The Fourth World Read online

  She turned to look at Fintan, and her eyes were large and brown.

  He realized that he was staring and that she had caught him. Fintan quickly looked away, embarrassed and blushing. She didn’t say a word.

  Since the flight simulator test, Fintan had gotten the habit of mimicking the gestures of flying a ship, using an imaginary thumbstick with his left hand, and trackball and buttons on his right. In an unguarded moment he started to do it again on the arms of the airplane seat.

  The girl gasped, and pointed at Fintan’s hands.

  “You’ve done that too,” she said, curiosity tinting her voice.

  Fintan figured that he owed her an answer, but he didn’t know what to say.

  “We’re not allowed to talk about it,” was the best he could do.

  She nodded, but she was smiling, as was Fintan.

  “I’m Fintan Reilly,” said Fintan, offering his hand, and feeling like a fool when she stared at it.

  She then took his hand gently in hers, which was small and cool to the touch.

  “Ayako,” she said with a mild Japanese accent. “Ayako Katsuragi.”

  “You are from Japan?”

  “Yes,” she said, “Tokyo. This is my first time in your country.”

  “It isn’t my country,” Fintan said defensively, “I am from Ireland.”

  She looked a little blank for a moment. Fintan heard her say ‘Ireland’ and then start translating it phonetically into her language. Understanding finally dawned on her.

  “Ireland,” she said, “In Europe, right beside England. I have seen it in books. It is beautiful.”

  “You think so?” Fintan asked sarcastically.

  The sarcasm clearly went over her head, so instead he said “It has some beautiful places, and some ugly places. I come from one of the ugly places.”

  She laughed. “It sounds a lot like Japan!”

  “This is my first time in this country too,” said Fintan, pointing out the window at Las Vegas. “It’s an interesting place, isn’t it?”

  From their window they had an excellent view of the Las Vegas strip. At one end stood the huge ‘Mandalay Bay’ and ‘MGM Grand’ resorts. Between them they could see what looked like a fairytale castle and a huge black pyramid.

  Ayako leaned over slightly to see out the window.

  “Beautiful” she said.

  “The Pyramid is called the ‘Luxor’,” said Fintan. “Because it is a pyramid it doesn’t have elevators, but ‘inclinators’ that go up the angle of the wall. They might be fun to try.”

  “Yes,” she said, “perhaps one day we will try them together.”

  Fintan gulped. His heart felt like it skipped a beat.

  “And the Castle. That’s called the ‘Excalibur’. It’s from an English legend.”

  “You know a lot about Las Vegas,” she said, “you must be very smart.”

  “Nah,” he said casually, “I just read it in this brochure I picked up in the airport.” He held up a glossy paper.

  They laughed. It was a nice moment. She took the brochure and started flicking through it.

  Another boy had gotten on the plane. From his brand-name clothes and confident stride, he was clearly American. Ayako noticed him too, and as he got closer, it was obvious that he was eyeing the seat between her and Fintan. Deftly she stood, and took the center seat, letting the new boy take the outside aisle seat.

  “Thank you,” he said in a thick and loud American accent, while looking her in the eye.

  She nodded and returned to her brochure. Fintan went back to looking out the window.

  “Zack Adams,” the boy said, offering his hand. He shook Fintan’s vigorously.

  “Fintan Reilly,” answered Fintan, without the same enthusiasm.

  He then offered his hand to Ayako who politely took it and gently shook it.

  Trying to be friendly, Fintan opened a new conversation.

  “So, any idea where this plane is going?”

  “Well, it’s all supposed to be a big secret,” said Zack, “but I think it’s pretty obvious.”

  Ayako raised an eyebrow.

  “C’mon guys,” Zack said incredulously, “look at this plane. It’s small, with limited range, probably only an hour or two flight time.”

  Fintan and Ayako said nothing, waiting for more.

  “We’re in Las Vegas, right? So where do you think we’d be going in such a small plane?”

  He paused, searching their confused expression.

