5 Short Stories

by Stephen Brandon

  “Your planet has been under observation for eight hundred of your years. Three hundred of your years ago the society decided to build this facility to brief your species on its place in the larger order. You found the facility approximately fifty years earlier than we estimated, but that doesn't matter. This facility contains advanced technology that will not be passed on to your species. Any attempts to reverse engineer or tamper with the facility will trigger its destruction. On the table in the next chamber are recording devices. You may take them with you when you leave the facility. There are three buttons on them. The blue button is to record, the yellow button is to transmit the recorded data to a computer, and last is the black button. The black button will bring the lift to the surface. There will be only five keys to the facility and each of you will be responsible for one. Any attempt to reverse engineer or open the recording device will cause it to self-destruct.

  “The builders recommend that you take as many pictures as you want, and transmit them to the appropriate authorities. You may return to the facility as many times as you wish to give tours to others, however they will not be given keys or recording devices. No recording device will operate within the facility except your five.

  “The door to the left enters a refreshment unit designed from pictures recorded in your year 1923. Food and refreshment liquids were scanned and recorded in the same year. They will be manufactured upon entry. Please proceed now.”

  ~ ~ ~

  “Matthew, Jack, Sam and Janet, I'm lost. I won't even know what to look for, I'm an archaeologist, not ah explorer.”

  “Relax Steve, just listen to anything the facility says and record everything you see. We'll try to figure it out later before we call Mr. Jones or Allen.” Every once and while they returned to the refreshment center and ate. After four meals they asked the facility it there were places they could sleep. When they were informed no they said they needed to leave.

  When Janet pulled her spacesuit from the rack she almost dropped it. “My suit has been tampered with. It doesn't feel right. Check yours Sam.” Sam and the other checked their suits and all announced that there seemed to be differences.

  Then the facility voice announced, “Certain portions of you protective suits have been replace with superior materials. They will not self-destruct in a vacuum, but will degrade quickly if they are tampered with. Your lives as key holders are important. Please return anytime.”

  ~ ~ ~

  They were unable to find the solar cell field on their way back to Sam's place. They found their computers operational however no readings from the sensors.

  After a good nights sleep they held a meeting in the dining room after eating. Matthew brought in a new laptop and configured it. Placing his recorder on the table he pressed the yellow button. The Bluetooth connection didn't connect and nothing happened. He then tried to configure it for WIFI search and still no connection.

  Janet got up and got her old portable computer. “Dad gave me this just before we left earth. He and I built it from parts he purchased and I've never used all the connection methods that he built into it. It also has the family history on it so I need to download all of it before we try it. Matthew, can I download everything to your computer.”

  “Yes Janet, give me a second to create a profile for you.” The Bluetooth connection linked up and ten minutes later all the files were transferred. Then Janet rebooted her portable computer and set it to search for connections. It found one in the FM frequency range and she locked it in, then opened and did a file search. Nothing. Steve reached over and pressed the yellow button on his recorder and Janet's computer beeped three times and the writing on the screen wanted to know if the connection was to be allowed. She typed in YES.

  After fifteen minutes the screen displayed, MEMORY FULL, FILE TRANSFER TERMINATED. She then looked in the file directory and found sixteen terabytes of picture files and audio files. She started to play a few as everyone watched.

  Steve went and got his laptop and connected it to Janet's using a cable. He copied the briefing and as many pictures as his memory would hold and then said, “Matthew and I are taking a crawler and going to see Mr. Allen. I'm going to take my computer and my recording device from the facility. I'll send my computer back to earth, but not my recording device. Janet, you're the computer expert here. Figure out someway to increase the memory that your computer can access and then try downloading more pictures and audio files.”

  Finally after a frustrating week Janet and Sam suited up and took the crawler to the facility entrance. Using her recording device black button they entered. After taking their spacesuits off at the bottom of the lift Sam answered the facility greeting by saying. “Our computers do not have sufficient memory to record the pictures and audio files from recording device you gave us. We brought two computers. One is a hand made computer that Janet and her father built, and the other is a standard issue computer that will not connect with the recording device. We have two request. First, can you modify the recording device so it can connect with the standard computers we have. Second, can you make a memory stick that will hold all the data from the recording device or allow the device to be accessed from our standard computers like a portable memory device.”

  The facility voice then stated, Turn on both computers and place the handmade computer on the left shelf and the standard computer on the right shelf. You may enter the refreshment station and wait.”

  After a leisurely meal the facility voice announced, Janet, your computer has been duplicated with advanced memory and connection ability. You will be able to contact the facility anywhere within ten light minutes distance through your computer. This access is for you and your mate only. The thumb security pad will take only two DNA identifications. No changes have been made to the standard computer, but you will find a stack of memory devices that can be plugged into the standard computers to increase its memory. These plug in memory devices use the similar technology used in both original computers. Please follow the arrow for what you would call a classified briefing for you and your mate only.

  Several hours later they ate another meal and headed back to Sam's Place.

