Terry Bisson: The Fifth Element

Waiting for something to happen.

Waiting for anything to happen.

“Nothing’s happening,” said Korben. “It doesn’t work!”

“Of course not, not yet,” said Father Cornelius. “The Stones have to be open.”

“Open? You know how to do that?” “Theoretically…” said Father Cornelius. “Theoretically… no.”

On the other side of the small, threatened globe known as Earth, the President of the United Federation was in his office, watching the remote f eed on the wall-sized viewscreen.

It showed a dark planet heading straight for Earth at blinding speed.

“Leeloo!”

Korben was bending over her, trying to awaken

her.

“The Stones! Do you know how to open them?” Korben had to bend way over to listen. With his hand behind his back, he motioned for his companions to be still.

Leeloo’s voice was as soft as the single string of a harp.

“The wind blows… the fire burns…”

“I know all that, Leeloo!” Korben said. “But what about the Stones?!”

“…rain falls…”

“Let her rest,” said Father Cornelius. “It’s the only way for her to heal.”

Korben backed away, frustrated. He picked up one of the stones off its pedestal. “The rain falls… the wind blows… what the hell does that mean?”

“Maybe it’s a game!!” Loc Rhod offered. “Like charades??”

“No!” Korben said, replacing the Stone in its pedestal. “It’s much simpler. If we don’t figure out how these things open in five minutes, we’re all dead. Got it?”

“Got it!!” said Loc Rhod.

The evil planet drew closer and closer. Instead of light, it threw off darkness. Its shadow preceeded it, slicing across the blue planet like an eclipse.

On the desert, a darkness fell over the sand, cooling it instantly.

Inside the temple, the blue globes sputtered and went out.

In the President’s office, a tech turned a worded face away from the communications console.

“We’ve lost contact with Cornelius and Dallas.” “How much time?” asked the President.

“Three minutes.”

“We’ll never make it!!” said Loc Rhod.

He was holding a flashlight, while Cornelius, David and Korben tried each stone in turn, shaking them, turning them, knocking them together—all to no avail.

Loc Rhod bent over one the stones and let out a hopeless sigh…

Popf

Korben, David and Cornelius all wheeled around at the slight popping sound.

Loc Rhod picked up the stone. “It moved!! Korben!! Korben!!”

Korben, Cornelius and David rushed over. The stone seemed to be swelling slightly.

“What did you do?” asked Korben. “What did you say?”

“Nothing!! Swear to god, I didn’t do nothing!!”

Korben grabbed the DJ by one ultra-padded shoulder. “Look, you did something that set it off. Try to remember. Concentrate. Tell me exactly what you did!”

Loc Rhod bent over the pedestal. “I was like this, with my hands here, and I said ‘we’ll never make it’!! That’s all!!”

“And then?” asked Father Cornelius.

“And then?” asked David.

“And then?” asked Korben

“And then I guess I sighed. Like this.”

Loc Rhod sighed.

Pop pop!

The stone opened even more.

“I’ve got it!” said Korben. “The wind! The wind blows…”

He bent over and blew gently on the Sacred Stone. A small square opened, showing a bright blue patch of sky, complete with miniature clouds. A yellow beam of light shone up, illuminating the wide smile on Korben’s rugged face.

“Everyone on a Stone!” he yelled. “Water for water! Fire for fire! Earth for Earth!”

David scraped up a handful of dust and tossed it on his stone.

Pop pop pop!

A patch of green appeared, and a green beam lighted his eager young face.

Father Cornelius looked around for water—then mopped his brow with a handkerchief and wrung a few drops of sweat onto his stone.

Pop pop pop!

A tiny window opened, revealing a raging sea complete with whitecapped waves. A blue beam of light shone up on the old priest’s face.

Loc Rhod was having trouble with the fourth stone.

He was going through his pocket’s. (There went lots of them.)

“I don’t have a light!!” he said. “I quit smoking last week!!”

Korben patted his own pockets and found his box of marches.

There was one left,

“Don’t breathe!” he said.

He struck the match.

A tiny flame appeared… sputtered…

flickered…

Dead silence gripped the room as Korben approached the stone with the tiny flickering match.

Loc Rhod, David and Father Cornelius stood stock still, like statues, Leeloo lay languidly the altar.

Cupping the tiny flame in his ham-sized hand, Korben tiptoed toward the fourth stone.

He touched the flame to the stone.

Pap pop pop!

A patch of fire appeared within the stone, and a bright red beam flashed out, joining the yellow, the green and the blue beams on the ceiling of the temple.

“How much time?” asked the President.

His eyes were fixed on the viewscreen, which was filled with the nightmare vision of the approaching ball of dark fire.

“One minute.”

“Leeloo!” said Korben.

He centered her on the altar, where the four beams criss-crossed.

“Let’s go!” he said. “According to Father Cornelius, it’s your move…”

In the shadows, the old priest and his novice were praying softly.

Loc Rhod was standing beside them, muttering his own form of prayer.

Leeloo rose to her knees.

“Protect life…” she said. “Until death…”

Her eyes closed.

“You can sleep tomorrow!” said Korben, shaking her gently. “Come on…”

“I want… to sleep… forever… .”

“No!” said Korben, shaking her harder. “You can’t! The world needs you—and I need you, too. I’ll take you on a vacation afterwards. A real vacation this time, for as long as you like! Come on! Wake up, baby! Time to work!”

Korben stepped back as Leeloo struggled to her feet in the intersection of the four beams.

She stood, wavering unsteadily, and a white beam of light formed around her, shining straight up toward the ceiling of the temple.

“Come on, Leeloo!” said Cornelius.

“Come on!” said David.

“Green!!” said Loc Rhod.

The white beam, rose—

Then weakened and grew dim, as Leeloo fell to her knees on the altar—

Then collapsed to the floor.

The dark planet filled the viewscreen.

The President wanted to dose his eyes, but he couldn’t.

He had been a boxer at Annapolis, and he knew

the feeling.

It was too familiar. It was when you were losing, waiting, watching the knock-out punch coming straight at you.

In slow motion.

“Fifty seconds,” said the tech.

“Leeloo!”

Korben picked her up off the floor.

The walls behind him were oozing a mysterious black liquid.

It squeezed from the stone walls and fell in hideous drops, like something from the grave.

It dropped its splatters onto the floor, hissing ominously where it hit.

One drop fell at Loc Rhod’s feet and ate a hole in the stone floor.

SSSssssssss!

Loc Rhod backed away, barely dodging another drop. And another.

Whatever it was, it was falling like rain. A final deadly add rain.

“Leeloo!”

Korben helped her back onto the altar, into the light of the crossed beams.

He climbed onto the altar with her. He stood helping her to her feet.

“If you don’t get with the program, we’re ali going to die!” he whispered into her ear. “And that’s not on my schedule for today!”