Chapter 8

Few Choices

Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one. – Albert Einstein

Rumple smiled at Belle as she pulled away from him. In her mirror, she watched as he carefully made his way down the street, heading toward the barricades, towards Dr. Rush's house, sticking to the shadows as best he could. Belle did a U-turn and headed back toward the apartment house. She was stopped no less than three times and had to pull out her identification and point out her address to show that she had a legitimate reason to be in the area. She finally made it back to the apartment and rushed in.

Everyone was gathered in the lobby, crowded around Mrs. Mill's enormous television.

The news report was all about the spaceman. Someone was interviewing a military officer.

"He does seem to be alive, yes."

"What happened?" Belle asked the group.

"They shot the spaceman," Mr. King explained. "They got him trying to get to Dr. Rush."

Belle's heart came up to her throat. She vaulted up the stairs. Bae was in the room watching her small screen.

"Mom, Mom, they shot Mr. Gold! Mom, this morning, he told me something. That if anything happened to him . . ."

"I know, Bae. He told me the same thing. I have to try to get over to the spaceship."

"I'm coming too."

"Oh, Bae, no. It's too dangerous."

"If it's dangerous for me, then it's dangerous for you and . . . Mom, I'd rather die with you than live without you."

Belle stood considering her options. Bae was, after all his father's son. Bravery was a strong family trait. She had never felt it in herself before, but at this moment she knew she would do the brave thing. She had to do the brave thing. "All right then. Let's go."

Bae was about to follow her when he stopped. "Give me a moment," he told her and ran back into his room. Soon enough he came back out again and followed her.

And she and Bae went back down the stairs.

"Are we driving over?" Bae asked her.

"It took me forever to get back to the apartment and I was driving away from the spaceship. I can't imagine we will be able to drive the car in to get closer. Let's walk . . . and we'll take some of the back ways," she told her son.

"You really like Mr. Gold, don't you Mom?" Bae asked her as they hurried along the street.

"I do," she admitted.

"You like him more that Gary?" he asked her.

She glanced over at him. "Yes, I do. Uh . . . Bae . . . Gary and I have broken up."

Bae sighed. "Then maybe I can tell you that I never like Gary," he told her. "He would pretend like he was my friend, but he . . . he wasn't. Not like Mr. Gold. Mr. Gold talks to me like I'm smart and he wants to hear what I have to say. And he acts like he thinks I can understand him and, mostly, I do."

"Mr. Gold likes you a lot, Bae," Belle whispered to him.

"Mom, I think he likes you a lot, too," Bae told her.

She got them into the back lot of the Smithsonian, where she sometimes parked her car and from there they could see the spaceship. They were left just on the outside of the barricades around the ship . . . and around the GORT robot.

GORT's eyes were beginning to glow red and all around the robot, soldiers began dropping to the ground. In the bright sunlight, Belle could just see the faint grays of a fog-like gas that the GORT was spewing.

"Mom, this is what I saw when Mr. Gold needed to go into the ship," Bae whispered to her. "That gas will put us to sleep."

"Right," she glanced at her son. What a brave child he was. Took after his father.

The GORT began to step forward.

"We've got to do it now, Mom," Bae told her.

Belle agreed. "Stay here. I got this," she told him and stepped out in front of the robot. It clearly sensed her presence but something in its demeanor suggested that it did not see her as a soldier.

Still, the robot was huge and intimidating. It had fixed its gaze on her and was . . . just waiting.

Do the brave thing and bravery will follow, she told herself.

"GORT," she finally made herself address the giant robot. "Dove." Its eyes brightened.

"Klaatu . . . . barada . . . nikto," she managed to get out.

The robot's eyes turned from burning red to a soft blue and it stepped toward Belle. Frozen in terror she did not have the presence of mind to flee. The robot slowly bent down and easily picked her up.

"Bae!" Belle shouted. "Run back to the apartment!" she called out, but instead her son dashed out to where she was and the robot turned its head toward the child. With its other arm, it reached down and took Bae's hand.

She wasn't able to see very well but had the sense they were walking up some kind of ramp and realized that the robot was carrying her and leading Bae, both of them, into the spaceship.

