The Sacrifice of Knowing, page 14
“I know it’s hard Patty,” Estella’s voice said soothingly off screen. “But the sooner we find out what we need to know, the sooner you can talk about the fun stuff again.”
Patty crossed her arms and turned back to look at the empty space. “What else about the bad man Cain?”
After several seconds of silence, she dropped her arms to her side, leaned toward the area where she apparently saw Dith, and said, “Wow, can I come?” She was more animated and excited than she had been only moments ago. After a pause she said, “But that’s not fair. Why do they get to come but not me?” Patty returned to her original seated position and stared at the floor, her arms crossed over her chest once again.
She then looked back at the wall and said, “You promise?” There was more silence, then she said, “They still want to have the fight just as you planned. Only instead of blowing up the gate they want you to come to Trebor. But I have to wait until next time to visit. Dith promised I could come next time.”
“They want ENL on Trebor?” Estella asked.
“Yeah,” Patty replied still staring at Dith. “They want you there to help fight the bad people. Cain and the bad aliens. As many people as you can bring. They will come and get you at the gate. But not me because Dith said I have to wait until next time. Right Dith?” Patty nodded as she asked Dith for confirmation.
“You’re doing so well, Patty. Could you please ask Dith a few more questions for me? And then I’ll let you visit with him by yourself.”
Patty exhaled a heavy, exaggerated sigh. “What else?” she intoned.
“Please ask Dith how will we recognize them when we come through the gate? And, ask him if we need to do anything to prepare for the trip there?”
Patty repeated Estella’s questions. She waited and then answered, “They will be in a skyship near the gate and will have a sign that says ENL in Lauren’s language.” The revelation that Lauren had taught the Treborian Resistors English made Vince smile. “And you only need to wear the suits like Lauren had on. The doctors will take care of everything else once you arrive.” Then she turned to the camera again. “Can I stop now? This is boring. Every day when I talk to him, I have to talk about this stuff. This isn’t fun.”
“I know Patty. But thank you for your patience,” said Estella who then turned the camera around to face herself. “Graham. Katja. Is there anything else you want to ask or say?”
Graham replied, “Tell them we’ll be there. I don’t know how many of us will come, but we’re coming to Trebor to join the fight.”
Estella smiled and nodded. “Patty did you hear Graham?” she asked as she turned the camera around and focused on Patty again.
“Yes, I heard him. Hi, Graham,” said Patty as she waved at the camera without looking at it. Then she repeated Graham’s message to Dith.
“Thank you, Patty. You can visit with Dith by yourself, now.”
Estella turned the camera to the floor and the scene bounced around as she moved. Vince could hear Patty giggle in the background. “Jump again. If you’re really not hurt, show me by hopping on one leg.”
The sound of a door opening and shutting cut-off the sounds of Patty playing with Dith. Vince slowly shook his head. Maybe destroying the gate would help Patty and people like her. He wondered, once the connection to Trebor was destroyed would Patty fully recover?
Just outside of Patty’s room Dr. Payne’s voice was heard asking, “How is she this time? Is she agitated again?”
“No. This time the conversation went much smoother. I promised her she could talk with Dith for a little while. Could you give her five more minutes before ending the link?”
“Five and not a second more. I’ll be glad when this is over,” said Dr. Payne. Then the sound of a door opening and closing could be heard again.
Estella focused the camera on her face again and asked, “Are you sure you’ll be allowed to go through the gate?”
“Yes,” said Graham, “because I don’t plan on taking “No” for an answer.”
Less than thirty minutes later, Katja, Graham, Vince, and Serge stood outside of the gate’s control room waiting for the Swiss Armed Forces member in charge to allow them entry. Two Swiss soldiers stood outside of the room guarding the door. Both soldiers looked past the group as if they weren’t there and stared down the hallway.
Katja turned to her fellow ENL members and said, “Don’t forget to let me start the conversation. We want to make sure we don’t get kicked out before we can make our case.” Katja stared pointedly at Graham when she mentioned getting kicked out.
Graham responded with his most charming grin. “I’m sure Vince and Serge can control themselves this one time.”
Both Vince and Serge snorted a laugh as they looked at Graham. If Vince didn’t know better, he’d swear Graham’s look of sincerity was genuine. One of the two guarding soldiers touched his ear, and then looked at Katja and said, “You may enter now.”
“Thank you,” Katja said with a nod. Then she led the group into the control room.
Everything was still just as Vince had remembered it the day Lauren had been lost. He pushed away the guilt he was beginning to feel and focused on the task at hand. There were about twenty Swiss soldiers carrying out various activities within the control room. Vince looked over at the door that led to the gate room and saw it was being guarded. He observed through the transparent section of the wall separating the control room from the gate room that the gate room was empty. Katja walked past all of the busy soldiers and stopped near the Swiss soldier standing with his back to the door staring at the gate.
“Colonel Luca Favre, thank you for meeting with us,” began Katja as she stopped about an arm’s length from where the soldier she was addressing stood.
