by Tobias Roote
Annie chose then to return with his morning coffee and the post leaving Packer to walk stiffly out without another word. Hot on her heels, his top guns filed in, all raring to start a new day of mayhem. They hadn’t heard anything of the President’s escapades for the last four hours, although it would be all over the White House, Secret Service, and the other three letter services within the hour. Then there would be some serious chaos.
They ain’t seen nothing to what’s coming, chuckled Garner, as he reflected on the meeting he had just had seven miles up in space. They ain’t seen nothing at all, he smiled secretively.
***
“What do you think, Zeke ?”
Zirkos was looking pensively out of the porthole that they had both decided they liked having permanently visible. The view of the Earth beneath the ship gave them both focus, despite the occasional feelings of vertigo that Zeke got when he stood too close and lost the perspective given by the frame. Then he would feel he was falling and would have to pull back before he fainted.
“I think he will work it out. He has all the facts now, he certainly wants to break out of the institutionalised dogma that surrounds his job. If he can get things moving in the right direction, it’s possible that we could end up with what we need : a concerted world order to put planet Earth on a space footing.”
Zirkos turned towards Zeke.
“Do we proceed now with stage two, or wait awhile. You know your President best. Will he cooperate if we set things in motion ?”
Zirkos was referring to the stages of the plan they had thrashed out before kidnapping Garner. Firstly, to convince the most powerful person on the planet that humans were not alone in the universe and aliens were real, and secondly, that a potential alliance was possible, if handled delicately.
The potential for a variety of disastrous outcomes was significantly high, given the general ‘Area 51’ type paranoia and cult behaviour. They intended to try and circumvent much of that by layered introduction of both ideas and evidence.
“Yes, I’m ready. Let’s do it.”
Zirkos responded, “Ship, location and status of the Ferrazite Science Committee ?”
“The Committee is currently in closed session at their headquarters in the Kennedy Building. There are armed guards stationed outside the door and two people with concealed weapons within the room.”
Zeke decided now was the best time, without thinking on it too much.
“Ship, de-materialise the concealed weapons at the same time as you transfer me, please.”
The distraction of me arriving will probably conceal the sudden absence of their weapons, he thought. He made eye contact with Zirkos, smiling as he nodded.
“Initiate transfer,” ordered Zirkos, and watched as Zeke disappeared.
Two small weapons appeared on the edge of the control panel nearest him. He picked one up and idly examined it, noting the efficient way the humans designed and used lethal technology. If they had the science available to them from his Pattern library, where would they be in a hundred years, he wondered. Could they be trusted ?
He sighed and turned to view the ship’s monitoring system which would follow the proceedings down on the planet.
***
Zeke felt that peculiar pins and needles effect he had come to recognise as part of the re-materialisation. He and Zirkos had worked on design changes to make the process quicker which also cut down the light effect, as much as possible.
The spectrum, that the field used, could be set to different levels according to need. They had isolated only what was needed to transfer from two points and this turned out to be a very low density shadow of dark grey colour. The power needed was also reduced, so that a curtain no longer showed, just the outline of the object as it transferred. It took only a second or two, for Zeke to re-materialise in the committee room, and he was immediately aware and able to move about.
There was an immediate scrabble in the room as awareness of his arrival impinged on the scientists. Those closest to him had felt the draft from the change in the local air density as he materialised behind them, and had half-turned in reaction to see what was going on. The others facing them had leapt from their seats and while some were visibly making for the exit. One or two, Zeke noted, were curious.
Ferris was frantically searching for his gun, as was Jannson.
“You have been disarmed, Ferris. You too, Jannson.”
“Please ?” Zeke indicated the chairs they had so recently vacated.
“Sit down and listen to what I have to tell you. You are not in danger and I’m not here to return the hospitality of my recent stay with you, even though, by rights, I really should.” Zeke glared maliciously at Jannson.
Ferris, who was standing nearest to him, launched himself at Zeke, taking an aggressive stance and began to call for the guards outside the door.
As he went to attack, Ferris found himself inexplicably face down on the floor, with a boot on his neck and a very painful shoulder. He had absolutely no idea how he had got there, but was in no condition to fight.
Zeke, himself, was surprised at his own speed. It seemed as though he no sooner thought the action through in his head than it was in motion. His foot, on Ferris’ neck, was a surprise to both of them.
Zeke removed his foot as two guards entered, their rifles pointed at him ready to shoot, when their weapons just vanished, leaving their fingers holding fresh air. Their looks of astonishment overrode any sense of fear as they looked down at their Commander on the floor. They made as if to come to his assistance.
“Leave the room, guard the door and make sure nobody else comes in. Do not call for further assistance. You will all be neutralised if you do,” Zeke commanded.
He looked down at Ferris who was glaring at him with fury. Realising that he needed to make an immediate command decision, Ferris did so. He reasoned that if Subject Z was capable of materialising out of thin air, then flooring him and disarming his men, he probably could do much more if he needed to.
“Do as he says,” he commanded gruffly, rubbing his neck from where the boot had imprinted itself.