  When they arrived Mr. Allen met them in the airlock chamber and informed them that they were being transferred back to earth headquarters and report directly to Mr. Jamison.

  “Mr. Allen, we got the facility to manufacture some memory sticks that will plug into a standard computer. This way you should be able to access all the picture and audio files we recorded on our first visit to the alien facility.

  Scott and Janet went to pack and when she returned to the dining room she found several people trying to turn on her computer. They asked her to turn it on because they couldn't. She then told them that her Dad had built in several security devices to prevent unauthorized access to her personal computer. However she would download any files they wanted. They however wanted her to display the connection devices in her computer and the protocols. Three came up, Bluetooth, WIFI, and a FM radio frequency transmitter/receiver. The FM connection was the one they were interested in and they recorded all the protocols after asking her why her Dad had built that into the computer.

  Her reply was that her Dad had several computers around his farm and the distance was to great for Bluetooth or WIFI. As she walked away her computer shut down. Sam watched from the door as Mr. Allen's computer experts tried to restart it. In frustration one slapped the side of the computer and it flew off the table and bounced across the floor. Janet turned and yelled, “You broke my computer. Give it here.”

  Sam picked it up and then said, “Well I hope her Dad can fix it.” Then he turned and escorted Janet out to pick up their luggage.

  The trip back to earth was uneventful.

  ~ ~ ~

  “Good morning Samuel. As you know I'm Mr. Jamison the major stockholder and chairman of the board for Moon Res
ources Mining corporation. This lovely young lady must be your wife Janet.”

  “Good morning sir, why were we brought back to earth?”

  “Well it's a ticklish political and company problem. Sam, you discovered the alien facility. The politicians penetrated our security and found out. They demand we allow scientific and military access. Plus the fact that you two made a second unauthorized visit and brought back those memory sticks. Our IT geeks have tried everything except cracking the case on one and are unable to figure out how they can hold so much data. They also discovered that the memory sticks you brought back act like a miniature computer and run circles around our supercomputer.

  “First, Janet I heard your computer was broken by a moron on the moon. A flight has been booked to Wyoming so you can visit your father and hopefully he can fix it.

  “In the meantime Sam will take one of the memory sticks and give a classified briefing to the military. Then he will join you at your fathers farm. Any questions.”

  “Yes Sir, the two memory sticks do not have the briefing and pictures we took at the alien facility. A briefing would be useless until her computer is fixed and the files downloaded.”

  “Sam, that's where you're wrong. The IT guys found 63 terabytes of data on both memory sticks. They watched several hours of pictures and audio files and copied them to our mainframe. They even tried to upload data to the memory sticks, but failed. They won't accept data from our computers. That's why we need your wife's computer fixed. Her flight is at 9 AM tomorrow and your briefing is scheduled in Washington for 2 PM tomorrow.

  “Now there is a press conference scheduled downstairs in thirty minutes. The public relations section will brief you before you go down. We hope that by making your story public, it will give you celebrity status and protection from just disappearing into some government lab.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Prospector discovers Alien facility on Moon

  Six months ago prospector Samuel Delgado and his wife discovered what appeared to be a giant solar cell collection field on the moon. The Moon Resources Mining corporation, their employer, kept their discovery secret hoping to gather alien technology for a business advantage. The company team entering the alien facility discovered that it was over 300 years old and run by a computer. The briefing given the team stated that it was built to give us an overview of our position in the galaxy. It also stated that no advance technology would be allowed to be reverse engineered from the facility. Any attempts to reverse engineer or probe the advanced technology would result in the facilities self-destruction. None of their recording devices worked within the facility, however the facility furnished them a recording device that they used to record several terabytes of pictures and audio files during their tour. Section D contains pictures furnished this paper. Tomorrow Mr. Delgado will brief a joint government investigation committee while Mrs. Delgado travels home to get her father to repair her computer. It was broken by a technician on the moon. Follow their story at the Unity News Website.

  ~ ~ ~

  Sam and Janet both had several copies of the paper when they departed Richmond the next day. Each also had two armed bodyguards.

  ~ ~ ~

  The flight to Casper was dull. However when she arrived a soldier intercepted her and informed her that a military escort had been arranged for her to her fathers ranch. After her bodyguards verified the soldiers identity and the authorization for the escort they all boarded the helicopter. As they took off three more helicopters joined their flight. Several news helicopters tried to follow, but were warned away. None left until one of the military helicopters fired a burst of tracers in their general direction.

  Arriving at her fathers ranch she found him extremely agitated. He told her about the teams of special forces that had landed and invaded his ranch. He knew they were still around, but he didn't know where after they informed him that they were to provide security for her visit. He handed her a necklace and told her that she should wear it all the time because they told him that it was a friend/foe identifier. If any of the family or workers failed to wear theirs, they will be apprehended like the three reporters already in custody.

