by S. T. Boston
“We wouldn't have it any other way, sir,” said Adam. “I would also like us both to be on that craft when it travels to Earth.”
“Of course,” Elohim replied.
Adam looked at his friend, and hoped Sam would be well enough in a year to make the trip. He wasn't certain his dearest friend would make it.
Epilogue Part 3
Xavier Becker emerged from the transportation hub and immediately cold, unforgiving rain hit his grey hair, plastering it to his face. The icy cold droplets ran down his brow and chased each other along the wrinkles in his skin, which had become increasingly prevalent over the past few years. He barely noticed the tiny electrical charges which ran over his skin, and why would he? The hub was the only way to travel on Arkkadia, a seemingly infinite number of tiny gateways which crisscrossed the planet allowing the user to travel instantaneously to any point on the globe. It was fast, but more importantly, it was completely carbon neutral and powered by the planet itself. It was a smaller and less power-hungry version of the Tabut, which his father and uncle had used to travel to Arkkadia many years earlier. His parents, as well as his uncle had told him stories as a boy, stories of Earth and the millions of cars and other fuel-hungry devices which were used by Earth-Humans to travel across their planet. Although technically a child of Earth, he'd never seen such things, and to him they seemed as odd and alien as this marvellous system would to any Earth-Human.
Without thinking he pulled the off-white collar of his coat up, hunching it further over his shoulders in a futile effort to stop the intruding rain from running down his neck and reaching his back. Without pausing, he made his way along the path toward Adam and Oriyanna's residence.
The structure, like many on Arkkadia appeared seamless, as if moulded in its entirety at the point of manufacture. The large windows were shiny and black, as if onyx had been fed into the mixture at the time of production. It meant one thing – neither Adam nor Oriyanna were awake yet, and why would they be? It was earlier in the day here than in Unia. Arkus, the planet's sun was still low in the sky, hidden behind the brooding grey skies. Behind the three-story property the land rolled down to a beach, and in the distance Xavier could see the closest of the Halethian Islands, the rest obscured by mist. A dreary and depressing dawn was on its way to creating a new day. For the briefest of moments, Xavier thought how fitting it was that a day, such as this day, was a reflection of his own sombre mood.
His shoes splashed across the water-logged path and he arrived at the door; like the windows it was as black as night. There was no time to worry about the earliness of the hour, and clearing his throat Xavier thumped hard on the door, his wet hand balled tightly into a fist. Time seemed to pass in slow motion as he waited, one foot tapping impatiently on the path, splashing up small droplets of water that beaded on his shoes. When he raised his hand to knock for a second time, the blackened glass in every window became clear, and on the other side of the door, completely dry and wrapped in a robe was his uncle. Adam's youthful face was still half asleep, his eyes squinting in the dim light to see who was calling at such an early hour. Seeing his nephew, his face paled, worry creasing his brow.
“Is it?” began Adam, pulling the robe tighter around his body as he opened the door and rain fell on his face.
“Yes,” Xavier replied solemnly, “he's been asking for you; for both of you.” Xavier stepped into the house and shook a little of the rain from his coat; the droplets pooling on the black tiled floor.
Adam turned and made his way toward the bedroom. “How much longer does he have?” he asked, , his voice already starting to waver.
“An hour, two at most. The nurse said it could be less; they just don't know. He's going downhill swiftly.” Xavier raised his voice as Adam disappeared from view. “They've tried to treat him, but he's having none of it. He says it's time.” A minute later his uncle reappeared dressed in pale slacks, pulling a thin blue jumper over his matted brown hair. He ran his hands over the material, immediately freeing it from any creases.
“Obviously, he's still being as stubborn as a mule.”
“Always,” Xavier replied, managing a half-cocked smile.
“Some things never change.”
“Is the hub still open for the return trip?” came Oriyanna's voice as she paced through into the lobby, pawing at her long, sleep-tangled blonde hair in an inane effort to tidy it. She was dressed, but her black leggings and red tee-shirt looked as if they'd been thrown on in a hurry.
“Yes, we can go straight to the hospital, but we must leave now!” Xavier turned, pushed the door open and stepped back out into the cold, wet weather. Not bothering to grab a jacket, both Adam and Oriyanna followed suit, and the three huddled figures hurried down the path, reached the transportation hub and vanished.
* * *
Adam found Sam laid up in a partially-reclined bed. A single small, white square hung four feet above his frail body, monitoring everything from his pulse to his bowel movements. A small screen to the left of the bed displayed the readings in Arkkadian.
“This is… the… same hospital… they had… us in— right back when… we… first came through— the Tabut,” Sam croaked, when Adam and Oriyanna reached his side.
“I know,” Adam replied, taking hold of his friend's hand. It felt bony and cold, remidning Adam of a bird's claw. “Is there nothing they can do?”
Sam smiled, his lips no more than thin lines against his mottled flesh. “Probably, yes,” he croaked. “This… isn't the NHS, you… know.”
“Then let them help you,” Adam pleaded. “We're so close now to going home, and I need you there.”
“No,” Sam said, his face creased with pain and his cold grip tightened on Adam's hand. “I'm tired. This… is… your thing, Adam. We both… knew I wouldn't make that trip, not alive… anyway. I… got to… see us succeed… that's enough.” He broke into a harsh coughing fit, and when he got it under control he grinned. “Hey – those NASA guys – are… going to be… pissed when they… find out they're not… the… first to get a human… to an alien… planet. One…small step… and all that shit.” Sam broke into another fit of hacking coughs which shook his frail body, and when it finally subsided he managed a half-cocked smile.