  He smiled, and whispered “Area 51 of course!”

  Chapter 6: Area 51

  And so the die is cast.

  Time is getting close, we have to take risks.

  Zack smiled smugly as the plane took off. As it turned, Fintan watched the long dark shadows the sun cast on the tawny desert ground.

  “We’re heading north,” he finally said.

  Zack was nodding and grinning widely. “Area 51,” he said, “I knew it! This is just so cool!”

  Ayako’s eyebrows furrowed. She cocked her head to the side, facing away from Fintan, and towards Zack. Fintan felt a pang of jealousy like a sharp knife sticking beneath his ribs. In her soft but lilting voice she asked “What is this Area 51?”

  “Sorry,” said Zack smiling a broad, confident grin, “I’m just geeking out on all this.”

  He paused and took a breath.

  “Area 51 is the most secret military base in the country. Many people believe that our Government has made contact with aliens, and that they are in this base.”

  “Oh,” said Ayako, disappointed. She returned to the brochure of Las Vegas.

  “Oh?” said Zack. “Is that all you can say? We are going to Area 51 and all you can say is ‘Oh’?”

  He shrugged, and looked at Fintan, his eyes speaking inaudibly “What’s with this girl?”

  Ayako looked at Fintan. “Do you believe in aliens?”

  Suddenly he felt like he was choking. A hot flush emanated from his lower back and quickly went up to his neck and his face. He was sure he was blushing as he saw Zack hide a snicker.

  “Er,” said Fintan.

  She was looking him right in the eye. Her eyes were a deep black, like a midnight lake, and he was swimming in them, trying not to drown.

  “Um,” said Fintan.

  “Well I don’t,” said Ayako, “I mean think about the diseases that aliens would carry. If they landed on the Earth, we’d all die.”

  “Unless,” interrupted Zack, “we kept them in a top secret base out in the middle of the desert where they wouldn’t mix with the general population.”

  Ayako turned back towards him. Her hair flicked near Fintan’s face. He suddenly remembered how to breathe.

  She said nothing, and conceded the point.

  *

  Fintan mulled over the previous conversation. “It makes sense that we’d be going to a secret base though, right? You saw the papers that we had to sign to get here.”

  Zack nodded. “Not to mention where we did our final test, assuming you guys did the same test as me?” He pointed upwards, towards the sky, towards space.

  Ayako nodded slowly. Those magnificent eyes of hers were lost in thought.

  *

  The plane turned to climb over a mountain range, hitting some rough turbulence. Through the window Fintan could see a sparse rocky desert. So different from where he had grown up, but so beautiful in it’s way. Having crossed the mountains, gradually the landscape began to change.

  The ground beneath gave way from pebbled slopes to a flat, white plain that stretched towards the horizon in every direction.

  “Millions of years ago, this was ocean,” said Zack, “all that is left after the waters receded or evaporated is the salt. Area 51 is actually built on the bed of an ancient salt sea called Groom Lake.”

  “For something so secret, you know a lot about it” said Fintan.

  “The Internet is a wonderful place you know,” winked Zack.


  The plane was beginning to descend.

  “We’re landing,” said Ayako.

  Peering out the window they could see as the plane descended towards the white ground. It touched down smoothly, and then taxied for a long time to approach a cluster of buildings. In the distance Fintan saw some fighter jets, but on the whole the base was nondescript.

  The plane finally halted, and without ceremony an attendant opened the doors and the people filed out. Fintan saw other children on board, and as they left, the attendant handed them a pair of sunglasses with a warm smile.

  When it came to be their turn, they also received sunglasses. Once he passed through the door, Fintan could see why – the glare of the sun, reflected off the white sands was overwhelming. He slipped his glasses on gratefully.

  Fintan looked around, openmouthed, in awe at the natural surroundings. The white flat landscape was surreal and except for the distant brown craggy mountains that surrounded the base, and the rich blue sky, he could have believed he was on the moon.

