The Council of Defense

Exactly six hours after Charlie had arrived at home to check on his wife, and make sure his house was relatively clean of those beings of the other world – Charlie was at the local municipal airport, picking up the secretary of defense of the United States of America. In any other context, he was sure that he would have been honored, but in this case, he felt ashamed to be the representative of Green Tech. The defense council had trusted Green Tech with the barrier’s switch, and they had, unfortunately, betrayed that trust.

“Sir.” Charlie nodded at the secretary as he stepped out of the terminal gate and into the airport’s dimmed, night time light.

“Charles Johnson, I assume.” Richard Bayles nodded agreeably to Charlie.

“Charlie, please. It’s much more natural. I wish we could have met under different circumstances, if you know what I mean.” Charlie apologized by way of speaking for correcting his superior. Richard smiled.

“Rick, then, for you to me. And if the secretaries before me, and myself, had counted the number of times we had heard that exact same sentiment echoed, we would have an astounding number. Now, this, as I understand, is a rather…unseen threat, and not really encountered by anyone in our lifetimes?”

“Correct. The last barrier breach was in the sixteen hundreds.” Charlie said. “It happened during the witch hunts of Salem, Massachusetts. Cliché, I know, but it’s true – the girls who put so many people weren’t necessarily lying – the creatures had gotten out. It was such a puritan belief system that no one actually believed…well, it’s kind of like believing that someone would break out in hives after having sex on top of a dead squirrel. You wouldn’t assume that hives would be the body’s primary reaction – disease, perhaps, but not itchy red bumps everywhere.”

Richard cleared his throat, trying not to choke on his own saliva in front of this very, very odd man. “I assume personal experience?”

“Not me.” Charlie immediately assured him, fighting back his blush. He had gone into rambling mode, and rambling mode was not a good mode for Charlie to be in – especially when he had to at least be rational for the duration of the car ride back to Green Tech where all of the department heads – including himself – and the secretary of defense plus a few other mildly important town and state officials – were set to meet. “I heard the story from my grandfather a few months before he died when I was much, much younger than I am right now.”

“You’re far from old.” Rick pointed out to him as he led the secretary of defense towards the exit of the airport. “My hair is falling out. Badly.”

“Well, I’m not that far behind you, sir.”

“Rick.”

“Sorry.”

Meanwhile, in an abandoned warehouse just north of Sedona, another group was gathering – this, a little more on the odd side of things. You see, although all of those creatures that the humans had not enjoyed the presence of were now on earth, that did not mean that they didn’t have minds, or souls, or a need to stay where they were. They were free after all of this time. And they were going to stay that way.

“Councilmen, councilwomen! Settle yourselves down! We must convene and act!” A male voice rose above the crowd.

There was a chorus of grumbles, groans, moans and general discontent from the audience.

“There hasn’t been a council in years!” One angry gargoyle rumbled at the collection of misfits. “Who will lead?”

“I will.” A gorgeous human looking creature stood up, on the shoulders of a centaur so that all could see him, airborne or ground burdened. “I am Harrison.”

“Mommy, what’s he supposed to be?” A faerie asked her much older companion somewhere in the far back. There were some mumbles of confusion regarding the same issue. He looked normal. And human. Was he one of the dopplegangers?

“I know. I know. You all are wondering what I am. What makes me be here instead of at the secretary of the United States’ defense meeting just a few miles away. I am human, yes, but I was banished with you, so long ago. I have spent my life in limbo with the centaurs, afraid that those of you who recognize me as even remotely human would kill me on sight. We all know how you full bloods treat my brother centaurs and werewolves, satyrs and minotaurs, mermaids and mermen. Yet, we are all at the mercy of the human imagination – until now.”

“Get to the point!” One creature yelled. “What are you?”

“I am what the females of earth have invented. I am called, ‘the perfect man’.”

The warehouse erupted in laughter. It was going to be a long, long night.

“Yeah, yeah. Laugh all you want. You try being a misfit in both worlds! You know what? Fuck you all. They won’t catch me and put me back. I was just trying to fucking help.” The perfect man jumped from his step stool centaur and pushed his way through the crowd, passing through some people, running into others, until he exited the warehouse into the cool, dark night.

