The Pattern Ship (The Pattern Universe) (12 page)

“Ship porthole planet side, please,” he commanded

“Affirmative,” confirmed Ship.

It didn’t seem to take as long to create the porthole this time as Zeke’s introduction to space side vistas had, maybe Ship was getting faster. Canada, Russia and part of the The USA was in darkness mostly, cloud covered much of the eastern side and mid country was getting a thunder storm or two.

Zeke’s attention was drawn back into the ship by the sound of a bag rustling just as the President lost his dinner.

The President held onto the chair, much as Zeke had done the first time. He watched as the President’s eyes bulged. It was perhaps a cruel thing to do, but as Zeke had personally experienced and reminded himself ‘It beat all the argumentative crap right out of you’.

“As you can see Mr President, we are currently stationed just over the North Pole. You can see Canada, Russia and if you look down there you can just make out Washington on the edge there, where we just removed you from.”

Garner looked at Zeke as if he felt there was a debt owed and it wasn’t a pleasant look, but despite himself President Garner was mesmerised. Only a few select people got to see the view of the world from here for real.

“You could easily be faking this Callaghan, I don’t know how you are doing it, but I’m sure as hell not going to be convinced by anything from a little bitty demonstration like this. Where are we? In a 3D trailer-park in back of the White House?”

“Ship, can you reposition us alongside the Space Station please, remain cloaked.”

“Affirmative, Zeke.”

A few seconds later the view changed and they were port side view onto a shining combination of unfurled gossamer wings and mismatched washing machine drums. all combined into a familiar shape known the world over. Behind it the Earth shone bright as a button as the sun’s reflection slid across Ireland and western Spain bringing early morning to Europe.

The President was completely lost in the view and it was some minutes before either of them could bring themselves to pull away from it and focus on the inside of the ship.

“Ship, close porthole,” Zeke commanded.

The view slid from sight as it was replaced with the grey of the wall, as if it never existed.

Garner walked to the wall still clutching the brown bag and felt along it looking for something, then hand still on the wall turned to Zeke.

“How did you do that? It looked so real?” He asked incredulousy.

“That is because it was real,” confirmed Zirkos as he walked in from his quarters having kept out of the way until the show had concluded.

Now Garner was astonished. He had just got used to the idea that he was dealing with an extraodinary human being that could spirit him out of the White House past all of his security and into space, talk to a spaceship, look at Earth through a porthole that just appeared ‘on demand’ when to top it all off, an alien walks in.

Silver skinned Zirkos had timed his entrance perfectly and he walked up to the President and offered his hand.

“Mr President, my name is Zirkos and I come from another universe. Can we please talk?” Zirkos indicated the next room where Zeke was already heading.

Garner just followed completely speechless, and much like Zeke before him, meekly now, all previous bluster and pretentiousness gone out the porthole.

***

President Garner sat in the Oval office where he had been returned to not ten minutes earlier. He had decisions to make and the first one was going to be how to explain his disappearance from his lounge fours hours ago. He had no means of leaving the room without his Security detail being aware, yet it was important that they not be aware of his visit to outer space, not yet.

He would be carted off to dementia land and Dredge would take his place. That damned man had proven to be a venomous viper in the pit. It would be all he needed to cudgel power from the office of the President. He was about to press the intercom to call in Anne, his secretary when the door burst open and she ran in ahead of two security officers. She looked very upset.

His Secret Service head of detail was the first to quiz him.

“Where have you been, Sir? We have been hunting all over for you?”

“I took a walk, I had read too much of the papers I had to catch up on and just took a walk. Its no big deal, nobody noticed me I intended to just be a few minutes, but was away longer and just found my way to my office without thinking about it.” Garner said dismissively trying hard to keep his voice sounding casual.

“Has anybody here got a damned cigarette?” he bellowed in an effort to change the subject...

“Sir, Mr President you can’t...” his secretary pleaded.

