Patrik Jones and the Code of the Universe

by Robert S Kleinstone

  Patrik smiled to de-escalate the situation.

  Alannah didn’t know what to say. She smiled too and looked at him again, because it was hard not to.

  «Do you want to know how I saw you among the wolves? How I saw you cry beside your mother's body? I don’t know. What I know is that you miss her a lot. I know you go up on what must be a kind of tower where you find yourself alone looking at the horizon. And you cry. You are crying because there is nobody there. I know you'd have a million things to say to your father, but you never can, and then you escape with a kind of horse for hours, until you're both exhausted».

  Alannah could not move. She listened to him. She could have been listening to him forever.

  Patrik was just a stranger, but he managed to get to places where no one had even come close.

  And all this from just holding her hand.

  She felt invaded, but not in danger. Patrik perceived it. Then he decided he could lower the defenses too and let her in. What did he have to lose in the end? He would probably be dead in a few hours anyway. He put his hands inside the kimono's pockets, shrugged his shoulders for a moment and looked down.

  «And then I saw you as a baby playing with him. With my father. You took moments that belonged to me and I would like to know what you felt. What he taught you. What did he tell you. What kind of man is this David Jones, who has reappeared so unexpectedly in my life?»

  «He has your eyes» Alannah said quickly to stop her embarrassment.

  «Maybe he will not have the Code like you, but he's one of the bravest people I know. And then he always manages to make me smile!» and so saying she crossed her arms and assumed a slight expression of reproach.

  «But think... and I have always imagined him as one of those soldiers, strutting and duty-bound».

  «No, I would not say so» Alannah immediately denied. «It's ok anyway!».

  «Okay what?!»

  «All right, let me talk to you, but be careful what you do. You must not underestimate me just because I am a girl».

  «I would never do it» he said, raising his hands. «You forget I saw you face those wolves alone. I know what you can do with those daggers. And come on, I'm not Jack the Ripper. "

  «Not who?!»

  Patrik smiled. «Forget it…».

  12

  Police cars were roaring past, blaring sirens in front of the bakery where Nadine worked.

  «Something big must have happened» the customer in front of her said as she took the bread bag.

  «I hope no one got hurt» she replied, looking out the window to the street, with a slight hint of anxiety for her son, all alone at home.

  «It must be the umpteenth robbery. They will have targeted a few small supermarkets, as they always do» said old Mrs. Holtz, sitting at the table, lowering the Bild-Zeitung that covered her face, in front of her precious cappuccino. «Since they opened the borders, nothing is clear anymore» she continued. «They come from all over the world to make their own comfort here in our homes». And so saying, she dropped the spoon and the jar of fake flowers on the ground, while almost imperceptible smiles were drawn on the faces of the customers inside the room.

  «Angelina, please, help Mrs. Holtz pick her things up» Nadine asked the young colleague next to her.

  Still now, four or five police cars passed in front of the shop, followed by Jeeps and army trucks full of soldiers with rifles in their hands.

  All the people, even from the other shops, went out into the street to try to understand what was happening.

  Nadine opened the lab door, picked up the phone and called Patrik to find out where he was and if he was OK.

  Unattainable.

  She dialled the landline.

  No reply.

  He still has to be asleep or playing with music at full blast. As soon as I get home, I’ll get him for that, she thought as she looked at the phone, trying to form an idea.

  She selected Marco's number from the column.

  Unattainable.

  «Damn!» she cursed aloud as she rammed the phone into her purse. She started to leave the shop, but then slipped the phone into the back pocket of her jeans.

  Then she noticed that there was no one in the shop. Even Mrs. Holtz, with her cane and her hat, was outside with everyone else to see the enormous spectacle unfold.

  She went out too.

  All this seemed so unreal to her.

  «Do you understand what's going on?» she quickly asked Angelina, who had the phone to her ear.

  «No» she answered. «I'm trying to contact my fiancé, who is a volunteer firefighter, but he must be busy because he’s not answering».

  Nadine took the phone from her pocket again to try and call, while in the sky helicopters and military planes flew around.

  Every second the weight in her stomach for not being able to contact her child became more oppressive. When the automatic voice repeated for the umpteenth time that the caller's phone could be turned off or unreachable, she turned her gaze and saw a colleague from the sporting goods store talking on the phone.

  She walked over to try to understand something.

  «Don’t say stupid things and pass me to your father». The lady spoke loudly to try to overwhelm the noise of the trucks and helicopters that were passing at low altitude.

  «Then pass me to your brother. Whaaat? Who told him to get off the road...?! Lisaa ?! Hello... Hellooo...».

  «What's wrong Verena?» Nadine asked, placing her hand on her shoulder.

  «I don’t know. I lost communication and I can’t call anymore. That fool of a daughter of mine keeps telling me that the aliens have arrived».

  «Yes, they told me the same» said a gentleman who was listening to the two women from a short distance away.

  «My son was there in Elsenfeld. He says that a huge thing landed from the sky. Look, he sent me the video on Whatsapp».

