man, mind telling me why my passport won’t work at the bridge?” The sirens were getting louder and some loudspeaker voices could be heard. There was still some time.

  “It was Vanessa’s doing.”

  Vanessa didn’t see that one coming. “Excuse me?”

  “Not on purpose, I assure you. Honey, you did fine, better than fine. That configuration to counter Monkey’s power was a masterstroke. Annie, you pushed the button at just the right moment, but you weren’t part of Vanessa’s field of defense. Private Cooper wasn’t in it long enough. Each of us, though, got ‘tuned into it’, kind of like what happened to me back in the Navy. Melissa, Allen will explain all this to you later, in private (look at them blush!).
>
  “My take on things is that Vanessa was, at first, stuck on earth because of her fugue state. She bonded to me in that Navy experiment. That bond between us kept her here despite the partial self-awareness she had attained. The full revelation of your identity should have turned the trick for your bridging, but it didn’t. You found in your heart that there was unfinished business in the form of the Selma church members needing your help, specifically, the Cherub Choir kids. Natalie corrected that belief, and it was the belief that Jason and Rebecca needed your help continued to bless us all with your presence.

  “Natalie also told you to stay away from Annie, and I think I know why she said that. The bracelet blessing was a fallback in case you couldn’t comply. Our conflict with Annie just now has re-validated your earthly visa. I sense that you won’t cross until I do, for we’re bonded even more closely than before. Now, things are a little more complicated.”

  Time for Melissa to get a word in edgewise. “Ryan, may I call you that?” A nod. “Thank you. If I may, how in the world could this craziness get any more complicated?”

  Rachel moved next to Melissa, letting go of Ralph. “Dear, get a good grip. You have just boarded Ryan’s roller coaster. By the way, thanks, from all of us.” The others joined in to welcome their newest friend and comrade. Ryan got a little miffed over him no longer being the center of attention.

  “AHEM!”

  “Sorry. You were saying? Please continue. Yes, Ryan? I’m listening, Dear.”

  “That’s better. I strongly suspect that no one will cross until we ALL kick the bucket. Sort of a group thing. The forces of confrontation and the process of attunement felt familiar to me. Allen, you said that the subconscious never sleeps. It appears to me that my subconscious was fully awake that day back in Pearl Harbor. I feel certain that we all went through a similar process today, which endowed all participants with clairvoyance as it once did me. The forces were different, though, and the results are all of us having to put up with each other for a long time to come.”

  Rachel said, “Sort of spiritual Siamese bonding.”

  Marianne added, “Since we’re all hooked together, wouldn’t it make sense that we all stay together? No reason to break up the team, is there, just because the Union men are gone?” She looked up, as did the others, to see several green helicopters circling overhead.

  Ralph said, “I’m in.”

  Allen looked at Melissa, and they tossed two more hats into the ring.

  Rachel walked over and around the side of the porch. She bowed her head for a moment, then knelt quietly. When she rose, she had Gustav’s SatCom in her hand. They saw her dial a connect, wait, and then talk into it for a minute. They also heard engines coming, big ones. Rachel thumbed the off switch, looked at the SatCom for a moment, then hooked it to her dress sash and returned. There were tears in her eyes as she said, “Count me in, full time.” Allen and Melissa went to her, holding her as she softly wept.

  “You always have my vote, Love.”

  Ryan looked over at his oldest friend. “Well? I still need you on the team. What do you say?”

  “Well, it’s either this or ghost writing. Very well, sign me up for another hitch. Say Vanessa, if I can find a brain dead movie star...”

  “No problem, Dear. I hear one of Lassie’s descendents blew its mind chasing a parked car.”

  “Is THIS what I’m going to have to put up with? Can I take back my vote?”

  “NO!” Everyone chorused.

  Annie was sitting calmly on the porch taking it all in and recovering the little pieces of herself that were still consolidating gradually but cumulatively. (“What nice folks. Shame I can’t stick around. Soon as I got to where that nice young Private Cooper went, I’d cross over too.”) She wondered when to start that last journey. (“In good time. I’d like to hear the crickets once more without fearing the sunrise.”)

  Up the road and over the fields came military transports and even a couple of tanks. Five helicopters landed in the fields to unload two platoons of crack troops. The Fitzgalen family sat on the porch and watched yet another show, courtesy of the Edwards Historical Estate. Gustav looked over the porch railing at himself and shook his head.

  “Was I really that old?”