9
MEMORIAL
The grave stood some distance from any others, but was well kept. The man approaching it held a large bunch of mixed flowers that he had obviously taken a lot of time selecting.
Reaching the stone he squatted down to lay the flowers down carefully, but he did not place them in the pot. Instead he read the inscription very slowly, as he did so his eyes became moist as powerful emotions took hold of him. Reaching out with a finger he traced the name of the grave's occupant, something he had seen others do in the past without realising that one day he would to.
As his finger reached the end of its journey he flinched, strange new sounds had entered his mind and he could see flashing images from the past. They crowded into his awareness beginning to blot out the cemetery with its well-mown lawns, bunches of flowers and decaying headstones. The man heard voices, odd electronic noises and the roar of powerful engines. He experienced excitement, fear and lassitude all in the same moment. Then he was no longer beside a grave, he was in the cockpit of a large commercial aircraft he was sat in the pilot's seat with headphones on and wore a uniform as though he belonged there.
"Jim?" Called a voice to his left, it had been spoken by a handsome young man with closely cropped blond hair and bright blue eyes. He was thirty at the most, but could easily have passed for younger. "Jim, are you okay?"
Jim must be my name, the man in the pilot's seat realised and for a second he panicked – what the hell was he doing here flying a large jet? He didn't know how to pilot a plane did he? Wait a moment, yes of course he did. He had more than twenty years of experience at flying and the kid next to him held him in high esteem. His name was…was
"Sorry Bob, I was a bit out of it there for a moment."
Bob Holman cracked a grin and winked at someone behind Jim, "A sign of age." He said with assurance, feminine laughter greeted this remark and twisting around Jim saw a pretty auburn haired girl in the uniform of a senior stewardess, she was unusually tall and aged in her mid-twenties.
"Would you like a coffee captain?" She asked in a richly mocking voice, Jim found he didn't like her despite her looks and competency. She was Bob's type not his he was happily married.
"Maybe later," he said vaguely, dragging his eyes off her long legs to study instrumentation.
"Levelling off at 36,000 feet," Bob informed. "Next stop Malta," yes of course it was a routine milk run from London to Malta, Jim had done it dozens of times and found the whole thing wearisome. There was virtually nothing to do as the plane flew itself.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Bob was asking, now his expression was more serious. "Maybe you should have taken more time off after the crash."
What crash was this? Then slowly the information filtered through and with it came the pain and anger. Some stupid drunken teenager had almost knocked him into a ditch. Beth's arm was still in plaster and she was on pills for the whiplash. "Isobel bring two coffees, and make his black." Bob instructed, the way he spoke to the girl hinted at more than a professional relationship, which was nothing new for either of them.
"Yes sir," the girl said huskily and with a swish of nylon left the cabin, leaving behind her strong perfume.
"Boy she's wearing me out," Bob said. "Maybe I should settle down and give it a rest like you Jim."
This didn't sound much like a compliment, as it made Jim feel like an old fossil and he found himself resenting the pair of them. Sex between crewmembers was against the rules and for good reasons.
"I suggest you dump her anyway," he said sharply. "If you want to continue flying with me."
Looking wounded Bob gave him a long look, "lighten up Jim." He began his old pals act, but today Jim wasn't having any of it.
"Screw around on your own time but not mine, we're working here Bob."
The co-pilot looked both offended and hurt, "Isobel is just a bit of fun, it alleviates the boredom of these milk runs. You want to try it yourself sometime."
"When I need your advice on…"
But Jim didn't finish this sentence, as both men where blinded by a brilliant flash in front of the plane. Jim was actually punched back by the glare and had to shield his eyes. He heard Bob swear and look away, he gritted his teeth until the glare lessened then risked a look. The source of the light was veering off to the left and rising upwards at a thirty-degree angle, he had no idea what it was only that it couldn't be a plane. It was moving three times faster than his jet and inscribing an impossible arc in these crosswinds.
"What the hell was that?" Bob cried, but Jim kept his cool to act professionally.
"Tower we have traffic out here, I repeat traffic. Something almost hit us and is now moving to grid reference 352 at unbelievable speed, can you confirm radar contact – over?"
As they waited for an answer, both men watched the bright glare shoot down under them and then without slowing down to a right angle turn. Both were stunned and neither could voice any opinion, aircraft just didn't function like this thing.
Then the voice of Andy Cattrick crackled over the communications link, "This is Tower we are negative on radar contact, are you sure about this Jim?"
A seasoned professional with as much experience as Jim, Andy wasn't the sort to play games or make mistakes. If he had he had no trace of the object then he was telling the truth, and that made no sense.
Jim said, "It's buzzing around us like a firefly, you should see this thing move. The motion is totally non-ballistic in nature as if it isn't affected by g-forces or wind factor at all."
