The Fallen and the Elect
Page 59
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Another individual was heading in a direct beeline toward the research compound; but this one approached from the north. Of the other three, one was from the south, one from the east, and one from the west. One straggler out this far from the nearest town, maybe an accident, but four, it was no longer a coincidence or someone simply lost. The sleek Sikorsky helicopter made another pass high above the tall male figure clothed in a burlap toga-like wrap and weather-worn sandals walking through the sparse desert brush. It wasn't a mirage. The aircrew thought the attire was severely inappropriate for the intense heat of the southern Mexican desert outback. Through the binoculars, the security officer sitting behind the pilot discerned the intruder was either of Asian or Latino descent. He suspected as much since of the other three, one was Caucasian, one black, the third assumed to be Semitic in appearance. Because of the distance, it was hard to tell. The pilot radioed in the coordinates of this final trespasser. His response from Dr. Petroyev was similar to the one from the other three sightings: a ground security unit from the gendarmerie paid to respond and secure their compound would intercept the potential intruder and handle accordingly. Continuing the reconnaissance of the surrounding area, the pilot thought it safe to travel to other patrol zones to make sure no one else was approaching.
After several minutes flying over the outer perimeter, a radio message came in from the ground unit: “Wolf Two confirm position of sighting. There seems to be no one out here either.”
The pilot's observer reviewed his notes and transmitted the location. The ground unit response was the same; nobody was at the coordinates or along the projected walking route. The control center also asked for confirmation by reviewing the ground sensors and motion detector logs. With no human activities recorded, the compound didn’t sound an alarm.
The aircrew emphatically confirmed there were four different individuals. Dr. Petroyev was uneasy someone might be trying to probe the security of the research compound and decided to put the site on high alert. Also considering how his earlier conversation progressed with Gary, and since no one was found, he’d hold off calling back to and report this; he’ll just submit it with his security log entries and discuss it with him later.