The driver’s face registered confusion as he watched the girl run back in the direction they came from in his mirror.
Seven seconds later she felt herself skidding to a stop. Her heart seized when she saw it.
Rising from under the bridge like a leviathan was the angular silhouette of an Apache gunship, its menacing bulk bearing down on the petrified girl. Natasha stood in frozen terror in front of the huge, ferocious-looking attack helicopter.
CHAPTER 76
Jake’s interstellar host gestured toward a closed archway on the corridor wall. Jake watched in dumbstruck awe as joints seem to materialize before him within the polished silver surface. The joints formed the shape of a large spiral, each claw of the spiral silently retracting within the wall to form an opening like an iris.
As Jake stepped into the round room, he looked up to follow the form of the domed ceiling. The room was 16 feet in diameter, its silver-colored walls identical to the room in which he woke up and bearing the same fine hexagonal indentations. Facing away from the door was a single high-backed chair that was positioned in the middle of the otherwise empty room. There were no discernible sources or concentrations of light, just that eerie all-encompassing glow.
Jake’s eyes fell to the chair as he approached; it was composed of the same dull silver metal of the walls, angular with moulded rounded edges and had a single leg that moulded into the floor.
If he was standing in a control room, it did not look like any conventional aircraft, spacecraft or military craft he had ever seen.
As Jake drew closer to the chair, the lighting in the room seemed to dim.
He paused, then took another step. Pinpoints of light became visible through the walls and ceiling.
Instinct directed Jake to take a step back; the light levels in the room returned.
Jake’s skin now prickled with foreboding. He took three full steps to stand right beside the chair. The room again dimmed, the points of light becoming brighter, and a cosmos of stars blazed into existence around him to fill the room with an almost infinite spread of constellations. The walls seemed to have darkened into the background of deep black space.
The scene before him was surreal; he felt as if he was now standing in the emptiness of space.
Jake stared in open mouth wonder.
He felt his knees go weak. “You’ve got to be eff’ing kidding me!”
Before him was the breathtaking vision of the Jovian system.
CHAPTER 77
Father Jordan had finished his late afternoon mass. With the church now empty, he quietly packed away the trays and communion bowls for the next day’s service. The deep echo of knocking at the church’s front doors drew his attention.
Surprised at the interruption, the priest closed the storage cupboards and emerged from behind the altar, making his way down the long aisle to unlock the front doors.
When the heavy door opened, Mark and Dr. Reilly set eyes on the same priest who had previously opened the door for Jake very early that same morning.
Dr. Charles Reilly spoke first: “Sorry to disturb you, Father, but a dear friend sent us. You may be keeping something safe for him, something he may have wanted passed on to us.”
The scientist noticed a surprised flicker of recognition behind the priest’s eyes.
*
Ten minutes later Mark and Dr. Reilly found themselves sitting on the front pew before the altar. The scientist had quickly explained to the priest that Jake had disappeared, and that a cryptic message left for them led the doctor and Jake’s friend to Father Jordan’s church. After the priest confirmed that Jake did indeed visit earlier, asking him to keep safe an important package, he disappeared into the church’s back rooms to retrieve the object.
“Jake said that the two of you would come looking for this. But you say he is now nowhere to be found?” the priest said, appearing from behind the altar carrying a wooden box.
Both Mark and the scientist were drawn to the object being cradled by the approaching priest.
“Only bits of his bike were left at the bottom of the canyon. There was no body,” Mark said, his eyes never leaving the wooden box.
The priest considered it for a moment, then placed the box on the pew next to Mark.
“When they came up out of the water,” the priest proclaimed, “the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the Gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.”
Mark and the scientist exchanged a puzzled look.
“Acts Chapter 8, verse 39 to 40,” Father Jordan explained. “My sons, people have disappeared before, so how is this any different? Have faith, your friend will appear again.”
Mark turned to Charles and whispered, “Who is the eunuch?”
The scientist frowned but didn’t answer.
With a curious expression, Mark turned back toward the wooden box. It didn’t look like something Jake would have owned. The box seemed to be handcrafted with innate symbols of Catholicism delicately decorating its sides and lid.
He placed it on his lap then slowly opened the lid with both hands. The inside of the box was lined with deep purple velvet, and looked as if it had recesses to hold a number of long cups or chalices. Laid across the recesses was a metal object; its surface glistened with a familiar violet-silver glow.
Although having already seen the unearthly object, Dr. Reilly’s eyes widened at the sight of the little I-beam. An object of enormous consequence, its very existence held the answer to mankind’s oldest question. Never before had a single object had the power to rewrite everything humans knew about the history of the solar system and the development of mankind.
It was then that the ground seemed to rumble beneath the church; the deep thrum of a helicopter’s turbine. The machine flew low over the church and descended beyond the building’s front doors.
Instinctively Mark closed the box and leaped to his feet. The scientist also found himself suddenly standing, his eyes following the sound of the helicopter as it landed. The priest stood, startled.
Charles felt an uneasy premonition as he turned to Mark.
“We gotta run! Or they’ll get the…” Mark swallowed, apparently unable to say the words.
