by David Gill
'What was that all about?' said Slater, after it had finished. 'What were those humping noises?'
'Humping, I guess,' said Jarvine.
'Well, it was tastefully done,' said Slater, 'particularly the moaning at the end. I bet that was the bit you liked best, wasn't it, Jenna?'
'You're sick,' said Jenna. 'Is this how you get your kicks? Can't you do sex yourselves?'
'Coming from you that's good,' said Jarvine. 'Anyone who wants to screw Declan must be really desperate.'
'I feel sorry for both of you,' said Jenna. 'You ought to get help.'
'Spare your feelings,' said Slater. He glanced slyly at Jarvine. 'After all, there must be worse things than being screwed by Declan.'
'That's kind of hard to imagine,' said Jarvine. 'What could be worse? You mean like getting it off with an animal?'
'Well, it's something along those lines. Try this for size - how about being screwed by an alien?'
Declan felt as if he had died and his body had been frozen. Jarvine wound on the recorder. 'That's a really bad thought. Let's see if I've got anything in here about it.'
The recorder again whirred into life, and, through a barrier of mental pain, Declan was again forced to listen to his own voice, this time talking to Gil.
'... there is no Brant, only an alien life form that has taken on his physical characteristics ... Brant formed a relationship with Jenna, and she fell in love for the first time ... that's why I can't say anything ... how can I tell Jenna that she's taken an alien for her partner?'
Silence again filled the cabin. Slater snorted sarcastically. 'Alien, my ass.'
Declan and Jenna exchanged glances, but remained silent.
Eventually Jarvine spoke. 'What if this did happen, would there be anything in it for us?'
'Dream on,' Slater replied. 'That woman is a compulsive liar; she'll tell you anything. Screw an alien? You must be joking.'
Jarvine grabbed Jenna by her coat and jerked her towards him. 'Lie to me, would you? I'll give you some screwing to remember.'
'Put her down,' said Slater. 'She's done the rounds; you don't know what you might catch.'
Jarvine dropped Jenna back onto the seat in disgust, and the journey continued in an uneasy silence while the two men opposite sat and pointedly ignored their captives.
Jenna moved her grip on Declan's arm, and he experienced a feeling of intense compassion towards her. No matter what she had become involved in, she still needed his protection. The cruiser nosed into a shallow descent and Declan looked outside again to see that the mountains had given way to a flat, featureless plain. Jenna nudged him and pointed through a window on the other side of the carriage to where an approaching pattern of lights spread across the ground. Large, distinctive structures thrust upwards from the ground in the bright moonlight, as if to snap at something in the sky above. Like the gaping maws of hideous wild animals, Declan recalled, and knew where they were heading.
'That's the Phasewave base,' said Jenna, unnecessarily.
The Phasewave installation appeared to be unmanned and unguarded. Slater led the way through a succession of open doors into the heart of the complex from where they proceeded along an underground corridor towards one of the units.
Slater pushed Declan and Jenna ahead. 'It's time to stop fooling around; I've had enough of you two.' He opened the bag he was carrying and pulled out an electronic prod. 'There's going to be a nasty accident, a fault in the machine. Isn't that how Brant bought it? A bolt of lightning or something flies out of the machine and finishes you off. Sounds like the same sort of problem. Serves you right for poking around where you don't belong.'
Declan found it difficult to walk with his arms pulled tight behind his back. He stopped and turned to face Slater. 'This isn't necessary. We'll change the story and say anything that you want.'
Slater pushed Declan forwards again. 'You should have thought of that earlier. It's too late now.'
A sign on the door read "UNIT FOUR". Jenna stopped, unwilling to enter the unit, until she was roughly pushed through by Jarvine. Once inside, Declan was surprised at the size of the machinery, which he had imagined to be much more compact.
'Over here,' said Jarvine, dragging Jenna to the console. 'Put your traces on that cabinet.'