He felt Bob's hand on his arm and looking forwards he saw the object shoot up across their flight path again, it was pulsating several colours and seemed to be spinning on its own axis. When it stopped moving it was able to just hang in midair, a strange orange corona emanating from some central point.
"Can you describe what you're seeing Jim?" Andy sounded incredulous.
"Not really," Jim admitted, how did he begin to explain what he was seeing? "It's sort of rounded and elongated with a smooth skin, it keeps alternating between gold, green and blue. I can't see any wings or engines and it doesn't look like a weapon."
He tensed as the thing flew over them then positioned itself near the right wing, "You should see this thing Andy, I've never known anything like it the shape and the colours – it's extraordinary."
Bob said, "It's almost touching the wing, how can it get so close without crashing into us?"
Andy snapped, "Calm down you two just tell me is it affecting any of your systems?"
The answer was no, not yet anyway. Then the object flew under the plane and came up near the left wing, it began to strobe a more reddish colour and this crimson ambience filled the cockpit to give everything an unearthly glow.
"It seems to be studying us up close, it can come to within a hairsbreadth and yet not touch us." Jim said.
"And it's not like any airplane you've seen?" Andy asked.
"This is not an airplane."
"What else could it be?" The tower man responded tartly. Good question Jim was thinking, while another part of his brain supplied an incredible answer.
"It's either some kind of exotic military prototype," said Jim.
"Or a UFO?" Andy completed.
"You said that not me."
"Do you want to log this as a UFO?"
Jim didn't because the second he went down that road his career would be over, the golden rule was that you never, not ever went on the record with something like that.
"Bob, go and check the passengers. Don't tell them we haven't a clue what's going on, don't tell the girls that either."
But Bob didn't move, the object was actually getting closer as it moved up over the wing to come perilously close to the fuselage. "Christ, it's going to hit us." The younger man was close to hysteria, and Jim knew how he felt as his own nerves felt shredded.
No he thought, whatever this thing is it's too well controlled for that.
"We must turn back," Bob said. It was a good point and Jim relayed it to Andy as a possible course of action. The response was blunt, "negative on that Jim. If the aircraft isn't under threat you'll incur corporate penalties for yourself and the airport."
He couldn't believe it, Andy was thinking in terms of money with 200 lives at stake? Then the object shot vertically up over a thousand meters to vanish into the clouds, losing site of it should have calmed the two men but it didn't.
"Well it's gone for now," said the co-pilot. "But I'll bet you anything you like it'll be back."
"Andy get in touch with the military, ask them if they're testing anything in this area today." Jim said.
"You think they'd tell us?"
"With 200 lives on the line, they'd better. Call me back." Turning to his partner, Jim made a decision. "I'm going to take us down to 28,000, there's less cloud and we'll have more options in regards to a turn back."
"But we were told not to do that."
"We're here, Andy isn't and we have passengers to think about."
Bob nodded at the logic of that, releasing himself he moved to the exit to check on those passengers.
"Jim, just the hell is going on – what is that thing?"
"What does it look like to you?"
Bob seemed about to say it then swallowed the word, next instant Isobel had returned with a tray bearing two plastic cups, from the look on her face she wasn't aware of anything wrong but she soon picked up on the mood in the cockpit.
"What's the problem, are we losing height?"
Then she dropped her tray, needing both hands to shield her eyes from the glare. Doing the same thing, the two men twisted away from the brilliant golden light until it eased off. Catching the girl, Bob led her to a chair. He said, "We've got company up here."
But she could see that for herself, as the strange oval object was in clear view and directly ahead in their flight path. It was greener now with winking under lights running its entire length, and across its equator were round shapes that could have been windows.
It's a vehicle Jim thought suddenly, some kind of craft but not necessarily an aircraft. Matching their speed and trajectory, it was maintaining a distance of two miles.
"It's not going to leave us alone," he said. "We have to make a decision about whether to fly on or return to Gatwick."
"Well you can explain it to Andy if we go back," Bob said covering his own tail.
"I don't see as we have any other choice, I'm not risking a collision."
Gripping the control wheel Jim keyed in instructions for a one hundred and eighty degree turn and requested landing coordinates plus time for Gatwick Airport.
Nothing happened!
Not only did the plane refused to respond but he found himself shut out of the system then the system began to close down. Before him each screen and board went dark as they totally lost control over their own plane.
"Jesus Christ," Jim cried. "Bob, get over here we're losing this bird."
Fear of death was the one thing to drag Bob away from the lovely Isobel and he sped over with widening eyes. "What the hell did you do?"
"I just tried to turn the plane, and it shut me out…or something did."
A strange green light began to filter from the main terminals, an odd emerald glow that bathed the faces of both men. Neither of them knew what it was, but they could guess where it was coming from.
