Waiting For the Flyers pt 6: David Walsham (1)

The sun was noticeably lower with the equinox passed. Outside the large lounge windows muted light gave the trees a spent mood. A similar emotion washed over me.

The door opened with a hushed swish of wood over deep pile wool breaking my muse. Sophie entered with a tall man, a head higher than her black hair. She led him, her arm crooked in his to a padded chair set facing slightly to my left. Gazing around the room surveying the lush décor, he walked straight backed with an air of self-confidence only acknowledging my presence as he took his seat.

Clear intelligent hazel eyes met mine. Not the kind of eyes expected of an eighty-three year old. Glancing down my entire body I felt as if I’d been scanned. I had to remind myself I was the interviewer. Expressionless he waited until someone spoke.

Are you comfortable, David?

‘Yes thank you, Doctor.’

‘Maam, this is David Walsham.’

I chose a faint smile and nod. David reciprocated.

‘David may I introduce my Mother.’

Glancing up at Sophie he offered a smile then reached out to softly touch her hand. The gesture of trust relieved my concerns.

‘Would you like me to stay here with you, David?’ Sophie asked the question knowing I wanted to be alone with him if she felt he was strong enough.

‘I will be OK, Doctor.’

‘I’ll be in the library if you need me, Ma.

‘Can you bring us some tea, Sophe.’

When Sophie dropped in Ma I saw tenseness fall from the man’s shoulders. My daughter knew exactly how to lighten the mood.

‘Good to meet you, David, I’m Sally. . . . How are you holding up? Sophie said you and your friends were in quite a bad way.’

He smiled at the thought. ‘If Terry hadn’t found us and brought us here to Doctor Sophie we wouldn’t be alive now I reckon.’

His voice was strong and clear echoing the confidence of his bearing. I noticed him look at my walking stick and bandaged wrist.

‘Doctor Sophie said you were in an accident.’

‘Fell off my horse – pony really. Spooked by wild dogs. I did a lot of damage to myself. I’ve been here quite a while recovering. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to greet you sooner.’

The mention of dogs activated him.

‘They are a real problem. So many abandoned over the years the numbers just kept growing. We were able control them, but after the droids . . .’ He shrugged.

‘Yes. It looks like the solar storm has brought us together. It must have been quite a surprise when my son found you.’

‘Almost a big a surprise as being in this place.’ David said, looking around at the plush décor.

‘Oh I don’t live here. The entire estate was assigned to us as a base for building our community. We make use of its facilities and as a learning centre for our children now.’

‘Children? You have children, here?’

‘That’s why we are here, David.’

‘But I thought. I mean who—‘

The door opened. Sophie delivered two ornate cups with saucers, a matching teapot and two small plates loaded with slices of fresh cake on a silver tray. Placing it on a table between us she patted David’s shoulder and left. The break gave us both time to catch our thoughts.

‘You must have a ton of questions, David. Please ask whatever you want.’

He shook his head. ‘Where do I begin? Do you know what this place is? Was.’

‘It was a Royal palace. The family handed it over as a safe base to begin setting up a community as a part of a Worldwide re-population programme.’

‘Everybody thought it was just security to protect the King’s property. Even on the old days we were never allowed near it. When they brought droid guards I thought it was over the top. That explains a few things. Was that when Charles died?’

‘Who? Oh the King. . . . No. We came here in 2050. It was sequestered by the DUIA.’

‘Those bastards. I should have guessed.’

The venom in his words chilled me. I remembered Lila Grace once saying, saving humanity means making tough decisions, but I never understood what she was getting at.

‘It’s a long time since we had contact with them, David,’

‘Think yourself lucky. Some of the things they did. Terrible, terrible things.’

David started fidgeting, tears filled his eyes. Putting a hand into the pocket of the strange garment he wore, I flinched as he pulled out a silver coloured oblong device. I recognised the fruit logo on the back. An ancient “smart” phone. Fumbling with it seemed to calm him down in the way a soft toy calms children. To my surprise he flipped it on and gazed at a family picture on the scratched screen. Staring at in silence for a minute or so he killed the image and pocketed the gadget. It seemed they had some kind of electricity supply.

‘Let’s have some tea.’

I poured out two with sugar and milk and passed just the cup to his shaking hand. Drinking quickly it relaxed him. I prepared another and left it on the saucer for him to take when he was ready. He took a deep breath.

‘You people are not English are you?’

‘What makes you say that?’

‘You all have a strange . . . different accent. Sort of . . . South African.’

I shouldn’t have, but I laughed. Couldn’t help it.

‘I was taken as a child from Australia because my mother gave birth to me in 2032 ten years after the great—you know. I was educated and raised by a German child psychologist and an English Professor while being shunted around the World in secret for fifteen years under the protection of Lila-Grace Langley a high level DUIA operative. After things calmed down we came here. I guess that’s why my family have the same accent.’

‘So the, Democratic Union Intelligence Agency fucked you too.’

‘What do you mean?’ I felt the intense heat of my face flushing. I probably went the colour of a beetroot – a tomato at least.

‘They abducted you didn’t they.’ It was a statement of fact rather than a question.

‘It wasn’t as simple as that, David, but I understand if they did terrible things. You were what? Twelve, thirteen when they found me? It was a horrifying time. Civilizations across the World were falling apart.

Babies were worth billions and the parents even more. Nations fought over them. Task forces were sent to find fertile females and their children. There was a black market. Any child born after 2023 and their parents were in great danger of being hunted down and sold to rich countries. My mother was nearly killed in a car chase escaping kidnappers. The DUIA working for Australia killed them and rescued us.

Euresco were working on a scheme to re-populate the World in a safe and organised way. The Australian government released me into their system, but kept my parents. The DUIA protected us. I don’t know what went on after that. We were hidden away. All remaining children and parents were. There were so few of us on the planet.

‘So we were left to rot and you were a commodity.’

‘A means to an end yes. Commodity? Shit no!’

David sat in silent thought for a while. I wondered if I should call Sophie to take him back to the clinic.

‘I apologise, Sally. I guess you found that cruel. I never intended that. I’m sorry.’

I leaned across and placed his hand in both of mine.

‘How could you know? How could I know what your generation has been through?’ Tears welled up blurring my image of his face. ‘Do you want to continue with our talk? If you don’t feel strong enough to tell me about your life at the moment we can meet again tomorrow perhaps. I have plenty of time.’

‘We can carry on for a bit, but before I talk about me I have one question. It may seem stupid, but I have to ask.’

‘Fire away.’

He blushed. ‘Are you real? . . . Human I mean.’

I didn’t laugh. I understood. We both grew up around droids continually getting upgraded, each version more humanoid. Even I wondered if there would be a time when I couldn’t tell the difference.

‘Are you?’

That was the moment we became close friends.