by Dean, Warren
"You can come with me if you like," he said, shrugging. If this really was the Prime Minister and his wife, then maybe they would put in a good word for him and he could apply for early parole.
"Thank you, Hal," said Connie, falling in beside him without hesitation.
"It's Haliburton Wray," he said, extending her his hand.
"Connie Parke," she replied, taking it. "Nice to meet you."
They began to pick their way down the debris laden street, Winston huffing along wheezily behind them.
From time to time, Hal saw him check his 'link, but it seemed that the Personet was down. The servers in the area must have been destroyed along with everything else.
"Do you know what happened?" he asked the Prime Minister.
"Not really", said Winston. "Connie and I were at a do at The Brunswick when the missiles hit. All the office was able to tell me before my 'link went down was that a series of intercontinental ballistic missiles had been detected entering British Airspace. They seemed to have been launched from the United States, but the American authorities denied it. At first, we thought it was a mistake, a computer glitch. The Americans are our allies; why would they fire missiles at us? Then ground reports came in, confirming the incoming missiles.
"We launched counter measures, but it was too late. Some of the missiles got through and hit the city. Since then, I have not been able to get any information. I have no idea of the extent of the damage. Most of the people at The Brunswick were killed or injured in the blast, including our security detail. When no emergency services arrived, Connie and I decided to try to get back to Downing Street by ourselves. When we left the shopping centre, we were seen by those thugs who chased us into the park. That was when you found us.
"The only consolation is that the missiles were carrying conventional warheads. If they had been nuclear, none of us would be standing here now."
He looked at his 'link again. "I just wish I could get hold of someone. I don't even know whether everyone at the office is alright."
"We'll find out soon, dear," said Connie, trying to comfort him. "There is no use worrying about it now."
As they continued down Gray's Inn Road, a strange thing happened. In ones and twos, people began following them. At first, Hal kept glancing anxiously at them, wondering what they were after. But then he realised that they were just ordinary people, scared and confused. Many of them were injured. Hal and his companions looked like they knew where they were going, so people assumed that they did.
After a couple of hours, there must have been a hundred people in the group. When they passed a relatively intact supermarket, Connie suggested that they go in to find food and water. It was past midday, and there was still no sign of any emergency services. People were tired and thirsty and, although Winston baulked at the idea of taking goods without paying for them, Connie persuaded him that they had no choice.
So, Hal found himself adding justifiable theft to his other justifiable crimes, hauling bottles of water and packets of biscuits out of the store by the trolley full. All under the watchful eye of the Prime Minister himself.
When everyone had been given something to eat and drink, Hal, Connie and Winston resumed the trudge down the street. Hal looked back over his shoulder at the people following them. The group was twice the size it had been when they had stopped at the supermarket. He hoped that they would find help soon; he was not equipped to take care of so many people.
They reached Aldwych in the late afternoon and turned right into the Strand. They were getting close to Downing Street, and the signs were not good. On both sides of the street, the buildings had been destroyed or severely damaged and there was little sign of life. At one point, they walked towards a double-decker bus. From the front, the vehicle looked completely intact, and for a moment Hal thought they might be able to use it to carry some of the injured. But when they went past the bus, they saw that its rear end was missing.
When they got to Trafalgar Square, they saw that a large number of people had converged there. More were arriving all the time. Hal's group joined them, people finding space to sit or lie down amongst the others already there. Evening fell and the temperature began to drop. From where he stood, Hal could see people shivering in the gloom. Few of them had warm clothing and there was very little food and water to go around. If help didn't come soon, the situation was going to get desperate.
He could see that Winston and Connie were exhausted too, so he suggested that they stay and reassure people as best they could. He offered to go on to Downing Street and try to find someone who could help them. They agreed and he set off on his own.
He wasn't optimistic. It was getting dark and there were no lights anywhere. It wasn't far to Downing Street and he was sure that he wouldn't find it magically unscathed. The best he would be able to do, he decided, would be to find another supermarket so that he could show the people at Trafalgar Square where to find food. Perhaps there would also be some warm clothing or blankets to get them through the night.
He reached the entrance to Downing Street as the last of the light was fading. By then he was shivering too; his prison overall was not much protection from the cold. The black security gates were missing; blown away by the missiles. He picked his way down the rubble strewn street. It was as dark and deserted as the rest of the city. None of the buildings were intact and he couldn't see any survivors. He carried on down the street until he reached St James' Park. He didn't know what else to do.
Then he saw lights shining through the trees, emanating from somewhere in the middle of the park. He lost no time hurrying towards them. Hopefully he had found the emergency services at last and there would be some sort of field hospital or aid station.
He made his way as quickly as he could through a small wood, occasionally tripping over broken branches and bits of debris. A few minutes later, he found himself in a large clearing. The lights were blinding and he shielded his eyes as he limped closer. The first person he saw through the glare was tall and stooped. Very tall in fact, he must have been over seven foot.
