Jo-el

Chapter 17 DOWN-UNDER.

I exchanged my shorts for jeans and my sandals for sneakers and requested a sweater, though I wasn’t sure what the temperature would be at two-thirty in the morning in the middle of Australia. The location I chose was right next to the ‘Welcome to Alice Springs’ sign. Wherever I landed I didn’t believe that anyone would be around at that time of day, so I wasn’t too concerned. As it turned out it was a lot cooler than Rio.

I wanted to practice flying and I thought it would be better in the dark so no one could see me and out in the middle of nowhere. But as it turns out Alice Springs is a pretty large town of forty thousand plus depending where you measured the edge. It was always on my list of places I’d love to visit having read Neville Shute’s best seller ‘A Town Like Alice’. But as I stood alongside the sign I wondered what I was doing there in the pitch black of the night.

After a few minutes my eyes became accustomed to the darkness and the full outline of the orange rock sign was now visible. The wind was light, I could hear the occasional croak of an animal, maybe some type of reptile. There was a serene stillness that made me feel very much alone. The stars were incredible and I stood still for a while staring up, wondering where we would all go.

I was ready, or I thought I was. It felt totally crazy to just think ‘up’. It took me a few more minutes to rebuild my courage. I kept thinking that what goes up must come down. I checked around to see if there were any other nutty people out in the middle of the night. No one had passed on the road nearby and I couldn’t see any cars coming from either direction.

‘Up’. I felt myself go light and my feet leave the ground. Even though I’d experienced this before in my family room it felt very strange outside where there was unlimited space. Just using thought I steered around for a view of the sign, which was already disappearing into the darkness. At that moment I felt horribly unsure of myself and began to worry about bumping into something. In my mind I told Sally to not allow that to happen and I received the comforting sound of her voice. “No problem, Jo-el.” My body was vertical, which didn’t seem right for lateral movement and almost as I thought that I needed to be horizontal, sort of like Superman, I turned in the air with my stomach facing down. I’d stopped at this time, hovering like a helicopter in mid-air, not even realizing that my unconscious thought had caused me to become motionless. Then I started worrying about how high I needed to be to avoid any night eyes. Sally told me over a thousand feet should do it and that she would monitor anyone who might happen to be checking the night sky.

I turned and began moving toward the lights of the city. Flying. Mentally it was unreal, completely in contrast to anything I’d understood since childhood. I kept thinking I’d suddenly fall to the ground at any second. I didn’t know what to do with my arms. Outstretched in front, pawing the air, like a breast-stroke swimmer or by my sides, which felt very odd. I preferred the hands out front, otherwise my head would be the first contact with an object. I liked the idea that my arms or hands would protect me, which was sort of silly. Physically it was incredible. The rush of air alongside the body was not unlike being on a motorcycle but without the contact with the road it increased the sensation of freedom. I banked from side to side and up and down, then turned over on my back, which through me for a loop. I lost the ability to know where I was, spatial disorientation I think it’s called. I flipped back onto my front and quickly recovered. The good news was I didn’t have any sensation of giddiness and the recovery was immediate. The lights of the city had long disappeared so I turned around and sought their comfort. Now I was flying slower studying the ground. The streets were empty; I couldn’t see a single car moving. I asked Sally if anyone was awake and outside? The answer was typical. There were two guys breaking into a garage in the east part of the town. It seems that my new role in life shone the light on the evil side of humanity.

“Okay, let’s take a look.” I said to her, by thought.

“Go left,” she said. “More left, dead ahead about half a mile.” I followed her instructions and passed over the main road going north through town. “Slow down, now below.”

I could see several buildings circling a cul-de-sac. We were on the edge of town, the street lights ended and there was just darkness ahead. A few cars were parked in the cul-de-sac in the back area of the building to the right of me. I couldn’t see any people. I was hovering vertically over the scene.

Sally again. “They are out of view inside the garage.” Then my heads-up display came alive showing two guys searching a garage. I couldn’t see their faces. The display pinpointed where they were and the surrounding area. I flew down slowly and picked a spot to land behind a sidewall that blocked any view to the four garages that fronted homes backing onto the slope at the edge of town. I imagined for one second what someone would think if they’d seen me landing and shuddered.

On the ground now, a little frightened. I was unarmed, well except for Sally who always had my back. “I’m going with the belief that you can handle these guys, Sally.”

“No problem, Jo-el,” was the reply, my heart calmed down a beat or two.

I walked to the end of the sidewall and turned to the right where I had a clear view of the garages. A small white, Toyota truck was backed up to the third one along, the garage door wide open. The two guys were wrestling a large item in a box toward the back of the truck. One was aboriginal, his dark skin glistening in the street lights, the other guy was white with a cowboy hat shielding his face.

“Are they stealing Sally?”

“Yes, it’s a TV.”

