by Dan Holt
The UFO museum opened at 9:00 a.m. He and Wilson would make that their first stop, ask a few prudent questions, and then proceed to visit all the crash sites. It wasn’t likely that the first day’s work would yield anything but it was the logical first step.
The two agents went to Denny’s, entered the restaurant and were escorted to a table. Gertie Wells, seated at the cash register, spotted them as soon as they entered the door. She watched them follow the receptionist across the room to be seated. She studied the two men for a few moments. The young one was sharply dressed. He tied a double Windsor in his tie. Handsome. Gertie picked up the phone.
Elizabeth Rainwater, just arriving, sat down behind her desk to review the day’s schedule. Three appointments—follow-ups. The phone rang. She picked it up.
“Liz?” came from the receiver.
“Hello, Gertie.”
“They’re here.” Elizabeth leaned back in her chair. Gertie continued: “A white man, 45ish and a young black guy about 25. They might as well have signs on their backs. The young one is cute.”
“Gertie—shame,” Elizabeth said and chuckled. “I think I’ll take a few days off; besides there’s something I’d like to do.”
Elizabeth hung up the phone then picked it back up and made another call. “Have doctor Walton take all my appointments for a few days. I want to take care of some personal business.” She called the airport and booked an afternoon flight to Houston.
On her way out of the hospital to go home and pack a bag, she stopped at the vending machines, inserted a dollar, then reached down and picked up a bag of M&Ms and dropped it in her purse.
Rural Houston
Brandon, looking around the area, turned to Audrina, “We don’t have a related checkpoint here. He could be anywhere.”
Audrina nodded. “Let’s find out how far away he is by measuring the time between the flashes then go home and scribe a circle on a county map. He’ll be somewhere on that circle. We can pick likely places and begin the search.”
“That’s a good idea,” Brandon joined. “If we get Orion within about 500 yards he’ll sense him and can lead up to him.”
“He can talk to him,” Audrina added.
Houston
Sixty-eight minutes following the initial flash, the sphere repeated its function.
“Thirty-four miles,” Audrina said. “Could be in any direction. He’s somewhere on a 68 miles wide ring around us. We are now right in the middle.
Brandon pulled the car’s gear selector into Drive then eased to the highway and looked at the signs on the intersection. Highway 6 and FM 1421. Audrina made a note, then they headed for the Harris County Chamber of Commerce and then home.
When they got home and walked into the living room the phone was ringing. Audrina hurried over and picked it up. “Hello.”
“Audrina, this is Elizabeth. They are here. Apparently they did pick up Orion’s message.”
“They came to see you?”
“Not yet. Gertie, a special friend, saw them at Denny’s and called me. I decided to take a few days off, accept your invitation, and come to Houston for a visit. My plane arrives at 4:15.”
“Wonderful,” Audrina said. “We’ll pick you up.”
Brandon looked at his watch: 1:15 p.m. “Okay,” he said. “We are going to have to leave at about 2:15 to get to the airport and into the building to the terminal on time. We’ve got an hour; let’s work with this county map.” He laid it out on the dining room table then located the compass. Audrina did the math. Thirty-four miles was four and one-quarter inches. He set the compass and scribed the line with the metal point of the tool on the intersection. They began to study the circle and what lay on its path.
“Let’s eliminate, for now, the parts of the circle that pass through neighborhoods, industrial areas and barren ground,” Brandon said. Audrina nodded then began to carefully study the path of the 200-mile circumference of the scribed circle. There was a power substation, a city maintenance yard, barren ground, a large water reservoir, and then more barren ground. Next, a US Government Postal Service Vehicle Maintenance Facility, a possibility, a US Army National Guard Depot, another possibility. Brandon’s pen continued to follow the scribed line; next, it passed over an Agricultural Testing Station. Definitely worth a look.
Brandon looked at his watch. They left Orion at home and headed for the airport to pick up a friend.
Roswell
Stockton and Wilson finished breakfast then handed Gertie their breakfast tab and a credit card. Gertie processed their ticket then gave the young Wilson a bright red lipstick smile. He returned the smile, and then he and his colleague headed for the UFO Museum.
There were a dozen people standing around in front of it waiting for the 9:00 a.m. opening. Momentarily an older man unlocked the door and held it open for the gathering crowd to enter. A staff member was waiting at the first exhibit to begin the first tour of the day. Stockton, entering the museum, stopped and stood by the staff member until the crowd was all inside. “How long have you been with the museum?” The attendant released the door and turned to the agent.
“Since we organized in ’91; we got it ready, and opened it to the public in 1992.”
“Anything significant happen since you’ve been open?”
“Well, the thing most exciting for us was the discovery that a second saucer crashed in the Lincoln National Forest in ’47. That fact came to light in 1995. The Ragsdale Story. We have a book and a video about it in the gift shop.”
“Nothing new lately?”
“Lots of people from all over, all over the world.”
Stockton nodded and smiled then joined the gathering crowd for the impending tour of the museum.
Stockton, driving west of Old Pine Lodge Road, looked over at Wilson. “I think we should go ahead and take a look at the three sites; however, we are going to have to take a hard look at a conspirator.”