  With a whoosh he heard the plane move away behind him. It turned surprisingly quickly on the runway and raced away, taking off with a dull boom. One thing struck him about the plane – it was nondescript and unmarked, being a simple white jet with a red stripe down the side.

  A uniformed attendant led the children – besides Fintan, Zack and Ayako there were perhaps half a dozen others on this flight, towards a nondescript and unmarked hanger. The other passengers just went their separate ways into the different buildings that dotted the area around the landing strip.

  “Secret military base with Aliens,” whispered Fintan to Zack. “I expected something a bit more, you know – modern!”

  Zack was quiet. Fintan figured that this wasn’t a typical state for him.

  *

  The building was set up to be a simple staging area or waiting room. It was full of curious children, just like them. Fintan did a quick count, and estimated there were around a hundred of them, all around the same age.

  Zack grunted and pointed towards some empty seats near the back. Excited, they sat, listening to the speculation and buzz going around the room. Zack spotted a buffet area, and went to get them some drinks. Another stab of jealousy hit Fintan as Ayako rewarded Zack with a beaming smile.

  *

  “Not what I expected of Area 51,” said Zack, louder than necessary, “I mean, other than my Irish friend here, there ain’t no little green men!”

  A few kids nearby snickered, but the adults paid no attention.

  A door on the far side of the room opened, and there was a bright light behind it. It was hard for Fintan to see, but some shapes resolved out of the glare. Four soldiers marched into the room in full combat gear. He had never seen men as big as these. It wasn’t just their size, but their very presence was intimidating and was the epitome of strength.

  Another man walked into the room behind them. He walked past them to a low dais in the center of the room. The soldiers fell into place around him and knelt, facing outwards towards the group.

  “What, are they afraid we’ll hit him with a spitball,” whispered Zack to his new best friend, a tall gangly kid with the same goofy grin.

  “Good morning,” said the man. “And welcome to Groom Lake. My name is Mister Jones, and I’m what you might call a member of the school board. It is nice to meet you, and I’m looking forward to knowing you better. We will enter the main part of the school shortly, but before we do, I just have a few safety notices.”

  The crowd paused, waiting for more, expecting a long boring lecture.

  Jones took his time, slowly gazing around the room, meeting them all with a look in the eye until he owned the room, and the anticipation for what he was about to say was building.

  “No running,” he grinned. “Now, let’s go.”

  The inner side of the room, that being furthest from the door, and close to where Fintan was sitting, opened with an enormous groan, peeling away to reveal some ordinary-looking escalators leading downwards.

  *

  Zack elbowed Fintan gently in the ribs. “Mister Jones, ” he snorted. “Now how much are you willing to bet that that is not his real name?”

  They stepped onto the escalator and rode it down to a large elevator lobby. All the elevators were open, and the kids were directed to enter them.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever been in a lift before,” said Fintan.

  “A what?”

  “A lift,” said Fintan. “You know this thing.”

  “A lift,” said Zack, shaking his head. “That’s what you call an elevator?”

  The elevator interrupted their conversation as it jarred to life, and started to move downwards, slowly at first, but quickly picking up speed.

  “We’re going pretty deep,” said Zack.

  “If it’s just black walls outside,” said Fintan, “why are the walls of the elevator made of glass?”

  Beyond the elevator walls they could see the darkened rock of the elevator shaft moving past. And it was moving fast.

  There was a gasp, and the elevator suddenly became glaringly bright. Fintan fumbled for his sunglasses and put them on. He turned around to see the back of the elevator and his stomach jumped into his mouth.

  “That’s impossible,” said one kid, a short dark skinned boy with an Indian accent.

  Through the glass wall, Fintan could see that they were high up in the air, descending rapidly towards a huge city far beneath them. It was disconcerting – they were underground, but it felt like they were flying.

  He looked around to see the city was surrounded by green fields. He followed the fields towards the horizon where he saw a dark wall that surrounded the city, forming a perfect circle.

  The wall must have been hundreds of feet high, and on top of it, covering the entire city and surroundings was a dome that curved upwards and over Fintan’s head.

