by Unknown
The glow had left him, and his skin was no longer transparent.
Willy suddenly became modest as well—he pulled a work apron off the bench and tied it around his waist. He shook his head.
“Just the usual—a trance, hands knowing what to do. But, the force in my head was strong, overwhelming.”
Allison nodded and looked down again.
Wyatt whispered. “What does this mean?”
“You’ll remember I told you that your dad was a ‘receptor,’ just like my father and the dozens of others who’d been hit by beams. We don’t think it was intentional by the aliens to have them be this way—it was merely another side effect. Willy is connected magnetically to Gargantuan and it creates a psychic energy inside of him. All of the ‘receptors’ around the world are kind of the ‘canaries in the coal mine’ for us. They tell us how close it’s getting and how strong the magnetics are becoming. It will get worse for him.”
Wyatt gestured with his hand at the sphere display. “What the hell does this tell you?”
Allison sighed, and pulled her phone out of the holster on her hip.
“Gargantuan is a hell of a lot closer than it was a month ago—disproportionately closer, considering the time factor. The triangle shows that it has now moved past the Sun on its run towards Earth. You can see that Gargantuan is about ten or fifteen degrees below and to the left of the Sun. That indicates it’s only about eighty million miles from us now—so forty million closer than just last month. And, Willy has opened up the tunnel entrances much wider—indicating that preparations are being made for aircraft, symbolizing test exits and entrances. Your dad senses this activity without realizing it.”
Wyatt found that his mouth had suddenly gone dry. “How could it have moved that fast towards us in just a month?”
“I told you that Gargantuan seemed to have the ability to slow down its rate of advance in its own orbit. So, on the converse, it must also have the ability to speed it up. We think they might have their own version of CERN under the surface of the planet. The ability to magnetically pull itself along at whatever rate of speed they wish. Much more advanced than our version of the LHC, which should be no surprise. Everything they have is probably more advanced—we already know their weapons are well beyond what we have.”
Allison punched a speed dial number on her phone.
“Who are you phoning?”
“Shh…the Vatican.”
Wyatt opened his mouth in shock, but the stern look in Allison’s eyes shut him up. He resigned himself to just listening intently to the one-sided conversation.
“Cardinal Valenti, please?”
A few seconds of silence, then, “Cardinal, it’s Allison Fisher.”
“Yes, just fine, thank you.”
She nodded and murmured for a few minutes, without saying anything intelligible.
Then, “The entire Pacific Rim?”
“What’s your latest reading?”
“I agree. I’m guessing eighty million miles. One of our ‘receptors’ has given me some clues.”
“And, you’re still not seeing it clearly?”
“Cloaking?”
“Okay, have you talked with Chad?”
“And, how about CERN?”
“Well, they’re going to have to be ready. We need to pick a date. They’ll only get one shot at this, and it’s starting to look like the sooner the better. Call them back, and then let me know. You have my number. Goodbye for now, Cardinal.”
Allison clicked off. Wyatt stared at her.
“Vatican? Cardinal? Were those just code words?”
She grimaced. “No, they weren’t code words. That was Cardinal Valenti of the real Vatican. But, I wasn’t talking to the Vatican in Italy—I was talking to their branch in Arizona.”
Wyatt knew his face reflected his incredulity. “The Vatican has a branch in Arizona?”
She nodded slowly. “I’m sorry to hit you with one shock after another. But, I’m not hiding anything from you now. It’s too late for that. Yes, they have the largest ‘near infra-red’ telescope in the world in Arizona, more powerful than any country has. It’s located at the Mount Graham International Observatory. They have another one in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, but it pales in comparison to the power of the one in Arizona.”
“Why would the Vatican have telescopes?”
