The Encounter

by Donal Myrick

“I am concerned that you are not going to believe what I am going to tell you. I think you might think that we have discovered a trove of mushrooms down there and that we have been tripping out for the past week.”

  Max had their undivided attention. “I think what I told you about Ted’s theory is correct. Everything else is bunk. What we do know now is what caused the explosion, what kind of explosion it was, and when it occurred.”

  “How could you possibly know all of that?” asked Geraldo.

  “Well, that’s a good question. The reason we know is because we talked with the people that were directly involved, and they told us everything. We are continuing our discussions with them, and there is so much more to learn.”

  “What do you mean, you talked with THEM?!! Who the hell is Them?!” Scott said, practically shouting. Both Scott and Geraldo were dumbstruck with what Max just said.

  Max said, “Shhh, keep your voice down, and don’t express any surprise at what I am going to tell you. I am going to preface what I am going to say by telling you that it is unimaginable, unbelievable, totally unexpected, it is beyond the pale, and must be kept totally secret. Do you both swear that you can and will keep this totally secret?”

  “How the hell are we supposed to not appear to be surprised?”

  “I don’t know, but try your best. Do you both swear to keep this secret?”

  “Yes, of course, I do.”

  “Me too,” Geraldo replied. “Are the Russians involved?”

  “No, and they must know absolutely nothing about what we have found. They have to be kept in the dark. They may be, and likely are the enemy.”

  Max continued, “Take a deep breath, look off into the valley, and do not act surprised. Are you ready for this? What we have found is a community of Extra-terrestrial Aliens. Yes, Aliens. You know, like the ones you read about in the Roswell Report and the weekly scandal magazines. The little guys that abduct people.”

  Scott and Geraldo looked at Max with their mouths agape. “You have been eating mushrooms, haven’t you?” Scott said with disbelief.

  “It gets more interesting.”

  “I’ll bet it does!”

  “They have been trapped down there for around two thousand years and totally out of contact with the outside world. This area hasn’t always been like it appears as today. Back then, it was a deep narrow valley with an ecosystem that had evolved independently of what is up here, sort of like an in-land Galapagos Island. They were down there studying the unique bio-systems when a very large earthquake occurred. There was a massive upheaval, and the walls of the canyon tilted and began collapsing together. They had two exploratory ships down there. One tried to escape but was caught in mid-flight. It exploded and basically formed the pit from hell. The ships are powered by antimatter reactors, so when the ship was crushed, the reactor went critical virtually everything was consumed in a many multi-megaton explosion that left virtually no trace. I said virtually; I did find one small shard, so there is some evidence, and there is probably more. The Russians must not get their hands on any of that.”

  By this time, Scott had regained enough of his composure to ask a question, “How many Aliens are down there?”

  “We were told that there are sixty, but we have only met five of them. The others are supposedly sleeping.”

  Geraldo asked, “How did you talk with them? Do they speak English?”

  “Well, they do now. At first, they tried to talk with us in Latin. I guess Latin was the language of choice in the civilized world back then. It took us several minutes to realize that they were speaking Latin. None of us spoke Latin, so realizing that it was Latin wasn’t much help. Jim spoke to them in Spanish, and they sort of understood what Jim was saying. Actually, they speak through a little translator device, and that device learns really fast. It was amazing; it was learning English and Spanish simultaneously. It listened to everything we said and parsed every word. Within a few hours, we were able to converse with simple sentences, and as of now, they speak very fluently, so we are able to exchange information easily.

  They are a very old and long-lived species. They claim to be benevolent and have been watching and guiding us earthlings for over eight thousand years. There was another similar species also involved back then. I say similar, they would argue otherwise. The other species was not benevolent and was involved in exploiting us earthlings. There was a conflict. The good guys tried to banish the bad guys, which after many centuries they were able to do so. However, in some ways, it was an incomplete victory.

  The bad guys collected species for other world zoos and had no qualms with doing a bit of genetic meddling and experimentation in the process. We have surmised that a number of the beast chronicled in mythology are actually some of the creatures that they created.”

  Geraldo piped in and said. “You have got to be kidding! Who is going to believe that crap?”

  “Like I said, it gets more interesting. When the Bad Guys realized that they were losing and were on the verge of being expelled from this planet, they created a proxy soldier to carry on the battle for them. We have dubbed them GMH’s.”

  Geraldo asked, “Oh Lord, what do these GMH soldiers look like?”

  “They look like us. But, they were given instincts to seek out, detect, and kill the Aliens. Other than these hereditable instincts, they appear to be ordinary humans. They apparently are/were a very formidable and effective proxy, and continued to wage the war over several millennia. Xyllio, the Alien that I interacted with the most, said that having been out of touch for two thousand years that he has no idea what the status of his kind might currently be. He provided me with a beacon to place somewhere secure top side, preferably somewhere in the States. When activated, any Good Guy Aliens that may still be present on the planet will come to investigate the beacon. If they still exist, then we can work with them, because they will surely be fully ensconced somewhere within the human societal structure. If no one comes to investigate the beacon, it will mean that either the Good Guys have been eliminated or else they have left the planet. If there are no Good Guys left, that doesn’t mean that there no more GMH’s. Because of their nature, the GMH’s probably still exist and are a threat to the Good Guys down below.”