  The three looked at about fifteen seconds of footage on the phone.

  «But doesn’t it seem absurd?» he continued. «It must be some publicity stunt. He says that extraterrestrials came down and are looking for someone. Well…couldn't they make a phone call, right?!» then he burst out laughing at his own joke.

  «Looking for someone?» Nadine asked curiously.

  «Yes, but I didn’t quite understand who. A certain James... Jones... I don’t know».

  A chill of cold stopped her breath and, without caring about the people who were talking to her, she ran immediately to Angelina.

  «Take care of the shop» she shouted, and without the poor girl being able to reply, she took her bag and hurried to her car.

  She reflected on the fact that the Aschaffenburg-Obernburg highway could be blocked, so she decided to drive through the internal country roads connecting Niedemberg to Kleinwallstadt to get home.

  By driving at full speed and avoiding the cars that were in front of her, or were simply hindering her passage, she tried to call again.

  Nothing.

  She didn’t know what to think.

  Chicago.

  Floating in the room with Patrik.

  The strange behavior of her child.

  She began to cry, cursing everything and everyone and honking her horn to try to clear the road.

  *

  Lehmann was intent on getting his arm treated while one of his men, who had taken over everything from the time the arkassian ship arrived, showed his superior the video of that close encounter.

  «Did we find out who this Patrik Jones is?» he asked nervously, wincing painfully from the deep cut.

  «Not yet, sir. We are interrogating civilians».

  «Try to hurry up, soldier!» He roared angrily. «They're flooding me with calls from Berlin and I have seven men on the field. I need answers. Now!».

  «Yes sir».

  His subordinate snapped to attention, turned his heels and started running towards his men.

  The colonel knew that what just happened had no precedent in recorded history. That m
oment would be written and repeated for a long time, probably until the end of humanity. Something comparable to the discovery of America or the moon landing, perhaps even bigger.

  He certainly didn’t want to go down in history for incompetence on duty.

  After a couple of minutes the same man returned.

  «Sir, there seems to be a boy who knows him».

  «Good. Bring him here!» he ordered.

  The corporal nodded and two soldiers escorted a small, short-haired boy with glasses and red hair.

  «So, who is this Patrik Jones?» Lehmann asked the boy, without getting lost in idle chatter, as soon as the three approached.

  «He lives here. Goes to class with my cousin» he answered timidly.

  «This last name? Jones? What, English? American?».

  "If I remember right, his dad is American, but he's gone...or he's dead... I don’t remember».

  «Do you know where he lives?» the colonel asked again.

  «I've never been to his house. I've only talked to him a couple of times in my life. He makes me feel uncomfortable. My cousin says he can see the future».

  At the sound of those words, the corporal and the colonel looked at each other for a moment, but without saying anything.

  Then the boy concluded, saying «He hprobably lives on Raiffeisenstrasse, over on Hofstetten».

  «And how do you know that if you don’t know him?» Lehmann asked tightly.

  The boy looked at the colonel and the soldiers as if they were aliens. He raised his smartphone and said «from his Facebook profile!»

  *

  Nadine left the car near the level crossing in the small town of Kleinwallstadt, a few miles from her home.

  She had managed to get there, avoiding queues of cars, tractors, and even covering small stretches of lawn, but now she could not go on. The traffic jam was so dense that nothing could be done except to wait, or talk to the other drivers on the street trying to figure out the reasons for the blockade.

  She took her bag and phone and moved on, trying to put the car to the side of the road, as she was likely to abandon it there.

  «Excuse me, what's going on? Did you understand anything?» she asked a couple who were walking past.

  «They’re not letting anyone through. Not even on foot» he said, pointing in the direction of the train tracks.

  «The reason?».

  «We don’t know. The army are there to block the way. They say they know nothing and only follow orders. It’s absurd».

  «Thank» she answered hastily and began to walk quickly to the level crossing.

  «Look, it's useless to go there, they’re not letting anyone go» he shouted, but Nadine was already far away and would not give up going without trying every possibility.

  A large group of people were there, trying to reason with the soldiers blocking the road. Two army Jeeps had been positioned right in the middle of the road so no one could cross the block.

  All access was forbidden, and the complaints of those who lived even only a few dozen meters from there had no effect on the soldiers, who merely gave stock answers.

  «Look, I absolutely must pass. My son is alone at home and doesn’t answer. I have to know if he's okay» said Nadine, who managed to make her way to one of the soldiers.

  «Madam, nobody passes here until further notice. I'm sorry» he replied with a look and a determined tone of voice.

  «You didn’t understand» she said nervously, jolting the barricade holding the people back. «I have to pass and neither you nor anyone else will prevent me».

  «Lady, stay back» he replied again, this time threatening.

  «Get off, kid!» and so saying she grabbed the barrier, dodged the soldier with her arm, and began to walk home.

  «I told you to stay back!» the soldier shouted. He took her by the arm and threw her backwards, knocking her to the ground.

  At the sight of that scene, the small crowd of people who were present began to scream even louder at the soldiers, who stepped back and took up their rifles.

