The Incubus, Succubus and Son of Perdition Box Set: The Len du Randt Bundle (61 page)

‘Indeed,’ Mister Harris confirmed. ‘I am quite sure
that everyone alive after the attacks has received his message today; a
brilliant display of modern technology interlaced with the psychic power of the
mind. Simply powerful stuff.’

‘It was extraordinary indeed, Mister Harris,’ Connie
said, then asked, ‘But just who is this Victor Yoshe?’

‘We don’t have enough information about this man to
make a public statement yet, Miss Jacobs, but he sure has the means to get
things done and he knows his facts. He is currently assisting the remaining
world leaders in the war against the aliens. Also, he has a telepathic gift
which makes him a most remarkable person, and quite the leader that we need in
a crisis such as this one. In short, I will trust him with my life.’

‘Were there any warning signs of an alien attack?’
Connie asked as she flipped through her notes. ‘And if so, what were they?’

‘The signs have always been there: the Crop Circles,
Roswell, the Pyramids...’

Trevor had seen this part of the interview before René
came. It was a rerun, and he would most probably still see it a few more times
before the war ended. He shifted his focus to the ready-to-eat steaks in the
oven. At least
someone
was going to enjoy them.

- - -*  *  *- -
-

‘You have to see this,’ Ren
é said as Trevor made his way from his bedroom.

‘You won’t believe it. There’s this guy that can
communicate with the dead,’ she said excitedly. ‘Viewers call into the station,
and he can tell them about the people that they lost today, as well as relay
certain messages from them.’

‘And you believe this mumbo jumbo?’ Trevor asked
sceptically. René waved the question off while she kept her attention focussed
on the television. The man was young, with a tidy haircut and a charismatic
face. After a short commercial break, he introduced himself again to the
audience that might have just tuned in. His name was Steven Edgar, and he
briefly explained how he managed to communicate with the dead. While he spoke,
a universal telephone number flashed at the bottom of the screen.

‘Should I try?’ Trevor mocked.

‘Yeah,’ René encouraged him. ‘What do you have to
lose?’

‘My dignity?’

René punched him good-heartedly on his shoulder and he
picked up the phone and dialled the number. It was engaged. He tried it again
and found it engaged still.

‘It’s not working,’ he said and hung up. ‘The network
must still be busted.’

‘Keep trying.’

‘Hello caller from Maine,’ Steven said, looking right at
the camera. A faint voice could be heard over the speakers. It wasn’t Trevor’s.
He would try again once more after this guy.

‘Hello?’ answered the voice. ‘Is this Steven?’

‘Yes, it is,’ Steven confirmed. ‘And you are?’

‘Hi. I’m Alfred, and I was wondering if you could tell
me anything about my wife? She...she disappeared today...’

‘All right, Alfred,’ Steven said. ‘I cannot guarantee
that it would indeed be your wife coming through. It might be some long time
deceased relative or someone that has a link to her, do you understand?’

‘Uh-huh,’

‘I sense a female coming through. Her name is either
Eileen or sounds similar to it, but it is definitely a name that has the ‘
Ei
’
sound in it.’

‘My wife’s name was Eileen!’ the man exclaimed with
mounting excitement. ‘This is incredible!’

‘She’s saying something about a pocket knife. Does that
mean anything to you?’

‘Yes, she bought me one for my birthday last year.’

‘Also, the number six is coming through strongly. It’s
either the sixth of a month, or the sixth month—’

‘Yes, that’s my birthday. The sixth of August.’

‘Okay,’ Steven said, ‘that’s her way of confirming that
we have the right connection here.’

‘Is...is she okay?’ the caller asked, unable to hide
the emotion in his voice.

‘She is fine, Alfred,’ Steven said with a soothing
voice. ‘She wants you to know that she is on a higher level of understanding
now. She also wants you to know that she will be looking out for you and will
be guiding you in the years to come, until you are both reunited again.’

‘So...she’s dead?’

‘Only in body,’ Steven said sympathetically. ‘But her
spirit will continue to be with you until you are both united again.’

‘Thank you so much, Steven,’ the man said and hung up.

Trevor used the redial to try the number again. It was
still engaged. ‘One more time,’ he told René as he pressed the key one last
time. He was just about to hang up when the phone on the other end of the line
started ringing. ‘It’s ringing!’ he shouted, his heart pounding wildly in his
chest.

- - -*  *  *- -
-

Both families in Malcolm Freedman’s
house were glued in front of the television. Now and then, an explosion
somewhere outside would divert their attention, and it appeared that the war
was raging full scale outside in the city’s streets. Timothy and the adults were
watching a show called ‘
The Other Side
,’ as the two girls lay sleeping
on a duvet in front of the television.

According to the host, Steven Edgar, he could reunite
the living with their deceased loved ones telepathically through a gift that he
received as a child.