  He guessed that it could be as much as ten miles across and maybe two miles high.

  Above their heads, in the center of the dome was a bright light, illuminating the city and the lands below. It was like a small sun, providing light and life to the world below.

  Between them and the city, far below, was a circular platform, empty in the middle like the rim of a wheel, and standing on the ground with four legs like a giant dinner table.

  The elevator approached this platform, slowly grinding to a halt. Shocked and awed, Fintan joined the others in leaving the elevator, and, with the other kids, they entered a large reception hall, with a view in every direction of the city below, and the roof above.

  Mister Jones spoke up. “It’s called a geofront,” he said, “and it will be your home for the next few years.” He paused before continuing. “We’re buried beneath the Nevada desert, but here is where the future of humankind is waiting to be born.”

  Zack’s face spoke volumes to Fintan. It didn’t take much to deduce that the American boy was as stunned and as shaken as Fintan was. He looked at Ayako who was pale, and staring around openmouthed.

  “Are we still alive,” said Zack. “Is this real?”

  They left the lobby and walked out towards the main platform that they had seen from the elevator. The sides of the rim spread out before them, meeting at the close of the circle, perhaps half a mile away. They could look down through the center of the rim at the city below, or over the outer edge of the rim to see the outskirts of the city and the countryside leading up to the rim wall.

  Fintan looked down at the city. Several skyscrapers occupied in the city center, and he could see trains snaking their way between them. Hundreds of smaller buildings surrounded them; tapering out in density as well as height the further you got from the city center. He did notice four large dome-shaped buildings spaced evenly around the circle of the city center. Each one had train lines leading to and from them, and each one was a hive of activity.

  Far below, he could see the dots of people walking around on their daily business.

&nb
sp; I belong here he thought. They want me here. A great rush of pride welled inside him, bursting over him like an ocean wave. He shuddered, and couldn’t help but smile. A tear crept to his eye.

  *

  “The show’s about to begin,” said Mister Jones.

  As if on cue, the bright light far above them began to dim, and lights started to twinkle in each of the buildings. The domes that Fintan had noticed earlier lit up brightest of all, with searchlights that penetrated the rapidly darkening sky and diffusing in the roof above in a splash of colors. Each dome had its own distinctive color. One was Red, another Blue, another Green and the last one Yellow.

  Out of the searchlights, Fintan could see small objects beginning to move. They made small trails of light and darted around like angry insects.

  “Some type of ship,” muttered Zack.

  He was right. As they got closer, Fintan could see that they were small aircraft, but they moved like nothing he had ever seen. They turned and banked easily and effortlessly as they zipped their way around the sky, trailing light behind them.

  In an instant the ships fell into a formation and flew directly at the observation platform. The crowd gasped as one as the ships whizzed over, under and around the platform, bathing it in light.

  The ships were moving so fast it was hard to see their shape. But then a group of them broke formation and hovered just above their heads, spinning silently, with only a faint whoosh of air giving a cooling breeze to the onlookers.

  They were disk shaped, metallic, and maybe ten feet across. A bubble at the top center contained the pilot.

  “Flying saucers,” said Zack. “Flying saucers!”

  Fintan felt like his chin was going to hit the floor.

  The saucers broke formation and continued with the light show. For the next few minutes they banked and turned, performing stunts, spinning, flying in tight formations before breaking in an array of glittering lights that made the crowd laugh and cheer.

  Not for the first time, Fintan forgot to breathe, and gasped as a trio of red saucers buzzed the platform only feet away from him.

  A tear was running down Ayako’s cheek. He stood closer to her, and their hands touched. She held his hand for a moment, squeezing him tightly before letting go.

  Fintan’s chest tingled.

  The show’s climax came with the ships clustering beneath the platform, in a huge bright dancing group. They went still, and the kids peered over the edge. Then, in a choreographed maneuver, the ships exploded upwards and outwards, skywriting the word ‘Welcome’ in many different languages.