“The Catholic religion has no choice but to publicly deny the existence of aliens, but they’ve always known that they exist. The religion would have been weakened considerably if the Vatican admitted they believed in things like the Big Bang and extraterrestrials. But, they do. They know there’s no such thing as ‘God.’ If truth be told, none of the leaders of the civilized religions believe in ‘God.’ Like most other institutions in our lives, religions exist to keep people in order, keep them fearful of what the afterlife will bring. And, give them hope.”
Wyatt shook his head in disbelief. “So, what does the Vatican have to do with all of this, aside from their monster telescope?”
“They’re partners in the CERN complex and have invested heavily in the technology. Their own observatories in Italy and Arizona are run by Jesuits, and Cardinal Valenti is the managing director. The Jesuits are the most highly trained astronomers in the world; one of the world’s best kept secrets. The Vatican is our main conduit to the scientists at CERN. They all speak the same technical language. And, you may find it ironic to know that their powerful telescope in Arizona is nicknamed ‘Lucifer.’”
Wyatt started pacing the room. He noticed that his dad was now leaning up against the workbench, eyes fixated on Allison, clearly absorbing every word she was saying. Willy jumped into the conversation.
“When you were on the phone, you mentioned the Pacific Rim. What was that about?”
Allison turned to face Willy. “Did you feel the small earthquake we had, Willy?”
He shook his head.
“Well, we had one. And, the cardinal was telling me that they’ve been rolling all along the Pacific Rim today. The entire ‘ring of fire,’ from Alaska right down to Patagonia, over to New Zealand, and up through the Asia rim. None of them destructive, all in the four and five range on the Richter scale, but large enough to cause some panic. What was unusual was that it was kind of a rolling effect, like when you shove your legs under a blanket.”
“Gargantuan?”
“We’re guessing that. The cardinal agrees that the planet has accelerated in its run towards Earth. But, surprisingly, even though it’s closer, it’s become impossible to see even with their ‘Lucifer’ telescope. We’re thinking that Gargantuan has some kind of cloaking technology that’s been activated now that they’re coming closer to us, making it invisible. The cardinal said that he’s talked to CERN and they’ve expressed the fear that they’re not ready. He’ll get back to me after he talks with them again. The bottom line is, we may not have the luxury of not being ready—no option of doing more testing. CERN may have to just pick a date, activate the wormhole, and we’ll all cross our fingers, toes, and anything else we can think of.”
Willy walked to the door. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Allison. This CERN stuff and picking a date or whatever. I think I’m out of the loop here.”
Wyatt followed him. “I haven’t told you everything yet, Dad. CERN is a possible solution, and it’s about as science fiction as things can get. We’ll all sit down and talk about it. Allison filled me in on it all, and we were going to tell you and mom the whole story today.”
Suddenly, Allison’s phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Gerndle, calm down. Speak slower.”
Her eyes widened.
“Did they ask about anything else?”
“Where is the senator right now?”
“Okay, tell him to stay down there—not to come out again. I’ll be there soon.”
Allison’s finger was poised above the ‘end” button, but she paused to ask one more question.
“Gerndle,
do you know if he used his cell phone when he was outside?”
“Of course, I understand, Gerndle. There’s no way you could have watched him every minute. Not your fault. But, he’s pretty strongminded. I warned him not to use his mobile, but he probably thought it was safe. I should have known better—should have taken it away from him. Okay, be there soon.”
Chapter 47
They all adjourned back to the kitchen for some cold refreshing lemonade. Throats were dry from the shock of the earthquake, and Wyatt noticed that concern had masked Allison’s face since those two strange phone calls.
She could probably use something stronger than lemonade. While she was clearly a battle-hardened boardroom warrior, he was getting accustomed to the reality that in front of him she had difficulty hiding what she was feeling. He took that as a compliment.
“What’s going on, Allison? Tell us.”
She ran her fingers through her long dark hair, and then shook her head in dismay.
“I’m just a bit worried. A good friend of mine has made a mistake, and it may have opened a can of worms.”
“That friend you mentioned to me, the one you said was down in Osoyoos?”
