Cooperative: The Destination

Chapter 1

James looked up and flinched, sending the ultralight aircraft into a spin. “Crap! What the hell?” 

“What?” his radio chirped.

He blinked hard and rubbed his eyes. For a moment, he saw Jupiter dominating most of the evening sky, silhouetting the distant Mount Rainier. At least he thought it was Jupiter. There was no red spot and the bands looked different. However it was huge and the detail was crisp. Like the Earth was one of its moons. He rubbed his eyes again, then tentatively opened them, hoping against hope that Jupiter was no longer there. Thankfully, all he saw was just the mountainous horizon and the darkening evening sky containing a relatively diminutive Moon. He twisted in his seat, staring at the Moon while the aircraft slowly spun.

“James?”

James reduced power and pointed the nose down, adding a little rudder to recover from the spin then looked back at the sky. “I, um. Nothing, Cory. Just, turbulence.”

“Don’t crash my Hawk.”

“You could get your pilot’s license and fly this instead of me.” James squinted at the Moon and rubbed his eyes again.

“Nope. I bought it for you. I got plenty to do down here.”

“Setting flaps now,” James said to himself, glancing furtively at the Moon. “Reducing power for final.”

“Huh?”

“Shush.” James banked the ultralight for the final leg. “I’m bringing her in.”

“You just launched a few minutes ago.” 

“Need to tweak the engine mounts. Lotsa vibration.” The engine was silky smooth, but what was he going to say? He was seeing things? James crabbed a little into the crosswind.

“It’s a Rotax, James. Two cylinder,” Cory said dryly. “Ooh, UPS just showed up.”

“Better safe than sorry. Got plenty of light left for another test flight.” He took a breath, looking back at the sky. “Assuming I’m not going Section 8.”

“I wanted…”

“Chill. Just gonna tweak things a bit and I’ll take her back up.” He straightened the aircraft just as the wheels touched down and quickly taxied off the runway to their rented hanger. 

“Dude, the new LIDAR is here! Gonna geek the hell out of this, man.”

“Move. Gonna pull right in.” James goosed the engine a little, then killed it as he rolled into the hanger. “Get the lights on, Cory, willya?”

“Yeah, sure.” Cory found the remote and hit a button while he looked at the instructions for the camera equipment. Bright LED lights lit up the hanger, illuminating their little shop area and various pieces and parts of ultralight aircraft. “This is a game-changer, James. Photogrammetry with lasers.”

“Neat.” James sat in the cockpit for a moment, rubbing his eyes. Maybe it was an eye thing. He blinked and looked at the instruments. They were sharp and easy to read. “Maybe I got something in my eyes. Yeah. Nothing some eye-drops can’t fix.”

“It is neat!” Cory brought the box over. “Dig this. You’ll be flying around stuff and I’ll be creating 3D of it, live. Like, castle ruins and stuff!”

“You need a real job.” James sighed. He couldn’t complain. Cory wasn’t remotely broke. James wasn’t even sure how Cory made his living.

“Sure, I can work at some day job I can’t tell anyone about. Super secret secrets that are secret. That’d be so fun.”

“It pays the bills. You’d be bored if I told you about it anyway.” James scratched his elbow. “Do you have your eye-drops?”

Cory held the box up. “This pays the bills. And the Hawk I got you. My latest contract paid for this.” He glanced at the entrance, then stood up quickly. “Brian?”

James looked around and watched a grizzled, elderly black man walk into the hangar, smiling at Cory. 

“I see you got the camera.” 

“Yes sir. This is going to change everything. Resolution, detail, accuracy. I need a little time to calibrate it then I’m ready for work.”

“Good. That your pilot?”

James extricated himself from the cockpit and stood up, bumping his head on the wing. He grinned sheepishly as he walked out from under the wing. 

“That’s my cousin, James.” Cory beamed. “He’s the best.”

“I’m sure there are better pilots. I just fly small aircraft for a hobby.” He looked over his shoulder. “And ultralights.”

“That’s good enough for me.” Brian smiled, holding a hand out. James took it, trying not to wince. Brian had a solid grip. “How’s the view up there?” He looked at the sky. “See anything interesting?”

James let go and tried not to fidget. “It’s beautiful as always. Cut the engine and it’s just you and the clouds.”

Brian smiled even wider. “I love to fly.”

“I need to ask, why not use drones?”

“For some of the sites I want to document, we need a human touch. Plus eagles keep knocking our drones from the sky.” Brian shrugged.

“Dude, I explained that already,” Cory said, elbowing him.

“Sorry. Just curious.” James rubbed his ribs. He looked at the sky again and saw Jupiter. Closing his eyes, he rubbed his temples. “Ah, my eyes are bothering me. Maybe we should call it a day? I have to get to work tomorrow.”

“Anderson Labs, right?” Brian raised a brow.

James gave him a look.

“Your cousin mentioned it. We’ve used them for data analysis.” 

“Oh. Well, yeah.” James nodded. 

“We need to mount the camera.” Cory held up the box.

“You can. We’ll test it tomorrow after work.” James looked back at the sky. It was normal again. 

Brian looked over his shoulder at the sky then back at James, amused. “I’ll be in town for a bit. You two get things squared away. I want to see a test of the system… this weekend, perhaps?”

“Certainly, sir.” Cory nodded enthusiastically. “It’s going to be awesome!”

“Awesome is what we are shooting for.” Brian held out his hand and James shook it again. “James, it was really nice to meet you. I think working with you is going to be epic.”

“Thank you, sir. Epic is what I do.” James laughed nervously. Brian clapped him on the shoulder then casually walked back to his car.

“He likes you.” 

James looked at Cory. “Well, I wouldn’t want to screw things up for you.” He noticed Jupiter again and sighed.

Cory looked over his shoulder at the sky, then quizzically at James. “What?”

“You’re gonna think I’m crazy.” James rubbed his brow. Who else would he tell? “I think I’m going crazy.”

“I already think you’re crazy.” Cory grinned. 

James just gave him a look. “I think stress is getting to me. Greg moved out so now I’m alone again. Maybe that’s it.”

“Crap, he took the Erin Hanson artwork, didn’t he? I was going to buy one from him.” Cory put the camera box on the workbench. 

“Get a print.”

“Her art is genius. I wanted an original.” Cory sighed.

James waved a hand and looked at the sky. “I am seeing things. Like, sci-fi things.”

“Aliens?” Cory grinned. “They’d starve if they tried to suck out your brains.”

“No, stupid.” He rubbed his temple. “It’s nothing. This had better not get back to work.” 

“Lips are sealed.” Cory said. “You okay? What are you seeing?”

“Right now, I am looking at Jupiter where the Moon should be. It’s just filling up the sky.” James waved his hand. “Then it goes away.” 

“Cool.” Cory gazed at the Moon, brightening as the evening progressed. “I saw someone do that with Saturn. Artwork. Looked freaky cool.”

“This isn’t freaky cool. Just freaky.” James said, trying to ignore the monstrosity in the sky. 

“It’s like, a full Moon tonight.” Cory held his hands out. “Maybe…”

“Full Moon is in three nights.” James grumbled. “You don’t see it? It’s like half of the sky.”

“Go to bed early tonight.” Cory started packing up his gear. 

“Yeah. I haven’t slept well lately.” James nodded.

“Bet the house is quiet now. His wedding was epic, man. Greg took his drums too, right?”

“Yeah. Quiet. Drums never bothered me much. But he married a groupie. They’d both get loud while I was trying to sleep.” James sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Still, he’s the third best friend roommate I lost to marriage.”

“Well, get married then. I did. It’s great.” Cory smirked.

“I think I’m cursed or something.” James looked at the sky. “I’m boring. I can’t even talk about my job.”

“Um, you fly.”

“Sure. The last time I took a girl up she puked all over the Cessna. Lost my deposit for that.” He shook his head. “Twenty-seven and destined to be alone.”

“Bullshit. Just gotta get out there. Hell, take the Hawk to some of the fly-ins even. It’s tandem for a reason. Just, keep barf-bags handy.”

“Sure, because ultralights are babe magnets.”

“Give it a chance. Hit up Oshkosh with me. You just need to stop hating yourself so much. Loosen up. You reek of desperation.”