"We've stopped moving," Jim cried unable to believe his eyes. The plane was stationary in the air but it wasn't falling to earth, it was just held in place by some means he couldn't begin to understand.
"We must do something," Bob was close to complete panic. In Jim's view there was little of practical value they could do.
"I'm going to speak to the passengers," he said.
"And tell them what?" Isobel challenged, Jim wished he knew.
"I'll have to think of something won't I?"
"What can we do?" Bob asked.
"Just sit tight, we're completely out of our depth here."
"They're aliens," Isobel stammered voicing the fear at the back of both men's mind. "Well what else can they be, nothing from earth could do this."
"Stay calm," Jim told her.
Unlocking the cockpit door he switched off the anti-terrorist alarm system and stepped through into passenger section to address a multitude of no doubt frightened people, instead he froze.
The passenger seats were empty there were no people visible at all. Every human being on this flight bar him and his colleagues had simply vanished, and that was impossible. Jim stood there open mouthed in disbelief for several seconds, he thought of calling Bob and Isobel, but what could they do?
Closing the connecting door he leaned on it for a moment, fearing his own sanity was about to snap. What was going on here, how could all this be happening? He thought of the luminous object and how strange it was, and the more he thought about the more he realised that Isobel had been right. All his training and professionalism tried to deny it, but in the face of the evidence there was little choice but to accept that they were in the grip of a UFO.
Warily he walked through the deserted passenger section hoping he would find somebody, anybody but he didn't. After first class and club class he came to the storage bay, using his swipe card he deactivated the alarm and let himself in. The green glow was present in the bay to and if anything even stronger, washing over the crates, bags and lockers. Up ahead he was sure he could see a shadow and it wasn't his, with a racing heart he saw the shadow contract in on itself and then dart to the left.
Good God, there was somebody else here!
Mind racing Jim wondered if it could be one of the stewardesses, there were two apart from Isobel or there had been now there was no sign of Sue or Pat.
"Hello," he said. "This is the captain, don't be afraid." An ironic remark for a man scared out of his wits to say.
There was no reply, not even laboured breathing. Surely even a frightened person would have responded, and the awful thought occurred that maybe there was an intruder aboard. Just how anyone could board a plane in flight he had no idea then again was it any stranger than what he'd seen so far?
"Please come out where I can see you, we need to talk."
Over on the right a small case hit the floor, dislodged from a metal shelf. Glancing over Jim thought he saw a hand and part of a head, but there was something wrong with them; they weren't normal the hand was too narrow with very long fingers and the head was very wide with a flat top and no hair. Heart in his mouth, he picked up a metal handle to use in self-defence.
"Who are you?" He said, "This is my aircraft, you have no right to do this." More movement, this time on his left and something struck the side of a crate. Gazing over he felt sure he could see something glistening in the gloom, it might have been…yes it was, it was an eye. The eye blinked, and its pupil dilated as it focused on him. It was too big and the wrong shape to be a human eye and panic knifed into the pilot.
It took all the self-control he had not to dash back to the flight deck and lock himself in. There was an alien in here with him maybe more than one.
Up ahead the shadow lengthened as its legs began to approach him. A tall figure moved in his direction arms by its sides, head held high. The head was almost brushing against the ceiling of the bay and that was impossible, the ceiling was ten feet in height. Mouth dry, Jim backed away. The figure moved into the green light permitting him to see details, he wished to god it hadn't. Tall and greenish-grey in texture the thing gazed down at him emotionlessly, he was impressed by the fact that the eyes were huge but the mouth very small.
"We have something to say and you must hear it," the voice was inside his head, right inside his brain, it was all a bit too much for his frazzled nerves.
It was Bob who opened the cockpit door, he took one look at Jim's white face and bulging eyes then yanked him inside. Falling into a chair, the pilot clenched his hands together to stop them from shaking. Swapping a look, his two colleagues gave him a moment to compose himself then Isobel poured some water into a cup and offered it. Jim was shaking so badly that the water spilled onto his trousers and the floor, so she took the cup and raised it to his lips. He drank and then began to cough.
"Okay that's enough," Bob said as he squatted down. "Jim listen to me, that thing out there whatever it is has split into five other things and they have surrounded us. Isobel and I have been talking and…"
"Cargo bay," Jim spluttered.
"What about it?"
"They're on the plane, I saw them. They're here with us now."
Isobel's cry of shock and revulsion made both men feel instantly protective, although Bob was more so being her lover. He held her and she clung to him, would even a locked door keep such things out? It didn't seem likely if they could penetrate the fuselage.
"What are they?" Bob finally asked.
"Don't ask me to describe them."
"Not like us?"
Jim shook his head, his stomach muscles contracted and he brought up the water he'd swallowed, "horrible, just bloody horrible!"
