David
Dawn was breaking, and McCloud, who was on last watch, came down from the second floor. I was already up and drinking a cup of coffee at the kitchen table.
"Morning, Jock," I said. "Get yourself a coffee."
"Morning, David. I will make a large brew to serve everybody. Jarvis told me to wake them up at dawn."
"No problem," I said. "Quiet night, I presume?"
"Yes, but the lights in the C.O.'s office on the base only turned off at two a.m., so I was told. Looks as if they had plenty to discuss."
"What do you make of it all, Jock? I presume Jarvis briefed you."
Jock was not a great one for words, and he finished putting the coffee on to brew before answering.
"I dunno what to make of it, David, but I have to say that this place gives me the creeps. El Jeffe, as he likes to call himself, understands English a lot better than he makes out. I saw him react to what was said, way before Roberto translated. Those two need watching."
"I agree," I said.
"You know, Jock, while I was sitting here waiting for the light to come up, I suddenly thought of Flight Lieutenant Hector Lamb. Do you remember the eccentric RAF officer who collects scrap metal for barter, that I told you about?"
"Aye, I do," said Jock.
I believe that he was definitely one of the original android pilots from the base in the other world, but possessed a human mind. He tried to make me think he was a fool, but I am sure that was an act. He could be a valuable source of information if I could get him to level with us about the history of the airfield.
"Are we leaving here, David, and going back? Jock asked.
Back to where, Jock? The Base doesn't want us. I had intended for us to make the airfield our own base, but we need to find out where the current occupants came from, who they are, and whether they are our allies or enemy agents. I am going to walk over to headquarters to see what I can discover. Give the others another hour, then get them up. Tell Jarvis he is in charge. Joe's first job is to ensure our two aircraft are refuelled and ready to go at a moment's notice. Then, retrieve the guns and anything else useful from the Skytrain and bring it back here. He can take Rogers with him to assist. I want you and Jarvis to use your military experience and think about how best to deploy ourselves in case of an attack.
"What about Sol?"
"I sent him off first thing last night to guard the aircraft against any attempt at sabotage. I informed El Jeffe to warn him off, but I spun him a line that it was standard procedure for us, in case of an attack by the enemy. Sol will return as soon as Joe gets there. On second thoughts, cancel the one-hour lie-in and get the men up now. Jock. We need to get moving."
Jock went to arouse the others, and with no definite plan in mind, I set off down the road to Headquarters.
There was a faint mist colour to the early morning light that suddenly darkened, and I prepared myself for another visit from the Lingzhe. I felt curiously calm; I needed some guidance and welcomed their presence. At the very edge of the mist, the shadowy forms assembled as a chorus, singing one part, pausing, and then repeating it, before moving on.
"Flow with whatever may happen and let your mind be free. Stay centred by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate."
"The torch of doubt and chaos, this is what the sage steers by."
"Flow with whatever may happen and let your mind be free."
When the third declaration was complete, there was a long pause, and the whole thing was repeated.
Then they were gone, and the mist vanished.
I sat by the roadside and covered my eyes with my hands, focusing on remembering the words I had heard, until they were fixed in my mind. Confident in my recall, I began to think about the meaning.
"Let your mind be free", I interpreted to mean that I should not accept explanations at face value, but also not dismiss them out of hand and maintain an objective perspective.
"The torch of doubt"—I interpreted it as a signal to maintain healthy scepticism about whatever I was told. The overall message I received was to 'go with the flow' and give everyone a fair hearing but never forget the ultimate reason for being in this alternative world, which was to right the wrong I had committed in my previous incarnation.
My mind cleared, and I carried on with my walk until I reached the Headquarters building. It was quiet, but that was hardly surprising given the early hour. The main doors were unlocked, and I followed Joe's directions until I arrived at the floor where El Jeffe's office was located. I didn't expect him to be there and planned to wait until he appeared, but I stopped in my tracks when I heard the sound of raised voices behind his door.
I edged slowly forward, trying to hear what they were saying. I could not make out what was being said, but I recognised the language as English, and the two speakers as Roberto and El Jeffe. McCloud had told me that he was sure that El Jeffe could understand English, and he was right.
As I drew closer, it was obvious that Roberto had the advantage and was shouting at El Jeffe, who responded in a pleading tone. There was a small window in the office wall, and I could now see that Roberto was standing over his supposed commanding officer, whose face was streaked with tears; he appeared to be exhausted.
I moved closer and heard Roberto's voice:
You must obey my orders. We have all your officers detained on the base. If you attempt to communicate directly with the new arrivals and reveal the true situation, the officers will be executed.
El Jeffe made a broken response.
But these people… David and his men… they're not like the others. They have real aircraft, real weapons… I believe them to be a scouting party before the arrival of a major army of liberation.
His voice rose as he gained more confidence.
"You would be wise to begin negotiations now. Your control over our world is coming to an end. We have hundreds of trained men ready to support an invasion force."
"You fool," replied Roberto. You underestimate us. Every 'training batch' we send back underground passes through an AI processing centre. The humans won't fight – at least not for you. They are conditioned as sleeper agents and will rise on our command. You've been the perfect unwitting recruiting officer for us, old man."
I had heard enough, but I did not want Roberto to suspect anything until I had a plan. Silently, I returned the way I had come until I reached the top of the stairs and paused, hoping that I could pull this off.
"Hello", I shouted. "Anybody home? This is one of your visitors, David, looking for El Jeffe's office."
There was no reply, and I tried again, shouting louder, and this time I got a response.
Roberto emerged from El Jeffe's office with a smile on his face,
"Good morning, David. You are quite the early bird. How can I help you?"
"Good morning, Roberto. I hoped to catch you and El Jeffe before you started your official duties. I wanted to discuss our departure plans and perhaps ways we might assist your operation before we leave."
"I am afraid El Jeffe has not turned in yet," said Roberto smoothly. "We had to work late last night on some other pressing business, and I suspect El Jeffe is still sleeping. He is not as young as he used to be. Perhaps you could return later in the day? Unless you are planning to leave right away?" he added.
"No," I replied. "We intend to stay a little longer, if you allow it."
"Of course," said Roberto, " take all the time you need. We will see you later, I hope?"
"Yes," I replied. "I am so sorry if I disturbed you."
"Not at all," said Roberto, and after shaking hands, I left the building.
There was a lot for me to think about as I made my way back to our quarters. Before we made any move, I had to do some intelligence gathering, and I mentally listed the questions that needed an answer:
The number of personnel who are genuine resistance, the location of weapons, communications equipment, and defences, Roberto's real capabilities, and backup systems; he could be bluffing. Information about where the hostages are held.
After I had this information, Roberto and all other AI assets would be simultaneously neutralised.