Colonel Favre didn’t respond to her. In fact, he didn’t do anything to acknowledge their presence. Vince recognized this move for what it was. And by the way that Katja, Graham, and Serge all waited in silence, he figured they also knew what was happening.
After enough time had passed that Colonel Favre, apparently, felt he’d established his dominance, he said, “I’ve seen the video so many times that I’ve lost count. And even though I’m standing here looking at the gate with my own eyes, a part of my brain still does not want to believe it is true. Aliens are real. But after tomorrow, when we blow it up, our concerns about the aliens will be a thing of the past.”
The Colonel turned around and faced them. Katja stepped forward and extended her right hand.
“Katja Fuchs. I do not believe we have met. I am the head of the EU branch of ENL. These are my colleagues Graham McKenzie, Serge Bernard, and Vincent Nelson. And we’re here to ask you to support our request to change tomorrow’s plan. Instead of destroying the gate we’d like you to allow some of ENL’s fighters to go through the gate to Trebor.”
The Colonel continued to stare at Katja without responding. After some time had passed, he said, “Is that the end of your joke or is there more?”
Katja returned her unshaken hand to her side. From the corner of his eye, Vince saw Graham shift his body weight from one foot to the other. He wondered how long Graham would be able to keep himself quiet around this guy.
“Colonel, we wouldn’t be here if our request wasn’t serious. We’ve learned that Cain, the man who appeared on television with the Chinese Prime Minister, has a working gate. He’s already connected to Trebor once, and will likely do so again. We’re proposing to send a contingent of fighters to Trebor to stop Cain, and to help our allies in the war against their enemies.”
There was another pause before Colonel Favre said, “I understand that ENL has worked with the aliens for over a century. So, I hope my question doesn’t offend you, but why should we care about what happens on their planet? To me, it seems the easiest way to deal with this problem would be to continue with our current plan and destroy that thing in there.” The Colonel used his thumb to indicate the gate. “Then we take ourselves out of the fight.”
“Because Colonel,”
“Because Colonel,” said Graham interrupting Katja, “you’re a smart man. Destroying the gate may keep you safe, temporarily. But it doesn’t help anyone in the long run. Cain and the People’s Republic of China have a working interdimensional gate. They will use it again to invade Trebor. And no matter the outcome, the rest of the world will pay the price.
“If Cain and China aren’t successful, then the world suffers because The Keepers will have a gate connected to Earth which they can use to invade us. But even if Cain and China do successfully invade Trebor, do you think they will stop there? How long do you think it’ll be before they’re at your border threatening to invade?”
As the Colonel silently considered Graham’s words, Vince maintained a neutral expression on his face while internally he celebrated. Graham’s argument had been factual without feeling manipulative. No matter how Colonel Favre, the other members of the Swiss Armed forces, or the Swiss Federal Council felt about the war against The Keepers, Cain and the People’s Republic of China had a working gate. And this meant Switzerland would eventually get dragged into this war whether they wanted to or not. Non-interventionism hadn’t worked for the US during World War II, and Vince thought it obvious that it wouldn’t work for Switzerland now either. He only hoped Switzerland would realize it before it was too late.
The Colonel turned his back on them and stared into the gate room. The ENL team didn’t say anything. Colonel Favre looked down, exhaled, and said, “How soon can you have your proposal ready for presentation?”
“We’re ready now,” answered Vince. “We were able to make a few tweaks to the plan we had for blowing up the gate. Graham and Katja have already begun making calls requesting the additional supplies we need. And Serge and I have identified the ENL fighters we plan to take with us. But we’re willing to consider any input you have on the matter.”
“Well, let’s review your plans and schedule a meeting with the Federal Council for later this evening,” said Colonel Favre.
A brief smile crossed Vince’s face. Even though Lauren was now being held by Cain somewhere on Earth, going to Trebor felt like a step in the right direction.
Lauren, I’m coming for you. Just hold on a little longer.
Chapter Seventeen
Vince stood in formation with a mix of ENL and Swiss Armed Forces soldiers waiting for the gate to open at the appointed time. All two hundred of the fighters were wearing HAZMAT styled protective suits of varying designs and types, indicative of the various sources that had provided them. If Vince wasn’t mistaken, he was wearing one that had been sent over from the US by NASA. Everything that had happened over the last twenty-four hours was playing out in his mind.
The Swiss Federal Council had been surprised to see one of their colonels joining with ENL to present a case for not destroying the gate. As ENL had expected, their claims of Cain having a gate had been met with suspicion. Colonel Favre had likewise expressed his doubts after hearing Vince and Serge’s new plan of attack. Thankfully, Katja and Graham had expected as much, and had reached out to members of the scientific community around the world for support.
After the initial leak of the video showing the gate opening to Trebor, scientists around the world had run tests to determine if evidence of the opened gate could be found. Both a German and an Indian physicist had, independently, used satellite imaging techniques and discovered a particle that could now be measured in higher amounts than normal in sections of western Switzerland and eastern France. Areas which were within several hundred miles of CERN.
