Chapter 3: An Audience for Dr. Finn
On July 12th, 1950, taxis and cars arrived at 887 Windsor Murphy's Town, New York State. The people arriving looked mostly normal, except for a few. 887 Windsor was a large manor. Its nearest neighbor was nearly a mile away. The grounds were plentiful, and so was the parking.
For those who brought cars, they were greeted by professional valets, who took their keys and parked their cars. Dozens of people arrived and were greeted at the door by an elderly English gentleman.
Once about ten or so guests arrived, a young man met them and guided them down a wide set of stairs. The stairs descended for some time, and when the stairs ended, the guests were gobsmacked by the sight that greeted them.
More than a dozen seed-shaped silver vehicles. After observing the floating vehicles, the guests were guided toward the ships.
Onboard, the first twenty people found seats on the elegant ship. There weren't any windows, but the insides were in an Art Deco style with a more contemporary expansion that felt modern and futuristic. It was a mixture of streamline and midcentury modern with a dash of Buck Rogers. It would satisfy both the exacting standards of modern artists and futurists.
A very large man and his tall wife were looking for a place to sit when they heard someone calling them, "Joe, Sally! Hey ya, come and cop a sit!" Joe and Sally looked to see their friends Kurt and Betsy King, who waved at them. Betsy smiled happily, while it was Kurt in his suit and tie, wearing his old Captain's hat with his lips wrapped around his pip,e who called out to them.
Joe gave Kurt a big hug and put him down, "Hey, you seem a little weak. I guess you've really taken to retirement, like a fish to water!" The big man laughed.
"Says the six-hundred-pound gorilla," Kurt laughed and slapped the side of Joe's arm since he had trouble patting his shoulder.
"Well, I'll be, if it isn't Captain Neptune himself," a man walked up to the group with a smile.
"Stretch! How ya doin'!" Kurt swung his arm around the man with a pointy nose.
"Oh, it's the stretchy guy, the only guy I don't like fighting," Joe grumbled.
"Hey, it's not my fault that the brute can't defeat this beauty." Jay laughed and stretched to match Joe's height.
"Beauty?" Joe looked at his friend oddly.
"Yeah, beauty, look at this mug, ain't it pretty?" Jay grabbed his face and gave his 'handsome' smile, and then laughed and slapped Joe's shoulder.
Others were meeting old friends, while some sat quietly on the modern sofas and sofa chairs. An older man fiddled with a strange device on a table near the wall.
"Well, if it ain't an old Retread. How are ya, Colonel Davis?" A man appeared next to the older man. The old man looked up; he wore a beard and mustache with slightly grayed eyes and white hair. The older man looked fit despite his age.
"I'll be, it's Cobra King, a pleasure to see you, my boy!" The old Colonel enthusiastically shook the nearly eight-foot-tall young man's hand.
"Whatcha lookin' at here?" Armando's curiosity was stirred.
"I'm not entirely sure, it's a television of some kind, but I don't know what the switches on this tube thing do," Colonel Davis pointed back at the strange object.
As the pair of engineers and combat comrades fiddled with the strange device, a group of women gathered.
"I have one son, Ebert, and twin girls, Sarah Jane and Mary Sue," a pretty woman in a blue and white plaid dress announced proudly.
Soon, each woman competed with the others when it came to their proud accomplishments as mothers. Some of the women served together as Heroine Homefront Brigade members. Some of the other women didn't serve as heroes, but married husbands who were superheroes.
The mysterious trip to whatever location Dr. Finn appointed became more of a reunion. This was the same in the other fourteen seed ships. During the trip, lunch and dinner were served. Some people found they could recline in the chairs, and after an attendant brought pillows and blankets, several people were sleeping.
The lights went dim, and other than quiet chatting here and there, others were sleeping. It wasn't until the next morning that the seed ship approached its destination. After a hearty breakfast, the ships came to a stop, and people began to disembark.
Greeting the travelers was a hangar, much like the one they left, but far bigger, with many other types of strange vehicles. As they looked on in awe, they were greeted by someone not unfamiliar with them.
[Greetings, I am Torgo, assigned by Dr. Finn to guide you to the auditorium.]
"Torgo!" Several people shouted.
The robot looked toward the crowd and waved at those familiar with him.
[ Greetings to you, esteemed heroes and friends. Please, follow me.]
For some reason, the appearance of Torga energized those present. Although it was an unfeeling robot that couldn't understand emotions, it was properly programmed to feel human to others.
After a short walk, Torgo led everyone to a small auditorium. It was big enough to house those present, but it was full.
A few minutes later, the man they were all anticipating arrived.
Dr. Victor Charles Finn took the stage and stood behind the microphone.
"Good morning, my friends. Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy lives to make the long journey to see me. I'm sure everyone is curious about what I plan to show you. But could this really be an event arranged by me if I didn't stir your hearts a bit?" The audience laughed good-naturedly at the eminent scientist's self-deprecatory joke.
Today, you will see the wonders of modern science. Not the modern science of Earth, but of the stars! Far beyond the imagination of your average Joe or your not-so-average scientist!
Tell me, friends, have you ever wondered what's out there? I know we haven't had much time to think with the wars and rumors of war, but when you were a child and read those most beloved works of Jules Verne and others. Was your imagination ever captured for a moment, and did you catch yourself looking up at the stars and wonder, "Who else is out there?"
Common society knows for a fact that there's only us, there's nothing out there. However, we know better, don't we? How many of you owe your amazing abilities to some unknown civilization, or otherworldly origin?
We even have with us today, actual aliens, Venusians! They came to our world escaping a disaster on their planet, Venus! Is there any doubt that we are not alone?
I can tell you that not only are we not alone, but I have a map to the stars that leads directly to the door of our cosmic neighbors!"
A collective gasp rang throughout the audience upon hearing these words. Everyone looked at their neighbor and back at Dr. Finn.
"That's right, I have a map to the stars and a ship that takes us to those stars. What I don't have is a valiant crew! That's why I have brought all of you here. I need a crew for my spaceship. I need courageous hearts to venture into the unknown with me!
Do you think we had great adventures as mystery men and women in the past? I promise greater adventures await us!
Do you think that science has discovered all there is to know? I tell you what we know is no more than a monkey that knows how to peel a banana! There's so much to learn.
Fame, glory, wealth, those are out there as well, but how many of us are motivated by such things? If we were, would we have fought the good fight? It is our noble natures that drive us to act for the betterment of mankind. It is our American heritage of exploration that urges us to explore. Our passion for freedom and justice hastens us toward the stars with moral surety.
My friends, costumes, and theatrics are well and good, but those were the means we used to display our hearts for all to see. These were our ideals. We fought the Nazis, but must we always fight? Is every fight a just fight? Exploration…my friends…a more noble calling does not exist.
Imagine how our journeys may benefit our fellow countrymen, our fellow humans. Please, join me on this epic adventure. Together, we will seek out knowledge and wisdom. Together, with one purpose, we will find humanity's place among the stars.
Join me!"