Adam smiled, too, but it was forced. “Joker 'til the end,” he said, fighting back tears which seemed destined to fall no matter how hard he tried to quell them.
“I… fully intend… on being… on… that mission. Me and Lucie,” he said, each word seeming harder for him to say than the last. “Take… us home, you know… where.”
“Oxlease Meadows, where you proposed?” The tears were falling in earnest now, and when Adam looked across at Oriyanna he saw her blue eyes were swimming with them, too. Xavier was sitting on a chair at the opposite side of the bed, clutching his father's hand.
Sam nodded, his head moving slowly against the pillow. “That's the… place. Unless they've… built… a… council estate… on it since we… left.” Sam tried to grin, but the side of his face drooped slightly. “We… made a… difference, didn't we?”
“Yeah,” said Adam, his voice breaking. “I think we did. It was a hell of a ride, though, huh?”
Sam didn't offer a reply, merely managed to nod his head as if satisfied before falling asleep. Deep, rattling sounds echoed from his frail body.
“He is very close,” Oriyanna said in a sad voice.
That was the last time Adam spoke to him, and he never regained consciousness. Much to everyone's amazement, Sam held on in that comatose sleep for the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon. None of them left his side. Occasionally, he would mutter something inaudible as if conversing with someone. Occasionally, he called Lucie's name with amazing clarity, sometimes Adam's, too, as old memories washed through his mind. Adam and Xavier held his hands the whole time, occasionally brushing a loose strand of grey hair away from his clammy forehead.
By early afternoon, the morning's rain had cleared and a breeze chased
the clouds away, leaving behind a beautifully bright day. Sam died peacefully as the sun began to set behind the distant mountains, casting his hospital room in a golden, almost serene light.
Epilogue Part 4
The July morning was warm and pleasant as Adam and Oriyanna walked across the dew-covered grass toward a pair of tall oak trees, which stood alone on the fringe of the small forest at Oxlease Meadows, just on the outskirts of a very different looking London to the one Adam had left behind on a very wet and miserable September afternoon, a little over eighty-one years ago.
“It hasn't changed much,” Adam announced, referring to the park. He watched a dog walker throwing a stick for an overweight chocolate Labrador, who chased it down eagerly, although quite slowly. In the distance, a whole new host of skyscrapers littered the London skyline, reaching into a clear blue sky, and all far taller than any he could remember. It reminded him more of New York, than the capital of England.
“This is the place then?” Oriyanna asked, when they stopped by one of the dark brown tree trunks.
“Yes, I'm certain. We used to climb these oaks as kids, then try to knock each other out of the branches by throwing acorns at one another.” Adam smiled at the memory. “So long ago.” He gazed at the distant London skyline for the briefest of moments before returning his attention to Oriyanna. “Let's put them to rest,” he said wistfully.
Adam unscrewed the tops of the two small metallic urns he'd been carrying and passed one to Oriyanna, and together they scattered the ashes onto the grass at the base of the tree.
“Home,” he said, hot tears welling up in his eyes. “It was a long journey, wasn't it?” Lucie and Sam's ashes mixed together on the light breeze and scattered, becoming one with the ground.
“Do you think they are with us now, watching?” Adam asked, looking at her questioningly.
“I don't know,” she replied. “It's possible – yes. No matter how advanced you become, or how much science you study, the universe still holds on to its share of secrets.” Oriyanna smiled and took hold of his hand, interlocking her fingers with his.
Adam nodded thoughtfully. “I guess so,” he finally conceded.
“Today is the day then,” Oriyanna said, purposely changing the subject. “One mass, simultaneous broadcast across every media platform on Earth.”
“It's the safest way,” Adam smiled. “Did you never see that movie where the aliens just hovered over the White House in a massive, city-sized spaceship?”
“No,” Oriyanna said, sounding uncertain of the direction he was taking.
“Well, it didn't really work out well for anyone,” Adam grinned. “This is by far the safest option. And it will also ensure no government can cover it up. The people have a right to know; this is for everyone.”
“Do you ever wonder what happened to that book of yours?” she asked, as they strolled hand-in-hand across the park, looking no different to any other couple enjoying the clement Sunday morning air.
“Not really,” Adam said dismissively. “I somehow doubt I've become a bestselling writer that in my absence.”
“Well, you never know,” she grinned. “This is going to be quite a lengthy mission, and we're going to be on Earth for quite some time. Maybe you should work on a sequel.”
From the Author
Well, here we are again. This is certainly nowhere I envisaged either one of us being when I first began to write Book One! But nonetheless, here we are, at the end of Book Two!
I'd like to personally thank you for reading the Watchers books and I sincerely hope you enjoyed the ride. Unfortunately, this is where the story ends. I hope you like what happened to the characters at the end. It took me a little time to figure out just where their lives would go after the main story and I didn't really want to leave it to your imagination. What I do however leave to your imagination, is exactly how the human race will take the news that Adam and Oriyanna are about to deliver.
S.T Boston
Thank you for taking time to read The Silent Neighbours. If you enjoyed it, please consider telling your friends or posting a short review. Word of mouth is an author’s best friend and much appreciated.