Charles placed a soft hand on the young man’s shoulder. “Believe me; if we can hear them, then they’ve already got us.”
*
With fierce military precision black-clad soldiers poured through the front doors of the church. Fanning out along the walls they advanced on the three sole occupants of the building. Simultaneously, additional teams of black-clad figures appeared from behind the altar and unseen entrances from the sides of the building.
Mark spun wildly as he watched the armed figures converge from all directions to surround the party of three. His face froze in an expression of fear as one of the bulkier figures stepped toward him. It was the only soldier without a weapon raised.
The bulky soldier paused, meeting eyes with Mark.
Mark’s expression turned to one of recognition. You’re the one from the bar!
“Stand aside, soldier. We ARE walking out of here.” Dr. Reilly’s tone was defiant.
Bravo raised an eyebrow at the scientist. “Really…how so? I count three unarmed civilians and four dozen fully armed, highly trained Black Seals. Perhaps I miscalculated.”
Turning to Mark, a dangerous smile crossed Bravo’s lips. “Is that box from Jake?”
“Jake who?” Mark barked, more forcefully than he intended.
Mark again felt a patient hand on his shoulder; Reilly was shepherding him to stand behind the scientist. Mark slipped in behind Dr. Reilly, his eyes never leaving Bravo’s.
“Let go of me! I can walk by myself,” an angry female voice echoed from somewhere beside them.
The gun barrels trained on Mark and the scientist parted to make way for three more figures. Dr. Charles Reilly
felt a fresh wave of remorse engulfing him when he saw Natasha being marched in by Alpha. Closely following behind was a man dressed in a black suit.
Natasha’s eyes softened at the sight of Dr. Reilly and Mark.
The dark-suited man smiled at the sight at Dr. Reilly. “You know how this works, Charles. You wrote the field manual on collateral contamination and containment.”
“Hello, Stephen.” Reilly’s voice was tinged with disappointment and defiance.
Natasha’s eyes flashed confusion as she turned to Sabre then back to Dr. Reilly. “You know each other?”
It was as if her words physically shot pain across Reilly’s chest. “It was a different time.”
Mr. Stephen Sabre drew a deep breath, apparently ignoring the question. “Well, it appears we have a situation here that could turn out most unfortunate for you and your new friends.”
A tense silence settled within the lofty arches of the church.
Sabre shot a glance at Bravo, as if to say “grab the box”.
Complying, Bravo stepped toward Mark and pried the wooden box from his grasp. Mark’s attention shifted to the assault rifle strapped to the soldier’s arm.
“Wow, is that the MK16 SCAR-L with a custom grip and muzzle brake attachment?”
Bravo cocked his head in surprise, startled to hear that Mark even knew the weapon’s componentry terms. “Which military branch did you work in?”
Mark was confused by the question. “Call of Duty. I’m up to Prestige 3, level 48.”
Looking appalled, the soldier waved off the answer and handed the wooden box to Mr. Sabre. A satisfied smile slowly crossed Sabre’s face as he peeked inside the box. Immediately recognizing the object, he quickly closed the lid, handing it back to Bravo to guard.
Natasha, Mark and Dr. Reilly all exchanged uneasy looks. Father Jordan stood in perplexed silence.
Sabre turned on his heel and headed for the church’s front doors. “Bring them. Leave the priest.”
Both Mark and Dr. Reilly felt barrels on their backs, pushing them to follow Mr. Sabre. Leaving the confused priest behind, Natasha, Mark and Dr. Reilly were escorted out the front doors of the building by the horde of black figures.
Pausing at the top of the steps that led to the church’s front doors, Dr. Reilly heard Mark whistle at the sight that met them. Amassed before the church was an army of black SUVs, an exotic looking helicopter and an Apache gunship, both of which had evidently landed in the middle of street.
Dr. Charles Reilly had no illusions about what was about to happen.
CHAPTER 78
Colorful and hypnotic, the image of the Jovian system was unforgettable.
Jake Marcel did not have the vocabulary or command of English language to express the scene of staggering beauty before him.
His words were barely a whisper. “It’s beautiful… I had no idea.”
Jake was fixated on the imposing presence of Jupiter. Vivid and compelling, it was a majestic and mesmerizing vista, as if the room itself opened up to the limitless of space dominated by the colossal curvature of Jupiter’s form. The depths of its Great Red Spot, its earth-sized hurricane, dominating his spectacular view.
“Ohh, Natasha,” Jake gasped. “My God! You’re not going to believe what I’m looking at right now!”
Pausing for a moment, another of Jake’s questions dawned on him.
“God!” Jake turned back to his short gray companion. “Do you believe in God?”
The small visitor stood motionless; seconds later the answer poured directly into Jake’s mind in the form of concepts and ideas.
In essence there is one common trait that all life in the universe shares. These visitors from the fourth planet that orbited the Zeta Reticuli binary star system are also searching for the same answers as humanity. Some races in the universe are more advanced in their understanding of the one, the universal conscious, but others less so. Races that seed life in the universe are one step closer to understanding the universal conscious, as Jake will one day understand how to be a parent when he bares offspring of his own.