At Katja’s request, they had used the same satellite imaging techniques to search for other areas in the world with higher measurements of the particle. Katja hadn’t given them any indication as to where they should look. Within twelve hours, both physicists had reported findings of higher particle amounts over the desert areas of northern China. The findings were spread-out, which meant the source of the particles, or China’s gate, could not be determined from the particle measurements alone. But the results clearly showed a gate to Trebor had been activated somewhere within the Peoples Republic of China.
Vince had hoped this would be enough for the Council to agree with them. However, they had then requested the findings so Swiss physicists could review them, which meant more waiting. It had been during this time that Serge had told Vince they needed to return to their rooms to get some sleep. After all, if the Council did approve the new plan, they would need to be rested for the upcoming battle.
An apprehensive Vince had tried to remain positive. It had been a long night of fitful sleep. But when Vince had finally gotten up and started his day, Graham had given him the good news. The Swiss Federal Council had approved their new plan and would even be sending over soldiers to provide support. Now they all stood, dressed and ready to go into battle.
Just as every time before he went into battle, Vince worked to remain calm as his body went on high alert. The silence he heard within the protective suit seemed to have a loudness to it. Time was both slowing down and moving too fast. He wondered about what would be waiting for them on the other side of the gate. Then began the deluge of ‘what if’ scenarios.
What if this is a trick? What if Cain has already invaded and is controlling Dith?
What if we get to Trebor and the Treborian Resistors are still defeated by The Keepers?
What if the Swiss change their mind at the last minute and refuse to activate the gate?
What if Roxal and her people are lying to us and Lauren is dead?
“No!” Vince shouted out loud and fought against the heavily padded gloves to clench his fists.
No one responded to his outburst. Vince inhaled deeply through his nose, and exhaled slowly through his mouth. This wasn’t his first battle, but it was his first battle that felt as if the fate of the woman he loved hung in the balance. The more he thought about Lauren, the worse he felt.
Stop this! he said to himself. Lauren deserves better than this. She is alive. She is fighting Cain. She is trusting that I will find her. I will not let her down.
He exhaled once more, and brought his attention back to the mission at hand. A voice over the intercom system within the protective suits they wore said, “Countdown to gate activation.”
Vince watched as arcs of electricity danced along the thick wires connected to two ports on top of the circular gate. The first pair of red lights activated near its base. Vince couldn’t remember how long it had taken the red lights around the outer edge of the gate to activate the last time, but now that he wanted the gate to open, it felt as if it was taking forever. The next pair of lights turned bright red and Vince thought, Soon Lauren. Please hold on a little longer.
When signaled, Vince’s group of fifty soldiers ran through the gate past the soldiers providing cover fire and onto Trebor. As soon as he crossed over the threshold, a wave of nausea and dizziness hit Vince causing him to stumble a bit. However, he managed to remain on his feet, and continue running despite the discomfort.
All around him were the sights and sounds of war, though the sounds were being muffled by the protective suit. But it was still unmistakable, whether on Earth or Trebor, battles were apparently the same. He saw the flash of weapons being fired and heard the accompanying whizzing by of hundreds of projectiles. There were people crying out in pain, anger, or a mixture of the two. He heard the roar and felt the ground tremble from the use of large caliber weaponry. And over his head were dark-colored flying vessels battling with both air and land targets.
While marveling at the aerodynamic maneuvering of the flying monstrosities, Vince saw the red sky and blue sun that were not like Earth at all. As Vince stared into the air with amazement, a voice came over the intercom. It was Serge asking, “Do we have confirmation of the friendly transport?”
Vince stopped along-side his fellow soldiers who had taken cover behind tall metallic barricade-like structures positioned near the gate and began searching the battlefield. However, instead of seeing the skyship or a sign which read ENL, he saw what appeared to be the two sides fighting one another. Through the openings between the protective walls he could see fighters wearing all black outfits that cover them from head to toe, similar to the type of combat suit he wore with ENL. He also saw the group fighting them. They wore dark gray uniforms with see-through helmets.
Before Vince could figure out which fighters were friends and which fighters were foes, one of the huge, oblong, dark-colored flying vessels landed in an opening not far from the gate both blocking them from the worst of the fighting and trapping them in place.
“Everyone look alive,” said Vince as a section of the vessel began to open.
Vince and his soldiers pointed their weapons at it and waited. Once the ramp was fully open, two people came running out of the skyship holding a sign that was almost as tall as they were. And on it, were the English letters E, N, and L.
“Everyone, the huge blimp looking thing that just landed, I think that's our skyship. Going to confirm,” said Vince, and then he ran to the ramp.
As part of Vince and Serge’s plan, Vince would be a member of the first group actually crossing over to Trebor so he could be the first person to enter the skyship. Once on the skyship, he would either let the rest of the fighters know it was safe to come aboard, or, he would tell them to abort the mission. If he entered the ship and said nothing, that would also signal the termination of the mission.
As he ran up the ramp and past the two people holding the sign, Vince couldn’t help but to notice that both of the Treborians were taller than him by at least six inches, and he was 6’3”. Once he was on the skyship he was met by ten more Treborians, all just as tall as the ones holding the sign, or taller.
“Vince. What’s your status?” asked Serge.