‘All right,’ Steven said, ‘our next caller is from
South Africa,’

A fuzzy voice came over the speakers, followed by an
ear-piercing screech. ‘You have to turn down the volume on your television
set,’ Steven said.

Shuffling.

The sound faded, and a man’s voice came over the
speakers. ‘Oh, thanks, Steven. Sorry about that.’

‘It happens,’ Steven said with a warm smile.

‘My name is Trevor,’ the caller introduced himself.
‘Erm...so what can you tell me?’ Trevor asked. His voice sounded sceptical, even
challenging.

‘Hi, Trevor,’ Steven said. He closed his eyes and
rubbed his temples. ‘I have a female coming through. She’s standing to the
front of me which tells me that she has to be close family, like a mother or a
sister—’

‘I don’t have a sister.’

Steven opened his eyes. ‘Is your mother alive?’

‘No.’

‘Your mother, then. She is coming through as an older
figure. Tell me, does the name Patrick mean anything to you?’

Silence.

‘Hello, sir?’

‘Patrick was my father...’

‘He is coming through with her. I can sense that her
name is either Eliza, or has a ‘z’ sound in it.’

‘My mother’s name was Elizabeth,’

‘I’m sorry to ask you this, but did they die when you
were young?’

‘Yes.’

‘And was it a violent death? I’m asking this because
I’m getting images that their deaths might have been violent.’

‘It was.’

Malcolm could hear the emotion laced in the man’s voice
and he could only share in the man’s loss.

‘They’re telling me that they’re fine,’ Steven told the
caller. ‘They’re also letting me know that they have been watching over you and
your brother through all the years.’

‘Norman,’

‘Is Norman still with us?’

‘I’m not sure,’ the caller said, this time less
sceptical. ‘You tell me.’

‘I’m sensing a male figure coming through. He is also
standing to my front, which indicates immediate family. He is telling me about
a book on war and dragons, or something like that.’

Silence again, and then deep breathing. ‘Norman...’

‘Was he a tall person?’

An emotional chuckle confirmed the answer. ‘Yes, he was
tall. Is he...?’

‘He has stepped over to the other side,’ Steven
confirmed.

More silence.

Steven closed his eyes for a moment, and then frowned.
‘Did you two have some sort of...disagreement...the last time you spoke?’

‘We did, yes.’

‘He is asking me to tell you that it’s okay, that it
was a silly matter, and that he wants you to know that you were right;
something about his religion that wasn’t true, or at least doesn’t matter to
him anymore.’

‘He was a Christian.’

Steven frowned. ‘He is letting me know that he is on a
higher plane of understanding now, and that there is no Heaven or Hell, but
that there is only energy, understanding, and love.’

‘Thank...you,’ Trevor said and hung up.

Malcolm was engulfed with emotion for Angie again and
was glad that everyone else was fixated on the television. He didn’t want them
to see the tears streaming down his face.

- - -*  *  *- -
-

Trevor wept bitterly, and René took
him in her arms to try and comfort him.

‘It’s okay, Trev,’ she said, biting
her lip to stop herself from crying too. ‘Let it out,’ she whispered. ‘Let it
all out.’

.IV.

 
‘I believe that it would
also be true that the recognition has grown that, indeed, the world has grown
into a
Global Village
. The survival of everyone in this village demands
that we develop a universal consensus to act together to ensure that there is
no longer any river that divides our common habitat into poor and wealthy
parts.’

-
South African President, Thabo Mbeki, August 26, 2002

Despite a few scattered burning buildings,
the industrial district was devoid of life. A dog howled somewhere in the
distance, then thought better of it, or was silenced by someone. The wind
passed through the empty streets, but didn’t dare make a sound.

Only an empty soda can made a soft
cling-cling-cling
sound as it rolled down a deserted street, did a little twirl, and then rolled
on. A dim light seeped through the covered window of an old abandoned
warehouse. Inside the warehouse,
the gathering
of seven hooded figures commenced. In the background, soft chanting echoed
through the abandoned building, and it was difficult to determine whether it
was actual people chanting, or if it was a recording.

‘I believe that we have all received the message
today?’ one of the hooded figures addressed the remaining six.

They all nodded their agreement in unison.

‘Is it then safe to presume that he is the one?’

The question was followed by long moment of thoughtful
silence and soft chanting in the background. Finally a hollow voice lacking any
form of emotion cut through the silence. ‘He is the one.’

‘It is agreed then,’ concluded the first figure. ‘Let
nothing
stand in his way.’

‘It is agreed,’ the remaining six confirmed, their
voices ringing as one.

- - -*  *  *- -
-

Trevor jerked when Ren
é touched his arm lightly. He had dosed off during the last half of
the Steven Edgar show. She made them tomato soup as a late night cure for the
aftershock, the reality of what happened earlier that day still eluded her at
times. Although she didn’t have any family, she still felt bad for those who
did and had lost them. She knew what it felt like to lose a loved one, and that
small connection was all that she really needed to be there for him.