When he got nearer, the person's face became visible. He had large green eyes, a thin mouth and pointed chin. His nose was almost non-existent and he had long bone-white hair. In the weird light, his skin looked a greenish colour and his ears appeared to be pointed and set too high up on the sides of his head. Hal faltered to a stop. The face wasn't human.
For a moment he thought that he had finally succumbed to shock and exhaustion and was seeing things. But then he realised that he had seen faces like this before; on television at the prison. His sluggish brain eventually supplied the details; the Faerie Folk, aliens who had been found in Mongolia and who had given the world that anti-aging serum. Faerie Blood; that was it.
"Are you in need of assistance?" asked the creature in a high-pitched voice with a slightly metallic tone.
He nodded dumbly, and was led towards a large, squat structure in the centre of the clearing. The clearing was ringed by powerful searchlights which illuminated the area. The glare diminished as they passed within the ring of lights and Hal saw a massive space shuttle, shaped like no shuttle he had ever seen. It looked like a gigantic insect, sinuous and segmented, black as night. So black that, if the lights were switched off, it would be virtually invisible.
The alien creature, Hal couldn't tell if it was male or female, showed him to a ramp which led up into the belly of the shuttle. He saw that he wasn't alone, other people were coming into the clearing all the time, attracted by the lights. Many of them were injured and were also being directed up the ramp.
Hal decided that he had no choice but to follow them. He needed help, not just for himself, but for the people back in Trafalgar Square. When he got to the top of the ramp, he was reassured to see that a large segment of the shuttle was full of stretchers and medical equipment. Dozens of Faerie Folk in shimmering white-grey robes could be seen tending to the injured.
It was even more reassuring to see that, aside
from those too badly injured to move, people were freely leaving the shuttle once they had been treated. Waiting for his turn, he saw that some people were going through an open hatchway at the far end of the segment. They did not come back out and Hal wondered uneasily where they had gone. But there was no sign of anyone being coerced to do anything and he decided to relax. He was tired and in pain and, as soon as he had been treated, he intended to go back to the square. He couldn't abandon all those people and at least he could tell them that there was help available.
The physician that attended to him was gentle and courteous. He, or she, spread a cooling gel of some description over his knee and ribs and, within a few minutes, he felt the pain melt away. While the being worked on his lacerations, he decided to ask a few questions.
"There are people in Trafalgar Square," he began, "a lot of people who are injured and have no food or shelter. If I bring them here, will you be able to help them?"
"Of course," said the physician, expertly closing a cut on his head with what looked like a wedge of cheese. "That is what we are here for. How many people are there?"
"I'm not sure," said Hal, "at least five or six hundred; probably more by now."
"Wait at the bottom of the ramp. I shall arrange for a medical squad to accompany you there."
The physician finished up and moved on to the next patient. Hal got up, feeling almost completely well again. He was offered some food, a meaty substance which tasted like ham, and water, which he gratefully accepted. Feeling refreshed, he went back down the ramp to wait. Within a few minutes a group of about a dozen Faerie Folk approached him carrying portable medical equipment and a great deal of food and water. Most of it was packed into five large metal canisters which looked heavy, but which floated unsupported in the air.
The physicians indicated that Hal should lead the way and he set off immediately. One of them handed him a powerful torch. With the aid of the torch, he was able to lead the detail quickly through the woods and up Horse Guards Road. He looked back a few times, fascinated by the canisters which bobbed gently along behind, seemingly of their own volition. He turned right into the Mall and reached Trafalgar Square a few minutes later.
The physicians spread out, offering food and water, and treating the most serious injuries. People got over their initial surprise pretty quickly; they were in no position to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Hal found Winston and Connie. They were cold and tired, but otherwise unharmed. Within a couple of hours, everyone had been given something to eat and people who needed medical assistance the most had been treated. Then the physicians began mobilising everyone, telling them that they could find shelter and warmth in St James' Park. Hal assured Winston and Connie that, from what he had seen, the creatures were genuinely intent on helping. Winston had met Ambassador Ba a few times and was quick to reassure everyone that, in his experience, there was nothing to fear from the Faerie Folk.
Soon the group, which was now over a thousand strong, was on the move. It shuffled slowly along the Mall towards the park. It was almost dawn when the stragglers reached the shuttle, Hal, Connie and Winston having hung back to assist those who couldn't move very fast. The Faerie Folk were as good as their word, herding everyone into the warm interior of their vessel. The medical segment was quite full by then and the uninjured were directed towards the internal hatchway Hal had seen earlier.
He followed Winston and Connie through it, and found himself in a passenger cabin filled with row after row of tall seats. The cabin was fully occupied and they had to go through a second hatchway into another passenger cabin before they were able to find empty seats. The three of them clambered onto the seats and sagged back wearily, gratefully accepting the food and water which they were offered.
While they were eating, one of the Faerie Folk approached Hal. All of the individuals he had seen up until then had been wearing white-grey shimmer robes; this one was dressed in blue-yellow. He stared at the garment, fascinated by the interplay of the two seemingly unrelated colours.
"Are you the leader of the people here?" the individual asked.