I walked slowly toward the truck, they still hadn’t seen me. I had no idea what I was supposed to do. I thought of something to say but it sounded ridiculous, I mean, “hey guys, what’d ya up to?” just wasn’t going to cut it. If I started out by accusing them they could just deny it and then what. Call the cops, that might be a little tricky for me. They were loading the box onto the bed of the truck, then the white guy saw me, I stood still, trying to stop my knees from buckling. I might have super-Sally on my side but I was shaking.

“Who the fuck are you?” he screamed, his face now visible in the street light. His aboriginal friend stopped still and glared at me. The accent was hard core Australian and for some reason I was expecting a ‘g’day mate’ but I guess the circumstances didn’t warrant it. Maybe I should go with a friendly reply.

“And a g’day to you.” I said, smiling, my accent American, that should confuse them.

There was silence for a moment neither of us sure what to do next. I was cognizant that time was not on my side, or theirs I guess. I realized I could go two ways, accuse them of theft and spark a brawl or whatever or try and play the friendly neighbor back from the night-shift. I had no idea if anybody did a nightshift in Alice Springs. But I didn’t confront these guys to back off, did I?

“You stealing that TV?” I said, the direct approach, to the point, I hope they appreciated that.

The aboriginal guy nudged passed the white guy. He was now standing at the back of the truck; I was at the front. He pulled a knife from his back pocket and held it out away from himself. His mouth broke into a wide grin revealing broken teeth, stained yellow and brown.

My sphincter muscle went on to full alert. I tried to keep my voice calm but I don’t think it worked too well.

“If you put the TV back and leave peacefully I won’t report the theft.” I replied with little enthusiasm.

“You see dis!” the aboriginal guy said indicating the knife.

I did, but I didn’t tell him. “Sally!”

“Do you want me to knock them around a bit?” she replied.

Oh, goody, the Sally card. My heart lifted.

“When he comes for me.” I was cutting it fine but maybe they would take up my offer. Yeah, right!

He lurched forward, I guess that’s a no, then. The knife was high in his right hand; I think he planned to slice my head off. Instinctively I ducked to the right, away from the blow. No need. It was as if his right arm hit a wall, it just stopped as he swung it down, the knife flipping out of his hand. He stood back up grabbing at his right arm with his left hand, maybe it was broken, confusion emblazoned across his round face, when he suddenly buckled at the waist, his hands instinctively clutching at his crutch, and fell backwards.

The white guy had watched all of this and was frozen still to his spot. His eyes had grown to the size of dinner plates as he tried vainly to understand what had happened. I think he peed himself, I could see a dark patch around the front of his pants. There was no effort to help his friend, he kept looking at me and wondering how I’d disabled the aboriginal guy. Without a word he took off running across the parking lot.

The aboriginal guy was on the ground, seemingly in a great deal of pain, I walked toward him. He coward away, his face contorted with fear and pain.

“Money,” I said, gesturing with my fingers.

With no hesitation he reached into his front pocket with his left hand and brought out a wallet, which he held up toward me. There was about fifty Australian dollars inside, which I pocketed and then threw the wallet back at him. I walked back to the front of the truck and opened the front door. Reaching in I removed the keys. I decided that it was time to leave, but didn’t want him to see me fly away. The trauma of that visual may scare him for life, I’m all heart. I walked back the way I’d come, around the sidewall and when I was sure the darkness would conceal me I took to flight and the black sky above. I went east, just a little and dropped the keys. Then I turned to see how the aboriginal guy was doing. He had managed to clamber to his feet and was working his way to the front of the truck. He wasn’t going to be a happy camper. In the distance I could see headlights heading toward the location. I couldn’t hear a siren.

“Who’s that?” I asked Sally.

“Police, I called them, when you were leaving.”

“Should be an interesting conversation,” I said. “Time to leave Alice Springs, I think. Where is Ayres Rock? I know it’s close by.”

“Two hundred miles south west,” she replied.

“Oh! too far to fly. Can I bounce from the air?”

“Sure.”

“Cool. Bounce me five hundred feet above the rock.”

No sooner said than done. But I wasn’t sure where I was in truth. The lights of the city had disappeared and I couldn’t see anything. I dropped down slowly searching out the terrain and eventually the outline of the rock was faintly visible in the moonlight. I landed on the rock and stood still. A mild wind blew from the east, it was eerie. I could see the edge of the rock and walked toward it, but it began to slope steeply, so I stopped. There were no lights anywhere. The ground was black. What was the point being here in the darkness? I thought.

“I think I need a cup of coffee. What’s the time in Sydney?”

“Almost five-thirty a.m.”

“Must be a coffee shop open.”

“Chapter Five Expresso opens in two minutes.”

“Okay, let’s go, join me.”

She bounced me to an alley facing a railway line. The coffee shop was to the left a short way. A hole in the wall place that oozed warmth. I ordered two large coffees and took a seat by the wall as far away from the barista as possible. Sally appeared seconds later wrapped in a brown leather jacket with a fur collar. She smiled as she sat down opposite and I placed the coffee close to her.