Belle and Bae were enveloped in a cocoon of light as they were taken deeper and deeper into the ship. The robot deposited them in a room with several chairs, looking most like a living room area. Then the GORT turned and left them, a door shutting behind him - shutting them inside.

"Gee, Mom, we're on the spaceship," Bae said with wonder. He was up and exploring.

"Bae, you shouldn't have come after me," she gently scolded him. "I asked you to run back to the apartment."

"I know Mom, but I thought of what my father might have done," and the child reached under his shirt and pulled out something Belle quickly recognized.

"You've got your dad's Medal of Honor!" she said, surprised.

"I thought we needed to be brave and this would help us," Bae told her. "I knew dad would never leave a man down, that he wouldn't want me to just leave you."

"Yeah, he wouldn't have wanted that," Belle agreed with him. "But I'm still not sure it was the smartest thing you could have done."

"But Mom, we're on the spaceship. How cool is that?" Bae asked her.

He was looking all around the room they were in and Belle had joined him, looking around herself. "Finding anything interesting?" she asked the child.

"No, ma'am," he answered. "I was looking for buttons or something that might make stuff work. I wonder if things are voice activated."

"Right, but since we don't speak spaceman, we're not going to be able to," she paused, "'Turn On' his wide screen TV to get any new update."

They were both surprised when a screen came up out of one of the pieces of furniture lining the wall.

Belle looked at her son in amazement and then she shrugged. "Turn on news," she said to the screen.

They joined a report mid-stream. ". . . very near the home of Dr. Nicholas Rush, the well-known theoretical physicist. Shots were fired and the status of the spaceman is not known at this time. We are standing by waiting official word."

Belle sank down into one of the seats. Bae had joined her and leaned into his mother.

"Mom? Why was Mr. Gold shot?"

"I don't know," she answered honestly.

There was a sudden note of panic in the reporter's voice.

"I'm seeing the robot, the same giant robot that has stood just outside the spaceship! It's here!"

The camera panned and Belle and Bae could see the GORT robot walking through the myriad of soldiers and police officers. Someone shot at the robot who stopped, then turned, its eyes glowing red. Belle had to assume the robot had disintegrated all the weapons in the immediate area.

Then the robot continued walking, seeming very intent on some purpose. Belle watched and she saw the robot bend down and pick up a limp body."

"Mom! That's Mr. Gold!" Bae told her.

No question. It was Mr. Gold.

"Is he . . . Mom, is he alive?"

"I don't know, Bae. I don't know."

Bae watched the television screen. "It looks like he's bringing Mr. Gold back here," he announced.

"Maybe," Belle agreed with her son.

"Mom," Bae turned to her. "What if . . . what if Mr. Gold is dead? What happens then?"

Belle didn't want to tell her son yet again that she didn't know. She just shook her head and wiped a few tears from her eyes.

The two watched the chaos on the screen, including an irate interview with Nicholas Rush, who was more than willing to share that the military had shut down his confab with the other premier scientists, many of whom had ended up at his house. Dr. Rush blamed the military for being 'trigger-happy nut-jobs' and proceeded with a profanity-laced rant, lapsing into what was likely Scot Gaelic at some point.

Back at the spaceship, Bae was first to hear the noise.

"Mom, someone's come in," he told her and, when he went to the door, it opened and the child ran out of the room into the hallway.

"GORT," Belle heard her son address the robot. "Dove," he remembered the name Mr. Gold had given to this specific robot. "Is Mr. Gold all right?"

There was no answer. Belle joined her son in the hallway. The robot was carrying the limp, frail-appearing body of Mr. Gold – but the man no longer appeared like Mr. Gold. He was now a golden-green-skinned alien with curly brown hair. Even his clothing had changed – no longer appearing as the immaculate suit, but layers of odd fabric, leather-like with a smooth silk tunic shirt underneath a vest. Belle and Bae followed the robot into what must have been the infirmary of the spaceship.

Both Belle and Bae could see an ugly green scrape across the man's forehead. The green glistened and seeped out of the man.

"It looks like the bullet grazed his head," Belle shared.

"Yeah. And his blood is green." Bae looked up at his mother and whispered, "This must be what he really looks like."

