SUNGLASESS AND ROCKETS Part 2: The Machine

THE UFO

"The Vampires!"

"No, no!" Darwin clarified. "They're small planes," he pointed at a side window. "Look."

A squad of four military aircraft was approaching on both sides. It was clear that it was that small country's air force.

"Wave," Darwin suggested. "They're escorting us..."

You could see the pilots waving their hands from the windows. Certainly, the tint had cleared up with a soft morning sun. I raised my hand to greet back, plus I raised my thumb.

That would pass a fraternal message.

Two of them got out of the line. I followed their path watching the radar. They were placing themselves on top of us, from behind.

They opened fire!

"Damn it!" I exclaimed.

I pushed the rudder all the way in and broke ranks. We shot ahead toward the buildings.

"I don't think they got our message!" Darwin wailed. "They think we're a UFO!"

"We are a UFO!"

The airport landing strip was getting closer quickly and it didn't appear at the front... We were approaching it perpendicularly!

Urged by excitement, I did a flat spin and managed to rectify the course.

"Be careful with the SVM!" I heard Darwin shout. "It may fall off!"

Now, the runway appeared before us. Yes, that was the airstrip coming toward us swiftly...there was a crowd of pumping engines and ambulances on it.

A Vampire was lying in the middle of the strip! It had wrecked a wing.

"There's no room for descending!" Darwin yelled, while flying over the vehicles. "A Vampire had smashed!"

A bunch of people was running aghast. They were spreading out like ants running away.

My pulse accelerated. Suddenly, several red lights on the side of a small monitor were activated: battery 0.5%, I read stunned.

God! Any moment now the engines would turn off. The horizon was swaying from side to side. I noticed a highway adjacent to the airport. That was our last chance.

"Hold on!" I yelled as I tipped the rudder. "We're going to land!"

"We're going to crash!"

A narrow two-way highway displayed before our eyes. A couple of cars speeded up their pace, in the opposite direction. That gave me an idea of which of the two sides was going our way and steered slightly to get on the other way.

"Here we go!" I shouted and sank the rudder in.

The street was getting closer. The white lanes on the street were coming one after another freaking fast. My hands were shaking. I kept my eyes affront.

At the end of the road, a ramshackle Volkswagen was climbing frenetically on the edge, trying to escape what had become a deadly path.

The ship jerked violently. Branches were smashing on the street. They were the branches of the trees planted on the side of the highway: the spiky wings of the Pterodactyl were cutting them off like giant sabers...

I sank the rudder a little bit more.

We bumped against the ground and bounced. We were elevated and almost immediately crashed again, tip down. I seized the rudder as firmly as I could. We were sliding on the highway. Sparks covered the windows.

It was a violent jolt. I knew that the Pterodactyl's wings were bumping against the tree trunks on the sides of the road. Profuse sweat was dripping into my eyes and mouth. I saw a motorcyclist zigzagging a few feet ahead of us. We were catching up with him.

The poor motorcyclist was trying to escape a sure death! We could kill him!

Afflicted, I looked for the emergency lever: I stretched out my foot under the panel and pulled with all my strength.

The tip of the spacecraft rose abruptly, we saw the sky, and almost immediately, the tip came back directly to the ground. The ship braked at once and we were brutally thrown forward.

The seatbelts prevented us from smashing against the board.

My heart was still beating fast, but I was happy, grateful for being alive.

I raised my gaze. We had stopped at the end of the highway, right in front of a traffic light; I noticed that it was switching from yellow to red.

"We saved ourselves from a ticket," Darwin said in a low and panting voice.