Abduction

Tom Parker looked down in horror. His car had just exploded after hitting a wall. But he wasn’t in it!

It had all started only minutes earlier when he had seen a dazzling bright light hovering above him. At that point he was driving home from a very successful political convention. Tom was all ready to slump in his armchair and enjoy a celebratory whisky. Instead, his car engine had cut out. And the instant he’d left the vehicle it had been grabbed by some ray from that “light” and flung into the nearest wall like a discarded toy.

Oh God, those alien abduction stories must be true!

That light was getting nearer: lower in fact. Tom could make out a circular shape… Now a beam hit him! He was lifted into the air, up towards that “craft”.

Horrible visions flooded his mind. He pictured little grey aliens with big eyes. Probes being thrust up his nose. Things being inserted into him in some alien operating theatre. Tom was terrified. Science fiction had become brutal fact.

Soon he could see what was indeed a “flying saucer” of sorts. A doorway slid open and in he floated, into some brightly lit but featureless room. Gently Tom was lowered onto a metallic floor. He sat for a moment, trying to calm his beating heart.

“Hello Tom.”

A voice came from behind him. He had to turn. A human male!

Human: “Are you okay, Tom?”

Tom: “Er, guess so.”

Human: “I’m Paul Weston. Pleased to meet you Tom.”

Tom: “You’re human?!”

Paul: “Just as human as you, Tom. Please come with me.”

In something of a haze, Tom was led into another room via a sliding door.

Paul: “We call this our reception room, Tom. Please take a seat and strap yourself in. We are about to depart. You need to secure yourself.”

The room was circular, with “flying aircraft seats” fixed to the walls. Paul took a seat and strapped himself in, alongside two other men and a pretty female. They all wore uniform which suggested military. Paul motioned Tom to follow his lead and strap in.

Tom: “But I don’t want to ‘depart’! What the hell’s going on.”

Paul: “Calm down, Tom. You’ll have a rough ride if you don’t strap in, believe me!”

Tom weighed up his options. He was totally at the mercy of these people. Resistance was futile, as the saying went. So he randomly chose a seat and strapped in, with the help of some instructions from the others.   

He was soon damn glad he’d complied. Suddenly the whole place went sort of shaky. It reminded Tom of being put to sleep by “laughing gas” at the dentist as a kid. Everything became chaos. Then, just as suddenly, all returned to normal.

“We’re home,” announced Paul, “It’s time to talk. Would you like a drink, Tom?”

Seconds later, Tom was holding a “plastic” cup of coffee.

Tom: “You people from the military?”

Paul: “Not exactly. And no, we aren’t aliens in disguise!”

Tom: “Who the hell are you then?”

Paul: “Right. Now I must warn you, Tom, this is going to be hard to believe.”

Tom: “Try me.”

Paul: Well, there’s no easy way to tell you this, but from your perspective, we are from the far future.”

Tom: “What?”

Paul: “Yes, Tom, and as soon as we’ve got clearance we’ll take you outside and show you.”

Tom continued protesting, but Paul pressed on.

Paul: “This is difficult, Tom, but we had to come back to your time in order to remove you from the timeline.”

Tom: “Why?”

Paul: “Because, my friend, history tells us that, as a highly successful politician you perpetrated actions which ultimately caused a global war.”

Lady (cutting in): “Our analysts are assessing now whether your, er, abduction is sufficient to avert the blackest part of our history, Tom. Oh, er, sorry to be rude: I’m Amanda Wright.”

Paul: “Come with me, I’ll show you the evidence.”

With that, Tom was escorted by the others to what could best be described as a computerised library containing many “viewscreens”. There he was appalled to witness for himself the historical “reasons” for the decision to kidnap him. He’d actually become his country’s “Minister for Defence” and in that capacity had made some horrific mistakes.

Eventually Tom turned to the others, with shock still written all over his face.

Tom: “I’m very sorry for this. Look, if you take me back I promise on my life not to take the same path again. Well, at all. Understand?”    

Amanda: “Well, first we need to see what the outcome has been for this mission. Yes?”

The others agreed. Off they all went again, this time heading into a spacious Control Room. Almost everyone turned to face them.

Amanda: “Has the analysis been completed?”

A man stepped forward.

Man: “Ah, we’ve been waiting for you. Hello Tom, I’m Captain Mark Middleton. Welcome on board Timeship ‘Endeavour’. Gladly I can confirm that we have a ninety percent success on this mission. Please follow me, everyone, it’s time to go out there and present ourselves for debriefing.”

So Tom walked out, along with his new companions, down some twisting corridors and through the ship’s main exit. The cityscape that now surrounded them was simply awesome.

They were welcomed by a massive crowd of people, all ready to give them a “tickertape welcome”.

There was of course lots of fuss and bother. It was all chaotic. But eventually Tom was ushered into a spacious “lounge” to “meet the other guests.”

Straight away a male “guest” stepped forward to greet him.

Male Guest: “Welcome to The Future Tom. I’m Robert Wang. Come and meet your fellow guests.”

Tom: “All these?”

Robert: “Yes, Tom. You are the 24^th. And yes, we were all taken from our homes, like you.”

Tom: “Wow!”

Robert: “Yes, we just need to get you settled in. We can make plans later. This is the headquarters of ‘The Time Corps’. Be assured there is surveillance almost everywhere. So please, Tom, do behave yourself, won’t you?”

Robert winked and smiled, ushering Tom towards to nearest group of guests. Swiftly he was handed some food and drink.

After this “reception”, the other guests led him out along some “lanes” to a walled “estate” of residences. One residence was an almost exact replica of his own house back in the distant past. Sure enough, Tom was to stay there. Nice touch.

In the middle of this estate there was a park. Robert was very keen to show him this pleasant feature.

Suddenly Robert tugged him through a gap in the shrubbery!

Robert: “Okay, Tom there’s no surveillance here. We can talk freely. But I repeat, nowhere else unless we tell you otherwise!”

Tom: “Got that.”

Robert: “Good. As you can see, we are all well treated. But we are all abductees. No matter how nice it is, this is still a prison. And some of us want out. Yeh. And some of us reckon we can take that timeship and get us all back home. Back to our loved ones and all. Are you in?”

Tom: “Sure am.”

Paul Butters