“Yes, Yes! I know just get me a coffee please, Anne its been a long night.” He turned to his security detail.

“Gentlemen,” The President indicated the door, “Really, all is well, I just went off the radar for a few hours is all.”

As Anne returned with his morning coffee and the post, hot on her heels his top guns filed in all raring to start a new day of mayhem.

They ain’t seen nothing to what’s coming, thought Garner as he reflected on the meeting he had just had seven miles up in space. They ain’t seen nothing at all, he chuckled.

- 13 -

“What do you think Zeke?”

Zirkos was looking pensively out of the porthole that they had both decided they liked having, the view of the Earth beneath the ship gave them both focus, despite the occasional feelings of vertigo that Zeke got when he stood too close and lost the perspective of the frame. Then he just felt he was falling and had to pull back before he fainted.

“I think he will work it out, he has all the facts now, he certainly wants to break out of the institutionalised dogma that surrounds the job, if he can get things moving in the right direction its possible that we could end up with what we need; a concerted world order to put planet Earth on a space footing.”

Zirkos turned towards Zeke.

“Do we proceed now with stage two, or wait awhile. You know your President best, will he cooperate if we set things in motion?”

Zirkos was referring to the stages of the plan they had thrashed out before kidnapping Garner. Firstly to convince the most powerful person on the planet that humans were not alone in the universe and aliens were real and secondly, that a potential alliance was possible if handled delicately.

The potential for a variety of disastrous outcomes was significantly high given the general ‘Area 51’ type paranoia and cult behaviour. They intended to try and circumvent much of that by layered introduction of both ideas and evidence.

“Yes, I’m ready, lets do it”

Zirkos responded “Ship, location and status of the Ferrazite Science Committee?”

“The Committee is currently in closed session at their headquarters in the Kennedy Building, there are armed guards stationed outside the door and two people with concealed weapons within the room,” Ship responded.

Zeke decided now was the best time, without thinking on it too much.

“Ship, de-materialise the concealed weapons at the same time as you transfer me, please.”

The distraction of me arriving will probably conceal the sudden absence of their weapons, he thought. He made eye contact with Zirkos, smiling as he nodded.

“Initiate transfer” ordered Zirkos, and watched as Zeke disappeared.

Two small weapons appeared on the edge of the control panel nearest him. He picked one up and idly examined it, noting the efficient way the humans designed and used lethal technology. If they had the science available to them from his Pattern library, where would they be in one hundred years, he wondered. Could they be trusted?

He sighed and turned to view the ship’s monitoring system which was following the proceedings down on the planet.

***

Zeke felt that peculiar pins and needles effect he had come to recognise was part of the re-materialisation.

He and Zirkos had worked on design changes to make the process quicker which also cut down the light effect as much as possible.

The spectrum that the field used could be set to different levels according to the need. They had isolated only what was needed to transfer from two points and this turned out to be a very low density shadow of dark grey colour and the power needed was also reduced so that a curtain no longer showed, just the outline of the object as it transferred. It took only a second or two, for Zeke to re-materialise in the committee room and he was immediately aware and able to move about.

There was an immediate scrabble in the room as awareness of his arrival impinged on the scientists.

Those closest to him had felt the change in the local air density as he materialised behind them and had half turned in reaction to see what was going on. The others facing them had leapt from their seats and while some were visibly making for the exit, one or two Zeke noted were curious.

Ferris’ hand was frantically searching for his gun, as was Jannson.

“You have been disarmed Ferris, you too Jannson. Please,” Zeke indicated the chairs.

“Sit down and listen to what I have to tell you. You are not in danger and I’m not here to return the hospitality of my recent stay with you, even though by rights I really should,” Zeke glared maliciously at Jannson.

Ferris, who was standing nearest to him, launched himself at Zeke taking an aggressive stance and began to call for the guards outside the door.