Isobel whimpered, looking to Bob for decisive action but he wasn't big on taking responsibility. "They've taken the passengers," Jim said. "Every single one of them has gone plus our stewardesses, don't ask me how."
"So it's just us, we're alone." Bob said. No Jim thought, that's just it we aren't.
"How did you get away?" Isobel asked. "From them?"
Jim had run as fast as his legs would carry him, he'd just panicked like a stupid kid. "I'm not sure," he said. "They didn't try to stop me, although they could have."
"How many where there?" Asked Bob.
"Three or four, big things with long arms and massive heads."
As Isobel began to weep, Bob kissed her quickly but it was clear he was only thinking of his own skin.
"Well we can't run anywhere, and we have no weapons." He reasoned, "So that just leaves one thing." His eyes narrowed, "one of us will have to try and speak to them and as the senior rank I think that falls to you Jim."
"Always the hero, eh Bob?"
"You're the captain, this is your plane."
"And you're a gutless, snivelling little shit aren't you Bob?" Jim could no longer keep down the disgust he felt, "Told her you're married have you, and with a baby?"
Isobel's expression was enough and Bob's matched it, what a pair they made.
"Separated actually," Bob said, "She's found someone else."
"Only following your lead though isn't she?" Jim retorted, "How many someone else's have you had? Don't think you're the first love by a long chalk."
"Shut up you bastard!" Bob let go of the girl and clenched his fists, but he backed away when Jim rose to his full height. He wasn't scared of this jumped up little nobody, although the man was right about one thing this was his responsibility. As captain it was his duty to act and find out what the aliens wanted.
"Open the door for me Isobel, I'm sure you two have things to discuss."
"I didn't know he had a bay," the girl said and Jim thought cynically no love nor did the last bit of fluff.
Frankly it was a relief to escape the claustrophobic atmosphere of the cockpit, although his guts twisted into a knot when he saw the reception committee waiting for him. There were three of them, a very tall one who reached the ceiling and two shorter ones who were more Jim's height.
The giant was different in other ways to with a lighter skin, more human-like eyes and small earlobes. He had eyebrows but no head hair, however there were thick black hairs on his arms and legs. His two partners were dark and scaly with reptilian eyes, very small mouths and webbed fingers. From them came a snake-like odour and Jim knew he would have found them revolting to touch, whereas their leader (if he was the leader) was less repellent and almost a different species.
The more Jim looked at the aliens, the less natural their bodies seemed as though they were somehow designed and manufactured. Possibly they couldn't reproduce in the normal way – whatever was normal on their world.
"Tell me what you want," Jim made his vocal chords function, but his voice sounded strange and forced. The tall alien moved a little closer and in his eyes there was an emotion that might have been sympathy, could these things feel emotion?
"This vehicle is going to crash," said a surprisingly soft and effeminate voice. "It was always going to crash and we are not permitted to prevent that, but before this event occurred we decided to intervene and make contact with you." A long finger pointed at Jim's chest.
"I don't understand," he said. "How can you know we'll crash unless you are responsible?"
"We are not responsible, there is an explosive device in the cargo bay placed there by a sick mind."
A terrorist? The word echoed inside Jim's mind, "can you disarm it?"
"As I said we are not allowed to alter or change historical events, however we have removed the passengers and they will be taken into our reality to live different lives including the sick one whom we can treat."
"What about Bob, Isobel and myself?" Jim asked, but with a feeling of sickly dread he felt he already knew. "Oh I see we're going to die," he said. "And you're going to let us."
"Do not fear death captain, it is not the terrible thing you have been taught. You have died many times before, as have we all." The alien sounded almost amused as though it was no big thing, and maybe to him it wasn't.
"I can't believe this, I just don't understand it." Jim said, "How can this be an historical event, this is the present."
"You do not understand the mysteries of time, but you will."
"After I'm dead you mean?"
"Death is a gift, if you but knew it. But if you like we can take one more soul with us, one of your two colleagues that at least is permitted."
"And you want me to choose between Jim and Isobel, that's hardly fair is it?"
"You had the courage to face us, this is the reward for your bravery. So captain, who is it to be?"
Jim straightened up and once again looked at the name on the gravestone, it was the name of the colleague who had died and it was Isobel Wyatt. Jim had been strongly inclined to let Bob die, but Bob had a wife and child to support and for him death would be a cop out. Bob was a coward, and for a coward there is no greater punishment than life. The alien had been right after all death wasn't so bad.
Glancing up Jim saw a curious light emerge from the clouds, a luminous oval shape that was very familiar. He smiled, yes it was time to go; he'd lingered here long enough. Now he would travel with the aliens into the afterlife and meet those loved ones who had gone before, his last flight he thought.