“Probably fumes from the Rotax. Maybe that’s it. Did we mount the exhaust right?” James looked at the ultralight, but the exhaust pointed away from the cockpit. He sighed. “I don’t hate myself. But I think I’m just broken, somehow. And I am boring. I crunch data on computers all day, then hang out with you. And now I’m seeing that.” He pointed at the sky. 

“Chicks dig a guy with vision. Embrace your crazy.” Cory grinned. “Seriously, get some rest and stop being so lonely. You’re my cousin, so I know you got mojo. Just gotta believe in yourself.” He grabbed James’ arm, giving it a squeeze. 

James blinked and pulled away, rubbing his arm as he looked curiously at his cousin. “I appreciate it, but you think I’m hopeless.” 

“I think you’re a repressed nerd who needs a swift kick.”

James looked at his arm. “Touch me again.”

“Sorry, that’s not how I swing.”

James looked at him.

Cory waggled his brows and wrapped an arm around James’ waist. “How’s that, honey?”

“Shit.” James looked at the sky again. “Something’s happening, Cory. Something… shit.”

“Huh?”

“You’re jonesing for a BBQ burger from Lady Jaye’s. Cory, you… let go. You think I’m cracking.”

“Like you’re reading my mind?” Cory put his hands on his hips. “Dude, I am always jonesing for a burger there.” He looked down. “Except, Jenny is meeting me there tonight. It’s Thursday Special night.”

James waved his hands in the air, then rubbed his temples again. “This is nuts. Nuts. Totally nuts. Yeah, that’s it. You’re always wanting me to go there with you.” He looked at the sky with Jupiter in it. “Maybe I’m asleep. Dreaming.”

“Want me to pimp-slap you?” Cory said, rubbing his hands together.

“Cory, I’m freaking right now.” James paced, then sat down on a stool. He stood back up. “I don’t need this. I… no. I’m just freaking. That’s all. Panic attack.”

“I’m not getting weed for you.” Cory crossed his arms.

“I don’t toke,” James said absentmindedly. The more he tried to control his breathing, the more panicked he got. He sat down again and just trembled as he struggled to catch his breath.

“Dude, you’re wigging. Look at me. Look… good. Focus on me. Man, something’s crawled into your head. Greg just got married, right? That’s all. He didn’t die or anything.” Cory grabbed James’ arms, holding him still.

James gaped at him, then shut his mouth and closed his eyes. “I’m sorry, man. You’re right. I’m boring. I like boring. I like normal. I’m… maybe it’s a midlife crisis. You guys are moving on and I feel stuck. Like really stuck.” He shrugged, his eyes still closed. “No. CBD oil ain’t gonna help. And I’m not going to bother my parents in Ireland while they’re golfing.”

“I didn’t say…” Cory stopped, then let go of James. “I didn’t say anything about that.” 

James opened his eyes, looking at a stunned Cory. “Maybe we just think alike?” He took in a shuddering breath. “Cory, am I going crazy?”

“No. You’re not allowed. And who goes crazy in like, half an hour? You were fine putting the Hawk together. Bitching about being alone, but fine.” Cory shook his head, then looked at the aircraft. “Maybe flying the Hawk blew your mind. You gonna have to take me up.” 

“I have a great job. I have a neat hobby. I have a very nice house. Life is good, right?”

“Yeah. Yeah, man. Focus on that. We’ll get you hooked up and you’ll be peachy.” Cory knelt down before him and hesitantly put a hand on James’ arm. “And James, you’re my pilot. You’re not allowed to go off the deep end.”

James grit his teeth. “You’re worried about your business.”

“Of course I am. But I’m worried about you too.” Cory waved a hand. 

“No… I feel it. I feel it here.” James put his hand on his heart. “There, you let go and it’s gone. Is it you?”

“Is what me? What, James?” 

“I don’t know! Some sort of telepathy crap?”

“Okay, now we’re both freaking.” Cory paced then knelt back before James again. “Deep breath. We’re okay. You’re okay. Good jobs, good health, you’re a little lonely, I have a wife…”

“She’s expecting?” James looked up sharply.

“Oh shit, no.” Cory let go of him again. “Okay, okay, that’s a secret. Don’t tell anyone. Don’t you dare… James, what the hell?”

“I didn’t do anything!” James half stood up, then sat back down. He looked at the darkened sky. Jupiter glowed brightly in the twilight, like a gigantic Moon. “It’s gotta be me. I’m seeing that shit.” He pointed.

“I don’t see anything but a few stars and the Moon.”

“Exactly.” 

“Okay, okay, okay.” Cory fanned his hands for a moment. He gave James a stern look, then grabbed his arm.

“Oh god, man, not the test thing. That’s so cheap TV…” James rolled his eyes. “Scooby Doo. Something about… you used to watch Barney?” He blinked. “Is that why purple is your favorite color?”

Cory sat down on the floor, looking up at James. “Dude, you got it.”

“Got what? I feel like I caught a disease or something. The crazy disease.”

“But I have to touch you, right?”

“I didn’t get a thing from Brian.” James shrugged. “We’re cousins. Maybe we just think alike?”

Cory shook his head. “You know about Jenny.”

“But, Brian…”

“Maybe it’s still… you know, coming in.”

“Cory, is this really happening?” He looked at the sky. Jupiter was nearly completely above the horizon now, brightly glowing in the sky. “What about that?”

“I don’t know what you are seeing, but superhero shit is happening, man.”

“Oh don’t even go there. Maybe we got fumes or something when we unpacked the Hawk and are both just… hallucinating.” 

“Fumes.” Cory gave him a look.

“I don’t know! I’m guessing. Yeah. Shrooms do funky stuff to your brain, right? Maybe something like that. We touched something or… like right through our skin.” He looked at his hands. “Crap. My job does regular drug testing.”

“Dude, I’m normal. And I handled everything you did.”

James slumped. “It feels like I’m awake. Maybe just a really really real dream?”

Cory stood up and patted his pants off. “Your dream had better have me meeting up with Jenny at Lady Jaye. I’m starving.” He looked at James for a moment. “You’re coming too.”

“I don’t want to freak out your wife, dude.” James said as Cory pulled him to his feet. 

“You are not going to be alone right now. A good burger, some booze, nice company, that’s what you need.” He stopped then squinted at James. “Not…”

“Not a word about the baby. I know.” James finished his sentence.

Cooperative: The Destination

Chapter 2

“Thursday Special, please.” Cory wiggled his chair a little, making googly eyes at Jenny. “You too? Make that two.” He looked at the menu. “You want the fries?” 

Jenny nodded. “And that… and that.”

“Okay… shoestring fries, yeah. Same for both of us. The shaved apple salad and black eyed peas.”

“Make it three.” James waved a hand. “Same sides. Wait, not apple salad. The slaw.”

“What’s your poison?” Cory grinned. 

“Just tea, man. I gotta get up early.” He looked at the waitress. “Tea.”

“Buzz kill.” Cory made a face. “G. Rye Joe.”

“Shrub Zero.” Jenny pointed.

The waitress looked at James again. He shook his head. “Just tea.”

“He’ll take a Shrub Zero too.” Jenny giggled. She glanced at James. “Its non-alcohol, duffus.”

James sighed. “I kinda just want tea.” 

Jenny rolled her eyes while the waitress hurried off. 

“I love sitting on the patio.” Jenny said. She leaned into James. “How’s my sweet James?”

“He’s lonely. We need to set him up with someone.”

“After Susan?” Jenny raised a brow. She looked thoughtful. “I’ll have to add motion sickness to my questionnaire.” 

“You have a questionnaire?” James snickered. 

“Don’t mock the process, flyboy.” Jenny poked him. She leaned forward to look at him better. “You look distressed.”

“Just a weird day.” James said, sighing.

She grabbed his hand. “You know we love you, right? You’re family.”

James looked at her hand and smiled. “I love you too, Jenny. That… yeah, that helps a lot. I’d be lost without you and Cory.”

“He would.” Cory grinned. “He’d be thinking he’s going crazy. Around us, he’s just one of the crew.”

“Pfft. I’m the normal one.” James smirked. He sat back while the waitress set the plate down, then looked up at her and flinched. What he saw was a pretty young lady, who was covered in fur and had large eyes. He blinked hard and looked again, to his relief seeing just a pretty brunette with flawless skin. 