"Me?" said Hal, startled. "No." He pointed at Winston. "He is."
The stranger looked across at Winston, who nodded.
"I am the…" he paused, as if trying to think of the right word, "…pilot of this shuttle. "Would you accompany me to the command deck? Please. There is much to discuss before launch."
Hal exchanged glances with Winston and Connie. Launch? Where was the shuttle going?
"Certainly, captain," said Winston. "I trust that my companions may accompany me?"
The pilot inclined his head, which seemed to signify assent, and then led the three of them through another hatchway. They found themselves in a smaller passenger cabin, which Hal surmised was where the crew sat during flight. At the other end of the crew's cabin was the bridge, a large, semi-circular space where a number of individuals in blue-yellow robes were tending to some very strange equipment. Some of them were standing within what looked to Hal like frameless shower cubicles. He had never seen anything like it. Instead of water, the cubicles were filled with insubstantial patterns of light and colour.
The pilot showed them to a large console in the centre of the space. He tapped a panel set into the console and a miniature version of the cubicles sprang into view. With a few flicks of the elongated fingers of his right hand, he brought up video footage of greater London on a large screen above the console. Hal, Winston and Connie watched in horror as scene after scene of devastation scrolled by. Not much had been left standing by the missile strikes.
The video footage moved on to show similar scenes from elsewhere around the planet. Hal was stunned. In prison, news of the outside world was controlled, and sometimes censored. In the interests of maintaining order, the authorities believed in filtering potentially disruptive news through slowly. He knew that things were bad outside the prison walls, but had no idea how bad they really were. He had not been aware that radiation levels had become life-threatening in many parts of the planet.
"Our Ancient Council has sent us to offer sanctuary to all who wish to leave Earth," said the pilot. "Many shuttles like this one have landed in your city and in many other places all over the planet. Each is tasked with dispensing medical assistance and with taking volunteers to our star ships in orbit. Our mission protocol requires that we refuse no-one who wishes to go and respect the wishes of all who wish to stay."
"I see," said Winston slowly. He was obviously more familiar with the state of the planet than Hal, but even he seemed shocked by the pilot's footage. "I appreciate your offer, captain," he said, "but I cannot leave my people now. I am their elected prime minister and I cannot desert them in their hour of need."
The pilot wiggled his fingers within the cubicle, and the footage being shown on the big screen changed. The videos of bombed cities, polluted rivers, and homeless refugees faded, to be replaced by a rolling vista of towering, white-capped mountain ranges and lush valleys, all under a reddish-yellow sky. If it hadn't been for the vibrant blue flora carpeting the valleys, and the startlingly alien cast of the sky, Hal might have thought that he was watching scenes from somewhere in the South American Andes, or perhaps New Zealand's South Island.
"Your future as a race no longer lies on Earth," said the pilot. "Our analysts have calculated that your population has reached a critical level. Even with careful management, your planet's resources would not have been able to sustain your civilisation in its current state for more than fifty of your years. With the damage that has been done recently, even that time frame is no longer feasible. Those who survive the radiation and concomitant acceleration in global warming will be few, and their existence will be harsh and unfulfilled. Your future now lies among the stars."
His fingers wiggled again and a city appeared on the screen. Hal stared, mesmerised by its beauty. As a boy, his father had read him stories from a picture book about elves and sprites, nymphs and dryads, pixies and gobl
ins. It was one of the few memories he had of his father.
The picture on the screen could have come straight out of his father's old book. It was a place of tall, elegant buildings; many topped with sharp spires and elaborate pinnacles. Colourful banners and pennants fluttered gently in the breeze. Most of the buildings featured beautifully carved wooden panels and were separated by wide mossy pathways rather than tarred roads. Tall trees with blue foliage and vibrant yellow flowers dotted the areas between buildings. Tiny airborne vehicles glided through the air in intricate patterns; a harmonious transportation system which enhanced the amenity of the city rather than burying it in grime. There was no traffic or pollution, and he could almost taste the crisp, clean air.
The picture panned across the cityscape, which spilled out of the hills into a verdant blue valley. By the time the screen showed a patchwork of green rivers snaking through cultivated blue fields on the valley floor, Hal had fallen in love with the place.
"Even if what you say is true, captain," said Connie, "we must stay here. We have family; children and grandchildren. We don't even know if they are alive." She stopped speaking, tears welling up in her eyes, and Winston put his arm around her thin shoulders.
"Our star ships are linked by a radio network which is connected to what remains of your planetary communications system," said the pilot. His fingers danced within their cubicle and Hal heard Winston's 'link chime. "I have connected you to it. You are at liberty to make whatever calls you wish. I am authorised to do the same for any of your people who wish to communicate."
Winston and Connie moved away, anxious to see if they could contact their children.
Hal found himself alone with the pilot. "What is that place?" he asked, gesturing towards the big screen.
"That is Azura City. It is on one of the planets of our home system. Living facilities have been prepared for your people in some of its valleys."
"So whoever goes with you will live in a place like that?"