I greeted Jarvis, McCloud, and Rogers individually, but Jarvis got most of my attention. He was a legendary resistance leader against the Machine Rule and had been involved from the start. Much later, he had been revived to lead our attempt to overthrow the machines and died as the world in which we had lived exploded.
Everybody here, including Sol, was killed in that world. Only I had survived. Yet, here we were, reunited in an alternative world where the machines were still in charge.
There was little time for talk. Soon, the drones would arrive. And once we were detected, our chances of survival were minimal.
"We have to move quickly," I said. "I know that Joe has an idea, and we will hear from him first."
"I have a plan," said Joe, "and it makes the best use of our resources as they are now. However
We must agree on two. First question: Sol, do you think you could fly the Skytrain? And two
Would the rest of you put your lives in Sol's hands and fly with him?
"Sol, your call."
"Yes, I think I could fly the aircraft," Sol replied. "A quick five-minute refresher from Joe, which I could put straight in my memory banks, would help."
"No problem, Sol. I could do that. What about the rest of you?" Joe said. "Would you come with Sol as the pilot?"
"Are you sure the autopilot won't work for us again?" I asked
"Almost certain," said Joe. "I believe this is how far they intended to go. The rest is up to us."
"Do you have a destination in mind, Joe? "Or do you mean for us just to escape the drones?" asked Jarvis.
Joe responded quickly.
"I mean for us to fly to the RAF airfield, if it is still there, and I think it is. The idea is that we regroup there and use it as our base. I know the course to take, and Sol can follow me without the need for a flight plan. Not that there would be any time for that; those drones will be here before we know it."
"Count me in," said Jarvis. "The only other option is to run, and they would be sure to find us."
Rogers, reverting to his natural cautious approach, contributed to the discussion.
"What about the subterranean people? They would let us hide underground."
"Do you think you could contact them and arrange that? said Joe.
He looked at his watch.
"Say, within the next six minutes, because that is all the time we have to get out of here and put some clear sky between us and the drones."
"All say 'aye' who agree with Joe's idea." I said, and there was a thunder of 'ayes' in response, including Rogers.
"Sol, you come with me to the flight deck of the Skytrain. The rest of you get on board," ordered Joe. "Leave as little evidence as you can on the ground that indicates our stay here. After I am done with Sol, I will leave the aircraft, and he can take off. I will follow in the Hurricane."
"I thought you were nearly out of fuel, Joe," I said.
"I hoped you would not remember that, David," said Joe, looking shamefaced.
"It was Sol who noticed that I had an auxiliary fuel tank strapped on underneath. It used to be standard practice on long missions. Novice mistake on my part."
"No time for recriminations," shouted Jarvis.
"Let's go!"
After Joe had briefed Sol, the SkyTrain started up. Joe jumped down as the cargo doors were closing and raced to his own aircraft. Sol got us airborne like a pro, and we circled to allow Joe to get in front. Joe set the course and waggled his wings to indicate that we should follow.
We were headed in the opposite direction to the zones, and hopefully we had got away in time.
I looked down at the landscape passing under us. It looked much as it did in the former world, and that was good news. It meant that the RAF airfield should be in the same place.
Sol was handling the aircraft beautifully. The conditions were almost perfect for flying, and we droned on at a steady rate, never losing sight of Joe up front. We had lost sight of the drones, and the way ahead was clear. There was time for me to speak to the other three, and I went down to the rear of the aircraft, where they had made themselves as comfortable and secure as possible.
The conversation was stilted at first. How do you converse in rational terms about the incredible events that have brought us back together? It was only when we talked about our recent experiences in the new world that the conversation began to flow more easily.
Jarvis said that the commandant had placed them in protective custody in the same compound where I had finished up. The morning of the bombing raid, an armoured car had arrived to take them back to base for further questioning. The commandant wanted their opinion of the reason for my arrival, and he agreed that the incapacitated Sol could remain in their quarters. After the raid, he had explained the reason for expelling them from the base and seemed genuinely sorry that he was forced to take this action.
When I told Jarvi about the self-flying Skytrain, he said he believed that it was the work of the Lingzhe.
"It seems that they engineered the whole series of events that has ended in the position we find ourselves in now," he said. "Only they have that power. I have no idea if they now intend that we fend for ourselves or if there are further surprises to come, but I am certain that we can count on them as our allies."
I saw Sol raise his hand for me to go back up front.
"We will have more time to speak later," I said to the three men. "I need to see what Sol wants."
I could hear the radio crackling as I reached Sol.
"Canada One to Skytrain, are you receiving me?"
Sol passed over the radio handset to me.
"Skytrain to Canada One, receiving you loud and clear."
"Canada One to Skytrain, E.T.A. at RAF airfield is ten minutes. Keep your eyes open."
"Copy that," I replied.
Eyes open for what? He must mean drones.
We flew steadily on and a few minutes later saw the landing strips and buildings of the RAF airfield in the distance, looking much the same as before. I picked up a pair of binoculars hung on the wall of the cockpit and scanned the ground more closely.
To my astonishment, there were two Spitfires still parked up outside the hangars. If they had somehow been left there, why were they not safely stored inside the hangars? And why, considering the supposedly huge time lapse, did they still look brand new?
The two Spitfires taxied to the start of the runway.
They were piloted and intended to take off!
In my excitement, I forgot the official procedure for communicating between aircraft and blurted into the handset.
"What's happening, Joe? Who are they?"
"No idea," he replied. "Totally unexpected. It is either a welcoming party, or they mean to drive us off."
We watched the two Spitfires take off and move into positions to the left and right of the Skytrain.
Our radio crackled into life.
"Delta control to intruder aircraft. Identify yourselves. This is prohibited airspace. Please leave immediately."
"Skytrain to Delta Control. We request permission to land. We are humans seeking sanctuary."
One of the Spitfires came closer, and we could see the helmeted pilot look us over and then dive away.
"Delta Control to Skytrain. You are machine androids. We can see your pilot. Landing permission denied. Change course immediately, or we will shoot you down."
"Skytrain to Delta Control. The Android pilot is under our control. We are a crew of four humans. Request permission to land, and we will be happy to explain. We are members of the resistance."
They did not reply, but we heard the rattle of gunfire as one of the Spitfires opened up on us. It was a warning burst, but the next one would be for real. I had only seconds to make the right decision.