PHOENIX: Spooks

by Howard, Paul

  The real truth of what happened on that day was not learned for years to come. They had relieved public anxiety. The monster was gone, and the officials, at all levels, were happy to leave it at that.

  *****

  One tradition that had not changed over the years was the elaborate funerals that police held for fallen comrades killed in the line of duty. The funeral on the following day for Assistant Detective Larsen was no exception. Attended by hundreds, and escorted by seventy-five officers on street cruisers draped in black crêpe, it lasted the entire day.

  Governor Ryan attended and spoke briefly, along with the Chief, and the Commissioner. Larson’s entire investigative unit came out of protective custody to attend, as well as White, Sam, and Dr. Bell. The graveside service had a twenty-one gun salute. Jill Larsen, escorted by their two children and family, received his shield and an American flag.

  When it was all over Ryan finally made her peace with Dr. Bell and they parted as friends.

  She had come to realize that he was not gone at all, but something about him had changed. He was much kinder and wiser than she remembered him. She tried to ask why, but she could not learn anything from him. Inwardly she imagined that it was due to his experience in the Light, so she pursued the matter no further.

  He told her that he regretted he could not escort her to the airport, but there were other matters to attend to that made it impossible for him to do so. There was something very important that had been left undone.

  White and Sam hitched a ride back to town and stopped for drinks on the way, toasting their departed comrades repeatedly before finally going back to Central.

  White turned in his shield and Brawly took it sadly.

  “You’re a damn fine cop, Lenny,” he said, “I’m really sorry to lose you. Now go take that vacation.” A droll smile appeared at the corners of his mouth. “Somehow, I get the feeling I haven’t seen the last of you.”

  They clasped hands with a hard slap and smiled at each other warmly, their eyes never leaving each other. “Now, get the hell out of here!” Brawly snapped with a broad grin.

  Sam escorted White downstairs. This was almost as hard for him as that terrible hour on the eighty-eighth floor a few days earlier. He hoped he wouldn’t get choked up in front of his old partner as they said good-bye. Finally they had reached the lobby and made the long walk outside.

  As they emerged, Sam put his hands in the pockets of his rumpled suit and tried to think what he should say. He finally found the words.

  “You know Lenny,” he said, “I don’t think I’ll ever understand what happened up there in that hotel room yesterday.” White smiled and turned to his old partner.

  “Yes you will, Sam,” he replied, “When the time comes, you will.” Sam looked into White’s face but could see only that White understood something that he couldn’t, or wouldn’t, explain to him. He decided to change the subject.

  “So! It’s time for you to take that long vacation at last.”

  “I guess so,” White replied, “A very long one.”

  “Where will you go?” Sam asked. White drew a long breath and looked up at the sky. Finally he looked back at Sam and shook his head.

  “I wish I knew.” he replied. He offered his hand to Sam. “Take care of yourself, Sam.” He shook his partner’s hand, and it lasted as long as they spoke. Both knew that there was no way of knowing if, or when, they would meet again.

  “We keep saying good-bye.” Sam said, his voice betraying his feelings in spite of his wishes. White glowed with the feeling of friendship between them. His voice also filled with emotion as well.

  “Not good-bye. Not with us, Sam,” he said, “See you next time, Partner.”

  “Right.” Sam replied, and they let go of each other’s hands. White turned away. He took a few steps and stopped as Sam was about to go through the door.

  “Sam!” he shouted. Sam turned around and looked at him again.

  “You were a great partner, Sam. I knew I could count on you to send me up there. If you hadn’t, we might never have stopped him. I wanted you to know that.”

  Sam smiled and nodded.

  “I’ll see you on the other side!” he said. White grinned. Sam turned and went inside. White walked down the steps, not knowing what he would do next for the first time in years. He started to think about whether or not he was ready to face his mother in his new condition, and tried to work out how she would react to him.

  No. He just wasn’t ready to face her yet; things would have to be taken in stages.