“Don’t stare.” Jenny whispered.

“I thought… I thought I recognized her.” James lied. “Maybe not.”

“Of course you do. She’s our regular.” Jenny quipped, digging into her meal. “Cory already has dibs though.”

James laughed and picked up his burger. He glanced again, and once again, saw a cat lady taking another patron’s order. Sighing, he took a bite and chewed defiantly, watching the waitress while trying not to stare. 

“We should hook them up. I think he likes brunettes.” Cory said, pointing. 

Jenny raised her brows. “Maybe. But you like blonds, right?” She squinted at Cory. “Right?”

“Of course, dear. And you like dirty brown.”

“Like mud.” James said, covering his mouth. 

“Manure.” Cory grinned. 

“We could be twins.” James took another bite. “Mud and manure.”

“What have I gotten myself into?” Jenny shook her head, bemused.

“The Hawk came in today.” Cory nodded at James. “He’ll take you up if you want.”

“Maybe. I trust him more than you.”

“Ouch.” James made a face.

“Cory in a car is bad enough.” Jenny quipped. “You’re rock solid”

“That’s me. The safe one. Who inexplicably takes up flying as a hobby.”

“Why did you?” Jenny wiped her mouth. “Take up flying. You seem to like staying on the ground.”

“The mark of insanity is to do the same thing expecting different outcomes. So, I stepped out of my comfort zone. And, I’m still alone. But flying is fun, so…” James took a drink and leaned on the table. 

“You’re not alone, silly.” Jenny said, elbowing him. “She’s out there. You’ll meet her.”

“She could be galaxies away, for all I know.” James waved a fry at her, then bit it. “A hundred millennia ago.”

“Yeah, with cinnamon buns on the side of her head.” Cory put his hands on both sides of his head, pantomiming the hair style. “James, I am your father.”

“Mom and Dad are going to be so shocked.” James laughed. He glanced at the waitress again. She looked like a normal brunette again. Rubbing his eyes, he looked again. Furry cat girl. Just walking around, helping patrons, pouring water. She came up and topped his tea, smiling at him as she did. He was startled to see canines. 

“You okay, sweetie?” 

“Yeah, yes ma’am. Long day.” James stammered. The waitress winked at him and sauntered away, tending to her other customers. 

“Hold my spot.” Jenny said as she stood and left for the bathroom. James was immensely relieved at least she didn’t turn furry too. 

“You’re staring again. At Jenny now.” Cory said.

James blinked. “I’m seeing weird stuff. More weird stuff. That waitress, she’s normal now. But sometimes when I look at her, she’s like this cat lady. Fur, big eyes, teeth. Freaky.”

“You always did like furries.”

James gave him a look then stared at his tea. He took a sip, took a breath, then looked back up at her. She was, yet again, in full kitty mode. Or he was seeing it. She noticed him looking at her and returned. 

“Did you want something stronger?” She nodded at his tea. 

James looked at her hand and tentatively took it in his, turning it over. It even felt furry. “Um, oh, sorry.” He released the hand. He had sensed her patient amusement through their touch. “I, uh, yeah, no. Just tea.” He looked up at her. She was gorgeous, even furry and James had trouble averting his gaze.

“Well, if you need anything, I’m Samantha. Cory and Jenny have my number.” She winked at him then walked away, trailing her hand on his shoulder as she did.

“You dog!” Cory gushed. 

“What?” Jenny asked, returning to her chair.

“Our main man got Sam’s attention.” 

“What, by staring her into submission?” She looked around at their waitress.

“Hey, whatever works, right?” Cory giggled. 

“I didn’t mean to.” James said, subdued. 

“She’s a catch. I’ll text you her number. She catered our wedding.”

“That was her?” James looked around. Still furry. Sighing, he returned his attention to Cory. “She looks different.”

“Highlights.” Jenny held her hair out. 

“Yeah, that must be it.” James glanced furtively at Samantha. She appeared regular now. A pretty brunette. 

“Is that Brian? Again?” Cory said. He waved. Brian had just walked in, and beamed when he saw them. 

“Well. Small universe.” Brian said. “James. How are you?”

“Meh, a little crazy, a little nuts. The usual.” He tried to make it sound funny, but didn’t quite pull it off.

“Embrace it.” Brian said, putting his hand on his shoulder. James suddenly felt a wave of wellness seem to wash over him. He looked curiously at him. Brian nodded. “Just relax and enjoy the ride. That’s what you tell your passengers, right?”

“Hah. Yeah. I still needed a barf bag once.” James grinned sheepishly. He glanced at the waitress. Furry again. But not disturbing anymore. He pursed his lips, and refused to be disturbed by it. He was clearly having an episode. And like Brian recommended, he was determined to just relax and ride it out.

“There you go. Yeah, I heard about Susan from Cory. Not everyone can stomach a bumpy ride.” Brian said. He looked over at the door. “My date is here, so if you excuse me.” He slapped Cory on the back and joined a short Asian lady who hooked his arm. 

“He may be my latest boss, but he’s really nice too.” Cory said. Jenny nodded. 

“Yeah. He just seems so relaxed and confident. I wish I had that.” James said. 

“So, Samantha?” Jenny leaned into James. 

The thoughts he got from her made him blush. “Okay okay, I’ll give her a call. Maybe see if she doesn’t blow chunks on our latest vomit rocket.”

“Oh you are such a romantic.” Jenny batted her eyes at him, then grabbed her drink.

“Sorry, but you’re already taken.” James sipped his tea innocently. He looked up to realize Samantha was standing next to him. “Hi?”

“That gentleman over there has taken care of your bill. So, here’s the receipt.” She handed a slip of paper to James. She smiled and leaned close to him. “Jenny invited me to fly this Saturday.”

“He’s impossibly shy.” Jenny quipped. James tried to glare at her but ended up grinning. 

“Yes, I am impossibly shy. But we are doing some test flights and there’s a second seat…”

“I’ll be there.” Samantha said, smiling sweetly. “I love to fly.” 

“I… um… I do too.” James stammered. She giggled and walked away.

“You do too? I hope you do. You’re the pilot, dummy.” Jenny laughed.

“God, did I really just say that?” James put his face in his hands. He sighed and looked up at Samantha while she sat other patrons at their tables. Fur or no, she seemed nice. Maybe his luck was about to change.

~ ~ ~

The alarm went off, jolting James awake. He lay in bed for a moment, collecting himself, then reached over and fumbled with his phone. He finally got the alarm silenced then plopped back down, staring at a spot on the ceiling. “Another fabulous day.”

Sighing, he rolled out of bed and padded to the bathroom. He stopped at the threshold and pursed his lips. Then he looked back at his bed. “I’m not awake.” He knelt down and put his hand on the floor. Only, it wasn’t his bathroom floor. He felt leaves. Soil. 

Giving a frustrated huff, he stood up and padded back to his bed and grabbed his phone. “Something complicated. I can never dream something complicated. The report of the latest fusion development.” He peered at the report on his phone. “Nope. It’s all there. Shit.” 

James looked at the bathroom door. It entered into a coniferous forest. “Can’t you at least give me my toilet?” 

Shaking his head, he padded to the bedroom neighboring his, and peeked into the bathroom there. It was, for all intents and purposes, still a bathroom. He set about his daily ablutions, as much as he could, grumbling the whole time, then returned to his own room and looked at his closet door. 

“If my closet is like that, I’m going to be ticked.” He closed his eyes, then swung the door wide. Peeking from one eye confirmed his immaculate collection of suits and shoes. “Damned right. Don’t jack with my clothes.” 

Dressed, he looked at his bathroom again. Closing his eyes, he remembered the way it looked. Pristinely clean. Not even water spots on the marble sink. Sighing, he opened his eyes and took a step back, stunned. He wasn’t sure if he was more disturbed that he was looking at his actual bathroom than he when was looking at the forest. He rushed in and finished his morning preparation then rushed out, satisfied. “There.” 

He looked at the door, then closed it. “I may be going with the flow, but I am NOT coming home to wildlife in my bedroom.” 

The kitchen was welcoming. Also pristine. He was almost obsessively neat, but the result was an orderly home. His roommates nearly always took a while to adopt it, but they eventually came around. A neat home was good for the mind and body. Though now James was starting to question that. 