"Yes," agreed Belle. This man did look like the images she had had after their one night together.

"I was right," Bae whispered. "He is a green alien."

The robot gently set the man on an examining table and began working over him, his giant size belying the finesse of his fine movements as he labored over the body of the injured man. He connected the man to different monitors and began to examine Rumple's head.

In short order, the robot had inserted an IV and then went to work to seal the seeping head wound and bandage the spaceman.

It was some while before Rumple blinked his eyes and turned his head slowly, struggling to focus on the woman and boy. Both of them could see his eyes were amber with vertical slits for pupils.

Belle beamed, "You're alive!"

"At least for a little while," he concurred. "The bullet did a bit of damage but our medical science is very advanced and Dove here is quite the physician." He sat up, wincing in pain. "But I'm going to have a serious headache for a while, I'm afraid." He smiled at them both, "Obviously, Dove brought you here. You were able to give him my message."

"Yes," Belle confirmed. "He carried us in here."

"You look different," Bae said, staring at him.

"This is my true appearance," Rumple told the child. "I could not very well go among your people as . . . a . . ."

Belle finished for him, "a little green man from outer space?"

Gold managed another smile, "Precisely." He turned to Belle and questioned her, "Belle?" Was she all right with his duplicity? She might be repelled by this form and appalled that he had tricked her with a different appearance.

She reached out and let her fingers trail down his face avoiding the bandaged area above his eye. "This is interesting. You know I thought that I . . ." she paused and glanced at Bae. "I . . . I just thought I might have sensed something like this . . . before."

"Maybe. We do seem to be in sync. What's happening outside?" Rumple asked, slowly shifting his legs to hang from the examination table.

"Apparently, they shut down Dr. Rush's group," Belle told him. "Otherwise, it seems like people are just running around. The whole thing's in chaos."

Rumple slowly nodded. "I need to make one last announcement," he told her with a sad smile. "I had hoped I would be talking with the finest minds on your planet but . . . I will commandeer your electronic media and address . . . the whole . . . planet instead. Not usual protocol, but effective."

"What will you . . . what will you say?" Belle had to ask.

The amber eyes locked with hers. "After the shooting, I have few choices. I must put the barrier in place. If you think it's best, if you think your people can learn, then, Belle, I will bless . . . curse your world and hope your people have the capacity to learn."

"Please, give us the chance."

"I will then," he agreed and managed to stand. "Dove, I think I'm fine for you to disconnect me. Right now, I need my suit . . . my flight suit," he clarified. He turned back to Belle. "Ms. French . . . Belle . . . I will be leaving shortly."

Belle nodded, blinking back her tears.

"I do plan to return off and on to check on how your species is progressing but . . . Belle . . ." he floundered.

She didn't say anything. She waited for him to continue.

Before he could say anything more, Dove had returned to the small infirmary room carrying the golden flight suit. Belle and Bae excused themselves, telling him they wanted to give him some privacy to change. It was only a short moment when he came into the larger living room area, dressed in his flight suit.

"I'm sure, I'll be on the video," he told them with a smile and, after a moment's hesitation, he pulled Belle to him again and planted a light kiss on her lips. "I'll be back in just a moment. I have some things to say to you." He looked down at Bae, "Watch out for your mother," he told the child.

"Yes, sir," Bae answered him.

Left alone, Belle and Bae turned their attention to the video. The channel was focused on Dr. Rush who was addressing a cadre of scientists who had gathered in his back yard.

"I called you from your work, from your homes. We were to meet here tonight with a man, an intelligent creature from another planet, the man who came here in a spaceship. As you all know, this is now impossible. I can only say that I share the bitterness of your disappointment.

Belle couldn't help but notice that the cream of Earth's intellectuals, men, women, all nationalities, ethnic groups, and religions were present in the crowd.

Rush continued, "Under the circumstance, the military has asked us not to meet at the spaceship and, reluctantly, I can do nothing but suggest we comply."

The screen abruptly changed to the reporter. "We are switching back to the spaceship. The ramp has been re-extended and the spaceman has reappeared."

