The Last Sacrifice

Emerging from the shadows, a lone survivor, a Major Chapman exclaims, “I don’t believe it, are you for real?” His heavy British accent and tattered uniform doesn’t stop one young sailor from grabbing the Major and pressing a knife to his neck. The Major spins the sailor to the ground, and deftly puts the knife to the sailor’s throat. “Major Chapman, at your service!” The Major smiles as he flips the knife and offers it back. The crewmen deliver the Major below deck to Commander Ben and the others. There, a friendly debrief ensues. A cautious Ben starts. “How long have you been here?” The Major has questions too, “What year is it?” “1956.” Zac suddenly recalls a story circulating about a disastrous British secret mission to the Antarctic. The Major exclaims, “Blimey! 9 years!” Zac, fearing a similar fate, becomes sarcastic, “Well, that’s encouraging.” Excitedly looking about at his surroundings, the Major exclaims, “This is great. So, you’re scouting? Is the armada waiting for your signal?” Ben’s not yet ready to answer any of the Major’s questions. “How did you survive all this time?” A sailor hands Major Chapman a cup of coffee as he replies, “It wasn’t easy at first, until I found this sub pen. They keep these boats well stocked. A little here, a little there, so as not to raise suspicion.” An anxious Nick focuses on extracting info relevant to the mission. “What can you tell us about any sort of plans?” The Major puts his coffee down. “You mean, what are you up against? I’m afraid it doesn’t look good, ol’ boy. The other day, a dozen, or so, flying disks arrived from the north. The Nazis seemed startled, as if it was unexpected.” Zac, Nick and Jacob glance at each other. The Major continues, “Don’t underestimate those disks. They go down easy enough, if you can hit them. Their faster than anything.” Zac leans in. “What about outside contacts?” The Major’s cheerful demeanor diminishes as he finds himself caught between Nick and Zac’s driven queries, “Contacts? You just wouldn’t believe me. At times, they seem to just appear. Other times, they emerge from these flying disks. Hellish creatures.” Zac’s inpatients’ shows. “I meant something more along the lines of human sympathizers.” “Wait a minute! Major Chapman suddenly puts two and two together. “Those chaps were loading a crate. That’s not scouting! You’re alone! You’re already in the middle of some stupid, bloody plan!” The others look at each other as a sailor walks into the room. “Sir, some of the injured, from the collision.” Ben quickly responds, “Yes, does the Major know of any medical facilities?”