The Visitor

by Tony Harmsworth

  ‘Yes, silly question,’ I said.

  As they receded in the left distance, they also morphed into more of a slope than a cliff. Erosion at work.

  ‘Looks like crops in the canyon,’ I said. Fields of many different shades of green were divided by neat straight roads, tracks, or pathways. Scale made the size of these structures difficult to judge. The land between the fields was a similar brown to the cliffs.

  ‘Notice the roads aren’t paved,’ said John.

  ‘No, simply flat featureless lines. It’s definitely a town or city on the left,’ I said.

  ‘Yes, we thought that. Strange shaped buildings.’

  ‘That large one on the far left seems to have a crop growing on it,’ said John.

  ‘Oh, yes. Seems to be the biggest of them.’

  The building occupied the space of at least fifty of the small structures. Some of the middle-sized version also sported green tops.

  The roads which ran between the buildings were the same brown as the cliffs and paths through the fields. There were some egg-shaped objects dotted about between the buildings.

  ‘Next image?’ asked John, keen to show me more.

  ‘No, wait. Still absorbing,’ I said hurriedly, to stop him changing the display. ‘I see what you mean about there not being any windows or other openings – and what could those egg-like things be?’

  ‘You see them more clearly in a later image. We think they’re vehicles.’

  ‘What’s that at the top, right?’ I asked.

  ‘We thought it might be a flying object,’ suggested Mary.

  ‘Yes, an aircraft perhaps,’ I said. They were guessing as well. ‘Okay, next image.’

  Already cached, the second image came up immediately. It seemed to have been taken from far to the right of the first image, where the two sides of the canyon met. Cliffs rose on either side of the photographer’s location, as if the person who took the image was standing in the mouth of one of those hanging valleys, halfway up the full height of the canyon.

  The valley opened before us, widening rapidly. The same city was set among the fields, stretching away into the distance where there appeared to be the sea on the horizon. A few wispy clouds floated high above the water. This image suggested they had water in abundance, but there was no sign of any river running down the canyon. There were one or two small lakes or reservoirs between the photographer and the city. Perhaps most of the water was diverted for irrigation. The plain was so flat, I wondered if it had once been a seabed. Maybe it had been raised or, more likely, the sea had retreated.

  ‘Next image,’ I said.

  A ground level shot this time looking back into the canyon from the shore of the lake seen in the previous image.

  Spectacular and dominating the scene, however, was a white, blue, brown, and green world. In half-phase, it hung over the distant cliffs, appearing much as Earth does from space, but about twenty times the visual size of our moon. An absolutely stunning image worthy of any science fiction book cover.

  ‘Wonder how big that world is?’ I asked.

  ‘Impossible to judge scale,’ said John.

  ‘The colours give the impression of seas, land, and clouds. More clouds than we’re seeing in this area of this world. It’s an extremely beautiful planet. Next,’ I said.

  The fourth image appeared. I couldn’t stop myself using Janet’s pet word, ‘Wow!’

  This one was obviously taken from orbit around a dry planet with large cultivated areas, broken up by what were probably more of the towns or cities. There was a lot less water on this world than the first images indicated, more like a patchwork of lakes. What cloud cover there was seemed wispy and insubstantial. It was noticeable the higher land was a fairly uniform reddish-brown, a little like Mars, except in a few locations where there was a thin covering of white. Snow or frost.

  ‘What size are these images?’ I asked.

  ‘In this cylinder, they’re all about a hundred megabytes,’ said Mary. ‘You can zoom in to quite an extent.’

  ‘We think the central part of the image shows the canyons and valley we’ve been observing in the previous pictures,’ said John.

  I poked my finger into my thimball, drew a rectangle around the central feature and zoomed in by waving my hand outwards. Yes. The canyon was now visible, as were the city and lake. What gave the impression of being a sea or the ocean was a lot smaller when viewed in this way.

  I zoomed in further and the smaller individual buildings in the city became visible at the point of pixilation.

  ‘Notice how the plateaus are barren,’ said John.