  He took a few more steps and spotted Dr. Bell standing at the corner, looking at him with his hands crossed patiently. White walked up to him and looked into his face for a moment. Bell’s presence was truly an unexpected surprise.

  He was also puzzled by the expression on Bell’s face; he had a satisfied grin, like the cat that had swallowed the proverbial canary.

  “Dr. Bell?”

  Bell nodded politely.

  “Inspector White.” Bell replied.

  “What are you doing here?” White inquired. “Are you waiting for me?”

  “Yes.” Bell answered curtly.

  “Why?” White asked, very puzzled. Bell took his arm and they began down the sidewalk together.

  “Because you want answers,” Bell replied, “You deserve them.” White considered this answer for a few moments.

  “We really didn’t beat him, did we?” White asked.

  “No,” Bell said looking ahead, “We were fortunate. If he had taken his full orientation, we might never have stopped him at all. We spooks have abilities that most people wouldn’t dream of!” White stopped and looked at him strangely.

  “What kind of abilities?” he asked. Bell tugged his arm and they began to walk again.

  “You’ll find that out when you go through your own orientation on Phoenix.” Bell replied. White stopped again and looked at him.

  “Doctor, I am struggling here,” he revealed, “Maybe you can help me out. I don’t know what to do with myself, or if I will be able to cope with what’s in front of me.”

  “And what do you think is in front of you?” Bell asked him.

  “I don’t have the slightest idea,” White declared, “I feel like…well, when there was a job to do I had a purpose. Now, what’s it all for?” Bell’s expression softened, he could see how troubled White was.

  “Nothing has changed,” he replied, “You can be what you want.” White gasped with exasperation.

  “Can I?” he asked. “What have I got to look forward to now that I’m dead? I don’t even know what the truth is anymore.” Bell smiled and looked deep into his eyes.

  “Do you want to know the truth?” Bell asked him. White’s face filled with anxiety.

  “Yes, Doctor,” he said softly, “I do.”

  Bell raised his hand and offered it to White. “Take my hand.” Bell said softly. White just stared at it suspiciously.

  “Why?” White asked, remembering a similar situation in “A Christmas Carol”. Bell was certainly not The Ghost of Christmas Past. He briefly saw an image of himself flying over Los Angeles in a nightshirt. Bell smiled warmly.

  “So that you may see the truth for yourself.” he said. White looked at him curiously and finally took his hand. He felt a little foolish and smiled nervously.

  “When does the next shuttle for Phoenix leave?” he asked. Dr. Bell shook his head and grinned, like a Genie who was about to dazzle him with his best stuff.

  “Who needs a shuttle?” he replied and looked up toward the sky. White did the same.

  He saw the skyscrapers loom high overhead with a blue patch of sky, and a few clouds between them. They suddenly seemed to recede away in his perspective as he was raising above them, ahead of him only sky. He looked down as Los Angeles sprawled below him, looking like a perfectly detailed dream. The clouds moved closer until they were all around him, moist and vaporous.

  Eventually he could feel himself passing through them, the
sun’s brilliance lighting up the whole sky above, then, getting darker and darker as the air of Earth thinned and disappeared.

  There was no cold, no heat, and no sense of movement at all as he looked down at the Earth, falling away like a distant spectral sapphire against the darkness.

  He looked up as the stars began to move and dance around him, also falling away in myriad colors in the vast silence. Soon he could see the spiral arm of the Milky Way as brilliant glowing vapor, receding away and taking on a vast shape.

  Then more stars. Millions, billions, trillions of stars, in every pattern and color, streaking past him as they moved into the eternal vastness of space.

  But instead of giving way to darkness, they gave way to a Light more brilliant and deeper than anything he, or any other mortal, had ever imagined. Growing brighter and brighter, until it blocked out all of the darkness, filling his entire being with a powerful Light of awareness.

  Leonard White was seeing the truth at last.

  For Carmen