  Three days later after Samuel arrived, a guy in camouflage knocked on the front door and asked to speak to Sam. He handed Sam a necklace and told him that he needed to wear it all the time to identify himself as authorized to be on the farm. He also informed the family that they had over twenty reporters in custody, and they would be held until Sam and Janet departed. He then asked Mr. Kilgore, Janet's father, if he was expecting any company or deliveries because they'd intercepted several vehicles headed toward the ranch. All were turned around, but two male occupants of one tried to come in cross country later and were apprehended and confined until their identities could be verified.

  Sam and James decided to drive into town for supplies. James commented on a NO TRESPASSING sign that he didn't put up. Then he commented on the scruffy looking pickup truck that was following them. Once in town they got a good look at the individuals in that truck and they were pretty muscular for a couple of cowboys. Sam commented to James that they had another set of shadows plus another that seemed to be watching their truck. He verified the watcher when he took two bags of cold stuff out and put them in the cooler along with a bag of ice. The young man was wearing what looked like a hearing aid, except a wire went down his collar into his shirt.

  Their pickup shadow followed them back onto the ranch and then turned off the main drive halfway to the house. Those boys are good, was James' only comment.

  ~ ~ ~

  That weekend a VTOL landed. It was immediately surrounded my soldiers before the props even stopped. When the door opened a man in uniform stepped out. The closest soldier saluted and then demanded his ID and orders. The officer started to say something until he noticed another soldier with a shoulder fire missile aimed at the plane. We were all looking out the window at the pilot and copilot sitting with their hands on their heads when another soldier slipped up behind us and said, you really shouldn't be on this side of the house in direct line of fire.

  James turned and demanded how he got in.

  Bedroom window was open Sir. Please follow me because that is not an authorized flight.

  We followed him out the back door and through the barn to a camouflaged bunker that they'd constructed. The sergeant at the radio simply nodded as we entered. The lieutenant sitting at the table simply waived us to grab a seat and then said, “We really didn't want to invite you into your new tornado shelter this way, but that flight and plane are not in the registry. Mr. Kilgore, is there somewhere not known to anyone where you can move your family to? Mr. and Mrs. Delgado, Washington request that you return to either Richmond or Washington as soon as we arrange transportation.”

  Two of the monitors the sergeant were watching showed different views of the plane. Two doors of the plane popped open and the sergeant said, “Ah shit as he punched another button.” There were five guys out the plane when it exploded into a fireball. The speakers picked up the sound of rifles firing and then all was silent. A report came in, target neutralized, two casualties, one prisoner.

  Another voice reported, Radar shows two inbound bogies. Seal the bunker now. Missile in the air, inbound. GTA launched. Then we felt the earth jump and I was surprised by the amount of dust in the air in the new bunker.

  James commented to the lieutenant, “I guess I'll need a new house now.”

  “Dad, my computer is in the house along with our recording devices.”

  “Don't worry about that computer baby, I can always build you another.”

  She opened her mouth to reply when I touched her shoulder and shook my head. “We'll see when it's safe, if anything survived. I'm more worried about the soldiers and your Dad's ranch hands.”

  Suddenly a speaker started crackling. Sir we have an anomaly. The inbound missile and both planes hit
something about a hundred feet up and exploded. From the brief glimmer I saw it is a clear dome over the house. No KIA, everyone is dazed and some bleeding from concussion, but alive. Dome seems to extend several hundred yards in all directions. No contact with teams outside. No outside contact. Shall we dig you out now or later.

  Looking at Janet and me he raised his eyebrows in a question.

  “Dig us out now”, I said. “You need to contact Washington. I would appreciate it if this dome was kept secret. It must be a self-defense portion of the recording devices. They are keyed to Janet and me.”

  As soon as we were out I rushed into the house and tried to grab Janet's recording device. There was some kind of shield around it. I grabbed mine and her computer and then reached back for her recording device. It almost jumped into my hand. Since the hall was full of smoke I opened the window and jumped out right into a rose bush. I was cursing and the soldier standing not ten feet away was laughing until I yelled at him to give me a hand. As he pulled me out of the rose bush I heard him say, he's safe.

  James had managed to grab a few family picture albums before the soldier behind him dragged him kicking from the house. Minutes later it was a roaring inferno. I handed Janet one of the recording devices.

  We could see several military helicopters approaching when one of the soldiers yelled, everybody down, incoming from straight overhead.

  Janet looked at me and said, “We have a ride arriving.”

  Looking up all I could see was a black cube drifting down through the dome. “Dad, do you want to go to the moon, or hang around here.”

  Shaking his head he waived us toward the cube.

  Janet and I ran for the cube before any of the soldiers could react to stop us.

  The lieutenant hollered, “Stop.”

  Over my shoulder I yelled, “We'll contact you from the moon.” As the door on the cube dropped the feeling was like an express elevator and we could see the earth receding. It only felt like a few minutes before it landed near the crater and then sank slowly into the ground. Then we saw the inside of the alien facility and the cube's door opened. The facility voice said, follow the arrow to the refreshment station.