by Phil Price
“Do you think she saw us?” Rex said as he manned the controls.
“Not sure. She certainly stared at us for long enough, but it looks like we’re okay for now. How long until the imaging is complete?”
“Two minutes. The language upload is complete. We’re almost ready to begin,” Rex said expectantly. The trio sat there, observing the strange. alien landscape. They could see figures moving around the field, stopping at awnings, lit by orange globes. They sat in silence, completely in awe of the spectacle in front of them. A noise from the console broke their trances. “Imaging finished,” Rex said.
“Okay. We’ll send the pulse back through the void, once we have analysed our subjects.” Rex gently coaxed the ship forwards, until it was a few hundred feet away from the field. Underneath, a farmhouse sat quietly, smoke rising from its chimney. The animals were in their pens for the night. Cows, pigs, chickens, and a few horses, huddled together against the oncoming chill of autumn. Above the farmhouse, an invisible beam spread across the land, removing all traces of life. “Hold there, Rex,” Torben said, the ship coming to a halt over the field. “Okay. Get ready with the teleport beam. It should not take long to round up the rest of them.” Torben nodded to himself as the figures in the field dissipated into thin air, leaving the field devoid of life. Torben stood, leaving the cockpit with Kyra, heading aft in tandem. The ship gained altitude, Rex increasing their speed until they had broken orbit, away from the pull of the planet’s gravity. He set his course for the strange red planet, a contented smile playing over his furry face.
Helen made her way back from the village hall, her arms full of things for the event. Her chestnut hair bounced off her coat collar as she hurried towards the fete. I really must lay off the cakes, she thought as she broke out into a sweat. Since having her two children in her late thirties, she had noticed a thickening of her waist. She’d tried all the weight loss plans. Zumba, along with a torturous activity, where she rolled around in a wet park, heading home afterwards, constantly shivering. Nothing seemed to stick, except for the cakes and savouries that she munched through on a daily basis. Helen would start afresh after the New Year, she told herself as she rounded the entrance to the Halloween fete. She stopped dead, only taking a few tentative steps after the initial surprise. The field was empty. The woman walked over to Gemma’s stall, her boots digging into the soft earth. There was no sign of her, except for her leather bag that sat silently on the trestle table. Where have they all gone? she thought as she surveyed the field. She could make out a few children’s buggies, along with a few toys that lay on the wet grass. What the hell has happened? Her next thought made icy fingers crawl across her skin. Terrorists? Surely not. I’d have heard something, she thought as she made her way back towards the village hall, her smartphone primed for action.
Eight
Gemma’s eyes fluttered open. She lay there for a moment, looking at the white ceiling. She could sense a gentle pulsing of colour somewhere, her head turning to its left. She saw white walls that changed their hue every few seconds. A large white door with a window set in the top stood at one end of the strange room. Am I dreaming? Her eyes moved further, taking in a long line of windows set in the white wall. Am I in hospital? She sat up, her head woozy. Sleeping forms lay all around her. She recognised a few people from the fete; the family that she was talking to lay close by. She climbed to her feet, feeling slightly shaky. Where am I? she thought as she headed over towards the door. Her progress was halted as she met an invisible field that fizzed when she touched it. She pushed again, her palms crackling gently. The force field was impenetrable. The woman walked over towards the line of windows, her feet sounding loud in the confines of the room. Other people were waking up around her, groggily wondering where they were like Gemma had seconds before.
“Hello,” a woman called over to her. “Where are we?”
“I don’t know,” Gemma said, her throat feeling dry.
A child began crying. “Mummy. I want to go home. I’m scared.” The boy’s mother cradled the child, rocking him gently while her eyes played frantically around the room.
The double doors opened, two people entering. Gemma headed over to them, noting that they looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. “Where are we?” Gemma said, noticing how attractive the tall woman was.
The man looked dark and moody, his dark hair and brows giving him an imposing aura. “Hello. My name is Torben. This is Kyra. You are aboard my ship, heading for Valkash.”
“What ship?” a man said as he approached, his voice unnaturally loud. “Where the hell are we?” More people were walking towards Torben and Kyra, the restless murmurings growing steadily louder.
“My ship,” Torben said calmly. “Shimmer050. We have journeyed far to be here. You are travelling to your new home, a planet called Valkash, on the other side of the cosmos. There you will live out your lives in a replica of your homes, for the enjoyment of tourists from many different worlds.”
Exclamations could be heard echoing off the walls as the news carried to everyone. “Is this some kind of fucking sick prank?” a large man said as he pushed himself to the front. He stood eyeball to eyeball with Torben, his hands pressed against the force field. “Take us back to Belbroughton. Now!”
Torben turned towards a control panel on the wall. He pressed a button before turning back to the humans. A mist descended on the captives, subduing them. “I know this is a lot to take in. But I have my orders. You will be at your new home soon. It won’t be as bad as you think. You will have comfortable lives. Now, we must leave you to check on the rest of the cargo. Food and drinks will be sent through to you shortly. I will ask the crew to provide something more comfortable for you to rest on. I can see that you have children here. The crew will be along shortly. At the far end of the room, there are facilities where you can wash and relieve yourselves.” The aliens left the room, leaving the villagers staring after them. Unsure of what to say or do next.