As he went to attack, Ferris found himself inexplicably face down on the floor with a boot on his neck and a very painful shoulder. With absolutely no idea how he had got there, but in no condition to fight.

Zeke himself was surprised at his own speed. It seemed as though he no sooner thought the action through in his head than it was in motion. His foot on Ferris’ neck was a surprise to both of them.

Zeke removed his foot as two guards that had been called entered, their rifles pointed at him and seemed about to shoot when their weapons just vanished leaving their fingers holding fresh air. Their looks of astonishment over rode any sense of fear as they looked down at their Commander on the floor they made as if to come to his assistance.

“Leave the room, guard the door and make sure nobody else comes in. Do not call for further assistance, you will all be neutralised if you do,” Zeke commanded.

He looked down at Ferris who was glaring at him with fury at being bested. Ferris realising that he needed to make an immediate command decision did so. He reasoned that if Subject Z was capable of materialising out of thin air, then flooring him and disarming his men, he probably could do much more if he needed to.

“Do as he says,” he commanded.

Both men backed through the doorway withdrawing cautiously, confused and vulnerable at the sudden events that had disarmed them. Seeing their superior on the floor and knowing that it would take more than their best to put him there, they realised they were somewhat outmatched and on the basis of applying the last order followed, did as Ferris commanded.

As the door closed Ferris stood up and very warily walking around in front of Zeke, keeping his distance until he was back to his chair at the head of the table he finally felt able to ask.

“Callaghan, how the fuck did you get in here and what happened to you, how did you just do all that?” he gestured, his hand whirling in the air in an expressive motion.

The immediate babbling from the fourteen scientists as they all began to talk at the same time suddenly stopped when a second figure emerged beside Zeke.

Zeke turned to the scientists.

“I would like to introduce you to Zirkos. He and I have some things to discuss with you that concerns your research and a lot more besides. Are you interested in knowing more?”

Jannson stepped forward quickly realising something extraordinary was occurring and taking immediate command of the situation away from Ferris. without thinking he put out his hand to offer a welcome to Zirkos, not knowing how it would be received. He was relieved when the silver skinned alien took his hand and shook it.

When Jannson got his hand back he couldn’t help, but look at it as if counting all his fingers or searching for traces of silver paint on his palm. He looked back up as he put his hand back to his side surreptitiously wiping it on his white coat and laughed nervously. “Sorry, I....”

“No need,” Zirkos reassured him smiling confidently. He was enjoying himself immensely.

Zeke resumed his introduction and explanation as the scientists and Ferris all resumed their seats. Zeke and Zirkos remained standing having no desire to sit with these people as equals, they needed to stay aloof for the moment until they saw the necessary change occurring in attitudes and outlooks.

“Zirkos here, as you have probably surmised, is an Alien.”

Ferris couldn’t help himself, he guffawed.

“That’s a ridiculous statement Callaghan, so why don’t you two just explain how you just did all of that stuff and then we can...” he suddenly remembered the embarrassing incident on the floor and quickly subsided.

Zeke, however decided to move things forward in a positive way and looked at Zirkos, who nodded.

“Ship, transport the human named ‘Ferris’ to the porthole viewer,” Zeke commanded into the thin air.

Ferris disappeared. The scientists who up to this point had shown no fear, suddenly began to look alarmed and nervous. Goeth stood and approached Zeke.

“I would also like to view this ‘porthole’ wherever it is,” he offered recognising something the others hadn’t quite grasped yet, not even Jannson.

Zeke smiled at Zirkos and suddenly Goeth was also gone from the room. Ship anticipating again.

The remaining scientists continued to chatter. Jannson deciding that enough was enough called them to order.

“Enough!” he glowered at them turning what effectively amounted to a one hundred and eighty degree shift in attitude.

“This is a débâcle, these two people invaded this room, disarmed the guards, me included, attacked Ferris, and have now abducted two of our people, and all you can do is sit there and chatter like school children” he ranted.