Maybe he kept his home too sterilized. He looked out the window over his sink. Nature was good to look at, but he loathed being in it. And yet, wasn’t he part of nature? “Maybe I need some time in a sweat lodge. Camping or something.” He chuckled. “Sure, James, let’s go camping. Then end up a steaming pile of bear crap.” He laughed at himself and finished off his egg burrito. 

As he entered his garage, he looked back into his home. “No. Just no. I am not coming home to forests in my house, got it? Rolling with it my ass, this is my home.”

~ ~ ~

“Harvey, my man.” James performed a missed high-five with his office-mate. “You got fresh coffee for me?”

“You could learn to roast it yourself, you know.”

“I’d rather drop a few bucks in the coffee jar and let our resident expert do the hard work.” James poured himself a cup from the large thermos. “That’s new. What are we working on today?”

“Analyzing hits to determine efficacy of our new smart munitions.” Harvey pointed at the bank of videos playing on the screen. “DoD has already collected and edited all the video, so we just count and balance that to ordinance used.” 

“Oh, isn’t that going to be fun.” James squinted. “I predict a seventy thirty success rate.”

“I’m seeing more like 80 so far.” Harvey said. 

“Give it time.” James sat at his desk and brought up the used inventory. “It never gets easier looking at this, you know. Ouch.” He winced as a tank dramatically blew up.”

“Secondary explosions there. We hit their shells.” Harvey said. “No survivors.”

“Brutal, dude.” James started tabulating the hits and balancing them against the DoD records. As he worked, the weirdness of the past day and morning eased. He was in his element now. His sanctuary. His sanctum.

“James?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re talking to yourself again.”

“Yeah, I guess I am, sidekick.” James grinned, clearing another page of records. “I’m pulling 80s too, but I think it’ll dip.”

“Mine is dipping.” Harvey said.

James leaned over, then pointed. “That was a chicken coop. We blew up a chicken coop.”

“Looked like a tank to me.”

“Look at the heat signature. There, see that movement? It’s close, but it’s no tank.” 

“I’ll be damned, I see it now. How the hell did I miss that?” Harvey squinted. 

“Meh, they missed it and they’re trained not to. I wonder how many coops we blew up.” James chuckled. He took a sip of coffee and returned to his monitor. “Does this seem stressful?”

“Doing this all day? Hell no.” Harvey waved a hand. “I think the hardest part is not being allowed to talk about it.”

“Yeah, right? I agree. This is still pretty fun. I mean it gets boring sometimes, right? But then they put projects like this in our laps.” James finished another page and emptied his mug. “Job satisfaction is high.”

“Trying to convince yourself?” Harvey glanced at James.

“Meh. No. Not really. Just eliminating a… ooh, I bet that hurt.” He rewound another clip to replay the explosion. “Definitely secondary explosions.”

“I think we went with smaller munitions because of that. Let their munitions do the most damage.” Harvey said as he finished off a page. 

“You going to Eric’s retirement party?”

“Asking me on a date?” Harvey snickered. He glanced at the clock.

“Sure, baby. Let’s hang out by the old man and make faces at each other.” James made a face, causing Harvey to crack up. 

“Sorry man. Hanging with the wife this time.”

“Buzz-kill.” James faux pouted. “He’s been here, what, fifty years?”

“I’m surprised he’s actually retiring.” Harvey finished another page, and set up the next. 

“He’s a dinosaur.” James straightened his stack. “Done.”

“Already? Damn your eidetic memory.” 

“Yeah, never had that tested.” James put his folder in the outbox. 

“November 4, 1979”

“C’mon.” James looked at Harvey, exasperated. His coworker just looked back at him expectantly. “Okay, the embassy fell in Iran. But, I work here. What do you expect?”

“I only remember because it was on the History Channel last night.” Harvey looked at his fingernails.

“I’m not a freak.” James grumbled. He looked at the clock. “Should get ready for the party. Where’s your wife?”

“Cafeteria, waiting for us.”

“Maybe we can make faces with her.” James grinned as they left the room.

As they exited the office, James bumped into someone much larger than him. He pulled up short, gripping the person’s arm. “Sorry. Oh… Mr. Morrison.”

“Eric, please. You’re James Coventry, right?” Eric grinned, towering over the two of them. James couldn’t help but think he’d be a perfect linebacker.

“Yes sir. I’m sorry. I didn’t see you.”

“Sure, knock him down on the day he retires.” Harvey rolled his eyes. “Gotta go meet the wife before she thinks we’re being inappropriate.”

“Don’t mind him.” James smirked. “I thought you’d be in the cafeteria.”

“Thought I’d come chat with you.” Eric smiled. “Brian sends his regards.”

“Really? Is he stalking me?”

Eric shrugged. “He takes his historical preservation foundation very seriously. You impressed him.”

“I don’t know how. He barely knows me.” James sighed.

“Oh, he’s pretty thorough with who he works with.” Eric smiled. “Plus we golf together, so… idle chatter being what it is.” 

“Setting the bar a little high, huh?”

“Do you believe in aliens, James?”

The abrupt change in topic took James by surprise. “We have no evidence…”

“Not what I asked.”

“Well, with the size of this universe, it would be silly to think we are utterly alone.” James said carefully. “Is this a psych eval?”

Eric chuckled. “We have the perfect job, you and me.”

“You’re retiring.” James looked sideways at him.

“Does anyone truly leave the business?” Eric gave him a knowing look. “Pay attention, young James. Life could quickly get very interesting for you.” 

“I, uh, well, it is pretty interesting already.” 

Eric just grinned at him, reminding James of the Cheshire Cat. With his recent anomalies, this discussion had him wondering just how deep the rabbit hole was.

He pushed the door to the cafeteria open, then sighed. Another forest.

Cooperative: The Destination

Chapter 3

“I just arrived at the market.” James put his car in park. “We’re still flying tomorrow, right?” He put the phone on speaker while he unbuckled.

“Yep. You get your date and I get a scan of the control tower.”

“Oh yeah. Samantha.” James sat back and rubbed his forehead. “Forgot.”

“She’s a babe. How could you forget her?” 

“You’d be surprised. She’s the one I keep seeing fur on, remember.”

“So you like furries.” Cory laughed. “Her skin is flawless. Maybe you need your eyes checked.”

“Or something.” James exited the car. “Gonna get some artwork for the house. The walls look empty.” James hesitated. “I’m seeing forests now. My bathroom this morning. At work, the cafeteria. It’s getting worse.”

“Swing by here on your way home.”

“If I have time.” James entered the gate to the outdoor market and started browsing the stalls. The market was like Etsy, but on location. Like a high-class flea market. 

“I forget, you’re a shopper. Samantha will probably be the one sitting on a bench waiting for you at the mall.” 

James laughed. “Yeah, I like to browse. I found a stall with some decent art. Will give you a call later.”

As he pocketed his phone, he looked at the various paintings being displayed. They were all originals. Not as expensive as the galleries in the area, but still appreciable. Something for his walls. 

One seemed to stand out to him and he stopped, staring at it.

“I’d buy it.” 

James jumped and looked around. “Brian? Are you stalking me?”

“It seems we both share an appreciation for art.” Brian smiled kindly and nodded at the painting. “Spectacular, isn’t it? I think it would look nice on your wall.”

“Yeah. Well, yeah, it is.” James looked back at the painting. “Are you the artist?”

“No. But I know the artist.” He nodded to the curator. “I’m sure his agent will make you a fair deal.”

James looked around Brian at the curator. He was busy with another customer, though. Sighing, he returned his attention to the painting. It wasn’t the most spectacular painting in the market, but something about it seemed to pull at him. He leaned forward and instinctively put his finger on the brush strokes. 

Someone yelled at him and he realized he had made an extremely novice mistake. Don’t touch the paintings. He looked at his hand as he pulled it back, then turned to apologize to the curator and came face to face with…something. He didn’t know it was there. A wax statue? But furry. Female. It reminded him of his Samantha hallucinations. She had the largest eyes he could imagine being on a face. He leaned closer to it, positively amazed at the remarkable detail.