Sarah opened her eyes as if she was trying to awaken from a long foggy sleep. She blinked a few times, trying to shift the fug that hung over her. In front of her was a glass wall, encasing her. The woman looked up, seeing a bright light overhead, and thin red laser-like strobes moving up and down her body. She looked to the floor, blinking rapidly, noticing that her leather boots were still on. She placed her fingers on the glass in front of her, noticing the slight vibration that the glass gave off. Where am I? she thought, looking to her left. In a larger glass bubble next to her, a cow stood, its head gently rising and falling as more lasers scoured the animal’s flank. Past the cow, a sheep stood on nervous legs, turning around inside the enclosed space. The last glass enclosure contained various birds, all flapping around excitedly, bouncing off the toughened walls, trying to escape. This is a dream, Sarah thought, noticing the two strange figures close to a twin pair of doors. They stood watching her, a holographic display in front of them. She could see them conversing with each other, with Sarah unable to hear the exchange through the glass cocoon. Panic spread through her body, her fists bunching before they started hammering on the glass prison. “Let me out of here!” she shouted. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” She continued for a full minute, but the strange beings stayed unmoved by her tirade. A faint hissing noise invaded the chamber, and Sarah started looking up as a gentle mist fell from above, drifting over her. She suddenly felt heavy, her eyelids drooping as she slid down the glass walls to the floor. Then, darkness.
“Your reports, Captain,” a white-clad figure said to Torben as he entered the cockpit.
“Thank you,” Torben replied, accepting the small device from the male, who turned and left without another word. He pressed a small button on the device, seeing a holographic figure appearing before him. He watched the display, looking at the blonde female in front of him. A soft female voice sounded across the cockpit, Rex seemingly oblivious to the information being imparted as he looked down at the strange planet below him, its ocea
ns mesmerising the hominid.
“Ninety-nine percent of the human composition is made up from six elements. Oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus. Most of the remaining percentage is composed of, potassium, sulfur, sodium, chlorine, and magnesium. Average life expectancy is between seventy-five and eighty-five Earth years. Humans are susceptible to the following conditions; cancers, organ deterioration, neural impairment and haemorrhage. This subject has no such conditions and would be considered of good health.”
Torben listened, less intently, to the analysis of the indigenous animals that they had captured, his interest waning. “Rex, upload the information to the pulse.”
“Okay, skipper.” He waited a few seconds, nodding to himself. “Ready to deploy.” A small black box, cylindrical in shape, shot out of the back of Shimmer050, a mini shockwave appearing as it gained altitude. Seconds later it was passing the International Space Station, heading for Mars. Millions of miles away, across the Solar System, the fabric of space started to contract. A dark bubble, a few feet across began rotating slowly, pulling the unseen box towards it. Three minutes later the box ploughed through the bubble at the speed of light, creating a ripple in space that fanned out in all directions. Moments after, the bubble vanished, returning the cosmos to its normal state.
Helen stood in the misty field, the blue light from the police cars cutting through the fog. Two officers had questioned her, telling Helen that they may need her to make a formal statement. Where have they gone? She thought. They can’t have just vanished on the wind. Her thoughts were interrupted by a man’s voice.
“Helen. Any news?” The man approached her, his unruly mass of dark hair almost covering his bleary eyes.
“Nothing, Hugh. I’ve spoken to them again a few minutes ago. I suppose they are doing what police do. Where are the boys?”
“Agatha from next door is sitting with them. They are already wondering where Gemma is, and it’s only been twelve hours since she was last seen. I can’t for the life of me believe that in the time it took you to walk to the village hall and back, over a hundred people vanished in the night. It’s like something from a movie or the X-Files.”
“I keep thinking about it. There was hardly any traffic through the village. It was very quiet. The loudest noise was coming from The Talbot. And even that was not loud. If someone had driven in and snatched them, surely I’d have heard them approach. A coach or lorry would be needed. Unless they were all shepherded on foot.”
“But you’d probably have heard people struggling or calling for help. From what you’ve said, it looks like they just vanished.”
Hugh’s voice cracked with emotion, his anxiety levels increasing with every minute that passed. Helen put her arm on his shoulder, squeezing it gently. “They’ll find them. They can’t have gone far, Hugh. Wherever they are, they’ll be home soon.”
Gemma woke once more, her head woozy. A few of the villagers were standing close to the doorway, talking quietly. Her neck was sore, her mauve coat not really suitable as a make-shift pillow. She stood up, her feet sliding over the smooth white floor as she made her way to the others. “More food?” she said, eyeing the two tables laden with provisions.
“Looks like it,” a man said wearily. He turned to Gemma, a half smile trying to transform his coffee coloured face. “I’m Loz.”
She looked at the man, liking his friendly face. He looked roughly her age, with closely cropped dark hair. The man towered over her modest height, although she could sense no threat from him. “Gemma. I’ve seen you around the village.”
“Likewise. You have two little boys?”
“Yes. Finn and Oscar.” A stabbing pain deep in her chest almost made her cry out in anguish. What am I going to do? Tears formed at the corners of her eyes, as the situation dawned on her all over again. She was trapped.