Jake was not sure he understood, but didn’t dare ask the small extraterrestrial being to clarify. Nevertheless, he tried to absorb the answer as he turned back to the celestial scene that now seemed to surround them both.
Jake’s eyes sailed from moon to moon that orbited the colossal giant, seeing clarity and surface features he’d never before seen in textbook pictures. Stepping forward for a closer look, he moved as if through a dream. His eyes traced the scar lines of ridges and fractures that laced Europa, taking in the brightness of its reflective icy surface. He marvelled at the massive volcanic eruptions that sculpted Io’s surface.
Barely able to believe what he was seeing, he scanned the faint dusty rings that circled the immense planet. Unlike the predominant icy rings of Saturn, Jupiter’s rings resembled a faint flat halo. Even so, Jake gaped at something he never knew existed.
Rings around Jupiter?
In a state of wonder, Jake’s eyes were then drawn to an object that seemed to be orbiting the imposing giant. It was tubular, cigar-shaped and dull dark gray. With no sense of scale, there was no way for Jake to discern its size.
His eyes bulged at the possibility. “That’s not ours!”
With a sudden upwelling of astonishment, his gaze fell upon a second orbiting object, then a third. There were three objects orbiting the mammoth planet, all inclined at the same angle.
Are we on one of those things?
“How can we not have seen your satellites? We’ve got probes of our own out here!”
The small visitor remained silent.
Turning to his host, Jake revisited his former request. “You brought me all this way… You know that my race needs help. I’m not asking for your technology. All I’m asking for is proof that we’re not alone, that we’re part of a bigger galactic community.”
Even as the words left his mouth, Jake felt it ironic that he was having this conversation with a member of a race not his own.
Jake’s resolve hardened. “I want to show our scientists proof that other civilizations have overcome the problems we’re now facing.”
“WE CAN’T INFLUENCE YOUR GROWTH.”
The words were deafening inside Jake’s skull. The cosmic laws prevent intervention.
Every cosmic race has the right to develop and grow on their own, despite some races having met self-destruction upon discovery of nuclear energy in the distant past. Even the most insignificant sample of material that was manufactured by the Zeta Reticulians would be at risk of being absorbed and adapted into terrestrial technology. Homo sapiens would have the potential to do harm to themselves. Humanity is not ready for the responsibility that accompanies technology that is beyond their means.
Jake found the confidence to counter, “But didn’t you…”
Before Jake could finish, he was silenced by the response entering his mind. “YES. WE HAVE ASSISTED.”
The Zeta Reticulian did step in when Jake flew off the ridge. But Jake should not forget that it was he who made the choice to speed toward the cliff. Given the circumstances over Jake’s lifetime that led him to the cliff, preserving Jake’s life was the better option. The course of Jake’s life had already been influenced by events outside his control, and beyond earth’s skies. Saving Jake was, as the human idiom proclaimed, the better of two evils.
The burning question now, however, was how would Jake prove his experience with interstellar beings without producing some tangible piece of extraterrestrial evidence.
As Jake remembered how he’d been helped by the off-world visitor, he felt something far more fundamental resonate within him.
His sensei’s words called out to him across the vast expanse of space: If you can’t fight fire with fire, then use the fire against itself.
Jake felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. “I have an idea!”
CHAPTER 79
Mark stood with his face pressed up a
gainst a large one-way window that dominated the brightly lit room he was locked in. He strained to peer into the room he suspected was on the other side.
The room’s single door burst open, startling him. Mr. Sabre appeared, taking an ominous step toward the room’s lone occupant. In his wake followed a second muscular guard.
Grabbing Mark by the neck, Sabre shoved his detainee into a chair that faced a stainless steel table positioned in the center of the small room. Silently, Mr. Sabre occupied the remaining chair to face Mark. The muscular guard stood at attention, blocking the closed door.
Shaking off the forceful shove, Mark was almost excited. “Is this one of those secret men in black interrogation rooms?”
Sabre ignored the question. There was a long silence as he studied the captive. Mark’s notion of excitement evaporated into a slow sinking sensation. He seemed to shrink as Sabre’s eyes bore into him.
Mr. Sabre’s words were dripping with disdain. “Tell me about Jake’s communications with the IBE’s.”
Mark returned an odd expression.
“Interstellar…biological…entities,” Sabre clarified, the pauses between his words punctuating his diminishing patience for the captive.
Mark’s eyes shot up. “So you guys acknowledge that they do exist!”
Sabre leveled his gaze at him. “There are things out there that do transcend human understanding. But what I may or may not acknowledge is irrespective of you having the ability to spread the word.”
The unspoken threat made Mark swallow hard.
Sabre fixed him with a penetrating stare. “Where do you think your friend has disappeared to?”
Mark was enjoying the rare chance to teach an NSA agent something about classified information. “Well, we’ve seen a copy of the military’s top secret ET Technology, Recovery and Disposal Manual. Perhaps he went to have a meeting with them to discuss that!”
“It won’t matter,” Mark continued, surprised by the confidence in his own voice. “If you try to go after him, you’ll learn that he doesn’t back down easily.”
Disclosing the Secret Page 32