Then it spoke, and he yelped and stumbled back. She was alive, and she was following him as he backpedaled. Another hallucination? He looked around frantically and realized that he was no longer at the market. The forest of the painting was all around him and he spun around, absolutely dumbfounded. The furry girl pulled out a short sword and crouched, looking alert as she tried to stay close to him.

James took another step back, and abruptly fell down. She rushed to him, ever watchful of the forest around them, and spoke to him again. It was an exotic, flowing language that almost sounded like singing. From her tone, it seemed like she was concerned for him.

She grabbed his hand and tried to pull him up, then suddenly let go and jumped back, staring at him in disbelief. She pointed her sword at him and yelled something unintelligible to him as her eyes appeared to flash yellow. While the language was alien to him, the gist was clear. Who was he? He grimaced and scooted back until he bumped into a tree as she stepped forward, putting the sword to his neck.

“Wait!” he yelled before he realized it. “I’m not here. I can’t be here. I’m at a market!” He closed his eyes, terrified that she would lean into him with her sword and that would be it. Can he die in a hallucination? But instead, he felt a hand on his face and suddenly he saw things that he couldn’t explain, yet he still comprehended. Heard unintelligible things, but understood them. It wasn’t speech, but just knowing. Images and experiences, but not his own. He peeked with an eye and looked at her face just inches from his. She appeared enthralled with him as she sifted his memories.

“This has to be a dream. I’m having another episode,” he said. Or did he actually say it? He got the impression that she heard it, however.

“You are not my James. How did you get here?” Her lips didn’t move. In fact, those weren’t the actual words she used. Just the thought he knew she intended to communicate.

James licked his lips and sat up a bit more. “I’m at a market. Was…” Obviously he wasn’t there anymore. This was way beyond his hallucinations in his bathroom or the cafeteria. “There was this painting. It was of this place. This forest. That castle on the bluff.” He pointed. She glanced at it then back at him, quizzical. He shrugged. “I touched the painting.”

She shook her head. “James, you have been here for a long time. We are life-mates.” The thought rang out as something deeper than husband and wife. He gulped and grimaced. It wasn’t the reaction she hoped for and she scowled.

“I’m sorry! A moment ago I was enjoying a evening browsing the art market in Seattle!” He looked around. “I was supposed to go talk to Cory about my episodes.”

“I see it. But I don’t understand it.” She sat up straighter, and a name came to him.

“Aris?” He blinked, not sure where that name came from.

She looked at him sharply and leaned back down closer to him. “You know my short-name! That’s good!”

“I just…” He looked around, confused. “I don’t know what I know. I’m a systems analyst. Computers.” He rubbed his eyes. It felt so real. Even the cool air of the forest smelled like the rainforests near Seattle. Familiar, but alien at the same time. The rustling sounds of the forest floor as she shifted and knelt down next to him were perfect. Could he possibly dream something that detailed? Were his hallucinations that detailed? And the woman, covered with fur, it seemed so natural. Like it belonged on her. Not like Samantha.

“This is real,” her thoughts wafted in. He realized she was still touching him.

“You’re thinking to me? Telepathically?” He had just consciously realized it.

She shrugged. A human gesture, which was actually comforting. “It’s what we do.” Aris leaned even closer. Her breath was warm and not a little tantalizing. “It’s what we’ve done for years. Don’t you remember?”

James looked up at her and suddenly felt guilty. But why? This had to be an episode. Something finally snapped; he was sure of it. And yet, he still felt badly for her. Her husband was missing and he was there in his place. “I’m sorry. I just knew your name and don’t even know why.”

She looked at him for an uncomfortable moment then stood up quickly. “The Younger will know what to do.”

“Who is…” he started then stopped. He actually heard her. She had spoken. And he understood.

She stared at him and knelt back down. “Talk again.”

“Uhm…” He tried not to gape. She was actually quite beautiful now that he had a moment to look at her. “Hi? Hello? I’m James? And I think I’m losing my mind?” The actual words sounded familiar, but then, alien. “Am I really speaking another language?”

She covered her mouth and stood back up. “You’re coming back.”

“I never left.” James sat up more and tried to get his feet under him. “I just haven’t been here before.” He looked at the river down below, and the majestic waterfalls in the distance. “I would certainly remember this.”

Aris shook her head. “I don’t know who you were, but who you are is coming back. We must find the Younger immediately.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. “Take us to the castle.”

“The…take us?” He looked at her, perplexed.

Aris rubbed her eyes. “Can you see the interior of the castle?”

James looked up at the immense castle that dominated the landscape. What was he supposed to see? “I, uh, what?”

“This can’t be happening. Not now,” Aris groaned. She rubbed her temples. He instinctively wanted to reach out to her but kept his hands to himself. She looked at him. “I can still feel us. But it’s like you’re asleep.”

“Feel us?”

“Our bond. Our impossible bond. Elves and not-Elves aren’t supposed to be able to,” Aris said tearfully. “You don’t even remember that?”

“Sorry.” He looked away, embarrassed for making her cry. She looked so lost all of a sudden. “What’s in the castle?”

“The Younger. You’re her first Gatekeeper,” Aris said glumly as she looked down and wiped her eyes.

James pursed his lips, wondering if he should ask. It seemed like he was supposed to already know what that was. He saw someone riding what looked like a horse down by the wide, meandering river under the falls and pointed. “We could get ride from him.”

“Her,” Aris corrected without looking.

He squinted at the figure and shrugged.

Aris looked at him, an exasperated look clouding her expression, then she turned and started walking towards the castle. After a few steps she looked back. “You coming?”

“Um…” He looked around. He was reluctant to leave that spot. It was where he had arrived, after all.

She walked back to him and grabbed his hand, pulling him after her. “The correct answer is yes.”

“Yes?” he said, struggling not to lose his step. She was obviously irritated and he could sense it in a way he would not have expected. As if he was irritated, though he wasn’t. It was like what he got when Cory touched him at the hanger. Or Jenny at the burger joint.

She looked up at the coniferous canopy overhead and scowled as they walked. He could tell she wanted to climb up into the trees and that he was slowing her down. She could travel up there faster than they could run. It perplexed him that he felt guilty for that. He didn’t even know her. But then, he did.

“I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to come here. I should have known better.”

She glanced back at him. “Known better?”

“It’s rude to touch the paintings,” he said quietly. “I couldn’t help it. The painting seemed alive somehow.”

“Paintings?” Aris cocked her head.

“You know, paintings.” He held his free arm out around him. “Of stuff like this. All of this was in a painting.”

“It apparently wasn’t,” Aris said bitterly. He was about to reply when they suddenly left the forest and stood before a massive, ancient stone stairway that led up the cliff to the castle. He couldn’t help but gape.

“What is this place?”

Aris looked at him sadly. “You really don’t remember? I moved out of the tree because you wanted to be here.”

“Oh. The tree,” he said, not understanding what she was talking about. “It looks like something out of ancient England or something.” He couldn’t deny feeling some sort of connection to the structure. As if he belonged there.

“England?” Aris looked at him with a glimmer of recognition. He felt it as much as saw it. He nodded.

“You said that name before,” Aris said quietly. She started up the stairs with James in tow. He glanced nervously over the edge of the cliff at the deep valley below. She nodded at the castle. “It…this…reminded you of your home.”

“Yeah, no. I live in a house in the suburbs of Seattle.” He licked his lips as he looked up at the structure. There was even a bridge over the waterfalls. The place did have a feeling of familiarity about it. “Well, it is the first thing I’ve seen of this place that actually kinda makes sense.”

“You were homesick when we met. Lost,” Aris said.

James saw it in her memories and shook his head. He was having difficulty grasping the fact that his mind was no longer an isolated island. Her memories and thoughts seemed to ebb and flow into his consciousness. Vertigo threatened to wash over him as they continued up the stairs, and he teetered a little as they walked up rapidly. “Well, I’m pretty lost right now. I’m seeing things and now I’m here.” He waved dramatically for emphasis and the sense of vertigo hit him strongly at that moment. Suddenly, everything seemed to spin around.

Before James realized it, he was falling and Aris was screaming from above. He blinked as he looked at the cliff flying by and instinctively closed his eyes tightly. It was then that he saw a stone chamber around him. The floor was cold to the touch and there was no longer any wind. He tentatively opened his eyes and looked around, still trembling from the terror of falling. He really was in a stone chamber. He turned around slowly as he stood up. Sunbeams streamed in through the skylights high overhead, making everything appear magical.

