“Yes and no,” Estelle said. “There are beautiful buildings and beautiful people scattered amongst the ruins.”

Sarge picked up a look about Ms Jones that gave her a slight Middle Eastern appearance. The thought of getting to know her better gathered momentum. She looked at him, as if reading his mind.

“For a number of years there have been two men walking the streets of Jerusalem proclaiming the return of the Lord, talking about some form of divine government, and telling mankind they need to repent.”

“Just our kind of people,” Lee said. “No different to those we see wandering the streets of Brisbane with their placards.”

“Oh, I think there may be a difference.” Estelle looked at the boss.  “There’s talk that these men have displayed some supernatural abilities. They’ve even claimed responsibility for plagues and strange happenings with the weather.”

“Oh, here we go. Our dear beloved friends ignoring climate change and ignoring the rats and fleas and animals and wet markets of this word that incubate our plagues,” Bruce said. “Do they claim to be responsible for all the viruses that have afflicted the world over the last few decades?”

Good to see Bruce had some depth.

“I think one of the viruses may fit into their timespan.”

“And we may be in for another one soon,” Bruce said. “There are whispers about some kind of virus outbreak being monitored in the Middle East.”

“I’m sure we’ll deal with this one effectively,” Lee said. “We learn from the past.”

“Sometimes. Toilet paper and crowded beaches spring to mind,” Sarge said. He was surprised by the twinge of sadness he felt with his comments. “Sorry. I know a lot of people died. That was a bit insensitive.”  

“A little,” Bruce said. “To be honest, I’d already seen posts about these two men walking the streets of Jerusalem and saying the world needs to repent. I normally skim over those kinds of posts, but one caught my interest, the one predicting another pandemic. They’re claiming responsibility for the next pandemic and claiming the Lord will return soon.”

Estelle gave a soft smile. “People have tried to kill these men, but there’ve been reports of weaponry malfunction and the like. Some have mentioned strange fire surrounding these men. That’s why there’s all the media attention at the moment. A number of bodies—soldiers—lay dead not far from these men. Reports indicated there was a brief battle between the groups, and that fire killed the soldiers.”

“I think I need something strong to drink. Coffee, anyone?” Lee asked.

Brett appeared out of nowhere and took their orders.

“Continue, Estelle. This is interesting, and I’m curious to know where it’s heading.”

“This is the fun bit. Well, sort of. Some people believe these men are from the alien spacecraft.” She gave them all a quick glance. “I know it sounds crazy, but we need to get our heads around this. I know it’s foreign to our train of thought, but I’m trying to come up with some kind of comparison”.

“Maybe imagine how the First Australians reacted when the first ship entered their harbour. First contact. So foreign to them,” Lee said. “Imagine if they saw an aeroplane, if modern technology invaded their time space. It would be impossible to comprehend.”

“And who would believe them unless they saw it?” Estelle took her cup from the trolley.

“Friend or foe. That’s the issue through, isn’t it?” Lee asked.

“Yes.” Estelle had a sip of her coffee. “NASA is leaning towards foe.”

“It does sounds like these two witnesses are an extension of the fanatics who want us to conform to their way of living,” Bruce said.

“I believe so. There’s talk coming out of the Middle East that these aliens need to be dealt with. There is a leader over there who seems to have things under control. I’ve watched him gradually bring the countries together over the years—that is, those countries surrounding Jerusalem—particularly since the last pandemic. He also appears to be gaining some traction in the City of Jerusalem. Many believe he will deal with the two witnesses.”

“I can understand dealing with two people, but not with an alien spacecraft,” Sarge said.

“The leader is involved with a council made up of a number of nations. There is talk of the use of nuclear weaponry.”

“I don’t like this.” Bruce stood and wandered over to the window. “These countries will turn on each other with the slightest provocation. Goodbye, world.”

The others looked at him. Bruce seemed to be losing his way. How would Lee handle it?

Lee walked over and placed his arm on Bruce’s shoulder. “Mr Bruce, I’m sure NASA has a mitigation strategy and will encourage our friendly alien spacecraft to go explore elsewhere.”

He gave Bruce a hug. Well, sort of. Sarge doubted Lee believed the words he spoke. If this was an alien craft, their technologies would be far more advanced. Earthlings think they’re superior but are actually an arrogant lot.

Lee turned to Estelle. “I’m glad you’re up and about on these things. I must confess I tend to focus on my island home and not ponder too far abroad.”

“All good. I have links to the Middle East. Goes back a while but sometimes I feel it in my blood.”

Lee stared longer than normal at Ms Jones, then looked around the room. “So how should we deal with an evolving Star Wars theme?”

“I would say business as usual. Continue to be a hindrance to those weak people who want a saviour of some shape or form,” Sarge said. But he sensed a softness in his thoughts for the first time in years. A voice told him this was all an act. He hoped his face didn’t give away the doubt that had entered his head.

33 - Down by the river

Lunchtime always brought the crowds and Fridays always brought the smiles. Jack found the river walkway and headed towards the café. He could see Erica sitting and looking towards the water. There were three glasses on the table, and he felt a slight annoyance that the table hadn’t been cleared. She turned and gave an excited wave. His heart fluttered.

He gave her a kiss on the cheek and caught a hint of some perfume. Her hair was shorter than normal, but her smile as lovely as ever.

“Right on time, Jack.” She gave him a quick look up and down. “Still in good shape, I see.”

“Of course.” But he didn’t know how. He nodded toward the glasses “You want me to get rid of those glasses for you?”

Erica pointed towards the river, and Jack turned to see Johnny walking towards him.

“Student free day,” Erica said. “Thought you’d like to see him.”

“You’re right.”

Johnny wrapped his arms around his dad. Another boy walked up behind Johnny.

“Dad, this is Daniel.”

Daniel held out his hand. Jack took his hand and was impressed with the firmness of the shake and the eye contact—his detective ways of sizing someone up. They both smiled. Jack liked the boy already.

“We’re off to a space exhibition at South Bank.”

“Sounds appropriate.”

“Yes. I’m into space but not as much as Daniel. I’m into fact; he’s into fiction. He’s an obsessed Trekkie.”

“Trekkie equals a Star Trek geek,” Erica said.

“Mum, everyone knows that.”

Daniel smiled and offered Jack Spock’s Vulcan salute. Johnny tried to do the same thing but struggled.