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They had called it groundbreaking, but it couldn't have been less original. All of it, the formula, the destination, it had all been planned, and they knew it. Their folly was that they had thought they made the plans themselves. They should have known better, now I would be the one to suffer for it, and there was little I could do about my current predicament. I was afterall, the only complete human left...
I closed my eyes, and climbed into the chamber...
24 hours earlier...
The hangar was awash with important looking guests and figures in military uniforms. The way the whole place buzzed with excitement, one need not be told that a special event was about to be witnessed. Even the old cleaner usually positioned at the door of the gents looked immaculate today.
"Ladies and gentlemen, in any moment now, we'll all witness the launch of Zoom001, the first human controlled space shuttle to travel faster than the speed of light."
The voice of the announcer reduced the chatter of the crowd just a little bit, no one wanted to miss the action. But as soon as the announcement was done, the voices increased again.
Harry was still very much overawed by the sense of occasion, despite the fact that he had expected this much hype and had prepared all week for it. He beamed at his reflection on the mirror, and tried to hide his agitation. In a few minutes he told himself, he would be heading for deep outer space, the crowd outside should be the least of his worries. He makes some last minute adjustments to his gear, takes in one long deep breath, and steps out to meet the guests. In a minute, the uncomfortable part would be over...
14 hours earlier...
Harry glances with satisfaction over the dashboard in front of him, things had gone more smoothly than he had imagined they would. He had handled the crowd with ease, and the takeoff even easier. Ten hours later, he had already gone beyond the known extreme of the milky way galaxy. He glanced at the dark screens surrounding him in a semicircle, there was nothing of note to report thus far, the trip had been rather uneventful at best.
Nevertheless he reached for the transparent glass pod to his left, the device never failed to amaze him since it replaced the transmitters of old. Using it always gave him a thrill of sorts, and since he was required to report in every thirty minutes, he might as well thrill himself while at it.
"Echo, echo, Tango, 001 over"... no response
"Echo, echo, Tango, 001 over", Harry repeated...
Still no response. This is strange, Harry thinks to himself. Then as he was about to repeat a third time, a strange sound, much like an extended gurgle came through the speakers.
Harry dropped the device like it was red hot. He felt the beginning of fear coupled with excitement; he was threading in unknown territories already, and if there were aliens... He dismissed the thought, he was being childish he told himself. Perhaps the sound was only a minor glitch. He picked up the device again and repeated,
"Echo, echo, Tango, 001 over",...
This time the voice was loud and clear; it was a gurgling sound quite alright, but it was also as inhuman as any sound could be. This was not a glitch of any form, this was the sound of a living creature, one that didn't sound too pleased to hear from Harry.
Harry paused for the best part of two seconds, then his hands flew into action, he had to turn this ship around and fast. As he flipped over, and flicked numerous switches and buttons, he suddenly noticed a faint light approaching on the screen in front of him. His hands worked faster, but the light approached faster still. If his ship was moving faster than the speed of light, whatever was out there certainly doubled, if not tripled the speed of light.
Harry's mind was in a haze, he knew it was futile trying to outrun whatever was coming at him, but he didn't stop trying. From the look of the distance the white bob on the screen had covered, Harry knew it was only a matter of seconds left before impact. He closed his eyes and muttered a silent prayer.
He heard the gurgling sound again moments before he blacked out...
20 minutes earlier...
Harry woke to painful bangs in his head. He felt like the entire airforce personnel were on parade atop his skull. He seemed to be lying down in a small room. He shuffled to his feet only to discover his legs were bound together by what could best be described as elastic chains. The science of it eluded him, he could stretch his legs when it felt necessary to do so, but he couldn't when he attempted to go farther than that, especially in the direction of the door.
"It is no use trying, you can't leave if they do not will it"
Harry turned to the direction of the voice, and as recognition dawns on him, his face lights up with hope. He makes to hurry in the direction of his former captain, Captain George - the ground commander of the Zoom001 whose voice he had hoped to hear when he had picked up the glass transmitter device all those hours ago - but as he tried to move his legs, the confusing chains refuses to expand as expected, and he falls to the ground in a heap again.
"They won't let you come close to me as well, I'll only get you corrupt."
Harry looked up in confusion, and for the first time he noticed the difference in Captain George. He looked much older than he remembered, like he had suddenly aged overnight. And he had strange strings coming out of one of his ears. That side of his face also had a different shade of colour, something close to a pinkish yellow.
"What happened Captain? Am I back on earth? Where are the others? Did..."
"One question at a time Harry", Captain George interrupts. "Sit, and I'll tell you all that you need to know."
Harry curls into a sitting position, and looks at the captain with rapt attention, his training coming to the fore despite his impatience.
"They knew we were coming, they had known all along." Captain George began.
"Indeed it was them who made sure we got the formula for light speed travel in the first place, and we had ignorantly credited serendipity." The Captain pauses, and proceeds on a short bout of coughing. Harry waits impatiently, the Captain continues..
"Anyways, you found them, or they found you, whatever was the case, and you served as their map to earth. When they first arrived, we tried to resist them, but as you must know already, they best us by a distance when it comes to technology. So earth fell."
"So what happened to the others, what happened to everyone?" Harry asks.
"They tried to communicate with us, but we couldn't understand. Their language was as horrible to the ears as any. Nobody was willing to listen, not to talk of learning"
Harry nodded with understanding, he could remember vividly the hideous gurgling sound like it was only a minute ago.
"So they tried to fit us with these", Captain George points to his ear with the strange strings.
"Not everyone could be fitted however, and a lot of us died from the attempt. Those who survived, like me, corrupted the others by mere contact. And we all have limited time to live once we get corrupt. That's the reason for the aging."
Harry makes to ask anotger question, but Captain George stops him with a gesture of his hand.
"I have only a few minutes left Harry, and this is what you must know. They claim that their race has been cursed due to some unforgivable crime being committed, and that the only solution is for the perpetrators of this crime to be brought to justice. They do have a device however, some sort of app for delivering trial and then justice, but then this device can only be powered by an alien, and it must be a willing alien too. That is why they have sought us, and why they have taken pains to install these death machines in our ears. So that we can be convinced. More specifically, so that I can convince you. They'll be here soon to fetch you Harry, remember your training and Judge them, so humanity may survive."
Captain George gives a sudden cough, and collapses forward. Before Harry could react, the door to the room opens, and he sets his eyes on the most lovely looking creature he had ever seen...
Now...
Harry awoke with energy bursting out from within and around him. He seemed to be floating in the air. He looked around to discover that his body still lay in the chamber, the device had worked. He looked before him, the whole Slomed race bowed their heads before him supplicating for a fair trial and justice to save their race. He recognized them now, it was like he was a part of them. But he also remembered his airforce training, and the words of his Captain. He would give them a fair trial alright, and it would start with human race as the plaintiffs...
Justice will be served...
He raised his right hand...
THE END
Written for @mctiller's Twenty Four Hour Short Story Contest and @calluna's Tell A Story To Me Contest