“Where’s Aris?”

James looked around quickly and almost stumbled back, stunned. Another woman. But no fur. Her skin looked like someone had taken colorful paints and splashed her from head to toe. “I was falling. But, I’m not.” He felt dizzy and looked for something to hold on to. As he started to fall, the woman was suddenly at his side, holding him up.

“You don’t belong here.”

“You think?” He gaped at her, surprised but exasperated. How did she get to him so quickly? Part of her skin seemed to chrome over briefly and he tried not to stare.

“Aris?”

“We were coming up the steps,” he mumbled.

The colorful woman closed her eyes briefly and suddenly Aris was standing in front of them. She screamed and ran to him, throwing her arms around his shoulders as she sobbed.

“This is getting to be a bit much for me,” he said quietly. “I was just shopping for something to put on my wall. That’s all.”

The colorful woman looked at Aris. “He is not your James. Not yet.”

“Not yet?” He felt a little offended. She was talking to his wife after all. Though, he wasn’t married.

“You need to go back. It’s not time yet.”

“Please, make him well,” Aris begged, clinging to the colorful woman.

“Only he can. But I need a trigger to motivate him.” She looked at him critically.

“Is this the Younger?” He glanced at Aris. He knew the answer already, but it bothered him that he knew it. Aris was an Elf and the Younger was a Selkie goddess. Details were starting to filter in as if he had always known them, but they still didn’t make sense.

“He is there. But then he is not,” the Younger said, looking intently at him. “You arrived here a long time ago, James. But it is too soon for you and you haven’t gone back far enough.”

“Oh. Well, now that you put it that way, it all makes perfect sense.” The sarcasm probably wasn’t warranted, but he just wanted to go back home. “And I’m supposed to be…who?”

The Younger took a breath and glanced at Aris. “You are a Gatekeeper. The only one who did not need to be awakened.” She hesitated. “And you are not connected to time.”

“And there must have been something in that paint.” James looked at his fingers, wondering if this was all a hallucination.

“It will make sense to you when the time is right.”

“Can you bring him back? My James?” Aris pleaded.

James looked at her and felt guilty again. She seemed so familiar, even with her fur and big eyes. And yet she couldn’t be more of a stranger to him. He knew her name, however. And he was talking in a language he had never learned. “How can there be two of me?”

“Because when it comes to time, you are dry. When you go back, this will not have happened yet from your perspective. But it will.” She caressed Aris’s hair as she looked at her thoughtfully. “Remember this, however. When you arrive again, Aris will never have met you. But she will desperately need you.”

“I’m dry,” he repeated, incredulous.

“You are not immersed in time. There is only one other like you but he has not been born yet,” the Younger clarified.

“Of course.” He looked around numbly, finding the shifting tenses disconcerting. “When am I going to wake up?”

The Younger smiled and suddenly the two of them were high in the sky over the castle. She pulled him close as his breath caught in his throat. He was falling. They were falling. She nodded. “When you get back, you must seek out Steven Crow.”

“Are you nuts!?” he yelled over the wind, his knuckles turning white as he grabbed her arms.

“What did I just say?”

“Steven Crow! And I’m falling!” He couldn’t help but get a clear image of a young man with black hair. 

The Younger smiled at him. “Remember.”

“I’m going to die!” James looked down at the rocks below.

“Where were you?” Her thought came through clearly.

Even terrified, he couldn’t help but think of the market. Did she pull that memory out? She nodded again. “Think of it. See it around you.”

James looked down then back up at her, appalled at the idea that he could think of anything but his impending doom. “I’m falling! The rocks!”

She shook her head. “Think!”

Closing his eyes, he tried to ignore the raging wind buffeting him and the sickening sense of falling as he saw the market. And the painting.

“Make it real.”

“How?” he thought back. He reached out to touch the painting.

“Hey! Don’t touch that!”

He jerked and fell back, landing hard on his rear. The curator examined the painting and looked at him accusingly. “Stupid! Can’t you read the sign? Don’t touch the paintings!”

James swallowed and looked around then back at the painting. “I’ll take it.”

Brian just grinned at him.

Cooperative: The Destination

Chapter 4

“Dude, you’re a mess.” Cory looked out from under the ultralight. He scooted a little and sat up. “Morning hair on steroids. Did you go to work like that?”

James looked at his reflection in the office window. “Oh my God.” He ran his fingers through his hair, feeling windblown tangles. “No. No. No!” 

“You forgot to comb your hair this morning. Dude, you’re like the most fastidiously manicured guy I know.” Cory shook his head in faux disappointment. 

James just gaped at Cory. He looked at the painting he was carrying. “It really happened.”

“Breath, James. You’re not the first guy to go to work looking like a slob.” Cory mussed with James’ hair. “Damn, it’s all knotted up. Like, did you have Samantha over or something, wild child?”

James could only tremble. He looked around and finding no suitable chair sank to the floor. Cory knelt down. “James?”

“It happened.” James waved at his hair. “Cory, I was over three thousand feet in the air and just falling. Falling!” He started trembling. 

“The jumpers weren’t here today, James. Are you base jumping?”

James shook his head. He winced, and removed part of a pine cone from his back pocket. Cory looked at it. “You went hiking? It’s only been a couple hours since you got off work.” He looked at James’ pants. “Dude, you’re covered in mud. Did you roll through a pig-pen?”

James twisted to look at the seat of his pants. They had mud and forest debris on them. “I just got off work. Eric had a retirement party and we went back to… nothing. Just office work.”

“Don’t tell me any secrets dude.” Cory waggled his finger at him. “I like black helicopters but not the folks who rappel down from them.”

James wiped his eyes. “This can’t be happening. It can’t be real.” He looked at the pine cone. “I was there. I was actually there.”

“Where?”

“I… I don’t know. Some medieval place, I think. But Aris. She’s furry. A furry Elf. Cory, I’m married to her.” James tried to get to his feet and Cory pulled him up. His legs wobbled a little and he found a shop chair to sit on. “I’m actually married.”

“Was this like a Vegas thing?” Cory sat on the workbench next to James. 

“Be serious, Cory. Something is happening to me. Has happened.” He gasped. “It had Jupiter in the sky! I almost didn’t notice it!” James stood up. “Forest. Furry girl. Jupiter. Like what I’ve been seeing.”

“You’re going mental.”

James gave Cory a look. “Watch a few Harry Potters and now you’re using that word?”

Cory grinned. “Hey, it fit.”

“Yeah, I’m going mental.” James scratched his head. “Eric got all weird on me today. Started talking about aliens and stuff. Did you know he plays golf with Brian?” 

Cory put his hands on his hips. “UFOs now?”

“Brian was there. At the market. He didn’t even blink when I… I… I landed on the ground.” He looked back at his car. “I bought like twenty paintings from that fella.”

“Brian?”

“No. The gallery curator.” James rubbed his face. He looked at the painting he brought in. “I touched this. Then I was there.” 

Cory looked at the painting. “I always knew you had an imagination.”

James held up the pine cone. “This is not imagination, Cory. I was actually there. I just… I don’t know how.”

Cory just looked at him.

“This morning, my bathroom was a forest. I opened the door and almost walked into it. Then this afternoon, the cafeteria. But that wasn’t real. I was able to make it go away. This…” James pointed at the painting. “This was real.”

“How?”

“I don’t know! You’re the MIT grad. I’m just a computer scientist!” James leaned back against the workbench. “I’m married. And I feel her. Here.” He pointed at his heart. “And here.” He pointed at his head. “Like she’s here. Now.” 

Cory grabbed his shoulder. “Dude. You’re freaking.”

“That!” James put his hand on Cory’s. “That’s real. You’re about to call Jenny. Try to talk some sense into me. Cory, I’m not imagining that. We have the same thing you two have. Aris and me. But… more. Like we’re in each others’ heads.”

“Maybe I do need to call Jenny.” Cory removed his hand and looked at it.

“I know another language.”

“Of course you do. Like three of them.” Cory gave him an exasperated look.