She nodded. “He’s a U.S. Senator—John Hartford.”
“I’ve heard of him. From Vermont, isn’t he? A possible presidential candidate?”
“Yes. We got out of a difficult situation back at his home in Vermont, and I brought him here to Canada. Stashed him at a spot I own in Osoyoos, to keep him safe. But…looks like he’s used his cell phone, and now he’s been traced. Someone dropped by and enquired about him. It may be nothing, but my instincts tell me I’d better get back there fast.”
Willy walked over to her. “What happened down in Vermont?”
Allison sighed. “Some information fell into his hands about the…subject…you’re all aware of. He was going to blow the whistle as part of his election campaign. Majestic 12 put a hit out on him, and I got him out of it just in time. Now, it looks like they’ve tracked down where I’ve hidden him.”
Wyatt rubbed his chin. “Why did you save him from the hit? You didn’t save others—why him?”
Allison lowered her eyes. “It all started becoming personal after I discovered that they’d killed my family. I told you that—that’s not news. You know I’ve been conflicted. As for Senator Hartford, he’s one of the good guys, just like my dad was. He fights injustice, looks out for the little guy…and he’s done that his entire career.
“He’s a rare leader who wants to bring about serious change to make this country better. God knows it needs it. I took it upon myself to save him—whatever happens to us all, we need leaders we can trust. And, he’s one of those rare leaders.”
Wyatt forced himself to ask the question that was at the forefront of his mind, knowing full well that it was a selfish one—and in the grand scheme of things right now, totally irrelevant.
“Was there…something…between the two of you?”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed the tip of his ear. “No, Wyatt. There was nothing between us at all. I haven’t been with anyone since my husband died. Until you…”
He felt foolish now for asking, but he was glad he did. It was out of the way now. He kissed her on the cheek. “Okay, I had to ask. Sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry about.”
Suddenly, there was a low rumbling sound—faint at first, but it increased in intensity quickly. The car alarms started up once again, and the chandelier resumed its sway.
Wyatt held onto Allison tightly, and Willy did the same with Helen.
Over the incessant rumbling, Willy yelled, “Okay, this time I feel it! What’s going on?”
There was a noticeable pulse underneath Wyatt’s feet, like a heartbeat on steroids. That was the only warning he got. Suddenly, the hardwood floor cracked and heaved upwards. He and Allison jumped back, and he swung his gaze towards the big picture window in response to a ghostly creaking sound. Then, watched in horror as the roof over the front porch groaned and crashed to the ground.
Helen screamed. “My God! We’re going to die in here!”
Wyatt pushed Allison towards the front door and motioned at Willy and Helen. “Outside! Now!”
Out on the porch, they crawled carefully over the debris from the collapsed roof and made it safely to the front lawn.
Helen was pointing and sobbing. “Look at our porch, Willy. Where we’ve spent so many lovely afternoons.”
Willy hugged her tight. “I’ll fix it, sweetheart. Don’t worry. It’s just a house. The main thing is we’re safe.”
Allison glanced over at the two of them. “No, Willy, I don’t think you’ll be fixing this house. It’s started, and it will get worse. You’ll have to leave.”
“What do you mean?”
“The beginning of the end has started. We need to hurry up our contingency plans. You all need to come with me.”
Willy and Helen just stared at her, mouths open in shock.
“Up until now, it’s just been talk—you’ve heard me telling you what’s been going on, what’s coming. But, the timetable has been moved up on us—not by our choosing. And, it sounds like we’re not even ready.”
Dozens of people were out on the street now. Wyatt glanced down the long row of houses and saw that a few others had been damaged as well. Not too seriously, but enough to scare the shit out of people. Especially since even just mere tremors were a rarity in Nelson.
The shaking had ended and neighbors were once again busy disabling their car alarms—for the second time in the past hour.
