Terry Neale - Jo-el

Almost immediately Ka-el came to life and said. “Congratulations David.” He smiled warmly and seemed to rotate his head in the direction of the container, or so I imagined. The container split into two, the top raising up slowly. I gasped, my throat suddenly dry. It floated above the lower section then moved to the side and came down to rest on the carpet next to the coffee table. I gulped dry air, frozen for a moment in shear disbelief.

“David, inside the container you will find several items. I want you to remove them and place them carefully.”

I was motionless, immobilized with fear. I breathed heavily, reaching inside myself for the courage to continue. I placed the computer on the coffee table next to the container and peered inside. Everything was neat, perfectly packed with no space between the items. I lifted the first one, a small red box, like a pencil case, or a tin for cigars and placed it on the table. Then I took out a curved, glass looking vessel that was tucked carefully into the front, or maybe it was the back of the main container. There were three other items, which I also removed. Each one felt heavier than the whole container together. There was a large box and a very small item, like a jewelry case for a single ring. A small box the size of business cards was the last thing I removed. Nothing else was removable, the main container was raised at the bottom but it was part of the structure.

“Good,” said Ka-el. I was startled, how did he know I had removed all the items? I didn’t understand what was going on and I was fearful. “Now I will explain what we have sent to you and what you must do. The explanation will be difficult for you to grasp and will stretch your beliefs. Please be patient. You were chosen because of your reasonableness. There are many men and women of your planet who will envy you, but they have visions that are self-serving and in contrast to the work you must perform. You must be strong in your resolve to do what you will realize is the right thing. Your world has many flaws; we know you are very aware of them. Violence and crime of varying degrees infest all levels of your society. The cost of fighting this human disease is immense, both in human suffering and resources. With the tools we are providing, you will have the opportunity to end much of this suffering.”

I’m listening with disbelief. What the hell was going on? I was wondering if I had a choice here? Maybe I’d like to be asked before being cast as the world’s savior? If that is what I was being asked to do? Yet, there was also an incredible fascination, a colossal feeling of pride that little old me had been chosen. I was getting wrapped up in Ka-el’s words, enjoying the compliments and swelling with self-importance, in contrast to my normal self. Mary had remarked many times that I was a simple man, content with my family life, yet vocal about the injustices around the world. My success financially had not driven me, as so many do, to believe I was special and could repeat my success and parlay my good fortune into more riches. I was content with what I had achieved and intently proud of providing such a comfortable life for my wife and children.

“We discovered your planet more than three hundred million years ago. At that time there was no human life, but we recognized that at some point in time intelligent life would likely develop. Organisms of more than one cell were appearing and the atmosphere was conducive to an expansion of diverse life. For fifty million years our people monitored your planet. We would not know what or how fast life would develop. All the elements were in place, so we did what we have done on more than two hundred planets. Approximately two hundred and fifty million years ago we dispatched robots to set up a computer system around the planet and observe the development. Equipment, that you might imagine as computer servers were embedded in and around Earth in hard rock, strategically placed away from the edges of the tectonic plates. Energy would be obtained from the sun. We monitored your planet and have been doing so ever since.”

I’m trying to believe. I’m listening carefully and I’m flabbergasted. Do I trust Ka-el or not? I’m torn. Truly, I want to jump on the Ka-el train and ride it to the next station, but holy crap, it’s way out there. Patience, Dave, go with the flow. Let’s see where it takes me. I slurp the remains of my cold tea, spilling most of it on my shirt.

“The item in the curved container is a belt attachment that will connect you to the computer system we set up many years ago.”

Whoa! What did he say? It wasn’t a major leap to figure out that my alien friend here wants me to hook up to their computer system. You’re kidding, right? What happens then? I become some sort of zombie for this guy. Next stage, no doubt, I’m tasked with recruiting more of ‘my people’. Then bingo, Ka-el takes over the world and yours truly was the catalyst. No, sir! I don’t think so. I reach out and pressed the computer screen and Ka-el’s image freezes. Phew! Just saved the world. I jump up from the sofa and felt drips of sweat running down my face. I began wandering around the room, glancing sideways at the computer, keeping an eye on the evil thing, as if Ka-el would suddenly leap out and fasten his hands around my throat.

It was four-thirty, a little early for a Scotch, but I needed one and I needed it now. Black Label to the rescue. My usual two finger measurement became three. I told myself it was the volume of ice. Yea, right! The first slugs burnt down my throat, exploding inside me. Delightful. I breathed deeply, sucking air through my teeth, inhaling the whisky vapor deep down. It was magic. Three more large gulps and I leant forward and brought my alien buddy back to life. He explained, carefully, that I had to place the curved item around my waist, like a belt, bring the ends together and then it would do the rest. He said there would be no pain, just a tingling feeling at the back and sides where it met my skin. I fetched the item to the sofa and examined it slowly. It was clear, like plastic, seemingly innocuous. No leads, no connectors, no buttons or lights. I played with it for a while, wondering if there was a right way round. What if I put it on upside-down? It wasn’t clear. I guess it didn’t matter. Two more gulps of Black Label, which left ice-cubes resting against my top lip. I took another long breath, pulled up my shirt and placed the belt around my waist just above my pant line, bringing the stub ends together at the front.

Nothing! Or for a moment nothing. My heart flipped with disappointment as I suddenly thought that maybe it didn’t work. It was too big. There was a gap between the belt thingy and me. I unconsciously looked for holes to tighten it. Ha! Then it moved. Whoa! On its own. It closed around my waist and locked together at the front, though there was no visible mechanism. Then it tightened and I breathed in, sucking in my middle-aged mid-drift, which I suddenly remembered I was instructed not to do. Shit! I felt failure. They would move on to the next candidate. The belt molded itself to my body and stopped moving. Immediately I began to feel a tingling sensation at the back of my hips. Maybe a little warmth, certainly not uncomfortable. That lasted a short while, then nothing. I waited, standing between my sofa and the coffee table, unsure what to do next. Even though I was the only person in the room I felt conspicuous. Should I sit down? Earth to Cirion, ‘what do I do now?’

Ka-el chirped up, as if he’d heard my thoughts. “There is a small box about three inches by two inches. Remove the lid and take out one of the slim cards inside.” I did what he asked. “Hold the card out in front of you and to the side and let go.” That felt weird. Wouldn’t it just drop to the floor? I did it anyway and the card remained where I’d placed it in mid-air. That was disconcerting.