“No. This one is her language. I don’t even know what it’s called. But I know it. I can think in it even now.” James looked at the ceiling of the hanger. “I cannot be imagining this. It’s just too detailed. Too real.”

“This is about Samantha, isn’t it? She’s a real possibility and you’re sabotaging it.” Cory crossed his arms. “I want my kids to have cousins too.”

“We’re not brothers.” James waved a hand dismissively.

“Same difference!” Cory looked at his phone. “Speaking of the angel. Hey honey. James is having a meltdown. Think you can… what?” He looked at James. “Yeah, we have one here. Yeah, we stream.” He waved at James and pointed at the television.

James sighed and plodded over to the big-screen hanging on their office wall and grabbed the remote on the little shelf below it. “What station?”

“Any of them. Just turn it on.” Cory said. 

They both stood there watching a replay of a battle between two alien spacecraft. “Honey, what movie is that… calm down. Jenny.” 

“No, watch it.” James pointed. “It’s from a news crew.”

“Bullshit. You know they did that with War of the Worlds too. Made it seem like real news. Scared the crap out of a bunch of people.” Cory looked at his phone and put it in his pocket. “She’s on her way.”

“Eric mentioned… he said…” James stopped, stunned. “Aris is an alien. I’m married to an alien.” He looked at Cory. “And the Younger, she’s like, another alien. Like a goddess or something.”

“Chill, man.” Cory said, staring at the news. The video of the spacecraft was replayed on a loop, and slowed. “How did this even get to us? It can’t be real.”

James pursed his lips. “We would have clamped down hard on it. They had to have streamed to obfuscated servers.” He squinted. “They’re in a Cessna filming this? Cory, Eric knew. My boss knew about this.” 

Cory waved his hand behind him and found the chair. Sitting down he just gaped. The video cut out to static, then repeated while a news host commented non-stop as if in a daze.

Jenny rushed in and threw her arms around Cory, trembling. 

James looked at her. “Jenny, it’s okay.” He looked at the television, then out the hanger doors into the sky. There was no Jupiter out there anymore, but suddenly he was relieved beyond all measure. “I’m not crazy.” He looked at them. “And I’m married. To one of them!” He pointed at the television. 

Jenny wiped her face, looking at him. “Come again?”

“Yeah, me being married is so far-fetched it’s distracting you from evidence of a first contact.” James waved his hand at the television.

“Well, yeah.” Jenny stood up. “Married?”

“Not Vegas, apparently,” Cory mumbled.

“I can’t explain it. But, I have this. This!” James held up the pine cone fragment.

Jenny just stared at it.

“I was there.” He pointed at the painting he still carried. “Actually there. One minute I was at the market, then suddenly, poof. Like magic.” 

“There’s no…”

“I know that!” James waved his hands. “What else do I call it? I’ve been seeing Jupiter in the sky. I saw a forest from my bathroom door.”

“I thought you kept a clean bathroom,” Jenny said slowly.

“A forest, Jenny. It hit me at work too. The cafeteria. And Samantha? Every other time I looked at her, she was furry. Something inside me was working something out. My subconscious. It has to be. My wife is furry!” James turned around in a circle. “A furry Elf. What the hell?” 

“So, Vegas?”

“We didn’t just get married. I… we… I got the impression we had been married for a while.” James leaned against the workbench and looked at the painting. “She’s gorgeous. I wish you could see her.”

“James, you’re scaring me.”

“Did you tell her?” James looked at Cory.

He just returned his look blankly.

“The telepathy thing?” James said, exasperated.

“I… no.” 

“Telepathy, now?” Jenny put her hands on her hips.

James grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him. “Think of anything obscure. Anything I wouldn’t… no, I would guess I was crazy. Challenge me.” James rolled his eyes. “What the hell is it with November 4, 1979? The embassy bombing?” 

Jenny pushed him away, staring at him. 

“Oh, you saw it on the History Channel. My coworker saw it too.” James deflated a little at her reaction. “Jenny, something is happening to me. This… this isn’t in my head.” He pointed at the television. “I’m not crazy!” 

“Well, you’re a little manic currently,” Cory said, glancing at the television. He stood up and squinted at it. “That’s new. We lost a pair of F-22s!”

James put the painting down and looked at the television. “Crap. They just vanished. How did that become public?”

Cory looked at him. James noticed and fidgeted. “We wouldn’t release that to the public. Not right away, anyway. Not something like this.”

“We. Your super secret secret job of secrets?”

“Just, forget I said anything.” James rubbed his temples. He looked at the painting. “Cory, I’m not crazy.”

“You said that like…”

“I thought I was losing my mind man!” James pointed at the television. “I mean, I still might be, but, it’s all real.” He felt the bottom of his pants, and dirt caked off into his hand. “This is mud. From, what, another world?” 

“Yeah, but, you weren’t abducted or anything. How did you get there?” Cory looked at the soil on his hands.

“And who is your wife?” Jenny said, raising a brow.

“Aris. I even know her language.” James found a jar and dumped the dirt into it. He followed that with the pine cone fragment. “I can have this tested.”

“Yeah. They’ll spend a million dollars to determine that it’s dirt and pine cones.” Cory snickered.

“They can test it for radioisotopes. Other goodies.” James looked at the evidence seriously. “She dropped me out of the sky.”

“Aris?” Cory glanced at the television. 

James looked at him blankly, then shook his head. “No. No. Another lady. The Younger, I think.” He looked at the painting. “I was in that castle. Then… just poof and I was in the air at least three thousand feet above it. I was falling. She told me to see the market. To make it real. Then poof, I was back at the market landing on my butt.” He rubbed his rear. “That concrete was hard.” 

“You’re poofing across the universe?” Cory snorted. 

“I’m apparently a poofer.” James nodded, half serious. “I have no idea what physics is behind that. I got the impression that no time passed here. But I was there for over an hour.” 

“Are you the Doctor now?” Jenny crossed her arms.

James grinned at her. “Well, my bathroom was most certainly bigger on the inside than the outside.”

Cory snorted, then started laughing. “Your Tardis is your bathroom!”

James giggled a little. “Don’t knock it. I just got it renovated.” He sobered, looking at the painting. “If she’s real, and we’re married…” He looked at Cory and Jenny, eyes wide. “I need to get back. I need to find her!”

“Touch me again,” Jenny said.

James pursed his lips, then grabbed her hand. He looked down. “Samantha asked if she could bring her boyfriend.”

Jenny nodded, putting her hand on his. “They just got back together. So…”

“Nothing awkward.” James nodded. “So, you believe me now?”

“This is really happening.” Jenny looked at the television. 

“Shh, don’t get worked up again,” James said calmly. “We’re not alone. But Jenny, I’m not alone either.”

She smiled wistfully at him. “I’m glad you found her. Only you would end up with a lady from another galaxy.” 

“She apparently didn’t get the social media post about me making Susan throw up in the Cessna.” James deadpanned, nodding.

Jenny laughed out loud and hugged him. 

“Cory’s trying hard not to laugh,” James said. 

“Dude, that went viral!” Cory chuckled. “You were a media star.”

“Kinda thought about offering tickets and fancy barf bags.” James grinned. He sobered. “Are we still flying tomorrow?”

Cory looked down and shrugged. “Well, life doesn’t stop, does it? I have a contract to fulfill and you have a plane to fly.”

“I want to dig into this.” James nodded at the television. “I can learn more at… um… I can… you know.”

“You’re slipping man. Not a peep about your job. I don’t want to know.” Cory waggled a finger at him. “You never work weekends anyway.”

James looked down. “Well…”

“No. If you’re not called in, you’re flying. We have to get this thing going.” Cory crossed his arms.

“I’m married, dude. She’s out there somewhere. She’s one of them.” James pointed at the television. He looked at it. It was a weather report now.

“Fly the plane for Cory. Take time to… you know, decompress,” Jenny said. “I see it already. You were really uptight last night.”

“I thought I was losing my mind last night.” James sighed. “I still feel her. Like she’s just out of sight.”

“James and his furry.” Cory chortled. “Never struck me as a furry type.”

“It’s too freaky.” James shook his head. “When I was hallucinating, I knew it wasn’t right. But on her, it… it fit.” 

He looked at the evening sky. Still no Jupiter. Just a Moon two days from full. “Whatever happened today, I think it healed me. I just see the Moon now.”