Slater handed the prod to Jarvine and produced his gun. He held it to Declan's head. 'Try anything and I'll blow your brains out.'
Jenna put her hands on the cabinet and her face instantly lit up with a look of joy. 'It's here!' she said. 'The alien is here inside the machine!'
Slater and Jarvine stared at each other.
'Maybe there's something in this after all,' said Jarvine.
'Listen to me,' said Declan. 'Inside this machine is proof that everything Jenna has said is true. This is now an alien machine, this is bigger than all of us. I'll forget everything that's gone on if you help me contact the alien. You're witnessing history in the making.'
'It's too late, money's already changed hands,' said Slater. 'Step back from the machine, Jarvine, and finish her off.'
Jarvine had taken two backward steps and was raising the prod when a blinding flash of blue light snaked out of the Phasewave and struck him in the chest, throwing him backwards across the room.
Slater stood and stared in disbelief at Jarvine's smoking body. He looked up at Declan through narrowed eyes. 'You did this. It's settling time, Declan, for you and the girl. Kiss your asses goodbye.'
As if in slow motion, Declan watched the gun barrel rise to point at his face, but, before he had chance to react, he was violently pushed aside by Jenna who flew at Slater, catching him off guard and toppling him to the floor. Declan fell sideways and, as he hit the floor, heard the muffled sound of a gun discharging. He quickly rolled back to face the source of the sound and, to his amazement, saw Jenna standing over Slater's inert body which was lying on the floor. She ran across to Declan, pulled him into a sitting position and held his shoulders in a tight grasp.
'Listen!' she said. 'People are approaching and they are going to take me away. This is what you will tell them. Jarvine and Slater argued about the money and Slater killed Jarvine with the prod. Slater then tripped and fell and was accidentally killed with his own gun.'
Declan stared at her in disbelief. He started to object, but she slapped him hard across the face. The sounds of approaching running feet could be heard echoing through the building.
'Say it, Declan. This is our story and we will stick with it whatever happens. Slater killed Jarvine with the prod, and then fell and killed himself accidentally with his own gun. That is all.' She slapped Declan across the face again. 'Say it! Now!'
As if in a stupor, Declan heard himself saying the words, 'Slater killed Jarvine. Tripped and shot himself.'
Suddenly the unit was full of armed men in combat clothing. Someone helped him to his feet and untied his wrists while Jenna was led from the room. Declan stood, clutching his numb arms and stared at the bodies on the floor, trying to come to terms with what had just happened. For a moment there was silence. Declan faced a line of motionless, masked men, their goggles reflecting the coloured light from inside the room. Nobody moved and the silence seemed to stretch endlessly. And then a line of poetry floated to the surface of his consciousness – about restless souls looking out through the mirrors of their eyes – and he heard a voice from the past explaining that every journey has its magic moment, the one exceptional, memorable event which becomes forever linked with that particular journey, and with utter certainty Declan realized that he was about to take part in one of those rare experiences. The picture formed in his mind and did not change; it had become frozen in time. Then a messager sounded. Somebody entered the room. Everyone suddenly moved and the picture vanished into a sea of motion. From within the confusion a hand took Declan's arm, shepherded him from the building and walked him in a daze outside into the bright lights of the Phasewave base.
'Are you alright?' asked Moran.
Declan tried to
straighten his arms fully. He turned and stared, lost for words, at the slightly built man with thinning hair who was standing next to him.
'Are you injured? I can take you for treatment if you need it.'
Declan flexed his arms again. The feeling was beginning to return. He shook his head. 'No. No, I'm okay. How did you trace us?'
'We had a stroke of luck. Unknown to us, the surveillance had been continued until after you left Plano. Milo alerted me when he checked the tapes after returning to Kalmis, and we managed to track the cruiser. Everything that happened is on record. Looks like we only just got here in time.'
'Where's Gil?'