  Nothing at all seemed to be growing on them. Had this world been losing its oceans over a long period? What was once the land could no longer be cultivated.

  ‘I think the city is standing on what used to be the bed of the original oceans. This might be the fate which awaits Earth in the millennia to come,’ I said.

  ‘Yes. We thought the lack of cloud over the plateaus indicated little atmosphere, but there must be some or there couldn’t be snow.’

  ‘Unless it isn’t snow. Maybe it’s hoarfrost. Next picture, please.’

  Image five was a close-up of one of the fields. The nearer plants seemed to have prolate spheroid tops, like plums, on slender green stalks.

  ‘Interesting. No leaves, only stalks,’ I said.

  The spheroids were yellowish-green with purple veins. I was seeing the first ever alien life form, only Mary and John having seen it before me. How amazing. Reg would be excited to view this image. How did the plant grow if there were no leaves? I couldn’t think of any Earth plant which didn’t at least begin its cycle with leaves. Green suggested chlorophyll.

  Image six was a view along a street in the city. The doorknob-like buildings exhibited no doors or windows whatsoever adding credence to the aliens perhaps being able to see through walls and perhaps even passing through them.

  ‘Notice there are no marks on the ground which you’d find on Earth to show driving lanes or no-parking zones,’ said Mary.

  ‘Yes. No visible road signs, advertising hoardings, or any building names. Nothing to pass on to the language lads. There are more of the egg-like objects in the streets,’ I said.

  They varied in size and were standing on their flattened ends. They weren’t unlike the shape of AD1. In fact, one of them in the middle distance might have been floating above the ground. Fascinating. There was no way to tell if these were stationary or in motion. Again, they had no apparent opening or window in them.

  The image was beautiful as the sky was darkening to purple in the distance and the blue-green satellite planet was three-quarter full in the left sky. How I hoped another cylinder would contain pictures of it. There were so many mysteries here. Was this their main world and was it dying from old age? Had they terraformed their moon? Its blue-green-white appearance had fertile written all over it. Or was this world their moon?

  Image seven showed the coastline. There were several of the doorknob buildings scattered around, plus areas of crops in different shades of green. The water was deep blue and there were substantial waves breaking onto the beach.

  ‘Waves suggest wind,’ I said.

  ‘Or tides,’ said John.

  The beach itself blended seamlessly with the uniform brown landscape. In the distance, along the coast, there was an extended conurbation of buildings, including some of the larger cake stand type we’d seen in the city. More of the odd egg-shaped objects were dotted around.

  ‘Is that a tree?’ I asked.

  To the right, beside one of the buildings was a structure which must be a tree. Its trunk wasn’t straight but was reasonably vertical. It branched several times and greenery spread out flatly on the top of each branch.

  ‘We think so. Looks like an African acacia tree. It’s the only one we’ve seen in the images,’ said John.

  ‘Next,’ I said.

  ‘We’ve been dying to
show you this one, Doctor Slater. Brace yourself!’ said John and I looked at him curiously.

  My God! The image showed one of the egg-shaped objects in close-up. It was open. The opening was as if someone had cut the egg halfway through around the middle and made a second cut to the top. The bottom, back and sides were still intact. The open area was occupied. What appeared to be a creature almost filled it. It was inside what must be its transport.

  I was gazing into the face and eyes of an alien being!

  17 Them

  The alien's muddy grey skin colour had a dimpled slug-like texture, although not slimy. More like the dry skin of a rhinoceros but with myriad pores and tiny depressions. Two large eyes stared at me. We had no sense of scale, but in relation to the rest of its body these eyes were enormous. There was an oval jet-black pupil and a deep brown iris. Both were glinting as if moist. The iris seemed to be the eyeball itself. It wasn’t set into white as would be the average mammal eye.

  A fold of skin on the outer side of each eye gave the impression of an eyelid, but one which would have to close with a sideways motion. Above and to the outer side of each eye, a tendril extended, perhaps six eyeball widths, into the air, folding over at the top presumably owing to the weight of an organ of some description which resembled the ovary end of a fallopian tube. Were they ears, nose, or some other sensor? There was no mouth or other opening visible. Could they produce sound, I wondered?