Cooperative: The Destination

Snippet 1 – James meets Steven

“I think I tracked down the integration issue,” James said as he typed furiously on the keyboard. He desperately hoped that Ashley was computer-ignorant enough to not comprehend what he was typing.

“Those are our records on Steven.” Ashley leaned over James’ shoulder.

“Do you mind?” James looked back at him, masking his fear with irritation.

Ashley shrugged and stood up.

“There’s corruption in the data files on that cluster. I’m working to verify the backup and restore the records,” James said, trying not to look Ashley in the eye.

“You should have RAID redundancy. Should be trivial to recreate the lost records.”

James looked around, startled. An Elf had walked in and stood looking at the screen critically.

“Um… is he allowed to…”

“That doesn’t look like you’re running a checksum on the data. What algorithm are you using to parse the…”

“Are you authorized to see this?” James interrupted, defensive. The Elf looked at him, amused. He glanced at Ashley then returned his attention to James.

“Your trojan was pathetic. I mean really? Built in backups? You don’t trust the systems’ own redundancy?”

“Uh…”

“A hacker with ethics.” The Elf looked at Ashley. “Who’d a thunk it?”

“He doesn’t have clearance to see this,” James stammered, looking at Ashley.

“Perhaps. I’ll wager we’ll be re-examining your clearance too.”

“You called me. Remember?” James stood up. Ashley looked at him sternly and James sank back down into the chair.

“You arranged for us to call you. Steven here noticed something odd and suggested we play it through.” Ashley winked at the Elf.

“Ste… you? You’re Steven Crow?” James half stood up. “But… you’re an… you’re one of them.”

“One of…” Steven looked around dramatically then leaned forward. “One of… who?” he whispered conspiratorially.

“This is all wrong. You’re supposed to be human. Your pictures.” James sank back down in the chair, dejected.

Steven sat on the desk and regarded James curiously. He blinked then closed his eyes as he looked at James. He glanced at Ashley then returned his attention to James. “How long have you known?”

James looked up, clearly dismayed. “What?”

“You couldn’t have gated on Terra. The Sadari have had it locked down for nearly twenty years. You can’t be more than, what… forty-five?”

“Gate?” James fidgeted.

“Yeah. You might call it teleport.” Steven crossed his arms.

James stood up quickly, making Steven hop off the desk. “You know? How do you know?”

“You glow. When I close my eyes,” Steven said. “All Gatekeepers glow.”

James looked at his hands. “Gatekeeper. That’s really what you call it?”

“Well, it’s the simplest translation of Mar’e Or’helling ha Astrelin. I think…” Steven looked up at the ceiling for a moment. “Opener and Traveler of the Fracture” is a bit of a mouthful.” He looked at Ashley. “You know… it’s the same name in Common and Elvish. And Craolin even. I wonder what the root of that name is.”

“You’re asking me?” Ashley said, laughing. He shook his head, clearly amused.

“Of course not. Just musing.” Steven grinned. He looked at James. “You’re Terran. I can smell it. But you survived the Awakening with just Terran genetics?”

“Awakening?” James looked at Steven, shaking his head.

“Gatekeepers need to be Awakened by another. I… I was Awakened by my nature. But you’d need another Gatekeeper…”

“Aris said I was the only one that wasn’t Awakened,” James said quickly. “She said that I was the first.” He got a distant look. “But… I… I was there and then I’m here. I mean, not here on Endard. On Earth.” James looked around then at Steven. “I need to go back. But I don’t know how.”

“You’ve never gated before?”

“I went there and she helped me come back,” James said quietly, looking down, as he remembered. “I saw… I fell. I was falling.” James looked up sharply. “That’s what that was?”

Steven looked at him blankly.

“I tripped. I was falling. I knew I was going to die. But I saw it. A stone chamber. The floor, I felt it… I opened my eyes and was there.” He sank back down into the chair.

Ashley looked at a couple of security officers who were hovering around the door and shook his head. They nodded and departed. Steven leaned against the desk and looked at James. “You still don’t know what you are?”

“I’m a systems analyst,” James mumbled. “I was just trying to find something nice to put on my apartment wall. My old roommate moved out and my new roommate didn’t have anything…” James stopped and sighed. “You’re supposed to be human. That’s what I saw. What she showed me.”

Steven smiled. “Part human. This fur is actually new.” He looked at his arm and played with the fur. “And it’s really weird.”

“You’re not one of them?”

“‘One of them’ would be Elf. It’s okay to say it,” Steven said, annoyed.

“Sorry… I just keep… Elf sounds corny to say,” James stammered again.

Steven regarded him for a moment. Another Elf walked in and Steven glanced back and said something to him in a beautiful flowing language. It sounded just like how Aris sounded, but different.

James squinted. “You want my blood?”

“You understood that? Have you been tended by a Teacher?” Steven looked at him, startled.

James shook his head. “I just knew it when she was talking to me. Like I had learned it.” James said, scratching his head as he warily watched the other Elf grab his arm and place a small brass patch on it. He glanced at Steven. “I need to go back. I don’t know how.”

“Just remember it… see it… and go,” Steven said simply, trying to find a way to explain it in easy terms. “Kinda like a remembered taste.”

“I tried,” James said.

“If you were on Terra, you’d have failed,” Steven said. “Unless you’re… special. Like me.”

The other Elf shook his head and said something. James looked at him then at Steven. “I guess that means I’m normal?”

Steven made a face and sat on the desk. He said something to the Elf and James interrupted. “Listen, I know what you are saying but not all of it. At least have the courtesy to speak in English, or slower.”

“I was asking how you would have survived the Awakening. Terran genetics are not robust enough.” Steven said, perplexed.

“Well…I wasn’t Awakened. I just touched a painting.” James said defensively.

“Oh. Well… that explains everything.” Steven said sarcastically.

James scowled and crossed his arms. “I’ve been seeing her. But she can’t see me.” James said hesitantly. “And the other… the Younger…”

“You’ve met the Younger?” Steven stood up abruptly, interrupting James.

“Well… yeah. She is the one who helped me get back.”

“She would have been able to break through the Sadari blockade,” Steven said to the other Elf.

“But…a Terran?”

“Enos’rel, for a time I thought I was a Terran,” Steven said.

“Terran…” James said then stopped, implying a question.

“Human…but not human. Humans are different. You’re Terran.” Steven said as he considered the ramifications of what he had heard. “I need to see it.”

“Sorry. I didn’t have time to take a video,” James said sourly.

“No. I mean, see it.” Steven reached out and grabbed James’ arm and James yelped, startled, closing his eyes while his consciousness was flooded with memories of his encounter. Steven focused and looked at Enos’rel. “It’s her. The Younger. But Aris… I’ve never seen an Elf carry a sword.”

“A sword?” Enos’rel asked, perplexed.

Steven nodded. “There’s a castle. Here.” Steven put his hand on Enos’rel’s cheek as James scooted away from him in the rolling chair, rubbing his arm.

“Steven… that castle has been gone for many thousands of years. Our archaeologists are still examining the remnants and matching it to our lore.” Enos’rel looked at James. “But…it appeared to be new.”

“The sword?”

Enos’rel shook his head. “There are stories of wars in the early Cooperative days. There was some resistance to unifying.” He stumbled back and sat down in a chair. Steven looked at him, concerned. Elves were not usually clumsy.

“Yeah…okay. What does that mean? How can I go back?” James asked impatiently. “Where is this place?”

Steven looked at James, bewildered. “James…where is not the issue. We can go there now if you want. But…when.”

“When what?” James asked, irritated by the ambiguity of what he was hearing.

“The Cooperative is over a hundred thousand years old, master James,” Enos’rel said. “Even our Archives don’t go back that far. Our oldest citizen is only fifteen thousand years old.”

“Except the Faeries,” Steven interjected.

Enos’rel looked down. “Maybe. No one knows how old their elders are. But…” He looked at Steven. “Is this him?”

“Who?” James asked, looking from Enos’rel to Steven.

“He knows more than I do. I just helped Asherah with her homework,” Steven said quietly.

Enos’rel nodded. “The Younger is supposed to be the mother of the Cooperative.” He looked at James. “You could very well be the father.”