Kayleb and Max left the ICE centre and walked back into the street. Max’s tail wagged happily: he was overjoyed to see Kayleb back on his feet again. Kayleb hoped that Rowan had managed to escape from Cornwall. Kayleb really wanted to see the spaceships land. He did not want anything dreadful to happen to David’s people and decided that Rowan would be able to outrun Cornwall. He would try and find him later; he knew where he lived.
The street was still full of people but no one was running. They just stood where they were and quietly looked up at the sky. Kayleb weaved his way through the crowds and hoped that Cornwall would not see him or Max. The first space carrier had come through the shield in one piece; Kayleb hoped that the passengers had survived. It was gently lowering itself into the centre of Green Park. The ship was intricately sculptured and was dazzling to look at. Kayleb looked at everyone around him. They looked frightened and mentor pairs clung to each other for reassurance, which wasn’t a normal thing for them to do. They were all now resigned to let whatever was going to happen, happen.
Kayleb walked to the edge of Green Park. The police had cleared the park and the people who had been stunned had been removed. The police had formed a circle around the descending spacecraft, their stun guns now replaced with live firearms. Conrad and David stood within the blue circle, in front of the nose of the spacecraft. Everyone silently watched the craft land in a sea of rapeseed.
Kayleb watched as the police officers raised their firearms, ready to fire, his heart began to beat loudly. He had the feeling that they would shoot as soon as the door of the spacecraft slid open. Kayleb couldn’t risk this happening. David’s people hadn’t been given a chance. Kayleb ran towards Conrad and David, and Max raced after him, sensing the urgency. Some police officers guarding the edges of the park tried to stop Kayleb and fired their stun guns at him. A shot hit Kayleb’s heel but it did not stop him. Kayleb and Max reached Conrad and David just as a police officer caught hold of his shoulder. Conrad asked the officer to release him.
‘Don’t shoot, Conrad! You mustn’t let them, please!’ wheezed Kayleb, trying to get his breath back.
Conrad looked seriously at Kayleb. ‘I told you not to leave the apartment. Why wasn’t I told that Kayleb was missing?’ he asked his second-in-command, standing next to him.
‘I tried to talk to you earlier but you wouldn’t listen to me,’ replied the police officer meekly. ‘You said you were unavailable unless it was an emergency.’
The door of the spacecraft slid open and a ramp began to slide out towards the ground. The rapeseed sizzled as the ramp hit the ground. Everyone waited for the first evacuees to appear in the doorway. The police officers nearest the doorway aimed their guns at the entrance of the craft.
Conrad was wearing a speaker headset and turned a switch on by his mouth.
‘Stand by!’ he called out to his police officers. His voice rang around the park.
Kayleb pushed into the ring of officers and stood in front of Conrad. ‘It will be murder. You must give David’s people a chance,’ begged Kayleb, looking at David’s battered face. David smiled gratefully.
The entrance of the spacecraft grew brighter and brighter until the officers nearest to the entrance had to shield their eyes. Everyone waited anxiously for the first signs of life and then visibly jumped back with shock as hundreds of white orbs of light shot out of the entrance and flew high up into the sky. These lights then began to float slowly down to earth, like feathers.
When the orbs got to shoulder height, they became more active, it was as if they were becoming alive, Conrad looked at his second-in-command for guidance but he just shrugged his shoulders. The spheres of light began to weave their way among the police officers as if they were looking for something or someone; some of them headed towards the crowds in the streets around the park.
Kayleb watched the orbs with fascination. They were not just lights; they had a life all of their own. As they passed Kayleb, he could feel happiness and warmth beating from within them.
‘I don’t understand,’ Conrad said to David. ‘What sort of trick is this?’ He looked anxiously back at an orb of light that was approaching him.
‘This is not a trick. Be patient and you will see,’ replied David. As Kayleb watched the sphere of light approach Conrad, he could sense all the tension and confusion slipping away from his mentor. Conrad was smiling. Kayleb wondered what he had seen. It stopped in front of Conrad and Kayleb. There was something familiar about the light; there was a perfume in the air that was unforgettable. Kayleb and Conrad stared at the orb and slowly Helen’s face appeared, followed by her shoulders and arms and finally the rest of her body. Helen was transparent and glowed with a white light. She did not look ill any more and she was smiling. Helen walked towards Conrad, her arms outstretched, and she hugged him. Conrad looked shocked. Kayleb had never seen Helen show Conrad any sort of affection. Kayleb watched as Conrad hugged her back, and his mouth fell open.
Helen looked over at Kayleb and then walked up to him. She hugged him too. He could feel the warmth of her arms. Her perfume was almost intoxicating. He did not want her to leave him again but in his heart he knew that this was the last he would see of her, but that she would always be nearby, watching over him. Helen stepped back as two other orbs of light appeared next to her. Slowly they transformed into two elderly people. They were wearing white clothes and seemed to be a couple; they were holding hands. The old couple became solid like Kayleb. Helen encouraged them to stand with Conrad, she smiled and then mouthed to him that she loved him. Conrad was overwhelmed and looked at Helen. ‘What ... do you want me to do, Helen?’
‘I think she wants us to look after these two people, Conrad,’ Kayleb said.
‘But, how can I? ... I don’t know the first thing about old people. Where are they going to stay?’
‘With us, in Helen’s room,’ prompted Kayleb.
‘Together? In the same room?’
Helen nodded and then slowly began to fade. As she disappeared she mouthed the words to Kayleb that she loved him. Kayleb watched his mother fade away and could feel her smiling at him long after she had gone.
Kayleb watched Conrad’s face: he was sure he could see tears in his eyes. He looked around the park and saw similar scenes.
The orbs of light, the spirits from their world, were searching out their relations and bringing Veenah’s evacuees to them to give them shelter. Kayleb looked at David. He looked weary but pleased with Earth’s reaction. Zordar then appeared in front of David and they hugged each other, delighted at being reunited with each other again.
Kayleb now understood how David’s people had got through the shield. The shield could hold back only solid forms. The spirits of those that had died on Earth were not solid and the people of Veenah were able to transform into spirits too. Kayleb wondered why Earth’s spirits had been sent to Veenah. Perhaps that planet was a ‘better place’ for them to go; maybe they were sent back to Earth again at some point, to be used again in new bodies. Kayleb had so many questions to ask David.
Kayleb felt guilty. David had been right: Kayleb had been able to see his mother again and he would always be thankful to him for those last few moments with her.
The people of Veenah were no threat to humankind and the problems of providing food for extra mouths would be resolved. Kayleb was beginning to understand where everything had gone wrong. The two things that those that had created the Think Tank had overlooked were emotions and the right to be different. Kayleb looked towards David; any changes he made now could only be for the better. London’s computer program-designed society worked well in theory but had never worked in reality. It would be important for men and women to have the power and freedom to choose their own paths in life. Criminals couldn’t be cast out from society; there had to be a more humane approach to coping with offenders. The strangest concept, one that Kayleb was now beginning to see, was that it was essential for people to love and be loved. It was an extreme idea but he knew that, if people were allowed to do this, it would make a big difference to society.
Kayleb looked around him. Green Park was a peaceful and the most amazing place to be. For the first time in a long time, people genuinely looked pleased to be alive.