“Hmmm smells lovely.”

“You can smell?”

“No, but that’s what I should say, right?” she said, her mouth curled up in a girlish grin.

“I guess.” I took a sip, it was perfect.

“You took that guy’s money?”

“That was nothing compared with what you did.”

She smirked again. I savored another mouthful.

“What am I doing? Sally.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, Fuentes, the kid in Rio, now these guys in Alice Springs?”

“And those two English guys,” she added, “sans Passports.”

“Yeah! What’s the point? I’m not going to save the world diddling around with the riffraff of society?”

“It’s a learning process, Jo-el. You need to be comfortable with the technology. We are pleased.”

“We?” I inquired.

She paused in thought, or so it seemed.

“I’m a holographic image created by the computer you are wearing around your waist, a product of the people of Cirion. Ka-el, even though he didn’t have anything to do with my design, controls what I do.”

“So you talk to him all the time?” I butted in again.

“No, that’s not possible. Distance. But he sees everything about eighteen hours later or when he bothers to review it. Earth is not the only project their working on.”

“Who?”

“The project team.”

“So, what else are they working on?”

“Contact with other planets. But I’m not party to that, I don’t get updates.”

“You have quite an attitude,” I said. “You’re not man’s image of an obedient robot who answers in a mundane fashion and just does what he’s told without query.”

“Is that what you want?”

“No, no, I like you as you are, but it’s weird. It’s like you are human. I’m struggling to get used to it.”

She smiled, kindly. There was no nastiness in her face, she wanted to please me, I could see that. “I guess I’m wondering if you can get mad. You know, with me. Then leave me in the lurch.”

“Why would I?” she answered. “What would I achieve if I did that. I’ve said before I’m here to protect all mankind on this planet and you especially.”

“Well it’s good to know,” I said. “It just seems that you enjoy our little encounters with those people, you know, the bad guys. Not that they’re that bad, well, except Fuentes, I guess.”

“I do and it’s a start.”

“What?”

“The bad people. It’s going to get harder.”

“I don’t understand.” I said, frowning.

“Ka-el and his team have modelled numerous scenarios for saving earth. The plans are flexible, but they tend to head in one direction and come back to a similar conclusion if the people here have any chance of surviving. The resources we can allocate to earth are limited by the distance between the two planets. If Cirion was closer they could assist easily, but you must make do with what we have. There was only one container and another one wouldn’t arrive here in time.”

“But you,” I interrupted again, “why don’t you just do what I’m supposed to do?”

“That was considered but discounted for the approach we are taking. It’s a fall back plan. It would be difficult for the people of earth to believe a holographic image created by a computer.”

“So if I fail you will take over.”

“I will, but the model doesn’t rate success more than twenty-two percent.”

“What’s the rating for the plan with me?” I could feel a nervousness well up inside me, as if I was waiting for the results of a driving test.

“About thirty-six percent.”

I think my mouth gapped open at that point. My throat dried up and I experienced a sensation of fear running through my body.

“Thirty-six percent! Less than fifty-fifty. That doesn’t sound too reassuring.”

“No,” she said. “But it’s better than twenty-two.” She smiled again.

I sank the dregs of my first coffee and reached over to take hers away. As I exchanged the cups I looked up to see who might notice but the patrons in the coffee shop were all self-absorbed.

“So what now? Are you going to tell me the plan?”

“Eventually, yes. But we don’t want you to be overwhelmed. There are many years to go, this is the first week. Your learning curve is steep and we believe you will reach the conclusion alone without us directing you. It will work better that way, it will feel like your plan, you won’t fight it. Does that make sense?”

“So you will nudge me in the direction you think I need to go but not actually tell me?”

“Something like that, yes. Ultimately we will tell you how we think it can work. Do you remember teaching your children to drive? You did a great job, Jo-el. You didn’t tell them every mistake they were making and to do this and to do that at every turn. You gave them two guiding principles and then let them figure it out. If they asked questions you answered because you knew they would listen to the answers of questions they’d asked. But if you drowned them in do’s and don’ts, you realized they would turn off and either not listen or try to do it another way.”

It was true, I was proud of my method, which I read in a book somewhere. Once they had mastered the coordination of driving, I told them to keep their distance and pay attention and that was it. It worked and they’ve never disappointed me. No late-night calls about accidents.

“Well I’m thinking lunch, must be noon in California by now?”

“It’s eleven twenty-four in California.”

A little early. “Okay, let’s check out the Opera House first, then have lunch in Cork. It’ll be evening there and I fancy Irish stew. I know a great place and Gerry might come in. I’ll pop home and pick up some Euros on the way.” I laughed at the ridiculousness of what I was going to do. A week ago and I’d have been hurried away in a white jacket.