Belle and Bae watched as the cameras now focused on Mr. Gold, now with his helmet off and his alien appearance visible to all. Behind him stood the implacable GORT robot.

"I will be leaving soon," Rumple began. "You will forgive me if I speak bluntly. The universe grows smaller each and every day – and the threat of aggression by any group – anywhere – cannot be tolerated. There must be security for all – or no one is secure. This does not mean giving up any freedom except the freedom to act irresponsibly. Your ancestors knew this when they made laws to govern themselves – and hired policemen to enforce these laws. We of the other planets have long accepted this principle. We have an organization for the mutual protection of all planets and for the elimination of aggression. This organization works because of the police force that supports it. For our policemen, we created a race of robots," and Gold turned to look at Dove, the GORT robot who was standing stoically behind him. "These robots patrol our planets and preserve the peace. In matters of aggression we have given them absolute power over us."

He looked out across the audience, a blending of reporters, military, curious civilians. "They can respond to violence with violence – they can level cities, but I have instructed this robot not to do this. Instead, this robot will simply dissolve weapons that are used in aggressive acts, but that is not his most effective weapon. No, what he does best is give the gift, or curse, if you prefer, of empathy. He is able to transfer the feelings of victims into the minds of the aggressors, so that those who do violence, or who would do violence, now will suffer as much as their victims. Perpetrators will feel the terror, the pain, the desperation of those they would harm. We have found that this is a much more effective method for eliminating aggressive behavior. This has allowed the most dysfunctional among us to learn to respond in . . . more productive ways.

"Furthermore, your entire planet will be . . . treated . . . if you will . . . your biological predisposition for violence will be diminished."

He paused for a moment, "My own people were once like you, but we learned, with much effort and hard work, to live in peace, without arms or armies, secure in the knowledge that we are free from aggression, from war, and free to pursue more profitable enterprises."

He smiled gently at the crowd. "We do not pretend to have achieved perfection – but we do have a system that works. I am here to give you the facts. It is no concern of ours how you run your own planet. But when you threaten to extend your violence, we have to intervene."

He sighed, "Your system will be enclosed in a force field. You will not be able to penetrate this force field. I will be back from time to time to check on your progress."

Gold paused one last time. "One of two things will happen. You will either learn to live in peace with one another and be welcomed into the galactic community or . . ." he looked around at everyone who had gathered, "you will end up obliterating yourselves despite our best efforts to re-educate you. You must choose." He looked around and made one last comment to the cameras, "Choose wisely."

Before he returned to the ship, Rumple turned to Dove. "GORT, veracto," he said as a parting command.

Belle and Bae were waiting for him inside the ship.

Rumple seemed nervous as he sat down across from Belle. This man who had just confidently addressed an entire world, delivering a harsh ultimatum, seemed to be struggling when speaking with her. She realized that, for everything else that he was, for everything else he could do, he was still, at heart, essentially just a man, one with self-doubts and insecurities.

"It may be . . . inappropriate, I think, but . . . " he stopped and sighed. "I have come to care for Balfour and I . . . I know this is probably sudden for you, but it is the way of my species. Belle, I knew you were the one for me because of your scent, your wonderful, delicious, unique scent." he managed to look her in her eyes, "I am in love with you."

Belle nodded.

He licked his lips and continued slowly, "I would like you . . . and Bae . . . both of you, to come with me. I know this may be . . . overwhelming and I know . . . you don't know me very well and I think, perhaps, that I have misled you, especially about my true identity . . . and my appearance, but I think you are the finest representatives of your species I have ever come across and I have been studying your kind for several hundred years."

"So, you just want me to quit my job and go off into space with you?" she asked him.

He stammered, "I . . . I know you are an independent female and I can respect that, but I can also tell you there would be opportunities for employment for someone with your skills." He added, "I will also assure you that I'm quite capable of providing for you and for Bae."

Belle nodded, giving him the opportunity to get his thoughts together.

He continued making his case, "I regret I cannot show you your world, but I can show you the universe . . . well, at least this quadrant of the galaxy – the galaxy is really big."

"What about Bae?" she asked, quite enjoying herself.

"I can provide excellent educational opportunities for Balfour, much better than he can get on Earth."