“I keep expecting a TV presenter to appear from a secret doorway, telling us all it’s been an elaborate hoax.”
“I really don’t know what to make of this. It’s just unbelievable.”
Two male figures walked into the room, gently depositing a young blonde lady on the floor before walking back out of the enclosed space. Gemma looked over at her, wondering where she had come from. Other villagers were looking too as the woman curled up on the floor and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep as the ship gently thrummed underneath her. People headed over to the table, the smell of food rousing them from their sleep. Gemma took a plate, filling it with strange looking fruit and biscuits, grabbing a bottle of pink liquid before heading back to her spot in the corner of the room. She absently nibbled on her food, watching families queue for the offering. Small children clung to their parents’ clothing, shuffling behind them as the throng of villagers grabbed what food was on offer. She placed the plate on the floor, picking up the bottle. Unscrewing the lid, Gemma took a long pull on the liquid, liking the sweet fizzy taste that seemed to re-energise her slightly. An elderly woman headed over towards her, the plate in her hands shaking as she walked.
“Can I sit next to you while I eat?” she asked, her accent neutral and soft.
“Sure,” Gemma replied as the woman slowly sat down heavily, leaning against the gently thrumming wall.
“You’re Gemma, aren’t you?”
“Yes. I’m sorry, but I don’t think we have met.”
“I’m Rose. Helen’s aunt. I was at the fete with the others. I thought something wasn’t right. I could see the sky shimmering above the field.”
“I saw that too,” Gemma replied. “It looked like something was hovering above us. Then we all woke up here.”
Their heads turned as the doors at the far end of the room opened. Shouts and curses rang out from the villagers as a man and woman entered. They stood there, arms folded over their chests, becoming lost from sight as a throng of villagers crowded the invisible force field that separated them from the abductors. “I am going to remove the shield,” the man said. “Do not try anything.”
Gemma climbed to her feet as a crackle filled the room. She walked over, shouldering her way to the front of the group. “Why have you done this?” she uttered. “You have taken me away from my family. There are laws against that.”
“Please, stand aside,” Torben said softly. They did so, allowing the captain and Kyra into the long room that throbbed gently from the ship’s engines. The duo stood next to the table, their expressions blank. “My name is Torben. This is Kyra,” he said motioning to his left. “You have questions. Please proceed.”
“Where are we?” Loz said as he cradled his plate in the crook of his elbow.
“You are on board Shimer050, an exploratory vessel, sent to your planet to take a sample of the species that live there. We are heading to another planet on the far side of the universe.”
“Why?” Gemma shrieked.
Others joined in, advancing on the strangers, who stood next to the table. Kyra pulled a small device from her pocket, aiming it at a villager. “Step back,” she commanded quietly.
“Fuck you,” the large man shouted, meaty hands reaching for her. A flash from the device lit the room, and the man slumped to the floor lifelessly. Villagers exclaimed in unison, moving back a few steps. Loz looked down at the villager, dragging him along the smooth white floor with a meaty paw, away from the others.
“We have our orders,” Torben said solemnly. “You need to get used to this. We will be at Valkash in a few days. Your home has been recreated. You will live out your days there. You will be provided for.”
“We have families back at home,” Gemma said, tears running down her face. “I have two boys, who need their Mummy.”
Another woman stepped forward, her chestnut hair framing an attractive face. Dark glasses sat on her nose, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. “My Mother is sick. I left her at home. She needs me.”
Her soft voice almost struck a chord with the ship’s captain. He braced himself. “As I said, we have our orders. Eat some food. We wil
l be back shortly. The villagers stood in silence as the duo left the room. The doors hissed shut, cocooning them in the low-slung room. The woman with the glasses turned to Gemma. “Come and sit down hun,” she said softly, taking the younger woman by the arm. “We all need to get our heads around this. But we need to eat.”
Sliding down the wall, Gemma absently nibbled at a brown piece of fruit, almost liking the grainy texture. She looked at the woman next to her, guessing that she was approaching forty. She instantly liked her friendly expression, a reassuring smile slowing her pulse somewhat. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around the village,” she said.
“Probably not hun. I live in Wales. I was visiting mum, as her health has taken a turn for the worse. I’m Caroline,” she said extending her hand.
“The younger woman took it, squeezing it gently. “Gemma. Sorry to hear about your mum.”
“It’s okay. She’s on her own now. Her health has been deteriorating of late, with trips to the doctors and the hospital. I was in the process of moving up to Belbroughton to spend some time with her. That now looks like it’s gone to shit.”
“Despite her predicament, Gemma smiled, liking the woman more and more. She absently flicked the pink band on her wrist, twirling her thumb around it.
Caroline looked down and smiled, holding her own wrist aloft. “Snap,” she said, twanging the band against her own wrist. “Helps, doesn’t it.”
Gemma nodded. “Yes, it does. More than people might think. I hope they have some, wherever we are heading.”
“Try not to worry. I am sure there is some way out of this.”
“Do you remember anything?” Gemma asked as a memory floated back to her.
“No, nothing,” the other woman replied.