“Greetings, all. We are gathered here tonight to discuss the introduction of a wide array of pathological threats into our communities, towns, cities, and eventually, states. The preliminary research indicates a general outbreak of disarray, hysteria and immorality could occur very, very soon. Some classes of creatures released are known to cause insomnia – others, impulsive, rampant sexual. Think of the worst thing that could happen in this world – to you, or to a friend, or to your town. Because chances are, it’s about to.” Richard Bayles began. The state’s governor, senators, and the national secretary of defense had gathered into Sedona’s town hall, accompanied by their many advisors and the many town officials that felt they were responsible. Oh, and the Green Tech department heads. Because at least some of them, they were responsible.

“Now, before we begin, I would like Charlie Johnson to give us a brief overview of the history of the veil, its switch, its location, and the nature of the general concept, which may be new to some of you. Charlie?” Richard Bayles sat down and motioned to Charlie that the floor was all his.

“Thank you. Well, many years ago, the Native Americans inhabiting this area were in harmony with the beings surrounding them – the nature spirits, the gods, they were here. Regardless of your belief system, the Natives were one with the earth, and it was this relationship that allowed them to flourish for so long.” Charlie began. “Shortly after the Spanish began invading, the Catholics also began their invasion, attempting to convert the heathens. In various methods that we will not go into now, the Catholics soon set up residence on the outskirts of Sedona – where Green Tech is located, now.”

“Please sir, forgive me if I am out of place here…but are you blaming the invasion of our world now, and today, on Catholics?”

“No, actually. I am blaming the invasion of our world on the Howlers that were accidentally released a few weeks ago. May I continue?”

“Absolutely.” The man sat down – a member of the town council who attended St. John’s church every Sunday. He was about to get very pissed off.

“They set up residence, and a certain sect of those priests had brought an object. A curious instrument, actually, which was actually most likely safer than what we had been using. I digress. This man had brought from Europe a hollow, rubber ball, and placed it in a back room underneath linens where it would not be found. This rubber ball, this orb was the key to releasing the veil. Many years ago, when Catholics rose to power, they did so by eliminating all of those creatures which held more power than themselves, and contained them in different orbs that they had hidden in different places. With the opening of America, they brought one here.”

“So you’re saying that the creatures here…” The same man interrupted Charlie, “Are not all of the possible creatures?”

“No. These creatures were brought specifically from the Mediterranean and Northern England and Ireland.” Charlie cleared his throat, waited for another objection, and then continued. “The mission that was established here is more or less underneath the foundation of Green Tech’s complex D. When we built, we were informed by the town of where we were building, and what was in place to protect it. We became the protectors of this rubber ball, which had, through careful scientific calculation and alteration, been safely transformed into a light switch. Probably, in hindsight, a bad idea.”

“Probably.” The man shook his head, silent once more.

“Now, before I hand the floor off to someone else, I would like to make a small suggestion. These creatures that we banished behind the veil – whatever they may be – they weren’t behind the veil because they were causing trouble. They were behind the veil because a small group of people decided it was best for the rest of the world. Ironic, all things considered, but shouldn’t we give these creatures a chance to coexist peacefully? We’re destroying the world anyway – let’s give them a chance to live in it before its gone.” Charlie sat down among murmurs, not altogether happy with the way that his statement had come out.

“Thank you, Charlie. Now, how many people have witnessed these creatures yet?” Richard stood back up and took a look around. Charlie rose his hand, and so did one of the town councilmen, and a few of the other townspeople gathered. “I would like accurate descriptions of these encounters either now or later so that we may come up with a plan of action. There has been no communication from that side since the tear, so we’re not quite sure what is going to happen. We have asked and issued an order for everyone to stay inside unless absolutely necessary, and the troops are moving towards the area as we speak.”

“With all due respect sir, what are machine guns going to do to elementals and other…entities which are not solid on this plane of existence?”

“It is not those things which are not solid in nature that we are worried about. What we are concerned about is the behavior of those things which are solid – and those things which have attitudes.”

“You’re worried about the big ones.” One man scoffed. “We can handle a few gargoyles.”

“Do you have a daughter?” Richard Bayles turned on the man. “I do. And she is thirteen years old – still innocent. Do you know what centaur mythology says they hunt? Because it’s not trees, and it’s not bunnies.”

“Will dragons be an issue?” Another person called out worriedly. “Because they eat –“

Suddenly, a very large, rumbling roar happened outside the town hall – and vibrated deep within the chests of each and every person present. Seconds later, a very high pitched, feminine scream pierced their ears.

“I think that may be the answer to your question.” Richard Bayles yelled just before the entire room erupted into nervous chatter. He pushed his way out of the room, yelling over the din of the crowd for them to stay where they were, he would be back in a minute. The crowd followed.

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