“I agree,” Wilson said. “If the Creature is actually here he would obviously have to have help; food, lodging. And why did he wait fifty years to send a message home?”
“Maybe he was on assignment to gather information and it took him that long to complete his task.”
“Right under our noses?”
“Apparently.”
Back at the motel, Stockton parked the car and they entered their room. “Our Missing Midget; who would likely help him?” Stockton said thoughtfully.
Wilson sat down at the room’s round table and loosened his tie. “Religious types; nuns will help anybody, the elderly, doctors or nurses would be likely; our Missing Midget was in a crash, you know.”
Stockton glanced at Wilson and nodded. “Let’s find out who the doctors and nurses were that got involved when the crash occurred. It seems the most logical place to begin. However, they would be around eighty years old now. If we come up empty, we can start interviewing Roswell’s Ministers.”
Stockton picked up the phone and made the call. Minutes later, he had a list of four doctors and two nurses that were present at the fabled hangar in July 1947. He studied it for a moment.
“Okay,” Stockton said, “tomorrow morning we start interviewing Roswell’s medical people and see if we can establish a connection.”
Houston
Brandon and Audrina drove into the George Bush Intercontinental Airport and parked the car. They made their way into the terminal to await Elizabeth’s arrival. Sitting in the waiting area Brandon laced his fingers together and began to surmise.
“We can start a systematic search tomorrow. It may take some time, but we’ll find him. We have a proximity device locked onto him and Orion’s built-in senses, we can’t miss. I’m nervous about what circumstances we might find. It’s not likely that there’s another Elizabeth Rainwater taking care of him, hiding him, waiting for his rescue. I’m really afraid it might be more sinister.”
Audrina glanced at the arrival gate then to Brandon. “There’s no military base on or in the circle.”
“I suppose it could be used as a cover for…” Elizabeth came through the arrival gate. Brandon and Audrina stood; Audrina raised her arm and got Elizabeth’s attention then met her and hugged her.
“Orion?” Elizabeth asked.
“He’s at home.”
“I have something for him,” Elizabeth said then opened her purse and picked up the bag of M&M’s.
Brandon’s eyes went from the bag of candy to Elizabeth’s face. “You’re kidding.”
“No,” Elizabeth said. “He loves them. I think he likes that they are shaped like his ship.” They laughed and started for the parking lot.
Brandon, pulling out of the parking lot and entering the traffic, glanced at Elizabeth. “We met Gertie when we were in Roswell, she’s wonderful. Does she know about Orion?”
“Yes. She’s a special friend, a true best friend. When I was seventeen, I started going to the Desert Cactus there in Roswell. It’s where all the soldier boys went every Saturday night. I met Gertie there; she was twenty-one. We hit it off and became friends. It wasn’t long until I knew she was a best friend. It’s turned out to be a friendship that’s lasted a lifetime. I introduced her to Orion in ’53. Gertie is an M&M lover. When she came over for one of her visits she had a bag with her and offered Orion one. He tasted it and liked it. He became an M&M lover, too. I brought him some home from time to time.”
Brandon and Audrina filled Elizabeth in on the Initiator signaling another survivor of the crash in Roswell and his presence here in the Houston area. Elizabeth was apprised of their quest to locate and possibly rescue the second member of Orion’s team.
Elizabeth gravely offered an assessment: “He’s most likely a captive by the CIA. The CIA was organized soon after the crash in Roswell. Orion’s living situation was unique. My father was at the right place at the right time and was a compassionate man. This second alien that you are talking about was, more than likely, not so fortunate.”
The fact that two agents were now in Roswell trying to find Orion was evidence that Elizabeth was right and the rescue, if possible, was not going to be easy. She feared for Orion. If something terrible went wrong, there would be two captives; Orion and his buddy. Orion could continue to be hidden and, maybe, never be found. However, he was on Earth; not his home. Being the only one of his kind wasn’t a life. It was a challenge to survive, rescue his kind, and then get home. A quest worth the risk, however serious that might be.
Orion had projected to all: “Get me close and I will go and get him.”
Orion sensed Elizabeth’s presence as they turned off the Farm to Market road onto the long driveway to Brandon’s and Audrina’s property. He spoke: Elizabeth responded: “Well, Hello.”
“Are you Okay?”
“Yes, I understand you have a friend here.”
“Yes, we are going to find him.”
“I’m glad. I have a gift for you….”
Cha
pter 14
CONTACT
Tuesday morning Brandon opened his closet door, reached up on the shelf above the clothes rack and picked up his pair of binoculars, and then he, Audrina, Elizabeth, and Orion, with the Initiator, drove back to the point of contact Monday afternoon. As they neared the intersection, a new situation became evident. The proximity function of the sphere did not initiate. Audrina shook it, watching it intently. It remained dark.
“Either he’s been moved or something is blocking the signal,” Brandon said.
The group was quiet for a few minutes then Audrina broke the silence: “Let’s start on our planned route and see if we can get lucky and get Orion close enough to sense something.”