'Gil's in hospital with a cracked skull. He's not in any danger but was somewhat annoyed not to be able to come here. The medics had to sedate him to keep him down. Tell me, what happened back there?'
'Slater and Jarvine brought us here to kill us and make our deaths look like an accident caused by an electrical discharge from the Phasewave.'
'So how did you avoid that?'
Then Declan found himself saying the words he never thought he could say. 'There was an argument and Slater killed Jarvine with the prod. He then tripped and fell on his own gun, which went off and killed him.' It was the lamest story he had ever heard.
Moran did not say anything, but his eyes widened. He turned and stared for a long time at the Phasewave unit, as if seeking confirmation. Eventually he turned back to Declan. 'Well, it was lucky for you then, wasn't it?'
'I believe it was,' said Declan. The two men then walked to the waiting transporter without another word being uttered.
The cruiser lifted off and Declan stared out of the cabin window, still confused and not entirely sure what had just occurred. He began to relive the events of the day, until his mind became incapable of making any sense all, at which point he gave up and watched the clouds fall behind as the cruiser climbed into a silver night sky where the pock-marked face of a giant moon stared curiously down at him.
The darkened room was locked in silence. Only small pools of reflected light positioned at intervals along the surface of the central table marked the presence of its four occupants. While Gil waited for the men opposite to finish reading their copies of his report he looked around the chamber and realized, for the first time ever, that he no longer felt any respect for the people he faced.
'It was most unfortunate that two people in your charge almost lost their lives,' said Correy.
'Yes,' agreed Gil.
'And you still have no evidence to prove or disprove the original charges,' added Hannif.
'There was proof,' said Gil. 'There was video evidence and a diary from a member of the original crew. Jenna told the truth but nobody would believe her. That proof was removed by the original investigating agencies.'
'In that case,' said Hannif, 'the case cannot be closed.'
So this was it. He was being lined up to take the fall. Goodbye department, goodbye job. Was he going to fight or accept it? At that moment he did not care either way; he no longer had anything to lose.
'But in this most unusual case,' added Soulah, 'the Council is willing to drop all charges against the persons concerned, even though the case will remain open. Do you have anything else to say before we move to the next subject?'
'What do you expect me to say?' said Gil. 'My department carried out exactly what was required of it.'
An abrupt silence brought the conversation to a halt and Gil immediately sensed that something was wrong.
'This is all very well, gentlemen,' Correy growled, 'but we must now move on. We have to face a more serious issue. Gil, you may be wondering why our former colleague Goldman is no longer with us.'
Gil waited for an explanation.
'There has been an incident, an unfortunate complication,' interrupted Hannif. 'Goldman exceeded his authority in certain respects and has now been forced to resign from the council.'
Gil stared at them. What were they trying to tell him?
'You may not be aware that Goldman had unfortunately become personally involved in this case,' said Correy.
So the rumour was true! Gil was taken by surprise at hearing something so serious being openly discussed at a Council meeting. He pursued the subject. 'In what way was Goldman involved in this case?'
The embarrassing silence returned. So there was more. What were they hiding? He suddenly realized that he was speaking from a position of strength. 'Am I correct in assuming that it was Goldman who placed the contract on Jenna and Declan?'
'It was most unfortunate,' said Hannif.
'But we must not jump to conclusions,' Soulah hastily added in his nasal whine. 'We are not yet fully aware of the circumstances.'
Gil nodded at the reports lying on the table. 'It's all in there. The circumstances are all covered in those reports.'
Nobody spoke. Hannif carefully studied his fingertips and Soulah seemed absorbed in discovering the source of artificial light in the room.
'We've recently been studying concepts,' Correy eventually said. 'One of the ways forward, we believe, is the merger of disparate departments. It has long been our aim to rationalise the mandates of the Justice Department and the Security Service to improve the flow of communication between arms of the two services. We now propose to disband the Justice Department and merge it into the Security Service.'