Both men backed through the doorway, withdrawing cautiously, confused and vulnerable at the sudden events that had disarmed them. Seeing their superior on the floor and knowing that it would take more than their best to put him there, they realised they were somewhat outmatched, and on the basis of applying the last order given, did as Ferris commanded.
As the door closed, Ferris stood up. Walking very warily around, in front of Zeke, keeping his distance until he was back to his chair at the head of the table, he finally felt able to speak normally.
“Callaghan, how the fuck did you get in here ? What’s happened to you ? How did you just do all that ?” he gestured, his hand whirling in the air in an expressive motion to indicate his ‘appearance’ in the room.
The immediate babbling from the fourteen scientists, who had all begun to talk at the same time, suddenly stopped when a second figure appeared beside Zeke.
Zeke turned to the scientists.
“I would like to introduce you to Zirkos, an alien being who has come with a message, and a.... mission,” Zeke explained.
Zirkos nodded at Zeke acknowledging his introduction and indicated for Zeke to continue, as agreed.
Zeke addressed the scientists directly. “We both have some things to discuss with you that concerns your research and a lot more besides. Are you interested in knowing more ?”
None of the scientists failed to realise the import of two people arriving by some unknown materialisation technique and all of them knew Callaghan’s history. They’d all noticed the lack of a metal plate in his head and an androidal-looking alien that most plainly wasn’t quite human. As a result they were temporarily silenced as they absorbed the data input from their eyes and ears, not sure whether to trust anything.
Except for Jannson, who stepped forward, quickly realising something extraordinary was occurring, and ta
king immediate command of the situation away from Ferris. Without thinking, he put out his hand to offer a welcome to Zirkos, not knowing how it would be received. He was relieved when the silver-skinned alien took his hand and shook it.
When Jannson got his hand back, he couldn’t help but look at it, as if counting all his fingers or searching for traces of silver paint on his palm. He looked back up as he put his hand back to his side, surreptitiously wiping it on his white coat and giving a nervous laugh. “Sorry, I....”
“No need,” Zirkos reassured him smiling confidently. He was enjoying himself immensely.
Zeke resumed his introduction and explanation as the scientists, including Ferris, resumed their seats. Zeke and Zirkos remained standing, having no desire to sit with these people as equals. They needed to stay aloof for the moment until they saw the necessary change occurring in attitudes and outlooks.
“Zirkos is an alien human who has a ship sitting out in space and is here to help us develop new technology.”
Ferris couldn’t help himself, he guffawed.
“That’s a ridiculous statement, Callaghan. Why don’t you two just explain how you did all of that stuff and then we can...” He suddenly remembered the embarrassing incident on the floor and quickly subsided.
Zeke, however, decided to move things forward in a positive way and looked at Zirkos, who nodded.
“Ship, transport the human named ‘Ferris’ to the porthole viewer,” Zeke commanded into thin air.
Ferris disappeared. The scientists who, up to this point, had shown no fear, suddenly began to look alarmed and nervous. Goeth stood and approached Zeke.
“I would also like to view this ‘porthole,’ wherever it is,” he offered, recognising something the others hadn’t quite grasped yet, not even Jannson.
Zeke smiled at Zirkos, and suddenly Goeth was also gone from the room. Ship was anticipating again.
The remaining scientists continued to chatter. Jannson deciding that enough was enough, called them to order.
“Enough !” He glowered at them, turning what effectively amounted to a one hundred and eighty degree shift in attitude.
“This is a débâcle. These two people have invaded this room, disarmed the guards, me included, attacked Ferris, and have now abducted two of our people, and all you can do is sit there and chatter like school children,” he ranted.
“Well, what do you propose you do about it ?” asked a porky, bespectacled scientist, whose white coat had certainly seen better, if not cleaner, days.
“Well, Griffiths, um... I certainly would like to see us presenting a united front in dealing with this threat,” he dissembled.
“Aren’t any of you a little concerned to note that, ‘Subject Z’, the very person we have been experimenting on, with the Ferrazite, no longer has the stuff in his head ?” He pointed to Zeke.
Suddenly, they were all looking at Zeke’s head and the absence of a metal plate.
“The last time he had been observed, he was on death’s door, yet here he is today, not only healthy, but without his metal skull cap and apparently able to do, at least some of the things, we were testing for.” Jannson ended his rant and turned to Zeke.
“Would you mind... ?” his voice trailed off, seeing the look in Zeke’s eyes, suddenly realising he was stepping on dangerous ground.
Before Zeke could respond, both Goeth and Ferris re-materialised, near to where Ferris had originally been standing.
Ferris was looking decidedly ill, and relieved to be on Terra Firma, whereas Goeth was evidently extremely excited.
“I was right,” he bragged to the others, “the Ferrazite is in outer space !” He rubbed his hands gleefully as he returned to his seat.
As Ferris sat down in his chair, still clutching a brown paper bag, Goeth, eyes shining, began describing to the others everything they had seen. When he mentioned the ship’s ability to speak, with apparent self awareness, several of the group started writing frantic notes.