Brandon pulled the car into gear and began the drive to the first area of interest. The National Guard Depot; the closest objective.
As Brandon cruised by the small sign with a directional arrow—National Guard Amory—and continued on slowly.
“Orion, anything?”
“No, he’s not here.”
Brandon pulled over, reached for the map, and began plotting their course to the next objective. Suddenly, the sphere in Audrina’s hand flashed.
GMO Testing Area—26 Miles Away
EBE stepped through the adjoining door from the tool room into the sunroom, holding his left hand over the Locator port on his waist-worn device. He saw the flash between his fingers. Fortunately, the guard took no notice. EBE had managed to conceal it. He waited for the next flash and the information that would come with it. How much closer are they? He peered through the viewing port again.
Audrina quickly opened her purse, picked up her pad and pen and made a note of the time. The wait for the next flash began. They sat quietly, marking time; each minute seeming like an eternity. Minutes later, in the quiet, a crunching sound followed by rhythmic faint chewing sounds came from the seemingly empty back seat behind Brandon. They all looked at each other and then settled back into the wait.
At minute number fifty-two the anticipated flash occurred.
“Okay!” Brandon said, and then grabbed the Road Atlas. “Twenty-six miles.” He noted the terrain and businesses on the scribed line. Behind them was barren ground, the water reservoir, and suburbia. Ahead was a housing addition, open ground, and then the Agricultural Testing Area some twenty-five or twenty-six miles ahead.
“That’s got to be it!” Brandon exclaimed. He postured himself behind the wheel and began traversing the distance taking the best routes available. The flashes of the sphere grew closer and closer together.
“Why didn’t it flash when we first got to this area? We were within range.” Audrina said.
“If he was underground it would block the signal,” Orion projected.
“Then they brought him up top for some reason,” Brandon added.
“Sunlight. We need sunlight,” Orion included.
Audrina turned and looked at Elizabeth sitting behind her. “You think we might actually get lucky here?”
Elizabeth answered, “They may have settled into a routine here that’s been in place for years; perhaps developing a relaxed posture, and that may work to our advantage. Orion can walk right in, when invisible, if the door’s open. He could simply get close to his friend and they would both be invisible. When I was twelve, I used to disappear with Orion for fun. Mom and Dad made me stop. They were afraid I might get hurt and they wouldn’t know it.”
Brandon, with the sphere flashing every fourteen seconds, approached the GMO TESTING AREA. Suddenly, Orion became visible, crouched down in the seat, and was completely still for several moments. He looked up at his three companions.
“EBE, it’s EBE!” he projected. Orion was quiet and still for several minutes.
“He’s still alive?!” Brandon exclaimed.
Audrina, staring at Orion, offered: “They must have faked his death to ward off everybody digging into the rumors about him.”
“Years and years here?” Elizabeth muttered, “That’s awful.”
“He’s in a sunroom on the surface,” Orion declared. “I’m going in and get him.”
“Orion,” Audrina said, “you’re visible.” Orion promptly disappeared.
All eyes went to the research facility out in the field. “My, God,” Brandon said. “Look at that fence. It’s at least ten feet high and there’s barbed wire around the top.”
Orion projected to EBE: “Can we get in?” The answer from EBE was instant.
“The code is 19016.”
Roswell
Agent’s Stockton and Wilson stood before the information bulletin board in the lobby of the Loveless Regional Hospital.
“Okay,” Stockton said, “we’ve eliminated the two military doctors, and a doctor Camden, deceased, no heirs. That leaves this one. Dr. Elizabeth Rainwater. Her father, Compton C. worked on the aliens in ’47. It might be a long shot but I want to talk to her.” Wilson looked at the names list.
“She’s down the hall.” He said, pointing.
>
Stockton stuck his head in Elizabeth’s office door. Empty. He stepped to the next office. “Is next door the right office for Dr. Rainwater?”
“She’s on vacation; left yesterday.”
“When’s she due back?”
“Don’t know, Sir. She said a few days; personal business. May I help you; I’m taking her appointments?”
“No, thank you. I’ll check back later,”
Walking back down the hall toward the exit, Agent Wilson glanced at Stockton. “Dr. Compton Rainwater was involved with the aliens in ’47. One of the aliens managed to elude capture, holed up somewhere, and then, a few days ago, it sent a message home. Azell picked it up and reported to you that the message from the Missing Midget had been sent and that it came from Roswell. We were dispatched to come here and find this alien. We were intercepted and taken to Houston to meet EBE, another of the aliens. EBE read your mind and asked if his people had arrived. We were brought back here to engage in the hunt and find the one that sent the message.”
Agent Stockton stopped in the hallway and focused on Wilson’s face. Wilson continued: “We checked out the area, and then focused on a conspirator believing that someone must have helped the Missing Midget. We eliminated all possibilities down to one doctor, more specifically, his daughter, who is also a doctor. We go to see her. Guess what? She’s out of town.” Then Wilson paused and took a deep breath. “Agent Charles Manly Stockton, our Dr. Elizabeth Rainwater is in Houston.”