Intervention: A Science Fiction Adventure
Page 22
At a distance of about two miles, the craft slowed to a mere twenty-five miles an hour. It continued at this speed until almost to the White House. Then at only ten miles an hour, the craft completed the journey until it was directly over the White House lawn. The craft had ceased all forward motion, slowly descending until it hovered about three feet above the White House lawn. Every window in the White House was filled with eyes open wide, watching, waiting. The craft hovered motionlessly for nearly an hour, during which time every news crew within fifty miles had set up camps around the White House, waiting to find out what they would report that night. At first, the crews struggled for the best vantage point, hoping for the best coverage. Then they waited, and they waited. Some of the reporters were already sending for coffee and doughnuts. They would wait as long as necessary. This was more than a story—it was their future.
Inside the White House, there was more tension in the air every minute as the President and his staff waited. They weren’t sure what they were waiting for, but they could do nothing but wait. After the initial shock had worn off, most watched the craft’s image on the television, rather than staying glued to a window. The President’s top advisor stood off to the side of the oval office with the President at one of the windows.
“Mr. President, there is little doubt that this is the same craft that turned our fighters back yesterday. Hell, there couldn’t be two of them. What I’m getting at is it seems likely, whoever they are, that they know about Operation Down-size. Now there it is on the White House lawn. This isn’t some campaign fund scandal. There’s no telling what they might do or what they’re capable of.” The President was speechless. An unusual state of mind for a politician, to say the least.
Aboard the craft, Christopher and Cindy were pleased to see their plan working out so well. Their slow and deliberate approach to the White House had, as planned, brought every available news crew to witness the upcoming event for all the people of the world. It had been nearly an hour since their arrival at the White House. The press was in full attendance, and enough time had passed for the rest of the world to be watching. It was time for the finale.
The computer began by projecting a holographic image of one of its creators, making him appear to materialize on the lawn just under the outer edge of the craft. The holographic alien, once fully materialized, stood looking around, and then fixed his gaze upon the White House itself. He then stood motionless for a few moments. He slowly raised one arm up to a horizontal position. At that moment the computer began shifting the President. The transparent outline of the President went almost unnoticed for an instant as it emerged from the wall of the White House. Once it was about five feet from the holographic alien, the computer shifted him back into this dimension, but left him suspended about three feet above the ground. The holographic alien, in a voice made up by Christopher, Cindy, and the computer to sound authoritative and otherworldly, spoke.
“We are an advanced scout craft for the Agosei. We came in peace, but found a civilization about to be destroyed by its leaders. They have allowed this planet to fall victim to the results of their corruption. When they discovered the planet could no longer support such a large population, they decided to eliminate most of the population in order to save themselves. We could not allow this to happen. We find the intentional destruction of life on such a scale unacceptable. We will repair the damage to your ozone layer and seed your clouds with a substance that will restore life to your depleted soils. We will provide you with technologies to clean your air and water. Your leaders will begin to make the decisions to stop polluting the air and poisoning your waters and destroying your forests. We have implanted your leaders, both civilian and military, with monitoring devices to make sure these things are done and to make sure they never repeat the errors of their greed. Take heed, Mr. President, we will be watching.”
With that said, the holographic alien dematerialized. A moment later the President was released and dropped to the ground. The craft then slowly rose until it was about two hundred feet above the ground. Then in a flash, it displayed a burst of speed and acceleration that was nothing short of breathtaking. Everyone watched as the craft disappeared into the sky, and was gone from sight in a matter of seconds.
“I think that went rather well,” Christopher joked.
“Yes, but far too much work. I think we need a vacation,” Cindy replied. They both laughed and gave each other a big hug and a kiss.
The End.