  The only other feature of import was an appendage which seemed to come out of the lowest visible left side of the creature.

  'Is that an arm and hand?' I asked zooming in upon it.

  'Think so. Seems to be holding on to the opening,' said John.

  'Seven digits.'

  I took the camera position to the corresponding part of the right side and there was no similar appendage.

  'Do you think it only has one arm?'

  'They might remain hidden until needed,' said Mary, 'like a snail's feelers.'

  'Yes, that could make sense,' I said.

  'We’ve only the one image of it. Others might tell us more if we find them,' said John.

  Overall, the alien gave a fair imitation of Humpty Dumpty.

  'Do you think this is one of them?' I asked.

  They both nodded.

  'I think the egg-shaped objects in the earlier pictures are a method of transport or a type of clothing,' said Mary.

  'Pretty ugly things,' commented John.

  'Probably not to their opposite sex,' I said. We laughed and enjoyed the release of the tension.

  Oh dear! Suddenly, I realised what we’d done.

  'Damn it,' I said in shock, taking on a serious tone, 'you realise I’ve just made sexist comments about our newfound friends?'

  'No, it was only a joke,' John replied.

  'And your ugly comment, John? What if this had been about a man of a different race. Black men were considered ugly when they were first encountered by Europeans,' I said.

  'Yes. See what you mean. Sorry,' he said.

  ‘I think it’s lovely,’ said Mary. ‘Kind eyes.’

  'Yes, see what you mean. Seriously, you guys. I want us to think carefully about this. I don't want any of our staff making similar unthinking, unfavourable comments about their appearance in the way we’ve just done. Have any of the others in your team seen this image?'

  'Not that one, only the landscapes and orbital shot. Only Mary and I have seen the alien. Mary found it after the others had left.'

  'Right, keep it secret. Slap the locks down on this image for the time being. I don't want you or Mary to tell anyone about the picture of the alien creature. I’ll personally provide a briefing. Understand? If you find more images of them, they’re for our eyes only.'

  'Yes, Doctor Slater,' they both said.

  'We need to ensure we don’t spark off some intergalactic incident now or in the future,' I said to reinforce the caution.

  'Yes, Doctor Slater,' they both repeated.

  'Call me if you discover any more images.'

  My last sentence was obviously an end to the meeting and they both left through my main office door. My bad! I’d not congratulated them and ran after them, 'Brilliant work, John, Mary. Seriously. Extremely well done!'

  Janet was walking in with a cup tea. The alien was still on my 8K screen. I rushed past her to get to my desk and hurriedly switched off. This was going to have to be dealt with delicately and all she'd give me was another 'wow'. She put my tea down beside me.

  'Thanks, Janet. Get me the Home Secretary, urgent, and send Tim in when he arrives.'

  'Something new?' she asked.

  'Sort of,' I said in a dismissive manner which did not invite further query.

  Once she'd left the room, I put the image back onto the screen. A real alien creature. I foresaw problems arising.

  If we had issued a news release when we first found the object, people would already have been aware of, and getting used to, extraterrestrial life making the next stage, showing them what it looked like, a simpler process. I had been right all along. Now we were likely to have to release the news and the image at the same time and, with the appearance of this thing, xenophobia was inevitable. Kind eyes or not.

  I wished I'd stuck to my guns earlier and pushed harder for an immediate release. I was even going to have problems releasing this to the inner circle. There was one way, though, and it would need every psychological skill I’d ever acquired.

  My monitor came to life.

  'Home Secretary, Doctor Slater,' said Janet, and Jenny Rae's face appeared on the screen.

  'Madam Home Secretary, good morning.'

  'Good morning, Dame Evelyn.'

  'I need to come to London to brief the Cabinet members who know about the Cluster project. It’s important it’s done in person, in a particular way, and we don't want to miss any of them. It needs to be set up quickly. Would it be possible?'

  'Cabinet day tomorrow anyway, so shouldn't be impossible, I'll get someone to call you. Can I ask why it’s necessary?'

