A Voyage in the Near Distance 1: From Here to Nearly There Read online

  I hesitated and then began to walk after her.

  We climbed inside, and a young woman slid the door shut behind us. The pilot gave the engine power, and we were aloft.

  10

  We covered the last two miles of our journey in under a minute. Despite the weather, the pilot was able to climb to a low altitude and ferry us across the Moors with little buffeting. Even so, I found the nearby lightning strikes to be a little unnerving.

  My nerves were calmed somewhat by the plush and comfortable nature of the helicopter. Based upon its outward appearance, I had climbed aboard expecting to find the sort of utilitarian décor that CEOs and board members deem appropriate for ferrying oil rig workers to and from the North Sea. Instead, the accommodations were first class.

  I sat in a plush seat of red leather. It was far more capacious than any I had ever occupied on a commercial airliner. All the seats were like that, and each was equipped with a small table and workspace. This aircraft had been designed for the on-the-go executive or celebrity.

  Even in such comfort, I could not stop thinking about the curious turn my life had taken. Less than a day before, I had fled the Moors because of an encounter with an odd and off-putting man. Now that man was my savior. How was that possible? I had no doubt it was the same man, despite his having changed into the sort of casual wear one expects to find at a country club or dinner party. His air of aristocratic charm remained. It was certainly him.

  The man held a brief exchange with Allie.

  “You had us worried for a while,” he said, “I was expecting some communication hours ago.” I noted that he did not scold Allie, but rather engaged her as a peer. It was something of a novelty to observe a blue blood giving such deference and consideration to a nobody.

  “I couldn’t risk it. When I knew they were operating I decided to lay low.”

  “Dangerous, but understandable. You know how close this was, don’t you?” He really did have an air about him. I kept expecting him to cross his legs and light a cigarette.

  “Yeah, I have an idea,” Allie said.

  “I have a question,” I surprised myself by speaking.

  Allie and the man looked at me as though surprised to learn that I could speak. The young woman who accompanied us also considered me.

  “Who are you people?”

  “Carver,” Allie said and went to go on.

  The man waved it away with his hand.

  “I apologize, Mr. Carver. You have been treated most unkindly in all of this. Of course you want to know who I am, who my companion is, who we work for, and what in name of God was hunting you tonight.”

  I nodded my head dumbly.

  “Yeah, I do. I want to know all of that.”

  “I ask you to indulge me, Mr. Carver.” He waved off an anticipated argument from me. It was such a practiced gesture. He must have done it a lot. “Not for very long. Only until we are safely on land and within shelter. Normally I would not be afraid, but there is some reason to believe we are all still in danger. Five minutes, no more, and I will tell you what I can.”

  I looked at Allie. She just shrugged her shoulders. What a help.

  “Fine. But I want real answers.”

  “And you shall have them. Probably more answers than you truly want.”

  We passed the remaining moments without speaking. Soon my stomach and inner ear began to tell me that our course had shifted downward. We were descending.

  The pilot did an admirable job landing, although the wind rushed under the machine and gave us a few bumps. Finally on land, the pilot killed the engine. Its sound faded away until there was only the whine of the electronics and the rushing of wind outside.

  The young lady slid open the door. She hopped outside, which was a bit impressive given that she was dressed like a businesswoman in skirt and heels. Whoever she was, I did not think she had anticipated how her day would play out when she had dressed that morning. I followed her, mimicking the way she ducked her head in deference to the still-coasting blades. There was no real danger, given how high above us they hung, but it seemed prudent.

  I was disorientated for a while after we disembarked. The change from light to darkness robbed me of my night vision, and the maneuvers made by the pilot had done the same with my sense of spacial orientation.

  Allie came up behind me. She turned me toward the front of the helicopter and bade me to follow. I saw then that the pilot had landed with the front of the craft aiming toward our goal. The aircraft’s powerful searchlight illuminated the world before us. I saw at once and understood.

  In the searchlight’s beam, I saw the anomaly. The cross dike whose evidently spontaneous growth I had observed that morning. Seeing it gave me the sense that this adventure was at an end. I felt simultaneously energized by imminent exposition and exhausted by the effort of it all.

  I followed the group as we crossed the fifty or so yards between the helicopter and the dike. All the while, I wondered what exactly we planned to do when we arrived. Was I meant to scale it? Was other transport waiting nearby?

  About ten yards from the dike, the pilot switched off the searchlight. I feared some ambush, but none came. Instead, and much to my astonishment, a light began to emanate from the dike itself. It was about halfway down the side we had been approaching. I blinked several times and tried to make it out. The others walked toward it as though this was the most natural and expected of events. To them, I suppose, it was.

  We were very close before I understood that it was a door. The light shining into the Hole was coming from a well-lit room within the dike.

  Curiosity overcame all my fear, and I followed the party inside the Stone Age structure.

  Well, if you were expecting a vast cavern filled with uniformed henchmen in the theme of a spy novel, you will be disappointed. The room we walked into was stark, utilitarian, and empty. At about ten feet square, our group of four felt cozy. Thankfully, there were seats arrayed around a sort of work table. I did not wait for the others before collapsing into one.