Jannson, began to pale, as he realised the full truth of their situation. Many people, even scientists, have innate belief systems that hold them rock steady throughout their lives. When something occurs to shake that belief, it becomes a traumatic event for them. Jannson was a devoutly religious man. What Goeth was describing, and what he was seeing in Zeke and Zirkos, the ‘Alien,’ were contributing to a sudden sense of crisis deep within him.
Ferris though, began to recover his wits. He grasped what was going on around him. He saw that Jannson, his staunch ally amongst the learned, was losing the plot, and that Goeth’s star was on the ascendant. He decided that he needed to pull things back. This was after all his show, not Goeth’s, or subject ‘Z'.
He looked over at Zirkos and Callaghan, and saw them watching the whole scenario with something akin to bemusement. He decided to play the straight-up guy to get this on an even keel.
“Okay, Callaghan. You’ve convinced me that your friend, here, is an alien. There is nothing, on this planet, that can match that level of technology and I am sure you have other stuff we haven’t seen. So, in the interests of not wanting to travel to any other far off places, like the moon, without an oxygen supply, what is it you want ?”
Zeke turned to Ferris,
“Good ! Finally, we are at a point where our reason for interrupting your meeting can proceed.”
The other members of the committee became silent, not wanting to miss anything of what was going to happen next. Jannson was now lost in his own little world as he tried to absorb everything. Zeke absently thought what an excellent idea it had been to disarm everyone prior to arrival, he didn’t trust Jannson’s current mental state.
“Ferris, if you would please, telephone the White House ? Ask to speak to the President. When you are queried, please give them this code.” He handed Ferris a slip of paper.
“Are you serious ? This is the code that will get me the President ?”
Zeke nodded.
Ferris, without further argument, picked up the phone and dialled the number he knew by heart. His immediate boss, the Secretary of State worked there. He put the phone on speaker. It answered after three rings.
“Hello caller, You’ve reached the White House, how can I assist you today ?” came the female voice at the other end.
“Put me through to the President...”
The operator didn’t sound at all fazed that an unknown caller had requested to speak with the President. It must happen all of the time, every day. Instead she simply requested
“Do you have an authorisation code, caller ?”
“Aah, yes ! I have the code here...Authorisation code is..The truth is out there.”
Ferris looked nervous and expected to be cut off immediately as a crank.
The line clicked several times and then...
“This is President Garner, is that you, Ferris ?”
Ferris stunned, immediately shot out of his chair and stood to attention.
“Err ! Yes sir, Mr President. This is Ferris, sir.”
“Good ! You have in front of you two gentlemen, one is silver and both are in grey tunics. One you know as Subject ‘Z’, to whom you and your team, firstly, owe an apology, and secondly, your undying gratitude, for not having you visit the Space Station to clean their windows from the outside.”
Ferris gulped, as did a couple of the scientists. Zeke noticed which ones. They were the worst offenders in his eyes.
“The second, is an ally of ours called Zirkos. You and your team are to offer them blanket acceptance and approval to all projects under our roof, and, in return, you will advance American science further in the next twelve months, than we could achieve on our own, in the next one hundred years.
“As Mr Zirkos is the Ambassador for his race, you are to accord him full diplomatic title and protection while he and Mr Callaghan are on Earth, wherever they are. You will have direct access to me in the event, you or your team need support, assistance, or access to resourc
es and don't get cooperation, you are to direct them to me with the same authorisation code you just used. Understood, Ferris ?”
“Err, Yessir, Mr President. Completely. Thank you sir.” Ferris, still standing to attention, was now visibly shaking.
“Good, I expect a weekly report from you on progress amongst your team which is now reclassified as ‘BLACK-ZERO’. You will be issued with proper authentication within the hour by the NSA. You will be relocated to a safer location and all communications will be monitored by Mr Zirkos’ ship. Secrecy is, as never before, more important than anything in this world, literally, Ferris.”
“Yessir, understood, Mr President.”
“Good. I leave the matter with you to deal with as you see fit. Don’t let me down, Ferris.”
The phone went dead. One of the scientists reached forward and clicked off the speaker. Ferris collapsed into his chair. Everyone now sat very quietly, awaiting for the next bomb to drop.
- 16 -
Zeke resumed control of the meeting. It would happpen a lot quicker now, he thought. He had enjoyed putting them through it, in part repayment for their treatment of him, but now he, and they, needed to get beyond that and pull together for the benefit of not just the US, but the rest of the world.
He signalled Zirkos to organise carrying out phase two of their plan.
Calling them to order, Zeke began to apprise them of what was about to occur.
“Firstly, as of now, this room is no longer secure enough for what we need to discuss. We have built secure accommodation, offices and laboratories awaiting your arrival at an undisclosed location. When you walk out of this room you will be there, not here.” he advised them mysteriously.
Goeth stood up. “Callaghan, are you saying that we won’t be here, as in not in Kennedy Building ? or not on this planet ?”
“That’s a very good question, Dr Goeth, and one I am happy to answer. You will be on Earth, but this might change in the future, depending on a variety of issues, not least your personal safety and the operation’s security.”