Mayday, Mayday

"Mayday, Mayday, strange lights and rumbling; instruments are spinning out of control, come in command," the radio crackled as the room turned eerie.

Jack stared at his grandfather's radio as the lights switched on by themselves.

"Mayday, Mayday, come in, command, the lights are forming a tunnel, and I have lost our coordinates, please send help," the radio crackled again.

Jack listened as the panicked pilot seemed lost, though it still did not feel real. The radio was off any station, yet it was picking up a signal. Static crackled, and the voice might return at any second. It was strange to hear it from a radio broken before he was born, kept as a memento of his grandfather, who had disappeared in World War II.

"Mayday, Mayday, this is Lieutenant Jackson Trusk, Command, do you hear me? Help is needed," the radio crackled again.

Jack tried to sit up as he heard the panic in the voice, and the plane was never found. It had dropped off the radar with no emergency signal. Only static was heard. His grandfather's stories always intrigued him: his heroism, then his disappearance. He was counted as dead, but Jack still hoped he was alive, just lost.

"Command, we have landed in an odd place; it does not look like the Pacific or the Earth, a land of lights and space. Do you hear me, Command, Command?" The message came through clearly.

Jack could not leave the room as the static returned. His eyes stayed on the radio's display. The situation did not improve as he waited for the next message. This was unexpected since it was believed he had gone off course and died in the ocean. The land was strange, with lights in a tunnel. The tremble in his voice was that of a scared young man, lost and with no one coming to save him. It grew weirder with each message, and Jack could not miss another one. Everything had stopped; so had he. He sat and hoped for survival, but how? The static became his focus as Jack imagined meeting his grandfather, but it wasn't comforting.

"Command, strange beings are coming out of the lights, blurring; not sure if friend or foe, send help," the voice cried out for relief.

Jack stared as the situation worsened. The message was short, and creatures moved through the strange world. He sat in fear that another transmission would come over the radio. The seconds dragged on, then the static broke.

"Command, they are coming right for me. Send help now, help, I do not want to go." The voice disappeared into static.

Jack heard the horror of the capture, not by the enemy but by strange creatures. The time was over; he must have been dragged from his plane, but where he was taken remained unknown. No one reported it unless they heard it on his radio. The story could not end with him lost in some unknown world, alone and leaving his family behind. The static continued, and the room felt empty. Breathing was difficult, but his grandfather had been taken and never returned. Silence was all Jack could manage; time didn't matter. The radio light stayed in focus as the static continued, hoping this was not the end.

"Command, they have captured me and are holding me captive. They talk in a strange language; please find me. I want to go home to my family," the voice cut out, and Jack felt relieved.

Jack breathed easier as his grandfather was alive and not killed. The message was stranger than the capture, and the facts still did not add up. Something felt off: the captors were not Japanese. Jack hoped for another message, even if he could not return. The minutes turned into hours of static, and Jack could not sit any longer. Darkness crept into the house, but the radio still worked. Suddenly, the static ended and a faint voice could be heard.

"Command, they have tortured me and want more answers when they speak my language. Send help as fast as you can; oh no, they see me. Send help now," the voice stated before screaming.

"What did you do? He was persistent in escaping, but we needed him alive," another voice stated.

"He could not handle the training or the drug, and we can get another one who is stronger," another voice answered after a gunshot was heard.

"I guess we have to start all over again; this time might just work," the other voice stated as the static continued and the radio turned off.

Jack was dismayed that there were no creatures and that they spoke in American accents. His grandfather had not died in a plane crash but in a failed experiment. Jack looked at the radio, now off, and it would not turn on with power. The whole thing had never been an enemy but his own government. Jack took his camera, pressed the button, held it in his hand, and turned it to confirm it was real. This fact was explosive, but would the government come for him? He had to grieve his grandfather as he placed the camera up the chimney. The information had to be protected. Jack looked at his phone as he started to feel dizzy.

The room turned into a light tunnel, and strange voices came from outside. He realized he had been drugged. He called his father, and on the voicemail, he said, "Mayday, Mayday, where the fire is on the rise, smoke will be seen from afar."

The strange creatures entered the room as the radio remained off. Jack reminded himself not to trust what he felt or saw. He fell to the ground, and they led him to a strange light ship. The world grew dizzier as he passed out. Jack knew he was going where his grandfather might have died. Sleep overcame him as he prepared for the next step.