  Max paused for a few moments to give Scott and Geraldo time to process things. Then he said, “I know that this is a lot to process, but is it starting to make sense?”

  “No, it doesn’t make sense. I’m having a lot of difficulty getting my head around all this. Max, I know you, and you appear sane. But, I’m not sure that you aren’t crazy or delusional. I need to touch something, feel something, see something to make this real.”

  “Well, let’s see what we can do.” Max started scrolling through the gallery of pictures on the camera. “Here take a look at these pictures. Just scroll through, and I think you will be stunned.”

  For the next ten minutes, Scott, with Geraldo looking over his shoulder, scrolled through the gallery of hundreds of pictures showing all of the named Aliens, their commune, inside of their ship, their laboratory, their living quarters, interactions with the Americans, some of the modified plants, and their little tractor.

  “Try to convince yourself that I somehow fabricated all of those pictures while we were down there, exploring a very difficult cavern.”

  “Unbelievable! Absolutely unbelievable.” Scott whispered quietly.

  “You said that you needed to touch something. Touch this,” Scott said reaching into his travel pack to retrieve the little beacon. “I dang sure didn’t manufacture this while I was down there.”

  “What is that?”

  “It’s a beacon to alert others of their kind.”

  “Okay, okay, we believe you, but it is still unbelievable.”

  “Where do we go from here?” Geraldo queried.

  “There are several things we need to do. One is to make sure we give the Russians plenty of misdirection every chance we get. Having a survey party actively working off to the s
outheast will help. We also need to find an alternate entrance to the Aliens cavern. We think we are onto a lead for this. Spider, Bufford, and Peggy are working this as we speak, but they need a lot more rope and climbing hardware. Peggy found a high lead with Charlie that may be what we are looking for. Somehow without being observed, we need to scout the area above where the high lead is located to see if we can find a possible entrance that hopefully, we don’t have to dig out. There is a lot of air moving up through that high lead, so it has to come out somewhere. We need to find it and keep it a secret. I think that is going to be your job, Geraldo. Then lastly, I need to get back to the States with this beacon. If we can’t figure out a way to smuggle it out, then we will have to activate it here in Venezuela somewhere. They need to be informed that Xyllio and crew are alive and well. We also are going to need their support. That’s all I’ve got for now. Any comments?”

  Scott said, “My mind is numb, but give me an hour, and I am sure I’ll have a thousand questions.”

  “Me too,” echoed Geraldo.

  “Let’s mosey back to camp. I could use a pitcher of margaritas.”

  “Make that two pitchers.”

  “Three.”

  “At some point, I need to inform Dr. Fred, Sam, and Miguel about everything. We all need to be on the same page in every respect going forward, and that is going to be tricky.”

  Scott said, “Give some thought that. It might be better if everyone didn’t know all the details. Some of this information, a lot of this information, is hard to swallow and, in my opinion, needs to be compartmentalized. If someone doesn’t know something, they can’t inadvertently disclose it.”

  “I’m sure that you are right. I’ll give careful consideration to what I tell, to whom I tell, and when or if I tell.”

  “By the way, Scott, do you have any ideas as to how I might smuggle this beacon out of Venezuela and into the States. We can’t let it get compromised because if I should get caught with it, I would have a really hard time explaining where I got it, what it does, and who made it.”

  “Maybe you should just activate it and mail it to the White House. Let them figure out what to do with it. When someone shows up claiming it and wanting it back, the stuff will hit the fan. You can be sure that the CIA will come knocking on our door because sooner or later they will figure out who sent it. Then, we might or might not find out who came knocking.”

  “That’s not a bad idea except that the CIA/FBI/DHS et al. would squeeze us until we revealed everything. That would not be good. What we need is a way to get it into someone’s hand without fingering ourselves.”

  “Actually, on second thought, I think putting it in someone else’s hands is too risky, both for them and for us. Also, the possibility of getting the CIA involved is a terrible idea.”

  Geraldo said, “Why don’t we have Félix and a couple of his buddies take it up high in the Andes and then activate it. They could keep an eye out to see who comes to investigate it. They could watch from afar without being detected. One thing for sure is that whoever comes looking for it won’t be mistaken for some hapless hiker who just happens to be in the area. ”

  “Now that sounds like a workable plan. Let’s do it. One other thing, he needs to place it up high in an inaccessible place so that it won’t be discovered by happenchance. Whoever comes and finds it will find it because they will know what they are looking for and where to look.”

  They continued walking slowly back towards the camp when Max thought of another thing. “Geraldo, you wouldn’t just happen to know where we could get say five hundred pounds of ammonium nitrate, would you?”

  “Whoa, just what do you plan to blow up?”

  “Who said anything about blowing anything up?”

  “Well, ammonium nitrate only has two uses that I’m aware of, one is for growing stuff, and the other is for blowing stuff up. You don’t look like a farmer to me.”