‘Here,’ she said, gently handing him the warm bowl.

He wanted to say ‘thank you,’ but instead his lips only
allowed a half-hearted ‘Uuungh’ to escape. He took the bowl and sipped at it
while eyeing the television. ‘Thanks,’ he finally did manage after taking a
deep breath. He checked his watch. It was 11:25 P.M, and it felt like the day
would never end. GMN was still covering the attacks of the morning, rerunning
interviews, documentaries, talk shows, and even amateur footage of what viewers
perceived to be ‘aliens’ or their spaceships. Another channel focused entirely on
disappearance footage taken accidentally by people who were coincidentally
filming something or someone else when the attacks began. Someone recorded two
children running through a hallway and into a bedroom. A surprised woman sat
upright and greeted the children with hugs and kisses. It appeared to be the
mother’s birthday.

The video paused.

‘What you are about to see is real,’ a voiceover warned
the viewers of the events to follow. ‘Nothing that we are about to show you has
been edited in any way.’

René’s eyes grew wide above the hand she cupped over
her mouth when the woman and two children on the video suddenly disappeared.
The person recording the footage dropped the camera and ran toward the bed. The
rest of the scene was confusing as the person ran frantically around in the
room, shouting, screaming, and sobbing.

Many equally disturbing videos were aired, some more
disturbing than others, and after finally deciding that she couldn’t handle it
anymore, René changed the channel back to GMN. It was a rerun of the GMN
coverage of the global leader meeting that took place earlier in the day.

‘The meeting called for all surviving world leaders to
agree on using European Union Negotiator, Victor Yoshe’s plan to overcome the
alien attackers threatening our very existence. First, all armed military and
private sector owned military forces were called to join forces and share
whatever intelligence and resources they have available. According to Yoshe’s
plan, the best defence that Earth has, is a powerful, ‘united offence’.

‘It’s a long shot,’ a United States Army General spoke
into the camera, ‘but we may just be able to pull this off.’ He appeared
confident enough in what had been labelled:
Victor’s Plan
.

The GMN camera panned from the General to the figure of
a man walking down a flight of steps in front of the building in which the
meeting had taken place.

‘Mister Yoshe,’ a reporter asked as cameras flashed.
‘Do you have any comment on the meeting and what had been discussed?’

Victor looked directly into the camera, and his eyes
appeared to swirl with a grey-blue mist as he spoke. ‘Unfortunately, I cannot
divulge any details about the nature and content of the meeting. It is for your
own safety and protection that I say this, as I am sure you understand.

‘One thing that I can say is that by forming this
alliance, this
‘Federation Earth,’
we
shall
prevail.

‘It is only through our unity that our strength can
truly be unleashed. Because of modern technology, we finally have the means to
speak one common language. Humans
have
to unite, now more than ever
before.

‘As citizens of this Global Village called Earth, we
are about to make history together. Lamb will lay with lion, Jew will unite
with Muslim, and together, we
will
overcome this challenge. Peace,
Unity, and Strength be with you; my friends.’

That was the last anyone heard from Victor Yoshe
and, shortly after, the world began its retaliation
on an unseen enemy. More people gave their opinions, but those opinions
remained unheard by Trevor or René. They were both asleep.

- - -*  *  *- -
-

South Africa:
Five Days Later

It had been five days since the
aliens attacked. Five days of constant television as families and friends
huddled together, careful not to leave their homes or shelters. Billions of
eyes watched the news and events unfold before their eyes, some even claiming
that the world was coming to an end.

Trevor woke up first, rubbing his face as he walked to
the bathroom, wondering how much more of this he could endure. They were
running out of food, and Trevor’s fridge wasn’t very
vegetarian friendly.
His nostrils had gotten used to the stench of sulphur, and he mused over what
his lungs might look like by now. René woke with a moan as Trevor boiled the
kettle for coffee.

‘Morning,’ he said and held up his mug. ‘Would you like
some too?’

She nodded as she grumbled and moaned her way to the
bathroom. When she came out, she managed a faint smile at least, and Trevor
tried to smile back.
Only ten more years of this
, he thought to himself,
and I would have experienced the better part of married life.
She
plopped herself down on his sofa and switched on the television.

Yeah, don’t offer to help. I’m okay.

‘Mister Yoshe is stepping up to the podium now,’ a
woman shouted excitedly into a microphone. ‘He is about to make another global
address.’

Trevor handed René a mug and then sat down next to her,
not taking his eyes off the screen.

‘United people of Federation Earth,’ Victor said after
taking his position behind a podium that had been especially erected for him.
‘I am herewith proud to inform you,’ he paused for a brief moment to make sure
that he had everyone’s undivided attention, ‘that the alien threat has been
defeated and driven away.’