Wyatt adjusted his gun holster, which had slipped forward on his belt while they were climbing off the porch. “What do you mean? Isn’t this CERN thing almost ready to go?”
Allison shook her head. “Not according to Cardinal Valenti. He said they’re panicking, and don’t feel they have the science totally figured out yet. Let’s face it—taking the Earth back in time to 1963 is hard enough to wrap our heads around as a concept, let alone imagining how scientists could possibly figure out how to do it. I’m a physicist and I don’t even really understand it. These people are geniuses, but…there are limits.”
“Maybe this is just a blip? An earthquake swarm?”
“I don’t think so, Wyatt. This swarm, as you call it, is happening all along the Pacific Rim. That’s never happened before, all those countries at once. And, when we were in the studio with Willy, you and I saw what he’d assembled. He’d added two more spheres to his display—the Sun and the Earth—and his coordinates tell us that Gargantuan has moved 40 million miles closer in the past month. The magnetic pressure of that closer proximity is tearing us apart.
“Cardinal Valenti agrees—he also calculated that it’s only 80 million miles away from us now, without me even telling him what Willy had done. Willy’s a receptor—that’s why we’ve kept an eye on him and the others over the years. We knew that the magnetic attraction would cause these people to autonomously react. We can’t ignore the warnings he’s unwittingly giving us. That would be stupid of us.”
Wyatt folded his arms across his chest. “Is the cardinal sure he can’t see the damn thing through that Lucifer telescope? Can’t he keep trying? Maybe at a different time of day?”
Allison shook her head. “No. He thinks they’ve turned on some kind of cloaking device. It’s invisible, but it shouldn’t be now that it’s moved to the frontal zone of the Sun. And, the fact that it’s so much closer now, means we should be able to see it clearly. But, we can’t—so they have some technology that we didn’t predict.
“As I told you, at times we have been able to see it—and that was when it was much farther away. That was the reason for all the chemtrailing in the sky. But, now, it’s become a goddamned ghost. We won’t need the chemtrails anymore now that Gargantuan’s cloaked itself. And…I guess it won’t matter anyway. Even Majestic 12 doesn’t matter anymore. Its purpose is redundant now. Keeping secrets no longer matters. In fact, the Ca
rdinal told me that most of the Majestic 12 members have retreated underground…literally.”
Wyatt sighed with exasperation. “I’m just a lowly police officer, so I’m clueless on this shit, but if this giant planet is able to alter its orbital speed—come to a virtual standstill, or speed up as it’s now done—isn’t it possible that when we go back in time, it could do the same? Or worse?”
Allison took a deep breath.
“Yes, anything’s possible. They’re probably far more advanced than we are. Going back in time is not going to guarantee defeat against Gargantuan and its inhabitants. All we’re trying to do is buy time. Get a head start back in 1963 on the technology side with reverse engineering of the alien technology we’ve found, and start building CERN thirty years sooner.
“Those things may give us an edge, so that when we do finally reach 2015 again, we’ll be far more advanced than we are now, and better prepared to defend ourselves.
“But, you’re right—it’s all a crapshoot. We have no idea how advanced they are. Our ‘do-over’ may not save us when we move through the decades into the twenty-first century again. All I can say is that the best and brightest minds on the planet believe that going back to the twentieth century is our best chance to survive the twenty-first.”
Willy was staring at a frantic neighbor down the street, who was busy dragging branches of a tree off his car hood. Then, he turned his gaze back to Allison. “You said we have to go with you. Where?”
“As I said, I have a place in Osoyoos. That’s where Senator Hartford is right now. Underground dwellings, very comfortable, very safe. If the worst happens and CERN can’t stop the destruction Gargantuan and its inhabitants foist upon us, underground is the best place to be.”
She gestured with her hand, waving it in a wide circle. “All of this havoc today is just evidence of the magnetic pressure this rogue planet is exerting upon us. It’s been building for decades. It will get worse. In fact, it will probably be a living nightmare, sad to say.”