  The room felt very new, and obviously it was. There were no signs hung on any of the walls. Indeed, there was no adornment whatsoever. The only thing that passed for decoration was a panel of lights and buttons that hung near the entry door. This was mirrored by a much smaller panel on a door located on the opposite wall.

  Allie remained standing while our two companions followed my cue. I could not conceive of how Allie still had energy with which to stand up. She had to be even more tired than I was.

  The man reached into his coat and removed a small flask. Without saying anything, he handed it over to me. I have never fallen in love so quickly or so unconditionally.

  I took a long pull of the contents. I think it was brandy, but I am not much of an aficionado. So I might be wrong. Regardless of its identity, I savored the warmth that expanded from my stomach and stilled my shaking nerves. I handed it back to him. I felt an oddly companionable feeling as he also took a drink. Both Allie and our other companion declined offers to imbibe.

  “Tonight has been demonstrative,” he began. “Transformative as well. We have seen things that have never been observed. And with such proximity, I might add. Few people have ever been so close to such a machine and lived to tell about.”

  He looked at me before continuing.

  “Mr. Carver, please forgive me for the way you have been mishandled today. This has all been a rude experience for you.”

  I let slide how ineffective the word ‘rude’ seemed to me.

  He extended his hand.

  “My name is Stephen Greenfield.”

  I accepted and shook. “Nicholas Carver.”

  “It is a pleasure to formally meet you, Mr. Carver.”

  “And you, Mr. Greenfield.”

  The young woman coughed and looked at us.

  “My assistant is holding back the urge to correct you,” he turned to her. “Dana, you are an American. Titles are supposed to be irrelevant to you.”

&n
bsp; She took on a sheepish look and said nothing.

  “Sir Greenfield?” I said.

  Allie laughed, “Cold. Carver, please make the acquaintance of the Fourth Earl of Greenfield.”

  “Oh? Wow. Okay.” These were the types of things I uttered. “Lord Greenfield. So, the helicopter?”

  “Mine. Or rather, the property of an organization I am interested in.”

  “Well, m’Lord, thanks for the lift.”

  He smiled that toothy, aristocratic smile. It was still weird to see but no longer creepy.

  “My pleasure, Mr. Carver. And now, you have questions. I made you a promise, and I will not hold back.”

  He was right, I had many questions. Thousands. For some reason I picked:

  “How did you find us?”

  He regarded the question with an approving look, as though it signaled some desirable quality in my way of thinking. Or he thought it was funny, I am not sure.

  “The fire. It was an elegant signal. Of course, it could have meant anything. But given certain reports we had picked up throughout the day, it seemed prudent to have a look. Glad we did, although I am going to have to make some phone calls to keep the insurance companies happy. Dear old Tommy has had enough trouble with investigations lately.” He chuckled as though all of this was only the slightest bit out of the ordinary.

  “And the, the thing. The triangle. What was that?”

  The nobility have this way of talking about inconveniently troubling things. They look away, take gentle breaths, and contort their faces for a little while. I think it’s to figure out how to convey bad news in the most level way possible. One must not appear flustered, after all.

  “They are mysteries. They arrive out of nowhere and, after engaging in various types of rather disturbing conduct, shoot off and away.” He made a commiserate gesture to punctuate the statement. “They travel so fast that we cannot track them. They move in ways such that no aircraft in any military can do more than annoy them. Frankly, I’m not even sure that we annoy them very much.

  “I am being completely honest when I tell you that neither I nor anyone I am familiar with knows what that object was. It seems evident that it is a ship of some sort. Built by whom, no one knows. For what purpose? Again, we do not know. My colleagues and I have been investigating this mystery for many years, and we have made frustratingly little progress.”

  “Are they aliens?” I asked.

  “Yes.”

  Damn him. Damn his one-word answer. Damn him for not trying to put me off by dodging the question. My whole world, my very understanding of how reality worked was made obsolete by a single syllable.

  “Carver?” Allie said, “Are you all right?”

  “No. I. No, I’m not. But go on, I want to hear it all at once.”

  “I’m afraid there is precious little else on the subject that I can tell you. Not because of secrecy, mind you, but because there is so little that we truly understand. Even what I have told you is something of a supposition. Are they aliens? I say they are. Some disagree with me, certainly, but do you? Do you, after having seen them and what they can do, have any doubt that they come from another world?”

  “No.” I stared into the floor. My mind raced. There were implications from this revelation that would take a lifetime to understand. Society, civilization, history; these were all different now.

  “What is this place?” I finally asked.

  “It is a construct. Made by my organization in order to help the Duchess of Burnside with her work. And the work of our sister organization, of course.”

  “The Duchess of Burnside?” I said. “I’ve never heard of Burnside.”

  The young lady, Dana was her name, spoke up.

  “His Lordship means to say-”

  “Dana, I have decided to take Mr. Carver into my confidence. I am going to offer him employment, and I feel certain that he will accept. That will require mutual trust.”

  “Shouldn’t that be up to her Ladyship?” Dana said.

  I saw Allie roll her eyes.