  What was supposed to be the senior officer was leaning on one of the Jeeps a few meters from there and, given the situation, he decided to intervene to try calm things down.

  He approached the barricades and put his hands on the top trying to get attention and transmit calm.

  «Okay ladies and gentlemen» he said aloud trying to overwhelm the screams of those present. «Everything is alright. Very soon you can return home and everything will be resolved. Just a bit of patience. There was an emergency, but everything is fine».

  Having said that he helped Nadine get up and, turning to the soldier who had pushed her, said «Apologise immediately, you idiot!»

  «Sir, she was forcing the blockade and I have only...»

  «Say sorry, soldier. It's an order!» He interrupted him sharply.

  «I'm sorry, ma'am» the soldier answered, turning red in the face and looking down.

  «I apologize, too, madam. They're boys and they cannot handle certain situations well» he said, accompanying Nadine beyond the barriers.

  «Thank you, but you must let me pass. Please».

  «It's not possible, ma'am. Not for now. We will soon unblock the road».

  «But my son Patrik isn’t answering me and I'm worried. He's alone, and something might have happened to him».

  «What did you say your son's name is?» he asked, suddenly stopping.

  «Patrik ... Patrik Jones. We live in Raiffeisenstrasse, just a few...». But without Nadine finishing the sentence, the man took out his gun and, looking at one of his subordinates, said «Soldier, arrest the lady!»

  «What are you doing? I don’t understand ...» she said in amazement under the still incredulous eyes of the people present.

  «We have his mother. I repeat, we have his mother» he said, speaking on the radio attached to his camouflage jacket.

  Two men took Nadine by the arms while a third man followed them, pointing his gun.

  «I repeat, sir. We have his mother».

  «Is she dangerous. Is she armed?» asked the voice coming from the soldier's radio.

  «No, sir. She's unarmed and she does not seem dangerous to me».

  «Good. Bring her here immediately».

  «Yes, sir».

  «Load the woman in the Jeep. And you others don’t let anyone pass. Clear?» he said to the soldiers present.

  «Yes sir!» they thundered.

  That said he got into the car and the soldiers left.

  «What’s happening? Where are you taking me? What did you do to my son?» Nadine asked in a panic.

  «Lady, sit down and calm down. We're taking you to your place. But for now, don’t move».

  After only two minutes on the road, the Jeep arrived at Patrik's house.

  The scene was impressive.

  Police cars, army trucks full of soldiers and a group of people dressed in white overalls, like those worn by people who move in contaminated areas, crowded the entrance to the house.

  The police had closed the street and all the neighbors were forced to watch the scene behind closed windows.

  Two people in white overalls took Nadine and began examining her body with strange instruments similar to those at the airport gates.

  «She's clear» said one of the two.

  «All right. Take her to the colonel» said the soldier who had arrested her shortly before.

  Lehmann turned to Nadine as she entered the house, aghast to see those people standing there inspecting everything.

  «Mrs. Jones, I suppose?» he asked without wasting time.

  «Bauer» she replied. «Jones was my husband's surname, but he passed away years ago. Where is my son?» she asked looking in the direction of Patrik's room, the door closed.

  «This is something we hoped you could tell us, ma’am» he replied threateningly.

  Without even thinking about it for a moment, Nadine freed herself from the grip of the two soldiers who brought her into the house and headed fo
r her son's bedroom.

  She opened the door suddenly and stifled a cry of fright.

  Empty.

  Completely empty and bare of everything. Even the paintings on the wall.

  «Where is my son? Why is there nothing more here? Where is my son!» and screaming, he threw herself at the colonel, who grabbed her to calm her down.

  At that point Lehmann took her by the shoulders, and staring into her eyes, he asked her «Ma’am who is your son? Why are they looking for him? And why did he disappear?»

  «I don’t know. He’s a normal boy. I don’t know. I don’t know anything» she replied in tears.

  «You have to come with us» and he nodded to the soldier next to him.

  While they were taking her away, Nadine turned again to look at her son's room and whispered Patrik's name, death in her heart.

  13

  Tadiero was seated at the table in the center of the cabin. He understood the gravity of the moment and didn’t say a word, intent on cleaning his weapons.

  Marco got up from the cot, impatient with that deafening silence, and headed for the large window that showed the planet Kentaura.

  Space is really infinite, he thought.

  He could glimpse planets in the neighborhood and stars all around, while a sun a little further along warmed the planet on which Patrik would have to descend shortly to face his fate.

  Such things as the moon landing and the dream of colonizing Mars were things considered avant-garde but these beings, in less than two days, had jumped from the other side of the galaxy like it was nothing.

  He smiled.

  Then he thought of his friend and his smile faded.

  He felt his stomach grumble for the butterflies that this situation was giving him and also because had been a good while since he ate.

  He turned to the table and saw Camilla biting a strange fruit, something like a mango.

  «You can have a caffa if you want. This season they are very good» said Tadiero, who had noticed the curious look in the boy’s eye.