So they were going to get rid of him by closing down his department, thought Gil. Not without a fight, he was not going to take a shafting when that bastard Goldman had pulled him off the case in order to allow Slater to kill his charges. An icy rage focused Gil's thoughts. Armed with the proof that a council member had been an accessory to attempted murder, he determined to tarnish the name of the Security Council forever, whatever the personal cost.
'Which leaves me where?' he demanded.
'Following Goldman's departure a position has become vacant on the Council,' said Correy.
Gil stared back at the three men.
'You don't have to give us your answer immediately,' said Hannif.
'All Council posts are by invitation only,' stressed Correy.
'Let me get this right,' said Gil, taken aback by the change of events. 'You are offering me a job on the Security Council?'
It was the others' turn to look puzzled.
'Of course,' said Hannif, 'but think it over and let us know when you are ready. No-one else is being considered for the position.'
Gil left the Council chambers in a state of light-headed shock. The world was upside down. Real was unreal, and people disappeared and reappeared wearing each other's bodies. Aliens came and went with impunity and now he had been offered a place on the Security Council! He did not know whether to laugh or cry. People stared at the small, balding man who had stopped in the middle of the walkway to talk to himself. The man looked up to find a small crowd watching his antics and burst into hysterical laughter.
'You're all crazy!' he shouted. 'This whole place is unbelievable, totally unfuckingbelievable!'
The locks clicked open and the prison guard pulled open the door to let Declan into the room.
'Let me know when you're ready,' said the guard disinterestedly.
Declan had not seen Jenna since the incident in the Phasewave, but that morning had heard that all charges against her had been withdrawn and that she was to be released. Jenna's face lit up when she saw him enter the room. She ran over and flung her arms around him.
'I'm so pleased to see you.'
'Me too,' said Declan. 'I just heard the news that you're free to go.'
'It's great news. Now, I have got so much to tell you.'
Declan observed a neat line of cases placed against a wall. 'Are you leaving already? Have you received your release instructions?'
'Don't worry about that. I'm leaving soon and I always leave my belongings tidy.'
'I don't understand,' said Declan.
'You never do,' said Jenna. 'After I have spoken to you I am going to walk out of here for good and n
obody is going to be able to stop me.'
Declan raised his eyebrows. 'Forgive me for pointing this out but there is just the small problem of the number of locked doors between you and the outside world.'
'I won't let that stop me. I am going to meet Brant at the Kalmis Phasewave base'.
'Are you joking? Has Brant been released?'
Jenna smiled at him. 'No, not actually released, he just walked out of the prison hospital. He has done it before, if you remember.
'I'm confused,' said Declan, 'and you are talking in riddles.'
'Let me put your mind at rest,' said Jenna. She walked over to the exit door. 'This door is electronically locked. Do you think I can open it?'
'Of course I don't.'
'Would you gamble your entire reputation on what you just said - that I cannot open this door any time I want to?'
Declan walked to the door and tried to open it, but the handle was disconnected and rotated freely. 'Yes,' he said. 'I think that is a safe gamble.'
Jenna reached out and turned the handle. The door opened. She smiled triumphantly. 'There you are. It was easy.' She then closed the door.
Declan was surprised. He tried the door again but it remained locked.
'Tell me, Declan, why did you just gamble away all your reputation rather than accepting what I told you.' Jenna then opened and slowly closed the door again. 'Soooo easy,' she said reflectively.
Declan was very confused. 'This is a trick. You are playing a trick on me.'
'It's not a trick and soon all will be revealed.'
'I've had enough of your tricks. I came here in good faith, and if all you want to do is play games I shall leave.'
'I'm losing my patience with you!' snapped Jenna. 'What kind of investigator are you? Have you have no curiosity at all? Last time we were together some strange things happened didn't they? Like how did I manage to contact the alien inside the machine, or where did the bolt of electricity that killed Jarvine come from? Haven't you yet worked out that I killed Slater?'