by Dan Holt
“Oh My God! That’s right on top of us.”
“We are boarding a flight there in a few minutes.”
“As soon as you land, get out here to the facility. I’m locking it down.”
“Yes sir.”
Scanlon ordered the GMO TESTING AREA locked down. He ordered four guards on the outer gate. Nobody in, nobody out. He picked up his office phone and called down in the hole. Security answered.
“Double the guard on EBE.” Scanlon said.
“Sir, he’s not down here; he’s still up in the sunroom.”
Scanlon looked at his watch, slammed down the phone, jumped up, ran out of the offices to the tool shed, and jerked the door open. The adjoining door to the sunroom still stood wide open.
“Oh my God!” he screamed and ran out into the middle of the road by the high security fence and looked around in all directions. Nothing. He swore, rushed back into the elevator and pushed the button to descend into the holding area. When the elevator arrived and the door opened the full contingency of security were gathered for instructions.
“EBE’s not up there. Search all the offices, now, quickly.” Security hurriedly combed the under-ground office complex. Nothing.
“Who took him up today?”
One of the guards, a caged look on his face, stepped forward. “I did.”
“Did you bring him back down?”
“No, I locked him in the sunroom and stepped over to the offices and got some coffee. When I came back, the door to the sunroom was open. I thought that someone from down here came up and got him.”
Scanlon swore again then ordered everyone up top immediately.
“The testing station is completely locked down. I want every square foot of this farm searched, every row of corn, every piece of equipment, every building, every shed, everything. We can’t lose him. Go!!!”
Cha
pter 19
HOMEWARD BOUND
“Let’s take my RV,” Professor Caray said, “I could use one more adventure.”
Brandon pushed his plate back and looked around the table. “We should go to Roswell right away. Since they have signaled already, they may show at any time.”
“Audrina offered: “We can stock the RV kitchen with coffee, and snacks.”
Professor Caray went into his study, opened the top drawer of his desk, picked up the key to his RV and handed it to Brandon. “Go pull it around front and let’s get this adventure of a lifetime going. Leave it running.”
Brandon complied then came back into the house. Alice, Audrina, and Elizabeth quickly stocked the galley of Professor Caray’s RV, his favorite pastime since his retirement. Alice had considered her job a perpetual vacation. This one would take the cake.
Brandon steered the Recreational Vehicle onto Interstate 10 West, out of Houston, then set the cruise at a modest 60 mph. The Sun was approaching the horizon in front of them; low enough to come streaming through the windshield. Brandon glanced across the dash. The professor, in the right hand seat, pointed at a plastic tray containing several pairs of sunglasses. Brandon picked up a pair and put them on.
“Professor,” he said, “you have a nice machine here.”
“Yes. We’ve had this thing all over the country the past few years. I had quite a wish list and Alice threw in a couple of destinations.”
Orion and EBE were glued to the tinted picture window over the table. As they watched the terrain go by, they occasionally pointed and communicated with each other. Brandon glanced at their reflection in the internal rear view mirror. He wondered at what speed they spoke to each other in their own language.
Brandon drove slowly along the dirt road then up into the yard of Dr. Elizabeth Rainwater’s home. He and Professor Caray turned and looked at their crew, all napping. Audrina and Elizabeth were leaning back in their chairs. Orion and EBE had their heads resting on their arms on the dining table. There was a flickering of pink light from Orion’s safety device. Brandon looked upward in the predawn sky. The Sun would be coming up momentarily. There was a bright star slowly descending toward the RV. Brandon stepped back to the table and shook Orion and EBE gently. They raised their heads. Audrina and Elizabeth looked up at Brandon. He spoke:
“They’re here.”
EBE and Orion hurried outside, stepped out into the open, and looked up at the glowing orb approaching high in the sky. It suddenly winked out; then, minutes later, it reappeared at treetop level then settled to the ground next to Professor Caray’s RV. It was thirty feet in diameter. An oval section slowly opened and a ramp extended itself outward until it touched the ground in front of the ship. The group saw several occupants of Orion’s and EBE’s statue looking at the two refugees. They were backlighted with bright lights, enhancing the scene. Orion and EBE stepped onto the ramp. Three of the crewmembers from inside the rescue ship gathered around EBE and began examining his right arm. Brandon imagined that there must have been very many high-speed exchanges in their language.
He motioned to Orion, Orion stepped to the end of the ramp. “Orion,” Brandon said, “didn’t you say that there were two ships coming; one going to Houston for EBE and one to Roswell—this one—for you?”
“Yes, when the ship reaches Houston, it will signal for EBE.”
“Can you radio that ship and give them a message?”
“Why?”
“Decoy,” Brandon said. “You’ve watched thousands of Earth movies. Make the people at that prison think that that ship picked up you and EBE and left Earth with you.”
Orion held Brandon’s eyes for a moment, and then his smile got more practice. He stepped up the ramp and conversed with the ship’s commander. The leader turned to the communications console. Seconds later, he nodded at Orion.
“Brandon,” Orion projected, “that ship is approaching the Houston area. It will cloak, fly into the GMO TESTING AREA, and land in the cornfield. Then it will de-cloak, glow very brightly, ascend fifty feet, then zoom away at a high rate of speed and continue until it’s out of sight. It will then meet us at the Transfer Ship.”
Orion, standing on the end of the ramp, surveyed the Earthlings that had meant so much to him after falling victim to a deadly mishap some fifty years earlier. He sensed the sadness in each of them. Elizabeth had a tear on one cheek. Audrina had moist eyes. Professor Dana and Brandon had the countenance of one about to experience a personal loss. He had come to understand humans having spent fifty years studying their culture. They had a heart to help. A heart to help….
Orion held up one of his long fingers in a one-moment gesture, and then stepped into the ship. Moments later, he reappeared and handed Brandon and Audrina a duplicate of the Keepsake.
"Keep this; if my assignments allow me to come this way again, I'll be able to find you. I will remember you Brandon Stevens, Audrina Stevens, Elizabeth Rainwater, Professor Dana Caray, and you too, Caregiver Alice.”
Orion smiled his last Earth smile, walked up into the ship, and the ramp closed. The spherical ship took on a glow, slowly rose up above the treetops, paused, and then quickly disappeared into the early morning sky.
End
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dan Holt is a U.S. Army veteran, having served three years as a Communications Specialist in Germany. He spent the remainder of his civilian career as a self-taught engineer, designing and testing large-scale production equipment for the file folder industry. The efficiency and durability of his designs even garnered interest from some foreign manufacturers.
In retirement, Dan has used his writing skills to express his continuing fascination with machinery and science fiction. His zest for adventure and intrigue continue to rule in KEEPSAKE and his previous published works: UNDERNEATH THE MOON, UNDERNEATH THE MOON 2, and SLEEP MODE. With over 5,000 copies of UNDERNEATH THE MOON sold in the first six months, and the first month sales of over 1,000 copies of UNDERNEATH THE MOON 2, Dan is now beginning work on his third novel in the Underneath the Moon Series. You can see all of his books on hi
s Publisher’s Site at: www.maxholtmedia.com.