  'Yes. We’ve an image of an alien and I want to brief all my staff on it first, then I'd like to brief the Cabinet.'

  'Amazing news. Send me the image. This connection is secure.'

  Oh dear, I should have expected that. 'Home Secretary, with greatest respect, I don't think it would be wise. I believe you all need to see it simultaneously. There’s a very good reason. Please trust my judgement.'

  'Well, it’s a strange request. Is it really necessary?'

  'More than necessary, Home Secretary. I believe it to be vital.'

  'I'll get back to you, Dame Evelyn. How long will you need?'

  'Thank you very much. Thirty minutes would do it,' I said. The connection flickered to black.

  I'd been stupid and clumsy! An idiot. I shouldn't have been so open about the image of the alien. This would have implications and it was barely five minutes before it came back to bite me. Janet was on the monitor again.

  'The Prime Minister, Doctor Slater,' she announced. Oh dear, I was in real trouble.

  'Okay,' I said, and Mr Clarke's face appeared on the screen.

  'Good morning, Prime Minister.'

  He scowled. 'Evelyn, what’s this all about? You've got a picture you wouldn't show Jenny.'

  'Sir, it’s an image of one of the aliens and I don’t think you or anyone will want it to be distributed, even among those with clearance.'

  'Let me see it.'

  'Certainly, sir, but I need to explain before putting the image on your monitor.'

  'Evelyn, please, just send me the image,' he said impatiently and with a raised voice.

  I gritted my teeth. I had to stand firm. 'Sorry, sir, I can’t. You put me in this position at Goonhilly for a reason. You trusted my judgement and I’m a qualified psychologist. Please trust me now for a few minutes. Let me explain it my way, sir.'

  He still looked exceedingly irritated. 'Okay, Evelyn, fire
away, but keep it brief. I’m late for a meeting.'

  I saw raw anger in his expression. He didn't like being kept waiting. What an idiot I'd been telling the Home Secretary about the picture. I was convinced my strategy on this was correct, and this time I was going to take the time I needed to present it properly. If it wasn't brief enough for him, I'd face the consequences. I made him ten minutes late for his meeting as I outlined my reasoning and eventually revealed the image.

  Tim walked into my office and I hit mute.

  'I'll call you,' I said and waved him out hurriedly. He swiftly left.

  I watched the Prime Minister studying the image silently for about two or three minutes before his gaze returned to mine, 'Okay, Evelyn, you've convinced me. It’s best you make the presentation your way. I'll call the meeting for ten tomorrow morning. I'll ensure as many as possible who know about AD1 are present.'

  'Thank you, sir. You'll not show anyone else? The whole point is to manage the reveal.'

  'No. As I said, you've sold me on your plan. I'm glad you remained firm, I knew you were the right person for this job, and you’ve proven I was correct. Goodbye for now, and congratulations to your team.'

  ‘Sorry about your meeting, sir,’

  He looked at me fiercely, then smiled. ‘Goodbye, Dame Evelyn.’ Phew! I'd survived.

  I buzzed Janet to come in.

  'Shut the door.'

  She closed the door and stood just inside the office. I think she knew what was coming.

  'How the hell did you let Tim enter my office while I was talking to the Prime Minister?'

  'I'm really sorry, Doctor Slater. I was on my knees at the filing cabinet and didn't see him in time.'

  'Okay, but if I'm on a call like that in future, making sure I'm not disturbed is more important than anything else you might be working on.'

  'Sorry, Doctor Slater. It won't happen again.'

  ‘Okay, Janet. Send Tim in to me and then I'd like you to set up a staff meeting in my office for two this afternoon. Everyone. I don't want any absentees. If anyone's off sick, find out if they're well enough to come in. Ensure Mr Brown attends. If anyone really can't make it, set up for them to see me personally when they return to work as I'll need to update them face to face. Organise nibbles, coffee and tea et cetera. Secondly, book me an express car to take me from home to London about eight tonight and organise accommodation for me near Number Ten.'