  “Okay,” I said, “So you not only built a three-hundred foot structure in the middle of Yorkshire but you’ve also invented a Dukedom? Well, I can’t wait to meet her.” I rested my head in my hands.

  When no one spoke, I looked back up. Dana was frowning, most perturbed. His Lordship was smiling. I felt like I was on the outside of an inside joke.

  “Easily accomplished, Mr. Carver. May I present her Ladyship, the Duchess of Burnside.”

  I turned around to see who had walked in behind me. Nobody had. I looked back and watched Allie as she smirked at the Duke.

  “What is it with the English,” she said. “It’s just a stupid title.”

  Understanding crept in on me.

  “Allie?” I said.

  “Her Ladyship,” Dana said.

  Allie shot her a look. I sensed there was tension between those two.

  “It’s just a stupid title,” she repeated with a hint of anger. “You and my mother are the only people who still care about it.”

  “Allie?” I said with a rising voice.

  “Yes, Cah-ver,” she said with a mock-English accent.

  “Holy shit!” My eloquence amazes me still.

  The Earl smiled broadly, “Indeed.”

  “You’re a, a duchess?”

  “Yep.”

  “A proper duchess?” I kept going.

  “Yep.”

  “How could you not tell me?”

  “Maybe because you’re English and you’ll start acting like an idiot the second you find out that I’m a member of that daft club.” She pointed at me as I gesticulated. “Viz.”

  “Forgive her, Mr. Carver. Allison’s people are not quite so Byzantine when it comes to these things. I believe you would call them ‘progressives.’”

  “But you’re American. I didn’t think Americans were allowed to have titles.”

  “They cannot,” the Earl said.

  “So, Canadian?”

  “Not this again,” Allie said. She turned around. “I’ll be right back. Make sure you tell him who he’s going to be working for.”

  She opened the door that lay on the opposite wall. It swung wide, and I saw a glimpse of a much larger room on the other side. It was only open briefly, but in that moment I saw part of a solid looking object that lay within. What it was, I had not the time to determine.

  “She is right, you do need to understand what you’re getting yourself into. Or rather, what you are already neck-deep in to.” He took another breath and manipulated his face. Uh oh.

  “Up front, I will tell you that while I am a member of the government, I am not presently working for the government. Nor shall you be. Your employment will be with a private entity that, as I mentioned earlier, I have an interest in. It’s called the DC Forrester Corporation. If that sounds ponderous, arbitrary, and entirely made-up, then we have succeeded.”

  “It’s a front?”

  “Exactly. We have subordinate holdings in various, shall I say, legitimate organizations throughout the world that allow us to finance our operations. It’s all above-board, mind you. Nothing illegal. Well, perhaps marginally illegal. But no more than your average petro giant.” He laughed. This was all just so amusing, evidently.

  “So it’s a dummy corporation that, what, chases aliens?”

  “Partially, yes.”

  “May I have another drink?”

  “Certainly.”

  He obliged, and I consumed. It did not help.

  “So why me?”

  “You’ve seen them. You’ve been up-close, and you know how they behave. At least this particular variety.”

  “There are others?”

  “Oh yes. But you are also a man who understands exploration. You like having your boots on the ground. You enjoy mapping and turning the unknown into useful information. Add to that your rather spotless background, and you’re an ideal candidate.”

  “My background?”

  “S
potless. Dull, really.”

  “That’s not for like of trying,” I lied, “And that means you’ve checked it. Today. This evening.”

  “We do have our resources, Mr. Carver. And I’m offering them to you. To explore with. Also, you are the one person I know who has worked with Allison and who can go off on this assignment.”

  “What assignment?”

  As if on cue, Allie came back into the room. His Lordship continued speaking.

  “Things have changed tonight. In truth, they have been changing for some time, but we could not say so with absolute conviction. Now we know. These creatures, whoever they are, are up to something. Something that has turned more deadly over the past six months.”

  I thought of Mr. Wendell.

  “Deadly?”

  “Yes,” he ran his tongue over his lower teeth and looked down. His eyes came up first, followed by the rest of his face. “People are being murdered. Well, they’re dying. That much we know. We suspect murder, and we strongly suspect a connection. That is why Dana here is no longer at her office in America.”

  I considered Dana. She was young and obviously fighting off intimidating self-doubt. She looked sad.

  “Our American operations have ground to a halt since April. Dana is effectively all that remains.”

  “So, if I sign up, my life is on the line.”

  “I’m sorry to inform you, Mr. Carver, but your life will be on the line regardless of your decision. They know you now, and they never forget those with whom they have become acquainted. They will stalk your nights, and there is nothing you can do to stop them. Unless we help you.”

  “So the price of salvation, or not since your people are being murdered, is me going to work for you.”

  “That is about the size of the thing.”

  Allie said, “I don’t like this. I don’t like bullying people. Carver, you don’t have to do anything. We can figure out a way-”

  “I’ll do it.”

  She halted in her words. Then she smiled. Then she frowned.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. Do I get to keep making maps? I’m not good for much else.”

  “I doubt that’s true,” said the Earl, “but, yes, you will continue to make maps. Among other duties, of course.”