Belle glanced at Bae. "What do you think?" she asked her son.

"Go out into space with Mr. Gold? You bet, Mom. I learn more with him in a day than I learn in a week," Bae responded easily.

"We'll be returning here for visits from time to time and, of course, at any time, if you no longer want to continue with your association with me, I would understand . . ." Rumple hesitated, "of course, you would be allowed to return to your world."

Belle nodded and turned back to Rumple. "I understand. I think there is very little left for us on Earth and I think of the opportunities – to study your knowledge, to travel – to travel the galaxy . . . so yes, yes, we'll go with you," she told him. Then she added, "And I love you too."

He seemed surprised. "Really?"

"Really, you silly, wonderful man," and she leaned over to kiss him.

And it did seem right as if this was what she had been waiting for all her life.

Rumple laughed at this news and pulled her in for a quick, rough kiss. He reluctantly pulled away from her.

"I've got to take the ship up now and . . . finish what I've started," he told her.

"Can I watch?" Bae asked.

Rumple glanced at Belle who nodded.

"Yes, if you like," and he led the child into what was apparently Control Central.

From the outside, people watched as the ship began to whirl around and then slowly lift off from the Mall. It slowly rose into the air and began to rapidly climb, up and up, higher and higher, until it was a bright white dot against the bright blue sky.

Inside the ship, once in orbit, they were able to look down on the Earth.

"It really is a beautiful world," Rumple told them. "Water worlds are some of the most stunning." They watched him as he released a fume of dark purple fog which rapidly spread out in great rolling clouds over the entire planet.

"Is that the . . . Empathy Bomb?" Belle asked him, remembering his descriptive phrase. She felt the tears on her face.

"I'm sorry. Yes, it is," he acknowledged. "It will begin acting immediately." He then began the process of erecting the Barrier around the planet.

"What will happen to people like Gary?" she had to ask about the fate of her former fiancé.

Rumple dropped his gaze. "One of several things. He could recognize and accept that he manipulates and uses others and become a much better person, or . . ." he did not continue.

"Or?" Belle pushed for an answer.

"All right. I'd told you that this bio-engineering bomb can sometimes be hard on people, very hard. Very, very hard."

"Yes?" she waited.

"Worst case scenario?"

"Yes."

He took a deep breath. "His head explodes."

Belle blinked. "Oh. I hope it doesn't come to that."

"Really what he could experience is a cerebral embolism. It depends on how resistive he is to the 'modifications.'"

He watched her but her only response was to nod. He turned back to his task and explained what he was working on next.

"I'm beginning to place the Barrier now. If you know the combination, you will be able to penetrate it. This allows me to check on Earth's progress from time to time. This will take a little while and I don't have to monitor it, just check on things from time to time."

"So, where are we going after this?' Bae asked.

"Back to the official world of the Klaatun so I can make a report," he smiled at his two guests. "While we're waiting for this to finish would you like a tour of the ship?" and he leaned in to whisper to Belle, "You'll find my bedroom is soundproofed."

Belle thought she must be blushing. She didn't get a chance to answer. Bae was already up and ready for the tour.

"Can we see the engines? Whatever it is that makes her go?" Bae was asking.

"Of course," Rumple agreed and he led the way out of the control room.

As they made their way down the hall, he turned to Belle, "After I make my report, if you're still interested in traveling, in seeing far-off, exotic places, we can start with a little tour of the galaxy."

"The galaxy," she repeated. "I'm going to travel the galaxy." With my son and the man I love.

Sounds good.

A.N. Well, this turned out to be easier than I thought it would be. Despite the story being vintage science-fiction (with a heavy-handed message regarding World Peace) and no hint of romance, it translated well into a Rumbelle love story. Thanks to all you lovely readers who reviewed, followed, favorited, etc.

Look for my next story "Holiday." It's a remix of Roman Holiday that's been sitting in The Twyla Files for quite a while (I'll be working on Windswept while I'm posting this story). Because the movie ends with the Princess and Reporter returning to their own lives and bidding each other goodbye forever (so unsatisfactory), I wrote an entirely (somewhat lengthy) different ending which eventually brings them back together (I do write fluffy fluff). thx -twyla