  “We must maintain control of the pit for as long as we can. When it becomes apparent that the Russians are going to attempt a descent of the pit, which they are anxious to do, we are going to need to act. Once they are successful in descending the pit, they will be following in our footsteps. We can’t let them do that. We are going to have to permanently block some of the passage back to the Alien’s cavern to prevent them from discovering them. This will require some explosives and a cover story as to why we blew up some passage. ANFO is the natural choice for the job. As we speak, the girls are working on a cover story. ”

  Geraldo said, “As you know, ammonium nitrate is a carefully monitored commodity these days, for obvious reasons. Some of the mining companies are the only entities allowed to stockpile the stuff. So, if we need it, I guess we will have to steal it from one of them.”

  Scott said, “Just get it, but don’t send me the bill.”

  “I have some ex-military buddies that are perfect for this task. Sorry Scott, but it is going to cost some serious moolah.”

  “Whatever. We will have to use an offshore account for this type of expenditure, I presume that will be okay with your associates.”

  “I’m sure it will. Max, you have given me too many tasks. You need to make some reassignments. I guess I need to head out first thing in the morning. I’ll get Félix clued in on what he needs to do tonight, and he can take it from there. I think any of the other guys left can handle the survey task.”

  Back in camp, Geraldo cornered Félix and told him to select a couple of his climbing buddies and meet him in his tent in thirty minutes. Then he went to meet Max in his tent.

  “No time for margaritas, my friend?”

  “Not yet. I’m going to meet with Félix in a few minutes. Tell me what I need to know about the beacon and what do I tell them about how we came to have it.”

  “Tell them that it was delivered to us not long ago and that we were to activate it if we felt that we were in need of their help.”

  “And who are the ‘they’ in this case?”

  “Tell them that we refer to them as ‘The powers that be’. They have influence at the highest levels of government around the world, and they recognize that we might need their muscle in our relationship with the Russians.”

  “Okay, I got that. Now, how do I turn the device on and off?

  Also, I don’t think they have time to take it to the Andes, so how about somewhere nearer and more accessible?”

  “That is alright with me. Just don’t make it too accessible. Whoever comes looking will probably wait around to be contacted. Tell them it is okay to contact them, but they must claim only to be messengers and don’t answer too many questions. They can tell them that we sent them, and where we are, but that is all that they know. They will find an appropriate way to contact us.”

  “Got it.”

  Max wandered over to Miguel’s dining tent, which by default, had become the central gathering place for the group to socialize. Miguel greeted Max as he entered, “Max, you look like a man in need of a margarita. Margaritas and nachos are on the table. Did you and Scott get a good look at the sunset? ”

  “Thanks, and a pitcher of your margaritas is exactly what I need. And, yes, I did get a good view of the sunset. It is gorgeous from up here. When you get a chance this evening, give Carlos a call. Tell him we need a flight into town in the morning or as soon as he can get here.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “Oh, it’s not for me. Geraldo said he and a couple of his buddies need to go check on something. I think it is something personal with their jobs, so I didn’t ask.”

  CHAPTER 26

  Ropes are on the Way

  Shortly after Max arrived at the top of the pit and was disengaged from the shield, the shield and NMI rope were lowered once again to the bottom where Jim, Bufford, and Ted were anxiously awaiting its return. They quickly hauled the shield into a dry area in the tunnel and reactivated communications with the top.

  Jim asked, “Did Max make it up okay?”

  Sam replied
, “Just like a martini, shook and stirred, but he is just fine. He says that the ride up is really rough, but no damage. Stand by, we need to get Max topside, then I’ll get back with you. Give us a couple of hours.”

  “Okay, I’m glad he made it okay, none of us knew what to expect. We will be standing by. Don’t forget us.”

  Jim motioned to Ted and Bufford to turn off their coms so that they could talk freely.

  Then, Jim said to Ted, “I think I need to stay here in communications range. Why don’t you go back with Bufford, and when he is safely on the bottom of the Aliens’ chamber, you can drop the four-fifty. I know that you wanted to go down with Bufford, but I think you need to stay with me so we can back each other up until we can get more rope down here.”

  Ted sadly said, “I think you are right. That is a better plan. Well, Bufford, are you ready to head back?”

  Bufford replied, “Let’s do it. I know the girls will be anxious, and Peggy will want to know that Max made to the top okay.”

  Jim said, “Spider will want to know that also.”

  “Yeah, but Peggy will really want to know. She worries about Max.”

  With that, Ted and Bufford set off on their trek back to the Aliens’ chamber, and Jim turned his com back on and then found a comfortable place to rest while waiting for Sam or someone topside to call.

  Three and a half hours later, Sam’s voice came booming over the com, “Hello down there. Is anyone listening?”

  Jim replied, “Yeah, I’m listening. Where have you been? You said two hours, and it has been well over three.”

  “Well, we had a lot of questions for Max, and things are a bit messy up here, as you know. The good news is that you need to stand by for the receipt of a bunch of rope. I’m sending down all that we have on hand. Scott indicated that if we need more, he will see if we can procure some locally.”

  “We are standing by, send it on down. We also need bolts and hangers. Are you sending them also?”

  “Max didn’t mention that, but I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Sounds good, and while you are at it, how about sending down some cold beer and some of Miguel’s nachos?”