He raised his hands as he spoke the last two words, and
a roaring cheer filled the air.

René bounced up and down excitedly and Trevor almost
lost half of his coffee in the process. She hugged him, but he didn’t hug her
back. He just sat there, eyes fixated on the television as it showed Victor
shaking hands with some of the world’s most prominent leaders. With one day
less than the 1967 six-day war, this battle of intergalactic proportions had
been fought and won.

‘A miracle maker,’ Trevor said, still trying to tell
his brain that what he had heard was indeed true. ‘This man is a miracle
maker.’ Finally he did manage a smile, then returned René’s hug.

- - -*  *  *- -
-

‘It’s over, people!’ Malcolm
shouted, his voice booming loudly throughout the house. Everyone had been
sleeping on the floor in front of the television, and slowly awoke to his
ranting about the end of the war.

Malcolm looked at everyone in the room, and for the
first time since the attacks, did he actually manage to smile. It was hard to
believe that he had grown so fond of Kassim and his family in such a short
time. ‘It is over,’ he said softly as everyone awakened to a new dawn.

- - -*  *  *- -
-

‘We ask that everyone stay indoors
for the remainder of the weekend, as rescue workers and Special Forces work
around the clock to remove the wreckages of alien craft, and to make roads
accessible to the general public again.

‘The ships are highly radioactive and need to be
contained before any civilians become infected with radiation poisoning.
European Empire Negotiator, Victor Yoshe, has asked everyone to comply with
this simple request, and has stated that anyone disobeying would be dealt with
swiftly and harshly.’

René pushed the mute button on the remote. It was the
first time in days that she did not want to see anything on television about
the attacks or the aftermath. The realization that she would have to return to
an empty—and most probably raided—apartment, along with the thought of being
alone, saddened her.

‘Trevor, I...I...’

‘Yes?’ he asked.

‘No. Nothing. Never mind.’

‘Oh no, you don’t,’ Trevor said. ‘You started something
and now you finish it.’ He hated it when someone started speaking, only to cut
themselves off and not tell him what was on their mind. He loved doing it to
others, but hated it when someone did it to him.

‘I...I’ve been thinking about being alone. I’ve been
thinking about my own mortality and how easy it is to die and not have lived.
What if I had been one of those who had died when the aliens attacked?’

‘But you’re not,’ he said as reassuringly as he could.

‘Yeah, but I
could
have been,’ she said, and to
her that was enough reason to re-evaluate her life. ‘I don’t have any plans for
the future,’ she said as tears welled up in her eyes. ‘I don’t know what I want
to do with the rest of my life...’ her last words trailed off as sobs escaped
her lips.

‘Didn’t you ever want to be something?’ Trevor asked,
knowing that she didn’t really need advice as much as she needed someone to
just shut up and listen.

‘I...I’m not sure. I don’t know what I want anymore. I
never really knew how little I had lived until I realized just how close I came
to dying.’

‘It’s okay,’ he said softly as he stroked her hair
gently. ‘We all experienced that, I think.’

‘Have you?’ she asked, her tear-glazed eyes making
contact with his. He nodded and squeezed her hand lightly. She squeezed back,
and for a moment, there was an understanding silence between the two of them.
They were in the same
place
, drifting on a continent with no idea where
they were headed, going as the wind took them. He understood and that was all
that mattered to her. Trevor extended his hand and gently brushed away a strand
of hair that had been hanging over her face, locking it behind her ear. She
smiled faintly and they drew nearer to each other.

They both closed their eyes and continued the forward
motion, each one secretly searching for the lips of the other. Trevor’s heart
bounced around madly in his chest; then it took a dip into his stomach where it
awakened some sleeping butterflies. They fluttered like crazy, trying to get away
from his heart as it leapt up into his chest again.

Their lips were just about to touch when both of them
were jolted by the sudden shrill scream of the telephone.

- - -*  *  *- -
-

‘At last,’ Andrew said as Trevor
answered the phone.

‘Andrew?’

‘Yeah,’

‘Hey,’ Trevor greeted. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘I’ve been trying to get hold of you for days now. The
telephone lines are messed up, big time. I have even spoken to a woman in
Russia, I think.’

Trevor laughed. ‘We’ve been here the whole time; never
been on the phone once.’

‘Odd. I think the lines were—
waitaminute!
“We”?’

‘Yeah. René from work stayed over for a couple of days.
You know, the war n’ all.’

‘I see,’ Andrew said with an
I-know-what-you-have-been-up-to
tone of voice.

‘It’s not like that,’ Trevor said.

‘Uh-huh,’ Andrew mocked. ‘Anyway, I wanted to know if
it was you on that Steven Edgar show the other night.’